HOME | DD

Description
"Brotherly Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 5: "The Worst Time to Fall Apart"

    The night of horrors that had started on Angel Island with the seizure of Sonic, Tails, and the Master Emerald continued its path of rage and devastation.  Even as the twilight raced over the hills, Tails, now under the control of the mutants, out raced even the winds of the upper atmosphere.  As Feldmort had told his lackey before, the mind control chips enhanced the power of the person it afflicted, and Sonic and Tails were no different.  As Sonic marched with the mutant army, he had no trouble whatsoever carrying the massive gem that was the Master Emerald, which under normal circumstances would be impossible for him, and even now, he showed no signs of faltering.

    Up above, the same conditions went for Tails Prower.  He was living up to his name, “Miles Prower”, and racing faster than even the wind could approach and conquer.  This normally wasn’t the case, for wind resistance would slow him up considerably.  However, the mind control chip had made him next to invincible.  Even if a piece of debris like a tree branch hit him as he flew, which one did half way through his flight, it did not faze him in the least.  He kept moving as if nothing had hit him at all.

    The knowledge of how strongly the chips influenced even Sonic and Tails, only made confronting Hidama sound more and more like a nightmare.  Shadow already had at least some experience with Hidama in this state, if just a little; however, Hidama had grown considerably since Shadow saw him in this way, and as the group of three travelers approached the heart of the canyon, walking along the bank of the Silent River, his heart could not help but grow wary of the task ahead.

    He paused, crouching low and looking back for Amy and Knuckles, said, “Hurry up you two,” in hushed, panicked voice.  “We must cross the river before the cover of darkness melts away.  Listen to me, come quickly!”

    Already, Amy was tired out, and fallen asleep in Knuckles’ arms as he carried her.  He snuck up on Shadow and said, “If you must order us around, could you try doing it quieter?  Amy’s exhausted, and I want her to get as much rest as possible.”  He paused, and after taking a good look at the river, said, “And now you’re telling me we have to cross this river.  No dice Shadow, no dice.  You’re just gonna have to find another way across.”

    Shadow snarled and said, “Oh grow up Knuckles.  You can’t tell me that you can’t ford this river just because you don’t want to get Amy wet.  You have no choice for one thing, for there is no other crossing to the fortress on the other side.  These mutants have no fear of wading across this river.”

    Knuckles rolled his eyes, and after a sarcastic laugh from Shadow, he continued saying, “Knuckles, don’t be stupid.  I know you want Amy to sleep, and I know this pace has been hard on you both, her most especially, but it cannot be helped or averted.  This is, infact, the most shallow point in the Silent River, and I’m sure you can wade across it and hold her safely above the river’s surface.  It isn’t called the Silent River for nothing; very calm and slow.  No torrents or anything, so wade across and be secure.”

    It was after this statement that the echidna and hedgehog locked eyes, entranced in the other’s glare, before Shadow whipped around with a huff, and proceeded to wade across the river.  Knuckles frowned, looking down at Amy, sleeping in his arms, before shaking his head, looking up at the river, and growling low as he followed Shadow across it, holding Amy above the touch of the river.  For some reason tensions had grown between the echidna and hedgehog, to the point where any bit of controversy would ultimately spell disaster.

    Once Knuckles crossed the river, he carefully set Amy down, as he tried to dry his fur out.  Shadow reappeared out of the shadows and said, “Oh will you stop being so vain?  Your fur will dry out quicker if you move.  Now let’s get going; dawn is quickly approaching, and it’s not safe to be out here without the darkness to veil us.”

    Knuckles growled low, and picked up Amy once more.  He didn’t know what it was, but he was getting more and more perturbed by Shadow and his orders.  However, when he looked at Amy as she slept, his anger was dispelled, and a smile returned to his face.  He sighed contentedly and took off after Shadow.

    After a few more hours, with dawn quickly approaching, Shadow finally brought an end to his arduous pace.  He crouched low, looking around the bend of the river from the safety of a cliff.  As Knuckles caught up with him, Shadow began to scale the canyon walls to the cliff above.  The echidna looked up and called in a hushed whisper, “Don’t tell me we have to climb this cliff!”

    Shadow looked back down, holding a finger to his lips, a hissed, “Shh!” coming from him.  “Quiet Knuckles!  No, you won’t have to follow me; I’m just going to get a better view of the fortress…it’s right around the bend,” he said, nodding around the canyon wall.  Knuckles froze inside; his brother was now that much closer to him.  He gently laid Amy down next to the canyon wall, and walked slowly up to the jagged point in its bend.  He peered around it, and there, looming in the twilight, was Lord Feldmort’s fortress.

    At this point, Knuckles fell under the trance of the wave of emotions that overtook his heart at first sight of the fortress.  Closing his eyes, his heart did all the thinking and feeling for him.  Scenes from his life flashed through his head, his heart allowing the very feelings he felt during each of them to return to his essence.  The massacre of his clan, the loss of his brother, and never knowing what became of poor Hidama, coupled with the knowledge of how badly he had been treated nearly drowned Knuckles, not just in their memory, but in the tears they brought on, not only at their conception, but as he remembered them, with the very creatures responsible for his pain, within his reach to destroy.

    All he wanted, more than revenge, sweet victory over his foes, more than anything, was to be with Hidama again.  It was memories of him that brought the most pain and longing, and had done so ever since the attack.  His brother had always been his best friend, his protector, the one he could always count on and look up to, through anything.  Having him ripped away at such a trying time in his life had almost put him beyond help, beyond the desire even to live anymore.  Only Amy and his friends, coupled with needing to guard the Master Emerald, kept him alive, and now to have Hidama this close to him, all he could think was, “You saved me, Hidama, and now I’ll save you.”

    Suddenly, the echidna was awoken from his thoughts from a cry let out by Amy.  He looked, only to see Shadow dueling with a now possessed Tails.  “Knuckles help Shadow!”  Amy cried.

    The echidna whipped around, into a fighting stance, and then ran to help Shadow.  Shadow cried, “Watch out Knuckles!  Tails is under the influence of their mind control!  His power has been increased ten-fold!  Be careful!”

    As Knuckles approached the fox, his red eyes flashed as he threw a punch before Knuckles was even close to him. “Whoa!” Knuckles cried as he dove away to miss the punch.  Tails was moving too fast for even Shadow to maintain control.  Knuckles cried, “Shadow!  We’ll have to double team him and try to remove that chip!  Didn’t you say it was in the back of their necks?”

    Shadow leaped out of the way of attack saying, “Yes!  That’s where Hidama’s is, so no doubt it’s in the same place on Tails.  Hurry!  You keep him busy, and I’ll try to get hold of him long enough to dismantle the chip!”

    Knuckles and Shadow had to move quickly to keep up with Tails, who was indeed now much faster and powerful than before.  As hard as Shadow tried, he could not get in a good enough position even to begin to try to destroy the chip.  Knuckles wasn’t having much luck either, for Tails was quick enough to fend off both of their attacks.  It looked almost as if Tails was merely entertaining himself, and the shocker came when he opened his mouth to speak.

    He leaped on Shadow, slamming him hard into the canyon walls.  As Amy shrieked and got out of the way, bits of rubble falling down around him, Shadow gasped and nearly choked as he tried to get his breath back.  The possessed Tails spoke saying, “Oh Shadow, you’ve been a thorn in Lord Feldmort’s side all these years.  It brings me great pleasure to know he shall finally supplant you.”

    Shadow looked at Tails, cringing as he did so, and struggling to break free.  Short of breath, and in great pain, Shadow said, “And it brings me, greater pleasure…to be the one to supplant him first!  Zelias!  You free Tails from your grasp this instant!”

    Tails laughed wickedly and said, “Oh Shadow, you underestimate me!  I’ve come for more than sheer satisfaction at kicking you around!  You’re hardly a worthy adversary to me anymore!”  It was then that Tails, under Zelias’ control, gave Shadow a swift punch to the jaw and knee to the stomach.  Shadow let out a bloodcurdling cry before slumping to the ground, unconscious.

    Knuckles swallowed hard; Amy was standing beside him, hanging on to his arm and hiding behind him, crying into his fur.  The echidna slowly licked his lips, beads of perspiration rolling down his forehead and off the tip of his nose, and his knees shaking violently.  Shadow, the strongest person he knew besides himself had just been taken down, and now, his mind was wondering about Sonic’s and the Master Emerald’s fates.

    The fox’s red eyes flashed, as he again, laughed wickedly.  Zelias speaking through him, he said, “Oh ho!  Now we meet the brother of Hinsei Hidama, all grown up.  Come to save your brother eh?  You’re wasting your time echidna!  He let you down; he abandoned you…he never wanted to be found.  Now you run to death, which preys on you both.  Lord Feldmort will finally complete his revenge on you wretched echidnas, made all the sweeter with the retrieval of yet another prize.”

    Knuckles was growing increasingly angry.  His main concern was for Amy, and he shouted, “What do you want from me Zelias?  Already I’m sure the Master Emerald is in grave danger!  You have my brother, killed my clan…what else do you want?  Do you want the heads of my deceased mother and father?!”

    Tails cackled wildly, his eyes flashing.  He rose into the air, levitating in front of him and said, “Dear, sweet, pitiful Knuckles.  You shall be reunited with your brother…in the after life!  You shall burn together forever with the rest of your clans’ souls.  As for what I want…,” the fox turned his eyes to Amy, and continued, “I’m here to make sure your line dies out forever and eternity!”

    It was then, that in almost the blink of an eye, Tails appeared beside Knuckles and Amy, ready to grab for her.  Knuckles glared at Tails, closing his eyes and delivering a heavy blow to the fox’s jaw, knocking him back into the wall.  Amy cried, “Don’t hurt him Knuckles!  It’s not Tails who’s saying that!”

    Knuckles was getting scared; he knew what Amy said was right, but didn’t know how to protect her, or himself without fighting back, and Shadow showed no signs of awakening any time soon.  “Climb on my back Amy!  We’ll just have to stay on the defensive…at least until I figure out what to do.”

    In less than an instant, Tails was back in the air, recovered insanely fast from the blow, and ready to capture Amy.  She let out a cry, as Knuckles jumped out of the way, keeping Amy safe and Tails at bay.  All the while, Zelias watched from afar through Tails’ eyes, and Feldmort from a tower in his castle.  Feldmort laughed wickedly and said, “Ooh, he’s a strong one…this fight between him and his brother should be interesting…at least until Hidama slays him with his bare hands!  Mwahaha!”  Lord Feldmort then walked down the steps of his tower to the arena, where Hidama, though still under his control, stood chained to the wall like an animal.

    “Oh dear Hinsei, this battle shall be simply delightful.  Hee, hee…,” Feldmort said.  As he left the arena, Hidama again tried to hit his neck, the chip beginning to bother him even more.

    Back in the canyon, Knuckles was almost completely worn out.  Keeping Tails at bay wasn’t enough.  The chip had to be removed or somehow destroyed.  Knuckles leapt away from another attack, and fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath.  Amy crawled next to him and said, “We have to run for it Knuckles.  You can’t keep up doing this!”

    Before Knuckles could answer, Tails appeared right above them, making a red glowing spherical force field appear next to him.  Cackling wildly, he said, “Amy Rose!  You’re coming with me, to meet Lord Feldmort in person!”

    Amy let out a cry, and though tired, Knuckles leaped up and took a swing at Tails, who immediately kicked at him, plowing him into the cold earth below, where he fell silent and didn’t move.  “Knuckles no!  No…,” Amy cried.  She couldn’t weep for him long, for the red force field lowered down and drew her into it, where she was trapped.  It was at this point, that Shadow finally began to awaken, back near the canyon wall, horrified at what he saw by the river.  Before he could begin to cry out or move, Tails sped off towards the fortress with Amy, with the sun rising over the canyon floor, revealing a bloody battlefield in the wake of the night.

    Shadow was next to tears, but held them back as he crawled towards the still form of Knuckles.  He held his side, as he was in great pain, and his crawl was staggered, and once he reached the echidna, he collapsed next to him.  Hanging on to consciousness, he used his uninjured arm to shake Knuckles in an attempt to wake him.  “Come on Knuckles, please, wake up.  I’m—I’m begging you…,” Shadow started.  His voice fell short, as he gasped, coughing hoarsely as he tried to catch his breath.  He held on to his lower chest, near where Tails had kneed him, knowing his ribcage had been damaged considerably as he found it hard and increasingly painful to breathe.

    Being unable to wake Knuckles, Shadow fell limp and collapsed fully, falling asleep as the sun rose over the canyon.  He was unsure of how long he lay there, but after a good few hours, he awoke once more, the pain in his chest and stomach finally dissipating.  He stood up, only to see Knuckles knelt down by the river, washing his wounds, and weeping.  Shadow limped over to him and said, “Knuckles…this is not the time to give up hope.  Lord Feldmort does not desire to hurt Amy, I can assure you.  We need to focus on freeing Hidama if anything.  Come on, I’ll lead you to the castle prison.  We can free the prisoners and rescue Hidama, and then everything will be okay.”

    Knuckles, who looked up at Shadow with bloodshot eyes, glared at him angrily and said, “To heck with that; I’m going after Amy, then I’m saving my brother.  I’ll worry about the prisoners later.  I’m going straight to the castle!  I’m tired of sneaking around!  They know we’re here anyway so what’s the point?”

    Shadow was now tired of being nice to Knuckles.  The tension between them came back, and Shadow shouted back, “Listen to me Knuckles!  This is not the time to underestimate them, or let them get too comfortable with our presence.  I know you’re upset but we need to stick together!  Freeing the prisoners is something we must do!  They’ve been afflicted just like you after all!”

    The two came down to a cold glare, and after a few minutes of silence, Knuckles turned away, and said, “See ya later then Shadow.  I’m going the way my heart tells me to, so you do what you will.  I don’t care anymore.”  The echidna walked away, heading towards the fortress, which loomed over them ominously from afar.

    “Knuckles wait!  Don’t—!” Shadow started.  He growled angrily and said, “Fine!  Go your own way!  See if I care!  Foolish echidna…”  Shadow raced off towards the fortress prison, and Knuckles towards the main gate.  Lord Feldmort looked down and cackled, as his army, Master Emerald in hand, approached from the distance, Hidama stood ready to fight, and Amy lay unconscious in a cage beside him.

    Feldmort could see the Master Emerald from afar, and after taking in all that happened around him he said, “The time…has finally arrived.”

Description
"Brotherly Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 5: "The Worst Time to Fall Apart"

    The night of horrors that had started on Angel Island with the seizure of Sonic, Tails, and the Master Emerald continued its path of rage and devastation.  Even as the twilight raced over the hills, Tails, now under the control of the mutants, out raced even the winds of the upper atmosphere.  As Feldmort had told his lackey before, the mind control chips enhanced the power of the person it afflicted, and Sonic and Tails were no different.  As Sonic marched with the mutant army, he had no trouble whatsoever carrying the massive gem that was the Master Emerald, which under normal circumstances would be impossible for him, and even now, he showed no signs of faltering.

    Up above, the same conditions went for Tails Prower.  He was living up to his name, “Miles Prower”, and racing faster than even the wind could approach and conquer.  This normally wasn’t the case, for wind resistance would slow him up considerably.  However, the mind control chip had made him next to invincible.  Even if a piece of debris like a tree branch hit him as he flew, which one did half way through his flight, it did not faze him in the least.  He kept moving as if nothing had hit him at all.

    The knowledge of how strongly the chips influenced even Sonic and Tails, only made confronting Hidama sound more and more like a nightmare.  Shadow already had at least some experience with Hidama in this state, if just a little; however, Hidama had grown considerably since Shadow saw him in this way, and as the group of three travelers approached the heart of the canyon, walking along the bank of the Silent River, his heart could not help but grow wary of the task ahead.

    He paused, crouching low and looking back for Amy and Knuckles, said, “Hurry up you two,” in hushed, panicked voice.  “We must cross the river before the cover of darkness melts away.  Listen to me, come quickly!”

    Already, Amy was tired out, and fallen asleep in Knuckles’ arms as he carried her.  He snuck up on Shadow and said, “If you must order us around, could you try doing it quieter?  Amy’s exhausted, and I want her to get as much rest as possible.”  He paused, and after taking a good look at the river, said, “And now you’re telling me we have to cross this river.  No dice Shadow, no dice.  You’re just gonna have to find another way across.”

    Shadow snarled and said, “Oh grow up Knuckles.  You can’t tell me that you can’t ford this river just because you don’t want to get Amy wet.  You have no choice for one thing, for there is no other crossing to the fortress on the other side.  These mutants have no fear of wading across this river.”

    Knuckles rolled his eyes, and after a sarcastic laugh from Shadow, he continued saying, “Knuckles, don’t be stupid.  I know you want Amy to sleep, and I know this pace has been hard on you both, her most especially, but it cannot be helped or averted.  This is, infact, the most shallow point in the Silent River, and I’m sure you can wade across it and hold her safely above the river’s surface.  It isn’t called the Silent River for nothing; very calm and slow.  No torrents or anything, so wade across and be secure.”

    It was after this statement that the echidna and hedgehog locked eyes, entranced in the other’s glare, before Shadow whipped around with a huff, and proceeded to wade across the river.  Knuckles frowned, looking down at Amy, sleeping in his arms, before shaking his head, looking up at the river, and growling low as he followed Shadow across it, holding Amy above the touch of the river.  For some reason tensions had grown between the echidna and hedgehog, to the point where any bit of controversy would ultimately spell disaster.

    Once Knuckles crossed the river, he carefully set Amy down, as he tried to dry his fur out.  Shadow reappeared out of the shadows and said, “Oh will you stop being so vain?  Your fur will dry out quicker if you move.  Now let’s get going; dawn is quickly approaching, and it’s not safe to be out here without the darkness to veil us.”

    Knuckles growled low, and picked up Amy once more.  He didn’t know what it was, but he was getting more and more perturbed by Shadow and his orders.  However, when he looked at Amy as she slept, his anger was dispelled, and a smile returned to his face.  He sighed contentedly and took off after Shadow.

    After a few more hours, with dawn quickly approaching, Shadow finally brought an end to his arduous pace.  He crouched low, looking around the bend of the river from the safety of a cliff.  As Knuckles caught up with him, Shadow began to scale the canyon walls to the cliff above.  The echidna looked up and called in a hushed whisper, “Don’t tell me we have to climb this cliff!”

    Shadow looked back down, holding a finger to his lips, a hissed, “Shh!” coming from him.  “Quiet Knuckles!  No, you won’t have to follow me; I’m just going to get a better view of the fortress…it’s right around the bend,” he said, nodding around the canyon wall.  Knuckles froze inside; his brother was now that much closer to him.  He gently laid Amy down next to the canyon wall, and walked slowly up to the jagged point in its bend.  He peered around it, and there, looming in the twilight, was Lord Feldmort’s fortress.

    At this point, Knuckles fell under the trance of the wave of emotions that overtook his heart at first sight of the fortress.  Closing his eyes, his heart did all the thinking and feeling for him.  Scenes from his life flashed through his head, his heart allowing the very feelings he felt during each of them to return to his essence.  The massacre of his clan, the loss of his brother, and never knowing what became of poor Hidama, coupled with the knowledge of how badly he had been treated nearly drowned Knuckles, not just in their memory, but in the tears they brought on, not only at their conception, but as he remembered them, with the very creatures responsible for his pain, within his reach to destroy.

    All he wanted, more than revenge, sweet victory over his foes, more than anything, was to be with Hidama again.  It was memories of him that brought the most pain and longing, and had done so ever since the attack.  His brother had always been his best friend, his protector, the one he could always count on and look up to, through anything.  Having him ripped away at such a trying time in his life had almost put him beyond help, beyond the desire even to live anymore.  Only Amy and his friends, coupled with needing to guard the Master Emerald, kept him alive, and now to have Hidama this close to him, all he could think was, “You saved me, Hidama, and now I’ll save you.”

    Suddenly, the echidna was awoken from his thoughts from a cry let out by Amy.  He looked, only to see Shadow dueling with a now possessed Tails.  “Knuckles help Shadow!”  Amy cried.

    The echidna whipped around, into a fighting stance, and then ran to help Shadow.  Shadow cried, “Watch out Knuckles!  Tails is under the influence of their mind control!  His power has been increased ten-fold!  Be careful!”

    As Knuckles approached the fox, his red eyes flashed as he threw a punch before Knuckles was even close to him. “Whoa!” Knuckles cried as he dove away to miss the punch.  Tails was moving too fast for even Shadow to maintain control.  Knuckles cried, “Shadow!  We’ll have to double team him and try to remove that chip!  Didn’t you say it was in the back of their necks?”

    Shadow leaped out of the way of attack saying, “Yes!  That’s where Hidama’s is, so no doubt it’s in the same place on Tails.  Hurry!  You keep him busy, and I’ll try to get hold of him long enough to dismantle the chip!”

    Knuckles and Shadow had to move quickly to keep up with Tails, who was indeed now much faster and powerful than before.  As hard as Shadow tried, he could not get in a good enough position even to begin to try to destroy the chip.  Knuckles wasn’t having much luck either, for Tails was quick enough to fend off both of their attacks.  It looked almost as if Tails was merely entertaining himself, and the shocker came when he opened his mouth to speak.

    He leaped on Shadow, slamming him hard into the canyon walls.  As Amy shrieked and got out of the way, bits of rubble falling down around him, Shadow gasped and nearly choked as he tried to get his breath back.  The possessed Tails spoke saying, “Oh Shadow, you’ve been a thorn in Lord Feldmort’s side all these years.  It brings me great pleasure to know he shall finally supplant you.”

    Shadow looked at Tails, cringing as he did so, and struggling to break free.  Short of breath, and in great pain, Shadow said, “And it brings me, greater pleasure…to be the one to supplant him first!  Zelias!  You free Tails from your grasp this instant!”

    Tails laughed wickedly and said, “Oh Shadow, you underestimate me!  I’ve come for more than sheer satisfaction at kicking you around!  You’re hardly a worthy adversary to me anymore!”  It was then that Tails, under Zelias’ control, gave Shadow a swift punch to the jaw and knee to the stomach.  Shadow let out a bloodcurdling cry before slumping to the ground, unconscious.

    Knuckles swallowed hard; Amy was standing beside him, hanging on to his arm and hiding behind him, crying into his fur.  The echidna slowly licked his lips, beads of perspiration rolling down his forehead and off the tip of his nose, and his knees shaking violently.  Shadow, the strongest person he knew besides himself had just been taken down, and now, his mind was wondering about Sonic’s and the Master Emerald’s fates.

    The fox’s red eyes flashed, as he again, laughed wickedly.  Zelias speaking through him, he said, “Oh ho!  Now we meet the brother of Hinsei Hidama, all grown up.  Come to save your brother eh?  You’re wasting your time echidna!  He let you down; he abandoned you…he never wanted to be found.  Now you run to death, which preys on you both.  Lord Feldmort will finally complete his revenge on you wretched echidnas, made all the sweeter with the retrieval of yet another prize.”

    Knuckles was growing increasingly angry.  His main concern was for Amy, and he shouted, “What do you want from me Zelias?  Already I’m sure the Master Emerald is in grave danger!  You have my brother, killed my clan…what else do you want?  Do you want the heads of my deceased mother and father?!”

    Tails cackled wildly, his eyes flashing.  He rose into the air, levitating in front of him and said, “Dear, sweet, pitiful Knuckles.  You shall be reunited with your brother…in the after life!  You shall burn together forever with the rest of your clans’ souls.  As for what I want…,” the fox turned his eyes to Amy, and continued, “I’m here to make sure your line dies out forever and eternity!”

    It was then, that in almost the blink of an eye, Tails appeared beside Knuckles and Amy, ready to grab for her.  Knuckles glared at Tails, closing his eyes and delivering a heavy blow to the fox’s jaw, knocking him back into the wall.  Amy cried, “Don’t hurt him Knuckles!  It’s not Tails who’s saying that!”

    Knuckles was getting scared; he knew what Amy said was right, but didn’t know how to protect her, or himself without fighting back, and Shadow showed no signs of awakening any time soon.  “Climb on my back Amy!  We’ll just have to stay on the defensive…at least until I figure out what to do.”

    In less than an instant, Tails was back in the air, recovered insanely fast from the blow, and ready to capture Amy.  She let out a cry, as Knuckles jumped out of the way, keeping Amy safe and Tails at bay.  All the while, Zelias watched from afar through Tails’ eyes, and Feldmort from a tower in his castle.  Feldmort laughed wickedly and said, “Ooh, he’s a strong one…this fight between him and his brother should be interesting…at least until Hidama slays him with his bare hands!  Mwahaha!”  Lord Feldmort then walked down the steps of his tower to the arena, where Hidama, though still under his control, stood chained to the wall like an animal.

    “Oh dear Hinsei, this battle shall be simply delightful.  Hee, hee…,” Feldmort said.  As he left the arena, Hidama again tried to hit his neck, the chip beginning to bother him even more.

    Back in the canyon, Knuckles was almost completely worn out.  Keeping Tails at bay wasn’t enough.  The chip had to be removed or somehow destroyed.  Knuckles leapt away from another attack, and fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath.  Amy crawled next to him and said, “We have to run for it Knuckles.  You can’t keep up doing this!”

    Before Knuckles could answer, Tails appeared right above them, making a red glowing spherical force field appear next to him.  Cackling wildly, he said, “Amy Rose!  You’re coming with me, to meet Lord Feldmort in person!”

    Amy let out a cry, and though tired, Knuckles leaped up and took a swing at Tails, who immediately kicked at him, plowing him into the cold earth below, where he fell silent and didn’t move.  “Knuckles no!  No…,” Amy cried.  She couldn’t weep for him long, for the red force field lowered down and drew her into it, where she was trapped.  It was at this point, that Shadow finally began to awaken, back near the canyon wall, horrified at what he saw by the river.  Before he could begin to cry out or move, Tails sped off towards the fortress with Amy, with the sun rising over the canyon floor, revealing a bloody battlefield in the wake of the night.

    Shadow was next to tears, but held them back as he crawled towards the still form of Knuckles.  He held his side, as he was in great pain, and his crawl was staggered, and once he reached the echidna, he collapsed next to him.  Hanging on to consciousness, he used his uninjured arm to shake Knuckles in an attempt to wake him.  “Come on Knuckles, please, wake up.  I’m—I’m begging you…,” Shadow started.  His voice fell short, as he gasped, coughing hoarsely as he tried to catch his breath.  He held on to his lower chest, near where Tails had kneed him, knowing his ribcage had been damaged considerably as he found it hard and increasingly painful to breathe.

    Being unable to wake Knuckles, Shadow fell limp and collapsed fully, falling asleep as the sun rose over the canyon.  He was unsure of how long he lay there, but after a good few hours, he awoke once more, the pain in his chest and stomach finally dissipating.  He stood up, only to see Knuckles knelt down by the river, washing his wounds, and weeping.  Shadow limped over to him and said, “Knuckles…this is not the time to give up hope.  Lord Feldmort does not desire to hurt Amy, I can assure you.  We need to focus on freeing Hidama if anything.  Come on, I’ll lead you to the castle prison.  We can free the prisoners and rescue Hidama, and then everything will be okay.”

    Knuckles, who looked up at Shadow with bloodshot eyes, glared at him angrily and said, “To heck with that; I’m going after Amy, then I’m saving my brother.  I’ll worry about the prisoners later.  I’m going straight to the castle!  I’m tired of sneaking around!  They know we’re here anyway so what’s the point?”

    Shadow was now tired of being nice to Knuckles.  The tension between them came back, and Shadow shouted back, “Listen to me Knuckles!  This is not the time to underestimate them, or let them get too comfortable with our presence.  I know you’re upset but we need to stick together!  Freeing the prisoners is something we must do!  They’ve been afflicted just like you after all!”

    The two came down to a cold glare, and after a few minutes of silence, Knuckles turned away, and said, “See ya later then Shadow.  I’m going the way my heart tells me to, so you do what you will.  I don’t care anymore.”  The echidna walked away, heading towards the fortress, which loomed over them ominously from afar.

    “Knuckles wait!  Don’t—!” Shadow started.  He growled angrily and said, “Fine!  Go your own way!  See if I care!  Foolish echidna…”  Shadow raced off towards the fortress prison, and Knuckles towards the main gate.  Lord Feldmort looked down and cackled, as his army, Master Emerald in hand, approached from the distance, Hidama stood ready to fight, and Amy lay unconscious in a cage beside him.

    Feldmort could see the Master Emerald from afar, and after taking in all that happened around him he said, “The time…has finally arrived.”