Chapter 4
"Alright, looks like we are getting close." Tails said.
"Let's hope we aren't too late… hey, is that a village down there?" Tangle asked.
Tails looked down to see that they were passing over the village. He also noticed that the coordinates that they were given pointed right at that very village.
"Looks like it, lets land and ask if they know anything about the emerald." Tails said as he began to descend.
When the two landed, they walked into town, and they immediately knew something was off.
While some of the townsfolk were minding their own business, some of them were looking at them a look of… disgust.
"Uh, I don't think we are welcome here…" Tangle said.
"They might just not be fans of outsiders. Let's see what we can find out about the emerald and get out of their hair." Tails deduced.
"Sounds like a plan." Tangle said.
"Hello, is there something I can help you two with?" Asked a voice from behind them.
The two of them turned around and saw a Turtle approaching them on a scooter.
"Oh, hello. We were looking for something that is in the area, and we were hoping that someone could point us in the right direction." Tails explained.
"We were worried about asking around since everyone seemed to be a little…" Tangle started.
"Oh, yes, I can understand that. This village is a bit… different from what you are probably used to." The Turtle explained. "Funnily enough though, a wolf was here recently saying the same thing."
"Oh, that must be our friend Whisper." Tangle said. "Yeah, she's helping us out."
"Well, she's talking to the mayor right now. I will show you the way." The turtle said before leading them away.
Little did they know, two pairs of eyes were fixated on the two that entire time.
—
When the three of them entered the mayor's office, they were greeted by the sight of Whisper, enjoying a cup of tea with an elderly fox.
"Ah, you must be Tails and Tangle." The Fox said. "I am the Mayor of this village, it is truly an honor to make your acquaintance!"
"The honor is ours mayor." Tails said. "So, I take it Whisper already filled you in on what was going on?"
"Yes, this Nemesis creature truly seems to be a menace." The mayor said. "I would be happy to help you… however, it may be an issue for you…"
"How so?" Tangle asked.
"Well… I am sure you noticed that some of the townsfolk gave you some… pointed looks since you arrived." The mayor started. "Well, the truth is that this village has been split up into two… let's call them factions."
"Who's the what now?" Tangle asked.
"Basically, one half believes in one thing, when the other believes in the other, and they are at ends with each other, correct?" Tails asked.
"Yes, that is correct." The mayor said. "What we disagree on though… well, it very well involves you, Tails."
"Me? Why me?" Tails asked.
"Well… your tails, actually." The Mayor said.
"…Wait…" Tangle said. "Are you telling me that half the town doesn't like him cause of his two tails?"
"Yes, that's right." The Mayor said. "Unfortunately, some people simply believe that these gifts should make them be… lesser than what they truly are. Meanwhile, the others believe that they just make them unique… what makes them special."
"Wow… I can't imagine what it would be like for someone to be born like us to be living in this town…" Tails said. "I mean, I was lucky, being surrounded by people who cared about me despite the extra tail for most of my life… but to live in a place like this…"
"Well, I don't remember much about it, but I do remember that there was one child who was born with a gift in this town before." The mayor said. "Unfortunately, as soon as the parents found out about it, they abandoned the poor thing."
"What?! That's horrible!" Tangle said.
"Yes, it truly is." The mayor said. "Fortunately, that kind of behavior is frowned upon around here now, even among the people who agree with them."
"That's good at least." Tails said.
"We have you to thank really." The mayor said. "After word began to spread about your exploits, some people in the town began to open their eyes to the truth. And, as a fox myself, I couldn't help but feel some pride in all of this. As such, I have been working hard to change people's minds, and I have had a lot of support from the people thanks to you."
"That's great to hear mayor! I am sure you will be successful one day." Tails said.
"Back on topic though." Tangle said. "Why is all of this a problem exactly?"
"Well… that family I mentioned before is actually the ones in possession of the emerald that you are looking for." The mayor said. "And they have not changed their minds at all on the topic."
"…Great…" Tangle said.
"If you two wish, I could speak with them." Whisper said. "They would be more likely to listen to me."
"Yeah, that is probably for the best. Thank you Whisper." Tails said. "We'll just wait by the tornado, and keep an eye out for Nemesis."
"Yeah…" Tangle said, though she seemed to be in deep thought.
"You alright?" Tails asked.
"Yeah, just… thinking about some things." Tangle said. "Come on, let's go."
And so, the three of them made their way out of the building.
When they got outside however.
"Well, can't say it is pleasant to see you again… Tangle."
"Huh?" Tangle said as she looked towards the voice, and her heart sank at what she saw.
Two lemurs, a male and a female, both staring at her with a look of disgust.
"Oh, hello you two…" The mayor said. "These two were just leaving, though Ms. Whisper here wanted to speak with you about something."
"Wait, they are the ones who have the emerald?" Tails asked. "Who… are you two? And how do you know Tangle?"
"Why, I am Brawl, and this is my wife, Knot." Brawl said.
"And how could we forget this little ingrate?" Knot said.
Tangle took a step back.
'No… nonononono…'
Tails noticed this, and he finally finished connecting the dots.
This village was not very far from Spiral Hill… where Tangle was left to die.
"How could we not recognize our own daughter?"
End of Chapter 4
Hey, remember how in Reconnecting in The Team, in the chapter "Never Alone" I mentioned that their families could become important one day? WELL GUESS WHAT! We doing this now!
This is where the REAL story begins, and where it becomes really apparent as to how exactly Tangle is the true main character here… I mean, obviously…
Now, really quick, I want to address something… Tangle's tail… is it a mutation, or not? Well… the answer is complicated. It's true that Lemurs don't normally have super stretchy tails. Some have prehensile tails, but not super stretchy. So, that means mutation, right? Eh maybe… by X-Men rules, yeah, absolutely… but it could also just be a unique characteristic that she has, like Jewel's shell… but people who are super against this kind of thing wouldn't really care about that. They just see that they are different, and hate them for it. So yeah, whether or not the tail is a mutation… really not important. Jerks just think she's different, and hate her cause of it… jerks…
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and I will see you tomorrow for Chapter 5