Cold deal!
March 10, 2024 at 11:40 AM
A portal opens in the ice world and the naked Shadow comes out with Tails on his shoulder. Both grab their shoulders.
β Br-r-r! How cold it is here! β said the fox, looking around.
Another parallel universe βFear or Friendshipβ β a frozen world
There was only one desert around. Moreover, this desert is not made of sand, but of snow. Lots of cold, snow and ice. Having crawled to the slope, the naga accidentally fell off it when it broke under his weight. Shadow fell and rolled across the frozen lake. The ice was strong enough to hold him. Shadow rolled on such a large ice and almost fell, because it was slippery. β Of course, I love winter and skating on ice, but not that much. β Shadow says to himself, trying to maintain his balance. The striped naga lay down and, moving his arms, crawled on the ice to the shore. Then he got up and moved on. Tails was still sitting on his shoulder. They climbed the slope and saw many fir trees and trees around, which were also covered with ice and snow on top. A castle could be seen in the distance. β Look, Shadow. King Merlin's Castle! β the fox pointed to the castle covered with snow. Without hesitation, they decided to go there. Climbing down the slope on Shadow's back, as if on a sleigh, they crawled through the forest for about an hour. When they reached the main gate, no one greeted them. More precisely, there was a guard near the gate, but she was frozen and in such a position, as if something had frightened them. It feels like they were attacked by some person who can freeze and turned them into ice mummies. Once inside the palace, they noticed some more people who had turned into ice statues. The rest of the houses were even deserted, and the glass in the windows burst from frost and such cold weather. But the castle itself, strangely enough, was intact. The gate immediately opened as Shadow crawled towards it. It was as if someone inside was waiting for them. The naga and the fox went inside and the gate closed behind them. Everything inside was also frozen, so much so that even the floor was slippery. Fortunately, Shadow was barely trying to keep his balance, and Tails was learning to skate on ice. They noticed that on the stairs, instead of a portrait of King Merlin, there was an entrance and an additional staircase there. This was the secret passage to the ring's vault. But it also used to be the personal room of the court traitor sorcerer. Shadow and Tails immediately realized that they had probably found themselves in a world where that same sorcerer apparently remained faithful and was still able to take over the world here. Which means Merlin isn't here. Instead of him, apparently his distant great-grandfather was still frozen here. Having reached the corridor and overcome it, they went out into the very vault, where in fact there was now a room, a personal throne made of ice, tables and chairs with flasks, a cauldron with a frozen fire and several more ice statues, among which were the king. Apparently the same distant great-grandfather of the king. Among them, the frozen naga Luz Bucket also showed up well. β LUZ!!! β Tails was scared for him and ran up. It was indeed Luz Bucket himself whom they were looking for. He had the same ring on his claw for moving. β Who froze him like that? β Shadow didnβt understand. β It's me! β someone answered them from behind and walked through the same corridor, entering them. β Hello! β You! β Tails narrowed his eyes. He remembered the same sorcerer whom he had then killed there in the world made of water. It was the same sorcerer. β Are you the one who froze the whole world and all these people? β Yes. β the jackal confirmed. β I froze it all. True, I initially planned to create a ring to move between worlds, but I decided that it would be better if I simply froze the entire world. Besides this, I made myself forever young. True, I did not become immortal, but if I am careful, I will live longer. I'm already hardened to this kind of frost. β They understand everything, but why are you asking him? β Shadow asked, pointing his hand at Luz. β He was just as shocked, but he was against me, and he also wanted to pounce on me and eat me. I just had to protect myself. Fortunately, I accomplished what you were trying to achieve. You can take your friend and return home. β Home? Are you just letting us go? β Tails asked. β You came for him, and not for me? Right. β answered the sorcerer. β Take it with you and go home. Shadow and Tails looked at each other and looked at Luz in unison. On the one hand, they wanted to come for him, stop him and return with him to their world. However, they did not want to leave everything so unjustly. This sorcerer was a villain and essentially took over the entire world. They need to stop him. β Did you happen to think something bad about me? β asked the sorcerer. Shadow hissed through his teeth: β Yes. We wonβt just leave this all alone. The striped snake hedgehog ran at the sorcerer, and he stretched out his arms and suddenly froze him in one go, turning him into an ice statue. He could only move his eyes and look around. β NO!!! β Tails shouted, holding out his hand. β Don't worry, Tails. You, too, will join him in the next world if you also dare to challenge me. Everyone tried to stop me, but no one could defeat me. No one can overcome my freezing. β You are a real monster, sorcerer. I killed you once, I will kill you this time too. β So this is how you answered me? β the sorcerer grumbled and stretched his hands forward. Tails jumped and flew in the air dodging the shots. Taking out his sword, he flew at the sorcerer and was preparing to behead him, but at one point the sorcerer still hit him with freezing. The fox found himself immobilized inside a huge cube of ice, where he could only move and look around with his eyes. β That's it, Tails. Don't mess with a sorcerer like me! No matter how hard you try, itβs not that easy to kill me. Did you really think that you could defeat me, since you are a great warrior and naga hunter, you can do absolutely anything? You overestimate yourself too much. You were warned not to give in to revenge, otherwise you would become worse than me. But don't worry. I will not leave you, like your nagas, in my collection of frozen statues. I'll just get rid of you and won't leave a hair of you. You will not be in this world at all. β the sorcerer pulled a lever and a hatch opened in the center of the room, which led into deep and bottomless darkness. β Pray to your god, if of course he hears you and saves you, but for now Iβll make fun of you a little! Frozen Tails listened to all this and could not do anything. Even break out of the ice. Only the frozen Shadow, fearing for Tails, was able to lower his upper eyelids and slightly tug his ice blanket. The sorcerer himself began to dance on the spot and sing in a terrible voice: βͺ I am your leader. Light and shadow. βͺ βͺ Pale... That I'll blind you βͺ βͺ I am God here. And you must obey. βͺ βͺ I do it on my own. I'll hit you. βͺ βͺ No matter where I look. Snow storms everywhere! βͺ βͺ Iβll wave my hand. How do you turn to ice? βͺ βͺ I am Infinite, the ice king, remember my name! βͺ βͺ There is no escape from me, because your death is already waiting. βͺ βͺ I love the cold, because I'm frozen through. βͺ βͺ I'm worse than the Devil, I'm incredibly evil. βͺ βͺ I will extinguish your fire forever! βͺ βͺ I am old and angry, like ancient ice. βͺ βͺ No one will escape me. βͺ βͺ I'll show you the darkness, which is worse than the night. βͺ βͺ I am the Devil incarnate! βͺ The sorcerer began to push the ice cube with Tails inside towards the pit to throw him there. The ice statue of Shadow began to twitch and crack more strongly, and a mooing came from inside. βͺ I am the Devil. Itself! βͺ βͺ I am the Devil. Itself! βͺ βͺ I am the Devil. Itself! βͺ βͺ I am the Devil. Itself! βͺ A little more and finally cracked, the naga broke out of the ice captivity, raising his hands and growling at the top of his lungs. The sorcerer got scared, turned around and was surprised to see that someone had escaped from his icy captivity. β DO NOT TOUCH MY FAVORITE FOX, MONSTER!!! β the striped naga shouted, clenched his hands into fists and hit the sorcerer from above with all his strength. He didnβt even have time to think to dodge or freeze him again. Having crushed him and hurt him, the sorcerer groaned, lying on the floor. Noticing a protruding ring under his glove, he rips off the glove and removes the ring with the image of a snowflake. Apparently this ring gives him the power to freeze everything. The sorcerer chose to run away, but the naga grabbed him with his tail. β Where are you going? β looking menacingly at the sorcerer, he hissed through his teeth and opened his mouth, deciding to eat this villain. β NO!!! NO, PLEASE!!! I DIDN'T WANT THIS!!! NO!!! NO!!! NO-O-O!!! β despite the sorcererβs cries and pleas for mercy, he swallowed it and, of course, sent it to his stomach for digestion, so that not a trace of this villain remained. β Hm. It tasted cold and bitter. Shadow walked up to Tails, who was frozen in an ice cube, and picked it up. β Donβt be afraid, Tails, now Iβll warm you up! β he told him and swallowed him too. He then sent it to his safe stomach, where it was warmer. True, this made him feel cold in his throat and stomach, which made him a little more painful and had to grab his shoulders.***
Shadow went outside for now and looked around at all the horror that that sorcerer had done. He still did the right thing by devouring this villain. Feeling that he already had some water in his stomach, and that the fox himself was already moving, he spat it back out, along with the rest of the water. The wet fox in the cold felt the cold even more, but was glad that he helped him. β Thank you, Shadow. β Please! Shadow replied and then looked at the ring. β The sorcerer used this ring for freezing. How can we save everyone and unfreeze everyone at once as quickly as possible? β Maybe we can try to destroy the ring itself and then everything that it froze will instantly unfreeze? β Tails suggested. Shadow didn't believe in such a fairy-tale cliche, but decided why not try. Taking the ring in both claws on both hands, he pulled it with all his might and broke it into two halves. The ring immediately cracked and crumbled into dust. Suddenly, the snow, ice and all the frozen people and Mobians began to melt at a rapid speed. Even the guards melted and moved. When everyone came to life, they turned their attention to that striped naga hedgehog and his two-tailed fox. They immediately realized that it was they who saved them. Immediately the snow and ice quickly melted, new green grass and flowers quickly grew, and summer immediately came.***
Merlin's distant great-grandfather, sitting on the throne, thanked the fox and his naga for defeating the sorcerer and saving them all from eternal freezing. Tails and Shadow even bowed to the king and all the inhabitants of the palace themselves. Just strangely, among all the frozen people in the palace, there was also Luz Bucket. However, he himself is not here. Itβs as if he ran away again after defrosting. For the umpteenth time already. Shadow and Tails were a little angry. Fortunately, a couple of people who unfrozen next to Luz saw where he opened the portal and, remembering that world, suggested to those where they should go after him.
