Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. They all belong to SEGA.
The story, however, belongs to me.
Story Beta Read by: Pepper1622
Edit:8/25/15 Thanks to Guest for pointing out something I forgot to fix a while back. ^^' When you're working so far ahead in a story you sometimes forget to fix the little things. It's a minor detail change, nothing that affects the story or anything.
~3~
-And So The Adventure Begins-
I continue to finger the newly formed Mark near my collarbone as I stare in the clear mirror of my bathroom. After arriving home yesterday and assuring Amy that I would be fine so that she'd go home, I went upstairs to see what all the fuss was about.
The fur near my neck really did look agitated, and with a part to my fur I'd figured out why. A swirl with six wild spikes greeted my astonished eyes. The color of blood fading into pitch black—I'd finally laid eyes on my coveted Bound Mark.
I have a mate.
That's the only thought that's been going through my head all night. I don't even try to wipe the goofy grin off my face as I trace the now familiar shape of my Mark. I have a mate… but who? Immediately the image of that dark, mysterious black-and-red streaked hedgehog appears in my mind.
Could he be…? The feel of my racing heart as well as the image of how hot my face is getting alerts me to the fact of just how flustered I really am.
The silly, almost love-struck smile dies slowly from my visage when I truly remember how the encounter went, though. He seemed cold and distant like a stranger, not like someone who might've just met the person they're destined to be with.
Feeling truly troubled about the situation but not sure of how to go about solving it, I'm just beginning to consider talking to Tails when his voice filters into the room.
"Yo, Sonic!"
I turn and exit the bathroom, flipping off the lights as I do so. "Yeah, what's up?" I call back loudly enough so that he can hear me from downstairs.
"Can you come down? I want to talk to you about something," he asks nicely while still maintaining the loud volume of the conversation.
"Sure thing, bud!" I leave my room in a sonic second, arriving in the living room expecting to see my lil' bro there but only seeing the brown couch and loveseat, small television, side table, and lamp. "Hmm. Must be in the workshop." I'm about to head down there when our front door slams open from a panicked Amy screaming my name.
"Sonic!" Her clinging form makes me consider the fact that this might actually be serious.
"What's up, Ames?" I ask, feeling a bit concerned.
"There's this guy! I think he's following m—"
The bang of the door as it slams open again draws attention to the newcomer, or should I say intruder. Doesn't anybody know how to knock nowadays? "Who are you and what are you doing here?" I demand as I start to take in his appearance, and boy is it eerie.
He looks like me. Like seriously, we could be twins. His fur is emerald green and his eyes are bright blue, clearly showing mischief in their depths. We have the same faun highlights, only the fur on his stomach is marred by two ragged scars, making me wonder if he was somehow mauled by a none anthropomorphic Mobian. Usually they aren't vicious, so I wonder if they were provoked… His teeth, though, seem a little on the sharp side, oddly enough. All in all, it's a pretty creepy meeting.
"Well, hello to you, too. Gettin' straight to business, I see. The name's Scourge. Nice to meet ya," he announces with a gleam to his smirk.
"That explains the 'who' not the 'why,' pal," I point out while taking a step closer and subconsciously putting myself in between Amy and the possible threat.
I can see him bristle at my defensive stance and slowly I feel the rising of adrenaline beginning to seep into my bloodstream. "I'm actually here to see her. We sorta had a meeting yesterday."
Not really believing his story, I get ready to retort when Amy hesitantly steps forward and speaks. "I remember you now… I saw you at the shopping district yesterday." Her voice is filled with hesitant curiosity as she recalls the encounter.
I turn to her and arch an eyebrow. "I don't remember seeing this guy there."
She actually looks sheepish as she explains. "Well, I actually went there before you asked me to go yesterday…"
I chuckle as I roll my eyes lightly. Girls and their shopping. I see Amy's eyes return to the green hedgehog when she says in a slight reprimanding tone, "I was minding my own business when I saw you trying to make off with some food."
Scourge holds his hands up in mock surrender as he responds with, "Hey, a guy's got to do what he can to survive. I actually expected ya to call for help, but you didn't. Why?" He stares intently in her direction, and I suddenly feel like I'm intruding on an intimate conversation. Weird…
"Well, I-I don't know. I just couldn't…" Her voice trails off as she rubs her right shoulder. I look back at Scourge as I remember her Mark. A green hedgehog… No wonder Ames was so attracted to me. Her Chaos Bound looks uncannily like me.
"In any case, I think it has something to do with this Mark I got not long after." He punctuates his statement by rolling up the sleeve of his leather jacket—one of the only things that really separate our appearances—and shows off an intricately designed hammer that looks remarkably like Amy's Piko Piko hammer on his left wrist.
A gasp leaves my friend's lips as she takes a step closer to get a better look before showing her Mark to Scourge as well. I walk towards the entrance of the stairwell to the workshop to give them a bit of privacy and notice a hidden figure watching things play out.
"So how long have you been here?" I ask out of curiosity.
"Since I heard the scream. I thought I'd stay here, and if a surprise ambush was needed I could lend a hand," Tails responds while still looking at the two with a happy smile.
I ruffle the fringe on his head as I chuckle. "Always thinking ahead, huh, lil' buddy?"
"Sonic!" Tails laughs as I take him into a one-armed hug.
"Sorry to interrupt, boys, but I'd like to steal what's mine and get to know her better, if you don't mind." The sound of Scourge's voice brings us from our laughter, and I turn to see Amy wrapped securely in the arm of her mate with a blush on her face.
"Uh, sure thing. By the way, I'm Sonic, and this is my little bro, Tails," I tell him after remembering I hadn't introduced myself.
"Yeah, I know. You'd have to be livin' under a rock not to know who Mobius' heroes are," he informs us with a smirk.
Tails rubs his neck self-consciously as his tails swish in nervousness. Yeah, I tend to forget the fame sometimes…
"I guess our deal's off, huh, Sonic?" Amy tells me with an amazed look. I sort of understand where she's coming from. I never thought I'd see the day when she'd stop chasing me, but I knew once she found who she was Bound to, that would all change.
"Yep. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just get out of here and get to know him," I tell her encouragingly.
She nods in understanding before waving on their way out. "Okay, see you later, guys!"
Silence settles in the room for a moment before I turn to my twin-tailed brother as I recall his earlier wish to speak with me. "So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"
He seems to rub his chin for a moment before he exclaims, "Oh, yeah! Could you come down to the workshop for a bit? It'll be easier to discuss it down there."
I simply nod and follow him down the steps into the wide-open metallic room with tools, metal, and machines scattered about. Sitting near one of the windows is the growing bud housing Cosmo. The orange fox moves to his chair in front of a large computer monitor while I lean against the desk near him.
"Sonic? What's wrong? Something's been bothering you for the past few days. I know you disappearing for a few days wasn't really just about you thinking of Knuckles. So tell me the truth," Tails urges me with piercing blue eyes, seeking an honest answer.
I should have known he would have sensed something off about me. I turn to him with a tired look. "I can never get anything past you, huh?"
He doesn't look happy that he was right. "I think I know what this is about. Everyone else has found their Chaos Bound, and yet you haven't." His eyes look sad and full of sympathy as he gazes at me, his tails sagging on each side of his chair. "I know how much you've wanted this. Actually, you've wanted this more than any of us, and I know it's been a long time, but, Sonic, please don't give up. It'll happen for you, I know it… You deserve it." He whispers the last part and I nearly miss it, but the sentiment warms me all the same.
"Well, you were a little late on that, buddy. I had actually given up by the time I came back from my little trip," I decide to inform him.
"Had given up. That means you've changed your mind." He doesn't ask, prompting me to explain.
I lift my hand to my collarbone almost absentmindedly. "Uh, yeah…"
His eyes widen with shock then pure joy as he jumps from his seat to get closer to me. "You got your Mark? When? Why didn't you tell me? Can I see? Do you know who she is? Why haven't you gone after her yet?" His questions are rapid and fast, and they seem to register in my mind slowly, one-by-one, allowing me to come up with the answers.
"Yes, I got my Mark. I got it yesterday when I was at the district with Amy. Sure…" I trail off there because his next question really seems to convey in my mind. As Tails takes a look at the crimson-bleeding-to-black-spiked swirl, my thoughts decide to helpfully enlighten me, 'Your mate isn't a she.' The entire time it never once occurred to me. All I could think about when picturing that dark, mysterious hedgehog was Mate, Mate, and Mate.
I refocus on Tails, who's now looking for the remaining answers, and decide to just answer honestly. "Well, I know who he is by appearance, yeah."
"Okay? So why aren't you trying… to find… him… oh. Oh." For a moment I think I've broken him, because he hasn't blinked or even seemed to breathe.
I reach to grab his shoulders in hopes of reconnecting him with reality when his cerulean eyes land on me again. "Oh, okay. Well, I guess this is a really rare situation, but it's fine. I mean, you found your Chaos Bound! Why don't you seem so happy about it?" He genuinely looks befuddled, and it causes me to remember why the situation isn't exactly a happy one.
"Well, ya see, when we met yesterday, I was completely tongue-tied. You know I'm not afraid to say what I'm thinking, but with him… my mind just got all fuzzy. I've never felt that way around someone before. There was this instant…"
"Connection," Tails fills in with understanding.
I nod sheepishly with a blush. "Yeah. He, on the other hand, didn't seem to have the same feeling," I mutter dejectedly. "He was indifferent. After we bumped into each other, he apologized, turned, and kept on his path. I wanted to follow him, but I was with Amy, so you know how that went."
"Well, don't stress out about it right now. Things will work out. I promise." He gives me an optimistic smile that's pretty hard not to return.
"Okay, bro." I really feel like running after such heavy thoughts. The wind will help clear my head… "Hey, Tails? Was that all you wanted to talk about? Because I was thinking about taking a run," I question, suddenly feeling very antsy to stretch my legs.
His eyes widen in remembrance before he speaks. "Oh! That was something I wanted to talk to you about too, but this other thing involves Eggman."
My posture shifts slightly into serious-mode at the scientist's name.
"We haven't heard anything from him since we've returned to Mobius, and that could be a really bad thing. So I was thinking we should start collecting the Chaos Emeralds, since his plans tend to always somehow involve them," the twin-tailed fox suggests while reaching for a yellow handheld device I recognize as what he uses to detect Emeralds.
An adventure… even better. "When do we leave?" I ask, ready to get a move on.
"The sooner the better," Tails says, sharing my enthusiasm.
"Well, come on!" I exclaim and head over to the red-and-silver biplane facing its only exit to the workshop. Climbing on the wings, I wait for Tails to take his place in the pilot's seat.
Before he actually does, I watch as he pads over to the large bud. "I'll be back soon, Cosmo." His tone is soft and affectionate, bringing a small smile to my lips.
He soon hops into his seat, his bushy tails behind him for extra comfort, and starts the engine. "All right, let's go!" The hanger doors begin to open slowly, allowing the bright sun to shift the entire room into near-darkness due to the contrast in light.
I allow the spring air to envelop me as the Tornado starts down the runway. The end of the runway approaches, but the plane pulls up, letting the concrete turn into sparkling, vibrant blue water.
"Okay, so we already got the light blue Emerald here in Emerald Hill Zone back when we arrived back on Mobius, so the next place to check is Chemical Plant. I'm hoping the Emeralds didn't scatter too far and they're just in the Zones of this island," I hear Tails explain over the roar of the engine and wind.
I rub my chin in thought. "Hmm. An adventure through Westside Island again. That sounds pretty interesting. Especially since things have changed so much over the years."
"Yeah, I know!" I can hear his excitement even over the force of the currents.
"So how long is this going to take?" I decide to ask, feeling restlessness starting to creep up.
"Well, as it's afternoon, we should be getting there by… hmm… maybe evening," he answers, sounding unperturbed.
"Evening! But that's hours from now!" I start to whine childishly.
"Sonic, this is a large island—it takes time to get between Zones. You know that," my little brother scolds.
I cross my arms as I pout, though I would never admit it. "Yeah… Well, I think I'm going to rest until we get there, okay?" I concede while lying down on the wings.
"Yeah. I'll be fine. I'll wake you up before landing."
I stifle a yawn and close my tired green eyes. I guess last night's thinking fest is starting to catch up with me. As consciousness starts to leave me, crimson eyes follow me in my dreams.
~XxX~
"Hey, Sonic!"
I awake from my slumber at the sound of Tails' call. It's no longer bright and sunny, the sun having set probably a couple hours ago. The evening is dark and warm as we fly into Chemical Plant Zone. The stench of chemicals is just as bad as it was eight years ago when Tails and I fought ol' Egghead here.
"Hang on tight," the kitsune warns as the plane begins its descent. I grip the edge of the wing in front of me as the nose of the plane angles down, feeling the strength of the wind as it tries to force me from my place.
With ease born from years of experience, Tails finds a place to land, and our touchdown is smooth. Using a hand to vault off the top of the plane and on to the ground neatly, I begin to look around the once-familiar surroundings.
Scrutinizing the area, I notice that the decay of this place is pretty obvious. When we had our battle with Eggman back then, not too long after Mobians began abandoning the city that surrounded the Chemical Plant centered in the polluted lake, I remember how vibrant the city once was, but looking at it now, it just looks dead and decaying, a sad sight to see.
The soft thud of Tails' feet on the ground is followed by his voice. "Okay, so my radar is showing a high reading of Chaos energy in the Plant." He pauses and we both take a look at the dilapidated building with slight apprehension. "So I guess that's where we're heading."
I nod and make a gesture for him to follow before taking off towards the polluted lake. I sidestep through the rubble from the crumbled buildings and hear Tails flying behind me a short distance away. The lake is bright and clearly acidic from all the chemicals that were spilled from the Plant over the decades. I look for the silver bridge we used to enter the Plant the first time and am disappointed to see that it's mostly broken and fallen into the lake below it.
"Clearly this isn't going to be as easy as it was the first time around. Then again, I'm always up for a challenge," I say with a smirk and turn to see Tails hovering nearby, ready for my next move.
I take a leaping bound towards a stable piece and keep my momentum going with continuous hops and leaps to secure metal that's survived over the years. Some of the water splashes as I land each time, making me strain to land more smoothly on each piece to avoid being burned. The sound of my bro flying overhead at least assures me that he won't have to worry about falling into this poisonous lake.
"Sonic! Be careful!" his concerned voice suddenly calls out.
I take my eyes off the task at hand while jumping and say cockily, "I'm doing fine, bro! No need to worr—" My foot suddenly slips on a wet portion of the metal I land on, sending me tumbling towards the lake's deadly depths.
My hand slips in to the water and begins to burn immediately; all that I can think is 'Oh shit.'
I feel gravity beginning to pull me down when, abruptly, everything stops and I'm lifted into the air. Not thinking of the "how" just yet, all I'm really concerned with is getting the glove off my right hand in hopes that it'll stop the liquid from seeping into my fur anymore.
When I finally take in a relieved breath, I turn to what's keeping me airborne and see Tails' terrified blue eyes burning into mine. "I guess you were right. I should have been more careful. Thanks, Tails."
He looks like he finally takes a breath of his own before beginning to fly towards the broken entrance. "It's fine. Just… don't do it again."
Where would I be without my bro?
We land safely inside and take a look around, seeing many of the clear tubes and silver structures broken, which will make getting around a hassle. There are sickly blue chemicals and purple liquid scattered about on the floor everywhere, making the stench from outside smell like flowers in a field.
"Sheesh, this place really needs maintenance or just to be torn down. I mean seriously," I complain while pinching my nose.
I see Tails' hands cover his mouth and nose as he nods, and I feel sorry for him because I know his sense of smell is a lot stronger than mine, so I know he must be feeling pretty bad.
"So which way should we head?" I ask, knowing that in this ginormous structure there are three general sections: top, middle, and bottom.
I see him take out the detector from his tails and I wonder how he manages to do that. I guess it's the same way that I can hold objects in my quills if placed correctly.
"Well, according to the scans, it looks like it's most likely… towards the bottom," he concludes after rapidly tapping a few buttons on the device.
"Okay, then let's get moving!" I urge with a thumbs-up before running towards an edge, not knowing what's going to come next but feeling ready for anything.
"Wait up!" Tails yells from behind, and suddenly he's next to me with his tails acting as a propeller to help him keep up with me.
The bright lake from outside reflects off the metal inside the Plant, as usual, being our only light source, but oddly it's bright enough. The once sloping tubes are broken in places or completely gone altogether, making for interesting ways to maneuver about.
I slide down a tube before jumping at the last possible second on to one going down in the opposite direction, continuing this pattern until I see the abrupt ending and the only solid footing being a clear ten yards away.
"Oh, no!" Tails screams when he sees this as well, having been following behind me on blind trust. Thinking quickly, I flatten my gloved hand around the smooth tube as much as I can and grab Tails' hand with my bare one as I start to spin us around it, gaining speed with each revolution.
When I deem the speed high enough I let go, sending us shooting towards our destination. Tails' shrieks of fright are deafening, but I know this will work. I grit my teeth and angle myself to where my feet will land perfectly on the sloping pipe and pull Tails' body forward so that he's cradled in my arms.
The impact is strong, but I keep our balance and the pipe guides us down to the flat silver surface of the floor with no problems. I can feel my brother's heart racing in his chest before I place him safely on his feet.
"You shouldn't worry so much, Tails. Honestly, with you and me, anything is possible. You should know that by now," I tell him in a faux scalding tone while placing a soothing hand on his shoulder.
"Y-yeah, I know. It's just when I saw the ending coming I couldn't think of what to do next. Sorry I doubted you," he responds, his tails drooping behind him.
I gather him in a side hug and begin to lead us towards the only place we can go—a purple liquid-filled area—and let the gesture speak for itself.
I somewhat recognize this area as the bottomless pool before Egghead ambushed us. I look around, trying to find the yellow platform that helped us get across, but see nothing… except a slab of silver metal in the very center with a yellow Chaos Emerald on it. Of course.
I try to figure out a way to get to it when Tails steps away from me and offers his suggestion. "I can get it easy, Sonic."
He's right. Flying there to pick it up and back would be a cinch, but… it feels wrong somehow. "…okay. Just be careful."
"Now you're stealing my lines," he says with a chuckle before winding his tails in a way only he knows how and taking off towards the coveted gem. He makes it there without a problem and picks it up easily.
Things start to go wrong from there.
Only I see it, and only I have enough time to react and possibly do something to save his life. A large slab of material from the structure above comes loose and begins to fall right where my brother is. My heart rate picks up dramatically as the adrenaline begins to seep into my blood, and I look for a way to get to him before it's too late.
Come on! COME ON! I don't see or think of anything, and for a moment I think he's lost until I see it: a spring without the protective red covering it used to have. Not even giving it a second thought, I dash towards it and force my body into it as far back as it can go, ignoring the pain it causes, and I let physics take its course.
I'm sent flying towards Tails, and I wrap my arms around him as soon as I'm close enough—probably startling the daylights out of him—and continue our trajectory to the other side of the pool, hearing the rubble splash into the water where we once were previously.
This all happens over the course of five seconds.
Tails' startled eyes lock with my emerald ones as he tries to comprehend what just occurred. He looks back at the disturbed liquid and voices the obvious question: "What happened?"
I try to relax my tense muscles as I answer. "This place is seriously bad luck. I swear it has it in for us," I end up saying instead.
"Okay, seriously, what happened? You look so frazzled. And how did you do that, exactly?" he asks while gesturing from where I was standing to where we are now.
I sigh, shake my head, and again pull him towards me under my arm. "Some things just don't need to be explained, lil' buddy."
I'm sure Tails is still pretty confused, but that's okay. We're safe, and clutched securely in his hands is the yellow Emerald we came here for.
~XxX~
"Thank Chaos we're out of that place. If I don't see Chemical Plant again it'll be too soon," I mutter as soon as we exit the cursed building.
"Yeah, I agree, but at least we got the Emerald. That makes two. I don't know if Eggman has any of his own already, but we know of at least one other Emerald's location for sure, remember?" Tails says as he airlifts me back across the acidic lake.
"Hmm… Oh, yeah! Up on Knucklehead's Island! So that one is in the bag as soon as we head up there," I respond with a smirk at our odds looking brighter.
"Yep, but right now I think we should head for the next Zone and see if one's there as well. Maybe I can try and do a scan now that we have two Emeralds. There'll be a better possibility of detecting one from this distance with both Emeralds," Tails explains while we start to head for the Tornado.
"Head for the next Zone" seems to ring in my head, sending a shiver down my spine. Aquatic Ruin = WATER. "H-hey, uhh, Tails? You think we can split up? You take A-Aquatic Ruin while I head off to Casino Night? It'll make things quicker, ya know, and you can meet me in Casino Night," I immediately suggest once the connection is made in my mind.
"Uhh, what?" he asks, confused, but I take it as confirmation regardless.
"Okay, thanks! See you there!" I shout as I disappear like the wind through the abandoned city.
"Wait! Sonic! There isn't even… a Chaos Emerald in Aquatic Ruin…" Tails mutters exhaustedly after checking his scans, but the Blue Blur is already gone.
An interesting way to kick of the adventure... Thanks for reading, reviewing, following, and the favs! Shadow's part of the adventure will be in next week's chapter~
