Harmony or Something

 

Synopsis: Taking place during the final year of the Robotnik regime/ Manic, Sonic and Sonia must end their training early when Dr. Robotnik threatens the Oracle and takes a member of the resistance hostage. During the rescue mission, the Hedgehogs fall into trouble and begin to place blame upon each other for everything that has gone awry. Queen Aleena and King Jules then intervene with an important message for their children that they must learn to work together and derive strength from their willingness to help others to ensure that the Oracle's prophecy is fulfilled.

 

 

 

Chapter 1—Drumming to His Own Beat

 

            A previous run in with Sonic and his siblings had not boded well for Sleet and Dingo.   Robotnick had lost patience with them and was prepared to have his loyal Swatbots drag them, kicking and screaming, if necessary, to his roboticizer.    

            ‘Wait !  Sir !’, Dingo began.

            ‘What is it ?  Give me one more reason I shouldn’t simply robotocize you both on the spot !’, Ivo glowered.   The two lackeys, though intimidated, hid their fear by standing up straight and proving they weren’t frightened of his immense power and technological might.  

            ‘We saw them !  The hedgehogs !   We recovered this from the wreckage.’, Dingo said.   Sleet gladly handed the DVD of recorded footage to Ivo.   It had been the only piece of technology that survived after the two cronies had gotten their tuchuses handed to them once Sonic and his siblings defeated them.   Feeling merciful, Robotnick changed his mind and called for another ship to carry them back to the Oracle’s cave where the triplets had been training.    If Ivo could capture them all, the resistance would soon fall, and finally Mobius would be his to command and control.   

           

            All the while, Sonia, Sonic and Manic were in the throws of a heated battle.    Robotnick had sent a violently temperamental dragon to execute them by fire.  He had found this creature and turned it against them by pinning the usurpation of its gold upon the siblings.   Using very clever hologram technology, the deceived dragon perceived it had been the triplets at fault when it had been an illusion.    Reasoning with the beast wasn’t an option, so they used music to combat it.

            While Sonic and Sonia were in perfect harmony, Manic seemed to be causing more problems and destroying the ground underneath their feet.   Sonic didn’t know why Manic had decided to be so offbeat today, or what had possessed him to not drum with them, on time.   

            ‘You’re making it difficult for us to balance.’, Sonia said, obviously, becoming irritated.    If that wasn’t enough, the dragon was still coming after them at full speed.    No matter what they did, Manic continued to cause raucous earthquakes and it was so challenging the three of them were toppled onto their rears.    They were almost defeated and detained by Sleet and Dingo until they were teleported back to Delphius’ grotto, where they were safe.   

 

 

Chapter 2—Insight from Delphius

 

            ‘I’m just no good at this.’, Manic started, getting down on himself.

            ‘No, but you are.   Your gift is the most powerful of them all.   You’re getting the hang of it.    I pulled you away just in time, but your old enemies have captured a friend of yours.  Look.’, Delphius said, revealing a vision of Trevor he had captured in a mental projection.  

            ‘That’s Trevor !   He’s a friend of mine from the resistance !   Aw, man, Trev…Hang in there.’, he said, anger building in him.   

            ‘We still don’t blend well…It’s not going to be much use until we can…’, Sonia said, becoming frustrated.    Manic placed his hand upon her shoulder.

            ‘I’ve almost got it, sis.   You’ve got to trust in me.’, he said, confidently.   

            ‘We’ve gotta go back.   Trevor needs us.’, Sonic stated, honestly.  

            ‘You must train, though.   You’re not ready.’, Delphius reproved, a hint of worry in his timbre.  

            ‘We have no time to waste.   Send us back, D.’, Sonic said.    Somehow, in his heart, he knew that Manic would understand what it meant to keep their rhythm tight, just as Manic had experienced a vision from Aleena and Jules.    Jules taught him that his part was the most integral.    At first, he was confused, but he remembered what his elder brother had said about rhythm.     Even if it had taken him a while to get the beat right, he’d be able to use his newly improved ‘earth shatterer’ to rock Ivo Robotnik’s world.   

 

 

Chapter 3—We’ll Get Her Back

           

            While sent back into Robotnik’s territory, Manic discussed that as a kid, he had learned the art of thievery, which Sonia found distasteful.   Sonic reminded her that now wasn’t the time to go into a full-form discourse on the evils of stealing, especially since it had been Manic’s expert lockpicking skill that had opened the gates to Robotnik’s inner sanctum.     This culvert was a direct pathway to the vent system and from here the three of them could crawl their way through the airducts, undetected.   While in the airducts, all three could see Bartleby, Sonia’s fiancé, snitching on the siblings again.    Sonic honestly couldn’t tell what Sonia saw in that aristocratic mink, but it was clear that after this discovery, the engagement would be off.   

            'Can't believe that overdressed mink !', Sonic said in a huff.  Once Lady Windemere came into the equation as blackmail, serving Robotnik, to whom she was a slave, they were all shocked, but not surprised to see Bartleby’s newfound motivation to squeal on the Resistance. 

            ‘Lady Windemere…’, Sonia said, eyes filling with tears.  

            ‘Once you’re roboticized, there’s no going back.’, Manic stated, woefully.   

            ‘Not according to my Uncle Chuck.  He’s working on a way to reverse it, and I guarantee we’ll get your caretaker back.   I know this hurts, Sonia, but we must rescue Trevor, or the resistance is dead in the water.   As for Bartleby, we'll deal with that traitor later.’, Sonic stated, keeping his vitriol saved for later.    

 

 

Chapter 4—Rescuing Trevor

           

            From the airducts, the trio caught the gruesome spectacle of Trevor having his energy and information syphoned.   Acting quickly, it was Manic that showed them the way along the ducts, having the entire area eidetically etched in his brain.  While Dingo and Sleet were away searching for the Oracle’s grotto, there were no Swatbots on watch, so springing Trevor from his prison had been simple.  Trevor thanked them for their help and commanded a small, sleek ship to retaliate and enact revenge for the treatment he had received.

 

            Soon the siblings ‘borrowed one of Robotnik’s ships, a Warhammer, to be precise.   Manic had stolen a harmonic interference device to allow the triplets access.

‘His lax security makes this simple !   I’ve done this thousands of times.’, Manic said, a bit proud of himself.   Sonia shot him a disapproving look, but honestly was too impressed to be angry with his lack of moral integrity.   She understood it came from a place of survival and thus far it had been their saving grace.     Everything was going well until Robotnik overrode the manual controls from his citadel.

            ‘I’ve got you right where I want you, you wretched hedgehogs !’, he crowed over the PA.    Manic recalled there was a device that would open the airlocks in such a perilous situation as this one.    He dug the airlock override key from his leather jacket pocket and inserted it into its corresponding USB slot.   

            ‘Warning, airlock released.’, the computer alerted.    Not knowing if there was anything below to cushion their fall, the three free fell until they landed safely in the snow below.   

 

 

Chapter 5—The True Meaning of Harmony

           

            The triplets didn’t have much time to regroup since Sleet, Dingo and the Swatbots found them.   It was a firefight of surreal proportions and the three of them were driven into a cave that they weren’t sure they could trust.   None of them had ever hidden in this abandoned cave before, and it had never seemed inhabited or used for any sort of function, whether it was Resistance or Robotropolis gestapo.   

            Their medallions weren’t working for them at all, and they had gotten into a heated argument, pointing the finger at each other, casting aspersions and assigning blame.    Aleena and Jules, with what energy they could muster, came to the triplets using their own crystals. 

            ‘Remember what I said earlier, Manic.’, Jules’ holographic projection stated.   Aleena highlighted the same sentiment by repeating they had to work together if they wanted to defeat Robotnik and his army.   Yes, they were severely outnumbered, but if they couldn’t see eye-to-eye they were defeating themselves and Mobotroplis would never have freedom.   

            Manic took a deep breath.  He could feel a drumbeat coming on.    Sonic smiled, seeing Manic shoot him a knowing wink.

            ‘We can do this.  We’re all in this together.’, he said.

            ‘Hey, we can definitely use that as a rallying cry !’, Sonic agreed.  

           

            We’re all in this together

            Birds of a feather

            We’re all in this together

            Makin’ it better…  

 

            Manic’s new improved earthshaker sent rocks from their cave outpost colliding into Robotnik’s ships.   Dingo and Sleet couldn’t react fast enough since Sonic and Sonia’s attacks were amplified by Manic’s insane drumming skills.   

 

Epilogue

 

For now, Sonic and his siblings would have to flee, and the oracle remained safe.    Aleena remained with her, but as to where Jules was, she could only get a trace psychic connection.   His precise location was a bit blurred at best, but she knew he was out there, lying low, away from Robotnik’s gestapo.    Looking over at the Oracle, she grinned, knowing the triplets had much ground to cover.   Someday, the prophecy would be fulfilled, but for now, just like her beloved Jules, she would have to remain secluded, far from the reach of Swatbots or the iron grasp of Robotnik’s tech.  

            ‘It begins.’, she said, wisely, as they headed back to their grotto to hunker down from the winter’s chill.    In her heart, she knew that her beloved children were ever so close to finding her, Jules, and gaining a force so grand that Robotnik’s empire would fall.   Mobotropolis would resound and return better, braver and more tremendous than it had been before Robotnik seized it years ago.   These things took time, but as the old church camp song went, ‘It only takes a spark to get a fire going’. 

 

To Be Continued…