Sonic in Between.
Author's Note: Part two of Story 5 right here!
Summary of Story 5-Part 2: Continuing his quest in the alternate world of Camelot, Sonic finds himself facing many familiar faces with different personas, and learning more about King Arthur and the Black Knight.
I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog. All rights belong to Sega. I only own the OCs.
Sonic's Camelot Adventure-Part 2.
It hadn't taken Sonic and Caliburn long to reach Castle Town, a quaint little village which, according to King Arthur trapped inside the shrunken Excalibur that was kept safe inside the necklace that the blue hedgehog wore, was one of the more peaceful villages he grew up in. It was also the place where the king's friend, the blacksmith, resided. Before reaching town, the trio agreed that the king should remain silent while they were here and pretend that it was just the teenage hero and the talking sword.
Sonic looked around until he spotted, to his surprise, a familiar two-tailed eight year old fox.
'Tails?' The blue hedgehog thought, confused on what his little brother was doing here, remembering having pushed him out of the way. But then he remembered that this was Camelot, and, given what the young cub was wearing, the fine outfit befitting of a blacksmith, and recalling his adventure in the Arabian Knights when he mistook Ali Baba for Tails, realized this wasn't his best friend.
'Nah, it can't be. Guess it's just like back in the book. When the King said they were close, he wasn't kidding...Hmm...I wonder.' Sonic thought, before shaking his head and approached the young kit-look-alike who was humming to himself as he was just returning to his workshop when he spotted the hedgehog.
"Hiya. Are you the smithy?" Sonic greeted with a wave, smiling as he recalled out Arthur called his friend 'Smithy' since he, well, didn't usually use his real name.
"I sure am!" The Blacksmith replied brightly, approaching him and, seeing the blue hedgehog's gauntlet, greeted. "Welcome, sir knight!"
"He is no knight." Caliburn spoke, which made the Tails-look-alike flinch a little in surprise. "At least not yet."
"Says you." The blue hedgehog grumbled, annoyed.
"What a magnificent sword! I've never seen one that talks before." Smithy exclaimed in awe.
Sonic chuckled, "Oh, it talks, alright. May we come in?"
"Of course. Come on in, Sir..."
"Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic introduced himself.
"Sir Sonic? I like your name. It sounds very adventurous." Smithy remarked, opening the door to allow the blue hedgehog and Caliburn in. Once the trio were inside, the sacred sword allowed himself to be held carefully by the young two-tailed fox who took a seat and examined him. "I know a fine blade when I see it. I am a blacksmith afterall."
The cobalt hero grinned. "Great. Think you can sharpen this dull piece of rust?"
"Fool! It is you who is dull." Caliburn objected, and Sonic had to resist in giving him a glare, and for some reason, he could feel the King inside his necklace whisper a grumble, annoyed that he couldn't say anything. The blue hedgehog felt sorry for him, especially since he couldn't greet his best friend and surrogate brother like this at the moment.
"Of course I could." Smithy nodded, before asking. "Now, what is it's name?"
"Caliburn." The talking sword replied.
"Caliburn? Where have I heard that name before?" The young fox muttered, before gazing at the necklace around Sonic's neck and added. "And that necklace with the sword design...it looks familiar."
'Uh oh...How'm I gonna explain this?' Sonic thought to himself, mentally panicking, before instead insisting. "Sorry, but can you speed it up a bit? We're kinda in a hurry."
Seeing the urgency in the teenager's eyes, Smithy nodded. "Sure! Leave it to me!"
Five minutes later...
As Sonic had expected due to Smithy being the counterpart of Tails, it wasn't long before Caliburn was patched up and now his blade was as shiny and sharp as ever. The blue hedgehog had to hand it to the young fox, he outdid himself. He let out a whistle, very impressed.
"Tada!" Smithy announced.
"My, my. You truly are a fine blacksmith." Caliburn remarked.
"You can say that again. Lookin' pretty good!" Sonic agreed, giving Smithy a thumbs up of approval. "Great job, Smithy!"
The two-tailed fox cub giggled and much like with Tails, scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by the compliment. "Thank you. If you two need to see me again for another patching up, you know where to find me."
"Thanks, Tai-Er, Smithy. How much do I owe ya'?" The blue hedgehog asked.
"No need to pay me." The young fox shook his head kindly. "I am happy to help others in need. Someone taught me that a long time ago."
'Oh, Smithy. If only I could be here in my body right now. I wish I could say something.' Arthur thought as he heard his beloved brother's voice and work, while Sonic smiled softly, before gently ruffling Smithy's head which, while surprised, the eight year old cub giggled.
"Well, if ya' need anything, just let me know and I'll come by to help ya' out. Sound good?" Sonic suggested with a wink.
"Well...all right. Safe journey, Sir Sonic." Smithy replied with a nod and an adorable smile.
"Cool. See ya!" The blue hedgehog waved as he and Caliburn, who thanked him gratefully, exited the warehouse before making their way out of the village and into the forest.
"Gotta hand it to ya', your majesty. Your little bro's amazing. Reminds me alot of my best buddy." Sonic remarked once he and his companions were safely away from the village and making their way towards where Nimue lived. "Heh, he even looks just like him, too."
"Are you saying that your close friend resembles to the blacksmith?" Caliburn asked, skeptically, hovering beside the blue hedegehog.
"So what if I am?" The cobalt teenager responded. "You should be happy to have your edge back."
"Hmph! Overconfident fool. One day, it will cost you and you will make a mistake that will make you feel horrible you will not be able to recover from fully." The sword warned.
That struck the core in Sonic as he softly gasped, slowing to a stop in the middle of the path, his gaze lowered to the ground. Caliburn just had to mention it, didn't he? Memories of his adventure with Sun and Chip returned, Mobius breaking apart, his heart in turmoil for two months even after restoring it, seeing hallucinations of the giant Werehog that still wanted to eat him, and Chip trying to comfort him, the fear of losing his friends, almost losing both Shahra, and Yacker forever. It took ages for him to overcome that guilt and find it within his heart to forgive himself. Yet it still lingered, ever so slightly.
'Thanks for the flash-back, Caliburn.' Sonic thought bitterly in heavy sarcasm, tears of frustration and guilt beginning to form. 'But you're two and a half months too late.'
"Hmm?" Caliburn paused, frowning in confusion as he saw the teenager pause. "What is the matter?"
"Huh? Oh nothing." The blue hedgehog sighed, willing his tears to dry up and attempting to calm down before the sword struck a cord, scratching the top of his head. "Just thinking. I've been on so many adventures, the last two were...well, pretty much took an emotional toll on me. Like I've told Merlina, I've gone through those two whole months in guilt trying to recover from it after the stupid mistake that I made. I had to have help from my friends to make me realize that it was really my fault. It was so bad that during my last adventure I started hallucinating of a monster made out of darkness that wanted to eat me, and a special friend I'll never see again."
Sonic sighed again before continuing, "I made up for my mistake, I atoned for it. But those two whole months and even both adventures, I couldn't stop blaming myself and it was horrible. I hated myself. I hated Eggman more than ever. Some nights I had horrifying nightmares and even cried myself to sleep, and I rarely cried. I'm not perfect. Nobody is."
"I had no idea." Caliburn sighed, Sonic's words stung terribly. He could feel a linger of guilt rise within his very being.
"Neither did I." Arthur's voice spoke, and upon hearing it, the teenager's heart burned and ached when he could hear that the king sounded just as guilty as he once felt. "It's my fault that you were brought into this, Sonic. I am deeply sorry."
"No, your majesty. How could it be your fault if that Black Knight caused this mess?" Sonic shook his head.
"Because I failed my kingdom. The Black Knight is right. I still know nothing of being a king, and I am only fifteen years old myself." The trapped King sighed, and the hero of Mobius could hear the former's voice quiver with tears. So the blue hedgehog gently clasped the necklace, gently pushing it closer to his chest where he could feel his heart's beating.
"Everybody makes mistakes. Even Kings. We'll set things right. I promise." Sonic whispered, his eyes closing in his very effort to give the king comfort, while Caliburn remained silent.
"There you are!" A familiar voice spoke darkly, causing Sonic to open his eyes eyes which widened before and Caliburn spun around in shock.
Standing in a safe-ish distance from where they where, was Lancelot, his helmet up and to the blue hedgehog's shock, recognized him almost instantly.
"I have found you, Apprentice Knight! Enemy of my King!" Lancelot declared, glaring hard as he held up his own sword, Arondight, in hand.
"Who the heck are you?" Sonic asked suspiciously, before whispering in confusion. "Shadow...?"
"I am Lancelot, Knight of the Round Table. I challenge you to a duel!" The Shadow-Look-Alike declared.
'Some things never change.' The blue hedgehog thought, glaring at the black hedgehog.
"I don't have time for this, thanks. Go away!" Sonic snapped, glaring angrily at the knight.
"Fool! A knight never flees a foe." Caliburn stated.
"I didn't say I was running away!" The blue hedgehog snapped.
"You told him to leave." The sword pointed out.
"There's a difference between running and telling someone to leave you alone!" Sonic argued.
"What shall it be, then?" Lancelot questioned, interrupting the argument. "Will you abandon your sword and flee?"
Sonic glared at Lancelot before grasping Caliburn by the handle while the knight before him stared back, unamused by the attitude. As much as the blue hero wanted to get to Nimue, he realized that he didn't have a choice but to fight.
"No way. I accept your challenge, Lancelot." Sonic finally responded. If this guy was anything like Shadow, this was going to be tricky.
"Hmph. A wise decision, child." Caliburn muttered, and Sonic resisted the urge to tell him to zip it.
"May I have your name, Apprentice Knight?" Lancelot demanded.
"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog." The blue hedgehog responded.
'Who I call Knave the Hedgehog.' Caliburn thought to himself and wanted to say, but for once kept his mouth shut due to Sonic having beaten him to it.
"Very well then, brace yourself, Sonic the Hedgehog." The Ultimate Knight declared, holding out his sword, which Sonic copied with a determined glare.
Sonic may not be a knight yet, but he knew he couldn't let the King or Merlina or this world down. He meant to his promise, and he was determined to keep going. Lancelot attacked first by charging and as the blue hedgehog predicted, he skated towards him in the same speed as Shadow's, so Sonic leaped out of the way his own, which stunned the Ultimate Knight as he hadn't expected the young knight in training to match his speed. The teenager then reappeared behind Lancelot in a safe distance between them.
"I may be in training to be a knight, buddy, but I'm far from slow." Sonic said, causing the older hedgehog to spin around, before his ruby eyes narrowed.
"Coward! Your ability to be swift will not save you!" Lancelot growled, charging forward to thrust the Arondight at Sonic who narrowed his emerald eyes before quickly blocking the thrusts and clashes with Caliburn and then attempted to counterattack, which were blocked due to older knight's strength.
Sonic ducked and dodgerolled out of the way to avoid in losing his head before clashing again with a little bit of Caliburn's help, and then blocked Lancelot's sword, struggling to push him back but refused to give up. Even Lancelot found himself struggling to overpower the teenager, though he did grin in amusement.
"Hmph. I admit, you are fast. But you lack the true skills of a knight." Lancelot chuckled. "Your days will soon be over, Sonic the Hedgehog.
"Ugh...I'm not...giving up!" Sonic grunted, and promptly kicked the knight on the knee, causing his opponent to grunt in pain before the blue hedgehog pushed him back and jumped high into the air. Sonic then used his Spin Dash with Caliburn held tightly with both hands and just as Lancelot looked up, his eyes widened in shock before he was forced back even as he blocked partially of Sonic's attack.
Flown back and hitting the ground, before flipping up to regain his footing, Lancelot glared hard while Sonic landed safely with a hard glare. Caliburn, still in the teenager's grip, had his eyes spinning as he was dazed by the blue hedgehog's surprise attack, and saw stars circle around him.
"What...was that?" Caliburn moaned.
"One of my non-sword fighting skills. I call it the Spin Dash." Sonic proudly explained with a smirk. "Used that same strategy with a sword when I fought the dragon on my way to find you earlier."
"You are swifter than I though, Apprentice Knight. But enough games." Lancelot grunted, holding his sword upward as it began to glow and to Sonic's shock, he chanted two familiar words. "Chaos Spear!"
"Whuh-oh!" Sonic yelped, and dashed out of the way to avoid the Chaos Spears chasing after him all around the area and forest, thinking to himself. 'Great! He even has some of the same skills as Shadow! Just hope he doesn't use Chaos Control on me.'
"You dare to flee, Apprentice!? Face me like a true knight!" The Ultimate Knight shouted, ceasing his attack and giving chase.
The blue hedgehog responded by glancing over his shoulder and then pulling his lower eyelid while sticking his tongue out in a raspberry. That insulted Lancelot who growled and jumped before thrusting his sword downward with a battle roar, which Sonic responded by somersaulting out of the way, the Arondight thrashing the ground, sending dirt flying everywhere. The blue hedgehog's stomach dropped, holding a tight grip on Caliburn's handle as he couldn't see while trying to remain calm. If Lancelot caught him off-guard, there was a good chance the powerful knight would stab and kill him.
Then he had an idea as the thick layer of dust continued to surround him. Narrowing his eyes with determination, Sonic closed his eyes and stood still, using his earing instead to find the Shadow-look-alike and where he was. Ignoring Caliburn's protests to move, the blue hedgehog heard Lancelot's movements and speed, being used to Shadow's fighting style. Then, hearing a dark chuckle and movement above him, Sonic's eyes snapped open as he spotted him before leaping up high, seeing the black hedgehog's silhouette form in the fading cloud of dust and yelled while thrusting his sword at Arondight as hard as he could, knocking it by the handle which forced it to slip out of Lancelot's grasp where it fell to the ground, piercing itself into the earth.
"What!?" Lancelot exclaimed in disbelief.
This unfortunately left him open for Sonic to kick him squarely in the stomach so hard that it caught the Knight off-guard. The older hedgehog grunted in shocked pain before descending and crashed into the ground on his back. As the younger hedgehog landed in a crouch stylishly, and noticing the Arondight close to him, he shrugged before picking it up and despite how huge it is, he tucked it safely away into his quills(how he can fit that in there, I have no idea) and stared at the Ultimate Knight who, in a state of shock and exhaustion even though Sonic was panting himself, stared up at the sky in disbelief.
"...Unbelievable. I have...been defeated by an Apprentice Knight." The black hedgehog muttered, as Sonic cautiously approached him. Lancelot glared up at the younger hedgehog and hissed. "What are you waiting for, Sir Sonic? Finish me!"
"...Nah. Not in the mood." Sonic shook his head, softly smiling which confused the older knight and Caliburn who, once released, hovered beside him.
"What? Why?" Lancelot questioned.
"Indeed." Caliburn agreed. "Why will you not deal him the final blow? Such sympathy is an insult to a knight."
Sonic folded his arms to his chest, "What's the big deal? I can't go off killing him, especially since the Black Knight brainwashed him."
"What are you saying? You dare to insult me, and insult the king!?" Lancelot demanded angrily.
"Hate to break it to you, Lancelot, but the guy you've been following isn't the real king." The blue hedgehog told him flatly.
"What-?"
"Sir Lancelot, he speaks the truth." King Arthur's voice spoke from the necklace, and to everyone's surprise, the Excalibur within glowed before the Ultimate Knight, staring at it in shock, winced before finding himself glowing slightly as well, mists of darkness seeping out of his body before fading. The glowing on both then stopped and Lancelot, feeling dazed and a bit confused, looked up to the teenager and the necklace.
Staring at it and with Sonic making a murmur of confusion, Lancelot then questioned in disbelief. "What...How could...it be? Your Majesty?"
"Yes, Lancelot. It is me. My soul is within the Excalibur." Arthur replied.
Still stunned, Lancelot then glared up at Sonic and demanded. "What is the meaning of this!?"
"Hey, I didn't do anything to the king!" Sonic quickly protested, holding his hands up in defense. "The Black Knight's the one who pulled out the King's soul from his body and placed it into the sword!"
"Sonic is correct. The evil Black Knight absorbed my body as he had trapped me inside here. Merlina summoned Sonic while shrinking my sword for easier carry, and ensuring my safety to the young knight in training. The Black Knight has twisted the minds of you, Gawain and Percival." King Arthur added, somberly.
While still in disbelief, Lancelot then winced as his real memories returned; he remembered now. The Black Knight appearing out of nowhere, being engulfed by the darkness along with the other knights, and the King and the Wizard fleeing before everything else happened. This realization hit him much harder than his defeat by the hands of Sonic the Hedgehog. While he was still skeptical about what he was hearing, the King not once lied to him.
The Black Knight on the other hand, who fooled him into believing he was the King, did.
"Your Majesty...!" Lancelot slightly shook, before bowing his head to the trapped King within Sonic's necklace. "Forgive me. I have failed you."
Sonic felt awkward, and while he knew that the older hedgehog was bowing to the necklace, it felt more like Lancelot was bowing to him instead and he didn't like it one bit. Fortunately, Arthur solved that dilemma by gently saying. "Sir Lancelot, my friend. Please, rise."
The knight did as commanded, while the king continued kindly. "It is I who failed. The Black Knight has taken the Excalibur's scabbard. As long as he has it, he is unstoppable. But there is hope."
"Would it involve this Apprentice Knight and Caliburn?" Lancelot questioned.
"Yeah, but we're kinda stuck on how to beat him. We were on our way to Nimue to ask for her advice on how to stop that guy and return King Arthur back to normal." Sonic explained briefly.
"Hmm...Yes, the Lady of the Lake would provide some answers. But you will not be getting straight answers out of her. Not yet, in any case." The Ultimate Knight nodded and warned.
"How come?" The blue hedgehog shrugged.
"Because you are a knave." Caliburn deadpanned.
"Will you cut it out with the knave thing!?" Sonic snapped, glaring at the annoying talking sword. "Can't you at least say that I'm a knight in training or Apprentice Knight or whatever, please? Is that so much to ask for?"
Lancelot watched the bickering, feeling a sense of deja vu as he respectfully questioned the trapped king. "Your Majesty, why do I not remember what you look like and yet this young knight is very much like you?"
"Because...you will see soon. But I ask you to not judge Sir Sonic. He is our only hope, and from another world." Arthur hesitantly replied.
"He certainly has he very same personality as you, sire; young and foolish, and a child at times. I believe you tend to get yourself into trouble a lot of times." Lancelot smirked slightly.
"Hey!" Arthur pouted childishly, which made Sonic and Caliburn stop their bickering in slight surprise, hearing the king grumble while Lancelot tried not to laugh.
"...I guess they tease each other like this all the time, huh?" Sonic remarked softly.
"How would I know? I was inside that rock long before either of them and you were born." Caliburn pointed out.
"Point taken." The blue hedgehog shrugged, before remarking now that things had settled down. "Still, he's one of the Knights of the Round Table? Wow!"
"The mightiest of them all, and the one closest to King Arthur. It was merely luck that allowed you to defeat him." The sword explained.
"If you say so." Sonic replied.
Once things had cleared up, Lancelot agreed to accompany Sonic, Arthur and Caliburn to speak with Nimue, the blue hedgehog handing Arondight, which the three of this world explained to Sonic that it was another sacred sword of the land, back to it's original owner. The group of four traveled through the forest as night fell and two knights were on their guard for any potential dangers. Luckily, none were around and soon they found themselves at another misty lake, with a wooden plank path leading up to a small archery in the middle. Despite the spooky atmosphere, the blue hedgehog thought this place was beautiful.
"We're here." Caliburn declared.
'Hope Nimue isn't scary. I'm actually kinda nervous.' Sonic thought as he followed Lancelot and Caliburn along the path while doing his best to ignore the water all around them, given his history in not being able to swim. Plus, given what Lancelot mentioned, and that the Lady of the Lake is the original owner of the scabbard, and possibly Excalibur itself which he now carried, he was beginning to feel scared.
'Suddenly, I don't like this place. It's too creepy.' The blue hedgehog shuddered, rubbing his arms as he began to feel cold. He considered in asking Arthur what Nimue was like, but decided against it. Now he wished he asked earlier.
"Are you alright, Sonic?" Arthur asked worriedly, apparently sensing the teenager's anxiety.
"Just a little bit cold." Sonic replied, then admitted in a whisper. "And nervous."
"Silence." Lancelot grunted to the blue hedgehog, hearing him as he looked over his shoulder. "You should not speak before the Lady of the Lake herself."
Even though the teenager glared at him, he felt the chill down his spine get colder, hugging himself more tightly. If there was a rule that no one should speak before Nimue did, then Sonic knew he was already in deep, deep trouble. He began to shake in the cold and in fear, frightened of what Nimue would do to him since he had already broken the law. Normally it didn't faze him, but he had no idea what the Lady of the Lake was capable of. Then again, the king spoke before hand too, but maybe this was because Arthur and Nimue were friends.
'I'm so in trouble.' The blue hedgehog thought to himself when Lancelot and Caliburn came a stop and the black hedgehog bowed, the teenager realizing that they were at the summit. As he looked up, stepping out of the podium, to his shock and fear was another familiar face; a pink hedgehog, but dressed in a long faded green beautiful dress.
'A-Amy!? But how-!?' Sonic thought frantically, but then realized that it couldn't be Amy. How would she get here anyway? If anything, given the personalities Lancelot and Smithy shared with Shadow and Tails, and the King having a similar one to Sonic himself, if this was who he thought it was, it terrified him now.
The Amy-look-alike, Nimue the Lady of the Lake, nodded to Lancelot after greeting him, before turning her gaze to the horrified hero of Mobius and spoke with a warm smile, which did nothing to quell his fear. "I've been waiting for you, knight from another world."
'Oh no! She knows about me! I'm done for!' Sonic thought, terrified before he saw that Lancelot bowed to her, and so he did the same, head low, eyes closed, but he was unable to control his shivering in both the cold and in fear. He didn't even dare to say anything, frightened of what his fate would be.
"Sonic...You're quivering." Arthur noted. "You need to calm down."
"B-but that's-!" The blue hedgehog began, shakily. "And I-!"
"Don't be afraid. Arthur once quivered like this the very first time too." Nimue gently reassured, gently cupping Sonic's cheek and lifting his head up so that he could look at her as he opened his eyes, and was surprised how close she was. She was the mirror image of Amy, and then he ended up remembering how his self-proclaimed girlfriend did the same thing back in the Aquarium Park in Eggman's Interstellar Amusement Park.
For that split second he even saw Amy in Nimue's place; the sudden outfit change considering the two pink hedgehogs were counterparts to each other. He wasn't sure why, but Sonic found himself blushing, before he mentally shook his head. 'Ugh, why did I do that? I never blushed around girls before!'
"He even blushed like you are now." The Lady of the Lake giggled, which made Sonic feel even more embarrassed.
"Nimue, please!" Arthur groaned as within the Excalibur, he was blushing just as heavily over the memory. "Not with Lancelot around!"
"I'm sorry, King Arthur." Nimue giggled, before gesturing Sonic and Lancelot, who despite remaing stotic, secretly smirked over his king's little secret, to stand up which the two hedgehogs did. "Anyway, I think I know why you are here. It's about Excalibur isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's right. You don't waste any time, lady." Sonic replied, gesturing at the sword within the necklace. "We were wondering if there's any way to help save the King and stop the Black Knight."
"Show some respect." Caliburn and Lancelot scolded in unison, making the blue hedgehog glare at them in annoyance, but applied none the less.
A few minutes later, Nimue invited them in her small home, and the three hedgehogs were seated around the table with a tea set ready, three cups waiting for them. Caliburn rested beside Sonic who casually had one leg over the other, and his gauntlet hand behind his head, the necklace still around his neck and Shadow with his arms folded.
"Nimue once gave me directions to Excalibur four years ago." Arthur began. "It came with the scabbard, but she and Merlin warned me of it's dark magic. So I barely used it and left it behind in the castle and used another one instead. Yet the Black Knight still stole it."
"So what's the story behind the Black Knight, anyway? He couldn't always just been in the Underworld, right?" Sonic asked, curiously.
"He wasn't." Nimue shook her head in sadness. "Long ago, the Black Knight was once a noble knight, vowing to protect his kingdom and his king before Arthur was ever born. Or, it was what everyone originally thought."
"Let me guess. He wasn't who he said he was." The blue hedgehog stated.
"Yes. In truth, his King was the first to wield the Excalibur and it's scabbard, which held a great power of good or evil. I'm the one who gave it to him, so its kinda my fault, you see." Nimue sighed.
"So how was it that the Excalibur and it's scabbard became separated, Lady Nimue?" Lancelot questioned as he and Sonic were shocked.
"The Excalibur should not have been separated from the scabbard, or else both would become unstable." The pink hedgehog explained. "If a heart of good wielded the sword, and the heart of evil gained the scabbard, it would make the latter immortal, giving that wielder the power over Excalibur and it's wielder. I'm afraid that fate has been cursed upon King Arthur."
"Yikes." Sonic winced. "No wonder he was able to trap the king in the sword."
"It was the Black Knight's wish to become king, and when he heard of the scabbard's power, he sought it out." Nimue nodded, her eyes closing in lingering guilt. "It was Merlin the Wizard who sealed away the Black Knight to the Underworld when it became apparent that it was too dangerous for him to live."
"And yet the Black Knight found a way to escape, correct?" Lancelot asked, following along where this was going.
"So Merlina's grandfather was the one who knew about the prophecy, and the only one to save King Arthur and help save the Kingdom is me with Caliburn. But how do we stop him?" Sonic realized.
"I'll tell you how to hinder the scabbard's power of immortality. But still..." Nimue paused, worriedly.
"Still what?"
"Who ever defeats the Black Knight and takes his scabbard might end up turning out the same way, right?" She said, which made Sonic, Arthur, Caliburn and even Lancelot fall silent, to which the blue hedgehog from Mobius gulped uneasily.
"I see." Caliburn muttered, uneasily.
"That's a scary thought." Sonic admitted. More than that, it reminded him too much of when whoever collected the seven world rings would be offered as a sacrifice, and how close he'd come in dying, both by that and the flame arrow in his heart, and if hadn't been for Shahra, he'd be dead by now and both the Arabian Nights and Mobius would've been doomed.
"So how can Sonic be protected from suffering the same fate?" Arthur asked, worriedly.
"First of all, the gauntlet Merlina had given him." Nimue said, smiling a bit with some hope, causing the others to glance at the aforementioned metal glove. "As long as he believes in the good, does not change who he is, and pass the tests, he will be safe from the darkness of the scabbard, and once the Black Knight is defeated and you are freed and resurrected, King Arthur, it's evil power will fade."
"Whoa...pretty cool. I really gotta thank Merlina for thinking ahead when we see her." The blue hedgehog thought, feeling a bit relieved as he gazed at his right hand.
"Well then, I have three tests for you. Would you like to hear them?" Nimue replied.
"Sure. Fire away." Sonic nodded eagerly. Both Caliburn and Lancelot were admittedly impressed with the young hero's desire to hear what he had to do instead of charging in guessing and make a mistake later on.
Nimue nodded, before counting down the tests. "First, free the innocents from King Arthur's dungeon the Black Knight has imprisoned them in. Second, offer compassion to those in need. Third, defeat the evil Knight's Army of the Underworld."
"Leave it to me!" Sonic declared bravely, standing up and bowed. "I accept the tests, Lady Nimue."
'He is so much like the King.' Lancelot thought to himself, and while he still had his doubts about the teenage hedgehog, the similarity between the two was uncanny.
"However, Lancelot cannot accompany you, and no one should know about King Arthur's condition." The pink hedgehog added.
"No problem. We'll keep it a secret. Kinda figured it would be a good idea to do so since Castle Town anyway." The blue hedgehog agreed, before asking the aforementioned knight. "So, what're you gonna do?"
"I shall go and find my fellow knights, and see if there is a way to free them from the Black Knight's curse." Lancelot declared.
"Actually Lancelot, only King Arthur's soul can do that." Nimue spoke up, causing the others to gaze at her in confusion. "Only his presence shall free the Knights of the Round Table from the Black Knight's evil spell. However, you evacuate Castle Town should the army attack."
'That explains how Lancelot managed to snap out of it.' Sonic thought, remembering how the King's voice had brought Lancelot to his senses.
"As you wish, Lady Nimue." The Ultimate Knight bowed.
Nimue nodded, before saying one more time to the hero of Mobius. "You have three days. Good luck." And with that, she disappeared like a ripple in water.
"I get it." Sonic murmured after a moment of awed silence. "She's only going to tell the secret to a true knight."
"And tell me with you around is not wise." Lancelot nodded.
"Are you up to the task? This will not be easy." Caliburn asked, a bit uncertain.
The blue hedgehog smirked, confident with his speed to help with this. "Ha! I'm the world's fastest hedgehog. Check it out! You will be calling me "Sir" before you know it."
"We shall partways then, Sonic the Hedgehog. Good luck." Lancelot nodded.
"I'm counting on you, Lance. Be careful." Arthur responded.
"You as well, your majesty. I will not fail again." The Ultimate Knight bowed, before telling the younger hedgehog sternly. "You fail to protect him, and it's off with your head. Understand?"
"I won't let anything happen to him." Sonic vowed, giving Lancelot a two-finger salute before speeding off with Caliburn close behind.
"You'd better." Lancelot muttered, sighing before skating off to perform his own task.
Day one...
At dawn the next morning since the conversation took all night, Sonic and Caliburn journeyed back to the village and with directions on where the townsfolk were being imprisoned, the cobalt hero quickly made his way to the castle. He and Caliburn snuck inside via a secret passage while Arthur, despite wanting to help by giving the teenager directions, remained silent since he felt that if he helped, it would be cheating.
Silently taking out the Black Knight's monster army along the way, Sonic found a knight laying sprawled on the floor, badly injured and unconscious. His heart ripped to shreds when he saw this and immediately rushed over, kneeling before shaking the fallen knight.
"Hey, are you alright?" The blue hedgehog asked, worriedly. To his and Caliburn's relief, the knight, a Chameleon in purple and for a split second thought it was Espio, but then realized it wasn't. The Espio-look-alike moaned, before slowly pushing him up, with Sonic quickly lifting him gently and had him sit and lean against the wall.
"What..." The purple knight muttered, his head hurting along with his sides, before turning to the teenager and asked. "Who are you?"
"My name's Sonic. I've come to free the innocents that were locked up in the dungeon." Sonic explained.
"You're a new Knight...You shouldn't-ugh!" The Espio-look-alike hissed in pain, grabbing at his wounded side.
"Easy there. You need to rest." The fifteen year old gestured, before asking softly. "What happened?"
The purple knight breathed in and out in an attempt to dull the pain, before answering. "Monsters...attacked. They are too fast...and strong...not even turning invisible could...allow me to pass them. I am so ashamed, to be discovered so easily."
'Poor guy. Even he has invisibility problem like Espio.' Sonic thought, before reassuring. "Don't worry. I'll handle them and rescue the prisoners. You stay here 'till I get back, 'kay?"
"You shouldn't be doing this...You're a child." The Chameleon knight panted.
"I'm not scared. Besides, you're not in a good condition to move." Sonic replied, before reaching into his quills and pulling out a bandage cloth, wrapping it around the purple knight's wound, gently tightening and pressing it, causing the counterpart of Espio to hiss, making the blue hedgehog mutter apologetically. "Sorry. Gotta stop the bleeding."
"Why are you...helping me?" The purple knight asked, panting.
"No special reason." The blue hedgehog replied, standing up before carefully patting the knight on the shoulder. "I'll be back soon. I promise. Just hang in there, okay?"
With hope that the Espio-look-alike will be alright, Sonic dashed off to the direction of the dungeons with Caliburn, who was impressed by the teenager's act of compassion in helping the wounded knight and promising to return, close behind. The knight, seeing the sword hover and the blue hedgehog run off so fast he was a blue blur, stared before groaning.
"Perfect. I'm hallucinating." The wounded knight complained.
Meanwhile, Sonic and Caliburn raced through the corridor while the latter remarked, "I must say, that is very compassionate of you to treat a fellow knight."
"Hey, I couldn't just let him die. I always do my best to help out others. Besides, Nimue did say showing compassion to those in need is part of the test." Sonic pointed out.
"I would have done the same thing. I just wish I could do so right now." Arthur whispered, and the hero of Mobius couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Don't worry, your majesty. You will soon." The blue hedgehog reassured.
It hadn't taken the duo long before they made their way through and defeated the last of the monsters that appeared blocking their path, and, as luck would have it, one of them was a guard holding the key to the dungeons. As soon as Sonic took care of that, he used it to open the door and found the terrified innocent people of...whatever the residents were of men, women and even children all huddled up, being at loss and despair, until the sound of the door opening and an unfamiliar new knight stood with a warm smile.
"Don't worry, everybody. I'm here to save you! Let's get you all back home." Sonic declared boldly.
Stunned and surprised by the young hero's appearance, the villagers all cheered before they all followed Sonic out, the teenager making sure there weren't any more monsters around on their way out. He did stop to check up on the Espio-look-alike and when he saw, to his horror, that the other knight was close in passing out due to the blood loss, he immediately carried him in his arms in hopes of getting him some much needed help along with other people that may have been injured during the siege.
A few hours later, as Sonic helped the medieval medical staff in treating the wounded, he anxiously waited for the news of the wounded knight's condition. He had suffered a blood loss and a concussion, and the wound was pretty deep. Even though the blue hedgehog's effort to stem the bleeding slowed it down, he was terrified with the thought that he had arrived too late.
While he also checked with the freed innocents if there had been anybody left behind and was relieved to hear that they all got out thanks to his heroic rescue, and checked around town to fight off any invading monster attacks, saving other people who thanked him and getting them to safety, he arrived back to the medical building and paced back and forth since then.
"You are doing to make someone dizzy if you keep walking back and forth like this." Caliburn informed, watching the increasingly dreading Sonic pace.
"I'm worried about the guy. It's taking too long." Sonic replied, half-listening. "What if he doesn't make it? What if I was too late? Oh, Chaos...I should've been faster to help him...!"
Pausing in his steps, Sonic began to tear up as guilt began to rise and hang heavily in his chest and on his shoulders, looking away to avoid the sword in seeing him, biting his lip hard to stop himself from crying, but he couldn't stop the image of the Espio-look-alike's dead body forming in his mind, being covered in a thin sheet by the medical staff who would somberly walk away.
"For all we know, he...he could be dead already...!" The blue hedgehog placed a hand to his face, trying and failing to calm down and be optimistic, but seeing the knight that was the counterpart of Espio formed too many terrible memories in his mind all at once; fearing for the deaths of Espio and Charmy in Station Square, Shahra's sacrifice and dying in his arms, the Cube Wisp being hurt, Tails being mind-controlled by Eggman's machine, Yacker also dying in his arms before being brought back to life.
"You fear that you failed the test?" Caliburn questioned.
"It's not that!" Sonic snapped angrily and sorrowfully. "It's nothing to do with that...! It's the fact that-that I failed to-to save someone's life on time...! It's even worse that...that he...that he reminds me of one of my friends...! It's like seeing somebody I care about and love die because I was too late...and even then, it's horrible to see someone die, whether they're strangers or my friends and family...and seeing other families die...and I couldn't save them...! It's horrible!"
Despite on the edge of sobbing, the blue hedgehog tried to calm down, but he still sorrowfully muttered. "How can I call myself a hero if I can't save lives?"
"As harsh as it is, not everyone can be saved. Even a true knight knows that." Caliburn wisely told him, disappointed that Sonic was on the urge of crying, but the fact that he was grieving for the potential loss of someone, whether it was a friend, a family member or just a person he didn't know of in general, and as much as the sacred sword hated to admit it, the boy had a pure heart.
The words struck in Sonic, making him to shed tears as he knew that, no matter how much he hated it, how he tried to make sure no one died horribly, Caliburn was right. It still hurt a lot, though. If Espio's counterpart really was dead now, he would just have to accept it. Not to mention live with the guilt for already failing Nimue's test, which would make beating the Black Knight and restoring King Arthur more difficult.
"Either I am dreaming, or your sword really is alive." An old woman's voice stated, causing both Sonic and Caliburn to turn to see that it was an old lady nurse. "Sonic the Knight-in-Training, I assume?"
"That's me." The blue hedgehog replied, wiping away his tears.
"I thought as much. For someone so young, you certainly are a hero of a knight. Sir Richard says he owes you his life for saving him and all of those people." The nurse nodded warmly.
Eyes widening as he heard what the lady said, a glimmer of hope rising as he asked. "Is he okay!? Is he alive?"
"Thanks to you." The nurse nodded. "He will need three months of recovery, however. But all in all, he is certainly lucky. If it was not for you, the poor dear would be dead by now."
"Oh, thank goodness." Sonic sighed, placing his left hand to his chest as the heavy weight of guilt and sorrow lifted. He didn't fail after all. "What a relief."
"Are you feeling better now, Sonic?" Caliburn asked, also relieved and amazed that the young hedgehog had succeeded in saving Sir Richard's life after all, and the teenage hero nodded, smiling happily.
"He is asking to see you, Sonic." The nurse continued, before wisely telling him. "However, you can only visit for five minutes. He should be resting."
"No problem. Thanks, ma'am." The fifteen year old replied, and despite Caliburn rolling his eyes, Sonic immediately hurried over to Richard's room, quickly checking up the other people who were cheering for him, and he was relieved that they were okay.
Once he reached the room of the purple knight, Sonic peered through the doorway and found the chameleon resting in bed. The blue hedgehog sighed softly, before slowly approaching. The Espio-look-alike noticed him by the corner of his eye and softly smiled.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Sonic greeted with a wave.
"A little better than before." Sir Richard responded, shifting a little uncomfortably as he tried to sit up. The blue hedgehog immediately straightened up the pillow to make the chameleon more comfortable and he relaxed with a sigh. "For a knight so young, you are showing true potential."
"I just do the right thing. It's no big deal. But I'm just glad that you're gonna be okay. For a while there, I was so afraid that I was too late." The cobalt hedgehog shrugged.
"I cannot thank you enough for your bravery and kindness, Sonic. It is thanks to you that the innocent people are safe now." The purple chameleon said with feeling, and Sonic smiled warmly in return.
If only he didn't have to leave so soon. Sir Richard was already a cool guy to hang out with.
Day two...
The next day as he continued with Nimue's tests, Sonic fought off the Black Knight's Army while showing compassion to those who needed his help which he did without hesitation. With the first task completed, he focused on the remaining two as much as possible and even Caliburn had to admit, despite that the blue hedgehog only had one day left, he was showing great progress. Arthur was especially pleased, giving Sonic such praises for his succeed which made the young hero quite embarrassed.
He even found the time and compassion to help a little girl who was the counterpart of Cream, named Alice, to get her doll back which was thrown up into a tree by bullies who had gotten a good scolding from their mothers. Sonic had climbed up the tree to get the doll down, reaching up before smiling and jumped down, landing safely.
"Here ya' go." Sonic offered the doll to Alice who beamed happily.
"Patty!" Alice squealed happily, hugging her toy laughing, before she politely bowed to the blue hedgehog in gratitude. "Thank you for saving my dolly, Mr. Sir Sonic."
"You're welcome, kid. I'm just happy to help out." The teenager replied, gently patting the little girl on the head, making her giggle.
Once Sonic bid Alice farewell, he continued on his quest as Caliburn following him, saying. "Very impressive, child. For a foolish one, you are quite as kind towards those younger than yourself."
"What can say? I like kids. Plus, Alice reminds me a whole lot of another little girl who's like a little sister I've never had." Sonic shrugged.
"You make me more proud each day, Sonic. I knew I can count on you." Arthur beamed happily, making the blue hedgehog chuckle with a slight blush, and Caliburn secretly smile a bit proudly himself.
The Final Day...
Taking out the rest of the Black Knight's Army was a cinch. Barely before the final day's sunrise which he still had hours to go, Sonic had completed his task successfully and was now racing back to Nimue's lake with Caliburn by his side.
"You did very well, Sonic. You completed the tasks." Arthur said.
"It's close, but it seems you somehow made it." Caliburn admitted.
Sonic smirked, proud of himself. "Too easy! Piece of Cake."
"Don't let it go to your head, fool!" The sword warned.
The blue hedgehog was about to make a witty comeback when he spotted something up ahead that made him skid to a stop. When Caliburn asked what was wrong, Sonic stared at just a few feet away as a little girl, one of the villagers, was sitting on the ground in the middle of the forest, crying. He immediately became worried and approached her.
"Hey! What's the matter? Are you lost or something?" Sonic asked, stopping just beside her.
The little girl, too upset to acknowledge that she was in the presence of a stranger, tearfully looked up at him and explained. "A great big dragon attacked my village...!"
"A dragon?" The blue hedgehog softly gasped, horrified to hear a beast attack this young girl's village.
"It took my mommy and my daddy and everybody away...!" The girl sobbed, before resuming her crying.
'Poor thing. I wish I could do something. How dare that monster do such a thing!?' Arthur thought to himself.
Sonic felt his heart ache for the poor child, finding himself torn on what he should do. He didn't have much time left before the day ended, but seeing the girl cry, lost and all alone, with her family and people in the clutches of the giant monster, he only thought for a few seconds before coming to a decision. Test or not, he couldn't turn this kid away, and there were people who were in danger, needed to be rescued, and since he was here, he was the only one and just the guy for the job.
"You know where the dragon is kid?" He asked softly, gently placing a comforting hand onto the child's shoulder.
The girl, surprised by his kindness, nodded and pointed up another path ahead. "It's in the big cave, at the bottom of that mountain."
Nodding, Sonic declared. "All right. I'm on it!"
'Sonic...' Arthur thought, his heart warmed and feeling such relief that the young knight was going to help the girl, regardless of what was happening. But he didn't care if he had to stay trapped inside the Excalibur for a while longer. The girl needed Sonic's help more, and so did her parents and the rest of the villagers. If he were in his body, he would do the same as the teenager.
"Wait, don't tell me you're going off to slay a dragon now!" Caliburn on the other hand, protested.
"Yes, we are." Sonic said, grasping the sword by the handle as he prepared to take off on his next quest.
"What of the Lady's tests? You'll never make it in time." The sword pointed out.
"Yeah...maybe..." The blue hedgehog trailed off, feeling guilty for choosing to fail and being forced to find a harder alternative to save the king, but he refused to simply ignore people in need, so he added firmly. "But I play by my own rules. Remember that."
"You fool!" Caliburn grunted angrily.
"No, Caliburn. Sonic is doing the right thing. There are people who need to be rescued. They cannot be simply ignored." Arthur whispered firmly.
"Thanks, your majesty." Sonic whispered to the king, before looking over his shoulder and saluted to the girl, promising. "Hang in there kiddo. I'll get your folks back."
Winking at the girl, Sonic took off up the path to perform another rescue mission.
Even though he knew, deep down, he would fail Nimue's test, at the moment he didn't care. He was going to rescue those people and defeat the dragon. Unaware that the monster wasn't the only thing the blue hedgehog would be facing.
To be Continued!
A/N: The next chapter will see Sonic face another one of the Knights of the Round Table. Who knows, maybe two if we're lucky. I have made counterparts of Espio and Cream to fit into this story as well just for the fun of it.
See you later!