"How do you talk me into these things?" said Equinus in a mix of disbelief and wonder.

"You're gullible," replied Oracle dryly, hefting an aerosol spray can in one feathered hand. "Now get moving, we don't have much time."

"I just hope Fillia will be all right," Equinus whispered, crouching as he saw the hulking bipedal robot loom into view, marching along in the pattern it had been following from time immemorial. Its audio sensors had been mostly deactivated in order to cut down on power consumption, and so it was safe to talk in hushed tones around the metal giant.

Fillia had been harder to convince to go along with Oracle's plan than either Gryf or Equinus had been. Equinus had given in after Oracle intimated that he had to be the hero who called back the Last Legion, saying something about destiny and honor that the stallion didn't completely understand, mainly because he didn't think that Oracle completely understood what she was talking about either. What had decided him was the fact that he had come so far already that it didn't really make much difference going a little bit further. And besides, there was always the chance that the owl was right, and this vague chance at making things better had been the final deciding factor to win Equinus over. Fillia, on the other hand, was quite adamant in her insistence to go with her brother, and Equinus was inclined to let her come, since in his reckoning she was about as safe with him as anywhere else. Oracle strongly disagreed with that idea, and continued to insist that Equinus had to come with her, alone. It was not until Equinus thought of the Freedom Fighters that the stalemate of interests was settled. Fillia had in the end agreed to return to Knothole to give an account of what had happened so that Princess Sally, Sonic, and the others wouldn't worry. She saw the logic in this, though she didn't like it much, and Gryf had been making arrangements for the young filly to be escorted safely to the edge of Robotropolis by the time Equinus and Oracle left.

Gryf had been as good as his word, and sent them with an escort of a bear in his late thirties who had once been a subway worker and a turtle engineer who brought the pair safely to the outer perimeter of the Tombs through a series of winding tunnels and ventilation ducts that avoided the many security cameras Robotnik had posted all over the Underground. Oracle said she had memorized the way back and Equinus was glad of it, since he knew he had become completely turned around after the second set of twisting tunnels. The Royal Tombs had a complex lock on it that required far more information to open than either he or Oracle had to give, but the turtle technician who had come with them knew her business, and she was able to make the door open after fiddling with the tangle of wires inside the electronic lock for some time. After this the Underground Mobians and Equinus and Oracle parted ways, leaving the pair to slip through the security measures of the inner Tombs by themselves.

The first thing they had seen beyond the outer door was a vaulted cathedral, solemn and silent, with stained glass windows high above sending off waves of light (an oddity, since the cathedral had no access to sunlight) and a great altar at the front, flanked on the front by several rows of pews to accommodate the Royal family and any special friends who were also invited to the funerary services. The altar held an empty coffin, which Oracle explained was laid out for whichever of the Royal family next had a need for it. It was the Royal family's custom to be prepared, and also to hold brief ceremonies so that life for those still living could continue as quickly as possible. Oracle displayed an incredible knowledge of the Royal Tombs, and revealed a secret passage hidden under the altar, which they reached by jointly pushing against the thick slab of marble. At the end of the long spiral staircase under the altar was a short corridor with a stone door at the end requiring a key to open. Oracle had such a key tied around her neck, and while Equinus stood to one side of the door at her direction, she unlocked the granite portal and pulled it open, staying concealed behind the door as she did so. It was well that they did, for just beyond the portal stood a terrifying bulk of metal and glass, its vast array of weapons training on anything that moved in front of it. This was not one of Robotnik's designs, but rather was a leftover from the earlier days of Mobius, a Dreadnaught. The Dreadnaughts were one of the first war-ready robots ever to be built, fairly slow and bulky and not very smart, but well-armored and lethal to almost any target caught in their sights, no matter how large and powerful it might be. They were expensive to build and used exclusively by the Royal Family to defend objects of great importance, and it was this that Oracle and Equinus had to pass to reach their mysterious destination. The Dreadnaught shifted its huge bulk to the left, and then to the right, as though searching for something it couldn't see, and then turned and began the long walk back down the ancient corridors of the Tombs themselves. Oracle tossed Equinus a spray can of aerosol mist she had somehow produced from the folds of her robe, and then used a can herself on the corridor in front of them and behind the retreating metal monster. This action revealed a network of red lasers that further blocked the way.

"This is the Dreadnaught's backup sensor array," explained Oracle, "If we touch even one of these lasers, the Dreadnaught will know where we are and will make very short work of us both."

And so they had made their way through the dim corridors of the Tombs, the walls lined with flickering electric lanterns that gave off a weak yellow light. Every few yards the owl and horse would duck into one of the many side alcoves for the lanterns, in order to rest, plan their next moves through the laser maze, and to avoid detection by the Dreadnaught as it passed every fifteen minutes in the patrol that had been unbroken for more than eleven years, since the last person to be interred in the Tombs before the conquest of Robotnik was Queen Acorn, Sally's mother.

"Get set," said Oracle, bringing Equinus back to the present.

They watched from their alcove as the hulking robot thumped its way past them in its prerecorded sentry pattern and then darted out, their spray cans filling the air all around them with mist. A web of red lines appeared in the air around them, but Equinus knew well how to get past these, since he had a fair piece of experience in slipping past security measures like laser beams, experience gained on almost a half dozen missions into Robotropolis before Princess Sally had noticed him and invited the young stallion on the recent fateful raid.

Oracle was having a harder time with the lasers, being a little less agile than the stallion, but she seemed to manage rather well nevertheless. Equinus couldn't help but smile a little, since this was the first time he had proven himself to be better at something than the enigmatic and seemingly indestructible owl, who now was breathing a little heavily from the exertion.

"We are <puff> almost <puff> there," she said, breathing heavily until she got herself under control. "Just down this corridor," she pointed to a side branch in the long hall, "and through a last door. Then we'll reach our destination and get a nice rest."

"I'm doing fine," said Equinus, a little smirk playing on his normally-serious face. "Do you need a rest?"

"You're darn tootin'," said Oracle, giving a short laugh, the smirk on her beak mirroring Equinus'. "You won't be doing nearly as good when you get to be as old as I am."

They had just barely made it through the lasers when they heard the clanking of the metal goliath that guarded the Tombs as it came back, and Oracle quickly led Equinus down the corridor she had pointed to earlier. As they hurried down the hall, Equinus saw coffins set into little alcoves on either side of them. Some of the coffins were shaped and carved to resemble their occupant, while others were covered with intricate, beautiful designs and pictures lacing their outsides. Still others that were of plain wood, stone, or metal, and lacked decoration of any kind, just like the simple wooden coffin lying on the altar in the cathedral.

Abruptly the hall came to an end, and a final alcove was set into the dead end of the corridor, a plain stone coffin resting inside it.

"What now?" asked Equinus, his brow wrinkling. "Is this our destination?"

"After a manner of speaking," said Oracle with an enigmatic smile. "This is the door." She then walked to the wall, and kept right on walking. Equinus gave a surprised cry when Oracle suddenly disappeared, going straight through the seemingly solid wall. "It's an illusion," said Oracle's disembodied voice. "Just walk right through it."

"Easy for her to say," muttered Equinus. After only a moment of hesitation, he closed his eyes, and then walked forward, following the owl's example. He came to an abrupt halt when he bumped into Oracle. She jumped in surprise and then gave Equinus a reproving glance. But this glance was only for a second, and then the tall owl gestured towards the center of what Equinus now saw was a high-ceilinged chapel of sorts, with rays of gentle blue-white light shining down from an unseen source from above, its radiance touching every corner of the room.

"Behold your destiny," said Oracle simply, and then she slipped silently to one side and let Equinus look around by himself without her interference. Oracle understood that in the scene about to unfold she was to have little if any part, for it was upon Equinus' decisions alone that the future would be decided, for good or evil. She could not interfere, or risk destroying all she had fought for over the long years of loneliness. And her lack of power in this situation filled her with dread, for if Equinus wasn't able to stand up to the ordeal ahead, or lacked the strength of purpose and will needed . . . but she couldn't think of that. The young stallion had to be the one, for there was no one left but him to help now. Any others who might have been candidates were either dead or had been turned into the soulless metal zombie servants of Robotnik. Equinus, then, was her last hope, and the last hope of Mobius.

Equinus looked at Oracle, a little puzzled, but turned to face the front of the cathedral as she directed. His eyes widened in curiosity and interest as he saw what lay in the exact center of the circular, vaulted cathedral. It was a long slab of grey marble, polished until it was as smooth and reflective as glass. Lying on top of the slab was the body of a warrior in full armor resting on his shield, a long naked blade on his chest, his hands grasping it almost as if ready to lift the weapon in a last swing. Walking up to the marble bier, Equinus looked down at the face of the warrior. Though a helmet covered the upper part of his head the Warrior's features could be seen and Equinus studied the dead Warrior for a long while. The Warrior was an equine, like himself, but tall and handsome, his fur a silvery white that glittered almost metallically in the dim light. The armor was made to fit the Warrior's frame almost exactly, making it obvious that the dead stallion was very strong and in excellent physical condition at the time of his death. As Equinus studied the dead hero's strong and handsome face he couldn't help but notice how lifelike he appeared, as though the body were only sleeping fitfully and would spring up at any moment to accost any who he caught staring at him in his sleep. But despite all this, handsome and strong as the dead hero was, the most unusual and prominent feature he had was the Horn rising like a star from the center of his brow. At first Equinus had thought the Horn was a part of the Warrior's helmet, but on a closer look he saw that the twisted spiral was a part of the equine's head.

"A unicorn," whispered Equinus in awe. He turned to Oracle, who stood far removed from both him and the bier. "Who was he?"

"This is Paladin, the leader of the Last Legion," said Oracle. "He fell in battle while fighting the robot armies of the traitor, Robotnik."

Equinus was stunned as this revelation sunk in.

"Then the Last Legion is . . .?"

"Long dead," said Oracle, anticipating the question. "They have been dead these eleven long years. Only I have remained alive, and my powers are nothing compared to what they once were."

"You're . . ."

"I am Oracle, the Sage Owl, wisest of the Last Legion," said Oracle in a voice that drew its power from a deep, hidden source within her. As Equinus watched, she seemed to grow in stature, her brown robes billowing around her. "My power is linked to the Last Legion, and so long as they live, my powers are at their peak. Now they are dwindled nearly to nothing. And yet as I stand here in the presence of the noblest of the Legion, my power grows. I only await the return of the Legion, and all that I promised friend Gryf shall come to pass in time, for the power to bring such a thing to pass will once more be upon the face of Mobius."

"What are you talking about?" asked Equinus in bewilderment. "If the Last Legion is dead then it's over. All the stories and songs about them are ended, and there won't be any more."

"Have you ever wondered how the Last Legion could have appeared in so many different times and in so many different places in those stories?" asked Oracle. "Heroes such as us are not immortal, for we bleed and die like any other living creature."

"How, then?" asked Equinus.

"We choose heirs to the power of the Last Legion. I have never died, though even I am not immune to death. The Last Legion has protected me, for it is my duty to see that their replacements are selected. And I have selected you as the first of these heirs."

"That's impossible," said Equinus with a scowl. "The Last Legion were always depicted as the toughest, most experienced warriors in the world, and the best team ever. It would take years of training and grueling combat time to produce even one such warrior, and the Last Legion were five, meaning they would have to work together the whole time to achieve anything close to the unity the stories tell. We don't have time for such training, with Robotnik scheming to ruin the rest of this world even as we speak, and you and I only make two when what we need are five."

"What you say is true on all counts, Equinus," said Oracle with a smile, "and those who first formed the Last Legion were not unaware of this. After all, the Last Legion was to be called on in emergencies, and there would seldom be time to train normal troops, let alone an elite unit such as we were. Thus, a means was made through the workings of the greatest wielders of magic and technology of that day and time whereby the heirs of the Last Legion could be cloaked in the mantle of the position they were to fill, and given the power they needed to accomplish the tasks at hand. As you take up this mantle so shall the chain be unbroken, and thus shall the recreation of the Last Legion begin anew."

Equinus just shook his head.

"I don't understand. What are these means?"

Oracle looked down, her face somber and a little sad.

"You will know, soon enough." She then gestured to the unicorn lying on the bier in the middle of the room. "Take up his sword, and you will be made to understand all." Oracle stepped even further away from him then, letting the shadows of the far corner of the room cover her. "But I warn you: with understanding shall come Power. If you are not strong enough or firm in purpose, that Power may destroy you. And in the trial ahead I cannot help you. You must stand alone."

Equinus realized that he was far beyond anything he knew about or had the power to control fully at this point. He weighed in his mind the risk versus the payoff. The Last Legion were characters in stories, but in those stories, the five warriors had time and again thwarted creatures and characters that were far more dangerous than Robotnik, and had outlived the most fiendish of schemes that could be devised. And here was the body of Paladin, the very unicorn who had led the Legion in every one of those stories, making the five into one, a nearly invincible fighting unit. And only a matter of feet away was the Oracle, the owl sorceress whose keen insight and vast wisdom and knowledge had guided the plans of the Last Legion and the schemes of kings and rulers across Mobius to the greater good. What would it mean to have such beings back among the living, to say nothing of the others in the Last Legion? What risk wouldn't be worth it if the stories were true, and the greatest heroes ever to walk the planet could be brought back? Besides, he had come this far already in the pursuit of the dream of the new Mobius painted for him by the owl. There was no point in turning back after everything that he had gone through.

Equinus made up his mind. Gritting his teeth, the young stallion strode with more confidence than he felt up to the bier and looked down on the eternally-slumbering unicorn that lay there. He saw how the spiral horn rising out from the warrior's brow held a soft inner glow that grew brighter as he approached. Steeling himself, Equinus took a deep breath and then reached out, taking a firm hold on the sword held tight in the dead Warrior's hands.

And then the whole world seemed to fall away.

* * *

Who are you? said the voice.

"Equinus," replied Equinus, though his voice sounded far away, almost as though it weren't a part of himself any more. It seemed to him that he was floating, suspended in a thick, viscous amber with his eyes closed. All around him he could hear the voices. Or rather, he could feel the voices more than hear them, for their silent whispers vibrated in his bones.

Why have you come? asked the voice, and the young stallion felt a pressure in his mind, almost like a headache.

"Who are you?" asked Equinus of the voice in the darkness, and felt more than heard the reply.

I am the Unicorn. I am Paladin. I am . . . you.

"What do you mean?" The pressure in Equinus' head was growing steadily stronger. "What do you want?"

No, said one of the voices, what do you want?

"I'm a Freedom Fighter," said Equinus, hoping somehow in desperation that this was the answer the voices wanted. His head pounded as the pressure increased, and he saw images flashing through the corridors of his mind, old memories that he had not thought about for years. Scenes of war appeared, and scenes of death, coupled with the roboticized citizens of what had once been Mobotropolis. He remembered the horror when he first saw his parents turned into metal zombie slaves. All that Robotnik had taken away played through his mind's eye, and all the horrors the Freedom Fighters had suffered in the great struggle against the pitiless tyrant. It seemed to Equinus, as he reflected on the past, that there was an all-pervading sense of hopelessness in their actions. Even with the skills of Sonic and Princess Sally Acorn the Freedom Fighters couldn't last forever against the near-infinite troops of Julian Ivo Robotnik. And as he contemplated these horrible realities he coupled and contrasted them to the dream that he had painted for himself of what life should be like, of blue skies and clean air, of happy families and friends with the freedom and peace to live the way they wanted without the fear of death, coupled with enough law to keep that freedom alive. "I want to make Mobius safe again."

Then you are in need of Power to combat this Evil, to protect this world. You are in need of the Last Legion.

"Yes."

Are you willing to accept the responsibilities that come with Power?

"I am."

Then here is the Power you seek.

That was when the pain began, and Equinus screamed as his head was split by a white-hot fire that seemed as though it would burn up the whole world.

* * *

Oracle watched the concentrated look on the face of Equinus as he stood over the dead Paladin, clutching the warrior's sword with a grip as vise-like as that of the dead hero. She had seen it so many times before, and yet every time she saw the Transfer she winced. As the owl silently observed, the horn of the fallen unicorn began to glow more brightly than before, and the light steadily grew brighter until it filled the whole room with piercing beams of radiant light, forcing Oracle to shut her eyes or be blinded by the glory of it. But before she shut her eyes she looked at Equinus. The last thing she saw was Equinus' face, his mouth open in a silent scream as a beam of searing white light erupting from the center of his brow and he was engulfed in the Power of Mobius.