Well, next chap' be up…
Thankfully, my mom got Microsoft Word with it's awesome Spelling/Grammar Check up and working again.
I doubt you readers (hopefully it's readers) noticed the difference, but it's been a serious pain for me. I've had to read over everything about four times to make sure there's no mistake, only for me to put the chapter up, and realize I've missed some, and have to check over it a fifth and sixth time.
I wonder why I keep doing these pre- and post-chapter blurbs, anyway. I never really feel like anything I've mentioned here had any relevance or meaning.
…
I think I've babbled enough. Onward, to the actual story.
I own mostly nothing.
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Chapter 6: Moira the Great
Diamond slumped a little and let his head rest on his hands as this Oracle of Something-ius raised his slightly-glowing-green hand. A ring of light appeared before the three-er, four-hedgehogs, and images began appearing within the light.
The places within it were, Diamond realized, quite beautiful. There were fields of lush green, mighty forests, clear and massive lakes, tropical islands, peaceful villages, and a single, amazing city of crystalline buildings. The Oracle began to speak.
"Many, many years ago… This was the planet Mobius." Diamond was particularly taken aback by that, but remained silent. The image within the light changed; a scene of a tall, dark red-furred hedgehog in elegant black and white robes and a elaborate gold and jewel crown, sitting proudly on a gold and bronze throne, and beside him sat a beautiful earthy brown and green hedgehog female in a similar attire. "The world of Mobius was ruled by it's monarchs, King Julius and Queen Titania."
The scene in the bubble of light changed again and Diamond stifled a gasp. The image showed a skinny human girl with gleaming orange-brown hair, olive green eyes, and a white spike tattooed beneath her eye. Her legs were wrapped with tight pink and purple boot and a long, flowing, darker pink skirt, with a brown belt adorned with a green jewel looping around her waist. She also wore a slim brown top with a design eerily resembling a slanted dark blue eye on the front, and ruffly pink detached sleeves. Diamond's eyes were wide, but thankfully, no one noticed. It was the girl from his dream!
"Moira was Julius's most trusted advisor and fiercely loyal ally." The light-bubble showed an image of an army of robots fast approaching where the king and Moira stood. Moira threw her hands to either side as two magic orbs began to crackle around her fingers and her eyes narrowed, ready to strike at their enemies at any moment. She turned her determined gaze to King Julius, who gave a firm nod. He raised his broad sword and the hedgehog and human charged forward, striking robots wildly. Diamond blinked. Then, this Moira is a good guy? She seemed so… sinister, in my dreams…
As the scene continued, Julius was struck from behind by one of these robots, and fell, hurt, to the barren ground. Moira dashed over to where the injured king lay, and, with a flick of her wrist, dispelled her obviously offensive-oriented magic orbs, and summoned a crystalline silver barrier around herself and Julius. Several robot slammed against the barrier, tried to climb up it, or struck it with lasers, but it held firmly. Moira was un-phased by all this. She calmly turned to the red-furred king and raise her-badly bruised, Diamond noticed-arm, whispering a few illegible words. A faint green glow pulsed from her hand, and the same glow appeared around Julius. The king's bruises and the blood staining his fur and clothes disappeared. He eyes fluttered open and, after a thankful nod to Moira, he reclaimed his sword and stood up. Moira dispelled the barrier and the pair leaped back into battle. "Moira was impressively adept in magic, in almost all it's complex forms."
The Oracle paused and Diamond heard him chuckle softly. "She would have made a fine Oracle when she was older, had she turned out different." The purple-furred hedgehog prince blinked. What does he mean, "tuned out different"? His question was soon answered.
"However, it seems no good thing ever last forever." The light-bubble shifted again. This new image was… less pleasant than the others. Moira was standing in a dark cave, and ragged cloak almost making her unrecognizable. A black wolf was standing behind her, his tail swishing impatiently. Moira turned to him, and Diamond notice her eyes had somehow gone from olive to pulsing emerald. Moira held on hand forward, and eerily dark purple smoke flowed from her hand to an ancient-looking, flame-like set of runes in the cave wall. As the smoke made contact, the runes began to glow and hum. Wolf-boy nodded knowingly and raised his hands, as a similar smoke joined Moira's. "She was tempted by evil forces, and began to dabble in the darkness. She began to seek out the thirteen gates. Time, Space, Fate, Power, Knowledge, Light, Darkness, Life, Death, Love, Hate, Music, and Silence. If she could open all thirteen, she would have power that no existing force could ever match." Oh wow… Guess my first impression of her was right.
As the light-bubble scene continued, Moira and her companion drew back their hands as the light from the runes began pulsing brightly. So brightly, Moira squinted and raised one hand to cover her eyes. As the light cleared, the rune-adorned rocks began to shift and move. Soon, the rocks all pulled away to the sides and a gaping tunnel stood behind it. However, a massive pure white snake slithered rapidly down the tunnel and lunged at the evil pair. Moira raised one hand and conjured up a black crystalline barrier. The snake coiled back as it struck the barrier. Then, it opened it's mouth it a mighty, and very angry, hiss, and sunk it fangs into the barrier, which subsequently shattered. "Each gate had a guardian that must be defeated before the gate could truly be opened."
Within the bubble, Moira leaped backwards, flipping in midair before she landed. She raised her once more and a thick black smoke filled the entire cave. The guardian hiss and lashed around blindly, it's scarred eyes unable to identify where Moira and her companion were. Then, out of the dark clouds, said companion, his fist burning with an unusual green-black fire, leaped straight at the giant snake and slammed his hand down of it's broad head. The snake hissed and thrashed wildly from the pain. Moira, seeing her opening, raised one hand above her head. A sharp strike of lightning seared at it and pierced through the massive guardian snake. "However, one of the guardians…" The bubble-image focused on Moira's lupine companion. "One of them, Schatten, defected from his brethren, and joined Moira." Diamond turned briefly to Aleena as he heard her gasp. Her eyes were lit with an odd sort of recognition, a lot a bit of fear, and the tiniest bit of… awe.
Diamond shook his head and turned back to the Oracle's light-bubble. Now, it showed King Julius and Queen Titania. Julius turned his sorrowful eyes to his queen, who gave a reassuring nod although she looked just as down cast. Julius gently picked up his board sword and softly kissed Titania, before turning and marching off in a slow, rigid manner. "The king was aware of what his former advisor was doing, but simply did not want to admit it and face her. But, eventually, when her treachery hit it's peak, he knew he had to."
The bubble changed again, and displayed Moira, in her cloak again, standing beside Schatten. Her eyes, alit with fury, were firmly on King Julius, broad sword in hand, who simply stared forward calmly. In the blink of an eye, the two lunged at one another, moving so fast, it was startling. Sparks flew, blood splattered, and, oddly enough, Schatten stood of two one side as the two dueled. After a harsh, long fight, Julius struck a powerful blow to Moira chest, sending collapsing to the ground, unconscious. Julius' sword glowed with several unusual marks carved into it. Her drew four similar symbols in the dirt bellow. Julius whispered something the four hedgehogs could hear, and, it a flash of light, Moira and Schatten were. "However, the king could not bring himself to kill what was once his greatest ally. In stead, he sealed them away in a pocket dimension, and, admittedly, all was well for the next many years."
The scene in the bubble of light know showed another brown-and-green-furred hedgehog, similar to Titania, kneeling before a tall, skinny, and very proper looking badger, who, as the new hedgehog nodded his head, placed the same crown Julius had worn of his head. "Julius and Titania's son, Thorne, took over as ruler, along side his queen, Meylene." The bubble showed a young, but intelligent looking yellow hedgehog female. "But, peace did not last. Moira had managed to open four of the gates before she was defeated, and, with their power, and Schatten's help, she escape from her prison dimension. So, per Mobius' guardian god's advice, it was decided that four Mobians would be chosen in each generation and were granted immense power. These four were to combat Moira and re-seal her."
The bubble was now showing a short, athletic-looking yellow-green hedgehog with a small gold crown on his head. "The one's chosen were Prince Malcolm Hedgehog…" Hey, wait a minute… Diamond thought, with a sudden realization.
The bubble changed again, to a tall, pretty, and very familiar-looking purple hedgehog. Aleena gasped, but said nothing. "Aleena Maclay…" The Oracle continued, and confirmed Diamond's suspicions. However, his attention quickly returned to the images in the light-bubble.
It was now showing a tall, graceful echidna with short dark red hair and determined pale green eyes. "Lara-Le…"
The bubble shift once more, an the image within it was a medium-height yellow furred lioness with huge blue eyes and a pair of safety goggles on her head like a headband. "And Airi Lowe. The four, after many a battle, fulfilled their duty and Moira was defeated. During the course of their conflict, two of them fell in love…" The bubble-scene changed to Malcolm Hedgehog and Aleena Maclay, their fingers laced together and their eyes full of love.
"Malcolm was crowned king, and an age of peace soon followed. It seemed Moira was gone for good, and maybe she would have been…" The scene changed once more. An army of robots, lead by an overweight, but insane-looking human man was fast approaching the capitol city. "Doctor Ivo Robotnik attack and overthrew the king and queen, and the royal family had to be separated to keep them safe." The bubble displayed Queen Aleena, in a flowing purple and blue cloak, running through a forest, before coming to a small house tuck away in clearing. She gently set a small basket where a small blue hedgehog slept on the houses front step, and gave the door a light knock. However, she ran off before the door opened.
Then, the showed her slipping between the bars of the front gate of a very large and fancy-looking house. She strode up to the front door, set another little basket, this one containing a small red hedgehog with short tuffs of pink hair, down in front of it, and gently banged the knocker against the huge front door. Once more, however, she took off almost immediately and the woman who answered the door saw nothing of her.
Another scene flashed in the light-bubble. Queen Aleena was creeping down an alley, careful to avoid being seen. She hesitated a little before setting the third basket, where a long-furred green hedgehog, down on the step of a house, and Diamond could guess why. I was a rather old house that didn't seem to be very well taken care of. However, the hedgehog queen gently placed the basket down and knocked on the door, before running off once again. However, as soon as she was gone, a tall, ragged-looking rat dashed up and snatched the basket away, just a few seconds before the door opened.
Then, the bubble shifted once more, and King Malcolm was running across a large field, a bundle under his arm, and several robots on his tail. He dashed into a forest and, thankfully, managed to lose them. He sighed and set his bundle, where a little orange hedgehog slept, down on the ground. Footsteps began fast approaching, and Malcolm tensed. However, it was an elderly and friendly red-furred wolf, who gently picked up the little basket and lead Malcolm to a large tree house were many Mobian refugees were taking shelter.
"However, through their music, the four found one another, and soon went in search of their mother." The scene changed to show the four baby hedgehog, now grown up, performing a song together at a concert at the little Freedom Fighter village of Knothole. "However, Robotnik, hearing of Moira's legend, managed to release her and Schatten. The four hedgehogs, the Sonic Underground, as they were known, were then revealed to be the new chosen, like their mother and father before them. Robotnik lost control of Moira and she began to reek havoc all across Mobius."
Scene's of destroyed villages, injured and dying Mobians, and burning wildlife flashed across the bubble. Monica stifled a scream.
"However, the hedgehog's remain brave and determined, and eventually, peace was restored." He bubble showed Moira and Schatten, disappearing back into the other diemension they had been banished to, and the destroyed cities being rebuilt. Then, the four hedgehog's, each with a gold crown, standing hand in hand, their parents not to far behind. "But… Moira was escaped once again…" Diamond flinched. Please don't say it, please don't say it…
"And now, it is your responsibility to stop her!" The Oracle finished, as he dispelled his light-bubble.
He said it! Diamond was pretty much sure it was coming, but he still just lost it. What? This nut expects us to… I mean, how? We can't… no!
However, Diamond never got a chance to voice his opinion to the Oracle, because, after a brief farewell, he glowed bright green and… was gone. Monica gave a few choice words.
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Well, I think last chapter just got beat it my favorite chapter category. This one was fun to write, continuing on with the plot, and the longest so far.
So yeah.
