Legend of Flicky

Chapter 10 – Revisiting the Past

Rouge didn’t know what Shadow was up to, but she went with him, anyway. Why did he want to come here, of all places? He hadn’t even fully recovered from his wound yet. Rouge’s own wound was now properly bandaged, but it still stung severely. Shadow’s was far worse, though. The hedgehog girl was also wounded, but not nearly as bad as Shadow’s arm.

Whatever the case, the Ark hadn’t changed at all since they were last here. In fact, the only thing that had changed was herself. Black Doom, using the poor soul that he had possessed, attempted to turn her into dust. Apparently that hedgehog girl’s power revolved around manipulation of time, of which Shadow had already explained. However, Doom’s own power, mixed with the powers of the Chaos Emeralds, had amplified her powers greatly.

This is the reasoning behind the strange occurrences. With that power, titanium doors crumbled in seconds. Soldiers were aged into their late years and ultimately into dust. The great speed and stamina possessed by the girl resulted from using her own powers on herself, enhancing her speed and agility. Doom then tried to use it on Rouge, but the mind of the possessed girl had somehow interfered, reversing the effects. Shadow also quickly stepped in the way, whom was unaffected by the powers due to his agelessness, stopping the regression process.

The batgirl’s mind had regressed as well, fear easily entering her mind. She had changed from a mature adult into a child in a matter of seconds. No matter, though, she would deal with it. It couldn’t be that bad being a kid again, could it…? Well, it depends on whom one looks to as reference. Amy surely wouldn’t be a good example. Tails and Cream, though, were fairly mature for their age. Then there’s Charmy, though… Rouge immediately dropped the thought out of her head.

She looked up. Shadow moved ahead fiercely, not even slowing down for her. Rouge sped up her walking speed. What was he up to, anyway? They had already concluded everything; the mystery solved. Black Doom and Mephiles were both defeated, with the help of Tails and Silver. Shadow helped get Omega into the Tornado so Tails could repair him, while Rouge herself had gone with Shadow to bring the hedgehog girl back to Central City. Silver, on the other hand, had disappeared after the fight with no trace.

Shadow even figured out why Omega went crazy. He told Rouge what he had found out about the Legend of the Flicky. The flicky was a special kind of bird linked to the seven Sol Emeralds; formerly thought to have existed solely in an alternate universe. The emeralds were originally used by the great King Solomon of ancient Soleanna to seal away the demon, Iblis. They were kept in the royal halls of Soleanna, but down through the years, corruption ensued and they had been lost.

The emeralds somehow found their way to the island of Flicky, which is where they had originally come from in the first place. The Sol Emeralds had equal powers to that of the Chaos Emeralds, but were linked more to time than to space and matter. Much like the Chaos Emeralds being derived from the ‘god’ Chaos, the Sol Emeralds were named after the ‘god’ Solaris. Whether or not they were actual gods is still up to question, though.

The Sol Emeralds, affected by the powers existing on the island, somehow ended up in an alternate dimension. Blaze the Cat had, apparently, gained possession of them only a couple years ago. Sonic the Hedgehog had previously encountered them himself, but never realized what they actually were at the time. Blaze never actually stated this herself, but she did tell Silver.

Silver had explained that he followed Blaze to the island, where he learned the whole truth. Soleanna is located not too far from the island of Flicky, which Silver revealed is where Blaze originally came from. She had never known that this was her world, though she actually came from the distant future as Silver did. Strangely, Silver stated that she seemed to know him when they first met. Regardless, they still befriended each other, anyway, quickly growing into a strong relationship.

Rouge stopped in her thoughts. She regained her position, realizing that she had strayed off the subject at hand. ‘Now where was I?’ she asked herself. She closed her eyes for a second, but quickly opened them again. ‘Ah, yes, the flicky!’

The flicky were native to the island of Flicky, located south-by-southwest of Soleanna, and northwest of South Island. Flicky didn’t live exclusively on that island, though. They also lived elsewhere, and people assumed they were ordinary birds. These birds had more of a mind than normal animals, though, just like the chao creatures. Eggman constantly used them in his robots, at least until realizing that many managed to overcome the imprisonment.

Eggman created his entire E-100 series using these, save for the ‘Phi’ model. This ultimately ended with Omega, the last e-series. Omega was created to seal Shadow the Hedgehog. However, the robot was destroyed. Tails rebuilt Omega using a Chaos Drive instead of the original flicky bird that was inside of him, which was what caused him to go haywire. Rouge herself knew that she had the true Omega. The robot was just a shell--the tiny bird inside made up its mind.

Rouge continued to think it over, but that all stopped when Shadow suddenly gasped out. She looked up at the black hedgehog, curious. Shadow darted forward. Rouge glanced around the chamber, realizing that this is the exact area where she, Silver, and Blaze had encountered Shadow when first meeting Mephiles. She then noticed that a green liquid seeped along the ground. Though it was the same chamber, that was never there before…

The bat immediately darted forward and flew into the small room. A large metal beamed had crashed into the control console. Upon seeing it, she realized that this must’ve been what Shadow was looking for. However, he wasn’t there now. He was staring at the wall… no, wait, that’s where all those clones were! Rouge glanced at the liquid on the ground, looking along the trail. It came from that chamber.

She ran up to Shadow’s side, seeing what had happened. She looked into the room, dumbfounded. About half of the capsules in the room had been shattered. The clones apparently weren’t in perfect condition, as the ones that were in the broken pods were now missing. She could only guess one thing that could’ve happened.

She lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Shadow…” she proclaimed.

Shadow slammed his fist into the wall. “Damnit! I just wanted to learn the truth. Now everything has been destroyed, with most of the remaining proof gone.” The hedgehog frowned. He turned around and walked away.

Rouge sighed. She wanted to comfort him, but she couldn’t think of what to say. She glanced over at Shadow, but then turned into the room. That’s when she noticed it. “Hey, wait, Shadow!” she called out, turning to him.

The hedgehog stopped. Her turned around, staring into the eyes of the now-young girl. He sighed. Shadow walked up to her, but she immediately darted forward. She seemed quite energetic, but then again, she had lost eight years of her life. Whatever the case, the black hedgehog stepped into the room and up beside her. Then he saw it.

Glass lay on the floor. A small grey object lay within the green puddle in the first pod. That wasn’t what they were staring at, though. Straight ahead was a pillar—that same pillar from before. However, a secret door had now opened and a tenth pod was inside. The pod’s doors had slid open to the sides. Apparently something was in it at one time, but was now gone.

The black hedgehog stared in disbelief. One image came to mind, that of the girl from before. The one Doom possessed. What is it about her voice, and why did Doom choose her, of all people? He turned to Rouge. “Do you think…?”

Rouge nodded, but remained staring ahead. “I see no reason why it would not be the case. A hidden pod, safely kept out of view, in the midst of a room full of clones. The only logical suggestion is that she is…”

“The original?” a voice stated from behind, interrupting Rouge’s speech.

Both of them spun around, seeing the girl from before. She was a hedgehog with light blue fur and blue eyes. She was slightly shorter than Shadow, wearing a navy blue shirt with a skirt of the same color. The shirt was long sleeve, covering her arms, and the skirt covered her ankles. She also wore blue shoes, clearly showing off her love of the color.

Despite all this, that was not the defining factor. It was the voice. That voice Shadow remembered so many years ago. Only one name came to his mind. “M… Maria?” he asked.

The girl smiled. She ran up to the hedgehog and hugged him. “Oh, Shadow, I missed you so much!” she cried out.

Shadow took her embrace while Rouge just watched. She felt happy for them, but… wait, was she feeling… no, they were lost friends. They deserved a special reunion. She… she’d just… well, she could leave. Actually, that would be the best situation, anyway. Hell with that, he can have her! In this state, Rouge was no longer at a level age with Shadow. Her mind along with her body had regressed, now equivalent to that of a ten-year old girl. She no longer had a place in his life.

Rouge walked out of the room. Shadow paid no attention, only worrying about the hedgehog girl beside him. His lost friend, now finally reunited. He didn’t bother with the fact that she didn’t seem to be human any longer. Hey, perhaps she wasn’t to begin with. Whatever the case, at least she was real.

Maria opened her eyes. She noticed that something was missing. Rouge had disappeared. The hedgehog girl quickly turned, seeing the bat leave the chamber. She stared for a bit, but quickly let go of Shadow. She ran after Rouge. “Hey, wait up!”

The batgirl stopped. She turned around and watched the hedgehog girl. “Well, you two are doing fine on your own. I don’t need to watch it.” She didn’t want to sound the way she did, but her harsh tone was undeniable. It ended up coming out that way nonetheless, like a spat in the face.

Shadow watched, surprised at this. He ran after Maria, but his eyes weren’t on her. “Rouge!” he yelled.

Maria stared blankly, but then she thought for a moment. She closed her eyes, concentrating. Finally, she realized what was going on. She opened her eyes again. “Professor Gerald!” she called out.

The black hedgehog turned to her. He glared at her, awkwardly. Why use such proper tone of voice and wording? From a family member, titles are usually exempt. Heck, wouldn’t another word be more suited. Pondering this, he spoke up. “‘Professor?’ Don’t you mean your--”

The girl didn’t listen. She ran to the batgirl, placing a hand on her shoulder. Rouge’s face was flush, as if she’d just lost everything in the world. It showed clearly, but the bat tried to hide it. Maria realized what was wrong, though. “This is all just a big misunderstanding,” she proclaimed. “It’s the work of Professor Gerald’s manipulation. He used us all!”

Rouge lifted an eyebrow. She spun around. “Wh-what are you saying?”

Maria nodded. She placed her hand on Rouge’s left shoulder, staring the batgirl in the eyes. “Shadow remembers Maria, but he doesn’t remember me. The professor took us in after our father died, and…”

She stopped in her tracks. Shadow quickly rushed up to them, interrupting her mid-sentence. “Wait, did you just say ‘our’?” he asked.

The hedgehog girl ignored him, but restarted from the beginning. “Gerald took us in when our father died, allowing us to stay here on the Ark. He and dad had been working on a research project for the government, but something went crazy. Experiments went wild, including a prototype of the project dubbed ‘Shadow.’ Shadow himself was born during this experimentation and was named after the project. Afterwards, though, Gerald grew more and more restless.”

Maria paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath. “The way I see it, he used us. Tricking me, Gerald sealed me inside that room. Afterwards, he probably used this to trick Shadow, wiping his memory. This ‘Maria Robotnik’ likely didn’t know any better than we did, having been planted with false memories to make her look legit. Shadow was dragged into the whole situation, and…”

“So Gerald was behind it the entire time,” Rouge stated. “It makes perfect sense now. And you two--”

“Shadow is my older brother,” she stated. “Both of us were born on the Ark, and both of us always wished to see the planet. Shadow promised to show it to me one day, but I ended up showing myself… against my will…”

Shadow placed his hand on Maria’s shoulder, smiling. “So, my memories weren’t false at all. They were only changed the way the professor saw fit.” The hedgehog’s smile turned into a frown. He slammed his fist into the wall. “Damnit! Once again, Gerald is at the top, pulling all the strings. He planned it out from day one.”

Maria shook her head. “I don’t think that it’s actually the case,” she stated. “He had good intentions from the start, but I think some outside influence coerced him into it.”

Rouge gasped. “Black Doom!” she yelled out.

The two hedgehogs turned to her. Shadow pulled his hand down, thinking it through. Rouge continued. “Black Doom has always been there. He must be behind it all, using Gerald as his puppet. Doom held all the strings intact, and is even under the control of Mephiles, as well.”

Shadow nodded. “Yes of course... Mephiles is Gerald’s creation. Black Doom planned it out all along to use Mephiles. I am not the ultimate life form, Mephiles is! He was created in the likeness of the demon Mephistopheles, succumbed to both his strengths and weaknesses.”

“Wait, Mephistopheles is spoken of in ancient legends of Soleanna, is he not? If we can find out about him, we can find out about Mephiles!” Rouge stated.

The black hedgehog nodded. “Silver said that Blaze comes from Soleanna. Perhaps she may be of assistance, but he agreed not to disclose her location. The disk that Black Doom stole also contains top secret information on some of the things that have occurred within the country of Soleanna.”

“Well, then,” Rouge stated, “this has gotten a whole lot more interesting.”

Shadow nodded again. “Yes, and it all delves right back to one location. First, though, we have to find Blaze. Silver stated that he was last with her on Flicky’s Island, but he promised not to tell anyone where she went afterwards. Perhaps we can start there.”

They stared at each other, but then quickly ran off. Shadow rushed ahead and Rouge went after him. Then she realized something. Stopping before reaching the corridor that led back to the security door and out of the Ark, she turned back around. Maria just stood there, watching. “Aren’t you coming?” Rouge asked.

Maria was surprised by this, but tried not to show it. “You two go. I don’t want to come between you.”

Rouge groaned. She rushed back to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. Maria looked up into Rouge’s eyes. “Come on, Shadow loves you. You won’t get between us, and I won’t get between you. Family has to stick together, especially when you are the only ones left.”

Maria smiled. Rouge ran off again, but this time, the hedgehog girl followed behind. Her home, and Shadow’s home… it would miss them. She didn’t mind, though. Now she finally got her wish, and Shadow’s promise would be fulfilled. They would see the world together. Before leaving, though, she stopped and turned around.

The research facility of the Ark showed itself, glistening to her. Now falling apart it ruin, it still was a magnificent site… well, at least to her. A sudden thought came to her head… a voice in the darkness. ‘Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog,’ it proclaimed.

She shook her head. ‘Goodbye no longer. If that is what my other self said, then I say this. Shadow, I’m ready to be the friend that failed you years ago.’ Maria nodded to herself. She smiled and quickly ran off, not willing to allow the others to get any further ahead. Maria was back.

The morning sunlight showered streams of malevolent beams of glowing orange and yellow. A pool of blue liquid lay dotted with purple and pink. The edge of the water sparkled at the far side reflected the rays of light from high in the sky, revealing the majestic dawn of a new day.

The trees bloomed with sensational magenta. One such tree towered over the water’s edge. A flower fell from it and into the pool. A hand reached down and picked it up. The arm attached entered into a purple sleeve that belonged to a cloak. Orange eyes stared down at the flower before finally tossing it back.

The figure sat down next to the tree and hung its legs over the edge. Pink heeled shoes striped with white lay in the grass nearby. The figure, apparently feminine, dangled her feet into the water and watched the morning light. She listened but not spoke. She did think. Oh, those dreadful thoughts!

Running, running… The faster the speed the swifter the way. Breathing, heavy breathing. Knowledge. Wailing. Never failing. Eyes ablaze. City in flames. Hedgehog. Have to reach the white hedgehog! He must be warned!

End of the line. It’s a dead end, a trap. The rooftop ended ahead with no place to turn. Must go back, take another path. Wait, up there. He’s here! Looking up. The silver surfer. In the sky, floating through the air.

“Silver, he’s appeared again!”

The memory. That memory. More memories. Darkest of shadows. The demon reborn. Trickery, foolishness. Believed. The blue one.

“I see it!”

The truth. Not real. Fooled. Tricked by a demon. What did you see? Sonic… not the Iblis Trigger. I see. I see all. The princess. Must save the princess! Too late. Failure. Utter failure.

“We can still change this!”

Understanding. Time, Chaos Control. Portals. Travel through. Return to the future. Confronting Iblis. Sealing the flames. Unaccepted. Stepping in. Soul alit. Sealing the flames. Dimensions. Send us to another dimension! No. Can’t do. All costs. The naïve. Activation. Going.

“Good luck, Silver!”

Appearing. Emeralds. The Sol Emeralds! …from where? The doctor. Taking emeralds. Must get back! Meeting the blue one. Returning. The truth. Silver!

“Who are you, and… how do you know my name?”

Falling apart. Destroyed, broken. Ultimate regret. Flames of Disaster. The shadow’s return. Seeking the truth. Despair and anguish. Why? Why has this befallen me? What more must I suffer? Solaris, my god… Answer me, please!

Footsteps echoed in the calm summer morning. Blaze shot up. ‘Did I fall asleep?’ she asked herself.

Someone was here. The cat quickly jumped to her feet and spun around. She through both hands forward and flames licked at her fingers. The flames shot forward and smashed into a white figure. She gasped out and pulled back the attack. “Silver?”

Silver had been shot back in the forest. He slid in the grass, stunned temporarily. Blaze rushed over to him as he sat back up and raised his head, surprised. “Ow, what… what just happened?”

The cat kneeled down next to him, examining the hedgehog thoroughly. Finally, she burst into tears. “Silver, I’m…”

The hedgehog wrapped his arm around her. “Don’t be. You were only being careful. What if I was someone else, such as Mephiles?”

Blaze nodded. She did her best to dry up her tears, but the hedgehog could tell that there was far more at work here than just that. However, he decided to play it cool and wait. The girl obviously knew far more about him than he knew about her, and even apparently seemed to remember him from before they even first met. How did this come about? Clearly, something was up.

For a while, they just sat there. Blaze said nothing and Silver didn’t want to be the first person to speak. He had lots of questions and no answers. If his hunch was correct, then Blaze knew some of them. He looked up at the lakeside nearby and gasped in wonder, finally giving in.

Silver stood up and walked forward. Pink and purple and orange flowers fell from the trees above, revealing a splash of color. The lake’s majesty shined out in such splendor that the hedgehog had never seen before. “Wow…” he stated. “It’s beautiful.”

Blaze stepped up beside him, showing new strength. “You think so, too?” she asked. “I remember this place from long, long ago. A good friend showed it to me, just like you, Silver. I don’t really remember him anymore, but I never forgot this place.

She nodded to herself. Then a thought occurred to her. Who was that guy, anyway?

“It’s so beautiful! I’ve never seen so many flowers before!”

She lifted up her hands, taking in the majesty of the flowers flowing down from above. “Have you visited many wonderful places before?”

The hedgehog crossed his arms. “Yeah,” he proclaimed.

…

The name… what was his name? It was a hedgehog, she knew that. However, who could it have been? It started with an S, she knew that much. Wasn’t there also a k in his name somewhere? Sondrik? Sanik? Sakon? Soni—

Blaze stared in disbelief. No, it wasn’t possible. It couldn’t, wasn’t… Or perhaps it was. This was her world. Her country, the beautiful Soleanna, was right here. This was also his world. Sonic. Sonic. Why didn’t she ever guess it before?! Sonic.

The cat began to open her mouth, but Silver spoke first. “Blaze, there’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I have been hesitant to say anything.”

She quickly hid her surprise. Silver was nearby, looking away. Blaze nodded in surprise. “What is it, Silver?”

The hedgehog turned to her. His eyes were open wide. His face was stern and composed. He was very, truly serious. “Do you know of something called the Flames of Disaster?”

Author's Note(s): Really, I didn't care much for this ending until I added in that last scene. That is what made my day. I hope you enjoy this very revealing chapter, and the conclusion to the second part of my Embers of Solaris trilogy. Do note that Legend of Flicky no longer appears on my Profile. The reasoning is obvious. Oh, and kudos to anyone who DIDN'T guess that the 'hedgehog girl' was actually Maria. I only told two people (Miles and my sister SCE), but it was so obvious.