Sorry for the long wait, but here's the next chapter!
Enjoy! :)
NOTE: I ONLY OWN MY OC(s)! EVERYTHING ELSE BELONGS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS!
CHAPTER 5: A REUNION OF FRIENDS
It was a brand-new day; the sun's shining and the birds are singing without a care in the world. Tails is outside his workshop doing some tinkering with the Tornado and Selene watches with an interested look on her face.
She looked at Tails. "Did Sonic show up at all last night?"
"I'm sure he did," Tails answered without looking away. "He probably went out again to do a quick run before we woke up."
The merhog hummed at the answer. She may have known the blue hedgehog for a day, but she could tell that he's the kind of guy that likes to go out and do his own thing. And he seemed…different from the guys she knew back home; it almost makes her want to get to know him.
She suddenly felt a strong gust of wind and blinked when she saw Sonic next to Tails. Whoa! He really is fast!
"Mornin', buddy!" The blue hedgehog exclaimed.
Tails looked away from his tinkering and gave the blue hedgehog a smile. "Good morning, Sonic."
Selene shook her head from her thoughts and gave Sonic a smile. "Good morning, Sonic."
Sonic smiled at the merhog and bowed. "Good morning, Princess."
"There's no need for that," Selene giggled in amusement.
The hedgehog chuckled when he stopped bowing. "I know another princess who dislikes when people bow at her. I think you and her would get along nicely."
"Oh? Well, I hope I get to meet her while I'm here."
"I dunno…" Tails said. "She lives in another dimension and is probably busy with her duties."
The merhog blinked at what the fox said. "Wha?"
"Good mooooorning!"
Sonic, Tails, and Selene turned to see Amy running up to them with a smile. They waved at her as the pink hedgehog stopped next to the merhog.
"Did you sleep well last night, Selene?" She asked.
"I sure did!" Selene answered with a smile. "It was really nice of you and Cream to get me some pajamas." She looked around for the rabbit and her Chao friend. "Where is she?"
"She had to stay back home to help her mom with errands. But she told me that she'll let us know if she hears anything about the Chaos Emeralds' whereabouts."
"I see."
Amy then remembered something. "Oh yeah! The news reports about how you helped us stop Eggman yesterday are spreading all over."
Selene blinked with a surprised look on her face. "Really?"
"Man, these reporters know how to get it done," Tails said in astonishment.
"Yeah!" Amy said. "I was leaving my apartment in Central City when I saw the tabloids." She then gave the merhog a sly look. "And you already have a lot of admirers."
Selene got an annoyed look and sighed. "Great…"
The three Mobians sweat dropped at that; something tells them that their new friend had to deal with something like this back in Mermobius.
Speaking of which…
"Hey, Selene?" Tails gained the merhog's attention. "Could you tell us more about you and your home?"
"I'm curious about that, too," Sonic said with Amy nodding in agreement. "Heck, I have a question."
Selene tilted her head to the side. "What is it?"
"You said that some Moon Keepers have the healing ability. Are you saying not every Moon Keeper has the same abilities?"
"Well…" Selene gathered her thoughts before answering. "Every Moon Keeper always has the power to manipulate a water's form. Sometimes they discover new abilities during their life and are randomly passed down to a new keeper. Some say it's by chance, while some say it's the Leviathan that chooses for them."
"Are there any other special waterbending abilities?" Amy asked.
"There's one that was discovered decades ago, but…" Selene looked down and hugged herself, which caused the Mobians to look concerned. "I'd rather not explain it right now…"
"I'm guessing you have this ability, too?" Sonic asked.
"Mm-hm…"
Amy placed her hand on Selene's shoulder. "Well, we won't force you to tell us or show us until you're ready." She looked at Tails and Sonic. "Right, guys?"
"Absolutely!" Tails said.
"Definitely!" Sonic added.
Selene gave them all a grateful look. "Thank you."
"What's going on?"
Everyone turned to see Knuckles walking over.
Sonic waved. "Hey, Knux! We were just learning more about Selene."
"Other than being a princess?" The red echidna asked rhetorically, giving the merhog a blank look.
Selene couldn't help but sweat drop at that. "I-It's not a big deal."
"Still, a princess and Moon Keeper?" Tails questioned. "You must have a lot on your plate if you have two of the biggest responsibilities ever."
Just like another princess I know, Sonic thought in amusement.
"Not really," the merhog answered with a slight shrug. "I may be a princess, but I'm not next in line for the throne. That honor goes to my big brother."
"You have a brother?" Amy asked.
"Yup!" Selene took out her cell phone and showed her friends a picture of a yellow merhog. "His name is Curry, and he's the best brother a sister could ask for. Sure, he's overprotective and a bit stubborn, but I love him all the same. He helps me out with my Moon Keeper duties when he's not busy with his lessons."
"Who helps you if Curry is unavailable?" Sonic asked curiously.
Selene showed them another picture. "My two best friends: Petri and Verde." Said picture shows what appeared to be a cyan butterfly and a green…wait…
"Wait a minute…" Knuckles looked at the picture closely, eyeing the green figure. He then widened his eyes in shock. "No way! She's an echidna!"
The merhog blinked at the red echidna's reaction. "Technically a merchidna, but yeah…?"
Sonic, Tails, and Amy were just as shocked as their echidna friend, and they don't even know what to say. Knuckles, however, shut his eyes and looked away with clenched fists.
"Uh…what's going on?" Selene questioned as she put her phone away.
Sonic was scratching his cheek with an unsure look on his face, Tails was twisting his namesakes nervously, and Amy looked sad. Eventually, she sighed and looked at Selene.
"Well…you see, Selene…" She gestured to the merhog to lean in closer.
She did as the hedgehog instructed and let her whisper into her ear. She pulled away and looked at Amy in shock and horror. "You're kidding…"
"I wish I was…" Amy said sadly.
Selene looked at Knuckles, who was still looking away. "Knuckles… I'm so sorry…"
Knuckles sighed. "It's fine…"
Is it, though? Selene thought sadly. She had no idea the attack Chaos unleashed thousands of years ago led to the near extinction of Mobian echidnas. Now she learned that Knuckles is the only one left. How was she ever going to explain this to the other merchidnas back home?
Down the cliff near the workshop, Curry's head popped out of the water, looking around in confusion. Petri and Verde's heads also came up as they watched the merhog look at the rapidly blinking moonstone in his hand.
"This doesn't make any sense," Curry said. "The moonstone is reacting strongly, but Selene's not here."
As Verde watched the merhog, Petri looked around before looking up the cliff. She blinked when she saw smoke, so she took off her glasses to rub her eyes before putting them back on, making sure that what she's seeing was legit.
"Uh…guys?" She gained Curry and Verde's attention before pointing up. "I think the moonstone wants us to go up."
Verde and Curry gave the merterfly a confused look before looking up. They were shocked to see the smoke, and when the merhog raised the stone higher, it glowed bright.
Curry got nervous as he put the moonstone away. "You mean to tell me that my sister is up there?"
"Looks that way," Verde said, which didn't ease the merhog's nerves. The merchidna could tell what Curry was thinking and gave him a reassuring look. "Relax, I'm sure Selene's fine; the moonstone wouldn't be glowing otherwise."
Curry relaxed, realizing that the merchidna was right. "Yeah, and my sister wouldn't go down without a fight. Now we just need to figure out a way to get up there."
As the two teenagers put on their thinking caps, Petri was also thinking of a way to get up to the cliff while they were talking. She looked at her wings, which fluttered a bit, and this made her gasp in realization.
"I GOT IT!" The merferfly shouted in excitement, causing the merhog and merchidna to yelp and look at her. "I could fly us up! I'm technically a butterfly after all."
Curry and Verde looked at each other, then they looked at Petri.
"I don't know, Petri," Verde said with an unsure look on her face. "Can you even carry us?"
"I've lifted heavier stuff than you!" Petri pouted.
"It's true," Curry said. "You would not believe the amount of chemicals I've seen her carry around in the castle laboratory."
The merchidna blinked at the merhog prince. She then looked at Petri, who was giving her the puppy dog eyes. She sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine."
The merterfly pumped her fist before becoming starry-eyed. "Yes! I've been dreaming of this for a long time!"
She climbed up to a rock and did a flap of her wings to get rid of the extra water. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she started to flap her wings and slowly began to rise. Curry and Verde looked on in shock.
Petri slowly opened her eyes. Seeing that she's out of the water, she let out a happy squeal. She extended her arms to Verde and Curry. "Grab on, you two!"
Nodding to their friend, Curry held onto the merferfly's right arm while Verde held onto the left. Using her strength, Petri flapped her pink and black wings harder and was able to go higher with her two passengers. They were about halfway up the cliff when they felt strong gusts of wind.
"Uh…Petri?" Curry got nervous and held on tighter.
Petri gulped. "Better hold on tight. It's going to get bumpy."
Right as she said it, an updraft came out of nowhere and all three of them screamed as they were shot up toward the top of the cliff.
One of Selene's ears twitched at a faint sound and looked in its direction. "Do you guys hear that?"
The Mobians looked confused; they heard the faint sound, too, but they had no idea what it was. They got their answer when everyone saw three Mermobians shoot past the cliff like a rocket, screaming their heads off. Everyone was stunned, but Selene was even more stunned when she recognized who those Mermobians were.
"No way…" Selene muttered in disbelief.
"HANG ON!" Petri yelled as she tried to regain control.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Curry cried.
"¡CUIDADO!" Verde shouted when she realized they were about to hit the ground.
With one more scream, Petri, Curry, and Verde landed a few feet away from Selene and the Mobians. Selene and the others couldn't help but cringe at the hard landing and could see the Mermobians groaning in pain.
"Nailed it…" Petri said in a dazed voice.
Selene slowly approached Petri and the others while Sonic and his friends stood back to watch, not wanting to interrupt what could possibly be a heartfelt reunion.
"Guys?" The maroon merhog asked in a hesitant tone, unsure if what she's seeing is true. "Is that you?"
Verde and Curry were still in a daze, but Petri snapped out of it and saw Selene. Feeling her eyes getting misty, she flew toward the merhog and tackled her into a tight hug.
"SELENE!" She cried. "IT'S YOU!"
Now knowing this is real, Selene hugged the merterfly back just as tight. "Petri! I can't believe you're here!" She looked at Verde, who was slowly getting out of her daze. "Verde!"
Verde saw Selene and smiled happily. "Selene!" She crawled over to her and Petri and gave the merhog a fist bump. "I'm so glad to see you safe, mi amiga."
"Same here!"
Turning to the male merhog, Selene let go of Petri and went over to him. Curry sat up and was rubbing his head in pain. He heard someone approaching and he looked to see that it was sister. He was stunned to see that she has legs, but he couldn't help but tear up a bit at seeing her.
"Selene…" He said quietly.
Feeling tears of her own, Selene ran to him and kneeled in front of him to hug him with all her might. "CURRY!"
Curry hugged back just as tight, happy to be reunited with his little sister. Verde and Petri smiled at the scene. Sonic and Tails smiled, too, even wrapping their arms around each other in a brotherly fashion; Amy was wiping away her tears, and Knuckles smiled a little.
Selene pulled away and looked at her brother happily. "I can't believe you're here! What about everyone else? Are they okay?"
Curry chuckled. "Everyone's fine, including Mom and Dad." He then examined her. "Enough about that, what in Neptune's name happened to you?"
"Whoa… I didn't even notice," Petri muttered as she flew over while Verde crawled over.
"Oh, this?" Selene got up and did a twirl. "It's my Mobian transformation. Turns out we can still do this."
"Even after thousands of years?" Petri asked in complete awe. At the female merhog's nod, her eyes began to sparkle. "Cool…"
Verde noticed movement in the corner of her vision and turned slightly to see, to her shock, two Mobian hedgehogs, a Mobian fox, and a Mobian echidna watching them. She tapped Selene on the shoulder, gaining her attention. "Uh…Selene?" She jerked her head in the Mobians' direction.
Curry and Petri now noticed the Mobians and grew nervous, though the latter looked more curious than nervous.
Selene smiled and gestured for them to come over. "Hey, guys! Let me formally introduce you!"
Seeing that the reunion is done, Sonic and the others quickly came over. Knuckles walked a bit slower, still reeling that there's another of his kind in front of him, even if she's a bit different.
"Everyone…" Selene began. "Let me introduce you to my new friends." She began to point to each one by name. "This is Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, and Knuckles." She then did the same thing to her brother and friends. "And this is my big brother Curry, and my two friends Petri and Verde."
"'Sup?" Sonic smiled.
"It's great to finally meet you all," Tails waved with a smile.
"I think we're all going to be great friends!" Amy added happily.
"…Yeah," Knuckles muttered and stared at Verde, which caused her to look at him in confusion.
Selene noticed and giggled nervously. Oh boy…
"Well, any friend of Selene is a friend of ours," Petri said, fluttering her wings happily. "Right, guys?"
"Eh, they seem like decent people," Verde said with a shrug.
Curry, however, crossed his arms and looked at the Mobians suspiciously. "I don't know… How do we know they won't sell us to some crook or turn our tails into sashimi?"
Selene, Petri, and Verde gave him blank looks while Sonic and the others stared dumbfounded at the merhog prince.
"¿En serio?" Verde asked with a raised brow.
"What?" Curry raised his hands in defense. "We don't know how much has changed since our kind interacted here!"
"You always overthink things," Selene sighed before returning to her blank look. "Besides, I'm alive, aren't I? So, give my new friends a chance."
…
Curry sighed after a moment. "Fine; I'll try."
Selene smiled. "Good." Then she looked puzzled. "I still don't understand something. How did you guys get here? The Moon Door's completely sealed until the next full moon."
"Easy, Oracle gave us this," Curry took out a key from his quills and showed it to his sister. "He said that this key was created to open and close the Moon Door, no matter the lunar cycle. It's mostly used to see how Mobius has changed so we can keep up with the times without having to wait for the door to open naturally."
"That would explain Selene having a cell phone," Tails muttered to his friends, who nodded with interest.
Selene blinked at the key in her brother's hand. Then, to everyone's surprise, she narrowed her eyes. "Are you kidding me…?"
Petri and Verde flinched at her tone and Curry got nervous; even Sonic and the others took a step back.
"You mean to tell me…" Selene continued and grew angrier as she spoke. "That Oracle had a key where we can go to Mobius and back without having to worry about being stuck for a month…AND HE NEVER TOLD ME?!"
"I knew she would get mad," Petri whimpered as she clung onto Verde in fear, who nodded looking just as scared (much to her embarrassment).
Curry gulped. "W-Well, i-it's not that he didn't want you to know. But…um…"
Selene glared, but then she blinked before giving her brother a deadpan stare. "Dad?"
"Yup…" The yellow merhog sighed, knowing that she's right.
"UGH! I BET HE MADE SURE MOM WOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING TO ME, TOO!"
As Selene continued to vent (her brother and friends failing to calm her down), Sonic and the others watched her looking shocked. They have never seen her this mad before (despite only knowing her for a day) and they were at a loss for words.
"Well, well… I was told there was a Mermobian, but I didn't expect to see more of them."
Everyone stopped their actions and turned toward the new voice in surprise. A white bat, a black hedgehog with crimson streaks, and a black and red robot with an omega symbol on its left shoulder came over.
"Hello, darlings," the white bat giggled at everyone's reactions.
"Rouge!" Tails smiled. "I see you got my message." Seeing everyone else looking at him, he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, we don't know how serious the situation's going to be, so we need all the help we can get."
"That was a good call, buddy," Sonic praised the fox, who blushed.
"But did it have to be them?" Knuckles asked in annoyance.
"You got a problem with that?" The black hedgehog asked with a glare.
"Oh, take it easy, Shadow," Rouge soothed before smirking at the echidna. "I think he's still grumpy since I wanted to see how the Master Emerald's doing."
All Knuckles could do was glare. "You just won't go away, even with the security system."
"Someone needs to make sure it's doing its job correctly," Rouge giggled before she and her teammates looked at Selene and her friends. "Anyway…" She approached Selene. "So, you're Selene. Tails told me all about you and what's going on. In case you missed it, I'm Rouge."
Selene blinked before smiling and shaking Rouge's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Rouge."
"Well, aren't you a darling," Rouge smiled before gesturing to her teammates. "And these are my friends Shadow and E-123 Omega."
Shadow crossed his arms and stared at the merhog, causing her to sweat drop nervously.
That stare… She thought with a shiver. She shifted her gaze to the robot and looked at it curiously. "I never thought of meeting a friendly robot. Did Tails create you?"
"Dr. Eggman was the one who created me," Omega said, which made Selene stiffen. "Fear not; he may have created me, but he locked me away. As a result, I made a vow to eliminate him and all his robots."
Selene relaxed at this. But she couldn't help but feel bad for Omega. She gently grabbed one of his claw hands and gave him a smile. "Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you in action, Omega."
If Omega were a human or a Mobian, he would be blushing right now. All he could do to show his shyness was to use his other hand to rub his head. Everyone except Shadow and the three Mermobians (who were gawking at Omega) chuckled at this.
Sonic then realized that Selene's brother and friends still have tails. He approached them. "Aren't you guys going to transform?"
Curry, Petri, and Verde snapped out of it and looked at Sonic. Then they looked at each other before looking at Selene.
Selene gave her brother and friends reassuring looks. "Don't worry, you won't even feel a thing. Besides, it'll be easier for you guys to move around and not have to be carried around all the time."
"Will it even work on us?" Petri asked. "I mean, it makes sense that it worked for you since you're the Moon Keeper, but we're ordinary Mermobians."
"Petri, if it worked for me, then I'm pretty sure every Mermobian and merperson can do it, too."
Verde couldn't help but be a bit cautious. "Selene, if this works, won't we be…you know…"
Selene giggled. "Don't worry, Verde, you'll be clothed when you transform."
The merchidna looked relieved. She and the two girls looked at Curry, who was looking down with an unsure look on his face. Sensing eyes on him, he looked up and noticed his sister and her friends looking at him, which made him sweat a bit.
He sighed. "Okay, okay, I'll do it."
Satisfied, Selene gave a quick explanation on how to do it. Nodding, Curry, Petri, and Verde focused, and they began to glow white, causing everyone to step back and close their eyes. Once the glowing stopped, everyone opened their eyes to see what their new friends looked like.
Curry's now wearing elbow-length teal gloves with an orange trim and tall teal boots with orange cuffs and soles; Petri's wearing a long-sleeved green shirt under a purple overall dress, white gloves with purple cuffs, white socks, and purple sneakers with green stripes and white laces; Verde's wearing a short-sleeved black crop top, brown pants, black fingerless gloves, and black combat boots.
They looked at their new forms in amazement.
"Huh…" Verde looked at herself and smirked. "Me veo tan rudo."
"I like this!" Petri smiled.
Even Curry looked impressed. "Not bad."
Selene clapped happily. "Awesome! Let me help you get started on standing up."
As she was helping them, Tails approached Shadow and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, Shadow? Do you mind if I borrow your Chaos Emerald for a bit? I want to make some adjustments on my Miles Electric for better tracking."
Shadow sighed. "I suppose so." He dug through his quills to pull out a green palm-sized gem. He handed it to the two-tailed fox. "I better have this back."
"Don't worry, it shouldn't take long."
Petri saw the exchange and couldn't help but get excited. "Ooh!" She flew over to them. "Do you need any help with the adjustments? I happen to be good with machines."
Tails smiled. "That would be great, Petri! My tools are in my workshop. Come on!" He walked back inside his workshop with Petri following suit.
Selene couldn't help but smile at the two. It was nice to see the little merterfly get along with someone with similar interests as her. She watched as Amy and Knuckles helped Verde and Curry learn how to walk with Omega, Rouge, and Shadow watching on.
Sonic walked up to Selene and stood next to her. "Happy to have some familiar faces around?"
The merhog looked at the blue hedgehog and smiled. "Of course. And knowing that everyone else back home is safe is a huge relief." She then pouted. "Still can't believe my own father didn't let Oracle tell me about the key…"
"I'm sure he had his reasons."
"Maybe…" Not wanting to talk about her problems, Selene decided to change the subject. "Cream actually told me how you stopped Chaos with the Emeralds' powers."
"Did she now?" Sonic smirked and rubbed his nose. "Well, it was one of the toughest fights ever, let me tell ya."
Selene smiled. "I bet. It sounds like you've used the Chaos Emeralds many times. And is it true they come in different colors?"
"Absolutely!"
As the two talked, Amy couldn't help but look in their direction with a curious look on her face. She noticed that ever since Selene saved Sonic from drowning yesterday, he's been acting a bit…strange. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes a bit at the pair.
Rouge noticed the pink hedgehog's change in demeanor and looked in her direction. She sees Sonic saying something to Selene, causing the merhog to laugh a bit, and the blue hedgehog smiles. Rouge immediately connected the dots and smirked in amusement.
"WE GOT A SIGNAL!"
Everyone turned to see Tails running up to his friends holding the Chaos Emerald, and Petri flew next to him holding the Miles Electric, which was beeping up a storm.
Knuckles blinked. "That was fast. How many signals?"
"Only one, even though we adjusted the tracker to find the remaining Emeralds around the whole globe," Petri explained, looking a bit down.
Tails gave the merterfly a look of reassurance. "Don't worry, Petri, one signal is better than none. And the Emeralds are always finicky when it comes to locating them."
"Where's the Emerald located?" Shadow asked.
Petri looked at the Miles Electric. "Somewhere in Soleanna Forest."
Sonic looked down in thought. "Soleanna… I remember going there to see some kind of festival during my travels. Though I feel like there was more to it than that…"
Amy, Knuckles, Tails, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega couldn't help but feel the same way whenever they hear Soleanna. Curry, his sister, and her friends looked at them in confusion.
Sonic shook his head. "Ah, whatever." He smirked. "We got a location, so let's go!"
Everyone nodded at the blue hedgehog, though Curry was a bit hesitant.
Tails handed Shadow the Emerald back. "Here, Shadow."
Shadow nodded before making a gesture to his teammates and walked off. "Team Dark, let's move out."
Rouge and Omega nodded before following the hedgehog.
"You're not coming with us?" Selene asked.
"Don't worry, sweetie, we'll see each other again," Rouge winked. "Besides, it's better to split up to find those gorgeous gems faster than sticking together as one big group, right?"
"I guess that makes sense," Selene smiled at the bat and waved. "Good luck, then."
"You too, darling."
"Rouge!" Shadow said sternly while Omega waited patiently. "We need to get moving."
"Coming, Mr. Grumpy," Rouge huffed and walked over to her teammates.
Making sure his teammates are close, Shadow held the Emerald tightly and shouted, "Chaos Control!" In a flash of light, he, Rouge, and Omega disappeared.
Selene let out a yelp. "What in the—?"
"Mother of Pearl!" Curry shouted while Petri and Verde were stunned. "What was that?!"
"That was Chaos Control," Sonic answered. "I can tell you guys about it during the flight."
"And with that, let's go!" Amy exclaimed and grabbed Sonic's arm, moving him away from Selene. "Come on, Sonic!"
"A-Amy!" Sonic yelped as he was forcefully dragged to the Tornado. "Careful!"
Selene blinked before shrugging and followed the two hedgehogs to the red biplane.
After making sure everything looks good, Tails got into the cockpit to get the plane started. Petri flew into the seat behind him, looking super excited about flying in an actual plane. Sonic and Amy got onto one side of the top wing while Knuckles got onto the other side. He helped Verde climb up next to him.
"Gracias," Verde said. All she got from him was a nod.
Curry cautiously climbed up to the bottom wing below Verde and Knuckles and held onto it for dear life. Selene settled on the wing below the two hedgehogs, looking forward to flying and going to a new place.
"Okay, everyone!" Tails announced. "Next stop: Soleanna!"
And with that, he pressed his foot on the gas and the Tornado took off. The Chaos Emerald hunt has officially begun.
Translations:
Cuidado = Watch out
Mi amiga = My friend
En serio = Seriously
Me veo tan rudo = I look so badass
Gracias = Thank you
Man, this chapter took FOREVER to finish! Not only was I super busy with work, but I had a bit of writer's block. Even with a journal, it's sometimes hard to get the words in -.-
You may have noticed that one of my OCs sometimes speaks Spanish. Anytime that happens, I'll put in the translations at the end of the chapter. I thought it would be interesting to have a character speak in a different language occasionally. As many Sonic fans know, the events of Sonic 06 were erased when Elise blew the flames out. However, that doesn't mean some of the characters might get a case of déjà vu.
And with that, I might take a little break; maybe work on something else.
Don't forget about the poll I have up!
See you next time!