Author's note: Man, I haven't done anything on this site in SO long. I guess I'd better grind out another chapter.
Segment 3: Echidna Not
Chapter 4: Brother Trouble
(Kim)
For some reason, the blast of energy that D-Knuckles had unleashed did not seem to damage Leo in any way. In fact, it looked like Leo was being powered up or something. I have to say I was mystified for a moment.
After the blast faded, Leo turned to face me. I was beside myself with worry. "Leo! Are you okay?"
Leo's appearance was exactly as it was before, but he had an odd grin on his face now. "Couldn't be better," he told me in a voice that sounded slightly evil.
D-Knuckles chuckled a little. "I guess it's not obvious what I did, purple (I winced upon being called "purple" again), so I'll explain. I used the Black Emerald to infuse your brother with dark energy, and now he's been turned to the side of the demons."
My brother's been WHAT? I could not believe my ears. "The Black Emeralds are that powerful?" I questioned.
"Indeed they are," D-Knuckles confirmed, "but they can only do THAT if in the hands of one who knows how to handle Emerald magic, such as myself. It comes naturally with the Knuckles form, I guess."
BASH! I was suddenly tackled from behind. Leo had taken advantage of my distraction to give me a rather rude ambush. I could hear D-Knuckles laughing at my misfortune as I attempted to pry my brother off.
"Leo!" I yelped in desperation. "You don't know what you're doing! I'm your sister! You've been brainwashed, Leo; come back to me!"
It was no use. Leo only laughed. "You're wasting your time. I serve the demons now, and you can't change that with your pathetic pleas."
Well, it was worth a try.
Angry now, I used our common tail to whip Leo forward, smacking D-Knuckles in the head. Both of them were somewhat dazed by the impact, I noticed.
My mind raced quickly. When I whipped Leo like that before he'd been possessed, he wasn't dazed in the least. It seemed that he was not quite as skilled with that when he was against me than when he cooperated. There was the weak point I needed.
I braced myself against the ground and swung Leo around in a wide circle as fast as possible. When I was done, I was somewhat dizzy, but recovered quickly. Leo was even dizzier, and fainted on the ground.
Check that, he fainted right on top of D-Knuckles. I searched D-Knuckles' body, found the Black Emerald, and stored it in my purse to show to Tails later. For now, I had more important issues: getting Leo back to normal.
The "good" Knuckles was waiting by the cave entrance. "Did the expedition go well?" he asked as soon as Leo and I landed.
"I wish it were so," I explained. "My brother got infused with demonic energy or something, and now he's turned evil. He's completely hypnotized; I don't know what to do!"
Unfortunately, Leo had recovered by now. I barely had time to react before he snatched my purse and began to search it for the Black Emerald. I suspected that he was going to use it to restore the settlement.
Leo's attempt was cut short, however, because Knuckles saw what he was doing and gave him a punch in the chin. That was all it took to knock Leo unconscious, and I winced as I watched him fall. Sure, he was evil now, but he was my brother, so it was pretty discomforting.
"Bring him back to the Master Emerald shrine," Knuckles instructed. "I believe I can restore your brother with its power."
"Very well then," I agreed. "Lead the way."
Knuckles led me back to the shrine, where the Master Emerald was glowing as brilliantly as ever. I was mesmerized by its glow for a moment before Knuckles lightly nudged me to remind me what we were doing.
Snapping to my senses, I listened to Knuckles' instructions and placed the unconscious body of my brother on top of the Master Emerald. Knuckles adjusted the body slightly so that it was not hanging over the side; apparently it had to be centered.
"Okay, now hold still," Knuckles announced, and I stood motionless where I was. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Knuckles face the Master Emerald and raise his arms, as if making an offering to it.
A column of light shone up from the Master Emerald. It enveloped Leo completely, and when it faded, he did not appear to be any different, but I trusted Knuckles.
"All done," Knuckles called out. "I've sealed away the corrupted portion of his mind." I picked up my brother and threw him in a nearby river, knowing that that would rouse him fairly quickly.
I guess that might be enough for one chapter. Still…