1.021600Sheezy.Arthttps://sheezy.artScarletStardusthttps://sheezy.art/scarletstardusthttps://sheezy.art/content/uploads/user-1707/20211022002016-3ab70dec-e30fe744-ecaebaae-f03935ed.jpg640640rich660660https://sheezy.art/scarletstardust/gallery/a-century-in-a-day<article> <h1>A Century in a Day</h1> <p>The hustle and bustle of Station Square’s lunch hour had a certain energy to it. People moved to and from diners and the like as fast as they could, desperate to finish with enough time to make it back to the office. There was something about that energy that Sonic the Hedgehog may not have fully understood, but that he could still respect, if only on a fundamental level. Not unlike him, these people couldn’t afford to break their pace, moving about their day-to-day grind with purpose and tact. Slowing down was certainly not Sonic’s style, but with things as slow as they were in the months following Eggman’s latest defeat, he felt he needed to be somewhere where the energy was high, just to keep himself moving. Matching the pace of the nine-to-fivers was no problem for him, but he was trying to stave off boredom here, not fall in line among mindless corporate suits. No, he’d find no excitement through osmosis here.</p> <p>So drowned in bureaucracy was he, that he nearly didn’t notice his phone ringing. He’d almost forgotten that Tails had made this thing for him, as he’d never really needed a phone before and wasn’t used to having one on his person. Looked like an unknown number, he noticed as he brandished the device. Probably just a spam call or a scammer then. He almost let the call go to voicemail, but a vague inkling in his head compelled him to relent, and he picked up on the last note of the tone, an action that would set in motion a series of events he never would have thought possible. “Yo, Sonic speaking, who’s this?”</p> <p>“Hey there big blue, how’s life been treating you?” </p> <p>Rouge. Did he ever give her his number? He could swear he’d only handed it out to a few people, but with intel as her game, he figured it only made sense. “Oh, you know, just trying not to fall asleep here. I swear I get more and more bored with each passing day.”</p> <p>The sultry bat hummed in affirmation. “Well, if you’re that unoccupied, I’ve got a bit of a tip-off for you.”</p> <p>A tip-off? What was he, a noir detective? “Isn’t that <em>your</em> team’s territory though?”</p> <p>“Listen, today is my first day off in a long time, okay? I owe it to myself to get my nails done once in a while, you know?” A slight hint of irritation started to shine through her voice as she moved to her next excuse. “Shadow and Omega are busy leading drills at GUN HQ as well, which means Topaz is out of the question too. Besides, I figure <em>you’re</em> the best candidate for the job anyway, given your... experience.”</p> <p>Great, so she could easily follow up on whatever it was, but instead, she was foisting it off on him while getting pampered. “What do you mean by that?”</p> <p>“As I was sitting down for my mani/pedi, I saw Zeena from the Deadly Six on her way out of the salon.”</p> <p><em>“What? Zeena, in Station Square?”</em> Sonic shouted, forgetting for a brief moment that he was shoulder to shoulder with a number of other people, and likely just disrupted quite a few other calls. He quickly apologized to the many pedestrians along the sidewalk as he dashed off towards the nearest clearing he could find. “What’s she doing down here...?”</p> <p>“It looks like she came here for a spa day,” Rouge gossiped, taking care not to land her drying nails in her hair, “Whatever the case, it would probably be a good idea to make sure she’s only here for pleasure, not business.”</p> <p>Sonic sighed. Those two would probably get along so well, he thought to himself. “Well, where did she go? Do you have any idea?”</p> <p>“Sorry hun,” the bat cooed, “I’m afraid she left right as they started my mani, and I couldn’t get to my phone. And that was maybe...thirty minutes ago...?”</p> <p><em>“THIRTY MINUTES?!”</em> Sonic cried out in shock. She could be anywhere, doing any number of horrible things on Zavok’s command by this point. “Why didn’t you call me sooner then?!”</p> <p>“Darling, my fingernails just dried,” she excused with confidence “And I’m in the middle of my pedi, so there’s no way I could-”</p> <p>Sonic immediately hung up the phone. He had to find her, as soon as possible. Neglecting to ask Rouge what nail salon she’d left was a big mistake on his part, but he was the fastest thing alive, and a green zeti with an attitude problem and well-manicured nails would stick out like a sore thumb among Station Square’s mostly human pedestrians. He took care not to disrupt any traffic as he dashed through the bustling city, be it on the road or the sidewalks, green eyes peeled for that telltale horn.</p> <p>“What’s their game this time…?”</p> <hr> <p>Ten minutes had passed, and even after several exhaustive sweeps of the city, Sonic hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Zeena. For all he knew, she could have been miles away by now, maybe even back on the Lost Hex being praised by Zavok for a job well done. He racked his brain, trying to think what insidious plot could be hatching right under his feet in this city…</p> <p>That moment, however, luck would find the heroic hedgehog when he turned the corner to see exactly what he’d been glossing over this whole time. There she was, the Deadly Six’s resident basic brat, stepping out of what looked like a fancy hair salon. Could she be taking some kind of victory lap? Whatever she was up to, he was gonna put a stop to it. “Looks like I finally found you, snow cone!” he called from behind, the insulting name causing the viridian villainess to snap to attention.</p> <p>“Sonic?!” the zeti girl replied, her voice wavering, “Wha- what are you doing here?!” There was no question in his mind now that she was up to something.</p> <p>“Y’know, it’s funny, I was about to ask you the same thing,” Sonic remarked, ready to grill the green gremlin, “It’s a couple thousand miles, and about half an atmosphere between Station Square and the Lost Hex, isn’t it?”</p> <p>Zeena was bewildered. She’d expected to get a few odd looks, but she hadn’t expected to see Sonic of all people here. “Maybe so, but our little planetoid doesn’t have any salons now, does it?”</p> <p>Sonic was not sold one bit. There had to be some other reason. The Deadly Six never just leave their base on a whim. “What’s Zavok’s angle? What’s he after here in Station Square?”</p> <p>“He’s not <em>after</em> anything!” the zeti snapped, “And what do you think <em>I’m</em> going to do, huh? I <em>just</em> got my hair and nails done, I’m <em>not</em> about to cause trouble.”</p> <p>Typical Zeena, the hedgehog thought. Of course she’d deflect it with some kind of remark about maintaining her appearance. Her vanity was almost disgusting. “Listen, I don’t know what you guys are trying to pull, but I’m not-”</p> <p>Sonic was cut short as a passing motorist delivered a perfectly pitched wolf-whistle, followed by a number of other, no doubt crude and unwelcome comments at the zeti girl’s expense that he couldn’t quite parse. Being interrupted always irritated him, but this was a whole other level of rudeness that he simply couldn’t overlook. Sonic held a finger up to Zeena, uttering a quick, “Hold that thought-”</p> <p>Before the driver could finish rolling up their window, a white gloved hand knocked on the glass, and Sonic stared daggers at the shocked motorist with arms folded as even while running <em>backwards,</em> he easily kept pace with the car. “Was that <em>really</em> necessary?” escaped the hedgehog’s lips in a deadpan tone, rolling his eyes as he dashed off. If any good came from today, then at least that guy will have learned a lesson, he thought as he returned to the sidewalk.</p> <p><em>“Wow.</em> Look how chivalrous a gentleman <em>you</em> are,” Zeena teased as the blue hedgehog returned to his interrogation, the sarcasm practically dancing off her tongue, “So what was <em>that</em> all about, huh? Aren’t I some <em>terrible villain</em> with an <em>evil scheme</em> that you need to stop, or something?”</p> <p>“Hey, that kinda thing is uncalled for, y’know?” the hedgehog remarked, suddenly feeling like he was the one under interrogation, “And besides, he cut me off! What else am I supposed to do if someone cuts me off in traffic? Wait no, I mean if... someone in traffic... cuts me off...?”</p> <p>The mint green zeti burst into laughter as he fumbled his words. Sonic was finally starting to realize that she wasn’t here to do any harm. She was only here for a spa day, just like Rouge had said, and this whole pursuit had just been a wild goose chase. He was starting to feel not that different from the driver he’d just chastised, just being a bother to someone having a good day. A sigh escaped him as he looked up at the cloudy early afternoon sky, a general feeling of shame washing over him. “I guess I’m just being paranoid, huh?”</p> <p>That’s when a lightbulb came on in Zeena’s head. If this is what Sonic was really like, then maybe she could use that to her advantage. “Well, if you’re so concerned for everyone’s safety, then maybe you should follow me to the mall! I was planning to get some shopping done after my appointments, and you wouldn’t want me doing anything <em>criminal</em> now, would you...?”</p> <p>The heroic hedgehog did a double take. Did she seriously just suggest that? “Are you dreaming? Hard pass! I’m not gonna sit on a bench while you try on clothes, like I’m some whipdog boyfriend or something!”</p> <p>“Aw, but I’m such an <em>evil</em> person, aren’t I?” she goaded, her blue eyes full of feigned innocence that her fixed expression of disgust only served to mitigate, “What if another big, <em>mean</em> person tries to harass me again, and <em>you’re</em> not there to stop it, huh? A dangerous girl like <em>me</em> might hurt someone~”</p> <p>Sonic’s brow furrowed, agitated at how easily he was being played. So this was what it was like to be Knuckles, he thought as he carelessly took the bait. <em>“You wouldn’t dare.”</em></p> <p>“Do you wanna take that risk?”</p> <p>The tension in the air about them was palpable. Zeena obviously wasn’t about to get her hands dirty if she just had them manicured, but she didn’t need to put her hands on anyone to use her electromagnetic manipulation. Hurting catcallers didn’t bother him, but using her powers to steal would definitely cause a scene. Maybe she wasn’t up to anything before, but she was certainly planning something now that he was around. Groaning at how easily he’d twisted on her well-groomed finger, he begrudgingly conceded. “I guess I can’t.”</p> <p>Zeena snickered as the blue hedgehog followed closely behind her. This day was going so much better than she had planned.</p> <hr> <p>“Come on, Nicky!” Zeena called to Sonic as he trudged after her through the mall corridor, saddled like a pack mule with bags of expensive designer clothes and luxury bath products, “We still need to get makeup!”</p> <p>Sonic knew that there was no way that he could ever be seen with Zeena, or any girl for that matter, at the Station Square Mall. If even a wayward whisper of Sonic the Hedgehog being with a girl were to reach Amy, he’d have <em>hell</em> to pay. Hence, the reason he’d chosen to don a bizarre disguise, dressed in a red hooded jacket and false glasses, combing his forehead quills forward into an impromptu style of bangs. He could definitely tell that he looked mostly the same, and remained highly skeptical of any chance at fooling people with this inane getup, but he supposed that no one would be able to tell it was him without them getting up close for longer than what would be deemed socially acceptable.</p> <p>As for the name, Zeena had noticed an embroidered letter “N” at the base of the jacket’s zipper, something that he hadn’t initially seen. That eye for fashion allowed her to notice things that he wouldn’t have, enough to work into a pet name based on his own name. Sonic knew it was important not to let people know it was him, but he just knew deep down that this was payback for his calling her, “snow cone.” Oh well. At the very least, it sounded better than something like “Sonny.”</p> <p>The name and disguise didn’t bother Sonic at all. It was better this way. What had him out of sorts was how unbelievably lame he looked. Following a girl around a mall, and carrying her shopping bags for her was one hundred percent not his style. He could tell from some of the looks he was getting that everyone saw him as a doormat boytoy that this beautiful girl had wrapped around her finger. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself that it was “Nicky” they were talking down on, the embarrassment was certainly all his own.</p> <p>As they perused the aisles of the high-end outlets, Sonic did get to see a more interesting side of his enemy that he would never have noticed before. She often knew more about the products she was shopping for than the actual sales associates, an impressive feat given how expensive and prestigious the brands of clothing and makeup she was browsing through were. She was even able to work those same associates down from ridiculous markups that he never would have even known existed until then, her shrewd practices actually earning her a badge of respect from him. Bargain hunting was no easy task when you set the bar at the top of the line after all.</p> <p>What stood out the most to him, however, were the moments where the inherent look of disgust on her face seemed to fade away, and she looked just like any ordinary person. She smiled brightly and earnestly when she tried on clothes that she liked, and he couldn’t help but smile back. There was a moment when she sampled a new body scrub where a pure glow of amazement and wonder filled her sapphire eyes that enticed the hedgehog, infectiously prompting him to respond in kind. </p> <p>It was an almost captivating phenomenon, how seeing her happy was actually making him happy by proxy, even though they were enemies. It actually made this whole “whipped boyfriend” act so much easier to bear, even enjoyable to an extent. Seeing this side of her was enchanting, leading him down a train of thought that he’d never entertained before. He was starting to wonder if he’d gotten the wrong idea about her at first. Maybe, just maybe, there was more to this girl than he’d thought at first. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.</p> <p>Of course, all of that went down the toilet the minute she prompted <em>him</em> to pay up, a resentment that only festered when <em>he</em> had to carry all the bags again. Maybe he deserved it for being as rude as he’d been earlier, but this was going <em>too far.</em> Even with all her negotiating talent, Zeena was no cheap date. Her expensive tastes were enough to put “Nicky” out by at least three hundred dollars. For all the little things he was admittedly enjoying a minute ago, he had reached his breaking point. It was time to set her straight.</p> <p>“Having fun, Nicky?” the viridian zeti inquired as she took a sip from a rather expensive chai latte, yet another blight on his wallet, “I haven’t had a shopping spree like this in ages.”</p> <p>Sonic’s eyes narrowed as he seethed at the villainous woman before him. If he wasn’t angry before, he was now. “Yeah, I’ll bet you haven’t. Must be <em>really</em> nice when you have someone to pay for everything for you.”</p> <p>“Oh lighten up Nicky dear,” she quipped, deflecting the hedgehog’s passive aggression, “We’re done shopping now, if that’s any consolation.”</p> <p>“It’s the only thing I’ve been afforded this whole time,” the blue hedgehog spat back as he swirled his straw around in the whipped cream at the bottom of his nearly empty frappuccino, “Save for the knowledge that you’re definitely not planning anything devious, and a few brief moments where I thought you might not be so bad, this whole trip has just been a wash for me.”</p> <p>Zeena nearly choked on her drink, struggling not to spit out the precious milk tea. “Wait, you...thought that about me?”</p> <p>“You know what? Yeah, I did. I thought there might be more to you than just being some basic girly girl. It was actually really fun watching you roast those snooty sales people back there, and I’ve got a lotta respect for someone who can get Honey’s clothes down from the insane prices it’s sold at.” he scolded, the bottled-up frustration finally shooting off, “But sticking me with all the bills? Treating me like your servant? That’s where ya lost me. All that respect and admiration went straight to waste. So, now? All things considered? Yeah. I think you’re a pretty bad person.”</p> <p>“I…” Zeena froze up for a moment. She had certainly been on very rocky ground with Sonic before now, the two having been enemies for as long as they’d known each other. Any time she mulled over Sonic’s incursion on the Lost Hex in the past, she could only do so with animosity and frustration. She could never once associate anything positive with Sonic, and only ever spoke praise to him before as a means of taunting him. Even her telling him to call her following their initial meeting had been disingenuous, as he’d damaged her prized nail art. There was quite certainly not one fond memory of Sonic the Hedgehog in her mind.</p> <p>And yet, here he was, going against her own perception of him to tell her that he had seen a faint glimmer of goodness. Maybe it was just naivete, as he clearly loved to play the part of hero, but he still looked at her, an enemy, and saw something good, a single small ember of hope flickering in the darkness. And she’d gone out of her way to snuff that ember out with her actions. Maybe she felt like he deserved to carry her things around like a beast of burden for bothering her on her day off, but everything else was just excessive, even for her worst enemy. </p> <p>“You’re right. I- I’m sorry, Sonic...”</p> <p>There it was again, he thought. Whenever she was open and honest, whenever her face turned away from abject disgust for the world around her, it evoked something in him, almost as if her expression was in command of his mood. Even though he was, quite definitively, in the right for calling out Zeena’s abuses during this shopping trip, he couldn’t help but feel guilty as he looked deeply into her crestfallen cerulean eyes. This wasn’t what he wanted at all. “Come on, let’s just go. No idea how you plan to get all this stuff back to Lost Hex, but I’ll at least carry it outside.”</p> <p>With only a solemn nod in affirmation, Zeena stood and followed Sonic to the door, trudging a few paces behind him as they passed through the noisy, decadent hallway. It felt to both of them like this excursion might easily be one of their worst experiences with the other than any before it, disregarding how contentious any of their previous meetings may have been. The zeti girl couldn’t bear to look up, unwilling to upset the hedgehog even further than she already had. Sonic, just as well, could only judge her position from hearing, unable to shake the guilt that came from having all but shouted her down. Maybe he’d gone too far...</p> <p>As they rounded the corner leading to the door, the magnetic glow of a display window for a highly prestigious jeweler drew her gaze upwards, wherein she saw before her one of the most beautiful accessories she had ever seen: A marvelous 22 karat rose gold ring sat in a blue velvet jewelry box, the band’s focal point having been adorned with perfectly translucent and masterfully cut sapphire and emerald. There was something about this ring, something enticing about the shape of the decorative gold, the glow of the glimmering gems set within. It felt...soothing to look at, for reasons she couldn’t quite fathom. Those stunning blue and green gems, awash in a sea of gold, like two lovers on a twilit beach. Only Zeena, in this moment, could be as deeply impacted by the sight of such a profound bauble as she was. It moved her, in such a way that couldn’t be rationalized. It was almost as if this ring was made just for her, in commemoration of this moment in her life.</p> <p>Sonic noticed from the distinct sound of her footsteps ceasing that she’d for some reason stopped, and when he saw what had drawn her away, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He sighed as he approached his antagonist, ready to tell her off like never before if she even <em>dreamed</em> about asking him to buy her whatever she was looking at. When he saw the ring, however, he felt something he hadn’t quite felt before. The dancing sapphire and emerald seemed to be perfect complements to each other, the jewelry being almost biographical of this day in his life. It actually made him realize the stunning similarity the two shared in their blue and green complimenting colors. His eyes were green like her skin, and her eyes were blue like his fur. Coincidence maybe, but it still spoke to him in such a way that it only served to accentuate his guilt. </p> <p>Even for how captivating a trinket it was, there was certainly no room left in the hedgehog’s budget for something as decadent as this. He had to steer them away. He turned to face her, wanting to say something, anything to break the tension and drive her towards the door. It wasn’t until he saw the look in her eyes that he knew wholeheartedly that no words were necessary. Where before, her beautiful eyes sparkled with joy and amazement, now they were dull with melancholy. </p> <p>She already knows she’ll never have this ring.</p> <hr> <p>As the rush of hot summer air blasted the two upon leaving the comfortable, air-conditioned constraints of the Station Square Mall, a certain awkward tension hung between the two unlikely cohorts as each of them internally blamed themselves for what had just happened. Reaching into her purse, Zeena fished out a small golden ring, one that Sonic knew right away to be a Warp Ring. So that was how she’d made it into town, he thought as Zeena hoisted her shopping bags onto her arm one by one, her fancy new possessions being the only consolation for her guilt.</p> <p>“Sonic, look… Again, I’m sorry for how this all played out...” she mumbled softly, the shame resonating in her voice with each word spoken.</p> <p>At that point, the hedgehog could take no more. Sonic scoffed at her remark, prompting a curious glance from the green girl. Clearly, he didn’t want to leave things the way they were now. “Who are you talking to, Zeena? I’m Nicky, remember?”</p> <p>The zeti stood puzzled for a moment, unsure of what was going on. “Nicky” was just an alias so that no one would recognize him, wasn’t it? Why was he insisting on using it now, when the pretenses had been dropped? “What are you playing at Son- u-um, Nicky?”</p> <p>“Well, y’see, it’s like this…” he started, trying to gather all his thoughts up. Speaking from the heart was something Sonic never had a problem with before, but here and now, he had to pause for a moment so he didn’t slip up. A misstep here could be fatal. “I feel...really bad about getting mad at ya, y’know? You were having a lot of fun with Nicky today, even if it was at his expense most of the time, but even for all that nastiness, he still sees something good in ya. And I… I kinda had a lot of fun honestly. Y’know, pretending to be Nicky and all. So that said, I don’t... I don’t think I want Nicky and Zeena’s day out… to end like this, ya know what I mean?”</p> <p>“Nicky,” Zeena inquired softly, “What are you trying to say…?”</p> <p>“What if this isn’t the end of their day? What if they make up, and go out for a night on the town?” he said, a red flush coming over his face, “You know, see the sights, have some fun, the kinda junk that couples like them do. What do you think?”</p> <p>A whole new, magical expression seemed to fill the mint green zeti’s face as a field of scarlet roses bloomed upon it from the implication. He’d said “couples” quite confidently and unmistakably. Sure, ‘Nicky’ was supposed to be her boyfriend, but he was also supposed to just be an act, a pretense to keep Sonic safe from prying eyes. She’d released him from any obligation to it, so why would he want to keep it going? Unless… Was he actually <em>interested</em> in her...?</p> <p>Zeena’s mind reeled, her bags falling to the ground as she tried to process the emotional roller-coaster she was on. In one day, her interactions with one single person led her through disgust, schadenfreude, and guilt, but now her heart-pounded as butterflies flocked in her stomach at the thought of his offer. She decided to entertain the blue hedgehog’s thoughts about the persona of ‘Nicky.’ He had been a much needed breath of fresh air that she couldn’t get from the rest of the Deadly Six. With them it was always training and plotting, with little gray area. Even living with them for an entire century hadn’t given her the kind of joy and satisfaction she had experienced today. Maybe he was right. Maybe Nicky and Zeena’s day out wasn’t over yet.</p> <p>“Wait here for a bit, okay? I won’t be too long.” the zeti girl nervously cooed as she flipped the Warp Ring like a coin, opening the portal back to her room in the castle back home. Taking her bags in tow once more, Zeena stepped through the ring, and the portal vanished.</p> <p>Now, Sonic was no stranger to Warp Rings. He knew that Zeena probably just had to drop her new things off at home so she wasn’t dragging them around all night. It just made sense. Of course, patience had never been a virtue that he was blessed with, and the anticipation for a date with Zeena-</p> <p>His line of thought stopped short. That’s right. He’d asked her for a <em>date.</em> Even if he was still playing the part of Nicky, she knew it was him, and she’d agreed anyways. Just yesterday, they might have been gunning to kill the other, but now they’d somehow managed to put all of that resentment behind them, just to be together for a day. It really was mind-boggling how fast it was all moving, even for the fastest thing alive. As that thought drifted through his head, the giant Warp Ring reappeared before him, and Sonic could only stand there, breathless, by what he saw before him. </p> <p>Zeena was <em>gorgeous.</em> Now garbed in a deep green dress beneath a black cardigan, she stepped forth in an elegant pair of black wedge heels that even further accented the zeti’s full head of height over him. A fragrant perfume emanated from her as her entire being had been transformed to appeal to all of his senses.</p> <p>He recognized each of these articles as pieces she’d bought today, but what tied the whole package together for the heroic hedgehog was that magical glow to her that he’d noticed before. She had certainly embellished her makeup quite a bit for the occasion, but even without it, Sonic would have still been enticed by the gleam of excitement in her eyes that he loved so much.</p> <p>“Well Nicky?” she inquired as she twirled her dress’s skirt, a twinkle in her eye as a genuine smile spread across her lips, “Where should we go first?”</p> <hr> <p>The twilight hour always created an ambiance like no other in Station Square’s City Park, the amber rays peeking through the cracks in the treetops and washing the petals of the different flower beds set along the path in a golden glow. The daylight hours were waning, but that brief window in which they still had the sunlight made everything perfect for Nicky and Zeena’s stroll through the park. Her extra height over the hedgehog with her wedges made holding hands difficult, but even if it felt or looked weird, they would persevere. They were having too much fun to be bothered. </p> <p>Still, Zeena couldn’t help but admire her floral surroundings. The Lost Hex didn’t have any plant life that was this beautifully cultivated, she thought to herself as the summer heat faded out with the sun. “I had no idea the surface world had places like this.”</p> <p>“Yeah, and I guess I always took parks and stuff for granted before,” Nicky mused, “But hey, when you’re as fast as me, that happens, y’know? Sometimes you just whizz right by all the pretty things around you.”</p> <p>Without a doubt, a sentiment she could relate to. When one lives over a hundred years, the days start to feel like minutes. A whole decade could pass, and you wouldn’t even know it. But this dusklight walk, the gorgeous gardens, and of course her lovely company… It all made her feel like she was moving in slow motion before now. She was almost struggling to keep up with the hedgehog’s pace, as her life had never moved this fast before.</p> <p>Hours later, as the sun had finally set on the coastal city, the pair stepped out of Station Square’s premiere theater, chattering like old friends as the events of the movie they’d just seen were fresh in their heads. “I dunno, I just like the earlier Chao in Space movies better. It feels like they’re beating a dead horse at this point.”</p> <p>“It did feel kinda weirdly paced,” Zeena replied, never having seen a single installment in the franchise before today, “Like, it felt like they had a bunch of ideas, but just wouldn’t get rid of any of them.”</p> <p>“Yeah, and some of those ideas were pretty <em>lame,”</em> Nicky retorted, clearly passionate enough to be frustrated by such a movie, “I mean, come on, Chrey was from a family of <em>Dark Chao</em> the whole time? The whole point was <em>supposed</em> to be that she’s special <em>because</em> she’s no one special!”</p> <p>“Well, at least the movie <em>looked</em> nice. You’ll have to take me to a better one next time though, Nicky.”</p> <p>Next time…? Sonic’s mind immediately derailed from the single track he had been set on by all the plot contrivances set before him. He didn’t think after the movie had bombed that badly that she’d ever want to go out with him again, but maybe that was his own bias talking. Maybe he was too focused on the movie’s mediocrity, and not Zeena’s actual response.</p> <p>“Well, there’s one last thing on the itinerary, if that movie hasn’t put you off to the idea,” Nicky said as he looked off to the coastline, “Wanna keep the night going?”</p> <p>The matcha colored zeti’s bright smile was all he needed to see to know, but she still felt it necessary to verify. “Definitely!”</p> <p>It wasn’t long before Zeena saw what Sonic had in mind, as the bright, colorful lights of Twinkle Park’s summertime boardwalk carnival flashed in her eyes. She’d always known about carnivals and the like, but she’d never actually gone out of her way to visit one, as the other zeti never really cared for any of the frivolous things that she enjoyed. “Nicky” had no idea that she’d always wanted to visit one, so it was a bit of a shock to him whenever she had grabbed his arm and nearly dragged him as she dashed off towards the smorgasport, an impressive feat for a woman in heels. “Whoa whoa <em>WHOA!</em> Zeena, babe, come on! Let me catch my balance!”</p> <p>Sonic hadn’t even thought about the fact that he’d just instinctively called her, “babe.” All that stood out to him was that she was actually <em>really</em> fast when she wanted to be. The carnival was only on the horizon when they had set out for it, but they were already mere steps away. Sure, Sonic could have made it faster, but when they finally stopped outside the boardwalk, he could see that she’d deliberately gone slower, as her hair still looked pristine. The same windswept look that his own mach-speed running gave his quills was completely absent from this beauty queen’s luscious locks.</p> <p>“I’ve never been to a carnival before,” the zeti remarked, the glow of the various lights reflected in her eyes as they strolled past a number of different concession stands and games, “I knew they were pretty, but I never imagined anything like this!”</p> <p>“Trust me, snowcone,” Nicky said, “This is just the beginning."</p> <hr> <p>Never in her twelve decades of life had Zeena experienced as much joy as she was having in these moments. Nicky had won her a giant stuffed Ricky Squirrel from an odd dart-throwing game, which he swore numerous times was rigged. She had never eaten anything like funnel cake in her life before, and when the powdered sugar hit her tongue, her face lit up with that same magical glow. Nicky even bought her a strange blue icy treat in a paper cone that she’d never seen before. “This tastes amazing! What is it?”</p> <p>“That’s a snow cone, snow cone!”</p> <p>“Wait, so this is where you got my nickname from?” Zeena giggled as she took another bite. “You’re such a dork!”</p> <p>Her laughter was infectious. “Didn’t you say you were gonna make me into one of these, and feed me to Zomom or something?” Nicky never dreamed he’d be having this good a time with Zeena of all people, but it just felt so natural. It felt… right; as if the two of them had always been meant to meet like this.</p> <p>As the two frolicked about the bright colorful festival, the bond between them only grew deeper with each passing moment. Zeena was almost exhausted by the time they reached the tall Ferris Wheel eclipsing the entire affair, glad to just be sitting down for a while. “I’ve gotta say Nicky, we got off to a pretty rough start, but I think so far, this has been the best day of my life,” she said as she leaned against the blue hedgehog “I don’t think today could get any better than this...”</p> <p>The wheel started to turn slowly as other passengers were let on and off, gradually elevating the couple towards the apex of the wheel. “You think so, huh?” Nicky queued, “Give it a second. It’s about to get way better!” Way better? No way. He had to be bluffing, what could possibly make this moment any better? </p> <p>As if to answer her question, a loud noise like that of cannonfire rang out from a platform on the water, its mortar whistling as it launched into the air, and burst into bright blue and green embers launching off in every way. Zeena was shocked initially, but Nicky pressed back against her reassuringly. “Gotta say, fireworks are easily my favorite part of summer,” he said as his hand slipped into hers, the magic of their moment in the Ferris Wheel washing over them.</p> <p>This hedgehog was just full of surprises, Zeena thought as she glanced over at him, the blossoming fireworks reflected beautifully in his eyes as he slowly moved to return her gaze. Her sapphire eyes connected so naturally to his own emerald ones, drifting towards each other like they were the stones in the shop window. In the moment their lips met, the whole world seemed to fade away. There were no heroes, no villains, nothing at all in this moment but their passion for each other. They had come from radically different places and backgrounds, but this feeling, this experience felt more right than any other like it before. Neither of them wanted this to ever end…</p> <p>Unfortunately, when that enchanting moment had finally passed, Zeena was struck with a harsh realization. She was so worked up, and lost in Nicky’s charm that she’d almost neglected the reality of the situation. How would they ever be able to make this last? She helped take part in a plot that nearly destroyed this entire planet, so Nicky’s friends would most likely never accept her. And as for the Deadly Six accepting <em>him?</em> There was no way.</p> <p>“Hey, Nicky…” she started, with her voice beginning to waver, “I think I’m having too much fun with this.”</p> <p>Nicky tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean? What’s the problem?”</p> <p>“The problem… <em>the problem is I’m in too deep!</em> We’re <em>worlds</em> apart, figuratively <em>and</em> literally!” she gushed as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, “Don’t you get it? We <em>can’t</em> be together! And yet…”</p> <p>Zeena’s anguish over the situation caught the blue hedgehog off guard. He’d certainly been trying hard to rationalize how their relationship could continue, but bridging the gap between them would be no easy feat. “And yet…?”</p> <p>“And yet... I- <em>I don’t want to leave!</em> I’ve had more fun with Nicky than I’ve <em>ever</em> had with anyone else! And I wish… <em>I wish that I could be with him forever!”</em></p> <p>There it was, out in the open. She’d confessed her feelings plain and clear. There was no going back from this, even if she did return to the Deadly Six. Zeena could only pout as she started to imagine having to go back to her old life, back to a time where her only joy came from what little self-care she was able to perform, back to blowing off training… and back to being Sonic’s enemy.</p> <p>“Come on, are you serious?” the hedgehog exclaimed as he removed his fake glasses, looking at his reflection in the plastic lenses, “That Nicky guy is a major lame-o! All he ever does is complain about bad movies, and carry shopping bags around like a sucker!”</p> <p>The zeti perked up, wide-eyed with bewilderment as her hedgehog partner spoke. “What… what are you saying...?”</p> <p>“I’m saying, you deserve a more exciting and lovable guy than that boring nerd I made up,” he said as he slicked his makeshift bangs back into his windswept spines, “What about a life with someone a little more interesting? Maybe someone like... that Sonic the Hedgehog guy?”</p> <p>Awestruck, Zeena covered her mouth with her hands, a deep gasp echoing beneath. Not only did he feel the same, but he wasn’t even slightly daunted by the consequences of keeping their relationship going. There was no way he couldn’t grasp the implications, but she felt compelled to verify. “You’d have to fight the other zeti. You’d have to fight your own <em>friends.</em> You’d have to fight <em>everyone</em> to be with me Sonic, don’t you get it?"</p> <p>“Please, you wouldn’t be the <em>first</em> person in my circle who tried to kill me at first.” Sonic admitted unabashedly, “Do you have any idea how many times <em>Knuckles</em> tried to kill me before we were friends? It was the same deal with Shadow and Silver too! As for the rest of the Deadly Six? Come on snowcone, you know from experience that I can take them <em>any</em> day of the week!”</p> <p>A faint glimmer of hope could be seen in the somber sapphire pools of her eyes as she lifted her chin up, that enchanting sensation taking hold in him once more. “Do you really think…that I’ll fit in with your friends…?”</p> <p>Without warning, Sonic wrapped his arms around the viridian zeti, shocking her with the confidence of his embrace. “Don’t worry about them, Zeena. Once they see us, together and happy, they’ll understand.”</p> <p>“OH IS THAT RIGHT?” shouted a familiarly shrill, gruff voice from above them, “WELL I <em>DON’T</em> UNDERSTAND!”</p> <p>The two looked up in shock, searching around for whoever could possibly be antagonizing them, but by the time the yellowed face of the Blood Moon had shown itself on the other side of the carriage, he had already pried the bars apart like paperclips, and even in the low light of the Ferris Wheel, anyone could recognize his spindly figure silhouetted against the light put off from his trademark vessel. Zazz had come to crash the party.</p> <hr> <p>“Well, ain’t this just <em>adorable?”</em> the brutish violet zeti snarled as he slammed his fist against the bars of the cabin, evoking horrified screams from the other passengers, “Our little Zeena is out on a <em>date!</em> And with that stinkin’ hedgehog punk of all people!”</p> <p>“What are <em>you</em> doing down here?” Zeena spat back, growing more and more irritated by the second, “I told you guys not to bother me today!”</p> <p>“Yeah, but that was what, this <em>morning?”</em> the scrawny berzerker tormented, “It’s nighttime now, and Zavok’s been <em>real</em> worried about ya, see? So he sent <em>us</em> to take you back home!”</p> <p>“Wait, <em>us?”</em> Sonic inquired, knowing full well what the implications were without needing the eyes of the massive mechanical Night Owl shining its searchlight eyes at them. From atop the avian machine, the youngest of the Deadly Six perched with his trademark blue rose, looking on with disgust at the scene before him.</p> <p>“Ugh, if there’s one thing that makes me sicker than happiness, it’s <em>romance,”</em> Zor remarked with a scowl, “And with <em>Sonic</em> of all people? I might vomit…”</p> <p>“Great, so now it’s a party,” Sonic retorted, “What, is Zomom gonna come in next and eat all the snacks?”</p> <p>An apt choice of words, as Sonic would soon discover from the sounds of crashing and screaming behind him. It looked like the Deadly Six’s resident glutton wasn’t even bothering to show up for the confrontation, and decided instead on pigging out at the concession stands. “Ugh, me and my big mouth...”</p> <p>“Speakin’ of <em>big mouths,</em> I owe <em>you</em> a fat lip after last time, hedgehog,” Zazz provoked as he cracked his knuckles, itching for a fight as always, “So don’t think you’re gonna get off easy just we found Zeena!”</p> <p>The blue hedgehog was without question upset about having his date crashed, and kicking in Zazz’s snaggled teeth sounded like quite the therapeutic exercise. As he rose to the challenge, however, the mint colored zeti placed a hand out in front of him, holding him back as she raised her other one to Zazz. Sonic could only raise an eyebrow as he looked on, puzzled as to what she was doing.</p> <p>All of the sudden, a glowing green energy whip lashed out at the scrawny juggernaut, launching him backwards with a groan onto his floating moon, growling in pain and frustration as he scrambled back to his feet. “Let me take care of these two Sonic,” she uttered, the usual debonair completely absent in her voice, “I’ll handle them, so you go and stop Zomom, alright?”</p> <p>“What? Are you serious?” he cried out, “How am I supposed to leave you here to fight <em>both</em> of them?”</p> <p>“Sonic, baby, I lived with these clowns for a hundred years,” she bragged, “I know all their moves. I can take them <em>any</em> day of the week.”</p> <p>He hadn’t even thought about the possibility that she might be able to handle the odds. He’d fought her before, and she <em>was</em> certainly tough, but the idea that she could somehow beat two of her comrades at the same time only made him grin. “What happened to ‘not having any initiative,’ huh?”</p> <p>“If you’re gonna stand up to <em>your</em> friends for me, then I should be willing to do the same, right?”</p> <p>Sonic smirked as he leaped from the carriage, hanging on to the bars on the outside of it. Maybe she could get the whole, “hero” thing down sooner than he’d thought. “Try and get them away from the boardwalk, alright?”</p> <p>With only a nod and a smirk in affirmation, Zeena launched forward and crashed into Zazz’s moon with a powerful stomp, knocking him away as she leapt off of it’s surface to attack Zor, closing the distance with her energy tethers. She delivered a swift flying kick to his core, knocking him back, but not off of his owl. He chuckled masochistically as the pain surged through him.</p> <p>“Heh… I haven’t felt a kick like that in a while...” That’s right. She’d forgotten that he actually <em>liked</em> pain. So much for knowing them like the back of her hand, she thought. This fight might be a bigger problem than she’d bargained for...</p> <p>Zomom was not the kind of opponent that was easy to just knock away. His body seemed to just deflect hits, and if there was food involved, there was no tearing him away from it. Sonic wasn’t fond of the idea, but there was no chance of getting him off the boardwalk. He was fortunate enough that the yellow buffet crasher was distracted with the various concessions, but he knew that once all the food was gone, the <em>people</em> were his next course. </p> <p>That in mind, he decided to switch his strategy, and instead opted to evacuate all the people from the boardwalk. It wasn’t easy, but when they saw the gluttonous monster gobbling down a whole cart full of hot dogs, it was easier to get them to comply. He lamented that the damage done to the Ferris Wheel was preventing any possible evacuation of the ride, but it would be too dangerous to attempt it while the other zeti battled above them. So long as the simpleton didn’t run out of food, Sonic effectively considered him temporarily incapacitated.</p> <p>Zor could tell right away that something was wrong about this situation. Zeena normally didn’t exert herself in the slightest, and always looked for reasons to slack off, or just not try in sparring matches. Here however, she wasn’t pulling any punches; she was fighting to kill. Not one of the other zeti had ever seen her put forth this much effort for something, not even Zavok. The amount of power she truly had when she applied herself was terrifyingly new, even to her century-long comrades. It was evident to the youngest zeti that she did not intend to go back to the Lost Hex.</p> <p>Seemingly out of nowhere, Zazz closed in like a rocket, leaping from his moon to catch the green girl in a full nelson hold, locking his hands behind her neck and trapping her in place. “What made you think you could take both of us, huh? Think you’re tougher than me? <em>DO YA?”</em></p> <p>Only just recovering from his all-defense scuffle with the femme fatale, Zor scoffed at his brutish compatriot’s brazenly ignorant sentiments. He knew better. If they were on flat ground, or had they not gotten the upper hand just now, this girl could have easily slaughtered the two of them. “You were right Zeena. Growing up with us for a century let you learn everything about us. But unlike the ceaseless march of time, that street goes both ways. We know all of <em>your</em> weaknesses too.”</p> <p>The pale zeti grabbed the girl’s hand as she struggled in vain to break free from the violet brawler’s hold. <em>“Anyone</em> can see that you’re vain to a fault, and you can’t stand it when your oh-so-precious nails get ruined.”</p> <p>“Don’t you-!”</p> <p>It was too late to protest. With just a pinch of his fingers, her index nail snapped. Time itself had slowed to a crawl. She was already vehemently angry, but if she was boiling over before, this last push had thrown all the water out of the pot.</p> <p>In a fit of unfettered rage, Zeena headbutted Zazz in the jaw to break his hold, jabbing her elbows into his kidneys to drive him to his knees. With a short, sharp shove of her foot, the violent violet zeti tumbled towards the waves below. Not once did she shift her focus from the one who’d set her off like this. So he liked pain? Good, because she was gonna give it to him.</p> <p>“So you like breaking my nails, huh?” she spat in a fury as she slowly approached the nihilistic little troll in front of her. Swiftly and decisively, the mint-colored zeti dug her remaining nails into his face. It was the first time in his life that Zor had ever experienced a pain too great to enjoy, one so genuinely unbearable that it made him cry out in agony as the polished keratin broke through the skin and sunk into the tender flesh beneath. “You think you’re <em>smart,</em> huh?! <em>IS THAT IT?!”</em></p> <p>Unable to take it any longer, Zor kicked off of his assailant, deliberately casting himself off the side of his own transport. <em>“ZOMOM! Quit stuffing your stupid face and GET HER!”</em> he shouted as he plummeted into the saltwater below.</p> <p>“Huh? Oh yeah, Zeena’s being bad. Here I go!” Before Sonic could try to intercept the gargantuan glutton, he launched himself up towards the mechanized bird of prey. With his size, no one would have guessed that the yellow monstrosity could jump the highest and farthest out of any of the Deadly Six. Before she could react, Zomom had barreled through the owl like a cannon ball, obliterating the thrusters to send it, and Zeena, careening towards the briney deep.</p> <p><em>“ZEENA!”</em></p> <hr> <p>Sonic leapt down onto the coastline below the boardwalk, shaken by the catastrophe he’d just witnessed as he raced to his snow cone’s side. Thankfully, she had washed up on the beach before the others, and didn’t seem to be hurt badly, but she was going to be upset when she came around and saw what had happened to her.</p> <p>Zor may have only broken her nail, but his command of the others had led to far more atrocious cosmetic damage. The saltwater had completely frayed her perfectly styled hair, and washed away the scent of her perfume as well as bits of her makeup here and there. The scuffle she’d endured had also torn her precious new outfit that he’d bought her to shreds, to the point where they were just scraps of wet fabric held together by an unstable network of threads here and there. This battle had stripped her of all her vanities, and now she laid mostly bare on the sandbar as Sonic tried to rouse her.</p> <p>A guttural cough sprayed seawater from Zeena’s mouth as she slowly came around. The ringing in her ears pounded at her as the zeti struggled to regain her bearings. She was only vaguely cognizant of her surroundings, but was keenly aware of the state she was in. She didn’t need a mirror to tell her that she looked like hell. With a visceral growl, she reluctantly tore the last few threads holding her dress together, her authentic self now on full display just like the others.</p> <p>To their misfortune, the trio of antagonists had also washed up on the shore only moments later, though not nearly as battered as one might expect. Being the tenacious fighter he is, Zazz got his second wind quickly. The other two had thrown themselves into the waves in one way or another, and weren’t as banged up as their cohort before then. Zor, however, bore the most unsettling of expressions as the sting of the saltwater in his fresh cuts made his masochistic nerves dance, only barely veiling his incredible anger with a psychotic grin. Now that they’d regrouped, things were only going to get harder.</p> <p>“Nice try, but what’re ya gonna do <em>now,</em> huh?” the violet brawler snarled, “We’re taking Zeena back now, hedgehog!”</p> <p>“Change of plans,” the crazed nihilist growled through clenched teeth, “We’re snuffing <em>both</em> of them.” </p> <p>The two looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, and though he may well have, he had a convincing reason prepared. “Think about it. Zeena’s <em>never</em> shown this kind of potential before. She might even be as strong as Zavok. If she’s gonna betray us like this, who’s to say she won’t do it again? The only way to make sure she doesn’t is to kill her, here and now.”</p> <p>“Ooog… If Zeena’s that strong, I don’t wanna fight…” came a murmur from the biggest of the trio, “I swallowed a bunch of seawater to wash down that hot dog cart, and now I feel sick…”</p> <p>Zazz could only cackle maniacally, the prospect of killing his old friend sending his already frenzied violent impulses into overdrive. Everyone knew that he had a few screws loose when it came to fighting and conquest, but now his sadistic urges were not just unchained, but actively encouraged. He couldn’t even form words through his laughter, but why would he need to? This conveyed his feelings much more effectively than anything he could say.</p> <p>Sonic tried to reach out to Zeena, but the second his hand brushed her, <em>ZAP!</em> One look at the former villainess’s face was enough to gauge exactly what was going on. Green electromagnetic energy glowed in her eyes as she gathered a tremendous amount of her innate power, sparks beginning to emanate from her body as she prepared to unleash everything she had on the interlopers. Her unbridled fury had finally come to a head, and now, no one could stop her.</p> <p><strong><em>“OH YEAH? THEN I’LL JUST HAVE TO KILL ALL OF YOU!”</em></strong></p> <p>In a swift motion, vibrant green energy tethers fired off to the biggest thing she could possibly grab: <em>the Ferris Wheel.</em> They traveled fast, and no one doubted that Zeena could effectively skewer and crush the three of them in a metallic coffin if she was so inclined, but the green whips would not find purchase against the giant attraction. The energy buildup she’d prepared was unbearably intense that when the tethers latched onto an intercepting Sonic the Hedgehog, there was no stopping him from howling in pain as the highly concentrated electromagnetic energy surged through his body, convulsing wildly as he fell to the ground.</p> <p>“S-Sonic…?!”</p> <p>“Zeena, look at those carriages on the Ferris Wheel,” he mumbled weakly as he staggered to his feet, “There’s still people on board! They can’t evacuate it while it’s damaged like this. You would have killed <em>everyone</em> on that ride by using it as a weapon...!”</p> <p>Looking up to the cabins above, she could definitely see a number of people, all of whom terrified by the horrific battle they had become caught up in. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She’d been trained all her life to be cruel, and careless about collateral damage. Reaching for the Ferris Wheel would have been exactly what Master Zik would have instructed her to do in a situation like this. Had her training hard-wired her for this kind of cold indifference? Would it be possible for her to break from behaviors like that? And if not… what was in the future for her and Sonic?</p> <p>Before she could come to a definitive conclusion, however, the three zeti surrounded the two of them, prepared to rip them to shreds. This situation was looking bleak as the two stood back-to-back, trying desperately to come up with a plan of attack. Each of their aggressors lashed out furiously, the two only barely avoiding the well-coordinated onslaught of star missiles, ground-shaking tremors, and shadow clones. One could easily tell that this had become a losing battle for the couple as they were gradually pushed to the ropes.</p> <p>“Well, this doesn’t look good,” Sonic uttered as he kicked a shooting star back towards the brawler, “Got any <em>other</em> special attacks you could try?”</p> <p>Zeena shook her head as her tethers slammed two of Zor’s shadows together, dispatching the doppelgangers. “I didn’t come down here to fight, so I didn’t bring any weapons. I don’t have my Blizzard Bombs, or my wrecking ball!”</p> <p>Almost immediately, a light flashed in Sonic’s head as the solution became evident. “Who do you think you’re talking to, babe?” he quipped, “You’re <em>looking</em> at a professional wrecking ball right now!”</p> <p>The pieces came together quickly, but the implications scared the zeti. She’d just done exactly what he was suggesting, and ended up hurting him badly. “Are you sure about that...?”</p> <p>“Just give me some cover, it’ll be fine!”</p> <p>Curling into his signature spindash, a sound like that of a windup could be heard as balls of blue light swirled into the hedgehog, building up incredible power. Only standing half his normal height gave Zeena the spectacular opportunity to launch her tethers out to the side, and spin them around in a pirouette that cleared the assailants away, if only for a brief moment. </p> <p>Suddenly, the words, “Ready anytime!” flashed through Zeena’s head, and she reluctantly connected the green tethers to him. The blue glow surrounding his spinning form blended into her own green energy like paint in a mixing dish, a turquoise glow emanating from the two as they prepared to strike back. Whatever he had done, it had protected him from her electromagnetic power’s current. Simple, yet ingenious.</p> <p>Zeena swung the hedgehog around in circles, spinning on her heels like an Olympic hammer thrower, and crashed the sawblade-like Sonic spinball into the others, pounding them much harder than a normal spin dash or homing attack might. The hedgehog winced with each blow, still sore from blocking her earlier attack. He wasn’t done yet, he repeated in his mind with each collision. The insane torque of Zeena’s tornado-like hammer whirling combined with the power of Sonic’s Spin Attack created a teal whirlwind that launched the three zeti into the air.</p> <p><em>“NOW!”</em></p> <p>Zeena launched the spinning hedgehog into the updraft, where the blue energy he’d veiled himself in discharged, launching him off into a decisive Light Speed Attack, and knocking the troublesome trio into the sand below with tremendous force, kicking up grains of the sediment into a cloud of dust that scattered in the waning updraft. If any of them could keep fighting after that, things might be hopeless.</p> <p>“Ugh, no more spinning… I think I’m gonna hurl...” came a groan from the biggest of the bunch as the others struggled to get to their feet. None of them were in any condition to fight back, but Sonic wasn’t in the best of shape himself. He’d barely had enough energy left in him to pull off that insane stunt, and now he was tumbling limply towards...Zeena?</p> <p><em>“SONIC!”</em></p> <p>Crashing into her arms, the force of his fall knocked the zeti girl down onto her back. Sprawled out over her, the hedgehog ached as he locked his thumb upwards, able to weakly utter a declaration of victory. “We did it…!”</p> <p>Zeena’s eyes gleamed as a glowing smile spread across her face. “We did it!”</p> <p>Maybe she really could grasp the hero thing after all, Sonic thought as he lovingly looked up to face his newest ally, only to notice something odd that he hadn’t seen before. “Hey… I didn’t know you had <em>freckles!”</em> he said as he ran his thumb over the yellow specks on her cheeks, “They’re so pretty!”</p> <p>The viridian zeti’s face flushed bright red in the pale moonlight at what he’d just said. She’d forgotten that the ocean waves had washed her foundation off, and now there was nothing covering up those little flecks on her cheeks that she loathed. They’d always made her so self-conscious in the past, but here he was, praising them. “Y- you really like my freckles…?”</p> <p>The heroic hedgehog simply nodded in affirmation, basking in the intimacy of this moment. Sure, she was a little rough around the edges as far as morality goes, but what he saw tonight had put faith for her future in him. With a little practice, Zeena could be a great hero.</p> <p>“I’ve seen enough of this farce,” came a deep, menacing voice from nearby. Zazz’s Blood Moon had its mouth spread wide open, bearing a screen within its maw as its eyes bore a terrified expression. The crimson visage of none other than Zavok stared back at the two from behind the screen, a look of disgust and disappointment spread across his face. They hadn’t won just yet.</p> <hr> <p>“I never expected <em>you</em> to turn traitor, Zeena,” the monstrous megalomaniac uttered calmly, “I thought you might think it to be ‘too much of a hassle.’”</p> <p>A nervous sensation washed over the green zeti. Zavok was not the type who you crossed lightly, and he certainly never thought her to be the most dedicated to their faction thanks to her constant truancy and indifference. She knew he found her vanity insufferable, and often felt that he only kept her around to fill the ranks. That preconception was there for all of the Deadly Six, and it had suffocated her every day for a century. “You know, before today, I don’t think I would have either.”</p> <p>Zavok squinted as he noted her strangely different vocal mannerisms. Normally, Zeena wouldn’t do something like admitting outright that she’d turned on them. Her tone was closer to that of Sonic’s, a fact only made worse by what was clearly her romantic involvement with the blue nuisance. The Zeena he knew was clearly gone. “Think long and hard about this. You were our comrade in arms for one hundred years. Does that time mean <em>nothing</em> to you?”</p> <p>A spark of determination lit up in her eyes as she stared the scarlet monstrosity down. “You think we were <em>comrades?</em> You think <em>flattering me</em> into doing your <em>dirty work</em> made us <em>friends?!</em> Don’t act like you all actually <em>liked</em> having me around! As far as I can tell, all five of you <em>hated</em> me! Sonic showed me more compassion in one day than you jerks ever did in an entire <em>CENTURY!”</em></p> <p>“And you think you’re going to get to spend a century with <em>him?”</em></p> <p>Zeena froze in place at the horrifying implication. “W-what are you trying to say?”</p> <p>“In less than a century, that blue pincushion you’re so attached to will die, without any of us so much as lifting a finger,” Zavok warned, “Humans and Mobians live up to a century at the most. When he and his friends wither and die, you will not have aged more than a decade in their eyes.”</p> <p>Shock and terror spread through the green zeti as she looked over to Sonic with eyes full of fear. He couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact, but his face seemed to convey that he understood exactly what was being implied here. It was evident that he knew Zavok was right. </p> <p>“Even so… even so, I’ve lived more with him in a day than I ever had before!” she cried out in frustration, “If I had to be miserable with <em>you all</em> for the rest of my life, <em>then I’d rather die!”</em></p> <p>Zavok’s fury was quite visible in his clenched fangs, his eyes staring daggers into her for how unbearably stubborn she was. It was clear to him that there was no reasoning with her anymore. <em>“If you’d cast your lot in with the surface dwellers,</em><strong> <em>then so be it!”</em></strong> he snarled, the moon delivering his message shuddering in terror, “Zeena… For your actions, you will suffer the harshest of consequences. From this moment on, you are <em>no longer</em> a member of the Deadly Six, and you are hereby <em>banished</em> from the Lost Hex! If you should ever return for any reason, <em>I will <strong>kill</strong> you <strong>without a second thought.”</strong></em></p> <p>Deafening silence rang out following Zavok’s sentence, as the other zeti listening took sadistic joy in seeing their traitorous old friend get what she deserved. “And know this: When the day comes that your beloved Sonic is old and frail, <em>I will come down to the surface <strong>and kill him before your very eyes.</strong></em> And when you scream in anguish, <em>I will tear your throat out to <strong>silence</strong> you.</em> You will regret <em>ever</em> having betrayed your kind like this...”</p> <p>Zor scrounged up what was left of the Night Owl, preparing to load the unconscious Zomom onto it and head off, commanding Zazz to do the same when Zavok had finished threatening their new enemy. There was no point in sticking around to finish the job. As far as they were concerned, Zeena was dead to them.</p> <p>The weight of the situation was enough to drive the girl to her knees as her old friends flew off into the darkness of midnight, tears streaming silently as she shivered in the light of the moon. She had been kicked out of her home. All of her possessions were forever out of reach. She had nothing. The only person on the surface world she had any connection to was Sonic, and who was to say whether or not any of his friends would accept her? The whole world was falling apart around her. “Now what…? What am I supposed to do…?”</p> <p>Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, Sonic sat down beside the zeti girl on the beach, staring off into the stars. “Zeena… Sometimes, starting over is a good thing. It’s hard coming up from nothing, but when you hit rock bottom, you can only go up from there, right? And when you’ve finally built yourself back up, well…I hope I’m still by your side.”</p> <p>“I’ll never be able to get old with you,” Zeena mumbled as she turned to face him, the despair in her eyes only exacerbated by her existential dread, “How could we ever live happily knowing that…?”</p> <p>Placing his other hand under her cheek, he gave her a truly authentic, loving smile as he uttered a short, but sweet sentiment: “One day at a time.”</p> <p>Suddenly, the weeping zeti threw her arms around him, wailing over his shoulder as she held him tight. Sonic was admittedly choking up a bit himself, rubbing her back as she sobbed into him. Things were only going to get more and more difficult from here. Zeena was going to be a tough sell to the others, without question, Breaking old habits from her Deadly Six days would be a struggle, but they’d both have to try their hardest. After all, they were a couple now. Whatever challenge they faced, they’d do it together.</p> <hr> <p>Several months had passed since that fateful day. As they’d expected, Sonic’s close friends had a hard time accepting Zeena not only as his friend, but as his girlfriend as well. The passage of time had helped to ease some of their suspicions, but through her reformed attitude and daily efforts to better herself, the others had grown accustomed, if only somewhat, to their new ally.</p> <p>Tails remembered all too well what the zeti were like from firsthand experience, and was easily one of the most vocally opposed to the idea. However, he could tell from her mannerisms that something in her had changed, if only slightly. His bias towards the defector was not broken with ease, unfortunately. Zeena’s innate powers, however, did make her an effective pair of hands helping in the workshop, and he relished the opportunity to study the fascinating phenomenon she commanded firsthand.</p> <p>Most of all, he could tell that there was a totally different energy to Sonic now. A newfound enthusiasm and cheerfulness radiated from the blue hedgehog, an energy that felt more genuine than his usual cocky grins and snarky quips. The fox, at the outset, had believed this to be nothing more than a long con, an enemy stringing his brother along to lead him into a trap set by her comrades. It wasn't easy for him, but he could tell just from being in the same room as the two that there was no faking this. It pained him to admit it, but in time, he had resigned his bias. After all, how could he continue to be so critical of such pure happiness?</p> <p>Knuckles, unlike the others, had never met a single member of the Deadly Six, only basing his skepticism off of hearsay, and of course the fallout from the incident on Lost Hex. His own bias towards the zeti girl was broken down more easily than Tails’, warming up to her presence in time. He had a strange fascination with Zeena’s powers, and even went on to help her develop new applications for them. She had never thought about using her tethers as grappling hooks before the fight with Zor, much less as a net or a bungee cord, and before long, the two had established a master-pupil camaraderie that Zeena felt was truer than her connection to Zik ever was.</p> <p>Amy, however, would not have the same ease of building a connection with the zeti. Bitterness and jealousy had seemed to consume her for the better part of a month, refusing to even look at her when she was present. While the others may have come around, Zeena could tell Amy resented her. She had taken Sonic away. That was something she couldn’t overlook. Like the others, she could tell that the boy she’d been smitten with for so long was happier than ever, but seeing the purity of their joy only filled her with despair. That look in Sonic’s eyes when Zeena embraced him, the dreamy expression he made when she spoke… She had always hoped that she’d be the one to inspire these feelings in him.</p> <p>It was not easy, but on one fateful day, the two spoke for the first time. The tension in that exchange could be cut with a knife. It was evident to Zeena then more than ever just how deep Amy’s connection to Sonic was, and how much heartbreak came from seeing him with someone else. She did, however, confess that if Sonic was happy with her, truly happy, then that ache in her chest might just fade. Finally having broken down this barrier with Sonic’s closest admirer was a personal milestone for her, whereas before she might have handled a jealous onlooker in a far less civil manner. Though they had gotten off to a rocky start, the two had grown close throughout shopping trips and exercising together, bonding over their shared love for Honey-Brand clothes. Things weren’t always perfect between the two, but Amy still remained her most treasured friend out of all of them.</p> <p>Zeena knew in the back of her mind that this happiness was only temporary. Like Zavok said, a day would come when he would grow old and pass on, and she wouldn’t be able to do so alongside him. The thought of Sonic’s twilight years was difficult to bear, but when they were together, every day felt like a century’s worth of love and joy. When the day she would have to part ways forever came, she knew deep in her long-frozen heart that she would never regret the years she would spend with her new friends. Even when they were all long gone, she would continue to bear the ring from the shop window on that fateful day so many years ago, a treasured memento of the best years of her life. Of course, that was a worry for the future. In the years she was afforded, she just wanted to cherish what time they had.</p> </article>