SONIC UNLEASHED
Terra the Echidna © DarkspineSilver92
Chapter Twenty-One: Twilight Hour, Part 1
The scene returns to the unknown region that remained separate from the world. Outside the mighty fortress of the Black comet, several Nocturnus and Black Warriors were directing their charges away from the structure. The Nightmares followed their orders without resistance as they were pushed into the tunnels below. But while they watched the neon creatures press further into the underground path, a sudden screech pierced the atmosphere. The dark soldier gave no acknowledgement as they unearthly screamed continued to echo across the area.
The scene alters inside the Black Comet to the lower sections of the asteroid. The screaming could be heard to the point where one's ears could rupture from the sound. And as the Black Arms moved to restrain the source of the disturbance, Black Doom watched with a belligerent expression on his blank face. He could see Terra the Echidna pushing and stabbing anyone that even tried to come within a few feet of her. The echidna's eyes were entirely white; the pupils lost, and her expression looked similar to one trapped in an eternal nightmare. Terra screamed in pure horror and the Black Arms were close to using their weapons on her.
"What happened to her?" The Nocturnus commander questioned nervously.
"It is her punishment for failure." Black Doom said unconcerned. "When I realized that Sonic was still alive, I knew Terra would not be able to defeat him on her own, even with the new powers I granted her. She needed a partner."
"And that's when you created the Black Wolf." The commander said in realization.
"Do you know how she and the Black Wolf communicated so well?" Black Doom questioned smoothly. The commander shook his head in response. "When creating the Black Wolf, I designed the body to be strong enough to face Sonic in his new form. But it was missing that essential piece: the soul. And as I had assigned Terra to assassinate the hedgehog, it was only fitting that it would be her soul to be used."
"But the Black Wolf was transformed into the Black Chimera." The commander stated obviously. "And the Black Chimera was killed a few hours ago. But what does that have to do with Procurator Terra's shocking state."
"I don't accept failure so lightly." Black Doom sneered. He looked over the rails and found Terra stunned before being dragged away by the Black Warriors. "To encourage her not to fail, I placed all of her soul within the Black Wolf. And now that my creation is dead, Terra is an empty shell."
"So, what happens to her now?" The commander asked curiously.
"Without her soul to blind her, Terra has seen the truth of all secrets." Black Doom explained. "Unfortunately, such knowledge is too horrifying for mere mortals. Even I would not dare to dabble in such prodigy. The knowledge has forced Terra into madness, from which she can never return from."
"How terrible." The commander muttered.
"You will do best to learn from her mistakes." Black Doom said coldly. Suddenly, an alarm echoed throughout the caverns of the Black Comet. With a wave of his hands, the alien overlord stopped the alarm and dragged a crystallized screen into view. "Ah, it looks like our friends have arrived."
The scene exits to the outside of the deserted continent, high above the clouds. After their departure from South Island, the Gaia Warrior learned that the last temple was actually in the center of the Dark Continent. Knowing they would be spotted in an instant, Eggman manually directed his Egg-Mobile to fly over the Black Comet. Sonic the Werehog, Nazo the Guardian, and Shade the Echidna clung to the side of the flying machine, trying desperately not to fall off.
"There it is: the Black Comet." Eggman announced, pointing over the side. "It is a hideous sight. It is positively more revolting then when we last saw it in Central City."
"No one really cares about your artist values." Shade commented bluntly; Eggman grunted.
"Knowing Black Doom, he's most likely prepared a welcoming party for us." Nazo informed seriously, facing the round human. "Eggman, remain in the sky and keep a lookout incase he decides to call reinforcements." He craned his head to his partners. "Sonic, Shade, we need to find the Gaia Gate as soon as possible. The time for subtlety is over."
The echidna nodded stiffly, but Sonic's mind was too preoccupied to listen. Ever since Chip had discovered his identity, Sonic couldn't help but feel that he had wronged the small hound. Even though he was admittingly annoying, that did not grant Sonic the right to act so cruel to him, especially during the incident in Apotos. But what had shocked the transformed hero was the Chip, now recognized as Light Gaia, had forgiven them so easily. And now...he was gone. He felt a pang of guilt in his chest that rivaled only to the time when Amy went missing.
"Time to go!" Nazo exclaimed.
"Say wha?" Sonic slurred as he snapped back into reality.
Without warning, Eggman slopes his machine to the clouds, forcing the unknowing werehog to release his grip. While Sonic was screaming and flailing his arms in shock, Nazo and Shade were stabbed forward to the ground, swift like arrows. Rolling his eyes at the beast besides him, Nazo thrusted out his claw to release a powerful mist over the black rock. Within seconds, a fraction of the stone was frozen over and Shade took the time to draw her Leech Blades. With her movements as fast as lightning, the echidna warriors shattered through the roof and dropped inside the mighty fortress. Shade and Nazo landed gently on their feet within the catacombs of the Black Comet, but Sonic predictably landed on his head.
"Nice entrance." Shade commented sarcastically.
"Sonic, what is with you?" Nazo said worried. "You have been acting strange ever since we left South Island." He stopped for a moment to reprocess his words. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Light Gaia, would it?"
"Chip..." Sonic muttered silently.
"What?" Nazo questioned.
"His name is Chip!" Sonic snapped. "I found him outside of Apotos and he's an innocent creature! He has nothing to do with Dark Gaia or Black Doom or any of this craziness! He's just..." His voice faltered for a moment. "He's just a pup."
"You miss him, don't you?" Shade said sympathetically. "I can understand that feeling. When I was with Ix and the Nocturnus, I always felt that there was something missing in my life. And all this time, I never knew that my family was still alive."
"I understand as well." Nazo nodded. "When I was with the Guardians, they were my family. My brother, my true brother, had died long before Parasiden disappeared." He takes a swift glance at Sonic and momentarily reminds himself of Aero. "The thing is, we've all experience losses. And the only way we can push through them is to stand together."
"Yeah..." Sonic nodded slowly. "That's what Chip would have wanted."
"Aw, such a touching moment." The trio jumped at the echoing voice, facing each direction with their fists raised for battle. Suddenly, an enlarged hologram of Black Doom appeared above them; his expression held a gleam of amusement. "And here I thought the entertainment would be more violent than necessary."
"You can't hide from us, Black Doom!" Sonic growled. "We'll find the temple and kick you..."
"Derriere." Shade interject; this story is rated after all.
"That too!" Sonic yelled.
"Oh, but that's exactly what I want." Black Doom said curiously calm, apparently grinning at the sight of their shocked expressions. "With my plans so close to completion, I have no use left in destroying the Inner Sanctuary. So I thought it might be interesting to see you try to thwart my plans." He waved his hand gently as a gesture of false friendliness. "As a sign of good faith, I will even surrender the Planet Key."
"What's the catch?" Nazo questioned uneasily.
"I would expect nothing less from you, Nazo." Black Doom said malevolently. "Always as sharp as a knife. That is why I always feared and despised you." He soon realized his flattery was failing and resumed his calm silence. "I will admit that there is one small fee for the Planet Key."
"What a surprise." Shade muttered sarcastically.
"I have been dabbling within a few experiments of my won as of recent." Black Doom explained slowly. "I found that humans make surprisingly good test subjects. Although my tests have proven satisfactory, I have yet to truly push them to their limits."
"And you want us to be the training dummies." Sonic snarled.
"Exactly." Black Doom chuckled. "I hope you enjoy your stay at the Black Comet. Black Guardian, destroy them."
And the image vanished in a trail of light. The Gaia Warriors remained stern against the unknown, awaiting anything that Black Doom might throw at them. And for a few silent moments, nothing was discovered with the exception of the few breathes of wind escaping through the hole in the roof. And while Shade looked back and forth between the tunnels, a small clicking sound suddenly entered hear sense of hearing. Without warning, the echidna grabbed both warriors by the necks and pulled them backwards to the ground as a purple blur flew by them. They did not stand up until the blur retreated into the shadows once more.
"What was that?" Sonic asked dully.
"I think this is our welcoming party." Nazo commented.
Knowing that its presence had been exposed, the creature dropped from the shadows and remained on a small landing above its prey. The dark experiment was clearly forged from human experimentation as it had the definite shape and size of a middle-aged man. The human body had been completely dissolved and replaced by the Black Arm's regular leathery-black skin, bulbous yellow eyes, and red markings. Three red horns formed a crown upon its forehead and it carried a violet sickle-weapon attached to a long and winding magenta chain.
"Dark Guardian I presume?" Shade asked pointedly. The creature growled indistinctively. "Not much of a talker, this one."
"Well, the Black Arms aren't exactly the brightest bulbs." Sonic sniggered.
Barely a moment after the words escaped him; the Black Guardian twirled its weapon and tossed the blade forward to the werehog's head. Due to Shade's reflexes, she was able to block the blade and send it back to its master; the Black Guardian caught it instinctively.
"I think he heard you." Shade said obviously.
"Hey, it's not my fault they're dumb than a sack of spuds." Sonic snorted; he ducked the blade again.
"What a minute." Nazo called as he sidestepped another attack. "What's that glittering around its neck?" While the Black Guardian was distracted with Shade, Nazo placed his hand over his eyes and used the ice as a telescope. Dangling around the monster's neck by a piece of string was a golden two-pronged key. "I don't believe it. Black Doom was true to his word. He is giving us the Planet Key and it's hanging around that thing's neck."
"Then I guess we'll just have to take it the hard way." Sonic grinned deviously as he cracked his knuckles.
"Try not to do anything stupid." Shade requested.
"When have I ever done anything stupid?" Sonic asked. Shade opened her mouth to answer, but the werehog cut her off. "That was a rhetorical question."
"Of course it was." Shade murmured, rolling her eyes.
The Black Guardian growled and twirled its chain-weapon over its head menacingly. It twisted its lengthy arm outwards while stretching the chain further for longer distances. Sonic dropped to the ground, barely feeling the blade touch over his fur, and Shade flipped backwards into the air. But Nazo remained calm as the sickle-blade blurred towards his neckline and he only raised his arm as defense. But before the blade could pierce his body, a shield of solid ice formed over Nazo's wrist, halting the weapon's assault with a deafening thud. The Black Guardian attempted to retrieve its weapon, but the Ice Guardian grabbed a hold of the chain and prevented the option all together. Queuing this as his signal, Sonic crawled back on all-fours and charged headlong with his teeth exposed. Quite suddenly, the Black Guardian's horns glowed ominously and the chain grew white-hot, dissolving Nazo's hand almost immediately.
"Sonic, watch out?!" Nazo warned as the alien draw back its weapon.
"Say what?!" Sonic exclaimed. In one swift motion, he spotted the sickle over his should and dropped to the ground before it could clip his quills. "Hey, I thought you were supposed to keep a tight lid on that thing!"
"Excuse me for getting my hand burned off!" Nazo shouted back; his hand was renewed.
The large werehog was abruptly brought back to reality as the Black Guardian grasped the handle of the sickle and stabbed it downwards. Fortunately, Shade dived between the two and crossed her blades to absorb the impact of the alien monster. Unfortunately, the beast roved stronger than expected and forced the echidna to her knees. At that moment, Shade felt a stabbing pain in her back; her scar became active again. The mind-numbing pain consequently forced the echidna warrior to relinquish her blades, allowing the Black Guardian a clean stab at her shoulder. From the moment he witnessed the crimson-red liquid slide down her dark-suit, something in Sonic's instincts reacted. He arched his neck to the monster's face and released a powerful roar from his maw, somehow sending the alien flying backwards. As the Black Guardian slammed into the meteor wall, Sonic instinctively grabbed Shade as she fell backwards.
"Are you all right?" Sonic asked softly.
"My scar..." Shade groaned, attempting to reach for her pained spot. "I can't fight properly with it."
"You just hang tight." Sonic said soothingly, leaning the echidna against the rock. "You just...put on that medicine Amy gave you and we'll take care of this..." He glances back at the monster, who is fighting Nazo. "...Thing."
"I am sorry." Shade winced as she reached into her pouch to retrieve a jar of clear gel. "I am ashamed of my weakness."
"There's nothing wrong with having a weakness." Sonic stated calmly. "In fact, my dad once told me that the difference before mortals and monsters is that mortals can feel." He grinned, sharing the expression with the echidna. "At least we know you aren't a six-eyed frog."
"If you two are kissing and squeezing," Nazo grunted, sidestepping another brash attack. "I wouldn't mind a little help over here!"
"Really?" Sonic chuckled playfully. "I thought you were doing just fine."
"Sonic!!" Nazo snapped.
Rolling his eyes, the werehog twisted his arm backwards before launching it ahead of him. Before the Black Guardian could realize what had occurred, Sonic's fist slammed directly into the side of its face. The alien beast staggered sideways for a moment and shook its head to clear its senses. But this involuntary movement was wasted. When the Black Guardian wasn't looking, Nazo clapped his hands together and slapped them onto the surface of the floor, coating it in a layer of ice. The alien warrior slipped across the substance and fell on its back; a loud crack echoed throughout the catacombs. While still trapped on the frozen surface, the Black Guardian attempted to reach for its dropped weapon. But just a few inches from the chain, Nazo slid across the rink with perfect finesse and swiped the weapon.
"I don't think you'll be needing these anymore." Nazo said victoriously as he swung the chain above him.
"Hey, Naz!" Sonic shouted. The Ice Guardian and the Black Guardian craned their head over as the werehog ripped a stalagmite from the floor. "Pitch it fast, pitch it hard!"
"Batter up!" Nazo shouted praising. "And don't call me Naz."
By the time their brief conversation had ended, the Black Warrior had managed to balance itself, just as the Gaia Warriors and hoped. Nazo released the chain around the alien warrior, ending the binding formation with the sickle stabbing at its ribs. With a ferocious tug at the violet chain, the Ice Guardian turned on the spot and lifted the Black Guardian into the air. While still ministration her wound, covering herself from peeping eyes, Shade unconsciously watched the alien beast twist around the air until her stomach began to churn. With a final spin for extra measure, Nazo released his grip from the chain and shot the Black Guardian in the direction of Sonic. The werehog waited patiently until the alien was within reach. For a split moment, instead of swinging, Sonic lifted the stalagmite over his head and hammered it over the Black Guardian. From beneath the rock pinnacle, they could see its hand twitching in momentary shock before growing limp.
"That was sort of..." Nazo said hesitantly. "...Anticlimactic."
"Everyone's a critic." Sonic grumbled. He ripped the rock off the Black Guardian's body and removed the key that rested over it's chest. "At least we have the Planet Key."
"And you're sure it's the real one." Shade questioned, zipping up the back of her suit. "If what I've learned about Black Doom is true, he's not one to just hand over something so important that easy."
"It's the real thing." Nazo stated as she snatched the key from his partner. "After Terra told us that the Planet Key emits a faint aura, I began to develop my sense to that similar of the Black Arms. I can barely see it, but it's there."
"What do you think he's up to?" Shade asked concerned.
"I don't know, but I don't want to stick around and find out." Sonic grunted.
Neither of his comrades seeked to disagree with him and followed the trail backwards from where the Black Guardian appeared.
The scene returns to the lower levels of the Black Comet, high above the computers in Black Doom's platform. The alien overlord had been watching the battle from one of his crystallized screens with utter disgust. When the Gaia Warriors faded into the dark catacombs, he waved the screen away. A moment later, the Nocturnus commander returned to his master's side. Black Doom noticed that the echidna was sweating heavily and had a large gash over his forehead.
"Has Terra been secured?" Black Doom questioned.
"It was very difficult, but we managed." The commander panted. "When she regained her senses, she manipulated the formations of the Black Comet to crush a majority of our soldiers. We were only lucky that the Black Soldiers were carrying nerve shockers during the transfer."
"Where is Terra now?" Black Doom questioned.
"She is being held in stasis prison." The commander informed. "Being made of energy, it will be impossible for Terra to control the Earth or any source of mineral to escape."
"Excellent." Black Doom said pleasingly. "Release her and direct her to the temple gate."
"My lord!" The commander exclaimed shockingly. "We lost a lot of men just to capture her. Why would you want us to set her free?"
"It will be none of your concern." Black Doom said coolly. "Terra will be evicted soon enough. When that happens, I want the Black Comet to release itself from the planet and make its way into the atmosphere." He ignored the questioning look on the echidna's expression and look over the rails towards the computers. "What is the progress of the Doom-Gaia conversion?"
"We are exactly 95% complete, my lord." The commander bowed. "Within ten minutes, the final stages will be set."
"At last!" Black Doom cackled malevolently. "After two-thousand years, my ultimate weapon will finally be complete!"
The final confrontation draws closer to an end! Will the Gaia Warriors succeed in finding the final temple? Will they find themselves challenge enough to face a mindless Terra? And what is the final weapon in Black Doom's arsenal? Find out on the next Sonic Unleashed!
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