Chapter 52
One lifetime ago
"And you're sure this'll work Tikal?" Sonic asked sitting on top of the Master Emerald kicking his feet as he looked down at her and Knuckles,
"Get off the Master Emerald." Knuckles glared, he was ready to grab Sonic by his leg and throw him off of his Island,
"You sit on it all the time." Sonic argued jumping down in front of him getting in his face, "Chill out Knuckle head,"
"This is serious! Stop goofing off." He said pushing him away,
"Serious isn't in my vocabulary, you're the one that interrupted my question," Sonic crossed his arms, "Are you sure this will work? It took a serious amount of rings to throw him back there. And I still feel dirty having to align with Eggface to bring him down…" He looked disgusted as he turns back to Tikal waiting for her response,
"Yes it will work, with your ties to Chaos Energy we can seal the door to the Void preventing his escape." Tikal explained,
"Then I'm onboard, what about you Knux?" He elbows him as Knuckles nods,
"What do we need to do Tikal?" Knuckles asked,
"Did you bring the Emeralds?" She asked,
"Right here." Sonic holds up a bag,
"And the Void Emerald?" She asked as Knuckles holds out a black Emerald that glowed with a purple aura that looks identical to the Chaos Emeralds.
"That thing makes my quills stand on end…" Sonic shivers, "Is Mephiles really trapped in there?" He leans over looking at the Emerald.
"Yeah, I'm not sure how Shadow managed to do it," Knuckles said putting it away.
"He still out for the count after that?" Sonic asked looking worried,
"Yeah, Rogue is keeping an eye on him." He said as Sonic nods,
"Good that he at least lets one person take care of him." Sonic chuckles,
"She and Omega don't really give him a choice." Knuckles said,
"Anything else we need?" Sonic said
"Fleetway is alright with this as well?" Tikal asked. Sonic pauses for a moment as he closes his eyes and opens them again to show they changed to red and began to spiral.
"Yeah, yeah, I'd rather guard this dumb seal than there being a chance he could control me again." Fleetway said as Sonic's eyes go back to green and he shakes his head,
"I can't wait for that to stop happening." Sonic said with a sigh,
"We will need to head to the Echidna shrine," Tikal said,
"Whoa, whoa wait, I thought only those given permission could go there, obviously Chuckles here can get in being the guardian and all. But I don't remember getting an invite and I do not feel like getting haunted by one of your ancestors." Sonic said,
"They won't haunt you because you've always had permission." Tikal chuckles as both Knuckles and Sonic look at one another confused,
"He does?" Knuckles asked sounding annoyed as she nods,
"Is this because of that weird Legendary Hedgehog thing?" Sonic asked as they follow Tikal towards the shrine,
"That's part of it yes, but you also helped me save Chaos and the spirits thank you for that," Tikal smiles as they get to the entrance. both Tikal and Knuckles enter as Sonic pauses,
"This isn't some elaborate trick to get me to go on a spiritual journey right?" Sonic raises an eyebrow as Knuckles doesn't look amused as he grins thinking of an idea,
"Is that rain I see?" he said looking over Sonic's shoulder shocked as Sonic quickly rushes inside startled looking back seeing the sky was clear. Knuckles starts to snicker as Sonic glares at him,
"Ha, Ha, real funny Knux. Make fun of the guy afraid of water." He said,
"You fought Chaos who is a guardian spirit created out of water…" Knuckles said,
"And I hated every second of it!" Sonic said,
"C'mon, or did you forget that we're pressed for time?" Knuckles said leading him in further.
"You worry too much, if Tikal says that we can seal it than we're fine." Sonic said as they walk into a room with a pedestal and magic circle in the center. "I change my mind, now I'm worried… you better not be trying to sacrifice me or something." He said turning around trying to leave as Knuckles stops him.
"We're not going to sacrifice you." He rolls his eyes "Give me the Emeralds." Sonic hands the bag over, "Now get on the pedestal," Sonic glances at it before letting out a sigh as he sits on it.
"So what is this going to do exactly?" Sonic asked looking at Tikal as she places the Void Emerald next to him while Knuckles places the Chaos Emeralds around the magic circle.
"Using the Chaos Emeralds in conjunction to the Void Emerald your body and soul will become an anchor preventing him from reentering our world. There will be the main seal that can only be unlocked by the Void Emerald, and four other seals to block the key from being used."
"That sounds… complicated…" Sonic said looking confused, "What's Knux gonna do?"
"I'll be creating three of the seals," Knuckles explained,
"What about the fourth one?"
"We have to put Mephiles somewhere." Knuckles joked,
"Hold on! You're putting him inside of me?" Sonic looked worried, "It's crowded in hear already!" He points to his head,
"Yes and no, his energy will be keeping the seal in place, but he will still be within the Void Emerald." Tikal explained,
"That makes me feel a little better," He chuckles starting to feel a little overwhelmed, "At least it won't be another Fleetway situation. Definitely don't want that guy whispering in my ear." He hears Fleetway inside his head grumble sounding insulted. Knuckles walks over to him holding a bowl of liquid gem dust.
"Hold out your arm." Knuckles said. Sonic does as he's told while Knuckles traces runes onto his arms,
"Is it supposed to be all tingily?" Sonic asked,
"It's Void gem dust so probably." Knuckles shrugs,
"Your assurance is comforting." Sonic said sarcastically.
"Just lean your head down." Knuckles said tracing a jagged crystal shape representing the Void. "Now lie down." Sonic pauses for a moment, knowing this was the point of no return. He second guesses himself before laying down on the pedestal knowing this was the only way to save everyone permanently from his tyranny. Knuckles looks down at Sonic noticing his trepidation giving him a reassuring nod that Sonic returns in kind before going over to three scrolls waiting for Tikal to start the ritual.
"Just try to relax Sonic, you may feel some discomfort." Tikal said as she and Knuckles start chanting while Sonic sees the Void Emerald floats above him. A beam from the Emerald points at his chest as he starts to feel the runes start to radiate heat. The seven Chaos Emeralds glow while the circle beneath him glowed a deep purple as his eyes went black.
"This is a little more than discomfort!" Sonic said as the beam dissipates, and his eyes revert back.
"Just a little more Sonic, Knuckles is placing the other seals." Tikal said as Knuckles continued to chant as the runes drawn on Sonic's body disappeared as he closed each scroll with the last rune disappearing the pain subsiding with it.
"Just one more seal." Knuckles said as he walks up to the pedestal. The Void Emerald floats closer to Sonic as his body glowed blue for a moment then faded away. "It's done."
"How do you feel?" Tikal asked,
"Thirsty?" Sonic said holding his head, "What's with the weird whispers?"
"Whispers?" Knuckles asked walking over and grabbing him some water,
"That will go away once you're further away from the Void Emerald. They are whispers of those who were lost to the Void." Tikal explained,
"The side effects would have been nice to know before I volunteered to be a living seal." Sonic said sounding annoyed as Knuckles hands him water.
"I didn't think you'd be able to hear them… but then again you are now connected to the Void almost as much as you are connected to Chaos." She said as Sonic drinks the water.
"As long as it goes away…" Sonic said as Knuckles moves the Void Emerald away from him, "That helps, thanks."
"There is one other thing… I will have to wipe our memories that we did this. To make sure no one knows the seal holding the door closed is inside of Sonic." Tikal said as they both nod.
"Whatever we have to do to make sure that ugly Crab clawed sorcerer is gone for good." Sonic said as Tikal chants using the Chaos Emeralds to wipe their memory. All of their eyes glow gold for a moment before they revert back to normal and blink a few times.
"Sonic! What are you doing in here?" Knuckles yelled smacking the glass of water out of his hand making Sonic jump,
"Hey! I… I'm not sure…" Sonic said looking confused, "What was I doing here?"
"I believe you were both helping me with the Chaos Emeralds and fell asleep… I believe we are finished." Tikal chuckles,
"Oh, yeah that sounds like me. Did you need anything else?" He asked as she shook her head, "Cool, I'm gonna call Tails and let him know I need a lift off this lame floating rock." Sonic said leaving the shrine,
Present day
Sonic snaps out of it as the pain in her right arm subsides now remembering everything. She sees the second scroll in Mephiles' hands turn to ash. Knuckles eyes were still blank, he hadn't snapped out of the trance like he did after reading the first scroll.
"What did you do to him?" Sonic said as she tried to move and sees that now both arms were covered in purple runes,
"When we triggered the Genesis wave I made some tweaks to the ritual so that Knuckles couldn't stop his part after he's read the first two scrolls. He's trapped like that so nothing can prevent him from reading the final scroll." Mephiles explained, "I can see that fear in your eyes, you remember now. And yes, we altered your part as well." Sonic turns her sight to Eggman still holding onto the final scroll,
"Eggman you gotta listen to me! You need to run. You can't give Mephiles the scroll, that was never a Dark Chaos Emerald, it's…!" Shadows wrap around her mouth as she desperately tries to plead with him,
"And give up an infinite power source? I don't think so." Eggman said. Mephiles holds out his hand and he hands the final scroll to him. Sonic desperately shook her head trying to get Eggman to stop him. Mephiles opens the scroll in front of Knuckles and he starts to read it. The final rune starts to appear on her forehead as she lets out a muffled scream.
"This must be torture for you sis, watching your mate suffer agonizing pain." Abyss said standing next to Sophia, but she doesn't take her eyes off of Sonic as her eyes fill with tears, "That's the face I wanted to see. Despair, I finally have revenge for you destroying our kind."
Knuckles finishes reading the final scroll as is dissolved. Sonic breathed heavily as some of the pain subsided, her entire body felt like it was burning, and the whispers had gotten louder. Knuckles regains control as he sees Sonic dazed.
"Damnit no!" Knuckles said trying to break free. the third scroll being read broke the seal off of his memories knowing what was coming next of Mephiles finished the ritual.
"Thank you for playing your park Knuckles." Mephiles said as a shadow covers Knuckles' mouth, "It's time for the final curtain to fall." Void Emerald appears out of his hand, it instantly causes Sonic to wince as her mind is drowned in chaotic whispers. She feels a spectral form loom over her.
"I've waited a long time for this." She heard his voice in her head, "I'll finally be free. And now there's nothing you can do to stop it." Sonic couldn't even move a muscle, with the limit rings weakening her on top of the excruciating pain her body felt along with the flood of whispers. She no longer had the strength to fight back. All she could do was listen to his voice as Mephiles kneels in front of her.
"Just look into the light and the pain will end." Mephiles said as the Void Emerald light starts to calmly fade in and out. Before Sonic could try to look away, she become enthralled in its light. And just as Mephiles said, she could no longer feel the pain as her body went numb and the voices in her head stopped. She tilts her head slightly towards the Void Emerald as her ears lower. Mephiles laughs in amusement at her being completely under his control.
"How did you do that? It took a long time for me to use that energy to control her." Eggman asked curious as he leans closer towards Sonic. He waves his hand in front of her as she doesn't move not registering the movement.
"This took years to plan, we even forced a Genesis wave to bring her back like this to make our plan succeed more smoothly. She wouldn't be as powerful in her human form and easier to contain." Mephiles stands up and looks at Robotnik,
"What was she trying to say about the Dark Chaos Emerald?" Eggman asked standing back up straight,
"That it isn't a Chaos Emerald, but a Void Emerald." Mephiles grinned,
"Void Emerald?" As the realization clicks his expression twists in panic as he looks at Abyss, "Get rid of Mephiles now! We cannot let him complete the ritual." He demanded,
"Whatever you say boss." Abyss shrugs, "I've been waiting to rip the guy apart for a while anyway." He walks towards Mephiles as his own shadow grabs him and starts to pull him under.
"The feeling's been mutual Abyss, you are far too barbaric for my liking." He said as Eggman's and Dr Starline's shadows grab them as well, "You were just a means to an end. I thank you all for making sure this was so successful." They're swallowed into their shadows. "Now we won't have any further interruptions." He snaps his fingers as her eyes go solid black and the shadow's move away from her mouth. "Begin."
"I am the server of the Void, The Void gives him power, power to maintain his thrall, the thrall is what confines the controller, the controller serves to unleash the Void… I release you… Ixis Naugus" Sonic said as all of their Chaos Emeralds brighten and the magic circle beneath her begins to glow a dark purple. A portal opens behind her as a large broad-shouldered man with a crystal horn sticking out of the top of his head and large bat like ears steps out. He has a long white beard, and his left hand was a lobster claw. He waves his hand as a crystal staff forms.
"At last! I'm finally free!" He cheered as Mephiles hands him the Void emerald, he places it into the top of the staff. The shadows around Sonic dissipate as she crumples to the ground. The physical shock from breaking the last seal snapped her out of Mephiles' control. She tries to get up as she makes eye contact with him.
"Naugus…" Sonic glared as he smiles at her,
"Always the tenacious one Quickster. You shouldn't have been able to break out of the Void Emerald's control." He said,
"It's one of my redeeming qualities." She said as he grabs her arm with his claw and pulls her to her feet.
"Thank you for your assistance in freeing me." He said tapping his staff as her feet become trapped in crystal,
"Interesting way of showing thanks." Sonic said as he snaps his fingers, and the limit rings fall off her wrists. "Okay… now I'm confused," She rubs her sore wrists.
"You just went through a very exhausting ordeal and you should rest." Naugus said patting her on the head as she looks at him even more confused. "And I am a merciful king. However I can't let you run off; we're not done yet." He smiles,
"You're not king Iggy, we all made sure of that." Sonic said as he grabs Sonic's face with his clawed hand.
"Why do you think I went through all this trouble? You and your meddlesome friends took my ascension from me. On top of that I had to force a Genesis wave just to bring you back because you got yourself killed costing me my only way of escape." He hissed before snapping out of his rage, "But we can discuss that later. I have other things to attend to." He lets her go and turns looking at Mephiles, "Where is Ivo?" He asked. Mephiles makes Robotnik, Abyss and Dr. Starline reappear from his shadow as they all gasp for air. Sonic attempts to pull her legs free before looking at her friends, she was too far away to reach any of them. "Hello Ivo."
"N… Naugus!" Eggman jumps to his feet looking fearful as he tries to think of a way to escape. Sonic tries to focus on the IV attached to Sophia, if anyone could break free so they could escape, it would be her. She tries to create a Chaos Shield as it flickers just barely managing to remove the IV. The Void Crystals were trying to block her Chaos abilities.
"It's good to see you old friend." Naugus smiled widely showing all of his sharp teeth, "Don't think I don't remember your part in helping the Quickster trap me back in the Void."
"I…it was because you left me no choice… you were being unreasonable…" He said looking at his compatriots. "Get me out of here!" Abyss grabs Dr. Starline and Eggman and warps away.
"Blast that abomination! No matter, he cannot stop what I have planned and there is still much to do to complete my new empire." Naugus said walking over to Mephiles. "Are you sure you want this? There's no going back."
"I am tired… I wish to rest in peace with my other half." Mephiles said as Naugus nods taking his staff and tapping Mephiles' head with the Void Emerald as he melts into liquid shadow. Everyone is free from his shadows as they all watch his liquid form turn to gas and then fade into nothing.
"Did you just kill him?" Knuckles asked as Naugus looks over to him and smiles,
"In a manner of speaking, It's what he wished in exchange for helping me. But where are my manners, I cannot forget to thank the guardian as well for helping free me." Naugus said walking over to him.
"You guy's okay?" Sonic asked looking over at Tails, Cream and Blaze,
"Definitely been better." Blaze said,
"We should be asking you that." Tails said as Sonic gives her a thumbs up,
"Don't worry bud, I'll think of something." She said trying to use her Chaos Shield to chip away at the crystals on her feet.
"How about letting us go for helping you out." Knuckles said as Naugus laughs.
"Oh my boy, I am still not done. For what I have planned next, I need the Quickster's power." He said turning back towards Sonic.
"Aw, Chaos, I was hoping you wouldn't say that." She said as the crystals climb up to her knees. Naugus walks towards her, "Crap… what the heck do you need me for?"
"Now that you're alive and remember your connections to both Chaos and the Void. I can use you as an anchor to initiate another Genesis wave and make the world mine."
"Wait…What?" Sonic said surprised to hear that she could be used to make another Genesis wave.
"Leave her alone!" Alan yelled,
"We won't let you hurt her." Cream said,
"Who said anything about hurting her?" Naugus said standing in front of her, "I just need her back under my control." He holds the Void Emerald in front of her but this time she quickly closes her eyes and covers them with her hands.
"Nope, no, absolutely not! Not gonna happen!" She said,
"You can't fight this Quickster, I spent a long-time perfecting this so you and your little Freedom Fighters couldn't stop me." He taps his staff as she feels heat radiating from the crystal into her body causing her to feel short of breath.
"What are you… blabbering on about?" Sonic asked,
"I created countless encounters for you; The Zarkon, Ivo, Dark Sonic, Chaos, Dr. Kintobor, Morrigan, Mephiles, and even Erazor just to find out what weakened you physically and mentally." Naugus taps his staff again as she trembled, that familiar feeling of her body becoming hypersensitive just like before.
"Y… You didn't mention… Abyss in your annoyingly long list." Sonic said,
"That's because he and the Dark Arms were not of my doing. They were after the Ultimate Lifeform. An oversight I plan to correct after I have you under my control." Naugus said,
"That's not going to stop me from fighting it…" She said still holding her eyes shut.
"Sonic, just focus on my voice." Sophia called out as she starts to fight off the drug enough to continue bending the restraints, she was close to being able to free her arms. Sonic calms a bit after hearing Sophia's voice. "I'm right here." Naugus looked unamused at Sophia being able to help Sonic fight through his compulsion. He waves his clawed hand as a crystal dome encompasses him and Sonic. "Shit!" She finally breaks free and rushes over to Alan and rips him free. "Help the others," Alan nods and they both transform.
"Just hang on Sonic," She hears Sophia's voice, her ears twitch as she noticed that everything else went extremely quiet. Outside of the dome Shadow could see Naugus talking to Sonic but couldn't hear what they were saying.
"Chaos Control." Shadow attempts to warp inside the dome, but it warps her on the opposite side of the dome, "What?" She looked confused as Amy finishes breaking Knuckles free as they rush over to the others.
"Why can't you teleport in?" Knuckles asked, as he breaks Tails free.
"I don't know…" She said as they see Naugus' form change to look like Sophia, "No, he's trying to trick her." Shadow tries to spin dash through the crystal but barely makes a crack.
"It's alright Sonic, I've got you," She hears Sophia's voice as Saya lets out a sigh,
"Nice try Naugus, but that trick won't work on me." Sonic said confidently as he transforms back looking annoyed.
Shadow lets out a sigh noticing Sonic's confident grin while Knuckles and Amy free Blaze and Cream, "Cream can you hear what they're saying?" Tails asked,
"Sonic told him that tricks not going to work." Cream said,
"How do we get in there? It'll take forever and I don't have my digging claws." Knuckles said,
"Tails, get Elias and the others free, see if they can help us figure a way in." Shadow said as Tails quickly runs over to their cell.
"I'm going to go find the Master Emerald." Knuckles said, "I can feel that it's here, if I can grab it, I might be able to hypercharge you enough to warp in." He explained,
"There could be Swatbots, I'll go with you." Blaze said, "Cream stay with Shadow."
"I will, be safe." Cream said as she kisses Blaze before they run off.
"I'm going to look for TK's bag, it's gotta be in here somewhere, you could use a power ring to break through." Amy said looking around the room.
"Stop resisting you little troublemaker." Naugus taps his staff again as she could feel the crystals climb up higher.
"Gonna have to make me, ugly!" Sonic said as he grabs her arms forcing them down as they become trapped in crystal. "Hey!"
"There, now you can't cover your eyes." He said,
"Still can't force my eyes open." She said sticking out her tongue,
"True, but I can make the light so bright that not even closing your eyes will be enough." He said as the Void Emerald's light glows incredibly bright as everyone outside of the dome covers their eyes,
"Cream, what's he doing?" Shadow asked,
"He's trying to do what Mephiles did earlier but with a brighter light so her eyes just being closed won't be enough." She explained, as the Void Emeralds bright light starts to fade in and out again.
"I found TK's bag!" Amy rushes over almost running into Shadow. She pulls out a ring and uses it as she backs up to build up momentum before striking the dome again as the crack becomes significantly larger.
"Try not to look at the light just in case." Shadow said as the others nod,
"Who is this Ixis Naugus?" Elias asked as they all attempt to move towards the dome avoiding looking at the light,
"He's an evil sorcerer who uses crystal magic that we sealed away in the Void." Amy said,
"What's the Void?" Sally asks,
"The easiest way to explain it is that it's another zone or dimension full of magic crystals." Tails said, I had no idea that Sonic was the seal keeping the path to the Void closed,"
"Relax and let the light calm you." Naugus said calmly as Sonic didn't realize that her breathing was starting to match the pace that the Void Emerald was dimming. With every exhale she felt more relaxed, it had been a long time since she felt this relaxed. "There we go, just relax. Breathe in, and out. Doesn't the light feel warm and welcoming?"
"N…" A part of her knew to fight it but her mind started to associate the warmth to Sophia, making her want to look. "Warm…" she exhaled,
"That's right let the light keep you warm. All you have to do is look." Naugus smiled as he sees her eyes move slightly,
"Sonic! Don't!" Amy yelled Striking his hammer at the dome.
"Fight it Sonic!" Cream yelled, but she couldn't hear them, their desperate pleas fell on silence.
"In and out," Naugus said as Sonic's eyes started to open, "Look into the warm light." Her eyes start to glow purple no longer able to resist. Her breathing continued to match the light as he grabs her chin, but she doesn't flinch, she just continues rhythmically breathing as her eyes become more and more purple. "Who are you?"
"I and the Server of the Void." She said,
"Good girl, now we can truly begin." He said releasing her from the crystals. Knuckles and Blaze return with the Master Emerald,
"What's happening?" Knuckles asked as Shadow was still trying to break through the dome.
"Naugus has control of Sonic…" Cream said.
"Not for long, I'm going to get in there!" Shadow said catching her breath, but she was starting to feel burnt out from using the power rings consecutively.
"Tikal, do you know how he plans to trigger the Genesis wave?" Knuckles asked as she appears next to him.
"If I had to guess, he plans to have Sonic induce Chaos Control using the Void Emerald causing the two energies to combine." She explains.
"Then we really need to get in there!" Tails said as they all look at the crack that Shadow's managed to make that seemed halfway through the crystal.
"Shadow let us take over you look like you're going to collapse," Knuckles tried to help her, but she smacks his hand away,
"I can't stop…" Shadow said reaching for her limit rings. Elias grabs her wrist stopping her,
"No, you've already worn yourself out. If you take of the rings you could die." Elias said,
"I have to try!" Shadow argued.
"Guys… Sonic just started inducing Chaos Control…" Cream said,
"We're too late…" Blaze said,
"All of you gather around me!" Tikal said, "I don't know how much Naugus plans to change but I'm hoping this will help you remember before the Genesis wave. But it might take time for you to connect to it." They see their world rings glow. "I am sorry… I cannot do the same for you three…" Tikal looks at Elias, Sally and Dr. Q.
"As long as they have a chance." Elias said,
"What will we need to do Tikal?" Shadow asked,
"Free Sonic and help her reverse the Genesis wave." Tikal said as they see Sonic's body start to glow. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you… good luck." The light expands as they are all swallowed by the Genesis wave.
Three years later
The world of Mobius has been a mixture of Humans and Mobians: Part human, part animal creatures and have been at war with Doctor Robotnik for years. The one thing that has kept him at bay was the Freedom Fighters, five people enhanced by the powers of Chaos with abnormal abilities. They are a small faction within the G.U.N agency. They work for the King to guard the Master Emerald and help keep Mobius safe from Robotnik's plan to robotisize the world.
Within the Guardian Units of Nations, G.U.N compound where the Freedom Fighters live that they personally dubbed Freedom HQ. Tails, a yellow Fox Mobian with two tails that give her the ability to fly, but mostly known for intellect rivaling that of even Robotnik himself and creator of the tech gear for the Freedom Fighters was in her workshop busy tinkering away on something to help them against their struggle with the mad Doctor.
"Do we have to see King Naugus?" Tails asked sounding annoyed looking over at Amy, a pink Hedgehog, known for his ability to summon a magic hammer out of nowhere, another member of the Freedom Fighters leans against the door waiting for her to finish.
"This is a monthly thing Tails, He kinda funds us and all that." Amy said spinning an aqua colored ring on his finger. "Knuckles says you have five minutes."
"Just one more thing and… done!" Tails said standing up admiring her work, "I fixed the Emerald detector." She puts it into her bag and follows Amy out of her workshop.
"Good, Elias has been worried since Robotnik beat us to the last Emerald." He said rolling his eyes as they head towards the Hangar bay.
"If he didn't get the jump on us and break the Emerald detector we would have found it first." Tails said sounding annoyed, "Tricking us to find it for him was a sneaky move."
"We've been way too lax recently; we need to be better at keeping our guard up." Amy said as they walk into the Hangar bay.
"Amy, I asked you to grab her five minutes ago." Knuckles the last red Echidna Mobian with super strength and the ability to glide short distances. He is also guardian of the Master Emerald, a mystical relic with immeasurable power from the forgotten past and leader of the Freedom Fighters; he was waiting in front of the Tornado impatiently.
"Sorry about that, but the Emerald Detector is all fixed up, so we'll be good to go Emerald hunting after the boring politics." Tails said,
"I would rather go Emerald hunting than this monthly annoyance… sometimes it feels like King Naugus is trying too hard to get us to like him." Blaze, a lavender Cat Mobian with the ability to control all flames through her connection to Chaos said crossing her arms,
"I'd prefer him to be uncomfortably nice rather than when he gets angry…" Cream, a peach Rabbit Mobian with super hearing and the power to fly said,
"Agreed… that one time he and Elias went at it… freaked me out. I legit thought they were going to kill each other." Amy said, Elias was the head of the Freedom Fighter operation for G.U.N. to oversee the project.
They all climb into the Tornado and Fly towards Crystal Castle. Just as the name suggests, the entire castle is made of magical crystal that gave off a prismatic hue when reflected off of light at a specific angle looking like something just out of a fairy tale.
Tails lands the Tornado and they all walk towards the entrance. The guards let them in without a glance as they enter the throne room. An extravagant room full of gaudy crystal sculptures as they walk towards the large crystal throne where the ruler of the people of Mobius, King Naugus sat reading paperwork. He throws the papers aside after seeing them approach.
"Welcome my friends!" King Naugus said excitedly standing up and meeting with them before they get in front of the throne as his retainers go and pick up the scattered papers,
"Your Majesty." Knuckles said. They all bow their heads as King Naugus smiles looking happy to see them.
"How has everything been going?" He asked looking each one of them over,
"N…not too bad…" Cream said,
"I heard you lost one of the Emeralds to Ivo." He said as they all flinch. None of them have seen King Naugus angry with them but they have heard stories about how ruthless he can be, and he does not trust Humans like he does Mobians, "But I know you all are more than capable of getting it back. And none of you were hurt, that's what really matters." They all relax hearing him say that,
"Tails was able to fix her Chaos detector." Amy said nudging Tails' shoulder as Naugus turns towards her, with a smile.
"I'm proud of you Tails that must have been difficult to repair after that last altercation." King Naugus said patting her head, She didn't like how he would always talk to them as if they were still kids. It had been 5 years since the Freedom Fighter Initiative had started. The Initiative was King Naugus' idea after discovering that G.U.N. had the five of them imprisoned in one of their experimental labs due to their bond to Chaos energy and immeasurable powers compared to other Mobians. They all owed King Naugus their freedom and possibly their lives. "Can you remind me again how many Emeralds have been located?"
"We are in possession of four of them where Robotnik has two. One Chaos Emerald is still unaccounted for." Blaze said. There are seven Chaos Emeralds in total, it is said when all seven are brought together a miracle will happen.
"I suggest you all focus your efforts on finding the missing Emerald first before any plans are made to take the other two Emeralds back from Ivo." King Naugus said. Ivo Robotnik, a mad scientist who invented a way to transform living creatures into robot slaves in his city of Robotropolis and the Freedom Fighters sworn enemy.
"Of course." Knuckles said,
"And I hear congratulations are in order?" He said looking at Blaze and Cream as they both look shocked, "So have you decided on the big day?"
"We're planning on waiting till after all of the Emeralds have been secured and nullified by the Master Emerald,." Blaze said, turning away trying to not look embarrassed. One of the abilities the Guardian of the Master Emerald has is use its power to nullify the Chaos Emeralds
"That's her way of saying we haven't decided yet." Cream chuckles taking her hand.
"I'm happy for you both regardless, let me know whatever you need." He smiles and they smile back. "Anything else going on you believe I should know about?"
"Not at the moment," Amy said as they all thought for a moment making sure they didn't miss anything.
"Then I won't keep you any longer then," He said with a smile. They all hide their relief at hearing him dismiss them. "I know it's a lot of work and the world thanks you for helping."
"Thank you your Majesty." Knuckles said as they all bow their heads and turn to leave. Tails stops as she looks at one of the art piece closest to the throne. A large collection of tall opalescent crystal pillars nesting a massive blue tear drop cut Sapphire that was taller than all of them. An ornamented gold chain decorated in small Ruby's draped over the Sapphire. The deep blue color of the Sapphire always drew her attention as she looked at the gem almost feeling pulled in. The color was so dark that you couldn't see through the gem like you could with the gems surrounding it.
"You really like that art piece." Naugus comments, Tails almost jumps not realizing she zoned out completely while staring at it. "I think you stare at it every time you visit," He chuckles,
"Sorry for staring at it, blue's my favorite color so it always catches my eye." She said chuckling uncomfortably feeling a little embarrassed.
"It's my favorite piece in here so I can understand where you're coming from." Naugus said patting her shoulder, "You better catch up with the others, they can't really leave without their pilot." He joked as she quickly bows again and runs after her friends. Naugus turns to the Sapphire and smiles admiring the cut of the gem.
"What took you?" Knuckles asked,
"I got distracted…" Tails said climbing into the cockpit.
"That art piece again?" Blaze asked,
"I just really like it okay! Don't ask me why." Tails said sounding flustered as they fly off back towards Freedom HQ,
"Well I'm going to ask anyway cuz at some point you'll know the answer. Why do you like it?" Amy asked,
"I…" Tails was about to say something as she gets a transmission, "What's going on Sal?" She answered the transmission thankful for the change of subject. Sally is the other leader of the Freedom Fighters project with her brother Elias.
"Some of Robotnik's robots were spotted near Knothole. That's where the defense systems are located. If Robotnik destroys it the city will be vulnerable." Sally said over their coms.
"We'll head there now Sally. Let's go Freedom Fighters." Knuckles said as Tails turns the Tornado towards Knothole.
"I can see the Robots!" Cream points them out,
"Alright, I'll drop you all off and meet up with you shortly." Tails flies low to the ground as the rest of them jump off. They see four large robots moving towards the building.
"Blaze, stop their progress, Cream help Amy take down one Bot while I work on another and we wait for Tails to join us." Knuckles said as they all nod. Blaze quickly speeds in front of the bots and creates a tall wall of fire causing the bots to stop. Cream flies Amy above one of the bots and drops him on them smashing the bots head. Knuckles grabs another bot and throws it at another bot as Blaze blasts them both. Tails flies down to the last robot and deactivates it.
"I think that's record time." Amy said proudly resting his hammer on his shoulder,
"Little too easy if you ask me." Blaze said,
"Sally can you confirm that there are no other Swatbots around?" Knuckles said in the communicator.
"It looks like you're all in the clear, nice work everyone," Sally said as Blaze extinguishes the flames.
"Great work everyone, let's go home." Knuckles said,
"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily Tails." Amy said,
"Huh?" Tails looked confused,
"You were just about to explain why you like Naugus' art." He said as she frowns hoping he had forgotten the subject, "Which I think is weird."
"It's not the art exactly… but that specific crystal." She said as they walk back to the Tornado,
"The Sapphire?" Knuckles asked as she nods,
"It drew my attention at first because it's so large. But it's the color of the gem… it reminds me of someone." Tails said,
"Who?" Cream asks,
"That's just it, I can't remember their face which makes me feel bad." Tails said slumping her shoulders as her ears lower feeling guilty for not remembering them.
"They must have left some kind of impression on you to make you think of them when you see that color." Amy said with a grin, "Is it a guy?"
"No…" Tails said,
"Girl?"
"No…"
"Nonbinary? Trans?"
"Amy you know I'm not interested in that kinda stuff…" Tails pouts at his teasing as they climb back into the Tornado,
"I know, it's just fun to tease you." He chuckles as they fly back to base.
"Who's turn is it to make dinner?" Tails asked as they land back at Freedom HQ,
"My turn. I'll let you know when I'm done." Knuckles said waving them off and heading towards the kitchen,
"I need to check the Chao's; I believe one was going to be hatching soon." Cream said.
"I'll come with you." Blaze said,
"I need to write my last report." Amy said,
"If you didn't procrastinate all the time you wouldn't have to do it at the last minute." Tails told him,
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." He said walking away while Tails heads back to her workshop. She had noticed that they all were just going through the motions recently. Sure some missions went wrong, especially any mission involving a Chaos Emerald, but it still felt… scripted. She no longer felt the excitement or thrill of going on missions. It was just their job…
Tails' communicator buzzes getting a message from Knuckles that Dinner was ready. She walks over and sits with all of them as they eat in silence. Knuckles notices Amy zoning out as he sat there spinning his ring.
"Amy… Amy!" Knuckles calls out to him, but he doesn't hear it, "Hey!" He yelled as Amy jumps,
"What the heck Knuckles!" Amy asked looking annoyed,
"You were doing it again." Cream said, recently Amy had been zoning out or being distant. It had started to become a daily occurrence and it was starting to worry them.
"Oh… sorry…" He said with a light chuckle,
"Have you talked to Dr. Q about this? You've been disassociating more recently." Blaze said,
"I haven't talked to her about it recently… It's just." Amy lets out a sigh, "The blue color reminds me of someone too."
"It does?" Knuckles asked surprised looking at Cream and Blaze wondering if they too felt the same, but they looked just as surprised as he did,
"It's just this feeling I get every time I see that color… Like I'm missing something super important and it drives me crazy!" He said rubbing his temples.
"Do you have anything else we can go on besides that you both are reminded of someone?" Knuckles asked as they both shake their heads, "I guess for now we'll keep an eye out for someone wearing that color blue and go from there." He shrugs.
"Thanks for not thinking we're crazy." Tails said,
"Oh I definitely think you're both crazy but I'm your leader and it's my job to support you regardless." He teases,
"Jerk," Amy sticks his tongue out as they all laugh and continue eating. All of them unaware of how much their world has changed and the people missing from their lives.