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Deprivation: Chapter 1-3

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Introduction:

She cries on the inside over something she never had. She lives conventionally on the out, conquering every problem thrown her way, no questions asked. There was always duty. There was no denying that.

But there was something about that sunset; something about the children she had known; something about their laughter that always haunted the back of her mind. A persistent bother, if anything. A persistent bother pushed away by the threshold of stress and things of the like. Activities of life, basically.


There was work; there was society; there was worry; there was angst. And oh, how she suffered. Innocence quickly vanished with knowledge, though it was doubtful there ever was ignorance. She was expected to know all, a classic brain, per say. So much expected; so much required; such high expectations.

Great expectations, period.

Maturity was one of these expectations. There was a time, though barely memorable, when there hadn’t been this in such an extensive amount. Nice times, nice carefree times….times that were taken for granted. But how could they be expected to be cherished? She had no clue what was ahead of her, anyhow. Helpless, helpless due to lack of age.

Then it happened and forever more, all that she had was lost. All she had vanished. There was escape, but hardly any. Escape led to more problems.

And sad, wasn’t it? How the burden always fell on her shoulders. The planning; the preparation. She was expected to be a leader. She was expected to be the adult she physically wasn’t; graced in knowledge and intelligence; always with a plan on hand in times of crisis. A brain that never stopped working, and an equal beauty.

Compassion was forgotten when in her presence. No one could relate, truly. No one truly knew how hard it was. What a struggle it had been in the beginning and what a struggle it continued to be. How it never seem to cease; how there was no one to confide her innermost thoughts to; her most hidden emotions. How she couldn’t at the risk of her own reputation. The fact that she was dying on the inside, trapped within her own position; never to be free.


Sanctuary was as rare as a day of rest. Sanctuary was as rare as one carefree action. Sanctuary was as rare as the proclamation of world peace.

Was it wrong to say she longed for it?

There was that persistent feeling; that look in the depth of her sapphire blue eyes. So cryptic; so bizarre. Those moments when she was so pensive that silence was the best way to portray her thoughts. The silence that came natural during those immortal times; as the golden sun slowly descended from its position in the sky; as the rose atmosphere slowly faded to black. And the times that followed it, staring at that vacant, dark yet strangely inviting, whimsical night sky …

***

Chapter 1

Where is he?”


If every minute seemed like an hour, a century would have passed by of waiting. Every moment her stress level would rise; every moment anxiety and worry would be one step closer to taking the best of her. Patience never seemed to fail in a situation like this, but the leeway that had been was slowly, but surely, disappearing. Within the short duration of five more minutes, Princess Sally Acorn would be tempted to explode in fury and frustration; the effects of immense pressure.

But these temptations could be easily ignored.

Blue boot tapping at the usual ‘meeting’ spot in Robotropolis, a notorious junk pile, she stood in silence, murmuring and cursing to herself as time continued to fly at its extraordinarily slow rate.

Her pensive blue orbs gazing about secretly at the polluted wasteland, there was a slight pull on her heart strings. This had once been a gorgeous, peaceful city. Though she had been young, deep within her memories she could recall some minor details. The bright colors; the clean air; and even though her last memory there had been at the age of five, she knew that this was the complete opposite of what had been. Robotropolis was the polar opposite of Mobotropolis.

Reparation wouldn’t come easy after the war. Though she hadn’t done much planning, with all the damage, it was obvious to her that it would take years, perhaps even decades to fully restore the city to its former condition…

Those discouraging thoughts she fought back into the more hidden section of her mind, putting what was in front of her back on focus. She let out a soft groan, arms crossed. Oh, he better have an adequate excuse for this…


Bam!

To her relief and dismay, a sonic boom was heard in the distance. Nonchalant and cool, a blue blur sped in her direction. “Come ‘n get me, SWATbutts!” he raved, trying to ward off a troop.

She watched a bit shocked, anger rising. Was he aware of the situation at hand? Had he completely forgotten the objective? This WASN’T a game and once again, Sonic the Hedgehog was treating it like one. That inattentive OAF!

He made a set of elusive quick turns, confusing some of the small troop and leaving the others in the dust. By the time he had reached the princess, he had seemed to lose all of them with his immense amount of speed. He stopped and grinned. “Hey Sal!”

“Sonic Hedgehog, WHAT were you doing?” She didn’t look at all happy to see him.

“Just havin’ a little fun. Lighten up, Sal. I got rid of ‘em, didn’t I?”


She sighed, a bit defeated. This wasn’t the place to argue. As long as he completed the objective, it didn’t matter. “Did you get the information?”

“The what?”

“The files, Sonic! The information I needed. The information on that machine-”

“Well, uhh…about that…”

“You didn’t, did you?” There was a knowing tone in her voice, as he shrugged.

“Well, I sort of tried ‘ta cream ‘da thing instead. I figured with a few rolls…”


“You figured!?”

“Whoa, whoa, let me explain Sal! Don’t need ‘ta explode like a volcano here! I kept cool. I couldn’t get any damage ‘ta ‘da thing so I juiced after a while. Man, it’s got one heck of a shield, Sal!”

“I know that, Sonic. That’s why I needed the files; that’s why I planned this. Weren’t you listening when I explained-?”

“Sort of…” he murmured.

“Sort of!? Sort of isn’t enough, Sonic!” She placed a paw to her head, trying to ease some of her newfound frustration. “You need to take this seriously!”

“Yeah, yeah, I WAS takin’ it seriously with ‘ze French loser’ always barkin’ in my face. So it was my genius plan ‘ta leave Antoine in charge of gettin’ the files…”


“You left ANTOINE!?” Though their conversation was barely above a whisper, Sally’s tone raised a bit. She stopped herself, knowing she couldn’t afford to keep this going much longer. “Aren’t you forgetting something, genius?” she inquired, eyes rolling.

“What?”

She didn’t even answer for him because rushing over to them in a mad sprint was the item itself.

“M-my prinzess!” it called out. “My prinzess!”

She knew at this point the easy mission she had set was a complete failure.

***


It was amazing the three made it out with their fur still attached, or so decided Sally. The night sky shimmering above Knothole, the princess was not enjoying it by usual means. After the failed mission, she had immediately resorted to having another planning period. She needed that information. It was impossible for her to carry out her full plan without it. She needed to know the exact location of the machine’s weak point. The door to her hut closed shut, she was already at work. It was plain expectations. Being the brain of most operations, she was used to it. Being one of the leaders, it was required. Though she often received much ‘publicity’ for her role, the workload that came with it was hardly worth the exchange. Being the head of an organization was more then simply fame, though fame Sally had never experienced in excessive amounts.

In fact, she was nearly against it. It wasn’t fame that she received, it was respect. Her title she was almost discomforted with everyone using. For now, she was an equal. If anyone received the greater amount of ‘publicity’ and ‘popularity’ it was Sonic. He did earn it. He was one of the strongest members. Without him, the Freedom Fighters would be weakened tremendously. She could only presume the great ‘True Blue’ was enjoying himself currently. He was probably in the mess hall, eating a massive barrage of chili dogs; without a care to what had happened that evening.

As she continued to work with the aid of her palm computer, Nicole, she suddenly heard a knock at her door.

“Aunt Sally?” a small voice called from outside of it. “Sonic said you were in here…”

Heaving a sigh and making her way over to the door, she paused before opening it.

“He said you were really upset…” the little voice continued. “He told me I should come here and make you feel better…”


Well, he did do something redeeming every once in a while, though it wasn’t nearly enough to confiscate the stupid action he had performed earlier. “I’m busy, honey…” she stated, opening the door. There, standing with a small frown on his face, was Miles Prower, a little orphaned fox Sonic had found when she was a child.

“But Aunt Sally, you promised you’d read me a bedtime story tonight…”

Her blue eyes watched him with some compassion. The poor child had lost both his parents to Robotnik before he could even know them. The poor child was trapped in the middle of a huge problem that no one his age should endure; the poor kid was trapped in a war. The thoughts broke her heart, and with a sigh, she gave in.

Taking one last glance between her work and the fox, she knew which one mattered most. The other could wait.

Taking a step out of her hut, she studied him. Granted, she could use a break. “I did, didn’t I?” The words lingered in the night air. “So where did I end off last night?”

The little two-tailed wonder grinned fondly at his ‘aunt’. She was the closest thing he had to a mother. “The prince finished his long quest, Aunt Sally…” he started to explain, as the two made their way to his hut. “And now he was starting his long journey back home…”


The duo entered, the fox immediately getting into bed. She retrieved the book, watching him with a small smile. Opening it to the page she had left off, she began to read once again. This was one of the more laidback activities of her day. Often times she wondered what it would have been like to hear her father read to her. Would he put forth the effort she did? Or would he be too busy, like she was on some nights? Questions that lingered in the back of her mind; the what-ifs that could go on for all eternity. They never seemed to fade, only multiply. For every question or concern came two others; all similar.

The past had to be put aside, but however, it wasn’t forgotten. The thoughts and wonderings of her mind were solely private; though there wasn’t a moment she ever doubted that everyone else in the village was experiencing similar ponderings. Rotor, Antoine, Bunnie, and even Sonic were in the same situation as she was.

It didn’t take a brain to know morally, everyone was in conflict.

Improvising made the story last a little longer then usual and almost seem like a play. The fox did enjoy her change of voices. It was a form of entertainment that plain reading could never surpass. The time flew by quickly as the fairy tale progressed and finally, coming to the last page and sentence, Sally stopped before she read it. Sleeping in the bed was her adopted ‘nephew’, safe within the realms of dreams. It warmed her heart to see his innocence, though pained it in little progressions to know it would soon be lost. Already he was interested in being a Freedom Fighter. As sheltered as she’d like to keep him, soon she would have to release him. He would, at the right time, be a useful addition to the team but for now, she wasn’t going to give in, no matter how much he (or Sonic for that matter) begged her. A child did not belong on a battlefield, and as far as she was concerned, Tails was more of a child then anyone.

Shutting the book, her eyes twinkled at the resting fox. “And they all lived happily ever after…” she whispered softly, heaving a sigh. Such an ending was impossible to have in reality. “Good night, Tails…” Kissing him once on both cheeks, and then the tip of his nose, she set the book back to its proper place and exited his hut.


Even after a hard day, it was impossible to say love wasn’t there.

***

Chapter 2

Sleep had always been a rare pleasure that Sally typically enjoyed. It was a period of rest; a break from her mind and duties. It was refreshing, to say the least, especially after a long, monotonous day spent planning, reflecting, and doing other various tasks, among those keeping a certain someone and his oversized ego in line. With morning, came only the desire for those extra five minutes of enjoyment. The five would typically evolve into ten and so on until yet another hour had been spent in the realms of sweet slumber.

Of course, being in the position she was, she didn’t have the time to spend a great amount of her morning sleeping. She had work to attend to. Responsibility overruled pleasure. It just so happened, however, that the next morning after that failed mission, something disrupted her rest. The persistent knocking that could drive anyone crazy after a while was her own alarm. She woke with a start, immediately slipping her vest and boots on while mentally cursing to herself. It was an indecent hour. The sun hadn’t even risen and already something was wrong. Supposedly it was an expectation to be able to serve at any moment, but at this early in the morning it was preposterous!

She opened the door to see a familiar figure smiling at her, all energized and ready to go. Well, wasn’t he lucky? Sometimes she wondered whether he engulfed half as much sugar as he did chili dogs. “Sonic, it isn’t even dawn…” she began, tiredly. The little time she did have to relax and sleep always seemed to be taken away from her with some distraction. Whether it was her own anxiety over plans, failures, or some other catastrophic disorder, she never seemed to be able to fully enjoy herself during the night hours when everyone else would be sleeping soundly. As leader, she was stuck with atypical burdens that everyone else seemed to take for granted. She herself and the work and effort she put in seemed to be taken for granted sometimes when compared to Sonic the Hedgehog’s achievements.


Often did she wonder what was actually on his little mind. A day in the life of Sonic Hedgehog: procrastination, boasting, play, and chili dogs, or so that’s all she’d credit it to be. He wouldn’t survive in her boots, and as far as she was concerned, she’d probably lose her sanity in his sneakers. His life was too out-of-proportion. From his lack of organization to complete free spirit, Sally wouldn’t be able to tolerate his unkempt life. She needed some order. Basically, she needed a functional brain.

The stars still twinkled in the early morning sky as her blue eyes met that of her caller. His emerald eyes seemed to be full of excitement and impatience, the complete inverse of hers at the moment. Either his biological clock was in need of some tuning, or Sonic Hedgehog had really taken off the high dive with being up THIS early…

He grinned; he stretched; he winked at her. “Good mornin’ to ‘ya too, Sal!” the hedgehog raved in a cheerful tone. He had something behind his back. A yellow petal seemed to catch her attention, as she immediately perked up. Flowers; a bouquet of wild flowers…

She knew where this was going.

“Alright, Sonic, what do you want this time? If it’s an excuse from guard duty, you aren’t getting it.”

“Sal, Sal, man, I didn’t even give ‘ya the flowers ‘n already you’re accusin’ me of wantin’ somethin’!”


“And?” She yawned. The sun wasn’t even near the horizon. It was undoubtedly somewhere around four or five in the morning, or so she predicted. Why Sonic even bothered getting up at that hour baffled her.

“And? Can’t I just give ‘ya flowers every once ‘n a while without you thinkin’ I’ve gotta have somethin’ in return…”

“You’re right. Thank you for the flowers, Sonic. They’re beautiful.” She turned to go, but the new look on his face stopped her. It was that irking trademark smirk. At this point; even someone with half a brain would know there was something behind his abrupt action.

He let a silence linger for a bit, still grinning. Keeping a cool and slick posture, he eyed her. “Ya know, Sal, they remind me of you. Bright, beautiful…”

“Don’t push it. You’re lucky I didn’t give you guard duty for a month after the stunt you pulled last night, daredevil.”

“Aw, are ya still mad about ‘dat?”


“Yes, I am! It was reckless, Sonic! If I can’t trust you on simple missions, how can I trust with you with the more complicated ones?”

“Well, uhh…look, okay, I got an idea, I went for it. No harm done, Sal. I’m okay. And Ant, he’s always been mondo weird!”

She sighed. “I could have LOST you, Sonic. Robotropolis isn’t a play field! You need to stop treating it like one.”

“Yeah, yeah, I will, Sal. I will! Hedgehog’s honor!” He offered her the flowers with a grin. “So things cool between us again?”

Well, at least the argument had quickly reached a resolution. She really hated fighting with him, especially so early in the morning. It wasn’t the time that drove her to that perspective; it was the fact that in any case it was always hard to be mad at him for too long. It was always hard to be upset with any friend, especially one as close as he was. And even in a dim light, he was still always charming.  

Taking them hesitantly, a small smile appeared on her face. “Barely.”

“Great, Sal, great. So about ‘dat guard duty…”

“The answer’s still no, hedgehog. Good night-”

“Wait, Sal, I’ve been thinkin’.”

“You thinking?” She pretended to be surprised. “Well, Sonic Hedgehog, I suppose this is worth hearing. About what?”

“’Da raid. Yesterday. Ya know, I was talkin’ ‘ta the ‘lil guy ‘n well, I was thinkin’ maybe…”

“Maybe what?”


“Well, maybe T2 could tag along with me, Sal. I could train him easy. ‘N with a mission like gettin’ files, ‘da two of us’ll be unstoppable. C’mon Sal, he really wants ‘ta give it a go.”

She sighed. “You know how I feel about that, Sonic. I don’t want him in Robotropolis. He’s too young to be a Freedom Fighter.”

“Aw c’mon Sal…I’d keep an eye on him.”

“If you left Antoine, how can I even rely on you to keep an eye on Tails? The two of you will turn the raid into a race and then-“

“We will not! Look, I’ll keep serious! I promise!”

She shook her head. “I’m standing on my answer, Sonic. It’s still no.”


“Is ‘dere anyway?”

“If you’ll wait a few years, I’ll be happy to let you train him at the right time...”

“Wait? Sal, I can barely wait thirty seconds! How can ya expect me ‘ta wait a couple years?”

“I don’t know…” Dragging the words out, her eyes half closed in contentment, she placed a paw on his shoulder. “But with your ‘fast thinking’, I’m sure you’ll find a way…”

“But Sal-”

“Good night, Sonic.” She ended in a soft reassuring tone, leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek before she exited into her hut and shut the door behind her.  


A small feeling of worry seemed to arise in her after that conversation. She knew somehow, with his persistency, the idea wouldn’t be dropped easily.

***

Chapter 3

The polluted wasteland of Robotropolis never seemed so lovely.

There was a vague feeling of déjà vu almost; as Princess Sally stood in the same spot she had a day before; that familiar junk pile; her blue boot tapping with slight anxiety. The key word was slight.

Unlike yesterday’s episode, there was a different air to her countenance. In fact, it almost seemed confident. She had a communicator close at hand, but it was the thought of that morning’s events that kept a small smile pasted on her face.


He listened. No, listening wasn’t the only thing that gave her the satisfaction and assurance that she had at that moment. It was the fact he took responsibility. He recited; he knew; he summarized. During the whole debriefing of her revamped mission plan, Sonic the Hedgehog gave his undivided attention to her the entire time. He made eye contact; he had suggestions. He didn’t act like a brainless goon. He acted like a partner.

And for once, Sally didn’t feel alone as leader.

Of course she felt suspicious as she watched it happened. She couldn’t explain his newfound attitude. He was even as outrageous as to insist upon him doing a solo mission. Once again, the questions that came to her mind were only natural. Hadn’t he been listening when she had confided her concerns with him that early morning? Was he insane? Was his brain nonexistent? Was he trying to cause trouble; was he trying to kill himself?!

His reply seemed well-thought-through though. He had a convincing argument. He had a brilliant suggestion. It was a combination of his ‘suggestions’ and her plan that led her to where she was that night. He had a backpack; he had Nicole; he had his communicator and a power ring. As far as she was concerned, he was set physically. It was the concept of being ready ‘mentally’, however, that were the foundation of her fears.

But for once, those fears were held back. She stood quietly as the evening continued to progress, simply waiting. “Sonic,” she nearly whispered into the communicator, with a small smile. “Have you gotten the files yet?”

-You bet, Sal! Call it a mission success ‘cuz we-I’m comin’ back.- The reception those things provided was decent, though she could hear some soft static in the background.


“Now isn’t the time for celebration, Sonic. We aren’t through yet.-”

-The hard part’s over Sal! No worries! I’m cool.-

“You aren’t invincible, Sonic.” She sighed. At this point, she didn’t feel like arguing. She was more in the mood to enjoy success. “Just don’t let your guard down, alright?”

-You got it, Sal! ‘Dere’s gonna be a big plate of chili dogs waitin’ for me once we get-Sooonic!- There was something different about the tone of voice that came out of the receiver at the last statement. It didn’t have his deep tone. It seemed soft and almost panicked. It sounded an awful lot like…

No, it couldn’t be. She had hallucinating. “What was that, Sonic?”


-What? Look, Sal, I uhh…I gotta juice! SWATbutts at 9 ‘o clock! Ciao!-

“Sonic!-”

Before she could even finish, the connection was cut off. For the rest of that mission, her confidence just seemed to vanish.

***

It was nightfall. Most of Knothole was asleep. One person was up though, staring up at a cloudy winter sky. After having spent a near two hours analyzing the new information from the files that blue wonder had somehow gotten, Sally found herself in this place, attempting to get some fresh air in order to relax.

But at this point, relaxation did not come easy.


Her mind was cluttered. Her thoughts were increasing rapidly. They meandered throughout her head; the thoughts dispersed endlessly. They wouldn’t disappear. They wouldn’t leave her alone. They were trying to conquer her, while she was left defenseless. In real combat, she would be forced to surrender. This being rhetorically, she couldn’t. When she truly thought the situation over, it seemed impossible to surrender to thoughts.

It was the torture they caused that she would just have to endure.

Call it punishment for an unknown mistake, but ever since that mission, she couldn’t shake away the feelings she had gotten. That small voice she had heard was almost haunting; replaying itself in her head as if it was a broken record. It seemed so longing, so scared, so out of place…

It reminded her of herself when she had been five. It reminded her of the fear she had felt that faithful day. The panic; weakness; how she was so vulnerable; so naïve; how she was so young.

Too young.

Memories came pouring to her head becoming immersed in the unwanted muddle. There were other clues that led her to the rash conclusions there had been a third person involved in their raid. She had noticed two other things; there had been a slight consistent movement in Sonic’s backpack but most noticeably, there had been a slight decrease in his speed. Considering additional mass often tended to slow down an individual, she could only presume there had been a stowaway.


When she really thought over the evidence, however, the whole notion seemed absurd. No one could fit in a backpack. Sonic may have brought some extra material, though nothing she could identify. Then came the thought of what materials could even move like that. There had been a moment she could have sworn a pair of eyes had been staring out at her.

Maybe she was losing it; maybe she was losing her grasp on reality! But when brought into consideration, she found other more plausible explanations for her illusions. Among those was the fact that she had been losing sleep lately, over that failed mission and Sonic’s ‘surprise’ early-morning visit. In the end, she resolved that was the case. Staring up at the sky, mind having finally cleared up, she let out a yawn. A smile appeared after.

For the next seven hours, she would finally have some well-deserved peace of mind.
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