With Rouge and Shadow. (Shadow's POV)
I held in a laugh with a great amount of difficulty. Sonic's face had been priceless! And I began to wonder if that's what I looked like whenever he used one of his annoying nicknames with me.
"So where to next?" Rouge asked, snapping my mind back to the mission. I looked around at the dim scenery. I honestly didn't think very much about where I was teleporting to, but from the looks of it, we seemed to be in an abandoned castle. I closed my eyes and tried to feel where the next heart would be. After a few seconds, I found it, which meant it was closer than I thought.
"Down," I replied and started following the hallway. A moment later, I could hear her sharp heels clicking behind me.
"So," she began, and I groaned. I guess it was stupid of me to think the silence would last forever, "Why'd you call Blue 'Pipsqueak'? I was sure you were going to call him 'Faker' or something."
I felt my ear flicked as I answered, "Well, Faker was getting over-used, in my opinion, so I chose something a little more fun."
She rose an eyebrow at this, and I worried she might have caught on that I wasn't telling the entire truth. "Uh, huh, sure. Whatever you say, handsome. This place certainly is spooky, isn't it?"
I shrugged, but she had a point. The place was covered in dust and cobwebs, and there weren't many windows to let in any sunlight. Still, it wasn't something I had listed under "spooky," more like..."dirty." I have to admit I can be a bit of a neat freak when the fit is upon me, hence why the Tortuga had remained almost spotless since our arrival. Growing up on a constantly sterilized space colony does that to a hedgehog.
We descended down several flights of stairs that was covered with a tattered red carpet. Why could, just once, the Continent Heart be above ground? A small voice reached my ear, and I knew it wasn't Rouge. However, her voice wasn't far behind.
"EEEK! It's a mouse! Do something before it bites me!" she shrieked, her voice even doing that echolocation thing she could do, which was deafening to my highly sensitive ears.
SQUEAK! Giants! the mouse screamed, and I almost forgot about my new gift, They're going to step on me!
"Rouge, calm down. He's just as scared as you are," I said slowly and knelt to get a better view. A small brown mouse crawled out of the shadows of the wall and cautiously scurried closer to my outstretched hand.
"Shadow! What are you doing?" Rouge whisper-shouted, "That thing is riddled with diseases."
He gently crawled into my hand and sniffed my gloved palm as I stood. I smirked and brought him closer to her.
"Awe, this little guy? He couldn't hurt you," I said as I brought him closer and closer.
"Ew! Shadow, get it away from me! Get it--get it away!" she squealed. I only obeyed when she started trying to swat him away. He grinned as he stuck his tiny pink tongue out at her.
"Is she being rude to you?"
He nodded emphatically, and I gave Rouge a playful look, "See, Rouge? You might have just hurt his feelings," I moaned, and the mouse giggled.
She hmphed and crossed her arms, "You're just as bad as Sonic, except you're messing with me with a live rat and not a rubber one."
"Mouse, not rat," I corrected. Wait a second, just how fast am I becoming like Sonic?! A terrified shiver ran up my tail at the thought.
"Whatever! Just let it go already!"
"She has a fear of mice," I whispered to him, "Don't take it personally."
It's okay! What are you doing here? And how can you understand me?
"It's a long story. I'm here looking for a World Heart. It's a large jewel. Have you seen it?"
Is it very shiny?! he asked excitedly, and I nodded, Then yes I've seen it! It's a few more stairs down. I can lead you there! If the crazy, scary lady will let me.
"Oh, don't worry about her. She'll get over it."
"What are you even talking about? What are doing?" she demanded.
"Asking for directions. This little guy knows the way to the World Heart, and he's gonna take us there," I answered, and I swore her eyes grew twice their normal size.
"You mean you can understand that thing!?"
"Mouse, not thing. And yes. It was a new skill I acquired after connecting with the first heart in Asia. And he's going to lead us to the next one. Wait! I don't even know your name."
I'm Souris! What's yours?
"I'm Shadow, and she's Rouge," I answered and jabbed my thumb her direction, "All right, Souris, lead the way."
"I can't believe you asked a mouse for directions and actually listened to him," Rouge groaned.
"It will save us time, instead of having to hunt for it, ourselves" I tried to reason, but I knew she was still petrified of the little furball in my hand. Souris quickly climbed up on my arm and sat on my shoulder before directing us to our target.
Meanwhile, with Sonic and co. (Sonic's POV)
"Just who does he think he is, using a nickname like that? I didn't even call him anything half as bad as that!" I growled in embarrassment and annoyance, "Stuck up, striped, moron. I'll bet him and Rouge are just laughing it up wherever they ran off to," I ended my mini-rant with a "hmph" and crossed my arms, waiting for the others to hurry up so we could get the next Chaos Emerald. Amy looked up at me worriedly.
"Uh, Sonic, not to worry you or anything, but you sounded just like Shadow."
"Yeah! You're even standing like him!" Knuckles chimed in. I gasped and quickly stood like I normally did. Sweet chaos! Am I turning into my older brother already? Gah! I hope I don't start growing stripes or get red eyes or turn into a dark brooding loner! Although the chest fur would be nice...
"Oh! Uh, I guess we've just been cooped up in the Tortuga for too long, hehe," I laughed nervously, trying to pass it off, but they didn't seem convinced.
"You know can always talk to us about anything, righr, bro?" Tails reassured me. But hearing the name "bro" had a different ring to it than it used to. It doesn't matter! Tails will always be my little brother, and someday he'll be Shads little bro too. I sighed. This was way too much thinking for one second.
"I know, little buddy. Now let's go find that third Chaos Emerald before Shadow and Rouge get back!"
"Mr. Sonic? Is it okay if I stay with Mr. Jimmy on the Tortuga?" Cream asked while hugging Cheese. Good night! That kid was adorable. I knelt down to her level and rubbed the fur between her ears.
"Sure thing, Cream. Just call us if you're in any trouble, and I'll be back before you can say 'chilidog," I replied. She laughed and hugged my waist before skipping back into the ship. I grinned at Tails, who returned my gaze with a confused look.
"Y'know, Tails, she's pretty cute for a guy like you."
"Ew, no! Girls are weird!" he denied. I laughed. He was still too young for relationships anyway, in my opinion.
"I second that," Knuckles coughed. There was snap, and Amy's Piko Piko Hammer appeared in her hands. She gave him a threatening but deceptively sweet smile.
"What was that?" she asked, and even I went pale. I had felt the hard end of that hammer more times than I cared to remember.
"Uh, nothing! Nothing at all!" he chuckled nervously. He only began breathing again when she put the weapon of destruction away to only she knows where.
"That's what I thought."
The poor Wild Kratts had only watched and taken fearful notes, probably wondering how powerful Amy's little toy was, and I decided to get us back on track.
"All right, everybody, listen up! We're gonna be splitting up into three teams to cover more ground. Me, Tails, and Koki will be Team 1. Martin, Amy, and Aviva will be Team 2. Knuckles and Chris will be Team 3. Knuckles, Martin, and I will be the lead Chaos Trackers. We meet back here as soon as the emerald is found. Now Shadow said the heart is about 30 miles from here, so there's a 200 mile radius around that point. That's a lot of ground to cover before it gets dark, so move as fast as you can and with a sharp eye. Try to avoid populated areas, if possible. Any questions?"
They shook their heads, and we parted ways. My team and I started moving in the opposite direction of the other two and away from the center point Shadow was probably already at. I would search ahead while Koki and Tails would sweep behind me. Koki rode her bike, while Tails flew in his own way past cool way. I tried feeling my connection to the Chaos Emerald, but it was a lot weaker than Knuckles' or Shadow's. The yellow jewel in my quills did help though. Somehow, I knew we were going in the right direction, and chances were that the other teams would probably start following us once they realized it. I suddenly stopped as the emerald in my quills pulsed strongly.
"Guys, I think it's over here somewhere!"
Back in the castle (Shadow's POV)
And that's the last of the stairs, Souris said ten flights and a year's amount of Rouge's complaints later.
I don't know how, but the torches were still lit in their hooks on the wall, not that we needed them. Rouge and I both had night vision, along with her keen sense of echolocation. We never uses that skill though, as its noise, along with its mixed up signals it would try to divert to me, never helped much when I was around. I felt a sudden, growing pain in my chest as we drew closer to the chamber, and I had to take a minute and lean against the grimy stone wall to catch my breath. We had to hurry. Time was against us on this continent.
"Hon, are you okay?" Rouge asked and placed a light hand on my shoulder. Her teal eyes were filled with concern I had never seen before, but I brushed it off quickly. I could even feel Souris's chocolate eyes staring up at my face.
"Yeah..hnngh, I'm fine," I responded and pushed myself off the wall. I seriously doubt she believed a word I was saying, which was understandable. I was lying through my teeth, not just to her, but to myself as well.
What's the matter with you? Souris asked. I pushed myself to keep walking, even though my feet felt like they had turned into cinder blocks, and my face had set into a deepening glare.
"It's nothing. I just need to find that jewel."
A few more agonizingly slow minutes later, we reached a set of double doors. I sucked in a sharp breath and pushed them up. But instead of the chamber, it was just a small room with a single, full-length mirror as the only thing inside. Rouge stepped up to it brushed off a layer of dust.
"Huh, there's an inscription on the frame," she mused, "ONLY ONE CAN ENTER. Wonder what that means," she said as she checked out her profile in the glass. I strode up to it and watched in surprise. Where my chest was, two pulsing lights flickered in a heartbeat pattern. One was green, while the other was yellow. It clicked, and I gently set Souris on the floor.
"Only the one who bears the hearts can enter. The mirror is a door," I said and touched the glass. I was shocked when my fingers passed through.
I half-walked, half-stumbled through the veil and into the richly decorated chamber. It was a round throne room with lavish white curtains flowing in the afternoon breeze. Sunlight filtered in through the large glass panes, and I wondered if I had induced a Chaos Control by accident. In the center of the room was a large, ornate throne, and behind it stood the blue World Heart. However, my attention was drawn to person sitting on the throne. She was an old woman with pale, wrinkled skin and long gray hair. She was clothed in a long, pale blue dress and clutched a silver scepter. She looked at me and smiled, and for a split second I though I was staring Death in the face.
"You passed the first test," she croaked and pointed her scepter at my chest. I looked down to see that the two lights were still shining through me, something that unnerved me to no end. "But who are you exactly?"
I rose an eyebrow at this. Lakit and Malkia knew exactly who I was, so shouldn't she? Perhaps her age and dying portion of the world had taken its toll on her memory.
"I am Shadow the Hedgehog, one of the Twin Sons of Chaos. I was sent by Lakit and Malkia to retrieve the Seven Hearts and restore the Earth."
She laughed weakly at this, "Of course they did. Dear, sweet, little Lakit. She was the youngest of us all and was forced to bare the greatest burden. Perhaps it is for the best that she had already past... I am Eleanor. Tell me, young, little hedgehog, how long have you been the Bearer?"
I restrained a frown at the name but kept a respectful tone, "Three weeks."
She hummed at this and traced her bony fingers across the rounded top of her staff. A tremor shook the ground, breaking it away in small chunks, and another wave of pain knocked me to the ground. I panted for air, but it was a difficult task. Eleanor only watched and observed, from what I could tell through my dizzying vision. Europe was dying. It needed a stronger vessel, and I had been chosen for that role. So why hadn't I been given the heart?
"Eleanor, please. The Earth is dying. You must give me the World Heart in order to save it!" he stated loud enough for her to hear. Another earthquake rumbled, destroying more of the throne room and bringing on a fresh strike into my heart. I looked up at her and nearly snarled. She was just absently staring at her staff.
"Why?" she asked, "It is the manner of all things to come to an end. Why is this any different?"
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" I gasped, "This is the world we're talking about! Not one life or a flower, and entire planet with millions of living things that deserve the chance to live! It's not your choice to change that!"
"Perhaps," she mused, "but I would like to see you try to stop me."
I glared at her and pushed myself to my feet. It took me a second to find my balance, and everything I saw was turning double, but I clenched my fist and called on the power of the Chaos Emerald lodged in my quills. New strength and resolve ignited and I marched towards the throne. All I had to do was touch the large blue crystal and I would have completed my mission.
Eleanor stiffly rose to her own feet, leaning on her staff for support. This shouldn't take too long, I thought and fired up my hoverskates. I made a beeline for the gem in a red flash, but just as I was about to touch it, I felt her cold, icy hand touch my chest. I instantly fell backwards a few feet and began to shiver uncontrollably. I could see my breath like a puff of smoke. But why was it so cold all of the sudden? I hugged my arms and tried to generate what little warmth I could, but nothing helped.
"W-what d-di-did y-you do?" I demanded through chattering teeth. She cackled at my struggle.
"That was my Frozen Touch. You shall be nothing but a statue of ice before you can reach my heart."
I looked down and noticed that the tips of my skates were already turning pale blue. I pushed myself up and tried to run, but every muscle and bone in my body stiffened and ached from the cold. A sharp pinch on the ends of my quills told me that they were becoming frozen too. I had to hurry before I lost feeling in my legs. I fired up my skates once again, but that only had a short term affect. I could feel the ice crawling down my spines slowly and inching up my legs. Come on. Keep going, I thought to myself. I suddenly tripped when my legs froze at the knee. I forced myself back up and risked a glance down. My shins and feet were a solid, clear blue. I managed to take two more steps closer before my feet became glued to the floor. With the less movement I was able to make, the ice spread more quickly, and I felt it crawl past my waist and tail. My breathing constricted with the cold air, making it hard to think straight.
"J-just a l-l-little b-b-bit m-more," I shivered and reached out my arm. I knew I was within reach, I just had to stretch. The venomous ice trickled down and sealed over my right eye with a glossy, transparent film that distorted my vision, and I felt it cover the entire right half of my face. It was now up to my chest, making every little breath feel excruciating, and raced to reach my arms before I could touch my only hope of making it out of here alive. It barely scraped my inhibitor rings when I felt my fingertip graze the surface of the heart.
With Sonic and others (Sonic's POV)
"Shads hasn't called in a while, do you think he's okay?" I asked as we searched for the hidden emerald.
"I'm sure he's okay. Why wouldn't he be?" Tails stated, and I bit my lip. I didn't mention how his first reaction with a World Heart had gone.
"Well, and this stays between you and me, when he first found a World Heart, things didn't go too well."
"What do you mean?"
"He was really out of it when we found him. The first heart was on a temple that looked like the one made for the Master Emerald, and we had to help him walk down the stairs. He also fell asleep as soon as we got back to the Tortuga. What you saw a little while ago was only a sample of it."
He whistled at that, and I didn't blame him. Shadow willingly received help from absolutely no one, and I could almost see the gears working in my little bro's head.
"I found it!" Koki yelled and waved us over as she dug it out of a tree stump. I could see from where I was standing that it was the light blue one. How is it that the most powerful jewels in the universe are always hiding in the easiest to find spots? She pulled it out and handed it out to me. But as I took it, my vision flashed with voices and images.
Only one can enter...
I am Shadow, one of the Twin Sons of Chaos.
It is the manner of all things to come to an end.
It's not your choice to change that!
You shall be nothing but a statue of ice before you can reach my heart.
J-just a l-l-little b-b-bit m-more...
"Sonic! Sonic! Wake up!" a familiar voice pleaded. I groaned and sat up while rubbing my eyes. I couldn't even remember blacking out.
"Sonic, what happened? As soon as you touched it, you collapsed," Tails explained.
"I'm not sure. It just--" I gasped. I just saw what Shadow was going through. He was in trouble, but I had no idea on how to find him. I tried my creature pod, and then slapped the ground.
"No signal!" I growled. It took both of my friends to hold me down.
"Hang on. We already called the others. They should be here any minute," Koki said calmly, "Now why don't you tell us what happened?"
"It's Shadow. He's is trouble, but I can't find out where he is!"
A chorus of other voices came closer as the other two teams joined us. Tails hoisted me to my feet, and I retold what I saw.
"Let's get back to the Tortuga. Hopefully we can use the main computer to find him," Chris suggested, and we all agreed. Aviva brushed the top of my quills gently.
"We'll find him. I promise."
My ears still drooped, but I managed to give her a smile. Amy hugged my arm and told me something along the same lines, but I wasn't sure. I had begun to zone out of everything until we reached the ship an hour later.
Aviva and Tails immediately set to work, while the rest of us could only sit and wait. Of course, I wasn't very good at that, so I climbed out on to the roof to enjoy the breeze. My peace was short-lived however, as I felt a metal claw secure around my middle. Nothing I did made a difference, and I was soon being reeled back inside the black jet hovering above me.
"Hey! Let me go!" I shouted, only to get a high, screechy laugh as a reply. "Let me go!"
"Sonic!" Tails yelled from the rooftop, but that was all I could see before the door to the jet slammed shut, and I was trapper inside a small metal cage barely big enough to hold me on my hands and knees.
With Shadow (Shadow's POV)
Heat and light coursed through me intensely. I felt the ice melt off, restoring me, and I soaked in a deep warm breath. The pain of connecting to the heart was dimmed by my overwhelming relief. When it was finished, I looked over at Eleanor, who was smiling softly.
"You have passed the test, Shadow. Farewell..," she said and lifted her hand before she disappeared and the World Heart dimmed. Then there was a sudden flash of blue light.
"What happened?" Rouge asked, as she and I both woke up. We were inside the Tortuga, and everyone was quick to greet us, though they still seemed panicked for some reason. But there was someone I was looking for.
"Where's Sonic?"
"He was kidnapped by Zac Varmitech!" Martin exclaimed. It felt like everything around me had suddenly decided to slow down.
"WHAT!?"