A/N: No, not named after the game. It's named after a level. First arc of many begins. Bleh.
Let's get this party started. Woooo.
Chapter 7: Lost World
The ride home was filled with animated talk on Sonic's running. He reached an incredible speed and definitely had a powerful skill. Not only was everybody impressed with his new skill of becoming a large blue light that could move fast enough to break the sound barrier, but also with his ability to incorporate breakdancing into many of his moves and easily dodge spikes. His quick thinking and agility was definitely something to be admired.
"Sonic, you're too perfect!" Amy exclaimed with frustration. "There is not one thing you can't do!"
"I know, but hey, what'cha gonna-"
"Well, there are a few things." Knuckles interrupted. Everyone in the back of the helicopter immediately looked at the red hybrid and waited for him to continue. Sonic wearily stared at him.
"Well?" Vector impatiently asked.
"Well, he can't draw." Knuckles began with a smirk.
"That's not bad," Silver shrugged.
"He can't sit still."
Amy frowned. "Well, yeah, but that isn't really a bad thing-"
"Oh, and he's afraid of wa-" Knuckles had been unable to complete his sentence because Sonic punched him hard in the arm. Amy giggled silently, she being one of the few people who actually knew.
The two elder brothers spent the rest of the ride bickering before eventually falling asleep.
oOo
When Sonic awoke, he noticed the helicopter was parked with Rouge waiting outside for them.
"Sonic," she began as she advanced toward him after he and his family exited. "We need to talk. In private."
He nodded and walked with her, casting his family a thumbs up and assuring smile. Most of them were asleep anyways, so it wasn't like they really cared. Rouge led him not too far away, but out of earshot from the others.
"I know what you just did, Sonic. That helicopter is GUN property."
Sonic immediately widened his eyes. "Oh! I'm sorry! We're not getting charged are we?"
Rouge shook her head with a small smile. "We aren't worried about that. What we did notice was your speed and ability. It was incredible, but even more so was your Chaos Energy levels. It reached the capacity of 50 percent."
"Oh."
"No, Sonic, you seem to have forgotten. 50 percent is the maximum for a Rank A when they're in there demigod form. You reached that by just running. No excess Chaos Energy needed. You only collected rings, correct?"
Sonic nodded. "Yeah, they just randomly appeared and got absorbed into me."
"That's what rings do. A short burst of energy, but that much energy shouldn't have brought your Chaos Energy levels so high."
"I really wished I could help, but I'm even more confused by this then you are."
Rouge sighed. "I know, this mission currently has me frustrated. So many things happening at once; so many pieces that aren't put together. I'll need to ask a professional about this stuff...I should get going."
"Oh, okay. Good luck, I guess?"
"Thanks," The bat-hybrid smiled. "Be careful on that trip of yours. Mystic Ruins is known to have high concentration of Chaos Energy."
"I will."
oOo
Before the family knew it, Friday had come. They all had their bags packed for the two-day trip and after class they boarded the coach bus that would take them to Mystic Ruins. Cream and Cheese sat with Blaze while Amy sat with Cosmo, Knuckles with Tails and Sonic with Silver. Sonic was extremely happy that Silver let him have the window seat.
"Hey, Knuckles?" Sonic asked while poking the echidna in the seat in front of him. "Do you have the snacks?"
"No, ask Amy."
Sonic turned in his seat to find the pink hybrid staring out her window with Cosmo's head in her lap. "Amy, where are the snacks?"
"Beneath your seat."
"Thanks!" He pulled out the small bag from below and opened the zipper, only to find a ziplock bag with cookies in it just for him. Amy had made treats for the whole family the night before.
"Silver, wanna share?" Sonic offered after the white hedgehog finished his conversation with Blaze, who had the aisle seat right across from them.
"Sure." Silver grabbed a couple with a smile before the blue Mobian placed the bag between them after grabbing a few of his own. He rested his head against the window as he mindlessly chewed on his treats, only to eventually drift into a light sleep.
When he awoke, it was nighttime and the bus had halted in front of a motel. Eventually everybody got settled into their rooms that would only allow a maximum of four students each. The girls had all agreed to share a room while the boys did the same.
The motel only had two beds, but the couch in front of the TV was able to pull out a bed, which Knuckles claimed. The room was small and had a microwave, mini fridge, and bathroom. Sonic and Tails decided to share the full-size bed and let Silver have his own. Sonic figured the size would be even better since they were so used to a single one. Everyone took a quick shower before retiring for the night.
"Looks like the girls will have to go without a song or story tonight, huh?" Knuckles commented as he got comfortable in his bed and switched the TV channel to a good station.
"Please, they're probably gossiping with Blaze about girl stuff. I doubt they really care." Sonic rolled his eyes while getting into bed beside Tails, who was waiting eagerly for a song. Silver was already in bed, reading his book for English and avoiding looking at Sonic who was wearing boxers and an oversized t-shirt. He couldn't help the fact that his eyes lingered on the other's legs for too long. "So, what do ya want, kiddo? Story or song?"
"Song!" Tails immediately answered. "The one that goes with knight Sonic!"
"The King Arthur stories I tell? With King me, Gawain Knuckles, Nimue Amy, Blacksmith Tails?" Tails nodded. "Now that we have more friends, I wonder if they'll start appearing in my dreams...maybe I'll have a new story to tell in about a week or two. But you want to hear Knight of the Wind?"
"Yup!"
"Very well, then." Sonic cleared his throat and began humming a beat. He began singing softly so that he could lull the other to sleep. "Whoaaa Whoaaaa Whoaaa Whoaaa Whoaaaa. Hey all, welcome to the greatest storm. I know, you have waited much too long. And I, I will be your shining star. I'm here, here to conquer near and far. Like a sword, I'm wrought, into the heat of day. Like a knight, I fight. Until the fight is won. In a rage, I save each and every, each and every, each and everyone. 'Til this war is won. And I live to rule, by the sword, slashing through the every inch of the power, the power in you. As I sit, as I stand, by the table I command. My kingdom. I'm the knight of the wind. Knight of the wind."
Tails had already fallen asleep, as he was snoring lightly. The arm slung over his stomach that clutched to his shirt told Sonic that the double bed would be no more different than a single. A louder snore not too far away also informed him that his singing had also put Knuckles to sleep. He didn't even need to finish his song. Awesome.
Silver turned off the light and shuffled in his sheets while his eyes adjusted to the dark. He faced towards Sonic's bed, glad that the other was the Mobian closest to him. Eventually he made out the figure of the blue teen who was snuggled into the sheets, slowly trying to shift his position so he wouldn't wake Tails. Sonic had found himself partially on his stomach and side while facing Silver with the young fox burrowed into his back.
The emerald eyes glanced at Silver, noticing that the other was staring at him. "Hmm, what's up?"
Silver shrugged, glad that the darkness was able to hide the light blush in his cheeks. "I guess I'm just excited."
Sonic chuckled. "Same, but we should really get to sleep." He yawned into his pillow.
Silver awkwardly shuffled while Sonic had already closed his eyes. "C-can I ask for a favor."
"Hmm, sure." Sonic replied sleepily.
"Can you hum to me?"
Sonic instantly began humming a gentle tune; Silver thought it was a shame that it didn't have lyrics to go with it. He thought of words to go with the melody, "In the night light, do you see what you dream? All your troubles, are they all what they seem? Look around you, then you may realize all the preachers, all with their lies..." That was all he managed to get within a span of at least eight minutes before he noticed the humming had stopped. He looked at Sonic, only to find that the other had fallen asleep and was breathing heavily. The gentle and peaceful face was different for once, Sonic always displayed some type of emotion while he was awake. It was strange seeing him so calm.
Cause every night I will save your life and every night I will be with you. Cause every night I still lay awake and I dream of an absolution.
He fell asleep.
oOo
Silver awoke in a state of panic. He was yelling with his hands in his long, white hair to get the horrible image out of his head.
"Shhh, Silver. It's okay! It's just a dream, it's not real!" He heard Sonic's voice soothe him. His eyes met the concerned look of Sonic's green ones. The gleaming emeralds instantly comforted him, as well as the other's hand brushing through his hair. He felt his breath return to an even pace.
"What happened, Silver?" Sonic asked with worry, backing up a bit to let the other sit up. Silver had only just notice both Tails and Knuckles staring at him from the opposite end of the bed.
"I-I had the dream again."
Sonic paused as he thought back to when Silver first met him. He told him his mood was affected by a certain dream plaguing him. "The end of the world?"
Silver nodded. "I haven't had them for a few weeks...since we met, actually."
"Well, what happened in it?"
"There was a giant monster...he was made of magma and rock. He destroyed everything in his way."
Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Ugh, just a nightmare. I'm going to take a quick shower before we head out." He left while Sonic sent him a glare. Knuckles could be so inconsiderate at times!
"Ignore him." He told Silver. "But like, remember what I said, okay? It's just a dream, so don't worry. We're here for you, it's alright to have nightmares. Just don't believe them."
Silver nodded, his eyes solemnly staring at his lap. "Thank you."
Sonic winked with a toothy grin. "No problem! Besides, we have a big day ahead of us!"
oOo
The boys met up with the girls to walk to breakfast at a nearby diner. The meals were pre-paid so all was fine as they enjoyed a hearty meal. None of the boys brought up Silver's nightmare.
They took a train to the ruins shortly after with their other classmates and teacher. Amy had brought a bag with snacks and water for everyone, and put herself in charge of holding the map. For fifteen minutes the gang entertained each other by playing guessing games until their means of transportation stopped.
They left the train station and began exploring. First, they toured Windy Valley and sky glided for a bit before taking a minecart into the forest. They looked at all the plants for a bit and even briefly visited the ruins before returning to the station.
"I thought it would be more fun!" Amy frowned. "We did everything already!"
"Knuckles and I wanted to go in the temple, but nooo. 'Too risky,' you said." Sonic mocked.
Blaze sighed. "This can't be all this place has to offer..."
Cosmo frowned. "I found the forest very beautiful..."
"Yeah! It was very nice of Big to let us rest at his place for a bit! Froggy was so cute!" Cream replied to Cosmo, making the Seedrian to smile.
"Well, we haven't gone in the caves yet. Let's try there?" Silver suggested.
The family followed through with Silver's plan to explore the caves. Perhaps they would find something interesting, or so they thought. The caves were just that. Caves. Beautiful caves, but nothing really worthwhile was located within.
Sonic led his family through a narrow passageway. It wasn't very noticeable unless somebody decided to go off the path and managed to fit through the tight squeeze. Luckily, everybody was thin enough to crawl through the crevice. On the other side was a run down minecart, covered in dust and rusted. It looked forgotten and long abandoned.
Tails inspected the machine and the tracks that led into a dark tunnel. "Despite its lack of use, it seems like it's still functional." He looked at Sonic. "Should we go in it?"
Sonic sat himself in the cart. "Yeah!" The other seven members of the group, not including Cheese, squeezed uncomfortably into the cart. Tails pushed the lever down and it started to move into the unknown. Cream and Cosmo both clutched onto Sonic while Cheese flung himself into his chest. Good thing he was well used to crowds by now...
A light appeared at the end of the tunnel and soon enough, a blue sky and green field appeared. It was beautiful with a shimmering lake and waterfall. The most notable feature however was...the abundant chao that inhabited the place.
They found it. They actually found the Chao Garden.
Amy, Cream and Cheese, and Cosmo all squealed in delight. They were all so cute! Some were swimming, others were crawling, some running or flying. Each gained strange features as they interacted with nearby animals that also inhabited the place.
Sonic ran over to a small chao wanting fruit from a tree it was unable to reach. He shook the trunk and the fruit fell in his hands. He handed it to the small creature and watched as a heart appeared over its head. It ate happily before looking at him then flying towards his face. Sonic caught it in his arms and snuggled with it. Chao were so cute. He only had a split second to take notice of a swarm of chao ready to tackle with him with more hugs and small kisses.
Knuckles and Tails made their way to a pair of chao; one happy and the other grouchy. Tails giggled as he sat down next to the two and began petting the happy one. Knuckles, feeling sorry for the grouchy one, sat down next to Tails and set the moody one in his lap. He attempted to please it, but it kept feeling disturbed. He let out a heavy sigh.
Silver and Blaze walked over to a couple of chao, one of which was sitting in a patch of flowers with the other nearby.
"That's so precious," Silver commented with a smile. "I bet they're really close hugging like that."
Blaze nodded, smiling, before widening her eyes in shock. "Silver, they aren't hugging-"
An egg appeared and Silver's mouth dropped. "O-oh." He looked at Blaze. "This is awkward..."
"Agreed. Let's look around some more." They quickly left the scene to find other, less busy chao.
The younger girls were playing in the shallow, crystalline water with several chao swimming around them. Cheese was quickly becoming well acquainted with the other chao, but didn't stray too far from his beloved Mobian.
Silver walked over towards Sonic; seeing the blue Mobian on the ground laughing as several chao attacked him with love made his heart swell. The sight was too adorable to ignore. He knelt down next to the other and watched as the other's green eyes were directed towards him, the giant grin still on his face.
"I'm thinking about spending a few more minutes with these guys before heading back to the ruins. Wanna come with?"
"Sure."
"Can you do me a favor and ask the other's whether they wanna come or stay? I'm a bit occupied at the moment." He said with a giggle.
Silver smiled back and did what was requested. Blaze was with the other girls when he found her, and asked them all whether or not they wished to join Sonic at the ruins.
"No way!" Amy quickly rejected the quest. The two younger girls agreed to stay with her, and Silver looked at Blaze expectantly.
"I'll stay with them. We have...things we need to discuss."
Silver nodded, not picking up on the way Blaze hesitantly said 'things' and headed towards Knuckles and Tails. He asked the two the same question, resulting in both boys to stand up, prepared to go. They returned to Sonic, who was now sitting up with several chao in his hair, lap, and on his shoulders. Sonic gently picked up all the chao and placed them on the ground, promising to return eventually. They departed from the garden on the minecart and left the caves all together before heading towards the ruins in the middle of the forest.
The sky was getting darker, but many classmates and teachers were still found on the trail. The group of four entered the largest temple on the spot and explored the inside, admiring the hieroglyphics and looking at the historic art.
Knuckles stared at the art closely with his hand on one of the murals. A memory of him visiting the temple as a very young child with his father flashed through his mind. He noticed that he could decipher the strange symbols on the wall, but didn't bother speaking up. That was too weird...
"Knuckles, what's up?" Tails said in a barely audible whisper.
He shook his head and removed his hand from the wall. "Nothing."
The boy frowned with disbelief. "It looked like you were reading them..."
Knuckles looked at the kid and let out a nervous chuckle. "That's ridiculous! No way!"
Tails sighed and walked away towards Silver and Sonic, the latter was searching the wall and floor while earning disapproving stares from other tourists and archaeologists. He giggled, "You're still not going on about those traps and secret passageways, are you?"
Sonic stopped what he was doing and placed both hands on his hips, letting out a heavy sigh. "I think we need to go further inside. There's gotta be something."
"But that part is closed off." Silver frowned. "Only officials and authorized archaeologists are allowed in."
"Yeah, and I think you've been watching too many movies lately..." Tails added with a stifled smirk.
"No, I don't think so." He rapped his knuckles on the stone wall. "It's like something's calling me from deep inside. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was Chaos Energy..."
"Chaos Energy?" Silver asked. "Sonic, if you're going by what I said when we met, I told you it was just a legend. Not real." After seeing Sonic ignore him and continue feeling the wall, he continued. "Besides, how would you even know what raw Chaos Energy feels like? We feel it through what we can generate, not from some sort of lost artifact..."
"You told me from a gem." Sonic eyed Silver. "What if that isn't as much of a legend than you thought it was?"
"What? You've seen one?" Silver asked with disbelief.
Sonic froze...he had. Shadow had one. A red one. Eggman had circled a seven in his notebook. Six were still unfound, as far as he knew. Emeralds, they were Chaos Emeralds. Not only that, but the time Shadow held his hand with the emerald in his other, he had felt the raw power charge into him. It was similar to the raw energy he felt here, though the one in the temple was more like calling him, not filling him with a rush of power. Everything seemed to piece together, but what he couldn't figure out was why him. He wanted to know. He remembered the promise he made to Shadow and shook his head. "No, but it wouldn't hurt to explore."
Knuckles made his way towards the trio. "I agree, we should go deeper." He narrowed his eyes at Silver. "If you don't want to come, you can go back."
Silver shrugged and looked at Tails. The two nodded at each other before the blond spoke up for the both of them. "We'll come."
When nobody was looking, they moved quickly, but cautiously to the unauthorized passage and made their way through. Luckily for them, it appeared as if all the archaeologists had retired for the evening, but the exclusive area did not contain lights.
Tails stepped on something and it rolled beneath his foot. He picked it up and pressed a button. A flashlight. He aimed it towards the ground and looked for others like it. Only one other flashlight and an unlit torch. Knuckles picked up the other flashlight and illuminated the walls. Silver picked up the torch and scowled. Only if Blaze were here.
Sonic smirked as he found a box of matches on the ground. "Jackpot!" He scratched it against the side of the box and it became alit with a tiny flame. He quickly put the flame on the torch which almost instantly became covered in fire. Damn, these scientists had a lot of good stuff.
They looked at the designs on the walls and noticed Knuckles reading a small tablet.
"Heya, Knux? You found something?" Sonic asked.
"I-" He paused. "I think so..."
The other three encircled around Knuckles as they watched him hesitantly touch it. He remembered being here with his father a long time ago. He remembered the tablet holding a certain order to unlock something. He was certain he remembered that order. He pressed the symbols into the wall gently, shocking the others who thought it was solid. When he finished, the wall shook on its own and the floor beneath them disappeared. They screamed on their way down into the dark abyss.
oOo
Knuckles had been first to reach the ground, landing on his head with Tails landing right on top of him. He shot the younger boy a glare and the kit immediately got off him. Silver landed next, using his psychokinesis ability to levitate himself just before he hit the ground before gently releasing himself and landing on his feet. Sonic was last to fall, and like Knuckles, was about to fall on his head before being caught by Silver's telekinesis and dropping into the other's arms. Sonic immediately got himself out of the other's flustered grip with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks, uttering a quick thanks. He felt extremely awkward.
The sound of rushing water filled the silence between the four boys. Sonic and Silver disregarded the torch that had fallen with them as they noticed a light by the end of the tunnel. Knuckles and Tails turned off their flashlights and stuffed them into their pockets in case they were needed. The younger hybrid briefly considered investing in a toolbelt.
They walked towards the end of the tunnel and there appeared a small pool of water. Knuckles took note of the small platform at the end with another tunnel behind it.
"How's there light here?" Tails asked as he noticed the plants on the other side and looked up. They were deep inside the temple, yet the inside was bright as if the sun had come with them.
"Must be ancient echidna stuff." Sonic answered while looking distastefully at the pool before him.
Knuckles jumped into the water, not at all concerned by it as it only went up to his hips. "We've got to get to the other side."
"W-wait up!" Sonic bit his lip as he stayed with his back against the wall and carefully treaded to the other side via a small ledge. No way in hell was he doing it Knuckles' way. Silver flew his way over to the small waterfall and walked up the stairs and Tails used his twin tails as a propeller to make his way across (amazing Silver, who was previously unaware of this ability), with Knuckles and Sonic following from behind.
They ran their way through a long tunnel that occasionally had blocks on fire appear out of the ground. Soon enough, they came to a bridge that was so high that the ground couldn't be seen-if there even was one. A statue of a giant snake opened its mouth at the end of the bridge, leading to the rest of the trail. Sonic instantly stiffened when he realized they had entered a large water pit. Unlike the pool, the water here was very deep and a long, snake platform moved in circles above the water, while occasionally submerging.
"It looks like the the only way we'll make it through is if we solve the puzzle." Tails pointed to a closed door several stories up with three unlit fixtures above it.
"Looks like we'll have to raise the water levels too." Sonic said with a pout.
"C'mon, Mr. Invincible." Knuckles teased. "Time to get rid of that stupid phobia of yours."
"Phobia?" Silver asked, not knowing that even Sonic had fears.
"Shut up, Knuckles!" Sonic hissed. "You're in no position to talk right now. I think I speak for all of us when I ask how you knew there was a secret passageway here!"
"I didn't know, it just came to me!" Knuckles argued.
"Yeah right! You could read those symbols, I saw you!"
Knuckles growled. "Okay, okay! I remembered my dad bringing me here as a kid. That's how I knew. But trust me, that's all I remember as of now. I have no memory of this." he gestured towards the moving platform.
Sonic sighed. "Whatever. You're gonna carry me when we get on that snake thing though."
"Alright, just as long as you get on those upper platforms and complete the puzzle."
"Deal."
oOo
After they finished the puzzle, they walked through the door and ran against the end of the cliff with many mountains in sight. How? Weren't they just deep underground? They entered another part of the temple that was dark, only filled with mirrors and small fractures of light. Clever. They made it out to a part where the currents of a stream took them further down into the temple, with Sonic grabbing onto Silver's jacket the entire way down as it as the closest thing to him. In the end, they all fell out of a waterfall and landed on springs that eventually lead them to another tunnel. Not even a few seconds of walking down the tunnel had passed before they were being chased by a giant, flaming boulder. Sonic, full well aware that Silver wasn't fast enough to outrace it like Knuckles and Tails were, grabbed the other's hand and practically dragged him down the long tunnel before leaping onto a higher platform and making it past the door.
They climbed up to a higher point of the room they were currently in by pressing buttons and climbing up the walls. Well, Silver and Sonic did since Tails just flew to the exit and Knuckles could climb the walls. After a bit more running and passing through the temple, they made it to a large chamber. A long stone path lead up to a large mural. Sonic felt his heart beat erratically as he looked at the same mural that was in the journal. The creature...from his nightmare. He had long forgotten it and now, after being resurfaced in memory, it instilled the same fear in him. Those emerald eyes...all that hatred.
"Sonic? Sonic!" Silver attempted to snap him out of his trance as he stared at the mural. Sonic looked at the Silver hedgehog with shock.
"We shouldn't be here. This is bad, really bad."
"What's wrong, Sonic?" Tails asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah, Sonic." Knuckles narrowed his brows. "I think I speak for all of us when I ask you why we have to leave so early." He mocked, earning a glare from Sonic. How dare he use his own words against him!
"Listen, Knucklehead." He pointed to the mural. "That thing is bad news. I have a feeling that if we stay here too long, something bad will happen."
Knuckles rolled his eyes. "That's so stupid. Don't tell me you believe that crap!"
"You don't understand! I've seen it happen!"
"How the hell could you have seen it happen if it never did!"
"I had a dream about it before we got ourselves into this mess!"
"Oh? A dream? Yeah, like you're suddenly a psychic!"
Sonic let out a frustrated breath of air. "Listen, Eggman had that same mural in his grandfather's journal. I had a dream about it. Something's going on and I want to found out what. However, I want to do so in a way that doesn't put our family at risk when we're all here," he hissed.
"Oh, so why don't we do it now?"
"Aren't you listening to me? We're all at the ruins, you idio-"
"Guys!" Tails called from near the pools of water. "I found something that might interest you."
Sonic and Knuckles exchanged glares before looking in the direction Tails was pointing. A small, green gem was submerged in the shallow water. Sonic widened his eyes. No, no, no. Why was everything finally coming together too quickly? Tails was with him, and the girls were not too far away. If he had come alone, it would be different, but...
He saw Knuckles walking through the knee-high water towards the gem with a determined look on his face.
"No!" Sonic yelled before jumping in the water and running towards the gem itself. Knuckles could do something reckless. He had been weary of his older brother ever since he found the secret passage.
They lunged for the gem at the same time then tried to pull it out of the other's hands. Tails and Silver called for them, but it fell on deaf ears. The two were too busy fighting to notice the bright light surrounding them.
They vanished.
A/N: Sonic wants an adventure, but protecting his family is the number one priority. He'd do anything for them, even sacrifice his own fun or forget about his fear of water just to keep them safe. Even forfeit knowing his true identity. Knuckles, on the other hand, just wants to know what the hell is going on.
I will forever be convinced that Dreams of an Absolution was meant for Sonic. Like just listen to the lyrics, bruh. Silver knows the future, Sonic controls the past. "ONLY YOU KNOW IF WE SHALL LAST" hell yeah, point proven. Shhh. Silvonic/Sonilver confirmed. (lol jk).
No, but Shadonic/Sonadow is the main ship of this story, my friends. Shadow is taking a quick break, but will be back soon. He's just observing on what's happening, lying low as ordered, but will definitely be intrigued even more by our blue hero. We all should know what's coming.
Please review and check for errors! I was listening to the Fallout 4 theme as I edited this, and maybe got a bit distracted...hehe.