.:Chapter 10:.

Sanctuary

"Where am I? Why'd you bring me here!" Kimberly looked frantically around the eerie surroundings she had suddenly found herself in. Everywhere, beyond the eye could see, was ice. Great mountains of ice towering high above, with sharp icicles, some reaching seven to nearly twenty feet long, hanging down from the cliffs like shimmering teeth. Strangely beautiful formations in the ice shelves and glaciers made it look as if great white statues were looming high above her. Here, a mountain crested by a flat slab of ice resembled a ghostly white dragon crouching within the shadows. There, a cave mouth with several glittering ice crystals turned into a demon with its lips curled back hungrily, hiding in the mountains and preparing to spring.

Surrounding these mystifying shapes of ice were strange, swirling clouds of dark blue, violet and silvery gases that constantly moved about the world of ice and snow at a slow, almost hypnotic pace.

Then came that sinister, wheezing voice of Naugus, "Welcome, my dear, to Sanctuary."

Kimberly whirled around to see the wizard's spectral form, accompanied by her abductors, Kaligarr and Shadow. All glared down at her with critical, almost expectant eyes.

She mirrored their glares. "What do you want with me?"

"Want, Kimberly?" Naugus inquired. "Why, I think you know. Ever since you heard of Uncle Chuck's discovery of the power of Chaos Control, and perhaps even before that, you've known."

"What do you mean?"

"Mobius, dear girl," came Naugus's reply. "Tell me, do you see Mobius with the same eyes are your friends? Do you see it as a wondrous world where dreams become reality, and anything is possible? Or do you simply see it as a very vidid figment of the imagination, only visible to you and the other girls through a dreamlike trance?"

Kimberly glared deeply at him, but remained silent.

"There's no use in lying, Kimberly," Naugus smirked. "My accomplices and I can probe every inch of your mind. We'll know if you tell the truth or not."

"Then why do you need my answer?" She asked coldly.

"Oh, we don't, really," said Naugus, shrugging his shoulders. "It was just curious as to whether you'd admit it openly."

She looked hard at him. "What does it matter what I think of Mobius? I think it's a wonderful world full of amazing characters . . . But I also miss Earth and the things we've left behind there. Since I have no real ties to Mobius, I wouldn't think too much about going back one day . . . I mean, I wouldn't force Natalie or Jessica to go back ever . . . I just miss Earth too."

Naugus nodded his head and smirked cunningly. "You'll prove very useful to my plans, dear girl. Very useful indeed."

"I'm not your dear anything," Kimberly hissed. "You won't get away with this. My friends will come for me. I trust them. I have faith in them."

The wizard chuckled. "Not for long, you won't. When I'm through with you, they won't even recognize you." There was a strange glint in his eye as he said this.

"And what is it you plan to do with me?"

"Oh, many things," he replied, turning to a block of ice behind him and waving his hand across it. Suddenly a transparent image played across the ice, and Kimberly gasped. There, before her, she saw her friends, the Freedom Fighters, traveling up the side of the mountain. "For the time being, I'll simply use you as bait to lure them into my net. And then, the real work begins."

"Lure them?" Kimberly asked. "What are you going to do with them?"
"Make sure they don't disrupt my plans, of course," answered Naugus.

"But they're heading away from the Void," said Kimberly, studying the images before her. She could clearly see the Emerald Mountains, and the northerly direction her friends were taking. She well remembered that the forest they had camped in was to the south.

"Oh, that is of little importance now," Naugus grinned. "The Void will stretch be at the edges of the island before dusk. They'll eventually fall victim to it's power. And when they do, they'll come looking for you."

"You won't be able to defeat the Freedom Fighters," Kimberly growled, glaring at him. "I don't know what you'll try and do, but you can't beat them."

"Well the rest of the Freedom Fighters I could care less for," said Naugus. "It's your two human friends that I require the most."

A cold tremor swept down the girl's spine. "What?"

When Ixis Naugus spoke, it was more to himself than to Kimberly. "One for the power of life and energy, one for darkness and cunning, and one for power and destruction . . . Yes . . . And when I have combined them with the power of the Chaos Emeralds--Yes, this plan is truly flawless . . ." Suddenly he turned to Kaligarr and Shadow who stood motionless nearby, awaiting any further commands. "You may rest now. My energy is spent for the time being, but once I regain some of my magic we shall hunt for the seventh emerald."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Kaligarr abruptly let out a huge breath, and abruptly began to pant heavily, his limbs trembling beneath him. "Yes . . . Sir . . . " he gasped weakly. " . . . And the girl?"
"Keep an eye on her," replied his master, walking off into the icy terrain. "I shall know if our guests arrive."

Kaligarr nodded, and then turned to Shadow, who was shaking his head vigorously. "Watch the girl, Shadow," he called. "I'll rest for a while."

Shadow nodded, though there was a bewildered look in his eye. Kimberly noticed this immediately and turned to him.

"You seem a little confused . . ." she said.

Shadow gazed up at her. "I have chronic mental blockouts every now and then . . . Memory loss sometimes. But that's probably for the best. You, human, have a great deal of courage to face the Ultimate Life Form like that."

"Mental blockouts?" Kimberly asked. "What do you mean?"

"Spells where my mind temporarily blacks out. Sometimes it lasts for hours . . . Even days. But I'm used to such symptoms." A sad, distant look entered his eyes.

Kimberly blinked. "Why so melancholy?"

Shadow glanced at her from the corner of his eye, but said nothing for a long while.

Kimberly tried to remember what she knew of Shadow back on Earth. " . . . Maria?" she ventured.

The dark hedgehog looked up instantly. "How do you know--? . . . You-You knew of things about me before, too. Back in the camp. How is it you know these things?"

"Well, it's a long story. And a complicated one. But me and my friends are from a planet called Earth. There, you and this whole entire universe is a work of fiction to us. Or so we thought . . . till by the work of the Chaos Emeralds, we became stranded here by a warp in time and space."

Shadow's eyes furrowed curiously. "Chaos Control . . . But that's a power that only I possess . . . How is it it was activated?"

"Someone named Dr. Robotnik modified the balance of power in the emeralds, giving them a negative charge. When he did this, it caused their power to create strange occurances. Now according to the other Freedom Fighters, Chaos Control created a link between Earth and Mobius."

"Ah," replied Shadow. "So the whole thing was completely coincidental . . . "

"Yeah. They say that the possibility of such a thing happening again is a million to one."

"They're right," Shadow nodded slowly. "For unless you have completely mastered the ability, it works of its own mind. But, about what you said before, you and every human knows of this universe?"

"Just about," answered Kim. "I know a lot about you. I know that you were created on the space colony, ARK. Robotnik's grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik, was the one who created you, and his granddaughter Maria was your best friend."

Shadow nodded again, his eyes fixed on the ground dismally. "She was . . . She was my dearest friend, my only friend . . . She was a dreamer, Maria. And as kind as anyone could ever be. I learned . . . so much from her."

Kimberly lowered her gaze as well, well aware of the pain Shadow was feeling. "What exactly . . . was it that happened to her, Shadow?"

The black hedgehog swallowed hard and clamped his eyes shut, and then, painfully, began his story. "Suppsedly, the government had learned that the ARK contained weapons of mass destruction. This was true, for Professor Gerald possessed a weapon that was capable of destroying an entire planet. But he was a good scientist, who wanted to help people more than destroy them. But . . . the thing is, the military was not willing to take the chance. They attacked the ARK without warning, and took everyone on board prisoner . . . The professor, Maria and I tried to escape . . . But Professor Gerald was captured. Maria, now, was able to get me into one of the escape capsules . . . But just-just when she was about to activate it, a soldier appeared in the doorway . . . . " He paused, his eyes narrowing and blazing with fury as he relived those tragic moments. Kimberly watched him, waiting, a deep sympathy stealing through her as she saw the apparent agony and sadness within his crimson eyes. "Maria was only trying to save me . . . The soldier thought she was freeing one of the dangerous weapons on the ARK, so he lifted his gun. She should have listened to him . . . Should have just done what he said. It wouldn't have mattered if they had captured us . . . At least she'd still be here with me. But Maria--though frail, having suffered a terrible illness for much of her life, was strong at heart. She-She'd never betray a friend. Never. . . . And so, she pulled that lever, and at the same time the soldier pulled the trigger. I will never feel anything more painful, more staggering that her loss . . . What a sickening pain it is to have someone, and then watch them die right before your very eyes . . . I fought to reach her, but the capsule was launched. Just before leaving the ARK, I heard Maria speak these last words: 'Shadow, I beg of you . . . For all people, who live on that planet, give them a chance to be happy . . . Let them live for their dreams . . . I know you can do it. That's the reason you were brought into this world . . . Sayanora, Shadow, the Hedgehog.'"

Shadow finally had to lower his head, fighting back the tears that threatened to come. Kimberly was quite astonished by what she had heard and what she was seeing . . . This dark, intimidating hedgehog, who seemed so cold and heartless and evil, was weeping over a dear friend he had lost. Not so long ago he had been standing before her, menacing and powerful, demanding that the Freedom Fighters divide and surrender to Kaligarr and himself. It hadn't seemed that Shadow was even capable of feeling or loving then . . . He wasn't quite like the griffin and his master.

"I'm . . . I'm so sorry . . . " she said quietly. "That's horrible . . . "

Shadow stared off into the mist with glazed, almost lifeless eyes. "Maria was my best friend . . . The only one I've ever had . . . Oh, how I miss her . . . "

Kimberly looked at him for a long while, at the tears glistening in his eyes, the trembling in his sides . . . It was obvious he wasn't lying, that he wasn't just making this story up to gain her trust. And more than anything, it was clear just how much Shadow was suffering on the inside.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so very sorry, Shadow . . . You know, you're not like Kaligarr or Naugus. You're basically good on the inside . . . Why is it you're working on their side?"

Shadow looked around cautiously, to make sure there were no listening ears. Far away Kaligarr was curled up inside an ice cavern, sleeping quietly. Naugus was probably unlikely to hear him as well. "Naugus tells me that, once he's combined the power of the Chaos Emeralds and his own skill with the magical power of Sanctuary, that he will be able to do anything . . . And he promised that, if I helped him, that he'd bring Maria back."

Kimberly's eyes grew grave. "Shadow, I understand that . . . that Naugus has magic that can do almost anything--transforming himself into any form he wishes, altering time and space, and even destroying the universe with one snap of a finger . . . But no spell can awaken the dead . . . "

Shadow looked up at her with pained, incredulous eyes. "You're wrong! . . . I know the Chaos Emeralds . . . They possess unlimited powers beyond your wildest dreams! And Naugus . . . why, I've witnessed with my own eyes what magic he possesses. He can pinpoint the location of a Chaos Emerald with his thoughts alone, and can even harness the elements themselves. Here in Sanctuary, he can control ice and snow, fashioning them into any formation . . . He's controlled fire and wind and water as well . . . Maybe the ordinary wizard cannot revive the dead, but with the power of the emeralds, Naugus can."

The girl turned away, shaking her head slowly. She doubted very seriously that such a feat could be accomplished. It was just too great to ask for. She knew from her last adventure, that Chaos Emeralds, when their strongest energy was summoned, could reverse death -- but that was only to those who had been killed recently. It would be as if one could hold the process of life in their hand . . . No one could harness life. From what she had experienced, everyone who ever tried failed miserably. Life was its own master.

"Well . . . I don't know what to tell you, Shadow. Maybe Naugus can do it . . . My friends and I have faced Naugus in battle before. I'm well aware of his magical ability. But it still seems rather inconceivable."

"Sometimes the impossible can be done," Shadow answered shakily, his eyes now burning with determination and hope. "All one has to do is believe . . . I believe in Maria, and that should be enough to bring her back to me . . . "

He turned his eyes back on the icy ground once again, still shaking. Whether it was from the cold or the emotional grief inside, Kimberly wasn't sure. But she had to admire how Shadow had loved Maria. In fact, he hardly even seemed so evil and heartless now.

Suddenly Kim looked back at Shadow, her eyes seeming to search his. "Shadow . . . Why don't you let me go? You're not evil like Naugus and Kaligarr . . . Maria wanted you to help people, not enslave them . . . The Freedom Fighters and I can help you more than Naugus ever could. Please, Shadow . . ."

Shadow hesitated for a moment, as if pondering her words. For a fleeting second a hint of concern appeared in those mysterious red orbs. But it was soon smothered by that same old expressionless glare. "Can the Freedom Fighters bring back Maria? Who are you to tell me that Naugus can't help me . . . "

There was disappointment in Kimberly's eyes. Perhaps she was wrong . . . Perhaps Shadow had no more concern for others left within his heart.

Shadow tried his best to hold her gaze, to show that he meant it. But something caused him to turn away. "I'm sorry . . . But I have my orders." Slowly he started to walk off, never once looking back. When he spoke again, there was something very regretful in his voice. ". . . I can assure you Naugus won't harm you and your friends as long as they do as he says. That he promised . . . But for now, you must stay here. There's nothing I can do." And with that he disappeared.

Kim sighed and sat down against a glistening crystal of ice, rubbing her hands together to stay warm. The temperature in the Void had seemed to drop suddenly. She could feel her fingers going numb. The only thing that wasn't slowing from the growing cold was her mind . . . Many thoughts were running through her head now. Just who was Shadow? Was he a cruel, indifferent soul who could care less what other people felt? Or was there still hope for him? Was there still some good left in him?

As she sat there and wondered about these things, she suddenly fancied she was being watched. She looked up . . . and there, before her, gazing through the swirling vapors, was a pair of golden eyes looking right at her . . .

"Jess . . . Jessie, wake up." Natalie knelt down beside her friend and nudged her from her sleep.

"Nat . . .?" Jessica asked sleepily. "Wh-what is it?"

"Look," she waited till Jessica sat upright, and then pointed straight ahead. Jessica gasped at what she saw.

All around them, as far as they eye could see, was a vast expanse of ice . . . Everything--the forests, the mountains, the rocks, the rivers--was frozen! Nothing looked the same as they had seen it last night. Last night they had stopped on a great ledge that overlooked the valleys below. Everything had been so green and majestic as they had when they first arrived . . . But now, now it was a frozen wasteland! And even more alarming than this drastic transformation was the sky . . . There was no endless ocean of blue, no sun, no clouds . . . Nothing but a slowly-revolving vortex of dark violet, silver and blue mists.

"Oh my gosh!" Jessica gasped again. ". . . The Void!"

"It must have caught up with us overnight," said Natalie gravely. "It was like this when I woke up . . . I thought it got awfully cold during the night."

"But how--?" Jessica looked around in disbelief. "How did it catch up? We left it so far behind!"

"It could have sped up . . . Maybe Naugus even found us and trapped us. I was afraid something like this could happen."

Jessica jumped to her feet, shaking off the powdery quilt of snow that had formed on her shoulders and back. "We have to wake the others! This is bad . . . Very bad!"

All of a sudden a familiar voice broke the dead silence around them. "It's bad all right . . . We're trapped."

The two girls turned to see Sonic emerging from the mists, his eyes narrowed angrily. Behind him followed Knuckles.

"That was a dirty trick," said Knuckles. "He must have waited until we stopped and then relocated it."

"Can he do that?" Jessica asked.

"Oh yeah he can," Sonic replied. "Didn't think he had the power to, but obviously he does . . ."

"What do we do?" Natalie inquired. "Is there anyway to escape?"

Sonic sighed and shook his head. "Well, there is, using my speed . . . But I'd have to get everyone out that way. That'd be slow and risky . . . "

Suddenly Jessica jumped. "What was that?"

"What?" Sonic asked.

"I thought I saw something . . . In that hollow over there." The others followed her gestures to a deep hollow set in the center of a glade, not more than a hundred yards off.

Indeed, there seemed to be some kind of light emitting from the area . . . It flickered every now and then, and, as the small group watched, it slowly changed colors. At first it was light blue, then it faded into a dark violet, and then, into a deep, crimson red. It repeated this pattern over and over, and, all of a sudden, Jessica and Natalie found themselves walking toward the hollow. The strangest sensation had suddenly come over them . . . As if they were near something so great, so wondrous, that their minds were filled with a trembling anticipation. It felt as though they had finally found something they had been searching for, longing for, fighting for, for ages and ages. This remarkable feeling of finding the most cherished of teasures, the most longed-for prize entranced the two of them, and they couldn't help themselves. Something inside that hollow was calling to them, waiting for them . . .

"Be careful, girls," Sonic called, he and Knuckles following closely behind. They too could feel a mysterious sensation steal through them, that same feeling of locating what they had always wished for the most.

Slowly they made their way toward the very edge of the hollow, cautiously peering around one of the frozen oak trees. There, inside the hollow, they could see the three lights, suspended in midair about five feet from the ground, caught in a small cloud of bluish-violet mist.

". . . What is it?" Knuckles asked.

"You got me . . ." Replied Sonic, never once taking his eyes off the strange lights. "Maybe it's just something created by the gases . . ."

Suddenly Natalie and Jessica started forward again, walking down the slope and directly toward the three mysterious lights. Sonic and Knuckles followed once more, both very alert for danger. Under the circumstances, they both would have thought that this was strange and suspicious, that the lights might be some kind of trap . . . But there was no hint of danger in the air. Only that urge to go closer to those lights.

They were within less that six feet of the peculiar auras now. It was here that they stopped, gazing curiously at the three glows. For a second, it seemed as if nothing would happen, that the illuminations were merely reactions caused by two different types of gases in the Void. But then . . . Suddenly . . . something incredible happened . . .

"Well! It's about time you guys showed up!" called a voice from above.

The four of them started when they saw two eyes gazing at them from the blue glow. The eyes were either deep green or hazel -- it was hard to tell from the mists that surrounded them. The group tried to make out a face in the cloud, but only the eyes were visible. . . and they looked down upon them expectantly.

"We've been waiting for quite some time, y'know," the voice spoke again, not unkindly. "For the love of Mobius, what took you so long?"

"Who are you?" Sonic asked.

All of a sudden another voice broke in. "They don't know who we are!" it laughed. Everyone turned and found another pair of eyes in the dark violet cloud appear, these a glistening gold. They were a little more hard, a little more stern than the green-blue eyes, but still kind . . . and very much amused.

And then a third pair of eyes came in the red cloud. These eyes were pure red and narrowed, bold, daring, and fearless. "Don't know who we are! I'll show 'em who we are! Run out there and knock some recognition into their heads!"

"Oh no you don't!" said the golden eyes. "We're not supposed to reveal our identities! Not yet!"

The green-blue eyes chuckled.

"Well, why not?" asked the red eyes in exasperation. "We've been waiting forever! Now here they are! At last!"

"Um, excuse me," said Jessica suddenly. "Do you guys say you've been. . . waiting for us?"

The holder of the green-blue eyes looked down at Jessica with almost a tender expression. "Oh yes . . . For ages, it seems."

"And by that she means nearly twenty years . . . " muttered the red eyes.

Natalie snickered. She liked the one with the red eyes -- whoever she was -- already.

"Quiet!" the golden eyes scalded to the red again. "You're revealing too much again!"

"Well, it's true. And I'm impatient. And I need action! Otherwise I go loco!"

"And you're not already?" the blue-green eyes teased, and although there was no face, it was obvious that she was smiling.

"Ha ha . . . " grumbled the Red. "Look who's talking. You've been running in circles waiting for these three."

"I know, I know," the Blue-Green turned back to the onlookers below. "I just can't believe they're finally here!"

"Here for what?" Natalie asked. "Who are you guys?"

"More like what are they?" said Knuckles.

The Gold chuckled quietly. "Ah. They have much to learn yet. We are, well, shall we say, sort of like guardian spirits?"

"Guardian spirits?" asked Jessica.

"Not to be confused with the Guardian of the Floating Island." the Red snickered.

"Hey!" barked Knuckles.

Natalie laughed.

Jessica smiled, and then asked, "But what is it you're guardians of? The whole planet?"

"Oh no, no, no," replied the Blue-Green. "We're your guardians. That is, of you and your friends Natalie and Kimberly."

"I have a guardian?" Natalie blinked.

"Yeah. Knuckles." the Red rolled her eyes playfully.

Everyone else laughed again and Knuckles and Nat just glared. "Funny."

Jess looked up at the Blue-Green. "So you're my guardian spirit?"

"Well, in a way," she replied. "It's kind of a complicated matter."

"So which one of you is my 'guardian'?" Natalie asked.

"That'd be me!" the Red seemed to step forward in the cloud of crimson mist. "Nice to see you've finally arrived. Nearly twenty years, kid! Do you know what kind of torture that is!" A crazed look came into her eyes, but the whole thing was more comical than irritated.

"I can only imagine," said Natalie. "So what's your name?"

"That I can't tell you . . . " the Red replied.

"Why?"

"Uh . . . " she glanced over at the Gold and said under her breath, "Little help here . . ."

The Gold smirked. "Why need my help? You're always so sure of yourself. Why don't you explain?"

"Very funny Miss Psycho." growled the Red.

"It's psychic, get it right." the Gold corrected.

"A psychic psycho. There ya go."

"Why can't you guys reveal your names?" Sonic spoke up, tilting his head. Something almost seemed familiar about those eyes, especially the blue-green ones.

"Like I said," explained the Blue-Green. "It's a complicated matter . . . We're not supposed to reveal our names and identities to you yet. But someday we will. Now, there is a more important task at hand."

"Task?" Jessica asked. "What do you mean?"

Her guardian spirit gazed down at her, a strange glitter in her eyes. "Tell me something, Jessica. Have you ever had a dream? A dream that someday you just knew in the pit of your heart would come true, someday, somewhere . . . "

Jessica's heart thudded. Yes, she knew very well what it was like to have such a dream. "I have . . . A dream I've longed for and believed in for almost all my life . . . "

"Well," the Blue-Green smiled, she and the other two spirits looking at one another. "What if we were to say that those dreams you've had, you and your friends, could come true right here, right now?"

Natalie and Jessica stared up at them incredulously. "What?"

"That's right," beamed the Red. "One snap of a finger, and poof! Your greatest dream has come true, baby. I love the power of Sanctuary."

Jessica looked up at them, trembling. "You mean to tell me that you can grant my deepest wish through the magic of Sanctuary?"

"That's right," the Blue-Green nodded. "But mind you, it can only be one wish per person, and it has to be the number one thing you want. And above everything else, you must believe in it. Believe in it with all your heart. Can you do that?"

Jessica and Natalie could hardly believe what they were hearing. Could these three mysterious spirits really grant their wishes? Naugus had said that in Sanctuary, anything is possible . . . hence it's name. Already both of them knew exactly what they wanted the most, and by the power of the Chaos Emeralds, they were ready to take it!

"I'll do absolutely anything, if you can make my dream come true . . . " Jessica said shakily, tears forming in her eyes.

"And so will I," added Natalie. "What do we have to do?"

The three spirits again looked to each other, and then nodded solemnly. At last, after all their years of waiting, it was time.

"Close your eyes," whispered the Gold softly, and the girls responded immediately. "Find that one dream, that one wish you've always longed for, and lose yourselves within it . . . Forget reality. Forget that voice that tells you it's impossible, that it'll never happen. Tune it out."

The girls did as they were told, bringing that dream to their minds eye and making it as vivid as possible. Then they fought that voice that for had so long reminded them that their wishes were too far out of reach, that they were sure to never happen. It was difficult, but little by little, they forced it back, and locked it away . . .

"That's it . . . " said the Gold quietly, her eyes closed. "Now, girls, I need you to believe that your dreams are real. Believe, with everything in your heart and soul, with every little bit of hope you have. Forget what you are, and focus on what you wish to become. Reach out and grasp it! Don't let it go . . . For it will fly away quickly. Take it, and hold on to it as if your lives depend on it."

Sonic and Knuckles could only watch in astonishment as a mist slowly began to surround the two girls as they clamped their eyes shut, believing that this could work, that their dreams were finally within reach. Like a wild, rampant horse their dreams ran, fighting in defiance. But they chased relentlessly, determined to catch it and harness its magic. The horse was fast, running on winged hooves, its great strides carrying it far across the colorful realm of the imagination. But now a new ambition drove its pursuers forward, and furiously they ran, they fought! At last they seemed to have caught the runaway horse, and leapt onto its mighty back. Wildly it sprung into the air, twisting this way and that, tossing its heels into the air! Then, flames spouting from its nostrils, it bolted forward with a enormous surge of speed, taking its riders on a whirlwind flight. Desperately they hung on, for they had it! Right there! Right there in front of them! At last they had captured it! Now all they had to do was become one with this magical horse of dreams. . . On and on into forever it seemed to run, thunder rolling from its flashing hooves, its mane whipping the wind, the force nearly knocking the girls off. But they held on for dear life, as the Gold had instructed. They held on and held on . . . Until, suddenly, something happened. The effort to throw the girls off gradually ceased, and the fire of hatred in the horse's eyes subsided. Instead of fighting one another, they ran as one, and it was here it began!

The mist surrounded Natalie and Jessica abruptly swirled upward, whirling about them faster and faster! For a second they disappeared completely, and Sonic and Knuckles grew uneasy. And then suddenly there was a blinding flash of white light so intense it nearly eliminated every shadow in the vicinity. Then, slowly, the light and the mists dissipated . . . and when Sonic and Knuckles looked up, they were astonished by what they saw!

There before them, stood no longer Jessica and Natalie, but two very different creatures! Mobian creatures! Sonic and Knuckles blinked in amazement. Where Jessica had stood previously was now a blue hedgehog, much lighter blue than Sonic, in more of a sky blue shade. She had long light-blue bangs that fell over her eyes, and a set of beautiful quills that were very similar to Sonic's, except slightly shorter. She was clothed in a brilliant blue vest and light-blue shoes that had a dark stripe laying across the tops. And, most unique of all, was the cerulean heart-shaped marking on her belly.

And where Natalie had been now stood a powerful-looking black-and-red echidna. She too was an unusual sight for a Mobian, for not many echidnas were black. Her muzzle, too, was an oddity, for it was crimson red rather than the usual golden-tan. Pure, pitch black creeped across her eyebrows and down the fronts of her long quills, or "dreadlocks" as the echidnas like to call them, that hung down from her head like a mane. They were similar to Knuckles', though much longer, nearly touching the ground. Her forehead was red too, except for the dark, jagged marking on the very top of her head. The rest of her body was pretty much black, except for the small red stripes along her back, legs and arms, and the collar marking on her chest that almost appear to have two fangs at the bottom. Her tail too was abnormally long, taking the shape of a giant hook with a small red patch at the base. So they were both like nothing Sonic and Knuckles had seen, even on Mobius!

The two looked at each other, and then slowly stepped forward.

"Jess?" Sonic asked, his ears cocked forward.

Jessica blinked slowly, and then, gasping, she looked at her gloved hands. Her heart pounding, she turned to the many icicles hanging from a nearby tree, and her jaw dropped in astoundment at her reflection! "Oh my gosh--I-I'm a hedgehog!"

"Ah, cool!" Natalie exclaimed, looking at her reflection too. "Not cool! Kickin'! I'm an echidna! Hey, that means I can beat up Knuckles better!" She turned on Knuckles and grinned mischeviously, her sharp fangs showing.

"What?" Knuckles asked nervously, but before he could say anything else Natalie threw forward only a minor punch and sent him flying. Sonic's eyes widened as the Guardian flew past him and hit the ground hard.

"Ow . . . " grunted Knuckles, sprawled out on the snow.

Natalie stood with her huge fist still thrown forward, here eyes wide with astonishment. ". . . Cool . . . "

"Whaddya mean cool?" Knuckles asked, hauling himself up from the ground. "That hurt!"

Meanwhile Jessica suddenly cried out joyously. "I'm a hedgehog! Just like I've always dreamed! Look at me Nat! Woo!"

Sonic laughed as she ran around rapturously. "Wow, Jess . . . You look cool."

Jessica ran up and hugged him in her excitement, and his cheeks suddenly flushed red. "I'm a hedgehog like you! Finally! I've always dreamt about this! This is incredible! Hey, thanks--" she turned to thank the three guardian spirits, but they were suddenly nowhere to be seen.

Sonic and Jessica blinked.

"Where'd they go?" Jess asked.

"I dunno," shrugged Nat. "But who cares? I'm an echidna!" She tossed her head proudly and crossed her arms. "From now on, you will all refer to me as Trau!"

"Trau?" Knuckles asked.

"Do you like it?" she smiled. "It means 'dare'. What better name could there be?"

Jessica grinned, hardly believing what she was seeing. "This-this is awesome! If you're Trau . . . Then I'm Cyan!"

"Cyan?" inquired Sonic.

"They're the names of two fan characters we created years ago," Jessica explained. "They were Mobian versions of us! The spirits have transformed us into them, because we basically are them! Natalie's character was Trau, and mine was Cyan. Kimberly had a character too, a dark violet hedgehog named Khare. In fact, I wonder if they did the same to Kim?"

"So let me get this straight," said Knuckles. "You guys created 'characters' to fit into our world, in like some kind of game you had on Earth, and now you are these characters?"

Natalie, or "Trau," as she was now called, nodded vigorously. "Yep. That's pretty much it."

"That's awesome," smiled Sonic. "The others won't even recognize you, besides your voices. They sound the same."

"Yeah! Let Naugus try and fight us now!" Trau grinned, cracking her knuckles. "I'll put him into a world of hurt!"

"That's obvious . . . " Knuckles muttered, rubbing his stomach where he had been punched.

Sonic smiled and laughed at his friends, still amazed at this extraordinary transformation. The full impact of it hadn't hit him yet, but it would sooner or later. For now, when he looked at Jessica, or Cyan, she still looked like the human girl he had known for so long instead of a beautiful light-blue hedgehog. Somehow she hardly even looked different despite the change in color and anatomy . . . Her eyes were still gentle and expressive, and her bangs fell over them in much the same way they always had in the past. Even her quills seemed to resemble her long hair. The same went for Trau. Her long "dreads" looked almost exactly like Natalie's hair, and there was that same old look of boldness in her eyes. Figuratively, had they really even changed at all?

"Let's go awaken the others," Sonic said suddenly. "This they've got to see. We had better start searching for Naugus and Kim too."

The two new Mobians nodded and followed the Freedom Fighter leader and the Guardian back to camp.