Hey guys, here's a treat! I won't be able to write for a while 'cause I'm going on vacay yay so I'm getting them out now! Try to ration if you really need this fix! XD
Thank you to all my supporters and reviewers, it means the world to me to have your support for this story and for me to have your friendship! Love you guys!
And now, on to the story! (I don't know what else to write, but if you want to talk to me, just drop me a PM!)
~Chapter 4~
~Narration~
The two of them dashed into the kitchen, bursting in and expecting the worst. But all they saw was Blaze on the floor, convulsing in hysterical laughter, fits shaking her entire body. "AHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAH!" On the stove, a strangely empty pan lay, steaming still from the heat, little flecks of rice stuck to it. Mirius ran over to turn off the gas, while Silver picked her up, running his hands over her body, checking for any burns or injuries. "Are you alright? I can't see where you're hurt!" He asked slightly worriedly. "It's…it's…heehee…not me….ahahahah…..that's hurt, it's A…Amy! HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH!" She laughed as she gave up trying to make a coherent sentence. Silver blinked. "Amy? Where did she spring from? Solaris, are you high?" Blaze chuckled some more, tears trickling out of her eyes. "No…..she's outside….the window." Silver looked back at the stove. The window backing it was indeed open, and hissing noises could be heard from outside. Mirius peered outside, seeing Amy crouched down, hand to her face and umbrella on the floor, while she hissed in pain. White specks of rice littered the ground around her. "Oh…hahahahaHAHAAHAHAHAAHAH!" Mirius started to laugh, even as he started to realise what had happened. "Did you try to fry rice, Blaze? It seems like we won't get to eat it, Amy did!" Amy scowled at him, her hand pressed to her face still, all while the rain poured on her. "Stop laughing at me, and help me already!" Mirius giggled as he skipped to the door, Silver helping Blaze to her feet. Amy entered, soaking wet and completely pissed off at basically everyone in the house right now. Blaze was explaining to Silver, "I was frying rice, and was tossing it. I tossed it a little too hard, and it flew out of the open window, into Amy! HAHAHA!"
Mirius opened the door, and Amy stormed in, yelling at Blaze. "If you can't bloody cook, then don't!" Blaze only giggled a little while running cold water down Amy's face, washing the light burn and the rice out of her quills. Silver came back with a first-aid kit, and set it in front of Blaze, while Mirius puzzled over the intricacies of cooking. "Now hold still, this will only sting a little." Blaze said, while applying salve to Amy's face, motioning to Silver to get an icepack. "Err..Mirus? Where do you keep your ice?" Mirius, too engrossed in trying to cut ham answered, "Oh, my chemistry cupboard. I made some the other day. It's (RS)-N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-amine you're looking for right?" Silver was stunned. "What are you talking about? I'm looking for solid water not-" He froze as realisation struck him. "You made ice? The drug? That's wrong, Mirius!" Mirius looked up. "What? I make it for fun! I wasn't going to use it! It's illegal Silver! The ice you're looking for is in the freezer there." He pointed. Silver continued, while walking to the fridge. "But….but possession of it is illegal too!" Mirius shrugged. Suddenly, in Silver's head, Mirius' voice echoed. Can we talk about this later? Not while Amy is still here? Silver glanced down to see Amy glaring at Mirius. "I cannot believe that you made illegal substances on the knowledge that Solaris has enabled you to obtain. Dispose of it right now! Or I'm telling our leader Tikal!" Mirius sighed. "Fine, fine, princess… even though you're not my mother." He murmured the last part. Silver pulled out some ice and wrapped it in a towel, passing it to Blaze. "Here you go, just place this against your face, until you reach home. Here's your umbrella and all your stuff. Bye!" With that, she ushered Amy to the door, and almost pushed her out. Blaze turned back and leant on the door, letting out a sigh. "Thank goodness the bitch is gone." Mirius nodded. Mirius nodded, and bent back over, trying to cut the ham into squares with a knife. Blaze walked over, and took over, Mirius sighing in relief. She chopped up the ham with inhuman speed and precision, before getting more rice and dumping it into the same pan, lighting the stove with a flick of fire from her fingers. "Is it against Solarity to use our powers, I wonder?" Blaze asked suddenly. Mirius and Silver were taken aback. "What? I thought you had no religion?" Mirius asked. "You and Silver." Blaze tossed the rice again. "Yes, we don't, but we are only a minority. The leader of the faithful, Big, is basically a hypnotist. Or a cult leader. He managed to charm so many people to follow Solaris, it's surprising that he isn't a dictator yet. But so many of our laws stem from Solaris' mandates." Like not being allowed to love another of the same gender. Mirius thought silently. Blaze continued, "I wouldn't be surprised if the people who go to school ostracize us for our powers: My fire, your magic and Silver's tele-whatever. Better not show them then." Silver protested. "HEYY! It's everything to do with telekinesis and telepathy….. I think? Anyways Shadow has Chaos Powers too right? Why isn't he - oh." He said, remembering that Shadow basically had no friends other than them.
"How about Knuckles? He wields the power of the Master Emerald. He is-." He managed to say before Blaze interrupted him. "Don't you notice the people who he hangs out with? Vector and Espio for crying out loud! They are the biggest bullies in the place, and I daresay they have illegal underworld connections!" Silver went silent. "Alright then, we won't use our powers unless necessary. I think our friends will understand though…except Amy. I thought Knuckles was our friend once though….he was in the same class as me in elementary school." Mirius said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Oh, it looks like hail! Blaze, you might want to close the window, the rice tossing is starting to get quite enthusiastic." Blaze shot him a dirty look, and slammed the window shut, just in time for a hailstone to crash into the glass, cracking it, causing her to jump back in fright. "Silver, help me close all the windows, would ya?" Mirius asked, running upstairs to close the windows on the second floor. Silver dashed to the nearby windows and began hurriedly slamming them shut. Thumping sounds could be heard upstairs, as Mirius frantically closed the windows. Blaze merrily whistled and hummed as she cooked in the midst of all the chaos, stirring the rice and adding whisked egg in small parts from a bowl, adding pinches of ham, while Silver ran frantically past her. Finally, the thumping and running stopped, and Mirius came downstairs, dusting his hands. "Wow, didn't have to do that for a long time. Blaze, you done yet?" Silver walked back, and laid back down on the sofa, idly checking his phone. Mirius went to the fridge, pulling open the door. "Ice lemon tea, or green tea? Or peach tea? I love that stuff." Silver without looking up replied, "Ice lemon tea, no ice please." Mirius smiled faintly. "Wouldn't it be just 'lemon tea' then?" Blaze chuckled softly from where she was bent over the stove. "Green tea for me, please." Mirius shrugged and pulled all three bottles out. "Alright then." Setting them upon his table, he extended his hand and willed three cups to him from the rack above the sink. The three cups rose unsteadily, before floating over, almost falling twice. When they finally landed on his table, he sighed, shaken from his effort. "That was even more difficult than walking over there to pick them up. The mental control I had to exert…oh my." Shrugging, he poured the drinks into the cups and left the bottles on the table, bringing the ice lemon tea to Silver, leaving the green tea on the table for Blaze. Silver took his cup with a faint "thanks," and continued looking at his phone. Mirius sat down nearby, and sipped his own beverage, eyes flicking from his phone to Silver, who seemed not to notice.
Blaze strode out of the kitchen, holding aloft the steaming pan, spatula held in one hand. "Dinner's ready!" she announced, eyes surveying the dimming living room. Mirius stood. "I'll get the lights." He walked over to the switch and relying on memory alone, flicked a switch almost invisible in the gloom. At once, the shadows were chased away by the brilliance of the light. "Ouch!" Silver gasped, hand shielding his eyes they adjusted. Blaze set the pan down on the table, and immediately straightened. "I'll need plates," she muttered, turning back to get them. But Silver just pointed in the general direction of the rack and three plates came soaring out over, depositing themselves before them on the table. "Well, you can do it so much better than me." Mirius said, pulling out his chair. Blaze slid the spatula into the fried rice, scooping out and pouring it into the plates. "Thank you, Blaze." Mirius politely said, before getting out of his chair, remembering that they needed cutlery. "I'm going senile I think." Mirius laughed as he walked over to the sink, pulling out three forks and spoons, and washing them with soap and water. He returned a while later, only to sense magic being used, and a swirl of silver light materialising above the dining table. A thick book flickered into existence, and fell on the wooden table with a heavy thud. Mirius picked it up. "A Beginners' Guide to Practical Magic, Twelfth Edition. Huh." Silver noticed a cream piece of paper, neatly folded, which fell out of the back when Mirius picked it up to inspect. "Hey, a piece of paper fell out of the back!" Mirius looked down. "So it did. This is all very strange." He picked up the paper, to notice words, written neatly in a small script that was almost impossible to see. He squinted down at it. "Hmm…. All I understand is the signature, it's from Percival alright. He's telling me to… read it? Do the practices in it? Hmm. Alright, but let's have dinner first."
Silver took his plate and headed off to the sofa, sitting down and placing the plate on the arm of the sofa. Mirius sat at the table, eating with Blaze. They ate in silence, as the hail pounded on the house, and the wind picked up, howling and screaming against the windows, thrashing and hurling itself against the door, battering away at it. Mirius looked up as the lights flickered. "Oh dear, the power might be going out." Blaze looked up uncertainly. "The weather is weird nowadays." Silver suddenly yelped. "Hey! The internet went out!" Mirius rolled his eyes. "Great…..the antennae went out….again." Blaze just looked at Silver. "Maybe you'll eat faster now that you don't have your phone distracting you, eh?" Silver just rolled his eyes back at her, but did indeed eat faster. Mirius cleared his plate and stuck it into the dishwasher. "Alright, I'll look at this book now….if I can figure it out."
Flipping past the preface, which was basically a bunch of reason why he should read the book, Mirius reached the first chapter. "Wow, such a fantastic name…much wow." Silver leant over.
"What's it called?"
"Control of the Magic."
Silver laughed softly. "Well, it could be worse…like 'Controyle of the Magyick' or something like that." Mirius only shook his head and continued reading. "So…I'll need a candle for exercise one….be right back." He got up and left for the general direction of his garage. Minutes later, he was back, with a portable Bunsen burner. "That's not a candle." Silver observed. "How very observant of you."
Mirius set the burner on the low coffee table. "So it's basically the same exercise that I did with Percival huh? I guess it could be worse." Taking a deep breath, he turned the fuel valve. The sharp hissing of the gas being released filled the room. Making a sharp gesture, he focused his will and summoned heat to the top of the burner, igniting the gas, and the flame flickered to life, a luminous yellow. "Hmm…" He considered as he turned the valve the opposite way, extinguishing the flame. "Alright exercise two then. Oh, the use of magic to move objects!"
And so it continued, for the evening, Mirius practicing his magic while Blaze and Silver watched, offering suggestions like "Oh, try to lift the sofa!" and "How about making a shield that we shoot Chaos guns at?' Mirius was soon exhausted, and by nine, he had given up and retired to bathe and sleep. He directed Blaze and Silver to the guest room, before crashing in his own room, sleeping the sleep of the dead. Blaze and Silver, having nothing to do, soon followed suit, Blaze curling up on the only bed after successfully kicking Silver off onto the floor, where he lay in a mound of blankets.
~Shadow's POV~
He had just spent half the entire day wandering around his house, occasionally bumping into Gerald as he bustled around, pulling obscure apparatus out of storage. Finally, having given up on attempting to entertain himself, he had headed downstairs to the basement, where he honed his best physical skill: combat. "Ready, N.I.C.O.L.E?" he asked, hand already pulling out his Chaos Blade. The slim cylindrical hilt fit perfectly in his hand as he took up a defensive stance, silver blade flaring to life before him, angled downwards across his body. "Ready." Came the calm voice of the AI, as two robots stepped forward, making clicking noises as they drew their guns. Shadow allowed himself a small grin. "Set to maximum difficulty, please." Red bolts of light hurtled to him, which were turned away by his blade, angled to deflect. He took quick steps forward, to close the distance between them. His blade was set to stun, to not damage the robots, but striking them with the blade would cause their program to register as having 'died'. More laser beams flashed towards him, his instincts and skill only keeping him from becoming toast. His arm worked in a blur, the blade becoming a solid wall of silver light.
Reaching the first robot, he lashed out at it, the blade striking sparks off the metal exterior. Its lights immediately dulled, and it became motionless, while he sped past it, using a little Chaos Energy to increase his speed. On the edge of his vision, he could see more robots being dispatched against him, but he focused on the one before him. Leaping upon it, he slashed his blade across its neck violently, that had his blade been set for ordinary use, it would have decapitated the robot, and somersaulted over the falling metal body. Landing, he saw that he was surrounded, guns pointed at him and even one Chaos Blade. Lips twisting in a savage smile, he charged them all at once.
It was a dance, or so it seemed. A deadly twirl of lasers and leaps and subtle dodges, all to defend against the onslaught of metal bodies that kept pressing forward. Bolts of light crashed against his blade, barely being turned away from the sheer number and force they came in. He could only defend himself, as the tide of the battle had turned, unable to press the offensive anymore. Oooooohhh, this is getting bad. He thought to himself as he repelled bolt after bolt, arms tiring from the effort. Taking a chance, he hurled a Chaos Spear at a nearby robot, before dashing away, making the others have to chase him. This should be better. He sprinted from side to side, thinning out their ranks, spreading them out so he could take them out one by one.
Finally, he decimated all the gun-wielding robots, seeing how they had no defence against his blade. Turning, he saw the last robot, patiently standing there, with a green Chaos Blade in its hand. "Finally made one from the schematics Tails left behind, N.I.C.O.L.E?" The soft feminine voice returned. "Ah, yes. I wanted to see how you would cope against this style of fighting, and so, here it is." Shadow merely grimaced. "Well, here goes."
The robot moved impossibly fast, charging at Shadow with its blade held high, swinging in a stroke that would have bisected him from shoulder to hip. He barely dodged, the hiss of the blade striking of the floor and melting it slightly much too close to him for comfort. He retaliated, slashing in an arc to deflect the robot's blade aside before stabbing in an attempt to disable it. But not only was the robot fast, it was strong too. Strong enough to disregard the first slash and just push through Shadow's attempts to stab, slamming him away. Shadow barely landed on his feet, his arms aching from the amount of power he put in to block the strike. Gritting his teeth, he continued the assault, blade twirling as he tried to seek out weaknesses in his opponent's defence. But there was none; the robot was strong enough to bat aside his slashes and fast enough to still face him even when he tried to circle around him. Me and my smart mouth for choosing maximum difficulty. He complained mentally, although he would never say that aloud. The robot now pressed the offensive, and Shadow found himself giving ground, the robot's blows almost getting through his defences. Shadow hastily threw a Chaos Spear, and was disappointed to see it do no more than dissipate against the robot's blade. A particularly powerful strike slammed onto Shadow's blade, and although it was angled to allow most of the force to be deflected, it almost broke his wrist blocking that. He took several hasty steps back, reorganising his defences. It is too strong and fast! How can I even beat it? Suddenly, the words of Gerald Robotnik came back to him, when he was being taught. Strong and fast is one thing, but being smart is another. And smart ALWAYS beats strong or fast. "Well, Grandfather, time to put that to the test then." He whispered to himself, lips pulling into a smile.
He took quick steps forward, bringing his own blade to block the powerful blow. Then he stepped closer to the robot. Less perpendicular distance, less moment of force. Catching the robot's hand as it attempted to backpedal and slash at him at the same time, he thrust his blade into the robot's chest, the tip bouncing off the metal, but deactivating the robot nonetheless. "Well, you were right Grandfather…. Again." Suddenly exhausted, he extinguished his blade, and walked slowly out of the basement, leaving N.I.C.O.L.E to clean up the mess.
He came out of the basement, only to see that it was beginning to rain. "It's six already? Well, N.I.C.O.L.E, I'm going to bathe and then come down for dinner. Be right back." The AI nodded, her nanite body swirling off into the kitchen which was already bustling with much activity. Turning, he climbed up the stairs slowly, entering his bedroom. He felt a sudden buzz from his pocket, and pulled out his phone, to see that Silver had asked the group if they wanted to go camping before school opened again.
Silver: Hey, anybody wants to go camping before the start of school? Like the old times? Mirius and Blaze are alright with it, anyone else?
Shadow: Of course, I have nothing else to do…because I finish all my homework unlike some people :P
Silver: =_=
Dropping his Chaos Blade on his bed, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the ground, before taking off his pants and underwear in one motion, throwing them to the same place as his shirt. Completely naked, he stepped into his pristine bathroom that had been scrupulously cleaned by N.I.C.O.L.E's army of robots and began to undo everything that N.I.C.O.L.E did to tidy up the place. Flicking the tap, he stepped into the bathtub and stood under the shower, letting the hot water soothe his aching arms, and pour all over his body. After some time, he blindly felt for the facial scrub that he used every night, and smeared some in his hands, before scrubbing at his face, to remove the sweat and oil. Rubbing the cream all over his face, he dunked his head back into the water stream, and ran his hands across his face, washing it off. Opening his eyes, he picked up the bottle of shampoo from the rack and squirted a generous amount onto it, before lathering it into his quills, working the shampoo deeply into them, fingers massaging the soapy mixture into his scalp. He sighed in relief as he pulled at a particularly tangled spot, the shampoo slicking it and releasing the knot.
Turning around, he let the water pour into his quills, soaking them through and washing out all the shampoo, which cascaded out like a creamy bubbly waterfall. Running his hands through his now soft quills, he determined that no more shampoo remained and turned to fumble for his soap. As he pressed down on the head, the tang of mangoes filled the bathroom, and a thick yellow-orange gel squeezed out of the top. He lathered this all over his body, through his fur, his arms, his neck, his legs and between his legs. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, and was surprised to see that he had managed to transform from a black furred hedgie into something resembling a thin snowman. The effect was ruined when he stepped back into the water stream, which washed out all the foamy suds, leaving his black fur slick and shiny, while his white chest fur was slightly grey and dripping. Stepping out of his bathtub, he towelled off before walking out of his room wearing nothing but his towel.
He reached the living room, and noticed that Gerald was not there, but then again, he rarely was. He preferred to take his meals in his room while pondering over projects and calculations, eating and working at the same time. Shadow sat down on the sofa and turned on the television, while a cloud of nanites swirled towards him. "A few things have been prepared for tonight, Shadow. You could really do better to dress up….and not look like you stuck your fingers in an electrical outlet." N.I.C.O.L.E said, while covering her mouth. Shadow looked up. "Hmm? Oh I forgot to use the conditioner….oh well, whatever." He sat up, the towel falling away from him, revealing his entire body. A floating tray lifted to him. "Spaghetti bolognaise, with meatballs. And some pressed apple juice. Dessert will be served when you are done." She said, before disappearing. Shadow only looked down at himself and shrugged. N.I.C.O.L.E was only a program, not a person, and thus probably had no issues with Shadow eating in the nude, which he had done for quite a while now. Leaning back, he started to eat his dinner while watching the documentaries which Gerald had subscribed to, which mostly comprised of science and the like. A particularly loud thunk! startled him as the wind picked up outside, roaring its ferocity and fury, like a banshee on its period. N.I.C.O.L.E appeared again. "Oh dear, it seems like the house is taking a beating, two window panes are broken from the hail." Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Alright, so….we have to replace them, right?" N.I.C.O.L.E rolled her eyes. "Of course we do, what an obvious conclusion." She disappeared before Shadow had a witty comeback, and he just ignored her, turning his focus back to his dinner. Finishing, he set the fork and spoon on the tray, and it zipped off, returning with…..cheesecake! Enthusiastically, he devoured the cheesecake, making short work of it. Wiping the delicious crumbs from his mouth, he got up, and walked towards the stairs, N.I.C.O.L.E's 'slaves' picking up his towel and sending it to the laundry. Sprawling out on his white sheets, he quickly fell asleep.
~Tails' POV~
He had done nothing but lie in bed all day, using his computer to entertain himself. He had considered hacking into the hospital's mainframe, but decided against it. He was after all in the hospital and would need its systems to help him get better. He had hoped someone would visit him, especially since he had called Mirius, to ask him to visit soon. How long is 'soon'? For me, time passes really slowly, you know? He sighed. He couldn't blame Mirius, as it wasn't his fault that he had landed in hospital, neither was it fair to demand he drop everything to come and entertain him. But a small, selfish part of him thought, Wouldn't mind that either. He briefly fantasised what he would do if Sonic came. Now, that would be fun, just him and Sonic alone, talking just like the old times. Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind. My homework! He immediately began planning, trying not to freak out as the implications sank in. He needed to finish it all to keep his perfect record of handing in all his work on time. That, and his project for the Science scholarship. He desperately wanted that, to be self-sufficient so that he could still stay with Sonic and not his parents. But now, come to think of it, he wasn't sure if he would be surprised if his parents demanded he stay with them so they could observe him, seeing how his independence caused him to be hospitalised. Maybe I'm not so desperate for people to visit after all, he thought wryly as he sat up. Looking down to his communicator, he quietly whispered, "M.A.I.A.". It immediately lit up with a turquoise glow, and a hologram of said AI flashed into being. "Yes?" Tails looked up, eyes flicking from corner to corner of the room, before answering. "I need my homework right now, so I can do it. Also I require the project." The hologram spun a little before answering. "Processing…processing…. They will be delivered to you shortly. The project is, however, too delicate for transport and the parts may be lost if you do decide to transport it." Tails thought quickly. "Alright, send my homework here then. Leave the project in my lab." The hologram flickered before going out, an affirmative beep the last sound it emitted.
Moments later, a cerulean glow was visible at the window, and M.A.I.A was floating there, a thick folder of papers floating in the glow of her tractor beam. Tails shrugged, indicating he couldn't move to open the window, and that M.A.I.A had to figure it out herself. M.A.I.A merely made the robotic version of a shrug and lasered her way in through the glass. "I'm going to have to pay for that, aren't I?" Tails asked. M.A.I.A considered this. "Unlikely." Tails realised that she was holding the molten glass in a globe of liquid glass with her tractor beam, and depositing the folder of papers on his bed, floated out and reformed the window with the glass, holding the liquid in place until it cooled. Now, no marks were visible apart from slight warp lines where the glass was heated. Tails shrugged as M.A.I.A flew back to the lab, and looked down at the folder that M.A.I.A had placed on his lap. Pulling out his pen and the foldable table, he began to write.
It was laborious work. His arm ached, and constantly felt like it was on fire as he penned word after word, number after number, symbol after symbol. "Errr….P equals work done over time…. Hmm Power equals current times voltage…..what on earth is the relative atomic mass of iodine?". The nurse came and left with his lunch, and late in the afternoon, the sky darkened and began to pour. He was too engrossed in his work to notice, only being disturbed by the lights turning on as the sky darkened.
Suddenly, lightning split the sky, and a blast of thunder exploded over the whole of Mobius. Totally unprepared for it, Tails screamed, throwing his pen high into the air, when it came falling back down on his head with a thud. As more jagged bolts of lightning flashed through the sky, he huddled back against his pillow, tails wrapped around his shivering body. He squeezed his furry tails for comfort, as he pulled the blankets close to him. I wish Sonic was here! Thinking about Sonic always made him feel better, but not now. He wanted, desperately needed Sonic right now, to tell him everything would be alright, to dry his tears and set things right. The lights flickered as the storm raged, lending an eerie feel to the already creepy hospital. He drew his legs up against his chest, shivering at the intensity of the storm; the fury with which it battered the whole of Mobius,
Without warning, the door flew open with a bang, and Tails barely kept from biting his tongue as he screamed in fear. The nurse walked in, slightly puzzled as to why Tails was screaming, and set his dinner down with his medicine. "Are you alright?" She asked kindly, hands reaching for sedatives. Tails shook his head, still vibrating with fear. "Well, here is something to help you sleep if you think you can't later. Bye!" She turned and strode out, the door swinging shut behind her with a slam that was amplified in the small room. Tails ate quickly, anxious to finish before the storm made him vomit from the fear. With shaking hands, he reached for his medication, downing it in a gulp, and, still trembling, reached for the bottle of sleeping pills. Taking two, he placed them in his mouth and swallowed, before drinking water and waiting. It didn't take long before his eyelids grew heavy, and despite the storm, realised he didn't care anymore and slumped back into the bed, sleeping a dreamless sleep.
~Mirius' POV~
He woke up suddenly to a loud crashing sound, as if someone had dropped an entire stack of plates, which was not entirely impossible seeing how Silver could be so adorably clumsy at time. That, or he knocked over his one metre fractionating column, which would be a pain to replace. Either way, he had to get up and check. He rose from his bed, slipping off noiselessly before opening his door.
He was greeted with a horrifying sight of what seemed to be a bush come through his roof and almost to the living room. Hail pelted his face, stinging and numbing with their sharp, cold edges. He took quick steps back as a particularly heavy chunk of ice shot past him and skittered on the floor. Looking out of his window, he realised that the tree which grew outside had collapsed onto his roof and broken it with its massive weight. He turned back to his door, and realised that the tree was blocking his way into the corridor as well as to the guest room, where Silver and Blaze were. At Silver's name, his brain instantly began think of ways to save them, to get to them. He tested his powers, and was pleasantly surprised to feel that it had been restored fully by his sleep. "Here goes nothing," he said and sent a bolt of fire into the wood.
As expected, the tree did not burn; it was so inundated with snow that the wood was soaked through. He tried lifting it with magic, and succeeded in almost causing his roof to cave in on himself. Sitting back down on his bed, he pondered the options. The roof creaked ominously, reminding him that he did not have the luxury of time to think; the roof could collapse any second. His only option would be to smash past the wood and run into the guest room. Ah, running. Something he had not need to do for a long time now.
He rose, hands sheathing in flickering silver light as he called up his magic. Focusing some of his power, he gathered the magic and formed a shield in case the whole thing came crashing down on him. He grimaced wryly. He would only get one attempt at this. Then, breaking into a run, he thrust out his hand, and silver bolts of magic flashed out, striking at the tree, shattering the wood into dust and splinters, which were deflected by his shield as he dashed through. The roof imploded, the support that the tree provided suddenly gone. Bricks and tiles rained down, as well as snow and ice from the heavens, striking sparks off his shield. He barely made it into the room, finding Silver and Blaze at the window, white-faced and fearful. "Thank goodness you're alright!" Blaze exclaimed, turning around at the sound. Mirius fell into the room, scraping his hands and knees on the wooden floor. "We've gotta get out of here, I think I broke a support column!" The whole building groaned as if in response to that statement, the house creaking in protest. "How? And where will we go? The storm is still as bad as ever, the hail isn't giving up any time soon! It's possible, but it's no use!" Silver exclaimed. "Oh shut up Silver, it's kind of pathetic when you're like that" Blaze admonished, turning back to the window. "We could climb down, your room is over my garage. Ooooh, is that the car Percival promised?" Mirius said, pointing at the sleek vehicle on the road just outside his house. "Less admiring, more climbing." Blaze said, opening the window and starting down already. "Careful, it's slippery and cold on my garage roof!" Blaze just rolled her eyes. "No, it's really warm, and I'll never fall down." As she said that, a thick chunk of icy snow fell from the roof on to her, knocking her down onto the garage, where she lay. "I'm alright!" came a cry from below. "Alright, Silver, your turn." Mirius said, turning back to his room. "I gotta get something first." Striding back into his room, he used his magic to sense for the practical book Percival had given him. On his bedstand, his magic told him. Stretching out a hand, he gathered his magic again and summoned the book to him, where it flew to him noiselessly. Turning back, he walked to where Silver was climbing down.
~Narration~
However, disaster struck. The house had given up on the battle to stay upright, and Mirius walking across the floor was the last straw for the structural integrity of the house. With a groan, the house shuddered, and started collapsing inwards. Mirius felt this as a vibrating in the floor, and picked up the pace, running to where the window still lay open, and flung himself out, falling four feet and landing loudly on his garage. "Owww….." he muttered as he picked himself up and dusted himself off, only to be hit by a large hailstone, and fell back down. "Owwww….." he muttered again as he slipped off the roof and ran to where Blaze and Silver stood, projecting a shield against the hail as he did so. "So what now? Shadow's house or Sonic's house? Not Amy's definitely, and Cream stays too far away in Soleanna, so we have to take many trains there. Sonic's is in walking distance but the lights are off. Shadow's further away, but Gerald is always up. Believe me, I know." Silver and Mirius just stared at Blaze as she rattled off the options they had. Mirius finally broke the silence. "Err…Shadow? It's - he consulted his watch- eleven thirty, but he's a light sleeper. Believe me, I know." He said, remembering their third-last camping trip, where Shadow had almost kicked him dead for going to relieve himself at one in the morning and making too much noise. "Alright then. Shadow's it is. But this hail…I don't trust myself to drive in this weather." Strangely enough, the car was protected by a shield, probably courtesy of Percival. "We'll walk then." Blaze confidently said as she strode out of the shield perimeter and got hit by a hailstone. "Owww…" she muttered as Mirius walked forward with Silver. They walked through the darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of werelight that Mirius created on his fingertips. "Handy trick, that. The book taught you?" Blaze asked while walking. "Yeah… most of these I read, having no energy to practice, 'cause you decided to shoot my shield with the gun on maximum setting." The shield kept the elements at bay, even the cold, which Mirius solved by heating the space inside the shield. As they walked in silence, lightning blazed down from the sky, surprising Mirius as it hit his shield. Violet sparks flew as the shield repelled it, but Mirius hissed, looked rather worried. "This is using more power than I thought it would, and the lightning didn't help. Let's hurry." Blaze and Silver, having almost been struck by lightning, didn't argue.
The wind gathered in fury, whipping against Mirius' magic as they hurried to the causeway that connected Bygone Island to the mainland and its largest populated city: Station Square. Even there, the storm howled its supremacy over everything; over the skyscrapers, military, the MHSSA, everything. The three of them stumbled across the causeway, the waves whipped into colossal magnitudes by the winds, and the bridge shuddered, barely withstanding the forces. The violent waves sent bucket loads of water sloshing across the bridge, and threatened to sweep the trio away with its power. Mirius grimaced. "My shield won't help with the issue on slipping, but-" he was interrupted as he caught Blaze, who almost fell. "But I can use more power to remove the water from the bridge. But we might lose our shield." Silver was considering this when a large jagged shard of ice exploded harmlessly on shield right next to his head. "Err… never mind then, just keep the shield." Silver applied his own power to try to push the water out of the way, the turquoise glow lighting up across the bridge. But for each litre of water he pushed off, ten more took its place. "It's no use!" he said, tired from the mental exertion. "Hmm." Mirius considered, before walking forward. They struggled on, the water almost swamping them sometimes. Large waves would almost completely engulf them, all held back by Mirius' shield. Barely. The shield flickered sometimes, allowing some water to spray in. Mirius walked with his head low, the exertion of magic almost too much for him.
They passed a streetlight on the causeway, when suddenly, a large wave crashed into the lamp, snapping it off its housings and sending it spinning at the trio. Silver ducked instinctively, as the lamp careened of their shield, throwing off sparks and spinning away harmlessly. Mirius bit his lip, fighting to keep the shield up as the elements battered away at the protection. Each step seemed to take a decade, each wave cost more of his precious magic. Finally, they arrived on the other side, slightly wet and completely exhausted. "So…. where now?" Mirius gasped, breath coming in sharp gasps. "It should be just a little further, he stays in a rich neighbourhood which is quite far from Station Square, thankfully for us." Blaze claimed, striding off. Mirius followed, protecting them with the thinnest of shields.
Soon, the comforting lights of civilisation greeted them, the path they walking on having no streetlights despite the validity of the road, with double yellow lines and whatnot. As they turned in, they saw the esteemed Doctor Amadeus and his wife, Rosemary. They seemed slightly drunk, walking across each other's paths. Their umbrellas were held haphazardly, a slurry of snow and cold water pelting their faces. Mirius ushered them on, with the warning that he would run out of magic soon. "Third in the street, aha!" Blaze muttered, as she turned in, and pressed the doorbell. The ding! echoed through the house, and soon enough, the gate opened, and N.I.C.O.L.E appeared, ushering them in. They stepped in, walking past the driveway, to the door of the house, which opened to reveal a sleepy and completely naked Shadow. "Yes?" he asked, yawning as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His black fur hid much, his privates mostly invisible unless you were specifically looking for them. Mirius spoke first, having displayed not much of a reaction. "My house was hit by a tree, and it basically collapsed, so we kinda need a place to crash. Can we stay?" Shadow turned in. "Come on in then."
Shadow's house was luxurious; it had so much by way of creature comforts, and even mental comforts too, with N.I.C.O.L.E providing much mental stimulation. Shadow walked to his room and rolled over on one side of his king-sized bed. "Woah…" Mirius gaped, mouth open. A muffled voice came from under the sheets. "N.I.C.O.L.E has two spare roll-out beds, so I'm sharing with anyone but Blaze. That means Silver or Mirius, whichever." Mirius noted that Shadow was still naked, but didn't comment. Instead he just turned around and immediately started negotiating with Silver. In the end, Silver won, but only because Mirius would do anything for him, even if he wouldn't say it. Reluctantly, he crawled into the bed with Shadow, while Silver and Blaze curled up together on the two roll-out beds. Shadow was a messy sleeper too, he realised, grinning wryly as he saw a large mound of blanket on Shadow's side and a pillow on the floor. Settling in, he pulled some blankets to him, causing Shadow to stir uncomfortably and pull back on the cotton sheets. Realising this could lead to a tug of war, which he had no desire to enter into, Mirius just rolled up in some blankets so that if Shadow were to pull, he would have to pull his whole body with it. What he did not expect was for Shadow to simply wrap his arms around Mirius and pull him in, all while still unconscious. Mirius was too tired to fight it, and just fell into a deep and soothing sleep.
The shaft of blinding sunlight seared Mirius' eyes, as he slowly woke up, and rolled over. Or at least, tried too. Shadow was still on him and he felt a damp patch on his back, and feared to think what it was. Slowly unwrapping himself, he slipped off the bed and realised Shadow had drooled on his back while he was sleeping. Standing, he slipped off quietly to the living room when he realised none of his friends were awake. Downstairs, he saw N.I.C.O.L.E perusing a small package, lifting what seemed to be a mound of fine cloth out of a parcel. "Err… N.I.C.O.L.E? Are there spare toothbrushes and clothes for me to change into? Because Shadow drooled on my back, and that's kinda gross." N.I.C.O.L.E set the mound of cloth down. "Indeed, we do have spare toothbrushes, and I think this is for you?" she said, indicating the parcel. "Shadow drooled on you? How amusing!" she chuckled as she floated off. "Any preferences for breakfast?" Mirius had started to reach for the parcel, and paused to consider. "Pancakes or waffles? Scrambled eggs sound good too." N.I.C.O.L.E nodded before floating off. Inside the parcel was a white robe, of fine linen, similar to Percival's own robe. He drew it out, feeling the small currents of magic run through his fingers. The robe was enchanted, it seemed, with defensive and protective spells woven into the fabric. He stood there, admiring the silver trim and the platinum clasp, which was engraved with the insignia of a star and the trail of inscription on the edge of that clasp. The meaning of the words burned themselves into his mind: Power, to protect and nurture. So that was their principle, he thought, trailing his finger along the precious metal. Turning, he was surprised by a little robot with three toothbrushes, waiting patiently. "How long have you been here? I'm sorry!" he murmured as he took the three toothbrushes and the robot zipped off.
Entering Shadow's bedroom, he was pleasantly surprised to see that all of them were still asleep, even Shadow. He slipped off into the bathroom, moving like a wraith, so not to awaken them. The toothbrushes clutched in one hand and his robe in another, he disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door. Setting the robe down near the sink, he saw another handwritten card for him. It was from Percival, telling him to wear this for the induction ceremony. He grinned. "I'll wear it wherever I want, it's so cool!". Dropping two toothbrushes into a mug, he used one to brush his teeth before stepping into the bathtub. He was pleasantly surprised that Shadow used the same brands of soap and shampoo as he did, making bathing much more pleasant than it was already. Stepping out, he swore quietly as he realised that he did not have a towel. Stupid, stupid! He thought, seeing only Shadow's towel. Suddenly, the same little robot -well they all look the same- zipped in a small service tunnel and pushed a newly pressed, freshly dried towel into the bathroom near the sink, where it lay in a lump. Seeing this, Mirius took the towel and dried himself, before wondering if N.I.C.O.L.E was spying on him while he bathed. It was an unnerving thought, and one he did not care to entertain. Drawing the sash of the robe around his now dry body, he fastened the clasp and looked in the mirror, and grinned to himself. "Alright," he said, striding out with his saliva-stained clothes held in one hand.
He immediately walked into Shadow while opening the door, Shadow barely jumping back in time to not break his nose on the hard door. "Wha…what are you wearing Mirius?" He asked, stunned at the strange dressing that his friend had adopted all of a sudden. "Explain at breakfast!" he replied, slipping past him and dropping the clothes into N.I.C.O.L.E's waiting arms. Shadow was puzzled but needed to pee badly so he just ignored Mirius and stepped into the bathroom, locking the door. A cream rectangle caught his eye, and he swiped it to look at it while peeing. "Who's Percival….and what induction ceremony is he going for?" Mirius was gently slapping Silver awake, and was surprised at what he said. "Nnnnghhh…..go away….." Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Shadow stepped out, holding a cream card. "What is going on?" he demanded. Mirius sighed. "I told you I'd tell you all at breakfast right? I don't want to repeat things." Shadow acquiesced. "Fine, but hurry up about it. Includes you too, Silver." Mirius looked back down to where Silver lay, eyes open by now. "Fine," he said, pushing himself up and walking off to the bathroom. "Be right back".
Reviews please? (big eyes) (I'm going to put this ending in every fanfic now)
