2: Arrival
When they reappeared, they stood in front of a pair of big, opened gates with a wooden sign next to the entrance, on that stood written Visitors this way.
Before the friends could look around more, a hedgehog, that looked like Shadow's twin, even in clothing, but with pale blue instead of red in his fur, pretty much jumped on Silver.
"Silver, are you alright!?," Mephiles asked, his voice trembling, as if he was close to a panic attack.
Silver cocked his head to the side. "Of course I am. Why do you ask?," he replied, confused.
"You used the transportation spell I gave you.," Mephiles said, slowly relaxing, after seeing his love unharmed and looking at the others and deeming them a harmless company for his mate.
"So? You gave me thousands of those, I thought, that I should use them." "Yes, for emergencies, Silver.," Mephiles chastised, his voice harder now, but not much.
Immediately, the young uke folded his ears back. "I'm sorry.," he whimpered, tears gathering in his eyes.
Mephiles looked startled at the sudden change, before he sighed and took his mate in his arms. "No, I'm sorry. It's just, that I gave you those spells for emergencies. I felt you using one and thought, that you were in danger, injured even. I was worried and got a little mad. For that I apologize. Can you forgive me, Silvy?"
Silver giggled lightly at the name, that his mate didn't use often, and let himself out of Mephiles' arms to look up to him. "Of course!," he smiled.
The dark seme looked with love at his uke. "That's good." He gently kissed his forehead. "I need to go now. Have fun with your friends." He nodded shortly at the others, before he disappeared.
"Silver? Is...everything okay?," Sonic asked carefully, not sure, if he was really not upset anymore and had forgiven Mephiles.
The silver male looked at them with an embarrassed smile. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I had totally forgotten, that it was for emergencies only. I wonder, what Mephy was doing here, at the entrance, though..."
"He probably didn't want you to appear among the semes he was with.," a new voice said out of nowhere and the friends looked around, but couldn't spot anyone – until they looked up, to see
...an angel?
It took Sonic the time of a heartbeat to realize, that it wasn't an angel, but a male winged hedgehog. Two white feathery wings, both longer than his purple furred body, sprouted out of his back, fluttering silently, while he descended down to them, in front of Silver. He wore simple brown leather sandals and fingerless black gloves. He also wore a necklace out of a string with feathers – brown ones, so hopefully not his own – tied loosely to it around his neck.
He crossed his arms, once he had landed. His wings folded themselves and got somehow pulled into his back, his quills popping out, where the wings had been before. His brown eyes looked at Silver, as if wanting to kill him with looks alone. "Silver. Where. Is. Cream!?," he hissed.
Sonic flinched, not only upon the icy tone, but also upon realizing, that the bunny girl and her chao weren't there indeed.
Silver looked around, noticing it now, too. "Oops. I guess, she wasn't close enough, she's probably still on Angel Island.," he explained sheepishly.
Well, at least she hadn't gone missing somewhere on the way. She was good in orienting and she could fly, so she would find her way back easily.
The purple hedgehog either didn't know that, or he just didn't care. "You did WHAT!? How could you be so irresponsible!? I trusted you with her! She is just a child!," he shouted at the cowering silver uke. "I-I..."
"Enough!" Sonic brought himself between Silver and the unknown hedgehog. "Leave him alone already! Cream is fine on her own – and I should know that, I know her far longer than you and Silver! She is not a helpless child, she can take care of herself!," Sonic told him strictly.
The hedgehog stared at him silently for a while, before he tsked. "Nice to know, how much the great hero cares for the young.," he finally hissed, his wings shooting out of his back again, fluttering once, creating a small gust of wind.
"Say that again!," Shadow growled, taking a step towards him, but a turquoise aura, that was suddenly around him, stopped him.
"I'm sorry, Charly, it won't happen again, I swear.," Silver apologized guiltily, while still holding Shadow in place. "I hope it.," Charly growled and lifted up, flying away.
Once he was gone, which happened pretty quickly, Shadow was released immediately – and he was just a blink later in Silver's face. "What did you think you were doing, huh!?," he snarled, while Silver backed off. "S-sorry...," he stammered. "Shadow, leave him-," Sonic started, but was unexpectedly interrupted.
Black tentacles shot out of the agent's shadow, grabbed the seme and threw him backwards, almost knocking Knuckles over, too, but he could just in time jump out of the way.
Shadow caught himself after a few meters, landing on his feet and glaring at Mephiles, who stood between him and Silver and was glaring back just as hateful.
"Leave Silver alone!," he snarled. "I should leave him alone!? What about this other hedgehog, who was harassing both of our mates!?," Shadow hissed back.
Mephiles turned to Silver. "What hedgehog? Did you cut off the connection because of that?," he asked sharply.
Silver nodded nervously. "B-but it was Charly. He was angry, because I accidentally left Cream on Angel Island.," he defended himself.
Mephiles exhaled deeply, calming down. "I know, that you pity him, but that doesn't give him ANY right to talk ill with you, Sonic or anyone else. And I trust you to call me next time, when you're needing help, before the situation escalates, okay?," he told him.
"But...you said, that you would kill everyone, who makes me cry!," Silver replied, his bottom lip trembling. "Oh, Silvy." Mephiles hugged him. "I said I could kill those, who try to hurt you – physically. And I meant semes with that, I hardly see ukes or females as a threat to your well-being. If they try to hurt you with words, though, I would fire with my own words back." "B-but you wouldn't be mean, right?," Silver asked, insecurely, muffled by his mate's chestfur.
Mephiles chuckled. He could curse worse than a sailor and invoke the feelings of dread, fear and panic in every soul with nothing but words, but Silver didn't need to know that. He would hold back anyway, he didn't want his love to be as feared by everyone as him. "Of course I won't, dear. I think, my presence will be enough for effect anyway."
Silver looked up to him and frowned, obviously not understanding this part. Well, Mephiles wasn't charming, unless it was towards Silver, so how should he know?
Mephiles looked up and to Shadow. "I apologize for my behavior.," he said calmly, startling the hedgehog a great bit – Mephiles wasn't exactly someone, from whom you expected apologies. "Er...no problem.," Shadow replied, surprised.
"What did you mean, when you said, that Silver was pitying this Charly? For what?," Sonic asked. By all means, the hedgehog hadn't looked, as if he was someone to pity.
Mephiles rubbed Silver's back for comfort, while he answered, "Silver realized through him, how lucky he is. And you should be aware of that, too.," he added, looking at Sonic, who raised a brow in confusion.
"You obviously never thought about it, but your friends could have reacted far different to the news of you being an uke. Like Charly's family did, for example. When his parents found out about their son being an uke, his father beat him up, broke his wings in several places and chased him out of the house – in the middle of a snowstorm. He almost didn't survive, it was pure luck, that he was found and brought here, before the cold finished him off."
Silver was by now silently sobbing for the purple hedgehog. "The worst part is, that he has younger siblings, that he is forbidden to see ever again. He has started to see the children living and coming here as his siblings and is naturally very protective over them. Silver knows this, that's why he puts up with his rage.," Mephiles explained.
His voice was void of any emotion, while he told the winged hedgehog's story. It was clear to Shadow, that he wouldn't care, if it weren't for Silver. Interesting, how much the young, naive thing was influencing the dark being.
Sonic just stared at Mephiles. He was wrong. He was very well aware, that it wasn't natural at all for his friends to stay loyal to him.
He could have, after Eggman's outing, returned to a less than understanding Tails, to an Amy, who would have cut off all contacts (although she could be very difficult at times, Sonic liked her like a younger sister), to a Knuckles, who saw him as nothing but a weakling, or to have the disappointed Freedom Fighters at his hands.
But no, instead, his friends had barely changed their behavior (if anything, only because he now had Shadow, which was still a little strange for everyone – he just hadn't been the relationship-type in their opinions). They hadn't thought once about leaving him.
Even when he had become difficult, thanks to Eggman and Perringten, they had tried everything to get him back to normal and only after trying everything possible and when Tails had actually gotten in mortal danger, they had finally turned to the fake uke institute for help. But only then.
Before, they had believed in him and he knew, that it wasn't possible to find the words to properly thank them. Their loyalty to him and their unconditional friendship were more, than he could ever wish for.
He knew, too, that it was usually different. Nowadays, you couldn't do as much as switch on the TV, leaf through a newspaper or magazine, or just be in a place with more than two more persons in it without the general topic sooner or later switching to ukes.
It was quite cruel, he had to say, how there were mobians and humans, who announced in less-than-serious shows or magazines, that all ukes should be terminated for being different. Some even brought up pseudo-scientific evidences for their less than logic theories, that let Tails bristle in anger, whenever he stumbled across a new article with those.
The more serious people suggested to separate male hedgehogs into ukes and semes to try and find out, what differs them and to decide then, what should be done. Thankfully, there were enough people protesting against this violation of mobian rights.
It was definitely going on his nerves by now, that he couldn't go out in public without being stormed with questions for his opinion about this matter, being an uke and so on and so on...
His opinion? Stop making a drama out of this and live on! Ukes existed, that was a fact, easy as that. He didn't know, why everyone was going crazy about it, it wasn't, as if they had suddenly popped into existence.
He wondered though, how it came, that ukes were suddenly such a sensation. Tails had tried to find out, why nobody had known about them before this radio report and the Island-incident, which had started this whole discussion in the first place, but hadn't have any success so far.
The blue hero could imagine, that all of those theories and aggressive opinions were creating distrust and fear of ukes. He had lost many fans to being an uke and wasn't surprised, that others suffered from similar, or even worse, problems.
"How did his family find out, that he is an uke? It isn't that obvious, is it?," Tails asked carefully, trying to remember the hedgehog's appearance.
"If you look close enough, you notice, that he is smaller and has a less broad back, than semes. But most people only see this, if they compare a seme and an uke directly. Charly found out, because he let his blood test here. He kept the sheet of paper with the result not well enough hidden, his parents found it."
"Why would they offer this test here?," Knuckles wondered. "Easy, unlike semes and females, ukes can't know, if they are ukes or not. If they start to get interested in another male, it would be only fair to know before, if they could become pregnant. Therefore, they offer to test this for free here. Of course, there is always the possible problem of family and friends reacting badly to the news, if you're an uke, but at least it is clear then." Mephiles shrugged.
The friends knew of course, that there was a chemical substance, that colored the blood of semes and ukes differently – this way, Eggman had outed Sonic before.
Silver had finally calmed down and straightened, separating himself from Mephiles and wiping his eyes. "Better?," the seme asked nonetheless.
Silver nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, for cutting the connection. I just didn't want you to hurt Charly.," he apologized, sheepishly.
"No need for that, you know, that I love your big heart.," the seme replied, chuckling upon the blush his words caused on his mate's cheeks. He gently took the younger one's face in his hands. "I need to go now. Will you be okay on your own?," he asked.
Silver grinned so broadly, that it actually moved Mephiles' hands on his cheeks. "Sure!" "Alright then." With a quick kiss to his uke's forehead, the dark seme disappeared once more.
Silver turned to the friends. "I'm sorry, for stopping you before.," he apologized to Shadow. "It's alright. I guess, that you had...a good reason." Shadow was still a little miffed, that Silver had stopped him this easily, but Sonic wouldn't appreciate it, if he grounded the young uke, that's why he rather forgave him right away.
"Well, welcome to my home, then...," Silver started shyly, gesturing to the gate, to that the friends turned upon his words.
Behind the iron gates, that were kept wide open by metal hooks connected with the brick wall going around the place, was a simple path out of marched down dirt, that disappeared behind a bunch of trees halfway up the hill the way climbed up.
Far behind this, behind more trees, there were some roof tops visible, belonging to one building, it seemed, that was apparently a complex out of several ones, that got connected somehow.
"This are strange rules.," Tails commented suddenly, drawing Sonic's attention to a larger sign than the one he had seen first and he asked himself, just how he had overseen it – it was large, red and had white letters after all, it was meant to be eye-catching. The rules were strange indeed, he noticed, while he read over the writing.
Dear visitors,
please follow these rules during your visit always:
Stay on the path, don't try to stray away from it (Some of the semes build traps along it).
Should you encounter an animal on the way, don't be alarmed or try to move off the path. Our security does frequent rounds and will help you in a time span of 30 minutes. Please DON'T approach predators.
Please stay away from hedgehogs, who wear:
- a red piece of clothing (bandanna, scarf, shirt, bow tie)
- a blue piece of clothing (belt, hat, jacket, pants)
Don't move in the parts of the building or the landscape, that are strictly forbidden for visitors.
Don't get close to, try to interact with or look at the collared mobians.
Thank you and have a nice day!
"What's that rule with the collared mobians?," Shadow asked, frowning deeply. Silver stared at the sign, frowning, too.
Sonic just wanted to read it to him out loud, remembering, that the younger uke couldn't read, when the silver male beat him to it. "That fifth rule is new. I don't understand it myself, but I have seen a few mobians with collars. They seem... scared, I guess. Mephy told me to just leave them be. I can become friends with them later.," Silver answered and shrugged, as clueless as them.
"You learned to read?," Sonic asked and Silver beamed. "Uhuh. Mephy taught me, and he taught Blaze, too. Here's a school and I go in it four days a week, today's my day off. I'm the best in all of my classes, by the way."
"That's great!," Sonic praised. He would have loved to clap a hand on his shoulder, as he usually did to praise someone, but his instincts still rebelled against it.
Silver blushed again, he obviously didn't handle compliments well. "E-er...l-let's go...," he just stammered and moved forward, passing the gates. The others followed him.
"Why should the semes install traps anyway?," Sonic wondered aloud, while looking around and discovering quickly the places left and right of the way, where the grass had been apparently dug out and put over a hidden trap again.
"Mephy said, that some of the semes need to do this, because of their instincts. He told me, that semes try to prove with traps or caught animals, that they could provide a family.," Silver repeated something he had learned from his mate.
"Did Mephiles ever try that?," Sonic asked, trying to imagine Shadow doing this for him. Silver giggled. "I asked Mephy, actually, if he would ever do that and he said, that it is to convince an uke or a female to accept the seme as a mate. As I already love Mephy, he would never do that. He also said, that not all semes do that...I just didn't understand, why." Silver frowned, but then shrugged again. He had his mate, other semes weren't interesting for him.
Sonic let his eyes still swipe over the darker patches of grass, before he noticed a hole, not too far away from the path they were on. Apparently a trap, that someone had stepped on.
He stopped without noticing it, when he heard small noises of strain coming out of the hole, that grew slightly louder, until a dirty glove came out of it, grabbing the edge, followed by a head with pink quills and fur.
Sonic's jaw dropped, while he watched, how no one else but Amy Rose climbed out of the hole, huffing and dirtied with dust. "Amy?," he asked, not really believing his eyes now. What was she doing here?
The hedgette's ears perked and she looked up abruptly. Her dark green eyes started to sparkle. "Sonic, you came to save me!," she cheered, jumping up and running to him, ignoring the two holes opening up under her feet on the way, just stomping over the crumbling ground, to jump at Sonic...or rather in his direction.
Feeling, that she was colliding with a warm body, Amy clung to it in a death grip. "Oh Sonic, I knew, that you would come for me!," she cooed.
The pinkette was really a phenomenon – usually, she could free herself out of everything she had gotten (herself) into, but if Sonic was close, she expected a rescue from him... to fight her way out alone, if he couldn't spare time for her. She usually turned the story of her rescue in a way, that Sonic appeared as the hero still, though.
Even now, after she had pulled herself out of the hole, she chalked it up to Sonic... however she thought he was responsible for saving her now.
Amy knew of course, that Sonic was with Shadow and, being an uke, he wasn't interested in females.
For some reason, though – and he would LOVE to hear, who had put this idea in her little head – she was convinced since a while now, that 'True love would overcome all obstacles'. And in her opinion, Shadow was the obstacle between her and Sonic, as well as him being an uke.
Thankfully, she hadn't tried anything drastic, yet, but he knew, that it was only a matter of time. She only needed a plan, or an opportunity. Whatever came first.
The fact, that he was distancing himself from Shadow, was cheering her on in her idea of Sonic being her soulmate, although he kept away from her, too.
"E-er...could you let go of me, please?," Silver asked shyly. Sonic had quickly ran a good bit away from the girl, just before she could jump on him and she had instead found Silver, clinging to him.
"Huh!?" Amy let so quickly go, that Silver almost fell to the ground. The girl looked around and discovered Sonic a few meters away from her. "Sonic!," she said in a reprimanding tone, as if scolding him for not letting her squeeze him to death.
"Amy, what are you doing here?," Tails asked. The pinkette turned to him, put her fists to her hips and raised her nose. "I'm here to help Sonic, of course.," she declared proudly.
"But how do you know of this place?," the fox wondered. "Cream told me about it." "And you came here on your own, although it could be dangerous?," Knuckles asked incredulously. Amy blushed. "Er..."
"She wanted to help Sonic, all alone. To show him, how strong she is.," Silver smiled, but cowered a little in the next second, when he felt all eyes on him. "Hey, how do you know that? Do you spy on me, or what!?," Amy asked sharply, invading the silver male's personal space so much, that their noses touched.
"If you value your life, you will back off NOW!" The cold voice let Amy jump back and she whirled around to see a rather pissed Mephiles standing behind her like a menacing shadow.
"Listen, girl – and listen good: I allow NOBODY to talk like that to my Silver. Try it once more and you will regret it. Did I make myself clear?," he snarled.
Amy nodded quickly and Mephiles moved past her, his glare softening immediately, while he approached Silver.
"It happened again, right?," he asked gently. Silver, who had shrunken into himself and his ears pressed to his skull, nodded with a whimper.
Mephiles sighed and hugged his mate. "It's alright, love. You're just a little less focused today, that's all.," he soothed. "I don't like it.," Silver mumbled in his mate's chestfur. "I know. Shall I stay with you today?"
Silver straightened, letting himself out of his arms. "But...aren't you too busy with work?," he asked.
"Oh, Silver." Mephiles gently lifted his chin a little higher. "Nothing in this whole world could be more important, than you. So, what do you say?"
The silver hedgehog blushed again, but, to everyone's surprise, he pushed his seme gently a bit back. "I-I want to try it alone."
His confident smile vanished almost immediately again. "I-is that okay?," he asked insecurely.
Mephiles chuckled and gently cradled his cheek in his palm. "Seeds don't ask, if it's okay for them to grow, they just do it – and you shouldn't feel the need to ask, too. I'm so very proud of you. Just promise me, that you'll call me, if you slip up again, okay?" Silver nodded and Mephiles, after kissing his uke's forehead, disappeared again.
The silver uke turned around to Amy. "I...I'm sorry for upsetting you – and for Mephiles upsetting you, too. I'm sure, he didn't mean it.," he explained.
"It's...okay, I guess. But seriously, how did you know, that I was going to say that?," Amy asked, now only curious.
"I dreamed of it, ages ago. Not all of my dreams, that show the future, fulfill themselves immediately, sometimes, they take longer. Usually, I recognize a situation, if I have seen it before in one of my dreams, but I don't say anything to not scare people. But sometimes, my mouth is faster than my head. Sorry about that." "I wasn't scared, though.," Amy said with a frown.
Silver smiled sadly. "People fear the future and even more they fear people, who know the future, even if it's just a little bit of it. And fear becomes rage or hatred. Mephiles taught me that.," he recited his mate.
"Well, I don't hate you. You just surprised me, that's all.," Amy explained. Silver grinned happily at her. "Okay. Come on, let's go. And please, stay on the path this time, okay? I know, that you don't trust this place, Sonic doesn't, too, but there are no traps on the path, just around it, you see?"
Amy raised a brow, apparently, Silver had guessed her reason for falling into the trap, flawlessly, but she decided not to comment on it and only nodded.
They went further, the path winding its way through several groups of trees. Birds sang between the leaves above them.
"How did Mephiles know, that you were in trouble? He did come twice now, although you didn't call him.," Shadow broke the silence, that had reigned for a few minutes. He would love to know, how Mephiles could be so easily there for Silver, while he himself failed every time – or at least, so it felt.
"I did call him...mentally, at least. Mephiles and I have a mind link. That's a mate-thing.," Silver explained.
"But...I thought that was- I...I mean, I didn't think, that something like this is possible!," Tails corrected quickly.
Of course, he meant something, that Bryan, the human, who had spoken with Tails and Knuckles, when they had for the first time visited the fake uke institution, had told him. Bryan had claimed, that uke and seme would have a mental connection, that would alert the seme, whenever the uke was in danger. Tails had figured, that it had been a lie to lure Sonic in his clutches, but now...
"It is possible, but only, if at least one of the mates has psychic powers, like me. I connected our minds." He giggled. "That felt, as if my brain was tickled. Since then, Mephiles and I can share our thoughts and feelings. If he feels, that I'm scared, he comes immediately. I can also shut the link off, if I want to, so he doesn't feel it, if my feelings get negative. I did that, when Charly came to us.," he explained.
"Is that difficult to learn? These psychic powers, I mean?," Amy asked interested and Sonic was getting a bad feeling about this.
Silver frowned in thought. "I don't think, that you can learn it. All of my psychic friends were born with their abilities, like I was, too."
"Oh." Amy's face fell. "Sorry.," Silver apologized, as if it was his fault. Amy shook her head. "Forget it. I guess, I'll just have to think of another way to get my love to love me, too."
"I'm sure, that you'll find a way.," Silver tried to cheer her up, oblivious to the fact, that Amy was meaning Sonic.
Suddenly, they heard a scream, that let them jump, coming from a forest to their left and, when they turned to it, they saw a group of five people running towards them.
It were five humans, three were having a camera in one hand and the other two notepads and it took no genius to guess, that they were journalists.
And it also wasn't difficult to see, why they were fleeing – behind them ran a giant wolf with dark gray fur.
Sonic was about to run and attack the beast, his hero-instincts kicking in effortlessly, but he suddenly couldn't move a single muscle.
A shocked second later, he noticed the turquoise aura keeping him in place. It was the first time – that he remembered –, that Silver used his powers on him. The energy was like a second, warm, but unmovable skin lying on his real one.
He turned his head a little, with some difficulty, to see Silver's hand outstretched towards him. "It's okay, she won't hurt them.," he explained, having apparently guessed, what had been on his mind.
Just then, the humans broke through the last layer of bushes separating them and the mobians, quickly turned towards the gates and raced down the path.
The wolf followed them, but, as Sonic realized now, far slower, than it could go. It was simply chasing, not hunting. It stopped shortly in front of the gates, although it could go through it easily.
Sonic, who was free again, felt his eyes widen, when the wolf turned into a tall, olive green furred hedgette in brown shorts and a green, tight fitting tank top. A giant scythe was on her back. He frowned. He knew this girl...
"Scythe!," Amy called, waving happily. The hedgette turned around and grinned. With quick steps, she came to them. "If it isn't Pinky.," she smirked, before she had arrived at their side.
Amy pouted. "Do you still have this stupid nickname for me?" "Hey, it suits you. What are you doing here anyway? Did you miss me?," the girl teased.
"Well, no, not really. I didn't even know, that you er..." Amy looked around a little helplessly. "I work and live here, in case you were wondering."
"And chasing humans is your job?," Knuckles asked with a raised brow. "Nope, chasing journalists is a hobby of mine. Those cockroaches sneak around here to try and find any evidence about ukes being pests, that need to get killed."
Her glare darkened. "It's disgusting, that's why I chase everyone away, who doesn't go the official way."
"There is an official way?," Tails asked, interested. "Of course there is. They try to change everyone's view on ukes by informing them – the truth just doesn't sell as good as some scandalous lies.," she growled, shaking her head, while everyone, except Silver, around her scowled, knowing, that it was true.
"Are you on your way to the Shelter?," Scythe changed the topic. "Yeah. Sonic needs a doctor.," Silver explained, before anyone could stop him.
Scythe's eyes slid over to the hero for a second, before she looked at Silver, smiling at him. "You're a good friend, Silver.," she just said, not adding anything. The silver male blushed. "Mind if I join you? I need to make my round anyway.," the girl continued. "Sure.," Silver agreed and they resumed walking.
"Aren't you a friend of Mighty?," Sonic asked, finally remembering her. Scythe grinned over her shoulder back at him. "Yeah, I am. Took you long enough.," she added with a smirk, but didn't dwell on it. She knew, that the blue hero hadn't been at his best, when they had met and she hadn't seen them, since Angel Island had reached dry land almost exactly two years ago.
"How are the others?," Amy asked, walking next to the taller female. "Depends, on who you are asking about. Mighty and Blush are fine.," Scythe shrugged.
"What about Shy?," Amy prodded, wondering, why Scythe was suddenly so closed inside herself. She didn't know her that good, but it seemed to be untypical for her still. "She's... let's say, she's going through rough patches, I won't say more about it."
"Why?," Amy asked. "She's my friend and it's her life, easy as that.," the girl replied coolly. The pinkette nodded in agreement, not asking further.
"By the way, Silver?," Scythe addressed the male, who walked a little behind her. "Yes?," the silver male asked, turning to her.
"Did Mephiles...ever say something to you...about Shy?," she asked slowly, as if she wasn't sure, how to ask that in the first place.
"About Shy?," the young uke repeated questioningly, frowning. "Hm...yeah, but only once. I heard, that Shy helped Sonic and I like Emma, so I wanted to be friends with her, too. When I told Mephy that, he asked me not to get close to them anymore."
"And you listened to him?," Scythe frowned. "I didn't want to at first, but then...Mephy practically begged me to listen to him. He never begged before, so I figured, that it is important. Why are you asking?," Silver asked.
"No reason, I was just curious. For a while, you and Emma were inseparable, and it seemed strange, that you suddenly avoided her – especially, since you had been like one soul the day before. It's just not like you to simply cut off contacts, so I thought, that Mephiles might have said something.," Scythe shrugged. Sonic had the feeling, that this wasn't all, but left it at that...for now. "Did he ever mention...why he didn't want you to be friends with them?," Scythe asked.
"Hm..." Silver frowned in concentration. "No, but...I sometimes...well, sometimes, I can hear Mephy's thoughts, even better than usual, because of our connection, you know? I try not to do it, but it just happens without me being able to stop it."
"So?," Scythe pried. "Well, I have the feeling, that...Mephy is afraid...of Emma." "Afraid. Of a child?," Scythe asked incredulously and Sonic couldn't help but wonder, if Silver had misunderstood something. Mephiles didn't seem like someone to develop fear at all. Silver blushed. "That's, why I rather not talk about it. I'm sure, that Mephy didn't mean that. I just don't know, what he meant."
"Hey, look, over there!," Tails said suddenly, interrupting the talk and pointing ahead of them. Shadow followed the direction he indicated to and his jaw dropped.
Several meters in front of them stood a bulky robot, painted in black, red and yellow with its back to them. On his right shoulder sat a white bat, also with her back to them.
"This is ridiculous.," they heard the bat mutter, while they came closer. "Omega, just...I don't know, move it to the side, or something like that."
"Rouge, Omega!," Shadow called and the bat whipped around, while the robot slowly turned around, all of his movements rather heavy and showing, that he hadn't been built for speed.
"Shadow? What are you doing here?," the bat asked surprised. "I could ask you the same.," Shadow growled. Didn't she get, that this place could be dangerous, despite what Silver claimed!?
Rouge seemed to guess his thoughts. She slipped gracefully off Omega's shoulder and landed in front of him. "Relax, Shadow, we just wanted to gather some information for your...problem. And it's not, as if I went here alone, Omega's here for backup.," she told her partner calmly. The bat knew, that Shadow was very protective over her, that's why he always sent Omega with her, when they had to split up. The robot could either protect her, or call Shadow to come quickly...if he had his communicator with him, that is.
Sonic and Shadow both frowned at her words. Sonic, because he asked himself, if he was really becoming a problem and Shadow, because his mate had been called that.
"Rouge, my mate is NOT, nor will he EVER be a problem!," Shadow growled. "I never said he is. But his condition is bothering you all, so I did some research myself and lately found this place. I wonder, how I oversaw that before.," Rouge added thoughtfully.
"We had some problems with the internet, until last week. The servers got fried. Repeatedly.," Scythe grumbled, rolling her eyes. She still remembered the fires. The MANY fires.
"Why?," Tails asked curiously. "Don't ask me. I hate technology, don't want to hear about it at all. You should ask someone else.," Scythe shrugged. "Now, how about we go further?," she suggested.
"Sure, if you find a way past this thing.," Rouge replied and she and Omega turned to the side to reveal, what had stopped them from going further.
A big rhinoceros was standing on the way, blocking it, while calmly chewing on a bit of grass. Its ears twitched now and then, along with its tail.
"How does a rhinoceros come here of all places?," Amy wondered. "Some of the ukes made it their job to 'free all maltreated animals', which is why they steal them from zoos, any circus they find and so on. By now, this place here looks like a zoo without cages.," Scythe explained with a shake of her head.
"Besides being illegal – isn't that dangerous? A rhinoceros, okay, but what if it's a tiger?," Sonic asked, looking the animal in front of him up and down. Hadn't Cream said, that she played with the animals here? He had actually thought about cute little bunnies and birds – not something like that.
"No worries. Our animal-heroes can talk with all kinds of beasts and tame them – and we have wonderful lawyers, who get them out of trouble every time. Besides, all animals you may encounter here are tamed and belong to this place. John bought them, to end the drama, before it could escalate. Now,"
Scythe moved forward, leaned against and put her whole weight on the animal's shoulder. "Come on, big guy, move a little for me.," she encouraged and huffing, the beast slowly moved to stay along the way, not in a right angle to it, giving the way free, even enough for Omega.
"There, all done. But never try this yourself, the animals here know our scents.," Scythe explained, while they passed the calmly chewing rhinoceros.
"You are...a very interesting person.," Rouge remarked. Scythe rolled her eyes again. "I just pushed a rhinoceros out of the way, don't pretend, as if I saved your life, or anything.," she shrugged.
"Well, considering your past, I wouldn't imagine you being nice." Shadow noticed, that Rouge was practically interrogating the green furred hedgette, but she didn't even twitch upon her words.
"Is that so?," Scythe asked uncaringly. "I read your file." "I figured that much. Commy had always had a thing for me, I would bet, that it is quite a big one.," Scythe shrugged.
"I just wonder. Towers had been quite close to arresting you countless times, yet he never got you, including the time two years ago. How did you do this?"
Scythe chuckled. "Trying to learn from an expert? I'm afraid, there's nothing I can teach you." While she spoke, she turned into an exact copy of Rouge, including the clothes. "Whenever Commy came too close to me, I always changed into someone else. Of course, I never used the same face twice. Towers never came behind that trick." Still chuckling, she turned back to her old self.
Silver giggled. "I like it, when you do that!" Scythe grinned, turning and bowing in his direction. "I'm happy to please.," she mock-played a loyal servant.
"Can you turn into objects, too? Mephy can turn into other people, too, but not into objects.," Silver asked. He hadn't have many chances to speak with Scythe so far, it seemed.
"I can, but it is very difficult." "Why?" Silver's curiosity was sparked. "Shapeshifters have an absolute control over each and every body cell they have. If we want to change our appearance, we order every single one to bend to our will. To grow, to shrink, to change texture, whatever is necessary."
"Sounds complicated.," Silver stated with wide eyes. Scythe chuckled. "It does, but it isn't. Once you have the hang of it, it's as easy as walking."
"Hm..." Silver looked down to his legs, that were moving, while he walked, trying to understand her words. "Wow. And why is it more difficult to turn into an object?," Silver asked further.
"Easy, beings are out of living cells, like I am myself, but objects aren't. It is quite a piece of work to turn all your cells into non-living ones, to arrange them, as they aren't as easily formable as cells, to hold the form and to turn back. I'm doing that for absolute emergencies only.," Scythe explained, formulating it as easy as possible.
"Are you teaching this to the others, too?," Silver asked. "I rather don't. Transforming into objects isn't completely without risks and there's always the danger, that they'll never turn back. As inexperienced, as they are, I wouldn't try it."
"Who are you talking about?," Sonic asked. "I'm teaching some ukes, who can shapeshift also. I'm having some experience and can share it, it helps them to control this ability." "That's so nice of you!," Amy beamed.
"You pretend, as if I'm a terrible monster.," Scythe replied and laughed, when the hedgette flushed and tried to stammer apologies. "Relax, I'm just kidding. I know, that I don't seem to be a very nice person, but I don't want everyone to think the opposite, just certain people."
"We're your worthy ones then, right!?," Silver asked. Scythe grinned. "Yes, exactly." Silver beamed and jumped on her in a side-hug. "That means we're friends?," he cheered.
Scythe grinned fondly down on him. "Sure, if you want to." The silver uke nodded quickly. "Alright then. Can I walk alone now?" Scythe hadn't slowed down, when the hedgehog had jumped on her and she was still walking, carrying Silver with her.
"Oh, sure. Sorry, I just like to make new friends." Blushing hotly, Silver let her go, walking next to her now. "I know that, you make almost daily at least one new friend, it's practically your reputation." The young male giggled and nodded.
Scythe smiled back and looked ahead. "Alright, we need to separate over there.," she told him, pointing to something in front of her.
