A calm breeze swept through the clearing, tickling noses and making napkins fly in it's wave as it travelled through the festivity, ruffling cobalt quills before it vanished into the trees as quickly as it had come. Mutters escaped the party goers as they picked up fallen items with little to no grumbling, their good mood returning quickly as they bathed in the presence of each other. A amused Sonic rolled his eyes as his friends bustled about, running around the colourful picnic table as they traded tidbits of their lives. The sight of all of his most trusted allies -even Shadow, who was in a bitchy mood in the best of days- brought joy to his heart. He didn't want to be anywhere but here, with those who mattered the most.
This had been a very eventful day however. Even more than he had first thought it would be when he'd woken up this morning.
Green eyes travelled over the crowd, finally settling on a large, fallen figure that had been left where it had fallen. Sonic frowned, his happiness fading away as he stood up from his spot beneath the old oak tree and advanced towards the pile of cogs, black mist and crystal claws. Reaching through the crowd of friends, he came to a stop in front of it and looked at the dead beast in silence, feeling guilt as he took in the sad state of the entity.
The Time Eater laid there where it's masters had abandoned it, a inanimate pile of gold, rusty black cogs and dull blue light that made Sonic ache. He sat down in front of the creature's head, reaching out and tracing the intricate line of the beast's skull, wishing he could provide some kind of comfort to the being.
While he had been forced to defeat Eggman and his past incarnation, the Blue Blue couldnt help but feel guilt from the Time Eater's death. The beast had been dragged into this conflict for no reason. If Eggman hadn't tried to harvest its power, it would have been peacefully drifting through time and space, completely oblivious to the events transpiring around it.
Sonic felt a stab of anger the longer he stared at the corpse, left there to decay like some broken toy.
The young hero frowned, eyes gleaming with determination as he stood up and reached towards the carcass. The stubborn hedgehog immediately began working, pulling out the heavy metal machinery that had been forcefully integrated to the creature's form by his nemesis and throwing the trash aside. He let his hands wander on the arching horns, clearing the dust, dirt and grime that stained the dark purple, bone-like prostusions.
He could feel his friends' incredulously stares on his back. Amy's voice carried loud and clear across the clearing and into his sensitive blue ears, making him bristle on the inside:
"What is he doing? Can't he leave that ugly thing alone?"
It stunned him just much she lacked compassion. He'd seen her take care of injured birds and other small forest animals, but it seemed that when it came to helping something that didn't look fluffy and harmless the pink girl was out of the picture. He didn't expect anything else from the shallow hedgehog, but it still hurt. The sapphire male grit his teeth and continued to work in silence. Like hell he would leave the Time Eater like this. He was not a monster. He had slain this creature, the least he could do is give it some dignity in death.
"I didn't know you were a funeral caretaker, Faker."
It took every bit of self control to not grimace.
Or turn around and kick the immortal in the face.
Either way were starting to become extremely appealing.
"Is it so terrible to have a heart?" Sonic said smoothly as he pulled a final cog in place, making the Time Eater look as if it was sleeping. Stepping around the massive carcass, he sat back down on the soft grass in front of the great horned skull, watching the dull blue eyes of the creature sadly.
"No, but usually they don't show it for a entity made out of clock parts."
Sonic huffed as he turned around to face Shadow, hands landing on his hips as he regarded the taller male with burning, determined emerald orbs.
"Can you be less pathetic?!" The ebony male bristled at this, arms uncross in almost as he was about to strike him, and Sonic backtracked, realizing he had hit a nerve. "Sorry." He said apologetically, scratching the back of his head as he looked away from the burning ruby eyes. The young hero was pleased to see the other's stance relax slightly. "I...I just feel bad for it, you know? It doesn't deserve this..."
"Hmph."
Looking pass the black hedgehog, his eyes softened as he noted Cream was prancing about the clearing, completely oblivious to the mutters coming from her companions. The action nearly brought back the silly grin on his face, but it died on his lips as he stared down at one of the pieces of machinery he managed to dislodge.
"...I'm not sure if it had a conscious..." He mumbled, shrugged at Shadow's raised eyebrow. "...but the least I can do is get rid of Eggman's work." His expression darkened as he thought about he crazed scientist. Trying to erase the timelines like how Solaris was terrifying. The old man had stepped over the line for this one. "I'm going to beat that egghead so bad next time, he'll think twice before trying anything of this scale ever again. I mean, first that Chaos business, then Solaris, then Dark Gaia, and now this? Things are getting crazy. Well, crazy-er."
Chuckling at his own joke, Sonic met his rival's gaze again, expecting to see the older male roll his eyes at his shenanigans like he usually did when the cobalt speedster tried to crack a joke.
Instead of a scowl however, he saw Shadow's eyes widen in alarm at something behind him. Instinctively turning around, he was greeted with a sight that made his blood freeze.
The Time Eater's eyes were glowing a bright, healthy shade of cyan.
And he was standing less than three inches away from the suddenly very much alive and awake behemoth.
Fuck.
Sonic tried to dodge by the creature was faster, a crystal hand reaching out and plucking him off the ground like he was nothing but a hapless hatchling. The blue hedgehog let out a muffled curse as he wiggled in the thing's hand, effectively placated agains the cold palm by the large clawed talons of the entity.
"Faker!" Shadow shouted with a hint of panic somewhere beneath him, but Sonic couldn't respond with how tightly the time beast was holding him.
He saw familiar golden spears fly up towards the wrist of the hand holding him captive, but the Time Eater pulled the limb back, a loud, surprisingly human mechanical crackle leaving the monster as it flew higher up, out of reach of the Ultimate Lifeform's attack. Glancing down, Sonic could see that the ebony warrior was getting ready to charge up another of his Chaos techniques -only to freeze as the Time Eater put the hand holding Sonic out in front of it, putting the hedgehog it was slowly asphyxiating between itself and the enraged G.U.N. agent.
Sonic couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The creature was using him as meat shield.
Something's different. The dazed hero thought through the pain of being slowly crushed by the creature. It wasn't this intelligent before. Had Eggman's machines somehow affected the being, keeping it docile and compliant to the scientist's wishes? Arching his neck up, his eyes with those of the creature, the flaming cyan orbs now sporting a hint of vibrant, dangerous ruby red.
The intelligence was clear in that gaze as closed in the distance between them by leaning in, the heavy horned skull now inches away from him. The Time Eater rumbled, low and menacing, its already tight grip on the blue hedgehog becoming even tighter, making the blue hedgehog unwillingly cry out in pain and flail weakly in a attempt to get more air into his lungs. He was burning, and the cobalt hedgehog knew that he wouldn't last long.
Emerald eyes blazing with fury stabbed into the cyan and ruby eyes of the Time Eater as Sonic snarled, low and menacing. "I'm going to tell you this once, buddy. Lemme go you stupid grandfather clock or I'll -argh!" Purple crackled around the edges of his vision as his eyesight dimmed, the world spinning out of focus as the sapphire hedgehog was plunged into a world of pain.
The time beast was having none of it apparently, and decided to punish him for his empty threats.
He could distantly hear his friends screaming and shouting in the background as electricity danced around him, burning him from the inside out, the mobians trying their best to deviate the creature's attention from his limp form in it's hand. The Time Eater was ignoring them, the creature solely focused on his panting form, blue eyes that had once been dull and blank filled with a strange intelligence that made Sonic shiver. His body hurt and ached from the rough treatment, and he could feel the bruises starting to form beneath the thick, royal blue pelt; it wouldn't be long before he lost consciousness...
The horned entity suddenly opened it's hand, alleviating the pressure on his body and allowing the injured speedster to get a gasp of air into his burning lungs. He heard his friends shout louder on the ground below and it spurned him to try and stand up, only to cry out as he collapsed again as he got on his knees, flopping down on the thing's palm with a hitched gasp as purple lightning crackled around him, making him twitch and spasm once more, helpless as his muscles were over-stimulated by the electricity emitting from the time beast.
The Blur Blur tried to scream at the burning pain that threaded to tear him apart, but he was only able to let out a shaky cry as he was dropped into the beast's second hand, then to his confusion, he was rolled back to the first one. Again and again the monster did it, watching his struggling form as it dropped him from hand to hand, amused by his strangled gasps and pained cries.
It didn't take much time for Sonic to realize what was happening, even through the agony clouding his mind.
The Time Eater was playing with him as if he was a stuffed doll.
Sonic never wanted to fight back more than now; but he was helpless, his muscles turned into jelly as he dazedly tried to understand which side was the sky and which was land. His head spun and lolled in the Time Eater's grip as the beast finally let him rest in one of it's cupped hands, examining him with interest as he laid there, sides rising and falling quickly as he sucked in the air he so desperately needed. A low rumbled escaped the horned head above him but he paid no mind, trying to stop his eyes from rolling back and his consciousness from slipping away.
The cobalt hero just felt so dizzy...
The small moment of respite was broken by a familiar flash of golden light as Shadow appeared just above him, the nimble Ultimate Lifeform boldly landing on the Time Eater's hand and picked up his battered form. Sonic could have cried out in relief right there and then as his rival's arms encircled him with strange gentleness, his fur standing on end as he felt the hybrid immortal gather more energy for another jump through time and space.
"Chaos Contro -fuck!" Their opponent shrieked in fury, shades swirling around it, hands grabbing Shadow and Sonic and wrenching the blue hedgehog out of the darker male's arms before grabbing the Ultimate Lifeform tightly. The Blue Blur grunted as he fell back on the thing's open hand once more, his mind swirling with thoughts as he analyzed what had just occurred.
It had stopped Shadow's Chaos Control.
And why had it grabbed him again? Why was it so fixated on him?!
(Did it want payback?)
Glancing at Shadow, he noticed there was actual worry in the normally unshakable ebony male's eyes as he tried to reach out for his exhausted form, only for a indignant scream to tear it's way out of his throat as the Time Eater suddenly let go of the Ultimate Lifeform, letting him harmlessly fall back down to the earth. Sonic tried to reach for the falling immortal, a desperate exclamation leaving him
The creature eyed the rest of the mobians before glancing back at it's prey. Even in his state Sonic could see it was perplexed, wondering if it should attack his friends. The thought made his heart beat fast with terror; the Chaos Emeralds had already scattered themselves; it would take a miracle to find them, and by then his friends would be dead.
His throat became dry at the thought.
His captor seemed to have other plans as it opened its free hand and created a large portal. Green eyes widened at this, the cries of his friends below growing louder as they too realized what was happening. Sonic tried to convey something to his panicking companions, so say something, but the monster's hold on him tightened once more and he was dragged through before he could open his mouth.
White greeted him at the other end of the portal.
Sonic closed his eyes at the sight of the barren, flat land, fighting back the urge to scream in frustration.
The White Space.
He'd thought he would never see this place again.
"Is that what I think it is...?"
Somewhere above him the Time Eater growled, low and menacing. Surprised, emerald orbs snapped open, blinking profusely as they looked down at the source of the familiar voice. Two Eggmans stood a few feet beneath them, their eyes wide behind the the dark blue glasses as they took in the sight of their former possession carrying the battered form of their nemesis.
Oh no...
"Incredible!" The eldest of the Robotnicks exclaimed, clapping his hands loudly. "It seems my pet has finally defeated the blue pest!" The scientist let out a mad crackle. "I've waited a long time for this moment!"
"My pet?!" The smaller of the two cried out indignantly. "Isn't the Time Eater our pet?"
"Err, yes?"
The Time Eater growled again, this time sounding more feral. Sonic watched with horror as the time-travelling humans realized the danger they were in and tried to run away, but by then it was too late.
Black holes appeared beneath the humans' feet, and the two Robotnick's could only scream as they were dropped through time and space. Sonic could only watch with a mixture of envy and relief as his archenemies disappeared through the gates, the portals closing after the bald heads sunk fully into the black mass.
What now?
The Time Eater let out a low rumble as it swept a arm over the vast white landscape. A shudder travelled the land, almost like a earthquake, before crystals began sprouting like small forests across the landscape, quickly overtaking the terrain with their jagged shapes, gleaming arches and glowing textures. Sonic watched in unhinged, childish fascination as gigantic spires of shimmering crystals grew over his head and the air rippled, turning into a soft shade of purple as the light from above condensed into a single point, forming a false sun.
The creature hovered over the landscape, content with the changes. It waved it's hand again and the crystals around them flattered slightly as a structure began forming in mid air in front of it's creator. Sonic peered through the large claws of the Time Eater, eyes widening as he recognized the familiar shape of the building. It was only when a thick chain made out of amethyst crystal lodged itself into one of the arching spires above his head that the Blue Blur could wrap his head around what the Time Eater had created.
A birdcage.
The meaning came horrifically clear.
"Don't you dare-!" The monster paid no mind to his indignant screams as it flew closer to the delicate structure. A part of Sonic admired the creation, liking the gracile and elegant structure of the birdcage. Unlike the purple spires growing around the prison, the building was fashioned out of a lighter sapphire crystal that glinted softly under the light of the nonexistent sun.
The only thing missing was a name tag.
Before he could continue his death threats, Sonic found himself tumbling to the ground inside the cage, eyes widening as he looked back just in time to see the Time Eater's hand disappear into the wormhole. Asshole. He thought grimly, forcing himself to sit up, legs crossed and burning green eyes drilling hole into the cyan ones of the creature. Dignity my ass. I should have left it where it was.
The creature's blue mouth twitched, shifting into a cruel smirk that made him bristle.
"Don't smile, you bastard!" The Blue Blur snarled, ears pinned down as he glared at this captor. "I'm getting you back for this, I swear!" The Time Eater's eyes narrowed and distaste and it punched the birdcage with one of it's massive hands, making the structure shake and Sonic fall back.
Thankfully the floor of the cage was filled with what looked like pillows, so the blue hedgehog wasn't that injured in the aftermath of the beast's little tantrum. Moody much? He thought feebly, scowling as he painstakingly sat up. The young hero glanced back at the beast and stiffened, noting something that had never happened before.
The Time Eater was melting.
It's entire body, even its eyes, was turning a deep shade of purple-black as it pressed itself against the birdcage. Sonic stumbled back as the entity slid through the bars of the prison, dissolving into goop that pooled in a small circle at the bottom of the birdcage. Weary but determined to survive, the cobalt speedster braced himself as a figure just a inch or two taller than himself rose from the ground, stripes the colour of teal decorating the form. A form that resembled Shadow a bit too much for comfort.
It smirked at him as the last of the details appeared, the pale lips just as cold as the toxic green eyes that seemed to stab into his very soul.
"Enjoying your new accommodations, mortal?"
The exhausted cobalt hedgehog froze. He knew that voice anywhere.
Mephiles.
The story was brought about from a note I saw in Mephiles' page in the Sonic wiki where the Time Eater could have been Mephiles after Solaris was destroyed. Weakened, Mephiles fled to space to recover with the small sliver of Iblis' essence he still possessed, turning him into the creature known as the Time Eater. The idea was discarded, but it gave me the idea for this story.
This is another exercise about romance, emotions and stuff. It's going to be a maximum of ten chapters, so enjoy ;) For now it's Mephiles X Sonic, but you might have noticed a hints of Sonadow in the background. That's because I'm thinking of it ending as a Shadow X Sonic X Mephiles, but meh, time will tell.
And yes, that was pun.
*bows before flying away on her broom*
