Voices chanting in a disjointed chorus echoed in the green void.
The echidna had never felt so weightless, and if it were an option - he might have chosen to float there forever. The soft green colour palette of his surroundings was gentle on the eyes, and the soft warmth in the air was like a hug - a feeling that Knuckles hadn't experienced since being a young child.
Losing himself to the embrace, he was ready to drift off into a sleep in the midst of this dream, eyes sinking shut - until the voices grew much louder. They were so overpowering in fact that Knuckles suddenly needed to cover his ears with hands. How did something so peaceful take a turn like that so fast?
It was made all the more infuriating by the fact he couldn't even understand them.
White sparks began to suddenly dance and swirl around Knuckles, picking up speed and causing his dreadlocks to flap around wildly. The chanting had seemingly died down, so he slowly lowered his hands and stared as the sparks were now forming shapes - silhouettes not all that different from his own. Echidnas.
His people.
What had he done? What had provoked this? The echidna couldn't believe the sight, the only thing he could compare it to was the day he awakened his guardian powers. But why was he here again?
Instead of floating on his back, he flipped himself upright - and he saw one of them approaching. It was hard to tell, but it appeared to be a young girl, only slightly younger than him. All she was here was a pale, glowing outline.
"Something is wrong." She said in the echidna native tongue.
Knuckles didn't know how to reply, would it be considered rude to ask her to elaborate? How did he properly showcase his respects? In the end, he just decided to apologise. "I am sorry for not knowing."
There wasn't a noticeable response to that. Instead, she spread her arms out, her palms faced upwards as she cast out an image. It showed no echidna, instead - it looked to be what he presumed was the twinkling shape a hedgehog. They appeared to be smiling.
"The passage of time has been disturbed. Even the smallest of changes... can have the most devastating consequences." The girl continued, clasping her hands together in a prayer. "This world is not as it should be. You must find the one."
Perhaps he responded a little too eagerly. "You want me to... find him? Protect him?"
A pause. "Ensure he succeeds."
"Then... I assume you want me to leave the island." The echidna couldn't believe the sentence had passed his lips.
"Do all that you must. This world must survive."
He had so many questions - ensure he succeeds? At what? Was the world seriously at stake here? What was all this about the passage of time? As the area begun to fade to darkness, and the girl began to disappear from his vision - he reached out a hand. "Wait!" He called out.
"You awake?"
Sonic let out a low groan.
"Yes! You are awake!"
As his eyes slowly blinked open, instead of seeing anything normal - he was staring right up into the face of a relieved Tangle... although she was a little too close for comfort.
"Hey... can you... meh-" His brain failed him, but Tangle understood regardless - no longer bending over his bed and face.
"Heh - sorry- Are you uh, you okay?" Tangle spluttered out in slight embarrassment.
"Still.. figuring that out-" Sonic choked out. The back of his leg pulsed, and his stomach was burning - but not at the same severity as before. Speaking of before... what had happened? Why was he here?
He gasped, sitting up - and immediately yelping in pain. That had been a mistake. "Argh-! Rouge- she- She tried to kill me!" The hedgehog yelled out in realisation.
"Yeah..." Tangle rubbed the back of her head.
"Why am I here?!"
"Because I... convinced her not to kill you!" Tangle tried to sound reassuring, but the hedgehog continued to panic.
"What?! Why was she trying to kill me?!"
"Well I- look, she thought you were a spy from the Empire. Still does, actually - but I said to give you another shot!" She grinned. Seeing that have no effect on the hedgehog's mood, she laughed awkwardly. "It's weird, I know - but we heard about a project created by Robotnik's - wait, Eggman's, I said I'd call him Eggman from now on - yes! It was a project created by Eggman's grandfather - Project Shadow. We sort of theorised that Eggman could have reawakened Project Shadow. Then you showed up - being all suspicious since you came out of nowhere with only half your memories, and you kind of fitted pretty close to the description of the Project and... yeah... that's that." Tangle didn't really know how to finish off the explanation.
Sonic's mouth hung slightly open. No matter the damn timeline, he would be mistaken for that faker. He then huffed through his nose. "I'm no project from the Empire - you got that?" Sonic was surprised by his own aggression, but he supposed he at least had a little right to show this side of him - he had just been stabbed after all. "I... why spare me then?"
"Well uh- I thought Rouge was right at first, but then you saved me during that fight with the monster and I don't know - wouldn't a spy have left me to die? It would make their job easier-" She explained, admittedly sounding quite unsure of herself. "You jumped in without hesitation and caught yourself injured in the process - but you still kept more focused on mine and Rouge's wellbeing over your own! I've... never seen something so heroic before. I- I kind of think you're awesome!" She laughed slightly. "So... I saved you. Sorry I wasn't fast enough to save you from getting stabbed in the gut... but I did catch you before you fell into that acid. I talked Rouge down and well - I got you here! In our humble little infirmary!"
Little was the correct word. There was a single medicine cabinet with only six beds total. "What about Rouge?"
"She's uh... well she gave into my demands, but I don't think she feels the same way as me - She'll come around! I'm sure of it!" Tangle said hopefully. "We'll all apologise and move on from this together, aye?"
Sonic stared at her, the two made eye contact. The clock on the wall continued to tick, timing the uncomfortable pause. "I at least want some sort of confirmation she isn't going to try to kill me."
"Right! Right-" Tangle nodded. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement! But please-" He was taken aback by her pleading eyes, looking shiny as though they were ready to water. "Bad first impressions have been well, bad- But, I really don't want to lose you! You're so cool and heroic and powerful - if our little ragtag group is gonna stand a chance against that doctor - you would be such a big help!" She was begging him at this point, grabbing his hand despite the blanket on top. "Don't let her scare you away! Rouge is okay and all but she's more likely to pick her own battles than work as a cohesive unit, you know? You'd be such a good help-"
"Tangle-" Sonic sighed, the lemur's words were now blending into one. "Could you give me... just five minutes?" He asked tiredly.
"Y-yes. Yes, I can." Tangle let out a breath to calm down, standing up. Turning around, she paused as Sonic called out to her.
"Hold on! Could you... grab that?" He pointed to his jacket, which had been hung up beside the bed.
"Huh?" Tangle blinked at the jacket. "Oh, sure!" She smiled as she passed it to him. Her expression softened into something more mellow. "I... know you probably just want me to leave but- just to explain, we had a spy in our midst before in our old base. One of our own was killed as a result. So Rouge jumped the gun and tried to take you out before anything like that could happen again, you know? Maybe that helps you... understand any better."
Another reminder of how awful this timeline was. "I see." Sonic said.
"The loss of Mighty has haunted us all since. Rouge especially, I imagine. Although she never really shows it."
"Mighty?"
"Huh?"
It had been so long since he had seen that guy last. They had broken out of Eggman Island along with Ray... and he'd heard the guy had some involvement with the Chaotix? His heart felt squeezed and his chest noticeably heavy - a guy he had worked with once, a nice guy - was dead.
"You okay, Sonic?"
He didn't realise he was tightly clinging onto the jacket in his hands. "Yeah... thought I just- recognised the name, is all."
"Ah. I see... If you did know him, I'm sorry we couldn't do anything for him..." Her eyes were crestfallen. "The Chaotix Mercenary Group sent one of their members, Espio, into our team with the goal of killing Rouge and disbanding everyone. Instead he managed to kill Mighty before Rouge took his eye out and he retreated... as a result though, we had to change the location of our base to here - which hasn't been too bad really." While she tried to be optimistic at the end, nothing could change the tone of the grim news she had informed Sonic of.
Espio killed Mighty. Espio... his friend. The Chaotix... mercenaries. Why were all of his friends damn murderers? Why was Tangle, a girl he'd never met before, somehow nicer than everyone he actually knew?! The hedgehog didn't realise quite how hard he was biting his lip. "Sorry for your loss. Now, could you please give me some time."
"Oh, yes! Sorry-!" Tangle quickly apologised, turning heel and practically dashing out of the room to give Sonic space.
Now alone, the hedgehog rolled himself over on his stomach, ignoring the pain for now. Taking in a large breath, he then realised a roaring scream, one that came from the bottom of his chest - but allowing it all to get muffled by the pillow. He needed to let his frustrations out somehow, and once satisfied - he rolled onto his back again and grabbed the jacket. After some shuffling around, he opened the right pocket and found what he was looking for.
An envelope. "Do not open at the party" written on it, aggressively underlined.
Well, it certainly wasn't a party now. He tore the envelope open and wasted no time in fishing out the letter and reading its contents.
Dear Sonic the Hedgehog,
Happy birthday. Materialistic gifts don't exactly express what I want to say to you, and I have never been particularly good with spoken words - so I hope you take the time to read this letter instead. We have fought many times, yet work so well when we're together. It has been an honour to fight alongside you and your friends in many battles.
They have taught me so much. You, specifically, have taught me a lot. You have shown me how to live life to its fullest and see the bright side of the world - it's because of you and your little squad, as well as my own dear friends, that I have been able to move on past my grief and use my power to protect others.
Most importantly, you taught me to never give up. Not on the people around me, not on myself. You have always been there to challenge me - whether it is to oppose me on my ideals or in combat. By fighting you, by being with you - I have pushed myself to new heights. We have gotten stronger since our first bout and we'll only get stronger still.
I believe it is my duty as the Ultimate Lifeform to surpass you. To fulfil my promise to Maria, I need to make sure I'm stronger than you so I'm working constantly at my very best to save the world and its inhabitants. I'm not going to stand for second best. I will be the hero she wants me to be, the hero that I want to be.
I'm never going to give up, I'm never going to stop fighting, so all I ask from you is that you do the same. We will push each other to new limits and ensure we are the best protectors we ever can be. It's our duty.
Thank you, Sonic. Truly, I am indebted to you.
Sonic couldn't help but smile at Shadow's signature at the bottom. What a dork he was, thanking him like that because he'd be too embarrassed to do it face to face. It was a letter that was very Shadow - spoken from the guy's heart.
Rouge's murder attempt had definitely been a blow to his confidence and pride, but this letter was quickly reminding him what this was all for. There was no time to get petty - what he needed to do was save the day and bring his timeline back - whatever it took.
Just like Shadow, he wouldn't give up. Perhaps Shadow didn't realise that the inspiring went both ways.
Another piece of paper poked out from beneath, and Sonic gasped as he pulled it closer to his face. It was a diagram, while the notes beside it were unintelligible... the picture was as clear as day.
It was a diagram of the monster that had attacked his birthday party.
What? How did Shadow know about this? Flipping it over - there was more of Shadow's handwriting to read.
Hence why I told you to wait until after the party. I fear this would bring the mood down or something. I located this in the doctor's base, he's plotting something with this creature - something to do with time, based on the calculations. However, the notes explicitly state that the emeralds are a counter. We need to work to gather them as soon as possible. My team will be on the search soon.
While Sonic had guessed as much, it did feel good to have confirmation. Sonic wondered if Shadow hadn't waited to put this information in a damn letter, would Sonic have been able to prevent this in the first place? He supposed not, Shadow wouldn't keep a discovery like that hidden for unnecessarily long - there wouldn't have been enough time anyway.
His smile slowly etched on his face again. That hedgehog certainly had some funny ways, but he had managed to reassure him in more ways than one.
"Deary me," Miles tutted as he shook his head. "Quite a lot of trouble has been plaguing you here." He stirred his spoon around his tea cup, scraping it against the bottom.
The fox had the luxury of sitting on the couch, her couch, might she add - but Amy had to show proper formality by standing, back straight and hands behind her back. "I will swiftly deal with the troublemakers." She assured him.
"Is that so?" Miles questioned, smirking over the rim of his tea cup. "First the attempted factory liberation... then the stolen power limiters... they seem to be quite good at evading you."
"I have made sure that the robots are keeping their eyes out." She couldn't let him see her fear.
"You think you'll make any progress with a few Egg Pawns on the case?" He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. Exactly why I have brought you something that will be of... more use. Outside your home are currently two mechs of my own design - they'll be your personal bodyguard and absolute fighting machines - they'll take out any nuisances in your way.
Now it was pointed out to her, she did notice how her window had now been blocked by a large chunk of metal - presumably part of one of these mechs. "Our Egg Bosses are made up of the very elite of all of us. You have one week to take care of that bat and this blue hedgehog you speak of. I can imagine you know what the consequences are."
Amy nodded slowly, hoping he didn't notice her trembling.
"Splendid!" Miles placed his cup back down on the coffee table, and then clasped his hands together as he stood. "Lovely tea - I enjoy a good mint brew." He admitted. "I have complete faith in you - you have proven yourself capable so far. I'm sure this is just... a bump in the road for you, is it not?"
Amy couldn't make eye contact, her head hung slightly low. "They will be killed, Professor Miles."
"Good." The young fox smiled.
"How have we never been here before?" Vector asked, in awe at the ruins and the greenery of the vines that were entangled in the midst of the old stone. "It's a perfect hideout spot for any rebel! No wonder the energy signatures led us here."
"I find it odd that Robotnik has left this place untouched, when everything else has been practically converted into a machine." Espio added.
"No kidding! Now if I were a secret rebel group, I'd be... well they have to be underground, right? The surface is far too obvious." Vector concluded. "They must have made some sort of entry way for themselves that we can find. Fang, Bean, Bark - spreading out and looking for anything suspicious is the fastest way to work here."
"Oi!" The purple weasel glared. "You don't order my team about, alright? That's my job."
With the snarl edging Fang's tone, Vector knew it was best not to argue. "Right..."
"Come on, surely it doesn't cost that much to apologise!" Tangle was begging with the bat at this point.
"And I'm telling you, I'm not going to apologise for trying to protect myself and everyone else!" Rouge huffed. "Especially when this guy does turn out to be from the Empire, and you end up being proven wrong-"
"Ugggggh." Tangle groaned into her hands. "How can you be so stubborn?"
"And when will you learn that just because a guy saved you once - that doesn't automatically make him trustworthy! I swear, if this is because you have some kind of crush or something-"
"I'm gay! I told you this! Don't play that card! I wanna know when you'll learn that you can't just kill people based on limited evidence-!"
"I let him live, didn't I? I don't need to apologise as well! I'm sure he can get on with his life without me saying sorry!"
"Well, I don't want any hostility here! If we can all just get along and be friends then we can work towards taking down the Empire once and for all - in a proper rebellion!" She had switched from arguing to a much more triumphant declaration.
Rouge face palmed. "When will you learn...?"
She gasped. Gunshots rung out from a few rooms down. Blood-curdling screams filled the halls.
"NO!" Tangle exclaimed, rushing out of the doorway towards the noise.
"Tangle! Stay back!" Rouge called after her, but it was too late. All Rouge could do was follow.
"They ain't in their dining room or whatever this shithole is supposed to be." Fang spoke into his communicator, before being interrupted by something heavy slamming into his back. "ARGH-!" He let out, soaring over the crate tables and falling right into the serving counter with a crash.
He shook his head to fight off the dizziness, facing the entry way to find who had dared attack him. It was the target - the white bat. The weasel narrowed his eyes. "Shame I gotta kill a pretty face like yours, but that's the job." He began to take aim.
"Funny." Rouge smiled sarcastically, showing her fangs. "I have no problem KILLING YOUR UGLY MUG!" She charged forward, enraged. He fired a bullet that Rouge had to flip to the side to avoid, but nothing could stop her pursuit. She ducked underneath his second shot, kneeing him in the stomach and sending him flying up towards the ceiling.
She wasn't done yet as she flew up - in the midst of the air, she swung her leg back and kicked him again - this time sending him back down towards the ground. She heard a bone crack as he screamed and made contact with the floor, his gun flying out of his hand.
She landed down again, walking over and tightly gripping him on the ear, pulling his limp body up to her face. "How did you find us?"
He coughed and spluttered. "You aren't as well hidden as you think you are, it was easy to figure out that door. We had energy trackers too - some people have definitely been using their powers around these parts. We just had to do a little investigating." Despite the pain he was in, he cackled. "There's more than me here you gotta worry about, you damn bitch."
Rouge gritted her teeth, ready to knock the weasel out before something sharp impaled her back. "GAH-!" She screeched, the pain shooting through her veins, but she found just enough strength to whip around and face her attacker.
"Don't tell me you've gotten sloppy." The purple chameleon remarked, glaring intensely into her eyes.
Here she was, face to face with the bastard that had snuck into her base before, the same man that had killed Mighty. She wanted nothing more than to break every bone in his body for tricking her those months ago, rage bubbling just beneath her skin. She caught one sight of his eyepatch and giggled. He deserved it.
"How's life been without depth perception?" She asked.
Rouge watched as fury ignited in the chameleon's eye, he pulled out a shuriken and threw it towards her, and a quick glimpse out of the corner of her eye behind her told her that Fang had located his gun and was about to shoot her back. She had no choice but to fly up to dodge both, but Fang seemed to have predicted this move as he aimed his bullet high - but not high enough to reach how far she flew up.
"Come on, come on - we can't dawdle. Children and elders first, easy easy-" Tangle tried her best to soothe the crying children and confused elders and seeing them out of the entrance, but boy was it hard to be the calm one when it felt like her heart was about to pound out of her chest.
"Mama... I hate this, mama-" Vanilla hugged her daughter close to her as they made their way towards the exit. "Everything will be okay." Vanilla told her, hushing her gently.
The lemur was definitely concerned - they were being left alone for the most part, that meant the attackers had their sights set on something else. Or rather, other people. "Keep going guys!" She called out to the group. Rouge could handle herself, Sonic at this moment in time - could not.
She needed to help him!
"So... you're the one that's caused all this hassle for Amy huh?" Vector questioned the hedgehog. The crocodile was seemingly a bit unimpressed at the fact that the hedgehog was clearly weak and just sitting in bed - he didn't seem much of a challenge. "You're looking tired and frail - I don't like killing defenceless targets."
"You're not a killer." Despite being in a very vulnerable position, he responded calmly.
"I don't take joy in murder I'll admit. But it's what puts food on the table."
It was always about money.
"SONIC!" The hedgehog was startled when he saw Vector running straight towards him.
"Woah, woah- everything alright? ACK-" His legs were lifted up from the ground as Vector pulled him into a hug.
"What's the deal, man? Pulling a stunt like that?" Vector asked as he set the hedgehog back down again, his smile couldn't be larger.
"Hm-? Oh you mean the- heh." Sonic grinned. "It was nothing."
"NOTHING?! Kid, you promoted us on live TV! The agency is gonna get so many new clients! You don't know how much this means to me, man - we're going to comfortably be able to pay our bills - we might even earn enough for a bigger office! You've changed our lives, Sonic. So on behalf on the Chaotix - I wanna say thank you."
"I know you guys work hard, and you never give up on a case. You guys deserve it!" Sonic gave a thumbs up. "Let me know if you ever need my help too."
"You're the best, kiddo. The actual best."
Despite the pain his injuries caused him, Sonic had no choice but to bring himself to stand. "Right, kill me then."
With Vector running towards him with no weapons on hand, he could only assume Vector's method of killing was going to be a brutal beatdown. Thankfully, Vector was slow - and even in his weaker state, Sonic was able to dash to the side and try to kick him with his good leg.
Unfortunately, Vector grabbed hold of it - throwing Sonic against the wall, leaving crack in it. Sonic coughed, landing to the ground on his knees, his legs too shaky and weak to stand. The crocodile was advancing, and Sonic was about as good as helpless.
Suddenly, something warm and fluffy wrapped around him - and he was pulled off the ground and bundled in a massive clump of fur. It was Tangle! "Hanging in there?!" Tangle called back at the hedgehog that was bundled in her tail that flapped behind her.
"Just about-" Sonic admitted with exhaustion, but he fought to keep a smile on his face. Tangle was sprinting as fast as she could down the hall, but passing the dining area - her tail grew even longer as she also picked up a bat.
Rouge however, wasn't all that grateful. "I almost had him!" She snapped to Tangle.
"You were in a 2v1 and I don't like those odds!" The lemur replied in a mad dash towards the entrance to meet up with everyone else. "Who have we got pursuing us?" Tangle asked.
"Espio and that weasel guy might be able to - but they'll go down quickly." Rouge grumbled.
"Vector is still there." Sonic pointed out.
"So three of them... hoo boy-" Tangle panted, but finally she emerged into the light of day. The door hadn't just been opened, it had been entirely broken down. Sonic wondered if it was the doing of Vector's strength.
When they emerged out into the ruins, Sonic was confused. "Where is everyone else?"
"We've rehearsed the escape route before - they've gotten out of the WAY-!" Tangle leaped to the side just in time to avoid the small bomb that exploded when it met the ground.
"Oopsie- It wasn't your fault George, it was my bad aim!" A green duck assured the... bomb... that had already exploded. Wait, was that Bean the Dynamite?! Now that was a face that Sonic hadn't seen in a long time. Did that mean the rest of the hooligans-
Tangle had to roll to avoid the chunk of stone that was lobbied towards her by none other than Bark the Polar Bear, the silent giant. Tangle had to set down Rouge and Sonic on the ground, otherwise she would never be able to attack without them getting hurt too.
"Sonic... stick close to us." The lemur told the injured hedgehog.
Sonic hated feeling so useless. He watched as the two girls stepped in front of him, like a protective barrier.
All of the 'mercenaries' had emerged outside and were now facing down the heroes. Vector, Espio, Fang, Bean, and Bark got themselves into a line formation. "Listen lemur, you aren't a part of this! All we're here to do is kill Rouge and the blue kid! You've still got time to run!"
Tangle scoffed in disgust. "Do you take me for a coward?! I am not abandoning my friends!"
"Your funeral." Espio remarked coldly.
"Fighting 'til the end, suppose I can respect that." Fang shrugged, pointing his gun at the trio. Espio was poised and ready to throw several shurikens, and Bean was ready with a bomb in each hand.
The trio of heroes got ready in their battle stances, ready to dodge the barrage about to come their way.
Before Fang could pull the trigger, he dropped his gun.
Espio's shurikens fell to the floor.
Beans bomb's slipped out of his hands, yet to be ignited.
All five of the mercenaries dropped to the ground, on their knees. Sonic flinched as they began to roar and wail, but even more strangely - Sonic could see the shape of veins glowing a bright green on their skin, almost as if their veins were actually being lit up from the inside and burning them from within.
"WHAT- ARGH- IS THIS?!" Vector screamed.
"It.. burns-" Espio choked out, collapsing to his side.
"Leave. him. alone."
All three heroes turned to look behind them, and Sonic lost all of his breath in an instant. Eyes widening, he struggled to absorb the sight. The echidna before him was undoubtedly Knuckles, wasn't it? Yet he was so different.
He adorned actual clothing for one, a majestic white toga - with a gold belt around his waist decorated with various jewels. The edges of the toga were decorated in intricate patterns that Sonic couldn't quite make out from the distance. Knuckles also had several golden necklaces and a gold headpiece that dangled and shimmered beautifully over his dreads. Speaking of his dreads, Sonic noticed how Knuckles had white striped markings all over them.
It was all as though he was some sort of deity. Sonic would have once said this look didn't suit him at all and yet - Knuckles even seemed taller, more divine. His hand was outstretched and his eyes glowed an emerald green.
Knuckles was the one hurting the mercenaries.
"Make it- STOP-!" Fang screeched.
"I hereby order you to retreat, and leave the hedgehog alone." Knuckles kept glaring at the five of them. Sonic's mouth was hung open in awe. "I will free you only if you follow my command."
"WE WILL! WE WILL!" Vector howled. Sonic hated hearing his friends in anguish, hell - he didn't like the hooligans but even hearing them scream like that made him shudder. Knuckles lowered his hand, and his eyes returned to his usual shade of purple. The trio heaved a sigh of relief and the villains gasped for air, laying on the ground helplessly for a moment to recover.
Knuckles' gaze was cold as he looked down upon them. "I suggest you get moving."
The five scrambled to their feet, ignoring the pain it caused them. "Let's - let's get out of here! That guy's a freak!" Fang gasped, as all of them ran as fast as they could, fleeing away into the jungle.
The echidna released a small sigh once they had disappeared from sight, and looked back at the three heroes who were all gawking at him. "You." He stepped forward so that he was in front of the hedgehog, addressing him directly. "What's your name?"
"... Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."
Hoo boy, this chapter was a big boy - but I'm super happy with it!
Sonic finally reads Shadow's letter, Miles gives Amy a week to kill Sonic and Rouge, Tangle is a cinnamon bun, Chaotix and Hooligans team up, and what's the deal with Knuckles and this new ass power?
I've gotten back into MHA recently so 'You Say Run' was definitely the song for this chapter
Let me know what you think! Hopefully you found it exciting - but for now, see ya later :)
