-Once again...a big delay! I've been fighting a bit of the ol' Writer's Block, but I think I'm beginning to carve my way out! Please, leave a review if possible! I want to know how you feel about this story.-

Chapter 14

As the bonfire simmered down to mere embers, the intensity of dance and mirth gave way to the calm of rest under a star-filled sky. Sonic sidled in close to Sally, who almost fell into his arms from a mixture of exhaustion and the effects of the cocktail earlier. Crono pulled Marle up to the tail of the Epoch to get a better vantage point for the night display. Numerous other scenes played out around Knothole as the celebrations continued on.

However, the android lynx had drifted away from the group, as a curious pain pounded in her head. Nicole's vision blurred as she attempted to focus on the source of her predicament. Over-stimulation? The smoke from the campfire? Or perhaps...

She felt a hand grasp her shoulder as she turned quickly to see her chipmunk friend with flushed cheeks and a hazy disposition. "Come on...Nicole. Let's go see the stars..." Slurred speech gave away her present condition which caused the AI lynx to become somewhat concerned. She had little time to reflect on the events of the party as a torrent of intrusive thoughts began to overwhelm her! The world around her pitched and twisted as a horrendous screech reverberated in her head. A distorted voice gave cadence to stream of consciousness that ran on repeat, falling to her knees as a scream erupted out of her!

"Theconvergancehasbegun-lavoswillawaken-hurrythereisnotime-thereis...!"

–

"Nicole...!" Sally stared in horror as her friend convulsed heavily in her arms, the lynx's eyes flashing intensely between green and white! She tried in vain to steady her form as the rest of the party and some civilians rushed to see the scene unfold. Ayla and Bunnie were able to grip her arms, while Sally held on to her torso as much as possible. Before the rest could come closer, Nicole went limp in her arms as her optical sensors stabilized to a dull pulsing red.

"W-what's going on!?" The chipmunk cried as the stress kicked her out of her previous stupor, and she began to gesture outwards toward the crowd to vacate the premises.

"You heard the lady! We'll take it from here!" Bunnie yelled, as the coyote guard and amphibian knight came up beside her. Their combined efforts cleared the field as Robo was next to come forward, kneeling down beside the fallen AI.

"Allow me to take it from here, Miss Sally. I owe her that much." The young leader nodded gently as she laid the body of her friend on the ground, choking back tears. Sonic rushed up to comfort her silently, without a quip to spare. Lucca joined the automaton, taking out a series of wires out of her satchel, plugging them in back around her neck. "Fine work Lucca, let's begin the diagnostic..."

–

"Crono, there's something funny about the sky... Look!" Marle pointed upward as they saw the stars shift for a mere instant. Some had blended together while others disappeared entirely. Clouds began to gather around as lightning pulsed through the darkening sky. Turning to the crowd, the Guardian princess shouted, "Quick, let's head inside!"

Robo nodded to the inventor beside him as he heaved the limp body of Nicole onto his shoulders. The three that had escorted the Knothole residents back to their homes reunited with the group as they piled into Sally's hut. Laying her down on the enormous burgundy covers of the chipmunk's bed, Lucca took off her helmet and ran her fingers through exposed purple hair. Antoine was already quick at work preparing tea for the exhausted group.

"Looks like we might be pulling an all-nighter again... Reminds me of when we put ol' Robo back together." Crono nodded with a look of concern as he helped clear the table of the mess of papers that now clogged Sally's desk. Frog lit a nearby lantern and set it on the nearby nightstand.

Numerous twitches from Nicole's frame were the only signs of life from the AI as the chipmunk brought over a familiar gray device from earlier. Waving Lucca aside, she plugged in the interface near the body's heart, and as it went fully prone at last, the screen flickered to life with the same red color from before.

"There, that should put less stress on her processes for now.", she stated as she wiped tears from her eyes, "Now all we can do is wait..." Turning to the robot who redirected the wires to the small handheld she pleaded, "Please have good news for us in the morning... I don't what I would do if..."

Marle rushed up and embraced Sally in a tight hug, who immediately returned the gesture giving way to heavy sobs. "It's all right... Breathe. We'll get through this."

–

"Teas ready, tes amies..." Antoine stated as he brought in a prepared teapot, balancing several glasses on the tray it sat upon. All this time, Ayla was sitting hunched in a corner, scratching at her head. She was the first to be offered a drink, which she accepted with a cautious sniff of its contents. Her gaze had never left the bed as a pang of guilt came over the prehistoric lady.

"Ayla sorry for breaking your stuff." The coyote was unprepared for the terse apology and nearly dropped his load. Her hand jutted out to catch the shifting plate and steadied it without much effort. Smiling a toothy grin, she took out her own "glass", a wide wooden bowl carved from some ancient tree. Pouring a small amount into it, she returned the teapot to the tray and patted the young man on the back. "Go. Show kindness to the rest of guests. Ayla stay right here..."

Turning toward the prone body once more, she sighed and pounded her fists together. "Make you walk again. To see your friends smile again. Ayla make it happen!"

–

"Did you see that Snively...!?" Robotnik shouted from the widened back seat, as they steered the cloned ship around the massive flying fortress that commandeered the skies. He saw it out of the corner of his eye as its hull flashed in a prismatic field of colors for just an instant. Its form wavered, phasing in and out of existence like a figure out of a dream. Their time in this mysterious realm had the same delirious effect on the tyrant, who struggled to make sense of their new reality.

"I saw it sir...! Not sure what to make of it, though." The small balding man nervously stated as he punched in new coordinates into the ships computer, allowing the autopilot to take over.

"Snively, check the nav computer for the current time. I wonder if it's time for...lunch." Hearing a bit of grumbling from the front of the craft, he brought his massive frame forward towards the pilot's seat. "Don't waste time. Do it now, you twit!"

"Yes sir... Oh...!" Sweat poured down the squat frame of his loyal servant as he tugged at his collar.

The reaction caught the Robotnik's attention as he twirled his mustache in anticipation. "Go on...", he replied with growing irritation, with curled nails scraping the back of the bucket seat before him.

"I can't believe what I'm reading, sir. Is this...the year 2300 AD?"

–

The Epoch sat outside, awaiting a new flight with wings outstretched as Rotor installed thin grips on the extended flaps of the aircraft. Wiping his forehead free from sweat, he watched as combined forces of Guardia and Knothole strode up to his position. "Good morning everybody. Sally, what's the prognosis?"

"It's not looking good. Nicole will be out of commission for awhile. Something to do with a line of code on constant repeat..." The chipmunk replied as the walrus noticed the pale features of the humans among them.

"Convergence? Lavos awakening...? What does it all mean?" Lucca tried to air her thoughts out as darker ones soon emerged. Could it have something to do with their presence here? If so, then obtaining these "Time Stones" is of the highest priority now!

Shaking her head, she gripped the sides of her helmet as she felt a metallic grip on her right hand. Staring upwards at the visual sensors of her robotic friend, a puff of warm steam fogged her glasses, which caused the inventor to chuckle despite herself.

"We have nothing to fear as long as we have determination!" Robo replied as he patted her back roughly, nearly knocking her spectacles off her face!

"That's not what I'm worried about. This ship can only hold so many... Who should we bring with us?" The blue hedgehog who raced ahead to greet his purple friend sped back to the group with a wide grin on his face.

"I'm coming along for sure. Crono too. Sally gotta come with for sure!" The inventor puffed her cheeks out at his insistence and pointed her finger at the chin of Sonic, who reeled back from the gesture.

"Okay, that's three. That fills the cockpit, we've got four sets of grips on the wings to support our extra passengers plus the cargo hold." Frog balked while walking past the two, as a painful memory overtook him.

So, who's gonna be coming with us to the Keeper of Time...?

-I'm leaving this up temporarily for a little "engagement" from the audience! We've got five roles to fill and I'm willing to play along with any arrangement. This is a throwback to my "GAMEFAQS" days when I used to run little RPs in the threads. Put your answer in a review or on the poll I'll be posting on my profile! I'll delete this once the new chapter is written...-