Chapter 2-Dark Tensions and Guided Hope
Team Dark was just outside the wall of Twilight that surrounded the majority of the Mystic Ruins, specifically the Jungle area outside Tails' Workshop. They were called out to investigate what the Commander called "shadow clouds" and find a way to lift them for the protection of everyone, not knowing about the Twilight or the dangers they brought as well as Sonic being trapped inside. Shadow and Omega were just about to launch an attack at the wall while Rouge was looking for info when-
"Stop what you're doing! Are you mad to face the Twilight like that?"
Dusk arrived just in time to halt them in their tracks and face him, which caused Shadow to be one unhappy hedgehog. "And who do you think you are?"
"Someone who would know quite a BIT about the Twilight," the warrior answered in a stern tone.
"I think we can manage just fine." "I do not think so at all." "Who made you our superior?" "Nobody but I'm doing this for your own good!"
"All right you two," Rouge cut into their argument, "fighting like this won't get anybody anywhere!"
The female bat looked over the armored hedgehog and found quite a large interest in him so she used her charms. "So handsome, are you going to tell us about this thing in front of us?"
Dusk felt the charms work on him until he looked away and cleared his throat before turning back to explain. "What you see in front of you is called Twilight and it is VERY dangerous. If you step in you'll be like spirits and who knows what manners of beasts it brought with it. Only those with similar powers or are specially chosen can survive in such darkness, such as myself and a few individuals."
"So I guess I can step in," Shadow replied, thinking he was one, as he stepped closer and was cut off by a dark blue ornate blade that just missed the top of his white patch of chest fur.
"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint but you are not one of the chosen," Dusk told him while he kept his sword steady. "I can tell by sensing it. You may be of dark blood but that will not stop you from getting killed in there."
Shadow was about to argue again when he noticed something in his opponent's dark blue eyes: a deep, seriously worried look that held signs to prove Dusk might be right after all. He suddenly thought back to a few brief moments of his past on ARK when he caught his father/creator, Prof. Gerald, with a similar look alone before the attack that took his only family away. He gave a defeated sigh and stepped aside to let Dusk pass, surprising Rouge and Omega into confusion.
"I'm glad you seem to understand," the younger hedgehog stated with satisfaction. "Please tell your superiors that instead of investigating the Twilight, why not you three keep others out of it instead? I don't want other innocent souls lost in the darkness."
"Should we mention anything you explained to us?" Shadow asked, just incase the Commander questions any of them about it.
"Of course you may. Now if you can excuse me, there's already a chosen one inside that needs guidance."
"WHO IS THIS CHOSEN ONE THAT YOU ARE SUGGESTING?" Omega queried after being silent for a long time.
Dusk only looked back and said, "Sonic," before changing into a dark blue wolf with regular cobalt blue markings, dark green eyes, and a simple shaded mark of the Triforce with his power then leaping into the wall of Twilight.
Rouge gasped in shock as Shadow whipped around in equal fright as he thought, *Sonic's in there?*
(In the Twilight...)
Sonic groaned in confusion as he opened his eyes to see a slightly blurred dark world around him. As he tried to get up, he suddenly felt his body being weighted down as pain rushed through it. He suddenly changed into his Werehog form, a form he never had for a long time as the pain subsided, allowing him to finally get up. Then the memories rushed through when he recovered!
"I remember what happened now!" he shouted with a slight growl to his voice. "Tails and I was doing our usual run when those weird clouds appeared as well as the monsters! Then Tails escaped and one of them knocked me out…and now I wake up here changing into a Werehog again!"
He looked around to see everything dark like the time of dusk, with what seemed to be black squares floating into the air and spinning as they went, some faster than others.
"I don't thing this is Dark Gaia's doing…or Eggman's on that note. This is getting really strange."
At that moment, dark pillars with red markings shot down, trapping him within a force field as a dark Portal opened in the sky. Three black creatures, slightly bigger than Sonic, dropped out of it before disappeared and started to attack him! He used his strength and stretchy arms to knock out two of them and was about to get the third when it let out a horrifying ear-splitting screech!
"Aaaah!" Sonic yelled as he covered his ears, shut his eyes, and gritted his teeth! "Cut that out!"
When it was finished and he opened his eyes, he saw that the other two was up again! "What the? I thought you two had it!"
Nearby, Dusk heard the screech and ran over a hill to see Sonic having trouble! He leaped into the barrier and activated a field of power which zapped the three creatures, then shot off in lighting-quick speed to destroy each one at once with his fangs. They soon disintegrated and formed into a portal, which once had red markings that are now aqua, and the barrier disappeared.
"Whoa, that's a bundle! I thought I was done for!"
"You were lucky I heard the Shadow Beasts' cry. When they attack in groups and if you leave one alive, it will give off a screech to revive its comrades. The best way to succeed is to strike them down all at once as you seen me do just now. Well probably not EXACTLY as me but I hope you understand the point."
"I sure do! I'm Sonic by the way!"
"You can call me Dusk," he replied, then added with amusement, "and I already know quite a bit about you."
Sonic chuckled as he rubbed his nose with his finger, not understanding what his friend really meant, then notice something out in the distance: a floating blue flame!
"Hey Dusk? What's that?"
The blue wolf's ears and tail suddenly drooped in sadness and sympathy. "It seems there's an unfortunate soul here. Unlike us, those who do not belong in the Twilight or are not chosen to fight in this place take on a spirit-like form. Not only are they trapped but they can't see or hear us. But we can do the opposite to them since I am a wolf and you are a Werehog, part wolf."
"How?" Sonic asked interested, but worried on who that spirit is.
"By activating your senses. If you can concentrate on your wolf-like senses, then you'll see the spirit's shape and hear its voice. I'll show you how."
Dusk took a deep breath as he closed his eyes to concentrate, opening them a moment after to reveal them to be more wolf-like compared to the Mobian like looks they had before. Sonic got the idea and copied, only to see most of his surroundings dark and the flame took on a shape of one of the researchers that usually wanders around the jungle.
"That darkness came down quick!" he said to himself, taking no notice to the wolf and Werehog listening in. "Plus it's not even night time yet! I hope somebody figures out something soon because I'm getting spooked in here!"
He soon went on his way and they both deactivated their senses as Dusk turned to Sonic, "You see? Being part wolf can have its advantages. But I do feel sorry for that poor soul."
"I can see your point. How can we get rid of this Twilight stuff?"
Dusk said nothing for a few moments as he swiveled his ears to pick up a certain sound, then when he found it he said, "Follow me, I'll explain on the way."
As they ran through the jungle, Dusk explained about the Light Spirits and how they lose their light, causing the Twilight to fall. He also said the only way to lift it is to find the light back by destroying the Dark insects that held each piece, or Tear as he called it.
"But how are we going to hold the Tears?" Sonic asked, getting more interested on this new adventure by the minute.
"The Spirit will give us a special vessel to hold the tears and see the Insects with our senses," Dusk replied, feeling more confident than he usually does. Probably because of Sonic's optimism is keeping his hopes high as they entered a cave that Sonic never knew was there.
Inside they saw a spring with marked boulders around it and a floating ball of faded light above it. Dusk took the moment to do a bow by lowering his front half since he was a wolf and Sonic did a bow too, incase Dusk chewed him out for not showing respect as his old friend Caliburn did when he was in the Arthurian Legend and they met the Lady of the Lake. Dusk smiled at this as the faded voice spoke.
"One born with Twilight…and one changed by Twilight…I am the Light Spirit…of this jungle…Please gather my light…taken by the dark creatures…and hold them in this…"
A small vessel that looked like a small vine of grapes appeared and settled itself around Sonic's neck. He looked closer at it to see there were 16 empty spheres on it so he figured that was the number of insects they had to find.
He looked up at the spirit with determination in his eyes and said, "Don't worry! We'll get your Tears back and get rid of this Twilight!"
Dusk smiled at this as the spirit continued, "Thank-you…now go…The creatures…are hunting for you both…"
It soon fell silent to save its strength and Sonic activated his senses at once to begin the search. It didn't take him long to see the first large pest and stretched his arm to squish it against a tree before it escaped. The tear appeared not long after, entering the vessel, and causing the first sphere to glow with a soft light.
He was turning to find the next Insect and almost ran into a tree since he sees mostly black. "Whoa! I guess running with your senses activated is harder than it looks."
Dusk chuckled in amusement. "You will get used to it. I remember my first mistake when I started using my senses; I nearly ran into a stone wall! Twice!"
They both laughed at this as they continued their bug hunt, destroying unwanted monsters along the way. As they continued to their 9th Insect, Dusk was surprised on how much fun he was having, concluding that Sonic's undying optimism DEFINETLY was rubbing off to him. They suddenly found themselves trapped in another force field bear the pyramid left my Knuckles' tribe and at once three Shadow Beasts dropped don to attack. This time Dusk got rid of one as Sonic finished off the other two and they disappeared to form another portal.
"Hey Dusk?" Sonic began asking as he looked at it. "What are those portals for?"
"Well those who use Twilight power, such as myself and the people of the Twilight called the Twili, use them for easier access to certain areas quickly when they need to."
"Oh so it's a short cut for you guys?"
"Yes I guess you can call it that. Of course I usually make my own portals when I'm alone, but I use the pre-made portals when I'm with someone else."
They continued to finish their hunt, digging up any Insects when they buried themselves. Dusk was having a difficult time finding the last one, not knowing it was going in for some damage, until he heard it get killed. He whipped around to see Sonic's arm shrink to its regular length, and a look of victory on his face.
"Another one bites the dust!" He shouted in victory as the Tear filled the last spot on the vessel.
At once it glowed and transported them back to the spring to restore the Spirit's light.
Author's Notes:
O.K I got over PART of my block to write a chapter of Blue Twilight and Silver Spirit!
Oh and you guys can consider this a belated birthday present to him!
Here we see something else: Shadow's got his old attitude again! I wanted this story to be separate from my past fics on DA so I got him back in character.
But I also got him a little OOC (Out Of Character) a bit by having a argument with Dusk since he's the Ultimate Life Form and Dusk didn't want any unnecessary deaths.
I also got started on Sonic's role here only I stuck him in Werehog form for the most part since Werehogs are a hedgehog-style werewolf.
And if you can see my math here:
Werehog = werewolf = part wolf = strong senses!
Make sense? Good! I wanted the whole sense thing to work for Sonic and I love his Werehog form since it's handy to be...and darn fuzzy! O.K I ADMIT! I LOVE HIM FOR HIS FUZZINESS!
O.K now I got that off my chest...
Plus Dusk gets to show off his own wolf skills here. (Yes he CAN make the force field thing without Midna. He's an ELITE for Kitsuno's sake!) And he's a good teacher when it comes to explaining things to Sonic.
Next Chapter: Dusk's connection with Sonic is revealed. Plus an unexpected visitor! (I ain't saying who so DON'T ASK!)
^^; Sorry for any hyperness there. I was also reading my copy of the Azumanga Daigoh Omnibus and it got me hyper. ^^;
Enjoy and review!
Sonic and related is © SEGA and Sonic Team
Twilight Princess enemies and concepts are © Nintendo
Everything else is © me so DON'T STEAL OR ELSE!