"Revenge" - A Sonic the Hedgehog Fan Fiction in the Foxes and Sorcery Series ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Written by: Aaron Lye E-mail: prower@pacific.net.sg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEGAL NECESSITIES All characters related to Sonic the Hedgehog used in this work are fully owned and copyrighted by one or more of the following: Sega of America, Sega Enterprises (Japan), DIC and/or Archie Comics. Additional characters used in the fanfiction are owned and may or may not be copyrighted by their respective creators. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cast of characters (in random order) ------------------------------------ Sonic Sally Tails Tasha Angela Bunnie Tayla and other characters ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TIMELINE: Five months after "The Persecuted" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bunnie looked around frantically. She was the only Freedom Fighter left standing in Knothole. Around her lay Sonic, Sally, Tasha, even Tails... all injured...possibly dead...all victims of that....creature that had wrecked Knothole.. She heard a sound from behind her, and she turned around, coming face to face with the enemy. Recognition passed through Bunnie's eyes. It couldn't be....it wasn't...could it?... No... The attack crashed into Bunnie and she fell to the ground, her vision replaced by blackness.... ***** A voice...it was speaking to her..."Bun...tgr..some...fggh.pen....nie.." Her mind cleared up at the same time her vision returned, and she saw Sally looking over her with a concerned expression. The squirrel seemed relieved that Bunnie was fine. "Bunnie, you have to be more careful. You really had me worried there for a sec." The cyberbunny shook her head, "Wha.. What happened?" Sally smiled, "You were helping me spring-clean my hut when you fell off that ladder and hit your head...remember?" Bunnie's memory returned. "Oh..." She stood up and tidied up her ears. "Ya know, Ah had the strangest dream while Ah was out...but then, Ah guess hitting mah head does that kinda thing to ya, don't it?" Sally smiled, "Of course. Now, what say we finish cleaning up this place before Sonic gets back and starts messing it up again?" Bunnie nodded, "You're on, sugah." ***** Far away, in an inaccessible place known as Ghylcana, Angela lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow would be the last day of her probation, after which she would finally be free. She shook her head. The time she had spent in rehabilitation hadn't lessened any of the pain, or the anger she felt... The Ghylcanan Guardians were fools. To even THINK that five months of recuperation would erase a lifetime of contempt and fury for the people known as telepaths.... Tomorrow, she would return to Knothole, and she would exact vengeance on the mind-reader once again.... And all the Freedom Fighters who would try to protect the telepath would pay as well... Not one would be spared. ***** In another part of Mobius, at the edge of the city once known as Mobotropolis, a rabbit and a hedgehog lurked, hidden by dense bushes. Sonic frowned at the rabbit crowded next to him, as she constantly shifted and moved, and kept her eyes on everything around her except what they were supposed to be watching. He whispered, "Tayla, we're supposed to be on a recon mission. Stop watching the bugs. They're not gonna eat you!" Tayla glared at Sonic, "Well, I'm sorry! I've never done this before, and I'm not used to having...eww....caterpillars on my neck!" She picked one off her dress and threw it out of the bush. Sonic sighed, and thought, "Girls..." Immediately, he heard a voice in his head. *I read that!* Nodding an apology to Tayla, he tried to settle back and watch the movements within Robotropolis. In an attempt to make conversation, he said, "So, Tayl, you said your telepathy doesn't affect bots?" Tayla frowned again, "Don't call me that. And yes, it doesn't." Sonic grinned, "Betcha it does." The rabbit gave him a condescending look that said, "Oh yeah?" He pointed, "There's a squirrel workerbot over there... my favorite kind. Give it a shot." Tayla questioned, "What?" To which the hedgehog replied, "Y'know... send it a message, a signal, something. See if it notices." Tayla sighed, "OK..." She concentrated hard on the bot, sending it a simple message. No effect. She smirked, "Told you s-" Tayla found something odd. She probed the workerbot harder. She could snese something within the bot... if she probed hard enough...she could touch it.. Suddenly, she reeled back, as if struck by some physical force. Sonic nearly yelled, "Whoa! Tayla, you ok?" She picked herself up and brushed her fur. "I'm fine...oh my..look at that bot!" She was staring at their test subject. Sonic looked, and saw what Tayla meant. The workerbot was disoriented, and seemed lost, without direction. As long as Snively had control over it, that shouldn't have happened... That only meant one thing. ***** Sonic sped towards the disoriented bot at his maximum speed, swept it off it's feet and carried it back to his and Tayla's vantage point before any of the city detection sensors even registered his presence. Once dropped to the ground, the bot looked at Sonic, and a very sentient expression crossed it's face. That of surprise. And awe. It said, "You're..Sonic. The freedom fighter...we've heard so much.." It seemed to realized something, and an elated look crossed it's face, "If I'm here, and talking to you...that means..YOU'VE FOUND A WAY TO DEROBOTICIZE US!" The squirrel-bot looked down at itself and immediately seemed downcast. "Oh..." Sonic however, was overjoyed. "Tayl, this is really really way past cool! We've just found a way to undo Buttnik's work! Your telepathy can help them regain control of their minds and their free will! C'mon, we have ta report this to Sal!" Sonic raced ahead carrying the squirrel fox with him, forgetting Tayla in his excitement. Tayla smirked, "Sure...don't mind me. I'll just sit here and wait for Snively to find me." ***** She made her way through the Great Forest easily. However, when she was halfway to Knothole, she sensed something. Without warning, her head started spinning, and she felt disoriented. She could barely make out a figure standing several feet away... She fell to the ground, her vision staying long enough to see the figure advancing in her direction... ***** "Miss? You ok? I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you..." Tayla woke up at the sound of that voice. She picked herself off the ground of the forest and looked at the young fox in front of her. The fox looked apologetic. "I never knew that it would do something like that...it's never happened before.." Tayla looked confused, "What are you talking about?" The fox looked straight at her, "I looked into your mind. My friends and I do it all the time, to everyone who passes by." Tayla stared at the fox. It couldn't be... She sent a telepathic question to the fox, who frowned. Within seconds, Tayla got a response. *You have the Power? Then, why didja pass out when I used it on you?* Tayla felt a rush of emotion. This child was a telepath...like her. She had found her people. ***** She replied normally, "I don't know. It could be because I've not had someone scan me for over five months now." She soon asked the fox the question she really wanted answered. "Who are you with? Are you alone?" The fox shook his head, "Nope. I live with some of my friends just over there, with Nana. We moved there some time back..." "Can you take me there?" A voice spoke suddenly, "No need for that Tayla. We've come to you..." She saw three small foxes, a rabbit and a ferret appear from the bushes, along with an older middle-aged fox. The old fox nodded, "I remember you Tayla. I knew your mother for over twenty years...before the incident.." Tayla understood. She was referring to Snively discovering their town. The fox continued, "It would appear that I was fortunate to have taken these children, my charges, and moved out of town. Never did like city life." Tayla knew this was true. After all, they were now all that was left of the telepath race... ***** Tayla brought the group of telepaths back to Knothole, to the amazement of everyone. However, most of the Freedom Fighters were more excited over their new weapon against roboticization. Sally's face was lit up with euphoria like she'd never seen before. "We finally have something to combat roboticization! Oh, Tayla, you have no idea what this means to everyone!" She sobered up a bit. "Although there is still nothing we can do about the cybernetic implants, having their free will back is good enough.. and with these fine additions to the telepath community that Tayla's brought back, restoration work can proceed even faster. This is a special day for us all, and I promise you, Tayla, that your contributions will not be forgotten once I get back into power." The squirrel-princess smiled. ***** Angela walked out of the gates of Ghylcana, the first time she'd been outside of Ghylcana in five months. It was nice to be free, but there were pressing matters to attend to. This time she would be more cautious. Outright use of the control emerald would come to the attention of the Guardian council, as it had five months ago. So, she had to find a way to distract them... ***** The new telepaths were settling into life at Knothole quite well, and Tasha was glad to see Tayla so elated again. She spoke to the telepath, "Ah'm really glad for you, Tay-" It was at this juncture that something under Tasha's cloak flard a bright red. She fumbled around the cloth and extracted her emerald. The minute she did, it brightened, and Tasha started concentrating on something. Not too long after, the Guardian rabbit gasped, and turned to Tayla. "The Guardian Council just issued a warning.... Someone stole the Master Emerald..." ***** Tasha related the occurrences to the rest of Knothole. "At all costs, the Emerald had to be returned. At this moment, every available Guardian has convened at Ghylcana to work out a search pattern. I am currently in contact with the Council at Ghylcana... that's odd... I seemed to have lost contact...." Tasha paused for a few minutes, then realized what had transpired. "Mah stars.... someone's using the Master Emerald's magic to blockade Ghylcana! The entire city is sealed off!" ***** That night, Tasha had trouble sleeping. Contact with Ghylcana was impossible, and their own Emerald was being used against them to keep over half the Guardians locked up in their own capital. It was with these disturbing thoughts that Tasha fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. ***** Angela stared at Tasha as she lay sleeping on her bed. She walked closer to her, relishing the moment. She tapped Tasha on the shoulder, and waited just long enough for Tasha to register her presence, then pressed a paw on Tasha's face. A second later, blue bolts of magical energy discharged from the squirrel's paw into the hapless rabbit... A minute later, Angela walked out of the room. ***** Tails woke up suddenly, when he thought he heard some noises. He looked around but saw nothing, and went back to sleep. A few seconds later, blue magic discharges could be seen through Tails' window... ***** The next morning was bright and sunny, and Sally woke up feeling like a new squirrel. The peace was shattered however, when she heard Tayla scream. The princess dashed out of her room, followed by a few others from their respective dwellings, and saw Tayla covering her mouth with a paw, and staring inside Tasha's hut. Sally looked inside, and immediately turned away. It was just at that moment she saw Sonic get hit with a bright blue pulse that came out of nowhere, and saw the blue hedgehog hit the ground hard. A torrent of blue pulses started raining down, hitting Freedom Fighter and building alike. Several buildings crumbled, and Sally saw David and Rotor go down before any of them could take cover. She ran, but was hit by one of the pulses, and saw the world fade from view... Bunnie stood alone, the last standing member of Knothole, horrified at what was happening. It was then she realized that she'd seen this all before, when she fell down in Sally's hut.... Her mind raced... turn around... attacker behind... She turned around, and lashed out with both arms. She connected with something, and sent that something flying with the full strength of her cybernetic implants. She raced over to the crumpled heap and gasped at who she saw. Angela. ***** Bunnie shook her head. Why would Angela do this? Fury blazed within the rabbit. Fury about what had been done to her friends and family... She grabbed the squirrel by the front of her cloak and picked her two feet off the ground. She shook the squirrel and demanded, "Why? Why are you doing this?!" Angela was in Bunnie's control now... it would be so easy to just snap her neck right now.... Her robotic arm tightened it's grip...then relaxed. "No," Bunnie thought, "Ah can't do it. Ah'm no cold-blooded killer..." It was however, a mistake to not pay attention to Angela. The renegade Guardian had partially charged up a magic pulse and sent it flying into Bunnie, knocking the cyberbunny down, and freeing the squirrel. Bunnie glared up at Angela, and waited for her to deal the final blow, defiant to the end. It never came. Milliseconds before Angela unleashed another blue pulse, a bright red wave impacted on the renegade squirrel. The squirrel staggered, and Bunnie looked in the direction the wave came from, and was shocked, but relieved to see a badly injured Tasha standing at her doorway, blasting away at Angela with her magic. However, the rabbit was too weak from Angela's surprise attack to match Angela, and she was slowly losing ground as Angela fought back. Angela was then struck in the back by a multi-colored wave, and Bunnie saw an equally injured Tails focusing the energy of the Emerald of Sorcery at his former mentor. If both of them were at full strength, Angela would be dead. However, given the condition Tasha and Tails were in, Angela managed to break free of their attacks. She glared at the three conscious members of Knothole, "Just you wait... I'll be back. I promise you that." With that sentence, Angela disappeared. Tails collapsed soon after from the strain of the magic. Tasha simply looked at her niece with a solemn look and said, "We've made a new enemy today..." TO BE CONTINUED Personal Note: The author was really really tired when he wrote this... ;) There may be discrepancies and problems, but they'll be fixed... Aaron Lye