Of victory and loss

Disclaimer: I own Metal Amy, Fistika and the Ultimate Weapon are mine. That's why no one else uses them. Duh. Celestial the Hedgird owns Yang and Lamont-the-ultimate owns Lamont. Everyone else is Sega and Sonic Team's.

Author's note: I'm working on a load of new stories right now, so this will be updated slower, but I'm still working on it. Just so you all know. That and I have no idea where I'm taking this right now.

Metal Sonic took his glare off the emerald and looked at the group that surrounded him. He chuckled and waved mockingly. Metal Knuckles tried to tackle him, but Metal Sonic warped away in a green light before Metal Knuckles made any contact. Metal Knuckles, Yang and Lamont momentarily stared angrily at the spot where the robotic hedgehog had been. Sonic and Omega decided to make their exit while everyone was occupied. Metal Knuckles slammed his fists together.

"Well that's that. He has all the emeralds. He is going to take the Final Death Egg and destroy us all!" Yang looked down at his emerald tracker, then back up at his comrades.

"We have the upper hand." He claimed. Metal Knuckles looked at Yang like he was insane.

"Were you not paying attention to what just happened?" The Ultimate Weapon slowly began to get up. Metal Knuckles punched him back onto the floor. Yang walked towards the way they came.

"Where are we going?" Lamont asked.

"The base." Yang answered.

"But we need to get the emeralds!" Metal Knuckles shouted.

"They will come to us." Yang replied. Metal Knuckles shook his head. What was Yang on about? Lamont and Metal Knuckles followed Yang.

Metal Sonic appeared in his base. He laughed and admired the emerald in his hand.

"We did it! We got all the emeralds!" Metal Sonic stopped. No one was there. "Metal Amy?" Metal Sonic looked around. His metal feet making a distinct sound as it hit the metal floor. "Where are you?" Metal Sonic's voice became more worried and his pace became faster. Metal Sonic went around the entire base. He couldn't see anyone, however, he noticed a large amount of robot debris on the floor, but none of which matched Metal Amy's design. Metal Sonic was getting upset. He sat down at his desk. "Where the heck is she?" Metal Sonic thought out loud. His hand fell on top of a piece of paper. Metal Sonic's fingers curled around the paper, he didn't do anything for a second, and then he picked up the paper and looked at it. Anger boiled within Metal Sonic. He tore the paper into bits. Metal Sonic slammed the desk, leaving a dent in it. Metal Sonic stood up. He glanced at the emerald in his hand. He sighed. The message has read 'Metal Amy and your emeralds have been taken for 'safekeeping'. Come by and we can talk this over.' This was all Metal Sonic needed. He had worked so hard to keep both of them safe, just to have them snatched from right under his abnormally pointy nose. A moment's lapse in judgement, a single seconds lapse in judgement had cost him everything. First a lowered guard had lost him the Tails Doll, who was still beyond repair, now leaving the emeralds and Metal Amy unprotected, has meant they were snatched away. Metal Sonic was still trying to figure out what he was felling for Metal Amy. However, know was not the time to delve into such things. He had no time to try and decipher his own mind. He had to go save his prize and save his partner.

Rouge awoke, the effects of the tranquilliser finally wearing off. She noticed Amy beginning to stir next to her. Rouge got to her feet and run up to a small pile of blood. She fell to her knees.

"Didn't even get to say goodbye properly." Rouge muttered between tears. It was not possible. Knuckles was too strong to just die like that. How could someone so full of life, so powerful, just exit the plain of living without a seconds warning? Amy walked up behind Rouge.

"We will all miss Knuckles greatly. He was one of the best men I ever met." Amy reassured Rouge.

"He..." Rouge couldn't get any more words out, as tears suffocated her.

"The brat was going to die one day, live with it." Amy and Rouge looked upwards and watched Fistika drop from the rafters. Rouge's sadness changed into blinding anger faster than an eye blinks.

"You son of a"

"Please, spare me the profanities." Fistika walked up to the Echidna blood and kneeled by it. "Someone's moved him then, unless he can get up with a knife piercing his brain"

"Why are you here, murderer?" Amy asked, her hand curling around her hammer. Fistika got up straight again.

"If you must know, I'm hanging around until the Ultimate Weapon finishes off with the hedgehogs so I can get on with my plan. Thought I might gloat a bit about exacting revenge while waiting." Fistika smiled cruelly. This was more than Rouge could take and she attacked in a stampede of kicks. Fistika dodged with surprising ease. After dodging about a dozen kicks, Fistika grabbed Rouge's neck. "Now listen bat, I have no beef with you, but if you don't stop that I'll arrange a little reunion for you with Knuckles." Fistika threw Rouge to one side. A large hammer came down on Fistika's head. The angry Echidna threw a punch behind himself, which knocked Amy over. "Know ladies, settle down. Rage can aid some when it comes to fighting, but with you two, it just does nothing." Fistika glanced back at the pool of blood. "Do either of you know where the body is. I have some final words for him." Amy got up to her feet.

"We don't know." She simply stated. Fistika shrugged.

"Ah well." Fistika walked in random directions near Amy and Rouge. "While I'm here and have nothing to do, any chance you can explain this four way war I'm stuck in the middle of? Why is the government fighting a robot fighting some other robots fighting you lot?" Amy and Rouge remained silent. Fistika rolled his eyes. "Sure, give me the silent treatment." Fistika was obviously quickly growing tired. Fistika leaned against a wall for a while. No one talked. Fistika sighed. "Well you lot are incredibly boring. That Ultimate dude has probably finished off now..." Fistika paused. He pushed his ear against the wall he was leaning on. "What the"

"So tell me about this apocalypse." A voice asked.

"Gerald's other two creations which have been freed, Yang and Lamont, will search for the emeralds. As soon as they hold them, Yang will use the power to unbalance the earth and ultimately cause it to break apart. It will be glorious. Lamont's role is purely muscle, he is annoyingly not as destructive as Yang." Fistika recognised this voice as Prisal. He chuckled to himself. "The Ultimate Weapon has been made to assist the two in there task, as I am unsure how well something created fifty years ago will perform, especially since I have yet to see results. I want you to also assist. To exact revenge we need Yang to hold all twenty emeralds." Fistika shook his head. The plan was faulty, and not just because he controlled the Ultimate Weapon now. Fistika took his ear away from the door and turned to Rouge and Amy.

"Well I'm off. See ya." Fistka began to run off, but Rouge stood in the way. Fistika shook his head. "Didn't we already..." Rouge punched Fistika right in the nose. Fistika held his face angrily. "Why must everyone hit me there!" Fistika shouted. He threw a blind punch in Rouge's direction, but missed completely. Rouge preformed a sweeping kick and knocked him other. Fistika liquefied as he hit the ground. The blue liquid slithered near to the door, then reassumed the form of an Echidna. "Listen bat, you can perform all the fancy attacks you want, but you, the pink girl over there, any of your friends can't follow through and finish the job. That's why you are never going to end this petite war. Only Gerald, the robots and me have the stomach for that. You can blame me for Knuckles death, I welcome the recognition, but he would still be alive if you had just killed me when you had me sprawled on the floor, zapped of all my power. You just sent me to the G.U.N prison." Fistika began to laugh. "You sent me to the belly of the beast! You sent me into your enemies open arms! You sent me to Gerald!" Fistika laughed madly for half a minute. He then pulled himself together and stopped laughing. He looked slightly embarrassed, for a minute he was quiet. "Sorry about that outburst, I think you gave me a concussion." Fistika gave Rouge a small, dark smile and left. Rouge was breathing heavily. She was going to revenge Knuckles. That she promised.

A figure walked towards the emerald shrine. It was near impossible to tell who or what he was as an aura surrounded it which seemed to make him look out of focus. Draped over his shoulder was the dead body of Knuckles. The figure climbed the steps up the emerald shrine. His movement was slow. He dragged his feet upwards. He reached the top and carefully placed Knuckles on the Master Emerald, being careful to place the body in a star like position. The figure stepped back a few steps and kneeled. His tired eyes rested on the limp figure of the red Echidna. A glittering ball of orange light flew down from the heavens. The light hovered nearby before turning into Tikal.

"What has happened?" Tikal asked, sounding very upset. "You wouldn't come down here unless..." Tikal's field of vision turned to Knuckles "Oh my god!" Tikal kneeled down next to the figure. "It can't be." The figure's eyes sank slightly.

"Killed the same way. Fistika has a sick idea of imagery." The figure's voice was deep and of someone who had seen more of the world than he should have. "I have watched Knuckles from above since the tragic day I was denied the ability to watch him from earth. I have seen him discover our ancient beliefs and his purpose. I have watched him make allies and enemies. I have now had to watch him die. Die too soon." The figure groaned. His body slumped and his aura became stronger, obscuring his shape even more. Tikal grabbed his shoulders.

"You can't stay here for much longer!" Tikal exclaimed. The Figure got to his feet.
"I must. Without Knuckles, or any children from him, the Master Emerald is unguarded. You can't protect it yourself and Chaos is way to unpredictable. I need to complete this procedure before I can return and"

"Curse Knuckles! The same way we are cursed!" Shouted Tikal. "Deny him the afterlife!" The figure shook his head.

"In the fifteen years after it was used on me I have found a way to make it not permanent." The figure explained. "I can grant him a new life and allowance into the afterlife"

"You think this a life?" Tikal asked. "We are nothing but ghosts bound to the Master Emerald." The figure nodded thoughtfully.

"I know of the burden we carry more than anyone. I have had to live a mutated life as the procedure I was forced to undergo to protect the Master Emerald was a rushed and error riddled one, brought by the attack of the Metal Hedgehog. I have seen the worse of this curse, yet I will still carry it to Knuckles as it is the way our culture works." The figure turned and walked down the steps. Tikal, looking flustered, followed.

"Our culture was built on power searching and war"

"Correction, yours was." The figure interrupted. Tikal ignored the comment.

"We live in a different age now, you can't force Knuckles to suffer under our way of life." The figure simply continued walking. Tikal looked angry, something rarley seen. "The afterlife is a resting place for those who deserve it. Why are you going to pull your son out of it?" Tikal was shouting at the figure. General Knuckles (the figure) shook his head.

"So are you coming or not?" He asked.

"Where to?" Tikal asked.

"We need a living Echidna to complete the ceremony."

Author note: Well there you go, another sub plot! I will shed some light on this sudden appearance of Knuckles farther next chapter (did you really think I'll let Knuckles just die like that? How mean do I look?)