"Sibling Rivalry" - A work of Sonic the Hedgehog "Fan-faction" by Ian Patterson (zaine@hotmail.com) A few technicalities... I've read enough fanfic to know what title 17 (the copyright law) does and does not allow; you can't change the text in any way or charge anyone money to read this without my expressed written permission. All situations and characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning cartoon series, as aired on ABC, are copyright SEGA, DiC, and/or Archie Comics, and are used (or at least referred to here) without permission. SIBLILING RIVALRY It was late in the newly restored city of Mobo-Tropolis. Most of the hustle and bustle of the day had ceased, while a good majority of it had not. The reason for all of the activity was because it was the week of Princess Sally's coronation. Her 18th birthday was tomorrow, and the next day was the royal coronation, where she would abandon her title of Sally Alicia, Princess Royal of the House of Acorn, and become Sally I, Queen of Mobo-Tropolis. She would also choose the one she wished to rule beside her as the new king. Everyone knew that she would pick Sonic. Yet, despite all of the joy and happiness that came out of this wonderful event, there was one person in Mobo-Tropolis who was sullen and unhappy. This person was Sasha Acorn, Sally's younger sister by four years. Sasha sat in her room with the lights off. She looked out her huge window of the palace and watched all of the people working into the night to set up the stage and decorations for the coronation. It sickened her the way everyone was treating her older sister right now. Sasha had always wanted to try her hand a being queen, but now she knew that it would never happen. Just because Sally was older, meant that she automatically got to be queen. She would live forever in her older sister's shadow. She would also live forever with the title of princess, never knowing the joys of being queen. "Like hell I will", she said to herself. She put her black cloak on, and opened her door. There was no one in sight. Everyone was concentrating all their efforts on Sally. That was good, since she didn't want to be seen leaving the palace. She quickly darted down the stairs, and out a window. After that, she ran for the Great Forest, using the darkness as cover. Sasha had no idea she could run this far without losing her breath. She had to have run at least three miles by now. She stopped when she saw light past the trees. Ever so quietly, she peered through the foliage, and saw Knothole Village, which was now populated by the Robians. The Robians were all of the roboticized people who felt uncomfortable living in the city with all of the normal people staring at them all the time. Sasha saw a few un-roboticized people walking around, probably visiting family. She saw Sonic there. He was visiting his parents, and Tails was with him! "Oh no!", she said, sinking back into the foliage. She didn't want Tails to see her here. In the two months she had began planning this, she had tried a thousand times to ask Tails to join her, but she was afraid of how he might react, so she had kept silent. Now, with the coronation only two days away, she had to go through with it, with or without Tails. She bit her lip, and walked into Knothole. Several people looked at her when she walked onto the dusty streets. No one really seemed to pay her much mind, even though it was highly unusual for her to be out by herself at this time of night. "Hi Princess", said someone. Sasha waved back, and headed for Sonic's parent's hut. She knocked gently on the door. "Coming", said a voice from inside. The door opened, and Beatrice, Sonic's mother, appeared. "Hello, Princess Sasha", she said, "Come in, come in." She walked in, and saw Sonic, his father, and Tails, sitting inside. "Sasha?", said Sonic, "What are you doing out here all by yourself this late?" "I came to see Tails", she said, "I have to talk to him about something." "What is it?", asked Tails. "Alone", she finished. Tails looked at everyone, and got up from the table they were sitting at. He walked over to Sasha and gave her a puzzled look. She took his hand, and waved bye to the others. "Tails and I'll meet you back at the palace, Sonic", she said, "Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Hedgehog." "Good-bye, Dear", said Beatrice. "You two be careful", said Jules. "See you back at the palace, Tails", said Sonic, "You too, Sasha." They both waved by and headed out the door. Once it shut, Tails stopped, and looked at Sasha. "What?", he said, "Am I in trouble?" "No", said Sasha, "I have to ask you something, and if you say 'no', you have to promise me with all your heart that you'll never mention it to anyone again." Tails was a little puzzled. Sasha sounded strange. She had never asked him to keep a secret from anyone before. If anything, she was the one between the two of them who couldn't keep a secret. Still, he did want to know what she had to say "Okay", he said, "What?" "Not here", she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the forest, "Someone might hear." "Does it really matter?", asked Tails, struggling to keep up." "Yes!", snapped Sasha, "This is something really serious, Tails." They walked for a little ways, and stopped when they came to the mouth of a cave. Sasha pulled out a flash-light and the two 14 year olds walked in. Tails started smiling when they went in. Sasha noticed. "What?", she said. "It's just that I haven't been in this cave since Packbell was defeated", said Tails, "It kind of brings back memories. I don't know why you bothered to bring that flash-light, though, the cave really isn't long enough to need one. It only goes in about fifty feet. The moon light reaches all the way back there." "I'll need it, where we're going", she said. They got to the end of the cave, and Sasha handed Tails the flash-light, and pushed a huge rock away. Tails was amazed! There was another part of the cave hidden under that rock! "Whoa!", said Tails, "I never knew that was there." "You aren't the only one who explored this cave, Tails", said Sasha, smiling. She took the flash-light back from Tails, and shined it down into the hole. The rope ladder she had put in there was still in good shape. She hooked the flash-light to her belt, and started down. Tails followed close behind. "What exactly are we doing down here, Sasha?", asked Tails. "You'll see soon enough", she said. Once they hit the bottom, Sasha pulled the flash-light off of her belt, and walked over to a wall. She began fiddling with something metal over there, because Tails heard three or four loud 'clanks'. "I hope this stupid generator works", she said. She fiddled with it for a few more moments, and all of a sudden, there was a loud hum, and several flood lights came on. Tails saw that the chamber they had climbed down in was pretty big. There was a lab table in one corner, a desk with yellowed pieces of paper in another, and several pictures of him on all of the walls. He looked at Sasha, and smiled. She smiled back. "What is this place, Sasha?", he asked. "My secret place", she said, "This is where I came when I wanted to be alone. I used to come down here a lot when I first came to Knothole, because I felt that a lot of the people there didn't really want me around." "What's that?", asked Tails, pointing to a huge white sheet in the middle of the room, draped over something that looked like a manequin. Did you do sculpting down here too?" "No", she said, "This is what I wanted to talk to you about." Sasha pulled the sheet away, and Tails' jaw dropped when he saw what was underneath. "The RA-1000!", he yelled, "That thing disappeared two years ago, Sasha! You took it?" "Yes", she said, "I snuck into Rotor's workshop and brought it here." "Why?", asked Tails, "You saw the kind of destruction that thing did the last time!" "Because they would have dismantled it", she said. "That's a good thing!", said Tails, "Why in the world would you not want them to take it apart? It almost killed you and Sally." "Because I thought I might need it again someday", said Sasha, "And that day has arrived." "What are you talking about, Sasha?", asked Tails, "Are you going to assassinate somebody or something?" Sasha just looked at him, and Tails couldn't believe it. "You can't be serious!", he said, "Who?" Sasha sighed, and pulled the hood, off of her head. She then walked over to Tails. "Sally", she said. "WHAT!!!!", yelled Tails at the top of his lungs, "You're out of your mind, Sasha!! How could you even think of doing something like that?" Sasha sighed again, and sat down on a chair. "Tails, sit down", she said, quietly. Tails was too worked up to sit down. He was pacing back and forth. Sweat was pouring from his forehead. He couldn't believe was Sasha had just said. "Tails, Honey", she said again, only a little louder, "Sit down." Again, Tails ignored her. He was still ranting on about what Sasha had suggested. Sasha slapped her hands down on her thighs, and got up. She grabbed Tails by the fur on his shoulders and slammed him against the wall. He was shocked at what she had just done. "Will you be quiet for just one damned minute, please?", she hissed, "I'm going to explain myself." "Yeah", said Tails, still shocked, "Well, you'd better." She let go of him, and he brushed his shoulders off. Sasha pointed at the chair she had just been sitting in. He reluctantly sat down. Sasha sat on the workbench, and crossed her legs. "You see, Tails, Dear", she began, "When I first came to Knothole a few years ago, you saw how the citizens treated me." "I know", said Tails, "They didn't trust you." "Yes", she said, "The only thing that got me through it was your love. I love you, Tails." "I love you too, Sasha", he said, "But I still don't know where this is going." "Let me finish", she said, "Even after I was pretty much accepted, I still had to deal with the fact that I had an older sister who was constantly telling me how immature and irresponsible I was. Even after I proved myself a hundred times over, she still belittled everything that I did! She acted like she was Little Miss Perfect and poor little Sasha could never come close to her. I've lived with that ever since I first met her, Tails. Even now, after the war against Packbell and Robotnik is over, she's still doing it. If that wasn't bad enough, everyone else is too!" "Like who?", asked Tails. "Rosie, for example", said Sasha, "Just the other day, she said she wished I could be more like my sister, Sally. Even my father says that all the time behind my back. I'm betting half the kingdom does, too. When are they going to learn, Tails? I'm not like Sally. I don't want to be like her. I have my own personality, my own hopes and dreams. And right now, one of those dreams is going to come true, with your help." "What are you talking about?", asked Tails. "I want yout to help me assassinate my sister before the coronation", said Sasha. Tails just sat there, staring at Sasha, open-mouthed. "I can't believe you'd ask me to help you do something like that", he said, quietly, "I've known Sally my whole life, and I could never harm her." "You won't have to touch her, Tails", said Sasha, "Neither will I. The RA-1000 will take care of everything. I need your help in getting the stupid thing back to the palace and in position. This whole thing will go off unflawed. Then, with Sally out of the way, you and I will rule Mobo-Tropolis together!" Tails looked down at the floor, as if contemplating the decision that may change the course of his life. Sasha decided to add a little more. "Tails", she said. "Huh?", he said, not even looking up. "You helped Sonic defeat Robotnik and Packbell", she said, "Didn't you?" "Yeah", he said. "But who got all the credit?" "Sonic got the good majority of it", he said. "Don't you see, Tails?", she said, "You and I are the same. We're both living in someone else's shadows. I'm living in my sister's, and you're living in Sonic's. You did as much as he ever did to bring down Robotnik and Packbell. Sonic's going to get to be king, and what do you get?" "My freedom and my home back", said Tails. "So does everybody else in Mobo-Tropolis, Tails!", said Sasha, raising her voice a little, "And you know what? Half of them were hiding with their tails between their legs the entire war! The second the danger's over, they come back and act like nothing happened. They don't even think about all the brave people who spent the better part of their lives fighting for this planet's freedom! You and I did just as much as Sonic and Sally did and I think we got screwed, royally!" "But to murder Sally, Sasha", said Tails, "I just don't think she deserves that." "You're right, Tails", said Sasha, sarcastically, "Sonic and Sally did a lot to help end the war. For their reward, they get to live in a nice comfy palace and have servants wait on them hand and foot. That's only fair, isn't it? What about the other 100,000,000 people from around Mobius who fought, and many of whom died, against Robotnik and Packbell. You don't see them getting a palace and servants. Most of them have nothing now, Tails. Remember all those shelters we helped set up? Do you?" Tails nodded. "Those people have nothing now", she said, "Most of them are from Knothole, too. They had homes there. But Sally gave their homes away to the Robians. But you notice that Sally made sure that the first restored building in Mobo-Tropolis was the palace. She has a home, Tails. She didn't care if those people she kicked out had a home or not. All she was interested in doing was making herself look good with the Robians by backing my father's order to give Knothole over to the them." Sasha got off of the workbench, and walked over to Tails. She got down on her knees, and rested her chin on Tails' lap. "Don't you see, Tails?", she said, "Sally is only out for herself and no one else. Considering what she's done so far, what do you think she'll do when she has absolute power. It'll be 'Robotnik, Act II'. What do you say, Pumpkin? Will you help me?" Tails didn't say anything. He just shut his eyes real tight, and Sasha saw tears running down from them. Sasha stood up. "Aw, Honey", she said, standing him up, and hugging him, "I'm sorry. If you don't want to help me, you don't have to, okay? I won't think any less of you for it." Tails stood up straight. He wiped his eyes. He then walked over to the RA-1000, and looked at the wiring. He looked back at Sasha. "It's going to take some work to get this thing working again by tomorrow night", he said. Sasha just stood there, unable to believe what she'd just heard. "Well, are you going to help me, or are you going to just stand there like an idiot?", asked Tails. She smiled, ran over, and kissed Tails full on the lips. She even let her tongue wander into his mouth. When she stopped, she looked him right in the eyes. "I love you", she said. "I love you, too", he said back. They hugged again, and got to work on the robot. The duo worked on the machine until the sun started to come up. They both got into their work som much that they completely forgot about the time. The only thing that tipped them off was when Sasha took a break for a second, and saw the morning sunlight coming in through the hole at the top of the room. Then, she realized that everyone was going to be angry with them for staying out all night. "Oh crap!", she said aloud. Tails pulled up his goggles, and looked at her. "What?", he said, "We're almost finished. This thing should be working within another hour or two." "It's morning", said Sasha, "We'd better get back now, or we're going to look suspicious." Tails grunted, and stood up. He cracked his back and knuckles. He pulled off his goggles, and headed for the rope ladder. Once they both got to the top, he rolled the boulder back over the hole. Then, they headed back to Mobo-Tropolis. "WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN!!!!", thundered Rosie when they showed up at the palace while everyone was having breakfast. "Uh, hiya Rosie", said Sasha. Tails grinned too. "Do you have any idea how worried we've been about you?!", she continued. "A lot", said Sasha, "From the sound of it." "Rosie", said King Acorn, standing up from his breakfast, "Calm down. I'm sure they have a logical explanation for being out all night. Don't you?" "Of course, Father", said Sasha, smiling innocently at her father. "Don't bother, Sis", said Sally, "The smile never worked for me, either." Sasha shot Sally a dirty look. Sally just sat back in her chair. She looked over at Sonic. "This ought to be good", she whispered. He only chuckled. "You see", she said, "After Tails and I left Knothole....." "What were you doing in Knothole at that time of night by yourself?", asked the king. "I couldn't sleep", she said, "I thought if I took a walk, I'd tire myself out. I walked, and ended up in Knothole. Luckily, Tails and Sonic were there. I drug Tails out of there so he could walk me back here." "It doesn't take eight hours to walk here from Knothole", said the king. "We stopped at the Lake of Rings and sat for a while", said Sasha, "I guess we kind of fell asleep." The king just looked at her. She hoped that he believed her outrageous story. He stood for a moment, and then sat back down. "If you ever leave the palace again at that time of night without an adult's permission", said the king, "You're dead meat. Understand, Young Lady?" "Yes, Father", she said. "That goes for you too, Miles", he said. "Yes, Sir", said Tails, still grinning like an idiot. "And in all this confusion", said the King, "You didn't even wish your sister a happy birthday." Sasha saw Sally staring at her, grinning. "Happy Birthday, Sis", she mumbled, "Can I go now?" "Fine", said the king, "But I don't want either of you leaving the palace without adult supervision, understand?" "Yes, Sir", they both said in unison. After they both left, Rosie started going ballistic again. "How could you just let them get away that easily?", she said to the king. "They're only guilty of irresponsibility, Rosie", said the king. "Oh no!", she said, "That's what they want you to believe! I know teen-agers, their little hormones are just running in over-drive and they can't control them! Those two have you wrapped around their little fingers, Your Highness." "Come on, Rosie", said Sally, "I was never that bad when I was Sasha's age." "You are right on that note, Princess", said Rosie. "There, you see?", said Sally, taking a drink of milk. "You were worse", she finished. Sally responded to that by almost choking on her drink. Once she finally got it down, she shot Rosie a dirty look, and smacked Sonic, who was laughing uncontrolably. Down the halls, Sasha and Tails were sitting on the balcony, over-looking the kingodom. Tails was fumed. "You're right, Sasha", he said, "Right there was a prime example of them treating us like a couple of kids! Did the king forget that one year ago, I was helping fight the greatest danger to our planet? I actually went up against Robotnik one time! Now, he's treating me like a freakin' 5 year old! He's not even my father for crying out loud!" "I know, Tails", said Sasha, "That's exactly why we have to do this. We have to show them that we aren't kids, that we are capable of doing something like this right under all of their noses." "Yeah", said Tails, "We'll show them that we're not what we appear to be." "There's only one problem", said Sasha, "The RA-1000 isn't quite finished yet, like you said. How do we get out there to finish it so we can use it at the banquet tonight?" "We're going to have to get someone to go out there with us", said Tails, "But who? No one in the entire kingdom is just going to stand out there while we go into the cave and work on the robot." "Then", said Sasha, "We're just going to have to find someone to go out there, and we'll subdue them." "Who?", asked Tails, "Everyone is preparing for the banquet tonight. No one's gonna drop everything just to take a nature hike with us." "I know someone who would", said Sasha, "Besides, she owes me a favor anyway." "Ah suppose", said Bunnie, who was polishing her robotic-limbs, "But we hafta be back in time for me to finish all of mah stuff for the coronation." "Don't worry, Bunnie", said Sasha, "We won't be long. It's just that we've been cooped up in this palace for so long and we really want to get out for a while. And after what happened last night, my father said that we could only leave the palace with an adult." "Aw", said Bunnie, "And y'all chose lil ol' me? That's sweet. Alrighty then, just let me go get mah sunglasses, and we'll go." After she walked off, Tails looked at Sasha and glared at her. "Do you mind telling me exactly how we're supposed to subdue Bunnie Rabbot?", asked Tails, "She could tear us apart?" "Leave it to me", said Sasha. "Sasha", said Tails, "Don't hurt her." "The worst she'll get out of it is a head-ache, Tails", said Sasha. "You do realize that if we do conk Bunnie on the head with something", said Tails, "Then there's no turning back. We have to go through with it until the end, no matter what the outcome." "I know", said Sasha, "But it's just something we have to do." They kissed, and stayed that way for a few moments. All of sudden, something cold touched Sasha's shoulder. She saw that Bunnie had put her robotic hand on her shoulder. "Land sakes, you two", she said, "No wonder the king don't want you guys goin' out there by yourselves." They both smiled, and headed towards the Great Forest. They all stayed together until they got to the cave. Bunnie stopped then. "What in heaven's name do you want to go into that old place for?", she asked. "We found a tunnel in there and we wanted to check it out, Bunnie", said Sasha, "Let's just say that curiousity is getting the better of us." "Oh", groaned Bunnie, "The last thing ah need today is to be crawlin' 'round in some dark cave." "Please, Bunnie", said Tails. "Oh alright", she said, "But just a little ways, then we have to head back. Ah've got work to do." "Great!", said Sasha, "This way." The three of them headed into the cave, and the reached the boulder. "We rolled this boulder over the hole", said Sasha, "Do you think you could move it for us, Bunnie?" Bunnie easily rolled the boulder off, and tossed it to the side. She peered down the hole. "Ah don't know about this, Kids", she said. "Aw, come on, Bunnie", said Sasha, "Where's your sense of adventure?" Bunnie just looked at the two of them. She sighed, and started down the rope ladder. Sasha grinned at Tails, who grinned back. Once they were down there, Sasha realized that she'd forgotten to turn off the generator when they'd left earlier that morning, and all the lights were still on. That meant Bunnie could see the RA-1000 Unit clearly. "Oh mah stars!", she gasped, "What's that awful thang doin' down here?" The next thing Bunnie felt was a sharp pain on the back of her skull, and then darkness. She dropped to her knees, and fell face-first to the ground. Sasha dropped the rock she had hit Bunnie with. "Geez, Sasha", said Tails, running over to Bunnie, "Did you have to hit her so hard?" "I had to knock her out, didn't I?", asked Sasha. "But she's bleeding!", said Tails. "Oh, damn", said Sasha, "Here." She ripped a piece off of her cloak, and handed it to Tails. He dipped it in the stream that ran through the chamber, and patted it on Bunnie's head. Very silently, so Sasha wouldn't hear, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Bunnie." Bunnie opened her eyes, and felt strange. She remembered looking right at the RA-1000 that they had lost a few years ago, and then something had hit her, now she was laying flat on her back on what looked to be some kind of workbench. She tried to sit up, but for some reason, she couldn't feel any of her robotic limbs. She tipped her head up, and saw that they had all been removed!!! "AHHHHHHH!!!!!", she started screaming. All at once, Tails put his hand over her mouth, and tried to calm her down. "Shhhhhh", he said, "Calm down, would you please?" Bunnie stopped screaming, and realized that Sasha and Tails did this to her. "Tails!", she said, "What in the hoo-haw are you two doing!?" "Sit her up, Tails", said Sasha, "So she can see our master-piece." Tails complied, and lifted Bunnie off of the table and sat her down in the chair. As soon as he let go of her, she started to tip over. "Whoaaaa!", she yelled. Tails quickly grabbed her, and sat her back up. "Would you tie her to the stupid thing so she doesn't break her neck?", scolded Sasha. Tails found some rope, and wrapped it around Bunnie several times. He then tied it in a knot in the back. "How's that?", he asked, "Not too tight?" She just glared at him. She then looked at the robot standing before her. It looked almost as new as the day they had first fought it. "So", said Bunnie, "You were the one who stole this thing from us." "Yes", said Sasha, "I thought I might have need of it some time in the future. And that day, is today." "What are ya talkin' about?", said Bunnie. "Let's just say that when I get done modifying this thing's scatter gun, my uppity sister is going to be on the receiving end", said Sasha, grinning. "You wouldn't!", said Bunnie. Sasha walked right up to Bunnie and put her face about an inch away from her. "I hit you over the head with a rock, didn't I?", she asked. Bunnie just shot her a dirty look. "Why?", she asked, "Haven't we all been kind enough to you?" Tails leaned up beside Bunnie from where he was standing, propped up on the back of the chair. "Trust me, Bunnie", he said, "It's much too long and complicated to get into again." "Enough talk!", said Sasha, "We need to get this thing finished by the banquet tonight." Tails looked at Bunnie, and she only glared at him. He shook his head, and went over to help Sasha finish with the robot. About an hour or so later, the two stepped back. The RA-1000 Unit was back on-line and fully operational. Sasha flipped on the computer that was linked into the robot. She activated it, and its eyes glew red. It looked at Sasha, waiting for instructions. "What orders are you going to give it?", asked Tails. "Simple", she said, "It's going to follow us back to Mobo-Tropolis disguised as Bunnie. When we get there, you're going to hide it in the kitchen." "Why me?", asked Tails. "Because I have to be up with Rosie, getting my gown on", she said, "Besides, if they catch you, just tell them you were trying to steal a snack before dinner." "Where do I put it?", asked Tails. "In that cooler that they don't use anymore", said Sasha, "Remember when we hid in there a few months ago?" "Oh yeah", said Tails, nodding his head, "They about never found us." "Then", continued Sasha, "At precisely 7:25 p.m., it's going to come out, walk into the banquet hall, and put a plasma blast right through Sally's forehead. She won't feel a thing." Bunnie was disgusted at what the two teen-agers were planning. She just couldn't believe it. Sasha and Tails were the last two in all of Mobo-Tropolis that she would expect to assassinate Sally. "Yah two are really sick", she said, "Yah know that?" "Fine fine", said Sasha, not even looking at Bunnie, "I'm sure we are. Now be quiet Bunnie, we're trying to work, here." "After it completes its mission", said Sasha, "I've programmed it to fly out above the Great Forest and self-destruct, thus eliminating any evidence." "Ya'll forgot about lil' ol' me", said Bunnie, grinning, "I'm gonna squeal like a pigeon when I get out of here. Ah hope yah realize that." "It won't do you any good, Bunnie", said Sasha, "Because the only thing that will survive the explosion will be a piece of computer memory that names the RA-1000's primary programmer as one 'Bunnie Rabbot'. Since you'll be the only one absent from the banquet, and Tails and I will be there, dodging plasma blasts, they'll automatically assume it was you." "Won't they find it odd that ah'm down here tied to a chair with mah arm and legs sittin' on that table over there?", asked Bunnie. "They won't find you, Bunnie", said Tails, "There's no way for them to even know where you are." "After everything cools down enough for Tails and I to slip out of the palace, unnoticed", said Sasha, "We'll come back with provisions and put you back together. Then, you can run away. Because if they catch you, Bunnie, they'll execute you for sure." "An' just where on Mobius am ah supposed to go?", she asked. "That's entirely up to you, Bunnie", said Sasha, "Once you're all put back together, you're on your own." "And you two get to rule Mobo-Tropolis after ah'm gone", she sneered, "How quaint." Tails looked down at his watch, and jumped. "Crud", he said, "It's 6:00, Sasha. We'd better be getting back to the palace before they miss us." Sasha took off her cloak and put it over the RA-1000. "There", she said, "We can just say Bunnie fell into a stream and got cold, so I gave her my cloak." They started to climb back up the rope ladder, when Sasha looked back down at Bunnie. "Don't move", she said, chuckling, "We'll be back in a few days, hopefully." She laughed as she climbed out, and the robot pushed the boulder back over the hole. Bunnie struggled with her ropes, but Tails had tied them too tight. She was stuck, with no legs and only one arm. She had to get out of here before those two carried out their plot. Her own future depended on it just as much as Sally's did. Back in Mobo-Tropolis, Tails was in the kitchen, securing the robot. He had just gotten the door shut, and locked, when he heard a voice from behind him. "TAILS!!!", yelled Gustof, the royal chef, "Why are you splunking around in my kitchen?" "Uh-uh-uh-I was just, uh, looking for something to snack on until dinner", he stammered. "NO!!", yelled Gustof, "You eat when everybody else eats. Now, out!" He shoved Tails out of the kitchen into the banquet hall. He saw Hershey running around, panicked. "Tails!", she said, "Have you seen Bunnie? We can't find her anywhere!" "I haven't seen her", lied Tails. "Didn't she go to the Great Forest with you and Sasha?", asked Hershey. "She fell into a stream and when we got back, she ran off and I haven't seen her since", said Tails, starting to sweat a little. "Shoot!", said Hershey, "I need to find her. Are you hot?" Tails wiped his brow, which was pouring with sweat. "Perhaps a little", he said. "I'll have somebody turn down the temperature in here a few degrees, okay?", said Hershey. "Yeah", said Tails. Hershey ran off, but stopped a few yards away from the door. "Oh!", she said, "I almost forgot, Rosie wants you upstairs to get your tux on." "Tux?", said Tails. "Hold still!", said Rosie, trying to button Tails' top button on his shirt, "I'll never get this buttoned if you don't stop twitching." "But it's choking me!", complained Tails. "Live with it", she said, grinning, "There. Now for the bow-tie." "Aw man", whined Tails, "I look like a dork!" "You do not, Tails", said a voice from behind them. Tails looked, and saw Sally standing there in her gown. It was silver, and sparkled in the light. She had her tiarra on her head as well. "Wow, Sally", said Sonic, running up behind her, in his own tux, "You look good enough to eat!" Sally put her finger over Sonic's lips. "Just wait until the banquet before you try and eat anything, Mister", she said, smiling. Sonic kissed the top of her hand, and then focused his attention on Tails. "Hey, Big Guy", he said, "You look almost as good as moi." Tails tried to smile, but for some reason, he just couldn't. After seeing Sally so happy and full of life, he began to feel a little guilty about being ready to take it all away from her. He kept his mouth shut, though. He'd promised Sasha, and if there was one thing he did well, was keep his promises. "Thanks", he said. "C'mon", said Sonic, "Taking his hand, let's go chow down." He followed Sonic and Sally to the banquet hall. Before they got there, Tails saw Sasha and the king. The king had his best dress uniform on, and Sasha was dressed in a sparklely pink dress. She shot Tails a look as they walked by. Sally joined them, since the entire royal family had to walk in together. "Boy", said Sonic, "Sasha looks pretty, doesn't she?" "I guess", said Tails. "That's not what you're thinking about, though, is it?", asked Sonic. "Huh?", said Tails, a little panicked, thinking Sonic had somehow found him out. "You're thinking about all those chili dogs they'll have in there", said Sonic, "I'm gonna eat my own body weight tonight." They had just walked into the banquet hall, and found their seat up on the stage next to the royal family's, when Hershey ran up to them, still panicked. "What's up, Hersh?", asked Sonic. "We have a problem", she said, "No one can find Bunnie anywhere. I don't know where she could have gone after she brought Tails and Sasha back from the Great Forest." "Alright", said Sonic, "Stay here, Tails, I'll be back in a sonic-second." He ran off with Hershey, leaving Tails all alone on the stage. He saw that Sasha's place was right next to him, and Sally was sitting right next to her. He made up his mind right then. When the robot busted through the door, he was just going to drop under the table so he didn't have to see Sally take the hit in the head. He just didn't think he could bear to see that. The thought of it all still made him sick to his stomach. On the other side of the palace, Sonic and Hershey found Rotor, and they went the control room. Geoffery St. John was standing there with Antoine, who was now captain of the royal guard. They saw the three run in. "What can we do for ya?", asked St. John. "Bunnie's gone missing", said Sonic. "I need to use one of the computers to see if I can loacate her with the tracer in her leg", said Rotor. "What tracer?", asked St. John. "I put it in there a bunch of years ago", said Rotor, "I thought if we ever lost her, we could find her again with it." "Do you think it'll still work?", asked Hershey. "It should", said Rotor. "We'll never know unless we try", said Sonic, "Go ahead, Rote, "Take a whack at it." Rotor pulled out a chair, and began tacking on the computer. Huge letters saying "SEARCHING GRID'' appeared on the screen. A few moments later, it changed to "SUBJECT FOUND". A huge map of the Great Forest came up, and a little blip showed where Bunnie's tracer was. "She's still out in the Great Forest!", said Hershey, "Why would she go back out there? Sonic, you'd better go see if she's alright." "I'm there", he said. "Wait", said Rotor, "I'm going with you. She may need help." Rotor grabbed onto Sonic's shoulders and he sped off. Meanwhile, the banquet had begun, the royal family were in their seats, and King Acorn was delivering a boring speech about how Mobius owed it's freedom to the valiant efforts of Sally and her Freedom Fighters. Sasha cringed at her father's words. Nowhere in the speech was there a mention of her or Tails. She looked at her watch. It was 7:14. Only 11 minutes until show time. Off by the front door, Antoine was keeping a strict eye on everything. He noticed that for some reason, Tails and Sasha kept looking at their watches. He didn't like it. It was making him nervous. "I bettair zee what those two are beings up to", he said, walking through the crowd. "And now", said the king, "My daughter, Sally, would like to say a few words." He stepped down, and Sally stood up at the podium. Everyone applauded her. Sasha did a light clap three or four times. She looked back at her watch again. 7:18. "C'mon", she whispered to herself, "This is the perfect time." "Prinzess", said Antoine, "Could I zee you and Tails, please?" Sasha and Tails looked at each other. Tails looked like he was about ready to throw up. Sasha quietly got up, and Tails followed. Out in the Great Forest, Sonic and Rotor reached the cave where the signal was coming from. "She's in there, somewhere", said Rotor, "I hope she's alright." They walked in, and the cave dead-ended. Bunnie was nowhere to be seen. "Well this doesn't make sense", said Rotor, "She should be right here." Sonic saw light out of the corner of his eye. He saw that it was coming from beneath a boulder on the ground. "There, Rote", he said. They both rolled the rock off of the hole, and saw a passage under it. "What in the world?", said Rotor. They slid down, and saw the workshop. Sonic looked to his right, and saw Bunnie, tied to a chair without her arm and legs. "BUNNIE!!", said Sonic, "Running over to her. What happened?" "You gotta hurry, Sonic", panted Bunnie, "Sasha and Tails sent that assassin robot after Sally!" "Are you serious?", said Sonic, not believing what he'd just heard. "Yes!", yelled Bunnie, "They programmed it to kill her at 7:25." Rotor looked at his watch. "Uh oh, Sonic", he said, "It's 7:21 right now." "Sally", said Sonic, running back up the hole. Once he got out of the cave, he pulled out a power ring, charged it, and shot away with a sonic-boom. He just hoped he could get to Sally in time. "What do you want, Antoine?", asked Sasha, "We're missing my sister's speech." "I want to be knowings why you two keep staring at those watches of yourz", he said, crossing his arms. "We just like to know the time, that's all", said Sasha, "Right, Tails?" "Uh huh", whimpered Tails, really nervous. Sasha glanced at her watch when Antoine looked at Tails. 7:23, almost time. About two miles out of Mobo-Tropolis, Sonic shot towards the palace at an unimaginable speed. He looked at his watch. He had about 45 seconds before that robot went after Sally. He put the pedal to the medal, and shot forward even faster, leaving a fire trail behind. Sally was still talking up on the podium about the courage and hard work it took all of the Freedom Fighters to over-come Robotnik and Packbell. All of a sudden, Sasha's watch beeped. It was 7:25. There was a loud noise in the kitchen. Everyone heard Gustof start yelling at the top of his lungs, and then ran into the banquet hall and crawled under one of the tables. Sally stopped, and looked at the doors to the kitchen. They opened, and something she never thought she'd see again walked out in a black cloak. "The RA-1000!", she said loudly. The robot held up its arm, and its laser sight appeared on Sally's forehead. She felt it, but was too scared to move. "Good-bye, Sis", thought Sasha. "Oh dear God", said Tails, aloud. The robot fired. A split second before the blast hit Sally, Sonic shot in like a bolt of lightning and knocked her out of the way. The robot continued firing, trying to hit Sally. It activated its thrusters, and rose into the air. It scanned around, trying to find its target. It saw Sally on the floor next to Sonic. "Kill her", thought Sasha, "NOW!!!" It aimed again, and Sally looked right down it's barrel. A blast went off, and the RA-1000 exploded in mid-air. The firey remains fell onto one of the tables, recently vacated by the diners when the robot exploded. Several guards ran in and put out the fire. People were screaming and running all over the place. Sasha looked to see what had caused the robot to blow up, and she saw it. Bunnie was standing with Rotor in the doorway with her arm in her blaster mode. "Uh oh", said Sasha. "Grab them, Antoine!!", yelled Sonic, standing up. Sasha elbowed Antoine in the stomach. "Uggghhh!", he groaned, falling to his knees. Tails and Sasha split, running two different directions. Antoine managed to gather himself enough and grabbed Tails' ankle, knocking him down. Tails knew that he didn't have much time before everyone realized what had happened. He hated to do this to Antoine, but he had no choice. He kicked Antoine right in the nose with his free foot. There was a loud crack. "AHH!!", yelled Antoine, grabbing his bloody nose, "You have broken my nose!!" "Sorry, Ant", he said, getting up, and running off. Tails headed through the kitchen, hoping to make it to the loading dock where he could wind his tails up. Sasha, on the other hand, managed to shove her way through the stunned crowd, and out the door. "Bunnie!", yelled Sonic, "You get Sasha! I'll handle Tails!" Bunnie nodded, and ran after Sasha. Sonic took off after Tails. Sally got to her feet, and looked at Hershey. "What is going on?", she asked. "I have no idea", responded Hershey. Sasha tore through the palace as fast as she could run. She had abandoned her high heels, since they were just slowing her down. She tore her dress off, revealing her belt and black vest underneath. She saw the front of the palace right ahead of her. Two guards stepped in front of the door. "Halt, Princess!", said one. "Dream on!", she yelled, and did a flip over the two. She ran out the doors, trying to find a hover-unit. If she could get one of those, she would be safe. All of a sudden, something tripped her. She fell and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. She looked up, right into the barrel of Bunnie's blaster. "Give me a reason", hissed Bunnie, "Please." Sasha gritted her teeth, and put her hands up. Meanwhile, Tails was running as fast as his legs would carry him. He had to get outside, and wind his Tails up. Then, no one would be able to catch him. He saw the door right in front of him. "Almost there!", he said to himself. He opened the door, and ran out onto the loading dock. Several workers were still there, but didn't pay him any mind. He wound up his twin tails, and lifted off. He didn't get more than two feet off the ground, when Sonic grabbed around his ankle, and slammed him on the ground. Everyone on the loading dock stopped what they were doing when they saw this. "Ahhh!!", he yelled, hitting the ground. Stunnded by the hit, he tried to lift himself up. Then, Sonic grabbed him by his collar, and slammed him against the wall. Tails just stared at Sonic. His eyes were almost red with rage. "Sonic", he started, "I..." He was cut off when Sonic slapped him across the face. Tails almost couldn't believe it. Sonic had just hit him! Sonic had never hit him since the day he had brought Tails back to Knothole so many years ago. "Shut up!!", yelled Sonic, "Don't even talk!!" "Just let me explain", said Tails. Sonic slapped him again. "You don't have to, Tails!!", screamed Sonic, "Because there is no explanation good enough!! What the hell is going on in that head of yours, huh?" Tails didn't answer. He just looked away. Sonic slammed him against the wall again. "Look at me!!", he yelled, "Answer me!!" "I don't know", said Tails. "You don't know?!", screamed Sonic, "Do you have any idea what you just did? You and Sasha tried to murder Sally!! Why the hell did you do that?" "It was Sasha's idea", said Tails. "That doesn't matter, Tails", said Sonic, "I don't think you understand how major this is. They execute people for doing what you two did." Sonic let go of him, and Tails fell to the ground. "What happened, Tails?", asked Sonic, "You used to be someone I could trust." Tails didn't answer. He just shut his eyes, and leaned his head back against the wall. Sonic looked, and saw tears running down his face. "Get up", said Sonic, grabbing Tails' shoulder. Tails stood up, and Sonic drug him back to the banquet hall, where several guards had secured the room. Sasha was over with two more guards. She had hand-cuffs on. Tails saw her. She was just looking at the ground. "Sonic!", yelled Sally, running over to him. She hugged him. "Thank goodness you're alright", she said. "I could say the same thing about you", he said, hugging her back, "Are you alright?" "I'm still a little shaken", she said, "But I'm alright." Sally looked down at Tails, who didn't look back. Two guards came over "We'll take him from here, Princess", said one guard. "Wait just a second", she said. She knelt down next to Tails. He still didn't look at her. She took his chin, and made him look at her. Despite what he had just tried to do to her, she was still smiling at him. His lover lip wrinkiled, and tears started pouring out of his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and started wailing. "I'm sorry, Sally!", he cried, "Please forgive me!" Sally looked up at Sonic, and then patted Tails on the back. "It's okay, Tails", she said, "I forgive you." He sniffed, and looked at her, his eyes red from crying. She just smiled back at him. The guards snapped the hand-cuffs on him, and lead him away. "Do they really need to do that, Antoine?", she said. "Just for security reasons, My Prinzess", he said, "They may still be dangerous." "I don't know about Sasha", said Sally, "But I think Tails is going to be okay." "I hope", said Sonic, "The last thing I want to see is that little guy spend the rest of his life in a prison." Several months later, the sun was shining over the kingdom of Mobo-Tropolis. Sally had post-poned her coronation for a while. She felt that might help Sasha a little bit if they were still equals. She and Sonic walked into the monitoring room. "Well, Booker?", asked Sonic, "How are they?" "As well as can be expected", said Bookshire, "Tails is recovering nicely. I think he'll be able to be released in another week or two. With more therapy and a little hypnosis, I think he'll eventually forget this ever happened." "What about Sasha?", asked Sally. "She may take a little more time", said Booker, "As you both know, she was the one who planned this whole thing. She somehow managed to convince Tails to help her. She may look like an innocent little girl, but she can be very manipulative when she wants to be." "Why did she do it, Booker?", asked Sally, "What did I possibly do to her to make her want to kill me?" "Well", said Booker, "She tells me that she was tired of you and your father always belittling everything that she does. She thinks she can never come close to what you want her to be and that she'll always be living in your shadow. I think the real reason she did all of this was because she wanted all of us see that she wasn't a child." That really made Sally think. Did she treat Sasha so badly? She did get on her every now and then for being irresponsible, but did she do it all the time? Sally decided there was only one thing she could do. Sonic walked down the hall, and came up to Tails' room, where he had been confined after his trial. His and Sasha's sentences were watered down because Sally had pushed for it. They both had to stay in their rooms whenever they weren't in therapy and if they did leave, they had to be escorted by palace guards. They were also both placed on five year probations. The two guards moved out of Sonic's way as he knocked on the door. "Come in", said Tails. He opened the door, and saw Tails sitting at his workbench, putting something together. Sonic walked up behind him. "Whacha buildin' there, Big Guy?", asked Sonic. "Something for Bunnie", he said, "It's a buffer for her legs and arm. I just want her to know that I'm real sorry for taking her apart and stuff. Is she still mad at me?" "Tails", said Sonic, turning the little fox around, "Nobody's mad at you anymore, just worried. We all love you and we want you to get better again, okay?" "Alright", said Tails, "Would you take this to Bunnie for me?" "Sure, Big Guy", said Sonic. Tails hugged him, and went and layed down on his bed. Sonic then left. Across the castle, Sally approached a similar looking room. There were two guards outside Sasha's room. She knocked on the door. "Go away!", shouted a voice from inside. Sally opened the door. One of the guards started to follow her inside, but Sally waved him back. "Are you sure, Princess?", asked the guard. "Fine", she said. She saw Sasha laying on her bed with a pillow over her head. She got a chair, and sat next to her. "Hi, Sasha", she said. "What do you want?", said Sasha, looking at her, "Did you come to tell me that I'm a disgrace to the royal blood-line or something?" "No", said Sally, "I came to talk to you. I want to put this behind us, Sasha. I'm willing to forgive and forget if you'll do the same for me." "What do you mean?", asked Sasha. "I'm asking you to forgive me for treating you like a little child", said Sally, "I didn't realize that I was hurting your feelings so much by correcting you all the time. I was just trying to help." "You really mean it?", asked Sasha, sitting up, "You're really willing to forget about all this?" "I don't think I'll ever forget about it, Sasha", said Sally, "But I won't let it affect our relationship. You're my baby sister and I love you very much." "I love you too, Big Sis", said Sasha, "I'm sorry for what I did, really. I just wanted so much to be respected and loved by Father as much as you." "He does love you, Sasha", said Sally, "He just isn't good at showing it. You remember that he spent 15 years in the Zone of Silence. I barely knew him and you didn't know him at all until just two years ago." Sasha didn't say anything. "Do you want to start over, Sasha?", asked Sally, "I know I may not show it at times, but I really don't like being called 'Princess', or being waited on hand and foot. I spent my life just like everyone else. I'm no better than they are just because of my birth-right. So what do you say, let's not be two princesses. Let's be two sisters." A smile slowly worked its way up Sonra's face. She then hugged Sally. "I think we're going to be alright, Sasha", said Sally. "I just need to be hugged, Sally", said Sasha, squeezing her big sister tighter. "Alright, Sasha", said Sally, "Alright." For the first time in a while, the future of the House of Acorn looked bright indeed. Or did it? THE END