Melodies of Evil

Chapter 5: Double

I have to admit that splashing down hard into a Lake of Time is not the best thing that could happen to you, especially if you happen to be hydrophobic.

However, it is nice if you haven't had a bath in a while and you're covered in dirt. Feels very refreshing, to be honest. Even when you're terrified you're going to drown.

I was a bit too preoccupied with the refreshing feeling of all the dirt caking off into the water to think about the fact that I needed to get out of the Lake before I tried to take a breath and ended up choking on water. For once in my life, I wasn't even scared of drowning, even as I sunk lower and lower. I felt my eyes starting to close. For some reason, I was beginning to feel incredibly tired and at ease.

I don't remember what happened, but the next thing I know, I was being dragged above the surface by Tails.

Manic worriedly helped him pull me out. I couldn't move, and I know I should have been panicking, but I wasn't. I just felt... empty. I couldn't figure out why. Something was just, missing. I couldn't pinpoint it, exactly.

"Sonic!" Silver was kneeling next to me now.

Weird. I don't remember actually getting on land. Or being laid on my back. I looked around frantically, but I could only move my eyes.

"Sonic, can you hear me?" He probed. "Um... blink once for yes, twice for no."

I blinked. Good to see I could do that. That was nice.

"Can you move?" I blinked twice, "Think you can talk?" Twice again. "Alright, do you think you can try to move just your hand?" I blinked once and attempted to move my hand. It twitched, which was alright, but I needed to move a bit more.

I was surprised that Dark wasn't making some sort of sassy commentary about how stupid I was. Seemed like the kind of thing he'd be doing right about then. In fact, when I did something like this he always made sassy comments. But he was silent.

"Sonic?" I blinked and looked at Silver, "You alright?" I blinked. "Alright. How long do you think this is gonna last?" He glanced at Tails.

"I have no clue." Tails said, somewhat helplessly.

"Sorry." A new voice came. "I forgot to mention that prolonged exposure to the waters would cause temporary paralysis."

I knew that voice. But that didn't make sense. It had sounded like it wasn't in my head this time.

Wait.

Silver was looking, somewhat shocked, past me. With a great deal of effort I followed his gaze.

"... the Hell?" Were the first two words to make it out of my mouth despite an attempt to add "What" before them.

"Don't sweat it Blue." Dark chuckled. "I may or may not have also forgotten to mention that we'd separate in Valhalla." I glared as much as I could considering my current position. "And if you stop glaring at me, I can get you out of your little... Predicament."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tails staring at Dark in a mixture of fear and something I couldn't quite discern. I frowned, but stopped glaring.

Dark chuckled. "That's what I thought. Now..." He stepped over and touched my head. I felt like I got shocked - my limbs jerked violently and I sat up.

"... Thanks." I muttered.

I shook the water out of my fur and wrung out my gloves. Everyone except Knuckles and Shadow were staring, almost dumbfounded, at Dark.

Slowly, I stood. "Well, guys..." I looked at them, then at Dark, "This is Dark. Dark, well... You know everyone."

He chuckled. "Obviously."

Tails was the first to respond, although it took him a moment. "Um... How long has he been a thing?"

"Since around the time we met you." Dark and I replied in sync. I glared at him. He chuckled again.

"Okay." Tails nodded, "Um. Cool. Nice to meet you?" He seemed more confused than anything else. "I don't know... Um. Uh." He put his face in his hands, "I'm too confused for this. Hold on."

I had to smile. Smart as he was, stuff like this always confused him. He wasn't good at processing the more supernatural things immediately - simply because he was more scientifically minded. It wasn't because he refused to believe in the supernatural, it was that he was more inclined to believe in science.

The others all slowly ended up nodding and looking away, as if they were doing their best to comprehend it, while Silver continued to stare at Dark for a long moment. Dark himself quickly fell into a deep conversation with Shadow. Good to see they got along. And whatever they were talking about seemed to me to be extremely important.

Silver approached me after a while, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Something wrong?" I raised an eye ridge.

"Yeah, actually..." He shifted uncomfortably. "I... I could sense he was powerful when I felt him in your head, but..." He trailed off and shivered.

"But what?" I probed after a moment of silence.

"He's... He's way too powerful. On... On levels I haven't ever sensed before."

"There's good reason for that." I admitted.

Silver looked confused.

"He takes whatever extra power I have and keeps it for when I actually need to use it. Typically it goes unused for ridiculously long times, and since he becomes more powerful every time I get mad enough to almost let him out... He's pretty damn powerful. Add in the fact that I absorbed a ridiculous amount of energy from that Havoc Emerald, and he's pretty much a god." I shrugged. "Fortunately, he doesn't use any of it. He only uses his own."

Silver heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh. Thank god."

I chuckled, "Yeah. I know, right?"

I looked back to Dark and Shadow and hoped that he would return to my body when we left Valhalla. I didn't think I could handle him making his witty commentary out loud.