Chapter Three:
Moor Fool Me
A couple of days before the events at the Green Lion Inn, a small red biplane flew over the very same moors. The pilot, a young fox with two tails instead of one, lifted his goggles to rub his eyes.
"Sonic, can you see anything yet?" he called out to his hedgehog friend.
"Not a thing, Tails," came the reply from above him.
Sonic was stood atop the Tornado-1 directly behind his fox companion, peering over at the ground below. Or he would if he could actually see through the thick blanket of fog currently spread below them. Also onboard the aircraft was a small furry winged creature named Chip. He was asleep underneath the pilot's seat, using a bag of food supplies as a pillow.
"Then I'm taking us down a few feet. See if we can break through this fog. We need to land before it gets too dark to see anything down there," Tails shouted. "Hold tight!"
Sonic clung on for dear life as the fox manoeuvred the Tornado-1 downwards. Then he winced a little as a familiar but unwelcome feeling began to build up inside him.
The biplane trembled.
"Woah! Turbulence!" Tails yelled. "Sonic, are you okay?"
Grey mist had all but solidified around them and Tails could not see more than a few inches in front of his own face. No reply came from his friend.
"Sonic..?"
The clouds dispersed as the plane dropped lower. A relieved Tails looked behind to check Sonic was still okay. But what he saw, instead of the bright blue-furred, athletic figure of his friend, was a darker, taller, bulkier and much hairier silhouette. He shouldn't have been surprised really, but then he wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to seeing his best buddy transform into a werehog every time the sun went down.
"Sorry about the err..turbulence," Sonic grumbled. His voice was gruff and several tones lower now.
"No problem," replied Tails, "Just glad you're okay."
The golden-furred fox felt a twinge of sympathy over his best friend's predicament but it was immediately replaced by admiration and awe. What was happening to Sonic was some new kind of crazy but he was dealing with it way better than Tails ever thought he could himself and at least Sonic had some new kick-ass moves to go with his werehog form. Tails figured there was nothing in the world that could ever take away Sonic's coolness. He shot his friend a smile and received a toothy grin in return.
The following second the werehog's face was full of alarm.
"Tails, look out!" Sonic pointed across to the Tornado-1's left wing.
Tails swung his head around to look. Perched on the top of the biplane's wing was an unfamiliar shadowy figure. It appeared to be hovering and it's outline was bulging and contracting as if trying to change it's shape. Two glowing purple orbs, set in what looked like it's head, seemed to stare at them.
"What the-?"
The murky figure lunged at the fox. He shrieked as dark purple smoke enveloped him obscuring the controls in front of him. Without thinking, he grabbed at the joystick and the plane nose-dived. When the haze cleared after a couple of seconds, he was met with a terrifying view of the ground rushing towards him. Tails could do nothing but open his mouth and scream.
"Tails! Tails!" Sonic had been yelling at his friend the second the strange figure had jumped for him. He had actually fallen off the plane as it took a sudden dive but had managed to grab onto the wing thanks to his werehog form's stretchy arms. Now he was hurtling towards the ground with the Tornado-1 (and a snoozing oblivious Chip) at a ferocious speed and his expert pilot friend wasn't doing anything to stop them.
"Yo Tails! Have you forgotten how to fly?!" Sonic tried again desperately to get the fox's attention then something clicked.
"Chip! Wake up!" Sonic screamed, trying to rouse his other companion. How can he still be asleep through this?!
Sonic shuffled his large hands along the wing, pulling himself closer to the fuselage. Then stretching one of his arms he reached inside the pilot's seat and rummaged around blindly feeling for the item he needed.
"No...no...claw...not me..." Chip mumbled in his waking slumber.
His brain was trying to wake him up with a nightmarish dream that he was trapped inside a flying toy vending machine with a giant claw grabbing at him. He was jolted awake by a can of fizzy drink rolling against his head. He shrieked and almost flew out of the seat, flapping his tiny wings in a panic. He looked around for his friends and shrieked again at the clawed hand poking around the floor .
"What's happening?" he cried, realising the hand belonged to Sonic.
"It's Tails! I think he's been possessed. Find the camera!"
"Oh - ooh" Chip scurried amongst the packages of food and drink which had come loose from the bag.
Seconds later he found the polaroid camera, shoved it in Tail's face and proceeded to frantically press the photo button. After several clicks and flashes, a purple cloud of smoke puffed out from Tails' head. It seemed to make a loathsome hissing sound before being dragged upwards into the atmosphere.
A dazed Tails shook his head then grabbed control of the plane, pulling it back into a more horizontal position. It was just in time to prevent a horrendous crash but not enough to make a proper landing. The plane met ground with a violent thump as it skidded across bumpy hillocks, eventually coming to rest in a wide grassy ditch.
Tails checked himself over; no blood, nothing broken. He stood up to look around for his friends. Chip was peering out from underneath the pilot's seat, obviously shaken. Where was Sonic?
"Tails? Chip? You guys okay?! The fox heard his friend calling from a distance.
"Yeah we're okay! Where are you?"
"Over here!" Sonic appeared on top of a grassy hill. "I got thrown off when we landed."
He ran to rejoin his companions and checked Tails over for any injuries, his big paws turning the fox around and ruffling through golden fur.
"You sure you're ok, buddy? No bumps or scrapes?"
"I'm fine Sonic," Tails shooed his hands away affectionately, "are you?"
"I'm good, dude, considering. Woah. The Tornado's pretty knocked up."
Tails looked over the plane and groaned loudly. "What happened? How did I crash? I don't remember anything."
"Dark Gaia," Sonic said, putting a comforting furry arm around his shoulders. He could see his friend was heartbroken. "Wasn't your fault."
Carefully, Tails removed his hand held computer (which, thankfully, was intact) from the Tornado-1's control panel and circled the plane to survey the damage. Among other things, the fuselage was dented and scratched, the front propeller was completely gone and both engines looked completely mangled.
He'd not long built the Tornado-1. It was modelled after Sonic's original biplane, the Tornado, but with added features Tails had designed himself. Now it was practically in ruins.
"Withoutt the Tornado-1…how are we..?"
"No problem. We can fix this with your tools, right?" Sonic asked, hopefully.
"No chance. We need new parts," a dejected Tails replied.
He pressed a few buttons on his computer, frowning.
"And I need a power source for the Miles-electric. The battery is dead."
"Then we'll get them. Somehow. We'll fix it." Sonic ruffled the fur on his fox buddy's head. "At least we're okay"
"And at least the foods okay too!" Chip piped up, cheerfully. He had managed to gather up the provisions, some of which had been thrown out of the plane, and was attempting to drag the heavy bag across the ground towards them.
Sonic let out a chuckle and Tails choked back his tears and smiled. Yes, at least they were okay. A broken plane would be difficult to mend out here in the middle of nowhere, but not as difficult as broken bones (and worse) would be.
"Think I'll grab some food from that bag now, Chip." Sonic felt his stomach rumble. He sat down and leaned against the immobilised biplane.
"Oh sure!" Chip beamed, "Want some chocolate?"
"Urgh..no. Something savoury, please."
Chip tossed the werehog a packet of spicy nachos and turned to the fox. "How about you, Tails?" he asked, "Hungry?"
"Yeah I'll have the same as Sonic, thanks." Tails gave up studying the near wreckage and sat down next to his friend. "This is gonna really delay us, you know. Sorry"
"Yeah I know. But all's not lost I'm sure. And it's not your fault, Tails, so don't blame yourself," Sonic said with a mouth full, "Drink please, Chip."
Chip was munching on a bar of chocolate almost as big as himself. He handed Sonic a can of cherry soda.
Tails watched his werehog pal study the can for several seconds. Perhaps he was trying to figure out how to open it with his oversized clawed hands. Then he spoke up tentatively but with deep concern.
"Tails, how did it get to you? Dark Gaia, I mean"
Tails turned to look into Sonic's eyes. He knew what Sonic was asking without saying the exact words…what negative feelings were you hiding from your best friend and why?
Dark Gaia had been traumatising people since it had emerged from the centre of the Earth when the continents split apart, thanks to their arch enemy, Dr Robotnik. Professor Pickle, a lecturer at Spagonia University, had explained to him that it took hold of people, feeding off negative emotions, using them to manifest into physical bodies. The stronger the negative emotions, the stronger Dark Gaia's minions would become. Maybe I've been taking it for granted that I would be protected from it while I'm with Sonic. The hedgehog hero's body had been transformed physically by Dark Gaia but his mind had not been affected at all by it.
"I honestly don't know," Tails replied eventually. "I promise I would tell you if something was bothering me."
Sonic nodded and let out a breath he'd been holding. Sonic knew that Tails could keep secrets hidden well but he felt sincerity in his kid brother's words.
"I can't remember anything except feeling like a paralysing fear took hold of me."
Concerned curiosity drained from the werehog's eyes, replaced by sadness.
The anguished expression on Tails' face had said more to Sonic than his words ever could. It pained him to think that he hadn't been able to protect his young friend from being overwhelmed by such an crushing negative force. How it had taken his optimistic little brother was beyond him right now….but then he wasn't really the expert on primordial magical things that came up from the centre of the earth.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said gently, then smiling, "That must've been some crazy mutant Dark Gaia thing if it was strong enough to get to you."
"You think so?" Tails eyes grew wide and little smile appeared. "Oh I hope not," he said as his face then furrowed, "I mean, that would be bad. We've got enough to deal with already."
Sonic nodded and decided to open his drink at last. Using a single claw, he delicately lifted the ring-pull and was rewarded with a fizzy fountain of sugary liquid spurting in his face. Startled, he looked around for something to wipe his face with and saw his best friend rolling on the floor in hysterics.
Chip also couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry Sonic," he giggled and handed his soggy friend a paper napkin.
"…urgh sticky…" Sonic mumbled as he blotted the liquid out of his fur.
He slurped up whatever was left of his cherry soda then let out a massive yawn and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired.
Tails, yawning successively, decided it would be best to make camp nearby. The air was damp and it wasn't very warm in this part of the world so he pulled a bag containing a tarpaulin out from the Tornado and made a makeshift tent between some nearby large rocks.
Chip settled himself snugly inside with the bag of food as his pillow once more.
"Sonic, come sleep in here," Tails called to the nearly sleeping werehog.
"Plenty of room. Come and keep us warm," Chip added. He patted the smooth tarpaulin between himself and Tails.
Sonic was about to drag himself over to the camp when Tails shot up and pointed behind him, excitedly.
"Is that..Shadow the Hedgehog?"
Sonic spun around to look. Sure enough, not far from the wreckage, stood the unmistakable figure of the Ultimate Lifeform.
"Hey, Shadow" Tails waved, " long time no see!"
The figure of Shadow didn't respond but continued to watch the three friends. Sonic took a few steps closer. Perhaps Shadow didn't recognise him in his werehog form. Sonic kind of hoped so. He wasn't too keen on the idea of his other friends, allies or even rivals knowing about his current predicament with Dark Gaia but Shadow didn't really have an excuse to ignore Tails' greeting.
"Hey, Shadow! It's me, Sonic. Yeah I look kinda different. I can explain it. What you doing out here?"
Still no reply came from the dark hedgehog. Sonic began to feel uneasy. While he and Shadow had never really been best buds, Sonic had no real reason to be alarmed by his presence. In fact, he often enjoyed being around his rival, if only to have fun trying to wind him up and goad him into playful competition. Yet, something wasn't quite right here.
By now, chip had flitted over to see what was going on.
"Oh no," he fretted and zipped back over to the tent. He wanted the camera but it was nowhere to be found among their belongings.
"What's up with him….?" Sonic couldn't place it but there was definitely something amiss. The hedgehog before them had the correct number of red stripes, the same old hover skates, the cute tuft of white fur, the usual brooding expression, and…. his eyes...wait a second….
"Tails," said Sonic, "since when does Shadow have purple eyes?"