Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognized characters or gameplay patterns within this fanfiction. Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Eggman, Blaze, and all related characters of such are owned by SEGA. All original character's are owned by me, unfortunately.
Existence 10.5
Zephyr seemed oddly scatter brained to Blaze. One moment the swallow was talking about something before a sudden other thought would catch him by surprise, having him burst out laughing before he would explain anything. And even then, when he did explain, it was like trying to follow train tracks when they decided the best thing to do was to follow a course made by Marine on a sugar high.
By the end of the hour, Blaze found herself more tired trying to keep up with the hyper bird's talking than if she had spent the rest of the time walking in the blizzard above them. Zephyr seemed to notice this though, and gracefully offered to them a couple of small couches and cushions, and some blankets that looked like he'd made them himself.
While teaching himself how to make blankets. Learning from wall art. From the primal stages of life. Spark seemed eager to at least try them, and within moments found herself buried neck deep in blankets asleep.
The swallow didn't seem to sleep, instead pushing them out to the 'living room' of the small cabin and quietly turning off the light, leaving the hearth going, the small flickering light reminding Blaze that it was night-time, or at least it should have been. There were no windows, so it was impossible to see what it was like outside. Zephyr seemed to acknowledge that though, as he gave them almost live updates on the blizzard above whenever he thought about it. Regardless if anyone asked.
The cat sat down on one side of the couch, stretching out with one of the blankets underneath her, and another above her. Spark lay on the other side, already sleeping carelessly in her giant bundle. Tails had his blanket out, the one he'd made ages ago, and was staring deep into the screen of the tablet, its light showing off the scowl on his face.
"Are you alright, Tails?" Blaze asked cautiously. Her words seemed to reach him, as both of his ears immediately propped towards her as he took his head out of whatever it was he was doing. "You looked like you could use a break."
"I'm not sure I need one," Tails responded quietly. Under his breath he continued, and it took all of Blaze's attention to hear it, "Not sure if I deserve one, honestly."
"Tails," Blaze sighed out. "And what does that mean?"
"I mean...you heard Spark earlier. What if we...if other times-"
"None of those times matter," Blaze said. "Or rather, they matter in that we don't have to live them. What we know is what we know, and we know it happened. We have no evidence of the time loops hitting us, because that's the nature of time."
"No, I get that. But it's just...it's been eating me for a while. I have on the Miles Electric a write up on the nature of the Time Stones."
Blaze blinked. "The what?" she asked.
"The Time Stones. Sonic never did tell you about those, did he? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. As much as he claims that he met me on his second adventure, he met me actually on his third. He met Amy before me. In a place called 'Little Planet'."
Blaze stared at him as Tails got lost in his memories. What was he trying to say? That he could figure out the nature of the time loops by analyzing these 'Time Stones'?
"Little Planet is...weird. It only pops up once a year, above a place called Never Lake. It's always the same time of year. The rest of the year it's actually moving through time, either into the past or future. And it does so by using the Time Stones, six...or seven, I don't remember, emeralds with the power to control time. Because time fluctuates so much, Sonic could also use the Time Stones power, to travel locally between three different time periods. He never made a time loop, but he saw himself more than a couple of times."
"You think the Time Stones could be used here to break the Blooming Tides?"
"No," Tails shook his head. "And even if they could, I'm not sure that would be a good idea. Conservation of energy types, after all. But the fact that there was a stone version of what it appears the Tides do, I figure I can use those as a launching point."
"Alright," Blaze admitted as she turned sideways on the couch, facing Tails completely now. "What are you thinking, then?"
"My notes on the Time Stones are incomplete at best and completely inaccurate, at worst," Tails nodded his head, "Sonic was never the best at taking notes. But Little Planet had a bunch of signs, and that's what gave Sonic the ability to temporal travel locally."
"Time travel."
"Same thing. I was also thinking of giving the Tides the ability of 'tempokinesis.'"
"It'd be chronokinesis," Blaze corrected gently. "And I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. But these signs gave Sonic the ability of time travel. What are you thinking?"
"It means there could be a physical sign of time travel around. Or alternatively, physical signs of temporal anomaly protection. Places that time keeps going despite the loops from the Tides."
"What makes you think that? Going from signs to protection zones?" Tails ability to think always surprised her. He was still deep in thought, and she realized she was nothing more than a sounding board right now. Zephyr was staying in the other room, and either wasn't listening or didn't have anything to add.
"Because we're in a six month loop, whereas Ikan'Thoa is a two hundred fifty year loop. So does that mean Ikan'Thoa has seen us dozens of times? Why did no one remember us? The amount of plot holes is staggering when you think of it like that. There's something missing, a piece missing."
Blaze stared at him, gently moving him along. Protection zones. If they were real, as Tails was hypothesizing, they could get past one loop into another. Would that mean there would be two of them? "Something with that kind of control, those kinds of staggering control, always have something that prevents it. Like the snow up there, unable to melt. It was immune to fire and electricity, and makes me think it was immune to everything."
"I don't think we're going back out in that cold, Tails."
"No, no we aren't. But if there was a future zone, then maybe we could find it. Maybe we could protect ourselves from the Tides."
"There's a lot of maybe's in that sentence, Tails. I don't want to get your hopes up. Everything in this world has been out to get us, so far. We'll look for it, in a 'keeping our eyes open' way, but I wouldn't put as much stock in it as we did the Special Zone."
Tails chuckled darkly, "Yeah, and what a help that was," he murmured. The screen dimmed on the tablet, shadowing Tails face a bit further. "Low battery," he explained. "I wonder if Zephyr has the ability to make a generator."
"I don't think so. Look around, Tails. This place is hand made. In fact...now that I think about it," Blaze said, noticing a few small patterns about it. It looked close, now that she thought about it. The door was there, which would make this the living room...the kitchen was there, Zephyr just added a wall, and some stairs...
"You noticed it too? It looks exactly like our place does," Tails said after a moment. "Zephyr said that the Tides affects buildings, too. But how can buildings be affected by the same temporal anomaly that affects sapients? There really isn't a way for that to be true."
"Are you saying Zephyr is lying to us? A primordial, lie?" Blaze asked with a smirk.
"I'm just saying it's weird. I don't think he was telling us everything. I don't think he can tell us everything. Did you notice he didn't say the name of the fire primordial, either?"
"I thought you weren't paying attention to that. I thought you were paying more attention to the fact that your unborn kits were...never had a chance."
And to be fair to Tails, if that kind of thing had popped up in her mind, she'd be traumatized by that too. She knew that an adoptive family like Tails' usually meant that family was a big thing, including kits. Obviously that didn't apply to everyone, but it applied to Tails just the same.
"Don't remind me. I don't...I don't want to remember that."
"It's okay Tails. It's okay to cry for what will never be."
"But what if we had the chance? Would you want to take it? The chance to make what never will be actually happen?" he said, looking up wildly.
"I don't think that's a possibility. How would that even happen? The Tides?" Blaze asked.
Tails shrunk down into himself. "If the Tides can control time, then maybe they control the different timelines. Maybe we can...merge them, somehow. Maybe we can...I don't know, bring them here?"
Blaze stared at him. She didn't want to admonish him, but she...she did want to stop that line of thought. She was evidential proof that such as thing was impossible. "We can't. We already exist. Their souls would merge with ours, their memories with ours...but not their bodies."
Tails' shoulders sagged. "I figured, but it was a hope. I just...I hate that I feel so bad about it. I know I never met them, they were never given enough time to be birthed, but...I still feel responsible for them."
And that was why Tails would probably make a good father, but not for a while yet. "And that's not a bad thing. But no, that was a different you, a different Katia, or Spark."
"Or you," Tails whispered.
Blaze blinked, before she, too, shrunk into herself. "Or me, too, I suppose. Different, yet the same. Two timelines, two of us. We all make different choices."
He'd seen a timeline where...where she was pregnant? The thought alone made her want to summon flames. What could possibly have driven another version of herself to...Tails was a minor! Yes, he was cute, yes he would be a good dad, but she was an adult!
"Do you...do you ever think it could have worked out?"
Tails words cut through Blaze's head, distracting her instantly. "Worked what out?" she asked after a long moment.
"Us. Together."
Blaze sighed, and hoped she made it clear she wasn't mad or upset with him. "I...don't think so. You're fifteen. I'm twenty one. You're a minor, right now. You're a smart one, and you're mature for your age, but it's not the same as actual life experience. If you were closer to my age, then maybe. I'd give it a shot. But not right now."
Tails blinked. Was that a trick of the low light from the tablet, or were his eyes watering? "I figured you would say that. A part of me kept hoping, anyways."
She hadn't meant to crush his spirits, and yet crush them she did. The tablet light turned off, leaving them in the complete dark asides from a small light from the hearth in the other room. "Tails, I didn't mean-"
"Goodnight, Blaze," Tails words cut straight to her heart. She wanted to assuage his fears, but darn it she really couldn't. He was...he was Tails.
She sighed. "Goodnight, Tails," she whispered back. Was it mean of her? To shut him down like that? She was nicer than she was to many of the others who had tried to woo her. Although age...he couldn't fix age.
"I think you did the right thing," Spark's voice whispered across the dark. "It's not a good thing to string him along. I'm glad you didn't," she said softly.
And yet, she still felt terrible for it at the same time. There was no good answer, was there?
-Side T-
The next day or so blurred by to Tails. He knew he shouldn't be 'stuck in his head', as Zephyr sometimes liked to put it, but it was difficult at the best of times to not see it like that.
The ideas had come freely and quickly after talking with Blaze. But the conversation itself muted any fire he might have had for the ideas.
He knew he was being unfair on her. The age difference was a big factor, and she was an 'of age' adult. And he was, exactly as she said, a minor. His brain wasn't done developing, and he knew that. He knew it was mostly hormones from puberty doing the talking for him, but darn he wished sometimes they would shut up and let him actually talk.
It was an odd case for him. He knew, by all rights, that Blaze was right. They probably wouldn't have worked out even if they did get together. But the sting of rejection was fresh in his mind. If anything, he should be glad she did, as that way it wouldn't affect any 'what ifs'. But there was still a small portion that was saddened by what would never have the chance to be.
That was probably stuck up of him. She owed him nothing. And he owed her nothing. There were no favors over the other, nothing more than friends. And in the end, that was far more valuable than anything he would have 'gained'. No, what probably hurt the most was that this wouldn't have been the first time. Even if he couldn't remember it, and neither could Blaze, he had no doubt that they had that same conversation before.
He couldn't do the 'romantic' thing, if anyone actually believed those romantic comedy movies that Amy forced him to watch were 'romantic', and wait around. But he knew better; life was never that clean. And Sonic would never admit to handcuffing Tails to the couch to ensure that the hedgehog wouldn't suffer alone through Amy's movie night.
Granted, they all hated Tails' movie night, until he realized that with some clever editing he could mask two Mythbusters episode as one movie. So what if he liked his documentaries on science and stuff?
He did wish he'd had the forethought to download some of those onto the Miles Electric, if only to show Spark. The vixen, he had no doubt, would be enraptured by the pictures and sounds. She certainly liked the games enough, whenever they weren't traveling. Although now the Miles Electric was down to a mere ten percent battery. He'd set a few options to hopefully extend the life, but it hadn't gotten a decent charge since they left the Fox's Grace. The rest of the time, the blue sun wasn't actually enough sunlight for the solar sensors to activate.
Tails looked around the almost carbon copy of their house from the Elemental Mountain, although now he knew it had an actual name, and hadn't seen hide or any sign of a generator he could use. His Charger didn't have much juice left on it either. Only about five charges or so, and he could use one of those to boost the Miles Electric up to around twenty five percent. If he used all five, it could be at near full. But then he'd be almost weaponless.
Zephyr seemed intent on seemingly being a good host. Every morning, he would come in with a steaming pile of meat and fish, with a large side of various fruits and berries. Every time the meat changed; pork for breakfast, rabbit for lunch, beef for dinner...it seemed like the swallow had an endless amount of food in the kitchen.
He also didn't hesitate to allow them to rest up, using his recovery gels, as he called them. It had the same type of spicy smell that most of Plague's...Flora's, healing gels had. In fact he kind of forced them to stay still. He didn't allow them anywhere near the top of the cabin, pushing them down with a small gust of wind that was near impossible to break through.
The more Tails watched him, the more he was convinced that Zephyr was hiding something important from them. It wasn't obvious, and Spark murmured more than once he was being far more paranoid than he had right to be. Blaze agreed with him on more than one occasion, but whenever he tried bringing up his thoughts, his mind always bounced back to the rejection. Even now, two days later, it was still affecting him.
He wasn't sure why he was so hyper-focused on that. He wasn't trying to be. But it bothered him enough that most of the other questions that he'd asked Zephyer weren't answered, and he wasn't bothered by that. Usually anyone that decided to avoid questions rather than answering them was extremely suspicious. What was wrong with him!?
The third day gave him an answer, and it was one that he didn't want to like or have. He had woken up that morning with a sore back, as he was prone to doing due to sleeping on the floor, but his tails seemed...healthy. He spun them for a moment, before he grinned bright as he achieved true flight for the first time in...it felt like weeks.
He wasn't even sure how long it had been.
"Congratulations," Zephyr said the instant that he walked through the door with a pile of sausages. They looked haphazardly made, as if someone had made them in a hurry and either forgot them, or...
Or didn't know what they were doing. "Thanks," Tails said, his mind focused for seemingly the first time. He gave a glance towards the hearth, seeing the fire was out.
Blaze sat down next to him. Also for the first time since they'd come to the cabin, he was able to ignore her body, and the way she flaunted it without meaning to. Spark had no such compulsions, and often tried to show off her own in his eyes.
"What's wrong with the fire," Blaze asked, her own eyes sharp and clear. Tails knew she'd felt it to; the fog that had been in their minds was gone now. He could focus, he could think.
"Ah. Well, it's warm enough now that we don't need to worry about it. The blizzard has passed above, so I'm thinking today or tomorrow would be the best day for you all to head out," Zephyr grinned.
Tails smirked inwards. "Is that because the next copy of us are supposed to show up soon?" he asked, leaning forward gently.
Zephyr stared at him, a smile on the swallow's face, "Not for some time, no."
"How much time did we lose, then?" Blaze asked, also leaning forward. Zephyr's four eyes moved to her, and he sighed.
"About a month," he shrugged. "So...how did you two figure that part out? I thought you would've still been under the incense's effect. None of your others have broken out this early."
"I'm using to burning things. Tails on the other hand...he had basically a broken back. Even with our healing, that would take a long while. About two or three weeks, give or take," Blaze said.
"Ah. Yes, he was hurt worse than usual. Most of the time it's just the third's frostbite. Whether that be the young spark there, or the prophet. Or both."
"So you kept us here longer than we intended. Why?" Blaze asked. "It couldn't have just been to let us heal."
Zephyr shrugged again, a wide manic grin on his face. "Truth be told, that was all. After all, you have about three weeks left before your loops reset. About two days, now, so close to the Blooming Tides."
"We only have two days?" Blaze's eyes widened. Zephyr shrugged.
"Always. You always leave with exactly two days left. Sometimes you get to the Tides, sometimes you don't. There's no one clean route, and it changes every time."
"Blaze, we don't have time to waste, then. You're fully healed, Spark is, I am," Tails said. "We'll grab our bags and go."
"Ah. Before you go, here, take some of these restorative gels," Zephyr said, waving a wing and having a dozen small cups come from the kitchen. Tails only stared at them for a moment, before he recognized them.
They were the same ones that they'd used, way back when this all started. The ones that he'd found in that house, close to the ruins. "How...how do you have these? Do you plant them for us to find?" Tails asked after a moment.
Zephyr blinked, before he looked to the cups. "Ah. Wrong ones. Oops..."
"The food that we've been eating. That was ours too, wasn't it? From the other loops? I recognized the sausages. It was Tails' first attempt from this loop," Blaze pointed out. Spark stared at him.
"Ah...you got me. Yes, we, in particular Deep and Rock, keep an eye on you two. We hear everything near water and air, and earth. Our goal-"
"Was to keep us moving. Never let us stop, never let us get complacent," Tails answered. "That's the tornado, the earthquake, the currents in the sea...you weren't trying to block us at all. You were trying to herd us."
"We are. And we were."
"Why?" Spark asked after a long moment. "Why not just...let them loop? Why try to herd them at all, why try to influence Ikan'Thoa? When we first arrived, you said that you appreciated that your story of 'Captain Monsoon' was still told."
Zephyr stared at them for a long moment, before he sat down. "I am primordial. I exist before existence itself did. Before the planet, before the water, before the sun, and before the stars. And yet...in you two, I sense the other two of our missing five."
Blaze blinked, before she let loose a small snarl, "What!? What do you mean in us?"
"Exactly as I said. In you two, I, and the other two, have sensed the last two of our lost number. Bolt, especially on you, two-tailed one."
"Bolt..." Tails said quietly. He hadn't known it at the time, but now knowing the name, he vaguely recollected it. Specifically in the name of yellow lightning, empowering a blue hedgehog..."The Chaos Emeralds. Is that what you sense?" he asked after a moment.
Zephyr blinked. "The Chaos Emeralds? The name is...familiar and yet not. Have you handled them often?"
"More than most others. Blaze...I think I know where the other two primordials are. They're sealed away. One in my world, and one in yours," Tails said.
"It would take power most ancient to seal a primordial."
"How about an emerald bigger than I am, holding the power of a god of control?" Tails asked, smirking. Chaos was the spirit of an ancient, but as he and Knuckles had figured out, there was a sapience much older buried deep within the Master Emerald...
"That...that might do it. Yes," Zephyr grinned. "And the location of Bolt is known, now. None of your other copies have figured such a thing out. And now the knowledge is threatening to be lost, in two days time."
"But you'll remember it?"
"I will, yes. But we cannot move against the Tides directly. And it takes far greater power than even I can do to erase their effects."
"Blaze...remember how I thought there were places that were immune to the Tides? I think we're standing in one!" Tails whispered.
Zephyr smiled, a full smile this time, "Not entirely. There are such places, but this isn't one of them. No...my body is affected by the Tides just the same, but my memories are not, if that wasn't a surprise."
Tails was more surprised that Zephyr was willing to say that he, too, was affected by the Blooming Tides. But then again, they already knew that, didn't they?
"We have two days. Spark, you staying here? Or coming with?" Blaze asked the vixen, a small bolt emanating from her fur to the ground.
"I'm going. I want to...I need to see the Tides. I need to see the thing that's created the madness that's responsible for this. For everything."
Tails nodded. "I've attached a bit of water to your bags," Zephyr said as their cloaks came bidden from the hearth. "I cannot go, but I can act as...what do you call it...? Mission control?" he grinned. Tails didn't stop to wonder where he heard those words before.
"Everyone ready then? We don't have the time to just hang out and talk, much as we'd like to," Tails said.
"Just one question. The fire primordial...what was its name?" Blaze asked. "The one sealed within the Sol Emeralds?"
"You already know it," Zephyr said. He grinned at them, waving a hand and smashing a leg against the ground as air tore them up the stairs and out into the brilliant blue light of the sun.
-Existence Interlude-
Marine leaned back against the rocks, gently letting the water lap over her shoes. She was in front of a large lake, sitting next to the biggest purple cat she'd ever seen. He had a large fishing rod in his hands, but he made it seem rather small. He was large, but he wasn't...he was almost all muscle. The type of muscle that built up from having to do the same thing, every day, a kind of muscle tone that Marine was secretly appreciative of.
It had been nearly three days since Big, his rather appropriate name, had rescued her from hitting the ground of being an out of control water monster. The moment she had broken out, she'd chucked the backpack that had taken over her mind into some rocks, ensuring that it could never be used again. Eggman probably still had the plans for it, but at least he didn't have this prototype.
Since then, Marine had just...sat there. She knew how to fish, she knew how to fish quite well actually, but hanging out with Big was...a relaxing vacation. She didn't need to worry about anything, or anyone.
All she had to worry about was the next catch, which Big would help her with if it was too big for her. He'd only had to do that twice, with fishes that were nearly the same size as Big was. Even now, he had a large basket next to him and a small green frog next to that. The frog was his friend, Big had said, and was named Froggy.
A name that appropriate could only have been named from Big.
Big's lifestyle was, to Marine, far too simple for her tastes, but the cat seemed to enjoy it. He would wake up early, sending out a few seeds and bugs towards a certain spot in the lake before he would set out his fishing rod. Then after coming up with a catch, he would go back home, eat the catch, and then go to sleep.
Simple. Elegant. On days he caught more than he would need he would trade with others living in the area. It was how he got his bed, the wood for his house.
"You're worried about something. You don't need to worry anymore," Big said abruptly. He gave her a cheerful smile, before turning back to the lake with the smile still on his face.
"I know. But...it's been three days. Do you think my friends are worried about me? I'm worried about them. Especially Blaze," Marine said after a moment. Would Big know about her? Did all cats have some kind of telepathic sense to know other cats? She'd heard that some sapients had that ability.
"I don't know. We can look, if you want. Froggy's been keeping lookout and he hasn't seen any. Have you Froggy?" Big asked the frog. It gave a loud croak. "Froggy says no."
"I just...I want to head back. But I feel like it's too late."
"It's never too late for friends. That's what makes them friends."
Marine stared at him. "What do you mean?"
Big gave a soft sigh. "Friends are friends. They get mad, and they run, but in the end, they're always friends. They may not always check up when you need it, but if you ask, they will be there."
"That's...simple."
"Friendship is simple. If you're friends, you're friends. Like Froggy here. He may run off sometimes, but he knows I'll be right behind him," Big said, giving small scratches to the underneath of the frog's head. It gave a quiet croak, as if thanking him, before Big gave it a small pat on the head, turning back to the fishing rod.
Marine wished things were always that simple. "But I can't always chase after my friends. Blaze...something happened to her. And I don't know how to fix it. I left my entire world to try and find her, and instead I ended up here. And I just fucked things up worse!" she screamed.
Big said nothing for a long moment, and for a while Marine thought that she'd offended him something bad. "You're here now," he said softly, "and she is your friend. She would know that nothing is as simple as you think. You've made mistakes. We all have. Some are bigger. Some are smaller. But they all eat away at ourselves. I think your friend would like everything you tried to do. It may not always work out, but you tried. And I think that's the sign of a true friend. Because you're healing yourself, only to keep going, right?"
"...Yeah. I'm not going to just let her go. I'm going to find her. I'm going to bring her back. I'm going to make sure she's safe."
"And that is the sign of a true friend. She'd like that. I don't know her, but I'd like that. Froggy would like that."
Marine wished she had Big's optimism. "I...just don't know what to do. I've done everything I can think of. But they're on another world, and the Sol Emeralds don't respond to me. And the Chaos Emeralds...they don't like me."
"Those emeralds don't like no one. But I did keep one around as a lucky charm for a while," Big said, reaching back and gently patting her on the back. "Froggy ate it a while ago, but then he got better after we put the water monster thing away again. We were given another one not long ago, but we keep that one locked away. We don't want any more Froggy issues."
Marine took a moment to parse. "Wait, you have one? One of the Chaos Emeralds?" she asked. They'd been searching for the seventh one for a while...and it was in Big's hands this entire time? What kind of messed up luck was that!?
"It's my lucky charm!" Big smiled. "It's at home now, but I can show you, if you'd like. You're my friend."
"I...think I'll actually take you up on that. Not now, it doesn't look like you've caught much, but later," Marine started. Big shook his head.
"No, now's a good time. The fish aren't biting yet, and they won't for a while. They aren't hungry right now," Big said, pushing himself up with one giant hand. "Froggy? Go home or stay here some more?" he asked the frog, which gave a small croak before its giant tongue lashed out and grabbed a mosquito that Marine was sure hadn't been there a few seconds ago. "He'll stay," Big translated.
Big's house wasn't too far from the lake, Marine knew. The giant cat was slow, but almost methodical. Despite his size, his movements were as silent as a ghost, and even Blaze couldn't keep that up for long. The jungle was large, and it took Marine only a few minutes to lose track of where she was, and where the lake was.
She'd been here for days, but that didn't mean she knew where everything was. The entire jungle was worse than a maze, and yet Big moved through it as if he'd been there his entire life. His hut was packed up against two canyon walls, ensuring that the wind never hit against him the worst that it could. It was a hollow hut, with barely a thatch roof and a small platform that contained Big's bed, a small box for Froggy, and a couch that she'd been sleeping on. Underneath the couch was a small locked box, and it was only now that Marine thought that it might have contained.
As methodical as Big was, he laid down his fishing rod gently, as if it was a tool of prayer, before he reached down underneath the couch for the lockbox. With practiced fingers, he unlocked it, flipping it up gently. "You see? Lucky charm," he smiled.
It was the violet Chaos Emerald. The one the others didn't have...and the one that could potentially save Blaze and Tails. Marine reached out gently, pulling her hand back instantly.
"No, you can have it," Big started. "You need it to save your friend, right?"
"But...it's your lucky charm."
"Luck is only what you make of it," Big stated simply. "I know a lot of people want this thing. It's why I kept it safe, in case it was needed again. And it sounds like you need it."
"I...I don't think we can do it without it."
"Then take it. Froggy and I will get by just fine," Big said quietly. "It's not so lucky. Go be with your friends. And tell Sonic and Tails I said hi."
"I...thanks, Big."
Big waved her off as she took the emerald, cupping it gently. It was warm, almost electric, in her hands. The Sol Emeralds were fire, this was almost...sparking. "The easiest way back is to go up the canyon ladder. Just follow the wall back. You can't miss it."
"Thank you, Big. For everything!"
"That's what friends do," Big said with a large smile on his face. Marine nodded, and started to head back. Yes, she had made a giant mess of things.
She had believed Eggman, helping her to gain power so as to not be useless to Blaze. But it was in that, she had found her real power. She grabbed some water out of a stream, coating her shoes in it and skating along the jungle's floor.
The others had every reason to be mad at her, and she hoped that by bringing Big's lucky charm with her, she could make up for some of the crap she had put the others through. The jungle walls seemed to continue forever, but within twenty minutes she saw the small ladder Big had mentioned. She coated her hands with water, and did something she never could have thought she would have ever done; she slid up the ladder, using the force of the water to keep her aloft.
The ladder was giant, nearly two or three hundred feet tall. How Big managed to climb it, Marine didn't know, and she knew that Blaze would have hated every second of it. She climbed off the top of it, staring over the large swath of jungle beneath her, and she gave a soft hope that she would be able to come back to say goodbye. Or just to hang out some more.
She found a small cave next to it that she could feel a slight wind coming from. The path was well worn and easy to walk on, and someone had gone past and put up lights on the sides. It was almost cozy and homely, in a way, that someone had put up signs too pointing towards 'the train station'.
Soon Marine found herself in a part of the world that she recognized. She hadn't actually been through this part of the world, had she? She thought she'd made it a lot farther than she did. She saw Tails' lab at the top of the hill, and she took a deep breath. This was it, the moment of truth. Would they accept her back? The stairs seemed steeper the more she went, and the more she felt it dragging her back down. But still she pushed on.
She raised one hand at the porch, ready to hit the door. She stalled, telling herself that this was silly, of course they wouldn't want her, only Blaze ever did and that was only because Marine was too annoying to let go-
Amy opened the door, and Marine saw her eyes widen before she was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. "Marine! We thought you were lost!"
Marine's ears weren't the best, but she heard Knuckles' voice in the background, "Marine's here?" before she saw him poke his head out. "About time, Marine! Good to see you!" he said, before he reached for a small phone in his pocket. "Call off the search, Marine's here. We're good."
Marine slowly hugged Amy back. Was...this what it meant to have friends? Was this what Big had been talking about? They hadn't asked about the emerald, or what she'd been doing yet...simply glad to see her.
She raised the emerald up to Knuckles eyes, and she could see them widen from where she was. "I...think we should let her come on in, Amy. Come on, we'll get you something to eat," he said quietly.
"Ah, right!" Amy said, blushing a bright red as she pulling the tanuki into Tails' old house, closing the door none too gently.
If I had to name each chapter individually, this one would have been 'Back to Basics'. Most mysteries are solved, leaving only one obvious goal now; to Extinguish the Blooming Tides.
Arc 11. Extinguish.
Also I may hate Big as a playable character but as an actual novel character he's freaking great and I love it. Also having no time to edit this before posting makes for a bad first impression...if anybody catches any errors, let me know and I'll try to adjust it.
Until Next Time.