Interlude: A New Quest

"No way!"

Tails expression clearly asked, "Why not?"

Sonic explained, "Look, Tails, you're my right-hand fur. I need you on missions. ...Besides, your jaw still isn't completely healed."

Tails scowled, and put his pencil to his paper. After a moment's thought, he wrote quickly (but surprisingly legibly), "Someone has to search for the Sword. If not me, who? If not now, when?"

Sonic stared at Tails. "... I... don't know..."

Tails added to his plea, "Athair thinks I'm the 'chosen one' of the Ancient Walkers. They're powerful magical beings... They might know something about the sword – and I'm the one they're most likely to talk to."

Sonic read this. "... You have a point... But still..."

Tails gave him a pleading look.

Sonic sighed. "Oh, all right. You can go."

Tails jumped for joy.

"But only if Doc Quack and Sal give their okay... And I want you to take someone else with you."

Tails shot him a sour look.

"Look, Big Guy, I'm not gonna send you halfway 'round the world alone – Sal would never let me hear the end of it. Besides, if you run into any trouble, I don't want you without backup."

Tails wrote, "What trouble could I run into? I'm not going up against Robotnik.

And there's only room for one in the Sea Fox."

"Then don't take the Sea Fox. Take my bi-plane."

Tails eyes showed his surprise at this offer.

Sonic shrugged. "Hey, why not? I hardly ever get a chance to use it, anyway, and you're a great pilot."

Tails' smile showed through his bandages.

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"Princess In Plaster"

A Sonic the Hedgehog Fan Fiction

by Chronos the Cat

Chapter 6: Dreams of Mobility

Portions of this chapter adapted from Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog # 43

"Try it now," Rotor said after adjusting something on the mechanical wheel-chair Sally was in.

Sally gripped the joystick on the right arm-rest in right hand, and pushed it forward. The wheelchair moved forward at a moderate pace. She pushed it forward farther, and it moved faster, until she pulled the joystick back. She then tried moving the joystick left and right, causing the chair to turn in one direction, then the other.

Sally said gleefully, "Oh, Rotor, it's wonderful!" She rolled over to him, grabbed his left hand with her right, and pulled him into an awkward hug.

"Glad you like it," Rotor said in a croak before breaking free of the hug. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Doctor Quack said he'd be wanting some help on a project to possibly help your father this afternoon."

"What?! You should have taken care of that first!"

"He wasn't ready yet. Besides, you've been unable to move under your own power for weeks now – you deserved this."

"Yes, but my father's life is more important than my mobility!"

"Don't worry, he's going to be fine," Rotor assured her. "Now, if you want me to help the doctor, it's time for me to go get ready."

"Of-of course!"

Rotor left, and Sally slumped down as much as her cast would allow. She felt ashamed for having doubted Rotor's sense of priority, and disturbed by the strange mix of emotions her new mobility was causing her. On the one hand, a part of her hated her immobility, and was ecstatic that she could now move around on her own. On the other hand, though, a part of her found her helplessness thrilling, and loved being taken care of. Having more control and less excuse for being pampered was a bit of a disappointment to this second side.

Idly, she used the joystick to move herself around her hut. She looked down at her body, immobile in plaster except for her right arm and foot, and giggled. It was kind of fun driving the wheelchair, and neat moving around without really moving her body.

Looking down at her cast also reminded her of Bunnie and Tails, who had both signed her cast before they left for Downunda in search of Athair – a wise old mystical echidna Tails met once, who might be able to help them in their quest for her father's Sword. It occurred to her that Tails would also appreciate her new chair, but she would have to wait for his return to show it to him. Finding herself feeling lonely thanks to this, she wondered how long it would be before they returned.

With a sigh, she drove her chair out, and headed towards the medical hut.

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"Who loves ya, baby?" Doctor Quack said as he burst through the door of the Intensive Care wing, followed by Sonic.

"Doctor Quack! Sonic!" Sally said happily, turning to greet them.

"You better believe it, kid!" Quack replied. "Ever since the day I delivered you! You've always been a favorite of mine."

"Hey," Sonic said in greeting, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Doctor Quack asked, "Now-- where's my patient?"

Rotor called out, "Right this way, Doctor!"

Sonic said in surprise, "Rotor?! What are you doing here?! I thought this was a medical problem now?"

Quack said, "Are you the doctor here or am I? Rotor is here because I called him in! We needed his expertise to utilize our new cell regenerator – in order to stop King Acorn from crystallizing any further."

The King, now made of green crystal except the left side of his face, and still quite "out of it", was seated on a chair in a small room, with many lights focused on him, and the walls covered in hexagons and squares of some shiny material.

Sonic gasped. "That's some setup you got, Doc!" A bit more skeptically, he added, "We've tried just about everything besides Chaos Emeralds and roboticization.. Do you think this cell thing will really work?"

Quack answered, "That's the billion dollar question!"

"I'd even settle for some idle speculation."

"First off, we believe it to be a side effect of something King Acorn was exposed to while in the Zone of Silence. His very cell structure is morphing into a crystalline state – and all we can do right now is try to prevent it from spreading further. I've suggested sending the King back into the Zone to see if we could reverse the process, but --"

Sally said, "--I vetoed that one down! I'm sorry, Doctor, but the Freedom Fighters barely got my father out last time they went into the Zone!"

Quack replied, "I understand, my dear – but that doesn't make my job any easier."

Looking at the King, Sonic asked, "One more thing, Doc – is he aware of what's going on?"

"Who can say? In the meantime, I suggest we intensify the regeneration rays. At best, this will help cure him. At worst, he will stay as is." The doctor donned dark glasses, and had the others do the same. "Alright, Rotor... let's get cookin'!"

Light shone from the panels inside the King's room, making him shine almost blindingly bright.

After a few moments, Quack asked, "What do your read-outs say, Rotor?"

"I don't register signs of any change whatsoever!"

Quack had Rotor return the machine to its normal levels, and said, "At the moment, that means diddly! Right now, the best thing to do is just wait and see if the cell regenerator had an effect."

The doctor took off his glasses, and said, "That's about all we can do at the moment, I'm afraid! I'll have a nurse come in and monitor the King for any sign of activity."

Sally asked, "Doctor, will it be all right if I stay?"

"I don't see any problem, Sally. I'll be in my office studying the printouts should you need me."

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Sonic was standing behind Sally, his hands on her shoulders, when Geoffrey St. John stepped into the room.

"I thought if I found you , Sonic, I'd find Princess Sally as well!"

Sonic said, "Put a sock in it, St. John! When we need comedy relief, we'll ask for it!"

However, to Sonic's surprise, Sally swiveled her chair around and rolled it over to Geoffrey. "Oh, Geoffrey! I'm so glad you came!"

Geoffrey leaned down and embraced her. Running his hands comfortingly over fur and plaster alike, he said, "There, there, luv! Your father will be right-fine soon!"

Sonic just stood there watching them.

Quietly, Geoffrey asked, "And how are you doing, my plaster princess?"

Sally smiled slightly at that. "Aside from worrying about my father, I'm doing alright, I suppose. As you can see, I've got a mechanical wheelchair now... but other than that I'm as immobile as ever..." She shrugged her right shoulder.

"Well, that's good," Geoffrey said.

Sally said mischievously, "That I have a better wheelchair, or that I still can't move?"

Geoffrey smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was only referring to one?"

Sonic raised an eyebrow at this, and when Sally chuckled, commented, "Oh-kaaay..."

"Well, I'll be doing... er, leader-type-stuff... if you need me," Sonic said, heading for the door.

"Sonic, wait!" Sally called out.

Sonic turned back to her. "Yeah?"

"You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"You sure? 'Cause you... three... seemed to be getting pretty close there, and I wouldn't want to interfere..."

"Three?"

"You, Geoffrey, and that hunk of white you're wearing."

"Sonic... I'm sorry..." she said sadly. Giving another mildly mischievous smile, she added, "You can 'get close' to my cast, too, if you want..."

Sonic looked at her like she was crazy.

Geoffrey saw the look, and said, running his hand over her plaster bust, "I don't think he gets it, luv."

Sally explained to Sonic, "I have to live with this cast for a while, Sonic. If I just think of it as this annoying thing that keeps me from moving, I'd be miserable the entire time. So if I joke about it, or laugh at other peoples jokes about it, or even let Geoffrey talk about how good it looks on me, it's just my way of dealing with things... Okay?"

Sonic scratched his head. "I suppose... I'm not sure I can play along, though. I hate to see you helpless, and I know if I were in your position I'd be going crazy."

Geoffrey shook his head. "And this is your boyfriend? I think you need a guy who can appreciate your taste in clothing..."

Sally said, "Technically, he's not my boyfriend – just a close friend who happens to be a boy."

"So, the position is open, then? 'Cause I wouldn't mind applying for the job..."

Sonic looked into Sally's eyes silently, his expression questioning.

Sally said, "Er... I guess that depends on if Sonic is interested."

Geoffrey asked, disappointed, "So, he gets first choice, huh?"

"I've known him longer, and he's been there for me so many times... I owe it to him."

Sonic stared at Sally a bit longer, then shook his head. "You don't owe me anything. And anyway, you deserve someone who will make you happy. I don't think I can do that right now. Maybe Geoff can."

Geoffrey's eyes widened. "You serious, mate?" When Sonic nodded, Geoffrey walked over to him and shook his hand. "You're a better 'hog than I thought, mate."

"Just don't hurt her. If you ever do, I'll make you wish Robotnik had gotten a hold of you."

"You so sure you could handle me on your own, mate?"

Sonic scowled at him.

"Well, it doesn't matter – I know you're not alone in those sentiments, and hurting her is the furthest thing from my mind. No worries, mate."

To her surprise, Sally felt a bit sad that Sonic hadn't chosen to fight for her, but by the time the two boys were done talking to each other, she had managed to hide it...

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The King, now lying back on a mobile bed, suddenly burst out into a scream.

"Daddy!" Sally cried with concern.

Doctor Quack assured her, "It's alright, Princess! He's probably experiencing a nightmare! It could be he's trying to sift through the haze that is his memory! The more he struggles to remember, the more painful it is to him!"

"Can anything be done for him, Doctor?"

"There is a chance --"

Sonic interrupted to say, "Naturally!"

"--if we use this, my electro-encellographic memory inducer!" Quack held up a strange device that looked like a space-age popcorn-popper.

Sonic commented, "Now, that's a mouthful."

"If you'd prefer, you can call it 'the Dream Watcher!'"

"It doesn't look like any TV I've ever seen!"

"It operates more on an interactive principle. By connecting one person to another through this device, it allows both parties to communicate with each other in what I call the Dream Zone! There's just one catch – whoever makes the journey to contact the person in the Dream Zone might not awaken should anything go wrong! ...Still, this could help the King pull through – do I have any volunteers?"

Sonic and Geoffrey both raised their hands, while Sally said authoritatively, "I'll do it."

Sonic argued, "But Sal, it's too dangerous!"

"Exactly! I'm not doing much for the Freedom Fighters right now, but without you two, the rebellion would be in shambles! Besides, he is my father."

Sonic and Geoffrey looked at each other uncertainly.

Sally said, "Please, Sonic! Let me be useful for once!"

Sonic looked at her and said, "You've always been useful, Sal – and irreplaceable."

Sally said nothing, just looking at him.

Finally, Sonic said, "Okay, Sally. But be careful – a lot of people would miss you if you didn't come back."

Sally nodded, and Doctor Quack began setting up the equipment.

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Sally looked down at herself in amazement. She was intact and cast-less, standing under her own power. She was wearing her normal vest, but also resized versions of the tiara and harem pants she wore as a child.

"Sally, is that you?" her father's voice said in amazement.

Sally looked up. She was in what looked like the Zone of Silence, on a floating stone, but hardly noticed it – all her attention was on her father, who was standing there on another stone, looking the same as he had when she was a child.

"Daddy!" She cried in happiness, and tackled him into an embrace.

"Sally...! Did Robotnik get you, too?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm here to rescue you."

"Rescue me? You mean you know a way out of the Zone of Silence? ...But it was very unwise of you to come here on your own!"

"Daddy, we're not in the Zone of Silence. We're in Knothole Village, and you're dreaming."

"--What?! This is a dream? It feels real enough to me!"

"Maybe that's because this dream is based on your memories?"

"If this is a memory, then I really was in the Zone of Silence. How can I now be in Knothole?"

"We already rescued you from it. But you weren't yourself, and you've been unconscious ever since. Also, your body is turning into crystal!"

The King raised an eyebrow. "I remember none of this. And if you are a dream, how would I know such things?"

"I'm not a dream – Doctor Quack created a device which allows people to share dreams. That's how I'm here. As for why you can't remember, something must have happened to you in the Zone... When we found you, you didn't even recognize me!"

The King seemed uncertain. "If something did happen, I must try to remember it..."

Sally nodded. "All right, but please, remember it's all memories and dreams. You're safe now. Okay?"

"Very well. But first – what has happened while I've been gone?"

"Robotnik... he took over the kingdom, and turned everybody he could into robots. He didn't get everybody, though. Rosie and Julayla took me, my friends, and some others to Knothole village. Some of the adults formed a rebel group to fight against Robotnik, but they suffered heavy losses. When I was ten or so, I decided the rebellion needed all the help it could get, even from children, so I organized my friends into a Freedom Fighter cell, and led them against Robotnik."

The King looked at her more closely, and Sally felt her harem-pants vanish to be replaced by her normal boots. "How old are you now?" the King asked.

"Fifteen. You've been gone ten years."

"Blasted dreamscape – your appearance keeps changing! When you first appeared, I thought for sure you looked the same as when I last saw you. Now, though, you look as old as you say you are!"

"I wondered how you recognized me..."

The King paused, then said, " You say you've been leading a team of rebels against Robotnik for five years?"

"Yes, father. We haven't retaken any land, but we have severely damaged his infrastructure."

The King embraced her. "You've done well, my daughter. I'm proud of you."

"It wasn't all my doing... my friends have all fought well... and none better than Sonic. In fact, I've recently put him in charge of the Freedom Fighters while I recover from some injuries I got on a mission, and he's been doing an incredible job – maybe even better than me."

"Sir Charles' nephew?"

"Yes."

"We'll have to reward him for his service to the crown."

Sally smiled, and nodded.

"Well... I suppose it's time I find out where these memories lead, and you return to healing from your injuries."

"I suppose. I'll miss you..."

"I'll be right here... And we'll talk again soon, you'll see."

They embraced again, then Sally faded away.

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As Sally slowly returned to the waking world, the first thing she heard was, "Incredible! You did it, Sally!"

Sally cringed. "That's nice to hear, but could you not talk so loud? That Dream Watcher gave me a terrible headache..."

Quack said, "I'll have someone get you some aspirin in a moment. First, what do the readings on the monitors show, Rotor?"

"All life-signs are stabilizing! The crystallization process has stopped!"

Sonic gave her a hug. "Great job, Sal."

Not waiting for Sonic to finish his hug, Geoffrey moved in and embraced her as well, kissing her on the cheek. "I knew you could do it, luv."

Sally blushed. "Thanks, guys."

Doctor Quack started moving the King's bed out of the room. "We can now move the King to the rehab ward where he can continue to recover!"

Rotor asked, "You going to need any more help, Doctor Quack?"

"Nope. All set. Thanks for all the help!"

"No problem!"

As Quack disappeared down the hall, Rotor turned to Sally, and said, "Well, I guess I'll be heading back to my lab, then. Like they said, good job."

Sally nodded, and Rotor started to walk out. As he passed through the doorway, though, he turned and looked at Sonic, Sally, and Geoffrey, looking a bit puzzled. He said nothing, though, and after a moment, turned and headed off.

Sonic asked, "What was that... about..." Suddenly, he realized that not only was he still hugging Sally, but that Geoffrey was doing the same, and had included Sonic's arms in his embrace.

Blushing, Sonic said, "Oops," and started to pull away, Geoffrey doing the same moments later.

Sally said with an amused smirk, "You two didn't have to stop, you know. I was rather enjoying that."

Geoffrey asked with a trace of concern, "Bein' the center of attention, or the fact that I accidentally included your old not-quite boyfriend in my hug?"

Sally smiled and said, "Who said I was only referring to one?"

Sonic's eye's widened, and he said quickly, "I'm going to go get you that aspirin, now!" and raced off.

Sally laughed, but Geoffrey warned her, "I hope this doesn't mean you have fantasies of me and Sonic makin' out! 'Cause I'm one entirely straight skunk!"

With a bemused smile, Sally let out a sigh. "Oh, well. A girl can dream..."