Chapter 6: Clash of the Aurora
"Hey, look! It's the freak!"
"Hey, two-tails, where do you think you're going?"
"Go away! Leave me alone!"
"C'mon, we just want to have some fun."
"Ow! Let me go! Hey, give that back!"
"Hey, boys. Look at this. Some kind of weird tech."
"Hey, toss it here!"
"Hey, give it back!"
"Ha! Over here!"
"Stop it! Give it back!"
"Hey! What's going on here?"
A sudden gust of wind surprised Tails, swirling him out of his memory. He wavered for a moment before finding his balance. He shook his head and sighed heavily, wiping away the tears in his eyes.
"What brought that memory on?" he thought solemnly. "It was a long time ago. It doesn't matter now. I need to find that Chaos Emerald."
Tails flew on, checking the navigation on his wrist device frequently. The sun was starting to set, casting deep red and orange lights against the indigo sky.
Tails smiled and laughed as he rode the wind currents, flying around the pillars of rock and over the rivers. He was focused on his mission to be sure, but he couldn't help but be swept up in the exhilaration of flight.
Windy Valley was indeed a great place for flying. As much as Tails loved piloting the Tornado, he loved flying with his tails even more. In a plane he could travel faster, but not freer. Here, he could fly with freedom. He could soar and glide; rise and dive; roll and loop; and best of all, feel the rush of the air through his fur.
All thanks to his two tails.
Then, his device began to beep loudly, and he stopped in mid-air. Hovering, he checked the navigator and saw the red dot in the center blinking rapidly.
"The Chaos Emerald!"
Tails looked down. He was over a wide river. He descended — the wind abating as he did — until his feet were just above the rushing water. Squinting, he searched for a sign. Through the distortion of the pale teal water, he could see a sapphire blue color shining underneath. With a bright smile, Tails reached in and grabbed the item, the water coming up to his elbow and splashing his face, and pulled it out.
It was a Chaos Emerald. A blue one.
"Got it!" he exclaimed, wiping the water off his face. "Now to contact Sonic!"
Tails pressed a button on the side of his wrist device. "Sonic, I found the Chaos Emerald! Did you find yours yet?"
There was no reply. Just static.
"Sonic? Sonic, can you hear me?"
Still no reply.
Tails' excitement of completing his mission was now replaced with a concern for his best buddy. Sonic was always quick to reply, even in a fight. But judging from the static, the communication couldn't seem to reach Sonic at all. Was his device broken? Did Sonic accidentally turn his off? Or did something bad happen?
"I better head to Station Square and find him."
Tails ascended into the sky once again and over Windy Valley. He hadn't gone more than a few minutes when a familiar voice called out.
"Hey, Tails! Over here!"
Tails looked sharply to his left, and his smile returned. Knuckles was on top of a rock pillar, waving to the Fox. Tails quickly turned and flew towards him.
"Knuckles! You're okay!" he said, relieved.
"Of course, I am," Knuckles replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because when I flew over Angel Island this morning, you and the Master Emerald were gone," Tails explained. "What happened? Why are you here?"
"Bit of a long story," Knuckles said. "What are you doing here?"
"I found a Chaos Emerald. Sonic and I are trying to gather them before Eggman does. Sonic was supposed to find one in Station Square, but I couldn't reach him. I think his device might have been broken."
Knuckles exhaled deeply. "I should've guessed. What's Eggman up to this time?"
"He says he's going to use his new Chaos water monster to build his empire."
At the mention Chaos, Knuckles' eyes widened.
"Water monster?!" he shouted. "You're sure?!"
"Y-Yeah!" Tails stuttered, taken aback by Knuckles' sudden alert. "Why?! Do you know it?!"
"You bet I do!" said Knuckles, clenching his fists. "It's because of it I'm out here! It attacked Angel Island and shattered the Master Emerald!"
"What?!" Tails exclaimed.
"I'll explain on the way!" said Knuckles. "We need to find Sonic!"
"But what about the Master Emerald?!"
"I already got all the shards I could find here! Now let's go!"
"Right! We'll head back to my workshop and take the Tornado! Grab on!"
Knuckles nodded as Tails lifted himself off the rock and grabbed Knuckles by both arms. As the two flew across the valley, Tails focused on maintaining his balance. With Knuckles, he was less maneuverable. Fortunately, the strong wind currents assisted in keeping him airborne.
It was enough to get them to his workshop.
After finding a good current to ride, Tails said, "So, Knuckles, what happened to the Master Emerald?"
Knuckles took a deep breath before replying, "Last night, when I was sleeping, a bolt of lightning woke me up…"
In Station Square…
The sun had set as Alex left the train station. Knowing the dangers of the city at night, she had to keep the more open places. This made her uncomfortable. Because more open places meant more people. And more people meant more eyes to catch her using her powers.
"Just keep a low profile like Master Aaron taught you," she told herself. "Right now, I better find someplace to rest. I'll think of what to do tomorrow."
As Alex walked down the street, her hip bag began to glow. She quickly ducked into a nearby alley and looked inside.
The Chaos Emeralds were glowing again.
"Does this mean another Emerald is nearby?" she whispered "Where?"
It was then that Alex heard footsteps approaching. Thinking fast, she jumped into a nearby dumpster and quietly closed the lid. Though it was empty, it still reeked of garbage. She struggled to hold back a cough and covered her nose and mouth.
She heard the footsteps getting closer, and the Emeralds in her bag were growing brighter. The footsteps stopped outside of her hiding place, and she held her breath.
"The Chaos Emerald is reacting," said a voice from outside. "There must be another around here somewhere."
Alex froze. She knew that voice.
It was that mad man! The one with Chaos!
Rallying all her courage, Alex carefully lifted the lid a crack. Eggman was so close she could reach out and touch him. In his right hand was a silver Chaos Emerald, which was glowing as brightly as hers.
Her heart nearly stopped when he turned in her direction.
"Is it in here?"
Eggman grabbed the lid of the dumpster.
With remarkable force, Alex pushed it open, leaping out like a jack-in-the-box. Eggman stumbled back, screaming at the surprise.
"AUGH!"
Alex jumped away from the dumpster and down the alley. She turned back and saw the silver Emerald was just in front of her. She was about to dive for it when a puddle of water emerged from the cracks in the cement. She backed way as it swallowed up the Emerald in a flash of light. When it dimmed, Alex's blood ran cold.
Chaos was standing before her. Only now he had two metal arms, each with a Chaos Emerald in their hands. His shoulders were broad with a muscular appearance, his posture hunched over like a gorilla, and his two head fins were now vertical like a shark.
Fearful, Alex spun around and ran.
"It's that other Mystic!" Eggman shouted. "Chaos, get her! She's got the Chaos Emerald!"
Alex didn't dare look back. She could hear Chaos' watery steps pursuing her like some demon from a cursed lagoon. The jewels on her shoes glowed, and she picked up speed. When she noticed how close the walls on each side of her were, she got an idea. She jumped to the right, and then jumped to the other. Chaos reached for her, almost catching her foot. Alex managed to avoid his grasp and continued up the walls at incredible speed, the gems on her shoes glinting with each step. She reached the top and looked down. Chaos morphed back into a puddle and began to slither up the wall towards her.
Alex screamed and dashed across the roof. She was about to jump to the one across the way when Eggman suddenly came in front of her in his Egg Mobile.
"And where do you think you're going, Mystic?" he said with a large grin.
Alex spun around, and Chaos reformed right in front of her. Before she could scream again, Chaos grabbed her by the head and lifted her off her feet. She struggled and kicked - her cries distorted by his watery hand - but it was no good.
"Well done, Chaos," Eggman congratulated. "Now time to retrieve that Chaos Emerald."
Eggman's claw was just about to reach for Alex's bag when summoned her sword, making him recoil. The cyan forcejewel around her neck shone, and a greenish light illuminated her sword.
"Let…me…GO!"
With one good swing, Alex sliced Chaos clean through at the torso, making the monster roar in pain. She dropped to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. She looked up in time to see Chaos charge at her in mid-regeneration. She leapt aside and quickly found her footing. She held her sword out, ready for another attack.
"You're not getting the Chaos Emeralds!" she yelled defiantly.
"Oh, and you're going to stop me?" Eggman replied, almost amused. "Guess I should expect such spirit from a Mystic."
"How do you know about that?! How did you find out?! About us?!"
"Quite simple, really," said Eggman. "You Mystics are Chaos Inclined, right? Able to harness the Chaos Energy all around us. So, develop a way to locate Chaos Emeralds, and you get the nice reward of locating Mystics, too. Granted, like Mobians, your signals aren't as strong, but it was enough to find you and your friends."
"Where are they?!" Alex demanded. "What have you done with them?!"
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, my dear. Chaos, get her!"
Alex braced herself as Chaos lumbered towards her. Her heart was racing, her legs were quivering, and her head was reeling. This was no sparring match. She was in a fight for her life.
She shook her head. Now was not the time to panic.
Chaos was already on top of her. He swung a fist, and she swiftly dodged it, the strike hitting the ground with such force it made a hole. Alex backed away as Chaos turned and advanced on her again. In a moment, she realized something.
His power had increased, but his speed had decreased.
That might work to her advantage.
The jewels on her shoes glowed again, and she started to run around Chaos. She accelerated, her running turned into skating, and her form becoming a teal streak of light.
Chaos swung at her left and right, but he missed every time.
He roared in anger and transformed into a large ball of water. He slammed into the ground repeatedly, trying to crush her.
But she was too fast.
When Chaos took form again, Alex saw his brain.
Was that his weak spot? How could she get to it?
Suddenly, she remembered how her blade cut through him. The blade she had empowered with her Chaos Energy.
Was Chaos Energy the key to taking him down?
"Only one way to find out!" Alex thought, hoping she was right.
With adrenaline flowing through her, Alex broke away from her circle, her sword glowing, and sliced Chaos' legs. The monster's legs became shapeless water, and he fell.
"That's it!"
Before Chaos could reform, Alex turned back and sliced him again. She slashed at him repeatedly until he was just a head in puddle of water. With one final effort, she struck him in the brain.
Chaos hollowed in pain and completely lost his form, melting like butter in a hot skillet.
Alex slid to a stop, breathing heavily. She saw the Chaos Emeralds and rushed to retrieve them. However, weak as he was, Chaos enveloped the gems and seeped through the cracks in the floor.
"Hey!" she screeched.
"I must say," said Eggman, stroking his mustache. "I am impressed."
Alex whipped around towards Eggman, scowling.
"I've read about you Mystics and your forcejewels," he said. "You really do use them to channel your power. I may not have gotten more Chaos Emeralds, but you certainly gave me a good show."
"Where…are Carrie…and Master Aaron?!" Alex snarled, winded.
Eggman's nonchalant demeanor changed to a wicked smile. "I told you; you'll find out soon enough. But don't worry, I'll put them to good use. Until next time, Mystic."
"Wait!"
Before Alex could do anything else, Eggman threw a smoke bomb in front of her. The bomb struck the rooftop, causing a smoke screen to surround her and sting her eyes. She coughed and shielded her face, swinging her sword to try and clear the haze. As it cleared, she opened her eyes a crack, wiping away the tears.
Eggman and Chaos were gone. She was alone.
Alex stood where she was, shaking. She had won the fight, but didn't feel victorious at all.
She felt scared.
"What did he mean, "put them to good use"?" she shuddered.
Then, Alex heard the sound of a helicopter getting closer. She looked to the sky and saw a police chopper coming her way.
Just as it shone its light on the rooftop, Alex leapt off and down into the alley way below, landing as gracefully as a feather.
"I gotta to get out of here."
Alex ran from the alley back towards Emerald Coast, hoping to find a place to hide. She was starting to feel the effects of the fight taking their toll, and the beach was the safest place for her now. She would have to spend the night there, and then leave the city first thing tomorrow.
As she ran, tears began to flow from her eyes, but not from the effects of the smoke screen. She looked up to the moon, as if desperate for its silver radiance to give her strength.
"Carrie, Master Aaron," she sobbed, "I won't give up. I'll find you. No matter what it takes. I will find you. I promise."
