Chapter 28: Knuckles Dust Off
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Ruby Haze
Chapter 28: Knuckles Dust Off
My first interaction with Knuckles the Echidna was one I'd been dreading as an inevitability for quite some time. Almost as badly as I'd been worrying when I'd meet another 'person of interest' like Sonic, Tails, or Sally. What would I say when it happened? How would I introduce myself? Would whatever I said get fully vetted and approved by my brain before it left my mouth? I was able to hold it together when I met with Amy because I hadn't pieced together who she was at the time, and with Bean & Bark because I wasn't nearly as attached to them. I thought I'd act weird around Vector or the Chaotix, but they ended up beating me to the punch in terms of weirdness.
My first interaction with Knuckles was happening right now, and it was happening in the worst way I could imagine.
"Wait, wait!"
Knuckles gilded towards me like an echidna-guided missile. His aim was lagging due to the heat stroke he'd suffered during his stint in the desert, but the glowing bullseye of my portal meant he had no trouble finding where to plant his fists. The hero of Angel Island made it clear he wasn't holding back, shifting his gliding punch into a lethal corkscrew drill!
Dodge? Block?
An awful lot of soft targets were standing near me.
Block!
I stowed my crystal ball and drew my extreme gear from Null Space. The Red Chimera wasn't just a piece of metal standing between myself and danger. It was purpose-built as a combat shield, with increased size and weight that made it much sturdier than your average air board. Reinforcing the dense materials of the board with crystal matter, I planted my feet and braced for impact!
⟁ ♦ 4
When Knuckles made his two-fisted landing, the crystal shell around the extreme gear shattered. A pair of fissures from the force of the strike tore through my hardware, stopping a direct hit by a hare's breath. Were I not able to stand my ground against his spiraling charge, I would've been sent tumbling into Mighty's weight collection.
"Get off!" I said as I swung both halves of the broken shield forwards.
Knuckles detached his spiked gloves from my gear and flipped back, landing on the ground with a thump. The super strong echidna was unsteady on his feet, eyes unfocused, and no less dangerous for it. Spending all day in the hot sand thinking about what he'd do to Enerjak when he caught up to him did Knuckles no favors now that he's in a rage.
That wouldn't be doing me any favors, either.
"Knuckles!" Vector called out, relief clear in his voice. "We've been searching all over for you!"
Knuckles turned towards his friend, confused.
"Vector, what're you…?" His expression rapidly hardened. "Wait! This is a trick, isn't it!?"
Vector was put on the backfoot.
"What? Get your head on straight! We need to get our friends back from Enerjak!"
"You're not gonna fool me!"
Knuckles threw a woozy haymaker at Vector, which he dodged by contorting his narrow body around the oncoming fist.
"Yo yo yo! I just got off the mend!"
"Ooh, fifty mobiums on the echidna beating his friend into a leather handbag!" Metal Sonic jeered.
"PING!" shouted Bomb, who attempted to be the voice of reason.
I had to act fast. Vector had good reflexes, but he wasn't durable. Bomb was standing between them, trying to mediate, which meant any stray attack sent his way would trigger a detonation. If Vector said I hit like Knuckles as a dragon, then I stood no chance of putting him in check as an augmented human.
That left me with one last option. At least, one that wasn't taking my chances with a gun.
"Simmer down!" I commanded, using magic to halt Knuckles before he could rush them.
⟁ ♦ 3
Knuckles' body was paralyzed by a ruby haze around his mind. He was under my sway.
"NEVER!" he cried defiantly.
Scratch that. I thought he was under my sway, when gnarled spikes of willpower tore at the edges of my influence. Unlike the Fearsome Foursome, who surrendered out of obligation, or Fiona, whose composure broke when she was taken off guard, Knuckles was mad enough that he threatened to break loose at any second.
"We aren't your enemies!" I intoned, dropping my busted board so I could bring additional focus to bear on Knuckles. Keeping my hands free seemed to help my concentration. I knew that I could push further, but I didn't know how far I could go before something broke.
"Yes. You. Are!"
"Be calm! Be at peace! I command you to listen to the words I am saying!"
⟁ ♦ 2
Knuckles was adamant, and above all else, stubborn. He let out a wild snort, lunging at me to disrupt my spell! We were both on the ground, where I struggled to get loose from his hold! The echidna grabbed me by the collar with one hand, reeling the other one back for a skull-caving wallop.
"Listen to crunch time, Dimitri!"
That name again!
"Who the hell is Dimitri!?"
My claws popped out on instinct.
It was happening again. I knew the Phantom Ruby was altering my judgment, trying to make me act more violent. More reckless. The thoughts sounded like my own, but twisted and distorted. I tried to force the claws back behind my fingertips, but not all of them were cooperating.
Stop! I don't want to hurt him!
And I don't want him to hurt me!
It's not a binary decision!
Right before Knuckles delivered his coup de grâce, or I could counter by raking his face, the two of us were doused with enough water to take the wind out of our sails.
"H-Hey!"
"What the--!?" Knuckles sputtered out.
"How about both of you cool off?" Fiona reprimanded, the sprayer attached to the kitchen sink in one hand.
Knuckles looked down at me, his delirium-induced wrath having melted away.
"Who the heck are you?"
I manifested a towel from Null Space and dried my face.
"Freedom Fighter," I said curtly.
Knuckles gave me a dubious look, an eyebrow raised.
"You sure about that?"
I furrowed my brow and handed him the towel.
"Pretty sure."
"What're more of you Freedom Fighters doing on my island?" he asked bluntly.
"Saving your life," I replied in exasperation. "You're welcome."
"For Walkers' sake, would you get offa the overlander already?" an unfamiliar, gruff voice groused from behind my back.
I tilted my head around, identifying the source of the request as a dark red, mobian ant. The body plan of the ant was vaguely in line with other insect mobians, such as Presto and Cadence. I saw four arms sticking out from the four holes of his vest, two legs, a set of antennae that poked through the sides of his cowboy hat, and a pair of vestigial mandibles.
Most notably, the stranger was half a foot tall. Small enough to fit in the palm of Fiona's hand, where he currently stood. I didn't notice him a moment ago, as he was easily the smallest mobian I'd encountered thus far.
"My bad."
Knuckles bashfully obliged the ant and climbed off my neck. I got up from the ground, drying myself off with a light whoosh of wind.
"Thank you. As Vector was trying to say earlier, Fiona Fox and I are with the Crazy Kritter Freedom Fighters in Mercia."
"Sir Scarlet's a local legend," Fiona added.
I turned my head towards her, not sure if she was making that up to try and sate my ego or make me seem more impressive.
Wait, did I get knighted and no one said anything?
Knuckles looked back to where Vector was standing, doing a double-take.
"Vector?"
The crocodile shot him a thumbs-up, tossing him a water bottle.
"I'm the real deal! And so's Scarlet! The fly wizard freed me from Enerjak's control and brought us back to Mighty's place so we could get ready for a rematch!"
Knuckles twisted the cap off the bottle, showing a lot of dexterity with his boxing gloves. He paused to rehydrate before speaking, a couple of emotions flashing across his face. Anger at Enerjak, fear for the safety of his friends, shame that he was taken for a ride, and almost did even more damage in the process.
I can relate.
"Wizard, huh?"
"So I've been told."
"And if you're all real, that means…" Knuckles started, his eyes looking around until they locked onto the super badnik in the room. "Metal Sonic!?"
"Thought you would never notice!" he said cheekily.
"What're you doing here? Trying to take advantage of me being away to--!"
I raised a hand before Knuckles could raise his fist. Again.
"Alliance until Enerjak is dealt with."
"You're kidding, right? Do you know what it's capable of?"
"Yes, and that's why we need him on our side right now."
The echidna stopped his pre-emptive attack, letting out a frustrated huff.
"Fine. But keep it on a short leash."
Metal Sonic stuck out his tongue. Not sure why he had one of those, but he did.
"I'll see what I can do."
"What about the others? Espio? Charmy? Mighty? Heavy and Bomb?"
"Present and accounted for!" Heavy shouted as he trundled in. "We were on an expedition to the wreckage of the Happyland theme park with our new allies when that eruption of chaos energy occurred and the Enerjak entity made itself known."
"Ping!" Bomb corroborated.
"That was right before Enerjak attacked us at the Grand Conservatory," Knuckles explained, while explaining nothing to me.
"They were fighting me!" Metal Sonic said.
"The others are still under Enerjak's mind whammy," Vector said. "Johnny Scarlet here's got some magic in his corner we can use to get them back."
"Is that so?" the ant asked skeptically.
By the way the ant talked and carried himself, I got the impression that he was more seasoned than the others. Definitely spent time in military or law enforcement. Couldn't pin an exact age on him, or recognize him from any Sonic media I was aware of. If he was supposed to be important, like Vector implied he was, then the ant would be another blind spot I'd need to approach with care.
"You're… Archie the Ant, I take it?" I asked the red insect.
"Archimedes the Fire Ant," he corrected. "I appreciate you fishin' us out of the Sandopolis Desert. Another day or two out there without water, and we'd both be goners."
"I was happy to--"
Archimedes cut me off.
"That bein' said, I'd appreciate you a lot more if you didn't pull that 'whammy' on any of us again. No matter your intentions, that ain't the kind of magic you sling out willy-nilly."
I nodded, not wanting to get too used to using it on people anyway.
"Are you with the Chaotix?"
Archimedes let out a laugh.
"Hardly! The Chaotix are the Guardian's friends and teammates. I'm his mentor."
The fire ant vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing on the table. Gazing into the smoke, I could tell it was some kind of short-range teleportation spell with the lingering essence of fire. Clearly, he knew a few spells of his own.
"Never heard of the Guardian having a mentor," Fiona said as she shook the excess of soot off her glove. "I take it you're new?"
"Knuckles only overcame my trials this year," Archimedes clarified. "I trained his father, and his father before him. If you want to point fingers to anybody and call 'em new, it's the flush of outlander tourists flyin' in from the surface makin' my job difficult."
Taking his claims at face value, the ant had to be pretty old. He also seemed familiar with Knuckles' family line, something that remained an enigma in the material I recognized. A blank space full of gaps remaining to be filled.
However, one of his comments irked me. Caused me to hesitate to trust him outright.
"Does that mean you chose not to intervene the first time the island was invaded?"
My eyes flickered to the other people present, and it looked like everyone overlooked that issue, Knuckles included.
"I didn't even think of that!" Vector shouted. "What's the deal, Archy? We could've used the help with Metal Sonic!"
"Got that right!" Metal Sonic said.
Fiona shot him a look. Metal Sonic switched gears to an innocent whistle on his speaker.
Archimedes, for his part, was dismissive of Vector's line of questioning and my own.
"Vector, do ya really think I was sleepin' on the job? I was watchin' from afar until Knuckles was old enough for me to reveal myself. He handled the past couple of attacks just fine without me stepping in, thanks to Sonic passing through and then you kids forming up the Chaotix to be his support team. If he needed the extra help to deal with small fries like Robotnik, then I would've given it without hesitation."
Vector rubbed his chin uncertainly.
"I guess that makes sense."
"Glad you think so. Now that Knuckles is of age, I've taken it upon myself to make sure he's ready for the trials to come."
I closed my eyes for five seconds, considering if I should leave the comment be.
Knuckles handled it just fine?
After everything else I've had to put up with, I didn't have it in me.
"Are you really going to call Robotnik a 'small fry'?"
"We sent Doctor Robotnik packing two times before!" Knuckles said boastfully. "Then we beat up his treasure hunter, Nack the Weasel! I'll beat up as many badniks and mercenaries as the fat man sends my way!"
"So they're just gonna pretend I'm not here?" Metal Sonic whined.
"Ping!"
For a guy who's supposed to be watching the Master Emerald, his vigilance could use work. I know for a fact he couldn't take on an Egg Fleet by himself, and he certainly couldn't handle Enerjak. I didn't even know if he could keep up with Rouge if he kept that mindset, the Chaotix being present or not.
"Knuckles, you fended him off in the short-term. The man has a planet full of resources at his disposal. He'll be back again when he really wants to make his conquest stick."
"I don't know if you noticed, but up here on the Floating Island, the rest of the world ain't any of our concern!" Archimedes said brusquely. "Right now, Enerjak is top priority!"
Not any of your concern? Are you kidding me?
I lifted both halves of my board, fused them back together with magic, and twisted the internal turbine until it coughed up more power I could use.
⟁ ♦ 10
"You need as much help as you can get to contain this 'island concern' before it becomes a planet problem," I said, the words spilling out more harshly than I intended. "If you're going to receive that help, then we're going to need more intel. What is Enerjak?"
The fire ant hopped off the table and onto the tip of the Red Chimera, antennas twitching. That put him at more or less eye level.
"You know what? Upon further review, I've decided you and the little lady have done enough for us. You're free to go."
"Excuse me?" Fiona said, affronted.
Archimedes pointed two of his right hands to the door.
"You heard me. You're done your part, and now you're through. We don't need mavericks with bad attitudes causing us any more headaches while we deal with Enerjak. Shuffle back to your princedom in Eurish, and we'll take things from here."
My nerves have been dangerously frayed as-is, and Archimedes wasn't helping. I warped the board away from under Archimedes' feet, placing him on a much more precarious crystal platform.
"We don't answer to your authority," I stated. "Unless you're withholding some very pertinent information, none of you can handle an insane super form on your lonesome. You need our help to stop him, and you're hardly in a position to turn us away."
Archimedes clicked his mandibles irritably, making me reassess my earlier assumption that they were completely without purpose. I thought I saw a spark fly off them.
"And you think you can, tough guy? You might be hot guano where you come from, but don't act like you run this place when you don't know the first thing about the Floating Island!"
That was rich. I could recite Tikal's Prayer by heart, and it seemed like I was the only person who knew this place was called Angel Island.
"I know more than you might expect," I said coldly.
"Fat chance of that! You said it yourself that you don't even know what Enerjak is!"
I know that all I need is one touch, and Enerjak's power is mine.
You again!
I honed in on that second voice in my head and focused, the rest of the world slowing to a crawl. The slower the world got, the hazier it became, until I was lost in my own head.
⟁ ♦ 9
I was well past the point where I could pretend that I was alone in here. Not too long after I woke up in space, I suspected that there was something within the Phantom Ruby trying to steer my movements. Later, it started taking over when I gave into extreme emotions, and it tried making decisions for me until I could wrest control back.
Since this thing was really bad at making decisions, I was long overdue for a chat with the squatter in my mind palace.
Look. I don't know if the Phantom Ruby is talking to me, if it's my runaway id, or if Infinite is stuck here. Been guessing that one for a while. At this point, I don't care which it is. Whatever you are, we aren't in immediate danger, so come out and have a chat.
…
Are you listening? Good.
Are you stupid?
⟁ ♦ !!
It's a genuine question, because your short-sighted hijackings of my body to grab for the nearest power source are gonna get us both killed!
I was so close!
We aren't playing with horseshoes or hand grenades here, you're playing with my life!
I know I can lay the false god low!
Oh, I'm sure! After all, you're the one that's the Enerjak expert around here!
…
I conjured the image of Enerjak back into my mind. Gold and blue armor. Red skin, and dreadlocks. Snake on a stick. Chaos green eyes that leaked with noxious, negative energy.
The image burned magenta in my mind.
Enerjak isn't from any of the video games I played, shows I watched, or comics I read. And yet, my dreams told me what he looks like and what he's capable of as if I did. Care to explain how that got in my head?
There was no response.
⟁ ♦ 8
I might be going crazy in here, but if it can't be me that's familiar with Enerjak, then it's obviously you! So talk to me. Tell me what I need to know!
I felt something inside the Phantom Ruby resonate. For a time, my mind was eerily quiet. Normally, it should always be this quiet in my own mind when I wasn't thinking, but this?
This silence made me feel alone. I was quietly glad that it didn't stretch on longer.
…Enerjak is a reality warper running on the high-octane chaos power. The eleven emeralds powering him mean he can't be exhausted by sheer force.
Wait, eleven emeralds? That's impossible.
I'm talking here.
Oh, excuse me. Go ahead then, Mister Snippy.
I know there are far more than seven in this zone, and that all of the ones on Mobius are green. Seven are needed to stabilize a super form, and Enerjak has four more than that he doesn't strictly need. I can take this information as-is or leave it.
Fine, more emeralds. That's good for me, I guess.
It occurred to me that there's no use in sneaking in close to touch him if he's going to turn me to salt on contact.
Okay, we're making progress. How do we stop that from happening?
Everything I need to pin him down, stop him from escaping, is already on the island. I just need to arrange them all in order. Make a trap, lead him to it, and put him down for good.
Now you're speaking my language. What can I use that could prevent a physical god from moving or acting long enough to sap his energy?
I wracked my brain, both hemispheres working in tandem.
Phantom Ruby, Master Emerald, a lot of guns, a power gem, miscellaneous machinery yet to be decommissioned by the Mechanix--
That's it!
When it finally clicked, the trick I used to speed up my thoughts wore off.
"Got anything to say for yourself?" Archimedes chastised, foot tapping.
"I have a tentative plan on how to stop Enerjak."
Archimedes began fuming, smoke and all.
"Now listen right here, you arrogant--!"
I turned to Knuckles, ignoring the ant. Time was of the essence, and if Archimedes wasn't going to cooperate, then I'd aim higher up the chain of command.
"Knuckles. You're the Guardian. By my understanding of the situation, that makes you the local authority here. Is that right?"
"I guess?" Knuckles said, before correcting himself. Becoming more confident in his statement. "It's my duty to protect the island, and the people on it."
"Then congrats on the promotion to being its leader. Do you want to bench us as well?"
Knuckles finished the water bottle and crushed it, a pensive look overshadowing his face.
"Not yet. I don't like Sonic, but Tails and the rest of the Freedom Fighters weren't too bad. What exactly can you do? You didn't seem like much when we threw down."
I rattled off a list of my most pertinent abilities.
"Long-range portal generation, augmented attributes, crystal constructs, projectiles, seamless illusions, mind control, ring manipulation, and the ability to drain energy."
"And he can turn into a dragon!" Vector contributed.
"But only at night," I specified. "Hopefully a temporary affliction, because being a dragon shuts down the rest of my powers."
Knuckles gave me a stern look-over. I don't know what he was looking for, but he must've found it satisfactory.
"Think your magic can help us get the rest of the team back?"
"A little bird gave me a lock on where they were last stationed by Enerjak. The Mushroom Hills, Rainbow Valley, and Mt. Ice Cap. Figured we could jump 'em with my portals, rip Enerjak's enchantment out by the roots, and get your friends back to normal."
Or hit them really hard in the head. That did the trick for Vector.
Knuckles nodded, and extended a hand.
"Sounds simple to me. Once that's done, we all take the fight to Enerjak. You in?"
I extended my hand.
"I'm in."
Knuckles grinned.
"Then let's get cracking!"
Instead of a handshake, the echidna gave me a painful fistbump.
⟁ ♦ 7
I suppressed a yelp. Metal Sonic laughed at my expense.
"T-Then let's get going," I whimpered.
Archimedes' antennae flickered, his onerous senior citizen mood cooling down to a terse frown as he got back onto the table.
"If Knuckles wants to risk it all on you outlanders, then I won't try to argue with him."
"Thanks, Archimedes," Knuckles said. "I appreciate the support."
"Don't thank me. I'm not arguing because you'd be too dang obstinate to take my advice."
"Hey!"
"I'll be keeping my eyes on you!"
Archimedes teleported into another puff of smoke, and this time, he chose not to make it known where he was popping out from. Expanding my senses, I could see that he was watching us from one of the natural holes in the Rock Hill ceiling.
A moment after I clocked his presence, he teleported again. That time, he was totally out of sight.
"That was… pleasant," Fiona said diplomatically. "Scarlet, you said you figured out a plan? Because if that wasn't a bluff, we're all ears."
I looked around at everyone I'd gathered around me. Fiona Fox, Vector the Crocodile, the Mechanix, Metal Sonic… and Knuckles.
"Okay. Metal Sonic, you're on distraction duty."
Metal Sonic made a face.
"Against Enerjak? Nah, I'm good."
"Not against the Big Kahuna. You're going to be picking off Enerjak's robot mooks while Knuckles, Vector, and I liberate the remaining members of the Chaotix."
Metal Sonic shrugs.
"I dunno. Still sounds kind of boring."
I leaned over and whispered a proposition to him. A very devious proposition.
"Wait, you can do that? For real?"
"As long as you promise to play nice?" I need to figure out how to set up a geas right now. "Then I don't see why not. After all, we're on the same team."
Metal Sonic patted me on the back.
"You're not too bad, overlander!" the super badnik said amicably. "Don't worry about what those other guys were saying about you when you weren't looking."
I shrugged him off.
"Fiona, Heavy, Bomb? I need you to head back to the fairground and pick up a prize for me. Spruce it up, get it back in shape, and we'll have the perfect trap for Enerjak."
Fiona cocked an eyebrow.
"What do you need us to steal?"
"You don't mean the glut of floating barrels flooding the storage units, do you?" Heavy asked. "I don't expect them to be of use here."
"Ping?"
"No." I paused. "Actually, the barrels might be useful for later, but it can wait. The thing I need fixed should be something you're all more familiar with than Fiona or I."
Vector scratched his head.
"What's that supposed to--" I all but saw the lightbulb form over the crocodile's headset when he put it together. "Oh snap! You don't mean that, do you?"
I smiled.
"Mean what?" Fiona asked.
I made an illusion of my ace in the hole, shrunken into the palm of my hand.
"Heavy, do you think this might work?"
"Theoretically!" Heavy speculated. "Though the machine's never been used on anyone of such a magnitude as Enerjak."
"Then it's worth a shot."
I was still running low on power, and had to perform a few additional jumps across the island to power up. The Guardian had spent his whole life here, and was able to direct me to various electrical sources I had no idea of. There was a whole power grid under the island that I could tap into, though Knuckles was hesitant to show me anything more than which ancient idol to stick my hand for a recharge.
⟁ ♦ 100
At the base of Mt. Ice Cap, an iron behemoth roared for attention. The gargantuan monstrosity was decked in a brilliant blue armor and bristled with terrible might. It stood larger than the tallest windmill poking out from the nearby village.
Or at least, it would've stood that tall if it had legs. I shoved Metal Sonic into the remains of Big Arms, gave his power gem another boost with the Phantom Ruby, and let the crime against nature take its course from there. The kaiju-sized Metal Sonic ripped its gigantic claws through the snow, tearing its way towards the encampment where Enerjak's robots were set up. His stainless steel fangs bared, as he was all too eager to test out his new transformation.
"Alright, you suckers! Titan Metal Sonic is back in action, so COME AND GET ME!"
Figment confirmed that the mission had begun. On further reflection, Operation: Narcissus was all too fitting a designation.
- - -
Chapter 28: Knuckles Dust Off
My first interaction with Knuckles the Echidna was one I'd been dreading as an inevitability for quite some time. Almost as badly as I'd been worrying when I'd meet another 'person of interest' like Sonic, Tails, or Sally. What would I say when it happened? How would I introduce myself? Would whatever I said get fully vetted and approved by my brain before it left my mouth? I was able to hold it together when I met with Amy because I hadn't pieced together who she was at the time, and with Bean & Bark because I wasn't nearly as attached to them. I thought I'd act weird around Vector or the Chaotix, but they ended up beating me to the punch in terms of weirdness.
My first interaction with Knuckles was happening right now, and it was happening in the worst way I could imagine.
"Wait, wait!"
Knuckles gilded towards me like an echidna-guided missile. His aim was lagging due to the heat stroke he'd suffered during his stint in the desert, but the glowing bullseye of my portal meant he had no trouble finding where to plant his fists. The hero of Angel Island made it clear he wasn't holding back, shifting his gliding punch into a lethal corkscrew drill!
Dodge? Block?
An awful lot of soft targets were standing near me.
Block!
I stowed my crystal ball and drew my extreme gear from Null Space. The Red Chimera wasn't just a piece of metal standing between myself and danger. It was purpose-built as a combat shield, with increased size and weight that made it much sturdier than your average air board. Reinforcing the dense materials of the board with crystal matter, I planted my feet and braced for impact!
⟁ ♦ 4
When Knuckles made his two-fisted landing, the crystal shell around the extreme gear shattered. A pair of fissures from the force of the strike tore through my hardware, stopping a direct hit by a hare's breath. Were I not able to stand my ground against his spiraling charge, I would've been sent tumbling into Mighty's weight collection.
"Get off!" I said as I swung both halves of the broken shield forwards.
Knuckles detached his spiked gloves from my gear and flipped back, landing on the ground with a thump. The super strong echidna was unsteady on his feet, eyes unfocused, and no less dangerous for it. Spending all day in the hot sand thinking about what he'd do to Enerjak when he caught up to him did Knuckles no favors now that he's in a rage.
That wouldn't be doing me any favors, either.
"Knuckles!" Vector called out, relief clear in his voice. "We've been searching all over for you!"
Knuckles turned towards his friend, confused.
"Vector, what're you…?" His expression rapidly hardened. "Wait! This is a trick, isn't it!?"
Vector was put on the backfoot.
"What? Get your head on straight! We need to get our friends back from Enerjak!"
"You're not gonna fool me!"
Knuckles threw a woozy haymaker at Vector, which he dodged by contorting his narrow body around the oncoming fist.
"Yo yo yo! I just got off the mend!"
"Ooh, fifty mobiums on the echidna beating his friend into a leather handbag!" Metal Sonic jeered.
"PING!" shouted Bomb, who attempted to be the voice of reason.
I had to act fast. Vector had good reflexes, but he wasn't durable. Bomb was standing between them, trying to mediate, which meant any stray attack sent his way would trigger a detonation. If Vector said I hit like Knuckles as a dragon, then I stood no chance of putting him in check as an augmented human.
That left me with one last option. At least, one that wasn't taking my chances with a gun.
"Simmer down!" I commanded, using magic to halt Knuckles before he could rush them.
⟁ ♦ 3
Knuckles' body was paralyzed by a ruby haze around his mind. He was under my sway.
"NEVER!" he cried defiantly.
Scratch that. I thought he was under my sway, when gnarled spikes of willpower tore at the edges of my influence. Unlike the Fearsome Foursome, who surrendered out of obligation, or Fiona, whose composure broke when she was taken off guard, Knuckles was mad enough that he threatened to break loose at any second.
"We aren't your enemies!" I intoned, dropping my busted board so I could bring additional focus to bear on Knuckles. Keeping my hands free seemed to help my concentration. I knew that I could push further, but I didn't know how far I could go before something broke.
"Yes. You. Are!"
"Be calm! Be at peace! I command you to listen to the words I am saying!"
⟁ ♦ 2
Knuckles was adamant, and above all else, stubborn. He let out a wild snort, lunging at me to disrupt my spell! We were both on the ground, where I struggled to get loose from his hold! The echidna grabbed me by the collar with one hand, reeling the other one back for a skull-caving wallop.
"Listen to crunch time, Dimitri!"
That name again!
"Who the hell is Dimitri!?"
My claws popped out on instinct.
It was happening again. I knew the Phantom Ruby was altering my judgment, trying to make me act more violent. More reckless. The thoughts sounded like my own, but twisted and distorted. I tried to force the claws back behind my fingertips, but not all of them were cooperating.
Stop! I don't want to hurt him!
And I don't want him to hurt me!
It's not a binary decision!
Right before Knuckles delivered his coup de grâce, or I could counter by raking his face, the two of us were doused with enough water to take the wind out of our sails.
"H-Hey!"
"What the--!?" Knuckles sputtered out.
"How about both of you cool off?" Fiona reprimanded, the sprayer attached to the kitchen sink in one hand.
Knuckles looked down at me, his delirium-induced wrath having melted away.
"Who the heck are you?"
I manifested a towel from Null Space and dried my face.
"Freedom Fighter," I said curtly.
Knuckles gave me a dubious look, an eyebrow raised.
"You sure about that?"
I furrowed my brow and handed him the towel.
"Pretty sure."
"What're more of you Freedom Fighters doing on my island?" he asked bluntly.
"Saving your life," I replied in exasperation. "You're welcome."
"For Walkers' sake, would you get offa the overlander already?" an unfamiliar, gruff voice groused from behind my back.
I tilted my head around, identifying the source of the request as a dark red, mobian ant. The body plan of the ant was vaguely in line with other insect mobians, such as Presto and Cadence. I saw four arms sticking out from the four holes of his vest, two legs, a set of antennae that poked through the sides of his cowboy hat, and a pair of vestigial mandibles.
Most notably, the stranger was half a foot tall. Small enough to fit in the palm of Fiona's hand, where he currently stood. I didn't notice him a moment ago, as he was easily the smallest mobian I'd encountered thus far.
"My bad."
Knuckles bashfully obliged the ant and climbed off my neck. I got up from the ground, drying myself off with a light whoosh of wind.
"Thank you. As Vector was trying to say earlier, Fiona Fox and I are with the Crazy Kritter Freedom Fighters in Mercia."
"Sir Scarlet's a local legend," Fiona added.
I turned my head towards her, not sure if she was making that up to try and sate my ego or make me seem more impressive.
Wait, did I get knighted and no one said anything?
Knuckles looked back to where Vector was standing, doing a double-take.
"Vector?"
The crocodile shot him a thumbs-up, tossing him a water bottle.
"I'm the real deal! And so's Scarlet! The fly wizard freed me from Enerjak's control and brought us back to Mighty's place so we could get ready for a rematch!"
Knuckles twisted the cap off the bottle, showing a lot of dexterity with his boxing gloves. He paused to rehydrate before speaking, a couple of emotions flashing across his face. Anger at Enerjak, fear for the safety of his friends, shame that he was taken for a ride, and almost did even more damage in the process.
I can relate.
"Wizard, huh?"
"So I've been told."
"And if you're all real, that means…" Knuckles started, his eyes looking around until they locked onto the super badnik in the room. "Metal Sonic!?"
"Thought you would never notice!" he said cheekily.
"What're you doing here? Trying to take advantage of me being away to--!"
I raised a hand before Knuckles could raise his fist. Again.
"Alliance until Enerjak is dealt with."
"You're kidding, right? Do you know what it's capable of?"
"Yes, and that's why we need him on our side right now."
The echidna stopped his pre-emptive attack, letting out a frustrated huff.
"Fine. But keep it on a short leash."
Metal Sonic stuck out his tongue. Not sure why he had one of those, but he did.
"I'll see what I can do."
"What about the others? Espio? Charmy? Mighty? Heavy and Bomb?"
"Present and accounted for!" Heavy shouted as he trundled in. "We were on an expedition to the wreckage of the Happyland theme park with our new allies when that eruption of chaos energy occurred and the Enerjak entity made itself known."
"Ping!" Bomb corroborated.
"That was right before Enerjak attacked us at the Grand Conservatory," Knuckles explained, while explaining nothing to me.
"They were fighting me!" Metal Sonic said.
"The others are still under Enerjak's mind whammy," Vector said. "Johnny Scarlet here's got some magic in his corner we can use to get them back."
"Is that so?" the ant asked skeptically.
By the way the ant talked and carried himself, I got the impression that he was more seasoned than the others. Definitely spent time in military or law enforcement. Couldn't pin an exact age on him, or recognize him from any Sonic media I was aware of. If he was supposed to be important, like Vector implied he was, then the ant would be another blind spot I'd need to approach with care.
"You're… Archie the Ant, I take it?" I asked the red insect.
"Archimedes the Fire Ant," he corrected. "I appreciate you fishin' us out of the Sandopolis Desert. Another day or two out there without water, and we'd both be goners."
"I was happy to--"
Archimedes cut me off.
"That bein' said, I'd appreciate you a lot more if you didn't pull that 'whammy' on any of us again. No matter your intentions, that ain't the kind of magic you sling out willy-nilly."
I nodded, not wanting to get too used to using it on people anyway.
"Are you with the Chaotix?"
Archimedes let out a laugh.
"Hardly! The Chaotix are the Guardian's friends and teammates. I'm his mentor."
The fire ant vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing on the table. Gazing into the smoke, I could tell it was some kind of short-range teleportation spell with the lingering essence of fire. Clearly, he knew a few spells of his own.
"Never heard of the Guardian having a mentor," Fiona said as she shook the excess of soot off her glove. "I take it you're new?"
"Knuckles only overcame my trials this year," Archimedes clarified. "I trained his father, and his father before him. If you want to point fingers to anybody and call 'em new, it's the flush of outlander tourists flyin' in from the surface makin' my job difficult."
Taking his claims at face value, the ant had to be pretty old. He also seemed familiar with Knuckles' family line, something that remained an enigma in the material I recognized. A blank space full of gaps remaining to be filled.
However, one of his comments irked me. Caused me to hesitate to trust him outright.
"Does that mean you chose not to intervene the first time the island was invaded?"
My eyes flickered to the other people present, and it looked like everyone overlooked that issue, Knuckles included.
"I didn't even think of that!" Vector shouted. "What's the deal, Archy? We could've used the help with Metal Sonic!"
"Got that right!" Metal Sonic said.
Fiona shot him a look. Metal Sonic switched gears to an innocent whistle on his speaker.
Archimedes, for his part, was dismissive of Vector's line of questioning and my own.
"Vector, do ya really think I was sleepin' on the job? I was watchin' from afar until Knuckles was old enough for me to reveal myself. He handled the past couple of attacks just fine without me stepping in, thanks to Sonic passing through and then you kids forming up the Chaotix to be his support team. If he needed the extra help to deal with small fries like Robotnik, then I would've given it without hesitation."
Vector rubbed his chin uncertainly.
"I guess that makes sense."
"Glad you think so. Now that Knuckles is of age, I've taken it upon myself to make sure he's ready for the trials to come."
I closed my eyes for five seconds, considering if I should leave the comment be.
Knuckles handled it just fine?
After everything else I've had to put up with, I didn't have it in me.
"Are you really going to call Robotnik a 'small fry'?"
"We sent Doctor Robotnik packing two times before!" Knuckles said boastfully. "Then we beat up his treasure hunter, Nack the Weasel! I'll beat up as many badniks and mercenaries as the fat man sends my way!"
"So they're just gonna pretend I'm not here?" Metal Sonic whined.
"Ping!"
For a guy who's supposed to be watching the Master Emerald, his vigilance could use work. I know for a fact he couldn't take on an Egg Fleet by himself, and he certainly couldn't handle Enerjak. I didn't even know if he could keep up with Rouge if he kept that mindset, the Chaotix being present or not.
"Knuckles, you fended him off in the short-term. The man has a planet full of resources at his disposal. He'll be back again when he really wants to make his conquest stick."
"I don't know if you noticed, but up here on the Floating Island, the rest of the world ain't any of our concern!" Archimedes said brusquely. "Right now, Enerjak is top priority!"
Not any of your concern? Are you kidding me?
I lifted both halves of my board, fused them back together with magic, and twisted the internal turbine until it coughed up more power I could use.
⟁ ♦ 10
"You need as much help as you can get to contain this 'island concern' before it becomes a planet problem," I said, the words spilling out more harshly than I intended. "If you're going to receive that help, then we're going to need more intel. What is Enerjak?"
The fire ant hopped off the table and onto the tip of the Red Chimera, antennas twitching. That put him at more or less eye level.
"You know what? Upon further review, I've decided you and the little lady have done enough for us. You're free to go."
"Excuse me?" Fiona said, affronted.
Archimedes pointed two of his right hands to the door.
"You heard me. You're done your part, and now you're through. We don't need mavericks with bad attitudes causing us any more headaches while we deal with Enerjak. Shuffle back to your princedom in Eurish, and we'll take things from here."
My nerves have been dangerously frayed as-is, and Archimedes wasn't helping. I warped the board away from under Archimedes' feet, placing him on a much more precarious crystal platform.
"We don't answer to your authority," I stated. "Unless you're withholding some very pertinent information, none of you can handle an insane super form on your lonesome. You need our help to stop him, and you're hardly in a position to turn us away."
Archimedes clicked his mandibles irritably, making me reassess my earlier assumption that they were completely without purpose. I thought I saw a spark fly off them.
"And you think you can, tough guy? You might be hot guano where you come from, but don't act like you run this place when you don't know the first thing about the Floating Island!"
That was rich. I could recite Tikal's Prayer by heart, and it seemed like I was the only person who knew this place was called Angel Island.
"I know more than you might expect," I said coldly.
"Fat chance of that! You said it yourself that you don't even know what Enerjak is!"
I know that all I need is one touch, and Enerjak's power is mine.
You again!
I honed in on that second voice in my head and focused, the rest of the world slowing to a crawl. The slower the world got, the hazier it became, until I was lost in my own head.
⟁ ♦ 9
I was well past the point where I could pretend that I was alone in here. Not too long after I woke up in space, I suspected that there was something within the Phantom Ruby trying to steer my movements. Later, it started taking over when I gave into extreme emotions, and it tried making decisions for me until I could wrest control back.
Since this thing was really bad at making decisions, I was long overdue for a chat with the squatter in my mind palace.
Look. I don't know if the Phantom Ruby is talking to me, if it's my runaway id, or if Infinite is stuck here. Been guessing that one for a while. At this point, I don't care which it is. Whatever you are, we aren't in immediate danger, so come out and have a chat.
…
Are you listening? Good.
Are you stupid?
⟁ ♦ !!
It's a genuine question, because your short-sighted hijackings of my body to grab for the nearest power source are gonna get us both killed!
I was so close!
We aren't playing with horseshoes or hand grenades here, you're playing with my life!
I know I can lay the false god low!
Oh, I'm sure! After all, you're the one that's the Enerjak expert around here!
…
I conjured the image of Enerjak back into my mind. Gold and blue armor. Red skin, and dreadlocks. Snake on a stick. Chaos green eyes that leaked with noxious, negative energy.
The image burned magenta in my mind.
Enerjak isn't from any of the video games I played, shows I watched, or comics I read. And yet, my dreams told me what he looks like and what he's capable of as if I did. Care to explain how that got in my head?
There was no response.
⟁ ♦ 8
I might be going crazy in here, but if it can't be me that's familiar with Enerjak, then it's obviously you! So talk to me. Tell me what I need to know!
I felt something inside the Phantom Ruby resonate. For a time, my mind was eerily quiet. Normally, it should always be this quiet in my own mind when I wasn't thinking, but this?
This silence made me feel alone. I was quietly glad that it didn't stretch on longer.
…Enerjak is a reality warper running on the high-octane chaos power. The eleven emeralds powering him mean he can't be exhausted by sheer force.
Wait, eleven emeralds? That's impossible.
I'm talking here.
Oh, excuse me. Go ahead then, Mister Snippy.
I know there are far more than seven in this zone, and that all of the ones on Mobius are green. Seven are needed to stabilize a super form, and Enerjak has four more than that he doesn't strictly need. I can take this information as-is or leave it.
Fine, more emeralds. That's good for me, I guess.
It occurred to me that there's no use in sneaking in close to touch him if he's going to turn me to salt on contact.
Okay, we're making progress. How do we stop that from happening?
Everything I need to pin him down, stop him from escaping, is already on the island. I just need to arrange them all in order. Make a trap, lead him to it, and put him down for good.
Now you're speaking my language. What can I use that could prevent a physical god from moving or acting long enough to sap his energy?
I wracked my brain, both hemispheres working in tandem.
Phantom Ruby, Master Emerald, a lot of guns, a power gem, miscellaneous machinery yet to be decommissioned by the Mechanix--
That's it!
When it finally clicked, the trick I used to speed up my thoughts wore off.
"Got anything to say for yourself?" Archimedes chastised, foot tapping.
"I have a tentative plan on how to stop Enerjak."
Archimedes began fuming, smoke and all.
"Now listen right here, you arrogant--!"
I turned to Knuckles, ignoring the ant. Time was of the essence, and if Archimedes wasn't going to cooperate, then I'd aim higher up the chain of command.
"Knuckles. You're the Guardian. By my understanding of the situation, that makes you the local authority here. Is that right?"
"I guess?" Knuckles said, before correcting himself. Becoming more confident in his statement. "It's my duty to protect the island, and the people on it."
"Then congrats on the promotion to being its leader. Do you want to bench us as well?"
Knuckles finished the water bottle and crushed it, a pensive look overshadowing his face.
"Not yet. I don't like Sonic, but Tails and the rest of the Freedom Fighters weren't too bad. What exactly can you do? You didn't seem like much when we threw down."
I rattled off a list of my most pertinent abilities.
"Long-range portal generation, augmented attributes, crystal constructs, projectiles, seamless illusions, mind control, ring manipulation, and the ability to drain energy."
"And he can turn into a dragon!" Vector contributed.
"But only at night," I specified. "Hopefully a temporary affliction, because being a dragon shuts down the rest of my powers."
Knuckles gave me a stern look-over. I don't know what he was looking for, but he must've found it satisfactory.
"Think your magic can help us get the rest of the team back?"
"A little bird gave me a lock on where they were last stationed by Enerjak. The Mushroom Hills, Rainbow Valley, and Mt. Ice Cap. Figured we could jump 'em with my portals, rip Enerjak's enchantment out by the roots, and get your friends back to normal."
Or hit them really hard in the head. That did the trick for Vector.
Knuckles nodded, and extended a hand.
"Sounds simple to me. Once that's done, we all take the fight to Enerjak. You in?"
I extended my hand.
"I'm in."
Knuckles grinned.
"Then let's get cracking!"
Instead of a handshake, the echidna gave me a painful fistbump.
⟁ ♦ 7
I suppressed a yelp. Metal Sonic laughed at my expense.
"T-Then let's get going," I whimpered.
Archimedes' antennae flickered, his onerous senior citizen mood cooling down to a terse frown as he got back onto the table.
"If Knuckles wants to risk it all on you outlanders, then I won't try to argue with him."
"Thanks, Archimedes," Knuckles said. "I appreciate the support."
"Don't thank me. I'm not arguing because you'd be too dang obstinate to take my advice."
"Hey!"
"I'll be keeping my eyes on you!"
Archimedes teleported into another puff of smoke, and this time, he chose not to make it known where he was popping out from. Expanding my senses, I could see that he was watching us from one of the natural holes in the Rock Hill ceiling.
A moment after I clocked his presence, he teleported again. That time, he was totally out of sight.
"That was… pleasant," Fiona said diplomatically. "Scarlet, you said you figured out a plan? Because if that wasn't a bluff, we're all ears."
I looked around at everyone I'd gathered around me. Fiona Fox, Vector the Crocodile, the Mechanix, Metal Sonic… and Knuckles.
"Okay. Metal Sonic, you're on distraction duty."
Metal Sonic made a face.
"Against Enerjak? Nah, I'm good."
"Not against the Big Kahuna. You're going to be picking off Enerjak's robot mooks while Knuckles, Vector, and I liberate the remaining members of the Chaotix."
Metal Sonic shrugs.
"I dunno. Still sounds kind of boring."
I leaned over and whispered a proposition to him. A very devious proposition.
"Wait, you can do that? For real?"
"As long as you promise to play nice?" I need to figure out how to set up a geas right now. "Then I don't see why not. After all, we're on the same team."
Metal Sonic patted me on the back.
"You're not too bad, overlander!" the super badnik said amicably. "Don't worry about what those other guys were saying about you when you weren't looking."
I shrugged him off.
"Fiona, Heavy, Bomb? I need you to head back to the fairground and pick up a prize for me. Spruce it up, get it back in shape, and we'll have the perfect trap for Enerjak."
Fiona cocked an eyebrow.
"What do you need us to steal?"
"You don't mean the glut of floating barrels flooding the storage units, do you?" Heavy asked. "I don't expect them to be of use here."
"Ping?"
"No." I paused. "Actually, the barrels might be useful for later, but it can wait. The thing I need fixed should be something you're all more familiar with than Fiona or I."
Vector scratched his head.
"What's that supposed to--" I all but saw the lightbulb form over the crocodile's headset when he put it together. "Oh snap! You don't mean that, do you?"
I smiled.
"Mean what?" Fiona asked.
I made an illusion of my ace in the hole, shrunken into the palm of my hand.
"Heavy, do you think this might work?"
"Theoretically!" Heavy speculated. "Though the machine's never been used on anyone of such a magnitude as Enerjak."
"Then it's worth a shot."
I was still running low on power, and had to perform a few additional jumps across the island to power up. The Guardian had spent his whole life here, and was able to direct me to various electrical sources I had no idea of. There was a whole power grid under the island that I could tap into, though Knuckles was hesitant to show me anything more than which ancient idol to stick my hand for a recharge.
⟁ ♦ 100
At the base of Mt. Ice Cap, an iron behemoth roared for attention. The gargantuan monstrosity was decked in a brilliant blue armor and bristled with terrible might. It stood larger than the tallest windmill poking out from the nearby village.
Or at least, it would've stood that tall if it had legs. I shoved Metal Sonic into the remains of Big Arms, gave his power gem another boost with the Phantom Ruby, and let the crime against nature take its course from there. The kaiju-sized Metal Sonic ripped its gigantic claws through the snow, tearing its way towards the encampment where Enerjak's robots were set up. His stainless steel fangs bared, as he was all too eager to test out his new transformation.
"Alright, you suckers! Titan Metal Sonic is back in action, so COME AND GET ME!"
Figment confirmed that the mission had begun. On further reflection, Operation: Narcissus was all too fitting a designation.
- - -
I like Archie Knuckles. He's a cool dude. Unfortunately, at this time in the story, and for much of his tenure on the series until the Guardians get yeeted out the cosmic airlock, he's encumbered by so many adults trying to tell him how to do his job! Or doing his job behind his back! For those familiar with the mini I'm riffing off of, you know this story ends with him thinking he saved the day while actually doing nothing. This was somehow a recurring theme in the book that would carry forward. To my continued frustration.
I hate it. It's icky. Yeck!
Archimedes was one of those characters I'm talking about, but he becomes obsolete when the other meddlesome authority figures are shoved in to complicate Knuckles' life so fast that I felt kinda bad for him. As well as the rest of the Fire Ants, whose jobs were to be the ever-suffering Jiminy Crickets to the echidna civilization. He's also the only one that realizes what they did to Knuckles was wrong, so he earns some sympathy points for later.
The original Titan Metal Sonic in the comics was derived from the Metal Sonic Kai change form that Metal Sonic underwent in Knuckles Chaotix. Titan Metal Sonic as he was actually executed was pretty lame, so I let Metal Sonic 2.5 have another go at being a giant monster on a rampage. The new design is inspired by Giga Metal Sonic from Sonic Mania.
The next chapter will be called "Plucking Narcissus," or something to that effect, as the cunning plot the SI came up with in like a minute comes to its fruition.
I hate it. It's icky. Yeck!
Archimedes was one of those characters I'm talking about, but he becomes obsolete when the other meddlesome authority figures are shoved in to complicate Knuckles' life so fast that I felt kinda bad for him. As well as the rest of the Fire Ants, whose jobs were to be the ever-suffering Jiminy Crickets to the echidna civilization. He's also the only one that realizes what they did to Knuckles was wrong, so he earns some sympathy points for later.
The original Titan Metal Sonic in the comics was derived from the Metal Sonic Kai change form that Metal Sonic underwent in Knuckles Chaotix. Titan Metal Sonic as he was actually executed was pretty lame, so I let Metal Sonic 2.5 have another go at being a giant monster on a rampage. The new design is inspired by Giga Metal Sonic from Sonic Mania.
The next chapter will be called "Plucking Narcissus," or something to that effect, as the cunning plot the SI came up with in like a minute comes to its fruition.
❞
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︎■︎⧫︎?"
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︎■︎. I'm 
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April Fools!