I've no idea why I never posted this to FUS before now, but anyway, 'ere's it is anyway. ;o
Salvation is set a little under a decade after the end of Season 2 (or seven years after the end of my last Sonic fic, The Learning, which you can read here).
Synopsis
After the end of the last war against Robotnik and Naugus, Mobotropolis has established a shaky new monarchy headed up by Nicole, while attempting to mend fences with the northerners of Mobius, a people who carry an old grudge against the Acorn crown stemming from their treatment in the Great War.
On the eve of a major breakthrough in their relations, the leader of the Northerners is assassinated and Nicole is blamed for his murder. As the Freedom Fighters reconvene to try and decipher the slaying, they discover a conspiracy that threatens to topple both nations and transform the face of Mobius for good.
Their quest to unravel the plot will take them through a journey to confront their pasts and their fears and each other -- and find their place and make peace as adults, who have only known war in their childhoods.
Rated T for violence and some mild harsh language.
Chapter Listing
Chapter 1: Day Zero, Part One
Chapter 2: Day Zero, Part Two
Chapter 3: Day Zero, Part Three
Chapter 4: N.P.O.V.
Chapter 5: Gone [The First Interlude]
Chapter 6: The Fait Accompli
Chapter 7: Breaking The Broken
Chapter 8: The Best Morning Of My Life [The Second Interlude]
Chapter 9: Hail and Farewell
Chapter 10: Divided We Stand
Chapter 11: Neverlasting
Chapter 12: The Scars I Carry
Chapter 13: Marionette
Excerpt from the latest chapter
Half an hour later, Tails was in the waiting room outside the Office of the Grandmaster, sitting in a chair, staring at his hands. His face still felt tender where he'd been crying. All he could feel was shame and embarrassment, after the scene he'd just made - and Nicole had asked him to come here acting as a symbol of hope, a rallying cry to unite Mobius against the threat of Angiris and his Enclave. What hope was there of that, now?
"You alright now, Tails?" Bunnie asked, sitting in the chair next to him. Antoine had left to keep an eye on Marr, and make sure Tails hadn't hurt her worse than it had seemed.
"Ever since I got back to Mobius, I've been getting this feeling," Tails murmured. "Like I'm a puppet on a string. My body is telling me to leave here and..." he trailed off.
"And what?" Bunnie probed.
Tails' eyes widened as he spoke, suddenly aware. "It must be the Antithesis... damn! It has to be. It's like it's calling me, controlling me..."
"Huh..." Bunnie's eyes widened, and she cocked her head as she looked at him. "So, that thing's real, then?"
"I wasn't so sure before, but... there are all these pieces of a puzzle in my head. Bit by bit, they're starting to come together. Angiris and the rest of the kitsune... they must feel it, too. I can feel myself getting more powerful the closer I am to it, but it's like I'm losing my handle on my powers..."
"Then we gotta do something about this," Bunnie said, "before you lose it altogether."
He turned to her and nodded, blinking quickly, his eyes suddenly feeling dry. "Thank you, Bunnie. Nothing's been going the way I'd hoped, so far..."
"It's alright, hon," she said, resting a hand on his arm. "We'll get through this, long as we stick together."
Tails nodded. "How did you and Antoine go with your part here, anyway? You were sent here to find out about the conspiracy, right?"
Bunnie shrugged, pursing her lips. "I'll level with ya, sugar - it was looking pretty darned hopeless. We were still looking for an in on how to get in touch with the Cult of Xul and find out their plans. We'd only just found out that the Antithesis was even a thing, then the comm link with Mobotropolis went down. Then the attack happened, and now you've showed up and it sounds like you've already found out more about what's goin' on around here than we could've hoped to."
"Hmm."
"Tails, I've been meanin' to ask since you got here... you were back in Knothole just a few days back, and we haven't been able to get in touch with them since the comms in Mobotropolis went down..."
"You've been worried about Amelie."
Bunnie nodded sheepishly. "How's my little princess doin'?"
Tails smiled a little, the thought of the kid cheering him up some. "I'm sorry I didn't get to see her before I came here, but Rosie tells me she's as well-behaved as they come. She's still safe and sound in Knothole. Don't worry, you'll be together again soon."
She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank heavens. I think Rosie's the biggest hero of us all, sometimes."
"Can't argue with that."
The door to Ari's office opened. The Grandmaster of the Brotherhood of Thamael stood before them, his arms folded beneath the great cloak that hugged his shoulders. He wasn't smiling.
"So..." he frowned, "the child prodigy, destroyer of the Void and my master's protégé returns, and the first thing he does have a nervous breakdown and strangle my assistant, in front of absolutely everyone."
Tails could only respond with a solemn nod. "Yes, Grandmaster."
"And out of nowhere, you come back here after over a half-decade of absence, saying you've just happened across all the answers to all the questions we've been asking since Christof was murdered."
"Yes, Grandmaster."
"Boy, I can't wait to hear this one," the ram said, shaking his head. "Come in, have a seat. And if you think for even one second that you can come in here and try to get one up on me-"
"I'm not thinking that at all, Grandmaster," Tails said quickly.
Ari's expression hardened. "We'll see."
