Knight of the Moon: Chapter 49

Chapter 49
Let Me In


Merlina and Nimue resumed their chanting. Words of power fell from the mouths; each one struck Sonic with enough weight to nearly topple the werewolf. His defensive instincts kicked in. Sonic lashed against his bonds wanting to silence the females that were causing his pain. Two great hands had seized upon the werewolf's body and were trying to tear him apart. The pain was too much and with a terrible howl, Sonic crumpled to the marble floor. Inside his darkened mind though, the sorceress' magic had finally opened a way through the curse's taint to allow the true Sonic to get a foothold of control over himself.

(Sonic's POV—Inside his mind)

It's time Sonic. You must fight this battle alone but we will keep the beast subdued as best as we can. Good luck, King Sonic, said the two women. Then their voices were gone from Sonic's mind.

The Hedgehog had kept himself bottled away deep within the folds of his memories. While his knights had brought his feral body to the lake for the ritual, Sonic had been busily fending off the curse's attempts to penetrate his small sanctuary. But as time wore on, he'd grown weaker and more of the werewolf's corruption had entered. By now he'd been driven back into the core of his memory while the rest was ravaged by the curse. Nightfall had only made matters worse. After his body had transformed, he'd been given a brief window of control where he'd pleaded with his knights to end his suffering before it was too late. He'd lost control again but not before Lancelot had stabbed him luckily. Sonic had hoped that the blade was silver and at last he'd be free of the curse; but he did not feel his life wither away. Instead he felt the beast succumb to a light slumber. This had given him time to take back some of his conscious.

The ritual was now in full swing and Sonic watched in amazement as the shadows withdrew from his memories leaving a hole for him to finally escape. Well….time to end this. Sonic approached the sealed gateway that would lead back into the rest of his mind. On the other side, at least from what Merlina had told him, the curse had erased all traces of him so he'd be on its turf. Plus once these doors were opened and if he lost, the werewolf would flood into his memories and destroy whatever remained of Sonic the Hedgehog. I either win….or I'm gone….no big deal. Sonic rested his hand on the door. A handle materialized. At first he hesitated but after a few moments he steeled himself and twisted the handle then shoved on the door with his shoulder. Dark tendrils of grey shadow sprang from the crack and threw the door wide open; Sonic yelped a bit in surprise as a few of the grasping tendrils enveloped his legs then pulled him out of his peaceful refuge. The hedgehog was drug out into a seemingly endless cavern. Swirling masses of black and grey fog reached into the distance although the majority of it seemed compressed against the stark white walls of Sonic's memories; the curse had tainted nearly all of his conscious and all that remained to take were the recollections that made him who he is. A single door had been the only thing standing between the werewolf and total control. And now….Sonic had opened that door. The hedgehog struggled against the black vines that were strangling his ankles but was helpless to do anything but watch as the tainted shadows slipped into the doorway. It was all a trick! It was the curse all along….I'm probably not even at the lake…. Sonic was convinced now as he saw the light from the doorway begin to fade that he hadn't heard the sorceresses at all; that this had all been a ploy by the werewolf. If I can just get free….maybe I can shut the door in time! Redoubling his efforts, the hero lashed out with his foot in an effort to free at least one limb. The kick wrenched loose his right leg from the darkness at the cost of his shoe. Feeling a surge of hope that brought new strength with it, Sonic writhed violently and felt the other tendril let go. He stood and sprinted back to the doorway of his sanctuary. It slammed in his face. Sonic hadn't stopped in time to avoid squashing his tender nose against the solid surface; he bounced away from the impact and landed hard on his backside. "No no no no…..NO!!!" Ignoring the sting from his tailbone, the hedgehog hit the door again and pounded repeatedly on the white surface. "NO!!" It can't end like this!  

A low chuckle resonated through the vast chamber of Sonic's mind. It was a laugh that sounded more bestial than anything else and lacked any sort of humor. It echoed off invisible walls.

A chill ran through the cobalt hedgehog as he stepped away from the door and peered anxiously out into the darkness. He was on the werewolf's territory now. I need to get back into my memories…now. Sonic turned back ready to knock the door down if he had to but was shocked to find that the white shell that had protected his memories from corruption by the curse had vanished.

"Poor little hedgehog," cooed the voice. There wasn't a note of sympathy in those cold words. "No more holes to hide in."

Sonic spun round to face out into the darkness. A tingling chill ran along his spine causing the stiff hairs on his neck to stand upright along with his quills. At first, he could discern nothing. But at last Sonic spied two gleaming yellow orbs hovering some thirty feet from him. There was a note of amusement flickering within them but Sonic had a feeling that the beast's pleasure was going to be at his expense. That wasn't a joke he wanted in on. Because of their connection, Sonic could hear some of the monster's thoughts echoing inside his head and many of them involved using Sonic as a blue furry chew toy.

The creature chuckled, obviously having heard Sonic's thoughts. "Go ahead little hero. Run. Run away. There is nowhere for you to go."

Sonic sprinted. He simply turned and ran as fast as he could trying to escape the beast and maybe find a shred of sanctuary within his own mind free of the curse's evil.

A malevolent cackle tore through the swirling darkness and Sonic could have sworn it was coming from directly behind him. It was following him.

"I told you there is no running from me Sonic. I am a part of you now; a part of your soul. Run all you like little hero it just makes the chase that much more fun for me," said the werewolf.

Sonic ignored the beast as best he could. His eyes turned left and right searching for anything he could use to get away from it but all he could see was the same monotonous nightmare of grey mist churning through the black landscape of his conscious. The curse was all around him. Still, Sonic kept running.

"I must admit I was hoping for a little more of a challenge. A fight against the famed hedgehog. Instead I get a game of cat and mouse….or wolf and hedgehog that is," the beast chuckled. "Oh well I shouldn't expect a fight from one such as you."

Immediately Sonic ground the soles of shoes into whatever kind of surface it was that made up the ground he was running on. The hedgehog's eyes narrowed. He turned around to face the darkness that had gathered behind him and was building up into the imposing form of the werewolf. Two golden eyes leered at Sonic as a sinister chuckle rumbled through the vast space.

"What do ya mean by that?" asked Sonic sharply.

The shadowy form of the beast seemed to shrug. "Your first reaction was to run from me the second you lost your sanctuary. Now what kind of hero," he stressed that word, " runs from a fight? I see no hero….just a frightened little hedgehog who hides behind petty wise cracks and arrogance."

Sonic's scowl deepened and he felt his anger building. "You've seen my memories. Last I checked I'm a hero to a lot of good people. I've turned whole armies of robots into spare parts and I can't even count how many times I've saved the world from Eggie," the hedgehog retorted. "I'm the hero of Mobius if ya hadn't heard."

"So tell me, hero, does butchering an entire village of innocent anthros fit under the term heroic?" inquired the werewolf.

The peach flesh on Sonic's face faded quickly to pale as he recalled the night he'd escaped Camelot only to wind up outside a small village just in time to transform and go on a psychotic blood-crazed rampage.

"You did that….not me!" Sonic argued back as he clenched his fists.

"You can tell yourself that all you want, Sonic, but we both know those were your hands that ripped apart those poor villagers," replied the monster with a laugh. "I merely changed your form….that anger and aggression came from you."

"It wasn't my fault…..I didn't mean to hurt anyone!"

The werewolf's body was completely solid now. He took a few steps towards Sonic. "That doesn't really matter. Their blood is on your hands. Your friends all saw what you did and they know what you're capable of….you heard Caliburn. If you turn on them they won't hesitate to strike you down like some wild animal."

Sonic couldn't respond, his mouth moved but no words would come. His eyes stared at his shoes not willing to look at the beast.

"Do you think they're willing to take the chance that this ritual will actually work? As far as you know they're readying the axe while you're passed out," said the monster as he drew a finger across his throat. "Dead."

"No. They're trying to help me. Merlina said this ritual will work…..I'll be cured and you'll be just a bad dream," Sonic said finally looking up.

"You can't cure guilt. Unless this ritual removes your memories as well you'll always remember the faces of those that you've murdered."

"That wasn't me!!" Sonic yelled and lunged for the werewolf. His fist connected with the monster's muscled torso but didn't seem to do much but stagger him back a bit. The werewolf's follow-up punch though was much more effective. A meaty fist landed against Sonic's upper chest and knocked him flat on his back. The hedgehog felt as if he'd just been hit by a car and even if his body was only a part of his mind, Sonic still felt a tremendous wave of pain roll through him. Apparently you can get hurt in a dream. Sonic got back to his feet quickly and readied his fists.

"This curse as you call it doesn't create new feelings and emotions," explained the beast, "it just brings out the darker sides of your character. You have a lot of anger walled away inside your soul, Sonic, and I let loose."

The Hedgehog leapt into the air as his body curled into a whirling blue ball of spines; he then launched himself at the werewolf's head hoping that might be a weaker point. Sonic's attack was stopped inches from the beast's bared fangs. The werewolf had crossed his powerful arms over his face to block the move. Then, he twisted to the side and let the still spinning hedgehog slide past him. Sonic collided with the strange misty ground and unrolled himself just in time to feel knives rip through the flesh of his back; he cried out as searing fingers of agony tore at his mind. Rising quickly to his feet, Sonic ran backwards to put a few yards of distance between him and the towering beast.

"All those years of saving the helpless….and where's the gratitude?" asked the werewolf.

"Back home I'm a hero. Everybody knows my name and I can't think of the last time I've sped down Main Street of Station Square and not heard a bit of applause," Sonic snapped back at the beast as he readied himself to try attacking again.

The werewolf didn't approach any closer. Instead he pointed at the swirling black chaos that surrounded them. An image appeared depicting a black hedgehog bearing red stripes scowling down at a crowd of onlookers as he held a green Chaos Emerald tightly in his gloved fist.

"Shadow…." Sonic mouthed silently as he recognized his rival.

"Yes. Shadow the Hedgehog," said the werewolf, voicing Sonic's thoughts aloud as if he'd heard them. "Remember not too long ago when this hedgehog turned up? He stole Chaos Emeralds and caused total anarchy."

Sonic watched the image as it began to animate. Shadow held the emerald high and vanished in a flash of green light. Then the scene changed. The hedgehog saw himself surrounded by figures in blue uniforms. All had firearms drawn and pointed at him.

"They believed you were behind the trouble," the beast said, pointing at the police officers. "You'd saved all of their miserable lives several times and yet the second something went wrong…." Gradually the werewolf's finger moved from the image and then pointed at Sonic, "….they blamed you."

The hedgehog recalled how angry he'd felt and betrayed when the people he'd worked so hard to protect had turned on him the second things weren't going well. What had I ever done to them? I'd never given them a reason to doubt me…. Sonic shook off the feelings. "They didn't know there was another hedgehog running around….besides Shadow and I do look alike," the hedgehog argued.

The werewolf raised an eyebrow.

"Well….we do a little bit…"

"It doesn't matter whether they knew or not about Shadow. They needed someone to blame their problems on and you fit the bill….your adoring fans had you arrested in the hope of getting everything back to normal," stated the werewolf.

The image of the police changed to a scene showing the inside of a GUN prison cell, specifically the cell that Sonic had been thrown into after being arrested.

"Once it became clear that you weren't the one to blame, they released you. They wanted you to save them again…."

That old feeling of bitterness welled up inside of Sonic. I should have let them deal with it themselves….

The werewolf's lips curled up revealing a wicked toothy smile. "That hasn't been the only time your people have turned on you either…..and it won't be the last time Sonic. You already know that."

Sonic didn't respond. His eyes were focused on the image behind the werewolf as it shifted into another scene showing a time when he'd been blamed for destruction caused by his mechanical doppelganger Metal Sonic. His fists tightened.

"No matter how well you hide your deeper emotions behind your wisecrack remarks or the fake smiles you give the people who adore you one moment then despise you the next, you can't hide your darker feelings from me, Sonic," said the werewolf. The darkness surrounding them seemed to press in closer, as if it was just waiting to snare the hedgehog. "There is a lot of anger inside your soul little hedgehog. I've brought it out. Just think about how much more powerful you've become thanks to me. That anger becomes strength. Strength becomes power. And power makes people afraid. You can use that fear Sonic to make sure no one ever betrays you again….fear keeps the weak in their proper place."

Although the hedgehog was fighting hard not to, he couldn't help but think about what the beast was telling him. It made sense in a twisted sort of way. The people he rescued time and time again did praise him for his successes and he did get a pat on the back along with a , "Good job." But anytime something went mildly wrong, these adoring citizens would turn their back on him until he made things right again. What would they do if I just let things fall apart on them? Then they'd see how much they need me. Besides, part of him wanted a bit more than just a little applause. He'd saved Mobius more times than he could count. I deserve more….

"The innocent are fickle beings, Sonic. Everyone loves a good hero….but….the one thing they love more than a hero….is watching that hero fall," said the monster as the images behind him faded into nothingness.

For the longest time, the blue hedgehog stood silently in thought. What the beast had told him was right. "What do you want from me?"

It smiled maliciously. "Let me help you."

"Help me to what? Wind up as a wild animal with nothing to live for? Yeah…you've made this offer before and it looks even worse than the alternative," scoffed Sonic.

"Do you know that for sure? You're going off what your friends have told you. Caliburn says that the curse will erase who you are forever….but do you actually know that?" the beast asked. "You still have all your memories don't you?"

Sonic remembered how the chaotic blackness around them, the curse, had conquered that last piece of himself he'd been able to hang onto; the white room where all his memories had been. When he'd opened the doors, the darkness had flooded in and that special place was erased. Yet, Sonic hadn't forgotten anything. It hasn't taken my memories…

"I've taken nothing from you, little hero," said the beast, voicing Sonic's own thoughts aloud. "But I've given you everything."

Sonic felt himself wanting to agree but he hesitated, recalling the numerous incidents where he'd come close to disemboweling his friends. "Like what? You've upped my temper a few notches that's for sure."

The beast raised an eyebrow. "I've given you a chance to be free; free of the responsibilities of being a hero."

"But…"

"Do not lie to me, hedgehog," the monster interrupted Sonic before he could reply. "I am a part of you and I understand you better than you do. A deep part of you longs to shrug off the mantle of hero…let everyone solve their own problems." The werewolf moved closer to Sonic until he was within arm's reach.  "It isn't fair for those whelps to constantly call for your aid. You help them….and in turn you get…what, satisfaction? HA!"

A cold chill ran along the blue hedgehog's back. It was unnerving how well this creature was reading him. We are one. He froze as the alien thought wormed into his brain.

"What have we accomplished together?" The beast has circled behind Sonic now and lay his giant hands upon the hero's shoulders in a gesture of companionship. "We embarrassed and defeated that treacherous bird Lamorak, we saved a village from a bandit attack and put a good enough scare into them that they won't be trying anything again. Together you and I destroyed a small army of soldiers and raided a well-guarded fortress. Then….together….we bested that waste of meat doctor….we could have finished him off for good though….pity."

Sonic hadn't moved as the monster talked. In his head he could remember all of those events and now they ran through his thoughts like a slideshow showing what all he'd accomplished since being cursed. He had to admit, the curse had provided him with a lot of new abilities and fresh opportunity. He'd never felt so alive….so powerful….so free.

"All I ask is for you is to let me in. Become one with me," whispered the werewolf into Sonic's ear. "There's so much power yet for you to taste….to savor."

The hedgehog closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to wander into a flash-forward of what could be waiting for him along this new path. He saw himself standing proudly on his throne with the mass of peasants kneeling before him…praising his name over and over. The image changed. Now the king was beheading a monstrous serpent, saving his people. They flocked to their savior, Sonic, and showered him with praise and gifts. Now the scene shifted again. Eggman, dressed in a jester suit with chains on his wrists, danced about before the throne for his personal entertainment.  A leach ran from the once arrogant doctor's neck into Sonic's hand. Occasionally he'd give the line a light tug to pull Eggman off his feet where he'd then fall to the floor then sulk in his misery until Sonic ordered him to stand again. The doctor would quickly get back to his feet just in time for the king to force him back to the cold tile floor; this time his long red-tinted nose struck the floor. Blood oozed from his nostrils forming a steadily growing puddle. Tears mixed with the red as Eggman began to cry.

Sonic felt a wicked sense of pleasure as he watched his arch-nemesis wallow at his feet. Yet, he felt something for the human, something besides loathing. At first, Sonic didn't understand nor could he figure out what this new emotion was, but gradually he realized it was pity. The only Eggman he'd ever gotten to see was the conceited, cowardly, but ingenious madman that had become his enemy and at times reluctant ally. The Eggman at his feet wasn't the same. He'd been broken. This was just a shell of the man he'd used to be and even if he had been an evil and a royal pain in hind end, it still brought out that feeling of pity.

He found himself re-examining the benefits he'd seen earlier. It wasn't hard to notice details he hadn't thought of earlier in his moment of greet and power lust. The faces of the peasants at his feet weren't cheerful in the least bit and although their mouths let loose with praise, it was more in a mechanical fashion. They had to cheer or else. Again the image changed and instead of slaying the great serpent monster, Sonic was beheading rebellious servants. Gifts were given with unwillingness. The peasants, clothed in rags, gave him their gold and food before slowly wandering back to dilapidated houses that rank of poverty and despair. A single anthro dog tried to withhold a few coins for himself. Sonic watched himself lift the antro by his scrawny ankle and shook him until three small golden circles clinked against the cobblestone road. As Sonic tossed the dog aside and stooped to scoop up the coins, he caught sight of his knights. Their faces lacked any emotion as if the spirits had been beaten out of them as well. They were little more than servants themselves now and the friends that Sonic had known them to be were long gone. He'd made himself into a king of kings.  The king was wealthy beyond imagination and more powerful than any other being in the lands. But, he was alone.

All that power and praise….but at what cost? I'd have everything and yet…nothing.

The werewolf must have sensed the dramatic difference in Sonic's thoughts because his fiendish grin fell, hiding his fangs. He pressed again.

"Sonic, all you have to do let me in," urged the werewolf. "Just think of everything you'd gain…."

"How about everything I'd lose," replied Sonic quickly, cutting of the monster before it could tempt him further. The Hedgehog finally looked the beast in the eyes and saw something he hadn't expected. There was a flash of annoyance as Sonic again refused to give in to the werewolf's persuasion, but also subtle flicker of what the hedgehog thought to be anxiety. Something has him nervous…. Sonic pressed on. "I'd lose my friends, I'd lose any respect people have for me….I'd lose myself completely."

The beast flexed its claws, irritated. Around them the darkness swirled madly without pattern or organization; its movements seemed to be based on the werewolf's current feelings. He was agitated and thus so was the mass of tainted black curling about inside Sonic's mind. Sonic also noted that the dark fog was being barely held back from washing in on him. It looked like a tidal wave just waiting to crash through whatever dam held it at bay to reach him, to drown him.

"We've been through this before, Sonic," growled the beast as he turned away from Sonic and spread his arms, exasperated by another delay. "Your friends are the ones trying to force you to give this all up. They're afraid. Afraid of what you could become."

"A freak…a murderer….a monster!" Sonic yelled back angrily. "That's exactly what I'll be! You're feeding me lies. You tell me only these shining stories of glory and fame but what you leave out is the people around me. What'll happen to them?! Sure they'll be afraid of me and maybe that will keep them from ever turning on me again….but behind the fake smiles they'll hate me," Sonic continued, his resolve coming back now. "I've killed people for fun! I lash out at anyone who disagrees with me! And when I'm hungry…..it's even worse! I wouldn't be a king…I'd become an…..an Eggman! An arrogant, selfish, tyrant sitting on a throne I wouldn't deserve! The only difference there'd be between me and Eggie is that I'd just eat anyone who stepped out of line! This guy I am right now…." Sonic pointed to himself. "Wouldn't exist. It'd be just you…" he growled.

"Again do you know that? You're listening to only what you've been told," replied the werewolf. He was trying to sound calm but Sonic could easily detect the harder edge to his voice as the creature's temper built.

Sonic scowled. "I'd rather listen to my friends. The friends I've fought beside and the friends that I trust with my life!" The hedgehog took a step towards the werewolf. Behind him, images of his loyal knights appeared through the shadowy mist bathed in a glowing light which the darkness quickly withdrew from. It gathered behind the werewolf's monstrous form. Encouraged by having his allies at his back, or at least the memories of his allies, Sonic stepped closer to the werewolf with fists clenched. "You weren't even welcome! You ended up in my head because I had the bad luck to run into some poor anthro that had already given into a monster just like you! And what's to say I won't end up like that? A psycho fuzz ball living like a hermit in the woods, coming out only to take a bite out of someone when I'm getting the munchies!" The light behind Sonic was growing stronger and the werewolf took a tiny step back, squinting his golden eyes against the stinging glow.

The werewolf growled, "Sonic…."

"No. My friends call me Sonic," the hedgehog interrupted, " you can call me the door because I'm going to shut your ass out of my head and out of my body! You've got one chance to scram pal or I'm going to grab you by your fuzzy tail and hurl you out!"

It grew eerily quiet once Sonic had finished. The only sound was a muffled but steady, rhythmic chanting that seemed to be coming from all around them. He recognized the voices of Merlina and Nimue. Sonic felt his smile widening. This is it! I'm going to finally get rid of this creep and get my life back!

"So you think little hedgehog," growled the beast, breaking the near-silence. "I have offered my hand again and again but you slap it away. It's inevitable hedgehog. Already you can feel my hold on you getting stronger…don't lie to yourself. I'm a part of you now whether you like it or not. Time is on my side, hero, what have you got?"

As much as Sonic hated to admit it, the beast was right. He didn't feel quite himself even here in his mind. He felt tainted. But still, something was bothering him; something he hadn't really considered before but now it became apparent.

"Hang on, if this curse really is inevitable for me….then why do you keep trying to make me give in? Why not just wait for me to burn out?" asked Sonic.

The werewolf's scowl darkened further and his eyes flickered away from Sonic again as another shimmer of anxiety appeared, but this time it lingered.

"That's it isn't it," it wasn't a question. "You can't just take me over. You needed me to be broken….to give in and let myself go…." Sonic felt a sensation he hadn't had since getting the curse. Hope. He felt genuine hope. "You need me to open the door. All these head games you've been playing….you wanted me beaten down….miserable….to the point that I'd give up. So….I guess time isn't on your side is it now?" asked the hedgehog with a touch of his old smugness returning.

A roar of anger tore from the monster's throat, echoing around in Sonic's head even making the hedgehog cover his ears. The light dimmed and the glimmering apparitions of his knights vanished.

All pretenses of friendship had dropped. Now Sonic could see the real monster that the werewolf was and what he would have become if he had fallen. The beast's eyes blazed anger and Sonic could almost swear he was bigger. A heavy cloud of sickly shadows had gathered at the monster's back, strengthening him. The rest of the taint filling his mind was surrounding Sonic again trying to blot out what little light the hedgehog had left. He felt insignificant and powerless. I may have gone a bit too far….

"Do not think for a second this is over hedgehog," snarled the werewolf as his bulging muscles tensed. "I don't need you to give me a ticket in. It just makes it easier."

Before the hedgehog even knew what happened, the beast closed the distance between them with one stride and clasped his giant hand around Sonic, crushing his body. The werewolf was bigger. His hand alone covered Sonic's entire torso. Slowly, the beast brought Sonic level with his own golden eyes. "But….I think I'm going to enjoy this route a lot more," he licked his fangs. "I'm going to savor every second of pain….it'll be slow….I promise you that. And when I'm finished…you'll be on your knees pleading like whelp for me to end it. You're mine Sonic. All. Mine."

Sonic laughed. It was so unexpected that it actually unnerved the beast. His hateful stare faltered a bit and was replaced by total confusion at this change.

"You've been in my head this long and ya still don't get me yet do ya, pal?" The hedgehog laughed again. "There's one thing in this world you'll never catch me doing and that's pleading. Actually…." Sonic thrashed suddenly, spearing the werewolf's strong hand with his quills. The beast yelped and let go. As soon as his shoes touched the misty ground, he launched himself feet first into the werewolf's long muzzle. He connected with a sharp crunch then kicked off and landed several yards away. "….you're gonna be the one pleading and hoping that this door doesn't slam ya in the ass on the way out."

The werewolf responded with a primal roar. A challenge.

"It's on now, let's go!"