Taismo: Return of the Petalis: Ch7

Here is a brief synopsis of chapters 5 and 6 for those of you unable to read them:

Ch5: The Seedrian/Mobian war continues. Sonic and Knuckles visit Tails to encourage him to fight, but reluctantly leave him. Tails then talks things over with Cosmo, but is summoned by the King of Mobius before he can take any action. Meanwhile Cream sets off into the battle-ridden streets to find Tails.

Ch6: Bokkun escapes Dr. Eggman's lab and starts searching for Cream. However he quickly runs into trouble, but is saved by Espio, who agrees to help him find Cream. Unfortunately they witness her death at the hands of a Seedrian. Bokkun angrily disposes of the Seedrian before telling Cream that he loves her as she dies.

Enjoy Chapter seven
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Taismo – Return of the Petalis – Chapter Seven

Tails chased the dog through the havoc that was the capital of Mobius. He had to swerve several time to avoid the rubble and bodies that lay around. Tails gasped as a Seedrian leapt in front of him, but the Seedrian was quickly batted away by the army uniform-clad dog. Tails looked up and down at the dog. He was tall for a Mobian and had very broad shoulders. His uniform was a sandy colour that contrasted with his black and white fur. He wore it smartly, yet it was covered in dirt and a small amount of blood that suggested recent combat. Tails noticed a handgun in the dogs holster on his waist and several cigars in his breast pocket.

The sky was still red but was turning black as the dead of the night was reached. However plenty of explosions could be heard in the distance as deadly street battles continued. Finally Tails and the dog reached the palace of the King of Mobius, which had remained
relatively unscathed. This was Ocean Palace.

The palace was a simple stone building made from red and white brick. The entrance was not particularly tall but the palace covered a vast area. Grass covered the stone steps that led to the entrance, while several spiky towers surrounded the entrance building. Tails remembered discovering the ancient sea palace a couple of years back*, and the King had since made it his home.

Tails continued to follow the dog past the guards in the doorway. They travelled through a variety of brightly coloured rooms and corridors before finally reaching a vast room. Many banners were in this decorated room, mainly of the colours red, blue and gold. At the end of the room was a golden throne in which the King of Mobius sat, patiently waiting for them.

The King was a middle-aged squirrel and, as far as Tails could tell, not the fittest physically. He wore a smart blue jacket with a golden sash, and had a long brown moustache that matched his maroon fur. His eyes were emerald green, and he appeared stressed.

"Your majesty". The dog bowed. "I present before you Miles Prower, as you requested sire."

"Ah," the King replied, looking directly at Tails, "so you're the one who caused these plants to invade my Kingdom, eh?"
Tails was trembling nervously as sweat dribbled down his chest. "P-please s-sir, I m-meant no-"

"YOU CALL ME 'YOUR MAJESTY' WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!"

Tails leaped back at this sudden burst of anger. He got up, trembling even more than before. "Y-yes you m-majesty" he stammered.

"You are in deep trouble Prower. These plants have destroyed my buildings, injured my people and threatened my authority."

"Y-your majesty I m-meant no-"

"YOU SHALL ALSO SPEAK ONLY WHEN SPOKEN TO!! WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS, BOY?!"Tails cowered and surrounded himself with his tails. "Miles," the King began to calm down, "I have already consulted my council and we have come to the conclusion that given you chose not to battle with the plants that you had no bad intentions. However the fact that you let these dangerous creatures loose labels you as a direct threat to the people of Mobius. I hear that you are an adept engineer, so in light of this I have decided to give you 24 hours to leave Mobius by your own means. Henceforth you are exiled from our planet."

Exiled! Tails could not bear the thought of leaving everyone behind. He thought of Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Cream**, the Chaotix, and of course Cosmo's tree. This was too much for Tails. "No! Exile?! Please your majesty, I can't leave my friends behind. Anything but exile!" Tails howled, tears flowing out of his eyes. He bit his tails softly.

"Prower! Grow up! You should consider yourself lucky – a significant part of my council recommended that I should have you executed. It is only in light of your many services to Mobius over the past few years that I spared you this penalty. Now get out of my sight! I will personally be at your house at this time tomorrow to ensure that you have left. You WILL face the death penalty should we find you on Mobius after this."

Tails could only think of leaving Cosmo behind as he was dragged away, weeping hysterically, by the dog who had brought him here. He was completely helpless.

"What can I do? I love you Cosmo, but I can't keep my promise to protect you. I'm so sorry."   
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*see Sonic Heroes
**Bearing in mind that Tails is unaware of Cream's death