"The Chosen Ones"
Authors: Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of
America, Inc. and Archie Comics (except where noted, in which case
they were created and copyrighted by us or by another and we have
permission to use them). The authors hereby give permission for
this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as
long as (1) no changes to the story are made without our express
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it
will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: I can't believe it.... Has it been eighteen months already?
Eighteen months since we've posted a story? Eighteem months since we've
visited the world of Mobius? But alas, it is so. And yet, we're finally
back. After me losing my job, and falling down a flight of stairs, along
with a lot of stuff Francis is going through, none of which is my business
to discuss, we have returned. This story is only the framework for a much
greater saga, perhaps even greater than the Race for the Emeralds. But it
will be up to you fans to decide that. Till next time, Happy Reading!
Cast of Characters (in order of appearance)
Queen Sally Alicia Hedgehog
Antoine D'Coolette
Princess Alicia Rose Hedgehog***
DJ Osaya###
Prince Juice Hedgehog***
King Sonic Hedgehog
Desirée D'Coolette***
Bunnie D'Coolette
Kelly Min Hedgehog**##
Nadia Osaya***
Rosie Shi-rat
Tanis Shi-rat***
Donovan Osaya###
Nadine Osaya###
Angela Shi-rat***
Darrin D'Coolette***
Miles "Tails" Prower
Princess Sondra Acorn-Prower***
Miles Prower III***
Sarah Prower***
???????????????????????***
#30
Queen Sally Alicia Hedgehog, ruler of all Mobius, sat upon her throne
with a heavy heart. It has been eighteen years since the band of rebels
known as the Freedom Fighters had defeated Robotnik and restored Mobius to
all its former glory. Or rather, since Sonic had done it. She knew each and
every Freedom Fighter had made uncountable contributions to the cause, but it
was Sonic who had finally defeated him in the end. Without him, they'd all
be roboticized right now, if not worse.
But he had done it, and Mobius was free of that dreadful curse. At
least, that's what everyone hoped. Robotnik disappeared that day and no
sign of him had been seen since. Sally couldn't shake the nagging feeling
that he was out there, somewhere, ready and waiting to strike.
Sally sighed under her breath, shifting a bit in her throne and pulled
at the collar of her dress. Though she usually dressed much the same way she
had in Knothole all those years ago, when she was needed to be the Queen, she
wore a royal gown in much the same style her mother had. The one thing she
always insisted on though was wearing her boots; she never did get the hang
of walking in high heels.
Sally smiled a little, then glanced at a nearby clock. "Antoine will
be here soon," she thought, her expression falling once more. "I hope he has
some good news for me today."
In all the years Sonic and her had ruled as King and Queen, Mobius had
experienced peace and prosperity like never before. Any arguements and
skirmishes were minor and quickly settled, usually to the satisfaction of
everyone involved. Both her and Sonic had made it a point not to lose touch
with their subjects, often going among them as nothing more than husband and
wife instead of King and Queen.
But their reign was not as perfect as everyone thought it to be. She
looked at a folder in her lap. She knew the contents of it by memory but she
still read it every day. Five babies, all born within the first year of their
reign, had been kidnapped and their families killed. Nothing like that had
happened since, but the absolute horror of it was forever etched in Sally's
mind. Also burned in her thoughts was the fact that none of the children had
ever been found.
She thumbed through the file and looked at the pictures of the missing
children. There seemed to be no connection between the children or their
families, save for the animal or animals involved in the crimes. Every day
she looked at the pictures, feeling she is missing something just on the edge
of her consciousness. And every day, it continues to elude her.
A knocking at the doors brought her out of her reverie. "Enter," she
said, straightening her posture.
An elderly raccoon opened a door and stood to the side. "Announcing
Antoine D'Coolette, captain of Your Majesties' Royal Guards."
Antoine entered the throne room, his head held high. His uniform
looked much the same as it did in his younger years, except that it was now
decorated with many medals for valor and service. He also looked much the
same as he did back then, just older and wiser like all the Freedom Fighters.
"Your Majesty," he said respectfully, bowing low as the door closed behind
him.
"Come now Antoine," Sally said with a small smile. "You know full
well--"
"That you are the same Sally who fought by my side all those years ago
in Knothole," Antoine finished with a smile.
Sally couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Am I truly that predictable?"
Antoine let his smile fade. "My Queen," he began, his voice growing
serious. "We have had this same conversation for the past seventeen years.
And just like all the other times, I have no further developments for you.
I do not like to say this, but it is as if the children and whoever took them
have vanished from the planet."
Sally closed her eyes and slumped in her chair. Antoine almost couldn't
bear to see Sally like this, and he had to turn away. In these moments, few
though they were, Antoine could see nothing of the strong, resilient Princess
that had kept their band of Freedom Fighters together through everything
Robotnik threw at them. All he saw was the toll this had taken on her. A few
hairs had gone grey before their time, and the occasional wrinkle showed on her
face when she frowned. "Sally...." he started, then stopped as his voice
failed him.
"Antoine," Sally whispered in a broken voice, "just leave, please."
As he had done for the last seventeen years, Antoine simply bowed and
whispered, "By your leave." Then he turned around and left the throne room,
closing the door as quietly as he possibly could.
As Antoine turned from the throne room, he saw a shadow slip around the
corner and smiled. For the past three years, that shadow appeared every day
at this time, and he was fairly certain he knew who it was. Chuckling to
himself, he simply walked away, starting to make his rounds.
"That was close," the animal thought, leaning back against the wall.
"He gets closer to catching me everyday." She unclipped a small computer
from her boot and opened it up. "Nicole," she whispered, "has Antoine left
the immediate area?"
"Affirmative, Princess," Nicole answered. "It appears he is doing
today what he has done everyday at this time."
"Nicole, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Alicia."
"Very well, Alicia. Do you need anything else?"
"No, thank you." Alicia closed up Nicole and placed her back on her
boot with a sigh. She was a fox, like her mother, but her fur was a dusky
grey, almost blue if viewed in the right light. Her hair was the same deep
brown as her mother's, but fell down to her waist; if she kept it short like
her mother did it tended to stick straight up like her father's. Her tail was
slightly longer than her mother's, but nowhere near as long as her uncle
Tails'. Her eyes were a deep black, so deep that more than one of her friends
and family had joked that you could fall right into them.
She wore a loose jogging suit of a deeper grey than her fur color that
did little to hide her form. Though not as curvy as some of the other women
in the palace, she was still considered by many to be beautiful. Her body was
well-toned and athletic, but not muscular. She moved about with a fluid grace
that even her mother envied. It seemed that she was born to be a princess, if
not one day the queen. And had it not been for the matter of a few minutes,
she would have been.
Alicia shook her head, banishing that thought. While she didn't like
the hand fate had dealt her, she had long since made her peace with it. What
mattered now was her mother, and the fact that she would sit in that room for
exactly one hour, just as she had done for as long as Alicia could remember.
No one, not even King Sonic, dared disturb her during that time.
"There has to be something I can do," she whispered to herself. Every
day, she tried to come up with something. And every day, she just couldn't.
Dejected, she turned to walk to her room when she noticed a young squirrel
blocking her path. "How long have you been there?" she asked, a bit
startled.
The squirrel, just stood there in the center of the hallway. He was
shorter than her by a few inches, not surprising because he was only fourteen
to her sixteen. He wore a blue polo shirt over his lanky frame that seemed
at once too big for his body but too small for his arms. He had short brown
hair that tended toward dirty-blond, like his mother, and his father's grey
fur. He stared at Alicia with his light purple eyes, just two shades darker
than white, and gently tapped his boots on the ground, mimicking her father's
impatience.
Alicia couldn't help but smile at that, and the young squirrel smiled in
return. "So, made it your job to cheer me up today, huh Donovan Jr.?" she
asked, her smile widening.
The squirrel lowered his eyes halfway, his lips twitching into a frown.
"OK, OK," Alicia said, stifling a laugh. "Sorry DJ. That better?"
DJ nodded, his frown disappearing. He looked at her questioningly,
directing a glance toward the throne room before looking back at her.
"Yes, my mom is in there," Alicia said, answering DJ's unspoken
question. Unspoken, because DJ could not speak. He had a scar that ran
across his neck, almost from one ear to the other. And though Tanis had
healed it as well as he could, something was keeping him from speaking. Tanis
insisted it was nothing physical, so it had to be emotional, but no one was
quite sure why.
DJ's hand on her arm brought her out of her reverie. "Still trying to
cheer me up, huh?" she asked, forcing a smile. "Gotta catch me first." She
ran off down the hallway, leaving DJ far behind. While she had not inherited
either of her parents' super speed, she held the distinction of being the
fastest runner who didn't have super speed on all of Mobius.
Alicia dodged down hallways at random, avoiding people in the hallways
almost without consciously realizing it. She was lost in the running, in the
natural high it always gave her. She didn't stop running for a good fifteen
minutes, and even then she had barely broken a sweat and wasn't breathing hard
at all.
She pushed her bangs out of her face and smiled. Running always made
her feel better, whatever was bothering her. With a start, she realized that
this had probably been DJ's plan from the beginning. "I guess I should go
thank him," she muttered with a chuckle. But when she turned the corner to
find him, he was standing there, a patient look on his face.
Alicia jumped back a foot or two, her heart racing in surprise. "You
have got to show me how you do that one of these days," she said, scowling.
DJ just shrugged and glanced out a nearby window. Alicia followed his
gaze and did a double take. Somehow she had run right to where her private
running track was. "You really have to show me how you do that," she muttered
under her breath, then sighed. "OK, you win," she added, throwing her hands
up in surrender. "I'll go outside and run. Thanks DJ."
DJ smiled slightly and walked to the window as she headed outside.
Alicia didn't bother with her warm-up stretches and just started a slow jog
around the track. The track was in a sheltered part of the courtyard,
divided from the main area by a high wall. It was rather plain, just an oval
dirt track with three lanes and a grassy field in the center, but Alicia
preferred it that way. As she had told her family many times, she came out
here to run, not to admire the scenery.
As she completed her second lap, she stepped on a small switch in the
middle lane of the track, activating the timer on a nearby scoreboard and
broke into a full sprint. She fairly flew around the track, but was mindful
to only run, not fly. She had to be careful about that because she had
inherited her mother's flying abilities. She was much faster as a flyer than
a runner, but that would be cheating.
Alicia ran down the home stretch, falling into her kick naturally. She
passed the finish line and slowed down, but kept walking so her muscles
wouldn't cramp up. She glanced over at the scoreboard and smiled. "A new
best," she thought to herself with a smile as she felt her heartbeat already
beginning to return to normal.
"Not bad, sis," a voice said, causing Alicia to look around. "But still
nowhere near what I can do."
"Come on out here and say that Juice!" Alicia yelled.
A brown blur raced by her, nearly knocking her off her feet. It whipped
around the track in under a second and then came to a stop right in front of
her. "You called?"
Alicia ground her teeth in frustration at the hedgehog in front of her.
He was a little taller than she was, just enough that he always seemed to be
looking down at her. He looked like a younger version of their father, except
that his fur and quills were brown with light brown on his front. He was
dressed in a formal jacket that signified his position as Crown Prince, but
wore a pair of red sneakers that had a golden stripe across the arch instead
of the boots he was supposed to wear.
"Whoa sis, settle down," Juice said, a smirk in his baby blue eyes and
on his lips. "You're gonna have a coronary if you don't relax."
Nearly shaking with fury, she pointed at the scoreboard. A new record
time of only a fraction of a second was recorded. "You crazy moron!" she
screamed, only her upbringing as a princess preventing her from using much
more caustic, but fitting, words. "Now I have to reset the whole thing and
pray I can get that time again. What is the matter with you?"
"Why do you even try?" Juice asked, more than a hint of arrogance in
his voice. "You know you'll never top me."
"Five minutes, Juice. That's the only reason you got the throne and I
didn't."
"The throne?" Juice asked, puzzled. "I thought we were talking about
speed here."
"What?" Alicia asked, confused, then her expression hardened again.
"Stop twisting my words around!" she yelled.
"Lower the decibels," Juice said, covering his ears with his hands.
"Last thing I need right now is for my own sister to make me deaf."
"She wouldn't be yelling like that if you didn't constantly do things to
make her mad at you," a voice said from the shadows, stopping the siblings'
arguement immediately.
"Now you've done it," Juice muttered.
"Enough Juice," the owner of the voice said, stepping out of the
shadows.
"But Dad,..."
"Don't 'But Dad' me," Sonic said, crossing his arms in front of his
chest and tapping his foot. "How many times have I told you about this?"
"How long has he been alive?" Alicia asked, her voice laced with
sarcasm.
"You're not helping things Alicia," Sonic pointed out. "I don't
understand what's gotten into the two of you lately; you used to be so close.
But now, I'd almost swear you hated each other."
"I don't hate him," Alicia said. "It's just that he seems to know
exactly what to do to get on my nerves!"
"It's a gift," Juice taunted.
"All right, that's enough!" Sonic said, just barely keeping his voice
under a yell. "I've had enough of this from the both of you. Whatever the
problem is, you two better find a way to work it out. I'm tired of seeing the
prince and princess of Mobius fighting like a couple of two-year-olds!"
"Man, what happened to you, Dad?" Juice asked. "All the stories I
heard about the legendary 'blue dude with the attitude' never had you acting
like this!"
"I grew up," Sonic said seriously. "We all have to grow up sometime.
Just be glad you didn't have to grow up like I did."
"Yeah, I guess."
Sonic couldn't help a smile come to his lips as he watched Juice. "So
much like I was at that age," he said to himself. Then, aloud, "Just because
I grew up doesn't mean I stopped knowing how to have fun. Race ya to
Knothole, or are you afraid you can't keep up with your old man?"
"Anytime, Dad," Juice said, revving up his legs. "But no power rings
this time."
Alicia watched her father and brother speed off and let out a sigh of
anger and frustration. She stormed inside the palace and headed straight to
her room. "Five minutes," she muttered to herself as she went.
DJ watched her go and his expression saddened. He had tried to help her
and all he had ended up doing was hurting her. Dejected, he headed toward
his family's place with his head bowed when a soft hand on his cheek stopped
him. "Now what's with the long face, DJ?" a dulcet voice with just the
hint of an accent asked him. "Surely it can't be all that bad?"
DJ looked up into a pair of bright green eyes that were smiling warmly
down at him. They were the kind of eyes that were known to steal men's
hearts with just a glance, and had on more than one occasion. If there were
anything more beautiful and sensual than those eyes, it was the rabbit to whom
they belonged: Desirée D'Coolette
Dark cream fur framed her eyes and was in turn framed by fur a few
shades lighter. The lighter fur continued up her ears, though the hair that
grew between and around her ears and fell to her waist was a platinum blonde.
Her cheeks and the rest of her face were an even lighter shade than that, so
light as to almost be white. She wore very little makeup, only a pale pink
blush and lipstick that accented her natural beauty.
The fur on her body was the same cream color of her upper face and ears.
Her waist and hips were just slightly narrower than her mother's, and her
chest just slightly larger. But under all the softness and curves was the
type of defined musculature only achieved through rigorous training in the
martial arts. The only clothing she wore was a pale pink jumpsuit in her
mother's style with a dark red belt, and it fit her body perfectly.
Desirée was more than a bit of a flirt, and many young men constantly
courted her. She loved all the attention, but was careful not to make any
kind of promise she wan't sure she could keep. None of the young men got
anything more than a light peck on the cheek that didn't even leave a speck of
her lipstick on their fur. It was common knowledge that any male not related
to her who wore a full print of her lipstick on his cheek was the one she had
finally given her heart to.
"So, what's going on?" Desirée asked again, her slight Southern
accent softening her voice to a sultry level.
DJ said nothing, of course, but just continued to stare into Desirée's
green eyes. Desirée stared back for a moment longer then tilted her head to
the side. "So, you tried to cheer up Alicia again, huh?" she asked. "Got
her to run and then Juice showed up? And let's see...they had an argument
about the speed and King Sonic came by, settled them down, and took off with
his son while Alicia stormed off toward her room, right?"
DJ nodded with each question she asked, and the sadness in his eyes
increased with the last one. But surprisingly, there was no confusion or
shock at Desirée being so accurate in her questions. Or perhaps not so
surprising, if one knew Desirée's well.
For some reason no one had been able to explain, Desirée was the only
animal in Mobius who could understand those who could not speak just by
looking into their eyes. She couldn't do it with anyone who spoke though, and
her readings of DJ were by far the most accurate of any others. Maybe it was
because she grew up with DJ, or maybe it was just because she had a strong
friendship with him. Whatever the case, the results were undeniable.
"Oh DJ," Desirée said, wrapping her arms around him and holding him
close. "When will you learn that these things happen, and they're not your
fault? You did your best, I know you did." She felt more than heard DJ sigh
and then added, "Besides, I think you helped her more than you know."
DJ pulled his head back just far enough to look Desirée in her eyes.
She couldn't help but chuckle at the confusion she saw. "Think about it for a
minute. Alicia was feeling guilty about not being able to help her mom, and
you snapped her out of that. She may be angry now, but anger is a lot easier
to work off than guilt, and also a lot less self-destructive."
DJ considered it for a little bit but still didn't seem convinced.
"Just trust me on this, OK?" Desirée asked, lowering her eyelids halfway and
smiling softly. DJ sighed again but nodded. Desirée smiled a bit wider and
hugged him close again, "accidentally" hugging his face right into her chest.
He stood there for just a little bit, hugging her back, before pulling
away in embarassment, his cheeks slightly reddened. Desireé chuckled under
her breath and kissed him lightly on his cheek before stepping back. "I'll
see you later," she said, turning around and walking away slowly. DJ watched
her until she turned the corner, then shook his head and walked toward the
rooms he shared with his family.
Desirée waited by the corner until she heard DJ leave. With a smile,
she turned to head toward her room but stopped short when she saw who was in
front of her. "Oh, hi mom."
Bunnie D'Coolette stood in front of her daughter, arms crossed in front
of her chest, and a very angry look on her face. "Desirée," she said, her
voice matching her look, "how many times have I told you not to tease that
poor boy? He's been through enough, and he doesn't need you toying with his
emotions, or his hormones."
Desirée rolled her eyes. "Mom, just because you and Dad are captains of
the Royal Guards doesn't mean you're always right. Can't you just trust me
for once?"
Bunnie's expression softened slightly and she let her arms drop to her
sides. "Dear, you know I trust you," she said, straightening the guard's
jacket she wore over her bodysuit. "But sometimes I don't think you exactly
know when to stop."
Desirée's face turned serious in an instant. "Mother," she said in a
voice vastly more mature than her normal flirtatious one, "you know I'd never
hurt DJ, intentionally or no. He's one of my dearest friends, and almost as
close to me as my family. I know how far is too far, and I'll never cross
that line around him. Besides," she said in her normal voice with a hint of
a smile, "you might want to take a closer look at his cheeks next time."
Bunnie opened her mouth to say something, but her daughter had already
walked past her. "Well I'll be," she mused. "Who'd've thought it?"
Alicia paced around her room, muttering to herself. Despite being a
princess, Alicia's room was rather plain. The walls were painted to match her
fur, though the ceiling was left white. The hardwood floor was dull and
slightly scratched up from the heels of her boots. There was a bed, a night
table, a dresser, and a desk that doubled as a clothes rack. But she was so
angry, she took note of none of this. Nor did she take note of the hedgehog
standing in her doorway.
This female hedgehog stood slightly taller than Alicia, three inches at
most. She had light grey fur and blond hair-quills swept back in the style
Sonic wore them, only longer and a lot more of them. Some said she was the
spitting image of her mother at this age, and she took that as a compliment.
She wore a dark green outfit consisting of a short-sleeved dress shirt and a
straight skirt falling to just below her knees. "You know, cousin," she said,
her light brown eyes sparkling with merriment as Alicia jumped in surprise,
"if you did have the family's speed, you wouldn't have much of a floor left."
Alicia turned to the hedgehog standing by her door, trying not to look
as startled as she felt. "Oh, hi Aunt Kelly," she said with a shrug.
Kelly Min shook her head. Yes, she was technically Alicia and Juice's
aunt, but with only two years separating them, she thought of herself more as
their cousin than aunt. But Alicia, ever the proper princess, refused to
call her anything but "Aunt Kelly". "Fighting with Juice again?" she asked.
"How'd you guess?" Alicia asked in return, sitting down on her bed in a
huff.
"Nothing else can get you this worked up," Kelly pointed out, sitting
beside her niece. "How bad?"
"The usual."
"Alicia, you have to let this go. You've carried this anger for way too
long."
"Every single time I think I've made peace with this, Juice comes along
and starts me up all over again. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he wanted
me to challenge him for the throne. But you know I'd never go there."
"I know," Kelly said with a sigh, then changed the subject to more
pleasant matters, eventually talking Alicia's anger out of her. But in the
back of her mind, she couldn't help but agree with Alicia. It was almost as
if Juice was trying to make Alicia call for the Challenge.... But surely he
wouldn't put his own sister in that position, would he?
As Kelly talked with Alicia, DJ opened the door leading to his family's
rooms. Sonic and Sally had given each of their friends an area of the palace
that was like a small house or apartment in some ways. They each had a living
room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms accessible only from one main door. It
allowed each of them a measure of privacy while retaining the community
feeling they had shared in Knothole.
"DJ, is that you?" a voice called from the kitchen. DJ walked by the
kitchen and waved to his mom as she checked on something in the oven. "Oh
good, you're home," Nadia said, wiping her hands on her apron. "Tanis and his
family will be here soon, so wash up."
DJ looked at his mother questioningly, knowing he had showered only a
few hours before. Nadia smiled and tapped her cheek, looking directly at his
cheek. DJ tilted his head to the side, wondering what his mom was getting at.
But before he could indicate that, she had turned back to her cooking.
DJ shrugged and walked into the bathroom, glancing in the mirror to see
what his mom had seen. There, on his cheek, was a smudge of pink. He stared
at it a moment, silently asking himself where it had come from. Then he
remembered the kiss Desireé had given him and blushed slightly. This was the
first time she had left any kind of mark on his cheek. And while it was far
short of a full print of her lips, he knew that it could be the beginning
of....
DJ stopped that line of thought before it went anywhere. There was no
way Desireé cold be interested in him. For all the things she was, he wasn't
anything; he couldn't even speak! No, it must be a mistake. So decided, he
quickly washed off the lipstick and headed back into the living room just as
the doorbell rang. He opened the door just as his mom was about to ask him to
get it.
"Hello there DJ," Rosie said, walking into the apartment as DJ stepped
aside. "You're looking well today."
DJ smiled and gave Rosie a hug. His family had always been close to the
Shi-rats, so much that he considered Rosie and Tanis his aunt and uncle, much
as Tails considered Sally and Bunnie his aunts. He looked outside the door to
see if his "uncle" was there.
"He's not here right now," Rosie said, having a good idea what, or
rather who, DJ was looking for. "Don't worry, he just went to pry your father
from his work. But while you wait, why don't you catch up with...." Rosie's
voice trailed off as she looked around. "That girl's going to be the death of
me," she sighed.
Meanwhile, Donovan was just leaving the security room of the palace.
While Antoine and Bunnie were in charge of the actual guards, Donovan was in
charge of electronic security. No public area of the palace was beyond his
surveillance, but even he wouldn't violate the privacy of each animal's
bedroom.
Gone was his trademark black outfit, and even his father's white
uniform. Now he wore a lab coat that looked like it would fit better in a
science lab than a security office. The only holdover from his younger
days was the eyepatch he wore over the injury he suffered while dealing with
the Kavenoff all those years ago.
When he turned the first corner, he felt a hand touch his shoulder and
jumped. "I really wish you wouldn't do that," he said, knowing who was there
without even looking.
"I'm sorry, Donovan," Tanis said, though his lips held just the hint of
a smile. "I just wanted to get your attention. Is everything all right? You
stayed at your job a little later than usual."
Donovan sighed and closed his good eye. Tanis was still very protective
of him in a fatherly way, even though they looked as if they were the same age
now. But with everything that had happened, Donovan could not blame him. His
mind drifted back five years, to a time forever burned in his memory.
It had seemed like a normal day when he awoke. He gave Nadia a kiss and
DJ a hug as he always did before leaving for work, but there was something
wrong. For there was a third thing he did not do, and it seemed never would
again: give his daughter, Nadine, a hug.
Nadine was older than her brother by a little over a year, and if one
word could be used to describe her, it would be "adventurous". Her bright
purple eyes were always looking for something new to discover, and they got
red just like her father's when she was upset. Her fur coloring was more like
her mother's, but she had her father's dark black hair. Her favorite outfit
was a black vest and black boots, exactly like her father used to wear.
At the time, Donovan didn't think anything of it; Nadine was infamous
for her late night excursions and often didn't make it back to bed until after
he had already left for work. But when he got to work, there was no sign of
his daughter on any of the monitors. Donovan had had the computer run a check
of every security tape recorded the previous night, but she was nowhere to be
seen. It was if she had vanished from the face of Mobius.
Since that day, Donovan changed. He became more obsessed with security,
often staying in that room for days on end, ignoring his body's need for food,
drink, and sleep. Nadia had tried to bring him around, but his obsession knew
no bounds; there were times Nadia wasn't even sure if he was aware of her
presence.
It all came to a head a few months after Nadine's disappearance. Nadia
had spent the day pleading with her husband, begging him to let her help him.
But he just kept brushing her concerns aside, insisting that he had to protect
everyone, no matter the cost. But just as he was about to lock himself in the
office again, Nadia said perhaps the only words that could've gotten through
to him. "I wish I'd never used the Life Emerald, then you wouldn't be like
you are now."
If Donovan thought he knew what being devastated felt like, those words
took him to a depth he had never even believed could exist. He slammed the
door shut and collasped in a seat, not even paying attention to the monitors
for the first time in months, his vision blurred by tears.
Donovan never could recall how long he sat there. The next coherent
memory he had was of Tanis appearing in the room. "I felt your pain all the
way in Sanctuary," Tanis said, sitting down next to him. "Talk to me Donovan,
help me understand your pain."
"How can you understand what you've never gone through?" Donovan asked,
his voice choked up by his sobs. "How can you possibly know the pain of
losing your child, knowing it's your fault because you weren't watching out
for her like you should have?"
"Have you forgotten already?" Tanis asked, his voice strained. "You
know what the Kavenoff put me through. I saw the soul of the son I should've
had, had I not made the choice to become a Holy One. My choice not only
caused me such pain, but Rosie as well. And while I would never give up the
daughter I now have for that son, I will always remember him, and grieve for
what could have been.
"But you Donovan, your daughter is not dead. I don't know where she is
because something is hiding her from my power, but she is alive. I know in
my heart you will see her again. Maybe not as you remember her, but she will
have grown up, at least a little."
Tanis spent an hour talking to Donovan, helping him deal with his guilt.
And it helped, at least in part. Donovan was able to put the guilt behind him
and rejoin his family life. But now and again it still rises up, overwhelming
him. When it does, he has strict orders from Sally to take the rest of the
day off and speak with either Tanis, Rosie, or Nadia. She also added the
warning that if he didn't, she'd carry him there personally. That was more
than enough incentive for him.
But now, as he remembered this, Donovan felt the guilt rising up once
more. "I think we need to talk," he told Tanis in a hushed voice.
"Of course, my son," Tanis said, clasping his hands before him. "Let us
walk to your place, and see if that's enough time both for you to talk...and
my daughter to return."
Over at Knothole, the former base of the Freedom Fighters, Sonic and
Juice were running laps around the entire village. It had become something of
a resort for the royal family, and all their close friends, so Sonic and Sally
made sure to keep it in good shape. All of the huts looked as they did in the
time of Robotnik, except that they had more beds to accomodate families now.
Even as they ran, the hedgehogs could see a couple of the huts in use by the
surviving members of the Wolf Pack and their families.
Sonic turned to face his son as they ran side-by-side. "You know, you
have to stop doing things like that to your sister," he said. "You're not
only a prince, you're the crown prince. You'll be king someday."
"Don't remind me," Juice muttered, too low for his father to hear. He
tuned out the rest of his father's speech, which he could almost recite by
heart, and turned his thoughts to other matters. More than anything else,
Juice did not want to be the first in line to the throne. He knew Alicia
was more suited to the job, but the law was the law. If something didn't
happen to him, he would be king.
Unless, of course, Alicia called for the Challenge of Succession.
Normally, the Challenge was fought to the death, with both siblings wanting
the throne. But Juice didn't want it; he'd concede the Challenge as soon as
the fight started. But no matter how he taunted and prodded his sister, she
would not take the bait. If he encouraged her to make the Challenge outright,
he knew it would invalidate the whole thing. So he was forced to be that way
toward her, no matter how much it hurt.
Juice heard his father stop talking and assumed he was waiting for an
answer. Just as he was about to give one, a fluttering of grey caught his
attention. When he turned to find it again, he slipped on a patch of mud and
slid headfirst into a tree. "Ouch," he muttered, trying to clear the stars
from his vision.
Sonic ran back over and helped his son up. "Where'd you drift off to?"
he asked, barely concealing a chuckle.
"Hmm? Oh, nowhere important," Juice said, trying to keep his voice
level. "Listen, Dad, would it be all right if I stayed here for a while? I
want to do some more running, but I know you have to get back to the palace.
Please Dad," he pleaded, without even giving Sonic a chance to answer. "We
can finish this talk later."
Sonic tilted his head to the side, apparently considering his son's
request. "I suppose," he said slowly. "But don't be too late. We do have
that official function to attend tomorrow, and you are not skipping out of
this one."
"Yeah yeah, you got it," Juice said distractedly. "I'll see you later
then." He revved up and took off, heading for the center of Knothole.
Sonic just shook his head and sighed as he ran back to the palace. He
knew full well that Juice had not wanted to stay behind to do some running; he
too had seen the flutter of grey. "Be careful, Juice," he thought. "Don't
get too involved with something that can never be."
A lithe figure watched from behind a hut as the king ran back to his
palace. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she turned and leaned back against
the wall. She had so wanted to make her presence known, but she knew she
couldn't. Things were hard enough without the king being aware of what was
transpiring. All this secrecy and sneaking around went against every fiber
of her being, as one might expect from the daughter of Tanis and Rosie
Shi-rat. But Angela would do anything to be with the one she loved.
She glanced inside the window of the hut and saw a family of wolves
playing together. More than anything, Angela wanted to have a family like
that one day. Unfortunately, the one animal who held her heart was the one
animal she could not have.
She was a Holy One, in training, and a Shi-rat at that. When she turned
eighteen in a couple years, she would be bound by the same covenant all the
Holy Ones were. She would have to remain absolutely neutral in all things,
not showing favoritism despite what her heart may dictate. And once this
happened, any chance of a future for them together would be gone.
Angela wrung her hands together, closing her eyes in an attempt to
dispel the headache that had suddenly come upon her. There was only one way
out of this mess, short of both of them running away together. And if he
couldn't convince his sister....
A soft pressure on her lips stopped her thoughts dead in their tracks.
Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around the animal in front of her and
returned the kiss deeply. After what was surely only a few moments, but felt
to her like an eternity, she pulled back slightly. "Juice," she murmured
happily, not even needing to open her eyes to recognize the kiss of her
beloved.
Juice smiled softly, stepping back to look at the mouse he loved. Her
fur was the purest white, whiter than the marble sculptures that adorned the
walls of Sanctuary. By contrast, her hair was as pure black as the darkest
pitch, flowing about her shoulders and back in waves of liquid night. And
though her eyes were closed, he knew they were a misty grey, swirling like
storm clouds on the horizon. She never wore any makeup, opting for a purely
natural look instead of an artificial one.
As always, she was clad in a simple grey robe cinched in at the waist by
a belt inscribed with ancient runes. The robe and belt were rumored to have
belonged to Iridal Shi-rat herself, and Juice knew Angela strived hard to live
up to her ancestor's memory. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful creature
on all of Mobius, though he knew he was far from unbiased. He loved her, it
was as simple as that.
But it wasn't, was it? He sighed and held his beloved close, enjoying
the feel of her slender body pressed against his. Unlike Desirée, who was
beautiful in a very sensual manner that could be compared to the heat of a
summer sun; Angela was beautiful in a more serene way, like soft candlelight
illuminating an angelic face.
"You're thinking about it again, aren't you?" Angela whispered in his
ear.
Juice suppressed the shiver of delight that ran down his back when she
did that. "How can I not?" he whispered back. "If Alicia never challenges
me, then we can never be together. You have to be a Holy One, and I'll have
to be king. Your vows...."
Angela stopped him by laying a single finger across his lips. "I know,"
she murmured, "but there's nothing we can do about it right now. Just hold me
right now."
Juice did hold her, and he kissed her too. The worries of the world
seemed to fall away as they embraced, until they only knew of each other's
presence. He began to lay back, drawing Angela to lay atop him, ignoring the
protesting voice of his conscience.
It wasn't much, only the snapping of a twig in the distance, but it was
enough to stop the couple. Angela pulled away and rolled to the side, her
face flushed with desire, and Juice knew his face must be the same way.
"We're not alone," he said slowly, both thanking and cursing the interruption.
"It's for the best," Angela said, laying her head on his chest. But he
heard the hesitation in her voice. He wrapped his arms around her and felt
the sobs coming from her body, hating the fates that had made them love each
other, only to keep them forever apart.
From his perch in a nearby tree, a young fox watched the couple and
sighed. It was painful to see how much they loved each other, only to have to
break them up before it went too far. But that was his duty, and his honor.
To Darrin D'Coolette, that was all he had.
Darrin's sense of honor had been instilled in him almost from the moment
of his birth, a mere five minutes after the birth of his sister, Desirée. His
honor was very important to him because, to him at least, it was all he had.
He knew he wasn't the strongest, fastest, or smartest; but he was the most
honorable. Despite his small frame, he'd always be the first one to jump into
a fight to try and break it up.
Usually, that got him into more trouble than he stopped, however, and
something would have to happen to get him out of it. Mostly, his sister or
his parents would have to help him. But if Darrin was pushed too far, he
would draw his sword and drive everyone back. His skill with the sword was
unmatched by anyone, but he preferred not to use it as he could injure someone
severely with even the simplest maneuver. And though he had no martial arts
training himself, he inherited the ability to use the Starfire technique from
his mother.
Occasionally though, there was no room to use his sword, so he was
forced to reveal his secret shame. His right arm, from shoulder to elbow, was
robotic, and had been since he was born. He knew his father bore the same
stigma, and that his mother was able to change three of her limbs between
being robotic and normal, but neither of them had the deal with the prejudice
he did. In their time, they were fighting for all of Mobius. Now, he stood
out as a freak.
The only ones who never made him feel that way were the kids around the
palace, particularly the four he shared a birthday with. He, Desirée, Alicia,
Juice, and Angela had been the closest of friends as long as he could
remember.
Darrin remembered their thirteenth birthday, and the start of the
problem now before him. Juice had stolen away from the party, as usual, and
had to be searched for. By sheer luck, Darrin had stumbled upon him talking
with Alicia. The conversation seemed rather intense, or so he thought from
where he watched. Without any indication of its coming, Angela had suddenly
pulled Juice into a hug and kissed him soundly.
Darrin had been shocked, to say the least. He later learned that he had
been witness to the first kiss they shared, but he would have never guessed
that by looking at them. Unfortunately, her parents had chosen that moment to
show up and gasped at what they saw.
Both had been given a severe talking to, but it hardly seemed as if they
were paying attention. The two sets of parents soon realized this was not
merely some infatuation or attraction, and tried to prevent it from gaining
ground, knowing the hardships that would follow. But in the years since that
night, nothing had worked, even enforced separation, and it seemed that
nothing would.
That was why he was here, to make sure they never were alone too long.
The parents had long given up hope of keeping them apart, though they would
never admit as much to these two, so they had assigned Darrin as their
chaperone. He knew all the hidden passages and hiding spots in both the
palace and Knothole, and he could shadow anyone silently and unseen in his
camouflage garb, so he was perfect for the job. Beyond that, he respected
them enough to give them privacy while letting them know they weren't alone.
Darrin peered out from between the leaves again, just in time to see
his charges walking off, hand-in-hand. He smiled slightly as he shadowed
them from the treetops. He knew Juice could leave him in the dust any day,
and be alone with Angela for a long enough time that it wouldn't matter even
if Darrin did find them. But he was being shown the same respect he was
showing them, and he was grateful for it.
He jumped toward another branch when he suddenly got knocked out of the
air by a orange blur. "No!" he yelled, speeding toward the ground.
A gust of air slowed his descent so that he touched down lightly. "Are
you all right, Darrin?" Angela asked, rushing to his side with Juice.
"Yes, thank you," Darrin said, the quaver in his voice making his slight
French accent more noticable.
"What happened?" Juice asked, a bit of concern in his voice for his
friend.
"I have to apologize for that," a mature male voice said above them. As
they watched, a fox with two tails slowly lowered to the ground, holding a
female hedgehog by her hands. "I didn't think anyone would be out here so I
was giving my kids some flying lessons."
"It's all right, Mr. Prower," Darrin said respectfully.
"Darrin, just call me 'Uncle Tails', all right?" Tails said with a
chuckle.
"And if you think of calling me anything other than 'Aunt Sondra',"
Sondra said with a mock-hard edge to her voice, "you'll find some pointed
crystals in your boots tomorrow."
Darrin just shook his head. "All right, you win Aunt Sondra. For now,
at least."
Sondra nodded and looked toward the direction they had been flying in.
"All right kids," she called, "you can come out now."
"OK, Mom!" a pair of voices called, accompanied by a familiar swishing
of tails. To the others standing there, it seemed like miniature versions of
Tails and Sondra flew out of the treetops and landed before them, exactly as
the big ones had...except for the landing. "Get off me!" the girl hedgehog
yelled, pushing the fox off of her.
"Sorry," the fox said, dusting himself off. "But I was supposed to land
there." Now that they got a closer look at these two, differences could be
seen. For one thing, the girl hedgehog had two bushy tails, just like her
brother. For another, the boy fox' eyes were the same crystal blue of his
sister's. Also, the boy was a few inches taller than the girl, as if a year
or two older, though he could be no older than ten himself.
"No, this is my spot," the hedgehog insisted. "You were supposed to
land over there."
"Kids," Tails said with a bit of an edge to his voice, letting his
children know that he would take no more of that kind of arguing.
"Sorry Daddy," they both said, looking down at their feet, though
neither one sounded the least bit sorry.
"Why don't we try that again," Sondra suggested, walking to stand before
her children, "and you better mean it this time. Otherwise I'm sure I can
convince your father not to give you any more flying lessons."
"But Mom..." the young hedgehog whined.
"No buts, Sarah," Sondra said looking her daughter eye-to-eye. "You
know I'm fully serious about this."
Sarah nodded slowly, letting her head hang. As such, she didn't see the
face her brother made, but their father did. "Miles! You apologize to your
sister right now."
"Dad!" Miles III fairly screamed. "You know I don't like being called
that name!"
"Pardon me for interrupting," Darrin said smoothly, "but I think you
should be honored to have your father's name."
"A name even he doesn't like using?" Miles III asked.
"He's got you there," Sondra whispered, nudging her husband in the ribs.
Tails just shook his head. "All right, then what should we call you?"
His son seemed at a loss momentarily, not really having considered it
until just this moment. Then his eyes brightened up as he said, "I know!
Just call me 'M3'."
"M3, huh? Well, sounds good to me, but you know you'll still get teased
about your real name."
"I can handle it, as long as I have another name to give them."
Darrin chuckled quietly, then suddenly looked around. "If you'll excuse
me," he said quickly, "I have a certain prince and Holy-One-in-training to
catch up to."
As Darrin left among a round of chuckles, a dark figure sat watching
them all quietly. "Be glad you can laugh now," it said, its voice fraught
with pain and evil. "Very soon, there will be nothing to laugh about."
Before anyone could realize it was even there, it slipped through a portal
of darkness and vanished. (
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