Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Fear ❯ Strength and Speed ( Chapter 6 )

"Again!" Sonic ordered.

Knuckles shook his head. "I'm sick of working on this. Your turn."

"Fine. One more run, though."

"Ugh! Fine."

"Now remember, you need speed or else you'll just fall."

"I know! Stop repeating that!"

"Well, you clearly aren't getting the message. You slow down every time you reach the stupid wall!"

"Sorry if I don't want to smash my face. Again!"

Shadow stepped in, holding out his hands. "Stop it. Sonic, stop yelling at him. Knuckles, take his advice. Focus on speeding up when you reach the wall. At the very least, don't slow down."

Knuckles huffed and stormed to the starting place again. Sonic and Shadow were trying to teach him about his speed abilities. They were hoping to help him control when he used it. Sure, it was funny to see him burst forward all of a sudden and slam into whatever happened to be the closest thing in front of him. But it stopped being funny when the link widened and the echidna and blue hedgehog felt the sharp pain of hitting whatever it was. Sure, having Shadow's increased healing factor made the pain go away quite fast, but it still hurt like hell at the time of impact. The current lesson was teaching him how to run up a vertical surface. Why this particular lesson, Knuckles wasn't sure, but Sonic and Shadow thought it a good idea. Knuckles reluctantly got into the ready position and Sonic raised his hand.

"On your mark. Get set. Go!" he cried, bringing his hand down.

Knuckles lost his stomach as he blurred away, making him swear, but he didn't slow down as he approached the wall, though every single instinct was screaming at him to. He forced himself to speed up and managed to get his feet on the wall. He shot up the surface and found, to his horror, that he was slowing down. He tried to speed up, but there was no way it was going to happen, and there was no way he was going to make it. He felt himself begin to fall, and his whole body braced for impact. He hit the ground and the air was squeezed from his lungs as pain exploded inside of him. Shadow was there in an instant, cradling him as he wheezed. Sonic arrived seconds later, kneeling down to hold him.

"Easy, Knuckles," Shadow murmured. "It'll stop hurting in an hour or so."

"On a positive note, you actually almost made it!" Sonic said happily. "A little more speed and you'll be good to go!"

"Not now, Sonic. He can't even breathe right now," Shadow scolded.

Sonic looked embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, Knux."

"Pick him up, Sonic. Let's get him back to M.E."

Knuckles finally caught his breath as he was cradled against a red and white chest. He curled close, tears streaming down his face. He hurt. He hurt so bad! But the pain was already lessening. He was set down right under the giant gem. He couldn't even reach out and touch it he was in so much pain. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a green tendril reached over and attached to his chest. He sighed contentedly as Sonic and Shadow leaned against the jewel, stroking him to show that they were there. After thirty minutes, Knuckles could sit up, and he did so, leaning against the gem and shivering.

"I'm glad I got thrown into Shadow, and not Sonic," he finally said. "Because I'm pretty sure a week is the minimum I would be hurting after that fall."

"I don't get hurt very easily now," Sonic said. "And everything is so light."

"I know. Which is why you keep breaking things," Knuckles replied. "Learn to control your strength, Sonic. Or you might kill somebody like I did."

"Too late," Sonic muttered, looking downcast.

"Hey. It was an accident," Shadow said, placing a blue hand on Sonic's red one and giving it a squeeze.

"I know. That doesn't help, though."

"We know," Knuckles and Shadow answered, nodding.

"But," Knuckles added. "We still love you. And so does M.E. And Tikal. So there."

Sonic smiled at that, settling back more firmly and petting the emerald. "Thanks, guys."

Knuckles nodded and nudged Sonic. "Your turn."

Sonic made a face. "No, you're too hurt to teach."

The dark hedgehog arched an eyebrow. "Shadow? Do you understand the game?"

"It is similar to the one Maria made up to help me control my own strength," the blue creature replied.

"Then teach him."

Shadow chuckled. "Nice try, Sonic."

The red echidna muttered under his breath as he and Shadow walked over to the clearing in front of the emerald. The balls appeared. Sonic slid into start position and waited for the signal. Shadow gave it, and Sonic took off as fast as he could, which wasn't nearly fast enough in his opinion. The object of the game was to not break the balls, which were light and very delicate. He had to grab a ball then race around a few trees and rocks before finally setting it gently into a metal bin. One wrong move, and he could shatter a ball, which would mean he had to start all over. He could get about half the balls at this point, but there was something about that fifteenth ball that made it impossible to get! He had worked his tail off to get as far as he had, but it still wasn't good enough. He hated his strength. It gave him a brand new appreciation for Knuckles and what he went through on a daily basis.

"Damn it all to hell!" Sonic roared as the fifteenth ball shattered again. He threw the shards down and wanted to punch something. Knuckles laughed heartily at his irritation as Shadow smiled and shook his head.

"Chill, Sonic. You're trying too hard. Just relax," Knuckles chuckled.

"Easy for you to say!" Sonic raged. "You're sitting there all relaxed while I'm struggling to hold anything without breaking it into a million tiny pieces! If you weren't in Shadow's body, I wouldn't even touch you! I…I want my body back!"

Sonic was on the brink of tears. Shadow was by his side in an instant, shushing him. Knuckles watched thoughtfully for a few moments then stood shakily and staggered over.

"Sonic? Follow me. You, too, Shadow."

They glanced at each other before obeying. They walked for about half a mile before reaching a field. Knuckles climbed into a tree and grabbed something then skittered back down. He held something in his hands, but neither one of them could see what he had, and Knuckles was keeping his thoughts to himself; they were actually getting good at transferring thoughts to one another.

"Hold out your hands, Sonic. Cup them together."

Sonic obeyed. Fear hit him as Knuckles set a baby bird in his open palms.

"Knuckles, are you crazy?" Shadow demanded.

"No. This is how I learned. I like playing with the animals up here. I never hurt them. What you need to do, Sonic, is trust your instincts. That is why I have so much trouble running. In my body, you have to trust your instincts or you crush everything. In your body and Shadow's body, you don't trust the instincts screaming at you to stop-before-you-hit-that-thing. That is why you and I are having so much trouble adapting to these bodies. We're polar opposites."

"I'm bipolar, actually," Shadow said. "I have to trust them with my strength, but not with my speed. It can get confusing sometimes."

"I have no trouble controlling your strength," Knuckles said with a shrug. "It's not as strong as mine, so it's not too hard."

Sonic was hyperventilating as he held the bird. He was going to kill it. He knew it. Knuckles mind rubbed against his.

'Come on, Sonic, relax. Don't think about it. Just relax and pet it. Go on.'

Sonic hesitantly shifted the bird into one hand and lightly touched its head. The bird chirped and nibbled his fingers. The tension left the red echidna in a soft laugh. He stroked the fluffy thing and suddenly realized what Knuckles had been talking about. He knew just how hard to press. He didn't have to think about it. In fact, when he thought about it, the knowhow began slipping away. So he didn't think about it and just pet and stroked the little creature. Knuckles was pleased and returned the baby bird back to the nest.

"Good job, Sonic. See? Was that so hard?"

"Not really," Sonic admitted. "Once I got past the thought of killing it."

Shadow smiled. "I suppose that is how I learned, too. Only mine was with Maria and not animals. I'm sorry for doubting you."

Knuckles shrugged. "It's cool." He paused. "You're still going to have to play the game. There are more levels than what you're working on right now. But trust your instincts and it will be much easier."

"Thanks. And my advice to you is to not trust your instincts. You'll still run into things, sure, but you'll get it," Sonic assured him.

"Knuckles? What do they want?" Shadow asked, pointing to the deer that were staring at them.

"Apples. I always give them apples when I visit. Catch the apples when I toss them down," Knuckles said as he climbed an apple tree.

They did so then Knuckles climbed back down. He picked up several apples then walked toward the creatures. They shied back, and Sonic and Shadow expected them to run. If that didn't happen, they thought to just set the apples down and hurry away. Neither of those things happened. The deer watched Knuckles approach. He paused five steps away and whistled a strange, warbly whistle. They suddenly dashed forward and nuzzled him. Knuckles gestured for Sonic and Shadow to join him. The deer looked wary again until Knuckles whistled again, twice this time. The other two were surrounded, too, and they laughed as the deer licked at them. Shadow's laugh surprised both the black hedgehog and the red echidna, but they rolled with it.

"Now, give each one an apple," Knuckles instructed.

They handed them out, still chuckling at the way the animals licked at their hands as they gave them the fruit. When they deer were happily eating their apples, Knuckles led the other two back to the Master Emerald. He hesitated then turned to face them.

"I want to try again."

"Are you sure?" Shadow asked, looking him over.

"I'm not hurting anymore. I want to try again," the black hedgehog repeated.

"Okay then," Sonic said. "To the starting gate!"

"It isn't a race, Sonic," Shadow said.

"Whatever," Sonic replied.

Knuckles lined himself up again, taking a deep breath as he focused. He could do this. No. He was going to do this. Sonic gave the starting signal. Knuckles took off like a bullet, pushing himself to go faster than he was comfortable with. Then faster still. He could hear Sonic cheering him on as he reached the wall. He shot straight up the hundred feet with no problem and slid to a stop just before he ran off the other side of the plateau. He whooped in joy, grabbing a rope and sliding down it to the ground. Sonic embraced him.

"You did it, Knux! You did it!"

"Congratulations," Shadow said with a smile.

"Now you know you're still going to have to practice, right?" Sonic asked seriously. "Just like I do. There is so much stuff you haven't tried yet."

"I don't have to try everything, Sonic," Knuckles argued. "I just have to be able to control it."

Sonic frowned and looked upset. "But…then you'll never know how fun it is to do them…"

"He's got a point, Knux," Shadow said. "It is fun to be fast and acrobatic."

Knuckles looked thoughtful. "I'll make you a deal."

Sonic's eyes lit up. "Alright. What?"

"I will let you run me through the ringer of your tricks and abilities if I am allowed the same privilege."

Sonic laughed. "Okay! What first?"

"Gliding."

Sonic blinked. "Gliding? You mean in the air?"

"Yes."

"How do you do that, anyway?"

"My dreadlocks. I can catch air under them and glide. It's tricky though."

"Fine. Where do I learn?"

"Windy Canyon. We'll head there tomorrow. It's time for another M.E. studying session, though. Let's get back."

Knuckles took two steps then smirked at Sonic.

"Race you there!"

"Hey! No fair!" Sonic asked as Shadow and Knuckles left him in the dust. He crossed his arms and pouted. There was a blur of black then his arm was grabbed and he found himself dragged along back to the Master Emerald. Sonic laughed again. "Wow, I miss going that fast!"

They bowed to Tikal, who was standing there waiting for them.

"Greetings, Princess," Sonic said. "We are ready."

"Good. Come touch M.E."

They did so, settling back contentedly as they were swept away in bliss and relaxation. This was their twenty-fourth time doing this. M.E had finished Knuckles' life and was currently working through Shadow's. It wasn't as long as the others' lives, despite the fact that he was over fifty years old, and Shadow had asked to just get it over with. The two hedgehogs and the echidna had gotten over their embarrassment around the tenth time. M.E. asked many questions about their lives, and they were often humiliating. At least they were until Knuckles pointed out that everything they were talking about would never leave the five of them. They swore each other to secrecy then lost their embarrassment, relaxing and letting M.E. do as it wished.

"Fascinating, Shadow," the Master Emerald said. "Your relationship with this Maria is so deep. I would love to have studied her. A bond so deep, yet so young. It is a true tragedy that she is gone. Though perhaps it is better this way."

Shadow sobbed. "W-why are you saying that?!"

"If she had lived, her disease would have become progressively worse. She was in the advanced stages already. She would have died slowly and painfully, and you would have lived for fifty years without her, conscious and in agony and hating life instead of floating in suspended animation. The bullet killed her in two minutes, releasing her from the prison of her diseased body. She went quickly and peacefully."

"Peacefully?" Shadow asked, tears streaming down his face. "How?"

"Because, Shadow, you escaped alive and well. Her last thoughts were those for you, hoping that you were safe and happy." There was a pause. "You are safe. But are you happy?"

Instead of a prompt answer, thoughts raced through them. They stayed silent as he thought. Suddenly a memory appeared of Rouge and Omega. Omega was covered in some kind of oil, which had just spilled from a barrel that Sonic had knocked over as he ran by. Rouge was laughing, and they could feel that Shadow himself was smiling.

"Careful, Omega," he said, shaking his head. "The female robots will be all over you."

"Comment: questionable. Query: Why would female robots be all over me?"

Shadow's smile got bigger. "Because you're so slick."

Rouge lost it again, and Omega stared at him then spoke quietly. "I do not understand."

Shadow chuckled. "I'll explain while we clean you off."

Another memory came up, this time of the three linked beings sitting around a fire. They had their normal bodies, and Sonic was laughing about something. Knuckles glanced at Shadow.

"Please beat him in a race?" he asked quietly.

Shadow snickered. "I don't know if that's possible. Even if it was, it would break Blue Boy's heart."

"Come on. It could stand to be broken."

Shadow shook his head. "It would break his spirit, too. I don't want a broken Sonic. I like him just the way he is."

"Yeah. I guess I do, too."

"What are you two whispering about?" Sonic asked, frowning.

"You," Shadow said.

"What about me?"

"How slow you are," Knuckles replied.

Sonic bristled. "I am not slow! I'm the fastest thing alive!"

"I bet Shadow could beat you."

"No way! C'mon, Shadow. Race me! No shoes allowed though!"

"No, Sonic. I'm not racing you."

"Coward."

"Yep. I'm a coward."

"Eh, you're no fun sometimes," Sonic complained, standing up and walking toward his cot. "I'm going to bed."

Shadow chuckled. "He's so fun to annoy," he said to Knuckles.

"I heard that!"

Amusement filled Shadow to the brim, but he didn't let out more than a chuckle. Knuckles laughed outright and the memory faded.

"I suppose I am happy," Shadow finally said shyly. "I have two sets of friends that love me in their own ways. I have food and shelter from the elements. And I have Maria's memory to sustain me. I wish it was more than a memory, but it is what it is, and I can't change that."

The Master Emerald gave off a smile. "Good. Now, I am most curious about your awakening."

"Is this helping?" Sonic mused then flinched when he realized he was heard.

"Is what helping?" Knuckles asked.

"This whole searching us and stuff. I don't see how it will help."

"M.E. must understand all about us before it can understand how we interact with the magic in our systems," the black hedgehog explained patiently.

"But..."

"What is wrong Sonic?" the Master Emerald asked.

If they had been speaking in the physical realm, Sonic wouldn't have answered. But his thoughts answered for him.

"I just want my body back. I miss Tails. Hell, I even miss Amy."

Understanding flowed from Shadow and Knuckles. Shadow physically reached out to hold his hand as he spoke gently into the red echidna's mind.

"We don't know for sure if it will work. But we have to have hope."

"Ugh, you sound like Sonic," Knuckles teased.

Sonic laughed at that then relaxed back, soothed for the moment, but all three of them were getting antsy. It had been almost a month since the body change, and, though the Master Emerald was making progress, it was slow progress, and it was even driving Knuckles up a wall. But at this point, all they could do was wait.