In the band van, Sonic, Sonia, Manic, and Aleena are all heading towards to residence of Athair, Knuckles' grandfather. Lighting, rain, and thunder shower down from the heavens as the band kicks up mini waves along the path as Manic drives on, cautious of the hazardous conditions. Aleena is keeping her balance along the bumpy road by leaning on Manic's seat. Tensions are high in the van…After figuring out the existence of eight chaos emeralds, Sonia had immediately suggested going to the home of Athair, who knows more about emeralds than anyone else on the planet. As Sonic, Manic, and Aleena prepared to leave, Sonia climbed out of her bed and demanded to come along, despite her injuries. But of course, when Sonia puts her mind to something, it's not changed easily; no, scratch that, it's not changed period. With the queen by their side, Athair would know how severe the situation is, without needing a long-winded explanation from the Royal family. But even so, convincing the highly traditional Athair to help them is another task altogether. Hopefully the "Promised Time" destiny is enough to convince him.
They hit a large pothole and Aleena nearly tumbles onto the floor. From the beginning, she was a little on edge, and the siblings assumed that it was to do with the confusion and chaotic way she had to meet her them. But unless you were in Aleena's perspective, it would be hard to understand.
Aleena clenches her hands into her new cloak, given to her by Sonia, and is extremely tense. My thirteen year old son is driving a van into a winding and dangerous road up a lightning riddled mountain… Ok, calm down Aleena, Oh! But how can I calm down… he was raised by thieves, he's a wanted criminal… Oh, and his beautiful ear; it has two piercings on it, TWO! Aleena sighs and Manic turns to meet her gaze.
"Something wrong mom?" Manic says, Aleena tries hard not to panic.
"Nothing, eyes on the road sweetie…." Manic smiles at her and turns his attention back on the road; upon seeing his smile, Aleena relaxes her grip a little from her cloak and looks to her children. His heart is in the right place, and he knows what he's doing; I shouldn't underestimate him, any of them, they are my children after all… Aleena looks down at her children and smiles lightly upon seeing their faces. Ah… But I wouldn't have them any other way; they are perfect the way they are. And I love them so much.
Her mind wanders to when she first had to give up her children; it was the most difficult decision of her life. Give up her children, or risk their lives, no mother should ever have to make that decision, but Aleena had to, and it pained her to do so. Before leaving, she gave each of her precious little babies a kiss goodbye, knowing all the while that the next time they reunited, all of their lives would be in danger. And now, they are so grown, they have their own lives, personalities, but Aleena still sees them as her dear children, and they still look to her like their mother.
With Robotnik initiating his plans, they must work together to defeat him. Though saddened by the circumstances in which they had to reunite, she cannot shake the feelings of pure adoration she experiences when looking to the children she loves so dearly.
And in all honesty, though frightened by the thought of Robotnik's armies, she is somewhat thrilled by the promise of action and adventure. Just as her other kids feel excitement, she does as well. I guess some things heredity just can't get rid of.
Aleena's train of thought is halted when the van jerks to a stop in front of a large staircase leading to the top of the mountain. They all look up to the intimidating height and a lightning bolt illuminating the starless night sky further adds to their fear, yet it also reinforces the importance of reaching the man at the top; Knuckles' grandfather, Athair.
Halfway up the mountain, their yellow coats and umbrellas flutter wildly in the wind. Aleena insisted that they wear them before heading out, or they might catch a cold of all things, such a mom. With Sonia taking the lead, she makes sure that the path is safe for Manic, Aleena, and finally Sonic to follow. A huge gust of wind suddenly bursts from nowhere and blows Manic's umbrella into the distance; he looks disappointedly at the disappearing umbrella until Aleena hands him hers.
"I can't take your umbrella mom, you'll get all wet." Manic says in resistance. But Aleena will have none of that. She opens up his hands and puts the umbrella inside them, then closes his hand tight.
"I'm fine son, you just hold onto this one tight, okay?" Aleena says sweetly. Manic looks at her for a second before agreeing, and they continue up the mountain into the lightning filled night; lightning crackles and shoots from the sky, and Aleena is shaking, both from the cold and from fright. Sonic cuddles up close to her and raises his umbrella above both of them. Aleena hugs him back, and Sonic looks her and smiles shyly.
After a while, they reach Athair's cave and they all hurriedly dash inside. Sonic and Manic take off their coats and shake rapidly to get rid of any of the water that got on their bodies. To Sonia and Aleena's dismay, it was a lot; they look condescendingly at the two boys and they give awkward smile of apology. Aleena takes off her coat and starts to ring it out while Sonia attempts to fix her hair; shortly after, Aleena also fixes her hair and puts her cloak, though still a little wet, back on. Their little dry-off session was interrupted when Athair came out from another portion of the cave, greeting his royal visitors with a slight joking in his voice.
"Ahh, the royal siblings once again, please tell me that this does not have to do with another broken emerald."
"Another?" Aleena says. Athair looks at her with familiarity on his face, but does not yet recognize her as the Queen of Mobotropolis.
"And who might you be, young lady?" Athair says, prompting both a giggle from Queen Aleena and awkward glances from her kids. Aleena removes her hood and introduces herself confidently.
"Why, my name is Queen Aleena, have you heard of me? And these are my three children, Sonic, Sonia, and Manic." Athair's face immediately changes from lightheartedness to seriousness, and he starts speaking to himself the legend.
"Triplets born, the throne awaits,
A spirit warns of a deadly fate,
To give up her children, separate,
To bide her time, lie in wait.
The children will grow,
Learn what is right.
Leaders of the Freedom fight.
They will know,
When the time has come,
For when it does,
The road will be riddled with love and fear,
The paths leading shed not a single tear,
The shades of Chaos will shine bright,
For both the Path of Evil,
And the Path of Light.
I never would have imagined that the Promised day would be upon us so soon, and I assume that's why you have all come to my mountain; you are seeking aid for your arduous endeavor."
"Yes Great Athair," Sonia says, "We need to ask you about the Chaos Emeralds…"
"The Chaos Emeralds are ancient artifacts of immense power, and there are eight in existence, among the only people who can utilize their power to the fullest are the Echidnae people, as far as I know." Athair says.
"Yes, but we could really use your help," Manic says, "we need to use the power of a Chaos Emerald to defeat Robotnik, but we also want to be aware of any…complications…that may arise if we try. Please Athair; you are the only one who can help us." Athair takes in the young prince's words carefully; he is both torn by the desire to protect his fellow Mobians, and also the desire to keep the traditions of his people. But what really stops him is the last thing that Manic said.
"Wait," Athair says slowly, "What do you mean, the only one? My grandson is an echidna just like me, why can he not help?" Manic is overcome with fer, he desperately wishes to himself that he can backtrack his words, but what's done is done, and they now have to come clean.
"Well," Athair asks, a little more urgent now," Where is my grandson? Is he not on the Island?"
Sonia finally can't hold it in any longer, she concealed it before, but in the presence of Knuckles' only family, how worried he is, the true weight of Knuckles situation came back to her like a painful boomerang. She runs into Athair and hugs him tightly, with tears pouring down her face.
"Athair! I-I'm so sorry! *sniff* H-He was such a good guy…He helped us fight Robotnik many times before. *sniff* A t-true friend to the Royal family… And a proud advocate of the Echidnae race…" Athair held Sonia comfortingly, and he tries to hold back his own tears as he braces for the worst. "He was kidnapped by Robotnik! He's b-been Roboticized!"
As Sonia cries into Athair's chest, Sonic and Manic feel a deep sadness for their sister, and for Knuckles. If their plan works, he will not be a robot anymore, but at the moment, it didn't matter. For now, their friend was a mindless slave, and it saddens them to think of such a thing. Aleena feels powerless to help her, but she decides that she should not cry, if her children are going to look up to her, she has to stand tall in the face of adversity. Sonia's crying is interrupted by Manic's words.
"Athair! That's what we need the chaos emeralds for! If we can get their power, we can power satellites all over the city and de-roboticize everyone, including Knuckles!" The mention of his grandson's name brings a pang to his heart, but he keeps his mind from falling victim to his emotions to consider Manic's words. With the world at stake, Athair speaks; and what he says is unbelievable, and not in a good way.
"Your question; it was as to whether or not the chaos emeralds can be used for powering the electronics, correct?" Athair asks, getting a nod from Manic. "The answer is complicated; yes, the emeralds have the potential of powering an entire city, but it is unable to."
"How can that be Great Athair?" Aleena asks uneasily. Still hugging Sonia, Athair gives his explanation as kindhearted as possible, but an unsettling air of hopelessness flavors his voice.
"The emeralds can give concentrated energy, but not only is the energy unstable, but dispersing it over long distances would take technology that not even Robotnik has. And in addition, having more than one emerald in the same vicinity could have catastrophic results. However, there is hope. But it comes with numerous implications." Athair lets go of Sonia and walks over to a bench, he sits down and starts brewing a kettle of tea over a fire. He motions everyone to gather around and they all do so, grateful for the warmth the fire provides.
"There is but one technique that can help. An ancient method designed by our ancestors to purify the energy of the Chaos Emeralds into a source more mobile, efficient, and concentrated. These new emeralds could definitely power your city, but it would assign one Emerald the task of being the controller for all of the others, the "Master Emerald" if you would. And that is not all it would do. Normally, possessing all seven would make the user mad with uncontrollable rage and power, leaving nothing but chaos and destruction in his wake." The Royal family looks on nervously, as the fire's embers form figures in the air, illustrating the tale as it is said.
"But paired with the purification technique, the emeralds can be used to their fullest extent, and the user will remain in complete control of their actions. However, it is only a legend, and should only be tried as an absolute last resort. *SIGH* But… there are setbacks. To use this technique, you would need all eight of the emeralds, and it has to take place in the Emerald shrine, a hidden location in the center of the Island, underground." The Royal Family cannot believe what they are hearing, how are they going to pull this off with Robotnik inhabiting the Island? But they have not lost hope yet.
"Alright!" Sonic says proudly, "Teach me how to do it, I'll use the technique!" Athair smiles a little and pours himself a cup of tea. The steam billows up into the air and disperses the animated embers.
"I admire your enthusiasm young prince, but I'm afraid it will not be that easy." He stares into his cup of tea with a determined look in his eye. "Only a being of Echidnae blood can perform the ritual, and I'm sorry, but I'm too old; my adventuring days ended long ago, these creaky bones can't handle the excitement." He sips his cup of tea deeply and sighs. He looks up at the three young ones and their mother, who are all coming to the same horrifying realization. If they want to stop Robotnik and save the roboticized citizens, they need to have Knuckles, who is under the control of Robotnik, perform the ritual to power the deroboticization satellites!
"By the looks on your faces, I can see that you all realize what needs to be done." Athair says cryptically. Sonic jumps up and pounds his fist on his chest.
"It doesn't matter guys! When there's a will, there's a way!" Sonic reaches for both Sonia and Manic to stand up with him, and they do. "Remember when Robotnik used his Flying Fortress to try and destroy Mobius? We stopped that, didn't we? Or the time he used Cyrus as a spy to try and take us down? He wasn't able to! And you know why? It's because we never gave in, no matter what stood in our way! And I don't know about you guys, but just because we're a family now, I'm still not gonna let Buttnik get the best of us! Don't let chaos get you down!" Before Sonic was even finished, they all knew where this was heading; Sonic Underground style.
(Link to song here: watch?v=6fWbOIyUhCs)
Sonic Sonia and Manic each take out their instruments, and in a flurry of sparking magic, the medallions transform into beautiful instruments. Aleena looks to Athair and he lifts his hand up to her in patience; he then pours a cup of tea for her and she takes it gratefully. A huge flash of light comes from the cave to rival the lightning blasting outside followed by the beginnings of the song.
(Sing Along Folks!)
Oh YEAH!
When things are going bad,
don't be angry don't be sad;
We'll find our strength in each other!
If our world is upside-down,
Keep our feet on the ground.
Learn to rely on one another!
We have to learn to fight!
Learn to overcome!
Resist with all our might!
Learn to overcome!
And we can make things right!
If we learn to overco-ome!
NA na na na na na!
Na na na na na NA ah na ah na!
We have to learn to fight!
Learn to overcome!
Resist with all our might!
Learn to overcome!
And we can make things right!
If we learn to overco-ome!
NA na na na na na!
Na na na na na NA ah na ah na!
Learn to overcome!
Once the song was over they received a round of applause from Aleena and Athair, who was far less enthusiastic than her queenly companion.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Queen Aleena cheered, making all three of the siblings blush a little.
"Mom, don't embarrass us in front of Athair…" Sonic says, rubbing the back of his head. Aleena giggles and sips the last of her tea, setting the cup on the plate and carefully onto the floor. She walks over to her children and smiles brightly.
"You're right Sonic; our Family has been through too much to give up to the clutches of Robotnik." The siblings all smile and turn to Sonic, who gives the team a thumbs-up. "Then let's do it to it!" He says with a big smile on his face.
