Luff: Today's episode will show what happens to Sonic and Shadow as well as finding out more about the mysterious characters from episode 15!
S. Chensu: Time for reviewer replies:
Yugi and Mai- We love your poem, it's really great. But I would like to point out Yugi is not 5'5''; he's only 5'. And "thee" means you, not me. Despite the fact they rhyme. And thanks for telling us about your bodily functions Mai… And as for when S. Chensu's Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction will be up, as soon as she's finished chapter six. Which is getting too long so it won't be done for another two weeks or so. Plus the fact she has lovely Biology coursework to do…
Dragon Master Naya- In response to your review, we can only say 00 too. Why do you want a feather? We don't get it…
RichaCo- We're sorry for breaking them up but don't worry, everything will be ok! And now that everyone's been split up, lots of strange things will start to happen. Such as the appearance of a four foot tall grim reaper called Gregg…
Luff: Time for the disclaimer. We don't own the characters; we only own the story, Marie, Shaylea and Kensa.
S. Chensu: A new character's going to be introduced today. And his name is…
Luff: Gregg! From the game "Conker's Bad Fur Day"! If you have it, you'll understand us when we say it's brilliant! But if you don't, oh well. Our description is a bit poor though, so you can either look on Google for a picture or send us an email (check our profile for address) and we'll send you one!
S. Chensu: This means we need to add to our disclaimer the fact we don't own Gregg either. Rareware (boo hoo, went to Microsoft!) do.
Luff: anyway, it's time to get on with the show!Episode eighteen: The terror known as…smelly cabbages
"Where am I?" Sonic groaned as he woke up. He rubbed his head where he had been knocked out and sat up slowly. The first thing he noticed was how cold and murky it was and he hugged himself to keep warm. As his eyes grew used to the darkness, he realised he was high above the ground. He also found out that he was in a small birdcage, which hung from the ceiling by a chain. He stood up slowly and grabbed for a bar to support himself from. He couldn't move much though, which he found out was because of a chain that was attached to his ankle. "What's going on? Is anyone there?" He shouted and he heard a reply, quite near to him.
"Sonic! Where are you?" It was Shadow.
"Quite near by, by the sound of things. Are you in a cage by any chance?"
"I can't tell, it's too dark in here."
"Then maybe we had better sort that out." They heard a voice announce and they looked around, trying to find the owner of it. A crackling sound was heard and something made of fire stood below them. It rose into the air and flew around the room, lighting torches and warming up the air. It landed on the ground and they could both see their surroundings properly.
They were in a large dungeon made of grey bricks and a sandy floor. The place was bare and they found that they were only five feet away from each other. There were two people standing at the bottom but it was hard to tell what they looked like.
"Who are you? Why are we here?" Sonic yelled angrily.
"Tut, tut, who's being impatient? We shall have to show them who's boss." One of them said.
"Do we have to? I don't want to hurt them too much." The other replied.
"Shut up and take us up there will you?" The first one threatened. The second person sighed and the room started to rumble. Sonic and Shadow saw a chunk of the ground rise into the air until the two people were at the same level as Sonic and Shadow. They walked forward and they could be seen accurately for the first time.
They were both girls, one about 16 and the other about 14. The 14 year old was the one who had threatened the other. Her eyes were brown as was her hair, which was loose. She wore a purple strappy top with a lilac star in the middle. Her trousers were cream and flared, with a large split at the bottom of each leg. Her boots were knee length and black. She carried a red trident with a pattern curving around it. Her most noticeable features though were the horns on her head and her tail. It swished as she studied them hostilely.
The older girl had one outstanding feature: her wings. They were black like crow's and stood a metre on either side of her. Her hair was a cherry colour and part of it was twisted into two buns. Her eyes were purple with silver flecks and they sparkled. Her top was held in place by a collar, which joined the rest at the front. It was purple with silver sequins going diagonally across it. Her skirt reached half way down the bottom part of her leg and had a frilled edge, which formed a small split up the front. It was the same colour as her top and was crowned with a thin silver belt. It had five sections, which hung down and were split by metallic blue disks. Her shoes were high heeled with shiny black sequins on the straps.
"Well? I'm waiting!" Sonic said. The younger girl hissed in anger and stepped forward.
"Just remember you're the prisoner here. I am Kensa and this is Shaylea. As for why you're here…" Her voice was harsh and bitter.
"We don't really know to be honest. We're just motley minions here." Unlike Kensa's voice, Shaylea's was light and soft.
"I thought I told you to be quiet! Yes that may be true but I don't see why we can't have a little fun first…"
"Well you go ahead, I'm not bothered." Shaylea crossed her arms and was given an evil look. "You may well look at me like that but just remember that I didn't want this in the first place." Kensa continued to stare at her and she suddenly cried out in pain. "Ok, ok, I'll do it!"
"At full power remember?" Kensa said.
"No, I'm not going to kill them!" But she cried out again. "Whatever you want, just don't hurt me anymore." Kensa smiled and Shaylea started to sob silently.
"I'll let you go first then." Shaylea looked at Kensa.
"Do I have to do full power? If they die then we'll be in big trouble. Can't you use your full power instead? You won't kill them then." She whispered.
"That's a point, we mustn't kill them. You will help me though, won't you?"
"If I must." Shaylea sighed as Kensa walked forward.
"I'm going to enjoy this…" She chuckled as she stopped walking.
She held out her hands and closed her eyes. The words 'Psychic Wind' were whispered and Sonic and Shadow clutched their heads in pain. It felt like someone had smashed them in the head with a hammer repeatedly. Sonic stumbled but was pulled over by the chain on his ankle.
"Kensa, stop! I think you're killing them! Please…I…" Shaylea stumbled, trying to think. "I know! Kensa let me have a go! You're hogging them." She said, wincing at her words. The pain stopped and Shadow collapsed in relief. Shaylea walked forward and Kensa stepped to the side. "I'm sorry you two but I couldn't think of anything else." She whispered. She held her hands out and a ball of fire formed in between them. They backed away in fright as the ball split in two and started to spin around the cages.
"Please stop this! Why are you doing this to us?" Sonic yelled as he closed his eyes.
"What's going on? Stop this right now!" They heard a voice resonate through the room. Sonic felt the pain fade slightly and he opened his eyes.
The fire had stopped and Shaylea and Kensa were back on the ground. Sonic looked over at Shadow who was gazing at him in shock.
"Sonic, are you ok? You look like you're going to fall apart any moment." Sonic looked at himself and saw that he was now black instead of blue.
"I don't know, I can't really feel anything." Sonic admitted and they both looked down as the ground rose once more.
There was another person now with Shaylea and Kensa. It turned out to be a four feet tall grim reaper. It held a megaphone in one hand and a scythe in the other as it studied them.
"Bloody cats! If there's one thing I hate, it's cats! Why did you bother torturing them? They'll only come back." It said in a high-pitched voice. Sonic and Shadow exchanged worried looks.
"Gregg, these aren't cats! They're hedgehogs." Shaylea said.
"Hedgehogs eh? I like them, only one life. Anyway, I wasn't even talking about that!" He turned to them. "You have to be more careful! What if I was one of the Arcs? You would be dead by now."
"We forgot, ok? It doesn't look too suspicious does it?" Kensa asked.
"No, it looks like you've tried to kill them!" He said.
"Excuse me but what's going on? First you throw cabbages at us, then you burn us and now you're talking to a dwarf grim reaper!" Shadow said.
"A dwarf? How dare you insult me! I'll have you know I'm the /only/ grim reaper." Gregg puffed out his chest.
"Sorry but we can't explain. You'll just have to accept things the way they are." Kensa said.
"Wait, maybe they can help us! Come on Kensa, I'm sure they would!" Shaylea said.
"Help you in what? You're starting from the middle instead of the beginning." Sonic said.
"It wouldn't hurt to tell them I suppose." Kensa grumbled. "We have captured you by order of the big boss for unknown reasons. You are now prisoners until you die just like us."
"Not everyone does things because they want to. We're not here because we want to. We've tried to rebel against the system but we've never had the support we need. We don't know who to trust here. And if we don't destroy you, someone else will. There's not much hope here." Shaylea continued.
"We've been helped by past prisoners but they're never strong enough. And we've had to pay the price too many times. Shaylea, I don't want to risk everyone's lives again." Kensa shook her head. Gregg, who had been looking at them suddenly gasped.
"I've just realised something. Shaylea, didn't the Book say something about hedgehogs?"
"Don't tell me you still believe in that!" Kensa said scornfully.
"Wait a minute, Gregg has a point. Now I think about it, there is something about them. But are they the same ones?" Shaylea asked.
"Excuse me but 'they' are here you know. When you are ready to explain…" Shadow said.
"We shall have to test them, that is the only way." Gregg said, ignoring Shadow.
"In their condition? In case you hadn't noticed, I've just fried them and Kensa's tried to turn their brains into mush." Shaylea pointed out.
"That's the whole point. They should still be able to run, even now." Gregg said.
"Run? Of course we can run, who do you think we are?" Sonic asked.
"We don't know or we would have called you by your names." Kensa highlighted.
"Well I'm Sonic and this is Shadow." He pointed to himself and Shadow.
"And would you help us?" Gregg asked.
"If you tell us everything that's going on." Shadow crossed his arms.
"We'll take that as a yes. We need to see how fast you can run first." Shaylea said.
"How can we? We /are/ in cages." Sonic said.
"We're going to let you out and if you're fast enough, you should be able to avoid our attacks." She explained. Kensa clicked her fingers and the cage doors opened. Their chains also broke and they walked out onto the ground.
"Sonic, you might want these…" Shadow held all of his upgrades in his hands. Sonic took them and put them on.
"Thanks Shadow." Kensa stepped forward, holding a bunch of stones in midair.
"Hailing Stones!" She shouted and they started to fall on Sonic and Shadow.
They began to run and soon remember what it felt like to have to escape things. They were going well until they heard Shaylea shout out:
"Water Cannon!" Hearing this, Sonic stopped and was hit by stone. He fell to the ground, face down in water.
"Water? I can't swim!" The water was rising fast and Sonic, not being able to swim, started to sink.
"Shaylea, stop the water! I don't think they can swim!" Kensa shouted.
"Oh crap!" Shaylea said and quickly made the water disappear. Sonic, who had swallowed a mouthful, was coughing badly. She ran to where Sonic was while Kensa went to a cupboard. She took out two blankets and handed one to Shadow, the other to Shaylea who wrapped Sonic up.
"Are you ok?" Kensa asked Shadow.
"Yes but I'm more worried about Sonic. He seems to have panicked which didn't help him." Shadow replied. By now Sonic had stopped coughing.
"I think you should have had swimming lessons when you were younger." Kensa commented.
"But think about all that chlorine, it does hell to your fur you know. And a hedgehog as good looking as me can't afford that." Sonic said, which caused Shaylea to snort with laughter.
"Just ignore him; the water's made him disillusioned." Shadow said.
"You don't say… I think we'd better get you something to eat though." Gregg thought for a moment. "Hedgehogs like worms and cat food, don't they?" He asked, a sinister grin on his face.
"Gregg, these aren't normal hedgehogs. And you are not going to get the food either, I don't trust you." Shaylea scolded.
"I promise I won't do anything bad…" He pleaded.
"No! Kensa can get the food; you can help me put them back. I think they need food and some kip. Their wounds need time to heal and it happens best in sleep. Don't sulk; you know it's for the best. I'm sure you don't want to eat worms or cat food do you?" Shaylea asked Sonic and Shadow.
"Well not really thanks. What's going to happen now?" Shadow inquired.
"You were doing very well until the water thing. I'm sorry but I didn't realise you couldn't swim." Shaylea said.
"Hey, don't worry about it. We weren't hurt so it doesn't matter." Sonic said.
As they were being led to their cages, Shadow by Gregg and Sonic by Shaylea, Gregg asked,
"Are you sure you don't want a few worms, they're awfully nice."
"Definitely not, I'd prefer normal food thanks." Shadow replied quickly. Gregg shrugged his shoulders and Shadow sat down in the cage.
Kensa came back with food and as they were eating, they talked about various things.
"I can definitely say that they are not normal hedgehogs. I think we should also do some explaining. Long ago, a person predicted a lot of things and wrote them down in a book called the Book of Knowledge. We have only found it recently and we have been reading it to find out what it contains. One part mentions two hedgehogs who would finally be able to defeat the big boss and restore peace to the place." Shaylea said.
"And you think we're the hedgehogs?" Sonic asked.
"Yes, we do. We've been waiting a long time, hoping that the prophecies might have even an ounce of truth and maybe we'll soon find out if they have."
"But what about the big boss? Who is he?" Shadow asked.
"He rules over this whole place and keeps us prisoner here. None of us have ever seen him; few have who have lived to tell the tale. All we know is that he is the greatest fear of all heroes." Kensa explained.
You will face your greatest fear… These words came back to Shadow as he was listening. So we are meant to help them…
"Hang on a minute, I've just suddenly thought of something. What about our friends? Do you know where they are?" Sonic asked.
"Yes, they're looking for you of course. We haven't seen them but maybe we will soon. That may not be a good thing though." Shaylea replied.
"Why not?"
"Because they may be dead." Gregg grinned.
"Gregg, I know you like things best when they're dead but there's no need to grin like that." Shaylea scolded.
"Yes but I grin naturally, it's not my fault."
"But you have that particular grin on. Sorry about that, we're worried about your friends too. We'll see what we can do to help but we can't get caught. Therefore you're going to have to stay in the cages for the moment." She looked apologetic.
"I can understand why." Shadow yawned widely and shook himself. "Thank you for the food."
"That's ok. I think it's time for you to go to sleep now. Kensa, you have the honour…" She stood up and Shadow looked panicky.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you…" She soothed and dust fell on Sonic and Shadow. They slumped to the ground asleep and Shaylea tucked them in before closing the doors.
"Kensa, do you really think we can succeed?" Shaylea asked.
"Only time can tell. For now it is important to see how their friends are doing. Gregg, I want you to re read the book and see how much you can find out." Kensa said to him.
"Fine, but will you two be ok? If you're caught then…"
"Don't worry we'll be careful. We can't afford to slip up now." Kensa replied. Shaylea pushed the ground back down and blew out the torches before leaving the room with Kensa and Gregg.
Luff: The end of the episode.
S. Chensu: Remember the next one is up on Sunday 27th March.
Luff: But until then, please review!