We are young! But we have heart! Born in this world as it all falls apart We are strong! But we don't belong! Born in this world as it all falls apart We will fight or we will fall till the angels save us all 'Young' ~Hollywood Undead "Hey, Sal," Sonic started one early September afternoon, "when are Sam and Snively gonna be back?" "For the last time, I don't know," Sally answered in an annoyed tone. "They're busy trying to get everything the way it should." "But they promised to help get rid of Robotnik and Naugus," Sonic protested. The hedgehog peered over the princess's shoulder to realize she was working on Nicole. "I'm sure they'll come whenever they get some time off. Now will you please go get the power ring?" Sally replied, exasperated. "Fine." Sonic walked away, kicking a rock in the process. The small rock sailed through the air and hit an unsuspecting Antoine on the side of the head. The fox, severely startled, took off running through the village, howling about the sky falling. Normally, Sonic would have laughed but today was not the day. He wasn't in the mood to be his usual self. 'Where 'are' they,' he wondered as he went inside his hut, forgetting about the power ring he was supposed to get. He surveyed his home and sighed. 'No wonder Sal doesn't ever wanna come here.' His hut was severely disheveled; two pairs of sneakers were lying around as well as most of his socks. His belongings were strung out on the floor and on his table. "Maybe I should clean up a little," the hedgehog muttered, picking up a sock. "Maybe you should," a feminine voice spoke. Sonic turned and saw Sam with her kids. "Hey." "Hey!" Sonic greeted, "where have you been?" "Too busy," Sam replied with a smile. The kids began roaming the hut to find something to play with. "Where's the Sniv-Meister?" "I don't know. He wanted a job and got one. Since then, we haven't seen very much of him," Sam explained, sounding irritated. "I can't run the universe, train the Senshi, take care of the kids, make it to meetings and take care of myself." "Wow, you 'sound' busy," Sonic commented. Then he noticed her crestfallen look. He thought it would be best if he changed the subject. "So, how's the music coming?" "It's not," Sam said flatly. They watched as the twins began fighting over a sneaker. "Hey you two! Knock it off!" "Sorry, Mommy," Caleb replied, dropping the shoe. His mother turned back to the hedgehog. "Sorry 'bout that. Would you like to come over? That way, those two will be breaking their own stuff," Sam offered. "That's okay. I gotta clean my place anyways." "Oh, okay. We'll see ya later then." She looked at the twins, who were playing with Sonic's sneakers. "Come on you two." "Okay, Mommy," Serenity answered as she and her brother did as told and went up to their mother. Their mother opened the door, letting them out. "See ya," Sam said quickly before running after her twins. "Later," Sonic muttered, knowing it was unnecessary. He ran around his hut, creating a small whirlwind. The hedgehog's belongings scattered throughout the hut, the belongings going to their assigned places. 'That's more like it,' he thought. He went outside, smelling the after smell of rain. He passed Sam and Snively's, hearing Sam yelling at her kids. From what he heard, it sounded like she was exhausted and frustrated. 'Poor Sam.' He stopped and listened for a moment more. He walked up to the hut and knocked on the door. "Hang on!" he heard Sam call. Sam opened the door and Sonic saw her thoroughly worn out look. "Hey, I thought you were cleaning." "I'm done." Sonic heard Caleb yell at Serenity. "Do you need help?" "Please," Sam replied as if she were pleading, being overdramatic on purpose. The hedgehog gave her a curious look. "What?" "Why are you being so dramatic?" Sonic queried. "Hello, I'm pretending to be Hope," Sam answered. "Anyways, come in." "Thanks." Sonic walked in, seeing the twins playing in the living room. Then, he noticed someone missing. "Wait, where's Hope?" "Hope....Hope thought it would be for her best interest if she moved back with her father," Sam replied crisply. Sonic noticed the dismissal of Hope was a rather touchy subject. "Um...why?" "Who the hell knows?" "So you haven't heard from Snively?" "No." As if on cue, the front door opened and Snively walked in. The twins looked up, dropped their toys, and ran up to their father. "Daddy!" they chirped happily. "Hi," he replied while picking his children up. Sonic noticed that when Snively looked at Sam, she gave him a very cold, annoyed look. "Hey, Sniv-Meister," Sonic greeted, hoping to break the fast growing tension. "How's it going?" "Fine and you?" Snively replied as he set his children down. Out of nowhere, Sam stormed down the hall and into her bedroom, slamming the door. "What was that about?" "She's, uh, kind of mad at you," Sonic explained. The other man raised a curious brow. "Oh? And what about?" "Well, she kind of feels like you abandoned her," Sonic explained. "But I've been working." "Maybe you've been working too much," the hedgehog suggested. "I've only been working for three weeks. Look what I bought her." Snively pulled out a black box out of his pants pocket. He opened the box, showing the hedgehog a black diamond crescent pendant on a silver chain. "She'll like that," Sonic replied. "She said she had to go to an awards show tomorrow night so I thought I'd get her some new jewelry for the occasion," Snively explained. "I'm going to go speak with her." "Sonic!" Caleb chirped, grabbing one of the hedgehog's quills. "Come play!" "I guess I'm going to play with your kids," Sonic said. The human nodded slightly and disappeared down the hall and into his bedroom. Sonic played 'Monster' with Caleb and Serenity, playing the role of the monster while the kids ran around the hut, squealing in delight. "Momma," Serenity spoke, stopping. Her parents were coming down the hall, her mother appearing to be in a better mood. "Mommy, we're playing 'Monster.'" "Are you?" Sam said, smiling. She looked at Sonic. "Wanna stay for dinner?" "Sure," Sonic replied. "What are we havin'?" "Mmm, I don't know yet." She looked at her husband. A silent conversation was spoken as the hedgehog watched in confusion. "Guess we're ordering pizza." "Pizza?" "Yeah; good stuff," Sam said. "What do you want?" "Cheeeeeeese!" Serenity and Caleb squealed. Snively wrote their request on a scrap of paper. "Sam, the usual for you?" he queried. She nodded. "Okay, one medium cheese, one large supreme with chicken and pineapple. Sonic, do you want to split a pepperoni pizza with me?" "Um, sure," Sonic said. Sam snatched the scrap of paper out of Snively's hands and went to call the order in. As they were waiting for the pizza place to call back about their dinner, Sonic watched Snively and Sam go through names of babysitters. He noticed that each babysitter that was brought up didn't seem to be of much use. "What if I watched them?" the hedgehog suggested. He watched the parents exchange a look of concern. "Everything will be fine." "I don't know," Sam began. "I mean, you haven't seen these two at their full potential." "Don't be so skeptical, Love. I think if he wants to try to watch our kids, then we should let him," Snively spoke. "I'll do everything you want me to." Again, Sonic watched the parents have a silent conversation. "Alright, Sonic. You may babysit these two," Snively spoke. "Way past cool," the hedgehog spoke. "Hey, I'm gonna get the pizzas. Anything else?" Sam said while getting up. "Soda!" Serenity chirped. "Get decaffeinated if you get soda," Snively replied. She nodded and quickly left in a portal. - - - - Sonic knocked on Snively and Sam's hut door, ready to babysit their kids. Snively opened the door and let him inside. "Lookin' good," the hedgehog greeted. He heard Sam talking to her children down the hall. "Thanks, I suppose," Snively replied, the nervousness in his voice strong. Sonic hadn't heard that since the first year Snively had lived in Knothole. That in itself seemed like ages ago. But now was the present and in the present, Sonic was watching his former adversary's children. "Sonic?" "Hm?" Sonic queried, snapping back to reality. "Sonic, I was telling you what should be done," Snively spoke, sounding slightly irked. "Sorry," the hedgehog replied sheepishly. "Snively, relax," Sam said, coming down the hall while fastening a bracelet. I'm sure he'll be fine." "Thanks," the hedgehog said, almost sarcastically. "So Sam..." "Yeah?" "What's with the color change? You always wear white or silver dresses." "Just wanted to try something different," Sam spoke, smoothing out the skirt of her navy blue evening gown. "Anyways, the emergency numbers are on the fridge and there are leftovers in the fridge. Snively's leaving his phone here so that you can call us. We'll probably be home late. Did I forget anything, baby?" "Just be careful about what you say around the kids," Snively explained. "Do not mention Robotropolis to my kids." Unused to this sudden seriousness, Sonic could only nod. "O-okay." "Momma!" Caleb wailed, running down the hall. He tried to climb up in his mother's arms but decided to cling to her leg instead. "Don't leave me!" "Caleb, I'll only be gone for a few hours," Sam tried to soothe while picking her son up. "Sonic will be here to play with you." "No!" The child buried his face in his mother's shoulder. Serenity bounded down the hall and into the room, curious as to why her brother was crying. "Don't go!" "Caleb, they're going to be back," Serenity said calmly. Caleb sniveled but let go of his mother. "We'll be home soon," Snively promised. "Bye guys," Sam said while her husband opened a portal. The couple left, leaving Sonic alone with the kids. "Bye mommy!" the twins chirped, though Caleb sounded less enthused than his sister. Sonic looked at the clock-5:32. He was to have the kids in bed no later than 8:30. He had roughly three hours to feed, entertain, and get the twins ready for bed. "Let's play Monster!" Serenity suggested. "Yeah!" Caleb interjected immediately. "Uh, maybe we should eat first," Sonic spoke. The children shook their heads and took off running. 'Something tells me this will be a long three hours,' Sonic thought before running after Caleb and Serenity... - - - - By 8:25 Sonic was exhausted. The twins were dressed for bed but were orbing around the hut to avoid their babysitter. "Come on, guys," Sonic said, almost begging. He walked into the living room just as the twins touched ground. He quickly grabbed Serenity, struggling to keep her in his arms because she was squirming. "No!" Caleb whined. He tugged on the hedgehog's arms, trying to free his sister. Sonic walked down the hall, trying to get the kids to bed. "Let go!" "It's time for bed," Sonic replied tiredly. He walked into the twins' bedroom, putting Serenity in bed. "Caleb, get in bed, please. It's getting late." "Fine," Caleb sighed. He ran and hopped in his bed. His sitter tucked his sister into bed and went to his bed. The hedgehog tucked the child into bed, who looked up curiously. "What?" the hedgehog queried, suddenly unsure. "Aren'tcha gonna tell us a story?" Caleb innocently inquired. "Daddy always tells us a bedtime story," Serenity spoke promptly. The hedgehog shrugged. "Okay. What do you wanna hear?" Sonic asked. The twins shared a glance. "One about you and Sally," Serenity replied. Caleb nodded in agreement. 'One about me and Sal?' the hedgehog wondered. 'What can I tell them? Most of my good stories 'are' in Robotropolis...Maybe I'll tell them about their mom saving us.' "What about a story about me, Sal, and your parents?" "Yeah!" "Okay...Well, a few years ago at Christmas, we were planning a Christmas party. Then, a robot came and sprayed something that made us all fall asleep. Then-" "Wait, was the robot Mecha before he was a hedgehog?" Serenity interrupted. "Yeah. Anyways, when we woke up, we were in prison cells. We knew we were in Robotropolis." "What's Robotropolis?" Caleb questioned. "It's a place where there are robots and they take you to Robotnik and he turns ya into a robot." "Who's Robotnik?" the twins asked, curiosity grasping them. "Well, he's the meanest guy around and turns people into robots. He's your dad's uncle," Sonic told them. "Anyways, we were taken to Robotnik to be turned into robots. I broke free and trashed Swatbots while Sal and your dad tried to help get your mom free after pushing Mecha out of the way. Robotnik ran away after your mom was free. Then, your mom orbed us back home. The end," Sonic said. He flicked on the nightlight and turned off the lamp. "Night guys." "Night," Caleb and Serenity replied. Sonic shut the door, leaving the kids alone. Moments of silence passed as the children lay in bed. Serenity sat up and looked at her brother, who was across the room. "Let's go," she said while getting out of bed. Caleb sat up and watched as his sister began filling her book bag with things like a toy lantern, pretend money, a play butter knife, and a toy cell phone. "Go where?" Caleb asked as the two dressed. "Duh, Robotropolis," Serenity replied as she pulled on her flats. Caleb struggled with his tennis shoes but managed to get them on, fastening the Velcro straps. "Hey, 'Ren?" Caleb spoke. "What?" "Don'tcha think we should take a present to Robotnik? So he won't turn us into robots?" The girl pondered the question thoughtfully. "Good idea," she finally said. The children dug through the toy box in search of the perfect gift for their great-uncle. "None of this stuff will work!" "Yeah, we need grown-up stuff," Caleb agreed. "Maybe Daddy has some stuff?" "Maybe." The twins orbed to their parents' bedroom and began going through their parents' belongings. "What about Daddy's smelly stuff?" Caleb said, holding a bottle of his father's cologne. Serenity picked up a couple of rings from her mother's jewelry box. "Yeah and these?" she queried. Her brother nodded. "Let's take cookies," the boy said. The girl nodded but worn a frown. "What?" "We both can't go." "Well, I'll go and you go back to our room." The twins separated when they orbed. Caleb climbed up on the kitchen counter and began pulling out chocolate chip cookies from its package. 'Wait,' he thought. He quickly began putting the cookies back. He grabbed the package of cookies and orbed to his bedroom where his sister was waiting. "You brought all of them?" Serenity inquired. "Yeah, case we get hungry," Caleb replied. "Now let's go." "Okay." Serenity grabbed her book bag and put the shoulder straps over her small shoulders. They held hands and orbed out... - - - - "I hope the kids were good," Sam said, looking out the window, holding an award. "I'm sure they were," Snively answered as he drove. They remained silent for a few minutes. "So, album of the year....that's pretty big, right?" "Yeah, it is. This album has been my most successful yet." "Any more music plans?" "My Christmas album is basically finished; it just needs a title. Erika is releasing her Christmas album and her last album in mid-November," Sam replied. "Last album? She's quitting?" Snively questioned abruptly. "She wants to pursue an acting career." "What about you?" "What about me?" "Are you done with your singing career?" Snively inquired. "I wanna do a fourth album. Why?" Sam replied. "Do you want me to give it up?" "No, of course not. I was just curious." Silence settled as Snively pulled into the parking garage. He was glad that the conversation dropped. He knew his wife wasn't in the best mood though she won an award, and didn't want to push her. Snively turned off the SUV and got out of his vehicle to help Sam. As soon as he was sure the SUV doors were locked and no one was watching he opened a portal. He let his wife ahead of him before crossing through himself. They saw Sonic asleep on the couch with the T.V. remote in his hands. His shoes were kicked off on the floor carelessly and far apart from each other. The blanket that rested on the back of the couch was wrapped around the hedgehog. Sam grabbed the T.V. remote from Sonic's hand and held it gingerly. "Sam," Snively warned. She gave him an innocent look. "Don't give me that look." "Fine," she replied. She began to give him the remote but quickly turned and smacked Sonic across the top of the head, startling the hedgehog awake. "What's up?!" Sonic blurted loudly. "We're back," Sam replied. "I'm sure he realizes that, Sam," Snively said stiffly. "Yeah, whatever," Sam replied moodily. "So, how was the whole 'awards thing,'" Sonic queried. "Good," Snively answered. "Sam won an award for 'album of the year.'" "Past cool." "Were the kids good?" Sam asked, changing the subject. "For the most part, yeah. They didn't want to go to bed but-" "They're like that every night," Sam spoke. "Just be happy you weren't at the palace. It's getting to be near impossible to find them there." "It is?" Snively queried. His wife ignored him and walked down the hall to her children's bedroom. "Uh, did something happen?" Sonic inquired while putting his shoes on. "Honestly, I don't know. She's been like this since I got home yesterday," Snively admitted. They heard Sam come back and by the sound of her footsteps, she seemed to be angry. "Sam?" "Where are my kids, Sonic?" she demanded. The hedgehog gave her a questioning look, as if asking what she was talking about. When he didn't answer her, Sam shoved Sonic against the wall. "'Where the hell are my kids?" "Sam! Settle down!" Snively ordered, pulling his wife off the hedgehog. "I don't know!" Sonic blurted. "What do you mean 'you don't know?'" Snively asked. "I mean I really don't know," Sonic explained. Snively sat Sam down on the couch. "Okay, let's be rational," Snively said. "When was the last time you checked on the kids?" Sonic gulped. "When I put them to bed." Sam started to get up but Snively stopped her. "Did you tell them a bedtime story?" "Yeah." "About what?" Sam pressed. "About....when Mecha was a robot and came to Knothole during Christmas." "You TOLD THEM WHAT?!" Sam demanded, getting up. Sonic hung his head. "I'm really sorry." "Sorry's not going to bring them back," Sam snapped. "Let's get the Senshi," Snively spoke. "No, I'll go get them," Sonic said quickly. "It's my fault this is happening." "You're not going without back-up," Snively said stiffly. "Besides, this may be your only chance to win Mobius back." The hedgehog grinned at the thought. "Way past." "Let's go before Robotnik and Naugus find the kids," Sam said. The other two nodded... - - - - "Alright, I think things would fall apart if we had anyone else go," Sam spoke, eyeing the small group in front of her. "I agree," Sally replied crisply. "But I think it's best if I take lead." Sonic eyed his girlfriend and the queen of the universe. Both had taken an authoritive stance, grim looks on both of their faces. He realized both wanted to lead the group to Robotropolis. "Why don't we divide into two smaller groups?" Sonic suggested. Sally glared at him but Sam's look seemed more thoughtful. "Okay," Sally finally spoke. Sonic noticed that everyone else seemed to be shocked by the princess's decision. "Who's going with who?" Sam queried. She knew Sally would automatically choose Sonic to go with her. /I would do the same thing if I were in her position,/ she thought. /Sam, easy,/ Snively replied. He glanced over the others that would be going- Shadow and Amy, Bunnie and Antoine, his wife ('and myself,' he thought), and Sally and Sonic. 'It's all couples who are going,' he realized. "I want Sonic to go with Sam and Snively. Bunnie will also go. Antoine, Shadow, and Amy will go with me. Group A, which is my group, will plant bombs around the major factories. Then-" "-Sorry Sally," Sam interjected, "but we have to get the Robians out of the factories first." "I was getting to that," Sally snapped impatiently. "Your group will be responsible for evacuating the Robians." The squirrel noticed Sam's agitated look. "What?" "My main goal for this mission is to get my kids back," Sam spoke stiffly. "Then I will help you." "That's selfish. Think of all the lives you will be saving!" "These may be the only kids I'll be able to have. I'm not going to risk that!" "We'll divide up so half of our group can complete the mission and the other half can find the kids," Snively said quickly, trying to end the argument. "Fine with me," Sam replied tautly. "It's not with me. The job won't get done." "Yeah, it can and it will." Sam looked at her group. "Let's go." "That's something I can agree on," Sally said as she led her group away. "Sonic, you come with me; Bunnie, please help Snively," Sam said. The rabbit nodded as she took Snively's arm. He orbed away with her. Sam looked at Sonic. "Let's get started. It's a big city and we have little time," she said. The hedgehog nodded. "Yeah, no kidding," Sonic said before she orbed him with her... - - - - Bunnie watched in boredom as Snively tried to hack into the city's computer system. "How much longer do y'all reckon this'll take?" she inquired. "I don't know," he answered. Five minutes ticked by slowly. At long last, he got into the system. "Finally!" "You're done?" Bunnie questioned happily. "No, I just got into the system. Now help me think of passwords to command the Robians." "Rodent, simple." Snively typed it in. the words 'access denied' flashed on the screen. "Somehow, I don't think this will be simple." - - - - Sonic spin-dashed through a Swatbot as Sam slashed through two of her sais. "Nice," Sonic laughed. "Thanks. Not bad yourself," she replied. The two walked down one of the halls of Central Command, calling out to the twins. "Sam, I 'am' really sorry about this," Sonic spoke. She shrugged. "It's cool. They do this kind of thing all the time. I just overreacted earlier." The two passed a door, ignoring the fact the door was cracked open. "So...when are you going to propose to Sally?" "I don't know. I don't think she's that interested anymore," the hedgehog replied. Sam about laughed. "Are you serious? Dude, she's 'nuts' about you. How can you say that? That's why she's so mad at me." Sonic gave her a blank look. "Um, why?" "She's afraid I might take you from her." "What? That's crazy! Doesn't she know I love her?" the hedgehog queried. "Obviously not." Sam was suddenly jerked back, dropping her sais. "What the-" "Thank you for the gift, Quickster," Naugus said, gripping Sam in his claw. "Let her go!" Sonic snapped. He charged the wizard but was thrown across the hall. "Get my sai!" Sam yelped as Naugus squeezed her stomach. "Hurry!" "Yes, Quickster, hurry!" Naugus rasped in a mocking tone as he stalked down the hall with Sam. Sonic picked up a sai and threw it to Sam. She caught it and lodged the sai into Naugus's back. Naugus, angered, squeezed Sam harder, causing her to scream. "Get the other one," she managed to say. Sonic could see blood glistening on Naugus's claw. Sonic grabbed the other sai and raced to Naugus. He stabbed the wizard in the back, shoving the said into the back as hard as he could. Naugus dropped Sam and tugged the said out of his back. He dropped the sais on the floor and glared at Sonic with beady eyes. He clicked his claw threateningly, causing electricity to spark. "You've angered me, Quickster," Naugus growled. He went to attack the hedgehog, but Sonic dodged him. The hedgehog wasn't in the mood to come up with his usual remarks. "What a shame that is," Sonic spat. He dodged another attack, but just barely. He glanced over at Sam, who was still trying to recover from almost being cut in half. Sonic turned around and spin-dashed into Naugus, knocking the wizard down and into unconsciousness. Sonic went to Sam, who was still trying to regain her bearings. 'At least she looks better than she did a moment ago.' "You okay?" "Ugh...okay I guess," Sam muttered while slowly getting up. "You're bleeding," Sonic spoke, concern in his voice. "I've bled worse," she replied while picking up her sais. She walked over to Naugus warily. "Don't look." "Why?" The hedgehog gave her a curious look. "Just don't." He reluctantly turned his head away, curious as to why she wanted him to do that. He turned his head in time to see Sam's sai connect with Naugus' neck. Sonic gagged, causing Sam's attention to focus on him. "I told you not to look." "I was just curious," he mumbled, leaning against the wall. He watched Sam nudge Naugus' severed head with her boot, sickening him more...he threw up. He felt the human grab him before he collapsed to the floor. "You okay?" she queried. He nodded weakly, trying hard not to look at the bloody body of what was once Ixis Naugus. "Mommy!" Caleb and Serenity ran to them, coming from the far end of the hall. Sam dropped Sonic and ran to greet her children. "Are you okay?" she asked once they were in her arms and she had checked them over. Serenity started to cry, startling her mother. "Baby girl, what's wrong?" "Momma, you're hurt," Caleb said matter-of-factly. He put his hand on her stomach, touching his mother's injury. She took his hand off. "No, you can't do that," Sam replied softly. The boy disobeyed, resting his hand back on the wound. His mother opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. "Sam," Sonic began quietly, not able to take his eyes off of the child. "I know," she replied. Caleb was healing her, slowly but he was. "I just can't believe it." "I want to," Serenity pouted. She went up by her brother, now unafraid, and began helping him heal their mother. "All better!" "I'm so proud," Sam smiled. "Now, you two apologize to Sonic for running off." The twins ran up to the hedgehog, knocking him to the floor. "We're sorry!" they said happily. "I'm gonna take these two to my mom," Sam spoke. "Go find the rest of the group." "Right." Sam grabbed her kids and orbed away. 'Time to find Bunnie and the Sniv-Meister,' Sonic thought. He turned and quickly left Central Command. - - - - "Did you get in?" Bunnie queried. "Not yet," Snively sighed. Then, the words 'access granted' flashed across the computer screen. "Now we are." "Great! So the Robians are evacuated?" "No, unfortunately. We just got into the system." "Hey, are the Robians out?" Sonic questioned as he came in. "No." Sam orbed into the room, looking irritated. She quickly changed her expression to a curious one. "Did you-" "No!" Snively and Bunnie shouted. "Okay! It was just a question," she replied. "What?" "Why are you so irritated?" Snively queried as he worked on the computer. "I just found out some info about my biological father," Sam snapped. "Raciel?" Sonic asked. "No. But this is your day so I'll tell ya another time," the queen replied softly. "Alright, the Robians have been evacuated," Snively spoke. "I'll tell Sally-gal," Bunnie announced. She flipped on her communicator. "Sally-girl?" "|Yeah?|" the squirrel answered. "The Robians have been evacuated," the rabbit said. "|We'll take it from here.|" The princess clicked off the communicator. "Bunnie, I'll take you to Sally," Sam said abruptly. "Sonic has something he needs to do." "Wha-?" Bunnie began. She noticed Snively shake his head so she dropped what she was going to say. "Ahright." "Baby, take care of him," Sam said, kissing her husband quickly. She took Bunnie's paw, running her thumb along the knuckles. "Your fur is really soft. I like it." "Sam," Snively spoke sternly, "that's enough flirting." "What?!" Bunnie yelped, drawing her hand back quickly. "Sorry," Sam replied sheepishly. "Just craving attention since 'somebody' has failed to give me any." "Sam," her husband almost whined. She grabbed Bunnie and orbed out. Snively turned to Sonic. "Ready to overthrow Julian?" Sonic smirked, "way past." - - - - "Hey! Cherry Bomb! Where you at?" Sam yelled. Snively gave her an annoyed look before glancing at Sonic. "You've been here, right? Where are the Chaos Emeralds?" Snively said. The hedgehog shook his head. "I've only been here once," Sonic replied. "Why are you all here?" a female echidna inquired. "You're not permitted to be here." "Sorry, Julie. We were looking for Knuckles," Sam spoke. "He's guarding the Master Emerald," Julie-Su answered warily. "Why?" "We need his help," Snively replied, trying to be inconspicuous as he gently pushed his wife behind him. "Or more specifically, Sonic needs his assistance." "I see." Julie-Su looked down the long corridor. She began to walk down it. "Wait here; I'll get him." As soon as she was sure the echidna was gone, Sam turned to Sonic. "What do you remember from you last experience here?" "I remember that when they left, a trapdoor opened under me," Sonic recalled. As if on cue, a trapdoor opened underneath them. Sam dodged the trap and landed on solid ground gracefully. However, Snively and Sonic fell through the trap, landing twelve feet below the ground. "Just like that." "You couldn't mention that 'before' we got here?" Snively groaned. "What are you griping about?" Sam called down. "Nothing! Now get us up there," Snively yelled back. "Do it yourself! You can orb!" Snively opened his mouth to argue but sighed instead. He pulled Sonic to him and orbed up to Sam. "See? Not that hard." "Enough, Sam." The couple noticed the hedgehog was walking down the corridor and ran after him. After awhile, the trio walked into a large chamber. In the center of the chamber was a huge stone platform with an even bigger green gem on it and beside it, two echidnas were in a heated discussion. /What the hell kind of gem is that?/ Sam asked. /The Master Emerald, now hush,/ Snively replied. "So how long was that trap supposed to hold us?" Sam queried, catching the echidnas' attention. "How-?" Julie-Su began. Knuckles glared at the humans. "They're members of the Senshi," he growled. "Why so hostile? You were one of my best men at my wedding," Snively questioned. "You dangle freedom in our faces and draw it back faster than Sonic can run," Julie-Su replied dryly. "Why do you think we are here now?" Sam asked. "To do it again," Knuckles snapped. "Give Sonic the Chaos Emeralds. He has a job to do," Sam conveyed solemnly. "And that would be?" Knuckles pressed. "He's restoring Mobius tonight." Knuckles almost laughed. "You're kidding, right?" "No, she's not," Sonic replied seriously. The two echidnas exchanged a look but the hedgehog couldn't read it. "Fine," Knuckles finally spoke. "Come with me." The hedgehog nodded and he and the two humans started to walk forward. Julie- Su stopped Snively and Sam, shaking her head. "Only Sonic can go." "But-" the hedgehog began. "Go," Sam encouraged. The three Mobians walked away, leaving the king and queen of the universe alone. "Now what?" "Tell me what you found out about Raciel," Snively spoke. His wife sighed. "Raciel's not my father." "What?" "It makes sense. I literally inherited nothing from him, aside from our kingdom." "If he's not your father...who is?" Again, she sighed. "At this point, I don't really care." "Sam, please." She turned to face him with a dark look on her face. "What if you found out Colin wasn't your father?" "I'd be thrilled and do everything in my power to find my biological father." "What if it were your mother?" Snively stopped. 'What is she getting at?' "What are you talking about?" Snively inquired. "Tell ya later," Sam replied after hearing the others come back. She smiled when she saw a certain glowing someone. "How does power feel?" "Unbelievable," Sonic breathed. Snively looked at his wife. "I think he's ready." - - - - Sonic raced down Central Command's halls. He had to find Robotnik and fast. He burst into the Main Control Room and froze. Amy and Sally were being held hostage by a large battalion of Swatbots. "Welcome, hedgehog," the ominous voice of Dr. Robotnik spoke. "Que pasa, Ro-butt-nik?" Sonic spat sarcastically, enunciating every syllable. "It's been a long seventeen years, rodent," Robotnik replied as he got up from his green chair. "It's time to end this." Sonic rushed Robotnik as soon as the tyrant moved his hand. Robotnik grabbed his laser pistol and fired. But because Sonic had turned super, the shot didn't harm him. Robotnik kept firing at the hedgehog, angry because Sonic kept moving at the last moment. The power-charged hedgehog tackled the tyrant, sending them both over the platform. "Sonic!" Sally screamed, tears streaming down her face. Unbeknownst to her, Sonic was hanging onto the edge of the platform, trying to shake Robotnik's meaty hands from his legs. "Let go!" Sonic yelled, kicking his legs as hard as he could one last time. He knew his foe had let go. The feeling of his legs being jerked out of their sockets was gone. He heard the wretched screams of Ivo Robotnik disappear slowly as the tyrant fell. The horrendous screams were quickly ended by a sickening crunch. Sonic hoisted himself over the platform and onto solid ground. He took a breath to collect his thoughts. He looked up in time to see Sally drop down beside him. "Are you alright?" she asked. He slowly got to his feet. "Not yet." He held out his hand. "Come with me, Sal." "Where?" the princess queried as the hedgehog helped her to her feet. She felt the immense power of the Chaos Emeralds flowing from him to her. "To restore Mobius...and," he said, seeing Sam and Snively come in. Sam tossed the hedgehog a small jewelry box. "And to ask you for your hand in marriage. I love you Sally and I wouldn't have anyone else." "Oh, Sonic," Sally breathed. Sonic opened the box and slipped the ring on to her left ring finger. "Of course I'll marry you and I love you, Sonic Hedgehog." "Shall we?" Sonic jumped up and floated in the air. He pulled his fiancée up with him. "We shall," Sally smiled. Together, they left and spread an incredible light wherever they flew. The couple flew around Mobius seven times Sonic's maximum speed (if he was using a power ring), deroboticizing Mobians and restoring Mobius, completely getting rid of Robotnik's existence. They touched down at the newly restored Mobotropolis, seeing the ones they'd left and Knuckles and Julie-Su. Then, they noticed the sickening corpse that had hung the ominous cloud over their lives for so long. "Is he really-?" Sonic stopped. "He's dead," Snively said gravely. His wife smiled, drawing her sais. "Want me to make sure?" Sam queried. Sally thought she seemed eager. "That's okay," Sonic replied quickly. "Let's go home." - - - - The next two days seemed very hectic to Sonic. The entire planet celebrated their newfound freedom, especially the newly deroboticized Mobians. As she had promised Sonic months ago, Sam performed a concert for Mobotropolis the second day Mobius was freed. Sonic knew a lot of the Mobians weren't comfortable with humans being there. He appreciated Sam and Snively for helping him and supporting him throughout the years. Sonic wanted them there for the celebration. "Uncle Sonic!" Two human children ran up to the hedgehog with hugs. "Come play!" "I'd like to guys but I have to help Sally," Sonic replied. "Where is she?" Serenity asked. "Um...I don't know." "SALLY!" Caleb screeched. It had to have sounded as if he were injured because the child's parents and half of the Freedom Fighters came running, including Sally. The child's mother scooped him up in her arms. "Caleb, baby, what's wrong?" Sam asked frantically. "Momma, Uncle Sonic needed Aunt Sally, not you," Caleb spoke in only the innocence a child could. Sam gave a light laugh, pulling her son to her. "Sonic, what's wrong?" Sally queried. "Nothin'. I thought you needed me to help with stuff," the hedgehog replied. "I do, actually. Can you get everyone to the center of the city? Where the fountain was-is," Sally requested, correcting herself when it was needed. "Sure, why?" "I'm supposed to be coronated today," the princess replied somewhat nervously. "You'll love being queen," Sam said. "It's not about the rewards and benefits, Sam," Snively retorted. "Go get ready, Sally." "Good luck," Sam shouted as Sally walked away. "Let's get the guests or as Niecy would say, 'git to gettin'.'" "Sam, you've been watching Clean House too much," Snively commented as they began working. Soon, the citizens of Mobotropolis were gathered at the fountain. The coronation ceremony was similar to how Snively and Sam's went, much to Sonic's relief. He knew what to expect and he also knew most of the rites Sally had to read. Eventually, Sally was crowned queen of Mobius by her father. "Presenting," King Acorn spoke, "Queen Sally Alicia Acorn." The crowd cheered, giving the newly crowned queen a standing ovation. Queen Sally motioned to Sonic, who walked up to her. "Kneel, Sonic," she said solemnly. The hedgehog did as asked. She tapped his shoulders with something that appeared to be sharp, so he assumed it was a sword. "Thank you for all that you have done for Mobius. Rise, Sir Sonic." "S-sir?" Sonic queried as he stood. Sally nodded, smiling. The rest of the night went blissfully uneventful. Sonic noticed that Snively and his family had left early, much to his disappointment. Later on, he caught his fiancée by the arm before she left for her palace. "Hey, Sal?" "Yes?" Sally answered before yawning. "Is it cool if I come over tomorrow to work on wedding stuff?" the hedgehog queried. The squirrel smiled. "Why don't you come over now?" Sally said. "Why-?" Sonic began but stopped. He grinned. "Whatever you say, Sal." "Let's go," she said while he picked her up. He ran to the palace, ready for his happy ending... - - - - In a different kingdom, a king and queen were arguing into the night. "The more time you spend on Earth, the faster you age," Sam snapped. Snively slammed his suitcase lid shut. "I need this money!" he yelled. "I want to provide for my family." His wife gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "'Provide?' Baby, we have everything we could ever want. There's no need for this nonsense." "So that's what you think my wants are? Nonsense? What about your wants? That's right-I'm supposed to support you, like always." He finished packing another suitcase before looking at his wife's angry but heartbroken face. "That's not true and you know it. I'd support you no matter what but being gone all the time? Not returning phone calls from your kids? Ignoring me?!" Sam yelled, tears stinging her eyes. He gave her a dark look. "You were gone for three months for your tour and you did the same things I did," Snively retorted. He moved his many suitcases to the bedroom door. "That's different!" He turned around. "How, Sam, how? How is that different?" "I said to call me in case of an emergency. I tried to get a hold of you when a tornado hit our city!" "I'm going for as long as I'm needed. End of discussion," Snively said stiffly. "No, it's not!" Sam replied, touching his arm. He turned away to get ready for bed. She grabbed for his arm again and he did something neither had expected. Sam touched the side of her face, wincing while he stared in shock, his hand still in the air. "S-Sam," Snively began. She turned away from him, a tear sliding slowly down her cheek. He reached for her arm. "I didn't mean to." "Stay away from me," she ordered, leaving the room. He followed her quickly. "Sam, wait." He began running. "No." Sam opened a portal. "I HATE YOU!" He stood in silence, trying to form words. He couldn't. She had screamed the one thing he never wanted to hear her say to him. He walked back to his bedroom and unhappily got ready for bed. He lay in bed for an hour, waiting for her to come back. Snively sighed and got up. He got dressed and wrote a long apology letter to his wife. 'I can't believe I backhanded her,' he thought miserably as he opened a portal and disappeared into the night of L.A.... The End. Q.N. Well, that's the end of another series. I know I said there would be two more in this series, but I changed my mind and put the next one as the beginning of the fourth series. So yeah, there'll be a fourth series. I know I focus mostly on Snively and Sam, but unlike the other series where the Freedom Fighters get somewhat active parts, this next one will probably completely focus on Snively and Sam and their ruling of the universe. The fourth series will also probably deal a lot more with time also....I think. That's it for now! Later! M.P. 'Young' is by Hollywood Undead and for some reason, it seemed like this song fit perfectly.