It would be another twelve hours before the familiar black cloaked Mara arrived again in Amy's home from the depths of the abyss. Witnessing the action for a second time still left chills down Amy's spine and her quivers tingled nervously when a cold chill crept down her spine. Sonic soon walked into the now crowded living room as they both were about to leave to do some planned shopping but it seemed as if Mara had a different idea in mind.
"It's good to see both of you here," Mara held out her hand without bothering to remove her hood. "Most people run as far away as possible when they see one of my clan. Perhaps you are brave or foolish but regardless it makes my job easier. Now come with me, Barret wishes to speak with you as soon as possible."
"First tell us exactly how you plan on getting to there?" Sonic's stomach twisted at the idea that weaseled into his head. "You don't plan on us going into that black hole like you?"
"But of course," Mara tilted her head quizzically at the notion. "How else do you plan on traversing half of the country's length in a reasonable amount of time? From what I have gathered you are still suffering from a lack of your gifted speed, or is my information outdated?"
Sonic clicked his tongue against his cheek in frustration. "You even knew that?"
"Quite, my clan is always on the hunt for important information when it comes to our orders," Mara then bowed. Sonic swore her hood hid away a smile that would send any normal person into a rage at the sneer. "We have been watching the workings of Acorn kingdom for over three years now. Quite interesting to say the least the differences between our countries. The situations were slightly similar but the severity of the issues was indeed worse on our end. It will be some time before our economy and structural integrity will be on par with our previous stature."
"Now then if you will," the black abyss once again erupted from the floor behind Mara. "Step inside and I will you towards my master."
"You expect us to go into that thing?" Sonic pointed out the absurdity of the request. "We just meet last night with you basically trespassing into Amy's house. I think you might be skipping a couple of steps to establish a trust system between us"
"Trust? How annoying and inconsequential," Mara waved off Sonic's words without hesitation. "Trust is only built through battle, any other way and it is just a fake idea that will result in a knife in the back."
"Umm, that's a definitely a different way of describing the process of building trust," Amy's voice cracked like glass. "I mean, battle? Isn't that a bit of an extreme circumstance?"
"Not at all, after all death is my specialty," Mara then turned to the portal again. "Just follow me or I will return to drag you with me. I promise it will not be comfortable for any of us if I have to drag your nearly dead body to my lord." Mara immediately leaped into the circle of darkness and soon enough the darkness engulfed her entire body. It would be a moment before the darkness returned to its normal shape and Sonic looked at Amy ready to speak.
"What you think I am going in first? Aren't you the brave hero?" Amy crossed her arms and gave Sonic a glare that even made him shiver down to his tail. "I'll follow but you make sure it's safe. After all, if I remember correctly you always were the one to jump into the unknown with a terrible disregard for safety."
"I really wish you would overlook that flaw," Sonic grumbled as quietly as he could before creeping towards the circle of seething abyss. He bent over and stared into the dark swirling void as it mixed into itself as if it had its own current like water.
"Stop staring and get in before we both get into trouble," Amy's patience wore thin and with a swift kick, she pushed Sonic into the swirling abyss head first. Sonic's scream of pure terror filled the room as the darkness sucked him away into its embrace. Amy stood frozen for several seconds before finally shrugging in defeat at the thought of not following her friend. After all what would Sonic do without her right now?
Darkness encased Sonic's vision as he tumbled down into an eternal descent. There would be no release he almost convinced himself as his body spun around again for the fiftieth time he swore. Suddenly the light of the surface world blind Sonic and he was spat out of the ground like a geyser. He sailed through the air into a mountainous heap of snow face first.
"My, you certainly are lacking in the grace department there, hero," Mara's snarky yet emotionless tone warmed Sonic's body with embarrassment from the frigid snow that encapsulated his upper body. After a few failed attempts, Sonic finally yanked himself out of the snow and tumbled backwards into Mara who bent down to make sure her guest was still alive.
"Oh, give me a break will you?" Sonic groaned thunderously as he finally found himself on his feet while dusting himself off the remaining snow stuck to his fur. "I think I have been through enough unwarranted punishment for the week, thank you very much."
"Well, that was certainly an experience, to say the least," Amy emerged from the black seeping pool of the abyss where Sonic had just recently rocketed out only a few moments ago. "Not a big fan of the method, but at least it beats having to hold onto an aerial vehicle without a seat."
"You are both far too picky with the method of travel and not the efficiency of the travel," Mara clicked her tongue as if in irritation at her guests' remarks. "If you only knew just how far we have traveled then both of your useless tongue would finally stay silent."
"Okay then I'll bite, where are we then?" Sonic took Mara's challenge, not expecting much of one considering his past traveling speed to remote destinations.
"The northern edge of Wyvern Kingdom," Mara seemed to smile but no one could tell if she was or not. "It has been only a fraction of a minute, yet I took you from one side of the kingdom to the other, roughly 1,100 kilometers."
"Well that's certainly not too bad," Sonic had to give credit where it was due. "Would have taken me a few seconds less if I was in optimal condition, but still not too shabby."
"Your words hide your true feelings but I shall accept them," Mara bowed before continuing. "I have brought you both here to meet with the lords of this land. I determined that Barret and his queen should see the both of you immediately, given the recent events in Acorn Kingdom."
"What do you know?" Sonic immediately jumped at the opportunity to learn more about how Shadow actions could currently be affecting both his people and family. "Please, tell me."
"I should allow my lord to explain," Mara shook her head once. "Now, follow me, there should be a light skirmish happening shortly where my lord will take to the battlefield against a faction of bandits that have been causing some trouble the past few months. I think it would be a good opportunity for you both to see how powerful my lord really is."
Mara then turned and strode down the snow covered mountainside. Sonic looked back at Amy sloand they both shrugged quizzically before following their guide. It would be a short time before Mara finally stopped in her tracks and raised her hand to halt her companions. Below the group rested a canyon deep enough to hold a massive tower. Darkness draped the depths of the canyon enough to make it impossible for Sonic and Amy to see the bottom.
"Here, I'll help those eyes of yours," Mara raised her right hand and emerald particles wisped out of her finger tips. "Don't worry, it won't be permanent."
Sonic felt a strange tingle in his eyes. It was impossible for Sonic and Amy to refuse the action to shake their heads wildly while forcing their eyes tightly shut. The sensation dissipated once they both shut their eyes, and they opened them in unison, hoping the sensation would not return. Sonic nearly fell to his butt with disbelief at what he saw. His vision had changed to a bright green shade, bright enough to see far into the horizon that there was a log nestled beside an anthill.
"What did you do to me?" Sonic was flabbergasted at the change in his sight.
"As I said, it will pass after a short time," Mara waved off Sonic's cries. "Now gaze down into the canyon and watch carefully."
Amy's hesitation was intense, but she pushed away that fear. She bent over the edge of the cliff and squinted her eyes to see what Mara wanted them to see. She was astonished at the strength of her improved eyesight, she could make out multiple caves in the cliff face underneath her very own feet. "Sonic, look there!"
Sonic stuttered for a moment and glared at Mara before he walked up to Amy. He too then bent down and gazed down into the valley of darkness. He immediately could see exactly what Amy was pointing out, a horde of beings walked in a tight formation down the valley.
"Come out and fight me, you bastard king!" a" bellowing roar rocked out from the chasm beneath Sonic, Amy, and Mara's feet before a torrent of laughter rocked the eardrums of the trio. "I'll take that glorified crown off your head before I remove it!"
A cackle of laughter erupted from the depths of the shadows before a gaggle of different species emerged from the light of the morning sun. Slews of different species haggled happily at the bottom of the canyon. Each individual was dressed in thrown together armor and held makeshift weapons from spears, swords, bows, and axes. In the front of the entire horde was on eagle whose eye was lapsed with a hideous scar with a smile that would send young children screaming to the hills. His armor was the most glorified of all the lackeys, draped with a gold and diamond plating.
"Barret!" the eagle roared again to the sky as he raised his spear to the heavens. "Come! Face the end of days and fight! You coward!"
The laughter of the lackeys intensified as the started beating the ground in unison to a undetermined rhythm. The intensity of the beating reached all the way up the canyon's walls to the onlookers' feet. Both Amy and Sonic stumbled at the earth shaking while Mara remained unfazed by the ruckus.
"I see its time," Mara looked up into the heavens as the sky clouded with darkness. Thunder rocked the sky and rain suddenly burst from the clouds in a torrent that sent everyone into a drenched state. The earth became uneasy, rocks slipped down into the canyon's depths, and a chill surged through the wind as it picked up into a sudden surge of strength. "Watch closely, Sonic. This is the power of those that freed this kingdom."
With that Maya turned and her feet let go of the ground. She fell down into the canyon, her eyes closed with not a care in the world. Her decent speed built at a rapid pace and Amy covered her eyes, expecting Maya's body to be pulverized once she hit the ground.
A thundering roar erupted from the canyon's cave system. Suddenly fire erupted from one of the caves in a glorious blaze that erupted like a volcano. The fire surged into the ranks of the battalion and engulfed at least a third of the entire force. Screams of pain echoed throughout the valley as the victims incinerated into gay clumps of ash. Smoke clouded the entire landscape and the plum exploded out vigorously from the valley.
"Coward!" the leader bellowed in rage for his fallen comrades. "Face me!
Within the smokescreen, Mara landed on top of one of the survivors. Before the poor soldier could even comprehend what was going on, Mara summoned a scythe bathed in obsidian and bore the blade through her target. Once the blade cleaved through the soldier, his eyes widened in shock, his torso separated from his waist, and his body was sucked into a small black hole of the nether. Sonic could barely keep up with Mara as she swung her scythe around her body and cleaved three more victims in a single sweep. She flicked her wrist and multiple vortexes burst from the ground underneath her enemies while the abyss stretched out towards their targets. It encased each victim, regardless of their screams filled with terror, and sucked them in like a vacuum. Mara's body then spun in a rhythm that was almost like a majestic dance, each precise time she spun another victim would be caught in her dance of death. She continued this slaughter until the smoke finally cleared; where she leapt away from the remaining half of the battalion.
"Accursed REAVER!" the leader's roar boiled the blood of all who heard his muddled voice. "I shall have your head for this!"
"No, I think you shall learn your place in this land, dear," a soft female voice filled with a condescending tone erupted from another cave. The battalion turned towards the voice and the echoes of dread filled the silence as a figure crept out of the shadows. "The fury of this sacred land shall accept all of you into its embrace."
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the caves, it was a female hedgehog with a lime shaded skin, eyes that radiated like a pair of emeralds, and a regal battle dress decked with armor that shined like silver. She was smaller than Amy in stature but one big difference between all other hedgehogs was indeed apparent with this one in particular. She bore a pair of giant black wings that sized slightly larger than her entire body, likely just as large as Amy's entire body.
The newcomer raised her hand out and bore a smile that oozed with malice. "Why don't you all lie down and end this charade now?" It was sudden, a brown mist erupted from her hands, Mara covered her mouth with her and leapt away as the mist surged at a rapid speed down into the ravine. The moment the mist made contact with the first enemy, his body shook violently and suddenly screams of agony echoed into the air. The victim clutched his own throat with vigor and gagged with unmeasurable pain as he gasped for air. Then more of the mist burst from his maw like a geyser and the victim fell to the ground, still as a corpse. The few remaining soldiers realized the danger of the mist, and quickly turned in the opposite direction to run with terror filling their hearts. With great haste they ran, but the mist surged behind them, entrapping those within its toxic grasp who were too slow by their gear. The mist bore down upon its victims like a tsunami, washing away those that dared to be in its path as it encapsulated the floor but strangely enough the mist refused to rise into the sky. Finally, after its deed was done, and the last of its victims choked their last breath, only the leader remained still clawing for life while wallowing in agony. The mist then decided to take pity on its last victim, it quickly redacted back into the female killer's hand before disappearing into her small body.
"C-C-Cowards!" the leader choked at air only started slipping back into his lungs. "You deviants, I shall have your heads!" The rain's effect on the terrain was now apparent, snow turned to slush, the dirt became like quicksand and sucked in the feet of all that stood in it. Thunder and lightning crashed with almost ear-shattering violence with a rapid pace as the downpour strengthened, the weather matched the leader's anger to perfection. "Kill me and my soul shall haunt the lot of you!"
"Then I guess I'll burn your soul to ash then," another voice echoed from the cave behind the newest combatant. She bowed towards the voice with a soft smile and walked away from the entrance. Then a pair of flames illuminated the darkness with majestic vigor in the shape of wings of the same size as the first set held by the lime hedgehog. Light burst forth revealing a much larger hedgehog with skin the color of orange, with quills arranged wildly with no sense of fashion it seemed. His hands were guarded by leather gloves with steel plating, he bore a pair of jeans with knee guards that shined like platinum. His upper body and arms bore scars varying from small cuts to gashes that must had been from life-threatening injuries. His fur glowed orange with an intensity that matched the fury his eyes bore like a wildfire. He opened his maw and breathed like a predator staring down its defenseless prey.
"Spawn of Thanatos," his voice bore a foreboding rage, "I have no need for my weapons. I shall pound you into dust and set it aflame. Join your master in the realm of oblivion."
The two females crossed their arms with no intention of interrupting the males at their standoff. A deafening thunder crash sounded the bell, the leader's body twisted and contorted. The sound of bones crunching rocked the air before the body burst into a black miasma. The substance splattered with the downpour, revealing a new body in its wake. A pair of diamond eyes were attached to a lizard-like body made of the miasma while it continued to drip to the floor. "Hisllllaa, cauytraila distraste milostrvic," the being hissed as its body twitched in a painful rhythm. The monstrosity leapt into the ground like a shadow and lashed towards its prey. As it approached its prey, it exited its shadow state an opened its miasma dripping maw with its newly formed hands bearing claws of deadly precise sharpness. "Castravmi delmontrab hellistmui!"
"Don't you know that you're supposed to kneel?!" a thunderous roar rocked the air as the mightiest lightning strike shook the very ground within a mile. The rain became a torrent as the orange figure ducked under the assailant with snappy reflexes. It was too late for the creature to react to the parry as his opponent slammed a megaton force into the ribs of the beast. Fire burst out upon the impact, sending the beast hurling back with embers still smoking from the large burn that was still visible even upon the obsidian skin. The combatant would not take the retaliation without reprisal, the beast surged into the shadows of the cliff face before emerging again behind its opponent. It was too fast for the hedgehog to react, the beast's claws slashed into his abdomen, the pain was intense and forced a grunt that was fueled with rage. Blood spurted out from the wound, but the warrior would not be fazed by the pain, fire ignited from his wings as he slapped the feral beast away. Rage boiled into the eyes of the hedgehog, his eye grew a flame, the growls grew feral, and his hands curled like a beast's claws. His body twitched violently like the monster as it regained its composure again. The fire grew brighter, more ferocious, and the warrior howled like a wolf to a full moon. An inferno cone of flames spewed from his maw to the sky and both Sonic and Amy's eyes widened as the gazed upon the sight. The warrior seemed less like a hedgehog and more like a feral dragon on the hunt. The being now got on all fours, its teeth clenched with great strength as the growling now sounded like soft roars.
Hesitation was absent from the brawl, the new dragon-like being leapt towards its prey as it too mirrored its opponent. The beasts clashed with an ear-shattering thunder crash. The black monster bore its maw into the shoulder as the dragonling slashed its abdomen. The beasts tumbled and hurdled through the muck of mud and blood, each time they spun another blow would be shared between them. Finally, the dragonling kicked the beast into a jagged wall of the canyon, the rocks pierced through its right leg and its abdomen. A blood-curdling screech shook the world as the beast flailed trying to free itself. The dragonling quickly pounced on its prey, fist now clenched it bore a mighty right hook into the beast's right cheek with enough force to shatter the rock and burrowing the beast deeper into it. The dragonling then inhaled with great might, and blew a torrent of searing flames into the hole. The beast screeches grew more agonizing, it knew it's doomed state and desperately merged with the shadows to escape.
"You can't run from ME!" the dragonling screamed with rage, as the shade dashed down the walls, flaming chains suddenly emerged from its body and darted into the combatants hands. With an iron grip and a mighty yank the dragonling pulled the beast from within its shade state. The beast flailed in terror as it rocked toward its doom. The dragonling with one last clench of his other fist smashed the beast into the ground burrowing it eight feet under. The dragonling would show no mercy now, again it inhaled before blowing a sea of flames into the hole, but this time there was no sign of mercy. The screeches continued for a few seconds before one last thunder crash silenced the world. The rain died down, the thunder ceased, and the dragonling returned to standing on its hind legs. The orange hedgehog cracked his neck a few times and the female one approached the victor.
"They always try to run don't they?" she let out a deep sigh before reaching towards her companion and started wiping away the mud from his face. "You always tend to get dirty don't you? I swear if it weren't for the fact you were handsome enough even when covered in muck, I doubt I would have fallen for you as hard as I did."
"I keep telling you the muck makes me look more heroic doesn't it? The orange combatant chuckled lightly. "Sure I might not look like a presentable king but I don't exactly show myself off to the public like this."
"I won't let you even consider doing that," the female shook her head before giving a bright smile. "Now let's get you cleaned up properly," she then looked up the cliff and stared directly at Sonic and Amy while keeping her coy smile, "we have guests to attend to after all."