#soler sonic oc
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Commission Receipt: Soler’s Story Ch. 2
@solerwolf21 once again returned to have a part 1′er of the next chapter, it was very fun to work on and I’m glad I got the opportunity to have his Sonic OC Soler shine again!
Time: After a brief discussion about what story elements he wanted and what plot points were to be addressed in this chapter, I began work and development on the story. It took only a day to write out a basic plot which he requested to see and approved. Then it took a few months for the completion and editing.
Review: @solerwolf21 - First, yes I have read it and not gonna lie there were at least two to three times I was scared for (how) things were going (to) go lol. I was too scared for Soler and Sally’s relationship and Shay was terrifying and his mom was wonderous and pops is cold. I also enjoyed the hints of depth behind certain actions or things said like Sally stopping Soler from making a promise, or Shadow’s lack of insight on familial ties, really good touches. Overall great work! Also I love love love the characterization! The contrast of thought of how Soler handles situations compared to Sally, Shadow, and his retrospective on Soler. Heck their whole relationship as a whole and its evolution. I just loved Shadow in this so so much.
Paid amount: After deciding on a price, I was surprised to find that he actually paid for more in the end! I was really touched, and at first, worried he may have overspent and contacted him to alert him of the situation. He told me he put in more and so I gave him more, it was around 50$, and I’m very grateful that he enjoyed the story! It was fun to write for him again!
With permission from the customer, here is the rough draft of the finished product for your viewing pleasures:
Soler's Sequel: Chaos Panic.
Ch. 2
A story for Solerwolf21!
By: Cutegirlmayra
New Mobotroplis was centered with a bright, yellowish castle for the Acorn's to rule in peace, but nowadays, it is a military fortress for the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters.
It's princess, Sally Acorn, continued to lead the Freedom Fighters time and again against the Eggman Empire, who threatened to destroy all organic things into robotic slaves for his mad ambitions of power and control.
However, Eggman's forces began to grow and increase in unspeakable ways... a new ally had aligned themselves to Eggman, choosing to be on the power-hungry side that seemed to be winning, instead of freedom-bound heroes. These heroes wouldn't cease in doing good, fighting for those who couldn't, and protecting all Mobians from certain peril and robotization.
Sally carefully counted inside the freedom force's food storage warehouse facility, tapping her pen in the air as she went through each box and marked to check off each category on her clipboard. "There!" she giddily swiped the last check mark onto it's corresponding box. "After this hostage rescue, we should have enough supplies to keep them well fed for a few months or so. At least until our next harvest and supply run." She nodded to herself until she heard an alarm go off. "Huh?"
Turning to see Rotor waving for her outside, she felt her anxiety spike and quickly ran back out as the large, almost barn-like doors began to automatically close behind her.
"What's going on?" She inquired, her voice sounding serious and her eyes showing the leadership fixed in them like a fire lit on the spot.
"Nothing." Rotor calmed her, letting her know it wasn't that serious. Still, it put Sally on edge, and she had to calm herself into a gentler state of mind again.
"Go on." After a short breath, she straightened out and loosened up a bit. Though, the tension in her muscles seemed to be unending... such was the life of a benevolent ruler in times of war.
"Soler set off another security alarm again," Rotor chuckled, noticing her demeanor had returned to being somewhat normal, for now. "He's training with his power again... he used to go so far out of our radar that he'd be gone for a few days or so, training remotely. Now? He doesn't mind just blasting his power all over the place without a single thought!" Rotor lifted up his arms and shook them about, but the action only made Sally smile.
It was true that Soler had a hard time training within New Mobotroplis. He was constantly in panic that he'd do something wrong, or hurt someone... It took a lot of time for him to trust himself, but Sally was glad to hold his hand through it all.
She was happy he was comfortable around everyone now, but still worried about their alarms...
"He's just so used to controlling them now, he's not as afraid to use them as he was before." Sally was still mostly glad, he was showing some confidence, and that meant that everyone's efforts for him to feel included within the Freedom Fighters had not failed in fail. He was slowly coming out more, being more lively and talkative. He was still somewhat lazy, but at least he was lazy with others now... Though, she was upset that he was triggering off their alarms so frequently. Poor Nicole...
"I'll go talk to him."
"You know, he hangs around a lot more because of you." Rotor gave her a sly look and put his hands on his hips, "I'll get back to my equipment inspections but,... Something tells me there's more going on between you two then just causal dating..."
Her face turned a little brighter, but she batted his prying away, "Dating is dating, don't make unnecessary assumptions!" she didn't like her values being questioned, but it was true that Soler had been hanging around a lot closer to base lately...
She had just never supposed it could have been because... because of how close they had gotten to one another.
"I wasn't saying that, but it's interesting that that's what you thought. I wouldn't dream of it!" Rotor shook his hands out with a goofy grin on his face, teasing her. "I just meant... maybe you two are more committed than you think?"
"Alright, enough teasing." Sally pushed her finger against his nose to move his face out from trying to read her own. "I'll go check on him. Which way?"
"The little chaos engine is southward." he pointed behind him. "Turn just a little west, and good luck!" He laughed, clutching his belly and swinging his leg up a moment to really give his teasing a good kick into Sally's pride. "He's letting all the new recruit's legends and stories about him get to his head!"
"L-legends?" A bead of sweat trailed down from her forehead, but she wiped it off, trying not to worry. "I'll see what the fuss is all about."
"Just his popularity, that's all." Rotor waved her off, moving on and placing a leisurely hand by his tool belt. "Try and stay calm, Sal. It's better for your health!"
"Not in these times..."
As she made her way towards where Soler usually trained nowadays, she stopped in a jolt. "Oh, wait!"
She remembered something and quickly turned to Rotor, seeing he had already moved quite a bit aways from her. "Really, quick!" she ran back and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, grabbing his attention again as he turned to look at her curiously. "For the night operation... the village is covered in dense fog, correct?"
"Very much so." Rotor confirmed. "Make sure your operation is covert. We can't have anyone disappearing on us. If the village is being rounded up for roboticization, then we don't have a huge window for error. We can't lose anyone again, Sally..." He looked distraught, and Sally comforted him with a few pats on his back. "Shard and Sonic are off on reconnaissance. Espio, Rouge, and Shadow are spying on different Eggman fleets. Bunny is still with Anton... I'm afraid all we have is a handful of us left." She shrugged, showing that they were worn pretty thin at the moment when it came to available, capable hands. "Soler and Nicole are all we got so far. Maybe Tails will be willing to come. His twin tails could push some of the fog away?" she seemed to be stretching it, squinting her eyes and shrinking down a bit, as though embarrassed to have to question her own tactics.
"Eh, it's a team. I'll see what I can do on my end, too." Rotor nodded, patting her shoulder, "Hey, Sal. You're doing good." He encouraged her, giving her some much needed confidence in her abilities too. "Go and get'em back safe."
"Will do." Sally nodded, taking his advice in. She felt a sense of pride then, telling her that she could do this, but hoping to not have a cost. One life meant so much to Sally, saving so many would be wonderful, but... losing even one Freedom Fighter... Sally didn't want to think about it anymore, or have to live through the consequences of one wrong move. She placed her hand to her chest and took three breaths, telling herself it was in the past and she could do this. "I'll talk to Soler, see if he has any ideas..." She began to head off again, pushing back the sorrow she had learned some hard lessons from.
Soler was powering up as much chaos energy as he could, having it jet through his power and manifest as white aura all around him. He let it course through his veins and rise in large quantities throughout his whole body, spiking his power range up and trying for a Chaos Break, hoping to hold it for a longer period of time than he was used too.
If he could somewhat master retaining chaos energy in his body, instead of always having to expel it because of the limits on his physical form... he could do a lot of good for a set of minutes.
And more good, meant more people saved.
A few recruits were watching, interested in what he was doing as he tried to concentrate. He moved his hands, almost as though practicing martial arts, but kept his eyes closed. The aura moved like misty clouds around his hands and body, seeming to spin like steam as he rotated it around him. A small dust devil formed at his center as he took deep, calming, focused breaths to try and lessen the pain of holding onto to chaos energy and trying to store it in and not let it out all at once either. Making chaos energy out of nothing would have a severe toll on his body, but with little measurements of success like this, he could maybe one day hold a massive amount, and finally give Eggman's army what's coming to them.
One of the on-lookers was a young girl, she swung her legs as she sat on some wooden crates, watching the strange sight in excitement and curiosity. "Is that him? The guy who rose in rank in just one month?"
"Yeah! They say that Shadow trained him!" Another dude piped up, moving up on the crates to answer her and share in the amazement. He gripped the edge of her crate and wagged his tail, seeming to be a fan of the stories about Soler's missions and adventures.
"Shadow?" Someone else turned to the boy, a young boy having a ponytail for his long, extensive hair. It seemed they were all fairly new recruits, still in intensive training. "But I thought he's scary!"
"He's just anti-social. That must speak volumes for this guy! If he had to have Shadow train him, he must be powerful!" A girl threw her arms up, as though showing her support for Soler as she watched to see what he'd do next for his training. She wore pigtails that spun as she admired the powerful energy surge around Soler's dust-devil effect.
"Wow..." the original recruit that spoke up stopped dangling her legs and watched him more closely, amazed by what she was hearing. "So what will he do now?"
Soler took a controlled section of chaos and forwarded it to his hand,... gliding his hand down, he felt the physical pressure of the moment, and grunted slightly as he felt more and more exhausted from just trying to force the chaos energy to one part of his body. He took a deep breath, and began hitting the air with rapid fast reflexes, jumping into a back-flip and spinning into a kick. The misty clouds shot forward, as though wind being propelled. He was training his memory, making sure his body knew what to do, and all the while channeling chaos energy throughout his movements. It was much more fluid and easier to move than before, and chaos energy wasn't so frightening to him, mostly because he knew he wouldn't hurt any curious gawkers like the kids on the crates. He could feel their energy, but it wasn't anything like chaos.
After a few more acrobatic fleets of strength, precision, and mastery over his chaos energy in Chaos Break, the effects wore off and he fell to a knee, panting strongly from it's toll on his body.
Sweat dripped from his forehead, his muscles ached and waned to keep him up on one knee. He even felt his body tremor a few times, unused to having to hold that much chaos before.
Still, training was training, he'd have to build the stamina for it, one day at a time...
"You keep that up, and you won't have any chaos energy stored up for the mission tonight." Sally stepped up and placed her hands on her hips, proud to see him showing off for the younger recruits.
He smiled, eyes still closed and hunched over, gripping his knee before pulling himself back up like he had a pair of wings, beating fiercely to look impressive. Though it was all in his head, he felt like a hero rising from the ground, and acted as much. "I'll be ready." he turned to look over his shoulder at her, another smoldering look of affection that let her know—without words—what she meant to him. "You doing alright?"
She couldn't help it, moving quickly over to him, she gave him a warm, tight hug as he returned the gesture with as much gratitude as she had. "Look at you, you've grown so much since then..." she remembered with a slight hint of teasing, tightening the hug a moment in gratitude. "You haven't had a bad dream in a while, or a walking one... for that matter." her arms wrapped around his neck before slowly loosening to let him go.
But as if not wanting her to release him, he held her at the same intensity, before pulling his head back and staring into her deep blue eyes...
"I recall a sweet moment where you used to say you'd never let me slip out of your embrace... what happened to those days?" He was amusing himself with these games, and she pushed him away from her, unable to hide her blushing grin.
"Maybe someone should move forward at a pace I can keep up with." She was acting a little shy, but he found that adorable. She folded her arms, then fiddled a moment with her muddy, scarlet hair. "Your powers... they're easier for you now?"
"Much easier to handle." Soler confirmed, dusting off his chest a moment from all the dirt he had kicked up onto himself during his workout. "Though I'm trying to figure out how to grow them stronger." he gripped his fists together, looking each over with every turn of his head, examining them. "I feel I've got the hang of it,... but I also feel there's so much more there that I haven't quite tapped into... I'm not sure how to go into the next level, as Sonic calls it, you know?"
She turned around and pointed straight at him, "Ha! You're nervous!" she laughed, "You know?" She teased, and walked back over to take his balled up hands and delicately place her own over them. "Listen, Soler... Things take time. Even using your power more strains you, right? I know you probably feel nervous about what's buried deeper inside you... but we'll worry about that together." she saw him move his hands and rub his wrists, not hiding the fact that it was a lot on him, but he was just glad he had gotten the hang of it this far.
"Thanks, Sally... but strength is strength. I'm making progress!" he flexed his arms up, "Aren't ya proud of me?" He joked. "I bet Shadow won't even recognize me when he gets back!" Striking a Hercules pose, it was clear he was only trying to impress her and the watching recruits. They all gave him an awestruck reaction, and Sally just rolled her eyes to it.
She giggled, "Immensely," and wrapped her arm around his own, "But let's not praise that 'can-do' spirit too much... might go to your stubborn head." she laughed at her own joke, but that wrinkle in her nose always made him fall deeper in love with her. She wanted to get him away from influencing the younger recruits too much... wouldn't want them setting off alarms, either...
"I love the way you laugh..." he sighed, catching her off-guard as she let his arm go and scooted back slightly. Her original plan seemed to falter as now, he was the one holding the reins.
"You're just saying that." she smiled to the ground, but he came a little closer, not wanting the distance between them to break so much.
"No, I mean it. I may be headstrong, but I'm also headfirst in love with you, Sally." His words were tender, but they were overwhelming her as she touched her redden cheeks.
"I-... I-I told you Sonic wasn't much for showing his emotions, and Monkey Khan, well... I-I'm just not used to your forwardness, sometimes." she fidgeted with her feet and then stroked her hair down over one eye, "B-b-but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it." she humbly looked back up into his eyes...
"Well, it's hard for me not to compliment... something that strikes me as beautiful." He took on the heroic persona once more, leaning back and mimicking Sonic as he put his hand to his hip, trying to look down into her gaze to hopefully have her swoon again.
Then a recruit whistled.
Soler pulled Sally to him, instinctively, seeing their encouragements. He knew Sally would get more embarrassed though, so he held up a hand to the recruit, "Chaooosss-!" he threatened a blast.
The recruits all ran in terror but Sally just covered her face. It was a humorous scene, as they all toppled over one another and flipped over the crates to escape.
Soler put down his hand and turned back to Sally, "Sorry, I'll try and save those moments and comments for when we're alone." He lightly kissed her forehead.
"I highly doubt that." She peeked up through her fingers at him, and all at once, his heart melted again.
"Aww... you're right, you're just too cute not to say anything... I can't wait till we're alone, it's too long a time!" he hoisted her up into the air and held her swinging with his arms, around and around she went in glee.
"Ahh-! Soler-! Wooah, haha!" she clung to him, a kind gesture that put her at ease. With the audience gone, she relaxed a little bit more too. Slowly, he slipped her back down into his embrace, "I can't seem to get enough of you. There's too much to take in." She looked just as lovesick as he was, and his muzzle showed his joy at accomplishing his mission.
"There it is." He chuckled lightly, "I'll not not to say how... how that smile makes me feel... all the time." He nuzzled her nose very lightly.
"Heh," She tried to remain still, but he knew he shouldn't push his luck just yet. She needed time to adjust to... well, to how out of control he was when it came to how madly in love he was with her.
He ducked his head down, "Y-you're right. I should take it easy..." He gently, though retreating his arms to do so, let her go unwillingly. "I'm just... really happy we're together more, Sally." He scratched behind his head, mentally scolding himself and saying he should cool the engines a bit.
Sally also ducked her head, then took some courage, and lightly placed her nose to his again. "Me too..." She liked the compliments and affection, but just wasn't used to it. To not set him off, she dashed away, hoping that the subtle return of affection would be enough to show her reciprocated love. Still, she was too shy to do anything more, "I'll-! I'll see you as we head out! Please remember to be stealthy!" she called back behind her. "The mission is launching out tonight!"
"Will do." he lightly touched his nose with two fingers, then grinned from ear to ear, feeling the slight hurt on his cheeks from how happy he was. "Smiling never hurt this much... not like before." He looked out towards the sun. "...I hope this never changes..." and with that sad reminder of the doubts that filled his fate, he continued onward, preparing for the stakes that tonight would bring.
Taking on a serious demeanor, he decided to meditate, giving his body a chance to renew his chaos energy supply.
Later that night...
Eggman robots were stationed right outside the perimeter of the village's main townhouse. Their lights remained dormant of life, but vibrant in the quiet of the night. They held their forms like soldiers, grasping their metallic, flat fingers on their other arm's machine gun. Sinister sentinels, protecting nothing but serving all evils...
Shadows moved swiftly around the stagnant metal husks as the Freedom Fighters made their way to the roof of the where they guarded. Moving like silent ninjas in the night, they got to a secure wall and using ropes and jumping from a partner's hands laid together and palm facing up, they were able to make it well onto the top without being detected. However, before they did so, a figure flew up and dropped a small device that sparked as it fell to the roof. The sparks fizzled out any detection system, and finally... the shadows landed one at a time upon the roof.
A few cameras also were sparked... but they remained unaffected, slowly turning to hide their glares but watch the crew closely...
The shadows all landed one after another, before one removed his black scarf around his mouth, revealing white tuff protruding by his cheeks.
Tails's beaming face looked pretty pumped his device had worked, "Looks like there were trip wires and security detection measures on." He whispered to Sally, who also removed her black scarf from around her mouth.
"Good work, Tails. I'm glad we have you this time around." She lovingly ruffled his hair, still unable to help the feeling like he was a cute kid. "Okay, let's go with Plan B now."
But as Sally turned around to instruct the rest of the crew, Soler was out of sight. Panicky, she looked around and then peeked down the roof, seeing him moving behind one of the Eggman robots.
She let out a quiet groan of disapproval, this wasn't the first time this had happened. But still, he knew the costs, why would he act so recklessly!? In the past, he would follow orders simply because he was worried his power could act up if he didn't watch himself. But now... he was more cocky than ever! Even Sonic would sneer with pride. She turned to the others, knowing she needed to be a leader, and not risking the rest of them. She gestured the plan, using code signs to let them know what was going on, and started quietly taking the roof apart to make a small opening... hoping with all her heart that Soler wasn't going to be rash and do something to jeopardize the whole of the mission.
'He wouldn't risk innocent lives like that.' she told herself, 'I have to start trusting his instincts. I have to.' she repeated to herself as she carried on and dared not to look back. 'Be careful, Soler... Please.' her silent prayer was mingled with her frustrated clamp of her teeth, gritting through the stress of trying to keep the tools from making noises as they performed their incision on the roof.
Soler sneaked up behind one of the guarding robots, his red shoes with black X's lightly whipped up the loose dust upon the ground with each careful footstep. Using his expert knock-out techniques he had learned form Shadow, he dug the side of his hand into their little slit around the round, bulbous head's gap that made their neck. He was careful to observe some broken Eggman robots on his last missions, and studying their mechanize, it seemed that some essential wires were just under the head. Protected by both the chrome dome of their head and the heavy plating around their body. 'Too bad Eggman never gave them any bulky shoulders, this will be easy to penetrate!' Soler had already won in his mink, smirking in the dark. Summoning the chaos energy to his hand, he caught a quickly formed, sharp Chaos Spear and struck it precisely into the gap he had found in his studying. Rotor and Tails were helpful in teaching him about robotics, but it was all worth it when he could single-handedly take one out. It short-circuited and collapsed on itself, looking like an egg that fell in on it's pegged stand. Wires flickered a moment like a sparkler, but with no power left, the eyes blipped and then were out like a car's blinker.
Feeling pretty good about his technique, he continued to do the same with the others, but none were reacting to him. He'd jump, stab, and roll back into the shadows, and like dominoes, they all soon collapsed on themselves. It was like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland, but instead of folding cards, its crushed Eggbots. "Huh?" he noticed they were all strangely still... no alarms, nothing.
It was too quiet...
The night had no sound, so with all the robots downed, he walked just a little bit out of the shadows, holding his Chaos Spear in hand, having to surround it in chaos energy so it didn't burn his hand.
'A trap?' he quickly looked back up at the roof. 'Could it be..? Why else were they all... Oh no...'
His eyes widened in fear, "Sally..." he uttered, and took off to climb back up the townhouse.
Soler was used to thinking fast, over-complicating things was sadly a knack of his. His mind raced with rescue strategies in case this really was a bait, but people needed him... and he hadn't forgotten his main objective: Protect those who can't.
He raced up the wall, clawing it just enough to not make too much sound but still scale it efficiently. His reflexes helped him leap over some cameras and then kick them out. 'Cameras..? There's only two of them...' he shot the chaos spear still in his hand at the second one, watching it fizzle out and shoot out like a blown firecracker. "Not my friends you don't." he bit on his teeth, glaring, and moved towards the hole in the roof.
He stuck his head down into the gap his team had made, and looked frantically around to make sure they weren't in danger. So far, so good. He saw them rounding up the villagers, before a hand grabbed the tuff of his chest and spooked him out of his cautious observations.
Sally pulled him to her, making him wobble a second like a swung clock part.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sally had his face right up in front of her own, clearly showing him she was in warrior princess mode, and he wasn't doing as he was told...
He weakly smiled, knowing he was going to get pretty harshly scolded, "M-making sure you're all alright?" his voice shook in his delivery.
Conflicted, Sally let him go, swinging him back as his legs wiggled a moment and then he flipped them down to land.
"I'm glad you want to help at all costs, but going AWOL on a covert mission is highly hazardous!" she looked about ready to whack him, but held it back. Her whispering reprimand made it sound like she was hissing at him, and he rubbed his head apologetically, ducking his head down as she kept coming at him. "I'm worried you don't take orders well. We've done countless missions! You always aren't cautious enough!"
Ironic, he was coming back because he was being cautious...
Still, he knew she was right. He just wanted to make sure their exit plan went out without a hitch.
Unknown to them... cameras moved from the rafters to look at where Soler and Sally were talking to one another from... They bent like mechanical arms, hiding themselves, and not stationary like the well-hidden roof ones that Soler had taken out previously... The cameras on the outside, also undetected by the others, carefully watched through the windows. They rotated themselves and zoomed in on Sally and Soler... then turned to the sparking robots and the jammed chaos spears wedged into their openings by their non-existent necks. The spears flashed and the robots further exploded as Soler clutched his fist to release his control over them while Sally scolded him, distracting him from keeping the chaos hidden and silent. The robots loose wires flailed around before all light disappeared from the area.
The cameras turned back to the inside of the house... all but one... who mechanically moved to zoom in on the evidence of Soler's power...
"It'll be alright, it always is, in the end." He winked to her, trying to calm her racing nerves. "I prom-" his words were cut off as Sally clasped her hand over his mouth, pulling herself over to him and getting up on her toes to look him dead in the eye.
"Don't ever say that to me." She stated, fiercely. "Don't ever make a promise you aren't sure you can keep."
His eyes bent, seeing the pain in her eyes at saying those words. The moonlight extenuated the gloss in her eyes... Something painful had happened with a promise left unkempt, and he wouldn't pry further into it tonight.
Everyone worked well and efficiently, those tension was still lingering in Soler at the solitary guardbots all remaining motionless in the far too quiet dark, he decided to let it go since the villagers were eager to get away anyway. Gathering each mobian and placing them in a pulley system, they hoisted them up through the hole and then raced them off into the forest. Once again, Soler reflected on the easy rescue... it didn't sit right with him, and he knew from Sally's expression that she was on-guard about it too.
Why was the night so still..?
However, there was still some celebration to be had. Everyone was rescue without a single scratch or skirmish.
But then again...
The camera's feedback blitzed in a frizzy light upon a screen in an extremely dark room... scratchy static finally visualized the figure of Soler, moving in blocky images upon the frame. Many eyes reflected the light of this secluded viewing... The camera showed Soler summoning a Chaos Spear, grabbing it before it shot out of his hand, and stabbing the Robot from behind.
"It doesn't seem possible, boss." One spoke, much older in years it seemed. "But it's definitely a chaos energy attack." The man had his arms folded, a deep husky voice. He then turned to bow down to the leader. "We hoped to stage this hostage situation to learn more about the FF's tactics of rescue... but I find this a lot more alarming..."
Two figures suddenly approached the light of the screen, and one seemed to smile in wicked fascination of the image. "So, it's not just me out there, is it, Dad?"
"Quiet." The father spoke, glaring at the image. "This is an anomaly. Eggman won't be pleased if we don't perfectly execute this attack. We need to know what they have..."
"Ah, come on! We can go in, guns-a-blazin', and handle whatever their little acorn-hole can throw at us!" the son seemed pumped but the father punched his side.
"When I say quiet... I mean it." He removed his fist, "I thought I had taught you that by now." He moved his cloak to the side, covering his arm that he used to thrust his fist into his son earlier. "Assemble some more intelligence. I want to look over this footage carefully... I don't like... the blue in his quills..." The father glared heavily at the frozen image of Soler, still blurred out on the screen. "...It looks too familiar..." he almost growled in a lowered tone, and then proceeded to storm away.
The son, barely hunched over, straightened up and still held a frightening smile, "Ow... Daddy seems amiss." He turned in a joking manner to a woman who had just entered with a pitcher of water, pouring it in a cup and the leftovers onto a plant. She turned to address the boy calling her, her face hidden in her raggedy brown cloak before spilling the pitcher at the image she glanced at on the screen. Her eyes shook, as if she'd seen a ghost, recognizing the blue in his quills...
The past... had finally returned. But should it be a return?
"Oh? Still so concerned for me after all these years, dear mother?" The son moved over to her, holding some of her quills in his hand. He must have thought her reaction was from the previous punch, since he was still holding his side... "Such useless compassion..." He let it go and walked on.
She held her panting to a minimum, not wanting to raise any alarms as she pulled her ragged cloak around her more. 'Better now than never... I have to do this... for the sake of so many, and for once... myself.' she whispered, her eyes narrowing in resolve but watery with fear. It was her compassion that would never leave her, even after all these years of servitude and self-pity. Her voice came out almost like opening a creaky, dusty wardrobe. It was as though she hadn't spoken in years, "It was compassion... that poured the tea, my son." her voice seemed dry and starved for life. She took the cup she had just poured, drank as much as she could, and began to cover herself as she made her way through another corridor...
He watched her exit, but said nothing. Simply moved on, as though he was simply speaking to a memory.
Watching some guards patrol by, she then took her chance and grabbed a decorated, golden, steel conduct opening and began to tug it out. It creaked loudly at her attempts, and she looked around frantically to make sure no one was watching or coming to investigate.
She was lucky, she had studied there ways for so long, hoping for a moment to escape.
Finally, after years of tugging on it behind her husband's back, it rusted enough to come out.
She had poured water and other corroding materials onto it in hopes of breaking free and now was her chance, so she crawled through the square pipe and shut the steel behind her.
Men turned the corner, as was their routine, but paid no mind to the steel lid. She peeked through its gaped design, and then slowly... backed into the drain...
-Back at New Mobotropolis-
"Nicole," Soler typed in some things, "What would make an Eggman fleet malfunction?" He was still concerned about the stillness of the robots he had encountered...
Nicole materialized and gave a kind bow to him, "If there function was disrupted, but... why do you ask?" she seemed curious, "There are many ways to malfunction a robot."
"No, I mean... without-" He held his tongue, "Nevermind." he shook the feeling off, "We made it all back safe and that's what matters." He loosened up and smiled to Nicole. "Did you scan the villagers?"
"All are healthy and well. A few sick here and there, but nothing more than a common cold." She happily relayed. "It seems the townhouse was a great shelter for them in the end, they were there for a couple of hours..." She informed, and then hovered over by him, her pixels lighting up his fur. "Soler... everyone is waiting for you in the celebration hall... are you not dining this evening?"
"O-oh, I forgot! Y-yeah, I'll be there. Can't miss my own celebratory party, now can I, ya know?" he seemed nervous... but quickly straightened himself up and went out, trying to look more cheery. He was jittery, mostly because he now had a reputation to maintain, but that didn't make his uneasiness any less apparent...
Nicole watched him intently, before shrugging it off as a human strangeness and continuing on her way back into her computer.
"There's the man!" a few fighters hoisted Soler up the second he walked in, letting him be thrown up on their arms as they cheered, "Oh, he's a jolly good fellow!"
He felt awkward at the praise, but did like the confidence boost. "W-what's this all about? Why just me?"
Tails covered his mouth a moment, chuckling. "We saw the Eggman robots you single-handedly took out! It was so impressive, we decided to toast to you!" Tails picked up a drink and handed it to Soler.
Soler tried to lean over and reach for it, but with all the commotion,... someone threw him up again and Tails toppled over, having the drink slip through his gloved fingers and begin to fly through the air. As though making it look easy, Sally miraculously caught it, her hand moving in a precise and skilled fashion to do so. To add to the sensational catch, she swirled the water with her pinkie out, and then walked over to Tails.
"Be more careful with the cups, Tails." She lovingly instructed, helping him up. "What were you doing?"
"Trying to hand it to Soler, but..." He smiled to her and then awkwardly looked back to Soler, who was being hoisted away.
"H-hey!" he tried to protest a bit, seeing Sally and wanting to join her.
Her face fell a little flat as though not in the spirit of things, thinking it ridiculous to give Soler so much credit when it was clearly a 'team' effort. "They're lifting him up into the air for being reckless?"
"That's a bit cruel, Sally." Tails's ears lowered, "He made sure we'd all get through successfully. Nothing was left to stop us!" Tails cheered, "Why don't you praise him too? He's being kinda humble about it all, isn't that worth praising? Just a tiny... bit..?" He withdrew from her after seeing her harsh features on her face, and pulled back from continuing the peer pressure.
"...I don't think it's something that should be praised." she sighed, moving away from the scene. "It's good that nothing bad happened, but with how we set things up, he shouldn't have acted on his own like that. It wasn't necessary and could have jeopardized the mission, the villagers, and us all. What if it didn't work out, Tails? Then what?" She sat down and lowered the glass down gently. "I can't help but feel like this is all going to go to his head more..." He had only just began mastering what he could of his powers, and Sally didn't feel it right to give him such an ego boost when she knew he needed more time to adjust.
Tails sat down by her, worried, before he saw Soler speed his way over to her quickly, panting. "Whoo! What a rush!" he laughed, sitting down beside her. He had gripped the table, feeling the slippery floor and trying to not let his lightheaded feeling get the better of his balance. "I finally convinced them to put me down!" he reached over for the drink in her hand and took it after a moment of skimming her hand. Knowing she wasn't used to him yet, he tried to be gentle and subtle about it, before chugging the water down and laughing that it was milk. "Now that's something." he chuckled to himself, banging the glass down. "Still, I'll take another!"
Sally rolled her eyes, "Half the recruits here are underage, you really think we'd serve anything more than this?" She raised her hand and a man rolled down the glass of milk to her. "Besides, it'd get unruly. I'd rather have my friends with sharp minds than a bunch of half-there, half-not hooligans."
It did sound a bit harsh, and Tails just gave Soler a look like she wasn't in a good mood.
Sally did see the gesture of his hand though, and not watching their subtle, muted conversation... she moved her hands around her own glass and rubbed her fingers lightly, biting her tongue. She was about to scold him, but stopped herself, deciding there would be a better time soon, anyway...
"You haven't slept yet." Sally decided to go with concern, watching as the waiter brought a few more drinks over, and passed one to Tails.
"Nah, been too much fun." Soler calmly responded, taking the drink and giving it a light twist with his fingers in a corkscrew way on the ground, not drinking it yet as he noticed Sally's hesitancy about something. "Something troubling you?" he finally did a sip, and she tried to compose herself.
"You know how I felt about you disobeying orders." She took a small sip as well, mostly to calm herself down. She didn't like the situation, but she wanted to be a good role model to Tails too... she couldn't favor anyone over the other, and she needed to be strict about Soler coming on missions. It was almost like a role reversal, now that Shadow wasn't acting as his mentor much anymore, Sally seemed to inherit disciplining Soler in a new skill he was unfamiliar with. Controlling himself in high risk situations... he had power over his chaos energy, but what about his headstrong behavior? "Jeopardizing the mission shouldn't be praised for the results turning out alright, it should be from the execution of the assignment."
"You sound like my teacher." he smirked, winking to her as he referenced Shadow. Seemed he was catching on to her inner-monologue...
She touched her face, was it that obvious?
She grew shy and embarrassed, losing her leader-like apparence as Tails also chuckled into his hand, looking to Soler. He had flipped the scene in a matter of moments, just being his charming self again.
"All about the process, he says." Speaking of Shadow, he took another sip of the non-alcoholic beverage, having gestured for the drink to the man passing them around.
"...I'm not happy about this, Soler." she finally stated, and then looked to Tails. "Tails..."
He got the message, nodding and bouncing up from his seat. He could tell Sally was holding herself to a standard, and appeased her by flying off, "See you Sally, Soler!" he waved. Sally was someone everyone looked up too, so he respected that she didn't want to appear too kind to Soler... though it was obvious she and him weren't so formal.
She nodded to Tails's sympathetic kindness and turned back to Soler, a serious expression of weariness on her face, "I understand how you must feel. You were a hero today, but a true hero thinks of everyone, even the rescuers' safety."
"Do we have to confront this now?" Soler knew what she was saying, but wasn't in the mood to be reprimanded. "Can't we just enjoy the morning..? Maybe we do need sleep." he pulled her stool closer to his, making her wobble and grip her hands to the table. He put a loving arm around her and then his head to her shoulder, "Suddenly... I'm so sleepy..." he cooed, teasing playfully as he went limp.
"Oh, you." she did find that cute, but tried to get him off. "This isn't the time for that... and besides, we're in public..." Her eyes shifted around nervously. Was she like Sonic? Worried about images all of a sudden..?
"Emm... So comfy..." he continued the act and she finally giggled as he rubbed his nose under her cheek.
She'd have to get used to it. He loved her too much to not tease, and with all the tension she was carrying, he had to do something to put her at ease.
"That's not fair! You know I'm ticklish! This isn't going to get you out of- ah-! Ahahaa!" she laughed when he tickled her stomach and she tried to weakly push him away.
"You advise me all the time, it's about time I advise you to relax." he teased, but then a harsh wind opened the doors of the hall as a woman in muddy rags coughed and stumbled against the side of it, looking around frantically to get her bearings straight.
A few people were rushing after her, but stopped when they saw she had opened many different buildings, seeming to be searching for something...
Everyone remained still a moment, not sure where this had come from.
A rescued person suddenly got up, "Weren't you... the one that was with those abductors?"
The Freedom Fighter's all turned around, surprised to hear this, to say the least.
"Abductors?" Rotor immediately stomped forward, "Okay, lady. Who are you and what are you doing here?" he took out his taser wrench, but watched as she fell to her knees and just didn't have the heart to look intimidating. "Woah! Lady!" he threw the weapon back and used his free hand to reach out to her.
She continued to breathe hard, "I'm... not with them... I was forced to be with them... but I'm not." she explained through heavy, soggy breaths.
"She's lying!" another rescued member stood up, slamming his hands to the table, "I personally saw them from my village!"
"Your village?" Another Freedom Fighter turned to the individual, "You mean... You're not from the village we just saved?"
"N-no..." A village boy seemed timid, but wanted to help out with the misunderstanding. "Not all of us. My Ma and Pa were taken from the city..."
Another rescuer got stepped forward, one of the pursuers, "We chased her from the walls, she used her bare hands to climb it, this is no ordinary woman!"
An elder rose then, ignoring the woman and commotion to speak truth as well. He stomped his walking stick to the ground, making himself known, "I was taken from several miles away from their village. I haven't stepped foot in that village before then! the abductions are happening more and more frequently, but I never thought they'd come to the monastery's shelter!"
"They're taking everyone!"
"They're ruining our lives!"
"She's with those monsters!"
"I-I... had to reach him..." The woman in rags coughed, trying to spit out the dirt from her mouth. "I had to... I must..." her arms trembled as she tried to upright herself. Her old knees wobbled, malnourished and like old sticks, but somehow, they kept her going.
"It's not just here?" Sally's eyes shrank and shook with the horror of what she was hearing. "Why hasn't anyone spoken up about this before? And this woman... she's apart of it? But how is that possible, she's not a robot..." she slowly got up to examine the woman, but stopped a few steps away as someone else spoke up. Soler remained by Sally's side, standing behind her and keeping a hand in her own.
"It's not just where you're Freedom Fighters' are stationed! There are hostages all over the different bases!" another woman, holding a child stated in a cry that could only mean she was desperate to have them understand their plight.
"We..." Sally found herself compromised, unable to hold back the terror in her tears, realizing she hadn't truly saved anyone. "We have to alert the other zones! Contact them through Nicole, she can travel faster. If hostages are being moved around then that has to be a trap!" she quickly took charge, turning off her emotions as quickly as they had come and harshly ripping her hand out of Soler's.
This left him worried about her, the vacancy in his hand making him feel like he was being left behind. 'No... Sally.' he wanted to be by her side, wanted to fight with her. Did she not trust him? Was his actions today too reckless for her to include him now? 'Don't do this alone, let me help you.' he kept trying to keep up with her, but the woman had crawled her way over to Soler and grabbed his now freed hand.
"H-huh?" He looked down, shocked she would take it as she pulled her hoodie back, and stared at him in wonder.
The first thing he noticed... was the blue streaks in her quills... and the gentle fall back they had. Then the pristine, porcelain white that was dirtied and matted with clots of earth... leaves... icky green grass stains...
What had happened to this poor woman?
His heart was immediately softened, but caution and the unknown swarmed quickly into his judgement like a pipe being turned on and filling up his thoughts.
"They must know where we are." Sally started up, pulling Soler's mind away from the desperate woman, but she began to speak just after her, guiding Soler back to her longing, anxious gaze.
"Your defenses are too much for them to take on, without the proper information, they won't know how to storm New Mobotroplis... you're all in grave danger... but safe, for a very small window of time." she had caught herself, brought some form of power into her voice that gave envy to Sally and admiration in Soler. She slowly moved up from her knees, looking Soler over and then deeply into his eyes, as though moved by a painting. Her hands wavered slightly by his face, but dared not touch.
"What did you say..?" Sally spun around, before seeing the strangeness of her behavior towards Soler.
Not wanting to be rude, Soler allowed her to cling to him, remaining still. However, it was extremely awkward... before he noticed the similar colors and style of her quills compared to his own again, and marveled at the oddity of it all. 'Do all hedgehogs have some common genes?' he wondered, knowing Sonic was blue and Shadow had red streaks in his quills, but shook off the thought since Shadow was bio-engineered, and Sonic... was just blue.
His eyes made a squint of confusion, and he suddenly realized this woman was examining the same things as he was in his appearance. '"A-ah..." he moved his other hand up, trying to stop her from looking at his features so much...
It was a very peculiar, having someone judge your appearance this obviously...
"I'm glad you kept this blue..." she smiled as though relieved, looking to the stripes of blue in his quills and gesturing up towards the ceiling, but the movement was unknown to Soler and so he got a little creeped out. "...Ha... I hope there's more of me in you, that it's a sign of good things." Her eyes sparkled with hope and pride as she looked down and gripped her raggedy brown tarp over her more, "Finally... the Mercenaries will at last meet their match... and Conor will realize he's created his own doom... in me." she glared suddenly in great hurt.
She turned to Sally, "They're setting up for intelligence scans, trying to read your strategies. They'll ambush you after their tactical assessment is complete. But with my escape, it may be now or never." she turned back to Soler, "Only you can defeat a Stratus," she cupped her hands gently by his face, "My... Son."
His whole body felt a surge of electrical, chaos-like lightning at her touch, freezing him before he felt a shard of static explode at his chest, making it hard to breathe.
There was a quiet as Sally's face configured into a deeper seeded confusion, but her protectiveness kicked in and she moved over to Soler, pulling him lightly away from the woman. "I'm sorry... but until we get this situation figured out-"
"She has no shame!" A rescued woman called out, pointing accusingly to her from the door. "She's part of them! A spy! Come to infiltrate the only safe place we have now!"
"Hear, hear!" another man stepped forward, this time from within the once giddy hall, shaking his fist.
While the argument commenced intensely throughout the room, Soler felt an abrupt presence wash over him like a mountainous wave, sucking him under as thoughts of the orphanage and the caretakers returned to him... He was abandoned, unwanted, and left on the steps of their humble institution. Before, he had always thought of Luna's village but now... Memories just gushed over his senses, leaving him in a darkened place with his mind. He felt strangely null here, and that was comforting for the time being.
The caretakers always assured him he was meant for big things, wonderful and amazing things that were left to be uncovered when he was older. The younger kids hid behind him from the older, more ruthless children and he would take beatings on their behalf, then get scolded for the fighting by the caretakers. Still... he never once questioned it. While the other children sobbed over the loss of parents, or the missing of family, he never had such emotions... but he was always curious. 'Maybe someday, I'll find them.' he thought to himself, countless times before his powers started to turn dangerous, and he left the orphanage with one goal in mind: To master them.
He explored and helped people when he could as a nomad until Luna's village... a real home. The only thing that consumed his thoughts beforehand,... before Sally saved him from himself.
But with this woman's appearance, nothing but the orphanage's memories came to mind. All those young souls praying for their mothers and fathers to return... while Soler feared the powers he was beginning to manifest.
"Well, this party was a bust." A sarcastic voice rang through the hall as everyone turned to the familiar silhouette of three, spiked quills off to the side... "Come on! Where's the merriment?"
Sonic The Hedgehog had finally returned, and with him, many of the Freedom Fighters. Shard looked cautiously around him, then dashed over to stop people who had started brawling in their wild emotions.
"We come back to celebrate and tell of our spoils, and look! Others are spoiling it for us!" Shard kid, separating the fighting individuals by flying halfway across the room with his jetpack-like engine.
Sally was still unsure of where to even begin to describe to Sonic and Shard what had occurred, and looking at Soler's expression... she definitely knew he was in no state to respond.
"We'll continue this later." She instructed, looking to others behind her. "Get everyone to bed. Nicole will run a scan on the woman. We'll investigate her later, as well. Make sure everyone has what they need today."
"Woah, so serious." Sonic raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side. "You getting enough R&R lately, Sal?" He looked to Soler, as if accusing him of something.
"Sonic," Sally scolded, placing a foot forward as he smiled and held up his hands in a fake surrender.
"Right, right. Take care of things." He winked in a friendly manner, but nothing that would be seen as romantic. That ship had long left the harbor and sank, "Knuckles?"
Knuckles nodded, pointing swiftly to Rotor and Tails. To Rotor, he gestured to Shard trying to calm down the brawling, and to Tails, the woman clinging as though in a dream to Soler.
They nodded, then split up into teams as Tails calmly gestured for the woman in rags to come with him.
"N-no, I must speak with you more." She resisted, struggling a bit and moving back towards Sally and Soler. Sally flinched back, but noticed as she tried to move Soler, that he was like frozen stone... His feet planted firmly to the ground.
"This isn't the time." Sally stood in front of him, hoping this wasn't another trigger moment like with Luna... "You stated a warning to us, for that, we'll give you the benefit of the doubt." She looked to Tails, "For now." she nodded to him.
There was something awful about how this made her feel. When, at last, she thought Soler's only troubles were his natural tendency to go solo when he needed to stay with the team, but now...
Tails heard the urgency and command in her tone, so he nodded back and continued to help the woman begin to move away and out the doors. Slightly dragging her, she wouldn't remove her eyes from Soler... so much emotion in those eyes... like marbles with galaxies of knowledge hidden inside of them... they held Soler suspended.
"You don't understand!" She once again fought, but Tails was soon helped by more of her pursuers, wanting justice for not catching her in the first place. She had many arms grabbing and looping around her, and in a mournful cry, she reached for Soler. "They could track you through your transmissions!"
Soler immediately reached out, so quickly in fact, that only Sonic could see his reflex was powered by chaos energy. He sparked the ground just lightly and Sonic watched with a little bit of surprise.
"...Well, that's interesting." Sonic narrowed his eyes on it as it was all done in a blink of an eye. He wondered how Soler was able to do such a fleet so fast, "Almost looked involuntary for the guy..." he pondered out loud, "Friction? Perhaps?" but followed up by walking over to Sally. "Lots of things I should know about?" He actually was resisting the urge to try and make static with his own feet moving that fast, but held it in. Time for fun later, right now, the Freedom Fighters needed him.
"Most definitely." she sighed, "Soler-" trying to get him back on their side, she began to move towards him like the leader of the Freedom Fighters, not a girlfriend.
She touched his arm, "Whatever this woman is or isn't... we need to discuss the matter more fully later." she squeezed lightly on his arm.
She lightly moved her hand down to then grasp his trembling hand, feeling a little electrical zap from it, but figured it was from her fingers gliding over his fur.
However, Soler's hand felt the woman's, her fingers curling around his own and then clinging as though for life to his own, outstretched mercy. In that moment, he knew... he knew with certainty that she was someone in need. Someone he needed to help.
"Set off the alarms." he finally spoke, but it was more like a breathy whisper.
"What?" Sally gently moved closer, leaning her ear towards him, but keeping her eyes on his ghostly white countenance.
Two different forces of pressure. One gentle, in one hand... the other in great need, unable to loosen their powerful grip, not even by one bit. Was all hope truly lost for this woman? Was she that desperate for him..?
"...We've been breached." he finally admitted to himself, not just about New Mobotroplis, but within his own being as well.
Suddenly, Sally's eyes widened, realizing that if this older woman could get in so easily then...
Why hadn't the alarms gone off?
She looked to the woman, "How did you get in here without setting off the defenses?"
The woman's eyes began to tear up, blinking fast as she gritted her teeth and kept her hold on Soler, not responding to anything. Her mouth trembled in her quiet crying...
Sally immediately held herself up, a princess with a job to do, and headed straight out the door. Picking up Nicole's computer, she flipped it open, just like the old days. It was an ancient device at this point, but a good communicator, nonetheless. "Nicole, this is Sally. We've been breached!"
It wasn't long until Sally was able to set up an interview with the woman, claiming to be Sophia Stratus. The interrogation room was mostly a one-way mirror like in any police station, but this time, the room was more like a small living space than just a empty feel with one table and two chairs.
"So let me get this straight..." Sally rubbed her hands through her silk-thin hair, having it flow by her shoulders in her exhaustion from pulling an all-nighter and now working into the afternoon. She was mostly slouched on the table, trying to get answers but too exhausted to record them. Instead, Soler was in charge of writing what she said down, and it was some pretty disturbing stuff about the mercenaries. Still,... why wasn't Sally asking the real question that she knew he wanted to know?
Sally had some paper with notes scribbled onto it, seeing that indeed, Nicole had run a few blood sample tests and the woman did appear to be Soler's mother. She purposefully didn't question that, and continued to avoid the topic. "You're an arranged marriage that went horribly wrong, and now you're trying to make things right?" she seemed incredulous at that statement. "Why now? Why not run away beforehand if this is all really true?"
She hadn't told Soler... that this was, in fact, his mother.
How could she? This woman may use that as leverage for something.
How would the mercenaries know about Soler and even accurately identify his mother? Besides the looks and blood tests, it's unlikely they'd go to that extreme.
But she was keeping it an option, nonetheless, for Soler's sake. She'd seen crazier anomalies in the past...
But this one was highly unexpected.
"You seem more than a friend." Sophia pointed out, "But I'm glad he has someone to guide him..."
She saw the look of tenderness in the mother's eyes, but also of hurt, and shook off the spooky feeling. She knew Soler was listening, and didn't want to give him any more reason to freeze up. He didn't deserve this, who did? Finding out your family is some-kind of sick breeding nest for evil? She kept her thoughts to herself, maybe she was losing grip of her true nature due to her fatigue?
She couldn't be affected by this woman, no matter what she said or did, for Soler's sake... Everything she was doing was for Soler and for New Mobotroplis.
"You warned us before that it isn't safe here? Could you elaborate on that." She knew they were being recorded too, and adjusted the mic towards her. Soler wrote some more notes down but soon tossed the paper to the side and intently listened in, growing more and more frustrated that Sally wasn't asking her directly about her statement claiming to be his mother. His hands spread out on the table as his nose was inches away from the viewing, one-way mirror.
'Sal...' he bit on his teeth, grinding them slightly. 'Why are you avoiding it..?'
"We're just trying to learn the truth." Sally put her hands together, seeing the woman look off from her and stare at a painting of the sky, brimming with green rolling hills littered with feathered, hair-like grass and ferns beneath it.
"I'd only risk death by fleeing if it meant keeping my hidden son safe." Her voice seemed older now, as though aging rapidly now that she was finally out of that abusive situation. She finally looked to Sally, acknowledging her hesitancy in not asking about it beforehand. "If you don't mind, I'd like to tell my child personally... why his life has been the way it has."
Sally looked down at the paper, flipping it over to cover it's specific details of truth and shook her head. "I don't think that's best." There was already enough on their plates as was. It may seem crucial now, but everyone's safety was greater than that.
She blew out from her mouth after stating that, leaning up a bit to carry on with her conversation, trying to fight the her weariness.
She hoped Soler felt the same... And that he'd do the right thing.
But then, a large bashing crashed through the room as the door was swung open, and Soler stepped inside the interrogation room.
"Soler-!" Sally's chair scooted back, seeing him barge in and not even look at her, but fold his arms. He held himself higher, as though trying to desperately seem alright, and moved by her to the woman. "You can't just-!" Sally continued to protest but he simply didn't listen.
"I'm here. So, go on." Soler stated quite forwardly, as though not leaving room for Sally to object any further.
Heartbroken by him once again disobeying direct orders, she sighed and sat down. He was already here, but his emotions were rampant. She didn't know if she could trust him to think of everyone's safety over his own curiosity, but she also knew it must be challenging. She did know it was his mother... so maybe that instinctual knowledge was driving him to behave this way... even though she knew that he was aware of how much she wanted him to remain in control over himself.
It just wasn't possible for a situation like this...
There was a moment of thought between everyone, as though silence in the world was like a cacophony of words left in the mind.
After a moment, Sophia finally had the strength to speak up, and took each word carefully, speaking slowly.
"What is the earliest memory you can recall?" Sophia Stratus stated, "I would like a decent starting point."
"Nothing you would know." He coldly stated, and Sally placed a gentle hand on his arm. He took a deep breath, "First, let's see if you know where you left me."
"The Sun-Side Orphanage. Though it's name changed after the war." She explained without hesitation. "You left, like I hoped you would. But I had prayed you'd see better days... away from this mess." She looked solemnly down to the ground, "I had to leave you... Could you imagine what would have happened if he made you like-" she cut herself off, as though being cut physically with a knife, and turned away. "I'm sorry..."
As she collected herself, she closed her eyes, "My first son... Shay Stratus... was such a sweet boy." she began, "But when his chaos abilities began to formulate into wonderful displays of art and beauty,... my husband tortured him, beat him down until Shay turned his gift into a monstrous weapon..." she could see the shadow of her son rise in her eyes, and burning flames conquering up the rest of the spaces in her mind... "He can no longer go back... to gentle tea time moments with his mother..."
She took a deep breath, opening her eyes to see Sally and Soler looking entranced at her words, "...I couldn't let that same fate... no matter how hard I tried to preserve my first son... befall my secret blessing." she once again covered her eyes in the darkness behind her eyelids, as though transporting to another place in reality.
"I ran in the night..." A young woman's eyes opened, a seamless transition that burst through the curtains of her eyes, as though a memory lost long ago. A hidden tragedy... but that lead to such hope.
"I held you tightly in my arms... and hoped the ever-free skies would connect us again, linking us through the never-ending circle that created the orb upon which we reside..." The younger Sophia, showing now that she was once beautiful, and her colors radiant... placed the baby in a hurried haste down on the porch, before about to take off. "But then I noticed... how similarly our quills were." The wind blew harshly, and as she covered her face, the bundle of cloth that swaddled the baby suddenly blew off, revealing his crying face. "I had been so distressed... since last feeding you, I had barely checked to truly see what you looked like... worried I would find his face in yours... I was brought to my knees at the sight... of those ever-free blue streaks of sky still reigning in your appearance... and that your blood may one day defeat the sinister, underling devil of the blood you were mixed with." Seeing the boy's face, the mother fell to her knees and wept silently, about to grab the boy. "But it was not meant to be..." She paused and flinched at the click of a door, staring wide-eyed as someone was coming out. "Fate would not let me turn back on my decision... and for that, I am grateful. For my temptation, at first seeing you, my son... was too great a trial to have gone uninterrupted."
The woman fled into the snow, hiding as best she could as she dug herself into the cold. Soler was picked up by some nurses and monks, who looked around to see who had left the baby there.
"We've got another one, Misses!" A man cried out, smiling gleefully at the little boy. "A munchkin, indeed, he is! He's as white as the winter that brought him, and as blue streaked like the tears that forged him!" He billowed a laugh, as though so used to this scenario that it wasn't sad anymore. "Oh? Lookie 'ere. Soler... What a name! A fine name! Think we'll keep this one?" He turned back to enter the door, "Soler... yeah, let's keep it. It's got a destiny to it, me finks." the man disappeared through the door as the women all crowded to see the new arrival, and as the child's cries shredded through the blistering cold, the door was finally shut to everything now...
But awakened one last hope in the young woman's bawling, brokenhearted eyes.
Sophia opened her now stained, red eyes as though feeling that cold alive again. Those harsh, but true words resounded in every bone, forcing those fading cries through the night into a great sense of empathy.
And thusly, Soler and Sally too had glossy eyes, feeling each hit that her words gave them, and remaining in reverent, sorrowful silence.
"Shay is stronger, due to his years of experience over you, my son." It was the sentence that broke the tension, but there was still a thick mist of deception around Sally. Could she really believe this story? It struck her heart, but what if it was fabricated by the mercenaries? Blood doesn't lie... but still. She wouldn't falter her resolve to learn everything first, then provide the trust later. However,... her true nature wanted to comfort the woman... "But if even a little of that power resides in you, you must use it to defend mobian lives... that shade of blue you wear." Sophia gestured to her own, looking finally into Soler's eyes, but weakly so, as if the emotions were too great to bear again. "Is what will stop the Stratus's from their murders and secret combinations of the infernal pit!" she pat out the words, as though hatred had singed her motherly love into burnt coal. "Stratus... that accursed word... meaning to send a continuous streak of horizontal grey against the ever-free skies... blocking out freedom. The blue color that symbolizes the blood of a free man, and the value upon which good, harmony, and peace live upon... the air is free, the clouds steal from the seas... the skies are open, but the clouds are clever blankets of pure white that shield such a view... making it seem an illusion that there is something greater beyond them... that it's somehow out of reach." She opened her hands up, "When really... we are all apart of the sky... it only ends at the ground." she took a deep breath, as if sucking in more freedom to remain courageous and steadfast in telling them the information. To her, it was vital to keep going, though it was like watching a woman tear herself apart trying to speak such hidden truths she had kept silent for so many years...
Sally finally turned to Soler, and noticed the ghostly expression, as though his soul was hovering on every word, and his mind carried in her visions she described.
"That freedom has always been a value of mine... and I'm glad to see it carried in you." She nodded to him, but he was already so deep in her world, he felt like he was transported and hovering upon the skies she described... "Until it was compromised... when I learned that Conor Stratus was no man of value or worth, but one of deception and ruthlessness... Now my skies have been grey, with never-ending... torturous memories of snow... and the rainstorms your father has kept me trapped in... for so... so long."
She looked truly weighed down by her life's sorrows, but a strong, subtle strength remained present in her nobility too. "It broke me to leave you there... but I vowed to never let my values be compromised again. Nor will I allow him to find you. That was the strength that drove me to finally take my leave, and risk everything, Miss Acorn. The strength that pulled me out of my wet self-pity, and into the sun of a brighter morning to come." She wiped her tears and stood up, which in return, made Sally stand up with her... almost as if a reflex of her princess-training years... this woman... was acting like a dethroned queen.
"You are not Conor's son." she boldly stated, as though giving Soler a knightly honor to uphold. She ignored Sally a moment, who refused to leave the situation, and kept watching Soler as he seemed strangely influenced immensely by her words. Sally had already come to her senses, her suspicions reactivated again as she saw the hypnotizing trance this woman had on Soler, and looked to her with narrowed eyes now... "You are mine,... and as such, I beg of you to uphold your truth! Save them all, please... and blow harshly against the grey lining of the clouds that dare to blur the skyward eyes... that search for a world without tyranny... or malice!" she hissed the last words out, and then felt herself overwhelmed as she sat back down, clutching her heart.
Nicole's voice immediately set in as the woman gripped the desk and fell over, "Sally! Her heart-! She's-! It's a heart attack!"
Almost stuck in spot, Sally's sudden feeling of being tricked dissipated in disbelief of what Nicole had stated. Was it jealousy? But rapidly now, Sally's compassion flooded her senses and she wanted to believe what was really happening, but did that mean those emotions from before that she bore were that great? How could that be? Could her want to protect Soler cloud her tenderness for poor, elderly woman?
Soler fell to his knees, grabbing the woman and pulling her to him. That value had been instilled in him at such a young age... he never thought he could actually be born with that. That he could have inherited it... from his... "Mother..?" he breathed out, unable to form the words due to their unnatural tendency to be spoken.
His mother was breathing with great gasps, her face looking pulled back as though being tugged by an invisible force as she shook slightly and struggled to remain in the moment, "I.. thought I'd... never see you again... I didn't know.. I still had... tears... left to sh-e-e-e-ed." The attack began to make her shake more violently than before, her eyes rolling.
Soler looked to Sally with tears, and she knew he believed her... but she still hesitated.
"Nicole, send in medical aid!" she called out, before turning to him. Bending down to his level, she went to reach a hand to his shoulder. "Soler..." but he scooped Sophia up in his arms and moved passed her, seeing her not move in time to help her and instead, reach for him. It was impulsive anger that spiked in him. He'd have to ask her later, why she was being so distant from a woman who clearly was in need.
"Help! I need a medic!" he cried out, as Sally reached and stroked a bit of his back and quills as he bulldozed out of the room. Longing to explain herself... knowing... he saw her lose this battle...
She looked at the paper on the table.
"But maybe not the war." she knew there was only one other person that could confirm such a tale and prove that Sally's suspicions were justified to some degree, and one who knew Soler's silent tears beyond her own knowledge. "I need a Shadow in the snow..."
Thinking it a possible ruse, though knowing the blood-test was still accurate, Sally still couldn't throw off the feeling of a planted spy or disrupter. "Am I being silly? Overthinking it all?" She bit her nails, speaking to Shadow through Nicole's signals. She was worried about what Sophia said before, in fact, everything she had said. But the part about the mercenaries possibly tracking their calls? She couldn't take the risk...
Still, a part of her wanted to believe her. However, she had to be absolutely certain that Soler's mother was on their side, like her words and story suggested...
"...You're doing this behind Soler's back?" Shadow seemed to be amused at that. "Then yes, you're too dead set on this being his evil mother who's come to finish the job and thereby somehow disrupting his purpose in life. You need to stop his possible father and brother from needlessly destroying freedom for gain, that's the ultimate takeaway from all this. It doesn't matter whether he believes it's his missing link to his family or not... all that should matter to you, right now, is the safety of your people and stopping Eggman's forces from staging another attack on New Mobotroplis."
His words made sense, but she didn't think it right to just abandon the dilemma now.
"It... It is his family." she finally admitted, both to Shadow and to herself, "But he's already so far gone... he doesn't follow orders and I'm worried that if his mother asks him to do something, he would..." Would his loyalty so quickly change?
"Then this is about control?" Shadow's voice seemed to rise in accusation against Sally. "They're apart of the abductions. I've found out where they are... and they're moving quickly like a swarm of ants... I think this activity could be directly from this Sophia's escape... If that helps you to trust her, maybe it's enough to take her at face-value... for now." Shadow warned.
Sally felt the sting of his words but nodded, "Maybe it is my pride." she tried to confess, "But I'm also just so worried about him being manipulated..."
"Soler has always felt two values in his life... protecting those who can't, and mastering his abilities to defeat those that have wronged him. He has already completed the latter... but he'll never fully be satisfied with the first. If this mother-figure is triggering his first and foremost value, then it's possible she could control him over you."
"So then I'm not crazy and an overly protective girlfriend?" Sally seemed to be showing her feminine anxiety, and Shadow sighed loudly into the mic at it. It was like a funny reminder for her to stay—professionally—the Princess. "Right, sorry. I'll try and... not power-struggle too much with her. I just want Soler to be alright." she turned tender towards the end, and Shadow conceded that that was enough.
"You have every right to be worried about him... after all, you were the one that helped his fears in resolving his second value... you helping him through this... this behavior of yours is very much what I'd expect of you. If you love him as much as you seem too." He gave her a slight pick-me-up and she smiled fondly in recognition of it.
"Thank you, Shadow..." she lightly stated.
"It's not wrong of you to concern yourself in his life, but perhaps making him apart of his own life's concerns with you wouldn't be a bad idea, either... this isn't just your battle to fight. Soler is emotionally reckless..." he seemed to say that last line with the same disappointment a loving mentor would, "But that is exactly why he needs you to stabilize him. Don't call again." With that usual 'anti-social' and 'anti-hero' persona that Sally has come to love in Shadow, he hung up on her and she knew he was done talking about emotions for one day.
"Guess I'm not on my own after all." She held the phone, knowing she needed to tell Soler the truth. With a heavy heart, she texted him the truth, and said she needed to attend defenses since the mercenaries were moving and they needed to save the other hostages...
When Soler received the text, he was laying in his room, having been told to take a day off; which he found hard to enjoy. After reading it, he felt his soul quake with a slight bit of anger that Sally didn't speak with him personally.
'Why didn't she tell me herself!? I know she's busy, but...' he got up and rubbed his eyes from having stared at the ceiling in thought for so many hours... Now, the woman he had met really was his mother, and Sally had texted the document of their DNA test to prove it. Nicole had even stated some interesting facts about his mother's blood, but he wasn't going to pour through it yet. He wasn't ready, though acceptance was coming...
"Sally..." He smushed his fingers around his face, just disgruntled. "Saallllyyy..!" he fell back onto his firm bed, tossing a bit as he just wanted to see her, talk to her about all this.
It was hard... but he knew what everyone was trying to do, and it was less about him than those suffering people who desperately needed help.
The Freedom Fighters weren't going to stand for Eggman and his mercenary recruits, no one was going to be robotized today.
However...
Why did she hesitate to help Sophia? She would only call her Mrs. Stratus too... Why did she want to be so unemotional towards her?
That part did bother him... how overly cautious Sally seemed to be around her.
He sighed, turning over in his bed to slightly curl up, putting his hands behind his head as he did so, "Whatever..." he was too tired to do anything about it now. He was also emotionally drained, though it seemed Sophia would make it, she was also in recovery.
He would have to wait till later to resolve this matter... and get more intel on what his mother wanted him to do about his... father and misguided brother.
Unknown Territory: Eggman Empire's Robotization Camps
Like a line in a slave-train, the prisoners marched. Mercenaries were covered in shadows from the clouds that blocked out the sun and the lightning that slashed the sky in a sound like the whips on the prisoners backs. They drove them on, before each one was thrown or forced with a heavy push into Eggman's machines that robotized them and put them headfirst into the army.
The landscape was barren and like the dunes of nothingness. Lead into steel domes and then hauled through contraption that would close rapidly and zap a few times, then rise up to reveal the new Eggman Empire robot solider.
"Quite a loyal regiment." Shay smirked, seeing the process unfold. "You'd never need to recruit again, father." He looked beside him, a very broad shouldered man who glared with little emotion down at the screaming and terrified hostages.
"Is this all of them?" Conor stated, bluntly.
"Ouch, you make it sound like it's easy to pluck ants from the ground." Shay pinched his fingers together to demonstrate. "We're getting there."
"We should have been there." Conor began to walk on, and blowing a raspberry behind him was a frustrated Shay.
"I do this for no pay, and now, no respect too?" he complained.
His father growled over his shoulder, "Watch your tongue."
"And bite it till it bleeds?" Shay grinned, teasingly. "Honestly, you make it sound like I'm not even trying to please you."
"Because you're not. You're sadistic. You purposefully take no pay because you know you'll inherit the clan the moment you turn the appropriate age." Conor looked on, "If I had a few more sons like you, I wouldn't even need to take jobs like this..." he put his hands in his large cloak's pockets. "But for some reason... your mother..." he then stopped a moment and looked around.
"...Where is your mother?"
"Already hungry for something you've been dry of for years?" Shay mocked.
"...No, she turned dry." Without so much as remorse, he said that as though she was useless to him now. "But where is she?" he tried to mentally remember the last time he saw her. "Something's not right..." he walked bristly towards the camera room, looking at the plant. He touched the leafs... no one had watered it for a while...
"Dry..." he hissed out, "Your mother has finally signed her death wish." he took a bit of a breath, as though knowing this would happen, but not thinking she'd have the guts to actually go through with it. "You have a new job now,... Son."
"Pfft, so depressing." Shay stretched out, "I'll bring her back."
"No..." Conor closed his eyes, before walking back over to the cameras, "This seems to be more than that..."
Shay looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened and he looked surprised towards his father. "Really? You think the wells done for?"
"I don't need a well." He typed in the last thing she must have saw before deciding to flee, and then... saw Soler. "Ah... I knew that blue looked familiar..." He zoomed in, "It looks just like her..."
"How... can that be?" Shay pulled on his own quills, "He looks different than me..."
"Not by much. He's the splitting image of your mother." Conor smiled, "She's led us straight to him..."
"Straight to..?" Shay still seemed on a different page, but Conor just turned his massive form towards him.
"A heed of warning... I believe your mother hasn't always been dry... perhaps I had mistakenly taken my eye off of her for too long..." He fiddled with a knife by his side. "Take care of it. Retrieve your... 'beloved' mother." Conor took the knife out and stabbed the screen where the son he never knew he had resided... Then tossed it to Shay, who let it drop on the ground, staring at it with a bit of a narrowed look. "That chaos energy should have been mine..." he hit the control panel with all his brute strength, his fangs crunching against his other teeth in his anger.
"...I have a little brother?" Shay began to connect the dots, looking at the Chaos Spears and then Soler's white and blue quills... He then looked to the knife, in curiosity... putting new points together... "All... apart of the dirty work... I suppose." He looked down, as though feeling betrayed as well, and turned towards the door. "But what if she's told the Freedom Fighters? She's already 'increased' their odds..." he gripped his hand before having a flourishing flick of it, acting more sinister in what he was about to do.
The father said nothing, and Shay just pulled on his gloves, making sure they were tight in their resolve. An order is an order... after all. He tsk'ed, "Just another day then, eh, dad?"
Conor slammed his fists to the control panel again, denting it , clearly wanting to have another unit with chaos energy with him.
Shay rolled his eyes, "Never enough for you, is it?" and began to walk on out... laughing as his evil grew...
Rouge watched from above, then signaled to Espio, who quickly moved to alert Shadow... moving invisibly, he only appeared to whisper into Shadow's ear, who was wearing a garb to keep the dusty dirt that flew in the barren wind out of his face.
They were a while away from the camp, but Shadow's eyes widened in distress, and quickly pulled out Nicole. "Alert them. There going to move, and fast."
Back in New Mobotroplis
Shadow had finally returned to the Freedom Fighter's Headquarters, upset by the distressful scene he, Espio, and Rouge had all witnessed. They didn't wait for backup, and did save a few hundred people or so before arriving back in New Mobotroplis... but to reverse the effects of robotization was still a feat that everyone was working on.
Sally, exhausted from not getting any sleep, moved over to Shadow like a zombie as she placed her hand on his shoulder, her eyes barely open. "Good work out there, Shadow... I should check on Soler... could you lead the research community for now?"
"Have you not slept since-!?" He was bewildered by her state, and with everything happening, he wasn't in the mood to loosen-up on her. He took a breath and lowered his angled arms which had been raised in his aggressive state, "No excuses. You should rest. Let him stay close to the action." he folded his arms, as though not willing to hear her fight back on this one.
"B-but-" she began, looking like she could collapse forward any minute as he helped her steady herself.
"What did I just-?" he sighed, "Trust that Soler is smarter than that." Whatever her concern was, he already knew.
She nodded, chuckling lightly, "You really believe that he won't... be manipulated? She's his mother, Shadow... I'm just constantly worried. We don't know her. I've only seen two sides of her, scared and... strangely regal." she stood straight again as Shadow seemed to ignore the fluff of the information and turn her towards the living spaces where the rooms were located.
"I hope I do." he stated, "And no matter who she is... he's known us the longest. You have to trust your heart over your blood, sometimes." Shadow seemed to be speaking from his own experiences, and watched her begin to move towards the living quarters. He wouldn't take his sights off of her until he knew she was safely inside, in case she got any ideas. She did turn around to look over her shoulder at him, but he just folded his arms and glared heavily towards her in a deep, authoritative frown. She now knew what Soler must have felt...
Squinting at the light, Sally finally gave in and opened the door to the building.
"...Honestly, you worry me more." Shadow watched her a second longer before turning to the rescued hostages and helping pass out water and collect further information. It was difficult, they all asked about family and friends, describing them as Shadow fought hard to not remember any particular faces or features. He simply passed out the water, and didn't say any comforting words. Rouge and Espio were slightly different in their approach though, but looked to Shadow in understanding.
Everyone knew he felt the most about it, but would be the last to say anything. To Shadow, actions spoke louder than words... and they only were able to save the few lucky ones they smuggled out or rescued along the way.
Sally was comforted... having someone admit she needed to rest made it more easier for her to accept having to go to sleep, so it wasn't surprising when she dropped on the couch by the entrance and fell into a light sleep. As she did so, Soler was dreaming himself, recalling a moment in the orphanage where the children were bullying one another.
In his sleep, he tossed, "No... leave them alone..." He turned again, "Stop it... You..." as he flinched, he suddenly rose up from the bed in a shaken state, "I won't see them fall!" he breathed heavily, unsure why he was sweating so much, but moved the bed-sheets and rubbed his face again.
"Ugh... a night terror? Haven't had those in a while..." He wasn't used to such vivid dreaming for quite some time, remembering getting beaten-down and standing right back up again, so the older kids didn't bully the younger, more weaker ones. "Bad dream..." he shook his head,... having seen the younger children all fall to the ground by the cruel, unfeeling punches of those who had no other means to vent their uncontrolled and uncomforted emotions. But then... he remembered the last thing he was thinking about before falling asleep.
"Sally... Soph-" he stopped himself, "My... mother?" He looked back at the communication device, feeling strange again, and looking downhearted.
"No, I have to see her." He made his decision, and got up. Fixing his shoes on tightly, he adjusted his quills into place from the bed-hair with all the tossing and turning he had done and headed out the door.
Walking to the living space, he immediately saw Sally's red hair and froze, amazed to see her so quickly. "Sal?" He walked quietly over and noticed her sound asleep.
Her eyes blinked a moment, and he remained still.
She slowly... fell back asleep, and he gently stroked her cheek and lowered himself down to her. "How long... have you been here?"
She blinked her eyes lazily open, weak with fatigue, and he narrowed his eyes.
He picked her up without another word, taking her back to an opened room and set her down, tucking her in, and kissing her forehead. Closing the door, he knew he must have missed a lot that was going on. He had so many questions for her... so much he wasn't aware of. But that would have to wait.
Still, he knew there was one woman who would have some answers...
More than he bargained for...
Heading to Sophia Stratus's interrogation room with purpose, he didn't even noticed Shadow hide himself and begin to watch him... closely...
For Sally's concerns and Soler's well-being, he just wanted to observe how their relationship really was developing. Was Sally's concerns justified? He had no reason to believe they weren't, but wondered if Soler was truly being aware of the influence this woman was supposedly having on him.
'I taught him better than that,' Shadow gritted his teeth, 'He better not disappoint me... or the princess.'
Sopia was sitting on the couch, having eaten only a little bit of the nicely made food provided for her. She wished there was a window... but instead, fixed her sights on the painting's lush colors and vivid depiction of a meadow and brilliant sky, feasting on the feeling it gave to her. It had been so long since she had seen the real sky, but even looking at it through a painting was somewhat comforting. Still, she knew she wasn't safe, and wouldn't be until Conor and her son's mercenaries were finally put to an end. Eggman already was a lot to take for the world, and now them?
When Soler opened the door after the green light turned red, showing that the door was unlocked, she took another cleansing breath and sat up straighter.
'No going back,' she told herself, 'You must address this. Head-on. He may dislike it, but he must know the significance of defeating his father... and possibly saving his brother...' she looked down, as though in her heart she worried her eldest son was now beyond saving...
Soler had always felt like his nature started in the orphanage... but seeing the look of fear and love in her eyes... he was conflicted now.
"I... wanted to talk to you." He slowly moved himself to the table, sitting down.
As he put his hands together, trying to do something hard, Sophia patted the couch a little ways away from her, as though encouraging him to come closer. She scooted over to make him more comfortable, giving him some space.
He looked at the space a moment, but conceded to the notion.
So many thoughts raced through his head, as though he was trying to form a script of all the questions he wanted to ask her, but they were coming off too direct in his mind, and he wanted to be gentler.
It was so hard. This was hard.
He felt like his whole body had bricks and weights on him. Every time he moved closer to her, every step was like a crumbling bit off the stone. Jagged in his movements, he was awkward as he tried to be formal and polite, but clearly was holding back every bit of him that wanted to know more, to be sure.
He cleared his throat and sat down, taking a glance at her and noticing once again the similar features, and then looked away again. "In the orphanage... I mean, I should start with, I had a dream about the orphanage." He seemed nervous, "You know," His famous tell came out, and she tilted her head to listen intently. "I was always sticking up for the weaker kids, I didn't care if I got beaten up for them. I grew tough, and I never regretted the orphanage, just how awful people can be to each other." He spoke a lot with his hands, maybe trying to lessen the nerves as his whole being tremored like earthquakes at random intervals.
She saw his shaky hands and looked away, trying to figure out how to break the awkward tension in the air.
He didn't need to ask her for proof, or tell her he knew she was telling the truth. It wasn't relevant. She already knew that and he didn't want to come off making her believe that he doubted her. Even if everyone seemed to... he just was incredulous at the shock of it all. He hadn't made a decision, per-say... but now it was official.
What would she do? What would she want of him? Of anybody?
Maybe this was the same feeling Sally had, and he had to accept that her caution was out of love, too.
Sophia listened gently, before looking off with another soft sigh. "As a young girl, far into my youth, I would stand up for my sisters constantly." she looked back at the painting. "Many offers for their hands came through the pipeline to my father, but he was a very political man... only certain suitors could qualify. Sadly, these suitors were not anything we could have desired." She removed some of her raggedy brown cloak, bunched at her neck, to reveal some awful scars. "I couldn't watch them suffer." she admitted, then covered herself up again. "I haven't had that strength to stand up to others in years... but when I saw you, I had life again, and..." She turned towards him, but worried she was coming off too strong, she adjusted herself away again. "Sorry..."
She had stood up for Shay countless times while he was still young, but after getting beaten down so many times, she couldn't fight anymore. The little boy willingly went after a time, and he never shed further tears for her. He had become harden and stiff, and she feared to ever admit that she had lost her darling eldest son. But she didn't want that for Soler, and knew in her heart that she could still prevent this tragedy.
It gave her strength to keep going, to keep having this conversation.
Soler immediately got up and embraced her. "I said the same thing." he admitted, and though it took all his emotional strength to do so, he also couldn't bare to hear that she suffered.
Although Soler was uncomfortable, giving her this bit of reassurance that she wouldn't be abused anymore was still apart of him. He could feel it... His origin's pieces, half of them lied with her, and he wanted more than anything to learn more and also accept the good that he gained from her.
But what of his other blood..? His powers... what did he truly inherit from his mother? And what... was the rest?
He had always wondered about his unknown abilities and powers, looking at his hands from behind her back, peering over her shoulder. Was he really... the horrible monster he always thought could possibly be there? Or was he the angel of the ever-free skies..? Was it possible that he could choose?
The closeness was soon interrupted, lightly returned by the mother, but didn't feel right when Sally suddenly burst through the door. Her hair a mess, her eyes blackened underneath, and clearly distressed.
She scanned a moment and slowly softened her accusing eyes, looking full of betrayal to now one of understanding. She sighed, trying to lighten her fears, "What did she tell you?" she asked, looking exhausted still.
It was clear she was upset that Soler had disregarded her fears, but as he moved away from his mother, looking towards her, he also wanted to comfort her. "S-Sal..."
He was finding himself torn between a mother figure and a companion...
He looked between the two girls, and Sally was hurt by the struggle it seemed to be. She felt she was his family,... maybe Shadow was right?
Shadow had seen Soler speak with his mother in secret, and went to find Sally. He felt the closeness wasn't a bad thing, but maybe not alone in case the woman really was affiliated still with the cold-hearted mercenaries. His prejudice did him in, and he ended up leaving halfway through observing them to retrieve Sally, siding slightly with her fears. He also didn't understand fully the dynamic of what it must feel like to have a parent, especially being on one's own for so long, so partially his was his ignorance to that emotional pull that also moved him to act as he did. He had only had Maria... and that was that.
Shadow wouldn't put it passed the mercenaries to scheme up something like this, even if it was Soler's biological mother. He had seen where half his blood came from and rejected it's evil, and now it seemed, Soler would have to do the same. Soler could have been a planted pawn this whole time... though it seemed unlikely, Shadow worried the mother could be conditioning him to be as such.
Soler looked beyond Sally, seeing some curious eyes peek in of other Freedom Fighters, having seen Sally and Shadow talking before her bolting towards the interrogation facility. Not liking how everyone was so against her, he narrowed his eyes in authority, "Hey!" they all jumped except Sally at the door. "Get my mother some food and water." he then got up briskly and took Sally's arm, tugging her out with him, "We need to talk." he gave her a serious expression, and humbly realizing her error, she nodded and submitted to his anger.
"You have every right to be upset." she began, "But I do too." she pulled the arm away from him as he remained facing away from her.
He bundled his fists, "She's my mother... why didn't you tell me in person?"
She opened her mouth to speak but withdrew instead, holding back what she really wanted to explain, but felt it was pitiful.
Sophia stayed in her new trap, a lot nicer than where she used to live. She placed her hands elegantly to her lap and sighed. She knew she wasn't trusted, and seeing a figure in the shadows with red eyes... she also knew she was being carefully watched.
She was in the right, so she had nothing to fear from these people... but it was those who did wrong that truly terrified her.
What if they come for them..? Hurry their preparations knowing she would tell their enemies everything?
She remained still and silent, her breath catching on the fear of that irreversible travesty.
Sally's hand clung to her arm in defeat, "Shadow agrees with me... that sometimes, you let your emotions cloud your judgement."
Soler turned around, "Does she seem like a ruthless killer to you!?"
The door was slightly shut, but not locked. Sophia looked to it, slightly listening in on the muffled conversation, but unable to make most of the words out.
"How do you know that she's not just pretending!? Using this to lure the Freedom Fighter's into an elaborate trap!?" She swung her once held back arm out towards where Sophia's interrogation room was. "Is her name even Sophia!? Was she bought out to lie about this?! We can always put it passed Eggman to come up with something like this, but mercenaries are an enigma. We know they'll take innocent lives to Eggman's robotization machines for power and greed, what makes you think they wouldn't devise something like this!?"
"It's too-" Soler began,
"Unethical?" She had a point, "Soler, it may be complexed, but so are our lives!"
"I just... I can't see that in her." He looked away, "I can't see her not being my mother, in both heart and blood."
Sally looked concerned.
Sensing that, he spoke up again to reassure her, "Look..." He put his hands on her arms, gently bringing her closer. "Nothing will replace what I have here, with you, in the Freedom Fighters. But I can see the missing puzzle pieces in her, Sally. I can see where I got some of me from."
"But you develop on your own course, Soler." She placed her hands up by his shoulders, wanting desperately to embrace him and not fight anymore, but as a leader... she needed to be fierce. "You can't grow too close to her... not until we gain more information and learn to trust that what she says and demonstrates to us is factual and true."
He sighed, disappointed, but knew in his mind that was the right thing to do. His heart ached, but he nodded to her logic. "Okay... I'll try and not see her without supervision."
She smiled, "Thank you. Just be-"
"More cautious?" He smirked, trying to lighten the mood.
"You really do have a wonderful smile." she giggled, and he took that as an invite to hug her.
They held one another for a good, long, solid minute. There was so much healing in that embrace as Sally whispered 'Sorry' a few more times, and Soler gently stroked her back and also admitted he was in the wrong too.
"I won't act on my own again... not without you." All his tender love poured out into that sweet sentence, taking her in and not wanting to let her go. He wanted her apart of this, not against it, but knew now that it was out of love. He had felt her doubt, even in himself, he just chose to accept it... which may take more convincing for Sally, but it was all with good intent.
"You can, but... maybe talk it over with me, once in a while." She was in a much better mood, hearing him say such kind things. Considering it wasn't just him going through this odd, new experience... She wanted to be there for him too. "I want to be apart of your troubles... Soler."
"But you're already apart of my happiness," Soler moved his head a little aways to look directly in her eyes, their foreheads touching in a longing moment. "Those two don't always collide..."
"You saying I take your troubles away?" She stated, amused, but he lightly touched his nose to hers and closed his eyes.
"That's exactly what I'm saying..." his voice turned into a breathy confession, and she moved slowly up to kiss him... but then a large alarm sounded out and Nicole's voice echoed in terror over the speakers.
"Fighters! Enemy has infiltrated the city walls! It's heading straight for us!"
Screams and cries from frightened civilians and rescued victims sounded out in an array of chaos.
Looking to each other and then racing out, the two forgot to lock Sophia's door...
It swung slightly, and Sophia watched it with real intent.
Now was her moment... to try one last time.
Chaos energy shot up the walls of a building like lighting embedded into it's structure before the entire thing burst once it reached the top. Shay walked through their defenses like a battering ram, though he seemed to have barely made a sweat.
"Oh, mother?" he spoke very casually, then flicked his hand towards another building. "Are you hiding in here..?" the lightning chaos effect traveled up the building, and as he crushed his fist, it exploded once again and he moved on. "Well, we were hoping to knock a little later... but seeing as things are, you playing hide and seek with my mother and all, now seems to be as good a time as any!" he called out with a cruel glee, creepy in how his satisfaction seemed to skyrocket once seeing Sally and Soler rush out into the open before him.
"Ah, my unknown brother... and the Princess? Isn't this charming... a real family and enemy reunion." he bowed slightly, in a showy fashion that would have mimicked Scourge in an awful sense. "Does dear mother love you more than me? Is that why she left me to come see you?"
"Brother?" Soler shook off the comment, "You're hurting people! That's enough for me to take you on!" He was about to step forward.
"No!" Sophia quickly dashed out, spreading her arms to stop him and hold him back. Her eyes were glossy with tears, she knew this would happen. She looked up at the sky, hoping to avoid this day as much as possible, and taking in the beautiful outdoors again.
Freedom... she had freedom for a split second, and she wanted to make the most of it... do the right thing with it... since a long, long time.
Soler and Sally were amazed to see her out of her room, but Shay only gleefully exclaimed a loud cry of surprise and relief, but it sounded completely faked.
Looking back down at the ground, Sophia had to tighten the resolve around her heart, and without looking to them, she spoke in a much more lowered and solemn tone. "I'm glad you've found someone to be there for you, son... He's lucky to have you, Princess." she blinked her eyes to push back the tears and turned in her noble way towards Shay.
"Shay..." she spoke as though pleading for his humanity.
"Dearest mother..." he spread his arms out, as if welcoming her back...
But his smirk showed his true motive, and Sophia had to be brave... "I won't stand to see you make them suffer."
Something once again triggered in Soler, he felt his whole being resound with that.
"I won't let them fall to your chaotic rampage. You find solace in other's suffering simply because there was no one to protect you from it... no matter how hard I tried." She looked truly pained to admit her weakness.
He rolled his eyes, "Still living in the past, mother?"
"The ever-free skies still cover the earth with a never-ending blue!" she pointed to the sky, "I wear that color in my blood and upon me! It will forever be woven in my DNA, and it is apart of you too, Shay..." she gestured to her blue streaks, then to him, "You can still change, Shay... you can choose to be something you truly are! Not what your father has made of you!"
He watched her a moment, a still look but his smirk dampened to a smile... and his arms lowered to his side.
He shook his head, "Shame," He seemed to have thought about it, but not very much. He flicked his head back to crack his neck, as though relaxing from that declaration... which he took as her breaking ties with their mercenaries pack. "Why would I disinherit all that father has left me? Such a pity... I did enjoy our little tea parties..." he then fired out a chaos attack that Soler had never seen before. The lightning that shot from his hands looked like randomly zig-zagging Chaos Spears but with trails of visible light and power shooting behind them.
Sophia stood her ground, for if she moved, Soler and Sally would be in the line of fire from the spider-webbing chaos attack.
The lightning chaos power suddenly pierced around her, upon the ground, flashing out of existence... Did he purposefully not hit her? Miss and just do it to threaten?
All at once, there was a momentary lull as he held his hand up, seeming to pause only for a second. Then, he closed his fist and the ground beneath her blasted and shot her up into the air.
Soler watched the particles of earth spray up around her as she was flung up, her back arching, her air coming out in a large exhale. "Haooh...!"
She fell hard back to the ground with the earth crumbling over her after her...
"Nooo..!" Soler dashed towards her, it was all so fast, he barely saw the attack.
Shay swayed his hand down, massaging it, "Ohh... I actually wanted to disintegrate the ground, but I figured... saving my power to destroy my secret brother... your precious son, would be more rewarding." he gripped his fists again, his smile like a devious demon as he waited to see if Soler would retaliate. "What's wrong, little brother? What did she call you anyway..?"
Soler held Sophia up to his shoulder, but it was clear she was knocked out pretty badly...
Besides maybe some broken bones, she did still appear to be breathing...
Sally turned to the others, "We can't fight a power like that without the Chaos Emeralds... Where's Sonic, Shadow, and Silver?" She saw Shadow appear, but couldn't find Sonic, no matter how many times she looked around. Seeing Shadow's face then, focusing on it, she knew what that meant... "Don't tell me..."
"He's gone off with Tails and Knuckles again... I hear they're going to rescue the others." He shook his head. "Sorry, while you were busy, a lot happened..." he glared at Shay Stratus, "I've seen him and his father, during the spy operations. He's a murderer as much as his father!" he took off one of his limiters, twisting it to click with light but Soler held up his hand behind him.
"No!" He got up, gently placing his mother down and looking slightly over his shoulder, "Shadow,... Sally... get my mother somewhere safe."
"Pfft! Arrogant child!" Shay bent down, as though readying to attack again, his hands crackling with lightning spears... "She's my mother!"
"Soler, don't! He's too powerful!" Sally had noticed the buildings, the unusual use of chaos power... "We don't know what we're up against! Especially you!"
"He's tiers above you, Soler! He's the mercenary leader's second in command and heir. Of course he'd want you dead!" Shadow made an outstanding point, but Soler was too far into his emotions to care.
With Soler out of the picture, it would be Shay that inherited the ruthless clan... perhaps that's why Shay didn't seem to be after killing his mother, but mostly, in getting rid of unnecessary competition...
"You hurt her... how does that make you more entitled to call her mother than me?" He lowered his head, his anger growing. "I just got her... and I don't know her very well,... but that doesn't mean I can't cherish her as a mother!" his whole being rose into the first level of Chaos Break. "She cared about freedom just as much as I do... maybe you never realized... but she was protecting you in her own way as well! When she failed... that's why she turned to extreme measures for me. She had already bonded and loved you... she couldn't bare to part with you, but she could with me!" Soler spiked his power, hunching down, concentrating his power to his hands and feeling the swarm of infinity fill his bones. Something new broke out just then, a secondary power he barely even recognized, something inbetween that was fueling him to the next level... Chaos Surge. "I don't know her like you do..! But I feel like I've been apart of her my whole life!" His eyes were white, as though becoming animalistic for a moment, his hands pierced like claws more than hands in gesture and movement within his speech. "I won't let you destroy the family I've found, either! And that now includes her, too!" he felt himself reach an ultimate, risky limit... Chaos Synergy... he hadn't felt this way in a long time...
"Heh, pathetic." Shay swished out his wrist again, and was suddenly already at Chaos Syngery levels, and Soler could feel it.
His eyes widened and shrank, shaking in disbelief. "Wha... T-that's not possible..." He was struggling so hard to keep this form, but this-... no, his older brother, was able to just flick his hand and reach it instantly without so much as a build up.
"How did you do that?"
Shay laughed, looking up to the skies his mother once pointed at and holding a finger up to it. "You weren't planning on trying to use something I haven't seen before, were you? There's really no way anyone on this planet can defeat me." a spike of lightning rained down upon his finger, and he slowly lifted his other hand towards Soler.
Everyone was in a panic, never having seen such powers before, and rushing to escape the battle.
The Lightning randomly would strike the ground, causing havoc as buildings burst into flames, people were thrown in the impacts, and many couldn't find a suitable shelter.
"Stop it!" Soler channeled everything he had... "I may not have your power... but mine is my own! It's the power... no, the judgement of the ever-free skies!" he held his palm up to the sky as Shay's cocky attitude suddenly turned serious.
His eyes showed the aura that was forming around Soler, "Is that... Dad's..?" he wondered, but then his eyes looked a little more surprised. "It can't be..."
"CHAOOOSSSS PUNISHMENT!" Soler threw his hand down, and from Shay's hand the lightning disappeared and shot like woven designs around the suddenly bright and white sky.
"AHHHH!" Soler's whole body seemed to spark with chaos power as Shadow pulled Sally back, his whole being losing some control over himself as he became pretty instinctual.
"Get down!" Shadow warned, guarding her as he had never seen Soler at this level before.
From the skies, bolts of Chaos Speared Lightning shot down, similar to Shay's attack but on a whole another level, overwhelming the area as Shay looked around at the randomly spiking spears of lightning.
He dodged pretty well, but was actually forced to pay attention now. 'He stole my own chaos force and sucked it into the sky... how was he able to control it?! Even Chaos Synergy can't handle that much chaos!' Shay looked a little unnerved, but not by much. 'I was born with a limit... but what if mother's ability..?' he looked back to see Soler had sped through the rain of lightning, and his whole body looked engulfed with an array of bolts sparking out of him.
"...You are my brother..." Shay admitted, as Soler slammed a fist into his chest.
Shay was shot back by thousands upon thousands of chaos lightning spikes, but what he wasn't expecting was that the sky took it's whole reservoir of chaos power and converged their many different lines of lightning all to slowly move and bundle together into one giant lightning bolt. He was flung outside the city walls... With a cascade of blazing white chaos energy.
It slowly dwindled and the clouds began to disperse, as though a lull after a storm...
Soler breathed heavily, skidding to stop his super speed, giving Sally and Shadow a thumbs up, before he suddenly collapsed.
Shay tossed ash and fallen trees off of himself, getting up and panting as his fur seemed a little singed, but he was fine. He dusted himself off, "That's... not very good." He brushed his quills back. "Ha... I can't let dad know his potential. I'll talk him off as a lesser chaos wielder. Wouldn't want him taking my reign from me." He beamed as though the war had just began. "Still, I can't come back empty-handed..." He looked to see people fleeing the city, and smirked. "How about a present for Eggman..? A bigger army..."
He walked, menacingly, towards the fleeing citizens...
He knew he dealt with his mother, she wouldn't recover from that for a while... so why not have some fun and let the little brother think he'd actually done something..? Then he'll be surprised when he comes back...
Not holding back...
Soler woke up with a blink that hurt his eyes. The lights were right upon him, and the hospital didn't seem to smell all that great either.
He slowly got up, feeling the wear and tear on his body before moving the covers and rubbing his face again, "I... Did I win?" He didn't think it would be over that quickly, but he also felt like he was about to throw up.
He fled to the bathroom and vomited, his body unable to handle so much pressure.
He knew he threw himself into the fray, even taking his brother's power at one point, but it was too much to handle and he couldn't concentrate it all into an epicenter at his opponent till much later.
He had shot chaos out of him to make room to harness so much, but it still pained him. He had thought he had learned everything about his powers and abilities,... but there was clearly steps only the adversary knew...
His family... his enemies...
he shook his head, "They're not..." He held in another ill feeling, "family..." he tried to get up, cleaning himself up before remembering his mother.
"Where..?" suddenly his mind raced to Luna... then to the village... "No..." He thought of the people screaming, the fires... then the lightning shooting up the buildings, blasting his mother, what had happened...
"Sally..!" he tried to get his feet under him and move as quickly as possible, dodging and forcing himself to ram against walls since he couldn't jump over the gurneys or other medical supplies the nurses and doctors were pulling down the halls.
Many cried out when they saw him, some mistaking his speed for Sonic's or Shadow's, before faltering as he came up to the desk, gripping it to stay upright.
On the way to it, he stumbled and saw Bunny for a quick moment beside Anton, but continued on.
He felt like a child, trying to keep himself balanced enough to remain straight, "So... Sophia... Sally... Where?"
"P-Princess Sally is unharmed, she isn't here." The poor secretary stood straight up upon seeing him, "S-sir, you need to go back to your room..."
"Not without... ugh... seeing my mother." Soler was struggling, sinking down and falling from the desk, gripping it with his last strength by his fingers.
He was about to lose hope, about to slip off the counter and probably be wheeled away again when a pair of familiar hands grabbed his.
"He's with me." Shadow hoisted his arm over his shoulder, helping him to stand.
"T-...Thank you, Shadow..." Soler weakly stated, as Shadow shook his head.
"By this time, you've thanked me more than I care to keep track of." He headed towards Sophia's room, "Sally's already here, she just came in."
"She is..?" It was surprising to hear, but walking into the room, he saw Sally holding Sophia's hand by the hospital bed, and then looking over to smile gently to Soler.
"She wanted to see her." Shadow whispered quietly as an aside, but didn't move his head to Soler, hoping he heard without Sally picking up on their conversation.
"She'll be in critical recovery for a while... she's malnourished and clearly weak, but she's got a high likelihood of making it." Sally gave him that hope, that was enough to sustain him for now. She probably didn't hear Shadow, but that was the least of his worries right now.
"And... umm..." He couldn't remember the other man's name, "What about my brother?"
"Shay Stratus," Shadow began, "Which... is your last name, apparently."
"I don't think I'll take it." Soler pushed off of Shadow's arm lightly, trying to get his barrings and reaching for Sally. She got up instinctively and helped him to sit next to her, gently placing him to rest and get on the bed to sit in front of her and beside his mother.
"You don't have to worry about your brother." Shadow showed his wrist, his limiters off. "I've dealt with him. He was still alive and well, kicking back by trying to capture some fleeing citizens. We've detained him... but..." Shadow revealed that his back had been scarred and torn up. "He's a lot to handle, I think you drained most of him..."
Soler gasped slightly, "But... your healing abilities..."
"Aren't kicking in like they should." Shadow admitted, then took a deep breath, "I was trying to get out when I saw you barely able to stand at the counter," He folded his arms, "Sally apparently had me stationed here." He glared at her, and she just shook her head, defiantly.
"You were injured. Both of you need to learn to rest more."
"...Conor... w-won't... rest."
The three all suddenly turned to Sophia, who was weakly coming too.
She reached her hand out, patting it gently by the bed as Soler took it.
"S-Shay..?" Her eyes looked hazy, as though she couldn't really see through them at the moment.
"...Still bad." Soler stated, "But at least we've... somewhat, got him." Soler looked to Shadow, but Shadow would be fine, showing that by rotating his shoulders back and standing up straighter. "Just worried about you, is all."
She smiled weakly, breathing irregularly as Sally got up and adjusted the medication. "She really needs rest..." Sally urged, trying to have Soler understand that he needed to coax her back into sleep.
"I knew... this day... would come." She weakly spoke, barely lifting her eyes as she tried to breathe better.
"This isn't the day you die." Sally comforted, then looked to Soler with narrowed eyes, as though encouraging him to give her some hope to keep fighting.
Soler nodded, bending down by his mother's side and placing both hands around her own, frail one. "I just met you... but I feel I've always known you... because a huge part of you... is also in me, too." Soler finally felt comfortable with this, and continued, "I vow, mother... On the ever-free skies... on your behalf... I'll make sure to never forget the fight for freedom. That it's within liberty of the all-encompassing, continuous stretch of blue that gives everyone that right. I will fight against the grey cloud of tyranny, whether that be by the Eggman Empire or through my father and brother..." He looked down, squinting his eyes as he wondered if his father was the one possessed with chaos energy, and if so, he was certainly going to be a hard fight... "I won't let you down."
Slowly blinking her eyes, it was clear the medicine was kicking in for Sophia Stratus. She nodded twice, and then her head fell back and she was out like a light.
"...Mom?" Soler leaned forward, but Sally placed a hand on his shoulder, comforting him that she was alright.
"See that?" She pointed to the heart monitor, "She's a strong woman, though she doesn't appear to be so now, she's a lot like you." Sally grinned at the thought, but Shadow only tsk'd.
"Stubborn and full of emotions." Shadow shook his head, but Soler only smiled to his mentor.
"I thought that stubbornness was from you, good to know it's more than that." he joked, "More so hereditary."
"It's still me." Shadow returned the humor, which surprised Sally and Soler, who suddenly lightly shared a moment of laughter.
Even Shadow... smiled.
Within prison though, Sonic seemed to badger and hound on Shay...
He walked with a playful bounce in his step, "Looks who's on the other end now, eh?" He had previously just freed many held hostages, and was in the mood to pick a fight. He lifted his leg and put his hands on his hips, swinging the leg to the side and bouncing again, "Sucks when your freedom is taking away, ain't it?"
Shay just sat in the back, his head down and covered in shadows, leisurely sitting with that creepy smile of his.
He began to slowly laugh, and wouldn't respond right away.
"Bring me my dear brother... and my mother, if she's still alive." He tilted his head up, showing his eyes full of chaos energy, blinding the room in light before it faded from his eyes... his aura spiked increasingly and Sonic stopped joking... watching in all seriousness. "I'll be happy to chat, but under those conditions... This cell is rather lonely, might as well have some entertainment to pass the time." He laughed manically and held up his hand, having stored chaos energy after Shadow's fight with him and lightning shot from his hands, forcing Sonic to back away as the bars got charged with it's powers.
The room exploded as Sonic took off to avoid the explosion, "He doesn't like playing nice or fairly, but that doesn't mean he needs to act all high and mighty about it." He sped back, mostly talking to himself, and noticed the cell still remained.
"Tsk," Shay grimaced, seeming disappointed. "You have the means to stop chaos?"
"We have this room super-juiced with Chaos Emeralds," He adjusted his gloves, and kicked away some rubble. "You're not leaving that cell..."
"Chaos... Emeralds?" Shay's eyes widened, as though knowing something...
Sonic didn't know...
"Interesting... hahaha!"
Sonic just watched... frowning and narrowing his eyes. His frown carried to the side of his muzzle, and he rolled his eyes, "Why do I always end up with the weirdos who are losing their minds?"
He walked out as Shay continued to laugh and store chaos within himself... now having an idea...
END of part 1?
#commission receipts#commissions#cutegirlmayra#solerwolf21#soler sonic oc#soler's story#me commissions#me receipts#sonic oc#sonic oc story
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Soler’s Story (Sonic OC Commission) - All Current ROUGH DRAFTS example
This is all writings for @solerwolf21 compiled into a huge post. If you’d like to commission me for your own story, please check out my rules and prices first (We can discuss how much you want to pay depending on how many pages you want the story to be :)b)
This is super long, so please remember that ^^ (This contains several chapters and separate commission purchases.) - and Yes, you can pay again for a continuation of the last story I wrote you. :)b
The Sun’s Redemption
After some minor missions with the Freedom Fighters, Soler was documenting his findings on a recent Eggman attack, recounting the parts and dimensions of the new robot designs him and the other fighters found for Tails and Rotor to look into later. He liked being useful like this, and Tails and Rotor seemed genuinely thankful for keeping a record like this.
Soler, while fiddling with the documents, pushed his quills back and pulled the lower ones down to their natural curl upwards. It was a fluid movement, the white of his fur with the peach oval and white tuff that barely looped his shoulders shimmered slightly in the low lighting of the base…
His deep blue streaks over his quills glistened lightly as he passed the hallway lights into the office rooms of the secret base, deep in the brush of nature, and away from Eggman’s ever-searching eye.
The paper flipped over his white gloves with black crossing lines in the center of them, counting the pages to make sure he had everything from the rest of his team that were with him during the mission. His emerald green eyes scanned the documents until satisfied with what was written upon them.
The tapping of his crimson shoes with the same x-marked pattern overlapping each other rang with low toned echoes against the hard floor.
While he was about to finish setting the piles of notes and observations onto a nearby desk, he heard a loud and disapproving whine that turned his ears towards the commotion.
‘Huh?’ he thought to himself as he looked to see Amy pestering Sonic again.
“You never have any time for me!” she complained, shoving her arms straight down and closing her eyes as she trailed behind him. “Can’t we… I don’t know, have a picnic or something?” she shrugged, a pleading look in her eyes. “I just miss you… you’ve been working a lot lately and-” Soler noticed Sonic was preoccupied with other things, keeping her mostly taking to his back. She reached for a back quill of his, a longing look in her sorrowful eyes before he turned around.
“Not now Amy,” he stated, but it wasn’t harsh or dismissive in the least bit. Mostly, he was just busy, looking over at his communication watch and fanning some other people away from trying to speak with him further as well. “Maybe we can all hang out other time.” he didn’t even look up to acknowledge her, so whatever he was doing, it must have been pretty important.
Amy took a few steps after him, her hand still reaching before stopping and holding her hands close to her chest.
“...Maybe…” was she questioning him or agreeing to his statement? Soler couldn’t tell.
Seeing her face though… he felt something in his heart go out to the girl.
It made him a little mad, to say the least.
He wandered over, trying to not draw too much attention to himself and looked off after Sonic, standing next to Amy. “...He’s probably just protecting you.” He stated, “Doesn’t want…” he stopped himself, looking down and seeming forlorned now. “To cause you any pain.” Soler’s body froze up, little protruding icicles pierced slowly against his skin. It was aggravating, to say the least. Here’s someone who cares so much about Sonic, and yet, he doesn’t know what he has. No… it’s opposite. Amy doesn’t realize how much danger she places herself in… just because he exists.
‘Existence… So many lives could be spared if just certain people didn’t exist.’ He frowned inwardly for a moment before turning his attention back to Amy, giving her a plucky smile. “He’ll be okay. It’s you he’s probably worried about.”
“Huh?” Amy tilted her head, looking confused on his thought process. “Soler?” she shifted her body and came him a cute pout, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward in authority. “I’m your senior fighter, sir! What makes you think I can’t take care of myself?”
“Come on, Soler! I’m a big girl now! Can’t you let me run up the hill on my own for a change?”
“Gah..!”
Soler shook his head, blinking his eyes as he stepped back.
‘Was that… it can’t be.’
“Soler?” Amy leaned away, seeming worried her joke may have frightened him. “I-... I didn’t mean to make you jumpy. You alright?”
She leaned her hand up to his head, “You seem a little pale… well, paler than usual, haha!” she kid again, but there was a fear in his eyes as he skittishly moved away from her hand.
“I… I have to go. Sorry.” he quickly looked away, rushing out as Amy hollered after him.
“Soler! Wait!” she took off after him. “What’s going on? What’s his problem anyway?” she pouted, worried she may have hurt his feelings.
Up on a hill near a shady tree while the winds beat against the leaves and the sun still peeked over the grassy plain, hanging on to the horizon’s ledge outside the Freedom Fighter’s base was Soler, sitting under the tree and sighing with a sniff in his nose.
He wasn’t crying, just cold.
His body shivered slightly and warmed himself up with a few rubs on his arms and legs. He didn’t mean to shove his business into Amy’s life… she was her own person, and he usually found her adoration for Sonic sweet. But today he just felt like it could have been…
“Luna!” Soler was much younger now, rushing up the hill as he stumbled a little but held his footing. “Your father’s worried sick about you!”
A beautiful silver-quilled hedgehog with quills that blew gracefully in the wind stood in front of the setting sun, smiling towards it before turning just ever so slightly towards Soler. The smile made him pause in his stride to her, admiring the breathtaking silhouette of the girl. It had taken him a while to own up to his feelings, but now that he had, it was a bit overwhelming to say the least. Her purple dress trailed to the side of her as she moved her blue bangs away from eye.
“And what about you, Soler..?” she giggled, “Are you worried about me too?”
He held the necklace she used to wear, silver with a sphere of black that would light up according to the moon’s glowing phase. It would be out soon… then he could see what the moon looked like. Clouds blocked his vision the last few nights, so the necklace was like holding a miniature moon in his hands. It was her namesake… and because of her, it was his treasure.
She didn’t seem so far when the moon came out. Maybe Amy felt like that too. As long as she could still be around Sonic, it wasn’t so bad…
‘Amy… I’m sorry.’ he gripped his white chest fur… bending down slightly at the pain of guilt that fed into his heart and locked itself away with no windows to let some air in and relieve him of the agony.
Was he just doomed to cause pain and trouble?
“Soler!”
His head flicked up, shocked to hear his name shouted so close to the edge of the Base’s secret camp. “A-Amy?” he turned back, but couldn’t see anything within the heavy forested jungle…
His eyes scanned with a squint that helped him see a little crisper—the fine details of the landscape—but still, no pink dots were popping up.
He was about to get up and search for her, worried she may be in trouble, or most likely get into it. But as he stepped his foot out to get under himself and stand, Amy charged from behind and tackled him. He reflexed and used his training to stiffen his arms out on the ground, keeping him from tumbling over as she laughed and released him, sitting beside him next to the tree.
“Got you! Haha! What are you doing way out here? Admiring the fading sunbeams?” she grinned eagerly, wanting to speak with him as she looked over the sunset… “It’s beautiful.” she commented, “Because it won’t set forever.”
He seemed confused, turning around and tried to hold back any frustration he felt at being spooked. It was… kinda funny, but it really surprised him!
“W-what are you doing here? I could have accidentally fought you off if you hadn’t said anything!” he dusted himself off and sat back down, looking a bit like he wanted to scold her but held it back. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re not hurt.” he sighed, relaxing back and letting the tension leave his body.
“I really surprised you, huh?” she laughed before looking over at the colors in the darkening sky again. “Sonic says the same thing…”
Soler looked away, feeling bad again. “About today... “ he began, scratching the back of his head as he sat more upright, not wanting to slouch. “Pink… I’m sorry about what I said.” he held his hands together out in front of him, loosely, only having the fingers intertwined.
“I wish I wasn’t there. Then I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“What?” Amy turned back to him, not sure what he was getting at. “What are you talking about? I’m happy you’re here.” she gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’m not sure what prompted the sudden warning, but I’m sure it was out of kindness.”
He turned away. “Yeah… well… I’m still sorry for disturbing you. You and Sonic… that’s completely different than mine…”
“Your..? Your what?” Amy removed the hand from his shoulder, tilting her head further in her confusion. “Soler… is there something you want to talk about?”
He flinched, “N-not really…” he looked back at the sun, hoping to change the subject. “You said something about the sun’s beauty being so because it fades? What do you mean by that?” He thought fast, a bit interested, but mostly to get her on another topic.
She did just that, starting to ramble. “Hehe! The colors, silly! The sight doesn’t last forever… that’s what makes it so beautiful. You have to be there, in the moment, the fleeting colors spread across the sky and capture your heart and imagination… What’s beautiful is that you treasure it longer because it’s not there all the time.”
He clung to his lunar necklace…
“The sun has to leave so the moon can rise and give a whole new experience to the earth…”
He turned his head away, closing his eyes tightly shut as the pain of his heart’s pricking icicles suddenly turned deadly and twisted into the sides of his heart.
“I know.” His voice wavered a moment, his true feelings coming out. “I know what that means.”
“...Soler?” Amy tenderly turned back, “Ah! Are you hurt!?” she moved in front of him, reaching out to see what he was clutching too.
His eyes opened wide, a new memory resurfacing…
“You’re hurt!”
Luna charged after him, seeing him trying to hide his wound.
“It’s fine.” He tried to gently usher her away, not wanting her to feel bad about his own injury. “It was…” he looked up a moment, seeing her eyes sparkle in their loving care. “...Worth it.” he was taken aback a moment. Never in his lonely life had he seen someone take so much time out of their own life to care about him this much.
“Nonsense! Here, let me dress that for you.” She stubbornly coaxed him down to the ground, getting out some natural medicine made from the surrounding plant life around her home village and began to treat him. He winced back at the pain, biting his jaw into place as he tried to not show it in front of her. He wanted to grin and bear it, but it wasn’t about trying to act cool in front of her. He just didn’t want her to suffer… watching him bleeding.
“You didn’t have to do that…” she commented, fixing him up before tightening the bandages as he held in another painful cry, puffing his cheeks up with air. ‘Mercy…’ he thought to himself. She smiled at his cute attempt to swallow the air back down but knew what it all meant. “But I’m very grateful you did.” she held him in a stare for a moment, but it felt like a long while to him. Looking into her eyes… was like watching a constellation go by…
She turned with a blush, “So is my father-!” she chimed in, clearing her throat at her obvious nerves that spiked as he didn’t look away from her. “A-and my village! We’re all in debt to your sacrifice and-and…”
He shook his head, a softer side coming out of him as his face turned to one of hope.
“As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters.”
She turned back to him,... a little boldly, she cupped his face and smiled, hiding her face a bit as she dipped her head shyly and let hair slightly cover her weakened features from his kind words. “Thank you…”
She left it at that and scurried away, but his eyes never left hers, shaking at the touch that filled his cheek with a heat he hadn’t experienced before.
At the time, he didn’t mean anything much by it, only that he was happy to be a hero for a day. But after some time… he realized how much those words really meant,... in a moment… like that…
“Soler? You’re shaking!” Amy worriedly moved away. The daydream state he was in broke and he adjusted himself.
“S-sorry!” he kicked back to get himself sitting uprightly again, “I-I’ve been thinking back a lot on someone lately… it’s… it’s not something you need to concern yourself with though… it’s a sad story.” he thought that may sway her away from asking further, but instead, she sat comfortably down and put her head in her two hands, her elbows resting on the sides of her legs which were in the Indian-style position.
“...You’re not backing down… are you?” Soler smiled, he liked to see her this energetic and invested in people’s lives.
Maybe it would be okay… to tell her a thing or two about himself…
“...Her name was…” he choked up a minute, having to swallow. “Luna…”
As his tale went on, Amy began to tear up, hearing about the village and the girl he loved murdered right before his eyes. “It was all because of me. Neo Metal Sonic framed Shadow, murdered Luna to bring out my power through extreme stress and trauma…” he gripped his hands tightly, shaking them in renewed rage. “Now that I can fight, I want to protect those who can’t protect themselves! I want to make sure no one suffers as much as I did… as much as she did… as they all did…” he looked away. “It’s just better if I wasn’t around, you know? They could have lived their lives in gentle bliss. Up against the windy hills… the soft dirt and the clearest skies I’ve ever seen…” he looked up, seeing the daylight fade into the night.
“Oh!” he quickly fumbled to get his necklace, looking at the shape begin to take form and glow in it.
“Look!” he excitedly turned to show Amy, as she covered her mouth at how excited he looked to witness Luna’s pendant light up as the sun disappeared. “It’s just like you said… she would be here if…” he looked up into the sky. “If…” the glow from the pendant radiated the sight of the moon that rose quickly to the sky in front of him.
It was… amazing.
“It’s a Waning Gibbous or shrinking moon.” He explained, gazing at the stars as they began to come to life before his eyes. He was at peace for a moment, but his heart was still breaking from the ice that fell against the cold cave of his heart. “This is the first phase after the Full Moon occurs. It lasts about 7 days, with the Moon's illumination getting smaller each day until becoming a Last Quarter Moon... then it’ll shine at around half it’s normal glow. It rises after sunsets…” he looked at his necklace, his eyes arching back. “I hate that people can’t be happy unless I’m gone…”
“Nooo!!!” Amy leaped up, her eyes pouring out a storm of tears. “Don’t say that! Don’t ever say that!”
“W-woah!” He scooted back a bit, hitting himself against the tree. “What’s wrong?! Why are you crying!?” he freaked out, worried it was his fault somehow.
“Because she loved you so much!” she began to bawl, moving her hands to her eyes in a little bundle of a fist, crying into them. “Whahhha!!! You loved each other so much! I’m so sorry, Soler! But she wouldn’t want you to go away! She was happy with you!” she wiped her tears away quickly, sniffling and trying to compose herself.
“She was… happy…” Soler dipped his head down, “That’s the problem. She could have continued being happy if I never-”
“NOOOO!!!!” she cried harder, making him flinch back and stay silent this time.
‘W-what’s gotten into her?!’ he was a little freaked out, as Amy continued on.
“You gave her something that no one else could! I believe in destiny, and I believe—that no matter what you think—you two were made to find and save each other. Without her, would you have ever really ventured out to learn about your powers? Find Shadow? Us?”
He remained silent, but a slight bit of sunlight melted some of the cold that had formed in his heart.
“You’re like the sun, Soler! That’s what she loved about you!” Amy leaped forward, grabbing his hands.
“Ah!” he was a bit shocked by her boldness, but this was nothing new.
“You warmed their lives! You may not have been able to control your powers very well, but you did whatever you could to provide for them. Life can’t grow without the sun’s energy, Soler! You gave them something that they loved more than anything! You’re the reason they held such happy smiles on their faces! She loved cause you were you and you were there!” With a heavy heart, he starts to think back on the village. Were they happier before he came..?
No… they were terrified.
But after he came?
They were at peace… children could play safely in the streets and Luna’s Father ruled without worrying about dangers rising up to strike them. They were kept in the dark of their homes in constant panic… but when he showed up… when he came…
He felt a tear roll down his eye, and lifted an amazed finger to it, touching it as it moved.
“But they were taken from me… right before my eyes.” he closed his eyes, letting himself cry in front of her now, unable to hold it back as the ice in his heart that was melting away came out of his eyes. “They ended up suffering worse because of me! I was a little resistant to love them back at first… now I know why… I mean… if I had never gone to that village… I wouldn’t have… she… they all would have lived, wouldn’t they?” he looked at his soaked gloves. “These powers… I don’t know why I have them. All I know is that without Shadow’s help, I couldn’t have learned how to master them. Now I can save those people I couldn’t have before.”
“Soler… they loved you.” Amy moved back, “Why is that so hard to grasp? Even at the end, they were happy… they never could have had that joy if you weren’t there protecting them. Even with your powers untrained… you did everything you could to give them the life they had always wanted. I know if they were here—no… if Luna was here! She’d want you to shine for all the world! Giving light and hope, warmth and safety, to all those who have never known a loving, passionate, burning light like that before!” Amy withdrew her arms only to spring them out wide as the moon shone above her.
“Luna loved you! She loved you cause you were exactly what she needed! She could be the soft glow that lit up the darkness from your lonely, dreary life. She guided you to a purpose… and you gave her everything she had never known before! Soler! You gotta see yourself through her eyes!”
“...Through… her eyes..?”
“Soler…”
Luna turned to him, looking peaceful and relaxed as they sat before the sunset.
“Promise me… when you become the man you want to be… that you’ll never forget moments like this?”
“...What do you mean?” He turned to her, smiling as well as they held hands.
“Hehe!” she giggled, blushing but holding his hand a little tighter back.
“That no matter who needs it. You’ll always shine a ray of hope on whoever needs you. Promise me that?”
“Of course. That’s my only goal in life.”
“It’s a dream, Soler… a dream you can live in the broad daylight.” she looked up at the sun. “...I love that part of you, Soler. The part that won’t let himself be taken by the darkness…”
“Luna…” Soler remembered his dark side… and quickly wanted to warn her about it. “Luna, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Whatever it is, I know you’ll get through it.” she gave him a close-eyed smile, before hopping up and twirling around. “Ohh!!! The moon will be out soon! Quick! Tell me and then we can guess which phase it will be tonight!”
“B-but that’s not fair!” he laughed, “You always know what the moon’s going to be. It’s in your necklace!” she laughed and hid her secret.
“Whhhattt..? You calling me a cheater?” she teased, rushing off.
“Hey! Luna!” he took off after her, as she beckoned him on.
He ended up not telling her, always wanting her to believe he was better than what he thought he really was…
“Then that’s what I’ll do.” He gripped his pendant, standing up. “I’ll make sure to be the Sunrise… for someone trapped in the powers of that intimidating darkness… just like her and her village.” he gave a look of determination to the moon. “I promised her.”
Amy wiped the rest of her tears away, drying them up as she nodded at his new resolve. “Good. I’m with you on that one!” she gave him a thumbs up, and he looked kindly down to her.
“Sonic deserves you, Pinky. I’m sorry I thought it was wrong for you to try and be so close to him.” he offered her his hand.
“Ha! Love conquers all!” she took his hand and got up, heading back to base and waving to him. “You coming?”
“Just a minute!” he called back, looking out into the night…
An engine flared in the distance…
“What? It can’t be!” he could have sworn he knew that noise…
His teeth were borne and he looked behind him. “Run, Amy! Get the others!”
“Huh?” she turned around. “Soler..? What’s going-”
“It’s Neo Metal Sonic!” Soler took off into the night’s cool glow...\
Solar Vengeance
Commission for Solerwolf21
By: Cutegirlmayra
Soler ran without looking back, his jaw set as he aligned his path towards a cascade of varying explosions blasting in large or small repetitions. Soler was skillful, used to the battlefield by now, and dodged hurtling land masses, uprooted and burning trees, even narrowly ducking his head back to have his nose almost skim the edges of a large flaming blast directed at him.
He finally made his way down the now burning valley into the thick black smoke, coughing into his gloves. There was no question of his life, nor of the effects of the oxygen burning up around him that could push soot into his lungs. He was there for one purpose and one alone. Hopping from small pebbles that crumbled under his feet to larger stepping stones, Soler finally found a pocket in the valley that had already risen the black smoke above it, leaving some breathing room for the suffering life below. The smoke was being blocked from truly escaping from the mountain passes, but rushing water caught the airborne soot from the air and dragged it down, polluting its waters as it raced down the mountain side.
Soler looked at the spiraling death cloud, clenching his fist with further anger, trying to limit his breaths. ‘This is what happens when evil men don’t get what they deserve!’ he thought these words like a curse, but they propelled him on, searching for more explosions and echoing sounds that could lead him to Neo Metal Sonic.
He coughed in his hand again, spitting on the ground as he could taste the burnt atmosphere and noticed what was being attacked.
He held a hand to a leaning tree, covering his mouth as his eyes widened from the image before him. It was the rebellion, the freedom fighters, everyone was down…
In horror, he rushed below, “No!” he cried out, rushing over to a few of them and checking to make sure they were alive.
With his memory triggered, he held his head. Tears threatened his eyes as they grew glossy, but everyone was still alive…
For now.
“I’ll get you all out of here. Amy’s getting backup.” He tried to speak comforting words, but something hung in his throat, breaking his voice to where it barely held a soothing tone within it. Instead, his anger and sorrow cooled and warmed him, like a cyclone of currents that blended into one. He tried to move a man up to see if he was conscious… and that’s when…
Clanking of metal footsteps caught his attention.
His ears flicked at the sound, directly behind him… He glared around his shoulder, a slow movement, calculating every move and instinct that would follow from here on out.
“...Blinded by your hate?” The dark and metallic voice rung out, shaking the very confines of his memory. It had been years since he had last seen that shimmering coat of metallic blue, the steel blades on the ends of his hands that he dared call fingers, and the connecting silhouette that had once made him believe that Shadow was a murderer.
“Blinded?” His core rocked with the will to fight, to bring swift justice to a people now scattered in faded images… and yet… so real, they could still be dwelling—alive—inside him.
He rose to his feet, chaos power surging within him as he hung his fists out to the sides. “You don’t know the meaning of the word Blind!” He felt all his training suddenly fly out of him like a ghost, the good man in him fleeing to escape the swirling madness of revenge in his heart. That clear and kind demeanour he once held… that gentle soul trying to find his accepted place in the world, the fun and cheerfully content friend his companions lovingly knew and regarded as their comrade… all seemed to dissipate the second Neo Metal Sonic’s red eyes locked with his own lush green glare. Blinded… blinded by hate.
“Bound to blindness… you can neither see the end from the beginning.” Neo Metal Sonic rang out a coarse and deafening denial. It was though he knew. He knew that Soler’s body had gone back to that moment, that catastrophic event that changed the course of his life. He rose a clawed hand, elegantly showing off his form now that he didn’t have to hide it from him any longer. “What I offer your power is more than you can possibly wield…” he crushed his hand into a tight and sharp fist. “In a world full of hope… one must snuff out the light. Just like your precious—organic muse. Only… she couldn’t release the light from within you… no… she couldn’t summon what I wanted. A pointless sacrifice. A death that you made vain. Even I couldn’t have calculated how poorly that performance would fail. All because it couldn’t wrack you to your very soul… Could have saved her? If you unleashed the sleeping power that I so desperately desired from you? No... She was the lesser light… Especially compared to what I’ll do this time…” Neo Metal Sonic began to arch his walk as it took everything within Soler to not launch himself out at him. ‘Lesser light!? Blinded?! What was he going on about!?’ he continued to store up and build power, still unaware of Neo Metal Sonic baiting him. He almost reached the point of Chaos Break but not quite entering into that state just yet… he was waiting…
Something inside him burned like the forest around him, but he couldn’t strike quite yet. He wanted to wait for the ideal moment… when Neo Metal Sonic wouldn’t be able to dodge or read what he was planning…
An opening...
Neo Metal Sonic’s eyes scanned as he rounded him and spoke, keeping a distance, but noticing the concentrated Chaos Energy piling up in him. “You’ve managed to unlock your ability? Perhaps that pawn did do its duty then.” He stopped himself, “To the supreme overlord of this land,... that pathetic organism’s life actually proved of some use after all. In what little it accomplished, at least it has motivated some fulfilling change in you.” He spread his arms out, “Show me,... Wielder of Chaos—No! Host to my soon-to-be new power of channeled, raw chaos…” he lifted one of his hands up, a red heat steaming from his claws. “It’s time… I shall break the chaos from your body… I shall rip it out of you! And then harness it to finally defeat Sonic! And all his worthless, squirming friends! They shall cling to the very essence of life and hope as I shred it from existence!” He blasted a powerful wind from spinning his hand and body quickly in a whirling twist for a moment, causing his cape to flare back behind him and the black smoke to spin away as some of the night finally revealed itself in the tainted sky.
The moon… directly above Neo Metal Sonic, hung itself right where he spun the cloud away, like an all-seeing eye…
“Engage me!”
“With pleasure!!!”
Soler leaped forward, a fierce entanglement of heated metal against sheer, raw chaos forming around Soler’s hands and rising up his arms. The two fought ceaselessly, a close hand-to-hand combat as they spiraled around each other, looking for an opening… ‘Grr..! It’s taking too long!’ Soler remembered Shadow mentioning to be aware of his surroundings. Soler perceived quickly that his battle with Neo Metal Sonic could hurt the downed soldiers around him.
‘Alright… I need to bring Neo Metal Sonic away from them. So that he can fight just me!’ He put his hands together, “Chaos Canon!” blasting up and out of the smoke, he felt he could have some cover while leading Neo Metal Sonic up near the Mountain pass. Forgetting for a moment that Neo Metal Sonic could use heat-sensing, he saw a rapidly moving line of red darting to his position.
“Shoot!” he was now stuck in the air! Thinking fast, he swiped his hand, about to summon Chaos Hailstorm before realizing he could hit someone down below on accident. “Urk..!” he flinched, his eyes wavering in their conviction as he realized there were too many injured for a fair fight. ‘Alright, then. I’ll take this to-!” but before he could make a counter-move, Neo Metal Sonic spun a swift kick into his stomach, shifting him through the air and slamming him into the mountain’s rugged cliffs.
“Ugh… uhh…” Moving himself out of the cliff side, he looked up to see Neo Metal Sonic propel a fist into his face, shoving him further into the mountain as pieces of rock blasted out from the impact.
As the dust cleared, Soler’s face was smashed against its side, but he was fighting for control over the battle again. Neo Metal Sonic was ruthless… he had forgotten how strong he was, how seemingly invincible this robot could appear…
“You are not worthy to hold such power…” Neo Metal Sonic began, moving his heated hand towards him. “Allow me to rectify this conundrum…” as the heated hand flared a red glowing power, Soler turned his chin away and felt sweat trinkle down the side of his face.
‘No… He’s trying to get me to unleash my power… if I do, from this close of a range… He’ll absorb it and become even more powerful..!’ he strained against the hand that was keeping him in place. ‘I can’t give up… Luna..!’ he squinted his eyes, mentally crying out her name for strength.
That’s when he knew.
“You could never wield my power!”
He cried out loud.
“Because I am that power!!!”
“What!?”
“Chhhhaaaoooossss-”
Powering up the last of his pent-up rage, he let loose a new form. Straining against the life-sucking influence of the Chaos factor that converted his very being into power, he shifted fully into his ultimate form. “BREAK!” he blasted an amazed Neo Metal Sonic back, getting him successfully off of him as he homing-attacked through the air, pushing off the mountain side and causing it concave inwards on itself from the magnitude of his pressured ‘push’.
Ramming his spiky chaos ball into Neo Metal Sonic’s discombobulated body, it was clear to tell Neo Metal Sonic was having a hard time getting a reading on him.
“NOOO!!!” He cried out, seeing he was being swarmed with opposition that was too much for his systems to calculate. He ended up shutting off the programmed aid and went straight to blocking, but Soler uncurled from his ball and blasted him down towards the ground, pummeling him further.
“This is for LUNA!” he sent a powerful beam of Chaos through Metal Sonic’s left shoulder, the two falling at alarming rates towards the far front of the forest, away from the struggling freedom fighters. “This is for VILLAGERS YOU MASSACRED!” he launched his fists down to have Chaos power shoot out and knock him with each hit farther and farther out of the sky, further and further away from… “And this… this is for MY FRIEEEENDDDDSSS!!!” One last form… one last moment to end all the suffering and pain Neo Metal Sonic ever manufactured in the world.
“CHAOS SYNERGY!!!” Soler’s leaned forward…. He blasted away the limits of his body and life force, his very soul blazed around him in a shining white of raw energy.
“No… you fool!” Neo Metal Sonic was waiting for this, but it wasn’t what he was expecting at all. “You’ll only end your life and the power will be lost forever!” he activated a reflective surface that opened from the engine in his chest like a jacket, trying to absorb the chaos power from him. Soler breathed heavily, seeing Neo Metal Sonic regain his flight abilities and start channeling his own power from him. “No… I won’t let you get away with this!” Soler blasted out another powerful explosion from his body, pushing Neo Metal Sonic back.
“Un… Unperceivable.” Neo Metal Sonic’s eyes shook as he skidded to a landing on the ground, looking up as his systems began to spark around him. “His berserk form should allow me to absorb all the necessary chaos energy from his body… how… why isn’t it working?!”
There was a moment of peace about Soler… as he began to float in the air… the once cool air now heated by the flames around him. He could feel the world suffering… and when he closed his eyes… he placed his hand to his heart… feeling the same way he did back when Luna’s village was crying out in terror.
‘This power… It doesn’t matter if I die now.’ He felt some form of weight lift off his shoulders, and looked back to Neo Metal Sonic… it was almost amusing to see his bewilderment at having miscalculated his true potential, but that didn’t matter right now.
He could literally see the essence of his life blazing around him, and knew that it wouldn’t be long now… till it was all out and done.
‘But before that time… I’ll make sure Neo Metal Sonic never hurts another living thing again.’ he looked down, like a blazing angel of the night towards Neo Metal Sonic. Even the glow of the flames couldn’t stand against the holy light of his personage.
“I… am Soler The Hedgehog.”
He declared, his eyes glaring like thin slits against the dark of the night.
“You’ve committed a crime against all life upon this world… and I…”
He took one final glance at the moon, then held the necklace tightly in his hand.
It was a solemn, unspoken, and final goodbye.
“Will take you from this world.”
In horror unimaginable, Neo Metal Sonic stepped back. His fear wasn’t of death, but of what power he would enact those words by.
Soler drifted to the ground, and held out his hand. “This is your undoing… Metallic Blue Boy.” he smirked at his inside-joke with Sonic, and prepared a powerful beam. “Solar…” it began to form a tight ball that sounded as though the rays of the sun were building at the palm of his hand. “Chaos…” it grew bigger, beams of light breaking from it’s core.
...He closed his eyes…
‘I hope this is enough to make up for my existence… Luna. I hope this settles my debt… and pays back all the lives that have suffered because of me… because of him.’
His eyes shot open as he pulled his hand back, readying his final attack that would most likely end his life.
Neo Metal Sonic braced himself, opening his body even wider as he transformed himself into a giant absorbing field of mirrored steel that was meant to take in whatever power Soler had within him.
‘Heh...cute.’ Soler thought, smiling and knowing that Neo Metal Sonic couldn’t fathom the terrors of death… but at least this would come close to it.
“FLAREEEEE!!!”
A long, dragon like whip of power twisted itself in the air and flew directly to Neo Metal Sonic.
The power was stilled in his metallic frame, and Neo Metal Sonic began a slow laugh...
Before seeming to robotically choke as his voice blitzed out and his head twitched.
“Heh…” Soler powered down, hunching over in his exhaustion. “Boom.”
BOOOOOOOAWWWWWWWWWMMMMMM!!!!!
Neo Metal Sonic’s pieces flew there… and over there… and some clanked against the rock and tumbled away some place else.
Then Soler collapsed to the ground.
“Was this… enough… L-Luna?”
Then something unexpected happened.
A figure rose from the blackened corpse of Neo Metal Sonic, his literal frame-ware of his body without its Sonic-like metal coating. A literal skeleton… creeping its way towards Soler.
His eyes shook, “N-no…!” he couldn’t believe it. “He survived!?”
He pushed his body past its limit once more, rising from the ground to his knees and powering up what little life he had left. Closing one eye, he raised his hand back up, keeping it up with his other as its support. “I guess there really is no living through it… I’ve gotta use it all.”
As the skeleton reached out, walking like a zombie with sparks everywhere, a purely naked figure of its robotic plating, a hammer suddenly flew out of nowhere and knocked it into a burning bush.
“Soler! Don’t-!” Amy rushed out to his side, dropping to him as he stared amazed.
“A...Amy?”
“That last blast almost wiped out our rescue party!” she explained, hugging him close as his eyes remained in shock.
His head just naturally fell to her shoulder, his hand not going down. “I… I have to destroy him… I can’t let him live.”
The steel skeleton rose out of the bush, oil leaking around it to blast explosions from itself. It looked truly sickening, but Amy continued.
“But that form… I heard you shout it out. That was Chaos Synergy.” she looked to see the white forming from his feet up his knees… he was retaking the form.
She pulled back, shaking his shoulders, “Soler, stop! Please! That forms kills you right? It drains you..? Soler, listen to me! Soler!!!”
Blinded still by his anger and hate, his hand slowly began to power up another blast. Now his vision was blurry, his mindset on destruction…
“Move… Pink.” he stated beneath his breath. “Move…”
“NO!” she shook her head, spreading her arms out wide, “Soler, listen to me! This isn’t what Luna wanted! She would have wanted you to live happily! If you do this… you’ll destroy the valley! You’ll destroy the very lives you’ve worked so hard to fight for! You trained so hard… so diligently… in hopes of protecting people… is this the future you want to make for yourself?! Scattered in more merciless killing!?”
Soler’s eyes twitched, his old self returning to him…
The hunger of seeing Neo Metal Sonic suffer greater than his own pain suddenly weighed back down on him. “But… he deserves this… he deserves to die.”
“He’s a robot, Soler! Eggman will just make another one!” Amy grabbed his head, hoping to focus the last of his fading vision onto her.
“Please… think of the real people around you… think of the hero you want to be… the one Luna saw in you… that day you saved her life.”
His eyes flexed and his pupils dilated. He recounted taking that bullet for her.
His hand twitched, the light in it slowly fading away…
“Life is worth saving, Soler… Don’t throw your life away for one victory… that needlessly leads to further suffering and pain. We’d all miss you, Soler… we all love and need you so much…” she lowered her head, crying into his chest as the warm tears cooled his boiling rage…
He finally… slowly… let the hand slip and his arm fall back down to his side.
Neo Metal Sonic’s skeleton continued to work through the bushes and explosion with a limped leg, before falling to the flames eating at its faked life and consuming what little energy he held left.
Then… Soler passed out in Amy’s arms, hearing her scream his name.
Neo Metal Sonic had tried to steal his powers… but what he did steal… was his clear conscience. However, with the last of the fight, Amy returned his sanity back, and Neo Metal Sonic couldn’t take his pure heart from him, the innocent intent of saving all that were within Soler’s reach.
It wouldn’t have been a good way to die, anyway. At least, that’s what Soler kept telling himself. As he dreamed, he saw Luna standing on the moon, looking away from him before turning with her long hair whisping around her.
She was crying… but smiling.
A Chaos Emerald was used to revive what little life was left in Soler, and he woke up in a hospital bunker, looking around as the Freedom Fighters cheered around at their friends all waking up from the horrible ordeal.
Shadow pulled back the Chaos Emerald, glaring to him as though not wanting to scold him in front of everyone. However, Soler got the message, bending his ears back and looking sheepishly guilty, trying to smile apologetically back. Shadow and even Blue Boy had constantly warned him about his synergy spikes… still, it was nice to see he cared.
Sonic walked by, trying to be casual about it, but whacked Soler upside the head while Sally gave a speech. He rubbed his head and kept quiet, knowing the two didn’t want to cause a scene but also seeing Sonic look back over his shoulder, giving him a wink. So, at least Sonic was glad he made the right choice in the end, but Shadow folded his arms. He clearly wasn’t having it. Soler was going to have to sit through Shadow’s wrath for a bit… but he would take it knowing it came from a good place. Tails began after Sally, stating they had put out the fires around the surrounding area. A medal was given to some, but then Sally personally came over to Soler, without the prying eyes of the crowd. A silent exchange was given from the medal to Sonic and Shadow, but they both just looked like polar opposites. Sonic nodded, as though to silently say ‘Keep your chin up, buddy!’ to be more encouraging, since he rarely dwelt in the past. Shadow, on the other hand, wouldn’t be satisfied until Soler was worthy of the medal.
The medal she handed him was made of white material he couldn’t perfectly identify, and winked to him as she rested her hand on his shoulder, “Amy told us.” she whispered, “We were able to treat your injuries, but Shadow used the Chaos Emerald to treat what he called ‘your soul’. I hope you’re alright, Soler. I’m glad to still have you with us.” she moved on, but there was a genuine look of gratitude in her eyes.
The medal came with a note, thanking Soler for his bravery in diverting Neo Metal Sonic’s attacks away from the injured, but Soler knew what it was really saying…
Throughout the course of the day, many fighters came over and checked on him, it overwhelmed it. It was all too much. He realized that only the main gang had known what sacrifice he was willing to do, but the others just thanked him for his support. They worried about him… they really cared about him… Those he had saved thanked him. He didn’t feel very worthy of it. Yes, he had thought of them, but he almost endangered them by his furious outbursts as well…
He took a deep breath, ‘No matter what, I was meant to learn the things I did in my life.” he knew Amy was right and clutched his slightly singed necklace tighter to his heart, leaning back in his recovery bed and being careful not to disturb the bandages wrapped all over him in different sections of his body. “I was meant to have loved Luna, as she was meant to love me. I understand my feelings more,... and even though the past still haunts me, I was able to look forward with hope for a better future… one where I’ll live for those who can’t survive without someone else watching their back. I’ll be the power they never had.’ he lulled himself to sleep with this promise on his mind, closing his eyes… ‘I’ll be a true hero… so no one has to suffer what I’ve suffered… yeah, I think that’ll do. I think that’ll be… my repentance…’
He began to fall asleep…
‘My redemption.’
Lunar Ellipse
Commission of 60-70 pages for the amazing Solerwolf21
By: Cutegirlmayra
It’s been a long time since the Metal Sonic incident…
I’ve been carrying the weight of that day for a while now… I know it’s no good, so I’m trying to get my mind off of things and start something new.
At least, something new to think about…
That’s when I thought about Sally.
Soler held his medal close to himself, looking down forlorned as he continued his afternoon walk. It was getting late, as it usually does, but he missed his morning sulk so this was his best effort to stay on schedule.
“Heh,” He lightly laughed out loud at the thought. ‘Morning Sulk’ was a good name for it, but he liked the fresh air too. It was nice to get away from everyone’s busy work and all the fighting.
Time and time again… one fight after the other. But it was exhausting, you know? Then Eggman suddenly blipped off the radar. Everyone got anxious and confused, scared even. I went out on my own to do some recon and came back with to a nasty surprise. Apparently, I didn’t ask permission to go off on recon and the whole of the Freedom Fighters was about to send out a search party with Sally at the command.
After that, Sonic had told me to take it easy… but what does that mean?
Did everyone just suppose I was unstable? Maybe I wasn’t… maybe I really was.
I’ve thought a lot of things lately…
He stared at the ground as his shoes kicked the dirt off the path as he continued. The scent of pinewood and the weeds scrapping against his feet created a pleasant scenery. Not too many flowers, but just enough to catch the eye.
Mostly, I’ve thought a lot about Sally. But then…
He sighed, looking up as he let go of the medal and clasped the necklace instead.
“Luna… The moon’s about to come out soon.” He stopped a moment as he tried to remember which moon this would be.
When he realized he didn’t know, a sudden harsh sadness came on him. “Did I forget?” He seemed almost spooked. Feeling guilty, he quickly ran to try and see the moon over the hill he usually star-gazed on. He climbed a moment on all floors to regain some balance at his new quickened pace. It was a tad slippery from some rainfall, but Soler didn’t mind it. He was used to laying on this hill as fresh dew scattered across it. It was refreshing after the walk, and the sun warmed him while the earth cooled his sweaty back.
Things weren’t necessarily quiet back at camp… the Freedom Fighters had their fair share of Eggman busting to do. After he went dark, they were on high alert, finding rogue robots from his army and taking those down one by one. Sonic and Shadow both agreed I needed space and time to think, but qgain, what exactly does that mean? Were they really not gonna let me help? Just because of the Neo Metal Sonic incident… or because I went off on my own without telling anyone? It was confusing, to say the least… I felt bad about it, but I also hoped everyone had already put it passed them.
I guess I did give everyone quite a scare…
After racing to the top of the hill, he paused to look up, breathing hard in his worry. His emerald green eyes scanned the falling horizon, “… It’s not up yet.” He looked behind him and suddenly clutched his fists. “Dang it. I really can’t let go!” he slammed it into the hillside’s top, a full-blown swing as he slightly jumped and let it collide with the earth, bending and landing on his knees to reach the mark. This caused a small pound but none of his chaos energy was put into it, so his hand just hurt a little from the harsh hit.
“Huh?” He once again wondered what was going on. “My… my abilities?” he tried to see if he could do a Chaos Spear.
As practiced a thousand, no—millions of times with Shadow, he released a perfect set of spears that flew with a whistle out into the air and pierced sharply into the ground upon descending in an arrow’s arch. After a moment, they disappeared in a swiped flash and were no more.
“Phew… Why am I so paranoid?” he gripped his wrist, just massaging it a bit and wondering why he didn’t feel himself today.
Recently… I’ve been thinking too much.
He sat down, plopping on the tippy top of the hill as though not caring if he hurt himself in the process. Staring up, he vaguely saw the sun finally setting and dipping away.
It was his favorite thing. Waiting for the moon to come up. The Moonset, as he called it. However, he couldn’t bring himself to view the moon today, though he willed himself too. A pain slowly sank from his chest down into his heart and stomach. His mind raced again from the longings of his heart… his words following, unable to contain what lie inside his every thought.
“Luna…” He looked down at the necklace, waiting to see what the moon would be like today. “Luna… if I decided to love someone else… would you always know I still loved you?”
There was an unshakable silence.
---
“Soler! You’re falling behind!” The voice was so real, so tangible. It was soft and high, like a cloud against the moon. It was shrouded in utter fascination and mystery to Soler, so hard to describe, but so easily to recognize and pull again to mind.
“Ha…Ha… I’m trying, alright!?” Counter wise, his voice was husky from all the running, heavy breaths interrupted any sweet, playfulness it usually carried.
“Well, try harder!” she urged.
“You’re just as pushy as your dad!” He raised his head up, trying to keep up the pace.
“Haha! I take that as a compliment!” It was a typical day with the beautiful chief’s daughter, nothing in the world could ruin this memory for him.
Luna raced up the track that headed back to her village, looking behind her constantly to wave and encourage Soler on. “Come on! If you make it, I might just give you a hero’s kiss~” she taunted, winking and blowing him a tease.
Soler’s head shot up, “Huh?” It hadn’t been long since they confessed the buddings of romance to each other, but the thought of a kiss still brought a faint blush to his cheeks.
“What? Was that not motivation enough? Hehe!” she laughed as she bolted forward again.
How mischievous… But I don’t dislike that about her. In fact, it’s kinda fun and refreshing to see her tease me like this.
He smiled, his breathing seeming to find a rhythm in their jog now. She was quite a ways ahead, but he didn’t mind giving her the head start. He loved running. It was something he always did when exploring new places.
But… today was meant to be the day he was going to tell her he wanted to head out again. His nomadic ways hadn’t stopped so suddenly. It was a habit to find new places and people to serve, it was just his nature to acquaint himself with anyone who needed his help.
He wanted to leave for a while, but also wanted to promise her he’d come back and live there with her… he was still so young, they both were.
His eyes arched as he thought about it…
If I kiss her… will that make me change my mind?
He shook his head.
I’ll just let her win. Besides, she usually does, anyway.
“Slowpoke!”
“That does it.” He narrowed his eyes, smiling. “Here I come!” he had stored his energy long enough He burst forward with a high-speed velocity, but nothing compared to the rumored Fastest Thing Alive. His lungs pumped air in and out like a steam-train without any breaks, his legs like well-oiled wheels being pushed by a long gear to never quit or strain under the pressure. He felt an open smile as he breathed through his mouth and was charging up to the side of her at a rapid pace.
His heart had a goal in mind, but his mind didn’t have the heart to disappoint her.
He began to catch up swiftly, causing her to stop laughing and gasp in fright. Immediately, she began to run with all her effort—for real this time. Though, her curiosity and fright at his sudden bolt made her keep looking over her shoulder, slowing her speed down every time she looked back to see him continually picking up speed.
“Eeee..!” her mouth stretched far back, clearly nervous about the rewards at stake…
“Heh.” Here’s for trying to tempt me! He slid up next to her and grabbed her hand, “Need a boost?”
“Ah!” she blushed, while he looped her hand under his arm and passed the village gates—side by side.
Serves her right for upping the ante.
It was terribly romantic, too. A duo tie. However, if Soler knew anything about Luna, she would downplay his charms and pretend like she wasn’t smitten at all by it.
“Y-you’re pretty fast.” She didn’t move away from him as he slowed down to a stop, looking down at her ducking face.
He could still see the pink all over her muzzle though, so it was enough to make him smile.
There was heat on his cheeks too, but the fresh air and smell of food being cooked in the village cooled and stilled him off. He would probably eat something light with her to make up for all the lost energy.
He decided not to ask about the ‘reward’ but instead, poke at her nose. “I know you’re pretty fast yourself. Almost lost there if I didn’t think fast too.”
She giggled at his touched and looked up at him, shyly trying to disguise her fondness for him. That smile though… couldn’t even hide a secret…
“Did you have fun?” He found himself saying, finding his breathing had returned to a normal rhythm again. He was glad she didn’t pull away, it reassured him that this tie was a grand idea in the end. At least, she always seemed to enjoy his company, and this wasn’t exactly the first time he was trying to win her affections through a clever tactic. He was used to be bolder with her now, since they confessed. But it did leave him wondering if he should really leave or not…
“Y-yes.” She put her other hand to her chest and tried to still her racing heart again. “But I think my heart still thinks we’re in the race.”
“Well… who said we’re not?”
“H-huh?”
He leaned down and lightly pecked the side of her cheek, making sure to pull her lightly over to him with his arm that still held her hand in place.
“Ah! Stop it! Not in public!” she cutely moved away and shoved him off, causing him to wobble a bit before grinning happily and stepping away from her.
“Whatever you say, Luna.”
She covered her face, but then opened her hands enough to stick her tongue out at him.
“You offered first…” he mumbled as he folded his arms and looked away. He decided not to push it anymore, concluding that she probably was still a bit hesitant about it all.
“Actually,… Luna… I meant to ask you something.”
Luna stiffened a bit.
“I… I think I’d like to-“ He was about to address the subject when a familiar voice, like brass toned to a mature ring, echoed towards the two abruptly.
“Luna! Darling!” Suddenly, out of the blue, her father stepped in and worriedly embraced his daughter. “What have I told you about wandering too far from the village?! Ah, Soler!” he saw Soler and outstretched his palm to him. “Now I see! You were being protected! I’m glad then. But still, dear girl, don’t go running off like that!”
“But dad, I’m-“
“A big girl who still asks me to cook breakfast for her?” He raised a comical eyebrow as Soler covered his mouth to chuckle.
She blushed and looked to Soler, then her father. “Dad!”
At this point, Luna’s father had completely taken Soler in. It didn’t change the fact that he didn’t exactly know Soler and Luna’s relationship, but at the same time, Soler felt he wouldn’t mind much either.
But they were still… so young.
He looked back out of the gates of the village, feeling some left over thrill at running out and exploring what else could be out there again.
His powers…
He looked down at his hands with striped ‘X’s over his gloves. I also want to go somewhere safe to train… My combat skills are better than ever, so far. And I’m sure there are other villages out there that could use my help too.
He turned back to watch the antics of father and daughter play out a familiar scene. The Chief was a bit protective over her, but it made sense since she was slightly childish at times. Seeing Luna scold her father while he kept lovingly reminding her of her youth made Soler wish once again to have known more about where he came from, what family dynamics he might have had. It was too much of a blurry memory, hazy from years of being unable to recall it. Still… he considered this village a type of family, and wondered what they’d think of him taking off for a while…
“-And that one time you asked me to buy you that adorable hedgehog doll made out of hay. You painted it white, you know.”
“DAD, SERIOUSLY, STOP!” she kept jumping up to try and reach his mouth, hoping to slam a hand over it and shut him up. However, The Chief kept raising his head to avoid her, laughing at her attempts to reach his rather large height.
“Hahah! Even put cute, little pink blush-dots on the cheeks.”
“I’m so embarrassed!” Luna finally gave up and covered her face again, ducking as she raced off deeper into the village. “You’re the worst, Dad!”
“Haha. About time she gave up.” As though planning this, The Chief turned to Soler. Soler realized then that he was trying to embarrass her and have her run off. Soler gulped, wondering what The Chief was up too… “Now then, why don’t you and I have a talk, young man.”
Soler suddenly felt a whole planet had been dropped on him. A… A talk? Did he know!?
“Y-…Yes, sir.” He didn’t know why he was so nervous all of a sudden. He deeply respected The Chief, he was a good man, but the way he said that…
The two walked around the village, full of young and old life doing chores like hanging clothes out on lines or cooking for the village feast. They didn’t usually eat in families on weekends but had big parties to celebrate their happy village community.
Soler loved it here, but the atmosphere was something he wasn’t accustomed too. They had welcomed him with open arms, a little hesitant about his presence at first before saving them from a wild creature of sorts. Soler was sure it was something dark and possibly enraged by battling one of Eggman’s robots, evident by oil all over its hide. But whatever it was, it wasn’t natural. Soler had gotten injured and some of that darkness infected his injury, but Luna tended to him and his strange power had taken care of the rest. He was a bit uncomfortable with how sincerely grateful they were to him, always making him special in any social gathering, but he took it with a polite smile and awkward head nod.
Today, it seemed The Chief wanted to talk about manhood. He began to recite something that sounded recited, if that makes any sense. So although Soler listened intently to the chief’s speech on what a true, righteous man is… he was instantly bored of the topic and observing the life of the bustling village about him. He was constantly in awe at it, watching the children play outside their little straw houses or huts. So modest an abode, but then again, no one seemed to notice wealth or poverty. It was like they all shared and communicated freely, nothing was bought or sold, but exchanged and handed out without contracts or agreements. Just… in the spirit of being friendly and neighborly.
He knew it was very different from the outside world though, but when The Chief began to change his tone, Soler immediately started to pay more attention to his long monologue.
“Now, a lot of people ask what a young man like you would want to be when he grows up. A warrior? Simple farmer? But any of man can be a truly good, exemplary, benevolent man regardless of upbringing or birth.”
The entire time, Soler felt uneasy. He wasn’t much into justice or goodness. He just did what he felt was for the benefit of other’s safety. A man has his own soul to look after, but that doesn’t mean he can’t risk it save another’s. He wanted to ignore again and scan the silkworks for a sign of Luna, maybe find her gathering hay in a field and carrying it to the storehouse. Either way, anything would be better than being stuck with a rambling old man about traditional man values…
Why can’t I just be my own kind of man?
“-And so a true man has a heart that will never yield to injustice, but always fight for what is right. Regardless of this, he also obeys the laws the citizens have placed by their own will and hearts. So, what I’m saying is, the fifth quality of a true, righteous man is to respect the hearts of others, as well as the laws they give to govern themselves- ah… Soler?” The chief hit his staff a few times to the ground, causing Soler to snap out of his walking-sleep and shake his head a second.
He immediately realized he had been caught daydreaming, and apologetically scratched the back of his head.
“E…heh.” Opps.
“…Ehem.” The Chief cleared his throat, showing he was aware that Soler was dozing off while walking with him. Which… his eyes were wondering a lot, and after a moment,… maybe he did rest them without realizing noticing he was dozing off…
The Chief sighed, “One day, you will become a man. What, prey tell, kind of man do you want to be?”
Without hesitation, Soler opened his mouth-
And yawned.
“You aren’t very keen on thinking of the future, are you, boy?” The chief relaxed his tensed-up shoulders a moment, showing his caring eyes again that told Soler he was off the hook.
At least, for now.
“Honestly, Chief… I wanted to tell you and Luna what I’ve been thinking and feeling lately.”
“Oh?” The chief seemed interested, switching his staff to the other hand and waiting patiently for Soler to continue. “Go on.”
“I… There’s just a… big, whole world out there!” Soler spread his arms out. “I mean… don’t get me wrong, you must know how I feel about your village, but…”
“Emhmm…” the chief smiled, leaning down and giving Soler a look like he knew how he felt about a certain daughter of his too…
But Soler shook off the feeling and smiled sheepishly, continuing with his original thought. “B-but I can’t help and feel like I want to go out there and see what other things I can learn and do. I want to come back! Honest! I just…” he felt his animated arms suddenly slow and drop to his sides. “…I’m sorry. I have to see who else I can help. If I even have control enough to help them.” He felt his uncertainty bite down on his words, but he felt he could tell The Chief anything. Even his own heart…
“There, there, boy. You are a typical young man.” The Chief put his arm around Soler’s shoulders, since he was quite a large man. But clearly, The Chief was beyond his own youthful years now and couldn’t really defend the village himself. Hearing Solar speak these things… Soler wondered if he’d really be okay with his words. “You don’t want to be stuck in a fishbowl, spinning in circles inside the plot of space allotted to you. And although I wish I could just say, ‘off you go!’ I’m afraid my fear for my village is a little more prominent on this matter than I hoped.”… or not.
He gave a fatherly shake on Soler’s shoulders before letting go and walking on, shaking his head. “What will we do without you, Soler? Is your mind made up or are you still willing to consider staying here?” it was a kind plea, one that made it hard to respond too.
Soler felt his heart ache a moment. “You’re a good leader, Chief. Honest, you are! I just… I have to go.” Soler admitted, though it pained him to see the Chief look so downhearted.
The Chief took a moment, not speaking as he clearly was sad to hear this.
But after a moment, he nodded and sighed, walking off. “I have no say in your life, Soler… I just wish I could convince you somehow.”
Soler bowed in respect, “Thank you… Chief.” He stopped to show he wasn’t going to follow and speak with The Chief further. The Chief looked sorrowfully over his shoulder to Soler, his eyebrows showing the concern for not only Soler’s life, but the safety of his village. He was a good man, though. He was going to let Soler do as he wished.
Now all Soler had to do… was break the news to Luna.
He looked behind him, wondering how on earth he was going to tell her.
…Easier said than done…
---
The moon was high now, the stars not out yet, but the owls cooed on their sideline choirs. Soler opened his eyes, relaxing and having dozed off in a dream of his past for a moment.
He rubbed his eyes, placing his hands on his stomach. He yawned and pulled out the necklace.
“Hmm. So that’s the phase today.” He concluded, and let his head fall back to the soft grace he was resting on before.
He had matured so much since then… But his yawn still matched that boy from the dream… his past self. He had no idea what was in store to come.
Soler lowered his eyes,… remembering the horrors that would then ensnare Soler’s every step forward. The pity and the pain, the sorrow and the savagery.
“…Luna.” He began. He found that something new had slipped into the crevices of his broken heart.
“I want to ask Sally if she’d like to go on a walk with me.”
It wasn’t what he usually said to the moon, but it was just what popped out. He had conversations like this, out loud with the moon as the only witness, holding Luna’s necklace by his heart. The moon never responded, and neither did Luna.
But there was no silence this time. Crickets hopped with their strings creaking out into the night. The owls’ choir was still in full rehearsal for the dead of night, and the moon stayed motionless to observe the orchestra in the dark.
“Would you… feel betrayed if I did?” he felt the cold nip at his nose, causing him to shiver slightly. “You’re my long-lasting love, Luna… I appreciate you more than anything else in the world. You did so much for me… Will you let me get close to someone else? Move on? I’m just…” he turned on his side, “I’m just lonely again… feeling like I’m wanting a fishbowl… but denying it again and again.”
There was a swift wind that ruffled his quills on his back.
“Brr…” he felt the chill and got up, rubbing his arms and blowing some hot air into his hands. “It’s gonna be winter soon… I can’t come see the moon all the time like this. This isn’t a goodbye or anything… it’s kinda like…” he looked back up at the moon, shining as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to dull its glow. “Permission.”
---
A pot crashed to the floor as the other girls in the storage room all stopped their cluttering chores and watched as Soler backed away from Luna.
She quickly turned around with glossy eyes, “Leaving..? Why? What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing’s wrong!” Soler shook his hands out, and then looked around at the people around him.
Shoot. She should have come with me to our tree… but she just had to decide that she’d finally listen to her father for once and not leave the village!
Luna opened her mouth to say something but stopped as she closed it tight.
She forced her eyes not to blink, and quickly grabbed Soler’s arm, dragging him out of the room so no one could see the very real threat of tears coming to her eyes. One blink, and she would be a mess in front of those who looked up to her family for guidance and leadership.
Soler felt bad about whispering the news into her ear, but she refused to come with him, what else could he have done?
They hiked in silence as Soler tried to explain himself but Luna shushed him every chance he got a word out.
Finally, they were at their tree, where he originally asked her to go. “Luna, say something!” He begged when she let him go and spun around.
“Soler… I don’t want you to go.” She admitted, her voice shaking a moment in her emotions.
“I know… I know that, okay?” He gently approached her, placing his hands on her arms. “Don’t cry, Luna… I’ll come back! I promise! I’ll bring you lots of things too. You’ll see, it’ll be like I never left.”
“…You don’t have to go, do you?” she looked up, and it broke his heart to see her so upset.
“…No.” he whispered, letting the word slip out of his mouth. “I want to go, though.”
“But why?” She moved away a second, “Am I not good enough?” she then raced back into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I thought you were going to protect this village!”
“I-…” he was losing it.
Why should I go?
He looked away.
Any guy would want to stay. Luna was amazing. Her father adored him. The village was just giddy to accept him into their family… so why?
He remembered.
“Luna, I have a power that is extremely dangerous, hidden inside of me.” He took her hands in his own, holding them together. “I do care about you, a whole awful lot, but…” he turned his head away from her, thinking carefully on his next words. “I also want to make sure that when I come back, I’m strong enough to protect more than just your village.” His eyes bore a witness of his love for her, but he worried she couldn’t understand. He had turned back to her, but she was still emotionally distraught, letting tears fall more willingly now that it was just the two of them.
That was Luna for you, always dropping her front for Soler. She only cared that he loved her, and the rest was meaningless.
But she clearly feared his words, and didn’t seem to understand why he was doing this.
Luna sniffed, looking at his nose and lightly moving her hand to drift a finger onto it, letting it slide down and reach his muzzle before continuing the stroke down to his mouth. “Just… stop talking, okay?”
He felt something flare up inside him, but he wasn’t sure what it was. The strange touch was hypnotic, it altered his thoughts a moment before her finger stopped at his mouth, and her words brought him back to reality. He hadn’t felt anything that powerful before, but he also chose to ignore it.
“Luna…” He looked down at her finger, feeling his lips move under its touch… He felt his whole body surrendering and he didn’t understand why. His will to continue to comfort and encourage her was the only thing keeping him talking. Reassuring her that he was coming home was the only thing that matter now. He had to make sure she understood him. That he would, honestly, come back!
“I said to stop… please…” she ducked her head into his chest fur, ruffling her face deeper inside it to rid herself of the tears and feel something warm and inviting again.
“I don’t care how powerful you are.” She spoke boldly now. “I don’t care! I love you!” she pulled out of his chest and lightly kissed him.
Now he was confused.
A moment ago, he was ready to pack up with a goal in mind. Hone his skills and help others, come back for Luna with gifts in hand, and live the rest of his life as a guardian over the little village.
But now..?
All he wanted to do was warp his arms around her thin waist, skim the skin of their lips over the other’s, and not think at all. Just feel.
He held her so close that there was nothing between them and brought her deeper into her misaimed kiss. It was rash and bold, and her inexperience led her to just dive and go for it. Thankfully, this didn’t deter his affections for her. He found where her lips were and started to kiss back, feeling her sudden strength falter and finally, she too surrendered her weight into him.
When air was required, the two parted and just hung in the moment, unable to separate feelings from reason.
“…How could I leave you?” his breathless confession gave her courage. “I’m madly in love with you, too…”
She went for another kiss, leaving him even more conflicted.
Nothing wanted to resist her, but everything in him knew he needed too.
She lured his resistance back down inside of him, pulling out a vulnerability he had never felt before. She lightly slid her hands down to his embracing arms, enticing him to follow her towards the side of their tree.
I have to stop this… if I don’t, she’ll never let me go.
His brain knew that, but his heart kept letting her lead.
Darn it! How is she so good at this!?
Though innocent to the ways of love, Luna seemed to have a knack for it. Whether she had been planning this for a while or just imagined it happening and played it out didn’t matter. Whatever it was, Luna was keeping him there, and that thought…
Scared him.
Luna leaned against the tree, pulling him close again as her fingers returned to the side of his face and brought his kiss deeper and deeper into her. When she moved away, he felt like the planet had shifted, opening his eyes and wondering what on earth was happening. It was great, but it was so sudden. What were we even talking about again?
“Then don’t go. Stay with me. Soler, don’t you want to stay?” it was so sweet, so inviting… he remembered once again what it was he had to do, what awful power lie inside of himself, and immediately took his hands away and placed them on the tree. They were on either side of her while he breathed a moment, shifting his eyes as he didn’t know now what to do. Give into his mind or his heart? What was the better option here?
“Please… don’t make this harder on me than it already is.” He was begging her to free him. Whatever entrapment she was casting on him, it was working all too well. “I don’t want to constantly have the fear that my power will burst out of me, hurt you or someone in your village.”
“Our village…” she cooed, moving towards his lips again.
Was this manipulation!? Should I care if it is or isn’t?! Luna… all I can think about is you now! Why is this so hard to bear…
In the middle of another passionate, but inexperienced kiss, he found his arms twitching to return to her sides… but he pulled away and placed them back on the tree’s trunk, resisting.
“No.” He had to side with his mind. Otherwise… otherwise… what horrors could happen to them if my powers whacked out and killed them all!?
“No, Luna…” He stated it again so faintly this time, she thought he had just been breathing.
She kissed his cheek and he pulled away once more, shaking his head but keeping his eyes shut. One look at her and he would be at her mercy again. He had to keep it together, somehow…
“Luna… Luna, I love you, but we’re so young.” It took every bit of him to fully move away, to think of her safety over the feelings she was tugging out of him. Like a tug-o-war, he kept fighting her gentle pulls and pulled back with his own. I have to win. For her safety. Why doesn’t she understand that!?
He shook his hand, rubbing the other hand through his quills as he moved away from their tree. I gotta calm down. If I don’t think clearly, I’ll disappoint The Chief… Or maybe… this is what The Chief meant by convincing me? No, no! They wouldn’t play me that way!
“Soler… I’m not a child anymore.” She asserted herself, stepping in front of him and cutting off his doubting thoughts. “It’s okay to kiss me. I don’t mind-“
“No, that’s not it! That kiss was amazing! Are you kidding me?!” His goofy side was coming out with his nerves, and she giggled at his response.
“Really..? It was my first…” she held her hands in front of herself, soaking in the praise and blushing with accomplishment. “But besides that… was it enough to make you stay?”
He froze, his hands still mid-motion running along the spikes on his head.
“…I just don’t think you’re listening to me.” He admitted, being honest. “I think all you hear is that I’m going away, but what you’re not hearing is that I’m coming back. For you, Luna. I’m going away and coming back for you.”
“You’re… leaving for me?” she decided not to argue about the ‘listening’ part, and instead, try and seek understanding.
“Yes!” he excitedly threw his hands up to his sides. “Yes! I want you safe! I want to make sure everyone is safe with me around! Do you understand, Luna? I want to stay, but I first have to make sure I’m safe.”
He put his hands to his heart, desperately hoping she’d understand now.
“You’ve seen my power before, haven’t you, Luna? Have you forgotten so quickly what I can do?”
“…You can… do incredible things.” She seemed to be understanding a bit more now, opening up to the idea more. This gave him strength in his resolve, but every fiber of his being wanted to reach for her cheek and pull her into another mutual kiss. He had to resist that urge though. He knew now he had to leave… tonight.
“But those things aren’t always incredibly good. They can also turn incredibly dangerous in seconds. I don’t have any control over it, Luna. What if one day—And I mean one day as in some day—I seriously hurt you beyond my current capabilities? What if, while I’m still growing up, my powers grow with me and I can’t take back what they do?”
Her face sunk into a look of hopelessness. “Do you really think it controls you?” she looked into his eyes.
“I have no idea what it is, or what it can do.” He admitted, moving up and finally letting his fingers curl around her cheek bones and place his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes, squinting them so hard he thought he’d burst into tears if he didn’t. “But I won’t let it happen. I’ll sharpen my powers. I’ll be someone who can save others. Not just on a fluke, but for real. I took a hit for you, remember? I really need you to take this one for me…”
He felt wrong pulling that out of the bag in such a way as he did. But it was his last resort. “Let me go, Luna?” he asked, so sincerely. “Let me go and be a good man.”
She gently… lifted her hand to his own and nodded, crying softly without words.
They stayed in the others embrace for a moment, holding one another as their emotions came back to a somewhat reasonable stability. After a moment of silence, Luna consoled herself and reserved her feelings. She looked back up at him, feeling him gently wipe her tears away with a soft smile on his face.
She finally spoke, “Okay.” She said lightly.
She held a long blink a moment, as if forcing herself to say it again. She opened her eyes and looked up into his again, “Okay…”
That night, Luna stood outside his small, roughly constructed hut the villagers had made for him as he gathered his things. He didn’t have much, but he needed supplies for a long journey. He didn’t give her a set time, not wanting to make any promises he couldn’t keep, but he did give her one last kiss. However, she pulled quickly out of it, not saying a word.
It lingered, that heartache from her silence and reserved attitude as he waved one last time down the track that lead to her home, the lively and pleasant village.
She didn’t wave back, she just winked with a forced smile.
“I’ll be back before you know it, Luna… Every time you see the sunrise-“ he pointed to the moon, “And every time I see the moon, I’ll be thinking of you.”
“…I’ll pray that the sun rises every day then.” She held her necklace tightly in her hand, holding in the words she really wanted to say. “Don’t go… don’t go…”
“I love you… I love you…” every time he wanted to look back, he took another step forward, uttering the words after her own silent pleadings.
She mouthed more of the same desperate longings for him to rush back into her arms, returning to her and forgetting everything he had said previously. But as he left earshot, heading off into the night, she could see each firm foot-fall at every step he dared to take. She knew then that he wouldn’t be tempted to turn back to her, and formed a strong face in the mist of her turmoil inside her heart.
She would be there when he returned, he just knew it.
He had to trust his gut.
But his gut was saying…
Don’t go.
---
Soler woke up with Sally hurriedly placing blankets on his head.
“H-huh?”
“Quick! Get me some hot water, anything to fight off the cold.”
“C-cold?”
“You idiot!” she saw he had awoken and placed her hands on her hips, stubbornly. “You fell asleep just before the winter night! Are you asking to get ill or something?”
He lifted a cold hand to his head, burning with a fever.
“Guess I was…” he joked, but Sally just rolled her eyes and then smiled at him.
“Well, how inconsiderate of you. Now we have to use precious medicine meant for emergencies on your slight fever.”
“Is it that bad?”
“I didn’t emphasize ‘slight’, did I?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Then you’re not doing so hot.”
“Duly noted. Temperature?”
“What do you care? Your fever is your own doing. I’ll get a cold washcloth for your head, just don’t move from that spot, alright?” She was harsh, but there was always a loving touch behind each sarcastic jab.
I was almost thankful I got sick. Sally personally stayed by my side and nursed me. It was day two and she was making soup for me, waving off another freedom fighter from worrying about me. She said, “I’ll handle this one. You just make sure Nicole doesn’t overheat with all the decoding Tails and Rotor are making her do. Is Amy still with Sonic? Tell her he’s fine and he’s just being a baby. How about Shadow? You should tell him Soler’s fallen ill by his own accord. I don’t know, don’t ask me. We found him lying on a hill shivering in the absolute worst state last night. We would have never found him without Team Chaotix picking his signal up while searching for badniks.”
Soler smiled slightly, his eyes blinking a few times as he listened in on her voice while waking up to its worried tone, honing all his senses onto it.
Then she came in, making him nervous as he found he pulled the covers of the blankets up a bit before Sally saw he was awake.
With a kind smile, she put some food down and helped him sit up, “How are you feeling now? You gave us all quite a scare.” She slightly repeated herself, but this time, with a bit more care.
He didn’t really know how to tell her. It was on accident that he had fallen ill, but he was purposefully there to watch the moon…
“How’s the resistance?”
“The Freedom Fighters won’t give up, you know that. Much like how Sonic won’t quit complaining either.” She rolled her eyes before winking and leaning slightly closer to Soler, “At least you were knocked out before you could start whining, right?”
He snickered, “No one likes a cry-baby.”
“Ah, but everyone loves babies.” Sally joked again, “At least you’re being good. Anything hurt?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine.”
She surprised him by placing her hand on his forehead, checking his temperature and then comparing it with her own. She moved closer and lifted the hand away, placing it down for support as she placed her forehead up against his own. He wasn’t sure if it was the fever that made his cheeks feel warm or not, but she pulled her lips back into a fine line and ‘hmm’d at the results of her investigation into his temperature. “It’s going down, which is good.”
He stared at her for a moment, the closeness between them bringing a small pulse of joy to his soul. He had to be utterly still, worried if he moved, she would also move away.
“Sally…” he begins, but the second he says her name…
“Am I not good enough?”
“Ahgh…”
Soler was the one to pull away first, feeling himself falter as Luna’s voice pierced his mind from that profound memory he had dreamed again. He hated that he was the reason the closeness between him and Sally was unbreached, but couldn’t be disgruntled about it now.
“Soler?” Sally worriedly leaned back before reaching for him.
He raised a hand, gripping the other to his head. “I’m fine. I’m fine… Sorry.” He didn’t want to explain it, but it wasn’t the physical illness that was plaguing him.
All he wanted to do was ask her. Why did guilt grip at him so much?
He didn’t want to shame his memory of Luna, his first ever love. He didn’t know whether true love was a thing or not, but he didn’t want to believe he could never find it again either.
“…You don’t have to go, do you?” she looked up, and it broke his heart to see her so upset.
“…No.” he whispered, letting the word slip out of his mouth. “I want to go, though.”
I really want to go, Luna. Please…
“Soler… do you need some more medicine? Here, at least eat something.” She got the food and placed it in front of his ducked head. He nodded, slowly reaching for it as Sally went to get some pills, dipping them in some water as they sprang out into dust. She spun the cup around, letting the particles dissolve and seem to disappear in the water.
“It’s not gonna taste great.”
Anything to drown out the pain.
He took the cup and began to gulp it down, then ate at the warm soup and licked his lips at the lingering flavor.
He didn’t want to hurt Luna again… even if it was just the memory of her.
I’m sorry, Sally. He mentally scolded himself for listening to a memory. But he couldn’t… he couldn’t refuse her again.
“Let me go, Luna? Let me go and be a good man.”
“Hoo… if you ask me, we’ve all been overworked lately.” Sally sighed before sitting on a chair on the other side of the room, kicking a leg over her other and rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Everyone has been demanding so much of us… Eggman is relentless and Shadow and Sonic still haven’t made amends about their last ‘dispute’.” She looked a little strained… this would be the perfect moment.
“You need a vacation.” Soler politely stated with a hint of humor in his gruff voice, due to his condition.
“A beautiful girl like yourself shouldn’t be working day in and day out without some sort of afternoon walk.”
She looked up at him for a moment. After processing what he stated, she smiled and rested her chin on her hand, leaning on the armrest. “Yeah, and get a cold just like you? Becoming useless to everyone for two days..?” she teased with a friendly smile.
Were we… flirting?
“I couldn’t do a vacation, maybe a break though.”
This really was the perfect moment, but before he could try and push the memory of Luna aside, trying to delicately remind himself that she wasn’t even here… but was gone, he faded off into his fever. “Would be… kinda nice… to walk with… someone…again.” his eyes drooped and he finally receded back into his deep sleep.
“Soler? Soler, are you okay?” She stood up, “Soler!” She raced to his bedside, but he could feel the sleep coming on and knew the dream would only continue where it left off.
---
Fire.
Screams had already deafened out into silence.
Soler watched as Luna was killed right before his eyes, then a vile threat from the shadowed figure, unable to be identified through the haze of the smog from the village flames and the burning that blurred Soler’s eyes.
Why did I have to go?
After the terrible events, he held Luna’s body, desperate to sense life in it.
She was gone. Not a single word of goodbye or even a reunion from being gone so long.
His emotions couldn’t handle it. He just clutched her lifeless and bleeding body in his hands. The blood was hot on his hands, but he felt numb to it. The red only blurred in the sight of the massive fog moving like a carpet that smelled of burning flesh and wood.
His eyes were half open, squinting through the tears and stinging air. He could hardly breathe. His heart was smashed under the stress, not even wanting to beat anymore, but the adrenaline kept him alive.
Red… the sky soaked the world in an endless red.
Dawn.
When everything in him finally came back to reality, he carried Luna’s body through the ash-filled village; at least, what remained of it. He continued to walk as though a ghost passing through a memory. For a moment, the village was alive again. Young men and women walked at a leisurely pace to do their chores, and the elders of the village worked their wheels or cooked their meals safely tucked away in their little homes. Life was blissful and uneventful. Was that why I had to leave?
He was entranced in his vision before his eyes twitched when his foot bumped up against something.
Looking down, he noticed he had knocked a small doll to the side, but it slowly rolled back to look directly up at Soler. Its expression was singed with black soot. What have I done?
Of course it wasn’t Soler’s fault, but he fell to his knees, gripping Luna’s body and letting her blood dry on his white fur.
He crumbled in the center of the village, leaning forward all the way till his head rested just above her side, crying out a loud, grieving mourn.
His wailing chased the birds that came to eat the corpses away, cawing at his abruptness in the now stilled morning.
How long have I been like this? How much time has passed?
Crying out in such agonized pain, he felt his voice grow sore and losing itself.
More. I have to cry more. It’s not enough!
Some lasting flames still licked at the remaining and burnable woods, straws, and yarns that were all but dust by the time Soler had arrived.
Luna… Chief… the villagers…
Gone.
---
Soler flinched awake, gasping as he felt his breath fill with clean air again. Fresh, pine-smells from the forest outside blew from the window above his low-riding bed. The dews of the last rainfall lingered in the cool breeze as he tried to get his bearings again.
The heat of that morning… it was so vivid and tangible just a moment ago. It was immediately replaced by this… this peaceful and serene morning.
His sweat made him shiver, gripping the blankets and trying to rub them against his shoulders and arms.
He felt better physically, but there was still a fever deep in his memory… a fever of Neo Metal Sonic… a recalling of past events that were now, eternally, seared into his mind.
He hadn’t had that real of a nightmare for a while. He thought—maybe, his PTSD had finally passed. He wondered for a long time while taking his walks, reading his books, training in the forest, and on the mountain sides that perhaps he could live a normal life again.
That apparently wasn’t the case.
“Aughh…” he rubbed his head, wiping his nose on his glove and looking himself over. “I need a bath.” He stuck his tongue out, disgusted at the idea of him being asleep for so many days in the same, now sweat-soaked bed.
He flipped the sheets over and began to walk towards the bathroom. Gripping the hose from atop the makeshift shower, he washed himself down and cleaned his clothes the old-fashion way. All he had were his shoes and gloves anyway, he wasn’t as lazy and inconsiderate of other people’s time as some would have supposed.
After that… he just got up and went to look for something to do. If his mind was occupied, maybe his heart would be too.
Tails and Rotor… Sally had mentioned they were getting Nicole to work on some things. He wasn’t really tech savvy, but he could hold his own in a conversation if needs be.
He decided to head over there first, and wasn’t surprised to see Sonic and Shadow peering with different expressions at the results flying through the computer screen.
Yikes… Shadow looks concerned.
He was probably the only person alive who would read Shadow’s multiple frowns. Where one may say he’s angry, Soler would say he’s just thinking. Someone could accuse Shadow of being condescending, and Soler would politely suggest he’s just showing some tough love.
Amy once thought Shadow was being rude, but Soler calmly explained he was attempting humor.
Sonic would battle with Shadow through wit and brawns, but Soler just knew that’s how they got along.
So when he saw Shadow’s face, he knew he wasn’t ticked off by Sonic’s grin, but simply worried about the results he was reading.
“You’re being too rash, Sonic.” Shadow almost growled the words out, but there was a refined elegance to his stance. He pivoted a foot toward him, removing his folded arms to gesture one out to him. This action forced Sonic to look at the movement and pay attention to his words, which made Soler smile, because Shadow seemed to also have an understanding of how Sonic worked. “If we try an all-out, frontal attack with these numbers… Some of our people may not be coming back.” He tightened his fist, showing his resolve in not losing anymore comrades.
Soler tightened the line of his mouth, not sure what he thought of that statement. If Shadow’s concerned, then this next raid must be a big deal…
“What’s to worry about?” Sonic shrugged, still happy-go-lucky as ever. “We’ve got Nicole to figure out all the possibilities and she’s already confirmed what we need is in there. We just have to use some sneak and distraction to get it out.” He wiggled his fingers down and moved them swiftly to the side, as though stating the ‘distraction’ part would be a walk in the park.
Soler decided to lean on the door post, listen for further clues before possibly saying anything.
“…Nicole.”
The voice freaked him out a moment, leaning up again from his relaxed stance and turning to see Sally stride forward, placing herself between Shadow and Sonic. She really did look regal, positioning herself right between the two different opinions of these powerful men.
“Is that machine you found really worth all this trouble?”
Sonic put a hand to his hip, tilting his head to Sally as though hoping she would side with him, but looked up to see Nicole’s answer instead.
“… I’m so sorry, Sally. But if Eggman really does complete the framework and design that Tails and Rotor showed me… it would be devastating for the entire Freedom Fighting cause. Not only would he be trying to mass-robotize whole continents with this device, but the level of fire-power in these system outlines also concludes a possible, massive war-weapon.”
“Is he that desperate to know our location?” Shadow countered, but Sonic snickered a reply as quick as blue lightning.
“Nah, he’s through trying to find our many stashed bases all over Mobius. He’s ready to just blow it all sky-high and rebuild later!” Sonic’s attitude rubbed Soler the wrong way, and he finally stepped forward.
“You should be taking this a bit more seriously, Sonic.” Defending Shadow’s end, Soler watched as Sonic and the others turned to address him.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the moon-watcher.” Sonic smiled, raising an eyebrow. “You done with your ‘light cold’ yet?”
Soler knew he was teasing him, but he still felt a little insulted. His eyelids dropped halfway to show his unamused expression as Sonic twitched at his serious response.
“Geez, you usually love my quips.” He pfft’d. “Someone’s been hanging out with Mr. Grumpy Quills too much.” He looked to Shadow. “Your boy’s up.”
“He’s not a boy, nor mine.” Shadow glared to Sonic but stepped up to Soler. “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect. We’ve got an ideal mission for your abilities. We need someone to endure Eggman’s offenses while we storm his fortress. We’re after that.” He pointed back to the screen as Nicole showed the massive fighter ship, still under construction in some areas.
Nicole then materialized in front of Sonic and Sally, stepping boldly to Shadow and Soler. “Is this really a clear plan?” She questioned, looking sheepishly scared at Shadow’s suggestion. “He’s an able fighter, but…”
“What Nicole is trying to say,” Sally about-faced, moving over to Shadow and Nicole. “Is that Soler is inexperienced and can get a little emotional when coming to his full power.”
Soler looked down, a little embarrassed she was speaking this way about him.
“Then I haven’t trained him enough.” Shadow quickly looked back at him, a true teacher’s anger as Soler felt fear spike up his spine.
Shadow gripped the top of Soler’s head, “If your last little outburst didn’t teach you patience and reason, then I have no choice but to put you through the ringer…” he started to drag Soler out the door, and knowing how awful Shadow’s routines could be, Soler knew his struggles wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Shadow’s perfectionist views this time.
“Wait-!” Sally outstretched her hand.
Oh, thank Chaos!
Sally looked kindly to Soler, “…He just recovered. I’ll talk to him. I’m the leader of the Freedom Fighters after all. I’ll judge whether he’s really ready or not.”
Shadow gave her a stern look as he slowly released Soler’s head from his firm, killer death grip.
“Very well… but if he doesn’t amount to your expectations…” He folded his arms, glaring down at Soler, as if to say- Don’t disappoint me a second time.
Soler gulped. Even after all these years, Shadow still saw him as a hopeless child.
Sonic clutched his stomach and laughed, walking over and swinging an arm around Soler. “Man! You should have seen the look on your face!”
Soler pouted, “It’s not like you haven’t had a time where Sally’s saved your butt either, Blue.”
“Hahahahaha-Watch it.” Almost as if a tick on a clock’s hand, Sonic’s charming ways shifted to a serious look of humiliation.
“Heh. Men will be boys.” Sally shook her head and then waved for Soler to follow her. “Come on, Soler. I’m ready for that ‘walk’ now.”
Soler could feel a gentle but heated blush on his face, but Sonic leaned toward his cheek with a suspicious side glance, leering on the colorful pink of his face…
“Now, what’s this..?”
“Ah! G-got to go! Can’t keep a princess waiting!” Soler quickly leaned away and dashed. Not wanting to be found out, he charged to Sally’s side.
Sonic seemed confused, but only thought about it for a moment before growing bored and shrugging it off.
Shadow walked the opposite direction away from the two, and Sally sighed after seeing him out of ear-shot. “That was close.” Sally breathed out.
“Huh?” Soler looked back at her, seeing her face light up with a short giggle.
“What do you mean, ‘huh’?” she lightly nudged his shoulder, “I mean I just saved you from Shadow, the drill sergeant.” She laughed a little more boldly now that the two of them were heading into the thick of the forest.
She touched her head and arched her arm in, really letting herself enjoy the feeling. “Man, I haven’t laughed that good in a while!”
He smiled, seeing her happy made him feel good, even if that laughter was directed at an odd circumstance…
“Hehe… What’s gotten into you, anyway? I thought you wanted to take a walk and not get involved in war affairs for a while.” She looked onward, but Soler just kept staring at her.
“That’s…” he finally looked away, uncomfortable about mentioning Sonic’s words.
“What? You really think I don’t know you well enough?” She raised a playful eyebrow, and for a moment, he realized she thought he was going to say something else.
“N-no, no. That’s not-“ Before he could say anything more, she suddenly quieted down and smiled. She closed her eyes and put her hands behind her back.
“…Hmm… Maybe I only imagine the parts of you I don’t know.” She looked up at the sky, lingering there as Soler was completely captured in how she looked. Her brown fur in the morning light made a blonde line around her body. Her red hair glistened and waved like grass along the hillside.
She finally positioned her gaze forward towards the continuing dirt path, a sorrowful expression taking root in her eyes. “I often think you’re this poor, misunderstood softie who just has a pretty hard-knock past… who doesn’t? But then I see you lose control like that… and I begin to see why Shadow takes you so seriously.”
He felt his mouth grow dry, nerves at what she was saying sinking in.
“I’m…” He looked away from her. “Dangerous, I know.”
“No, not that.” She quickly spoke out, but then corrected herself, “I mean, by all accounts, each member of the Freedom Fighters is possibly dangerous. Maybe you are destructive, but… So are the rest of us. In one way or another.” Her comforting, yet completely brash words made him slowly turn back to her.
“You’re not afraid?”
“I’m only afraid of what Eggman knows, and what I don’t know about what he knows.” She tightened her stare to a deeper resolve, and he knew he touched a nerve then.
“S-sorry.” He looked forward, realizing he should drop that subject…
She grew serious then, ducking her head down, walking with more precision and a stronger stride. “I have to be everything this resistance needs me to be… I can’t afford to be afraid. Only cautious and wise.”
Soler nodded, “I think I understand that.” He then saw the awfulness of war in her face, the sweet girl that had to pull everything back to be a vicious warrior who couldn’t pay the price of defeat.
He felt his hand reach for her, but withdrew it back to his side, rubbing his arm.
A pair of lips mouthed ‘Don’t go’ in his mind’s eye.
His eyes quaked and he froze a moment, shaking his head and gripping it to try and rid himself of the jarring memory.
“Soler?” Sally stopped walking and turned back to him, looking concerned. “Is something wrong? Was it something I said?”
He looked to her kind and compassionate expression.
…How could I leave you?
“Augh!”
Soler turned away from her, gripping his head with more force now. “Stop it!”
Sally looked confused, but carefully walked towards him with her arms out. “Soler… what’s going on? Are you hurt?”
I’m madly in love with you, too…
“Soler?”
“I’m… It’s a memory!”
“A memory?” Sally stopped, letting her foot delicately land in front of her for a second as she processed what he was saying. “Is this..?”
…Was it enough to make you stay?
“Augh…” he fell to his knees. “Luna… let me go. Let me be a good man… let me… move on.” He found himself curling up, his quills sticking out and shaking.
Sally waited a moment, but couldn’t stand watching him suffer like this.
“Soler.” She firmly stated, tightening a fist, “This isn’t real.”
His tearing eyes burst open, looking up at Sally who morphed with Luna’s image, coming towards him.
“It’s just a memory, right? It can’t hurt you, Soler… You’re not alone.” She gently sat beside him and then…
He could feel her touch.
He breathed hard, hunched over as he was, while she gently glided her fingers with a stroke against his back, lovingly calming and comforting him. “This must be a side I don’t know about you, yet.” She concluded, letting her fingers weave through his standing quills and gently encourage them to lower back down.
“I’ve seen Sonic in a cold-sweat, waking in a frenzy and heard him say it was all just PTSD from losing his uncle… But he got his uncle back… and those nightmares ended. I had almost forgotten that not all people are as fortunate.”
He looked up, and gasped when he saw a tear streaming down her face.
It was like a goddess weeping, her look of serenity. “I had to let my father and mother go, too… I often forget that feeling. It was like freedom and remorse all crammed into one, big heart.” She smiled gently as she blinked her eyes open, showing more tears falling from her strong, sweet presence.
He couldn’t help but stare, like a welcomed angel to help him through his grief.
He felt so embarrassed, having such a huge episode in front of her. He squished his face against the earth and rubbed himself into it deeper and deeper, wishing he could just barrow away and be left to his miserable self.
“I don’t deserve this.” Soler admitted, “… I deserved to die instead of-“ He found himself choking to say her name in front of Sally.
Sally seemed to understand that he didn’t want to discuss it, and removed her hand from his back, nodding with empathy. “Let’s not talk further about it then.”
She helped him up, letting him get his balance again before smiling up at him, “We can still have a nice walk after this, right?”
He was grateful for her humor, and nodded. “Please,… don’t end the journey on my account.”
She thought that funny too. “Journey? I suppose in many ways, it is.” She began to walk beside him again, just letting him catch his breath.
“…Soler, I want you to know…” she gently took his arm, seeing him stagger a moment. “I’m here if you need anything.” She looked up at him again. “Anything at all.”
For a moment, he could see a whole different world in her eyes. A world where there wasn’t death and mourning; a world where a beautiful woman and distraught man could walk through the woods and feel at peace by one another’s sides.
Then, there was a loud explosion.
The two turned immediately back to base, hearing shouting as they looked up.
Sally cried out, “Eggman! He’s already found us!”
A squadron of Eggbots and more elite soldiers suddenly dropped from the sky like metallic rain. They crashed into huts and homes, buildings and gardens, sparing nothing as they continued their onslaught.
“The plans must have been old. He’s already created his war ship!”
Soler’s eyes scanned the blasts from the robot army’s arm-canons and lasers sparking fires everywhere. The screams…
Everyone running around in horror…
He went to grip his head but stopped himself, shaking as his muscles twitched with rage and rising vengeance.
His eyes slowly narrowed down. He bolted forward, summoning his power within him and charging back to the hideout.
“Soler!” Sally wasn’t trying to stop him, only alerting him to her presence close behind him.
“Eeeevvvillll day, citizens!” A voice spoke through a speaker, ringing through the sky and to the ground. The EggCarrier was a fierce looking blimp with Eggman’s nose as its point, and his mustache as its sharp and spiked wings.
“Whohooho! Weren’t expecting company now, were you?!” Eggman’s booming voice fueled the emotions inside of Soler. He definitely didn’t care if his power was stable inside him at the moment. All Soler cared about was getting to that ship fast enough!
Suddenly, as if summoned by his desire to fight, Tails and Sonic were seen soaring at an angle in the X-Tornado. Seizing his opportunity, Soler pushed off and grabbed the tip of its wing.
“Woah!” Sonic looked to the side of him, seeing Soler.
A moment of unspoken resolve was sent across the space between them, and Sonic paused a moment to register the sheer determination in Soler’s eyes.
There was unfinished business. He needed to vent and he needed this fight. Now.
Sonic smiled, understanding the look in his eyes and lowering a hand down to him. “Well, come on then.” He spoke out calmly as Soler nodded, lifting an arm up to grip the wing better and grab Sonic’s hand.
He climbed aboard the wing next to Sonic and hung on with one hand tightly clasped down on the front edge of the wing.
He looked down to Sally, slowing her run as she gapped at his feat.
“…I’m sorry.” He lightly spoke out, but he saw her nod as though she understood the look in his eyes as well, and raced to help the village of Freedom Fighters.
“You tagging along, too?” Tails looked up and to the side, raising an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of Soler.
Sonic chuckled, looking back at Soler as he smirked.
He gave Tails a thumbs-up, “More like a stowaway. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all!” Tails looked just as fired up, but maybe in a different way. He had been cooped up with Rotor and Nicole for so long… he probably needed to let out steam and give his head a break.
“Although, this is rather a tedious mission… You sure you can keep your powers under control?” Tails inquired, but Sonic quickly interjected for Soler.
“Shadow’s his teacher, right? I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ve fought by Soler’s side plenty of times. He’s a bro!” Sonic winked and then looked to Soler, showing some confidence in the youth. “Let me ask you something.” He said this with a humorous tone in his voice, but also with one of sincerity. “That machine we were talking about before… the massive Robotizer… Think you can use that chaos of yours to good use?”
Soler thought about it a moment. He wanted to say, ‘Absolutely!’ but he was somewhat unsure.
After all this time, he was still scared of his abilities. But now, he wanted to take courage. He wanted to be more than his nightmares.
He glared towards the EggCarrier. “Leave it to me.”
“We need something strong and sure. You ready for this?”
“…I will be.” Soler felt every fiber of his being fill with chaos power. It was almost as if the power inside of him knew how desperately he needed to prove himself. He wasn’t a ghost of his past, he was still alive. He could still fight.
Tails began to warn them, turning the plane at a sharp right to have the plane perfectly adjacent to a loading dock where some of the robots were falling from.
“Jump off here! I’ll take some out before they hit the ground!” Tails hollered out.
“Good thinking, Tails!” Sonic looked to Soler. “Ladies first.”
Soler rolled his eyes and jumped. While Sonic chuckled and jump below him, Soler smirked and grabbed Sonic’s top quill. “Then,” he spun in the air to throw Sonic into a horde of marching robots that were about to fall below. “After you!” His tactical swing was so strong that Soler forced Sonic to instinctively spin into a ball, taking out the lines of robots like a bowling ball on the loading dock.
Sonic created a path as Soler began to punch and round-house kick stragglers who managed to dodge Sonic’s attack.
Sonic kept spin-dashing, coming back to homing attack any robots aiming for Soler as Soler let out a few Chaos Spears and then showered the area inside with a Chaos Hailstorm. “HAAAAAA!!!”
The robots were stabbed through and misfired, hitting the loading dock as its side became detached.
“W-woah!” Sonic unspun and put a hand to the unstable metal, seeing the dock slide off one hinge and begin to dangle a moment from the EggCarrier.
“Soler!” he cried out, grabbing his hand and swinging him up inside the blimp.
Soler slid inside, seeing a few robots fire at him and dodged as best he could while still on the ground and holding Sonic’s hand.
“Take… this!” with his torso straining, he flung Sonic up from the edge before the boarding dock detached and began falling towards the village. Luckily, the X-Tornado took out the falling debris to be less dangerous, and Sonic spun into more of the large army.
Soler felt a laser glaze his shoulder and another fire into his side.
“Awk!” He fell to a knee, not sure which area to grab first. “S…Sonic, get out of the way!” he felt his power charging. His fingers twitched. He was going for the machine…
The machine had just started to descend, a large panel on the blimp’s floor opened in a spiral as the robots were flung out of the blimp from the powerful winds.
“Hmmm!? And what are you planning to do!?” Eggman’s voice blasted in his ears.
“I’m going to…” Soler stopped speaking a moment, looking below as the wind began to scoot his feet towards the opened hole. “Grrk…” he gritted his teeth, trying to stay upright and not get sucked into the wind tunnel.
Sonic grabbed a bar near him and looked to Soler, straining to stay upright as well. “How much time you need?”
“I…” Soler felt himself faltering. The chaos power began to rage inside of him. What was he fighting for? He just wanted to get rid of all these feelings. It was too much on him.
What am I fighting for? Luna’s memory? A future for the Freedom Fighters? Why can’t I make up my mind?
Almost at once, he saw the machine turn on, wheeling two giant gears as the beam charged.
“Soler!” Sonic cried out, “NOW!”
He heard… but he couldn’t move.
His eyes shook.
Luna…
Chief…
Shadow…
Sonic…
Sally…
He closed his fist, then his eyes, and ducked his head. The power around him was growing in unusual strength.
“You didn’t have to do that…” she commented, fixing him up before tightening the bandages as he held in another painful cry, puffing his cheeks up with air. ‘Mercy…’ he thought to himself. She smiled at his cute attempt to swallow the air back down but knew what it all meant. “But I’m very grateful you did.” she held him in a stare for a moment, but it felt like a long while to him. Looking into her eyes… was like watching a constellation go by…
She turned with a blush, “So is my father-!” she chimed in, clearing her throat at her obvious nerves that spiked as he didn’t look away from her. “A-and my village! We’re all in debt to your sacrifice and-and…”
He shook his head, a softer side coming out of him as his face turned to one of hope.
“As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters.”
“…Thank you.”
He could see the memory, but the voice was his own. He knew now. He knew what he was fighting for.
“Please… think of the real people around you… think of the hero you want to be… the one Luna saw in you… that day you saved her life.” Amy said.
His eyes flexed and his pupils dilated. He recounted taking that bullet for her.
His hand twitched, the light in it slowly fading away…
“Life is worth saving, Soler… Don’t throw your life away for one victory… that needlessly leads to further suffering and pain. We’d all miss you, Soler… we all love and need you so much…” she lowered her head, crying into his chest as the warm tears cooled his boiling rage…
“This isn’t a redemption anymore.” Soler smiled, looking up with a relief he hadn’t found in years. “I have people to protect again. I have a me I want to be. I’m not meant to mope around or sob over lost stories…”
“What?” Sonic looked a little weirded out at his spoken narrative. “Look, I’m all for redemption arcs, b-but… is now really the time!?”
“I had my repentance… I had my redemption… it’s time… to save everyone like Luna and her village! Those who don’t have anyone! I’m not as useless as I used to be! I’m strong now! I’m strong enough to save everyone!” He jumped, feeling the wind take him into the line of fire.
“S-…Soler!?!?” Sonic’s eyes widened, “What the… Soler!” thinking the worst, Sonic let go and dived for him.
He didn’t make it in time.
“It’s time for my origin to end… and my new beginning… to start.” Soler smiled, thinking back on the happy times, the good moments from his past and his present. The future… never looked more beautiful.
He saw Sally in his mind’s eye, he saw Luna next to her, happily cheering him on and then looking to Sally, smiling to her and then back to Soler.
“Thank you… Luna.” He let the power soar through him, “I’ll never stop loving you… but thank you for letting me love more than I ever thought possible.”
The laser blasted out its robotic chemical beam, but as the metal began to engulf his being, losing his will…
His chaos reversed, blasting out a Chaos Canon as he shoved his half-metallic arms up at the machine, crying out just before losing all feeling in his body. “CHAOS CANNNOOONN!!!”
A huge surge of a synergy burst spread throughout the blimp, the beam was cut off from reaching the ground.
Immediately, the machine began to be coated in an extra layer of metal, as though the chaos power reverted the effects onto itself, and the machine began to malfunction and finally…
KA-KA-KABBBOOOMMMM……!!!!!!!
The sound wave sent Sonic flying back to the side of the ship. “Offph!” he slammed against the wall, but refused to give up. Thinking his friend was in need of him, he got himself off the wall and pushed off, fighting the wind-force that was continually funneling him away instead of inside the gapping hole in the middle of the EggCarrier, the exact opposite of before.
Soler felt the metal slowly chip off his skin, being revived to his normal colors from the roboticization process. He had reversed the effects… this could be huge, but he didn’t have enough strength to dwell on it further.
He could feel something launch into himself and pull him out of the blast of the crippled machine, falling in pieces, being blown off and toppling through the sky, shot into dust by the X-Tornado.
His ears were ringing with deafness. His eyes glazed as the steel-like sight returned to normal and Sonic landed on the X-Tornado.
Everyone below… are they okay? I hear… cheering… Sonic… Did you save me?
As he came too, he thought he could see a Silver-quilled hedgehog. He reached for her, seeing only Luna.
“….You did well, Soler. I’m so proud of you. Thank you… for saving everyone.”
“L…Luna…”
“Hehe! You silly, hedgehog! I’m glad you’re not hurt. Do me a favor, okay? Don’t forget what you said… I won’t.”
“I… I will protect them… Luna. For you… and for all those… I care about.”
“Good. Don’t let me down, mister!”
”Soler!”
Sally’s voice broke the trance as he saw the image fade and Sally’s blurry image race through it, falling down to his side.
Was I already on the ground? We landed safely?
“Sonic! What did you let him do!?”
“Me?! Why is it always me?! I saved his life! He was about to die in the line of fire!” animatedly, Sonic looked a bit offended but let Soler down to the ground as carefully as he could. “Hmph, it’s not like you ever worry this much about me.”
“You don’t have cosmic power that could kill you!” she gave him a side glare.
Sonic sweat-dropped a moment and awkwardly shrugged, “But I got a willful soul to worry about…”
“Impulsive, impractical-!”
“S…Sally.” Feeling bad for Sonic, Soler redirected those beautiful blue eyes back to him again.
“Soler… Are you okay? What were you thinking? You could have been robotized or worse!”
“Heh,… Good to … see you too.”
She threw her arms around him, thankful as she tried to hold her emotions within herself. “I was so worried… that you would have become… another painful memory…”
This time, there wasn’t any flashback that would pull him away from her now.
He struggled to lean up, but he willed his body to do so, tucking an arm around her and holding her closer to himself. He rested his head next to hers, hearing her light gasp as she felt his presence more strongly now.
“I promise you, too, Sally… I will be a living memory of how merciful the world can be.”
Sally’s eyes couldn’t hold back the tears.
“Sorry to worry you.”
Sonic stepped back a moment, seeing the two’s interaction, he began to look a little worried himself…
“Is it just me… or did you two get a little… close all of a sudden?” He seemed a bit apprehensive.
Sally glared up at him, “At least he can openly talk deep with me. Unlike some boys I’ve dated.”
“Hey!”
It wasn’t long after that, when Soler finally found a safebox that he hand-painted himself, and put Luna’s necklace in it. He dug a pretty good hole near the hill he star-gazed and admired the moon on, placing the box in it and marking it as a much needed grave for her.
With her body so burnt up, there wasn’t much too bury last time… this was much more peaceful and freeing for him.
So many bodies… at least this was a proper farewell.
This is the least I can do for you… Luna.
He gently bent down and kissed the ground he had just thrown over the box. Leaning up, he looked at the sky, seeing no moon tonight…
“Sleep well… Luna.” He wiped a tear from his eye and walked back to town, hoping to help out in repairing the damages.
Getting back, he hoisted a log with others over his shoulder and began to carry it to its designated site… Then Sally caught his attention.
She seemed to be giving directions and orders, holding a clipboard and checking it often before giving anymore feedback.
He smiled, it gave him strength.
On the way back to get some more lumber, he noticed her wipe her forehead and sit down by a stump, looking exhausted.
It’s time.
He took a deep breath, shaking off the thought of how sweaty and gross he was from lifting and moving large logs all day. He approached her and offered her his hand.
She noticed the crossed black stripes that made an ‘X’ in his glove and looked up.
“I think it’s time for that vacation now.” He charmingly stated.
She smiled, accepting his hand and getting up. “You know… it’s been hard since I left Sonic, but… You’re different, Soler. I feel different with you. In a lot of good ways, n-nothing bad! Ohh…” she hid behind a hand, and the cute retreat from the comment made him blush with an even bigger grin.
“You just… You let emotion sit with you and carry you to new discoveries, Soler. It’s one of the most powerful things about you, your quality of just… surviving through the strength you receive from your past. I know it must be painful, but I admire your strength so much…”
She saw that as strength!?
He was in complete awe at her words.
“I’ve noticed… how much you try and help. How dedicated you are to not losing another friend or fight. You always get up. You never just sink down so far that you can’t find yourself again… sometimes… I feel that’s exactly what I do.” She removed her hand and balled it up, looking away.
Soler then realized that maybe Sally was hurting in a different way from himself. His was a lot more physically affecting his life. Maybe… Sally’s was deeper inside, something that she would never let close to the surface.
His empathy for her skyrocketed, he couldn’t help but pull her a bit closer, move her hand from her face and have her turn to him.
She was amazed at his bold move, but it didn’t seem to miss its point…
“Sally… I don’t want you to suffer. Especially alone… Just like you told me, you can talk to me, too. You can rely on me. I’ve learned the hard way how to hold something in for so long, letting it fester and grow into something ugly and tragic… and I want to help you break out of that habit. It’s so easy to slip into despair… but the people we love don’t want us to feel despair. They want us to be liberated from the pains we hold onto. They want us to remember their best selves…” his voice was full of honest experience, of good intent, and of wisdom beyond his years.
Sally let out a soft sigh, lowering her eyes and letting a small, pleading smile escape her composure. “I like this about you, too… The side of you that lets people feel and experience pain… but also offering yourself to be apart of that pain so they can release it. I’ve seen you help others, but never help yourself. I wanted to help you, I just… didn’t know how.”
He looked to her hand, his around her wrist, and slowly… begins to bring his fingers up to hers and gently, sweetly… enticing them to let go of their tension and uncurl, letting him in.
“Sally… May I ask you on a date?”
She giggled, but looked to their hands intertwining.
“Yes. I’m excited to see what I say.” She teased, and Soler couldn’t help but let out a nervous chuckle. He was falling in love again, and it was different, just like Sally said.
But it was also very reassuring… and very… relieving.
“I’m excited to see where this new path takes me.” He holds her hand tenderly, and the two of them start to walk off together.
I’m so thankful… That I can now share my emotions with others. Because I have had this pain, I can understand them more than ever before. I can love more deeply, care more sincerely, and cherish those things that I’m allowed to keep. I can hold them close, closer to my heart than I was ever willing to do before. I won’t leave the places where I belong, or desert the hearts I have sworn to protect.
The two seemed very happy with their new relationship, watching it take form over the time they’ve shared together. Soler looked up at the spot where the moon would be again.
Luna, I will thank you till I have no breath left to utter, no thought left to think. You’ve shown me a better path and how to truly care about people. I’m sorry for what happened, but I will never be sorry for meeting you, the Chief, and your village. You helped me open up to the world, meet amazing people, like those that could teach me and those who could support me. They’re all such great people, you would have love them.
This time, He gripped Sally’s hand more, pulling his head towards her as she returned the kind gesture by letting her nose lightly bump against his own. A faint blush formed on both their muzzles. I’ll protect the things and people I love… under your watchful, relaxed, night sky’s eye…
The next day, the moon returned. It’s dark grey shapes shifted to look as though a smiling face…
( Here’s the song I’ll be referencing for this little wrap up >//w//< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgmXPCX4VzU Photograph by Ed Sheeran)
Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes
Luna is walking behind Sally and Soler, her hands happily behind her back, laced together as she giddily follows them and then stops. She lifts a leg a little bit, swaying as she lets them walk off,… alone.
But it's the only thing that I know…
When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes
It is the only thing makes us feel alive
Flashback to Soler having his nightmares, but he gets up and walks out to the hallways and knocks on Sally’s door. She opens it and immediately touches his head. It’s pounding and she lovingly kisses it, closing her door and holding his hand, walking out with him and cheerfully trying to take his mind off things to avoid further PTSD.
We keep this love in a photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Luna’s necklace still glows in the buried box, showing many shapes of the moon, time going by.
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts are never broken
And time's forever frozen still
A memory is shown with Soler, much younger, sitting on a hill next to Luna. Their two heads turn into each other, as if the village never burned and no one ever died.
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone,…
wait for me to come home
There’s a flash of light and Soler is heading off down the road, he holds onto her necklace, he turns and sees Luna trying to keep face. He waves, and puts her necklace in his gloves. As he does, the world shifts to a blazing fire behind him, his eyes red from tears, his gloves dirtied from the many graves he had to dig…
Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul
And it's the only thing that I know, know
It’s modern day again, Sally and Soler are laughing and enjoying a meal together. She holds up something for him to eat and he goes to get it with his mouth, but she pulls the fork away, playfully laughing as he pouts.
I swear it will get easier
Remember that with every piece of you
Hmm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die
He offers her the gesture, when she goes for it, he withdraws the food and kisses her. She embarrassingly flings back and then starts to playfully whack and throw food at him. He laughs and the food fight continues. Then there’s a shift to another time, the two sitting beside one another as their loved ones start to resurface as faded images behind them.
Hmm, we keep this love in this photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts were never broken
And time's forever frozen still
The images show Sally as a child, with her loving parents and other friends she’s made and lost along the cruel way towards freedom. Soler has the Chief and Luna, along with many other faces of cheery people he met on his travels. A time where they never knew loss or heartache… but the memories are all pleasant, not a single one is sad or upsetting.
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone
Soler helps Sally put her jacket on, she thanks him and takes up Nicole’s portable device. She turns to him and leans up on her tippity-toes. He does the same and she sighs, frustrated before they briefly kiss and she goes on a mission. He gets antsy, bouncing a bit before charging after her, swooping her up and rushing off on the mission with her.
And if you hurt me
That's okay baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won’t ever let you go
There’s a flash where Soler is holding Luna’s lifeless body, then suddenly he’s reaching for a wounded Sally… She reaches back to him, struggling to breathe as he shifts his chaos energy and blasts the area. Sally is unharmed as he picks her up. She smiles and touches her hand to his cheek, a single stream of tears starts down one of his cheeks, glad to see she’ll be okay.
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
Luna is playing hide and seek, peeking over a tree’s trunk as Soler chases after her.
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
Instead of Luna, Sally emerges to lean up against the tree, being caught by Soler as he slows the pace down and moves up to her, watching as she presses her back to the tree. He studies her eyes and then her mouth… leaning forward and closing his eyes…
Oh, you can fit me
Inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen
Next to your heartbeat where I should be
Keep it deep within your soul
Luna’s necklace is around Soler’s neck, he’s holding Luna’s hand, she takes her necklace back and kisses him, putting it on herself and holding it close to herself. It means the world to her. He nods, letting her keep it.
And if you hurt me
Well, that's okay baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won’t ever let you go
Soler wakes up from a nap on the same hill, star-gazing when he sees the bright full moon. He then looks over, worriedly for a moment, when he relaxes at seeing Sally sleeping silently beside him, just resting by him as well.
When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me
His memory takes him to Luna, but it rapidly flashes to Sally, sticking there.
Under the lamppost back on Sixth street
The two close the gap between each other, holding hands.
Hearing you whisper through the phone
Sally chickens out and shakes her head, laughing and holding her hands to her cheeks. Soler tries to get in for one last kiss goodnight but she shakes a finger at him and starts to run off. He snaps his fingers, rushing after her back to the hideout.
"Wait for me to come home"
His ear flicks, as if hearing something and turns to see the moon appearing to sit on the hill. Its shadow looks like a figure of a girl, Luna..?
Sally calls for him and he turns back around, sorrowfully deciding not to look back, but knowing time will heal the wounds left in his heart. He smiles and lovingly takes Sally’s hand as they walk back to the hideout. He kisses her hand and she lightly hits his shoulder, bumping her hip into his as though shy. He looks forward, unafraid and undaunted by the moon behind him.
He knew it was only saying goodnight to him.
FIN
#cutegirlmayra#solerthewolf21#commission examples#soler the hedgehog#sonic oc commission#me commissions
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Commissions are open! http://cutegirlmayra.tumblr.com/commissions
@solerwolf21 2nd Chapter on One-shot story - Soler Story (Sonic OC)
Time: Due to some setbacks, took me three days (college hw xP) but I’m really proud of it! 10+ pages (more for his money)
Amount paid: About 5$, 2$ tip so I gave him more pages.
Review: @solerwolf21 “Sensei...my heart...it can't take...how good that was!!!!, I love it like wow my heart was so into that and the best part is that I could totally imagine Soler going that far because that's so him. I loved the interactions between Soler and Neo most. Seeing Neo getting into his head and Soler getting blinded by his vengeance I just loved. Especially when he was put in a position to defend others but is only focused on taking down Neo he forgets about them. Its perfect characterization of him. I'm glad you like him :) and I’m thankful for your hard work and great attention to detail. You really have done great work Sensei thank you.
Finished Product (With customer consent):
Solar Vengeance
Commission for Solerwolf21
By: Cutegirlmayra
Soler ran without looking back, his jaw set as he aligned his path towards a cascade of varying explosions blasting in large or small repetitions. Soler was skillful, used to the battlefield by now, and dodged hurtling land masses, uprooted and burning trees, even narrowly ducking his head back to have his nose almost skim the edges of a large flaming blast directed at him.
He finally made his way down the now burning valley into the thick black smoke, coughing into his gloves. There was no question of his life, nor of the effects of the oxygen burning up around him that could push soot into his lungs. He was there for one purpose and one alone. Hopping from small pebbles that crumbled under his feet to larger stepping stones, Soler finally found a pocket in the valley that had already risen the black smoke above it, leaving some breathing room for the suffering life below. The smoke was being blocked from truly escaping from the mountain passes, but rushing water caught the airborne soot from the air and dragged it down, polluting its waters as it raced down the mountain side.
Soler looked at the spiraling death cloud, clenching his fist with further anger, trying to limit his breaths. ‘This is what happens when evil men don’t get what they deserve!’ he thought these words like a curse, but they propelled him on, searching for more explosions and echoing sounds that could lead him to Neo Metal Sonic.
He coughed in his hand again, spitting on the ground as he could taste the burnt atmosphere and noticed what was being attacked.
He held a hand to a leaning tree, covering his mouth as his eyes widened from the image before him. It was the rebellion, the freedom fighters, everyone was down…
In horror, he rushed below, “No!” he cried out, rushing over to a few of them and checking to make sure they were alive.
With his memory triggered, he held his head. Tears threatened his eyes as they grew glossy, but everyone was still alive…
For now.
“I’ll get you all out of here. Amy’s getting backup.” He tried to speak comforting words, but something hung in his throat, breaking his voice to where it barely held a soothing tone within it. Instead, his anger and sorrow cooled and warmed him, like a cyclone of currents that blended into one. He tried to move a man up to see if he was conscious… and that’s when…
Clanking of metal footsteps caught his attention.
His ears flicked at the sound, directly behind him… He glared around his shoulder, a slow movement, calculating every move and instinct that would follow from here on out.
“...Blinded by your hate?” The dark and metallic voice rung out, shaking the very confines of his memory. It had been years since he had last seen that shimmering coat of metallic blue, the steel blades on the ends of his hands that he dared call fingers, and the connecting silhouette that had once made him believe that Shadow was a murderer.
“Blinded?” His core rocked with the will to fight, to bring swift justice to a people now scattered in faded images… and yet… so real, they could still be dwelling—alive—inside him.
He rose to his feet, chaos power surging within him as he hung his fists out to the sides. “You don’t know the meaning of the word Blind!” He felt all his training suddenly fly out of him like a ghost, the good man in him fleeing to escape the swirling madness of revenge in his heart. That clear and kind demeanour he once held… that gentle soul trying to find his accepted place in the world, the fun and cheerfully content friend his companions lovingly knew and regarded as their comrade… all seemed to dissipate the second Neo Metal Sonic’s red eyes locked with his own lush green glare. Blinded… blinded by hate.
“Bound to blindness… you can neither see the end from the beginning.” Neo Metal Sonic rang out a coarse and deafening denial. It was though he knew. He knew that Soler’s body had gone back to that moment, that catastrophic event that changed the course of his life. He rose a clawed hand, elegantly showing off his form now that he didn’t have to hide it from him any longer. “What I offer your power is more than you can possibly wield…” he crushed his hand into a tight and sharp fist. “In a world full of hope… one must snuff out the light. Just like your precious—organic muse. Only… she couldn’t release the light from within you… no… she couldn’t summon what I wanted. A pointless sacrifice. A death that you made vain. Even I couldn’t have calculated how poorly that performance would fail. All because it couldn’t wrack you to your very soul… Could have saved her? If you unleashed the sleeping power that I so desperately desired from you? No... She was the lesser light… Especially compared to what I’ll do this time…” Neo Metal Sonic began to arch his walk as it took everything within Soler to not launch himself out at him. ‘Lesser light!? Blinded?! What was he going on about!?’ he continued to store up and build power, still unaware of Neo Metal Sonic baiting him. He almost reached the point of Chaos Break but not quite entering into that state just yet… he was waiting…
Something inside him burned like the forest around him, but he couldn’t strike quite yet. He wanted to wait for the ideal moment… when Neo Metal Sonic wouldn’t be able to dodge or read what he was planning…
An opening...
Neo Metal Sonic’s eyes scanned as he rounded him and spoke, keeping a distance, but noticing the concentrated Chaos Energy piling up in him. “You’ve managed to unlock your ability? Perhaps that pawn did do its duty then.” He stopped himself, “To the supreme overlord of this land,... that pathetic organism’s life actually proved of some use after all. In what little it accomplished, at least it has motivated some fulfilling change in you.” He spread his arms out, “Show me,... Wielder of Chaos—No! Host to my soon-to-be new power of channeled, raw chaos…” he lifted one of his hands up, a red heat steaming from his claws. “It’s time… I shall break the chaos from your body… I shall rip it out of you! And then harness it to finally defeat Sonic! And all his worthless, squirming friends! They shall cling to the very essence of life and hope as I shred it from existence!” He blasted a powerful wind from spinning his hand and body quickly in a whirling twist for a moment, causing his cape to flare back behind him and the black smoke to spin away as some of the night finally revealed itself in the tainted sky.
The moon… directly above Neo Metal Sonic, hung itself right where he spun the cloud away, like an all-seeing eye…
“Engage me!”
“With pleasure!!!”
Soler leaped forward, a fierce entanglement of heated metal against sheer, raw chaos forming around Soler’s hands and rising up his arms. The two fought ceaselessly, a close hand-to-hand combat as they spiraled around each other, looking for an opening… ‘Grr..! It’s taking too long!’ Soler remembered Shadow mentioning to be aware of his surroundings. Soler perceived quickly that his battle with Neo Metal Sonic could hurt the downed soldiers around him.
‘Alright… I need to bring Neo Metal Sonic away from them. So that he can fight just me!’ He put his hands together, “Chaos Canon!” blasting up and out of the smoke, he felt he could have some cover while leading Neo Metal Sonic up near the Mountain pass. Forgetting for a moment that Neo Metal Sonic could use heat-sensing, he saw a rapidly moving line of red darting to his position.
“Shoot!” he was now stuck in the air! Thinking fast, he swiped his hand, about to summon Chaos Hailstorm before realizing he could hit someone down below on accident. “Urk..!” he flinched, his eyes wavering in their conviction as he realized there were too many injured for a fair fight. ‘Alright, then. I’ll take this to-!” but before he could make a counter-move, Neo Metal Sonic spun a swift kick into his stomach, shifting him through the air and slamming him into the mountain’s rugged cliffs.
“Ugh… uhh…” Moving himself out of the cliff side, he looked up to see Neo Metal Sonic propel a fist into his face, shoving him further into the mountain as pieces of rock blasted out from the impact.
As the dust cleared, Soler’s face was smashed against its side, but he was fighting for control over the battle again. Neo Metal Sonic was ruthless… he had forgotten how strong he was, how seemingly invincible this robot could appear…
“You are not worthy to hold such power…” Neo Metal Sonic began, moving his heated hand towards him. “Allow me to rectify this conundrum…” as the heated hand flared a red glowing power, Soler turned his chin away and felt sweat trinkle down the side of his face.
‘No… He’s trying to get me to unleash my power… if I do, from this close of a range… He’ll absorb it and become even more powerful..!’ he strained against the hand that was keeping him in place. ‘I can’t give up… Luna..!’ he squinted his eyes, mentally crying out her name for strength.
That’s when he knew.
“You could never wield my power!”
He cried out loud.
“Because I am that power!!!”
“What!?”
“Chhhhaaaoooossss-”
Powering up the last of his pent-up rage, he let loose a new form. Straining against the life-sucking influence of the Chaos factor that converted his very being into power, he shifted fully into his ultimate form. “BREAK!” he blasted an amazed Neo Metal Sonic back, getting him successfully off of him as he homing-attacked through the air, pushing off the mountain side and causing it concave inwards on itself from the magnitude of his pressured ‘push’.
Ramming his spiky chaos ball into Neo Metal Sonic’s discombobulated body, it was clear to tell Neo Metal Sonic was having a hard time getting a reading on him.
“NOOO!!!” He cried out, seeing he was being swarmed with opposition that was too much for his systems to calculate. He ended up shutting off the programmed aid and went straight to blocking, but Soler uncurled from his ball and blasted him down towards the ground, pummeling him further.
“This is for LUNA!” he sent a powerful beam of Chaos through Metal Sonic’s left shoulder, the two falling at alarming rates towards the far front of the forest, away from the struggling freedom fighters. “This is for VILLAGERS YOU MASSACRED!” he launched his fists down to have Chaos power shoot out and knock him with each hit farther and farther out of the sky, further and further away from… “And this… this is for MY FRIEEEENDDDDSSS!!!” One last form… one last moment to end all the suffering and pain Neo Metal Sonic ever manufactured in the world.
“CHAOS SYNERGY!!!” Soler’s leaned forward…. He blasted away the limits of his body and life force, his very soul blazed around him in a shining white of raw energy.
“No… you fool!” Neo Metal Sonic was waiting for this, but it wasn’t what he was expecting at all. “You’ll only end your life and the power will be lost forever!” he activated a reflective surface that opened from the engine in his chest like a jacket, trying to absorb the chaos power from him. Soler breathed heavily, seeing Neo Metal Sonic regain his flight abilities and start channeling his own power from him. “No… I won’t let you get away with this!” Soler blasted out another powerful explosion from his body, pushing Neo Metal Sonic back.
“Un… Unperceivable.” Neo Metal Sonic’s eyes shook as he skidded to a landing on the ground, looking up as his systems began to spark around him. “His berserk form should allow me to absorb all the necessary chaos energy from his body… how… why isn’t it working?!”
There was a moment of peace about Soler… as he began to float in the air… the once cool air now heated by the flames around him. He could feel the world suffering… and when he closed his eyes… he placed his hand to his heart… feeling the same way he did back when Luna’s village was crying out in terror.
‘This power… It doesn’t matter if I die now.’ He felt some form of weight lift off his shoulders, and looked back to Neo Metal Sonic… it was almost amusing to see his bewilderment at having miscalculated his true potential, but that didn’t matter right now.
He could literally see the essence of his life blazing around him, and knew that it wouldn’t be long now… till it was all out and done.
‘But before that time… I’ll make sure Neo Metal Sonic never hurts another living thing again.’ he looked down, like a blazing angel of the night towards Neo Metal Sonic. Even the glow of the flames couldn’t stand against the holy light of his personage.
“I… am Soler The Hedgehog.”
He declared, his eyes glaring like thin slits against the dark of the night.
“You’ve committed a crime against all life upon this world… and I…”
He took one final glance at the moon, then held the necklace tightly in his hand.
It was a solemn, unspoken, and final goodbye.
“Will take you from this world.”
In horror unimaginable, Neo Metal Sonic stepped back. His fear wasn’t of death, but of what power he would enact those words by.
Soler drifted to the ground, and held out his hand. “This is your undoing… Metallic Blue Boy.” he smirked at his inside-joke with Sonic, and prepared a powerful beam. “Solar…” it began to form a tight ball that sounded as though the rays of the sun were building at the palm of his hand. “Chaos…” it grew bigger, beams of light breaking from it’s core.
...He closed his eyes…
‘I hope this is enough to make up for my existence… Luna. I hope this settles my debt… and pays back all the lives that have suffered because of me… because of him.’
His eyes shot open as he pulled his hand back, readying his final attack that would most likely end his life.
Neo Metal Sonic braced himself, opening his body even wider as he transformed himself into a giant absorbing field of mirrored steel that was meant to take in whatever power Soler had within him.
‘Heh...cute.’ Soler thought, smiling and knowing that Neo Metal Sonic couldn’t fathom the terrors of death… but at least this would come close to it.
“FLAREEEEE!!!”
A long, dragon like whip of power twisted itself in the air and flew directly to Neo Metal Sonic.
The power was stilled in his metallic frame, and Neo Metal Sonic began a slow laugh...
Before seeming to robotically choke as his voice blitzed out and his head twitched.
“Heh…” Soler powered down, hunching over in his exhaustion. “Boom.”
BOOOOOOOAWWWWWWWWWMMMMMM!!!!!
Neo Metal Sonic’s pieces flew there… and over there… and some clanked against the rock and tumbled away some place else.
Then Soler collapsed to the ground.
“Was this… enough… L-Luna?”
Then something unexpected happened.
A figure rose from the blackened corpse of Neo Metal Sonic, his literal frame-ware of his body without its Sonic-like metal coating. A literal skeleton… creeping its way towards Soler.
His eyes shook, “N-no…!” he couldn’t believe it. “He survived!?”
He pushed his body past its limit once more, rising from the ground to his knees and powering up what little life he had left. Closing one eye, he raised his hand back up, keeping it up with his other as its support. “I guess there really is no living through it… I’ve gotta use it all.”
As the skeleton reached out, walking like a zombie with sparks everywhere, a purely naked figure of its robotic plating, a hammer suddenly flew out of nowhere and knocked it into a burning bush.
“Soler! Don’t-!” Amy rushed out to his side, dropping to him as he stared amazed.
“A...Amy?”
“That last blast almost wiped out our rescue party!” she explained, hugging him close as his eyes remained in shock.
His head just naturally fell to her shoulder, his hand not going down. “I… I have to destroy him… I can’t let him live.”
The steel skeleton rose out of the bush, oil leaking around it to blast explosions from itself. It looked truly sickening, but Amy continued.
“But that form… I heard you shout it out. That was Chaos Synergy.” she looked to see the white forming from his feet up his knees… he was retaking the form.
She pulled back, shaking his shoulders, “Soler, stop! Please! That forms kills you right? It drains you..? Soler, listen to me! Soler!!!”
Blinded still by his anger and hate, his hand slowly began to power up another blast. Now his vision was blurry, his mindset on destruction…
“Move… Pink.” he stated beneath his breath. “Move…”
“NO!” she shook her head, spreading her arms out wide, “Soler, listen to me! This isn’t what Luna wanted! She would have wanted you to live happily! If you do this… you’ll destroy the valley! You’ll destroy the very lives you’ve worked so hard to fight for! You trained so hard… so diligently… in hopes of protecting people… is this the future you want to make for yourself?! Scattered in more merciless killing!?”
Soler’s eyes twitched, his old self returning to him…
The hunger of seeing Neo Metal Sonic suffer greater than his own pain suddenly weighed back down on him. “But… he deserves this… he deserves to die.”
“He’s a robot, Soler! Eggman will just make another one!” Amy grabbed his head, hoping to focus the last of his fading vision onto her.
“Please… think of the real people around you… think of the hero you want to be… the one Luna saw in you… that day you saved her life.”
His eyes flexed and his pupils dilated. He recounted taking that bullet for her.
His hand twitched, the light in it slowly fading away…
“Life is worth saving, Soler… Don’t throw your life away for one victory… that needlessly leads to further suffering and pain. We’d all miss you, Soler… we all love and need you so much…” she lowered her head, crying into his chest as the warm tears cooled his boiling rage…
He finally… slowly… let the hand slip and his arm fall back down to his side.
Neo Metal Sonic’s skeleton continued to work through the bushes and explosion with a limped leg, before falling to the flames eating at its faked life and consuming what little energy he held left.
Then… Soler passed out in Amy’s arms, hearing her scream his name.
Neo Metal Sonic had tried to steal his powers… but what he did steal… was his clear conscience. However, with the last of the fight, Amy returned his sanity back, and Neo Metal Sonic couldn’t take his pure heart from him, the innocent intent of saving all that were within Soler’s reach.
It wouldn’t have been a good way to die, anyway. At least, that’s what Soler kept telling himself. As he dreamed, he saw Luna standing on the moon, looking away from him before turning with her long hair whisping around her.
She was crying… but smiling.
A Chaos Emerald was used to revive what little life was left in Soler, and he woke up in a hospital bunker, looking around as the Freedom Fighters cheered around at their friends all waking up from the horrible ordeal.
Shadow pulled back the Chaos Emerald, glaring to him as though not wanting to scold him in front of everyone. However, Soler got the message, bending his ears back and looking sheepishly guilty, trying to smile apologetically back. Shadow and even Blue Boy had constantly warned him about his synergy spikes… still, it was nice to see he cared.
Sonic walked by, trying to be casual about it, but whacked Soler upside the head while Sally gave a speech. He rubbed his head and kept quiet, knowing the two didn’t want to cause a scene but also seeing Sonic look back over his shoulder, giving him a wink. So, at least Sonic was glad he made the right choice in the end, but Shadow folded his arms. He clearly wasn’t having it. Soler was going to have to sit through Shadow’s wrath for a bit… but he would take it knowing it came from a good place. Tails began after Sally, stating they had put out the fires around the surrounding area. A medal was given to some, but then Sally personally came over to Soler, without the prying eyes of the crowd. A silent exchange was given from the medal to Sonic and Shadow, but they both just looked like polar opposites. Sonic nodded, as though to silently say ‘Keep your chin up, buddy!’ to be more encouraging, since he rarely dwelt in the past. Shadow, on the other hand, wouldn’t be satisfied until Soler was worthy of the medal.
The medal she handed him was made of white material he couldn’t perfectly identify, and winked to him as she rested her hand on his shoulder, “Amy told us.” she whispered, “We were able to treat your injuries, but Shadow used the Chaos Emerald to treat what he called ‘your soul’. I hope you’re alright, Soler. I’m glad to still have you with us.” she moved on, but there was a genuine look of gratitude in her eyes.
The medal came with a note, thanking Soler for his bravery in diverting Neo Metal Sonic’s attacks away from the injured, but Soler knew what it was really saying…
Throughout the course of the day, many fighters came over and checked on him, it overwhelmed it. It was all too much. He realized that only the main gang had known what sacrifice he was willing to do, but the others just thanked him for his support. They worried about him… they really cared about him… Those he had saved thanked him. He didn’t feel very worthy of it. Yes, he had thought of them, but he almost endangered them by his furious outbursts as well…
He took a deep breath, ‘No matter what, I was meant to learn the things I did in my life.” he knew Amy was right and clutched his slightly singed necklace tighter to his heart, leaning back in his recovery bed and being careful not to disturb the bandages wrapped all over him in different sections of his body. “I was meant to have loved Luna, as she was meant to love me. I understand my feelings more,... and even though the past still haunts me, I was able to look forward with hope for a better future… one where I’ll live for those who can’t survive without someone else watching their back. I’ll be the power they never had.’ he lulled himself to sleep with this promise on his mind, closing his eyes… ‘I’ll be a true hero… so no one has to suffer what I’ve suffered… yeah, I think that’ll do. I think that’ll be… my repentance…’
He began to fall asleep…
‘My redemption.’
#commission receipt#sonic oc#me writing#me commisssions#commission#cutegirlmayra#solerwolf21#soler story
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Lavinya the Red Fox’s part in Soler’s story
This is for @solerwolf21‘s story, where he was wondering if I’d let Lavinya have a cameo for it!
Here’s the scenario he gave me for my Sonic OC (Who is OP and basically Genie-like from Aladdin. Just a jester, comedy relief character to be honest, but as brilliant as Jack Sparrow’s accidental tomfoolery)
Our chat:
solerwolf21 : Alright if your down theres two the first is like an intro to the character if you want but basically shes doing some task around the base (leave that up you) and she's about to bite it in doing the task but Soler comes to help her and we learn that they know each other (this definitely isn't the first time he's helped her)
The second is later on Shay escapes and Soler, Shadow and Sally are late to get there but someone is distracting him turns out is its our girly (again you can go nuts with whatever it is shes doing) but before Shay could get in a hit Soler comes in for the save again and though he tries to scold her slightly she feels she's saved the day (which she sorta did lol)
cutegirlmayra : Lol sounds legit how Lavinya behaves lol My first idea is that he's trying to get past her and she slams her hand into the wall to block him and looks up like, "Hey, you're hot." and he's like really confused. "I didn't say that out loud." And he's like, "Are you an idiot?" and she goes, "Wow, but you said that out loud." lolololol
I wrote this immediately after:
First part:
It wasn’t long before the base was trying to recover, and work continued with only a minor set of hiccups…
“HYUK!” A red fox with strange blonde hair suddenly flung her back up from bending over to collect some files out of a cabinet. “Hyuk! Hyuk!” she seemed to have hiccups, and looked around for some water.
Not finding any, her tails suddenly shot her back and made her jolt towards what looked like a corner. “Ow! Hey!” the tail, as though having a mind of its own, felt around a moment before finding a cooler and began to pour a drink.
When it presented the drink to her, she sighed in relief, “HYUK!” she quickly took the cup and drank down the water, holding her breath to try and get rid of the hiccups while the tail seemed to ‘shake it’s head’ at her stupidity to even manage her own life.
“Office work…” she plugged her mouth to not hiccup, when nothing came out, she slowly opened the hand like a barn door… looked down to her mouth to wait… and then continued, “Isn’t really my forte…”
She was startled again when Soler walked by, seeming troubled and maybe focused on staying lost in his thoughts before his foot crinkled a piece of paper in his speedy walk.
“Huh?” He bent down and picked up the paper, amazed by it’s importance before examining the rest of the room. “Why are all these documents scattered everywhere?” He must have thought they were still being ransacked, so the Red fox girl quickly ran over to aid him.
“N-no-no! It’s just a light hurricane of hiccups.” She wagged her hands out in front of her as though to calm him, but he thought she was speaking metaphorically and sighed.
“Lavinya… why is it there’s always a hurricane of something when it comes to you?” He helped her picked up the papers, “You’re more suited for something where you can move around… maybe not something as delicate as… paperwork organizing.” he looked at the crinkled pieces of important papers and sighed again, ‘Who put her up to this anyway?’
“Hehe… yeah… well,... my portal hopping and poofing doesn’t exactly suit well with the princess…” She gulped, feeling her nicely cooled throat by the cold water as she did so. “They say I’m too dangerously unstable for a mission…. Since I could compromise things, and I’m not too good a messenger since I either forget or lose the message in the process. And last time, my brilliant tape recorder was almost stolen by Eggman’s forces too… soo…. I’m kinda here.” she looked around the office, showing her disdain but also sorrow at being so useless to everyone. “I can’t control my powers… so I can’t really follow directives.” she picked up another paper, and her tail swished to do the same, holding it up to her like a mouth of a creature.
She smiled sweetly and took it, “Anyway, that must be hard to understand, right?”
He looked down, thinking hard about what she said. “Actually? I completely understand.” he flopped the papers down on the desk and walked by her, patting her shoulder. “You’ll master your abilities in time. Keep at it. I know there’s a special word and symbol we can’t say or draw around you, but besides that, you’re kinda impossible to defeat, right?”
“Defeat?” She looked a little offended, “What am I? A monster to you!?”
“Well, you do say your tail is a evil mastermind.” he jokingly pointed to her tail, which at the time, was acting like a normal tail. “Who’s to say you aren’t just covering for your random tendencies to cause trouble?”
“I don’t mean too!” She slammed the papers on the desk and stormed after him. “Hey! Soler! Wait!”
“I’m leaving you in the hurricane.” he waved behind him, smiling slightly at how silly this crazy girl could get, but knew in his heart her circumstances weren’t so far off from his own… except, they were completely different, but the feelings and desires to be enough for others were the same.
----
Situation 2:
Shay flexed through the dust of his latest attack, brushing off the rubble and then cracking his individual fingers, “My poor neck…” He taunted, cracking it before rolling his shoulders as though just coming out of a leisurely spa-day. “Now… where is that charming brother of mine..?” he turned to what looked like an office, room with the wall crumbling away from it. “They don’t just kill themselves, now do they?” he continued to march with a purpose before seeing a blonde but red fox girl stick her head up, trembling, from below a desk.
He smirked, seeing the fear. He gestured for her to slowly withdraw back behind the desk, and her blue eyes just simply blinked at his gesture.
He held a finger up to his mouth as though she should remain silent, and continued towards the door.
However, before he could reach it, she slammed her hand into the wall just before the door, putting her elbow up to loop her hand behind her head, and pretended to seem like she was just chilling there.
She stuck up her lower lip and continued to play it cool… even seeing his eyes… slowly… narrow to a deadly, hostile glare of annoyance.
She thought fast, “You’re hot.” she slipped out, checking him out in a humorous way that was completely faked.
Confused, he just narrowed his eyes and slightly withdrew his neck back at her appalling display. “What did you just say?”
“Nothing out loud, I can assure you.” While her hand was behind her, she silently kept snapping it, waiting for something to randomly happen. A rubber duck poofed in behind her head and landed behind her. As it squeaked about hitting the ground, rolling till it’s head got in the way, he slowly turned to glance down at it, then raise an eyebrow.
“Eh heh, office decor. They say it’s like your home so…” she stopped herself from furthering that awkward sentence…
She kept snapping and many random items fell from behind her. A miniature rowboat, a toy snake, a slinky, a stuffed puppy, before Shay finally had enough of it.
“Are you an idiot?” he grabbed her hand that was--not so secretly--snapping and shoved her back against the door.
“Ow!” she flinched, her eye twitching slightly at the pain. “Well, you said that out loud.”
“I won’t say this again.” He leaned in and softly spoke out such harsh and cruel words, twisting his grip to really tighten and pain her arm further. “Get out of my way, witch.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
She flexed out her hand and fell back through a portal.
Out of surprise, he let her go, amazed as the vortex looked so incredibly pitch-black with other minor colors swirling around that he honestly thought she just did something magical. He felt around the space, unable to see anything, before the red fox girl’s head popped out from the ceiling.
“Yoohoo!” she called and he turned around to blast a Chaos beam at her, but she was already portaling to another spot in the office. She blew a raspberry as he suddenly was playing whack-a-mole with this strange fox girl.
“What kind of power is this!?” he stepped back and slid on the rubber ducky, causing him to fall on the rowboat which blasted a horn. He covered his ear and turned, but that triggered the toy snake which clomped on his nose. “AH!” he jumped up to his knees but the Red Fox girl grabbed the slinky by having her two arms stick out of the portals, making a pretty twisty bow as she locked his legs together.
He tried to get up but stumbled from the horrible knot and fell down again, unable to move much but he did struggle.
As he fell, she removed the soft puppy plushie as his head hit the ground hard, and then proceeded to look at the puppy as though not sure how this would help but started whacking him with it.
The door opened and seeing her friends, she held her hands up and swayed them over her face, “Hurricane~” she teased, knowing only Soler would get the reference.
She had stalled him just long enough, and that was honestly her goal.
“Lavinya…” Sally marveled, seeing him struggling to break the slinky and realizing that her power made it an unordinary slinky. “Did you do this?” she looked at her in awe.
Lavinya flexed like a strong man a few times, her tail joining her, “Well, ah-ha, yeah, I did~” she showed off, “But I was honestly going for a sword…” she deflated herself a bit and let her arms dangle down from her hunched back in front of her. Her head also seemed despondent.
“Hmph, maybe you’re not just a clown after all.” Shadow walked by her, rubbing her head as her entire character changed to sudden glee, and he went to finish the ‘rope-tying’ she had started.
“ENOUGH!” Shay blasted the room with a Chaos Blast that had each of them shoved up against a wall.
“Offph..! He hit the mole…” she joked, even while in pain, and slid to the ground. He was strong enough to finally break the strange alien slinky as the rest of Lavinya’s summoned objects suddenly poofed out of existence once she was hit and fell to the ground.
She gripped her head, and as he grabbed her tail--which mimicked biting him, as though it had regained it’s separate personality from her again--looked as though ready to rip her to shreds.
“I’m not very fond of games…”
“Lavinya!” Soler swung a punch to a--once again--distracted Shay and helped her up. “What did I say about trouble!?”
“Sally… S-Shadow…” Lavinya weakly pointed to them as Shay’s eyes shook.
“Oh no.”
-need more @solerwolf21? lol it was fun xD- (This is based on my commission I made for him as well.)
I JUST REALIZED THAT THE COOLER WOULD HAVE FLOODED AND THE RUBBER DUCKY SLIP AND FLOATING ALONG THE SLIPPERY FLOOR WOULD HAVE MADE SO MUCH SENSE AND BEEN SO MUCH MORE FUNNY LOLOLOL
Note: My spell check is the WORST on the planet, so if there’s some errors forgive me T-T
#cutegirlmayra#solerwolf21#lavinya the red fox#sonic oc#cutegirlmayra oc#me ocs#me sonic ocs#me writings#lavinya dabble#me dabbles#me prompts
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Commission Receipt - Soler the Hedgehog
Commissions are open! http://cutegirlmayra.tumblr.com/commissions (If you have any questions, please feel free to message me!)
@solerwolf21 - Solar ‘Lunar Eclipse’ Story - Next Chapter (Sonic OC story)
Time: After a brief discussion of what was wanted, the cost willing to be given, and how many pages that would give, I took about a day or two to plan the plot and wrote about 60 some pages.
Amount paid: 28$, Page range agreed upon: around 60-70.
Review: @solerwolf21 “So first, I wasn't prepared for the amount of feels you had in store for me. I teared up at least three separate times. Like, woah I wasn't prepared lol Well, first, it was the right amount the pacing was great. Parts I teared up on I definitely got hit when he was leaving the village. That hurt but was so well done. It got me also when his PTSD would act up. I felt for my boy so much. You did so good on holding their characters like, woah. Soler and Luna felt so natural and how I imagined them, great job! Reading them in action felt soo good. Then Soler going to Sally felt like a natural progression for him. I enjoyed the ending with the song so much! Photography was definitely the right song to choose. All in all you outdid yourself with this one.
Product Preview: (By consent of the customer) - Please enjoy a sample of what I can offer. This is the product’s rough draft that is being kindly allowed for your viewing pleasure. I hope you consider commissioning me in the future! :Db
Lunar Ellipse
Commission of 60-70 pages for the amazing Solerwolf21
By: Cutegirlmayra
It’s been a long time since the Metal Sonic incident…
I’ve been carrying the weight of that day for a while now… I know it’s no good, so I’m trying to get my mind off of things and start something new.
At least, something new to think about…
That’s when I thought about Sally.
Soler held his medal close to himself, looking down forlorned as he continued his afternoon walk. It was getting late, as it usually does, but he missed his morning sulk so this was his best effort to stay on schedule.
“Heh,” He lightly laughed out loud at the thought. ‘Morning Sulk’ was a good name for it, but he liked the fresh air too. It was nice to get away from everyone’s busy work and all the fighting.
Time and time again… one fight after the other. But it was exhausting, you know? Then Eggman suddenly blipped off the radar. Everyone got anxious and confused, scared even. I went out on my own to do some recon and came back with to a nasty surprise. Apparently, I didn’t ask permission to go off on recon and the whole of the Freedom Fighters was about to send out a search party with Sally at the command.
After that, Sonic had told me to take it easy… but what does that mean?
Did everyone just suppose I was unstable? Maybe I wasn’t… maybe I really was.
I’ve thought a lot of things lately…
He stared at the ground as his shoes kicked the dirt off the path as he continued. The scent of pinewood and the weeds scrapping against his feet created a pleasant scenery. Not too many flowers, but just enough to catch the eye.
Mostly, I’ve thought a lot about Sally. But then…
He sighed, looking up as he let go of the medal and clasped the necklace instead.
“Luna… The moon’s about to come out soon.” He stopped a moment as he tried to remember which moon this would be.
When he realized he didn’t know, a sudden harsh sadness came on him. “Did I forget?” He seemed almost spooked. Feeling guilty, he quickly ran to try and see the moon over the hill he usually star-gazed on. He climbed a moment on all floors to regain some balance at his new quickened pace. It was a tad slippery from some rainfall, but Soler didn’t mind it. He was used to laying on this hill as fresh dew scattered across it. It was refreshing after the walk, and the sun warmed him while the earth cooled his sweaty back.
Things weren’t necessarily quiet back at camp… the Freedom Fighters had their fair share of Eggman busting to do. After he went dark, they were on high alert, finding rogue robots from his army and taking those down one by one. Sonic and Shadow both agreed I needed space and time to think, but qgain, what exactly does that mean? Were they really not gonna let me help? Just because of the Neo Metal Sonic incident… or because I went off on my own without telling anyone? It was confusing, to say the least… I felt bad about it, but I also hoped everyone had already put it passed them.
I guess I did give everyone quite a scare…
After racing to the top of the hill, he paused to look up, breathing hard in his worry. His emerald green eyes scanned the falling horizon, “… It’s not up yet.” He looked behind him and suddenly clutched his fists. “Dang it. I really can’t let go!” he slammed it into the hillside’s top, a full-blown swing as he slightly jumped and let it collide with the earth, bending and landing on his knees to reach the mark. This caused a small pound but none of his chaos energy was put into it, so his hand just hurt a little from the harsh hit.
“Huh?” He once again wondered what was going on. “My… my abilities?” he tried to see if he could do a Chaos Spear.
As practiced a thousand, no—millions of times with Shadow, he released a perfect set of spears that flew with a whistle out into the air and pierced sharply into the ground upon descending in an arrow’s arch. After a moment, they disappeared in a swiped flash and were no more.
“Phew… Why am I so paranoid?” he gripped his wrist, just massaging it a bit and wondering why he didn’t feel himself today.
Recently… I’ve been thinking too much.
He sat down, plopping on the tippy top of the hill as though not caring if he hurt himself in the process. Staring up, he vaguely saw the sun finally setting and dipping away.
It was his favorite thing. Waiting for the moon to come up. The Moonset, as he called it. However, he couldn’t bring himself to view the moon today, though he willed himself too. A pain slowly sank from his chest down into his heart and stomach. His mind raced again from the longings of his heart… his words following, unable to contain what lie inside his every thought.
“Luna…” He looked down at the necklace, waiting to see what the moon would be like today. “Luna… if I decided to love someone else… would you always know I still loved you?”
There was an unshakable silence.
---
“Soler! You’re falling behind!” The voice was so real, so tangible. It was soft and high, like a cloud against the moon. It was shrouded in utter fascination and mystery to Soler, so hard to describe, but so easily to recognize and pull again to mind.
“Ha…Ha… I’m trying, alright!?” Counter wise, his voice was husky from all the running, heavy breaths interrupted any sweet, playfulness it usually carried.
“Well, try harder!” she urged.
“You’re just as pushy as your dad!” He raised his head up, trying to keep up the pace.
“Haha! I take that as a compliment!” It was a typical day with the beautiful chief’s daughter, nothing in the world could ruin this memory for him.
Luna raced up the track that headed back to her village, looking behind her constantly to wave and encourage Soler on. “Come on! If you make it, I might just give you a hero’s kiss~” she taunted, winking and blowing him a tease.
Soler’s head shot up, “Huh?” It hadn’t been long since they confessed the buddings of romance to each other, but the thought of a kiss still brought a faint blush to his cheeks.
“What? Was that not motivation enough? Hehe!” she laughed as she bolted forward again.
How mischievous… But I don’t dislike that about her. In fact, it’s kinda fun and refreshing to see her tease me like this.
He smiled, his breathing seeming to find a rhythm in their jog now. She was quite a ways ahead, but he didn’t mind giving her the head start. He loved running. It was something he always did when exploring new places.
But… today was meant to be the day he was going to tell her he wanted to head out again. His nomadic ways hadn’t stopped so suddenly. It was a habit to find new places and people to serve, it was just his nature to acquaint himself with anyone who needed his help.
He wanted to leave for a while, but also wanted to promise her he’d come back and live there with her… he was still so young, they both were.
His eyes arched as he thought about it…
If I kiss her… will that make me change my mind?
He shook his head.
I’ll just let her win. Besides, she usually does, anyway.
“Slowpoke!”
“That does it.” He narrowed his eyes, smiling. “Here I come!” he had stored his energy long enough He burst forward with a high-speed velocity, but nothing compared to the rumored Fastest Thing Alive. His lungs pumped air in and out like a steam-train without any breaks, his legs like well-oiled wheels being pushed by a long gear to never quit or strain under the pressure. He felt an open smile as he breathed through his mouth and was charging up to the side of her at a rapid pace.
His heart had a goal in mind, but his mind didn’t have the heart to disappoint her.
He began to catch up swiftly, causing her to stop laughing and gasp in fright. Immediately, she began to run with all her effort—for real this time. Though, her curiosity and fright at his sudden bolt made her keep looking over her shoulder, slowing her speed down every time she looked back to see him continually picking up speed.
“Eeee..!” her mouth stretched far back, clearly nervous about the rewards at stake…
“Heh.” Here’s for trying to tempt me! He slid up next to her and grabbed her hand, “Need a boost?”
“Ah!” she blushed, while he looped her hand under his arm and passed the village gates—side by side.
Serves her right for upping the ante.
It was terribly romantic, too. A duo tie. However, if Soler knew anything about Luna, she would downplay his charms and pretend like she wasn’t smitten at all by it.
“Y-you’re pretty fast.” She didn’t move away from him as he slowed down to a stop, looking down at her ducking face.
He could still see the pink all over her muzzle though, so it was enough to make him smile.
There was heat on his cheeks too, but the fresh air and smell of food being cooked in the village cooled and stilled him off. He would probably eat something light with her to make up for all the lost energy.
He decided not to ask about the ‘reward’ but instead, poke at her nose. “I know you’re pretty fast yourself. Almost lost there if I didn’t think fast too.”
She giggled at his touched and looked up at him, shyly trying to disguise her fondness for him. That smile though… couldn’t even hide a secret…
“Did you have fun?” He found himself saying, finding his breathing had returned to a normal rhythm again. He was glad she didn’t pull away, it reassured him that this tie was a grand idea in the end. At least, she always seemed to enjoy his company, and this wasn’t exactly the first time he was trying to win her affections through a clever tactic. He was used to be bolder with her now, since they confessed. But it did leave him wondering if he should really leave or not…
“Y-yes.” She put her other hand to her chest and tried to still her racing heart again. “But I think my heart still thinks we’re in the race.”
“Well… who said we’re not?”
“H-huh?”
He leaned down and lightly pecked the side of her cheek, making sure to pull her lightly over to him with his arm that still held her hand in place.
“Ah! Stop it! Not in public!” she cutely moved away and shoved him off, causing him to wobble a bit before grinning happily and stepping away from her.
“Whatever you say, Luna.”
She covered her face, but then opened her hands enough to stick her tongue out at him.
“You offered first…” he mumbled as he folded his arms and looked away. He decided not to push it anymore, concluding that she probably was still a bit hesitant about it all.
“Actually,… Luna… I meant to ask you something.”
Luna stiffened a bit.
“I… I think I’d like to-“ He was about to address the subject when a familiar voice, like brass toned to a mature ring, echoed towards the two abruptly.
“Luna! Darling!” Suddenly, out of the blue, her father stepped in and worriedly embraced his daughter. “What have I told you about wandering too far from the village?! Ah, Soler!” he saw Soler and outstretched his palm to him. “Now I see! You were being protected! I’m glad then. But still, dear girl, don’t go running off like that!”
“But dad, I’m-“
“A big girl who still asks me to cook breakfast for her?” He raised a comical eyebrow as Soler covered his mouth to chuckle.
She blushed and looked to Soler, then her father. “Dad!”
At this point, Luna’s father had completely taken Soler in. It didn’t change the fact that he didn’t exactly know Soler and Luna’s relationship, but at the same time, Soler felt he wouldn’t mind much either.
But they were still… so young.
He looked back out of the gates of the village, feeling some left over thrill at running out and exploring what else could be out there again.
His powers…
He looked down at his hands with striped ‘X’s over his gloves. I also want to go somewhere safe to train… My combat skills are better than ever, so far. And I’m sure there are other villages out there that could use my help too.
He turned back to watch the antics of father and daughter play out a familiar scene. The Chief was a bit protective over her, but it made sense since she was slightly childish at times. Seeing Luna scold her father while he kept lovingly reminding her of her youth made Soler wish once again to have known more about where he came from, what family dynamics he might have had. It was too much of a blurry memory, hazy from years of being unable to recall it. Still… he considered this village a type of family, and wondered what they’d think of him taking off for a while…
“-And that one time you asked me to buy you that adorable hedgehog doll made out of hay. You painted it white, you know.”
“DAD, SERIOUSLY, STOP!” she kept jumping up to try and reach his mouth, hoping to slam a hand over it and shut him up. However, The Chief kept raising his head to avoid her, laughing at her attempts to reach his rather large height.
“Hahah! Even put cute, little pink blush-dots on the cheeks.”
“I’m so embarrassed!” Luna finally gave up and covered her face again, ducking as she raced off deeper into the village. “You’re the worst, Dad!”
“Haha. About time she gave up.” As though planning this, The Chief turned to Soler. Soler realized then that he was trying to embarrass her and have her run off. Soler gulped, wondering what The Chief was up too… “Now then, why don’t you and I have a talk, young man.”
Soler suddenly felt a whole planet had been dropped on him. A… A talk? Did he know!?
“Y-…Yes, sir.” He didn’t know why he was so nervous all of a sudden. He deeply respected The Chief, he was a good man, but the way he said that…
The two walked around the village, full of young and old life doing chores like hanging clothes out on lines or cooking for the village feast. They didn’t usually eat in families on weekends but had big parties to celebrate their happy village community.
Soler loved it here, but the atmosphere was something he wasn’t accustomed too. They had welcomed him with open arms, a little hesitant about his presence at first before saving them from a wild creature of sorts. Soler was sure it was something dark and possibly enraged by battling one of Eggman’s robots, evident by oil all over its hide. But whatever it was, it wasn’t natural. Soler had gotten injured and some of that darkness infected his injury, but Luna tended to him and his strange power had taken care of the rest. He was a bit uncomfortable with how sincerely grateful they were to him, always making him special in any social gathering, but he took it with a polite smile and awkward head nod.
Today, it seemed The Chief wanted to talk about manhood. He began to recite something that sounded recited, if that makes any sense. So although Soler listened intently to the chief’s speech on what a true, righteous man is… he was instantly bored of the topic and observing the life of the bustling village about him. He was constantly in awe at it, watching the children play outside their little straw houses or huts. So modest an abode, but then again, no one seemed to notice wealth or poverty. It was like they all shared and communicated freely, nothing was bought or sold, but exchanged and handed out without contracts or agreements. Just… in the spirit of being friendly and neighborly.
He knew it was very different from the outside world though, but when The Chief began to change his tone, Soler immediately started to pay more attention to his long monologue.
“Now, a lot of people ask what a young man like you would want to be when he grows up. A warrior? Simple farmer? But any of man can be a truly good, exemplary, benevolent man regardless of upbringing or birth.”
The entire time, Soler felt uneasy. He wasn’t much into justice or goodness. He just did what he felt was for the benefit of other’s safety. A man has his own soul to look after, but that doesn’t mean he can’t risk it save another’s. He wanted to ignore again and scan the silkworks for a sign of Luna, maybe find her gathering hay in a field and carrying it to the storehouse. Either way, anything would be better than being stuck with a rambling old man about traditional man values…
Why can’t I just be my own kind of man?
“-And so a true man has a heart that will never yield to injustice, but always fight for what is right. Regardless of this, he also obeys the laws the citizens have placed by their own will and hearts. So, what I’m saying is, the fifth quality of a true, righteous man is to respect the hearts of others, as well as the laws they give to govern themselves- ah… Soler?” The chief hit his staff a few times to the ground, causing Soler to snap out of his walking-sleep and shake his head a second.
He immediately realized he had been caught daydreaming, and apologetically scratched the back of his head.
“E…heh.” Opps.
“…Ehem.” The Chief cleared his throat, showing he was aware that Soler was dozing off while walking with him. Which… his eyes were wondering a lot, and after a moment,… maybe he did rest them without realizing noticing he was dozing off…
The Chief sighed, “One day, you will become a man. What, prey tell, kind of man do you want to be?”
Without hesitation, Soler opened his mouth-
And yawned.
“You aren’t very keen on thinking of the future, are you, boy?” The chief relaxed his tensed-up shoulders a moment, showing his caring eyes again that told Soler he was off the hook.
At least, for now.
“Honestly, Chief… I wanted to tell you and Luna what I’ve been thinking and feeling lately.”
“Oh?” The chief seemed interested, switching his staff to the other hand and waiting patiently for Soler to continue. “Go on.”
“I… There’s just a… big, whole world out there!” Soler spread his arms out. “I mean… don’t get me wrong, you must know how I feel about your village, but…”
“Emhmm…” the chief smiled, leaning down and giving Soler a look like he knew how he felt about a certain daughter of his too…
But Soler shook off the feeling and smiled sheepishly, continuing with his original thought. “B-but I can’t help and feel like I want to go out there and see what other things I can learn and do. I want to come back! Honest! I just…” he felt his animated arms suddenly slow and drop to his sides. “…I’m sorry. I have to see who else I can help. If I even have control enough to help them.” He felt his uncertainty bite down on his words, but he felt he could tell The Chief anything. Even his own heart…
“There, there, boy. You are a typical young man.” The Chief put his arm around Soler’s shoulders, since he was quite a large man. But clearly, The Chief was beyond his own youthful years now and couldn’t really defend the village himself. Hearing Solar speak these things… Soler wondered if he’d really be okay with his words. “You don’t want to be stuck in a fishbowl, spinning in circles inside the plot of space allotted to you. And although I wish I could just say, ‘off you go!’ I’m afraid my fear for my village is a little more prominent on this matter than I hoped.”… or not.
He gave a fatherly shake on Soler’s shoulders before letting go and walking on, shaking his head. “What will we do without you, Soler? Is your mind made up or are you still willing to consider staying here?” it was a kind plea, one that made it hard to respond too.
Soler felt his heart ache a moment. “You’re a good leader, Chief. Honest, you are! I just… I have to go.” Soler admitted, though it pained him to see the Chief look so downhearted.
The Chief took a moment, not speaking as he clearly was sad to hear this.
But after a moment, he nodded and sighed, walking off. “I have no say in your life, Soler… I just wish I could convince you somehow.”
Soler bowed in respect, “Thank you… Chief.” He stopped to show he wasn’t going to follow and speak with The Chief further. The Chief looked sorrowfully over his shoulder to Soler, his eyebrows showing the concern for not only Soler’s life, but the safety of his village. He was a good man, though. He was going to let Soler do as he wished.
Now all Soler had to do… was break the news to Luna.
He looked behind him, wondering how on earth he was going to tell her.
…Easier said than done…
---
The moon was high now, the stars not out yet, but the owls cooed on their sideline choirs. Soler opened his eyes, relaxing and having dozed off in a dream of his past for a moment.
He rubbed his eyes, placing his hands on his stomach. He yawned and pulled out the necklace.
“Hmm. So that’s the phase today.” He concluded, and let his head fall back to the soft grace he was resting on before.
He had matured so much since then… But his yawn still matched that boy from the dream… his past self. He had no idea what was in store to come.
Soler lowered his eyes,… remembering the horrors that would then ensnare Soler’s every step forward. The pity and the pain, the sorrow and the savagery.
“…Luna.” He began. He found that something new had slipped into the crevices of his broken heart.
“I want to ask Sally if she’d like to go on a walk with me.”
It wasn’t what he usually said to the moon, but it was just what popped out. He had conversations like this, out loud with the moon as the only witness, holding Luna’s necklace by his heart. The moon never responded, and neither did Luna.
But there was no silence this time. Crickets hopped with their strings creaking out into the night. The owls’ choir was still in full rehearsal for the dead of night, and the moon stayed motionless to observe the orchestra in the dark.
“Would you… feel betrayed if I did?” he felt the cold nip at his nose, causing him to shiver slightly. “You’re my long-lasting love, Luna… I appreciate you more than anything else in the world. You did so much for me… Will you let me get close to someone else? Move on? I’m just…” he turned on his side, “I’m just lonely again… feeling like I’m wanting a fishbowl… but denying it again and again.”
There was a swift wind that ruffled his quills on his back.
“Brr…” he felt the chill and got up, rubbing his arms and blowing some hot air into his hands. “It’s gonna be winter soon… I can’t come see the moon all the time like this. This isn’t a goodbye or anything… it’s kinda like…” he looked back up at the moon, shining as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to dull its glow. “Permission.”
---
A pot crashed to the floor as the other girls in the storage room all stopped their cluttering chores and watched as Soler backed away from Luna.
She quickly turned around with glossy eyes, “Leaving..? Why? What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing’s wrong!” Soler shook his hands out, and then looked around at the people around him.
Shoot. She should have come with me to our tree… but she just had to decide that she’d finally listen to her father for once and not leave the village!
Luna opened her mouth to say something but stopped as she closed it tight.
She forced her eyes not to blink, and quickly grabbed Soler’s arm, dragging him out of the room so no one could see the very real threat of tears coming to her eyes. One blink, and she would be a mess in front of those who looked up to her family for guidance and leadership.
Soler felt bad about whispering the news into her ear, but she refused to come with him, what else could he have done?
They hiked in silence as Soler tried to explain himself but Luna shushed him every chance he got a word out.
Finally, they were at their tree, where he originally asked her to go. “Luna, say something!” He begged when she let him go and spun around.
“Soler… I don’t want you to go.” She admitted, her voice shaking a moment in her emotions.
“I know… I know that, okay?” He gently approached her, placing his hands on her arms. “Don’t cry, Luna… I’ll come back! I promise! I’ll bring you lots of things too. You’ll see, it’ll be like I never left.”
“…You don’t have to go, do you?” she looked up, and it broke his heart to see her so upset.
“…No.” he whispered, letting the word slip out of his mouth. “I want to go, though.”
“But why?” She moved away a second, “Am I not good enough?” she then raced back into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I thought you were going to protect this village!”
“I-…” he was losing it.
Why should I go?
He looked away.
Any guy would want to stay. Luna was amazing. Her father adored him. The village was just giddy to accept him into their family… so why?
He remembered.
“Luna, I have a power that is extremely dangerous, hidden inside of me.” He took her hands in his own, holding them together. “I do care about you, a whole awful lot, but…” he turned his head away from her, thinking carefully on his next words. “I also want to make sure that when I come back, I’m strong enough to protect more than just your village.” His eyes bore a witness of his love for her, but he worried she couldn’t understand. He had turned back to her, but she was still emotionally distraught, letting tears fall more willingly now that it was just the two of them.
That was Luna for you, always dropping her front for Soler. She only cared that he loved her, and the rest was meaningless.
But she clearly feared his words, and didn’t seem to understand why he was doing this.
Luna sniffed, looking at his nose and lightly moving her hand to drift a finger onto it, letting it slide down and reach his muzzle before continuing the stroke down to his mouth. “Just… stop talking, okay?”
He felt something flare up inside him, but he wasn’t sure what it was. The strange touch was hypnotic, it altered his thoughts a moment before her finger stopped at his mouth, and her words brought him back to reality. He hadn’t felt anything that powerful before, but he also chose to ignore it.
“Luna…” He looked down at her finger, feeling his lips move under its touch… He felt his whole body surrendering and he didn’t understand why. His will to continue to comfort and encourage her was the only thing keeping him talking. Reassuring her that he was coming home was the only thing that matter now. He had to make sure she understood him. That he would, honestly, come back!
“I said to stop… please…” she ducked her head into his chest fur, ruffling her face deeper inside it to rid herself of the tears and feel something warm and inviting again.
“I don’t care how powerful you are.” She spoke boldly now. “I don’t care! I love you!” she pulled out of his chest and lightly kissed him.
Now he was confused.
A moment ago, he was ready to pack up with a goal in mind. Hone his skills and help others, come back for Luna with gifts in hand, and live the rest of his life as a guardian over the little village.
But now..?
All he wanted to do was warp his arms around her thin waist, skim the skin of their lips over the other’s, and not think at all. Just feel.
He held her so close that there was nothing between them and brought her deeper into her misaimed kiss. It was rash and bold, and her inexperience led her to just dive and go for it. Thankfully, this didn’t deter his affections for her. He found where her lips were and started to kiss back, feeling her sudden strength falter and finally, she too surrendered her weight into him.
When air was required, the two parted and just hung in the moment, unable to separate feelings from reason.
“…How could I leave you?” his breathless confession gave her courage. “I’m madly in love with you, too…”
She went for another kiss, leaving him even more conflicted.
Nothing wanted to resist her, but everything in him knew he needed too.
She lured his resistance back down inside of him, pulling out a vulnerability he had never felt before. She lightly slid her hands down to his embracing arms, enticing him to follow her towards the side of their tree.
I have to stop this… if I don’t, she’ll never let me go.
His brain knew that, but his heart kept letting her lead.
Darn it! How is she so good at this!?
Though innocent to the ways of love, Luna seemed to have a knack for it. Whether she had been planning this for a while or just imagined it happening and played it out didn’t matter. Whatever it was, Luna was keeping him there, and that thought…
Scared him.
Luna leaned against the tree, pulling him close again as her fingers returned to the side of his face and brought his kiss deeper and deeper into her. When she moved away, he felt like the planet had shifted, opening his eyes and wondering what on earth was happening. It was great, but it was so sudden. What were we even talking about again?
“Then don’t go. Stay with me. Soler, don’t you want to stay?” it was so sweet, so inviting… he remembered once again what it was he had to do, what awful power lie inside of himself, and immediately took his hands away and placed them on the tree. They were on either side of her while he breathed a moment, shifting his eyes as he didn’t know now what to do. Give into his mind or his heart? What was the better option here?
“Please… don’t make this harder on me than it already is.” He was begging her to free him. Whatever entrapment she was casting on him, it was working all too well. “I don’t want to constantly have the fear that my power will burst out of me, hurt you or someone in your village.”
“Our village…” she cooed, moving towards his lips again.
Was this manipulation!? Should I care if it is or isn’t?! Luna… all I can think about is you now! Why is this so hard to bear…
In the middle of another passionate, but inexperienced kiss, he found his arms twitching to return to her sides… but he pulled away and placed them back on the tree’s trunk, resisting.
“No.” He had to side with his mind. Otherwise… otherwise… what horrors could happen to them if my powers whacked out and killed them all!?
“No, Luna…” He stated it again so faintly this time, she thought he had just been breathing.
She kissed his cheek and he pulled away once more, shaking his head but keeping his eyes shut. One look at her and he would be at her mercy again. He had to keep it together, somehow…
“Luna… Luna, I love you, but we’re so young.” It took every bit of him to fully move away, to think of her safety over the feelings she was tugging out of him. Like a tug-o-war, he kept fighting her gentle pulls and pulled back with his own. I have to win. For her safety. Why doesn’t she understand that!?
He shook his hand, rubbing the other hand through his quills as he moved away from their tree. I gotta calm down. If I don’t think clearly, I’ll disappoint The Chief… Or maybe… this is what The Chief meant by convincing me? No, no! They wouldn’t play me that way!
“Soler… I’m not a child anymore.” She asserted herself, stepping in front of him and cutting off his doubting thoughts. “It’s okay to kiss me. I don’t mind-“
“No, that’s not it! That kiss was amazing! Are you kidding me?!” His goofy side was coming out with his nerves, and she giggled at his response.
“Really..? It was my first…” she held her hands in front of herself, soaking in the praise and blushing with accomplishment. “But besides that… was it enough to make you stay?”
He froze, his hands still mid-motion running along the spikes on his head.
“…I just don’t think you’re listening to me.” He admitted, being honest. “I think all you hear is that I’m going away, but what you’re not hearing is that I’m coming back. For you, Luna. I’m going away and coming back for you.”
“You’re… leaving for me?” she decided not to argue about the ‘listening’ part, and instead, try and seek understanding.
“Yes!” he excitedly threw his hands up to his sides. “Yes! I want you safe! I want to make sure everyone is safe with me around! Do you understand, Luna? I want to stay, but I first have to make sure I’m safe.”
He put his hands to his heart, desperately hoping she’d understand now.
“You’ve seen my power before, haven’t you, Luna? Have you forgotten so quickly what I can do?”
“…You can… do incredible things.” She seemed to be understanding a bit more now, opening up to the idea more. This gave him strength in his resolve, but every fiber of his being wanted to reach for her cheek and pull her into another mutual kiss. He had to resist that urge though. He knew now he had to leave… tonight.
“But those things aren’t always incredibly good. They can also turn incredibly dangerous in seconds. I don’t have any control over it, Luna. What if one day—And I mean one day as in some day—I seriously hurt you beyond my current capabilities? What if, while I’m still growing up, my powers grow with me and I can’t take back what they do?”
Her face sunk into a look of hopelessness. “Do you really think it controls you?” she looked into his eyes.
“I have no idea what it is, or what it can do.” He admitted, moving up and finally letting his fingers curl around her cheek bones and place his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes, squinting them so hard he thought he’d burst into tears if he didn’t. “But I won’t let it happen. I’ll sharpen my powers. I’ll be someone who can save others. Not just on a fluke, but for real. I took a hit for you, remember? I really need you to take this one for me…”
He felt wrong pulling that out of the bag in such a way as he did. But it was his last resort. “Let me go, Luna?” he asked, so sincerely. “Let me go and be a good man.”
She gently… lifted her hand to his own and nodded, crying softly without words.
They stayed in the others embrace for a moment, holding one another as their emotions came back to a somewhat reasonable stability. After a moment of silence, Luna consoled herself and reserved her feelings. She looked back up at him, feeling him gently wipe her tears away with a soft smile on his face.
She finally spoke, “Okay.” She said lightly.
She held a long blink a moment, as if forcing herself to say it again. She opened her eyes and looked up into his again, “Okay…”
That night, Luna stood outside his small, roughly constructed hut the villagers had made for him as he gathered his things. He didn’t have much, but he needed supplies for a long journey. He didn’t give her a set time, not wanting to make any promises he couldn’t keep, but he did give her one last kiss. However, she pulled quickly out of it, not saying a word.
It lingered, that heartache from her silence and reserved attitude as he waved one last time down the track that lead to her home, the lively and pleasant village.
She didn’t wave back, she just winked with a forced smile.
“I’ll be back before you know it, Luna… Every time you see the sunrise-“ he pointed to the moon, “And every time I see the moon, I’ll be thinking of you.”
“…I’ll pray that the sun rises every day then.” She held her necklace tightly in her hand, holding in the words she really wanted to say. “Don’t go… don’t go…”
“I love you… I love you…” every time he wanted to look back, he took another step forward, uttering the words after her own silent pleadings.
She mouthed more of the same desperate longings for him to rush back into her arms, returning to her and forgetting everything he had said previously. But as he left earshot, heading off into the night, she could see each firm foot-fall at every step he dared to take. She knew then that he wouldn’t be tempted to turn back to her, and formed a strong face in the mist of her turmoil inside her heart.
She would be there when he returned, he just knew it.
He had to trust his gut.
But his gut was saying…
Don’t go.
---
Soler woke up with Sally hurriedly placing blankets on his head.
“H-huh?”
“Quick! Get me some hot water, anything to fight off the cold.”
“C-cold?”
“You idiot!” she saw he had awoken and placed her hands on her hips, stubbornly. “You fell asleep just before the winter night! Are you asking to get ill or something?”
He lifted a cold hand to his head, burning with a fever.
“Guess I was…” he joked, but Sally just rolled her eyes and then smiled at him.
“Well, how inconsiderate of you. Now we have to use precious medicine meant for emergencies on your slight fever.”
“Is it that bad?”
“I didn’t emphasize ‘slight’, did I?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Then you’re not doing so hot.”
“Duly noted. Temperature?”
“What do you care? Your fever is your own doing. I’ll get a cold washcloth for your head, just don’t move from that spot, alright?” She was harsh, but there was always a loving touch behind each sarcastic jab.
I was almost thankful I got sick. Sally personally stayed by my side and nursed me. It was day two and she was making soup for me, waving off another freedom fighter from worrying about me. She said, “I’ll handle this one. You just make sure Nicole doesn’t overheat with all the decoding Tails and Rotor are making her do. Is Amy still with Sonic? Tell her he’s fine and he’s just being a baby. How about Shadow? You should tell him Soler’s fallen ill by his own accord. I don’t know, don’t ask me. We found him lying on a hill shivering in the absolute worst state last night. We would have never found him without Team Chaotix picking his signal up while searching for badniks.”
Soler smiled slightly, his eyes blinking a few times as he listened in on her voice while waking up to its worried tone, honing all his senses onto it.
Then she came in, making him nervous as he found he pulled the covers of the blankets up a bit before Sally saw he was awake.
With a kind smile, she put some food down and helped him sit up, “How are you feeling now? You gave us all quite a scare.” She slightly repeated herself, but this time, with a bit more care.
He didn’t really know how to tell her. It was on accident that he had fallen ill, but he was purposefully there to watch the moon…
“How’s the resistance?”
“The Freedom Fighters won’t give up, you know that. Much like how Sonic won’t quit complaining either.” She rolled her eyes before winking and leaning slightly closer to Soler, “At least you were knocked out before you could start whining, right?”
He snickered, “No one likes a cry-baby.”
“Ah, but everyone loves babies.” Sally joked again, “At least you’re being good. Anything hurt?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine.”
She surprised him by placing her hand on his forehead, checking his temperature and then comparing it with her own. She moved closer and lifted the hand away, placing it down for support as she placed her forehead up against his own. He wasn’t sure if it was the fever that made his cheeks feel warm or not, but she pulled her lips back into a fine line and ‘hmm’d at the results of her investigation into his temperature. “It’s going down, which is good.”
He stared at her for a moment, the closeness between them bringing a small pulse of joy to his soul. He had to be utterly still, worried if he moved, she would also move away.
“Sally…” he begins, but the second he says her name…
“Am I not good enough?”
“Ahgh…”
Soler was the one to pull away first, feeling himself falter as Luna’s voice pierced his mind from that profound memory he had dreamed again. He hated that he was the reason the closeness between him and Sally was unbreached, but couldn’t be disgruntled about it now.
“Soler?” Sally worriedly leaned back before reaching for him.
He raised a hand, gripping the other to his head. “I’m fine. I’m fine… Sorry.” He didn’t want to explain it, but it wasn’t the physical illness that was plaguing him.
All he wanted to do was ask her. Why did guilt grip at him so much?
He didn’t want to shame his memory of Luna, his first ever love. He didn’t know whether true love was a thing or not, but he didn’t want to believe he could never find it again either.
“…You don’t have to go, do you?” she looked up, and it broke his heart to see her so upset.
“…No.” he whispered, letting the word slip out of his mouth. “I want to go, though.”
I really want to go, Luna. Please…
“Soler… do you need some more medicine? Here, at least eat something.” She got the food and placed it in front of his ducked head. He nodded, slowly reaching for it as Sally went to get some pills, dipping them in some water as they sprang out into dust. She spun the cup around, letting the particles dissolve and seem to disappear in the water.
“It’s not gonna taste great.”
Anything to drown out the pain.
He took the cup and began to gulp it down, then ate at the warm soup and licked his lips at the lingering flavor.
He didn’t want to hurt Luna again… even if it was just the memory of her.
I’m sorry, Sally. He mentally scolded himself for listening to a memory. But he couldn’t… he couldn’t refuse her again.
“Let me go, Luna? Let me go and be a good man.”
“Hoo… if you ask me, we’ve all been overworked lately.” Sally sighed before sitting on a chair on the other side of the room, kicking a leg over her other and rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Everyone has been demanding so much of us… Eggman is relentless and Shadow and Sonic still haven’t made amends about their last ‘dispute’.” She looked a little strained… this would be the perfect moment.
“You need a vacation.” Soler politely stated with a hint of humor in his gruff voice, due to his condition.
“A beautiful girl like yourself shouldn’t be working day in and day out without some sort of afternoon walk.”
She looked up at him for a moment. After processing what he stated, she smiled and rested her chin on her hand, leaning on the armrest. “Yeah, and get a cold just like you? Becoming useless to everyone for two days..?” she teased with a friendly smile.
Were we… flirting?
“I couldn’t do a vacation, maybe a break though.”
This really was the perfect moment, but before he could try and push the memory of Luna aside, trying to delicately remind himself that she wasn’t even here… but was gone, he faded off into his fever. “Would be… kinda nice… to walk with… someone…again.” his eyes drooped and he finally receded back into his deep sleep.
“Soler? Soler, are you okay?” She stood up, “Soler!” She raced to his bedside, but he could feel the sleep coming on and knew the dream would only continue where it left off.
---
Fire.
Screams had already deafened out into silence.
Soler watched as Luna was killed right before his eyes, then a vile threat from the shadowed figure, unable to be identified through the haze of the smog from the village flames and the burning that blurred Soler’s eyes.
Why did I have to go?
After the terrible events, he held Luna’s body, desperate to sense life in it.
She was gone. Not a single word of goodbye or even a reunion from being gone so long.
His emotions couldn’t handle it. He just clutched her lifeless and bleeding body in his hands. The blood was hot on his hands, but he felt numb to it. The red only blurred in the sight of the massive fog moving like a carpet that smelled of burning flesh and wood.
His eyes were half open, squinting through the tears and stinging air. He could hardly breathe. His heart was smashed under the stress, not even wanting to beat anymore, but the adrenaline kept him alive.
Red… the sky soaked the world in an endless red.
Dawn.
When everything in him finally came back to reality, he carried Luna’s body through the ash-filled village; at least, what remained of it. He continued to walk as though a ghost passing through a memory. For a moment, the village was alive again. Young men and women walked at a leisurely pace to do their chores, and the elders of the village worked their wheels or cooked their meals safely tucked away in their little homes. Life was blissful and uneventful. Was that why I had to leave?
He was entranced in his vision before his eyes twitched when his foot bumped up against something.
Looking down, he noticed he had knocked a small doll to the side, but it slowly rolled back to look directly up at Soler. Its expression was singed with black soot. What have I done?
Of course it wasn’t Soler’s fault, but he fell to his knees, gripping Luna’s body and letting her blood dry on his white fur.
He crumbled in the center of the village, leaning forward all the way till his head rested just above her side, crying out a loud, grieving mourn.
His wailing chased the birds that came to eat the corpses away, cawing at his abruptness in the now stilled morning.
How long have I been like this? How much time has passed?
Crying out in such agonized pain, he felt his voice grow sore and losing itself.
More. I have to cry more. It’s not enough!
Some lasting flames still licked at the remaining and burnable woods, straws, and yarns that were all but dust by the time Soler had arrived.
Luna… Chief… the villagers…
Gone.
---
Soler flinched awake, gasping as he felt his breath fill with clean air again. Fresh, pine-smells from the forest outside blew from the window above his low-riding bed. The dews of the last rainfall lingered in the cool breeze as he tried to get his bearings again.
The heat of that morning… it was so vivid and tangible just a moment ago. It was immediately replaced by this… this peaceful and serene morning.
His sweat made him shiver, gripping the blankets and trying to rub them against his shoulders and arms.
He felt better physically, but there was still a fever deep in his memory… a fever of Neo Metal Sonic… a recalling of past events that were now, eternally, seared into his mind.
He hadn’t had that real of a nightmare for a while. He thought—maybe, his PTSD had finally passed. He wondered for a long time while taking his walks, reading his books, training in the forest, and on the mountain sides that perhaps he could live a normal life again.
That apparently wasn’t the case.
“Aughh…” he rubbed his head, wiping his nose on his glove and looking himself over. “I need a bath.” He stuck his tongue out, disgusted at the idea of him being asleep for so many days in the same, now sweat-soaked bed.
He flipped the sheets over and began to walk towards the bathroom. Gripping the hose from atop the makeshift shower, he washed himself down and cleaned his clothes the old-fashion way. All he had were his shoes and gloves anyway, he wasn’t as lazy and inconsiderate of other people’s time as some would have supposed.
After that… he just got up and went to look for something to do. If his mind was occupied, maybe his heart would be too.
Tails and Rotor… Sally had mentioned they were getting Nicole to work on some things. He wasn’t really tech savvy, but he could hold his own in a conversation if needs be.
He decided to head over there first, and wasn’t surprised to see Sonic and Shadow peering with different expressions at the results flying through the computer screen.
Yikes… Shadow looks concerned.
He was probably the only person alive who would read Shadow’s multiple frowns. Where one may say he’s angry, Soler would say he’s just thinking. Someone could accuse Shadow of being condescending, and Soler would politely suggest he’s just showing some tough love.
Amy once thought Shadow was being rude, but Soler calmly explained he was attempting humor.
Sonic would battle with Shadow through wit and brawns, but Soler just knew that’s how they got along.
So when he saw Shadow’s face, he knew he wasn’t ticked off by Sonic’s grin, but simply worried about the results he was reading.
“You’re being too rash, Sonic.” Shadow almost growled the words out, but there was a refined elegance to his stance. He pivoted a foot toward him, removing his folded arms to gesture one out to him. This action forced Sonic to look at the movement and pay attention to his words, which made Soler smile, because Shadow seemed to also have an understanding of how Sonic worked. “If we try an all-out, frontal attack with these numbers… Some of our people may not be coming back.” He tightened his fist, showing his resolve in not losing anymore comrades.
Soler tightened the line of his mouth, not sure what he thought of that statement. If Shadow’s concerned, then this next raid must be a big deal…
“What’s to worry about?” Sonic shrugged, still happy-go-lucky as ever. “We’ve got Nicole to figure out all the possibilities and she’s already confirmed what we need is in there. We just have to use some sneak and distraction to get it out.” He wiggled his fingers down and moved them swiftly to the side, as though stating the ‘distraction’ part would be a walk in the park.
Soler decided to lean on the door post, listen for further clues before possibly saying anything.
“…Nicole.”
The voice freaked him out a moment, leaning up again from his relaxed stance and turning to see Sally stride forward, placing herself between Shadow and Sonic. She really did look regal, positioning herself right between the two different opinions of these powerful men.
“Is that machine you found really worth all this trouble?”
Sonic put a hand to his hip, tilting his head to Sally as though hoping she would side with him, but looked up to see Nicole’s answer instead.
“… I’m so sorry, Sally. But if Eggman really does complete the framework and design that Tails and Rotor showed me… it would be devastating for the entire Freedom Fighting cause. Not only would he be trying to mass-robotize whole continents with this device, but the level of fire-power in these system outlines also concludes a possible, massive war-weapon.”
“Is he that desperate to know our location?” Shadow countered, but Sonic snickered a reply as quick as blue lightning.
“Nah, he’s through trying to find our many stashed bases all over Mobius. He’s ready to just blow it all sky-high and rebuild later!” Sonic’s attitude rubbed Soler the wrong way, and he finally stepped forward.
“You should be taking this a bit more seriously, Sonic.” Defending Shadow’s end, Soler watched as Sonic and the others turned to address him.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the moon-watcher.” Sonic smiled, raising an eyebrow. “You done with your ‘light cold’ yet?”
Soler knew he was teasing him, but he still felt a little insulted. His eyelids dropped halfway to show his unamused expression as Sonic twitched at his serious response.
“Geez, you usually love my quips.” He pfft’d. “Someone’s been hanging out with Mr. Grumpy Quills too much.” He looked to Shadow. “Your boy’s up.”
“He’s not a boy, nor mine.” Shadow glared to Sonic but stepped up to Soler. “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect. We’ve got an ideal mission for your abilities. We need someone to endure Eggman’s offenses while we storm his fortress. We’re after that.” He pointed back to the screen as Nicole showed the massive fighter ship, still under construction in some areas.
Nicole then materialized in front of Sonic and Sally, stepping boldly to Shadow and Soler. “Is this really a clear plan?” She questioned, looking sheepishly scared at Shadow’s suggestion. “He’s an able fighter, but…”
“What Nicole is trying to say,” Sally about-faced, moving over to Shadow and Nicole. “Is that Soler is inexperienced and can get a little emotional when coming to his full power.”
Soler looked down, a little embarrassed she was speaking this way about him.
“Then I haven’t trained him enough.” Shadow quickly looked back at him, a true teacher’s anger as Soler felt fear spike up his spine.
Shadow gripped the top of Soler’s head, “If your last little outburst didn’t teach you patience and reason, then I have no choice but to put you through the ringer…” he started to drag Soler out the door, and knowing how awful Shadow’s routines could be, Soler knew his struggles wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Shadow’s perfectionist views this time.
“Wait-!” Sally outstretched her hand.
Oh, thank Chaos!
Sally looked kindly to Soler, “…He just recovered. I’ll talk to him. I’m the leader of the Freedom Fighters after all. I’ll judge whether he’s really ready or not.”
Shadow gave her a stern look as he slowly released Soler’s head from his firm, killer death grip.
“Very well… but if he doesn’t amount to your expectations…” He folded his arms, glaring down at Soler, as if to say- Don’t disappoint me a second time.
Soler gulped. Even after all these years, Shadow still saw him as a hopeless child.
Sonic clutched his stomach and laughed, walking over and swinging an arm around Soler. “Man! You should have seen the look on your face!”
Soler pouted, “It’s not like you haven’t had a time where Sally’s saved your butt either, Blue.”
“Hahahahaha-Watch it.” Almost as if a tick on a clock’s hand, Sonic’s charming ways shifted to a serious look of humiliation.
“Heh. Men will be boys.” Sally shook her head and then waved for Soler to follow her. “Come on, Soler. I’m ready for that ‘walk’ now.”
Soler could feel a gentle but heated blush on his face, but Sonic leaned toward his cheek with a suspicious side glance, leering on the colorful pink of his face…
“Now, what’s this..?”
“Ah! G-got to go! Can’t keep a princess waiting!” Soler quickly leaned away and dashed. Not wanting to be found out, he charged to Sally’s side.
Sonic seemed confused, but only thought about it for a moment before growing bored and shrugging it off.
Shadow walked the opposite direction away from the two, and Sally sighed after seeing him out of ear-shot. “That was close.” Sally breathed out.
“Huh?” Soler looked back at her, seeing her face light up with a short giggle.
“What do you mean, ‘huh’?” she lightly nudged his shoulder, “I mean I just saved you from Shadow, the drill sergeant.” She laughed a little more boldly now that the two of them were heading into the thick of the forest.
She touched her head and arched her arm in, really letting herself enjoy the feeling. “Man, I haven’t laughed that good in a while!”
He smiled, seeing her happy made him feel good, even if that laughter was directed at an odd circumstance…
“Hehe… What’s gotten into you, anyway? I thought you wanted to take a walk and not get involved in war affairs for a while.” She looked onward, but Soler just kept staring at her.
“That’s…” he finally looked away, uncomfortable about mentioning Sonic’s words.
“What? You really think I don’t know you well enough?” She raised a playful eyebrow, and for a moment, he realized she thought he was going to say something else.
“N-no, no. That’s not-“ Before he could say anything more, she suddenly quieted down and smiled. She closed her eyes and put her hands behind her back.
“…Hmm… Maybe I only imagine the parts of you I don’t know.” She looked up at the sky, lingering there as Soler was completely captured in how she looked. Her brown fur in the morning light made a blonde line around her body. Her red hair glistened and waved like grass along the hillside.
She finally positioned her gaze forward towards the continuing dirt path, a sorrowful expression taking root in her eyes. “I often think you’re this poor, misunderstood softie who just has a pretty hard-knock past… who doesn’t? But then I see you lose control like that… and I begin to see why Shadow takes you so seriously.”
He felt his mouth grow dry, nerves at what she was saying sinking in.
“I’m…” He looked away from her. “Dangerous, I know.”
“No, not that.” She quickly spoke out, but then corrected herself, “I mean, by all accounts, each member of the Freedom Fighters is possibly dangerous. Maybe you are destructive, but… So are the rest of us. In one way or another.” Her comforting, yet completely brash words made him slowly turn back to her.
“You’re not afraid?”
“I’m only afraid of what Eggman knows, and what I don’t know about what he knows.” She tightened her stare to a deeper resolve, and he knew he touched a nerve then.
“S-sorry.” He looked forward, realizing he should drop that subject…
She grew serious then, ducking her head down, walking with more precision and a stronger stride. “I have to be everything this resistance needs me to be… I can’t afford to be afraid. Only cautious and wise.”
Soler nodded, “I think I understand that.” He then saw the awfulness of war in her face, the sweet girl that had to pull everything back to be a vicious warrior who couldn’t pay the price of defeat.
He felt his hand reach for her, but withdrew it back to his side, rubbing his arm.
A pair of lips mouthed ‘Don’t go’ in his mind’s eye.
His eyes quaked and he froze a moment, shaking his head and gripping it to try and rid himself of the jarring memory.
“Soler?” Sally stopped walking and turned back to him, looking concerned. “Is something wrong? Was it something I said?”
He looked to her kind and compassionate expression.
…How could I leave you?
“Augh!”
Soler turned away from her, gripping his head with more force now. “Stop it!”
Sally looked confused, but carefully walked towards him with her arms out. “Soler… what’s going on? Are you hurt?”
I’m madly in love with you, too…
“Soler?”
“I’m… It’s a memory!”
“A memory?” Sally stopped, letting her foot delicately land in front of her for a second as she processed what he was saying. “Is this..?”
…Was it enough to make you stay?
“Augh…” he fell to his knees. “Luna… let me go. Let me be a good man… let me… move on.” He found himself curling up, his quills sticking out and shaking.
Sally waited a moment, but couldn’t stand watching him suffer like this.
“Soler.” She firmly stated, tightening a fist, “This isn’t real.”
His tearing eyes burst open, looking up at Sally who morphed with Luna’s image, coming towards him.
“It’s just a memory, right? It can’t hurt you, Soler… You’re not alone.” She gently sat beside him and then…
He could feel her touch.
He breathed hard, hunched over as he was, while she gently glided her fingers with a stroke against his back, lovingly calming and comforting him. “This must be a side I don’t know about you, yet.” She concluded, letting her fingers weave through his standing quills and gently encourage them to lower back down.
“I’ve seen Sonic in a cold-sweat, waking in a frenzy and heard him say it was all just PTSD from losing his uncle… But he got his uncle back… and those nightmares ended. I had almost forgotten that not all people are as fortunate.”
He looked up, and gasped when he saw a tear streaming down her face.
It was like a goddess weeping, her look of serenity. “I had to let my father and mother go, too… I often forget that feeling. It was like freedom and remorse all crammed into one, big heart.” She smiled gently as she blinked her eyes open, showing more tears falling from her strong, sweet presence.
He couldn’t help but stare, like a welcomed angel to help him through his grief.
He felt so embarrassed, having such a huge episode in front of her. He squished his face against the earth and rubbed himself into it deeper and deeper, wishing he could just barrow away and be left to his miserable self.
“I don’t deserve this.” Soler admitted, “… I deserved to die instead of-“ He found himself choking to say her name in front of Sally.
Sally seemed to understand that he didn’t want to discuss it, and removed her hand from his back, nodding with empathy. “Let’s not talk further about it then.”
She helped him up, letting him get his balance again before smiling up at him, “We can still have a nice walk after this, right?”
He was grateful for her humor, and nodded. “Please,… don’t end the journey on my account.”
She thought that funny too. “Journey? I suppose in many ways, it is.” She began to walk beside him again, just letting him catch his breath.
“…Soler, I want you to know…” she gently took his arm, seeing him stagger a moment. “I’m here if you need anything.” She looked up at him again. “Anything at all.”
For a moment, he could see a whole different world in her eyes. A world where there wasn’t death and mourning; a world where a beautiful woman and distraught man could walk through the woods and feel at peace by one another’s sides.
Then, there was a loud explosion.
The two turned immediately back to base, hearing shouting as they looked up.
Sally cried out, “Eggman! He’s already found us!”
A squadron of Eggbots and more elite soldiers suddenly dropped from the sky like metallic rain. They crashed into huts and homes, buildings and gardens, sparing nothing as they continued their onslaught.
“The plans must have been old. He’s already created his war ship!”
Soler’s eyes scanned the blasts from the robot army’s arm-canons and lasers sparking fires everywhere. The screams…
Everyone running around in horror…
He went to grip his head but stopped himself, shaking as his muscles twitched with rage and rising vengeance.
His eyes slowly narrowed down. He bolted forward, summoning his power within him and charging back to the hideout.
“Soler!” Sally wasn’t trying to stop him, only alerting him to her presence close behind him.
“Eeeevvvillll day, citizens!” A voice spoke through a speaker, ringing through the sky and to the ground. The EggCarrier was a fierce looking blimp with Eggman’s nose as its point, and his mustache as its sharp and spiked wings.
“Whohooho! Weren’t expecting company now, were you?!” Eggman’s booming voice fueled the emotions inside of Soler. He definitely didn’t care if his power was stable inside him at the moment. All Soler cared about was getting to that ship fast enough!
Suddenly, as if summoned by his desire to fight, Tails and Sonic were seen soaring at an angle in the X-Tornado. Seizing his opportunity, Soler pushed off and grabbed the tip of its wing.
“Woah!” Sonic looked to the side of him, seeing Soler.
A moment of unspoken resolve was sent across the space between them, and Sonic paused a moment to register the sheer determination in Soler’s eyes.
There was unfinished business. He needed to vent and he needed this fight. Now.
Sonic smiled, understanding the look in his eyes and lowering a hand down to him. “Well, come on then.” He spoke out calmly as Soler nodded, lifting an arm up to grip the wing better and grab Sonic’s hand.
He climbed aboard the wing next to Sonic and hung on with one hand tightly clasped down on the front edge of the wing.
He looked down to Sally, slowing her run as she gapped at his feat.
“…I’m sorry.” He lightly spoke out, but he saw her nod as though she understood the look in his eyes as well, and raced to help the village of Freedom Fighters.
“You tagging along, too?” Tails looked up and to the side, raising an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of Soler.
Sonic chuckled, looking back at Soler as he smirked.
He gave Tails a thumbs-up, “More like a stowaway. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all!” Tails looked just as fired up, but maybe in a different way. He had been cooped up with Rotor and Nicole for so long… he probably needed to let out steam and give his head a break.
“Although, this is rather a tedious mission… You sure you can keep your powers under control?” Tails inquired, but Sonic quickly interjected for Soler.
“Shadow’s his teacher, right? I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ve fought by Soler’s side plenty of times. He’s a bro!” Sonic winked and then looked to Soler, showing some confidence in the youth. “Let me ask you something.” He said this with a humorous tone in his voice, but also with one of sincerity. “That machine we were talking about before… the massive Robotizer… Think you can use that chaos of yours to good use?”
Soler thought about it a moment. He wanted to say, ‘Absolutely!’ but he was somewhat unsure.
After all this time, he was still scared of his abilities. But now, he wanted to take courage. He wanted to be more than his nightmares.
He glared towards the EggCarrier. “Leave it to me.”
“We need something strong and sure. You ready for this?”
“…I will be.” Soler felt every fiber of his being fill with chaos power. It was almost as if the power inside of him knew how desperately he needed to prove himself. He wasn’t a ghost of his past, he was still alive. He could still fight.
Tails began to warn them, turning the plane at a sharp right to have the plane perfectly adjacent to a loading dock where some of the robots were falling from.
“Jump off here! I’ll take some out before they hit the ground!” Tails hollered out.
“Good thinking, Tails!” Sonic looked to Soler. “Ladies first.”
Soler rolled his eyes and jumped. While Sonic chuckled and jump below him, Soler smirked and grabbed Sonic’s top quill. “Then,” he spun in the air to throw Sonic into a horde of marching robots that were about to fall below. “After you!” His tactical swing was so strong that Soler forced Sonic to instinctively spin into a ball, taking out the lines of robots like a bowling ball on the loading dock.
Sonic created a path as Soler began to punch and round-house kick stragglers who managed to dodge Sonic’s attack.
Sonic kept spin-dashing, coming back to homing attack any robots aiming for Soler as Soler let out a few Chaos Spears and then showered the area inside with a Chaos Hailstorm. “HAAAAAA!!!”
The robots were stabbed through and misfired, hitting the loading dock as its side became detached.
“W-woah!” Sonic unspun and put a hand to the unstable metal, seeing the dock slide off one hinge and begin to dangle a moment from the EggCarrier.
“Soler!” he cried out, grabbing his hand and swinging him up inside the blimp.
Soler slid inside, seeing a few robots fire at him and dodged as best he could while still on the ground and holding Sonic’s hand.
“Take… this!” with his torso straining, he flung Sonic up from the edge before the boarding dock detached and began falling towards the village. Luckily, the X-Tornado took out the falling debris to be less dangerous, and Sonic spun into more of the large army.
Soler felt a laser glaze his shoulder and another fire into his side.
“Awk!” He fell to a knee, not sure which area to grab first. “S…Sonic, get out of the way!” he felt his power charging. His fingers twitched. He was going for the machine…
The machine had just started to descend, a large panel on the blimp’s floor opened in a spiral as the robots were flung out of the blimp from the powerful winds.
“Hmmm!? And what are you planning to do!?” Eggman’s voice blasted in his ears.
“I’m going to…” Soler stopped speaking a moment, looking below as the wind began to scoot his feet towards the opened hole. “Grrk…” he gritted his teeth, trying to stay upright and not get sucked into the wind tunnel.
Sonic grabbed a bar near him and looked to Soler, straining to stay upright as well. “How much time you need?”
“I…” Soler felt himself faltering. The chaos power began to rage inside of him. What was he fighting for? He just wanted to get rid of all these feelings. It was too much on him.
What am I fighting for? Luna’s memory? A future for the Freedom Fighters? Why can’t I make up my mind?
Almost at once, he saw the machine turn on, wheeling two giant gears as the beam charged.
“Soler!” Sonic cried out, “NOW!”
He heard… but he couldn’t move.
His eyes shook.
Luna…
Chief…
Shadow…
Sonic…
Sally…
He closed his fist, then his eyes, and ducked his head. The power around him was growing in unusual strength.
“You didn’t have to do that…” she commented, fixing him up before tightening the bandages as he held in another painful cry, puffing his cheeks up with air. ‘Mercy…’ he thought to himself. She smiled at his cute attempt to swallow the air back down but knew what it all meant. “But I’m very grateful you did.” she held him in a stare for a moment, but it felt like a long while to him. Looking into her eyes… was like watching a constellation go by…
She turned with a blush, “So is my father-!” she chimed in, clearing her throat at her obvious nerves that spiked as he didn’t look away from her. “A-and my village! We’re all in debt to your sacrifice and-and…”
He shook his head, a softer side coming out of him as his face turned to one of hope.
“As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters.”
“…Thank you.”
He could see the memory, but the voice was his own. He knew now. He knew what he was fighting for.
“Please… think of the real people around you… think of the hero you want to be… the one Luna saw in you… that day you saved her life.” Amy said.
His eyes flexed and his pupils dilated. He recounted taking that bullet for her.
His hand twitched, the light in it slowly fading away…
“Life is worth saving, Soler… Don’t throw your life away for one victory… that needlessly leads to further suffering and pain. We’d all miss you, Soler… we all love and need you so much…” she lowered her head, crying into his chest as the warm tears cooled his boiling rage…
“This isn’t a redemption anymore.” Soler smiled, looking up with a relief he hadn’t found in years. “I have people to protect again. I have a me I want to be. I’m not meant to mope around or sob over lost stories…”
“What?” Sonic looked a little weirded out at his spoken narrative. “Look, I’m all for redemption arcs, b-but… is now really the time!?”
“I had my repentance… I had my redemption… it’s time… to save everyone like Luna and her village! Those who don’t have anyone! I’m not as useless as I used to be! I’m strong now! I’m strong enough to save everyone!” He jumped, feeling the wind take him into the line of fire.
“S-…Soler!?!?” Sonic’s eyes widened, “What the… Soler!” thinking the worst, Sonic let go and dived for him.
He didn’t make it in time.
“It’s time for my origin to end… and my new beginning… to start.” Soler smiled, thinking back on the happy times, the good moments from his past and his present. The future… never looked more beautiful.
He saw Sally in his mind’s eye, he saw Luna next to her, happily cheering him on and then looking to Sally, smiling to her and then back to Soler.
“Thank you… Luna.” He let the power soar through him, “I’ll never stop loving you… but thank you for letting me love more than I ever thought possible.”
The laser blasted out its robotic chemical beam, but as the metal began to engulf his being, losing his will…
His chaos reversed, blasting out a Chaos Canon as he shoved his half-metallic arms up at the machine, crying out just before losing all feeling in his body. “CHAOS CANNNOOONN!!!”
A huge surge of a synergy burst spread throughout the blimp, the beam was cut off from reaching the ground.
Immediately, the machine began to be coated in an extra layer of metal, as though the chaos power reverted the effects onto itself, and the machine began to malfunction and finally…
KA-KA-KABBBOOOMMMM……!!!!!!!
The sound wave sent Sonic flying back to the side of the ship. “Offph!” he slammed against the wall, but refused to give up. Thinking his friend was in need of him, he got himself off the wall and pushed off, fighting the wind-force that was continually funneling him away instead of inside the gapping hole in the middle of the EggCarrier, the exact opposite of before.
Soler felt the metal slowly chip off his skin, being revived to his normal colors from the roboticization process. He had reversed the effects… this could be huge, but he didn’t have enough strength to dwell on it further.
He could feel something launch into himself and pull him out of the blast of the crippled machine, falling in pieces, being blown off and toppling through the sky, shot into dust by the X-Tornado.
His ears were ringing with deafness. His eyes glazed as the steel-like sight returned to normal and Sonic landed on the X-Tornado.
Everyone below… are they okay? I hear… cheering… Sonic… Did you save me?
As he came too, he thought he could see a Silver-quilled hedgehog. He reached for her, seeing only Luna.
“….You did well, Soler. I’m so proud of you. Thank you… for saving everyone.”
“L…Luna…”
“Hehe! You silly, hedgehog! I’m glad you’re not hurt. Do me a favor, okay? Don’t forget what you said… I won’t.”
“I… I will protect them… Luna. For you… and for all those… I care about.”
“Good. Don’t let me down, mister!”
”Soler!”
Sally’s voice broke the trance as he saw the image fade and Sally’s blurry image race through it, falling down to his side.
Was I already on the ground? We landed safely?
“Sonic! What did you let him do!?”
“Me?! Why is it always me?! I saved his life! He was about to die in the line of fire!” animatedly, Sonic looked a bit offended but let Soler down to the ground as carefully as he could. “Hmph, it’s not like you ever worry this much about me.”
“You don’t have cosmic power that could kill you!” she gave him a side glare.
Sonic sweat-dropped a moment and awkwardly shrugged, “But I got a willful soul to worry about…”
“Impulsive, impractical-!”
“S…Sally.” Feeling bad for Sonic, Soler redirected those beautiful blue eyes back to him again.
“Soler… Are you okay? What were you thinking? You could have been robotized or worse!”
“Heh,… Good to … see you too.”
She threw her arms around him, thankful as she tried to hold her emotions within herself. “I was so worried… that you would have become… another painful memory…”
This time, there wasn’t any flashback that would pull him away from her now.
He struggled to lean up, but he willed his body to do so, tucking an arm around her and holding her closer to himself. He rested his head next to hers, hearing her light gasp as she felt his presence more strongly now.
“I promise you, too, Sally… I will be a living memory of how merciful the world can be.”
Sally’s eyes couldn’t hold back the tears.
“Sorry to worry you.”
Sonic stepped back a moment, seeing the two’s interaction, he began to look a little worried himself…
“Is it just me… or did you two get a little… close all of a sudden?” He seemed a bit apprehensive.
Sally glared up at him, “At least he can openly talk deep with me. Unlike some boys I’ve dated.”
“Hey!”
It wasn’t long after that, when Soler finally found a safebox that he hand-painted himself, and put Luna’s necklace in it. He dug a pretty good hole near the hill he star-gazed and admired the moon on, placing the box in it and marking it as a much needed grave for her.
With her body so burnt up, there wasn’t much too bury last time… this was much more peaceful and freeing for him.
So many bodies… at least this was a proper farewell.
This is the least I can do for you… Luna.
He gently bent down and kissed the ground he had just thrown over the box. Leaning up, he looked at the sky, seeing no moon tonight…
“Sleep well… Luna.” He wiped a tear from his eye and walked back to town, hoping to help out in repairing the damages.
Getting back, he hoisted a log with others over his shoulder and began to carry it to its designated site… Then Sally caught his attention.
She seemed to be giving directions and orders, holding a clipboard and checking it often before giving anymore feedback.
He smiled, it gave him strength.
On the way back to get some more lumber, he noticed her wipe her forehead and sit down by a stump, looking exhausted.
It’s time.
He took a deep breath, shaking off the thought of how sweaty and gross he was from lifting and moving large logs all day. He approached her and offered her his hand.
She noticed the crossed black stripes that made an ‘X’ in his glove and looked up.
“I think it’s time for that vacation now.” He charmingly stated.
She smiled, accepting his hand and getting up. “You know… it’s been hard since I left Sonic, but… You’re different, Soler. I feel different with you. In a lot of good ways, n-nothing bad! Ohh…” she hid behind a hand, and the cute retreat from the comment made him blush with an even bigger grin.
“You just… You let emotion sit with you and carry you to new discoveries, Soler. It’s one of the most powerful things about you, your quality of just… surviving through the strength you receive from your past. I know it must be painful, but I admire your strength so much…”
She saw that as strength!?
He was in complete awe at her words.
“I’ve noticed… how much you try and help. How dedicated you are to not losing another friend or fight. You always get up. You never just sink down so far that you can’t find yourself again… sometimes… I feel that’s exactly what I do.” She removed her hand and balled it up, looking away.
Soler then realized that maybe Sally was hurting in a different way from himself. His was a lot more physically affecting his life. Maybe… Sally’s was deeper inside, something that she would never let close to the surface.
His empathy for her skyrocketed, he couldn’t help but pull her a bit closer, move her hand from her face and have her turn to him.
She was amazed at his bold move, but it didn’t seem to miss its point…
“Sally… I don’t want you to suffer. Especially alone… Just like you told me, you can talk to me, too. You can rely on me. I’ve learned the hard way how to hold something in for so long, letting it fester and grow into something ugly and tragic… and I want to help you break out of that habit. It’s so easy to slip into despair… but the people we love don’t want us to feel despair. They want us to be liberated from the pains we hold onto. They want us to remember their best selves…” his voice was full of honest experience, of good intent, and of wisdom beyond his years.
Sally let out a soft sigh, lowering her eyes and letting a small, pleading smile escape her composure. “I like this about you, too… The side of you that lets people feel and experience pain… but also offering yourself to be apart of that pain so they can release it. I’ve seen you help others, but never help yourself. I wanted to help you, I just… didn’t know how.”
He looked to her hand, his around her wrist, and slowly… begins to bring his fingers up to hers and gently, sweetly… enticing them to let go of their tension and uncurl, letting him in.
“Sally… May I ask you on a date?”
She giggled, but looked to their hands intertwining.
“Yes. I’m excited to see what I say.” She teased, and Soler couldn’t help but let out a nervous chuckle. He was falling in love again, and it was different, just like Sally said.
But it was also very reassuring… and very… relieving.
“I’m excited to see where this new path takes me.” He holds her hand tenderly, and the two of them start to walk off together.
I’m so thankful… That I can now share my emotions with others. Because I have had this pain, I can understand them more than ever before. I can love more deeply, care more sincerely, and cherish those things that I’m allowed to keep. I can hold them close, closer to my heart than I was ever willing to do before. I won’t leave the places where I belong, or desert the hearts I have sworn to protect.
The two seemed very happy with their new relationship, watching it take form over the time they’ve shared together. Soler looked up at the spot where the moon would be again.
Luna, I will thank you till I have no breath left to utter, no thought left to think. You’ve shown me a better path and how to truly care about people. I’m sorry for what happened, but I will never be sorry for meeting you, the Chief, and your village. You helped me open up to the world, meet amazing people, like those that could teach me and those who could support me. They’re all such great people, you would have love them.
This time, He gripped Sally’s hand more, pulling his head towards her as she returned the kind gesture by letting her nose lightly bump against his own. A faint blush formed on both their muzzles. I’ll protect the things and people I love… under your watchful, relaxed, night sky’s eye…
The next day, the moon returned. It’s dark grey shapes shifted to look as though a smiling face…
( Here’s the song I’ll be referencing for this little wrap up >//w//< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgmXPCX4VzU Photograph by Ed Sheeran)
Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes
Luna is walking behind Sally and Soler, her hands happily behind her back, laced together as she giddily follows them and then stops. She lifts a leg a little bit, swaying as she lets them walk off,… alone.
But it's the only thing that I know…
When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes
It is the only thing makes us feel alive
Flashback to Soler having his nightmares, but he gets up and walks out to the hallways and knocks on Sally’s door. She opens it and immediately touches his head. It’s pounding and she lovingly kisses it, closing her door and holding his hand, walking out with him and cheerfully trying to take his mind off things to avoid further PTSD.
We keep this love in a photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Luna’s necklace still glows in the buried box, showing many shapes of the moon, time going by.
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts are never broken
And time's forever frozen still
A memory is shown with Soler, much younger, sitting on a hill next to Luna. Their two heads turn into each other, as if the village never burned and no one ever died.
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone,…
wait for me to come home
There’s a flash of light and Soler is heading off down the road, he holds onto her necklace, he turns and sees Luna trying to keep face. He waves, and puts her necklace in his gloves. As he does, the world shifts to a blazing fire behind him, his eyes red from tears, his gloves dirtied from the many graves he had to dig…
Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul
And it's the only thing that I know, know
It’s modern day again, Sally and Soler are laughing and enjoying a meal together. She holds up something for him to eat and he goes to get it with his mouth, but she pulls the fork away, playfully laughing as he pouts.
I swear it will get easier
Remember that with every piece of you
Hmm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die
He offers her the gesture, when she goes for it, he withdraws the food and kisses her. She embarrassingly flings back and then starts to playfully whack and throw food at him. He laughs and the food fight continues. Then there’s a shift to another time, the two sitting beside one another as their loved ones start to resurface as faded images behind them.
Hmm, we keep this love in this photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts were never broken
And time's forever frozen still
The images show Sally as a child, with her loving parents and other friends she’s made and lost along the cruel way towards freedom. Soler has the Chief and Luna, along with many other faces of cheery people he met on his travels. A time where they never knew loss or heartache… but the memories are all pleasant, not a single one is sad or upsetting.
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone
Soler helps Sally put her jacket on, she thanks him and takes up Nicole’s portable device. She turns to him and leans up on her tippity-toes. He does the same and she sighs, frustrated before they briefly kiss and she goes on a mission. He gets antsy, bouncing a bit before charging after her, swooping her up and rushing off on the mission with her.
And if you hurt me
That's okay baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won’t ever let you go
There’s a flash where Soler is holding Luna’s lifeless body, then suddenly he’s reaching for a wounded Sally… She reaches back to him, struggling to breathe as he shifts his chaos energy and blasts the area. Sally is unharmed as he picks her up. She smiles and touches her hand to his cheek, a single stream of tears starts down one of his cheeks, glad to see she’ll be okay.
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
Luna is playing hide and seek, peeking over a tree’s trunk as Soler chases after her.
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
Instead of Luna, Sally emerges to lean up against the tree, being caught by Soler as he slows the pace down and moves up to her, watching as she presses her back to the tree. He studies her eyes and then her mouth… leaning forward and closing his eyes…
Oh, you can fit me
Inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen
Next to your heartbeat where I should be
Keep it deep within your soul
Luna’s necklace is around Soler’s neck, he’s holding Luna’s hand, she takes her necklace back and kisses him, putting it on herself and holding it close to herself. It means the world to her. He nods, letting her keep it.
And if you hurt me
Well, that's okay baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won’t ever let you go
Soler wakes up from a nap on the same hill, star-gazing when he sees the bright full moon. He then looks over, worriedly for a moment, when he relaxes at seeing Sally sleeping silently beside him, just resting by him as well.
When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me
His memory takes him to Luna, but it rapidly flashes to Sally, sticking there.
Under the lamppost back on Sixth street
The two close the gap between each other, holding hands.
Hearing you whisper through the phone
Sally chickens out and shakes her head, laughing and holding her hands to her cheeks. Soler tries to get in for one last kiss goodnight but she shakes a finger at him and starts to run off. He snaps his fingers, rushing after her back to the hideout.
"Wait for me to come home"
His ear flicks, as if hearing something and turns to see the moon appearing to sit on the hill. Its shadow looks like a figure of a girl, Luna..?
Sally calls for him and he turns back around, sorrowfully deciding not to look back, but knowing time will heal the wounds left in his heart. He smiles and lovingly takes Sally’s hand as they walk back to the hideout. He kisses her hand and she lightly hits his shoulder, bumping her hip into his as though shy. He looks forward, unafraid and undaunted by the moon behind him.
He knew it was only saying goodnight to him.
FIN
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My Commission Info (x) Hire me!
@solerwolf21 One-Shot - Soler Story (His Sonic OC)
Time: A few hours to plot out and then a day to write, another day to draw. 10 pages (+4 more, cause I like to give you more for your money >w<) and a drawing.
Amount Paid: 5$, 3$ for story, 2$ tip which gave him a free drawing for his kindness. ;w;
Review: @solerwolf21 “Cutirgirlmayra does a great job at accommodating to her customers requests with their stories. She’s very friendly and open to any and all ideas they have and want to be included in there request. If there is an Original Character(s) involved then she ask for any and everything about the character to make sure she can capture that character the way the customer envisioned while adding a breath of fresh air to them with her unique and passion filled writing style. This added with the fair prices she gives I’d recommend her to anyone in need of some help with a story or just want to see how someone else takes a bit of a spin on their ideas and make them come to light.”
Finished Product: (An example of my work.) -under the ‘read more’ is the drawing and One-Shot story.- a provided example of what I sell, permission to advertise according to rules and customer discretion was given.
The Sun’s Redemption
After some minor missions with the Freedom Fighters, Soler was documenting his findings on a recent Eggman attack, recounting the parts and dimensions of the new robot designs him and the other fighters found for Tails and Rotor to look into later. He liked being useful like this, and Tails and Rotor seemed genuinely thankful for keeping a record like this.
Soler, while fiddling with the documents, pushed his quills back and pulled the lower ones down to their natural curl upwards. It was a fluid movement, the white of his fur with the peach oval and white tuff that barely looped his shoulders shimmered slightly in the low lighting of the base…
His deep blue streaks over his quills glistened lightly as he passed the hallway lights into the office rooms of the secret base, deep in the brush of nature, and away from Eggman’s ever-searching eye.
The paper flipped over his white gloves with black crossing lines in the center of them, counting the pages to make sure he had everything from the rest of his team that were with him during the mission. His emerald green eyes scanned the documents until satisfied with what was written upon them.
The tapping of his crimson shoes with the same x-marked pattern overlapping each other rang with low toned echoes against the hard floor.
While he was about to finish setting the piles of notes and observations onto a nearby desk, he heard a loud and disapproving whine that turned his ears towards the commotion.
‘Huh?’ he thought to himself as he looked to see Amy pestering Sonic again.
“You never have any time for me!” she complained, shoving her arms straight down and closing her eyes as she trailed behind him. “Can’t we… I don’t know, have a picnic or something?” she shrugged, a pleading look in her eyes. “I just miss you… you’ve been working a lot lately and-” Soler noticed Sonic was preoccupied with other things, keeping her mostly taking to his back. She reached for a back quill of his, a longing look in her sorrowful eyes before he turned around.
“Not now Amy,” he stated, but it wasn’t harsh or dismissive in the least bit. Mostly, he was just busy, looking over at his communication watch and fanning some other people away from trying to speak with him further as well. “Maybe we can all hang out other time.” he didn’t even look up to acknowledge her, so whatever he was doing, it must have been pretty important.
Amy took a few steps after him, her hand still reaching before stopping and holding her hands close to her chest.
“...Maybe…” was she questioning him or agreeing to his statement? Soler couldn’t tell.
Seeing her face though… he felt something in his heart go out to the girl.
It made him a little mad, to say the least.
He wandered over, trying to not draw too much attention to himself and looked off after Sonic, standing next to Amy. “...He’s probably just protecting you.” He stated, “Doesn’t want…” he stopped himself, looking down and seeming forlorned now. “To cause you any pain.” Soler’s body froze up, little protruding icicles pierced slowly against his skin. It was aggravating, to say the least. Here’s someone who cares so much about Sonic, and yet, he doesn’t know what he has. No… it’s opposite. Amy doesn’t realize how much danger she places herself in… just because he exists.
‘Existence… So many lives could be spared if just certain people didn’t exist.’ He frowned inwardly for a moment before turning his attention back to Amy, giving her a plucky smile. “He’ll be okay. It’s you he’s probably worried about.”
“Huh?” Amy tilted her head, looking confused on his thought process. “Soler?” she shifted her body and came him a cute pout, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward in authority. “I’m your senior fighter, sir! What makes you think I can’t take care of myself?”
“Come on, Soler! I’m a big girl now! Can’t you let me run up the hill on my own for a change?”
“Gah..!”
Soler shook his head, blinking his eyes as he stepped back.
‘Was that… it can’t be.’
“Soler?” Amy leaned away, seeming worried her joke may have frightened him. “I-... I didn’t mean to make you jumpy. You alright?”
She leaned her hand up to his head, “You seem a little pale… well, paler than usual, haha!” she kid again, but there was a fear in his eyes as he skittishly moved away from her hand.
“I… I have to go. Sorry.” he quickly looked away, rushing out as Amy hollered after him.
“Soler! Wait!” she took off after him. “What’s going on? What’s his problem anyway?” she pouted, worried she may have hurt his feelings.
Up on a hill near a shady tree while the winds beat against the leaves and the sun still peeked over the grassy plain, hanging on to the horizon’s ledge outside the Freedom Fighter’s base was Soler, sitting under the tree and sighing with a sniff in his nose.
He wasn’t crying, just cold.
His body shivered slightly and warmed himself up with a few rubs on his arms and legs. He didn’t mean to shove his business into Amy’s life… she was her own person, and he usually found her adoration for Sonic sweet. But today he just felt like it could have been…
“Luna!” Soler was much younger now, rushing up the hill as he stumbled a little but held his footing. “Your father’s worried sick about you!”
A beautiful silver-quilled hedgehog with quills that blew gracefully in the wind stood in front of the setting sun, smiling towards it before turning just ever so slightly towards Soler. The smile made him pause in his stride to her, admiring the breathtaking silhouette of the girl. It had taken him a while to own up to his feelings, but now that he had, it was a bit overwhelming to say the least. Her purple dress trailed to the side of her as she moved her blue bangs away from eye.
“And what about you, Soler..?” she giggled, “Are you worried about me too?”
He held the necklace she used to wear, silver with a sphere of black that would light up according to the moon’s glowing phase. It would be out soon… then he could see what the moon looked like. Clouds blocked his vision the last few nights, so the necklace was like holding a miniature moon in his hands. It was her namesake… and because of her, it was his treasure.
She didn’t seem so far when the moon came out. Maybe Amy felt like that too. As long as she could still be around Sonic, it wasn’t so bad…
‘Amy… I’m sorry.’ he gripped his white chest fur… bending down slightly at the pain of guilt that fed into his heart and locked itself away with no windows to let some air in and relieve him of the agony.
Was he just doomed to cause pain and trouble?
“Soler!”
His head flicked up, shocked to hear his name shouted so close to the edge of the Base’s secret camp. “A-Amy?” he turned back, but couldn’t see anything within the heavy forested jungle…
His eyes scanned with a squint that helped him see a little crisper—the fine details of the landscape—but still, no pink dots were popping up.
He was about to get up and search for her, worried she may be in trouble, or most likely get into it. But as he stepped his foot out to get under himself and stand, Amy charged from behind and tackled him. He reflexed and used his training to stiffen his arms out on the ground, keeping him from tumbling over as she laughed and released him, sitting beside him next to the tree.
“Got you! Haha! What are you doing way out here? Admiring the fading sunbeams?” she grinned eagerly, wanting to speak with him as she looked over the sunset… “It’s beautiful.” she commented, “Because it won’t set forever.”
He seemed confused, turning around and tried to hold back any frustration he felt at being spooked. It was… kinda funny, but it really surprised him!
“W-what are you doing here? I could have accidentally fought you off if you hadn’t said anything!” he dusted himself off and sat back down, looking a bit like he wanted to scold her but held it back. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re not hurt.” he sighed, relaxing back and letting the tension leave his body.
“I really surprised you, huh?” she laughed before looking over at the colors in the darkening sky again. “Sonic says the same thing…”
Soler looked away, feeling bad again. “About today... “ he began, scratching the back of his head as he sat more upright, not wanting to slouch. “Pink… I’m sorry about what I said.” he held his hands together out in front of him, loosely, only having the fingers intertwined.
“I wish I wasn’t there. Then I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“What?” Amy turned back to him, not sure what he was getting at. “What are you talking about? I’m happy you’re here.” she gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I’m not sure what prompted the sudden warning, but I’m sure it was out of kindness.”
He turned away. “Yeah… well… I’m still sorry for disturbing you. You and Sonic… that’s completely different than mine…”
“Your..? Your what?” Amy removed the hand from his shoulder, tilting her head further in her confusion. “Soler… is there something you want to talk about?”
He flinched, “N-not really…” he looked back at the sun, hoping to change the subject. “You said something about the sun’s beauty being so because it fades? What do you mean by that?” He thought fast, a bit interested, but mostly to get her on another topic.
She did just that, starting to ramble. “Hehe! The colors, silly! The sight doesn’t last forever… that’s what makes it so beautiful. You have to be there, in the moment, the fleeting colors spread across the sky and capture your heart and imagination… What’s beautiful is that you treasure it longer because it’s not there all the time.”
He clung to his lunar necklace…
“The sun has to leave so the moon can rise and give a whole new experience to the earth…”
He turned his head away, closing his eyes tightly shut as the pain of his heart’s pricking icicles suddenly turned deadly and twisted into the sides of his heart.
“I know.” His voice wavered a moment, his true feelings coming out. “I know what that means.”
“...Soler?” Amy tenderly turned back, “Ah! Are you hurt!?” she moved in front of him, reaching out to see what he was clutching too.
His eyes opened wide, a new memory resurfacing…
“You’re hurt!”
Luna charged after him, seeing him trying to hide his wound.
“It’s fine.” He tried to gently usher her away, not wanting her to feel bad about his own injury. “It was…” he looked up a moment, seeing her eyes sparkle in their loving care. “...Worth it.” he was taken aback a moment. Never in his lonely life had he seen someone take so much time out of their own life to care about him this much.
“Nonsense! Here, let me dress that for you.” She stubbornly coaxed him down to the ground, getting out some natural medicine made from the surrounding plant life around her home village and began to treat him. He winced back at the pain, biting his jaw into place as he tried to not show it in front of her. He wanted to grin and bear it, but it wasn’t about trying to act cool in front of her. He just didn’t want her to suffer… watching him bleeding.
“You didn’t have to do that…” she commented, fixing him up before tightening the bandages as he held in another painful cry, puffing his cheeks up with air. ‘Mercy…’ he thought to himself. She smiled at his cute attempt to swallow the air back down but knew what it all meant. “But I’m very grateful you did.” she held him in a stare for a moment, but it felt like a long while to him. Looking into her eyes… was like watching a constellation go by…
She turned with a blush, “So is my father-!” she chimed in, clearing her throat at her obvious nerves that spiked as he didn’t look away from her. “A-and my village! We’re all in debt to your sacrifice and-and…”
He shook his head, a softer side coming out of him as his face turned to one of hope.
“As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters.”
She turned back to him,... a little boldly, she cupped his face and smiled, hiding her face a bit as she dipped her head shyly and let hair slightly cover her weakened features from his kind words. “Thank you…”
She left it at that and scurried away, but his eyes never left hers, shaking at the touch that filled his cheek with a heat he hadn’t experienced before.
At the time, he didn’t mean anything much by it, only that he was happy to be a hero for a day. But after some time… he realized how much those words really meant,... in a moment… like that…
“Soler? You’re shaking!” Amy worriedly moved away. The daydream state he was in broke and he adjusted himself.
“S-sorry!” he kicked back to get himself sitting uprightly again, “I-I’ve been thinking back a lot on someone lately… it’s… it’s not something you need to concern yourself with though… it’s a sad story.” he thought that may sway her away from asking further, but instead, she sat comfortably down and put her head in her two hands, her elbows resting on the sides of her legs which were in the Indian-style position.
“...You’re not backing down… are you?” Soler smiled, he liked to see her this energetic and invested in people’s lives.
Maybe it would be okay… to tell her a thing or two about himself…
“...Her name was…” he choked up a minute, having to swallow. “Luna…”
As his tale went on, Amy began to tear up, hearing about the village and the girl he loved murdered right before his eyes. “It was all because of me. Neo Metal Sonic framed Shadow, murdered Luna to bring out my power through extreme stress and trauma…” he gripped his hands tightly, shaking them in renewed rage. “Now that I can fight, I want to protect those who can’t protect themselves! I want to make sure no one suffers as much as I did… as much as she did… as they all did…” he looked away. “It’s just better if I wasn’t around, you know? They could have lived their lives in gentle bliss. Up against the windy hills… the soft dirt and the clearest skies I’ve ever seen…” he looked up, seeing the daylight fade into the night.
“Oh!” he quickly fumbled to get his necklace, looking at the shape begin to take form and glow in it.
“Look!” he excitedly turned to show Amy, as she covered her mouth at how excited he looked to witness Luna’s pendant light up as the sun disappeared. “It’s just like you said… she would be here if…” he looked up into the sky. “If…” the glow from the pendant radiated the sight of the moon that rose quickly to the sky in front of him.
It was… amazing.
“It’s a Waning Gibbous or shrinking moon.” He explained, gazing at the stars as they began to come to life before his eyes. He was at peace for a moment, but his heart was still breaking from the ice that fell against the cold cave of his heart. “This is the first phase after the Full Moon occurs. It lasts about 7 days, with the Moon's illumination getting smaller each day until becoming a Last Quarter Moon... then it’ll shine at around half it’s normal glow. It rises after sunsets…” he looked at his necklace, his eyes arching back. “I hate that people can’t be happy unless I’m gone…”
“Nooo!!!” Amy leaped up, her eyes pouring out a storm of tears. “Don’t say that! Don’t ever say that!”
“W-woah!” He scooted back a bit, hitting himself against the tree. “What’s wrong?! Why are you crying!?” he freaked out, worried it was his fault somehow.
“Because she loved you so much!” she began to bawl, moving her hands to her eyes in a little bundle of a fist, crying into them. “Whahhha!!! You loved each other so much! I’m so sorry, Soler! But she wouldn’t want you to go away! She was happy with you!” she wiped her tears away quickly, sniffling and trying to compose herself.
“She was… happy…” Soler dipped his head down, “That’s the problem. She could have continued being happy if I never-”
“NOOOO!!!!” she cried harder, making him flinch back and stay silent this time.
‘W-what’s gotten into her?!’ he was a little freaked out, as Amy continued on.
“You gave her something that no one else could! I believe in destiny, and I believe—that no matter what you think—you two were made to find and save each other. Without her, would you have ever really ventured out to learn about your powers? Find Shadow? Us?”
He remained silent, but a slight bit of sunlight melted some of the cold that had formed in his heart.
“You’re like the sun, Soler! That’s what she loved about you!” Amy leaped forward, grabbing his hands.
“Ah!” he was a bit shocked by her boldness, but this was nothing new.
“You warmed their lives! You may not have been able to control your powers very well, but you did whatever you could to provide for them. Life can’t grow without the sun’s energy, Soler! You gave them something that they loved more than anything! You’re the reason they held such happy smiles on their faces! She loved cause you were you and you were there!” With a heavy heart, he starts to think back on the village. Were they happier before he came..?
No… they were terrified.
But after he came?
They were at peace… children could play safely in the streets and Luna’s Father ruled without worrying about dangers rising up to strike them. They were kept in the dark of their homes in constant panic… but when he showed up… when he came…
He felt a tear roll down his eye, and lifted an amazed finger to it, touching it as it moved.
“But they were taken from me… right before my eyes.” he closed his eyes, letting himself cry in front of her now, unable to hold it back as the ice in his heart that was melting away came out of his eyes. “They ended up suffering worse because of me! I was a little resistant to love them back at first… now I know why… I mean… if I had never gone to that village… I wouldn’t have… she… they all would have lived, wouldn’t they?” he looked at his soaked gloves. “These powers… I don’t know why I have them. All I know is that without Shadow’s help, I couldn’t have learned how to master them. Now I can save those people I couldn’t have before.”
“Soler… they loved you.” Amy moved back, “Why is that so hard to grasp? Even at the end, they were happy… they never could have had that joy if you weren’t there protecting them. Even with your powers untrained… you did everything you could to give them the life they had always wanted. I know if they were here—no… if Luna was here! She’d want you to shine for all the world! Giving light and hope, warmth and safety, to all those who have never known a loving, passionate, burning light like that before!” Amy withdrew her arms only to spring them out wide as the moon shone above her.
“Luna loved you! She loved you cause you were exactly what she needed! She could be the soft glow that lit up the darkness from your lonely, dreary life. She guided you to a purpose… and you gave her everything she had never known before! Soler! You gotta see yourself through her eyes!”
“...Through… her eyes..?”
“Soler…”
Luna turned to him, looking peaceful and relaxed as they sat before the sunset.
“Promise me… when you become the man you want to be… that you’ll never forget moments like this?”
“...What do you mean?” He turned to her, smiling as well as they held hands.
“Hehe!” she giggled, blushing but holding his hand a little tighter back.
“That no matter who needs it. You’ll always shine a ray of hope on whoever needs you. Promise me that?”
“Of course. That’s my only goal in life.”
“It’s a dream, Soler… a dream you can live in the broad daylight.” she looked up at the sun. “...I love that part of you, Soler. The part that won’t let himself be taken by the darkness…”
“Luna…” Soler remembered his dark side… and quickly wanted to warn her about it. “Luna, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Whatever it is, I know you’ll get through it.” she gave him a close-eyed smile, before hopping up and twirling around. “Ohh!!! The moon will be out soon! Quick! Tell me and then we can guess which phase it will be tonight!”
“B-but that’s not fair!” he laughed, “You always know what the moon’s going to be. It’s in your necklace!” she laughed and hid her secret.
“Whhhattt..? You calling me a cheater?” she teased, rushing off.
“Hey! Luna!” he took off after her, as she beckoned him on.
He ended up not telling her, always wanting her to believe he was better than what he thought he really was…
“Then that’s what I’ll do.” He gripped his pendant, standing up. “I’ll make sure to be the Sunrise… for someone trapped in the powers of that intimidating darkness… just like her and her village.” he gave a look of determination to the moon. “I promised her.”
Amy wiped the rest of her tears away, drying them up as she nodded at his new resolve. “Good. I’m with you on that one!” she gave him a thumbs up, and he looked kindly down to her.
“Sonic deserves you, Pinky. I’m sorry I thought it was wrong for you to try and be so close to him.” he offered her his hand.
“Ha! Love conquers all!” she took his hand and got up, heading back to base and waving to him. “You coming?”
“Just a minute!” he called back, looking out into the night…
An engine flared in the distance…
“What? It can’t be!” he could have sworn he knew that noise…
His teeth were borne and he looked behind him. “Run, Amy! Get the others!”
“Huh?” she turned around. “Soler..? What’s going-”
“It’s Neo Metal Sonic!” Soler took off into the night’s cool glow...
#Commission receipt#me commissions#commission#solerwolf21#cutegirlmayra#me writing#solerthehedgehog#sonic oc#sonic oc story
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