Planning for the Titan, True Love knows no Time.
(Kronos Island, Ruins)(The Next Day)
"...Huh. Am I crazy or did they multiply?" Sonic asked, confused. He was just waking up and there were at least over fifty Koco standing in the room, compared to the few that had joined them earlier.
"They appeared overnight. I saw no reason to turn them away." Sage said, appearing a second later. Seemed like she had learned. "Amy was very insistent in aiding their return to the Elder Koco."
"Alright then." Sonic said while hoping on his feet. He stretched out a bit while stepping past the Koco's as Sage vanished from sight again. He spotted Amy still asleep while Tails was to be counting the Koco, but Sally was leaning against the wall and working on Nicole. "Yo, Sal. How'd you sleep?"
"Like a rock." Sally said, without looking up from Nicole.
"And you're working on?" Sonic asked.
"I've been trying to keep up with Eggman's machinery. They have a certain program that makes it easy to track their movements and through them I can pinpoint where they're on the island." Sally said, looking up to turn to Tails. "Tails came up with it this morning and it works perfectly so far."
"Really?" Sonic turned to Tails, who blushed in embarrassment. Then Sonic started ruffling his head, adding on even more while he laughed. "Nice work, little buddy."
"It's nothing really. I just thought we could track them easier through their normal machines rather than try and get through their tougher hardware." Tails said, a smile coming on his face. After hearing how Ovoid was like, he betted that she would be too focused on the larger machines of the island rather than her own. "Maybe within time we'll be able to get into Eggman and his network in the future if I have a better understanding of it. I hate to admit it, but he's definitely complex when it comes to his technology."
"Regardless, you're very intelligent, Tails. Even for your age." Sally said with a bright smile. She had been beyond impressed with his skill and it showed.
"Thank you, Princess Sally." Tails said while rubbing his head.
"Tails, we've been over this. You're more than welcome to call me Sally." The Princess said.
"Sorry, I'm not used to that just yet. But I'll try. I promise." Tails said. Sally merely nodded while Sonic shook his head.
"So when are we heading out? I'm itching to get some running done." Sonic said, eager to get the day started. A lot of the Koco's mimicked his eagerness, jumping around and squealing in place. "Looks like they're ready."
"I just need to wake up Amy first." Sally said, stepping off from the wall and towards the sleeping hedgehog. She knelt down and gently shook her shoulder. "Amy? It's time to get up."
Amy shifted for a moment before sitting up, letting out a yawn as she did so. She quickly took note of all the Koco's in the room and squealed in delight.
"Good morning!" Amy exclaimed, getting up quickly. She scooped up as many Koco's as she could and hugged them, with them being more than delighted. "So many Kocos!" Amy was more than happy to see them all gathered up like this. It meant that she could get all the ones on this island straight to the Elder Koco and continue her mission. Speaking off. "Hey, where's the one that was with me yesterday?"
"...You mean they're not here?" Sally asked, looking down at the Koco's. Despite having some different styles, they all generally looked the same.
"No! I don't see her anywhere!" Amy said, lowering the Koco's down and having a serious frown on her face. "She must have run off to see if she could find her true love. We have to find her!"
"Amy, I know how important this is, but we do need to see if we can meet with the Elder Koco." Sally said, hoping she could calm down the young girl. However upon seeing her frown turn into a mean glare, she knew it wasn't enough. "We may be able to find her along the way-"
"NO!" Amy screamed, nearly deafening them all. "I promised to help her and I'm gonna do it!"
"Amy." Sally said, managing to keep herself calm. She was a princess and she wouldn't let herself get angry for any reason. Least of all for a girl younger than herself. "Please, this is very important. Don't forget, if Eggman gets all of the Chaos Emeralds, he'll officially have all he needs for his plan. We can't let that happen."
Seeing how Amy wasn't convinced, Sonic decided to step in. "Tell you what. You tell Sally where this Elder Koco guy is and she'll help take these Koco's back to them. Meanwhile you and I can go find your little friend."
"And you'll help her find her true love?" Amy pressed, sounding hopeful.
"Sure. No biggie." Sonic said, instantly getting caught into a tight hug. "Oof!"
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Amy said, unable to help herself. Sonic could only pat her head before she let go. "I'll make sure I have everything we need!"
"Sonic, do we really have time for this?" Sally whispered into his ear. She truly didn't want to be rude to the girl, but they were on a ticking clock.
"Don't you forget who I am? I'm the fastest thing in all of Mobius." Sonic said, his normal cocky grin coming up. "I'll be able to zip around this island in seconds if I really need to. Besides, if we're supposed to be the good guys, we gotta at least do all we can to help."
Sally looked at him for a few seconds before shaking her head and letting out a sigh. Yet a smile graced her face. "You're right, Sonic. We can't call ourselves good if we ignore the problems of others."
"Hey, I get it. We got a lot on our plate with Egghead and the Chaos Emeralds, but we'll deal with them all the same." Sonic said, making her feel a bit better.
"Right. Oh, before you go, I want to see if Nicole can link communications with Sage. At least that way, we can keep in contact if there's any trouble." Sally suggested.
"Sounds good to me. Sage?" Sonic said as the A.I. answered.
"That would be acceptable." Sage said, the bracelet glowing blue briefly. Nicole herself flashed green before both faded. "It is done."
"We will be able to speak to each other now." Nicole confirmed, sounding pleased through her normal monotone voice. "It will be nice talking to another like myself."
"I concur." Sage agreed. Sonic was about to make a joke before Amy came out of nowhere and started dragging.
"I'm ready!" Amy said, her crossbow in her free hand and bag strapped to her back. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Hold it, you still gotta tell them where to go!" Sonic said, managing to stop them. Amy stopped herself, turning around to show that she was a little embarrassed.
"Whoopsie, my bad." Amy said with a cute giggle. The others could only sigh, even the Koco with them seemed a bit impatient.
(Kronos Island, Ruined Tower)(Later with Sally and Tails)
The instructions that Amy provided were thankfully easy to follow. Being that look for the floating ruined tower made it quite easy for Sally and Tails to find. Now they were making the track work with the Koco's jumping behind them, eager to meet the Elder Koco. Leaving Sonic and Sage to help Amy find the lost Koco.
"It shouldn't be much longer now." Sally said as they approached the floating ruin. She was still memorized by how the Ancients of this land had managed to create such technology despite being from a different era. "I'm still curious on how this all works?"
"I was actually observing them the other day." Tails said, pulling out a slightly ruined notebook. "While it's clearly using a form of hover technology, the energy it uses is quite unique. Unlike what we have today, where they need to rest and charge, these seem almost limitless. No doubt from the Chaos Emeralds' energy."
"With the stories I've heard, it's certainly a possibility." Sally said, going into thought. There are other ruins like these, not nearly as old, but having similar technology to a mass extent. These ruins were far older than anything she had ever researched on, making her curious on manythings. 'Was this one of the first civilizations and if so, did they have a connection to other civilizations?'
"Not to mention their robotics. I've never seen something as advanced as the machines here." Tails admitted. From being able to teleport in, emit strange waves of energy to even forming platforms made of pure energy, nothing came close to what was made here. "But it is all strange. With how advanced they were, someone like Eggman shouldn't have been able to get into their hardware. Even if no one's left to man it."
"As true as that may be, you may want to remember where we're walking through." Sally said, confusing Tails. "These ruins looked as though they'd been attacked, not run down or even abandoned. If I had to take a serious guess, these people were also victims of the Great Cataclysm."
"The Great Cataclysm?" Tails asked, his confusion going further.
"Yes. Well over 4,000 years ago today, Mobius' Civilizations suffered a great fate, wiping them all off the face of the planet with only their ruins left behind to show off their existence." Sally explained, not missing the horrified look Tails sent her. It wasn't surprising that it was unheard of, not many knew about it. She only learned of it during her studies. "There are a lot of old theories on how it happened. That the old civilizations went to war and took each other out. That they suffered from their own creations. Even one claiming that Mobius was hit with a solar flare from the sun, the remaining few surviving being part of lesser known tribes."
"That's horrible." Tails said, glancing back to look at the Kocos. "But there's a clear sign of life here and if Amy's right they've been here for years."
"Perhaps, but they don't seem as though they've aged. Not like the Elder Koco. They just may be like the Chao in that regard." Chao were recorded to have some of the longest lifespans, making many believe that they were immortal. However despite that, there weren't any signs showing that they've made any real advancements in the many decades they had been alive. "But I could be wrong as well, we'll hopefully know by the time we reach the elder."
"...I think we just did." Tails pointed out with Sally following his gaze. Without a doubt, it was another Koco, but much larger and with a rounder shape and green moss around his face as though it was a beard.
"Greetings! I was curious if there were others roaming on the island." The Elder said, a jolly like laughing coming out of him. The Koco's were ecstatic to see him, jumping past the Mobians and gathering around the Elder. "And you've brought me my fellow Kocos! I must thank you!"
"Well that would be-"
"Right after I've counted them all out!' The Elder said happily while Sally noticed the small horde they had.
This was gonna take a while.
(Kronos Island, Fields) (Sonic, Sage and Amy)
"Not this little guy either huh?" Sonic said, holding a Koco.
"Nope. I'm sorry, I thought she'd be here." Amy said while Sonic sighed. Amy had been told by the Koco that their true love was by a wide flower field. However there were so many Koco roaming about. "That makes eighty-seven of them now."
"Yeah." Sonic said, seeing a large horde of them together now. It was gonna make it a bit difficult to bring them all back, but he promised to get them back. "You sure i-she would be here?"
"Yes. It was all she could talk about." Amy said sadly. She looked ready to cry right now. "What if she got lost or hurt!"
"Hey, none of that now." Sonic said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I bet she's with her lover as we speak. Have some faith."
"Y-your right." Amy sniffed, managing to get herself together. She sat up and looked at Koco, who looked at her worriedly. Giving them a bright smile, she made sure to reassure them. "Don't worry you guys, I'm perfectly fine now! Let's hurry and find your friends, okay?" The Koco's perked up instantly, making both Hedgehogs chuckle at their enthusiasm. Amy then turned to Sonic, with a determined look. "Let's get going, we need to find that Koco."
"No need to tell me twice, let's get going." Sonic said. He and Amy started walking with the Koco following right behind him. It was at this moment when Sage appeared beside them.
"Nicole has informed me that Sally and Tails have located the Elder Koco and are awaiting to speak with him." Sage informed them, with Sonic nodding.
"Cool. Tell them that we're still looking and that we'll have more Koco ready to come back." Sonic said while Sage nodded. Amy was honestly still a little freaked out over Sage, earning the A.I.'s attention.
"Is there something wrong?" Sage asked, making Amy jump a bit.
"Oh nothing, I just realized I don't know a lot about you." Amy said, hoping to ease the awkwardness. "What are your hobbies or is there someone you love?"
'I definitely don't know that.' Sonic said, remembering that Sage was waking up for the first time.
"My functions are focusing on the safety of Sonic and his allies. That is all." Sage said while Amy gasped. "However I have grown curious about..."Love." She spoke in a way that almost made the word sound alien. "After previous conversations, I have grown curious on what it means? If it provides any power that I may use to assist others with."
"Listen, Love is-Love is the most powerful force on Mobius!" Sonic was interrupted by the excited scream of Amy, even going as far as startling Sage. "It's what powers everyone on Mobius! Giving them the faith and hope to prevail in order to help those they love!"
'Ain't she passionate?' Sonic thought with a head shake. Yet Sage seemed to be listening intently.
"Explain, please." Sage said.
"It's simple. So long as you feel strong feelings towards someone, you'll be able to access an unbeatable power that no one could ever match!" Amy said as if it were the greatest thing.
"Right, and my speed comes from a love of Chili-Dogs." Sonic muttered quietly, thankfully going unheard.
"But what is Love? How do I access it's power?" Sage asked while Amy giggled.
"You just need to have strong, positive feelings for someone you know that you like and would help without hesitation." Amy explained before going on further. "And I don't just mean the romantic kind of love either!"
"There are more kinds?" Sage asked with Amy nodding.
"Of course! There's love for a friend, a sibling, a parent, even for someone you've heard of." Amy said, giggling at Sage's interested expression. "You can even hold love for an item or even land like this. Especially when it's your own home as well."
It was kinda hilarious to watch the advanced A.I. try and understand what it meant to love in general. She seemed to be comprehending hard on what Amy said. While she was thinking about it, Sonic spotted something up ahead and grinned.
"I think I found our Koco!" Sonic said, making Amy perk up. She followed his gaze and gasped seeing her Koco jumping towards an open field. She was about to run up to her before stopping herself. "Something wrong?"
"Shh! Look." Amy said, pointing to the scene ahead. Her Koco stopped in place, almost like she was in shock. Ahead of her was another Koco, looking at her with a look of longing. "That's their true love."
"I can tell." Sonic said, a smile on his face. Sage herself was looking at the scene with pure curiosity, taking note on how happy the two Koco seemed upon seeing each other.
'How curious. It is not their normal happiness they express, but one that can only be shared by another.' Sage said, saving the data for later use. However her sensors picked up on a strange energy, not related to the island's technology or Eggman's machinery. "Sonic, somethings-" She didn't get to finish before a bright light enveloped them before fading altogether. "Happening."
Sonic and Sage looked around shocked by what they were seeing. Their vision felt different, almost rustic as they looked at the land. Unfortunately it wasn't anything; fire everywhere they looked, the distant city looked to be crumbling with black smoke rising from nearly every corner of the island. Not to mention the large amount of explosions that they could hear going off that no doubt had panicking people within. Looking up at the dark cloud, they realized that it was glowing an uneasy color of red.
"Whoa. That...what's going on?" Sonic asked aloud. He looked at Amy, surprised that she didn't seem phased by this. If anything she looked to be expecting it from her sad expression. Looking back at the two Koco, Sonic's shock only increased. "I-is that?"
"In a way, yes." Amy said, her tone low.
Where the Koco stood were tall, water-like humanoids that easily towered over them with only a pair of eyes. Both of them were different genders as well judging by their masculine and feminine shapes, but the weirdest part was that the Koco's were in their chest that were glowing, yet clearly still active.
"These...these are the Ancients. My creators." Sage said, mesmerized by who she was looking at.
"No kidding." Sonic muttered. They watched as the Female Ancient started running towards the Male one, just as beams of light started shooting down from the sky. "Woah!"
However they couldn't feel the impact, phasing through them as if they weren't there. Meanwhile the Male Ancient had embraced the Female one, holding her close to his chest. They pulled away and looked into each other's eyes longing, ignoring all of the chaos around them. Moving to what Sonic could only assume to be a kiss, they were both struck down by a massive beam as the blast waved across the field. The same light appeared and they were right back where they were.
"Okay...what just happened?" Sonic asked only to see Amy step forward. Following her, they watched her kneel down to the two Koco, both remaining unmoving and lifeless, yet with smiles gracing their faces. Sonic's eyes softened while Sage's seemed surprised by the outcome, yet sad nonetheless. "Are...are they...?"
"Sadly. They loved each other until the end." Amy said, a sniff breaking through her lips. Yet a sad smile remained on her face. "The Elder Koco told me that they've been inactive for years until recently and that the young Koco like these ones follow the actions of the ancients like their on repeat. They were their good luck charms for so long, but it's as if they've imprinted themselves on them. They can find some peace when they accomplish their final goal." The hedgehog looked down at the Koco, unable to help the tear that fell from her face. "They even show how they...how they..."
"You don't need to say it." Sonic said, getting a thankful nod from her. He felt terrible for Amy, no doubt having done this a few times. He could only hope that the Elder Koco had comforted her when it first happened.
"I...I thankfully don't always need to see it. The Elder can help them...pass on afterwards." Amy explained, managing to hold herself together. "It's one of the reasons why I wanted to help them, so that they can find their peace and move on. They all loved each other so much that they can never be apart. I want to spread that kind of love, one that can be boundless, to the rest of the world. Even if it takes me from home." It was silent for a moment before Sonic suddenly picked a flower from the ground and placed it in her, confusing her. "Huh?"
"I know you'll do great." Sonic said softly, a wide grin coming on his face. "I can't wait to see how you do it."
Amy couldn't help, but smile too. Giving a small nod, she stood up and made sure to wipe away her tears. Sage noted how quick Amy had recovered after hearing simple, yet effective words.
"And don't worry, Sage. I haven't forgotten about helping you either." Sonic said, turning to her. She was going to be even more interested in her creators a lot more after getting a glimpse of their kind. "You won't have to wait long, count on that."
"I will continue to assist you as well, Sonic." Sage said,taking note of the warm feeling she felt upon hearing his words. Short and simple, yet effective all the same. But they still had business to do as well. "We should report to Sally and return these Koco's to the Elder. I'm quite curious on how they are fairing with their intel gathering."
"Hang on, shouldn't we do something about those two?" Sonic said, referring to the passed Koco. He didn't want to leave them out like this.
"You don't need to worry, they're meant to become one with Mobius. Apparently it's meant to be part of their next life." Amy said, though he did sound a little confused. Different and new cultures were as strange as they were intriguing.
Sonic however frowned a little at that and looked down at the Koco before kneeling down to them. He at least moved them out of the sun and directly under some shade. It was the least he could do for them. He just hoped that they could actually help these guys from Eggman before anything else. If that means he had to get the Chaos Emerald from the titan bot, then he would. Last thing they needed was for what happened here to happen all over Mobius.
(Kronos Island, Ruined Tower)
"I'm afraid I don't know much about Giganto, young any of the titans for that matter" The Elder Koco said, disheartening Sally and Tails. "While we may have lived together, we acted as a means of being their charms. We never truly understood how they were able to create the things they made and we were fine with that."
"I see. Forgive me for bothering you with such questions." Sally said, trying her best to hide her disappointment. "We'll just try to come up with our own plan to get the Chaos Emerald till then."
"Oh I wouldn't worry much about that. You seem like a determined lot from what I sense." The Elder said, offering her a smile. It was one she shared along with Tails. "But I can at least recall a few places where the Chaos Emeralds are."
"You can?" Sally and Tails asked with the Elder nodding.
"Of course. After being around them for so long we Koco actually gained the ability of knowing where they are at all times." The Elder said with a chuckle. "Now if I recall...hmmm...oh yes that's right. Three of them are with the titans, one for each one."
"Y-you mean there are more of those big bots?" Tails asked, his fear being shared by Sally.
"Oh yes. Well there is supposed to be one meant for each island, but if I recall one wasn't completed while the other is actually off the Starfall Islands altogether." The Elder explained, barely easing their worries. That still left three other Titans to worry about, one of which being Giganto and far from something that could be beaten easily. "There is only Giganto on this island and he has the only emerald on this island. The others remain on the other islands, but my fellow Elders would be able to tell you more should you make your way to the other islands."
"Thank you for telling us all you know, we'll be sure to put this information to good use." Sally said, managing to hide her worry. It would do her no good. Still she was curious. "Why are you helping us however? Weren't the titans meant to be your guardians?"
"Yes that is true, you can say that about all the machines here, but as an Elder of my people I must recognize when they themselves are a threat. Especially with that group of people who came to our island and caused them to go into such a frenzy." The Elder said, his normally cheery attitude gone. "With how intelligent these people are and with how quick they've taken over the most advanced systems of the islands, it would only be a matter of time before they overtake the other titans as well."
The Mobians frowned at that, knowing it was true. However, Tails suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but ask.
"You said that you remain inactive for the time, does that mean the machines were too?" Tails asked, getting a nod from Koco. "Judging by the ruins here, it looked as though your people were attacked, but not fully destroyed. Does that mean that something knocked out the machinery here, along with the Titans?"
"...Unfortunately, I can't recall." the Elder said, confusion noted in his voice. "All I remember were the flames and the explosions, but as for what attacked us...I have no clue." He truly seemed like he had no true idea. Seeing the downcasted expression on them, he decided to speak once again. "But it's safe to say that threat is long gone. This world is still standing after all."
"In a way." Sally said weakly, not forgetting about the take over.
"Perhaps it would be better if we didn't fight it, but just take the Emerald and run." Tails suggested. "With Sonic's speed alone, we should be able to complete that much."
"At least that way we could keep it safe." Sally said, being able to accept that much. Between the powerful titan and the limitless power of the Chaos Emerald, she'd pick the emerald any day. "We'll need to properly come up with a plan for this once they return, but we'll need to act fast."
If that meant they needed to strike today, then they would.
(Chapter End)
A/N: Hello again, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter for Sonic: Freedom of the Wind. I was intending on making this a bit longer, but I decided to hold off a bit from doing that. I also wanted to save any major fights for the next chapter.
I couldn't ignore Amy's bit on Kronos Island and decided to have the chapter focus a bit on that, along with the Koco and Ancients history. I did also add in the see past events ability from the Koco to tell those stories due to the lack of the Cyberspace existing in the story. In a bit of an extra case, I made sure to include how Amy felt on the matter given how she's been on Kronos Island the longest. Already used to it and having the Elder Koco as support.
And I have hinted that the Koco and the Ancients were still attacked, but the Koco aren't able to recall it in the slightest. This is very much on purpose for something coming far along in the story. As much as I would like to bring that up now, I can't. It'll ruin the story in my opinion. For now it's the waiting game.
That should be all for now, so as usual direct all questions towards the review section. I do only answer them one the next chapter so everyone can see the answer as well. In the meantime have yourself a great day and I hope that you come back for more. Until next time and hope you all had a great year!
Reviews
Guest: will sally get her ring blades from the archie comics
Answer: I have special plans for the princess when it comes to future combat skills, so no, but what I have planned will be just as good or even better. That'll be something for you to decide.
Void Reader: Huh. Cyberspace was the Ancient's greatest invention. All thoughts n memories kept in data to never be lost. For if it was in Frontier, we would never have known of The End or the past. The Koco huh. I wonder if they r still the same as in the game of them being the remnants of past regrets n memories? If so then we're in for heart breaking moments. Hope all seven emeralds r on this one island for how else can Sonic go up against a Titan without Super states? I preferred Amy's Dream-Casters appearance since it's her mordant look as she's older then when she were that green one. Update soon.
Answer: Update's here. I hope this chapter answered most of those questions. Involving the Emeralds, their locations, the Koco's past ect. Also I wouldn't worry about the Giganto fight too much. I have certain plans when it comes to that.
denisegalante1009: How soon will we see Metal Sonic?
Answer: Not as soon as you would think. Metal Sonic is a national treasure, wasted completely within the games and I refuse to make that same mistake.