Chapter 9: Final Chaos Stone
Climbing a large mountain isn't easy to do. Speed is reduced as up run up very steep slopes. It is easy to fall and start all over again, except with a broken leg and arm. Sonic and Shadow the hedgehogs took that risk, for they were near the final Chaos Stone, the Crimson ruby. They couldn't give up now, for they made it to the middle without falling once. To make things worse, fire started sprouting in random places.
"Arg! When... Will.. this... End?!" Sonic panted irritably.
"Alright! That's it! Now its time to take flight!" Shadow exclaimed. The jets on his shoes powered up, and without feeling the pressure of the mountain's height, soared towards the nearby shrine.
"Shadow! Wait up!" The blue hedgehog called to his friend, but he didn't hear him.
Sonic sighed, exasperated. He ran his fastest and got to the top of the mountain with great difficulty. "Stupid pressure."
He got to flat land to find his black comrade not there. Thinking he was in the shrine, he walked a short distance and entered. He found the walls on fire, but blocked with some sort of force field so it wouldn't destroy the shrine. He looked around, noticing that this shrine was unique. It didn't have a statue of a guardian. Not only that, but Shadow wasn't there. Or, that's what he thought.
"Guardian! Show yourself!" Sonic shouted awkwardly.
"But I have," said a voice. Sonic turned to see the person who owned the voice: Shadow.
"N-No... Shadow, you-you can't be!" Sonic felt himself grow weak.
"You remember that battle with Asoka. You wouldn't think that they'd restore me for no reason, did you?"
"But Shadow, we're buddies... You can't fight me!"
Shadow smirked. "Just think of this as another battle like we had on ARK, except we are stronger."
Some tears silently fell from Sonic's emerald eyes. "No... Shadow..."
"Don't go crying at me! It will only show that you're weak!" Shadow spat angrily.
It hurt Sonic a lot to hear him say that.
"Now come on, let's dance."
Sonic also felt anger. He looked up and started screaming, raging at him. Shadow went into a quick fighting stance and they began the battle. Sonic tried to hit Shadow with a spin dash, but he was held in a tiny ball and thrown into the wall. Sonic was severely damaged and uncurled, holding his back in pain. Suddenly, the black hedgehog was about to shove the blue one into the wall, but Sonic quickly moved out of the way.
Shadow crashed, and left the crater in the wall with his mouth bleeding. He glared at Sonic and used a homing attack. Sonic was also hit, but Shadow hit his sharp quills. He made a shout of pain before punching Sonic in the stomach. This continued until both were very, very weak. They both were facing each other, panting with blood and wounds everywhere. Finally, Sonic pulled out one of the Chaos Stones, the Emerald Heart. He turned from blue to a shining green and he felt better than ever.
He looked down at Shadow, never seeing his X-friend so forlorn. He shot a beam at the black hedgehog, finishing him. Shadow fell to the ground, extremely weak. He looked up at the now normal Sonic with a bloody face.
"S-sonic... please... H-help m-me..." Shadow sputtered weakly.
Sonic got angry, Shadow had betrayed him. But something in his mind said to help the weak hedgehog. He had to fight his own friend, it was because of Crimson. Sonic went with the side that felt pity for the black hedgehog. So, he smiled and offered a hand. When Shadow reached out, he fell unconscious.
The blue hedgehog saw the walls and everything around him spinning wildly. It made the hedgehog dizzy, but he held onto his conscious. Finally, the spinning slowed and they found themselves in a fiery room lit by large, red fires in the walls and on torches. Sonic could feel the presence of his final opponent. He stood in his classic fighting stance, aware that his foe will spring up from the dark ground.
Finally, a large group of flames sprouted from the ground, surrounding something big. Sonic felt the ground shaking, so he planted his feet to the floor with difficulty. The flames vanished to reveal a large, dragon. The beast had large fangs that were shown from his mouth, and humongous wings sprouted from its arms. It was covered in billions of tiny red scales with green around them. His wings were black, and they went as long as his ridged back. Fierce black eyes were in his eye sockets, and he had a long, beefy tail. He had no legs, so his tail was coiled to the ground like a snake's body.
"So, you have finally made it," the dragon boomed with a mighty voice. "It's too bad that your efforts are in vain."
"I'm not giving up on my friend, even if I'm about to be eaten by the fattest, slowest dragon to ever be born on this Earth!" Sonic said slight confidence. He was slightly scared, but as he said, he wasn't giving up now.
"You shall eventually pay for your comments, hedgehog. The final, most powerful Chaos Stone, the Crimson Ruby, will fall into your possession if you defeat me... Which you won't."
"Bring it, Beastie!" Sonic shouted to his enemy. Just before he was about to run over to Crimson, the final dragon, his foot was grabbed.
"You're not kicking his butt alone, faker..." Said a voice. Sonic turned and saw Shadow, getting up from his unconscious state. The black hedgehog looked at Sonic, and then at Crimson the dragon.
"My servant, you wouldn't be thinking of helping this young one, do you?" Crimson asked, staring into Shadow's eyes fiercely as Shadow did him.
"I must. If you kill him, I won't have anyone to be a rival to," Shadow replied, grinning. He turned at Sonic and nodded. The blue hedgehog hesitated before nodding back.
Crimson watched for a moment, but then stomped his foot, ending the silence. "Very well, you will both battle me for the final Chaos Stone, the Crimson Ruby. But I warn you, I won't be as easy as my other Dragon servants. If you are afraid to be harmed, leave this battle now!"
"No way! I've come this far, and I won't give up now! Tails is counting on me, so I won't fail him now," Sonic said confidently, and he ran at the dragon, Shadow following.
Climbing a large mountain isn't easy to do. Speed is reduced as up run up very steep slopes. It is easy to fall and start all over again, except with a broken leg and arm. Sonic and Shadow the hedgehogs took that risk, for they were near the final Chaos Stone, the Crimson ruby. They couldn't give up now, for they made it to the middle without falling once. To make things worse, fire started sprouting in random places.
"Arg! When... Will.. this... End?!" Sonic panted irritably.
"Alright! That's it! Now its time to take flight!" Shadow exclaimed. The jets on his shoes powered up, and without feeling the pressure of the mountain's height, soared towards the nearby shrine.
"Shadow! Wait up!" The blue hedgehog called to his friend, but he didn't hear him.
Sonic sighed, exasperated. He ran his fastest and got to the top of the mountain with great difficulty. "Stupid pressure."
He got to flat land to find his black comrade not there. Thinking he was in the shrine, he walked a short distance and entered. He found the walls on fire, but blocked with some sort of force field so it wouldn't destroy the shrine. He looked around, noticing that this shrine was unique. It didn't have a statue of a guardian. Not only that, but Shadow wasn't there. Or, that's what he thought.
"Guardian! Show yourself!" Sonic shouted awkwardly.
"But I have," said a voice. Sonic turned to see the person who owned the voice: Shadow.
"N-No... Shadow, you-you can't be!" Sonic felt himself grow weak.
"You remember that battle with Asoka. You wouldn't think that they'd restore me for no reason, did you?"
"But Shadow, we're buddies... You can't fight me!"
Shadow smirked. "Just think of this as another battle like we had on ARK, except we are stronger."
Some tears silently fell from Sonic's emerald eyes. "No... Shadow..."
"Don't go crying at me! It will only show that you're weak!" Shadow spat angrily.
It hurt Sonic a lot to hear him say that.
"Now come on, let's dance."
Sonic also felt anger. He looked up and started screaming, raging at him. Shadow went into a quick fighting stance and they began the battle. Sonic tried to hit Shadow with a spin dash, but he was held in a tiny ball and thrown into the wall. Sonic was severely damaged and uncurled, holding his back in pain. Suddenly, the black hedgehog was about to shove the blue one into the wall, but Sonic quickly moved out of the way.
Shadow crashed, and left the crater in the wall with his mouth bleeding. He glared at Sonic and used a homing attack. Sonic was also hit, but Shadow hit his sharp quills. He made a shout of pain before punching Sonic in the stomach. This continued until both were very, very weak. They both were facing each other, panting with blood and wounds everywhere. Finally, Sonic pulled out one of the Chaos Stones, the Emerald Heart. He turned from blue to a shining green and he felt better than ever.
He looked down at Shadow, never seeing his X-friend so forlorn. He shot a beam at the black hedgehog, finishing him. Shadow fell to the ground, extremely weak. He looked up at the now normal Sonic with a bloody face.
"S-sonic... please... H-help m-me..." Shadow sputtered weakly.
Sonic got angry, Shadow had betrayed him. But something in his mind said to help the weak hedgehog. He had to fight his own friend, it was because of Crimson. Sonic went with the side that felt pity for the black hedgehog. So, he smiled and offered a hand. When Shadow reached out, he fell unconscious.
The blue hedgehog saw the walls and everything around him spinning wildly. It made the hedgehog dizzy, but he held onto his conscious. Finally, the spinning slowed and they found themselves in a fiery room lit by large, red fires in the walls and on torches. Sonic could feel the presence of his final opponent. He stood in his classic fighting stance, aware that his foe will spring up from the dark ground.
Finally, a large group of flames sprouted from the ground, surrounding something big. Sonic felt the ground shaking, so he planted his feet to the floor with difficulty. The flames vanished to reveal a large, dragon. The beast had large fangs that were shown from his mouth, and humongous wings sprouted from its arms. It was covered in billions of tiny red scales with green around them. His wings were black, and they went as long as his ridged back. Fierce black eyes were in his eye sockets, and he had a long, beefy tail. He had no legs, so his tail was coiled to the ground like a snake's body.
"So, you have finally made it," the dragon boomed with a mighty voice. "It's too bad that your efforts are in vain."
"I'm not giving up on my friend, even if I'm about to be eaten by the fattest, slowest dragon to ever be born on this Earth!" Sonic said slight confidence. He was slightly scared, but as he said, he wasn't giving up now.
"You shall eventually pay for your comments, hedgehog. The final, most powerful Chaos Stone, the Crimson Ruby, will fall into your possession if you defeat me... Which you won't."
"Bring it, Beastie!" Sonic shouted to his enemy. Just before he was about to run over to Crimson, the final dragon, his foot was grabbed.
"You're not kicking his butt alone, faker..." Said a voice. Sonic turned and saw Shadow, getting up from his unconscious state. The black hedgehog looked at Sonic, and then at Crimson the dragon.
"My servant, you wouldn't be thinking of helping this young one, do you?" Crimson asked, staring into Shadow's eyes fiercely as Shadow did him.
"I must. If you kill him, I won't have anyone to be a rival to," Shadow replied, grinning. He turned at Sonic and nodded. The blue hedgehog hesitated before nodding back.
Crimson watched for a moment, but then stomped his foot, ending the silence. "Very well, you will both battle me for the final Chaos Stone, the Crimson Ruby. But I warn you, I won't be as easy as my other Dragon servants. If you are afraid to be harmed, leave this battle now!"
"No way! I've come this far, and I won't give up now! Tails is counting on me, so I won't fail him now," Sonic said confidently, and he ran at the dragon, Shadow following.