Author's Note: A new chapter of the story finally in place! It took me a while, but we are at the point.
And to the guest review: I deeply apologize for what I said in the author's note and always worrying. I sometimes cannot help it I love Fanfiction so much.
So to everyone who have also noticed, my sincerest apologies and I will ensure to try to not do that again and hope that the current glitches that has been going on since last month(June) will be fixed soon. So far so good, but we all need to be prepared just in case. *Shrugs sheepishly*
In meantime, I hope I did alright with this chapter so...happy reading!
I hold no rights to Sonic the Hedgehog. All propeties of the franchise belong to Sega. I only own the OCs(including the titular character of this story).
Chapter 10: Into the Cavern of Gigan.
Grand Metropolis, or simply known as Metropolis, was once one of Dr. Eggman's main capitols for his earlier operations of dominating the planet, home of the Plant/Energy plants storing power before it was destroyed by Team Sonic, having taken the Chaos Emerald powering it at the time.
Now it was once again in turmoil, this time it was a near-apocalyptic grounds of the Hybrian soldiers who held many weapons out, making cautious but stealthy movements with the unsuspected construction workers caught off-guard, forced into surrendering and taken hostage. Many people were panicking and attempted to run away, only to be blocked off by more soldiers who threatened to kill them if they made the wrong movement.
"Get in there! Now!" One of the Hybrians soldiers ordered, forcefully shoving the long line of captured construction workers into a large container to fit at least fifty people in total, who had no choice but to obey and surrender. "Move it!"
It wasn't long before the containers were full enough to be carried away by the fleet of aircraft, one by one to be directed back towards Dr. Starline's base for the evil scientist to potentially transform them into even more Hybrian soldiers, or whatever else he had in mind to gain his goal.
Right in the middle of the appointed army, Grotto stood with the same sadistic grin, fangs giving off the intimidating aura of cruelty and pure evil. Once a Mobian himself, he no longer striving for a simple, normal life. A low, dark, and sickening chuckle bubbled in his throat.
"Beautiful...Dr. Starline would be very pleased with this result, and so would Dr. Eggman." Grotto's grin never waded.
"Sir!"
Grunting at the sound of one of the Hybrian soldier's calls, the High Agent maneuvered to the right as one of the helmeted troopers stood in a salute. "We have located the main control room of Dr. Eggman's base deep within the heart of the Power Plant. We have run the tracker and it seems that his ship is located and heading towards Sunset Bridge, far in the south a continent away from Mazuri."
Well, things have taken a turn for the better. Not only this city was theirs for taking, but now they have an actual lead on Dr. Eggman's location. Suddenly informing Dr. Starline's idol and future master was working like a charm.
"Excellent. Let us make haste in giving the good doctor an invitation our master is so desiring to share." Grotto ordered, ultimately pleased with the results.
"Right away, sir! Except...we have a bit of a problem." The soldier continued, hesitancy radiating off in his tone, his body-movements in a shift and a quiver rattling his bones.
"A problem?" The High Agent questioned, his grin fading into a perplexed frown.
"There's also been reports of a G.U.N helicopter sighted apparently following him, with three agents spotted: One a bat, another resembling to a badnik of Dr. Eggman's creation, and the most concerning is...erm...a black and red...hedgehog..." The more the soldier spoke, the more he shrank back with the fear of his life on the line.
"WHAT!?" Grotto roared, furious and shocked. He grasped the collar of the unfortunate scout who yelped a high-pitched squeak, struggling within the High Agent's grip. "Did you just say a black and red hedgehog and G.U.N are already on the case!?"
The poor Hybrian Soldier trembled, terrified that he could be in for a brutal punishment, nodded meekly, gasping for air. "Y-Yes, sir! Affirmative, sir!"
Grotto growled, making him sound mobini-like before he tossed the now screaming soldier to the side like a useless piece of paper, ignoring the unfortunate lacky's crash and injuries against one building. Instead, he cast his glare up towards the further distance of Metropolis and the sky. Despite having located where Eggman is, now it seems they must make haste to retrieve him before G.U.N did. Especially the one hedgehog he knew that, like Sonic and now Sun, was a meddling problem for Starline's plans.
"So, it seems even you are about to try and get in our way...Shadow the Hedgehog." Grotto snarled under his breath.
Back in Gigan Canyon, in gratitude for having helped to prevent the Hybrians causing anymore damage, Sun and his friends were invited into Crysta's home for the much needed discussion on the situation. When the Mobians arrived in the Lynx's home, the two hedgehogs and three detectives found that the meaning 'hut' was an understatement.
It was at the very top of the mountain which overviewed parts of the valley's village, the cliff-hanger showing parts of the beautiful land and beyond. The jungle parts of Mazuri could be seen in the far distance, lush green trees and grass, miniature figures of Mobini wildlife noticed in either lion packs or Zebra herds, the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky.
A bit further away from the cliff and on the safety of the soil was Crysta's home itself, complete in being tall, like a small mansion, conjoined by a strangely cylindrical observatory built alongside.
"When Mnyambo said that this place had some sort of technology in the most unexpected area of the valley, he wasn't kidding." Sun remarked, gloved fingers creeping through his quills with a perplexed expression and a sweat drop. He couldn't believe that they were all in the same area.
"Defintely like the Final Galaxy 7 game. Maybe the game itself was based on his place!" Charmy's eyes twinkled enthusiastically.
"This place is incredible!" Star breathed, astonished beyond her wildest dreams. She couldn't stop slowly moving her gaze to take in every single sight of the area. "You and your family have lived here your whole lives, Crysta?"
The young Pristress smiled softly, leading the travelers towards the wooden door of her home. "It has been passed down through my family for generations after generations. Dating back to at least 4,000 years ago," She paused, casting her gaze to the dry soil with a look of grimace. "In the near same time as the imprisonment of the God of Destruction and former Guardian of the Chao."
"Chaos," Espio was quick to make the connecting dots. "So there is a strong connection between the Chaos Emeralds and the Cosmos Sapphires."
"That is correct. My family's ancestors were once close friends with the Echidna people, but when Chaos destroyed the Chief of the Knuckles Clan, it was agreed to split up across the world, at the cost of all echidna to slowly die out without revealing or even knowing of the true history. They believed it was their fitting punishment for what their own people had fully done." Crysta nodded.
"So...the rest of the echidna died out on purpose because they felt guilty, and left Knuckles be the last of his kind because of what Pachacmac did?" Sun questioned, his brows narrowing with dread and growing sense of disgust.
To think that because of what Tikal's father had done, the rest of the echidna split up to slowly die out without telling the whole story or figure out another way to atone for the madman's actions and that in the end they felt Knuckles deserved to be the last of their kind? That, in the orange hedgehog's opinion, was an unfair, cruel and selfish punishment just because one of their own made them believe all echidna should become extinct! What would Knuckles and Sonic say to all of this?
"You know Knuckles the Echidna?" Crysta gaped at the tangerine hedgehog in surprise.
"It's...a very long story." Sun hesitantly responded, his gaze low once more. What did the Pristress want with him? Given what Mnyambo told him before they left, it was like she was trying to pry something out of the former Werehog.
Oh, Chaos, what if she finds out that he's originally Sonic's clone? What if there were still Hybrians spying on them and listening in on their conversation? This did not bond well at all. Here he was, coming for answers and seek the people's permission to allow him and his friends to find and retrieve the third Cosmos Sapphire, and Crysta wants more and more information out of him by simply having this kind of conversation?
This was really not going into the direction that he wanted it to be at all. How can he and his friends talk themselves out of this?
"Wait a second," Vector held up a head, perplexed with a mixture of sudden skepticism radiating his features. "How is it you know about Knuckles anyway?"
Sun blinked, his rapid thoughts of growing panic ceasing for a moment. It was true, now that he realized it. Just how did this woman know about Knuckles? More importantly, how did Crysta know about Sonic in the first place?
"Many travels in the recent years have discussed the heroics and deep courage of Sonic the Hedgehog, and two of his companions. One of them being Knuckles himself." Crysta shook her head, a look of realization spreading on her face.
She opened the door to allow her guests to enter the building, gesturing them to come in. Sharing a hesitant glance, Sun, Star, Vector, Espio and a very curious Charmy followed the Priestress inside. When they did, not only was the outside of the building impressive, but what they saw in the inside really stunned them, the main lights being on. It looked far simple with a large hallway having a doorway each into separate rooms, one in the far end having a door leading to upstairs with suspected more areas to be explored.
Picture frames were hung with paintings of Gigan Canyon itself in different angles, parts of Mazuri added to it, but what really got the group's attentions were magnificent paintings of space, galaxies, milky ways, uncharted planets and even photos of Mobius itself, taken from the earlier explorations of the Moon, which even that was also seen long before Dr. Eggman's failed attempts to conquer Mobius with Shadow and the Space Colony ARK.
On the wooden cabints lined up against the walls were models of clay and metal of Mobius as well, with more pictures of people of the ancient times worshiping the Chaos Emeralds, with the Cosmos Sapphires being nearly invisible.
"Whoa...Tails would be pretty amazed with all of this stuff." Sun remarked, thoroughly impressed, a soft smile formed on his muzzle. In fact, he was pretty certain Sonic, Amy and Knuckles would be fascinated with this place as well.
"So would my father," Star beamed in excitement, slowly twirling around at the pictures and models that was far beyond amazing. She giggled, holding back the urge to squeal in delight. "He would love to see all of these paintings of the galaxies, milky ways and solar systems!"
"Yeah, who would've thought space could be pretty colourful way past Mobius? I wish I could get up close to them!" Charmy agreed, hovering up close to one of the space paintings, his smile wide and big.
"The universe holds many secrets that we mortals may not fully understand, even beyond our generations when our time comes to rest in peace." Crysta informed, leading the five travelers into another room to the right.
Inside was fairly simple, but also comfortable looking with a couple of couches facing each other with a wooden table set in the middle, a white lace-like table cloth draped over it. A large window overlooked Gigan Canyon which made it the perfect view to watch the sunrise and sunsets, and even gaze at the moon and stars during the night. More photos and paintings of different parts of the universe, or so what people would imagine would look like, were spotted across the room itself with a stone-hedged fireplace crafted into the wall to the group's left.
Sun couldn't help but breath softly in awe, his heart racing at such a sight. He wouldn't mind living in a place like this. Peace and quiet, gorgeous views every day, and having a friendly neighborhood with chances for friends to visit, not too loud and not too silent...The tangerine hedgehog almost felt he found a place he'd liked to stay, at least for a little while or for a vacation. Sonic and Tails certainly would.
"I can see why you and your family lived here for a long time, Crysta," Sun commented, his hands carefully tightened into fists on his hips with a smirk as he glanced around. "This is almost like my kind of place."
"Thank you, Sun. One must take great care for not just for their homes, but also for the planet itself. For millions of years, Mobius has been alone with the Moon it's only companion in the Sea of Stars. It should never be taken for granted." Crysta responded, a hint of understanding and a bit of firmness in her voice.
The orange hedgehog froze a little, before he lowered his gaze to the floor with the thoughts of his brother filling his mind once more. "That's definitely something that Sonic would say."
"And Sonic would be correct," Espio agreed, his arms folded. "The planet is not something we should simply throw away. All life begins on Mobius, and while the world itself still lives on, everyone else do not. Our lifespans are far shorter than that of the world and one day it may end."
"Well, it ain't ending anytime soon, not if we can help it!" Vector declared with determination, balling his hand into a tightening fist. "If that stupid Starline and his Hybrians think they can replace us, they've got another thing comin'!"
"Which brings us to what needs to be discussed," Crysta kindly interrupted, requesting the heroes to take seats before she briefly left the room to make tea.
Half an hour later, as the young Priestress, Sun, Star and the Chaotix were seated in the room, the two hedgehogs and the Lynx on one of the couches, with the crocodile, chameleon and bee on the opposite in front of them having tea and amazingly delicious cookies...which Vector and Charmy both scarfed on, much to Espio and Sun's embarrassment, they and Star all explained what they knew so far and what has happened in the last week.
"I see...so Dr. Starline seeks to gain access to the Twilight Cage, and to locate the Cosmos Sapphires and this missing Princess." Crysta murmured, her brows creased in concern.
"Yes," Star nodded, "What makes it more strange is not only Dr. Starline seems to know about them, he also believes my father and I may help him in finding the Princess herself, but none of us have ever heard of any of it until now."
"And Espio told us that he and his mentor knew a little about the Cosmos Sapphires, like how they're basically similar to the Chaos Emeralds. This is gonna sound really crazy, but for some reason they actually helped us out a couple of times." Sun added, shrugging with one shoulder.
"Yeah, like how one of them stopped Vector from crashing our plane, helped us to get away from the Hybrian's giant airship and even saved Sun and Star from a big, yellow, giant alien monster...Uh..." Charmy trailed off while completely oblivious of Vector's ranting of denial for nearly crashing the plane, turning to the two hedgehogs across the room. "What was that guy's name again?"
"I think it was Zomom, and from how he has a non-strict diet, he can and will eat anything he would want..." The lavender hedgehog shuddered, rubbing her arms. "Including living people."
"He's a big clown who always eats, but I hate to admit it, he's no push over." Sun agreed, gently rubbing his friend's shoulder to give her comfort. His heart skip a beat in a good way with a hint of pink forming on his muzzle when Star gratefully smiled at him.
Crysta's thoughts whirled over what she has been hearing, and given what she has sensed earlier within the two young hedgehogs before her, the Lynx knew that there was more of a connection. Sun the Hedgehog has a very powerful ties with Sonic given the cobalt hero's power over the Chaos Emeralds, and the fact that Star had absolutely no clue on who the Twilight Princess really is, one thing was for certain, these two young Mobians were strongly linked to the Cosmos Sapphires if their powers reacted to protect them both from any forms of danger.
Perhaps the great Lord was right. Sun is the chosen one. Yet Crysta needed more evidence to prove his worth, and she also needs to discuss with Staria about more of her past and what Dr. Starline truly intends to do with her. She knew exactly what needs to be done.
"Hmm...Interesting. May I see the Sapphires themselves?" She questioned.
The group shared a glance, before deciding that it would be best to show Crysta of their progress so far. Sun slipped his back-pack off his shoulders, rummaging to withdrew the blue and red Cosmos Sapphires which glowed a bit brighter than before that they had already figured the Lunar Temple was somewhere close here in Gigan Canyon. A gasp slipped through the Lynx's mouth, her eyes widened in the sheer shock at the sight of them.
It was true! They did have two of the seven crystals! She narrowed her eyes before closing them, and held out her hand which confused the group. Charmy was about to ask what was going on, when Vector and Espio both quickly covered his face with the six year old struggling to free himself in protest.
Her focus not broken, Crysta could feel the powerful energy channeling into the unbeknownst Sun's body along with the still growing Chaos energy. The Priestess still sensed his connections with Sonic's power, yet there was still more she needed to know. Yet what caught her off-guard was that the Sapphires' energy...was channeling into Star's heart as well.
"It seems the Cosmos Sapphires are flowing their energy into both of you, Sun the Hedgehog, Staria Amantha," She finally spoke after a few minutes of concentration, her gaze firm at the now baffled hedgehogs and dumbfounded Chaotix. "The power of the wind and galaxies seem to have selected you."
"Galaxies? I thought the Cosmos Sapphires were meant to flow thoughts into the wind...or something like that." Sun blinked, perplexed with his gaze back to the gem stones.
He then realized what he said and quickly cast his glare at Espio who flinched slightly, the latter now wondering why the hedgehog was giving him that look. "Wait...Did Koga tell you about what you told me this morning too?"
Unsettled silence filled the room, with Charmy now having the expression that he agreed with Sun and even Vector raised an eye-ridge.
"...Why did Master Koga give me the wrong facts?" Espio sighed, facepalming himself in sheer exasperation and embarrassment.
"Well, Sonic did mention that you need to re-learn your history lessons." Charmy deadpanned.
"It is true that thoughts can be flowed by the winds, however, the Cosmos Sapphires and the Chaos Emeralds are drawn to the life of Mobius and beyond. Yet, not even they are the creations of the planet itself. The vast of the universe is always in a cycle of life and death, the same way we living beings in this world. Stars are born to either give light to shine, or give life of their own, and perhaps even beings long born before worlds can create planets in their image, a home for themselves and future generations of evolution." Crysta explained.
"...How could anybody create an entire planet on their own?" Vector's hand rubbed along his head, completely lost.
"It is the mystery many would not know. I did say perhaps. The sea of stars may never be fully understood, even when our time passes and our descents live on. Same is said for the origins of the Cosmos Sapphires, but their role is far more different, as they cannot be used in the same way as the Chaos Emeralds."
"Which is why the Lunar Temples were built, to keep them from being used by evil." Star theorized in realization.
"I heard that the Chaos Emeralds randomly hide themselves somewhere else after being used, since they don't go into the same place twice." Sun commented, though he felt more than a little uneasy with all of this information.
If the Cosmos Sapphires can't be used the same way as the Chaos Emeralds, why did they really help him and his friends out? He wasn't sure if he liked it one bit. Plus given how stars were born on their own, not to mention that Crysta's theory of another being creating an entirely new world sounded too much for anybody to handle. The former Werehog couldn't help but think that maybe the Twilight Cage held some kind of power and maybe Eggman and Starline could use that to reshape Mobius entirely?
Yeah, okay, that was too crazy. But Sun's own heart sank, remembering how he was accidentally created via Sonic's DNA, the Chaos Emeralds and Dark Gaia, and Shadow was created in the similar pattern, but unlike the orange hedgehog, the Ultimate Lifeform was made to be the perfect creation.
'Souls, hearts and mind can grow and choose their vessels on their own...That's what Sonic taught me. But then...Could Starline really do something that insane? He changed normal people into Hybrians, used the sample to force Gaiver to grow into a giant, now he can brainwash people.' Sun thought to himself, resisting the urge to shudder.
He was starting to become more scared of what that crazy Platypus would do to him if the evil scientist found out who Sun really is and where he came from. Again, his thoughts of possibly still being the clone of the Hero of Mobius only discouraged his chances and desires to find his place in the world. Did he really...even belong here?
"Anyway, we're kinda getting off track. The main reason why we're here is because we need to find the Cosmos Sapphire in Gigan Canyon before Dr. Starline and the Hybrians do. Think you can help us out with that?" He requested, mentally shaking away those thoughts.
Now wasn't the time to linger into his existence crisis. The fate of Mobius came first.
"Yes, of course. However, if you wish to gain access to the Lunar Temple and learn more of the Cosmos Sapphires, you must fufill my request, as only those who have pure hearts and wish to prevent evil from controlling the world shall be allowed to enter the Gigan Rocks. It is built with traps, so you must pay very close attention." Crysta firmly explained.
"We're listening." Sun responded, feeling a bit uneasy but if he and his friends wanted to stop Starline from getting to the Cosmos Sapphire, they had to do as the Priestress wanted them to do.
"To enter, you must journey through the Gigan Caverns, and pass the obstacles controlled by the master and judgement of wits, skills and intelligence. Work together as a team. If you succeed, you will then traverse through the Gigan Rocks, and complete one more task to gain access. Only priests such as myself are allowed to enter freely. If you fail...well, you will be facing terrible consequences."
"What kind of consequences?" Star questioned, worriedly as she and her friends slowly began to feel uneasy.
"...Many fail pass and come back with injuries at most. However, some never return."
A haunting silence that followed filled the room, so thick that one would think that it made it impossible to breathe. Sun gazed worriedly at his fellow hedgehog, before casting his sight to the three detectives and his heart sank right into his stomach as though it was drowning.
This was not going to end well for either of them. The former Werehog just knew it.
"That sounds like the job for the Chaotix! Wits, skills and intelligence is our middle name!" Vector confidently stood up, his just pumped up proudly. "With the five of us, this will be a piece of cake!"
Sun, Star, Espio and Charmy all sweat dropped over the green crocodile's overconfidence, each of them holding their own thoughts of doubt and concern over what they will have to face in order to reach the third Temple, not like the two previous times.
'If he triggers another trap like in the first temple, I'm never going to let him live it down if we manage to survive.' Sun thought, groaning in dismay.
This was going to be a recipe for disaster. He just knew it.
Little did the group know, the camouflage Terrance, having secretly inspecting the area before following the heroes into Crysta's home, had been listening in throughout the whole conversation and grinned wickedly with a mental, evil laughter.
Those fools had no idea what kind of real traps they would be falling into.
Later that day, Crysta lead the group towards the upper parts of the canyon, passing by the shops and houses, towards a huge stone doorway that looked made to fit a 50 foot giant. It had old carvings and very uninteresting designs that one would think it was just a wall. In fact, that's what Vector, Sun and Charmy thought it was.
"Um, why did you lead us to here?" The former Werehog questioned, completely confused.
"Yeah, it's just a wall." Vector agreed, his fingers under his chin.
"It is what is meant to look like to outsiders, especially to thieves who seek to trespass." Crysta corrected, with a knowing smile.
Not waiting for the group to ask any further, the young Lynx approached the wall, and firmly placed her palm onto the stone, on the side of what at first appeared to be a blank piece of work. Once her palm as in place a long line of green light slid down from underneath, just as she began to chant.
"The protectors are the seven Cosmos, Cosmos is flight, healing enriched by the hearts...The healer is the one who unifies the Cosmos...the Intertwined with the seven Chaos..."
'...Wait a second. Doesn't that sound similar to the seven Chaos servers or, whatever it is that Knuckles told me about?' Sun didn't understand the meaning of what Crysta was saying, though he felt it was similar to the ancient chants whenever someone uses the power of the Chaos Emeralds.
Or at least the Master Emerald.
All of the sudden, there was a small tremor which made the heroes gasp and yelp in alarm as most of them tried to keep their balance, even though Vector ended up falling backwards with a cry and right on top of Espio who grunted in pain while stuck underneath his leader, and Star stumbled before she accidentally bumping into Sun's chest, causing the latter to quickly catch her in his arms, startled.
To their amazement, a loud whoosh of air wafted in from the side as the huge door slid into the ground.
"Whoa! A secret door!" Charmy exclaimed in awe, his eyes sparkling.
"Holy Chaos..." Sun murmured, almost completely speechless. Just how did that Lynx lady even do that!?
"Amazing..." Star whispered in awe, making to move only to realize she was a little bit stuck.
Sun in turn also noticed the same thing and when he looked to see what was moving in his arms after briefly forgetting who he had saved, his face's temperature heated up so quickly that he couldn't stop the dark hue of pink forming on his muzzle. His friend felt the same and let out a soft but surprised, 'Oh!' before the two young hedgehogs quickly let go with the fourteen year old girl covering her mouth and the former Sonic Clone holding up his hands apologetically.
"I-I'm sorry, Sun! I didn't mean to bump into you!" The young archeologist quickly stuttered, almost failing to hide her groan of sheer embarrassment.
"Uh, it's okay. No harm d-done!" Sun waved awkwardly, his heart beating wildly he was worried it might explode, and for a second he felt like he couldn't breathe.
Unfortunately for them, everybody else noticed as while Crysta blinked in confusion while wondering what was going on, Vector, who stood up without even helping up Espio with the chameleon hissing in agony for having the larger Mobian laid on top of him to the point that he was nearly flattened like a pancake, and Charmy, who giggled at how cute the two hedgehogs were, both looked Sun and Star with knowing glints in their eyes.
"Is everything alright, Sun and Star?" Crysta asked, a little bit concerned. "You both look rather pink in the faces."
"Y-yeah, we're fine! Just the uh...the sun's heat around here!" Sun fumbled, before realizing what he just said and groaned in exasperation, slapping his face slightly with his hand. "Ugh...I really need a better name."
Trust Sonic to name him something that would continue to get him confused with the actual sunlight that's been around waaaaaay long before even the Dinosaurs were evolved. Next tume Sun saw him, he was definitely going to have some questioning over the cobalt speedster's choices of names. On the other hand, given how the former Werehog did transform into a hedgehog during the day, Sonic couldn't exactly call him Midnight, or Shadow since the latter already belonged to a certain Ultimate Lifeform.
"Yes, the heat is warmer than usual...Ha ha ha..." Star, while feeling sorry for her friend, quickly agreed with a nervous giggle. She clasped her hands together, looking away.
"I think it's more than that. You were fine until you two hugged each other." Vector pointed out smugly, folding his arms.
"The secret door knocked almost all of us over, Vector. This is not what you think." Espio sternly pointed out, standing up while rubbing his aching back.
"Yeah, but that would've meant Sun and Star were about to ki-mmph!" Charmy, almost blurting out the two hedgehogs' 'romantic' moment, was quickly cut off when a frantic Vector, who flinched, and a panicking Espio, both covered the six year old bee's mouth and held him to stop him from saying any more while the youngest struggled to break free.
Sun growled as he glared at the three detectives, hissing with a tone of warning. "I swear, if you guys don't zip it, I'm gonna dunk you three into Gaiver's pit of beetles in Adabat...!"
"This isn't what it looks like, Vector," Star frowned in annoyance, her arms crossed when she also realized what was going on. "It was an accident."
"They're right, Vector. Now isn't the time for your crazy incorrect theories," Espio agreed, casting an annoyed glare at his older friend. "We're here to complete the tasks in order to find the Cosmos Sapphire, not fool around."
"Alright, alright. I'll drop it." The green crocodile sighed in defeat. Yet he was also thinking to himself. 'Seeing how Sun is so shy, I got a hunch he won't stand anywhere near Star while he's helping her, let alone on this journey. When the time's right, we'll be helpin' him win her heart for sure!'
While not certain what to make of the group's squabbling, Crysta frowned in disappointment on how Sun wasn't really into any much of agreements with all of his friends. It made her heart briefly sink with the knowledge that perhaps they were not yet ready for this daunting task just to claim the third Cosmos Sapphire.
"Remember, travelers," She spoke up, causing the group to return their gaze to her. "Team work is the important key to succeed. You must trust each other's instincts and courage, and not let anything separate your bond of friendship. No matter how difficult it may be."
"No problem, ma'am! I give you my word, we'll be on our best behavior." Vector replied eagerly, which again made Sun sweat drop.
The orange hedgehog sighed, facepalming himself. He really wished Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, or even Shadow were here. They were so going to fail this test. Guaranteed.
"Uh, one problem," Charmy's voice slightly echoed, as he was hovering just into the mouth of the cave after his older friends and superiors finally let him go, peering into the darkness of the cave. "We can't really go in without a flashlight."
Sun and the others blinked before casting their gaze into the cave itself, realizing that the youngest detective was right. No how hard the orange hedgehog strained his eyes, he could see no more than a few meters ahead. Suddenly a small flicker of orange and red briefly appeared in the corner of his left and turned to see Crysta having lit up a flaming torch for them, handing it out to them.
"Of course, I refuse to allow you all to enter blindly." She responded.
"Uh...Thanks," Sun blinked, surprised by the generous over, while Espio also thanked the Lynx while taking the torch. "Well...Guess we'll see you later...hopefully with the Cosmos Sapphire."
And without injuries or losing anyone, he silently added. If it were Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, they could handle this easily, despite that even Sun knew that the two-tailed fox cub would be very nervous. In fact, the orange Mobian could just feel and hear what the eight year old kit would say if he was here.
'This place gives me the creeps.' He imagined Tails saying.
Yeaaaaaahhh...It gave him the creeps too.
Swallowing hard in growing apprehension, Sun let Espio take the lead(much to Vector's annoyance as he grumbled loudly with a pout), before the former, Star and the others followed with the bright glow of the torch lighting up more of the area so they could see a little more ahead.
"Good luck...Sun the Hedgehog." Crysta whispered, a prayer filling her heart and mind that the young heroes would return safely as she could only watch the five of them walk deeper and deeper into the tunnel until the light of the flames disappeared into the abyss of the Gigan Tunnel's darkness.
Now the rest was up to them and ensure they would succeed and return with the Cosmos Sapphire in hand.
"Man, it's darker in here than I thought." Vector loudly whispered, gulping.
It had only been a few minutes, but already the tunnel was really terrifying. The crossed the narrow pathway that seemed to twist slightly like a spiral, echoes of winds howling through the rock walls as though something was lurking deep within.
With the torch being their only source of light, Sun and his friends chose to stick close that even Charmy was getting a bit nervous. Meanwhile, Star shuddered when she saw tons of huge spider webs hanging in the high and low corners everywhere, with small mobini spiders going on with their daily lives to build make their homes, catch mobini insects and totally oblivious of what was going on around them.
"Eww...Spiders. Why does it always have to be spiders?" She groaned, her skin crawling as she rubbed her arms.
"At least it's not an annoying giant robot spider Ro-butt-nik would send in," Sun attempted to lighten the mood, shrugging with a bit of an awkward smile. "All we gotta do is just ignore them and pretend they're not here, right?"
"Easy for you to say." Star sighed, yet a warm smile formed on her muzzle. She was grateful that her friend was really trying to cheer her up, and it was working a little.
"By the way, Sun. You look kinda like you knew about Crysta," Charmy spoke up, attempting to, and surprisingly managed pretty well, to hide the shakiness in his voice. "How'd you do that?"
"Huh?" Sun blinked, at first confused before realizing what the kid meant and shrugged sheepishly. "Oh, well, Mnyambo told me. Before we left, he told me to ask for help from the Priestress since she would help us out to learn more about the Cosmos Sapphires and what's going on. At first I didn't get what he meant, but when Crysta showed up, I just had a feeling she was the one he was talking about."
"That would explain it as Crysta has a definite knowledge, and possibly power linked to the Temple," Espio muttered thoughtfully, his hand gently grasping his chin. "In order to know more, we must complete these daunting tasks in order to prevent our enemies from taking over Mobius."
Sun lowered his gaze, doubt creeping up into his face while looking away as they kept going. His heart still hanged in the balance. Mnyambo told him point blank he was to save the planet this time. But how can he...if he didn't know what his own future would bring, or it will end well? What if he messed up and caused the future to change? What if leaving Sonic and the others behind been a mistake?
'Easy for you to say, Espio. I came from Sonic, but I'm not exactly him. At least...that's what I think.' The tangerine hedgehog mentally sighed, despondent.
'WHY CONTINUE TO DENY YOUR EXISTENCE? YOU KNOW VERY WELL OF WHO YOU TRULY ARE DEEP WITHIN.'
A sharp gasp of alarm escaped as Sun snapped his head up, freezing in his tracks, glancing around on high alert. Seeing this made his friends stop and gazed at him in confusion, wondering what was going on. That voice...he recognized it almost instantly. But...how can that be? It wasn't even possible.
"What's the matter?" Vector asked.
"Did you guys hear something?" Sun asked, mentally gulping in apprehension. A seed of dread began to fill his stomach, his heart racing that he was beginning to having trouble breathing.
"I only hear us talking and the wind." Charmy shrugged, cluelessly.
"I didn't hear anything." The crocodile added.
Espio, quickly on high alert and raising his guard up, sharply glanced around for any signs of great danger. Unfortunately, like Vector and Charmy, and even Star who tried to find the source of whatever Sun heard, he couldn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary either.
"I don't sense anything either, but we must be careful. Because danger can lurk deep within the darkness, and not knowing what's within it while keeping our guard down can prove to be a fatal mistake." The purple chameleon responded.
"Are you sure you heard something, Sun?" Star asked, her voice lanced in concern.
Seeing how his friends didn't hear it either, the former Sonic Clone blushed slightly in embarrassment, groaning while shaking his head. "Oh, great...Now I'm hearing things. Sorry, guys."
Still...Sun knew he heard it before. Why did he still hear it? It wasn't until his eyes mentally widened in horror, realizing that he knew what it was: First he heard it in that brief nightmare before he went off to try and save Clocksworth Town, then the terrible nightmare where he encountered the Werehog-Beast while having been flickering from his original self, to his old Werehog self and into...into Sonic himself.
No...He should have seen it, but it was just impossible. There was no way the Werehog could have survived and returned to haunt him! It just couldn't be!
"YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE ME, SUN THE HEDGEHOG."
'No...NO! No, this isn't...It's not real!' Sun couldn't believe he hasn't even thought of the connections before. Whether he was hallucinating or not, he didn't know. He squeezed his eyes shut, clutching his head tightly as though he was feeling a horrendous pain in the back of his head, falling to his knees.
While he tried to hide it, the hedgehog knew he failed to keep it from his friends who all began to panic when they witnessed what happened, concern covering their faces. The four of them quickly encircled him with Star and Espio gently placing their hands onto his arms.
"Sun, what's wrong!?" Star asked, frantically.
Sun couldn't answer her, or anybody else. He tried to rid the terrible thoughts of his dark persona seemingly still alive, even after Dark Gaia having absorbed it. A whimper formed into his throat, his chest swelling up as though his very own heart was about to explode with tears beginning to sting his eyes.
"Sun...SUN!"
The loud shout of Espio's voice snapped the hyperventilating hedgehog out his panicked state of mind, shakily turning to his friend who, his expression softening into deepening concern, gently rubbed his back comfortingly.
"I do not understand what is wrong, I can sense that something is traumatizing you," The sixteen year old detective murmured. "Take deep, slow breathes, and calm down."
Despite that it was quite difficult at first, and at that moment, childish as he felt for wishing for it, Sun deeply wanted Sonic to be here. He wanted to see his original-his brother, to hug him, and cry on his shoulder. The tangerine hedgehog tried hard not to cry, not in front of his friends. Not again. Instead, he shakily focused on doing what Espio instructed him to do, inhaling, before exhaling, and repeated this in a slow, careful manner while his friend crouched by his side, not willing to abandon him in his time of need.
"That's it, nice and slow. Calm. It's going to be alright." Espio whispered soothingly, supporting the hedgehog until finally after a good long ten minutes, Sun managed to get his breathing back to normal.
The orange hedgehog sighed, lowering his hands with his heart's rate steadily easing. His mind was still onto the horrifying discovery of what was wrong with him, but he felt the deepening gratitude of having his friends by his side. Even though he was much closer to Sonic, Tails and Chip, and still held a secret kinship with Shadow, Sun couldn't deny that any of their other friends made him feel a bit better. If the Chaotix and Star weren't here, he was certain he would've had a mental breakdown like he almost did minutes ago.
"Thanks, Espio. Thanks, guys," Sun half-whispered, smiling softly before frowning in growing guilt and humiliation. "Sorry about that."
"What happened? Did you have a really bad headache or something?" Charmy asked, worriedly.
Pausing for a moment and hesitant on whether he should answer or not, Sun lowered his gaze in guilt. How can he simply explain that he was either hearing things and it was all just his mind playing tricks on him, or the ghost of his haunting past has come back. Why did the Werehog-Beast have to do this now? Can't that monster just leave him alone already? Yet he ended up thinking back to the nightmare again, and while Sun knew he was no longer a clone, he began to think that maybe...Maybe his dark side was right.
Maybe the Werehog found a way to escape when Sonic and Chip defeated Dark Gaia, and had began to slowly regenerate itself until it found it's way back into Sun's mind...a chill ran down his spine when he realized that it could try a new attempt to take over his body.
To be reborn and continue it's hunt for life forms to devour...starting with Sonic.
"I...I don't wanna talk about it right now. Let's just...Let's just keep moving. We don't have much time." The orange hedgehog finally shook his head, not ready to fully answer the questions yet.
Plus the others will most likely think he's crazy, and Sun couldn't help but wonder he really is so. Nothing made sense anymore.
"It's okay, Sun. Maybe we should take a bit of a break." Star suggested, her voice being ever so gentle and kind. She and Espio both helped Sun to stand up.
"Thanks, but it's fine. I don't wanna end up having to do this again later on."
Without saying another word, Sun decided to take a couple of slow steps to make sure his balance wasn't wobbly. Both of the two that helped him up worriedly reached out in case he ended up collapsing again, before sharing a glance. Something was wrong with the former Werehog, they just knew it.
"I think we should take Star's advice and come back later. Sun sounds like he's sick or something." Charmy commented, hovering with growing anxiety over Sun's mental issues.
"We'll have to worry about how to help out the kid later, Charmy," Vector disagreed, despite that deep down even he was worried. "The longer we wait, the more of the chance that Starline creep's gonna be gettin' the Cosmos Sapphires."
"I'm afraid Vector's right. The sooner we accomplish the obstacles and leave, then we can do what we can to help Sun," Espio agreed reluctantly, his eyes never leaving the hedgehog's stance. "I have a feeling that his situation is more dire than we thought."
'That, and we can't just ignore Sun's emotional trauma. I have a feeling it's related to his questioning over his existence in life.' He silently added to himself, a frown creasing his features.
Star could only gaze at Sun's back, her hands clasped together. Her brows cured upwards and pink eyes glittered with worry.
Eventually the group continued onward without saying another word, traversing through more tunnels and high-ledge pathways that were more terrifying than the last, for the air was becoming colder and thicker with a deeper sense of unease and apprehension. Finally after what felt like hours of doing nothing but walk through the darkness, the unavoidable nothingness, a quiet that is deafening, lack of life to break the deafness with ragged breaths and the beating of their hearts, the five of them reached another open hole in the side of the wall, barely visible in the darkness. It seemed to be the only way to go.
"Let's proceed with caution, so keep quiet." Espio whispered, and the others, even though Vector swallowed the nervous lump that formed into his throat, all nodded in agreement.
'Man...This is worse than that Topsy-Turvy Castle Eggman lead us through.' The green Mobian thought, his palms becoming all sweaty within his gloves with the accelerating increase of his anxiety reaching up to the max.
When Sun and his friends entered, they were quite surprised that it was lighter in the next room, despite being so deep inside the depths of Gigan Canyon. The light came from the jagged walls and ceilings, a larger hole being about ten feet from where they stood, caved like an entrance of another temple, yet not quite like those of the Gaia Temples or even the Lunar Temple.
"...Huh. I thought we were gonna be facing the obstacles." Sun raised an eye-ridge in confusion, his hands placed on his hips while casting his gaze from left to right.
"Maybe they're right into that big room over there." Vector guessed thoughtfully, his eyes perched into the blackness of the hole.
Just even a second after the words left his mouth, a large, quaking tremor shook the entire room, yet it wasn't an ordinary Earthquake. The group all gasped in shock as every tremor felt more like...giant footsteps of either one of Dr. Eggman's robots, or the giant Werehog. The five Mobians glanced up and their hearts almost instantly stopped one by one when they heard a monstrous roar echo.
"WHO DARES TO DISTURB THE SECRETS OF GIGAN CARVENS?" A loud, deep voice echoed, with a silhouette of a giant figure began to form from the darkness.
Star quickly covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping, Sun sweat dropped nervously, Espio's eyes widened with his heart stopping, and Vector gaped in mouth-opened horror.
"...I think that might be the first obstacle." Charmy remarked, terrified out of his mind with a sweat drop, but surprisingly managed to mask it.
Stepping out of the darkness was a 50-foot tall giant, wearing a stone armor similar to the medieval era, it's helmet having huge, carved-up-right horns with only yellow glowing eyes visible, long sharp claw-like hands and wielding a massive sword that could slice a huge boulder like a piece of paper. It glared at the increasingly terrified heroes who backed away slowly.
"O-okay, now I know I spoke way too soon." Vector shakily said.
"You've gotta be kidding me...!" Sun half-gasped, wondering if he was having some sort of bad dream. Why did have to be yet another giant monster?
The giant brute, it's arms looking just as powerful with a strength that would destroy anything in it's path, unsheathed it's massive sword made of black steel that shone in the light in a deadly way and raised it to bring it down upon the heroes who gasped in horror.
"Look out!" Sun shouted, shoving Star out of the way while the Chaotix jumped back in fright.
The moment the giant creature thrust it's blade onto the earth in a force that it seemed as though the earth was crying in agony, the shocking wave that cast wind that knocked the heroes over towards back to where they came from. The five of them all screamed as they were blown away before hitting the ground hard, skidding to a stop painfully with Sun holding a tight grip on Star protectively to keep her safe from any serious injuries. Vector did the same with Charmy who managed to get away from having even a tiny cut. Yet the 20 year old crocodile, Espio and the orange hedgehog hissed and grunted for having such painful hard hits, wincing before they all slowly pushed themselves up slowly.
"I-Is everybody okay?" Asked Sun, after helping Star up and glanced over his shoulder.
"Tch...I'm fine." Espio hissed, rubbing the back of his head while making sure he didn't receive a concussion and winced when he felt a forming lump and bruise.
"Yeah, but this big guy aren't gonna be lettin' us pass through, that's for sure." Vector grumbled, imaginary stars and flickies blurring his vision with his ears ringing.
"I say we come back later and get outta here..." Charmy suggested, nervously.
"Look!" Star gasped fearfully.
When the boys looked up to see what she was pointing at, they all cried out in alarm to see the giant brute warrior stomping straight towards them, sword in hand and ready to slice them into pieces or simply crush them into mushy paste.
"RUN!" The former Werehog shouted, pulling the female hedgehog up before he and the three Detectives quickly followed his lead and made to hurry back through the tunnel in hopes of escaping.
"YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE!" The giant warrior roared, frustration lancing in his voice as he swung his sword against the rock above the entrance where a huge cylinder like stone, once held up by ancient chains, rolled down straight towards them.
Gasping while skidding to a stop, Sun, Star, Vector, Espio and Charmy quickly turned back and narrowly avoided in getting squashed by the giant rock that then blocked their only way out with a huge crash, sending cloud of dust flying everywhere. By the time it cleared with the five Mobians coughing, they all had their eyes widened in sheer horror that their only chances of escape was gone.
They were trapped with the giant Warrior.
"That's not good..." Charmy gulped, worriedly.
"Yeah...We're as good as pancakes...!" Vector fearfully agreed.
Sun narrowed his eyes with gritted teeth, clutching his fist tightly before casting his glare at the giant warrior who readied itself for another attack. "Looks like this guy's our first obstacle. We're gonna have to fight him!"
"It's our only chance in hopes of escape." Espio agreed, taking out his Shurikens, fearless for the upcoming battle despite that the odds were really against them.
Despite that the warrior seemed to be more powerful than they were even together, Star, Vector and Charmy realized that Sun and Espio were right, so they, reluctantly on the crocodile's part, stood ready to try and defeat the warrior in hopes of escaping as well as locating the Cosmos Sapphire.
Until Star softly gasped before held out an arm to stop her friends from making any more movements. "Wait! What if this is the Master of the Trials Crysta told us about?"
"HUH!?" The boys exclaimed, dumbfounded.
Even the giant Warrior, hearing what the female hedgehog had just said, paused before he lowered his weapon in slow suspicion. "YOU SPEAK OF PRIESTRESS CRYSTA'S NAME. REVEAL YOUR NAMES, MORTALS."
"Guess...Star's right about this big giant swords guy." Charmy muttered, bewildered while Espio and Vector were dumbstruck in silence.
Sun felt a little skeptical, but given how there was nobody else around but them, the orange hedgehog, knowing that Sonic would do the same thing, relaxed his posture before taking a few steps forward bravely.
"I'm Sun the Hedgehog, and these are my friends: Staria Amantha, Vector, Espio and Charmy the three Detectives," The former Sonic Clone answered, asking a bit more carefully. "Are you...The Master of the Gigan Trials?"
A moment of silence followed, before the giant Warrior made a humming sound of deep thought, and then slowly put his sword away.
"CORRECT, YOUNG TRAVELER. YOU ALL SEEK THE LUNAR TEMPLE, UNDER THE PRIESTRESS' GUIDANCE. YOU WISH TO CLAIM THE COSMOS SAPPHIRE?" The newly identified Master of the Gigan Trials responded.
"We're more like trying to make sure evil guys like a Platypus named Dr. Starline doesn't steal it or the rest of them, because he wants to give them to Dr. Eggman who wants to take over the world. My brother Sonic the Hedgehog can also use the Chaos Emeralds." Sun explained.
"THE CHAOS EMERALDS...SO THIS SONIC THE HEDGEHOG IS THE TRUE CHOSEN ONE, AND YOU SHARE HIS BLOOD. YOU HOLD TWO OF THE COSMOS SAPPHIRES TO KEEP EVIL FROM USING THEIR ULTIMATE POWER."
"Pretty much," The orange hedgehog shrugged. "We're here to take up the trials to reach the temple and the Sapphire, to stop the villains from winning."
"Master of the Trials, sir, we are deeply sorry for coming in such a bad time. But even though it is more than likely you wouldn't allow Dr. Starline from gaining access to the temple itself, we fear that his army of Hybrians would overcome you, along side evil aliens known as the Zeti." Star added, deeply apologetic.
Upon hearing this made the giant Warrior flinch in shock, stomping the ground in fury which made the group jump in fright while nearly losing their balance.
"WHAT!? THE ZETI HAVE ESCAPED!? HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THIS DR. STARLINE TO SET THEM FREE FROM THE TWILIGHT CAGE!?" He demanded.
"Wait they...The Twilight Cage's a prison? And they were there?" Sun asked, not having expected this.
"That means at some point, Starline must've used some kind of prototype machine to bring those guys out, but needed the Cosmos Sapphires to keep it open for longer or something." Vector theorized, placing his fingers under his chin.
"It would be a logical explanation, and it also means that the Zeti truly are from the Lost Hex in legend." Espio agreed with a nod.
"YOU DO NOT KNOW?" The Warrior questioned, skeptical.
"We haven't even heard of those guys until a few days ago, when the whole mess started." Sun answered, meekly.
"Blame it on that Starline bully. He's the one who wants to work for Dr. Eggman." Charmy nonchalantly added, his hands behind his back.
"That's why we need to make sure the Cosmos Sapphires do not fall into the wrong hands. Let alone let them gain access to the Twilight Cage for it's power." Star continued, pleadingly.
The Master shook his head, "MORTALS, YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH OF THE TWILIGHT CAGE. HOWEVER, TO LEARN MORE, YOU SHALL HEED MY WORDS."
"Ugh, I knew we wouldn't be getting much info without a catch." Sun groaned in annoyance. Great, now they had to really pass the trials in order to both get the Cosmos Sapphire as well as gain more info on the Twilight Cage and what the Zeti have to do with it.
"IF YOU WISH TO RETRIEVE THE COSMOS SAPPHIRE, YOU MUST PASS THREE OF MY TRIALS. SUN THE HEDGEHOG, ARE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS WILLING TO CONTINUE FORWARD? MANY IN THE PAST HAVE FAILED AND FALLEN. IF YOU ALL DO NOT TRUST IN EACH OTHER, A TERRIBLE FATE WILL AWAIT YOU." The Master Warrior questioned darkly.
A moment of pause filled the entire chamber, hesitancy and fear threatening to plunge the hearts of the five Mobians who all shared a glance, their eyes narrowed with nods of determination. They all had made it this far despite a few disagreements(especially with Vector having a terrible sense of direction and questionable leadership), but they had fought off against the Hybrians and were not willing to back down.
"We're willing to take your tests." Sun boldly declared.
"VERY WELL. BUT, BE WARNED, IT WILL TAKE YOUR STRENGTH, COURAGE, KNOWLEDGE AND COMPANIONSHIP TO SUCCEED," The giant swordsman stepped side, gesturing the five friends into the opening. "THROUGH THERE WILL BE MY FIRST OBSTACLE. GO, MORTAL TRAVELERS. SUCCEED OR FAIL, THE REST IS UP TO YOU. YOUR FINAL TASK, SHALL YOU PASS THE TWO OF THE THREE, WILL BE DECIDED."
"...Thanks." The orange hedgehog murmured, taking the lead with Star and the Chaotix following close behind to prepare themselves to take on the three obstacles.
Watching them leave to begin the trails, the Master of the Trials kept his eyes solely onto both Sun and Star, sensing great power and souls within the two hedgehogs. He could sense that Sun was more than what the tangerine Mobian had said, especially his deep connection with Sonic the Hedgehog, the hero of Mobius. And Staria...she was...very unique. Perhaps even...
It wasn't until a full realization dawned onto the giant warrior, yet it was far too early to make a conclusion on these thoughts.
"SUN THE HEDGEHOG...HE IS THE CHOSEN ONE OF THE COSMOS SAPPHIRES, AND THAT GIRL, STARIA...HER POWER HAS NOT YET AWAKENED." He whispered to himself, almost breathlessly.
Deciding that he shall secretly keep an eye out while awaiting for the results of the group's progress, the Warrior then vanished into a cloud of dust, teleporting himself into another location.
Meanwhile, high in the air just above Mazuri hours after passing by Metropolis, the familiar aircraft of Dr. Eggman, his facial logo on the side of the vessel itself, flew across the ocean and secretly passing over the village and the former location of the Gaia Temple. Following it secretly behind was the smaller aircraft helicopter of GUN to ensure that the evil scientist wouldn't know of them tracking him from behind.
Within the helicopter was a couple of pilots of GUN soldiers, and in the passenger port were three best agents of the organization: One being Rouge the Bat, who was relaxing in her seat even though she held a bit of a bored expression. Sitting next to her was the Ultimate Lifeform and one of her partners and admittedly close friends, Shadow the Hedgehog, who, stotic and serious as always, had his arms folded deep in thought.
Across from where they were, was E-123 former badnik robot, Omega, who was charging his functions for his next mission to accomplish the one goal he wished to gain ever since he joined Shadow and Rouge: to destroy his creator Dr. Eggman and eliminate all robots that were inferior to him.
"You would think that Dr. Eggman would have avoided in simple as lackful than not knowing that we're following him," Rouge commented. "I'm surprised that Sonic hasn't even caught wind on this yet."
"Whether Sonic did or not, he is not to be pressured into facing the doctor again far too soon, especially when he, Sun the Hedgehog and Light Gaia went through the effort to put the planet back together." Shadow sternly responded. "Our mission is to locate his next move and find out if he has any links to the global invasion of these Hybrians."
"Oh? What's this? Do I hear the sound of concern for Big Blue from the big, tough, Grumpy, Ultimate Lifeform?" The bat thief teasingly smirked, leaning over closer to the ebony hedgehog who glared daggers at her.
"Hmph...I don't know what you're talking about, Rouge." Shadow scoffed dismissively, looking away to his left.
"Awww...So you do care about him! I never thought I'd live to see the day Mr. Grumpy would see Mr. Happy as a close friend." The white bat cooed.
The black and red hedgehog rolled his eyes. "Whatever. That faker has been reckless like he always is, but even he has his own limits and it's about time he learned he is not fully invisible."
Yet, deep down, while he wouldn't admit it even to himself, Shadow did feel geniue concern for Sonic, especially over what happened a month ago. Shortly after their reunion in Spagonia, ever since Eggman split the world part, Sonic had...changed slightly. No longer was the cobalt speedster as optimistic as he usually was, the guilt of having been captured and unable to prevent such a terrible event, the accidental creation of his clone whom he feared at first due to his Werehog form, then had grown to deeply bond with as brothers, even asking Shadow himself to finish his work in restoring the Chaos Emeralds should anything happen to the fifteen year old.
Then there was Sun the Hedgehog himself. A young former hedgehog clone who had already developed his own emotions, his own thoughts, living a life now hopefully away from this new crisis. In a way, the tangerine Mobian was a combination of Sonic, Knuckles and Shadow himself. Then was Sonic's deepening concern for everybody he cared about, having increased even more.
'Whatever Eggman is up to now, I have to fill in Sonic's shoes this time. He deserves a much needed rest.' Shadow thought to himself.
Maybe, in private once this mission is over, the Ultimate Lifeform would try and locate Sonic to make sure he is making a steady recovery from his traumatic adventure.
Then, he wouldn't be surprised if Sonic, Tails, Amy and very possibly Knuckles and the Chaotix would be also dealing with the situation, which made Shadow hope that the fifteen year old cobalt teen was at least recovered enough to fight without his guilt distracting him.
Unbeknownst to Team Dark, on the ground on the high-cliff was Terrance, once again robed in his cloak that drifted against the wind, his arms folded to his chest as his sight was drawn directly onto the helicopter itself. An annoyed frown covered his face, listening in to the reports from one of his colleagues for a brief change of his mission.
"Do you see Dr. Eggman's aircraft and the GUN helicopter?" The voice of Grotto questioned sharply but deeply.
"Affirmative. Dr. Eggman has already crossed the ocean, while the fools of the military are attempting to catch him," The most dangerous Hybrian reported, a sly, evil smirk beginning to form with a low, almost silent chuckle. "Shall I give them a cold welcome?"
"Shadow the Hedgehog is reported onboard the vessel. Do not let him get near the doctor or the Cosmos Sapphires, Terrance."
"Roger." The evil Hybrian responded, thrusting out his right arm which was metallic and shifting into that of a laser cannon. He chuckled while aiming perfectly at the vessel, locking on it's targets. "I have thought of a wonderful present for you...Shadow."
Opening fire with a powerful laser ball of dark, electrical energy, Terrance grinned as it successfully hit the propellers which burst and shattered into pieces and flames.
The impact caused the chopper's alarms to blare, and everyone inside gasped while nearly losing their balance. Rouge cried out in alarm before Shadow quickly reached out to catch her, holding her close to his chest as he held onto the nearby bar with his free hand.
"Alert! We have been hit by an unidentified laser attack! Damage of GUN Chopper 03: Critical!" Omega shouted, sounding quite very alarmed as he looked around.
"Ugh! Can you scan who's behind this!?" Shadow demanded, gritting as he and Rouge, who thanked him for saving her, held on for dear life.
"Negative!" The robot reported, as the sounds of the alarms, the pilot's screaming, and the loss of altitude made it impossible to hold on. "My sensors are being blocked by an unknown outside source!"
"Let's worry about who attacked us later and get outta here! Or else we're as good as turning into mush and I don't fancy of being cooked to death!" Rouge shouted, a slight panic in her voice which she managed to mostly cover with a tone of frustration.
"Right, let's go!" Shadow nodded, turning his gaze to the door of the cockpit. "Agent O'Connel! We need to evacuate now!"
"R-right, Agent Shadow! I've lost all control of the aircraft and we've been hit at the propellers!" The said pilot stuttered in fear, struggling to unbuckle his seatbelt and yanked his headphones off, before he quickly went to open the doors.
All the while the helicopter spun out of control heading straight towards near the stairways of Gigan Canyon.
Shadow, Rouge, Omega, and the frantic O'Connel, who yelped and nearly slipped while attempting to make his way towards Team Dark, hurried to the side door before yanking it open, the gust of wind blowing against them that made the two Mobians and the human wince at how strong it is. At the black hedgehog's signal, they all jumped just in time for the helicopter to crash towards the rock and trees two miles from the entrance.
"Hang on tight, boys! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" Rouge called out, flapping her wings while she held onto Shadow's right hand, Omega holding onto the latter's ankles and O'Connel, whimpering nervously, held onto the robot for dear life.
Even though this was a bit of a struggle for the GUN Agent/Bat thief due to the bit of an extra weight of the team's current companion.
Witnessing this yet not seeing the four emerge and escaping, Terrance grinned while his laser cannon arm reverted to it's original form before taking his leave to continue his original mission.
"Heh heh heh heh heh...So, not even the so called Ultimate Lifeform can truly escape or overpower the might of the Hybrians. Dr. Starline has trained us well." The evil soldier chuckled, satisfied for his accomplish.
Now, for the orange hedgehog and the Princess...as well as the Cosmos Sapphires...Even the Priestress girl shall belong to the Hybrians who, with the leadership of Dr. Eggman and Dr. Starline as his second in command, shall rightfully take Mobius for their own.
A/N: Again, I deeply apologize for the delay once again due to several reasons including having to get my computer fixed up(which it is now since I was borrowing a friend's computer to finish this chapter in the meantime), and not as much as of action this time.
But now Sun and his team are about to face the trials in order to claim the third Cosmos Sapphire, and Team Dark have entered the story as well!
Hope I did okay with the explanation of the Cosmos with Crysta. Don't worry, more action shall take place in the next chapter.
See you later!