Skylar fluttered her heavy eyes open slowly, a scene of blue greeting her. Blue fur. She sighed, closing her tired lids again. She'd spilled out all of her feelings the night before, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She didn't feel her emotions weighing her down much, even though she had tried her best to ignore the pressure. But to know that someone knows what's on her mind made her a bit uncomfortable. And she didn't like how puffy her lower lids felt.
Although she did like the arms slung protectively over her shoulders, she still wasn't sure how much she should trust the two boys. They'd saved her from Metal, sure, but maybe they had their eyes on the emerald, too. That was somehow hard to believe, though; she shrugged it off.
When Sonic began to stir awake, Skylar pulled away from him and sat up, both of them stifling low yawns.
"Morning," Sonic mumbled, standing up and walking towards Tails. "Wake up, buddy," he said lowly, shaking his orange-fox friend. Tails groaned, pushing Sonic's gloved hand away. Sonic kept shaking his shoulder, disturbing the sleep that was quickly leaving his grasp, and he finally decided to shoot his eyes open and sigh. He sat up and yawned loudly, the way his tongue curled out reminding Skylar of some kind of cat. She laughed to herself at the thought.
"Ugh, I'm tired," Tails whined, getting to his feet. "Do you want to wash your face, Skylar?"
"Sure," she replied, following him towards the cave nearby. When the emerald lit up the dimness in the cave, she nearly squealed, but simply chuckled softly at how surprised she was. Looks like she wasn't very used to it yet. She got to small lake surrounded by a few rocks and kneeled down, dipping her hand in the water. She scooped up a bit of the water and let the cold embrace wash away the tiredness in her face. Her eyes still felt a bit puffy, and the light from her emerald wasn't helping the fact. She walked out back by herself, Tails having left for something, and saw that he was now sitting with Sonic, the two eating something round, like a fruit of some sort. At the sight of the fruit, Skylar's stomach rumbled lowly. She grimaced, speeding up her walking. She sat down in between them and looked at the fruit.
"What's this?" she asked, examining the round food. There were a few green fruits, purple ones, and yellow ones. They looked like apples, but purple apples? Strange…
"Breakfast! Go ahead and chow down," Sonic said with a smile. With furrowed brows, she reached for the green one and brought it to her lips, hoping it would taste like a granny smith apple. Cautiously, she took a small bite, and her taste buds became overwhelmed with the taste of melon. Surprised, she reached for the purple fruit, bit down, and tasted banana.
"This is strange," she muttered, grabbing the yellow fruit. She took a bite and tasted… bubblegum. "What is this…?"
"Are you going to eat all of those?" Sonic asked, pointing at the three fruits adorned with small bites. Skylar shrugged, holding the green fruit.
"Sure. I mean, they're just fruit, right?"
"Yeah, but these fill you up really quickly," Tails chimed in. Again, Skylar shrugged.
"I'm sure I'll be fine."
After having eaten the green fruit and half of the purple fruit, her stomach felt like she had swallowed a huge bowling ball in it. She groaned at the mistake she had made, burped lowly, and lied down on her back. Tails chuckled lowly.
"Told you so," he said in a sing song voice. Skylar rolled her eyes, punching a small ball of fire his way. He ducked quickly, eyes wide.
"Since when can you do that?" he asked in shock.
"Yesterday, when me and Sonic were training." Tails looked over at Sonic, who only shrugged.
"What? I don't want anyone to overpower her so easily."
"Overpower me? I mean, sure, I couldn't do much as I can now, but… At least I could run?"
"Running away isn't always an option, Skylar," Sonic replied. Tails bit his lower lip, watching the two. Now he had two friends that wouldn't hesitate to fight. Well, at least they weren't anything like Knuckles.
"Hey," Tails said suddenly. The two hedgehogs looked his way with interest. "What if we got together all of the emeralds and used them to send Skylar back home? All the Chaos Emeralds combined can rip through the fabrics of time and space, right? What if we tried that?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."
"Awesome!" Skylar shouted, getting to her feet. "Where are they?" Sonic and Tails exchanged looks.
"Scattered around the island." Skylar frowned.
"That shouldn't be too hard…"
"It's a big island, Skylar," Tails replied, and with that, Skylar's hope was crushed.
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Sonic said once he noticed Skylar's growing sad look. "The Chaos Emeralds are usually at the end of each zone of the island, so we know where to look."
"Are the zones tough to get by?" Skylar asked. Sonic shrugged.
"I usually stay here in Green Hill Zone, so we'll have to wait and see."
"Well let's go then!" Skylar shouted enthusiastically, walking forward.
"Skylar!" At the call of her name, she turned around with a clueless look on her face. "It's this way." She smiled sheepishly.
"Right…"
-…-
Skylar thought islands would be small. She thought that if she just kept walking forward for ten, maybe fifteen minutes, she'd get to the other side of the island. But no, the island they were on, South Island, was huge, seeing as it had its own 'zones.' The day was almost over when they'd come to the end of the zone.
"I think we should look here," Sonic announced, looking around.
"Finally!" Skylar announced. Sonic peered around at the green grass, checkered soil, scattered rocks and tall palm trees. At first glance, he couldn't see the emerald anywhere, so he guessed that it was probably hidden somewhere.
"Where could it be," Tails muttered, checking under a few rocks. Skylar walked around, looking behind the stones and palm trees. She came near a particularly tall palm tree, and felt a small buzz of pain shoot across her chest. It wasn't enough to have her doubling over, but it did alarm her. She looked down at the emerald keeping her alive to see it was glowing brightly, brighter than it usually did.
"What the…" she mumbled, pressing her hand against the smooth surface of the emerald. She looked up at the tall palm tree. Amongst the green leaves and brown coconuts her eyes found a small glint of red. Could that be the emerald? There was only one way to find out. With that thought, she took a few steps back, ran forward and jumped up, trying to grab hold of one of the leaves. She failed, but was able to climb onto the long trunk. She inched herself up, Sonic watching with interest, Tails watching with worry. Once she got to the top, sheltered by all the fan-like leaves was a red emerald shining brightly. Skylar stared at it in awe, cupping it in her hands gently. Not a scratch was on the emerald; it was red, bright, shiny and beautiful. The whole thing was smooth, warm to the touch, and sent jolts of energy throughout her body.
"So this is what everyone's obsessing over," Skylar thought to herself, peering down at her two friends. "I found it, guys!" she exclaimed with a huge smile as she thrust her hand up, holding the emerald for them to see.
They smiled with relief at the sight of the emerald they had been searching for, but the smile quickly faded when they saw a familiar figure flying her way.
"Skylar, watch out!" both of them shouted. Confused, Skylar turned around to see a metal ball swinging her way. Screaming, she closed her eyes shut and brought up her shield. The shield made it so that the metal ball didn't hit her, but she was still sent flying back. She held onto the emerald with a strong grip, making sure she wouldn't lose it, and gasped when her back hit the ground with great force. Skylar coughed, trying to ignore the pain coursing over her body as she sat up and grimaced.
"Skylar!" Sonic shouted. His eyes formed a glare as he looked back at the eggmobile that Dr. Eggman was maneuvering with an evil grin. Simply by pulling a lever, Eggman swung the wrecking ball forward. The metal ball raced towards his enemy, Sonic, and his fox friend.
He had to act quickly. Good thing speed was his strength.
Sonic grabbed Tails's arm and ran to the side, dodging the ball. Smirking, he turned, anticipating Eggman's attack. He was shocked to see Eggman inching towards Skylar, who still hadn't recovered over the blow she'd taken.
"Crap," he hissed, letting go of Tails and speeding forward. Eggman pulled the lever again, the wrecking ball pulling back before speeding towards Skylar. Skylar didn't have enough time to even shut her eyes before she was picked up off the ground by Sonic, who sped away from the wrecking ball's assault.
Sonic skidded to a stop, Skylar breathing roughly, her back still in a bit of pain. He shot daggers at Eggman, who only smiled evilly.
"What do you want with her, Eggman? I thought you hated me!" Sonic shouted, although he was sure he knew why Eggman wanted Skylar.
Skylar blinked away the blur in her eyes and looked up at the man operating the wrecking ball machine.
It was a horrible sight to see. The man wore dark glasses that covered up his eyes. He was bald, completely bald, except for his long, frizzy, furry orange moustache adorned under his long, spear-like nose. Skylar grimaced.
"What is wrong with his face," Skylar mumbled as Sonic set her down. Just as she thought the man couldn't look anymore horrifying, he stood up from his seat.
He looked like a melon with long toothpicks as legs.
"Oh lord bless his pour soul," Skylar mumbled, holding in the laugh that bubbled up her neck. Sonic gave her a warning look, but he couldn't help but smirk.
"Quiet, you annoying fur balls," Eggman shouted. "Now, before being rudely ignored, I was explaining on how that girl there has power that I want, and not to mention another Chaos Emerald as well. How fun," he chuckled, fiddling with his moustache. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sonic. I hate you; very much, in fact. But having power that can destroy you will always come first. Oh, and I hope you enjoy the tweaks I built for my eggmobile." With that said, Eggman pulled the lever and swung the wrecking ball forward.
The two hedgehogs ran in the opposite direction, the ball hitting the ground with a loud crash and clank. Skylar ran up to Tails, heart pounding with adrenaline from the running and the attack.
Was she actually enjoying this?
Well, as long as she didn't get hurt.
"We have to get rid of the wrecking ball," Skylar said, turning to Tails. "Any ideas?"
"That chain on the bottom," Tails pointed out. "If you can destroy it, he has no way of controlling the ball."
"Right," Skylar nodded, cracking her knuckles. "I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll try- Watch out!" She grabbed Tails's wrist, running away from the ball that was about to send them flying back. After dodging, she let go of Tails's wrist and turned back to Eggman and machine. He was currently focused on Sonic, who kept spin-dashing into the front of his machine, dodging his wrecking ball's attacks. She rushed forward; she had to get Eggman to stop moving the metal sphere around. When she jumped onto the ball, grabbing hold of the chain for balance, Sonic noticed her and smirked.
"Eggman!" Sonic sang out teasingly, jumping up onto Eggman's eggmobile. Eggman glared at him, about ready to reach out for the hedgehog's neck and give it a firm squeeze.
"What?" he replied through gritted teeth.
"I'm so easy to catch when I'm right in front of your nose, aren't I?" Sonic teased. "No need for a stupid ball and chain, am I right?" Eggman rolled his eyes.
"I could catch you easily."
"Prove it, Egghead." Sonic lifted his leg from Eggman's reach. He swiped at his other leg; Sonic simply jumped onto his hairless head and laughed teasingly.
As Eggman and Sonic quarreled, Skylar worked on breaking the chain. She punched at it, her fists in flames. After a few punches, the metal began to burn red. She smirked with pride, and kept punching.
"Try freezing the area, then punching! The reaction will make the metal weak!"
"Freezing?" Skylar exclaimed, turning to Tails. "I-I don't know how to do that!"
"How did you learn to use fire?"
"It just kind of happened…"
"Then make it happen!" Tails shouted. Skylar frowned, turning back to the metal. She punched at it again, making sure the metal stayed red, then took in a deep breathe.
"Freeze it…" Skylar chanted in her head, closing her eyes and blowing out the breath she had inhaled. After her lungs were emptied, she inhaled and looked at the chain.
A thick layer of ice coated the metal that used to be red.
"Yes!" she cheered.
"Skylar, hurry!" Sonic shouted. He had jumped off the eggmobile, and feared that Eggman would use the wrecking ball. To his horror, the ball began to slowly swing back, preparing its attack forward.
"Annoying hedgehog!" Eggman shouted. As the metallic sphere swung back, Skylar found herself losing her balance. She was barely balancing on her heels. Clenching her teeth, she punched towards the metal chain only to miss as she slipped off the sphere. Tails flew forward and caught her in his arms.
"Sonic!" they both shouted. The blue hedgehog hadn't moved from his spot. He had a focused face on, staring at the metal covered with ice. If he jumped on at the right time, he'd have enough time to kick the frozen metal and break the chain off. If he didn't, well, he'd become a blue pancake. As the wrecking ball began to speed his way, he readied himself, clenching his fists in preparation.
"Sonic!" His eyes widened in horror at the sound of her voice. Before he could react, the pink hedgehog appeared before him, arms flung back, hands clutching her big, red hammer.
"Eggman, you jerk!" she shouted, swinging her hammer forward and hitting the ball with her hammer as if it was merely a baseball flying her way. At the impact, the chain broke, and the wrecking ball flew back, Skylar and Tails throwing themselves on the ground so it wouldn't hit their heads. The wrecking ball flew far, so far that it disappeared in a matter of seconds.
"Amy, what're you-"
"Saving you, that's what!" Amy replied angrily, breaking Sonic off. She directed her glare at Eggman, who smiled in fear of the angry pink hedgehog. He knew very well how she got when she was angry.
Amy raced forward, swinging her hammer back. She jumped up before the eggmobile, screamed in fury, and swung her hammer at the eggmobile, who shared the same fate as the wrecking ball.
Skylar watched in awe, meanwhile the two boys watched in horror. She and Tails picked themselves up off the ground, dusting off their knees and walking towards Amy and Sonic.
"That was great!" Skylar exclaimed, smiling widely at the pink hedgehog. "I'm Skylar, by the way."
"Hmf," Amy grunted, eyeing her closely. "So you're the one that needed my clothes," she grumbled, frowning. "You're cute… Don't you dare make a move on my Sonic!" Skylar stared, confused. She looked over at Sonic.
"I thought you said she wasn't your girlfriend-"
"It doesn't matter what he says. He's mine."
"Amy," Sonic sighed, walking over to Skylar. "Don't attack her, alright? And by the way, I'm nobody's." Amy went from angry bull to whining little girl.
"B-But Sonic!"
"Shut it," he hissed, shaking his head and crossing his arms. He could already feel the headache coming his way. "Skylar, where's the emerald?" Skylar's eyes widened as she realized how empty her hands felt.
"I-I dropped it," she muttered lowly, averting her eyes. Sonic opened his mouth to groan loudly when Amy's voice chirped out.
"This one?" she asked, holding out the red gem. Tails nodded, taking the emerald from her hands.
"Thanks," he replied with a small smile. She looked over at Sonic, who only looked away. She huffed. He could at least be nice to her, like Tails was.
"Alright, well, thanks for helping us, but we're leaving. Bye, Amy." Sonic began to walk away, pulling Skylar with him. Amy's cheeks turned red with anger as she watched him practically take the girl's hand. Wrist. Close enough. But seeing him touch that black hedgehog was enough to have her temper rise.
"No way!" Amy shouted, stomping forward. "I'm going with you," she hissed, separating the two. Skylar side-stepped away from her. She felt as if Amy didn't like her, and frankly, she didn't like her anyways.
Sonic opened his mouth to protest, but Tails elbowed him gently and shook his head.
"There's no way we're going to get her to stay. You know that." Sonic sighed.
"Yeah," he mumbled. He looked over at Amy, who gave him a huge grin. He frowned, looking past her and over at Skylar, who was looking at the stars that were beginning to appear. He wanted to walk over to her, start up a conversation, compliment her on a job well done, but with Amy around, it would be hard to even stand next to Skylar without getting some lip from Amy. He stared at the trail ahead.
It seemed to stretch even further now.
Nara: *bows head* I'm sorry this took so long ugh school is actually overwhelming me, and I didn't think it would. But yes, here it is~ I hope you like it n.n Please tell me what you think c: I appreciate your comments n_n
Thank you for reading n_n!