(Blarg. It's storming pretty badly, so I'm barricaded in my basement.
Last time on In the Dark…
Sonic, Amy, and Sally have entered the dimension of Exe, a realm full of death, destruction, and fear. They are chasing down the last of the three Light Stones, which was taken by the demon toy, Tails Doll. Upon confronting the thief and meeting the world's king, Sonic Exe, an attack was ordered on the three friends, making them drop one by one. Did they survive the encounter? Does Sonic Exe have a plan for these three? Read on for more info, or go back to Chapter 12 – A New World for more details on this gruesome dimension.)
I woke from a brutal attack from Dark. I tried to move, but found that I couldn't. My whole body ached. I opened my eyes and found that my wrists, torso, and ankles were strapped to a cold metal table and covered with the bites and scratches from the creatures I've encountered. Above me, a bright lamp shined in my eyes. I looked around frantically, trying to remember where I was, and how I got there. After a minute, I felt the table being tilted up. Standing with a remote in front of me was Sonic Exe.
"You've held on long, my friend," he said. "I'd expect you to have been corrupted by now."
Sweat formed on my forehead. I clenched my teeth, trying to concentrate on fighting Dark and talking to Sonic Exe. "Where…are my friends?" I asked.
"Hm? Oh, Tails Doll is playing with them. They won't survive." Sonic Exe pressed a button on his remote and a TV in front of me flashed on, and through a mess of static I could see Sally and Amy huddled together in a room, Tails Doll advancing on them. He had something sharp in his hand.
"No…" I grunted. I pulled against the bindings on my wrists. My strained voice turned into a yell. "Leave them alone!"
Sonic Exe ignored my plea. "Do you know what will happen if you lose control?"
I just glared at him.
"You will release the Exe dimension into your world, and create the ultimate future. You and I will rule together. Wouldn't that be great?"
"No, it'd be horrible," I hissed. "Dark wouldn't want to rule with you anyway. He'd kill you first."
"Au contraire, my friend," he said. "This deal was made a long time ago. He wouldn't betray us, the Exes. We'd destroy him."
I growled. "What do you mean, a long time ago? I was turned into this less than two weeks ago!"
"Haven't you wondered where he came from?"
"No, and I don't really care."
He ignored me. "He lived here as my right-hand man. We had made this plan months ago to screw you, our alter ego, and were waiting for the right time. Luckily, Eggman gave us that."
I growled again.
"Perhaps I'll allow you to go back to your dimension with the Light Stone," Sonic Exe said. "That is, if you can survive." His smile stretched across his face and he pressed a button on the remote. The straps released me and a trap door opened below me. Before I could stop myself, I fell through.
I landed hard on dusty ground. I saw Sally and Amy standing nearby. Right in front of me stood Tails Doll, holding a knife.
"Let's play," Tails Doll was saying. "Play with me…"
I stood, though slightly shakily. Dark had backed off…somewhat. "You wanna play? Let's play," I said.
"Sonic, don't!" Sally cried. But she was too late. I lunged at Tails Doll at super-sonic speed and pinned him against the wall. He grinned.
"Hello," he said. "Let's play a game. How about tag? You're it." At the word "it," he dragged the knife blade along my the back of my arm. I cried out and dropped him, clutching my arm, blood staining my gloves and the dust under my feet. I looked down to where I dropped him, but he wasn't there.
"Sonic, look out!" Amy cried.
I whirled around just as Tails Doll was about to bring the blade down on my back. I jumped to the side and the knife sliced the air. TD looked at me curiously.
"Aw," he said. "You broke the rules of the game. Maybe I should change them." He then flew towards me and I backed into the wall. He was about to swing the blade down at my chest, but I grabbed his wrist and wrenched it aside, working my fingers in the seams that attached his hand to his arm. The strain on my arm made pain spike through the cut he made and I grit my teeth. With his other hand, Tails Doll grabbed my throat, pinning me against the wall. I struggled to breathe but tightened my grip on his arm. At the same time he tightened his grip on my neck. I grabbed his other arm near where it was sewn to his body and jerked my arm back, ripping his arm clear from his body. But though it was detached from his body, the grip on my neck didn't loosen. I started to feel dizzy from the lack of air and pried his stuffed fingers from my throat. Only then did his arm fall limp at my feet, blood-covered stuffing spilling out.
"You tagged me," he said as I gasped for air. "I'm it." He wrenched himself out of my grip. However, I had ruined the seams on his wrist, and he dropped the knife.
"Hey, no tag-backs," Tails Doll hissed. He lunged at me and bit down on my arm, his teeth sinking into the gash he already made. I screamed in pain, my vision going black at the edges, and tried to wrench him off. With a sickening rrrrrip, his body was torn from his head, but he wouldn't die. I fell to my knees, weak from the pain. Then I realized it.
"Of course," I thought. I wrapped my fist around the gem that dangled from his forehead. For the first time, TD's eyes widened in fear, and I knew I had it right. I wrenched my arm back and tore the antenna from his forehead. I dropped the gem by my foot and stomped on it, crushing it to pieces. The glow in Tails Doll's eyes faded and his grip on my arm loosened. I tossed his head off of me and sunk completely to the floor, cradling my arm and sweating from the pain. Sally pounced on Tails Doll's body and tore open his chest. She threw the blood-stained stuffing around and, after a few minutes, stepped back, her fist clenched around the Stone to keep its power from activating too soon.
I smiled a little. "Great job."
Sally smiled back. Just then, screens all around the room flashed on. Through a bad signal, Sonic Exe spoke.
"Congratulations," he said. "You have earned your ticket home. Go to the hill where you first arrived. There will be a portal ready. However, you need to fuel it. Remember what you did last time. And good luck." The TVs then went black.
Something didn't feel right here. Why would Sonic Exe just let us go? He wasn't one to be merciful. However, I didn't wanna question it. A door opened to our right, leading out into the field of death and destruction. Amy helped me to my feet, and the three of us set out.
A few minutes later, we reached the top of the hill. A small, swirling purple and black hole stood in front of us. I'd almost blacked out several times on the walk, but now the pain was ebbing.
"Sonic," Sally said. "Can you do it?"
"It's not that hard," I said. "Of course I can, but stand back."
The girls did what I said. I closed my eyes and recalled Tails's death. Immediately, anger filled me towards Eggman. At the same time, Dark attempted to take control. The same strands of black smoke flew from my body and into the portal. I cried out, the most smoke coming from the gash in my arm, making it burn in pain. After a few minutes, the portal became a steady black hole.
"Go!" I said through clenched teeth.
"But are you—" Amy began.
"I'm fine, just go!"
She nodded and disappeared into the portal. Sally glanced at me worriedly and followed. I let it drag me toward it, and as soon as I could move, I walked into it.
We fell through the same black nothingness as before, but this time, we didn't scream. There was no fear. We knew we were going home. When the light neared us, I flipped so I was falling feet-first. I successfully landed on my feet, as did Sally. I caught Amy in my good arm and set her down. We were once again in Tails's attic.
"Let's get out of here," I said.
"Wait," Sally said. "Why not change you back here and now? There's no better place." She smiled a little.
I sighed. "Fine, but not a moment longer."
Sally opened her fist, revealing a deep orange, almost rusted-copper-colored stone. Amy took out the other two. Sally's was much darker than the others, and I wondered if that was a bad thing. I took out the seven Chaos Emeralds. I closed my eyes and concentrated on changing me back and ridding myself of Dark, calling upon the Emeralds to aid me.
"Uh, Sonic…?" Sally said worriedly. I opened my eyes slightly and saw that the Chaos Emeralds that floated around me and the Light Stones were gradually turning black. I tried cancelling it, but it was too late. The Emeralds and Stones turned completely black. I screamed as Dark finally took control, black smoke swirling out of me like a tornado, and I blacked out.
(Do I need to say anything now? ENJOY THE SUSPENSE! Maybe I should just aggravate you all and wait a couple of days before posting the next chapter…Hm…)
~SonicTheHedgehog-Nerd