SonicANIME2010 here, bringing in chapter 4 of Wind of the Night Sky… I have to say, the NachtWal battle was, and likely will be, the best battle I have ever written, and I thank everyone for the reviews. but now, the show must go on. As usual I don't own any canon characters.
[Earth]
[No BGM]
"Arc-en-ciel…" Amy Limietta narrowed her eyes at NachtWal's core as she inserted the captain's key into the firing lock and turned, "Fire!"
Silence filled the empty void of space as the Arthra fired a massive blast at the core. Defenseless, what was left of NachtWal was engulfed in the beam and a massive explosion occurred from the impact. A harsh flash of light was emitted from the point of the explosion that had the crew on the ship cover their eyes. Smoke and dust gathered from the blast and blocked the field of vision.
A feeling of suspense fell upon those in the ship and on the planet surface as they watched the dust slowly settle. The suspense was trying to even the most patient of those gathered, but especially brutal for Sonic, who was not the most patient boy around. He held himself back though, knowing full well that going off on something wouldn't improve the situation.
After what felt like a millennium for Sonic, but merely less than fifteen seconds in real-time, the dust and smoke had dissipated, revealing nothing. What was once a benign defense program turned corrupt monstrosity was nothing but specks of dust that soon faded into the empty vacuum of space. NachtWal, the defense program that had been the cause of the Tome of the Night Sky's pain and corruption, had been obliterated.
-Victory-
[Jingle: "Act Clear" Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)]
The crew on the bridge were the first to celebrate the victory as they were the first to see the results. Arms were waving, voices were raised, and if not for the fact that the techs were on the bridge of a spaceship, drink glasses would've been raised too. Amy had to let out a breath that she didn't even realize she held in relief.
While the Arthra's crew had started to celebrate, the group on earth were not too far behind. As usual, Sonic was the first to celebrate with a cute little breakdance trick and a pose to go with it. For some reason, the others could've swore they heard the blue hedgehog whistling something as well. Still, the posing drew some fawning gazes from Nanoha and Hayate.
Reinforce and Hayate had cancelled their unison shortly after the latter had started to experience some fatigue. The taller woman had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before her mistress collapsed, but she was relieved that it was all over. With NachtWal gone, so too ended the cycle of death, destruction and rebirth.
The Wolkenritter allowed themselves to breathe a collective sigh of relief as the end of the corrupt program meant the end to their constant fighting. Presumably, it also meant the end of their mistress' pain, though only time could tell that for sure. For the moment, they could relish in their victory, rejoice in the end of the conflict.
For Lindy and Chrono, the end of NachtWal meant a sense of closure. The defense program was the root of the noble, but tragic sacrifice of Clyde Harlaown, Lindy's husband and Chrono's father. Mother and son embraced briefly, allowing the professional image to melt away for but a moment. A moment of relief, closure, peace.
While Nanoha, Fate, Arf and Yuuno were not as affected like the others, they still were relieved to see the program meet its' end. Perhaps they could get along with the Wolkenritter better since the source of their fighting was gone. Nanoha and Fate, at least, had the feeling that their respective rivals from the cloud knights weren't truly evil or bad people, so they drew hope from it.
The celebrations, for the moment, had to be put on hold as Hayate had suddenly felt a dizzy spell overcome her. The poor girl weaved and wobbled in place for a few seconds before she collapsed on her back, unconscious. She didn't look like she was harmed or in danger as there wasn't any pain, and her eyes had briefly turned into spirals for a comedic effect.
"Hayate-chan!" Nanoha was worried regardless as she flew over to Hayate's side with Fate in tow.
"You need not worry," Reinforce assured her, "She only fainted from exhaustion."
"Wow, swirling eyes," Sonic chimed in after briefly observing the brunette, "Thought those were only possible with anime."
"Let's bring her up to the Arthra for recuperation," Lindy offered, "Come to think of it, I think we all should get some rest up there as well. That was quite a battle, I don't think I've worked so hard since my days in the field."
"I'd like to request an examination of the Tome." there was a discernable note of concern in Reinforce's tone as she made the request, "I want to make sure that NachtWal won't be able to come back as it is."
"Agreed." Chrono nodded, "I'll set up the transfer."
"Huh?" The blue hedgehog blinked in confusion, to be fair he wasn't familiar with the magic system in its entirety, "Transfer?"
"Dimensional Transfers." Nanoha offered a bit of context for the hedgehog, "It's a spell that allows mages to transfer from place to place. Basically, think of it as teleporting."
"And our destination, in this case, is the Arthra," Fate added informatively, "The ship in orbit above us."
"So…" Sonic paused in thought as he absorbed that educational tidbit, "We're getting "beamed up". Is there anyone named "Scotty" on that ship?"
"Nope." the girl in white shook her head, though she couldn't help but giggle at the attempted reference "Not as far as I know."
"Dang it…" The hedgehog hung his head with a comical sigh.
The group gathered in one point with the hedgehog in the middle. Chrono set up a magical glyph with the coordinates set for the Arthra and the amount of people set up in the transfer. A beam of light emitted from the glyph that had engulfed everyone within. The teleportation soon completed, but little did anyone know that their whole battle had been watched.
"Whoa…." A female voice emitted as a pair of turquoise eyes looked away from a telescope on the pier.
"Hayate-chan, Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan…" added a second female voice as light blue eyes looked away from the telescope next to it.
[OP: "Eternal Blaze" Mizuki Nana, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's OST]
Sonic the Hedgehog: Wind of the Night Sky
Chapter 4
To Share the Skies
[Dimensional Space: Earth's Orbit]
[Time-Space Administration Investigative L-Class "Arthra"]
[Infirmary]
-Time: 7:35 pm-
[No BGM]
Reinforce and the Wolkenritter stood dutifully at the bedside of Hayate's resting form. The relief had slowly started to settle in for them as they started to think about the intense battle with the defense program. If there was anything out of the ordinary, it was the absence of Sonic the Hedgehog, which was easily noted by Vita.
"Oy, where's the blue boy?" The iron knight asked, "He was with us when we arrived and when Hayate was taken here."
"The admiral took him to the mess hall," Shamal replied, "She said he didn't look so well after the transfer and felt that some food would make him feel better."
"They may use that opportunity to question him," Zafira added informatively, "They have been asking us about him since the second battle."
"Indeed," Signum nodded in agreement, "This is likely the best opportunity the Bureau will have with him."
"Should we try to help him?" The blonde medic asked in concern.
"No, I don't think it will be necessary," the pink haired woman declined with a shake of her head, "The hedgehog can take care of himself, and anything he does say matters little to us anymore now."
The other knights acknowledged their leader's reasoning and orders. With the Tome of the Night Sky's completion, there was little reason to fight the Bureau any longer. Their leader had started to plan out their course of action from then, but the uncomfortable silence from Reinforce had drawn her immediate attention.
"Is everything alright?" Signum inquired of the silver haired woman next to her.
"Hmm? Oh, yes…" Reinforce replied, looking distant, "Her core is no longer being devoured and it will only be a matter of time before her paralysis is cured."
Signum wasn't the only one to notice the behavior of the unison device. The other knights watched as Reinforce's attention seemed to be split between the resting form of their master and the mark on her left wrist that previously had a chain wrapped around it. To their growing surprise, the woman before them turned and headed for the exit.
"Forgive me, I must check on the Tome." Reinforce said swiftly as she left the room.
"That was weird," Vita voiced her opinion on the sudden exit.
"Concerning as well," Signum added.
Little did the departing Reinforce know that as she left, Hayate had slowly started to awaken. Her light blue eyes started to trail the silver haired beauty as she left.
[Mess Hall]
[No BGM]
Sonic seated himself lazily at a bench in the dining area. A tray of sweets and snacks laid in front of him, delivered personally by Lindy Harlaown. Truthfully, he did feel off after the dimension transfer, apparently someone had forgotten to tell him that there might be some discomfort on landing. Fortunately, the hedgehog was easily soothed by food.
True to Zafira's prediction, Lindy, Chrono, Nanoha, Fate, Alph and Yuuno watched the hedgehog from afar, trying to figure out how to approach him. There were still unanswered questions regarding the hedgehog's backstory and stance on the incident that needed to be established.
Eventually, it was decided that Nanoha be the first to approach. Like the hedgehog, she was also a local from the planet and could, theoretically, connect over the shared world and the metaphorical "fish out of water" feeling. The girl, understandably so, was hesitant to approach, but was immediately assured that the others would have her back.
"Um…Excuse me" Nanoha nervously greeted the blue hedgehog as she approached his bench, "Sonic-san?"
"You can drop the "san" part," Sonic said with a disinterested look on his face, "We're probably around the same age."
"Uh..." The girl blinked, taken aback by the tone, "Right."
"Let's see... you were uh... Vita's rival." The hedgehog pounded his gloved hand in thought, "Uh. Takamachi Nantoka (something or other)?"
"Uwah!" Eyes went blank in comical shock as Nanoha felt a sense of deja vu from having to, yet again, correct someone on her name pronunciation, "It's Nanoha! Na-No-Ha!"
"Oops!" A sheepish giggle exited Sonic's mouth, "Sorry~!"
"Mou…" Nanoha's face had a cute pout to it, "First, Vita-chan and now you?"
"Well, to be fair, it is hard to pronounce." Sonic brought up a very fair argument, "Okay~! Let's start over, Takamachi Nanoha."
"Just 'Nanoha' will do," Try as she might, the girl could not restrain the exasperation in her tone, "Um… anyways… I was wondering if we could talk a bit about how you got involved in this."
"And by 'us' you mean yourself and the party that's been watching me for the last few minutes?" asked the hedgehog, gesturing to the group watching from afar, "cause they're not doing a good job of being discreet."
Sheepishly, the guilty onlookers walked over to the hedgehog and girl at the bench. Lindy easily smoothed any misunderstandings over by truthfully stating that they only want the hedgehog's story for the record, and that he was not in trouble for anything.
"Well, I guess I can tell you guys my lovely tale," Sonic said calmly, "Though, I must preface that it does drag on in places, so I'll try to minimize the filler."
"Thank you for cooperating," Lindy calmly yet genuinely expressed the gratitude, "start from the beginning or where you feel comfortable."
"No problem~!" the hedgehog grinned before he began his narration, "Our story begins in South Island, where a rotten egg had started to spread his evil yoke all over."
[Engineering Lab]
[No BGM]
Mariel "Mary" Atenza was a talented young girl with many accolades. At the young age of sixteen, she was already a professional Device Meister, rather an engineer. The girl had olive green hair, yellowish eyes and big round eyeglasses on her face. Her attire mainly consisted of a white lab coat over a blue blazer and skirt uniform that seemed to be standard issue for the Time-Space Administration.
She had just concluded her examination of the Tome of the Night Sky, but something about the results had her perplexed. Several readings did not seem to make sense and could be potentially disastrous if left unchecked. The girl had started to compile her notes just as Reinforce had walked in.
"Good evening." The silver-haired woman greeted the engineering prodigy in a cordial, polite manner.
"Oh, um… hello, Book of Darkness-san" Mary seemed to have known who Reinforce was already, but still felt taken by surprise with the sudden appearance, so much so that she had slipped up in her identification, "I'm terribly sorry!"
"It's quite alright… the Tome's original name has long since been forgotten," The woman shook her head, "If it'll make it easier, you may call me 'Reinforce'."
"Yes ma'am." Mary nodded before realizing that Reinforce came to her for a reason, "Um, what can I do for you?"
"I was hoping that there would be results regarding the Tome." Reinforce explained her reasoning with a naturally soft, kind voice, "If it's not too much to ask."
"Oh, definitely not! It belongs to you and Hayate-san, so it's only natural for you to check on it." One could swear that Mary could have been excited by the newcomer's presence, "And I just finished my examination of the Book, though some of the readings don't make much sense."
"I have a few ideas on what those readings indicate." The unison device said, approaching the Tome, "Perhaps I can be of assistance."
"Thank you very much!" the teenager politely acknowledged the offer.
[Mess Hall]
[No BGM]
While Mary and Reinforce worked on analyzing the Tome of the Night Sky and the Wolkenritter dutifully watched over their master's recovery, the mages had busied themselves with the hedgehog's story. For the most part, it was the same as what he told the Wolkenritter, albeit it was somewhat truncated to minimize the drama over Sonic's aquatic troubles. Despite that, what Sonic had told the Bureau had confirmed most of what Nanoha's previous hunches.
Sonic had confirmed that he was involved in Doctor Eggman's attack on South Island, but indicated that he had acted in the defense of the island. He had basically undergone a one man, or in his terms, "one hedgehog", wrecking crew with Eggman's operations. His reasons were simple yet easily justified; the scientist was harming his friends and he had the power to stop him.
In addition to the interest of Eggman's character and abilities, Lindy and Chrono both noted the man's interest in what were called the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic admitted that he did not know why Eggman wanted the gems, but figured that if he could beat the madman to something it would be an advantage. Admittedly, Sonic was aware of the legends behind the gems, but when he collected the six from South Island, he could not tell what use they could have.
"So, the only reason why you collected the Chaos Emeralds was so you could beat Eggman to them?" Lindy asked simply.
"That's right~!" The hedgehog gave her a thumbs-up gesture for understanding, "I didn't feel any different after I gathered them, and when after I beat Eggman, the things just disappeared."
"Might I ask how you came to collect them?" Enforcer Chrono queried neutrally.
"You just did." Sonic quipped without missing a beat, "I think I can answer anyways… But let's answer your question with my question. Why are you interested in them?"
Before Chrono could snap at the hedgehog for the question, Lindy stepped in and answered for him. Their interest in the Chaos Emeralds was mainly due to their required duties as members of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. As the admiral explained to the hedgehog, the Administration Bureau is an interdimensional security force that have forces including navy, disaster relief, medical, nature preservation, and more importantly to the topic at hand, the identification and organization of relics of power from ancient history. The Chaos Emeralds could have easily fallen into that category given their legends.
The jurisdiction of the Bureau mainly includes the Administrated worlds, where their own forces act as peacekeepers and such. Whereas the Non-Administrated worlds like Earth that have their own local politics are those in which they try to keep a low profile. There was an incident that had taken place over half a year ago where several Lost Logias, or relics, codenamed "Jewel Seeds", had activated and started havoc all over the planet. The Bureau was quick to take notice after a dimensional disturbance had occurred, but due to their short staff on hand, they had to rely on a local mage from the planet.
"So… all of you guys are like aliens?" The hedgehog asked in summation, "Who manage the peace and keep stuff from going all screwy?"
"Well, actually…" Nanoha let out a little giggle, "I'm a local. I was introduced to magic during that incident and I volunteered to help out."
"I was also part of that incident…" Fate spoke up in a soft, timid voice, "But I was on the other side at first."
"Then something happened and you defected?" Sonic presumed the rest from there. He could tell from Fate's body language that the girl was uncomfortable with any further elaboration, "You don't have to say anymore."
"Thank you." The blonde let out a sigh that she barely knew she was holding, "And forgive me if it seems like I'm evading your question. It's a very… sensitive topic."
"Don't worry~!" a gloved hand waved the apology away as unnecessary, "So at least one of you probably would've heard of Eggman's attack."
"I did." Nanoha elaborated, but was quick to jump to the defense of any inaction, "But when we heard of what happened, both me and Fate-chan were recovering from our first encounter with Vita-chan and Signum-san, and the Bureau was busy tracking them down.
"But, please understand, this doesn't mean that we condone what Doctor Eggman has done," the girl continued with a rather serious expression, "If I was in a position to help out, I would have without a second thought."
"No worries, really." Perhaps it was Sonic's natural laid-back personality, but he was not about to hold a grudge on the Bureau mages, "I'm not judging you guys or anything, I'm sure you have your reasons. Besides, Eggman was too easy for me… either of you guys might've been overkill."
"Nyahaha…" the nervous laugh left Nanoha's cute lips before she could try to stop it, "I wouldn't go that far."
"At any rate, we've strayed off the topic at hand," Chrono said after clearing his throat to draw attention away from the sidebar, "The question regarding how you came to find these Chaos Emeralds still stands."
"Of course~!" There was little doubt that Sonic was mocking the enforcer by that point, "Let me tell you about the Special Stages."
[Engineering Department]
[No BGM]
With the assistance of Reinforce, Mary was finally able to make sense of the readings she received from the Tome. What she got left her in surprise, though not worried for some reason. Reinforce, on the other hand, seemed a bit calmer, as if she had a hunch of the outcomes. The scans had only seemed to confirm such for her.
"No way…" Mary could barely restrain her gasp in shock, "This makes sense, but how is it possible?"
"I had a guess that this was the case, that's why I had requested for this examination." Reinforce glanced to the teenager and took note of her noticeable lack of worry, "You don't seem to be concerned."
"Well, I am worried that it's happening," The tech prodigy let out a sigh to compose herself, "But, we caught this early and I have a way that we can solve this issue before it becomes an even bigger problem."
"I see…" nodded the silver haired unison device in understanding, "Are you sure about this solution?"
"Absolutely, one hundred percent guaranteed!" There was no shortage of confidence in Mary's tone, "There is one little catch…"
"Please continue." Reinforce requested politely, though she had a feeling what the complication would be.
"This type of fix will require double authorization." Mary explained, somewhat awkwardly, "Your access alone will not suffice."
"I figured as much," Reinforce, sure enough, was unsurprised, "She will need to be informed."
"She already is…" a familiar, young and female voice spoke softly and somewhat tiredly from the entrance
[BGM Insert: "Rydia's theme" Final Fantasy IV OST]
At the entrance to the lab was Hayate herself, flanked by the rest of the Wolkenritter. The young girl looked like she had just woken up if the way her hands rested on her wheelchair were of any indication.
"Master." Reinforce could barely hold her shock back, "How much did you hear?"
"Enough…" Hayate let the statement hang intentionally as she tiredly wheeled herself over to the tall woman, "I want to help. You, the book, have given me so much happiness, and I want to pay it back."
"Are you sure about this?" the unison device likely knew the answer before she asked, but she wanted it to be heard from Hayate.
"Yes!" that kind smile, those warm eyes, they emitted an honest, lively expression that shone through Hayate's tired appearance, "I don't want to see you go… so please!"
"Very well, then…" the request was acknowledged. Reinforce turned to the tech, "proceed, please."
"Okay!" Mary nodded and the work resumed.
[Mess Hall]
[No BGM]
Sonic's explanation of the Special Stages had left more questions asked than answered and had provided little insight. In the hedgehog's defense, he had admitted that he did not know for sure what the purpose of the stages were. He found the entrances to the stages from large golden rings located in the zones on South Island.
While finding the rings were difficult enough for Sonic, the stages themselves were a whole new ballgame. Sonic recalled that the layout of the stages was like a rotating maze full of bumpers and traps that would guarantee an early exit with one false step. He believed that the stages were testing him, somehow, but he had no proof of the idea other than his experience.
"And that's pretty much it." Sonic admitted with a shrug, "After South Island, I took the Tornado out for a test flight, crashed it here, then passed out. I remember waking up later at Hayate's house. That was around the beginning of September."
"That was before you got involved in our battle with the Wolkenritter," Chrono presumed accurately, "Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."
"Bingo~!" the hedgehog confirmed the enforcer's guess, "Hayate said she was getting worried when Vita and Signum weren't answering her calls."
"You volunteered to go look for them." the enforcer youth's tone did not change, "Correct?"
"Yes~!" a nod of the head from the hedgehog served as the confirming gesture, "I needed to stretch my legs anyways… that being said, I really didn't know where to look until I found that yellow dome thing that covered a lot of the city."
"The Overpressure Force Field spell we used to trap the Wolkenritter." this useful elaboration was provided by Chrono without missing a beat, "I presume you found your way past it."
"Yes, hat trick~!" The term fell over Chrono's head, but fortunately Nanoha and Yuuno, who were both aware of the context behind, smoothed it over in the telepathic channels as the hedgehog elaborated, "There isn't much my quills can't cut. That's when I saw you guys all rumbling and playing around…"
"That was when the Lieze Twins made their move," This time it was Lindy who added onto the next part of the story. The admiral looked at Sonic in a soft, but inquisitive way, "Just to make sure, they were the ones to attack you first?"
"Home run~!" Sonic was definitely making Nanoha work overtime in providing the sports context as each reference fell over their heads, "They tried using some chain or ring thing to trap me."
"Hoop Bind, an enhanced version of a basic binding spell." Chrono neutrally elaborated, confirming the consistency of the story in the process, "We know what happened then."
"I didn't really know what was going on, to be honest," the hedgehog admitted, "I just didn't like the idea of being attacked or sacrificed by those two guys…girls… whatever."
"Hey! We are girls, thank you very much!" a teenaged female voice shouted at Sonic as the previously mentioned twins approached.
The one that had spoken was the shorter haired twin while her sister had been a few paces behind her. Both of them were trailed by an aging Englishman in an important looking blazer uniform of the same color scheme as Lindy's. He was a tall man, but had a kind-looking face with a well-trimmed gray beard and a slicked back haircut. An aura of kindness and experience could have been felt by all as he approached.
"Admiral Gil Graham," Lindy identified the man instantly, "What are you doing here?"
"I just came by to see who the new 'hero' of this incident was. The one who foiled this 'villain's plot." Gil answered cordially; despite the terminology, he did not come off as a villainous type, "In addition, my familiars have something to say to him."
"We wanted to apologize," Aria, the longer-haired twin spoke with a sensible demeanor, "But, it appears my sister had other thoughts…"
"Well he called us boys! ugh! We only took those forms to fool the Bureau mages," Lotte kept her glare focused on the blue hedgehog at the table, "And you…"
"Moi?" The hedgehog decided to play the dumb one, if only to troll the nerves of the catgirl.
"Yes, you! Don't you have any manners?" The shorter haired twin continued as if undeterred, "Attacking two girls! Is chivalry a dead concept?"
"The girl who came at me fighting without any warning is saying that to me?!" Sonic did not pull the punches on that retort.
"He has a point, Lotte," The other twin nodded in agreement.
"Grrrr…" Lotte grumbled in defeat and withdrew to her master's side.
"At any rate, please accept my apologies on the behalf of my familiars." The elder man addressed Sonic in a polite, apologetic manner with a refined tone, "They should not have attacked an innocent one like you. Because of that, you were dragged into the fighting needlessly."
"Eh… it's no big deal." the blue hedgehog simply shrugged, he was not one to hold a grudge, "Besides, it all worked out in the end, right~?"
"There is one question that has yet to be answered," Lindy cut in, looking at the hedgehog once more "You took a big risk back there, allowing the book to be completed. I would like to know why."
All eyes fell upon the hero once more. It seemed as though everyone, understandably so, wanted to know the motives of the blue hedgehog. Sonic, for his part, appeared unfettered by the pressure. His tone was as cool and blue as he was when he gave his honest answer
"I made a promise, and I don't go back on my word."
"Very well, I am satisfied…" The woman nodded in acceptance; her gaze shifted to Graham, "Admiral?"
The elder man and Lindy exchanged a few words, though no one outside of the two and the catgirl twins were able to fully discern what was being said between them. Once the conversation had ended, Graham took his leave and headed for the cellblock with his familiars in tow. There were a few questions among the minds of those who were not privy to the details spoken, but the serious look on Lindy's face when Chrono had attempted to ask had sent the clear message: Drop it.
"Attention!" Mariel's voice echoed through the intercom, "Admiral Lindy Harlaown, your presence is requested in Engineering."
"Looks like Mary-san has something for us," The woman called for by name had started to make her way towards the room in question, "Come along, please."
Though the others followed, they did so in hesitance as they were completely confused by the previous exchange of words. No one knew what was said, and that was the most troubling aspect they took away. There was little they could have done though, aside from following the admirals request to join her in hearing what the teenaged genius had found.
[Engineering Department]
[No BGM]
Mariel waited patiently as Lindy's party entered the large laboratory. Signum and the knights were on the far side of the room while Hayate and Reinforce were on the other, with the Tome of the Night Sky situated on a display terminal closest to the latter group. Both master and the unison device were waiting patiently on the computer.
"Thank you for coming, Lindy-san." Mary's tone was kind and professional as she welcomed the group, sending a knowing nod at Fate and Nanoha in the process, "I have some news you might want to hear."
"I assume it's important to Hayate and the Wolkenritter considering they're all here as well." the teal haired admiral accurately guessed, drawing note from the other noteworthy presences.
"Yes, it's regarding the Book. I had it scanned as requested, but I couldn't figure out the results," The engineer confirmed and elaborated, "Luckily, Reinforce-san was here to lend a hand."
"I had a hunch, and I wanted to see if it was true." Reinforce explained her reasoning, "Unfortunately, we found the problem to be exactly what I predicted."
"What did you find?" queried Chrono with a neutral tone.
Mariel paused for a moment to get her bearings, "We know that NachtWal, the previous Defense Program, previously had been corrupted and it went berserk; endangering many lives, including its own master."
"Yeah," Sonic nodded, "That was the thing we just fought."
"Well, according to Reinforce-san…" The device meister took another moment to consider how she was going to phrase her findings, "There's a link between her and the defense system. With it, NachtWal would've still had a chance to recover if given the time..."
"That link is no more; it was severed during the battle." Reinforce interjected, her dark, sober expression had quashed any thoughts of celebration, "Because of that, I will soon begin to disappear…"
"Disappear?!" Nanoha's face lost a bit of her color in shock, "Like, you'll die?"
"Correct." The woman confirmed solemnly, "Without a defense program, I cannot continue to exist for long."
"Um..." Fate spoke up hesitantly, "There's something I don't understand; how did the link get severed?"
"It probably happened when the Arc-en-ciel was fired..." Alph spoke up thoughtfully, "We all saw how much power it had."
"Actually, the link was cut prior to NachtWal's ultimate destruction." the crimson eyes of the master control unity knight fell upon the hedgehog, "The blue one here was able to land a direct hit on the core and severed the chain during his attack run."
The Hero of South Island tapped his gloved palm with a fist and raised his finger into the air as something had dawned upon him, "That explains the weird metal feeling in my quills back then."
Upon the questioning looks from the Bureau group, Sonic elaborated that while he was destroying the barriers that NachtWal had generated when it took to the skies, he found an opportunity to attack the core directly. The window of exposure was not big enough for Shamal and the others to snare the core in a binding array, but with his speed, Sonic was able to take advantage. His cutting power from the spin attack was enough to tear through metal alone, but he was nigh unstoppable when coupled with a boost of ring energy.
"At any rate," Mary spoke up, "We were fortunate to have caught this problem early. And we are already implementing a solution with absolute guaranteed success."
"What solution?" Lindy was the one to query the engineer.
"While I was looking through the Tome's data with Reinforce-san's access, I found the original template and specs for the defense system. Presumably, they were saved in the event that the defense program needed to be replaced," the girl replied, "I compared that data to the defense systems we use in creating devices for our ground forces and found the compatibility."
"This means we'll be able to install a new defense system in the Tome," Reinforce added, "Once that happens, I'll have to re-establish a link with it to ensure my survival."
"Won't there still be a chance that the data corrupts this new defense system?" The question voiced by Chrono was not without merit.
"No, the data would've been unreadable if it was corrupted," Mary shook her head, "So long as we don't allow this new defense system to be maliciously altered like before, it should be fine."
"We're just waiting for the Tome of the Night Sky to finish downloading the new pro-" Hayate began to speak up, but was interrupted by a noise from the computer terminal, "Oh, it's done!"
"Ein neues Programm heruntergeladen wurde. (A new program has been downloaded)."The Tome of the Night Sky emitted a female, robotic voice, "Berechtigung zur Installation wurde angefordert. (Permission to install has been requested)."
"Master rights initiated." The tome's mistress answered immediately, "Permission granted."
"Ja, jetzt installieren. (Yes, now installing)." Silence followed the Tome for several minutes as the new defense system was installed, "Verteidigung System installiert, ein Name ist angefordert. (Defense system installed, a name is requested)."
"Nacht: The Night Raider" Reinforce answered this time, invoking her rights as the master control and the one most affected by the new program.
"'Nacht' bestätigt; die Anwendung aktualisieren ('Nacht' confirmed; applying update)." continued the emotionless, robotic female voice of the Tome of the Night Sky, "Aktualisierung angewendet; Link zu Master Control Einheit Ritter, Aktivieren (Update applied; link with Master Control Unity Knight established. Activating)."
For a brief moment, a purplish black triangular glyph appeared at Reinforce's feet and her form was encased in a dark orb. The glyph remained as the orb shattered, leaving Reinforce with the familiar gauntlet on her wrist.
A closer look at the armament revealed that it resembled a navy-tinted shield with a built in launcher for a red colored spear. Along with the new armament, Reinforce's Knight Clothing had also materialized, taking the form of a black minidress with a gold trim in an x pattern at her chest that flowed into a gold belt. Her minidress laid under a short sleeved black jacket and a matching miniskirt with a golden trim. Black fingerless gloves covered her hands while matching plated boots snugly fit to her feet. Three pairs of black wings, similar to Hayate's, sprouted on her back to complete the uniform.
To the relief of all, despite the dark aura and color scheme, the woman's expression remained calm. She stood up and allowed her posture to relax. Her face had a caring expression to it as her lovely crimson rubies met the kind blue ones of her mistress.
"Oh…" Hayate, understandably so, could only muster but one word as she found herself staring, "Pretty…"
A kind smile graced Reinforce's face as she bent down and spoke softly, "Your kind words honor me, my mistress."
"I presume it worked." Lindy, not one to intentionally ruin such a kind moment, spoke up, "This new system is under your control."
"It is." Confirmed the unity knight as she turned to face the admiral. Her control over the program was shown as she willingly dismissed the knight clothing and her equipment, "There appear to be no malfunctions in the program."
"I'm glad." The admiral had a kind and motherly smile to her face, "We can consider this incident closed then."
"Are you sure?" Hayate asked honestly, "The sins of the Book of Darkness. The crimes committed to help me..."
"The ones we harmed in completing the book." Signum spoke up, "We had intended to turn ourselves in and face your justice when our mistress was safe."
Lindy shook her head, her kind visage never wavered, "While your unconditional surrender would be appreciated up until now, I cannot accept it at this time. There are things that I must tend to. People to speak with, paperwork to file, Bureau business; however, I will file your intention away and get back to you when I can.
"In the meantime…" The woman turned to address the rest of the knights and mages, "Why don't you all return to earth and enjoy the holidays? Enjoy yourselves for the week; I'll let you know if anything new comes up."
"Um, Lindy-san…" Nanoha was the first to voice her concern, "Are you sure about this?"
"Can we really just go home?" Hayate came second, "After all of this?"
Fate spoke last, her voice was so soft and quiet, one might have been forgiven for thinking she had whispered, but was still loud enough to be heard by all, "Is it really alright?"
"Yes, it's fine. Go on and enjoy your lives, I'll be available if needed..." Lindy reassured them such, "Do I have to make it an order?"
Much to Lindy's amusement, her question had generated a near simultaneous chorus of nays. With nothing else for the woman to cover, she swiftly dismissed the others so they could return to earth.
[Eyecatch #1: Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky bio card # 7: Hayate]
Name: Hayate Yagami
Kanji: 八神はやて (Ya-ga-mi Ha-ya-te)
Age: 09
Gender: Female
Height: 123 cm
Weight: 26 kg
Color: White
System: Ancient Belka
Rank: S+ (Synthetic)
Devices: Tome of the Night Sky, Reinforce Eins
[Eyecatch #2: Sonic: Wind of the Night Sky bio card #8: Nanoha]
Name: Nanoha Takamachi
Kanji: 高町なのは (Ta-ka-ma-chi Na-no-ha)
Age: 09
Gender: Female
Height 127 cm
Weight: 27 kg
Color: Cherry blossom pink
System: Mid-Childa
Rank: AAA+ (Air)
Device: Raising Heart Exelion
[Earth]
[Uminari City, Japan]
Hayate had spent the rest of that night in the hospital. Much to her surprise, Doctor Ishida had been waiting in her hospital room. Immediately they were questioned by the strict doctor on her disappearance and also the sudden appearance of Reinforce. Somehow, they were able to come up with a story that the older woman had found out that she had familial ties to the Yagami family and flew in to visit. The reason why she was not mentioned prior was due to Shamal and Signum wanting to surprise Hayate. As for Hayate's disappearance; the two had decided to take her with them to the airport.
Though it helped the story's believability that Reinforce had a kind aura about her despite the dark appearance, the doctor was still skeptical. To be fair, Ishida had been skeptical of the Wolkenritter from the start, but had seen that their presence in Hayate's life had made the girl happy. Eventually, the woman bought the story.
Christmas had arrived the following day, and the biggest present Hayate was given came first thing in the morning, when her doctor had informed her that there had been a major breakthrough in the treatment for her condition. The tests that were ran in the morning on her indicated that the paralysis had rapidly begun to regress, and it had reached the point where Ishida felt comfortable about releasing her to enjoy the holidays with her relatives. Hayate was soon discharged in the middle of the morning, but was told to come back after New Years for a check-up.
[Yagami Residence]
-Time: 10:55 am-
[BGM: "Eeto desu ne" Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha OST]
After making sure that Hayate and her knights had situated themselves, Sonic went out to the backyard to check on his Tornado. Needless to say, he was quite surprised to have found several large boxes next to his aircraft. Each crate held parts, tools and instructions required for what the hedgehog had in mind for his project.
"You're kidding me…" Sonic trailed off he read over the instructions and looked at the airplane.
"Sonic-san?" Reinforce allowed her curiosity to get the better of her and looked between the blue savior and his airplane, "Is everything alright?"
"Great~," the hedgehog tapped his head against the outside wall, "Might have bitten off more than I can chew here…"
Hayate and the other Wolkenritter had soon came out to see what the growing drama was about. They found the hedgehog muttering to himself and staring at the instruction manuals while Reinforce looked on in worry.
"That reminds me." recalled Signum thoughtfully, "Tsukimura-san had these delivered here yesterday. She said they were for Sonic-san."
"They're exactly what I need to finish the Tornado." The hedgehog sighed as he stood up and paced between the manuals on the ground and the biplane, "But..."
"You don't think you'll be able to do it?" Queried Shamal in concern
"Nah, the instructions are simple enough to understand…" Sonic stared down the pamphlets, "The problem is that it will take so much work and time…"
As Sonic paced back and forth in thought as to which part of the Tornado he would work on first, Hayate gathered her knights, Reinforce too, in a little corner in the backyard for a mini-conference. Words were exchanged, but if the hedgehog had tried to eavesdrop, he would be disappointed as they were far too quiet. Eventually the group reached a consensus and approached the hedgehog once more.
"Sonic-kun?" Hayate spoke first.
"Yes~?" Sonic paused his pacing to face them.
"We would like to lend our assistance." Signum offered stoically.
"What~?" Emerald green eyes blinked at the group of females plus wolf in disbelief.
"That is a significant amount of work for just one person." Reinforce reasoned validly, "You shouldn't have to strain yourself when there are others who are willing to help."
The hedgehog pondered the words of the unison knight carefully. In the past, he was able to DIY (do it yourself) the restoration of the plane on his own, but he never had to do work as extensive as what his project had called for. Installing the engine would not be too difficult for him, but adding in a second seat would require expanding the body of the frame just long enough to accommodate it.
Then there was the matter of what Reinforce had said about straining. She had provided a valid argument to support Hayate, the Wolkenritter and her offers of assistance. Her calm, motherly tone and aura had aided in presentation, and that only served to make Sonic's decision tougher.
"If I don't agree, you're just going to try and help anyways," The hedgehog shrugged, "Alright, you win."
"Thank you." A kind, lovely smile graced Reinforce's lips in gratitude.
"You can also think of it as us paying you back for all that you've done." Hayate added.
The girl's idea of interpretation got little more than a shrug from the Hero of South Island turned plane mechanic, "Whatever... at least things will be a bit faster now."
And so, the project of restoring the Tornado continued, only this time, Sonic had several helping hands. Signum and Vita, the fighters of the knights, put their strength to good work while Zafira had shifted into his taller human form to lend his strength. With their help, Sonic was confident he would be able to finish the Tornado before the year ended.
[Takamachi Residence]
[BGM: "Honobono" Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha OST]
Hayate was not the only one who had some explaining to do following last night's events. Nanoha and Fate were late to return home, but the former's parents had them a temporary reprieve due to the time of night and the signs of fatigue and tiredness. That reprieve had expired in the middle of the day when Arisa and Suzuka had arrived to question the two about the weird but epic magic battle they saw them fight.
"It was really weird… but awesome too!" Arisa, the dirty-blonde haired anglophone, went on, "Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan were all dressed in some weird cute cosplay costumes and they were fighting some monster thing with Hayate-chan and a few others."
"W-were we?" Nanoha tried her hardest to deny it. Her eyes locked on Fate's, "This is bad, Fate-chan! I think they saw us!"
"Even though we had a barrier up…" Fate trailed off as her attention seemed to be elsewhere. Her focus suddenly shifted to reality as she replied back informally, "I contacted Lindy-san. She'll be here in a few minutes to explain…"
"Yeah! Arisa-chan and I both saw it from the pier." Suzuka backed up the anglophone's story, "You and Fate-chan looked really cool out there. Hayate-chan and Sonic-kun did too…"
The combined story from Arisa and Suzuka held such detail and accuracy that it was hard for Nanoha's family not believe the two. It proved difficult for Nanoha and Fate to play the innocent card, but they were uncomfortable with providing a clear answer. Trust was hardly the issue, if the two felt comfortable, they likely would have explained without a second thought. They were hesitant, as if the secret they kept was not theirs to spill.
Thankfully, Lindy, Amy and Chrono had arrived before matters got even more complicated. The admiral and Nanoha's mother agreed to a full disclosure over dinner. Even Arisa and Suzuka were allowed to stay over for dinner, provided that they inform their respective families of such and get permission.
Finally, the big secret was disclosed over a lovely dinner of friends and family. Unsurprisingly, everyone was accepting of the concept of magic and the existence of other worlds and the Time-Space Administration Bureau. If there was any disappointment, it was from Arisa, who had thought that aliens from other worlds would not have been as human as they were.
"So, that big battle we saw was your magic?!" Arisa's eyes lit up in curiosity, "Amazing!"
"Hmmm…" Lindy trailed off to her own thoughts for a bit. She soon returned to reality, "If you'd like, I believe we can arrange a mock battle to properly showcase what our magic is."
"I think that would be a great idea." Momoko Takamachi, Nanoha's mother, agreed rather instantly. One would have been forgiven somewhat for assuming that the woman could have passed for an older sister figure, given how youthful she looked; it was also clear which side of the family Nanoha took after with their appearances strongly resembling one another.
"I agree." Shiro Takamachi, the head of the Takamachi family and Nanoha's father, echoed his wife's approval. The tall man sent a look at his youngest daughter, "It would be interesting to see what Nanoha-chan has been doing when she goes out."
"How does New Year's Eve sound?" The teal haired admiral offered a set date, for reasons unknown.
"That might work," Nanoha's mother affirmed, "I can get just enough staff at the cafe to cover for us while we're out."
"With the holiday, it might get busy." If Nanoha's father was worried, his expression hid it well, "But I believe we can manage."
Unsurprisingly, Arisa and Suzuka asked if they could both come watch as well. No one seemed to take an issue with the additional onlookers, provided they had permission from their families to do such. Dinner had ended quite peacefully soon after that.
-December 31st-
[Yagami Residence]
-Time: 8:30 am-
[No BGM]
New Year's Eve came as a morning like any other for Hayate and her family. Breakfast was eaten as a family and the dishes were cleaned up as normal. If there was anything out of the ordinary that happened, it was that Sonic had immediately went out on a run as opposed to working on the Tornado. There was little need to justify the morning off, as he, Signum, Vita and Zafira had worked on it every day since returning from the hospital and they made an astounding amount of progress in such short time.
Sonic had decided that since all of the hard work was finished, and all that was left were the final touch-ups, he would take over from there. They could all sense that the time was close, but no one could be certain how close. As Hayate, Reinforce and the Wolkenritter gathered around the couch for relaxation, they reflected upon the changes that occurred since Sonic had entered their lives and had to wonder what would happen once he decided to leave.
"When you think about it…" Hayate trailed off a bit thoughtfully, "Things have really changed for the better since we took Sonic-kun in."
"Indeed, he's made such an impact on our lives." Reinforce added, "If it weren't for him, I don't know what could have happened, or even if we would still be here."
"Which is going to make things really sad for us when he does decide to leave." Vita grumbled a bit, "Did he even say where he would go from here?"
"Not to me," Signum shook her head.
"Me neither," Shamal added and turned her focus to the only other male in the household, "What about you, Zafira?"
"He hasn't said anything to me," The wolf responded with a shake of his head, "He mostly kept to himself."
"Who knows where he'll go ne-" Signum was interrupted as a call came in on Laevatein from another device and Lindy Harlaown's face appeared on a viewing screen for all, "Admiral?"
"Good morning, everyone!" Lindy greeted kindly, "I hope I'm not calling in at a bad time."
"No, it's fine." Hayate was the first to reassure her, "We just finished breakfast. Is something the matter?"
"Well…" The admiral's face gained a hopeful expression, "I was wondering if you guys could meet us at the park in half an hour. I promised Nanoha-chan's family and friends a proper demonstration of our magic."
Hayate looked between the others at the couch to gauge how they felt about the woman's request. There seemed to be no objections that were voiced outright, but there was a little problem to address in that they were not fully gathered up. Not that it stopped the mistress from making a decision though, and she felt that if Sonic were here, he would have agreed anyways out of curiosity.
"I think we can be there," Hayate voiced the agreement, "My only concern is that Sonic-kun isn't here. He went out on a run a few minutes ago."
"I wouldn't worry too much," Lindy's tone expressed her lack of concern, "Just leave him a note for when he comes back. Though, knowing him, he might show up at our gathering before you guys do."
"Yeah, that's true," The wheelchair bound girl was suddenly unsure as to why she was even concerned, "We'll be there as soon as we can."
"Thank you very much." Communications ended after Lindy voiced her gratitude.
[Uminari City: Park]
-Time: 9:15 am-
[No BGM]
Even though Lindy had said that it was possible for Sonic to be at the park before Hayate and her family, she hardly expected him to be there before her own party showed up. She found the hedgehog relaxing at the base of a tree with a few flowers nestled in his gloved hands. There was no doubt that the hedgehog could be mysterious sometimes, but of all the coincidences.
Sonic opened his eyes with a few blinks as he turned to look at the party that had slowly started to approach. He was able to recognize Lindy, Chrono, Amy, Nanoha, Fate, Arisa and Suzuka right off the bat. There were four other humans, whom the hedgehog speculated were Nanoha's family given the resemblance, trailing behind the girl.
"Oh, Sonic!" Lindy spoke up first to address him, "Your timing couldn't be better."
"Hmm?" the hedgehog blinked his eyes a bit rapidly in curiosity, "What's up~?"
The woman was unsure as to whether she should be surprised or not. On the one hand, she reasonably presumed that if the hedgehog had been residing with Yagami and her Wolkenritter for so long, he would have some way of communicating with them when on the go. For the other, Sonic seemed to be wherever he had to be at any given time by coincidence.
"Well, since you're here already…" Lindy slowly started to explain the situation to the blue hedgehog; taking note of his reactions as she spoke.
"Demonstrations, huh?" Sonic nodded in understanding, "I won't lie, that little sample I saw last night got me curious."
"Would you like to participate?" queried the woman kindly, "I promise you'll get more to look at."
The offer had Sonic pondering in thought. His curiosity had gotten the better of him before, but this seemed to be a new ball game for him. As he considered, he could see Hayate and the others slowly enter the park from the other side.
"Sonic-kun!" Hayate shouted happily as she tried to accelerate her wheelchair a bit faster. Thankfully, Reinforce was right behind her in support.
"Hey guys~!" the hedgehog greeted them with a wave as they approached, "You're here for this demonstration too?"
The collective chorus of nods served as a suitable answer to the hedgehog's question. With everyone gathered being on the same page, the task shifted to figuring out how to work out a suitable demonstration. Initially, Lindy had thought about a mock battle between her mages and the Wolkenritter, but she still had to consider the presence of the hedgehog. Then it all came to her, a rather simple plan that was under her nose the whole time.
"Chrono-kun?" the woman shifted her attention to her son.
"Yes?" The teenaged boy in black replied.
"I was thinking…" Lindy set her idea into motion, "How about you spar with our friend here? Test his abilities."
"Well…" Chrono was not one to disobey a request from his mother, regardless if she was his admiral or not, "If he agrees."
"Hmm?" Sonic blinked in reference and looked at the enforcer next to the admiral. The hedgehog regarded him with a cool shrug, "Eh why not?"
Minutes later, the hedgehog and enforcer stared each other down and the tension started to grow. The cool, calm Sonic eased himself into a relaxed posture while the serious Chrono grew stiff. Easily, Sonic flicked his wrist and let the flowers in his hand fly over to Hayate and Reinforce.
"Oh!" Hayate looked at the flower, the Aster Tataricus, otherwise known as Shion in Japanese, "I won't forget you…"
"Master Hayate?" Reinforce looked down in curiosity.
"The language of flowers…" the brunette replied simply as the battle began.
-Rival: Sonic the Hedgehog vs Chrono Harlaown-
[BGM: "The Arrow was Shot" Tales of the Abyss]
"Blaze Cannon!" Declared S2U with little time wasted as the boy held the staff out in the direction of the hedgehog.
With little delay, a jet of flame was unleashed from the tip. The burst of energy was pretty big, but had suffered from a very short range because of it. Still, it went far enough to reach the hedgehog and was fired so quick that it gave him little time to react.
If Sonic was fazed by the spell, he did not show such as he simply jumped to the side right as the fire reached him. From there, the hedgehog was able to use his momentum to dash for the mage head on. Chrono seemed to have anticipated such an action and hovered in the air and backed himself up a fair distance, firing off a volley of bolts, much like a machine gun, as he flew.
The hedgehog's speed was put to good use as he was able to weave and dodge the volley with ease. If there was one thing that Chrono's Stinger Ray volley had done, it had allowed him to keep his distance away from Sonic. However, the hedgehog still had the advantage of his overwhelming speed, which had soon forced a tactical mismatch as Sonic curled up into his signature ball form and jumped in for the attack.
"Round Shield!" The boy grunted out and summoned a circular glyph of magic that acted as a shield.
Sonic's spin attack met with the shielding rune head on. For the moment, it seemed as though the hedgehog was held at bay, but that soon changed when the shield had started to crack. The blue ball's spikes sharpened considerably, to the point where Chrono could feel it in his gloved hands and the rune before him lose strength.
"Impact Cannon!" The enforcer's device pinged in response to his unspoken request. Swiftly, the boy dismissed the shield and fired off a point blank magical cannonball.
Within an instant, the magical shot had made contact and sent the hedgehog into the ground below. Despite the protection generated by Sonic's ball form, it was unable to protect him from the impact and the momentum shift forced upon him. Fortunately, he was able to uncurl and plant his hand on the grass to bounce off of and allow him to land on his feet.
"Struggle Bind!" With no delay, Chrono had beset himself above the hedgehog's position and used the latter's recovery to sneak in a powerful binding spell.
"Uwah?!" The glyph appeared at Sonic's feet and he could feel the chains wrap tight around his form before he could even react, "N-No way!"
The turn of events was watched carefully from the onlookers. To Nanoha's family and her friends, it was a solid display of how versatile the magic was in combat. Shooting spells could be fired off like a single-shot cannon or in a rapid-fire burst like a machine gun. Lindy, Nanoha and Reinforce traded off in providing exposition.
"Binding spells like Chrono-kun's Struggle Bind help keep targets in place." Nanoha spoke of the chains that had wrapped around Sonic, "They're not perfect though, and setting them up requires a bit of luck in figuring out where your target will be."
"And even then, there is a delay," Reinforce added, "The target has a small window to evade if they notice the preparation."
"In this case though, Chrono-kun was able to set up the bind as Sonic was recovering from the previous spell." Lindy clarified why her son was successful in the bind, "And now he has Sonic where he wants him."
Unable to do anything else, Sonic watched as Chrono ascended up into the sky, well above his jumping range even with a running start. He could see the boy generate a volley of blade-shaped magical projectiles. The number of blades had easily reached one hundred, but Sonic was unfazed.
"Oh great…" Amy Limietta's eyebrow twitched in exasperation, "Chrono-kun's not holding back here."
"He wants to end this battle early." Vita kept her eyes split between the hedgehog and the enforcer, "He used that variation against me earlier, I was lucky that Zafira was there to guard."
"And against the original NachtWal on Christmas Eve," Hayate added in concern, "I hope Sonic-kun will be okay."
Just then, Reinforce noticed activity in the right cuff of Sonic's gloves. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted an all too familiar golden yellow glow from it. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed it, but found that the others had focused on the boy in the air.
"Could that be…" The unity device trailed off in thought as she looked up at the enforcer
"Stinger Blade: Execution Shift!" Declared Chrono from high up in the skies as he slammed his staff down in a gesture, "Fire!"
In a simultaneous burst, all one hundred blades fell upon the hedgehog's position. The Struggle Bind still in effect, Sonic could do nothing to dodge. It seemed as though all of the blades had struck true as the impact generated a sizable explosion on the ground level with an accompanying cloud of dirt and dust.
[BGM Pause]
Silence fell upon everyone as all eyes were locked on the cloud of dust from the spell. The suspense was felt by all as even Chrono could not help but wonder if he overdid it. Hayate and the others on the ground watched as the mote of dirt dispersed. Before the watchers could have seen what had happened, their ears reacted first.
"Hehe~!"
[BGM shift: "Battle" Sonic X OST (Japanese)]
The dust rapidly settled to reveal Sonic the Hedgehog. He stood upright, but one could tell from the bumps, cuts and bruises that the hedgehog had taken some damage from the spell volley. His unmistakable light-blue aura flared in pure power and his right palm had an all too familiar golden glow emitting from it.
"What?!" Chrono's mouth was agape in shock, "Impossible!"
A majority of the onlookers watched in shock at the surprising outcome as well. Only Reinforce and Lindy seemed unfazed by the revelation and they both had their own ideas as to why.
"I see…" Reinforce trailed off in thought as she observed the latest turn of the tide, "He purposefully held off on absorbing the ring until he needed it."
"They boosted his defense by that much?" Nanoha was among the few who were shocked, "But how… against Chrono-kun's Stinger Blade"
"The Execution Shift is a tricky variation that relies more on the numbers than the power." Lindy noted, "And Chrono-kun's power output, while stronger than Sonic's here, pales to that of yours and Fate's."
True to the commentary, Sonic had been able to use his final ring as a last ditch defensive effort to stave off a majority of the enforcer's all-or-nothing bombardment. The ring's glow was dim due to the energy expended in defense, but it still seemed to have enough left to continue the fight.
"Wow~! That was close, but now it's my turn..." Sonic grinned as he allowed the power to envelop him. His posture oozed confidence as he got into a runner's stance, "GO~!"
The last syllable was the final one that was heard as Sonic launched up into the air with an explosive burst of power and speed. Mid-way between himself and the enforcer, the blue blur curled up into his boosted spin form and increased his acceleration and speed. In a last-ditch effort, Chrono threw out a round shield, but it was for naught as the hedgehog sheared through that and slammed into his midsection.
Winces of phantom pain could be felt from the crowd as they saw Sonic used his momentum and drive Chrono into a hard impact on the ground. Thankfully, the hedgehog held back and the boy only had the wind knocked out of him. The dizzy spell had left his eyes in comical swirls.
-Winner: Sonic-
[No BGM]
"That was almost difficult," Sonic said as he dusted himself off of the dirt, wincing as blood from his wounds dry, "But… it was fun."
"Are you okay?" Reinforce, along with Hayate, was the first to approach the hedgehog in concern.
"I'll be fine…" the hedgehog recovered quickly enough with a shrug. He turned to take his leave, "I gotta do something real quick, I'll be back in a jiffy."
Before anyone could have said anything, the hedgehog took off at hypersonic speeds. The silence that was left in his wake was as awkward as it was humorous. Sonic's speed, no matter how many times the Wolkenritter saw it, was still amazing. They weren't alone as the bureau group, aside from the woozy Chrono, were equally as stunned.
"Well then…" Lindy cleared her throat with a few coughs to reset the mood, "I suppose now's a good time for an announcement. This is for everyone, but it's especially important for the Wolkenritter."
"Our statements from before still stand." Reinforce spoke on behalf of the knights, "We still intend to surrender ourselves to stand for the crimes and sins we have committed."
"Unfortunately, then you'll be disappointed… or relieved," The admiral shook her head in decline, "Another party has come forward and claimed responsibility as the "villain" of this incident. As of right now, the Bureau will not file any charges."
"What?!" that shocked Chrono out of his dazed stupor, "Another?"
"Yes, but I am not allowed to reveal who in front of Hayate and the Wolkenritter just yet." The woman noted, her focus remaining on the group, "For the moment, you are free to resume your lives. Just try not to cause trouble…"
"You sound like you're about to leave." Hayate noticed the tone that the admiral had taken.
"Indeed, Chrono and I will be taking the Arthra back to headquarters to escort our villain into custody." One could have noticed a slight note of sadness in Lindy's tone, "I don't know how long we'll be away, but we will return as soon as we can."
"What about us?" Fate asked.
"I will leave Amy here to manage our residence in town. She will act as a temporary liaison in case anyone starts causing trouble for us." a knowing glint was seen in the admiral's eyes.
"We still have to file our reports at headquarters," Chrono added, "And the Arthra is due for maintenance."
"How long do you estimate it will take?" Signum queried.
"A week or two at the most. And I will talk with some others in the Bureau and see what can be done regarding your case." Lindy indicated, "Until then, you're free to resume your lives, so long as you don't cause trouble for anyone."
Those affected by the announcement and exchange had to take a few moments to absorb and process what was said. Truthfully, while it brought some relief, Hayate, Reinforce and the Wolkenritter could not help but feel the guilt. Even though Lindy said it so informally and easily, the admiral herself could feel for them.
The moment of silence and melancholy ended swiftly as a noise from an aircraft could be heard. Everyone looked up at the source and saw that a vintage 2-seater biplane flew over them, with Sonic the Hedgehog as the pilot. They could hear the engines die down as the plane landed safely beside the tree.
"Hey guys~!" Sonic greeted them energetically as he hopped out. He soon realized that he had came in at something of a bad time as he saw the gloomy aura, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing…" Lindy did not want to ruin the hedgehog's mood and decided to allow his distraction to shift the topic, "What is this?"
"My finished project," The blue blur had a wide grin on his face as he gestured to the completed airplane, "Introducing the Tornado!"
"Wow…" Hayate's spirits were lifted as her eyes roamed the body of the plane, taking note of the fact that it was officially a two-seater, "You really did it!"
"It wasn't easy, but I had a little help." a gloved hand reached out to Hayate, "Now, how about we take to the skies?"
Without any hesitation, the girl took the hand and allowed Sonic to place her comfortably in the back seat of the biplane. Sonic grinned as he hopped into the front seat and turned on the engines.
"This isn't just a party for two." the hedgehog said to the other mages and knights, "Anyone else wanna join in?"
"Stand by, ready!" Raising Heart spoke for Nanoha.
"Get set!" Bardiche added for Fate's sake.
A flurry of lights emitted from the knights and mages as they shifted into their respective combat attire. Even Lindy decided to join in the fun by summoning a cute pair of workable fairy-like wings from her back. Arisa and Suzuka watched in awe and amazement while the Takamachi family seemed to take it all in stride.
"I think we can trust you guys to return home safely," Shiro spoke as he turned to his wife, "We have work to return to."
"Have fun, kids." Momoko waved kindly in dismissal as she, her husband and Nanoha's two older siblings left for home.
Arisa and Suzuka both left shortly after the family did, citing that their respective families were expecting them back home soon. Only Amy Limietta was left to see them off.
"Alright~!" With nothing to stop Sonic now, he started up the engines, "Let's go~!"
The biplane started like a charm and Sonic was able to take it to the skies with no delay. He and Hayate were swiftly followed by Reinforce and the Wolkenritter. Nanoha and Fate soon took to the skies as well followed by Lindy and Chrono.
[South Island: Sky]
[BGM: "Helen's Diner" Sonic X OST]
Hayate watched in awe and amazement as she saw the sea below her and felt the rush of wind in her short hair. The experience was truly euphoric and unique, to see the waves of the ocean move so swift. Sonic also relished in this opportunity. Even though the plane was not as fast as he was, it opened his options of adventure and exploration past the sea.
"So… um…" Hayate asked Sonic timidly, "Where are you gonna go now?"
"Hmm?" The hedgehog blinked.
"You fulfilled your promise to Mistress Hayate and made her dream come true," Signum noted as she flew beside the plane, "Where are you going to go from here?"
"Home." Sonic said honestly and simply.
"I see…" Reinforce flew next to Signum, "Home is where the heart is, as they say."
"Just don't be a stranger," Shamal requested as positioned herself behind the first two.
"Hehe~!" the hedgehog did not even bother to suppress his humor.
Vita flew up on the other side of the plane and sent the hedgehog a questioning look, "What's so funny?"
"I meant 'Home' as in with you guys," the chuckles threatened to break out into full blown laughter, "You actually thought that after all of this, I was just going to up and leave you?"
"It stood to reason to make that assumption," Zafira noted fairly as he came up next to Vita, "You had fulfilled the terms of your stay."
"No way~! I'm having way too much fun here." Sonic rapidly shook his head, "I can't see myself going anywhere else right now."
"You sure?" Hayate asked, she was not about to refuse him if asked, but she wanted to make sure Sonic's mind was set.
"I'm sure. I honestly don't have a real 'home' or 'family'." The hedgehog admitted with a sigh, "So… if it's possible. I'd like to stay with you guys… as part of your family."
With no delay and a bright smile on her face, the kind Mistress of the Night Sky threw her arms around the hedgehog in the front seat, "Silly Sonic-kun! You're already part of our family. You don't even need to ask."
"Aww, shucks" in a rare moment of breaking his cool facade, the hedgehog allowed a tear to trail from his eyes, "Thanks…"
The Wolkenritter watched the scene in admiration and respect. Truthfully, none of them would have been sure what to think if the hedgehog had decided to leave them to go on another adventure. And it was not like Sonic was going to suddenly stop his adventuring ways, the hedgehog simply had a place to hang his metaphorical hat at the end of the day.
The day and year soon came to an end, bringing about a celebration of the year's ending. However, as one year ended, another began. Adventures were like years in that respect, as one ended, the next one was right around the corner. The story of Sonic, Hayate, and the Wolkenritter had only just begun and their next adventure awaited them.
[ED: "Mi-Ra-I" Run & Gun, Sonic X OST]
[End of Chapter 4]
Author's Notes: And with that, we can close the book on the Tome of the Night Sky arc. I won't say for sure what is next, but I'll leave you all with a cryptic hint to solve. Look-a-likes will meet on a world where time is twisted and those who were thought to be dead live again.