Run. Run. Run!
That's all Sonic could do as he tried to keep himself above the surface. The ocean was horrifying. It was not only made of his worst enemy —normally enemy #2, but in this particular scenario the order had flipped— but it was also the only region of Earth not fully explored. Whatever may lay in the depths which the sun never had touched was a thought that now creeped into his mind. But creatures of eldritch origin hiding within the shadows only gave him more fuel, boosting his dash even more.
The further he got, the larger were the waves. At first they were just simply more aggressive, but before he knew it walls of water were towering before him. The mountainous waves seemed like a task impossible, especially with how long he had already been running. His feet were starting to hurt from the continuous hard kicks he had to take in order to not drown. His one destination was near invisible to him with his only source of direction, the beacon, just barely peeking over the crest of the waves. Sonic could have sworn that if the light had a form, it would have been grinning madly and taunting him. But just like the terrifying darkness below him, the jeers only riled him further. Clenching his fists in concentration, he continued kicking forward over the waves.
In the midst of all that running, Sonic's mind was racing and playing the scene from earlier on a loop.
She had kissed him. Actually kissed him! Not just on the cheek like she so very often did (and as he did whenever he got the required courage) but this had been different. There was always a fluttering whenever that happened, but with this kiss it had taken over his entire body and in the moment he could have sworn he was levitating to the heavens. Even now that sense of almost floating in the sky was riding through him.
Sonic conquered the first waves with ease, navigating over them like he did across the mountainous forests at his home. What awaited after them was a wave somehow even taller. He ran to its crest, and his feet lifted off the surface. Lighting cracked the sky as Sonic soared over the great wave. The jump gave his feet a moment of rest, and also a moment to reflect what he had just done. His eyes widened as the colossal wall of water was closer and closer. Gritting his teeth, he prepared for the impact, and as he was about to hit the water, kicked.
He flew forward, his feet just barely touching the surface, and before he knew it he was looking straight down into the abyss. The water splashed as he planted down. To his luck, the ocean didn't get to claim her just yet, as he bounced forward and on his second try, which included a frantic set of kicking, managed to bring himself back to balance, and continue running along the surface.
Dashing along the mountain range made of water, he thought the worst had been passed. He couldn't have been more wrong. In his path grew a wave that soon towered over him, hiding even the last remnants of the beam behind it. It was no longer the light that mocked him, but the ocean with this colossal show of power. Before he knew it, he was running along its side in a near parallel line toward the sky. It was during this task that his kicks began to grow weaker. A splash of water struck his face, just momentarily blinding him, and the tip of his shoe broke through the surface. Sonic tried brushing it off as just a result from the water that had struck him, but soon after his whole foot sunk, and as more water splashed against him, he understood that it wasn't just the wave growing stronger, but him really sinking into it.
The water crashed against him, burying him, and swallowing him down into the depths.
***
Y/N entered the hotel room in a hurry. She opened her suitcase, rummaging through it and throwing nearly all of its contents around the room. She just needed some dry clothes. Dry clothes that would be comfortable to run in. Lucky for her, she had packed several pairs of shorts so there was something from which to pick, only she didn't so much as pick anything but just grab the pair closest to her. Same with her shirt.
In the midst of undressing from her ocean soaked clothes, she grabbed a towel and checked her phone.
"Three minutes," she said under her breath. There was still a good chance Sonic hadn't reached the location, especially considering the distance. A couple more should do.
After drying herself off and throwing on the new set of clothes, she went to the mirror. She unclasped her necklace and dropped one of the rings on her palm. She held the necklace in her other hand. The lone ring it now held was the one Sonic had originally given with it.
The sight reminded her of the conversation late that night, the conversation during which they had promised to take a trip to Sonic's homeworld some day in the future. Only now that future seemed an impossibility. If these two rings were truly the last of them, there would be no way to reach that planet.
Y/N could remember the way Sonic's eyes had glimmered in the dark of the room, the snow speeding past them in the night and looking like millions of shooting stars. He had spoken of that place with such joy, already planning to take her to the meadows with those small onion-creatures and the cliff with the most beautiful sunsets.
Am I overthinking it? she thought. It pained her to think they wouldn't get to make that trip, and it pained her to think of Sonic's reaction when he realized this.
But something, something she could not understand, told her that this, whatever this then was, needed to be done.
She looked out to the balcony, and the green beacon in the horizon.
***
Water softly washed over the sand and receded back into the water, the sloshes accompanying the whistles of birds. Those were the first sounds Sonic heard as he came back to his senses. Coughing. he dug his hands into the sand.
Sand!
He lifted his head, eyes wide as he crawled forward an measly inch. The ocean hadn't swallowed him into its uncharted and unforgiving depths afterall. The next wave that crashed over him was that of relief.
Before him, a small crab ran along on the beach. A forest towered behind the beach, its greenery somehow a shade brighter than any Sonic had ever seen. If he had to guess, it most likely had something to do with the beacon that was glowing somewhere behind the trees.
This was it. It had to be. He reached it.
He pushed himself up and strolled over the beach, still tired of the run he had just endured, not to mention the near death experience of almost drowning. To his luck the forest was rather easily navigated, and before long he was pushing leaves to the side on its other side. His eyes widened as what awaited him was revealed.
In the middle of the ocean was a massive opening, water cascading down its sides and into a steamy abyss. What he could only describe as a massive pyramid-like structure sat in the middle of the opening. It was from its top that the beacon was emitting, and up close it was much brighter than what it had been moments ago on the coast.
Starting at the edge of the small island Sonic was on was a staircase leading down into the oceanic gorge and the temple that sat within. With the waterfalls generating steam it was impossible for Sonic to tell just how far down the temple went. The thought created a momentary sense of existential dread within him, but it was quickly washed over by the remembrance of what was at stake. Y/N, Tails, Tom, Maddie and really the whole world was dependent on him going down there and stopping that maniac from gaining the emerald.
He took off down the stairs. About halfway through the steam had created a fog making it near impossible to see, and in his temporary blindness he lost his footing. Screaming, he fell down the stairs and splashed into something. Again he found himself underwater, but luckily this time around only momentarily. The current of the water pushed him forward and down like a slide. Entering through a small hole, Sonic found his surroundings no longer covered with mist. The slide had taken him down into a massive cavern somewhere below the ocean. In the distance was the beacon, and surrounding it were walls that created a massive labyrinth. As he was taking in the sight, he thumped against a wall, his direction changing in an instant. The waterslide down continued that route momentarily, then changed again and finally came to a stop.
Sonic flew on the stone floor, groaning in pain. "My pelvis," he whined, and got up.
A set of engraved walls surrounded him, each holding an archway into a corridor dividing into several others. He had already seen that the temple formed an enormous maze. A maze he would now have to solve. The thought caused him to grin. A labyrinth against the fastest being alive. He would be done with it in no time.
"Okay secret temple, let's see what you've got."
He dashed through the arch before him, entering the challenge with no doubt he could solve it. Metal clanged behind him as rumbles echoed throughout the corridors. Spikes pierced the floor as arrows flew between the walls and boulders fell from the ceiling. An ax swung back and forth before him, prompting him to increase his speed even more. He passed under the pendulum, the blade brushing the tips of his quills , and sending a shiver throughout him. Next up he was staring at a pool of lava, above which a set of spiky metal balls were swinging. He leaped at the wall, the hot liquid burning the ends of his fur as he ran parallel to it, before leaping down at the pool's edge. A ball of flames erupted from the wall, Sonic's eyes widening as he threw himself on the floor and slid beneath it. He could smell the burnt hairs immediately, and rolled up into a ball as he turned left and made a beeline through yet another set of deathtraps.
Trap after trap kept trying to stop him, but in the end none of them could touch Sonic the Hedgehog. He had no idea where he was or how far along he had gotten, but he kept going forward nonetheless.
The excruciating amount of traps being constantly set off began to wear on the temple itself, and cracks began to form along the floor. Sonic sprinted forward as a spiky ball fell from the ceiling and at him, only to be immediately met with a spinning saw blade trying to cut him in half. He jumped over it, then avoided getting impaled by spears, and then he was ducking under boulders. The floor beneath him kept cracking as it took upon more and more of falling rubble, and before Sonic knew it he was running straight into the center of the cracks. He was sprinting beneath a swarm of swinging axes when a spike ball crashed before him. The floor gave in, and with not so much as a warning Sonic was plummeting down.
He screamed as he fell into an open space, thumping into a pile of debris made of the floor. Standing right across him were the two he just happened to be looking for: Robotnik and Knuckles. He coughed out some dirt and smiled. "Nailed it." What hadn't yet been destroyed now was, and the rest of the floor came crashing down. Barely missing the hedgehog, a massive spiked ball landed right behind him.
Eggman looked at the hedgehog furious, "This guy is always trying to spoil a bad thing!"
Sonic stood up and shook his fur clean. The space was vastly different from the rest of the temple. Waterfalls decorated each side of the room, the walls even more ornate than in the maze. Behind him gigantic owl statuettes looked over the room and the altar that sat in its center. The altar stood tall and proud, and emitting from its top was the beacon of green.
They don't have it yet, Sonic thought as he saw the light. He turned to Robotnik and Knuckles. "You guys are here, too? Took the long way, huh?"
"Is everything a joke to you?" Knuckles grumbled. "Why must you constantly interfere with my... destiny?" Both Knuckles and Robotnik's gaze shifted from Sonic to something else.
"Because my destiny is to protect my friends and family," the hedgehog told him, strolling toward the altar, only for him to bump into something. He quickly turned around, his eyes widening.
"I think I just threw up in my mouth," muttered Robotnik.
Sonic could not believe what he had walked into. He took a second to gather his thoughts, blinked a couple times just to be sure he wasn't just seeing what he wanted to, and shook his head before looking back up.
"Y/N?"
The girl smiled.
"Wh-Why are you here?" Sonic asked. Behind her, he could see the glow of a portal getting smaller and then disappearing into nothing.
Y/N looked from him to Robotnik and Knuckles. To her it almost seemed like the two had taken a pause from their mission just to let her and Sonic talk, but really she knew they must have just been surprised by her sudden appearance.
"To help. Two against one isn't a fair fight."
This statement worried Sonic, and he glanced at his foes who were angrily glaring at the two.
Before he could say anything, which Y/N knew would have been something about how she can't risk fighting, she said, "I'm not gonna throw fists or anything, okay? Because that's your job." She motioned behind her at the altar. "What I'm gonna do is get the emerald while you keep them busy."
Sonic blinked as he took in her words, understanding her plan of him being a distraction. It seemed like a risky plan, but then again, in this situation there wasn't much of a break to come up with anything better. Though, in Sonic's mind a much better plan was for her to wait while he gets the emerald, and then get away from the temple the moment it's done. But again, before he could have the chance to voice his opinions, someone else took the floor.
"So you're here too," said Robotnik, clearly irritated. "Any more of your merry men joining us?"
"Just me," she replied, and then just to get a rise from Robotnik, she smirked. "But that's enough."
Seeing that bold smirk accompanied with her overconfident tone sent a new feeling through Sonic, one that made him slightly shiver. Had Y/N looked down, she would have seen the normally blue hedgehog a shade of burning red.
"I doubt that," said Robotnik.
She tilted her head. "Guess we'll see."
Even if she was confident with her, which Sonic wondered when she had the time to come up with it, there was no way he was going to go through with it. He forced away the flustration, and in a swift moment had Y/N —once again— off the ground and in his arms. He set her down at the side of the chamber, a place he in that short moment had deemed was in a safe enough distance.
"I get the emerald. You stay safe."
The girl whose head was still trying to adjust to the sudden change of place looked down at the hedgehog. In his eyes was that gleaming worry from the beach, the one that blamed him for everything that had happened.
"And don't you dare do anything risky!" Sonic added, and then he was already standing at the bottom of the altar. He glared at Robotnik and Knuckles, and his eyes flashed. In an instant, he was dashing up the stairs to the Emerald.
Knuckles fumed. His quills glew red as his eyes did the same. He darted after the hedgehog, but instead of following him decided to tackle the problem a different way. Running left of the stairs, he leapt onto the wall, holding himself in place to charge up an attack.
Sonic saw the echidna's play, and in order to respond to his attack followed his tactic by jumping at the wall opposite of him. He flew at the wall, kicked it, and launched himself at Knuckles. The echidna charged at him instantly.
With force, Knuckles pushed himself from against the wall, flying toward the blue blur dashing his way. The blue of the hedgehog and the red of the echidna were flickering in the air as they charged at one another. The two clashed in the air, bolts of energy flashing all around them.
Sonic was the first to punch, as he hit Knuckles in his muzzle. Too bad this only managed to surprise the echidna who had gotten not just used to, but even comfortable with being hit during all his years of fighting. Sonic punched him again, this time on the other side and then once more. These attacks were nothing for Knuckles, who soon turned the tides around. As the hedgehog was about to kick him, he retaliated and instead smacked the hedgehog with force. This took Sonic by surprise, but didn't discourage him. He quickly turned back to the echidna, and this time hit his jaw. As the echidna flew up, Sonic shoved him forcefully. With that, he focused his power on his leg and quickly kicked Knuckles right on his stomach.
This gave Sonic the opportunity to jump away and over to the Emerald, but Knuckles wasn't going to let him go that easily. He grabbed his leg, pulled him closer and was going to do the same to him. Too bad for him, Sonic had prepared for this. The hedgehog brought his legs to his chest and then forcefully shoved them against the echidna. This gave him the push he needed to do his jump, and that's exactly what he did. As Knuckles was falling toward the ground, Sonic landed on a large owl carving beside the altar. He quickly turned around, charged his energy, and jumped back into the battle. In all that time, Knuckles had only fallen a few feet, and was now being approached by Sonic who was going as fast as he at that moment could. Knuckles didn't get a chance to answer the attack. He had to take the full force of the hedgehog as he landed on him. With just that initial punch alone, Sonic was able to temporarily overpower Knuckles. As the two were falling from the air, the hedgehog began repeatedly punching the echidna in hopes that he would be knocked out.
Had Sonic and Knuckles not been as engrossed in their fight, they would have noticed the developments the humans in the chamber had made. Down on the ground level away from the fight, Robotnik had run away from the battle. He was making his way toward the altar while commentating the fight, "The echidna's taking no prisoners today! Sonic has heart, but will he lose the quill to live?"
Similarly on the opposite side of the large room, Y/N was making her way to the Emerald. As Sonic and Knuckles had started their fight, she had immediately run past them and to the side of the altar. Now she would only have to climb up the staircase and she would have reached it.
Her gaze turned to the battle taking place. As the hedgehog and echidna were battling one another, both of them generated massive amounts of energy. Lightning was flashing around them, making the scene look like a superstorm. The colorful bolts painted the room around them like fireworks did the sky on the Fourth of July.
Sonic did one final blow to the echidna using his feet. He kicked him as hard as he could, in the process jumping back away from him. The echidna landed on his back causing the ground under him to crack. Sonic instead landed on his feet and skidded back.
His gaze turned to the girl standing further away from him. As much as he didn't want her to be there, there wasn't much of a choice now. He looked deep into the girl's E/C eyes. There was no need for words. No need for even a movement. Just that gaze that could have gone forever. That gave Y/N the realization of what she needed to do. Her gaze turned to the altar, and to the light shining from the top of it. She glanced back to Sonic, her gaze determined, and began running toward the staircase closest to her. That look gave Sonic everything he needed. She knew what she was doing. She always did.
As long as the moment had felt, at most only a couple seconds had passed. The echidna wasn't even up from the ground as Sonic turned back to him. "I don't want to fight you, but you're not giving me much choice," he leaped toward Knuckles with his feet first, ready to kick him again. Only this time, the echidna was ready. As Sonic was about to hit him, he pulled his arm back, and effortlessly brought his fist against the hedgehog. Immediately as the punch landed, Sonic could feel the air escaping from his lungs. He flew back the direction he had come from. Bouncing on the ground, he continued moving until he ended up under a waterfall that was at the other end of the room.
Knuckles grunted as he watched him disappear under the cascade, "Too easy. Let's do this." He turned his gaze to the green light shining atop the altar and began walking up the steps.
As the echidna was halfway up the staircase, he could hear the rumbling coming from the waterfall. His gaze darted its way, only for him to see a flashing blue light, before the hedgehog was suddenly coming his way once again. This time he didn't have a chance to react, not like there was much he could have done. The hedgehog missed him, instead flying right under him, and through the staircase.
The steps the echidna had just stood on had turned into nothing but rubble. That and the effect the hedgehog's sheep had just had on them sent him flying backward. Sonic landed his feet on a wall and began running it up. He reached the top, and wasn't going to stop just there. Instead, he continued running along the dome like ceiling of the altar room and didn't stop till he was right near the center. There, his gaze turned to Knuckles, and just as he had done before, he rolled himself into a ball. For a short second, he charged his attack. From there onward, it would be nothing but trouble for Knuckles.
With an immense speed, Sonic flew down and straight at Knuckles waiting below. As he collided with the echidna, the creature was immediately slammed against the already broken staircase below him. More pieces of the staircase flew around as the echidna's body smashed through it. From the initial hit, Sonic flew back up, and so did Knuckles, only he wasn't in control. He was left there ready in the air and open for yet another blow, which Sonic soon delivered. When Knuckles crashed on the ground again, the rubble from the previous blow hadn't even been set yet. More of the staircase was destroyed as Sonic once again took off back into the air, before coming back down again. Knuckles was flying in the air like a ragdoll and could do nothing but endure the humiliation that Sonic was putting him through. As Sonic was once again in the air ready to come back down, he unrolled himself. This time, he brought down his fist and aimed it right at the echidna. There was a bright flash as the punch landed and that finally seemed to set the echidna down.
Sonic jumped away from the hole he had just created on the ground, returning back to the main room. As he landed on the ground he assumed that would be it, but he was far too naive. Before he even had the chance to breathe, the ground rumbled. Behind him, the staircase was destroyed as Knuckles smashed through it and straight toward him. Sonic turned around to see the furious glare coming his way, and was ready to take the blow when he backed away. Knuckles' punch landed right beside him, and so did the other one. The echidna had landed right before the hedgehog and was now throwing around his namesakes before him as he tried to take him out. Sonic kept backing away as the echidna kept trying to hit him.
The echidna was furious, "Why don't you stand still and die with honor?"
"Let me think about it," Sonic replied as he kept dodging the echidna's attacks. "Okay, I thought about it and I pass."
The echidna screamed, his power growing more and more as he did so. The far end of the room was overtaken by the red glow his quills were generating.
Then it finally happened. A punch landed on the hedgehog. Sonic was sent flying back and out the room.
While Knuckles had been trying to take out Sonic, Y/N had reached the Emerald. Her gaze trailed upon the green gem that was glistening in all its beauty. The Emerald was diamond cut, and perfectly shaped on each of its sides. It was floating atop the altar, slowly spinning in place. Surrounding it was some sort of field that was barely visible. The field was made of small, green particles that looked like glitter that was floating in the air. It was from that field that the light beam was generated.
"Hi there, beautiful. You're the real deal, aren't you?" said the voice from the opposite side of the Emerald. Y/N quickly raised her gaze to see Robotnik gazing at the Emerald as well. "Dove sei stato tutta la mia vita," the doctor said.
"You talking to me or the emerald because if it's me then that's creepy," Y/N commented.
Robotnik sighed, annoyed to see yet another obstacle in his way. "Of course it's you again."
"Where do you think I was? Holiday?" she asked.
"Hoped so," Robotnik replied. Then he was grabbing the Emerald. And then there was a flash. The doctor yelped as he pulled away from the gem, holding his hand in the other. "Oh ho ho! You're a feisty little thing." He tried again, only for the same burst of energy to zap him.
Y/N circled her side of the Emerald, eying the glow surrounding it. "It's got some kind of forcefield."
"Well aren't you smart?" Robotnik asked sarcastically, but Y/N paid no mind to it.
Because of some morbid curiosity, she wanted to feel how it felt. She reached for the Emerald, expecting it to zap her any second. But it didn't. Instead, her fingers lightly brushed the smooth green surface. And she froze.
The emerald flashed, and before her appeared a set of swirling clouds which became green in the glow. Lightning flashed against the clouds, thunder rumbling through the eternal tunnel she was forced to stare into. From somewhere far she came the faintest harmony of voices. Y/N's skin crawled as the singing became louder and closer. Something was coming through the tunnel. Something she was afraid to meet. She could hardly see it from her end, but as a lightning bolt flashed somewhere far from her she could definitely tell that there was movement that didn't come from the clouds. Her racing heart pounded in her ears, the accelerating beat working awfully well with the intensifying singing. The lighting cracked again. And she saw the eyes.
What she saw after that she couldn't remember. She could remember seeing more. Feeling more. In fact, what had happened in that split second had gone on in her mind for an excruciatingly long time. It had almost felt eternal. But what exactly it had been, she couldn't remember.
Y/N stumbled back and the storm was gone. The Master Emerald was back before her, floating on the altar like it was supposed to. She stared at the emerald, confused as to why she felt like she had just ran a marathon.
Beside her, Robotnik watched her closely. A flame of rage had flickered within him the moment she had touched the emerald, but he had quickly tamed it. Still, he wondered what had made the emerald shun him away but allow her to pass.
Y/N suddenly remembered why she was there in the first place, and that she wasn't alone. She looked at Robotnik, her body now shivering. Their eyes met, and she could see the hatred in his gaze.
On the other side of the chamber, Sonic weakly sat up on the ground. As he opened his eyes, he came face to face with a frightening view. Knuckles was right before him, holding a boulder twice the size of him. The worst part of that view wasn't that however. It was what was happening behind him. Robotnik was standing right next to the Emerald.
Knuckles got ready to destroy Sonic, "Say goodbye, hedgehog."
"Knuckles, stop. Robotnik's stealing the emerald!" Sonic tried telling him.
The echidna felt insulted that the hedgehog would even try this, "What kind of fool do you take me for?"
"Just look," Sonic pointed behind him, but he wasn't taking his word for it. Instead he brought the boulder closer to the hedgehog and was about to smash it.
On top of the altar, Robotnik had just had an epiphany. She could get through that field. She just needed the push to do so. He activated his glove, generating a taser between his fingers and aimed it at the girl.
"Don't!" she tried to stop him, but couldn't. The taser hit her, and she fell on the ground, nearly falling of the altar and to her doom.
Had it not been for the girl's scream, the echidna might not have turned. As he did, he didn't know what to believe. Robotnik was truly about to grab the Emerald, just like Sonic had told him. "Wait!" Knuckles shouted and the doctor's gaze turned to him. "That wasn't the deal." He let go of the boulder, letting it fall beside him.
"You poor, naive creature. It's not your fault," Robotnik said. Beside him on the ground, Y/N whimpered, unable to move. Robotnik continued, "A more advanced intellect would have seen this move coming a mile away. Or 1.6 kilometers."
"But I trusted you! You were my friend!" the echidna shouted.
This only caused the doctor to laugh. Not a real laugh though. A fake laugh. A disgusting fake laugh that only his kind of man would make. An evil, forced laugh that went on for way too long. As he finished, he smiled, "I'm sorry. That just hit me funny." His face then became more serious, as the smile vanished, and he glared at the echidna, "Let this be my final lesson to you, you dim-witted celestial skin tag. Friends... Are open, honest and vulnerable with each other." He grabbed the girl by her arm, forcing her to stand up as she panted. "Which means x squared times the hypotenuse of y squared, divided by the absolute value of friendship, equals... Dookie!"
Having said that, the man turned around. He pulled Y/N off the ground and shoved her at the Emerald. It teetered off its place, and the field disappeared. Robotnik dove after it and there was no zap. At this point, there was nothing that Y/N, Knuckles or even Sonic could do to stop him.
All the hedgehog could do was watch horrified as Robotnik's hands wrapped around the Emerald.
"Oh no."