Chapter 10: The Riddle of the Walkers
The door was unlocked. He turned the handle and went inside, making sure to close the door to the frigid world outside. Wooden shelves of varying heights ranged from one corner of the room to the next, and all were piled with books. These books, the grand collection of Knothole's library, were concerned with history, fiction, fantasy and endless other topics. He remembered coming here often to study, when he had attended school. There were a few tables that stood in tidy rows, with padded chairs and reading lamps. There was one table that caught his interest, with at least fifteen thick books spread across its varnished surface, and one squirrel princess with her head resting against a book's open cover. She was fast asleep, and the lamp on her table was still on.
Along with her brother and mother, he had spent almost three hours the night before scouring the library for any vestige of information concerning a black emerald or any mortal meeting with the Ancient Walkers. There were many myths about the Dark Jewel, but none said anything about it containing an evil entity. He had been the last person to leave, but she had refused to give up the search. Too much was at stake, he recalled her saying. He walked over to the table, switched the lamp off and gave her a light kiss. Her cheek was cold, having spent a night in a library with no heating unit.
"Mm."
"Wake up, Sal. It's morning."
"But I studied all last night." she moaned softly, pushing herself off the table. She hissed in a breath, as the muscles and vertebrae in her back twanged in complaint.
"Oh, oww, my back."
She reached behind and pushed against her lower back, thrusting her chest forward and producing a faint cracking sound. She groaned for a while as she re-adjusted her spine. She finally opened her eyes and stretched.
"Guh, I fell asleep."
"No kidding, Sal."
"Good morning, Sonic."
"Same to you. Did you find anything else at all?"
She waved her hand at the books around her.
"Random notes about evil creatures, some unrelated babble, and one thing I found strange."
"What was that?"
"There are hardly any mortals that supposedly met with the Ancient Walkers, and did not go insane. I guess you were a lucky one."
"Well, maybe, after the billionth ring. Anyway, we decided to meet by the Lake."
"Hey, what time is it?"
"Uh, a few minutes before seven, I think."
"Already? Well, let's go."
Sally drowsily got up from the chair. She shivered.
"Did I sleep here last night?"
"Yes. The temperature went down to ten degrees centigrade. Good thing you're furred."
"But I'm still cold," she yawned.
"Well, then, how about a morning hug?" he asked, and held open his arms. She smiled lazily and almost collapsed against him.
"You need more sleep," he remarked, attempting to hold her from falling. Her entire body felt cold and shivery against his.
"Heck, carry me, why don't you?"
"Much obliged, Princess!"
He swept her into his arms.
"I was just joking!" she protested. I never did learn to keep my mouth shut around him, she thought hazily. The door opened and he carried her to the Lake of Rings.
The clouds dimmed the sunlight, and the Lake was silent as usual. Trees did not overhang this particular lake; it was open to the gray clouds and blue sky. Tails, Rotor, Nicko, Jonathan, and Mina were sitting upon the grass by the Lake. Mina was trailing a finger upon its mirror surface, causing small ripples that went unbroken throughout the lake. It was close to winter, but frost was yet to form on its still surface. She looked up as Sonic arrived with Sally in his arms.
"Hey, Sonic, good mornin'," she called. Sally was let down and she half- staggered toward them. She was still shaking off sleep, with one paw rubbing her eyes while the other held notes and Nicole.
"Hey, everyone," she yawned, and sat down abruptly. Tails chuckled a bit.
"Sonic, did you keep her up last night?"
"Would have liked to, but she insisted upon studying by herself."
"You use this place too much for meetings," an annoyed voice said. Lazer was standing upon the limb of a tree, watching them from the edge of the forest.
"Come down here, Lazer. We can use your help," invited Sonic.
"No, you can't. I have to find my sword today, broken or not."
"Why? It's just a riddle we need to figure out. I want to talk to you, also!" insisted Mina. He held the power of five Chaos Emeralds and therefore he intrigued her. Lazer looked upward for a moment, sighed, and bounded off the branch. He halted inches from the ground, and then set foot upon the grass.
"Just a riddle. Then you can help me search for the sword, if you want a conversation," he said to Mina. She shrugged.
"So, what riddle did you get yesterday, Sally?" asked Rotor. Sally described the surprise visit by the four elders the day before. She did not tell them about the three days left for them to live. It had been decided that it was best that nobody else knew about the awful predicament that would befall the Freedom Fighters. Tails wanted to know more about the elders, but Sally shook her head.
"They don't matter much. It's better that we figure out this riddle, then the sooner we can defeat the sorceress."
"Hmm, and I thought magic wasn't prevalent in this world," Nicko mumbled.
"Well, it is. Here's the riddle again: 'amidst the dew, with roaring before them, Brothers stand upon circles, one each. Then, the way shall be revealed, with the colours of light above them.'"
Silence. A few of them scratched their heads.
"Hmm, dew, well, that means it's in a body of water?" Tails suggested.
"Yeah, maybe," Jonathan thought. His eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait, water, roaring, isn't that a waterfall?"
"Good!" Sally praised, and keyed it into Nicole, "Now, brothers standing on circles?"
Further silence.
"We know it must be two brothers standing on something, I mean, they can't walk on water, can they?" Rotor said.
"They may be standing upon tree roots, or some stones. Hey, that's it! They would be standing on stones shaped like circles!" Mina squealed excitedly. Sonic gave her a thump on the back.
"I guess living in the city made you smarter, huh?" he remarked. She pouted at him. Sally was saying "Good, good!" as she entered more information into Nicole, "Well, we're doing alright so far: two brothers, each standing on top of a circular stone, with a waterfall in front of them. Very strange, to be sure," she noted.
"Colours of light above them," Tails wondered, "What shows all the colours of light?"
"A rainbow," Lazer stated, "It's obvious. A waterfall tends to have a permanent rainbow at its base, where the water vapor is thickest, so sunlight is broken into the spectrum."
"Whoa, dude, you studied physics!" Sonic exclaimed. Lazer reminded Sonic that he did have a high school education, and Sonic replied that he also had one.
"Not as advanced as mine, though," Lazer smiled.
"So you're insulting my teachers now?" Sonic challenged, and stood up. Mina reached over and yanked the latter hedgehog down, and he fell onto his rump.
"Cool off, both of you!" Mina warned. Lazer laughed softly and snapped his fingers, causing a small flash of red light. Sonic snorted and looked away, automatically pushing back his hair.
"This is excellent! We solved the riddle in less than ten minutes!" Sally laughed.
"May I point out that we still need to find this place?" Tails interrupted.
"Okay, we need to find a waterfall, that has a rainbow above two circular stones. Sounds hard, but we'll manage. Mina and Sonic can scour the forest within a day or so."
"I'm up to it!" Mina announced, and leaped to her feet. Sonic also stood.
"Remember, we have to do this quickly!"
"Speed is my middle name," the blue wonder said.
"No, your middle name is."
"Shut up, Sally, please!" Sonic growled through clenched teeth. Mina and Sally giggled.
"Right. Divide and seek out! Move it, people."
"That may not be necessary," Lazer said as an afterthought.
"Well? What's your problem now?" Sonic said angrily. Red and blue did not mix at this time.
"I already know where this waterfall is. I go there to meditate almost daily."
Words of disbelief came from all who heard the amazing fact.
"What kind of insane coincidence is that? The chances of choosing that waterfall out of the many hundreds that are in the Great Forest are next to nothing!"
"Well, we live in a very strange world, Tails. I'm one of the stranger people around here, so you can say that chance and possibility won't apply. Maybe it's more than coincidence, probably divine intervention," Lazer speculated. Heads nodded. Sally switched off Nicole and spoke.
"Okay, now we need to gather all the brothers around here. How many do you think qualify, Sonic?"
"Hmm, our population is around one thousand or more, and we also have some people from the city who were injured and had to stay. Maybe one or two hundred guys, I dunno."
"Right then! Lazer, come with us to Knothole. We'll gather all the brothers in the village square and you can lead them to the waterfall."
"It's going to be a long hike. Make sure that whoever's coming can actually walk."
Several minutes later, the group had left the shore of the Lake, and all became quiet once more.
"Sonic and Sally will keep you in one group while you follow me," Lazer announced to the large crowd. There were a few less than two hundred brothers, making a few less than one hundred possible pairs, and all appeared fit for traveling. Jonathan was there with his younger brother, Stephen. Nicko was there with about three of his brothers (gerbils, remember?) The male crowd had been told that there was a magical waterfall somewhere in the forest that, when two brothers stood before it, would give them godlike abilities. Naturally, they were interested. Several of them had arms in slings and bandages about the upper body, but it was no threat to walking.
"Okay, red!" several of them chorused.
"Yeah, red, we'll follow you," Sonic said, smiling innocently of the crime. Lazer thought about how foolish some children were, and then waved an arm to start them off.
There was no trail, as Lazer had usually flown to the waterfall. Tails, Rotor and Mina also came, since they all wanted to witness some display of ancient magic. If there was going to be cataclysmic power bestowed upon two brothers, they really wanted to see the special effects.
Several minutes past an hour of tramping through the forest brought them to the waterfall. Sonic instantly noticed something wrong.
"What the. there's no rainbow!"
"The hell are you talking about?" one of the many brothers asked. Sally and the other familiars pushed to the front and looked with dismay.
"There is no rainbow. There's no sunlight! Lazer, what the hell?" Sally cried, and threw up her arms in frustration. Sonic noted with amusement that she was using low-key swearing.
Trees, branches, leaves and vines almost totally obscured sunlight, save a few straggling sunbeams. Lazer regarded the problem with bent brow for a few moments and hit upon an obvious solution.
"Sonic, cut a hole for us."
"Excuse me?" the latter asked, and trotted forward, eyeing Lazer with raised eyebrow.
"Do I have to make a hologram? Spin or whatever so that you can shred the vegetation above the waterfall."
"Seems easy enough. Stand back, everyone."
They did. Sonic placed two fingers on the side of his head, was silent for a moment, crouched, and spun into a ball. Soggy leaves flopped into the air and upon some of the watchers' faces. He spun on spot like a weed killer in overdrive and then took off. He bounced off a tree and then above the waterfall. The canopy stood no chance against his slashing quills. At that velocity, they could have easily sliced through metal. Wood and plant matter were worthless to the speed Sonic possessed. He flashed across the trees, bouncing between them in a blue streak of lightning, while the eyes of the onlookers tried to keep up with his fleet form. Half a minute later he slowed down and landed.
"That didn't do anything. The sunlight still can't get through," Sally said, frowning. The canopy of leaves held, mocking Sonic's efforts.
Sonic strolled over to the waterfall, picked up a stone and flung it upward. It swished through the leaves, and the forest roof overhead trembled and disintegrated into confetti of green. Shredded leaves fell about them like snow, and when the green shower had settled upon the ground, people and waters, the sun showed in its splendour, the golden circle that revealed the sparkling waters of the river and the foam of the waterfall. A rainbow instantly sprang into existence, a dazzling band of colour that, with its joyful burst of grandeur, appeared glad to live again. The stone fell downward and Sonic caught it. He looked over his shoulder at Sally and the crowd, who were shaking their heads with wonder, and gave them one of those smiles. A smile that said, 'How could you possibly doubt my skill?'
"Good work Sonic. At least you didn't clog the river."
Sonic's euphoria at showing off to his girl immediately smothered upon hearing that indifferent tone from Lazer. If Sally and Tails had not been standing there, he would have thrown the stone at him. He settled for skipping it across the water.
"Nice. Okay, everyone get their brother and stand in line. No shoving! We don't want anyone to drown," Sally called out to the group, and waved her arms toward the two circular stones. Mina was walking toward Lazer when she heard him grumbling bitterly.
"Damn. After this, they'll show all their friends and family that this was the place where 'bro and I' got powered up so we could smash Robotnik into oblivion!"
She tapped him on the arm.
"Are you jealous?"
"No, damn it! After they bring their family and friends, there will be people coming here every day to take pictures, have picnics or go for a swim! It'll be a tourist trap, so that means I'll have to find another meditation spot."
Mina was still curious.
"Meditation. You meditate? That doesn't sound right."
"Of course it doesn't! Nothing makes sense in this blasted world anymore."
Lazer strode away from her to talk to Sonic.
"Sonic, Mina and I are going to look for my sword."
"You won't be doing anything else with her?" he asked foolishly. Lazer glared at him for one full second.
"Foolish child."
Mina also came up to Sonic, eyes glittering angrily.
"I heard that you pervert! I already have a boyfriend, you know!"
"A boyfriend? Gee, Mina, I didn't think you could catch one."
They walked away without so much as another glance. Lazer invited Mina to come with him and they moved away from the riverside rapidly. Sonic was pacing about, peeved.
"You, stupid, I'll fix you," he was grumbling.
"What's wrong with muh shuga-hog?" Sally said, Bunnie-like, and threw her arms over his body from behind. She had arched her back to avoid his quills.
"Lazer really knows how to make a guy angry, and I just found out Mina has a boyfriend," Sonic sighed. Sally nuzzled her face next to his.
"Forget about them. Let's go somewhere else, I'm sure Tails and Rotor can handle those guys.
So they walked off together, hands held. The third set of brothers ascended the rock, and nothing happened. They shrugged together, their hopes of fantastic glory reduced to zilch. The next set of brothers prepared for a possible dose of omnipotence. Tails then realized some people were missing.
"Where did Sally, Sonic, Mina and Lazer go off to?"
"Maybe for some quiet time, huh," Rotor said enviously.
The hours passed, and the four absentees returned. Only six pairs remained to try their luck. The other failures were sprawling or standing on the opposite bank, talking amongst themselves about 'guy things'.
"Sonic, wipe that grin off your face before someone notices," Sally whispered urgently. Sonic refused to comply and went over to Lazer.
"You guys had as much fun as we did?" he asked, stupidly. Lazer was tempted to insult Sonic's manhood, but since ladies were present, refrained.
"We found my sword."
"Sort of," Mina interjected. She presented the broken halves of the samurai sword. Its metal was twisted at the ends where the metal had broken. It was black with scorch marks and its blade was notched.
"Da-aamn," Sonic said slowly, drawing out the expletive, "That used to be a pretty cool sword."
"Yes. It's the only gift my sensei ever gave to me. I will need to find someone who can repair it." His tone was masking sorrow and loss.
"Ricardo," Sonic naturally suggested. "He does swords and everything else with metal. I'll make sure that he gives it his every care."
"For once, Sonic, you aren't being immature. Thank you."
Lazer took the broken halves from Mina, and went to observe the brothers. Sonic cleared his throat.
"See, I can make people respect me when I want."
"I hope you grow up someday," and with that Mina brushed past him. Sally approached.
"You'd better not tell anyone."
"What? That you and I."
She clapped a paw over his mouth.
"Isn't there anyone else?" they heard Tails saying. The last two brothers swore openly about having wasted their afternoon, and jumped off the rock, splashing into the water and sloshing over the other side with rage. The rest of the group also complained.
"Party's over," Sonic observed. He walked forward and held up his arms to talk.
"Okay, everyone, show's over. We're going back home."
He turned his back to the angry crowd and noticed a look of fear on Sally's face.
"Sal, what's wrong?"
"No one at all? Out of the hundred or so that must of tried?"
"I guess."
"We've got to bring in others from the city! If this is the waterfall, then there must be someone who can make its magic work!"
She was panicking. Sonic touched her arm.
"Sal, we did what we could. It won't make sense to waste our time on every brother in the city!"
"But there must be SOMEONE!" she cried frantically. Several heads turned. Sonic understood what she was going through. Facing your own death (and thousands of others) was not a pleasant prospect. He tried reassurance in his low, understanding voice.
"I'm sorry, too. Don't worry; Lazer still has his plan. I'll get fifty rings, and then it'll all be over tomorrow."
"Just two days left when tomorrow comes," she groaned, and looked to the trees above, as if some type of help would suddenly spring forth. Sonic placed an arm around her shoulder, as scared as she was, and walked with her back to the village. Breaking the news to the King would be difficult.
The door was unlocked. He turned the handle and went inside, making sure to close the door to the frigid world outside. Wooden shelves of varying heights ranged from one corner of the room to the next, and all were piled with books. These books, the grand collection of Knothole's library, were concerned with history, fiction, fantasy and endless other topics. He remembered coming here often to study, when he had attended school. There were a few tables that stood in tidy rows, with padded chairs and reading lamps. There was one table that caught his interest, with at least fifteen thick books spread across its varnished surface, and one squirrel princess with her head resting against a book's open cover. She was fast asleep, and the lamp on her table was still on.
Along with her brother and mother, he had spent almost three hours the night before scouring the library for any vestige of information concerning a black emerald or any mortal meeting with the Ancient Walkers. There were many myths about the Dark Jewel, but none said anything about it containing an evil entity. He had been the last person to leave, but she had refused to give up the search. Too much was at stake, he recalled her saying. He walked over to the table, switched the lamp off and gave her a light kiss. Her cheek was cold, having spent a night in a library with no heating unit.
"Mm."
"Wake up, Sal. It's morning."
"But I studied all last night." she moaned softly, pushing herself off the table. She hissed in a breath, as the muscles and vertebrae in her back twanged in complaint.
"Oh, oww, my back."
She reached behind and pushed against her lower back, thrusting her chest forward and producing a faint cracking sound. She groaned for a while as she re-adjusted her spine. She finally opened her eyes and stretched.
"Guh, I fell asleep."
"No kidding, Sal."
"Good morning, Sonic."
"Same to you. Did you find anything else at all?"
She waved her hand at the books around her.
"Random notes about evil creatures, some unrelated babble, and one thing I found strange."
"What was that?"
"There are hardly any mortals that supposedly met with the Ancient Walkers, and did not go insane. I guess you were a lucky one."
"Well, maybe, after the billionth ring. Anyway, we decided to meet by the Lake."
"Hey, what time is it?"
"Uh, a few minutes before seven, I think."
"Already? Well, let's go."
Sally drowsily got up from the chair. She shivered.
"Did I sleep here last night?"
"Yes. The temperature went down to ten degrees centigrade. Good thing you're furred."
"But I'm still cold," she yawned.
"Well, then, how about a morning hug?" he asked, and held open his arms. She smiled lazily and almost collapsed against him.
"You need more sleep," he remarked, attempting to hold her from falling. Her entire body felt cold and shivery against his.
"Heck, carry me, why don't you?"
"Much obliged, Princess!"
He swept her into his arms.
"I was just joking!" she protested. I never did learn to keep my mouth shut around him, she thought hazily. The door opened and he carried her to the Lake of Rings.
The clouds dimmed the sunlight, and the Lake was silent as usual. Trees did not overhang this particular lake; it was open to the gray clouds and blue sky. Tails, Rotor, Nicko, Jonathan, and Mina were sitting upon the grass by the Lake. Mina was trailing a finger upon its mirror surface, causing small ripples that went unbroken throughout the lake. It was close to winter, but frost was yet to form on its still surface. She looked up as Sonic arrived with Sally in his arms.
"Hey, Sonic, good mornin'," she called. Sally was let down and she half- staggered toward them. She was still shaking off sleep, with one paw rubbing her eyes while the other held notes and Nicole.
"Hey, everyone," she yawned, and sat down abruptly. Tails chuckled a bit.
"Sonic, did you keep her up last night?"
"Would have liked to, but she insisted upon studying by herself."
"You use this place too much for meetings," an annoyed voice said. Lazer was standing upon the limb of a tree, watching them from the edge of the forest.
"Come down here, Lazer. We can use your help," invited Sonic.
"No, you can't. I have to find my sword today, broken or not."
"Why? It's just a riddle we need to figure out. I want to talk to you, also!" insisted Mina. He held the power of five Chaos Emeralds and therefore he intrigued her. Lazer looked upward for a moment, sighed, and bounded off the branch. He halted inches from the ground, and then set foot upon the grass.
"Just a riddle. Then you can help me search for the sword, if you want a conversation," he said to Mina. She shrugged.
"So, what riddle did you get yesterday, Sally?" asked Rotor. Sally described the surprise visit by the four elders the day before. She did not tell them about the three days left for them to live. It had been decided that it was best that nobody else knew about the awful predicament that would befall the Freedom Fighters. Tails wanted to know more about the elders, but Sally shook her head.
"They don't matter much. It's better that we figure out this riddle, then the sooner we can defeat the sorceress."
"Hmm, and I thought magic wasn't prevalent in this world," Nicko mumbled.
"Well, it is. Here's the riddle again: 'amidst the dew, with roaring before them, Brothers stand upon circles, one each. Then, the way shall be revealed, with the colours of light above them.'"
Silence. A few of them scratched their heads.
"Hmm, dew, well, that means it's in a body of water?" Tails suggested.
"Yeah, maybe," Jonathan thought. His eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait, water, roaring, isn't that a waterfall?"
"Good!" Sally praised, and keyed it into Nicole, "Now, brothers standing on circles?"
Further silence.
"We know it must be two brothers standing on something, I mean, they can't walk on water, can they?" Rotor said.
"They may be standing upon tree roots, or some stones. Hey, that's it! They would be standing on stones shaped like circles!" Mina squealed excitedly. Sonic gave her a thump on the back.
"I guess living in the city made you smarter, huh?" he remarked. She pouted at him. Sally was saying "Good, good!" as she entered more information into Nicole, "Well, we're doing alright so far: two brothers, each standing on top of a circular stone, with a waterfall in front of them. Very strange, to be sure," she noted.
"Colours of light above them," Tails wondered, "What shows all the colours of light?"
"A rainbow," Lazer stated, "It's obvious. A waterfall tends to have a permanent rainbow at its base, where the water vapor is thickest, so sunlight is broken into the spectrum."
"Whoa, dude, you studied physics!" Sonic exclaimed. Lazer reminded Sonic that he did have a high school education, and Sonic replied that he also had one.
"Not as advanced as mine, though," Lazer smiled.
"So you're insulting my teachers now?" Sonic challenged, and stood up. Mina reached over and yanked the latter hedgehog down, and he fell onto his rump.
"Cool off, both of you!" Mina warned. Lazer laughed softly and snapped his fingers, causing a small flash of red light. Sonic snorted and looked away, automatically pushing back his hair.
"This is excellent! We solved the riddle in less than ten minutes!" Sally laughed.
"May I point out that we still need to find this place?" Tails interrupted.
"Okay, we need to find a waterfall, that has a rainbow above two circular stones. Sounds hard, but we'll manage. Mina and Sonic can scour the forest within a day or so."
"I'm up to it!" Mina announced, and leaped to her feet. Sonic also stood.
"Remember, we have to do this quickly!"
"Speed is my middle name," the blue wonder said.
"No, your middle name is."
"Shut up, Sally, please!" Sonic growled through clenched teeth. Mina and Sally giggled.
"Right. Divide and seek out! Move it, people."
"That may not be necessary," Lazer said as an afterthought.
"Well? What's your problem now?" Sonic said angrily. Red and blue did not mix at this time.
"I already know where this waterfall is. I go there to meditate almost daily."
Words of disbelief came from all who heard the amazing fact.
"What kind of insane coincidence is that? The chances of choosing that waterfall out of the many hundreds that are in the Great Forest are next to nothing!"
"Well, we live in a very strange world, Tails. I'm one of the stranger people around here, so you can say that chance and possibility won't apply. Maybe it's more than coincidence, probably divine intervention," Lazer speculated. Heads nodded. Sally switched off Nicole and spoke.
"Okay, now we need to gather all the brothers around here. How many do you think qualify, Sonic?"
"Hmm, our population is around one thousand or more, and we also have some people from the city who were injured and had to stay. Maybe one or two hundred guys, I dunno."
"Right then! Lazer, come with us to Knothole. We'll gather all the brothers in the village square and you can lead them to the waterfall."
"It's going to be a long hike. Make sure that whoever's coming can actually walk."
Several minutes later, the group had left the shore of the Lake, and all became quiet once more.
"Sonic and Sally will keep you in one group while you follow me," Lazer announced to the large crowd. There were a few less than two hundred brothers, making a few less than one hundred possible pairs, and all appeared fit for traveling. Jonathan was there with his younger brother, Stephen. Nicko was there with about three of his brothers (gerbils, remember?) The male crowd had been told that there was a magical waterfall somewhere in the forest that, when two brothers stood before it, would give them godlike abilities. Naturally, they were interested. Several of them had arms in slings and bandages about the upper body, but it was no threat to walking.
"Okay, red!" several of them chorused.
"Yeah, red, we'll follow you," Sonic said, smiling innocently of the crime. Lazer thought about how foolish some children were, and then waved an arm to start them off.
There was no trail, as Lazer had usually flown to the waterfall. Tails, Rotor and Mina also came, since they all wanted to witness some display of ancient magic. If there was going to be cataclysmic power bestowed upon two brothers, they really wanted to see the special effects.
Several minutes past an hour of tramping through the forest brought them to the waterfall. Sonic instantly noticed something wrong.
"What the. there's no rainbow!"
"The hell are you talking about?" one of the many brothers asked. Sally and the other familiars pushed to the front and looked with dismay.
"There is no rainbow. There's no sunlight! Lazer, what the hell?" Sally cried, and threw up her arms in frustration. Sonic noted with amusement that she was using low-key swearing.
Trees, branches, leaves and vines almost totally obscured sunlight, save a few straggling sunbeams. Lazer regarded the problem with bent brow for a few moments and hit upon an obvious solution.
"Sonic, cut a hole for us."
"Excuse me?" the latter asked, and trotted forward, eyeing Lazer with raised eyebrow.
"Do I have to make a hologram? Spin or whatever so that you can shred the vegetation above the waterfall."
"Seems easy enough. Stand back, everyone."
They did. Sonic placed two fingers on the side of his head, was silent for a moment, crouched, and spun into a ball. Soggy leaves flopped into the air and upon some of the watchers' faces. He spun on spot like a weed killer in overdrive and then took off. He bounced off a tree and then above the waterfall. The canopy stood no chance against his slashing quills. At that velocity, they could have easily sliced through metal. Wood and plant matter were worthless to the speed Sonic possessed. He flashed across the trees, bouncing between them in a blue streak of lightning, while the eyes of the onlookers tried to keep up with his fleet form. Half a minute later he slowed down and landed.
"That didn't do anything. The sunlight still can't get through," Sally said, frowning. The canopy of leaves held, mocking Sonic's efforts.
Sonic strolled over to the waterfall, picked up a stone and flung it upward. It swished through the leaves, and the forest roof overhead trembled and disintegrated into confetti of green. Shredded leaves fell about them like snow, and when the green shower had settled upon the ground, people and waters, the sun showed in its splendour, the golden circle that revealed the sparkling waters of the river and the foam of the waterfall. A rainbow instantly sprang into existence, a dazzling band of colour that, with its joyful burst of grandeur, appeared glad to live again. The stone fell downward and Sonic caught it. He looked over his shoulder at Sally and the crowd, who were shaking their heads with wonder, and gave them one of those smiles. A smile that said, 'How could you possibly doubt my skill?'
"Good work Sonic. At least you didn't clog the river."
Sonic's euphoria at showing off to his girl immediately smothered upon hearing that indifferent tone from Lazer. If Sally and Tails had not been standing there, he would have thrown the stone at him. He settled for skipping it across the water.
"Nice. Okay, everyone get their brother and stand in line. No shoving! We don't want anyone to drown," Sally called out to the group, and waved her arms toward the two circular stones. Mina was walking toward Lazer when she heard him grumbling bitterly.
"Damn. After this, they'll show all their friends and family that this was the place where 'bro and I' got powered up so we could smash Robotnik into oblivion!"
She tapped him on the arm.
"Are you jealous?"
"No, damn it! After they bring their family and friends, there will be people coming here every day to take pictures, have picnics or go for a swim! It'll be a tourist trap, so that means I'll have to find another meditation spot."
Mina was still curious.
"Meditation. You meditate? That doesn't sound right."
"Of course it doesn't! Nothing makes sense in this blasted world anymore."
Lazer strode away from her to talk to Sonic.
"Sonic, Mina and I are going to look for my sword."
"You won't be doing anything else with her?" he asked foolishly. Lazer glared at him for one full second.
"Foolish child."
Mina also came up to Sonic, eyes glittering angrily.
"I heard that you pervert! I already have a boyfriend, you know!"
"A boyfriend? Gee, Mina, I didn't think you could catch one."
They walked away without so much as another glance. Lazer invited Mina to come with him and they moved away from the riverside rapidly. Sonic was pacing about, peeved.
"You, stupid, I'll fix you," he was grumbling.
"What's wrong with muh shuga-hog?" Sally said, Bunnie-like, and threw her arms over his body from behind. She had arched her back to avoid his quills.
"Lazer really knows how to make a guy angry, and I just found out Mina has a boyfriend," Sonic sighed. Sally nuzzled her face next to his.
"Forget about them. Let's go somewhere else, I'm sure Tails and Rotor can handle those guys.
So they walked off together, hands held. The third set of brothers ascended the rock, and nothing happened. They shrugged together, their hopes of fantastic glory reduced to zilch. The next set of brothers prepared for a possible dose of omnipotence. Tails then realized some people were missing.
"Where did Sally, Sonic, Mina and Lazer go off to?"
"Maybe for some quiet time, huh," Rotor said enviously.
The hours passed, and the four absentees returned. Only six pairs remained to try their luck. The other failures were sprawling or standing on the opposite bank, talking amongst themselves about 'guy things'.
"Sonic, wipe that grin off your face before someone notices," Sally whispered urgently. Sonic refused to comply and went over to Lazer.
"You guys had as much fun as we did?" he asked, stupidly. Lazer was tempted to insult Sonic's manhood, but since ladies were present, refrained.
"We found my sword."
"Sort of," Mina interjected. She presented the broken halves of the samurai sword. Its metal was twisted at the ends where the metal had broken. It was black with scorch marks and its blade was notched.
"Da-aamn," Sonic said slowly, drawing out the expletive, "That used to be a pretty cool sword."
"Yes. It's the only gift my sensei ever gave to me. I will need to find someone who can repair it." His tone was masking sorrow and loss.
"Ricardo," Sonic naturally suggested. "He does swords and everything else with metal. I'll make sure that he gives it his every care."
"For once, Sonic, you aren't being immature. Thank you."
Lazer took the broken halves from Mina, and went to observe the brothers. Sonic cleared his throat.
"See, I can make people respect me when I want."
"I hope you grow up someday," and with that Mina brushed past him. Sally approached.
"You'd better not tell anyone."
"What? That you and I."
She clapped a paw over his mouth.
"Isn't there anyone else?" they heard Tails saying. The last two brothers swore openly about having wasted their afternoon, and jumped off the rock, splashing into the water and sloshing over the other side with rage. The rest of the group also complained.
"Party's over," Sonic observed. He walked forward and held up his arms to talk.
"Okay, everyone, show's over. We're going back home."
He turned his back to the angry crowd and noticed a look of fear on Sally's face.
"Sal, what's wrong?"
"No one at all? Out of the hundred or so that must of tried?"
"I guess."
"We've got to bring in others from the city! If this is the waterfall, then there must be someone who can make its magic work!"
She was panicking. Sonic touched her arm.
"Sal, we did what we could. It won't make sense to waste our time on every brother in the city!"
"But there must be SOMEONE!" she cried frantically. Several heads turned. Sonic understood what she was going through. Facing your own death (and thousands of others) was not a pleasant prospect. He tried reassurance in his low, understanding voice.
"I'm sorry, too. Don't worry; Lazer still has his plan. I'll get fifty rings, and then it'll all be over tomorrow."
"Just two days left when tomorrow comes," she groaned, and looked to the trees above, as if some type of help would suddenly spring forth. Sonic placed an arm around her shoulder, as scared as she was, and walked with her back to the village. Breaking the news to the King would be difficult.
