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There’s a certain satisfaction in a job well done, and with the knowledge that Sonic has completed some tasks asked of him by Nimue (Amy?), he speeds along happily with Caliburn at his side. Caliburn is telling him how close it was, to not let it go to his head… Well, all’s well that ends well, really. The Deep Woods is a thick collection of greenery, the sunlight dappling through the bountiful leaves overhead. With it, the area appears warm, decorated with a golden-green overlay. Truly, despite this world being… well, a storybook, it has a life all its own. It reminds Sonic of his own home: beautiful blue sky, the crisp grass at his feet, and the wind perpetually at his back. The breath of the world he enjoys is ever-present, whether or not it’s the one he knows. It’s a world worth protecting, all the same.
The sudden appearance of a child in the road, crying no less, forces Sonic to skid to a stop.
“Hey! What’s the matter? Are you lost or something?” he asks of the girl, already primed to help as soon as he has an idea of the problem.
“A great big dragon attacked my village,” the girl answers through a fresh wave of tears.
“A dragon?!”
“It took my Mommy and my Daddy and everybody away…” her voice wavers on the words, before she lets loose a sob.
It’s not even a question on whether or not he’ll help. With a kind smile on his face, Sonic kneels next to the child, and asks, “You know where the dragon is, kid?”
One of her hands points, and in the direction she’s gesturing there lay a large mountain. Hiccuping first, she says, “It’s in the big cave at the bottom of that mountain.”
“Alright, I’m on it.”
“Wait!” protests Caliburn, hopping indignantly in place, “Don’t tell me you’re going off to slay a dragon now!”
Sonic gracefully responds with, “Yes, we are.”
“What of the Lady’s tests?” prods Caliburn, “You’ll never make it in time!”
“Yeah, maybe, but…” Sonic responds. “I play by my own rules. Remember that.”
They move on after promising to find the kid’s parents, this time with a closer goal in mind than the scabbard they’re after. The same trees and ground blur by in shades of green aplenty, but the target this time is the mountain. Wind breaks around Sonic in his pursuit of his newest goal, not far given his known speed. Blue skies can only be enjoyed by happy smiles, after all. Groves of trees begin to grow sparse, as the tree line recedes. Within a moment’s notice, the forest’s canopy opens wide into a stretch of blue sky, the only presence punctuating it being green grass and the occasional piece of rubble. Grass sways gently under the wind’s guidance, and it paints the world in a serene silence uninterrupted.
Despite his wish to admire the beauty of it all, Sonic continues steadily forward. He is forced to a standstill when a piece of debris comes soaring through the air toward him. Skidding once more over the grass, he leaps out of the way as the rubble flies past. Too close for his liking... What could have done that?
“Halt!” comes a familiar voice. “Advance no further!”
Just his luck, Sonic reckons, as he gets back to his feet. He’s asking the wrong questions, it seems. Not what, but who. Facing him is another familiar figure, this one clad in armor and bearing a large sword in the shape of an arrowhead. He’s off to Sonic’s side, where his emergence from the Deep Woods would be plain as day. It’s clear the rubble that was tossed toward him was his first and only warning. Sonic doesn’t bother with confusing him with the hedgehog he knows back home.
“Not one for friendly greetings, are you?” Sonic jests, taking a delicate step toward him for the pure purpose of raising his hackles. It has the intended effect, leaving the Silver look-alike’s quills bristling.
“You will advance no further,” says not-Silver. “Do so at your own peril.”
“Would that I could, pal,” Sonic contests with a lopsided grin. “Don’t suppose you’ll make this easy for me?”
“I am Sir Galahad,” the other hedgehog states, readying his blade for battle. “Remove yourself from my path, or I will do so myself.”
Sonic whistles. Straight to business, huh? He’ll give it to him – this hedgehog and the one he knows are alike where it counts.
“Fool!” cries Caliburn once again, “A knight does not taunt–”
It’s all Caliburn can get out before Second Silver – Galahad – approaches swiftly. He’s airborne, and Sonic knows this battle could spell trouble for him if he isn’t careful. Taking inspiration from Galahad’s approach, Sonic opts to approach him as well, kicking up dirt from the sudden force his speed provokes. Instead of striking, however, Sonic whizzes right by his opponent, before digging his heels in and whirling around. They face each other once more: Sonic with a carefree grin on his features, Galahad with a barely-restrained snarl. Galahad charges forward once more, his free hand outstretched. If Sonic can safely assume anything about this hedgehog, it’s this: there is a high likelihood their power is near the same. His fear is soon confirmed when he is also made airborne, and sent flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. Air leaves him in a rush, as gravity reasserts itself on his body, sending his body thumping back down into the grass. Not the friendliest greeting he’s ever had, for sure.
“A knight does not stay down,” cries Caliburn, urging him up with the hilt of his being. An undercurrent of concern laces his small lecture.
“I’m already on it,” says Sonic, already rising to his feet. He hardly winces too, so brownie points for the effort, really. “No sweat.”
Galahad leaves him no time for recovery, surging forward again. One hand uses his psychokinesis to rear up his sword, pending the action to throw it towards him. His other hand is gesturing to the side, pulling more rubble toward him with intent to weaponize it. If Sonic could get a glimpse under the shining visor obscuring his eyes, he’s sure the look reflected back at him would be one of intense concentration. He’d admire it, if it weren’t for the fact it’s currently aimed right at him. Fine, then. New plan.
Wasting no more time, Sonic retreats back into the cover of the trees, but only far enough to keep Galahad in his sights. The telltale sound of a weapon meeting wood is the only indicator of Galahad’s continued pursuit, and so Sonic does what he does best.
He lures him over with conversation.
“You’re real powerful,” Sonic innocently remarks, sidestepping behind another tree. The thump against it tells him the piece of rubble was thrown this time. Small, uneven pieces of stone fly in every direction from the force of it. Sonic has to suppress another whistle.
“But that power…” he continues, tone delicately light, “...it comes at a pretty steep cost, huh?”
The silence is tangible with how tense it is, and before Sonic can move out from behind the tree, that same sword goes whizzing past, right in the spot he would have stepped. He moves out then, darting between the trunks, urging Galahad closer with what could be perceived as an easy target. It works somewhat, with Galahad plucking the small bits of broken rubble around him and shooting them rapidfire in his direction. As Sonic bobs and weaves through the cover of the trees, the rocks either miss entirely or make contact with tree trunks. He can hear Galahad remove his weapon from the other tree, and Sonic knows he needs to bring this fight to a close, and soon.
“You talk as if you know,” comes the surprising reply from Galahad.
Sonic rounds a tree off to his enemy’s right, and Galahad readies his sword once more, pointing it right at him. He doesn’t falter, his pace taking him behind another tree, before making himself seen again. Galahad steadily turns in place, keeping his gaze on Sonic, and it’s exactly what he wants. He hasn’t drawn his own weapon during this whole fight, but he relies on it now. Taking Caliburn in hand, he slowly raises his own sword, prepared to parry Galahad’s inevitable strike–
Before he cleanly hurls Caliburn straight at Galahad.
It has the desired effect: Galahad raises a hand to catch the sword flying toward him, despite Caliburn’s aborted shout of Knave! It’s brief, but it’s the opening Sonic needs. Spinballing in place, Sonic shoots forward to knock Galahad’s feet out from under him. He hears more than sees the moment Galahad’s face meets the dirt, based on the thump and the groan he lets out. When Sonic is back on his feet, he turns back to see the Knight up on a singular elbow, shooting a poisonous glare over his shoulder.
“A cheap trick,” mutters Galahad, clearly unhappy. “You will pay for it–”
“Wait,” says Sonic, putting his hands up to gesture behind the request. “Wouldn’t you rather be using that power to protect people?”
“I am protecting people,” comes the predictably heated reply. He goes to open his mouth again, but Sonic beats him to it.
“There’s a girl’s parents, trapped at the bottom of the mountain,” Sonic explains without preamble. “I’m going there to get them out.”
A beat passes, where it feels there is no way to respond. The knight’s gaze briefly leaves Sonic, staring at the ground while he ponders. Then, he looks back to Sonic, and asks, “Why?”
Sonic loosens his stance, and with a tilt of his head, he offers: “Isn’t that what being a knight is all about?”
Galahad doesn’t answer, but the look on his face shifts from poisonous to contemplative. The furrow between his eyes grows the slightest bit softer, the only indication that his focus has changed at all. He then puffs out a frustrated sigh, before he moves himself around so that he’s sitting on the ground, as opposed to laying there. Sonic allows him his silence, watching as his expression morphs and blends to accommodate every new line of thinking. Frustration, contemplation, hesitation… a colorful variety of inner turmoil.
“A blue sky,” Sonic starts, bringing a hand up to scratch at his cheek idly, “is better enjoyed when the people are smiling.”
This brings Galahad pause, before he bows his head, resigned.
“So be it, then,” he murmurs. “I have lost. You may deal the final blow.”
“Huh?!” exclaims Sonic, brows shooting up in blatant dismay, “Not a chance! That’s not my style.”
He instead opts to approach Galahad where he remains sitting on the ground, and offers him a hand to help him up. The knight in question stares at it, and his mouth parts in surprise. He then turns his head up to where Sonic is looking at him patiently, and the surprise melts into a wary frown. Sonic only shakes his outstretched hand, indicating his continued persistence to help. Galahad hmphs with distaste, but ultimately still grabs Sonic’s hand to assist him. When he’s standing again, Sonic gives him his space, sure that Galahad is still cross with his earlier evasion and trickery. He’s surprised instead when the knight begins to speak.
“If there are people in need of assistance, you best go to them while there is still time.”
It’s paired with a serious nod from the knight, and Sonic can’t help it. He flashes his usual thousand-watt grin at him, thankful for the small display of trust. Perhaps unwisely, he decides to finally comment:
“You remind me of someone I know.”
It’s a barely-there remark, before Sonic is retrieving Caliburn from the tree trunk he’d been hurled at, and zipping away back out the Deep Woods. From where he’s left standing, Galahad watches him go, an uncanny sense of being known and seen remaining in the tracks of this mysterious hedgehog.
He hadn’t even asked his name.
Galahad retrieves his own weapon in the silence, pondering the weight behind the knave’s words. When he breaks from the tree line once again, he is met once more with the wide expanse of the boundless blue. It’s a clear, sunny day, with not a cloud in sight to keep the sky hidden away. In the endless stretch of cerulean before his eyes, he swears he can see the color of a hedgehog whose acts of chivalry tilted his world on its axis.
He smiles.