-DISCLAIMER-

Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters/themes © SEGA and/or Sonic Team.

'The New Age Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog' © Kathryn Christine Starcrafter/Lumorean Arts.

-THE RETURN OF METAL SONIC-

Chapter 5: A Father's Will, A Madman's Power

The darkness suddenly dispersed like an implosion of light. There, hovering in the expanse shining like the sun was the hedgehog in his full glory. She felt his arms wrap around her like a blanket, soft and warm and comforting. She embraced him back, pressing her nose into his neck.

She spoke his name, "Sonic."

And she could almost feel him grin, his form engulfing her lovingly. Blinded in that brief flash of white, her sight mingled with that of the real world. Her form turned towards the balcony from which streams of Solaris' glory seeped in through silken curtains. Morning already? Oh, wait. That was a good thing. Sonic had come once again to her, as if in reaffirmation that he did exist and he did love her. But her dreams were nothing compared to the real thing.

Elise sat up in bed and stretched out her arms. Breathing in deeply, her nostrils took in the freshness of dew and cut grass. As if on impulse Elise turned her sight down to the bed stand and in the place of a single lily was a pile of them in all colors of the rainbow. There was also some blue-white orchids, and Twilight Roses, bluebells, and fragrant ponies. Her grin could grow no wider. She scooped up the bundle of flora and brought their freshness up close. Elise grabbed one of the cups she kept beneath her night stand and placed them there while she dressed as quickly as possible. She made sure the doors to her balcony were left open before she took the make-shift vase with her down the hall. It was filled at the bathroom closest to her room and brought back while a precession of young maids entered to clean.

Afterwards the princess officially made her way down to the dining room to get something to eat before his arrival. She didn't know if he was going to meet her in her room or down in the garden. Either way she was sure he would find her. However, before she could even take at bite out of her egg a voice pierced her ears like a dagger.

"Good morning, Elise."

She never turned her gaze to meet him. "Morning, father."

He sat down in a chair next to hers, reaching for one of the fruits laid out onto a silver platter. He plucked an apple, red as blood.

"I'm very curious to know as to where you saw yourself off to yesterday."

Elise swallowed hard, memories choking her. Unknowingly her teeth quenched together for a second before relaxing. "I went out with some friends," she lied.

Hector had procured a knife and had begun gently peeling the skin from the fruit in one long, crimson ribbon. "Somehow I don't believe that."

Elise regain a little courage. "Why do you care all of a sudden?" she snapped.

"Because," he answered in an unnerving calm, "if it is anywhere near that hedgehog I forbid it."

For some reason his words didn't frazzle her. She didn't really know how to entirely act around him now. Her memories had been split between the time she had grown without him and the new one that had him still living.

"I don't care," she responded sweetly. "I've finally found the one I've been waiting for. And I know there's nothing in all the world that can change that."

Elise rose from her seat and excused herself with a bow, slowly trotting off into the corridors beyond. The Emperor sat there, his eyes and face blistering. If only it hadn't come to this. He could have prevented this but what were the chances of them meeting again? He had placed too much faith in chance and it had backfired. Well, he would make amends. He apologized sullenly to nothing and stood himself. He took a deep bite from the naked fruit and let the sugary syrup run down his chin. In a short while it wouldn't matter. He would put to right this madness.

Meanwhile, out in the garden the Blue Wind silently made his way over the garden wall and in through the tamed forest. As invisibly as possible he leapt from branch to branch up to the top of the tree that connected his and her world. Truly he was expecting to see her there, either just woken up or waiting for him. However the doors were open but she wasn't inside. Granted there were plenty of young and pretty faces, but none of them compared to his Elise. So he leaned back patiently against the trunk of the oak to await her sight. It didn't take long.

Something caught his eye in the distance, it was the arch that separated the gardens from the manor. She stood there waving up to him dresses in a flowery-navy tank, black capris and a smile that could melt the iciest heart. Though something seemed off. Sonic softly jumped to the ground and walked up to her. Before he could even say hello she giggled at him and rushed under the arc, across the shaded porch and straight into the manor.

"Hey, wait!" He tried to call after but with no visible result.

The anthro stood there for a couple of extra seconds. Was this another one of her games?

Elise, after again abandoning her breakfast, made her way back up to her room. She hoped the maids were gone but if not she would just help them finish up so she could be alone. They weren't. But she didn't immediately jump into the fray. They were almost done anyway. Just fitting a clean set of sheets and dusting the tables. She wandered off towards the balcony, hoping to see if he had arrived or not. Only problem was she was looking to the trees. There was nothing, no sign of him. That was until her depressive sight shot down towards the gardens as she hung her arms across the rail. Sonic? What was he doing? Going inside the manor? She immediately flung herself from the balcony and back inside. Was he insane? She had to get to him before anyone saw.

Sonic followed the apparition of the girl inside. He made sure to keep as close as possible, the inside of the manor was huge. The ceilings were as tall as a dragon and gilded in shimmering paints to replicate metals. Diamond chandeliers hung down and sprayed the walls in golden sparkles. There were tables placed here and their hoisting misted flowers plucked straight from the garden and some incense wafting cardamom and cloves. There were paintings too depicting both people and landscapes dedicated to Sea-Shore.

Eventually her game lead them into a wider portion of the building. It was circular with a miniature garden fountain spouting ivy, ferns, and mosses. Other halls jutted out into unknown portions of the prodigious building but Elise took none of them. Instead she continued to head straight beyond the greenery and through an ivory doorway beyond.

All the while her voice sung, "come on Sonic! I've got something to show you. Hurry so no one sees."

This was the first actual time he had heard her speak. It certainly sounded like the princess. He quickly followed after, the doors clicking shut behind him.

Elise stumbled through the intersection of her home, taking a second to catch her breath. Sonic had entered through the corridor directly left. She started off again, determined to catch him before something unwanted happened -like her father greeting him.

Unbeknownst to her he had gone through the doorway directly to her right. The library. The hedgehog had entered into plenty of important buildings in his lifetime of being a world traveler and hero. They all were generally the same in that they had a single room dedicated to knowledge. Some were larger than others, while others were more decorated. This one had to take the cake. From what the hedgehog could see the room was nearly the length of a game field, its pure size obscured by towering shelves of palm-wood reaching up to a ceiling of domed Roman-Glass. The area was much like that off the halls beyond in that the shelves sectioned themselves in an almost star-shaped pattern, radiating from a spherical contraption set at the center of the palace. The floor was carpeted a bronze-gold and through out the expanse potted palms and Sakura fragranced the air. Only problem, that weirded him out, was the phantom that had lead him here was nowhere to be found.

The hedgehog stepped down from the doorway into the lowered expanse of the chamber. He took a quick notice of two strange statues wrought it pure gold set at the base of the steps. They were like two humanoid angels devoid of features but for feathered wings folded gracefully against their back. Both had their arms pressed together in front of their face displaying a pair of bejeweled braces, a similar set clasped their ankles.

He slowly crossed the expanse, looking around and down between each wooden tower. There was no sign of her as if she had vanished into thin air. He couldn't very well call out to her. Maybe she had gone out another door. But she would have waited for him if that were the case, to allow him to see where she was headed. Then she must be hiding somewhere.

As he traversed deeper and deeper it was eventual that he arrived at the strange statue at the center of the complex. As he approached the object became of interest. It appeared to be moving through some form of its own design. The object itself was a good two feet higher than him. The central core, a black sphere as deep as the sea, appeared to hover around mechanical golden rings. It reminded him sort of like an old globe used to display all of the Empires of Mobius.

Sonic drew closer still, almost enticed by its enchanting spins. Though once he was close enough to view the orb from within its protective golden ribs his heart nearly hauled in his chest. That object which he had assumed to be nothing but an overgrown pearl was something far more supernatural. The deeper his emerald irises delved the clearer its inverted opalescent surface became.

The Paradox.

Sonic could see himself and Elise on the ground and holding the infant Solaris in his vessel. The two drew close, about to extinguish the infant flame. The hedgehog lifted a paw up to the object and right as his fingers brushed its frigid, smooth surface it went black. Then there was a vein of light. It split into two and then again into six. It continued to spawn till the scar severed every inch of the once flawless circumference.

In an instant the onyx gem shattered, scattering across the elegantly carpeted floor like stardust. Sonic cussed beneath his breath, taking a step back. Whatever that thing was it could get him into a lot of trouble. He turned around realizing that most likely Elise was not here and if anything he would meet up with her on her balcony later on. He couldn't place a finger on it but a nagging in the back of his head told him something was majorly wrong.

Then, as he went to turn around his eyes caught view of an imposing individual between the angelic statues. The human stood with his back facing Sonic, leaning over the door. The hedgehog didn't speak but waited, it was unlikely the figure had come in here oblivious of the hedgehog's intrusion. Soon enough the man turned and Sonic knew that scowl instantly. This was Elise's father, Hector Soliel, the Emperor of Sea-Shore. He gulped silently, he figured he was in for a real treat. The man glided up to him slowly, only making the anthro's anxiety grow. Then, when the man finally spoke Sonic's quills sharpened as if in dread.

"Hello, I don't really know as we've met." Hector began. "My name is Hector Soliel and I am the ruler of the Empire of Sea-Shore. But, more so, I am Elise's father."

Sonic continued to remain silent.

"You I know. Everyone knows of the greatest fighter for freedom. Sonic the Hedgehog." Hector gave a quick chuckle as if amused by something as he sauntered up and stood right beside the otherwise less than eager creature. "You know I may even have the honor of being the first to hear your name."

The haggard figure bend down, groaning as a single appendage scooped up a shard from the shattered sphere. He twirled it between his fingers, enticed by the aurora of color given off by the morn sun's buttery rays seeping in through the domed, glass ceiling.

"It was the strangest thing. I had found this within my lab, in place of a young Time God. You can imagine my surprise and concern, my choler... I had lost all hope in the chance at perfecting the ability to warp the very fabric of space. With Solaris' help I could have built a machine. A mechanism that would have allowed me, as well as others, to return to moments of regret. To make things right.

"Instead I had this, an enchanted crystal that showed me what was about to be. Or that was what I had thought. For when I looked deep into its shadow I saw my beautiful daughter all grown and hosting the Festival of the Sun. I saw her attacked by a strange man. Then I saw her fall in love.

"I tried so desperately to prevent this from happening. I began posting guards around the city during the festivals. Well, more than since the incident. Then I began to take care of another matter. I had her meet with many lords from my states but none of them took her fancy. She always said she was waiting for someone. Just waiting..."

The air suddenly became heavy and Sonic took a tentative step back.

"How touching," Hector hissed. "But I will not let my daughter's life be ruined by a beast like my wife's!"

That fragment the lord had been fiddling with suddenly shot towards Sonic's feet. The ever alert hero vaulted into the air as the bullet colliding where once he stood. He preformed another back-flip, heading in the direction from whence he had originally come. The man only followed with his eyes of stone tuned to the fleeing culprit. Sonic bolted up the stairwell, nearly home free. As he ran past the statues, paws about to grasp the doorhandles, something sent a jolt of lightning up his spine. Sonic screamed, but instead of falling to the floor he felt himself rising. The statues, they were giving off some kind of electrical webbing, preventing him from reaching the exit and searing his inside with their debilitating energy. A set of baritone clangs caught his ears while in an instant both wrist and ankles were bound in clasps of cold metal -the very ones from the angels standing guard. Sonic feel to the floor on his stomach with a thump, breath sucked from his lips.

Just as things couldn't get any worst there was a typhoon of wind from above. Sonic had to crane his neck to look up towards the ceiling. In this way he realized he was completely immobile, appendages trussed together like some wild pig. Apparently the glass sheathing had pulled back, opening the way to the noon sky above. But the image that he saw made his body tense, his eyes go wide and his lungs unable to catch breath again. A mechanical disk floated down through the opening and upon it stood an individual who the hedgehog would hope never to see here again. He had silently promised never to let this vile man through the borders of his love. Never again. At each side of the being stood a strange robot in form much like the statues, but with a silver sheen. They were tall and slim, built like a man but with no facial features or hair. They had no wings either. It donned on him that one it would seem had been the apparition that lead him here, into the arms of its master. It had some kind of holoshell that flickered in such a way as to allude to its identity. Sonic figured this was its inventor's way of toying with him -allowing him the pleasure of realizing as to who, or what, had been the cause of his entrapment.

As the saucer touched ground the madman known as Ivo Robotnik bowed low to the Emperor as if in mockery.

"Greetings, your Majesty." He then uplifted himself and turned his scrutinizing gaze upon the hedgehog and spoke. "It looks as though your impulsive nature has once again gotten you into trouble. And this time I don't believe you will escape with your life. Take him!"

The command was spoken to his robotic guard. For in an instant the two were upon the hedgehog, guns drawn and aimed for his head. Sonic was utterly helpless.

Ivo laughed, sensing the hedgehog's anxiety. "Oh don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. I have far more creative plans." Turning back to Hector he said, "you have made the right decision, your Highness, handing over the cretin to me."

Sonic attempted to reason with Elise's father, speaking slowly and with determination. "Your Majesty, please listen to me. Ivo is a madman. He-"

The Doctor interrupted, "you know as well as anyone how Anthros may pervert the truth. Such instinctive creatures, no better than the animals they resemble."

Was the Emperor truly that narrow minded? Had he not seen through the orb that it had been Ivo who attacked his daughter in the first place?

Then the genius had the gull to say, "who knows what would have happened if you had let that beast make off with that pretty daughter of yours."

Then something snapped, something deep within Sonic's primal being. Perhaps it was the revival of those long forgotten memories, or just those from his youth when this same man...

Sonic roared through bared fangs ,"I swear Eggman, if you go near her I'll-"

"See how he threatens me with my own life?"

"Enough!" Hector hollered, becoming fed up with this game between hero and villain. "Just take the hedgehog and go!"

It had been at this time that Elise had wondered back from the the entrance to the gardens. There was no sign of Sonic anywhere.

"I swear Eggman, if you go near her I'll-"

Her head whipped around at hearing a muffled voice. It sounded a lot like Sonic's but what caused her doubt was that its origin came from the library. She trotted up to the prodigious doorway reigning tall over the intersection of the eastern half of the manor. Maybe she had just imagined it. She resisted the urge to call out and instead placed her ear to the door. She could hear more voices but they sounded like her father. He was talking to someone. She brought both hands to the latch and tried to force the doors to part. They were locked.

"Dad, is that you?" she called to him.

While inside the room all ears suddenly perked at the unexpected voice. Sonic whispered her name, not wanting to elude to his presence and have her open the doors to witness this scene.

"Hurry, get him out of here," Hector commanded.

Immediately those two holobots reached down and strung up the hedgehog by his arms, carrying him over to the hover platform. Hector himself strutted past, up to the door and fiddled with the locking mechanism. Everything happened all at once. Elise burst through right as her father lifted the hatch and attempted to speak with her. The force stunned him, tossing him back a bit and allowing her free passage. Her eyes shot to the sky as the hum of Ivo's carriage ascended to escape. In the swiftness of time still her eyes focused on one individual, bound till immobile, and impotently in the arms of the one man who could do him the most harm.

"Sonic!"

His viridian eyes turned down to her with not the slightest hint of fear. He even had the nerve to smile, and give her a quick, somewhat reassuring, wink as his form shrunk from view. A massive airship darkened the expanse below, swallowing both captor and captive within its leviathan girth from a portal split into its crimson belly. Elise watched on helplessly as the leader of the Freedom Fighters vanished from sight under the mercy of his most hated adversary. This did not vote well.

"No..."

-END OF CHAPTER-