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Sonic and Sash: Tides of Chaos 3
Phantom Forces
Intermission 3
Chapter 20: Nothing Left to Regret
"..."
"...so how long have we been in here for now?"
"...I think I lost count."
This was almost the status quo for the discussion back and forth between the hedgehog and the dragon for the past six months as they spent their time inside the vacuum of Null Space, nothing happening of interest as the two continued their indefinite sentence at the hands of Infinite. Truly had Infinite wanted to truly drive them insane, he'd have separated them entirely before sentencing them to this endless prison.
That was his mistake; the two of them together kept their sanity intact... for the most part. Isolation would have definitely broken them, but together, there was still a small spark of hope they had.
Albeit it was very, very small...
Both Sonic and Sash were lying face up, head to head as they stared up into the void-like sky, seeing the floating cubes and arcs of electricity flowing by above them. Both of them definitely seemed worse for wear after spending nearly six months in an endless void. Oddly enough, this prison never required them to actually eat; the two never actually grew hungry over their stay in the eternal void. Though as for other aspects... things were not exactly too hot. Both the hedgehog and dragon had heavy bags under their eyes, exhausted from a lack of sleep and equal nightmares on both sides of that hound... and possibly on what was going on back in their world...
Both their outfits were definitely worn and old at this point; Sonic's old glasses had cracks in the lenses, his jacket was definitely old and dusty, a few tears across it entirely, one of his pant legs torn and his shoes worn down from his running he's done inside this eternal prison. His fingerless gloves were nothing but shreds now, next to completely useless as he stared off into the space above. Sash's outfit wasn't any better; her scarf was basically the only thing that was undamaged. The zipper on her vest was completely broken, the vest itself torn a bit as she laid on the ground with it open face, her black bra in clear view. Her shorts were frayed, the dark red sash around her waist completely shredded and the cord looking like it'd snap any second, Her right glove was completely gone, the bracelet cracked and destroyed around her wrist, her other glove having the fingers of the fabric ripped off. Her boots were definitely worn, the gold wings on either side cracked and dull.
"So... what do you wanna do now?" Sonic asked, looking up at Sash.
"Well..." Sash sighed, looking into the void-like sky. "What did you have in mind?"
"You wanna do another sparring session?" Sonic asked.
"We did that about an hour ago... at least I think an hour..." Sash responded.
"Race?"
"We don't have a discernible end point we could use for a finish line."
"Something a bit more... intimate?"
"We've done every position I could think of, and I think I'm wanting to give my parts a bit of a rest. Our last session had my climax a little more pleasurable than I was expecting to, so I wanna rest from that for a bit."
"Alright..." Sonic said, looking back into the sky. Silence would permeate the area for a bit before a question came to the hedgehog.
"So..." He asked. "What made your parents decide on the name Sash?" Sonic asked.
"Hmm?" Sash asked. "What do you mean?"
"Well... your name." Sonic spoke, looking back into the voided sky. "I mean, not dissing it, it's a very beautiful name, but... is there any specific reason as to why Sash?"
"Well..." Sash spoke, looking up into the sky with him. "To be truthful, my parents weren't originally intending on the name Sash."
"Oh?"
"In truth, my name was a byproduct of the fact that as a young girl, I couldn't pronounce the name 'Sasha'. That was originally intended to be my name, but when I was young, I could never get the A at the end of the name Sasha. When I turned about three or so, my mother took me to get my name legally shortened to Sash. And the rest, well, is history..."
"Huh..." Sonic said, looking back up at the sky.
"What about you?"
"Hmm?"
"Your name." Sash asked. "I'm curious... did your parents actually name you Sonic?"
"..." Sonic was silent for a bit.
"Well?" Sash asked.
"...Nicholas."
"Huh?"
"My actual name is Nicholas." Sonic spoke, blushing a bit as he looked away. "I know, I know, it's a stupid name..."
Sash giggled. "I don't think it's stupid..."
"...you don't?" Sonic asked.
"I think it's a very nice name." Sash spoke. "I don't understand why you didn't like it."
"It's not that I don't like it..." Sonic spoke. "I just got too caught up from saving South Island that first time that I basically established the name 'Sonic' as, well... me."
Sash giggled. "Well, I think it's a wonderful name." She spoke, looking up into the void-like sky.
Silence for a while longer...
Then an idea came to Sash.
"Hey... you went fast to travel through time, right?" Sash asked, looking over to the hedgehog.
"Yeah?" Sonic asked.
"I might have an idea..." Sash spoke, getting up. "If we can manage to propel ourselves fast enough... you think we might be able to burst through the gap between this place and the real world?"
Sonic got up. "Well... that'd require us to try going really fast... I'm not sure if either of our Boosts would do it..."
"Well... what if we combined our boosts?" Sash asked. "A... a Double Boost!"
"Double... Boost..." Sonic smiled. "Sash, I like where this is going."
"Then let's do it together, shall we?" Sash said as the hedgehog got next to her. Sash smirked as her chargers started to glow, both she and Sonic started to form a Super Peel-Out. Feeling the energy build up, soon enough the dust cloud kicked up behind them was massive as the two of them started to glow blue from the charged energy... and then the high five and the locking of hands came as the two were ready.
"DOUBLE BOOST!" The two of them yelled as they took off at a blinding speed, shattering the sound barrier in a fraction of a second as the two would speed off ahead, the platforms below them forming faster than light as as they barreled onwards.
"Sonic!" Sash yelled, looking ahead as the Null Space started to glitch out. "I-I think it's working! The prison is failing!"
"Keep it up!" Sonic yelled as the two tried to continue the Double Boost... only for Sash's chargers to falter, the Double Boost being cut short as the two went into a sprawling dogpile as they collapsed into a pile on the floor, dazed and dizzy.
"Oooohhh..." Sash moaned, her eyes swirling from the sudden stop and crash.
"Ooof..." Sonic moaned. "Did... did we do it?" He asked.
Sash shook her head, trying to get her dizzy out. "I don't think so... but we definitely did some damage to the place..."
Sonic would sit up, shaking his head to get the daze out of him as he looked around, seeing the glitchy distortions of Null Space peaking through at the real world, and Sonic would recognize the location...
Spring Yard.
"That must be how it works!" Sonic said, getting to his feet.
"How what works?" Sash asked, getting up.
"This Null Space prison must be a parallel world overlapping with both Mobius and Avalice." Sonic said. "That means everything here has the same layout as the main world... but there's no objects or other entities here; it's purely the world layout!"
"And if we can see what out world looks like..." Sash spoke. "If we can find the others, we might be able to find a way to get back home!"
Sonic smirked. "If the distortion stays like this, let's try to find the others!"
Sash nodded in response as the two would head off in search of their parallel prison's Resistance base...
The basset was exhausted, her eyes drooping a fair amount as she looked up through her skylight, seeing the glow of the night moon above her as it shone down through the hole. Today was a long, tiring, and mentally straining day for her and for the rest of the Resistance that day, with the failed capture on Empire City. She looked up at the moon, the lunar light engulfing her body. Her mind was shaking as she reflected back on that face... that face of Infinite she saw... that looked like hers.
She shook her head. Maybe the Ruby was making her hallucinate? There couldn't have been any other feasible way...
Footsteps would be heard as soon Sven would enter into the room. "Hey, uh... can I come in?" He asked, a bit of waryness in his tone.
"...I guess..." Milla spoke, looking up at the sky to the moon.
Sven would awkwardly enter, sitting down next to the prone Milla as he tried to think of something to discuss. "So... are you alright?"
Milla sighed, a small tear falling from her eye. "I... honestly wish I could say I was." She spoke, still looking at the moon.
"Wh... what's wrong?" Sven asked. The look on his face showed a fair amount of concern.
"...that hound." Milla spoke. "That face..."
"...you mean what Infinite was?" Sven asked. "I mean, maybe he was just try to-"
"He wasn't trying to scare me." Milla spoke, cutting him off.
"Huh?" Sven asked. "What do you mean?"
"He was sending a message." Milla spoke. "A message specifically to me."
"...what do you mean by that?" Sven pressed, his curiousity getting the better of him.
"...do you have some time?" Milla asked.
"Yeah?" Sven responded.
"Lie down next to me." Milla spoke. "This is a long one." Sven would nod, lying down next to Milla as the two looked out the skylight hole at the shining moon above.
"...the moon out is beautiful, isn't it?" Sven asked.
"Yes... it is." Milla spoke. "And its where the explanation begins. Long ago in Avalice's history was a tragic war event that has been recorded in the history books, one's I've studied in Shang Tu's royal record hall. A being of power and destruction from a race descended from the heavens above to make off with the power of the moons, wanting to completely strip-mine it of any and all its lunar resources until its was next to worthless to them. With it torn to shreds, they would leave the planet to a doomed fate from either a collapse from the tides or the leftover useless chunk crashing into the planet itself, kicking off a Class K extinction event and making the planet uninhabitable. It was a class of terror unrelated to anyone had encountered before... and Avalice was next on this being's list for claiming and destruction. We wouldn't be here today... if it wasn't for the actions of two brave souls."
"Who were they?" Sven asked.
"The one was already a native to the planet, dark green in fur and even darker in accents, a sharp tongue and a blade able to morph by the power of the gods. One would assume to be an ordinary wildcat was actually one of the deadliest foes to encounter on the face of Avalice. The other was a lavender dragon of the stars, a voice of the ocean and just as devastating in her own power. Descended from another world to protect her new home... The dragon was known as Kim; the wildcat as Bail."
"How did they win?"
"I'm still not sure myself; the manuscripts were rather vague with the details themselves of the battle..." Milla spoke. "But from what I read, despite the two's bickering with eachother, they knew they needed to work together to push back this threat; otherwise Avalice would be forfeit. The mastermind had the power to warp the dimensions to his will; whatever he summoned or created, it would be in his favor, doing everything in his power to kill those who stood in his way of his resource gathering."
"...who was this mastermind?" Sven asked, starting to grow uncomfortable.
"...his name was Tiangou." Milla spoke. "His kind is now long gone from the stars... except for a lingering thread..."
"..."
"And that thread, as I've now found out..." Milla spoke. "Is me."
"Wh-what?"
"My entire species, Sven." Milla spoke. "The Basset Hounds are not native to Avalice... After Tiangou's death, the rest of the Bassets that came to Avalice in help of his rule were stranded... including his wife."
"But... how does that relate to what happened with Infinite today?" Sven asked.
"Sven..." Milla spoke, her voice cracking a bit. "That wasn't Infinite. That was Tiangou."
Silence. Long, hard silence.
"Wait... I thought you said..."
"That he died?" Milla spoke. "He reincarnated himself through the Phantom Ruby... and now he's out for his revenge."
"The Ruby?"
"Is his way of warping the dimensions to his needs, and why he's able to completely twist and warp reality to his liking..." Milla spoke.
"Then... how does he recognize you?" Sven spoke.
"...because I'm his descendant." Milla spoke.
Another long hard silence.
"...Sven?"
"Yeah Mil-"
Sven's voice was cut off as Milla's lips met his. The dog was taken aback by this; he wasn't expecting a kiss like this! He shuddered before his muscles relaxed, letting Milla kiss him before their lips broke, panting a bit.
"Thank you..." She spoke, hugging the dog... before she heard something sounding like pulsating...
"What's that sound?" Sven asked, his lop ears twitching a bit. Milla would recognize the sound and pull out her Ruby prototype, noticing it pulsating...
"Huh?" Milla breathed herself, staring at the gem... before soon the two heard something else...
"-ey! He-o? A-on-? C- -ou h-ar u-?"
Milla tensed up. That voice... she recognized that voice!
"Sash?!" Milla yelled, looking around frantically for the source of the voice. "SASH?!"
Sven sweatdropped, scooting away a bit as Milla still frantically looked around. Milla would hold up the ruby, eyes darting around...
...before soon seeing the two figures materializing out of the ruby mist, rather glitchy and pixelated, but Milla could clearly see who it was...
It was Sonic and Sash. Magenta-tinted and glitching as if it was a failing hologram, but they were there.
That next morning was a group meeting between Milla, Amy, Tails, Carol, and the glitching out Sonic and Sash, who were being projected from their Null Space prison thanks to Milla's ruby prototype she had. Amy paced back and forth, thinking to herself as Milla explained.
"...and that's up to the current situation we have." Milla spoke to Amy. "With that in mind, we need to start our search to spread between both planets and find more of the Ruby prototypes. If we can get enough... I might be able to rip open into Null Space and save them."
"It's definitely a risk we need to take." Amy said, setting her hands on the main table. "I'm a little concerned though if we'll spread our forces too thin."
"We can handle a good chunk of the stuff on Avalice." Tails spoke. "I need to head there anyways with Carol so we can start picking up if there were other Ruby prototypes Infinite might have missed. Not to mention the fact that Shang Tu is still in severe capture and the Death Egg is still extremely operational at this point; that thing needs shut down before we attempt anything; we don't know what Project ICARUS is, but chances are it involves the Death Egg."
"W-ll? I don'- have a pr-blem with y-u guys he-din- out and taking -ut that h-nk of -et-l." Sonic's voice spoke from across the Null Space projection.
"S-me." Sash spoke. "-ggm-n's a-tions h-e gone o- for f-r t-o lon-."
Tails nodded to the two projections. "Don't worry guys..." He spoke. "We'll get you back. I promise."
Both the projections of Sonic and Sash smiled before they faded entirely, Milla's Ruby losing its glow.
"Alright, we'll need to start working out what we need our other team members to do." Tails spoke. "Zeena and Zazz should definitely be on their point of relegating to regaining their lost allies; thankfully we've got a few locations to track down so we can regain their positioning. There's at least two more of them on each planet, and since we're headed to Avalice, we'll look for the two left there while Zeena and Zazz look for the two still here on Mobius. And then we still have two more Chaos Emeralds left to track down, as well as dealing with the last of Eggman's other high-ranking generals across the planet."
"You sure Natalya's gonna be okay with this?" Amy asked, looking concerned as Tails fired up the teleporter.
"We're combined Resistances. We'll be fine." Carol spoke. "All we gotta do is get the info and start tracking down those other prototypes... speaking of tracking, where'd Classic and Cyclone go?"
"We got readngs out from Red Gate Bridge in Station Square, we sent them out to investigate." Amy spoke.
Carol merely nodded. "Alright. We'll head over to Avalice now and get things sorted out." She spoke, looking over to Milla. "Yo, Ruff Stuff, you and your boyfriend coming over?"
Milla was taken aback at first, but then nodded. "Y-yeah, we'll be over shortly." She spoke as Carol stepped into the teleporter to the Avalician base...
Truths have been revealed, and the stakes have raised to dangerously high levels. Will Sonic and Sash be able to get out of Null Space from the Resistance's efforts? Or will their attempts be all for naught? And where are the two small ones running around out at Red Gate Bridge? Find out next chapter in Chapter 21: "Metal Madness"...
