A/N: I've recieved some complaints about how apparently out of character and ridiculous Sonic's sudden transformation was last chapter. Guys, I've mapped out this whole story before I even started it, this was planned from the beginning. I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing and will deliver an engaging story for you to enjoy, just be patient. But, just because that cliffhanger was quite evil of me, I decided to quickly write this chapter just so you won't have to wait. And, by the end of this, we will officially be half way through the story! Hooray! Now, please enjoy :)

Chapter 12

Shard

The birds chirped quietly, perched on the wiry branches weaving their way through the lush mangroves. Their songs gloomier, paralleling the aura of sadness that had washed over the inhabitants of the wooden house. Cosmo and Galaxia had closed themselves off in the planning room and were left to their grief for a bit. Tails had wondered off by himself that night to think things through. Blaze had decided to go for a walk with him around the grove to help him come to terms with what they had witnessed and what Sonic had said the previous day. The sun began to sink as cool afternoon breezes wafted from the salty ocean down the winding river. Tikal and Knuckles sat side by side, their feet dangling off the deck of the house and their legs were submerged in the murky water from the knees downwards.

"How's the arm?" Tikal asked, breaking the silence. She raised her arm and placed it gently over Knuckles, rubbing it slowly as she beamed him a warming smile. His broken arm was propped up with a make-shift sling. A large, flat leaf was fashioned into the material that his healing limb rested in while a thin piece of vine held it in place, tied in a knot over his shoulder.

"It feels a lot better now thanks to you," Knuckles thanked appreciatively. "Thanks again for helping me get back here in one piece."

"Please, I wasn't going to abandon you out here. Besides… Blaze had her hands full with Tails so I was just trying to be useful," she sighed, her gaze shifting to looking over the still waters.

"Hey," Knuckles placed the thumb of his good arm under her chin and spinning her head to face him, her eyes filled with doubt. "Don't say that. You are useful. We need you, despite what Blaze says, she's just guarded after what happened to Silver. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't all be here right now."

"Yeah, and if it wasn't for me Sonic wouldn't have gone crazy and Earthia might still be alive," Tikal cursed herself under her breath, slamming her fist into the wood beneath her, small fragments of the sticks splintering off and plunging into the water underneath them.

"Tiks, c'mon don't speak like that. None of this is your fault. You've been nothing but helpful. I know everybody hates you and doesn't trust you but… but I do. I don't know why but when I look into your eyes, the eyes I had fallen in love with I know the truth and I'll keep defending you no matter what," Knuckles spoke from the heart. Tikal stared back, amazed at his kindness as her eyes filled with love of the purest sense.

"You… you called me Tiks again. You haven't called me that since before you broke up with me."

"Well, I think you've earned the right to be called Tiks again," Knuckles soothed warmly. Tikal began to close her eyes, tilting her head as she began to lean in and close the gap between the two. Knuckles hand was still on her chin whilst hers was still placed gently on his broken arm. Knuckles began to close his eyes as well when suddenly the dreary voice of Tails broke the romantic silence.

"Hey guys," he spoke in a depressed tone, almost coming out as a moan than anything else as it seemed painful for him to even get the words out. Knuckles snapped away from Tikal to look at him. His gaze was cast downwards at his feet, his shoulders sagged over. "Galaxia and Cosmo want to talk about what our next move is and they want you two. Blaze is already in there with them. I think they've decided to put their grieving aside until after the war," he sighed as he turned and dragged his feet back into the house, not once looking up or letting any enthusiasm into his voice.

"Well… we should get going," Knuckles coughed awkwardly as he stood up, wincing slightly in pain as his arm knocked against his side.

"Yeah… I guess so," Tikal sighed, missing her opportunity as she obediently fell into step behind Knuckles as they entered the house. The two make a sharp left and enter the small room with the large, central circular table where they first met the Zuncon trio. However, this time, only Galaxia and Cosmo stood at the opposing end, a sour frown plastered across both of their faces despite clearly being in the middle of an argument. Blaze looked defeated and exhausted, trying to stop the fighting as she always does.

"We are all still sad about Earthia but we can't let that tear us apart," she tried to reason with Galaxia who had begun to get more and more worked up.

"Why don't you stay out of it," she snapped, throwing an icy cold glare towards the surprised cat.

"Hey, don't talk to her that way," Knuckles growled, moving from Tikal's side towards Blaze defensively.

"If it wasn't for her and that stupid hedgehog mother wouldn't be dead, would she?!" Blaze and Knuckles turned towards Tails to see if he would show any kind of angry reaction but he just sighed, staring blankly ahead of him.

"Galaxia, enough!" Cosmo shouted, startling everybody. Her features stern, her eyes narrow. "We can't start turning on each other."

"Oh great, of course you would choose their side," Galaxia snorted in protest.

"I'm not choosing sides. I'm trying to keep us all on the same side."

"Do you know how to keep us all on the same side?" Galaxia asked rhetorically. "If we gather our troops and attack whoever sent those drones. We need to get our revenge."

"No, we don't. Galaxia, don't you see this isn't what mother would have wanted. She wanted peace, despite what Coral and Striker did and despite what Aves and Sonic have done. Vengeance is not the answer. We need to stay peaceful like she always taught us."

"You are so annoying sometimes. Fine, you wanna be like that? Be my guest! I'm out of here," Galaxia bellowed as she turned and stomped out of the room. Cosmo called after her, giving chase, leaving only Tails, Blaze, Knuckles and Tikal left in the room.

"Tails…" Blaze probed gently. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Tails whispered with a nod, barely audible. "I just hope Sonic is okay…" Knuckles and Tikal exchanged worriedly glances. "…Wherever he is."

…

Sonic shot his eyes open, his senses suddenly flooding back into him as he became instantly alert. As he rose to a sitting position, he felt an intense pain shoot up to his head, pounding loudly with each beat of his heart and race of his pulse. He held his forehead with the palm of his hand, wincing in pain. He traced the quills draping down his back, up to the back of his head where he felt a slight bump, clearly caused by something smacking him from behind.

"What the hell…" he mouthed aloud as he tried to recall anything but he could not. He remembered hiding in a cave and an explosion. He remembered being woken up and leaving the cave to make sure the coast was clear and nothing else. Nothing after calling to Tails.

"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed as he jumped up, ignoring the pain as his reflexes kicked in. He scanned the room he was in, expecting to see nothing but sand and dust but to his surprise, he was in a small, white room. He looked down, noticing that he was lying on soft, satin sheets. A small table was situated next to him holding nothing more than a glass of water. It seemed like a normal room with wardrobes, an ensuite bathroom, carpet and a couch in the corner facing out towards a circular window.

Curious, Sonic waltzed over to the window to look out but the view that he saw took his breath away. His eyes sparkled in the evening sun as he gaped at the impossible city that lay before him. From out the window, high up he scanned the horizon. A multitude of houses lined the streets, all built out of steel. People walked the sidewalks, but they weren't sidewalks and… they weren't people. The ground beneath them was a conveyer belt, moving what appeared to be half animal, half machines from their houses to places of business. Neon lights flashed, brightening the whole city whilst gigantic jumbotrons illuminated the streets, advertising for whoever paid the most. Sonic glanced skywards, marveling at the zeppelins that soared overhead, tethered to the taller buildings. Steam and smoke rose from the tall chimney stacks that protruded from the many houses and what appeared to be factories. Fake, steel trees line the sliver of the streets that weren't moving, positioned in the sandy soil.

'How could a city like this be sustained in the middle of a desert?' Sonic thought to himself as he heard the door behind him slowly creak open and he whipped his head around, wincing again from another flash of pain.

"Ah, I see somebody is finally awake," A friendly voice sounded from the door. Sonic gasped, not able to believe his eyes. Standing in front of him was the spitting image of his old teacher, and purple chameleon, Espio. The only difference was his strange attire. He wore tight fitting red and yellow mechanical armor with thick, green boots and a blue visor that covered his eyes.

"Wh-who are you?" Sonic asked, unsure whether or not to trust this strange creature. Everything was so unfamiliar to him. So new, so advanced. His head was still reeling from the bump.

"My name is Zespio," Zespio responded with a smile, chuckling at Sonic's surprise as he continued. "If you would, our leader is simply dying to meet you." Sonic hesitated, turning to look back at the bed that he had woken up from. These people didn't seem hostile, and if he was back in Mobius he would have already been killed so he decided to accompany Zespio. He was lead down a grand, spiral staircase and through winding corridors. Eventually, he was lead to a large set of doors and instructed to enter. After thanking Zespio, Sonic carefully slipped through the doors and stopped to marvel at what he saw.

He was standing in the middle of a large, circular room. Marble floors extended out to the towering walls. A gigantic screen lined the end of the wall and a grey metallic circle lay underneath it. Suddenly, the ground beneath Sonic began to rumble as the floor opened up, sharp triangles receding into the walls as a metallic hedgehog rose on a platform. Once the gears stopped turning and the room ceased to shake, the hedgehog in question took a step forward, a smile plastered on his steel muzzle. His casing and quills were painted black, golden streaks running up his head as a dazzling emerald was situated in the middle of his stomach.

"Greetings. My name is Shard and I am the leader of our fine city. We don't often get guests. How do you like Macton?" Shard addressed Sonic as he took a couple more steps forward until they were barely standing a meter apart.

"M-Macton?" Sonic babbled like an idiot, not able to believe what I was hearing. "How did I end up here?"

"Our drones were out patrolling our borders when we noticed a Vaposian army marching far too close for comfort. After scanning their movements and following them, we waited until they saw you, and a smaller fox meet in the middle before a Zuncon army emerged from the tree line," Shard said stoically. "I was unaware diplomatic relations were that poor."

"Diplomatic relations?" Sonic repeated. "Mr. Shard, we are in the middle of a war. How did you not know?"

"A war," Shard responded in a grave tone, his attitude and demeanor noticeably changing. "Now that is troubling. We were unaware until we saw the Vaposians. Although they always were the warmongers," Shard pointed out. "And please, just call me Shard."

"Razor isn't a warmonger," Sonic hissed, but changed his tone after noticing Shard's ugly response to his rudeness. "Sorry, but please, Shard, I was on the battlefield and then I ended up here. What happened?"

"Well after those dastardly Avians sent their flying machines to bomb everybody, my scouts had to take cover."

"Wait, Wave sent those drones?" Sonic gasped, thinking back to the somewhat brash swallow that helped save his and Tails' life back when Big attacked them at the park.

"Wave, hmm? And Razor? You address them so informally and personally like you know of the leaders of Aves and Vapos. You are quite the well-travelled young man. Tell me, what were you doing in Aves and Vapos?"

"You haven't told me how I got here?" Sonic replied stubbornly.

"I'll explain once you tell me how you ended up there," Shard replied, not budging. From the looks of him, Sonic assumed he wasn't one who was easily bargained with so with a sigh, he admitted defeat and explained everything that had happened to him, including how Big slaughtered Wave's friends, how they ended up on the island, how they were attacked by the leviathan and ended up separated at opposite ends of the land and how Razor agreed to help them.

"That is a troubling story indeed," Shard nodded, his fingers stroking his chin as he finished listening to Sonic regale the tale.

"Now, please, how did I end up here?"

"Once the dust cleared a little, my scouts went to investigate the scene and see if anybody survived. They discovered you passed out in the middle of the desert and after checking your vitals, they noticed you were still alive and so they brought you back here."

"Just me? Did they see anybody else?" Sonic asked, hope in his eyes.

"If I were you, I wouldn't ask questions you're not prepared to hear the answers to," Shard responded wisely.

"I need to know. I've been through too much. Where are my friends. What happened to Tails?"

"I'm sorry…" Shard sighed, his expression turning grave. "My scouts did discover some others around you but… well I don't know how to put this." Sonic leant in, needing to know, still clinging to his last shred of hope. Shard closed his eyes, lowered his head and whispered silently, his words laced with empathy. "I'm sorry, Sonic, but your friends are dead."

Sonic froze. He went numb as his arms fell limp beside him. He lost control of his senses. All sound was drowned out and the light in front of him grew dark and distant. He could feel nothing, taste nothing and feel nothing. It was like his whole world had come tumbling down around him and his heart cracked in two, being replaced by nothing but an empty void.

"All we went through," he said, his voice barely louder than an incoherent whisper. "All we fought for and everything I did to find him again… It was all for…" he trailed off before finally finishing. "…nothing."

"I'm terribly sorry, Sonic. Please, if there is anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask. I know this must be difficult news to hear."

"I'd just like to be left alone."

"Of course," Shard nodded, calling for Zespio. "Zespio will take you back to your room. If you get hungry at any point, I'll be sitting down to eat at about six and you're more than welcome to join me." Sonic nodded, his eyes distant and hazy as he turned and skulked off behind the metallic chameleon like a zombie, his feet dragging across the marble floor.

"That was harsh," a voice spoke up. Shard raised his head, his eyes glinting as a small smirk crossed his face.

"I told the boy what he needed to hear," Shard responded. "Now, what news do you have? Did they fall for it, Zonic?" A silhouetted figure slipped through the door and stepped out of the shadows, artificial light illuminating his face. He looked exactly like Sonic, if not for the similar style armour that he donned and the helmet fixed to his head.

"It worked like a charm," Zonic smiled. "But you weren't kidding," he continued, amazed. "I saw the prisoner pass me when going back to his room and he looks exactly like me, just with bad fashion sense."

"Please, prisoner is such a harsh word. I'd prefer guest."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Zonic shrugged, eliciting a growl from Shard.

"I'd watch your tone if I were you," Shard breathed, containing his anger as he returned to his stoic speaking voice. "Now, did you eliminate the boy?"

"Well, not exactly. Earthia protected him and died in his place," Zonic admitted.

"What a fortunate and unexpected turn. With no leader, Zuncon is all but done for and with Aves on its last leg, this war is almost over."

"But what of the boy and his little friends?"

"They will be too distraught over being shot at by his special little Sonic that he won't be able to stand in our way," Shard smiled victoriously. "Now prepare my ship, I have a stop I need to fly to." Zonic nodded, bowing before he fled out of the room to begin Shard's preparations.

…

"How long do we have to wait," the fidgeting hedgehog sighed, glossing over her nails as she tried to stave away the boredom.

"How about you shut up for five minutes, you insolent child," Vector barked back. Amy frowned as she turned her head. Vector had called her into his throne room hours ago to discuss something with her but he had insisted they wait for Shadow to check back in. Vector growled as he drummed his lanky fingers against the material of his throne impatiently. Finally, as if on cue, the large double doors to his throne room creaked open and Shadow slipped inside.

"Sorry I'm late," Shadow bowed politely as he walked up. Amy scoffed, shooting him daggers but he just returned the gesture with a stare of his own, dark, distant and filled with malice and hate.

"Where have you been," Vector growled.

"I had to detain Fiona. We captured her and I will be back to interrogate her shortly. Our jailers are looking after her for now," Shadow replied, turning his attention back to the imposing crocodile.

"Good work, but never mind her for now. I have something I need to show both of you but we must wait on one more."

"Are you serious?" Amy groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up," Shadow and Vector both hissed back at her.

"I'm here, my lord," a dark yet somehow strangely innocent voice purred from the door. Shadow and Amy whipped their heads over where they saw a cloaked figure, hood obscuring their face, stroll into the room.

"Don't keep me waiting in future," Vector responded. "You have news from the battle?"

"Sonic killed Earthia but Razor is still alive," the figure responded.

"Sonic is here?!" Shadow and Amy both cried out simultaneously, turning their attention to the rogue.

"Where is he? Is he coming here? I need to see Sonic," Amy regurgitated question after question, refusing to pause for an answer.

"Is he still with Tails? Are they still happy? Have they been torn apart yet?" Shadow bombarded them with his own questions, hoping that their misery would fill him with joy.

"Both of you, shut up, now!" Vector commanded as he rose, his presence filling the room. Shadow and Amy both silenced, frustrated but obedient. "Now that all three of you are here, I have something I would like to share with you," he continued ominously as he forced them to follow him. He exited the throne room and lead them down to a small, secluded rusted door. He threw it open and entered a smaller room. He input a code on a small keypad before the glass in front of them slid open and he descended down a stone, spiral staircase. Shadow, Amy and the rogue followed in step, curious as to where they were heading until they arrived at their destination and all gasped.

Vector stepped aside to let them marvel at what they could see. The room had extended as the cobblestone, grey walls transitioned into those of white marble. Screens, desks and vats lined the room with tubes running in and out of beacons, green liquid seeping between them. Large cylinders stood attacked by brackets to the wall, green gas wisping and swirling around inside their glass casings.

"Is that…" Amy gaped, trailing off.

"Big's serum?" Shadow finished.

"Indeed," Vector grinned triumphantly. "When visiting the church a couple months ago, I discovered a secret little laboratory underneath that Big had been experimenting in. I found a sample of the serum and created this lab to run some tests on it. With this equipment, I was able to change the serum that forces you to kill the ones you love into a gaseous form. I will then unleash this on the other tribes, causing them all to turn on each other in a murderous rampage and march my army on the wreckage, finally completing what Large set out to do one hundred years ago," he laughed.

"But how could you have done all this?" Amy enquired.

"How were you able to find this equipment and use it all to alter the serum's chemistry?" Shadow added.

"He had a little help," a voice gloated from behind. Shadow, Amy and the cloaked figure all turned around to see somebody standing at the entrance of the steps. "Sorry, how rude of me not to introduce myself," they smiled as they stepped forward. The hedgehog closed the distance between them, stepping into the luminescent, artificial glow of the headlights above them. The hedgehog's metal skin reflected off the light, his steel muzzle plastered with a permanent grin, his black and yellow pained shell glossy and immaculate. "My name is Shard, leader of Macton. Nice to meet you."

"Macton." The cloaked figure smiled, finally able to piece everything together.

"I admit everything in this room is curtesy of Shard here. Together, our strong alliance formed can help rid the world of the useless, Iblis worshiping tribes and we can split the land, fifty-fifty."

"Indeed. Also, I have news of Sonic," Shard chuckled darkly when Shadow and Amy immediately leant in closer. "I have him. He is a guest in my home back at Macton. He seems a bit defeated though, the poor thing thinks all of his friends are dead. Don't worry, he trusts me. I'll be sure to deliver him straight to you. You know how people get when they start on paths to revenge."

"Perfect," Vector nodded. "I need you to return back to Macton. Something is still not quite right with the serum and we can't figure out why," Vector grumbled as he picked up a small object encasing a sample of the serum and handed it to Shard who took it eagerly. "Once you figure it out, we can finally unleash it on the land."

"I'll have it done by week's end. Nice to see you again, I should be off. Sonic is waiting for me," he said his goodbyes as he turned to exit, ignoring the flabbergasted expressions of Amy and Shadow.

"Now Shadow, Amy, I need you to go back to the front lines, taking our remaining troops and meet with Mighty. You take Aves' capital tomorrow," he commanded.

"But Vector, I need to be here when Sonic arrives," Shadow argued but was silenced by a guttural growl from Vector.

"No but's! You can return once Aves is ours and I will hear nothing more unless you want me to strip you of your title," Vector threatened. Shadow held his tongue angrily as he nodded before forcefully gripping Amy's wrist, ignoring her pained arguments and pulled her out of the room leaving Vector alone with the cloaked figure.

"And what of me?"

"I have a very special task for you…"

A/N: Well there you have it. It wasn't SOnic at all, but was Zonic the whole time mascarading as our favourite blue hedgheog. Poor Tails, he thinks his true love has turned against him and tried to kill him. Knuckles is suddenly recalling his original feelings for Tikal and Blaze is too busy trying to keep the peace between Cosmo and Galaxia to do anything about it, allowing her jealousy to stew inside of her without making any moves. (Yes, Knuckles talking to Tikal about how he likes her despite everybody hating her was a tongue and cheek comment that was supposed to be me adressing you guys :P Give her a chance, haha) Whilst Sonic is stuck in Macton with Shard, somebody who tricked him into believing Tails is dead to earn his trust. Shadow and Amy return to the front lines to begin the final march on Aves whilst Vector has delivered the mysterious Rogue to carry out a secret task. Whilst all this is happening, Wave has set out on her own quest and her first stop, Vapos. All the pieces are ready going into the second half of the story and for our big musical episode which is next! HYPE! I hope you all enjoyed this longer chapter and are looking forward to the musical. This will take some time to write so please be patient with me because I want it to be done right. And as always, don't forget to leave a review, answer the QotD and i'll see you back here for the second half of WoF :)

QotD: How did you like the big reveal of the new, true villain of the story alongside Vector, the malicious Macton leader Shard? Are you looking forward to seeing what he has planned for our heroes going into the second half of the story?

Next time on Sontails: War of Fait - Chapter 13: Sontails 2: The Musical