Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sonic was dead.

That was the conclusion that the world had settled on, it was the only logical explanation for his sudden disappearance. No one thought anything about it; it was the end of spring and the weather was perfect for adventure, Sonic being gone for a day or two was nothing out of the ordinary. Besides, Sonic, for the most part, was capable of taking care of himself. As the fourth day came and went, that faith began to dwindle and on the seventh day, Tails began to panic.

“No messages, no calls, I can’t even get his phone to ring!” worried was an understatement; Tails was in distress, his fur was unkempt and it was clear that the boy barely slept the last few days. “It’s not like him.”

“You think he’s in trouble?” Knuckles asked, he and Amy had received a message that morning from Tails saying that they needed to come over as soon as possible, that it was an emergency.

The fox nodded, “It’s the only explanation I can come up with.”

Amy took a moment to think over the information Tails had presented them. “Let’s not jump to conclusions, we don’t know for sure,” She began before giving Tails a gentle smile, “Besides! He’s gotta be here somewhere.” Her confidence was reassuring and despite the fear that Tails was feeling, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of hope.

“Come on! We have a hedgehog to find!”

They found nothing.

They turned to the Chaotix who conducted their own investigation. They too found nothing.

The situation was becoming dire. Shadow couldn’t remember what he particularly was doing the day Rouge barraged into his apartment in a panic; maybe he was reading or maybe he was enjoying a cup of coffee beans, but he does remember the conversation.

“Sonic is missing,” she didn’t didn’t bother to greet him, odd but Shadow took no note of it.

“So? That hedgehog will show up eventually,” he should have noticed the state of dismay Rouge was in, her usual suave demeanor was gone and she looked like she rushed to put something on, even her makeup was minimal.

“Shadow, he’s been missing for over a month.”

The world was not the same afterwards.

They looked for him everywhere, neither friend or foe had any clue of the blue blur’s whereabouts. Days turned into weeks which turned into months and nothing. They found nothing. It was like he vanished out of existence.

Then the six month mark hit and Sonic was declared dead. There was no body to bury but they still held a funeral for him anyway. It was a large affair; speeches were given and tears were shed. Tails couldn’t even get through the beginning of his speech, breaking down into sobs as soon as he opened his mouth. The boy looked so small on the podium, too young for the tragedy that had transpired over the course of months.

It was painful.

The week leading up to the funeral, Shadow felt empty and when the day arrived; he did not utter a word until afterwards when he found Sonic’s heartbroken brother crying into Amy’s shoulder. Grief was now all he could feel and it crescendoed by second. The sight of Tails was his breaking point. He gently tapped on the fox’s shoulder and when the boy lifted up his head to look at him, Shadow couldn’t help the urge to hug the boy.

“I’m sorry,” it was the only thing his mind could think of but it did not accurately portray what he was feeling but that didn’t matter because Tails understood perfectly as latched himself to the hedgehog.

Their hero was dead.

—

Did Shadow even know Sonic enough to even miss him? To truly grieve him?

It was a question that plagued him because he didn’t, all that he knew about him was superficial. Sonic was an annoying, sassy, and overly confident but a good hearted hedgehog who was selfless to a dangerous extent. He was the fastest thing alive but Shadow would never say that to his face. He was a hero, but everyone knew that.

It became very apparent after Sonic was declared dead that Shadow knew nothing about his rival. What was worse was the fact that it didn’t have to be this way because despite Shadow’s clear distaste for the blue blur, Sonic would constantly and consistently nag Shadow to hangout with him, to get to know him, to be friends and Shadow would refuse time and time again.

He didn’t dare to get close to Sonic.

And now, he was gone.

It was one of Shadow’s many regrets which was only intensified by the fact that days before Sonic’s disappearance, he once again tried to get Shadow to hangout with him after a race. “Let’s get something to eat. I'm starving!” Sonic would always make an attempt after their little competition was over, after all, it was the only time the two would meet up. It was always food, it was like it was Sonic’s olive branch to the other and Shadow couldn’t understand why; it didn’t work in the past and it didn’t work then.

“Now why would I want to do that?”

Sonic’s smile did not falter at Shadow’s coldness, he was used to it by now, “Oh come on, Shadow! It wouldn’t kill you to just once, just once, come along and join me?”

“Maybe it will,” and that was the end of it as Shadow sped off into the distance, not caring for the hedgehog that he had just left behind.

Oh how he wished he had said yes.

This is how he had found himself venturing out in the wilderness of Green Hills along with Tails, Amy, and Knuckles on the anniversary of Sonic’s disappearance. Shadow had caught wind that they were holding a little celebration of life and he had asked if he could tag along. To his surprise, they said yes. Originally, they were at the home that once Sonic and Tails shared but now housed Tails and Amy, Amy had taken over as his guardian and moved in shortly after. But the silence was so heavy and the atmosphere was too thick with grief that staying inside was becoming unbearable.

“He wouldn’t have wanted this,” Tails was the one to break the silence, “He would’ve wanted us to go out and have fun.”

Knuckles stood up from the couch, “You’re right, the hedgehog would be disappointed in us. Let's go, he always did like the outdoors.”

They had no real plan, they just picked a direction and aimlessly followed it. At first, they barely spoke to each other but as they continued to walk; they started to tell their favorite memories of Sonic. Tails told a story about how Sonic had fallen into a shallow pond and began to flail as he panicked about drowning. In the end, it was Tails who went into the water in order to save the hero. Amy recounted how Sonic failed to make a simple batch of cookies, laughing about how batter ended up everywhere and how sheepish he looked when Amy had discovered him and the mess after she left the room for a brief moment. Knuckles told the group about one of the battles against Dr. Eggman where he and Sonic fought alongside each other, how he admired Sonic’s skills in battle despite his tendency on focusing on making snarky remarks instead of actually fighting. And as for Shadow? He could only listen as they reminisced about the past, trying to get a better picture of who Sonic was.

“Oh! Remember when he tried to see how many Chili dogs he could eat in thirty minutes?" The memory seemed to brighten Tails’ mood even further.

“How could I not? That was a disaster! He was groaning on the floor for hours!” Amy’s tone was light even though the memory for her wasn’t very funny.

Knuckles, however, found it hilarious, “Shadow, you should have seen! It was the best thing that happened at that party!”

The fact that they kept including him, sharing with him as if he too was a good friend of Sonic, despite the fact that this is what Shadow was seeking to a degree, made him feel funny. It didn’t feel right. This was all too personal, too intimate that he couldn’t help but feel like he didn’t deserve to be here.

But he wasn’t given the chance to dwell on it further as a spark came from the ground and from it a gold line began to create a circle on the floor, encapsulating the group. “What the-“ Shadow began but was never able to finish the sentence. One moment, the ground underneath them was there and then the next it was gone. Too quick for any of them to process what was happening; they found themselves dropped onto a dirt path with a loud thud. Disoriented and very confused, Shadow slowly picked himself up from the floor.

What just happened?

A groan came from Tails who was struggling to get up on his feet and Shadow was quick to assist him. The fox thanked him.

“Is everyone alright?” Amy asked as she took a moment to survey the group for injuries but found nothing.

Tails looked himself over, “I think so. Knuckles?”

The echidna was rubbing arm, “Bruised but I’ll live.”

“I’m fine,” Shadow didn’t need to even check, something like a fall was not enough to hurt him.

“Great. Now then…” Amy and the rest were finally able to take in their surroundings, “Where are we?”

The trees around them were unfamiliar and the atmosphere was odd, this was not a place they had been before. Luckily, the path they had landed on was straight and well defined, it was clear that there was only one course of action; follow the path. Before they could even begin to choose a direction, luck was once again on their side as they wouldn’t have to go far in order to find any trace of civilization; something was heading their way. The sound of distant but loud chatter was drawing closer and closer from down the path, soon they could see what appeared to a group of four Mobians. They rushed to meet up with the group with Shadow taking the lead, hopefully they would be able to help them or at least provide them with answers.

Shadow halted to a stop as he reached the group and froze at the sight of them. Standing before him, dressed in regal clothing and with a crown a top of his head, was Sonic.

No. That was impossible.

But this hedgehog bore such a striking resemblance to the hero but he looked older, much older than Sonic would have been if he was still alive. They must have been transported into another universe. One that Sonic was still alive. This theory was further proved by the three knights that eerily resembled Knuckles, Blaze, and himself. It was disturbing; even if the helmet covered the face of the knight, he had a feeling that if he lifted up the visor, he would find a carbon copy of his face.

“Shadow?”

The voice of the Sonic lookalike broke him out of his stupor. He would never have thought that he would miss the voice of his once rival, that it would cause him such grief.

The others finally reached them and they too were stunned, unable to find their words.

“Tails? Amy? Knuckles?” the lookalike appeared equally confused to see them, “What are guys doing here?”

Something deep within him, a feeling that appeared as soon as the doppelgänger uttered his name; it was him, not another world’s hero, but the hedgehog that they had buried his empty casket and shed tears for.

It was him, their Sonic was alive.

Chapter Text

“It’s finally over!” his Majesty King Arthur barraged into Lancelot’s room before unceremoniously tossing himself onto the bed. His liege was exhausted.

Entering summer was always a busy time for the kingdom of Camelot for it meant one thing; the anniversary of the crowning of the king. It marked that another year had passed since their Majesty had been transported to their world and saved them from the evils that plagued them. To celebrate, a week long festival was held and it was a spectacle to behold. People from all over would travel just for the chance to walk the crowded streets and experience one of Camelot’s most anticipated events. Games, food, music, and even a parade that took months to plan were all staples of this holiday. So no wonder his king was exhausted, he was the face of it all.

For the last few years, Lancelot had the luxury of watching him grow and mature from the knave he had first met to the man he’d come to know. The man who was lying face first in his bed. Sonic, that was the preferred name of the king, lifted himself up from the mattress before crawling over to Lancelot, who was partially paying attention to a book that he was read before the king arrived.

They had an… odd relationship. One that he had once believed only existed between men and women.

It started as a friendship, forged by great respect and trust. Lancelot strived to be his best, most dependable knight, one that he could confide in. It was the least he could do. Then something changed. Respect turned into admiration that turned into… love. It was love. It took them years to get to this point but each moment was worth it if he was the only one in the eyes of his liege, his Sonic.

As Sonic laid himself down next to the knight, Lancelot could tell something was off.

There was a sadness to him.

This was not a joyful time for the king. After the festivities were done and the colorful decorations had been put away, the façade his king wore began to crumble, “Four years, I can’t believe it.”

A solemn sigh was let out

“They probably think I’m dead.”

Lancelot did not need to ask who ‘they’ were, he just held his king close as tears quietly fell down his face.

There was no way to accurately know how much time had passed in Sonic’s original world, not even the Lady of the Lake nor the wizard who brought him here knew. What they did know was that time passed faster here.

Four years.

They probably did.

It did not help that no one knew how to return the king home, it was a fruitless endeavor that his king had given up on after his first year spent in Camelot. He was stuck here.

Lancelot planted kisses on his king’s head, it was all he could do.

—

Doubt was an awful thing and Lancelot wished he could never doubt the person whom he loved dearly.

But alas, he is no better than the average person.

It was days after the festival and doubt gnawed at him. It consumed his every thought and despite how well he concealed it, he was spiraling. It started as a simple question; ‘Does Sonic seek his old friends in those he has now?’ Since the day of their first duel, Lancelot had known that he was the splitting image of another being, that of Sonic’s rival.

Shadow.

The name alone made him bitter.

The similarities between the two worlds did not end there. Gawain, Percival, Nimue, the blacksmith, and even his own son, Galahad, had counterparts. And although he knew that they were not the same, he could not internalize it. He had heard stories upon stories about Sonic’s original world, his friends, his enemies, and all the adventures he had. And although he did not make an appearance often, Shadow was a notable character.

One that had Sonic’s admiration.

Shadow tormented him.

‘Was he a replacement?’

There was only one way to know.

Lancelot softly knocked on the door to the king’s study.

“Come in!” Sonic quickly signed a sheet of parchment before looking up at Lancelot, “Oh! Lance, I wasn’t expecting to see you till later. I’m almost done, just give me a minute.”

“My king, I wish to speak with you privately.”

Concern washed over the king’s face, “Is there something wrong?”

“My liege, you recently were able to convince the blacksmith to accept your offer to further his studies, of which you paid in full.”

This confused the king, “Yes… what about it?”

Here goes nothing, “Do you seek your brother in him?”

The king was taken aback, “What?”

“They are similar, is it not natural to seek what you have lost?”

“Yes but-“

“Do you spar with Sir Gawain because he is your friend or because of his similarity to Knuckles. Do you enjoy Sir Percival’s company because of Blaze or because you are fond of who she is?”

“Are you close to me because of Shadow?” The knight’s voice was small and meek.

Sonic’s expression softened, “Oh Lancelot, is that what this is about?” His liege gently placed his hand on the knight’s cheek, “You are nothing like Shadow, sure, you guys are similar but he and you are two completely different beings. He isn’t loyal like you are, he lacks your artistic touch, you are willing to change and grow for the betterment of yourself and others when he struggled to even change sides, Lancelot, he nearly let his hatred and misery destroy an entire world.”

Still, Lancelot was unconvinced, “… but you loved him.”

“Loved. He isn’t the object of my affection, you are.”

At such declaration, his heart couldn’t help but feel at ease despite the inking of doubt that lingered in his mind. Lancelot planted a kiss on the hand that cradled his head like it was the world, “Thank you.”

Sonic’s smile was like the glowing sunshine that peaked through a blanket of dark clouds, the warmth that it created in his soul was unmatched. “Anything for you, my Love,” the soft expression left his face as a more mischievous one took its place, “now… there is something that I’ve been dying to show you!” The king was quick to drag the knight away before he could even protest.

—

There was no hesitation, in the blink of an eye Lancelot had Arondight pointed at the chest of the hedgehog who bore a striking resemblance to himself. “Halt! Do not dare take another step closer, changelings.” It was a bold accusation but a fitting one; power radiated off of them, not just the black hedgehog, although his was the strongest.

It was not exactly magic but he could not place what it could be. If he had a clearer mind, then perhaps he would have recognized that his beloved king also bore such energy.

The changelings unnerved him; seeing his own face, not through the eyes of a mirror nor on the surface of still water, was wrong. Seeing the face of his fellow knight, while the true Gawain stood next him in full armor and brandishing his swords, was wrong. It was all wrong

It was like he was floating in his own body, stuck in a strange dream which showed no sign of ending. This was reality and he was struggling to make sense of it.

But he did not need to ponder much further; Sir Gawain spoke before he could think of uttering another word, “Changelings? I doubt you come here with good intentions.” Gawain was right. This was a threat, one that must be dealt with swiftly. He could not risk the safety of his liege.

“Indeed.” Lancelot found his voice once more, “What pathetic reflections you are. What do you seek to gain in tricking our king? Do you not see that two of the knights of which you have disguised yourself as stand before you?”

If it was only the black hedgehog, then perhaps he would have been able to orient himself enough to focus his wraith solely upon him. But there, right beside him was another changeling whose mere existence made his blood boil.

“And you!” Lancelot suddenly directed his fury to the pink hedgehog, “Do you have no shame? No self respecting creature would even dare take on the appearance of the Lady of the Lake! Do you perhaps have a death wish?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down there Lance!” his king put himself between him and the impostors as if to protect them, “Amy isn’t a changeling, far from it, and neither are the rest. These are my friends from home.”

Lancelot could feel dread squeeze his heart and he almost wished they were changelings. From home? It was a selfish desire, he knew, but he hoped that for as long he and the king were alive that he would never be given the chance to meet these friends.

“How can you be so sure? You know how dangerous and unpredictable rogue fae are.”

Sonic waved him off, “I’m sure.”

“But my King-“

“That’s an order, Lancelot.” Sonic’s voice was stern, it was rare to see the king so serious.

Lancelot’s stance faltered but he was quick to regain it. “As you wish,” he sheathed Arondight but kept his hand on the hilt.

“I’m so sorry about him, are you guys alright? Your silence is scaring me.” Sonic was right, the group was oddly quiet, still in shock. The presence of the king and the harsh greeting from his knights did not help.

“Sonic?” The voice was small and quiet.

It came from the young fox who looked at Sonic with watery eyes as he hesitantly reached out a hand. It seemed that there was a great struggle within the boy, as if he could not decide whether the king was merely a mirage, a trick of the light, or if he was truly there.

“You’re alive.”

Oh.

That was Tails.

Logically he knew, but it did not sink in until the fox uttered those words as if he himself could not believe what he was saying.

“Yeah, I am,” Sonic’s voice was gentle as he slowly approached his brother as he too struggled with his words, “Tails… I-“

“You’re alive!” Tails launched himself into the embrace of his brother. “You’re alive, you’re alive, you’re alive,” the boy repeated it like a mantra as he broke down into tears.

Sonic held him tightly, whispering to him words of comfort and reassurance that none of them but Tail’s could hear. No one dared to interrupt the two, not even his friends who desperately want to see for themselves that the king was real. When they finally let go of each other, Sonic took a moment to look at his brother and then to his friends, “How long was I gone?”

“A year,” Amy was the one to respond.

Sonic’s face was full of dread.

“We didn’t know what happened to you,” Tails recounted, “We— we thought you were dead.”

Lancelot’s mind went back to the evening after the festival. They were right after all.

“We had to hold a funeral. I—“ Tails couldn’t continue any further.

“It’s okay, I’m here now,”

It was like a spell was broken as Amy and Knuckles rushed to hug their friend. There was however, one who stayed behind, one who only dared to get closer but did not reach out to embrace the king.

Shadow.

Shadow who looked at his lover with such vulnerability, such sorrow and disbelief, all of which Lancelot believed he was unworthy of feeling, “You’re alive…”

That look. That slight quiver in his voice.

Lancelot despised it.

It took them a moment in order for them to gather themselves and when they pulled away; Amy and Knuckles were both wiping tears from their eyes as they sniffled and let out a few strings of laughter that were caused by disbelief. Tails did not let go. Perhaps the fear of Sonic disappearing, that this was merely a dream, was still present.

“What happened to you?” Amy asked.

“It’s a long story,” the king admitted, “But we have the whole walk back to the castle to explain.”

“Castle?” Tails broke off from the hug as he looked at Sonic in confusion.

“Like I said, it’s a loooong story, but first let me introduce to my friends; the Knights of the Round Table.”

Amy couldn’t believe her ears, “The Knights of the Round Table? But that's a—“

“Myth?” Percival finished the sentence for her, “We’ve heard that we are things of legend in your world.”

“This is Sir Perceval of Galles!” Sonic then pointed to Gawain, “And that’s Sir Gawain of Orkney!”

And then his king pointed to him, “this is…” Sonic gave him a smile, “This is Sir Lancelot du Lac, my most trusted knight.”

And while at any other occasion, Lancelot would have beamed at the praise, these were Sonic’s friends, friends from a more accepting world. What was stopping him from declaring his love?

“And what about the rest of us?” And of course, Gawain had to speak up.

“Indeed! Are we not close friends as well?” Percival joined in on the teasing. Lancelot was starting to reconsider his friendship with her.

Sonic turned bright red, “Of course we are! It’s just that… you know what I mean!”

They did, they just took pleasure in tormenting their king.

Once again, Lancelot could not understand what was stopping him. But this was not the time nor place to interrogate his lover.

This was a matter that must be discussed privately.

But at this current moment, Lancelot had to step in and save his liege, “So these are your friends from the other world?” It was less of a question and more of a statement, the knights knew of Sonic’s friends; this was simply a matter of exchanging pleasantries.

Sonic saw the out his lover had given him and took it, “Yes! Meet Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Shadow!”

“Enchanted to meet you all, we’ve all been told stories of your adventures and achievements. It is nice to finally put names to faces,” Percival gave the group a bow. She gestured to herself and then to the other knights, “I apologize on the behalf of my brothers in arms and myself for our hostility, we are not accustomed to encountering mirrors of ourselves and our friends.”

Gawain then made his way to Knuckles, “The protector of the Master Emerald, I’ve heard of your strength and skill in battle,” the knight stuck out his hand, “It would be an honor to spar against a great warrior such as yourself.”

Knuckles was quick to clasp this hand before giving it a firm shake that would have been seen as aggressive if it was anyone other than the equally aggressive knight, “Bring it on.”

“Let’s not,” Sonic was quick to jump in.

“And why not? He’s offering the opportunity of a lifetime!” Knuckles could not see the issue and frankly, Lancelot couldn’t either.

“A swordsman against a guy who fights with his fists, yeah, no.”

Ah, that was indeed an issue.

“Then we shall face off in hand to hand combat!” Gawain was undeterred, in fact, this only seemed to excite him more at the prospect.

Then it was his turn. Lancelot turned to face the hedgehog whom he had berated only moments before. Lancelot knelt before her, “My deepest apologies, Lady Amy, for my actions were uncalled for,” Lancelot bowed his head further in shame, “I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

“You’re forgiven,” Amy was taken aback by the gesture, it reminded him that they were not accustomed to these formalities.

Just like his Sonic had once been.

Lancelot rose from the floor to find Shadow staring at the king, “You look… older.”

“Four years will do that to ya.”

“Four years?!?” Tails, Amy, and Knuckles exclaimed in disbelief.

Shadow could only continue to stare, “How?”

Sonic took a second to quickly look up, the sun had reached the utmost point in the sky and nightfall would soon follow. “I’ll explain but we really should get going. We aren’t that far from Camelot, if we start now, we should be there before dark,” the king began to lead the group down the path of which he and the knights had come from, back to Camelot.

—

True to his word; Sonic had explained everything, answering questions as they went. He recounted how he found himself transported into this world by a wizard name Merlina, how there was an immortal king by the name of Arthur Pendragon who was terrorizing the kingdom with his knights of the Underworld, how he defeated each of the knights that stood before them in order to collect their sacred swords, and how he was tricked by Merlina after defeating the king who was merely an illusion. He ended his retelling with the defeat of Merlina and the subsequent reveal of Sonic’s true identity.

“So you’re the true king Arthur?” Tails asked in awe.

“Yup! I’ve been ever since!”

For the first time since they began their journey back, Shadow spoke, “So you’ve been stuck in Camelot with alternate versions of ourselves for the past four years?” He had been lingering close behind Sonic and Tails, watching the king carefully with a lost expression on his face.

The king and his knights collectively stilled for a moment, “They are not alternate versions, you guys are nothing alike.”

“How so?”

“Well last time I checked, Amy isn’t your mom and Silver isn’t your son.”

That left the hedgehog stunned.

“How has it been four years?” Amy was the one to bring up the question that they all had in their mind.

Lancelot was the one to respond, “From our understanding, time goes by faster here than in your world.”

“And you haven't been able to figure a way back?”

“No,” Sonic's voice was solemn, “No one has been able to figure out how to create a portal to our world, not even the Lady of the Lake.”

At that moment, they had at last reached the castle.

Their home.

A blur of silver suddenly rushed to greet them, expertly weaving between them before nearly tackling a hedgehog in a hug.

“Dad!”

Chapter Text

What.

Was.

Happening.

What was even going on anymore.

There was no point in time where Shadow could let the events that had just unfolded before his eyes process, let alone let him breathe. There was so much to take in, so much to even try to comprehend.

It was overwhelming.

And Sonic was alive.

It was all he could think of. Sonic was talking, smiling, laughing, he was doing all the things Shadow believed he would never see Sonic do ever again.

So could you blame him for not paying attention when his guard was forcibly taken down. After all, getting nearly body slammed by Silver’s doppelgänger was only avoidable in retrospect.

And nothing, not a single thing could have prevented his instinctual reaction.

As soon as they made contact he slammed his attacker onto the floor. He didn’t even realize what he just done until he was holding down a very small and very confused hedgehog. That’s when it hit him; this was a child. He just hurt a literal child.

Wait. Did he just call Shadow dad?

“Galahad!”

In an instant, he found himself lying on his back with a sword dangerously close to his throat having been knocked off by an angry Lancelot. At this point, Shadow should keep a tally of how many times he’s been threatened with a sword. He should also probably keep one for every time he’s provoked one of the knights, he had a feeling that this won’t be the last time.

“Don’t you dare touch my son.”

Shadow didn’t even fight it, he just laid there, stuck in his own mind.

In the distance, he could hear the rest of the group rush to the child.

“Are you hurt?” Sonic’s voice was filled with worry.

A bright and bubbly voice, as if completely unaffected by what had just happened, responded, “I’m alright!”

Shadow stared blankly into the knight's helmet. Maybe it was the unfocused look in his eyes or the fact that he was still as a statue, but something must have extinguished the fury within Lancelot as the knight proceeded to remove the sword and helped Shadow onto his feet.

“My liege, your friend is unwell,” there was no trace of concern in his voice as if he was reluctant to even let him go.

“Let me see,” Sonic was carrying the child on his hip, “You’re right. Quick! Let’s get him into the great hall! And we need some water ASAP!”

As the knights helped him into the castle, all Shadow could think of was those worried emerald eyes.

—

Once they were situated in the hall and Shadow had a glass of water, they were introduced to Galahad who was no longer being held by Sonic but was still lingering close to him.

“So who’s this cutie?” Amy asked, it was clear that this was Silver’s counterpart although a very young version of him.

The child let out a giggle, “My name is Galahad! Galahad du Lac!”

Lancelot picked the boy up and held him in his arms. “He’s my son, my pride and joy,” Lancelot's voice seemed to brighten, his whole demeanor seemed to change in the presence of Galahad.

His son?

Yes, Sonic had already told them all that Shadow’s doppelgänger had Silver as his son but like most things that Shadow had learned in the few hours that he has been in this universe, it hadn’t sunk in until this very moment. The implications of this sent him reeling once more. First off, how was this possible? How much does this world correlate with theirs? And the question that stuck out to him the most:

What if he could’ve had the same?

He’s isolated himself from others for years and had no interest in getting to know others until after Sonic’s disappearance. His doppelgänger was living proof of this possibility, one where Shadow could have had a family. He could have been happy enough to settle down.

“I was wondering why you guys came back so early,” Galahad seemed content to be in the arms of his father despite the armor Lancelot wore, “The way to grandma’s is too long to make back in a day.”

Right, Amy was Silver’s grandmother.

Amy seemed to realize this too if her shocked expression was anything to go by.

Sonic got close to Galahad and gestured to Shadow and the others, “Galahad, that’s my brother Tails and those are my friends; Shadow, Amy, and Knuckles.”

Galahad smiled and enthusiastically waved at them, “Hello!” The boy’s father let him down so he could go and greet the group, “It’s a pleasure to meet you all!”

Despite the fact that Shadow had hurt Galahad, he was completely unafraid.

In fact, he seemed curious.

“It’s nice to meet you, Galahad!” Tails, alongside Amy, were already fond of the young hedgehog, Knuckles was amused by him, and Shadow, well like most things that had happened today, he wasn’t sure.

He also probably needed to apologize but he wasn’t sure how. Shadow couldn’t tell you when the last he ever did apologize for his actions, maybe it wasn’t necessary since Galahad seemed perfectly fine.

After all, it was an accident.

“Now that we’ve gotten that over with,” Sonic began, “We still need to figure out how you guys got here.” Sonic was right; what brought them here?

Tails brought his hand to his chin while he pieced together the information they had so far, “Well, you said that Merlina was the one who brought you here initially.”

“That is true, but Merlina hasn’t been able to open a portal since,” Percival refuted.

“And the Lady of the Lake is out of the question?”

Sonic nodded, “Unfortunately and I don’t think Caliburn could be the reason, as magical as a talking sword is, he doesn’t have that power. Besides, he would have told me.”

Galahad looked at them sheepishly.

“Is there something wrong, Galahad?” Percival asked, there was a hint of concern in her voice.

Lancelot knelt down so he could be at Galahad’s eye level, “Is there something you wish to say? There is nothing to fear in telling us.”

The boy fidgeted with his hands, “It might be my fault…”

The room stilled.

“How so?” asked Sonic who leaned down to look at Galahad.

He looked away from them, “I may have been practicing my magic and I may have been experimenting with it…”

“Galahad! That is dangerous!” Lancelot scolded him although his tone was not harsh, just worried.

“I didn’t think it would work!” Galahad gazed down to the floor, “I know how much Sonic missed them.”

Sonic went to hug him, “Oh Galahad, you didn’t have to. Your father is right, this could have ended horribly! But since it didn’t, I guess this time it could slide?”

Lancelot and Sonic’s eyes met and Lancelot let out a sigh, “Only this once.”

—

Galahad, Shadow quickly learned, was very chatty.

He sat right next to Sonic at the table while his father sat beside him. Shadow wished he could sit much closer to Sonic but wasn’t able to as Tails and Amy beat him to it. The young hedgehog asked them questions about everything and anything pertaining to their world. Tails and Amy were the one who usually responded but at times Knuckles did so as well. Shadow didn’t engage much.

Shadow barely even touched his food, though he blamed that on the fact that he didn’t need to eat.

It was clear that Galahad had knowledge about their world although very limited and that he had gained that knowledge through Sonic. They seemed close. From the moment that he had seen Galahad in Sonic’s arms to right now, Galahad had been at Sonic’s side for as almost as long Lancelot who had stayed in close range of the blue blur.

Why did that bother him?

Lancelot’s existence bothered him and he didn’t know why.

And the fact that he was close to Sonic only bothered him even more.

Sonic nearly always looked to Lancelot if he needed another opinion. If he wanted someone to back up his claim, he would go to Lancelot. He even asked Lancelot advice during their way to the castle, asking if they should take the back roads in order to get there without drawing too much attention.

Throughout the entire dinner, Shadow could only focus on his inability to answer his own question and the sound of Sonic’s voice.

—

Shadow did not need sleep. If you were created to not need such a basic necessity, then what was the point of sleep? It didn’t mean he didn’t sleep, it was a choice rather than an involuntary action. But for the longest time, after Sonic’s disappearance, he couldn’t.

It was a waste of time.

Eating, relaxing, and especially sleeping were all wastes of time.

He could be looking for Sonic.

It didn’t help that every time he even dared to close his eyes and rest. He would see it.

Sonic’s dead body.

The image, that awful mental image that his mind created of Sonic’s corpse, it haunted him. And as each day went by, all he could think about was the idea that Sonic was dead, that he was now just a corpse that was rotting away where no one could find him.

It what all his dreams, his nightmares, were about. He would stumble upon his corpse, it would be alone in some obscure location, one where no one would even think of finding him. All except him. Sometimes the body was so badly damaged that you couldn’t even tell it was him. But he did.

It was destroying him.

After dinner, they turned in for the night. Sonic had shown them the guest rooms before he bid them goodnight and headed to bed.

Shadow couldn’t sleep, he just laid there.

The new environment and a lack of a need for sleep where both contributing factors but they paled in comparison to that sickening image that was stuck in his head. He hadn’t thought of it in weeks.

Shadow crept out of the room he was staying in, unable to stay in it any longer. He quietly walked down the halls, he wasn’t in the mood to wake anybody up. He didn’t want to be asked questions.

He had searched. He searched for any sign of life, for a trace of his rival. Every inch of the planet, places he had never seen up to this point.

All for it to be futile.

Because Sonic wasn’t even in their universe.

He walked until he reached a door in the heart of the castle.

There it was. The thing that Shadow was desperate to find in all his months of searching was just behind that door.

Chaos energy.

Sonic’s chaos energy.

The sign of life that he long ago lost hope in finding.

He had lied to everyone, to Sonic’s friends to even Rouge, that he had stop searching.

He never did.

He was drawn to his chaos energy like a moth to a flame. He didn’t know where Sonic’s room was in the castle, he didn’t need to; it brought him straight to it.

“What are you doing here?”

It was Lancelot.

“I’m looking for Sonic, is he here?”

“His Majesty is resting, you may speak with him in the morning.”

“That doesn’t answer my question”

That seemed to be a mistake as the knight got up into his face, “You don’t deserve to be here.”

“Excuse me?”

“You are nothing but trouble. I swear to you, if you dare to make another mistake. Dare to even hurt my son, my king, or any of those I hold close, I will not hesitate. I do not care for what my liege thinks of you, I hold no qualms in hurting you.”

The knight stepped back.

“I recommend you to go back to your room.”

There was no way of getting around the knight who stationed himself at the door. There was no way Shadow was going to fight his doppelgänger. So he retreated.

Add another tally to the chart.

Chapter Text

“Goodnight, guys! I’ll see ya in the morning!”

After hearing a few tired voices respond back, Sonic felt sure enough to close the door to the guest wing. He waited a few moments to hear the telltale sound of doors clicking shut before letting out a quiet sigh.

‘Here goes nothing.’

He slowly made his way down the halls of the castle. His castle. What an odd concept, one he struggled to understand even now.

He was a king.

Not a knight.

Not a hero.

Not a simple hedgehog.

It was his job to care for an entire kingdom. A job he was reluctant to take on. To think he once was as free as the wild wind, unable to be contained and with no master to call his own. To think it was once impossible.

And yet here he was.

Bounded into place.

There was no use in lying; it was terrifying. He could not run away from it. He couldn’t even escape this world.

Acceptance is an odd thing.

It took him a bit, awhile actually, to mourn the things he had lost. His family, his friends, his freedom; they were all gone.

‘They wouldn’t have wanted this,’ he told himself every morning he struggled to get up.

‘They would’ve wanted me to move on…’ he told himself as he walked into the great hall.

‘To make friends…’ he told himself as he sparred with Gawain and Percival.

‘… To find love,’ he thought to himself as he couldn’t help but stare at Lancelot.

He had become a loyal servant to his people. A true king.

But right now? He was a loyal servant to his lover.

And he had royally messed up.

‘Sonic, a word,’ Lancelot had whispered to him before leaving him behind with the others. He knew that tone, he knew that he was in deep trouble even before Lancelot had even said a single word.

So he made a quick stop at the kitchen, grabbed a few peaches, and made his way to his room. As he reached the room, he took a deep breath. This will be fine. Everything will be fine. He can make amends.

He gently knocked on the door.

“Come in.” The voice was cold.

Sonic let himself inside, “Lance, I truly am sorry. I didn’t want any of this to happen.”

He laid down his peace offering onto the desk aaaaaaaaand…

Lancelot didn’t take it, he didn’t even acknowledge it.

This was worse than he thought.

Sonic wasn’t trying to win him back with food, if it was that easy then he wouldn’t be so stressed out. No, this was only part of a ritual they had started a long time ago, even before they were together.

“Lottie, I—”

“Do not ‘Lottie’ me,” Lancelot spat his words out like it was venom, and honestly, knowing his heritage, he wouldn’t be surprised if he could.

Lancelot’s reaction was fair, almost expected, but it hurt either way.

“Why? Why are you hiding our love? Why are you hiding me?” Sonic let him speak, this was not the time nor place for him to interrupt. “Are you ashamed? I thought you were proud of what we are! You used to speak of me with such— such endearment, with such love! Now I am merely ‘your most trusted knight’!? Our time together, our closeness, does it mean nothing to you? Aren’t they from an accepting world? So why are you hiding?”

“It’s not that simple.”

This seemed to upset Lancelot even more, “Then please, go on, explain it to me!”

“They don’t know.”

“They don’t know what?”

“They don’t know I’m gay!”

A pause.

“They don’t?” there was a sense of understanding, Sonic could hear it in his voice.

Sonic shook his head, “No one, not a single one. Amy used to have a major crush on me and everyone just assumed I liked girls. I haven’t told anyone, not even Tails. Yes, it is a more accepting world but not everyone is. They have never said anything bad but I can’t help it; I’m scared. I’m scared of what they’ll think… I’m scared that I’ll lose them.”

“Oh, Sonic…”

“Don’t. I don’t deserve your pity. You have every right to be mad, I would be to. I love you, please know that. I have never stopped loving you. I’m just scared.”

There was another moment of silence.

“I forgive you.”

“Lancelot—”

“I forgive you,” his voice was firm.

“But—”

“Sonic, I value your safety above all else. I am willing to set my feelings aside until we are able to send them home.” He hated the finality in his lover’s voice.

“I promise, I will make this up to you.”

“I know you will.”

He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve this mercy.

And it seemed that the universe believed this too.

“Until then, we should postpone the ceremony.”

“What?” Sonic could hear his heart breaking by the second.

“If you fear their reactions, then it would not be wise to go on with it while they are here,” he was right but it didn’t stop it from hurting all the same.

Sonic wanted to cry.

“You are right, Lancelot,” he said as blinked back tears, “I am so sorry. I will make this up to you, I swear.”

Lancelot used his hand to wipe away a stray tear, “It is for the best.”

Sonic went to kiss his lover’s hand and he, mercifully, let him.

He did not deserve Lancelot.

Lancelot did not deserve this.

“Goodnight, my liege.”

“Goodnight, Lancelot.”

Lancelot left the room, not taking a single peach.

Chaos, he really did mess up.

—

Sparring was always something to look forward to. Every morning, just as the sun began to rise; the Knights of the Round Table would begin their day and Sonic would join them. It took some time getting used to, for both Sonic and the knights, but it soon became a routine. Every day without fail, they would spar until Sonic was forced to go and fulfill his role as king. When he was newly crowned, the fact that he would be able to spar with his friends the next morning was often enough to get him through the day.

The training grounds was one of the few places Sonic could be, well, Sonic. There were no judging eyes, no responsibilities. Instead, there was action, thrill, and most importantly; freedom. He was free to do whatever his heart desired as long as it was under the guise of training.

On the sparring grounds, Sonic was not a king.

Plus, sparring was more than just a method of keeping their skills sharp, it was a form of bonding. With every blow they traded, with every mistake made; they would give each other pointers and feedback. They helped each other grow and improve.

And if it allowed Sonic to be in close range with Lancelot, well, that was only for him to know.

“Now for the fight you’ve all been waiting for! Gawain versus Knuckles!” Sonic gave his best announcer voice which was admittedly a bit rusty.

In the middle of a circle drawn out in the dirt, was Sir Gawain and Knuckles. After they had all gotten up in the morning, the knight requested that he and the other echidna face off in the training grounds. Sonic agreed on one condition; that they wait till after breakfast.

“I want a clean fight. Got it?” The two echindnas each gave him a nod.

“Well then! Ready?”

“Set.”

“Go!”

For two different beings with two different skill sets, they were evenly matched.

Knuckles dodged an oncoming hit from Gawain, “Is that all you got?”

“Quite the contrary!” the knight replied as his next punch managed to make contact with Knuckles’ shoulder.

It seemed that the fight would never end; with each upper hand that one seemed to get, the other would immediately take it back. It was exciting. It seemed that everyone had chosen who they believed would win. Amy, Tails, Percival, Galahad, and himself cheered from the sidelines, though Sonic was just cheering in general, it would be extremely unfair to pick between the two.

Then at last, Knuckles saw an opening and he took it. Gawain was knocked out of the circle and onto the ground, he had lost the fight.

Knuckles lent him a hand and Gawain eagerly took it, “That was amazing, we should do this again!”

“Indeed! A rematch must be in order!”

Percival stepped in, “Another time, as much I would love to watch you two fight for an eternity; I would still like to see Lancelot and His Majesty have their turn before we must go. It has been a while since the two have had their turn together.” There was something in her voice that Sonic couldn’t decipher but wasn’t able to give more thought to it before Lancelot had stepped into the circle.

If Sonic was paying attention then he would have noticed the nod that she gave to Lance.

Sonic quickly picked up a sword and made his way to the circle.

“What about Caliburn?” Tails asked.

“Oh! He’s just at the blacksmith. He likes hanging out with Amis so I just let him stay there every so often. We should probably go and pick him up soon.”

“Amis?”

“He’s the blacksmith I’ve been telling you guys about. You’re going to love him, Tails.” It was true, Tails and Amis would get along just perfectly.

“My liege?”

“Oh right!” Sonic brought his attention back to the knight in front of him, “Whenever you’re ready, Lance.”

Percival took over his role as mediator, it was something they had established for whenever he and Lance would spar, “You both know the rules; play nice and may the best one win.”

The two got into position, ready for Percival’s next words.

“You may begin.”

Sparing with Lancelot did not feel like a fight, it didn’t feel like a never ending struggle to prove who was the best. It felt like a game, one in which winning did not matter.

It was all about having fun.

Despite the tension that still remained from the night before, they couldn’t help but fall back into the game they’ve been playing for years. This song and dance was too familiar to ignore.

But that tension still persisted; Lancelot’s moves were more rigid and his attacks were more forceful.

Something had to be done.

He had to re-establish the game.

“Yeesh, Lance! You need to take better care of your sword, I swear Arondight is losing its edge.”

The reaction was instant, “You must be seeing things, my liege, besides I swore you were a better swordsman. Perhaps it’s because you lack Caliburn.”

“Are you sure? I say I’m doing pretty well without him.”

“I’m quite sure,” it was then that Lancelot stretched out his hand, “I think you’re actually about to lose.” A Chaos Spear manifested out of thin air and was shot directly at Sonic’s feet.

Sonic jumped away just in time, “Not a chance!”

He summoned another, then a few more, then a whole array, each one missing their target yet it was clear to Sonic that it was intentional.

Lancelot was being playful.

He was showing off.

Sonic found himself laughing at each close call, he could even spot a smile underneath Lancelot’s visor. They were in their own world; nothing outside of this moment mattered. It was just him, his love, and the clashing of swords.

If Sonic wasn’t busy being infatuated with his Lance, then maybe, just maybe, he would have noticed the look of awe on Shadow’s face.

There were multiple times where the fight could have ended but each one was ignored in favor of letting the game continue.

“Come on, Lancelot! You can do better than that!”

While honor and chivalry were both two major important things to the Knights of the Round Table, they were no strangers to playful jabs and teasing remarks. They were also no strangers to playing dirty, especially amongst each other.

In just one swift movement; the game was over.

“Chaos Punishment!”

Sonic found himself pinned down beneath Lancelot’s heel, his sword having been knocked out of his hands. Arondight lightly touched his chin and Lancelot used it to gently tilt his head upward.

Chaos, the things Lancelot did to his heart.

Oh how he wished that this moment lasted forever.

“That was awesome!” Amy was in complete and utter awe. Although Gawain, Percival, and Galahad had seen Lancelot and Sonic spar many times before; the rest had only heard of their skills. Sonic could only imagine how cool watching Lancelot fight was.

Lancelot was quick to pull away Arondight from his face and helped Sonic get onto his feet. This wouldn’t be the last time they would spar, but as Lancelot moved away from him and the contact was broken; Sonic couldn’t help but feel a bit sad at the distance between them.

Tomorrow, they’ll spar again tomorrow.

If he was paying attention, he would have noticed how strained Shadow’s expression was, how he watched Lancelot with such intensity.

But Lancelot certainly did.

—

It took him less than twenty-four hours

Sonic did not last twenty-four without flirting with Lancelot.

Sonic wasn’t an idiot. Okay. So maybe he was. But! That was besides the point. The point was that despite how much the knight denied it, his Lancelot was still upset.

Look Sonic was a weak man, a weak man for his lover. Yes, he was terrified of their reactions but at the end of the day, it was Lancelot who he was choosing to spend the rest of his life with.

He couldn’t hide forever.

He won’t hide this forever.

His love deserved to be known.

Sonic started out subtle, well, subtle as Sonic could be which admittedly wasn’t very subtle at all. They were in the garden; Gawain and Percival had left to attend a patrol of the kingdom, leaving just him, Lancelot, and the rest of his friends. The gardens were beautiful. It was another safe haven for Sonic; the gardens were quiet and secluded, there were many occasions where he would escape the stress of his duties and hide amongst the flowers.

It was also where he and Lancelot confessed to each other, right on the edge of the lake.

Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and even Shadow, were all taking in the scenery. Amy in particular, was having the time of her life, “Bleeding hearts? They are even prettier in person!”

The gardens were a flower lover’s dream come true. Plants and especially flowers were brought from all over and the groundskeepers knew their craft well. Sonic had yet to see any of the plants wither before the season changed and took the flowers with them.

But Sonic wasn’t paying much attention, he was planning his next move. He looked at the lake as if lost in thought before speaking out loud the following;

“Sonic du Lac, it has a nice ring to it. What do you think, Lancelot?”

It took a second for Lancelot to process it but he was quick to respond, “Hmm… If only you were more fond of water. That being said,” a smirk spread across his face, “I think Galahad and I better suit the Pendragon name”

“And then offend Nimue? Not in a million years!”

The shock and surprise from his brother and friends was almost palpable but despite this, no one said anything. As if none could comprehend what had just happened.

Good, he can work with that.

He will make this right.

Chapter Text

‘Sonic du Lac, it has a nice ring to it. What do you think, Lancelot?’

His heart stilled for a moment and he even forgot how to breathe as he mind tried to process what in Chaos' name did Sonic just say.

‘Hmm… If only you were more fond of water. That being said… I think Galahad and I better suit the Pendragon name.’

Was Shadow imagining it? Was this whole interaction a dream? Shadow wished that this universe just stopped throwing things at him that left him struggling to comprehend.

That feeling. That awful feeling in his heart; that unidentifiable feeling that Shadow did not understand. He hated it with every fiber in his being.

This must have been a joke. It had to be. Sonic loves jokes. Stupid, humorless jokes. Jokes that Shadow simply couldn’t understand why people enjoyed them as much as they did.

Shadow desperately wanted it to be a joke; a simple, one-off joke.

But.

It.

Just.

Kept.

Happening.

Every few minutes, Sonic would make a flirty comment and Lancelot would respond. His counterpart’s retorts weren't as blatant but they too were hard to ignore.

‘It must be annoying to be stared at all the time?’ Sonic had a smirk on his face, ‘I can’t blame them, I myself am struggling to take my eyes off of you.’

‘It is not, my liege, but it must be hard for you; being so beloved by everyone in the kingdom. I would be amazed if anyone held any ounce of hatred for you.’

‘Well. I wouldn’t go that far.’

Then suddenly, it got worse.

So.

Much.

Worse.

Because Lancelot was getting bolder.

The knight picked a blue hydrangea off a bush and took a moment to admire the flower before speaking, ‘You know, Your Majesty, I’ve heard of artists of all kinds try to capture the essence of beauty but fail to create anything that truly embodies it and I am amongst them. Not a single painting I’ve made, not even the ones of this very garden, have come even close to depicting true beauty. But I think I may have an idea; a subject that would once and for all depict true beauty.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes,’ he handed the flower to Sonic, his attention no longer on the plant, “I’m looking right at it.’

Sonic’s muzzle turned a bright red.

It wasn’t just the way they spoke to each other. Each silent interaction, each brief glance, each smile they shared; he studied each and every one of them, trying to understand what was the meaning behind all of this.

The way Lancelot stared at Sonic, like he himself held the stars and moon in his emerald green eyes.

The way that Sonic talked to him with such blatant endearment, the kind he has never seen Sonic ever express.

He couldn’t understand it and that made that unbearable feeling in his heart worse.

Then it hit him.

They were flirting. It had to be. There was no other possible explanation for what was going on and it was simply baffling. He couldn’t help but watch in bewildered silence as Sonic and his medieval doppelgänger openly flirted with each other. Luckily, he wasn’t the only one as no one else said a single word about what was going on around them. The only one who didn’t seem affected by their actions was Galahad who was simply enjoying the gardens, as if this was nothing new to him.

That thought, why did that affect him so much? That ugly and unsettling feeling in his chest seemed to be growing stronger and stronger.

And there was nothing he could do to make it stop.

The entire tour of the castle felt like torture and Shadow couldn’t tell you why, and the fact that no one commented on their behavior only furthered his suffering.

—

“And that concludes the tour!”

At last they had reached the guest rooms. Thank Chaos. There was no way Shadow could handle hearing their flirting another second longer.

“Since we’ll be heading to Amis’, I managed to get some of the maids to gather some appropriate attire for you all when we head to town. Sorry if they don’t suit your tastes, it’s hard to get personalized clothes in such short notice.” Sonic gestured to the various stacks of neatly folded clothes, “But! it does appear that they were able to get good variety so take your pick!”

Lancelot opened the door and Sonic was about to walk out when he was stopped by Knuckles, “Where are you going?”

“I have a meeting to attend to, kingly duties and all that,” Sonic could sense the disbelief in his friends at the statement, “What? Did you guys think I didn’t take this job seriously?”

“No,” Knuckles responded bluntly.

“Ouch! You have wounded me greatly,” he placed a hand on his chest dramatical before quickly moving on, “Well I’ll see you guys in roughly half an hour? Maybe an hour max? If I take too long I’ll get Lance or someone else to fetch you guys.” Lancelot opened the door for Sonic, “See ya in a bit!” Sonic was the first to leave and then Galahad and Lancelot followed suit but not before the knight bid them farewell with a small bow.

The doors closed behind them and suddenly Shadow could breathe freely again.

Amy quickly looked at the door as if to make sure that they wouldn’t re-enter the room before bringing her attention back to the group, “They were flirting, right? They had to be flirting.”

“Thank Chaos, I thought I was the only one,” normally Shadow wouldn’t have said anything and let the others decipher and talk through what they had just witnessed but if he bottled this up any longer, he might just burst.

“I can’t believe it! He’s dating Lancelot! How didn’t we notice it before? I mean, I have nothing against it; they seem happy together and it honestly was very cute but—“

Then Amy stopped in her tracks.

“Then that would mean—” in that moment, Amy must have made a realization as she became visibly distraught, “Oh my Chaos! He’s gay!”

Knuckles, however, seemed barely affected by this, “Makes sense.”

“Makes sense?!” Amy exclaimed, “What about it makes sense!?”

Knuckles shrugged, “He’s never seemed to be interested in girls.”

“Let’s not go around assuming his identity, all we know is that they might be dating,” Tails spoke up in an attempt to calm Amy down.

Amy turned to Tails, “Did you know about this?” It was clear that Amy was still hung up on Sonic’s identity.

“I mean had my suspicions but I never had the evidence to prove it,” The fox gave a quick glance at Shadow, he looked like he wanted to say more but chose to remain silent.

“I never stood a chance…” Amy said to herself as she ran her fingers through her quills in an attempt to soothe herself from what must have been a world shattering revelation.

“I’m going to need a moment,” Amy declared as she retreated to her room.

And Shadow couldn’t agree more.

—

It ended up taking longer than the estimated time for Sonic to finish up what he was doing and he ended up sending a servant who brought them to Sonic’s study. Thank Chaos, Shadow wouldn’t have been able to handle being around Lancelot, especially if Sonic wasn’t accompanying him. Whatever Sonic was working on was clearly time consuming as Shadow and the others had to wait a moment for Sonic to finally leave the room. But he wasn’t alone as when Sonic left the study, Lancelot was close behind.

Did Lancelot ever leave Sonic’s side?

“Are you guys ready?”

“Yes!” Amy was surprisingly the one to respond. She looked to be in much better spirits when she left her room and you practically couldn’t tell that she was ever affected by the realization she had only two hours ago. It was shocking how easily she seemed to bounce back from it, “Lead the way!”

Sonic gave them all a smile, completely unaware of the discussion the group had while he was away.

—

The trip to the blacksmith was much easier than their initial trip to the castle; with the clothes that Sonic had given them, they blended right in, only getting the occasional stare from people passing by.

What also helped was the fact that Sonic and Lancelot had nearly entirely stopped flirting with each other.

Odd.

What made them stop? Why now? Shadow won’t lie, it was certainly a relief. Shadow did not know how much more he could endure before he would simply burst into flames but at the same time; what was the difference between here and the castle? They didn’t stop talking, but their interactions just seemed so formal, especially Lancelot who now was more withdrawn, the contrast was jarring to say the least.

After passing through a large market that their guide, Sonic, had only gotten distracted a few times by the wares and goods at certain stalls before being reminded by the knight that they had somewhere to be, they had at last reached their destination.

The smithy that the Tails’ counterpart worked in was filled to the brim with weapons and tools of all kinds. Sheets of parchment containing sketches of potential weapons littered the desk, some even littered the floor. It was chaotic yet there was clearly some semblance of organization, as messy as it was. It reminded Shadow of the fox that the blacksmith resembled.

As they entered, Sonic signaled them to be quiet.

Near the forge was Amis holding a pair of tongs that held his latest project directly into the flames, heating up the metal till it was a bright red. Next to him was a… floating sword?

Yes, a floating sword who was currently chatting away to the young fox.

Amis pulled out his project out of the forge before promptly sticking it into a basin of water. The water hissed as the metal quickly cooled.

The sword peered into the basin, “This one will be your finest work yet!”

“You think so?” Amis pulled his project out of the water. It was apparent what the blacksmith had just made; it was a sword. Intricate in design and with a long blade, the sword was clearly a work of great craftsmanship. And it was apparent that the blacksmith thought so too as he took a second to admire his work.

“Indeed! Look at it! Look at how it glows! The magic within it is strong. Your studies are certainly paying off.” The sword, which Shadow assumed was in fact Caliburn, was right; it was softly glowing with some sort of unidentifiable power.

That is when the two noticed Sonic.

Amis nearly dropped the newly made sword but was quick to readjust his tongs, “Your Majesty! What a surprise! Come look! I have just finished my latest creation!”

“It’s amazing!”

“Thank you, my liege! It was quite an effort to—” Amis gasped.

His gaze was locked onto Tails who was equally just as shocked. Apparently, he had only noticed Sonic and no one else. Tails, despite knowing that he had a counterpart, seeing an exact copy of himself must have still been jarring.

“Amis,” Sonic began, “This is my brother—”

“Tails! And these must be your friends from the other world!” Amis quickly set down his creation before he rushed to Tails, “I have always wanted to meet you!”

“You wanted to meet me?”

Amis was practically vibrating with excitement, “Of course! Your brother has told me all about your inventions! Is it true that you have been able to create a machine that can communicate with anyone across the world? Without the use of magic?”

“The Miles Electric can do much more than just that!” Tails launched into an in-depth explanation of his invention much to Amis’ delight.

“Aaaaaaand we lost them,” Sonic had a fond expression on his face as the two were lost in their own world of science, magic, and inventions.

—

They ended up having lunch at Amis’ home which was connected to the smithy. Surprisingly, Amis was not a bad cook and he was able to make enough food for all of them in such short notice. “The magic that the fae posse is the strongest magic there is, it is also the hardest to contain. The sword you saw is actually imbued with it,” Amis explained, they had gotten on the topic of magic, well Amis and Tails did.

“If it’s so hard to contain, how did you do it?” Tails was enthralled by all the information Amis was telling him.

“Lots of trial and error, it was a miracle that the magic chose that sword!”

Tails looked confused, “It chose it?”

“Yes! The easiest way to imbue anything with fae magic is by letting it do so willingly. Magic has a mind of its own and magic of the fae is the most stubborn.”

“Tell me about it,” Sonic said so teasingly to which he was met with must have been an unamused look from Lancelot, it was hard to tell with the helmet.

Lancelot spoke, completely ignoring Sonic, “The fae are not to be messed with and their magic is dangerous, but I am not surprised that you were able to accomplish such a feat. You should feel proud of yourself, you have proven yourself worthy.”

Amis beamed, “Thank you! It means a lot to hear that from someone such as yourself.”

That left Shadow confused; what did Lancelot have to do with this?

They quickly moved on as Amis continued his lecture which was later taken over by Tails as he explained electricity. It ended up being a much harder subject to explain.

—

Towards the end of their visit, they had once again found themselves in the main room of the smithy. Sonic and the others chatted away with Amis and Caliburn about something but Shadow could not focus on their conversation.

Because there was something on the table he could not get his eyes off of, that simply wouldn’t let him look away:

The sword, the one that was created at the start of their visit.

It was calling him.

Whispering to him.

It said no word but that didn’t mean Shadow didn’t understand what it wanted.

It wanted him to draw closer.

“Are you coming, Shads?” Sonic’s voice broke him out of the trance he was under.

But that was silly, sure magic existed but why would a sword want him? He had barely been in this world for two days and he had spent most of it in a daze. Surely there is nothing that would have caused anything magical to be drawn to him.

Right?

They left the smithy with a goodbye to Amis and with Caliburn once again at Sonic’s side. It took some effort to pull the two foxes away from each other but eventually they were forced to say their goodbyes.

But the image of that sword was still embedded into his mind.

And it did not leave him be until they had reached the castle walls.

—

Dinner had once again arrived. The time between their visit to Amis’ smithy and now, Shadow and the others were allowed to roam the halls as Sonic and the knights attended to their duties before they would all meet up for dinner

When they entered the dining hall, there was something that Shadow immediately noticed; Lancelot wasn’t wearing any armor, instead he was wearing an intricately embroidered cream tunic and plain brown trousers. The thread was golden in color and was clearly the work of great craftsmanship. For the first time, Shadow could see Lancelot’s face. It was remarkably similar to his own, a nearly perfect mirror image. But there were some notable differences; Lancelot had various scars, the two that particularly stood out was the scar across his nose and the nick in his left ear.

Strange; why was the knight not wearing his helmet?

The entire time they have been in this world; Lancelot did not even show a sliver of his face. Even when eating, Lancelot would barely lift up his visor. He seemed apprehensive to show his face while the other knights didn’t seem to care.

The fact that he was dressed up so nicely only added to Shadow’s confusion.

As they seated themselves at the table, Shadow and Lancelot ended up sitting across from each other. Tonight seemed to be full of firsts as Lancelot was for once not by Sonic, the blue hedgehog being a few seats away at the head of the table.

Dinner went on without a hitch, the others chatted between taking bites of food while Shadow picked at his plate. Galahad was asking the others about their trip and in return Amy asked him what he was doing while they were gone, apparently the boy had studies to attend to.

Shadow wasn’t paying much attention, he was too busy observing Lancelot who was considerably more talkative tonight.

Then Shadow remembered something; an old distant memory.

—

In a fort made of blankets and chairs, lit only by the soft glow of fairy lights was a girl and nestled by her side was Shadow. As much as it pained him; he had since forgotten how her face looked like, it had faded away with time, but Shadow still remembers the kind eyes and soft smile that graced her face.

And he could never forget her wonder and excitement as she recounted each detail of her favorite myth:

The legend of King Arthur.

Maria had many books on the subject; she was fascinated. The tales of knights, fairies, magic, and of course love, she was entranced by every bit of it. Reading through her collection was one, if not her favorite, pastime.

It was one of the good days, the ones where Maria’s health was at its strongest, where Maria could be a kid and she wanted nothing more than to tell Shadow anything and everything about the fictional world of King Arthur.

“The beautiful Guinevere, she’s the wife of Arthur but she’s actually in love with Lancelot! She’s a classic damsel-in-distress and depending who you ask; she’s either good or bad, but again, that really depends on who you're asking and which version you're reading. Her relationship with Arthur and Lancelot is honestly the reason there’s so many retellings; they’re just such a good source for a dramatic romance,” Shadow just let Maria talk, more than happy to hear his sister’s passionate ramble. It was soothing.

Maria let out a delighted squeal, “Can you imagine being at the center of a love triangle? To have two men fight over you?” Shadow couldn’t say that he had, romance wasn’t something that appealed to him. He didn’t need someone to love like that, he had Maria and that was enough.

She flipped through the pages as she looked for another myth to talk about and as Maria did so something caught Shadow’s eye. “Who’s that?” he pointed to one of the beautifully painted illustrations, it was of a human woman and in her hands was a grail.

“That is Lady Elaine of Corbenic, she’s the mother of Galahad!”

—

“Where’s Elaine?”

Lancelot froze and on his face was a mixture of confusion and shock before he quickly schooled his expression but even then there was a hint of sadness to it. Even Galahad seemed affected by the question as he looked down at his plate. “Elaine is no longer with us. She was a good friend, she would have been an excellent mother,” Lancelot let out a sigh, one full of sorrow, “I wish there was more that could have been done for her.”

So Elaine was dead, that was expected, from what Shadow remembers; Elaine had died giving birth to Galahad. But a good friend? In Maria’s many tangents, not once had she ever said that Lancelot and Elaine had a good relationship, in fact it was quite the opposite, Lancelot was tricked into believing she was someone else. This universe doesn’t seem to strictly follow Arthurian legends.

The sound of the clinking of glass rang out through the dining hall tearing everyone’s attention to the head of the table.

“May I have your attention please? I want to make an announcement,” Sonic declared as he stood up from his seat. He looked to the knight and asked, “Could you come here, Love?” Lancelot held his head high and when he was once again at Sonic’s side, he held his hand.

They smiled at each other.

It made Shadow sick.

“I haven’t been honest with you all and I would like to make it know: Lancelot and I are together. He is the kindest, most loyal person I have ever met and I am happy to call him mine,” Sonic looked at them with a bit of nervousness, “I hope you all can accept that.”

“Of course we do!” Tails cheered.

Amy joined in. “I’m so happy for you both!”

Knuckles smiled at them, “It’s about time you said something.”

For a brief moment, Shadow and Lancelot’s eyes met and the knight smiled at him. That smile. That chaos-forsaken smile and that glint in his eyes; it was mocking him. It was a sensation so strong that Shadow could not ignore; Lancelot was mocking him and yet he had not said a single word.

That’s when it clicked; that feeling, that disgusting feeling, it was something he thought he would never feel in his entire life;

It was jealousy.

And that jealousy was going to consume him whole.

“Congrats,” it was all he could say.