SONIC HEROES: THE SERIES
PotC, Kingdom Hearts © Disney
Chapter Fifty: Fighting Fear
The heroes could hardly believe it has been two days since Blaze returned. Silver reintroduced her to the team during dinner the same day she returned and they welcomed her back ecstatically; Cream was especially happy to have her roommate back. Shadow decided to celebrate by throwing a party; partly for Blaze's return, partly for finishing Team Virtex's house.
The scene shifts to the City of Soleanna. The sky was cloudless, the running water was clear, and Amy was buying out every store in the central plaza. Unfortunately, Rector, Howl, and Sonic found themselves being dragged along for the ride. Rector didn't complain, but Sonic and Howl were swamped under the heavy load of shopping bags Amy heaved on them. After much convincing Rector took their bags and effortlessly carried them in one arm.
"Ooh, we have just got to have these!" Amy exclaimed with glee.
"Ugh, Rector, doesn't your sister have any self-control?" Howl moaned.
"She a girl, this comes natural to her." Rector shrugged. "My main concern is how she'll be paying for all this."
"G.U.N. pays for all our stuff." Sonic said bored, flipping a black box open and close. "The Commander nearly had a heart attack when he saw the latest bill. He asked Amy and Kumori to stop, but that's as like to happen as Knuckles winning the Nobel Prize."
"Just great." Rector groaned, following his sister into the next shop.
"By the way, where are Raine and Marine?" Sonic asked.
"Raine was called to the Central City Hospital for a medical emergency." Howl replied. "And if I know Marine, she's probably somewhere with Blaze. She hasn't left her alone since she got back."
"Now I feel sorry for Blaze." Sonic sniggered, continuing to flip the black box.
"Now it's my turn to ask the questions." Howl said. "What is with that black box you've got?"
"This ain't a box." Sonic stated. "This is a special compass. My dad gave it to me last time I saw him."
"You sure it's a compass?" Howl questioned as Sonic flipped the box open. "It doesn't tell north."
Howl was correct; the compass didn't point to either north, south, east, or west. Instead, the inside was a small disc contain inside a domed glass cover. The disc was mostly clear with the exception of the small arrow.
"That's because it's not supposed to point north." Sonic explained. "I was only three when my father told me about it. He said it only points to the thing the holder wants most."
"Then you'd best not tell Rector that." Howl muttered softly.
Sonic stared at Howl with a confused expression until Rector and Amy walked out of the store with another load of bags. All of a sudden, Sonic's compass pointed in one direction. Sonic looked up and found that the arrow was pointed at Amy. Sonic's face burned red for a moment until he noticed how close Rector was. He quickly snapped the compass and stuffed into his quills before Rector could notice.
"Can we go home now?" Rector whined.
"Not yet." Amy said stubbornly. "We've only gone to half the shops in town. We'll hit the rest after lunch."
"Rector, nothing personal." Howl whispered to the red hedgehog. "But you sister is a shopping tyrant."
"What can I say?" Rector shrugged. "She inherited the trait from our mother."
"You get used to it after a while." Sonic grinned mischievously.
After being dragged for hours, the guys were relieved to finally have a break during lunch. They stopped at the outdoor café, which was recommended by Silver. After mentioning the grey hedgehog's name, they were treated to a free lunch, much to Rector's money-free joy. Amy went on about how they were going to stop at all the other stores until she reached the point about a bridal shop. At that point, Sonic rocketed off in the other direction, mostly because of the glare he was receiving from Rector.
"I can't believe you scared him off!" Amy screamed; they were resuming their shopping expedition.
"There is no way I am letting some high-speed rat go anywhere with my baby sister." Rector said sternly. "And besides, you're only twelve years old. It's too early for you to be thinking about marriage."
"I'm not a baby, anymore!" Amy yelled. "I'm a mature, young woman."
"Not as long as I'm around." Rector growled
Howl, on the other hand, had no say in the conversation. Even though he could put up a match against Rector, Howl did not question the red hedgehog. It was times like this, he was glad that he left his younger brother, Feral, back in Japan. I think everyone has had enough sibling feuds to last them a lifetime.
"Amy's just as stubborn as Feral." Howl thought, watching the siblings yell at one another. "Glad I don't have to go through that everyday." All of a sudden, Howl's sensitive nose caught a strange scent; it smelled like blood and corpses. "Where is that smell coming from?"
"I don't need you watch over me all the time." Amy stated.
"Like hell, you don't!" Rector exclaimed.
"Rector, there's something here." Howl informed.
"What do you mean?" Rector asked seriously.
"I smell something." Howl said, taking another whiff of the air. "Something not human."
"What do you...?" Amy asked.
Amy was cut off when a chord of screams erupted from the central plaza. Sensing danger, Howl and the hedgehog siblings dashed back to the plaza; Rector completely dumped the bags. Amy swore to pay him back for that later. The trio screeched to a halt as they saw a monster emerge from the bridal shop. (Ironic, isn't it?) The creature was a silver cobra with arms at the side, and a long, lashing tail for feet. There was also a black heart with red thorns tattooed on his chest. A trail if blood was dripping from his fangs; a few human crumpled below him.
"That's sick." Rector said in disgust.
"What in the world is that thing?" Howl questioned, preparing to draw his sword.
"I'm so glad you asked?"
The heroes quickly turned on their heels, only to be lashed aside by a long silver tail. Howl was thrown into the fountain in the center, while Rector and Amy were hurled into the nearest shop. Howl quickly pulled himself out of the water and unsheathed his sword. The grey wolf charged forward and jumped into the air as the silver cobra lashed its tail at him. Howl started spinning around in midair, his sword held outwards, and took the form of a tornado. The whirling Howl was aimed over the silver serpent until the cobra suddenly shot a strange liquid from its fangs. The liquid jumped right into the tornado, splattering all across Howl's face. A hot, burning sensation formed around Howl's face, forcing him to break from his attack. Seeking the opportunity, the silver cobra lashed its tail at the grey wolf, slamming him to the ground.
"What is this stuff?" Howl grunted, trying to wipe away the liquid.
"It's a special substance formed inside my body." The silver cobra replied. "You are lucky it only hit your eyes, which will only temporarily blind you. If it had hit the center over your heart, you would have died."
"How dare you attack my friend?!" Rector roared furiously.
The silver serpent turned just in time to dodge a stone column that was thrown at him. Rector tore off another column and hurled it at the direction of the serpent. The silver cobra easily slithered around it and made a dive for Rector. Unfortunately for the snake, he did not see Amy's hammer headed straight for him until it crashed into his face. The silver serpent was thrown near the café; Silver's friend nearly had a heart attack. The cobra nearly straightened up until rector made a dive for him. The serpent and Rector grasped each others hands, pushing each other in a test of strength. Rector had the advantage.
Not so confident now, are ya?" Rector grinned. "Now start talking. Who are you?"
"My name is Skarga." The snake known as Skarga grunted. "I am a commander of the Heartless."
"The Heartless?" Rector questioned. "What are you talking about?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Skarga grinned, despite the stress.
"Big brother, watch out!" Amy cried.
Rector didn't have time to figure out what Amy was screaming about until Skarga's tail lashed across his face. Rector was sent tumbling across the street until Skarga chased after him and slammed his tail at the top of the hedgehog's head. Rector tried to stagger back to his feet, but Skarga's tail wrapped around his chest to pin him down. Skarga readied his fangs to strike until a red hammer suddenly smashed into his face. Skarga was sent through a shop window and smothered under a pile of merchandise. Amy held her hammer ready in case she would have to fight the snake again. Suddenly, she felt a hand tap on her shoulder and swiftly shot her hammer around. Lucky Sonic ducked out of the way just in time to avoid being sent to the next continent.
"Whoa! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Oh, Sonic!" Amy cried, bringing Sonic into a bone breaking hug. "I thought I would never see you again!"
"Can't breathe." Sonic gasped. "Can't breathe."
"Sorry." Amy apologized, releasing Sonic. "I was just so worried that something had happened to you."
"What happened to them?" Sonic asked, motioning towards Howl and Rector. "They look pretty beat up."
"Some monster named Skarga did this." Amy said worried. "Rector and Howl tried to fight him, but he was too much."
"Man, this guy must be tough to do this." Sonic said eagerly.
"I'll take that as a compliment." A voice hissed.
Sonic felt a sudden urge of anxiety, knowing the voice belonged to the attacker. Sonic shot around to start a fight with the serpent. But the moment Sonic spotted Skarga, he suddenly froze. Skarga hissed venomously as Sonic eyes shot wide with unnerving fear. Skarga slithered closer to Sonic, but the blue blur found himself stepping backwards. Amy felt worried for Sonic. She had never seen him act like this before. As he started backwards, Sonic accidentally tripped over his own feet and fell back. Noticing the hedgehog's hesitation, Skarga whipped his tail and sent Sonic flying over the fountain.
"Sonic!" Amy cried.
The pink hedgehog tried to run over and help, but Skarga had other plans. He swerved around and enclosed Amy with his tail.
"You're not going anywhere, girl." Skarga hissed. "In fact, I think I might have some use for you."
"Let my sister go!"
Rector had recovered from his earlier beating just in time to see Sonic get whipped around. Howl had also picked himself up and was washing away the liquid on his face in the fountain. Rector kicked at a nearby street lamp and broke it apart, leaving a sharp ended pole. He looked ready to throw the pole until Skarga held Amy in his line of fire.
"Attack me and you put your sister in danger." Skarga hissed menacingly. Rector hesitated for a moment, but ultimately dropped the pole to the ground. "Th ought you would see it my way. Now, I have a princess to meet. Farewell.
"Amy!" Rector called.
"Rector, help!" Amy cried.
The red hedgehog dived to save his sister, but it was too late. Skarga plunged his head into the ground and burrowed a hole to escape, taking Amy along for the ride. Rector, angered about losing his sister, tried to punch his way through the ground to chase him. but he wasn't like Knuckles, he couldn't dig. Howl, no longer blinded, placed a gentle hand on his friends shoulder.
"I failed her." Rector said mournfully. "I can't believe I lost my sister again."
"It's not your fault." Howl assured. "Listen, Skarga needs to keep Amy alive so that we can't attack him. I'm sure she'll be fine."
Just then, Sonic had come back, looking a little shaken from the experience. He fidgeted more then usual and was looking left and right in case he might spot Skarga again. Suddenly, Rector's anger flared and charged toward the blue hedgehog. Sonic spotted him just in time to dodge his Leaf Whirlwind technique and sidestepped away from his back fist.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Sonic exclaimed, dodging another fist.
"This is all your fault!" Rector roared, not letting up on his assault. "If hadn't just stood their like a statue, he never would have taken Amy!" He reeled back his arm for another punch until Howl grabbed him by his arm. "Howl, let me go!"
"Stop this already." Howl said seriously. "This isn't Sonic's fault.
"I not need you to..."
"It is my fault." Sonic interrupted sadly. Rector suddenly calmed down, signaling Howl to let go. "I don't know why, but ever since I was born, I have been deathly afraid of snakes. Every time I see one, I just freeze up. Some hero I turned out to be."
"I can understand that you are afraid." Rector said sympathetically. "My greatest fear has always been heights. Whenever I look down from a high structure, I would freeze up like you did. But despite my fears, I could conquer them by remembering one thing."
"What's that?" Sonic asked.
"I remember what is important to me." Rector stated. "I love my sister and I care for my team; that's what helps me move on."
"But what if that doesn't work for me?" Sonic asked.
"Sonic, you once told me that you loved my sister." Rector said. "Now is your chance to prove it."
"We better hurry." Howl interrupted. "According to that snake, he should be heading to Princess Elise's castle."
Rector nodded and made a run towards the direction of the Soleanna castle. Howl gazed at Sonic for a moment before chasing after his comrade. Sonic was now left in the remains of the central plaza with only Rector's words to guide him. He did love Amy, but was it enough to overcome his fears. Sonic reached into his quills and pulled out his fathers compass. He opened the compass and stared at it with intensified interest.
The scene alters inside the Soleanna palace. Skarga's arrival was evident as all the guards had been killed at their posts with massive holes in their chests. Elise looked horrified as Skarga slaughtered the last remaining guards that stood in his way. The path was made much easier Skarga used Amy as a shield and Elise commanded the guards not to harm her. Skarga slithered his way up to the throne and approached the princess, who remained surprisingly calm.
"You don't appear threatened by my appearance." Skarga said amusingly.
"I have seen far worse things than you." Elise stated calmly. "As princess of Soleanna, I requested that you state yourself."
"Since you asked so kindly." Skarga said humorously. "I am Skarga, a commander of the Heartless."
"The Heartless?" Elise repeated. "Tell me, why have you come here?"
"The Heartless are in need of some new recruits." Skarga explained. "You see, only those who have the strongest hearts can become the strongest Heartless, such as myself. I have seen into the hearts of you and this girl." Skarga lifted Amy into plain view with his tail. "You two will make excellent Heartless."
"I will surrender myself." Elise bowed. "But only if you let Amy go."
"Sorry, princess." Skarga hissed. "You're not in the position to be making any deals."
Elise tried to remain calm, but there was something about the snake that sent chills down her spine. Unbeknownst to Skarga and his prisoners, two characters had followed his trial. Rector and Howl easily pushed through the castle defenses, mostly because they were already dead. They climbed up the wall and found themselves watching the scene from the rafter.
"Those Heartless sound like a vile sort of creatures." Howl whispered. "When do we take him?"
"I don't know." Rector said honestly. "As long as he has Amy, we can't touch him. we need to find a way to separate him from Amy and the princess. Then we should be able to take him without any trouble.
"But the questions, how are we going to get them apart?" Howl said.
"You could sneak up on him and take the girl while he's not looking."
"You know, that's not a bad..."
Rector stopped himself for a moment when he realized the voice didn't belong to either of them. The looked back and found Skarga hanging behind them. Skarga punch the two across the ace, sending them down hard on the floor below. Groaning, the two picked themselves up as Skarga slithered towards them. Howl was ready to draw his sword when he remembered that Amy was still being held prisoner. Skarga spewed the same liquid from earlier and the two jumped out of the way. While they were distracted, Skarga whipped away with his tail, Amy included, Howl and grasped Rector firmly by his neck.
"You don't know when to give up, do you?" Skarga hissed. "I like that. With your strength and daring nerve, you would make a fine Heartless."
"I'd rather die than join up with you." Rector gasped.
"That won't be a problem." Skarga said, baring his fangs.
"No, leave him alone!" Amy cried. "It's me you want!"
"Silence, girl!" Skarga hissed. "I have had enough of your mouth!"
"That's no way to talk to a lady."
Before anyone had a chance to realize it, a blue ball zoomed into the throne chamber and slammed into the side of Skarga's face. Due to the attack, Skarga was force to release both Rector and Amy. Elise jumped out of the way as Skarga was sent flying into her thrown. Howl quickly picked up the princess and jumped back to join his friends. Amy hugged her brother in happiness and was even more excited when the blue ball uncurled to reveal none other than Sonic. But for some reason, Sonic was wearing a blindfold.
"Sonic, I knew you would come!" Amy cheered.
"I guess I was wrong about you." Rector smirked. "By the way, what's with the blindfold?"
"Like I said, I freeze up whenever I see a snake." Sonic stated.
"I get it now." Howl said in understanding. "If he can't see the fear, he won't have a reason to be afraid of it."
"But how can you fight something you can't see?" Elise asked in concern.
"Not a problem." Sonic smirked, giving his signature thumbs up. "Just leave everything to me."
Just then, Skarga emerged from the ground beneath them. Howl set Elise down and jumped in front of her with his sword held out. Rector pushed his sister behind him, not wanting a repeat performance. But despite the many annoyances, Sonic seemed to be the one attracting most of Skarga's attention.
"You filthy rat!" Skarga hissed angrily. "I am Skarga, A Commander of the Heartless. Who do you think you are?"
"Just a true blue hero." Sonic replied.
"You're lucky you have a blindfold." Skarga said. "Now you won't be able to see your death!"
At that motion, Skarga snapped his head forward at the blue hedgehog. Amy and the others showed worried expression, but Sonic seemed to be smiling for some reason. After many lessons with Shadow, Sonic learned how to transfer chaos energy around his body. Sonic sent most of his chaos into his ears, heightening his hearing. He could distinctly hear Skarga's body slithering around the floor. After finding his target, Sonic gathered an amount of blue chaos energy in his open palm and shaped it into the form of a sphere.
"SONIC WIND!" Sonic shouted.
The attack nailed its mark. Sonic delivered a striking blow to Skarga's chest. Skarga gasped momentarily with his last breath and fell backwards in a crumpled heap. After hearing the soft thud, Sonic removed the blindfold and saw Skarga's dead body on the floor. All of a sudden, Amy came up to him and crushed him in her signature bone breaking hug.
"Oh, Sonic!" Amy cried. "I knew you could do it!"
"Amy, let him breathe." Howl suggested. "He's been through enough today."
"At least he took out that serpent." Rector nodded.
"What's that?" Elise asked.
Everyone looked and found Elise pointing at Skarga's body. They saw why as Skarga's body was suddenly evaporate in a cloud of darkness. When the darkness faded, a small trail of energy in the shape of a heart appeared for a moment before vanishing. Everyone was quiet for a moment, wondering what had happened to the serpent. Was he really dead, or was it some kind of trap? But with all these questions, the one that really caught them was...
"What was that thing inside him?" Elise asked. "Was that a heart?"
"Skarga did say his group was looking for strong hearts." Howl said. "Maybe, when they take someone's heart, these "Heartless" consume those hearts to grow their ranks. But that's only my idea."
"Looks like we have a lot more to deal with then just Eggman and Nazo." Amy said.
"Aw, I'm sure we can take them." Sonic said confidently. "Especially now that I conquered my fear."
Sonic smiled proudly at himself, feeling like he could take on ten Nazo. That didn't last very long. He felt something drape across his shoulder and nearly screamed when he saw something green and thin. Sonic jumped up nearly through the roof and clung tightly to the rafters. The others were laughing when Rector revealed that it was only a garden hose.
"Yeah, he conquered it all right!" Rector laughed harder.
"Ha, ha, very funny." Sonic grimaced. "Now can someone get me down?"
But unfortunately, Rector suggested treating themselves to dinner down in the town and everyone agreed. Sonic remained there for the rest of the night.
The scene alters to Naga's hidden mountain base. Naga was working tirelessly on a new experiment he had concocted, testing it on one of his servants. The test proved to be a failure and the servant was dead in a matter of seconds. But despite the failure, Naga seemed happy.
"Perhaps I used the wrong mixture." Naga said pleasantly. "Aw well, there are plenty of others to test on." Just then, the door to the room slid open and Naga's faithful pet, Nagini, slithered inside. "Nagini, what information do you bring?"
"عثر بالقرب من" Nagini hissed in a language only Naga could understand.
"What! Skarga!" Naga hissed furiously, destroying his experiment in rage. "What is he doing?! I told him specifically that this was my world!
"ابطال قتلوه قبل لحظات." Nagini hissed.
"Somehow, I am not surprised." Naga said pleasantly. "Because of the Chaos Emeralds and the recent addition of the Sol Emeralds, this world is filled with too much light for any Heartless. A normal one would have died moments upon reaching this world."
"ابطال قتلوه قبل لحظ" Nagini hissed.
"Sonic's fear most likely comes from the day I experimented on him." Naga said. "The incident clearly tramuatized him. But right now, I need a way to bend around the light."
"That is why you need someone outside the light and the darkness."
Just then, a cloud of darkness erupted from the floor. When the darkness disappeared, Kai, Naga's most loyal servant, was found in its place.
"Kai, what has happened on your mission?" Naga asked.
"It is over." Kai said monotone. "Organization XIII is defeated."
"And the Nobodies?" Naga asked.
Kai smiled, looked like it hurt doing it, and snapped his fingers towards the ceiling. A hole of darkness filled the ceiling and several white creatures fell onto the ground. They came in many size and each had a different form. They all bared the same symbol: An upside-down heart with a spiked cross.
"They are at your disposal." Kai bowed. "As long as I exist, they can't betray you."
"And you existence will be eternal." Naga said respectfully. "Kai, The Last Nobody."
Fear is an evil that can defeated. What is Naga's connection to the Heartless? What will the evil serpent do with his new army? Who is the real Kai? Find out on the next Sonic Heroes!
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