The Sand Storm (version 8)

Sonic and Shadow walked for days through the desert, through sandstorms, through the cliffs, and over the hills, and whenever one of them got exhausted and fell, the other helped him out.

One day, they tiredly and hungrily walked through jagged rocks. But then Sonic's foot got caught on one of them, and he tripped. Shadow noticed and got concerned that he ran back to him. Sonic then took off his torn sandal and threw it away from him. Then he removed his gold armbands, wristbands, and pendant and took off the ring Scourge gave him. He was about to throw the ring away when....

"Don't!" Shadow calmly begged.

Sonic stopped and looked with Shadow at the ring for a minute and puts it back on his finger, as a reminder of the bond he and Shadow had with Scourge and the two's last fateful day in Egypt. Sonic took off his wig, and threw it aside. Sand started to blow towards him and buried the wig.

Shadow was about to take a step and help Sonic up when a rock scraped his ankle and he collapsed in pain. Sonic got concerned.

"Shadow! Hang in there." He begged.

Suddenly, a sandstorm began to brew, and Sonic didn't move from his spot and had himself covered in sand and buried under it, not only waiting for his and Shadow's fate, but also not wanting to leave Shadow's side.

The next day when the sandstorm subsided, a camel was walking along until he came over to a tuft of tan fur-hair in the sand. The camel sniffed it and took at bit of it, bringing Sonic and Shadow up from the sand. He looked up tiredly at the camel and it spat the hair on his head, much to the blue hedgehog's disgust.

The camel started walking away, and Sonic and Shadow noticed the water container on the side of the saddle. "Hey, wait!" they replied, as Sonic pulled himself and Shadow out of the sand and ran over to the camel. They grabbed the water container, and the camel started dragging them somewhere. After what seemed like a while, Sonic and Shadow tiredly held onto the water container until the camel brought him to an oasis where a flock of sheep where having a drink of water in a stone pool.

Sonic and Shadow let go of the water container and looked at the water in the pool. Relieved at seeing water for the first time in days, they leaped to the pool, dunked their heads into the water, and started drinking it and even washing Shadow's scraped ankle. They took a breather and looked up to see a sheep drop his jaw and baa in shock. Their relief was cut short when they heard some children screaming, and one of them exclaimed, "What are you doing?!"

"Help!" the other voice called out.

"Let our sheep drink!" a third voice exclaimed.

Sonic and Shadow looked over the sheep to see a couple of men harassing a trio of girl Mobians.

One of the men was a tall, slender — yet muscular — mouse with a big-boned, stocky figure, tan fur, a white bucktooth, curvy ears, a brown nose, blue eyes, black eyebrows, pink ear innards, and short black whiskers, wearing a turquoise long-sleeved tunic, a dark brown skirt, and black sandals. His name was Terry Farrell.

The other man was a tall, stout mouse with tan fur, a white bucktooth, curvy ears, a brown nose, blue eyes, dark rings around his eyes, black eyebrows, pink ear innards, and short black whiskers, wearing a dark pink long-sleeved tunic, a maroon vest, and dark brown sandals. His name was Thomas Farrell, Terry's younger twin brother.

One of the girl mouselings was young Native American mouse and had peach fur, curvy earsblack hair tied in two braids, brown eyes, a dark red nose, pink ear innards, and a small bucktooth. She wore a golden yellow vest, dark yellow panties, a teal blue square bead necklace with a small stone, a dark yellow bedlah top that shows her midriff, matching Arabian pants with golden yellow linings, yellow armbands, and a golden yellow headband with an amber brooch centered on top. She also goes barefoot. Her name was Princess Cholena.

The other girl mouseling was a small black mouse a couple of years younger than Cholena and had small hands and a peach face. She wore a purple bow, lavender panties, a purple vest, a violet bedlah top underneath her vest, matching Arabian pants with golden linings, golden armbands, and white gloves. Like Cholena, she also goes barefoot. Her name was Millie Mouse, Cholena's younger sister.

The third and last girl mouseling was a small black mouse and had small hands and a peach face. She wore a green bow, mint-turquoise panties, a green vest, a baby green bedlah top underneath her vest, matching Arabian pants with golden linings, golden armbands, and white gloves. Like Cholena and Millie, she also goes barefoot. Her name is Melody Mouse, Cholena's other younger sister and Millie's twin sister.

Terry was taking water from a well while Cholena and Melody tried to pull him away, and Frenchy was shoving a sheep away while Millie yelled, "Leave us alone, you big dumb bullies!"

"Stop it!" Melody screamed.

Norman was angry upon seeing the men tormenting the three girls, but he thought there was nothing he could do to stop them. He looked the other way and saw a couple of camels with their reins tied to some pegs on the ground. He knew they belong to the two thugs, then he thought of an idea, snuck over to the camels, and untied the reins.

"My father's the high priest of Median! You're going to be in big trouble!" Cholena shouted as Thomas held her arm and grabbed Millie and Melody and they shoved them aside. Norman got their attention and called to them, "Hey, you! Aren't these your camels?" He pointed to the camels he was holding beside him with a smirk.

Terry and Thomas looked at him with begging faces, knowing what Norman was going to pull on them. The mouse commanded the camels to go and the thugs ran after them as they yelled, "No, no, no, no!"

"Wait!" Terry panted.

"Wait! Stop!" Thomas called to the camels as they ran after their runaway camels. The girls watched them run and they turned to see Norman leaning against the well in exhaustion. Suddenly, the well's wall crumbled and Norman fell in it with a yelp and a loud splash.

The girls rushed over to the well and saw the mouse trying to stay afloat in the water. They grabbed the well and started pulling him back up. As they helped Norman up, a familiar female adult mouse, also their older sister, came over and laughed, "What are you girls doing?"

Melody said as she and her sisters pulled the rope, "We're trying to get the funny man out of the well." Olivia came over to the well and chuckled, "Trying to get the funny man out of the well. Well, that's one I've never heard before." Olivia still looked the same since escaping Egypt the other day.

She heard Norman let out a loud yelp from the well and gasped hearing his voice, "Oh, my." She called down to him, "Oh, uh, d-don't worry down there! Uh, we'll get you out! Hold on!" She grabbed the rope and helped the girls pull Norman up. She saw Norman all soaking wet and said with a glare, "You!"

Norman looked at her and recognized her as the Median girl from the banquet back in Egypt that he helped escape. Olivia knew this would be a good chance at getting her revenge on Norman for humiliating her at the banquet and with a smirk, she let go of the rope and Norman fell down the well with a yell and a loud splash was heard at the bottom.

The girls looked down and Olivia just shrugged with a smile. She simply smiled, "Mm-hmmm." She walked away from the well and the girls watched her leave. Cholena scoffed as she put her hands on her hips, "That's why Father says she'll never get married."

Some of the Medianites helped Norman out of the well, and he was in a tent, naked and getting cleaned by some ladies. Jeanette Miller dumped some water on his head and she and Brittany Miller started to washing his armpits, arms, chest and even behind his ears. Norman stammered as the women washed him, "You don't have to do this. Ladies, please, I'm really... I'm really quite..." Eleanor Miller started washing his feet and Norman chuckled nervously, "No! Not there! Please!"

The women kept washing him and he chuckled, "That tickles. Ladies, you've cleaned every inch of me." He shot up in surprise with a small gasp and chuckled nervously, "Whoa! I guess I was wrong." He looked over and saw Olivia and the girls peeking through the tent and laughing at him. Their laughter was cut short when they heard a man's voice say to them, "Let me through, let me through. I want to see him!"

The girls moved away and a chubby mouse of average height with tan fur, curvy ears, blue eyes, a dark red nose, pink ear innards, a small white bucktooth, and a blonde mustache and eyebrows, wearing a heavy white tunic with thick gold lining, a matching headdress, and brown shoes. He also wears red war paint on his face. His name was Dr. David Q. Dawson, and he is, of course, the girls' father and the high priest of Median. He saw Norman and smiled, "Ah! You are most welcome."

Norman covered his front with a towel, and Dawson came over to him and gave him a bear hug and lifted him up with his strength, nearly crushing Norman. The girls laughed at their father's greeting to him, and Dawson smiled as he covered Norman with a teal blue sleeveless long, loose tunic, a dark red long-sleeved, loose robe with a matching sash, and brown sandals, "You should not be a stranger in this land. You have been sent as a blessing. And tonight, you shall be my honored guest." He chuckled in glee as he left the tent.

Olivia went over to Norman and said to him with a giggle, "My father, Dr. Dawson high priest of Median." Norman couldn't believe the girl he humiliated in Egypt and helped escape was really the daughter of a priest.