Note: So... Hey, everyone! It's been a long time since I've posted! I hope you all have been doing well :) I'm not really sure what to say other than I'm sorry. I know several of you have been waiting for updates, and I am truly sorry that I stopped writing fanfiction for so long. I hope you've been able to find tons of other great stories in the meantime!

I'm back now though. And I'm hear to finish this story! I'm also back to write new fanfiction and get back into writing! I love writing so much and I miss doing this.

Anyway... Without further ado...

Chapter 11: The Injury

The leather jacket Sonic ultimately chose for the knight was quite nice, though Lancelot would never tell Sonic that. The knight knew the praise would go straight to Sonic's head, and he would not hear the end of how 'gifted' the blue hero was at picking out clothing.

But, the jacket was comfortable. It had a practical function, with enough pockets to store any loose items Lancelot might have. It also was made out of a thicker fabric that gave Lancelot the illusion that he was wearing some form of armor, though he doubted the jacket would actually be able to withstand any attack. Plus, it was a deep black color, which fit with the general aesthetic of the hedgehog.

It was a good jacket for Lancelot, and it felt good to be clothed once again. He would never understand how Sonic and the others in this dimension could walk around with so little on.

The two were almost back to the laboratory by this point, and it was completely dark outside. The night had moved in fast while Sonic and Lancelot had been shopping – or whatever you would call their activities, as they spent more time playing around than purchasing items.

When they entered the front door, the three other companions they had left behind hardly even noticed them. They were all huddled around the table in the center of the room, with Tails deep into an explanation about something or another. Amy was hunched over whatever Tails was holding, listening carefully. Shadow, though still standing near the group, had kept his distance and was sitting in such a way that his back was facing the other two. However, he gave the occasional nod of his head to prove that he was still listening.

"Oh! I know that look!" Sonic exclaimed, earning everybody's instant attention. "Tails only looks like that when he's working on a new device. So, what's it this time?"

"Sonic, you're back!" Tails responded. Tails nodded towards Lancelot. "I like the new jacket, Lance."

The knight smiled politely. Tails quickly moved on and held up a small device that looked like a miniature computer, though a green circle was constantly flashing on its screen.

"I decided to pull out the old radar system from the Tornado!" Tails exclaimed. "We were talking after you guys left, and Shadow came up with a great idea!"

Shadow nodded, fully willing to take credit for his discovery.

"If Eggman was capable of tracking down the arcane energy radiating off of Lancelot, then certainly we could do the same," Shadow added. "Of course, this will require us to have a reference for what arcane energy is like."

Shadow locked eyes with Lancelot at this comment, his eyes piercing through the hedgehog. Lancelot looked around, partially confused but vaguely understanding what had to be done.

"So, I assume you will use me as a reference for arcane energy?" Lancelot added. "How will you do that, however?"

"It'll be easy, don't worry!" Tails butted in. "I'll just need a sample of fur or a quill from you!"

"Oh, like this?" Sonic asked. He swiftly reached over and plucked a single strand of fur off one of Lancelot's quills. The knight yelped and glared daggers into the hero as Sonic shot a triumphant smile back in return.

Tails rolled his eyes as Sonic walked over and handed him the stray hair. Tails gladly accepted it and went to work on his machine.

"There was probably a more civilized way of handling that," Lancelot scolded. Sonic only laughed.

Tails enthusiastically fidgeted with his machine until he was satisfied. He then lifted it into the air like it was his precious creation and beamed at the group around him.

"And there it is!" he announced. "With this, we should be able to trace the presence of arcane energy. It isn't the strongest radar in the world, so we'll have to be somewhat close to the source before it will begin to detect anything. But, this is a great starting point!"

Sonic smiled.

"Just give it to me! I can run laps around this whole area and see when it starts to detect a signal!"

"No need to be cocky, hedgehog," Shadow added in roughly. "You will only wear yourself out. It will be better if the entire group travels together."

Lancelot shot an amused glance at Shadow, though his counterpart refused to even look at him.

The knight knew there would probably be some awkwardness between the two of them for a while, but Lancelot stood by what he said. Shadow was cowardly hiding behind false feelings of neutrality, and if there was one thing Lancelot could not stand, it was cowardness.

"Besides," Shadow continued. "We may have the benefit of Eggman coming to us." Sonic raised an eyebrow at this, and Lancelot was equally as perplexed.

"Shadow is right!" Amy added in. "Don't forget that Eggman found us the first time because he was able to detect Lancelot's location using a similar scanner! Maybe he's still looking for Lancelot."

It made sense to Lancelot. This Eggman villain did take an interest in the knight from the moment he saw Lancelot, and it would make sense if Eggman wanted to recapture the hedgehog to understand more about the situation.

"And thus, I am the bait for the plan," Lancelot stated plainly.

Tails chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I wouldn't have phrased it like that, but it would be nice if we could convince Eggman to come out of hiding to track you down again. I was thinking that we could head somewhere outside of the city – a place where Eggman is more likely to be lurking – and let you appear to be traveling alone, Lancelot. With any luck, Eggman might send one of his spy bots to follow you or something, and we could use that to help locate where he went."

"Of course, we will be hiding close by with the scanner!" Amy added eagerly. "So if Eggman does come, we'll be there to rescue you!"

Lancelot nodded towards all of the others, determination building in his body. These last few hours of being kidnapped, rescued, confronted by his doppelganger, and then going shopping with Sonic have been a whirlwind. But now is time to focus. Arthur is still missing; every minute that passes is five minutes that Camelot loses. It was time to get serious.

"Though, won't Eggman get suspicious if Lance just walks around alone?" Sonic asked. "I mean, the guy is ridiculous, but he's not stupid. I think he would know something is up if he saw Lance by himself in the middle of nowhere."

"You're right," Tails replied. "Maybe he should go with someone else then… I think our best plan is to go where we last saw Eggman and have Lancelot wander around there. And maybe you can even be walking with him, Sonic. Eggman saw you and Shadow invade his base. If he sees the two of you exploring where his base used to be, he might not find it as suspicious."

Sonic nodded eagerly, smiling at the plan. "Yeah, definitely!" he added. "I think it'd be best if Lance and I stuck together! Wouldn't want to risk him getting kidnapped again!" Sonic playfully punched Lancelot's shoulder at this comment. Lancelot side-eyed Sonic and tried to hide his light smile. Lancelot noticed Shadow glaring at him from the corner of his eye before Shadow turned to look at Sonic. Shadow's face appeared neutral and blank, but Lancelot knew himself too well not to recognize his counterpart's faint traces of disapproval.

"Let us not waste any more time, then," Lancelot said. "If either King Arthur or the Arcane Emerald is with this Eggman, then we must track him down at once."

"Alright!" Sonic, Tails, and Amy chanted in unison. All three of them sprung into action, with Tails leading the group out towards the Tornado. Shadow stayed a few steps behind the group and glared at Lancelot as he walked past him.

"Try not to get captured again," was all the hedgehog added before leaving.

"I did not intend to," Lancelot responded.

With that, it was settled. They all boarded the Tornado and took off. Sonic was personally less-than-thrilled to be jammed into a plane next to four other bodies when he could have easily run faster, but he tried his best to suppress his complaints.

However, if Sonic were to complain, he would definitely make note of how the seating arrangements were less than ideal for five people on this plane. There were only two real seats on the plane – one of which was the pilot's chair where Tails had to sit, and the second chair was taken by Amy who wasn't used to standing on the wings of the plane. That left the three male hedgehogs to figure out their own arrangements. Sonic had spent many, many hours holdings onto the wings or the back of Tails' plane, to the point where standing on the wings of the plane felt more natural than being in one of the chairs. But, Sonic has never tried to balance on the plane while also keeping an eye on two other hedgehogs who refused to engage with each other in any way. It felt like they were on a five-hour car trip after a heated family dispute. It was uncomfortable to say the least, and the tensions hung in the air.

There was no time to think about that, though. As the Tornado glided above the city and then breezed over the nearby hills, it became increasingly clear that it was time to focus on what actually mattered. It was time to get back into action. With Shadow on their team, Eggman wouldn't stand a chance. As soon as that egghead showed his snobby little face, Sonic would pound the information out of him. He would tear the Eggman's whole base apart if it meant finding the final Arcane Emerald and Arthur.

"Eggman could not have moved that far from where we last saw him," Shadow stated, groaning as he pressed himself further away from Lancelot. If he scooted anymore, he probably would have accidentally knocked himself off the plane entirely. Not that Lancelot would have complained had that happened since he seemed like he was one bad mood away from shoving Shadow off. Sonic sighed.

"Eh," Sonic shrugged in disagreement. "Eggman is slippery. Who knows how far he could have gotten since we last saw him."

"But, he should return soon enough once he detects that Lancelot is here!" Amy added cheerfully. Sonic had to wonder how much of the tension between Lancelot and Shadow were Amy and Tails able to detect. Was it this awkward for everyone or just him?

The team fell into silence as Tails closely examined the radar system. It was dead silent. Nothing yet. He looked down to the ground and examined the hills and fields.

"We are getting close to where we last saw Eggman. Maybe it's time to let Lancelot down to walk around some," Tails added. "It may seem silly, but I know Eggman – unfortunately. And I know how he thinks. The fact that he saw Shadow and Lancelot in the same room together means he knows there is something strange going on. And the fact that Lancelot radiates arcane energy would have also piqued his interest. He won't stop until he gets his hands on Lancelot again and figures out what's going on. He is a scientist after all, even if he's a mad one."

"Then let me go ahead," Lancelot stated, moving a few inches closer to where Amy and Tails were seated. Tails nodded and began to slowly glide the Tornado towards the ground. Once they were a few yards away from landing, Sonic and Lancelot both leaped from the plane and landed gently on the grass. For Sonic, this was a huge sigh of relief to not have to share the wing of the plane with the Tension Two anymore. Lancelot quickly began to survey his surroundings. This was definitely the place where Eggman took Lancelot a few hours before. But it seemed to be empty and quiet now. The only evidence that anybody was ever here at all were the trails of debris and robotic parts that scattered the grassy area from where Shadow blew up the side of the ship.

A short distance away, the Tornado landed with the other three still on board. Sonic gave a thumbs up to his friends as they drove the plane further away and behind some nearby trees and rock formations for coverage. This was it.

Sonic turned to face the wreckage and remains of Eggman's ship and skipped on ahead.

"Come on, Lance!" he called. "Time to be natural!"

Sonic could hear Lancelot scoff from behind him, but soon enough the darker hedgehog was by his side. Lancelot had put his hands in his new leather pockets. He rolled his shoulders to relax and continued to survey their surroundings.

"And what exactly are we supposed to do in the meantime while we wait for this Eggman to track me again?" Lancelot asked.

Even though the knight was trying to sound indifferent and monotoned, as his usual voice was, Sonic could detect traces of hesitancy in his words. Was Lancelot… nervous? Maybe it's hitting him that the team actually has a plan to track down Arthur. The two only arrived from Camelot this morning, and yet Sonic was confident that Lancelot had not stopped thinking about his friend for even a second. Perhaps Lancelot was nervous that this plan wouldn't work, and they wouldn't be able to track down Eggman. Or maybe Sonic is jumping to too many conclusions, and Lancelot is hardly nervous at all. Who was to say anymore. There have been too many emotions in the air ever since Sonic arrived to his home dimension, and it's getting to be all too much. Sonic doesn't want to think about who is mad at you and why; he just wants to get back into the action. Run away, punch some robots, and save the day. Hero stuff.

Sonic shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we can just pretend like we're investigating some scrap metal on the ground. Maybe Eggman left one of his robots behind, and we can take turns punting it around like a soccer ball."

Lancelot squinted his eyes in confusion, but before he could ask for clarification, Sonic continued.

"There's a sport called soccer where people try to kick a ball into a net to score points. The point is, we can just hang out until Tails gets a read on where Eggman is."

Lancelot didn't give any response but instead walked up to the nearest pile of scraps on the ground. He picked up a thin plate of metal that looked like it was once a part of Eggman's air carrier. It was bent and cracked, and small pieces of it fell off as soon as Lancelot lifted it into the air. Lancelot tapped the metal with his knuckle, and it made a satisfying 'clink, clink, clink' sound.

"You know," Lancelot started. "If we found a way to melt down these metallic components, I could possibly find a way to turn these scraps into armor. Or at least a shield of sorts."

Sonic snorted and picked up a hunk of metal that melted and distorted itself into a ball shape. He threw it into the air, caught it, and then turned it around in his hand. It's nice to know that Lancelot hasn't let go of the whole armor thing since Eggman stole his original set. And to think that Sonic was starting to believe that Lance liked the leather jacket! It certainly suited him well.

"Do you know how to make armor?" Sonic asked, tossing the metallic ball he found into the air once more.

Lancelot shook his head. "I am not nearly as skilled as the fox blacksmith that works in Camelot" – Sonic quickly recalled the Tails-lookalike he met in the other dimension and smiled – "but I have made a few rough pieces of protective gear when in desperate situations. I know enough to at least make something functional."

"That's pretty neat! Wish I had a cool hobby like blacksmithing," Sonic responded. It was odd seeing Lancelot make idle conversation. He didn't seem like the type for small talk or talking-just-to-pass-the-time. Maybe this was another sign of him being nervous. Or maybe he was just genuinely interested in talking to Sonic. Who was to say?

Sonic watched as Lancelot crouched near the ground and began to sort pieces of metal into two piles. The blue hedgehog tossed his metal ball into the pile that appeared to be the 'unusable' pieces and helped kick over a few metal plates into the 'useable' pile. They worked in silence for a moment, organizing pieces of metal into their two piles, though Sonic would occasionally let his sights drift towards the sky to see if there were any incoming signs of Eggman. He would also sneak glances towards the nearby rock formations where he knew his friends were hiding. Nope, no sign of them.

"Think you could make me some armor?" Sonic asked. Lancelot looked up curiously at the blue hedgehog, and Sonic smiled back down at him.

"I thought you had no cares for armor. You seemed pretty determined to have me give up mine when we arrived in this world."

"Eh," Sonic shrugged and put his arms behind his head. "I got used to it when I was over in your world. It feels weird not to hold a sword or wear metal gloves anymore."

Sonic looked out onto the horizon again.

"Plus, it could be a good reminder of how fun it was to be in Camelot!" Sonic exclaimed playfully. "You could make me those metal glove things that protect the back of your hands!"

"Gauntlets?" Lancelot asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, those! I remember when I first started wearing those in Camelot! It will be fun to have a pair here. Especially since I don't know when I'll be going back to your world again."

The hero froze for a second after saying those words. His smile disappeared. He knew deep down that he probably would never see Camelot again. He is happy to be home, without a doubt. Yet, a certain part of him felt a deep-seated hurt upon remembering all the friends he made over there. He hoped that Merlina was doing well and getting along with the knights. He wondered how shocked they all must have been when Lancelot tackled Sonic through the portal. Hopefully, they aren't too worried about the knight. Sonic looked down at Lancelot, who seemed equally lost in thought. It wouldn't be too long before Lance returned home – with Arthur, of course.

It would be interesting to know if Lancelot would ever miss Sonic once he had Arthur again.

Sonic quickly shook his head to dismiss the thought. What a bizarre thing to even think about! The fate of Camelot is at stake here. It's too early to start thinking about goodbyes. Sonic needs to focus on the now. He fixated his eyes on the sky. Part of him was almost praying that Eggman would show up now. Nothing like a good ol' battle to get his mind back on the right track.

"It is a bit humorous," Lancelot began, catching Sonic's attention once more. "The last time I made a pair of gauntlets – which is to say, the only time that I ever made a pair of gauntlets – is when I made them for the King. It was when we were adventuring together during our search for the seven Arcane Emeralds. Long before you showed up in our world."

Sonic's ears twitched, and he observed as Lancelot's movements slowed and he spent more time analyzing each piece of metal. Lancelot was never expressive, but Sonic felt like he was learning how to read him. The soft raise in Lancelot's eyebrows and the way his pupils grew slightly as he focused on the piece of steel in front of him was enough for Sonic to know that he was lost in thought. Reminiscing.

"Yes," Lancelot continued. "We had already found four emeralds and were off to find the fifth. Unfortunately, the fifth emerald was lost somewhere deep in the swamplands. A dreadful place where some of the foulest beasts live – most of which hide under the water and strike unexpecting civilians."

The slight upturn of Lancelot's lip was subtle, but it was enough to communicate his disgust. Sonic laughed and shook his head knowingly.

"Yeah… I've had one or two adventures in swampy areas. I know what type of animals develop there. We have the nastiest mosquitoes here."

"Oh, these were much bigger than simple insects, though," Lancelot continued. "They are giant, scaly, and monstrous. Almost like giant alligators, if you all have those in this world—" Sonic nodded "—then yes, imagine an alligator with a shorter snout area. We call them Moss Dragons in our world because they tend to grow moss on their backs."

Lancelot shook his head. He was clearly getting derailed.

"Anyway, one of these Moss Dragons attacked Arthur when his defenses were lowered. Thankfully, I was able to slay the beast before any serious damage was done, but the armor on the king's right arm was severely damaged, and his right hand had been penetrated by one of the beast's teeth."

Sonic grimaced and rubbed his right hand. Ouch. Just thinking about that hurt him.

"I insisted on taking the king to the nearest village to receive treatment from a doctor, but he—" Lancelot gave an exasperated sigh – "so stubbornly refused and insisted that we stay to look for the emerald."

Sonic chuckled and rubbed his nose. That definitely sounds like something a Sonic counterpart would do…

"I managed to convince him to at least rest for the night. I told him to sleep while I figured out a way to bandage his wounds and create some replacement armor for his right arm and hand. But—"

"He wouldn't rest and insisted on staying awake with you?" Sonic interrupted. Lancelot looked up, a bit surprised at the interruption, but slowly nodded. Sonic chuckled. "I knew that because it's exactly what I would have done in that same situation."

"Indeed…" Lancelot continued, his voice drifting off. He looked back down at his piles and moved a few more pieces into the 'useable' stack.

"Anyway," the knight cleared his throat before finishing. "The purpose of that story is to say that I once stayed awake for an entire night while in the swamplands to make gauntlets. And it was using only the spare scraps of iron from some of my armor and a campfire. They were not the most visually appealing gauntlets and were barely functional. But, it gave me some early exposure to metalworking. Once we both returned to Camelot, I practiced blacksmithing during my spare time for some months, just in case we ever found ourselves in a similar situation again."

Sonic smiled. "I'm sure Arthur appreciated them."

Lancelot didn't respond, nor did he look up to meet Sonic's gaze at all. The blue hedgehog looked down at the ground and kicked a large screw to the side. It was nice being able to have conversations like this with Lancelot. Where they just… talked to each other. Sonic still remembered how standoffish and stoic the knight seemed only yesterday when they were back in Camelot. Or was that only earlier this day? Time felt strange since they crossed dimensions. Regardless, it felt odd that over the course of such a short time, Sonic began to feel like Lancelot and he could actually talk to each other. Yet, at the same time, something felt… odd. Sonic couldn't place his finger on it, but he couldn't help but notice that the only time Lancelot seemed to open up in any capacity was when he was reminiscing or thinking about Arthur. Perhaps it's because Sonic looked identical to Arthur, and thus Lancelot felt more comfortable lowering his guard when talking about Sonic's counterpart with him. Or maybe Lancelot has come to realize that Sonic and Arthur are more alike than originally thought and now wants to relive these happy memories of Arthur with Sonic. Was that it?

Sonic inspected the top of Lancelot's head inquisitively.

It was nice seeing this more open and talkative side of Lancelot. The side that helps the king, cares about his duty more than anything, and is willing to stay up all night to make some armor for a friend. This was the side of Lancelot that Percival caught a glimpse of when she watched Arthur and Lancelot duel on the training grounds that one day. Yet it's a side that the dark knight didn't seem to show around any of the knights of the Round Table or anybody else. Sonic wondered if this is how Lancelot was around Arthur all of the time.

And why did that make Sonic feel so… lucky? Lucky that his counterpart was the one who was able to crack open a nut like Lancelot and get to see the true side of the brooding and angry hedgehog. It almost gave Sonic hope that maybe he could get to see a new side of Shadow one day. If Arthur has the ability to open up Lancelot, then certainly that would give Sonic the potential to do the same with Shadow.

bzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The buzz was light and quiet at first but swiftly became louder and louder until both hedgehogs had their ears shoot up and stood alert. At the same time, their eyes locked on the target. The interrupter of their thoughts. It was a robot, no doubt. Though it was too far away to make out any significant details. It was floating in the air and bounced up and down like a drunken bumblebee trying to fly. The buzz filled the air with every bounce it took towards the duo.

Finally, something interesting happening! Sonic had been itching for a fight ever since they left Eggman's base! Good thinking on Tails' part to have Lancelot come out here as bait.

Sonic got into a running position and looked towards Lancelot, who was now standing and holding firmly onto a steel pipe. A makeshift sword. Nice.

"You ready?" Sonic asked. "This one little bot may not look tough, but there could be more right behind him, so stay on your guard!"

"I understand, but would it not be best if one of us went over to your friends to see if there were any arcane energy signals nearby?" Lancelot asked, not taking his eyes off the robot in the distance. "I can handle myself for a few more moments. Go and check in with your friends."

Sonic wanted to protest – it wasn't like him to turn away from a chance to fight – but Lancelot had a point. It was important for them to know if Eggman was near or not. Without saying another word, Sonic turned around and ran toward the rocks that he saw the Tornado go behind.

As Sonic turned the corner to see behind the rock—

BOOOOOOM

A giant cloud of smoke erupted from behind the rocks like a volcano went wild. The shock wave of the blast was so intense that it knocked Sonic off of his feet and he hit the ground hard enough to pull up grass and dirt. The hero groaned, and his ears started ringing. He thought he heard somebody calling his name, but everything was distorted as his eardrums rattled.

The moment Sonic processed what happened, he shook off the shock and jumped to his feet.

"Tails! Amy!" he yelled to the smoke gathering before him.

All at once, all the noise in the world rushed into Sonic's mind. He heard banging, clashing, and screaming. Visions of laser beams and blurry figures running around filled the scene before him.

"We're okay, Sonic!" the familiar voice of Tails called out.

"The question is – are you okay?!" Amy yelled out, panic clear in her voice.

Sonic let out a relieved breath as the smoke cleared. Soon the scene became clear. Amy flew through the air, hammer in hand, and smashed down on a robotic soldier that stood a few yards away from Sonic. Tails excellently guided the Tornado in its mecha form, blasting through beetle bots. Shadow too was helping in the fight, disappearing and reappearing in flashes of light as he Chaos Controlled around the bots. Sonic smiled and let out a shout.

"Alright! Let's get this party started!"

And then he jumped onto the back of Tail's mecha as it swung by the hero.

"So, what's the situation, Tails?" Sonic asked excitedly. It might be a bit inappropriate to be so joyful during a time when your friends are in danger, but Sonic has been in so many gruesome fights over the years that now beating up small-time enemies like Eggman's foot soldiers felt like a refresher.

"We were waiting here and looking at the scanner to see when Eggman would arrive—" Tails began, quickly diving around enemies and shooting blasts every few words – "and right when we got a signal that a source of arcane energy was approaching, we were suddenly surrounded by these bots!" – another dive to the side, another blast of a laser – "we were going to call for help, but by the time we even realized what was happening, you were already running back towards us."

"I guess Eggman figured us out," Amy added as she smashed a bot into the ground. "He must have known we were hiding around here somewhere and sent his soldiers to look for us!"

Sonic smirked, jumping off the Tornado long enough to jump from bot to bot, successfully knocking out all the floating enemies in one swoop. He gracefully landed back onto the wing of the plane, mentally patting himself on the back.

In a bright flash of light, Shadow appeared next to Sonic on the Tornado. Sonic nodded at him, preparing to make a witty comment, but Shadow cut him off.

"We can handle ourselves here, hedgehog. There are only a few more bots left. Go check on your friend. I don't trust whatever Eggman has planned."

The way Shadow said 'friend' was so strained and bizarre that Sonic wanted to make some remark about it, but decided to keep his mouth shut. Shadow was right. Lancelot was left alone. If Eggman was smart enough to know that Tails, Amy, and Shadow would be hiding nearby, then …

Sonic leapt off the Tornado and took off back to the open field.

Sure enough, that one drunk bee robot wasn't alone. As soon as Sonic got back to the field, all he saw was a giant floating mecha bot hovering right over Lancelot. The bot had two long tentacle arms sticking out from under it, and flashes of black and red rushed in every direction, audibly slashing at the arms as they tried to grab at the target.

"Lancelot! Look out!" Sonic shouted. In one smooth motion, Sonic jumped into the air, tucked himself into a ball, and spin dashed across the field, slicing right through one of the tentacles. The flying bot growled and hissed as it spun around to lock onto Sonic. In a monotoned voice, it boomed –

TARGET ONE SPOTTED. SONIC SPOTTED. ELIMINATE SONIC.

Sonic laughed. "Aww, Eggman still has me as his number one target? My, I'm so flattered."

The hedgehog cut his self-praise short, however, and locked his gaze onto Lancelot, who had stopped dashing for just a moment to catch his breath. The knight seemed unharmed, though the old pipe he was using as a sword had been smashed and bent until it was completely unrecognizable. Lancelot flung the item to the side and cracked his knuckles.

"I appreciate the assistance, knave," Lancelot said to Sonic, emphasizing the word knave, which Sonic could only assume was meant to be an insult. "But, I am capable of handling myself here."

"Oh no you don't!" Sonic injected, throwing himself into another spindash aimed at the robot's cockpit. He bounced off harmlessly, barely managing to land on his feet. "I've already been dismissed from one fight by a black and red hedgehog, I'm not going to be told to leave another!"

Lancelot shook his head at the situation. Before he could respond, the flying contraption swung one of its arms at the knight. Lancelot jumped out of the way as the arm crashed into the ground, causing a new crater.

Landing right next to Sonic, Lancelot shook off a bit of dirt that the robot launched all over him.

"Well, then," Lancelot began. "At the very least, try not to absolutely destroy this beast. I am sensing some arcane energy from it. For all we know, this could mean that the Arcane Emerald is inside."

Sonic's eyes opened wider, and he examined the machine closer. Arcane energy, huh? Well, couldn't that mean that Arthur is—

Sonic interrupted his own thoughts. No, no, Arthur couldn't be in there. The cockpit has a window at the front and there was clearly nobody inside the ship. And the robot didn't seem large enough to have a prisoner cell in it. Still, if the Arcane Emerald was in there, that could give the group a powerful tool to help find Arthur.

"Don't destroy the robot completely, got it!" Sonic shouted before leaping back into action.

The two hedgehogs went back and forth, spin dashing into the robot and dodging its arm that swung around widely. Within a minute, the two had succeeded in putting severe heavy dents into the main body of the machine, and its jets that it was using to propel itself in the air were starting to sputter.

MISSION FAILING. MISSION FAILING. LAST RESORT. LAST RESORT. AIM AIM AIM.

The loud booming voice caused both the hedgehogs to flinch, and they pressed their ears down.

"That doesn't sound good…" Sonic mumbled to himself.

Before Lancelot or Sonic could react, the robot began to shake uncontrollably, screws and bits of steel shooting in every direction. Sonic and Lancelot darted away just to avoid being pelted with little metal raindrops. Once they were a good 30 yards away, the two stopped and watched as the mechanical beast plummeted to the ground. A booming crash erupted from the scene, and Sonic ducked and covered his head to block the resulting winds from hitting his face. Metal pieces rained like hail, and Sonic could hear the shouts of concern from Tails and Amy in the distance.

Sonic looked up at the now lifeless machine that laid before them. It looked like nothing more than another piece of scrap metal now. Except for the occasional spark that came from its exposed wires. Sonic sighed and wiped his brow.

"Not an overly effective last resort attack," said Lancelot. The knight shook more dirt out of his fur and brushed off his jacket.

Sonic laughed. "Yeah, I was expecting something a bit more dramatic for the finale! Guess Eggman hasn't worked all the bugs out of that one!"

The two hedgehogs smiled at each other. And Sonic felt a bit of warmth in his chest upon seeing Lancelot appear genuinely amused. It was nice to fight alongside someone that could keep up with his speed. Reminded him of the few times that Shadow and Sonic have fought side-by-side to save the world. Sonic chuckled.

"You know, you're not that bad of a fighter. I mean, not that bad for a second-rate hedge—"

TARGET LOCKED. FIRE.

The light was blinding, and everything turned white. All Sonic could feel was his body hitting the ground as the blades of grass scratched at his face.

What…?

There was no sound. Not even ringing.

For a second, there was nothing at all.

Then, slowly, Sonic's eyes began to process what was in front of them. At first, all he saw was the grass that was pressed up against his face. But then, he saw the robot that still lay in a heap some 30 yards away. Except it wasn't lifeless anymore. Instead, a bright light was coming from one of its guns. A gun that was smashed and broken but somehow still producing sparks.

Did the robot… shoot him…? But it was broken, Sonic was sure of it… They destroyed it together.

Sonic felt a strong hand grab onto his side and flip him onto his back. Once he was facing up, he saw big, frightened red eyes piercing down at him. He could see Lancelot's mouth moving, but could barely hear him. The only words that were coming through were—

"Sonic! Sonic! Can you hear me? Sonic!"

Sonic tried to nod. To smile. To do anything to let his friend know that he was okay. But he couldn't feel his face. He wasn't sure if anything he was telling his body to do was actually happening.

Gradually, sensation began to reenter Sonic's body. At first, it was his head, which was pounding. Then his legs, then his torso, and then his right arm. And then… wait… what happened to his left arm?

Using all his might, Sonic tilted his head to his left side and looked down at his arm. It was still there, thankfully. But heavily bruised. His natural skin color was completely covered by the thick layers of black and purple markings that were forming. Sonic groaned and turned his head back toward Lancelot. The black hedgehog seemed paralyzed, his eyes scanning every inch of Sonic's face.

"I'm … fine," Sonic got out weakly. His own voice sounded foreign to him. "I just… I think I broke my arm."

chapter 11 finished xxx

Thank you to everyone who has followed this story so far! There are a few more chapters left hehe And I already have them planned out!

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