AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey, sorry I took so long to update. After taking a second look at where this story was going, I decided it needed some work. On top of that, I was involved with other projects, so I got sidetracked. Anyways, I want to give a big thanks to those of you who favorited & followed my works! I appreciate it very much! I would also like to give thanks to those who gave me inspiration, because inspiration is such a wonderful thing! Finally, I wish to thank those who gave me useful criticism! I'm not trying to become the best writer in the world, but I do appreciate help! But enough about all that; let us get back to the story...
Sonic & Mephiles ran around Mobius as fast as they could go. However, not everything was as it seemed.
(Wait a minute, what am I doin'?) thought Sonic. (Did I really just forgive him that easy? This guy killed me once! He's probably gonna try it again, too! Maybe he's tellin' the truth, though. Yeah right…and maybe I'll win a hundred billion Mobiums in some contest I didn't enter! Still…nah…)
After giving it a little more thought, Sonic came to a decision: Contrary to what he said he wouldn't do, he ran faster, faster, as fast as he could go.
"Sonic, what are you doing!?" cried Mephiles, who tried in vain to keep up. "Sonic, I told you that my power had deteriorated! Sonic, please stop! No, Sonic, don't! Sonic!" Sonic refused to stop, and despite his best efforts, Mephiles just couldn't keep up. In fact, he ended up tripping over his own feet. He didn't even get back up; he just laid there.
"Oh, Sonic…" Mephiles made one more grasp for the horizon before laying his head down on the ground.
Sonic ran back to Knothole, a small yet lively village in the depths of the Great Forest, one of the precious bastions of freedom in a world on the edge.
"Ah, home sweet home!" said Sonic. "Well…it was sweet, I guess…" Sonic walked back to his hut. On the way, he encountered Sally Acorn.
"Hello Sonic! How's it going?"
"Pretty good," replied Sonic.
"Pretty good? Is that all?"
"Yep, that's all! Have a good day, Sal!"
"You too, Sonic!" The two of them waved as they parted ways. Then, Sonic encountered Rotor Walrus.
"Hey, welcome back, Sonic!" said Rotor. "I was just looking for you!"
"What is it, Rote?" asked Sonic.
"Sonic…are you OK? You seem a little off."
"Don't worry about me; I'm just beat, that's all."
"Right. Hey, I just have one question…"
"What?"
"Can I borrow your video tape of Remote Reloader?"
"*Sigh*…go ahead." Sonic went to his hut and returned a few seconds later with the little plastic box that people hardly ever use anymore.
"Thanks, Sonic!" said Rotor.
"Sure thing…" Sonic walked back to his hut.
Back in his hut, Sonic sat on his bed in a pensive state. The hut was a modestly-sized wooden one with a sealed roof. It wasn't the most well-appointed home, but it did have a couple of beds, a sink, a bookshelf, a television set, some video games, a small table and a couple of cabinets.
(Why am I worryin' about him?) thought Sonic. (It's not like I made the wrong decision or nothin'! He was gonna trick me, anyways. I don't know why I fell for his story…)
While Sonic was mulling over the situation, his best friend Miles "Tails" Prower entered the hut.
"Good afternoon, Sonic!" said Tails.
"Oh…hey there, Tails."
"Sonic…is something wrong?"
"No…nothin's wrong," replied Sonic. "Really!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah! No jive!"
Tails walked over to Sonic and sat down beside him.
"Sonic, you're my best friend, and ever since I've known you, I could easily tell when there was something bothering you."
"Look, there's nothin' bothering me! I'm just thinkin', that's all!"
"If there's something bothering you, I'll be happy to listen."
Sonic took a deep breath.
"Ah…you're right, buddy," he said. "I can't just ignore all the good advice that I've been givin' to kids over the years! That would be way uncool, ya know?"
"Yeah, I see what you mean," said Tails.
"Well…since you're here, I'll tell ya what's bothering me: Have you ever had one of those days where…you know…somethin' came up and ya made a decision…but ya weren't sure you made the right decision?"
"Not that I remember. Why? What happened?"
"Well, uh…it's like…I guess it's…uh…ya see…er…it's…" Sonic threw his hands up. "…ah, never mind. I don't think you'd believe me anyways."
"I'd believe you!" said Tails.
"Look…just forget it, Tails. I don't think I feel so comfortable talking about this jazz, anyways. Still, thanks for bein' here for me! You're a real ray of sunshine!"
"Thank you too, Sonic!" The Blue Blur & the Two-Tailed Wonder gave each other a hug.
After the hug, Tails said: "I have to get back to work now. I hope you feel better soon!"
"OK, see ya later, pal!" For the two of them, the rest of the day went well, although Sonic could never quite get him off his mind…
That night, Mephiles curled up in a small ditch near Green Grove Zone and went to sleep. Actually, it was nearly impossible for him to sleep because of everything that was going through his mind. Even though he suffered from partial memory loss, there was so much that bothered him.
(Oh, life used to be so splendid when I was Solaris…) thought Mephiles.
Actually, unlike Joe Walsh, life hadn't been good for Mephiles even back then, because at some point during his lifetime as Solaris, he began to develop the sensation of loneliness. He wasn't too sure of when it began, but he wondered if perhaps it began when the Royal Family of Soleanna took him under their care, or perhaps some time afterwards. After all, one cannot get lonely if one doesn't know that other beings exist, right?
(No, that seems rather dubious…)
On the other hand, Mephiles recalled how the people of Soleanna used to worship him, shower him with gifts and hold festivals in his honor.
(And they were so congenial, too…)
Even so, not one of these people would take time out of their schedules –assuming any of them had schedules – and make friends with him, get to know him more personally. While this hurt him deeply, he did enjoy being worshipped. Thus, he kept his true feelings hidden behind a mask of coldness, yet also hoped that someone, somewhere, might become his friend.
(That is why I sought him, after all…)
Unfortunately for Solaris, that moment never came. Next thing he knew, he was being used as part of a research experiment. Mephiles didn't remember too much about that, either. One moment, it seemed as if he was just minding his own business, and next thing he knew, he was in a cold, dark research facility.
(Why did they extricate me from my old shrine? It was far more preferable to that uncomfortable laboratory…)
Then, at some point during the Solaris Project, he became angry. Once again, Mephiles couldn't remember much about this, but he knew that at least one of the scientists did something to anger him. As mentioned earlier, his initial desire for revenge led to one thing, then another, and he spiraled out of control until his eventual downfall. Mephiles couldn't remember anything about what happened between his downfall & resurgence.
(Oh, curse it all! Why do I continue living without Iblis? No, Iblis is immaterial; it was the denizens of Soleanna who gave me life. Here I am, my power decayed, by their absence dismayed…)
Finally, Mephiles just cried on the inside until he got to sleep.
The next morning, everyone in Knothole gathered at the picnic area for breakfast. During breakfast, Sally Acorn paused and took notice of Sonic.
"Sonic, why are you eating like that?" she asked.
Sonic briefly stopped eating his pancakes. "Eating like what!?"
"Well usually, you eat faster than everyone else,"
"So what? I can eat however fast I want! I just don't feel like inhalin' my breakfast right now."
"Honestly…you're weird sometimes."
Sonic shrugged. "Sal, if you ask me, everyone's weird one way or another."
"Oh, don't even…" said Sally. "Actually, I suppose you're right…" They continued eating without any other incidents.
After breakfast, Sonic laid back down on his bed and didn't go out for a while. Eventually, Tails came to see him.
"Sonic, are you OK?" asked Tails. "What's wrong?"
Sonic got up. "NOTHING! Absolutely nothing!"
Both of them were taken aback by Sonic's outburst.
"Whoa…s-s-sorry Tails! I didn't mean to let it slip like that!"
"Sonic…is that thing still bothering you?"
"*Sigh*…yeah, I still got that on my mind…"
"Then why don't you tell me about it?"
"Because…because…I don't know why!" Sonic threw his hands up. "It's just so hard to talk about!"
"Wow, it sounds like it's really bothering you!" said Tails.
"Yeah! You bet it is!"
"Sonic, I just want to say that I feel sorry for you."
"Hey, I feel sorry for me too, but I don't know how I'm gonna get through this jazz!"
The two of them paused for a moment.
"Hmmm…have you thought about confronting the problem directly?" asked Tails.
"Heh? How do ya mean, buddy?" asked Sonic.
"Well, if you're having trouble talking about your problem, why not just go to wherever the problem is and find a way to resolve it?"
"Gee, I'm not sure how…" Then, Sonic snapped his fingers. "Well, screw me in and call me a lightbulb! I just got an idea!"
"Hey, that's great!"
"All right, gotta burn, Vern!" Rather than running out at high speed, however, Sonic slowly made his way over to the door, sweat dripping down his face. "Yep, I'm goin'…I gotta go fast…so I can solve…my problem, heh heh…"
"Come on, Sonic! You can do it! I know you can solve your problem if you just believe in yourself!"
"Of course! Gottagetthisoverwith…" Sonic just sucked it up and ran out of there as quickly as he could.
Sonic ran around the country. Every so often, he would pause and wait for a few moments. At first, he was merely impatient, and occasionally, he said "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'mmmmmmmmm waaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnng" as he waited for whatever – or whoever – he was searching for. Soon, however, he began to get nervous – real nervous. Ordinarily, Sonic wouldn't lose his cool, but like The Man said, this thing of his was really bothering him.
Finally, after a long, agonizing search, he met up with a certain someone at the edge of the Great Forest.
"Good morning, Sonic."
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Sonic shook his hands around wildly in front of his face. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to do it I just didn't know if I did the right thing please don't hurt MEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"Sonic…what the hell are you panicking about?"
Sonic's ear twitched. He slowly lowered his hands away from his face and opened his eyes. Standing before him was Shadow the Hedgehog, his longtime rival.
"Oh…heh heh…sorry about that, Shadow! I thought…ah, never mind. I guess I'm just a bit jumpy today, that's all."
"Hmph" said Shadow. "Well, now that you've stopped acting like a pathetic mortal, I just came to return this book to you." Shadow handed Sonic a copy of Mysterious Akavir. This volume had a light reddish-brown cover with gilded lettering and pages trimmed in gold leaf.
"Heh? This ain't my book!" Sonic handed it back. Shadow gave him a suspicious look for a moment.
"Oh…of course. Now that I think of it, I just remembered that this book belongs to Knuckles."
"Right. Well uh…see ya later, Shad!" Sonic kept running.
Sonic felt a bit of relief now. However, he was still worried. Sure, he said he wanted to confront his problem directly, but he wasn't really sure whether he actually wanted to do that or just go back home. So, he just kept doing what he did best: running. Eventually, somewhere out in the plains, Sonic met him again.
"Hello again, Sonic," said Mephiles.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" screamed Sonic.
"Sonic…is something amiss?"
"Oh…sorry about that, Mephiles!" Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "I was just lookin' for ya!"
"Me too. I must inquire: Why did you run away from me? I informed you quite clearly that I was incapable of running at full pace. Even with my sporadic memory loss, I can still recall important details."
"Hey, I'm sorry about that, man! I…I just freaked out…that's all!" Sonic had a nervous smile on his face.
"Why?" It seemed like a simple question, but given Mephiles' coldness, it was quite easy to misinterpret.
"I…I guess I wasn't too sure about everything…" replied Sonic.
"Is that so?" Mephiles extended his arms, palms out. "Sonic…I never realized you harbored such feelings; I thought you meant to abandon me in an unfamiliar territory!"
"What!? You're kiddin'!"
"No, I'm not."
Sonic paused for a second.
"Oh. Well…like I said, I'm sorry about that. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot last time, ya know?"
"Yes, I comprehend. I assure you that I have no ill intentions anymore; I just want a friend."
"Right. So anyways, let's just…" Suddenly, Sonic clammed up again.
(Oh, why am I even doin' this!?) he thought. (How can I really know that he ain't tryin' to kill me? He gave me his word, but maybe I need more than that.)
"Well?" asked Mephiles.
"Sorry, man! I just spaced out for a bit, that's all. Anyways, I wanted to say I…I…" No matter how hard he tried, though, Sonic couldn't help losing his nerve. It was evident not only in the sweat dripping down his forehead, but also in the way his legs shook.
(Forget this!) he thought. (I'm outta here!) The Blue Blur ran away. Once again, Mephiles tried to run after him, but his energy still wasn't completely restored, so he lost Sonic again.
"Why?"
Meanwhile, back at Knothole…
"So, did you get your problem taken care of?" asked Tails.
"I sure did, lil' bro!" replied Sonic. "Thanks for the advice; I appreciate it!"
"You're welcome! By the way, what was it that you were having trouble with?"
"Ah, just…some trouble with Shadow. I thought he was gonna kill me over some book or somethin'…but it's all good now! Ya know, that's the strange thing with Shads; sometimes, you can't tell if he's gonna rip your head off or not."
"Yeah, I can see how that would be a problem. I'm glad I could help!"
"Anytime, Tails! Anytime!" Sonic gave Tails a high-five before moving on.
The rest of the day passed normally, until it was time to go to bed. Contrary to what Sonic said, it wasn't all good now. That night, he was plagued by thoughts of Mephiles. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get over that one day, all those forsaken months ago.
(Was he jivin' me?) thought Sonic. (Did he really need a friend that bad? I can't just let him die out there, but I gotta save my own skin, too…)
With such a weight on his head, Sonic found it very hard to fall asleep.
In contrast, Mephiles – who fell asleep on bare ground – found it easier to go to sleep. That night, he regained some more of his memory. He still couldn't remember who it was that first imprisoned him in the Scepter of Darkness, and considering what else was coaxed from within the dark, foggy maze of his mind, he didn't care.
Now, at long last, Mephiles could remember what happened between the moment that he was defeated and the moment that he reunited with Sonic…and he wished he didn't. The demon remembered being imprisoned within a hellish void. No words could adequately describe the pain & despair that he experienced within this prison. It was so unfathomable. How could he cope with what he didn't understand? Few people had the strength & determination to suffer through this sort of torture…this misery, or the courage to defy defeat, in the hopes that one might begin anew. Somehow, sometime…he did it.
Even when Mephiles escaped that void, though, he could never escape the pain…the remorse. He was locked and barred within this prison, and he'd be forever guarded in this prison until he could find the keys to unlock it. He thought he had the keys, but every time he tried to open that blue lock, the combination changed. Worse yet, the Dark One found his own words coming back to bite him, to stab at him with their crystalline claws…
"Oh, how ironic fate can be…"
"Yes, I killed that Hedgehog, and yet now I need him above all else. However, it seems as if he is unable to fathom that. Strange…"
"Such foolishness…"
"No, that isn't me! Well, at any rate, that scarcely reflects upon me anymore…"
"It's futile. The world will betray you…"
"No, stop it! That isn't true! Sonic would never do that! Even if he has absconded, he shall return…right?"
"Drown in darkness!"
"No…please! No more! It's over! I have already fulfilled my sentence! This is unnecessary! Stop…no more!"
Finally, Mephiles awoke from his nightmare. At first, he was wrought with sadness, but it soon changed to anger. He was tired of the pain, the remorse, everything. He dug his fingers into the cold ground and squeezed. At that moment, he knew what he had to do…
