Author's Notes-
Sorry about the delay in this posting, I had some difficulties.
I also had no idea how fast the stories for Sonic are updated and I can see I'm really far behind. I have a very busy schedule at the moment but will try to update at least once a week.
Thanks to my first reviewer, ShadTikal4ever,it will be chaotic.
Read on…
Chapter 3: Master Emeralds and Breakfast
The Master Emerald stood in the rising sun's light. Bathed in glory it was beautiful. Knuckles the Echidna looked at the Master Emerald with pride, it is a hard job to guard the Master Emerald, but I can do it.
One part of that hard job was to polish the Master emerald every Monday. So on Monday Knuckles had done just that. He had worked the emerald to a perfect green luster that nearly blinded him. When he was done, he had sealed the Master Emerald away in a lock specially made for it.
The vault was in the mountainside, secret and safe. It would open at the touch of Knuckles's hand and then receive the emerald. The strange rock would then rebuild itself, opening again only to Knuckles.
But on Tuesday, as Knuckles was painfully aware of, the vault had been broken. In a flash of bright green light, the Master Emerald had broken its storage place. It had landed in the soft grass below unharmed.
Knuckles knew that the Master Emerald had responded to a surge of power from near-by. And not just any power! The Master Emerald had responded to the power of chaos. But where could that power have come from?
Putting the mystery away for another day, Knuckles readied himself. The Master Emerald shrunk to its "carry-size", and Knuckles put in a backpack that he then put on. Pulling hard, he made sure the straps were secure.
He walked all the way to the edge and could see the wilderness stretching out for miles. Thick forests and tall mountains met his eyes. Looking further he could see the human city, just a dot on the horizon.
The people of that city had respected his wishes, he remembered. After all of his numerous counts of bravery in helping Sonic save the world, the people had agreed to his request. Now this wilderness he saw was a National Park. No humans came in, and so the wild and Floating Angel Island had remained his.
Right now though, he was going to leave what was his. He was going to take the Master Emerald somewhere he knew was safe too, the blue house.
Without another thought he jumped off the floating island.
Knuckles tucked in his arms and legs to streamline his body. He could feel the reassuring weigh of the Master Emerald on his back.
The air was cold and his eyes began to water. Shutting them, he started to fall faster and faster.
A strong wind drove into him. He was battered by the violent wind and his perfect streamline was broken. The blunt air hit his chest and threw him back some more.
The sensation of falling was now at its highest and Knuckles could hear his heart beating over the whipping air.
Knuckles now opened himself up completely and started to glide downwards.
As he glided down his heart relaxed and the heavy pressure of falling ended. The backpack now felt light, nearly weightless….
Knuckles reacted instantly. Twisting himself in mid-air, he grabbed the backpack. The relief of feeling the Master Emerald hit him just as the forest floor did.
"That hurt!" said Knuckles as he stood up. He had made that jump hundreds of times before and his backpack had always held, the Master Emerald was always there.
Wiping off the dirt and rubbing his sore back, Knuckles started out on foot for the blue house.
Tails was sitting at the kitchen table with Shoca Leif. Various bowls and ingredients were strewn on the wooden surface before them.
Tails was deeply engrossed in the feeding chart Cream had given him. It said, "Wednesday morning-Mix ¾ cup pre-made chao food with 2 cups boiling water. Let cool and stir in ¼ cup fresh fruit."
Shoca Lief was staring at a bowl with similar interest. The bowl was a small glass one. Sunlight spilled in through the large east-facing window and turned the bowl into a glass rainbow.
She looked at Tails to see if he was watching her, but he was too busy reading the chart. Looking back at the bowl she leapt.
Glossy white flew in the corner of Tails's eye. He put the chart down just in time to see Shoca Lief, the bowl in her arms and a comical smile on her face.
Fear grabbed Tails's heart as he reached over the table. He had been so careful since dropping her and if anything had hurt her…I don't think I could take it!
Sitting on the floor with the bowl facedown between her stubby legs was Shoca Lief. She looked up to Tails with childish love and started to beat the bowl. Tails sat down thinking, I didn't need that bowl anyway.
He took another look at the chart and then went to the cupboard. After selecting a pot he started boiling 2 cups water. Looking at the small amount of water in the pot he thought, that doesn't seem like enough.
When he was done he put Shoca's food in a special dish and stuck the chao's special spoon in with it. He didn't know why Shoca would need a spoon, but Cream had told him to do it. 'Some chao like to eat with utensils, so give her one.' She had said.
He found his chao in the same spot on the floor, still beating on the bowl. Tails bent down and gave her the food. At the same time there was a knock on the kitchen door
Tails opened the door to find Knuckles.
"Hi Knuckles!" he said cheerfully.
"Hi Tails," said Knuckles, with somewhat less enthusiasm.
"Come in," gestured Tails as he closed the door behind Knuckles.
He hadn't seen Knuckles in a long time. It had been nearly 3 months since his last visit.
Knuckles took off his backpack and sat down at the table, not noticing the chao. Tails sat down across from him.
Tails looked at the Master Emerald now in Knuckles's hands.
"Wow," he said.
"Yeah, pretty cool," said Knuckles.
"Is that why you're here?' asked Tails.
"Mostly," Knuckles told him. He then started to describe how the emerald had broken its vault.
Shoca Lief sat beneath them, silently gulping down her food. When she was done she picked the spoon. Chao cha cho?- What is this?
She turned it upside down but still didn't understand what it was. Starting to forget about the spoon she turned and saw the red/pink visitor. Her eyes drifted from the visitor's legs to the spoon.
Knuckles to spoon and back…hmm….
"OWWWW!" shouted Knuckles.
He jumped up and was caught on the table. He let go of the Master Emerald and it flew up in the air as he fell over.
Tails stood up and, in something like slow motion, saw the emerald start to fall. He dove for the Master Emerald, extending to his full length.
The green gem landed in his hands as he hit the floor. He slid a ways on the slick polished wood before stopping. He opened his eyes (he'd closed then as he hit the floor) and saw a pair of pink slippers…
Amy stood in the kitchen doorway still in her pajamas. She had come down for some breakfast when she was met with this mess.
"What is going on in here?" she demanded.
Knuckles stood and pulled the chair up. He mumbled, "something hit me."
Amy looked at he, slightly confused. She helped Tails to stand, and he gave the Master Emerald back to Knuckles.
Amy felt a little tug at the hem of her pink pajamas and looked down. There was Shoca Lief. She picked up the Shoca and cuddled her as the chao pointed to Knuckles with her spoon and laughed.
"Why you little…" fumed Knuckles.
"She's just a child Knuckles, don't be mad," said Amy. She poked the child's stomach and the child giggled. "And you Tails, you have to take better care of your chao!"
"What!" exclaimed Tails, "I fed her all by myself and even got up and rocked her at 4 am this morning when---"
"Wait!" interrupted Knuckles. "This is your chao? Your responsibility?"
"Yes it is!" replied Tails defensively.
"I can't believe that," said Knuckles as he sat down.
Tails then went into detail of the last couple days' events. Knuckles thought the whole situation very strange. Weird that a chao would imprint Tails.
"So now she's living with me," finished Tails, not without some pride.
"You had better take good care of her, she is very special," Knuckles told him. During their conversation, he had softened up to Shoca Lief. Now the Echidna was bouncing the gurgling chao on his knee like a proud uncle.
Amy began to pour herself a bowl of cereal called 'Blue Flash!'. As she filled the bowl with milk the small blue marshmallows expanded. They looked oddly like a certain hedgehog's head. Oh well, she thought.
"Don't you worry Knuckles, I'll help him take care of the angel," she said and sat at the table.
Tails and Knuckles exchanged looks….
"I don't think outfitting her like a doll qualifies," Knuckles said.
"Oh!" scolded Amy.
A gentle silence followed as only the scrap of Amy's spoon was heard.
Then Shoca Lief cooed and lifted her spoon until it was in the ray of sunlight that streamed into the kitchen. She was so fascinated by it, this shiny, reflective surface. Shoca moved the spoon closer to her face and saw her reflection. She screamed with delight and even Knuckles laughed.
Amy finished her cereal and put her bowl and spoon in the sink.
"Well, that's good for me," she said.
"That's not a breakfast Amy," Tails said.
"Yes it is," said Amy as she stuck her tongue.
"You two sit down and I'll make you a real breakfast," Knuckles told them.
Both Amy and Tails sat down at the table, Shoca in Tails's lap, and watched Knuckles. He sped around the kitchen in a reddish blur getting bowls, flour, and a griddle for the stovetop. It was a pink blur as they heard eggs cracking and whisks whisking. There was a hot sizzle followed by a warm aroma.
Tails's stomach growled and he moaned, "I'm so hungry."
After a brief wait, Knuckles placed two plates before then, each one piled with warm pancakes.
"You guys got any syrup?" asked Knuckles as he searched the fridge.
"It's in the back," said Amy who was staring at the food before her.
Knuckles brought them the syrup and his own plate to the table. Tails grabbed the syrup and poured it on his pancakes. He inhaled the first one, swallowed the second, and ate half the third before Amy even had the syrup.
"What?" he asked of their raised eyebrows, "I was hungry."
When they had finished all the pancakes Amy asked, "Knuckles, I didn't know you cooked. When did you learn this?"
"I also bake and grill," said Knuckles with his usual boast. "I have to cook for myself, and since I hate bad meals, I taught myself."
"Cool," commented Tails. He had never known that either.
"Well, we better clean these up," sighed Amy.
"Yeah, you're right."
The rest of this peaceful Wednesday spent at the blue house was enjoyable.
Knuckles taught them how to make Angel Island cheeseburgers with his special sauce. Afterwards they had another mess to clean up.
Amy tried to dress Shoca Lief up in a little pink dress. This resulted in her chasing the screaming, laughing chao around the house until Tails forbid the dressing up of his chao.
Tails showed Knuckles and Amy the new upgrade he had started for the Tornado. "It still needs a lot of work," he told them.
Finally, when the day was ending, they sat on the porch and looked up at the stars, each one with their own thoughts, even Shoca. But none of them could have guessed what would happen tomorrow.
For the emerald's "carry-size", if you've played SA2B you'll have noticed sometimes the Master Emerald is big or sometimes it fits in Knuckles's hands. That's what I mean.
Is Knuckles red or pink? What's your opinion?