Sometime in s.h. 8920 in the depths of uncharted space
Kyubey and the hooded clone were finished with hacking open the dark thundering void. The void transformed with a massive pulse into a giant black medieval castle atop a giant asteroid. The pulse was so intense that it blew off the hood from the clone revealing her identity. A young girl with long flowing brown hair and eyes and a short braid.
"Mou! This is crazy! Are you sure that Madoka Kaname is buried here Kyubey?" The girl complained.
With Kyubey pushing forward merely stating. "Quiet clone! Follow me!"
The little girl angrily stopped moving and yelled. "It's not clone! It's Touka! Touka Satomi!" Throwing a tantrum before following Kyubey inside. "Hey, don't leave me out here all alone!"
The two walk along a series of long passageways full of mirrors and images of past events and previous timelines. Kyubey continues on determined but Touka seems skeptical of where they are.
"This place really doesn't look like the goddess labyrinth." Touka remarked.
The bunny cat countered with. "A magical girls labyrinth was created from their subconscious. Their memories, their mindset, their personality."
Touka takes a look at the pictures of Madoka in "compromising" positions and quickly remarks while blushing. "This place looks more like a stalker shrine than a labyrinth. And I don't think many gods had an interest in BDSM."
"What about the Greco-Roman ones?" Kyubey replied just to shut Touka up. Which succeeded as Touka had to admit that the soulless alien had a point.
After hours of searching the unlikely duo finally found their objective. An astral observatory deep in the inner workings of the castle. It's wall were covered in constellations and its floor seemed to be a mirror like black polish that irradiated power which each step the two took. As the two looked around they noticed what seemed to be a mummified girls corpse sitting in a throne. As Kyubey and Touka took a closer look they noticed the mummy wore a tattered black hood and was impaled by a katana with a long blade and a peculiar hilt pulsing with a steady green glow in contrast to the purples, reds, and blacks of the observatory.
"It's an Ohma blade." Touka mentioned. "The Reibai use these to seal away demons."
"Good now break open this nut so I can get unlimited power." Kyubey mentioned in a downright Freudian slip that caused her partner to pause.
"Wait, what?" Only to be shot by Kyubey as his mouth suddenly opened to reveal a gun barrel that fired a bullet that caused Touka to bleed out all over the mummy and the floor.
Kyubey retreated the smoking barrel into his mouth and began licking himself. "Well, blood sacrifices always work with these seals."
Then the entire observatory began surging with power as the mummy came to life and the floor began to shine an eerie purple light. The way in and out of the observatory closed up and Kyubey realized that he was in trouble. As the shadow of a giant serpentine creature began to slither all across the walls and floors before lunging at the incubator with a howling scream and devouring him in one blow.
"Not... Just... Yet..."
Chapter 5: The Duck and the Echidna
Second history 8932. It's been thousands of years since the discovery of magic as an energy source and the resulting magical girl war forced humanity to abandon earth and go into space. Earth has become little more than a historical footnote. And humanity has founded numerous colony worlds based of nations of old. In order to manage this new energy source that made the impossible possible. Alongside other alien races the Internal Fleet Systems or IFS was formed a military alliance designed to manage and protect its members from attacks from hostile powers and the abuse of magic.
Jun 18 s.h. 8932, Golden bay city
Ost: City escape (classic) Sonic Generations
A large coastal metropolis with many hills and steppes and tall buildings and crisscrossing roads built into said hills with a giant suspension bridge connecting it to the mainland. Essentially the Mobius equivalent to San Francisco. As the fishing boat docks in one of the cities many ports. Knuckles is transferred to Golden bay general hospital where he is placed in a healing tank for his injuries. And Ahiru stays in the hospital to look after him and take care of the paperwork.
Ahiru "Duck" Arima
An ordinary duck turned girl
Duck's theme
Ost: Give me a break: Guilty Gear Xrd
"You would think that in this highly technological future you wouldn't be spending all afternoon signing medical papers." Ahiru muses while sitting down in a waiting room while checking off file after file of paperwork with a borrowed pen. Still remembering what the nurse who took Knuckles in told her Ahiru blushes at recalling the memory.
"So let me get this straight." The nurse mentioned to Ahiru as the echidna was being carted off the emergency room. "You found this echidna floating in the middle of the ocean. No cash, no ID, and your first response is to fish him out. Patch him up. And get him to port to a hospital?"
Ahiru merely looks on despondent worried if she committed a mistake. Only for the nurse to smile back and pat the small teen on the head.
"Well aren't you a hero. Have you ever thought of joining the armed forces? There aren't that many people out there that would be that stupidly selfless." As the nurse points to a recruitment poster featuring Sonic the hedgehog and leaves to deal with other issues.
"I hope Fakir is doing alright..." Ahiru comments as she finishes another one of the papers.
Knuckles meanwhile remains unconscious in the healing tank. It is a fairly roomy tank meant to fit a fair amount of physiology types So for Knuckles who is a short and stocky anim around four feet tall. It is fairly spacious. Fitted with a breathing mask and with a tank full of regenerating fluid composed of stem cell batch fluids. It will leave Knuckles as good as new by next morning. But it needs to be left uninterrupted or else lethal complications could arise. The doctors comment on how the patient is lucky to be alive and how apparently the girl who came with him used healing magic on him to save him.
"That's rare." Commented one of the doctors. "Magicians aren't a common sight in Mobius."
"Yeah apparently she and the boy she's with are foreigners from Neo Germany." The other doctor explained.
"That explains it. The Euro's think they have free reign over the galaxy after all." The first doctor commented.
"You really shouldn't say that in public." The second doctor replied somewhat wary of the first doctors racist comment.
Knuckles meanwhile was alone with his thoughts in the tube reminiscing about his past. "Am I alone again just like back then? Back then in Angel island there was no echidna village. There was only me and the Master emerald. Guarding it was my life's purpose. I didn't know the reasons why I had to do it. Honestly I didn't care. I just did my duty, just like the guardians before me. And then that day came."
"It was a dark and windy night in Angel island four years ago when the Death egg crashed on Lava reef. I honestly never felt such a shock in my life before. The entire island was displaced for a brief moment and sunk slightly for a brief moment due to the force of the impact before recovering. To say it was a rough awakening was putting it bluntly."
A younger Knuckles in his classic appearance got out of the Master Emerald shrine in Holy summit only to realize that a giant egg shaped thing was lying on top on the volcano. After freaking out for a moment the young echidna goes to investigate Lava reef where he finds Eggman also in his classic look. Face down in his damaged Eggmobile. A flying egg shaped hovercraft that Eggman uses as his personal transport. Knuckles looks at the machine with suspicious eyes and chucks a small rock at it. Only to find it unresponsive. Knuckles then dead lifts the entire craft and Eggman at once and takes them away to Holy summit.
"Mmm, Smells delicious..." Eggman said as he woke up and regained consciousness. Only to discover that he was boiling in a stew with carrots and potatoes. With Knuckles stirring the pot with a giant wooden spoon. The two look at each other and end up screaming at each other before the pot falls over and the stew spills out. "What are you doing you savage?!"
"It's echidna tradition to devour the flesh of those who bring the forbidden arts to Angel island." Knuckles responded in complete sincerity.
"Devour?! I am Dr. Ivo Robotnik the greatest scientific genius in the world! And... Wait did you say this is Angel island?"
"Yes." Knuckles responded as he held the giant spoon like a spear and pointed it at the doctor. Meanwhile the doctor was deep in thought.
"Angel island? Grandfather's notes mentioned this place. That's where that Gizoid was from right? That means that the controller of the chaos is in this island..." Eggman thought to himself and then spoke. "My apologies. But I need your help."
"My help?" Knuckles asked.
"That was when Eggman explained about the Death Egg, the Master Emerald, and about Sonic the hedgehog and about how he was going to come to this island to steal the Master emerald. Of course this was a lie. But I believed him back then. After all he was the first person i've met in years. So what reason did I have to doubt him?"
"Then the hedgehog came to the island. Eggman managed to detect him early and we decided to ambush him in the coast. It was a simple surprise attack. Sonic would be overconfident and easy pickings."
Classic Sonic flew into Angel island as Super Sonic. A golden super mode version of himself that is stronger, faster, and better in every way. With Classic Tails following close by in the Tornado a red single engine biplane with a rocket thruster rigged into it for more speed. As Knuckles hides in the foliage and Tails lands on the nearby sandy beach. Sonic rushes forward exploring the island in his golden form.
"Sonic be careful! Super Sonic has a time limit after all!" Tails chirps out thru his communicator while Sonic brushes it off.
"No worries Tails! This form trashed the Death Egg! Eggman has jack squat that can touch us!" Sonic boasts as he hovers in place looking at the jungle. "Still I gotta admit the beauty here is beyond compare." When Sonic is struck from behind by Knuckles somehow punching the Super out of Super Sonic. Reverting him back to his original blue form. And using the confusion to steal the seven Chaos emeralds.
"So you're Sonic huh? Not very impressive..." Knuckles muses as he runs off with the ill gotten booty in tow into the wild jungle. While rhino and wasp badnik surround the blue blur preparing to attack him.
Tails in concern screams out. "Sonic are you alright?! What happened?! What was that?!"
Sonic replied. "Apparently that was Jack Squat." As he prepared for combat with the horde. "And what's on my mind is making that git burn!"
"I'll get there right away Sonic! Just sit still!" Tails screamed out as he hurried to catch up to his friend.
As day turned to night Ahiru finally left the hospital. Starving she went to the nearby Chekhov's icebox to get something to eat. The icebox itself is a cafe inside of a massive freezer that served cold foods as a specialty. As well as ice cream and shaved ice. Ahiru went there mostly to try the sweets as a curiosity and is happily downing a piece of mackerel alongside some shaved ice.
"Really Fakir is missing out on this..." Ahiru comments while putting down more meat and veggies on her plate with a big grin on her face. "Maybe I can get some of these in a doggy bag for him?" She then asked a cashier for one who explained that she would have to ask for a cooler since the temperature of Golden bay would cause the food to spoil otherwise.
"So that's why we're inside a giant icebox?" The young duck girl mentions as she takes a spoonful of shaved ice.
"Yes ma'am." The cashier replies. "In summer which is where we are now temperatures can reach the 100 degree marks even with the Pandora's tower controlling the area."
Golden bay bridge
A massive red suspension bridge that connects Golden bay city with the mainland full of constant traffic even at night. Cars, speeders and the occasional train pass thru the massive bridge as Juggernaut leaps from the depths of the sea and lands on the bridge causing traffic to come to a sudden stop in the oncoming lane and causing the whole bridge to shake due to sheer force of impact.
"I found you!" Juggernaut roared. "As she began his pursuit of Knuckles. Heading straight to Golden bay city and plowing thru anything that got in her way. Tossing numerous vehicles into the sea below with people still in them and triggering a panic as civilians tried to flee for their lives.
Golden bay ports
Ahiru is heading to the ports with a cooler when a siren blares across the ports causing the local workers to panic and scramble. Duck asks a seal sailor what is happening to which he answers that someone is attacking the city. And that the alert to secure the port has been given. Ahiru is forced to drop her cooler and rush to the scene transforming into a small yellow duck and using her wings to fly to the Golden bay bridge.
"I can't believe it! That whatever it is, is going to pay!" Ahiru quacks out as she flies thru the skies of Golden bay noticing the path of destruction left behind by Juggernaut. "Well I don't have to be a hawk to notice THAT mess." The duck remarks as she glides down to the bridge area looking for a landing spot in all the chaos and carnage. As Ahiru lands she transforms back into her human form. This time with all her clothes on being a simple yellow tunic and shorts with large orange duck flipper shaped shoes and a red bandanna around her neck with a badge. And looks for people to ask for info but finds that no one is around. Wondering if everyone evacuated already Ahiru follows the path of destruction to find local police badly mauled. As Ahiru uses magic to heal them she tries to get information out of them and learns the situation. Quickly figuring out that she's outmatched.
As she chases Juggernaut thru the burning, ruined streets of Golden bay. Ahiru is in a panic as she can only heal not fight. "What do I do? What do I do? Oh I know! This plan is flawless!"
Ahiru and Juggernaut finally meet in a hotel next to a beach and the former breaks out in a cold sweat after seeing just how friggin huge the latter is.
"What do you want?" Juggernaut asks the little girl who is frozen in the middle of the road in between the giant machine and the hospital. Something Ahiru notices.
"Do you have business with that building over there?" Ahiru stutters as she points to the Golden bay general hospital.
"How perceptive child." Juggernaut commented. "You see I was ordered to find and squash a certain echidna. And according to my scanners he is somewhere in that building. If you realize that would you so kindly get the FUCK out of my way before I FUCK you over."
"Knuckles..." Ahiru gulps down her fear as she puts two and two together. Realizing that this is what led Knuckles to his current state. She quietly murmurs. "I can't let you do that..." Only to be yelled at.
"What did you say little girl?! Speak loudly and clearly! Otherwise you will not let your intentions be known!" Juggernaut bellowed at full volume. To the point that it broke glass all around the street and hotel lobby.
And left Ahiru thinking. "I can't believe i'm being reprimanded by a monster..." Then she spoke out loudly. "I can't let you do that!" Only to get laughed at by the much larger and stronger monstrosity.
After laughing for a good minute and a half. Juggernaut got dangerously close to Ahiru and used her snake arm to lick the girl in a menacing manner while her squid like face contracted and glowed gold and purple in a sort of kabuki mask pattern for extra intimidation. "And what will you do against the Juggernaut?"
Ahiru puffed herself up and tried to look tough while saying. "I will challenge you to ballet!" And after a brief moment of silence Ahiru finds herself buried face down in the sand defeated while Juggernaut crashes thru the hotel in order to get to the hospital.
Golden bay general hospital
Juggernaut finally reaches the hospital after about half an hour of literally walking thru everything that the city could throw at it. Even the hospital's defenses are no match for it as Juggernaut simply powers thru both the shield and the point defense system of the hospital without even bothering to fight back. Simply tanking every shot and blow without a care in the world until the guns ran out of energy and cycled out. Then Juggernaut destroyed them by firing acid sprays at them. Melting them into slop and goop with quick precise shots. Same with any security guards who had the misfortune of not running away.
Then she entered the hospital. Forcing her way thru anyone who tried to get in her way. And patiently rode the elevator all the way to the intensive care unit. Even if it was rather cramped for the squid/snake robot monster. When Juggernaut reached the ICU she continued her rampage while humming Rick Astley's Never gonna give you up. Which a Muzak version was being played in the elevator beforehand.
As she used her extended snake arm to clear the way and crush the unlucky doctors from before one of who's last words was "This is all Brexit's fault!" Before dying himself from the sheer force of trauma.
Juggernaut smashed all the equipment and crushed every pod and bed. Brutally killing every ICU patient that could not be evacuated with no remorse just because she could in her search for Knuckles. Leaving the unit in a state of ruin and calamity. Until finally finding the pod where Knuckles was recovering in. Juggernaut smiles wickedly before launching her serpent arm to constrict the healing tank and slowly strangle the guardian to death.
The process took all of five sadistic minutes as Juggernaut slowly strangled the life out of the healing tank like a wild animal playing with its food. The sounds of creaking metal and leaking fluid could be heard from all across the room. As well as warning sirens, power surges, and explosions that consumed the machinery keeping Knuckles alive. Until one final gasp, and one massive burst and shatter left everything destroyed. Causing the console to short circuit and burn out and the room to black out for a few brief moments as Juggernaut let go of her prey in grim satisfaction as metal and crystal collapsed in a sickening crash. But then Juggernaut's victory is cut short when a red flash knocks her out. Punching her from the back and knocking her out and into the floor.
"Finally got you back." A healed Knuckles snarks as he pulls a swift retreat from the ICU leaving the would be assassin humiliated.
When Knuckles finally got out of the hospital he is met by both Ahiru and a young human boy with black spiky hair, black stern eyes, tan skin and wearing a concealing mantle with hood while carrying a graphite colored notebook.
Knuckles asked. "You're?" Looking especially shocked at meeting the boy. "An Arab?"
"It's Ahiru!" Ahiru stated "And the one beside me is Fakir!"
Fakir bowed slightly and began speaking. "We don't have much time. We need to get to Chekhov's icebox."
Fakir
Author and Knight
Fakir's theme
Ost: Rebellion II: Blazblue chronophantasma
Ahiru asked. "Oh do you want to get something to eat Fakir?"
Fakir replied with. "No, it's to defeat Juggernaut. Weren't you listening?"
While Ahiru looks puzzled Knuckles asks Fakir. "Aren't you an Al-bhedia? I heard you all blew yourselves up during the magical girl war."
Ahiru and Fakir look at Knuckles like a weirdo and Ahiru answers. "We're German." In genuine confusion about Knuckles claims.
The conversation is broken up when Juggernaut jumps down from the hospital top floor and Fakir snarks. "And we're leaving. C'mon, Duck, Knuckles." As the author and knight grabs the duo and runs with Juggernaut in hot pursuit.
While running away from Juggernaut Fakir basically explains about the Blights which are a group of seven robotic creatures that were made to serve the Calamity Homura. And how they all have specific weak points to make sure that they don't become too powerful. And that Juggernaut's specific weak point is the cold.
"Wow that's some convenient plot dump." Ahiru remarks.
To which Fakir counters. "You should know this already Duck. What were doing during the briefing?"
"I was doodling." Ahiru remarks much to Fakir's annoyance.
As the trio enter Chekov's icebox Knuckles bluntly asks. "So what's stopping that giant freak from just leveling this building anyways?"
Fakir simply pulls out his notebook and states. "This." And begins writing on it to Knuckles confusion.
Duck basically explains the nature of Fakir's powers. How he can basically make any story come true by writing it down and how they can stop Juggernaut by making him walk into the freezer. Knuckles states that it wont be that easy and volunteers to distract Juggernaut in the freezer to which Fakir and Duck agree and write their plan accordingly. Meanwhile Juggernaut busts into the cafe mad as a hornet and looking for Knuckles. Who simply flips her off and runs to the freezer while the giant gives chase.
"I'm gonna rape ya bitch!" Juggernaut screams as Fakir and Ahiru lock Knuckles and Juggernaut inside the store's giant freezer and prepare to wait out the fight.
Knuckles and Juggernaut begin fighting again. Locking fists once again in a power struggle and punching each other in the face and chest once more. Before going into a mutual body slam and grapple attempt. After breaking out Knuckles gains some distance and hides behind some frozen slabs of meat which Juggernaut punches into oblivion one by one.
Knuckles thinks to himself. "That giant freak is slowing down. She's not even jumping or stomping around. Is that Fakir guy's plan working?" Knuckles looks at a giant pile of ice and gets a flash of inspiration. "If that's the case."
Knuckles slides onto the pile of ice taunting Juggernaut to chase him which she does. Hunting the guardian down like a raging bull who crashes into the ice slipping and tripping. While Knuckles gracefully flips out and jumps off the ceiling. Landing gracefully on the ground below. The giant machine slowing down even more because of the cold. Was barely able to fight back and when she tried to fire her acid it clogged up due to her internal systems being frozen. The squid snake tries to crush Knuckles with a mighty blow but its too late as when she prepares to charge and crush the guardian she is fully frozen. Landing next to Knuckles with a sudden thud.
"Bout time. (achoo...)" Knuckles remarks as he knocks on the freezer's door signaling to Fakir and Ahiru to open up.
Knuckles, Ahiru, and Fakir leave as security and first respondents surround the Chekhov's icebox closing the entire area off. With their opponent now a frozen statue they plan out their next course of action.
"I need to get back to Angel island!" Knuckles said steadfastly to no one's surprise.
Fakir noted. "Hate to break it to you, but, that Angel island place has been claimed by the Calamitous ones. Even if you go there now. You'll just get another beating."
"I don't need to hear that from you Al-bhedian!" Knuckles stated in an upset tone.
"What's an Al-bhedian?" Ahiru asked. Something that Fakir seemed confused about as well.
"From what i've heard there is a long lost tribe of humans called Al-bhedia who were famous for their territorial and isolationist tendencies. They were so bad that they chose to die alongside the Earth when it was destroyed during the Magical girl war. Most people say that its just a fairy tale meant to scare different tribes into getting along." Knuckles explained.
Ahiru then mentions. "Oh yeah I remember now hearing something like that! "Stop fighting or the Al-bhedians will come and get you!" Or some nonsense. But Al-bhedia is just a myth. Fakir and I are from Gold Crown in Neo Germany."
Fakir then finishes with. "Anyways for now let's head back to the boat. We'll contact the Resistance in the morning and get you rendezvoused with them." Knuckles stopped after hearing those words. "Oh yeah didn't Duck mention? We're here to deliver you to the Resistance. As part of project Elpis."
Knuckles was stunned after hearing this and asked. "Who are you people?"
To which Ahiru answered. "Just your friendly neighborhood terrorists! The Wings of Magius."
To be continued...
And that's chapter 5 in a nutshell. With this the Knuckles side story is finished and next time we head back to Sonic's side of the story and the Arc's awakening.
As for Ahiru it's basically a post-Princess Tutu Duck that is meant to be a recurring character similar to how Tsukasa Kadoya popped up in Kamen Rider Zi-O. As for why give her a theme like Guilty Gear's Give me a break. It's because Princess Tutu's fan nickname is Guitar ninjas. And Sol's theme in Xrd had a lot of guitar. Same with Fakir's theme being Rebellion from Blazblue.
Ahiru "Duck" Arima comes from the manga adaptation. And using the whole Ahiru/Duck thing as a nickname. Much like how Tails goes by his nickname instead of Miles. Ahiru Arima is basically a fake name given to her in universe when she regained her human form to avoid undead tax exemption. As there were already plenty of questions around the sudden appearance of Fakir's girlfriend.