PoC: Back yet again. And now for the disclaimer: PenFullofChaos819-
Silver: Doesn't own rights to the Iblis Trigger!
PoC: …Yes. Anyway, it's good to be-
Silver: Oh hey thank you DanceDream and KoTwz10z for convincing PoC to sign me up. He's happy about it too, right?
PoC: Ecstatic…
Silver: So what do I get to do first? Do I add commentary? Make a new OC? Offer my guesses and opinions about the plot outcome?
PoC: No, definitely not, and maybe. For now, just sit back and listen to the story.
Silver: Oh…Okay! Great to be here everybody!
PoC: Indeed…On with the story…*downs a couple of Aspirin*.
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An Emerald a Day
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Keeping a determined, yet steady pace, the fox and the hedgehog skirted around the edge of the Crystal River. Although neither had said a word since they set out, they had a good excuse. The serenity of the aptly named river, with lush green forest for a background, was enough take anyone's breath away.
"Awesome…" Sonic spoke first "If we weren't in such a rush, I'd say we should chill here for the rest of the day."
Tails couldn't help agreeing with him "Yeah, it makes a nice spot for a date too." he said in an almost nostalgic tone.
"I'll bet." Sonic clearly didn't think his next sentence through as he added "Amy would love it here." this caused the vulpine to look at the counterfeit Sonic with a confused/disgusted/shocked expression. It took a moment for the clueless hero to notice, but when he did, his face turned sour too.
"Hold the phone, I can explain!" he panicked "I was talking about my Amy." it made him shiver a bit when he said the words 'my Amy'.
The fox did his best to withhold judgment "Okay, I believe you." he tried to convince himself "Yeah, I mean, what are the odds that the otherworldly Sonic would be a cradle-robbing pedophile?" Sonic gaped at the audacious remark, made by Tails no less.
"If this guy was the younger Tails, I'd have reamed him out for saying something like that." he said mentally "This feels more like talking with the old Knuckles." he had to check his pace as Tails came to an unannounced stop.
"We're here." Tails informed. Standing to his side, Sonic got a perfect view of the shining mountain range. The last rays of sunlight gave the summit an ethereal glow. Any outsider would think these mountains were perpetually covered by snow, but this was nothing more than the rock-face's natural color; looking almost like a open geode from bottom to top.
Their sightseeing came to a halt, when a familiar beeping emitted from Tails' phone. Pulling it out swiftly he answered "What is it Ame?"
"I see you took the scenic route coming here." she referenced their delay.
"Sorry about that. So, where's the emerald from here?" he asked.
"Well from where you stand now…" Tails could hear typing on the other line "You guys need to move east. Follow the trail that leads down into the valley."
"And the emerald will be there?" Tails assumed.
"Nope. The emerald is located in a precipices' cut-away." Amethyst told him.
"Then why would we-"
"Just trust me! And make it snappy! You two are running out of daylight." she warned. Moonlit climbs were especially treacherous in the illusion-prone Ivory Mountains. The gleaming stone was known to play optic tricks at night, causing many would-be climbers to fall to their doom.
Tails apparently knew this too "Point taken." he said to her, then turned to Sonic "Let's go." giving a nod and the hedgehog followed.
Preferring chit-chat over ominous silence, Sonic worked up the nerve to say "So Tails, how long have you and Amethyst known each other?" Tails pretended to not hear, but the flick of his fox-ears told Sonic that he had "Don't want to talk about it I guess?"
"No…but why do you want to know?" Tails said more harshly than he intended. Sonic scratched his head at the defensive response. Both had to stop their talk for a second as they ascended some steep off-trail portions. To Tails' dismay, the hedgehog hadn't lost his thought.
"I don't know. I'm just making conversation. It's really weird traveling with someone without saying a word to them." the fox had to admit, he was right. Tails had been unconsciously avoiding this Sonic. The main reason being he didn't know what to talk about. Everything they said came out misunderstood, thanks to their separate backgrounds. Trying to not appear rude though, Tails decided to give him a shot (still wishing it hadn't been a personal question).
"I met her when I was twelve. I was actually testing out my inventions down by the Crystal River that day. We eventually got to talking, and sorta started meeting up there weekly. She wasn't as good with machines as I was, but she sure knew nature and science better." he shut his mouth quickly, realizing he was beginning to ramble.
"Daww…So that's why you got all sentimental back there! I was wondering where that dating comment came from." he teased the vulpine, and proceeded "Did you ever date anyone else? You know, like when you guys weren't together?"
The fox groaned. The intrusive hedgehog was making it hard to concentrate, but he still humored him "No, never. We broke up once, but I never tried to date anyone during that time. It just wouldn't have felt the same."
Sonic choked back a laugh. It relaxed him to know this Tails was an old-fashioned kind of guy. Probably did all kinds of modest things on his dates too, instead of the more modern activities Sonic was into.
Now very close to the valley, Tails decided to turn the tables, while Amethyst still hadn't contacted them "You're next. What's your relationship with Amy?" he then put in "T-The one from your world of course!" hoping to not give Sonic the wrong idea.
The hero was starting to wish he hadn't been so nosy. He knew the fox had every right to ask, but he didn't really have an answer. In situations like this, Sonic knew the simple answers were often the best "We're…good friends."
Tails wasn't about to settle for that "You're not slipping out that easily. Turnabout is fair play hedgehog."
Thinking almost as fast as his namesake, Sonic searched for a distraction "Uhh…Hey! I can see the valley! I guess it'll have to wait!" Sonic sped off even before he finished speaking. But Tails, ego-flustered from their talk, was in hot pursuit.
"I will get an answer, even if I have to string you up like the quilled-hog you are!" as soon as he was within reach, the vulpine pounced, taking down his prey almost instantly. The scuffle was a long one, but Tails somehow managed to restrain the blue hero "Now start talking." he demanded. Sonic's luck took an unusual turn for the better, as he was saved by the bell er…'beep' rather.
"Heh-heh…Looks like your girl is calling, Tails." he taunted, practically daring him to ignore it. Tails kept his common sense as he picked up the beeping menace.
"What is it?" he said, unsuccessful in hiding his annoyance.
"Someone's not in a good mood I see." Amethyst replied with a slight edge. "Never mind, can you turn to your left? Do you see a small opening, almost like an alcove?" she asked.
"I see lots of openings Ame, be more specific." he was getting grouchy over the now-darkened trail around them. The loss of light made everything more difficult.
"No need to be snippy with me, Tails. It's right next to the second highest peak." she attempted to clarify.
"I see it! It's like an oval with a big chunk of rock sticking out, right?" Sonic pointed so Tails could catch what he saw "Pretty obvious if you ask me." Tails rolled his eyes in disregard, but was irritated when Amethyst chimed in.
"Yeah I thought so too. See Tails, Sonic likes my directions." she said playfully.
Tails' eyes narrowed almost immediately. Illogical as it was (considering he felt threatened by his best buddy's other self of all things); her words sprouted a feeling of insecurity inside him. Likely unaware that he was being baited, Tails said "Then let's get a move on, we're wasting our time." with a low growl, leaving Sonic stupefied and Amethyst mildly amused.
"Sheesh." Sonic said to the vixen "Temperamental much?" he could hear stifled laughter on the other end.
"Yup, ever since he was fourteen. Though mobian, he is a male fox, Sonic." she reminded "And like it or not, they get very territorial when they grow up." the cobalt hero kept that in mind, just in case he ever had to deal with his Tails like this.
Sonic sped down the rocky valley until it curved upwards. From there, it was only a matter of grabbing and swinging himself around a few of the larger chunks of stone to gain altitude. Normally, he would've run straight up the side; however he knew from experience (in his own world) that there was no way to get traction on the sleek white stone. He barely saw Tails in his peripheral vision hovering around, possibly searching for a place to land. This was likely the case, as Sonic himself was having similar problems. The higher he got, the more slippery the surface became, not mention the lack of footholds. Finally, he caught sight of a relatively sturdy area to scope the place out.
Unknown to him, Tails had chosen the same exact place to land.
Having lost sight of each other, the two had set themselves on a collision course.
Tails was the first to get a call from Amethyst "Tails stop! You and Sonic are-" however, the rushing wind didn't allow her faint voice to reach him.
Terribly worried now, she tried Sonic instead "Sonic! Stop where you are, or change directions!"
"No can do! I need to get somewhere stable first." he grunted, still swinging his way towards the rock. Only precious seconds remained now.
"Sonic please listen to me! You and Tails are going to-"
"Are going to what?" he had turned his head away mid-jump. Had he not, he would've seen the yellow-blur of twin-tail propellers dead ahead.
"SONIC LOOK OUT!" the vixen shouted, but by the time the blue-hog looked back…
…it was too late.
The two crashed into each other. Tails bore the brunt of this, since Sonic just happened to be leaping feet first, which, unintentionally, battered the fox mid-flight. The hedgehog did stumble backwards, but managed to clamp down on the rock-side hard enough to avoid falling. Tails had not been so lucky, as the unintentional kick had sent him right into the mountain, leaving him too dazed to fly. Sonic hoisted himself up fast enough to witness his buddy tumble down a jagged path, and disappear into the chasm below.
"TAILS!" he screamed in horror, while bravely jumping after his friend.
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*Amethyst's apartment*
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Shivering in fear, Amethyst was typing faster than she ever had before "Oh please let this work!" she begged as she pulled up a small screen asking her if she wanted to proceed. Forcing her hand to stop shaking, she clicked the button.
"Activate! Please activate!"
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*With Sonic*
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"Hold on bud! I'm coming for you!" he couldn't care less about safety now. Sonic was too set on trying to reach the ground before Tails did. He pushed his speed to the very max, but lost much of it due to the poor traction. Knowing he'd never make it in time like this, Sonic decided to chew his way through the excess mountain with a spin-dash instead. Whirling with kinetic energy, he carved his way into the sharp stone.
"Grr…this stuff is really tough on the skin." he said. The wrap he'd been wearing for his previous wounds was now completely torn to ribbons. Reopened scars were the least of his concerns right now. He knew he didn't have a single second to spare.
"Yes! I made it!" he could see Tails clinging weakly to a crumbling ledge. Sonic immediately worked his way up to him "Give just me a few seconds and I-Oh hell!" he saw the fox let go, and was now back to falling. The hedgehog was sweating bullets, for he knew his accelerated pace was in vain. Tails was descending too fast…
"No no no no no!" he launched himself, even knowing how hopeless it was.
…
However, Tails' decent was stopped abruptly by a strange green-mesh that had somehow materialized out of thin air. Unnerved, but thankful, the hero stared in awe at the impossible sight "Where…did that come from?" he had to wonder.
Amethyst meanwhile was frantically trying to contact the injured vulpine "Tails are you okay? Please respond!" she was hoping, as she could still detect his vitals.
"Ugh…" Tails mumbled at last. Lifting his head up, he stared quizzically at the green net "What? How did I get here?" he then heard his name called from two directions. Grabbing his phone, he craned his neck over to find the other source "Ame you there?"
"Thank goodness you're safe…" she sounded out of breath as she answered "I tried to warn you, but I guess you couldn't hear me…I'm sorry."
"When did you…" he tried to recall the events before his fall "Sonic he…No, I'm sure it was an accident." checking beneath him, he saw the mysterious green net again "That's strange. I how did I activate my T-Catcher…?"
"That's easy! I had it-"
"I guess I got lucky." Tails said, ignoring the vixen entirely.
"Lucky? No Tails, listen I-"
"Hold on Ame, I think I see Sonic." the fox interrupted for the second time "Yeah I see him. Listen, I'll call you later. Oh, and sorry for scaring you back there."
"But Tails! I…a-aren't you going to…" the vixen seemed hurt and offended.
"Hmm? Am I going to what?" Tails was at a total lack of understanding. He couldn't deduce why she would be disappointed now of all times. Wasn't she still angry about his fall? Then why the sad, dejected tone? Shouldn't she be mad or relieved?
Letting out something between a gasp and a huff Amethyst said "It doesn't matter…just go find the emerald…" it was more of a dismissal than a reminder.
Failing to catch his immense blunder Tails only said "Okay…? I'll talk to you…soon?" but the line had been severed before he could complete his sentence "What did I do this time?" he thought as he hovered over to Sonic. The hedgehog was too ashamed to look him in the eye.
"Tails…Dude I am so sorry…" the hero apologized "I nearly got you killed…" his depression was genuine enough that Tails felt he could release his suspicion…for now.
"I'm…sorry too. If I hadn't stomped off earlier, the whole thing could've been avoided." Tails said rubbing his own sore neck "That drop was definitely nasty. Good thing my tails are okay, I take some pride in these things you know." Sonic chuckled. He was glad his botched jump hadn't opened a rift between them. Pulling some pieces of stone out of his ear, Sonic scanned the precipice.
"We fell a long ways down. Any suggestions?" he didn't like the thought of climbing all the way up from scratch. Tails on the other hand, was flying right above Sonic's head "Uhh…Tails?"
"Believe it or not," the fox began "We were right in front of the emerald before we fell." Sonic's quills flared in shock.
"You mean…we were right where we needed to be?" he saw the vulpine nod "How do you know?" Tails reached in his pack and produced the device for finding the emeralds.
"You didn't forget, did you?" Sonic's sagging head and shoulders was an immediate give-away "I see…Well no matter, grab on." Tails reached out both his arms for the hedgehog "I don't really want to hold your hand either, but it's the fastest way."
Instinctually, Sonic saw no issue, so he did it. Not surprisingly, the two gained altitude with impressive speed, on the account of this Tails being much older and stronger that his. However, the hand-to-hand contact with this Tails disturbed him enough that he wished the flight was over soon.
Landing was a little rough, but the pair did find themselves back where they were. Producing the scanner, Tails got to work. Sonic was about to get his out, when something caused his ear to twitch. Shrugging it off once would've been fine, but the 'noise' returned again. Unable to ignore it, Sonic turned to the vulpine for answers.
"Tails, did you say something?" he asked the fox. Tails tilted his head at Sonic and blinked.
"No…why?" he saw the hedgehog twisting his neck in multiple directions. Leaning his ear near the back of the cave-like recess, the hero picked up more of whatever it was.
"I don't know…Maybe I'm crazy but it sounds like it's coming from right…" he reached his hand inside a small crack. His gloved fingers felt something tingle within the dry earth. As his fingertips touched it, a small pulse of strength coursed through his body. In one clean motion, Sonic withdrew his hand, now holding an object with a red incandescent glow.
"Here" he held up the red Chaos Emerald, looking almost as shocked as Tails was.
"How did you…?" Tails asked, but changed the subject "Forget it, all that matters is that we have it." walking outside, he activated his phone "Ame! We found the emerald!" but no response came "Ame? Come in!" switching over to another line didn't help either "Sonic, see if you can reach her."
"Already tried." he said with a head shake "She's not picking up."
"That's odd…She might be busy making the fakes emeralds right now, but…" something told him that wasn't true, but he was willing to believe it for now "Anyway, it's getting pretty late. We'd better head back."
"Yeah good call." Sonic agreed. Something about that noise he heard bothered him. Sure it had helped him find the gem, but why was he the only one who heard it?
"I didn't imagine it…so what the heck was that?"
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End of Chapter Thirteen
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Gah! Passed my first wave of tests (came out pretty well too). Thanks to all my supporters, I'm still able to update on time too. I contemplated breaking this chapter into two parts, but time didn't allow for it. My overall average length per chapter is growing. I need to watch that :/
DanceDream: Unless part of the plot, Sonic and Tails should always be together (bros for life). I'm glad you liked the bit of 'realism' I added in. I know I'd be suspicious if was in Tails' position. As yes Maasawd. What indeed is he doing? Maybe he just has a soft side for prisoners, but you can't be too sure with me on the job XD. P.S. It's great to have you reading two of my stories :D. By the way, I can't find your account or stories anywhere : (. It would be nice to read them if I could.
Ghostkid33: Thank you. That scene was in the grinder for pretty much the whole week, but it was worth it. The suspense was actually a late-addition, but you know "better late than never". P.S. Sonic wouldn't be saying that if he saw his Amy's hammer I bet! : )
Serenity: Wonderful. I hope both stories impress you then. Yeah let's be honest: Guys begin to feel unmanly when they breakdown in front of their best friend and girlfriend…more than once. Then again, I may be speaking only for myself (not that I'm confessing or anything XD).
Infamousplot: I think I pm'ed most of what I had to say already! But I will add that I'm glad to have another experienced writer following my work. Long as it may be, this chapter is more fleshed out than before. Maybe not up to standard, but it will have to do for now XD. P.S. I try to respond to most people; on any of my accounts (lot of work, but it's polite). Besides, you had many solid questions that were worth answering.
KoTwz10z: Excellent. Good to know I chose a day people can manage with (and look forward to : ) ). Yeah Amethyst is one of those nice girls, whose sanity you must question from time to time XD. P.S. Mind if call you by your nickname? We both have rather long pen-titles.
jakeroo123: An improvement is an improvement. I still feel I rushed last chapter, but not as badly as the one prior. Tails' age is irregular in this story (meaning offers no correlation to his other self). I believe I mentioned it in one of the previous chapters. P.S. Amethyst? Creepy? I'll take that as a compliment (just kidding, she did sound a little odd)!
Kindra Mckleen: Splitting those two up would've likely smashed Sonic's fuzzy spirit (not really, but he needs a little hope to live on). Anyway, Sonic and Tails are my personal favorite brotherly team (of any game, movie, etc.)
Until next time.