Well, This is going to be the FINAL chapter of part 2: the wait. You know the drill. I don't own the Sonic team or Aleena. Aleena is a copyright of FoxFan999 and Angel-Tails (same person), Sonic team is copyright of Sega. Well, on to the story.

Chapter 10: Lost now found... But is it a good idea?

August 1

Green Lightning's POV

I woke up in a stone room, devoid of modern technology and a bit chilly due to the fact that instead of a window that could close, there was a hole in the wall that served as a window. My mom and dad had driven me over here the day before, along with Aleena. It hadn't taken me long to unpack, for I had only brought my backpack, cellphone (to keep in touch with everyone), and some extra sets of clothes with me. I shivered and pulled the covers tight around me, not very fond of being cold. Suddenly the door to my room opened, revealing a girl, a few inches taller than myself, with purple fur and was a kitsune, a mystic as well, walking towards me. " Hi Aleena." I said as she approached the bed, smiling. " Good morning Tomias. Kinda chilly in here, isn't it?" I nodded. " The fire must have burnt out in the middle of the night. I would have thought I would be used to it by now. Oh well. I guess some things just can not be helped." She smiled again. " And once again, your parents have you in a bed that appears to be at least ten times your size. Well, I think you should head to the dining hall. I was told to come get you for breakfast." I smiled as I neatly folded the covers back and hopped out of the bed. As usual, I did not have to change into some clothes because I had worn my standard green shirt and shorts in the night, along with my shoes. I grabbed my cloak and slipped it on as I left, Aleena holding my hand whilst I grasped my staff with the other. I am glad my dad decided not to make me wear a crown again... it felt quite restraining when I had it on last time. I thought to myself as I walked down the hall. We walked down about 6 flights of stairs, all the way to the first floor. I forgot just how big the castle is... I thought to myself once we reached the first floor. I smelled something good from the kitchen, adjacent to the dining hall. We walked into the dining hall, as only the cooks were allowed in the kitchen, and took seats at opposite ends of the table. There was only one other person there at the time, a short, pink-furred, kitsune that was in the midst of eating a small bowl of oatmeal. She looked no older than five, but with the fact that Kintushians were now on our planet, one could not rely on looks to guess one's age.

She looked up and glanced back and forth between us both. " Who dost thou be? Thou hast entered unnanounced and unnoticed. Please introduce thineselves." She said with a tone of slight athority, but the rest was just that of a curious child. Aleena looked confused. " Umm... What did you say?" She obviously was not familiar with the old terms. I could tell right away that the little girl was royalty, just by the way she talked. I smiled. " She asked us who we are, Aleena." I turned to the girl and smiled. " I am Tomias Dimitri, but I prefer Green Lightning. The other individual is my girlfriend, Aleena Prower." Her mouth dropped open when I mentioned my name, and she went wiede-eyed when I mentioned that Aleena was my girlfriend. She soon overcame what seemed to be a shocking experience, and smiled. " 'Tis a good day then, now that I have finally met thee, brother." She said, in the same tone she had used earlier. Aleena looked confused, as did I. " What do you mean, 'brother'?" Aleena asked, still confused. The girl giggled. " Mother and Father told me that I had an older brother, age 6, named Tomias and nicknamed Green Lightning. Thou speakest the truth about thine name, dost thou not?" She inquired. I nodded. She turned a stern look on me. " Prove it. All within our line hast been Mystics, so surely thou art gifted in the sacred arts. Be careful, for if I find that thou art lying, I shalt be forced to confine thee to the dungeon." She folded her hands on the table and concentrated on me. I decided to use a fireball spell on the nearby, unlit fireplace, so it wouldn't be a wasted effort. I turned around and saw both her and Aleena smiling. " 'Tis good to finally see thee, brother Tomias. How art thou?" I smiled as I sat once again opposite of Aleena. " Well, aside from feeling a bit cold, I believe I am alright. Hmm... You know our names, but we don't know yours. Is it alright if I ask for you to reveal to us your name?" She blushed in embarrassment. " I am sorry if I have offended thee with my poor manners. My name is Sara Dimitri. As thou hast probably already guessed, Mother and Father fought in the war to save the forest thou art sworn to protect. The curse carried by Kintushians affected them, thus they are no longer able to age. Well, shall we eat now?" She said the last bit just as a few mystics wearing tall white hats and white aprons walked in. They set the food on the table and bowed low, first to my sister, then almost to me. I stopped them before they could. " Please do not bow. It is unneccessary." They smiled and nodded, leaving happily. Sara looked at me and smiled, then looked to Aleena. " Thou art lucky to have such a modest individual in thine company. I look forward to getting to know both of you." She got up from the table, taking her empty bowl with her. " If thou needst anything, I will be in the third chamber of the royal hall, right next to Green Lightning's room. I hope thou hast a nice day. I have already instructed the guards and servants to stay out of thine way whilst thou art with thine lady today. Have a nice day, brother." She said as she left to the kitchen.

" I guess being nice runs in your family, doesn't it, Tomias?" Aleena asked as we started eating our salads (yes it was the main food around the land of the Mystics! What's wrong with salad!). I nodded. " Mom and dad never told me about having children other than myself..." I said, merely stating a fact rather than expressing grief. We finished our salads while enjoying the silence within the room. I decided to go for a walk and Aleena decided to head to Knothole to see if there was a sale at the mall. She kissed me goodbye, saying she'd see me later. I waved as she stepped through her moongate, cut off from her as soon as it closed. As I walked along throughout the familiar corridors, passing several guards, all of whom were mages and not warriors, I finally decided that I would go back to bed and get some sleep. As soon as I reached the seventh floor, where I had been sleeping, I heard a loud scream. Sara! I thought to myself as I took off at full speed, my feet not even touching the ground. I rounded the corner 4 doors after my own, and came into a room with the entire Black Robe gang gathered around the center of it, all laughing low and evil. " This will take us two steps closer to finally being rid of royal scum... Let's do it!" They all raised and lowered their arms, chanting something in a foriegn language that I had never heard before. I Immediately threw a chain lightning spell at them, and hit all seven of my marks. They immediately turned around to see a very angry prince with his hands holding the magic of a prepared meteor swarm spell. They growled and left through a moongate that just opened, leaving no trace of them other than an angry prince a very scared princess, and an occupied crib.

" How could they just show up like that with you in the castle!" Aleena scolded upon finding out. I shrugged. " You forget. Moongates send you anywhere you want without having to walk there. I am sure they were hiding in there, waiting for her. Maybe now they will leave the family alone... I hope." Aleena sighed and stroked the fur on top of my head. " I don't know why I can't stay mad at you." Sara smiled. " I believe it is almost bedtime. Should we not be hurrying along to our living quarters?" I nodded in agreement, it was already so dark in the castle that we had to light the fireplaces, not only to keep warm, but to see as well. Sure summers were not hot on Mobius, unlike I heard they were on Earth. But their nights could get cold if you were not careful. I woke up halfway through the night from someone knocking on my chamber door. I crawled out of bed, falling to the floor in not the most graceful fashion. I yawned as I walked to the door, very sleepy and having difficulty staying awake. I opened it and Aleena stood there, shivering. " It's cold in my room. I can't get the fireplace to light. You mind if I sleep in here tonight?" She asked. I yawned and nodded. " You can have the bed, Aleena. I'll sleep on the floor, next to the fireplace." She looked confused. " Why not sleep in the bed with me? It's obviously big enough." I shook my head. " I feel more comfortable sleeping alone. I am sorry if this offends you." She smiled. " I'm not offended. I respect your decision. Good night." she kissed me on the forehead before getting into my bed. I closed the door and grabbed my cloak off the coatrack next to the door. I walked over to the fireplace and laid my cloak out flat. I rekindled the flame with a fireball spell, so it would last the night. I laid down on my cloak and wrapped it around me, using it as both a blanket and a pillow. " Good night, Aleena." I said as I yawned and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, before Aleena woke up, I wrote a note in Mystic writing telling her I was going for a walk in the garden and she could look for me if she wanted, but I was mainly doing it to get away from the watchful eye of the guards and my sister. She spent most of her time taking care of our one-year old brother, but the rest of the time she tended to keep her eye on me the way my mother had when I had wandered these halls in search of a way to remove the burden that had been upon my head. I was able to be happy within these walls now that I no longer carried that burden. I made my way to the garden on the first floor, happy that it had been restored to it's former glory. As I walked through it the flowers literally turned themselves towards me. I wasn't too surprised, seeing as how I had a connection with nature almost as deep as my connection with Aleena. I walked into a patch of grass that rose well above my head, and was surrounded by flowers. I carefully avoided the flowers while I waded into the grass, and stopped to lay down in it and enjoy the wondrous smell of so many flowers in bloom. I think I fell asleep there, because when I came to, Aleena was sitting on my stomach, offering a flower to me. I smiled. " Hi Aleena." She smiled. I smelled the flower. It smelled of fresh baked bread on an Autumn morning. " Ahh... Smells nice, Aleena. But it pales in comparison to thine inner beauty." she giggled as she leaned down and kissed me. " I love it when you talk like that. It's so sweet and cute!" She leaned down and hugged me, her head resting on one of my shoulders. " It's so nice here... I can see why you came, Tomias." She said. I nodded. " It is the only place the guards won't go. I am not too sure about my sister, however. I do not really know much about her." She smiled and nodded, still having me within her embrace. " You smell just like the flowers, Tomias... Only nicer." She squeezed me tighter, making it a bit difficult for me to be able to get out of her grasp when I want to. " I just want to hold you forever..." She mumbled, dreamily. I smiled and closed my eyes, about to go to sleep with my arms around the one I loved and who loved me just as much. It did not happen, however. " I thought I would find thee here, brother. Trying to win her over in the garden? Thou should be ashamed of thineself!" She said, pointing an accusing finger at me. What did I do? I thought to myself. " I do not know what you mean, Sara." She shook her head. " Do not take it too far. Mother and Father would most likely find ye a harsh punishment for such a thing." She said as she left. What does she mean by 'do not take it too far'? I do not understand... Just then sleep overcame me, allowing me to rest with the one I loved lying next to me with her head on my shoulder, sleeping peacefully. It was wonderful.

I woke up a few hours later to find Aleena gone and a note sitting beside me. I turned it over and saw that she had written that she was going shopping and would be back later. I smiled. Why do girls like shopping so much? I stood up and walked out of the patch of grass to find Sara standing there with her back turned to me, admiring the Mobius Marvelousa, third rarest flower in all of Mobius. I carefully made my way out without her noticing me. I climbed the stairs once more, arriving at my chamber and stepping out onto the terrace. I jumped onto the wall and sat there, eyes closed, enjoying the wind blowing through my fur and the sound of silence. It was peaceful there, and I liked it that way. A few minutes later I heard a voice from the doorway. " I thought I would find thee here, brother. Thou art needed in the throne room." Suddenly I heard a bench plop down on the ground nearby. I turned to see my sister standing on it, looking upon the horizon. I looked back out, no longer smiling. I let out a depressed sigh. " Brother? What is wrong? Thou art sad, though the day is bright and beautiful." I shook my head. " 'Tis a burden I would rather not bear, sister. It seems to suck all the happiness out of me. I would give it all up if I could..." I turned around and hopped off the terrace, walking towards the throne room with heavy steps and my head hung in grief.

I sat upon the large throne at the top of the grand stairway and awaited for the guests to be shown in. The throne beside me was empty, being meant for the queen. " Your majesty, your guests aproach." Came the voice of a guard standing at the doorway leading into the throne room. " Show them in." I glumly replied. I hadn't expected those whom I saw. In stepped Sonic, Amy, and Shadow, all in casual clothing rather than their uniforms. I smiled as I got up to greet them, forgetting that right in front of the throne were stairs. I wound up landing precariously and falling head ove heels to the ground. I stood up in a daze, only slightly bruised from the fall. I immediately sat back down, still a bit dizzy. I looked up to see Amy giggling and Shadow smirking. Sonic did not seem to notice, or he did not care. He still wore his standard cocky grin, oblivious to the incident. Shadow decided to 'run with it' as Sonic and Amy put these things. " Did the little baby get a boo-boo?" He said in a mocking tone of voice. Amy immediately pulled out her hammer and smacked him in the back of the head with it. He cringed, expecting another blow. I stood up and dusted my self off before walking over to greet my friends. " Hail to thee, friends!" I said. All three of them gave me confused looks, apparently not understanding what I said. I smiled. " It means 'hi' around here. Sorry, I forgot you are not familiar with our terms." Just then my sister entered the throne room and walked over. " Tomias! Thou art supposed to be seated upon thine throne!" She said before dragging me to the king's throne at the other end of the throne room. She picked me up under my arms and sat me up there, oblivious to the snickering and sneers of Shadow. She then pulled out a comb and started running it through my fur despite my protesting. When I was deemed presentable by here, she stood between the two thrones and turned to my friends. " You may approach the king." She said. Shadow was dragged in his unconcious state towards the throne by Amy, with her hammer still in hand. Sara noticed this and spoke up. " Has your companion fallen asleep, mi'lady?" Amy shook her head and held up her hammer. " Still got a few 'kinks' to work out of him." Sara cocked her head in confusion. " Kinks? What dost 'kinks' be?" " It means problems, flaws, errors, etcetera, sister." Sara smiled. " Thank ye, brother Tomias, for clearing up the fog of confusion." She turned back towards Sonic, Amy, and Shadow (still unconcious and being dragged by Amy), and spoke. " What business have ye with the temporary king of Mystic Castle?" Amy and Sonic smiled. " We just came to visit him. We thought he would be lonely and would appreciate some company." Sara turned towards me. " Is this alright with thee, brother?" I nodded. " It is alright for my friends to stay as long as they like, Sara. Their company is welcome here." Just then the doors to the throne room burst open, revealing a very angry echidna. " Where are the chaos emeralds you little theif!" He yelled as he approached. Sara walked down the steps at a brisk pace and hit him in the head with her staff when she got close. " How dare ye enter the throne room unnanounced! What is thine reason for this intrusion!" Knuckles growled as he glared at her. " Your brother stole the chaos emeralds!" She slammed him in the head with her staff again, very hard. " How dare ye lie about my brother! He hast not stolen anything, and ye have no proof leading to such a conviction! Guards-" I cut her off by waving my hand dismissively. " Knuckles, I did not steal your chaos emeralds. Nor, for that matter, can I touch them. I would suggest you calm down-" He cut me off with his yelling. " How can I calm down when the chaos emeralds are stolen!" He immediately met the floor when my sister gave him another thrashing with her staff. " Disrespectful cur! Guards! Prepare a room for this ill-tempered individual. He will be staying with us as well." Immediately three guards, all armed with staves and standing slightly taller than Knuckles ran from their hiding places against the dark walls of the room and carried him out. Sara put her staff away and walked over to the rest of the group, signaling for me to remain seated. I let out a groan as a reply, only to be met by a stern glare from her that silenced any further complaints. Why do all the girls around here seem so much like my mom? Ugh... " Well, now that the situation has dissolved, I would like to get better aquainted with thine friends, brother. How does a feast for lunch sound to thee, travelers?" Sonic smirked. " Any chilidogs?" Sara cocked her head in confusion. " What, praytell, are chilidogs?" Sonic's mouth dropped open in disbelief as Amy giggled at my sister's cluelessness. Amy smiled and stepped aside and my sister and myself noticed that they had another person with them. A cream-colored rabit in a red dress was smiling up at my sister. Sara smiled. " I see we have more company than first thought! And what is thine name, little lady?" Cream giggled. " I'm Cream!" She said, smiling and quite happy. " Well, Cream, art thou hungry?" It was Cream's turn to look confused. " She means are you hungry, Cream. " I said from the throne with my chin propped up on my elbows waiting to get down. Cream smiled. " Yes!" Sara giggled. " Well, let us journey to the dining hall to quench our hunger, shall we?" Sara turned to me. " Come, brother. You must take thine seat at the table."

I sat and waited for the food to be served, not paying attention to Amy and Cream's idle gossip while Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow discussed the disapearance of the chaos emeralds. My sister was sitting on my right, eyes closed with her hands folded in front of her. I was just about to close my eyes myself when the main door to the dining hall burst open. Aleena was standing there, hands on her knees, gasping for air. I started to get up to help her when my sister put her hand on my shoulder. " Stay seated brother." I groaned and was immediately hit on the head by her staff. " Do not disregard thine duties, brother. I know you do not like having to do such things, but you are the king for now. You must display proper manners." Aleena walked over and took a seat on my left, still panting from mass physical exertion, or a long run. " Where's Fangor?" Amy said with a worried expression on her face. Aleena shook her head glumly. " The doctors say it's getting worse. He can no longer use magic and his scar is quite visible now, even though he says he will be fine. The doctors say if it goes on too long, there may be no way to cure him. They are running diagnostics in the emergency room now to see if they can find a cure for it, but they say even they have little hope of curing him." I smiled. " If Fangor says he will be alright, he will be alright. He is a mage, remember?" Aleena leaned over and hugged me. " Sorry, Tomias. I forgot about that. Thank you for reminding me!" " You are welcome, Aleena." She released me from the hug just as the chefs came in from the kitchen carrying many varieties of salads. Sonic's jaw dropped immediately, accompanied by Amy slamming the back of his head with her hammer. Sara seemed to ignore it. " Do not worry, Sonic. It is just the appetizer." Sonic slammed his head on the table as I said this. Sara shook her head in dismay.

It didn't take long for all the salad to be finished, even though Amy had to force-feed Sonic his. The main course turned out to be many varieties of foods, excluding salad. This was soon gone, with most of it going into Sonic's stomach. " How can you eat so much, Sonic!" Amy yelled at him after he had his 20th serving of ribs. He simply smirked and went back to eating. After the main course had been finished Sara called for desert. Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow immediately started drooling as the many varieties of pies, ice cream, and various other deserts made their way to the table. Soon even this was gone with Amy even more disgusted by the other 3 'men' in the room. Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles leaned back in their chairs, satisfied at last. " Hey, where's the bathroom in this place?" Sonic asked after waiting a good while. " Should be on the fourth floor. Just do not make too much of a mess, Sonic." Sara said. I scooted my chair back from the table. " I must go relieve myself, sister. I will be in my quarters afterwards if anyone needs me." Sara nodded. " You are dismissed, brother. Please be sure not to run over the guards whilst thee runs through the halls." I smiled. " I have better control of my speed than that, sister." She smiled and waved her hand. I got up from my chair and took off at top speed, my tails spinning behind me and my feet off the ground. It didn't take long for me to reach the restrooms, but what I found inside surprised me.

Unlike most of the rest of the castle, save the kitchen, the restrooms were of modern design. Toilets instead of chamberpots, sinks instead of wash basins, even working showers. How do they get the power for all this if they do not have electricity? I quickly went about my business, being careful not to fall into the toilet while I was on it and making sure to flush it afterwards. I went to wash my hands, and accidentally turned the water on way too hot and had to quickly pull my hand out of the stream of water that was coming out of the faucet. I turned the heat down and turned up the cold before sticking my hands back in. I dried my hands off after shutting off the water and made my way out of the restroom and towards my chamber on the seventh floor. I opened the door and climbed into my incredibly large soft bed, wrapped the covers around me and settled in to sleep.

Normal POV

We look in on Tomias's room where he is sleeping fitfully as though in a nightmare... " They are coming... the darkness approaches..." Is heard from him as he sleeps. His sister Sara, his girlfriend Aleena, and his friends Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles enter the room, worried about the tormented figure in the bed that seems to be 10 times his size. Amy walks over to him and attempts to shake him awake. This doesn't seem to work, nor does it need to. A few seconds later the sleeping form sits straight up, wide awake, and yelling one thing: " The darkness approaches!" Sara gasps then screams while backing up into a corner. Amy shakes her head and attempts to comfort Tomias. Shadow leans against the wall, smirking. Knuckles lets out an annoyed sigh as he starts to head for the door. Sonic walks over to Sara to attempt to comfort her. Aleena walks towards the window, looks out, and screams because of what she sees. Tomias struggles out of Amy's arms and jumps onto the window sill, and shudders when he sees what is out there. A black mass with no certain shape marches towards the castle in the middle of the night. For one without magic they would not sense the danger it poses. For those who have magic, they are filled with dread, for only they know of the threat these creatures pose to those who cannot defeat them. Tomias turns around as Amy reaches for him. He jumps over the pink hedgehog and lands on the floor. Just then the door to his chamber opens again, revealing a 8 foot-tall lightning Kintushian that could be none other than Fangor himself. " What's all the comotion about?" He asks as he enters. " Tomias had a nightmare." Amy says as she walks towards the green kitsune again. Tomias shakes his head. " It was not a nightmare, Ms. Rose. It was a vision. The creatures of one thousand years past have risen once more. We must alert the guards and evacuate the town." Amy shook her head. " Nonsense. It was all a drea-" She was cut off by Sara. " He speaks the truth, madam. Mages can not lie. We must evacuate the town and position the guards to fight these creatures. Do not bother trying to leave. They surround us on all sides. If you do not believe me, then go to the top of the central tower. From there you can see all around us."

We all made our way towards the top of the central tower which was mainly used to observe the lands that were under our jurisdiction. What was seen from there on this night haunts me to this day. For many hundred miles out all was a mass of darkness moving earily towards the castle, engulfing the towns as they went and leaving nothing but wreckage behind. Soon they would be upon us. Amy shrieked and clutched Sonic as Shadow and Knuckles stared in awe of the scene before them. " What are they?" Shadow asked, still in awe of such a mass army moving towards a castle. I looked down, worried about the situation. " They are shadow daemons. Never before have we seen an army this massive. This could be our final stand against them. If we are destroyed, nothing will keep them from taking over mobius. Not even Robitnik." Just then a guard burst into the tower. " Your highness... I mean shortness... I mean... Lord Tomias! They are almost upon us!" I turned around. " We can see that, Geoffry. Get down to the village and evacuate it to within the castle itself!" He nodded and left through the floor hatch that was conveniently hidden on the southern edge of the floor. I turned to my sister. " Sara, please alert the rest of the guards and have them make haste to the gates." She didn't hesitate before going through the hatch as well. I turned to Aleena. " As for us, we need to protect the main gate from the outside. The teleporter in the center of the room was placed here for just such an emergency. Let us hope that we survive through this event." I stepped towards the teleporter in the center of the room and found myself outside, in front of the main gate, in the rain. I looked around and saw Sonic, Aleena, Amy, Shadow, Knuckles, Fangor, even Rouge there. " Rouge! What are you doing here!" She smiled slyly. " I came looking for gems. I can smell them from miles away you know. I found 7 last week and I smell a few more nearby!" Knuckles growled at her. " You mean you stole them! You stole the chaos emeralds you theif!" I raised my hand to silence him. " Now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. We need to defend the castle and the last town remaining within our jurisdiction. Even now the creatures approach. Prepare for combat." Aleena started a flamestrike spell while I started a meteor swarm spell, capable of hitting multiple targets at once. Amy brought out her hammer and Fangor drew his sword. I breathed a sigh of dissapointment. " Physical attacks are going to be useless against these. You need to use magic!" " We'll see about that!" Knuckles, Sonic, and Shadow said as the first line of the creatures approached us, determined to bring down the gate we guarded. " Try my spin dash on for size!" Sonic said as he curled into a ball, spun around a bit and then hurled into the first of the creatures. He sprang back a few feet, leaving no visible sign that he had hit the target. He stood there, confused as to why it was still standing as Knuckles punched it with no effect other than being slapped aside by one of it's massive claws. Knuckles hit the gate and fell down, getting up slowly and blood leaking from his side. " Sonic! Rush Knuckles to the hospital wing of the castle!" Sonic reluctantly obeyed as he grabbed Knuckles and ran off just as Rouge and Amy attacked the creature as well. Rouge and Amy both met the gate as well, but avoided any loss of blood from it. Fangor yelled in rage as he charged it, slamming into it with his sword only to be knocked aside by the creature's claw as well. " Your attacks are pathetic! Let me show you how it's done! Chaos Spear!" Shadow said just before four arrows speared them selves into the creature. The creature stopped for a second, then became exponentially larger. It was now larger than the castle itself. " Shadow! Get Amy and Rouge out of here! Chaos just makes them more powerful!" He growled and muttered something under his breath before he ran into the castle with the girls. Now it was just me, Fangor, and Aleena. " Fangor, you are unable to help here. Get to the village and help evacuate it!" He saluted before disapearing. Immediately the gates opened and guards began pouring out, throwing spells at any creature of darkness that came close. I released the energy from my meteor swarm spell and was immediately knocked down by the force of it. I fell into someone's arms and looked up to face Aleena, smiling. " So, only magic can hurt them, right?" I nodded. We stood up and continued the assault.

We were driven back towards the gate several times, but held our ground. The situation seemed hopeless. Every time we destroyed one, it was replaced. Our forces, however, were quickly diminishing as the pile of corpses grew steadily more vast. Then it came to me after I had just thrown a chain lightning spell. If I use my magic along with the Order Emeralds, the power should be magnified... I stepped back from a shadow creature in the guise of a dragon just as it was about to swing at me. I pulled out the Order Emerald of lightning and cast the chain lightning spell while channeling my energy into it. Immediately time seemed to stand still as the entire sky turned a dark blue, then, all at once, millions of bolts of lightning raced towards the ground, destroying every shadow that threatened the castle and the people within. Fangor stood in awe of the sight, for no Kintushian, except the ancients, had ever seen such power. Unfortunately using the Order Emeralds comes with a price. I collapsed into Aleena's arms on the spot, whispering one thing: " We won... The darkness has been repelled..." The last thing I saw as I gazed into her eyes before passing out, was the sky becoming mid-day, signaling that the darkness had been lifted.

?'s POV (try to guess who it is!)

I lay upon the table yet again, Dr. Robotnik looking over me while the Ice Kintushian Prince grinned as he bragged about how he had changed me. He had added a blaster cannon into one of my arms that could come out at will, and had also made a few other changes that he would not discuss. Later that night, he came into the lab where I was being held and knocked me out cold. I awoke in a cold sweat in the apartment I had been living in for the past several years, limited food and water, with 6 thousand mobiums next to me. Memories of the night that Fangor had betrayed me played through my mind, over and over again. It was his fault I was captured. It was his fault I was like this. I would now use this newfound power to seek revenge against the one that had sworn to protect me and betrayed me instead. I looked at the cannon on my arm as I brought it out with great pain. It bore a single inscription: Tra-Ter. What it meant, I did not know. But I knew it would be what I needed as I saved up money doing odd jobs so I could buy the one thing that was said could bring an end to him: The Soul-Slayer Sword. If it existed, I would do anything short of hurting children to get it. Fangor would pay for what he did to me, even if it cost me my life.

September 1

Green Lightning's POV

I awoke in my room in my Knothole home for the first time in a month. Being in that castle had grown tiresome. I did not much like being confined to within an enclosure of stone walls. I stretched and yawned before folding back the covers and getting out of bed. Today is the beginning of my first assignment as a freedom fighter in-training... I hope I do not mess this up... I walked towards the door to my room and could smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen already. Smells like waffles and bacon... My stomach took this time to announce itself. I guess I had better go eat to quiet the rumblings of my stomach. I smiled a little as I headed downstairs towards the kitchen. I found my way to the table and climbed up into a seat next to Aleena. Sitting across from me and attempting to spoon-feed my little brother, who was sitting in a high-chair, was my sister, Sara. Antonie, Sonic, Sally, Rotor, Knuckles, Shadow, and Cream were also sitting at the table. I looked around and saw Amy at the stove with a waffle iron nearby. " Where is Fangor?" I asked. Everyone except my sister and little brother (who was preoccupied with avoiding the spoon) seemed reluctant to answer. Sonic shook his head glumly. " Sorry, kid. He's still in the hospital." I lowered my head. " I see..." I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Amy smiling down at me. " Cheer up, Tomias! He said he'd be fine, remember?" I smiled, then frowned again. " I know, but you know he does not like being confined." She simply shook her head and started setting plates down in front of us.

After breakfast, Amy, Aleena, and myself went to the palace to get into uniform before heading out to meet Bunny and Cream at the transport that had been arranged for us. I was the last to get changed. I walked into the changing room, took off my robe and started putting on the light armor that was provided as the uniform. It was green and made up of several plates of metal hooked together with a communication device on the right wrist. I started it up to make sure it was working properly, and had to modify the frequency a bit so it would read the other signals coming from the other Freedom Fighter suits. It had several lights on there, only 4 were lit up. A Bright pink for Amy, A bright beige for Bunny, A dull purple for Aleena, and a dull green for myself. After fixing the frequency I turned it back off and stepped out of the changing room. " Looking good, Tomias!" Aleena said, hugging me. " Umm... thanks?" I said, blushing slightly. " Well, let's head for the transport. Bunny and Cream should be waiting there for us." Amy said as she walked out. I nodded as Aleena and myself left the building and headed for the transport at the edge of the Great Forest.

" Hey all! 'Bout time yall got here! We've been waiting for about 3 hours already! What took ya so long?" Amy shook her head. " We had to change into uniform first, Bunny." Bunny smiled. " Well, all aboard! We'll arrive at our destination in about 3 days and there's plenty of room on this thang." Bunny pushed a button on the side of the ship that seemed to rival even a Kintushian fighter craft and a ramp lowered from the ship to the ground, allowing access to it. I was the last one in, making sure that we weren't being followed.

" Well I'll be! This thang's bigga on tha inside than tha outside!" Exclaimed Bunny as we stepped into the first room. The exit closed immiediately behind us, sealing us away from any fans pursuing us. " I'll set the coordinates, Bunny. Could you show them to their quarters?" Bunny nodded and started shoving us towards the back of the transport. We stopped in front of a dull green door. " This will be your room, Tomias. In ya go!" With that, she opened the door and shoved me into a room that seemed as big as the ship was. " Enjoy!" She closed the door behind me and her footsteps grew steadly silent as they proceeded down the hall. I looked around the room and noticed that once again I was supplied with an overly large bed. Why do they always give me such a large bed? I took a look at my watch. 6:37 AM it read. I yawned in response. No wonder I am so tired... I think it would be wise to get some rest... I walked over to the bed after turning out the lights, literally climbed into it ( it was taller than I was! What did you expect!), then wrapped the covers around me before falling asleep.

3 days later in the destination town

" How long can a meeting like this take! It's frustrating waiting here for 5 hours while they talk to the mayor! How can they be so long-winded!" Aleena was shouting while pacing around our room with her fists clenched along with her teeth. I could tell she was angry, but it did not make much sense for her to be yelling at no one in particular. Amy and Bunny had left us in the tavern while they went to speak with the mayor. We would have gone in with them, but the guards stopped us, saying " No children allowed!" I lay back in my bed and sighed. " I agree, Aleena. They have been gone a good while, but this is our first mission. You can not expect everything in life to go the way you want it to." She slowed her breathing back down to a normal pace as she calmed down. " Sorry about that Tomias. I'm just bored. How can you stand being here for five hours like this?" I smiled while still laying down. " Easy. I just sleep through it." A pillow landed on my face. " Ow! What was that for, Aleena?" I took the pillow off my face and sat up, looking to the right as I did so. Aleena was sitting on her bed, chin resting on the palms of her hands, smiling at me. " For not telling me sooner. Good night, Tomias... or afternoon... whatever you want to say when you go to sleep at 3 in the afternoon." I smiled. " Sleep well Aleena." I lightly tossed her pillow back to her as I laid myself down as well.

Amy's POV

" I can't believe he turned down an alliance with the freedom fighters... and I'm still confused by what he said... 'I serve a higher purpose. Please enjoy the rest of your day, ma'am. I am sorry I could not help you.' What does he mean by that?" Bunny shook her head as we walked towards the tavern. " Dunno, sugah. But I don't think we should tell Green Lighting or Aleena about that. I think we should just say the mission was a failure and leave it at that. No sense in getting a teenager and a little kid worried about this." I nodded but couldn't help but feel it wasn't a good idea. Then again it could just be my stomach. I hadn't eaten since 8 that morning, and it was already 5 in the afternoon. " You alright, Amy? You look a little confused." I shook my head. " Just a little hungry. We haven't eaten since 8 this morning, before we left. Perhaps we should get something to eat before going up to get them?" Bunny nodded. " That sounds good. Let's hope the food isn't too expensive. We have to save some money to recharge the transport and our communicators." I nodded. We walked into the tavern and sat at the bar while waiting to be served. The barkeeper, a muscular hedgehog that seemed disgruntled about something walked up to us. " What'll it be?" He said in a gruff voice. " I'll have the cheeseburger with a few carrotsticks on the side. For drink I'd like a coke-cola." Bunny said. He nodded and gurnted, then turned to me. " And you?" I smiled politely. " I'll have a burger and a sprite." He grunted again and turned around, heading into the kitchen while seemingly keeping an eye on our uniforms. We waited a few minutes for our meals to get there, all the while I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I tapped my fingers on the counter. " Getting impatient, Amy? Shouldn't be too much longer." I smiled. " Sorry, Bunny. I'm just hungry." She smiled. " It's alright, sugah. We'll eat soon." Just then the bartender came out of the back room with two plates, one with a cheeseburger and carrots, the other with a normal burger. He went back into the kitchen and came out shortly with our drinks. He slapped a sheet of paper down on the counter in front of us and walked back into the kitchen saying " Enjoy." It didn't take long for us to eat our fill and wash it down with our drinks, but after seeing the bill, I don't think we would eat there anymore. " 253 mobiums for a burger! 500 for a cheeseburger! 128 for carrotsticks! 200 for sodas! What kind of eating establishment is this!" Bunny yelled. " Calm down, Bunny! Just pay and let's go." She grumbled as she slammed the 1081 mobiums down on the counter. The barkeep grinned broadly. " Pleasure doing business with you!" Bunny glared at him as we walked upstairs to get Tomias and Aleena.

Tomias's POV

I stepped out of the shower and dried off, still tired and weary. I heard the door to the nearby bedroom open and Bunny and Amy begin talking with Aleena. I slipped into my clothing and turned off the light as I left the bathroom. " You look dead tired, Green Lightning." Amy stated as I walked into the room, stretching and yawning. I shook my head. " Something about this city unnerves me, Mrs. Rose." She shrugged her shoulders. " Well, we have to leave now. The tavern is closing up for the night. We have to go." I yawned again and nodded with my eyes half-closed. " Alright Mrs. Rose. Lead the way." We headed downstairs where the first floor of the tavern already had all it's lights turned out. It was getting dark outside, and I could sense something was wrong. Amy and Bunny walked out the front doors and immediately stopped. " Bunny? Didn't we park the transport here?" " Of course! What could have happened to it?" I stepped forward. " It was stolen while you were talking with Aleena. Now how are we going to get back to Knothole?" She shook her head. " I guess we'll have to look for a guide. We left all of our weapons and maps in the transport... Well, all our weapons except your staff, bow, and our standard phase two pulse guns." I shook my head glumly. " Well, no sense standing around. It's going to rain tonight." I said. They all nodded as we headed into the first store we came across heading towards the east part of the city.

It happened to be a sword shop, stocking all kinds of swords I had never seen before. Standing at the counter, arguing with the clerk, was a tall kitsune with two tails, orange fur, and wearing a tattered black cloak as his travel gear. His shoes were part red and part white, and he seemed to be familiar to Amy and Bunny, for they had gasped the moment they saw him. " You offered ten-thousand mobiums for this statue! Now you're lowering it to five hundred! You're swindling me, Ocker!" The merchant smirked and pointed at something between the two of them. " It's rusted, Miles. Not near worth the first price I offered! Take it or leave it. You'll find no other merchant in all of Mobius that will buy this junk!" The one called 'Miles' grudgingly took the money and left, not even noticing us. The merchant greedily stuffed the statue behind the counter as he looked towards us, rubbing his hands together. " What may I do for you, pretty ladies?" Amy walked up to him. " We are looking for a guide. Do you know where we can find one?" He smirked. " You'll want Miles. He's a jack-of-all-trades around these parts and has quite a reputation to boot. Now, is there something here you would like to buy?" Amy shook her head and we left to follow this 'Miles' that the clerk had mentioned.

'Miles' POV

I walked along the streets towards the slums where my 'house' resided, merely a one-room apartment with the wall looking out to the street missing. I had no need to worry about my possessions being stolen, however. My reputation took care of that. As I was passing from the merchant and business district into the slums, I heard footsteps from behind. Seems someone's following me... I quickly scaled to a higher view by jumping from wall to wall and resting on a board that connected the two walls that formed the path into the slums. Wide enough for three grown boars to walk abreast, with the open sky above. It smelt like rain, but I didn't care. They couldn't see me unless they looked up. By then I would already have a plan of attack ready in case they were hostile. I jumped forward to the next wooden beam and easily landed on it without wasting effort in climbing on to it. I waited as they came closer and their footsteps grew louder. Soon enough they were right below me, talking idly. Three of the voices I recognized, one of which I didn't want to hear at that moment: Fangor's. The other two were Amy Rose and Bunny Rabbot of the Freedom Fighters. At last... my chance for revenge! I dropped down about five feet in front of them, ready for a fight. " It is time for my revenge, Fangor! Long have I awaited the moment when I would return the pain you gave me when you betrayed me!" Fangor looked behind himself, seemingly confused. " I am sorry, sir. You appear to be mistaken. Fangor is not here. Perhaps-" I cut him off by unleashing my arm cannon and aiming it straight at him. " You think you can fool me! Why don't you come out of that disguise and face me like the Kintushian you are!" Fangor looked even more confused than before. " What disguise, sir? Why dost thou think I am a Kintushian? Do you mistake me for Fangor, who at this very moment lies within the Knothole hospital?" Amy and Bunny immediately turned a death-glare on him and whispered something very harshly to him, thinking I couldn't hear. " No one is supposed to know that outside of Knothole, Green Lightning! We have many enemies outside of the Freedom Fighters!" He hung his head slightly, apparently hurt. " But it is true..." I remembered Fangor telling me that it was impossible for a mage to lie, and Fangor had been a mage. Whoever this was, he definetly wasn't Fangor. I painfully returned my cannon to being an arm. Amy and Bunny took notice. " What happened to your arm, Tails?" I growled at them. " Don't call me that anymore! I lost that name when I took up this profession! As for the arm..." I raised it then lowered it with my teeth clenched tight. " A gift from Robotnik." Bunny shook her head in dismay while the one called 'Green Lightning' clenched his fists, then quickly calmed down. A taller purple-furred Kitsune stepped out from behind Amy, wearing a slightly teal robe and completely unarmed. I changed my glance between her and Green Lightning, confused by their fashion trend. I raised an eyebrow. " What's with the robes? Halloween's already over, kids." The green one shook his head in dismay. " They are a symbol of the advancement of our powers as mages." I nodded, not wanting to go too in-depth into their society. " So, what brings you looking for me after all these years? Fangor seeking to finish the job he started?" I said with a slightly acidic tone. Amy growled a bit, but maintained composure. " Everyone except Fangor had given up looking for you. He blames himself for what happened that night... Even though it was your fault as well. You WERE told to stay in Knothole, not to go out to fight. It was partly Fangor's fault because he did not think clearly before deciding upon a course of action. All he could think about was protecting you. That cost you, him, and us." I shook my head. " Whatever. I'm still going to get my revenge. Now, why are you following me? And you can come out, little girl. I'm not going to kill you." A small cream-colored rabbit came out from behind Bunny, slightly, standing partly behind her rather timidly. Green Lightning stepped forward, only to be shoved back by the purple kitsune. " Stay back, Tomias! He's dangerous!" I shook my head. " He's not the one I'm after, ma'am. Just Fangor." She stepped out of the way and Tomias stepped forward. " We are in need of a guide to get back to Knothole. Do you know the way?" I turned my stern gaze on Amy and Bunny. " What will the payment be upon arrival?" " Fifty thousand Mobiums." Tomias said. " Be quite, squirt. Nobody asked you." " I will be the one paying, therefore it is only fitting that I set the price." I smirked. " And where would you get fifty thousand from? Your mom?" He shook his head. " I served in the Kintushian war against the fallen races. In return for my services-" I waved a hand dismissively. " I get the point, runt. You just be ready to fork the money over when we get there." Tomias nodded. Suddenly, without warning, the clouds began unloading themselves, very mercilessly. I smirked as looks of disgust crossed Amy and Bunny's faces. On the other hand, Tomias seemed to be enjoying the rain. " You wouldn't happen to have a house here, would you?" Amy asked, thoroughly soaked even though she was wearing the armor of a Freedom Fighter. Bunny seemed to be faring slightly better, but still none-too-happy about the rain. " I've got a place... follow me. And NO comments about the way it looks." I stalked off towards my apartment, about a mile from our current position. I had to glare down a few of the local pickpockets, murderers, theives, kidnappers, and various other criminals that also took up residence in the slums. My reputation kept my employers safe... for now. Amy gasped when we arrived at my apartment. " Welcome to my home, ladies." I said as we approached. The purple kitsune gagged as we approached. " What a dump!" She said. " Aleena, please be nice. It could be that he can't afford a larger or more in-tact place to live." Amy said, trying to be polite. " Only one bed, folks. Wasn't expecting company. You girls can fight over it, I'll sleep on the floor. As for the runt, he can hang himself for all I care. He reminds me too much of Fangor." In the end, the two younger girls were to have the bed, Amy and Bunny were to take turns standing watch, I was going to sleep on the floor, and the runt was going to sleep outside in the rain after much protest with Amy and Bunny. " We leave at dawn. Don't take anything you don't need." I warned them sternly before drifting off myself.

When I awoke, day had broken but it was dark and gloomy in the slums. Amy and Bunny were up, Aleena and Tomias had disapeared, the other girl was still asleep, and to top it off there was somehow a library in the wall accross the path from my apartment. I growled. " Where's the runt?" Amy pointed into the library. " Helping Aleena get breakfast ready." " In a library?" She shook her head. " It would be difficult for me to explain. Just sit down and wait." " We're behind schedual!" I said, annoyed that someone would be slowing me down from getting my money. " Better to have a full stomach then to die of starvation." I growled. " I better get double the pay for this..." Just then I saw the green little runt coming from the other end of the library, still wearing his robes that were now a bit muddy, as was his fur. I smirked. " Looks like you slept with the pigs last night." He scowled a bit and continued walking. " You will get your payment once you get us to Knothole. Now come with me. Breakfast is in the dining hall." I growled at him. " If you knew this place was here before, why didn't you tell me last night?" He shook his head. " It was not there last night, and I can not have the spell running while I sleep. It drains me too much. Now, come." He beckoned for us to follow him into the library. He led us past the bookcases, turned to the right, and led us into an elaborate kitchen. " Ish! All THIS was created by MAGIC!" I remarked upon seeing the kitchen. He shook his head. " Not all of it... Some of it I purchased and brought in here myself." " Who did the cooking, anyways? You?" He shook his head. " It was Aleena. I have yet to try my hand at cooking." I nodded and walked towards the table. Set on it were a few plates of pancakes with sides of bacon and glasses of milk. I smirked. " Better than what I usually have." Amy looked at me curiously. " What DO you usually have?" I shook my head. " It's better that you don't know." She dropped the subject and got off my back. I took a seat near the head of the table. Everyone else took their seats, with Aleena sitting across from me, Bunny next to her, Amy next to me, At the other end of the table sat the cream-colored rabbit, and at the head of the table sat the runt. I poked at my pancakes with my fork a bit before eating them. They tasted better than I had expected. " Where did you learn to become such a good cook?" I said between mouthfulls. Aleena smiled and pointed at Amy before going back to eating. I looked to where the runt had been sitting, but his place was now empty, even the dishes were gone. " Where's the runt?" Amy glared at me before pointing towards a room off to the side. " He went to lay down while we eat, after he washed his dishes." I shook my head. " How old is the runt anyways? Four? Five?" Amy waved a hand dismissively. " Six." I nearly choked on my pancakes. " Awful short for a six-year old, don't you think?" Amy smirked. " Never judge one's ability by their size." I shook my head. " How did he get into your ranks, anyways? He's awfully young to be in this town. Not to mention he doesn't look all that strong." Amy smirked. " You'd be surprised. Now let's hurry up and eat so we can get going." I nodded and returned to eating, sitting through the rest of the meal in silence.

About thirty minutes later we were done, and the runt walked right past us a little faster than I had seen him going earlier. " What's the rush, runt?" I said. He glared at me a bit, then responded as he hastened away. " We have an intruder." I saw him walk to the middle row of bookcases, pull a bow out of nowhere, and fire a single arrow towards the entrance. " Next time you get it in your hand you filthy theif!" I started walking towards him. " Kid, put the bow DOWN. It is-" He cut me off with a wave of his hand. " I know what I am doing, Tails." I growled. " Don't call me that!" I came around behind him and saw a few men entering the library, daggers drawn and wearing tattered clothing. Their eyes had a greedy hunger about them, and the runt just stood there, quite calm... until one grabbed a book. " Hands off, scoundrel!" He pulled back his bowstring, and, just before firing, said: " Thou shalt not steal!" He released the bowstring and the arrow sped itself through the theif's wrist, missing the book completely. He dropped the book and ran out with his comrades. The runt walked forward as his bow disapeared, picked up the book, and gently replaced it on the shelf. He turned to face me. " Are you ready to leave yet?" I nodded, stunned by the runt's accuracy, and by the fact that Amy would let him have such a deadly weapon. He reached to his wrist, then frowned. " Battery's out..." He shook his head and ran past me, mumbling about 'unreliable technology'. He soon returned with the others following him. " Cream, hurry up and put your shoes on, please. The path we will be traveling is not kind to bare feet." He said while addressing the young rabbit. She sat down and began slipping her shoes on. Soon we had exited the library, but for some reason I didn't see the runt. I tapped Amy on the shoulder as I continued walking. " Runt disappeared." She smacked me in the back of the head with her hammer before turning around. I turned around as well, and was shocked at what I saw. The runt had his hands raised and was moving them in some sort of pattern. The library entrance soon disappeared, replaced by a solid wall. Soon afterwards the runt fell to his knees, gasping from exhaustion. Amy walked over to him, but he waved her away. He raised his hand and a staff appeared in it. He used it to help himself up and caught up with us, almost to the entrance of the merchant and business district. Soon we were out of town and on our way towards Knothole.

About a mile away from the city Bunny started messing with a mechanism on her glove, then sighed, irritated. " Tails-" " Don't call me that!" " Do you know of a place where we can get these recharged?" I smirked. " Yes, but that'll cost you extra. Plus hazard pay." She tilted her head, confused. " Hazard pay? What do you mean by that?" " The only town I know of that has a suitable recharger mechanism would be Dwendil. Not a very friendly place. It's run down, ran by gangs, and Freedom Fighters aren't seen there very often. When they are, they don't live very long. About another three hundred thousand should cover it." Amy grumbled as I turned to face the runt, smirking. " Think you can afford it, runt?" He nodded, smiling. " Well, Knothole is to the west, but we need to go northwest in order to get to the recharging mechanism. Anyone that doesn't want to risk the trip, feel free to stay behind and rot in this city." No one objected as we set off towards Dwendil, city of gangs.

We arrived within a few days, only being attacked by a few stray murderers. I quickly dispatched them with a few shots of my arm cannon, losing alot of blood as it replaced my arm. Amy looked worried about me, but I couldn't care less. Just so long as I got my money. We headed for the tavern in the center of town, the only building that was still mostly in-tact, minus the windows. The rest of the place was mostly rubble and walls of partial buildings. " Keep your hands near your blasters, but don't look trigger happy. Gangs and bounty hunters are everywhere." Amy and Bunny nodded as we entered. We strolled up to the bar, with the kids and the runt in tow. " I'll wait at one of the tables. Don't take too long." Amy nodded slightly as I took a seat at a vacant table and watched the door as I watched them. The bartender turned around, a gruff bulldog with a very mean scowl on his face almost all the time... except this time he looked scared stiff. " Ladies, do you know that you are traveling with a murderer that has a price of thirty million mobiums on his head! Are you insane!" Amy shook her head. " We just came here to recharge our comm links. He's our guide back to Knothole." He nodded slightly and dragged a large, square machine out from under the counter and placed it on top. Amy and Bunny took their comm links off and plugged them into the device. " It'll be about an hour... Might want to get something to eat while ya wait." Just then one of the local gangs came in, accompanied by what looked like seventeen bounty hunters. The leader of the gang looked my direction, then pointed straight at me. The lead bounty hunter followed his gaze, then nodded. " That's him alright. Thanks kid. Here's your five hundred mobiums. You're free to do what you want." As the bounty hunters headed towards me, the gang headed towards my employers, specifically the girls, not the runt. The leader eyed Cream, then approached her, drooling maniacally. " Hey, little missy! Want to have a good time?" He said, just before grabbing her. The runt turned around, now weilding a tall, white staff and swung quite hard at the leader. He wound up flying into the rest of his gang, and the force of the blow even drove him into the bounty hunters. " Forget the bounty for now... Get that brat!" Suddenly they all turned on the runt, now raising his hands in strange motions. His hands began glowing just before multiple bolts of lightning struck through the roof and shocked all the agressors, knocking the gang and five of the bounty hunters to the ground, but the remaining twelve bounty hunters seemed unaffected. Amy and Bunny turned around and began firing their blasters at them, doing nothing at all. So... a few robots became bounty hunters, eh? Never knew a robot could be greedy. I stepped between the two opposing groups as the gang and bounty hunters got up, fur slightly singed, but otherwise unharmed. " Leave them alone, or you will have to deal with me!" The robots drew swords and rushed at me, furthering my adrenaline. Without hesitation, I pulled out my arm cannon while ignoring the pain, and fired a charged up blast right through all of them. Circuits and metal flew everywhere as they collapsed to the ground in a heap, crushing a few of the other bounty hunters in the process. The gang members ran, screaming about the 'jack of death', as I was called sometimes. I returned my arm to it's normal state and turned to the runt. " What in the name of Knothole was that!" He smiled a bit, fighting exhaustion. " It was a chain lightning spell, but because robots aren't affected by magic, it didn't knock down the rest of the bounty hunters. I kept the power low so I wouldn't kill them." I nodded, aggrivated that someone would trust such a little kid with such power. After we ate, not in the resteraunt, mind you, Amy and Bunny grabbed their comm links without having to pay for the recharge, and we finally left the city.

A few miles from Knothole it began raining, just plain pouring it's head out of the clouds and onto our backs as though it had held a grudge for a very long time. The mages put their hoods up, but the rest of them had nothing to cover their heads. I sighed and reached into a bag I had been carrying that blended in with my back to hide it, and pulled out a few rain parkas. Amy looked at them curiously at first. " Shouldn't you get one for yourself?" I shook my head. " Never had need for more than three. Besides, I like the rain, even though it reminds me of HIM." I said the last part through gritted teeth, making the girls remain silent for a while. About an hour later, however, bad luck cast it's shadow across our path.

" Stop... I feel like we're being watched." Amy and Bunny glanced around, looking for what it could be. " I don't see anything... Could just be your nerves." I shook my head. " I know we are being watched... Whatever it is, it isn't friendly..." We continued forward for about another hundred yards, then disaster struck. A blaster shot whizzed over my head and everyone dropped to the ground. We turned around and saw robots coming at us from the east by the hundreds. We're dead... " Amy, Bunny? Call for backup, NOW! Anyone but Fangor!" " Why not-" I cut Amy off with an acidic glare. Amy and Bunny began frantically mashing buttons on their comm links while the runt pulled out his bow and Aleena pulled out a staff. " Stay back, kid. I don't want you to get hurt. Do whatever you want, runt. I could care less what happens to YOU." The female kitsune glared at me. " That was cold, Tails!" I growled. Suddenly swords flashed from the robots as they charged at us, faster than the average swat bot. These can't be Robotnik's designs! He goes for ranged combat, not swordfights... I pulled out my cannon and began firing at random, striking down about ten of them before the unthinkable happened. " Urgh! I should have recharged back there!" Aleena and the runt quickly became surrounded and out of my sight, while I myself was getting overwhelmed, despite our reinforcments that seemed to time their arrival with the loss of my cannon's usefulness. I was now helpless, and my employers were going to die along with our reinforcments. I raised my cannon to shield myself as blows came raining in from all sides, waiting for the swords to tear into my flesh. Instead what I heard were many swords striking one. I looked up and saw the one person I didn't want to see ever again... Fangor. He looked bad. A large gaping hole in the middle of his stomach was letting blood flow out very freely. He reached with his unoccupied hand and ripped a sword handle from a scabbard on his back, and just before he swung it, it grew to fifty feet, making it far larger than any sword I had seen before. He swung it in a wide arc, and the enemy immediately fell to the ground, as did Fangor. He raised himself back up using his sword, now shortened to just a few feet. I ran over to him, concerned for some reason. " You saved me! Why!" He smirked and, while straining against the pain, gave me my answer. " It's what friends do, isn't it? Friends forver... Right, bud?" Tears welled in my eyes as he held his hand out. I smiled through them as I took it. " Friends forever!" Suddenly the gaping hole in his stomach disapeared, just as a sword found it's way through my spine and my stomach. Just before I lost sight, Fangor turned blood red and began visciously swinging his sword at my attacker... Then, black.

Fangor's POV

I paced back and forth in the waiting room, just outside the emergency room where Green Lightning and Tails were. Amy and Bunny had tried several times to get me to sit down, but I couldn't I was worried about Tails, and angry at myself for letting him get the way he was. Slowly the door opened and Dr. Quack stepped out of the room, shaking his head. " I'm afraid I have very bad news. Tails is about half robot thanks to Robotnik... He has had numerous organs and bones replaced, and a weapon of immense destruction implanted into him. We also found what seems to be a camera behind his right eye, but it seems to be disabled. His strength is far beyond normal, but because most of his bones have been replaced by metal-" I cut him off with a wave of my hand. " I think almost everyone here could use a fresh start. As soon as Green Lightning wakes up, send him to me. Tell him to bring the Order Emeralds. I am going to set things right..." I ran out of the hospital to my house to prepare.

Green Lightning's POV

I ran towards Fangor's house as quickly as I could, taking care not to run into anyone. I flung his door open and ran up the stairs to his room, flinging his door wide open and closing it behind me. In the center of the room were the timestones, which QUITE some time ago Sonc and Sally had used to visit the past for some reason. No one around here tells me everything, but I manage. I squinted my eyes curiously while staring at them. " Fangor, what are you thinking about doing?" He smiled. " I'm going to return Tails to normal, which will change the ages of most of the people that he had known when he was six." I tilted my head a bit. " Why six?" He shook his head. " I didn't want to spend anymore time figuring out a less potent spell, so I just chose the age of six." I nodded. " Alright... I will get the emeralds set up. You prepare the spell." He nodded as he grabbed a book off his desk. A few minutes later Aleena, Fangor, and myself formed a circle around the timestones, combining our power to with the emeralds and timestones to alter time. We had to be careful... Messing with time was VERY dangerous. After the spell was over, everything in view disapeared. Just before Fangor disapeared, he looked straight at me and spoke. " Tails's memory will also be altered to August in the same year he turned six. I would suggest you letting me introduce you to him before you try to visit him." I nodded as everything went black.

almost a year later...

August 30th

I woke up in my room, slightly exhausted, and decided against getting up. I was tired, and wanted more rest. I rolled over and tried to go to sleep, but a sudden knock at my bedroom door halted my attempt. " Come in..." I groaned. The door opened and Sonic walked in, alot younger and a bit shorter than I had last seen him. He smirked when he saw me. " Fangor was right after all! He did make us younger, and you slept for two days and you're still tired!" He laughed a bit to himself. " Come on! Someone downstairs wants to meet you!" Two days! That is quite a drain... I stood up and stretched before climbing off the bed and slipping on my robe and amulets. Sonic ran out of my room and back downstairs as I headed for the door. I drew my staff out of the amulet and walked out, still a little tired, but otherwise I was fine. I closed the door behind me and stopped walking when I turned to go downstairs. Fangor was having another go with his father, and a female Kintushian was nearby, dressed in clothing similar to that of Fangor's father. I decided it would be best to ignore the argument, leaving Fangor to deal with his family matters. I started walking downstairs when Fangor's father turned his head rather sharply and seemingly against his will. His eyes seemed to grow slightly wider, even though he kept his stalkeyes on Fangor. He then sharply turned it back towards Fangor and continued the argument. Fangor just stood there, staring at him with a look of boredom on his face, his tailblade twitching in anticipation. When I reached the bottom of the steps the female turned towards me, then quickly back to Fangor. " Is this why you won't go find yourself a mate! Are you set on protecting the guardian of the Order Emeralds!" He shook his head, tailblade poised, ready to strike or block at a moment's notice. " Mom, Dad, it's MY life, MY destiny, so why don't you go back to the kingdom and worry about the wars, alright!" His dad poised his tailblade, anticipating an attack, while his mom simply scowled and dragged Fangor's dad out the door. Fangor's tailblade relaxed, and he sighed with relief. He then turned to me and smiled. " Well, glad to see you're up. I imagine you're still woozy from that spell, though. Come on. There's someone I want to introduce you to." He walked into the kitchen, keeping one of his stalkeyes on me as I followed him. As he entered, he shouted: " Tails? There's someone here I want you to meet." " Who is it?" Came a voice quite unlike the Tails that had been with us the past few weeks. Fangor swung his tailblade behind me and shoved me into the kitchen, too fast for me to keep my balance, so I wound up falling forward as I entered. I stood up, dusted myself off, and looked towards the table to see an orange kitsune staring at me rather strangely. It was the same guy Fangor had shown me in all those pictures. The one he had sworn to protect, even if it meant his own life. He shook his head and smiled, walking towards me. He stopped in front of me and held out his hand. " I'm Tails Prower! Nice to meet ya!" I smiled. " I am Tomias Dimitri, but my friends call me Green Lightning." I shook his hand as a confused look crossed his face. " Why do they call you Green Lightning?" I smirked. " That would have to wait till we are outside. Mother does not let me run in the house, nor do I plan to." He nodded as someone knocked at the door. Fangor went to get it as Tails and I went to the table for breakfast. We were having pancakes again, but there was something different about them. " Miss Rose, these pancakes taste different than the ones you usually make. Is it a different recipe?" I asked after swallowing the first bite. She smiled as she poured herself another glass of orange juice. " Well, Fangor suggested I add root of annul to it, to give it a different flavoring and give the food a higher energy value. According to him, the plant is quite common on his planet so he was easily able to obtain it. If you don't like it, I could always go back to the normal recipe." I smiled. " It tastes alright, I was just wondering why it tastes different from the usual. Thank you for clearing that up." " Are you always this polite?" Came a voice to my right. I grinned. " Hi Aleena. I did not see you arrive." I laughed a bit. It was not usual for me to miss Aleena coming nearby, then again she is usually at the table before I am. " Of course you did not, Tomias. You were busy eating and conversing, plus you were not expecting her because she is usually here before you are." Came my mom from the other end of the table.

Soon everyone had eaten their fill and were on their way to their daily activities... Except for myself. I rarely planned anything for the day, mainly because I did not know what to plan. The past few years had kept me busy enough, what with the Kintushian combat academy, the war, and, recently, the diplomacy mission... Which the result of was unkown to me. So with nothing else to do, I let Tails drag me outside so I could show him why I was called 'Green Lightning'. He sat on my front steps as I slipped out of my robe, revealing the green clothing beneath, which caused Tails to laugh a bit. He probably found my obsession with green amusing, I think. Then I wound up my tails and prepared to take off. " Watch closely, Tails. This is going to be fast." I released my tails causing me to blast forward, looking like a green lightning bolt to anyone except Fangor. I raced around Knothole, then back to my house. I stopped instantly, then bent over with my hands on my knees, gasping for air. When I had caught my breath, I turned to the steps to see Tails sitting there with a shocked look on his face. " You're faster than Sonic!" He said. I shrugged my shoulders. Then he took notice of my tails. He smiled. " So I'm not the only one with two tails..." I smiled. " No, you are not. My entire family has them, and so do several people where they live most of the time." He got a curious look on his face. " Where do they live?" I smiled. " You know that place called Mystic Ruins? It has been rebuilt. If you want the full story, I would ask that you get it from Fangor... I am not comfortable with telling that tale..." He nodded. " So, what do you do for fun around here?" He asked. I thought for a bit. What do I do in my spare time? I have not had much of it until now, and I do not know what to do... I shrugged my shoulders. " I have not really thought about it... I have had little spare time till now." Suddenly a blue blur ran by, looped around, and stopped next to Tails. " Hi Sonic!" He greeted warmly. " Heya little bro!" Sonic replied. He turned to me, smirking. " Fangor just got challenged to a fight by about fifty fire Kintushians! It seems they're jealous that he is more in touch with the Order Emeralds than they are. You wanna go see it?" I shook my head. " I am not a big fan of violence, Sonic." He shrugged his shoulders. " Sorry, I forgot. Well, see ya around." He ran off towards the arena, leaving a trail of flames. Tails looked confused. " I'm going to ask Fangor about the Order Emeralds later..." Just then a large walrus came running up, gasping for air. He stopped in front of us, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He finally recovered from his run and turned to Tails. " Hey, Tails? Could you help me with one of my inventions?" Tails smiled. " No problem! I'll be right there, Rotor!" Rotor smiled. " Thanks!" With that, Tails and Rotor ran off, Tails leaving Rotor in his dust. He is almost as fast as Sonic... I thought to myself as I headed towards the edge of Knothole to have a look outside the forest... What I saw out there brought my anger to a boil...

END OF CHAPTER

Finally Guardian of the Forest part 2: the Wait has come to an end! Stay tuned for part 3: Oblivion! If you want to know what Green Lightning saw, just think about what would make him very angry. Think about his past, and the present. All of those events are connected in one way or another... by one person or another... I better stop here or I'll be giving it away hehe. Well, until next time...

Those who seek the path of darkness are lost without help... But they can still be brought back if they are only shown their light. - Tomias Dimitri/Green Lightning, Guardian of the Order Emeralds, Guardian of the Forest