Chapter 71: Phenomena
"What's going on?" Miles asked out loud as he looked at the demonic creatures that surrounded him. "One minute you were people, and then the next you've turned into monsters."
The creatures snapped and growled at him in response.
"There are too many of you to take on, so my only other option…" Miles said as he changed into Tails. "…Is to fly away."
Before the creatures jumped on him, Tails flew away and hid behind the roof of a nearby building. As the moon was covered up by the clouds, another large creature came charging in. Tails couldn't see it clearly enough, but it roared loudly and attacked the creatures with its enormous clawed hands and fur-covered arms that stretched to various lengths at a time. When it was over, the creatures dissipated leaving unconscious people in their place.
"Miles!" the creature called in a gruff voice. "Tails!"
Upon hearing that, Tails peeked his head out. "Sonic? Is that you?"
The clouds passed overhead, allowing the moonlight to show that the creature was Sonic only he had longer hair, clawed hands, and notable fangs.
"Of course it's me," Sonic replied, then turned away from Tails in embarrassment. "Though you'll have to excuse my current appearance."
In response, Tails flew down and walked up to Sonic. "What happened to you? You've changed completely since I last saw you."
"It's a long story," Sonic replied. "Do you mind if we talk about it somewhere a little less obvious?"
Before Tails replied, Chip flew up to Sonic after circling around the unconscious bodies. "Good news, Sonic! None of the people you attacked were injured."
"Well, that's a relief," Sonic replied.
"Does that kid have pixie wings?" Tails said, pointing to the wings that were protruding from Chip's back. "Are you a human possessed by a spirit as well?"
"That's what Sonic thinks, though I'm currently suffering from amnesia," Chip said as he flew down in front of Tails with his hand out. "You must be Miles. I'm Chip."
"Uh, right now I'm Tails," Tails said as awkwardly shook Chip's hand.
###
"Wow, that is some story," Tails said after Sonic had finished explaining how he got to Apotos. The two of them and Chip were standing near the same windmill where Sonic landed. "My guess is that the energy from the Scepter of Darkness was what caused the Chaos Emeralds to be drained of their power and you to transform into your current form, Sonic."
In response, Sonic groaned. "I figured that much already, but what I don't understand is why I can't change back into Sonny at night and why he can't transform into my normal self during the day."
"Maybe your spirit got corrupted in the process of being directly exposed to the Scepter of Darkness' energy, thus severing the connection between you and Sonny."
"But if my soul was corrupted, I wouldn't be able to continue sharing memories with Sonny which I'm still able to do. Plus, why do I only take on this form at night? Wouldn't I be no different from those people I fought earlier right now?"
"I'm not sure if I can answer those questions for you, but I know someone who might."
"Who?"
"The man Miles is interning with, Professor Pickle. He went off to Mazuri to study an ancient temple two days ago while Miles was out here collecting data for him, but he should be back at Spagonia University by now unless Eggman's continent-splitting laser prevented him from leaving Mazuri."
"Wouldn't you have to explain my connection to Sonny, though?"
"He already knows, Sonic. That was one of the first things Miles told him."
"Okay, then how are we supposed to get to Spagonia when all the world's continents have been torn apart?"
"In the Tornado-1, of course," Tails said as he ran behind the windmill while Sonic and Chip followed.
On the other side was aforementioned biplane, which had the same model as the previous one but it was painted yellow and red this time. While Tails climbed into the cockpit, Chip got onto the bottom wing and Sonic was about to get onto the top wing when he noticed a platform with a laser-gun attached to it.
"I see you made some significant improvements to the plane besides a new paint-job," Sonic said as he got onto the platform.
"With you manning that thing, no aerial enemies are a match for us," Tails said as he started up the engines. "Spagonia, here we come!"
###
"What? Professor Pickle hasn't come back yet?" Miles exclaimed after hearing what Pickle's assistant just said.
It was the following morning, and Sonic was back to being Sonny while Chip was looking around at the shelves of books that lined the walls of the professor's study.
"Yes, but I haven't been able to reach him," the assistant replied, who was a young man in his early twenties with light-brown hair and a British accent. "I'm frankly worried, Miles. I hope he wasn't flying back when the continents were split apart."
"Don't worry," Sonny said cheerfully. "We'll find the professor in no time!"
###
Several hours later, Sonny and the others arrived in the Savannah Citadel on the continent of Mazuri just as night fell. While Miles and Chip walked around asking the local people if they had seen Professor Pickle, Werehog Sonic searched the area from the rooftops and in the alleyways. Eventually, he came across a hidden door with Eggman's face plastered on it and several robots standing guard.
After he defeated every single one of the robots, Sonic went back to alert Miles and Chip by waving his stretchable arms from a rooftop. They immediately noticed and followed him into the secret door, which was deserted of robots inside. Careful to avoid the security cameras, Sonic and the others came into a circular chamber where an elderly man wearing a brown suit with thick eyebrows and a large nose was seated on a floating chair inside a glass pod examining a tray of sandwiches meticulously.
"Professor Pickle!" Miles said as he transformed into Tails and flew up to him.
"Can you believe this?" the elderly man said holding up one of the sandwiches from the tray. He also had a British accent. "My captor expects me to eat these ghastly things he calls sandwiches and has the nerve to say he's being generous."
"Um, Professor, it's nice to see that you're in high spirits as usual, but we've got to get out of here," Tails said as he found a switch near the top of the pod and pressed it.
Immediately, the glass dissipated and the platform Professor Pickle was standing on lowered itself automatically.
"Oh, yes, quite right," Pickle responded, stepping off the platform. Then he looked toward a large circular safe nearby and pointed at it. "But we must obtain the Gaia Manuscripts from that safe over there before we go. They are the only clue we have to explain the strange phenomenas that have been occurring around the world lately."
"Leave it to me, Professor!" Sonic said, and stretched his clawed hand toward the safe which broke apart in one swipe.
While Chip flew over to retrieve the papyrus-like scrolls from inside the safe, Pickle couldn't stop staring at him and Sonic.
"They're my friends, Professor," Tails said as he changed back into Miles. "I'll explain everything on the way back to Spagonia."
###
"I see," Professor Pickle said as he, Miles, Sonic, and Chip were having tea after they had returned to his study in Spagonia University. "Based on what Sonic has told me about his encounter with Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman as he seems to call himself, and the strange things that have been occurring since the continents of Mobius were abruptly separated from the planet's core I think the Gaia Manuscripts can provide an explanation for both events."
"They can?" Miles said with surprise.
"Well, let's hear it already!" Sonic responded anxiously.
"According to the Gaia Manuscripts, the planet was broken up thousands of years ago by a powerful entity known as Dark Gaia who resides in Mobius' core," Pickle said pointing to an image on the scroll showing the world being split by serpent-like creature. Then he pointed to a photograph of the mosaic Knuckles found in Mystic Ruins. "However, this mosaic in Mystic Ruins seems to indicate that the world had been destroyed and reformed even earlier than that."
"So how are we supposed to fix the world now?" Miles asked.
Pickle took another sip from his cup and said, "Well, I would've said nothing at first, but Eggman has awoken Dark Gaia prematurely from his slumber which means we've still got a chance to set things right."
"What about my condition? Does it involve Dark Gaia?" Sonic wondered.
"Partially, though your current form is most likely due to being exposed to the Scepter of Darkness' energy which I'm told is very corruptive and powerful," Pickle answered. "The reason you only transform at night, however, is because of Dark Gaia's power which is most potent during the nighttime and transforms weak-minded individuals into monsters like the ones you fought in Apotos."
"Then the reason I haven't lost my sanity when I transform is because Sonny has a strong-will."
"Yes, the bond between you and Sonny seems to be keeping you from being completely corrupted by the Scepter of Darkness' energy and Dark Gaia's power at the same time which is quite extraordinary if you think about it."
"Well, now that we know what's going on can you tell us how we can piece the world back together and change Sonic back to his normal state?" Miles said as he refilled his cup followed by Chip.
"The only way to bring the world's continents back together is to restore the Chaos Emeralds' power at each of the seven temples located around the world," Pickle responded. "Once this is done, Dark Gaia will be sealed back into the planet's core once again and the positive energy from the Chaos Emeralds will vanquish the negative energy that's inside you, Sonic."
"Sounds like a plan," Sonic said as he got up from the chair he was sitting in. "So where are the temples specifically located?"
"I happened to find one in Mazuri, before Eggman kidnapped me, but I'll need to translate the Gaia Manuscripts in order to figure out where the rest are."
"You do that, while Miles and I will head to Mazuri. Do you want to come along, Chip?"
"Sure," Chip replied as he finished his tea in one gulp. "Maybe I'll find some clues as to who I am there."
"That's the spirit!" Sonic said giving Chip a thumbs-up.
To be continued…