Komodin's Stories

[Kiah]

Yes, it's been a while! Totally understand though. I wonder why I missed this update originally back on Wednesday...oh that's right, I was watching the World Series (which I find to be very "meh" so far). Sorry for just getting back to you now.

Anyway, that was quite a read! Your fictions have been very vivid and descriptive, even more so with your non-fiction narrative essay. Reading your account left me, well, emotional, in a good way. I'm glad that you had your father with you during that time and I am even more happy that you pulled through with the cancer with the treatment.

I honestly didn't think that you couldn't impress me more with your work than you already have here in this topic. I was clearly wrong as I was deeply impressed with your essay here. You are very talented with your writing, and if I haven't done so already, I thank you for sharing them with us. I know I really appreciate it.

[Komodin]

Well, after over... what, five months (?) of rewrites and forced hiatuses, I can finally post something pertaining to Chapter 9 of The Blue Blur of Termina that I can actually say that I'm reasonably proud of writing. It's just the beginning part of the chapter, though (I need to comb through the rest of it to see if there's anything I should add/remove), but here it is. Read it and, if you want, tell me what you think of it. Is there anything that I should consider adding or removing. Feel free to say so!

Compared to what had occurred the first time through, the trip back through the hideout was surprisingly uneventful. With the only creature living there, the terrifying skulltula, dead in the sewer water, only the sounds of rushing water and the crackling of embers echoed through the dark waterway.

During the journey back through the hideout, Sonic mostly kept to himself, pondering over what Professor Shikashi said about the Moon. Just the thought of the damage it’d do if it was to actually fall sent a chill all over his body. The last time he had to deal with anything involving the moon was back when Eggman destroyed half of the moon in his world with that energy cannon, and that really did a number on the planet before he managed to repair it.

With his mind preoccupied, the trip went a lot faster: in just over a half-hour, they were back at the entrance underneath the Eastern Hub of Clock Town.

“Oh, hey, you guys!” Alfred said, greeting the duo. “How was the observatory? Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah,” Sonic muttered, walking past him with an arm wave. “it was... epic...”

“Oh, good!” Looking over at Tatl, he said, “Hey, Tatl, I heard from the boss that you wer-”

“Out of the gang,” Tatl interrupted, shoving Alfred aside. “I already know, and I don’t really give an eff! I’ve got bigger things to worry about!”

“Oh, well,, see ya?” Alfred said, confused.

Back at the square, Sonic gave a loud yawn. Between all the things he had done since he was in the jungle, he hadn’t had a single moment of rest.

“Hey, Tatl...” he said, eying the fairy girl. “Do you really think that the moon’s actually gonna fall?”

Tatl hummed. “Honestly, I don’t know, Dek. I sure hope not...”

“Has the moon always been like that?”

“Well,” Scratching the back of her head, she said, “It’s always been like your moon: tiny and far away. It started to get bigger around two months ago, and has been... well, ‘growing’ ever since.”

“Okay,” Sonic said, pointing towards the Clock Tower, “Shikashi said something about the Clock Tower’s entrance being open only once a year. What’s the deal with that; wasn’t that the door we came out of when we got here?”

Tatl shook her head. “No, Dek, there’s actually a second door just above that one!” Looking up towards the Clock Tower, she continued, “The deal with that one is, it opens only once a year--at midnight on the eve of the carnival.”

“Carnival?”

“The Carnival of Time. It when we pay homage to our gods, dressing up in various masks and stuff like that. It’s a bit difficult to explain...”

Sonic shrugged. “Okay...”

“Well, anyway...” Lifting her book above her, she gave a loud yawn. “Gosh, I’m so exhausted! We’ve had one heckuva day, yuh?”

“Ditto...” Sonic said with a nod. “Got a place to stay?”

“Well,” Tatl replied, crossing her arms. “We could just stay at the Fairy Fountain, but... well... see, we fairies sleep in pools of water, and you’re a Deku Scrub, so water’s clearly out of the option, and... yeah.”

Sonic sighed. “Well, where can I stay? Does this town have an inn, a hotel or something?”

“Inn...” Tatl stroked her chin, muttering to herself. “Ah, of course! You can stay at the Stock Pot Inn!”

“The What Pot Inn?” Sonic replied, eyebrow raised.

“The Stock Pot Inn, Dek. Well, it’s a bit more like a bed-and-breakfast, but it’s where even you can rest up! I’m not sure if you get a room, especially at this time of the year, but it’s at least worth a try!”

“Alright, let’s head there, then,” Sonic said, smiling. “It’s in this part of the town, right?”

“Correct!” Pointing past Sonic, she said, “See that bell on top of the building, Dek?”

Looking around, he spotted a giant bell, perched on top of a balcony overlooking the busy square. Cast in a shiny bronze, symbols resembling a ball with wings were etched along its circumference.

“That’s it?”

“Yep,” Tatl said, and she started to flutter down the stairs. “Let’s go!”

“Sure...” Sonic muttered, walking down after her. He’d said it more enthusiastically, but he was too exhausted to do much than besides walk. “Finally, some rest...”

[Komodin]

I apologize for the double post, but I wrote another one-shot that I like to present to you guys here. It's based on an event in Sonic Unleashed near the endgame: in the PS3/360 versions, if you talk to Amy outside the Lab in Shamar before you head out to Eggmanland, you actually have the option to ask her out. It doesn't really affect anything, and you can always decline the offer, but I still it's kinda nice that the developers actually gave the player the option to throw Amy a bone for once and, if you're willing to look at it in a certain way, it could actually ties into the events of Sonic and the Black Knight.

Well, anyway, this oneshot is essentially a short novelization of that, tying to an earlier cutscene in the game that could have an effect in your choice on the aforementioned yes/no. As always, read it and, if you want, feel free to tell me what you think.
 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Sonic the Hedgehog series; the rights of all things related to it are copyrighted by Sega.

 

 

Sonic’s Promise

 

A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic, by Komodin

 

 

 

“I don’t get it...”

Sonic the Hedgehog was beside himself. With the help of his friends, he managed to restore the energy of six of the seven Chaos Emeralds, as well as set most of the continents back to their rightful place on the Earth. With the location of the last Gaia Temple discovered, he was to set out for in and stop Dr. Eggman’s plans once and for all. Though he was all prepared for the final mission, he was a little concerned.

“Something just doesn’t feel right,” he murmured, leaning against the bookshelf with his arms folded.

The air inside the Shamaran laboratory practically wavered throughout the facility. Though the large silver fan near the desk spun frantically, everyone in the room -- him, Professor Pickle, and Amy Rose -- was drenched in sweat. The elderly scholar was toiling away at his desk, peering through the various Gaia Manuscripts he had in his possession, while busily fanning himself cool. Amy, on the other hand, was angrily trying to watch a program on the TV, frantically trying to keep with the relatively cool breeze of the oscillating fan.

Sonic, despite being just as sweaty as the others, wasn’t too concerned about the heat. Various thoughts raced through his mind: learning about Chip’s true identity as essentially a counterpart to Dark Gaia, the exact details of the last continent; dealing with his now-usual nighttime form; the energy beast responsible for the current predicament. As he stood there, one thought kept coming back into focus: Amy.

He looked over at Amy, who appeared ready to smash the fan to keep it in place. As he gazed upon her, he shuddered. He still remembered the incident; the one time he was actually hoping that she, his self-proclaimed “number one fan,” would still recognize him in his bestial form, she actually confused him for some other person. Though she did some time later after he saved her from Dark Gaia’s minions, it still shook him to the core.

“Hey, we’re back!” a voice rang out, and Sonic looked towards the entrance. Tails and Chip flew into the muggy lab, each with big grin on their faces. The twin-tailed fox was carrying his Miles Electric device in his hands.

“Oh, hey, what’s up,” Sonic said, smiling back. “You finally got those shields installed, little bro?”

“Yeah, we’re all set to fly,” Tails replied. “I just hope the Tornado can withstand whatever Eggman’s got defending that temple.”

“Hey, can you use that device of yours to take a peek at whatever base he got set up there?”

Tails held up his Miles Electric device. “I tried that last night, but every time I tried to zoom in on the planet piece, my satellite imaging runs into interference before I could get any decent shot of it.”

“Ah, of course...” Sonic looked up at Chip. “You ready to go, little buddy?”

“Yeah...” Chip looked up to the ceiling. “Even now, I can feel Dark Gaia’s energies from here. It’s like he and his ghoulies are all... gathering at the Gaia Temple there. I’m almost certain whatever that Eggman guy got set up there, it isn’t even remotely good!”

Sonic hummed, frowning. “All the more reason to storm that place and shut down whatever plan Eggman got, ri--?”

Smash!

Sonic immediately looked back and gasped. The silver fan that once circulated relatively cool air in the lab was now mere pieces of scrap metal and plastic on the carpet floor. Standing right in front of the wreckage was Amy, puffing heavily with her Piko Piko Hammer in her hands. The look on her face was that of pure rage, glaring down upon the remnants of the fan.

“What a piece of junk...” she spat, before noticing everyone staring silently at her and the broken fan. In a flash, her look was abruptly changed to that of bashfulness. Grinning sheepishly, she hid her hammer behind her and brushed the mess off to the side with her boot. “Oh, um, er... my bad?”

“Okay...” Sonic murmured, before focusing his attention on the startled Professor Pickle. “You okay over there, Professor?”

“Well,” Prof. Pickle said, getting up from his seat. “Other than this dreadful heat, which will no doubt be worsened due to our lack of means to cool it, I’m as well as ever.” Now standing in front of the trio, he continued, “At any rate, I do believe it’s time to seek out the last temple. I’m certain Eggman will no doubt make getting to it a most arduous journey!”

“Yeah, we’re used to Eggman’s antics,” Tails said, and Sonic nodded. “If it’s even remotely like, say, the Death Egg, it’ll still be a piece of cake!”

“Hm, quite right,” Prof. Pickle murmured. “Well, then! Do you have any further questions?”

“Naw, I’m good,” Sonic replied. “If the typical securities of ol’ Eggman’s bases are anything to go by, it’ll be a cinch!”

Prof. Pickle nodded. “I’m sure you’ll have the planet back in one piece in no time, at this rate!” Just as he started to make his way back to his desk, he abruptly added with a chuckle, “Oh, and don’t forget to bring back a souvenir or three while you’re out!”

“Well, I guess we can bring back one of those toy-looking robots, or something.” Turning back towards Tails and Chip, he beamed with joy. “Ready to fly, guys?”

“You got it, partner!” Tails replied, and Chip nodded happily. “Let’s make tracks!”

With that, Sonic opened the door out of the Lab and, followed by Tails and Chip, made his way down the long flight of stairs. In just a couple seconds, they stood at the Lab Entrance. Sonic took a big breath and breathe out heavily. Compared to the stuffiness of the Lab, the outdoor air of the Shamaran capital was an almost literal breath of fresh air.

“Well, guys,” Sonic said, grinning, “Let’s get mov--!”

“Hey, wait!”

Sonic shuddered. The reasonably high-pitched voice immediately brought to mind the Spagonia incidents. He turned around and tensed up at what he saw.

Amy was running down the stairs as fast as she could. The second she reached the bottom, she immediately leaned on her knees and panted heavily.

“You alright, Amy?” Sonic said, walking over to the pink hedgehog.

“W-wait...” she panted, holding out her hand. “I’ve... gotta... give... something... to you...”

“Well, can it wait ‘til we get back?”

“No...” she replied, finally regaining her bearings. “I gotta give it to you now!”

Sonic folded his arms. “Well, what is it?”

She quickly reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a reddish object. Opening her hand, she said, “This.”

Squinting, Sonic saw a small greyish disc in her palm, outlined with red paint and a six-pointed yellow star on its center. A pair of red and white feathers was attached to the disc. Looking up at Amy’s face, she nodded slightly, extending her arm to him. Sonic took the object and looked it over. If felt light in the hand, almost as if it would break apart at any moment.

“What’s this?” Sonic asked. “It looks nice...”

“It’s something I found in Eggman’s airship a few months ago,” Amy replied, smiling. “It’s a lucky charm. You can take it along with you if you want!”

“Oh... cool!” Sonic placed the charm on his chest; it easily stayed in place. Looking down at it, the feathers tickled his muzzle a bit, eliciting a small laugh from him. “Thanks, Amy!”

Amy laughed. “Just wanna help in any way I can...” To Sonic’s surprise, her smile changed into a frown. “Well, actually, there’s something else I gotta tell you, now that I remember. Can we talk alone? Just the two of us?”

His eyebrow raised, Sonic looked to Tails and Chip. “Hey, can you guys go ahead to the plane without me? I’ll catch up with ya in a couple minutes.”

“Sure thing, Sonic!” Tails said, and Chip nodded. “We’ll have it up and ready when you get there!” With that, Tails and Chip went off into the Shamaran capital.

And so, the hedgehog pair stood there. The midday sun was high above the Shamaran city, raining sunshine down upon its citizens. The area they were in, a nook off to the side of the main street was shaded by the tall buildings that surrounded and towered over them. Sonic folded his arms, looking at the buildings and plants dotting the small lawn. Amy was adjusting her clothes, tidying her quills. For a few minutes, they kept themselves, only occasionally exchanging glances with one another. After a few more minutes of silence, Amy finally spoke up.

“The next one’s the last temple, right?” she said, looking over at Sonic.

Sonic nodded. ”Eggman’s guarding it, of course. It might -- might -- actually be somewhat challenging this time, with that Dark Gaia thing, though.”

“You can do it.” Amy held out her hands, balled into fists. “I believe in you! And when you’re done mopping the floor with Eggman, the world will be at peace again!”

“For a little while, anyway,” Sonic said, chuckling.

“And maybe...” Amy started to stammer in her words, flitting her eyes to and fro at Sonic. “Well, maybe...”

“‘Maybe...?’” Sonic echoed, eyebrow raised.

“Maybe... we can finally... go out?”

Sonic unfolded his arms, eyes focused on the pink hedgehog. She had her hands clasped in front of her, with a pleading look on her face. The way she looked, it’s as if even she knew that her question was possibly inappropriate. As he looked into her green eyes, the memory of what happened in Spagonia still lingered in his mind. Seconds seemed to stretch into hours as he pondered over Amy’s proposal. After a few seconds that seemed like forever, he finally came to a decision. Along with all the support Amy gave him throughout the adventure, he had to give himself some form of closure with that memory.

“That could be fun,” Sonic said, smiling.

What immediately followed was Amy abruptly falling to her knees. Her mouth agape, she stared blankly at Sonic, unwavering in her focused gaze. “Y-you...” was all that she could say, as if she herself couldn’t believe what he just said.

“Amy?” Sonic said, walking towards the perplexed hedgehog. He waved his hands over her eyes, continuing, “Hey, are you alright? Am--?!”

“Y-you...” Amy slowly replied, “Y-you actually said, ‘yes?’”

“Yep.”

“You mean it?!”

Sonic nodded. “Yep, I mean it.”

Amy looked away from Sonic and muttered, "He actually means it..."

"Huh?" He leaned forward, trying to hear what she said. Before he could react — before he could even put up his hands to brace himself — the hedgehog girl shot up and leaped at him, sending him flying back onto the hot, sandy ground near the Lab Entrance. Her arms, locked in a tight embrace on him, knocked the wind clear of him.

“Yay!” she yelled, laughing uproariously. “He said, ‘yes!’ He finally said, ‘’yes!” If he didn’t know any better, he could’ve swore he saw hearts practically pour out from her body.

“Um, Amy,” he said in broken gasps, “I know you’re kinda thrilled about this, but you’re... kinda... choking... me...!”

“Oh!” Amy immediately loosened her grip on Sonic, sending the asphyxiated hedgehog stumbling to his knees. “My bad, really!”

“Don’t... worry,” Sonic gasped, panting like a dog in a desert. “It’s... cool...”

“Alright,” she said happily, helping Sonic to his feet. Before Sonic could even attempt to reply, she embraced him again, but much more calmly and lightly. Glancing at her placid smile, Sonic grinned and returned the favor.

“Thanks, Sonic...” she murmured, giggling.

“No problem...” he replied.

After what seemed like eternity, she finally let go of him. “Well, don’t just stand there, silly!” She lightly pushed him forward. “You got a world to save again, remember?”

“R-right,” Sonic said, shaking his head. “Almost forgot about that whole world-saving thing!” And with a nod, Sonic started to walk out of the nook. Just as he made it back on the Main, he heard a voice cry out from behind.

“Remember...” Sonic looked back and saw Amy, hands cupped over her muzzle. “I believe in you, alright?”

Sonic looked down at his new lucky charm. It gleamed like a beacon in the afternoon sun. With his eyes locked on ahead, he grinned and with one quick motion, gave her a thumbs-up. “Got it!” And with that, Sonic took off like a bullet.

 

“Time for the big finale, Eggman!”

 

Edited October 29, 2013 by Komodin

[Faseeh]

Komo, that was really nice dude. It seems pretty believable. I like your word usage and the character relationship and development between Tails and Chip. Keep writing dude!

[Komodin]

Komo, that was really nice dude. It seems pretty believable. I like your word usage and the character relationship and development between Tails and Chip. Keep writing dude!

Thanks! Admittedly, I was rather worried with how I should approach them, since I wanted the main focus of the piece to be Sonic and Amy. I hope I didn't botch anyone's characterizations...

[Faseeh]

Thanks! Admittedly, I was rather worried with how I should approach them, since I wanted the main focus of the piece to be Sonic and Amy. I hope I didn't botch anyone's characterizations...

Not at all. I'd buy a book by you mang.

Bloody hell, after sacking the writers of Sonic 06...

They should have hired you along with the Colors writers. The three of you.... My god, Sonic storylines could be so much better.

[Komodin]

Well, I posted Sonic's Promise on Fanfiction.net. I hope I can actually get some feedback from there this time...

[Kiah]

Not at all. I'd buy a book by you mang.

Bloody hell, after sacking the writers of Sonic 06...

They should have hired you along with the Colors writers. The three of you.... My god, Sonic storylines could be so much better.

Couldn't of said it better myself, Faseeh. I absolutely agree. The results would of been amazing!

Anyway, here I am finally, I apologize as I was too sick to enjoy your reading both last night and this morning. Glad I waited as this was some good stuff...

As for Chapter 9, it is like you never took a hiatus whatsoever. I thought I would need a refresher with the story, but you brought references back from the previous chapters so that wasn't necessary. Everything is well descriptive as usual. Very well done. Looking forward to the rest of the chapter. Hope poor Sonic gets some sleep soon!

Now, as for you "Sonic's Promise" piece, simply put, it was awesome! The way you described everything made it seem like it could fit right into the Sonic Unleashed plot via a cutscene. That's what the story felt like to me: a cutscene that was well played out with all the details, I could see everything as if I was looking at a cutscene in the game. Enjoyed everyone's dialogue; it was very fitting. I remember you in your status updates worrying about bad characterization, let me tell you didn't do such a thing. Sonic, Tails, Amy, Professor Pickle and Chip were all well portrayed, you didn't botch up anything.

A oneshot, eh? Does that mean you aren't going to finish this one? Aww, that's too bad. I have a feeling that if you continued the story you would of surely converted me to a SonAmy fan as I had really liked the interaction between them that you had going here...Oh well, I enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing as always, and looking forward to your next story!

[Wraith]

I was just going to ask, are you going to continue it? I really liked it. You nailed every character.

[Komodin]

A oneshot, eh? Does that mean you aren't going to finish this one? Aww, that's too bad. I have a feeling that if you continued the story you would of surely converted me to a SonAmy fan as I had really liked the interaction between them that you had going here...

I was just going to ask, are you going to continue it? I really liked it. You nailed every character.

Well, I am dancing around the idea of writing a follow-up story/chapter. However, I would like to update my other stories first before I start working on that, though.

Still, thanks for telling me my characterizations were accurate, after all. Speaking as a writer, character inconsistencies (especially outright character derailment) just makes me shudder; hearing that it's not the case here is like taking a huge weight off my chest, y'know?

Speaking of those other stories, between now and Monday, the full Chapter 9 of The Blue Blur of Termina should be up and ready. If I pull this off right, I think it'll be quite a superb chapter!

[-blank-]

So, I just now got around to reviewing your Unleashed one-shot, and I've got to say, I'm very impressed. Your details were very well done and I could easily imagine this being a cutscene in the game itself. And I know I'm going to be echoing everyone else, but don't worry about the characterization - everyone was depicted superbly, especially Sonic and Amy. Plus, I loved how you kept with the game's continuity and referenced that one particular cutscene in Spagonia. (And now I've got an idea for a one-shot about what was going through Sonic's mind at the time...hmm).

Great work! =)

[Komodin]

Hello, everyone. If it's alright with you all, I'll post the first part of Chapter 9 of The Blue Blur of Termina. I'm just doing some final proofreading checkovers, so the whole thing should be available within the next couple days. Read on and, if you want, tell me what you think.
 
 

Compared to what had occurred the first time through, the trip back through the hideout was surprisingly uneventful. With the only creature living there, the terrifying skulltula, dead in the sewer water, only the sounds of rushing water and the crackling of embers echoed through the dark waterway.

During the journey back through the hideout, Sonic mostly kept to himself, pondering over what Professor Shikashi said about the Moon. Just the thought of the damage it’d do if it was to actually fall sent a chill all over his body. The last time he had to deal with anything involving the moon was back when Eggman destroyed half of the moon in his world with that energy cannon, and that really did a number on the planet before he managed to repair it.

With his mind preoccupied, the trip went a lot faster: in just over a half-hour, they were back at the entrance underneath the Eastern Hub of Clock Town.

“Oh, hey!” Alfred said, greeting the duo. “How was the observatory, Sonic? Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah,” Sonic muttered, walking past him with an arm wave.  “it was... epic...”

“Oh, good!” Looking over at Tatl, he said, “Hey, Tatl, I heard from the boss that you and the Skull Kid wer--”

“Out of the gang, yeah, I already know!” Tatl interrupted, shoving Alfred aside.  “And you know what? I don’t really care about your stupid club! I’ve got bigger things to worry about!”

“Oh, well, okay?” Alfred said, blinking. “Well, have a nice day, you two?”

Pushing aside the trashcans of the alleyway, Sonic muttered, “You know, Tatl, you didn’t have to be so mean to him.”

“Who said I had to be?” she replied, checking her hand.

Glancing towards the fairy, Sonic only shook his hand and walked on. Back at the Eastern square, the hedgehog-scrub suddenly gave a loud yawn. Between all the things he had done since he was in the jungle, he hadn’t had a single moment of rest.

“Hey, Tatl...” he said, eying the fairy girl. “Do you really think that the moon’s actually gonna fall?”

Tatl hummed. “Honestly, I don’t know, Dek. I sure hope not.”

“Has the moon always been like that?”

“Well,” Scratching the back of her head, she said, “It’s always been like the moon of your world: tiny and far away. It started to get bigger around two months ago, and has been... well, ‘growing’ ever since.”

Sonic nodded, glancing up towards the looming celestial body. With the midday sun hovering high over the world, the moon actually appeared to bear a slight purplish glow.

“Speaking of,” she continued, landing lightly on her feet, “what is the deal with your world’s moon? Why does it look like it has a huge hole on it?”
”
“Well...” Sonic took in a huge breath and, without a single break, said, “Basically, a few months back, the moon was used as target practice for a world-destroying energy cannon built into a giant space station under the threat of world domination by a mad, egg-shaped scientist.”

Tatl blinked. “What.”

“Anyway, ”Sonic pointed towards the Clock Tower, “Shikashi said something about the Clock Tower’s entrance being open only once a year. What’s the deal with that; wasn’t that the door we came out of when we got here?”

Tatl shook her head. “No, Dek, there’s actually a second door just above that one!”
Sonic looked back at the Clock Tower and saw that there was a second door built a few feet over the main entrance. Fronted by a large wooden platform and stairway, it had a stylized image of a clock painted on its timbered surface.

“The deal with that one is,” she continued, “it opens only once a year--at midnight on the eve of the carnival.”

“The Carnival?”

“The Carnival of Time. It’s the day when we pay tribute to our guardians, dressing up in various masks and costumes and... stuff like that. It’s a bit difficult to explain; you have to actually be there to understand.”

Sonic shrugged. “Okay, when’s the carnival supposed to happen?”

“In three days. But, with that moon... well, anyway...” Lifting her book above her, she gave a loud yawn. “Gosh, I’m so exhausted! We’ve had one heckuva day, huh?”

“Ditto... got a place to stay?”

“Well,” Tatl folded her arms. “We could just stay at the Fairy Fountain, but... well...”

“‘Well,’ what? You got beds here, right?”

“Of course we got beds. It’s just that, well, remember how we found Laby Vee is a pool of water. See, unlike humans, we fairies sleep in pools of water -- it helps keep our wings and backside moist. Seeing as you’re a Deku Scrub, water’s clearly out of the option..”

Sonic grunted. “Well, where can I stay? Don’t this town have an inn, a hotel or something?”

“Inn...” Tatl stroked her chin, muttering to herself. “Ah, of course! You can stay at the Stock Pot Inn!”

“The What Pot Inn?” Sonic replied, eyebrow raised.

“The Stock Pot Inn, Dek. Well, it’s a bit more like a bed-and-breakfast, but it’s where even you can rest up! I’m not sure if you get a room -- especially at this time of the year -- but it’s at least worth a try!”

“Alright, let’s head there, then,” Sonic said, smiling as best as he could. “It’s in this part of the town, right?”

“Correct!” Pointing past Sonic, she said, “See that bell on top of the building, Dek?”

Looking around, he spotted a giant bell, perched on top of a balcony overlooking the busy square. Cast in a shiny bronze, symbols resembling a ball with wings were etched along its circumference.

“That’s it?”

“Yep,” Tatl said, and she started to flutter down the stairs. “Let’s go!”

“Sure...” Sonic muttered, walking down after her. He would said it more enthusiastically, he thought, but he was too exhausted to do much than besides walk.

As he trudged towards the Inn, he looked the building over. It was one of the larger buildings in the area, stretching high past the nearby stair road to the higher part of the town. Flanked by a large wooden scaffold that stretched over an entrance to the Southern Bazaar, it was partially painted in a peach tone, separated from the unpainted half by a wavy white line. Other than the large bell built into the roof of the building, its only other feature was the sign hung next to its single door.

Just as Tatl began to turn the doorknob, a loud shriek suddenly rang out from behind it.

“Whoa!” both Sonic and Tatl screamed jumping back from the door.

“You think the Skull Kid’s here?!” Sonic yelled.

“W-well,” Tatl stammered, clutching her book, “we’ve gotta try to stop him, right? You go in first!”

With a nod, Sonic leaped up to the doorknob, and with a quick twist, swung the door wide open. After running into the inn, what greeted him wasn’t the Skull Kid, to his initial relief, but something almost as surprising. Leaning forward from a massive desk, a red-haired woman, dressed in a brown and bluish dress, was actively tugging at a man from his back, dressed in just a red hat, a shirt and shorts. The woman bore a tearful frown on her face; the man, a strained and reddish look as he was trying to get away from the woman. Off to the woman’s side with an open envelope, with a brownish piece of paper lying on top of it.

“Wait!” the woman yelled, grabbing onto the man’s backpack. “This letter... wh-where did you find it?!”

“From... the... postbox!” the man replied, breathing in heavy gasps. One strap of the backpack, Sonic noticed, was stretched tightly against the man’s neck.

“Th-that's not what I mean!” she screamed, pulling the backpack back. “From the postbox where?!”

“From... the postbox... somewhere...!” the man yelled, his skin taking on a blue-purple tone.

“That's not what I mean! Please tell me!”

“It's... a... secret...!”

“I must know!”

After a few more seconds of the tug-o’-war, the strap of the backpack finally broke apart, sending the hatted man flying headfirst into the nearby sofa. To Sonic’s surprise, the man, apparently unfazed by the head-on collision, jumped back up and, carrying the broken back pack in his hand, dashed out the entrance at a speed Sonic had rarely ever seen from a human. The woman, instead of chasing after the man, just collapsed onto the deck face down and, in spite of the witness to her outburst, cried quietly.

Sonic just stood there, stunned by what just transpired around him. What could have happened that would make the woman react the way she did? Just then, a loud gasp rang from behind him.

“What the heck happened in here?” Tatl asked, flying into the Inn. “Did you see the Skull Kid, Dek?!”

“No...” Sonic pointed to the sobbing woman, and Tatl gasped.

“Anju!” She yelled, and she flew straight over the grief-stricken woman. “Ange, are you okay?!”

“Huh...?” The woman looked up towards the fairy. Eyes bloodshot, tears were still streaming down her face. “Tatl?” she murmured shakily, and Tatl nodded.

“Are you okay, Ange?” Tatl grabbed her hands. “Did that Postman hurt you?! Why, if he did, I’ll-”

“No.” Anju wiped her face with a nearby handkerchief. “He didn’t do anything -- it was my fault.”

Tatl sighed. “Oh, Ange, you’ve gotta stop blaming yourself fo-”

“Hey, um, Anju...?” Sonic finally said, walking up to the desk with the young women. “Is everything alright? What were you talking about with ‘that letter?’”

“Wait, a let--”

Anju leaned forward from the desk, squinting at the Deku Scrub. “Are you with Tatl?” She asked, and Sonic nodded. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry!” She suddenly stood upright, taking Tatl by surprise, and started to bow. “Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn! Um... are you... staying the night?”

Sonic nodded. “Yeah, um, actually I was.”

“Did you...have a reservation? I mean, there are no vacancies today, and we've been booked solid with reservations.”

“Um... er, n-”

“Actually, Ange,” Tatl interrupted, flying in front of Sonic. “Sonic did have a reservation set here weeks ahead of time!”

“Oh, he does? That's good...” Anju looked back down at Sonic. “Mr. Sonic, is it? One moment, please.” She reached down into the back of the desk and pulled out a huge book with various colored pieces of paper sticking out from it. Setting the book down lightly onto the desk, she quickly opened it and flipped through its multitude of pages. As Anju skimmed her way through her book, Sonic looked up to Tatl.

“Tatl,” he whispered, catching the fairy’s attention, “why the heck did you tell her that I made a reservation here? She’s gonna find out that I didn’t, and you know it?”

The fairy girl only put a finger to her lips. “I’m trying to get you a room, silly...”

“And this isn’t gonna work. What’re the chances of another guy named Sonic existing at all, let alone just happening to make a reservation here?”

“Mr. Sonic,” Anju finally said, stopping near the end of the book. She looked at the hedgehog-scrub with a small smile, a contrast from her earlier tearful disposition. “I have you down for an afternoon arrival.”

Sonic blinked. “Say what.”

“The room that you reserved a couple weeks ago. It is our "Knife Chamber" on the second floor.” She reached down into her desk and pulled out a small silver key. “Here is your key,” she said, leaning down to him.

“Um... thanks?” Sonic replied, grabbing the key. A bronze chain was attached to the loop of the key, along with a orange piece of plastic with a line of letters that he could barely recognize written along both sides of it.

“Um, mind me asking, Mr. Sonic,” Anju continued, “Have you been to the Clock Tower plaza yet?”

Sonic nodded. “Yeah, I just went by there a few minutes ago. It’s looking pretty good.”

Anju smiled. “They are now putting together what has become the carnival's custom -- the Festival Tower. It should be wonderful this year, too. I hope you enjoy our carnival...”

“Me too...”

Just as Sonic started to leave the room along with Tatl, Anju called out, “Um, Tatl?”

Tatl looked back. “What’s wrong, Ange?”

“Can I... speak to you for a moment? As soon as you’re done helping Mr. Sonic to his room?”

“Oh, sure! I’ll be back in a couple minutes!” Tatl turned back to Sonic. “Alright, Dek, let’s get you set up. The staircase is this way.” She flew out into the adjacent room, right of the main desk.

Following her, Sonic spotted the staircase leading up to the second floor. To its immediate right, a hallway led towards the back of the inn.

“Come on,” Tatl said, and she flew up the flight of stairs.

Finally, some rest, he thought as he hopped his way up the stairs. With his new, smaller stature, walking was not an option. As he made his way to the higher floor, he saw Tatl hovering in front of a pair of doors: one was directly in front of the stairwell; the other, just a couple feet away.

“You still got the key?” Tatl asked, and Sonic nodded, handing it to her. “Thanks.” With a simple twist, she opened the door. “Welcome to the Knife Chamber!”

Sonic walked into the room, a drowsy look on his face. Despite the name, the Knife Chamber was devoid of any cutlery tools; in appearance, it was like a typical hotel room. A pair of beds were placed along the left side of the room, while a single dining table with two accompanying chairs were smack dab in the center. With the exception of the center, where a red carpet was placed under the dining area, the floor was tiled with various white diamond-shaped patterns. The walls themselves were lined with a somewhat gaudy green and white striped wallpaper.

Looking to his right, Sonic saw a huge fireplace and, to its immediate right, a huge tear in the wall’s paper, exposing its wooden structure underneath. Sonic frowned; even now, he could tell that the room was not exactly top quality.

“So,” Tatl said, leaning against the door, “what do you think?”

Sonic set his bag on the table. “It’s not too bad, I guess. They should do something about that hole in the wall, though.”

She shrugged. “Eh, at least you essentially got this room for free.”

“Wait, that reminds me--exactly, how did you know that there was a ‘Sonic’ who already made the reservation?”

Tatl snickered. “Oh, that was easy--I was actually here when he did it.”

“And what did he look like?”

“A Goron.”

“A what?”
 
“A rock man, basically. Anyway...” Tatl tossed the room key to the table. “I gotta go see Anju, Dek. Just make yourself right at home!” And with that, she left the room, closing the door.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Komodin

[Kiah]

Wow, has it been that long since I got to read a new chapter to this awesome fanfic?! I understand why, as you are busy and all, but I personally did miss this good writing from you! I thought that I would need a refresher considering that it's been like 4 months since the last chapter, but not at all. Your well-detailed story made it seem like I went 4 days between reading as opposed to 4 months, as you helped bring everything back to memory with everything well described. Tatl is still a hot mess, lol. It's a very lengthy chapter so far (nothing wrong with that!) but you make it very pleasant and enjoyable to read. Very well done, full of details, as always, and definitely worth the wait.

 

Anyway, I'm saying nothing new when I say you are doing an excellent job, Komodin. I mean really, what did you expect me to say, that it's not good or it sucks?! NEVER! I'm really enjoying your writings, as usual. Keep up the good work, and looking forward to the rest of the chapter whenever you can get that done!          

[Komodin]

Hello, everyone. If it's alright with you all, I've got a little something that I've just written. It's a short one-shot adaptation of a really funny comic made by our very own Inferno! Read on and, if you want, tell me what you think. I hope you all enjoy it...

 

ETA: Formatting checked and properly fixed! Thanks, Faseeh! 

 

“That hedgehog... meh!”

Dr. Eggman looked out into the stark grey abyss around him, silently thinking to himself. Fresh from the maddening confines of the White Space with his future self, he had nothing but the clothes on his back.  In just under the space of two months, he was tossed aside by an eldritch beast like a toy, engulfed in a black hole and abandoned in a timeless dimension, all by his own failings. The more he thought about it, the more he grimaced.

 

How could this happen to me? he thought, grunting. I planned everything down to the last letter! I shouldn’t have lost!

Before he ponder over his folly any further, a familiar, yet incessant voice rang out from behind.

“Hi, Eggman!”

He froze in place. No, it can’t be...!

He glanced back and saw a most familiar sight: a blue hedgehog and a two-tailed yellow fox. The hedgehog, Sonic, sported a gleeful, almost vapid smile, while the fox, Tails, had a more neutral, if mildly concerned look. Just the sight of the animal pair sent a sickening feeling up, down, and all around his body. Normally, he would seize the opportunity to dispose of the pair, even if it would likely blow up in his face. Now, with his current defenseless disposition, he wouldn’t dare attempt it. With no other option left, he had one thing to do. He sighed, thinking, Do I have any other choice?

He turned towards Sonic and Tails. “Please, do me a favor and get lost.”

The saccharine grin on the hedgehog’s face immediately faded away, replaced with an equally neutral look. Hands on his hips, he replied, “... Really?”

Eggman grimaced; with the way it sounded, the troublemaking rodent sounded mildly sarcastic.

“Yes, really,” he said, glaring at the blue hedgehog.

With his stance locked in place, Sonic repeated, “Really?”

Eggman grit his teeth. Though sounding less patronizing that time, he still couldn’t help but feel that Sonic still didn’t get the message. He was fit to be tied; he just wanted that troublemaking teenager and his mutant friend to go away.

“Yes,” he said, staring daggers into the oblivious hedgehog.

The hedgehog and the human’s eyes were firmly locked onto each other. Not a single sound was uttered between them. As the seconds turned to minutes, neither hedgehog nor human dropped their eye contact. One could practically hear a pin drop echo around them; even the natural sounds went silent. After what seemed like eternity, Sonic finally spoke.

“... Okay.”

As suddenly as they appeared, Sonic and Tails turned around and, without another word, took off like a bullet.

Eggman sat there, staring at where they originally were. Various thoughts raced through his mind: That’s it? He just left without trying to fight him? The more he thought about it, the tighted he balled his fists. His befuddled look soon gave way to a nasty scowl. Pounding the ground below him with his fists, he let loose a loud growl.

“Why can’t it be this easy to destroy that blasted hedgehog?!” he yelled skyward, his voice echoing into the abyss.

 

He folded his arms and grunted. I hate that hedgehog!

Edited September 15, 2013 by Komodin

[Faseeh]

The comic and the adaption by you are both so amazing <3

 

Also Komo... the words, why are they black? :v Check your formatting dood

[Komodin]

I have some good news for you guys: Chapter 9 of The Blue Blur of Termina is finally done! Read it and, if you want, give me your thoughts on it. Helpful feedback is always appreciated,.

 

Compared to what had occurred the first time through, the trip back through the hideout was surprisingly uneventful. With the only creature living there, the terrifying skulltula, dead in the sewer water, only the sounds of rushing water and the crackling of embers echoed through the dark waterway.

During the journey back through the hideout, Sonic mostly kept to himself, pondering over what Professor Shikashi said about the Moon. Just the thought of the damage it’d do if it was to actually fall sent a chill all over his body. The last time he had to deal with anything involving the moon was back when Eggman destroyed half of the moon in his world with that energy cannon, and that really did a number on the planet before he managed to repair it.

With his mind preoccupied and the lack of threats present, the trip back went by a lot faster: in just over a half-hour, they were back at the entrance underneath the Eastern Hub of Clock Town.

“Oh, hey!” said Alfred, greeting the duo as they made their way up the incline. “How was the observatory, Sonic? Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah, it was pretty cool,” said Sonic, smiling.  “Say... did you see something flash near the moon? Just a few minutes ago.”

Alfred put a hand to his chin. “Hmm, I think I did see something like that...” Looking over at Tatl, he said, Oh, hey, Tatl. I heard from the boss that you and the Skull Kid wer--”

“Out of the gang, yeah, I already know!” Tatl interrupted, shoving the boy aside. “And you know what? I don’t care about your stupid club! I’ve got bigger things to worry about than what you little twerps think of me!”

“Oh, well, okay?” Alfred said, blinking. “Well, anyway, I hope you have a nice day, you two!”

“Thanks, Al.” Pushing aside the trashcans of the alleyway, Sonic muttered, “You know, Tatl, you didn’t have to be so mean to him.”

“Who said I had to be?” she replied, checking her hand.

Glancing towards the fairy, Sonic only shook his head and walked on. Back at the Eastern square, the hedgehog-scrub suddenly gave a loud yawn. Between all the things he had done since he was in the jungle, he hadn’t had a single moment of rest.

“Hey, Tatl...” he said, eying the fairy girl. “Do you really think that the moon’s actually gonna fall?”

Tatl hummed. “Honestly, I don’t know, Dek. I sure hope not.”

“Has the moon always been like... well, that?”

“Well,” Scratching the back of her head, she said, “It’s always been like the moon of your world: tiny, far away and without a creepy face. It started to get bigger around two months ago, and has been... well, ‘growing’ ever since.”

Sonic nodded, glancing up towards the looming celestial body. With the midday sun hovering high over the world, the moon actually appeared to bear a slight purplish glow.

“Speaking of,” she continued, landing lightly on her feet, “what is the deal with your world’s moon? Why does it look like it has a huge hole on it?”

“Well, it does...” Sonic took in a huge breath and, without a single break, said, “Basically, a few months back, the moon was used as target practice for a world-destroying energy cannon built into a giant space station under the threat of world domination by a mad, egg-shaped scientist.”

Tatl blinked. “What.”

“Anyway, ”Sonic pointed towards the Clock Tower, “That Shikashi guy said something about the Clock Tower’s entrance being open only once a year. What’s the deal with that; wasn’t that the door we came out of when we got here?”

Tatl shook her head. “No, there’s actually a second door just above that one.”

Sonic looked back at the Clock Tower and saw that there was a second door built a few feet over the main entrance. Fronted by a large wooden platform and stairway, it had a stylized image of a clock painted on its timbered surface.

“The deal with that one is,” she continued, “like Professor Shikashi said, it opens only once a year -- at midnight on the eve of the carnival.”

“The Carnival?”

“The Carnival of Time, actually. It’s the day when we pay tribute to our guardians, dressing up in various masks and costumes and... stuff like that. It’s a bit difficult to explain; you have to actually be there to understand.”

Sonic shrugged. “Okay, when’s the carnival supposed to happen?”

“In three days. But, with that moon up there... well, anyway...” Lifting her book above her, she gave a loud yawn. “Gosh, I’m so exhausted! We’ve had one heckuva day, huh?”

“We sure did... you got a place to stay?”

“Well,” Tatl folded her arms. “We could just stay at the Fairy Fountain, but... well...”

“‘Well,’ what? You got beds here, right?”

“Of course we got beds. It’s just that, well, remember how we found my mom in a pool of water? See, unlike humans, we fairies sleep in pools of water -- it helps keep our wings and backside clean and moist. Seeing as you’re a Deku Scrub, water’s clearly out of the option, to say the least.”

Sonic grunted. “Well, where can I stay? Don’t this town have an inn, a hotel or something?”

“Inn...” Tatl stroked her chin, muttering to herself. “Ah, of course! You can stay at the Stock Pot Inn!”

“The What Pot Inn?” Sonic replied, eyebrow raised.

“The Stock Pot Inn, Dek. Well, it’s a bit more like a bed-and-breakfast, but it’s where even you can rest up! I’m not sure if you can get a room -- especially at this time of the year -- but it’s at least worth a try!”

“Alright, let’s head there, then,” Sonic said, smiling as best as he could. “It’s in this part of the town, right?”

“Correct!” Pointing past Sonic, she said, “See that bell on top of the building, Dek?”

Looking around, he spotted a giant bell, perched on top of a balcony overlooking the busy square. Cast in a shiny bronze, symbols resembling a ball with wings were etched along its circumference.

“That’s it?”

“Yep,” Tatl said, and she started to flutter down the stairs. “Let’s go!”

“Sure...” Sonic muttered, walking down after her. He would said it more enthusiastically, he thought, but he was too exhausted to do much than besides walk.

As he trudged towards the Inn, he looked the building over. It was one of the larger buildings in the area, stretching high past the nearby stair road to the higher part of the town. Flanked by a large wooden scaffold that stretched over an entrance to the Southern Bazaar, it was partially painted in a peach tone, separated from the unpainted half by a wavy white line. Other than the large bell built into the roof of the building, its only other feature was the sign hung next to its single door.

Just as Tatl began to turn the doorknob, a loud shriek suddenly rang out from behind it.

“Whoa!” both Sonic and Tatl screamed jumping back from the door.

“You think the Skull Kid’s here?!” Sonic yelled.

“W-well,” Tatl stammered, clutching her book, “we’ve gotta try to stop him, right? You go in first!”

With a nod, Sonic leaped up to the doorknob, and with a quick twist, swung the door wide open. After running into the inn, what greeted him wasn’t the Skull Kid, to his initial relief, but something almost as surprising. Leaning forward from a massive desk, a red-haired woman, dressed in a brown and bluish dress, was actively tugging at a man from his back, dressed in just a red hat, a shirt and shorts. The woman bore a tearful frown on her face; the man, a strained and reddish look as he was trying to get away from the woman. Off to the woman’s side with an open envelope, with a brownish piece of paper lying on top of it.

“Wait!” the woman yelled, grabbing onto the man’s backpack. “This letter... wh-where did you find it?!”

“From... the... postbox!” the man replied, breathing in heavy gasps. One strap of the backpack, Sonic noticed, was stretched tightly against the man’s neck.

“Th-that's not what I mean!” she screamed, pulling the backpack back. “From the postbox where?!”

“From... the postbox... somewhere...!” the man yelled, his skin taking on a blue-purple tone.

“That's not what I mean! Please tell me!”

“It's... a... secret...!”

“I must know!”

After a few more seconds of the tug-o’-war, the strap of the backpack finally broke apart, sending the hatted man flying headfirst into the nearby sofa. To Sonic’s surprise, the man, apparently unfazed by the head-on collision, jumped back up and, carrying the broken back pack in his hand, dashed out the entrance at a speed Sonic had rarely ever seen from a human. The woman, instead of chasing after the man, just collapsed onto the deck face down and, in spite of the witness to her outburst, cried quietly.

Sonic just stood there, stunned by what just transpired around him. What could have happened that would make the woman react the way she did? Just then, a loud gasp rang from behind him.

“What the heck happened in here?” Tatl asked, flying into the Inn. “Did you see the Skull Kid, Dek?!”

“No...” Sonic pointed to the sobbing woman, and Tatl gasped.

“Anju!” She yelled, and she flew straight over the grief-stricken woman. “Ange, are you okay?!”

“Huh...?” The woman looked up towards the fairy. Eyes bloodshot, tears were still streaming down her face. “Tatl?” she murmured shakily, and Tatl nodded.

“Are you okay, Anju?” Tatl grabbed her hands. “Did that postman hurt you?! Why, if he did, I’ll-”

“No.” Anju wiped her face with a nearby handkerchief. “He didn’t do anything -- it was my fault.”

Tatl sighed. “Oh, Ange, you’ve gotta stop blaming yourself fo-”

“Hey, um, Anju...?” Sonic finally said, walking up to the desk with the young women. “Is everything alright? What were you talking about with ‘that letter?’”

“Wait, a let--?”

Anju leaned forward from the desk, squinting at the Deku Scrub. “Oh, what a cute guest. Are you with Tatl?” She asked, and Sonic nodded. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry!” She suddenly stood upright, taking Tatl by surprise, and started to bow. “Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn! Um... are you... staying the night?”

Sonic nodded. “Yeah, um, actually I was.”

“Did you...have a reservation? I mean, there are no vacancies today, and we've been booked solid with reservations.”

“Actually, Ange,” Tatl interrupted, flying in front of Sonic. “Sonic did have a reservation set here weeks ahead of time!”

“Oh, he does? That's good...” Anju looked back down at Sonic. “Mr. Sonic, is it? One moment, please.” She reached down into the back of the desk and pulled out a huge book with various colored pieces of paper sticking out from it. Setting the book down lightly onto the desk, she quickly opened it and flipped through its multitude of pages. As Anju skimmed her way through her book, Sonic looked up to Tatl.

“Tatl,” he whispered, catching the fairy’s attention, “why the heck did you tell her that I made a reservation here? She’s gonna find out that I didn’t, and you know it!”

The fairy girl only put a finger to her lips. “I’m trying to get you a room, silly...”

“And this isn’t gonna work. What are the chances of another guy named Sonic existing at all, let alone their just happening to make a reservation here?”

“Mr. Sonic,” Anju finally said, stopping near the end of the book. She looked at the hedgehog-scrub with a small smile, a contrast from her earlier tearful disposition. “I have you down for an afternoon arrival.”

Sonic blinked. “Say what.”

“The room that you reserved a couple weeks ago, of course. It is our "Knife Chamber" on the second floor.” She reached down into her desk and pulled out a small silver key. “Here is your key,” she said, leaning down to him.

“Um... thanks?” Sonic replied, grabbing the key. A bronze chain was attached to the loop of the key, along with a orange plastic keychain with a line of letters that he could barely recognize written along both sides of it.

“Um, mind me asking, Mr. Sonic,” Anju continued, “but have you been to the Clock Tower plaza yet?”

Sonic nodded, putting the key away. “Yeah, I just went by there a few minutes ago. It’s looking pretty good.”

Anju smiled. “They are now putting together what has become the carnival's custom -- the Festival Tower. It should be wonderful this year, too. I hope you enjoy our carnival...”

“Me too.”

Just as Sonic started to leave the room along with Tatl, Anju called out, “Um, Tatl?”

Tatl looked back. “What’s wrong, Ange?”

“Can I... speak to you for a moment? As soon as you’re done helping Mr. Sonic to his room?”

“Oh, sure! I’ll be back in a couple minutes!” Tatl turned back to Sonic. “Alright, Dek, let’s get you set up. The staircase is this way.” She flew out into the adjacent room, right of the main desk.

Following her, Sonic spotted the staircase leading up to the second floor. To its immediate right, a hallway led towards the back of the inn.

“Come on,” Tatl said, and she flew up the flight of stairs.

Finally, some rest, he thought as he hopped his way up the stairs. With his new, smaller stature, walking was not an option. As he made his way to the higher floor, he saw Tatl hovering in front of a pair of doors: one was directly in front of the stairwell; the other, just a couple feet across.

“You still got the key?” Tatl asked, and Sonic nodded, handing it to her. “Thanks.” With a simple twist, she opened the door. “Welcome to the Knife Chamber!”

Sonic walked into the room, a drowsy look on his face. Despite the name, the Knife Chamber was devoid of any cutlery tools; in appearance, it was like a typical hotel room. A pair of beds were placed along the left side of the room, while a single dining table with two accompanying chairs were smack dab in the center. With the exception of the center, where a red carpet was placed under the dining area, the floor was tiled with various white diamond-shaped patterns. The walls themselves were lined with a somewhat gaudy green and white striped wallpaper.

Looking to his right, Sonic saw a huge fireplace and, to its immediate right, a huge tear in the wall’s paper, exposing its wooden structure underneath. Sonic frowned; even now, he could tell that the room was not exactly top quality.

“So,” Tatl said, leaning against the door, “what do you think?”

Sonic looked over the table. “It’s not too bad, I guess. They should do something about that hole in the wall, though.”

She shrugged. “Eh, at least you essentially got this room for free.”

“Wait, that reminds me--exactly how did you know that there was a ‘Sonic’ who already made the reservation?”

Tatl snickered. “Oh, that was easy--I was actually here when he did it.”

“And what did he look like?”

“He looked like a typical Goron, so… a rock man, basically.”

“... Okay, you actually expect me to believe that Anju confused me, a small plant boy thing, with some rock monster?”

“Well,” Tatl said, smirking, “She never was that good with remembering faces. Anyway...” She tossed the room key to the table. “I’ll be right back, Dek. Just make yourself right at home!” And with that, she left the room, closing the door.

Sonic sighed, walking over to the bed and, with a simple hop, he leaped onto it with a plop. Adjusting himself, he looked up to the ceiling. Nothing greeted him but a bland beige, slightly illuminated by the candles just below it. He just laid there, staring at the featureless “sky”; seconds soon turned to minutes as he gazed on.

“I can’t believe this,” he muttered, closing his eyes. “Just a day ago, I was speeding along in Adabat; now, I’m stuck here is some parallel world looking like... this.”

He looked all around his sides -- no televisions; no radios; not even a single lightbulb was in sight. It was like he not only went into another world, but also went back in time again. With none of the luxuries he took for granted back on Earth, he was left with nothing more than his thoughts. How could he have let things happen the way it did? Why did he fall for the imp’s ruse? Why didn’t he just ignore that traitorous fairy boy?

As more and more thoughts raced through his mind, his body started to feel more and more lethargic. After what he went through, his body had finally been left drained of energy.

“Well...” He yawned. “I hope things will actually be... better tomorrow...” And with the final word, he, for the first time in the new world, finally drifts off to sleep.

 

 

Wh-where am I...?

Sonic looked around him. What greeted him were flames and debris floating in the suffocating breeze, unlike anything he was ever familiar with. The sky was a mix of pitch black and burning red, with embers and fireballs dotting the air.

“How did I...”

He looked down and gasped. He saw neither the white gloves of his original form nor the wooden hands of his new “Deku” form, but warped masses of flame and distorted energy in the vague image of hands. What he saw below them wasn’t any more different; where his shoes once were are two legs ending in a pair of clawed feet, warped in the distorted blaze.

“Wha-what’s going on here?!” Before he could even try to ascertain what had transpired, a loud yell rang out from behind.

“You!”

Muscles tense as can be, he slowly looked back and rose his eyebrows at what he saw. A feminine figure was standing just a couple yards away. Though the figure was mostly obscured by the smoke in the air, he could still see that they were clad in a silver tunic, brown boots and black underclothing, with a thick breastplate covering the chest area. A long whitish hat reached down from where their head was, right to their waist. What he could pick out from the face in the smoky air were a pair of glowing, white, pupiless eyes.

“Look around you, demon!” the figure screamed, walking towards Sonic. “All these people... all these lives have been extinguished because of you!”

“B-but, I didn--”

Venus...

He immediately silenced himself at what just sounded out around him. It was light and airy, yet warped in tone. What surprised him more was what the voice said: Venus? What did Tatl’s mother have anything to do with this? What was even going on?

“I’m sorry for what I have to do, but for the future of Termina...” The figure raised their shadowed hand and, in a flash, a huge object appeared in it. To his surprise, the object was shaped like a giant double-helix. “... I must end your life, once and for all!”

“Wait, I don’t even--!”

Ignoring Sonic’s plea, the figure raised their double helix high into the air and, with a mighty roar, lunged at him, helix first. Just as the tip of the helix touched him, everything started to fade to white...

 

 

Sonic shot up from the bed, gasping in deep breaths. The air was cold and flat, with nary a breeze in the midsts. What greeted him once more was the darkness of the Knife Chamber, with only the still burning candle saving it from being completely pitch black.

“Ugh, how long was I out?” Sonic muttered, and he leaped down to the floor. Looking over to the table, he saw the room key, still placed right where Tatl threw it. “Huh, guess she never came back here. Where is that fairy, anyway?”

As he walked around the table, pondering over the location of the wayward fairy girl, the thought struck him. Venus... That voice from his dream echoed in his mind. It sounded so... calm, unlike what the image of the fiery “demon” must have appeared.

“That dream...” Grabbing the key off the table, Sonic said, “I’ve gotta talk to Venus and get to the bottom of this!” He walked over to the door and exited the door, closing the door as quietly as possible.

The hallway was as quiet as can be, with only the ticking sounds of the nearby clocks keeping things from being too silent. He looked down the stairs, which seemed to go down into a dark abyss. With only one other option left, he looked over to the door opposite his room.

“Where does this lead to...?” He reached up and, with a click, opened the door.

It led out to an open-air wooden platform, looking over the quiet square of East Clock Town below. Across from the entrance back into the inn, a giant bell swung lightly to and fro. Sonic walked over to the banister along the edge of the balcony, looking over it and scanning the area. Unlike earlier in the day, not a single person was in the now-barren square, with only the Gate Guard in sight.

“Hm, at least I don’t have to worry about landing on someone,” Sonic said, and with a hop, leaped off the balcony and right onto the square below.

“Alright, now, where is that park from before...?” he muttered, looking around before spotting the staircase to the upper area. “Oh, right!”

Just as he started to hop his way up the stairs, a loud snore rang out from behind him

“Augh, what the?” He looked back and his eyes shot wide open at what he saw. Lying down near the tunnel to South Clock Town rested a huge man made entirely out of brown rocks, just as Tatl said. Clad in just a pink bowtie and a blue cap, the rock man was sleeping away, mouth agape with rumbles. Only the large bag the man was carrying on his back kept him from falling over to his side.

“Whoa...” Sonic muttered, shuddering a bit. “Is he that other Sonic whose room I took?”

Looking around to make sure no one was in sight, Sonic slowly crept up to the rock monster. As he inched closer, the snores from the rock man suddenly ceased, replaced by quiet mumblings.

“The wind has gotten damp-goro…” he muttered, still fast asleep. “Tomorrow is rain-goro... Goro-goro...”

Raising an eyebrow, Sonic looked up to the sky. Dark clouds were slowly beginning to form, illuminated by a large beam of light cutting through the night sky from the clock tower. “Huh, he’s right.” Sonic muttered. “I better get to Venus, and fast!” Glancing one last time at the slumbering rock monster, he took off up the flight of stairs and into the tunnel to the northern part of Clock Town.

What once was the calm and peaceful park was now a dark, gloomy forest, with the trees that provided well needed shade in the daytime now covering what little of the night sky that wasn’t already obscured by the developing clouds and the unerring moon looming overhead. Slowing his run down the dirt path to a walk, Sonic looked around him -- not a single creature was stirring. He gulped to himself, and pressed forward. Only a few torches lit the otherwise pitch-black path, its fires crackling loudly as Sonic stepped by them.

“Oh man,” Sonic thought. I hope nothing bad happens to me out here. Still can’t control that… bubble thing I did.”

Reaching the end of the path, he was at the crossroads to the paths to Venus’s home, the stairway back to the Clock Tower and the Area Gate out of the town. To Sonic’s surprise, no one was stationed at the Gate. A chill went down his spine -- what if something did happen to him? Would there be anyone to help him like Tatl did with the dog? The more he thought of it, the tighter he clenched his fists. Why did his Deku body had to be so… weak?

“Okay, Sonic,” he muttered exasperatedly, looking over the dirt roads, “which way to get to her...”

Suddenly, a shadowed figure trudged out of the Gate into the park. As they walked down towards the crossroads, the figure slowly came into view: it was an old woman, clad in a long dress. She was carrying a large blue bag that made a quiet banging sound with her every step. She walked past Sonic, without muttering a single word, and continued on down the road to East Clock Town.

As the elderly lady walked on, Sonic folded her arms. “What’s an old lady like her doing out there this late?” he thought, before shrugging. “I guess she’ll be alright. She seems familiar enough with the area.” He turned around and started the walk down to the Fountain. Suddenly, he heard a loud strike, followed by a shriek.

“Stop! Thief!”

“Huh?!” Before he could turn around, he was suddenly struck from behind, sending him flying face-first off to the side of the road.

“Outta my way, scrub!” A figure yelled, running down the road.

“What the heck was that?!” Sonic yelled, picking himself from the grassy ground. He saw another shadowed figure running haphazardly down the road to Venus, carrying a blue bag on his back.

“Wait, was that…?” He looked back and gasped. The old woman from just a few seconds was lying on the ground, groaning loudly while clutching her chest. The blue bag she had was gone.

“Oh, crud!” Sonic dashed over to the fallen lady as fast as his little legs could carry him. “Hey, a-are you alright?!” he said, reaching for her hands. “What just happened?!”

“That thief...” she muttered, slowly getting to her feet. “They stole my bag!”

And they’re on their way towards Venus! Once she was back on her feet, Sonic yelled, “Don’t worry, I’ll get it back! I know where they’re running off to!” He took off down the road, in pursuit of the shadow thief.

“Wait, child!” she yelled, voice growing quieter with every word, “that bag’s full of-” Her words were drowned by the wind rushing past Sonic’s ears. An uncomforting, yet refreshing feeling ran through his body. On the one hand, he seethed with the thought of someone jumping a defenseless old lady in the middle of nowhere. Yet, on the one hand, he still managed to chuckle to himself. Finally, he thought, he was getting some action. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally got the chance to kick butt!

Spotting the shadowy thief coming into view, he pressed forward, legs spinning faster and faster as he approached the figure. With one powerful step, he leaped high in the air and, in one quick motion, latched onto the thief’s back.

“Hey!” The force from the sudden impact knocked the dark figure, sending him, along with Sonic, tumbling into the dirt road below.

Sonic grunted, hopping back onto his feet. “You’ve got some nerve, dude, mugging an old lady like that!” He ran towards the fallen bag. “I’ll be taking this back!”

Just as he touched the strap of the bag, a brown ball suddenly struck him square in the face, emitting an intense bright flash of light. “Agh!” he screamed, hands on his face. “I can’t see! Not again!”

“And I’ll be taking this, see?” Suddenly, Sonic felt the strap leave his bare hands and another force struck him in his chest, sending him back down to the ground. “Why don’t ya go back home to your mom, scrub!”

Sonic growled, rubbing his eyes furiously. As he stopped, his vision slowly came back into view. He saw the thief running away once more, the bag strapped to his back. As he looked on, he clenched his fists. An erupting feeling surged through his diminutive body as he glared at the evading thief. Small cracks of lightning flashed from his mouth as he panted. The pants soon turned to growls as he got back on his feet again. His body shuddered as he raised his head towards the thief.

“Stop...” he mumbled, but his words fell to deaf ears as the thief continued on without a glance back. Fit to be tied, Sonic finally yelled, “I said… ST--!” Before he could finish, a huge bubble suddenly fired out of his mouth.

Like a bullet, it streaked through the air at high speeds and struck the thief in the back, right through the bag. In a flash, the bag lit up and consumed the assailant in a bright light. The entire area shook violently as the light sent sparks and shockwaves in every directions. As abrupt as the bubble appeared, the explosion had subsided. Where the thief once stood was now a large crater, a large plume of smoke rising up from within. Scattered around the blackened crater were charred remains, appearing more like overcooked meat than anything even vaguely recognizable from the thief.

Sonic just stood there, mouth agape at what took place. Did he actually kill someone? “Oh my goodness...” he thought, shocked not only by what he saw, but that he found himself having to say that. He slowly backed away from the ruins, shaking his head with every step.

There they are!

Sonic looked back and saw the old lady standing just a few feet away next to a town guard. Her hands were clasped over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. The guard, clutching his spear, grimaced by what he saw. Time seemed to slow down as Sonic stood there. The disgust in the guard’s face soon locked on to Sonic. In one quick motion, he raised his spear, pointing it straight at the Deku Scrub.

“Stop right there!” he yelled, and Sonic yelped.

“I’ve gotta get out of here!” Sonic quickly took off past him and down the road towards East Clock Town. He ignored the cries from the guard to stop as he sped down the road. “Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh CRAP…” A flurry of thoughts surged through his mind: not only was he lost in a whole other world, but he was gonna be a dead man in that world if they catch him. He zoomed past the crossroads, thundered down the road to East Clock Town and sped into the tunnel.

Stopping next to the pole in the higher square, he breathed heavily and looked towards the ground. He just stood there, thinking over what had just happened. In just the span of a minute, he went from a person trying to stop a robbery to what is basically a fugitive. All in a world where everything is unfamiliar to him. As his gasping started to settle down, a loud giggle rang from above.

“Oh, aren’t you in a pickle, Sonic...”

Sonic looked up and growled. “You!”

Just over the pole above Sonic was the Skull Kid, looking down upon the deku scrub. The heart-shaped mask he wore over his face glowed faintly under the moonlight. His arms folded, he was hovering in place as it was second nature to him.  He uttered a low chuckle as he lowered down to the ground.

“I must say, Sonic…” The Skull Kid said, lightly touching the ground, “you surprised me with what you did to Sakon. I mean, shooting that bubble to blow him to shreds? Heh, even I wouldn’t do something like that!”

Sonic backed away from the maniacal imp. Just glancing at the mask he wore sent chills racing down his spine.

“You really do look pitiful now!” he yelled, walking towards the deku scrub. “And to think, I was originally going to give you a slow... burning... painful death in the Catacombs!"

Sonic cringed at every word the imp screamed. Before he could question what the imp would've done, the imp continued,

"But... I suppose this is better... No… this is much better!" Before Sonic could react, the imp lunged and grabbed Sonic by his neck. Hoisting him high over his head, he continued, “I must ask: what’s with all that junk you have in your bag? They’re nothing but pointless souvenirs and trinkets! It’s all so worthless, so I did ya a favor and got rid of it...”

“Stop right there, both of you!”

Sonic looked up and saw the North Clock Town guard right in front of the tunnel to the North, eyes locked on him and the Skull Kid. With his spear out in front, he slowly walked over to the pair. As Sonic tensed up at the escalating situation, the Skull Kid only scoffed.

“Oh, lookit, Sonic -- or, is it Dek nowadays? -- we got a visitor!” He unceremoniously loosened his grip on Sonic, sending him feet-first to the ground.

“Imp, are you in cahoots with this murderer?” The Guard yelled. “I will have to report you to Venus and Viscen for this!”

“Oh, will you?” The masked imp looked down at Sonic. “Hee hee... you want a peek at the power I truly possess?”

“Power? What are you--?!” Suddenly, the guard stopped in place, his spear dropping to the floor beside him. A dark shroud started to erupt from his body, blanketing him in its choking embrace.

Sonic grimaced. “W-what’s going on?!”

The Skull Kid laughed. “Watch...” And, in a flash, he disappeared.

Just a second later, a loud scream erupted from within the shroud, and Sonic jumped back. The shroud slowly started to disperse, piece by piece, revealing the guard and the Skull Kid right behind him. As Sonic looked closer at the Skull Kid, he gasped. Though he looked unharmed, the guard’s skin was ghost-white with a dead expression. As the darkness faded away, the guard limply fell to the ground, his spear dropped beside him.

As Sonic looked up from the fallen guard, trembling from every inch of his body, Sonic saw the Skull Kid holding a small heart-shaped stone in his hand. It was a shimmering, translucent blue in color, with a smaller reddish heart in its center.

“Wh-what the hell did you do?!” Sonic yelled, balling his fists.

The imp chuckled. “I would answer that, but...” He abruptly closed his hands, shattering the heart-like shape in it. “I haven’t the heart to do it.” Turning his hand over, he sprinkled the remains of the heart over the dead guard.

Sonic just stood there as the Skull Kid defiled the guard’s body, mouth agape and unable to speak. The Skull Kid only made a mocking whimper.

“Aww, boo-hoo,” he said. “Why the sad face? I just thought I'd have a little fun with you...”

Before Sonic could react, a object appeared in front of him, dropping to the ground. As Sonic looked down at it, he gasped: it was his bag. Sonic looked it over, searching inside it, only to see that, despite what the Skull Kid said, everything was more or less intact, just as he left it before he fell into Termina.

“See?”

Sonic looked up and saw the Skull Kid floating above him once, laughing to himself. “I am capable of mercy… to some extent, anyway. You get to keep your junk, and I get to have my fun! Win-win, am I right?”

Sonic, still in the throes of shock, only glared at the imp with his fists balled.

“At any rate, ‘Mr. Angry,’” the Skull Kid continued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Mystic Melody, “I’ve had my fun with you. For your sake, you better hope that we won’t meet again...” Laughing loudly, he floated higher into the night sky before finally disappearing for good.

Defeated, Sonic just sat on the cold ground of the East Clock Town square, lost in his own thoughts. He looked over to the dead guard, his chest shimmering with the fine grains of the heart. Sighing to himself, he looked up to the sky once more. The clear sky was replaced by a thick layer of clouds, with the moon masked a bit from within the cloud. Lightning flashed through the clouds, illuminating the celestial body before disappearing from view.

Closing his eyes, he shed a single tear. With everything that had happened, he did the one thing he could do... run.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Komodin

[Kiah]

It's nice to finally be able to read this chapter in its entirety! Such good writing from you is worth the wait, though. Very well done, as it is full of details, as always, especially being able to envision every setting in the chapter. Once again you portray a vividly clear picture with the fine details you provided. I was going "Poor Sonic!" throughout the whole chapter, and Tatl is just as rude and obnoxious as I remember her from the last time you updated this story. Also the Dr. Eggman reference for the win!

 

My only gripe (and I think this is the only one I've ever had in regards to your stories) is that I found the ending to this chapter awfully dark, especially the second "incident" with the guard. But then again it may be me just being sensitive, as I usually am, so don't mind me, as I am sure you had that happen for a reason.

 

That aside, it was a very exciting chapter to read, full of action and being very well described. As usual, I'm really enjoying your writings. Keep up the great work, and looking forward to the next chapter whenever you can get that done!    

[Komodin]

My only gripe (and I think this is the only one I've ever had in regards to your stories) is that I found the ending to this chapter awfully dark, especially the second "incident" with the guard. But then again it may be me just being sensitive, as I usually am, so don't mind me, as I am sure you had that happen for a reason.

 

Oh, don't worry, Kiah, there is a good reason for the dark turn of events. If there's one thing that I don't do, it's write dark stuff for the sake of it.

 

If anyone here's interested, here's the first part of Chapter 10. It'd be nice if you also provide me some feedback on it -- it would be most appreciated.

 

I still can’t believe it...

Even though it was morning, not a single beam of sunlight poked in through the windows of the Knife Chamber. The sole candle in the room had long since gone out, leaving the room in a near pitch-black shadow. Only the light taps of falling rain outside the windows and the ticks and tocks of the nearby clock kept it from being completely silent.

Throughout the rest of the night into morning, Sonic just laid on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His reacquired bag rested on the floor beside him. He didn’t stir or move an inch; he just gazed up above. A whirlpool of thoughts churned through his mind. In just over a single day, through the wicked machinations of the masked imp, he went from a blue supersonic hedgehog that was thought to be unstoppable to a deku scrub trapped in another world altogether alone, with his only real company being a complete brat of a fairy who proved to be more annoying than anything he ever had to deal with back on Earth.

The blankness in his stare masked an emotion he rarely ever felt: fear. As the thoughts of the Skull Kid executing the town guard flashed before his very eyes, a deep chill ran up and down his spine. If he was capable to killing someone that carelessly, even making light humor on the fact despite having nearly killed a goddess, there was no telling what he was capable of.

Finally looking over to his side, he reached into his bag and pulled out a blue jewel. Easily twice as big as his new diminutive hands, its azure glow faintly lit the room around him. As he stared into the gemstone, two more thoughts raced through his mind. On the one hand, he was glad that he had the foresight to bring it along with him -- he didn’t have to worry as much of Dr. Eggman causing a lot of trouble with only six of the other gems of its type. On the other hand, as he pondered, just having one of the emeralds in the same world as the maniacal imp is a cause of concern: just what would he be capable of doing if he knew of the powers that the emerald could grant.

Before he could ponder any further, a loud series of knocks rang out from the door. The knocks were made in an oddly rhythmic fashion, like someone was trying to play the beginning of a melody.

“Huh...” Stuffing the blue emerald back into his bag, Sonic leaped off of the bed and trudged over to the door. His body was as drained as his mind, and yet, every time he tried to close his eyes, the image of the Skull Kid flashed in his mind, shocking him back awake.

Finally reaching the door, Sonic reached up and opened it, muttering, “Hello…?” Standing in his doorway was a sight that he was almost hoping to not see: Tatl.

The fairy girl was smiling brightly at the disheveled scrub, carrying a large umbrella in her hands. Clad in her usual yellow dress, droplets of water soaked her from head to toe, cascading down onto the wooden floor below her.

“Heya, Dek!” Tatl said cheerfully, almost sarcastically. “How was your first night in Termina?”

Sonic turned away from the fairy and said, “Meh...”

Folding her arms, her smile turned into an offended frown. “Sheesh, what’s gotten into you, kid? Not a morning person, or what?”

Ignoring her, he trudged over to the room table and hopped onto the chair. Walking into the Knife Chamber, Tatl closed the door behind her and set her soaking wet umbrella aside.

“Dek, seriously, what’s up with you?” Tatl asked, walking up to Sonic. “You act like you’ve seen a po-” Finally getting a good look at the scrub, she cringed. “Eesh, Dek, you look like you got into a fight with a cucco and lost. What happened to ya? Didn’t get some sleep?”

“I did,” Sonic replied. “It’s just… I saw the Skull Kid last night.”

“What?” Tatl grabbed Sonic’s hand. “Where’d you see him? Was my brother with him? Did you try to get that mask from him?!”

Sonic shook his head. “I saw him in the area near the hideout. And he...” Sonic pointed over to his bag. “... decided to give me a present.”

Looking over, Tatl sighed. “At least you got your stuff back. Still, though, I wanna know where that guy went off with my brother.” Clasping her hands together, she said, “Oh, Tael… I hope you’re alright without me…”

Tael... As the fairy boy’s name echoed in Sonic’s mind, he pondered. What if it was the Skull Kid who planned that attempted robbery and Tael was just forced to go along with it?

“Anyway,” Sonic said, shaking his head, “any reason you decided to pay me a visit?”

“Huh?” Tatl snapped back into attention, saying, “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: Dek, something huge went down in that square you were talking about seeing the Skull Kid in last night!”

“You don’t say...” Sonic said, tapping his fingers on the wooden table.

“I kid you not, Dek -- someone was actually killed there!”

Another chill went down Sonic’s spine upon hearing Tatl’s words. He tried to keep eye contact with the fairy girl, trying not to appear nervous. “Y-y-you’re joking, right?”

Tatl shook her head. “Nope! A town guard actually had his heart container removed! And not only that, but in the Northern Park, someone had literally been blown to smithereens!”

At that point, Sonic couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief to himself at his new Deku form -- if he was back to normal, sweat would practically pour out of his body!

“Um… you don’t think those deaths are… connected, right?”

“Could be…” Tatl grabbed her umbrella. “ C’mon, let’s go check it out. My mom’s out there with the other guards. We can also grab a bite to eat while we’re at it.”

Sonic grabbed the room key from the table. “Alright, then we’ll start searching for the Skull Kid.”

“You’re not gonna take your bag with you?”

He shrugged. “Eh, it’ll be fine -- it’s not like anyone’s gonna sneak in here and take it again.”

“Fair enough, I guess. Let’s roll!”

 

And with that, Sonic and Tatl, reunited once more, left the room, locking the door tight.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Komodin

[a mystery]

Oh, m-man... Dude, just... DUDE!

That Unleashed one, man... So much feels... SO MUCH FEELS!

You got Sonic's characterization so much better than I could ever dream to be, and actually managed to make his response to Amy fit, as well as developing Amy as to really allow Sonic to consider, while being a believable extension to her official personality. Your writing is also spectacular - It's just... so pretty and descriptive.

 

Now, if you will excuse me - BE RIGHT BACK, ANALYZING HIS PERSONALITY ON THAT ONE.

[Kiah]

Oh, don't worry, Kiah, there is a good reason for the dark turn of events. If there's one thing that I don't do, it's write dark stuff for the sake of it.

 

If anyone here's interested, here's the first part of Chapter 10. It'd be nice if you also provide me some feedback on it -- it would be most appreciated.

 

 

I kinda figured that. If there is one thing that you have been with your writings, being random isn't one of them. That's why I put the "disclaimer" in my previous post saying I'm sure you had that dark stuff in there for a reason, and a good one at that. Thanks for confirming that for me and I look forward to finding out why!

 

As for Chapter 10...not only did you do a great job as usual with describing everything to where I could see it, I could even hear the sounds as you described the rain falling and the clocks ticking. Of course this is nothing new that you have been doing with your writings being so well detailed. Overall another fine, well descriptive chapter. I know you are very busy but it was really nice to get the beginning of this chapter so soon! Looking forward to the rest of the chapter whenever you have the chance to get that finished. Oh, one more thing:

 

 

Sonic turned away from the fairy and said, “Meh...”

 

 

At some point sooner or later in this story, I knew that was coming!  

[Komodin]

At some point sooner or later in this story, I knew that was coming!

Hey, what can I say? I loves me some Sonic Mehs. Besides, considering what has happened to him up to this point, that "Meh" of his there is pretty justified.

That said, the full Chapter 10 is now available to read! If you want, read it and tell me what you think! Remember, feedback is very much appreciated with me!

 

I still can’t believe it...

Even though it was morning, not a single beam of sunlight poked in through the windows of the Knife Chamber. The sole candle in the room had long since gone out, leaving the room in a near pitch-black shadow. Only the light taps of falling rain outside the windows and the ticks and tocks of the nearby clock kept it from being completely silent.

Throughout the rest of the night into morning, Sonic just laid on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His reacquired bag rested on the floor beside him. He didn’t stir or move an inch; he just gazed up above. Vague twinges of pain still flashed on his face, leaving his face twitchy. A whirlpool of thoughts churned through his mind. In just over a single day, through the wicked machinations of the masked imp, he went from a blue supersonic hedgehog who was thought to be unstoppable to a deku scrub trapped in another world altogether alone, with his only real company being a complete brat of a fairy who proved to be more annoying than anything he ever had to deal with back on Earth.

The blankness in his stare masked an emotion he rarely ever felt: fear. As the thoughts of the Skull Kid executing the town guard flashed before his very eyes, a deep chill ran up and down his spine. If he was capable to killing someone that carelessly, even making light humor on the fact despite having nearly killed a goddess, there was no telling what he was capable of.

Finally looking over to his side, he reached into his bag and pulled out a blue jewel. Easily twice as big as his new diminutive hands, its azure glow faintly lit the room around him. As he stared into the gemstone, two more thoughts raced through his mind. On the one hand, he was glad that he had the foresight to bring it along with him -- he didn’t have to worry as much of Dr. Eggman causing a lot of trouble with only six of the other gems of its type. On the other hand, as he pondered, just having one of the emeralds in the same world as the maniacal imp is a cause of concern: just what would he be capable of doing if he knew of the powers that the emerald could grant?

Before he could ponder any further, a loud series of knocks rang out from the door. The knocks were made in an oddly rhythmic fashion, like someone was trying to play the beginning of a melody.

“Huh…?” Stuffing the blue emerald back into his bag, Sonic slowly got off of the bed and trudged over to the door. He heard the loud tinkling of bells as he weakly walked along. His body was as drained as his mind, and yet, every time he tried to close his eyes, the image of the Skull Kid flashed in his mind, shocking him back awake.

Finally reaching the door, Sonic reached up and opened it, muttering, “Hello…?” Standing in his doorway was a sight that he was almost hoping to not see: Tatl.

The fairy girl smiled brightly at the disheveled scrub, carrying a large red umbrella in her hands. Clad in her usual yellow dress sans her pouch, droplets of water soaked her glowing body from head to toe, cascading down onto the wooden floor below her.

“Heya, Dek!” Tatl cheered. “How was your first night here in Termina?”

Sonic turned away from the fairy. “Meh...”

Folding her arms, her smile curled into an offended frown. “Well, sheesh, what’s gotten into you? Not a morning person, or what?”

Ignoring her, he trudged over to the room table and hopped onto the chair. Walking into the Knife Chamber close behind, Tatl closed the door behind her and set her soaking wet umbrella aside.

“Dek, seriously, what’s up with you?” Tatl asked, walking up to Sonic. “And why is this room so dark and gloo--?” Finally getting a good look at the scrub in her glow, the fairy girl cringed. “Yeesh, Dek! You look like you got into a fight with a cucco and lost! What happened to ya? Didn’t get any sleep last night?”

“I did,” Sonic replied, laying his head on the table. “It’s just… I saw him... the Skull Kid.”

“What?” Tatl grabbed Sonic’s hand. “Where’d you see him? Was my brother with him? Did you try to get that mask from him?!”

Sonic shook his head. “I saw him in the area near the Bombers’ Hideout. While I couldn’t get that mask back, he...” He pointed over to his bag. “... decided to give me a present.”

Looking over to the bag, Tatl sighed. “Well, at least you got your stuff back. Still, though, I wanna know where that guy went off with my brother.” Clasping her hands together, she said, “Oh, I hope that child is alright without me…”

Tael... As the fairy boy’s name echoed in Sonic’s mind, he pondered. What if it was the Skull Kid who planned that attempted robbery and Tael was just forced to go along with it?

“Anyway,” Sonic said, shaking his head, “any reason you decided to pay me a visit?”

“Huh?” Tatl snapped back into attention, saying, “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: Dek, something huge went down in that square you were talking about seeing the Skull Kid in last night!”

“You don’t say...” he murmured, tapping his fingers on the wooden table.

“I kid you not, Dek -- someone was actually killed out there!”

Another chill went down Sonic’s spine upon hearing Tatl’s words. He tried to keep eye contact with the fairy girl, trying not to appear nervous. “Y-you’re joking, right?”

Tatl shook her head. “A town guard in the area actually had his heart container removed, like what happened to my mom! And not only that, but in the Northern Park, someone had literally been blown to smithereens! That’s some crazy stuff there!”

At that point, Sonic couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief to himself at his new Deku form -- if he was back to normal, sweat would practically pour out of his body!

“Um… you don’t think those deaths are actually connected, right?”

“Could be…” Tatl reached over and grabbed her umbrella. “C’mon, let’s go check it out. My mom’s out there with the other guards. We can also grab a bite to eat while we’re at it.”

Sonic grabbed the room key from the table. “Alright, then we’ll start searching for the Skull Kid.”

“You’re not gonna take your bag with you?” she said, opening the door.

He shrugged as he exited the room. “Eh, it’ll be fine -- it’s not like anyone’s gonna sneak in here and take it again.”

“Hmm… fair enough, I guess. We’ll just leave out through the veranda door.”

“The veranda?” Sonic said, locking the Knife Chamber door.

“Yeah, it’s just across from your room here. Lucky for us, Anju always keep forgetting to lock it. Let’s roll!”

Back out in the inn’s second floor hallway, Sonic and Tatl, reunited once more, walked out through the veranda, back out onto the roof. The sky over the town was thick with clouds of the darkest shade of grey imaginable, with a huge torrent of rain falling down from above. The rain was heavy to a point where everything was a blur to Sonic, barely able to make out what’s immediately in front of him. Seeing all the rain filled him with dread: if Deku Scrubs were apparently so opposed to water despite being plants, how would he able to get through town in the dreadful weather?

Tatl looked down at Sonic and smirked. “Oh, relax, Dek.” With a simple flick of the wrist, her umbrella opened wide over the pair. “Got ya covered.”

Smiling, Sonic walked over to the edge of the veranda. As Sonic looked down, to his surprise, a huge crowd of people had gathered in the East Clock Town square, arguing and gossiping amongst themselves. Some of them, such as the pair of women clad in matching dresses and the juggling men, Sonic could somewhat recognize from the day before. Others, like the man carrying a horned music box, was as unfamiliar to him as the rest of the new world. As Sonic listened on, he heard them talking about the dead guard and the exploded thief from last night.

“Wow,” Sonic said, looking down upon the massive crowd. “It’s like everyone in town’s here!”

“Well, not everyone!” Tatl said, steadying her umbrella. “Those carpenter guys are still working on the festival tower back in the South!”

Sonic looked around the area, trying to look for where the guard was. As soon as his eyes locked onto the higher area, he spotted a huge bright blotch surrounded by several gray others. Three strobes of lights appeared to down the lighted blotch’s back. As he gazed at the obscured figure, a thought suddenly came into view.

“Hey, Tatl...” Sonic muttered, “is that your mom?”

“Oh, you see her?” Tatl replied, and Sonic pointed towards the brightly colored blotch. Hand over her eyes, she squinted and nodded. “Oh, yeah, that’s her.”

“How can you even make her out in this storm?”

She pointed her free hand to her face. “Fairy eyes, Dek. We can see from really long distances with ‘em. But anyway, let’s go see her!”

“H-how? That crowd’s blocking the door out of the inn!”

Tatl stroked her chin with her free hand, humming to herself. “... Ah, I got an idea!” Hand on her hip, she looked back toward him. “Hang onto me, okay?”

Raising an eyebrow, Sonic said, “Why?”

“I’m gonna try to get us over there. Trust me, it’ll be fun!”

Grunting, Sonic wrapped his arms around her bare legs. “Um, you sure you can fly in this weather?”

“Well, I can’t exactly fly, but I can at least try to glide us down to the ground. Hold on tight!”

Careful to hold her umbrella over her wings, she started to flap them. After a couple seconds, she, along with the tenaciously clinging Sonic started to hover over the roof. Once she was high enough, she leaned towards the higher ground and, hanging to her umbrella, she started to glide along the air. As she slowly drifted past the stairs, Sonic couldn’t help but smile. While it wasn’t exactly his idea of travel, it at least save him from having to cut through the crowd. and potentially getting caught by anyone in it. Approaching the higher square, the blotches were starting to unveil, revealing the Great Fairy standing in a tight circle with a group of guards near the pole, their faces away from view. Sonic gulped, hoping that he wouldn’t be recognized by any of the guards.

As they came to a landing, Tatl skidded to a halt, careful not to send Sonic flying into the wet stone street. “See, Dek? We made it down, safe and sound! Now, was that fun?”

“Yeah, yeah...”

“Huh?”

Sonic looked up and saw Lady Venus, with the town guards standing behind her. She, too, carried a red umbrella, huge enough to cover her significantly larger body. Unlike back in the Fairy Fountain, she was clad in a long green dress, fitting favorably to her figure. Further contrasting how she appeared when he restored her, her calm, gentle smile was replaced by a stern frown. Whatever she had seen there, it had drained her of her earlier happiness.

“Tatl,” Venus said, looking down at the pair, “didn’t I tell you not to come over here right now? You know I’m trying to conduct an investigation here!”

“I know, mom, really, but Dek here wanted to talk to you about something.” Tatl looked over to Sonic. “Right, Dek?”

“Uh… yeah, actually I do!” Sonic replied, nodding. “I’m here to talk to you about that… um, ‘curse,’ from yesterday.”

Venus leaned down towards the small Deku Scrub, bracing herself on her knees. Looking at the Deku Scrub’s face, she gasped. “Oh my goodness… what happened to you, child?!”

“I…” Sonic stammered, “a-accidentally burned myself?”

Squinting her eyes, she hummed to herself, a worried look on her face. “... Alright, I guess. Hold on.”

Using her free hand, she touched his face. Sonic cringed, as the touch suddenly ignited the twinges of pain from the earlier assault, but the pain was immediately subsided as the warm feelings suddenly coursed through his body. After a few seconds, the warmth itself subsided… and the pains from earlier along it.

“Ah, there we go!” Venus said, smiling as she lowered her hand. “Good as new!”

Sonic touched his face. It didn’t feel chippy or burnt anymore -- it was like he was never struck by the lightning blast at all! “Hey, thanks!” he said.

“You’re very welcome, Dek. Just… be more careful around fire next time, okay?”

“Got it...”

“Anyway,” Tatl murmured, stepping in, “can you do anything about his curse, mom?”

Venus sighed. “I’m sorry, Dek, but as you can see with all the ongoing uproar, I am very busy at the moment. As Tatl have probably told you already, something terrible happened last night, and I’m trying to figure out what caused it.”

Looking over the guards looming behind Venus, Sonic folded his arms. “Well, is it possible that I can come back later?”

She smiled. “Oh, of course, Dek.” She looked over at Tatl. “Tatl, can you do me a favor and take him over to the Treasure Chest Shop? I know it’ll probably be closed, with all that is going on at the moment, but still, can you at least check?”

Tatl pouted. “Aw, but mom, you know how much I--”

“Tatl…”

Noting the frown on her mother’s face, Tatl immediately nodded. “Alright, mom, I’ll go take him there...” Just as she turned towards Sonic, Venus raised her hand.

“Oh, I almost forgot: can you please not get into a fight with Fuchsia? Again?”

The fairy girl sighed. “Yes, mom, can we go now?”

Frowning, she stood back up straight. “Yes, you may. Dek, go follow Tatl -- she’ll take you somewhere that you can go have fun while I finish my work here. You can come visit the Fairy Fountain in about a half hour; hopefully, I’ll be done by then, okay?”

Sonic nodded. “Got it, ma’am. I’ll see ya later!”

“Perfect, thank you.” As Sonic and Tatl made their way back down the stairs, Venus waved them off. “Alright, you two have fun!”

As they waded through the crowd at the square, Sonic heard the various conversations that went on from within. Mentions of how shocking the scenes were, disbelief over who could possibly commit such crimes, musings over the apparent lack of sanity on the part of the culprit that could’ve done the things they did.

“Who’d you think would do such a thing?” said the woman in the blue-trimmed dress, folding her arms.

“I dunno,” said the woman in the matching red-trimmed dress, “but whoever did it must be some kind of lunatic...”

Hearing all the speculation and gossip sent Sonic’s heart racing. What if the old woman was in the crowd? What would happen if she pointed him out? Would he actually be attacked himself by the incensed crowd over something he didn’t intentionally do?

After reaching the other side of the gathering, Sonic found himself standing in front of a reasonably big building of a most peculiar appearance. Exactly as the name implied, it was essentially a gigantic wooden treasure chest, with a door placed exactly where the keyhole of a real treasure chest would be. As Sonic looked at the building, he couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief.

“Hmm, and I thought the stuff in my world looked weird...” he thought, before he felt a small tap on his shoulder.

“Well,” Tatl said, walking up beside him. “this is the Treasure Chest Shop. Whaddaya think?”

“It looks...” Sonic said, looking the building over once more, “interesting, I guess?” What’s the deal with this place?”

The fairy girl only walked up to a sign near the entrance, written in letters that Sonic could barely understand, and started to read. “‘Open the chest for something splendid! The thrill of surprise...’ Tch, the only thing that’s surprising about this place is how big a scam it is...”

“‘A scam?’” Sonic repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“What I mean is,” she replied, closing her umbrella, “this game is run by a girl who is so obviously biased, it’s crazy! You see, if you just happened to be cute or outright handsome, she’ll practically let you give it a go for free! However, if you’re either ugly or just someone she dislikes for whatever reason, it’ll cost you an arm and a leg to go! Even I’m not that snooty!”

“No lie?”

“No lie! In fact, one time, when I tried to give it a try a few weeks back, she charged me 25 rupees, yet when some Zora dude went right after me, she only charged him five!” Folding her arms, Tatl pouted. “You know, I’m starting to think that girl actually has a thing for Zoras!”

Sonic blinked. “... Okay, before I wind up giving myself insomnia from what you mean by “thing”, I have to ask: what exactly is a Zora?”

“It’s basically a fishman.”

Hearing that sent a chill down Sonic’s spine. “Okay, now that’s messed up...”

“Exactly!” With a single kick, the fairy girl swung the door wide open. “Hey, Fuchsia!” she yelled into the building. “Where are you, you sneaky little snake-in-the-grass!”

Ignoring the ranty fairy, Sonic walked inside and looked around. To his surprise, it was significantly more spacious than it appeared from outside. The building was mostly empty, with over half of the floor in huge alternating black and white tiles. The area running from the entrance to the other side of the room had triangular tiles alternating blue and kaleidoscopic colors. Over the black-and-white tiled area, the ceiling was a woody brown with giant “nails” painted on like the inside of a treasure chest, while over the entrance, the desk and walls had a more jarringly psychedelic look to them. A line made of alternating shades of green tiles separated the two areas.

As Sonic walked towards the desk, he saw that it, too, was sparse with only a single bell in view. Lining the wall behind the desk was a smaller desk holding a stack of gold bars and a trio of wooden treasure chests stacked up like a small pyramid.

“Hello?” Reaching the desk, he reached up the high desk, standing on his tiptoes, and hit the bell three times. A few seconds passed, and no one else came up to the desk.

“Perhaps the shop’s closed today?” Sonic said, and Tatl flew up beside him.

“Nah, I bet she’s just oversleeping again, the lazy fool!” She slammed her hand on the bell repeatedly, yelling, “Hey, Fuchsia! Wake the heck up already! You got a customer out here, ya bum!”

Suddenly, a part of the floor behind the desk flew up, with the top of a blue ladder poking out from the sudden hole made. “Alright, alright, hold your horses...” Climbing up from the hole in the floor was a purple-haired woman, clad in a matching pink shirt and pajama pants. She let out a loud yawn as she climbed out of the hole, closing it away. Rubbing her eyes, she groggily stammered over to the desk.

“Hello, welcome to the Treasure Chest Shop, where we--” The woman opened her eyes, revealing a pair of eyes as green as Sonic’s were, and immediately scowled. “Oh. What do you want now, Tatl?”

Tatl fluttered up above the desk, folding her arm. “I don’t want anything from you, Fuchsia. My friend here wants to play your crappy ‘game’!”

Looking over the fairy girl’s side, the woman, Fuchsia, finally noticed Sonic and let out a loud squeal. “Oh my goodness! Come here, you little cutie!”

“Wait, what?!” Before Sonic knew it, the purple haired woman snatched him right off the ground and started to hug and pet him.

“Ooh, you’re SOOO cute!” Fuchsia shouted, squeezing Sonic as if he was a teddy bear. “I wanna hug ya, and pet ya, and squeeze ya, and call ya lovely names, ya cutie!”

“L-let go of me, lady!” Sonic yelled, struggling to get out of her tight embrace.

“Hey, hey!” In a flash, Tatl reached into the struggle and slapped Fuchsia square in the face. “Knock it off!”

The sudden force from the slap sent Fuchsia reeling back, sending Sonic out of her hands and right into the wall behind them. “Ugh...” he muttered, cursing that he was sent into a wall again.

“Owww!” Fuchsia yelled, hands to her face. “What the heck was that for?!”

“You almost squeezed my friend there to death, you idiot!” Tatl yelled back, flying straight into her face.

“You didn’t have to do that, though!”

“Who said I had to, though?!”

“Hey, wait a minute...” Finally righting himself, Sonic hopped back on his feet. “We don’t have to be like this, ladies! I mean, come on, the day’s already all dark and gloomy and stuff as is, especially with what went down last night. Can’t we all just get along and have some fun here?” Sonic looked over at Tatl and smiled. “Besides, unless I’m mistaken, Lady Vee didn’t want you scrappin’ with anyone here, so unless you want to get in trouble with your mom...”

The fairy and human immediately turned away from one another, folding their arms. After a few seconds, they dropped their stances and looked back at each other.

“Hey, Fuchsia?” Tatl said, fluttering back from the human. “Look, I didn’t mean to do that… okay? No hard feelings, right?”

“Nah...” Fuchsia replied, smiling, “we’re cool. We both kinda got carried away there...”

Both Fuchsia and Tatl started to laugh, albeit weakly. The sudden turn of events baffled Sonic: one minute, they were just seconds away from going after each other’s blood; next, they’re just laughing it off like it never happened? Sonic just sighed and shook his head. At least things were actually simmering down now.

Fuchsia reached into a shelf in her desk and pulled out a small bottle filled with a red liquid. Opened the bottle, she put it and downed the crimson fluid. As the drink went down, the bruise on her face faded away as if it was never there. By the time the bottle was empty, the purple-haired girl were no worse for wear.

“Hey, Deku Scrub...” Fuchsia said, setting her bottle down. “you’re alright? Sorry for squeezing you like that.”

Sonic smiled, waving his hand. “Eh, it’s cool. I’m used to it.”

“Good… say, what’s your name, little guy?”

“Just call me Sonic!” He leaped over the desk, back onto the other side. “Now, I was recommended to come here to have some fun, so let’s get started with that. So, what’s the deal with this place?”

“Ah, right!” Fuchsia reached under her desk and a loud click sounded off. Suddenly, on the farthest corner of the facility, a white tile lowered into the floor. After a few seconds, it rose back up into place, with a treasure chest resting on top of it.

“See that treasure chest over there?” she said, pointing to the faraway chest. “If you can make it all the way there and open it within the time limit, I'll give you a special prize!”

Sonic folded his arms. “So, what’s the special prize?”

“Well, I obviously can’t tell you what is it -- it’d ruin the surprise! Finding out what's inside is half the fun of the Treasure Chest Game!”

Tatl leaned in and whispered in Sonic’s ear, “‘Fun’ in relative terms, of course.”

“Hey, I heard that! Anyway...” Fuchsia reached under her desk and, with another click, the line of green tiles suddenly lit up. “So, do you wanna play, Sonic?”

Sonic laughed. “Sure!” As he walked over to the starting line, he thought, “So, all I have to do to run over there and open that chest? This’ll be a piece of cake!”

“Wait, I almost forgot...” She reached under the desk and pulled a huge metal device covered with knobs and buttons. “Of course, you’ll have to pay to play!”

“Oh, duh!” Sonic said, chuckling. “How much?”

“Well,” Fuchsia said, operating the weird device, “normally, I charge twenty rupees per game, but for an adorable little guy like you…” With a final dig of the machine, she stopped. “it'll only be ten. Is that alright with you?”

“Oh, more than! I’ll just--” Suddenly, it struck him. He had already deposited the purple rupee at the Bank the day before. “Oh, darn, I forgot. I’m broke!”

“Really?” Fuchsia frowned. “Oh, no...I'm sorry, but you can’t play then…”

“Oh, relax, you two.” Tatl flew up to the desk. Reaching down the front of her dress, she pulled out a red rupee. “This should cover both me and him.”

“Oh, so you actually want to play again?” Fuchsia said, cringing a bit as she took the rupee.

“Yep. Just to give Deku Boy here a little helping hand with this, anyway.”

“Wait, help?” Sonic said. “You really think I need help with something like this?”

Tatl flew up to the starting line, next to Sonic. “Trust me, Dek, this game is much harder than it looks! Just follow my lead, alright?”

“Okay, are you two ready?” Fuchsia shouted from her desk, and they nodded. “You two got 45 seconds to open that chest! Oh, and Tatl, you know the rules: no flying!”

Tatl sighed. “Fine...” She landed feet-first on the floor.

“Alrighty, then! On your marks...”

Sonic readied himself, his right foot forward. His eyes were locked onto the treasure chest. All he had to do was rush over and open it. What could possibly go wrong?

“Ready…”

He glanced up at Tatl. With a big grin on her face, she looked raring to go, her eyes clearly locked onto the prize. Looking back ahead, he chuckled to himself. “Let’s see what ya got...”

“Go!”

At the call, Sonic took off like a bullet… and smashed right into a white pillar.

“Ooh,” he muttered, “what just happened?”

“That’s the gimmick, Dek!” Tatl said, running past him. “Follow me!”

“Grr...” Shaking himself off, Sonic zoomed after the fairy girl. As he caught up with her, he yelled, “Hey, what’s the deal with this?”

“Like I said, this is the gimmick!” she replied, making a sharp left turn as a black tile suddenly rose up in front of her. “Some of those tiles turn into stone pillar things when you’re about to walk into them! This is actually some sort of maze!”

“How is this even happening? This town is still stuck with candles for lights, for goodness sakes!”

“I don’t know! I think she set up these tiles so that they’re pressure sensitive!”

“Well, screw that, then!” Sonic skidded to a stop, with Tatl zooming past him as she made a right turn out of sight. Looking to his sides, he saw a pair of white and black pillars flanking his sides. “I hope I can still do this without those shoes…”

With a nod, he ran straight into the black pillar to his right and, just before he made contact with it, he leaped as high as he could into it. As soon as he made contact with the obelisk, he started to slide down back to the floor. With a push of his legs, he kicked off the stone pillar and zoomed right into the adjacent white slab.

“Alright, I can still do it!” Sonic thought, eyes locked on the black pillar. Then, as he started to slide down the white pillar, he kicked off and leaped right into the black pillar and immediately kicked off it. After a couple seconds of wall-kicking, he leapt right on top of the white pillar.

Scanning the scenery, he saw Tatl running through the pop-up tunnel, approaching the treasure chest. “Gotcha now, Tatl.” Just as he was about to leap over to the black pillar, he heard a loud shriek from behind. Looking back, he saw Fuchsia looking up at him, mouth agape.

“H-how the heck did you do that?!” the purple-haired woman yelled.

Giddily, Sonic gave her a thumbs-up. “I leaped!”

With a single hop, he took off after the fairy girl. With her just yards away from the chest, he sped up becoming a blur as he leapt from stone pillar to pillar. Just as he reached the final pillar in front of the chest, he looked to the side and saw Tatl running full-tilt towards it. With a nod, he leaped down, controlling his fall with a wall slide. As soon as his feet reached the ground, he heard a loud yell from behind.

“Whoa!”

Just as he turned back, Tatl collided right into him, sending him and her flying into the chest. The force of the impact shattered the chest to pieces, showering the scrub and fairy in planks and splinters.

“Alright, time's up!”

Suddenly, the pillars retracted back into the floor, revealing the scrambled mess that was Sonic and Tatl.

“Hey, are you alright?!” Fuchsia yelled as she ran up to them.

“Oooh...” Kicking aside the wooded remnants of the treasure chest, Tatl dragged herself out of the pile. She clutched her chest, breathing in broken gasps.

“Ugh...” she groaned, looking over to Fuchsia. “W-what just happened? Dek… w-what do you do…?”

Sonic laid amidst the wreckage motionlessly, eyes looking straight up, not making a single sound. Various thoughts raced through his mind as he gazed up to the sky. A heavy, yet comforting feeling rested in his heart. In the world that was essentially his prison, was he really having… fun?

“Dek?” Tatl waved her hand over the motionless Sonic, a frown firmly etched on her face. “Are you okay?”

All of a sudden, Sonic started to chuckle. The low chuckle soon crescendoed into a laugh. The squeaky, childish guffaw echoed throughout the hollows of the quiet building.

“Yahoo!” Rearing his legs forward  as tightly as he could, Sonic leaped right back on his feet. “That was fun! Can we go again?!”

“You sure about that, little guy?” Fuchsia said, leaning down towards him. “You and Tatl took a pretty big hit there…”

“Nah, I’m alright!” Sonic replied, waving his hand.

“Yeah, likewise...” Tatl grunted.

“So, what’s the special prize? I mean, we did open it...” He looked over to the shambled pieces that was the treasure chest. “...more or less.”

“Oh, right.” Fuchsia motioned towards her desk. “It’s in there. Follow me.” Helping Tatl to her feet, the threesome walked back over to the main desk.

“Alright,” the purple-haired woman said, hopping over the desk, “since the two of you both reached the chest at the same time, I guess I’ll just give you both prizes!” She reached under the desk and picked up a purple rupee and a tied-up brown bag. “Here ya go.”

Sonic grabbed the bag. Opening it, he grunted. Inside the bag rested ten brown orbs, each split open around the middle, revealing the golden core in them. “Hey, what gives? What are these… balls supposed to be?”

“They’re Deku Nuts, Dek,” Tatl replied, grabbing and pocketing the rupee. “They’re pretty handy in a pinch.”

As he looked closer at the old brown nuts, a thought suddenly struck him. These are the same things that she and that thief guy hit me with! Glaring over at Tatl, he muttered, “Yeah, I bet...”

“So, tell me, Sonic...” Fuchsia leaned in towards Sonic. “How did you get up there like that?”

Sonic shrugged. “Like I said, I leaped.”

“Hmm, that must’ve been one heck of a leap, then… hey, you really wanna try again?”

“Oh, that would b-”

Suddenly, a loud grumble rang out from Tatl. Looking down at her stomach, the fairy sighed. “Actually, Dek, I’d really rather just get a bite to eat already. Can we do this later?”

“Huh?” Sonic scratched the back of his head. “That’s funny. I haven’t been hungry since I got here.”

“That’s because you’re a Deku Scrub, Dek. You’re, like, a plant person -- you’re already getting what you need from the sun.”

After a couple seconds, Sonic shrugged. “Eh, fair enough. Wanna head back to the Fairy Fountain? I think your mom’s back there by now.”

“Gladly!” Tatl grabbed her umbrella. “Let’s go! I’m starving!”

Sonic looked over to Fuchsia. “Sorry, Fuchsia, but we gotta head out now!”

“Oh, really?” Fuchsia pouted. “That's too bad! And you're just my type, too...”

“Wait, what?”

“Anyway, I guess I’ll see you two later...”

“... Right.”

As Sonic and Tatl walked over to the entrance, they looked back and waved back to Fuchsia.

“Later, Fuchsia!” Tatl shouted.

“Yeah, later!” Fuchsia replied. “Come back any time!”

Back outside the Treasure Chest Shop, the torrential downpour had started to lighten up, now just raining moderately down upon the streets of Clock Town. Looking up to the overcast sky, the near-black clouds from before were now somewhat greyish, with the moon barely in view from within it. Sonic breathed a sigh of relief as he looked back at the square -- the crowd from earlier had dispersed, with only a few people walking around and chatting in it.

“Hey, Dek?” Tatl said, opening her umbrella.

“What’s up?” Sonic replied.

“You wouldn’t rat me out to Lady Vee about that slap I did to Fuchsia... right?”

Sonic looked back at the fairy girl. She had a worried frown on her face that surprised him, as if she was actually pleading with him. After a couple seconds of silence between them, Sonic finally sighed.

“Nah,” he replied, shaking his head.

“Good…” Her frown curled into a small smile. “Thanks, Dek.”

 

ETA: Yes, this is Chapter 10, not 11 -- that's not a thing yet.

Credit to Sonikku_Kiah for pointing this out.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Komodin

[Kiah]

Hey, what can I say? I loves me some Sonic Mehs. Besides, considering what has happened to him up to this point, that "Meh" of his there is pretty justified.

 

That said, the full Chapter 11 is now available to read! If you want, read it and tell me what you think! Remember, feedback is very much appreciated with me!

 

 

 

Seeing that you are infamous for saying "meh" on your own, it just wouldn't be a work of yours without it being in there somehow!  And of course, Sonic was justified in saying it. Very much so.

 

I have a question though: in your previous post with the preview of the chapter, you said it was Chapter 10. Now you are saying it is Chapter 11-so which one is it? I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything as I have personally made it a point to keep up with the story as a whole.

 

Whichever chapter this is, it once again was very well done, finely detailed. I saw that some of Sonic's dialogue reminded me of what he said in the games like "Just call me Sonic," for example. I really like how you well-described Sonic's struggle to stay calm amid what happened; I really felt sorry for him! And I can't believe it, but was Tatl actually likeable in this chapter?! Seriously, she was decent and not rude and obnoxious like she has been in all the previous chapters. Keep that up and I'll ended up liking her...

 

Great work, as always, Komodin. Nothing new there with you doing an excellent job. Looking forward to the next chapter, be it Chapter 11 or Chapter 12.

[Nepenthe]

Wow, I'm quite impressed. I read your one-shot before looking at the comic, and while it's essentially the same you set a more introspective tone that actually had me captured my attention. You made it your own in a way, and for that I applaud you. Good job yo. :3

[Komodin]

I have a question though: in your previous post with the preview of the chapter, you said it was Chapter 10. Now you are saying it is Chapter 11-so which one is it? I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything as I have personally made it a point to keep up with the story as a whole.

 

Oh, you didn't miss anything so far. This is indeed Chapter 10 -- that was just a typo on my part. Chapter 11 is still being worked on, but I gotta put it on hold until Thursday, as I've got some college work and final exams to worry about right now.

 

Whichever chapter this is, it once again was very well done, finely detailed. I saw that some of Sonic's dialogue reminded me of what he said in the games like "Just call me Sonic," for example. I really like how you well-described Sonic's struggle to stay calm amid what happened; I really felt sorry for him!

 

Ah, yes, I've made absolutely sure that Sonic at least made an effort to keep a cool head despite everything that is going on around him. It isn't really my place to say this, considering the subjectivity of this sort of thing, but for the first part of this story, I'm trying to write Sonic as an "Iron Woobie" of sorts. That is, he's the sort of character who continues to soldier on despite all of the traumatic things that is happening to and around them. Again, there is that possibility that it's not coming across as clear as I want it to, but hey, effort's effort, I guess.

 

And I can't believe it, but was Tatl actually likeable in this chapter?! Seriously, she was decent and not rude and obnoxious like she has been in all the previous chapters. Keep that up and I'll ended up liking her...

 

Ah, this is an intentional move on my part. I mean, Tatl is supposed to be a sort of minor antagonist for Sonic through this part of the story, seeing as they only teamed up out of a mutual desire to find the Skull Kid, but as I was working on this chapter, I was starting to wonder if I was making her too antagonistic for her role in the story. With the way things were going, later events in the story involving her would've came across as being a wee bit contrived. So, I figured if I emphasized her positive qualities a bit more, then that shouldn't be as much a problem.

In short, Tatl is a rude, bratty and instigative little pixie, but she's not completely heartless.

 

]Great work, as always, Komodin. Nothing new there with you doing an excellent job. Looking forward to the next chapter, be it Chapter 11 or Chapter 12.

 

Once again, thank you for the support, Kiah. Trust me, I really had a blast with writing up this chapter; it was just figuring out how to go about writing the previous one that kinda hampered things for me. Once I got that one out of the way, I was on this like ugly on an ape!

 

Wow, I'm quite impressed. I read your one-shot before looking at the comic, and while it's essentially the same you set a more introspective tone that actually had me captured my attention. You made it your own in a way, and for that I applaud you. Good job yo. :3

 

Ah, gosh... thanks, Nep!

When I read the original comic by Inferno, it just really gelled with me, such that I wondered if it was possible to write it out so that it is just as great as a fully-written work as it was as a visual work. From the look of things, I succeeded on that front, and I really couldn't be happier for that.

 

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Oh, yes, I also got a little addition that I made for Chapter 9 of The Blue Blur of Termina. It's an alteration of Sonic's encounter with the Skull Kid after what transpired in the Northern Park of Clock Town. In retrospect, I didn't really like how I originally written that part of the chapter, as I felt that Sonic was a bit too passive there for my liking, so I changed a couple things so that Sonic at least made an effort to do something against the Skull Kid.

With all that said, here it is! Read it and, if you want, tell me what you think of it. As always, I'm more than willing to be provided feedback on my works, so please don't be afraid to comment!

 

Stopping next to the pole in the higher square, he breathed heavily and looked towards the ground. He just stood there, thinking over what had just happened. In just the span of a minute, he went from a person trying to stop a robbery to what is basically a fugitive. All in a world where everything is unfamiliar to him. As his gasping started to settle down, a loud giggle rang from above.

“My, aren’t you in a pickle, Sonic...”

 

Sonic looked up and growled. “You!”

Just over the pole above Sonic was the Skull Kid, looking down upon the deku scrub. The heart-shaped mask he wore over his face glowed faintly under the moonlight. His arms folded, he was hovering in place as it was second nature to him.  He uttered a low chuckle as he lowered down to the ground.

“I must say, Sonic…” The Skull Kid said, lightly touching the ground, “you really did surprise me with what you did to Sakon. I mean, shooting that bubble to blow him to shreds? Heh, even I wouldn’t have done something like that!”

Sonic backed away from the maniacal imp. Just glancing at the mask he wore sent chills racing down his spine.

“You really do look pitiful now!” he yelled, walking towards the deku scrub. “How the heck did you even manage to get out of the Catacombs, anyway?”

“I had some help from Tatl!” Sonic yelled, trying to stand his ground. “W-why would you hurt and leave her behind like that? What kind of friend are you, anyway?!”

The Skull Kid abruptly halted his walk. “...‘Friend’? Her?!” The imp chuckled. “As if I would even entertain the thought of being ‘friends’ with that annoying little bitch! Why did you think I did that in the first place?! I’ve been dreaming about getting rid of her sorry glowy behind for the longest!”

Sonic balled his fists, glaring at the callous imp. He didn’t exactly have a high opinion of the fairy himself, but hearing who she considered a ‘friend’ talk of her like that just… struck him at his core.

“And to think,” the imp said, inching ever closer to the Deku Scrub, “I was originally going to give the both of you a slow... burning... painful death in the Catacombs!" Sonic cringed at every word the imp screamed. Before he could question what the imp would've done, the imp continued, "But... I suppose this is better... No… this is much better!"

Before Sonic could react, the imp lunged and grabbed Sonic by his neck. Hoisting him high over his head, he continued, “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna kill you. Nah, that wouldn’t be fun…”

“Gee, thanks...” Sonic thought, glaring down at the imp.

“Still, I must ask: what’s with all that junk you have in your bag? They’re nothing but pointless souvenirs and trinkets! It’s all so worthless, so I did ya a favor an-”

“Stop right there, both of you!”

Sonic looked ahead and saw the North Clock Town guard right in front of the tunnel to the North, eyes locked on him and the Skull Kid. With his spear out in front, he slowly walked over to the pair. As Sonic tensed up at the escalating situation, the Skull Kid only snorted.

“Oh, lookit, Sonic -- or, is it Dek nowadays? -- we got a visitor!” He unceremoniously loosened his grip on Sonic, sending him feet-first to the ground.

“Imp, are you in cahoots with this murderer?” The Guard yelled. “I will have to report you to Venus and Viscen for this!”

“Oh, will you?” The masked imp looked down at Sonic. “Hee hee... you want a peek at the power I truly possess?”

“Power? What are you--?!” Suddenly, the guard stopped in place, his spear dropping to the floor beside him. A dark shroud started to erupt from his body, blanketing him in its choking embrace.

Sonic grimaced. “W-what’s going on?!”

The Skull Kid laughed. “Watch...” And, in a flash, he disappeared.

Just a second later, a loud scream erupted from within the shroud, and Sonic jumped back. The shroud slowly started to disperse, piece by piece, revealing the guard and the Skull Kid right behind him. As Sonic looked closer at the Skull Kid, he gasped. Though he looked unharmed, the guard’s skin was ghost-white with a dead expression. As the darkness faded away, the guard limply fell to the ground, his spear dropped beside him. As Sonic looked up from the fallen guard, trembling from every inch of his body, Sonic saw the Skull Kid holding a small heart-shaped stone in his hand. It was a shimmering, translucent blue in color, with a smaller reddish heart in its center.

“Wh-what did you do to him?!” Sonic yelled, balling his fists.

The imp chuckled. “I would answer that, but...” He abruptly closed his hands, shattering the heart-like shape in it. “I haven’t the heart to do it.”

Sonic just stood there as the Skull Kid defiled the guard’s body, mouth agape and unable to speak. The Skull Kid only made a mocking whimper.

“Aww, boo-hoo,” he said. “Why the sad face? I just thought I'd have a little fun with you...”

“Fun?” Sonic screamed, “You killed that guy for fun?! Are you some kind of nut?!”

“Why does it matter to you?” the imp replied, chuckling. “That guy tried to take you in for taking out Sakon. You should be glad that I had the mercy to let you off the hook for that… more or less.”

“Mercy?!” Fit to be tied, Sonic let out a loud growl and charged at the imp. “I’ll show you ‘mercy’!” Leaping as high as his body could allow him, he lunged and, with one mighty swing, struck the Skull Kid square in the mask.

Bouncing back, Sonic watched as the imp barely recoiled from the hit. The imp just stood there, its masked head tilted back, not making a single sound. All of a sudden, he started to chuckle. The low chuckle soon crescendoed into a laugh. The screechy, childish cry echoed throughout the hollows of the quiet town. Sonic closed his ears as it went on for what seemed like an eternity.

As the powerful laughter came to a stop, the Skull Kid yelled, “Is that it? That’s the best you can do?!”

Sonic gasped. He already knew that his new Deku form was a bit on the weak side, but he didn’t even flinch the imp?

The Skull Kid opened his hand, crackling with purplish lightning.  “Allow me to offer my rebuttal!”

Suddenly, before Sonic could react — before he could even put up his hands to defend himself — a huge bolt of lightning shot out of the imp’s gloved palm and struck him dead center in the face. In a flash, the impact sent him flying back down the flight of stairs near the Stock Pot Inn.

“AUGH!” Sonic screamed as he frantically felt his face. A deep, burning sensation surged up and down his body, as if he was thrown headfirst into a flash frier. As he was trying to nurse his burn, he heard a object suddenly appeared in front of him, dropping to the ground. As Sonic looked down at it, he gasped: not only was he still able to see clearly after the blast, but also the object that appeared was his bag. Sonic looked it over, searching inside it, only to see that, despite what the Skull Kid said, everything was more or less intact, just as he left it before he fell into Termina.

“See?”

Sonic looked up and saw the Skull Kid floating above him once more, laughing to himself. “I am capable of mercy… to some extent, anyway. You get to keep your junk, and I get to have my fun! Win-win, am I right?”

Sonic, still in the throes of shock, only glared at the imp with his fists balled.

“At any rate, ‘Mr. Angry,’” the Skull Kid continued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Mystic Melody, “I’m done with you for tonight. For your sake, you better hope that we won’t meet again...” Laughing loudly, he floated higher into the night sky before finally disappearing for good.

Defeated, Sonic just sat on the cold ground of the East Clock Town square, lost in his own thoughts. Though the pain from the lightning flash had subsided a bit, it still left a cringing sting every time he tried to move his face. Looking over to the nearby Town Gate. He saw that the guard that was stationed there earlier was gone. Sonic couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief: while he was mildly shocked that no one came to help him against the Skull Kid, he was also glad that the imp wasn’t able to take any more lives.

He looked up to the sky once more. The clear sky was replaced by a thick layer of clouds, with the moon masked a bit from within the cloud. Lightning flashed through the clouds, illuminating the celestial body before disappearing from view.

Closing his eyes, a single tear managed to escape his charred face, dropping to the cold rock ground below. With everything that had happened, he did the one thing he could do... run.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Komodin

[Iggy]

Very good, Komodin. Everything and everyone is perfectly in character, and the original characters introduced are believable. Usually, stories such as this (a crossover in which the main character from another franchise takes on the main role in a story-adaption of a game) are rather difficult to pull off, but you're doing a very fine job of it. The dark bits you threw in with the guard and the thief were perfect. In a game where you witness such dark themes first hand, it fits in perfectly. If I remember right, you can actually kill the thief (not so much kill as blow up) in the game by shooting at him with the hookshot/arrows, causing the bombs to go off. Shooting bubbles only makes him drop the bag, but this is a novelization. The only real issue I had with the story was the color of text. I don't mean to nitpick, but I found the black text to be sort of distracting. Perhaps it's just me. Either way, wonderful job.