Chapter 8 - Revelations
"You should have contacted me earlier..."
Lisa opened the door wide to let in a friend of hers. She was a tall reddish furred fox who was wearing a gold locket around her neck, and appeared to walk with a sort of pride and purpose. Her name was Alexandra Sapfo Luminis, or Alexa to her friends, one of whom was Lisa, in a way. Though really, Lisa and Alexa were magic rivals, always challenging each other to magic duels. Alexa would always offer to help Lisa when she practiced her magic, but Lisa preferred to learn on her own.
"Had you come to me first...perhaps this wouldn't have happened to Aura..."
Unfortunately...this meant leaving herself open to Alexa's barbs. Though meant in fun, Lisa still can't take a few of them.
"Look...if I knew she'd react like this, I would have asked for your help," Lisa said. "I didn't she would, seeing as how she used lightning before..."
"Well, it's rare that you DO think..." Alexa kiddingly said, causing Lisa to seethe a bit. "But I do see your point. Perhaps there is something more to Aura's reaction..."
Lisa led Alexa into a room where Aura was laying down. Aura was currently hugging her legs close to her, almost in the same fetal position she was in earlier. The only difference was she wasn't screaming anymore, but was half asleep from fatigue from when she was screaming. Ryndar was presently licking at her face, trying to comfort his "mother" as well as wiping her tears. Hogi-San, who was also watching over Aura, walked over to Lisa and allowed himself to be picked up by her.
"She's been like that for the past hour or so..." Lisa explained. "After she finally stopped screaming after she used that fireball power, she broke down into heavy sobs and when she stopped crying, she fell asleep out of exhaustion."
"Hmmm...well, we'd best not wake her right now," Alexa said, sitting down in a nearby chair and continuing to watch over Aura. "She'll probably tell us once she's awake and feels ready to talk. Besides...looks like her Chao is helping calm her down a bit..."
Lisa smiled a bit as she watched Ryndar continuing to "kiss" Aura. As she grabbed another chair and sat down, Alexa then spoke up. "So...while we're waiting for Aura to awaken, tell me about this adventure you had aboard the Colony ARK..."
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Very little was being said in the hotel room...
After Anthony had finished explaining to the group why they had seen Amy needing to comfort him, several present were unsure what to say in reaction to it. At the present, they were nibbling on the donuts that Amy had brought, since she had gotten enough to share.
After a while, Lazer then spoke up. "Anthony...if it's any consolation, I've felt the same way as you. I've wished that what happened on Mobius never happened as well..."
Anthony looked up towards Lazer and said, "Yeah, right. Did you wish that this world would cease to exist?"
"At one point...I actually did..." Lazer said, surprising Anthony a bit. "I was really upset at what happened to Xadra...so much so that I wished everything would just...disappear."
"Damn..." Anthony said, shocked a bit.
"It's nothing to be surprised about, Anthony," Mina said. "No one wants to see anything bad happen to anybody...so it's natural to wish something bad never happened."
"Yeah...you're right..." Anthony said.
"At least you've finally come to terms with what you've experienced," Rebecca said. "Hopefully, you can move on...like Lazer and I have despite what happened to Xadra."
Anthony nodded in agreement. "I think I'm ready to do so...and I know the perfect way to start."
"How's that?" Red Sonic asked.
Anthony stood up and then addressed the group. "Well...right now, Aura is planning on returning to her own Mobius to help with the freedom fight going on there. Our war is over...so I figure we can at least help with her's."
"How are we going to do that, Anthony?" Amy asked.
"Simple..." Anthony said, and then turned towards Lazer and Red Sonic. "Guys...I assume your computers are connected to Earth's internet?"
"Well, yeah...but why...?" Lazer began to say, and then realized what Anthony was suggesting. "Oh, I get it...since Aura's Mobius was covered in the Fleetway comic, we can use Earth's information on the Fleetway comic to prepare her!"
"You got it," Anthony said. "So...shall we get to work?"
"Alright...we'll get the computers up and running," Red Sonic said, as he, Rebecca, Mina, and Lazer filed back into the elevator.
As Amy got up, following them, Anthony spoke up saying, "Amy...wait a minute. I want to speak to you..." He then looked towards the others and said, "We'll meet you in a minute, guys."
"Alright...but don't take too long. Mina here has the patience of Sonic," Red Sonic quipped.
"RED!!!" Mina said, as the elevator doors closed.
As soon as the elevator closed, Amy looked towards Anthony and asked, "What is it, Anthony?"
Anthony kneeled down to Amy's level and said, "I just wanted to thank you...for lending me that shoulder to cry on. I really appreciate it."
"Aw...it was nothing," Amy said. "You've done that for me many times and besides...what's family for, 'big brother'?"
Anthony smiled and then drew Amy into a tight hug, which Amy returned with a smile of her own. After a while, the two of them then walked to where the elevator was which led to the old Freedom Fighter base, which the others went into. Anthony then stopped and frowned.
"What's wrong, Anthony?" Amy asked.
"I need to send them a telepathic message to come back up..." Anthony said. "I forgot that my handprint doesn't work on the reader."
Amy promptly facefaulted.
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Sonic's group was currently filing out of a clothing store, which had decided to stay open despite recent events. Rouge was currently carrying a small bag which had some spare socks and gloves for Shadow. The group was talking about where they should go next. It was at that time that they saw another group walking towards them...which included Teila, Tyreke, Metal Sonic, Gamma, and a very sleepy looking Tails.
"Hey there, guys!" Sonic said, waving as they approached. He then laid eyes on Tails. "Whoa...you look wiped, bro."
"He's still kinda groggy from his naps," Teila said, giggling a bit. "He took one at the workshop and another one on the train here."
"Maybe you shouldn't have gottten up so early to fix the TGM, Tails..." Sally remarked.
"Well...I had to do it sometime before we left," Tails said.
"WHAT IS OUR NEXT OBJECTIVE?" Gamma asked in his typical monotone.
"Well...uh...we were still discussing that," Bristy said.
It was then that Tyreke noticed Bristy in the group. "Bristy? When did you get back?"
"Just this morning," Bristy said, and then showed her engagement ring. "But, it was enough time to tell of mine and Ryan's upcoming nuptuals..."
Teila squealed in delight, and then started to congradulate Bristy. Metal Sonic was still covering his metal ears. [Cripes...that nearly took out a sensor!]
"Oh, sorry, Metal..." Teila said.
"Well...let's keep walking," Julie-Su said. "We can catch you guys up on what Bristy told us about the wedding!"
As the group continued to walk and talk, they eventually reached the park where the memorial marker to Shadow was put. Sonic glanced towards where it was as they passed the park.
"What are you looking at, Sonic?" Shadow asked.
"Well...remember how we thought you were dead?" Sonic asked, prompting a nod from Shadow. Sonic then pointed towards the park and said, "We put a marker in your honor in a secluded area of that park over there. A private memorial from the Freedom Fighters."
Shadow looked towards where Sonic was pointing and asked, "Really? Can I see it?"
"Well, you can, but..." Rouge began to say.
"What is it, Rouge?" Knuckles asked.
"After the city learned that Shadow was alive and well on the ARK, the name was changed on the marker," Rouge explained.
Several of the group looked at each other in confusion, unsure whose name could have been put on it. Shadow then spoke up. "I'd like to see it anyway."
Sonic and Sally, as well as others in the group, all nodded in understanding and led Shadow towards the marker. They led him towards the clearing and showed him the marker, and Shadow read the inscription out loud. "In loving memory of a hero who made everyone happy..."
He then gasped...and just stared at the name on the marker.
Sonic looked over Shadow's shoulder and gasped as well, noticing the name on the marker.
MARIA KINTOBOR
Sonic then turned towards the other and spoke quietly towards them. "It's Maria...her name on the marker now."
Several of the group began to nod in understanding and looked back towards Shadow. Shadow began to kneel near the marker and then began to finger the lettering of Maria's name.
"Shadow?" Sally began to say, showing concern for the dark hedgehog.
"Please leave me..." Shadow said, speaking almost in a whisper. "I'd like to be alone right now."
Several of the group were unsure whether they should, and then Rouge nodded, signaling to the others that they probably should leave him alone. They began to walk away from the marker, leaving Shadow still kneeling in front of the marker. They stopped just near the edge of the park, and began to gather, still keeping an eye where Shadow was.
"Poor guy...who knows what he's going through right now," Sonic said as he turned towards the group, focusing on Rouge. "Rouge, why was Maria's name put on that marker?"
"The government felt it was only fair, seeing as how Maria actually sacrificed herself to save Shadow...who in turn helped Sonic fight the Biolizard," Rouge explained.
The group nodded in understanding, and then turned back towards where Shadow was. "We'll wait for him," Bristy said. "He'll come out when he feels he's ready."
"Yeah..." Teila said, agreeing. She then added, "I hope..."
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"All that psi ability...and zero foresight. Maybe they should call it 'Anthony Bault syndrome', instead of 'Dr. Robotnik Syndrome'..."
Anthony's comment made the group laugh as Anthony's palmprint was being read into a scanner, thus allowing him to use the elevator to the former base when needed. The group then turned their attentions to several computer screens, all of which were connected to Earth's internet.
"Okay...let's get surfing!" Red Sonic said as the group began to get ready.
"So...we basically just need to look for any information of the Fleetway series," Rebecca said, "and that should give us information on Aura's world?"
"Hopefully...if I am right about the fics that the author self of Aura plans to write," Anthony said. "Actually...the previous fics she removed from the net also appeared Fleetway based, so we should be on target."
"Good...then this should be easy," Lazer said, as he began to type in several addresses.
"While you guys are looking for that info, I'm going to look at the author self's account on Fanfiction.net to see if I can find anything," Anthony said.
"You should find this interesting then," Mina said. "You may find...yourself on that site!"
Anthony raised an eyebrow at this and looked at Mina. "The HELL?!? What are you talking about? My author self is on Rift-Earth, and we're looking at Arcadia-Earth's internet."
Mina giggled a bit, and then continued. "Washu found a way to make it so the fics all unite on a single site, whether it is posted on Arcadia-Earth's, Rift-Earth's, or Ani-Earth's version of that site."
Anthony shook his head in disbelief, and then commented, "Too bad I don't know my author self's login...I could probably undo his mistakes so he looks less like a doofus!"
(A/N: I don't believe this! My own SIFF is making fun of me!)
"Aw, leave him alone, Anthony," Amy said. "At least he was nice enough to write about your adventures!"
(A/N: Thanks, Ames...)
"True enough," Anthony said, as he brought up the FF.net account of Aura Starfire. He then began to peruse the files on it. "Well...looks like I was on the money. Aura's author self has a fic here called 'After the Battle' which seems to chronicle what Sonic went through after Johnny's death. Even takes the 'It's a Wonderful Life' approach and shows Sonic what the world would've been like without him..." He then snickered a bit and said, "Hey Ames...you finally get to kiss the guy!"
Amy giggled a bit at that, and then Anthony glanced at another file. "Hmmm...this should be interesting..."
"What is it, Anthony?" Amy asked.
"There's a fic here called 'Hoshiko', and it seems to be about Aura," Anthony said. He then opened the link to the story.
His next utterance best described what he saw...
"Oh my God..."
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After a while, Aura began to wake up as the fatigue she was waking up from began to fade. As she began to collect her thoughts, she noticed Ryndar clinging to her, half-asleep, and began to hug the tiny Chao. She was still scared of what had transpired earlier, and wished it was all just a bad nightmare.
In fact...she was so fixated on what had happened that Alexa had to clear her throat to get her attention. An action which nearly caused Aura to jump out of her skin.
"I apologize, Miss Starfire," Alexa said, trying to calm Aura down. "I wanted to know whether you were okay enough to talk."
"I...I suppose so..." Aura said, finally looking up towards Alexa. "Wh...who are you?"
"My apologies..." Alexa said. "My name is Alexandra Sapfo Luminis, but you can just call me Alexa. I'm a friend of Lisa's, and an expert in many types of magicks."
Aura then looked up with a glint of hope in her eyes. "Then...you can get rid of this fire power I seem to have?"
Alexa frowned and said, "I don't think so. Right now I'm more concerned with why you reacted so negatively to it. Lisa tells me you're also able to use lightning, which is similar in nature."
Aura frowned and looked back down towards Ryndar. "I...I don't know if I can say..."
Lisa then spoke up. "Aura...if you're afraid to say, we understand, but we'd like to try to help."
"I understand..." Aura said, hugging Ryndar closer. "But you see...it has something to do...with what happened when I was very young..."
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"According to this fic, Aura lost her parents to a fire caused by one of Robotnik's attacks while she was still very young," Anthony explained, summarizing what he read in the fic. "She spent her childhood being raised by her brother, Kharis."
"Sounds similar to what happened to many here on this Mobius," Lazer commented. "I bet her brother's worried about where she is..."
"Actually...he's also dead. Aura said so at the beach yesterday," Rebecca commented. "What happened to him?"
"Near the end of the fic, another attack takes place..." Anthony explained. He then took a deep breath and said, a bit more solumnly, "He took a fatal laser blast as he tried to protect Aura."
Several of the group now had frowns on their face to match Anthony's. Mina also began to cry slightly as she remembered what had happened to other families on this version of Mobius. Red Sonic noticed this and drew Mina into an embrace.
"This is where things get a little sticky..." Anthony said, "...because it makes me think I may have been wrong to convince Aura to return."
"How's that, Anth?" Red Sonic asked.
"The reason Aura teleported in the first place...was to get away," Anthony explained. "It was her first thought before her teleportation power kicked in..."
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"...and then I teleported to another world."
Aura had just finished her story to Lisa and Alexa, and both seemed to understand what was going on. "I see..." Alexa said. "That would make sense. With what happened to your parents, it's understandable that you would have a fear of fire."
"Yes..." Aura said, almost sounding like her mind was miles away.
"Still...your lightning ability is similar to the laser blast that killed your brother," Alexa mused, "and you managed to overcome your fear of that."
Aura involuntarily shuddered at that thought, causing her to hug Ryndar closer to herself as a result. Lisa glared at Alexa and said, "Nice going..."
"Well, it's the truth," Alexa said, "and besides, what I described is part of her past, and it cannot hurt her now."
"You call THAT not being hurt?" Lisa asked indicating Aura's reaction. At that time, Hogi-San leaped onto Aura's lap and started cuddling her in order to calm her.
"Lisa...I'm not trying to be cruel," Alexa said. "Since she has the power of fire, and since I cannot fathom any way to remove this power, she's going to have to overcome this fear."
"I'm not so sure, Alexa..." Lisa said, and then turned towards Aura. "Aura?"
"I..." Aura began to say.
"Yes?" Lisa asked, hoping to prompt a response.
"I'm scared..." Aura said.
Lisa walked over to where Aura was and placed a paw on Aura's shoulder, hoping to calm her like Hogi-San was trying to do. Alexa sat back in her chair and began stroking her muzzle in thought, trying to figure out what to do next.
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"So, what are you saying, Anthony?" Red Sonic asked. "We're now going to ask her to stay...after we already gave support for her returning?"
"I'm not sure..." Anthony said, "but it's not going to weigh too well on my conscience if I tell her go if she's afraid to do so."
"Then...perhaps the choice is simpler than you think," Lazer said. "After all...it isn't our choice."
"That's true..." Anthony said. He then looked towards the files that the others have compiled. "At least we have some information we can give Aura if she does decide to return, despite her fears.
Rebecca then said, "Well then...what shall we do now?"
"Why don't we find the others?" Amy suggested, trying to lighten the mood. "We can tell them what we found, and maybe they can help us figure out something."
"Sounds good, Ames..." Anthony said, and then turned towards Mina, who was still presently being held by Red Sonic. "Mina? You okay?"
"Getting there..." Mina said as she wiped away the last of her tears. "It's just...it almost seems her version of Mobius is as bad as ours was..."
"Yeah, I hear ya..." Anthony said. "But, it isn't going to do any good angsting over it...Amy proved that to me."
Amy smiled upon hearing that, and then said, "Then let's go already! I'm WAAAAAAAAAAAAAITING!!!"
Several of the group groaned at that. "Goddess...Ames...please..." Red Sonic said. "Bad enough the guy I'm cloned from says that..." He then noticed Mina giggling a bit. "But at least you cheered up Meens..."
Anthony then shook his head in disbelief and said, "Let's GO already!" The group then filed into the elevator and took it back up.
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Outside of the memorial, the group was still waiting for Shadow to come out. Many were becoming increasingly worried as to what was going through Shadow's mind, and Rouge was even beginning to pace a bit. The only one not worried was Tails, but that was only because he was napping again, using Sally's lap as a pillow. Sally didn't seem to mind, and even patted the young kitsune's head as he dozed.
"Man...he's been in there for more than an hour," Sonic said, looking towards where Shadow was. "What is he doing in there?"
Metal Sonic then looked towards Tyreke and asked, [Tyreke, you're a psion like the Gamemaster is. Can you sense anything?]
"Nothing..." Tyreke said. "If he's feeling anything, I would have sensed it by now."
Rouge, after pacing for a while, then said, "That's it...I'm going back in."
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Rouge?" Sally asked. "He did want to be alone."
"I know..." Rouge said, "but we can't sit here forever. I...um, we..."
"Rouge...go," Julie-Su said. "We understand."
Rouge nodded in understanding, and then headed back towards where Shadow was.
As soon as she had gone back, the group then heard a voice call out. "Guys!"
Several of the group looked up, and saw Anthony, Amy, Red Sonic, Mina, Lazer, and Rebecca running towards them. Sonic was the first to answer. "Anth! You only JUST got up?!?"
"Well...we did a little research before coming here," Lazer said. "We were looking up some stuff for Aura if she decides to return to her Mobius."
"Let me guess..." Tyreke said. "Fleetway comic stuff?"
"On the button," Anthony said, and then looked around at the group. "Okay, two questions. First, why the heck is Tails so tuckered out? Second, where's Rouge?"
"Well...Tails got up pretty early to finish the work on the TGM," Sally said, smiling down at the sleeping kitsune. "As for Rouge..."
"Yeah?" Amy said.
Teila then looked towards where Rouge had went. "She went back towards the monument area over there. That monument was originally built for Shadow...but the name was changed to Maria Kintobor when Shadow was found alive. Shadow just spent the last hour in there doing...who knows what."
"Hmmm..." Anthony said, understanding the situation. "Nothing to do but wait, I guess. Shadow will come out when he's good and ready."
"I agree," Bristy said, standing up and approaching Anthony. "In the meantime, I don't believe we met, Gamemaster." She then extended a paw towards Anthony and said, "I'm Bristy 'Knife' Hedgehog, Ryan's fiancee."
"Oh, pleasure to meet you, Brist...FIANCEE?!?"
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Rouge quietly approached where Shadow was, hoping not to disturb whatever Shadow was doing. As she approached, she saw Shadow still sitting on the ground, looking towards the marker that was set in the ground. He almost appeared to be praying.
As Rogue drew nearer, Shadow's ears perked up and he looked towards where Rouge was. "I wanted to be alone, Rouge..."
"I...I know, Shadow, but..." Rouge said, "I was worried, since you had been sitting here for an hour."
"I'm fine, Rouge..." Shadow said. "I was just...remembering..."
"Remembering?" Rouge asked. "Remembering what?"
"My time aboard the ARK," Shadow said.
Rouge sat down across from where Shadow was sitting and asked, "Not all bad, I hope."
"No," Shadow said. "The only bad times I remember were seeing Maria get killed, and being shot off and put in cryostasis."
"Well...what were some of the good things you remember?" Rouge asked.
Shadow frowned and said, "You wouldn't find them interesting..."
"Don't be so sure of that," Rouge said, snapping Shadow to attention. "Please...tell me."
Shadow looked up towards Rouge, noticing her look of concern, and then said, "Alright..." He then repositioned himself so he was sitting so he was facing Rouge, and then began to talk.
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Anthony, as well as the rest of his group, were soon caught up on events as told by the others. Anthony congradulated Ryan and Bristy on their upcoming nuptuals, and then he and the others decided to wait with the rest of the group for Shadow and Rouge.
"So, you couldn't sense anything?" Anthony asked Tyreke.
"Well...shock at first, but that was probably from seeing Maria's name on the marker," Tyreke explained. "Then...nothing. It's almost as if his mind went blank."
"Or filling up..." Anthony said. "He's probably just looking back on old memories, both good and bad, and a few of them probably have no real emotional significance."
"I see..." Tyreke said.
It was at this time that the group noticed several others approaching them. Sonic was the first to greet them. "Lisa! Aura! Over here!"
Anthony looked up at the approaching individuals, and his eyes widened as he noticed who was with Lisa and Aura. "Alexa?"
Alexa, who was walking with them, walked up to Anthony first and extended a paw in greeting. "I see you recognize me, Gamemaster. Most likely from that site Lisa told me about."
"That's the one," Anthony said. "Please...call me Anthony, though."
"Very well then, Anthony," Alexa said.
It was then that Anthony turned his attention to Aura. She was holding Ryndar, the same as Lisa was holding Hogi-San, but she seemed to be hugging the Chao close to her. He also noticed that Aura was visibly distressed.
"Aura?" Anthony asked. "Are you alright?"
Aura didn't answer right away, but Lisa spoke up for her. "She just had a bit of a scare. I was helping her find out if she had any other powers besides her lightning and teleportation abilities, but..."
"What happened?" Knuckles asked.
"I...don't want it..." Aura said quietly.
"She gained the ability to use fire as well," Alexa said, "and it turns out she's afraid of fire."
"I think we know why, too," Lazer spoke up saying. "Anthony found a fanfiction written by Aura's author self on Earth called 'Hoshiko'. It described what happened to Aura before she left her Mobius."
"Aura," Mina said, looking with concern at Aura, "do you mind if we tell the others what we found?"
Aura shook her head, and then Anthony began to explain what he had found on the fic. Several of the group, including Tails, who had woken up when Aura arrived, were shocked at what Anthony told them.
"By the Walkers..." Julie-Su said.
Aura then began to sob again, and this time Red Sonic stepped forward to lend a shoulder to cry on. Alexa then walked up to Anthony and asked, "She's been asking if there was some way to remove that fire power. It doesn't appear to be any type of magic...so could it be psionics?"
"I would have sensed her talent like I sensed Tyreke's if it was," Anthony said. "Poor girl...now we have two people to worry about."
"Oh?" Alexa said. "Who's the other?"
"Shadow..." Anthony explained. "Rouge is with him now...but he's been at the memorial for a long time..."
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"...and that was the last time Professor Gerald decided to serve me beets. I guess having me spew them all over his shirt was enough of a deterrant..."
Shadow was finishing up telling Rouge of his life on the ARK. This last tidbit was enough to bring a giggle to Rouge. "Sounds like you did have your fun times on the ARK, Shadow," Rouge said.
"Yeah...yeah I did..." Shadow said, his voice beginning to trail off.
Rouge noticed this and asked, "You miss those times dearly...don't you?"
"Yeah, but...it's strange..." Shadow said, looking up at Rouge. "When I shared them with you, they didn't sadden me this time."
Rouge flashed a small half smile towards Shadow. "Maybe all you needed was someone to share your memories with...to ease the burden."
"Yeah...maybe I did..." Shadow said. He then took Rouge's paw in his own, smiling towards her and causing her to blush a bit. He then stood up, still holding on to Rouge, and said, "Come...the others are probably worried about us."
"Alright," Rouge said, standing up as well. The two then left the area, still holding paws, and as they walked, Shadow looked back towards the marker. He then whispered something as if speaking towards the marker.
"Thank you, Maria...for making me happy."
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"You don't have to use that power, Aura."
Anthony was trying to reassure Aura that having the fire power wasn't the end of the world. His statement seemed to calm her, but she still had a bit of fear left from the fact she actually had it.
"But why did I get it, Anthony?" Aura asked.
"I don't know..." Anthony said. "But I've gotten a lot of psi abilities, and I hardly have need for half of them."
"I just wish...there was some way to get rid of it..." Aura said.
Anthony nodded in understanding. "I understand. But if it can't be removed...just don't use it if you're afraid of it."
"Alright..." Aura said.
Just as Anthony finished with Aura, the group noticed movement coming from the area where the memorial marker was. They watched as Shadow and Rouge exited the area, and many smiled in surprise as they noticed that they were holding paws and Rouge had her head on Shadow's shoulder.
"You alright, Shadow?" Sally asked.
Shadow smirked a bit and looked towards Rouge, and then looked back towards Sally. "What do you think, your highness?" Sally giggled at that response, and then Shadow looked around at the group. "I see the rest joined us."
"Yeah...and now that the gang's all here...what next, guys?" Red Sonic asked.
Before anyone could say anything, they heard a loud rumbling coming from somewhere. All eyes looked towards Tails, who was rubbing his stomach area while giggling in an embarrased manner. "Uh...how about someplace with food?" he asked.
Anthony looked towards a nearby clock tower, noticing that it was approaching early evening. "Didn't realize we were waiting here that long..." He then turned towards the rest of the group. "I have an idea...what say we check out that place Big owns?"
"Sounds good..." Lisa said, and then turned towards Aura. "You up for some food, Aura?"
Aura seemed to brighten up after hearing that. "Yeah...after all that's happened, I forgot I haven't eaten all day! Maybe some food will help cheer me up..."
"What say we go grab an early dinner then?" Anthony asked. "In fact...I'm kinda curious to check out that place Big has..."
[Um...] Metal Sonic began to say. [I think I'll head back to Tails's workshop, seeing as how I don't really need to eat...]
"Oh, just come ON, Metal," Teila said, grabbing Metal Sonic's arm as the group began to walk towards their next destination.
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Big's Seafood and Fishing Emporium was, to Anthony at least, a fisherman's dream come true. The store portion appeared to have every type of equipment and supplies available...including a few baits that Anthony didn't recognize. Upon arriving at the seafood restaurant section, the entire group was led into one of the banquet rooms.
"THIS WOULD APPEAR TO BE THE ONLY PLACE THEY COULD ACCOMDATE US..." Gamma commented.
"With a group this big? I'm not surprised, Gamma..." Lazer replied.
After the group was seated, the waiter spoke up. "Before I take your drink orders, may I first say what a pleasure it is to serve all of you...and hope we can make your evening a pleasant one after your adventure aboard the ARK. Also, if it is alright, our host would like to join you."
Anthony smiled upon hearing this. "Big? Of course...I'm sure there are a few here that would like to see him again."
The waiter nodded in understanding, and then took the drink orders of those present. After he left, Shadow asked the group, "You guys met this 'Big', before?"
"Yeah," Sonic said. "He wasn't much of a help...but he did help us fight against Chaos during an incident where Buttnik was trying to use the Servers to turn Chaos into a monster. Seems his frog swallowed part of Chaos at some point, but he managed to retrieve it using his fishing skill to get it out of Chaos when Chaos swallowed his frog!"
"They put that in the game, too..." Anthony said, looking as if he was rubbing his chest. "Thankfully, his frog won't have another chance at swallowing any part of Chaos."
As the group began to settle down and talk among themselves, after a while, a large purple cat walked in. Anthony noticed that he was large for a Mobian, even appearing to be about the same height as a mid sized human. Amy also noticed him walk in, and ran up to meet him. "Big! Hi there!"
"Hello, Miss Amy..." Big said, returning the favor as Amy gave Big a hug. He then turned towards the rest of the group, "I am honored to have you all here."
"Hey...thank Anth," Sonic said. "It was his idea to come here."
Big walked up to Anthony, where Anthony shook the paw of the oversized cat. "A pleasure to meet a fellow lover of fishing, Big, " Anthony said.
"...and you as well, Mister Gamemaster Sir," Big said in response, causing Anthony to sigh and shake his head.
"Big...for God's sake...just Anthony is fine," Anthony said.
"Alright, Mister Just Anthony," Big said, causing Anthony to facefault.
"I'm fighting a losing battle, aren't I?" Anthony said to Red Sonic.
"OH yeah..." Red Sonic said.
As Big began to talk with the rest of the group, even getting up to speed on what happened with the PHM and the ARK, Sonic looked over towards the the two bots present. He almost seemed to sense something in Metal Sonic, and then turned towards Teila and Tyreke.
"Hey guys...is something wrong with Metal?" Sonic asked them. "The guy kinda looks down in the dumps..."
"Well...he kinda is," Tyreke said. "Hard to believe I'm feeling sorry for a bot, but the guy's worried."
"Worried?!?" Sonic said, surprised at that statement. "About what?"
"He's afraid of what's going to happen to him," Teila said. "Specifically...he's afraid of being shut down. Or rather..."
"...he's afraid of 'dying'," Sonic said, understanding what Teila was referring to. He then walked over to Metal Sonic and said, "Hey, Metal...can we talk privately?"
[About what?] Metal asked.
"Just stuff...for when we return to New Mobotropolis," Sonic said.
Metal Sonic shrugged and followed Sonic out of the room and towards a nearby hallway. [So...what's up, Sonic?]
"Well...I just wanted to reassure you that we are going to make sure nothing's gonna happen to you," Sonic said. "Tay told me you've been stressing..."
[Oh...] Metal Sonic said, turning away. [You needn't bother...I'm nothing more than a robot, and to most of Mobius I'm still the enemy...]
"Hey..." Sonic said, turning Metal Sonic back towards him. "You're a lot more than that! I mean...you were made with my life data, and you risked your neck to help us! You even fought the guy that was previously your best friend!"
[I...I know, but...] Metal Sonic began to say, but then Sonic interrupted him.
"But nothing, Metal!" Sonic said. "What happens to you happens to me in a way...and unless Mobius loses its mind and thinks I should be killed, there's no way they would kill the guy that's like me...even if he is a bot!"
[Even...after all that's happened?] Metal Sonic asked. [After all our battles...all I've done...]
"...means squat!" Sonic said. "This is now! You overrode Buttnik's programming...so the guy who did the bad deeds is gone! Besides...it's kinda cool to have another guy like me..." He then gave Metal Sonic a lookover. "Especially since the color's right..."
Metal Sonic looked up at Sonic and said, [You mean it?]
"Of course," Sonic said, placing a paw on Metal Sonic's shoulder. "Just like Red Sonic, you're my bro. I don't wanna see you go for no reason."
[I'm...your...] Metal Sonic began to say, appearing to stammer a little, and then looked away.
"Metal...what's wrong?" Sonic asked.
[I...think my optics are damaged...] Metal said. He then looked towards Sonic, and Sonic noticed streaks of oil running down from Metal Sonic's eyes.
Sonic smiled and said, "Nothing wrong, bro...you're just crying. If anything...that's proof you're more than just a bot."
Metal Sonic wiped at the oil, glacing at it in his metal paw for a while. He then looked back up towards Sonic and said, [Th...thank you, Sonic.] He then regained his composure and said, [I really needed that.]
Sonic could tell Metal would be smiling, if he had the facial features to show such a look. "It's nothing, bro. Come on...let's get back inside."
As the two of them walked back into the room, they noticed that not only had the drinks arrvied, but so had the main course. The latter of which was causing Anthony to react...seeing as how it was...
"A MARLIN?!?" Anthony said as the dish was brought in. He then looked towards Big and asked, "Where the heck did you fish this up?!?"
"Just off of Emerald Coast," Big said. "Great fishing there!"
Anthony then turned towards Sonic, who was already about to laugh, and said, "Okay...next time I come here, I'm bringing my tackle."
"Anth...maybe you should offer bring Big to Minnsota for fishing instead," Sonic said.
"He did," Big said, turning towards Anthony. "Are there really ten thounsand lakes in Minnesota, Mister Anthony Sir?"
"Oh, come on...that's GOTTA be an exaggeration," Ryan said, not believing that.
"Well...actually, the real number of lakes is closer to 10,200," Anthony said.
The entire group gaped at what Anthony said, and Big looked like he was going to faint.
"You should have contacted me earlier..."
Lisa opened the door wide to let in a friend of hers. She was a tall reddish furred fox who was wearing a gold locket around her neck, and appeared to walk with a sort of pride and purpose. Her name was Alexandra Sapfo Luminis, or Alexa to her friends, one of whom was Lisa, in a way. Though really, Lisa and Alexa were magic rivals, always challenging each other to magic duels. Alexa would always offer to help Lisa when she practiced her magic, but Lisa preferred to learn on her own.
"Had you come to me first...perhaps this wouldn't have happened to Aura..."
Unfortunately...this meant leaving herself open to Alexa's barbs. Though meant in fun, Lisa still can't take a few of them.
"Look...if I knew she'd react like this, I would have asked for your help," Lisa said. "I didn't she would, seeing as how she used lightning before..."
"Well, it's rare that you DO think..." Alexa kiddingly said, causing Lisa to seethe a bit. "But I do see your point. Perhaps there is something more to Aura's reaction..."
Lisa led Alexa into a room where Aura was laying down. Aura was currently hugging her legs close to her, almost in the same fetal position she was in earlier. The only difference was she wasn't screaming anymore, but was half asleep from fatigue from when she was screaming. Ryndar was presently licking at her face, trying to comfort his "mother" as well as wiping her tears. Hogi-San, who was also watching over Aura, walked over to Lisa and allowed himself to be picked up by her.
"She's been like that for the past hour or so..." Lisa explained. "After she finally stopped screaming after she used that fireball power, she broke down into heavy sobs and when she stopped crying, she fell asleep out of exhaustion."
"Hmmm...well, we'd best not wake her right now," Alexa said, sitting down in a nearby chair and continuing to watch over Aura. "She'll probably tell us once she's awake and feels ready to talk. Besides...looks like her Chao is helping calm her down a bit..."
Lisa smiled a bit as she watched Ryndar continuing to "kiss" Aura. As she grabbed another chair and sat down, Alexa then spoke up. "So...while we're waiting for Aura to awaken, tell me about this adventure you had aboard the Colony ARK..."
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Very little was being said in the hotel room...
After Anthony had finished explaining to the group why they had seen Amy needing to comfort him, several present were unsure what to say in reaction to it. At the present, they were nibbling on the donuts that Amy had brought, since she had gotten enough to share.
After a while, Lazer then spoke up. "Anthony...if it's any consolation, I've felt the same way as you. I've wished that what happened on Mobius never happened as well..."
Anthony looked up towards Lazer and said, "Yeah, right. Did you wish that this world would cease to exist?"
"At one point...I actually did..." Lazer said, surprising Anthony a bit. "I was really upset at what happened to Xadra...so much so that I wished everything would just...disappear."
"Damn..." Anthony said, shocked a bit.
"It's nothing to be surprised about, Anthony," Mina said. "No one wants to see anything bad happen to anybody...so it's natural to wish something bad never happened."
"Yeah...you're right..." Anthony said.
"At least you've finally come to terms with what you've experienced," Rebecca said. "Hopefully, you can move on...like Lazer and I have despite what happened to Xadra."
Anthony nodded in agreement. "I think I'm ready to do so...and I know the perfect way to start."
"How's that?" Red Sonic asked.
Anthony stood up and then addressed the group. "Well...right now, Aura is planning on returning to her own Mobius to help with the freedom fight going on there. Our war is over...so I figure we can at least help with her's."
"How are we going to do that, Anthony?" Amy asked.
"Simple..." Anthony said, and then turned towards Lazer and Red Sonic. "Guys...I assume your computers are connected to Earth's internet?"
"Well, yeah...but why...?" Lazer began to say, and then realized what Anthony was suggesting. "Oh, I get it...since Aura's Mobius was covered in the Fleetway comic, we can use Earth's information on the Fleetway comic to prepare her!"
"You got it," Anthony said. "So...shall we get to work?"
"Alright...we'll get the computers up and running," Red Sonic said, as he, Rebecca, Mina, and Lazer filed back into the elevator.
As Amy got up, following them, Anthony spoke up saying, "Amy...wait a minute. I want to speak to you..." He then looked towards the others and said, "We'll meet you in a minute, guys."
"Alright...but don't take too long. Mina here has the patience of Sonic," Red Sonic quipped.
"RED!!!" Mina said, as the elevator doors closed.
As soon as the elevator closed, Amy looked towards Anthony and asked, "What is it, Anthony?"
Anthony kneeled down to Amy's level and said, "I just wanted to thank you...for lending me that shoulder to cry on. I really appreciate it."
"Aw...it was nothing," Amy said. "You've done that for me many times and besides...what's family for, 'big brother'?"
Anthony smiled and then drew Amy into a tight hug, which Amy returned with a smile of her own. After a while, the two of them then walked to where the elevator was which led to the old Freedom Fighter base, which the others went into. Anthony then stopped and frowned.
"What's wrong, Anthony?" Amy asked.
"I need to send them a telepathic message to come back up..." Anthony said. "I forgot that my handprint doesn't work on the reader."
Amy promptly facefaulted.
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Sonic's group was currently filing out of a clothing store, which had decided to stay open despite recent events. Rouge was currently carrying a small bag which had some spare socks and gloves for Shadow. The group was talking about where they should go next. It was at that time that they saw another group walking towards them...which included Teila, Tyreke, Metal Sonic, Gamma, and a very sleepy looking Tails.
"Hey there, guys!" Sonic said, waving as they approached. He then laid eyes on Tails. "Whoa...you look wiped, bro."
"He's still kinda groggy from his naps," Teila said, giggling a bit. "He took one at the workshop and another one on the train here."
"Maybe you shouldn't have gottten up so early to fix the TGM, Tails..." Sally remarked.
"Well...I had to do it sometime before we left," Tails said.
"WHAT IS OUR NEXT OBJECTIVE?" Gamma asked in his typical monotone.
"Well...uh...we were still discussing that," Bristy said.
It was then that Tyreke noticed Bristy in the group. "Bristy? When did you get back?"
"Just this morning," Bristy said, and then showed her engagement ring. "But, it was enough time to tell of mine and Ryan's upcoming nuptuals..."
Teila squealed in delight, and then started to congradulate Bristy. Metal Sonic was still covering his metal ears. [Cripes...that nearly took out a sensor!]
"Oh, sorry, Metal..." Teila said.
"Well...let's keep walking," Julie-Su said. "We can catch you guys up on what Bristy told us about the wedding!"
As the group continued to walk and talk, they eventually reached the park where the memorial marker to Shadow was put. Sonic glanced towards where it was as they passed the park.
"What are you looking at, Sonic?" Shadow asked.
"Well...remember how we thought you were dead?" Sonic asked, prompting a nod from Shadow. Sonic then pointed towards the park and said, "We put a marker in your honor in a secluded area of that park over there. A private memorial from the Freedom Fighters."
Shadow looked towards where Sonic was pointing and asked, "Really? Can I see it?"
"Well, you can, but..." Rouge began to say.
"What is it, Rouge?" Knuckles asked.
"After the city learned that Shadow was alive and well on the ARK, the name was changed on the marker," Rouge explained.
Several of the group looked at each other in confusion, unsure whose name could have been put on it. Shadow then spoke up. "I'd like to see it anyway."
Sonic and Sally, as well as others in the group, all nodded in understanding and led Shadow towards the marker. They led him towards the clearing and showed him the marker, and Shadow read the inscription out loud. "In loving memory of a hero who made everyone happy..."
He then gasped...and just stared at the name on the marker.
Sonic looked over Shadow's shoulder and gasped as well, noticing the name on the marker.
MARIA KINTOBOR
Sonic then turned towards the other and spoke quietly towards them. "It's Maria...her name on the marker now."
Several of the group began to nod in understanding and looked back towards Shadow. Shadow began to kneel near the marker and then began to finger the lettering of Maria's name.
"Shadow?" Sally began to say, showing concern for the dark hedgehog.
"Please leave me..." Shadow said, speaking almost in a whisper. "I'd like to be alone right now."
Several of the group were unsure whether they should, and then Rouge nodded, signaling to the others that they probably should leave him alone. They began to walk away from the marker, leaving Shadow still kneeling in front of the marker. They stopped just near the edge of the park, and began to gather, still keeping an eye where Shadow was.
"Poor guy...who knows what he's going through right now," Sonic said as he turned towards the group, focusing on Rouge. "Rouge, why was Maria's name put on that marker?"
"The government felt it was only fair, seeing as how Maria actually sacrificed herself to save Shadow...who in turn helped Sonic fight the Biolizard," Rouge explained.
The group nodded in understanding, and then turned back towards where Shadow was. "We'll wait for him," Bristy said. "He'll come out when he feels he's ready."
"Yeah..." Teila said, agreeing. She then added, "I hope..."
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"All that psi ability...and zero foresight. Maybe they should call it 'Anthony Bault syndrome', instead of 'Dr. Robotnik Syndrome'..."
Anthony's comment made the group laugh as Anthony's palmprint was being read into a scanner, thus allowing him to use the elevator to the former base when needed. The group then turned their attentions to several computer screens, all of which were connected to Earth's internet.
"Okay...let's get surfing!" Red Sonic said as the group began to get ready.
"So...we basically just need to look for any information of the Fleetway series," Rebecca said, "and that should give us information on Aura's world?"
"Hopefully...if I am right about the fics that the author self of Aura plans to write," Anthony said. "Actually...the previous fics she removed from the net also appeared Fleetway based, so we should be on target."
"Good...then this should be easy," Lazer said, as he began to type in several addresses.
"While you guys are looking for that info, I'm going to look at the author self's account on Fanfiction.net to see if I can find anything," Anthony said.
"You should find this interesting then," Mina said. "You may find...yourself on that site!"
Anthony raised an eyebrow at this and looked at Mina. "The HELL?!? What are you talking about? My author self is on Rift-Earth, and we're looking at Arcadia-Earth's internet."
Mina giggled a bit, and then continued. "Washu found a way to make it so the fics all unite on a single site, whether it is posted on Arcadia-Earth's, Rift-Earth's, or Ani-Earth's version of that site."
Anthony shook his head in disbelief, and then commented, "Too bad I don't know my author self's login...I could probably undo his mistakes so he looks less like a doofus!"
(A/N: I don't believe this! My own SIFF is making fun of me!)
"Aw, leave him alone, Anthony," Amy said. "At least he was nice enough to write about your adventures!"
(A/N: Thanks, Ames...)
"True enough," Anthony said, as he brought up the FF.net account of Aura Starfire. He then began to peruse the files on it. "Well...looks like I was on the money. Aura's author self has a fic here called 'After the Battle' which seems to chronicle what Sonic went through after Johnny's death. Even takes the 'It's a Wonderful Life' approach and shows Sonic what the world would've been like without him..." He then snickered a bit and said, "Hey Ames...you finally get to kiss the guy!"
Amy giggled a bit at that, and then Anthony glanced at another file. "Hmmm...this should be interesting..."
"What is it, Anthony?" Amy asked.
"There's a fic here called 'Hoshiko', and it seems to be about Aura," Anthony said. He then opened the link to the story.
His next utterance best described what he saw...
"Oh my God..."
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After a while, Aura began to wake up as the fatigue she was waking up from began to fade. As she began to collect her thoughts, she noticed Ryndar clinging to her, half-asleep, and began to hug the tiny Chao. She was still scared of what had transpired earlier, and wished it was all just a bad nightmare.
In fact...she was so fixated on what had happened that Alexa had to clear her throat to get her attention. An action which nearly caused Aura to jump out of her skin.
"I apologize, Miss Starfire," Alexa said, trying to calm Aura down. "I wanted to know whether you were okay enough to talk."
"I...I suppose so..." Aura said, finally looking up towards Alexa. "Wh...who are you?"
"My apologies..." Alexa said. "My name is Alexandra Sapfo Luminis, but you can just call me Alexa. I'm a friend of Lisa's, and an expert in many types of magicks."
Aura then looked up with a glint of hope in her eyes. "Then...you can get rid of this fire power I seem to have?"
Alexa frowned and said, "I don't think so. Right now I'm more concerned with why you reacted so negatively to it. Lisa tells me you're also able to use lightning, which is similar in nature."
Aura frowned and looked back down towards Ryndar. "I...I don't know if I can say..."
Lisa then spoke up. "Aura...if you're afraid to say, we understand, but we'd like to try to help."
"I understand..." Aura said, hugging Ryndar closer. "But you see...it has something to do...with what happened when I was very young..."
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"According to this fic, Aura lost her parents to a fire caused by one of Robotnik's attacks while she was still very young," Anthony explained, summarizing what he read in the fic. "She spent her childhood being raised by her brother, Kharis."
"Sounds similar to what happened to many here on this Mobius," Lazer commented. "I bet her brother's worried about where she is..."
"Actually...he's also dead. Aura said so at the beach yesterday," Rebecca commented. "What happened to him?"
"Near the end of the fic, another attack takes place..." Anthony explained. He then took a deep breath and said, a bit more solumnly, "He took a fatal laser blast as he tried to protect Aura."
Several of the group now had frowns on their face to match Anthony's. Mina also began to cry slightly as she remembered what had happened to other families on this version of Mobius. Red Sonic noticed this and drew Mina into an embrace.
"This is where things get a little sticky..." Anthony said, "...because it makes me think I may have been wrong to convince Aura to return."
"How's that, Anth?" Red Sonic asked.
"The reason Aura teleported in the first place...was to get away," Anthony explained. "It was her first thought before her teleportation power kicked in..."
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"...and then I teleported to another world."
Aura had just finished her story to Lisa and Alexa, and both seemed to understand what was going on. "I see..." Alexa said. "That would make sense. With what happened to your parents, it's understandable that you would have a fear of fire."
"Yes..." Aura said, almost sounding like her mind was miles away.
"Still...your lightning ability is similar to the laser blast that killed your brother," Alexa mused, "and you managed to overcome your fear of that."
Aura involuntarily shuddered at that thought, causing her to hug Ryndar closer to herself as a result. Lisa glared at Alexa and said, "Nice going..."
"Well, it's the truth," Alexa said, "and besides, what I described is part of her past, and it cannot hurt her now."
"You call THAT not being hurt?" Lisa asked indicating Aura's reaction. At that time, Hogi-San leaped onto Aura's lap and started cuddling her in order to calm her.
"Lisa...I'm not trying to be cruel," Alexa said. "Since she has the power of fire, and since I cannot fathom any way to remove this power, she's going to have to overcome this fear."
"I'm not so sure, Alexa..." Lisa said, and then turned towards Aura. "Aura?"
"I..." Aura began to say.
"Yes?" Lisa asked, hoping to prompt a response.
"I'm scared..." Aura said.
Lisa walked over to where Aura was and placed a paw on Aura's shoulder, hoping to calm her like Hogi-San was trying to do. Alexa sat back in her chair and began stroking her muzzle in thought, trying to figure out what to do next.
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"So, what are you saying, Anthony?" Red Sonic asked. "We're now going to ask her to stay...after we already gave support for her returning?"
"I'm not sure..." Anthony said, "but it's not going to weigh too well on my conscience if I tell her go if she's afraid to do so."
"Then...perhaps the choice is simpler than you think," Lazer said. "After all...it isn't our choice."
"That's true..." Anthony said. He then looked towards the files that the others have compiled. "At least we have some information we can give Aura if she does decide to return, despite her fears.
Rebecca then said, "Well then...what shall we do now?"
"Why don't we find the others?" Amy suggested, trying to lighten the mood. "We can tell them what we found, and maybe they can help us figure out something."
"Sounds good, Ames..." Anthony said, and then turned towards Mina, who was still presently being held by Red Sonic. "Mina? You okay?"
"Getting there..." Mina said as she wiped away the last of her tears. "It's just...it almost seems her version of Mobius is as bad as ours was..."
"Yeah, I hear ya..." Anthony said. "But, it isn't going to do any good angsting over it...Amy proved that to me."
Amy smiled upon hearing that, and then said, "Then let's go already! I'm WAAAAAAAAAAAAAITING!!!"
Several of the group groaned at that. "Goddess...Ames...please..." Red Sonic said. "Bad enough the guy I'm cloned from says that..." He then noticed Mina giggling a bit. "But at least you cheered up Meens..."
Anthony then shook his head in disbelief and said, "Let's GO already!" The group then filed into the elevator and took it back up.
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Outside of the memorial, the group was still waiting for Shadow to come out. Many were becoming increasingly worried as to what was going through Shadow's mind, and Rouge was even beginning to pace a bit. The only one not worried was Tails, but that was only because he was napping again, using Sally's lap as a pillow. Sally didn't seem to mind, and even patted the young kitsune's head as he dozed.
"Man...he's been in there for more than an hour," Sonic said, looking towards where Shadow was. "What is he doing in there?"
Metal Sonic then looked towards Tyreke and asked, [Tyreke, you're a psion like the Gamemaster is. Can you sense anything?]
"Nothing..." Tyreke said. "If he's feeling anything, I would have sensed it by now."
Rouge, after pacing for a while, then said, "That's it...I'm going back in."
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Rouge?" Sally asked. "He did want to be alone."
"I know..." Rouge said, "but we can't sit here forever. I...um, we..."
"Rouge...go," Julie-Su said. "We understand."
Rouge nodded in understanding, and then headed back towards where Shadow was.
As soon as she had gone back, the group then heard a voice call out. "Guys!"
Several of the group looked up, and saw Anthony, Amy, Red Sonic, Mina, Lazer, and Rebecca running towards them. Sonic was the first to answer. "Anth! You only JUST got up?!?"
"Well...we did a little research before coming here," Lazer said. "We were looking up some stuff for Aura if she decides to return to her Mobius."
"Let me guess..." Tyreke said. "Fleetway comic stuff?"
"On the button," Anthony said, and then looked around at the group. "Okay, two questions. First, why the heck is Tails so tuckered out? Second, where's Rouge?"
"Well...Tails got up pretty early to finish the work on the TGM," Sally said, smiling down at the sleeping kitsune. "As for Rouge..."
"Yeah?" Amy said.
Teila then looked towards where Rouge had went. "She went back towards the monument area over there. That monument was originally built for Shadow...but the name was changed to Maria Kintobor when Shadow was found alive. Shadow just spent the last hour in there doing...who knows what."
"Hmmm..." Anthony said, understanding the situation. "Nothing to do but wait, I guess. Shadow will come out when he's good and ready."
"I agree," Bristy said, standing up and approaching Anthony. "In the meantime, I don't believe we met, Gamemaster." She then extended a paw towards Anthony and said, "I'm Bristy 'Knife' Hedgehog, Ryan's fiancee."
"Oh, pleasure to meet you, Brist...FIANCEE?!?"
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Rouge quietly approached where Shadow was, hoping not to disturb whatever Shadow was doing. As she approached, she saw Shadow still sitting on the ground, looking towards the marker that was set in the ground. He almost appeared to be praying.
As Rogue drew nearer, Shadow's ears perked up and he looked towards where Rouge was. "I wanted to be alone, Rouge..."
"I...I know, Shadow, but..." Rouge said, "I was worried, since you had been sitting here for an hour."
"I'm fine, Rouge..." Shadow said. "I was just...remembering..."
"Remembering?" Rouge asked. "Remembering what?"
"My time aboard the ARK," Shadow said.
Rouge sat down across from where Shadow was sitting and asked, "Not all bad, I hope."
"No," Shadow said. "The only bad times I remember were seeing Maria get killed, and being shot off and put in cryostasis."
"Well...what were some of the good things you remember?" Rouge asked.
Shadow frowned and said, "You wouldn't find them interesting..."
"Don't be so sure of that," Rouge said, snapping Shadow to attention. "Please...tell me."
Shadow looked up towards Rouge, noticing her look of concern, and then said, "Alright..." He then repositioned himself so he was sitting so he was facing Rouge, and then began to talk.
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Anthony, as well as the rest of his group, were soon caught up on events as told by the others. Anthony congradulated Ryan and Bristy on their upcoming nuptuals, and then he and the others decided to wait with the rest of the group for Shadow and Rouge.
"So, you couldn't sense anything?" Anthony asked Tyreke.
"Well...shock at first, but that was probably from seeing Maria's name on the marker," Tyreke explained. "Then...nothing. It's almost as if his mind went blank."
"Or filling up..." Anthony said. "He's probably just looking back on old memories, both good and bad, and a few of them probably have no real emotional significance."
"I see..." Tyreke said.
It was at this time that the group noticed several others approaching them. Sonic was the first to greet them. "Lisa! Aura! Over here!"
Anthony looked up at the approaching individuals, and his eyes widened as he noticed who was with Lisa and Aura. "Alexa?"
Alexa, who was walking with them, walked up to Anthony first and extended a paw in greeting. "I see you recognize me, Gamemaster. Most likely from that site Lisa told me about."
"That's the one," Anthony said. "Please...call me Anthony, though."
"Very well then, Anthony," Alexa said.
It was then that Anthony turned his attention to Aura. She was holding Ryndar, the same as Lisa was holding Hogi-San, but she seemed to be hugging the Chao close to her. He also noticed that Aura was visibly distressed.
"Aura?" Anthony asked. "Are you alright?"
Aura didn't answer right away, but Lisa spoke up for her. "She just had a bit of a scare. I was helping her find out if she had any other powers besides her lightning and teleportation abilities, but..."
"What happened?" Knuckles asked.
"I...don't want it..." Aura said quietly.
"She gained the ability to use fire as well," Alexa said, "and it turns out she's afraid of fire."
"I think we know why, too," Lazer spoke up saying. "Anthony found a fanfiction written by Aura's author self on Earth called 'Hoshiko'. It described what happened to Aura before she left her Mobius."
"Aura," Mina said, looking with concern at Aura, "do you mind if we tell the others what we found?"
Aura shook her head, and then Anthony began to explain what he had found on the fic. Several of the group, including Tails, who had woken up when Aura arrived, were shocked at what Anthony told them.
"By the Walkers..." Julie-Su said.
Aura then began to sob again, and this time Red Sonic stepped forward to lend a shoulder to cry on. Alexa then walked up to Anthony and asked, "She's been asking if there was some way to remove that fire power. It doesn't appear to be any type of magic...so could it be psionics?"
"I would have sensed her talent like I sensed Tyreke's if it was," Anthony said. "Poor girl...now we have two people to worry about."
"Oh?" Alexa said. "Who's the other?"
"Shadow..." Anthony explained. "Rouge is with him now...but he's been at the memorial for a long time..."
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"...and that was the last time Professor Gerald decided to serve me beets. I guess having me spew them all over his shirt was enough of a deterrant..."
Shadow was finishing up telling Rouge of his life on the ARK. This last tidbit was enough to bring a giggle to Rouge. "Sounds like you did have your fun times on the ARK, Shadow," Rouge said.
"Yeah...yeah I did..." Shadow said, his voice beginning to trail off.
Rouge noticed this and asked, "You miss those times dearly...don't you?"
"Yeah, but...it's strange..." Shadow said, looking up at Rouge. "When I shared them with you, they didn't sadden me this time."
Rouge flashed a small half smile towards Shadow. "Maybe all you needed was someone to share your memories with...to ease the burden."
"Yeah...maybe I did..." Shadow said. He then took Rouge's paw in his own, smiling towards her and causing her to blush a bit. He then stood up, still holding on to Rouge, and said, "Come...the others are probably worried about us."
"Alright," Rouge said, standing up as well. The two then left the area, still holding paws, and as they walked, Shadow looked back towards the marker. He then whispered something as if speaking towards the marker.
"Thank you, Maria...for making me happy."
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"You don't have to use that power, Aura."
Anthony was trying to reassure Aura that having the fire power wasn't the end of the world. His statement seemed to calm her, but she still had a bit of fear left from the fact she actually had it.
"But why did I get it, Anthony?" Aura asked.
"I don't know..." Anthony said. "But I've gotten a lot of psi abilities, and I hardly have need for half of them."
"I just wish...there was some way to get rid of it..." Aura said.
Anthony nodded in understanding. "I understand. But if it can't be removed...just don't use it if you're afraid of it."
"Alright..." Aura said.
Just as Anthony finished with Aura, the group noticed movement coming from the area where the memorial marker was. They watched as Shadow and Rouge exited the area, and many smiled in surprise as they noticed that they were holding paws and Rouge had her head on Shadow's shoulder.
"You alright, Shadow?" Sally asked.
Shadow smirked a bit and looked towards Rouge, and then looked back towards Sally. "What do you think, your highness?" Sally giggled at that response, and then Shadow looked around at the group. "I see the rest joined us."
"Yeah...and now that the gang's all here...what next, guys?" Red Sonic asked.
Before anyone could say anything, they heard a loud rumbling coming from somewhere. All eyes looked towards Tails, who was rubbing his stomach area while giggling in an embarrased manner. "Uh...how about someplace with food?" he asked.
Anthony looked towards a nearby clock tower, noticing that it was approaching early evening. "Didn't realize we were waiting here that long..." He then turned towards the rest of the group. "I have an idea...what say we check out that place Big owns?"
"Sounds good..." Lisa said, and then turned towards Aura. "You up for some food, Aura?"
Aura seemed to brighten up after hearing that. "Yeah...after all that's happened, I forgot I haven't eaten all day! Maybe some food will help cheer me up..."
"What say we go grab an early dinner then?" Anthony asked. "In fact...I'm kinda curious to check out that place Big has..."
[Um...] Metal Sonic began to say. [I think I'll head back to Tails's workshop, seeing as how I don't really need to eat...]
"Oh, just come ON, Metal," Teila said, grabbing Metal Sonic's arm as the group began to walk towards their next destination.
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Big's Seafood and Fishing Emporium was, to Anthony at least, a fisherman's dream come true. The store portion appeared to have every type of equipment and supplies available...including a few baits that Anthony didn't recognize. Upon arriving at the seafood restaurant section, the entire group was led into one of the banquet rooms.
"THIS WOULD APPEAR TO BE THE ONLY PLACE THEY COULD ACCOMDATE US..." Gamma commented.
"With a group this big? I'm not surprised, Gamma..." Lazer replied.
After the group was seated, the waiter spoke up. "Before I take your drink orders, may I first say what a pleasure it is to serve all of you...and hope we can make your evening a pleasant one after your adventure aboard the ARK. Also, if it is alright, our host would like to join you."
Anthony smiled upon hearing this. "Big? Of course...I'm sure there are a few here that would like to see him again."
The waiter nodded in understanding, and then took the drink orders of those present. After he left, Shadow asked the group, "You guys met this 'Big', before?"
"Yeah," Sonic said. "He wasn't much of a help...but he did help us fight against Chaos during an incident where Buttnik was trying to use the Servers to turn Chaos into a monster. Seems his frog swallowed part of Chaos at some point, but he managed to retrieve it using his fishing skill to get it out of Chaos when Chaos swallowed his frog!"
"They put that in the game, too..." Anthony said, looking as if he was rubbing his chest. "Thankfully, his frog won't have another chance at swallowing any part of Chaos."
As the group began to settle down and talk among themselves, after a while, a large purple cat walked in. Anthony noticed that he was large for a Mobian, even appearing to be about the same height as a mid sized human. Amy also noticed him walk in, and ran up to meet him. "Big! Hi there!"
"Hello, Miss Amy..." Big said, returning the favor as Amy gave Big a hug. He then turned towards the rest of the group, "I am honored to have you all here."
"Hey...thank Anth," Sonic said. "It was his idea to come here."
Big walked up to Anthony, where Anthony shook the paw of the oversized cat. "A pleasure to meet a fellow lover of fishing, Big, " Anthony said.
"...and you as well, Mister Gamemaster Sir," Big said in response, causing Anthony to sigh and shake his head.
"Big...for God's sake...just Anthony is fine," Anthony said.
"Alright, Mister Just Anthony," Big said, causing Anthony to facefault.
"I'm fighting a losing battle, aren't I?" Anthony said to Red Sonic.
"OH yeah..." Red Sonic said.
As Big began to talk with the rest of the group, even getting up to speed on what happened with the PHM and the ARK, Sonic looked over towards the the two bots present. He almost seemed to sense something in Metal Sonic, and then turned towards Teila and Tyreke.
"Hey guys...is something wrong with Metal?" Sonic asked them. "The guy kinda looks down in the dumps..."
"Well...he kinda is," Tyreke said. "Hard to believe I'm feeling sorry for a bot, but the guy's worried."
"Worried?!?" Sonic said, surprised at that statement. "About what?"
"He's afraid of what's going to happen to him," Teila said. "Specifically...he's afraid of being shut down. Or rather..."
"...he's afraid of 'dying'," Sonic said, understanding what Teila was referring to. He then walked over to Metal Sonic and said, "Hey, Metal...can we talk privately?"
[About what?] Metal asked.
"Just stuff...for when we return to New Mobotropolis," Sonic said.
Metal Sonic shrugged and followed Sonic out of the room and towards a nearby hallway. [So...what's up, Sonic?]
"Well...I just wanted to reassure you that we are going to make sure nothing's gonna happen to you," Sonic said. "Tay told me you've been stressing..."
[Oh...] Metal Sonic said, turning away. [You needn't bother...I'm nothing more than a robot, and to most of Mobius I'm still the enemy...]
"Hey..." Sonic said, turning Metal Sonic back towards him. "You're a lot more than that! I mean...you were made with my life data, and you risked your neck to help us! You even fought the guy that was previously your best friend!"
[I...I know, but...] Metal Sonic began to say, but then Sonic interrupted him.
"But nothing, Metal!" Sonic said. "What happens to you happens to me in a way...and unless Mobius loses its mind and thinks I should be killed, there's no way they would kill the guy that's like me...even if he is a bot!"
[Even...after all that's happened?] Metal Sonic asked. [After all our battles...all I've done...]
"...means squat!" Sonic said. "This is now! You overrode Buttnik's programming...so the guy who did the bad deeds is gone! Besides...it's kinda cool to have another guy like me..." He then gave Metal Sonic a lookover. "Especially since the color's right..."
Metal Sonic looked up at Sonic and said, [You mean it?]
"Of course," Sonic said, placing a paw on Metal Sonic's shoulder. "Just like Red Sonic, you're my bro. I don't wanna see you go for no reason."
[I'm...your...] Metal Sonic began to say, appearing to stammer a little, and then looked away.
"Metal...what's wrong?" Sonic asked.
[I...think my optics are damaged...] Metal said. He then looked towards Sonic, and Sonic noticed streaks of oil running down from Metal Sonic's eyes.
Sonic smiled and said, "Nothing wrong, bro...you're just crying. If anything...that's proof you're more than just a bot."
Metal Sonic wiped at the oil, glacing at it in his metal paw for a while. He then looked back up towards Sonic and said, [Th...thank you, Sonic.] He then regained his composure and said, [I really needed that.]
Sonic could tell Metal would be smiling, if he had the facial features to show such a look. "It's nothing, bro. Come on...let's get back inside."
As the two of them walked back into the room, they noticed that not only had the drinks arrvied, but so had the main course. The latter of which was causing Anthony to react...seeing as how it was...
"A MARLIN?!?" Anthony said as the dish was brought in. He then looked towards Big and asked, "Where the heck did you fish this up?!?"
"Just off of Emerald Coast," Big said. "Great fishing there!"
Anthony then turned towards Sonic, who was already about to laugh, and said, "Okay...next time I come here, I'm bringing my tackle."
"Anth...maybe you should offer bring Big to Minnsota for fishing instead," Sonic said.
"He did," Big said, turning towards Anthony. "Are there really ten thounsand lakes in Minnesota, Mister Anthony Sir?"
"Oh, come on...that's GOTTA be an exaggeration," Ryan said, not believing that.
"Well...actually, the real number of lakes is closer to 10,200," Anthony said.
The entire group gaped at what Anthony said, and Big looked like he was going to faint.