Chapter 8: Chaos PT 3
While Kingape went to contact the other Metarex commanders, Tails tried to get the fight between Dark Oak and King Arthur under control, plus he needed to find a way to defeat King Arthur yet again. He seemed a lot more powerful now, able to block most of Dark Oak's swipes. Dark Oak angrily swiped wildly at the ex-king who dodged it and tried to stab Oak in his large green eye but the Metarex jumped back before lunging again and kicking the knight onto the ground.
"YOU'LL NEVER WIN! AND I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!" Dark Oak roared.
Tails flew over and grabbed Dark Oak's shoulders to hold him back.
"You need to calm down Dark Oak, we need to think of a better strategy! From what Sonic has told me, he is very powerful and you need to be quick. I don't know if your sword is truly powerful than his." Tails warned.
"I KNOW IT IS! GET OFF ME YOU YELLOW PESK!" Dark Oak growled.
He yanked Tails off and threw him to the ground narrowly dodging King Arthur's next swing.
"Ugh...yep he's about as stubborn as Sonic." Tails chuckled.
Before Tails could attempt again, Dark Oak finally managed to strike King Arthur and the ex-king goes flying right through the wall of the Steamworks. Victor and Kevin quickly flee the building as Dark Oak charges in and he and the knight brawl all around the Steamworks. Tails goes over to Kingape's ship where the monkey metarex is still trying to contact the commanders.
"Any luck?" Tails asked.
"Almost got it!" Kingape said typing rapidly.
Finally four large screens popped up revealing the other four commanders Pale Bayleaf, Black Narcissus, Red Pine and Yellow Zelkova. Tails felt it was too late to hide now, then again, he needed to try to at least get them to cooperate.
"Metarex Kingape, have you found our lord?" Pale Bayleaf asked.
"Yes I have...he's been sent back to this island you guys try to invade last year." Kingape said.
"Ugh...that place again?" Red Pine face-palmed.
"For what reason?" Black Narcissus rubbed under his chin.
Finally Tails cleared his throat loudly getting their attention turned on him.
"YOU!" They all shouted.
"Listen, I can explain at least some of what's going on." Tails held up his hands.
"Let me guess, you found a way to kidnap him?" Yellow Zelkova guessed.
The others look at him and groan.
"Why would he do that?" Pine argued.
"I don't know...just guessing." Zelkova turned around crossing his arms.
Tails continued.
"I believe this new strange hedgehog named Mephiles has been making clones and reviving old enemies from our past. I assumed he managed to find and kidnap Dark Oak to control him and make him destroy the island...but I guess he fought the control but got damaged in the process." Tails explained.
"Dark Oak is one of the strongest beings in the galaxy, no mind control could possibly work on him, not even us." Narcissus scoffed.
"It looks like it." Tails sighed.
"Well where is he now, we need to speak to him." Bayleaf said.
"He's currently fighting with one of the past villains...actually...I still haven't figured out why, it's Mephiles we need to lookout for." Tails said.
"We don't want part of any of this crap you and that blue menace are doing. It's none of our business." Pine growled.
"I like to fight...but this is a waste of time." Zelkova said.
"Finally we agree on something." Pine said.
Before anything else could be said, the door to the ship is blasted off and in comes Dark Oak slamming into a wall. Then comes King Arthur who's eyes are glowing purple.
"Hah, you really need to work on your swordsmanship. It's pathetic...like yourself." King Arthur laughed.
Everyone noticed Dark Oak looked more damaged, he was on one knee and gripping his sword tightly. His other hand was on the ground, his long sharp claws digging lines, and his head hung down.
"I can't lose to someone like you...the Metarex never lose. WE CAN'T LOSE...NEVER!" Dark Oak roared.
In a flash he stands up and dashes at King Arthur in a blur of purple, King Arthur had no time to react when Oak slams his fist hard into his head knocking the ex-king into another wall. Seconds later he started to flicker away.
"WHAT? NO! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?" King Arthur yelled.
Suddenly he flashes away, and replacing him was Mephiles who started to evilly laugh.
"Hah...that was only a distraction! I needed to get you to contact the others just for them to witness what will happen to their precious leader!" Mephiles laughed.
"WHAT?" Dark Oak roared.
He angrily charged Mephiles, only to be blasted back by a purple orb, he hits the wall again struggling to get up. Kingape stayed as far back as he could, but Tails didn't.
"STOP! HE'S HAD ENOUGH!" Tails yelled.
Not thinking, he ran blindly at Mephiles and tried to punch him, but Mephiles blocked his blows.
"Hah, poor kid. Do you really think you have a chance?" Mephiles teased him.
Tails tried to hit him a few more times but Mephiles blocked them all before pushing the fox back. Before Tails could act, Mephiles sucker-punches him to the ground, the Metarex wince all at once. Kingape actually felt sorry for the fox, at least he was trying. Kingape then wanted to at least give it one go, just to prove he had a little bit of bravery.
"I'LL STOP HIM!" Kingape yelled.
"KINGAPE NO!" Tails said.
Kingape lunged at Mephiles, but the dark being actually lets Kingape punch him rapidly knowing he barely feel anything. Kingape swipes his claws a few times but no marks are made. Getting bored, Mephiles sweeps Kingape off his feet before throwing him into the dented wall.
"YOU LEAVE OUR LORD ALONE!" Zelkova yelled.
"And just what are your 4 gonna do about it?" Mephiles challenged.
"WE'RE COMING BACK DOWN THERE!" Pine yelled.
"See ya then fools!" Mephiles waved.
Suddenly he absorbed Dark Oak in a large purple ball and the leader was teleported away.
"NO MASTER!" Kingape yelled.
"MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HA-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mephiles bent his head back laughing.
"FUCK YOU!" Bayleaf yelled.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Narcissus yelled.
"He's fine with me that's for sure...you'll never see him again...BECAUSE I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL TOO!" Mephiles pointed at them.
Out of rage, Tails tried one last time to hit him, but he only ended up staggering around. Mephiles just walked to him and with one strong punch he knocked him out. Then he turned on Kingape who backed away. The last thing Tails heard was a familiar voice.
CRASH!
"NOT SO FAST MEPHILES!"
"UGH...THAT ANNOYING HEDGEHOG!"
Tails smiled slightly before passing out with one name on his mind.
"Sonic..."
...
...
...
...
"Tails? TAILS? TAILS BUDDY?"
Tails eventually awoke and waited as his vision cleared. Standing over him was Sonic, Metal, Shade and Kingape.
"Tails you okay buddy?" Sonic asked taking a knee.
"Ugh...what happened? How long was I out?" Tails asked.
"About 15 minutes, unfortunately Mephiles got away and the Metarex leaders are on their way here to set up a small base until Dark Oak is retrieved." Shade explained.
"Whoa...that's quite a shiner ya got there." Sonic said.
Tails had a black eye and a bruise on his left cheek, but was mostly okay. Metal Sonic wasn't so familiar with these Metarex, he couldn't trust them. But Sonic, Tails and Shade acted like they weren't a big deal.
"Sonic...are you sure we can trust these Metarex?" Metal asked.
"Well yes...and no. I mean they're evil, but they'll be gone once we find Dark Oak. They wouldn't want to deal with the power of Super Thomas anytime soon." Sonic smirked.
"You say that like they could easily defeat you in super form." Shade said.
Sonic looked embarrassed as all eyes fell on him.
"Well...they can. I guess Thomas just has better control over it then me or Sh-"
"DON'T...bring him up right now." Shade silenced him.
Metal glanced at Kingape, then back at Sonic.
"I don't trust him!" Metal said.
Kingape felt offended and put his claws on his hips.
"How dare you! I'm on your side! I've proven it by trying to defeat that Mephiles guy! Besides I have no interest in destroying anyone." Kingape said.
"Probably because you couldn't." Metal whispered.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Kingape growled.
Sonic, Tails and Shade backed away. Metal decided to argue.
"You heard me, besides you Metarex probably aren't that fearsome or superier anyway. That title belongs to me, after all I am the superior and real version of Sonic and ultimate robot." Metal bragged.
He glanced to Sonic and his eyes flashed while Sonic only rolled his eyes.
"Last time I checked Metal you were defeated by me every single time we fought." Sonic said.
Metal growled and Kingape laughed at him.
"Ha-ha! That's so sad." Kingape teased.
Metal turned back to the monkey metarex and pointed at him.
"At least I ain't a coward." Metal retorted.
"Well I'm not a pathetic copy of someone."
"YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE SCRAP!"
"NOT IF I SCRAP YOU FIRST!"
Tails decided to intervene.
"Guys come on, can't we just-"
"NO!" They both yell at Tails.
Suddenly Tails, Sonic and Shade race off the ship when Metal and Kingape start brawling. The mobians just stand outside the ship wondering what to do.
"Um...shouldn't we try to break that up?" Shade asked.
"Eh...in a minute, this is starting to get good." Sonic smirked.
Just then they were surprised to see Thomas arrive with Tikal and Chaos in his cab. Stepping off, Tikal and Chaos noticed the robotic rumble inside the ship.
"Um...what's going on?" Tikal asked.
"Nothing important...so did ya find anything interesting for the movie?" Shade asked.
"Oh yes, tons...but we still got some more filming to do so we might be here for awhile. Oh and Thomas is ready to reveal everything." Tikal said.
Everyone turned to Thomas to glanced over to Chaos who nodded.
"Okay Thomas...we need to know everything about that secret, I know keeping secrets is a common thing, but there are also secrets that can help in the future if revealed." Sonic said.
Thomas sighed...but before he could speak, Metal and Kingape came rolling out of the ship in a ball and crashing into the side of Thomas separating them. Shade had enough and activated her leech blades.
"ENOUGH ALREADY! WHAT THOMAS HAS TO SAY IS IMPORTANT SO STOP FOOLING AROUND!" Shade growled.
The two sweat-drop and nodded obediently. Then Percy arrived with several Boos riding in his cab.
"There you are Thomas! Where have you been?" Percy asked.
"I'm sorry for running away Percy, I just needed some time to myself. But I'm ready to reveal the mystery behind the buffers." Thomas said.
Percy understood. And so Thomas began.
"Those buffers lead to a whole other world...and the path to get to it is called the Magic Railroad, it's a mysterious and beautiful place where magic roams endlessly. It connects to a place called Muffle Mountain where my...our...true protector lives. She's an engine...her name is Lady. I met her years ago when Diesel 10 was trying to destroy us all and takeover the island...but he's changed...and I haven't seen her since that one time...except in a dream. I know she would come if the island is truly in danger, but she knew I could do it like last time...and she knew I would have help...which was you guys. But now...if this Mephiles person is as powerful as he seems...then I may have no choice but to call her back again...we need her. She has the power of the gold dust to keep this island alive and could destroy Mephiles." Thomas explained.
Everyone except Percy, Tikal and Chaos were amazed...Tikal just smiled and Chaos nods.
"A magical engine...that's amazing." Tails said.
"Huh...that sounds believable." Metal said.
"I know you miss her Thomas...I assume there was a reason you couldn't visit whenever you wanted to?" Shade asked.
"Before she left, she told me only to come when I truly needed her...though she would give me advice from time to time." Thomas smiled at the few memories.
"I see...well it looks like this may be that time. Hey...didn't Big get sent there then?" Sonic said.
"I believe so...Lady must be taking care of him." Thomas said.
"Good thing too...so Thomas...when are we going to get her?" Percy asked.
"Well...we would need to capture Mephiles first, Lady couldn't do anything if he's not around." Thomas said.
"Hmm...well...we'll have to figure out a plan. Hell for all we know, he could've heard everything just now. But besides stopping him, we need to...oh I can't believe I'm going to say this but...SAVE Dark Oak and King Arthur. And possibly any other people he's probably captured." Sonic sighed.
"Dark Oak won't be happy when all of this is over, at least the other commanders won't worry too much." Kingape said.
"How exactly are we going to find them?" Tails asked.
"The next time Mephiles decides to show up, we'll get some answers. Until then...I say we take a little break. Besides it's best to wait until those other Metarex commanders arrive so they can form a protective barrier around the perimeter. I know we'll finish off this creep together. ARE YOU ALL WITH ME?" Sonic yelled.
He looked to Shade and Tails who nodded, then to Metal and Kingape who dramatically clenched their claws into fists, Chaos and Tikal nod once, the Boos made enthusiastic flips in the air and Thomas and Percy whistled.
"Alright then, we'll show Mephiles just what Team Sonic and the Steam Team can really do!" Sonic said.
"YEAH!" They all cheered.
Later that evening, Pale Bayleaf, Black Narcissus, Red Pine and Yellow Zelkova arrived and manned their chosen spots on the island, all four were heavily armed with Metarex soilders ready to fight against whatever Mephiles had planned. That night, the engines were still upset that they had to sleep in other places. Of course now Victor and Kevin had to find other places to sleep. This time Thomas slept in a large shed where Annie and Clarabel slept. They were worried for him.
"Everything alright Thomas?" Annie asked.
"No...I'm worried about the fate of the island again." Thomas sighed.
"I assume it's much worse then last time." Clarabel said.
"Oh yeah it is, and I'm scared. I need to get to Lady. I told them I'd wait until Mephiles starts to cause trouble again...but it's best to get her before he can find her first." Thomas said.
"Then go Thomas...I'm sure she knows you want to go see her." Annie said.
"I guess you're right. You know, I can always count on you two for comfort." Thomas smiled at them.
Annie and Clarabel blush as Thomas sets off into the night. While he wanted to do this alone, he never knew if Mephiles would try to ambush him along the way. As Thomas stopped to take on water, he sighed.
"I hope Annie and Clarabel were right, I have to do this." Thomas said.
"You're doing the right thing Thomas."
Thomas gasped and saw Sonic, Tails, Shade, Metal, Kingape and an annoying Boo nearby all ready for the experience, Thomas just smiled.
"You didn't think we'd let you do this alone did ya?" Sonic smirked.
A few minutes later Thomas was on his way to the magic buffers and was carrying a freight car behind him holding the mobians, robots and the Boo.
"Is it gonna hurt being teleported this way?" Kingape asked.
"Don't be such a baby!" Metal sneered.
"Why you-"
"Robots." Shade rolled her eyes.
Tikal and Tails laughed while Choas and the Boo shook their head.
"HEY!" Metal and Kingape groaned.
As they moved onto the siding, they could see the buffers straight ahead.
"We're about to go through!" Thomas announced.
But suddenly behind the buffers, the large bushes started to rustle. Thomas screeched to a stop a few feet away from the buffers and everyone looked ahead.
"What's that?" Tails gasped.
Then Shadow comes flying through the bushes and smacks into Thomas' funnel.
"SHADOW!" Everyone gasped.
Shadow groaned and jumped onto the ground.
"LOOK OUT!" He yelled.
Out of the large bushes came a massive blue hulking monster that Sonic remembered all too well. It was bigger than Thomas and looked like a humanoid muscular lizard with gauntlets on his hands, upper arms, feet and lower legs. And he carried a massive warhammer.
"Sonic? You know this guy?" Tails asked.
"Yeah, it's from when I was transformed into a werehog. This is the Dark Guardian, and boy was this guy brutal." Sonic said nervously.
"Wait...it's the real one, so that means it's the real one, so Mephiles might have sent it to guard us from the buffers when he wasn't around." Tails said.
"Uh oh...if Mephiles revived Dark Guardian...you don't think he revived..." Sonic trailed off.
Sonic and Tails looked at each other in horror.
"Oh shit."
"Hmph...I'll handle this on my own." Shadow said.
The Dark Guardian swung it's warhammer at Thomas who backed away quickly. He had to get by, he needed to get to Lady and Big. Shadow lunged at the monster again and dodged the mallet allowing him to spindash into Dark Guardian's face knocking him back.
"He seems weaker." Sonic said.
"Guess he's not at full strength, or Shadow got stronger." Tails said.
Dark Guardian went to punch Shadow but missed.
"CHAOS SPEAR!"
He fired energy spears at the monster but they had no effect. Dark Guardian then swung again and knocked away Sonic who tried to attack. Shade teleported on top of him was about to pierce her leech blades through it's eyes but the monster grabbed her and threw into the side of Thomas. Metal flew at him forming an electric ball around him planning to shock the monster but once again there was no effect. Dark Guardian headbutted Metal to the ground. Shadow tried to kick him in the face but this time was struck by the warhammer.
"UGH! THAT DAMN HAMMER!" Shadow growled.
Finally Dark Guardian turned on Thomas, Kingape and the Boo and readied it's hammer.
"Oh no!" Thomas said.
As the monster swung, it's suddenly halted by a strange energy. Everyone watches as golden energy circled the guardian before wrapping him up.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
"What's happening?" Shade gasped.
"Lady." Thomas smiled.
Suddenly Dark Guardian is illuminated in a bright golden light and screams in pain before flashing out of existence. Everyone is silent for a few moments before Kingape breaks the silence.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Kingape yelled.
"It was Lady...it had to have been her...she knew." Thomas said.
Suddenly his eyes start to glow golden and everyone looks at him.
"Hello Thomas...it's been awhile. I really want to see you...but first I need help getting rid of this monster as I am not a full power yet. Please help me."
Thomas' eyes went back to normal and he blinks.
"Thomas what happened?" Sonic asked.
"She has subdued Dark Guardian...but she needs us to finish it off for good." Thomas said.
"Then let's go!" Sonic said.
Everyone turns to Shadow who's looking away with his arms crossed.
"What do ya say Shadow? All aboard?" Sonic came over to him.
Shadow glared at him, then the others. Shade and Metal looked like they wanted no part of him, Kingape and the Boo just stare. Thomas and Tails look uncomfortable but serious as well. Finally Shadow smirks and shut his eyes.
"Hmph...very well." Shadow agrees.
End of ARC 4.
To be continued in ARC 5: Crystalized Darkness