Chapter Text

Chapter 4:

Farewell Knothole Village

"What!?!" SNT gasped, completely taken aback by the bedridden chief's words. "I'm exiled?" She asked. Chief Percival's expression didn't change as her eyes intently stared at the light blue hybrid.

"I'm afraid so, Lady SNT,” she confirmed. SNT took a step back and brought her right arm to her chest. She had never believed things would get this far. At worst, she believed Percival would scold her for the damages inflicted upon the village, but this... It seemed way too extreme of a punishment for the angel of Knothole Village.

"No," she denied. "There has to be some kind of mistake!" The angel pleaded. With a sigh, Percival looked up towards the dark blue ceiling and closed her eyes. Her body was still weak, numbed to the point where she felt like a deceased spirit clinging desperately onto the mortal realm. After collecting her thoughts, the violet feline opened her eyes.

"Believe what I shall say, Lady SNT. Tis... decision as it were, did not come to past upon my word alone. Squire Spd and Lady Nicole both agreed upon this sentiment. It simply had to be done." She explained. SNT shook her head.

"W...why? Didn't I save the village? Didn't I beat Coldsteel?" She tried to argue as a somber feeling plagued her soul. Am I really going to be alone again? She feared. Percival's eyes shifted towards the person hailed as the village's guardian angel. Her eyes displayed nothing but heartache, something the chief knew all too well.

"Tis I hadde not forgotten," she earnestly claimed. SNT's eyes hardened as the bedridden knight looked away, instead, they laid upon her armor which was heavily damaged from the battle. Percival then looked towards the aqua blue ring, which seemed to radiate bright blue energy. She closed her eyes as memories of failure returned to her consciousness, until she took a deep breath. "However, due to your noble act of bravery. Lady SNT... Afraid as I am to say this, I must now consider you a threat to my village's safety." She explained.

"Thr... threat?" SNT echoed in shock. Percival looked towards the angel of her village and nodded solemnly.

"Listen, fair angel. While you recovered from your battle, Maria and Lady Nicole found some vexing information hidden within the pink automaton." The recovering knight began. The words 'pink automaton' perplexed the angel, until her mind suddenly flashed back to Robo-Amy.

Pink Automaton, does she mean that robot Spd captured? SNT wondered. She remembered hearing Spd tell Maria to tinker with the pink robot before she left to confront Coldsteel.

"From what I could understand, before it ceased all function that pink automaton sent some type of signal, codenamed: Orange." Percival continued.

"Orange, how creative..." SNT sarcastically snarked under her breath. Percival did not notice the remark and simply continued to relay her reasoning.

"Maria believes it to be an SOS signal. No doubt sent to the Emperor." She explained. SNT's eyes widened upon hearing that word yet again.

Emperor... Spd mentioned this person as well... She thought. From the moment she had awakened in this world, SNT noticed that the villagers kept on mentioning things that were unusual; a multiverse, someone named Sally Acorn, but most importantly an emperor everyone seemed to be afraid of. The Angel has had her fair share of dimensional travels in the past; some she enjoyed, while others she'd rather not experience ever again. This world however, seemed different. Almost as if this world had existed for a short amount of time. No, that can't be. SNT denied. Regardless, the angel decided to focus her thoughts into the main subject that caught her curiosity. "Say Percival, if you don't mind me asking. Who is the Emperor?" She asked. Percival gritted her teeth as she thought about the time she tagged along with Sally Acorn's Freedom Fighters, which then shifted towards her first confrontation with the Emperor.

"The Emperor... he is a vile and cruel man that suppresses freedom in his kingdom of Mobius. He is the ruler of this planet, not by honor but through absolute power. The Shadow Stars that brought devastation to our land, serve his retainers as mere lackeys." The chief explained. SNT felt a cold chill travel down her spine.

"L... lackeys? You gotta be kidding me!" She gasped in pure disbelief. The sheer amount and control held within Coldsteel the hedgehog, the man that pushed SNT to her very limits, was nothing but an underling to the actual threat. This fact sank within this angel's being, only now does she realize the severity of Percival's situation. "How... How could anyone be that strong?" She asked.

"I'm afraid that I do not possess the answer to that question. Only the suppressed people of Mobius Kingdom can give you that answer." She explained. SNT's eyes dropped to the ground.

"Mobius Kingdom, huh?" She muttered under her breath. Like Knothole Village, SNT had never heard of a kingdom with that name before. A sinking feeling of despair latched into her heart as she thought about traveling to this kingdom alone. Constantly having to watch her back for a ruler that would no doubt be searching for her. Sonic, Tails, Amy... I wish you were with me right now. She thought. Percival glanced at the Angel.

"Do you understand, Lady SNT? Thankful as I am that you defeated Coldsteel, however... I am afraid that action has to be considered an offense to the Emperor. No doubt he shall dispatch one of his strongest henchmen to find you. Trust me when I say, they can not discover you lurking within this village." She advised. SNT's eyes returned to Percival.

"What if they did?" She asked out of morbid curiosity. Percival's eyes dropped slightly to her covers, the sounds of screams being overtaken by scorching flames rung inside her head.

"Then... Knothole Village will be burned to ashes." She answered. Terror displayed itself perfectly upon SNT's face.

"Oh..." She muttered under her breath. The first thought that came into her mind was that dream she had. The anxious visions that plagued her ever since she laid foot within this village. Then... that dream I had... that warning... it wasn't about Coldsteel... She realized.

"Please forgive me, Lady SNT. I can't lose this village, not after losing my comrades. Gawain... Lancelot... I refuse to let the Emperor take anyone else I hold dear away." Percival pleaded. SNT watched as tears began to swell up within the chief's eyes. The pain and sadness she must've went through was not lost upon the Angel. Loathed as she was to leave the village, SNT would never be able to forgive herself if she put everyone in the village in danger. So, she sucked up all of her concerns and doubts and held them within her chest.

"Don't worry Percival, I won't give him the chance. I promise." She said. Percival's teary eyes once again gazed upon the angel of Knothole Village. A thankful smile formed on her face as SNT gave her a solemn nod. Percival closed her eyes and chuckled. "Huh? What's so funny?" SNT asked.

"Forgive me, it's just that in some ways, you remind me of Princess Sally Acorn." Percival explained. SNT was surprised to hear this, based off the way the villagers talked about Sally Acorn. SNT held the impression that Sally was a righteous ruler that cared deeply about her village and people in general.

"Really?" She asked.

"Ai, I am truly grateful that she found you that day, " Percival nodded. SNT smiled warmly at the bedridden cat. "Fare thee well, Angel of Knothole Village. May good fortune be always on your side." Percival bid. SNT took a deep breath, accepting the fact that her destiny no longer resided in Knothole.

"Thank you, Percival." She appreciated. Percival opened her eyes and gave the angel a simple nod.

"Take Coldsteel's ring with you. It's your reward for beating that vile villain, after all." She advised. SNT turned towards the giant blue ring that laid on a table. Memories of her first experience lingered still, including the whirlwind of emotions it brought out. Doubt came into her mind as she remembers being unable to contain the experience the first time, which left the possibility that it might overwhelm her mind yet again. No! I can't afford to be afraid anymore. She thought. SNT shook all concerns out of her head and walked over to the World Ring. She gazed upon its golden engravings, it's Aqua blue exterior reflected her face as SNT could feel herself breath heavily. She reached out towards the ring, passively jerking her hand back every so often. With a deep breath, SNT grabbed the world ring and pulled it closer.

"Huh? Nothing happened..." She mumbled. No discharge of energy, no displaced emotional surge. SNT observed the ring closer, only confusion was awoke within the angel's heart. I can still feel an intense energy coming from this ring, but... I'm okay, she pondered. With this strange information in mind, SNT put the world ring in her person.

ACQUIRED AQUA BLUE RING OF PLEASURE

With one more sigh, SNT turned towards Chief Percival whom fell asleep due to mental exhaustion. SNT's smile shifted into a frown upon the sheer amount of information she learned today. "Good bye, Percival." She whispered. With a spark in her eye, SNT walked out of the building. The gentle gust of wind brushed against her face as she stepped outside. The angel closed her eyes and breathed the fresh air through her nose which soothed her nerves

"So, how did it go?" Shade asked from the side. SNT opened her eyes and looked up towards the bright blue sky.

"I... I have to leave this village..." She answered truthfully. Shade humphed as she walked ahead of the hybrid.

"So... you've been exiled too..." She pieced together. SNT looked at the echidna in shock.

"Too? You don't mean," She gasped. Shade looked at the hybrid, ensuring that she didn't make eye contact. With a simple nod, SNT understood.

"The Emperor is coming after me as well. Should've figured that my time in this village was limited, especially after Chief Sally was taken." Shade explained with a clenched fist. SNT's eyes dropped to the ground as she soon realized just how bad things were for this village. Sally Acorn must've been the person that cultivated this village's rebellious will, so the news of her capture probably snuffed it out. A quiet but sorrowful gust of wind blew past the two exiles. This may be the last time they ever set foot onto this land.

"Wait..." SNT realized. Something or to be more frank, someone seemed missing. SNT scanned the area for the second person that came here with her. "Where's Marine?" She asked. This situation felt really somber, something that Marine actively disliked.

"I informed her about what was likely to happen." Shade answered.

"What?" SNT gasped slightly. Shade nodded in confirmation.

"Hm... at first she got angry, wanted to give Percival a piece of her mind. But then... she ran off with a big grin on her face." She explained. A chuckle left her lips as she couldn't help but smile. "Marine the Raccoon, somehow she always manages to surprise me." Shade commented. The smile was contagious as even SNT couldn't help but smile at the thought of her little buddy plotting something.

"Yeah, I'm going to miss her." The angel agreed. Shade looked at the angel and dropped her frown as the two made eye contact. Once again, an aura emanated from SNT's body. A slightly whispering voice uttered a specific word that started with the letter S into the echidna's subconscious.

"Good lord, not again..." Shade muttered under her breath as her cheeks flushed a bright red. SNT's smile quickly became that of concern. She quickly looked away from the echidna to break the spell.

"Oh jeez, i'm sorry Shade!" She apologized. Shade quickly shook the bizarre feelings manufactured within her heart and glared daggers at the angel.

"Can you not?" She growled.

"Sorry, but I can't control it. It... sort of happens on its own..." SNT explained. Her mind immediately returned to Coldsteel the hedgehog. He commented about how similar their auras were, yet he was able to control his at will. SNT closed her eyes, wishing she would have talked to him some more. The things she could've learned from him if he wasn't such a bloodthirsty monster. Shade sucked her teeth and turned her back on the angel.

"Tch, regardless we shouldn't waste our time. The sooner we leave this village, the better." She claimed. SNT opened her eyes as the echidna started to leave, she gave one last look at the peaceful village she protected and with a sigh, the angel joined Shade. The two exiles walked over to the village gate and gazed out into the open pathway laid out by two parallel forests.

"Wait!" An exhausted voice cried. SNT and Shade turned around to see Maria Robotnik running frantically towards them. She appeared to be carrying a white duffle bag with a light blue wave pattern and deep blue straps.

"Maria?" SNT questioned. Shade glared at the hedgehog quizzically as she caught up to them. Maria held her hand out as she tried to catch her breath.

"What is the meaning of this?" Shade asked. Maria continued to breath heavily as she put her duffle bag gently on the ground. The blonde hedgehog looked up at the two exiles and gave them a tired smile.

"Ma... Marine told me... that... you two were... leaving..." She explained. SNT smiled warmly.

"So you came to wish us good luck? Aw, thank you Maria." She appreciated. Shade crossed her arms and turned around. All of this being a waste of valuable time to her.

"Huh?" Maria gasped before shaking her head. "No, no. That's not the reason I came..." She claimed. Maria stood up straight and stared into SNT's eyes. "Shade... SNT... can I come with you?" She asked with a serious tone. Both Shade and SNT looked at the hedgehog with wide eyes.

"Come with?" SNT gasped.

"Maria, you do realize that we can never return to this village? Once we step outside the gate, there is no turning back." Shade questioned. Maria stared at Shade with the same expression and nodded.

"I'm fully aware of that, Shade." Maria answered. Her eyes dropped to the floor as she recalled the images that flashed within her mind when confronted with her own mortality. A laboratory and scientist with a gray mustache. She had no idea who this old man was, but knew that he was someone important to her. "Let's just say, there are questions I need answers to." She returned her gaze to both Shade and SNT. "And I know for a fact that I won't find them here." She claimed. Shade looked into her eyes, a spark of determination present within those diamonds.

"If that is your choice, then fine. Just don't hold us back." She advised. A relieved smile formed on Maria's face.

"Really?" She chimed. Shade growled slightly as she looked away from the blonde hedgehog. SNT cheered at the idea of someone as smart and kind as Maria tagging along.

"Yay! I'm so happy we get to spend more time together, Maria!" She cheered with a joyful leap. Maria giggled at the angel's sudden enthusiasm.

"Same here, SNT." She agreed. Suddenly, a thought came into the hedgehog's head. "Oh, I almost forgot," She remembered. SNT made a curious expression as Maria pulled out a small present from the outside pocket of her duffle bag. "Marine wanted me to give this to you," She said. SNT's eyes widened as Maria gave her the present.

It was a round solid object wrapped in brown wrapping paper, held together by a jolly red ribbon. The words 'To: Essenti, From: Captain Marine." SNT chuckled at the spelling, she could tell Marine really tried to get her name. She untied the ribbon and unwrapped the present; inside was a cerulean wrist ring, with it came a note from her favorite raccoon.

To Essenti ,

Sorry I couldn't be there to wish you goodbye. That's right, I knew you were exiled from the very beginning. Didn't I tell you that you can't hide anything from your captain? Well actually, to tell you the truth Essenti. I haven't been honest with you, I didn't yell at you because of you picking a fight with Shade. The truth is, I was jealous of you. When I first met you, I thought you were like me. Alone, confused, maybe having a screw or two loose. But when I saw the way you talked to Maria, the happiness you two shared was amazing. I wanted that, I wanted it so bad. I tried to keep it bottled up, even with my invention being destroyed, I made sure to keep a brave face, I wanted to prove to this entire village that I was better than the bumbling idiot who always gets her friends in trouble. But I couldn't take it anymore, so I lashed out at you. I'm sorry. Everyone told me what you did to Coldsteel after hearing that I was in danger. You are such a good friend, Essenti and I completely do not deserve you. I wish I could join you in this adventure, but I can't. You won't believe this, but everyone respects me again. Apparently everyone found out that I invented 'royal fortune' and now look up to me. I finally earned everyone's trust again, and it's all thanks to you. I wanted to make something SPECIAL for you. A sort of thank you, for being the greatest friend I could ever ask for. I got both Griffin and Wave to help me build this new invention. It may not be as impressive as Royal Fortune, but I'm confident that you'll find it helpful.

Safe travels,

From: Captain Marine.

P.S. SPD helped proofread this for me. She's a real ripper you know?

"Thank you, Marine." SNT whispered quietly, a single tear twinkled down the cheek of her smiling face. The angel's viridian eyes gazed upon the blue wrist ring and with a nod, she put it on her left wrist. The ring fit perfectly; SNT looked at it from different angles and clenched her hand into a fist. Suddenly, a pink surge of energy discharged from the ring and morphed itself into the shape of a blade. SNT's eyes widened as the blade glowed brilliantly. With a simple motion, the blade receded. "Wow, this will really come in handy." She claimed. Maria opened her duffle bag and scrummage through its contents.

"That's not all..." She claimed. SNT looked at the blonde hedgehog as she pulled out some very familiar clothes. "Ta-dah!" Maria cheered. SNT's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"My clothes! You fixed them!" She gasped. SNT quickly grabbed them and ran away for only a second, before returning to the group wearing her most recognizable outfit. "Thank you so much, Maria. It's like I never fought Coldsteel to begin with." She claimed, whilst jumping in the air to perform a back flip. The outfit was less constrictive and allowed the angel to perform smoother movements then before. SNT flew over to Maria and hugged her tightly.

"Heh heh, thanks SNT. I'm glad you like it. I did my best to knit and wash your clothes for our departure." She giggled. Maria looked away from SNT for a moment, "Though I will say, I found it extremely difficult to clean your boxers." She claimed. SNT broke the hug in shock.

"My what?" She gasped.

"Your boxers, no matter how much I washed it, there would always be this weird smell." Maria explained. SNT's cheeks flushed a bright red as she remembered the intense feeling she had upon collecting the aqua blue ring.

"Y-yeah... That is really strange..." She attempted to laugh it off. Shade glared at her two companions in annoyance.

"Can you two concentrate for five seconds?" She barked. Maria laughed shyly while SNT put her hands on her hips.

"I don't know, can you chill out for five seconds?" She sassed. Shade glared angrily at the angel, taken aback by her comment.

"What did you say?" Shade growled. A grin formed on SNT's face as the echidna walked closer to her.

"You heard me." She said. Shade made sure not to make eye contact, but still got into the angel's face.

"Need I remind you the last time we fought?" She asked. SNT frowned at the question and stared at the echidna in annoyance.

"No, but do I have to remind you who saved you from Coldsteel? Oh right, that was me." She retorted. Shade gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. SNT did the same, showing that she was ready for a fight.

"Guys stop!" Maria cried, she got in between the two and pushed them away from each other. "No fighting, okay? We're a team now, so we have to get along!" She claimed. Shade sucked her teeth and looked away from the two. SNT on the other hand continued to glare at the echidna.

"Fine!" Both SNT and Shade growled at the same time. Maria let out a deep sigh, she was too tired for this.

"Ugh... what did I get myself into?" She muttered under her breath. She picked up her duffle bag and walked up to both SNT and Shade as the three look out into the world beyond Knothole village. "You guys ready?" She asked, both SNT and Shade nodded. With a deep breath, the three took their first step outside the village, their first step to their true adventure.

Three days ago

The sky was dark without a shred of light to peek through the clouds. A damaged forest entrance eliminated the silence with the hums and chimes of the local locusts and beetles. Multiple trees had been uprooted, some were damaged by a terrible aquatic explosion. In the middle of this chaos, where a straightforward pathway stood at the center of the two damaged woods, laid the unconscious Coldsteel the hedgehog. The damage inflicted onto his body silenced his thoughts and replaced them with the somber experience of dreams.

Just as it seemed as though the dreaded Coldsteel would never awake, an unnatural shadow loomed over his battered and beaten body.

"Hmm...just as I predicted." A soft Arthurian voice spoke. "The Shadow Stars have been soundly defeated. What a shame." The voice claimed. A soft tender hand reached out from the shadows, wielding a staff with a glowing red gem held at the tip. The gem itself was encircled by a white ring with golden engravings. The figure within the shadows stabbed the ground with her staff, the crimson gem glowed within the white ring.

"'Asmae salati , alalihat alzarqa'. 'Asmae salati , alalihat alzarqa'. Grant my wish within this bleak universe and bring about this black soul's recovery!" She chanted. The white ring illuminated along with the crimson gem, their combined glow reflected off the magic user's dark blue eyes. A large golden magic circle surrounded the two with heavenly light, this glow encompassed Coldsteel's body until he was nothing but a figure heralded by the illumination. Quickly did the ethereal light vanish, and with it dissipated the glowing chrysalis that held the embodiment of edge. The magic user gazed upon Coldsteel's fully healed body, as the purple hedgehog opened his hellish eyes.

"Huh?" He groaned upon his abrupt awakening, a fog of perplexity hazed his memories as he attempted to stand with his groggy body. "Wh...what happened?" He asked. The solar rays of the sun eclipses the midnight darkness of the forest, allowing Coldsteel to gaze upon his savior. She was a tall hooded woman with ruby colored locks of hair that accompanied her deep blue eyes; she wore a pink hooded robe with brighter pink engravings on the sleeves, golden rings fit upon her fingers as her feet were chained within knightly armor. Coldsteel's eyes hardened upon the magician's visage. "You?" He growled.

"You were defeated, Coldsteel the Hedgehog." The magician reminded. Coldsteel's eyes widened, confusion and denial plagued his mind.

"Me? Beaten?" He gasped. The purple hedgehog then closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he scoured his thoughts and memories to see what exactly happened. In a moment, he re-opened his eyes and looked at the magician. "Yeah, now I remember. I was fighting Sissy and then...I lost... Hmm ..." He recollected.

"Do you remember what happened to Storm the Albatross and Robotic Amy?" The Magician asked. Coldsteel closed his eyes yet again, then smirked as he remembered exactly what happened.

"Storm became dead weight, so I removed him from the team. As for Robo-Amy... hmm... I don't know. She went after the echidna and never came back." He explained. Coldsteel then opened his eyes and glared at the magician. "What's it to ya?" He asked. The Magician walked past the hedgehog and kneeled down to gaze upon a ranunculus flower, it had miraculously grown within the uprooted mouth of the forest. Coldsteel intensified his glare, nothing about this magician seemed okay to him. "Hey, didn't ya hear me?" He growled. The magician picked the flower as she once again stood up straight.

"Am I right to assume that nobody in your team knows your current whereabouts?" The magician asked, not even bothering to answer the hedgehog's question. Coldsteel snarled at her.

"Hey, I don't like ya attitude Witch!" He barked. The purple hedgehog walked towards her and stretched an arm out. Before he could even touch her robe, a bright purple force field threw him back. "The hell?" He gasped.

"Good, it seems you finally have some use." The magician spoke without so much as flinching. She slowly turned around with the ranunculus held close to her nose. She looked down upon the hedgehog with cold and uncaring eyes.

"Finally? How dare you? I'll drown ya in darkness!" Coldsteel growled in defiance. He looked into the magician's eyes and unleashed his dark aura. Without changing her expression, the magician held her staff forward so that the crimson gem pointed directly at the purple hedgehog.

"Since you love darkness so much, then you shouldn't mind becoming one with it." The magician claimed. A black shadowy fog slowly poured out of the gem and attached itself to Coldsteel's body.

"Wha... what are you?" He panicked, his pupils shrank as the shadows climbed over his joints and grew like a virus, wrapping it's ever-increasing mass over the hedgehog's body. Coldsteel tried to struggle himself free but the shadows stuck to his body like glue. Soon the shadows reached the hedgehog's face, he looked to the sky as his crimson eyes slowly turned green. With the last ounce of rebellion left within his body, Coldsteel bellowed an ungodly cry, one that was echoed by a much deeper voice. Crows flew out of their homes in a panic as the hedgehog's cry reached the entirety of the forest. Eventually, his voice reached the sharp ears of a reddish orange fox wearing a vest made of black scales and a blue diamond tiara. Her bright blood orange eyes shifted in the direction of the scattered crows.

"What was that?" She asked.