IMPORTANT: All credits go to the Sonic Team who originally blessed us with a courageous, kind hearted, friendly, blue hedgehog. Only the main plot of the story is mine.

NOTE: No obscenity or harsh language involved. Romantic relationship between Amy Rose and Sonic the Hedgehog. Rouge and Knuckles may never admit their true feelings for each other. No other relationships are mentioned in this story, but one of the main characters will have unrequited feelings for Amy...

SECOND NOTE: Any edits, comments email me or private message me (Email mentioned in profile).

Thanks for showing interest! Enjoy!

IN PROGRESS...

Sonic the Hedgehog

Rising Darkness

- Hidden Darkness -

Chapter Six: Risen from the Ashes

In the beginning. A tiny flicker of pure, white flame that barely glowed and shivered in the wind. Earth, the planets, the galaxy and beyond being formed and fashioned by the hands of a being beyond all time.

The flame spreading and growing, destroying many dimensions that had, unknown to the inhabitants of Earth, been created shortly after the universe. As the flame devoured, it grew. As it grew, it changed. It began to transform into an intra-dimensional creature.

The creature was made of a snow white, crystalline structure that molded into arms and its body. There were three shells made purely of a cyan colored light. Two of these shells covered each of the creature's forearms. The third covered its chest and the core, the very life force of this extra dimensional being.

There was a figure on top, resembling an eagle's head, complete with glowing golden eyes and antlers that branched off into structures made purely of crystals. Finally, there formed a ring, that contained six triangle shaped pieces floating near the edges, resembling a sun on the back of the being, giving this creature the name...Solaris.

When war was waged, the fire of Solaris increased in strength and many desired to possess it; believing if they did, they would have the power of victory over their enemies. The Solaris flames enchanted the minds of humans and anthropomorphs, to the point that the extra dimensional creature gained consciousness of it.

It took on the guise of a god-like entity, deserving of worship. And that is what led the Kingdom of Soleanna to idolize this being and eventually believing it was Solaris that controlled the sun, its light and warmth.

To appease their idol, Soleanna held a festival for Solaris, known as "The Festival of the Sun." Although the Kingdom of Soleanna saw Solaris as the "Sun god," this was not the case. Solaris fed off of the fire that was presented to it, during the Festival, growing stronger still.

Eventually, the time came that Soleanna's ruler, called the Duke of Soleanna, would attempt to harness the energy of Solaris. The Duke wanted Solaris' powers so that he could travel back in time to see his deceased wife, who had passed away when his daughter was just a few years old.

The Duke named this attempt, to capture Solaris' force, "The Solaris Project". However, the creature absorbed the power source, meant to contain it, growing stronger still. Eventually, Solaris had enough power to escape from his imprisonment and in turn would rain hell down upon the kingdom.

With an explosion, and a final absorption of the concentrated, dark, violet light, meant to control it, Solaris became two. Its halves split apart, into a dark, violet, misty, shadow, that expelled from the capsule and a broiling shell that broke apart, revealing twisting red hot flames.

Just in time to witness the fiasco, a young, silver hedgehog and another hedgehog emerged from within a warp in the air. The silver hedgehog was none other than psychokinetic, empowered Silver.

As his companion rushed after the violet shadows that had flowed out of the capsule, making an escape for the laboratory exit, Silver raced over to the fallen man and his daughter, who was currently unconscious.

"Hey! What are you doing? You've got to leave!" shouted the telekinetic hedgehog as he cleared away the rest of the debris, using his powers..

The Duke shook his head gravely, tried to stand up, but fell back to his knees. "I have my duty." He crawled over to his unconscious daughter, brushed the hair from her face, and closed his eyes.

"This Living Flame has been entrusted to the royal family. The Flames of Disaster will awaken if nothing is done! That must not happen. Eternal Sun! The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber with a royal soul!"

Suddenly the swirling flames shot up into the air and flew inside his daughter, Elise.

Iblis, one of the newly formed entities, was contained within the princess. The Duke's last dying wish would be that she would seal Iblis away forever. Ensuring the world's safety, her own as well, and that no one or nothing makes her cry. For if that were to happen, Iblis would be set free, to recreate Solaris, and then devour the very life force of the universe.

Weakly looking into the sad eyes of Silver, the Duke cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but... Can you take her to a safe place?" Then he placed Elise into the telekinetic hedgehog's arms.

"Hey!" Silver protested, but seeing that the Duke was nearing death's door, nodded solemnly and sped away, with the princess held protectively in his arms.

Seeping under the doorways, down the charred and broken stairways, through the ruined laboratories, the inky, violet shadows were almost out of the kingdom. But then there was the hedgehog, ebony with scarlet red stripes on his quills.

"Chaos Control!" Shadow called, the forest green emerald in his hand began to vibrate and glow, vibrantly with light. The violet shadowy creature, once quickly escaping, became sluggish and slow, along with time itself.

"...What?...Stop!" A detached voice protested from within the shadowy mass of darkness. But Shadow was not listening, he clasped the emerald in both hands and the scepter became encapsulated by the forest green emerald light. The scepter slowly floated into the air, the light becoming brighter and brighter.

"I am...the sun. I transcend... time itself. A bridge to... other worlds!" thundered the voice as the violet shadows thrashed around, trying to escape from the Chaos hold of Shadow the Hedgehog. "Who...Who are you?" The detached voice questioned as the shadow smoldered into a darker violet color, as it gathered closer and closer to itself.

As the scepter exploded into the air like a firework, glistening with a starlike gleam, Shadow declared: "I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog." His ruby red eyes glinted with the dazzling light of the starlike scepter as the violet shadow, that was his nemesis, began to churn and swirl.

"Shadow...Your face...Your form...I will remember." The dark voice said as the violet shadows continued to vortex into the star like light.

"Your death...Certain...You...will die!" Mephiles vowed as he was sealed within the scepter.

After the battle between Solaris and the three Super hedgehogs, Shadow, Silver, and Sonic, Mephiles and Iblis met different fates. The two having fused together to form the great and powerful, Solaris, an intra-dimensional monster who devoured the very essence of many dimensions, leaving cold dark husks of the former glory of those worlds, it had seemed that nothing could stop them from leaving the Earth with the same fate as the other worlds before.

The battle waged on for what had seemed forever and the victory was coming. With the power of all chaos emeralds infused into their souls, together the three hedgehogs spun wildly into three, blindingly, bright comets that shot towards the intra-dimensional creature, Solaris. Extending his snow white arms and preparing a final blast of pure, dark, ultraviolet light, the Destroyer of Dimensions was caught by surprise as the three bright golden lights blasted right through his deep red core.

The very essence that had fused the two into one initially, was pulling them apart. With a shriek of rage and a vow of revenge, an ultra violet mistlike shadow exploded apart from the fiery, lava like beast.

Iblis, the lava monster that had long held the future of the hedgehogs', world in post apocalyptic captivity, was falling apart. The three chaos emerald enhanced hedgehogs had done their damage. With another shriek, the great beast imploded into a supernova light show and the small flame flickered away.

With hatred filling his dark, vengeful heart, Mephiles, the second entity that had once made up part of Solaris, tried to escape into the anthropomorphic creatures world. But having created this inner dimensional place, he would now be forever trapped there.

With shouts of victories and congratulations, the three superheroes, saviors of the world and other dimensions unknown, flew, super hedgehog style, home. Believing all had been resolved, but they would learn soon that they were very wrong.

Overtime, Shadow and his friends had forgotten that dreadful creature. But he never forgot them. After the defeat of Solaris, and the vanquishing of Iblis, Mephiles was entrapped inside the inter-dimension, that had been created by the intra-dimensional entity, Solaris. Because of this, however, when Sonic and the princess went back to the past, to erase Solaris from existence, Mephiles was beyond time.

Therefore, Mephiles had survived, allowing Dr. Eggman to carry out his latest plans. Allowing Dr Eggman to set him free. Allowing Dr. Eggman to give Mephiles the chance to exact his revenge. His revenge on this wretched world of humanity, on that meddlesome Shadow the Hedgehog.

"Shadow…" Hissed Mephiles as he made another attempt to flee from the dimension he was now being contained in. "I will have my revenge…"

"Indeed you will." laughed a voice and the owner of it made his appearance. With a low bow, he hopped off of his egg mobile. Eyeing his two henchbots with sinister eagerness, he approached the seething ultra dimensional being.

"Mephiles the Dark, I believe." Doctor Eggman said, with another bow, as he extended his hand out towards the darkly curious creature.

"In the flesh…" Mephiles hissed as he accepted the handshake. " What is it that you want, Doctor Eggman?"

"What is it that I want?" mused Eggman, giving another sideways glance to his henchbots as they clumsily moved closer towards him.

"Yesss." Mephiles snarled with impatience. "What do you want…"

"It is not more about what I want, then what you would want." chortled the mad scientist as he clasped his hands together with evil glee. "Behold!" He shouted as he dramatically raised his hands into the air.

Mephiles stared at the eggmobile that Eggman was indicating, with disinterest. Starting to crystallize into his perfectly dark demonic form, from his steadily growing impatience, he advanced towards the witless fool of a scientist that stood so proudly before him.

"Tell me what you want before I make you sssuffer…"

"W-w-well…" stammered the villainous doctor, as he wrung his hands nervously. "Like I said, it is not what I want, but more about what you want…" Regaining his arrogantly, theatrical demeanor, he strided over to the Eggmobile.

"Behold!" He squawked, as he jumped back onto the Eggmobile. "It is time you witnessed our greatest triumph ever!"

"Now I am interested…" mused Mephiles as he smiled mirthlessly at the doctor who was hovering, in the Eggmobile, a few feet above him.

"I knew you would be!" he clapped his hands and chortled once more, his large belly shaking with each laugh, then he took out, from his buttoned red suit, a glittering chaos emerald. The emerald was a deep violet, that almost blended in with the dark purple and black shadows that emanated from Mephiles.

"With this emerald and the recent upgrades to my Eggmobile, all designed and created by a genius scientist (I do not know if you have had the chance to meet him yet), you can now be free."

Free. Free. Free.

"Free…" Mephiles hissed thoughtfully as he paced about his prison, the dimension Solaris had formed during its attempt to feed off of Earth's energy. "I can finally...exact my revengeee…" His cold, dark, mirthless laughter echoed off the walls of the dimension as both of Eggman's henchbots quaked with fear.

Using his latest creation, the Eggstractor, Eggman pulled Mephiles out of the void of the inter-dimension that had been created by Solaris. Eggman using chaos emerald charged light, artificial light, and Mephiles' very life force, unleashed the vengeful entity. The demon hedgehog, still incarnated in the shade of Shadow, then plotted his enemy's downfall.

Having been given a chaos emerald of his own, Mephiles traveled via chaos control to the beach where the ultimate life form was was relaxing at. He was the one that followed Shadow, through the forests when night fell, home. He was the one who made himself known to Shadow, by knocking him out with a tree limb.

He was the one who had broken into Shadow's home. Mephiles threw Shadow back and forth, throughout the life form's living room, unmercifully. However hard he threw him, Mephiles did not intend to kill his for, yet. He needed something from him. He needed his...

"Power..." Mephiles hissed as he stalked towards the stunned Shadow, who was currently knocked out from all the beating he took. "I need...your...your power!" And Mephiles raised his hands into the air, his blood red eyes glittering malevolently. Shadow's body seized as he was being electrocuted by chaos charged light, from the aqua colored emerald gripped in the ice cold hands of Mephiles.

Then with a cruel, mirthless laugh he advanced towards the black and scarlet hedgehog, dissolving into a dark, violet, shadowy, mist, he seeped into the violently shaking hedgehog. He tore through his power core, rendering Shadow unable to control his own actions.

He had lost his counterpart. He had lost his powers. He had lost his ability to devour the lifeforce of dimensions and worlds. But one thing he had was the demonic powers to carry out his revenge. After taking Shadow's powers, Mephiles went for the rest of the chaos emeralds.

Having two chaos emeralds, originally, Mephiles only needed five more. Mephiles fought at Sonic's side, as Shadow, to acquire the snow white crystalline emerald, but the blue, meddlesome, foolish mortal had stolen it from him. Now Mephiles did not have any idea where the other emeralds were, except one. The Master Emerald.

Mephiles visited Knuckles, the red headed echidna, in his palace of solitude. Having the received the welcome, he had expected, Shadow's chaos enhanced powers came in handy. Slowing down time would slow down Knuckles, allowing the demonic entity the chance to take possession of the desirable, ultimate, powers of the Master Emerald.

Not caring if that put the whole of Angel Island at risk, Mephiles drained the Emerald of all its precious lifeforce. And knowing it was now useless, save for the chaos emeralds, Mephiles left Knuckles to pick up the pieces.

Once Mephiles left Knuckles and Angel Island behind, he forcibly brought Shadow to Eggman's secret lair. One thing he had forgotten. One creature he had written off as dead, was Sonic. He should have known better. After all hadn't he tried to kill that fool a while back? Wherever there were emeralds, there was Sonic's salvation. Having dissipated from Shadow, Mephiles left the two hedgehogs to battle it out.

Using his powers of controlling time, thanks to his ultra dimensional abilities and the powers he had borrowed from Shadow, the seething, ultra violet, entity went to the past, where Sonic and Knuckles had dropped off Silver in the desert. Having his window of opportunity, the violet supernatural claimed the two emeralds, for his own. Now he had five emeralds, the fifth being Shadow's beloved forest green emerald, which Mephiles had taken when he left Shadow to fight Sonic, in the cave that led to Eggman's secret lair.

Returning to Eggman, Mephiles expected the Doctor to turn on him once he proved to be beyond the mad scientist's control. Having perceived this, Mephiles plotted to betray that little, fat oaf. Taking over Eggman, Mephiles had nearly all of Sonic's enemies under control. Soon his friends would turn against him as well.

In fact, the time came when Silver chaos controlled into the cavern, and foolishly waved the sunlight emerald in the face of the demon. He was easy to take over, but Sonic. It almost drained the entity of all his energy.

The only other option for defeating this blue hedgehog, was to kill him, using every means necessary. Putting his friends into a fitful sleep, Mephiles then possessed all the machinery, declaring war against the hapless Sonic.

Mephiles had exceeded all expectations. Those heroes thought he was out of commision. Trapped in the parallel dimension, Solaris had made. But no. It could not be forever. Mephiles had risen above the odds. Like a dark, deadly, fearful Phoenix, Mephiles had risen from the ashes...