As per usual, I do not own any
The beautiful town of Spagonia, a lavish waterside kingdom that seemed to be in a state of summer at all times. People went about their days as usual, though many had a bit more glee. The children were let out of school early, many members of the working class found themselves with a paid day off. Small concessions and the like were set up in the town center, serving frozen treats or warm cheeseburgers and hotdogs.
Tonight was a big night for the people of Spagonia. It was the night in which they celebrated the 'Iblis Dorment'. This night marked the anniversary of the defeat of the Monarch King, Mephiles the Dark. The man's reign over one hundred years ago had brought only death and bloodshed to the people he was to rule, all beginning with the murder of the Old King, Ereolong.
Mephiles the Dark had sought after the Flames of Iblis, the sacred fire of Solaris. It had been held by the Ruling family of Spagonia for as long as most could remember. The Flames would bring disaster in the wrong hands, such as Mephiles'.
With the old King murdered and the Queen following suit, the Prince and Princess were forced to flee. Only after finding aid in an old tale, the siblings returned to fight. The Prince sacrificed himself to seal the Dark King in an enchanted septer, while the Princess used her own body as a vestal to keep the Flames of Iblis from awakening.
'Iblis Dorment' celebrates this joyful day, honoring the old family as well as the new.
Princess Elise, the only living member of the Royal Family of Spagonia, sheepishly walked through the halls of Spagonian Castle, avoiding the gaze of her advisor.
"Princess, please, we must start thinking about marriage." The advisor said, keeping pace with the Redhead with some effort. "As the last member of the royal family, you must be able to provide an air to the throne."
"As I said before, Eris, I have no intent of marrying any of these snobbish suiters." Elise said, picking up her stride. "They only seek to gain power. They haven't shown a pinch of care about our people."
"Princess…" Eris began, only for Elise to wave a hand, silencing her. "You musn't act so childish."
"Enough, Eris. We can talk about this after the Ceremony. Now if you would excuse me for a moment, I would like to freshen up in private." Elise said, the two reaching a large set of door that led to the Princess' room.
"Of course, Princess." Eris sighed, watching as the Redhead disappeared through the doors. Elise closed the doors behind her, letting out a sigh of relief. This matter was getting exhausting.
"Geez, is that Lady still going on about that marriage crap?" A voice laughed. Elise turned to her bed, seeing a Blue haired boy laying there. A small fox was nuzzled up next to him, sleeping soundly.
"Unfortunately yes, Sonic." Elise said, walking over to a table that held a mirror and various kinds of makeup. "With my twentieth birthday only a week away, my advisors believe that it is time for me to marry."
"Heh, sounds like a bunch of garbage to me." Sonic said, scratching his head. "It's not like every twenty year old is having kids."
"It's tradition, sadly." The Redhead said, applying some makeup.
"Yeah, well tradition is boring. Don't let them force you into marrying some uptight clown." Sonic said. "You're the princess, after all. Though I would have a hard time seeing a cutie like you as anything but a Queen."
Elise chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Aren't you a charmer."
"I try my best." Sonic laughed, rubbing his nose.
"If this is your best, I might just have to take back that compliment." Elise smiled, standing from her seat. "I'd love to talk more, Sonic, but I have to get to the ceremony."
"It's no problem, I'll see you after." Sonic said. "Take care."
"You too." Elise said, making way for the door.
The water of Spagonia sparkled in the moonlight, matching the stars that twinkle in the sky. People cheered and whistled as a large boat traveled from the castle through the waterways. The destination? The large monument of Iblis, the Inferno Tarra. A large torch pit laid in the middle of winding stone.
"Fair people of Spagonia!" Elise called out, pulling back the hood the nuns around her wore. The citizens hollered and screamed in excitement. The Princess had a knack for raising moral. "Tonight we honor the sacrifices of those that came before us. To all the souls that were lost under the rule of Mephiles the Dark! To those that died fighting to free the people from the Dark Knight's reign! May they always know what they did was no in vien!"
The crowd went wild, even a few guards were forcing down smiles.
"Tonight let us come together, not as the prisoners of the past, but as the people of today! People that may now live their own lives, make their own paths, free from the fear of the blade of the man who was supposed to keep his people safe!" Elise yelled, gently taking a large torch from one of the nuns. She held it up, letting the fire coat her equally red hair in a warm glow. "I, Elise Orona, last member of Royal Family, declare tonight one of celebration!" With that, she held the torch out to a connecting point of the stones. Fire caught the top, spreading rapidly to the torch pit. It erupted in a beautiful blaze, lighting up anything it could see.
BOOM!
A building in the distance erupted in smoke and flames, followed by another. Cries rang out, people running and crying in fear. Buildings all around seemed to be engulfed in destruction. Elise felt her breath hitch, her heart nigh stopping.
From the roofs and alleyways of the town, abominations of purple, black and metal forced their way in. Many of the guards that dared to tread their way were met with immediate assault. Some were torn apart, while others managed to hold up their defenses. Spearmen joined the fight, assaulting the creatures at a range.
"Hohoho, do you like the show I put on? I think it really livened up this drab ceremony." A voice laughed. Robotic beasts landed on the boat, surrounding the Princess and her nuns. Through clenched teeth, Elise watched the figure of a man reveal himself from behind the torch pit. "You must be Princess Elise, correct? The pleasure of meeting you is all mine."
"Wha- Who-who are you?" Elise spat, squeasing her fingers into fists.
"Who am I? Oh the blow to my heart." The man chuckled, still hidden by a smoke cloud. "I am Robotnik, Evil genius extraordinaire!" He said, making exaggerated hand motions along the way. "But that is not important, what is is that you have something that belongs to me."
Elise glared at the man, resisting the urge to spit on him. She didn't want to put the nuns in danger. "The people of Spagonia have nothing of yours, nor do we owe you anything."
"Right." Ivo laughed, crossing his arms. "You might not know just what you owe." Holding up a hand, the scientist shows the princess a large gem. It was blue in color, sparkling beautifully even through the smoke. Elise swallowed nervously, the gem was in deed familiar. "That blue haired brat took one of these from me. You two are familiar with each other from what my files on that runt said. Now, where is the Chaos Emerald?"
"It's in your hand, Egghead." A familiar voice called out. The tension in Elise's chest lessened while Robotnik's shoulders sagged.
"You…" The Scientist spat, looking around. "Where are you, rat boy?"
"I told you, Eggman…" One of the robots surrounding the princess blew up, a blue blur launching into the air. "I'm not a rat!" The blur shot to the ground, smashing another robot before barreling into another one. It played what was basically pinball with the robots, who all tried in vain to shoot it down, firing blindly in the air. "I'm part hedgehog!" The blur skidded to a stop before one of the two remaining bots, the wind that hit it causing it to fall into the water and short circuit.
"Ke!? You brat!" Robotnik grunted. The blur, now revealed to be Sonic, looked over to the Scientist, a cocky grin plastered on his face. Elise smiled as well.
"How's it going, Eggman? It's been way to long since I got to kick your butt." Sonic laughed, cracking his knuckles. "So how do you want your beating, sunny side up, scrambled, or runny?"
"Don't take a step closer, boy." Eggman spat.
"And why not?" Sonic asked, tapping a foot against the wooden floor.
"Because if you do, she dies." He growled, pointing behind the blue blur. Sonic looked back, seeing Elise struggling in the grasp of the last remaining robot. "Now, hand over that gem you stole, or else her brains get splattered on this boat."
"Whoa dude! That's a little bit much, don't you think?" Sonic asked, yet he still took a step closer to the Scientist. "Since when did you get edgy, Egghead? Don't tell me Shadow really had such an impact on you."
"I said, step back!" Ivo barked, ready to give the execution command.
"No you didn't, you said don't come closer. Come on dude, you gotta stay consistent." Sonic chuckled. "Besides, your threats are all bull. Even if you were serious, there's not much that could be done to my old pal Elise over there."
"And how so?" Eggman asked, glaring daggers.
"Simple really." Sonic began.
SHING!
"She's no damsel in distress." Sonic said, listening to the sound of the last robot falling in pieces.
Elise let the robot fall, pulling her sword from its husk. The blade was finely crafted, steel dyed a light sky blue that twisted in circles in the back. The sharp metal that pointed along the front bulked out gradually to the middle before thinning again in the back. The hilt was a gilded white, black cloth wrapping it.
"Dr. Ivo Robotnik." Elise spat, holding the blade by her hip. "We've only just met and yet you've earned a jury." Holding the blade out, she glared down the man. "For the crimes you've commit in such a short time, the people that have died in these few minutes, you are charged with terrorism."
"Whoa hey!" Eggman yelled, raising his arms. "Let's not get hasty now." A large grin plastered his face. A loud snap echoed into the night and the scientist let his fingers rest.
MRAWWWWWW!
The waves along Spagonia's coast rumbled and thrashed. The water rippled, and the whole damn city seemed to rumble.
MRAWWWWWW!
With a metallic screech, the head of a reptile like beast shot from the ocean, a pair of metal wings following suit. With a flap of its wings, the beast sprang from the water, blocking the view of the moon for a few moments before landing onto a couple of buildings. They were crushed under the force of the robot beast.
"The heck!?" Sonic yelled, watching the towering metal monster expand its wingspan.
"What in Solaris' name is that!?" Elise shouted, jaw dropped.
"Heh." Eggman chuckled, raising a hand to motion to the beast. "This is the EggDragon. If you don't hand over the Chaos emerald, I'll command it to torch the city."
Sonic grunted, fishing a purple gem from who knows where. He looked at it, then up to Robotnik. Sighing, he tossed the emerald to him. "Fine, Egghead, you win. Just leave these people be."
"My my, Sonic, finally coming to your senses?" Eggman smiled. "Remember, you are nothing to me, runt." Turning away, he waved a hand dismissively. "Kill them both."
"What!? You-!" Sonic yelled, before ducking. A bullet passed overhead. A group of robots landed on the ship, arm cannons held up and ready to shoot.
SHING!
A robot fell in two, cleaved in half by the Princess of Spagonia. Scowling, she held her blade to another, daring it to make a move. Sonic let air out through his nose, turning and barreling into a bot.
From the rooftop of the church, a white haired boy, a Mobian like Sonic, laid still. The unconscious child was oblivious to the destruction around him, the only form of comfort was the red gem in his arms.
Grunting, a Mobian man rolled the kink in his neck, a satisfying 'pop' welcoming him into the night.
The man looked to be on the older side of his thirties, though if you were to ask, he was actually fifty. He had long, shaggy black hair with red stripes, matching his crimson eyes. Adjusting the worn grey beanie out of his eyes, he grumbled to himself.
"Oh get up already, Shadow." A voice called to him. "We both know you don't need to sleep."
Rolling his eyes, the Mobian rose from his bed, which was really just the backseat cushions of his car. Reaching over and grabbing a worse for wear jacket, he threw it on and kicked open the backdoor.
"Still nice to do, Rouge. Beats talking to you, brat." He muttered, ignoring the glare from the teenage Bat Mobian sitting in the passenger seat. "These G.U.N. missions are gonna be the death of me."
"Stuff it, old man." Rouge said, exiting the jeep as well. "Anyway, we're in Downtown Spagonia. Why did you want to come here anyway?"
"Eh, see the sights, work on some paperwork away from that damn office…" Shadow began, trudging over to the back of the jeep. He popped the trunk, already looking through his assortment of guns. "It's nice to get away from it all every once and-"
"Sonic's here, isn't he?" Rouge asked, adjusting the straps of her top that showed a bit too much cleavage for a teen her age.
"..."
"As I thought." She smirked. "How does it feel to have a rivalry with a kid, anyways? Watching a fifty year old 'Ultimate Lifeform' get beak down and outclassed by a sixteen year old is pretty funny."
"Shut it, Rouge." Shadow spat, slinging a duffle bag full of weapons over his shoulder. "You know it's not like that."
"Than what is it?" Rouge asked, crossing her arms. "Just what do you get from being Sonic's rival?"
"Closure." Shadow said plainly, locking the jeep before walking off. Rouge staggered for a moment, caught off guard by her co-workers bluntness.
"Closure? Just what the hell does that mean?!" She called, chasing after him. "Shadow!"
Fire roared along the rooftops of Spagonia, consumed in the destruction that had taken place. The moon was on the horizon, the sun ready to shift into dominance. The castle had not been spared either. Holes littered the roof, a few towers on the verge of falling.
Elise kelt in the center of the throne room, Sonic standing just a few feet behind her.
"Elise? Are you okay?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.
"No." The princess whispered. "My people have been slaughtered, my guard is in shambles, everything is destroyed." She sniffed. Sonic wanted to say something to cheer her up, but nothing came to mind. "Sonic…"
"Yeah?"
"What does that man want with the Emeralds?" She asked.
Sonic sighed, crossing his arms. "Honestly, it seems to change a lot." He began, taking a step in a random direction. "But this time I think it had something to do with those purple things we saw."
"..." Elise was quiet, just watching a bit of ruble fall from the ceiling. "We have to stop him."
"We? Oh no, Elise, you have to say here! It is way to dangerous." Sonic said.
"No, Sonic, I will not." Elise said, standing up. "This man has invaded my land, killed many of my people, and now seeks to harm others. No decent being should stay on the side lines. I will be going with you, whether you like it or not."
The Mobain struggled to say something. Knowing how stubborn his friend was really didn't help. He sighed, nodding somberly.
Elise marched past him, leaving the boy to follow her through corridor after corridor of this ruined castle. They reached a large set of bolted doors in the heart of the castle. With a forceful push, Elise managed to open them, stepping inside right after.
Inside, an armor stand stood in the center of the room, a pale blue tunic-like garb resting on its chest. On the wall behind it, a very large broadsword was mounted. It resembled the one Elise used the night before, a sky blue with two circled holes in the blade. The hilt was more like one used for an axe, a dark grey. Black and red cloth wrapped parts of the hilt and looped around the back of the bottom hole.
What set this blade apart was the sheer size and sharpness. The sword easily trumped Sonic in height, reaching up to Elise's jaw if placed vertically. The front of the blade was carved like a buzzsaw, a line of curved teeth that were ready to tear through flesh and armor alike.
"What is this place?" Sonic asked, looking around the room.
"The Shrine." Elise muttered, walking up to the armor stand. She ran a hand along the fabric of the tunic. "These two items were passed down through generations in my family. The Solaris garb and the Riptide." She clasped the tunic, lifting up from the stand. "This garb was said to be blessed by Solaris themself, its light undying and protecting." She put it on, a strange 'swoosh' sound ringing from the tunic. A dim light glowed from the breastplate, before going out like it was never there to begin with. Elise touched her chest, feeling the cloth. Sighing, she walked to the blade. "Riptide…" She paused, collecting her thoughts. "This blade was made from the underground magma springs that rested under Wave Island. This blade was the one to deliver the final blow to Mephiles himself."
"Geez, I didn't think I would end up helping a secret badass." Sonic chuckled, rubbing his nose.
"Badass? I don't believe I've heard that term before." Elise said, lifting Riptide from its mount. "Is that a good thing?"
"Yeah, it is." Sonic said, walking up and taking Elise by the hand. "So where are we going first? I haven't got a clue about this place."
"Well… maybe we should start at Wave Island. I would like to ask the scientists stationed their about the recent aggressiveness of the sea life. I fear Robotnik might have something to do with it."
"Well alright." Sonic said, sweeping Elise into his arms. Despite being twice his size, the Princess was easily supported. That didn't stop her from letting out a yip in surprise.
"S-sonic!?" She stuttered, caught off guard. "What are you doing?"
"Bringing you to Wave Island of course!" He laughed, taking off down the hallway. "But first I gotta drop off Tails with Amy, don't want him getting hurt."