Welcome to Artificial Insanity - A Sonic fanfiction from the perspective of the NPCs of the Sonic universe. Join Stella, Lyla, Emily, and Vicki as they attempt to save the world (by themselves) and help out a mysterious stranger along the way.
This is a Sonic fanfiction by @theshootingraistar (Mod Rai) from the perspective of the NPCs of the Sonic universe! Join Stella, Lyla, Emily, and Vicki as they attempt to save the world (by themselves!) and help out a mysterious stranger along the way.
This post will serve as a pinned post/masterpost for everything involving Artificial Insanity so far.
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Act I: Inanity
Story I: Hunting the Missing Link
Prologue: The Cold Boot-Up [being remade]
Chapter I: Hello, World! [being remade]
Chapter II: In Hot Water [being remade]
Chapter III: Catch Me If You Can! [being remade]
Chapter IV: On The Run [in production!]
This post will be updated when more stories are added. Thank you for your patience.
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Hi again, it's Rai.
It's been a long time, hasn't it? Did you miss me? Don't worry, you can't keep me dead forever.
Truth be told, even behind the scenes i never really stopped thinking about this story. i was just in the midst of my life falling apart, and the people whom i wrote into the story as characters turning out to want nothing to do with me anymore. it's a long and complicated story i'd rather not get into, but the point is: We're back! And things are gonna be a little bit different around here.
First order of business: Rebranding! It's the same as the old branding, just better, and made entirely by me! I was not very good at art when i started this story, and i've had about a year and a half of improvement. the new logo is even done by me, too! doesn't it look nice?
Second order of business: Regarding what exists of Hunting the Missing Link...
It's getting scrapped. We're starting over from square one with a rewrite. The original versions of the story are not very good, and feature characters i now wish to remove from the story entirely. So i am. Don't worry - the major plot of the story won't change much, I'm just reworking and retooling what's there to write it better, and to remove that which i no longer wish to associate. They'll still be up in a compromised form on @artificialinsanity-archive once this goes live, but they will not be linked anywhere on this blog anymore. I'll also use that blog to post and repost various other cut and archived parts of the story. even if i want nothing to do with them anymore, preservation is still important, so i will preserve them myself just in case anyone really does want to go back to those.
Thirdly, this story still might not stick. Sure, I'm passionate about this story, but i feel like no one aside from me even cares (which is probably due to being mentally ill and assuming the worst in people) so even though i have been actively thinking about this story basically every day for years, i haven't done anything with it because of this. i want to see if this gets any attention, if anyone wants to read this story, if anyone else is interested. so that's why we're rebooting in safe mode - if the story just doesn't have an audience, i'll focus on other things. i might still write Artificial Insanity, but at that point it would just stay on my hard drive. i know it sounds kind of selfish, but think about it: if i'm really the only one who's interested, why post it on the internet? so we're gauging interest for now, and if the interest is there, i'll continue.
That's about it, I think. Rewrite coming soon, actually going live on AO3 this time, and previous chapters have been archived. Looking forward to a brighter future.
IT'S HEEEEEEEEEEEEERE CHAPTER III OF HUNTING THE MISSING LINK IS FINALLY OUT!!!!!
You guys have NO fucking idea how long this SINGLE chapter has rotted in development HELL for. For context, the first 2 chapters and the prologue were finished by December of 2023, and I had just started on Chapter 3.
It didn't get finished until May. And funnily enough, the length had nothing to do with that!
But this is also one of our longest chapters yet, thanks to @home-sweet-hive who helped me write it. Thank you again, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.
Please enjoy Chapter 3. We spent so long on making it good for you.
As much as it pains me to keep it, (seriously, don't read the original version of Chapter I), the archive of Chapter I has been added to the pinned post as of today. Rewrite and Chapter III arriving soon. I promise.
Originally, the story was planned to go up on AO3 on the same day as on Tumblr, with a fun variant cover done by someone close to me! However, due to circumstances outside of our control, the variant cover is running late, and I will not be uploading the story to AO3 until it is completed.
If that is where you choose to get your fanfiction from - I'm sorry. It's gonna have to wait a little bit. If you can stomach tumblr, it is live here right now.
Hunting the Missing Link, the first story of Artificial Insanity, is LIVE and available now!
The first 3 parts (the Prologue and Chapters I and II) are available TODAY, and the rest will follow as they get completed.
If you've been following this blog since its creation in 2023, I thank you ever so much for your patience. I apologize that it took this long to get out the door, but honestly most of that was because I just wanted to release this in January.
The adventures of Stella, Lyla, Emily, and Vicki have OFFICIALLY begun! I hope you all are excited as I am to see how this plays out!
If you want to read the first three parts, they are here, here, and here! Have fun, and enjoy!
Story Summary: When a mysterious individual crash-lands in the sleepy town of Starlight Edge, four unassuming individuals begin on a journey to find its origins, kickstarting a chain of events that would alter thier lives forever.
Chapter Summary: When Emily gets a new car, she takes them for a road trip to all thier favorite places, as a start to the most interesting day in the rest of thier lives.
[Next]
Story under the cut.
Just a few hours drive west from Empire City lies a small, sleepy town by the name of Starlight Edge, with a population in the low ten-thousands. Though small, the town is quite a hotspot for tourism due to the Starlight’s Edge of which the town is named after - a massive 100-foot cliff overlooking a series of 16 waterfalls flowing into a deep lake, known by the residents as Lake Selene.
A few miles away from Starlight Edge, on a street leading in from the town, lie 4 houses in a cul-de-sac, though only one has a vehicle parked outside - a yellow sports bike. Inside this house, a young hyena woman is tinkering with something while the 8am news plays in the background.
“In global news, Sonic the Hedgehog appears to have stopped the evil Doctor Robotnik yet again in the outskirts of Metropolis Zone,” reports the newscaster. “Sources say the Doctor, quote, ‘Didn't put up much of a fight.’”
“Why does this idiot keep trying these stunts!?” shouts the hyena to an audience of none. “By this point he should KNOW it’s not gonna work!”
Dressed in black with the proper safety equipment, the hyena is hard at work; soldering electronics together with a tutorial on her phone. Electronics lay all over her “garage”, from busted CD players, to old computer motherboards, to failed projects, parts and tools litter the place like they’re a rare commodity. Outside her work space, her living space isn’t much better, with clothes scattered all across her furniture, mainly centered around a single chair in the back corner.
Next to her TV is a slew of various SEGA video game consoles - Genesis, Saturn, and even Dreamcast - and next to those is a shelf full of video games, all of them about Sonic the Hedgehog. From the first one on Genesis to the last one on Dreamcast, she has them all. She even has the ones released after that, but those are on her PC, which lay just next to the shelf of video games.
With one final solder, the hyena raises her safety goggles to her forehead, eager to test out her contraption, when she hears a knock at the door. Steadily, she removes her safety gear, attaches her contraption to her wrists, and begins preparing herself.
This perky young hyena girl has big dreams, big ambitions, and a surprisingly ample bosom. Her fur is a creamy tan, like a warm latte, contrasting well with her clothes dark as night, much like the markings dotting her fur. She wore a light, yet tight black tank top with a cute yellow star adorned on its front, a black-and-purple tartan skirt with a purple waistband, some tight black sport shorts, purple combat boots that go up to her knees, and a crop top leather jacket with pins of some of her favorite musical acts - Neck Deep, State Champs, and All Time Low. Her eyes were a much darker shade of brown than her fur, much more akin to the trunk of an old and world weary oak tree. The contraptions she placed around her wrists were gold ring bracelets. Upon her hands, she also wore fingerless gloves, revealing the black tips of her fingers; and also had small purple glasses, which she wore on her nose. As for the girl’s name? It was-
“Stella!” barked a deep female voice from beyond the door. “You ready yet? I got something to show you!”
“Just a minute, Emily!” Stella yelled in response. Quickly turning off the TV, she rushed out the front door, eagerly awaiting what the day may bring.
“There you are, slowpoke!” said Emily. “What took you so long?”
“Sorry! I was fixing up my Light Bracelets.” Stella replied. “Why’d you call me out, exactly?”
“Come on! I got something to show you!” exclaimed Emily, clearly excited; which was rare for the porcupine, as she mostly stayed to herself. Her quills were a deep maroon, like autumn leaves, with her pupils a fiery red. She wore indigo boots with white stripes on them, jean shorts, and a pink tube tank top, with an indigo vest overtop. She was also one of the few members of this group to wear eyeshadow, hers being a striking lavender in color. She also had white gloves with spikes on them, as well as spiked bracelets around her wrists.
Emily took Stella two houses down, where a rounded object covered in abstract haphazard D.I.Y. canvas rest just out front, where it didn't just an hour ago.
"What's this?" questioned Stella, knowing full well what might be under the sheet, but feigning ignorance for pleasantries.
“Can’t say right now,” replied Emily. “Gotta wait for Lyla and Vicki first.”
Emily looked around.
“...Hey, where are Lyla and Vicki?”
Just then they noticed two figures racing down the street, one of them hovering just above the ground. As the figures got closer, Stella and Emily noticed it as a cheetah and a crow, rapidly approaching. As they got even closer, the cheetah slid to a stop just in front of the others, while the crow flew face first into a telephone pole. Everyone winced.
"Ooh, you okay, Vicki?" asked a concerned Stella.
"I- I'm fine!" said the timid crow, holding her head, dizzy. "Just a small bump, is all."
"I'll trust you on that, Victoria." Stella then replied.
Victoria is a shy, mild-mannered crow. Shorter than the rest, she wore a pristine white dress overtop her black feathers, though now its formerly spotless appearance has taken on dirt, grime, and a small bit of snow from the wintery ground. She doesn't seem to notice, or care, though. She's spacey - appropriately keeping her head in the clouds and rarely focusing on the situations at hand. Her hair feathers are always frazzled, despite her keeping them in a ponytail, and her boots are as black as her feathers, making them almost invisible unless you're focused on them. She also wore, on a chain around her neck, a small yellow heart-shaped gemstone, burning with a small flame to match, kept inside a small iron cage. Supposedly, in the time she’s owned it, Vicki has never seen the flame go out.
"Probably shoulda warned ya about the pole, Vic. Sorry!" Said the cheetah in an oddly chipper tone.
"Yeah, maybe you should have, Lyla. She could have gotten seriously hurt!" Stella yelled
"Don't yell at her, Stella! I'm fine!" said Vicki in response.
Lyla is an upbeat, chipper cheetah with a heart of gold and balls of steel, despite being a girl. She will charge into any situation and will not stop until she either saves the day, or gets so hurt she has to retreat. She's impulsive, sporty, and VERY friendly, but has a fear of heights. She's also somewhat inattentive, often not realizing the true gravity of a situation. She wears a navy blue sports bra and sport shorts, as well as sneakers in the same color. Her short, manic hair is a rich, creamy brown, that falls overtop the rest of her bright yellow fur, and her eyes are a deep, rich blue that almost pierces into your very soul. She smiled, rubbing the back of her head in a bashful manner.
"You know I worry about you, Vicki," Stella said. "I just don't want you to-"
"I get it, mom. You don't have to lecture me, I'm fine," replied Vicki in response.
"Now's not the time for arguing, you three!" exclaimed Emily. "We can worry about this later - I have something to show you all."
"I take it it's underneath that car-shaped cloth?" Stella pointed.
"I told you not to peek, you jerk," Emily teased.
"Oh yeah, sure, I'll just NOT look at the biggest thing on the street right now. Sure. That sounds reasonable." Stella jokingly replied.
"Alright, I get it!" Emily jeered. "You've made your point."
"Alright, so what's under the cloth? Better be something good," Stella asked. "If I find out you bought a damn mom car, I'm going to be most displeased-"
"Don't worry, princess," Emily teased, "I know your taste in cars is very exquisite."
"It's a symbol of EXPRESSION!" Stella yelled.
"So you've told me a thousand times," Emily responded, rolling her eyes so hard they could drive down the mile street to Starlight Edge and back. "Don't worry - I picked out my favorite. And it should be one you'd enjoy."
Emily grabbed the cloth, said "I present to you:", and yanked it off with force, revealing a red Mitsubishi Eclipse sedan, with a vanity plate reading "VELS"
"Chaos, why didn't I pick a name with a better initial?" joshed Stella, snickering. "Like Andromeda, or Aurora?"
"Oh yeah, because 'VEAL' is SO much better-" Emily teased.
"At least it's a real word!" yelled Stella in response.
"Whatever," brushed Emily. "So, you guys wanna go to the shops, and take this puppy for a spin?" She said, twirling a keychain on her index finger.
"YEAH!" Lyla, Stella, and Vicki all cheered in unison.
"Great! Let's go!" Emily exclaimed, excited.
Emily hit a button on her keychain revealing possibly the coolest thing about her new car - It was a convertible.
Everyone's eyes lit up brighter than the moon.
"Wait," Stella puzzled, "would putting the top down really be a good idea? It's January."
"Well, it's not snowing right now, is it?" Emily responded.
"Hmm, fair enough."
They all jumped into seats - Emily took the driver's side, as she's the only one legally allowed to drive; Stella took the passenger's side; Lyla sat behind Emily; and Vicki sat behind Stella. With everyone seated, Emily put the key in the ignition, turned it, and sped off down Parker Street into Starlight Edge.
It was a cold January day in Starlight Edge - the town had just been hit with 6 inches of snow just a few days before, and the town itself lit up brighter than ever before with the reflective snow on the ground. The small town adores its winters, having wonderful celebrations with each one. Just in from Parker St. is the shopping district, starting with Saturn Blvd., the biggest street in shopping in Starlight Edge by far, with stores, fast food restaurants, and even the Hogpine Mall, still kicking despite the decline in malls all over the world. Stella likes dropping in from time to time to pick up a CD or 2. After the shopping district is the residential district, where the citizens of Starlight Edge, well, reside. There's a few small shops in here - small mom and pop shops, convenience stores, bars, and some more fast food joints, but most of the space is taken up by housing. And just beyond the residential district is where the tourism takes charge - on the far East edge of town lies a renowned observatory, public pools, springs, parks, forms of entertainment like sporting fields, amusement parks and arcades, and beyond even ALL OF THAT lies the ever famous Starlight's Edge. Though that's MILES away from the town for the safety of its citizens, of course.
As the red Mitsubishi Eclipse pulls into town, the question arises among its passengers: Where to first?
"First things first, I should REALLY pick up Vimu," Stella said first. "I wanna have him with me, and make sure he's okay!"
"Then I wanna go to the bar!" Vicki yelled.
"Are you even old enough to drink?" Lyla asked, half joking.
"Oh, I'm not interested in alcohol!" Vicki responded. "I wanna swindle some suckers at darts and billiards! It'll be fun!"
"After that I wanna go to RCS Field on the East End," said Lyla. "My 1200 meter record is 25:58, and I wanna see if I can beat it!"
"Good luck with that!" scoffed Emily. "The only person who can run 1200 meters faster than 25 seconds is Sonic himself!"
"You don't know that!" yelled Lyla in response.
"Okay, but before you do that, I wanna buy CDs at the Hogpine Mall!" Stella butted in. "RCS Field is on the other side of town! It'd be a long drive there and back!"
"Stella, it'd be far quicker to get your CDs on the way back," Emily said. "If we're going to the far side of town anyways, better to get it out of the way as early as possible."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Stella said. "After, then."
"And then after all that we can get some fast food and go home," said Emily. "Sound good to you guys?
The car said "Yeah!" in unison.
"Great, then that's our day. Hope you're all ready!"
"I know I am!" said Stella.
"In it to win it!" said Lyla.
"I'm ready!" Vicki chimed in.
And with that, thier day had truly begun.
- - -
Thier first destination was Clysedale Care Clinic on Stellar St., the street Stella got her name from. The clinic takes care of all manner of creatures, from Chao, to Wisp. They're very trustworthy, with plenty of glowing reviews, which is why Stella has enlisted thier services for a while now.
Emily pulls the Eclipse up front, and Stella gets out.
"Wait here, guys," Stella said. "I'll go in alone."
She walked in the door, and the bell rang to signal her presence. Upon walking up to the counter, she was greeted by one of the Clysedale siblings - Ezrieal.
"Welcome to Clysedale Care Clinic!" They say in that customer service tone. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hi, Ez!" says Stella. "Is Theo in today? I'm here to pick up Vimu."
"Ah, of course! Let me call them out!" Ez says, before disappearing into the back. After a few seconds of muffled shouting Stella couldn't understand, a tall figure emerged from the back. They had glasses and brown hair, and just kind of looked tired all the time. His eyes quickly looked to Stella, seeming to know exactly what she was thinking.
"You're here to pick up your Chao, yes?" They said in a sleepy tone.
"Y- Yes, sir." Stella stammered, slightly intimidated. Dr. Theo always gave her a weird feeling.
"Let me get him for you then," He replied, disappearing into the back.
After a few seconds, they re-emerged with a white robotic chao with a screen for a face.
"Vimu!" Stella shouted, and gave him a big hug. "Oh, I'm glad to see you're okay!" Vimu made a cute little chime in response.
"Your Chao was a tad bit… unorthodox for us," Dr. Theo said, "But he appears to be perfectly healthy. No slowdown, no clutter, no viruses. One of the healthiest we've ever seen."
"Thank you for your services, Dr. Theo!" Stella exclaimed. "How much do I owe you?"
"The standard fee, my dear," Dr. Theo replied. "30 Rings an hour."
She paid the fee - 2,160 Rings. The price was steep, but it was her own fault for not coming to get her Chao sooner.
Theo did some counting, gave a satisfactory nod, and put the rings in the register on the front desk. "Once again, it has been a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Stella."
"I'm just glad the work you do here is so sublime!" Stella said. "Thank you!"
"Any time, my dear. Do come back if you require our services again."
"Of course! You guys are the best in town! Have a good day!"
"You too, Miss Stella."
With Vimu in hand, Stella walked out of the clinic, and got back into the car. Lyla and Vicki immediately greeted Vimu with pets and treats.
"Weird group of folks, those guys," Emily made an off-handed remark.
"Yeah, but they do good work, though," Stella replied. "They're not hurting anyone, so I don't judge."
"They've got some odd vibes about them, though," Emily said.
"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing, Emily," Stella assured as Emily pulled out from the clinic and got back on the road. "Where to next?"
"Mighty Bar & Grill," Emily said. "Vicki's request."
Vicki pumped her fist in response.
That would take a trip to the residential district, which, like most things in this town, was relatively uneventful. After arriving at Mighty Bar & Grill, on the corner of Calmac St. and Griffith Rd., the band of four went in. Lyla, Stella, and Emily sat at the bar - Vicki had other plans.
"Don't you think it's a bit early to get sloshed, ladies?" the barkeep, a British mouse with the nametag Carrie queried.
"We're not here for alcohol," Emily responded. "These 2 are underage, and I'm driving these idiots."
"What? I'm 21!" Stella interjected. "I just personally abstain."
"Fair enough," replied Carrie, pulling out a glass. "What'll it be?"
"You got any sports drinks?" said Lyla.
"I'll take a sparkling water," said Stella.
"Orange juice for me," said Emily.
"Very well," Carrie responded. "It should be ready in a few minutes. In the meantime, have some fun!"
Which is what Vicki was already in the process of doing. She was haggling as many patrons as you could ask for at 10 in the morning to play her at various games, claiming she could beat them with her eyes closed. She'd even take bets - sometimes up to 500 Rings! Her strategy was foolproof - deliberately missing the first few shots, but then cleaning house after turn 3 or so. Darts was easy - with a steady aim, and enough precision, she could hit the bullseye or triple 20 every time. Pool was a bit more difficult, requiring a bit more skill to be able to handily win without sight. But Vicki's been at this for years - she's studied the slight variances in every pool ball, being able to pinpoint each ball without even knowing what color they are. Sure, for every 5 wins at pool, she had at least one loss. But that was the thrill of the game to her.
After getting thier drinks, Stella, Lyla, and Emily all went off to do thier own separate things. Stella perused the various arcade games at the bar, playing Sega classics like Hang-On, and House of the Dead with Lyla joining in. And when she wasn't playing with Stella, Lyla was indulging in some of the other games at the bar, namely the basketball hoop. She missed nearly all her shots, but she had fun at least. Emily, however, just sat at the bar, drinking her orange juice and scrolling social media on her phone. She didn't want to get too involved into anything, because she had to drive these dorks across town when this was over.
By noon, Stella and Lyla had gotten bored of the activities, and Vicki was finishing up her escapades, beating some poor sucker at Darts 501 for the fifth time in a row. He wasn't even drunk.
"Come ON!" he said, agitated. "There's no WAY this is legit! You HAVE to be cheating!"
"Maybe it's just a skill issue, Charles," Vicki said to the patron, spinning a dart on her finger. "I'll be taking those 50 Rings you wagered now."
"NOT till I have proof you ain't cheatin'!" Charles yelled in response.
"Forget it, man!" another patron yelled from across the bar. "She's legit. Just give her the money."
Charles, reluctantly, reached into his pockets and gave Vicki 50 Rings.
"Thanks for being such a good sport, Charlie," Vicki said smugly. Charles just glared in response.
"Yo, Vic!" Lyla said to her. "You almost finished yet? We've been here almost 2 hours now!"
As they went to leave the bar and reenter the car, they had a small conversation.
"What's got you so cocky?" Stella asked.
"Feeling like I'm on top of the world with all those victories!" Vicki responded.
Vicki accidentally walked into the door on her way out, causing the rest of the group to wince, though Stella winced the hardest.
As they got out of the bar, Stella asked Vicki "You okay?"
"I'm fine!" Vicki retorted. "That was all part of my scheme, anyways…"
"So how much did you make out with this time?" Emily inquisited.
"Meh, only around 850," Vicki responded, disappointed. "We gotta come back here after 8pm when everyone's sloshed - I'll make out with plenty for sure!"
Vicki giggled to herself, and everyone else smiled and joined in, laughing and giggling all the way to the car, where they then headed to RCS Field on the East side of town.
RCS Field was a hybrid football and track field, where the local football teams regularly practiced. While physically large, the field itself drew few visitors, namely due to the small size of the town, and the fact that the only games that really took place here were local anyways.
Lyla didn't really care much about the local football team - she was banned for being too violent as a kid anyways. What she cared most about was the track.
Olympic sized at 400 total meters around, Lyla practices her speed here many times a month to ensure she's in top shape, still trying to beat her best time - A little over 25 seconds for 3 laps around. She's tied it 3 times since she set it, but never passed it. She's hoping today she can break it wide open, though at this point, even a millisecond faster would be enough for her.
The track was in pretty good shape, as the architects had the foresight to put a glass roof overtop the field, so that the players would be unaffected by the weather, though Lyla did have to brush a small bit of snow off the track, as it had started snowing by this point in the day..
Lyla lined up at the starting area, with Stella on stopwatch duty, and Emily and Vicki on the sidelines for moral support. Stella was just glad she wasn't the one running.
"What are you gonna do when you beat it?" asked Stella. "You'd need some kind of a celebration."
"Think I might load up on lasagna and pig out for a bit." Lyla replied. "But that's IF it's possible."
"Alrighty then," Stella said. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"GO!" Stella shouted as she started the timer. And with that, Lyla was off to the races, literally. She had a bit of a rough start, as she typically does, but after a few minutes, she put her arms at her sides with her fists in front, and ran as fast as she could, completing 3 laps in 31 seconds.
Lyla was a bit upset, but she didn’t let it get to her - her first run wasn’t going to beat her record anyways. So she lined back up at the start, and ran the track again, and again, and again, over and over, slowly but surely closing the gap. 30 seconds. Then 29. 28 seconds. 27…
While Lyla was running, Stella began shivering. It was the middle of winter, and the thickest jacket she packed was a leather jacket that didn’t even fully cover her torso.
“Brrr! Is anyone else feeling a bit chilly?” She said to the rest of the group. Vimu huddled up next to her to try and warm her up.
“Maybe you should have packed for the weather, then,” Emily said, pulling out a puffy jacket.
“I don’t feel cold!” shouted Vicki.
“Here, take this then.” Emily threw a wool blanket at Stella. Stella nodded as thanks.
Lyla kept running, over and over running 3 laps around the track, closing the gap ever further, down to a 26:01, then 25:98.
“Just a little bit more!” Lyla exclaimed. “I think I can do this!”
Lyla lined back up at the start, determined to run as fast as she ever had. Stella yelled “Go!”, and Lyla was off, running at speeds she hadn't reached before. However, halfway through her second lap, she tripped on her feet, falling to the ground. However, making a miraculous recovery, she rolled into a ball, got back up, and finished the rest of her laps, finishing with a final time of…
“25:5…9.” Stella read off the stopwatch.
“59!?” yelled Lyla. “I tripped and fell, and was able to miss my record by a single millisecond!?”
“Well, this rounds up to 2 places, and milliseconds are counted in thousandths,” replied Stella, “So it could be anywhere from 1 to 10 milliseconds.”
“So? I missed my record by 10 milliseconds! By tripping and falling!” Lyla screamed. “Can I get a redo on that? Please?”
“Sorry,” Emily butted in. “You’re out of time for today. It’s 3 pm - The sun’s almost setting.”
“Damn it!” Lyla yelled. “But I’m coming back to tackle this tomorrow! I know I can do it!”
“Yeah, but we have other things to do today,” Emily replied. “Sorry.”
Everyone slowly walked back to the car, Lyla upset, but regaining her composure shortly after. Getting back in the car, they realized it was snowing harder than before. Not snowstorm levels, but definitely more than the light sprinkle of earlier in the day.
Emily drove the car back to the west side of town, but stopped at a grocery store instead of the Hogpine Mall.
“You didn’t clear this destination by us beforehand,” Stella said. “We cleared our destinations with you.”
“I know,” said Emily. “I just need to pick up a few things real quick. I’ll only be a second, I promise.”
And with that, she got out of the car and went inside. Stella, Lyla, and Vicki were left in the car to do whatever they wanted, though for some reason, Emily left the top down on the car. After 20 minutes, Emily still wasn’t back yet, so everyone was just doing their own thing. Lyla was playing a Game Boy Advance, Vicki was reading a book, and Stella was listening to music. Suddenly though, something caught Stella’s eye - someone shivering in a back alley. With the snow, Stella knew they wouldn’t last long out here, and considering the person was shivering in an alley, they likely didn’t have any place to go. Stella looked around for some way she could help, and noticed a taco truck on the other side of the street. After quickly instructing Vimu to stay put, Stella began to hop over the car door, when Lyla took notice of her.
“Where are you going?” she questioned.
“I’m just going to do something real quick,” Stella responded. “I’ll be right back.”
And with that, she hopped out of the car, and ran to the taco truck.
“Ahh, if it isn’t my favorite customer!” the truck owner said to her. “How many will it be, Stella?”
“Five, please, Donnie!” Stella replied.
“And I take it 3 more for your friends?” Donnie joked.
“No, just 5,” Stella said with a giggle.
“Coming right up!” Donnie said. “They’ll be done in just a minute, so don’t go anywhere!”
“OK!” Stella responded. In the wait she was able to get a longer look at the stranger in the alleyway - They appeared to be a female wolf with black, matted fur. She was covered in dirt and snow, and shivering from the cold. Her clothes; a red flannel, black jean shorts and combat boots, and white fingerless gloves, were tattered and torn, not nearly in enough shape to survive the winter. She had a gray muzzle and yellow eyes, and looked clearly distraught, almost on the verge of tears. Stella felt really bad for this woman.
“OK, kiddo!” Donnie said, startling Stella. “Here’s your tacos!”
“I’m, uh, still 21 years old, but thank you!” she said in response.
“Just because you’re 21 doesn’t mean you’re not a ‘kiddo’, kiddo,” responded Donnie. “25 rings please!”
Stella paid the 25 rings, and proceeded to move to the other side of the street, slowly. Lyla caught a glimpse of Stella, and noticed her going into the alleyway.
What are you doing, Stella? Lyla thought to herself.
Stella approached the mystery girl slowly, so as not to startle her. She was whimpering, rubbing her hands together next to a small fire for warmth. As Stella got close enough to the girl, she began to take notice of her, at which point Stella outstretched her hand and offered a taco.
“Here,” Stella said. “Take this.”
The girl did not. Instead she growled, bit Stella’s hand, and sprinted away on all fours, behind the store and out of sight of Stella.
Weird girl, Stella thought to herself, as she walked back to the car.
“So what happened?” Lyla asked Stella as she hopped back into the Eclipse.
“I saw a homeless girl in the alley, and offered her a taco, but she bit me and ran away,” Stella answered.
“You gotta be more careful around strange girls, Stella,” Emily responded, exiting the store. “Is it infected? Do I need to take you to the hospital?”
“I’ll probably be fine,” Stella responded. “Just gotta wash it and bandage it.”
“Nuh-uh. Not good enough for me,” Emily responded. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“Alright, fine,” Stella responded. “I bought you a taco!”
“Sick” Emily said as she took it, and began the drive to the hospital.
- - -
“See, Em? I’m fine!” Stella said as they left the hospital on the east side of the residential district It was just about sunset now after everything that had happened throughout the day.
“Better to know for sure than to assume,” Emily retorted.
“But I’m going to be fine,” Stella said, pointing finger guns at Emily with her newly bandaged hand.
“Be more careful next time,” Emily scolded with a sigh.
“Whatever,” Stella says in response. Vimu made a happy noise.
Emily looked up into the sky. “It’s getting late,” She said.
“Maybe we should be heading home?” Vicki added.
“Good idea! My legs could use a break from all this walking!” Lyla chimed in, stretching.
“Were we out all day?” Stella questioned. “Maybe we should make tomorrow a bit more low-key.”
“Good idea, ladies,” Emily chimed, pulling her car keys from her pocket, pleasant with how the day went on. “Get in. Let’s go home.”
The drive home was less talkative and less chaotic than the rest of the day had been. Everyone was mostly just talking about some of the things that happened today, and new interests of thiers - but softly so as not to disturb Vicki, who had fallen asleep in the back seat. Suddenly, the topic turned to sports, and Stella tuned out, looking out the side of the convertible car that still had its top down. She began looking at her bandaged up hand in the fading sunlight, and for a brief second thought she caught a faint glimpse of the mystery girl again, but when she turned to look again, the girl was gone, almost as if she was never there.
“You okay, Stel’?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Stella sheepishly said in response. “Must be a bit tired, is all.”
“I feel you there,” said Emily.
By the time they had arrived home, the sun had fully set. Checking her phone, Stella noticed it was 5pm, which made sense, as it was late January. Everyone had gotten out of the car, and was about to head inside and turn in for the night, when Stella looked up and noticed something.
A meteor shower! Here! The Starlight’s Edge would probably be a better place to view it, but nobody wanted to miss a single second. Light shows like this were a rare occurrence, especially meteor showers and shooting stars! Everyone began “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing at the pretty lights and colors, and quickly began pointing out pretty stars. Stella even pulled out her telescope, The Constellation as she called it, to get a better view.
“I like that one!” Lyla said, pointing to a star that was shooting especially fast.
“That one’s very pretty!” Stella said, pointing at one of the brighter stars in the sky.
“I think that one’s pretty cool,” Emily said pointing at a large star.
“That one’s not even moving!” Stella responded.
“Should we wake Vicki up?” Lyla inquired.
“No, let her sleep,” Stella replied.
“Uh, guys?” Emily asked, slightly concerned and pointing at a particularly large star.
“Yeah, we get it, Em. You like the large one,” retorted Lyla.
“No, I think she’s onto something,” Stella said, now worried. “Is it getting bigger?”
“Hit the deck!” Emily yelled, causing everyone to scatter into different directions. Which was a good call, as the “star” crash landed in front of the Eclipse, tearing open the pavement and waking Vicki with the noise.
“What’s going on?” Vicki slurred, bleary eyed.
“We don’t know!” Stella yelled.
“Stay calm, Stella!” Emily commanded.
“Looks like… a person?” Lyla noticed.
To which she appeared to be right - as what has just crashed into the pavement is no ordinary debris or meteor. Sure, it LOOKED almost otherworldly, as it sparked on its way down, but what remained in the crash site looked far too…
