Grudges of the Past & Present

Chapter 3

Back to Knothole

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It had been a bumpy beginning to the flight back to Knothole, but once they were out of the city, their trip was much smoother. Silenced reigned between the Mobians until the princess decided it was time for some answers.

"It was believed that the echidna race was dead, so where did you come from?" Sally asked.

"If my race is dead, then things have certainly changed since I was last here, about five hundred years, if that mongoose was right," Sentinal replied.

Five hundred years?" Sally asked disbelievingly.

"Well, technically, I was supposed to be executed some time after my 35th birthday, but..." he said and pulled at the flesh on the left side of his head to reveal components that Rotor and Sally had a hard time trying to figure out. "As you can see, someone decided to fix me."

"No, it can't be..." Sally began.

"What? You know who this is?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic, if I'm right, he's general Charlie Echidna, executed for the supposed death of Andora Acorn...which later had been proven that she had been put under a sleep spell by one of the sorcerers." Sally explained.

"Naugus," Sentinal growled and replaced the flesh. "He's the one that did that. That's why I'm here, well, that and the fact that the ones that fixed me up like this didn't need me anymore."

"Ok, but who's the black hedgehog? I don't think Knothole can put up with two fools," Antoine said, his bad accent making the others wince.

"Oh him," Sentinal began with a smile, "Just someone that used chaos control to breach into our reality from his own."

"Like I wanted to breach into another reality," Shadow grumbled. "Of course," he continued and brought out a black emerald that made Sally's eyes widen again, "I guess I picked up this."

"Is this the chaos emerald of Chaos?" Sally asked. Sonic flinched a little. All Mobians were taught at a young age about the god Chaos and the Goddess Order. The two were said to be the ones that created Mobius...that is, if you believed in dogma.

"They do exist," Sally gasped.

"No, they did exist. Chaos wouldn't give away his emerald unless he and Order went on to the next plane of existence. Why they would do such a thing is beyond me, but Order's chosen one must be around as well," Sentinal explained.

"And how would you know all these things?" Antoine asked.

"I was trained to be the next guardian of the Floating Island, but since I can't since the emeralds that keep that rock afloat, I must assume that the island was destroyed," Sentinal remarked.

"No, we retrieved the time stones from the island," Sally countered.

"Yeah, but the place looked dead," Sonic added.

"The emeralds must have been removed or drained, but the master must have been left untouched," Sentinal said.

"Master emerald?" Sonic asked confused.

"It keeps the chaos emeralds in order...or so those old echidnas explained it, but I never believed them," Sentinal clarified.

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"Hoo-wee, you're as strong as an ox, Charlie," Bunnie said watching the echidna lifting the majority of the supplies.

"It helps to be half robotic," he grunted, "but there is one draw back."

"What?" Rotor asked.

"Recharge cycles," Sentinal said "I have to recharge every..." he thought trying to convert his cycle time into Mobian solar cycles. "If my conversation is right, I won't have to take my next re-charge for another Mobian week. Sorry, I've been off planet for so long that I'm not too sure how long in Mobian terms."

"Can you interface with a computer?" sally asked.

"I can, but I've never done that before," Sentinal answered hesitantly.

"We'll try it tomorrow..." Sally began and yawned, "now, where am I going to put you two?"

"I'll take this drink of water into my hut," Sally-girl," Bunnie said. Sally gave her friend a look and Bunnie returned it. Getting the message Sally turned to Shadow.

"We've got one vacant hut you can stay in," Sally offered.

"Thanks," Shadow said and walked off with Rotor showing him the way.

"Damn, guess I better go on grave yard shift...later Sal," Sonic said and rushed off to the ring pool. Sally sighed. Hopefully, her father wasn't up waiting on her return in order to go over the supply run mission. It had been a blessing to have him back, but what it had took to get him back had almost cost them.

When Naugus had escaped, he brought with him Sally's father, but Naugus, knowing that the king would be the perfect for the group of freedom fighters So, several times the sorcerer had trapped any of the freedom fighters that came after the king. Fortunately, Sonic always managed to rescue them, and then finally the king. And that had been because Snively had been captured and was residing in a hut that had been converted into a brig

Sally shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts and headed for her own hut.

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Sonic sat on a log, watching the calm power ring pool. . He sighed to himself and closed his eyes.

'I know that Sal's glad to have her father back, but even if I'm near her her father gives me this look as if he thinks I shouldn't be near her. To top all off, other male freedom fighters are looking to horn in on her. I know I've backed off so I don't get on the king's bad side, but I am starting to wonder if she'll even still want me," the blue hedgehog lamented. 'I've been spending more time with Tails, but I miss and want her so much.'

'Once I had thought that I would be tying myself down if I were to become her mate. I'd be getting her and the throne of Mobius. I wouldn't be free to do whatever I wanted after the war was over. But, then I realized, I'd be alone. I've known Sal for so long that not being near her hurts. Hell, if the king gave me an order and the Sal gave me an order that was opposite of what her father wanted I'd follow Sal's order. Yeah, she may say I'm the leader, but that 'cause she doesn't want to be recognized as the leader. She's always been humble and I guess that blances.'

"Hey you."

Sonic turned to see who had gotten him out of his thoughts to see Sally sitting beside him.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Daddy and I had another argument, plus, he's not too thrilled and another Acorn skeleton came walking out of the closet," she answered.

"Hmmmm," Sonic replied distractedly.

"I know what you're thinking."

"That's funny, at one time you said that how hard it would be for anyone to know what I was thinking," he replied with a smile and Sally grinned remember the mission to find the wolf pack when she had something to that affect.

"Look at me," she said before grabbing his chin to turn his head so he'd be looking into her blue eyes. "You're thinking whether or not you're still royal property aren't you?"

"Well..."

"Admit it."

"I've been getting bad vibes from your father..."

"Daddy doesn't want you getting too close because he knows I'm to be next in line for the throne. You're not blue blooded enough to be Mobius's next king."

"Yeah, that and the fact that you've been getting more suitors here recently."

"And yet you haven't acted like..."

"A jealous hedgehog...I'm trying to keep that in check Sal, but I'm having a hard time with that."

Sally moved to sit in Sonic's lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cuddled into him.

"I was wondering when you'd start acting green with envy," she teased.

"Green ain't my color, Sal."

"Look," she said and pressed her nose against his own, "I know it doesn't look like we'll be able to be together anymore, but get this straight, Sonic Hedgehog, whether I have to fight for you or if my father caves, I will have you. Is that clear?"
He grinned. He enjoyed it when she took charge like she was. It was a turn-on for him.

"Gotcha Sal," he said and kissed her. She moaned and returned the kiss with equal fervor. She rested her head on his shoulder and eventually fell asleep. Turning the silencers on his shoes, he revved up and ran towards Sally's hut.

He opened the door and stepped in and walked towards her bedroom. He kicked opened that door and gently placed his precious cargo on the bed. He tucked in his princess and kissed her on the cheek. He shut her bedroom door and quiet left before anyone got suspicious. Shutting the door to her hut, he sped back to his post for the night, not knowing that her father had been watching.

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"While I appreciate you taking me in, it wasn't..." Sentinal began but Bunnie hushed him with a hand to his mouth.

"Y'all be quiet and let me make my own decisions, ok sugah?"

"Ok," he replied dumbly. the rabbit giggled and lead him to the bedroom.

"I'm not going to mate you, not yet," she said with a grin, but I'd like to get to know such a tall drink of red wine," she said with a smile. The echidna was finding himself liking this female rabbit for some reason. He was trying not to get attached, but he had been alone for so long that he needed female companionship.

'Ok, so I'll get to know her, then, go from there. Hope this won't end like the last time I fell for someone,' he thought as the partial roboticized rabbit cuddled against him and fell asleep. He set himself to waiting mood to perserve power and laid with the rabbit, finding himself comfortable, a feeling he hadn't had in a long time.