Sonic decided he never wanted to wake up any other way than right between the two of them. It was warm, Shadow's embrace especially warding off the morning chill, and sometime in the night, Amy had curled up against him as close as she could, and he'd wrapped his arm around her. He could feel her face buried in his chest, hear her soft snoring as her chest rose and fell. He could hear Shadow's quiet breathing behind him, his chest rising against his back.
Sonic melted into their warmth, smiling wide for the first time in two days. A moment later, Shadow stirred behind him, sitting up and leaning over to kiss Sonic's temple. "'Morning," he rumbled.
"Morning," Sonic whispered, trying not to wake Amy.
Shadow yawned, then stood and stretched for a moment before coming over and gently shaking Amy awake. Her eyes opened, and she looked confused for a moment before she looked up to find Sonic looking down at her. She smiled and kissed his nose. "Feeling any better, hun?" she asked as she carefully pulled herself out of his arms.
"Yeah," Sonic replied, kissing her cheek before she could get too far away from him. "Thank you both."
Sonia groaned as she stirred a little ways away. "Stop talking," she mumbled, and Sonic laughed as he stood and walked over to Tails, who was still asleep on the ground.
"Come on, we gotta get going, buddy," Sonic said, nudging him awake.
The fox's eyes fluttered open and he yawned. "I'm up, I'm up," he grumbled, pushing himself to his feet.
"Someone's chipper today," Sonia remarked from a little ways away as she stretched, and Sonic could hear her spine popping. "Alright, let's go. The sooner we get to the palace the better. Are we ready to go?"
Shadow nodded while Amy yawned again. He picked her up bridal style, surprising her a little as she let out a little yelp, then settled into his arms. "We'll get there much faster if we carry the girls," Shadow said.
"Yeah, but I think Sonia would kill me first," Sonic replied, and almost as if to prove his point she smacked him on the arm. "Hey, I'm just sayin' I know you!"
"I'll manage," Sonia said curtly. "I want to get Manic out of there, and if it means we do that sooner, I can deal."
"Alright," Sonic said, and he scooped her up, holding her so her head peeked over his shoulder. Then he looked over at Tails. "Think you can keep up with us?" he asked.
Tails nodded, twisting his tails in preparation for take-off. "I'm ready when you are," he said.
Sonic nodded, and Sonia tightened her grip around his neck just before was off like a shot, Shadow following with Amy, and Tails bringing up the rear.
They reached the outskirts of the citadel within an hour, but Sonic couldn't help but notice security around the place was a lot stronger than it had been the last time he had tried to infiltrate it with Sally. More wooden puppets surrounded the perimeter, and Sonic even recognized the human shapeshifters from the women's camp. There were some mobians, few and far between, all of them wearing expensive-looking clothing. The only reason they could probably still afford to live here was that they were probably working directly for Kintobor himself in some capacity. Likely not as assassins, judging from how they carried themselves, but Sonic's lip curled in disgust all the same.
"How do we get in?" Amy whispered from where she crouched with the other four just out of earshot of roaming puppet guards.
"Fighting them would only send a warning up the chain of command," Shadow said. "But there's no entrance that's unguarded–Sonic and I already checked. And while Miles could fly over the citadel, he surely won't go unnoticed."
Tails nodded, frowning, his eyes already glazing over in thought.
Sonic nodded. "The last time Sal, Rote and I got in, it wasn't this heavily guarded," he said. "We fought some people, but none of the puppet things."
"And we don't know the details of the spell on them," Sonia added. "If one even sees us it could potentially alert the others."
Amy nodded, then began rooting through her bag. "Sonia, I need you to help me with this," she said. "Come here."
Sonia's eyes went wide, and she looked a little nervous, but she nodded and crouched down next to her. "Take this and try and crunch it up in your hands as much as you can," Amy told her, handing her a couple of leaves and continuing to rummage through her bag as Sonia obeyed. "I'm going to need you to follow along with me. Can you sing?"
"What–wait, no, I'm not a witch!" Sonia sputtered.
"Maybe not yet, but you could be," Amy replied, taking out five stones and handing one to Sonic and two more to Shadow and Tails. "You've got an affinity for witchcraft, I can see it."
Sonia hesitated, then nodded. "Okay," she said. "What do I need to do?"
"Make sure those leaves are as close to powder as you can get them," Amy replied. "Then, go over to Shadow and follow my lead."
"Why him?" Sonia asked.
"Because I'm more worried about bright blue standing out than I am red and black," Amy said. "And he's better at being stealthy."
"Hey!" Sonic protested, his quills bristling in annoyance. "I'm fantastic at being stealthy!"
Shadow nudged him with an elbow. "You're stage-whispering," he said.
Amy giggled quietly as Sonic grumbled and scowled at both of them. Tails laughed quietly into his fist, and Sonic looked over at him. "What about Tails?" he asked, gesturing to him.
"If Rosy's going to do what I think she's going to do, I'll be able to keep up with you guys from the air with no problems," Tails replied.
Amy nodded, and a few minutes later, she came over to Sonic and held her hands out to his, spreading the leaf-bits across his palm along with the rock she'd given him, doing the same with Tails, and began to sing softly, Sonia clumsily following her lead over by Shadow. Sonic felt almost as if something were settling over him, almost like a cloak. The rock in his hand didn't glow like Amy's magic usually did, instead it shook a little, then went transparent to the point where Sonic could barely make out where it lay in his hand.
As Amy's song faded, she pulled away and squinted at him for a moment before nodding with satisfaction. "Alright, looks like it's working," she said. "Put that rock in your pocket and don't lose it. If you lose it, the spell is broken, and people will see you."
"So we're invisible?" Sonic asked, looking over to where Tails had been and finding nothing but a few leaves swirling in the wind Sonic could only guess was coming from his tails.
"Yes. But people can still hear you." Amy turned to look over where Sonia and Shadow had been, and Sonic followed her gaze to find them gone. "Perfect, Sonia," Amy said. "Let's go, quietly."
Sonic nodded and followed close behind her, not wanting to accidentally bump into Sonia or Shadow as they made their way to the main entrance. They bumped into the people milling about on the draw-bridge, but it was busy enough that no one hardly even noticed. They kept to the less crowded areas as much as they could as they slowly weaved through the city.
They passed market stalls, and Sonic heard someone's stomach growl and stopped for a moment, someone bumping into him. "What are you doing?" Shadow hissed.
"People are hungry, Shads," Sonic whispered back. "And if I'm invisible, I can snag somethin' without anyone knowing."
"Sonic, we'll worry about food later," Shadow said. "Apples don't usually float by themselves."
"Ghosts get hungry, don't they?"
Sonic felt a hand grab his wrist and yank him in the direction Amy was going. "No," Shadow growled. "We're not stirring up any more trouble than necessary."
"Food is necessary, Shads, and we're all pretty hungry," Sonic replied, but Shadow had pulled him far enough away that he couldn't even see the food cart now.
He glared at the invisible hand on his wrist, and Shadow must have sensed his anger because he whispered, "We'll figure it out later."
Sonic sighed and let Shadow pull him along after that, catching up with Sonia and Amy, who looked like they had linked hands as well. When Sonic felt Shadow letting go, he grasped his fingers. "So we don't get lost," he whispered, and Shadow gave an amused huff as he tightened his grip on Sonic's hand.
It took them hours to get to the palace, and the sun was high in the sky above when they reached the inner moat. The drawbridge was down, but Sonic's stomach filled with dread when he saw who was guarding it. He heard Sonia gasp when she saw it as well.
Manic stood on one side of the drawbridge, his brown eyes glassy and unfocused, the complete opposite of his rigid, expectant posture. He wore the uniform of the royal guard, and his normally wild green quills were combed back, which was a warning in and of itself. Manic never let anyone touch his quills, not even Sonic or Sonia.
Sonic let go of Shadow's hand and moved towards the guards, forgetting he was invisible. Amy hissed after him, but he hardly noticed. He approached his brother and stood in front of him. "Manic," he said, shaking his shoulders.
Manic's eyes widened a little, but he only looked mildly confused, and Sonic's heart sank. "What did they do to you…?"
"Sonic!" Amy whispered urgently behind him, grabbing him by the arm. "What are you–?" Then she saw Manic's eyes, and her mouth formed a small "oh".
"We have to–"
"We have to get to Kintobor first," Amy said firmly. "That's some strong spellwork, and I don't know how he's connected to it exactly, but I know that he's got something to do with it. He has to."
Sonic nodded, his eyes never leaving his brother until Amy pulled him away, the drawbridge creaking beneath their feet. They waited, and a few moments later, they heard Sonia and Shadow's footsteps as they followed them across.
"You're the one who's snuck in before," Shadow said to Sonic. "How do we get in?"
"Not the same way as last time," Sonic replied, racking his brain to think of another way in. "Maybe…"
He trailed off as a feminine voice began to speak in his mind. "This way," it whispered, and suddenly, Sonic was walking away before he realized what he was doing. He stopped, his quills crossing in alarm.
"Did anyone else hear that?" Sonic asked.
"Hear what?" Amy asked.
"That voice."
"I don't hear anything," Shadow replied.
"Are we getting in or what?" Sonia asked impatiently.
"Right," Sonic said, shaking his head. "I think…"
And there was the voice again. "This way," she said, and this time there was an image along with it; a rotting wooden door that seemed long unused, and a cold, moist feeling that sent a chill down Sonic's spine. But he knew what it was.
"Let's try the dungeons," Sonic said. "There might be a way in through there."
"Sonic…" Shadow warned.
"Shads, we're invisible," Sonic retorted. "I can't even see you glaring at me right now. We'll be fine."
Shadow huffed, then said nothing else. Sonic followed where he'd heard his voice and managed to find the fabric of his shirt on his chest, then followed it to his arm and linked their fingers together. "Come on," he said. Then he turned to look at Amy. "Link up with Sonia," he told her. "We don't want to lose her. Follow me." He couldn't risk calling out to Tails, but he hoped he would simply follow them.
Amy nodded, and Sonic began leading them away, through the main courtyard into a long passageway through the bushes that they could just barely squeeze through. When they emerged a while later, they found themselves near the edge of the moat surrounding the palace, a secondary entrance a few feet away from them.
Sonic clutched Shadow's hand and held his breath as they snuck past the guards, and they continued walking along the walls of the fortress until they came upon the one area that was not well-kept. What little grass there was stood a sickly yellow, and several feet away stood the door Sonic had seen in his vision.
He felt Shadow tense next to him, and remembered that this was where he had been the night Maria had died. "You okay?" Sonic whispered.
"I'm fine," Shadow said, though his tone was clipped, and Sonic gave his hand a gentle squeeze as they approached the door, a soft thump telling him Tails had landed nearby. Amy already had her hammer out and ready, and Sonic let go of Shadow's hand and crouched down, ready to fight whatever was on the other side.
The door smashed into several pieces, releasing a foul smell that he could hear Sonia and Tails choking on behind him. Amy brought the fabric of her shirt up to cover her muzzle. "Welp, we're in," she said. She peered inside, and Sonic followed her lead. There was no one guarding this door, and Sonic wondered just how long this area had been neglected.
"Give me your pebbles," Amy said. "We're more likely to need to fight, and if we're invisible we'll get in each other's way."
Sonic nodded and surrendered his pebble, and Shadow, Sonia, and Tails shimmered into view as they did the same. Amy put the pebbles in a little pouch and tucked it into her bag. Just as she did that, the voice echoed once again, and this time it wasn't just in Sonic's mind, he realized as Amy's mouth opened in surprise.
"Please, help," said the voice, echoing weakly towards them. "Please."
Sonic ran down the halls, Shadow following him. "What are you doing?" Shadow demanded.
"Investigating," Sonic fired back.
He found the source of the voice within moments, a girl maybe a few years younger than him. She lay in one of the cells, her body thin and frail. She resembled a hedgehog, save for the lack of visible ears and smaller, more angular eyes. Her fur and dread-locked quills were a pale orange, Sonic noticed as he drew closer, though her muzzle was a warm, deep brown.
She looked up at him, then smiled softly. "You're here," she said.
"Who are you?" Sonic asked her.
"I am Tikal," she said. "We must…" She groaned as she sat up, and Sonic could see the jut of her bones beneath the short shirt she wore.
"Hey, hey, hey," Sonic said gently. "Don't hurt yourself. Hang on." He curled and slammed into the bars of her cell, and they were so brittle they crumbled into slivers. He untucked and hurried over to her just as Amy and Sonia caught up with them. "Why are you here?" Sonic asked.
"The… prophecy," she groaned.
"Prophecy?" Sonic repeated, bewildered.
"You… are destined to be Kintobor's downfall," Tikal said, and her eyes fluttered shut. She fell backwards, and Sonic just barely managed to catch her before her head hit the floor.
He looked up at his companions. "What should we do with her?" he asked. "I mean, we have to save Manic and everybody… but it feels wrong to just leave her here."
Amy nodded hesitantly. "But we can't afford to be dragging her around while we try to do this," she said. "We can try and come back for her I guess, but there's not much we can do for her right now."
Sonic sighed and gently set her down on the cell floor. "Right," he said. "Let's go."
"Wait," Tails said. "I can carry her."
"But if we run into trouble, you'll be too encumbered with her to fight back, bud," Sonic said.
Tails's ears drooped. "Well, yeah…" he admitted. "But like you said, it feels wrong to just leave her here…"
Sonic was quiet for a moment, then he said, "Alright, you can bring her along. But if we get into any trouble, you take her and you run. I don't want you getting hurt again."
Tails nodded and hurried over, grabbing Tikal gently around the waist and hoisting her into the air as Sonic scooped Sonia up over his shoulder again and sped off, Shadow close behind with Amy. They wound through the dungeons, coming up to a stone staircase and a door, entering the bottommost floor of the palace. Already there were enchanted puppets waiting for them, along with several of the mobians from Manic's camp.
Sonic set his sister down and curled, bowling into the puppets while Shadow teleported, taking down the mobians with well-aimed kicks and hand strikes. Amy and Sonia fought their way through to follow them, Amy's hammer swinging and knocking swaths of enemies out of their path while Sonia took care of any that got too close to Amy's blind spot.
"Don't kill them, Shads!" Sonic hollered over his shoulder. "Just make sure they can't hurt us!"
Shadow scoffed. "I'm already aware of that!"
The puppets were harmless after being broken apart, and they were able to head up another staircase to the next floor with relative ease. But puppets were the least of their problems, Sonic realized as they went down another hall and he recognized Martin stalking towards him.
His quills crossed, and he crouched in front of his companions, ready to curl and attack. Tails hovered behind him, Tikal hanging limply from his arms. But he stayed there, and Sonic gestured for him to leave, only to be ignored. Damn it, Tails, now is not the time! But all the same, he could understand why Tails wanted to stay. If it were Manic or Sonia he would have done the same.
A flash of silver winked past him and Shadow cried out, Sonic looking back to find him holding the weapon buried in his shoulder and baring his teeth in a snarl.
Another flash of silver, and Sonic managed to catch the blade by the handle just as the tip nicked his chest, mere inches away from his heart. He tightened his grip and shifted his hold, brandishing the weapon at its owner with a snarl.
"Huh," Martin said. "That one's new. I'm surprised you're all still alive. I thought for sure Infinite had finally gotten you off our backs." He looked at Tails, his grin fading to a snarl. "What's this about?" he asked, gesturing to Tails as he finally landed, carefully setting Tikal down on the floor against a wall before standing silently, his chin lifting defiantly as he met his brother's gaze.
Martin scoffed, then fully turned his attention to Shadow, his eyes widening as a knowing smirk spread itself across his face. "Oh, what a delightful surprise," he said. "I remember your screams from that night. Deliciously desperate and anguished."
Shadow frowned deeper. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.
"The night I killed the princess of course," Martin replied with a smile, as if that were the most normal response in the world.
Sonic's ears popped and his blood froze as Shadow let out a raw, feral scream and leapt at the fox, red energy crackling in his hands and all around his body. Martin's eyes widened for a moment, then he dodged Shadow's attack, grinning as he swiped the knife that was still sticking out of Shadow's arm. "Oooh, did I hit a nerve?" Martin asked, his tone mocking.
Sonic shook his head, dispelling the shock and held his arm out, keeping Tails from leaping in before he tucked his new dagger into his boot and slammed into Martin before he could attack anyone else. He heard a grunt, then a laugh as something cold sliced across his back, and he jumped back, warm wetness seeping into his shirt and across his back.
"Sonic!" Sonia's voice cried out as she rushed towards him. As she reached him, Martin sliced at her, cutting across her right eye as she screamed. Rage thumped in Sonic's ears as her scream mixed with the fox's high laughter, and before he even realized what he was doing, his fists were connecting with Martin's face over and over and over.
"No, don't!" Tails yelled, though Sonic could barely hear him over the roar in his ears and the cracks of his fists. But the burst of speed didn't last long, and though Sonic had been hitting as hard as he could, he'd never had very strong punches. Martin had some bruises and a split lip, but his eyes still glinted threateningly, his grin almost wolfish as he grabbed Sonic by the throat.
Sonic gasped and clawed at Martin's hands to no avail, his vision already going fuzzy around the edges. All he could see were Martin's blue eyes. He looks just like Tails…
"Let him go!" screamed Amy, and suddenly Sonic was free, gasping and coughing as he fell to the ground. Martin had once again been slammed into a wall, dazed. Sonic saw Amy standing in front of him, her hammer raised, her chest heaving as she bared her teeth in a snarl. "You lay another finger on either of my boys, I will put you down!"
Sonic hurried to his feet, his head spinning, just as Shadow pinned Martin to the wall. "You," he snarled.
Martin giggled weakly. "Yes?"
Shadow's lip curled. "I hate you," he spat. "I hate you and everything you stand for, everything you work for. You took away my best friend, and you don't even give a damn. You nearly killed both of my partners, traumatized multiple members of my crew, and you couldn't care less!"
"Nope!" Martin agreed cheerfully, and Sonic felt hot rage burn in his chest.
"I should kill you!" Shadow screamed. "And I would do it gladly! But you deserve so much worse than that! You deserve to suffer just as much as everyone you've ever had anything to do with!"
Now Martin finally seemed to understand what was going on, his smile fading and fear shining in his eyes. He whimpered and shut them tight.
Something in Shadow's expression softened, and realization dawned in his eyes, though of what, Sonic didn't know. He let go of Martin, who slowly opened his eyes. "But I won't," Shadow finished, his voice suddenly soft. "I won't kill you. But I will lock you away where you'll never hurt anyone again."
Martin sat there, gasping for breath, then looked over at Tails, his grin slowly returning. "You made a mistake bringing my brother!" he shouted, and he lunged at Tails, who screamed as he clawed at his face. Just as fast, Amy's hammer slammed into the side of his head, and Sonic heard a sickening crunch as Martin fell forward, his eyes suddenly glassy.
