Chapter 12: Light and Sound Waves

At Emerald Coast…

As Sonic and Alex got further away from Station Square, and away from the crowds, they started to pick up speed. Sonic started with a light jog, assuming Alex wouldn't be able to keep up.

He was soon proven wrong when Alex began passing him.

He increased his speed, and she matched him. He glanced at her, catching a twinkle in her eyes.

"Think you can keep up?" he challenged.

"Can you?" she replied, grinning.

"Let's find out. Show me what you got! Race you to the sea stacks!"

"You're on!"

With that, the Mobian and Mystic sprinted, becoming streaks of neon blue and aurora teal, and leaving plumes of sand in their wakes.

Sonic was impressed. This was the first time someone was able to keep up with him near his top speed. Mobian or Mystic. Alex's movements were graceful and focused, and there was a determined glee in her face. An expression Sonic knew all too well. It was the thrill of speed. He could see it in her eyes.

Still, could Alex match his top speed?

When the sea stacks came into view, Sonic gave one final sprint, breaking the sound barrier, and creating a sonic boom. A millisecond later, he came to a stop in front of the stacks, standing tall with his arms folded across his front.

A millisecond after that, there was a flash of light, and cloud of sand, and Alex came to a stop right in front of him. She straightened herself, wiping off the sand, and stood with a hand on her hip.

"Not bad," Sonic complimented. "You actually managed to match my top speed."

"Thanks," Alex said, flipping her hair back. "And I see why you're called Sonic."

She then massaged one of her ears, wincing.

"Speaking of, thanks for nearly blowing out my eardrum back there," she said sarcastically.

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. "Oh yeah, sorry about that. I go by so fast I sometimes forget. You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll heal," Alex shrugged, touching the white gem on her shirt. "Mystic Restoration, after all."

"Speaking of, what is your power exactly?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, it's the aurora," Alex replied, a hint of pride slipping into her voice. "With a mix of solar powers. After all, the aurora is caused by solar rays. I guess you could say I travel at the speed of light."

"Speed of light versus speed of sound, eh?" Sonic grinned. "I like it. We're gonna have to race again some time."

"If we can, sure. For now, let's focus on our mission. We need to get back to Mystic Ruins."

"Right, you said you had an idea to get there. What is it?"

"Crossing the water, of course," Alex simply said.

Sonic looked out to the ocean and gulped. The feeling of nearly drowning was still fresh in his memory, and the thought of having to face it again made his stomach drop and splash into his rest of his innards.

"Yeah, about that," he said nervously, "in case you've forgotten, water and I don't mix."

"I haven't forgotten," Alex said, "which is why I have a solution." She then knelt down to his level. "Hold still."

"Why?" Sonic asked, suspicious.

"Just do it," Alex replied dryly. "I promise it'll make sense in a minute."

Sonic simply nodded. Alex pressed two fingers to his forehead and closed her eyes. A greenish aura soon appeared around her, and swiftly wrapped around Sonic.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Sonic asked stiffly.

"Analyzing your Chaos Energy," Alex said, maintaining her concentration. "Master Aaron taught me."

A second later, Alex's aura vanished. She removed her hand and opened her eyes. "Yep, just I thought. You have a strong affinity to Air."

"Air?" Sonic questioned, still feeling awkward by the process.

"Yeah, the Elemental Force of Air," Alex said. "Chaos Energy comes from the Elemental Forces of Nature: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Shadow, and Quintessence. In your case, you have a strong affinity for Air that manifests as speed and wind."

"Well, I do like air," Sonic said before taking in an exaggerated deep breath. "Ah, so refreshing!"

Alex blinked in bewilderment at the joke before grinning. The grin then turned into a heartfelt giggle that Sonic couldn't help but join in on.

"I gotta say," he chuckled, "it's great to see you lighten up. You were pretty depressed before."

Alex smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, it is great to have someone else around. Plus, I can use my powers more freely now that we're out of the city. Which is why I can now make some forcejewels to help you get across the water."

Sonic's happiness turned into surprise. "Wait, what?"

"I told you, Mobians can use forcejewels," Alex reminded. "You can use ones that are universal like Restoration, or you can have some made for your Energy specifically. Fortunately for you, Master Aaron's taught me everything he knows about crafting forcejewels. And that's how we're going to get across the ocean."

"I see," the Hedgehog said flatly. "So, what do you have in mind?"

Alex pressed a finger to her forehead and closed her eyes. "Well, using your affinity for Air, I can use Specialization jewels to give you the ability to float and run on water."

Sonic blinked in amazement. "Really? You can do that?"

"Well, I haven't tried before," Alex admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "Never really needed to. Mostly because I can swim, but also because I can do something similar with my other forcejewels. Using the aurora, of course. Still, this is one thing I'm confident in."

Sonic frowned. "That doesn't exactly fill ME with confidence."

"You can trust me," Alex insisted. "I know how to do this."

"You, I trust," Sonic said firmly. "The water, I don't."

Alex exhaled and smiled kindly. "I understand. But I promise I know what I'm doing. I just need to adapt a few things. Please, let me help."

Sonic hesitated for a moment. He hated the idea of going out into the ocean again. Still, there was a gleam of certainty in Alex's eyes, and they had to get to Mystic Ruins as soon as possible.

"Okay," he said. "What have I got to lose?"

Alex placed her hands together. "Alright. Hold out your hand, palm facing up."

Sonic did as she said. Alex placed her left hand underneath his and held her right over it. Soon, the green aura returned, and Sonic's hand started to glow a soft, electric blue. He could only guess that was his Energy responding to Alex's. The two auras joined together and began to swirl into a faint violet light.

"This one's going to take a while," Alex said. "Specialization takes longer to make than other forcejewels. It's meant to be used for specific tasks that the other jewels can't do. I've only made a few myself, and never using another's Energy."

"Really?" Sonic said. "You seem to be doing just fine to me."

"It's second nature to me," Alex replied, her eyes glistening with melancholy. "Thanks to Master Aaron. He's taught me everything I know. I just hope it's enough to get him and Carrie back."

"You keep calling him 'Master'," Sonic pointed out. "Why not just Aaron?"

"Respect," Alex explained. "Aaron's a Mystic Master. He's been training me and Carrie to become Masters ourselves one day. Though, honestly, he's more like my dad. He took me and Carrie in when we were just kids. Neither of us knew our birth parents, so he's the closest thing to a dad we have."

"I see. What about Carrie? You haven't really mentioned her much."

Alex's melancholic expression deepened.

"She's my closest friend," she said softly. "I guess you can say she's like my big sister. She's really stubborn, but I know it comes from a place of protection. She's a better fight than me, that's for sure. I've still yet to beat her in a sparing match. She may not be as fast as me, but man, she's tough. Which is why I find it hard to believe she was jumped so easily. I know firsthand that Chaos is tough, but Carrie should've at least been able to evade him."

As Alex spoke the last part, Sonic's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Chaos was working for Eggman, and he was now after Alex. Alex was a Mystic like her companions, and she was able to take Chaos on when it had two Chaos Emeralds. However, based on what she told him, Carrie and Aaron were easily defeated, despite all of Alex's praise for their skills.

Unless…

"Alex, did you SEE Chaos take out Carrie and Aaron?" he asked.

"Yeah, I…wait."

Alex closed her eyes. She almost pulled her hand away, but the formation of the forcejewel kept her from doing the action.

"No," she muttered, furrowing her eyebrows in both deep thought and painful remembrance, "I heard Carrie shriek, and I only saw Chaos holding her after she was knocked out. After Master Aaron told me to run, I heard the cabin explode, but I didn't see what caused it." Alex's opened her eyes and looked at Sonic. "Why, what are you saying?"

"It's just that Chaos is with Eggman, and Eggman is now after you after kidnapping them. And I know for a fact Eggman likes to pull sucker punches. What if he blindsided them and it just looked like Chaos took them down?"

Alex breathing hitched and her eyes widened. The aura in their hands wavered, catching her attention. She quickly refocused before the light went out.

"I guess there's only one way we can find out now," she said. "Find Eggman and get him to confess."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Sonic replied. "He loves bragging about his 'brilliant plans'."

Alex couldn't help but snicker at the mocking tone in Sonic's voice as he said those two words. She then turned her attention back to the forcejewel. Sonic watched as the light in between their hands split in two and solidify into thin violet disks. Alex removed her hands, her aura and Sonic's disappearing, the disks dropped into his hand.

Alex sat back on her feet and relaxed. "Done."

"Great, what do I do with them?" Sonic asked, studying the curious gems.

"You put them on your shoes," Alex said. "Since their purpose is to help you run on water, I figured that would be the best place to put them. I suggest on the bottom of your shoes. That's why I made them thin."

"How do I that?"

"You just put them on there. They'll stick by themselves."

"Won't they fall off or get scratched while I'm running?"

"Trust me, it'll take a lot to so much as scuff a forcejewel. And they'll stick to anything as long as you want them to."

Sonic made a face. He didn't know much about forcejewels, but all this was sounding too good to be true. Still, he wasn't in any position to argue, especially with the one who made the jewels.

With a shrug, he balanced on one foot and placed one of the jewels on bottom on his shoe, near the front. The jewel flickered for a moment before sticking to the rubber. Sonic then did the same with his other shoe.

"Perfect," Alex said. "Now, let's give it a try. We'll start in the shallows."

"Sure thing," Sonic said, glancing at the ocean with trepidation. "What do I do?"

"Just step out on the water," Alex instructed. "I designed the jewels to react the moment you touch bodies of water. So, you'll still be able to drink water out of a glass and such."

"Well, that's good to know," Sonic said sarcastically. "Wouldn't want to get dehydrated."

Alex smirked and stifled a laugh. She then cleared her throat, becoming focused again.

"So, you ready to give it a try?" she asked.

Sonic looked out over the ocean apprehensively. He rubbed his nose with his finger and took a deep breath. He turned to Alex, who gave him an assuring nod.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he said.

"Okay. I'll go first. Just watch me."

With a casual stride, Alex walked to the edge of the shore. As she approached the water, the red and teal gems on her bracelets and necklace began to glow. The moment her shoes touched the water, a green light emanated from them, making them stay above the surface. She walked out a little farther to where she would been knee-deep and turned around.

"Just like that," she said. "Now you try."

Sonic hesitated.

"I promise you won't sink," Alex encouraged.

Despite the sickening feeling growing in his gut, Sonic steeled himself and walked towards the ocean. As he felt his heart begin to pound, he struggled to keep a straight face. All his instincts scream at him to run away, but his courage urged him onward.

Shutting his eyes and holding his breath, bracing himself for the water, he stepped off the sand.

At the same time, he felt something strange under his feet. It was like he was being lifted up. He opened his eyes and looked down. He took in a sharp inhale as he saw his feet standing above the surface, pushing away the water like he had a small rocket on the bottom of his shoe. He took a tentative step. His shoes kept him above the water. Another step, and he still stayed afloat.

His fear morphed into astonishment. The feeling grew as he walked on, his steps steadily picking up speed. A smile streaked across his face, and his walking turned into running. Even though the water splashing up all around him, all his fear was gone. He raced across the surface of the bay, creating waves like a speed boat, and laughing with sheer joy.

"This is amazing!" he yelled at the top of his voice, jumping up and flipping over an oncoming wave.

Alex happily cheered and clapped her hands together at the sight.

With one last lap around the bay, Sonic came to a stop in front of her. The forcejewels on his shoes continued to keep him up, like he was standing on solid ground.

"Wow!" he exhaled, putting a hand on his chest. "What a ride! Man, my heart's still racing!"

Alex placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're shaking, too. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonic said, his confidence restored. "Just gotta settle my nerves. Geez, I had no idea running on water could be so much fun. Thanks, Alex. I owe you one."

Alex shook her head. "You've already done a lot for me. I just did what any friend would do. Besides, if we are friends now, doesn't that mean we don't have to keep score?"

Sonic chuckled. "Good point. We just watch each other's back now."

Alex beamed. "Sounds good to me. So, you ready to head out? Mystic Ruins shouldn't be too far now."

Sonic winked and gave Alex a thumbs up. "You bet. Let's go."

Just as Sonic was about to sprint, a voice called out to him from behind.

"Hey, Sonic!"

Sonic spun around fast at the sound of his name. From the other side of the beach, a pink Mobian Hedgehog in a red dress came running towards him.

"Amy?"

Amy's happy expression quickly changed to shocked when she got close enough to see Sonic standing on the water. She came to a stop and pointed.

"Sonic!" she cried. "The water! How are you doing that?"

Sonic blinked and looked down at his shoes.

"Oh, this? I got these forcejewels now." He lifted one of his shoes and showed Amy the violet jewel underneath. "One on each shoe. They keep me above the water."

Amy stared in amazement. "How did you get those?"

Sonic glanced at Alex, looking for approval to tell Amy. Alex eyed Amy for a second before nodding at him.

"Alex here made them," he said. "Alex, this is Amy. She's a friend of mine."

"I can see that," Alex replied. "Hello there, Amy."

"Hello yourself," said Amy, still bewildered.

"Amy, please wait up!" called another voice.

Sonic and Alex walked back to the sand as two Mobian Rabbits approached.

It was Cream and her mother, Vanilla

"Mr. Sonic, there you are!" Cream said joyously. "Mother, Amy and I—"

Cream sentence cut off when she noticed Sonic's companion, and her smile grew even more. She jumped up and hugged Alex around the neck, surprising her.

"Ms. Alex!" she exclaimed. "It is you! You're safe!"

"H-Hey, Cream," Alex stammered, hugging the Rabbit back. "Great to see you again. But what are you doing here?"

"Hold on, you two know each other?" Sonic interrupted, confused.

"Yes," Cream replied. "I met Ms. Alex on the beach the other day."

The statement from the Rabbit sparked a memory in Sonic's mind.

"Ah, so Cream was your 'little birdy'," he said to Alex, grinning.

"Yeah," Alex confirmed, setting Cream down. "She told me how you fought Chaos and where I could possibly find you."

"I see. Well, now that we have that sorted out, what are you girls doing here?"

"Sonic, I came to warn you," Amy spoke up, her tone becoming urgent. "I got a reading from my tarot cards that something horrible is coming."

"What is it?" he asked, now attentive.

"All I can say it's a disaster that will be fueled by four negative emotions," Amy stated. "Every reading I did, the same cards came up: fear, doubt, weakness, and despair."

"Can I see?"

Amy fished in her pockets and pulled out a box with a violet gem on the sliding lid. The moment Alex saw it, she gasped.

"That's a forcejewel!"

All the Mobians turned to Alex, who was already examining the box.

"You sure, Alex?" Sonic asked.

"Positive," Alex replied. "Amy, where did you get this?"

"I-I've always had it," Amy stuttered. "I don't remember who gave it to me."

"Hold on."

Alex touched the forcejewel with two fingers and closed her eyes. Again, her green aura appeared and began to wrap around Amy, who fearfully jumped.

"It's okay, Amy," Sonic said reassuringly. "She's just reading your Chaos Energy."

Amy acknowledged Sonic's words, but still looked at Alex with confusion. Cream hugged her mother, who returned the gesture. When Alex's aura faded, she opened her eyes and drew in a breath.

"Clairvoyance," she whispered.

"What was that, dear?" Vanilla asked, still holding Cream.

"Clairvoyance," Alex spoke up. "I sensed a connection with Fire, and a sixth sense. All Elements have special properties. Fire can reveal what cannot be seen by mortal eyes, and this forcejewel seems to allow Amy to use her cards to see what is unseen more clearly."

"Translation, please?" Sonic said dryly, lost in Alex's explanation.

"Clairvoyance is Amy's Chaos power," Alex answered. "And this tarot deck was made just for her. Amy, can you show me how you use your tarot cards?"

Amy was about to do what Alex asked when she suddenly jumped in alarm. "Wait! I'm sorry, but it'll have to wait! Sonic, Eggman has also sent robots to Station Square!"

Sonic and Alex tensed and looked at each other.

"They've been capturing girls with auburn hair!" Amy went on. "Alex, you have that hair color! They might come after you next!"

"They WILL come after me!" Alex said, grimacing and clenching her fists. "I'm the one they want!"

"What?"

"Long story short," Sonic said calmly, wanting to diffuse the tension in the air. "Alex is being hunted by Eggman because of her Mystic abilities, and because she has Chaos Emeralds. Eggman already captured two of her friends, and we're going to rescue them. We're heading over to Tails' workshop right now. You three should get back to the city."

"But Sonic! I have to tell you–!"

"LOOK OUT!"

As Alex screamed, a sword appeared in her hand and she raised it up.

Less than a split second later, a bright energy dome appeared around everyone, and a laser hit the outside. Amy screeched and grabbed ahold of Sonic, startled, and Cream held her mother tightly, trembling with fear.

Through the protective field's shifting colors of green and cyan, Sonic saw a large red robot hovering above them, its laser gatling gun aimed right at them.

"Target locked on," it said in a mechanical voice. "Mystic confirmed. Mission engaged. Capture and return to Eggman."