Hi Miss Morgana! Or, uh. Your highness, I guess ^^ my name is Morpheus! I'm kinda stopping by and talking to all my competitors before the next round starts, especially the ones I'm most afraid of. Can I ask why you wear so much green? Is it like a good luck thing? You're super pretty, by the way! Uh, good luck on the showdown! You're gonna do great, haha ^^
-Morpheus the Dark
//OOC DUDE I AM SO OBSESSED W MORGANA I NEVER THOUGHT I'D ENCOUNTER A LANSONI CHILD IN THE WILD!!! ALL THE BEST LUCK TO YOU FOR ROUND TWO!!!
(Thank you so much for asking - I got to draw lesbians :))) Wishing you the best too!!) @sonic-fankid-showdown
On his quest to take down the dark king of Avalon, Sonic happens upon the final of the great knights. Sometimes the things we do for each other are only a whim...
CN: WE ARE SO BACK BABY!!!!
PREVIOUS CHAPTER: PERSPECTIVE
NEXT CHAPTER: IT'S GONG TO BE ALRIGHT
The air surrounding the hero in blue and white danced and swayed from the molten fumes rising from the lava below. Even so, he continued on, weaving meticulously between the rocky footholds upon which shriveled, charcoal trees screamed for mercy from the intense heat. It hadn’t taken long for the dense forest to meld into volcano, the prior rainstorm easing and eventually fading to steam as the reluctant hero made haste. To where exactly, he was unsure, but Sonic used this time to continue adjusting to the steps of his new insoles.
Thank Chaos he’d had the bright idea to try on his shoes again before being summoned into the storybook.
It’d been an urge, one Sonic couldn’t quell despite his ceaseless attempts at scolding himself otherwise. He’d wanted deep in his soul to go out, to reconnect with the world he’d locked himself away from for so long (that and his knack for going stir-crazy while sitting still). It was more than just Tails too. He knew they all missed him, at least the perfectly crafted hero they’d all come to know and love over the years, but every time he’d see her bloodied face in his mind it was as if none of that mattered anymore.
He felt it deep in his heart: he’d lost that privilege.
Facing Mobius again…
Without her smile…
Her warmth…
Her…spirit…
It just…felt wrong…as if some part of him desperately wished to hold on, to preserve his image of a world with her still in it.
Because perhaps…if he refused to move on…then time wouldn’t move on without her either.
“...”
Sonic shook the feeling from his heart. No. He’d promised to be there for his friends from now on. Tails needed him- they ALL did! It was his duty as a hero!
He had to move on.
He was going to move on.
He’d…already moved on…
…righ-?
“WOAH!!!”
Sonic ducked quickly as lava sprayed forth from a crack in the cliff’s side like a fountain. The top of his quills –and lingering bits of fur from Nia’s wrath– raised instinctively in terror as they nearly caught aflame, causing the Blue Blur to have to quickly brush them back down or risk serving up fried hog –er dog –or…whatever kind of Mobian-beast…thing he was now…
That was…a piece of his identity he’d certainly have to sort out later…
Sonic didn’t know whether to be thankful or aggravated still that Merlina had forced him to face his problems with this little adventure.
With a quick slide and a dash past another grove of charcoaled trees –no, Sonic was NOT letting his mind go there for once– the…somewhat-hero happened upon a rocky clearing. He slowed to a steady jog, nearly tripping over his slightly misshapen feet as he then brought his jaunt down to a casual walk. Thankfully, he’d made a quick recovery before the sword at his side could notice, placing both hands behind his head as he inhaled deeply.
Only smoke and brimstone were there to greet his lungs.
Sonic let out a small cough, opting instead to focus on the…stifling heat suffocating him…
It wasn’t as if he couldn’t tap into the natural Flow of Chaos anymore –not that he’d even attempted going super or so much as using chaos control since that final battle against Dark Gaia– but it seemed as if Sonic had lost his innate connection for good once he and Nia had become one. It was just like the night he’d restored Glacia’s temple in Holoska, the cursed hero unable to regulate his body heat with more than the coarse, midnight fur lining his back.
Or like the Flame of Judgment’s effects… Though Sonic didn’t entertain a moment more on the subject of the last storybook he’d unfortunately been a part of.
Is this really how everyone else dealt with extreme heat and cold?
This sucked…
“Phew! Know where I can find a thermostat, Cali?”
The sword at the fanning hedgehog’s side sighed in exasperation as he muttered under his breath, “It is Caliburn, you knave…” He shook off the unintended insult though and addressed his wielder once more, “I dare not even ask what a ‘thermostat’ is. Knowing you, it is most probable that it is some torture device in the world you hail from…”
Sonic chuckled, rubbing his nose slightly as he continued his pace, “Only when Tails gets ahold of it…”
“‘Tails’...?”
“My little brother.”
Caliburn smiled, eager at this chance to finally break through the moody hedgehog’s shell and know him on a more personal level, “Ah. Then he is one of great importance to you…”
“Yeah…” Sonic frowned slightly, slowing his pace even more as his mind wandered again, “...”
This time, Caliburn noticed: “Sir Sonic?”
“...”
“What is wrong?”
The hedgehog stopped in his tracks, though not without another slight stumble he quickly accounted for. His head dropped, his eyes glazing in despondency as his mind wandered to the fox’s invitation earlier outside of the storybook.
The dejection in his voice…
Tails’s update on Amy…
His offer to provide a safe space to talk…
“It just…didn’t hit me until now…how worried he must be…”
The sword’s alloy brow raised in concern, “Of you? Are you perhaps troubled because of your being here in our world?”
He thought back to his darkest days immediately following her funeral, “No, that’s not it.” Sonic clenched his fist in shame.
“Then what is it?”
“I…” He considered how little he’d thought of his brother during that time, how deeply his bottomless grief had to have hurt the boy.
His denial…
His anger…
His pleas for someone to give her back…
His sorrow…
His…isolation…
All of it…the responsibility of care he’d placed on his little brother’s shoulders when he, too, was grieving such immense loss…
“...”
That wasn’t the kind of responsibility any hero placed on another.
Caliburn…he didn’t need to get wrapped up in this either.
Sonic released everything before shaking his head, “...Nothing.” He turned his face, smiling brightly at his trusty sword with the confidence of a true hero, “I said I was going to be there for him, ALL of them, from now on, right?” He turned ahead, hiding his face once more, “So when I get home, I’m…”
His missing friend’s dead eyes pierced him worse than ever before.
“I-I’m…”
Even so, he continued to smile.
“...”
“...”
Even…if his panicked eyes betrayed him…
He had to…
For…them…
“...”
Caliburn sighed, his gaze glossing over with unwanted memories of his own.
We truly are similar…you and I… He closed his eyes, replaying the moment the nature of his existence had been shattered before his very eyes, If only you knew the weight of my sins…
But…maybe this was the time for truths…
A kind of camaraderie that would prevent yet another tragedy from befalling the great kingdom of Avalon…
Caliburn took a breath.
“...Sir Son-”
FWOOOOOSH!!!!
Sonic snapped out of his trance, bending backwards out of pure instinct as a torrent of flames whizzed past his fur.
“WOAH!!!”
Caliburn caught the glint of silver lining the knight’s armor in the distance, his eyes widening in recognition, “My word!! That must be-!!”
As if on cue, the slender figure of a cat leapt forth from the flames, rapier already drawn as her silver-laced heels clacked gracefully against the rocky foothold. The hedgehog’s eyes widened in recognition as he straightened his back, his mind recounting the princess’s stubborn refusal for friendship only a couple of months following Neo’s attack on South Island.
Her smile as she finally accepted him into her life…
Her tears as they separated, even though she knew in her heart that they would one day meet again…
Blaze…I haven’t forgotten our promise…
Though he knew in his heart that this wasn’t her, something deep in his soul was telling him the perfectly poised knight before him was in dire need of that same friendship.
Gawain… Sonic glanced at the hilt at his side sympathetically, Despite what Caliburn said, I can’t let something like that happen again…
He knew he had to save the Knights of the Roundtable from Arthur’s dark reign.
Whatever it takes…
“...”
Sonic sighed, rubbing his temples to relieve himself of the ghost’s disdainful gaze as he muttered to himself, “Of course you’d be her. It makes sense…” He considered how each of the knights resembled a friend struggling at one point or another with similar isolation before shaking his head. He then drew Caliburn and sheath out to the side as he took a ready stance, prepared for what would undoubtedly be a tough fight ahead, “Alright, sparky! Time to go boom!”
The knight scoffed, “Such impertinence! Very well…” She held her sword skyward in a ceremonious manner as she took in an ashen breath, igniting the blazing magic within her soul, “Arthur…may your teachings guide me to victory…” She clicked her gaze into a perfect ready stance, the glint of her turned blade catching against the golden locket adorning Sonic’s heart, “Now we shall test your skills, sir knight!” She swiped her arm behind her, taking off in a full sprint as she cried out.
“Heh.”
Sonic, The Villainous Hero, raced into the heat of battle with an enthusiastic grin.
CLASH!!!!
How he missed the rush of adrenaline a rival such as Blaze wrought.
CLANG!!!
SWOOOSH!!!
The brazen hedgehog leapt above the swing of the knight’s blade just as it would slice him in half.
CRASH!!!
BOOOM!!!
The volcano burst open like a firework, painting the blackened sky like a canvas and silhouetting the dueling figures like smoke against flames.
“Hah!”
Oh how he longed for this feeling…
“Graaaah!!”
The freedom such rhythmic challenge heaped upon his mind.
He really hadn’t felt this way since…
Since…before…
“...”
Sonic’s smile faltered.
A flash!
The ghost of his lost friend replaced the cat, chaos spear drawn and ready to strike against the burning core surrounding them.
Though…she looked terrified.
He reached out for her arm.
Suddenly, she screamed.
Another flash!
…Darkness?
Thousands of slitted eyes gazing upon her in a collective threat.
Again…she was terrified.
“H-Huh…?”
Sonic’s eyes widened.
“Is…this…?”
But…why…?
Why…couldn’t he remembe-
“SIR SONIC!!!”
Shing!
“-!!!”
Caliburn threw himself defensively before the rapier, bits of shredded leather flying free as his sheath came undone.
Now, with only the glint of the sharp end of the blade peering back at him, Sonic fell through the air dumbstruck.
“W…What…?”
“SIR SONIC, GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF!!!”
With the tap of his feet upon the rocky foothold once more, he shook the image free from his mind, the memory fading as quickly as it had come.
“R-Right…Sorry, Calibur-!!!”
CLANG!!!
Again, he was not prepared.
Percival leapt back.
Again, she was replaced by the girl with the golden hair.
This time, she was crying out to him from the ground as she attempted to flee in fear.
Though…it was all fuzzy…
He…couldn’t quite make out what it was she was holding…
The way she was turned from him…
Her…ar-!?
CLASH!!!!
Sonic reshuffled his feet, his mind returning to the battle at hand as he and Percival came to a stand-still. Blade scraped upon trembling blade as the two locked eyes. He saw it, the amber glow from beneath her visor.
That’s right.
This…wasn’t Eve…
He…was allowed to defend himself…
He had to!
Shing!
Clatter!!
In one swift strike, he’d taken advantage of her hubris, knocking her rapier clean from her grip. It flew through the steaming air, landing just as gracefully as its owner even with a soft clatter.
Percival took a knee.
“H-How…How did you…?”
“...”
Sonic released a few heavy breaths, his left hand trembling slightly against the open blade’s sheen as he realized what he’d just done.
Another broken promise…
Though…at least this time no one got hurt.
The hedgehog released another heavy breath, “...There.” He took a swift step to the side before picking up the rapier and clicking it into his belt alongside the other of the sacred swords, “It’s over.”
“...” The visored cat continued to stare ahead at the ground, “...”
Sonic gulped, “P-Percival…?” At least she was completely disarmed unlike the previously downed knight.
A silver frown gleaned against the sacred sword’s surface, “My lady…” The visor clanged as it lifted, revealing panicked golden irises against the lavender fur beneath, “Are you…alright?”
“...”
The blue and white hedgehog shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting to the side momentarily in guilt as he swallowed back the lump forming in his throat, “L-Look…I…don’t know what your relationship is with ‘his highness’ but whatever you’re feeling is-”
“Silence…”
Sonic’s eyes darted back towards the cat in a concerned flavor of shock, “H-Huh?”
The silver-tipped claws of the armor scraped against the charred brimstone of the earth as her hackles raised, “I SAID SILEEEEEENCE!!!!” Her tears evaporated against the burning heat of her soul, “YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW DILIGENTLY I HAVE WORKED TO GET TO WHERE I AM!!!!” She charged, the flaming swipe of her claws meeting nothing but air as the hedgehog ducked, “YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE CALLED ME!!!!”
Another swipe.
“A DEMON!!!!”
Another.
“A BEAST!!!!!”
Once more.
“A MONSTER!!!!”
“-!!!”
Sonic gasped, barely leaping out of the way in time to not be struck.
“I HAD TO CAST MYSELF AWAY, TO PROVE EVERYTHING THAT I AM JUST FOR A CHANCE AT HIS MAJESTY’S SIDE!!!!!!”
She leapt at him like a lioness cornering her prey.
“ARTHUR-!!!!!”
She turned against the light of the lava pit below.
“HE GAVE ME PERMISSION TO EXIST!!!!!!”
Sonic performed a half-pirouette, backing once more against the edge of the foothold.
“PERCIVAL WAIT A-WUH WHOAAAH!!!”
He stumbled –again unused to such swift and ungraceful movements along the soles of his feet– barely stabilizing along the edge as bits of grain dropped into the fiery pit below.
“AND YET YOU….”
Sonic held out a hand for her to stop.
“PERCIVAL WAIT!!!!”
“YOU ARE BUT A KNAVE PRETENDING TO BE A KNIGHT!!!!!”
She charged him once more.
“HOW COULD YOU BEST ME AT EVERYTHING I EVER TRAINED FOORRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!”
Sonic dodged.
Percival disappeared over the edge.
“-!!?”
The fire in her soul quelled as she realized her situation.
Ah…vanquished at last by my own inner flame…
She closed her eyes, recalling the kind man reaching out for her hand from her cage, the man who never once paid mind to her raggedy, wild appearance.
Arthur…my king…I have failed you…
She reached out back to him.
Farewell…
…
…
He took it.
Percival’s eyes opened wide, “H-HUH!!?”
But what she saw was so unexpected…
The hedgehog before her…
His grunts of exertion as he dug the sacred blade into the side of the molten cliff…
The slow of their descent…
“...”
Finally, they stopped, the knight of flames dangling from the villainous hero’s grasp like a trembling leaf to a branch. She stared at him, numerous questions in her soul rising like the heat of the world below, and yet no answers were truly needed. He had saved her. There was no other way to see things.
Even so, she dared to ask.
“Why…Why did you…?”
The Hero of Mobius flashed a cocky –albeit sweat-soaked, heat-exhausted– grin from above, “I-I guess you could say I’m the…‘K-Knight on a Whim’ heh heh!” He grunted once more as he fought to maintain a solid grip on Caliburn’s hilt in spite of his soaked palms, “N-Now…think you can…h-help me pull us up…?” A few heavy breaths escaped him.
Thanks to Percival’s flames, the pair of sword-wielding warriors managed to rocket themselves to safety with little effort. This time, however, Sonic did not manage to stay on his feet, the two tumbling ungracefully from each other’s grasp the instant his first foot hit solid ground. He remained flat against his quills as the bottom edge of Percival’s visor ate dirt.
How undignifie-
“Hahahaha!”
“-!??”
Suddenly, Percival’s ears picked up on the sound of laughter –genuine laughter– coming from the spiky, furry being behind her. She turned, confusion the only emotion seemingly allowed on her face at the time.
“You…Why are you so merry…?”
Sonic caught his breath, a couple of tears finding relief along the corner of his exhausted gaze, “J-Just…WOW!!” He fought to catch his breath a bit more, exhaling deeply the moment it was all over, “What a fight, am I right? We should totally do this again sometime with less ,you know, ‘dEaTh UpOn My HoNoUr’ stuff!” He deepened his already gruff voice in a tone somewhat mocking the echidna he called a brother.
Yep. Definitely the strangest knight she ever met.
Could she honestly even call him a knight?
“S-Surely you jest!!” Sonic laughed once more, “Sir Knight, you bested me!! It is no longer my right to serve at his majesty’s side and you DARE continue to mock my existence as if we were merely JOUSTING!!?”
“Heh heh…” Sonic flopped his furry quills out behind him once more before flopping back again as if laying on a spiky pillow, “Yeeeup!”
He smiled.
Percival grew furious at his indignancy.
“GOOD SIR, YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A KNIGHT!!!”
“Good.”
Percival jolted, “W-What did you just say?”
The hedgehog’s eyes glazed over in despondency, his voice falling calm as he stared up beyond the ashen atmosphere, “You heard me.” His mind wandered to Gawain and the mentally seared image of his blade drawn to his neck, “I’m not a knight, Percival, and I never claimed to be one.” The ghost of his friend leaned over him, glaring at his beastly figure in disgust, “I’m not even a proper hero. Maybe a monster too like you said? Honestly, I don’t know what I am anymore.”
The blazing cat’s shoulders relaxed for once, her perfect mask of a knight slipping again as the being before her granted her the same permissions as his majesty all those years ago, “A…monster?” She frowned, “Then…why save me?”
“...” Sonic frowned, “I just…don’t wanna see anyone else die…”
Again…he had to swallow the pit threatening to choke him like the squirming girl in his grasp back in Adabat.
“‘Again’?” Percival’s brow furrowed, “You…lost someone precious to you?”
The ghost slowly shook her head.
Sonic felt sick to his stomach.
“Y-Yeah…” He sighed, his gaze fleeing hers and dropping to the golden heart reflecting the light of the fiery chasm back to him, “It’s…nothing…” His gaze danced to the side as his momentarily jovial voice dropped to a melancholic hum, “Don’t worry about it…”
Caliburn remained attentive.
That was something he knew the hedgehog would need to address later.
If not…
“...”
SWOOOOOSH!!!
Sonic bolted upwards at the noise as Percival readied her flames once more –without shame this time. Now sitting upright, his gaze fell upon the dying remnants of a dusty whirlwind –one that resembled a gust of dried flowers and smelled just as such. A familiar figure emerged from within, Sonic’s eyes widening in recognition at the bulbous point of her staff and the evershaded violet of her braided hair.
The villain of the story leapt to his feet, “Merlina!”
The mage smiled with kind, silver eyes, like those faded of the wandering dead.
A hidden truth about the past begins to be uncovered as Sonic's true feelings surrounding the loss of his friend start to show themselves, whether he wants to admit it or not. Though, he isn't the only one grieving the loss of someone special on an otherwise joyous night...
CN: *whispers* You aren't ready for what I did. :)
PREVIOUS CHAPTER: PERCIVAL OF THE ROUNDTABLE
NEXT CHAPTER: ???
Flecks of the fiery earth seemed to bring life to the otherwise-tired wizard standing before him. Shadows and creases lined the thin skin beneath her eyes, resembling more of the darkness Sonic now fought against he presumed, though she showed no other signs of fatigue in her poised stance.
CLANG!
Sonic’s sensitive ears flicked in intrigue. He turned, catching sight of the knighted cat just as the knee pads of her armor hit the charcoaled earth below. Her eyes were frozen wide and wet with tears as they fell upon the girl now standing before them both.
“M…Mer l i n a . . . ?”
Merlina’s smile quivered.
“Is…that really you…?”
The hedgehog’s ears flopped in confusion, “Huh?” He turned back towards the wizard, trying to make sense of the scene he was witnessing unfold, “Wait…What’s wrong with Merlina?”
But the princess’s doppelganger wasn’t listening, “You…You are supposed to be…” She leapt to her feet with feline precision, swiping a clattering hand behind her, “How- HOW ARE YOU HERE!!?!?”
“...”
Merlina’s graceful smile returned.
“I have not the slightest idea of what you speak o-”
Shing!
Before he could register it, the rapier once strung along his belt was now pointed so close to the wizard’s neck that surely the slightest breath would spell doom.
“PERCIVAL!!!!” Before Sonic could so much as shift his weight, the knight had already brought the blade in tighter to its target.
“NOBODY MOVE!!!” The cat glowered in tearful vengeance as the woman before her continued to smile unflinchingly, “You aren’t her- YOU DON’T EVEN LOOK LIKE HER!!!!”
Caliburn began to jostle fervently, “LADY PERCIVAL-!!!”
“Then do it.”
Percival jolted.
It was a subtly muttered command, though a command nonetheless. The silver eyes of the wizard finally sparked to life, a less graceful smile now fighting against her lips. She leaned in close, tapping the trembling tip of Percival’s blade as she whispered for only her ears to listen, “Let me be with him then in the Underworld.”
“-!!!” Percival gasped.
Her blade lowered ever so slight-
“LADY PERCIVAL, HALT THESE FOOLISH GESTURES!!!”
By the time the knight had turned to acknowledge the sword, Merlina was composed as she always was. Silence hung in the air heavier than the sulfur of the molten mining grounds surrounding them.
“I…” Her hand released the rapier.
Clatter!
Sonic raced to pick it up before she had the chance to change her mind.
“There!” The hero(ish) released a hefty sigh both in relief and exhaustion once more from the heat, “Now…can someone PLEASE tell me what THAT was about?”
Silence.
His emerald gaze pierced the blade at his side in some fruitless attempt to see through his alloy frown, “Listen, I can’t prove myself to be anything unless you let me in on what exactly is going on-”
“Merlina…died…”
Sonic’s eyes fell wide, the tension melting from his shoulder like wax from a candle as he slowly turned to face the cat now holding her arm for comfort.
“W…”
His bloodied friend drew her finger along the edge of her scimitar, turning Sonic’s stomach into a knot.
“W h a t ?”
Caliburn sighed, “No. You were deceived, Lady Percival.” For once, his gaze appeared tired, “For I aided in her escape myself that night those many years ago…”
The human without the locket disappeared once more to the back of the hedgehog’s mind as he turned to acknowledge the sword at his side with worry, “H-Huh? ‘Escape’?”
“...”
Merlina gripped her staff tighter.
Again…silence…
…
…
…
“Ah…” The wizard broke the silence like a spell in what Sonic assumed to be her repertoire of knowledge, “Let us not talk of such dismal matters. You have bested each of the Knights of the Roundtable and carry their blades do you not?”
Sonic blinked, still somewhat spellbound, “Uh…y-yeah…but-”
Merlina threw her arms out wide with a beaming smile, “Then let us return to Nimue’s domain to rest and celebrate the coming age of new life!”
Sonic’s brow furrowed, “...”
He regripped his friend’s hilt for comfort as the memory of his missing friend turned to face him.
(please listen on repeat through the rest of the chapter)
Though his heart and mind weren’t truly aligned in what to do about the scene, Sonic eventually went along with the wizard’s insistence that nothing was wrong and left with her, Percival opting instead to rejoin her defeated comrades in Camelot and inform them of what transpired. Even as a –well, maybe not a villain but certainly not a true hero either– he couldn’t deny any longer that he’d come to care about the people of Avalon and wanted what was best for them. The problem was that he couldn’t shake this persistent feeling that taking down Arthur wouldn’t lead to the widespread happiness he’d hoped for. For one, it seemed that he was once a kind man, the kind of ruler Sonic wished he would be if he were part of some monarchy.
Yeah right…
Sonic? A king or even a prince?
Never happening.
The hedgehog leaning against one of the villager’s huts grimaced at the thought as his eyes continued to follow the rhythmic steps of the leafy people dancing beneath the lanterns. It made him uncomfortable, the mere thought of being some important figurehead with all eyes on him…
…
He sighed, lowering his voice to a pouty mutter, “Then why’dya have to go and become the ‘Hero of Mobius’ idiot…”
“‘Hero of’...’Mo-bee-us’? What is that?”
“Ga-aah!!” Sonic nearly jumped out of his skin, not realizing his self-talk had fallen upon the ears of the woman now tilting her head before him. He placed his gauntlet hand over his chest and sighed dramatically, “You scared me, Merlina…”
The violet wizard giggled mischievously, “I apologize. You just seemed so intense I thought I might join you.”
“Uuh…” He averted his gaze, not wishing for any more unwelcome reminders of the girl with the golden hair tonight, “Sure…”
With that, Merlina leaned back against the hut’s wall beside him in a childlike manner. There was a moment of peaceful silence, Sonic’s heart unsure if he was truly there or sitting beside his friend beneath the stars as she comforted him.
He sniffed, wiping away a couple of loose tears.
“...” The woman watched him for a moment, unsure what to say at the display. Her gaze dropped, reminiscing over what once was as she turned back to watching over the people of Avalon as they celebrated, “These people…They dance and play as if all of this will not inevitably come to an end someday…”
Sonic’s attention was caught. He sniffed again, wiping another few tears free as he found the words, “Ya know…most of the time everyone just tells me it’s ‘going to be okay’ and that ‘I’ll feel better someday’...”
The smile in Merlina’s facade dropped, and Sonic felt he was being given a special invitation into her heart, “Why fool ourselves with such lies and lofty notions?” She bent down, plucking a loose dandelion from the grass and twirling it in her long, decorated fingers, “The only manner in which happiness will last is in a world where its people never come to ruin.”
“Heh.” Sonic released a small but genuine smile as he wiped another tear, “You can only wish.”
“Do you?”
“Hm?”
Sonic’s ear flicked in intrigue as the wizard brought the yellow-petaled specimen to her nose to smell, “What is life, but not like this: beautiful but a weed nonetheless that must be plucked or risk losing the flowers that would be…”
The hedgehog’s gaze danced between the dandelion and its owner a few times as if trying to capture in full what it was she was getting at, “Huh? But Merlina, don’t we only see flowers bloom because of the life that surrounds us?”
Her gaze fell longingly at the already decomposing stem, “Perhaps…” She smelled it once more before letting it drop from her grasp. She turned, smiling against the lights above as an angel with a halo, “Though you did not answer my question.”
“I…” Again, his eyes darted, not daring to look his deceased friend in the eyes any longer, “...”
“...” Merlina frowned, “Sonic…perhaps I remind you of someone you have lost?”
“-!!!”
Already, he was facing her again, eyes wide with shock though tongue unable to form the words held deep in his soul.
“I-I…”
Merlina smiled again, “It is alright. I assumed so from the manner in which you avert your gaze from me.”
Pain painted his face like a canvas, “I…” His hand found the locket, tears falling more freely now that he had a moment of peace and someone to confide in, “I miss her…”
fomf
“-!!!”
But Merlina continued to hold on tight, her own tears gracing Sonic’s back as they fell.
“It is going to be alright, Sonic. We are going to create a kingdom where no one will ever have to die again. I promise.”
Nimue giggled at the sword in her grasp as she continued her pace through the dense woods, “You worry too much, Caliburn.”
“...”
Still, despite his best attempts to, he couldn’t wipe the intense concern off of his polished brow. The bright moonlight above seemed only to exacerbate the expression, painting it in the same harsh shadows Nimue hadn’t seen since that rainy day he’d first entered the stone.
She fell quiet for a beat, “Caliburn…are you certain you are up for the task being requested of you? Arthur…he was your friend…No. More than that. He was your brother…”
The sword remained silent.
“Are you…truly prepared to slay him where he stands?”
Again…silence.
Nimue frowned, “...” She turned her face skywards, her rosy quills now dashed in the blue of her sanctuary, a cascading array of purples dancing across her features like the northern lights, “Come. Let us restore your holy magic for the coming battle at hand.”
“...”
She could only watch in sadness as the blade’s features communicated the broken spirit within, even as she lowered him into the sacred pool and cast her magic upon him. The sky danced in the particles left behind, like fireflies dotting the line of trees surrounding them. She lifted him, her finest creation, from the lake and watched as the glittering water slid from his pristine blade.
Though, he remained wet with tears.
And so did she.
She understood.
And she would stay with him however long he needed to lay his friend to rest in his heart.
…
…
…
“My lady…”
“...” Her tear-stained face couldn’t be bothered to show any other emotion, “Yes…Caliburn?”
“...” He continued staring up at the stars in exhaustion before daring to continue, “I…have a request…one that only you can fulfill…”
She knew in her heart where this was going, “Caliburn…”
Though the sacred sword was not one to lose a battle, even one of wills.
He was invincible after all…
“Please…when Arthur is slain…free me from this burden so that none may fall ill to the power of immortality again…”
“...” Nimue’s breath caught, a sob choking in the back of her throat, “Caliburn…”
Though his frightened tears continued to fall, “Please…Mother…”
Okay. I have this burning need to find this fic. I’ve tried on my own but I haven’t seen anything, so if you know something please lmk 😭💔
Like I’m highkey desperate enough to ask the masses for help finding this one fanfic that should be on Ao3 (unless it’s been deleted… which if it has then I’ll cry) for Sonic The Hedgehog lol
From what I remember, it’s pretty much about Sonic and The Black Knight, where Sonic is a Soul Guardian (?) who becomes bound to Shadow after the guy goes searching in this “new area” that no one’s seen yet, but also is clearly not new and people have only skimmed over it (I think? It’s been a bit). Ithink it was supposed to be Sonadow, and they didn’t get along at first because Sonic didn’t want to be bound to someone and obey their every command, and Shadow didn’t want to basically have a slave to oder around. But since they’re soul bound they can’t do anything about it unless Shadow dies? or some th ing of the sort.
I remember Sonic owned the sword, Caliburn. He also was able to change his appearance, and therefore had many “past lives”. He was in his concept art form for one of them, I believe he was Whisper at some point serving under Mephelis? Before he was freed and became “Sonic”. Honestly the last thing I remember is that Sonic and Shadow had to be near each other or else Sonic would be depressed (?), and that they were being hunted down by an enemy (might have been Mephelis or Infinite???).
I know amy is a little weird and the turbine?? On metal sonic is weird. They are a bit weird because it was my first time drawing amy in general and metal sonic I'm still getting the handle of drawing him 💚
I'm surprised the knight kink crowd hasn't picked up on the fact that historical knights had a habit of capturing each other for ransom. What do you mean you don't see the sexual tension in rivals seeking each other out in battle or through ambush, deliberately avoiding harming their target so they may be taken back to the attacker's castle, either held as a prisoner or as a honored "guest" as the case may be, until they are redeemed by their friends and allies?
Fun fact, those knights in the hallway? Yeah you can just take them to your bedroom. It’s a little know part of their contract that all knights are free use to anyone in the castle, you can take as many of them at a time as you want!!!!
"You, Ms. Princess!! I heard you were also here to fight. I'm been itching for one since I got to this competition", remarks Prick, bringing a wooden bat to a sword-fight
good luck at the showdown from @colorfulplasma :] I love morgana's design & lore
(Thank you for your ask! Even though Morgana loves a good fight she isn't dumb enough to actually put herself or others in danger) @sonic-fankid-showdown
