"What's your name?"
"... Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."
Folding his arms, the echidna takes a brief moment to observe the one before him. He matched the outline he was shown, definitely. Yet he somehow managed to look both plain and impressive at the same time. There were no special markings on his body, just a blue hedgehog with ordinary green eyes. Even still, Knuckles noticed the well-toned and slightly muscular body he had - nothing comparable to him of course, but it showed that this 'Sonic' was quite physically capable.
What fascinated the echidna most was the spark alight in his eyes - filled with passion and energy. Sonic stood tall and determined despite the large wounds he had across his body. He possessed a fighter's will.
"You are injured." Knuckles spoke. "Allow me to heal you."
"Uh-" The echidna didn't really give him the chance to object, after all - he had been tasked to ensure the hedgehog's success in... whatever he was supposed to be doing, so he couldn't exactly afford to let those injuries get any worse. Knuckles held up his hand slowly again - and a soft, pale green glow surrounded the hedgehog's leg and stomach gashes. Sonic witnessed the scabs and dried blood disappear as if they had never been there in the first place, getting patched up with good as new healthy skin and fur.
"Th-thanks-" Sonic stuttered out in amazement - only just now realising the echidna's eyes had turned a shining green again before he de-activated the healing again. This wasn't the first time Sonic had ever seen Knuckles heal himself - he had seen it the first time around when Emerl had been re-awakened. But even then, Knuckles could only ever really heal smaller wounds that were on himself - something to do with the Master Emerald, if he recalled correctly.
Here, Knuckles had effortlessly healed Sonic's larger stab gashes with what was practically a wave of his hand.
The sound of Knuckles' voice brought Sonic back out of his thoughts. "I come to your aid in response from Angel Island to a call made from The Master Emerald itself." He explained, stepping closer to the trio. In response, Rouge and Tangle stepped backwards with wide eyes - Sonic realised they were probably intimidated.
They'd soon learn Knuckles was probably the least intimidating to person to exist. He was a dork through and through - gullible in the ways of the world below, and so easy to make flustered. It took great restraint not to tease Knuckles for his outfit and his power showcasing - but even Sonic recognised that he couldn't do things like that until they had become friends again.
"Call from The Master Emerald, eh?" Sonic couldn't help but grin. "It told you to come look after me?"
Knuckles' gaze narrowed. It sounded like very slight mockery coming from the blue one. A chosen one should be taking things more seriously, shouldn't he? Perhaps he was unaware of his grand destiny. He cleared his throat and pointed at the hedgehog. "Listen close!" Knuckles announced, his voice booming across the ruins. "You are destined to be a crucial piece among the passage of time-! and-! Ugh-" The three watched as Knuckles face palmed. "I can't take myself seriously... sorry..." He groaned into his hand.
There was the Knuckles he knew. The guy was never one for fancy flair, always straight to the point. Sonic smiled as Knuckles continued. "Look, I've just been told to make sure you succeed at... something. I wasn't even told that much-" He admitted, embarrassed as he lifted his hand down and his head up again.
"You're here to help me save the world." Sonic concluded, unable to hide his excitement with the way he was beaming - holding his hand out for a shake for them to seal the deal. "I can already tell we're gonna work well together."
Knuckles raised a brow, staring at Sonic's hand in silence for a few drawn out seconds.
"Is... your hand okay?"
"Huh? O-oh yeah! Haha..." It was Sonic's time to feel embarrassed now, forgetting that Knuckles wasn't used to mobian customs - or people and conversations in general to be frank. "Don't worry about it-" He'd explain it to him later.
Knuckles gave him a brief questioning glance before both of their attentions turned to Tangle. Her voice was squeaky with nerves as she focused on Knuckles. almost as though she was ready to tear up. "H-hi, God - Um, sorry to intrude I really don't mean to be rude or disrespectful to you- but I was wondering if maybe you'd come with when I check up on the other people that might have injuries- and do your healing stuff-"
Tangle then dramatically bowed, so far in fact her head somehow managed to touch the ground. " I'm sorry for asking please don't kill me-!"
Startled, the echidna immediately sought to calm her down. "Uuuuuh, I'm not- I'm not a God, alright-?"
"Sorry for assuming-!" Tangle gasped, Knuckles' display of power had apparently freaked her out to a significant degree. "B-but my question still stands-"
To the hedgehog's surprise, Knuckles turned to him expectedly. Sonic met his eyes with a confused expression before it dawned on him - Knuckles was waiting on Sonic's permission to assist like Tangle had asked him too. How strange... Sonic wasn't used to this, Knuckles was usually the one challenging his authority more than anything. Sonic preferred that from Knuckles - so he hoped this wasn't about to become a pattern.
Sonic nodded. "Let's help the others. Lead the way, Tangle."
The route was awkward to navigate, especially when they had to shove their way through prickly bushes - getting in each other's way. Tangle was especially clumsy, tripping over Sonic's foot once and getting wacked in the face with a vine - despite supposedly being the one that had worked out this route in the first place.
"Here!" Tangle announced, breathless by the time they finally reached their destination. The lemur spread apart a large bush and lead them to a small clearing - filled with a crowd of wailing children and frightened adults. Vanilla stood in the middle of it all, trying to calm down the situation and get everyone to just take a moment to sit down - but her gentle voice wasn't loud enough to be heard.
"We're here!" Tangle called out to everyone, the noise ceased for the most part - aside from the tears of young children. "Are we all okay? Line up here if there are any injuries-" She pointed out to make a line in front of a small tree - thankfully nothing appeared to be serious among them.
They slowly shuffled into said line and Sonic made a glance at Knuckles - the echidna had been silently observing with an uncomfortable expression, unsure of what to do with himself. Sonic understood why, everyone was glaring with suspicion at him. However, Knuckles seemingly knew what to do when faced with the injured group - one by one going through and healing their various wounds. Knuckles at several different points had opened his mouth, then shut it again as words alluded him - feeling as if he didn't have the right to speak up.
Grief was there to stay and linger in the air like a heavy storm cloud over the loss of their base, but people began to bunch together and whisper in each other's ears - shifting their gaze back towards the mysterious red warrior.
"Excuse me-" A small girl, voice barely above a whisper, sought to get Knuckles' attention.
That girl was Cream.
Sonic had caught glimpses of a face he thought had been Cream several time around places like the dining hall, but here she was - frightened and frail, as though a small gust of wind would be enough to blow her down. Sonic felt the sudden urge to bend down and hug her - to shelter her from the world's evil, but it was far too late now.
"Who are you?"
With a start, Sonic realised Knuckles hadn't even said his name yet.
"Knuckles... Guardian of the Master Emerald." He replied slowly, but Sonic noticed the way he softened his voice when speaking to the young girl.
That last part meant nothing to her, so she blinked slowly before asking the question that everyone else had on their minds. "Mr... Knuckles, what species are you?"
The clearing fell silent.
"Echidna."
What were previously whispers turned into full-blown conversations that Sonic could easily pick up pieces of.
"How's that possible?!"
"Echidnas are extinct! They've been so for ages!"
"But that healing power - my injuries are gone! That's straight up divine power!"
"I thought they were just a myth!"
Wide-eyed, Knuckles was overseeing a crowd that didn't even believe in his existence. Rouge was pursing her lips and Tangle desperately wondered for a way to calm everyone down - but she didn't have any answers to provide them with.
Finding a small rock that allowed to stand just a few inches taller than the average mobian, he called out across the survivors. "Hi! Hey! Helloooo!" Sonic made sure to be loud so that all eyes would end up on him.
He cleared his throat once he got the silence he needed. "So! I understand we're not all that familiar with each other- so uh, hi - I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. Right now we've all gotta get on the same page. The base is now compromised and we've gotta relocate - quickly."
Briefly, Sonic looked back at the other three. Tangle was giving Sonic an encouraging thumbs up for addressing and taking charge of the crowd. Knuckles frankly looked pretty relieved not to be in the spotlight anymore. Rouge's expression was unreadable.
No stranger to being the one giving motivational and often times corny speeches - Sonic felt surprisingly in his element, for perhaps the first time since he had entered this new timeline. "Ultimately, this is but a small hurdle in the road we're about to embark on. We're no longer going to be the victims hiding away from the Empire. We're turning from the prey to tbe predator! It's about time we turn the tables on them and start dealing some damage!" Sonic pounded his fists together with a grin.
"We can't afford to stand for his tyranny any longer! It's about time we start saving lives, we can't wait any longer! Now, I hear your doubts - the Empire feels like too big of a threat to take on, you're worried about losing..." Sonic then pointed to Knuckles. "But is this man not evidence that miracles can happen?! More myths and legends are real than you realise... and now we've got people like Knux on our side - which means we have the tools we need to succeed. We've gotta start making our own miracles, and reclaim our freedom from Egg-!"
Yes, Eggman.
"- Eggman! Yeah that's right, wanna know why I call him Eggman? Because he looks like an egg! And he's stupid like one too! And he smells like a rotten one! Are we gonna let a guy like that take away our lives?! I don't think so!" Sonic breathed in, getting a bit carried away. "It's time to save the world!"
Crickets chirped.
"WOOOOOO!" The lemur cheered and clapped, ever supportive. "He may have raided our base... BUT NOW WE'RE GOING TO LEAD A REVOLUTION!" She pumped the air with her fist.
The speeches were far from elegant or well confirmed - but delivered with enough energy, the crowd found themselves ignited with a feeling they had thought had long since left them - hope.
"Revolution!" Sonic saw someone call out.
"Revolution!" Another yelled.
"REVOLUTION! REVOLUTION! REVOLUTION!" A chant had started to erupt, everyone fist pumping the air - Sonic and Tangle made sure to include themselves, perhaps yelling louder than everyone else.
Knuckles watched with a lot of amazement, but he was missing a lot of the context. Rouge was apparently too cool for the morale boosting so stayed silent with her hand on her hip.
The chorus would eventually die down as people needed a chance to catch their breath. Invigorated, Sonic pointed to the echidna. "So Knuckles - you're from Angel Island you say? Is it free for us to use as a base?"
Knuckles' shoulders tensed. "... If you wish it so."
He had to admit, having chosen one status was helpful - he'd abuse it this once. If there were any other circumstance Knuckles would refuse to let this many people on his island - only if there were absolutely no other alternatives, and even then he'd still be stubborn.
"Thanks!" Sonic gave a thumbs up. "That takes care of that! Now we've gotta figure out how to get up there-!"
"I can... warp you?"
"Huh?" Sonic tilted his head. "All of us?"
"Yeah-?"
"Oh, well then." Sonic couldn't help but be impressed. Not even Shadow could pull of a teleportation of a crowd this size. "Lead us away!" He gave a final thumbs up.
Angel Island deserved its name. Tangle had to pinch herself several times to make sure she hadn't somehow landed herself in the afterlife. Every inch was covered in the most beautiful nature and flora. The birds tweeting was music to her ears, the breeze caressed her fur, and the sun hugged her with its warmth.
Beautiful yet almost haunting - she noticed how the evening sky was so clear - not a hint of the pollution and smog that filled the air everywhere else, not even the distance. She wondered how that was even possible, it was like the island was being protected from the toxic world below.
"I have one rule."
Tangle stopped in her tracks when Knuckles spoke in a chilling voice. "Do not touch the Master Emerald."
Noted.
Finally tearing her eyes away from the sky - she realised what had prompted Knuckles' words. They were walking up a flight of stone stairs that were far too long, but they led to something glowing green at the top - and she could take a good guess as to what it was.
Approaching closer and closer, the group found themselves suddenly halted by the echidna. Their view of the emerald was clear now, and what a majestic presence it was. Tangle almost felt the need to bow in front of it. Its radiance and size was incomparable to anything she had ever seen before. She took a moment to check out everyone else - their eyes were filled with starry awe and jaws were just about ready to drop to the floor.
Then there was Sonic - there was something about the way he smiled that she couldn't put her finger on. It was... a knowing smile, that's all she could really describe it as. His eyes held a certain degree of amusement in them - and depth... she couldn't put her finger on it but it was almost like... he simply knew things, knew how they were going to play out - so he could sit back and watch expectedly as things fell into place.
Maybe he did know a lot - maybe that's why Knuckles had been sent to find him, maybe that's what made him the chosen one - destined to be a crucial piece in the passage of time as Knuckles had said.
Well, there was certainly something special about him. She liked him, whether he was an omnipotent chosen one or not - there was something vulnerable and honest about him - what you saw was what you got, a guy with a good heart. She knew him to be good, his selfless actions so far had cemented it as such.
"No one takes a step past this... step." Knuckles pointed below her feet to the step she was standing on. It was a fair distance away from the top of the shrine and the emerald, but enough to get a clear view of the thing. "The Master Emerald can be observed from afar, but not beyond this point. So it should go without saying that NO ONE should touch it."
She nodded and smiled. "Understood!" Wow, he sounded quite fierce about that emerald...
She couldn't help but be curious, looking towards the direction of the bat she had known the longest.
Rouge looked like she had just fallen in love.
Tangle knew she had previously been a jewel thief, and she could only imagine how something like the Master Emerald was to her.
"Walked us all the way up here to tell us that, Knuckles?" Sonic asked the echidna with a smirk.
"... It was important." He replied.
Everyone groaned when they realised they would have to walk down the long flight of stairs they had just spent going up, but begrudgingly turned away to head back down. All except one however - Rouge. If a bomb had gone off, she probably wouldn't have noticed since she was so transfixed.
Tangle smiled and began to pull Rouge back towards the crowd with her tail. "Come oooon,"
Rouge extended her arms out in a futile effort towards the Master Emerald. "My baby-" She squeaked out, but soon accepted her fate of getting dragged by Tangle's tail.
It would be weird starting from the ground up, Knuckles had put these boundaries in place when they had first met and the dust had settled after their initial scuffle. Of course, as the two friends grew closer - he also found himself able to get closer to the emerald without having Knuckles chew him out.
Ah well, he had earned his trust before - he could do it again.
Sonic had to stifle back a snort of laughter when he saw Rouge gawking at the emerald - the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
Knuckles himself lived in a small hut off to the side of the shrine - not that he was exactly in there often, he'd much rather be beside his emerald as much as possible. But it was there for those dark and stormy nights. It was nestled in with a bunch of old hunts and odd ruins pieces - remnants of the echidnas who had lived there once before. What was once was likely a village had now been turned into a rundown camp.
Luckily for them though, that was more than enough.
Everyone was sat around the fire that Knuckles had made in the centre of the camp, huddled together as the evening sky was gradually becoming darker and the air grew chillier. Knuckles had been a good host so far, but was very quiet. Sonic couldn't help but feel Knuckles even seemed a little scared of everyone around him - he supposed the extra years he spent isolation was more time his social skills had to dwindle - but it felt so odd to see Knuckles... unsure of himself.
The echidna had gone to get food for everyone, and this time - Sonic had allowed him to go alone, recognising he probably needed the space. Sonic himself stood away from everyone, needing some time to think about where to go from here. Getting to Angel Island had been his target... where to go from here? Could he reset the timeline with the Master Emerald? If Knuckles allowed it?
Sonic almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
Rouge was there, standing behind him with a mild glare. She wasn't going to attack him again was she-?
"You knew, didn't you?" She glared at him - not with anger, but it was definitely intense.
"What do you mean?" Sonic asked.
"About Knuckles. Is that why you wanted to come here so badly?"
Oh. How to answer this...
"I told you about the Master Emerald, didn't I? Now you've seen with your own eyes it's real . I knew about the guardian, I didn't know he was looking for me."
"Cut the crap with the faltering memory stuff, alright? How do you know these things?"
"I believe in myths and legends."
That got a scoff from the bat. "If you're going to lie to me and withhold information - fine. But I'm telling you right now, whatever secrets you're hiding won't stay secrets. I'll get the answers I want whether you like it or not."
Sonic sighed. "Do you still think I'm some kind of villain?"
She looked off to the side. "... No. Not anymore. I mean, you're literally the chosen one - whatever the red guy said."
"You're not suspicious of him like you were me?"
"I'm suspicious of everyone." She admitted bluntly. "But at least I can tell he is who he says he is, his powers showed that quite plainly... but you - you're hiding something."
He hated how astute the bat always was. Sonic thought about it then though, now that Knuckles had arrived and announced that Sonic was indeed special, so special in fact that the Master Emerald had sent Knuckles to retrieve him... maybe they would be much more likely to believe that he could be from another timeline. Yes... he'd give it a few days, once Tangle and Rouge had processed things like the emeralds and chaos energy, maybe then he could explain and they would understand.
For now though, he'd keep his secrets.
"Aren't we all?" Sonic smiled, he thought he'd play around - add some mystique if he was going to be telling the truth soon any way.
She didn't seem to take any notice. "Why do you need these... Chaos Emeralds?"
"They've got the power to end the Empire." He told her straight.
"Is the Master Emerald not good enough on its own?"
Jeeze, so many questions he didn't know how to answer. "I'm not sure."
Rouge rubbed the bottom of her chin. "Hm... don't you think you'd better find out? If we can just use the Master Emerald's power, saves us looking for these other emeralds."
Was she... talking strategy with him? Well, that wasn't unwelcome...
"Yeah, I guess it's worth it. I'll talk to Knuckles about it once everything has settled down."
"He seems quite protective of it... I'm worried he won't let us use it..." She admitted. "Although what are you exactly planning to do with the emerald?"
"Another one of my secrets."
Rouge pouted, then sighed. "Well, chosen one or whatever you're supposed to be - I have no choice but to believe you know what you're doing." She said. "If Knuckles is your main obstacle standing in the way of getting in the emerald - we'll probably have to kill him. He's a very dangerous target but I do have a few methods-" Rouge cut herself off as she saw Sonic staring at her with the widest eyes known to man.
"Girl... can you cool it with the murder stuff?" He asked incredulously.
Rouge looked unimpressed. "Grow up. You aren't a child, sometimes it's necessary."
"Very damn rarely-" Sonic couldn't believe Rouge, and he would have chastised her further if not for-
"Hi, hi!" The two were interrupted by an energetic lemur bounding over to them. "Don't you two wanna be near the fire? The night is a-coming and the cold is a-chillin!"
"Heh, guess I should."
Rouge shrugged. "Suppose I wouldn't mind."
Tangle stung her tongue out at Rouge. "It's definitely better than trying to stab the chosen one again." She said cheekily.
"Shut up-"
The three of them then faced a bush as it rustled and out popped the red echidna, hauling a large basket filled to the brim with vegetables and fruit. He didn't say a word, instead opting to slip past everyone as quickly as he could and getting into one of the huts to start cooking.
"He's quite shy, huh?" Tangle commented with a soft smile. "I suppose I would be too if I lived on my own up here for... oh wow, he must have been alone for a long time-" Her eyes became filled with pity.
Imagining Knuckles alone for years on end... knowing nothing but isolation, made a surprising anger stir up within him. He understood the Master Emerald's importance, he really did - but also stripped Knuckles of his autonomy and independence. It was less of a gift and an honor, more of a curse.
Sonic had always made sure to visit him frequently. Because if anything, Knuckles needed to at least have some form of stable companionship. This Knuckles didn't even have that.
Sonic nodded slowly. "It's a lonely existence... while he's here with us, we've just gotta make sure we get to know him."
Tangle nodded enthusiastically. "Agreed! We'll become besties!"
Rouge shuddered.
The lemur then doubted herself. "Yet again he's also kind of like a God so maybe he doesn't want us-"
Sonic chuckled softly. "That ain't no God - he's nothing like one."
"How would you know? Ever met one?" Tangle challenged him with a smug expression.
If only he could be honest. "Maybeeee noooot, but he definitely doesn't give off God vibes, come on now." It was so nice to be able to talk to someone casually like this, Tangle was a lot of fun to be around.
Sonic looked towards the hut that Knuckles had entered. He found himself longing for a conversation with him like the one he was having now - where they could joke together, and be relaxed in each other's presence. "I think I'mma check on him actually. Get some bro time in with our new bestie." He quoted Tangle with a cheeky wink.
Tangle grinned. "Have fun!"
"Hey, Knuckles!" Sonic smiled as he opened the door to the hut.
He was met with the sound of bowls falling to the ground and shattering to pieces. "Oh-! Shit..." He heard the echidna a few doors down, so Sonic rushed to the noise.
Knuckles looked as though he had been in the middle of plating food from the pans on the hot stove into the bowls, but had dropped them suddenly. He looked up when Sonic entered the room and his face quickly grew flushed. "I-I'm sorry, you startled me- and- don't get me wrong I'm not blaming you for that mistake-"
"Aye, aye chill - relax." Sonic brushed off his stutters. "Didn't mean to frighten ya." Still, Knuckles was surprisingly jumpy.
"Right..." Knuckles sighed finally.
"Hey, just so we can be clear? Just because you were sent to help me with my goals and I'm this important piece of time - doesn't mean you need my permission to do things, nor do you need to be excessively nice. I'm not gonna punish you for breaking some bowls." He let out a slight snicker. "If anything I'm the one that should be scared of you - you did crazy stuff to those guys earlier-"
"Huh? There's no need to be scared of me!" Knuckles quickly insisted. "I just did what I had to do to protect you like I've been tasked to do..."
"I know." Sonic smiled. "Was still quite a feat, I haven't seen anything like it."
"Well... Guardians get special abilities due to our unique connection with the emerald."
Then why couldn't the Knuckles of his timeline do these things?
"It's cool." Sonic admitted honestly.
Knuckles paused. "Cool...? What has... temperature got to do with this?"
Oh jeeze, he didn't even know the most basic of slang. "It's another way of saying awesome, you goof." He explained, oh he just couldn't resist teasing him a little.
"I... see." Knuckles said despite not looking as though he understood. "Goof...?" Knuckles repeated under his breath in a very quiet whisper.
Sonic decided to change the subject. "You got enough bowls for everyone?"
"Yeah- I make a lot of ceramic stuff-" He was already producing more.
Sonic did know of Knuckles' pottery hobby, Knuckles had a lot of time on his hands - so he had ventured to messing around with the natural materials on his island and seeing what he could make. It was all very weird to pretend he didn't know this stuff already. "Oh really? When did you first learn how to do it?"
"I... might have been 12, I think. I taught myself."
"Ah, you're experienced!" On the surface it always seemed like Knuckles did nothing but stand or sleep in front of his emerald all day, but Sonic knew there was a lot more to him than that. "What about making other things besides bowls?"
"Uh... plates, vases, jugs-"
"Impressive!" Sonic complimented. "I tried pottery once, did not have patience for it - the clay went everywhere." He admitted with a chuckle.
"Unfortunate." Knuckles said, sounding sincere.
This is where things differed - the Knuckles he knew would have poked fun at him upon hearing this news, or found some way to gloat or chastise. Was this Knuckles just trying that hard to be polite... or was this his social ineptness showing itself?
He watched Knuckles and the way he was awkwardly shifting his gaze around and avoiding making eye contact with the blue hedgehog. It was though Knuckles was desperately trying to search for what he was supposed to say. Those few years extra he had spent in isolation had taken some sort of toll on him - making him more... anxious, seemingly. Talking with people for the first time in so long was probably a scary experience.
Sonic realised he needed to take things slow. "Hey, let me help you get the food plated up." Sonic said.
The two carried out their task in an acceptable silence.
Night...
Rouge hadn't seen stars in a long time - far too used to seeing them covered by smoke and smog. Yet here they were, bright and dazzling over the floating island. What an odd place it was.
It was also weird to feel full for once - she hadn't had a proper meal like that since before the Empire's reign had begun. Was this about to become commonplace now? She was definitely ready for that change.
As great as the island seemed to be, one thing just didn't add up to her.
Why did the trails of pollution disappear around the island? There was something keeping the island protected, and Rouge was determined to find out what. She was flying off through the sky, and was surprised by how far she got with the sky still remaining clear. However, she'd soon find what she was looking for.
"Ooof-!" Her face slammed into thin air.
Except that wasn't quite the case. She reached out to tap whatever she collided with and was surprised to see the area turn green and flicker.
A forcefield.
So that was it, just a large bubble around the island that was only visible when you touched it.
Well... there was one more thing to test.
She backed up a few paces, swung her leg back, and unleashed a heavy kick - instantly shattering a small hole that she could easily fly through. On the other side, she coughed and spluttered, lungs making contact with toxic fumes. She was quick to kick her way back into the island's bubble and watched it quickly reform behind her.
Gasping for fresh air, she hovered in the night sky.
Now then...
Rouge was aware of her extraordinary strength in her legs, so strong in fact that some thought it possible she might be physically strongest mobian in the world - a title that made her feel great pride. It was no surprise that she had managed to break through using her powers.
So the question remained, did she have to use her legs? There was only one way to find out.
She winded back her metal arm before punching at the forcefield. It flickered, it didn't shatter.
Pound.
Another flicker.
Pound.
The same again.
Pound.
Nothing new.
POUND!
She gasped as she felt it shatter again. Rouge didn't leave the bubble, instead watching it mend up again after for a few moments with a baffled expression. The forcefield kept the pollution away from the island... that much she understood.
But this forcefield was not strong enough to keep out intruders - she could punch through it. Robotnik was no fool, he wouldn't leave an opportunity like this hanging in the air. He should have gone here before, he would have been easily able to break through the barrier with a ship fleet, he should have found the all powerful emerald and taken it for himself.
Yet... it was evident that Robotnik had left this place alone. On purpose.
Why?
A calmer, longer chapter to give the characters a bit of time to breathe... but not without intrigue :)
Once again I am so happy about all the support this fic has received! Thanks to all who have shown their interest, and I hope to deliver more entertaining parts in the future! Leave a review if ya can - but for now, see ya later :)
