The Big Pascha Feast

 

Synopsis:   King Sonic and Queen Amy organize a big feast planned for Pascha, the Mobian equivalent of Easter.

 

 

 

Chapter 1—The Arrival of Spring

                The Crystal Palace was beginning to take upon splendid pastel colors and rainbow décor.    The hegehoglets had helped in hanging up brightly colored spirals as well as prettily crocheted rabbits, doves, and chicks that Blaze had made herself.   She didn’t want to admit to making them, fearing that this might taint her ‘tough gal’ image, but it had been thanks to Amy, she wasn’t so concerned about what others in the court thought of her.    She could still whoop butt and take names while walking and chewing gum, easily.    Being able to knit wouldn’t change that image at all.   

                Suddenly, Sonic began marching down the grand hall, helping the others decorate the lofty buttresses and towers that sprawled its architecture.  Finishing off in grand fashion, he belted;

                In your Pascha attire

                You’re looking like a squire

                You’ll be the grandest dandy

                In the Pascha parade !  

                The others giggled. 

                ‘You seem really glad spring’s just around the corner.’, Dashiel observed , astutely. 

                ‘You’ve got that right, Dash.   I think all of us are fed up with how unrelenting the winter has been.’, Sonic agreed.   Big the Cat had wanted to go into hibernation but being the muscle of the Castle and having ascribed himself to being Sonic’s sentinel, he had to keep himself alert and his reflexes fine-tuned to any threat.   

                ‘What’s Pascha all about anyway ?’, one of the younger hedgehoglets questioned.    Sonia wanted to tell them all about the origin of the holiday and asked them to gather round. 

                ‘Do you really want to know ?’, she asked, in an eager tone.    All of them nodded and agreed, excitedly.    It was just before dinner, so she would tell them while the kitchen crew set up their usual supper repast.   

                ‘Long ago, Mobians didn’t quite understand how reproduction worked.   They weren’t keen on how animals, let alone themselves, propagated their species.   So, due to their superstitions and their link with mythology, they decided that symbols made more sense in how spring makes its grand entrance every year.    They believed that Pascha, a wily bunny rabbit, would awaken all the forest out of its slumber once the last bit of frost had melted.  After collaborating with the fairies, they saw him as a perfect agent to usher in spring.    Pascha had a better idea, however.   He thought all Mobians should receive a gift basket to help them celebrate the coming of warmer weather and all the fun things that it provided.    He would be known as ‘The Pascha Bunny’ and oftentimes, for his troubles, kids and adults alike set Pascha a plate of carrots and a fresh fruit smoothie to quench his thirst.’, Sonia stated.    

                The kids, no matter what age, were fascinated with the history of the Pascha festival and wanted to start getting their baskets ready for their gifts.   They would leave them outside their rooms, vividly decorated with sparkly fake spring grass and pastel baubles accenting their own unique baskets marked by their own flair.     The night was spent making more decorations and leaving treats out for Pascha rabbit to consume along his path in visiting the planet of Mobius.    What was still a mystery to all Mobians was how he could deliver all those gifts and trinkets in a day, but it probably had something to do with the fairies granting him magical prowess when he had made the proposition to work with them when he had come up with the idea of celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of a brand new season.    With that question rumbling in their minds, everyone decided it was better to leave that question in the realm of mystery and allow it to remain an enigma.   

 

Chapter 2—A Little Something for Pascha Bunny to Gnosh

                Before the light of that first day of spring could spread upon the land of Mobius, Pascha was out delivering gifts to everyone, everywhere, all at once.    He had a magical cosmic multicolored bag that contained every gift, sweet and toy that Mobians waited with anticipation to receive for the big day celebrating him finally arrived.    No one had ever seen him or caught him, but for some strange reason, Sonic was thinking that this was the year he would be able to catch that sneaky rabbit placing presents in baskets finally.

                Outside of his door, Sonic patiently leaned against the wall behind him, non-chalantly glancing over at his hors duerves left for Pascha Rabbit.   In a flash, he saw a flash of white and a colorful orange and green tweed suit speed by him until he caught the mystical bunny by surprise.

                ‘What do you think you’re doing, hedgehog ?  I’ve got gifts to give and only one night to get it done.   I’m already off schedule due to you stopping me…’, the rabbit said, sounding a bit miffed, pointing angrily at a sleek IWatch counting down to the picosecond on his wrist.    Sonic then felt guilty for having tripped the unmitigated bringer of happiness. 

                ‘Alright, to make up for it, I’ll help you.  Just let me know where I need to go and I’ll get this done in half the time.’, Sonic offered. 

                ‘Firstly, everyone is going to know that it’s not me giving them gifts, but if you’re going to help me, realize that time dilation might affect you later.  It’s no joke and not for the initiated.’, Pascha warned.   Sonic had dealt with time dilation and time decompression.   Both were exceedingly unpleasant but being faster than the speed of sound, this wasn’t anything new.  He had dealt with more than enough time related troubles than he could shake his royal scepter at.      He reassured the rabbit this wouldn’t be an issue.    

                ‘Right then.   Let me give you a little bit of a makeover.   If anyone catches you, they probably won’t think twice.   Don’t worry, all this make up and faux fur will come straight off in a warm bath.’, Pascha said, patting his newfound acquaintance on the shoulder.     After Sonic received the time/space map of where he would be heading via leyline, he got straight to running, dropping off presents, and only stopping to eat the tiny meals left by grateful patrons along the way.

 

Chapter 3—Time to Spare

                Sonic continued to speed along, leaving presents along the way.   He noticed that Pascha was far faster than he ever could’ve fathomed, so much so that he became pure light that was prismatic as it moved from leyline to leyline.   

            Before dawn, the bunny could finally prop his feet up someplace comfortable to feast upon the fruits of his labor.   That place happened to be the Crystal Palace, since it was close to the portal that would deliver him home.   Being a creature that was interdimensional, he didn’t worry about getting trapped in Mobius.    In fact, after doing all that running, the dapper rabbit was quite laid back and easy going.

            ‘That was easier than last year.   Maybe you could assist me in future runs ?’, Pascha offered.   Sonic laughed aloud.

            ‘No way, friend.  This is your holiday and by no means do I want to upstage you.  Besides, I’ve seen your velocity and to be honest, I’m very impressed !’, Sonic remarked.    Sonic offered his new friend a seat at the table with his family if he decided to stay a little bit longer.   Besides, he wanted to ask Pascha how he was bending light and space.   There had to be some sort of trick to it, and maybe if the rapid rabbit could explain it, he would be able to incorporate a new ability into his repertoire.   

 

Chapter 4—The Rabbit of the Hour

            With dawn breaking all the littlest hedgehoglets were waking up, followed close by the older children.   They were delighted that their offerings for Pascha had been eaten and no morsels had been left on the plates that had been presented as a thank you for his long journey, dedication, and hard work.   

            One by one, the children saw their presents and began opening them with flair, flamboyance, and panache.   It wasn’t until after all the kids, both young and old, had gotten what they had wished for that they all saw Pascha at the same time.   At first, most of them were too stunned to speak, but then they started whispering to each other. 

            ‘Yeah, he’s real.   I’ve asked him to join our dinner.   He was all too happy to oblige.’, Sonic stated.   Amy was quite impressed because here was her husband, the King, a man of many talents, no trouble in charming and persuading Pascha whatsoever.   

            ‘Let me guess.  It’s a long story.’, she said, patting his hand lovingly.    Sonic simply laughed.  Amy, his lovely wife, knew him all too well, but was delighted to meet Pascha himself.   At one time, she was like most youngsters in thinking that Pascha was relegated only to myth and legend, but now she knew he was anything but.

            Although Pascha was thousands of years old, he looked no older than a typical thirteen-year-old Mobian.   He had seen many shifts of culture, highs and lows and was impressed how Sonic was helping Mobians keep their planet just, free and egalitarian.    There would be the occasional detractor, but these anarchists were exceedingly rare.   The kingdom continued to grow with youngsters like Amnon and Wildvania, which had grown into a small city by now.   

            Pascha longed to stay, but he had his own family to tend to at the end of the holiday.   Seeing that there was plenty of food to go around, Sonic and Amy offered a bit of it to go as ‘take out’ if he opted for it.

            ‘Come to think of it, I’d like the recipe here for your decadent carrot cake.   If that’s not too much to ask.’, Pascha said, grinning ear to ear at Amy.   Amy was more than happy to snap a photo from a physical recipe book that had been handed down from girl to girl in her family, a sentimental recipe she knew would now live on forever.    She was so humbled that the rabbit of the hour had taken it along with him to officially tie up his day on an extremely sweet note. 

                                                                                                    Epilogue

            In a blink, Pascha had slipped through a slit in time and space, and they could only see his white hand waving back at them. 

            ‘Catch you again around next year.   Don’t forget to save me a slice of that exquisite carrot cake !’, he reminded before the slit sealed up behind him and winked out of existence.  

            ‘Proof positive again that magic is more than alive and well, it thrives.’, Tails remarked in wonder.    He and his family decided to head outside and play in the perfect weather, and the entire court soon joined in.   Playtime extended long until sunset hours when everyone was all well spent of their energy.   Sleepy but not exhausted, everyone soon flowed into their quarters, yawning, satisfied with a red-letter holiday.

Sonic sent them all to dream land with a bit of a lullaby;

            Springtime has come once again      

            The lilies raise their weary heads

            Once barren fields now filled with grain

            Will soon be harvested again

            Come ‘round my friends, dance and sing

            Of our festive times and our rites of spring

            Pastel colors to interweave

            And new dreams and ideas to conceive…

            With the newly risen move lingering high above in the clear horizon speckled with stars, Sonic looked above through his moonroof and sighed at how splendid it had all been.   It was so long since he had met a creature who could traverse faster than light itself.   He was faster than sound, but light was something new and unbelievable, he never thought it could be reality.   It explained the fact that Pascha rarely aged and when he did, it was in increments much like the Faye creatures in Mobius, who also knew immortality could be grasped.    He might not have understood the quantum mechanics or physics surrounding it, but he knew that he had an extraordinarily strong ally in the interdimensional realm if the time ever came to call upon him.   Who knows, one might always need a little bit of time on their side in the battle of good versus evil.      

 

To Be Continued…