Well gag me with a spoon and call me Shirley!
(Whatever THAT means...)
...Okay, and now that that's out of my system, here's the update for you lot!
Disclaimer: Sonic not owned here
Claimer: Raven, Fount of Light, Eclipse, and all other invented stuff owned right here!
-
Eclipse was surprised to find the invisible barrier there, but it didn't faze him for long. Inky tendrils writhed across the barrier's surface, probing for any opening they could get…and judging from Young Shadow's sudden upset expression, there was an opening there somewhere.
Right at the top of the room, in fact, where the barrier didn't quite reach the ceiling.
Having found it, Eclipse poured himself inside with a roar of triumph.
And despite being the self-declared consciousness of a sentient pocket dimension, Young Shadow was reacting the way any kid his visible age would react, freezing in panic.
"Damn - JUMP, KID!" Knuckles bellowed.
Almost too late, Young Shadow sprang away from the control pillar - the barrier dissolving entirely when he passed through it - and skittered to safety behind the nearest person, who happened to be the original Shadow.
Not noticing, Eclipse swamped the control pillar, burying it from sight.
For a single petrifying second, everyone watched, waiting. What horrible thing would happen to their surroundings now that Eclipse was in control of the powers of the Fount of Light?
But the last thing they expected was…
…For absolutely nothing to change.
"Hey, did any of you guys notice anything?" Sonic piped up after another couple seconds of waiting.
"Nope."
"Nuh-uh."
"I guess that means nothing happened, huh?" Sonic said next.
"Yep."
"Usually does."
"Totally," Sonic agreed, "So how much longer will it take Boogernose to figure that out, though?"
"Why don't we try not being right next to him when he gets mad about it?" Knuckles agreed.
Since most of Eclipse was swarming the apparently-useless control pillar, it was easy to get past the rest of the gooey tentacles and get away from the center of the room.
Raven snapped his teeth and refused to be touched when Sonic bravely ventured to assist him, but the insane one apparently still honored Knuckles' promise to punch him into a whole new world of pain and didn't even try biting him when he was carried across.
So instead, Sonic helped Shadow, who wasn't as bad off as they had first thought. The black Ultimate Life Form was getting a little seasick from the way the floor kept pitching, but he was otherwise mostly okay.
The very instant their group got out of the range of Eclipse's still-solid tentacles, the monster let loose an inarticulate roar of frustration.
"Where IS it!" he growled, "It's not here - these solid fixtures are completely USELESS!"
He unwrapped himself from the pillar and turned to glare at the others in the room.
"You will all die slowly and screaming if the one who is hiding the spark does not hand it over, pathetic animals," Eclipse snarled.
"Spark? What now?" Sonic asked, glancing at the others.
"I know what he means - the source of the Fount of Light's power," Knuckles explained, "In theory, that should also be what controls it…"
The echidna trailed off, staring right at the dark gray hedgehog who was standing beside his elder counterpart. The others followed his gaze, confused, until it hit them.
"He controls the Fount of Light?" Shadow blinked, "But how…?"
"That's because he IS the Fount of Light - or more exactly, you're a physical incarnation of the thinking conscious mind of the Fount of Light, who took this shape because you were curious about us and wanted to know more, am I right?" Tails explained/asked Shadow.
Fount Shadow blinked, and grinned sheepishly.
"And he thought he used to talk a whole lot," Fount Shadow retorted, jabbing a thumb at Real Shadow.
Tails and Real Shadow both colored with embarrassment, but unfortunately for them all Eclipse had been listening in to their conversation due to a mild curiosity about why these inferior creatures weren't currently obeying him, attacking him, or fleeing for their miserable lives.
"Yes, THANK you for that succinct explanation, little two-tails," Eclipse purred, "But this adventure has grown most boring - therefore I'll take my power AND finish you creatures off right here and now!"
Dropping the last vestiges of a solid body, Eclipse threw himself at them.
Before even Sonic could take a step - not that he remembered to, as he was a little stupefied at the time - they and everything else all vanished into a sea of total darkness.