Frost: Hi everyone and first things first, I AM SORRY FOR NOT POSTING FOR SO LONG! Now for the excuse
For one, as I have said this is a big year schooling wise for me so that has been taking top priority. Secondly, I am not ashamed to admit I got swept up in the Undertale craze and am still currently buried deep within that fandom as it has become my new obsession. Thirdly, I did, for a brief while, lose interest with this fic and it was only because of all the people sending me privet messages asking about it that I finally decided to get off my lazy arse and do something. So I do apologise for the long wait.
Funnily enough, I actually know how this Fic will end and even have the sequel planned out as well. Why I lost interest with this is beyond me but I have gotten back in the swing especially seeing how my good mate Nera Core got my 'His Dark Materials' for my birthday a while ago so I will be brushing up on my daemon knowledge.
As always, I do not own Sonic, he belongs to Sega and daemons belong to Phillip Pullman.
Please Review and again, this chapter has been edited by my wonderful Beta 'The Lunatic Author' and I encourage you to go read their stories as well. Now please enjoy and have a fantastic day
When a heart breaks it can grow back twisted and crooked. Sometimes, it can even leave pieces behind which in turn leaves holes in the heart that still bleeds with past hurts and anger. Sonic likes to think that this is the reason why his Uncle was so horrible towards him. There were just moments where the man would gaze at him and something would shift within his eyes, like he was looking at a ghost before he would shake his head and the look would be gone. Sometimes Sonic thinks that Eggman and Adonia are also suffering from a broken heart that just didn't grow back quite right. In the end, though it was all just very confusing to the young hero as feelings and emotions were something beyond his comprehension.
However, looking at the man on the small screen, Sonic couldn't help but think he was also suffering from a broken heart that hadn't mended the way it should have. Or perhaps the man's heart had never mended in the first place, either way, it was clear just from looking at him that he was still hurting.
"You have no time to prevent this disaster and have absolutely no hope of survival. Your rulers took my granddaughter Maria from me, so I'm destroying everything you care about. Now you'll feel what I felt when I lost Maria…. You'll see, you'll see!"
Sonic stared at the screen sadly, somewhat understanding the man's pain. He had felt the same desire for revenge when discovering the Master and Raniel's fate and had almost acted upon his desire when he'd had Eggman at his mercy. Thankfully, Chris had been there to snap him and Cay out of it but the boy would be of no use this time around. This man before them was long dead and his plan for revenge was about to take shape. As the video feed began to replay Sonic tensed up as he felt the entire structure of the ARK tremble around him.
"This isn't good; we need to find the others." He muttered darkly. Cay didn't even try to voice his thoughts, preferring to remain silent as his boy took off down the winding hallways, following the Chaos signature he could feel a few floors above them. He was pleased to note that even though they had only been on the ARK for a few hours Sonic seemed to have already memorized most corridors and passageways.
It only took them a few minutes to find the others, standing on what seemed like a power station of sorts before a massive screen. Both hedgehog and daemon frowned when they heard Rouge talking about how the computers were locked, the frown turning into a sneer when Eggman commented on how it was one thing to destroy an entire planet but another to kill just one man, namely himself.
"You sure do hold yourself on a high pillar, don't you?" Sonic snarled as he walked into the room, Cay lazily draped over his shoulder. He ignored the shocked looks being sent his way and walked up to the overweight human.
"I should have known you'd still be alive." Eggman huffed while Adonia sent Cay a scathing look that the ermine was all too happy to return.
"You would think after the first time you would realize I'm not that easy to kill?" Sonic shot back sarcastically. His comment wasn't well received, he could tell by how both Mobian's and daemons alike shifted uncomfortably after it which just brought a vague smile to his face.
"Perhaps you're actually a demonic entity and that's why we can't kill you. It would explain why you have such a freakish daemon." Adonia snapped. Her comment just had Sonic and Cay giving her a blank stare which they continued to give her until even the vulture was creeped out by it.
"Suppose it could be a possibility but enough of that." Sonic offhandedly said. He turned his eyes back to Eggman, smiling once again when the man flinched back at the near dead eyes that locked with his own. "If we're going to save not only the earth but you're oh so precious skin we'll need to work together Ivo; think you can do that?"
The man shifted at the use of his real name, refusing to make eye contact with the young hero. But Sonic was patient and stood to wait until he was given the recognition he demanded. Perhaps he should be worried about how people were so unnerved by his mere gaze but at the moment he could hardly care. It took only a few moments before the mad scientist pulled up a laptop, a defeated look on his face.
"When I hacked into the database at Prison Island I found my grandfather's diary." He said, gently handing it over to the hedgehog. Sonic felt the others crowding around, obviously wanting to read it as well but he made sure that Shadow and Laraine were right beside him. They deserved to know more than anyone what Gerald had written after all.
'Revenge, that is all that matters to me now. When I began my research I only want to do good. That's why I worked to make the ultimate creature. But the leaders of the project feared I would use it to take over the world. So they ceased my lab on Space Colony ARK, then they took Maria from me and my life took on a new purpose. Instead of helping people I would get revenge on them. Night and day I've planned, so long after I am gone my revenge will be complete.
I've done it, my greatest design is now complete, the ultimate creature, Shadow. My enemies think they have defeated me but shadow will carry out my orders without question. Now it sleeps, but one day in the future it will be reawakened. Shadow will bring total destruction.'
Not a sound could be heard from any of the occupants in the room as they read through what Gerald had written. Sonic, however, had finished long before the rest and was watching a certain black and red hedgehog carefully. The ebony male's face was a mask of indifference but his daemon was like an open book. Laraine had a look of horror on her small face which was hard to notice seeing how bird daemons could really convey different facial expressions. Her feathers were ruffled, displaying her agitation while Cay could detect the faint traces of fear drifting through the air. When everyone had finished reading she tucked herself as close as she could to Shadow who only just repressed the urge to reach up and lay a comforting hand on her back.
"I wouldn't stress over what is written there," Sonic spoke softly and continued to stare until ruby red locked with emerald green. "Gerald was a brilliant scientist; I will give him that much. However, he was human and thus succumbed to his emotions and allowed pain and suffering to control his actions and thoughts. That means that you shouldn't take what he has written here to heart." Sonic assured them.
"But how can you be so sure, how do you know we weren't just created to be a tool, a weapon to be used?" Shadow snapped in a rare moment of vulnerability. Laraine trilled in agreement, her nearly black eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Silly youngling. We have read through those old documents and we know you have as well. You were created to find a cure for an illness while at the same time to provide companionship to a very sick child. Don't doubt all that you know because of one man's mistakes and grief." Cay admonished gently. He normally wasn't on for comforting others but even he could see the genuine distress hidden in those ruby and black eyes.
"If you're done?" Adonia sneered.
"I think so, what enlightening news do you have for us?" Sonic asked cynically. Eggman shifted, blocking his daemon from the view of those dull yet piercing emerald orbs, a deep scowl etched onto his face.
"Yes, well, the energy from the Chaos Emeralds has turned the eclipse cannon into a mega bomb. If it goes off the blast will be more powerful than a supernova." The man explained which just earned a scoff from Sonic and a chuckle from Cay.
"Boring, moving on." The ermine snapped impatiently.
"The energy from the Chaos Emeralds is also what's pushing us towards the planet." Tails put in but once again Sonic and Cay just rolled their eyes.
"Already knew that next please." This time Sonic spoke completely ignoring the looks his words were receiving.
"Well, umm…we need to get to the Emerald's and deactivate them somehow," Cyrilla muttered while looking decidedly uncomfortable. Everyone expected another rude comment or sarcastic barb was thrown their way. Instead, Sonic smiled and began to walk back the way he came.
"It's settled then, come along then Knuckles and Camelia." He called, Cay looking over his shoulder with a sickening smirk. Both echidna and tigress blink in surprise before following after the retreating hedgehog, sending their friends a slightly helpless and befuddled look as they went. It only takes Shadow a moment before he gives a sigh and also goes to follow quickly joined by Eggman and Tails.
"So what exactly are we doing?" Shadow snapped after a moment.
"We are going to the control room where the Emeralds are being held. Once there, Knuckles and Camelia will use the Master Emerald to shut down the ARK." Sonic explained.
"You do know there will be traps of all sorts along the way?" Eggman questioned with a raised eye ridge. Sonic just chuckled, face lighting up with glee at the very thought.
"Here's hoping." The hedgehog smirked.
As it was, Eggman was absolutely right about there being traps to hinder their movements. One of the first things they encountered was a room that seemed to be in the middle of a war zone. Lasers and gunfire were going off in a hectic and chaotic fashion with no real target in mind. The group froze, unsure of how to proceed when Sonic suddenly darted forward, ignoring the shouts from his friends.
It was like watching a professional dancer at work. Sonic bobbed, weaved and skidded all about the room with a blank mask upon his face. His hands were clasped almost casually behind his back, eyes half lidded while his feet never once left the floor. Cay had decided to join the dancer, shifting into a beautiful snow white Peregrine Falcon before he too started dipping and weaving through the lasers like it was nothing.
Those watching stared as the pair danced their way across the room towards a lever, never faltering in their steps or looking remotely frightened. Once Sonic reached the lever he quickly struck out with his foot, smirking when it jerked back into place causing the lasers to cease firing before he turned to face his stunned friends. With an almost mocking smile, the hedgehog gestured for them to keep walking as he turned to walk down the hallway, Cay swooping down to settle comfortably on his shoulder.
"That was both completely and utterly mad but brilliant at the same time." Knuckles commented, amazed.
"It was child's play," Sonic responded never once looking back. He did, however, freeze up for a moment when a large door that had been blocking their path opened releasing a tidal wave of water. Thankfully Knuckles was quick to punch his hand deep into the wall while also grabbing hold of the thin shoulder of his friend, preventing him from being washed away. Cay just had to settle on hovering over the water, sharp eyes glaring down at the echidna in a silent warning to not let go of his boy. It was a little unnerving but Knuckles heeded the warning and did not let go of Sonic until the water so down to their ankles.
"Thank you, Knuckles," Sonic said and although he still had that blank mask on the echidna could hear the sincerity in the others voice. It was small but it was something.
The room where the Chaos Emerald were being held was large with what appeared to be stain glass windows all around it. The walls formed a perfect circle with the Chaos Emerald at the centre on a replica of the shrine found on Angel Island. Above them hovered a machine of some kind that looked very threatening to the smaller Mobian's and single human.
"Your grandfather truly was a genius," Sonic commented offhandedly to Eggman who blinked at the unexpected compliment. His daemon ruffled her black feathers briskly, refusing to look at the hedgehog or the young falcon sitting on his shoulder.
"And why do you say that?" The human asked instead, wary.
"This world is far behind ours in technological advancements, yet your grandfather uncovered the secrets to inter-dimensional travel as if he were solving a simple jigsaw puzzle. I think that gives him a right to the title of genius don't you think?" Sonic asked in an almost playful tone. The scientist just stared before turning away with a huff causing the young hero to chuckle softly to himself. He took a step forward, intent on walking over to the Emeralds, when he felt Cay dig his claws almost painfully into his shoulder, the obvious signal for him to freeze in his tracks and not take another step forward.
Sonic quickly understood why his daemon had done this when a massive creature of some kind just dropped from the ceiling to land right where he would have been standing had he kept walking.
"That wouldn't have been a pleasant experience," Sonic muttered electing an amused warbling cry from Cay.
"No, it wouldn't have been dear one. Though I must say, it would appear we have a challenge worthy of our time with this one." Cay preened in utter joy while Shadow and Laraine sent him a horrified look.
"You think being in the same room as the Bio Lizard is fun?" The merlin falcon yelled just before the beast gave a bone-chilling roar.
"Bio Lizard? Not a very original or fear-inspiring name." Cay huffed. His lack of fear and the seemingly inability to show any form of seriousness for the situation at hand just seemed to aggravate the two even more.
"You won't be saying that when your Dust is scattered across the floor." Laraine hissed which just had Cay cackling like a mad man.
"I beg to differ sweetheart; this will be most entertaining." He called before jumping into the air, body contorting until a massive reptilian monster took his place.
His body was a pale white and was supported by two long and powerful legs. His tail swished slowly behind him while small black spines covered the back of his head and neck. Row upon row of gleaming serrated teeth could be seen peeking out from his maw while blood red eyes gaze hungrily at their prey. He stood at a staggering 11 meters in height and 15.2 meters' long with small but still slightly longer than average arms. It took a moment for everyone to recognize what form he had chosen but when they did nearly all of them paled in either fear or horror.
"The Indominus rex." Sonic breathed in awe. Cay looked just like the hybrid dinosaur from the movie they had watched and looked just as terrifying as the CGI creature had been. Now that he was standing beside the real thing Sonic could appreciate the powerful muscles that were bunched up under the thick scaly skin, ready to launch his other half's body towards the Bio Lizard at any moment. The Bio Lizard looked at Cay before it gave a shriek, its mouth quickly filling with a red light the obviously signalled an attack. Cay answered the beasts cry with one of his own before he lunged, long curved claws digging into the tough flesh of the reptilian like creation.
"Shadow, you help us distract the Bio Lizard! Knuckles, you and Camelia shut down this space station before we all burn up in the earth's atmosphere." Sonic commanded before rocketing after his daemon, not even feeling a pull on the bond from the slight distance that had occurred.
He didn't really need to do anything to help fight, Cay was the better equipped one at the moment and could do a lot more damage that Sonic. Still, the blue blur would dart in with a spin dash to the head whenever the Bio Lizard went to fire shots at Cay or bite him back which help Cay stay focused and unharmed.
The clash of the two titans was enough to shake the ARK itself, their roars reverberating within all the occupant's chests. The Bio Lizard seemed to scream when Cay latched his jaws on the back of its neck, teeth slicing through flesh making bright crimson stain the floor below them. As Cay wrestled the beasts to the floor, clawed hands strafing down its side, Shadow jumped up and smashed down against the mechanical shell on the monsters back. The beast screamed in agony, Cay's sharp red eyes watching as the muscles around the device twitched and rippled in response to the blow.
"It may be big and pack a punch but it seems the machine on its back is its life support system. Destroy that and it goes down." Cay mused causing Sonic to huff in annoyance.
"Just when I thought we had a challenge." The sapphire male groused as he too delivered a Spin Dash to the device. The Bio Lizard, as if having heard Sonic's statement, growled before angling its head downward towards Shadow and Laraine. Glowing spheres of red energy appearing around its head before they rocketed down towards the hedgehog and Merlin falcon.
"Heads up!" Laraine couldn't help but cheer as she zipped about, moving so fast she was almost a blur to the naked eye.
"I thought you said to be cautious." Shadow snapped back as he flipped, ducked and leaped in all directions to avoid being hit.
"And I am, but there are no rules about not having fun at the same time. Cay was right, this is a challenge worthy of all of us." Laraine laughed at her other half's expense.
"Oh, so it's fun you want?" Shadow smirked, "Hope you can keep up."
"Is that a challenge?" Laraine shot back. Shadow just winked at her before shooting off at high speed towards the spheres of energy. She kept pace so easily she looked like she was just casually flying through the trees.
They both seemed to bounce off of the spheres until Shadow was propelled into the air above the Bio Lizard. He appeared to hover for a moment before rocketing downward at high speed, crashing into the life support system of the beast which in turn cause a massive explosion. The monstrosity roared in fury as its body was covered in a bright light before it vanished into thin air.
"Chaos Control," Shadow shouted in alarm. Both he and Sonic turned to the altar where Knuckles and Camelia had just stopped the Chaos Emeralds from working. Tails and Cyrilla seemed to be muttering scientific stuff to each other while Eggman and Adonia looked around the room warily. It seemed their fear was justifiable when the whole ARK gave a massive shudder meaning it was still heading towards the planet.
"Why are we still moving?" Knuckles shouted angrily.
'Guys, can you hear us?' Rouge's voice cut through the air like a knife as she spoke over some PA device. 'That monster is still alive and has attached itself to the outside of the Space Colony. It's pulling us towards the planet.'
"What do we do now?" Tails cried helplessly while Cyrilla crooned worriedly from his shoulder.
Sonic, however, looked down at Shadow, his dull yet sharp emerald green eyes cutting into equally sharp ruby red pools. They didn't need to talk, all that needed to be said was conveyed in the simple gaze as they both nodded. Emerald and ruby closed while Laraine and Caedmon moved closer to their respective person. Cay shifted, becoming an albino serval once more as the Emeralds slowly began to regain their colour and glow.
The precious gemstones floated into the air along with both hedgehogs before they began to spin at a rapid pace around them. In a bright flash of light, two golden hedgehogs with brilliant red eyes floated before the small group. Laraine had also gained a beautiful golden complexion and seemed to have long white feathers flowing from the tips of both her wings looking like silk strands that left trails of glittering light in their wake.
Cay was beside Sonic, his serval form glowing a gold as bright as his boy while his gossamer white gold wings moved in slow yet graceful strokes to keep him air born. His piercing red eyes scanned over Laraine's new and (in his opinion) improved form. The four of them took a moment to just breath and feel the Chaos Energy running through their bodies before they teleported outside the Space Station, coming face to face with the Bio Lizard once more. The two super-powered hedgehogs stared at the beast before shooting at high speed towards it.
The Bio Lizard snarled, firing a beam of energy at Sonic and Shadow who effortlessly dodged to either side of it, Laraine and Cay spinning in circles around it like it was the most fun thing in the world.
"We need to end this quickly before the ARK gets too close to the earth's atmosphere. If that happens there will be nothing we can do to stop it." Shadow said with a glare. Sonic hummed in acknowledgment, holding his right hand out in front of him while curling it into a fist, charging towards the monster's head. He struck at 112mph, not his fastest but it had enough force behind it to cause the Bio Lizard immense pain.
"Could go faster." Cay pointed out.
"I know, I just wanted to test out the speed and strength first," Sonic muttered back. His brow was furrowed deeply as his assessed the situation, Shadow, and Larine diving in to strike at the beast's life support system once more. "One powerful blow from a ninety-degree angle into the life support system."
"What was that dear one?" Cay asked.
"We need to hit it at a ninety-degree angle at a speed of 200mph straight into the life support system. The strength and angle will ensure that we cause the maximum amount of damage and server the connection to the device to the beast's body." Sonic explained, looking towards Shadow and Laraine who had come over to listen to what he had to say.
"Are you sure about this?" Shadow asked.
Sonic stared deep into his eyes, looking past the old hurts, mistrust, fear, anger and confusion to where he could see the heart of a warrior willing to do anything for the ones he loved. He looked into Shadow's heart and he could see the trust he held for him, see the desire to protect and save the planet that the girl, Maria, had loved so much. "Yes Shadow, I'm certain."
"Then I will trust your judgement." Shadow bowed his head in respect while Laraine gave a soft yet soothing thrill. They moved as one, hedgehogs, flacon and winged serval all charging at high speed towards the mechanical shell that sat upon the Bio Lizard's back.
The hideous creature screamed and raged, sending attack after attack to try and prevent them from getting too close but it was all in vain. Sonic and Shadow struck the life support system at full force, long sharp quills tearing through metal, tubes, and wires before darting to safety as the resulting explosion slowly ate away at the Bio Lizard that gave one last infuriated cry. The ARK, however, kept falling.
"It's too close to the earth's atmosphere! It's being pulled by the earth's own gravitational force." Laraine shrieked in despair as Sonic and Shadow held out their hands, pushing out with their energy to try and stop the massive structure from colliding with the planet. Cay flared out his wings that seemed to glow brighter as he too pushed out his own energy.
The four of them groaned and hissed in pain under the massive strain, the ARK edging ever closer despite their best efforts. As they pushed out with all their might both heard the distant voices of a female calling out. Shadow and Laraine gasped as they heard Maria while Sonic and Cay tensed up at they heard the voice of a female.
You mustn't give in children. Look deep inside and you will find the answer...!
'It's that lady.' Sonic thought, 'the lady that appeared when we died.'
"Dear one," Cay whispered. "Chaos Control."
Sonic's eyes widened at the same time Shadow's did, both coming to the realization at the same time. Shadow gave a loud battle cry, his inhibitor rings snapping free from his wrists as his aura flared to life. Sonic reached deep inside himself while also reaching out to the Dust particles that floated all around them. He pulled on both sources of energy, his own aura burning brighter while Cay all but purred in delight.
"Ready?" Shadow growled low in his throat.
"As I'll ever be!" Sonic smirked right back.
Chaos Control!
The ARK vanished in a bright flash of light and Sonic winced as he felt the power of the Chaos Emeralds starting to leave him. He turned to rush back to the ARK and safety when Cay gave a loud cry of alarm. He swung round so fast his neck gave a slight twang but the pain was forgotten when he saw Shadow and Laraine falling towards the earth, the golden colour quickly leaving their forms.
"Oh no, you don't!" Sonic shouted, diving down towards the earth. Cay snarled beside him, moving faster and looping down underneath the pairs falling bodies. Sonic hissed when Shadow's body collided with Cay's sending a spike of wrong, so wrong, get off, get away, wrong! Stop please rushing through their bond. Sonic had to reach out and cup Laraine into his hands, flinching as her feathers ghosted over his exposed wrists. Shadow shuddered where he lay, glazed eyes staring at Sonic in horror and strangely gratitude.
"It is not yet your time to die." Cay snapped, wings propelling them back towards the ARK.
"We've been through too much together," Sonic added weakly, his body overcome with fatigue and the wrongness that was quickly spreading.
They made it back, though, Cay falling to the floor just as his form gave out and he became a normal serval once more. Sonic only had time to gently place Laraine in Shadow's outstretched arms before he too fell to the floor, gasping and wheezing as he pulled Cay flushed against his body. They lay there, relishing in the others company and continued to lay there till the others found them. They didn't tell the others of how they had touched each other's daemons, didn't care for the praise that was showered upon them.
All they cared about was that the world was safe and neither of them had perished in its rescue.
Frost: So as you can see the final vote was that Shadow and Laraine live. If you want to know, the final vote stood at 'live = 10 and die = 1'
What was really funny was that it was my friend Nera Core that wanted me to kill them off. She's such a psychopath but I love her. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I apologise again for the long wait.
Please review and PM me with questions and live life my friends!