Debauchery

Chapter 1

My Island is Your Island

ooo

A blue streak cut through the thick forest, kicking up giant clouds of dust behind it. Sonic had come through here so many times that a large dirt path had been permanently burned into the forest floor. Sonic didn't care. It's wasn't like he was ripping through the trees or anything and the path made it much easier for him to get to where he was going. He never did have a very good sense of direction.

He zipped past the large boulder with the mold on it, which signaled to Sonic that he was almost there. He suddenly saw it up ahead and increased his speed. It was a redwood tree. The biggest one in the mountains. Its roots had come out and the mighty tree had fallen over years ago. The other trees held it in place as it rested at an angle that pointed into the sky directly to where Sonic needed to be at that particular moment. No one could see it from ground level but Sonic knew it was there.

The moment Sonic stepped onto the base of the redwood he was already at the other end, hundreds of feet above the forest, leaving a small burn line on the tree. He leaped into the air, miles into the air. He looked down, seeing the gray mountains and green and brown forest below get smaller and smaller as he flew into the clouds. This is where he always encountered a problem. Because he was in the sky, his assent only gaining momentum, it was difficult for him to tell exactly how high he was. Once he saw it he would have to time it perfectly.

He eventually saw his target. A mountain. Or at least it looked like a mountain. A mountain turned upside down, pointing at the earth below. Once he saw it he had already passed it and had very little time left to begin his landing or else he would over shoot his mark. He fought against the wind and maneuvered his body at a different angle, allowing the air to work against him instead of with him. It worked. He began to slow down and eventually fall. He positioned himself at a different angle once again, giving himself a bit more control over how he fell.

Ripping through the clouds he saw his target again. Angel Island. It looked quite different when approaching it from this direction. It looked like… an island. A floating island, hovering in secret in the sky above the mountains, powered by the Master Emerald.

It grew bigger and bigger as Sonic got closer. He saw where he wanted to make his landing. The entrance to Knuckles' hut near the alter of the Master Emerald. Knuckles had places scattered all throughout the island but the one at the alter was where he spent most of his time so Sonic figured he'd be there. Only as he came closer he realized that he wasn't going to land anywhere near the alter. Somehow he had screwed up and he was heading straight for the pits near the hills.

"Ah hell," he mumbled to himself. It was too late. He cometed toward the island surface, crashing into the thick muddy pools, creating a huge splash. At least if he had been near solid land he could have landed on his feet. But there was nothing he could do except get dirty.

Sonic emerged from the black and brow pits, covered in mud and who knows what else. He wiped his hands across his eyes, pulling off the offending substance and allowing him to see.

"Please tell me you didn't land in the pits," said a scratchy voice. It was coming from a small black intercom tied to a wooden post a few yard away from where Sonic stood. Knuckles had put them up in various areas, thinking they would come in handy just in case someone were ever to get lost on the island. Obviously he had been waiting at the alter and saw Sonic plummeting toward the hills in the distance.

Sonic oozed his way over to the intercom and pressed the small button under the speaker. "Of course not. I'm not an amateur, Knuckles."

"Whatever. Just hurry up." His voice sounding even more demanding through a filter of static.

Sonic bolted, knowing the pressure of the air blowing against him as he ran would cleanse him of the disgusting muck.

Knuckles waited in the grass field, leaning against a giant stone plate. He spotted Sonic coming from miles away. In an instant the blue hedgehog was standing in front of him, he was followed by an echoing booming sound. Knuckles hated that. "You did land in the pits, didn't you?!"

"What?"

"You smell like wet fur and garbage."

"Yeah? So maybe I was playing in a dumpster earlier."

Knuckles sighed. He knew Sonic would falsely admit to something disgusting and humiliating before he ever truthfully admitted to failing in something as simple as a high speed landing.

"Well I know you didn't want me here to discuss hygiene. So what's up? Finally ready to accept my offer?" Sonic said with a smirk.

Knuckles look at him annoyed. "Sonic, I will NEVER go on a date with you."

"Who said anything about a date? I just wanna fuck. Unless you plan on paying for dinner."

Knuckles let out a small chuckle and turned his head, hiding his smile and increasingly red face. Despite Sonic's cocky and arrogant attitude he could always make him laugh. Even if he was being serious. The idea tickled him. He looked at the blue speed demon. The cool, crisp wind making his spikes dance. His devilish green eyes matching the bright flowing grass surrounding them. Knuckles had to look away again and put his serious face on. "Sonic, I'm going away for a couple of days. I need you to watch over Angel Island for me."

Sonic look a bit bewildered. "Really? Okay, sure. But why are you leaving?"

Knuckles began walking away, toward his hut. Sonic followed. "The emerald has been acting strange lately."

Sonic looked up at the enormous green rock that sat at the alter above the steps. It looked as normal as ever to him. But Knuckles had a special connection with the Master Emerald. That's why he was its guardian, he guessed.

"It calls out to something late in the night. It almost feels like it's crying, trying to draw attention from something out there. I've felt it. I don't know where it is exactly but it's somewhere on the other side of the world. I think maybe one of Dr. Eggman's abandoned factories. I don't think it's dangerous but if it's connected to the emerald I should find out what it is." The two stepped inside the hut of stone and wood.

"Well maybe I can help. I could get you to wherever you need to be a lot quicker."

Knuckles walked into one of the back rooms, leaving Sonic standing in the den alone. "No. I will do it alone. I just need you to be here and watch over things. I'm trusting you with this, Sonic. Will you accept it?"

"Of course I will but-"

"Thanks buddy!" said Knuckles very excitedly as he dashed out from the room with a traveling duffle bag around his shoulder. He ran past Sonic and out the front entrance. Sonic chased after him.

"You're leaving now?!" he shouted.

"Yeap! Take care of the place, kay! Make yourself at home! My island is your island!" Knuckles yelled back at Sonic as he ran faster toward the edge of the island. Sonic could have caught him easily but simply stopped in the middle of the field and watched in confusion as Knuckles jumped off the side of the island.

"Okay. Bye," Sonic said to himself, waving to someone who was no longer there. "Man, that was weird. What got into him?"

Sonic stood there for a while, watching. Half expecting to see Knuckles come back in the next few minutes. He never did. The empty grass plain grew colder as the wind came harder. He was completely alone now. For the next few days it was his duty to bare the burden of the Master Emerald. He would now feel what Knuckles has felt for the last few years, being on this big empty place completely alone with a great responsibility.

Sonic's scream echoed out into the world, "Party on Angel Island!!!"

ooo

To Be Continued. . .