#fern.fic

[acespeon]

“This feels strange,” Eggman muttered to himself as he helped Tails shift the Master Emerald back into place on its altar, its brilliant glow gleaming from underneath the ash dusted across its surface. It tempted him, like it always did, its siren song like the world’s most precious treasure. The glow glinted against his specs before Tails nudged him, the young fox giving him a pointed look.

“Unless you want that again, I don’t think you should think about it,” the kit warned, his nose wrinkling from the stench of sulphur still lingering in the air. The lava had slowed its run, now having cooled and formed hard rock around the surrounding surface area, blocked from advancing further across the island by the trench Sonic and Super Amy had formed around the emerald shrine.

Super Amy. Still weird to think she could turn Super.

Eggman snorted, adjusting his specs with a finger or two. “I wouldn’t dream of it, fox. Though I would be interested to run some tests on the guardian…” Tails rolled his eyes and shifted away from the scientist, swatting him with his tails as he did so and earning a “out of curiosity!” as he started down the stairs of the shrine. Taking one last, longing look at the Master Emerald, Eggman sighed and turned to leave as well, though in a different direction. He wasn’t interested in sticking around for the heroic aftermath, the thought making him want to retch.

Amy had since powered down, the golden glow leaving her quills and fur slightly frazzled and a tingle in her veins. Knuckles’ head rested in her lap, her fingers gently tracing his dreadlocks as he fought some terrible dream, face twitching. Lingering rage? She couldn’t tell while in this depowered form, looking up as she heard Sonic whistle lowly.

“Who knew Knux had it in him?” The blue hedgehog was bent over, picking up some stray rock and if Amy looked closely, she could see it had formerly been lava. He turned it over in his paw, a thoughtful look on his face, and lifted his head to meet her gaze. Sonic of all people remembered Perfect Chaos, how the watery creature had slammed him into buildings and tossed him around like salad. He also remembered the hurt and fear and anger in his head, the flashes of how Chaos had been hurt in the first place, so long ago. “He’s never talked about anything like that.”

“When have you ever known Knuckles to talk about something?” Amy raised an eyebrow, her fingers curling back and brushing his forehead with the back of her hand. “Or asked?”

“True.” Sonic rolled the lava rock in his paw before dropping it, watching it clatter to the ground and splinter. “I’ve never seen him like that.”

“The chaos energy readings were off the charts.” Tails landed between them, shaking his head to brush some stray ash out of his fur. “How he achieved such a perfect form without the use of the Chaos Emeralds I don’t know, though he’s always had a special connection with the Master Emerald as long as we’ve known him.”

“Maybe…” Amy glanced away slightly, chewing her bottom lip. “I could sense something guiding him, connected to his heart like it supported his…lifespan.” Both boys looked at her, clearly wanting to know more but also incredulous. “He felt…I don’t know…older than he should have.”

“Well, we don’t know much about him,” Tails said, crossing his arms over his chest as though to mimic Sonic’s very pose at that moment, though more thoughtful. “Knuckles doesn’t…divulge much about his past.” That troubled him. Tails flicked his eyes over to his friend, still shifting restlessly in Amy’s lap. “If this has happened before he hasn’t mentioned it but…I noticed on the few times we’ve been here that the land around the shrine seems to be old lava, and the tunnels in Lava Reef are massive…”

“So Knux can turn into a giant lava kaiju, big deal.” Sonic shrugged. “He’s still our friend.” There were murmurs of agreement and his ear twitched, turning his attention to the echidna. “Hey, I think he’s waking up.”

Amy stilled her caresses, placing her hand on the ground next to her as she watched Knuckles open his eyes. He blinked back the sun’s glare, raising a paw (his mitts had been singed off by his transformation, long discarded), before he lowered it, looking up at her in awe. “A goddess…?” he murmured, causing her to giggle.

“No, silly, it’s just me, Amy.”

He blinked up at her and Amy felt her stomach drop and blood turn cold.

There was no recognition in his eyes.

[acespeon]

He was backed into a corner.

That was how he’d describe the next part of the battle. His friends were down, there was only him standing between Eggman and certain doom. Something the doctor had done had zapped Sonic of his speed; the disgusting ankle bracelets seemed to be the culprit. Tails had been knocked out while working on freeing his best friend. Amy, of great strength like himself, had her hands full just beating back the onslaught of robots that kept coming, but she was young, her strength not quite honed to perfection.

He had no choice.

Knuckles stood by the Master Emerald, fists clenched and teeth gritted as he heard the doctor’s mad laughter, the clanging of Amy’s hammer slamming into metal matching with the lighting storm that came in during the unfolding chaos. The Master Emerald hummed, concerned, its glow a soft reflection of its innermost thoughts. Knuckles had always believed the Emerald “talked” to him, not so much with words but more with pictures, thoughts. The idea that his friends didn’t hear the same thing made him push the childish notion away when he was in their presence, but not today.

There was another bloody battle on its doorstep and it did not want the same outcome as before.

The cold, smooth crystal under his paw glowed and throbbed with the beating of his heart, the rain splattering along the shrine steps sounding like drumming in his head. Knuckles looked at Sonic and Tails, both unconscious, and joined them, letting his rage take over despite being so so scared.

It was the roar that snapped Amy out of her massacre of the Eggbots. Her heart went cold, goose pimples crawling along her skin as she remembered Perfect Chaos, its millennia old rage taking control of it and the ensuing flood of Station Square, threatening the planet. She remembered Super Sonic, the flashes of gold in among the blue and rain, how dashing she thought he’d looked. But Sonic was down for the count, had been for a while now, and she couldn’t count on Tails due to the same reason. Lava flowed freely down the steps of the emerald shrine, entering crevices like it had done it a dozen times before, monsterous hands coming down and crashing into the remaining squadron, melting them away like butter.

“What on earth—“ Eggman cut himself short, turning his mobile around and swearing under his breath.

Perfect Knuckles screeched out a loud roar that shook him.

“O-oh well, I’ll just…”

A hammer found its way to his back, making the doctor flinch and look behind him. Amy had taken the momentary distraction to jump into his cockpit, a growl under her breath that sounded like the same roar happening above them. “Fix it.”

“I can’t.”

“Then try.”

“There’s a time delay on the locks, I can’t just free Sonic—!”

“Then I’ll take care of things.”

[acespeon]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Donatello & Michelangelo (TMNT), Leonardo & Raphael (TMNT), Donatello & Michelangelo & Karai, Leonardo & Raphael & Splinter (TMNT) Characters: Leonardo (TMNT), Donatello (TMNT), Raphael (TMNT), Michelangelo (TMNT), Splinter (TMNT), Casey Jones (TMNT), Angel (TMNT), Oroku Saki | Shredder, Karai (TMNT) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, I’m working on few hours of sleep so it might be a bit messy, The Turtles Are Raised Separately (TMNT), Mad Scientist Donatello (TMNT), one of them is Saki’s favourite and it’s not Mikey, Karai Donnie and Mikey are siblings(TM) Summary:

Ever since Casey Jones came into their lives, it seems Raphael and Leonardo keep discovering things that have been kept from them. Like how two of their brothers went missing as tots and wound up working for their worst enemy.

chapter four is up!!

[acespeon]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Donatello & Michelangelo (TMNT), Leonardo & Raphael (TMNT), Donatello & Michelangelo & Karai, Leonardo & Raphael & Splinter (TMNT) Characters: Leonardo (TMNT), Donatello (TMNT), Raphael (TMNT), Michelangelo (TMNT), Splinter (TMNT), Casey Jones (TMNT), Angel (TMNT), Oroku Saki | Shredder, Karai (TMNT) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, I’m working on few hours of sleep so it might be a bit messy, The Turtles Are Raised Separately (TMNT), Mad Scientist Donatello (TMNT), one of them is Saki’s favourite and it’s not Mikey, Karai Donnie and Mikey are siblings(TM) Summary:

Ever since Casey Jones came into their lives, it seems Raphael and Leonardo keep discovering things that have been kept from them. Like how two of their brothers went missing as tots and wound up working for their worst enemy.

[acespeon]

Unknown

Angel Island drifted among the clouds and higher, its shadow passing over the surface below. Undisturbed for centuries, the remains of a race long gone, and a far more ancient race forgotten about. The only thing left were ruins of a once great civilisation, overtaken by flora from the crawling vines to the prickly thorn bushes. Birds chirped, tongue clicking against the roof of their mouth before scattering into the air, water trickling in the creeks before it reached rushing rivers and emptied down the waterfalls.

Old technology responded with just one wave of the hand or push of the button, dust drifting into the air as relics moved, shifted and settled into new places that had remained untouched. Sword in one hand and map in the other, they pressed on forward, knuckles grazing over the hieroglyphics that depicted hedgehogs and owls, damaged from time. The individual paused, taking in the great mural that had cracked and splintered with age but still in remarkable condition, before pressing on.

“It should be just up ahead.”

If their map was accurate, and that was a pretty big if, it would be leading them to the find of the millennia. Wind blew in their fur and quills, eyes flicking up to eye the next obstacle. Silver sighed and slipped his sword into its scabbard, lifting himself into the air and landing back down on the other side of the bridge that connected to the Master Emerald shrine. There was always rumours of some big prize, some discovery that would make the archaeologist who discovered it rich in stature and money. But they weren’t interested in that. An archaeologist searched for answers, and with the recent re-discovery of Starfall Islands, there was one untouched potentially Ancient island left to be retraced.

It was said that the Master Emerald came from space thousands of years ago, entering the atmosphere like a meteorite and landing deep in the earth. People had fought over it before, entranced by greed and hungry for power, and misused it for their own deeds. The energy it beheld was rumoured to be enough to power a city or burn civilisations to ash, though that was just in the history books.

He was willing to take the risk.

Silver, again, lifted himself up onto a large steppe, boots connecting with the marble of the altar. It gleamed at him, inviting and warm, protected by a barrier of some description that caused its dim light to shine less. They dropped their backpack, shifting it off from their shoulders and beaming before looking around. A barrier like that meant that there would be either a trap or trouble, so he needed to be careful. Lifting a hand, he let a light blue shimmer around it, the same light passing along the floor and allowing him to hear something click and whir, before he jumped back as a block of spikes slammed down into the ruins in front of him, letting out a yip of surprise. It took Silver a moment to blink and recollect himself, scratching his quills and moving to the control panel that he saw nearby. Delicately, he brushed the vines and dust away, fingers grazing over the glyphs embedded in stone.

“Curse upon those who disturb the Master Emerald,” he murmured, then laughed, the sound echoing slightly. “Curse? Yeah right. That’s old news.”

He knew the legends of course. That there was a guardian who had been here for hundreds of years and had kept everyone off island until it was forgotten about, but for today it seemed like the guardian wasn’t around anymore. If that was even true. Silver wasn’t as gullible as some people thought he was. Spooky stories and old wives tales were just that. Ah, there. Another button like the ones he had seen through his journey here. It glowed and he turned away from the panel to watch the barrier lower, shielding his face when the Master Emerald’s shine practically blasted its way out now that it was freed.

But there was something else.

Silver lowered his hand before a fist came down on him, knocking him back a few good paces and over the broken bridge. He lifted himself, looking at the entity with wide eyes and wiping his wrist under his nose when he felt blood. They glowed like a flame before it died down, purple eyes looking at him with disgust and a growl in its voice.

“What are you doing on my island? And who are you?”

[acespeon]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Maddie Wachowski/Tom Wachowski, Sonic the Hedgehog & Maddie Wachowski & Tom Wachowski, Knuckles The Echidna & Tom Wachowski, Miles "Tails" Prower & Tom Wachowski, Tom Wachowski & Wade Whipple Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Miles "Tails" Prower, Maddie Wachowski, Tom Wachowski, Wade Whipple Additional Tags: Post Movie 2, human teenagers are terrible, Good Parent Tom Wachowski, Good Parent Maddie Wachowski, Knuckles is a guardian of all things great and small, Tom Wachowski is a tired Dad, no beta we die like longclaw Series: Part 2 of Ohana - Wachowski Family Shenanigans Summary:

Livin' in the dream lights, in the zone (Zone)

part four is up!

[acespeon]

For the fic prompt meme: Killing Me Softly and/or Stained Glass

(I went with Stained Glass but...idek what this is but have it. post prologue-pre main frontiers)

Knuckles had paced his small prison half a dozen times, searching for weak spots that he could take advantage of, had tried slamming his fist into the floor underneath him only to get an electric shock that sent his spines upward. Normally he didn’t mind so much being in one place, but the distance between himself and the Master Emerald made him antsy…wherever he was. Whether the orb was blocking his connection to it or he was simply far away, he couldn’t feel it.

“Calm down,” he told himself, shoving the feeling of anxiety deep into the pit of his stomach. “The Master Emerald is safe. The island is still floating. So what do you do now?”

What did he do now?

Knuckles lifted his head to look at the ruby red prison and stood, reaching out with a paw to touch a curve. Hexagonal, crackling with energy. The black things jutting out reminded him of crystals found deep in the Lava Reef, but they had more of a technological look. He’d already tried pulling them in and punching them outward, without much success, as they had seemed like the first instance of a weak spot. If he’d had the communicator that Tails had sent him still, maybe he could’ve sent a distress signal.

Maybe Sonic was in the area. Maybe he’d come along and break him out.

The echidna swung his fist out to the side, hitting the wall of his prison and not caring about the vibration it sent through him. No. He couldn’t rely on Sonic being nearby. The hedgehog had already stuck his nose out for him time and time again that he couldn’t afford to allow him to risk his life. This was clearly a trap. Whatever that girl was planning to do with him was a trap for the next person that came along.

Still…

His heart clenched in his chest at the thought of Sonic and he growled under his breath, brow furrowing together and looking up at the sky beyond his prison. “Wherever you are, Sonic…hurry up.”

All he could do was count down the minutes.

[acespeon]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Knuckles the Echidna & Sonic the Hedgehog Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, others mentioned but not seen Additional Tags: I like writing Knuckles introspection and it was getting too much for the tumblrsphere, so some Frontiers spoilers apply Summary:

Sometimes he was alone. But he didn’t have to be.

brain happened. take this.