Author's Notes: (wipes away a tear) Ah…you don't know how happy I am. I had no idea this story would be so famous! 50 reviews! It seems too good to be true…

God is good. n.n God is very good.

Anyways, I hope you guys have already read my profile and ate your cookies. If not, then I made some extras ones. n.n (hands out giant plate of cookies) Enjoy!

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I had never really realized how hungry I was. That is, not until Zil was the first one to voice her discomfort…

"I'm hungry!" she said plainly as we were flying (and running, considering Sonic) along.

Then, I realized that I, too, was hungry. So I voiced that as well. That made all four of us stop (and making Shahra turn me and Zil back to humans).

"You are…?" Sonic asked. Upon seeing our nodding heads, he continued. "Well…" He scratched right behind his ear for a moment, before turning to Shahra. "You think you can make us something to eat?"

Shahra side-eyed him. "You mean you're hungry, too?"

"That was implied," Sonic replied coolly. It sounded kinda odd for Sonic to say such a word like 'implied', but again, I had to remind myself, there was much to learn about my childhood hero. Much, much to learn.

Shahra didn't say anything, to our surprise, and for a long while, there was silence and no movement. I was confused, but Zil was the one to ask the question that ran through my head. "Well? Aren't you gonna chant something already?"

Shahra's response was silence. Then, she turned to Sonic. All too suddenly, It clicked for me. I tried to stop the gasp that worked its way up my throat, turning my head to our three-foot-friend.

"Sonic…" I called in a sing-song voice. The blue one turned to me. I mouthed, 'The ring.' Then bam! It seemed to click for him as well.

Without hesitance, Sonic rubbed the ring on his finger, and Shahra—with a broad smile, I noted (did it look genuine?)—bowed down in high reverence once more to him.

"Oh, master…what is thy wish?" she asked.

And then, it clicked for Zil. Before she could say, "Ohhhhhhhhhh!" I shushed her, although I didn't want to be rude. Zil seemed to understand, and kept silent as we watched the scene unfold.

Sonic smiled ('grinned' didn't seem to be the right word for it). "Make three plates of…" And then, to Zil and I's greatest surprise, he thought for a minute.

Of course, being a natural Sonic fan, I couldn't help but think, Chili-dogs…?

It was evident Zil was thinking the same thing, for her expression was one of: "Come on, say it…"

But to our next greatest surprise, Sonic first turned to us, asking, "Well, what do you guys want to eat?"

Zil gasped, a huge—and when I say huge, I mean huge—smile overtaking her features, her hands clasping in front of her excitedly. "Can we have anything we want?"

Sonic side-eyed Shahra with a raised eyebrow, and the genie seemed to smile even wider.

"Anything edible is within my power," she answered, a tan hand laid upon her chest.

Zil gasped again, jumping up and down for joy. "Really? Really?! Are you serious? This is awesome!"

I laughed openly. Zil's excitement was just so uplifting in a way words could not describe. Seeing her so happy…brought peace to my soul. However corny it sounds, it was really true. It comforted me that she could be so joyful in a time of such distress, such adventure, such pressure of having to save the world.

But I couldn't stop the little voice in the back of my head that whispered, Are you protecting her…?

That was odd—and especially at such a time! Crazy, even! Protecting her…? Zil?! What did she need protecting for? Heck, she was so much braver than me! She'd probably be able to fight ten guys surrounding her, one arm tied behind her back!

…okay, maybe not, but you get the point.

So why did I feel like I was protecting her?

And yet, all the same, I knew the answer.

Like all of your other friends, you want to see her happy. That, more than anything, gives you the greatest joy. And you know it.

Yes. I did now it. It was corny, and I knew that, too. But I always wanted to see people with a smile on their face. Then I know they're happy. Even if they are feigning it, at least they have the heart to do such a thing to make me feel better. That means a lot to me.

I'm weird. I know. It's ok. You get used to it after you start followin' Christ.

But let me tell you: once you do, your life is never the same.

Trust me on that one.

But back to Zil…

Why did I want to protect her from sadness, anyway? I mean, I've never seen her before in my life! What did she mean to me besides a friend?

Stupid question (and oddly worded, I realize now, but it was what I had thought then).

She's God's creation.

Just like me.

The Master and Designer took great care in creating her (heck, she was a Child of Destiny; He probably took uber great care in creating her!).

And if God loved her…

…then I did, too. But not in the way you people think.

It's not the lovey-dovey love I feel for her (which would be gross). It's the…pure love. The kind of love that really only comes from Him. To put it more clearly…

It's compassion.

No…no…it was greater than compassion. It's just…God's love. There are no other words to describe it.

It's His love.

And as soon as that thought reached my mind, the world seemed to slow down. Literally. I looked at Zil, and she was still smiling broadly, hands clapping excitedly, and hair dancing in the wind…

…and it was almost like I could taste a glimpse of how God felt about her.

I didn't want her to face what evils the world could give her. I didn't want her to face drugs, betrayal, the lie that death is the way to freedom. I wanted her to be happy, always happy…

But that can't happen.

A sudden twinge on one of my heart strings pulled so hard, it was almost like physical pain.

What used to be such a wondrous place has turned into a world of suicide, war, and hate.

There are few people to date who have stood out amongst it all; who have given all they had to make the world a better place. But each year…each numbing year…our precious earth becomes worse and worse…

I didn't want Zil to live in such a place. But there wasn't anything I could do about it. She was here, and that was that.

But, perhaps I could make the most out of it…

I smiled gently to myself. Yes, that was what I would do, I decided. I would make the best of her life while I was here—in fact, I'd make the best out of Sonic and Sharah's life! Who says the adventure has to be all gloom and doom…? I can make it better, make the load lighter! How? the little voice inside questioned me. But I knew the answer. I had had it all along.

It was by spreading God's love just like He commanded me to in His word.

Oh, Father…I silently prayed. Please be with me and guide me as I try to carry out this idea. Only You can bring true happiness to people. I wonder…if You would mind…could You use me like You have used so many other people…?

"Crys…hey, Crys!"

I snapped out of my thoughts, turning to the speaker (and I hadn't been even able to finish my prayer!). It was Zil. She was literally waving in my face. Despite the rudeness, I merely laughed.

"What is it, Zil?" I asked, still smiling. I felt so different, even if it had been only a matter of seconds.

"It's time for you to order what you want!" that huge smile had never left Zil's face, I happened to notice, and that only made me all the more happy.

By some spontaneous idea, I turned to Shahra to recite my order. And to her surprise (I knew she was so because of the way her eyes widened and her mouth opened as if saying, "Really?"), I said two meager words that seemed to make her day.

"Surprise me."

Her dumb-stricken expression quickly changed to a wide smile a few minutes after I said that, and then she bowed to me in high respect, as if doing it for Sonic.

"As you wish…"

"Oh, oh! Surprise me, too! Forget what I said earlier! Surprise me!" Zil was still smiling even as she jumped up and down in excitement. I laughed. And so openly, I felt silly. But I was truly happy—Zil was happy, Shahra was smiling, and even Sonic was grinning, those ever-shining emerald eyes twinkling with an emotion I could not name. Perhaps it was another God-thing.

Yeah. It was probably that.

"As you wish," Shahra bowed to her as well, before turning to Sonic. "And you, Master…?"

The hedgehog shrugged casually. "I'll have whatever they're getting."

Shahra nodded. "All right then!" And with a snap of her fingers, there again was that magic carpet that had taken me into the world of the Arabian Nights, decorated with plates full of a foreign food.

"Oooo…" Zil murmured excitedly as she knelt her place at the 'table'. There were a few seconds of silence before she asked the inevitable, "…what is it?"

Shahra smiled, the twinkle of laughter in her metallic blue eyes. "It's one of my favorite recipes—and ancient Arabian dinner of camel with a special hot sauce on top."

"Camel…?" I repeated. It made sense though, but now as I saw it, I wasn't so sure it was appetizing. It almost looked like lamb chops…only bigger. And I had never had lamb chops before. And that 'special hot sauce' really only looked like a weird Mexican tomato soup kinda thing—with basil.

Sonic wasted no time in kneeling down and beginning to eat. Again, for some weird reason, there were silverware ready and glasses full of milk for us to drink. How did Shahra know all of earth's customs…?

It only reminded me of how she knew my exact shoe size—and the fact that I needed socks. She was from this book, for goodness sake! How did she know these things?

"Oh my gosh—this is so good! Crys, you gotta try this!" Zil's eyes were as big as lollipops as she said this.

I looked at her, snapping out of my reverie, before letting my eyes drift to the plate before me. Well…it was now or I go hungry…besides, I did let myself say, 'surprise me'…

So there I knelt, grabbing my fork and having my first bite of camel ever.

It actually wasn't so bad. Zil was right—it was mighty delicious. The cream on top was almost like buffalo sauce, and the camel went right with it so well.

All in all, we were stuffed by the time we were done eating. Who knew camel could be so filling…?

"I take it you liked it," Shahra said with a smile as she snapped her fingers once more and the whole 'table'—along with the leftover food—was gone.

"No, no. The sauce was too hot—might've wanted to cool it down a bit," Sonic grinned, standing up. As he dusted himself off, he added, "I'm just kidding. That was great, Shahra. Never had camel before—but now I know where I can get some more!"

"It was so good!" Zil added, jumping to her feet. "I loved it!"

I nodded, smiling. "I did, too. That was brilliant, Shahra. Thank you."

The genie bowed, smiling widely. "Do not speak of it."

There was silence for a while as Sonic stretched a bit. Then, when he was done, he said, "Ready to get rollin'?"

We all nodded with various comments like, "Oh yeah!" and "Yep!"

"Then let's get crackin'!" Sonic exclaimed, bending over to zoom off.

In a second, Zil and I found ourselves back in our fairy forms.

And then, we were off.

But…

You wanna know what the weirdest thing was…? While we were busting Erazor's henchmen, and cracking jokes here and there…I was having the time of my life. I never would've thought that after a while, those 'phantoms' wouldn't hold any fear over me. But it was true. No longer was I afraid of those puny little 5-foot enemies. It was a surprising feeling to me.

I guess it came after having faced a huge, many-eyed scorpion...

But I was seriously laughing myself to death and even making the others laugh as well. It was so much fun!

"Hey, I got an idea!" Sonic smirked at us as we approached yet another henchman. "Let's play baseball!"

"Ooooo! Yes! I love baseball! I wanna be the batter!" Zil exclaimed.

Shahra laughed, but abided to the girl's wish, making her human once more, with a wooden bat in hand.

"Sweet, Shar! Thanks!" Zil grinned, taking notice of the new accessory.

Shahra nodded, her smile remaining.

Then, the fun part came. Sonic sped up, zooming behind one of the henchmen (he wasn't running nearly as fast as he usually did when we were around in our fairy forms—we couldn't keep up with his usual speed at all) and curling into a little ball. No more than five seconds later, he released all his bent-up energy, striking the henchmen right in the back and launching him into the air.

Zil took position, smiling, but trying to act serious all the same. "Foooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuur!" she cried, then smacking the henchmen away with all her strength. To her surprise, it didn't go up into the air like she apparently had wanted (it was evident in her surprised look). Once the bat collided with it, it just poofed into thin air.

There was a moment of silence, before the girl giggled nervously. "Um…wrong sport?"

We all shared some good laughs after that, continuing our journey with various fun tricks and such.

And it was then that we saw it…

"Whoa, hey! What's that…?" Zil exclaimed. We all skidded to a halt to join what our friend was looking at. Once at her side, I could see what she was talking about. A little ways off, there was something glittering in the sand. I was tempted to ask, 'What is it…?' but Zil had basically already asked that question.

Sonic paused a moment, before stepping forward. "Well, let's go find out!"

And with that, all of us jogged towards it (well, Zil and I flew; we were not out of our fairy forms).

However, not long before we had started moving, Shahra stopped suddenly, gasping, hand covering her mouth, eyes widening. Her expression was one of pure shock—or was it terror?

Either way, we all turned to her.

"What's wrong, Shahra?" Sonic asked, eyebrow raised.

"Sonic…there it is! That's a World Ring!" her voice shook with such a confusing emotion, even now I have a hard time figuring out what it was.

But her comment made both Zil and I freeze. We exchanged nervous glances, knots tying up in our stomachs. A World Ring…?

Shahra floated forward, in her genie form, and reached down to pick the shining, yellow object up. But her hand went through it just like a vapor. It was kinda unnerving to see such a thing…to see a substantial hand go through a substantial object. But Zil didn't make a comment, so neither did I.

"I can't pick it up…" she murmured. But the way her voice said it plainly, it was almost like she already knew she wasn't able to get a grasp on the ring.

Zil and I exchanged glances again. So far, things were going according to the game, but we both knew that already, things were far different when we were here than when it was just Sonic and Shahra. We braced ourselves.

"Let me try," Sonic offered, walking over. His little flame flickered with life and determination—funny how that little fire seemed to base itself off of its beholder. He bent down on one knee, reaching out to grab it…

"Wait, Sonic!" Zil interrupted. I reached over with a small hand, nudging her. Why'd she do that…?

Zil looked at me, and I caught the briefest look of apology, before turning back to Sonic, who's attention—and Shahra's—was fixed on her.

Under the sudden looks, and not knowing exactly what she was planning, Zil began to fidget. "Well…um…are you sure you wanna try and pick it up…?"

Sonic furrowed her eyebrows, shrugging. "I don't see why not. What's the harm in grabbing a ring?"

But at that moment, everything suddenly came together for me. I knew what Zil was thinking. And then, I couldn't help but want what she wanted, too. To have somebody else pick up the ring…

If Sonic did grab the ring, then that was it. He would have to grab the others, and then be the object of sacrifice to open the portal to other worlds. Both Zil and I knew it.

It all started with this single ring. Up until then, he was just a hero trying to save the world—who's life was bound by the flame on his chest. But once he touched this ring, he would forever be the final piece in opening the portal between worlds. Not only would Erazor be out for his blood—but any other evil being who knew of the World Rings and what they could do. He would forever be that last needed item to open the portals between worlds.

But then again…that was how the game went. It's how it's supposed to happen, right? Everything would turn out fine in the end—Sonic wouldn't die in sacrifice to open the portals. So why was it so hard to just let nature go the way things are supposed to go…?

"Never mind," I murmured in response, sending my own apologetic glance to Zil.

But Zil seemed to understand. We couldn't stop fate…

But little did we know a simple thing like having Sonic collect the rings would be one of the greatest regrets of our lives…even now, my heart cringes at the thought…

Anyway, Sonic shrugged, picking up the ring. Instantly, he stiffened, static electricity shooting up his arm from the ring. "Ow!"

With a sickening heart and a deep, empty feeling beginning to churn in our stomachs, both Zil and I then knew his fate was sealed.

"'When the seven rings that control the worlds are gathered, the portal between the worlds shall open. But the life of the collector of the rings shall be offered up in sacrifice as the key for that control.' That's what is written in the newest chapter of the Arabian Nights…" Shahra said quietly. Even, she, too, knew the consequences (then why didn't she say anything, the back of my mind wondered).

Sonic turned to her, eyes wide, and hand still gripping the ring. "Say what? I'm supposed to be a sacrifice?!"

Shahra paused for a moment, turning away. "I…I'm not sure. It's…it's still a mystery to me…"

Both Zil and I weren't watching Shahra, however. We had our attention solely fixed on Sonic to see what his reaction would be. So far, he was just standing there, stiff, eyes wide, and hand numbly gripping the ring.

It was hard to read him just by his actions…but if you were fast enough, sometimes you could catch a sorrowful glance, or a heavy sigh, or a bitten-back smirk, or a short but hearty laugh. This time, though…even his eyes didn't say anything about what he was feeling inside.

Zil and I couldn't help but think we had made a big mistake.

There was silence for a long, long while before Sonic reached up with his free hand to play with the arrow stuck to his chest. "Well…since this is here, I guess I'm in a pinch either way, right…?" He gave a few chuckles after that, but I couldn't help but notice they sounded empty and hollow—devoid of his usual, jovial life.

"Oh, Sonic…" Shahra turned around, and it was then I found she had been crying, for tears were still falling down her lightly tan cheeks. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be. We'll make it out somehow—where there's a will, there's a way, right?" Sonic grinned, but even then, his eyes didn't shine the way they used to when he smiled like that. I reached up a small, glass-like hand to my chest. Oh, how it hurt…

Shahra looked at him for the longest time, tears slowly falling two by two down her cheeks. "Sonic…don't lie. I know you're upset—you have to be. There's no way—"

"Hey," Sonic turned to her, and this time, his eyes showed complete honesty. There was no mistaking the sincerity in his voice as he said, "I'm in a win-win situation."

At hearing and seeing our shocked and confused expressions, Sonic grinned—a genuine grin, I realized, and his eyes seemed to sparkle with another unnamable emotion.

"What do you mean?" Zil exclaimed. She, above us all, was the most confused.

Sonic turned to her—his emerald eyes shining knowingly. "There's two outcomes of this…right? Either I die as a sacrifice or because of this flame, and finally see my Creator. Or, I make it out somehow and live to tell of God's great mercy."

And then, there was another shocked silence.

Even I was dumbfounded. I knew Sonic was a Christian—I had discovered that before. But to hear him say such words…it only made it more real. Maybe a little odd and out of place, but it was still so amazing. I admired Sonic's bravery. To stare Death in the face, not afraid of what your for-sure fate was, and still glorify God…

It was amazing.

But as soon as an awed smile started to tug at the corners of my mouth, Zil shouted abruptly.

"You're crazy!"

All of us turned to her, surprised by the outburst. Her light was flickering wildly, as if some confused yet angered emotion was running through her.

"Sonic, you're going to die! Don't you realize that?" she continued.

Sonic shrugged. "I might. I might not. There's no telling."

But before he even finished, Zil had already resumed. "How can you believe in Him in a time like this? I mean…" the fairy looked around, as if trying to find something to focus on or to get support from, before continuing, "…how do you know He isn't just made up? And what if He is? Then you'll have lived and died in vain, Sonic! We need you! You can't just go off not caring if you die!" And then, as if her head was in deep pain, Zil grabbed at it, making a loud whining sound. "You just can't die…"

Shahra and I turned to Sonic, waiting for his response. It was a few seconds before one came.

"Zil…He exists. I know He does—"

"—but how can you place all your bets—your life—on something you don't even see? Something you can't even understand!" Zil interrupted. Her voice was desperate, I noted. But desperate for what? Desperate to understand or desperate to get him to understand?

Sonic's reply was his signature smirk. My heart leaped at the sight of it. It was the first time this whole adventure I had seen him smirk so. Sure, I might've seen him smirk. But not his cocky smirk—not the one that he always used to laugh Death in the face, the one that always made Eggman beyond ticked…

The one he was famous for.

But I saw it then, and I couldn't help but start to grow my own smirk (although I bet it was no where near as cool as his was).

"Zil…I'm surprised," he said quietly. It was almost eerie how calm he was replying. "You'd think after having played all those video games, you would've realized how I work…"

My smile widened. How could even I have missed it? His theme song, of course! Why, even the chorus goes: "It doesn't matter, now what happens. I will never give up the fight! Long as the voice inside drives me to run and fight. It doesn't matter who is wrong and who is right." And even later in the song, it says, "…place all your bets on the one you think is right."

Sonic was risky. That much was for sure. He wasn't afraid to put his life on the line—would do so, without a bat of an eye, for his friends. And now, I realized, he wasn't afraid to place all his bets on his beliefs, either. He knew he could trust God. Whether it was His plan he die, or His plan he live, it would all go according to His will. So he had nothing to worry about. He just had to do what God wanted him to do—and He would take care of the rest.

I was kinda jealous how the hedgehog could have such easy, undying faith in Him. I mean, I always asked questions. I was always doubting what God wanted me to do—about His will. But Sonic wasn't. He followed whatever the Holy Spirit told him, with full confidence.

It's kinda funny, actually. The only One who can tell the wind where to go, where to blow, is also the only One who can tell Sonic what to do, when to do it.

Ah, there was still much, much more I had to learn about my childhood hero…

"We'd better get going…" Zil's voice spoke up quietly. I couldn't help but notice there was a hint of confusion, hurt—defeat?—as she said that. It made my heart twinge with pain.

But Sonic nodded gently in response, tucking away the World Ring inside his spines. Shahra, seeing Sonic do so, nodded as well, becoming a fairy once more. We all shared silent glances as we confirmed with each other we were ready, before we burst off.

And all the while, it bothered me deep down how silent our journey was then. There was no laughter, no jokes, like there had been. It was almost like…there had grown an enmity between us, between our team.

I didn't like it one bit.