Sonic in Between.
Author's Note: Finally, part five is made and posted! Let's continue onward, fellow Sir Readers!
Until thing, I hope you do enjoy the rest of the story.
Summary of Story 5-Part 5: Having passed Nimue's test and learning of how to defeat the Black Knight, Sonic now faces Percival to defeat and save her in order to retrieve the third Sacred Sword and save King Arthur once and for all. But what he will find will shock him and everyone else in the aftermath.
I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog. All rights belong to Sega. I only own the OCs.
Sonic's Camelot Adventure-Part 5.
The next day after a well known rest, Sonic, Caliburn and Arthur traveled up to a place called the Molten Mine under the king's direction, going through the village that had lava rivers with carts. Of course, the people here needed saving so the blue hedgehog wasted no time in protecting them from the Black Knight's Army as he went, saving those who were in grave danger while the villagers thanked him for rescuing their lives. Afterwards, the trio traveled through town before eventually reaching a deserted area where it was dangerously close to a volcano, with huge rivers of lava down below the cliffs.
"Phew...Sure is hot out here. Why would Percival come to a place like this?" Sonic panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. In fact, he wasn't even certain what Percival looked like. It couldn't be someone that looked like Rouge since her forte was jewels, not heat. It wasn't Sun because, well, he's a guy and Pervical is a girl.
Which meant that it was someone he didn't know of, and that was going to be challenging. More so than with both Lancelot and Gawain since they were the counterparts of Shadow and Knuckles.
"Lady Percival has the power to control fire. It was her gift ever since she was a young child." Arthur answered.
"Whoa! A fire wielder?" The fifteen year old softly exclaimed in awe, gazing at his necklace with wide eyes as he and Caliburn paused. "That's a new one."
"You mean you know no one of that ability in your world?" Caliburn questioned.
Sonic scratched the top of his head, admitting a bit awkwardly. "I've met plenty of people with their own abilities back at home. Even a ghost who helped out a lot with a water monster. But yeah, I've never met anyone who can use fire before. Though I do have a twin brother who's named after the sun, but his abilities have nothing to do with the heat."
The talking sword couldn't help but give out a sigh. "Then this will be very difficult for you. Are you certain you are ready to take on Lady Percival?"
"Hey, just because I don't know anybody with fire magic, doesn't mean I'm not willing to try." The blue hedgehog pointed out. "Besides, I've learned a long time ago to watch out for new threats and if I face opponents that are different than what I'm used to, I can be better prepared in the future."
"That is a very wise decision, Sir Sonic. But you are best to be on your guard." The trapped King advised.
"Indeed." Caliburn agreed.
"I will. But I'm not giving up, not when we made it this far." The hero of Mobius vowed. He knew he had to be very careful and watch out for any kind of threats, as well as preparing himself for a heated new battle(no pun intended) against someone he was unfamiliar with.
After traversing through the town and up towards the mountain, Sonic and his companions soon found themselves in an area surrounded by cliffs and volcanic rivers and lakes, as down below the lowest cliff was a giant river of lava, boiling hot and waiting for anyone to make the foolish mistake in falling in and roast to death. The fifteen year old whistled in nervousness and awe.
"That's what I call a hot tub." Sonic commented with a sweat drop.
"Must you joke at a time like this?" Caliburn groaned, rolling his eyes.
"I'm just saying." The cobalt teenager muttered, slightly annoyed by the response, before glancing around in concern. "I know we should watch out for Percival, but I sure hope there aren't anymore dragons around. This is the kind of place they'd love to come, right?"
"It's not dragons we should be fearing in this place, unless it is from the Black Knight's Army. It's the Fire Titans we should be concerned about." Arthur responded.
"Fire Titans?" The blue speedster asked, suddenly getting a bad feeling about this.
"They sleep at the very top of the volcano, and according to legend, they do not awaken for at least once every five years. However, if darkness were to threaten the land, they would awaken sooner and roam the land, cooling off to become mortal giants to terrorize the kingdom." Caliburn warned.
Sonic felt even more scared despite trying to hide it, though he did gulp a little. "Let me guess, they also look for people to eat, right? I've heard this in stories back at home: a giant appears picking up the scent of a person to grind their bones to make their bread."
The Sacred Sword and the trapped King were silent over this even as Caliburn and the necklace with Arthur's soul sweat dropped, disturbed by the story that the blue hedgehog has heard in his world. He shrugged and said, "It's in a kid's storybook."
Before either of his companions could respond to that, Sonic then heard something from up ahead which caused him to look up and, seeing a figure in the distance, another knight he realized given the armor, he narrowed his eyes. Caliburn also noticed which prompted him to look up ahead.
"Looks like we found the last Knight of the Round Table." Sonic announced.
"Indeed." Caliburn agreed.
"Be careful, Sonic." Arthur said.
Sonic nodded, taking hold of the Sacred Sword and marched forward, preparing himself for another tough battle. As he did, the knight, Lady Percival herself, turned around after sensing his presence, making him see her for the first time. It was anything he never had seen before: She was a Mobian-like Cat. Her fur was lavender, violet and white, her eyes golden, wearing a golden hair-tie, grey and purple helmet with a sky-blue gem, gray-coat-like torso armor, a violet shirt, white tights, grey leg armor with grey high-heeled metal boots, and she was wielding a rapier like sword with long and thin double-edged silver blade, golden cup-hilt, and a golden knuckle-bow extended from the hilt to the sword's golden tip with a white and straight grip.
'Whoa...Never seen anybody like her before.' Sonic thought to himself, before standing his guard as the female knight, dashing and noble, also possessed by the Black Knight's evil aura, stood before him with her sword in her grip.
"I am Lady Percival, Knight of the Round Table, servant of King Arthur." The female knight announced. "State your name and your master, sir."
Nodding with determination, Sonic stood his ground as he responded as nobly as possible, making sure that his necklace was out of harm's way, his grip on Caliburn's hilt tightening sightly. "I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog! I have no master, except for the wind that blows free."
Satisfied by his answer despite the oddness of him not having a master, Percival responded, holding out her sword. "Very well, Sonic, Knight of the Wind. Prepare for battle!"
"Bring it on!" Sonic declared, doing the same with his sword.
"I shall now test your skills, Sir Knight." She declared back.
Both Percival and Sonic glared down at each other as they held their grips on their swords, then charged and clashed quickly and swiftly. As they did, the female knight attempted to slice him, but the blue hedgehog flipped and dodged easily and clashed hard, using the combination of his speed and his sword skills he learned since coming to this world. To his surprise, she dodged fairly quickly herself and blocked his every move, just like he did. He repeled her attack and sped out of the way when she charged. Percival blinked in surprise only to hear him from her right and saw him stand on a rock thankfully not too close to the edge of the cliff.
"I gotta admit, you're pretty good." Sonic commented, smirking as this was a new challenge he was having fun with even though he knew he had to focus.
"You are very impressive your self, O' brave knight." Percival admitted, before adding as she narrowed her eyes. "But my swordsmanship is not my only skill."
The lavender cat then spun around and around creating a tornado made out of fire, much to the blue hedgehog's shock. Gasping, he leaped out of the way and attempted to avoid the fiery cyclone that flared out fire balls everywhere and picking up tiny rocks from the ground. Realizing he was in trouble, Sonic quickly tried to think of a plan to avoid in getting burnt until an idea formed in his mind. So he raced around in a circle himself, creating his Sonic-Nado which collided with Percival's Fire-Nado as the two attacks hit and clashed in a big explosion, sending dust and cloud flying everywhere and spread out. Sonic and Percival both screamed as they both flew backwards upon impact, but managed to flip and each landed safely from each other, panting and kneeling on one knee.
They had slight injuries, but that didn't faze either the Hero of Mobius or the Knight of the Grail.
"Man...That was an amazing ability. A top notch to my Windy Tornado." Sonic stated very impressed, standing up slowly as he prepared to keep fighting. "But don't think I'm gonna go easy on ya!"
Percival panted as she stood up herself, admittedly bashful over her opponent's compliment and strong will, courage and determination to keep on fighting. Somehow it reminded her of how King Arthur would fight, but due to the Black Knight's evil spell, she wasn't sure of how or why.
"Why thank you, Sonic the Hedgehog. I must say that your own power is much more astonishing than I thought. But do you really think you can overcome my abilities?" She replied.
"I'm not one to give up! I made a promise and I vowed to keep it!" The teenage hero replied.
The two then clashed once more, and Sonic had to admit Percival was faster than he thought, which made the fight more challenging and more exciting. He hasn't felt his blood pump like this in ages, against an opponent that was his size, this skillful and for once actually had such nice manners while keeping true to her duties. Unlike both Shadow and Lancelot, or Knuckles and Gawain. He repeled Percival's fire magic with Caliburn and even bashed a couple back which had the female knight to dodge her own attack sent towards her before the blue hedgehog leaped into the air and performed his Sword Spin with a battle yell, hitting Percival hard.
She screamed in pain while being knocked back before hitting the ground hard and skid before she stopped, thankfully not near the edge of the cliff, but close enough. Sonic landed on the ground and stood his ground, while Percival winced, and stood up before the two charged at each other again, clashing hard and swiftly until she attempted to use her Fire-Nado again, which forced Sonic to use his own Sonic-Nado once more, the two attacks clashing hard and nearly knocking them down. However, somehow Percival came leaping out and charged towards Sonic who gasped in shock with his eyes widened as he descended.
Reacting quickly, he blocked the attack and went for a swift-kick into her gut, sending her back much to her surprise, before the blue hedgehog then quickly bashed her sword, the Laevatein, out of her grip and caught it with his left hand by the hilt. He landed safely on the ground while his opponent landed hard once more, out of breath and utterly defeated, much to her shock.
'I gotta admit, she's tougher than I thought.' Sonic thought, panting a little.
'He's...so swift as the wind, and strong, in strength and his heart...' Pecival thought in her mind, standing up as she winced before sighing, accepting her defeat, and her fate to die for her failure.
Just then the earth moved which nearly made both Sonic and Percival almost lose their balance, sounds of boiling lava behind the latter making sloshing noises, and a deepening roar of something huge and monstrous filling the air.
"What's that!?" The blue hedgehog exclaimed, looking around frantically.
The answer he got was the last thing he expected. Emerging from the lava below the cliff behind the female knight, was a towering 80 foot beast-like giant, looking like a molten-rock monster with glaring and glowing white eyes as it roared as it began to climb up. It gazed at the two below and while Sonic stared up in horrified awe, the King trapped in the necklace let out a gasp while Caliburn was almost in silent shock.
"The Fire Titan..." Caliburn whispered in shock.
"Whoa...! That thing's huge...!" Sonic whispered, before gazing at Percival to warn her, only to gasp in shock as she gazed calmly at the monster who seemed to have eyes on her. The defeated female knight, accepting her chosen self-punishment, gazed back at the brave young knight who had defeated her and knew deep within her heart he would defeat the giant monster with bravery unlike any other.
"Well done, Sir Sonic." She responded, closing her eyes as the giant made to grab her, much to the trio's horror.
'NO!' Arthur thought in dismay as he figured out what was going on. So did his chosen hero.
"Percival!" Sonic screamed out, quickly holding both swords while speeding over and while he carefully placed the swords in his quills without stabbing himself, scooped up the Knight of the Grail who shrieked in alarm and sped back, avoiding in getting captured by the giant monster who missed it's prey.
Once in the safe distance, the blue hedgehog gently placed the stunned female knight down before glaring up at the monster, before noticing it was holding onto the cliff with one hand which the ground began to crumble. Knowing what to do, he held a tight grip on Caliburn and speed back towards it, leaping up and with a loud yell, Sonic bashed it a couple times on the head before leaping back and used his Sword Spin once again, this time hitting the unsuspected monster who tried to grab him but failed. With a roar of fury and agony, the Fire Titan lost it's grip and fell back into the lava river below with a humongous splash. Sonic in the meantime landed safely before heading back to Percival, and carried her bridal-style and hurried back down the mountain.
He stopped between the mountain and the Molten Mine village, sighing in relief before setting the stunned Percival onto the ground gently.
"Phew. That was close." Sonic wiped his forehead.
"Why? Why did you..." Percival trailed off, unable to understand that not only Sonic had defeated a giant fire monster single-handedly, which she knew he would, but he also risked his life to save hers despite that they were supposed to be enemies.
He shrugged, saying with a kind expression. "I guess you can say whim is my other master. That, and I wanted to save you. Not just from that giant Fire Monster, but also from the Black Knight's evil spell."
"Percival..." Arthur began, which surprised the female knight who gazed at Sonic's necklace, which he held up a little bit gently.
"What...?" Percival was stunned by the fact that the necklace could speak, just as, like with her two fellow knights, her body began to glow slightly as well, mists of darkness seeping out of her body before vanishing. Shaking her head a little, disoriented, she then came to a quick realization and, understanding now what has happened, she bowed her head low before bowing on one knee.
"Your Majesty, King Arthur. How could I have not know this sooner? I am humbly deeply sorry..." The female knight apologized. "I knew there was something different, but the Black Knight...he made us all fools."
"You are not to blame, Lady Pecival." The imprisoned King responded with a tone of sadness and guilt. "I'm the one who failed you, Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain. I wasn't able to defeat the Black Knight. As a result, the only way to restore everything is for the Black Knight to be defeated. You did more than you could and I am ever so grateful, my friend."
Even though she still felt guilty, she always felt at ease for King Arthur's kindness, and was surprised once more when Sonic held out a hand to her, with a warm and bright smile of his own. For a split second, she thought she saw the real king in his place, the exact same image but in different clothing.
"It'll be okay. I promise I'll keep the King safe until the Black Knight is gone for good." Sonic promised.
"...Thank you, Sir Sonic." Percival replied, as she took the offer before being gently pulled to her feet.
"Save the hugs and kisses for later." Caliburn informed the blue hedgehog who, along with the female knight, turned to face him which caused Percival to blush and looked away in slight embarrassment for being saved by a noble, and, while not willing to admit it to herself, very handsome young new knight.
Sonic snorted, asking teasingly. "What? You jealous or something?"
That caught Caliburn off-guard as he stuttered. "For a knave such as you? R-Ridiculous."
"Enough with that Knave stuff already!" The blue hedgehog snapped in annoyance, growing sick and tired of it.
"Please, Caliburn. Sir Sonic has come this far, and has proven himself worthy." Arthur groaned.
To the trio's surprise, Caliburn smiled calmly as he finally could see what the imprisoned King has seen all along. "Actually..."
"Yes?" Sonic blinked, curiously.
The Sacred Sword then hovered in front of his wielder and tilted himself forward in a gesture of a bow. "While I cannot knight you as the King can, I suppose twice will not harm anyone."
"Huh?"
"Sonic the Hedgehog, you have mastered the code of chivalry. From this day forth, you shall be Sir Sonic, Knight of the Wind." Caliburn declared with deep respect.
Sonic's eyes widened in sheer disbelief when he heard Caliburn of all people to actually say this. Despite King Arthur still planning on knighting him himself, he thought he was having a dream for a moment, but the reminder of the heat around him just proved that this was real. He actually did it! He was now a qualified Knight, and, now that he thought of it, he liked his new title. It suited him perfectly.
"Congratulations, Sir Sonic, Knight of the Wind. I knew you were a true hero." Arthur praised happily and proudly, making Sonic chuckle in happiness and slight embarrassment.
"I had pretty great teachers." Sonic pointed out, scratching the side of his face. "But we still gotta stop the Black Knight and get your body back."
His companions and Lady Percival all agreed and once the latter was told what was going on and how to save Camelot as well as the King himself, the four of them made their way back to where they came from, leaving the Molten Mine behind and found, as promised, both Lancelot and Gawain at the bottom with their Sacred Swords in hand.
"So Sonic has defeated you, Lady Percival?" Gawain questioned, surprised.
"Yes. Sir Sonic has proven his worthy, and has saved my life from the Fire Titan. I am forever in his and King Arthur's dept." Percival nodded.
"I trust the King has informed you of what is happening and who he calls the Apprentice?" Lancelot.
"Actually, I'm not Apprentice anymore." Sonic smirked, rubbing his nose. "Caliburn has knighted me as Sir Sonic, Knight of the Wind. Which is also what Percival has called me. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Indeed. He has mastered the worth of being a knight." Caliburn confirmed proudly, which surprised the two other Knights before gazing at the newly named true Knight, and as much as they hated to admit it, they could see that he was worthy of one.
Given how he has defeated all three of them, the three Knights of the Round Table, and had kept his promise in keeping King Arthur's soul safe.
"You had me all wrong, Sonic. Or should I say, Sir Sonic?" Gawain admitted, smirking.
The blue hedgehog chuckled. "You can still just call me Sonic."
"Well, either way, you have come this far, and along with our King, saved our lives." The red echidna continued.
"For one as young as you, you are indeed a true knight." Lancelot agreed.
"Aw, c'mon, guys." The blue hedgehog scratched the top of his head, sheepishly. "You're embarrassing me."
Just then, a small tornado appeared behind the four Knights, the Sacred Sword and the King within the necklace as they all turned to see it vanish and there stood Merlina, who looked very relieved to see how much the teenage hero had accomplished.
"Merlina." Sonic, Lancelot, Gawain, Percival, and King Arthur all said at the same time, and the three Knights of the Round Table, no longer under the Black Knight's influence, knew that they would no longer attack or slay the Royal Wizard anymore.
"I saw all that transpired through my reflecting pool." Merlina said to Sonic with a warm and grateful smile as she approached the group. "I have no words to thank you for all you have done."
Sonic nodded, reminding her and everybody else. "Yeah, but its not over yet."
"Sir Sonic is right." Caliburn agreed, knowing that the final battle was coming. "We must still defeat the Black Knight and restore King Arthur to his body."
"With all of the three Sacred Swords, the Black Knight will be vulnerable. But he will still be very strong." Arthur added, before asking his royal wizard and trusted friend. "Merlina, do you know where our enemy has fled?"
The young wizard nodded. "The Black Knight is on an island known as Avalon." She then said to Sonic. "You have become a fine knight."
"Oh, cut it out." Sonic blushed, before shaking it off as he said firmly, determined to end this once and for all. "Anyways, I guess I'll go end this thing then, and free King Arthur."
"Good luck, Sir Sonic. We will await you for your and King Arthur's safe return." Merlina nodded.
Sonic nodded, and as Gawain and Lancelot gave him their sacred swords, joined with Percival's within his quills and once again promising he will save the King, the blue hedgehog and his companions then hurried away to the Black Knight's location and defeat him once and for all.
Parting ways from Merlina and the Knights of the Round Table, Sonic and his companions raced through Camelot and, following the directions via King Arthur's help, made it to the island of Avalon at long last. The blue hedgehog stood before the front gates of the island's castle, which wasn't as big as he expected, but it still had the eerie aura of darkness deep inside. Caliburn hovered by his side, while the necklace that had Arthur's soul and his sword Excalibur began to glow slightly once more.
"The Black Knight's close. I can feel it." Sonic announced, narrowing his eyes.
"As can I. This will be a difficult battle, Sir Sonic." Caliburn warned.
The blue hedgehog nodded, before hearing the King's soul give out a soft sigh, confusing the teenager. "Everything all right, your majesty?"
"I'm alright. It's just...I cannot help but fear for the worst." Arthur admitted, and what surprised the duo was that he sounded scared.
"Huh?" The fifteen year old murmured.
"You have come very far, Sir Sonic. But...I can't help but dread that what has happened to me...could happen to you." The imprisoned King muttered.
Hearing this made Sonic softly gasp in shock, not because of the doubt the king sounded, but the horrible idea of what happened to Arthur...could happen to him if he failed. In fact, the blue hedgehog even ended up picturing it in his mind; the failure of defeating the Black Knight, losing his grip on Caliburn and the other three Sacred Swords, losing the necklace, lying on the ground, and...becoming trapped in his own sword which that and the necklace would then be smashed into pieces, killing both the hedgehog and the king. Snapping out of those terrifying thoughts, the blue hedgehog couldn't help but moan in fear while rubbing his upper arms, now very scared himself.
"Thanks for the nightmares I'm gonna be having tonight." Sonic shuddered sarcastically.
"Are you alright?" The Sacred Sword asked, concerned.
"Yeah, it's just...Sorry. I didn't even think of what would happen if I ended up losing to the Black Knight. I feel stupid for letting that slip from my mind." Sonic sighed, his heart sinking a little over the thought. "You know, a long time ago, when I was asked to save another kingdom that had magical beings called Genies, I was hit with a fire arrow and almost died. Almost lost a friend I made who asked for my help too. That was just the start of me losing my touch, and I just let it slip since I managed to save both worlds and all."
The blue hedgehog then lowered his arms and admitted. "Then came the day when I ultimately failed, the adventure that almost destroyed my entire world, and I fell right into Eggman's trap. That was a huge wake-up call for me to realize how much I took everything for granted without even realizing it. How guilty I felt during that time, and it took me two solid months to come right even after I set things right and everything returned to normal. In the end, nobody's perfect. Not even me."
"Sir Sonic...I didn't mean..." Arthur trailed off, regretting for speaking of his worries and having unintentionally frightening the young hero.
"It's okay. It's not your fault." The blue hedgehog shook his head, gently clutching the necklace in his left hand. "We all have our ups and downs. But we still gotta make the best of it, even if sometimes it doesn't always work out."
Despite being scared right now, Sonic knew, in the end, he had to do this. He wasn't going to run away in fear. He never did most of the times when it came to all of his adventures, and he wasn't going to start now. Feeling his determination return once more, he gazed up ahead.
"But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up now. I won't give up! We're going to stop that Black Knight, if it means the end of me." The hero of Mobius spoke bravely and boldly.
The King and Caliburn, despite their concerns, knew that he was right and nodded in agreement, before Sonic took hold of the sword and raced into the castle, traveling through the alley and the ruined parts of the walls of the palace itself. Along the way, Sonic took out of the Black Knight's Army of the Underworld with ease and inner courage and strength all the while keeping King Arthur safe from danger. Racing through the corridors and finally out into the courtyard, the trio came a stop and a slow walk, keeping an eye out for their final opponent.
'Where are you, Black Knight?' Sonic thought to himself firmly, on his guard.
His mental question was answered as he and his friends heard the sound of a horse whining, making the teenager stop and saw the Black Knight descend on his stallion. The evil knight gazed down at the hero who stood his ground with a determined glare, showing no fear as he was ready to end this once and for all.
"So, you have arrived, you foolish apprentice knight." The Black Knight greeted darkly, chuckling.
"I'm not an apprentice now." Sonic stated back. "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, Knight of the Wind. Let's settle things once and for all, Black Knight!"
The evil knight had captured King Arthur's body stared down at the teenager, and for a split moment could see the king within the hero of Mobius, the two being identical, showing such bravery and courage, not willing to back down, but as far as the Black Knight was concerned, the newly named Knight of the Wind will still fail.
"It seems your impersonation of a knight has improved somewhat." The Black Knight admitted, noticing the change in the boy he thought against almost a week ago.
"I have you and the real King Arthur to thank. Which reminds me, you stole his body, and I'm here to get it back!" The blue hedgehog replied.
"Then let us have another look at that unsightly swordsmanship." The evil knight declared, taking out his dark, massive sword. "Though it is not too late to turn back, if you hand over the King's soul within your necklace. If you give it to me, I will spare your life."
"No! I told you, I won't let you get to him!" Sonic shouted, carefully placing the necklace around his neck for it to be more safer.
"You are a fool, just as he is. Do you truly believe you will defeat me?" The Black Knight growled.
"You're going to be sorry you asked." The blue hedgehog growled back, before gazing at Caliburn and whispered, with slight fear as he prepared himself for the ultimate battle. "This is it, old pal."
"Indeed." Caliburn agreed, hoping that Sonic will win this fight. "Give it everything you have. Only then will you prevail."
"Be careful, Sir Sonic, my Knight of the Wind." King Arthur whispered, hoping for the same thing as the Sacred Sword.
"I will." Sonic whispered back, before glaring at his opponent who leaped off from his horse who vanished into a smoke of darkness.
"Prepare yourself, Knight of the Wind." The Black Knight, preparing himself as he did. "You death will be met on this sacred grounds."
"Then bring it on, Black Knight!" The Knight of the Wind responded, holding a tight grip on his sword.
The two opponents stared down at each other, just like they did when they first met, on the day when Sonic was first summoned into this world. Then it happened; the evil Knight charged with his sword high up in the air, but the newly named teenage knight leaped away just in time and then charged himself, before the two swords met with heavy clashes, both in strength and speed. Despite this, the Black Knight was quickly proving to be just as powerful as when the hero of Mobius first fought him. Unlike the last time, the evil villain wasn't showing off or holding back. But Sonic wasn't determined to keep on fighting, no matter what. He swung swiftly and managed to successfully slice at the Black Knight's armor, but was knocked back when the giant black sword almost hit him and, to his horror, almost slicing the necklace off.
"Whoa!" Sonic yelped, landing before leaping back just as the Black Knight almost hit him again. He then clashed and swiftly blocked the evil opponent's sword, grunting as he was being pushed back to the ground, struggling against the larger sword and greater strength.
"Bwahahahaha! Foolish hedgehog of another world! You cannot defeat me! I am more powerful than you! I am invincible! I am immortal!" The Black Knight bellowed.
The blue hedgehog grunted and began to sweat, but he kept on trying even with Caliburn's help yet he could hear his sword straining as well. Seeing this made Sonic worry that his friend could be destroyed if he didn't do something quick. No, he wasn't about to give up! Narrowing his eyes with determination, remembering his promises, and knowing that he had to win this, Sonic strained, using much of his strength, slowly pushing the evil Knight back and managed to knock him back before Spin Dashing into the villain's chest, sending him flying backwards. The Black Knight shouted in alarm and pain before flipping and landing on the ground, grunting in pain while Sonic glared back.
"What!?" The evil knight grunted, hissing.
"It'll take more than dark magic and hocus pocus to beat me!" Sonic shouted. "I'm not giving up! I made a promise, and I'm going to keep them! I'm going to save King Arthur and the Kingdom, or die trying!"
"Then I will do what I have done to King Arthur, only your soul shall be destroyed!" The Black Knight declared.
He then charged towards Sonic with his sword raised into the air, but the blue hedgehog easily dodged the attack and surprised the evil knight by running along the walls and leaped and dodged each attempts of the attacks, bewildering the Black Knight, and catching the dark knight off-guard once more by using his Sword Spin, hitting him several times and while some of the hero's attacks were blocked, he managed to get some pretty good hits which caused more injuries on the one who had separated King Arthur from his body. The teenager wasn't done yet as he gave the Black Knight his axe-kick right in the face, forcing the knight stumbling back.
As Sonic leaped back, the Black Knight growled before charging with his dark sword high in the air to strike. The blue hedgehog dodged the attack, leaping up once more and over the evil villain and struck on his back several times, before quickly repelling the dark knight's black sword when his opponent swung at him, though did send the young Knight of the Wind back as he flipped in mid-air and landed safely. Just then the Black Knight created a dark slash in the air which, like with the monsters he summoned to attack King Arthur and Merlina earlier, dark arrows appeared and flew straight towards the fifteen year old hedgehog. Sonic managed to quickly swing Caliburn and knocked back the attacks swiftly and quickly.
The two opponents then charged once more, clashing their swords which collided in heavy clanging with sparks beginning to fly out, one determined to save the Kingdom and it's king, while the other was determined to rule the land and plunge everything into eternal fear and darkness. Just as Sonic managed to force the Black Knight back with his usual attacks such as Karate-punches and kicks and Homing Attack, and another hit of his Sword Spin, the evil knight growled before slashing a bigger tear of darkness which summoned even more of his toughest Army of the Underworld who growled and began surrounding the hero of Mobius who stood his ground, hissing in frustation as he found himself stuck.
"It'll take more than your court jesters to catch me off-guard!" Sonic grunted, quickly Spin Jumping into the air as the Knights of the Underworld attacked with their own swords and arrows, to which he blocked with Caliburn as quickly as possible before leaping away from the circle and while blocking the Black Knight's ambush attack, he ran around in circles using his Sonic-Nado which, to the evil knight's shock, picked up his entire army before the blue hedgehog leaped in and attacked with full force while the monsters were left helpless.
Once Sonic managed to defeat the monsters which vanished into dark smoke, he returned his attention to the Black Knight who, in fury, attacked with full force. The two clashed swords even as the blue hedgehog began to tire and pant, being hit hard as he was knocked back and thrown into the air, screaming. Caliburn and King Arthur screamed out his name, while the evil knight jumped to strike the teenager and kill him. The blue hedgehog noticed this and, hissing in pain, managed to flip before he blocked the attacks once more as hard as he could, kicking his opponent in the chest, sending him falling.
"Time to end this!" Sonic declared, and used a combination of his Sword Spin and Homing Attack to strike against the now helpless evil knight who screamed in agony, while thinking to himself. 'King Arthur, I'm sorry if I'm hurting your body too, but there isn't much of a choice.'
He could only hope that the trapped king's body wouldn't have any damage at all, but he couldn't worry about that right now. At this moment, the hero of Mobius, who was now the Knight of the Wind, successfully slashed at the scabbard from the Black Knight's belt, causing it to fall to the ground with a clutter, and the evil knight, heavily beaten by the young Mobian, fell screaming before crashing into the ground. As Sonic landed in a safe distance, glad that the King's necklace was still safe, his opponent panted while on one knee.
The Black Knight then began to laugh evilly. "Hahahaha! I have you told you! I am immortal! You cannot defeat me!"
He took hold of the scabbard which began to glow and heal his wounds.
"Sir Sonic, now!" Arthur shouted, knowing what needs to be done. "The Black Knight is weak!"
"The three Sacred Swords!" Caliburn added.
"Got it!" Sonic nodded, using his speed to race around the Black Knight, stabbing all three swords into the ground around the evil knight in a form of a triangle.
By doing so as Nimue had instructed him to do this, the swords then began to glow in golden light, forming light around the evil knight which made him look up and then, to his horror and shock, the scabbard stopped glowing and darkness began to fade from the cursed item until it was changing colour into that of a normal scabbard, losing it's dark power permanently.
"How can this be!?" The Black Knight exclaimed, now in absolute fear and distress. "This...is not...what the Scabbard...PROMISED!"
Sonic wasted no more time as he gave out a loud yell while charging and slashes the evil knight straight through with his own sword, and stood behind his defeated opponent who, instantly feeling his life fade away, his powers leaving him, and the curse he placed upon King Arthur and his control over the king's body to be broken, all because of one mere teenage hedgehog from another dimension.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Black Knight screamed, falling onto his side and lost his grip on his sword and the scabbard. With that, he moved no more.
The Black Knight has been vanquished.
In this realization that he actually won, Sonic felt relief and triumpth. He held up Caliburn to the sky, cheering in victory. "Yes! I did it! The Black Knight's ancient history!"
"You did it, Sir Sonic! You've won!" Arthur cheered happily, in a little bit of disbelief that the young knight of another world had accomplished the impossible and had saved the Kingdom.
"You did very well, Sir Sonic." Caliburn praised, smiling.
"I couldn't have done it without you guys. As far as reality goes, we all did it together." Sonic pointed out, then cheered again. "We did it! Woo!"
Just then, the Black Knight's body began to dissolve, which made Sonic and Caliburn to turn around while the former lowered the latter in confusion to see the evil knight disappear along with the dark sword, a dark soul sinking into the ground and leaving behind a second figure which laid almost lifelessly on the ground. Softly gasping, Sonic hurried over for a closer look and when he did, the biggest shock came to him and Caliburn.
There laid King Arthur's body...a blue hedgehog that was exactly like the hero of Mobius, but in golden armor as the helmet was lost days ago. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow.
"What the...?" Sonic muttered in disbelief. Suddenly everything made sense, as of why he and Arthur were almost exactly the same; unlike the Arabian Nights world, Sonic was seeing his very own counterpart, one where he is the King of Camelot! "No way!"
"Unbelievable...the king is your counterpart, Sir Sonic!" Caliburn exclaimed, also in disbelief himself.
While Sonic was still in shock upon seeing King Arthur's real self, suddenly his necklace began to glow making the blue hedgehog glance down at it and saw that a seeping light began to flow and even the King's soul gave out a cry of alarm, making the hero of Mobius worried. Just then the crystal let out a blue light and soon enough the trapped Excalibur emerged and Merlina's own spell was broken, spreading across the entire land and unknowingly restoring everyone's real memories of the true King, even the Knights of the Round Table who were in a state of slight confusion and sharing a bewildered glance, while the young wizard herself felt relieved.
The sword then grew into it's original size, and a small orb emerged from it, taking shape of the King's soul which made that of his body, before it gently becomes absorbed into it's original vessel, giving out a blue bright glow, making Sonic shield his eyes for a moment before it stopped. Lowering his arms, the blue hedgehog looked as the now restored King Arthur gave a sharp gasp of life, breathing slowly as he began to awaken.
Despite the strangeness of seeing his features right before his eyes, Sonic quickly knelt down to the king in concern. "Your Majesty? King Arthur?"
Groaning as he felt the results of finally being restored to his body, Arthur began to slowly open his own emerald green eyes, his vision becoming clear as he saw Sonic the Hedgehog for the very first time, looking concerned yet still stunned upon seeing and meeting his counterpart.
"Huh?" Arthur blinked, stunned beyond belief. "Sonic?"
Sonic, still in disbelief, sighed in relief with a smile before holding out a hand to help the true King up. The other blue hedgehog blinked before smiling back, and took the hero's hand and was carefully pulled up to stand up and the two stared at each other up close for the very first time.
"You alright?" Sonic asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Sir Sonic." King Arthur replied, smiling kindly at his hero's efforts and kindness.
The hero of Mobius chuckled, before remembering that this was the king before him, and now that Arthur was finally returned to normal, he quickly knelt on one knee and bowed his head in respect. "It's an honor to finally meet you in person, King Arthur."
Arthur's smile faltered a little, before gently gesturing his newest brave knight to stand. "Please, Sir Sonic. There is no need to bow. I owe you my life."
Despite still feeling a little awkward, Sonic stood back up and scratched the top of his head. "Man, I knew we were very alike, but I didn't think that you and I were counterparts to each other."
"I was told by Merlin that in the prophecy that you were like me. It's so strange that we're identical." The fifteen year old king replied.
"Yeah, it's like looking at the mirror, or something!" The fifteen year old hero chuckled, and the two shared a laugh.
"Indeed." Caliburn spoke up, hovering over to the two blue hedgehogs. "I never imagined that Sir Sonic was like you, just as two of the Knights were counterparts to his own friends."
"Let's not forget Tails and Smithy, and Amy and Nimue." Sonic piped up. Plus he also thought about the other people he met that were counterparts to his friends: Espio and Sir Richard, Cream and Alice, and Vector and the other guy, almost everyone except for Percival, and Merlina.
He then realized something and asked. "But, I don't get it. If you look exactly like me, why didn't anybody confuse me for you?"
Arthur's smile faded into a look of guilt as he answered. "Before the Black Knight separated my soul from my body, I knew that in order to set things right, no one should know or confuse you for me. So I asked Merlina to cast a spell on everybody to forget what I looked like until the enemy was defeated and I was set free. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."
"Nah, don't worry about it." Sonic said dismissively, since he quickly understood. "It makes kind of sense to be honest. It's sad, but completely understandable. All things considered, it's finally over. You're free again, and the Kingdom's saved. Everything's back to normal now."
"Still...I wasn't able to do anything. I ended up making you do what I should have done. I tried, but it wasn't enough. I'm only fifteen years old, just like you." Arthur pointed out, looking away in shame as tears began to develop, which he tried to hide. "The Black Knight was right. I really don't know how to rule as a true king. I'm so very sorry."
Sonic couldn't help but feel deep sympathy towards the king he protected, his heart breaking to see him so sad, so guilt-ridden for the failure that wasn't his fault. As of this moment, he saw himself in Arthur's position, as they were each other's counterparts; the failure of doing the right thing and getting other people in danger due to their opponents catching them off-guard and while things were alright now, the blue hedgehog realized that like himself for two months, it was going to take a while for the young king to forgive himself. Just like how Merlina blamed herself for her failure days ago too.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright." Sonic whispered in a tone of comfort, gently taking Arthur's right hand into both of his own, making the other blue hedgehog gaze at him. "Remember what I told Merlina before? Everybody makes mistakes, but you shouldn't let your guilt, fear, anger and sorrow overcome you. If you do, you're only letting those negative emotions swallow you whole. That fact is that you did your best, and you still have a chance to set things right. You've got everybody to support you and I know it won't be easy, but you'll get there."
He shrugged with a soft smile, while Arthur murmured the Mobian's name.
"Not sure if this piece of advice will help, but a guy who's just like Lancelot told me once that when he had problems with hallucinations of his own struggles, kinda like how I did for two days, 'cept he had his for three months, in order to face your fears and overcome them as well as your guilt, it's best to face them within yourself." The hero of Mobius explained.
"Huh?" The King of Camelot blinked, as he and Caliburn were puzzled, before Sonic gently tapped at Arthur's chest to give out a better idea. Arthur placed his own hand to where his heart is, before understanding and returned the nod to which his ally, his new friend, his counterpart, had given him with such kindness.
"So, whaddya say we meet up with Merlina and the other knights and celebrate?" Sonic suggested, in his way of cheering the King up.
"You're right. We will hold a celebration and a feast for your honor and heroism and I shall knight you officially before you return home to your world." Arthur happily agreed.
"Sweet!" The cobalt speedster smirked.
"Oh, dear." Caliburn sighed in exasperation with a sweat drop. This was going to be a rowdy celebration. He just knew it.
But the moment of celebration was cut short as suddenly the two blue hedgehogs and the sacred sword heard a sound as when they spun around to see what was going on, to their shock, a large portal of darkness began to form on the ground and expand. Shocked and bewildered, the Knight of the Wind, the King of Camelot and Caliburn all gasped as they sensed that something was deeply wrong.
"Run!" Sonic shouted, and he and his companions hurried away, quickly picking up the sacred swords including the King's Excalibur still lying on the ground and backed away just as a huge pillar of darkness shot up into the sky before the two blue hedgehogs and the magical sword stopped and turned back once they were in a safe distance, wondering what was happening now.
The pillar than faded into the sound of evil laughter, one that strangely sounded familiar to both Sonic and Arthur, unknowingly to each other as they wondered why the voice sounded like they heard it before in different perspectives. As it did, a ghostly figure appeared, in form of a round, fat, egg-shaped man with a strikingly familiar ginger thick and huge mustache, black pez-glasses and in a dark wizard's robe with dark gloves.
"What is this!?" Caliburn exclaimed in shock.
Sonic and Arthur gave out horrified and shocked gasps, the former looking quite in disbelief and fearful, while the latter was in a state of confusion of what was happening.
"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!" The figure bellowed a laughter that only the hero of Mobius knew of, or so he thought.
"EGGMAN!?" Sonic exclaimed, his pupils shrinking back in terror at the sight of what he thought was the ghost of his late enemy, having returned from the Underworld apparently.
"MERLIN!?" Arthur shouted at the same time, with his heart pounding in his chest, unable to believe that the very wizard who had helped him in his quest almost five years ago had turned to the darkness, having been sent to the Underworld and now has returned as a spirit.
"It can't be!" The two blue hedgehogs cried out, before realizing what they said and shared a baffled expression, asking each other while pointing at the figure who took the form as either Eggman or Merlin the Wizard, Merlina's late grandfather. "Wait, what did you call him?"
"Greetings, King Arthur. You have grown so much since the last I have seen you." The ghost greeted the king, causing Arthur and Sonic to glance up, before saying to the latter. "And you are the hero of the other world; Sonic the Hedgehog, was it? I knew you were the boy's counterpart from the alternate, future world."
"Merlin...Is that really you?" Arthur asked, hesitantly.
"Indeed it is, my dear boy."
"So you're Merlin, huh?" Sonic said to the ghost of Merlin, glaring at him suspiciously as he felt bad vibes about the late wizard despite what he was told earlier. "Never thought you'd be Eggman's counterpart. You sure had me for a moment there."
Though he was a bit relieved that this wasn't Eggman, but he was still shocked that Merlin would look just like his late enemy. Not to mention something was very wrong here.
Merlin grinned wickedly, just like how Dr. Eggman used to do. "It's all in the counter-balance, Sonic the Hedgehog, Knight of the Wind. As such, despite that you have defeated my Black Knight and restored King Arthur to his body, this is just the beginning of the true end of Camelot."
"What!?" The hero of Mobius exclaimed as he, Arthur and Caliburn reared back a little in shock. "Your Black Knight!?"
"What are you saying, Merlin?" Arthur demanded, narrowing his eyes. "I thought the Black Knight was the knight that wanted to rule the kingdom before I was born."
"Foolish boy. Even as I groomed you to be King, you still know nothing. The Black Knight was never born as like anyone else in this world or even in Sonic's world, or anywhere in existence. He was the beginning of my grand master plan, when I was still mortal all those years ago." The ghostly wizard frowned deeply.
"Huh?" The two hedgehogs blinked, even more shocked.
"In the true history of the King before your time, Arthur Pendragon, he wanted more power to protect the Kingdom from all evil, so I bestowed the Excalibur and it's Scabbard with full potential to counter the light and darkness, and in gratitude, I had hoped to serve him as his royal wizard. But that fool refused, fearing that my magic would curse this land and banished me! I was driven into pure anger, so I created the Black Knight in form of a noble knight, giving him false memories to steal the Scabbard, and when he threatened to attack the Kingdom, I pretended to seal the 'evil knight' to the Underworld, removed their memories of how I first came to be, and gave everyone hope and all was for the better...except he had no heir to the throne." Merlin explained darkly.
"WHAT!?" Sonic and his friends exclaimed in shock and horror.
"But...what about everything you taught me? You have told me that if I pulled the Excalibur from the stone, I was to be the new king! The prophecy you said!" Arthur exclaimed, horror, realization and betrayal filling up his heart. "Was it all a lie!?"
The evil dark wizard's grin only grew. "Indeed, my dear Arthur. When War began and the king felled, I placed your sword into the stone where only you would be able to pull it, as I had foreseen a future where you would become king. I lead you down a false path of destiny, tricked Nimue to follow my instructions, and I even betrayed my own family as I needed someone to finish my work. My granddaughter Merlina was also a pawn for my dark plan. Then I saw a vague but also clear vision of the world where Sonic the Hedgehog hails from; a boy who willingly became a hero but without magic."
"You used Merlina too!? Your own granddaughter!?" Sonic shouted angrily. "Even Eggman's grandpa wouldn't do such a horrible thing and he tried to cure his granddaughter who was Egghead's cousin! Heck, Eggman didn't go that far! It was his brother who did the betraying part!"
"Alas, child, when I saw you I knew from that instant you were the one to defeat my Black Knight, yet I was hoping that like Arthur, you would perish, you meddling boy. In any case, you and Merlina have succeeded in showing Arthur the real truth, as Excalibur is not the sacred sword, it's power already wasted away and now the Scabbard has perished as well. This is what it was needed for my return, and perish all those who have opposed me." Merlin declared.
"Merlin...how could you!? You tricked me! You made me think I was the heir to the throne, but all this time...I was just your pawn!" Arthur screamed, crushed beyond belief as he fell to his knees, much to Sonic and Caliburn's worry. The fifteen year old king then began to cry in heart-break, frustration and betrayal, pounding the ground. "I really never was a true king...! The Kingdom has been betrayed...the rightful king is gone! I was just a fake replacement...!"
"King Arthur..." Caliburn murmured worriedly.
Sonic couldn't believe it either. All this time, and even he was being used, and he didn't even know it. Merlina was used, Arthur was used and played like a puppet, the Knights of the Round Table were used...all for Merlin's centuries long plot for revenge. While he wasn't certain if the stories were still true in his world, everything that was said here...was all a lie, even to the crying teenage elected-king himself.
"You...!" The hero of Mobius growled at the evil wizard, clutching his fists in fury. "You monster! No wonder the King before King Arthur banished you!"
Merlin laughed evilly the same way Eggman would. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! You cannot defeat me, Knight of the Wind! I am a spirit soon to be reborn, and once I make this doomed Kingdom eternal, the rest of this world and even your world will be reformed into my image!"
"What!?" Sonic exclaimed, horrified. Merlin now not only planned on conquering this world, but Mobius as well!? "NO!"
"Merlin, no!" Arthur pleaded, also hearing this and begged. "You can't do this! "I trusted you! You were my mentor! You were...like a second father to me!"
"This is such trickery, even towards the King and Merlina...!" Caliburn grunted in disgust.
"Save your breaths, children. The time has come for claim my place...and for you all to fall your DOOM!" Merlin declared, holding up his hand and shot out a dark energy blast towards Arthur who gasped, frozen in his place, unable to do anything but watch in horror.
"KING ARTHUR!" Sonic screamed, quickly standing in front of his counterpart with his arms spread out to shield him, much to the King and the Sacred Sword's horror.
"NO! SIR SONIC!" Arthur screamed in anguished despair, ultimately blaming himself for getting Sonic involved into this mess, and now his brave new knight, his counterpart, his trusted new friend, was sacrificing himself to save his life.
Sonic squeezed his eyes shut while bracing himself for his end, knowing that if anyone that had to stop Merlin, it was Arthur and Caliburn, even though the king was in absolute despair and guilt over something that wasn't his fault. Caliburn hovered over to shield his wielder.
"Sonic, get back!" The sacred sword shouted, much to the blue hedgehog's shock as he saw what was about to happen.
Yet as the attack was about to hit all three of them, not only Caliburn managed to block it, but suddenly the magical blast was also blocked by the sudden arrivals of the Knights of the Round Table who, through a portal created by Merlina, held up their back-up swords and landed in front of the shocked Knight of the Wind and King of Camelot.
"What!?" Merlin exclaimed, not having anticipated this, only to grunt when a magical chain wrapped around his ghostly body and drawn back, causing him to cry out. "GAH!"
"No harm shall come to the King or Sir Sonic!" Lady Percival declared as she and her two fellow knights dissipated the blast with their swords.
"You played us all for fools, you will pay for your betrayal, Merlin!" Lancelot grunted, glaring with pure hatred. "I knew there was something wrong with you."
"You foul wizard of trickery!" Gawain growled in anger, shocked by the betrayal he and everyone else saw in Merlina's reflective pool. "You not only used our king, you used Merlina, your own granddaughter! YOU LIAR!"
"Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Lady Percival!" Arthur exclaimed in surprise and relief, concerned for the safeties of his dearest friends yet so relieved to see them.
"Whoa! Where'd you guys come from?" Sonic exclaimed in surprise. "Not that this wasn't a great timing, and thanks for the save!"
"We saw everything and were about to meet you, when...this happened." Percival explained, feeling guilty for not having known about this sooner, as did the other two Knights of the Round Table.
"W-What is the meaning-!?" The evil wizard grunted.
"You betrayed our King, Grandfather. Our family!" The voice of Merlina hissed furiously, causing the ghostly man to painfully look over his shoulder and saw, to his anger and frustration, the young wizard girl stand there with her staff in hand, having chanted a spell to keep the ghost at bay as possible to prevent him from hurting her King and the knights, her friends.
"YOU!" Merlin growled.
"Merlina!" Sonic, Arthur and Caliburn exclaimed in relief, just as Nimue hurried over.
"Sir Sonic, you must give the Knights their swords back!" She cried out hurriedly, confusing the teenage hero as he and the others gazed at her. "In order to defeat the evil spiriti of Merlin, only you, the King and the Knights can weaken him, and then form the true power to save the Kingdom."
"Nimue..." Arthur muttered, slowly standing up as he still felt guilty. "How can you be so sure? I'm not a knight. I'm not even...I'm not even a real King! I never was!"
"Sire, you really don't believe that, do you?" Lancelot questioned, feeling sympathy towards his King and closest friend.
"Your Majesty, Merlina does not have much time. You must flee. Let us handle this!" Percival advised.
"But I...the Kingdom..." The King muttered in guilt.
"The Knights of the Round Table...must we simply stand and watch our kingdom's ruin!?" Gawain grunted in frustration.
"What?" Sonic snapped at the other three knights, quickly realizing that Nimue was right and there wasn't much time left. "Are you gonna give up just like that? Is that the best that chivalry of yours can do? I can understand King Arthur feeling betrayed, but you're willing to just let this slide?"
"How dare you!?" The red echidna growled.
"Listen, it's like I said before and the King agreeing with me. Isn't there more to being a knight than serving a king?" The blue hedgehog reminded more softly.
"Sir Sonic is right, and there is still time." The Lady of Lake agreed, gazing at Arthur who was reminded of his own believes of that as well. "And you once said that you wanted to rule the Kingdom where everyone would be equal, the weak would never fear the strong, everyone would live together for peace and happiness. Long ago, you had a dream where everyone would be in harmony, whether you were a king or not."
"Didn't you also say that you wanted to be a knight to help the people and do the right thing?" Sonic added to the King who blinked in surprise, before realizing that it was exactly what he said. "You shouldn't give up on that dream, King or not."
Arthur's eyes widened, realizing that the hero of Mobius was right. It had always been his dream to become a Knight to help the people and do the right thing, and while being a King hadn't been easy for a over four years, he took on the responsibility, despite that everything he has been told by Merlin were all lies. But regardless to that, he went on a great journey, he met his Knights who had been his friends, he befriended and became close to Merlina, he appointed his best friend and little brother figure Smithy as the Kingdom's finest Black Smith, he formed the Knights of the Round Table, and up until days ago, he lead the kingdom towards the welcoming peace where everyone was happy.
While he wasn't certain if he could continue to rule or not, feeling now that he had no right to wear the crown, Arthur knew of one thing; like Sonic who wasn't appointed as King or planned on becoming a Knight but choose the path of a hero and met his friends in a different way, his heart longed for helping other people and even now he still wanted to do that. Especially when the world and Sonic's world were under threat by the man who betrayed them all. King, Knight or just a peasent, the blue hedgehog of Camelot wanted to continue fufilling his dreams and protect his friends.
"You're right...I can't give up. I will never give up!" Arthur declared, picking up the Excalibur despite that it had no magic, but it was still his sword and he was going to use it to fight. "We must not give up now! Our Kingdom depends on it!"
All four knights, hearing Merlina's struggles and turned to see, to their horror, Merlin broke free from his granddaughter's restrains as the young woman stumbled, falling to her knees and panted. The knights, Arthur and Nimue all gasped in dismay.
"YOU MEDDLING BRAT! Very well, I will use your power to defeat these children and that foolish lady of the lake!" Merlin declared, waving his hand as suddenly the younger wizard was caught by the dark magic and chained up herself. He chuckled evilly. "You disappoint me, granddaughter. Yet you still hold potential."
"No, Merlina!" Arthur cried out in dismay, as he and Sonic attempted to race over to save her, only both to be held back by Lancelot and Gawain.
"Let her go, Merlin!" Sonic demanded, while struggling to get out of Gawain's grip while the King was in the same situation with the black hedgehog.
"K-King Arthur...S-sir S-Sonic!...Leave me...! You must...run!" Merlina struggled, before screaming in agony as she could feel her powers become drained from her body.
"Sir Sonic! The swords!" Nimue instructed. "There is still time to save the Kingdom and Merlina!"
Realizing that she was right, Sonic nodded and quickly handed the three Knights of the Round Table their swords as they reclaimed their original weapons after the Ultimate Knight and the Knight of the Sun let him and the King who also knew that there wasn't much time let, go.
"For the kingdom and its people!" King Arthur declared boldly to all four knights, holding up Excalibur into the air.
"For the kingdom and its people!" Lancelot, Gawain, Percival(who all realized that Arthur wasn't going to leave them and was willing to stay and fight, this time being able to help despite that his safety was also their priority) and even Sonic repeated as they held up their swords.
"Let's do this!" Sonic declared with full determination as he, the King and the Knights all turned to face Merlin who began to become solid, the evil wizard soon transforming by using Merlina's power.
The five of them stood ready as the real final battle was about to begin.
To be Continued!
A/N: Finally after a long time coming, the next chapter will be the final one of the Camelot Arc before we return to one or two-shots of this mini-series. Nice twist of how I made this story's version of Merlin to be evil instead of Merlina, making him the counterpart of Eggman, and now Sonic, Arthur and the Knights face the twisted wizard for the sake of not just Camelot, but also Mobius as well.
See you later!