Work Text:
Sonic wished he could sleep right now- it had been a very long few days.
It had started with a knock on the door of his and Tails' house one stormy night, and three lost, wounded, tired knights about to collapse on his front porch. The knights of the Round Table, his knights and friends, not where they should be and their swords missing.
Of course Tails had gotten involved, Amy, Silver, and Knuckles as well to an extent, and then Shadow- much to the blue hedgehog's irritation- all of them had insisted on aiding them in finding the missing swords and getting the knights back to Camelot where they belonged.
In the midst of all of this, much had been learned and uncovered. Camelot was the distant past- the ancestor to the Londoon region, Shadow and Lancelot may have some blood ties- which honestly Sonic was smacking himself for never having even considered- and his closest friend from that time, Caliburn, had survived to modern day.
Young king and his sword mentor had been reunited, and while the others returned to the past, Caliburn had stayed. Sonic had no idea what sort of tasks the blade would have in this day and age of computers and robots, but at least Caliburn was safe.
Wandering back to the city, Silver- who had evidently chosen to remain in the present day- was insistent that Sonic and Tails stay the night with him before returning overseas for home. Eggman would be out of the way for a little while- hopefully- so the pair was convinced.
Silver had opened the door to his place with an excited "Ta-Daaaa!" and they'd found themselves stepping into the tiny, cramped space that was a studio apartment.
Sonic could only smile as the pale hedgehog showed off the amenities that adorned the place. A bed that folded up into the wall and, when in use, prevented the bathroom door from opening all the way. The mini fridge nestled under the counter and the griddle he used as a stove since he didn't have a real one, the lack of air conditioning so he had to use the open window for circulation- and also to reach his tiny balcony, as the normal door to it had been boarded up and covered up with tacky wallpaper.
But the grin on Silver's face was infectious as he showed them running water in the bathroom sink- which sat over the toilet in the bathroom and was in more of a closet than anything else. He flipped the lights on and off to demonstrate electricity, and as he pulled a box out of the corner with a few extra blankets, he remarked on the luxury of having more blankets than he needed on his own.
It made Sonic both happy and sad, seeing how excited Silver was for even the simple things like running water, electricity, spare blankets, and secure walls all around him when he slept. The stuff he'd always taken for granted, Silver was soaking in every moment of it in a time period where safe slumber for the entire night was almost certain.
Both Tails and Silver had quickly fallen asleep after all of this, but Sonic remained awake. It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep, but his brain refused to shut down. Had the knights made it back to Camelot safely? Was there really any way of knowing? They'd stopped whatever Eggman's latest plan was for now, but how long did they have until he was back in action?
He rolled over back and forth on the floor, tossing and turning for a bit, before finally sitting up and pulling the blanket back. He needed some air.
He tiptoed across the room, wincing at every creak in the floor or pop from somewhere in the ceiling. Silver and Tails remained undisturbed however, even when he carefully opened the window a bit more and climbed out onto the balcony.
The smell of something floral even in the evening caught his nose, and he looked out to see the lanterns lining the streets slowly going out as night crept in over Londoon.
"Sonic..."
Sonic turned, giving a light smile as he saw his blade hovering his way out of the window as well before settling against the rail of the balcony. "You can't sleep either, huh...?"
"I slumbered for centuries, I can pass one night without it..." Caliburn teased, but his smile faded as his brows furrowed. "...You are troubled."
Sonic's own smile faded, his gaze moving back to the sky, the streets, the soft whispers of a city falling into the lull of night. "Just thinking about what Tails said earlier... about Eggman retiring one day and us being able to live normal lives."
"It sounds boring to you?"
"Nah... It sounds nice, but... What if I'm not made for that kind of life?" He shook his head, "I've been so many things to so many people, Caliburn... A king, a hero, an adversary, an enemy, a friend... I'm just a guy that loves adventure, but the idea of never having to worry about Eggman again? I mean, he's the cause for a lot of that adventure..."
He shifted position, "...I guess someone else would probably rise up in his stead, though. There will always be someone to fight."
"Perhaps..."
The king and his blade looked out over the city as it softly fell asleep, and then Sonic's gaze rose to the moon looming overhead, partially destroyed by the ARK's Eclipse Cannon. That had been its own adventure, meeting Shadow and traveling to space... It was the first time Sonic had learned how to share the power of the Chaos Emeralds between two individuals...
"...Did I ever tell you about how the moon was broken?"
"Once... You said Eggman shattered it with a mighty weapon of light."
"Right... And yet, every time I look at it now... That's not what my mind goes to... But rather... What happened when the planet was shattered instead."
"You mean how the lands and seas were split to islands?"
"No... Bigger. A quake so intense the very soul of the planet was wounded."
"I have not heard that tale."
"No, it happened after I came back here... Come on."
He reached over and took the sword's hilt, "I'll tell you about it on the way."
"On the way? To where?"
"I feel like a run, so we'll find out when we get there."
Sonic returned to the interior of the apartment just long enough to write a note for Tails and to collect his scabbard, before stepping back out and slipping Caliburn into it before taking off into the streets.
"It was only a few months ago, it seemed...No, it was closer to a year. Man, time's gone flying by... Eggman was plotting something new, and I set out to stop him before it could be accomplished. Pursued him through many fortresses and weapons of war, until we were face to face... Only to learn it was a trap laid for me all along."
The night air chilled as he boosted down an alley and broke out into an area with less-compacted buildings. "He'd discovered that there was a dark spirit sealed within the planet's very core, and in order to free it, he needed a powerful soul to finish the incantation... So he used mine. I was trapped in a machine that pulled some of my spirit out of my body... But in the emptiness, some of the spirit's dark magic took its place."
"You were cursed?"
"Yes... The device that he'd built was intended to crack the planet open like- well, an egg. It worked sadly, and the tremors shook the entire world off of its feet. But the spirit, Dark Gaia, was not at his full strength because the incantation was done too hastily, which provided us time to stop him and restore things to normal... My curse was a hindrance, though."
"It weakened you."
"No, it did the opposite. The power of Dark Gaia made me stronger, but its influence over me and others grew stronger when the sun was gone from the horizon. So every night at dusk, I transformed... Changed into something more... Monstrous. I was more myself than others were, but still... I could feel its effects on me when the moon was high."
Buildings began to grow fewer and fewer, until they were running through open fields and towering hills.
His gaze looked up to the moon once more, "Tails and I knew that the planet needed to be restored, Dark Gaia sealed away, and this darkness inside of me removed... So we studied the tales of Dark Gaia, and found a way to safely restore the planet to its original state and seal Dark Gaia away. The planet's soul, Light Gaia, had also been awakened by the initial incantation, but as we healed the planet and put pieces back where they belonged, Light Gaia's power began to return. Together, we were able to return Dark Gaia to his slumber."
"As you always do, you succeeded."
"Yes... But it gave me a glimpse into what might've happened to the False Arthur... How easily darkness can infect someone and turn them to something they were never intended to be."
He slowed to a jog, "We know that Merlin's initial incantation was... tainted by the dark magic, but I have to wonder, now that I know the connection between Camelot and my world here... If Dark Gaia had a hand in that corruption."
"You think they are connected?"
"Well, Dark Gaia also had spirits of darkness that would dissipate into smoke when felled... Could Dark Gaia have given the incantation a fragment of his power to summon the knights of the Underworld? Were they felled knights at all, or just aberrations of the Spirit of Shadow and Death...?"
"It is incredible the amount of things I've witnessed you think far too deeply about, but also blown off other things as if they were nothing."
"What can I say? I hyper-focus sometimes..."
Cliffs and ledges were only platforms to lift him up above the hills as he spun up walls of stone and then broke free atop one of them and finally paused. The wind whipped through his quills and past his arms and legs as no hill or building restrained it, and the hedgehog took in a deep breath of it before removing Caliburn from his hilt and both of them coming to rest on the stone's edge.
"This place... So different, and yet... So similar to back then..."
"Hmm... Indeed." Caliburn hummed, "...I have no doubt that my own transition into this new, strange realm will come with its challenges, but at least I'm here to keep an eye on you now... Curses and enchantments, indeed."
Sonic gave his mentor a shrug and a smile. "Can't help it, Cal... Gosh, I can't wait for you to meet and get to know everyone else! Like Amy, and Cream and Cheese..."
The sounds of the night took over for a bit, chirping crickets in the grass, wind whistling over the stone.
"And... What of your brother and sister?"
Sonic's ears pricked at the sword's request, his posture tensing a bit. It had been so long ago, he'd forgotten about how he'd shared deep secrets to the blade and his knights, never expecting the topic to be spoken in modern day where it would be far more risky. "...They um... They're traveling the world right now... I bought one of the band's albums a little while ago, just so I could hear their voices."
"I'm sorry... I just... I guess I had hoped that the trouble was resolved."
"It will be..."
Sonic sighed, "...But yeah, I still can't get anywhere near them. Too dangerous. I have a plan though."
"Do you?"
"Yes." Sonic's smile reappeared, "I've made a lot of friends and allies over the years... They're the key to everything... And now you can be a part of it."
"It is my duty to aid the one true king of Camelot, and I have every intention of doing so."
Sonic's smile widened, and then he stood up once more. "Now, shall we go back to the flat, or shall we see if we can locate any more of our old spots?"
"Hmm... Would be a shame to waste the time we have here."
Sonic nodded, "Very well, Sacred Sword Caliburn... Let us see if any ruins from Misty Lake remain intact."
"Hmph. Hopefully there are no boars or dragons to face."
"You just never know with this place..."