A heavy storm had blown across Robotropolis and the Great
Forest that night, bringing with it torrential rain and thunder. This was not
the kind of weather that one would wish to be out in. However, the girl
currently sprinting across the rooftops of the outskirts of Robotropolis did
not have a choice. She had to get to Knothole, no matter what. Even the two
SWATbots chasing after her could not stop her.
"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, CITIZEN." drawled
one of the SWATbots, aiming its laser gun at her. "SURRENDER YOURSELF OR
PREPARE TO BE ELIMINATED."
"Not a chance, rustpot," said the girl.
The two SWATbots duly opened fire, but the girl was able
to nimbly dodge their fire as she ran, occasionally resorting to acrobatic
jumps or flips to get out of the way. Even when faced with gaps between the rooves,
or a slight rise or dip, the girl charged onwards without putting a single foot
wrong, her parkour skills carrying her gracefully across the skyline.
Finally, however, she appeared to have reached a dead
end. At the end of the row of buildings in front of her was a large metal
billboard, facing the street below. She could not avoid it, as there was no
other path onwards. However, she had a plan. She kept going, running straight
at the billboard, and as she reached it, she ran up it for a brief moment
before kicking off it and flying into a backflip. The closest of the two
SWATbots was unable to pull off such a delicate manoeuvre and slammed straight
into the billboard, knocking it over; it came to a rest at a perpendicular
angle, perfectly bridging the gap to the next roof. Meanwhile, the girl manoeuvred
herself through the air mid-backflip and landed right on top of the second
SWATbot, slamming it down hard into the roof and destroying it. With the path
ahead now clear, and her pursuers dealt with, she charged onwards through the
driving rain in search of her destination.
***
At Knothole that night, Princess Sally Acorn was fast
asleep in bed when she was suddenly woken by a series of slow, loud thumps on
her door. Staggering bleary-eyed from her bed, she got up and went o the front
door to see what was the matter. "This better not be Ant with another one
of his nightmares…" she grumbled.
When Sally opened the door, she realized that it was not
Antoine, nor indeed was it anyone she knew. It was a teenage fox girl, her
dark-blue fur completely soaked by the rain. She was wearing a black midriff-baring
tank top, black shorts, and sports shoes that were caked in mud. In spite of
her athletic-looking physique, the girl was completely and utterly exhausted,
panting and gasping for breath, and before she could say anything coherent, she
toppled forwards and passed out.
"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Sally, quickly moving
forwards to catch the girl before she could hit the ground. Sally dragged the
unconscious girl inside, water dripping from her fur onto the wooden floor, then
closed the door behind her. She made up a bed for the girl out of old sheets,
laid her down inside it, then collapsed back onto her own bed. She felt too
tired to do anything more for the girl, so she would just have to check on her
in the morning.
When Sally woke up the next morning, however, the girl
had vanished from her bedroom. The pile of neatly-folded, slightly damp sheets
next to Sally's bed was the only indication that she hadn't just dreamt the whole
thing. Puzzled as to where the girl could have gone to, Sally changed out of
her nightgown and into her daywear - a blue denim vest and shorts, navy-blue
boots and white gloves - and headed through into the living room, whereupon she
found the girl from the previous night casually doing star jumps , her bushy
tail swishing from side to side. "64… 65…" she said to herself.
Sally was positively stunned. "What on Mobius do you
think you're doing?" she exclaimed.
"My morning exercises," said the girl.
"You were passed out from exhaustion just a few
hours ago!" said Sally. "You should be taking it easy!"
"Perhaps," admitted the girl, and she slowed
carefully to a stop. "In any case, my lady, I should move on to the topic
at hand. I bring grave news from the Freedom Fighters in Emerald Coast."
Sally was surprised, not least because the Emerald Coast
Resistance was one of the strongest remaining pockets of resistance outside of
Knothole, but because it was quite some distance from Knothole. "You ran
all the way here from Emerald Coast?" she said. "No wonder you passed
out… your fitness is truly astonishing. But please, continue. What of the
Emerald Coast Resistance?"
"I'm afraid that the Emerald Coast Resistance has
fallen," said the girl, a look of sorrow passing across her face.
"Somebody betrayed us, and relayed our position to Robotnik. Our leader,
Sgt. Nero, has been captured, and all our other members have been Roboticized…
or worse." Her expression continued to grow ever darker. "Nero and I
are likely the only ones left. Please… I want you and your Freedom Fighters to
help find and rescue him."
"What makes you think Robotnik hasn't already
Roboticized him?" Sally asked.
"The sergeant has been a thorn in Robotnik's side
for years," said the girl. "Perhaps not as big a thorn as Sonic the
Hedgehog, but still a powerful enemy. Now that Robotnik has him in his
clutches, he'll be taking his time, and enjoying his victory. He won't
Roboticize Nero just yet, but even so, we still need to hurry if we want to
find him and save him."
Sally still felt rather reluctant. "I can't say I
agree with Nero's methods," she said. "He's reckless, violent, and
not averse to using deadly weapons." The Freedom Fighters had a strict no-guns
policy, with Bunnie's built-in laser cannon being the only exception.
"However," Sally continued, "I can't deny that he's a brilliant
strategist, and a powerful ally in the fight against Robotnik. I'll have to
discuss it with the others, but I'm sure they'll agree to help you rescue
him."
"Oh, really?" exclaimed the girl. She quickly
stooped into a low bow. "Thank you so much, your highness!"
"Please, there's no need to be so formal," said
Sally. "Just call me Sally. And your name is?"
"Solstice," said the girl, straightening up.
"Solstice the Fox. "It'll be a huge honour to work alongside you, and
the great Sonic the Hedgehog."
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