- * - - * - - * - - * - - * - Part VI - * - - * - - * - - * - - * -
Tails leapt forward and threw her arms around a very surprised
Sonic. "Thank you." she whispered, and Sonic could think of nothing
more to do than return the gesture. This whole problem was because
he hadn't shown before that he cared, after all...
After no more than a minute, he felt Tails go limp in his arms. Alarmed, he laid her down on the ground, and was about to try and wake her up again, when he noticed the her Chaos Emerald glowing. So... it wasn't finished yet. He looked around. He wondered for a moment where Knuckles was... not that he'd be able to do anything. They'd just have to wait until she woke up again in an hour or so and find out what had changed.
Knuckles laughed to himself. Sonic was never one to waste time, was he? Tails had been female for barely a day and a half, and the blue speed-freak was all over her. It was just typical of him, especially when there was something undeniably important going on.
The glow of the Master Emerald had intensified while he had been gone, though the rhythmic pulse of white had stopped. He was starting to wonder if the Super Emeralds were going to make another appearance, only months after their last. Unlikely, he thought, as the time before had been before his lifetime. Twice in one year wasn't about to happen. He wondered if the Emerald's odd behaviour might be associated with the odd things that had been happening to Tails lately.
Perhaps he could find out. As the Guardian of the Emeralds, he did hold some power over them. He got to his feet and strode over to one of the seven smaller pedestals, removed the red Chaos Emerald from it, then leapt up beside the Master Emerald.
"Well," he muttered to himself, "It can't hurt to try."
"We understand that you are feeling better about your new form." Great, what a time. Sonic and I haven't done anything like that in a long time, and I don't think I've felt that close in... ever.
"What do you want now?" I demand of the shadows. "Yes, I'm happy with it. What more do you plan to do to me? I'm an exact mirror image of what you showed me two nights ago."
"It is now time," they say, in their annoyingly slow way, "for you to remember. The power of the eight has been made available to you. If the need arises, you will learn its use on your own. Now take our gift and become what you seek."
Cryptic. Very cryptic. Everything flashes white - that's strange, because the other times, it all went dark before I woke up again. The light fades. Back to green. Why am I still here? What was that flash if not-
"What the HECK are you?" That's not the shadows... it's just one voice. A very familiar voice. It sounds like...
I turn around. "Knuckles?" He ignores me, keeps looking at the shadows. What's he doing here?
"We have not been expecting you. It is not time. You are not welcome here, Guardian."
Still they sound utterly emotionless, as ever. I can't help but hope he'll get an answer out of them - I want to know what they are too. I don't think he has much of a chance, though.
"It was you that changed Tails, wasn't it? Did all those things to him." He sounds absolutely livid... I had no idea he was even bothered by it all. Mostly he didn't seem to care... but then, I thought Sonic didn't care either. I was wrong about him, but Knuckles seems far colder overall.
"The Eighth came to us freely. We did no more than we are bound to. The time merely came earlier than anticipated. Now leave. You have no business here."
"No!" Knuckles shouts, "I'm not about to let -"
Black again.
Tails opened her eyes. She was still on top of the mountain, though the setting sun burned orange on the horizon. That meant she'd been out at least four hours. It had never been that long before. She sat up, and noticed Sonic leaning against a rock a couple of feet away, asleep and snoring loudly.
She got to her feet, crept around behind him, and gave him a nudge. He was on his feet like a shot. "Wha? Who's there?" he questioned the empty air in front of him.
Tails laughed. "Sonic, it's just me. You'd gone to sleep."
"I had?" The hedgehog looked thoroughly embarrassed. "Well, I..."
"You actually sat still for four hours of daylight!" She still couldn't help but smile.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" he grinned, acting more like his usual self again.
"Oh, don't worry. It's not exactly the end of the world." She sat down where she was on the rock, thoughts drifting from the present to the shadows that had done everything they had to her. The sudden aging she could understand, everyone had always said she was too young. But why the third tail? And what reason could there possibly have been to change her sex of all things?
After no more than a minute, he felt Tails go limp in his arms. Alarmed, he laid her down on the ground, and was about to try and wake her up again, when he noticed the her Chaos Emerald glowing. So... it wasn't finished yet. He looked around. He wondered for a moment where Knuckles was... not that he'd be able to do anything. They'd just have to wait until she woke up again in an hour or so and find out what had changed.
Knuckles laughed to himself. Sonic was never one to waste time, was he? Tails had been female for barely a day and a half, and the blue speed-freak was all over her. It was just typical of him, especially when there was something undeniably important going on.
The glow of the Master Emerald had intensified while he had been gone, though the rhythmic pulse of white had stopped. He was starting to wonder if the Super Emeralds were going to make another appearance, only months after their last. Unlikely, he thought, as the time before had been before his lifetime. Twice in one year wasn't about to happen. He wondered if the Emerald's odd behaviour might be associated with the odd things that had been happening to Tails lately.
Perhaps he could find out. As the Guardian of the Emeralds, he did hold some power over them. He got to his feet and strode over to one of the seven smaller pedestals, removed the red Chaos Emerald from it, then leapt up beside the Master Emerald.
"Well," he muttered to himself, "It can't hurt to try."
"We understand that you are feeling better about your new form." Great, what a time. Sonic and I haven't done anything like that in a long time, and I don't think I've felt that close in... ever.
"What do you want now?" I demand of the shadows. "Yes, I'm happy with it. What more do you plan to do to me? I'm an exact mirror image of what you showed me two nights ago."
"It is now time," they say, in their annoyingly slow way, "for you to remember. The power of the eight has been made available to you. If the need arises, you will learn its use on your own. Now take our gift and become what you seek."
Cryptic. Very cryptic. Everything flashes white - that's strange, because the other times, it all went dark before I woke up again. The light fades. Back to green. Why am I still here? What was that flash if not-
"What the HECK are you?" That's not the shadows... it's just one voice. A very familiar voice. It sounds like...
I turn around. "Knuckles?" He ignores me, keeps looking at the shadows. What's he doing here?
"We have not been expecting you. It is not time. You are not welcome here, Guardian."
Still they sound utterly emotionless, as ever. I can't help but hope he'll get an answer out of them - I want to know what they are too. I don't think he has much of a chance, though.
"It was you that changed Tails, wasn't it? Did all those things to him." He sounds absolutely livid... I had no idea he was even bothered by it all. Mostly he didn't seem to care... but then, I thought Sonic didn't care either. I was wrong about him, but Knuckles seems far colder overall.
"The Eighth came to us freely. We did no more than we are bound to. The time merely came earlier than anticipated. Now leave. You have no business here."
"No!" Knuckles shouts, "I'm not about to let -"
Black again.
Tails opened her eyes. She was still on top of the mountain, though the setting sun burned orange on the horizon. That meant she'd been out at least four hours. It had never been that long before. She sat up, and noticed Sonic leaning against a rock a couple of feet away, asleep and snoring loudly.
She got to her feet, crept around behind him, and gave him a nudge. He was on his feet like a shot. "Wha? Who's there?" he questioned the empty air in front of him.
Tails laughed. "Sonic, it's just me. You'd gone to sleep."
"I had?" The hedgehog looked thoroughly embarrassed. "Well, I..."
"You actually sat still for four hours of daylight!" She still couldn't help but smile.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" he grinned, acting more like his usual self again.
"Oh, don't worry. It's not exactly the end of the world." She sat down where she was on the rock, thoughts drifting from the present to the shadows that had done everything they had to her. The sudden aging she could understand, everyone had always said she was too young. But why the third tail? And what reason could there possibly have been to change her sex of all things?
