Hi everyone! I hope you all liked my first Scales interview. However, I feel I need to lay some things down before we start this chapter. First of all, Snively is dead. He is not coming back in any way, shape, or form. Second of all, the Demonic Four are not actually demons, they're just named after some. Thirdly, what's happening with Knuckles will be revealed in this chapter. Finally, Sonic will never appear in this universe. Also, Scales will be handling the entire adventure on her own, without help from anyone but Tikal or the doctors. And maybe Chaos. I'm sorry if I've spoiled anything, but I felt I had to say this. Thank you. Oh, and anyone born with the power can go super with either set of Emeralds. In what would be Shadow Adventure, Snively was after the Chaos Emeralds, not the Supers. Disclaimer: Why do I have to keep writing these?

Day 1, 12:00 PM

Big frowned at Knuckles' unconscious form. After getting back to the hotel room, Scales had shown the doctors what she had found. While Robotnik kept a lookout for Chaos Emeralds, big had rigged up a makeshift scanner to analyze the metal Knuckles had been encased in and the echidna himself. "This isn't good." Big muttered. "Can you find out what's wrong, doctor?" asked Scales. Big turned away from Knuckles. "You say that when he was encased in the metal, it actually moved like real skin? It expanded and contracted when he breathed, as if it were his own flesh?" Scales nodded. Big looked at the piece of chrome metal he held, then went on. "This metal is quite peculiar. It's almost like it isn't metal at all. It is now completely rigid, but extended scans have shown it is actually composed of billions of microscopic joints. Apparently whoever is behind all this had modified the normal roboticizer to not only make a victim a robot, but a living, breathing piece of metal." "Weird." Murmured Scales. "I think this new form of roboticization is actually capable of affecting even Shadow's DNA. It's possible you may have to fight him at some point." He grimaced. "That's not all. I have discovered the reason Knuckles is unconscious, and it isn't good." "What is it?" Big sighed. "I have detected numerous nanites in his blood stream, limiting the amount of oxygen and blood flowing to his brain. I see no way to clear them out at the moment. In fact, any attempt to remove them through any means I have so far come up with would probably kill Knuckles, since they're so close in contact with his vital cells that forcible removal could permanently damage his body." "Then how can we fix him? It seems likely that if he's affected, so have the others!" Scales said. Big nodded in agreement. "I know, I know. It galls me that my little girl and son-in-law are probably affected as well. This new villain obviously did this to keep us from learning anything from his victims if we actually freed them. I'll keep working on a way to save Knuckles, but I can't guarantee anything." Robotnik walked in from his room. "Scales, I've found the next Emerald!" "Great, where is it?" she asked, ready to move out. "It's in a place called Windy Valley. To get there, you'll need to take a train to the nearby jungle and the Mystic Ruins. You can ask around from there to find the Valley." Robotnik informed her. "Thanks doc. See if you can do something about poor Knuckles, okay? Chaos Control!" In a flash of light, she vanished.

She warped to the beach and went into the city after some minor mishaps like being mugged (which resulted in the thief having his clothes ripped to shreds and then left to hang naked from a flagpole in a public place). Scales got to the train station, purchased a ticket, (Of COURSE she has money) and took a nice, relaxing ride to the nearby jungle. She exited the train station and smiled at the beauty of the place. It was a lush, tropical place with a few mountains nearby, high stone cliffs, and a few ancient Echidna ruins. After asking a few archeologists where to go (and signing a few autographs, considering she was a hero and all) Scales learned the entrance to Windy Valley was near the small landing strip for supply planes. After finding and walking by the runway, she saw an opening in the great cliffs ahead, an altar with a strange green stone on it. Scales ran over to the opening, but froze dead in her tracks when her Emerald flickered, sensing something. Something evil. Scales turned around and saw a black figure flying towards her. It dropped to the ground as it got close, standing proudly. Scales bristled. "You're one of those jerks who broke in to my brother's wedding!" The monster snickered. "How apt. I am Mephistopheles, first of the Demonic Four. My master has sent me to collect the Chaos Emeralds from you." "And who is your master, anyway?" Scales asked. Mephistopheles shook his head. "I shan't tell you that. Now, be a good girl and give me your Emeralds." Scales snorted. "As if." Mephistopheles shrugged. "In that case, prepare to meet your maker!" "How? Maria's dead." Scales said, joking a little. Mephistopheles was confused. "Huh? Oh, whatever! Just prepare to die, will you?" "Bring it, Bat-boy!" Scales yelled, shifting to battle mode.

Mephistopheles

The monster took to the air and started flying around. Scales watched him, trying to work out a plan of attack. She was a little surprised when Tikal's ball of light appeared. "Scales! I have a hint that might help you beat this guy!" Scales, eager for any help, said, "Well? What is it?" "The cliffs are unstable." With that, she quickly flew away. Scales blinked. "The cliffs are unstable? How the hell does that-" she was cut off as Mephistopheles shot down in a drill drive, knocking her to the ground. "Ow." Mephistopheles cackled and jumped off, grabbing Scales with one of his long arms as she got up. Before she could move, the monster threw her straight at a cliff. She smashed into it, leaving an indent. As she grunted and pulled herself out, she noticed several cracks leading away from where she had hit. Mephistopheles took to the air again, flying over her. Scales watched him carefully and saw him stop right over her. She jumped out of the way as he came down in his drill drive. Before he could fly up again, Scales whacked him with her spiked tail. He winced and lashed out with one of his long arms. Scales grabbed the monster by his wrist and swung him around, throwing him straight into the cliff, sending him crashing into the indentation she had made before. The cracks deepened and got thicker. Scales was starting to understand Tikal's hint. She tensed up as Mephistopheles flew out of the indentation, looking really angry. He swooped down at her, claws outward. Scales timed his descent in her head and jumped at exactly the right moment, launching into a Homing Kick straight at the monster's head and knocking him from the air. Mephistopheles rolled around a few times on the ground, his wings wrapped around him. He groaned and staggered to his feet, unfurling his wings once more. He growled at Scales. "Enough of this! Let's see how you like being shredded by sound waves!" He spread his wings wide and pointed his hands at Scales. "Screaming Evil!" Scales jumped away as the sonic attack rippled past, shattering several trees behind her. Mephistopheles turned after her, preparing to fire again. "Screaming Evil!" Scales jumped behind the Wind Altar, barely avoiding another sonic attack. As the monster took to the air to get a better vantagepoint, Scales jumped out from behind the altar and cupped her hands, pointing upward. "Serpent Strike!" The great green snake head shot forth, exploding on contact with Mephistopheles. He screeched and fell from the sky, landing hard. Before he could get up, Scales ran over, grabbed his right arm, and threw him straight at the cliff again. As he made impact in the same indentation as before, Scales saw the cracks running pretty far up the cliff. Scales knew exactly what to do. She aimed above Mephistopheles. "Serpent Strike!" The snake shot forth, exploding on the face of the cliff. Mephistopheles sneered and pulled himself from the indentation. "Ha! Missed me!" "I wasn't aiming for you." Said Scales. "Then what-" Suddenly, the area Scales had shot rumbled, cracked, and collapsed, an entire shelf of rock falling downwards, crushing Mephistopheles underneath it. Scales grinned. "I was aiming for that unstable crest of rock. Thanks for the hint, Tikal." The pile of rubble shook and exploded outward. Mephistopheles crouched in the space cleared, panting and cradling his left arm, which seemed to be broken. His wings seemed tattered, but otherwise all right. Mephistopheles trembled and managed to get to his feet. "I don't believe this." He wheezed. "Beaten twice, and by a girl on either occasion!" He snarled at Scales. "Don't think you're so good, you were just lucky. Next time we meet, you won't walk away." Despite some visible effort, the monster managed to take to the air and flew off, wobbling now and then and looking like he could crash at any moment. Scales frowned. "How disappointing. I was hoping to beat some information out of him. Oh well, time to get the next Chaos Emerald." With that, she walked through the passage in the cliffs, entering the valley.

Stage 2: Windy Valley. Mission: Find the Chaos Emerald.

Scales walked through the passage and came out on a large platform, the beginning of a path across a beautiful lake. There were several large fans attached to the cliffs, and some more on top of several small floating islands. After admiring the scenery for a second, she walked across the platform and was suddenly attacked by a robot chameleon. It lashed its tongue out at her, stinging her flesh. She swiped at it, only to see it vanish. She thought it was gone, until the chameleon's tongue stung her from behind. As she tried to retaliate, it vanished again. Suddenly getting an idea, Scales switched her vision to Scan mode. She saw a heat signature in the form of the chameleon right in front of her. She swung her tail right as it appeared, destroying the robot. Leaving the remains of the Leon behind, Scales started up the trail ahead, a ledge on a cliff wall. She discovered she had to keep her footing, because the wind was very strong. She followed the ledge along the side of the cliff and found her way blocked by a wall of cracked stone. Rather than jumping over the wall, Scales opted to smash it down once the wind had died down a bit. The barrier out of her way, Scales walked forward and was almost burned by a huge flaming robot caterpillar. Avoiding a jet of fire, Scales launched into a series of Homing Kicks, killing the caterpillar section by section. When it was no more, she continued down the ledge and found a broken bridge with a row of robots with spinning blades attached to their sides hovering above the gap. After the wind died down again, Scales launched into multiple Homing Kicks, smashing the heads of the robots and avoiding their blades. She landed on the other side of the broken bridge and walked around a natural pillar, following the ledge around and onto a wider path. She went down the path and was assaulted by another Leon. She used her scanner to find it when it used camouflage, allowing her to quickly kill the robot. She continued and came to the end of the path. She saw a series of pillars rising from the lake, springs on the sides of each one. She saw a spring at her feet and knew what to do. She bounced off the spring and ricocheted off every spring, eventually landing on a platform. She went to the end of the platform and used a pair of Homing Kicks to dispose of two Bladed Spinners and get to a grassy floating platform. She dropped from the platform to another one and saw a ruined bridge ahead. There were no robots, but the distance looked short enough to jump. After leaping over the bridge, Scales saw a stone bridge leading to the cliff face at the end of the lake. She ran across the bridge and stopped as suddenly, a giant tornado appeared! Before she could run or warp away, the cyclone swept her up into the air. She was flung upward, higher and higher, until she landed on a large platform in the midst of the tornado. Scales was understandably dizzy and confused. Tikal appeared, getting Scales' attention. "Hi Scales! You have to head straight up. You should be able to get out of the tornado. See, there's a spring right over there you can use." Tikal said, indicating a spring pointing up. "Thanks. By the way, why was that clue you gave me in the last fight so cryptic?" Scales asked. "What was I supposed to tell you? As the destined one, you must prove your worth by doing this quest by yourself. Hints are allowed, but anything more could be considered cheating. Besides, do you really want it to be that easy?" Scales thought a moment. "Yeah, you have a point. Never mind then. See you later." Tikal flew away, and Scales bounced off the spring. She shot upward and landed on a platform with a jump pad. She jumped off the pad and landed on a floating one. She immediately jumped off of that one and kept going, jumping off of lots of pads before finally landing on another platform. She bounced from a spring and started ricocheting around the tornado, bouncing off of springs attached to small platforms. Finally, she landed on a platform with a big jump pad. She jumped on it and was shot all the way out of the tornado, landing on a ridge. The whirlwind dissipated, leaving Scales alone. She looked down and wished she hadn't. The tornado had been bigger than she thought, she was so high up she could swear the clouds were floating past her. She gulped and brought herself together, knowing she had to finish this. She looked around and saw a narrow path leading to a larger platform. She walked carefully across the bridge and onto the platform. She saw a Leon and quickly killed it. She saw the beginning of a path at the back of the platform. She started down the steep, sloping path, going straight, then curving to the right and immediately left as the path went down in a circle. It straightened out and headed straight for a long while. Keeping her footing and watching out for the wind, Scales abruptly halted when the path turned to the left sharply and ended. She walked onto the platform at the end of the path and saw a trio of Bladed Spinners floating in a gap leading to another platform. She Homing Kicked across the robots and to the platform. She crossed a short bridge and came to a stop on another platform with a rocket. She grabbed the rocket and was launched across the sky, dropping to a small grassy platform. Never mind how grass could grow so high up, she was on a mission. She saw a long, long path leading away and downwards. Scales started her run, enjoying the thrill of running despite the possible danger of falling off. Not that it would be that bad, she could simply warp back with Chaos Control, but she hated to skip a challenge. She hit some dash panels and sped up considerably, falling down a short drop and turning to the left as the path curved, passing through a loop and stopping at a small platform. As she tried to figure out a way to proceed, a gust of extremely strong wind picked up and swept her off her feet, sending her flying through the air and landing on a protruding ledge at the base of a circular stone platform. Scales walked forward and saw a bridge leading up the side of the platform. She walked up the spiraling walkway, killing a couple of Leons and coming to the top. She saw there was a giant hole in the middle of the platform and nothing else. With no other visible options, Scales jumped into the hole. She was spun around and buffeted through the air by the strong wind, moving her across the sky and roughly dropping her on a small platform. Getting up, Scales saw a very long and winding path ahead of her. She started carefully walking down the path, following it as it twisted to the right and then left, going down and veering to the right, going into a spiral and then becoming fairly straight, though there were a few curves. Scales started running, careful not to overshoot the curves in the path. After a minute of two of running, the path severely changed, winding around a floating horizontal pillar. Using her intense speed to stay on the path as it tried to throw her off with its sudden change of orientation, Scales ran around the pillar and stayed on the path as it straightened out again. She went through two corkscrews and finally veered left and down, stopping in a large platform with a dirt path leading to a spring. She bounced off the spring and landed on a small floating island, her Chaos senses starting to go off. On this island was the light blue Chaos Emerald! Scales grabbed it, ending the level.

(STAGE CLEAR.)

Scales put the Emerald away and called the hotel. "Doc, I've got the light blue Emerald." "Excellent! That's three Emeralds for our side total!" said Robotnik, pleased. "Do you have the location of the next Chaos Emerald pinpointed yet?" Scales asked. "Sorry, but no. Why don't you come back to the hotel and take a rest?" Robotnik suggested. "Yeah, I guess I could use a little nap or something. See you in a second. Chaos Control!" Scales warped away from the valley, leaving the windswept place behind.

That's two Chaos Emeralds down! Where will the next one be? Well, you should know if you've played Sonic Adventure. Anyway, here's another interview with our star! Scales: I'm here. Me: Scales, what did you think of Windy Valley? Scales: I liked it better than the last level, more of a challenge you know? I also liked the boss fight. Mephistopheles was a much better opponent than Mecha Knuckles. Me: Thank you. Scales: Who is their master, by the way? Me: Sorry, can't tell you. All I can say is that it's not Snively. Scales: (Rolls eyes.) Well, of course it's not Snively! Chaos pretty much said it was someone else. Who is it then? Me: I told you, I can't tell you. Scales: (sighs) Fine. Can you at least tell me what exactly these Demonic Four guys are? Me: Nope. Scales: Figures. Me: Cheer up, you'll be fighting another one soon enough. And while I admit the next level might not be quite as hard as this one, it should prove interesting. Scales: It had better be, or else! Me: Don't worry, it'll be fine. See you next time, loyal readers! Scales: And you'd better leave a review, he doesn't get too well when he thinks everyone is ignoring him. Bye!