Greetings yall! Joe Stalin here, bringing you the long delayed Part 6 of 'The Guardian'! Just a short one this time but it's to make up for my ghastly lateness at updating. So sorry for the long delay guys, I intend to make more regular updates from now on. Thanks so much for your patience.

Sonic, Tails and Knuckles delve deep underground to discover the secrets of Hidden Palace! New mysteries will be uncovered and a haunting legacy of the Floating Island exposed!

Note: To get the full story behind this new series, please read 'The Fox, The Gem and The Hedgehog' and 'New Surroundings' first.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor indeed will I ever, own Sonic or any other SEGA characters.

Sonic: Year One

The Guardian

Tomb Raiders

My name is Tails.

I used to be known as Miles Prower; con-artist, thief, swindler extraordinaire. Look up the word 'rogue' in the dictionary and you would have found my picture beside it.

I was a high-tech thief, I had tools at my disposal that would have made international hackers green with envy. I could rewire the most sophisticated security network in less than three minutes, black out an entire complex in just over five and wipe any data records bank in exactly ten. I could make any computer system bend to my will in less time than it took most people to finish shaving.

Even with all that at my disposal, even at the height of my conniving escapades...Hidden Palace would have knocked me for six.

We had left the chamber we'd all arrived in a long way behind, The Guardian leading the way as we journeyed deeper into the dark labyrinth that was the Palace. I had wondered why we'd not simply used the Warp Ring to take us directly to...well, wherever it was we were heading to, but Knuckles had been ready with a quick answer.

"Needs a period to recharge after a warp, otherwise you run the risk of...only having half of you appear on the other side"

The dark little smirk he'd flashed me had been enough to put me off asking any more questions, at least out-loud.

"Besides," he continued "Three pairs of eyes are better than one. You might spot something I missed along the way"

My fingers had started all a-twitching at that, thoughts of treasure slightly diminishing any trepidation I'd previously had. Finders-keepers and all that jazz...

My eyesight had steadily grown accustomed to the inky blackness, less so the cold as I shivered slightly, my fur not quite enough to hold back the creeping chill. Every so often I had to quickly duck my head, thick cobwebs blocking our way which my two companions seemed to avoid with the barest of efforts. I wasn't so lucky, my fur sticky and knotted as I became entangled despite my best efforts, a particularly large web dangling from my ear like some macabre fashion statement. I didn't even want to think about the size of the spider that had spun it.

Combined with the thick dust clogging my nasal passages and coating my shoes and gloves, my cobweb accessories were doing wonders for my disheveled appearance the further we progressed.

I stayed close to Sonic as Knuckles walked some distance ahead, the thin beam from the echidna's torch piercing the darkness beyond. I was eager to keep my distance from the highly strung Guardian as much as possible, just to be on the safe side. I kept my arms held out slightly, not trusting my minimal eyesight as my footsteps echoed loudly, the stone slabs underfoot cracked and coated in the dust of untold ages passed. The slightest hint of green shone back at me through the grime, almost marble-like beneath the dust and cobwebs. I noted with concern that if I did trip or stumble, Sonic's sharp blue spines were right in front of me, the resulting images running graphically through my mind . I kept that 'lovely' thought at bay as best I could as we continued our slow trek.

Knuckles's torch shone across the walls on either side, the stonework almost glistening as the light hit it, a faded blue that I'm sure must have been luxurious at some point long ago. Despite the map still being in Sonic's possession, the Echidna was apparently having no difficulty navigating us through the dark, the route no doubt imprinted on his mind judging by the ease of his movements.

Every crack in the floor was easily stepped over and bypassed by the red one, his boot-falls heavy and confident as he kept up his pace, striding ahead of us without so much as a look back in our direction. Not that I minded too much, heck the more distance he kept the better as far as I was concerned, but he had the only torch and I had no intention of being left in the dark.

Sonic's movements weren't as confident, a scuffing sound perking my ears up every now and again as the cobalt hedgehog tried to match The Guardians pace, trying his best to hide the occasional near stumble as his foot snagged on a hidden crack or groove. It was clear to me that, whilst nowhere near as new to this whole thing as I was, Sonic wasn't as used to the layout of this place as he'd first led me to believe. I doubted he was going to admit to that any time soon however, his ego wouldn't have permitted it.

At least he'd had the good sense to remove his shades, if he was struggling with his footing now I could only imagine how much worse it would have been whilst wearing sunglasses. The map he'd taken from Knuckles was tucked away somewhere in the hidden depths of his quills, eyes straight ahead as he kept Knuckles in his line of sight. He hadn't said a word in a while, his earlier enthusiasm apparently fading the further we'd traveled with no end in sight. Then again, it was probably difficult to come up with new things to say when walking through the same dark unfamiliar hallways.

I tried to strike up a conversation as I grew bored of the silence, not used to having Sonic be so quiet. Plus, with any luck, I'd find out more about this so-called 'Master Emerald' that he had dangled in front of me like a carrot.

"So...I take it this place is quite...old, yeah?"

Okay, that was a dumb question.

Sonic didn't seem to mind however as he turned his head to look back at me, a small smile on his face as he took in my cobwebbed dishevelment "You're right on the money there, buddy"

My foot caught on another crack in the floor, Sonic's arm coming up to steady me as I stumbled to his side, doing my best to keep walking and hoping he'd ignore my prat-falling.

"How old exactly?" I asked, matching his pace shoulder to shoulder.

He pursed his lips in thought, hands clasping behind his back "Hmmm, good question. I'd say, roughly..."

"Six thousand, three hundred and ten years," a sudden voice drew our joint attention. Knuckles didn't even bother looking at us as he answered my question without breaking stride, "Give or take a year or so"

Even Sonic seemed surprised at the Echidna's detailed response, eyes wide and a baffled expression on his face "Wow Knux, you've sure done your research" he chuckled.

Knuckles's pace slowed slightly as we came to a turn in the hallway, the path descending down before us into the dark.

"I've been reading Dad's books...it's his research"

I noticed a strange look cross Sonic's eyes at Knuckles' response, his smile fading and a sombre expression replacing it "Yeah, I...I guess it would be"

My look of puzzlement went unnoticed as The Guardian resumed his walking, torch held out in front of him "Come on, not far now"

Sonic's silence fell once again as we followed the red one down into the cavern, watching my step as the darkness grew thicker.

I scrunched my eyes suddenly as another cobweb loomed out of the darkness, planting itself neatly across my face and digging its sticky tendrils deep. I grunted sharply and tore at it with my fingers, my gloves bearing the brunt as web and traces of fur came away in my hands.

"Damn it" I snarled, coming to a halt and struggling not to stagger as I continued to pull the sticky residue off my face, my other hand groping blindly for something to lean against as I wiped my face clean.

My foot struck against something solid, the dull sound of wood echoing through the cavern as I opened my eyes and looked down.

Sonic's voice caused my ears to prick up as his footsteps ceased "You okay, Tails?"

I forced back a sneeze as I nodded my head, flicking the last strands of web from my glove as I kept my gaze on the floor "Yeah, yeah I'm...fine"

My face smarted slightly from where I'd tugged at the fur too hard, but my attention wasn't on that for the moment. It was focused entirely on the half hidden object on the floor, a heavy layer of dust and broken masonry coating it with only a corner poking out. In the dim light I had to strain my eyes to make out the details, my neck craning downwards to take in the full picture.

It looked like a painting, dust and grime caked across it. A heavy wooden frame held it together, the wood looking surprisingly well preserved despite it's no doubt extraordinary age. I lent down and gripped the nearest corner, pulling it out some as the layers of dust shifted, small clouds wafting upwards as I lifted it up. It was surprising heavy as I struggled not to drop it, my other hand coming down to grip it as more dust slid off, revealing more of the image hidden underneath.

I leaned it up against the wall, my paw brushing across its surface as I knelt down and attempted to catch a glimpse of what could potentially have been a work of art. My busy little fingers were soon slick with grime, my white gloves no longer white by the time I'd finished, staring at the painting now revealed in all its glory.

The colours were extremely vivid and unmarred by age or damage. A single figure dominated the painting, my eyes squinting to make it out as I remained crouched down before it.

I felt Sonic's presence at my shoulder as I continued to stare, a low whistle escaping his throat as he took it in.

"Hey Knux, bring your torch over here. Take a look, looks like something you missed"

The Echidna's footsteps stopped as Sonic called out to him, growing louder as he strode back towards us, the light from his torch bathing us in white.

"What is it?" he grunted, lifting the torch to Sonic's face, no doubt blinding the hedgehog as a result.

"Well, if you'll get that thing out of my face," Sonic gripped the torch and swung it down to my level, The Guardian's elbow on my shoulder. "What do you make of this?"

In the torchlight the image was much clearer. A lone Echidna stared back at us, a warrior judging by the impressive looking spear gripped tightly in both fists. His fur was the same crimson shade as Knuckles', his facefur much whiter and bushier giving him an almost feral appearance. Judging by the outfit he was wearing, this guy had been dead for a good few centuries at least.

"Pachacamac..." Knuckles whispered, his voice low in his throat as he drew his torch across the image, my shoulder bearing the brunt as he dug his elbow deeper.

Sonic raised an eyebrow as we both looked back at the echidna, The Guardians eyes unblinking as he kept staring at the painted figure.

"Come again, Knux?" Sonic asked the same question that was running through my head at that moment, pointing at the portrait whilst keeping his eyes on the red one. "Couldn't quite hear that. You know who that guy is?"

The Guardian nodded slowly as his eyes narrowed, violet pupils darkening slightly "Oh yeah, I know who he is"

"Who is he?" I asked, the first words I'd spoken to the echidna ever since we'd started our trek.

"Pachacamac," Knuckles growled, the glow from his torch directly on the painted figures face. "The Bringer of Chaos"

I saw Sonic stiffen out of the corner of my eye, The Guardian's response clearly hitting a nerve as his emerald eyes widened in apparent recognition.

"So he's the one who..." the blue hedgehog didn't get the chance to finish his statement.

"Yes," Knuckles cut him off, leaning past my shoulder and jabbing at the picture with his fist "He's got a lot to answer for"

If it were possible, question marks would have been hovering over my head as I tried to take in the half-comments and half-answers both of them had uttered in the space of a few seconds. I cast an expectant eye up in Sonic's direction, hoping he'd be able to shed some light for my benefit despite his track-record. I was disappointed as Sonic merely folded his arms, his lips pursed and thoughtful. So much for vain hope...

"Err..." I spoke up, both of them looking at me as I gestured at the portrait in the hopes of gleaming an answer for myself. "Who exactly is he?"

I didn't get a response for several seconds, and when the silence was finally broken I was met with more disappointment.

"Ancient history" Knuckles grunted dismissively, lifting himself up and swinging his torch away from the painting. I rubbed my shoulder as the echidna renewed his stride back into the darkness beyond, his voice echoing back. "Come on, we're wasting time"

I straightened back up, my legs protesting after being crouched for so long, my eyes immediately turning to Sonic as we were left behind in the semi-darkness.

"What was that about?" I asked, the hedgehogs emerald eyes looking back at me in the dim light.

Sonic seemed to falter in his answer, pursing his lips as his gaze kept shifting back towards the direction Knuckles had finished. His gaze finally slid back to me as he took in my no doubt puzzled beyond belief expression.

Old memories bud...bad ones"

His hand graced my shoulders as he resumed his stride, taking me along with him as we followed The Guardian into the dark, the hedgehogs words echoing against the stone.

I'll explain along the way"

NEXT TIME: Treasure is what they seek, and treasure is what they'll get. But are our heroes ready to find out just what final secrets Hidden Palace has to reveal?

Tune in next time guys! Joe.