The Resurrection of Shadow Fox

Chapter 5- Return to The Death Egg

Greetings yall! Joe here, bringing you the long overdue Chapter 5 of his newest Sonic fic! Coming up- the return of an old ally as well as a truly classic creation...the awe-inspiring Death Egg! What new terrors await our heroes inside? All feedback is welcome, as always!

Enjoy everyone!

Disclaimer: I own neither Sonic nor any of Sonic Team or Sega Japans assets.

--

The flicker of flame licked up from the blistered ground, wisps of smoke blown by the breeze reaching skywards. Broken pieces of metal littered the area, jagged and scorched in their final resting places in the formerly damp grass. The Tornado's landing had been rough, to say the least.

A large panel of what was once part of the tail shifted as something underneath fought to escape, before finally tilting over to reveal the disheveled form of Sonic struggling to his feet. His fur was matted with oil and gods knows what else, one glove almost completely torn off whilst the other was badly stained by what suspiciously looked like blood. This was confirmed by the hedgehog with a wince as he flexed his fingers, revealing a nasty gash in his palm which he knew would need seeing to sooner rather than later. He put this thought aside for now as he scanned the area for any sign of a certain fox.

"Tails? You alright bud?" he called out, gritting his teeth as pangs of pain ran up his spine. The landing had been rougher than expected, and he was surprised how unscathed he was judging by the amount of debris underfoot. His eye caught sight of a large piece of wreckage that looked almost intact, and tentatively hobbled towards it. A thin smile crept across his face as he could already see an orange ball of fur dislodging itself from the pile, tumbling over as he lost his footing and unleashing a volley of curses to the amusement of the blue one.

"Damn it!" Tails snarled as he stood back up, leaning on the remains of the cockpit for support as he tore off the tattered flying goggles from his head, flinging them aside petulantly. "Next time, airbags!"

"Sounds like a plan" Sonic interrupted the kits outburst, folding his arms and mindlessly kicking a piece of burnt plane across the grass.

A relieved smile appeared on the fox's face at the sight of the blue hedgie. "Sonic, your okay!"

"Of course I am" Sonic folded his arms, mindful of his injured hand that was now starting to really throb. "Hero of Mobius and all that"

Tails rolled his eyes at the hedgehogs cocky pose "Well maybe this will act as an excuse to start, oh I don't know, riding 'inside' the plane for once...'hero'?"

Sonic chuckled, not willing to let the fox get the last word "Only when your landing skills improve"

Tails let out a low growl, only widening Sonics grin.

"Besides, clinging onto the tail let me roll off when we hit the ground. Meant I had a softer landing"

"And if we'd landed on a mountainside, with sharp rocks to cushion your fall?" Tails raised an eyebrow, waiting to see how Blue would answer his way out of that one.

Sonic paused at that "Well...we'll come to that point when we get there. All that matters is I'm okay, your okay and the Tornado....is a pile of scrap"

Tails's twin appendages drooped at the remark, his hand on the plane now stroking it almost affectionately.

"Sorry" Sonic said sheepishly, regretting now his tactless comment.

Tails lowered his hand and shrugged "No big deal, just another excuse to build another. With airbags this time, thats a definite" the smile returned to his face.

Sonic smiled in relief at Tails's quick recovery. There had been a time years ago when the fox had been devastated if even a scratch had appeared on one of his 'babies', resulting in much needed consoling by the hedgehog before he'd perk up again. Yet another sign of his bros gaining maturity.

There then came a moment of silence between the pair as the last flames died out, leaving the blackened husk of the Tornado still. Sonic carefully removed his tattered gloves and closely inspected his injured palm. Nasty, but it looked worse than it probably was. Tails busied himself straightening the matted fur in his tails, his eye occasionally glancing towards Sonic before he spoke up.

"Okay, so what we've got here is a situation that no doubt threatens the very survival of Mobius"

"More than likely" Sonic replied, kneading up his arm for signs of any further injuries.

"It involves Eggman and the Chaos Emeralds, which is never a good thing"

"Obviously"

"They've got a ship that can teleport and which we have no way of tracking"

"Correct"

"And we have no idea of their next move or what it is they're actually planning"

"Right on all counts, Tails" Sonic finished his checks on himself, finding no other problems that needed to be worried about.

Tails leaned against the cockpit, hands on his hips "So what do we do then?"

Sonic looked the fox square in the eyes "I have no idea"

"Reassuring Sonic"

"But," Sonic raised a finger grandly. "Regardless of that fact, which for the purposes of this heroic upcoming speech we will ignore, we're gonna dust ourselves off, come up with a plan and do what we do best. Kick some good old fashioned Egg-butt and save the day!"

His shoulders sagged a split second later "Somehow"

--

He could sense it. Feel it in the breeze and through every molecule in his body. There was an Emerald nearby.

Knuckles didn't know where exactly he was, but the subtle pulsing of the Chaos energy resonating in the atmosphere threw aside any doubts he may have had. Even without his Guardian training, the pulsating crimson gem in his mitt was all the evidence he required. It was calling out to him from somewhere, begging to be reunited with its true owner.

He'd glided for some time, aided by the tiniest flicker of Chaos energy he could sense which had grown stronger until he could almost taste it. Unimaginable power in its rawest form. Only the Guardians and the most sensitive of advanced equipment could find the Chaos Emeralds when they were hidden, when they didn't want to be found. And they were in danger. It was up to him to prevent them falling into the wrong hands.

And he intended to make sure that didn't happen.

The red echidna made his way down the embankment towards the gleaming lights of a nearby sprawling city, guided only by the soft caress of energy on the wind.

--

Silver the Hedgehog couldn't believe his luck.

There in his hand, rain drops spattering its perfectly smooth form, was a Chaos Emerald. One of the Miracle Gems, something he'd only read about in legends and whispered prayers, and it was lying in his very palm. Its soothing warmth made him forget completely the throbbing in his head and the damp quills now lolling over his eyes, dripping water over the bridge of his nose. The first genuine smile for a long time played across his muzzle. Eyes filled with childish wonder sparkled in the emeralds glow, running a single white finger across it and feeling the faintest tingle through his fur.

He knew the legends by heart. Where he came from, hope was one of the last remaining things people held onto however small, and the Chaos Emeralds were a shining light for many. But he'd never imagined in his wildest dreams that he'd be holding one. And yet, there it was. Calling to him, beckoning him. Promising so much.

A shiver ran up his spine as he became aware once more of his current situation, standing in the rain with nothing but a sodden coat for protection. Hugging the oversized garment around his lithe form, he placed the emerald against his chest protectively. Right over his heart. A surge of heat ran through him, warming every inch of his body and causing him to grasp the gem with both hands. It needed him, he realized. It wanted him to protect it, that was why it had come to him. The young hedgehog felt almost overwhelmed, the responsibility suddenly hitting him like a sucker-punch. Why him? Why did it have to be him?

Self-doubt overwhelmed him and for a second he felt like he'd burst into tears. Why was he even here? He didn't know where he was, he'd failed to get to Sonic when he'd had the chance and he had no idea where to go next. All this, and now a new responsibility had thrust itself upon him.

He glanced down at the jewel cradled in his arms, the soft warmth it emitted still pulsing through his drenched form.

It needed him. It had chosen him...

"No!" he exclaimed suddenly, gripping the emerald that much tighter to his chest. "No more doubts! I can do this! I have to do this!"

The white hedgehog stroked the emerald almost affectionately, a warm smile on his face.

"I'll protect you, and you can do the same for me"

His fingers flexed against its smooth surface as he raised it above his head, the glow in its centre burning that much brighter as it almost seemed to sense his next move.

He just hoped the legends were true.

"CHAOS....CONTROL!"

--

A final dab on his palm, and he was satisfied. Sonic threw the red blotted cloth aside as he finished cleaning his wounded hand, twitching his fingers and idly realizing that this was the first time in a while he'd actually been bare-pawed. He made a note to carry a spare pair of gloves in the future as he surveyed their surroundings properly.

They'd left Soleanna behind a long time ago, mostly from the chase but also in the mile or so of free-fall before they'd crash landed. Nothing but great green fields reaching out to the horizon towards the ocean, the first rays of sunlight glistening through the clouds.

"Well," he spoke up without turning away from the view. "If we're gonna stop them, first thing we've gotta do is find a new means of transport"

Tails raised an eyebrow towards the hedgehogs back "Sonic the hedgehog requiring more than his two feet? I never thought I'd see the day!" he chuckled good naturedly.

Sonic turned his head to acknowledge the fox "Hey, even I have limits. Besides, that thing can fly over water, and I'm sure not going anywhere the wet stuff if I've got a choice"

"Then its a good job you've got me!" a sudden voice caused both furry's to swivel round in shock. Sonic winced as a familiar face came into view.

"Oh no..."

In a flash of pink, Amy Rose was at the cobalt hedgehogs side. Her all too familiar smile grew even wider as she oggled him adoringly.

"Sonic! Its been forever!"

Before he had a chance to react, Sonic was encased in a bone crushing hug that only Amy could provide.

"Amy...breathing...becoming...difficult! Need...air...now!"

Tails shook his head in amusement as he watched the blue one desperately attempt to wiggle out of the bear grip, arms flailing in his direction for immediate assistance. He held his hands up in apology, knowing full well that no one escaped one of Amy's hugs until she was ready to let you go.

"I can't tell you how much I've missed these moments, Sonic!" the pink female squealed, seeming to be blissfully unaware that she was unbalancing Sonic as he struggled to free himself. With a crash and an almost painful sounding grunt both hedgehogs crashed to the ground, Sonic finding himself pinned to the floor with his watering eyes cast skyward.

"Uh...Amy?" Tails finally spoke up, noticing that Sonics face was now turning an interesting shade of purple.

Amy looked up at the fox, all the while her arms remained encased around Sonics twitching form. "Yeah?"

Tails bit his lip and merely pointed at the blue hedgehog, Amy's eyes following his fingers angle until she realized what he was identifying. She gasped and flung her arms aside, Sonic instantly pushing her over in his mad scramble for air. The sounds of hacking and fitful breath taking filled the air.

"Oh, Sonic I'm so sorry!" Amy whimpered, patting the blue ones back despite the murderous glare he gave her as colour returned to his face.

"Amy...one of these days..." Sonic wheezed, his heart feeling like it was attempting to break through his ribcage. Amy shushed him.

"Try not to speak. Get your air back first" she patted him a final time before standing upright, looking at him with maternal love. Blissfully unaware of the incredulous look Tails was giving her.

"Amy, whilst its always, uh...good to see you, maybe nows not the best time?"

The pink hedgehogs eyes were on him in an instant, boring holes in his head with a mixture of anger and hurt written on her face.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" she demanded, not noticing as Sonic crawled away to a safe distance from her.

Tails sweat dropped at her suddenly fearsome expression, holding his hands up warily. "N-Nothing, its just that...we were kinda...busy, before you turned up"

Amy hmphed, folding her arms and pouting. "Typical. You say hello to your so called 'friends', and suddenly they don't want you! I never expected that from you, Tails"

The fox kit scratched his head, feeling guilty and awkward. Sonic, who had regained his natural blue hue and not to mention his breath, pointed at the pink one accusingly.

"Leave him alone Amy. If anyones allowed to be angry right now, its me!"

Amy's bottom lip trembled as she looked at the annoyed cobalt one. "But Sonic...I was only saying hi"

"In her own special way" Tails muttered under his breath, careful to avoid her wrath falling upon him again.

"What are you doing out here anyway Amy?" Sonic decided to change the subject, wary that any negative comment could send the girl into floods of tears. And right now that was the last thing he wanted.

Amy's pout vanished with a thin frown "Well I wasn't stalking you, if thats what you were thinking"

"Thats a first" Sonic scoffed, faltering when he suddenly noticed the all-too familiar shape of Amy's Piko hammer now miraculously held in front of her.

"Keep it up sweetie, I'm just in the mood" Amy replied tersely, not actually intending to hit Sonic but wanting to get the point across. It almost always worked.

This was one of those times, as Sonic threw his hands up warily and backed off. "Hey, hey! I was only joking Amy"

"I know" Amy smiled, setting the hammer aside and resuming her loving gaze at her hero.

Sonic squirmed under her heart-shaped stare, not wanting another excuse for the pink hedgehog to pounce him.

"So...what are you doing out here then?"

Amy peaked at his sudden interest in her, beaming as she folded her arms behind her. "Same as you, looking for adventure"

Sonic raised an eyebrow "On your own?"

"Well you do" Amy countered. Sonic chuckled.

"Yeah, but I'm me! Whats your excuse?"

"I'm not just a pretty face either Sonic" Amy smiled darkly, tapping the handle of the Piko knowingly.

"We never said you were, Amy" Tails decided to jump into the conversation, thinking that Sonic may need his backup. "So, hows it been going so far?"

Amy faltered, shoulders sagging in disappointment "Lousy. Its not like the old days, when we were all together. Ever since Eggman went nuts things have been so dull"

Sonic exhaled loudly "Speak for yourself. In case its slipped your mind, its not exactly been a rose garden for me and Tails!"

The pink hedgehog seemed to become aware of the debris surrounding her for the first time "Oh my gosh, what happened here?"

Tails grunted bitterly, not wanting to be reminded of his totalled plane "Accident"

Amy's attention was perked "Sounds interesting. Care to share?"

"One word," Sonic answered grimly. "Eggman"

Amy gasped aloud, eyes widening "Eggman? But..but how? I thought he'd lost it completely!"

"He has. But that never stopped him before" Cobalt replied. "And right now we've gotta come up with a way to stop him"

Amy's smile returned in a flash "Well like I said before, its a good job you've got me!"

"How so?" Sonic asked, unsure of what Amy was getting at. He watched as she reached into her pocket and removed something.

He and Tails could only gawk when they saw what was displayed proudly in Amy's hand.

"Cos I've got a Warp Ring and its big enough for three!"

--

He arrived at a bar that could be summed up in one word: seedy.

Yeah, Knuckles thought to himself as he surveyed the outside of the building, that was the only word he could think of to describe it. Everything from the black painted bricks to the tacky neon sign flickering above the entrance highlighted the bars grotesqueness. That, coupled with the overflowing waste skips and the thick scent of exhaust smoke and liquor, made this the last place the red echidna wanted to be.

Never the less, the unmistakable tingle he felt running through him put all those trivial things aside. There was a Chaos Emerald inside, and by any means necessary it would soon be in his possession.

He paid little attention to the surly brute at the door giving him the evil eye as he stepped inside, nose wrinkling as the unpleasant aroma became all the more intense. The coppery scent of blood was now heavy in the air, and by the looks of those frequenting inside he could well understand why. This was where the lowest of the low came, to drink, screw, and more often than not kick each others teeth in. Of all the places for a Chaos Emerald to wind up...

His train of thought was cut short as a spike of energy seared up his spine, his attention being drawn to a booth in the darkest corner of the bar. Stepping through several bodies over twice his size, ignoring their passing comments of his 'unwanted presence', he walked over with the growing tingle almost becoming painful.

Three figures awaited his arrival. Two of them he couldn't make out, the shadows obscuring their faces, but he could make out enough of the third figure to know immediately who it was.

And he knew instantly retrieving the Chaos Emerald just got a whole lot more difficult.

"Hey there Knucklehead," Nack the Weasel purred, a thin smirk twisting his face. "Its been a while"

--

"Where, in the holy name of Mobius, did you get...that!?" Sonic stammered, pointing at the Warp Ring held in Amy's fingers almost fearfully.

Amy smiled at the reaction she'd gotten from both boys "When I said my adventuring had been lousy...I was kind of lying. I found this in one of Eggman's old bases a week ago and..."

"Whoa, hold it!" Sonic snapped out of his trance, looking shocked. "You went into one of Eggmans places alone!? Without telling anyone!? Jeez Amy, what if something had happened?"

The pink hedgehog blushed "Oh Sonic, I knew you cared!"

"Cut it out, I'm being serious!" Sonic snapped, softening before continuing. "Don't do anything so reckless again Amy, okay?"

Amy nodded solemnly, the blush still on her cheeks "Okay Sonic. I promise"

Tails eyed the Warp Ring closely, scanning over every inch with a technical gleam "Does it work?"

"Well," Amy flipped it into her palm. "It got me here, but I'm not sure how much range it has"

Tails extended his hand "May I?"

Amy passed it over to the fox, moving closer to Sonic in the process until they were shoulder to shoulder.

"Bet your impressed with me, huh?" she batted her eyes, apparently ignorant to the sudden tensing of his body now inches from touching her.

"Give me strength" he pleaded silently to every deity under the sun.

Tails ran a finger across the surface of the ring, hefting it in his palm as he tested its weight and calculated its capabilities.

"Hmm, its compact and light so I'm guessing it only has short hopping abilities. But if I could tweak its circuitry, that might give it enough boost for a more longer range"

"Trust you" Sonic teased, amused at the studious look in the fox's eyes as he examined his new toy.

Tails smiled and tossed the ring gracefully into his other hand "Shouldn't take more than a few minutes once I've got the right tools"

He turned to Amy thoughtfully "How did you get it to bring you here Amy?"

Amy looked sheepish, rubbing her foot into the dirt "Well, I just...sorta...pressed buttons until it worked. Then I was here...heh"

Sonic shook his head "And if it'd been booby-trapped?"

Amy suppressed a shiver at the thought "Sorry"

"Its not booby-trapped" Tails came to Amy's aid, giving Sonic a closer look at it. "But from my preliminary look at its circuitry, it seems to have a pre-set destination. Amy was just lucky she didn't press the right combination"

"So where do you think its intended to send whoever has it?" Sonic asked, eying the ring warily. Eggman technology always had an ulterior motive.

Tails shrugged "I've not got a clue, but without knowing the correct sequences we have no way of hopping back home for me to work on it"

"So we're gonna have to risk it and hope for the best?" cobalt asked grimly.

"Afraid so" Tails replied.

Amy jumped excitedly, startling the pair "Hooray! New adventures with the old gang, just like the good days!"

Sonic frowned "What makes you think we're bringing you along?"

The female hedgie frowned at him "You wouldn't leave me alone out here would you? With no way of getting home?"

"Don't tempt me Amy" Sonic sneered. "Don't tempt me"

"Sonic, we can't leave her" Tails muttered bluntly, not caring any more than his friend about bringing her along.

"You sure?"

Amy hmphed loudly before grabbing the Warp Ring from out of Tails's hand and moving away from the two boys.

"No Amy, no Warp Ring!" she folded her arms and pouted childishly, making her stand clear. "Your choice!"

The pair sighed in unison, knowing the inevitable.

"Okay, you can come" Sonic walked up to her and wagged a finger under her nose. "But you stay out of trouble, understand?"

She kissed him on the nose, startling him and causing him to land on his rear with a thump. "Perfectly"

Amy handed the ring back to Tails, the fox helping his fallen friend up whilst holding the device aloft. He made a series of strokes along its surface until it began to glow a simmering orange.

"Next stop..." he started, as the three of them huddled closely together, Amy's hand entwined in Sonic's.

"...Lord knows" Sonic finished, as with a sudden flash of light they vanished from the clearing.

Destination...unknown.

--

Knuckles's eyes simmered at the sight of the purple weasel sat so cockily in front of him. He looked a little older than the last time their paths had crossed, but the trilby hat and oily grin were still there. The echidna's first instinct was to punch that smile off Nack's face like the old days, but he managed to control himself enough to stand eyeball to eyeball with his foe.

"What are you doing here?" he growled, fists clenched for the first sign of trouble from either Nack or the two shadowed figures behind the weasel.

Nack raised an eyebrow, looking almost bored at the ecidna's expected reaction. "Don't make a scene Knux old pal, you wouldn't want to get chucked out now would you?"

Knuckles clenched his teeth, his skin tingling with pent up rage as well as the ever-present Chaos energy that if anything was only getting stronger.

Nack gestured towards the empty seat on the other side of the table "Sit down, have a drink. We have a little business to discuss"

The red echidna didn't trust the weasel any more than he could throw him after a workout from Sonic, but he didn't see the harm in sitting down despite his misgivings. Taking his place on the other side of the sneering hatted one, he kept one eye on the two shadowy goons behind the weasel who had yet to make a move since he'd arrived.

"So," Nack spoke up, looking almost cheerful despite the simmering glare from the echidna. "Hows Angel Island these days? Or am I behind the times?"

Knuckles came close, so very very close to throttling the weasel in front of the entire bar, but he'd willed himself to keep calm. He wouldn't let Nack get the better of him until he got some answers.

"You know about then, hmm?" Knuckles forced a dark smile. "Well why don't you make things easy on yourself and tell me where to find Shadow. Then maybe I'll only break your face instead of killing you"

Nack's grin wavered for a second, eyes narrowing dangerously "Big talk for a guy who's got nothing to his name anymore"

"Neither will you if you keep pushing me weasel" Knuckles growled, eyes burning flaming daggers into Nack.

"Your looking for the Chaos Emeralds aren't you, ant-muncher?" Nack sneered.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow in surprise. How did the weasel know about that? He was a pain in the ass sure, but he was small fry. How could he possibly know?

The former Guardian nodded once silently, body tensing up as the chaos energy running up his skin heightened.

Nack's smirk almost cracked his face "Well what a coincidence..."

A click of metal and the sudden sensation of cold metal against his groin was all the warning Knuckles got of the weasels intentions.

"...So am I"

--

"You have got to be kidding me"

Sonics jaw would have hit the floor if it could, his neck craned skywards at the sight that befell him.

Tails sighed heavily "Why can't it ever be easy?"

Before them, its gigantic form big enough to blot out the sun, was something they'd hoped they would never see again.

The towering form of the Death Egg leered down at them.

--

END OF PART 5