I'm back,and since I don't have any reviews to reply to, I'll keep this short and sweet! I don't feel like enough writers do this, so I just wanted to thank all of my silent readers. I know I'm only on the third chapter, but I'm grateful for all the reads! Even if you haven't faved/followed, or dropped a review, please know that I still appreciate you for taking the time to read my story. Ha I guess that's all. Enjoy!
Complete and utter darkness.
That was the last thing he remembered. Trapped in an infinite black hole of darkness that zapped up his chaos energy, rendering chaos control useless. He had been in the midst of teleporting back to the base to pick up Rouge when all hell broke lose. Locked between two points of interest, unable to port anywhere. He wasn't sure how long he had existed in that unending void of emptiness before he had blacked out, lost to the world.
Shifting sunlight pierced through his eyelids as awareness trickled back into his senses. His head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton and the explosion rang faintly through his ears, but that was the only thing that made him realize with sinking dread that the incident involving the black hole and the fake emerald was far from a dream.
As his senses began to improve upon his awakening, he registered weight pressing down on his legs, immobilizing them. Breath quickening at the thought of beginning restrained, crimson orbs snapped open as he sat upright, hissing as his head throbbed with a sharp pang from the quick, sudden motion.
Shadow blinked through the haze, relaxing as his blurry eyesight adjusted to reveal an albino bat that was sleeping perpendicular to him, her delicate head resting across his ankles. He wracked his brain, trying to determine why the bat would be using his legs as her personal pillow or why he was even here in the first place, wherever here was.
He laid his ears back and arched an eye ridge when he became painfully aware of shallow breaths coming from his left. Swiveling his head to the side and rewarding himself with another painful jolt that sliced through his skull, his wary gaze rested on two patches of fur, one a yellowish-orange and the other a dull pink hue.
The fox was curled up on his side into a tight ball, his tails bunched around him like a barrier, as if he was trying to protect himself from something. Amy, on the other hand, was sprawled out on her stomach, her limbs splayed out in different directions as she snored softly. Her fur complexion was washed of color, the bubblegum-pink color draining away to reveal a sickly tint, like a dying rose.
It was strange to see the Faker's sidekick and wannabe girlfriend without the presence of the Faker himself. In their unconscious state, they both looked fragile and vulnerable, as if the slightest breeze would break them. With a sinking feeling, Shadow realized that he must have also appeared this way while he was knocked out, and he raked his gaze across his surroundings, hoping no one had witnessed the pathetic state that he had been in moments before.
He hardly slept since sleep wasn't a necessity, but when he did, he made sure he did it in the safety of his personal quarters in GUN Headquarters, although that didn't stop Rouge from banging on his door in the middle of the night, his screams waking her up. He didn't sleep not only because he didn't require it, but because he also didn't want anyone to prey upon his vulnerability...and he most certainly didn't want pity, which is what he would have received it he chose to sleep during late-night missions with Rouge and Omega.
That thought brought his head back around to the bat that still snoozed at his feet, dead to the world. He wanted to get up to see if he could figure out what was going on, but just as he was about to wiggle his legs free from underneath her head, he paused, remembering the whole incident with the doctor. He had released the Egg-Cerberus, and although he had defeated it, Rouge had been badly injured.
His chest fluttered as he exhaled in frustration, the idea of being trapped here until Rouge woke up irritating him. He didn't want to move her head to free his legs, because that would only aggravate her injuries. Which, now that he considered it, he wasn't even sure how serious her injuries were.
Leaning forwards, he surveyed his teammate. Although one of her wings was folded under her body, her other was left unfolded, and there wasn't a scratch on her. No torn wings or puncture wounds from the Egg-Cerberus' jaws. Just to be on the safe side, Shadow slid an arm forward, his forearm pressing against her forehead. Sure enough, she didn't have a fever, which should have occurred due to the infection that should be festering from her wounds...which had mysteriously disappeared.
Shadow pulled his hand away from Rouge's forehead, sliding it across his tawny muzzle and withdrawing it, not surprised at the lack of blood. The Faker's elbow strike had caught him off-guard with it's velocity, although Shadow would never admit it. Of course, it was nothing that he couldn't handle, and his body had already healed from the blow. But still, Rouge shouldn't have healed that quickly from her injuries.
Something was wrong.
Shadow wasn't even sure how long he had been out. He thought it had only been a few hours, but it could have been days, even a week. That would explain why Rouge's wounds had disappeared, although it still didn't make sense since the bat should have some scarring.
He fished around in his quills for the chaos emerald that Rouge had shockingly handed over to him. He was going to find it, and that would be his ticket out of here. This place stank of deceit and mystery and he wanted to get as far away from here as he could and find some answers, beginning with the black hole and ending with a certain blue hedgehog.
His searching hands only came away empty, and he cursed silently, wondering if Eggman had something to do with the missing emerald. After all, the doctor probably had something to do with this whole mess. Lying in a field with a bunch of passed-out individuals wasn't a situation he had encountered before, and he wasn't sure how to react.
Deciding that he wasn't getting answers by sitting around, and determining that Rouge was stable enough to be moved, Shadow slowly inched his way forwards. Rouge's skull thumped against the grass as Shadow slid his legs out, rising to his feet and crossing his arms over his chest as he automatically observed his surroundings.
A grassy clearing greeted him, an unrealistic cerulean sky dusted with puffy white clouds drifting above him. The whole meadow was sprinkled with stray wild flowers and still, unconscious forms. Some faces were more familiar than others, and Shadow resisted the urge to kick the face of a certain hot-headed red echidna as he calmly stepped over his knocked-out figure.
The meadow he now stood in reminded him of a scene out of a fairy tale picture book that Maria had often read to him while he resided on space colony ARK. He didn't think that a place so unrealistically beautiful could actually be real.
Maria would have loved to see this.
That thought made his chest tighten and his mind darkened with bitterness, and he purposefully went out of his way to stomp on a flower, his scowl deepening as he watched the petals wilt and crush beneath his weight.
"Not fond of the scenery?" an all-too-familiar voice questioned mockingly from above, stealing Shadow's attention away from the ruined daisy and up towards the Egg Mobile that hovered above him. "I can hardly blame you. Those measly weeds only agitate my allergies."
Shadow raised an eye ridge, surprised that the doctor wasn't taking advantage of the unconscious states of the others to wreck havoc. But since the doctor was present and wasn't trying to dominate the world at the moment, Shadow decided to use it to his advantage.
"What have you done, doctor?" Shadow snapped his gloved fingers for effect, relishing the spark of chaos energy that sparked at his fingertips as he craned his head up to observe Eggman. "Where are we?"
Eggman held his hands up in a don't-hurt-me manner, chuckling nervously. "I can assure you, Shadow, that this incident was not my doing. I may have some answers, but if you want answers from the real culprit, then you'll have to ask him yourself." He gestured towards a gnarled tree that looked out of place planted in the center of the meadow, and Shadow bristled at the sight.
The Faker was slouched against the rough trunk of the tree, his head quills pushing his head slightly forwards. Unlike the others, he wasn't snoring, and his deep frown looked foreign and unnatural to his normally sunny countenance. If it wasn't for the rasping, shallow flutters of his chest, then Shadow would have thought that his rival was dead.
Flicking his calculating gaze away from the downed hedgehog and back towards Eggman, Shadow stated the obvious with finality, "I'm asking you, not the Faker."
"Your choice." Eggman shrugged his shoulders, relaxing as something from behind Shadow caught his attention. "But I'm sure they have questions as well." Eggman leered down at him, gesturing beyond Shadow as he grinned. "Plus, we don't want to spoil the surprise for the others, now do we?"
His quills tensing, Shadow swiveled around on his heels as an energetic voice chimed, "I love surprises!" Shadow inwardly groaned as a hyperactive bumblebee performed a few loops over his drowsy teammates. "Tell me, tell me, tell me! I can keep a secret!"
"Cut it out, Charmy!" The hulking crocodile swatted away the pesky bee, but the motion was sluggish and the bee simply dodged the blow. "You're gonna get dizzy if you keep that up!" The crocodile turned his attention towards Eggman. "So mind tellin' us what's the big idea with mailing us those invitations? We're detectives, not brawlers!"
Shadow frowned, baffled at the reptile's question. "Invitations?"
"Oh, hey, Shadow," Vector replied nonchalantly, as if just noticing him. "Ya didn't get invited? Ouch!" He grinned, flashing a toothy grin. "You're always the last to know about these things."
As if sensing his irritation, and wishing to cover up his teammate's brash comment, the third member of the Chaotix eyed Shadow with a mixture of respect and wariness, bowing his head in greeting. "Greetings, Shadow. I didn't expect to see you here."
Shadow tipped his head in acknowledgment to Espio, about to prod them for further information about the invitations, when an enraged shout blasted from behind them, the yell echoing around the vast expanse.
Shadow peered from around the Chaotix to see Knuckles stomping towards him, his meaty fists clenched at his sides as his violet eyes boiled with rage. Behind him cowered Tails, who was waging a staring contest with the ground, unable to look Shadow in the eye.
"I should've known that you two were behind this!" Knuckles snarled, waving a fist in their direction, although Shadow wasn't sure if he was threatening him or the doctor. "Where's the Master Emerald?"
"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Vector mumbled under his breath, Shadow barely catching the words. Then, conspicuous enough to make Shadow facepalm, Vector injected a false cheeriness into his boisterous voice and boomed, "What's up, Knuckles? Lovely day, isn't it?"
"Oh, it's dandy," Knuckles sneered dryly. "Just dandy! I was interrupted from my guarding and whisked to a sunny field, knocked out and unable to save the Maser Emerald. Then, I wake up to see these two conversing!" Knuckles raised a fist threateningly towards Eggman and him, and Shadow pulled his ears back in aggression, watching Knuckles' movements for an opening in case the echidna decided to lunge at him.
"Don't feel so bad. It's just a silly old rock anyways!" Charmy giggled, probably trying to lighten the mood, but that was one of the worst things he could have possibly said.
"How dare you speak of the Master Emerald like that!" Knuckles flared his nostrils, advancing forwards until he was jogging. "It's my responsibility to protect it, and I won't stand here and be insulted!"
"Kn-knuckles, stop!" Tails cried out, the kit swaying back and worth weakly. "Beating the answers out of others won't help our situation."
"Perhaps you should listen to the fox," Espio advised calmly, reaching an arm out to block Knuckles' path. "Deep breaths until the anger subsides. Don't do something you'll regret."
Knuckles paused in his tracks, the soft-spoken comment halting him. Knuckles hissed in frustration through his gritted teeth, his fists unclenching to hang lifelessly from his sides. Seeing the defeat that clouded the guardian's eyes, Shadow relaxed his stance, although he didn't take his eyes off Knuckles.
"Knuckles, there's something bigger at play than the Master Emerald." Tails staggered up to Knuckles' side, his terrified sapphire orbs blinking at Shadow as if silently pleading for his help as he whimpered, "Sonic won't wake up."
The Faker wouldn't wake up? That was news to Shadow, although he couldn't say he was surprised. If the emerald had exploded before Sonic had disposed of it, which Shadow highly suspected since Sonic wouldn't be logical enough to listen to his reasoning concerning the emerald, then the Faker would be out for a while.
"Of course he won't." Eggman chuckled lowly from above them, that comment making concerned eyes flood towards him. "His body is still healing itself. Surely you didn't think that explosion was a fluke?"
"Explosion?" Tails shook his head slowly, confusion and grief twisting his face up into a fearful grimace. "There wasn't an explosion. Amy and I were flying, and then...th-there was a static wave of some sort, and now we're here."
"There was an explosion," Espio corrected the confused kit, his eyes lowering. "Charmy thought it was a firework."
"BOOM!" Charmy slapped his palms together for effect, earning a startled yelp from Tails.
Knuckles knit his brow into a determined scowl, obviously enraged at the news of an explosion that had something to do with Sonic. "What did you do to him?" His voice rose in octave as he screamed, "What have you done to us? Why are we even here?"
Shadow could see movement from behind Knuckles, and his eyes locked onto two familiar figures. He sighed in relief to see Rouge and Omega, who were both strong enough to stand, although Rouge was masking a slight limp, leaning against Omega's towering frame for support.
Behind them, the others were beginning to stir and rise shakily to their feet. A lavender cat was angrily digging her toes into the grass, as if trying to drill through the world. A silver hedgehog was gazing blankly up at the sky, his whole countenance crumbling. A cream-colored rabbit was sobbing into her palms, hunched over on the ground. And in the middle of the chaos, Amy and the Faker continued to sleep.
"Since almost all of you are awake, perhaps I shouldn't withhold this information any longer, since there is no telling how long Sonic and Amy will slumber." Eggman twisted his mustache around his index finger, and Shadow knew that the doctor was reveling in the fact that he had information that no one else possessed.
"There is a simple explanation as to why you all are here." He paused for dramatic effect, his head swiveling to soak in the reaction of everyone who was present. All who were listening stopped breathing, and time came to a screeching halt.
The spell broke and everyone drew in a collective gasp at Eggman's next words, the condemning words oozing through his victorious smile, hope extinguishing at the mere thought.
"Because in your world, Sonic is dead."
No.
It couldn't be true. That blue moron had cheated death more times than he could count. He had stood up to the mightiest foes, trashed Eggman's robots without batting an eye, never failing to spread hope and promises of a safer world wherever he went.
He was foolish and footloose, a bit careless and impatient, but all of his good qualities easily overshadowed his negative. Death was a swift enemy, and it didn't pass over those who were young, innocent, free, and brave. But not Sonic. No, it couldn't be.
"No," Knuckles whispered, barely recognizing his own voice that cracked through the chilled air. His voice didn't crack from anger, but from a desperation, a thirst to prove that Eggman's claim was wrong. "No. No, no, no!"
"Prove it." Shadow's ominous voice wafted over the silence, and Knuckles couldn't tell if it was a plead or a demand.
"There's all the proof you need." Eggman waved over to the sleeping pair of hedgehogs, lying a few feet away from each other. "Both of them are still unconscious due to their injuries. Because, in the real timeline, both of them are dead." Eggman spat the last word with a twisted pleasure.
Knuckles squeezed his eyes shut. This was too much to process. First Sonic, and now Amy too? Sweet, compassionate Amy, who loved like there was nothing left to lose. What had happened to her?
"Shut up!" Knuckles stiffened, the venom that laced the fox's tone making a chill run down his spine. Tails was yanking fistfuls of fur from his fluffy bib that would soon be bald, throwing his head back. "I don't believe you!"
"Yes, you do." Eggman chuckled, lowering his voice as if sharing some inside joke with the fox. "You may believe that I'm lying about Sonic, but you know the truth about Amy."
"What is he talking about, Tails?" Knuckles nudged the kit with his elbow, but the fox wouldn't reply, his eyes snapping open wide as he shook his head mournfully, slamming his palms over his drooping ears to block out Eggman's toxic words.
"Allow me to enlighten you all." Eggman pounced on the opportunity joyously, and rage twisted up Knuckles' insides, making him want to punch the demented smile off Eggman's face. "To keep it short and sweet, the fox's plane malfunctioned and they crashed. Amy's harness got jammed, and Tails couldn't save her before they went, splat! Tails survived the crash, but Amy..."
"We've heard enough, so shut your fat mouth before I make you!" Knuckles threatened, ignoring the warning looks that the others shot him, obviously not wanting his temper to cloud his judgment. But how could they stand there and allow Eggman to berate Tails like this?
"Mister Sonic!" A high wail shrieked across the meadow, followed by an even louder cry for help. "Miss Amy!"
Knuckles didn't even bother wondering why Cream was here, movement from behind her catching his attention. Sonic had slumped further down until his head lolled forwards and he face-planted at the base of the tree trunk. Knuckles wasn't sure why Cream was so alarmed and he was about to comfort Tails with the fact that Sonic was beginning to stir, but then he stopped short.
Sonic was lying on his stomach, his body writhing in agony as he convulsed, his limbs twitching and his back arching. He swung his concerned gaze towards Amy, who was experiencing similar convulsions, although hers didn't look as serious.
Not waiting another moment, Knuckles barreled forwards, shoving others aside in his haste to reach his friends. He slid to his knees, the momentum carrying him straight towards Sonic. One spiked mitt reached out, fully enveloping the twitching hero's hand in a bone-crushing grip.
"Hang on, Sonic." Knuckles swallowed thickly. Comforting others wasn't his forte, and he wasn't even sure if Sonic could hear him. Physically, the hedgehog didn't look injured, but perhaps Eggman had been right. Was Sonic's system collapsing because of how much energy it took to heal himself?
"...nugghh-Tails? Is that you?" a feeble, feminine voice rasped, stealing Knuckles' attention away from Sonic. Tails sat with his legs folded under his body, Amy's head resting in his lap. Silver was crouched by Tails' side, offering assistance.
"Yeah, it's me." Tails sniffed. "Are you okay?"
"I think so, but I have a feeling you don't think I am since you keep staring at me." Amy tried to sit up, but she hissed and clutched her head, falling back into Tails' lap. "That's what I deserve for getting my beauty sleep."
A grim smile stretched across Knuckles' muzzle, but he was quick to stifle it, turning back towards the blue hero as he shuddered as the convulsions halted, his body collapsing limply. His eyes were twitching, and Knuckles wondered what nightmare was being played behind those screwed eyelids.
And then Sonic spoke, but it was panicked and frantic. "N-no, you can't! I won't let you!" Sonic gasped, his whole body wracked with shudders and his voice chipped with emotion. "Don't touch him, or I swear I'll kill you!"
"Sonic?" Amy wheezed weakly, sneaking a glance out of the corner of her eye. "Knuckles, what's wrong?"
Knuckles ignored her, his attention fully directed on Sonic. It could be a nightmare, or was he having a vision? But he had never heard Sonic sound so hateful and vengeful, and he rarely threatened people. Whatever was going on inside of his mind, it needed to be stopped.
A crowd had formed a semi-circle around them, but Knuckles ignored them, jabbing Sonic's shoulder. "Wake up, Sonic." That only succeeded in getting Sonic to squirm, trying to wrench his hand away from Knuckles' grasp.
"It's me, Sonic," Knuckles tried again. "What you're seeing isn't real. You need to wake up now." The sentence had barely left Knuckles' mouth, and Sonic stiffened, his eyes easing open, blinking blankly up at him.
"Hey, glad you're awake and in one piece," Knuckles stated, uncomfortable at the attention he was receiving and the blank stare that Sonic sent him. It was like he was a deer in the headlights, disoriented and confused.
No, that wasn't the stare of a confused animal. It was the glare of a trapped animal.
His surprised shout shattered against his lips as fingers locked around his throat, crushing his windpipe. It must be a strange sight to behold, since he was still holding Sonic's one hand. Knuckles' other hand was free, however, and he reached up and snagged Sonic's wrist, trying to loosen his hold against his throat.
"It's me...Knuckles!" He wheezed, black spots beginning to float in his vision. "Let me go!"
Sonic stared as if he had never seen him before in his whole life, and tightened his hold, hardened emerald eyes clashing against vibrant violets. His expression stayed blank as he mercilessly continued to stifle Knuckles' oxygen supply. Voices echoed around him, but they sounded distorted against the pounding in his head.
"What do we do?"
"Knuckles' face is redder than a tomato!"
"We're all gonna die!"
The solution came in a jolt of energy that slammed against the tree, straight between Sonic's ears. The blast carved a clean pierce through the tree, and Knuckles swore that some of his dreadlocks had been fried from the closeness of the bolt.
Distracted by the bolt, Sonic and Knuckles were both umprepared for the punch that snapped Sonic's head to the side, his grip around Knuckles' throat springing away as he pitched to the side. Knuckles caught him by the elbow, narrowing his eyes at a crouched Shadow.
"Was that really necessary?" Knuckles hauled Sonic back into a sitting position.
"Would you have preferred the alternative?" Shadow countered, extinguishing the spark of chaos energy that spat from his fingertips.
Knuckles didn't reply, trying to staunch the thin river of blood that trailed from Sonic's nose, courtesy of Shadow's fist. Sonic groaned, the empty film fading from his eyes as he blinked at Knuckles, smiling weakly as realization dawned on him.
"Hey, Knux."
"Sonic," Knuckles spit out, not sure if the hedgehog recalled what had taken place moments before. It appeared like Sonic didn't remember it, so Knuckles wasn't about to bring it up.
"Didn't realize that watching someone sleep was so entertaining to you all," Sonic quipped, flashing a smirk as he leaped nimbly to his feet. He pitched forwards, almost falling face-first before he caught himself, leaning forwards to regain his balance. "Augh, stood up too quickly!"
"Well, well, well, what a happy reunion!" Eggman hovered over them, clapping his hands together in mock celebration. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Sonic."
There was a double meaning behind his statement, but Sonic didn't seem to pick up on it, yawning and cracking his back. He leaned over to pluck a flower, sniffing it delicately. "Nice place. Mind telling us where we are?"
"I was hoping you would ask me that." The Egg Mobile's engine sputtered as Eggman explained, "It's all rather complicated, but I'll start from the beginning. I wrote out thirteen invitations, inviting each one of you to participate in a little tournament, just for fun. Not all of you received your invitations, but the winner was supposed to get a chaos emerald."
"Why didn't you just say so, Eggy?" Rouge groaned, facepalming. To think I stuffed myself into that vent for hours when I could have just entered this tournament!"
Eggman ignored Rouge's complaint. "At the same time that the invitations were being delivered, a certain blue hedgehog decided to be bold and swipe the chaos emerald from my base. But, unknown to him, it was a fake, explosive emerald." Eggman paused, as if waiting for group participation.
"And then he went BOOM!" Charmy spread his arms wide for effect, much to the displeasure of his teammates, who were quick to hush the child by slapping a palm over his mouth and restraining him.
"Exactly." Eggman nodded towards the bee. "Sonic dies, and everyone is sad and depressed. Except, that isn't what happens. As soon as Sonic blew up, the timeline fractured, creating this fake timeline that we are all existing in right now. For future reference, I'm going to call the real timeline the Alpha Timeline, and this false timeline that we are existing in now will be known as the Omega Timeline." Eggman paused, looking fearfully over to Omega. "Not to be confused with the robot, of course."
"So, what's happening in the err...Alpha Timeline?" Vector scratched the back of his head. "Are there two versions of us, or did everything in the real timeline get destroyed?"
"Oh, that's the juicy part. You see, there are two versions of you, one existing in this timeline and the other existing in the real timeline. But in the real timeline, your version is quite different, because in the real timeline, Sonic is dead." Eggman chuckled darkly. "In the real timeline, life continues after Sonic's death. Spoiler alert: most of you will die in the real timeline. No Sonic equals no security."
Knuckles crossed his arms over his chest, not surprised at the cocky smirk that split across Sonic's lips. He treated this like it was a harmless game and Eggman's words didn't have any control over his life. Considering the fact that he had just been told that he had died in the real timeline, Sonic was holding up quite well.
"I don't wanna go back to the real timeline." Amy gnawed her bottom lip. "What's the point in living in a world without Sonic?"
Knuckles lowered his eyes, already knowing what Eggman was about to say, since Amy was absent from most of the conversation. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, because you already died in the Alpha timeline."
"What?" Amy scowled up at him, but then a slog of realization crawled across her features. "Oh." Her eyelids drooped as she whispered, "The airplane crash."
"But now we encounter a problem, because not everyone can stay in this timeline. If you direct your attention over to the left, you'll notice the poisonous purple fog that is gathering over the horizon. This timeline can only support a few individuals, so the rest must be eliminated, which brings it back to the invitations I sent." Eggman shrugged. "This timeline is a simple arena, fashioned by myself. But instead of fighting over a chaos emerald, you'll be fighting for your life."
He allowed the news to sink in, everyone exchanging glances. It was finally Silver who spoke, clearing his voice as he asked, "You said this timeline can only support a certain number of people. How many?"
"If my calculations are correct, then I think seven, including myself in that number."
"What happens if we die in this timeline?" Blaze, who had been silent and aloof this whole time, spoke up, curling her tail around herself.
"Then you will return to the real timeline, and continue living your life in a Sonic-free world. As I mentioned before, most of you will die in the real timeline, so if you die in this timeline and in the real timeline, then I suppose you truly are dead."
"What's the point of surviving in this timeline then?" Amy asked. "If Sonic's dead in real timeline, then why would I want to live there?"
"That's the catch. After most of you are eliminated in the arena and only six remain, those six can go back in time and try to stop Sonic from blowing up himself. If they succeed, then this timeline will be erased and we'll be back to normal in the real timeline." Eggman paused. "Does anyone have any objections to participating in the arena?"
"I don't like this, but if we get a chance to restore the real timeline, then it's worth a shot," Sonic shrugged. "Assuming your telling the truth, of course."
"Then, before we begin, I have one last proposal. Since the six survivors of the arena will be going back in time to rescue the real timeline, then I suggest you all select the six strongest among you now. That way, you can protect the strongest since they'll have the highest chance for success with saving the timeline."
"Isn't that like elevating some people's lives over others?" Tails questioned.
"It's strategizing. Don't you want to make sure that the future of the timeline rests in good hands?"
"Of course I do," Tails muttered under his breath. "But still..."
"Then it's settled. It's up to you all to decided who is worthy enough to be an Unexpendable."
Eggman faded into the background, and Knuckles clicked his tongue in disgust. The name Unexpendables made it sound even worse, like most of the lives here were expendable, except for the lucky six.
"Well, it's obvious Sonic should be one of them," Amy began, twirling a pinky around her rosy locks. "Any objections?"
When silence only met her, Sonic smiled weakly. "Thanks, guys. Although I don't like the idea of this Unexpendables business, I promise I'll fix this. None of you are expendable...I just wish it didn't have to boil down to this."
"No, you gotta stand over here so we can all see you." Amy ignored Sonic's speech, grabbing him by his forearm and dragging him over to stand at the front of the crowd. "Hm, who else?"
"I don't think the children should be considered expendable." Sonic frowned. "So that would involve Cream, Charmy, and Tails."
"That's already four spots taken up!" Vector grumbled.
"This isn't about you, Vector," Espio chastised. "At least Charmy is offered protection."
"I'm not a kid, Sonic." Tails informed as he trotted up to Sonic's side, his ears drooping although it was obvious he was grateful to be one of the six.
"Two slots left, I see," Vector began, stating the obvious. "It looks like you need a powerhouse. Too much scrawniness and not enough muscle. Throw in some charm and good looks, and you've got the dream team."
"Good idea, Vector." Sonic nodded. "What about Knuckles?"
Vector facepalmed. "I wasn't talking about that knucklehead! I was talking about me!"
Knuckles grinned, about to making his way up towards the four, but Sonic furrowed his brow, someone in the crowd catching his attention. Deflating, Knuckles paused, wondering who had stolen his spot.
"Silver, you have to save the future, right?" Sonic asked the ivory hedgehog.
Silver nodded miserably. "Yes, but just before I was stolen from my world, there wasn't any future to protect. If things turn sour, I'm afraid there will be no future for any of us."
"Then we'll make sure that never happens." Sonic beckoned him forwards. "But we need your skills and your the only one who can keep the future safe."
Sonic's eyes skimmed the crowd that remained, and Knuckles waited halfway between the crowd and the assembled five, ready to take a step forwards when Sonic's gaze landed on him, and passed over him, locking on an ebony hedgehog instead.
"I nominate Shadow," Sonic finally stated, fully aware of the uproar that would cause.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Knuckles spat. "He's only tried to kill you multiple times, and he's killed people and tried to destroy a whole planet!" Knuckles sucked in a pained gasp of air. "I've been by your side faithfully, and this is what I get?" He wasn't intimidated by the venomous glare Shadow shot him, adding, "Don't give me that scary look, because it's not helping your case."
"I know you want to be with them, Knuckles, and I do to." Amy sighed blissfully, her shoulders slumping. "I've been by Sonic's side too. But the timeline is at stake, and we need Shadow, whether you like it or not. He's helped Sonic before, and I trust him to do the right thing."
Knuckles paused, feeling foolish for speaking out when he had forgotten that Amy had not be selected despite her loyalty and dedication.
"Shadow only did the right thing because you convinced him. If it wasn't for you, then the planet would be gone. You should be up there, not Shadow."
"Oh please, it wasn't that noble." Amy waved him away dismissively, giggling. "So I guess we have our six."
Knuckles' shoulders slumped, and he turned away in dejection, only to see a lavender cat swivel away angrily, her tail twitching in agitation. She wasn't the only one who was upset about the whole Unexpendables thing.
Knitting his eyes into a scowl, he glared daggers at Silver and Shadow. "I vow to sacrifice myself for these four, but I don't trust either one of you." He paused, allowing his words to sink in and receiving a surge of victory when Silver backstepped. "So I'd sleep with one eye open tonight if I were you."
"Then it's a good thing I don't sleep," Shadow countered, Knuckles' fists itching to punch that stupid smirk off his smug face.
"Well it looks like everything is falling into place." Eggman popped out of the shadows. "All of you form a circle around the center of the meadow and then we'lI begin." His voice dropped a haunting octave as he whispered, "Welcome to Chaos Arena."
Ain't gonna lie guys...this chap was a monster to write. I didn't have much time to write this week, and when I did, it was hard to write this chap, probably due to the lack of action and the amount of info I had to pump into it concerning the real timeline. I know this whole timeline thingy might be confusing, but hopefully it was explained well enough that ya get the gist. So the six Unexpendables are selected, but do you think they'll be the six that survive? We'll enter the arena in the next chap, and that's when action and angst will reach its peak. Stay tuned peeps!