-Chapter 301-
The Deepest Fear Resurfaced
Party Barge
On another part of the ship, Keith, Shadow, and Hope were sitting around as Tangle fished, using her tail as a rod for her lobster box, happily singing to herself as she kicked her feet.
"We were at a party / His earlobe fell in the deep / Someone reached in and grabbed it / It was a rock lobster!"
Keith sighed as Tangle hummed her song.
"Hey guys, how long have we been sitting here?" he asked.
"Too long," Shadow replied.
"I lost track after the third song loop," Hope added.
"Don't worry, guys!" Tangle said. "Any minute now, we're gonna be swimming in sweet, succulent shellfish soaked in melted better and lemon juice! Just you wait!"
"Agh! Dammit Tangle!" Keith shouted in exasperation. "For the last time, lobsters aren't this far out at sea!"
"What!? Yes, they are!" the lemur protested.
"No, they're not."
"Yes, they are."
"No, they're not."
"Yes, they are! I saw it on TV, so I know for a fact they are!"
"Uhhh…Tangle," Hope began. "Where exactly on TV did you hear that from?"
" The Little Merhog , of course."
Everyone paused as they gaped at Tangle. Both for the stupidly, proud, confident tone of her voice, the look on her face, and of her answer.
"You're kidding, right" Keith asked in disbelief.
"You have to be kidding, right?" Shadow repeated in disbelief.
"You are kidding….right?" Hope repeated again, in disbelief.
"It's true!" Tangle replied vehemently. "Lobsters can swim around freely, just like any other fish in the sea! How else was Zigmund able to move during his big song? Duuuuuuh!"
Shadow's expression turned blank as he sputtered incoherently, a small stream of blood trickling from his nose.
"You alright there, Shadow?" Tangle asked.
"Y-Yes…" Shadow said as he wiped his face off. "Just…Just an aneurysm out of sheer stupidity."
"Wow…" Tangle replied as she went back to her fishing. "Didn't think you were that stupid, Shadow."
In that instant, a furious scream echoed through Shadow's head, his expression turning into what could only be described as a "meme face". His eyes opened wide as he frowned a frown so big and deep, he was practically sucking on his upper lip (1). He raised his hand, the budding embers of a Chaos Spear forming in his palm; only for Hope to put a hand down on his arm, shaking her head.
"You know what?" Shadow sighed as he dispelled his spear. "I'm done. You wanna spend the whole trip waiting around here, be my guest."
He got up from his seat. "Hope? Keith?"
"Coming!" Hope called out.
"Right behind you," Keith added.
"Eh? Guys wait, c'mon! Don't go!" Tangle called out.
"Sorry Tangle," Hope said. "But…you're on your own for this."
And with that, they sped away, leaving Tangle all alone.
"Awwww…" the lemur groaned despondently. "Ah well! More lobster for me!"
With that, Tangle went back to singing her song as thoughts of shellfish danced through her head. She didn't have to wait long, however, as she felt a sharp tug on her tail.
"I got one!"
She eagerly reeled in her elongated appendage, pulling it and the lobster boxes out of the water. Setting them down, she noticed one of them was rapidly wobbling and hopping about.
"Oooh, we got a fighter!" Tangle said ecstatically. "The tastiest kind."
With that she opened the cage…
"Okay, little buddy, come to mama…"
"Dear Aurora…" Shadow groaned as he threw his arms up in frustration. "I can't believe we spent fifteen minutes…doing that!"
"Yeah…" Hope said. "When we get back, we might wanna sit down and talk with the Colonel about Tangle's education."
"Agreed," Keith concurred. "Good grief, I need a drink. Anyone want a Chao Cola?"
"Please!" Hope shouted.
As the trio prepared to head back to the bow, Shadow suddenly stopped, his ears flicking.
"What the…?" He looked over his shoulder.
"Shadow, what's up?" Hope asked.
Shadow looked around for a moment. First up, then to the side, then down.
"Shadow?" Keith said. "Hey Shadow, what are you looking at?"
"The deck," the edgehog replied. "It's wet."
The two human children blinked at that.
"Well, yeah, of course it's wet," Keith said. "We've been fishing on a boat in the middle of the ocean ."
"Not in this area," Shadow pointed out. "Plus, look at the water."
Shadow pointed to the deck. Sure enough, the area was wet. Specifically, the area they had just walked through…while they were completely dry.
"Uh-oh…" Keith let out.
"Get behind me, both of you," Shadow ordered as he conjured a Chaos Spear. "We're not alone."
The kids tensed, quickly doing as they were told as Shadow watched for anything suspicious. For the next few seconds, there was nothing. Nothing but the ground of the soft roar of the ocean, the incessant cawing and squawking of the birds, and the occasional 'splash-kerplunk' of a fish leaping from and back into the water.
Splash…kerplunk! Splash…kerplunk! Splash-kerplunk. Splish!
"There!" Shadow shouted, thrusting his spear forward at what appeared to be thin air. But as the energy lance reached the zenith of its thrust, it let out a quick, but lingering flash, causing the air around it to glow…in the shape of a humanoid figure. The unseen figure's frame rippled and shimmered for a few seconds as they leapt backward, landing on its feet and sliding back a few inches, as indicated by the splashing sound and ripples on the deck.
"Found you!" Shadow cried out as he charged forward. He moved quickly, holding his arm out to the side and pulling it back as he prepared to deliver a powerful clothesline. But as soon as he'd got close enough, the invisible attacker shifted to the side, causing him to miss and strike at nothing.
"Huh?" Shadow let out, only to find his body seemingly moving on its own as the figure grabbed him by the arm. The figure pulled him in close, so they were practically cheek to cheek. The figure then proceeded to break out into a tango, using the hapless hedgehog as his partner.
"What…is this?" he asked himself, only for the figure to suddenly get him into a submission hold and him to the deck.
"Shadow!" Hope cried out.
"Get away from him!" Keith shouted.
The kids ran to Shadow's aid…
"Stop."
Only to stop at his invisible assailant's command. The figure's voice was soft, but cold, like the ocean on a peaceful day. Serene and tranquil at a glance, but with danger lurking just below the surface.
"You so much as take one more step. Hell, if you so much as breathe wrong, the black hedgehog dies."
Shadow let out a pained grunt as he attempted to break free of his attacker's grip, only to find something right against his neck. Something cold, yet warming at the same time. Something pointed. The two teens couldn't see it, but they could see how Shadow's skin was pressed by something, making the threat painfully clear. Seeing no other option, Hope and Keith stood there.
"Who are you?" Hope demanded. "One of Eggman's flunkies?"
The figure chuckled. "That bloated, Drylander oaf? Don't make me laugh. I serve an authority far greater than he will ever be."
Hope perked at that. "Wait, Drylander?"
"Isn't that what people from Meropis call people from the surface?" Keith asked before turning back to Shadow's unseen captor. "What's a Meropian doing here? Why are you attacking us?"
"Don't play stupid, children," the invisible Mobian snapped. "We know what you have done and we will make you pay dearly for it."
Both Hope and Keith were stumped, exchanging looks while shrugging. Shadow growled at his captor.
"Look buddy, whatever your beef with us is, you are ruining our vacation, so do us all a favor and get the fugg OFF ME!"
"Silence."
Shadow grunted as the sharp object against his neck pricked his skin. The wound wasn't very deep, a minor cut at best, but the skin surrounding it was rapidly turning an unhealthy shade of purple.
"Poison!" Keith cried out.
"Correct," the phantom attacker nodded. "Don't worry, it was a small dose, so he'll live. But if you continue to test me…well, you can put two and two together."
Hope was wracking her brain, trying to figure out what was going on while going through her memories of biology class. As she went through her memories of the marine unit, her eyes widened.
"Keith! A sea creature with a poisonous stinger and camouflage!"
Keith perked. "A stingray! You're a stingray!"
The proposed stingray did not reply, but from the way his outline briefly shifted, the two had clearly hit the mark.
"I suppose there's no point in keeping up this charade."
The air shimmered and rippled as a figure materialized into existence: a dark gray Mobian stingray clad in ornate jewelry.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly," he said with a bow. "I am the personal spymaster and assassin to their Royal Majesties King Puff and Queen Angelica, you may call me Shroud."
Hope's eyes widened in shock. "Assassin!?"
"Undina's parents have their own hitman!?" Keith chimed in.
"Don't act so surprised, Hope Kintobor and Keith Kent of the Knothole Freedom Fighters," Shroud said nonchalantly. "Every government has someone to handle all their dark, behind-the-scenes work. You should know, you and your father work for one."
Hope grimaced at that.
"But, I digress. We're not here to discuss politics, we're here for justice. Now…" Shroud narrowed his eyes as he stepped off of Shadow. "Hope Kintobor. Keith Kent. Shadow the Hedgehog. By order of the royal family of Meropis, you are all under arrest. Surrender now or…"
Just then, an agonized scream echoed throughout the ship, stopping Shroud in his tracks.
"What in Neptune's name was…!?"
Before he could finish, something crashed into him, launching him over the railing and into the drink below.
"Tangle!?" Hope, Keith, and Shadow exclaimed.
"AAAAAHHH! Get it off me! Get it off me! Get it off me! Help! Someone! Get it off me!"
The lemur was running around, waving her arms, and crying uncontrollably.
"Tangle, settle down!" Hope shouted. "What are you…?"
Hope's eyes went to Tangle's tail, or rather, what was hanging off of it.
"A…Chao?"
"Crusher!"
Everyone paused as they turned toward where Tangle had just run from and were greeted by the sight of a young, Mobian manta ray in an orange dress frantically running toward them.
"Crusher, stop! No bitey!"
At that, Crusher released Tangle's tail and ran over to the ray. "BAH! BAH!"
"Oh thank Aurora…" Tangle let out. "That was awful."
"I'm sorry, are you okay?" the little ray asked.
"Oh crap, another stingray!" Keith said, assuming a defensive stance.
"I'm not a stingray! I'm a manta ray! See?" She pointed to her tail, which lacked the barb that Shroud possessed. "Anyway, we gotta go, right now! Your friends are in big trouble!"
"Wait, what!?"
Just then, a loud, violent rumbling erupted from below the ship.
"We'll sort it out later!" Hope said, running over to help Shadow up.
"Follow me!" the ray said, motioning them to come with her. Seeing no other options and worried about the others, the group ran off after her.
"Guys, what's going on here?" Tangle asked.
"I don't know, Tangle," Hope said. "But it must be something serious."
-X-
In another part of the ship, Sonic had finally stopped running. He panted, wiping his brow before sitting down.
"Well...that blew up in my face worse than I thought. At least I didn't get caught that time."
"There you are!"
Sonic stiffened. "Spoke too soon..."
Sally stormed over to Sonic, scowling.
"Uh... hey Sal," Sonic chuckled nervously. "Wha... what's up?"
"Don't 'what's up, Sal' me! You know what's up, Sonic Maurice Hedgehog!"
Sonic held up his hands. "No! I don't! Nothing's up! I was with Amy and Cream! Just ask 'em!"
Sally crossed her arms. "No doubt trying to rope them into your little scheme to sabotage our vacation!"
"No! No! Amy was doing a Tarot Card reading, and I asked her to tell my fortune."
"Don't lie to me! I know what you were planning when you tried to goad Knuckles. Honestly… I can't believe you!"
"Hey, I tried and I failed, but everything I've said is true. Ask Amy!"
"That's not the point! You tried to get Knuckles to wreck Chris' boat, just to get out of this trip!" Sally threw up her hands. "Aquaphobia or not, how could you be so reckless and...selfish!?"
"I'm sorry, okay?! But I really don't want to be out here! I've told you repeatedly, but you dragged me out here against my will! This is not relaxing for me!"
"Sonic! Sally!"
The two turned to see Hope, Keith, and Tangle running toward them, the latter helping carry Shadow.
"Guys, we got trouble!" Keith shouted.
"Big trouble!" Tangle added.
"What? What's wrong?" Sonic asked. It was then that he noticed Shadow's condition. "Shadow!?"
"Aurora…what happened!?" Sally asked.
"Eh?"
"He's been poisoned!" piped up a new voice, prompting Sonic and Sally to look down at the little manta ray and her Chao.
"Huh? Wait, who are you?" Sonic asked.
"Oh, right! Sonic, this is Pearly the Manta Ray." Keith answered. "She's from Meropis."
"Hi, Mr. Sonic!" Pearly greeted.
"Oh yeah!" Sonic recalled. "I remember now! You're the one of the priestesses that hangs out with that shark guy."
"What are you doing here?" Sally wondered.
"She's about to be in big trouble," a voice replied irritably.
Before anyone could wonder who was speaking and where they were, everything began shaking as the ocean churned and roiled, causing everyone to stumble about.
"Whoa! What the heck's going on!?" Sonic shouted.
"Ohno…" Pearly let out in horror. "They're here!"
"They?"
Just then, something massive breached the surface, splashing the whole deck with water; knocking the heroes around and completely drenching them.
Sonic let out a groan as he slowly got up, coughing up what felt like a lung full of ocean.
"Ugh…I freakin' hate water." He bent down and tensed up, using his speed to shake all the excess water trapped in his quills, leaving him mostly dry. "You guys okay?"
"More or less," Sally replied as she moved her ponytail and comb-over from her eyes.
"Mostly less," Tangle chimed in, her voice muffled by a starfish that had got stuck to her face, which she yanked off with a loud, moist smack. "Ow…"
"What just hit us?" Hope asked.
"Uhhh…I think it was that," Keith replied nervously as he pointed out to sea.
Following his finger, the others found themselves staring down a ship much bigger than the Party Barge. "Holy ship…" Tangle let out in awe.
"Yeah…" Keith added.
"What kind of ship is that?" Sonic asked.
Sally looked over the foreign vessel and found herself wondering the same thing. The ship was unlike any she had ever seen before. It was a light, pastel pink and appeared to be made of seashell calcium, with trim and plating along the edges that appeared to be made of pure gold. It bore a figurehead (also made of gold) in the shape of an elegant, nude, female Mobian fish with long, flowing fins, her arms extended outward, clutching a large pearl. The ship bore three, tall masts, but strangely enough, lacked any sails, just a flag fluttering in the wind at the very top of the main mast. The flag bore three, horizontal stripes, the top and bottom being white, while the middle was a light turquoise, thicker, and was comprised of numerous, overlapping concentric circles, giving it the appearance of fish scales. In the center was a large, coral-pink circle with a sea shell at the bottom and nine, white circles of varying sizes along the top; the center circle being the largest, the others growing smaller the further out.
"Meropis," Sally let out.
"Sal?"
"The flag on the ship's mast, it's the flag of Meropis!"
"Huh!? What's a Meropian ship doing here?"
Suddenly, a slot on the ship opened up along the side, which fired a stream of water. As soon as it hit the ship, the water seemed to solidify.
"What the…!?"
"Is that…a hard water construct?" Keith asked, his eyes wide with shock and curiosity.
Before he could examine it more closely, however, the sound of footsteps and rattling metal rang out. Emerging from the inside of the ship and heading for the bridge was a squad of soldiers, all decked out in the distinctive, gold armor, green tunics, and tridents of the Meropis Royal Guard, and none of them looked friendly. In seconds, they'd completely surrounded the Freedom Fighters, their weapons pointed right at them and poised to attack.
"Okaaaaaay…" Sonic said. "Is it too late to say I told you this vacation was gonna go bad?"
"Sonic…" Sally whispered irritably.
"Sally, you know I quip when I'm nervous."
"Enough."
Just then, the guards parted and saluted, revealing a very imposing and familiar figure walking down the bridge.
"Princess Sally, Sonic the Hedgehog," greeted Captain Striker, as stoic and grim as ever.
"Captain Striker?" Sally exclaimed.
"Whoa!" Tangle shouted. "A Mobian lobster! Cool!"
Striker raised an eyebrow, perturbed at the lemur's sudden exclamation, but otherwise maintained his stonewall expression.
"I see you've made some new friends," he added.
"And you're still as charming and personable as ever," Sonic quipped. "So, how about we skip the introductions and get to the part where you tell us why you and your golden boys are getting ready to stick forks in us?"
"Justice."
Just then, the guards parted as a trumpet played out a quick fanfare, heralding the arrival of two more figures walking down the bridge.
Striker cleared his throat. "Presenting, Her Most Royal Majesty! Her Grace! Her Excellency! Queen Angelica Merrowyn de Meropis!"
The guards cheered as Undina's mother walked down the bridge, basking in the adoration of her loyal soldiers. Even Captain Striker couldn't help but smile at the sight of her.
"Ah-he-he-hem!"
Only to look down as her shorter, stouter significant other stepped forward, tapping his foot and pointing to himself in irritation, prompting Striker to roll his eye.
"And King Puff."
"Wooooo!" a lone guardsman hollered out, but the little king of Meropis paid little mind to him; his attention focused more on the Freedom Fighters, specifically…
"Sonic the Hedgehog," he gritted out, hatefully. "We meet again."
Author's Note:
(1): Shadow's infamous "meme face" from Sonic Universe that he makes at Marine the Raccoon (you know the one).
Oh damn! What did Sonic do to tick off Meropis so badly? Stay tuned.
Please R&R! Until next time!
