Chapter Text
Each step forward echoed through a long, dark hallway, heavy footfalls betraying his presence for whoever was listening. Sonic should have been more careful, really. He didn't feel like running into anyone he once knew or otherwise, wanting this nightmare to end as quickly as it had begun.
This didn't stop him from groaning loudly when he turned a corner to more empty hallway.
"I just want to go HOME, Shadow, I mean, how hard is it to press some buttons and send me back?"
We're trying, Sonic. The image in front of him flickered, a stern hedgehog slightly shorter than his height (even if he denied it vehemently). He seemed to exist on a different plane, a reflection that wasn't quite stable. The projection glitched again, and Shadow sighed. Tails is working on it.
"Can he work faster? The longer I'm here the more likely I am to run into someone who still thinks I'm 'the chosen one'. I'm not going through all that again, I'm already sore and hungry."
It shouldn't be much longer.
A loud crash came from off to his side, startling Sonic as he whipped around in the dark. The corridor remained empty, though, no sign of life other than himself. Shoulders sinking, Sonic took a minute to catch his breath.
The sound came again, this time accompanied by some faint profanities.
"What was that?"
Nothing. But Shadow's eyes darted away from Sonic again towards some unseen commotion. You've already restored that timeline once, you shouldn't have to stabilize it again.
"Yeah, I did, and you guys didn't believe me."
Amy Rose says she's sorry.
He didn't miss the way Shadow pushed the blame off himself. No one had believed him at first. Amy was the worst. Shadow had, begrudgingly, listened once when it was just the two of them. Until now he was still convinced it was some kind of dream or hallucination, but he had heard him out. The world moved on, too fast for Sonic to care, but there was a little sense of vindication in the back of his mind. Even if it was at his expense.
You got yourself home last time.
"Don't wanna rely on magic again. It’s so easy to get manipulated into doing the wrong thing."
What about... Shadow hesitated, and the image sputtered out long enough that Sonic grew worried.
"Shads?"
Back. He looked a little more disheveled now, shaking his quills back into place. Don't worry about it. You said there were others that helped you the first time. Go find the echidna, or Amy Rose, or... me.
His breath caught in his throat. Sonic had never been one to omit details of his adventures, but if there was one subject he glossed over, it was this. And yet.
Shadow had found out about Lancelot. He knew Sonic had fallen for someone that wore his face, and left him behind just as fast. Somewhere between fistfights and easy camaraderie, Sonic must have poured his heart out. Maybe after a drunken brawl, sprawled out under endless stars, he had let slip one too many confessions. Answered a few questions with more information than was necessary. Asked for more than could be returned.
Whatever vulnerability he had shown had been quickly forgotten by him, at least, but Shadow knew. Somehow, Shadow always knew his worst-kept secrets.
"I don't think I left on the best terms."
Well, if he is anything like me, that won't matter.
There it was again. A hint of something deeper that made their dynamic ever so complicated. Sonic could brush off the stare of intense eyes as nothing more than rivalry, but then Shadow would say something soft like this. Something almost sweet.
His heart may have skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face. He hoped. "Aw, is that your way of saying you care?"
Hardly. Whatever he had thought happened between them dissipated like a dandelion in the wind, crushed like his hopes and dreams. That was the Shadow he knew. Good to have him back.
I'm sure he wants you gone just as much as I do.
"Are you saying you'd leave me here?!" Sonic was a little louder than was necessary, his voice definitely carrying down the halls he had snuck in. He had thought he could remember his way around the castle well enough, but everything seemed backwards and switched around in his head. "Shadow, please, this whole place is like walking into some stupid Disney movie. I've never even been to the parks!"
He almost missed the low rumble over his complaining. It wasn't much, and many wouldn't have considered the deep sound joyful, but Sonic knew. He knew Shadow well enough to know he was laughing at him.
"Hey! This is a serious matter!"
Of course, princess, we can't have you running off with some knight in shining armor you just met. Shadow's image was gone, but his voice was coming through just fine. Gravelly, still holding back. If you run into any talking animals, though, you're probably going crazy.
"When I get home..." Sonic started, but the threat never came. His com blinked once, twice, and after a third red light, stopped transmitting.
Sonic, always one to keep calm in dire situations, frantically shook his wrist.
"Shadow? Shadow!"
Nothing. He hit the damn thing against the stone wall once, but all it did was omit a shrill beep. Wincing, Sonic, ripped the communicator from his wrist and started pawing at the back.
"Damn it, Tails told me to check the battery before I left yesterday, why didn't I listen..."
Another loud beep, like the smoke detector when he tried to cook, echoed down the hallway. Ooh, he was screwed. There was no way that wasn't heard.
He had maybe ten seconds to get away. All the time in the world! Slapping the dead device back on his wrist, Sonic braced himself for take off, estimating how fast he could get through the labyrinthian hallways without crashing into any walls. If he remembered correctly... turn the corner, take a right, down the stairs and straight out the front doors. Easy-peasy. He gave himself exactly thirty-one-point-two-five seconds to be out of this haunted house and back on the streets. Sonic kicked back, speeding down the empty runway.
Right into the heavy iron plate of a castle guard.
"Hey!”
He had not accounted for any moving obstacles. Damn. Sonic allowed himself a three second penalty to scramble back, expecting to be met with the edge of a sword, but the danger never came.
The knight he had run into was still sprawled on the ground, helmet askew. They stared back at him with wide eyes, their partner a few feet behind and just as surprised. Just some castle guards, none of the knights Sonic knew. Good, maybe. They looked young, and he could definitely distract them long enough to slip away.
"Your... majesty?" The guard still on their feet hesitantly asked, hand wavering over the top of their sword. Ah, yes. That was what had them acting so weird.
"Um. Hi."
"But we were just in the..." The second guard muttered, one feline ear flicking back towards the large doors he was inches away from entering. In hindsight, maybe it was a good thing he had been stopped before he could make it out. Those weren't the front doors, as he had first remembered, those were to the throne room.
Sonic straightened his back, trying to seem more royal and stately. He had spent all of twelve hours as official King of Camelot, but, hey, that was surely enough experience to bluff his way out of this one. He gave a curt salute, flashing a crooked smile.
"Uh. No need to worry, nothing's... amiss. At ease, soldiers."
Wrong thing to say. The cat's palm curled around their sword, their partner on the ground springing up just as fast. He had been spending too much time around Shadow and Rouge and their stupid G.U.N. lingo.
Swords were drawn, the sharp shing! of metal freed from scabbards ringing in the corridor. Sonic took one slow step back, hoping he could ease his way out of this before they called for more experienced guards.
Now would have been a great time for Shadow to save his butt, wouldn't it?
"What trickery is this? Some kind of illusion?" The cat, who oddly reminded him of Percival-slash-Blaze with their stern frown, pointed their sword at him. The other guard followed their lead, but with much less confidence.
"Oh dear Gaia, they just warned us about this, I didn't think it would ever actually happen again—"
"Please, there is no need for this." Finding it somewhere in himself to keep up the act, Sonic held out a placating hand. He smiled gently, taking one step towards the pair. "Though I laud your caution. Your training is paying off well. This is but... a trial."
"A trial?" The smaller guard repeated, sword wavering slightly as Sonic pushed it down.
"And you have passed!" Bright smile, don't waver. Keep up the weird formal speak. Is it medieval? He'll look it up when he gets home. "I apologize for deceiving you, but you know one can never have too much caution."
The words sounded wrong coming from his mouth, but even the tense cat guard lowered their weapon. So close to being in the clear, Sonic rolled his shoulder back, channeling every commanding kingly presence he had seen in movies and TV. Super easy. Score one for Sonic the Hedgehog, whose charm could get him out of any situation.
"There's really no need to be patrolling these specific corridors this late at night. You should head off to your assignments on the far west end of the..."
The creak of the throne room doors interrupted him, their years of age showing as the hinges protested. He had the smallest glimpse of the hall inside, just as lavish and ornate as he remembered, memories hitting like a truck. The deep hue of blue and gold banners, glimmering candles dangling from the ceiling, polished floors that reflected their light like stars in a lake. Worst of all, as the dark oak doors were pushed aside, was the glint of steel that outlined a black visor. His 'knight in shining armor' come to whisk him away, as Shadow had teased would happen. How unfortunately true that was.
Even with the helmet covering his face, his surprise was evident. One dark ear twitched back towards the dull chatter in the throne room, before the doors slammed shut and silence overtook them all.
Sonic opened his mouth to speak, and—
"Seize him."
The smaller guard jumped, looking from Lancelot to Sonic and back with their mouth wide open. "Sir...?"
"I am disappointed neither of you are able to see past this ruse," Lancelot spoke, steady tone revealing no emotion as he stared Sonic down, "as this is clearly not the king."
While no one was shocked, the two guards still hesitated as Lancelot stalked towards Sonic. He held his ground in face of the other hedgehog, unable to read into even the slightest hint of what was going on inside his mind. He, for one, knew his brain had come to a screeching halt, and the mere act of breathing had become manual. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"It is a convincing glamour." Lancelot reached out, running his hand over Sonic's chest like he was inspecting a fine piece of cloth. "A shame it will go to waste. Impersonating the king is cause for the highest punishment."
"Good thing I'm not impersonating him."
Lancelot's fingers stopped, right above the ridge of his collar bone, palm hovering over his heart. Hesitance? No. Sir Lancelot was too sure of himself to doubt his judgement.
This was far worse. Recognition.
His king had returned. Sonic couldn't help but smirk, and that was his downfall.
His only warning was claws curled against his shoulder, sharp and quick, before Sonic found himself shoved to the nearest wall. His speed and strength rivaled Shadow at his angriest, most-pissed-off-at-Sonic-specifically state. Face pressed against the cold stone, he gasped at the rough treatment, trying to squirm from Lancelot's grasp. Still, the knight held steadfast, shoving Sonic against the wall with a low growl that was totally unnecessary! Gasping for breath, Sonic tried to use his natural advantage and give Lancelot a face full of quills, but the armor he wore protected him from the brunt of their damage.
"Hey!"
"You have some nerve showing your stolen face, false king."
Sonic struggled as Lancelot managed to trap his wrists together. How?! It wasn't like knights were walking around Camelot with handcuffs. Chains would be heavy. Through his gloves Sonic couldn't feel what kept his hands bound, but that was the least of his worries, really.
Lancelot ripped him away from the wall by his shoulder (ow), spun him around, and slammed him right back against the stone.
"Sir Lancelot! Please! You know it's me!"
Their bodies were pressed close, close enough that the heat from underneath that sleek armor was seeping out. Sonic could feel a brush of fur between his legs as Lancelot kept him pinned, frantically writhing to escape. They were close enough now for Sonic to see narrowed eyes between the slits of his visor, studying him with a gaze so intense he thought he might burn up. Sonic's struggling turned into shifting uncomfortably, but he stilled nonetheless. His cheeks felt hot as he averted his eyes, unable to hold that vicious stare.
"I do," The knight whispered, one dark eye blinking shut, "and you are not my king."
Sonic had gotten himself into some difficult situations, but this one just took the cake. No matter how many questions he asked, Lancelot refused to answer, leading him silently through the halls towards his doom. Chains, whips, the rack, whatever an Iron Maiden was supposed to do. You know, all that stereotypical medieval torture stuff. Whatever awaited him at their destination had Sonic’s imagination running wild.
Tapping his fingers together, Sonic shifted his bound wrists. The rope that held them in place (and connected to Lance) was soft and silky, colored a brilliant crimson that stood out against his fur. Tugging against the tension, he traced the thread that drew between him and the knight. “You just keep this on you for fun or something?”
Lancelot, predictably, did not answer.
“Hey, so, not that I’m complaining, but…” Sonic started conversationally, as if this attempt wouldn’t be met with indefinite silence. Lance didn’t even glance his way, tugging him along like a dog on a leash, “I don’t remember this being the way to the dungeon?”
“We’re not imprisoning you in the dungeon.” The knight finally huffed, first words he had spoken since he had admitted he knew Sonic. It had an unmistakably Shadow-quality to it, like the answer was so obvious it wasn’t worth asking the question in the first place.
“Okay. Cool. Never liked ‘em in the first place.” The pair had come to a stop in front of a rather plain door, and Sonic was wracking his brain to remember what was behind it. “Do you typically do this with all your prisoners now, or…?”
“Only those who commit the worst offenses.” Shadow—sorry, Lancelot muttered, unlocking the door with a key he had tucked into his quills. “And those who interest the king.”
“King?” Now, Sonic wasn’t all that familiar with things like Arthurian lore or societies that chose their government by ladies distributing swords from a lake, but he knew something was off. Like, there was only one famous king of Camelot. And this was some weird story book realm, so there would only ever be one king. “Not… Arthur?”
“Is there some other king I should know about?”
“Me, for one.”
“Your reign ended when you abandoned this kingdom.” The lock clicked open, old door creaking with a sharp push of a hand. “Your dishonorable abdication of the throne stripped that title from you.”
Ouch. But Sonic could focus on the hissed insult later, after Lance started explaining just what he meant by King Arthur. Last time, that hadn’t gone very well.
He was about to open his mouth and force the other to start explaining (though he hadn’t quite figured out how), but the room before him was a bit of shock. Of course he hadn’t recognized it from this entrance, he normally came in the, well, normal way. Pulled through a hidden servant’s entrance, Sonic found himself in an ornate dressing room connected to the main bed. Hmm. Not where he would have kept prisoners, but it hadn’t really come up when he was king.
The room was a little disheveled, clothing thrown haphazardly over chairs and surfaces laden with random pretty junk. It looked a little like Tails’ workshop. Okay, maybe that was a disservice to Tails’ workshop. It looked more like the room above Tails’ workshop that Sonic used as home base, sometimes referred to as his bedroom even though there was no bed. A mattress on the floor didn’t count.
Lance was still holding him on one end of the fancy rope, looking around the room for… something. Honestly, Sonic could probably free himself if he wanted to, but the shock of seeing Lancelot again combined with his own stupid curiosity had him standing still, even while the other was distracted. Shifting from foot to foot, he couldn’t help but feel out of place in his muddy shoes and generic brand gloves, next to all this fine material and shiny armor.
Lancelot seemed to find what he was looking for. In his hand he held a small strip of dark fabric, golden threads spun into an indiscernible pattern. The knight approached him, hand outstretched, reaching for his neck.
“Woah. Um. Kinky.” Sonic joked, but as the black leather closed around his throat, he couldn’t help but feel trapped. “Warn a guy first?”
“You can’t leave these rooms until the ward is lifted.” The collar (because it was a fucking collar, so much for historical accuracy) snapped shut around Sonic‘s neck, but really the only thing keeping him in place was the brush of Lance’s fingers on his skin. Maybe it was his imagination, but the cold press of metal seemed to linger a little longer than was necessary. “So don’t try anything. I know you want to.”
His touch definitely lingered now. Eyes trained on his neck, Lancelot refused to lift his gaze, fingers grazing just above his collar bones. What was unsaid hung heavy in the air, accusations and excuses and years of regret.
“Lance…” Sonic murmured, bringing his bound hands to hover over the chest plate of the knight, “please. You remember me, right?”
The long silence that followed was suffocating. Each passing moment Sonic wondered if this was all a bad dream. Finally, just as he was moving his hands away, Lancelot spoke.
“.... I do.”
The nimble fingers brushed against the cursed fabric again, drawing away for the final time. Lifting the visor of his helmet, Sonic saw a strange, far away look when they made direct eye contact.
“But Camelot has its king again, Sonic, and I follow his orders.”
“What?”
Lancelot went back to ignoring him, letting the stray ribbons fall from his hands. Sonic, starting to panic now, frantically pulled them apart.
“Lance, no, you can’t mean—what I think you mean? That was never—King Arthur doesn’t exist, he was just—“
“Don't worry too much.” The knight spoke as if this was a normal conversation, as if simply chatting with an old friend. “He won't execute you.”
Gnawing on the ropes, Sonic grit between his teeth, “Gee, thanks. I'm so relieved.”
“Don't try to escape.”
The silk fell from his wrists, hands immediately coming up to the allegedly enchanted collar. “It's like talking to a brick wall. Somehow, I think you're more stubborn than Shadow.”
Lancelot, who had been tidying the room as Sonic struggled, stopped cold. With a stern look at the hedgehog trying to break free, he managed to intimidate Sonic’s hands into freezing of their own accord.
“Scary like him, too.” He muttered, leaving the collar alone.
Lancelot, dark eyes flicking up and down Sonic’s form, clicked his tongue.
“Strip.”
Sonic couldn’t have heard that right. Frozen in place, he looked at Lance like he was going to clarify, but the other just raised his brows.
“I want you unarmed.” Lancelot ordered again when Sonic hadn’t moved, gesturing to the gloves still on his hands. “Gloves, shoes, off.”
“Do I look—“
“Now.”
“Fine, fine!” Carefully peeling away fabric, Sonic took his time following this request. It was stupid, in his opinion. What, was he hiding a knife in one of his socks? He was a hedgehog, for crying out loud, if he wanted a weapon he had at least a couple hundred right on his back. Dropping the glove as far out as his arm could reach, Sonic held his bare paws up in surrender.
“Happy now?”
A hand was held out, demanding one last thing. Sonic still had the broken communicator on his wrist.
“I need this.”
“It will be returned.”
“No.”
Lancelot’s hand went to his sword.
“Fine! Fuck, okay, take it!” He knew, realistically, the thing was off. Totally useless. But that was his last line to Shadow, and his last line to home. He slowly unstrapped it, feeling more vulnerable with it gone than all the other four items of clothing combined, and dropped it in Lancelot’s outstretched hand. Wrapping his arms around himself, Sonic tried not to think about how this was the first time he had been bare before the other.
They never really had the chance to do much with their almost-relationship, huh?
The knight made a noncommittal noise. Thus far, this was almost as monumental a form of approval as a medal for heroism.
Back to ignoring him. Even though he really hadn’t been wearing much before, the lack of anything had Sonic shifting uncomfortably as Lancelot went about with whatever he was doing. He worked around him, humming appreciatively when Sonic moved out of his way, making his way to the door that separated the dressing and bed rooms. Pushing open the large door, he gestured for Sonic to enter.
Which. Y’know. Was weird. Sonic wasn’t going to say anything, but… there were only a few uses he could think of for a naked hedgehog placed in your bedroom, and while he usually enjoyed a little ‘helpless and imprisoned’ role play, this was real. And unless the knight standing in front of him was having delusions of grandeur and declared himself king, it did look like he was being presented like a pig on a spit to a dark and demented entity.
So, yeah, no. Sonic ran.
Headfirst into a magical barrier after about two steps. Wham!
Flat on his back.
“I did warn you.” Lancelot sighed, picking Sonic back up by his shoulders. The struggling hero hissed and spit, kicking and fanning out his quills for protection. He’d scream for help but… lost and alone in a magical world, no comm to contact his friends. Sonic’s attack only met armor.
“Stop—“ Lancelot said with some difficulty, corralling Sonic into the lavish bedroom—“struggling so much!”
Like a child throwing a tantrum, Sonic bit and scratched at the arms around his middle. “No!”
“Sonic! Really!” Throwing him onto the floor, pinning him with his weight, Lancelot had him trapped. “I promise, no harm will come to you!”
The ropes were back. The soft, silky ropes that were 100% not meant for tying up prisoners. Sonic did not yield, even as Lancelot pinned his arms behind his back and kept them there.
“Let me go!” His exposed claws managed to catch on Lancelot’s fur, but they didn’t breech skin. “Lance, please, if you’re saying that thing is back, then I can help! Don’t just—blindly follow again—“
“I am curious.” The knight acted as if everything was perfectly fine, knotting a bow behind his back. “What became of you and Shadow?”
Sonic’s struggling paused, if only for a second. ”What?”
“In your world.” Lancelot continued, “You often spoke of a ‘Shadow’ in comparison to me.”
Gently now, Lancelot raised himself off of Sonic, rolling him over onto his back. He used his surprise to his advantage, smiling down at the trapped hedgehog. “I would hope you figured things out. If not with him, then someone, at least. Twenty years is a long time to be alone.”
“Twenty…”
Sonic had been young the first time he entered this story. Fifteen, maybe sixteen, he didn’t really keep track. With everything else going on, he couldn’t say exactly how long it had been since then. Lancelot, like Shadow, hadn’t aged a day since he met him. For Sonic, that had been five years, give or take. For Camelot—
“Oh, Lance. I am so, so sorry.”
Any anger he had was perfectly understandable, but he couldn’t read it on the other’s face. The visor of his helmet dropped before any emotions were betrayed, and Sonic hauled back up to his feet. This time, he went willingly.
“I never wanted to be your king. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I had—back home, there were people I couldn’t—but I never meant to hurt you—“
“I know.” Lancelot agreed, still perfectly calm, which scared Sonic. “That is why you left. It was for the best.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don't be.” His voice held no more contempt, even as Sonic was led to sit on the edge of a large bed. “I moved on.”
“Look, whatever is happening here, I can help. It’s my fault I left this place the way it is. I ran away like a coward the first time, but I promise you—“ A deep sound, almost like a purr, caught Sonic off guard. “Are you… laughing?”
“No.” The knight lied, chuckling softly as he brushed over blue fur. “Don’t worry about all that, Sonic. King Arthur will deal with you.”
“No, I defeated him! That's just—there was no King Arthur, you know that! Don't tell me you've gone back to…”
But Sir Lancelot let his hand fall from Sonic’s shoulder, “I forgive you. We were both too young to understand the strange magic that brought you here. I only ask about your Shadow because… I found someone, too.”
Sonic tried to follow when Lancelot turned his heel, but his legs felt weak. “Lance, no!”
“Good luck, Sonic.” He paused at the door, lifting his head in the blue hedgehog’s direction one last time, “It's good to see you again.”
With the soft click of a lock, Sonic found himself alone again.
“Shit…”
He kicked his legs out from under him, struggling without the use of his arms. Every wiggle and twist seemed to make the bonds tighter. Worrying a scar on the inside of his lip, Sonic started to weigh his options.
It made sense, really, that Lancelot would turn back to the terrorizing reign of an illusory king. Back in his world, Shadow had his ups and downs with morality. Was that why he had been brought back? To defeat some ghost of adventures past? He had not yet seen the evil (questionable) wizard that had created him in the first place, but that didn’t mean she was behind this. Groaning, Sonic fell back on the bed, wishing that he could just close his eyes and dream this place away.
It would have been easier than dealing with what was essentially his ex boyfriend turning once again to the dark side.
What had that been about? Lancelot and him had never really had a chance to talk out their feelings, and as he said, they were young when they first met. Both stupid teenagers, the titles of knight and king artificially crowned. As much as he hated to admit it, Lance was a stand in for the feelings he had been having about Shadow but was too scared to admit. It wasn’t fair of him to compare the two, but even now, he couldn’t help himself. All their summer fling had caused him was a headache and regrets, and a vengeful pseudo-Shadow that was pretending to be chill with this whole mess, waiting to strike when he least expected.
Yeah. Headache and regrets. Sonic leaned back into the pillows with a deep sigh, closing his eyes. Camelot could wait to be saved for a minute.
He had barely any time to rest before the lock was clicking again, his only warning. Like birds flying away before a hurricane. Springing to his knees, Sonic started to struggle with the ropes again, hoping to at least face whatever had come for him with all his limbs at his disposal.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Maybe the last king he fought. Maybe something entirely new. Maybe even Lancelot, come back to tell him this was all a joke, payback for leaving him all those years ago. Which wasn’t really that long for him, and was never really his fault, but he could ignore that if it meant all this was fake.
Whatever it was, Sonic was still bound when the door opened and sunlight spilled into the room, blinding him for the moment of reveal. Blinking at the brightness, he squinted into the sun, trying to make out the small silhouette that covered it.
He gasped.
Standing in the center of the lit doorway, not an apparition, not a ghost, was King Arthur.
A blue hedgehog.