Chapter 3
Later in the palace in the triplets bedrooms. Sonic was humming happily in the dressing room.
"Sonic, you've been in there all morning. It's time to come out!" said Sonia.
Finally Sonic got out of the dressing room and was in a very good mood.
"Are you okay, Sonic?" asked Manic.
"Just fine, Manic!" Sonic replied happily as he swam passed his siblings.
"Good morning, children!" Queen Aleena smiled as showed up.
"Good morning, mom!" he smiled as he placed a flower on his mom's hair as he kept swimming away.
"Sonic is acting strange lately." said Manic.
"What? What's wrong?" Aleena asked.
"Isn't that obvious, mom? Sonic is in love." Sonia said quite gushingly.
"Sonic? In love?" Aleena was surprised as she smiled.
Meanwhile Sonic sat on the rock, couldn't stop thinking about Shadow while plucking out some petals from a flower. Suddenly Tails showed up.
"Hi, Sonic!" said Tails.
"Hi, Tails!" Sonic smiled.
"Sonic, I've got a surprise for you!" the merfox said by excitement.
"Really?" he asked excitedly.
"Yes! Follow me!" Tails replied as they both swam off.
Knuckles searched for Sonic outside until the seahorse showed up.
"Knuckles, I've got an urgent message from the sea queen." said the seahorse. "She wants to see you right away. Something about Sonic."
Knuckles gulped as he was hearing back to the palace.
Later in the throneroom, Aleena was waiting for Knuckles while she was looking at the flower.
"I wonder who could the lucky mermaid be.." she thought to herself.
"You wanted to see me, your majesty?" Knuckles asked nervously.
"Yes, Knuckles. I'm concerned about Sonic." Aleena replied. "Have you noticed he's been acting peculiar lately?"
"Peculiar?" he asked, feeling nervous.
"Yes. You know, daydreaming, in love." she replied looking suspicious. "Are you hiding something from me?"
Knuckles couldn't keep the secret much longer and finally admitted what happened
"Okay, fine! I tried to stop him and told him to stay away from the land creatures! But he wouldn't listen to me." Knuckles admitted.
Aleena was shocked and very crossed.
"Land creatures? What about the land creatures?" she yelled and crossed her arms. "Knuckles, tell me everything."
Later, inside the grotto, Tails showed Sonic the same statue of Shadow that sank inside the grotto.
"Surprise!" smiled Tails.
"Wow! Tails, you're the best!" Sonic smiled as he hugged Tails and then he looked at the statue with his emerald eyes sparkle and admired it. "It looks just like him. It even has his eyes."
But then Knuckles and Aleena showed up, Sonic turned around to see his mom very angry.
"Mom?" Sonic gasped.
"Sonic, I consider myself a reasonable mermaid. I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed." said Aleena very sternly. "Is it true you rescued a hedgehog from drowning?"
"But, mom! I had to!" Sonic cried.
"Contact between the land world and the mer-world is strictly forbidden. Sonic, you know that! Everyone knows that!" she yelled.
"But he would have died!"
"One less land creature to worry about!"
"You don't even know him!"
"Know him? I don't have to know him. They're all the same. Spineless, savage, harpooning, fish-eaters, incapable of any feeling!
"Mom, I love him!"
Aleena gasped in shock to hear her blue son's words about how he feels about Shadow.
"Sonic, have you lost your mind? He's a hedgehog, you're a merhog!" Aleena yelled.
"I don't care!" Sonic yelled back.
"So help me Sonic, I am going to get through to you. And if this is the only way, so be it." she snapped as she used her trident and blasted Sonic's collection in anger.
"MOM! NO! Stop!" Sonic cried and begged her not to blast the statue but it was too late.
Sonic felt heartbroken that his collection especially the statue was destroyed and began to cry. Which made Aleena feel sad, ashamed and guilty for making him cry as she left the grotto. Tails and Knuckles looked at Sonic sadly.
"Sonic, I.." Knuckles said sadly but Sonic interrupted him.
"Just leave me alone!" Sonic sobbed as Knuckles and Tails swam sadly out of the grotto.
While Sonic was all alone in his grotto and still crying, Mephiles and Iblis showed up.
"Oh dear. Poor child." Mephiles said.
"That poor sweet child." Iblis said.
"The blue boy has a very serious problem." Mephiles smirked.
"If only there were something we could do." Iblis agreed.
Yeah. But there is something." Mephiles nodded.
Sonic stopped crying and he saw Mephiles and Iblis.
"Who are you?" Sonic asked.
"Don't be afraid, dear boy! We're Mephiles and Iblis and we represent someone who can help you." Mephiles replied.
"Yeah. Someone who could make all your dreams come true. Just imagine. You and your hedgehog prince." Iblis smirked.
"Together, forever!" both Mephiles and Iblis said at the same time.
"I don't understand." said Sonic confused.
"Malinda has great powers." said Mephiles.
"Yeah. She can help you solve your problem." Iblis agreed.
"The sea witch? No! I can't! Get out of here! Leave me alone!" Sonic gasped.
"Oh well, suit yourself!" Mephiles shrugged
"It was just a suggestion." said Iblis as he flicked the statue's broken face towards Sonic while they were about to leave.
Sonic picked up the face, looked sadly at it and he changed his mind.
"Wait!" Sonic cried.
"Yes?" The eels asked with a smile.
"Take me to Malinda!" said Sonic sadly.
Mephiles and Iblis grinned at each other that Sonic accepted their suggestion.
To be continued.
