Foray 3 - Stretto part 1

Foray – a Sonic the Hedgehog/Sonic Underground crossover

2 – Stretto

Notes:  Thanks for the reviews guys! Though, a bunch of you were just commenting on my cutting down of the cast. Review the prose too plz?

WARNINGS: I lean very heavily on the Game Gear game Tails Adventure  in this chapter. Express understanding is not needed, but it would help  if the readers knew its basic premise. Mentionings of murder and maiming, though the actual acts do not occur on-screen. Also, Tails' characterization is a bit off from the games, but that might because I'm  playing off of the TA angle. I won't say anymore because it'll  ruin the chapter for you, but just know that as both of our heroes get older, they will slowly morph into their game incarnations. (Sonic could  also be considered OOC because he's oh so very serious in these early chapters.) More drama bombs too, as well as Sonic talking to inanimate objects and a bit of flubbed technobabble. Oh, aaaaangst in droves, though this angst is of a different variety than the first two chapters. Tails' cuteness may kill you. Watch out for that. Choppy chapter of choppiness because damn I'm longwinded and I'm trying to get GOIN'.

I bumped the rating up to T for safety. I touch on a few delicate issues this chapter, so I figured I should cover my back. Also,  this thing is so long and I'm so very tired, I haven't gone over it with a fine-toothed comb yet. Excuse any typos. I'll overhaul it by the end of the weekend, scout's honor.

Enjoy~!

…:Mezzo:…

Sonic knew he had to get to Emerald Hill.

After  letting the Emeralds go in Green Hill, he had ambled aimlessly for a few days before coming across a junkyard on the outskirts of Starlight Zone. It was completely deserted, not a soul in sight, and Sonic's inner  compass pulled him toward it. Never one to question whim, he had allowed his feet to take him into the fenced in area, his ears at high alert for any signs of life, and he padded around for a few hours before  he eventually found what he hadn't known he was looking for.

It was a beautiful red biplane. Or rather, it used  to be a beautiful red biplane. Decrepit and run down, the old thing was  gutted almost completely, with only the bare bones of an engine visible  and a dangerously bent propeller. Sonic padded up to it, his steps nearly silent, and ran his hand down the side, the peeling paint falling  to the ground like small snowflakes as he did so.

"What's your story?" he asked the inanimate plane, patting it. "I bet it's way more interesting than mine." Belatedly, he realized that holding a conversation with something that was nothing more than metal and mechanics would probably put him on a one-way trip on the insane train to crazy town, but he couldn't be bothered to care. He needed someone – something – to talk to that wouldn't judge him. He hadn't had that in a long time.

Manic  was probably the last person he had spoken to that didn't automatically  criticize whatever came out of his mouth, and Sonic was starting to miss his little brother a bit. It was a dull ache in his heart, one that  was barely there, but still noticeable, and he wished he could go and see how he was doing. By this point, Sonia would probably be getting ready to be crowned, but what would happen to Manic? Probably shoved off  to the side like always – just the unimportant youngest triplet.

"I miss both of them," he told the biplane, "but Sonia can take care of herself. Manic's still vulnerable…"

It  was strange, considering how they had both grown up. Of all things, he expected his brother to be the hardened thief, able to handle any situation and come out on top, and Sonia the simpering princess, begging  to be taken care of and protected. In some aspects, they were those things, he supposed, as Sonia had the snobbish personality and high maintenance need to always look good, and Manic could make the best  out of any bad situation, but he still felt like his leaving would have  hurt Manic more than his sister. Sonic's reasoning was strange even to himself and he scowled before shaking his head, turning his thoughts to other things.

The hedgehog hopped onto the lower wing, landing as lightly as he could. It creaked dangerously and Sonic felt his world sway for a few seconds before the plane settled. Sonic sighed, thanking Chaos above that he hadn't snapped the wing – it would be as good as useless if that happened. He patted the plane again, silently thanking it for holding up, and crossed to the opposite end of the wing. He easily leapt across the gap between the wings and the tail, landing on his toes on the tailplane. The unstable flaps pitched as he landed on them, but he grabbed the tail, using the bend as a spring board to push himself up and into a straddling position on the tail.

The body of  the plane was sturdy, despite how run down it looked, and Sonic ran his  gloved hand down the tail, rubbing the dirt away. There was the barest hint of white lettering there and he scrubbed a bit more before a large letter T was completely revealed. Quirking an eyebrow, he leaned a little further over so he could get a longer reach on the tail.

"Tornado  huh?" he asked once the full word was exposed. The letting was stylized  and the paint looked newer than the rest, "not a bad name." The hedgehog slithered to the ground and dusted his hands off. "Well, we've got a lot of work ahead of us if we want to get you back into the air where you belong, don't we?"

The plane was stoically silent, and Sonic shook his head at his own antics before bouncing into the seat. He  would start on the repairs tomorrow. For now, he was in desperate need for some decent sleep, and The Tornado's seat was the best place he could think of.

o0o

*Modulation:*:Fortepiano*

Sonia  should be happy. It is the morning of her coronation – the beginning of  the day that she will be declared the future ruler of her kingdom – but  all that she feels is a suffocating depression. It is not the same as the mourning pain she had been plunged into for weeks after Sonic's death; this sadness is sharper, almost guilty, and she can do nothing to  keep it away. She cannot help but feel like she is taking something that does not belong to her – the crown belongs to Sonic.

She remembers those days in the van when all three of them squabbled over who would rule. In her mind, they all seem so much younger, so naïve to real life, and she can't help but wish for a return to those days. She fought with Sonic fiercely for the crown back then, swearing up and down  that he would be a horrible ruler. He was too brash, too quick to jump the gun, and too unfair. His sense of right and wrong was too strong and  he would judge those that he felt were even a little immoral. Really, he was the worst choice of ruler and probably the last person Sonia would follow, but she can't help but feel like she is stealing from him.

Back  then, the arguments were fun, promises of a future that they would share together, no matter who would rule. Manic was never that much of an active participant, though he fought when provoked. He never really wanted the crown – not like Sonia. Her brothers were similar in that aspect. Sonic always seemed like he was only fighting with her because she wanted him too. He always shied away from any serious talks on how he would take over from their mother when he was able, and Sonia had always wrote it off as Sonic being Sonic; he would figure it out when he  got there.

Now though, she realizes that it didn't matter – he was never going to rule. However he would have taken over was inconsequential, but Sonia can't help but think that it all probably would have had to do with running or chili dogs or something equally unimportant, but he would have eventually gotten everything done. She is  sure of that. His methods may not have been normal, but they were effective.

Sonia finds herself padding out of the palace while it is still dark, the light of dawn barely peaking over the horizon. She is  barefoot – has not worn a pair of shoes since that day – and the grass is soft on her feet, pleasant almost. The world is near-silent, the nocturnal creatures turning in for a nice sleep and the  diurnals awaiting the light of the sun to reemerge, and she quietly makes her way to the clearing behind her home.

It is a small, intimate space, marked off with a three-sided square of trees from the rest of the lawn. At one time, it held the remains and memories of her ancestors, but Robotnik decimated the small cemetery. Now, it holds only  one tombstone, a small, rounded slab of granite. It shines like new in the low light, and the pink female pads up to it with her hands fists at  her side. The closer she gets, the clearer the words become, and tears are already pricking at her eyes, despite her effort to hold them back. When she gets close enough, she drops to her knees in the wet grass and stares at it, analyzing every chip in the rock.

A small carving, a  perfect replication of Sonic's medallion, is etched into the stone, along with the dates of his birth and death. The words are cut deeper, meant to last as long as the grave marker itself, and she reaches out with shaking fingers to trace them, her mouth shaping the sounds as she does so.

Prince Sonic Hedgehog

He will always be waiting.

Sonia's  lips quirk as she reads the inscription. Manic designed the gravestone,  she remembers. It had been the one meeting her brother and mother had made her attend – not that she paid any attention while it was going on.

"Maybe  we should put a chili dog on it," Manic chuckled, glancing at Sonia to see if his joke had hit her. It didn't. "Or maybe a picture of him…"

"We don't have any recent pictures of Sonic, dear," the queen forced out, her tone hinting that that fact was painful for her.

"I  can draw one," Manic offered, grabbing a sheet of paper from the center  of the table and sketching a rough picture of his brother with a few strokes of his pencil. He held it up for his mother and sister's approval.

Sonia was struck dumb by the perfect depiction of her blue brother. His smiling face was bright, cheerful, yet it was flawlessly him; the swoop of the quills, the hard edge to his eyes, the way he balanced his weight on his toes – always ready to take off at a moment's notice… She turned her shocked stare from the page to her remaining male twin, forcing her unresponsive vocal chords to work.

"You can draw?" It was the only thing she could say and she saw Manic's expression sour at her response.

"A'course."  He shrugged. "I had to draw blueprints for my 'board and the van – not that hard to switch to other things. Sonic used to have me draw things for him all the time – the places we went to and stuff."

Of course Sonic knew, Sonia thought to herself, forcing her face into a neutral expression, Sonic knew everything about Manic. Those two were practically married they were so close.  She knew she was being unfair to the two of them, but she couldn't gather the strength to care. She had always been the third wheel, the odd one out when it came to the three of them: the only girl, the only one with a proper education, the only one with manners and decorum. Sonic and Manic were more similar than she liked to notice, despite everything that separated them. They always kept secrets from her and they constantly spied on her and got into her business. They were an unstoppable team – always looking out for their sister and constantly aware of everything going on around them.

"It's a lovely picture, Manic." Their mother held her hand out for the drawing and the boy easily bequeathed it to her. She hummed thoughtfully in the back of her throat as she gazed at it. "Can you draw his medallion?"

"Sure." Manic accepted the paper back and he drew a perfect imitation of their brother's necklace. "He didn't use it as much as we did…" he mumbled while he drew, his brow furrowing as he messed up the guitar necks and he flipped the pencil over to erase and try again. "He usually ran when he could. Always told us that he's 'waaaiiiting.'" He chuckled,  his eyes far away as he remembered. "He's still the fastest; the first to find out what happens after all of this." He waved his hands around him, the pencil balancing between his gloved fingers. "Guess he'll always be waiting for us to catch up." He sighed and stared at his drawing for a few seconds before handing it back.

"Perfect." Aleena smiled at her son. "What do you think, Sonia?"

The  girl couldn't stop staring at her remaining brother, as if he had just unlocked some secret to the universe. She didn't reply. Instead, she rose stiffly to her feet and stomped out of the room, her bare feet silent on the hard floors.

Sonia comes back to herself with a shake of her head. She has slumped forward during her daydreaming and is  nearly leaning on the gravestone. She jerks back, nearly falling over herself, and lands on her backside with a painful jolt. She hisses out a  breath and glares at the marker as if it is at fault.

"I bet this  is just hilarious for you," she mumbles toward the silent rock. She can  almost see Sonic sitting on top of it, one leg tucked under the other, the second swinging back and forth, a smirk on his face as he watches her. "Let's watch Sonia fall apart when she gets everything she wants. Haha."

The Sonic mind-apparition doesn't respond and she scowls at  her actions. "I guess you think I'm pathetic huh?" She is speaking straight to the tombstone now and she reaches out to touch it again. "I just don't feel right… I'm not supposed to be the next in line. You are."

She  doesn't expect a response, so when a male voice says, "Better you than me," she jumps. A chuckle comes from behind her and she jerks around to glare at her visitor.

"That wasn't funny," she reprimands as the other sits down beside her, pulling his vest closer to his body.

"It  was hilarious where I was, sis," Manic replies, smiling ruefully at her. When she doesn't smile back, his face turns serious. "What's up? Why this hate fest?"

The pink female sighs, rubbing her eyes with her fisted hands. "I don't know, Manic. I miss him, I guess. I need to talk to him."

"I get that." Manic reaches out and places his arm around her shoulders. The weight is comforting. "It's peaceful – been out here a couple of times."

"The wind reminds me of him," she mumbles, looking down at her hands. "It's calm and free, like he wanted to be. It must have been hard on him…" She trails off, glancing up at Manic to see if he understood what she was getting at.

"Sonic never did anything he didn't want to," the green hedgehog asserts. "He probably would have left if we tried to force him. He was as free as he allowed himself to be." Wise words thus uttered, he breaks away from his  sister to lean in and touch his brother's memorial.

Silence falls  for a few moments as the twin royals stare at the slab of rock that signifies all that they have left of their brother. Only memories – memories that are fading too quickly for Sonia's liking. Already, she is  struggling to recall the sound of his voice, the sight of his happy expression, the thrum of power when he activated his medallion. She crosses her arms, shivering, and Manic pulls her in closer than before.

"…you  don't think he just left this time, do you?" she ventures into quiet. She has no idea how her thoughts have become so dangerous, but she has to know – needs to see if Manic has been pondering the same thing.

The  green male stiffens, his whole being cracking to attention as if her words have struck a chord in him. "No," he answers, his tone peculiarly without force, "you saw the explosion. There was no way he survived that. We didn't even find his medallion, and it's fireproof."

That's exactly the point…  she thinks, but chooses not to respond, instead snuggling a little deeper into her brother's comforting hold. "Do you think he's watching over us?"

Manic snorts. "Oh yeah, and he's probably makin' comments the whole time."

"Wouldn't  be Sonic without snide remarks," Sonia hums in response, leaning her head back against his shoulder. She is completely relaxed now, and the wind teases her hair. She can almost imagine that Sonic is agreeing with  them.

o0o

…:Mezzo:…

A  few months later, Sonic found himself running out of supplies. The junkyard was expansive, but it was still just that – junk. The Tornado's  body was worse off than he originally assumed and he was unable to find  the correct things to repair the plane. Out of desperation – a combined  need to fix the plane and to get away from this island – he traveled all the way back to Green Hill. He didn't realize where he was going until he was standing on Apollo's doorstep. The aged lion had survived Robotnik's attack with a fierceness Sonic had not seen before, and he took a personal affront to Sonic when the hedgehog released him from an Egg-Prison, even refusing to speak to him when he saw him in town once it was all over. Really, Sonic should not have come here. The odds that Cyrus' grandfather could – would – help him were slim, but he didn't have any other options.

Heaving  a sigh, he held his hand up to knock, already bracing himself for the conversation that was sure to follow, but before his knuckles could touch the wood, the door swung open, a pair of wise eyes glaring at him like he was a stain on a favorite shirt.

"What do you want, boy?" Apollo ground out, his tone trying and failing to be civil. Sonic opened  his mouth to answer, but the lion must have decided that it didn't really matter what his reply was going to be, because he grunted and turned again. "Just come in."

Sonic tried his hardest not to make an affronted sound but he padded through the door nonetheless. The man led him back to the kitchen, sitting in the same chair as last time, and  he waited expectantly for the hedgehog to do the same. Hopping into his  seat, Sonic suddenly felt even more foolish than before, though he made  sure his expression stayed blank.

"Surprised you're still here," the lion began when Sonic failed to offer up a reason for his current occupation of his kitchen table. "I thought you would be on Westside by now; heard that's where Robotnik ran off to."

Sonic winced. Apollo's tone had been judgmental, and the question hanging between those words was obvious enough. Why did you let him get away in the first place? "I can't get to Westside, not yet. I found this old biplane, but I don't have the supplies to fix it."

"And  you came here to ask me for help? Don't look so surprised, kid," he continued when he caught sight of Sonic's expression. "I can read you like a book – not a very interesting book, but that doesn't matter. Can you even fly a plane?"

"I learned in the resistance." Sonic's fur bristled at the jab at his abilities. "Cyrus taught me."

Apollo  held his hands up. "Don't get defensive. I was just making sure that you're not going to waste my resources and crash this plane right after it's fixed. What's wrong with it?"

"You're going to help me?" The hedgehog's tone was surprised, and his eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, princeling. I don't need a reason."

Sonic forced a huff out of his nose, biting back the scathing reply. "I'm not a princeling."

"Very  well. You are the Hero of South Island. You are even with the Savior of  Cocoa Island, but you don't see me offering to fix his plane for free."

Sonic's ears rose a bit as that small fact sailed into his brain, burrowing deep into the section labeled 'find out about this'.  He didn't know nearly enough about the lands outside of Mobotropolis and any information he learned about them was a precious treasure. "The Savior of Cocoa Island?" He tried his hardest to keep his tone neutral, but it had a revealing lilt that gave him away.

"You've never heard of the Savior of Cocoa Island?" Apollo shook his head. "Figures."

"I was fighting a war, okay?" Sonic declared, his voice a touch too loud.

The  lion held his hands up again, placating him. "You're so defensive, Sonic the Hedgehog. The Savior of Cocoa Island was the person who singlehandedly fought off the Battle Kukku Army when they tried to take over the island. He used small explosives – bombs – and managed to collect six of the Emeralds. No one knows what happened to him afterwards. He just disappeared and the Emeralds released."

Sonic's eyes were comically wide. "When did this happen?"

"About six months ago. You wouldn't have heard about it."

"And he found six of the Emeralds?" Sonic whistled. "I'm impressed. Don't tell me he was a hedgehog too…"

"No,  he was a fox. Used machines and explosives. That's about it." Apollo's voice left no room for a furthered conversation. "Now, what's wrong with  your plane?"

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you see, I found it in a junk yard and there's no telling what exactly is wrong with it…"

Apollo had enough tact to groan.

000

With a lot of luck, elbow grease, and borrowed parts, Sonic finally managed to pull the Tornado  together enough to coax it to life. It purred happily at him, despite the way the propeller was still a little bent – not enough to cause a problem, but still a little worrisome – and he managed to direct it into  the sky. The flight to Westside was short, but about halfway there, one  of the dials fell and the plane started to cough and jerk under his hands. He was lucky to land (crash) on a small beach away from most people, though the close proximity of the water set his teeth on edge.

He had searched the Zone for a mechanic – anyone,  really – that could help him, and had come to find out that the closest  one was in Metropolis Zone, all the way across the island. He was pretty much stuck. The Tornado wouldn't start, no matter how much he dug around in the wires and engine and pleaded with it, begging and cursing everything, mechanical or otherwise. He was sure that this was karma's way of laughing at him, allow him to get to Westside, but take away his one way off. Har-dee-freakin'-har.

Sonic scowled as he lugged a toolbox across the beach to the Tornado,  stepping as lightly as he could to avoid getting sand in his shoes. He had managed to haggle the tools from a local hardware store – a smile and being a hero went a long way – and he hoped that he would be able to  at least get a little closer to figuring out what the problem was. The fact that he didn't recognize most of the tools was troublesome, but Sonic didn't let it bother him. He could probably decipher what they did eventually.

"Well, Tornado, let's see if I can finally get you fixed, huh?" he asked the plane, dropping the box into the sand with a thunk.

"The  fuselage is cracked. You're lucky it didn't blow up in the air," the biplane replied. Sonic froze, his eyes widening, and he choked. He had been holding regular conversation with the Tornado for the past few months, and he knew that this wasn't particularly healthy, but he had figured that if it didn't respond he would be fine…

Falling backwards a few steps, Sonic ticked through his mental state. He didn't feel crazy, but wasn't that one of the usual symptoms? You never believed you were insane…

Luckily  for the hedgehog's state of mind, a small furry head popped out from under the plane. It was golden, with huge ears and large dark eyes, and that was all Sonic managed to see before his diminutive visitor squeaked  in alarm. He – Sonic assumed it was a male – stumbled from under the plane, literally falling over himself to get away.

"I'm sorry!" he yelped, holding his hands up as he rushed away. "I didn't know this was Sonic the Hedgehog's plane!"

"No  wait!" Sonic reached out toward the little one, getting ready to run after him, but the other did something completely unexpected. He took off.

Not like Sonic usually did – at a run. He literally took off, into the air.  Sonic skidded to a stop, his eyes wide and in full out ogle mode as the  fox flew above his reach. He darted away, moving almost as quickly as Sonic at a jog, disappearing into the tree line.

"Well…" It was all Sonic could say, and he felt it was a perfect summarization of what had just happened. "That was—" He shook his head. "I don't even know what that was."

The flying fox thing had fixed the Tornado.  Not all of it, but he had taken a considerable amount of work out of Sonic's hands. The cracked fuselage had been patched up, some of the loose wires – left that way because Sonic had had no idea what they were for – spliced together, and other small things Sonic hadn't even realized where broken mended. When he started it, it didn't cough and then groan at him like it usually did; it purred. He could only stare stupidly at the dials as they soared to their correct positions, the readouts finally making sense to the hedgehog.

He was stumped. Well and truly stumped. That fox couldn't have been older than six. How on Mobius did he know about advanced mechanics?

Sonic  had a sinking suspicion that there was something else going on here. He  had heard rumors in the village about a 'freak', some guy that the rest  of the people didn't want anything to do with. The hedgehog hadn't really paid any attention to it at the time, as he was too preoccupied with the Tornado, but now he couldn't help but wonder if that flying fox had had something to do with it.

So,  he traveled back into town, this time with the intention to find out more about his strange plane-fairy. He figured that the best place to start was in the hardware store. Anyone with enough technical know-how to fix a plane had to have a need of tools; that kind of thing didn't come without practice.

The bell jangled as Sonic walked in and the man at the counter looked up and smiled when he saw the hedgehog. He quickly hopped off of his stool as Sonic approached.

"Mister Hedgehog," he nodded, "in need of more tools?"

Sonic's  eyes narrowed a bit as he took in the man. He was a green rabbit in a brown vest and work boots, tool belt slung low on his hips; his nametag declared that his name was Ted and Sonic rocked on his feet a bit before  finally answering.

"Nah, I don't need any tools. You pretty much gave me one of everything." He paused when Ted chuckled, sending him a small smile. "Actually, I needed to ask you something… You see, I had a –  um – visitor earlier today, and I was wondering if you knew anything about him."

Ted's large ears twitched a bit at Sonic's words. "Depends on the person…"

"I  didn't catch his name, but he was a small fox, about this tall –" he held a hand up to the approximate height of the kit "– wicked smart. He fixed my plane."

There was a pause as Ted stared at Sonic, seemingly trying to gauge the hedgehog's expression before he replied. A  sigh. "I know him."

"Why'd'you sound so upset about it? He buy his tools from a different shop or somethin'?"

"That boy is… Well, let's just say that most of the village doesn't like him."

"'The rest of the village'?" Sonic echoed, voice and expression confused.

"I  don't have a problem with him, honestly. He came in here and bought some tools a few months ago – used rings and everything. Wasn't a problem; extremely polite. But, he's...detached. Something happened to him before he came to Emerald Hill."

"Did he move in from another Zone or something?"

"No,"  a head shake, "he came off one of the cargo ships that ferry supplies to and from Cocoa Island. Didn't have anything besides a pouch of rings and a screwdriver."

A thrum went through Sonic's mind as the rabbit spoke. "Cocoa Island? Wasn't that place attacked by some army?"

"Yeah,  the Battle Kukkus, horrible bunch. They were chased off though. No one knows exactly what happened, and I think that might have something to do  with the boy's situation." When Sonic made a confused sound, the shopkeeper elaborated, "He's an orphan – lives on his own. I don't know where exactly, and he avoids the rest of the village. The other children  bully him; I've had to break up a few fights because the other adults don't care."

Sonic could feel a bit of anger dripping into his veins, but he took a deep breath. He would not revert back to that – not  yet. "Why?" was all he could say.

"The boy's a mutant… I thought you saw him? He has two tails."

Sonic sucked in a deep breath. Two  tails? That was one of the most extreme mutations the hedgehog had heard of. However, because he had grown up in Robotropolis, the whole concept of such a thing wasn't a huge shock for him. Robotnik had polluted the water and air, and a lot of children born during his reign had some type of mutation. Most of them weren't noticeable – an unusual eye color, elevated blood sugar level, slightly larger ears – but to have an extra tail…

That didn't matter though – not to him.

"But… why would the village hate him so much?"

"Things  are different out here than they are in the city Zones. The people don't like things that are different, and the extra tail along with that  brain of his…" The rabbit shrugged. "He's too different for them."

Sonic  was struck silent at that. To be discriminated against because of something out of your control… It was a helpless concept, and it made Sonic slightly sick to think about. Suddenly, he couldn't stay in this shop – no, in this Zone – any longer, and he thanked Ted for his help before backtracking out of the store. He needed to run and clear his head, or else risk losing control of his anger.

He blasted toward the beach, leaving behind a trail of blue as he went.