ATTENTION! Please read the Author's Note at the end of the chapter. Please and thank you.

CHAPTER XXIII – SIC PARVAS MAGNA

They both looked like heaping pile that a dog crapped out. Bruises, matching neck braces and crutches, and a few other injuries plagued their bodies. Yeah, these ladies went through hell. One even was scheduled for double anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery next week. That lady had severe swelling in both knees, and even though it happened last night, it still hurt like the dickens.

The sterile room matched the rest of the building and then some. The HQ lobby was already white and clean, but this place somehow looked cleaner than that. Maybe it was the overly bright LEDs shining down on them. It seemed to make the white walls look like the Transfiguration.

They waited and waited with the armed guards, who stuck out like sore thumbs. They were adorned in black and red riot gear and armed to teeth as their guns were trained on the women. Yesterday, they couldn't have imagined they would be here and looking like a truck ran them over.

Suddenly, the sound of a creaking door swung open, and in stepped a dreadlocked mammal. He tossed the folder on the desk and motioned for one of the gunmen to shut the door. Sitting down, he didn't have a friendly disposition. Thunderbolt looked intimidated when she saw what was wrong with his fists. Lien-Da turned her charm on and tried to woo the other echidna.

"You dress like a whore, and you've got the look of a whore," he flatly stated. She didn't like that and scowled at the agent. "You ladies have been on our watch-list for some time now."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, handsome," Lien-Da stated. She tried that flirt again, and it only annoyed the interrogator.

"Whore, shut up." The chinchilla laughed. Lien-Da gave her the evil eye.

Lien-Da tried one last time. "What… interesting hands you have. I bet they—."

He put his paw on her. Just so he could get some goddamn peace and quiet.

"I guess Amy was right. You are a whore."

"Stop calling me a whore! I am no whore!"

He scoffed. "You have got to be the easiest chick in Mobotropolis."

"Am not!" Thunderbolt wished the guards could get her a bowl of popcorn. This was better that any pay-per-view. "I am not easy!"

"Bitch, you're easy like Sunday morning."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OHOHO-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lien-Da wished to all things holy that Thunderbolt would quit her laughing. But hey, it wasn't her fault that their interrogator slayed Lien-Da with a one-liner for the ages. But he did have a job to do, so he motioned one of the gunmen to silence her.

WHAM!

"OW!" Thunderbolt yelled as the top of her head screamed in agony.

"Now you two have a laundry list of charges thanks to a certain book that a friend of my friend talked about yesterday," he said.

"Pfft," Thunderbolt scoffed. "Blabbermouth Amy."

Ignoring the comment, he continued. "Gunrunning, drug-running, extortion, assault, murder, blackmail, accepting bribes, aiding and abetting a world class nutcase; we got it all for you two, and there's plenty more where that came from. That last one'll keep you both in one of our state-of-the-art facilities until the day your bodies feed millions of worms. But I'd like to start by asking why you helped ol' fat face to begin with."

"Kicks," Lien-Da dryly responded.

"I won't say a word so long as the doctor won't!" Thunderbolt exclaimed.

The red mammal dug into the folder and pulled out a news article from that morning's J.B.H. Memorial Gazette. The headline was damning. Lien-Da had to hold back her laughter, not from the article, but from her ex-partner's face when it looked like her world had ended. Thunderbolt was more than stunned or shocked. She was despondent!

"If that's the case, lightning rod, then you'll be holding your tongue for a long time," he responded. "Good thing too, 'cause I'm sure your lawyer would want you to do that."

He could see a heartbroken tear run down her face. "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

Phone calls for interviews had all too literally been ringing off the hook. He just wanted this circus to end. All this business and all these calls were driving him closer to the nearest mental hospital.

Taking in a deep breath, he mindlessly watched the news. By that, it meant it was only served as background noise. But he couldn't help but cut a smile whenever the AMG said something about how he died. That was a sentiment that made his heart jump for joy.

As he grabbed the family photo, he couldn't help but chuckle happily. His handsome husband, his daughter, and his son could now live in peace. No more Eggman, no more blackmail, no more worrying… at least until the next big crime lord came knocking on his door.

With his death, he knew that the likes of Naugus and Lyric were chomping at the bit to get their hands on the mayor. That was why he was packing things up. All the breaking news and frightening uncertainty was making him more paranoid than he already was. The shear thought of it made his ulcers act up. That was why he was about to call a press conference and announce his resignation.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

The lynx groaned. Another reporter wanting an exclusive, no doubt.

"Can't you wait for—?" He spun around, but he stopped himself when he saw a G.U.N. agent in his presence with a business suit and matching briefcase. "Oh! My apologies! Agent Rouge, right?"

The bat walked to him and nodded. "That's right, Your Honor." She offered her hand. "Nice to formally meet you."

He shook it. "The feeling is mutual, Agent Rouge," he said with enthusiasm in his voice.

"Please, 'Rouge' is just fine, Your Honor."

He scoffed at the statement. "Some 'Honor' I am," he said glumly.

"Why so down in the dumps?"

He sighed. "Rouge… do you know what's like to have a maniac breathing down your neck all the time?"

"You haven't met my last boyfriend."

He chuckled. "I appreciate your sense of humor. But what I've done—."

"Oh, now I understand."

He nodded as he got back to his desk. "Please sit." She did so and set the briefcase down on her right. He then grabbed a glass full of whiskey and poured himself a glass. "You want one?"

"I'm good, thanks."

He took a quick sip and noted how bitter the alcohol seemed to go down. Just like everything that's happened to him for all these years.

"When I first ran for mayor, I wanted to make a difference. I didn't care what kind of scum we had in this town. I wanted to make this city safe again. That was my platform. But then things… turned sour."

"Your Honor—."

"I'm no 'Honor,'" he interrupted, shame evident in his voice, "much less any kind of honorable man."

"Your Honor, I know what you had to go through. I've been keeping tabs on the city for a while now. I know that your will to fight crime fell on deaf ears. Well, deaf ears that were paid off by mobsters. And I know what Eggman did to make you see things his way."

He groaned and slammed the rest of his drink. He took another look at the picture, specifically his daughter. Rouge turned to see the photo. She turned back to him and looked at broken mayor with understanding eyes.

"My little Alyssa," he miserably said.

"I know that Eggman had Lien-Da cripple her for going against his demands. I'm sorry that she lost the ability to walk."

He didn't respond right away. In his head, he flashed back to the night he found his husband and son crying over her lower body. She couldn't move her legs at all. He remembered flipping her over, feeling her spine… and the exact place where Lien-Da broke it. They rushed her to the hospital soon after. She was going to live, but the physical and mental trauma had taken its toll on him. She was forever handicapped, rolling around a wheelchair, always somehow smiling. He was supposed to take her condition as a warning from the doctor.

Eggman had been lobbying for the mayor's favor, but he could never get it. He only went along with him out of fear when he saw the damage he ordered on Alyssa. If he had been willing to cripple his favorite girl, then what about his beau? What about his son? That was why he was so loyal to the doctor. He never wanted to take the bribes or look the other way, but he did it so that the rest of his family could stay alive. He knew too well of what Eggman was capable of.

Rouge reached out and grabbed his hand. He looked up with puffy eyes and found her sympathetic teal irises. She nodded knowingly.

"I know it wasn't your fault, Your Honor. You did what was best for your family. I would've done the same if it were me."

"I don't doubt that."

"Sir, as someone who supported you and your initial campaign years ago, please don't resign over this. That's the last thing we need you to do. This city needs someone who's willing to take initiative and help fix the problems Mobotropolis still has. If there's one man who can do it, it's you, sir."

That made him smile warmly, but it eventually faded. "But I'm still going to prison, so what does it matter?"

"Your Honor… no, you won't." He furrowed his eyebrow and looked at her. "I was able to pull a few strings with my boss and get you a pardon."

He nearly jumped out of his shoes.

"Huh?!"

"The Governor owed me a favor, so I cashed it in."

At a loss for words, the lynx looked around his office wildly, trying to find some higher power to tell him this wasn't a dream. He wasn't getting any feedback, so he looked at Rouge and broke down into tears.

"Is this some sort of joke?!" She shook her head. "Th-Thank you!" he forced out.

"Sir, it's the least I can do." She grabbed and pulled up her briefcase. The lynx's ears twitched when she opened the locks and pulled something out of it. "Before I leave, You Honor, I wanted to drop something off," she said offering a stapled set of paper.

He accepted it and immediately felt something different about the papers' texture. It wasn't the usual kind for memos or NCAA Tournament brackets. Its structure was stiffer. It also wasn't white. It was cream-colored. But then he looked at the front page. It had her name at the top with a laundry list of achievements, past work experiences, skills and abilit—. Oh crap, this was her résumé!

"What's this for?" he asked.

"I think it's safe to say that you'll be needing a new police commissioner."

He looked back up from the paper and looked at her with mild shock. "And you want to be the next one?"

"I'm submitting my candidacy, yes."

He looked back down at the pages and began to flip through them. There was a lot of quality material in the Accomplishments section alone. He read through her various G.U.N. ranks and briefly glanced through the references before replying.

"I think it's safe to say you're over-qualified, Rouge. But why on Chaos's Mobius would you want to do this? From what I've heard, you're one of G.U.N.'s best and brightest!"

"I guess you could say I'm homesick. Sure, G.U.N. has been great to me, but I grew up here. I still care about this town. I have friends here. I want to see Mobotropolis turn it around. I don't want this place to stay a criminal cesspool. Eggman helped make it so, and I don't want that to happen again."

He nodded in understanding. "I get where you're coming from, but if I were to agree to this—."

"I give you my word that if I'm able to do it, I'll surround myself with the best people. The force undoubtedly has a lot of moles for each of the other crime lords. My interrogation skills are damn good. I'll get 'em to spill the beans. I swear it."

He noticed how passionate she was about it. He saw the fire in her eyes. He saw the drive she had. She was a doer, and she was throwing herself at him. She might as well have been his golden ticket.

He clicked his tongue and said, "Do your bosses know this?"

"The Commander does. Same with my partner. They're not too keen on it—especially my partner—but they support my decision."

He nodded. "Well, I'll put your application in with the others that will come, but I think I know who the favorite is."

She smiled and rose from her seat. "I look forward to hearing back from you, Your Honor," she said offering her hand. He shook it and smiled.

"I'll be in touch. Until then, Rouge. Have a nice day."

"You too," she said as she walked out.

Back to being alone, he took a closer look at her job history. Man, what a gold mine. If this was her history, then the references were sure to be a treat. After reading the first one on the list, he nearly fell out of his chair.

"The President?!"

They weren't quite the best seats in the house, but this were just fine for them. Sonic leaned against the workbench with crossed arms looking at the screen. Tails happily lounged in his chair. And from wherever CREAM's consciousness was inside the fox's computer, she was watching the AMG's newscast from the safety of the laboratory. Go figure that Sally and Khan were the ones breaking the news. However, Amy was off to the side bringing in other necessary information.

"… And we do have confirmation that former police commissioner, Thunderbolt the Chinchilla, did not take the news of Ivo Robotnik's death well as, and I'm quoting the G.U.N. agent performing the interrogation directly here," Sally began, "'She was throwing the chair around like a raving lunatic, hitting the other suspect in custody, Lien-Da the Echidna. It was only when dozens of tranquilizer darts were pumped into her that she went down for us to take her back to her cell.'"

"She didn't take it well, did she?" Amy asked with a smirk.

"No, not at all." Khan added, turning back to the camera. "With the two biggest lieutenants of the Eggman now in custody, expect more corrupted officials and police officers to step down and/or be arrested in the coming days. Mayor Anthony Lincoln Lynx may be one of those people. However, it is still uncertain if that will happen at all."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Sonic said.

"From what Rouge saw at his office earlier, it doesn't seem very likely he'll step down," Tails added. The speedster shrugged his shoulders and looked back to the newscast.

"… Now, we will be discussing the fallout from the death of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, AKA the Eggman later tonight," Khan began. "We here at the AMG would like to say two things first before our news hour is up. Again, we could not have found out about this without our very own Amy Rose."

The camera angle switched to include Amy with the hosts. The viewers could see Amy nod and mouth, "Thank you."

"Amy, the city and the AMG have been very thankful for everything you've done for us. And we thank you for helping us get this monumental story out."

"I can't take all the credit, Ken. There were other people that helped. Even the one who saved me."

"Still, the execs have made a decision about your position at the company going further." The Rose's smile left. It was replaced with a furrowed brow and a look of uncertainty. The same face was plastered on Sonic's and Tails's façades. "Amy Rose, you're being given a promotion!" Now they were all bug-eyed. "We have an opening for one of our on-the-street reporters, and you fit the bill!" Amy didn't know how to react to this. "Shocked" was the best way to describe the situation. "So, Amy, what do you say?"

Sighing harshly, and still trying to process this, she looked back to the hosts and replied. "I say you'll get my best work!" Sonic and Tails smirked.

"That's great to hear! But you may want to tell Max and Alicia that."

Turning to them, Amy got out of her seat as the cameras followed her. The elder Acorns weren't in the green room, but rather on the set, ready to embrace the pink lass. Amy threw her arms around them. It wasn't professional, but she knew them long enough where Alicia and Max didn't care. They returned the hug, but they let her go to finish up the show.

Taking her seat, Amy turned back to the hosts. Sally cleared her throat and said, "Amy, welcome to the newscast. Well… officially at least." Then the camera angle changed, showing only the chipmunk. "Finally, before we close out the hour, I would like to go off-script for a bit." She cleared her throat again and looked directly into the camera. "Twenty-five years ago today, this company lost a pair of friends. Not owners, not bosses. Friends. Jules Alan and Bernadette "Bernie" Marie Hedgehog were some of the best people you could've known. They were more than my godparents. They were family to me and to everyone who knew them." But then she smiled. "And if there was anyone who could've stopped Eggman and his Sonic Project, it just had to be their son. David Maurice Hedgehog, or as we know him, Sonic, defeated one of the evilest men on the face of the planet.

"Robotnik didn't get the chance to face justice. He died in an accidental suicide early this morning. And while many of us are disappointed that he won't go to jail for his crimes, he will, at the very least, be of no more trouble to you or the city of Mobotropolis. And it's for that reason we should be thankful. Things are far from perfect, and there's still loads to do eliminate crime here, but it's a step in the right direction. And it's for that reason that we should give everyone who had a hand in taking him down a thank you and sign of gratitude. The first being our very own Amy Rose." She stopped and clapped for her friend and was soon joined by Khan, the video crew, and Max and Alicia. Blushing and being unable to stop smiling, Amy nodded and mouthed a "Thank you" one more time. The clapping stopped as Sally turned back to the camera. "Another is Amy's brother: Miles 'Tails' Prower."

Sonic zipped to his buddy and bumped his fist. "Couldn't have done it without ya, buddy," Sonic said.

Tails turned to his friend. "No sweat."

"Another is the G.U.N. agent Rouge the Bat as well as all the agents of the Guardian Units of Nations who rounded up the clones and contained them," Sally said. "There is also CREAM the Rabbit for her role of supplying the evidence against Eggman in the first place."

Sonic looked up to the monitor. "CREAM, thanks."

"My pleasure, Sonic," the robo-bunny responded.

"And finally, the biggest 'thank you' goes out to my godbrother. I thought he had died that night with my godparents. I was wrong. He and his brother survived the experimentation and kick-started the end of the Eggman and the Sonic Project. And while I am at it, a big thank you to my other godbrother Eli Charles Hedgehog. May Chaos lay your soul to rest. But back to the topic at hand, the biggest 'thank you' goes to David Maurice Hedgehog, or as we know him: Sonic. Sonic, if you can hear this, we are all in your debt. If it weren't for you and everyone else, we might not be here today. So, for your service to us and to the world, thank you."

Sonic didn't have anything to say. He nodded at the screen and did a two-finger salute to the screen. "My pleasure," he said.

"Well everyone, that's the end of this morning's show. Khan and I will return for the Nightly News at 6 o'clock. Until then, enjoy the weather! It's sunny and in the mid-70s. There's not much for humidity, and it's a beautiful way to commemorate the day that the Sonic Project ended. Twenty-five years ago was the last day of deaths regarding the Baby Scare of '91, and it's fitting that it ends on its 25th anniversary. The Eggman is dead. He won't ruin anymore lives. To all of you at home or work or wherever you're watching, have a great day. We'll see you at 6."

The screen panned away from the news desk and transitioned to its regularly scheduled programming. But even then, Sonic couldn't help but smile at Sally's last words.

He was dead.

But he wasn't going to put it all to bed just yet. He had one more thing to do. Walking toward the duffel bag full of the Eggman's dirty money, he took out a $100 bill, but groaned when he looked back down at the bag after zipping it up.

"I suppose I should give the authorities this lump of cash."

"Eh, let Rouge handle it. I trust her over the cops. Besides, you helped end their money train. No reason to give it back to them."

Sonic smirked. "I suppose you're right. I'm going to run that errand now."

"Just so you know, the other one isn't far from yours."

"Alright, I'll look around. Shouldn't be that hard to find." On that, he zipped up the stairs and out.

Tails backed away from the monitor for a moment and pulled out a soda from his personal fridge. Walking back to his seat, he saw the lump of rust that used to be CREAM's body. Even after all this time, some of the tech inside of it was still impressive. Now, she was stuck in his computer for the foreseeable—. Wait… there's an idea! "CREAM, pull up your old body's schematics and put 'em on the screen."

"Why?"

"Please do it." Not knowing where his mind was going, she humored him and brought it up. Through the camera, she could see his eyebrow rise as well as his smile.

"What're you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that your design was ahead of its time. Some of things your body could do is still cutting edge today. I've never seen any 'bot like you! From the schematics alone, there's something cool and unique about your design that I find fascinating! But… there are things that could be improved."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"CREAM, I want to build you a new body."

Her circuits nearly blew a fuse. "You want to what?!"

"CREAM, you used to be able to walk around and interact with people. Granted, it was only Sonic… his brother… and Robotnik… but you shouldn't be cooped in my computer! You were designed to move around and do other stuff!"

Was she dreaming? Was he being serious about this?

"Are you jerking my chain?" He shook his head. "But I'm not important enough for that! I'm perfectly fine being in your computer!"

He didn't expect that response from her. Putting a hand to his chin, he thought about it more. Then he snapped his fingers when another idea came to him.

"If that's what you want, we could still have you connected into the system! It wouldn't be hard for you and me to figure out!"

She was silent for a second, pondering his offer. "Y-You'd really do that for me?"

"You're my friend! And we'll need you. So why not?"

She wanted to pinch herself so badly right now. How could she pass this up?!

"Okay, we'll start working right away! But how're we going to get the materials?"

"Don't worry about that, CREAM. I know people. Now let's start planning it out."

CREAM didn't know what was better: getting a new body or being able to be beside Tails for the whole time! Ohhhhhh, she could feel her processors swooning at the thought.

The newsroom had quickly been turned into a small party room, complete with a celebratory cake for the new on-the-street reporter. Everyone had a fruity cocktail in their hands—non-alcoholic of course since it was still the workday—and were shooting the breeze with everyone else. Brett Rodgers was telling the camera crew about the time he completed three Hail Mary's in two seasons during his playing days, and Amy stood alone taking it all in with a delicious cake. What was weird about the dessert was that the top half of it was regular white-colored cake, but the bottom half was strawberry cheesecake. It was all topped off with a chocolate frosting, making it a sort-of Neapolitan cake.

"Enjoying yourself?" Sally said, coming up from behind.

"What I'd like to know is how your folks got a cake personalized for me on short notice," Amy replied.

"Max and Alicia have a lot of friends."

"I guess! This is delicious!" Amy said as she took in another bite.

"Yeah, we know how much you love your strawberries and your cheesecake."

"Hey, they're great together!"

"Agreed. I'm sorry for springing this on you while we were on the air, but mom, dad, Khan, and I thought it'd be the best way to tell you."

"And pressure me into saying 'yes.'"

"Well, that too," Sally said with a chuckle. "But seriously, you earned it."

"Thanks, Sal."

Sally left to talk with others, leaving Amy alone to eat her cake. As she started going in for the more frosted parts, she noticed how Max and Alicia were near the desk staring at the picture of Jules and Bernie. Amy couldn't help but smile at her bosses' gesture. They still missed them. But at the very least, they had one of their godsons back. Speaking of which…

"Hey, Sal!"

The chipmunk turned around. "Yeah?"

"I hate to leave my party, but I gotta run home quickly. Mind if I take a slice or two home with me so Tails gets one?"

"Yeah, go right ahead! But don't stay away for too long!"

Amy laughed. "You know me. Always working."

Sixty of the most beautiful flowers were in his hand. It was as if he was going to start giving them away to strangers at a moment's notice. Well, he was technically going to be giving away two dozen of them to strangers.

The magnolia trees were blooming across the yard. Flowers and United Federation flags were resting on many tombstones. The cherry blossoms had bloomed late, and their petals were fluttering all around like small butterflies. Sonic paused at one of those trees and gently smelled the precious pink flower.

The few people that were inside the cemetery with him didn't recognize him from behind. It was only when he turned around and smiled at them that they knew who he was. Sonic couldn't help but feel a little giddy that people were recognizing him for his heroics. He kind of liked their attention and murmurings. What he didn't like was how much they gawked at him. It wasn't like he some sort of god or anything. He was just someone who wanted to get even.

Blocking their gawking eyes out, he reached his first destination. Tails was right. This gravestone wasn't far from his. The slab of granite was slightly darker than other stones in the vicinity. The words carved into it were painted gold, plenty legible for someone like Sonic to read them. He smiled and laid down two of the five dozen rose bouquets. One for the woman, one for the man.

BUCKINGHAM RODELL ROSE

Born

10-27-1962

Died

04-07-2010

We will always treasure how great of a husband you were and how kind your heart was.

.

MONICA BEVERLY ROSE-PIKO

Born

12-20-1964

Died

04-07-2010

We will not forget how you made everyone happy, from your family to your friends.

"You don't know me, but I know about you," Sonic said lowly. "Your daughter is something else, and I mean that in the best way. She's… passionate about what she does. Amy's a fierce friend, and I'm glad to have met her. I just wanted to you to know that I appreciate your daughter and everything she's done to help me. If you could see what she's been doing for this city, I know you'd be proud of her… just like I am."

That was all off the top of his head. He didn't have anything else much to say about Amy besides that. She was incredible, and if weren't for her, he couldn't have won.

He thanked the Roses one last time and walked away. He had three more bouquets to hand out, and they were going to very special people. The people that were looking at him soon left the graveyard, leaving Sonic as its only living occupant. The summer breeze carried with it another shower of cherry blossoms, sending his sense of smell into a tizzy. The sudden burst of roses made his family's grave all the more peaceful.

He looked to one end of the large stone and shook his head. "Someone will need to change the fact that I'm not dead," he thought.

His attention to his own grave ended quickly as he turned to other three. The first bouquet he laid down for his brother. Chaos, he missed Green. It shouldn't have been Sonic getting all the city's praise. Green should've gotten his time in the sun as well. It should've been the twins bringing Robotnik down.

And it was an unfortunate promise that he broke. So much for Robotnik going to prison.

He rested his free hand on his brother's section of the stone as a bouquet gently fell into place. "I miss you, bro."

But now for them.

It was still amazing that he could remember Bernie and Jules. Even for only a week, he remembered what they were like. That day at the hospital, being in the Acorns' arms, everything! It was truly a blessing.

SUNDAY, JUNE 30TH, 1991

David was starting to get impatient. Eli was getting his fill from Bernie. Jules was holding the blue bundle of joy and trying to calm him down. Nothing was working, not even his lullabies. He wanted his food, and he couldn't wait much longer.

"Don't sweat it, Dave," his father said. "Mommy will be with you soon."

"Whaaaaaaaaa!"

"Shhhhh, I know, you're hungry. Ugh… I don't know what's worse: how you and Eli cry for food and diapers at the same time or the impatience you inherited from Ber—." His wife coughed. Jules turned around to see his wife nursing the young Eli with an unimpressed look directed at the father. "I mean from your Daddy! Hehe…." Bernie smiled, nodded, and continued to breastfeed the infant.

"I'll be with you soon, David!" Bernie softly said. She was a tired wreck from all the packing they had done. Hopefully in a few hours they would be on their way out of the city. But what didn't help was that a storm was in the late-night forecast. It made her and Jules uneasy.

"Shhhhh… don't worry," Jules comforted.

"Jules? I'm ready."

Her husband nodded and traded children. Jules got Eli and went to put him to bed. Bernie stayed in her chair with the very hungry David, but once he started sucking, his cries ended soon after. Kissing her oldest son, she held him tight against her. He moaned that he was getting slightly crushed, but he soon ignored it and focused on the milk.

She shed a tear. Not because this was such a beautiful and natural site, but rather because she didn't know if they were going to make it. With Jules out of the room for the time, she was able to break down. Holding her son tightly, she kissed the nursing child again.

"We'll keep you safe, David. I won't let anyone hurt you."

FRIDAY, JULY 1ST, 2016

Remembering that night brought a steady line of tears from his face.

He set down the final two bouquets and kneeled at their tombstone. He touched the soft grass that felt just like his mother's fur: soft to the touch. He shook his head and wiped away the tears before speaking.

"There are so many things I want to say to you… but I know you can't comfort me in return. I feel guilty about you. You shouldn't have died for me. I was just a defenseless kid who didn't know any better. But you… both of you still tried your hardest to keep me and Green safe. I don't get how you could love someone so much when we kept filling our diapers and crying for food. But that's the kind of love you gave us, and I am thankful for it.

"Everyone I've talked to says that you were the best kind of people. You stood up for what was right. You fought valiantly for the truth. You were honest and kind. You were professional and graceful. You were friends to everyone you knew. I don't know if I'm going to be able to top what you two did. You were so loved in this town. You treated everyone fairly. And that's what I want to aspire to be. I want to be just like you, but I know I'll never get close to what you did." He wiped away another tear. "But I'm sure going to try.

"I wanted to stop by because I thought you'd like the roses. I have a friend who's named after them, and I heard they are proper to leave for people who've passed on. I hope you two and Green like them.

"But… the main reason I stopped by is because I wanted to tell you a few things, the first being that you guys can rest in peace now. I did it, mom and dad. I avenged you. Your deaths aren't in vain. I didn't do it all by myself, though. Like you at work, I had a team that was committed to doing the right thing. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here. I'm sure you would've done the same thing.

"The second reason I'm here is because… I love you. Our time was short, but I remember how much you cared for Green and me. You risked your lives for us, and I will always remember and respect the sacrifices you made for us. Like I said, I don't know if I'll ever top what you guys did. And… I'm sorry that I didn't get the chance to know you. I mean really know you. Everyone stills speaks highly of you. I want to be like that. I want you two to be my inspiration moving forward. And I want to do everything and be everything that you were. That's not asking too much, is it?"

He sighed and let out another tear.

"I'll stop by every once in a while to see you and talk to you. You're gone, but it doesn't change the fact that you're my parents. I'll always love you, and I'm thankful and honored to be your son." He kissed his father's section of the stone." I love you, dad." He then kissed his mother's part. "I love you, mom. If there's an afterlife, I'm sure we'll meet up there someday. All of us. You, Green, and me. I know Green's probably having a blast with you right now, and I can't wait to see you on the other side. But until then, goodbye… and know that' I'll always remember what you did for me."

He rested his hand on the rock one last time before standing up and wiping away another tear. He regained his composure and looked down at the grave one last time before looking around to his right.

"I left your parents a gift," he said. "I hope they like it."

She smiled. "I saw… and roses were my mom's favorite." He turned around to face a familiar smile. Green eyes like her dad, but she looked like her mother everywhere else. She came up and hugged him tightly, to which he returned the favor again. He seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much. Same for Amy. She got her wish after all: she felt his strong arms around her frame again.

"How'd you find me?"

"I stopped back home. Tails and CREAM were starting to work on something, and they told me you were out here." She let go of him and looked down at the grave. "Your mom and dad would be proud of you. Just like I am."

"I said the same thing about you to your parents. Oh, and congrats on the new job."

She chuckled. "Small world." He began to walk out of the place, and she followed him by his side. "And thank you. So… what's next for you?" she asked with hope that he'd stay. "You aren't leaving, are you?"

He nodded. "Nah. This place is interesting. Lots of people. Loads of weird situations. I mean crime lords, ladies getting held up—."

"Oh, shut it," she said as she shoved him.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. But even then, I made a promise to save this city. And I'd like to be someone like my parents."

"I think you'll be just fine."

"I don't know. My folks set the bar high."

"I have faith. Need a place to stay?"

"Considering my stuff is all at your place, it's not exactly up for debate."

"Oh. So, you're free-loading?"

"For the moment. I'll need a job, though."

She thought about what he could do. Then it hit her. "Well, 'Shadow,' since I'm becoming a field reporter, I could use an assistant."

"Hmmm, I think I could do that. Seems simple enough."

"I'm glad you agree. Max and Alicia should be able to make room for you."

"As long as you help me out."

"With what?"

"Eggman wasn't the only crime boss. There's still a lot of people whose lives have been ruined by the other ones. And with Tails, CREAM, you, and Rouge helping out, I think we can make a difference."

"Rouge?"

"Yeah, she sent in her résumé to the mayor this morning. I think she's a shoe-in."

"Huh. She didn't tell me that."

"Well, I just did," Sonic said as they reached her Camaro. "So, which lord should we go after next?"

"They're probably scrambling for more power now. The others are the Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, Lyric the Ancient, and the Fox Family."

"The biggest one being…?"

"It's a tie between Naugus and Mogul. They actually used to be partners before their organization had a nasty civil war."

"Then you pick."

"Hmm… how about—?"

WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO! WHEE-OO!

The loud sound of a police siren blasted around the block. Sonic and Amy turned around to see an officer and his partner chasing a large van. Weapons drawn, Sonic immediately realized the danger and sped around the car to shield Amy. Luckily, they had only drawn their weapons. It wasn't until they got past them that they opened fire.

Sonic didn't like that one bit. His fist tightened at the sight of them.

"We'll talk about Mogul and Naugus later," Amy said as Sonic turned back to her. "And I'm fine by the way."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Now go do your job."

He smiled. "Only because the lady said so." He let her go and his heads-up display immediately activated. With it, he was able to track the shooters' vehicle, even through Knothole's buildings. "T, we got us a situation!"

"I'm here if you need anything. Can you catch them?"

"'Can I catch them?'" Sonic mocked. "Watch this!"

He performed a sonic boom and caught up to the car. The officers were stunned to see that a hedgehog of all things had ran up to their target. With one motion, Sonic grappled up to a light post and jumped off. With the grace of a gymnast, he landed squarely on the hood of the van. The criminals all stopped and looked up in horror at him.

"Joyride's over, fellas!"

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY SconnieSA

PRODUCED BY FanFiction-dot-net and DeviantArt

BASED ON THE CHARACTERS FROM THE Sonic the Hedgehog videogame franchise by SEGA and Sonic Team as well as the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series by Archie Comics

ALL CHARACTERS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THESE TWO COMPANIES

.

STARRING

ROGER CRAIG SMITH as Sonic the Hedgehog

MIKE POLLOCK as Dr. Ivo Robotnik

CINDY ROBINSON as Amy Rose the Hedgehog

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE as Miles "Tails" Prower

TARA STRONG as CREAM the Rabbit

KAREN STRASSMAN as Rouge the Bat

JENNIFER HALE as Sally Acorn

ROBERT REDFORD as Maximillian Acorn

EMILY ROSE as Alicia Acorn

JASON GRIFFITH as Green the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog

SUSAN EISENBERG as Lien-Da the Echidna

PAULEY PERRETTE as Thunderbolt the Chinchilla

DEMI LOVATO as Lupe the Wolf

TROY BAKER as Ken "Monkey" Khan

KEITH DAVID as Jun Kun the Iron King

BILL FAGERBAKKE as Bark the Polar Bear

ROBIN LORD TAYLOR as Bean the Dynamite

with COBIE SMULDERS as Bernadette the Hedgehog

and CHRIS PRATT as Jules the Hedgehog

.

SCONNIESA PRESENTS

A DEVIANTART AND FANFICTION-DOT-NET PRODUCTION

.

THE SONIC PROJECT

BLIP. BLIP. BLIP. BLIP.

His origin was a complete mystery. Not just to the doctors and nurses tending him, but to the people that found him in the first place. The nurse especially was curious as she and the doctor had never seen a case like him before. He had a similar physical structure to any animal Mobian, but his metabolism was unnaturally different. Too bad he wasn't going to be answering any questions soon. They needed to put him into a drug-induced coma because all the cuts and infections he had. He needed to take every kind of drug imaginable to kill the germs and bacteria.

But that was just the beginning of it. When they found him, there was something wrong with his eyes. His pupils weren't the same size, and that only spelled trouble.

"Bianca, I know you care for the patient, but you need to get back to work." The nurse looked back at the equally concerned doctor.

"I just don't understand this patient," she defended.

"I don't get it either, but you can't just stand around and gawk. It's really not healthy."

"You're right," she sighed.

"If you want to help our John Doe, then give him his lunch. He's due for it."

"Okay, doctor."

"And when you're done, I need you in Surgery. A man is scheduled for Tommy John surgery today."

"Understood," she said as she made her way to the cafeteria. When she got there, she got the prescribed food, all pureed beforehand, and returned to the room. Setting the food down on a nearby table, she took another look at the wounded man.

The burn marks hadn't healed yet. His skin-and-bones frame was at least starting to fill out again. And after all this, the people that found him on the coast of the Central Sea said he was on some piece of metal debris from Chaos-knows-where. The most disgusting injury of his, however, was the twin cuts across his chest. When found, the blood around them had dried up, but they easily got infected.

"What happened to you?" she asked as she softly placed her hand on the green hedgehog's cheek.

Sonic the Hedgehog

will return in

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It only reads "Fanfiction-dot-net" because you cannot have website links in the Doc Manager app. Ironic that you can't say this website's name on this website. Don't believe me? Try it!

Well, everyone... we've done it. Holy shit, we've done it. We have come to the end of what has been a wild and crazy ride.

First off, I just want to say "THANK YOU!" for reading and keeping up with this story. I cannot put into words how thankful I am that other Sonic fans like you were willing to take the time to read what I've put out. That goes double if you were willing to review my work and give me honest feedback on how the story was progressing and what emotions came out when you read it. Whenever I see that a new review come in, I can't wait to read it. Does it feed my ego? I'd be lying if I said it didn't. But that does not change the fact that I'm thankful to hear that you guys and gals are enjoying the story or even chiming in on what I'm saying in my Author's Notes. Honestly, I'm lucky to have you guys read my content and give me honest feedback. Thank you for making this my most-reviewed story yet. I really, truly mean it.

Going off on that, I'd like to thank the likes of Captain, Ella Belle The Writer (pretty sure she also reviewed this story on my deviantArt account), FireSonic642, Guest, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE, NavelineJemTheHedgehog123, NeckBreak, Shadowcast214, somas35, SpeedsMyGame, & True Hyper Sonic for reviewing the story as I updated it (NOTE: the people listed above were the ones who've reviewed the story as of 10/23/2017 1:57 AM CST). I'm glad I was keeping you guys engaged with my writing. But my biggest "thank you" goes out to MissMJS. It's for a few reasons. Sure, she reviewed the story the most frequently, but she also advertised my story to her readers in her story "Only You Can." So we're clear, I didn't bribe her or coerce her to do it, she did it out of the goodness of her heart, and I cannot thank her enough for it. MissMJS, I know you're probably reading this and blushing like hell, but I cannot thank you enough for being one of the biggest supporters of this story. My hat is off to you! And go check out her material if you haven't already. She's a fantastic writer!

Now for some stats. If you're not big into numbers, then feel free to skip the paragraph. Biggest chapter: #1 with 10,218 words (before the Author's Note). The second-biggest was #16 at 8,905. Shortest chapter: #12 with 2,980 words. The second-shortest was #19 a 2,990. Compared to my other really big fan-fiction, Affairs of State, AoS had 147,181 words in 24 chapters, leading to a word-count-per-chapter average of 6,132.54. The Sonic Project, without the Author's Notes, had a grand total of 23 chapters and 141,049 words. The average chapter length was 6,132.52 words, just about a .02 average-words-per-chapter less than AoS. Really spooky (or coincidental) that the average words per chapter between those two stories is so damn similar. The size of the entire story on my computer is 441 KB. The total length of the story, using 11-point Cambria font with single-spacing (sans paragraphs breaks) and 1-inch margins on every page, was 339 pages(!). More specifically, 338.5, but who's counting? And lastly, the story took me a year-and-a-half to write. That was too long of a time to write a story since Affairs of State took a much shorter 5 months to write (and boy, does it show). So don't pay attention to the word count on fanfiction-dot-net. That isn't accurate. The actually word count for The Sonic Project is 141,049, and that does not include the Author's Notes.

So... what's next? Well, you already know one if you read the end of the story. I said this months ago when I began uploading the story that this is a planned series of 4 stories. Four (and maybe even five)! The next installment of The Sonic Project is already in development, and I've written a few chapters already. You can guess what'll come next time around when Sonic returns. But it's not just a Sonic Project sequel that I have planned. I've also been working on a Sonic fan-fic adaption of a Humphrey Bogart movie. Bogart (God rest his soul) is best known for movies like The Maltese Falcon, Dark Passage, To Have and Have Not, and most famously Casablanca. Which of his movies I'm adapting is a trade secret, but I'll give you a hint... it's not any of the ones I listed. And it won't be SonAmy-focused like a lot of my other stories are. I'm going for more of a Shadaria angle with this one (something that IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE might find intriguing) with some SonAmy thrown in... sort of. Will that one get finished? Honestly, I haven't been able to write about that one as much as the Sonic Project sequel. And of course, I do plan on writing more SonAmy one-shots. Don't you SonAmy shippers panic, I plan on writing more. In fact, one's been on the back-burner for a few weeks now that I've put off because of the other stories. I'll try and hammer that one out as soon as possible.

Now should you feel obligated to review this story, please do so. I don't want a review of what's happened in the last chapter, but rather the story as a whole. I'll be requesting a critique of the story on the deviantArt version of this story as well. Again, the whole story, not just the last few chapters. I want to know what you truly felt when you read the story. I want your honest opinion and I would like you to tell me if I need improvement in some areas. Even if it's something like bad grammar, please critique it and be honest with me. If you do so, I only request that you be as professional as possible when reviewing. Y'know... constructive criticism and whatnot. I don't want to see, "UR A FUCKIN PIECE OF SHIT WHO DESERVES TO DIE THIS STORY IS SHIT AND UR MOTHER SUCKS MY DICK ALL NIGHT YOU FAGGOT FUCKING DIE HOMO-BITCH" or anything like that. There's criticism, and there's taking it too far. Let's be adults about this and remember that I'm a human being like you. I have feelings too.

Alright, this Author's Note has gone on for long enough. Again, I cannot thank you enough for reading and reviewing my story. If you haven't already, check out my other content. If you're a SonAmy shipper as well, then I think you'll like my other one-shots and stories (or at least I hope you do). As always, the characters used in this story are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, and Archie Comics. Everything in the story is being used strictly for entertainment purposes. And as always, I will talk to y'all later.

Thank you for reading The Sonic Project!