Written by Rootofallight (fellow DeviantArt member)
Edited by Mixedfan8643
Takes place between Episodes 150-151 in Sonic the Hedgehog: Heroes of Mobius
Part 1: Gods Among Us
At some point, he had been feeling the planet shake again. It had been doing that for some time now since the Chaos Energy had been used time and time again. But it wasn't enough. All he needed was a little more. Or at least have someone smart enough to release him from his crypt. Alas, no one had been able to. He didn't know how long he was in this stone crypt, but all the waiting was driving him mad. That's when he felt the planet shake once more. This one felt different. It wasn't caused by Chaos Energy. From what he sensed, it was a radioactive material. Whatever it was, it was causing him to feel more relieved. The bonds on his wrists and ankles started to come lose. At last they fell to the floor with a clanging sound. Looking up, he saw a light at the end of a tunnel. He knew it wasn't heaven, but it meant one thing. Laughing, he flew up through the hole. "Free at last!"
In Chun-Nun, Mati
lda was sipping her tea with Blade feather, both of them remembering everything that had occured. Eggman, the Devatrons, Finitevus, and Pi'Roth Ix. It was enough to drive a man crazy. Then again, they had always been prepared for this. Thanks to Master Kai Zen.
"I wonder what Eggman's going to do next," wondered Matilda out loud.
"Do cease your anxieties dear Matilda," assured Bladefeather. "This is a time for relaxation. Just calm your jumpy nerves dear and enjoy this day."
"Easy for you to say handsome," murmured Matilda. "And...well, I do like to relax as much as the next fellow, but...when will the next Eggman scheme or a new villain rise?"
"Please. Nothing is going to happen. Besides, it is too pleasant a day for villainous activity." scoffed Bladefeather
Suddenly, they felt a heavy rumble going through the village. The ground heaved, windows shattered, and gusts of smoke errupted in the air.
"You were saying?!" screamed Matilda.
"It-it-it feels like an earthquake!" shouted Bladefeather, holding onto the table to keep his tea from spilling.
What came next would scare the inhabitants of Chun-Nan: a horrible man's laughter that echoed in the wind. For Emperor Tai and Master Kai Zen, the laughter was all too haunting. Kai Zen rushed into the throne room to find his friend, his hands clutching the edge of his throne.
"Emperor," he panted. "Did you hear...?"
The emperor nodded his head in fear.
The earthquake wasn't just in Chun-Nun. All around the world, the same event was occurring. At New Mobotropolis, people panicked and ducked for cover. Sonic and his friends thought it was an ordinary earthquake...until they heard the eerie cackle of a man's voice.
Sora held onto her brother. "Who-who was that?!"
Tails said nothing. No one replied. This is not Eggman that's for sure. Something evil far greater than anything they had ever met had been released.
Even Eggman, Katherine and Finitevus heard the laugh as well and felt the earthquake.
"Who dares?!" shouted Eggman.
Katherine scanned the area, but to her shock, the laugh was coming from the whole planet! She couldn't pinpoint it's precise location! Finitevus, however, was standing still in fear.
"The stories are true!" he whispered.
Even Angel Island was feeling the earthquake, which seemed impossible, since Knuckles and his friends were all on a floating island!
"J-j-j-jiggly," laughed Charmy as his body vibrated.
"Stop doing that, runt!" shouted Vector. "This is serious."
Charmy was laughing so loud, he couldn't hear him. He stopped immediately when he heard the laugh and hid behind Espio's back.
"What is that?" he asked the chameleon.
Espio shook his head and looked at Knuckles, but his response was the same, "I don't know." Not even Shade knew. But the Chaotix knew that this laughter belonged to a great evil.
Even in the Void, the laugh was heard. Ixis Naugus and his crystal monsters looked around, trying to determine the source of the laugh, but no luck.
"Who dares usurp me?!" shouted the wizard. "Who dares think they are better than me?!"
"He is," said the voice of Ix. He earned a bolt of lightning from Naugus.
"You were not permitted to speak!"
"Forgive me," the crystalized echidna begged, bowing on his knees. "But there is an evil far greater than yours. He's a god."
"HA!" shouted Marik. "A god! That's a riot!"
"I'm serious!" shouted Ix. Naugus was confused. He should have total control. Is this mysterious creature interfering with his powers?
"Tell me," he said, hissing. "Who is this god?"
Ix gulped. "The Chaos Demigod."
These are the words spoken by Ix, and Finitevus: "Enerjak is free."
Elsewhere, somewhere on a rocky mountain, he stood overlooking a cliff, and seeing everything that has happened on this planet while he was absent. So much pain, suffering, evil and hate. This is what he was trying to tell the elders not so long ago. Now he must fix this mistake.
"By wiping out this plague," he said out loud. "And leave it with only one god: me!" He raised his fist in the air as he shouted this, and that's when he realized something wrong. "What happened to my hands?" He checked himself again. "What's going on? Where are my arms?! Whose tail is this?!"
He rushed over to a mountain stream and what he saw stunned him. In the pool was a ball of light that emanated a blue mist. Its only limb was a single tail-like limb.
"GAH! I'm nothing but a ghost!" He growled again and hit a rock in anger, but his tail just went through it. "Thanks," he said sarcastically. "For taking away my body and my ability to vent my anger!"
He shook his head and hovered down on a rock and began to think. "Am I supposed to wander the planet as a mere harmless ghost? Am I DOOMED TO HAUNT THIS PLANET?!"
He slumped down and moaned. Then he remembered something ghosts can do.
"It may not be my body," he said to himself, pulling himself together. "But if I find the perfect body, I will take back this planet from all those who would taint it so!" He rose up and shouted to the heavens, "I am the chosen one! I have been chosen to be the leader of this planet! And I will crush those who would oppose me!"
He roamed throughout the valley once he set out on his journey. So far, he had not found a suitable body for him to possess. And yet, he did get used to possessing other creatures after hours of training. He experimented on the wildlife he came across; he forced a wolf pack leader to kill its own mate and cubs, he made a mother bear surrender her own offspring to a complete stranger. Their fates were sealed for sure. And the best one, he thought, was the most difficult: forcing a Mobian child to assault his own parents. He laughed at that image of this small boy being hauled off to juvenile hall for a crime he never even remembered.
"But now," he said. "I need to find a proper body for me to control and take hold. Only then will my strength return. Now if only I knew where I was."
At one point, he came across a forest of bamboo after what seemed like days, when it was really hours of wandering. He noticed that as he hovered, small insects were scuttling away from him, as if they knew his intentions. It mattered not. For now, he needed to find another body. That's when he saw it when he came to the top of a hill: a palace of such marvel, it would befit whatever king was in it. Surrounding this palace was a village of Oriental designs. Its people were going on through their daily lives, even though some had worried expressions on their faces. Perhaps they knew of his coming. But no fear. It was alright. They knew nothing of his coming yet.
"Enerjak?" asked Naugus to Ix.
The crystalized echidna nodded, "One of the many deities of my race. He was considered to be a devil in golden armor and carrying a staff shaped like a falcon. And his mercilessness..." He shuddered. "He could move the continents themselves, cause the stars themselves to turn into supernovas and even pull people apart molecule by molecule." Marik was the only one who was not impressed, but he still listened in interest.
"What is this Enerjak?" the Ixis wizard asked.
Ix said, "He was once a scientist in ancient times named Jak and he studied Chaos Energy and Chaos himself. He used the Master Emerald as part of his experiments to harness Chaos Energy and turn it into a power source for electronics, vehicles and so on."
"But then something happened to him when he was caught in explosion," reported Finitevus to Eggman.
The mad scientist was getting more and more interested every minute. "What happened?"
"The Master Emerald exploded Chaos Energy right into his body. But instead of killing him, he miraculously survived and he was able to absorb all of that energy. To his amazement, he was given 'the power of the gods' as he reported in his notes. To test this new found strength, he retired as a scientist and became a gladiator named Enerjak."
"He was a sadist," said Ix to Naugus. "The opponents he faced in the ring were the worst criminals in echidna history: murderers, arsonists, terrorists and even rapists, and he killed them all in one swipe."
Marik was now paying full attention. "What happened after he realized his strength's potential?"
Phasing through the walls of the kingdom, he silently floated through the market street of the kingdom. One thing he liked being a ghost, no one could see him. He could smell the unique odors of food being prepared by chefs in restaurants and he smiled at the sight of little children playing with their dolls. Even though some of the villagers had a bit of worry on their faces, he was surprised to find that everyone was going with their daily lives! I guess it would have to take more than an earthquake and a ghostly laugh to let these people know who was here.
Then he set his eyes on the palace itself, smiling at the guards that protected it. Some were clad in armor belonging to samurai and others were garbed in ninja equipment. Now if he could find the perfect body...no. These guards might have the skill, but not enough spirit. He flew through one of them and into the palace walls.
The guard shivered a little. "Is anyone else cold?" His friends shook their heads.
"Now this is the life," the spirit told himself. "Surrounded by walls of beautiful paints, and columns of jade. And of course the harem girls if there are any here." He peeked around a couple of rooms, hoping to find one of two things: a harem and a perfect body. So far, he found none of the above. Then he flew into the throne room, where he saw an old man sitting next to what could only be the emperor of this palace: a red mongoose as old as his friend.
"Are you troubled by this event, Tai?" the man asked the emperor. "You've assigned the guards to their posts, but nothing happened. Perhaps it was just..."
"Don't say it was just a weird-sounding wind Kai Zen," the emperor replied lowly. "I felt something wrong. I have a feeling we are all in danger."
"But then," Kai Zen replied. "What happens if we encounter it? What if its worse than Eggman?"
"Then we must prepare ourselves for whatever happens. I will not be remembered as the man who lost this country to something so twisted!"
Kai Zen sighed in defeat. "What should we tell the people?"
"Nothing," replied Tai. "They must be in a panic already. I don't want them to be worried any further."
The spirit smiled. Oh, if he could just possess that old man's body and make these people know that their god is here to save them, they will have no choice! Hmm...He noticed two pairs of eyes poking through a doorway. Now who would be so foolish to listen to such an important meeting? He glided through a wall and peeked his head down from the ceiling, where he saw two figures leaning in at the doorway to the throne room, hearing every word that was being said from the emperor.
"My father is really worried, Bladefeather," the female one spoke. She was a yellow mongoose with black hair tied in a bun and she wore a purple dress with golden flowers. "If this new evil...whatever it is, is something that could put a whole town on edge, I wonder what it's capable of?"
"Fear not, Matilda," the red bird said. "The planet has faced evil far greater than Eggman before. The Devatrons for example."
Matilda scoffed, "Yeah, and look where that got us: Devion being under the control of Dr. Eggman."
"And he was defeated again even then. I promise you, my lady: nothing will harm us, nor this planet."
Well, now he knew then. The spirit only had to plant a few seeds of doubt in the people's minds after a little accident happens. Then he will step in and announce his presence as a savior. "Enerjak the Hero!" the people will scream. Yes, that sounds right.
"How long do we have to be on shift?" complained one of Chun-Nun's guards as day soon turned to night. The emperor had been switching guard shifts non stop now. There was now a rumor spreading that the recent earthquake might have made the emperor a little crazy, as if he had believed that there was a great evil going to happen. Yet nothing happened. Yet.
The spirit soon saw his chance when the town had gone to sleep. He had a hard time choosing which body to possess right now. At first he considered the old man. Zen, he believed the old coot was called. But he took it back after believing that if he was a true martial artist master, his mind would be too strong to control. Then the spirit thought about making the feeble emperor commit suicide. Just walk right into the center of town with a knife then slit his throat. But then, he found the perfect body: the emperor's daughter. After what he was going to do to her, everyone will have no choice but to listen to the words of the new god.
Matilda was staring out the window of her bedroom for some time now. Everyone else had gone to sleep. She was already hearing harsh words about her father and how he may be losing his mind over an earthquake. Bladefeather actually gave one of the guards a stern talking to. Truth be told, she had never seen him this angry. How could such a little earthquake cause all this trouble? She turned to her bed to go to sleep. It's time to go to her dreamland and forget her troubles now. The last thing she saw before passing out was the shadow of an echidna garbed in armour.
Bladefeather was in bed reading, trying to take his mind off the foul words that were coming from the mouths of the townspeople and the guards regarding the emperor's preparation for an enemy that did not even exist. All because of an earthquake. Well, he certainly didn't take it standing down. He gave the guards such a scare that they had no choice but to resume their duty. Still, he had to admit it, why did the emperor get so paranoid all of a sudden. It bothered him, but he decided to talk to him in the morning.
He set his book aside and prepared to go to sleep...when he heard floorboards creaking. Someone was right outside his bedroom door. Grabbing his knife he inched towards the door. He swung open...only to reveal Matilda in her nightgown.
"Oh! My apologies. What are you doing up at this ever so late hour?"
"I was getting a midnight snack," Matilda responded. "I just need a bit of food."
"Oh. Okay," yawned Bladefeather. "See you in the morning." He closed the door to his bedroom. He paused. Wait. Since when did the princess care about food at this time of crisis? He opened the door again, but she was gone. "Master Kai Zen!" he hissed, rushing down another hallway.
Meanwhile, the emperor was lying peacefully in bed...not noticing his own daughter looming over him. Without warning, she grabbed his pillow and covered his face with it and pressed down. His muffled screams and his thrashing about made the princess smile, even if it wasn't really her smiling. Suddenly, guards entered the room.
"PRINCESS MATILDA?!" they screamed in shock.
The spirit turned around. He smiled as he said with the princess' voice, "Yes?"
By the time Bladefeather rushed into the emperor's bedroom, he saw the five guards he sent lying on the floor, unconscious and to his horror, Matilda holding her own father by the throat. He was turning blue every minute, but she smiled wickedly as she watched.
"Matilda?!" shouted Bladefeather. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Matilda said nothing and continued strangling Tai. Bladefeather knew this was not Matilda and he grabbed one of his daggers and did something he thought he would never do: held the blade to her throat.
"Who are you, imposter?" he screamed.
She looked at at the bird and her face stretched into a smile of inhumane proportions. "Matilda can't hear you anymore," said Matilda in a distorted voice. Then without warning, a blast of Chaos Energy erupted from her mouth, sending the bird flying through three of the palace walls and into the town square. He got back up to his feet and pulled out more daggers.
"Who are you?!" he shouted again.
The creature that resembled Matilda was walking towards him was more powerful than anything he had ever felt and the smile painted on her face ruined her beautiful looks. Even though she was engaging an enemy, she still held her father's throat in her hand. He had to end this and fast!
"Your lovely Matilda," responded the thing.
"No you aren't! Don't you know who that man is you're strangling?" shouted Bladefeather. "Your own father?"
The thing looked down at Tai, then smiled to inhumane proportions again. "Oh, alright. He's harmless anyway."
The thing tossed Tai away where he landed in a bush with a thud. Bladefeather had seen enough. He grabbed more daggers from his robes and tossed them at the thing he called his friend. To his shock, they stopped in mid air. The thing used Chaos Energy to turn the blades around and fly them back to their owner. Bladefeather flew into the air, then came crashing down when he felt something heavy crash down onto him. The thing floated down and smiled again at the sight of the red bird lying at the bottom of the crater.
"Enough of this!"
She turned around to find herself facing...what was his name? Kai Zen. "Well, nice to see you here, old man."
"Don't talk to me like that, monstrosity!" the old man shouted. "How dare you take the form of my best pupil and force her to attack her own father! Why would you do it?!"
The thing that looked like Matilda smiled inhumanely once more. "I AM Matilda, you old coot! She's just not here right now. Would you like to leave a message?"
"DO NOT PLAY GAMES WITH ME! Why are you doing this?!"
"Why don't you just shut up and start fighting, old man?"
Kai Zen snarled and charged. The thing suddenly warped right in front of him. Then, he felt stiff. He couldn't move any bone in his body. The thing smiled again. At this close length, it truly did look frightening.
"A special Chaos ability," it said. "I can use the energy to cause total paralysis in your nervous system once it enters your body via your bloodstream. You're helpless before me now."
"I'm not!"
She turned around to see the bird, Bladefeather, was it? rise up from the crater and grip his daggers.
"Release my friend or pay the price!" Then the thing laughed, sounding nothing like Matilda, but more like a witch.
"How?!" she cackled. "You cannot do anything without hurting your friend! You can't do anything, pigeon!"
That did it. Angrily, Bladefeather flew up in the air and performed a dive bomb, aiming at Matilda's head. It wasn't deadly, but it would knock her out cold. But he was stopped abruptly and flung towards a wall when she grabbed Kai Zen and swung his paralyzed body like a bat.
"HAVE YOU NO SHAME?! NO HONOUR?!" screamed the old master. "USING SOMEONE ELSE AS A WEAPON?!" He stopped shouting when the thing snarled at him.
"Quiet." They both noticed that guards and civilians were coming out of the shadows, curious about the ruckus going on. "Looks like I have an audience. Perfect!" Tossing the paralyzed master to the ground, she flew up into the air and onto a pole. As Tai Zen, Bladefeather and the people watched, Matilda raised her arms up into the air and she spoke in her normal voice.
"People of Chun-Nun! The age of oppression is at an end! We have become far too great with too little to go around! The governments we once trusted with our money has squandered it! The heroes we have trusted with our lives have sabotaged it. To their eternal credit, we are dying."
"That's a lie!" shouted Bladefeather.
"Fear not," continued Matilda. "There is a future. I had a dream last night by a prophet named Enerjak. He shared a vision with me, a vision of my own father leading our country to doom! His foolish decisions will end us!"
The crowd started to murmur amongst themselves.
"Think about it! He had the guards arm themselves for nothing! All because of an earthquake and a funny wind!"
"You tried to kill your own father?!" shouted Kai Zen in disbelief. "Because you listened to the words of some false prophet?!"
"As you can see," she continued. "There will be non-believers, but let me assure you all, Enerjak will save us all! The Church of Enerjak is here for us, and he will rise us from the dirt that is this evil that oppresses us! I am Princess Matilda and I am this message!"
He left Chun-Nun but not without planting these thoughts in the princess' mind. Now she will become a prophet and led the people to his ways. Too bad he didn't kill the emperor, but in his damaged state, he probably won't be getting back in his throne any time soon. And he wasn't just talking about the one in the throne room. Oh, well. Next time, the spirit thought, make a real kill. Don't hold back.
For Chun-Nun, things have gone from bad to worse. For her crime of attempted murder, Matilda was left in prison, still bantering about some archangel named Enerjak making her a prophet to speak his messages. Only a few believed her. Everyone else thought she was crazy as her father. Poor Tai was now a broken man. He did nothing but sit in his throne, staring at nothing; some thought he was dead, until they took a close look at his chest moving up and down slightly as he breathed. Every now and then, he would awaken from his comatose state, screaming about an armored echidna burning "heretics" as he called the people. Those who believed Matilda's words believed that this was connected to archangel Enerjak.
Kai Zen and Bladefeather were left left unsure who to trust and who to believe in Chun-Nun anymore. Everyone, whether they listened to Matilda's words or not, had turned the backs on the royal family. Chun-Nan was falling. They had no choice but to leave and seek help elsewhere. Or rather, Bladefeather had no choice. Kai Zen chose to stay and keep Tai and the people stable and try to save Matilda from this false prophet, Enerjak.
"If only we knew who this Enerjak was," muttered Bladefeather as he prepared to take flight.
"His majesty rants about an armored echidna in his nightmares," replied the master. "It is only best that we seek another echidna about this false prophet."
"I know Knuckles has a temper that he has little control over, but he will listen. He has to."
The falcon felt Kai Zen pat his shoulder. "He will. He knows Matilda and you. He will listen."
Bladefeather smiled with confidence. With a final goodbye, he took off into the air. Kai Zen's own smile vanished. This was going to be difficult.
Unfortunately, what was happening in Chun-Nun was spreading like a virus. Major cities were falling to the same dementia, their leaders having horrible dreams and their children were speaking of the same entity: Enerjak. No one spread word of this happening, fearing that there will be a mass pandemics on a global scale. Only one city had been left untouched: New Mobotropolis.
Foolish mortals, the spirit thought. They'll believe anything in times of crisis. That is why I'm here. To save them from this crisis. Eggman, Devatrons, Finitevus, Martians! They will all be erased! And as for those who doubted him...well, they could always be reeducated. Right now, his eyes were focusing on New Mobotropolis. He had felt not one, but two bodies with Chaos Energy in them. He smiled, now realizing his next goal: a body to inhabit forever.
At New Mobotropolis, things were nothing like Chun-Nun. Sally herself was already aware that there was something evil in that earthquake, and so did the citizens. Sonic was in his laid back attitude the whole time. In fact, he was in the mood for his favourite food.
"I wonder if they can make a Hero Chilli Dog," he thought as he walked to a nearby restaurant. "One as long as a curtain rod and covered in chilli made out of the hottest peppers in all of Mobius! And only those who have done heroics will stand its spicy-"
"Sonic! There you are!"
The voice of Tails pulled him out of his mental thoughts. "Hey, bro! What's up?"
"Something is wrong with Chun-Nun! We've lost contact with them!"
"What?!"
Tails nodded. "Sally sent a message to see if they had felt the earthquake, but they never replied! She must have sent five letters already!"
"What does she want me to do?" Sonic asked.
"Just get over to HQ right away!"
Nodding, Sonic grabbed Tails by the arm and zoomed off.
The spirit seemed to have a good eye on those two. They were the ones he needed. Now if only he could catch up with the speedy one. Even as a ghost, he could never match the hedgehog's speed. No, he'll have to be sneaky. He'll have to use someone close to the hedgehog to gain his body. Scanning the city, he looked for a potential host. It looked like some of the princess's best soldiers were on their way for a meeting. One of them will do.
Flying overhead, he set his eyes on a pink hedgehog in a red dress and boots. Scanning her thoughts, he saw that she has a fanatic obsession with the blue one. Perfect! He dive bombed towards her, but he wished he didn't when a brown dog and a purple mouse walked right in front of her. No! Not them!
Mandy placed a hand on her temple and moaned.
"Something wrong?" asked Wilson. Mandy shook her head.
"Just a little dizzy for some reason. Don't worry it's over."
"I am glad that's over," agreed Amy. "So, why do you think Sally wants to meet with us?"
"Probably something regarding the earthquake. I don't know about you, but I sure was scared when I heard it."
"You know Sonic will stop it. He always does."
Mandy nodded, agreeing with the pink hedgehog's words. "Well, let's not waste time. Time to get going."
Amy nodded and went ahead of them. Wilson was about to follow, when Mandy grabbed him by the arm. "Yes?"
"I think I need to lie down. I feel a little sick."
"Hold on, I think they have some medicine at HQ."
"Actually, that's not it." Wilson was confused. "You see..."
"What's wrong?" he asked her. He jumped back when Mandy's face began to stretch and stretch and stretch to an inhumane smile. Black fangs replaced her normal white teeth and her eyes were solid black.
"I just need to get used to this body," she said in a distorted voice. "But now I feel better."
Wilson wanted to scream, but he couldn't. Her hands were tight around his neck. It was getting hard to breathe. His vision began to blur. "Mand..." His vision turned black. Mandy dropped his body. He wasn't dead. Why didn't she kill him?! That woman must have some form of resistance in this body. No matter, she had to hide the body and go find either the hedgehog or the two-tailed fox. Dragging the body to an alley, she dumped him into a trash can. Seems suitable. Now then, onto Sonic.
Hours earlier...
"So what happened?" asked Eggman to Finitevus.
"Let's just say he wanted to leave the gladiator business behind and become a hero to the planet."
"And it failed?" asked Katherine.
"Oh, no!" replied the albino echidna. "Not at all! He was a success! He even led warriors in battle when facing the enemies like the Ixis Order. But that's another story. In his late thirties, he along with two Guardians were sent to fix a problem with the Master Emerald. Someone had taken it and used it for their experiments."
"They found it being pumped of its Chaos Energy for Nocturnas tribe reasons. Enerjak slaughtered them all," Ix told Naugus. "The scientist was inspired by his birth and wanted to repeat the process. So he kidnapped Mobians of all kind; not just echidnas, and wished to transform them all into Enerjak clones. They were faulty, however."
"You did it didn't you?" asked Marik.
"This was centuries ago! I wasn't even born at all yet!" Ix cleared his throat. "Anyway, he killed the scientist and shut down the experiments. However, he began to grow worried, concerned that someone else would repeat these actions. So he went to the temple where he wished to decipher the relics in it and find out how to utilize his powers for everyone to be united. However, some secrets were better left undiscovered."
"What did he find?" asked Katherine, piecing together some voice clips to make that sentence. Everyone in the base was now on edge.
"A wall hidden below the temple floors. What he found was shocking. A face with walrus whiskers in a fiery wall and a blue spiky haired figure standing against it and its army of mechanical monsters," replied Finitevus. "Sound familiar?"
Eggman nodded. "They knew about me? Even if it was over centuries ago?! Am I not ahead of everyone else?!"
"There was a problem," continued Finitevus. "Enerjak believed that he was the blue figure, due to his suit being blue as well. Stupid, I know, but he was too wrapped up in his beliefs to listen to reason."
"So, he wanted to share his findings with the rest of the world?"
The albino echidna nodded. "And as a result, people began to look up to him as their savior. The one who will end the evil that will come. But..."
"...the Elder Guardians were outraged for Enerjack's 'blasphemy' of sticking his nose into places where it didn't belong," continued Ix. "He wasn't a Guardian and so he was never allowed to see those words on the wall. Outraged, Enerjak called them all blind fools for not seeing that a great evil was coming. Do you know what they did?
"What?" asked Naugus, intrigued by the prophecy the Elders wrote.
"They laughed. Right in his face."
"Ouch!" commented Marik.
"Ouch is right. 'That won't happen for the next couple hundred years,' they said. 'Someone else will do that heroic stuff. And that someone is not you. You have nothing to worry, for it is not your prophecy.' Boy was Enerjak angry. He left the elders soon after and he kept to himself for three days, locking himself in the basement of the library, where he pulled out texts about Chaos Energy, the gods themselves and how they made the world, and of the hero the prophecy spoke of."
"And?" asked Naugus.
"I don't really know. Something snapped inside of him. He believed that since he was a hero to the people in the present, then he should be the hero in the future. The ONLY hero. In an insane rage, he killed the echidnas and went off to the Master Emerald shrine, where he believed that by absorbing its full power would grant him immortality and let him live long enough to be in the future. He was opposed by a Guardian, and martial artist woman, but not even she could stop his powers even with the help of the Guardian."
"Did you say she?" babbled Marik.
"Don't even think about it. Anyway, she fell, but was still alive. Then, when all was lost...Enerjak was stabbed in the back by not a Guardian. But by an ordinary boy."
Eggman was ecstatic. "A MERE BOY DEFEATED A GOD?!"
Finitevus smiled a little. "The boy was a native of that town. He saw his own family slaughtered by Enerjak and his friends were the martial artist and the Guardian. He thought he had killed Enerjak, and he went to check his friends. The Chaos Demigod was still alive. He was prepared this time and he actually stabbed the boy in the chest with his sword, going so far as to lift him off the ground!"
"He's toast," concluded Katherine.
"Nope. Out of sheer force of will, the boy not only pulled the sword out of his body, he used it as a lever to pick Enerjak up and throw him into the Master Emerald itself. His body and soul merged with the Chaos Energy and the nightmare was over."
"What happened to the boy?" asked Eggman.
Finitevus shook his head. "The martial artist was taken away from Angel Island to be taken to another hospital somewhere that wasn't destroyed; the ones on Angel Island were destroyed. The Guardian and the boy vanished and so did all of the survivors of the Enerjak incident."
"So, WHY did Enerjak come NOW?" asked Katherine.
At Freedom HQ, Mandy walked over to the group, ready for the meeting with Sally.
"Hey, Mandy," asked Tails. "Where's Wilson?"
"Oh, he had to get medicine for my headache."
"But we have some here at the base."
"Yeah, he didn't want to interrupt her majesty."
Tails nodded his head. "Okay."
When Sally and Nicole walked in, the meeting began. But Mandy wasn't paying attention to the inane babble coming from their mouths. She was more focused on something more important: Sonic's body. All that power mixed with his blood. It's hers!
"Chun-Nun hasn't replied to any of my messages, and neither have the other major cities. I want you all to split into teams and go to the other cities. Cosmo, Sora, Ruben, go to Station Square. Amy, you wait for Wilson and go with him and Mandy to Empire City. Sonic, Tails, you're with me. We're going to Chun-Nun to find out what's going on around here."
"No problemo, Sally! One tip though, you might want to hold on tight."
Now was her chance!
"Why?" asked Sally, confused. Tails held tight to Sonic as Sonic lifted her in his arms.
"Cause I don't know if you can stand being carried at the speed of light!"
Sally squealed with laughter as she, Tails and Sonic zipped off.
Ruben, Cosmo and Sora got into their transportation vehicle and set their course for Station Square. Cosmo and Sora looked back at the spot Tails had been.
"You're thinking the same thing, Cosmo?" asked Sora.
"Yeah. I hope Tails will be okay."
"He'll be fine, assured Ruben. "He's managed to take care of villains by himself before; like Ginger."
The girls nodded. And he had Sonic and Sally there to help him! What else could go wrong?
As the girls and boy drove off, Amy and Mandy were the only ones left.
"So, Mandy, what kind of plans do you have for a honeymoon?"
"Honeymoon? What honeymoon?"
"Well," stuttered Amy. "I thought that's what most married couples do."
"I'm not married."
Amy was taken back. "Mandy, are you feeling alright?"
"GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Wilson burst into the room and tackled Mandy to the ground. To Amy's horror, he started punching her without mercy.
"Whoever you are, get out of my wife's body!"
Amy was aghast. She rushed over to Wilson and pried him off Mandy. "What the hell is your problem?!" she screamed.
"She's a fake!" shouted Wilson, pointing at Mandy. "She tried to strangle me!"
"WHAT?! Mandy would never..."
"Wilson..."
They both turned and faced Mandy getting up.
"Get the bitch!" they both screamed. They both tackled her and started beating the crap out of her. She used her legs to push them both off.
"I'm fine!" she screamed. "I'm fine!"
They all panted in exhaustion. Then Amy shouted, "WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"I might." The three of them turned to face Bladefeather. "Although it seems I'm too late to warn Sonic."
Now I've got you, Sonic the Hedgehog.
A day later...
Sonic zoomed off with Tails right behind him and holding Sally in his arms. For a while now, all he was thinking of was facing the big baddie and finally getting the chance to make that Hero Chilli Dog in celebration.
"Sonic," said Tails, still neck to neck with him. "What do you think would have caused a whole communications black out?"
"I thought you were the tech wiz, Tails!"
"Not in a situation like this. I never dealt with a total...oh, Mobius!"
They came to an abrupt halt in front of the gates of the once beloved Chun-Nan. Chun-Nun's bright marketplace was changed into something dark. Shops that sold dark objects and the restaurants' designs turned from jade dragons to ruby demons of unknown origin. A seedy looking weasel held out his hand, holding a shrunken head.
"Protection from evil spirits? Protect your girl's pretty neck."
Disgusted, the trio walked faster away from the weirdo and towards the palace. There were more guards surrounding the palace than normal. When the trio approached, they stopped them in their tracks.
"I'm sorry," said one of them. "No one can be allowed to see the emperor. Not even old friends. Come back when this crisis is averted."
"What?" sputtered Sonic. "Then what about Matilda?"
"If you want to talk to a crazy woman," chuckled another guard. "Go right ahead!"
"Crazy?" the Freedom Fighters asked, confused.
Kai Zen came walking out of the palace with a sad look. "I see you're here. We weren't expecting guests. Not after all that has happened."
"What happened here?" Sally asked in concern.
"It happened after the earthquake. His majesty had been acting...strange since the incident, but not as strange as the behavior the princess had. She kept rambling on about some spirit named Enerjak bringing peace that the Freedom Fighters couldn't provide."
"Why would she think that?" asked Sonic.
"No one knows. She just started babbling and attacked her father and friend!"
Sally wanted to slap herself in the face. Did she just hear that?! "But why would she..."
"Come to the prison, see for yourself."
Chun-Nun's prison was full of activity: prisoners babbling some sort of religious banter, or praying to some invisible being.
"All this happened in one week," commented Kai Zen. "Ever since Matilda's wild attack."
"There has to be an explanation for...Matilda?" gasped Sally.
Matilda was garbed in prison uniform custom made into robes like a priest's and her cell was covered in markings of unknown writing. She smiled when she saw her friends.
"Sonic, Tails, Sally! Have you come to see the light as I have?"
"Huh?" asked Sonic.
"Enerjak is here. It's time for the heretics to be reeducated and watch as the world burns and its evil is cleansed. The hero Enerjak will save us all!"
Tails twirled his finger to the side of his head and went, "Bee, boo! Bee, boo! Bee-Ow!" Sally slapped him. Then talked to the princess sternly.
"Matilda, you're delirious. Even if this Enerjak was a fake, why would you listen to him and try to kill your own father?!"
"My father is weak! He went crazy after an earthquake struck, and prepared for an evil that never came!"
"Matilda, Kai Zen said you started to act like this after the earthquake. What if it's connected to Enerjak somehow?"
Matilda paused, thought about it, then smiled with excitement. "You might be right! It IS connected! Enerjak is here! He's here to save us all!"
"That's it," muttered Sonic. "I'm out of this crazy town. I don't want to hear anyone worshiping some sort of god whose name sounds like a sports drink!"
"It does, doesn't it," laughed Tails.
Sally chuckled, "Yeah. That actually sounds like a good name for a product. I can see the commercial: Enerjak! Unleash the power of the gods!"
"Don't you dare mock my god, heretics!" screamed Matilda.
"I wasn't," replied Sally. "I just find it funny my name sounds like that now that I think of it."
Huh? "Why did you say that, Sal?" asked Sonic. "Why do you think you're name is funny?"
Sally turned to face Sonic. "Well, it does sound like an energy drink." Suddenly, Sonic felt something rush out of Sally and into him. He screamed and his eyes and mouth flashed.
"Sonic!" screamed Tails and Kai Zen.
Sally collapsed to the ground, but Matilda looked on in awe. When the glow vanished, Sonic was standing tall wearing gold armor. Actually, he was wearing a blue suit under the armor, but it's kind of hard to tell. When Sally awoke, she, along with everyone else were shocked to see Sonic wearing this armor.
"Sonic?" asked Tails. "Big brother, are you okay?"
But Sonic's eyes were different. They looked just like his own, but there was something off about them. Then he smiled. "Sonic's heart is gone!" he said. "Swallowed by the darkness within him!"
He started to float up into the air and Chaos Energy flowed all around him. Matilda was ecstatic. "It's him! Our savior! Enerjak!"
Sonic blasted a hole in the wall, which was meant for Kai Zen, but the old master ducked out of the way just in time. Tails jumped in Sonic's way when he approached Kai Zen.
"Give Sonic his mind back, you egomaniacal freak!" he screamed at the hedgehog, punching him repeatedly in the face. This did little effect. Sonic grabbed Tails by the hand and twisted it in an awkward manner. He screamed and clutched his numb arm, then received a kick from his older brother.
"Sonic, stop!"
Sonic turned and faced Sally with a emotionless face.
"I don't know who's doing this, but you know you're better than this! Fight it!"
"He doesn't have to fight it," ranted Matilda. "He's accepted Enerjak as his host!"
"Not if we can help it!" shouted Kai Zen. He dodged another one of Sonic's attacks.
Tails and Sally leaped at him and pinned him down. Only for them to get a blast of electricity in their bodies. They were sent flying and they landed with a crash.
"Now to end this," Sonic said. He was ready to kill them, when he suddenly felt pain in his body. Chaos Energy sputtered out of control throughout him and he felt like something was exploding in his head. With a loud POP, his body collapsed to the ground.
"Well, that was unexpected," muttered the spirit to himself. "Oh, well. Note to self: need a stronger body." It was time to leave this pop stand.
"Sonic!" screamed Sally, Tails and Kai Zen.
"My lord!" wailed Matilda.
As they watched, the blue outfit and golden armor vanished and Sonic's eyes were back to normal.
"Get him to a hospital, stat!" shouted Kai Zen.
"Looks like I need a stronger body," muttered the spirit. "The fox seems to have Chaos Energy in his blood, but his small body won't be able to keep me in check. No. I need an older body." Looks like he'll have to spend gods knows how long scanning the planet for a suitable body. Then again, if it took him just hours to turn a kingdom into a land of crazies, how hard can that be?
Earlier that day...
"Well," said Sora. "Here we are at Empire City. I wonder if we can make contact with Chun-Nun with the communications network here?"
"Uh...I'm not a tech wiz like your brother. I have no idea what to do," admitted Ruben.
"Well, I have been learning a few tech stuff watching Tails work on his projects," piped up Cosmo. "I might be able to help."
"You the man...ah, girl, Cosmo!" approved the water panther.
No one would know anything of the damage Enerjak has caused, however. Nor would they know of the true danger that will come.
Shadow and Rouge walked down the street of Station Square, confused of the familiar surroundings that were once filled with blue skies and green trees and streets filled with laughing children. Now the streets were empty, the sun was blacked out by dark clouds and the trees took on monstrous appearances.
"My, this place has decided to celebrate Halloween a little early," commented Rouge sarcastically.
"Now where are the trick or treaters?" replied Shadow, playing along, yet acting serious at the same time.
It was true. No one was walking the streets. No children were at the park, no teenagers were at their usual meeting spots like the mall, and there were no GUN officers on duty. In fact, as the two of them continued to search for signs of life, they found a school bus tilted over on its side.
"What is this? A horror movie?" Rouge said.
"Well, I certainly feel like I'm in one," replied Shadow. "This is giving me the creeps."
They even tried to contact their allies, but their communication devices were acting weird as well. Nothing but static.
"Okay. Now I'm scared."
They continued to walk down a dust covered street, finding even more overturned vehicles and abandoned toys. Then Shadow saw something that made him even more curious: the antenna on the communications tower had been taken down.
"Why would someone do something so stupid?" Rouge questioned with frustration. "It's like someone doesn't want people to talk to others!"
"Or maybe," hypothesized Shadow. "Someone doesn't want someone hearing important people."
Nothing was making sense anymore. Then, after what felt like hours of walking, when really it was 10 minutes, the duo heard signs of life: it sounded like a church choir singing. It sounded mournful and melancholy. They followed the chanting to a subway tunnel. No people.
"Ghosts?" asked Rouge, a little afraid.
"No such thing," replied Shadow. "There has to be a way to find the source of those...Ah ha!"
There was a wall of wood on the other side of the tracks and a light was glowing from behind it. The two of them leaped (flew in Rouge's case) over the tracks and to the door. Carefully, and silently, they pried off the door and tiptoed down the stairs.
"What is this?" Rouge asked.
Shadow noticed the "Danger! Keep out sign." "This must lead to the sewers. Whoever put that wood there must have used it as a patch until full repairs are done. Clearly, someone was using it as something else."
Then they noticed the candles. Who put those there? Then they saw more of them. They formed a path that lead the duo through a set of tunnels. Finally, they came across a stone door. It had a carved text written on it. Momento Mori. Translation: remember you will die.
Sonic rubbed his sore head. He was lying in bed at the hospital, and his friends were at his side. He was glad Kai Zen asked the doctors to clear the room so that they could have a little conversation.
"Can you remember what happened?" asked Kai Zen to Sonic.
"No. It's just a blur. The last thing I remember was being in Matilda's cell, then nothing. All I can think of was hurting people that did not see what I see."
"Sounds like what Matilda was saying," Kai Zen muttered. "Perhaps this is some sort of virus."
"Question is," asked Sally. "How did it spread?"
At that moment, a guard burst in.
"Guard, we're having a private conversation!" shouted Kai Zen. "Can't this wait?!"
"No time," he panted. "It's the princess! She's..."
Everyone was now open eared.
"Just go to her cell!"
There was a flash of blue and the guard was sent spinning like a tornado.
Matilda woke up with a yawn. Whoo! That must have been a good night's sleep. She must have slept for hours! Man, she could use some of that tea Kai Zen would always make. Wait, why was her room so dim? And what was she wearing? Adjusting her eyes to the dim light, she realized she was in a jail cell, and she was in a prison robe!
"Uh," she muttered, getting the sleep out of her eyes. "Is this a joke? I'm not laughing."
A buff guard said, "It's no joke. You're hear for the attempted murder of your father."
"WHAT?! I did no such thing!"
The guard held out a news paper. Matilda was shocked when she saw her own face on it, but it was wrong. Her face was twisted in an inhumane smile and when she read what she said to the crowd, she crumpled it to a ball and threw it at the guard.
"I DID NO SUCH THING! YOU GOT THE WRONG GIRL!"
"We arrested you at the scene. You were rambling about someone named Enerjak."
"I don't know an Enerjak and I don't like that tone! I am the princess! Wait till my father..."
"Your father can't help," replied another guard sadly. "Your attack and prophetic speech placed him in an unstable state. Kai Zen is in charge now and after you used him as a bat, I doubt he would let you free."
Matilda was at a loss for words.
"I believe you," said a younger guard to her. "No one would do that to their own father."
"Get back to your post!" the buff guard said. "You can talk about opinions at another time."
The kid nodded his head. "Yes, sir." He walked away, but not before giving the princess a quick wink. The princess smiled and winked back.
Minutes later...
"But-but-but," stuttered a guard (the buff guard changed shifts). "She hasn't served her sentence yet!"
"I don't care!" shouted Kai Zen. "She's under my care and I was left in charge of this city if something bad happened to her father! Now let her out now or I'll have you fired!"
The guard nodded fast and unlocked the cell. Matilda ran out and embraced her master, sobbing.
"Oh, master! I'm so confused!"
"As am I," he replied. "But we have help now."
Matilda looked behind him. Sonic, Tails and Sally waved to her. Then she realized something.
"Where's Bladefeather?"
Kai Zen's eyes widened. "I sent him to Angel Island to find Knuckles. I don't know what's taking so long."
"No problem," said Sonic. "I'll just go to the island and find him. I just hope Knuckles isn't giving him a hard time. Maybe I'll run into red feather head on the way there."
"I'm sure he is," stated Sally. "But they're friends. They won't fight."
At New Mobotropolis...
"What do you mean, I've caught the same virus as Matilda?!" Mandy exclaimed.
"Wilson told me you had the same coloured eyes when you attacked him. The same eyes Matilda had," explained Bladefeather. "I wonder if it's got something to do with this Enerjak?"
"Enerjak?" echoed Wilson. "What's that, some sort of sports drink?"
"I wish it was. Enerjak is some sort of angel that Matilda believes is a hero that will save us all from evil, although it sounds like that's not his real intentions and I have a feeling Enerjak's messing with my dear princess's mind."
"After what he did to me and Matilda," cursed Mandy. "I won't call him a hero. He's a villain like the others!"
"Maybe not like the others." The red falcon took his seat on a bench. "I have a feeling he will be more of a challenge than Eggman or even Chun-Nan's worst enemies put together. I was hoping Knuckles might know of it since Emperor Tai has nightmares of armoured echidnas."
"Why come here then?" asked Wilson.
"I wanted to recruit some more people to help me, like Sonic."
Nicole rushed over to the communication center and tried to contact Sonic, but to her dismay, all she heard was static.
"The emperor cut off all communications to prevent word from spreading," explained Bladefeather. "Doesn't want anyone to know about Enerjak and spread his prophetic words."
"Then we have to warn Sonic!" declared Amy. "Let's go!"
"There's no time. I'm sure he would have already been informed of the situation right about now and would have also been told where I am going. He'll be at Angel Island long before I do."
"What do you want us to do?" asked Amy. "We were told to go to Station Square."
"You will resume your mission. If you happen to run into Shadow and Rouge there, please tell them everything."
"Will do," everyone said.
"And what of me?" asked Nicole.
"Try to find alternative means of fixing the communication system. And keep the city under control." She nodded.
"Everyone..." They all looked at him. "See you later." He flew off. Gods help us all.