"But… I don't want to be a queen…"
"Well, mother certainly can't be queen forever… Why do you worry, about something that will happen in such a distant future?"
"...Why can't mother simply, pick someone else…?"
"...I know a lot is weighing on you… And everything can seem, big, at first… Not only are you heir to the throne, but an ember, by birth-"
"I am not."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"I still don't have any, 'grand' abilities… like you, or mother…"
"I told you, there is a time for everything-"
"But, what if I'm really not…? What if… the both of you, is all that is left…?"
"We won't be. Because, you'll always carry-"
"The future of the embers-you keep telling me that… Father, look at me… I can't carry something I don't even have…"
"...You really believe that, do you...? Do you know, that jewel? In your forehead?"
"...This?"
"Not only a symbol, of a true ember… but also, a legacy, we carry... It owns your essence… but also, hope… Which, can be passed on to others."
"...What, do you mean?"
"Well, mother and I were planning to tell you this when you'd turn older, but-"
"What is it?"
"Fine, I'll tell… 'If', you promise you will become a queen when the time comes-"
"Not fair."
"I jest… But, do promise me something..."
"...Father?"
"You must, keep it a secret… Understand?"
"I promise-"
"You cannot tell anyone... This, is for you, alone…"
"...All right…"
"...You've been given the title of ember by birth. That much you know… But… such title, can also be passed on."
"...Passed, on…?"
"Yes… There will be a time, when you'll have to choose someone worthy. Someone, who'll keep the gems safe, from corrupt eyes. And care for the people of this kingdom, with their life… Not only so that the lineage can continue, but, so that hope can still prevail, in such uncertain times… We know, you'll choose wisely."
"...I… didn't, know…"
"There is still so much you don't know… But I promise, I'll show you. One day."
"...All right… But, if that is true, then-"
"Mother can't choose someone else to be queen, because we already did… My dear… Do you know why, it'll be you?"
"...Because… I'm, the sole heir-"
" No, silly... Listen... A kingdom is always defined, by the heart of its ruler… It can stand strong, or be easily swayed. But your heart, is nothing but beautiful, Blaze… And mother and I know, that you will do beautiful things."
"...Do you think so…?"
"I know so, my dear… Well, would you look at the time. Why don't we join your mother for supper?"
XV. Broken Sword
=Shadow the Hedgehog=
"Miles, how long until we reach the threshold?"
"##I'm, not sure. Traveling through this field is jamming everything.##"
"...How sure are you that this thing will work-"
"##It will, Shadow. I'm sure of it.##"
We flew fast through some sort of, "dimensional field". We were surrounded by nothing but strangely colored fog, while energy in the form of lightning would strike past us every so often, causing everything to slightly shake. I sat right behind Rose in the back cockpit, while Knuckles and Miles would sit ahead of us. Apparently, they needed access to the doctor's previous base in order to shed some light on Sonic's disappearance. I took care of the paperwok just as long as I'd supervise and lead the search along with Miles. He managed to study the doctor's research on his new work, and quickly found out that the machine was damaged during their fight. From the footage Rogue managed to pull, somehow, chaos control was induced. Things stack up one after another, and Sonic pays the price. Luckily for him, his comms has pinged his location ever since. Now, using the emeralds as a way to travel to other worlds would only cause more problems. However, instead of linking them straight to the aircraft, Miles charged an external power supply with nothing but pure chaos energy, implementing Eggman's work while creating a device mounted to the aircraft, which forced a rift in the hopes of getting answers regarding Sonic's whereabouts…
"##...I hope he's doing alright.##" Miles worried.
"##You kidding, Miles? He's probably out there, having the time of his life.##"
Rose and I chuckled at Knuckles' response.
"He's right," I agreed. "Sonic just can't help making the most out of everything."
" ##Right,## " Miles responded. "## Wait… I'm, picking up something... Shadow, be on the lookout. You're our eyes on this one. ##"
"What am I sensing for, exactly?"
" ##I, wish I could say, but I don't even know what to tell you. Whatever it is, it should bring us to the Sol Dimension. So it might feel, unfamiliar?## "
"...Copy."
"You got this," Rose cheered, looking over her seat.
I wasn't too encouraged to find anything. We were flying in blind, to the point that I could barely see the wings beside us due to the fog. Yet, I carefully paid attention to my surroundings, trying to spot any slight sign of irregularity. And after moments, I did... It grew distant… Away from us... We were off course.
"...Bank right."
Miles immediately angled us until I signaled him.
"## What did you find? ##" Knuckles asked.
"I'm not sure, but… Keep this heading. We should be there soon."
"## ...That's weird… I, don't feel anything. ##"
"## Wait, I think I see it, ##" Miles said, raising his head.
A faint light sat in front of us, clouded by the fog. Growing brighter the closer we got to it.
"Tails, be careful," Rose warned.
"She's right... I can't tell what waits for us on the other side."
We braced, and soon, we would slowly be engulfed with blinding light and loud noise. For moments, everything started to shake. All sorts of alarms went off, and it felt as if we were spinning out of control. But out of a sudden, we passed through it and into a different scenery, as if nothing ever happened.
Miles straightened us after our arrival, and leveled the wings. I had to give credit where it was due. I didn't know this was possible, at all. And let alone done in over a month. Yet, he had went against all odds. We found ourselves, in a completely different world, covered in clear skies and mountains below.
We started to circle the jet around, looking for anything that could tell us exactly where we were.
"That smoke…" Rose muttered.
We noticed a giant dark cloud coming from not too far.
"...Miles. Down below," I said, as we held on to the side while he angled us for a better view.
"## Look at that… What in the world happened here? ##" said Knuckles, as he looked down to what appeared to be some sort of downed airship.
"That damage…"
Instead of damage from an all-out attack, the damage was all concentrated in one single spot: the bottom of the ship. And the wrecked metal was drastically bent inside out… Sabotage.
"Looks like it came from the inside-"
I stopped talking, at a sight that would catch all of us off guard. A familiar symbol, imprinted on the side of the ship…
"## Miles? ##" Knuckles asked, confused.
I couldn't blame him… Eggman? Here…? He was being held back at HQ. Or so I thought.
"## Don't worry. I know what you're thinking… In simpler terms, this world's pretty much a mirror of ours. So, where there is an Eggman back at home- ##"
"…There's an Eggman here."
"## Eggman Nega… And like I said, Blaze's pretty much the 'Sonic' of this world. A princess of high royalty, actually- ##"
Both me and Knuckles got hit with a wave of sharp pain consuming our heads…
"Shadow? Knuckles?! What's wrong?!" Rose yelled.
"I… What, is this… Knuckles?!"
"## I feel it too, ##" Knuckles responded.
We quickly looked around us, just to find nothing but what seemed like a huge settlement in the distance. Both of us could feel it, weighing on us. But it was so overwhelming, I couldn't tell where the source was.
"Miles, turn us around."
"## Alright, hold on, ##" Miles said as we turned to the left and started descending.
We continued flying, when suddenly, I heard a gasp coming from Miles.
"Miles, Knuckles. What's going on?"
"## N-No… ##"
"Miles, what's wrong? What do you see?" Rose tried to talk to him, but he couldn't speak clearly.
Yet, we kept closing in on whatever was ahead of us. It felt… wrong. Overpowered. Enough for me to see it as a threat.
"I need you to listen to me. Slow us down."
"## W-What- ##"
"Just do it."
He brought the speed down enough for me to open the canopy, and step outside. Rose, however, objected.
"S-Shadow?!" she yelled, as I closed it back up. "## What are you doing?! ##"
"Stay in here, alright?!" I talked to her over the comms against the loud wind.
I stood up, and looked forward. Soon noticing a fight taking place in front of us, at a speed too fast to see clearly. It was some sort of knight. Heavily armored, and exchanging blows with a hedgehog; the source of that energy. The fact that he was able to contain such power within him… It was even flowing away from its body in a dark mist, tainting its skin. Miles circled them, maintaining our distance. I couldn't believe it at first, but…
"Knuckles…?!" I said over the wind.
"## Yeah… That's him. ##"
"What do you mean that's Sonic?! What's wrong with him?!"
"## ...Over the years, he's been exposed to dark energy, in many ways, ##" Miles explained.
"Why didn't I know this?!"
"## Because he, didn't want everyone to worry… It's not, something he can take hold of. ##"
"...That careless idiot-"
"## That's not the point. Shadow, that isn't Sonic anymore. The longer he's in that state, the harder it'll be to bring him back... We have to help him. And fast. ##"
"How?!"
"## ...I-I… ##"
"Prower!"
"##I don't know! I don't, know… For so long, I've tried helping him, but…##"
"...I'm going after him!"
"## Shadow, whatever you got in mind, he won't listen, ##" Knuckles argued. "## You're thinking of fighting him, aren't you? ##"
"...I will if I have to!"
Rose spoke to me, "## Shadow, listen to me… That's, not him. He's going to go all out… Let's just, wait until they- ##"
"Rose… You knew too…?! …Did he ever-"
"## No! Never. He has never hurt us… But, as for the rest… ##"
"...Miles! We're wasting time, and you know I can't just sit here…!"
"## ...Alright. ##"
"…Keep circling around for support!" I yelled as I crouched at the edge of the wing. "...Trust me!"
Miles nodded at me, and I stood up, letting the winds take me. I headed straight down at them as they clashed against each other… If Sonic was in that state, things were bound to be serious. I could only wonder what had brought him to this, as I rapidly cut through the skies.
"Chaos…"
I carefully aimed at both of them, waiting for the right moment…
"...Spear!"
In a swift move, I sent as many spears as I could, filling the skies with them. They curved and sliced through the clouds, soon hitting their targets and sending them toward the ground. I followed right after Sonic, who fell against trees and into a field, and landed right next to him, while he tried to stand up.
"Sonic…! Tell me what's going o-"
He appeared right in front of me, and hit me… I took a step back.
"…What are you doing here…?"
"…Sonic…? …What, happened to you…?"
He stood there, silent, and staring right at me. Just to turn around and continue on his way.
"...Stay away from this."
"Who are you fighting-"
"You lay one single finger on him and I'll-"
Miles and the rest quickly flew above us with a loud roar, grabbing his attention.
"…Miles…"
"...We've been looking for you for a long time. Everyone has," I said, as I approached him. He slowly calmed down, his tainted aura beginning to dissipate. "...Sonic. We don't know what is going on here. But from the looks of it, it can't be anything good." His blue slowly started to show again. "We can help you… But, we need you, to cooperate." He got on one knee, and seemed as if he was struggling with himself. "Look… just, tell me what's happening he-"
Suddenly, I felt something appear near us. It was that knight again. It flew straight at us from above, but we both saw it coming in time and jumped away. It landed, crushing the ground below. Sonic turned to it, slowly losing himself again.
"Bringing more friends?" the knight mocked.
"Your fight is with me, Nega."
"Sonic!" I called out to him, just for their fight to continue in front of me.
I went after them, as they exchanged blows throughout the woods and left a path of nothing but destruction. Wood and bark flew all over, but I managed to follow them through. I ran close enough to them, just to notice something. The energy that knight possessed wasn't being generated by him. It was something else, entirely. And then, I noticed them. Gems, shining across its shoulders and arms. I remembered what Miles said then, and if what he said was true, then that fight had to end.
I watched, and waited for the perfect chance to take them away…
"Wha-"
"Get. Away."
Only for Sonic to appear right in front of me. And without moving a finger, he sent me flying against the woods. I hit the ground, scurrying to get back up. They weren't that far from where I landed, but before I shot myself right back at them, I sensed something else coming in close. And fast. I quickly turned, spear in hand.
"S-Shadow!"
"Silver...?! What, are you doing here?"
"Good to see you too."
He landed right in front of me, and began to brief me.
"From the looks of it, you already met Nega… and, Sonic."
"What's going on?"
"Long story short, Nega is after the gems of this world… He's, gotten a lot of people hurt... They're safe for now, but Sonic's… He's… He's been like that, ever since… I-I've, never seen him like that before."
"...That knight, is the 'Eggman' of this dimension?"
"Right."
"Nega…"
"Shadow. Do you know what's going on with Sonic?"
"...He won't let me help him, let alone get close. But, the longer he's in that state, the bigger the chances are of him not coming back. We have to stop them both."
"I understand. What's the plan?"
"Hold off the doctor, see what you can do about those gems… I'll take care of him."
"Alright, hold on."
Their fight continued high above us, while Miles followed them, keeping a distance. Silver lifted me off the ground, and flew us straight at them. We remained above them, and immediately gained their attention. As soon as they did, Silver threw me at Sonic as fast as he could, while I tackled him toward the ground, rolling off of him to save my fall as he crashed into the dirt below. I stood up, and walked towards the mess, just to find nothing, but just as I turned, I met him face to face.
He swung at me, but I ducked in response and moved away. I sent spears right at him, but as soon as I looked, he wasn't there anymore. I got hit from behind. Then from the front. The sides. It didn't matter if I'd turned to expect him, or moved to evade. Yet all he did, was stand in front of me and watch. His movements were unpredictable, and erratic; I had to make an opening of my own. I threw another spear in his general direction, just to swing my leg right behind me. As expected, I landed a blow and sent him sideways. I shot myself right at him and pinned him against the ground, holding his wrists.
He didn't even try to struggle away.
"I don't, w-want to fight you!"
"Then don't get in my way."
With minimum effort, he lifted his arms and punched me away from him. I rolled over to the ground and quickly recovered. The moment I looked up, he was already grabbing my neck and throwing me against a tree.
"...fine…"
I stood up, and quickly reached for the ring on my left wrist. But he had already appeared right beside me, pulling my arm away.
"Sonic, you're, ngh! Better than this!"
I sent a punch, just for him to hold my fist in place. I kicked him twice on his side, leaving him unfazed, then tried to reach for the ring on my right wrist with my teeth, but received a hit across my face instead. After a headbutt and a kick to my chest, I was sent backwards, sliding against the grass.
"Go back, Shadow-"
"This isn't you!" I yelled, standing back up.
"And why do you care...?"
Sonic immediately stopped, turning away from me.
"Whatever this Eggman is plotting, we can stop him-"
"No ... Nega's mine-"
"If this 'Nega' is somehow threatening our world in 'any' way, fighting each other like this won't get us anywhere… You can try and stop me if you want," I said as I walked past him. "But I have a job to-"
He held onto my arm. Tight.
"...I don't think you heard m-guh!""
I punched him, square in the stomach. He stood on one knee in front of me, struggling for breath, and as I left him, I looked at him, taking a deep breath... There was only one reason for him to go as far as he did that day...
"…You're… You're, making the same mistakes, I did," I calmly spoke to him, trying my best to reach him. "Sonic... I know, people got hurt… But, would they be proud, seeing you like this?"
"Nghh!"
He dashed right at me, pinning me against a tree.
His fist remained still inches from me, but as he looked down straight at the grass, his breathing quickened as his grip on my shoulder tightened. I braced, ready for whatever he was going to do next, but nothing prepared me for what he did moments later. While I slowly tried to reach for the ring on my wrist, he started to… sob. Right in front of me. I stood there, panting as he looked at his hands, covering his eyes with them. Trembling, and holding his head as if trying to keep himself together. Slowly, his knees hit the ground, and his head right after. I stared at him as he unraveled, completely speechless. I, didn't know what to do.
His appearance was slowly turning back. But I had never, seen him like that before. He hugged himself tight, heaving on the ground... Sonic punched the dirt with all he had, right beside my leg, and slowly lifted his head to look at me. And when I was able to see his face, so distorted in pain, I finally understood… I knew those eyes, very well. Eyes filled with nothing, but loss.
"...Sonic-"
"E-Everything, hurts… so much ... I-I don't know, what to do…"
He slightly held my wrist, and looked up to me on his knees.
"…I want her back."
He clung onto my arm, and pulled me down. The moment I slowly sat on one knee, his head was already buried on my shoulder. I, was unsure on what to do other than to watch him; I knew all too well how he felt. Yet all I could do, was place a hand on him. And, if I were to be honest with myself, it pained me. Leaving him in silence, trembling against me as he completely broke apart…
Time passed and dragged on, sitting under the fight above us. Silver and Miles danced through the skies in pursuit of the doctor, unaware of an even more dreadful fight, right against me. A fight, so familiar to me. But, not for him. In that clearing, once our fighting grounds, I remained there, holding Sonic as he poured out his grief. It was a side of him I had never thought I would ever see – vulnerable, shattered, and burdened.
When he calmed down, I spoke to him…
"...When, I lost Maria… the pain came, only after recovering my memories… It's ironic… 'The ultimate lifeform'... For so long, I've been told I was designed to be a symbol of 'hope' for everyone… Yet, I couldn't even speak, or act, for something I didn't even have. The only thing, that kept me going, was that promise she asked me to keep… To protect those who couldn't watch over themselves. Even those, who took her away… I'd find myself, in conflict, sometimes at first. But, all those years the doctor spent on me. All her dreams, aspirations. Her trust, on me… I couldn't just, let it go all in vain… I can't. I won't… I carry them with me, wherever I go… That's what I decided to do... What about you…? What will you do?"