Chapter 13: Fallen Star
The maddening spirals accelerated, filling Fiona's vision as they bored into her mind. Her knees buckled, her arms hanging limp, as her jaw dropped open.
"That's it, my dear... it's time for you to see the world my way."
"N-no... Get out of my head..." She winced, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to turn her head away. Though his hand prevented that much, it was at least some relief to not have to stare into those eyes anymore.
"Okay, I'll admit, the spirals don't do anything, they're just fun." He chuckled. Both of his hands moved to the sides of her head, then releasing his energy. She screamed, twisting, squirming, trying to escape. "Feels like getting stabbed in the brain, doesn't it? I'm afraid it's a necessary evil, but rest assured, when it's done, you'll thank me."
"F-fuck... you..." She groaned.
"In due time." He smirked. The pain intensified, and Fiona went limp in his arms. "Now, have your rest, and when you wake, you will be my new queen. Perhaps you can make a better daughter for me than Iblis was..."
"Yes... Master..." She slurred, drifting off to sleep. He lowered her to the ground, running his fingers over through her hair. Raising his hand, energy crackled over it, plunging down into her chest. She twitched for a moment, her back arching, eyes flicking open, blazing crimson in the gloom, as the colour began to drain from her fur. Her teeth sharpened, her claws ripping through her gloves. Her hair floated, her physique suddenly starting to develop again.
"I've been in need of a new Eris... and you are perfectly suited, Fiona... well, with a few alterations."
"Excuse me..." A voice called out. Hyperion looked up from his captive for a moment, and received a metal fist in the gut for his trouble. Knocked sprawling, he looked up to see Emerl standing over him, raising his foot to stomp on his head. "But I've really had enough of people getting possessed and trying to brainwash their lovers today." The engine in his foot fired, white flames belching from it. "And nobody does that to Niki and gets away with it. Plus, what you're doing to Fiona is sick."
Hyperion roared, twisting, clawing at Emerl's leg, trying to pierce him with his tails. The Gizoid stood in place, pressing his foot down further.
"Get. Off me!" He howled, his voice slightly muffled by the sole of the robot's chunky foot.
"Sorry, but that isn't happening." He replied. Hyperion's eyes spiralled again, twin rays blasting out, wreathing the android's toe in fire. "Go on, squander your heat vision. My soles are heatproofed, moreso than the rest of my shell. That won't do anything."
"It's... working?" Sonic asked, as he finally threw the Gizoid off. He rolled over, in the air, stabilizing himself with his engines, watching the fox stand, glaring hatefully at him.
"He's almost out of energy." Emerl replied. "I can see it. Taking control of Tails. Transforming his body. Nuking the army. Fighting Iblis. Sealing her away. Fighting us. Shielding himself from our attacks, and now, hypnotizing and transforming Fiona, combined with all the time he's spent showboating and talking. It all adds up, and leaves us with one energy-starved freak, using all of his power to keep his hold on Tails. Hyper forms last about half an hour if you remain idle, remember? He's burnt up all of his power."
"Oh, that's good..." Sonic smirked, blasting forward and unloading a vicious right hook into Hyperion's cheek. He stumbled back, lashing with his claws, only for his opponent to snag his wrist, holding it at bay as he repeatedly jabbed him in the stomach. The fox groaned, hefting his knee into Sonic's stomach, spinning in place to knock him off-balance, exploding a small blast in his face to throw him back.
"I might not be able to kill you now, but I'll be focused next time!" He snarled, rushing over to Fiona, who remained unmoving and blank, currently stuck halfway through her change. He embraced her, reaching a hand up to trigger Chaos Control.
"No, stop!" Sonic yelled, flying towards the two foxes. Emerl, however, stayed where he was, folding his arms. His mouthplate opened, exposing a wide grin.
"Any second... now."
Nothing happened.
Hyperion finished the incantation, his aura flared up, making Sonic stop to cover his eyes, and promptly vanished, leaving himself and Fiona still standing there. He looked at his hand, eyes widening, snapping his fingers, receiving no response. Desperately, he snapped them several more times, still receiving no response. A second later, Sonic rammed into him, slugging him in the face. Thrown across the room, he crashed through another wall of the temple.
"I think this one's in the bag, Emerl..." Sonic grinned. "When he's out of juice, he'll turn back into Tails, right?"
"Yes. Without all that power flowing through his body, he won't have enough to hold onto him."
"How is this possible!? The Emeralds possess infinite power!" Hyperion yelled, stumbling out of the hole he had made.
"Those aren't real Emeralds." Emerl replied. "They're fakes, with a finite amount of energy in them. When they're out, they crumble to ash. You're in a Hyper form, and while you might be seven times more powerful, you also burn that power seven times faster."
"It's ironic, isn't it?" Sonic smiled. "You've been beaten by your own ego, and the power of your daughter, the same one you just sealed."
"No! I might lose my hold on him, but I will destroy you!" The fox roared. He spread his arms, energy streaming from Fiona's body, back into his own. She cried out, stumbling back and collapsing as her body returned to its normal size and build. Flexing his fingers, Hyperion fired spear after spear, all of them exploding out of his body towards Sonic and Emerl. The duo engaged Chaos Control, warping around the attacks, shielding against others, until finally, the flow stopped, and Hyperion fell to his knees. Emerl slowly walked over to him, watching him carefully force himself upright.
"It's over." He said.
"Not yet!" The fox wheezed. He formed another orb of energy in his hand, thrusting his arm against Emerl's chestplate. The sphere simply fizzled out. Drawing his fist back, Emerl slugged him in the chest, sending him crashing into another wall. Finally, the Emeralds ejected from Tails' body, turning him back to normal before they crumbled. Hyperion grasped his stolen head, screaming furiously, before his eyes faded back to their normal blue. Tails' shoulders sagged, and he slumped to the ground, fighting to stay conscious.
"Tails!" Sonic rushed over to his side.
"I-I'll live... check F-Fiona... please..." He groaned, before passing out. Sonic turned to Emerl, who was cradling Nicole in his arms.
"Niki, you okay?" He asked, stroking her cheek.
"Ungh... Em?" She said, smiling up at him. "You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"What happened to Tails?"
"He's out cold, says he'll be fine, but he needs us to take a look at Fiona."
"Oh, right, let's move then."
"Can you manage it?"
"Em, my body's mechanical, I don't get tired."
"Oh, right, of course."
"Can you give me a hand?"
"Sure." He smiled, standing up and gently helping the lynx steady herself. The cybernetic couple made their way over to Fiona's side, and prepared to scan her.
"What happened to her?"
"Hyperion brainwashed her and started turning her into another him. He drained her energies afterwards, to try and keep himself going."
"Well, she seems alright physically, and I can't detect any hypnotic power in her."
"Oh, that's good."
"Ungh..." The vixen groaned, eyes fluttering.
"Fiona?" Nicole asked, helping her upright. "Are you okay."
"I'll be fine..." She rubbed her head. "What about Tails?"
"He's fine, but we kinda had to beat the Hyperion out of him." Emerl shrugged.
"Let me see him." She demanded, forcing herself to stand.
"Fiona, be careful!"
"I'm fine." She replied, running over to Tails and Sonic. She crouched beside them, wrapping her arms around Tails. "Honey, wake up... please..."
"F-Fi..."
"Oh, thank Chaos..." She sighed. "Are you alright?"
"I'll be okay... I'm sorry..."
"It's alright, Tails. It wasn't your fault."
"That thing was in my head, and I tried to use the Emeralds..."
"You didn't know either of those..." She whispered, kissing him softly. "Now come on."
She carefully picked him up, allowing Sonic to stand too.
"Okay guys, let's go home." Sonic said. Nicole nodded, extending her hand towards Shadow, who began to levitate, floating over to them. Emerl held his hand up, triggering Chaos Control to rip them out of the temple, and into New Mobotropolis' hospital.
***
Once Tails and Shadow had been checked in, they were put into the same ward with Sally, while the rest of the team, Antoine and Amy included, mingled around the room, talking to the two adepts once they had fully awakened. Sonic, now back to his normal form, all hints of Darkspine gone, didn't speak. He sat by Sally's bedside, clutching her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb.
"She might take a while to wake up." Nicole said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I woke you early to help with Hyperion."
"She's okay though, right?"
"Yes, there's no trace of Iblis' influence."
"That's a relief."
"Yes, something Hyperion was actually good for..."
At the mention of the mad deity, Sonic looked over at Tails' bed, which he was now sharing with Fiona, holding her close to him, his tails curled around her.
"It's a good job he didn't wreck their relationship."
"I think they've gotten too close, and been through too much to have it end like that." Emerl cut in, walking over.
"Hey there, Emerl." Sonic grinned. "Thanks for the assist back there."
"No problem." He smiled. "Oh, Niki, check this out!"
He snapped his fingers, and a wave of nanites enveloped his cranium. Gradually, they constructed themselves into the same shape as a Mobian head, becoming a perfect replica of the organic face that Nicole had seen when she was inside his processor.
"Wait, what?" Sonic asked.
"This is what I used to look like, before the Nocturnus changed me."
"You were Mobian?"
"Yeah, and then I got roboticized, and ended up in this body."
"Oh, woah..."
"I know, it's messed up."
"You didn't mention it before."
"Niki here unlocked my memories when she freed me from the destructive programming" He smiled, clutching Nicole's hand. The lynx flushed red, smiling back at her partner.
"Oh hey, that's new." Sonic smirked. Nicole's blush deepened, while Emerl shifted into a full-blown hug. "Was this while I was out?"
"Yes, when she was in my processor and we discovered each others' Mobian sides."
"Well, congrats. Hope you'll be happy together."
"I'm sure we will." Nicole smiled softly, leaning on Emerl's shoulder.
The door opened, and Chuck stepped in, closing it behind him.
"Hey Unc." Sonic smiled.
"You okay, Sonny?"
"I'm fine, thanks. There's no trace that I was ever turned into Darkspine, and frankly, it can stay that way."
"That's a relief."
"Well, I thought the form was kinda cool." Emerl shrugged. Earning a few raised eyebrows, he shrugged dismissively. "What?"
"Em, try having a little class." Nicole chuckled, punching his shoulder lightly.
"Oh fine..."
"So, what brings you here, sir?" She asked, turning back to face Chuck.
"I've got two bits of good news. First off, in light of the evidence presented, and your major role in rescuing Princess Sally and Sonic, you and Fiona have been fully pardoned."
"Really? That's great!"
"Yeah, it's a relief alright. Wouldn't want you to get saddled with a sentence after all you've done for us."
"Aw, it was nothing." Emerl smiled, rubbing the back of his head.
"I'd tell Fi the good news, but..." Sonic gestured over his shoulder, pointing to Tails bed, where he and Fiona were now engaged in a passionate lip-lock. "She's... busy."
"You know, that reminds me of you and Sally before you settled." Chuck grinned.
"Hey!"
"Anyway, the other good news is that Omega is going to be fine."
"Oh, that's good news..." Rouge smiled.
"Thank you for helping him, councillor." Shadow added.
"Yeah, we'd be kinda lost without him." Nic grinned.
"Indeed." Lightning nodded.
A groan drew the quartet's attention, and they turned to see Sally stirring, opening her eyes blearily.
"She's waking up, guys!" Emerl announced. The rest of the team approached, crowding around the bed, as Fiona parted from Tails and helped him into one of the chairs beside the bed.
"Sal?" Sonic asked, as she blinked repeatedly, rubbing her eyes for a moment, before focusing on her assembled friends.
"What happened?" She asked, a tone of panic creeping into her voice.
"Well, what's the last thing you remember?" Fiona asked.
"I was at your house, and I got a migraine... I went into the bathroom, and then... that's it." She admitted.
"Oh... well, you're in for a long story..." Nicole rubbed her head. "You got taken over by the Goddess' Soul. It was actually some kind of mad fire deity called Iblis, who wanted to burn the world and remake it as her own personal paradise. She hypnotized you and borrowed your body to try and accomplish that."
"Oh... Oh my gods, I'm so sorry..."
"It's alright, Sal." Sonic smiled, hugging her. "You couldn't stop her. She bent loads of people to her will, me included. I don't think any normal person could resist her."
"Thank you, Sonic..." She returned the smile. "Then what happened?"
"Well, she had you destroy the Death Egg, apparently killing everyone on it."
"Is that a good thing?" Fiona asked.
"By now... I'm inclined to say yes." Sally sighed. "I wanted to put him on trial for what he did to us, an everyone else, but Eggman was a mad dog... There was no hope of redeeming him."
"Indeed. After that, she recruited Finitevus and the Destructix at some point. We were in panic mode at this point, and we awakened the Gizoid- Emerl -to try and help save you. The Destructix showed up, and told us that Iblis had incinerated Scourge for trying to get hands on with you."
"Oh... gross."
"I know. Anyway, Emerl flattened them, I think some of them are in critical care."
"Wow, really?" Emerl broke in.
"Em, you threw Frog into the shield dome, several hundred feet up, smashed Predator with a hammer and threw him to the ground, again from several hundred feet, and blasted him with a Chaos Spear, and you fired a tank-busting laser into Simian's chest. It's a wonder they aren't dead already."
"Oh, damn."
"Anyway, after they were done, Iblis sicced a huge steam-driven golem on us, but Sonic, Tails, Shadow, Omega, and Emerl destroyed it. Then, somehow, a molten wyvern crawled out of it, almost killed us, and Tails killed it after using his fake Emeralds to go Super. He and Fiona got together too."
"Well, congratulations, Tails, Fiona." Sally smiled at her vulpine friends. The duo blushed, snuggling together.
"Thanks, Sally."
"Anyway, we decided that, because this wyvern, the Ifrit, was Iblis' ancient rival, they would be the same strength, so Tails and I devised a plan to defeat Iblis through use of a Super form. Sonic, Tails, Shadow, and Em went to her lair, but she turned out to have drained a great deal of power from Ifrit. She knocked Tails out in seconds, and held Super Sonic down easily. Finitevus stuck something into Emerl that unlocked all of his powers, but drove him berserk, then kicked him, Tails and Shadow back here. He then drained Sonic's power, and Iblis took control of him."
"Sonic... I'm sorry..." Sally murmured. Sonic smiled, and hugged her again, kissing her cheek.
"It's cool, Sal. You weren't to blame."
"I should have fought her, though..."
"How could you, you were unconscious. It's okay." He whispered, holding her close to his chest.
"Thank you..." She said, smiling faintly. "What happened after that?"
"We had to fight crazy Emerl." Nicole replied. "He pretty much flattened us, though nobody really got seriously injured because we kept diverting his attention. We survived long enough for me to hack into him, where I found that, like me, he used to be Mobian. I destroyed his destructive programming, and freed him. After that..." She blushed, stroking the Gizoid's arm. "He admitted that he loves me... so we're together now."
"Well, congratulations to you two as well." Sally beamed. "It's about time you found someone."
"Thank you. After that, we returned to Iblis' lair, and found that she had gotten her old body back, but she was still controlling you and Sonic. Shadow went Super, and Tails seemed to be aiming to do the same if it got out of hand. Iblis summoned her army, and we attacked them. Tails fought Sonic, I took on Finitevus, and defeated him but he seemed to escape in the struggle, leaving me to help Fiona against you. Em fought Iblis herself, and managed to hold his own, when my battle-body couldn't even scratch her. Still, we realised that he couldn't beat her, and a Super form wasn't enough, so Tails played his trump card: He used forty-nine of his Emeralds to go Hyper."
"That's amazing, Tails."
"Well, not really." He admitted. "I couldn't control it. I lost myself, and my body got taken over by, get this, Iblis' father. His name was Hyperion, and he was utterly, terrifyingly insane. He freed you and Sonic, wanting you both to know that it was my body that killed you, and attacked Iblis, sealing her away and throwing her into space. Most of the others had escaped at this point, it was just Fiona, Sonic, Nicole, Emerl, and Shadow left. He easily handled most of them, causing a lot of damage to Emerl's body, and when Fiona tried to talk him down, he tried to turn her into his slave. Fortunately, he used so much power by that point that Sonic and Emerl were able to defeat him, and Fiona managed to escape the worst of it too. We came back here, and that's really about it."
"I see..." Sally paused. "Well, I guess nobody was too badly hurt?"
"No, Hyperion managed to badly damage Omega, but he'll live, and that was nothing to do with you." Rouge replied.
"You have nothing to fear, Sally." Chuck smiled. "No-one holds you responsible for what she made you do, and she won't bother you again."
"Thank you, Sir Charles." She nodded, leaning against Sonic again.
That evening, as Tails sat on the couch in his home, flicking through TV channels, the sound of his parents preparing the meal in the kitchen filtering through. Normally, he'd be down in his lab, but he had been informed that, since he was going to be having dinner with a guest within half and hour, he was under no circumstances allowed to get himself covered in engine oil, set anything on fire, or blow anything up, as seemed to be the norm for his misadventures with technology. So he resorted to channel surfing, hoping that something legitimately entertaining might appear.
He was roused from his boredom by the doorbell, and was walking towards it even before his mother called through to ask him to get it.
"Hello, Fiona." He grinned, hugging her.
"Hey honey." Fiona purred, nuzzling into his chest as she returned the embrace. "How are you?"
"Well, I was just waiting for you, really. I'd help with the dinner, but I don't think you're after extra limbs."
"Well, I wouldn't mind having an extra tail, if you could teach me to fly..." She mused, curling her tail around his two.
"I don't think it works if you don't have powers like mine. If you want to fly, I'll give you a jetpack, or just carry you."
"Sounds good, handsome. Anyway, you can't be that bad at cooking."
"I'm a scientist, not a chef."
"Well, think of it as a science."
"Have you seen the things I make? Anyway, I'm good on physics, engineering, and the science of Chaos. Other disciplines, not so much."
"Okay, makes sense." Fiona shrugged. "Anyway, we going to stand out here all night, or are you going to invite me in?"
"Oh, by all means."
Leading Fiona through to the living room, they sat on the couch, leaning against each other, tails curled around one-another's bodies.
"Tails, dear, can you set the table?" Rosemary called.
"Oh, right away. Just a sec, Fi."
"Sure thing."
"Oh, want a drink?"
"Lemonade would be good, if you've got it."
"We do."
Tails quickly set the table for four, and poured out their drinks, as the door to the kitchen opened and Amadeus walked through, carrying two of the steaming plates of pasta, Rosemary following with the second pair.
"Careful, the plates are hot." His father warned.
"Okay, I'll just go get Fiona." The younger fox nodded, running through to the living room again.
As they sat around and ate, Fiona looked around nervously, picking at her meal.
"Is something the matter, Fiona?" Rosemary asked.
"It's just... I feel a little awkward. I mean, I did some terrible things to your son, yet you're all treating me so well..."
"If Tails has forgiven you, then we can." She smiled. "We all make mistakes, Fiona. I've made plenty, and if you're willing to make amends, then who are we to hold that against you?"
"Thank you, Mrs Prower."
"Just call me Rosemary, Fiona."
"Thanks, I will, but your mistakes can't have been as bad as Scourge..."
"Oh trust me, they were, but... well, thankfully I didn't get in too deep. I got out of there and eventually met Amadeus. My ex tried to get me back a few times, but neither myself nor Amadeus was willing to put up with that."
"Well, my ex got blown up by Iblis." Fiona shrugged. "How did you two meet, anyway?"
"It was when I lost my eye, during the war. Rosemary was the medic in my platoon... although she spent more time shooting Overlanders than actually fixing us up."
"Hey, that's only because you were so good at keeping us all in one piece." Rosemary replied.
"True, true... Anyway, Rosemary actually had to do her job for once, and she patched me up."
"Dad, was that a pun?" Tails groaned.
"Maybe." The elder fox smirked, as his son feigned slumping into his plate.
"I'm training for my medical degree myself." Fiona said, changing the subject.
"Oh, really?" Rosemary asked.
"Yeah, I've been a field medic for a while, I'm hoping to be a doctor."
"Well, best of luck there, then."
"Thanks, I'll need it."
"Don't put yourself down, Fi." Tails smiled, putting an arm around her shoulder. "You're more than smart enough to handle it."
"If I'm so smart, then why did I screw up so badly?"
"My guess? Finitevus messed with your head." Tails shrugged. "He was working on his plan to turn Knuckles into Enerjak at the time, and he wanted a spy. You were a bit of a loner back then, a little distant, so he picked you because he guessed that we wouldn't notice."
"If that's the case, he picked right..." Fiona mused. "I suppose it could be the case, but I want to find out for certain."
"Then we will. Finitevus might have escaped, but with Eggman and his cohorts all dead, he's going to become a priority target. He's good at hiding, but he can't hide forever. Especially once we can properly define his Chaos signature, the ground will crumble beneath his feet."
"Can we do that?"
"Knuckles can."
"Well, that'll help me sleep at night, if it's true."
"I have to say that, while I was sceptical at first... but I can see now that you are a good person." Rosemary smiled.
"Th-thank you!" Fiona beamed, tail flicking back and forth.
"I have to ask, though... what happened to your parents?"
"I don't know... At first I thought they were dead, then I thought that they'd abandoned me... but my parents loved me. They doted on me." Fiona explained. "They'd never abandon me. Then Nicole showed me that their names were in Robotnik's records as Robians... but they never turned up after the Bem did their thing..."
"It wouldn't be the first time they decided to keep two foxes that happened to be the parents of a Freedom Fighter." Tails shrugged.
"Oh, that's right, they kept you two for over a year after everyone else was brought back, didn't they?" She turned to Amadeus and Rosemary, causing both to nod with agreement.
"They had a fairer political system- everyone got a say- but their actual morality was heavily flawed."
"Anyway, we'll find your family, Fi." Tails said, hugging her. "We'll find them, and we'll find out what Finitevus did to your brain."
"Thank you, Tails."
"What were their names?" Rosemary asked.
"Andre Fennec and Violet Fox." Fiona replied. "Andre wasn't actually my birth father, but he was my Dad, if that makes sense? I was too young to remember my birth father, and Mom wasn't keen to talk about him."
"Was he another bad egg?" Amadeus asked.
"I think he died."
"I was going to say... if he had been evil too, then that would've put us at three-for-three." Rosemary shrugged.
"It's not just that, my first girlfriend was a robot that tried to drown me." Tails shrugged.
"You two had better be careful with the grandkids."
"G-grandkids!?" The younger couple yelped.
The next morning, Sonic and Sally found themselves in a hangar, accompanied by Emerl and Nicole.
"Where are you going?" Sally asked her friend.
"We're going to find my mother." Nicole replied. "Em promised me that he'd help me find her, I've been wanting to since I talked to Fiona and realised how similar our situations were."
"She's missing her folks too?" Emerl asked.
"Yes, finding them fell on the backburner after she left and we got distracted by other things." Sally sighed. "I think Tails is running that now."
"Well, that's good."
"How can you be sure that you're looking in the right place?" The hedgehog asked.
"Because I sent her there, remember?"
"Oh yeah." He nodded.
"How do you think she'll react when I restore her memories?"
"That's something you'll have to find out."
"Then that's what I'll do." She nodded. Her engines fired, as did Emerl's lifting the robotic couple off of the ground. "Thank you for looking after me all these years, Sally."
"You're welcome, Nicole." She smiled, hugging her sister-figure. "You be careful with her, Emerl."
"Yes ma'am!" He mocked a salute. Sally and Nicole parted, and the lynx turned, flying off with Emerl behind her.
***
Far above the planet, Iblis' tiny stone prison floated, the serpent cursing silently, constantly. As she drifted, a shadow fell over her, and even she began to feel deathly-cold. From within her prison, she spied the shape of a vaguely hedgehog-like figure, baleful jade eyes staring down at her. Its fingers closed around the orb, and an acidic voice filled her mind.
"There you are... I've been looking everywhere for you, my dear..."