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Playstation14: How'd you know about Kenny? (Hides butcher knife behind back.) What's really sad is you're my only reviewer. (Mechaluna is emotionally damaged.) Oh well! Pixie Stix solves all problems!
Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic Chars. Heck, I hardly own my sanity.
Chap. 4-The First Guardian
"Sonic?" Terra said, awakening him from his sleep. Sonic was a bit disappointed, he had all wished this was a dream but it was not. It was not even a whole day, and he found himself mixed up in a large quest with almost strangers to defeat a tyranical rule that permitted the galaxy for over a century. The travelers took refuge in a stable for the night, resting on some strangely soft straw. The morning rays had just seeped through the windows in the barn but already everyone was ready to go, except for Sonic.
"Five more minutes." He complained. Terra took the liberty of dragging him out of the hay and plopping him on the hard ground. "I'm up!" He said as he got up and brushed off the hay from his outfit. Demi and Shadow were already sitting outside, the two had become quick friends. It took a biolizard for Shadow to actually speak to him without adding an insult to him after every word he said. Even then, the two were just steps away from plunging knifes into the other. After going over this, Sonic concluded that he really needed to rethink his social skills.
"Well, where should we go first?" Shadow asked once he saw that Sonic was up.
"Well there is an unactive volcano that has some old ruins that were said to be a holy ground. If we need to find a guardian, I think that's where we should go." Luna suggested and everyone agreed. They left the stable, after Sonic petted the Chocobos (A/N: I love Chcocobos. Don't ask me why they are in the future. Use your imagination.) and got a bite mark to remember them by.
(In the aftenoon...)
The outlandish group finally reached the end of an auburn plain and the lush grass turned into gray dirt; red embers rained down from the sky, burning out before they hit the ground.
"This place used to be one of the biggest and most techinical of all the cities until Black Doom banished the fire guardian and with nobody to supress the volcano's firey wrath, the city was doomed. Fire ruled that night." Luna said as they looked out on the horizon.
"So we must unleash the fire guardian?" Shadow asked and Luna nodded. They walked through the ruins of the once glorious city that Luna told them about; burnt down skyscrapers and twisted pieces of metal added an even more sadder outlook of this horrible tyranny. Shadow lagged behind, taking more time to examine the remains when a thought passed through him.
'I was about to do this. I was going to destroy the whole world with the ARK that fateful day. This would've happened...' Shadow thought and looked down at what he saw. A small doll, very crudely made out of felt with worn buttons for eyes. He picked it up and examined it slowly before putting it in his pack, almost like a keepsake to keep him from falling to corruption.
"Hey, Shad? Did you get lost?" Sonic asked looking back at the ebony and crimson hedgehog with a smug smile. Sonic was midly shocked when Shadow didn't automatically come back with a sarcastic remark but it didn't take long before they started bickering again, calling each other a 'faker' and an 'emo'. Terra, Demi, and Luna sweatdropped as they continued on to the outskirts of the city. Finally, they reached the base of the volcano and Sonic and Shadow ceased their fighting, at least for the moment. In front of them was a large wooden door. Luna tried opening door but it was stuck. Terra tried. Sonic tried. Shadow tried. Demi tried and they even tried tugging it together but the door wouldn't budge.
"It won't open." A singsong voice said. The group turned to face aNiGhTs chao with a devilish grin spreading across it's face. "You must answer a riddle and then you shall get the key."
"We don't have time for games." Shadow said with a deep scowl.
"That is too bad because the Black Knights are coming and that door will not open to anybody except the key." The chao said, turning away.
"Alright, we will answer the riddle."
"Good...Now, I dance and breathe and can even deceive. I am not alive, yet watch how I thrive. Do not come too near or I will eat you my dear. What am I?" The chao said in an annoyingly high pitch and watched as our heroes struggled to answer the riddle. "You, answer the question!" The chao squeled, pointing to Sonic.
"A zombie, cannibal...belly dancer?" The cobalt hedgehog said and everyone sweatdropped.
"Don't worry, I've heard stupider." TheNiGhTs chao said.
"Thank-Hey!"
"You, White-One! What is your answer?"
"Uh...Nymphs?" Luna said.
"Nope. What is your answer Wolf girl. Hurry up, I think I can hear those Black Knights wings flapping."
"Comets." Terra answered.
"Wrong! Dragon, spit out your answer."
"Spells?" Demi questioned.
"Wrong, wrong, WRONG! Looks like you're up black boy. What is the answer? I doubt you could figure it out."
"It is fire." Shadow said smoothly.
"Wro-Wait, you are...correct..." The chao said, it's grin falling for the first time in the conversation. "How'd you answer my riddle?"
"You are the Fire Guardian, are you not?" Shadow said, crossing his arms in triumph.
"How did you know?"
"There was no keyhole in the door." The group stood in shocked silence as the chao nodded, impressed by the clever hedgehog. The purple chao transformed into a large, purple birdlike creature with wings made of blue fire. Two long horns graced his head and reached down to his wings and he had a mane of iridescent feathers running down his body. The Pheonix bowed down to Shadow, his ember eyes glinting proudly.
"The true Fire Master has come." He said, his voice sounding like a hollow drum. "Get on my back and we shall fly into the volcano so we may get away from those wretched Black Knights." The bird was so immense; Shadow, Sonic, Terra, and Luna could sit on him comfortably. Demi prefered to fly after them and theylifted off into the air. They dove through the top of the volcano and when the pheonix entered it, the gray rock erupted into life; cracks spiderwebbed around the inside of the volcano and magma spilled through the cracks. "Careful, dragon. The steam that is coming out of those cracks is hot enough to burn the flesh right off your bones."
"Lovely." Sonic said sarcastically as the pheonix and dragon on a humongous slab of rock that was floating in the newly formed magma. Strangely enough, they weren't hot at all.
'The blue flames from the pheonix's wing must be emitting some cool energy...' Shadow thought as they climbed off the back of the pheonix and on to the rock slab. The pheonix cleared it's voice before talking.
"I shall teach you, Shadow the Hedgehog, techniques that you will need to know to defeat the Dark Rule. You're friends will also learn their special techniques that will unleash their inner power too. Now..." The pheonix said and raised it's wings.
"Wait, I must ask you something, Fire Guardian." Shadow interrupted and the Guardian lowered it's wings, looking intently at the ebony hedgehog. "Why was I chosen for fire?" He asked.
"Well, Shadow, you're nature is destructive. It takes only a little push to send you into chaos," The Guardian said and Shadow lowered his head, "But you are also powerful and you have the ability to light when all else is dark." Shadow looked up slowly at the kind Guardian with new light. "Now, I'm going to teach you Fire Control. Take this." The pheonix said and passed Shadow a Chaos Emerald that was submerged in the magma. Shadow took the Chaos Emerald in his hands and was not burned. "Face the magma and concetrate on the power within you." Shadow did as he was told and closed his eyes. He raised the red emerald and opened his eyes which glew a firey orange.
"FIRE CONTROL!" Shadow shouted and the magma parted beneath his feet, showing a pathway to a tunnel.
"Escape through that tunnel. It should confuse the Black Knights for a while and give you a head start. Good luck, young heroes." The pheonix said and the group followed his direction, escaping down the path and disappearing down the tunnel. The Fire Guardian flew up the volcano and was met by the Black Knights.
"Leave or no one shall ever see your remains." The pheonix hissed venomously and swiped at the flying aliens but more and more came to overwhelm the Guardian. He tried desperately to fight them off but one alien stabbed him with an electrical staff which instantly knocked the poor bird out. It plummeted down into the rock in an explosion of dust. One of the aliens turned to the leader of the Knights.
"Should we kill it?" It asked but the leader shook his head.
"Black Doom may have soom use for it..." It said with a toothy smile.
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Shadow has power now but will he be able to control it? What does the leader have in mind for Fire Guardian? What elements are next? Oooooo, the suspense. Now I must go because Shadow fans, Espio fans and a squirrel want to see me dead. I might have to hide out in Mexico for a while.