Chapter 6: Secrets
Sonic, Tails and Amy didn't stop running; they didn't stop running when their legs began to ache; they didn't stop running when their chests grew tight; and they didn't stop running until they were bathed by the shadows of Ashen Cliff and they finally felt safe. Finally, with no chance of the spoiled king to interfere, they let themselves have a moment of respite as they doubled over on the cobblestone streets of Ashorus to catch their breath – and let out a hearty laugh.
"That was awesome!" Sonic cheered, pumping his fist into the air. "Did you see me go toe to toe with that snot-nosed prince?"
"You had him beat, too, if he didn't get his protector to come in and make it an unfair fight," Amy acknowledged his skill. "I don't know what that emerald did to you, but it made you one hell of a fighter."
"I don't know," Sonic pulled the emerald out of his pocket to marvel at it. He studied its red sheen, and let the invisible wisps emanating from the emerald twist and dance around his body and sink deeply into his skin.
"And you," Amy turned to Tails, his body immediately seizing up. "You… really surprised me. The look on Shadow's face when you threatened to smash that vial: priceless!"
"Oh… thanks, it was nothing, really," Tails replied timidly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Nothing? The hell it was," Sonic jumped in. "We'd be goners if you hadn't saved us with that threat. How did you even know to grab it?"
"I saw something golden fly from his pouch when you were fighting with him. It looked important, but when I finally found it in the mud and saw it was some sort of liquid I was sure of it," Tails shrugged.
"Good work," Amy clapped him on the shoulder, and the genuine smile of pride she shot him filled him with warmth. He turned to Sonic.
"I'm still not so sure you should have pushed him as far as you did. You acted rashly. We don't want to make an enemy of the monarchy, especially not when times are getting tough for our village."
"Times are getting tough because of the monarchy," Sonic fired back. "Why should we grovel over a spoilt prince who couldn't care any less about us lowly subjects? I still say we should have just smashed that vial."
"But you heard what Rouge said. King Mephiles needs that to survive," Tails reminded his companion.
"Tails, I can't stress enough how little I care. Now come on, we should get going before it gets too dark."
The trio of teenagers continued to gawk about their encounter – and their victory – with a Deyfros monarch until they arrived outside Sonic's house and were greeted by the front door flinging open and Blaze storming out. She pushed past Sonic and wrapped her arms around Tails, planting a hundred kisses on his forehead and mumbling her worries aloud.
"Mother, stop, seriously I'm okay. I'm sorry we were late but everything is fine," Tails tried to calm his worried mother and push her away from him, trying in futility to save face from his snickering companions.
"And where have you been?" Silver wondered from his place leaning against the doorway, eyes focused on Sonic.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Sonic replied.
"Try me," Silver flicked his gaze towards their kitchen table, inviting everybody inside. Knuckles rolled his eyes from his spot at the table, slouching in his chair with arms crossed. As the group gathered around the table, Sonic began, regaling his father, brother, and Blaze with the tale of their encounter with the indignant prince, and how it was Tails' quick thinking that allowed them to get out of there alive. When he'd finally taken a break and gargled down a tall cup of water, Silver chimed in with intrigue.
"While I'm glad that you stood your ground, I do need to ask – why was he fighting you in the first place?"
"We had these eme–" Tails began to answer but was quickly interrupted by Amy.
"We had these insults that we couldn't wait to fire at him. Like you say, Silver, the monarchy are losing their way and they've yet to read your brilliant ideas," she stroked his ego. Silver's smile widened.
"Exactly," Sonic clicked his fingers, sharing a knowing glance. "It's not often you get to see a prince by himself, so I wanted to give him a piece of my mind and let him know of your plans to save our kingdom. I just might've said it a bit rudely," Sonic chuckled.
"That was a dangerous and foolhardy thing to do," Blaze admonished them.
"While that may be so," Silver suddenly jumped to the teenager's defence. "I'm glad you stood up for your beliefs. As long as you weren't hurt, then I think you did the right thing."
"Are you seriously buying this?" Knuckles suddenly piped up. "There's no way they are telling the truth. It's simply preposterous."
"What, you don't believe me?" Sonic rose from his seat.
"No, I don't. Not one bit," Knuckles mirrored. The two brothers stood opposed each other, glaring daggers. That's when Amy cleared her through and stole Knuckles' undivided attention.
"You really think I'm making all this up, Knuckles? I'm no liar, and frankly I'm a little offended you'd think I was," Amy said. "You don't think I would lie, would you?" Knuckles' face began to grow hot, and his cheeks flushed with coloured embarrassment.
"I… No… what I meant was… I…" he stumbled over his words, mumbling incoherently. He noticed Sonic's snickers and immediately glowered, embarrassment turning to contempt. "Whatever. You have your fun, I'm going to my room." With a grunt, Knuckles stormed from the kitchen and mounted the staircase loudly. Nobody spoke for a moment until the slamming of a door interrupted the silence.
"In any case," Amy clapped her hands together. "It is getting late and my parents will begin to wonder where I have been. I should be getting home, and I'll need my boys to help walk me home," she slung her arms around Sonic and Tails' shoulders.
"But you never need us to–" Tails' words fell short as Amy wrapped her fingers around his collar and wrenched him backwards, dragging him out the door. Sonic followed behind, waving to both Blaze and Silver and promising he'd return home soon.
Tails followed behind Amy and Sonic absentmindedly until the two of them veered off course and began making their way south-east: the opposite direction of Amy's abode. The gentle, winding cobblestone paths moulded into dirt tracks and began to slope upwards as they trudged through the farming districts and up a lone hill. Tails recognised this place. It was the place he first met Sonic all those years ago when they used to play together on the rope swing and lay beneath the shade of the tall oak that grew from the top of the green hill. The swing was no longer there, it's rope long since decayed from time's hand, but instead a small wooden bench had been erected facing out over the sprawling village of Ashorus now bathed in an orange glow of flickering torches beneath the starry sky.
"Why here?" Tails finally asked when they'd reached their destination and the trio plonked down on the waning wood of the bench.
"Because of these," Sonic whispered, even though no soul was near them, pulling out the red emerald from his pocket and holding it out in front of him. Perplexed, Tails revealed the green companion to Sonic's emerald, gently rubbing the bud of his thumb over its surprisingly smooth sheen.
"I've been meaning to ask – why'd you interrupt me when I was telling our parents about these?" Tails wandered aloud.
"I'm not sure we should reveal that we have these emeralds yet," Amy sighed.
"Not even to Blaze or Silver?"
"I agree. Not to anybody," Sonic finally tore his gaze from the red emerald nestled in his grubby fingers. "You saw the way that prince acted when he heard about their power!"
"Exactly. He was willing to kill us over them," Amy added. "We only got out of there alive because we had something he wanted. I think it's best for everybody if, for now, we keep these a secret between just the three of us until we can understand them a little more." Sonic grunted in agreement.
Tails wasn't so sure. He didn't like keeping secrets, especially not from Blaze. Something just didn't sit right with him about it. These emeralds were magical, that could bring with them melodies that could soothe the hearts and bring hope to the people of Ashorus. However, a small part of him knew Amy and Sonic probably had a point. He recalled how quick Shadow had been to draw his sword over obtaining the emerald. Tails hadn't known the prince, only met the man once when he paid Ashorus a visit, yet it seemed that upon seeing the emerald he'd been possessed by a force.
Tails gazed into the twisting green mists that danced across the surface of the emerald in the palm of his hands, studying their movements. There was something transfixing about it, and the power that dwelled within their cubic casing did cause his mind to wonder what other secrets could be hiding within. If he could just pry open the emerald and study what lay within, then maybe he could –
"Tails," Sonic clapped him on the back, dragging him out of the trance he'd found himself falling under beneath the allure of the emerald. "Care to create some more music? I want to hear what the emerald can do again."
"I'm not so sure we should be using them without properly understanding them," Amy piped up.
"Who are you and what have you done to the real Amy? Since when do you care about caution? Now c'mon Tails, play something for us!"
With a shrug, Tails stared at the emerald and focussed on the warmth spreading over the skin of his palms. He closed his eyes and reached out through the darkness, searching around blindly as if wading through a pool of waist-high water. He paddled around until he could feel a current of warmth. He followed the path along until he came across a green flame illuminated just above the water. Tails reached out, and as the green flame licked his fingertips he opened his eyes and felt a rush of energy surge up through the veins in his arms and flow into his heart. The warmth swirled around his chest for a moment before it flushed out through his other arm and back into the emerald.
As Tails felt the warmth radiate through his entire body, the first note could be heard emanating from the emerald, and as Tails concentrated harder, pouring his energy into the emerald, it began to hum and elicit the most beautiful melody that Tails had ever heard.
"Amazing," Sonic marvelled as he closed his eyes and let the music wash over him, transporting him back to a simpler, happier time. The notes rang nostalgically through him, even though this was the first time he'd ever heard him, and as he opened his eyes and marvelled the village he grew up, he felt complete and utter contentedness.
"It really is," Tails sighed with pleasure, his gaze following Sonic's over the village. The two boys sat in silence, bathing in the gorgeous tune that danced on the wind around them. Amy, on the other hand, didn't sit so soundly.
She gritted her teeth and picked at the wooden splinters beneath her trying her hardest to hear the music. Yet, despite her companions testimonies, she could hear nothing but the faint sound of the wind rustling through the leaves of the tree above her. The melody Sonic and Tails spoke of never entered her ears, and for a moment she thought her friends were playing a cruel prank on her. That's when her mind fell back on what the nymph Aldar had said to them in that muddy clearing…
Only somebody with a gentle soul can hear the melody.
A thousand questions buffeted around in her head, caught in a maelstrom of confusion within her mind. Why could Sonic and Tails hear the music when she couldn't? Did she not have a pure heart? Was she a bad person?
Amy was confused, and she wanted answers, but she decided against voicing her fears to her companions. She didn't want to admit the truth, more to herself than her friends, but a part of her knew the two of them would think differently if they knew the truth. They'd tell her they didn't, but if they knew she was unable to hear the emerald's tune then they'd always be wary of her.
"Amy," Tails squeaked, pulling her from the confines of her mind. "You look distressed."
"Distressed? No, I'm just enjoying the music," Amy waved away his concerns.
"But I've stopped playing it…" Amy froze, but only for a moment before speaking again.
"I guess I was so lost in thought I didn't even realize it had stopped. Would you play it again for me?"
"You should give it a try," Sonic pushed. Amy politely declined, but he pressured her further. Once again Aldar's words echoed through her mind…
The emerald of Harmony can see into somebody's heart, but if somebody who it deems unworthy tries to force out the music it will ignite the volcanic ash dormant within that was used to construct it and explode with the force of an erupting volcano.
"Maybe some other time," Amy said as she leapt off the bench like it had burnt her. "It's getting late, and I'm exhausted after our little encounter today. I think I'd best be getting home and checking on Ray. I'll see you two around!"
"Are you sure you don't want us to walk you home?" Tails called after her.
"Hah! You walk me home? Just because you saved us back in the forest doesn't mean you can strut around as Mr. Brave now. You're still the weakling of the group, and don't you forget it," Amy teased as she ran down the hill and disappeared from sight. Tails slumped his shoulders.
"Hey," Sonic whispered as he placed a comforting hand on Tails's back. "Don't take it personally. You know she's just teasing you, and I think is just a little ashamed that she wasn't the one to get us out of that mess today."
"You think?"
"I know. I also know that regardless of circumstances, I wouldn't want anybody else by my side in a fight except you," Sonic smiled genuinely and warmly. Tails smiled back.
"Thanks, Sonic. Right back at you."
"Now come on. Let's listen to some more music. My adrenaline is still way too high to go to bed right now." With a smile, Tails obliged and together the two boys slouched back on the old wooden bench beneath the oak tree on top of the hill and watched over the village long into the night, listening to the emerald's melody.
The house was still beneath the cold, lucid moon. The hearth-spun blanket of woven grey smoke began to dissipate into the midnight blue above as fires dimmed to embers and the village folk stirred within their covers. The night had grown long, and nobody was out wandering the streets.
It was on nights like these that Sonic would be quick to slumber, usually collapsing onto his wool-stuffed mattress within seconds. Sonic was known for many things: brashness, loudness, stubbornness, but above all was his primal ability to sleep for hours upon hours. However, tonight wasn't like other nights.
Sonic lay beneath his linen sheet, his knees almost touching his nose in a curled ball. He clutched something within his grasp, holding it close to his chest. A red light penetrated through the fabric, and out between the small slits in his wooden shutters out into the sky. Sonic cradled the emerald almost gingerly, caressing it's edges and corners gently. With each rub, another small wisp broke from formation and danced up to his face. He breathed deeply, allowing the crimson mist enter his nostrils and make a home for itself within his essence.
Sonic filled with warmth, and he felt his muscles bulge beneath the overwhelming power he had at his fingertips. Redness pulled at the corner of his eyes, pooling into his whites as he allowed himself to the emerald, sighing in satisfaction as its energy surged through him.
