Divinity

Cream let out a long sigh, thinking about the bad luck she'd been having lately. What had started as a simple reconnaissance mission turned into a fight for survival when the Wolf Pack attacked. Despite resisting as best they could, the FF were defeated; after a flash brighter than the sun appeared, it was all over. Now she was inside one of the FF assault trucks that the wolves had commandeered to transport prisoners.

The handcuffs on the rabbit's wrists and ankles jingled; in front of her, a pack of wolves, twice her height and width, watched from behind expressionless tribal masks; behind her, a whole squad of Freedom Fighters, chained like her, some badly wounded, all terrified; to her right lay Captain Tangle, unconscious, her tail completely bandaged. Cream did her best not to look at her too much; guilt consumed her, for it was she who had led them into the trap.

She felt something tap her left shoulder. It was the leader of the wolves, an athletic she-wolf, but with half the muscle mass and height of the other wolves. Even so, they respected her and diligently obeyed her orders. Cream could sense an aura about her similar to Commander Shadow's, only more approachable.

The wolf leader was handing Cream a jar of ointment for Tangle's tail burns. This was the fourth time since they had all been captured that the leader had given her the ointment; there had even been an occasion when Cream herself had forgotten about it and the leader had to come and remind her.

Cream took the ointment, untangled Tangle's bandages, and began applying it. She tried hard not to think about the state of Tangle's tail; otherwise, she was going to burst into tears. She felt a touch on her shoulder; the wolf leader was signaling her to pay attention to something, but Cream couldn't understand the gestures. Finally, the wolf took the ointment and applied it herself, then put on a new set of bandages. Having finished, she turned to leave, but Cream stopped her.

"Thank you very much..." said the rabbit.

The wolf glanced at her sideways. Cream swallowed; she couldn't say for sure, but she felt the wolf was judging her with her eyes. She began to stammer, the words just wouldn't come out, the lump in her throat growing tighter.

The wolf placed her hand on Cream's, and the rabbit froze. The touch felt warm, gentle. The wolf removed Cream's hand, looked at Tangle, then turned back to Cream.

"I'm sorry...", her voice was calm and slightly distressed, very different from her typical commanding voice.

Then she left, disappearing behind the door that separated the cargo area from the driver's cab of the truck.

Cream remained lost in thought until Tangle's soft whimpers distracted her. She seemed to be whispering a name, reaching out to grasp something. Cream offered her hand, and Tangle held it tightly; it was then that she calmed down.

"...Whisper..." Cream managed to make out a little of what the lemur was saying. "...Cream... I'm sorry..."

Cream gritted her teeth and held Tangle's hand tighter. Why did everyone always end up apologizing for her mistakes? As if she were still a child...

The sun's glare, after so long in darkness, blinded the rabbit. No matter how much she blinked or shielded her eyes, she couldn't stop seeing strange colors and shapes that obstructed her vision. One of the wolf guards demanded she move forward, striking her back with the other end of his spear. Cream stumbled along, trying not to fall and take down the half-dozen soldiers to whom she was chained.

When she finally regained some of her sight, she was captivated. Green, almost as green as the capital of the Kingdom of Acorn, but tropical. Palm trees, coconut palms, tall, leafy grasses, vibrant flowers, all surrounding a clearing in the center of which stood a cluster of stepped pyramidal structures painted in striking colors. At the foot of the pyramids were various wooden huts decorated with colorful fabrics; some looked like the makeshift kiosks Cream had grown accustomed to seeing in the center of Oak Shire.

Living among the huts and pyramids were koalas, wolves, felines, and some spiky-scaled lizards that Cream had never seen before. The wolves seemed to serve as police officers, similar to the Diamond Cutters of the kingdom, while the koalas and lizards were mostly ordinary citizens. The felines, however, were enigmatic. The vast majority wore strange robes that covered them completely, and their actions seemed to avoid the sun at all costs. Cream noticed them moving toward the largest pyramid in the center of it all, where she and the other prisoners were also being taken.

On the Wolf Leader's orders, the guards separated Cream from the other prisoners and led her through a different entrance to the pyramid. She ventured deeper into a passage that resembled a cave, and in its darkness, she lost her sight again. She moved forward blindly until she stumbled over something, or someone.

"Oh, excuse me... My Gaia! What on earth are you doing here?!" The voice was familiar. Cream stifled a squeal of excitement. She slowly made out the outlines, then the figure, then the colors. It was definitely Amy.

The rabbit felt herself being tightly embraced by the pink hedgehog as the guards tried to separate them. The wolf leader's sharp whistle sounded, her signal for her men to halt. The wolf walked past the two girls. Amy and Cream stared at her, the pink hedgehog suspicious, the rabbit confused. The wolf nodded, taking her men with her, then gestured for the line of prisoners to continue moving forward.

Amy and Cream walked side by side, arm in arm.

"I'm so glad to see you, Miss Amy!" exclaimed Cream, her voice nearly breaking.

"Not me! Not at all!" Amy blurted out, agitated. "I mean... Not here. I'm glad to see you're okay, but you shouldn't be here. How on earth...?" Then the realization hit the hedgehog, and a murderous rage seized her. "SONIC!!"

"You don't have to yell in my ear!" Sticks retorted, right in front of Amy. "Oh, hi long-ears."

"Okay, okay," the blue hedgehog said, peeking his head out in front of Sticks and looking behind him. "What did I do now...? Is that Cream? What is she doing...? Ohno."

"SONIC!!", roared the bloodthirsty pink hedgehog.

"Sticks, don't you have any plan to calm her down, please?" Sonic whispered in terror.

"Do I look like a beast tamer or a couples therapist? Don't drag me into this. I have enough trouble just being caught between the two of you."

"Aaaargh! Why are you making such a damn racket?" Knuckles protested in front of Sonic. He was barely understandable, speaking like someone who had just woken up a few minutes ago. "You're going to make my head explode..."

"Mr. Knuckles? Mr. Knuckles, it's you!" Cream exclaimed excitedly.

"Lower your voice, little bugger. And who are you...? How do you know me?" Knuckles turned and narrowed his eyes. "Why does that girl look like Cream but... like she's been stretched?"

"That's Cream, knuckle-head," Sonic replied.

"Ah... And what is she doing here?"

"Oh, who knows!!" Amy said, somewhere between sarcastic and angry. "Maybe the great Sonic the Hedgehog has the answer!! Right, Sonic?!"

"What did you do now, 'hog?" asked the echidna.

"Long story. Hey, since we're practically like blood brothers, can I ask you to protect me from Amy hanging me, tearing me apart, and feeding my remains to the crows?"

"Mind your own business, bro. My head hurts too much to have to deal with your blunders."

The wolf leader gave a loud whistle, a handful of wolf guards surrounded the group and guided them to their next destination.

"Chief Lupe, the other Apostles are waiting for you," Cream heard someone say. Turning around, she saw the wolf leader being handed a cyan-colored hood, then disappear into the shadows.

Cream and the others arrived at a large arena surrounded by stadium-like stands. These were filled with people covered in robes. Inside the arena were all the captured FF soldiers, along with other prisoners, all terrified. The prisoners surrounded a stage adorned with hundreds of unlit candles; it was the only place directly illuminated by an opening at the top of the pyramid. The group was led to the stage and lined up side by side, facing the back of the arena.

The silence in that room was unsettling; the audience wasn't even allowed to whisper, the slightest noise was stifled by the crowd. There was a wait that felt endless as Cream listened to her own heartbeat. The rabbit looked all around, but there was no sign of Tangle; she feared the worst.

A long whistle sounded, then the murmur of the crowd rising in the stands. From the depths of the arena emerged the unusual figure, draped in a lavender robe decorated with gold and red; the garment was so large that the looser parts of the skirt and sleeves were carried by her subjects, also covered in fabric. Behind them came other hooded figures: one in red, one in yellow, one in green, one in blue, and the last in cyan.

All the figures ascended the stage, the lavender figure taking center stage while the others surrounded her. The lavender figure extended her hands from the long, voluminous sleeves of her robe, and her subjects placed lavender gloves upon her before the sun's rays touched her skin. Then the lavender figure formed a star with her hands and raised them high; everyone in the stands imitated her. The green and blue figures joined in, while the others refrained.

"THE QUEEN IS WISE!", the lavender figure shouted, her voice echoing in every corner of the enclosure.

"THE QUEEN IS FAIR!", the audience responded.

"We are gathered here today to witness the justice of our Second Dawn, our only true dawn, who will judge firsthand the fate that awaits these ungodly and faithless ones who have dared to defy her indisputable will!"

The lavender figure gestured, and the wolf guards mobilized. Suddenly, the little light that remained began to fade. Cream watched as the opening in the roof was closed, plunging the enclosure into complete darkness.

Suddenly, a great, blinding flash emerged from the depths of the arena behind the lavender figure. It was an overwhelming brilliance that emanated a suffocating heat; Cream was unable to see it directly. Immediately, the audience in the stands removed the hoods of their robes. Felines, and some wolves and koalas, all driven by a divine fervor, raised their arms to receive the light upon their bodies. The figures in green and blue also removed their hoods. Cream could identify Ray, Mighty's companion, as the one in green, but not the girl in blue with the scar on her face.

The lavender figure allowed her subjects to remove her gloves and hood, revealing a white-furred catwoman with ears adorned with golden earrings. The cat turned to face the light, her eyes closed, her hands forming a star above her head.

The light was moving. It advanced slowly, each step making the heat harder to bear. Cream could hear the flames crackling and what sounded like tiny crystals being stepped on. The candles on the stage lit themselves. The rabbit was so bewildered she felt like she was going to panic. Only the touch of Amy's hand squeezing hers calmed her a little.

A new figure appeared above the glow, and the flames subsided enough to prevent them from engulfing the entire stage. Cream strained to get a closer look at the figure levitating above them all. It wore a silver hood, its arms outstretched to either side, as if trying to contain something invisible. Is it controlling the flames? the rabbit wondered.

"My queen!" said the white cat, bowing. "Blessed are you for gracing us with your spotless radiance! Blessed are all those touched by your light! May their souls be purified!" The white cat stepped aside.

Engulfed in wildfire, it was difficult but not impossible to discern Blaze's silhouette.

"Today is a day of rejoicing! And for that reason, your most faithful Apostles are present here... uh... excepting Master Prower... again. If I may suggest, my queen, I believe that this kind of recurring insubordination should..."

"Hathor," Blaze's voice sounded like a flame erupting. The white cat fell to her knees.

"I beg your pardon for my impertinence, my queen! You are wise and fair! You are the one who should judge Master Prower's actions! Not I!"

Blaze moved further onto the stage, leaving Hathor behind, who stood up again but kept her head bowed. The monarch walked toward the girl in the blue hood. Cream noticed she was nervous, but more from excitement than fear.

"Glory to your Celestial Marine, my queen!" Hathor roared. "Your forces in the heavens have returned with the last of your sacred Sol Emeralds." Hathor drew a gray gem from her robes and raised it high, drawing applause from the crowd. She presented the gem to the silver figure and continued, "Master Marine has commanded her forces according to your designs and has triumphed. Glory to Marine!"

"GLORY!", the crowd responded.

Blaze positioned herself in front of Marine. Marine was sweating from the heat, but she acted as if it didn't affect her. The silver figure stood behind Marine and raised their hands to further quell the flames. Blaze pulled her hand out of the fire and brought it closer to Marine. She lifted Marine's chin so she looked directly at her, then gently stroked her cheek where the scar ended. Marine tilted her head closer to Blaze's touch. A tear escaped her eye; she looked happy.

"Glory to Marine! Glory to Marine!" chanted the crowd in the stands.

"Furthermore, my queen," Hathor continued, "not only has the final piece been recovered to carry out 'The Separation,' your promised return to the world that was taken from us... but you also have before you those responsible for this abhorrent 'Union' to be judged and receive what they deserve for their transgressions."

Blaze turned to where Sonic and the others were. She left Marine and headed toward them, the flames intensifying once more. She walked slowly past each of them, silently surveying them with her gaze. First Cream, then Amy, then Sticks, until she stopped in front of Sonic. She stared at him for a moment; the hedgehog seemed calm, but his foot twitched slightly.

"Don't say anything stupid..." Amy couldn't help but whisper through gritted teeth. Blaze heard her and turned to look at her; Amy looked away.

As Blaze turned her attention back to Sonic, the silver figure positioned themselves behind the hedgehog and did the same thing it had done with Marine. Blaze's flames subsided, the cat reached out from the fire and roughly grabbed the hedgehog by the jaw to pull him closer, then pulled her head out of the flames.

Cream swallowed hard; the cat's expression betrayed an immeasurable rage, exacerbated by her disturbing blackened eyes. But at the same time, she could see the same weariness as Sonic's.

Blaze carefully inspected the hedgehog's eyes, as if trying to decipher something in them. When she seemed to have finished, she released him and stepped back into her flames. Then turned and walked away from the stage.

"Um... D-do you forgive them, my queen...?" Hathor asked hesitantly. Blaze simply raised her hand. "W-well... Rejoice, infidels! The infinite kindness of our queen has blessed you, and you have been completely exonerated of all guilt! Let this be proof of the one and only absolute truth: THE QUEEN IS WISE!"

"THE QUEEN IS FAIR!", the audience replied before bursting into applause.

Blaze gestured to summon the silver figure. As Hathor ordered the guards to take the prisoners to their cells, the silver figure approached her and whispered something in her ear.

"If the queen so commands, so be it," replied the cat, then turned to Sonic and the others. "The queen demands that the two hedgehogs and the rabbit be taken to her chambers."

The guards immediately unchained Sonic, Amy, and Cream from the others and led them behind Blaze, escorted by the Silver figure. Cream took one last look behind her before losing sight of her fellow Freedom Fighters as the hatch behind her closed.

"Very cute, Mr. NONE. But, If the cats were all covered in robes, How Cream knew they were cats at all?"

...

They were robes with Cat ears.

Random Trivia: Lupe and Hathor

Those familiar with Archie Sonic might recognize these names, but for those who don't:

Lupe the Wolf is the leader of the Wolf Pack and an ally of the Freedom Fighters, both before and after the Archie Sonic Reboot. Hathor, on the other hand, is the queen of the Felidae, a tribe of cats who lived in the "Mysterious Country of Cats" before the Reboot.

Both tribes were in constant conflict. "How did they resolve it in this AU?" That's the fun part, they didn't.

"Is the Wolf Pack still ally of the Freedom Fighters?", Hey, that's an interesting idea...