"I demand that you leave."
Immediately after the end of the last chapter, Honest had led Scourge down the hallway and had been confronted by Shadow. The black and red-striped hedgy obviously didn't trust the two of them to be completely alone together, (for some reason 🙄) and so once they had emerged, Shadow was already standing there and holding, not a friendly, hand-crafted invitation for Scourge to leave, but an MP5, aimed squarely at the green king's sunglasses-adorned head. Classic.
There Scourge was, quite literally caught in the crosshairs, feeling as if he were a mouse standing amidst a crowd of hungry cats. He definitely hadn't thought, when he awoke that morning, that he would be staring down the barrel of Shadow's MP5 before the sun set.
"Dang, we've been detected," Honest said, narrowing her eyes.
Swirls spun in Scourge's eyes. Why was she quoting Espio now of all times? It only made their situation seem more shady than it actually was, and it definitely wasn't helping to calm Shadow down.
As he stood there, caught in the crosshairs of Shadow's weapon, Scourge couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline. This was shaping up to be one heck of an afternoon. His eyes darted between the gun and Shadow's intense gaze, searching for any sign of hesitation or uncertainty. And then he realized... there was plenty. The submachine gun in his hands even visibly shook as he held it.
"Stripes, buddy, let's not be hasty here," Scourge said, stretching out his hands as a sign of peace and trying to defuse the tension. "I can leave if you really want me to."
But, of course, Honest just had to chime in and make things even more complicated.
"No, you can't," Honest spoke up from behind him. "I won't let you."
"The-" Shadow let out a sigh and lowered the gun. "The gun is a little overkill, I suppose. But this isn't my house, it's Snow's. Let it be up to her whether you can stay or not. She just got home."
A blurry shape morphed into the form of a rabbit, their golden fur catching the light. Soon, Snow, in her usual vertical-striped purple dress, stepped in front of Shadow, her thigh-high, light gray boots clacking on the wooden floor. She regarded Scourge with a friendly smile, her long, dark purple ears and auburn hair swinging and swaying as she tilted her head. "Did I hear my name?" she asked, purple eyes closing in what seemed like amusement. She then opened them and watched as Scourge gaped like a fish upon seeing her. "Who is this?"
Scourge was momentarily struck dumb by her sudden appearance. "S-Scourge, I'm Scourge," he managed to stammer, his skills with smooth-talking temporarily on vacation. Snow blinked curiously at him.
She turned to look at Shadow. "He's not looking to move in, is he?"
Shadow's eyes narrowed a couple centimeters further. "Thank Chaos, no."
Scourge just stood there, sweating profusely as if he were suddenly coming down with some mysterious illness. The stripes of Snow's dress blurred in his peripheral vision. Honest's voice, sharp and laced with annoyance, sliced through his daze.
"He was just looking to spend the afternoon here," Honest said, rolling her eyes.
"Just the afternoon?" Snow asked, smiling again. "He can stay the whole night if he likes. I just put new bedding in the room between Honest's and Silver's," she added, her gaze flitting back to Scourge before she turned and disappeared down the stairs.
"That was Snow?" Scourge asked as soon as she was gone.
Honest crossed her arms, ignoring his question. "Shadow overreacts sometimes," she said bluntly. "He was right; it wasn't his call whether you could stay or not, it was Snow's, and she seems to consider you her highly esteemed guest. Sorry that you had to be threatened with a loaded submachine gun before he realized that."
"No, it's fine," Scourge said, staring after Snow as she walked well into the distance. "With Fiona, it was like being held at gunpoint every single day... minus the gun, of course." He had a faraway look in his eyes as he said, "I'm so glad she's gone, you know, but the multiverse feels kinda empty without her."
Honest huffed and stepped in front of Scourge, roughly grasping his hands in hers and staring up at him with determination. Shadow's head turned ninety degrees, and his crimson eyes burned a hole in the sides of Honest's and Scourge's heads. "I have a proposition for you," Honest told him sternly.
Scourge's eyes were two different sizes as he stared at her with utter confusion. "And... what might that be?"
"I propose you officially appoint me as your royal advisor."
"Royal... who now?" Scourge asked, his eyes uncomprehending white discs.
Honest scoffed. "Why not? I possess exceptional strategic skills, extended knowledge of Moebius's political landscape, and, let's not forget, limitless, undying loyalty to the Crown."
Scourge didn't like the way Honest's eyes sparkled as she said "Crown". "There is no crown anymore, Honest."
"There's nothing a little cellophane tape won't fix," was her quick reply.
Somehow, Honest's offer was alluring. He swallowed hard, his mind in turmoil. "I... I don't know," he stammered. "It's a lot to think about."
"Then think about it. But remember, I'm always here for you, ready to serve in any capacity you see fit," Honest said eventually, letting go of one of his hands and taking one of Shadow's, who looked to be about to draw his weapon again. "I need some fresh air. How about we go for a walk?"
Frankly, the thought of being trapped inside with Shadow any longer was enough to make him agree to a stroll through a raging blizzard, let alone a simple walk. So, once the three had escaped Snow's house through the front door, Scourge immediately took the lead, marching out in front of them. They had walked, eh, maybe a block, when suddenly Scourge started to feel as if someone were watching him. Sure enough, once they had cleared a bunch of tall hedges blocking their view, a fountain was revealed, one only large enough for three, maybe four, Flickies. Still, none other than Honey the Cat (for some reason x2 🤷♀️) was perched on the edge like she owned the place. She flicked her tail lazily as they approached, but once she had seen them, her expression brightened.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? The royal entourage on an evening stroll?" Honey asked, her eyes narrowing. "This makes too much sense." Apparently, she still had a bone to pick with the green screen-colored king.
"W-What makes too much sense?" Scourge stammered. Honest immediately assumed some sort of battle pose as if she were afraid Honey would attack.
"That you three would be together, that's all," Honey explained, pointing at them. Her voice lost all its warmth as she stared at Scourge through half-lidded eyes. "I won't forget the weakness you showed me in Carnival Night Zone." The memory of that place came flooding back like a bad dream.
"Weakness? Scourge? What's she talking about?" Shadow asked the back of the young king's head.
"Umm..." Scourge put a finger to his lip in thought. "Remember when I showed up to save you guys from the Carnival Night Zone Mafia?"
"Oh, yeah! That was pretty cool," Honest remarked, thinking back.
"Well, it turns out that wasn't cool," Scourge said, his arms hanging limply in front of him in utter defeat.
A cloud of silence hung stiffly in the air between the two hedgehogs and two cats before Honest suddenly tore it to pieces. "But that was like ninety-eight chapters ago," she said, shrugging. "We're still allies, right?"
Honey blinked in slight confusion. "I suppose so," she said, looking towards the sky as if it were feeding her information. "I don't see why Scourge's actions or inaction would affect our friendship."
"See, Shadow?" Honest exclaimed, grinning and gesturing towards Honey with a hand. "Friendships aren't fragile. They can withstand all sorts of stuff."
"Even one of the friends committing murder?" Shadow asked bluntly, his eyes half-lidded.
"Uh... Am I intruding on something?" Honey asked, her eyes becoming white circles.
"N-No," Scourge stammered, sounding only slightly embarrassed as if the heinous topic being brought up were something harmless. "What brings you out here, anyway?"
Honey shrugged nonchalantly, her tail swaying lazily behind her. "Just taking a stroll and enjoying the fresh air." Sensing the unease between them, Honey sighed. "I won't pry. I just thought I'd say hi since I saw you passing by." Did she mean to rhyme there? Maybe. With a nod, she pushed herself off the fountain's edge and landed gracefully on the ground. "I'll see you around," the yellow cat added before turning and walking away, her footsteps echoing faintly against the pavement.
Before anyone could move, Honest stifled a giggle, drawing Scourge and Shadow's attention. "Scourge is a goody two-shoes," she said. Scourge's face erupted into various shades of crimson.
"I wouldn't have had to save you if you and Stripes hadn't gotten yourselves captured!" Scourge claimed, shaking his fist. "I was there to collect the lightbulbs out of the tails of the Batbots and sell them at full price despite the fact that they were used. That's deceptive advertising, a.k.a a criminal act!"
"Ooh! Imagine the headlines: 'Infamous Villain "Scourge" Charged with Deceptive Advertising'!" Honest imagined, smiling a cat smile. "There's no way anyone will see you as weak with a crime like that under your belt." She was being sarcastic. (Usually, they tell you to "show, not tell" but in this case, since Scourge is fighting for control of the narration here, he's not being bound by our silly rules.)
"Anyway..." Honest said, putting her hands together in front of her face as if she were praying. "About my offer. To be your advisor? I wasn't kidding, ya know." Before Scourge could even say anything, Honest continued, "And Shadow can be captain of the royal guard."
"Could Scourge... knight me?" Shadow asked, sounding unsure.
Honest laughed and reached up to pet the Ultimate Lifeform's fluffy striped head. "You're already a knight, Lancey!"
Scourge sweated profusely. "I mean... Most of my 'kingdom' still thinks I'm in prison or missing, so I really don't have a, er, citizenry, I guess. Can a kingdom exist without citizens?"
Honest shrugged. "I mean, think about it: an uninhabited island doesn't have anyone living on it, but it can still fall under the jurisdiction of a sovereign nation. Technically, I guess you could have a whole city, like Scourgatropolis, under your kingdom's jurisdiction, even if all the people living there didn't wish to be citizens of it."
"Scourgatropolis?" Shadow echoed, squinting one eye.
"Well, yeah," Honest answered, shrugging again. "If it's Robotropolis while Robotnik's in charge, it only makes sense that it would be Scourgatropolis while Scourge is in charge." Honest seemed to forget what she had been talking about for a second, but then, suddenly, her face brightened and she held up a finger, resembling Sonic on the title screen in Sonic 1. "But once you appoint us to positions, we'll become your willful citizens. So, whaddya say?"
Scourge looked to Shadow over the top of her head. "Stripes? Is she really speaking for both of you?"
Shadow crossed his arms. "Yes. Look, I was wrong for trying to compare you to that faker Sonic. You are not the same."
Scourge looked back at Honest, his eyes wide as if he were aware of some giant monster standing behind him, breathing down his neck. A wooden bat materialized in his right hand. "Alright then, umm..." He lifted the bat and rested it atop Honest's head. Any sound it might've made was completely muffled by her hair. "You're... hired? Appointed."
Honest's eyes sparkled like some cartoon character's. Scourge wondered for a second if she were under a spell. The spell? Was that even possible? He narrowed his eyes, feeling slightly frustrated.
Shadow tipped his head to one side. "Do I need to get down on one knee?" he asked in a flat tone.
"Huh?!" Scourge exclaimed, breaking out of his stupor and not remembering right away what Shadow was talking about.
"For you to knight me?" he clarified just as flatly.
"Oh, no, it's just a pointless formality. You're knighted or... whatever." Scourge trudged off towards Snow's, his bat disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Honest watched Scourge leave until he was out of earshot and then turned to Shadow with a big smile on her face. "Thanks for apologizing to Scourge."
"Sure, whatever," Shadow answered, attempting to skate past Honest and follow Scourge back to Snow's. Honest held an arm out to block his path. Her smile faltered for a bit as a more worried frown began to emerge.
"If you don't want to forgive me, at least forgive Scourge," she said.
"He didn't do anything wrong," Shadow asserted. "It was that fox girlfriend of his that pressured him into putting in the anonymous tip that got Infinite captured and turned him against you."
"Yeah, you're right," Honest said. She believed it, but for some reason saying he was right felt difficult to say. "Alright, so will you forgive me?"
"I already have," Shadow replied with a sigh. "Infinite would have probably done something horrific or world-ending if you had let him go on. You did what was right for the circumstances."
Ooh... Maybe now was not a good time to tell Shadow what Infinite was thinking about when Honest gave him the Ruby.
Without the Ruby in his chest, he felt weak, yeah, but there was also a sort of peace he felt, like he didn't have to fight to prove himself, that he could attempt to live normally for a change, maybe work harder and improve his grade.
...Yeah, maybe that was a secret best kept to herself.
---
After that super long chapter last time, I think it's okay if I end this a bit short.
I had to pay for a dentist visit out of my funds, so I now have to be super careful not to use too much of what I have left so I can preorder Shadow x Sonic Generations when it becomes available. ^^;