DanceDream: Hey, no worries! You gotta do what you gotta do. I've been busy myself, so I get whatcha mean. Ah, I like the way you put that about the Tails scenes - I kind of wanted those scenes to make the chapter more emotionally-driven alongside the intense fight going on. Hah, Eggman is kinda scary, huh? I liked those examples you mentioned, too – he does do some shocking things now and then. I completely agree about Archie 175; I know exactly what one you're talking about, and while I tend to be… picky about the comics I remember finding that one really intense and interesting. And luuulz, the robot not being waterproof; you spotted the irony. I'm… having way too much fun with irony, haha. Not even done with it yet either. xDD And yeah, SOMEONE had to think to get Sonic to safety, and get him help. One can hope that what Tails did will be enough to keep him together for now, lol! And YUS, I'm excited to see Wreck-It Ralph too, especially since there seems to be a reasonable amount of Sonic in it! :D Glad you found the chapter satisfying, and the remaining ones will tie up those loose ends. Thanks very much. C: Oh and I love that song despite how many times I have probably played it over the years. It's still awesome. ;D
MsArtsy97: Heh, I do what I can! ;) Glad to hear that! Thanks, and enjoy the update.
x
Eek. Things have been busy these days. This story has seen quicker updates – and will see quicker updates again really soon. ;) I'm excited for the rest of this and want to get it out there for you guys to read! Forgive me if I have been slow responding to reviews or PMs once again. It really has been kinda chaotic over on this end. ^^; Slowly easing back onto the internet while still trying to get things done and take care of a bit of personal stuff. Would still really love to hear from you guys though, and I'm gonna catch up my side of things once I can. :)
CHAPTER 36: WORTH IT
Amy ran, kicking up sand behind her and getting it in her socks and shoes. She didn't care. All the pink hedgehog cared about was reaching the Tornado… and Sonic.
The biplane had parked a short distance away from Meka Tower, to avoid the Master Emerald being detected, Amy assumed. From where she was, she could see Tails climbing out, followed closely by Sonic. His movements looked more careful than usual, and a lot less casual. It was immediately evident that Espio was right. Something had gone wrong during their retrieval of the Master Emerald.
"Hey, you two!" Amy called, keeping the smile in place. She had done enough freaking out lately, and if nothing else, this adventure had taught her not to make assumptions about anything or anyone. Sonic – and for that matter, Tails and Espio – had proven her wrong many times over about their capabilities. Even if Sonic was hurt, he would be fine, she told herself. Everything would be fine.
"Heya Amy!" Tails yelled back, waving. Sonic waved too.
She made to hug the blue blur upon finishing her approach, but rethought it at the last second and came to an awkward halt right in front of him. Only then did she take her eyes off his face long enough to notice everything else.
There was a bandage on his leg, a loose piece of it blowing in the wind. A band-aid was stuck next to one of his ears. There were bandages taped in an 'x' near his stomach with a slight red spot showing through. The most noticeable of all, though, was the one wrapped tightly all the way around his torso.
"Oh my," the girl breathed, suddenly looking at him as though he were a piece of fragile glass. She reached out a careful hand and brushed his side where he was wrapped; where the bruise had already been. In response, he shifted his weight and stuck a hand on his hip.
"Well, I guess being all bandaged up isn't so bad after all, Tails," he said, though his playful eyes were still on Amy. "It impresses the ladies!"
Amy cleared her throat and tried very hard not to melt.
"Showoff," Tails muttered in the background with a grin. "Hey, I'm gonna go catch up to the others so you can take your time." He gestured to Sonic's injuries, but there was an undercurrent of teasing in his voice.
"Er, right, sure thing," Sonic said, watching him fly off. He looked back at Amy, rethought the fox's words, and blinked. Hey, wait a minute…
"Maybe you think otherwise," she said with a smile, putting her hands behind her back, "but I think this adventure has changed you a little bit after all."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, no need to be so defensive. I'm not suggesting it changed you in a bad way."
"I wasn't being defensive, I just really don't know what that's supposed to…"
"Being in Meka Tower made you realize something, didn't it, Sonic? When you're free, you'll spend time on your own for weeks without visiting your friends. In the tower… you realized what it felt like to not have the choice to see the people you love. Just like we all feel when you're away on your own, leaving us with no clue where you might be."
Sonic actually hadn't realized it, but he did now.
"But even if you didn't notice it consciously, I can tell you've been keeping your friends a lot closer in here." Amy gestured to her heart. "And I was hoping… that maybe, sometimes… you could hang around more, so I don't feel like I have to chase you to see you?"
For a moment Sonic was rendered incapable of response. "Is that why you're always chasing me?" he asked quietly.
Gulping, the female hedgehog nodded. "Sonic… you know, speaking of Meka Tower, I wanted to tell you about something, if that's okay."
"Sure," Sonic said, putting a casual arm around her shoulders and beginning to lead her forward. "But let's make our way towards the others while we're at it, okay?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Amy said. She took the hand over her shoulder and held it firmly, pulling down a little on it to encourage Sonic to support some of his body weight on her as they walked. She glanced down at his stomach again, the red spot catching her eye. "What happened there, anyway?"
"Eggman, robot, laser burn," Sonic said. Amy nodded, understanding. It hardly needed any more explanation than that. "It's only skin-deep, though. Don't worry about me too much."
"I always worry about you," Amy protested. "I can't help it."
Sonic shrugged. "If you say so."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Hey, no need to be so defensive." Sonic grinned. "Really, though… always? That's kinda silly."
"You're silly to think I wouldn't worry, with all the trouble you get yourself into." Amy gave him a stubborn glance, one with a glimmer of good-naturedness beneath. Sonic found himself relieved he hadn't genuinely upset her with the remark. One never knew with that girl, and he didn't think he could handle an outburst at the moment. Then again, as far as he knew, Amy had been doing that a lot less lately…
The smiles on both hedgehogs' faces lingered long after they were done talking. There was something about idle banter that was endearing. As they continued to walk, Sonic realized he was already feeling a little better. His injuries were not a great deal worse than some other fights he had been in; only painful. They just seemed more severe because he had already been sore and very tired. Now that there were a few moments of calm, he could finally rest. Walking was about as much rest as he got lately.
"So what were you going to say?" Sonic asked, remembering that Amy had wanted to talk about something and looking at her expectantly. She pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"Basically, um… Well, do you remember back when you were fighting Chaos?"
"Nope, don't remember a thing," Sonic replied sarcastically.
"Oh, stop. Anyway, I got taken on the first Egg Carrier by that Zero robot somewhere in that mess, and you and Tails came up there to try and get me out. I had Lily with me."
"I'm following ya," Sonic said, recalling the little blue bird Amy had adopted for a while.
"You only saw me after Gamma set me free, but you don't know what happened before then," she explained. "Zero stuck me in a cell in this one area of the Egg Carrier. I was in there for quite a while with only Lily for company, which… I mean, I loved her, but she couldn't exactly talk back. Not an ideal prison mate, you know what I mean?"
"Sure."
"It wasn't even all that long, so I probably don't understand what Meka Tower was like for everyone who was trapped in there. But even if I can't relate by the length of time I was in there, I know what it's like to feel so scared, and bored, and lonely. And it's like you don't know anything about what'll happen next. Everything is easier if you know, but… I didn't know if I was ever going to get out of that place. It was so huge, I couldn't imagine how you and Tails would find me even if you got up there. And Eggman and Gamma at first seemed so bent on taking Lily away from me. I was scared for her, thinking she would get hurt."
"It's not easy stuff," Sonic admitted.
"No, it's not. Not at all. And I guess what I'm getting at is that I want you to know that we have more in common than you think, and also that I think it's really cool that you and the others haven't let Meka Tower get to you."
"That robot friend of yours, Gamma – he let you out, right?"
"Yeah," Amy said. "That's why I wanted to keep you from fighting him. He… he gave me my freedom back again, and I knew you would win if you fought him. I did have to convince him to let me out, though. I was lucky he finally agreed."
"That takes guts," Sonic said. "You took it upon yourself to escape instead of waiting for me."
"Of course," Amy told him with a smile. "I'm not that needy. I can hold my own just fine."
"I guess you can," Sonic laughed, looking at her respectfully. "Nice to know I don't need to worry about you as much."
"That's right."
"Then I guess you must think I can't hold my own, like, at all."
Amy looked taken aback. "Wh-what? Of course I don't think that. Why would you say that?"
"Well, you just said you worry about me all the time. Why's that?"
"I… I, I won't worry about you anymore then!" she finally retaliated, crossing her arms. Sonic gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"Relax, I'm just messing with ya."
"Sonic," Knuckles called as they approached. He drew a breath to say something, probably about the Master Emerald, but then pulled up short as he took in the hedgehog's appearance. "You look like crap. Suits you."
"Thanks, Knucklehead. You look red. Suits you."
"Don't make me punch you in a sore spot, hedgehog."
Sonic smirked. "I could hit you in a sore spot too, Knux. All I'd have to do is break your pet rock. Am I right?"
The expression on the echidna's face told Sonic he was right. It was one of incredulous disbelief, but it slowly gave way to a knowing, respectful smile. The one Knuckles had wanted to give him before.
"Hey, far as I'm concerned," Sonic continued, "I've got some rights on that rock, or something, at this point.
"Quit calling it that," Knuckles said. "Anyway, you know, thanks, and stuff. I'm glad it's safe." I'm glad you're safe.
Sonic slapped him on the shoulder. "Didn't do it for you, silly. But you're welcome."
Lucas, Amber and Espio were around them now, the first two not as accustomed to seeing Sonic or anyone else in a state like that and looking somewhat unsettled. Though to be entirely fair, none of them were used to seeing Sonic or anyone else in that state. Thankfully, even the damage he had sustained seemed worse than it actually was. The worst of it was his side.
"So, then…" Espio trailed off momentarily, confusion evident in his golden eyes. "How is it you ended up fighting Eggman?"
Sonic looked up, eyes following the Egg Carrier 2. It was high up and starting to get further away – a clear indicator that it was still indeed being piloted. His heart skipped a beat.
"Wait… Tails…" Sonic stammered, turning to his brother. "You did see that giant robot stop working, right? Isn't that what Chaos Controlled Eggman there to begin with?"
"Yeah," Tails said nervously, "because the H-series can teleport! But… but how could Eggman have gotten back on the Egg Carrier 2 if his robot stopped working?"
"And more so," Espio interjected, "how has the Egg Carrier 2 been flying steadily the whole time you were gone? Unless it has an autopilot…"
"I don't think it does," Tails said. "Besides, all the people Eggman captured are valuable to him. Same with the chao, and his robots, and the Chaos energy… I mean, he wouldn't just leave!" He whirred back around to look at Sonic frantically. "You were right about your hunch. Something is really, really wrong here."
For what seemed like a long time, the only voice was that of the wind.
"…He had to have left," Sonic finally said. Obvious as the statement was, even he was beginning to second-guess it. "Are you sure one of his androids isn't piloting the ship or something?"
They all looked up at the massive fortress. Nobody had an answer.
"Either way," Espio said, "we have to do something. This must be stopped. Each step we take gets us slightly closer, but not close enough. Not as close as he gets further."
Sonic and Tails finally wrapped their heads around the situation, both of them nodding in response to the detective's words. They didn't know everything, but right now they had to work with what they did know.
"Oh, and while you were gone," Knuckles cut in, "Lucas and Amber told us they think a lot of the prisoners that were near the top will help out if we can somehow get the Egg Carrier 2 to land. You know, defeating androids and whatnot."
"That's… great!" Sonic said.
"What, that doesn't bother you?"
Sonic shrugged. "Who am I to try and stop them if they want to help? You know something, Knux, in the past other people have never been involved. Usually Eggman's plans don't get that far. But this time, since they are, I had the chance to see how ready so many of 'em are to end this. Not only for themselves but for the people around them. They're just like us!"
In the background of the conversation, Tails looked away, suddenly uncomfortable.
"The way you and I rallied people in there," Lucas said, "they'd probably be pissed if you tried to stop them now."
"Yeah, I bet. And… well, the way they rallied us, too." The blue blur smiled with rare modesty. So badly, he wanted to win for them. More than he ever had before. Before, he had fought for people he barely even knew, people who barely knew him. This time he had witnessed them… and they had witnessed him. They had known the best and worst of each other. He had fought their fight. Their spirit was his own spirit reflected back at him, and it made him want to win more than anything, whatever it took. They were worth it. He was worth it. All of them were worth it.
"It'd help to know what's going on," Amy said, teal eyes looking back and forth between the others. "We don't even have any idea what he's up to with the Egg Carrier 2."
"He pretty much already told us." Knuckles crossed his arms impatiently, looking like he was more eager to do something than to stand there talking about it. "It was a backup in case things went wrong with his Meka Tower scheme. Which they did. I wouldn't put it beyond him to take the Egg Carrier 2 into hiding with all those people still on it."
"I wish I could have gotten more of those people off," Tails muttered. "It's not like it was an all-or-nothing deal. I know I couldn't have gotten everyone, but I could have maybe brought a few dozen back to ground…"
"You helped get Sonic get the Master Emerald," Knuckles reminded him, somehow sounding irritable and consoling at the same time.
"He's right," Sonic said with a shrug. "You saved my life. If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have gotten the Master Emerald at all. None of that would have turned out as well."
"As well?" Tails asked quietly. "Look at you. You got hurt. How can you say that? I should have made a better password door, or… or had some kind of way to be able to get in. I mean, of course Eggman would try to break in. I should have expected it." He shook his head morosely. "'Well?'"
"Yes, 'well,'" Lucas chimed in, leaning down to put a hand on the fox's shoulder, "because the Master Emerald is safe for the moment, and Sonic's alive." He glanced over at said hedgehog. "That what you were about to say?"
Sonic blinked. "Verbatim."
"But I…"
"Even if you think you should have done something better," Amy said suddenly, "Remember what you told me when I almost got us killed in the Tornado? We've all messed up at some point, so… join the club."
"All right, all right, I'm convinced," Tails said with a small smile. Thanks you guys. But Sonic… I'm still worried about you, whether it's anyone's fault or not. You know I wouldn't bother saying this if I didn't think it was really important… I was going to tell you this back when I was trying to get you to go to the hospital, but I decided not to since I didn't think we'd have to fight Eggman anymore anyway. But since Eggman really is still here, we do have to keep fighting, and… Sonic, this is my last chance to convince you."
Sonic asked, "Convince me about what?"
"It's just… it's just that this is the fight of our lives, Sonic, and you just got hurt really bad. You're… you're not in any condition to do this anymore! Don't you see that? Don't you see that you could get killed so easily? Or that Eggman and his androids could catch you again and take you to some secret base like they're probably about to do with all those people?"
"All the more reason to stop him now," Sonic said, gaze steady. Knuckles, next to him, nodded vigorously in agreement. "The Egg Carrier 2 gets further away every second we sit here."
"But I don't want you to fight him!" Tails's voice sounded desperate, helpless – like it had been in the cave, like it had been with Amy after his dream, like it had been when Espio had first contacted him from the tower. Like it had been so many times before as the tension built and built. He had risen up against it despite his anxiety. Not once had he demanded this fight to end – until today. Now he could no longer help it. "Listen to me," he stammered out. "You can't, not in this state, not with so little of a chance! Sonic, I just got you back…!"
Tails drifted off, or more accurately, choked off as he found himself unable to continue.
For a few heavy seconds, everyone's worried faces rested on Sonic. The hedgehog hated it, hated the concern and the pity. This wasn't the time. Not when they were so close. They were making assumptions about him, about his ability to fight… why were they making assumptions? He wasn't hurt that badly… And regardless, had he ever given them reason to doubt him before?
"I'm sorry," Amber whispered from a short distance away, looking dismal. "I would heal you, Sonic… but after healing Lucas's leg…"
"It's not your fault," Sonic told her. "It drains you, and the Chaos energy. We need to save that energy anyway."
"I just wish I could do something."
The silence lingered gloomily.
Amy cut through the awkwardness with her voice, having caught onto Tails's plane of thought and contemplated it for a few moments. She stepped forward and looked at Sonic with a gentle, almost timid expression. "I don't think Tails could quite say it the way he wants to," she said, and bit her lip when Sonic's gaze turned on her. Though nervous and unusually intimidated by the blue blur, she maintained eye contact. "So let me put it this way: if we invade the ship, the odds aren't going to be with us. You getting hurt or killed… is the worst thing that could happen right now. We need you. And you know Eggman would have his eyes set on you before the rest of us. You know it. With you as weak as you are, we have to be realistic here…"
She paused, trying to locate the words she wanted to continue with. She had to word things carefully. Before her, Sonic was crossing his arms as he waited for her to continue, fully aware that she was saying exactly what he knew they had all been thinking.
"Look… you've always been here for all of us, Sonic. You've always protected us, cared for us, and held fast in the face of danger. That's why I love you. So let us return the favor, just this once."
None of them expected Sonic to agree. They expected him to give a cocky thumbs-up and assure them he'd be fine. They expected him grin and say something sarcastic.
Indeed, Sonic didn't agree. But it wasn't the type of disagreement they were used to.
His eyes creased downward, and his fierce stare shot out at all of them. One fist clenched impatiently at his side. "You two rehearse this or something?" he asked, frowning, and then turned to the others, none of whom had offered a word yet. "What about you? Knuckles? …Lucas?" He looked at each of his friends in turn, the atmosphere between his glare and their faces suddenly becoming very tense. "Is everyone in on this 'protect Sonic' thing?"
"I-I'm sorry, Sonic," Tails mumbled, ears falling against the sides of his head. He couldn't meet his friend's eyes. "I knew you wouldn't want to hear it, because you've been held back enough in the past few months and you don't want your friends to start now… I get that, and I'm really sorry, but it's just because we're worried and you just don't see…"
"Sonic knows you're worried," Knuckles interrupted then, before the rigid exchange could go any further. Sonic glanced over at him, his face unreadable. "And he also knows what he's been through without your constant reminders. For Chaos's sake, how many times have we been in tight situations like this? How many times has Sonic or me or you or someone gotten hurt? A lot, that's how many. You're only freaking out this time because Sonic was trapped for three months, and without your leader you were forced to acknowledge the severity of a situation beyond your control."
"Knuckles…" Sonic whispered quickly, trying to halt the echidna's harsh words. He was irritated too, but he hadn't quite wanted to put it like that…
"Can it, hedgehog, I'm not done. Listen…" he said, looking at the younger members of their team again, his voice losing some of its edge as he approached them. "I don't want to act like this isn't a serious situation, so don't get that idea. But at the same time, the things that have happened shouldn't make you start second-guessing what we're capable of… or what your reckless blue friend is capable of. For all his faults, that guy has a hell of a lot of faith in you two. He just wants the same in return."
"That's right," Sonic said slowly, calmer now as he walked over to stand next to Knuckles. "I… I just need you all to trust me on this one, okay? Fight with me like… well, like you always have."
Lucas was standing in the background of the proceedings, weight shifted to his better leg. The one Amber had healed was still slightly sore. "Yeah, guys," he chimed in unexpectedly. "I mean, come on. You're all supposed to know him better than I do. And as far as I'm concerned, the things that have happened are all the more reason to keep the faith, not less."
It seemed no one knew how to respond, as if all were waiting for someone else to go first, so that they could conform. It was a moment of rare self-consciousness and confusion among all of them. Finally, Sonic broke the silence with a sigh and turned away from them, hurt. "I'm finishing this, with or without your approval," he said, and departed at a careful jog toward the Tornado. It still sat some distance away, where Tails had parked it earlier.
Though it would take longer than usual to get there, he could still get there faster than anyone else if he wanted. But he didn't want to. Not yet. He wanted the others to catch up to him. Surely they would come and catch up.
…Tails was first.
Despite the fox's adamancy to protect Sonic, he came up alongside the hedgehog with his namesakes spinning behind him in the wind. His doubtful expression had been replaced with one of sincerity and hope, as though he had come to his senses and remembered just how many times they had been in trying situations like this. The fox had pushed his own trauma aside before. He would do it one last time.
It would be okay, his expression said. Sonic winked at him.
Knuckles came up on his other side, lightly punching him on the shoulder and offering a small smile. Espio, Amy, Lucas and Amber followed behind, not quite as fast as the former three but still able to keep up with the slow pace Sonic had set. He could tell they were there.
"Okay," he said with finality, the familiar grin finally breaking through once again. He fell naturally into the leader role and took control of the situation, even if only with his voice – and he wasted no time doing it. "A good handful of the people up there on the fortress have rebelled against Eggman. I'm sure of it. So we'll need somebody to get them going in the right direction. They deserve to fight if they want to. Eggman can't continue his plans without androids, so if they can take the rest of those guys out… Well, it's way easier said than done, of course, but that's where we all come in.
"Tails, you've been coordinating everything else so far. You up to this?"
The fox looked at him in surprise. "Y-yeah! Yeah, I can do that. I'll find the loudspeaker, and tell people to target the androids!"
"Great. And then once the fortress is landed, they'll be able to fight on the ground, too. Safer that way, for sure. Which leads me to the most important point, actually. You're the only one with enough aircraft knowledge to get that thing to the ground safely."
"I've never piloted anything that big before," Tails said, "but I'll do everything I can do get it right!"
"That's the way to think! Take your time, though, so I have a chance to clear a path for you first. I'll carve a way to the control room and make sure it's safe, so you can go in."
"How are you going to do that?" the fox asked incredulously.
Sonic didn't know the answer until just that moment. "I'll… I'll use the Master Emerald," he breathed. "It's ours now. I'll draw on a bit of its power to do what I need to do."
"Sonic, yes! It'll probably heal you quite a bit, too!"
Knuckles sighed. "Don't get too excited, kid. He can't use too much of it. We still need that."
"That's why I said a bit of its power," Sonic reminded him, having arrived at the same conclusion on his own.
"Sonic, just tell me when a path is clear to the pilot's room, okay?" Tails asked. "I'll have my link on!"
"Sure thing, bro. Next: no doubt there's loads of citizens who are panicking up there, aside from the ones that may want to fight… there are people who just want to go home. People who can't or don't want to be involved anymore. Some are probably dehydrated or sick from the heat. Somebody's gotta get these people to safety."
"How about I help take care of that, once Tails lands the fortress?" Amber suggested. Sonic nodded at her. "I don't know if I can do it alone, though…"
For a moment nobody picked up the bait, most everyone else bent on having a piece of the action despite the importance of this task. Then Amy smiled and walked up to Amber. "I'll help," she said, taking Amber's hand encouragingly. "Just as soon as I kick a few androids butts."
"Okay."
"Right then! Guardian," Sonic said to Knuckles, winking. "As soon as I use the Master Emerald, I know you'll want to be the one to protect it."
"Damn straight. Not only is it my duty, but if Eggman gets it, he'll have the upper hand."
"You've gotta multitask, because Tails can't be the only one battling Eggman's fleet. Worst case scenario here is that all hell's gonna break loose on the ground once the ship is landed. And there are still some of the H-series in Meka Tower that Egghead could use, so be ready."
"Not a problem," he said, cracking his knuckles. "I'm always ready."
They punched each other's fists, then Sonic looked over his shoulder at Espio. "Espio, since you were investigating that Knuckles fake right from the start, you should do what you're best at and find it. Plus, he'll never know you're coming. Camouflage, and all."
"Thanks for reminding me, I forgot I could do that," the chameleon remarked dryly.
"Just sayin'."
"Of course. If I can take care of him quickly, I'll return to help destroy Eggman's forces and aid Amy and Amber if they need it."
"Sounds like a plan. And Lucas…?"
"Yeah, Sonic?"
"This is outta the blue here – uh, literally, I guess – but I'm kind of worried about the chao. The only one we ever saw was Kai, and that's 'cause he was Eggman's lackey for a while. I thought we'd see the rest when Meka Tower was set free, but we haven't come across them yet."
"I was thinking the same thing," Lucas said. "Kai probably went off to find them too. I'll try to find out if they're okay."
Sonic nodded. "Awesome. Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's do this!"
"Good luck, everyone!" Tails said, and jumped into the air, using his own personal flying mechanism instead of the Tornado to get to the Egg Carrier 2. Everyone else broke off from their forward trajectory, going their separate ways. Everyone except Knuckles.
"Uh…"
"I have to wait for you to draw on the Master Emerald before I can take it, remember?" the echidna asked, running alongside him.
"Right." Sonic nodded once and swerved to head back towards the Tornado, where said gem was. "Hey, about earlier… what brought that on? It's not very often you side with me on anything."
Knuckles shrugged. "It's not very often you're right," he said, receiving a haha-funny look from Sonic in return. There was a brief lapse in conversation, then the guardian decided to elaborate. "Tails is mature for his age. Amy is too, in a few ways. Still, there are things they aren't old enough to understand yet; things that I do understand."
"I'm not following."
"Sonic, I've guarded the Master Emerald my whole life. So I know what it means to be devoted to a cause. I also know what it's like to go through something rough because of that devotion. I've been doing it my whole life, in one way or another, whether it be sitting alone in isolation on an island or searching the corners of the earth for shattered pieces. Or being trapped by Eggman, hungry and surrounded by people who gave up hope."
Knuckles paused, and in his eyes was a kind of deep sadness Sonic had never seen on him before. For the first time he got an authentic glimpse into just what the echidna had been through. Sonic had seen the worst of Meka Tower, but he had never lived it. He had only glimpsed from the outside.
"I guess what I'm getting at," Knuckles went on, "is that I've found that difficulty motivates you even more to succeed. It's not like that with everybody… but I know you. You wouldn't want to endure everything you've endured just to end up backing away. You'd want to make the pain worth it and finish the job. Just like I do."
Sonic looked at him, blinking as the echidna shared with him this new perspective. Although it was true, he had never consciously thought of it that way. "Wow, that was deep, Knux."
"Wow," the echidna said too. "Insults are what I get for defending you."
Silence. "Well… actually I was serious."
"What…?" Knuckles met the hedgehog's eyes, and found only honesty there. He was an honest person himself and, having been fooled by Eggman one too many times in his life, knew the signs; Sonic wasn't mocking him.
"That's a great way to put it. I didn't want it to all be for nothing, y' know? Nobody else seemed to get that. Well… the younger ones, anyway. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? Seriously, compared to everything else we've been through so far, what's the worst?"
"That's just the thing," Knuckles said. "Things never got that bad before. Sonic… you did get beat up a bit there, but that's not all they were worried about."
Sonic nodded. "Yeah, I know."
"They're scared. There's no way to know how far Eggman will go to get what he wants anymore. There's something wrong with him, Sonic."
"Thanks for telling me, I wasn't sure."
Knuckles gave him a sidelong glance. "Tails and Amy… they're still shaken up, you know." His violet eyes fell in the shadows of creased brows, just before he closed them momentarily. "We're all shaken up."
"Yeah, well, Eggman's about to get shaken up, too."
"You'd say that." Knuckles grinned a little. "We're going to stay strong, eh, my friend?"
"'Course we are!" Sonic looked at him. "I just hope the others can, too. We're not done. There's still lots left to do, here. And, well, it's like you said earlier… they never had to understand how serious things were before because nothing quite like this ever happened to us. Things never got this crazy. So I guess it was like a reality check."
"Yeah," Knuckles said, ironic laughter mixed in his tone as he continued, "but apparently reality checks don't work on you."
"Ehh. Everyone acts like Meka Tower was the apocalypse or something," he muttered with a shrug. Then, quieter: "I guess sometimes it kinda felt like it."
Knuckles looked away, not knowing what to say. Fortunately, he didn't have to, as the blue blur continued shortly.
"You know, this might sound whacked, Knux. But if it came down to it I think I'd rather… I'd rather…" Sonic trailed off, though he made a gesture with his hands to account for it, as though he wanted to continue talking but didn't know what words to use.
"I know."
"Yeah. I'd rather risk something crazy happening again than have us lose because I sat out. Even being stuck somewhere like that. 'Cause if we lost, it'd make everything we've done so far null and void. I'm not okay with that."
"Sonic, I've gotta confess, a while back I thought to myself that you could never commit to anything. You asked what brought that on earlier, and I guess my answer is that I realized I was wrong about you. You're devoted to your beliefs and your cause just like I'm devoted to the Master Emerald."
"Aren't we all devoted to our beliefs?"
"Not everyone has what it takes to keep on following through with them, though, and that's what makes the difference." Knuckles paused. "Maybe you and I aren't so different after all."
Sonic smiled at him.
"But hey, we're almost there. Better get ready."
"Uh, right," the hedgehog said. "And… thanks. Guess I should say that now in case we don't see each other again for a while."
"What gives you that idea?" Knuckles asked.
"Eggman's got hundreds of bots on his side, and a huge fortress. Not to mention, it's not like Meka Tower stopped existing. He's kind of got the better end of the stick at the moment, much as I hate to say it."
"Even if something happens to one of us, as long as the Master Emerald is safe, there'll be a way to make things right again."
"I know that." Sonic nodded as if to encourage both Knuckles and himself. They were about to take a lot of risks, and if things didn't go right, the Egg Carrier 2 would be the new Meka Tower or the end of thousands of lives. "So keep it safe, guardian."
Xxx
"Let's get ready to do this. We'll show that creep the real super power of teamwork!" –Sonic, Sonic Heroes
Xxx
In the next chapter: The plan begins… and Sonic and Eggman get some answers. From each other. About everything.
You know, I have to confess… for as cheesy as that Heroes quote is, when I first heard it I thought it was so perfect. :D Sonic's a cheeseball anyway so it works.
Lots coming up yet. Next update(s) will be more timely. ;) Please lemme know what you thought! See ya next time.