Sonic the Hedgehog: Blood Pact
Author's note: And now for chapter two. Not a lot to say at this point, other than a reiteration of last chapter's warning: This takes place in the Archie Comics continuity. If that bothers you, leave now, because I refuse to tolerate any bullshit flames about which continuity is the best one. Otherwise, enter with an open mind and enjoy. Even if you're not Archie-Sonic's biggest fan, you might enjoy this one. J
Copyright info: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any other character used in this story. If I did, though, you can bet there'd be a super cool Sonic game with SatAM characters for the Gamecube (and since they already used "Sonic Heroes", I'd call it "Sonic Legendz".)
Continuity info: This takes place in the Archie comic's continuity immediately after the infamous #134("Say You Will", featuring what Dan Drazen aptly titled "the slap heard 'round the fandom" and Sonic and Sally splitting up…again…). Everything that happened after that issue is disregarded. The events depicted in this story act as a substitute for the events that take place at this point in the comics.
Where once was light
Now darkness falls
Where once was love
Love is no more
Don't say goodbye
Don't say I didn't try
-"Gollum's Song", Emiliana Torrini
Chapter One: Darkness in Dreams
By Blue Eyes Shining Dragon
"Work through the pain." Knuckles commanded himself, launching another punch into a large boulder right in front of him.
Pain shot through Knuckles' whole arm, traveling quickly through his body like a lightning bolt. Grunting, Knuckles repeated the action with his other arm, again causing great pain. To the echidna's satisfaction, he could see the smallest of cracks in the boulder where he had pounded on it (and had BEEN pounding on it for almost three straight hours now). Of course, he had to see the crack through a veil of blood. Hours of constant attacking had caused Knuckles' hands to split open at the root of the razor knuckles that gave him his name. His hands were bleeding and badly, but he did not care. He was going to split this rock in two if it took him all day, even if it killed him. Indeed, having died once and been reborn, Knuckles had little to fear from death. However, his return had come at a price. The great powers he had been born with-enhanced strength, control of Chaos energies, and the ability to glide along the winds using his dreadlocks-had been taken away. That was why he came to this rock quarry, week after week, to practice. He would regain his strength, at least, through hard work and practice. He had to.
"Breathe…don't rush things…" he reminded himself aloud, taking a deep breath and re-assuming his fighting stance, both fists, blood included, raised in front of him.
In the year since Sonic had disappeared, Angel Island had been conquered by Robotnik. Knuckles and Julie-Su had escaped, along with the Chaotix, but the rest of his family and friends had not. Not a day had gone by since that Knuckles did not think of going back to Angel Island and re-taking it, even though King Acorn had expressly forbidden Knuckles from taking such action. If it was not for Julie-Su's calming presence in Knothole, he most likely would have violated the order long ago and gone to the island himself. However, he had not, and instead focused on training himself so that, when he did, he would be ready. Once again, he began slamming his bloodied fists into the boulder over and over, ignoring the increasing pain.
He stopped when he heard a small crumbling noise from nearby. "I wish you'd stop doing this…" a familiar voice chided.
"Julie-Su…" Knuckles acknowledged, turning to face the pink-furred echidna. He had told Julie-Su about his training as soon as he had started, and while she feared for his safety, she respected and trusted him enough to allow him to continue. However, she was still immensely uncomfortable with it. "I just got you back," she had told him the night he had informed her of his training, "I don't want to lose you again so soon…"
Knuckles truly appreciated her allowing him to continue his training. She understood he could not bear simply sitting out battles on the sidelines, and had to do something to make himself stronger again. It was a reminder to Knuckles of just how deeply she cared for him, and after all the tension he had been feeling, particularly over the last few days, he felt all the more relieved to know it. "Somehow", he promised to himself as Julie-Su walked towards him, "I'll show her how much I care for her when this is all over…"
The metallic casing she wore on her dreadlocks gleaming in the dying light of the setting sun, Julie-Su made her way to Knuckles and hugged him. Before, it had felt awkward to even think about her feelings for the echidna; her life had been filled with so much betrayal and hurt before she had met Knuckles that the idea of placing trust in her emotions had become alien to her. That had changed because of him. What about him had done it, she could not say for sure, but whatever it was, it had given her the strength to believe in her own emotions again. Their time together in Knothole had only served to strengthen their bond, and she now felt more than ever that she loved him.
"So," Knuckles asked with a smile, quite enjoying their embrace, "what brings you out here? You don't usually watch me train…not that I mind…"
Julie-Su smiled. At the sight of Knuckles' bloodied hands, however, her smile faded. "This is what he wants," she reminded herself, "and I just have to live with that..."
"I just…needed some company, 's'all…" she said, a twinge of melancholy in her voice.
"Something wrong?" Knuckles asked, picking his gloves up off the ground and placing them back on his hands. "You sound upset….did something happen?"
Julie-Su had to chuckle at her boyfriend's concern. "Not to me, no. It's just…well, Sonic and the Princess…"
"I know what you mean…" Knuckles nodded.
Sonic and Sally were both good friends of his, and seeing them as unhappy as they had been was hard on him.
"So…how've they been doing?" Knuckles asked, beginning to do stretch exercises with his legs.
He himself had made an effort to avoid them; this was one conflict he had little interest in taking part in, and as much as he would have liked to help the two of them mend things between them, he feared his inexperience in such matters would lead to his causing even more harm. Better, he felt, to let them work it out themselves, difficult as it might be.
"Not good. I heard they had another fight a couple days ago, this time in the Square…rumor has it Sonic was even with another woman…" Julie-Su said, finishing her sentence with an exasperated sigh. "It's really a shame…they seemed to be so happy together…"
Knuckles nodded knowingly as he moved on to arm stretches. "I know…they seemed like the proof that things could work out at the end of this nightmare." He said, a sadness born from experience in his voice.
"That hits the nail right on the head, actually…" Julie-Su thought to herself, lazily drawing the small laser gun she carried around in her bootstrap.
Having lost her home and her family to Robotnik in the last year, she had indeed begun to wonder if there was any hope left. Her life, for as long as she could remember, had been one long struggle. There had been pauses and reprieves, but none had lasted too long. Being…with Knuckles…had helped her begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, there would come a day that her life would be peaceful and the struggle would end. Seeing Sonic and Sally together…how happy they were…how being with the other made it seem possible for them to do anything…it had seemed like the proof that life could be more than just battle and conflict. And then…then it had just fallen apart. She wanted to believe it was just a tiff, that it would blow over, but the more she thought about it, the more she could not help but think that it was much worse. The rumors of Sonic's cruel behavior had only worsened her fear. "Being in Knothole right now…it's like being in a pressure cooker or something. Everyone's tense about Sonic and Sally…it piles on top of my own worries and makes me feel like I'm gonna EXPLODE!" she explained in a burst of breath, taking aim and firing her laser gun at a far-off boulder, blowing it into pieces.
After the loud explosion, everything in the quarry was silence. Knuckles stared, dumbfounded at Julie-Su's outburst, towards the smoking remains of the boulder; he had no idea that things had been affecting her so badly. "Maybe it's time I step in…" he suggested, a slight tremble of surprise in his voice.
Aiming at a new boulder, Julie-Su shot a quick glance of bemusement at him. "You? No offense, but this isn't exactly your forte…" she said drolly, firing again at her new target, again successful in destroying it.
No longer in shock over Julie-Su's reaction, Knuckles answered with far more composure, "Maybe not, but they're my friends; I should do something."
Julie-Su grinned at his earnestness. It was one of the things about him she found so endearing. "If that's what you think is best, go for it; I won't stop you…" she laughed.
Knuckles thumbed his nose at her with a chuckle. "What, you don't think I can do it?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.
"I didn't say that…" Julie-Su said mock-innocently.
Knuckles merely laughed and began walking out of the quarry.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"…but thankfully, Eggman seems to have become dormant after our last ba…Sally? Sally, are you awake?"
Geoffrey St. John sighed in frustration. The meeting of Knothole's royal council had begun only half an hour ago, and through it all, Princess Sally had dozed off three times already. This was the fourth time, and Geoffrey was beginning to grow frustrated. "Hm…? Wha…? Oh…I'm sorry, did I doze off again?" Sally asked, her eyes fluttering open, her voice obviously groggy.
"Sally, this isn't like you at all. Are you feeling alright?" Geoffrey asked concernedly.
Sally waved dismissively at him. "It's nothing, really. I just haven't been getting enough sleep lately…" she answered with a yawn and a stretch.
A silence hung over the room. It made Sally feel amazingly awkward, even out of place, and she suddenly noticed just how small the room she was in seemed. She sat at the head of a large, rectangular table. On either side of the table were three seats, each one seating a different member of the small council her father had made shortly after Sonic's disappearance. Along with Geoffrey, head of Knothole's military activity, there was Sally's old friend Rotor as chief of scientific activities; Dr. Quack as head medical official; Sonic's Uncle, the recently de-roboticized Sir Charles Hedgehog, as first royal advisor and secondary chief of scientific activities; Hershey Katt as chief civilian representative; and finally Antoine D'Collette, another of Sally's childhood friends, as secondary royal advisor and head of security. All six of them seemed to be staring directly into Sally's soul right then, like…the nightmare eyes…."No! Do NOT think about that right now! You have other things to worry about!" Sally's exhausted mind reminded her. Shaking her head to wake herself, Sally looked back at her council. "I apologize for my exhaustion; I'll see to it that I get more sleep in the future. For now, let's finish this meeting, shall we?" she stated in the confident tone of voice the council was used to.
"Ai am zee only one who haz not reportedd een." Antoine answered, his heavy French accent obscuring his speech as usual.
Sally looked to the young coyote in response, awaiting his report. She had long noticed Antoine's perculiar shift towards a cooler, more callous behavior. Gone was the cowardly but chivalrous young knight Sally had grown up with. In his place was an unfeeling, oftentimes even cruel soldier. It had started shortly after Sonic's disappearance a year ago, but had gotten worse ever since. It had even led to a termination of Anotine's relationship with Bunnie Rabbott, something Sally felt she could relate to right about then. "And of course, my mind wanders to Sonic when it SHOULD be focused on the meeting…" Sally mentally sighed to herself as Antoine gave the latest update on city security
"Beyond zee usual reef-raff, zere ees leetle too reeport; howevair, zere ees a subject I vish to deescuss weeth zees counceel." Antoine said, his voice cold and monotone.
"You may speak…" Sally said, hiding the distraction she felt inside with her bold tone.
"Eet involves you, my preencess," Antoine continued, immediately grabbing everyone's attention, "az vell as your nephew, Sir Charlez."
"Sonic?" Uncle Chuck asked with a raised eyebrow, in unison with Sally's own surprised explanation of the name; had Antoine somehow sensed she was thinking of him?
"Yess. I am vondering eef hees, 'ow you zay…eendeescretiowns," Antoine said, struggling with the word "indiscretions" as best he could, "…'ave note beegunn to eefeckt your leedairsheep skeels, my preencess."
For the second time in only a few minutes, all sound vanished from the room. Unlike Sally, Antoine did not seem to be intimidated by the stillness. Sally was the first to regain her composure. She had to admit, she was surprised; in spite of his new, more arrogant behavior, Sally had never expected Antoine of all people to so publicly approach her about such a private matter. Doing her best to keep her anger at his decision in check, she stated in a controlled but powerful voice, "My personal matters are my own, General D'Coolette, and I do not allow them to influence my life as a member of the Royal Family."
She made sure to call him by his last name; ironically, she only used to do that when she was angry at him, but had recently begun doing so to show him the proper respect as a member of the council. Her statement, however, was only half-true. Her previous talk with Sonic and Lilith two days ago had shaken her worse than she wanted to admit, and her nightmares had grown worse. She had them every time she slept, and each time she had the nightmare, the same one over and over again, it felt…closer, somehow. Whenever she awoke from it, she found her own fear of it made it next to impossible to go back to sleep. And Sonic…no one had seen him, not even Tails, since their fight in the Square. Two whole days and he had not even come to Knothole. No matter how much she wanted to, Sonic still held a prominent place in her thoughts, and combined with the nightmares, it had begun to take its toll on her. "Your beehaveeor over zee last two dayz suggests ozerwize, my preencess." Antoine responded to Sally, snapping her back to attention.
Even as Sally mentally berated herself for losing focus yet again, the coyote continued. "Ever seence zee 'edge'og reefuzed your proposal to aseest in ruling ze kingdom in your fahzerr's abseence," he said, and Sally noted he avoided using Sonic's name as he had once done when they had been much younger and he had held a great animosity towards Sonic, "you 'ave not been able to fokees on our meetings, and 'ave been sloppy in your deeceesion-makeenk. I feel I 'ave been sailent about zees for long eenoff."
Rotor was quick to respond. "I don't know what you're talking about. Sally seems fine to me." He said loudly and clearly, although Sally could tell he too had noticed the same thing and was defending her more as a friend than a council member.
"Look, we're all a little on-edge right now. Maybe it's best if we discuss this later…" Uncle Chuck said calmly, his eyes closed in focus. The aging hedgehog chose not to mention his own discomfort at Antoine's mentioning of Sonic's influence on Sally; he was having enough trouble struggling with his worry for his nephew without Sonic getting involved in the council's politics. He, as well as his brother Jules and sister-in-law Bernie, was holding out hope that Sonic would return soon and they had nothing to worry about, but it was a hope that was fading fast.
"I agree with Sir Charles; motion to adjourn." Geoffrey stated coolly.
"I second the motion." Hershey said.
"All in favor, say aye." Sally said, swallowing the breath of relief she almost exhaled when all but Antoine "aye"-d their approval. "Meeting adjourned." She said, rising out of her chair and quickly making her way to the exit; the others followed suit.
As he passed her, Antoine gave Sally a cold stare. "Vee shawl feeneesh zees next time, my preencess…" he said emotionlessly. Sally almost shivered at the lifelessness of his voice; there was no way it could have belonged to the Antoine she knew.
"Then again…" she mentally sighed, "there was 'no way' that Sonic and I would ever fight like we did two days ago…"
She sighed, out loud this time, as the other members of the council walked past, talking amongst themselves. She hated to admit it, but a part of her longed for the days before the defeat of the original Robotnik. Things had been…simpler then, easier to understand. Things made sense to her then. "Now nothing seems right anymore…" she groaned to herself.
"You know what they say: sometimes, it's darkest just before dawn…" Sally heard the familiar voice of Knuckles utter cryptically.
She turned to her left to see the red echidna, arms folded confidently across his chest, leaning against the wall near the door to the council meeting room. "I wish I could believe that right now…" Sally said, looking glumly at the floor.
Unfolding his arms, Knuckles stepped towards the young squirrel. With a sigh, Sally lifted her eyes to meet his. "So…what brings you here? You don't usually take an interest in politics…" she asked, her voice lightened somewhat.
"I wanted to see how you were holding up," Knuckles said sincerely. "Not very good, from the look of it."
Sally laughed sadly. "That obvious, huh?" she asked, her shoulders sagging slightly.
Knuckles mentally slapped himself. "No no NO! This is NOT how you comfort someone!" he could hear Julie-Su scolding him in his thoughts.
With a deep sigh, the young princess returned her gaze to the floor. "I…I'm sorry, Sally, that came out all wrong…" Knuckles started, resisting the urge to flail his arms in desperation.
"It's OK, Knuckles…" Sally said simply and flatly. "I appreciate your concern…but this is really something I need to handle on my own."
Turning to leave, she was surprised when she felt Knuckles' strong grip on her shoulder. "Not so fast." He said, firmly and confidently now. "Shutting people out is no way to solve your problems; believe me, I've tried. All it does is make things worse."
Sally looked back at the echidna, catching his crystalline eyes in her own. She could tell from the look on his face he was fully serious, and that he was not going to give up on this, on her, without a fight. She smiled, truly and fully, for the first time in days. "Maybe some things are still right after all…" she whispered to herself. Placing her hand on Knuckles' as a signal that she was not going anywhere, she faced him fully now. "Tell me what's been happening…" Knuckles said roughly; catching himself, he hastily added, "…please?"
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Sonic did not know where he was. He did not care. He did not know how he had gotten here, but this too was a fact that meant little to him. Standing fully erect, staring emotionlessly, almost lifelessly, ahead of him, he remained completely still. He was in the middle of a large hallway. The floors and walls were made of the same rusted brown stones, vines and moss weaving in and out of the cracks. The walls were lined with torches and carvings, as well as large statues of bizarre, skeleton-like creatures. None of these details entered Sonic's thoughts, however. Instead, he simply remained where he was. His thoughts were a blur, oddly detached from himself and yet still there. There were faces without names…places where a face, a memory, should have been, but where there none…and Lilth. "Lilith…" he repeated out loud, a strange mix of nothingness and lust, as the name finally clicked in his mind.
Yes, Lilith. She had a name. A face. A body. She was whole. She made sense. "You said my name, Blue. Good." He heard a voice…her voice…echo throughout the hallway, though he could not tell where it was coming from. "We're making progress, then. Follow my voice, Sonic…follow my voice…"
"Lilith…" he said again, more alive this time than before. He had heard her…calling to him. She wanted him with her. If he went…maybe she could make him feel whole too. She could make him feel alive again. "I'm coming!" he shouted, his whole being seeming to unify from its disparity around that single concept. Then, with the incredible speed he was named for, he zoomed through the tunnels. Anyone else moving at his speed would surely have crashed into one of the many fallen pillars and overturned stones or missed any of the turns that presented themselves in the hall. Sonic moved through them as if by instinct, never even coming close to allowing them to halt him. Lilith had called. He would answer, and nothing would get in his way. Soon, he came to the end of the long hallway, only to find himself in the middle of a gargantuan room, a place his now-more-alert mind immediately noticed looked like a place of worship, a temple of some kind. The domed roof was comprised of a series of four large, stained glass images depicting what looked like a story. The first image showed a large, glowing object and four silhouetted heads beneath its light. The second showed a strange, horned creature that looked like a deformed skeleton wearing a flowing red robe facing the light, fire surrounding its body. The third showed the skeleton-creature covered in large bands of blackness jutting out of what looked like Mobius. The final image was pure black, with large red eyes on it. What they meant, Sonic did not know. However, he was slowly becoming aware again, and that awareness warned him the images had significance. The warning was quickly silenced as Sonic remembered why he had come: Lilith was here, somewhere. Scanning the room, he got a feel for its structure, in case Lilith was hiding and he was supposed to find her. It was bare, save for the usual signs of ruin and a large altar on the opposite end of the room from Sonic. The altar was comprised of three large stone steps leading to a rectangular platform. On either side of the platform were golden torches, lit and burning brightly. "Nice job, Blue. You made it." A familiar purr echoed throughout the room.
"Lilith…?" Sonic asked, looking around the room in vain to find the bat. Suddenly, the walls of the room began to ooze a strange black liquid, almost as if the walls were bleeding. The many strands of black slithered right in front of Sonic, coalescing together to create a swirling pool of darkness. Sonic could only stare at it, wondering what it was. He was answered when, from the center of the darkness, a shape began to emerge, taking form and peeling away to reveal Lilith, standing mere inches from the hedgehog.
"You're progressing a lot faster than we anticipated…" she said, an electric joy buzzing in her words as she stretched her wings and arms as if she had just awoken from a long sleep. "We thought it'd be much harder to rebuild your mind after we…purified it…but you've proved us wrong, Blue. Good work."
Sonic could not help but smile. Lilith was happy. That could only be good. "I'm really proud of ya…" she said warmly, placing Sonic in a loving embrace that the hedgehog was all too glad to return. For a while, that was how they remained. They separated in surprise, however, when a raspy voice echoed through the chamber. "Enough. Bring him, Lilith…" it hissed, a rattling sound like metal scraping against stone. Looking to the altar, Lilith sighed in annoyance.
"Looks like the fun's over, Blue…Amodeus wants to see you. C'mon, let's go." She said exasperatedly, heading up the stairs to the altar.
Already missing the warmth of her touch, Sonic followed Lilith wordlessly. Although his thoughts had stabilized, he still felt disoriented and unsure of what to say. Instead, he chose simply to follow Lilith's lead and wait until he had a better grip on himself. Once Sonic had joined her on the altar, Lilith kneeled down to the ground and closed her eyes. "Fakensor Relkaw Daxis, Elt Su Ssap!" she murmured in a language Sonic could not understand.
As she finished her chant, Lilith thrust her arms forward and opened her hands up, a frightening red glow coming from her palms. The entire altar began to glow the same way, and the light soon grew brighter and brighter until Sonic could no longer see anything beyond its borders. Just as quickly as it had flared, however, the light vanished. When it cleared, Sonic realized that, while he and Lilith were still on the same altar, they were no longer in the same room. Surrounded by darkness, Sonic could only vaguely tell they were in a room at all now, thanks to the small glimpses of light given to him by the torches. Lilith, standing up again, looked to the hedgehog to see his head darting from side to side, trying to make out his new location. Grinning, she said, "Here, let me clear things up for ya, Blue."
Waving her right arm in front of her, Lilith watched in amusement as torch after torch lit aflame, revealing the new room. It resembled the underground chamber on Angel Island that housed the Master Emerald, diamonds on its walls reflecting the firelight. The ground was marble, and behind the altar, a towering gate was the only door or window of any kind. "Welcome to your new home." Lilith said with a laugh.
"This is no time for games, Lilith…the time for action draws near…" the hissing voice said, no longer an echo but identifiably close by. Looking to the source of the voice, Sonic saw that in front of the altar was a large throne, seemingly constructed from the skeletons of various dead creatures. Sitting there, staring at Sonic with an intensity that even the brave blue hedgehog found unnerving, was an elderly goat whose sole clothing was a blood-red robe hung around his neck with a golden chain. The bony fingers of his right hand were curled around the middle of a long wooden staff that had a large, bizarrely shaped skull at its top. His right horn was cut off half-way, a scar drifting down from its root all the way across the goat's left eye and down to his chin. "Are you sure he is ready?" the goat rasped, drumming his fingers up and down his staff.
Lilith nodded enthusiastically. "His memory of his friends is gone, and his mind is stabilizing quickly, Amodeus!" She said happily, giving Sonic a name to place with the goat.
"'Stabilizing quickly' is not the same as 'ready'!" Amodeus barked solemnly. "His ability to obey our orders is crucial to the rebirth of our master! If anything should go wrong…"
"Yeah, yeah, gloom 'n' doom, blah blah blah. I'm telling you, he's fine!" Lilith interrupted sarcastically.
"This is not a GAME, Lilith!" Amodeus roared, slamming his free hand onto the armrest of his throne.
Lilith looked pleadingly to Sonic. "He is ready," she thought to herself, "I know he is! If only I could prove it…"
The look of need in Lilith's violet eyes sparked something deep inside his mind. All thoughts of doubt and confusion seemed to vanish instantly, replaced instead by an irresistible urge to act on Lilith's behalf. Stepping off the altar, the hedgehog zoomed up to Amodeus' throne, and launched a punch straight at the goat's face before Lilith or Amodeus had time to react. However, just before he made contact, Sonic stopped. His fist rested right in front of Amodeus' face, so close the goat could feel Sonic's glove nestled on the tips of his aged fur. "So…" Sonic said, his voice low and menacing, "think I'm ready now?" A devious smile had formed on the hedgehog's face, and Lilith gave him a loud whistling cheer from the altar.
"ATTABOY, BLUE!" she shouted, jumping up and down joyfully.
Amodeus was still for a moment. Eventually, he began clapping, and smiled as well, though his was like that of a predator ready to pounce. "Yes," he hissed, "you're ready."
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"…and every time I've had it, the dream seems to…progress a little, like it's moving forward to give me a whole message." Sally finished explaining.
She sat with Knuckles at a small, secluded table in the main room of The Stag's Hoof, Knothole's most popular diner. The echidna had suggested a lunchtime chat about Sally's problems, and the Hoof had come to mind immediately. The place was always so busy that the presence of two of Knothole's most prolific denizens would go unnoticed and unheard in the crowd and the din. That was where the two had been for the last few hours, enjoying their meal and each other's company, while simultaneously discussing Sally's troubles over the last two days. Knuckles had taken interest especially in Sally's nightmares, and the conversation had turned to them. Now that he knew the whole story, the echidna scratched his chin in thought, taking in all the information.
"Well, one thing's for sure," Knuckles said after giving the matter some thought. "These nightmares you've been having are definitely NOT normal…"
"Well, I could have told you that." Sally chuckled.
Knuckles grinned at Sally's joke; it was good to see her mood lightening. "The way I see it, I'm thinking someone…some thing…is trying to communicate with you and it does NOT sound friendly." He said, returning to the subject at hand.
"But who? Why? How?" Sally blurted. "The voice talks like we've met before, but I have NO idea who it could possibly belong to."
Knuckles again scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm…it might be more complicated than simply a figure from your past…perhaps someone connected to your family somehow…" he pondered out loud. Putting his hand down, he continued, "Still, I don't think we're going to make a lot of progress just sitting here talking about it."
Sally nodded. "I assume, of course, you have a better idea."
Again, the echidna was pleased to hear some life in Sally's voice again. "As a matter of fact, I do. I managed to take the Book of Myths with me when Julie-Su and I escaped Angel Island. It's at my hut on the other side of town, and there might be something in there that can help."
Sally remembered the Book. Knuckles had told her about it a few years ago. It supposedly contained every myth, legend, and supernatural occurrence ever recoded in Mobian history. Whether that was true or not, neither Sally nor knuckles knew, but it was indisputable that the Book contained more information on such things than any other tome on the planet, and it seemed as good a resource as any to decipher her nightmares. "I'll swing by my hut as soon as I can and pick it up." Knuckles said. "You should probably go home yourself, try and get some nightmare-free sleep…"
The two stood to leave. As they did, Sally looked at her old friend and was struck by a sudden surge of…hope. For two straight days, she had thought she was alone without Sonic, helpless and trapped in a downward spiral that seemed endless. Yet in only a matter of hours, a guardian born and bred to be emotionally withdrawn had shown her how wrong she was. She was not alone, she could fight this, and she had Knuckles to thank for that knowledge. As he began walking to the exit, she reached out to him and said, strongly but quietly, "Wait."
Knuckles stopped and turned to her with a slight, "Hm?"
"Thank you, Knuckles. You…you've really helped me out of a big funk, and I…I just…that means a lot to me. Thank you." She said, stumbling slightly throughout, trying her best to not overanalyze her words and bog her message down.
Knuckles merely grinned. "What are friends for?"
With that, the two left the Hoof to return home.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Falling.
"You called to me."
She was definitely falling.
"Do you remember?"
The familiar skyscrapers of Robotropolis rose higher and higher above her.
"I know I remember…"
The wind beat against her back. A cut rope was gripped futilely in her hand.
"I remember the delicious taste of your fear…"
Suddenly, she felt it. Every inch of her body erupted in pain. She could feel her senses dulling. She could hear her bones breaking.
"I remember the sweet smell of your blood…"
Her blood…she could feel it oozing out of her…
"I remember the wondrous feeling of your turmoil…"
She was falling. Again? Hadn't she hit the ground already?
"And then…I came to you…"
The skyscrapers were gone. Her pain was gone. She was falling…floating…
"I came to you with an offer…"
Light. Darkness. They flew past her eyes and would not stop.
"And you…"
Light.
"…SAID…"
Darkness.
"YES!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sally shrieked as she lurched up in her bed, drenched in sweat and clutching her sheet tightly to her chest. Panting heavily, she looked around in fear, trying desperately to calm herself. The dream again. Closer than ever before. This time…this time she had seen the moment of what many had once believed her death. Her fall from the original Robotnik's citadel in Robotropolis. "Is THAT what this is about?" she wondered. "Some sort of…psychological trauma? No…no, it's not that…"
Looking outside her balcony window, she could see it was still dark out. Realizing she would NOT be getting to sleep soon after that nightmare, she contemplated simply waiting in bed for dawn. She quickly dismissed the idea, however. Knuckles had shown her she did not need to let these nightmares ruin her life, and she intended to follow his example. Discarding her nightgown, Sally strapped on her old blue vest and put on her walking boots, silently leaving her room and heading outside. After sneaking out of the palace, Sally began to get a feel of just how late it really was. All the lights in Knothole seemed to be out. Darkness and silence ruled, with even the stars and the moon absent from their usual place in the sky. Walking through the silent streets, Sally, rather than be frightened, felt oddly…relieved. Just being awake, active, was helping her feel more in-control again. She knew just where to go to help calm her nerves as well. It did not take long before she had reached her destination. It was an open meadow, devoid of any of the buildings or skyscrapers of the main city, with a beautiful lake splashing silently and soothingly at its center. "The ring pool…" she sighed happily.
It was a place that held many memories for the princess. Once, a powerful generator had rested at its bottom, generating power rings every few hours. The generator had since been removed, but the lake and its name remained. She had always been able to calm herself in the lake's presence, and tonight was no different. Taking off her boots, she walked down to the lake and sat at its edge, dipping her feet in it and staring up to the empty sky. She was not getting back to sleep, but rather than simply sit in bed quivering, tonight she would take the time to contemplate. "The only way to get over your problems is to confront them!" Knuckles had said boldly during their lunch at the Hoof earlier that day.
Knowing Knuckles, his actual meaning was most likely more…violent…but thinking through her problems was something Sally knew she was good at, and it was something she had not received time to do in a good long while. "So…let's run a checklist, shall we?" she mentally asked herself.
"Item number 1: Nightmares. Don't know what they're about, they scare me out of my mind and they might be linked to some sort of dangerous mythological entity. However, as of yet, all they've done is deprive me of sleep. Solution: come to ring pool to calm self, think through problems, and go back to sleep. Item number 1, check." She thought, making a small swooping gesture with her hand.
"Item number 2: Sonic." She continued.
Here, her thoughts became more troubled. His two-day absence had taken away her chance of talking to him again, of attempting to reconcile their current conflict. He had wedged himself firmly in her mind ever since, and she had to wonder if there was any way to get him out. Was he safe? What did Lilith have to do with his aggressive behavior? Was he…was he thinking of her, too? "Maybe that's the problem…" she thought. "Maybe…maybe I'm scared he's forgotten me…forgotten us…so quickly."
Could that have been it? Was she afraid he did not love her anymore? Was she afraid she didn't love him anymore? "Well, I know that isn't it…" she thought. "…because I know I still love him…"
That was important. She DID still love him. That meant that she had to believe in him. After all, it was Sonic who had taught her that loving someone meant having faith in them. "I have faith in Sonic..." she realized. "Even after that night…even after his anger…I still have faith in him…"
Smiling, she looked down from the sky to the lake. "Item number 2: Check." She laughed mentally.
That mental laughter quickly faded as her ears flicked gently in detection of a sound. She was no longer alone. Plucking her feet out of the water, she stood up quickly, years of guerilla missions in Robotropolis having conditioned her to expect the worst. Looking through the meadow, she put her boots back on and assumed a small fighting stance, mentally cursing herself for leaving Nichole back at the palace. Her eyes soon became fixed on a shadowy figure walking towards her, a familiar figure she quickly realized, even in the darkness.
"Sonic…?" she whispered, almost unable to believe it.
"Princess Sally." He answered, though the flat tone of his voice unnerved the princess. "It is time to honor the bloodpact." He hissed.
"That which is written in blood cannot be forgotten…" Sally remembered the voice in her dream saying.
"No…" she cried in despair, realizing something terrible was happening and that, somehow, Sonic had become its pawn.
Before she had a chance to act, however, Sonic had already sped towards her. In the blink of an eye, he had gotten behind the squirrel. "Yes." He growled, swinging his fist into the back of Sally's head and knocking her unconscious.
To Be Continued…