90th Chapter! Ten more and we'll reach 100! Thank you so much for supporting my fan-fiction up till now!
Chapter 90: Lies
After gathering the Knights of the Round Table, Sonic journeyed to the island of Avalon where King Arthur, or the Black Knight, was supposedly located. All it took was a long run south of Deep Woods and a boat-ride across the Albion bay area to reach Avalon, which consisted of an ancient-looking castle on a small rocky isle covered in grass. While the Knights of the Round Table hid themselves with their Sacred Swords drawn, Sonic approached the Black Knight who sat on his black steed at the entrance to a stone walkway that ran the circumference of the entire castle with green archways and fencing along the sides.
"So the fool of a knight has finally come to face me in person," the Black Knight said drawing his sword. "Yet you seem different from the last time we met."
"That's because I am different," Sonic said as he changed into Sonny. "I am Sir Sonny, Knight of the Dual Winds. Now give me the Scabbard of Excalibur, King Arthur, or I shall have to take it from you by force!"
"Try and stop me if you can!" the Black Knight said and took off on his horse.
"Then by force it is," Sonny said loud enough for the hidden Knights of the Round Table to hear.
While the Knights of the Round Table silently followed behind, Sonny pursued the Black Knight along the walkway. Once he got close enough, Sonny flipped through the air and stood on the neck of the Black Knight's steed. Undeterred, the horse continued to run while the Black Knight swung his sword at Sonny who managed to parry the strikes. Then when there was an opening, Sonny struck the Black Knight a few times till he fell off his horse which vanished in a puff of smoke. As he got to his knees, the Black Knight pulled out the Scabbard of Excalibur which was made of brown leather and decorated in gold.
"Heh heh heh…I am immortal," the Black Knight said as the Scabbard began to glow. "You cannot defeat me."
"Now, guys!" Sonny shouted.
The three Knights of the Round Table came out of hiding and stood around the Black Knight in a triangular formation with their swords pointed to the ground. Three circular patterns glowed beneath them as the triangular area around the Black Knight was bathed in golden light. Surprised, the Black Knight tried to stand but he could hardly move.
"You traitors!" the Black Knight shouted. "You're supposed to obey your king!"
"What are you talking about?" Gawain said mockingly.
"We are obeying our king," Lancelot added.
"He is currently residing in the boy who is about to defeat you," Percival said nodding to Sonny who transformed into Sonic.
While the Knights got out of the way, Sonic came charging at the Black Knight with Caliburn in a striking position. But at the last second, Sonic used one hand to grab the Scabbard from the Black Knight as he ran past him while knocking him out with Caliburn's hilt in the other. As the Black Knight keeled over, Sonic held up the Scabbard triumphantly while the Knights withdrew their swords. It was then that the Black Knight dissolved in a black smoke that was similar to the way the black horse went and in his place lay a short man in gold and purple robes.
"What the?" Sonic said as he changed back into Sonny. "King Arthur?"
Sonny tried to wake the man, but he would not budge.
"It looks like you knocked him out pretty hard," Lancelot noted.
"Sonny!" Merlina cried from the top turret of the castle.
"Merlina!" Sonny responded. "I thought you were going to wait for me at Camelot Castle!"
"I changed my mind!" Merlina replied. "Bring the Scabbard up to me so that I may seal its dark powers once and for all!"
"Okay!" Sonny then turned to the Knights. "Search the place for any dungeons. My friend Miles and a man named Professor Pickle might be in them."
"We're on it," Gawain said as he and the other Knights split off.
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At the top balcony of the castle, Sonny found Merlina standing near a tree by the turret she called him from.
"Well done," Merlina said as she approached Sonny. "And thank you, Sir Sonny."
Sonny was about to give Merlina the Scabbard of Excalibur when he saw Miles, Professor Pickle, and the Knights of the Round Table running from the entrance to the balcony he just came from.
"Miles," Sonny said. "You're alive!"
"Don't give the Scabbard to Merlina!" Miles cried. "She was the one who imprisoned me three days ago, and Professor Pickle before that."
"We also discovered that the King Arthur you defeated was nothing more than an illusion," Lancelot said. "There was no trace of his body when we went back for it."
"No, the King Arthur you fought was real," Merlina said and conjured the small man in the robes between her and Sonny. "I just replaced his body with a fake one after you all split up."
"Merlina, what are you doing?" Sonny asked as Merlina grabbed the unconscious man and held a dagger to the man's throat.
"I had hoped you would give the Scabbard to me naturally, but now that your friends have given me away I'm now forced to take more drastic measures," Merlina said coldly. "If you don't hand over the Scabbard, the King will die by my hand."
Sonny hesitated. "If I give you the Scabbard, you won't kill him?"
"I swear it," Merlina said.
"It's a trick, Sonny," Miles said. "Don't do it!"
"But what other choice do we have?" Professor Pickle responded. "The King's life is at stake."
"So what will it be?" Merlina said, pressing the dagger's tip into the King's throat a little. "The Scabbard or the King?"
At that moment, Sonny sighed and tossed the Scabbard toward Merlina. She caught it in her free hand and just before Sonny could get to the King, Merlina stabbed him in the throat. As King Arthur lay choking in his own blood, Merlina held the Scabbard with both hands as a purple light emanated from her body causing her braid to unwind itself which loosened her hair significantly. She smiled menacingly at Sonny and plunged the Scabbard into the ground which released a black and red lightning bolt that shot up into the sky that caused the clouds overhead to swirl into a darkening vortex.
"Hurry, Sonny!" Caliburn said urgently. "We must leave at once!"
Immediately, Sonny turned away from Merlina and followed Miles, Professor Pickle, and the Knights of the Round Table out of the castle as it started to crumble and the corridors were filled with more Knights of the Underworld. Fortunately, Sonny was able to transform into Sonic and plow through most of the Underworld Knights while Lancelot, Gawain, and Percival helped. Miles brought up the rear with Professor Pickle in tow who couldn't run as fast. So Miles had to become Tails and carry Professor Pickle in his arms as he flew above the chaotic battle-scenes toward the exit. They all reached the boat, and got in quickly before Gawain started furiously paddling it away from Avalon. Once they were safely on the other shore, the five watched as the castle transformed into a crown-shaped structure and the swirling clouds grew darker and wider.
"That witch!" Caliburn said angrily. "She has betrayed us once more and is now going to use the Scabbard's power to consume the entire kingdom in darkness!"
"I guess Sonny and I should've listened to you, Caliburn," Sonic said guiltily.
"No, it's my fault," Caliburn said. "I knew Merlina had betrayed us back in the World of Camelot, but I didn't know how until it was too late."
"What she just did was pretty much how she tricked us last time, though the bargaining of King Arthur's life and his subsequent death were different," Lancelot said.
"Then why couldn't any of us remember it until now?" Gawain said smashing his fists into the ground.
"Because we spirits have a tendency to forget things until we experience them again," Tails said. "Right, Professor Pickle?"
"In theory, yes," Professor Pickle said.
"It's only a matter of time before this kingdom is consumed," Percival said watching the darkening sky. "We must do something!"
"Like what?" Lancelot asked. "How can we compete against magic like that?"
"With your swords," Nimue said appearing from a magic circle that formed between the three Knights. "If various locations from our world have come into this one, then the four sacred Barrier Stones must also be present."
"Now by placing our swords at each of the Barrier Stones, the stones will form a magic barrier around the castle and thus contain Merlina's magic," Percival said.
"But didn't that not work last time?" Lancelot said turning to Nimue.
"Yes, but our options are few at the moment," Nimue replied sharply.
"Well, maybe we should try this plan for now and if it fails we should have a back-up one ready," Sonic said.
"Did you have anything in mind?" Gawain asked.
"Remember when we summoned the sword Excalibur after combining our swords' powers?" Sonic asked.
The three Knights nodded.
"Then we'll just do that if this Barrier Stone plan doesn't work out."
"Sounds good to me," Percival said raising her fencing sword high. "For the Kingdom and its people!"
Gawain and Lancelot did the same and repeated what Percival said word-for-word.
"I think it would be best if Professor Pickle and I head for Llundain, the capital of Albion, and alert G. U. N. about what's going on," Tails said.
"Makes sense to me, Tails," Sonic replied.
"Although considering how rough the skies look, perhaps you two should stay at my lake for the time-being," Nimue said and grabbed Tails and Professor Pickle's hands. "May Sir Sonic and the Knights of the Round Table prevail."
Then before Tails and Professor Pickle could protest, Nimue vanished along with them.
To be continued…