howdy howdy hey
so i originally intended these next two chapters to be one, but then i realized it was gonna be long as shit and would probably never come out at this rate
so anywho i divided it into two
thanks to Nishiya and TwidereChan for commenting!
Day 4: Chaos
The Chaos they had been following for the past few days led Elise, Blaze, and Silver to a cave at the base of a mountain.
Elise was on edge as they approached it. They all were. Chaos Emeralds weren't to be taken lightly.
Silver showed her how to use his gloves to light up the cave as they traversed through its tunnels. None of them held either Knuckles or Blaze's power, so it had been difficult to continue tracking the emerald in the morning. But they had been close enough to the cavern that Elise's, or more accurately, Silver's, sensitivity was alerted. As they moved deeper and deeper into the cave, she was certain they were in the right place.
The cave was bursting with Chaos, the energy seemingly bouncing off the walls. Elise had never felt Chaos like this before. Her previous knowledge was minimal, only being able to sense the slightest changes. But Silver's, the power she now wielded, was stronger, more potent. It was incredible to her how different the experience was in the eyes of someone who could use the Chaos Emeralds.
The trio's footsteps echoed in the cavern's heavy silence. The bat wings on Silver's back fluttered anxiously. Blaze seemed tense as well, her fingers flexing as they normally would when she'd use her magic. But dressed as Amy, it would do no good.
The blue light emitting from Elise's futuristic gloves was minimal, but it still revealed faint etchings on the walls. Elise didn't inspect them, but they seemed to be the remains of paintings, long-ingrained on the stone. "How long do you think these tunnels have been here?" Silver asked.
It wasn't until Blaze looked at her that Elise realized that the question was directed at her. Blaze and Silver weren't from this time, she remembered. "Hundreds, maybe thousands of years," she said uncertainly. "It looks much older than anything I've seen in Soleanna. A lot of these smaller islands used to be home to ancient civilizations before they moved to the mainland. I wouldn't be surprised if we're the first people to have been here in a hundred years."
"Wow!" Silver's voice pierced through the caverns. "Everything where we're from gets destroyed within a few years of being built!"
Blaze hushed him as a deep rumbling came from within the cave. Elise held her breath in fear, but a few seconds later, the tremor ceased. Once she was certain the danger had left, Blaze spoke softly. "We need to be quiet. Sol energy can be very unstable. We must tread carefully."
Silver nodded gingerly, but Elise's focus was centered on the end of the tunnel ahead of them. A few moments earlier, it was as pitch black as the rest of the caverns had been. But now, the opening glowed a bright white. "Guys?" She swallowed tensely. "Is that it?"
They all approached the glow, the mood shifting significantly. As suspected, it was the Chaos Emerald, hovering above a pedestal. The power pouring out of the clear jewel was overwhelming. She felt as though she were bracing against it, as though it might knock her over at any moment. But a glance over to Blaze and Silver showed that they were having no such trouble.
"It's the gamer gem," Silver said quietly.
"What?" Blaze turned to Silver quickly.
"Sorry," Silver said sheepishly, a grin creeping on his face, "That's what Shadow called it when we were in Soleanna."
Elise stifled a giggle. Blaze rolled her eyes, taking a step towards the emerald, but was stopped by Elise's hand on her shoulder. "Wait." She stopped. "Let me." Blaze looked at her in confusion. "You're right. Chaos can be unstable. But I have Silver's connection to the emeralds. I might be able to control it. Hang back with Silver. That way if something goes wrong, the two of you can get out quick."
Silver stepped forward. "What about you?"
"I have your powers, remember? I'll be fine. But, Blaze, you have Amy's, which might be good for a fight, but aren't great for getting out of somewhere quick."
Blaze looked down, clearly considering her words. "Alright. Be careful."
Elise nodded. "Silver, be ready to fly the two of you out of here." She took a steadying breath and stepped towards the emerald.
The Chaos she had felt before was nothing compared to standing next to the emerald. Her grasp on the world seemed to disappear. Intellectually, she knew her feet were on the ground, standing in the cave, but she couldn't feel it. There was only Chaos.
She reached her hand towards it but recoiled. She could feel the pulses of energy the closer she got. The Chaos flooded her senses. She could feel its strength, but also its volatility, and it terrified her. She wanted nothing more than to get away from it, far away, and never feel it again.
But, at the same time, it was so alluring. The Chaos seemed to envelop her, its presence warm and soothing. However, it did not deceive her. It didn't offer safety, it offered comfort.
For the first time in her life, Princess Elise understood Chaos.
She inhaled deeply before reaching back out to the emerald. She didn't waver as she did before but instead moved with the energy until her fingers landed on the cold surface of the emerald.
It was as though the entire world stopped. The cavern was filled with a chilling silence. It went still, the energy that had been resounding only moments earlier coming to a stop. But it did not disappear.
Just from that singular touch, the Chaos that she had been so fearful yet enticed by flowed into her. She let out a small gasp, attempting to control the strength now burning through her. Its weight was crushing, but she mustered the strength to maneuver her fingers to lift it from the pedestal. With cautious movements, she carried the emerald from the pedestal to the pocket of Silver's jacket.
The stillness that had encompassed the cave fell away in an instant, replaced by a rush of Chaos. It was relieving to have all of that power dispelled from her, but she quickly realized the danger as another set of tremors began. "Oh, shit."
"Elise!" Blaze's call echoed off the walls of the cave, clearly from a distance away. "Get out of there!"
With the Chaos no longer holding her in place, Elise had no trouble turning around and running toward the entrance of the cave. She could see the pebbles on the ground shaking violently, more falling from the ceiling to join them, but she ignored them. She had to run, she had to get to the front, she had to get /out/.
The danger became incredibly clear when a larger piece of the roof of the cave came falling down into Elise's path. She had no time to stop as it careened down, so she raised her hand to protect herself, only for Silver's gloves to activate, destroying the rock. She slowed down as she realized what had happened. Well, as long as she had Silver's powers, she should use them.
Elise progressed further up the cave, shooting at the falling debris as it collapsed. Although she managed to mostly clear her path, a stray piece nicked her face, but she didn't slow down. She could see the end of the tunnel, the sunlight pouring in. She shot another rock out of the air, running against the side of the tunnel to dodge the rubble.
Almost there.
She could see Blaze and Silver outside. They had taken her advice and got out when the cave had started to rumble.
Almost there.
As she reached the mouth of the cave, another shockwave was released from her jacket pocket. In an instant, the frame of the entrance collapsed. Elise leaped forward, raising her arms over her head.
She rolled a little onto the ground, but only a few pieces of rubble reached her legs. After a few seconds, the sounds of the crumbling cave ceased and Elise peeked her head out from her arms.
The cave was completely wrecked, the opening she had just used replaced with a pile of rocks. Silver and Blaze rushed towards her. "Are you alright?" he asked, pulling her to her feet.
Elise dusted herself off a little. "I- I'm fine, I think."
Blaze glanced at the older girl's empty hands. "Did you get the emerald?"
Elise nodded, pulling out the emerald gingerly. "Your jacket really came in handy for that one, Silver."
Silver laughed a little. "We did it!" His face fell a little. He looked to the other two girls. "What now?"
"We should probably try and find the others," Elise said, "Maybe they've managed to find the other emeralds."
Silver argued back. "How are we supposed to find them? We've spent four days trying to get this stupid emerald, and we haven't seen anyone else!"
Although Elise was a bit more optimistic than Silver, she acknowledged he had a point. They couldn't just wander aimlessly and hope that something would come of it. They needed to have some semblance of a plan.
She spared a glance over at Blaze, only to find her looking up to the sky ahead of her. Elise turned to see what the younger girl was looking at. The cave she had just returned from was situated at the base of an imposing mountain, looming over the rest of the island.
"It might be beneficial-" Blaze said slowly, "-To get a view from higher up."
Amy held on tight to Knuckles as he ran through the dense jungle. He could hear the whirring of Rouge's two, white tails somewhere above him, but he paid it little mind. Most of his focus was wasted on trying to control Shadow's immense speed.
None of them could actively track the Chaos emerald, but Knuckles was not too concerned. He had been fairly certain of its location yesterday when he had been using Blaze's powers. They had been continuing on that path since the morning, so he was sure they would find it soon.
Amy yelped as he swerved to avoid a tree. Knuckles slowed down, then came to a complete stop as he realized they were no longer in the jungle. He set Amy down, who immediately made a grab for her stomach. "You alright, little lady?"
"Yeah," she said, gagging a little, "Just a little queasy."
"Sonic's carried you before."
"Yeah, well Sonic doesn't give me as bumpy of a ride."
Knuckles glared a little as Rouge landed beside him. "I resent that."
"What do you resent?" Rouge asked. She glanced over at Amy, who was still looking a little green and clutching her stomach. "Amy, hon, try not to vomit. You're wearing white."
Amy glared down at Elise's white dress, which she now wore. "I'm very aware of that."
Knuckles paid the girls' conversation no mind, examining the clearing they now found themselves in. The tree line of the jungle they had just exited seemed to go on for a while and he could see the figure of a mountain standing in the distance. But what most stood out to him was the expansive lake placed in front of them.
The Chaos had led them here, which meant that it had to be close. It could be in the water, but that didn't feel right. It didn't make sense. It had to be here.
A small patch of land in the middle of the lake caught his attention. It was quite modest, barely visible from their position on the shore. It would be entirely unremarkable, if not for the glint of bright green on it.
"It's here," he said suddenly.
"What's here?" Amy asked.
"The green Chaos Emerald." He pointed out onto the lake. "It's on that island."
A mischievous grin crossed Rouge's face. "You mean the weed gem?"
Knuckles rolled his eyes at the reference to their first meeting. "You're so immature."
"Aw c'mon, Red. Admit that I'm just a little bit funny."
He shook his head and kept his lips shut.
Amy sighed with exasperation. "So, if that's the emerald, what's the hold-up?" She began to tread towards the water. "Let's just swim over there-"
"Amy, wait!" Rouge called, stopping her, "We don't how deep the water is."
Knuckles stepped forward. "Or what's in it." He crossed his arms. "This is a Chaos Emerald. It doesn't hurt to be careful." He glanced over at Rouge. "Think you could fly me over there?"
She rolled up her sleeves as the twin tails behind her began to twirl. "Yeah. Hold on." She became airborne and grabbed onto his arms. Within seconds, they were soaring over the lake, the small island growing in the distance. As they got closer, it was clear that it was, in fact, the green Chaos emerald he had spotted earlier. They began to drop in altitude until they reached the island.
Knuckles felt his feet touch the ground and he turned back to Rouge, who was still hovering in the air. "Head back with Amy. I dunno how it's gonna react.
Rouge looked hesitant but nodded. "You'll be careful?"
He raised his eyebrows, a grin crossing his face. "C'mon. It's me. I'll be fine."
Rouge gave a small smile, then turned back the way they had come. Knuckles felt a fondness burn in his chest, but he brushed it off, turning his attention to the emerald in front of him.
The green Chaos Emerald (weed gem, his mind supplied unhelpfully) was almost taunting him, egging him on to grab it, which didn't exactly quell any fears about it.
But he couldn't wait around all day. They needed the Chaos Emerald.
With a deep breath, Knuckles picked up the emerald.
Instinctively, Sonic knew they were making progress, but their trek up the mountain was much slower than he would've liked. It wasn't yet frighteningly steep, but the incline was far from easy to walk. Sonic found himself thankful he had awoken in Knuckles' athletic wear. He couldn't imagine what it would be like climbing as Elise.
Shadow was a few paces ahead of him, laser-focused, donning Sonic's own red sneakers. It was clear from his speed that he too would rather pick up the pace, but he held himself back for the sake of his friends.
The sun beat down on them from above the trees. Sonic couldn't imagine how much more tedious this hike would be without the shade offered by the foliage. Once again, he thanked Chaos for his light clothing.
A small grunt from behind him brought him out of his thoughts. Tails seemed to be struggling significantly, a narrow gap starting to form between him and his brother. It struck Sonic odd, at first, to see Tails so far behind. Despite being the youngest in the group, rarely did he actually fall behind, always managing to keep up with even the most grueling pace. But back then, Sonic realized, the younger boy could use his tails to match the pace. Rather than his namesakes, Tails now had Blaze's purple coat, the sleeves of which he had rolled up. Sonic could see the sweat forming on the younger's brow, his face red from the heat.
Sonic stopped to wait for his brother, Shadow catching on a few seconds later. "You doing okay, little buddy?"
Tails gave him a strained smile. "I'm fine. It's just," he hesitated, "Blaze's boots aren't exactly made for mountain climbing."
Had Sonic been talking to anyone else, he would've left it at that, assuming he would tell him if he needed help. But Sonic knew Tails. He knew that Tails wouldn't ask for this kind of help on a mission, not unless he physically could not continue. With a sigh, Sonic bent over. "C'mon, bud. Hop on."
Tails seemed unsure. "I thought you said I was too big to ride on your shoulders."
"Well, yeah," Sonic conceded, "But I didn't have Knuckles' strength before. I'm sure I can take a little kid like you." Silence. "Are you gettin' on or what?"
A second later, he felt his brother's hands on his back. "'M not a little kid," Tails mumbled childishly.
"Uh-huh." Sonic stood, surprised at the lightness of the eight-year-old. He knew Knuckles was strong, but he hadn't known to this extent. But once he was sure Tails was secure, he began marching forward until he was level with Shadow. His darker counterpart raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
There was not a meaningful shift in tempo, but it certainly felt like they were moving faster. It was nothing compared to running, but after a few days speedless, Sonic was just happy to make some progress.
Tails' hands shifted in his hair. "There's something up there."
Sonic stopped in his tracks. "What?"
"There's something pulling us to the top. Can't you feel it?"
No, he almost said, but he dropped the word in his mouth. He could feel something. He wasn't sure how he didn't notice it before. It was just as Tails said, a force looped around him, leading to the mountaintop. It felt like a rope, tight around him.
"I feel it too," he said.
At the sound of his words, Shadow stopped and turned to them. He seemed to consider something before speaking. "Both Knuckles and Blaze have a connection to the Chaos Emeralds," he said slowly, "If you both are feeling a pull to the top-"
"-Then there might be an emerald up there!" Sonic finished. He readjusted Tails on his shoulders. "If we hurry, we might be able to make it up before dark!" His steps quickened, Shadow following suit. He felt energized, rejuvenated. If Shadow was right, they would've actually made some progress instead of just wandering around aimlessly. He wasn't actually sure how long it would take to get to the top, but the knowledge that they were so close to completing their goal was too sweet to resist.
A rustling from the trees around them stopped Shadow in his tracks. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah," Sonic whispered, taking Tails off his shoulders. He listened intently. Something was in the trees, near them. "Tails, do you know how to use Blaze's powers?"
"Um, no?"
There it was again. "Get behind me," he said quickly, moving into a defensive stance. Shadow did the same beside him. They could hear whatever it was getting closer, the crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs feeling deafening. Sonic leaped forward as the foliage in front of him was pushed aside, only to find-
"Elise?"
The princess of Soleanna lowered her tech-laden glove. "Sonic?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Sonic could see Blaze pull away Amy's mallet from Shadow. Silver, who had been flying, lowered to the ground. "I can't believe we found you guys!"
Blaze took a step towards Sonic, the mallet disappearing behind her. "Long time no see."
He chuckled. "Yeah, no kidding." The six of them were now gathered together in a circle. It wasn't all of them, but Sonic was still overjoyed to find at least some of his friends. "Have you guys had any more luck than we have with finding emeralds?"
Elise reached into her silver jacket, holding out the clear Chaos emerald. "Yes, actually."
"What about you?" Blaze asked.
Sonic gestured to the path they had been taking. "Tails and I both sense one up at the top of the mountain. We've been working our way up."
"You didn't get very far."
Shadow crossed his arms. "Our transportation has been a little limited. We can't get anywhere fast without leaving someone behind."
"Well, there's more of us now," Silver piped up, "I can fly someone."
"We'd have to split up," Elise said, "Four up the mountain, two down here."
Silver raised a hand meekly. "I think the only one I can manage is Tails. I'm not very strong."
"I can take Sonic," Shadow said, causing Sonic to use all of his willpower not to react.
Blaze nodded. "Elise and I'll stay here."
"You'll be alright?" Sonic asked.
Blaze smirked a little. "We can handle ourselves. Just get back before it's dark." Her gaze flickered to Silver for a second. "We don't wanna be separated for too long."
"And be careful!" Elise said suddenly. "The last emerald's cave collapsed. I doubt it's an isolated occurrence."
Sonic nodded in understanding. "Thanks, Elise. We'll keep that in mind." He took a step towards Shadow, who was standing ready. Within a second, Sonic was back into his arms, just like he had been when he caught him the day before. Sonic attempted not to lean into him too much, but he couldn't deny how good it felt to be in his arms.
"Ready?" Shadow asked.
Sonic craned his neck to see Tails, who was already being carried by Silver. "Ready!" Silver said.
Sonic heard the flapping of bat wings and held onto Shadow a little tighter. He closed his eyes and felt the rush of speed he was used to. But despite its familiarity, it was different. In Shadow's arms, he could no longer have the freedom, the exhilaration usually afforded by his speed. He never really realized just how much he reveled in it.
He looked over to see that Silver and Tails were close behind, much closer than he thought they would be. Shadow must be running slower than he thought he was. It irked Sonic just a little bit that he couldn't tell the difference.
Silver was flying beside them now. In his arms, Tails grinned over at Sonic. "Enjoying your ride?"
"Shut the hell your mouth," Sonic said through gritted teeth, acutely aware that Shadow was well within earshot. He could feel his face turn red with heat.
Tails just giggled at him, clearly enjoying this particular brand of brotherly torment. Sonic was thinking of a retort when Silver pulled back sharply. A moment later, Shadow slowed down as well. Sonic turned to see what the problem was.
The jungle that had surrounded them had thinned out a little as they had traveled, making it easy for Silver to fly alongside as Shadow ran. But in front of them stood the densest clump of vegetation they had seen yet. He wasn't sure he would be able to maneuver through it under normal circumstances.
"That is some thick foliage," Shadow remarked bluntly, setting Sonic down, Silver doing the same with Tails.
A nervous whine was apparent in Silver's voice as he examined the greenery in front of him. "Uh, yeah, I gotta be honest, I'm not confident in my ability to navigate that and keep up with Shadow. I could probably keep up the speed if we went above the jungle." He shrugged. "We could just meet you guys at the top."
"I dunno," Sonic said. He glanced over at Tails for a split second. "I don't think it's a good idea to split up."
"I mean, it'd only be 'til the top of the mountain," Tails said, playing with his hands, "We've already been here for four days. I don't really wanna waste any more time than we have to." He looked up at Sonic uncertainly.
Sonic sighed, but before he could answer, Shadow spoke. "Tails is right. We don't have time to argue." He looked to Silver. "We'll see you guys at the top."
Sonic squatted down to be at eye level with his younger brother. "Be careful, okay?"
Tails smiled. "We'll be fine. We're not the ones going through the deep, dark jungle."
Sonic laughed a little and gave him a quick hug. "Alright. See you in a bit." Tails nodded and went back over to Silver. The older boy picked him up and began to flap Rouge's wings.
Sonic and Shadow watched as the younger two boys flew up into the sky, disappearing behind the treeline. "You ready to go?" Shadow asked.
Sonic hesitated, still watching the sky where their friends had just been, but nodded. "Yeah. Let's get this over with."
sorry i suck at writing action scenes. if it wasn't clear by the way i write some of these scenes, this was initially intended to be visual.
please comment if you liked it. they really do a lot for my motivation when it comes to writing this thing ^_^
if you feel so inclined, you can follow me on tumblr heds-n-tails. don't really post sonic stuff that often tbh, but idk
anyway, til next time
EDIT: I'm a fucking idiot and somehow thought the gamer gem was the orange chaos emerald. it's not. it's the clear one. idk how tf i mixed that up. but yea i fixed it so sorry about that
