"Sapphire, are you all set?" Shadow asked the Mythsetian Kelpie as the duo peered over a cliff edge at the ocean water below.
"You're asking me, a Kelpie, if I'm ready for a little swim in the ocean? I say we get down there. If they claim this...Eggman has any answers and he's supposed to be down there, let's go get him."
Shadow couldn't help but chuckle approvingly at her comment. "You don't lack for confidence, I'll give you that. Okay. Let's go."
Shadow put on a mouth rebreather that would allow him to breathe underwater without the need for scuba gear. He climbed onto Sapphire's back. The mystical Kelpie jumped over the edge, reforming her legs into a tail made for swimming, and plunged into the water. As they swam, she could feel the black hedgehog shivering a bit. While she was not so sensitive to the water's temperature, she guessed that her passenger was. After a short while, they saw a metallic door built into the rock wall. Sapphire was sure this was the base that was spoken of.
Sapphire was forced to hide however, as a massive undersea machine glided through the water. The doors opened up, allowing the mechanical behemoth to enter. Sapphire seized the opportunity and followed, making sure to stay out of sight. Above, she could see the surface to the water. Sapphire swam up slowly as the machine pressed forward. She poked her head out to get a look around. It was clear. Sapphire swam up to a metallic platform at the edge of the water, allowing Shadow to slide off and climb up, removing his rebreather in the process. She soon followed, reverting back again to her land form.
"Hmm...I'll have to get used to that little trick."
Sapphire smiled at the black hedgehog's sarcastic remark. "It comes in handy. So...where are we...hmm...judging by the amount of undersea craft that are stationed here, I'd say this is an underwater dock of some kind.
"Very astute. That also means this could become a high traffic area very soon. That means less talking and more moving."
"Right. Quick and quiet, right?"
"Precisely. Now let's..."
The dim and empty bay was suddenly lit up by a bright light directly above and in front of them duo. Shadow and Sapphire shielded their eyes. "So much for stealth!" Sapphire exclaimed.
All of a sudden, a strange female voice came from the light. "Sapphire Mythos. I have come for you."
"You! You blew our cover, Sapphire!?" Shadow accused.
"No, Shadow," Sapphire protested. "I have no idea who that is!" She turned her attention back to the source of the voice. "State your business...whoever you are!"
Sapphire tried to move, but found her legs held in place by something. She looked down and realized she was being covered from head to toe by some form of crystal. She looked down at her right hand, realizing that the light had materialized onto her finger in the form of a purple ring with a star insignia on it. She struggled to get free, but the crystal was not breaking, and it spread quickly. In seconds, everything but her face was covered. "HELP!" She shrieked.
Shadow took action as Sapphire was completely encased in the purple crystal. He looked around to see if anyone or anything had noticed her scream so as not to become compromised. He punched at the crystal to free her, but it was no use. It did not even crack. "Fine! Chaos Spear!" Shadow used his chaos attack in the form of an energy bolt to try and pierce the crystal, but it only bounced off and hit the ceiling. Shadow found himself standing there, half from surprise and half from irritation, trying to figure this sudden attack out.
It must be those extraterrestrial invaders," Shadow commented aloud to himself. "Not even Eggman has technology like this. Shadow to HQ, come in."
His ear communicator crackled to life as his call was answered. "This is HQ responding. What is your status, Agent Shadow?"
Inside the crystal, Sapphire was alive, but was frozen in place. It was not cold like ice, but she could not move. All she could do was listen to that same strange voice in her head. "You have heart, Sapphire. You have the capacity for great love and to spread that same love to others. Welcome...to the Star Sapphire Corps. Now...be free."
The crystal faded away, and Sapphire emerged, bound in a tight purple uniform. She noticed that Shadow was looking at her with a look of puzzlement as he spoke into his communicator. "Never mind, HQ. We are...back on track."
"What happened...and...What am I wearing!?" Sapphire looked down at her sudden change of attire. It was mostly purple in color and a little more revealing than she would have liked. While it did cover her feature, that was about all it covered. The exception was her lower body and arms, which were covered up to the knees and elbows in tight purple. A star insignia similar to the ring on her finger appeared on the part of her outfit covering her chest. Finally, she felt a crown like headdress atop her head that also came down partially over the sides of her face. While she was not embarrassed about this change of attire, it did leave something to be desired.
"If the attire is displeasing, you have the will to alter it to something more suiting. All you have to do is focus." The voice came from her ring, or at least that's where Sapphire was sure it came from. Thinking she had gone crazy, she looked at Shadow. He just shrugged, as he was just as confused as Sapphire herself was. However, despite her better judgment, she focused and felt the outfit shifting. She looked down and found she was in her standard attire for the most part. The changes were that it didn't lose the purple color and was black in some places too. The headdress also didn't go away. Part of her actually liked that little piece.
Shadow broke the silence of Sapphire's sudden change, getting annoyed at being sidetracked and being left in the dark. "So...what's going on here?"
"I'm not fully sure...but I feel...like a love somewhere is growing...and love elsewhere is fading."
Shadow crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Okay. English please!?"
"All will be explained in due time. For now, know that we will be watching over you. Now...say the words." That was the ring, but Shadow did not appear to hear it because he was still staring at Sapphire, waiting for her to answer him.
"Words? But I don't know..." Sapphire suddenly saw words in her mind, as if her ring was giving her all the information she needed. It also gave her the drive to say them, but the reason why escaped her. "For hearts long lost, and full of fright. For those alone in blackest night. Accept our ring and join our fight - Love conquers all - With violet light."
A single tear trickled down her face as she spoke the last of the words. Memories of her family flooded her mind, the last images causing her to weep for the one family member she swore to protect and help.