VI. Long Despised Returns

Those past few days took quite a new turn for me. And to say that I was "happy" would be quite an understatement. Of course, I had to assert my duties and tasks during the day. But afterward, I was able to spend the rest of the time with Sonic, who remained in bed and got better every day... Well, "remained" most of the time... I was told he's been trying to walk around the palace late at night, intending to gain his strength back but getting lost many times as a result. That hedgehog couldn't stand still at all… Then again, this is Sonic I speak of. All in all, I was glad he was all right. After waking up, he explained to me his previous encounter with "his" Doctor Eggman. Just like he said, it was quite odd that such a machine would send him to my world instead. Maybe the doctor's research was off? A malfunction, perhaps? We weren't so sure... But one thing was: Sonic's life was full of excitement all around.

I don't think I've ever opened up as much as I have with him since then. While learning more from him, I dared to say I'd feel somewhat, jealous. His joy seemed never-ending, making me wonder where he got it all from. But what warmed me every time was the fact that he was willing to share it with me. I wanted these newfound moments to last, truly. But sadly, things would change.

He would tell me all sorts of adventures he had gone through, even ones before we even met. He told me how he'd dropped the title of prince in his younger years in exchange for exploring his world, and helping people on his own terms. How he met Tails, his friends, and new foes along the way. And as for me, well. I would tell him about my past, even if it wasn't as exciting as it seemed. About our ancient history. How I became a wielder of flames. When my parents used to rule the kingdom. How I ascended into the role of ruler and guardian... Yet, he would attentively listen. And, I was thankful for that.

One day, he was telling me about one of his journeys on a journey he had with Tails. And I was laughing at his stories so much, that my cheeks started to grow sore…

"What's so funny?" he argued. "I'm serious! I swear, I grew at least five feet. I had fur all over the place. A-And my arms could stretch everywhere."

"Really now?" I chuckled. "And how would you explain that?"

"I, don't know... That's all Miles. You should've seen his face when he saw me."

"I truly miss him... I figure he's grown as well."

"He's grown a bit too fast if you ask me. He's practically a hero of his own, now… But, you know… Sometimes, I feel somewhat bad. Letting him come along that day."

"…How come, if I may ask?"

"...Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course."

"...Well… He, didn't even have a proper childhood. And me, coming in to take him into a world that needs saving, but full of danger… doesn't really make things any better."

"Sonic…"

I didn't know what to say. I wasn't expecting something like that to come from him, especially about someone so close.

"Don't get me wrong. Miles… I wouldn't know what to do without him. We've gone through so much. We've grown and whatnot, but I just think that he didn't deserve to go through so much so young..."

"...Is he happy?"

"Well…"

"He is. Very. I've seen him... You've led him into a life full of many opportunities to meet new friends, new wondrous places. To help those in need... To find himself... And, what better person to be by his side than you? I mean, you two are practically inseparable," he said as he chuckled to himself. "So please, don't feel that way. If I were him, I'd be grateful. And I'm certain he is."

"I guess..." he muttered, looking down at himself in silence. He's been in deep thought about this for a while now, from the looks of it.

"Hey. Once I get back, Miles and I will find a way back here. We could, come visit more often. Maybe you could come with us. We can show you around, if you'd like."

"I'd, like that very much. A promise it is, then."

I smiled at the thought of what new things could possibly await me in his world. I couldn't wait to explore, and let him take me to places I'd never been… But, how long would I have to wait for him to come back? Would he come back, at all…? I didn't want to ever lose what we had. Lose that feeling… One I couldn't fully grasp, but, 'feel', nonetheless... It was unique. Comforting... Was it selfish of me to try to hold on to it…? Would he maybe, feel the same…?

"Sonic… I-"

A bright light from the distance shimmered, catching my eye. Suddenly, it was followed by an immense blast, violently shaking the walls around us. The jars on the cabinets fell, shattering across the wooden floor while I rushed to the other side of the bed where the window was, just to see smoke rising in the distance. The rumbling continued, as a looming figure appeared from the trees and halted at the edge of the kingdom. A giant, armored in steel the sun would gleam over, and a symbol on its shoulder I would recognize anywhere.

"…It, can't be…!"

"What's going on?!" Sonic said while trying to look out the window from his bed.

"It's him… He's, returned…!"

"Nega? Well, let's send him back to where he came from," Sonic said while trying to get up.

"N-No, you must stay-"

"It's only a bad leg, I can still do, something-"

"Sonic, please."

"...All right…"

I started to climb out the window, when Sonic grabbed my hand.

"...Just, be careful out there."

I nodded in reassurance and dashed forward into a long fall above the gardens. Most guards were already taking people to safety, while the rest were assuming defensive formations. Leaping from the balcony, I landed in the plaza and ran towards the rampaging giant.

Rampage no better than the embers of wrath it would soon be engulfed in.

/Sonic the Hedgehog/

"Who am I kidding," I said to myself. "I'm sorry, but I can't just sit and watch."

I stood up, most of my weight on my good leg, and stood in front of the window.

"Phew, okay... Focus, on my right leg... How hard can it be..."

"S-Sonic!"

Spoke too soon; Theobald had walked in through the door.

"I came to bring you… What, in the world are you doing?!"

"Sorry doc, but right now, this hedgehog should be out there. Not here."

"Sonic, you're insane-"

"I'm fine! See?"

I had to pretend that I was fine if it meant going out there to help, one way or another.

"You know I can't leave those people on their own."

"Mmm…"

"Theobald. Trust me."

"…Sonic. I am a healer. Not a mortician. You come back 'alive', understand?"

"I will... But first-"

I stretched a bit and got into position.

"Oh and. You might want to step back a bit… Might get windy."

Next thing you know, I went dashing right out the window. At first, I realized how much I missed the feeling… And then I regretted it. Because I was flying over buildings. Fast. And with a bad leg. Adrenaline kicked in, but I managed to roll over a roof and hold on to the edge. After gathering myself, I figured I could somewhat run just fine, but running like I usually do was out of the question. So I stood up, and started making my way through the roofs.

~Blaze the Cat~

When I arrived at the scene, knights were already on the offensive. Debris covered the broken streets, and the gate walls the machine had gone through were almost completely torn apart. Lightweight cannons were even placed at a distance and were able to damage it to some extent. However, most of them were either crushed or blown away by projectiles sent from the giant's arms. I climbed onto a roof, and then into a three-story building high enough to leap above the giant. Sending strong flames, I flew and landed on another building. The metal was clearly heated but had no visible damage. It took notice of me and swung its fist forward. Leaping away, a sword flew straight into the giant out of nowhere, stabbing deep in between its parts. Chains attached to it seemed to slingshot a familiar figure, who landed on the giant's shoulder. Planting a fused explosive, Maia jumped away and ran towards me. The blow pushed the giant backward, forcing it to recover from the blast.

"Maia!"

"Princess. Knights are still trying to escort people away. Explosive weaponry slows it down, but that is as far as things have gone."

"...We could set up a trap."

"By the time it is finished, half of the kingdom will be in ruin… Move!"

We quickly threw ourselves on the ground in time, avoiding a strafe of fire from the machine. It stood up and continued its attack, while we stayed behind debris as cover.

"We can't let it reach any further into the kingdom. I'll draw its attention away from here. Continue escorting the people."

"Very well. Knights! On me!"

Maia rallied her troops and continued the evacuation, while I made my way toward the threat ahead. My flames would have to be precise; I did not want to cause even more damage than what we had already endured. The machine waited for my approach and swung its arm toward me. Jumping away, I landed on a roof and charged at its head with a barrage of flames. It covered itself with its hand, seeming rather unfazed by it. Again, the metal was glowing brightly but was still intact. Damaged or not, I had to bring it away from there. It thrust his hand with force, attempting to capture me. However, I landed on its wrist and delivered a kick to the side of the head. It staggered to its side, while I landed beside it. It remained still for a moment, but quickly raised its hand at me and launched a projectile. The blast sent me crashing against a wall, and while I tried to regain myself, the sentry prepared to send another. With all the power I could muster, I raised a pillar of flames as quickly as I could to block the attack, the explosion causing the giant to stumble back against a building. I shook the rubble off of me, and continued to attract its attention away from the kingdom as best as I could.

/Sonic the Hedgehog/

Nega's attacks had been affecting many parts of town, and there was only so much that could be done. As I continued to struggle through the crowd, I noticed a pair of knights deep inside a building about to collapse while trying to move debris away. They were on their own, and the rest of the knights had their hands full evacuating everyone else. I quickly realized someone was trapped inside, and made my way through the broken doors and the concrete crumbs falling from the roof.

"I-It's, too heavy!"

"Keep pushing! We, have to get the boy out of here!"

"The walls…! Ngh! They're, cracking!"

"Hurry! Before the whole room comes down on us-!"

"What do you think I'm doing-?! What in the-"

"Wh-who are you?!" one of the knights asked as I quickly joined them.

"There's no time, push!" I urged them. After both hesitating, we started pushing again as hard as we could, trying to move a beam out of the way while debris continued to fall. Unfortunately, we weren't going anywhere. We panted, thinking for answers.

"Stand back. I'm going to try something."

They looked at each other for a second before moving behind me while I rested on one knee on the wooden floor. I wasn't exactly in good shape, but our options were few and time was running short. "Please work" were the only words going through my mind. I closed my eyes and spin-dashed as fast as I could, carving through the wood below me, and launching myself forward through the debris. I found myself hitting a wall and landing hard on the floor right after, but still in one piece. With a terrible sting on my leg, but nothing I couldn't manage then. I sighed in pain as I slowly stood up to the guards staring right at me, having a hard time believing what happened just then. That was until we heard sniffing coming through a door beside us. We looked at each other before quickly going for the door and opening it, just to reveal a closet full of belongings, clothes, and a boy sitting in the corner. He gasped when we opened the door, scurrying against the wall.

"It's okay," I quickly reassured him, raising my hands. "We're here to help. Are you alright?"

He slowly nodded while wiping away his tears.

"We have to get out of here, now," the knight warned, looking at the cracks in the walls.

"Hey. What do you say we get you out of here?"

I put out my hand while he gently reached out. Once he was out of the closet, the whole room around us began to shake.

"Run! Go!" one of the knights yelled.

Evading most of the falling debris, we moved quickly through the rooms while keeping the kid out of harm's way. There were a few close calls, but one burst through the doors and we knew we were finally out of there. The building behind us couldn't hold out for much for much longer, and quickly started to break apart on its own. As we caught our breaths, distant calls got the kid's attention as he tried to look around.

"My boy!"

The kid quickly got up and ran toward a man making his way to us, taking his son in his arms. The three of us were relieved at the fact that we could manage to do some good through that whole chaos. After making sure his kid was alright, the man looked at us.

"Thank you."

We nodded, hearing his words, and as he turned, we couldn't help but smile at the kid waving at us as they left. But right when they started making their way, I noticed them: the Sol Emeralds, flying over us one by one. That only meant one thing: things were bad. But just like Theobald said. Nega's been trying to take over the place for years now... If you're going to attack a kingdom, why send one pawn to do your work? Then again, if you destroy it, there's nothing left to conquer… Nega already had a spot to put his throne. All he needed now was… power…

"I am not sure if you're in your right mind, but… Thank you, for your… Wha… Where, did he go?"

~Blaze the Cat~

Knights had come to aid me against the machine, surrounding it with attacks while containing the battle at the gates.

"Maia, I need time!"

"Protect the Princess!"

Knights alongside Maia continued to send attacks to slow it down, but they were of no use. Just in the nick of time, they arrived and surrounded me, feeling their familiar presence once more. The Sol Emeralds. I had hoped to never use their sacred power again, but this situation didn't call for any other measures. That's when it noticed me and stared straight at me. The giant became even more aggressive when I started to transform, and in a blinking moment, it leaped with brute force, shattering the ground beneath it. The moment the gems became one with me, the machine landed right in front of me, blowing me away. And in a swift move, it grabbed me.

"Blaze!"

That voice. It was Sonic. But I couldn't even turn or move. I raised my flames as much as I could, fire spreading from all sorts of directions. The metal had started to deform, but I was met with lightning instead. Lightning that coursed through me, taking away my strength. The giant was absorbing my energy; the gems. As it crushed me, the gems were beginning to slip away from me, and into its possession. My vision was distorted, but I took notice that someone had jumped into the fist I was held in and succumbed to the pain, sparks dancing around his body.

"Ahhhgh!... Take!... M-My hand!"

I could barely move or even think. But I slowly reached for Sonic's hand, desperately trying to get out of there. Finally, he grabbed mine, and together we broke free. But before we even landed on the ground, everything around me sort of, faded away…