Chapter 18

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Sonic's Point of View

        I paced back and forth outside Mephiles' chamber, anxiety tearing at my heart. Moving helped remove the jitters a bit, but it wasn't enough. (Name) had been gone a long time and I worried about her. "Okay, okay," I said to myself, forcing my rump into one of the plush chairs. "If she's not out in five minutes, I'll bust the door in."

        Ever since (Name) disappeared through the invisible door, it had not reappeared. I cast it a glance, knowing that it was there, disguised as a blank spot on the wall. Just wait a bit longer, I thought. Give her a chance. She wants to help—to be a hero. It's her time to shine and make up for the trouble she thinks she caused. I wanted her to succeed, but then why did I feel like everything might go south?

        Sighing in an attempt to release the built-up tension in my chest, and finding that didn't work, I stood and paced the small room again, practicing deep breathing techniques. I wanted to be calm and focused when (Name) ran through that door with the Chaos Emerald in tow. To defeat Mephiles was no easy task, and my friend was relying on me to aid her in that defeat.

        Minutes later, as I continued to pace the room, I detected a strange sensation in the air. It felt weird to my barely-developed internal energy detector, yet I was positive I sensed Chaos energy. The energy became more apparent with time. Was it growing stronger? Had (Name) gotten to the Chaos Emerald? Or, did Mephiles get to it instead? Unusual vibrations traveled through the air as the energy grew. I backed away from the invisible door, weary, readying myself for the appearance of the black and gray-striped demonic hedgehog.

        I was pushed down by a strong pulse of chaotic power. I yelped as I landed on my tail and rolled a short distance, my peach cheek pressed against the cold glassy floor. As soon as I could, I got to my feet, confused and worried. The door still had not appeared. Neither had (Name) nor Mephiles.

        "Sonic!" a faint voice echoed. Twitching my ears, I searched the room for its source, finding nothing. "Sonic," it called again, and I fancied it came from down the stairwell. The voice certainly didn't sound like (Name)'s, although it had a high, almost feminine, pitch. It was very familiar.

        Giving the blank wall a hesitant glance and hoping it wouldn't be opened within the next minute or two, I suddenly raced down the stairs at top speed. I found going down much easier than going up. Within a few short seconds, I had traveled halfway, and I came to a painful stop upon smacking my forehead against that of another person.

        "Damn it, hedgehog!" hissed a deep, raspy voice. Shadow picked himself off the ground while I did the same. We both had slid a few steps and were now massaging our newly formed welts. The G.U.N. agent glared at me with blazing red eyes.

        From behind Shadow, more faces appeared around the bend. "Tails!" I cried, bypassing the hedgehog and giving my young friend an embrace. "Silver, Blaze, Amy, and Rouge too? You guys finally came! We'd been waiting, and we almost gave up. How come Knuckles isn't here?" I peeked down the stairs, just to make sure I hadn't somehow missed the brawny red echidna.

        "Knuckles stayed behind on Angel Island," said Tails, hugging me back. "He's the one who sent us here using the power of the Chaos Emeralds, with the Master acting as a tracking device to pinpoint your location among the many realms of the universe."

        "Many realms of the universe, huh?" I said, releasing Tails and giving the others their own greetings.

        Silver stepped forward, his golden gaze searching my form. It lingered over my various cuts and bruises I had gotten from the perilous journey across Mephiles' collapsed domain. "It's a good thing you're still alive, Sonic. I can't imagine how dangerous it must've been defending yourself against Mephiles and that were(animal). I see (Name) isn't around, so I've been proved right. She is conspiring with Mephiles."

        "Silver, please," scolded Blaze. She looked as if about to apologize for him, but I interrupted her.

        "You know what, Silver? I'm tired of you putting her down like that. For the whole time we've been in this realm, (Name) has only tried to figure out a way to defeat Mephiles. This very moment she is risking her life to get the Chaos Emerald from him because you took so long to get here. She went by herself because she feared for my safety! Don't tell me who she is and what she's done when you've barely spent a few minutes in the same room."

        "Don't you think that's suspicious?" the white hedgehog lashed back. "Why wouldn't she let you come with her? Two against Mephiles are better odds than one—you both could have fought against him long enough to grab the emerald. I don't see why she went herself for your 'safety.'"

        I clenched my fist, about ready to put it in his smug face. I was ready to do anything to defend (Name)'s honor. However, a gentle hand grasped my wrist. Turning my head, I looked at Amy, whose expression filled with sadness.

        "Please don't fight, you two. Hasn't there already been enough bloodshed? We came here to stop Mephiles, not fight among ourselves. I believe Sonic when he says (Name)'s trying to help." She eyed Silver. "A lot has happened to her, and like any good friends, we need to be supportive of her choices and actions. She might've initially released Mephiles, by accident, but she's trying to make it right by defeating him. I think that's very brave of her."

        "She has a point, hon," said Rouge, also giving Silver a look. "Who doesn't deserve a second chance? (Name)'s just a kid, and there are others who've done a lot worse and we've given them second, and even third, chances. Shadow, for instance."

        Beside me, Tails nodded, and I stared indignantly at the time-traveling hedgehog. "At least some of us agree on her innocence," I huffed. "Seriously, Silver, you need to leave her alone. (Name) isn't planning on going behind our backs to take over the world. By the way, we'd better get to Mephiles' chamber. They could be coming out anytime now and I don't wanna miss them. It'll be easier to take Mephiles on now that you guys are here."

        "Too bad we don't have the emeralds with us," said Tails as the group ascended the stairwell. "For some reason, they didn't travel to this dimension. Knuckles must've held onto them. Except one, which Shadow has so that we can teleport back."

        "I suppose it's in our best interest," responded Shadow, taking up the lead beside me. The anger had left his eyes and he spoke to me directly. "Though we could have used our super forms to our advantage, there is the possibility that we'll never reach the final Chaos Emerald. Knuckles didn't want to risk Mephiles getting his hands on any more of them, either. That would have spelled death for us. Besides," he twisted his head, looking down at the group.

        "If we defeated Mephiles in a realm of his own creation, what would happen then?"

        "Something terrible," answered Tails. "With Mephiles defeated, and his hold on this dimension lost, there wouldn't be enough time to escape. We'd be sucked into a vortex—a black hole—and our atoms would be pulled apart and scattered across time and space within milliseconds. Of course, this is only an educated guess based on what research I've done on alternate realities. The true result might not be so dramatic or instant. Knuckles just didn't want us to take the chance."

        "So, this is a rescue mission rather than a fight for victory," stated Blaze.

        I mulled over that conversation in my head as we traveled up the tower. Honestly, what my friends said didn't sit well with me. I wanted Mephiles to be defeated, to be utterly destroyed for what he had done. Putting off his inevitable downfall only meant we gave him time to cause further harm. Sure, he appeared to have grown weak as evidenced by the desaturated and fallen apart crystal world, but he might regain that strength at any time. What if he already has? I wondered, remembering the strong pulse of energy that had knocked me down earlier. Was that Mephiles' doing, or was it just the arrival of Tails and the others?

        Either way, we had to move fast. Despite my legs aching from the last time I climbed this seemingly endless staircase, I picked up my pace, gliding upwards at two steps a stride. Shadow followed me closely, but the rest lagged behind.

        At the last ten steps, my pace had slowed. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I struggled to lift my legs, bringing each foot down like a solid block of concrete. Though Shadow wasn't as exhausted as I was, he stayed a step or two behind me. Farther down the staircase I heard the huffs and puffs of the remaining group. Tails, Silver, and Rouge had the ability to fly, which would have made their trip much easier, but their path would have been impeded by the countless sharp crystal protrusions that gave off luminescent light. It was safer for them to keep to the ground.

        Once I floundered over the last step, entering the furnished waiting area outside Mephiles' chamber, the first thing I noticed was the gaping door. It opened inward, exposing black shadows so thick that not even a flashlight would be able to penetrate them.

        "Is this it?" questioned Shadow in a low whisper, coming up beside me and staring inside. I nodded. He narrowed his eyes and removed a red Chaos Emerald from his bristling quills, preparing to use it. "I sense an unusual energy signature coming from inside. It's very powerful, containing mostly Dark Chaos. It must be Mephiles. However, his energy feels different from before."

        My ears flicked backward as the rest of the group caught up, crowding into the room to stare into Mephiles' unnervingly silent chamber. We weren't sure how to proceed. Did we just walk inside? Did we wait for Mephiles to come out? And what about (Name)? Where was she?

        As we pondered over what to do, I heard Amy suddenly gasp. Instantly, I turned my head toward the door and froze in terror at what I saw there.

        Peering from the darkness were two glowing snake eyes.

        Involuntarily, I retreated a step when an inky black (animal) emerged from the chamber. Its body was swathed in shadows, almost completely made up of them. The shadows squirmed and writhed like a pitch-black fire consuming flesh. Next to me, Shadow leaned forward in an aggressive stance, his emerald shining blindingly. It bathed the room in an eerie red glow, touching everything—walls, floors, furniture, me, Shadow, my friends—but not the (animal). Its pelt was void of color, void of volume and texture. If not for the shadows that surrounded it, and the slit pupils of its eyes, I would have instantly recognized the form of (Name).

        I grabbed Shadow's shoulder, preventing his advance in case he thought to attack her. Pulling him back, I stepped in front of him, my sight focused on the (animal). "It's alright, (Name). I won't let Shadow hurt you," I tentatively said. We were two meters apart, and I began inching my way toward her. "...What happened? Did you get to the Chaos Emerald? Is that why you look so different? Or, did Mephiles do something to you?"

        She responded to none of my questions and only stood quietly with a blank expression.

        "Sonic, don't go any closer," said Tails in a worried tone. "I think there's something wrong with her."

        "She's not going to hurt me, Tails," I said, my hand slowly reaching for (Name)'s muzzle. The distance between us closed to four feet. "We just need to take her out of Mephiles' dimension and bring her home. Then she'll go back to normal. I think Mephiles' influence got to her. She'll be alright once he's far, far away."

        "That's not true," said Silver, his voice tight with fear. He saw recognition dawn on Blaze when the violet feline looked at (Name). "I remember seeing this creature in the future, helping Mephiles to destroy the world. Blaze and I called it 'Absence,' remember? It's pure evil, and it must be destroyed!"

        When Silver said that, (Name) bared her teeth. I recoiled at the sight of her long, sharp, pearly white fangs—longer and sharper than any (animal) in existence. She looked truly demonic and craving flesh. That wasn't (Name). It couldn't be. I stood rooted to the spot when she suddenly lunged forward, jaws wide and aimed at my throat.

        "Chaos Control!" declared Shadow.

        The next thing I knew, I was on Angel Island, a tropical breeze blowing through my quills. All around me, my friends trembled. Tails and Amy latched onto each other like frightened children, tears cascading down their cheeks. Rouge and Blaze attempted to comfort them, without success.

        I fell to my knees, staring wildly at the sea of green that laid before my eyes and the towering trees that surrounded it. I hadn't seen living trees in a long time. These were made of wood and bark, not sharp crystal, and they had the smell of the jungle wafting through their branches. Tearing up grass blades in my fists, I opened my palms and allowed them to slide off and spiral to the ground.

        "What happened?" called a gruff voice from the temple of the Master Emerald. A red blur raced down the steps and headed toward me, slowly trailed by the unexpected shape of Dr. Eggman. I stared up blankly as Knuckles regarded me with a frown and looked around the crowd for someone else. "Where's the girl? She should've been with Sonic."

        "Mephiles has control of her," said Blaze, solemnly. "She's changed. We couldn't bring her back with us because she was about to attack Sonic. They are still in the other dimension, with the white Chaos Emerald."

        "Chaos," cursed the echidna. "Somehow I knew things would go wrong. Tikal warned me they might, which was why I kept the emeralds here."

        He looked at me again, purple gaze reflecting sympathy. Shamefaced, I looked away, but then Knuckles knelt and put a large hand on my shoulder. "We'll get her back, Sonic. Mephiles might have control of her now, but soon he'll be nothing but a speck of dust by the time we're through with him. In fact, even a speck of him won't exist."

        I shook my head, scattered thoughts and dark images popping up as I recalled the frightening encounter of just minutes ago. "You don't understand," I said, seeing those sickly green eyes again. "This never should have happened. I should have gone with her—I should have protected her. All Mephiles wanted was power, and he got it. (Name)'s being used as some sort of pawn. How could she ever return to normal, even after Mephiles is defeated? She'll be traumatized and it's...my fault..."

        I fell quiet, watched by numerous pairs of eyes. Something wet slipped down my cheek and dropped into the grass. Nobody said anything while I grieved, feeling the loss of my friend all over again.

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Amazing artwork created by Quotev user singlefunker! One of the best digital images I've seen, very nice.


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