Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
Chapter 12: Rivendell
When they appeared in Rivendell, everyone was shocked. The other three looked at Knuckles.
"What was that?" Legolas asked. "It's incredible!"
"Chaos Control," Knuckles said. "It's something certain people on Earth can do. You can transport yourself wherever you want with it. You just need one of these."
Thorin nodded. "That is awesome," he said. "It would be very useful."
Knuckles grinned and saw Gandalf speaking to Elrond urgently. "Should we see what they know?"
Knuckles nodded and walked up to Gandalf, who looked at him.
"Something important happening in Middle-Earth?" he asked.
"Very," Knuckles said. "We went to Dol Guldur to see what happened and made a terrifying discovery. The Necromancer is actually Sauron. He made Sonic join him, who found the One Ring and transformed into an Orc permanently."
Gandalf frowned at the news. "It's worse than I had thought."
Knuckles hesitated. "We killed Smaug," he said. "Shadow...as Smaug...found us. Tails, your apprentice, fought him as a dragon but then became Smaug himself. We had no choice but to kill him after he somehow became a hydra. I am sorry."
"We need to stop Sauron," Gandalf said. "We should focus on that."
The echidna nodded. "Is there some way to bring Tails back? He was a valuable asset as a wizard."
Gandalf thought for a few moments. He looked at Elrond for a second opinion.
"You have your shapeshifting powers," the elf said. "Why not turn someone into Tails?"
Gandalf nodded; that would work. He cast as spell at Elrond who began to transform. His hair shortened, changing in color. Fur covered his body as his ears moved where they sat on his head. They shifted into a pair of fox's ears. Twin tails forced their way from his lower back as he growled at the pain. In a few minutes, Tails once again stood in front of the group.
"That's...awesome," Knuckles said.
Tails groaned and looked around. "That was cool," he said.
Gandalf looked at him; it seemed that Elrond still had his mind. No matter; he wasn't aiming for a mental change, anyway.
"How far along was he in his studies?" It was strange hearing Tails ask about his own studies in such a manner.
Gandalf grinned. "I was just about to teach you healing powers," he said.
Tails nodded. "All right. When are we going to start?"
"We could start now, if you like."
Knuckles looked at the fox. "So, your mind is still Elrond's? Can you still do the stuff you could do as an elf?"
"Yeah, I can," Tails said.
Knuckles smiled. "Cool."
Gandalf smiled and looked at his apprentice. "Let's go get started, shall we?"
Tails nodded, and he and Gandalf walked off.
Knuckles looked back at the rest of the group. "What should we do?"
"Try to find out what Sauron is going to do," Legolas said.
"That's easier said than done," Thorin said. "How are we supposed to figure that out?"
"Gandalf will know, but he's training Tails right now. Let's ask him later."
The group nodded and looked around. They weren't sure where they were supposed to stay. They sighed and walked around looking at the scenery. Rivendell was a very beautiful place.
Knuckles stretched. "I should find a place I can get some rest," he said. He walked into a room and flopped down on the bed, looking at the Chaos Emerald that was Shadow. Knuckles frowned as he placed it next to him on the bed. He turned onto his side, still looking at it.
Is something wrong with me? Shadow asked.
"What do you mean?" Knuckles asked it.
You were staring. I thought there might be something wrong with the emerald.
Knuckles shook his head. "You are the emerald. I just find it cool that you've somehow become it."
Shadow chuckled. It is pretty cool, I guess.
The echidna nodded. "Do you think you can use your powers to turn other people into Chaos Emeralds?"
I may have been a Chaos Emerald for a while, but that doesn't mean I know all their secrets.
"When will you learn the full extent of your powers?"
The Chaos Emeralds are some of the most powerful things on our planet, Shadow said. I doubt anyone could ever learn all of the powers they posses.
"But you are a Chaos Emerald."
That doesn't mean I understand all of my powers. I could see if I can figure it out. Why'd you want to know, anyway?
"I was just wondering. Since the Chaos Emeralds aren't here we could turn our friends into them if they want."
And do what? Shadow sounded skeptical. If Sauron got his hands on even one of them, he would rule Middle-Earth overnight.
The echidna grinned. "Use them before he gets the chance to, of course," he said.
The Chaos Emerald glowed. Knuckles had a good idea. All right. It's your brilliant plan, so how do we use them?
"For one thing, that much power would surely bring Sonic back to us. If we get enough of the energy in one place, we could use it against Sauron. We just have to make sure he never finds out we have them."
The Chaos Emerald glowed even brighter. That's a good idea, Shadow said. I'll take a look.
Knuckles nodded. "Who will become the emeralds? It will be permanent."
Unless there are specific qualities the people need, we could just get random people off the street. You get some rest. I'll see if I can find your answer.
Knuckles nodded and soon fell asleep.
