𝕬 𝖍𝖚𝖌𝖊 𝖘𝖓𝖆𝖐𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕹𝖊𝖜 𝖄𝖊𝖆𝖗!

      And at that time Scourge was lying in his cave and suddenly woke up from the fact that he heard some screams from the city, which were carried by the wind to his cave in the mountains. All these screams sounded the same and everyone shouted the same thing: — Freedom of speech! We have the right to say Scourge's name! For Scourge and for free speech! Scourge! Scourge! Scourge! Scourge himself couldn't believe his ears. Is everyone shouting from the city about him the most? On the one hand, he was even pleased that someone was indignant at his visit the day before yesterday and shouted his name rather cursing him, which even amused him a little. However, on the other hand, these screams sounded frequently and without stopping. Especially when later some songs with his participation began to be heard: — Little Scourge, Little Scourge, come down! Come and visit us! We are looking forward to seeing you and want to congratulate you on your holiday! Scourge listened to all this and covered his ears with pillows. — Oh! These damned screams, noises and songs! — he muttered to himself. Then an idea came into his head, causing a light bulb to appear above his head and light up. — And we will drown them out! He crawled into the kitchen, put all the spoons and forks into all the mixers and, closing them tightly with lids, turned them on so that the noise from the mixers would interrupt the songs with noise. True, the songs and screams were still heard, although this time it was a little quieter, because the mixers still drowned them out a little. — Does not help! We need something louder. — said Fiona. — I know it myself. — Scourge replies. The snake went down to the floor of this cave below and launched six vacuum cleaners there, so that they would also make noise and at one time suck up dust from the floor on their own. Having gone back upstairs, he turned on the washing machine without water so that it would spin the drum quickly and make noise. Fiona again began to drum loudly on her drums and sing loudly: — THIS IS A SHOW, CHIC AND SHINE!!! SING LOUDER, THIS IS MY CONCERT!!! — I must admit that now I am happy about your song and music. Although I’m even surprised that this is the first time I’m happy about it. — Scourge replies. — WHAT??? I CAN NOT HEAR YOU!!! — Fiona shouted. — YES NO, THIS IS SO!!! THINKING OUT LOUD!!! — the snake shouted back. — A!!! OK!!! — the fox finally shouted and continued to sing to herself: — THIS IS A SHOW, CHIC AND SHINE!!! SING LOUDER!!! THIS IS MY CONCERT!!! This time there was so much noise that the screams of the Mobians from the city below and their songs could no longer be heard at all. Scourge himself even came downstairs and began to play loudly on his floor piano, floor organ. And the melody of this instrument is very loud. It was pleasant for the naga to listen to this melody.

***

      Mobiustown had long since stopped singing and making noise, and Cream was rising higher and higher. As she approached, she heard some strange noises and sounds that were muffled and barely audible. The rabbit decided that Scourge was probably throwing some kind of lonely party at home. Having risen to the entrance to the cave, noises were muffled outside the door. She started knocking on the door and hoping that Scourge would open the door for her after hearing her knocking on the doors. — Mister Scourge! — Cream called the naga himself, but he did not respond. Either he didn’t hear because of this noise, or maybe he’s not at home now, and someone else is making noise there. Nevertheless, not wanting to give up, she knocked again and called the owner of the house again: — Mr. Scourge! You are at home? — there was no answer again. Then the rabbit became indignant, knocked louder and with all her strength not only with her fist, but also with her foot, and then screamed: — I ASK, MR. SCORGE!!! YOU ARE AT HOME!!! When she knocked hard, she noticed that the door was a little wobbly. This means the door is not closed. She pulled the door handle towards herself and the door gave way. The noise became louder. Entering inside, Cream noticed that the same red fox was playing and drumming on the drums, who then tied them up with the children and threw them like a snowball down the mountain into the city, and then was at the post office with Scourge. It was very suspicious. The rabbit approached her, and she continued to drum and sing loudly: — AND ONE MORE THING... CHIC AND SHINE!!! — She accidentally opened her eyes and noticed a rabbit who began to scream: — IS SCORGE AT HIS OWN??? Fiona didn’t hear her and shouted: — WHAT??? — IS SCORGE AT HIS HOUSE??? — Cream shouted, but Fiona didn’t hear her again. — WHAT??? CAN NOT HEAR ANYTHING!!! — she shouted and walked away from the drums. — WAIT!!! — she added, raising her right hand with her index finger. The fox went to the shelves in the kitchen and turned off all the mixers, and then went down to the floor below and, making sure that the floors were clean, turned off all the vacuum cleaners. There was no more noise. Now the only and slightly quiet noise came from another part of the cave from the organ. Fiona returned to Cream and asked: — What were you asking? — Sorry for coming as an invited guest without an invitation. I wanted to ask, is Scourge at home? — she asks her. — Yes. He's over there! — Fiona points to the very cave from where the sound of the organ came. — But I don’t recommend going to him. He is very angry, in no mood and very hungry that he will be ready to eat you. — You’ve been living with him for a long time, but he never ate you. So why should I be afraid of him? — the rabbit answers and moves on. The fox bulged her eyes and opened her mouth, not really knowing what to answer to this named guest. Cream herself came to a large cave, similar to a hall, where Scourge himself was playing a sad and eerie melody on the organ. Cream approached him and said: — Mr. Scourge! Sorry! But the snake did not hear her. Then the rabbit decided to touch the end of his tail with her hand, hoping that he would feel it and look down. Actually this worked! Scourge stopped playing the piano and, stopping his noise, listened to the fact that it was now quiet. At the same time, he felt that someone touched his tail. He lowers his head and sees a rabbit in front of him, who looked at him smiling and said: — Hello, Mr. Scourge! The latter was shocked that this named guest came up to him from the city and ended up at his home. Naga stood up abruptly and threw his stone chair aside, breaking it into a pile of pieces of stone. — HOW DARE YOU INVADE HERE??? IN SCORGE'S AGREEMENT!!! — he shouted and at the last phrase he raised his head up, as well as his hands, as if the actor in a production was overacting the role of a villain. Cream shuddered a little, as she did not expect this and was still a little scared by his scream. Nevertheless, she stood still and simply looked at the naga, knowing in advance that he would not dare to harm her. Especially when he saved her there at the post office. The hedgehog-snake himself continued to shout: — WHAT THE IMPASSION??? WHAT THE Audacity??? THIS IS SIMPLY RELIANCE!!! NOW YOU WILL CURSE THE DAY WHEN... YOU CAME HERE! — he hissed the last phrase through his teeth and even stuck out his tongue for a couple of seconds. Cream still stood in place and was perplexed. At that moment, Fiona herself also came to them in this part of the cave. For now she stood aside and watched. Scourge menacingly raised his head up and put his hands forward threateningly, after which he shouted again: — SEE THE FACE... OF YOUR FEAR!!! — then he sharply approaches the girl’s face with his head and emits: — BOO!!! However, this is what she already expected, considering that he is screaming. Therefore, this scared her less and she just stood still. Then she just said: — My name is Cream. I nice to meet you. Scourge's eyes widened and he blinked twice in shock. He looked at the rabbit around, crawling around her and asked: — Why weren’t you scared? I'm a huge and scary creature! — I'm not afraid. — she answers him honestly. — You all say that to lower my self-esteem. You probably feel goosebumps of fear running through your body. You just don't realize it or are trying to hide it from me. — the snake answers and, sticking out his tongue, begins to make faces, grabbing his lips with his hands and pulling them to the sides, thinking that at least this will scare her. However, this only made Cream laugh a little, and then she said: — How beautiful it is! Oh no no no! — she replies, twirling her index finger. — Are you going to teach me how I should behave? Do you even know who I am? Look at me? Who do you think I am? — the snake-hedgehog asks the rabbit, standing in front of her and stretching his arms to the sides. — U-u-uh... — she made this sound quietly, thinking and looking up at the monster. It, in turn, looked at her menacingly. Then the rabbit, slightly tilting her head, asks: — Giant? — NO!!! — Scourge shouted at the top of his lungs, abruptly lowering his hands. — I AM NAGA!!! BIG AND VERY ANGRY!!! DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE NOW A CORPSE??? — then he abruptly grabs the rabbit, wraps his tail around her in the form of rings and begins to squeeze her, like a boa constrictor. — RUN, SAVE YOURSELF, BEFORE I CHOKE YOU AND BREAK ALL YOUR BONES!!! — he shouted and loosened his grip slightly to give her a chance to break free of his coils and escape. Scourge even smiled maliciously and laughed like a villain. — Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! However, Cream did not think about running away and did not intend to do this at all. She just stood there calmly and endured it, looking at the naga. He only continued to squeeze her slightly, so that she could not breathe from lack of air. But nevertheless, he did not want to kill her, but just wanted to scare her and drive her away. Even after that, she still didn't want to break free and run away. In general, his tail felt to her like a soft and warm blanket or pillow, stuffed with flies and something hard. Scourge then stopped trying to crush her by this point and just held her. But even so, the rabbit stood calmly tied with his own rings and was even able to finally breathe. Then Scourge just looked at her calmly, trying to calm down. He pretended that he wanted to turn away and leave, and then he sharply brought his muzzle closer to the rabbit’s face and growled at her at the top of his lungs, showing his terrible fangs instead of teeth. The roar was very loud and scary, but even so Cream showed no signs of fear, because she knew that it would not really hurt her and would not cause her any harm. — O! What snow-white teeth you have! True, the smell from the mouth stinks. It wouldn't hurt for you to chew some gum sometimes. — she tells him. — How tired I am of you, fearless! How much longer do I need to scare you to get you away from here? — the naga grumbles through his teeth. Fiona rolled her eyes as she walked into the cave and looked at it all. She said: — Maybe you should just eat it? Scourge immediately widened his eyes as if he had a brilliant idea. He grabbed the rabbit in his right hand and put it in his mouth, without even chewing it, he immediately swallowed it. At the same time, Cream again showed no fear. She didn't even scream. She simply closed her eyes so as not to see this horror. The victim goes down the throat and into the stomach. The snake even stroked its belly. — Now she will cry in my stomach and beg me to let her go back. — he said to the fox, smiling maliciously, which made her also smile and rub her palms together. Scourge and Fiona began listening to the stomach, but so far no crying could be heard. Even screams. For this, the calm voice of the rabbit was heard: — Wow! It's so warm and soft here. It’s a little humid and dark, but it’s still very comfortable here. You just need to add a little light here! — she said to herself and took out a flashlight. — Here! That's so good. Now everything is visible. — she answers and lies down on the wet wall of her stomach, as if on a pillow, folding both hands under her head and her right leg on her left. — “What kind of bullshit? Why isn't she scared and doesn't even cry? Why doesn’t she beg me for mercy and for me to spit her out?” — the naga himself did not understand in his thoughts. — Aren't you scared there? — Fiona asked. — No. I like it here. — answers the rabbit in the naga’s belly. — Ah well! — the snake got angry and crawled into the kitchen. He took the entire kettle of warm water and drank it all to the bottom. The belly has become a little bigger. He hoped that this way the rabbit would drown in his stomach and beg to be released. But even after this the rabbit was happy: — How amazing! Now I have a swimming pool here! It's a pity that I didn't bring a swimsuit with me. Scourge became even more angry and, clearing his throat several times, spat the girl into his hands, and then shouted: — WHY ARE YOU NOT SCARED??? I AM A HUGE AND SCARY MONSTER!!! I EATED YOU AND I'M ABOUT TO DIGEST YOU!!! YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID OF ME!!! — Why are you shouting like that, Mr. Scourge? You just spat me out. — Cream answers calmly. — So this is how it is! — he said and put the rabbit on the floor. He quickly ran for a large white shirt and tore it right in front of the girl with his clawed fingers into two floor rags. At the same time, he himself said, as if in a play: — Save yourself before I tear you apart! — After saying this, he rips off his entire shirt and throws it away. Afterwards he begins to cover himself, jump on the spot and pronounce! — O-o-o! I'm crazy! Oh no no no! Danger! No! — even this didn’t frighten the rabbit, but only made her laugh a little. Even when the naga began to bark and pretend to be a dog and chatter his teeth, this also did not help. Scourge is just tired already. Cream stood still and smiled and said: — Um... Maybe you should take a break? — After this question, she giggled to the side. Naga looked questioningly at the fox, and she also pouted her lip and pointed questioningly at the rabbit, hinting that he himself saw how fearless she was. Scourge dropped his shoulders, turned to his right side and folded his arms on his chest, saying to himself: — Internet! It corrupts children with all sorts of different screamers with horror films, and this is how soulless children grow up, ceasing to be afraid of everything in the world. — After what has been said, he again sharply brings his muzzle closer to the girl and shouts: — WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME??? WHY DID YOU COME TO ME??? — We, the whole city, voted for you for one night in the elections for the king of the New Year and you won the election. — Cream explained, presenting the snake with a certificate as the winner of the voting competition. Scourge turned his gaze to the side for a couple of seconds and asked: — Which king? — King of the New Year for one night. — the rabbit answers. Naga takes the letter and examines its inscriptions under a large magnifying glass. He was especially confused by the inscription that he would have to meet friends that he essentially did not have. Except for Fiona, of course, with whom he lives his entire life. Then he turns away and says: — I will not go! — Why? — Cream replaced her smile with sadness. — I sense with my tail that this is some kind of bait and trap to mock me. — No, that stupid Mayor Knuckles won’t dare do that again. No one will mock or mock you anymore in Mobiustown. — Said the one who laughed at my attempts to scare you and drive you away from here, instead of being afraid of me and running away. — says the naga. Cream immediately gasped. It was in vain that she joked so much about his antics. Fiona immediately intervened: — To be honest, I also found it a little funny when you screamed, growled and grimaced. It's probably not your thing to scare! Don't be offended, dad. — Dad? — the rabbit asks the fox. She in turn continues to explain the naga: — There is nothing shameful in this. By the way, I heard about this competition ten years ago and somehow unnoticed I was already there among the crowd. But unfortunately she did not take part there. It’s fun there, people feed the king of the night with various treats that were invented for him, and the king of this night plays various fun games with the citizens, they even allow him to play as an actor or musician in the theater, and at the end he is given a reward on stage. Maybe it’s not a joke at all, but an invitation? — I don’t care. — says the snake and approaching Cream, hissed at her. — I won’t accept your invitation with enticement and I won’t go there at all. — But how? — she asks, almost ready to cry. — I tried for you, Mr. Scourge. I talked to your brothers Sonic and Shadow about you, tried to find out more about you and wanted to help you. I wanted to make your life better so that Mobiustown would accept you into its community regardless of your appearance. For the sake of Sonic and Shadow, don't you want to come back to us again and change your outlook on life? — Brothers? — the fox asks the rabbit, and then looked at Scourge. — You said that you had no one except me. — So you didn’t ask me whether I had relatives or not? — the snake answers Fiona, and then Cream. — I do not care. — Yes? Even the fact that your mother Alina died? Scourge widened his eyes at what he heard and turned to the named guest. — What? — he asks her a little scared, and she explains: — Your mother died of grief right on the very day when you left your family and abandoned them, going to live in the mountains. Now your brothers live completely alone and even without you. They miss and worry about you. From what he heard, Naga fell face down on the floor and grabbed his head. He closed his eyes and fought back tears. If he had known then that his mother was very worried about him and would die without him, he would not have gone to the mountains. But on the other hand, he would not have found Fiona here and sheltered her, and then she herself would probably have died from the cold. That is, either the mother or the daughter will die. Fiona runs up to her foster dad and strokes her huge head with her hands. Scourge stopped crying. Cream, in turn, remained calm and continued the conversation: — I know it’s hard for you to accept this reality now. But that's life. Everyone dies sooner or later from unforeseen circumstances. — I also almost died when I was a baby. I flew straight to Mobiustown and wanted to find my family there, but the wind led me to the mountains themselves. I was cold and lonely. I even almost died, and Scourge then ended up in the mountains and took me in with him. If he had not gone to the mountains, then most likely I would have died of cold and loneliness here. — It doesn’t matter anymore, Fiona! What I chose and did as a child is already in the past. And yet it hurts. And it's all this red freak's fault. — the naga answers through tears. — Think better! Maybe you will change your mind and come and visit us and be the king of the New Year for this night. I know you hated the holiday itself, but it’s not his fault. The mayor you hate the most is to blame for everything. To be honest, I also have a few doubts about the New Year. Or rather, not for me, but for my family. That is, me, as well as my mom Vanilla and dad Ice. But if you make peace with the Mobians and celebrate the New Year with them, then I will believe in him. Naga looks questioningly at the rabbit, after her explanation, gets up and crawls towards her, asking her again: — How by the way will I do this? And why are you telling me all this, knowing full well that I will refuse? Cream, realizing that this stubborn creature would still stand her ground, began to be cunning and said: — Because for the first time in your life you won one of the Mobiustown competitions. If you don’t want to go down for me or others, then at least go for the reward! You want to get a reward, right? Scourge was amazed at the girl's words. — Reward? — he asks her and she nodded. The snake takes the letter again and rereads it out loud: — Meeting with friends... Blah blah blah... The King of the New Year at the end of the competition, after all the games and fun, will receive the most expensive and priceless prize. — after reading, he looks at the rabbit with his mouth open in surprise and asks: — Did I really win the election? — We won! — Cream confirmed, smiling. Scourge chuckled a little. — Were there... And losers? — Yes. If you come, of course. Naga closed his mouth with his right hand, inserted his lower jaw into its right place and said with a smile: — Mobiustown is a city of losers! How glad I am!... Was anyone upset? — Well, if we consider that Mayor Knuckles was extremely unhappy with this election, then we can say that he was the only one who was upset, and everyone else, including me, was glad that they chose you. Fiona immediately fussed a little and turned to daddy: — Dad, agree! Let's not be stubborn and go, shall we? — she suggested. Naga looked questioningly at the fox, and she snatched the letter from his hands and, having examined it, said: — Besides, it also says that the winner’s performance will be presented, like songs and dances. The winner can also take along a member of his family, who will also be partially considered the winner. I really want to get there. At least there for the first time in my life to take part in a concert and perform my favorite song with music. — Fiona says, smiling and holding back tears, pressing the letter to her chest. — But that’s not all. — Cream continued to be cunning. She folded her hands in front of her stomach, looking at Scourge with her big eyes, her ears up and her eyelashes batting. Sha-a-ade the echidna will also be there. Scourge immediately remembered that same kind echidna girl who was the only one who loved him at school for the way he was. The snake grinned, his cheeks turned pink, and then he asked: — Is she really going to be there? And he knows that I won? Cream nodded smiling. Scourge sighs heavily and slumps his shoulders, then says: — Okay then. What do you say your name is? — Cream Rabbit. — the rabbit introduced herself. — Well, Cream!... We... We'll come. — YES!!! — Fiona rejoiced, raising her hands up and jumping for joy. She ran to the nest and started jumping on it. — I WILL BE SINGING AND PLAYING MUSIC ON STAGE IN MOBIUSTOWN FOR REAL!!! Scourge took the rabbit with his right palm and led her to the exit. On the way he tells her: — So I look at you, see a perky sparkle in your eyes and remember myself. So naive and green! You convinced me, Cream. — he places it near the exit from his house and crawls back a little, standing next to the rope hanging from the ceiling. — Who knows? Maybe this competition of yours for the King of the New Year will change my views not only on the New Year itself, but also on the entire life of the majority of the world. — He said the last words, smiling and stretching his arms to the sides. — Really? — asked the delighted Cream. — No. — the naga changed his smile to sternness and grabbed the rope, after which he pulled it. A hatch suddenly opened under the rabbit’s feet and she fell into it screaming. The hatch closed behind her. The rabbit rolled down a huge iron pipe. This scared her a little at first. However, halfway through the journey she began to have fun. This descent through the pipe was breathtaking for her, just like on the roller coasters in amusement parks. Even though it was dark here, it was still fun and there was still a light breeze blowing. While she was going down the pipe, a hatch opened at the end of this tunnel and Cream flew through it like a cannonball from a cannon. The rabbit immediately found herself in her city and landed on a soft mountain of snow. Then she stood up and screamed: — THAT WAS GREAT!!! I STILL WANT TO ROLL LIKE THIS!!! At the same moment, Ice himself was returning from work and accidentally saw Cream herself on her side, lying on a pile of snow. — There you are, honey! — the father was very glad to see his daughter, helped her get up, shook her off the snow and took her hand. — Went! Now is not the time to paint angels in the snow. You can't be late for the New Year's King winner competition. — Yes, dad. I'm coming.