Chapter 6: A Meeting Among Legends
--Sonic.--
--Sonic?--
--Can you hear me?--
Sonic, lying on his back, slowly opened his eyes, but saw only blackness. He waved a hand in front of his face, and he could see it clearly. The hedgehog got back on his feet and looked around, but could still only see blackness.
--Behind you.--
Sonic whipped around, seeing Mewtwo. "It's you again," said Sonic. "Who are you? Where are we?"
--My name is Mewtwo. We are in your mind, so to speak.--
"My mind? How?"
--I am a psychic.--
"Oh. Then maybe you can tell me why my mind is so blank."
--You are currently in a coma.--
"Hmm. I must've fallen pretty hard. Uh--"
--Save your breath, Sonic... so to speak. I already know the questions you desire to ask. To answer your first, yes, I can break your comatose state with my powers.
--To answer the rest, I will tell you of all that has happened thus far. The invaders you saw are known as the Zeg'ra. They are a plague to this universe, and have already destroyed many worlds. As of yet, I am unsure of their motives, but they must be stopped nevertheless.
--I tried to do it on my own, before, and barely survived. I decided that I would need help in this endeavor, so I used my powers, to scan all the worlds for the greatest of heroes. The first I found on a planet called Corneria. He was the captain of a mercenary team known as Star Fox. Oddly enough, his name was Fox.-- At the mention of his name, Mewtwo produced a hologram to float in the void of Sonic's mind. --He is an expert marksman, a more than capable leader, and a pilot second to none. Only one even comes close to his abilities, the second hero, Captain Falcon.--
A hologram of Falcon appeared.
--He is a part-time bounty hunter, and a champion at high-speed racing, able to navigate a craft through numerous obstacles while maintaining an incredible velocity. He was not, technically, a hero at the time that I found him, but I could sense his potential, as well as his dormant powers.
--They were the first. Both were relatively close to my prison, and both had ready access to space travel, so I did my best to let them know my location while I attempted to find others...
--As it turned out, I nearly skipped over a hero on a nearby planet, namely Link.--
Another hologram. You get the pattern.
--Initially, I wondered how someone that well-known among his people could have been skipped over for a potential hero farther away, but I soon found that the planet was hidden quite well, even to me. Also, the isolation of that particular world cut it off from trade with other planets, and as a result was underdeveloped in its technology. Nonetheless, he was a warrior without equal in his field, swordsmanship.
--Finally, my mind strayed back to Earth, my home. The choice of heroes was obvious.
--As you are also wondering, Shadow is not dead. He survived by letting his own essence be drawn back into the Chaos Emeralds along with his newfound powers, where he was trapped for two years, and freed today.
--Luckily, he retained some of the energy from the Emeralds, and was able to kill the Zeg'ran hive-brain in one shot.--
"Wait a minute, three years!? How could anyone just sit there that long? I'd go insane!"
--Perhaps. But contrary to your beliefs, Shadow is quite different from you. His unique past makes him much more determined, for instance.--
"What *is* the deal with Shadow's past, anyway? He's never told us about it."
--Nor would he desire me to.--
Sonic paused, then asked, "What about your past? You've told me about everyone else."
--I have told you everything you need to know. Will you aid us, or not?--
"Count me in," said Sonic, smirking.
---------------------------------------
Shadow watched from a distance as Mewtwo tended to the unconscious Sonic, the others sitting near him as well. He closed his eyes, thinking over what Mewtwo had asked him. -A single race of beings, becoming a threat to the entire universe?- he thought. -It hardly seems likely. Still, there's no doubting the hostility of those creatures. But, is it a good idea to join them?- Shadow sighed, and opened his eyes. -Maria would want me to go. And so I shall.-
---------------------------------------
"How is he?" Amy asked after Mewtwo opened his eyes.
--Only a minor coma. He's fine.-- With a wave of his hand, Mewtwo woke Sonic.
"Sonikku! You're all right!" She cried, hugging him.
"Ack! Get off!"
Fox's eyes widened. "You woke him from a coma!?"
--It was nothing. I could heal him if he was catatonic.--
Shadow walked up. "Good to see you strong as ever, Sonic."
"I take it you're coming, too?"
"Of course. I have my reasons."
"Aren't you going to ask him how he survived?" Amy asked.
"Nah. I already found out."
Amy went cockeyed at this. "But you just woke up!"
"So?"
"[groan] Never mind!" she said angrily. "Shadow can tell me himself."
"I don't see why I should," the black hedgehog spoke, folding his arms. "It doesn't concern you at all."
"You guys are so mean!" she exclaimed, furiously stomping off.
---------------------------------------
"So their names are Sonic, Shadow, and Amy?" Falcon asked.
"That's what Mewtwo told me," replied Fox, trying to ignore the look on Amy's face as she stormed away from the other hedgehogs and sat near him. "Oh, and one more thing. Since I just know you're going to ask me a stupid question, I'll answer it in advance. No, they're not related."
"Hey, c'mon!" said Falcon with an annoyed look. "Cut me some slack! I know I've said a few embarrassing things recently, but I'm not retarded! *Anyone* could tell those two aren't related. They look nothing alike! Only a complete idiot would think they look anywhere near that similar."
Out of the corner of his eye, Fox could see Amy blush, but he couldn't figure out why...
---------------------------------------
Link took out a small stone from his pocket and sharpened his blade, as he had done many times before after battles. To tell the truth, it was entirely unnecessary, as the Master Sword could never be dulled, but Link was looking for something to do. He had already cleaned the blood off his weapons, noticing how it had strangely solidified and became caked on any surface.
He marveled at the perfection of his sword, as though he were looking at it for the first time. He examined the precise straightness its length, the exact symmetry of the handle, and how such care was put into each engraving. The weight of the sword was also flawless, and it felt like a master smith designed it just for him...
Link snapped out of his trance, afraid that others might be staring at him, wondering what the heck he was doing. But no, everyone was occupied with something else. The hedgehogs were arguing, and Falcon was talking with Fox... but where was Mewtwo? Link glanced around a bit, spotting him on top of a small building.
-Looks like he could use someone to talk to,- the Hero of Time thought, zipping up to the top with his hookshot.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
--No,-- replied Mewtwo, without even turning around.
"Then why are you up here?"
--It's peaceful.--
Both remained silent for a time, gazing into the evening sky. "Hmmm... why does this world have half a moon?" Link asked.
Mewtwo sighed. --It would appear that more has happened in the time I was gone than I thought.--
"Why don't you ask Sonic what happened?"
--...It matters not. We should leave soon.--
"Where are we headed now?"
--To find a ship.--
Link raised an eyebrow in confusion. "If we needed to cross an ocean, couldn't you just teleport us over it?"
Mewtwo finally turned around to face the Hylian. --I meant a vessel capable of taking us from one planet to another. I am hesitant to simply teleport us onto a hostile world, as I would be the only way off it.--
"Good point. Is that what you were up here thinking about?"
--My intelligence is more than ten times that of an average being. It was not something I need to think about.--
Link paused, wondering why anyone would act so cold and distant. "I suppose not," was all he said.
Mewtwo turned away, signaling the end of the conversation. Link shrugged and lowered himself back down to the ground.
---------------------------------------
"Good!" exclaimed Falcon. "Now that we're all introduced, we can get down to business." It was Fox's idea to call a meeting among the heroes, but Falcon had seemed to latch onto it as his own, leading the discussions. Fox didn't argue, though, as Falcon had also done all the work to build a fire and get a large bag of marshmallows.
"Wait," Sonic interrupted. "Where's that elf guy?"
"I'm back," said Link, taking a seat between Fox and Sonic.
Fox turned toward the F-Zero champion. "Well, Falcon, tell us how you managed to forget about the guy from the planet we crashed on."
"Well excuuuuuse me! It's not like he's been with us that long! Besides, I knew there should be five of us, since Mewtwo's being antisocial, and that's how many I got when I took a head count."
"-But," said Shadow, "you forgot one of us here is uninvited."
"I don't care!" Amy remarked. "I'm not going to be left behind this time."
Sonic shook his head and muttered, "I'll never get rid of her." Only Link's ears caught it.
"Never mind!" shouted Fox. "New topic: the rest of the introductions."
"Amy Rose." "Sonic the Hedgehog." "Shadow the Hedgehog. No relation."
"I'm Link."
"Link what?" Amy asked out of curiosity.
"I don't have a last name," Link replied. Awkward silence followed.
"Anyone want some of these marshmallows?" asked Fox.
Falcon gave Fox a confused look. "Marshmallows? Where'd you get those?"
"I thought you brought them."
"No..."
"Then what have I been eating for the past fifteen minutes?"
Falcon sniffed the bag and said, "Smells like mothballs to me."
"I think I'm gonna be sick..."
Falcon laughed out loud. "Gotcha! Ha ha! They are marshmallows!"
Everyone started laughing now, except Fox, who was repeatedly hitting Falcon in the arm. Even Link was chuckling, though he'd never heard of marshmallows or mothballs.
"How did you manage to find those anyway?" asked Shadow.
"Oh, I got'em from a store over there."
Fox raised an eyebrow. "You just happened to be carrying currency for a planet you've never even heard of before?"
"Actually, I just took it. The door was unlocked and no one was there."
"Why are we the only ones in this city?" Link asked.
"Maybe they evacuated when reports came in of an unidentified object heading straight for them," suggested Falcon.
"That's exactly what happened!" Amy confirmed. "But I didn't leave because Sonic didn't."
"And why didn't you?" Shadow inquired.
"Well, sound only travels so fast," Sonic replied with a smirk. "I never heard the announcement. But it would explain why there was so little traffic today..."
"[cough]fullofit[cough]" Shadow coughed.
"Shut up, faker!"
"There's that word again," mused Shadow. "I fail to see why you use it. I have never tried to be like you, and I never will. Many have mistaken me for the likes of you, but that doesn't make me an impostor. I am my own hedgehog."
"Are you kidding? Gerald *must* have designed you after me. You have all of my stunts." "Ridiculous! I was honing my skills long before you were even born!"
--Enough of this!-- yelled Mewtwo, materializing over the fire. --Look at yourselves. The fate of galaxies hang in the balance, and you'd rather argue like children than discuss our next move.--
"But standing on a rooftop and staring into space is infinitely more helpful?" asked Fox, standing up.
"Just hear him out," said Link.
--We need a ship to take us to different planets. It must have great speed, but we won't be able to refuel it much. It must also have top-of-the-line weapons systems, and a long-lasting food supply.--
"Well, we won't have much luck here," said Sonic. "Earth has nothing like that."
"True," Shadow agreed. "But we may find what we need on the ARK."
--Sonic.--
--Sonic?--
--Can you hear me?--
Sonic, lying on his back, slowly opened his eyes, but saw only blackness. He waved a hand in front of his face, and he could see it clearly. The hedgehog got back on his feet and looked around, but could still only see blackness.
--Behind you.--
Sonic whipped around, seeing Mewtwo. "It's you again," said Sonic. "Who are you? Where are we?"
--My name is Mewtwo. We are in your mind, so to speak.--
"My mind? How?"
--I am a psychic.--
"Oh. Then maybe you can tell me why my mind is so blank."
--You are currently in a coma.--
"Hmm. I must've fallen pretty hard. Uh--"
--Save your breath, Sonic... so to speak. I already know the questions you desire to ask. To answer your first, yes, I can break your comatose state with my powers.
--To answer the rest, I will tell you of all that has happened thus far. The invaders you saw are known as the Zeg'ra. They are a plague to this universe, and have already destroyed many worlds. As of yet, I am unsure of their motives, but they must be stopped nevertheless.
--I tried to do it on my own, before, and barely survived. I decided that I would need help in this endeavor, so I used my powers, to scan all the worlds for the greatest of heroes. The first I found on a planet called Corneria. He was the captain of a mercenary team known as Star Fox. Oddly enough, his name was Fox.-- At the mention of his name, Mewtwo produced a hologram to float in the void of Sonic's mind. --He is an expert marksman, a more than capable leader, and a pilot second to none. Only one even comes close to his abilities, the second hero, Captain Falcon.--
A hologram of Falcon appeared.
--He is a part-time bounty hunter, and a champion at high-speed racing, able to navigate a craft through numerous obstacles while maintaining an incredible velocity. He was not, technically, a hero at the time that I found him, but I could sense his potential, as well as his dormant powers.
--They were the first. Both were relatively close to my prison, and both had ready access to space travel, so I did my best to let them know my location while I attempted to find others...
--As it turned out, I nearly skipped over a hero on a nearby planet, namely Link.--
Another hologram. You get the pattern.
--Initially, I wondered how someone that well-known among his people could have been skipped over for a potential hero farther away, but I soon found that the planet was hidden quite well, even to me. Also, the isolation of that particular world cut it off from trade with other planets, and as a result was underdeveloped in its technology. Nonetheless, he was a warrior without equal in his field, swordsmanship.
--Finally, my mind strayed back to Earth, my home. The choice of heroes was obvious.
--As you are also wondering, Shadow is not dead. He survived by letting his own essence be drawn back into the Chaos Emeralds along with his newfound powers, where he was trapped for two years, and freed today.
--Luckily, he retained some of the energy from the Emeralds, and was able to kill the Zeg'ran hive-brain in one shot.--
"Wait a minute, three years!? How could anyone just sit there that long? I'd go insane!"
--Perhaps. But contrary to your beliefs, Shadow is quite different from you. His unique past makes him much more determined, for instance.--
"What *is* the deal with Shadow's past, anyway? He's never told us about it."
--Nor would he desire me to.--
Sonic paused, then asked, "What about your past? You've told me about everyone else."
--I have told you everything you need to know. Will you aid us, or not?--
"Count me in," said Sonic, smirking.
---------------------------------------
Shadow watched from a distance as Mewtwo tended to the unconscious Sonic, the others sitting near him as well. He closed his eyes, thinking over what Mewtwo had asked him. -A single race of beings, becoming a threat to the entire universe?- he thought. -It hardly seems likely. Still, there's no doubting the hostility of those creatures. But, is it a good idea to join them?- Shadow sighed, and opened his eyes. -Maria would want me to go. And so I shall.-
---------------------------------------
"How is he?" Amy asked after Mewtwo opened his eyes.
--Only a minor coma. He's fine.-- With a wave of his hand, Mewtwo woke Sonic.
"Sonikku! You're all right!" She cried, hugging him.
"Ack! Get off!"
Fox's eyes widened. "You woke him from a coma!?"
--It was nothing. I could heal him if he was catatonic.--
Shadow walked up. "Good to see you strong as ever, Sonic."
"I take it you're coming, too?"
"Of course. I have my reasons."
"Aren't you going to ask him how he survived?" Amy asked.
"Nah. I already found out."
Amy went cockeyed at this. "But you just woke up!"
"So?"
"[groan] Never mind!" she said angrily. "Shadow can tell me himself."
"I don't see why I should," the black hedgehog spoke, folding his arms. "It doesn't concern you at all."
"You guys are so mean!" she exclaimed, furiously stomping off.
---------------------------------------
"So their names are Sonic, Shadow, and Amy?" Falcon asked.
"That's what Mewtwo told me," replied Fox, trying to ignore the look on Amy's face as she stormed away from the other hedgehogs and sat near him. "Oh, and one more thing. Since I just know you're going to ask me a stupid question, I'll answer it in advance. No, they're not related."
"Hey, c'mon!" said Falcon with an annoyed look. "Cut me some slack! I know I've said a few embarrassing things recently, but I'm not retarded! *Anyone* could tell those two aren't related. They look nothing alike! Only a complete idiot would think they look anywhere near that similar."
Out of the corner of his eye, Fox could see Amy blush, but he couldn't figure out why...
---------------------------------------
Link took out a small stone from his pocket and sharpened his blade, as he had done many times before after battles. To tell the truth, it was entirely unnecessary, as the Master Sword could never be dulled, but Link was looking for something to do. He had already cleaned the blood off his weapons, noticing how it had strangely solidified and became caked on any surface.
He marveled at the perfection of his sword, as though he were looking at it for the first time. He examined the precise straightness its length, the exact symmetry of the handle, and how such care was put into each engraving. The weight of the sword was also flawless, and it felt like a master smith designed it just for him...
Link snapped out of his trance, afraid that others might be staring at him, wondering what the heck he was doing. But no, everyone was occupied with something else. The hedgehogs were arguing, and Falcon was talking with Fox... but where was Mewtwo? Link glanced around a bit, spotting him on top of a small building.
-Looks like he could use someone to talk to,- the Hero of Time thought, zipping up to the top with his hookshot.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
--No,-- replied Mewtwo, without even turning around.
"Then why are you up here?"
--It's peaceful.--
Both remained silent for a time, gazing into the evening sky. "Hmmm... why does this world have half a moon?" Link asked.
Mewtwo sighed. --It would appear that more has happened in the time I was gone than I thought.--
"Why don't you ask Sonic what happened?"
--...It matters not. We should leave soon.--
"Where are we headed now?"
--To find a ship.--
Link raised an eyebrow in confusion. "If we needed to cross an ocean, couldn't you just teleport us over it?"
Mewtwo finally turned around to face the Hylian. --I meant a vessel capable of taking us from one planet to another. I am hesitant to simply teleport us onto a hostile world, as I would be the only way off it.--
"Good point. Is that what you were up here thinking about?"
--My intelligence is more than ten times that of an average being. It was not something I need to think about.--
Link paused, wondering why anyone would act so cold and distant. "I suppose not," was all he said.
Mewtwo turned away, signaling the end of the conversation. Link shrugged and lowered himself back down to the ground.
---------------------------------------
"Good!" exclaimed Falcon. "Now that we're all introduced, we can get down to business." It was Fox's idea to call a meeting among the heroes, but Falcon had seemed to latch onto it as his own, leading the discussions. Fox didn't argue, though, as Falcon had also done all the work to build a fire and get a large bag of marshmallows.
"Wait," Sonic interrupted. "Where's that elf guy?"
"I'm back," said Link, taking a seat between Fox and Sonic.
Fox turned toward the F-Zero champion. "Well, Falcon, tell us how you managed to forget about the guy from the planet we crashed on."
"Well excuuuuuse me! It's not like he's been with us that long! Besides, I knew there should be five of us, since Mewtwo's being antisocial, and that's how many I got when I took a head count."
"-But," said Shadow, "you forgot one of us here is uninvited."
"I don't care!" Amy remarked. "I'm not going to be left behind this time."
Sonic shook his head and muttered, "I'll never get rid of her." Only Link's ears caught it.
"Never mind!" shouted Fox. "New topic: the rest of the introductions."
"Amy Rose." "Sonic the Hedgehog." "Shadow the Hedgehog. No relation."
"I'm Link."
"Link what?" Amy asked out of curiosity.
"I don't have a last name," Link replied. Awkward silence followed.
"Anyone want some of these marshmallows?" asked Fox.
Falcon gave Fox a confused look. "Marshmallows? Where'd you get those?"
"I thought you brought them."
"No..."
"Then what have I been eating for the past fifteen minutes?"
Falcon sniffed the bag and said, "Smells like mothballs to me."
"I think I'm gonna be sick..."
Falcon laughed out loud. "Gotcha! Ha ha! They are marshmallows!"
Everyone started laughing now, except Fox, who was repeatedly hitting Falcon in the arm. Even Link was chuckling, though he'd never heard of marshmallows or mothballs.
"How did you manage to find those anyway?" asked Shadow.
"Oh, I got'em from a store over there."
Fox raised an eyebrow. "You just happened to be carrying currency for a planet you've never even heard of before?"
"Actually, I just took it. The door was unlocked and no one was there."
"Why are we the only ones in this city?" Link asked.
"Maybe they evacuated when reports came in of an unidentified object heading straight for them," suggested Falcon.
"That's exactly what happened!" Amy confirmed. "But I didn't leave because Sonic didn't."
"And why didn't you?" Shadow inquired.
"Well, sound only travels so fast," Sonic replied with a smirk. "I never heard the announcement. But it would explain why there was so little traffic today..."
"[cough]fullofit[cough]" Shadow coughed.
"Shut up, faker!"
"There's that word again," mused Shadow. "I fail to see why you use it. I have never tried to be like you, and I never will. Many have mistaken me for the likes of you, but that doesn't make me an impostor. I am my own hedgehog."
"Are you kidding? Gerald *must* have designed you after me. You have all of my stunts." "Ridiculous! I was honing my skills long before you were even born!"
--Enough of this!-- yelled Mewtwo, materializing over the fire. --Look at yourselves. The fate of galaxies hang in the balance, and you'd rather argue like children than discuss our next move.--
"But standing on a rooftop and staring into space is infinitely more helpful?" asked Fox, standing up.
"Just hear him out," said Link.
--We need a ship to take us to different planets. It must have great speed, but we won't be able to refuel it much. It must also have top-of-the-line weapons systems, and a long-lasting food supply.--
"Well, we won't have much luck here," said Sonic. "Earth has nothing like that."
"True," Shadow agreed. "But we may find what we need on the ARK."