Knuckles stretched his arms and yawned loudly as he sat up. The night had been warm – allowing him to sleep comfortably right in front of the Master Emerald. As his eyes adjusted, he looked over his grand, blooming forests.
Hang on, why was there… coloured ribbons in the trees?
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" His friends suddenly jumped out from behind the Master Emerald.
Knuckles yelled in surprise. "What the hell-?!"
He saw that everyone had one of those goofy triangle hats on, and prayed they weren't also going to force him to wear one.
Sonic was at the front of the group – snickering. "Eh, at least you're definitely awake now."
"What's the meaning of this?" Knuckles asked, immediately getting suspicious.
"What do you think?" Sonic asked with a chuckle. "It's a surprise party, you goof!"
"Do you know how hard it was to plan a surprise party for a guy that never leaves his home?" Amy interjected. "We were confused as to how we were going to go about it for weeks!"
"I… honestly thought you had all forgotten about my birthday." Knuckles admitted.
"Not a chance." Tails shook his head. "I've got everyone's birthdays recorded in my calendar!"
"And who… decorated all the trees with the bunting?"
Sonic raised his hand smugly. "And I got it done in under a second." Sonic claimed. "And you were none the wiser."
"Hmph." Knuckles said, then stared down at Sonic's open palm that was reached out to him.
"We've got food, music, games and stuff set up in the clearing near the altar." Sonic told him. "I hope you've got some time in that busy schedule of yours to celebrate with us… it would be pretty weird not to have the birthday guy there otherwise." He said with a grin.
Knuckles actually did have some things to tend to – more than Sonic realised – but one look into Sonic's hopeful and shining gaze lifted the word 'no' off of his tongue.
"I suppose I can stay for a bit." Knuckles smirked, taking hold of Sonic's hand and allowing the hedgehog to lift him up.
One party couldn't hurt – right?
"Why did you leave that part out?" Blaze narrowed her eyes.
"I-I don't know! It didn't feel right to bring up." Silver stuttered. "I heard Shadow went to therapy for all that!"
"Well, Nakum did mention other bitter spirits… maybe he and the others have already considered the possibility of other dead souls being with us now." She straightened her posture – preferring not to slump, even when sitting down.
Silver, in contrast, was pacing back and forth. "So, I should just tell him that Gerald is here?" Silver asked in disbelief. "If he punches me in the face – it's your fault." Silver pointed to Blaze – only mildly in jest.
"I think he'd prefer honesty." Blaze told him. "And I'm sure the others would also be glad to know the full story. If we are to figure out anything – then we need the full picture at our disposal with all of the details."
"Yeah, you're right…" Silver hung his head. "As always."
"There is no shame in looking out for your friends, Silver. But sometimes – giving them harsh truths is better than shielding them from reality." Blaze pointed out, standing up from the chair.
"I suppose you're right-" Silver darted his eyes away, painfully aware of how dry his throat had become – making his words come out as a croak.
Even now, Silver was still keeping secrets – there was a whole timeline that Blaze and his other friends had no knowledge of at all. He thought that perhaps they could go about their lives better without ever having the knowledge of Solaris' existence. However, now that they had been informed that Solaris' defeat was a partial cause of the timeline instability… was he going to have to explain what happened back then?
How would Blaze take to the knowledge that she had died once before…? He didn't want to ever break that news to her.
"Come now." Blaze broke him out of his thoughts. "We need to get ready to meet with The Council."
…
Shadow's eyes gradually fluttered open as he tried to ascertain why he felt so groggy. What had happened? Where was he? He was lying on a mattress, right? But he didn't remember falling asleep…
The hedgehog twisted his body around as he sat up – immediately giving him a clear of Rouge. She was sat on the room's armchair, legs crossed as she held a book within her hand. Her attention had long since diverted from it though, and she was now focused on Shadow. "Heya." She spoke softly. "You okay?"
"Fine." Shadow grunted. "When did I…?"
"You passed out."
"Oh." That explained it simply, he supposed.
"How are your headaches now?" Rouge questioned.
"Gone."
She rose a brow. "Are you sure?"
Shadow sighed. "Yes. I'm sure."
"Then what was that?" She asked, mainly to herself rather than posing a legitimate question to the hedgehog. Rouge assumed that Shadow had about the same knowledge as she did.
"Were you up all night?" Shadow suddenly asked.
"Watching over you? Yep. Had to make sure you didn't end up choking on your own vomit or something – it was hard to figure out how sick you were." Rouge said.
"If you were concerned you could have had Omega stay here. You haven't gotten any sleep now." Shadow pointed out, his voice betraying just the faintest hints of concern.
"Haven't we already established that none of us actually feel tired anymore?" Rouge said.
"It would be more beneficial for you to get some rest regardless. It helps you process information."
"Yes, Shadow – I did pass 5th grade science. However, I think my body can survive one sleepless night as long as we're in this weird… state." Rouge then shook her head. "Anyway, why are we talking about me here? You're the one that passed out from headaches! Do you have any theories at all about why?"
Shadow nodded slowly. "I do… but… I'm making assumptions."
"Better than nothing." she said.
Shadow would have rather talked about it when he had more information to go off of, but one look into Rouge's eyes made him consider letting her in on his speculation. She was worried about him – and he'd rather her not be too occupied on finding the answers. There were other things to worry about.
"Nakum is dead, yes?" Shadow said.
"Uh, I mean – well- I'd assume. I still don't really know how he's here talking to us; I think the world being messed up as it is has probably allowed him to talk to us."
"He mentioned he was walking amongst other bitter spirits."
Rouge stared. "Go on."
"So that means… there are more deceased individuals like Nakum is. Are there more around us now? If we can commune with Nakum, then who else is here while the world is broken?" Shadow looked to her.
"I… I get what you're saying." Rouge stood up from the chair, her gaze softening with sympathy. "But what does this have to do with your-?"
"Gerald. I think Gerald is trying to call to me." Shadow said finally. "Back on the ARK – I was tested on frequently, and sometimes I was placed back in the tube for the scientists to make additional upgrades to improve my body's capabilities. One time, I emerged from these upgrades and started feeling headaches not long after."
Rouge placed a hand on her hip.
"I found out soon enough that it was Gerald behind them, essentially – he was accessing my head remotely. He said it was intended to be a calling method – like a whistle for a dog, not intended to be painful but more like a magnetic pull. He said he'd change it, but he never did."
Rouge's face twisted uncomfortably, already seeing what Shadow was trying to get at.
"I realise now, obviously, that it was always more-so intended to be like a shock collar."
"A way to manage disobedient behaviour." Rouge finished for him.
"Yes. If he is here in this world, then I believe he would use all the tools at his disposable to be trying to get his hands on me again. To what end at this point? I can hardly say. It would be out desperation…"
"Are you sure there isn't any other explanation for your headaches?" Rouge asked, eager to get an answer that didn't involve Shadow's safety being compromised.
"I've gotten used to headaches since my amnesia, but this was… definitely worse than that. And you know that it's impossible for me to get sick, so – if it's not what I think it is – it's still definitely something artificial interfering." Shadow closed his eyes as he contemplated.
Rouge brought her hand to her cheek, letting out a slow breath. It seemed like there were always new messed up things to learn about in Shadow's past – and even Shadow himself was still discovering things he could look at from different angles and contexts.
It made her glad that he was out of that place now.
"You know, your upbringing was really fucked." Rouge told him dryly.
"I'm well aware." Shadow said, finally removing the covers from his body and getting up from the bed. He no longer had reason to stay.
"Either way, let it be known that Gerald isn't going to get a single finger on you as long I'm around." Rouge told him.
"Hm."
He walked over to his shoes, silent as he placed them back on his feet. Rouge watched him carefully – looking for any signs of unsteadiness. However, he was true to his word – he seemed to be alright again. For now.
Shadow was ready to leave the room until Rouge called out to him, and he turned to face her.
"And hey, just so you know…" Rouge made her way over to him, softly placing a hand on his shoulder. Shadow hand a tendency to flinch away from contact, but Rouge's touch was the exception.
She smiled down at him. "I'd beat up an old man for you."
"Hmph." Shadow broke into a smirk. "I'll hold you to that."
Unbeknownst to the two, another figure had made their way past the open door while walking through the hall. It was Blaze, and she looked over her shoulder back towards the room in bewilderment – before turning to look straight ahead again.
"She would do what?" Blaze questioned under her breath. She then quickly shook her head, trying to forget the conversation she had accidentally overheard as she quickened her pace.
…
"Nakum!" Amy called out to him cheerly, sliding across the kitchen floor with the rest of the group following behind her with considerably less eagerness. "We're ready!"
The echidna looked over his shoulder in the midst of reaching for a cup in the cupboard – as his eyes laid on the group – he immediately closed the cupboard door and stared at everyone in disbelief. "So, you're just… not going to put any effort into your appearances at all? When meeting The Council?"
Everyone blinked and exchanged glances.
"I- I think we look fine-" Silver said awkwardly.
"Are you saying there's a dress code we should be adhering to…?" Tails trailed off, baffled.
"Well, you are meeting a bunch of Demi-Gods so yeah – I would recommend getting dressed up to at least look decent." Nakum told them. "You have to understand – they are pretentious – if you want to get on their good side, entertain their fantasies and give them the respect they crave."
When he was still met with blank faces, Nakum waved them away. "Go! Get dressed!"
"Oh! That reminds me!" Although it was a pain to suddenly have to get dressed into formal clothing when they were ready to head out, Amy was quick to find something to be optimistic about. "I saw this really cute frilly dress in one of the closets and I've wanted to try it on ever since we got here! Oh, and Rouge – I think there's one there that you'll also really like-"
"Hon, just show me the way!" She smirked. "There's so many great clothes in this place that it'd be hard to choose. Although, I've noticed it's all black and white…"
"I DON'T WANT TO DRESS UP." Omega announced stubbornly. "I WANT TO FIGHT."
"Oh, don't worry – I'll find you a bow tie." Rouge said despite Omega's clear disinterest.
Tails gave a soft chuckle. "It's okay, Omega. I'm not a clothes guy either – wearing pants is weird to me. Right, Knuckles?" He looked to him for support on his claim, knowing they shared the same opinion on the matter.
Knuckles was slow to react, but eventually realised Tails was looking at him and so turned to face him. "Hm? Oh yeah. Right! Pants… who needs 'em, am I right?"
The group was at the point where most were rushing ahead to get dressed, leaving Tails and Knuckles behind at the kitchen entrance. Before long. Tails gave his brother a playful shove. "Come on, then. Let's get this over with quick."
Knuckles followed the scriptures to a tee. He had never worn the Guardian's toga until today – and while the softness was appreciated, it still felt a bit alien to be wearing clothes. It had taken him a considerable while to figure out how to place his golden jewellery among his dreadlocks – but at last, he came to an appearance he was happy with.
Earlier, he had bathed in the hot springs of the island once the rest of his friends had left. The party had been lively – and… Knuckles had honestly enjoyed every second. Although he did regret entering a chilidog contest with Sonic as his opponent…
The only questioning he had received as from Amy as she had managed to pick up on his nerves. Knuckles didn't want to say anything to his friends yet… because what if…?
There was a loud, doubting voice in the back of his head. He had broken the three rules that made up the code for upcoming Guardians to live by. Did that mean…?
No, surely not – his ancestors would understand the context behind everything – right?
He tried not to give it too much thought as he made his way up the steps – hands filled with a bouquet of white camellia flowers – eventually placing them in front of the Master Emerald. A gift for his ancestors.
The moon shone bright in the night sky – and all was calm.
Knuckles clasped his hands together. "The servers are the seven chaos… chaos is power… power enriched by the heart…. The heart is the controller. The controller is the one that unifies the chaos."
His breath was shaky.
"Ancestors, I stand before you today to ask of you the powers in which I need to protect my…" Knuckles trailed off of his recital, "… clan."
There was no clan anymore.
Knuckles pressed on. "I hereby promise to live my life in servitude. I will protect this island and its secrets – and take down anyone that dares threaten its safety. As I move forward – my entire life shall be dedicated to the Master Emerald."
"When you are ready to heed my calls, ancestors. Bestow your magic upon me."
What was supposed to happen now? He felt nothing besides the chill in the air. Knuckles wondered if he had something wrong – but his heart skipped a beat when he saw the emerald begin to glow even brighter.
He almost wanted to run – whether away from it, or towards it – he couldn't genuinely say. For it to finally be the day where he could make his ancestors proud – he couldn't believe he had gotten this far.
Suddenly, the emerald grew dull.
He had never seen its colour fade in such a way before. What was wrong? The energy coming from it felt just as potent as normal – yet its appearance screamed otherwise.
The feeling of realisation might as well have stabbed him through the heart. Nothing was wrong with the emerald – the emerald was fine. It was a message.
Knuckles was never going to be getting his Guardian powers.
He was never going to be a Guardian… at all.
The echidna collapsed to his knees, scraping them on the stone of the steps on the way down – but he didn't feel the pain. Just to torment him further, cold spots of rain began to fall on the echidna's face.
He should have expected this, and yet…
Oh, what had he done?
Tails walked down the halls, uncomfortable in his outfit – but he'd live through it. It was pretty simple – black trousers paired with a white shirt and dark tie, all with a black waistcoat on top. Simplistic, but effective in his eyes to get across some professionalism.
The fox's ears flickered as he heard someone speak.
"Damnit… why won't you… work?!" Knuckles could be heard grumbling in frustration from the room Tails was nearest to "Why can't you do one thing right, stupid echidna-"
Tails decided to then enter and see if he could be of any help.
It was immediately clear that Knuckles was having difficulties tying his tie. It made Tails think – had Knuckles ever even worn one before?
"Hey." Tails smiled as he made his way inside. "Let me help you with that."
Knuckles was standing in front of the room's mirror, and Tails watched Knuckles' face drop its anger – and become emotionless. Knuckles quietly sighed and turned around to Tails. "I'd… appreciate it."
The echidna was considerably taller than Tails – so the fox decided to hover just slightly above the ground – his tails spinning behind him as he reached up – grabbing the ends of the tie and doing the knot he had done for himself. "You know, I wouldn't want to try doing a tie while wearing your gloves. This is a job better done with fingers." Tails giggled.
"I guess… but even so, I don't have a clue how to do it. Kind of embarrassing, huh?" Knuckles rubbed the back of his head.
"Not really." Tails said simply. "It takes time to learn these things – and you've never had any practise – so how would you learn how to do it?" He pointed out.
"I guess you're right…" Knuckles said, willing to let the conversation die there – but Tails wasn't done with questions.
"Knuckles." Tails said. "How are you feeling about going to see The Council?"
Knuckles tensed, a little shocked by the question. "Fine, I guess. I mean, nervous but- fine."
"Don't lie to me." Tails' voice was gentle, but firm. "I know you're not fine."
Knuckles clenched his fists at his side. "I don't want to face them." Knuckles said quickly. "My ancestors are the ones that deemed me unworthy in the first place, I don't even have the right to stand before them."
"Regardless of the status of your Guardianship – we have to talk to them if we want to get the emeralds. This conversation doesn't have to be about you… I hope it won't be. I don't want you to be put on the spot for anything. I, and everyone else, are going to do our best to make stick up for you."
"You shouldn't have to." Knuckles raised his voice in frustration. "This would go easily if I was actually the Guardian, then they'd hand them over and-!"
Tails threw his arms around Knuckles, holding the echidna close. His face ended up being buried into the echidna's chest.
"You are the Guardian, Knux." Tails said. "You may not have the powers. Your ancestors may say otherwise – but they aren't the end-all, be-all. For all the time that I've known you – you've been kind, loyal, resilient, and selfless. If those aren't the qualities of a Guardian – then I don't know what is." Tails said, smiling as he pulled away from Knuckles to look him in the eyes.
Knuckles' averted gaze eventually managed to focus on the fox. "Thank you." Knuckles choked out.
"Don't thank me. I'm just being factual." Tails shrugged, still smiling sincerely, He looked the echidna quickly up and down to see if he needed help with the rest of his outfit – but everything seemed in order. Knuckles wore an outfit almost identical to Tails – but with a large, leather dark coat overtop.
"I like the coat by the way." Tails complimented him, easing the mood.
"Oh, I uh- just threw it on." He admitted.
"Maybe you have a fashionable intuition." Tails teased. The comment got Knuckles to roll his eyes fondly.
"I wouldn't go that far; I think I'll leave fashion stuff to Rouge." Knuckles remarked.
"Yeah… I would too." Tails agreed with a nod. "Now, we should probably get going before we hold the others up."
"Right…" Knuckles took in a deep breath and let it out again.
"Remember – we're going to be looking out for you." Tails reminded him. "You can count on that."
…
"You've been dead for over 100 years, have you not Nakum?" Blaze was asking. "Then how come you look so young?"
"I died when I was 28." Nakum explained with a mild annoyance in his tone. "Disease – because healthcare sucked back then. In the afterlife, you're stuck in the body that you died in."
"Hm, I see…"
The two boys came back to the kitchen and most of the group was already waiting. Amy waved to them brightly. "You two look amazing!" She squealed.
"So do you, Amy!" Tails told her, and Knuckles grinned in agreement. The hedgehog was wearing a black gothic dress with white frills – and an abundance of black bows along the skirt as well as a big one on her chest. She even switched out her classic red headband in exchange for a black one with two small bows.
"Thank you!" Amy giggled. "It's not exactly what you'd class as formal, but Nakum said it's fine as long as it looks like we put effort into our appearance!"
"And I'm in my villain era!" Silver proclaimed with confidence, sliding between the group, and showing off his outfit. The shirt, tie, and trousers he wore were all dark – as well as the black tailcoat he wore.
Blaze had kept things minimal and actually stuck to being formal with a white shirt underneath a black pinafore – but she had done her hair up into a bun. "Just because you're wearing dark clothing - doesn't mean you're a villain." She pointed out in amusement.
"Don't ruin this for me." Silver pouted at her.
"Where's Team Dark?" Tails interrupted them.
"You've got two thirds of them, right here." Rouge announced pridefully. Omega walked by her side – and true to her word – Rouge had somehow managed to shove a tiny bow tie onto Omega. Even though the robot had no way of expressing emotion, everyone could practically feel the waves of bitterness radiating from him.
In contrast, Rouge was obviously in love with the dress she chose – and for good reason. The dark colour looked amazing on her – and it was form fitted to show off her curves. It was simple and classy – only having one strap and a slit for one of her legs. Her high heels were black as well, but she wore a dazzling silver necklace and dangling earrings to give a pop of contrast. Her eyelashes were dark with mascara, and she had switched out her typical blue eyeshadow for a greyer and smokier look.
"You look INCREDIBLE!" Amy bounced on her toes, clapping excitedly.
"As always." Rouge flipped her hair confidently. Although it was short, she had made the effort to curl it. She gave a sly glance towards Knuckles. "Lookin' quite dashing over there, aren't you handsome?"
Knuckles cheeks turned pink, and he chose not to respond.
"This is the part where you compliment me~" She teased.
"You look nice." Knuckles mumbled.
"What was that?"
"I SAID YOU LOOK NICE; YOU THINK WITH EARS AS LARGE AS YOURS YOU'D HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HEAR THAT-!"
Knuckles' predictable outburst led the room to burst out into laughter, with Knuckles' face growing to be even redder than before.
"Woah! Shadow!" Silver suddenly exclaimed. "Why does that look so good on you?"
All their heads turned towards Shadow as he had entered the kitchen in silence. He stared back with his usual frown. Shadow wore a white shirt that was cropped, keeping his midriff on display. It was paired with a black tie and a black leather jacket on top that was cropped to the same length as the shirt. Shadow's trousers flared at the bottom, and they also had rips. The outfit came together with a pair of dark high-heeled boots and silver earrings.
It was clearly an outfit meant to be feminine, and it looked perfect on him. The group found themselves impressed by his fashion sense.
Shadow gave a nod to acknowledge Silver's comment before addressing Nakum. "Can we move?"
"Whenever you want, Mr. Fashionably Late." Nakum responded dryly. "But I'm assuming that was my cue." With a flick of his hand, a teal portal opened up in the kitchen – matching his fur colour.
"That easy?" Silver blinked.
"I've always been able to make them. Just like with your psychokinesis – I got the ability to make portals. So basically, just teleportation with an extra step…" Nakum admitted. "Now hurry up, won't you? I want to get this over with so I can nap…"
With that made clear, Nakum stepped within the portal into the unknown other side.
Silver hopped in quickly after him, and Blaze looked ready to follow until she stopped and turned to Shadow. "Are you… wearing makeup? Just out of curiosity."
"Yes." Shadow said.
"Ah." Blaze nodded. "I like that mascara you've used…" She told him, and then turned – jumping through the portal.
Indeed, upon closer inspection – it could be noticed that Shadow was wearing mascara and eyeliner to emphasise his eyes. Shadow caught that Rouge was staring at him – and rose a brow. "Are you alright?"
Recognition flashed back into Rouge's eyes as she was brought out of her daze. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing's wrong." She quickly said. "Just admiring how gorgeous you look, hon." She gave him a confident wink.
"You look nice too." Shadow said, and then looked back to the moping Omega. "Sooner we get this over with, the sooner you and I can have a sparring match."
"DO YOU PROMISE? THIS IS NOT A LIE?" Omega questioned in suspicion.
"I have no reason to lie."
"PROCESSING: … FINE."
With all three team members in agreement to press on, they entered the portal side-by-side.
It left Amy, Knuckles, and Tails on their own in the room. Knuckles stared down the portal, gulping in fear. He suddenly felt Amy grab hold of his right hand and squeeze it. He looked to her – and saw her comforting smile as she looked up at him. "We've got you."
Tails did the same with Knuckles' left. "Always." He grinned.
Their presence beside him was comforting – like a soft blanket on a cold evening, keeping him safe from the harsh outside world. He basked in their warmth as small smile crept on his face. "Thanks, guys."
The trio entered the portal together.
Knuckles didn't expect that the ground would feel soft beneath his feet, but he supposed there was a first for everything. When his eyes adjusted to the surroundings, he quickly realised that he was… standing on a cloud?
Amy was already hopping up and down slightly. "It's like a trampoline!" She exclaimed excitedly.
"This is not how clouds work; this is not how clouds work…" Tails whined as the laws of science were broken yet again.
"N-Nakum, can w-we hurry up?" Blaze asked, her fur standing on end as her whole body was tense. It was easy to forget the cat's phobia of heights. "And g-get where we n-need to go?"
"We're getting there…" Nakum sighed in boredom. "Follow me. It's not far. Sorry for giving you the walk, but I have to set you outside of their building because I'm banned from using my portals to get inside-"
"Those guys really don't like you – huh?" Silver sort of felt sympathy for him, but it was hard for it to last when you remembered he abandoned his own child.
"Which is precisely why I'm not going in there with you." Nakum told them. "I am disgraced, so they don't want me there – and frankly talking to them has no benefit to me either because they never answer any questions."
Nakum bounded amongst the cloud, and everyone also used the bounce to propel their movements – following after him. The only one not doing so was Blaze – as she was being lifted through Silver's powers so that she felt more secure. Her face was flushed in embarrassment, but Silver didn't mind doing her the favour.
"Nakum, I was wondering…" Rouge began.
Nakum sighed heavily. "This is the last question I'll be taking today, because I seriously cannot handle anymore…"
"Shit, mine is kind of stupid to waste it on." Rouge admitted with an awkward expression, but since she was here – she might as well. "I was under the impression that all Knuckles Clan members wore the same gloves as Knuckles here wears. So how come you have… bandage gloves?" She questioned.
"In our Clan, the removal of gloves is symbol. If you take off your gloves, it means you are putting down your weapon and stepping off of the battlefield. You no longer fight – this was how you'd signify retiring. However, if you were to remove your gloves before your retirement – the removal of our gloves was seen as an act of giving up on battle and the clan itself – which in their eyes, is basically giving up on life." Nakum explained, and then grinned. "I took my gloves off while I was still alive and got bandage ones because I think they look cool."
"Nakum-" Amy began.
"When I said no more questions, I meant it. Don't make me repeat myself because I really just can't be bothered." Nakum told her in irritation.
Amy rolled her eyes, but it seemed to be a question she could live without the answer to – at least for now.
They ended up all being distracted from the conversation as their eyes lay upon the building ahead of them.
"A castle?!" Silver gasped in shock.
Somehow, there was a large stone castle hidden within the clouds. It was traditional in every sense of the world, basically Medieval looking. Each wall was a mosaic of rocks placed together.
The way it loomed made it feel grand and imposing above the heroes – giving off the impression of an impregnable fortress. It almost seemed like this was the type of thing the Knuckles Clan had always wanted to build from the stones of the island – but had never quite gone that far.
"You better believe it." Nakum didn't sound impressed. "It loses its charm after the first time though; I'll say that much."
...
The inside of the castle was a stark contrast to the outside that it was hard to believe they were in the same building. The walls, instead of being stone, were made of a stark white marble. Tails' mouth hung agape, left flabbergasted at how the walls could be made of something completely different on the inside. "This- this isn't how buildings work!" Tails whispered.
Amy and Silver gave into their childish impulses – sliding across the golden glowing floor ahead of the group. Amy couldn't help but giggle.
"Please don't break anything." Nakum groaned to them. "I'll never hear the end of it…"
"There's nothing to break though." Blaze peered at him. "This hallway is empty."
"Yeah, this one is." Nakum said. "Because this one isn't stuffed with their hideous statues…"
The remark sparked some curiosity, and the two hedgehogs respected Nakum's wishes – opting to stop sliding and give him apologetic grins.
When they turned the corner, they finally got to see what Nakum was referring to. Large statues lined the walls – tall and intricately detailed. It was obvious that they were all depicting different echidnas.
"I don't think these things look hideous at all. They look really cool actually!" Silver's eyes widened in awe. "Who is this guy supposed to be?" Silver pointed to the first statue that depicted an echidna with long dreads – his arms spread out as he stood tall and wide.
"Viracocha." Nakum mumbled, and although he said he didn't want to be answering anymore questions – he seemed happy for the excuse to rant. "Guardian of Beginnings. The guy that started all this stupidity. He's the head of The Council, because – you know – being the first apparently makes you an intelligent leader." He added sarcastically.
"It sounds like you don't like any of The Council members." Rouge observed.
"I see little to like." Nakum simply said. "I'm sure you'll understand my point of view once our little talk is over."
"Woah!" Amy suddenly exclaimed. "She looks strong!"
"I don't think I would want to get into a fight with her though…" Silver shuddered.
A muscular female echidna was posed as though in the midst of a battle, raising what appeared to be a hammer of chaos energy above her head. It could not be overstated just how large she was – taller and muscular than Knuckles and even more-so than Viracocha.
"Inti. Guardian of Battle… plainly obvious as to why. Proficient in combat but useless outside of it." Nakum turned up his nose. "She's also a Council Member you're going to have the pleasure of dealing with."
"And who's this-?!" Silver jumped ahead – pointing to the next. "He looks awesome!"
"You know, instead of stopping to gawk at every statue – how about we catch up with your impatient friends?" Nakum said.
This prompted them all to turn their heads – watching Shadow, Omega, and Knuckles as they were walking considerably far ahead. The two team dark members walked close to each other – but didn't converse. Knuckles kept his distance entirely.
Amy and Tails exchanged a glance. They both remembered a time where Knuckles would the most eager out of all of them to stop and learn more about his history.
They all quickened their paces, and Tails approached Nakum. "Do you know if Knuckles has a statue?" He asked quietly.
"He doesn't." Nakum said. "Because he never got the powers, or the job really – for that matter."
…
It all lead to a wooden door – once again, an unfitting contrast to the fancy white and gold marble of the walls. Nakum pushed ahead and turned to face the group. "Alright, I'm not going in there with you – they are your problem today, not mine." Nakum clarified. "However, I'd recommend that you all designate a group speaker to keep things from derailing and anyone from saying stupid shit – if you get what I'm saying."
Everyone's eyes flitted to Tails. "Do you think you're up for it?" Amy asked.
"Umm… sure!" Tails decided to agree. "Come to think of it, there are so many questions that I have for those guys-"
Nakum grimaced. "Eeeeeh, not advised. They don't like being asked questions, they prefer it to only be the other way around."
Tails' ears flopped. "Man… I don't think I'd have the self-restraint then…" His gaze shifted to Blaze. "Do you think you'd be willing?"
"Me?" Blaze pressed her hand on her chest in confusion. "Oh, well – if you need me to, I am more than happy to assist."
"I imagine you've had lots of experience as a princess in meetings with difficult people." Tails said with a slight amusement. "I think you could handle it."
Blaze dipped her head. "Of course. It would be my pleasure."
"Woooo… yaaaaaay, all sorted." Nakum groaned, making no real attempt to feign his excitement. "Now, get this over with so I can go back to sleeping-" The echidna said, pushing open the doors.
The room emitted a white glow that everyone had to cover their eyes from until it died down. They lowered their hands, and the room was designed in much the same way as the hallway with the shining gold flooring.
However, in the middle of the large room – there was a black obsidian bench, long enough for everyone to have a place to sit.
It almost seemed as though they had been expecting them.
"Nakum." A voice echoed.
The teal echidna was in the midst of almost jogging back down the hall, but he was forced to stop in his tracks. "Yessssss?" He hissed through gritted teeth, forcing an exaggerated smile.
"You didn't think you were leaving, did you?"
Nakum dropped his shoulders and sighed. "Perhaps I was just too hopeful…"
"Quite." They remarked. "All of you – come."
Hesitantly, the heroes stepped within the room – peering up in the direction they heard the voices. There were a few tall steps that led up to where the figures sat on tall obsidian thrones.
There they were – the Guardians of history.
It was hard not to stare at the ethereal beings – their eyes had a heavenly shine, and their golden jewellery in their hair twinkled in the light. Shadow tried to not give them too much of his attention – sitting on the far bench, followed by Omega and Rouge – with Silver and Amy sitting down next to them after, and then a begrudging Nakum.
Tails and Knuckles moved considerably slower – and only because Tails was slightly pulling his hand to move. Knuckles' gaze was transfixed on the echidnas on their ebony thrones – his eyes betraying his obvious fear.
Eventually, the fox led him to the bench – and they both were able to sit.
Blaze remained standing in front of everyone else – ready to talk with The Council above.
The echidna in the centre spoke first – a burgundy echidna with an eerily similar appearance to Knuckles – aside from being clearly older. "We welcome you to The Council. Few mortals have ever had the chance to converse with us directly. My name is Viracocha – Guardian of Beginnings. We are here to listen to your pleas."
Blaze went down on one knee – pressing her hand to her chest and dipping her head. They all assumed it was a more customary bow of Sol. "We are honoured to have the opportunity to speak with you, Council." Blaze said before straightening herself up. "I understand that you do not wish for your time to be wasted – so I shall make sure my words are concise."
Amy and Silver looked on at their feline friend with a sense of warm pride – they had every faith in her that she could get The Council to cooperate with them.
"I believe you know who we all are – so I shall spare you from introductions." Blaze began. "The world has been torn apart by the insane Dr Robotnik as he is attempted to create an entirely new timeline of his own where he was undefeated. As a result, this original timeline is collapsing as it is being used to fuel his new one."
"We have reason to believe that the Chaos Emeralds are a counter that we can use to defeat the doctor's Time Eater. We have come to you humbly requesting that we have possession of the Chaos Emeralds so that we may fight the evil currently plaguing our lands."
A pause lingered in the room.
"I'm afraid that is not a request that we are willing to fulfil."
Blaze kept her voice even. "May I ask why?"
Viracocha closed his eyes. "This is not your fight. It has been prophesised for thousands of years that Sonic the Hedgehog would be the one to save the world from the villain responsible for the current state of the world."
"Ugh!" Nakum suddenly stood up. "It's almost impressive how easily able you all are to lie to yourselves." He said, standing to the side of Blaze. "The whole point of the Time Eater is that it's overridden the prophecy! He's found a way to get around it – which means the prophecy has been broken." Nakum explained in frustration. "Sonic isn't going to be the magical key to save everyone anymore. If you all high-and-mighty beings actually care for this world – then I suggest actually stepping up to the plate and being useful for once."
"And since when did you ever have permission to command this Council, Nakum?" A grey, very old looking echidna questioned. His wrinkles were evident, and his scowl made his face look particularly unpleasant.
"I guess never, Ceibal." Nakum huffed. "But when I was alive – I held the title of Guardian of Knowledge. I'm sure you all remember. So, I don't know… I'd at least like to think you would at least consider what I have to say."
"You are no Guardian, father. I suggest you sit down." Another echidna spoke quietly. His fur was as pale as snow and his dreads were short – and while he was the smallest among The Council – he was still considerably older than Nakum despite calling him father. That must have meant that Nakum's son had lived longer, then.
"Ampato, please-"
"Don't."
With a growl of frustration, Nakum sat down again – knowing that he wasn't going to be listened to you.
However, Nakum's words had helped the heroes realise that whatever prophecy Sonic was a part of – it wouldn't be helping them here. They needed the emeralds if they had any hope of trying to fix the world.
"My apologies for questioning your judgement." Blaze said, doing remarkably well at hiding her impatience. "Is there not any circumstance where you might be willing to lend us the emeralds?"
"If it was the Guardian making the request, we wouldn't have that much of a problem with it." A pink echidna with a smooth voice said – smirking down at Blaze. "But, you don't exactly have one…" He reminded them.
Whether intentional or not, their gaze drifted towards Knuckles. His shoulders were hunched over, and his head was held down low as he stared at his shoes. While only evident to those that were sat nearest to him – his body was continuously trembling.
It was bizarre, almost disturbing sight to see their usually strong, prideful friend appearing meek – like a frightened mouse.
Amy stood; a fire ignited in her eyes upon seeing the state of his friend. "And who's fault is that?!" Amy asked them. "You're the ones that rejected the man that has worked his whole life for this position!"
"We rejected him for a reason." A woman told them sharply. Just like Viracocha – the resemblance between her and Knuckles was striking – their fur colour was even the same, but instead her dreads were thin and sporadic. She appeared to be middle-aged. "It may be a position passed down through bloodline, but we still must ensure that each candidate is worthy."
"He is worthy!"
"Amy." Blaze whispered. "You aren't making this easy for me…"
Only then did Amy purse her lips and hesitantly take her seat.
"There are only three rules that an echidna must abide by to earn his position at adulthood. Just three." The woman continued with a frown. "Yet my grandson ended up breaking every one of them."
The similarity between them made sense now.
"Amaryllis, do keep your temper in check." A golden echidna cautioned- her voice gentle and sweet while her dreadlocks were so long that they reached the ground. "I'm sensing waves of negative energy coming off of you…"
"Oh, don't give me that crap, Misti." Amaryllis rolled her eyes. "Of course, I'm mad! Last member of the Clan, you'd think he'd put in the effort to honour us and abide by the bare minimum expectations! He knew the rules!" She exclaimed. "Didn't you?" She at last glared down at Knuckles.
He showed no signs of response, or that even heard her. His position remained the same. Tails did his best to get a glimpse of his face – and the clouded look in his eyes immediately concerned him. Knuckles almost appeared ready to faint. Tails gave Knuckles the gentlest poke with his elbow he could muster – causing Knuckles' head to immediately shoot up.
"I-!" He was at a loss for words. "I… uhm-"
"Pathetic…" Amaryllis shook her head.
"What rules are you even on about?" Rouge suddenly asked with a surprisingly icy edge to her tone – even she wasn't happy about anything going on in the room, despite being Knuckles' greatest rival.
"To prove your worthiness – you must show restraint, dedication, and discipline – so the rules were put in place." The blonde echidna explained. "The first is that one - they must never leave the island out of selfish interest, the second is that the Master Emerald must never break under their watch… and the last is that an echidna should never use the powers of any emerald."
Tails balled his own fists, ready to speak up – but Rouge beat him to it. "So, you wanted him to go insane in his isolation and let the world die. That's what you're saying."
"If a Guardian can't handle a little isolation – then something's wrong with them." An echidna that was undoubtedly Inti scowled. In person, she was even more threatening. "I'd hold your tongue, thief! Lowest of scum… I don't even know how you got here in the first place!"
"Well, she's here now – not much we can do about it." The pink male echidna from earlier pointed out.
"There absolutely is, Paniri. The next time she says something stupid, I'm throwing her out the door!"
Rouge held up her hands in surrender – staying silent, but her face was unamused. However, her friend did not take Inti's threats lightly.
"YOU WILL NOT LAY A HAND ON HER, WORTHLESS MEATBAG." Omega told Inti – already pointing one of his cannons at her.
"Omega, what are you doing?!" Blaze exclaimed. Everyone else also called out some variation – resulting in Rouge eventually having to drag Omega back onto the bench – shushing him all the way and ensuring him that Inti wasn't going to do anything.
Blaze sighed – it had barely been five minutes and they were already threatening The Council with violence. Blaze was just as annoyed as they were – and she'd love nothing more than to defend Knuckles – but she was also extremely aware of the importance of trying to get the emeralds.
"My apologies for the…" she cleared her throat, "… rowdiness. May we continue working to find a solution without insults…"
"I agree." Another echidna said – she was the last of them all to have spoken. Her fur was dark, and her eyes were red with an intense gaze. Shadow knew her to be Kilya.
"Of course." Viracocha nodded. "While there might not be a Guardian among you, we had been observing another candidate that we believe we might be willing to consider."
Inti folded her arms with a scoff. "A hedgehog… what nonsense."
"There are no other echidnas to choose from, Inti." Viracocha reminded her. Still, she stubbornly scowled.
"Shadow. You have been rather quiet." he said. "If you all want the emeralds, perhaps you might be willing to discuss this matter."
"I don't want to be the Guardian." Shadow cut in plainly, standing up as he was being addressed.
"It's okay to be nervous." Misti said gently. "I assure you, though. We have full confidence in you. We've taken a lot of time to deliberate…"
"The first thing I'd do as Guardian is let Angel Island fall and be submerged while I seek a way to destroy the damn gem – because having all the world's power crammed into one emerald is idiotic." Shadow declared. The bluntness of his plan surprised everyone. "I see little point in the tradition of it all. That island has no reason to be floating."
Shadow rose a brow. "Do I suddenly not sound as appealing anymore?" He asked them with unfiltered dryness and contempt.
He left The Council speechless, so pressed on for the moment. "You aren't finding anyone to replace your last descendant – no matter how hard you try." Shadow told them. "Knuckles may sometimes be a fool – but he has made more contributions to the safety of the world than this entire Council combined."
"How dare you?!" Inti jumped out of her seat, ready to lunge – but Paniri held onto her arm, which ended up depleting some of her anger.
"I'd also argue more competency."
"Shadow!" Blaze whispered urgently. "What are you doing?! Stop talking!"
"No… keep going. Keep insulting them." Nakum also whispered to Shadow.
"No!" Blaze hissed, turning to Nakum as they were now playing as the angel and devil on Shadow's shoulders.
"Knuckles has spent his entire life in service – training for the role. There is no one better qualified and no one more willing to do it than he is." Shadow reminded them. "There was never any need for this Council in the first place – and if you're failing to see the basic facts laid out in front of you, then it is evident that this group should not exist at all."
"The audacity…" Ceibal grumbled.
"See? I've been telling you all this guy is no good!" Inti pointed at Shadow.
Viracocha ignored her smug claims, and instead narrowed his eyes. "If you wish to give Knuckles an opportunity to reclaim his position… then there is something that can be done."
"What?" Shadow had long forgone manners.
Inti's eyes were suddenly shining with an excitement. "A fight to the death! Between the two Guardian candidates to prove who is the strongest and most deserving!" She beamed. "Seriously, we've got an empty room next door - you can go at it right now!"
Shadow and Knuckles turned to each other and immediately made eye contact. While Shadow's face was as dull as ever, Knuckles' eyes were wide with alarm and his cheeks were practically ghostly.
"No." Shadow said to The Council. "We're not doing that."
"Then I'm afraid that we simply can't help you." Viracocha shook his head as Inti sat back down in disappointment.
"Why are you so content with just sitting by when the world is damaged like this?" Silver walked to Shadow and Blaze's side – glaring. "Sonic's success isn't guaranteed! So, we should be working together – doing everything we can to help!"
"Silver's right." Tails nodded. "Not letting us even try to help doesn't benefit anyone." He tried to get through to them.
"You're all starting to whine." Ceibal growled. "I do not have the patience to deal with you all – and I doubt my fellow Clan Members do either. If you don't leave yourselves, we will make you."
Their perplexed and frustrated expressions weren't giving anyone a sense of direction. Should they leave and look for another way? Should they try and hold their ground?
"Come on." Rouge raised her voice, asserting control. She was the only one that seemed certain on what they should do. "It's obvious they don't want to listen, so why should we bother-"
"Rouge-?" Amy began to question, but Rouge held up her finger. "You know it, I know it."
Nakum pushed ahead of the heroes. "Y'know what? I'm just happy for any excuse to get out of here…"
"I'm sorry!"
All of their heads turned back at the sound of Knuckles' desperate apologies. He was on his hands and knees before the Council – head bowed down as far as it could possibly go.
He had never seemed so small before.
"It was never my intention to ruin your legacies!" Knuckles insisted. "It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to just… make you all proud. But my selfishness… my weaknesses… I gave in to every temptation and faltered in every test that mattered-! I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but I want you all to know that it was never malicious. I never wanted to spit on your graves-!"
Whether they acknowledged Knuckles' words or not, it was impossible to tell. Viracocha didn't give any sort of response.
"I suggest you leave with the others. The ones that you've attached yourself to… and prioritised above your duty."
Knuckles gulped down the lump in his throat. "I'm so sorry…"
Amy had to forcibly pull him to his feet.
"Don't talk to me." Nakum made clear as they stepped out of the portal and back into the living room of the mansion. "I am napping before I do anything else." He told them, practically jogging out of the room to head upstairs.
"Goodness…" Blaze scratched her head. "I can't say I expected things to go quite that poorly…"
"Well, it didn't end in a fight – so I think it could've gone worse." Whenever Blaze complained, Silver always seemed to have an optimistic view to counter it.
"Guys, it's cool – alright?" Rouge said with a shrug. "I have a plan I'm getting together in this pretty little head of mine. I'll have a solution for us in no time – I just need a few more details."
"I'm glad someone has direction…" Tails smiled at her. "Because I have honestly never felt more stupid in my life. I don't know where we go, or what we do from here-"
"You take a break then, fox." Rouge grinned. "I've got it from here."
Shadow was eyeing the bat curiously, and Rouge simply gave him a wink – only serving to further provoke his interest.
"SHADOW. ARE WE SPARRING NOW? SHADOW. SHADOW."
"I'll be out in ten. Meet me outside." Shadow told the robot, and Omega used his jets to immediately whiz out of the door. Thank goodness all the entryways were wide – otherwise who knew how many walls he'd be breaking through…
"You know, I think Omega only threatening someone in a conversation with a weapon once is a pretty major improvement for him." Rouge acknowledged with pride.
"Perhaps he is taking his limited ammo into account." Shadow suggested.
"Hey, come on – don't fall." Amy's voice coaxed gently as she and Knuckles stepped through. She was holding onto his arm tightly, trying to keep him up from slumping and tripping.
Knuckles' cloudy eyes couldn't seem to focus on anything. He swayed where he stood, and Amy did her best to try to pull him towards the nearest couch.
"Dad… wasn't… there…" Knuckles suddenly said.
"Oh…" Amy let out, blinking in surprise. While a legitimate concern, it seemed a little out of place to mention now. Amy doubted that Knuckles even really understood what he was saying in this state.
"He wasn't…" Knuckles eyelids became heavy. "Tell Sonic I'm sorry… I'm so sorry guys-"
"No, don't apologise, please-"
His body became limp as he passed out, supported only by being held in Amy's arms.
So class, what have we learnt today?
Silver doesn't wanna get punched in the face
Gerald is a bitch, but at least Shadow has Rouge looking out
Gang got new gothic/formal attire because I am shamelessly self indulgent - I wish I was able to draw them aaaaaaaaah
Shadow says fuck gender
Tails, Amy, and Knuckles ARE FAMILY DAMNIT
Tails continues to stress over a land with no science
Nakum is not getting his nap any time soon
The Council has 8 members - Viracocha, Inti, Paniri, Misti, Ceibal, Ampato, Kilya, and Amaryllis. They're also stubborn.
Rouge is cooking
And finally... KNUCKLES NEEDS SOME DAMN THERAPY
This was a chapter that was insanely fun to write for me! And I hope it was just as fun to read :) I'm always a sucker for Knuckles anguish and just- a chapter with a different kind of conflict rather than a physical fight. But let me know what you thought in a review - I always love reading them! I hope to see ya'll around for the next one ;) - but until then, see ya later!