Divine Orders

Sonic was beginning to wish he’d stayed in bed.

Running through the Great Forest at top speed with an unconscious Tails in his arms whist being chased by an apparently all-powerful being intent on his complete and total annihilation was not his idea of a good time. He wove amongst the giant trees at a velocity he usually wouldn’t dare. He tried not to think about the being that chased him, he had to concentrate on what he was doing. One wrong turn, one stumble, one moment of hesitation, could prove disastrous to both him and his friend. But he didn’t dare slow down less he be overtaken.

He could feel the sudden rush of wind behind him and dodged quickly to avoid it. His foot caught in an exposed tree root, his velocity hurling him towards the ground with bone-breaking force. Tails flew from his grasp as he tumbled to a painful stop, cracking his head against a massive tree trunk.

His vision swimming, he squinted up as the being that had been chasing him finally caught up with him. He focused briefly on the tip of the blade that was pointed at him.

“It ends now.” It said smugly, and Sonic knew no more…

~~~~~~

They day had dawned ordinarily enough, though it was rather warm, but that was normal for this time of year.

Things had been rather hectic of late. The Royal House of Acorn was working hard to restore some semblance of order, and this kept Sally extremely busy. She had been appointed the job of teaching her older brother, the firstborn and therefore true heir to the throne, the duties expected of him that he had failed to learn in his youth due to the fact that he was more or less raised by the Brotherhood.

Sally had mixed feelings about it all. All her life she had believed that she would eventually take over from her father. It was an awesome responsibility, and at first she had wanted to run from it, it was just too overwhelming.

But in time she had grown to accept it. Meeting Knuckles, who was almost in the same boat as she was, had helped. The two had become fast friends due to their similar heritage. She had had her friends in Mobotropolis…Antoine…Rotor…Sonic. She had had Julayla and Rosy. But none could understand her like Knuckles did.

Even today they still shared that unbreakable bond, even though it had be strained, even stretched to breaking point at times, it had managed to remain intact.

Their relationship had changed over the years. There had been times she had looked at him in a similar way to how she looked at Sonic, weighing her heart between the two. There were times when she knew exactly what he was thinking, and times when she couldn’t understand him at all.

That much hadn’t changed, he was still an enigma to her. But she knew where his heart belonged, and to who. She only wished she knew the same for herself.

There were times she envied the echidnas, and their innate ability to just look at another of their kind and know, instinctively, that they were destined to spend their lives together, when she still questioned everything.

She had seen what the Soultouch had done to both Knuckles and Julie-Su. Both such loners, neither of which you would ever consider to have the slightest interest in anything remotely romantic when you met them separately, even now, just seemed to glow in the other’s presence.

And they had only known each other for such a short time, only a matter of months before they realised that they were more than just friends. Bunnie claimed she’d seen it the first time she’d seen the pair together, which was even before they themselves had suspected anything. And the year they’d been torn apart had only strengthened the bond between them.

She knew that the Brotherhood, and almost the entire Island for that matter, were trying to push them into something more…permanent, she was still his confidant after all. But there were few that knew either one of them better than she. She wasn’t expecting any sort of formal announcement any time soon.

But still, she envied them.

She’d known Sonic all her life, and she still had her doubts. She’d even known Geoffrey longer than Knuckles had known Julie-Su, and though she hated to admit it, she still had feelings for the rather dashing skunk, even though neither Knuckles nor Sonic liked him.

Both had their reasons of course.

Geoffrey’s taunts had more or less forced Knuckles’ hand, leading him to sacrifice himself to make amends for actions that weren’t even his own. Though she wasn’t sure if the echidna was aware of just how guilty the skunk had felt about it afterwards.

And Sonic only saw him as a rival for her affection, which she had to admit, he was. She had far more in common with Geoffrey than she ever had with Sonic, but still she was drawn to the hedgehog, probably due to the old adage of opposites attract.

And Sonic HAD told her how he felt. She’d known of course, but it had felt so good to hear him say it. It’d taken him long enough though.

She sighed.

This whole tutoring business had left her with little time to spend with Sonic. He must have been getting to the stage that he thought she didn’t care. But she’d put her foot down. She had told Elias to find something else to do.

Today was for Sonic.

~~~~~~

It was Sonic who had decided on the picnic.

He wanted to get away from Knothole for a while. Completely away. He didn’t want anyone to be able to find them, their relationship was becoming rocky enough. He wanted to see if they could improve things, and they couldn’t do that if there was a chance of interruption.

And besides, he’d found the perfect place. Deep in the forest where it was nice and green, there was a nice little meadow full of wildflowers and sweet summer grass. A tiny stream bubbled and gurgled over a smooth pebbled creek bed, and you could lay back and look up at the sky through the emerald frame of the treetops.

It was also far enough away that anybody without his speed couldn’t reach it in less than a day.

He had the basket all packed and was pacing back and forth impatiently as he waited for his lady fair. She was late, and he, of course, hated waiting.

“Sonic.” She called at last. He turned to see her beaming face. “Sorry I’m late…” she said as she came up beside him, “but Daddy needed…”

Sonic put a finger to her lips, silencing her. “I don’t want to hear about it.” He said. “Not today at least.” He hefted the basket with one hand and took hers with the other. “You ready to go?”

She smiled at him. He smiled back.

“Sonic! Sally!”

It was Tails. Hovering overhead, the little fox looked more than a little distressed. Sonic looked more than a little annoyed.

“What is it, Tails?” Sally asked, ignoring the look she received from Sonic.

“We got an unidentified craft approaching,” Tails explained as he alighted by the pair. “They’re not answering any hails…”

“So deal with it!” Sonic said curtly. “We…”

“…will be right there.” Sally interjected, finishing for him, even though she knew that wasn’t what he was going to say. “You go on ahead.” She said to the fox. She turned to Sonic as Tails took to the air. His eyes were burning with an emerald fire.

She smiled. “It won’t take long…and then we’ll go on our picnic as planned.”

Sonic arched a sceptical eyebrow.

“I promise…” She placed a hand over her heart.

“Famous last words…” Sonic mumbled, but he knew she wouldn’t be deterred. He dropped her hand, and the picnic basket, and they headed back towards Knothole.

~~~~~~

“Where did it come from?” Sally asked, all business, as soon as she entered the control room.

Rotor was seated at the long-range scanner console. “It came from the south…” he informed her. “I’ve followed it trajectory back…” he began typing furiously at a nearby computer terminal, bringing up a map of the planetary surface. “If they came in a straight line from their point of departure…” He ran a finger along the screen from Knothole to a spot on the lower part of the lower continent. “They either came from the Mysterious Cat Country…” he announced, pausing briefly at one of the areas labelled on the screen. “Or…” his finger continued on its southward trip until it intersected with a dotted line that circled the flattened map of their world. “The Floating Island.”

“So what’s the big deal?” Sonic asked. “They’re both friendlies…more or less…”

“Neither would come unannounced.” Sally pointed out. “And even if they did, they’d answer our hails…” She looked at the glowing dot that represented the approaching ship. “What can you tell us about the craft?” She asked Rotor.

“It’s small…” He looked up at her. “Couldn’t hold more than half a dozen Mobians. And it’s fast…I’d estimate they’re doing about Mach 3.”

“Three times the speed of sound?” Sally questioned. “That IS pretty fast.”

“It’s slowing down.” Sonic noted as he too watched the screen.

“It’s landing.” Rotor nodded in agreement.

“At the edge of the Great Forest.” Sally added.

“Guess we better go and greet them.” Sonic said with a sigh.

~~~~~~

It sat there, silently, like some big armoured beetle. It was kind of threatening looking for a transport craft, like nothing they’d seen before. The gathered Freedom Fighters tensed as the hatchway opened and a ramp began to descend.

“Ah, how nice…” A voice spoke from within the shadows. “A welcoming committee.”

Sonic snarled under his breath at the rather unwelcome sight of the being that descended the ramp.

“Mammoth Mogul.”

“And they remember…” he smiled. “How nice.”

“Back for another butt kicking?” Sonic asked with a smirk. They had beaten the mammoth and his minions easily the last time, and he’d been without his trademark speed. This time it’d be a piece of cake.

“I don’t believe so.” Mogul’s smile didn’t falter as his underlings disembarked, a pair flanking him on either side. “For I have the upper hand now…”

Tails frowned. Sonic might be sure of their abilities to defeat these foes, and normally, Tails would have agreed with him, but there was something wrong here. The last time they’d tangled, Tails himself had run Mogul off, and at that time, the mammoth had been hidden within a massive cloak, weakened and timid to show himself.

But not today. He looked as Tails’ remembered him. Dressed in his immaculate double-breasted white suit, sure of himself and his abilities.

“Really?” Sonic sneered. “And what…upper hand…might that be?”

Mogul’s smile became nastier as he reached beneath his coat and drew out what appeared to be a sword. He held it up, triumphantly, for all to see.

“This!” He declared.

Tails recognised it immediately.

“The Blade Of Order.” He said in whispered awe.

Sonic frowned at the sight of the weapon. “Where the heck did he find that?” He murmured.

Though the question had not been directed at him, Mogul decided to answer it anyway. “It was quite easy to locate, actually.” He fixed Sonic and Tails with what he hoped was his nastiest look. “It was right where Dimitri left it.”

He watched as their faces turned from stunned to horrified as the implication of what he’d said, what he must have done to obtain the Blade, sunk in.

Sonic focused on the usually golden Blade and could see the red smears that stained its gleaming surface. He hated to think what those stains were, even though he really couldn’t help himself.

“Oh, my goodness…” Sally gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

“You heartless bast…” Sonic began to snarl.

“One down…” Mogul smiled, cutting him off. He lowered the Blade slowly, pointing it directly at Sonic and Tails. “Two to go.”

He raised the Blade again, still slowly, then brought it down in a quick slashing arc. It appeared that all he’d rent was the air, but as he slashed through nothing, a concussive blast in the shape of that slash tore outwards, knocking the Freedom Fighters off their feet.

The Blade had been designed to take on Chaos, it had to be powerful. The Freedom Fighters couldn’t possibly stand against it. It was doubtful that even Sonic and Tails in their super-powered forms could. After all, he was already bragging about taking care of Knuckles.

And after they’d just gotten him back.

“You’ll pay for killing Knuckles.” Sonic growled at him.

“Oh, please…” Mogul sighed and rolled his eyes. “I didn’t kill that freak of an echidna…” The Freedom Fighters visibly relaxed. “Though…I must say…he wasn’t looking too good…he just might have bled to death by now…”

With a heartfelt cry, Sonic launched himself at the mammoth, only to be swatted back by a concussive blast from the Blade.

“Don’t be so hasty to join your friend.” He said. “I want to have some fun with this.”

Sonic and Tails exchanged a glance. Two to go he had said. Both realised, both hoped, that he was referring only to them. That if they were to distance themselves from their friends that he just might leave them alone.

With an unspoken agreement, the pair dove into the trees, hoping against hope that he’d follow them. And, at the same time, hoping their friends knew they weren’t just abandoning them.

“Oh, good.” Mogul smirked. “A chase!” He hefted the Blade. “Take care of these.” He pointed to the remainder of the Freedom Fighters. “These two are all mine.”

~~~~~~

“Should we split up?” Tails asked. “He can’t follow us both.” The little fox reasoned.

“Nu-uh.” Sonic shock his head. “The old ‘divide and conquer’? I won’t give him that. The only way we can beat him is together.”

“But how?” Tails asked. “With that sword he’s almost…”

The pair smiled.

All the power Mogul had was in the Blade…take it from him and he’d be powerless.

A concussive blast tore through the trees. Sonic grabbed Tails’ arm and bolted deeper into the forest.

“We’ve got to get the Blade away from him.” Sonic said, yelling over the wind of his own creation.

“But how?” Tails asked. “He’s not exactly stupid…”

“We’ll think of something…” Sonic shrugged as much as he could at the speed they were travelling. “We HAVE to.”

~~~~~~

Mammoth Mogul could feel the power of the Blade resonate through him. He could sense the forest around him, all the living things that dwelt there. And he could focus on the two particular living things he was after.

The hedgehog was fast, he knew that, but even he couldn’t outrun the power of the Blade. Mogul was already gaining on them. Soon he would have them.

Soon there would be no one to stop him.

~~~~~~

Sonic slowed as the trees grew thicker. He didn’t want to slam into one by accident. Besides, he couldn’t keep this kind of pace up forever. Even he had his limits. And besides, Tails was getting heavy.

“I need a break.” He said, coming to a gentle stop. He set Tails down and sat on a rotting log. “And we need time to come up with a plan.”

“Do you think the others are all right?” Tails asked.

“Sure…” Sonic smiled. “It was four against four…and the not so Fearsome Foursome have had their butts kicked by just about everybody…”

“I guess you’re right.” Tails sighed and sat down beside his friend.

They sat in silence for a while.

“Sonic?” Tails said finally.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think he was telling the truth…?” He paused. “About Knuckles? I mean…do you think he’s really…?”

“Nah.” Sonic said with certainty. “Knux has got more lives than a cat…”

“Pity that you’re not cats.” Mogul’s voice said from the nearby trees.

The pair dove for cover as another of the Blade’s concussive blasts tore through the clearing. Sonic heard Tails’ frightened yelp…then nothing.

“Tails!?”

Sonic scrambled towards his friend. The little fox had managed to evade Mogul’s blast, but had been caught in the debris it had caused. A heavy branch had cracked his skull, dark blood staining his orange fur.

“No…” Sonic whispered, hurling the branch away. He pressed a finger to Tails’ neck. The fox’s pulse was strong. Sonic prayed that his friend had suffered nothing more than a minor concussion.

“Two down…” Mogul gloated.

Sonic whirled around, scooping Tails up in his arms as he did so. He saw the blast coming his way and easily dodged it, tearing off at top speed, heedful of his precious cargo.

“Give it up, hedgehog.” Mogul’s voice taunted. “You can’t run forever.”

He felt the sudden rush of wind and twisted quickly to avoid it. But he caught his foot in a tangled tree root. He hit the ground hard, Tails tumbling from his arms. Sonic let out a hiss of pain as he cracked his head against a tree trunk.

The world swirled around him. He lifted his heavy head to see Mammoth Mogul standing over him, the Blade Of Order was pointed directly between his green eyes.

“It ends now.” He said smugly.

Sonic’s head lolled back as the darkness claimed him…his final thought…

‘Never thought I’d go out like this…’

~~~~~~

Mogul laughed and raised the Blade slowly above his head. With these two dispatched he had removed all three potential thorns from his side. He began the quick downward arc that would rid him of the hedgehog.

And found he couldn’t move. He was completely frozen. Only his frantically searching eyes remained under his control.

“You didn’t honestly believe that I’d allow you to do that, did you?” A strangely familiar voice asked calmly. The Blade was jerked from his hands by an unseen force, the power of that force pulling the massive mammoth halfway across the small clearing to deposit him unceremoniously on the ground.

He looked up, and what he saw would have filled him with awe, if it had not already filled him with an all-encompassing dread.

“I always knew you’d be the first.” He said in a tiny, terrified voice.

“Too bad for you.” The voice replied coolly.

~~~~~~

Sonic groaned and slowly sat up. This in itself was not a great feat, but the fact that he was still able to do so after what he had so logically surmised was to be his demise was a little disconcerting.

He heard an answering groan as Tails rose himself from the forest floor. The dark smear still stained his forehead, but otherwise he seemed none the worse for wear.

“Tails!” Sonic cried with relief. “You’re okay!”

“What happened?” He asked. “Mogul had us beaten, and now…”

“Mammoth Mogul will not be bothering us again.” A third voice answered him. Sonic and Tails almost jumped out of their fur to hear it, so calm, so near.

They looked up to find Knuckles standing before them, his back to them. He was wearing a brown vest, brown leather boots and a battered looking wide-brimmed hat.

“That’s a new look for you, isn’t it?” Sonic asked absently.

Knuckles didn’t reply. He was studying the Blade Of Order with an unreadable expression. Tails shuddered at how calmly the echidna eyed the weapon with which Dimitri had taken his life, and Mogul had all but claimed to.

“Why not?” Sonic asked, in reference to the echidna’s statement.

Knuckles looked at him. Sonic was taken aback at the look in the echidna’s dark eyes. He also noticed that the echidna’s crescent of white fur was all but obscured by the dark red and mattered fur on his chest.

‘Jeez,’ He thought. ‘Mogul really DID pull it out of his chest…’

“He has been dealt with.” Knuckles said simply, interrupting Sonic’s rather morbid thought. He flipped the Blade in his hand and tucked it into his boot.

“Whadda ya mean ‘dealt with’?” Sonic demanded, surging to his feet. “What on Mobius did you do?” He asked, certain he wouldn’t like the answer.

Knuckles looked past the hedgehog. “We have company.”

“Don’t change the subject!” Sonic yelled at him. “Did you or did you not just ki…”

“Jeez!” Sonic clasped the area above his heart.

“I told you we had company.” Knuckles said with a smile.

Tails joined them, and together the trio faced the masked faces of the Ancient Walkers.

Sonic leaned towards Knuckles. “Why are they here?” He asked.

Knuckles shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll tell us…in their round-about kinda way…”

“Why do I not like the sound of that?” Sonic muttered.

“Oh, yeah,” Sonic shook his head. “I DEFINITELY don’t like the sound of that.”

“It would seem we have been set a quest.” Knuckles said in the same eerily calm voice.

“Cool!” Tails exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air. The older pair looked at him curiously. “Well…it’ll be an adventure…” The fox explained sheepishly. “Just the three of us…up against who knows what? Righting wrongs and fighting the good fight…”

Knuckles cast a sidelong glance at Sonic. “Is he always like that?”

“Pretty much.” Sonic confirmed. “This isn’t going to be some walk in the park, Tails.” Sonic said, turning his attention to his young friend. “Heck, we don’t even know where to start.”

“Yes we do.” Knuckles said.

“Really?” Sonic folded his arms across his chest. “And where might that be?”

“Julie-Su.”

“And just HOW is your pink-furred paramour gonna help us?” Sonic asked, a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes.

“Paramour?” Knuckles arched a brow. “You’ve been hanging with Antoine too much…”

“How IS she gonna help us?” Sonic repeated a little more seriously.

“Hopefully she’ll still have that computer I gave her.” He looked into two bewildered faces. “The Dark Legion one…with all of Dimitri’s information on the Blade Of Order…”

“Oh…THAT computer…”

“It may not tell us what we need to know,” Knuckles admitted. “But it’s the only thing I can think of…”

“We headin’ for the Island, then?” Tails asked.

Knuckles breathed in suddenly, very sharply, as he felt the sudden dizzying flare of the Soultouch. It wasn’t as gently subtle as usual, it was more like a fist in the stomach, and he knew why. She was ticked off, and he couldn’t really blame her. It was still distant, but he knew where she was heading.

“I don’t think that’s going to be necessary.” He mumbled, scratching at the dried blood in his fur. “Let’s just get back to the village.”