Chapter 11: Overwhelmed
The swaying branches of verdant trees danced in rhythm with the beat of Tails' heart. Sweat beaded on his forehead and dampened his palms, his eyes studying the tree line, and the blackness just beyond it, as sieves of mist twisting around the trunks.
At night, the Forbidden Forest was alive with a cacophony of sounds. There were the howls of the silverback wolves; the shrieks of the screeching birds; and the chattering of the scuttling rats. Each sound added to the symphony that rose each one of Tails' hairs. On another night, he'd have turned back in an instant – but tonight had to be different. He knew Amy was in there, and he knew he needed to go help her. She'd have done the same for him, whether she'd like to admit it or not.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the green emerald. It pulsated at his touch, small whisps of verdant mist springing from its invisible holes. Tails studied it, his fingers tracing its sharp edges and warm faces.
"Please," he whispered, calling upon its energy through his fingertips. "Give me the strength of bravery that I need." His spirit was vitalised, and with only the luminous stars sprinkling the deep sky above as his source of light, Tails swallowed down his fear and pushed forward into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
Eclipse traversed the halls he grew up in with newfound vigour. The stagnant slate-grey stone walls and deep royal blue and gold flags that adorned them shone a new glow. Everything felt different – felt new. Eclipse was seeing everything with a new eye. He stopped to smell the flowers, to chat with the guards, to actually smooth the creases out of his shirt in the mornings. The world seemed brighter, and it was all thanks to that new scientist – Mina Mongoose.
Eclipse was confused – he'd never felt this way about anybody before. He'd often read about love, but since Mephiles chose him to be the companion of Shadow, the only people he'd truly known were the castle staff, and King Shadow himself. But there was something different about Mina. He loved Shadow, truly, but this new feeling was different. It was new. Something Eclipse couldn't quite put his finger on. A warm, fuzzy feeling kindled within him when she spoke, and he found himself noticing little things about her. He noticed the way she smiled shyly to herself. He noticed the way she bit her bottom lip when she was concentrating. He noticed the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about something she was passionate about – normally some scientific intricacy that Eclipse struggled to comprehend.
He didn't know what love looked like, or what it felt like, but if he were to hazard a guess it would feel something like the way he felt about Mina. Was he being overwhelmed by these new feelings too quickly? Perhaps, Eclipse thought, but this was a feeling he wanted to run towards, rather than cower from. And what does one do when they feel this way? They go divulge it to their best friend. That's exactly what Eclipse found himself doing as his feet whisked him quickly to Shadow's bed chambers early that Sunday morning, bounding up the twisting staircase three steps at a time. However, when he neared Shadow's room he was stopped by Rouge, a stern look adorning her face.
"Lord Eclipse," Rouge nodded her head. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to talk to Shadow about a matter personal to me, Rouge. Please step aside," Eclipse responded flippantly, dodging past her and reaching for Shadow's door. However, as he reached for the wood, Rouge's arm flashed out to grab his, pulling him backwards. "What was that for?" Eclipse fumed.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you see his majesty right now," Rouge replied steadfast.
"What? Why not?"
"He isn't taking visitors presently."
"I'm no visitor, Rouge. I'm his best friend, and I need to talk to him!" Eclipse fired back, but as he made a move to the door again, Rouge stepped in front.
"I said no, Eclipse."
"Why the hell not? I haven't seen him in weeks, and we've barely been able to spend time together since he became king. Is he suddenly too good for me now?" Eclipse's voice was teetering on that of a scream, and he wasn't sure if it was because he wanted Shadow to hear him, or if he just needed to get his frustrations out.
"I understand this might be tough for you," Rouge sighed, "but it is his majesty's wish. He has been struggling with the departure of his father, and right now we need to respect his wishes and try to understand where he is coming from. He needs time to heal."
"Understand where he is coming from?" Eclipse parroted. "How am I supposed to do that when he won't even talk to me? We can help him, Rouge, but you need to let us try."
"I cannot go against Shadow's orders, Eclipse. And regardless of your relation to his majesty, you must also obey him. He is our king."
"He's also my friend," Eclipse spat. "I can talk to him. Just let me try." This time, as Eclipse went again to open the door Rouge pushed him back with force.
"I said no," Rouge flared her nostrils. "Do not make me hurt you."
"I… I… fine," Eclipse huffed. "But I'm not giving up on him, General," Eclipse seethed as he retreated.
"Eclipse," Rouge called after him, her voice softer. He paused on the top stair and glared at her petulantly. "Please don't give up on him." Eclipse looked back in confusion. Rouge never made sense to him. Regardless of her own convictions, her blind obedience to Mephiles' words, and now Shadow's, even if she knew better, frustrated him.
"I won't," Eclipse promised as he descended the stairs. Dejected, he weaved his way through the twisting castle halls and out into the garden. He needed some fresh air, but it wasn't too long before he ran into somebody that immediately perked him up.
"Mina," Eclipse called out, a wide smile stretched across his face as he hastened over to her sitting on a bench, jotting down some notes onto a crudely sewn together leather-bound notebook.
"Eclipse," Mina looked up, snapping shut her book and tossing it into her satchel. "To what do I owe the pleasure on this fine Sunday?"
"Hi."
"Yes… hi. How are you?"
"I'm… hi," Eclipse smiled back. Mina gave him a quizzical look. "Oh, right, I'm good. How are you?"
"You don't look good," Mina replied, taking Eclipse aback with her forwardness. "You're smiling at me, but yours eyes seem troubled."
"I…" Eclipse thought for a moment, but knew he couldn't lie to her. Her perceptiveness was unforgiving. "I'm just a little frustrated."
"Tell me about it," Mina offered, patting the spot next to her on the bench beneath the tree in the castle grounds. Eclipse openly accepted the invitation to join her.
"It's just Shadow," Eclipse sighed. Mina cocked her head inquisitively. "I miss him."
"What do you mean you miss him? He hasn't gone anywhere."
"Not physically, no. But, and I'm not sure if I should be saying this, but he's emotionally distant."
"It's okay, I won't tell anybody. I promise. You seem like you need somebody to talk to, anyway," Mina smiled.
"Normally Shadow is that person, but he has ordered Rouge not to let me see him at the present time. I don't know why. I don't know if I did something, or if I said something to offend him, or what," Eclipse sighed.
"I don't think you did anything. I don't know the king well, or you well for that matter, but he has a lot on his plate. He inherited an entire country to take charge of. You can't expect him to be the innocent prince you used to know, because he has to change. Deyfros needs him to change. It needs him to lead. I know it might be hard for you to accept that, but things won't ever be the same again. He'll lean on you for help eventually, I'd imagine, but right now he needs to figure out just what type of leader he wants to be first."
"You think?" Eclipse pondered. He'd never really thought about it that way. He knew being king would lead to more responsibilities, but Eclipse always imagined Shadow himself wouldn't change when he eventually succeeded Mephiles. Mina's words made sense, however. Yet, she didn't know him. She didn't know how much he really changed. It wasn't just ascending the throne. It was something else. It was those emeralds – Eclipse knew this to be fact, deep down inside. But as much as he wanted to tell Mina about them, he knew Shadow wouldn't want him to. So he didn't.
"That makes sense," Eclipse sighed eventually, stealing himself from his thoughts. "I guess I never really thought about it that way. I guess the best I can do is support his decisions and be here whenever he needs me."
"Exactly," Mina nodded. "You seem like a good friend, Eclipse, and I'm sure Shadow is glad he has you around."
"And I'm glad I now have you around," Eclipse said without thought, but as he realised what he'd just said his cheeks glowed red.
"You didn't mean to say that out loud either, did you?" Mina jeered with a wink and a laugh, giving his hip a slight nudge with her elbow.
"Why can't I ever keep my big mouth shut?" Eclipse bemoaned as the two laughed.
Meanwhile, high above them, draped in the shadow of the castle stood King Shadow, eyes fixated on the two sitting beneath the tree.
Shadow wrinkled his nose, and ground his teeth together. He didn't like how close the two were getting. He didn't like that Eclipse was distracting his scientist from her job, and he didn't like how quickly Eclipse had forgotten about him. He'd overheard his conversation with Rouge, and he expected Eclipse to try to contact him regardless, but he didn't. He just moved on to Mina without sparing him a second thought.
What a friend Eclipse was turning out to be, Shadow thought with disdain.
Sonic sat on his bed, thumbing the emerald in his hands. His frustrations at Tails had subsided, and he was finally thinking clearly. Silver was right – he didn't truly know the effects of this emerald. His father was smart, and maybe he could figure out the true extent of this emerald. He would be back by now, annoyed that he didn't find the emerald. Sonic looked from the emerald to the door. Maybe he should go down and admit he lied? Maybe Silver could help?
Don't give me up.
Sonic heard the voice in his head again. He stared at the emerald, it's tendril-like coils of crimson mist billowing up his arms. It was whispering to him. It had been doing that more frequently. Sonic wasn't sure at first what the sounds were, but gradually the confusing garbled whispers morphed into words, and it was like it was trying to communicate with him.
Keep me a secret. They want to take me from you.
No, Sonic thought. Silver wouldn't do that. Silver would only want to help. Pushing the whispers out of his mind, Sonic stood up and made his way to the door.
You're making a mistake!
The voice was silence as he pocketed the emerald and made his way down the stairs, dispelling its tempting call.
"Dad? Dad!" Sonic called as he searched the house. He was sure Silver would have returned by now.
"Shut it," Knuckles growled as he poked his head out of his room. "Father isn't back yet, so could you be quiet!" The door was slammed before Sonic had time to response. With a roll of his eyes, Sonic ignored his brother and made his way to his father's study. He knew that's where Silver would be. That's where he always was. But when he knocked on the door, he realised Knuckles was right. Silver and Blaze weren't back yet.
Sonic paused at the door, and begun to turn back when an overwhelming feeling overtook him, urging him forward. The emerald vibrated in his pocket. He strode into Silver's office and over to his desk where his eyes fell on a leather-bound journal sitting closed. Sonic hesitated, but the feeling was strong, and pushed against his reservations. Before Sonic knew what he was doing, he had opened the journal and began flipping through the pages.
March 5: I noticed it again, at the dinner table this time. Sonic's temper has gotten shorter, and he's far easier to anger. It was a mere word from Knuckles that set him off this time. I first noticed this after he got back from his fight with King Shadow. I will continue to monitor.
March 6: Sonic demonstrated an immeasurable feat of strength today. I was beyond comprehension. No boy his size and strength should have been able to lift that wagon, and I'd not soon have believed it if I didn't witness it with my own eyes. My initial hypothesis would be magic, if I didn't hear how preposterous that notion seems.
March 7: If I didn't know my son any better, I'd say he was suffering from a severe case of bipolar. One minute he's the carefree child I raised, but he'll snap at the simplest things. I'm worried about him. Something must have happened in that forest. I'll speak to Blaze about it.
March 8: Blaze says she's noticed Tails acting strangely as well – more aloof, but it isn't the same temper issues I've been noticing with Sonic. Rob 'O says Amy is equally on edge, but again he didn't report the anger Sonic has been exhibiting He's hiding something from me. He's got something – I noticed him cradling something. He carries it around in his pocket. I searched his room for it, but my search came up empty. I'll continue to monitor. I'm worried about him.
Fury flared within Sonic as he read the journal. His father had been spying on him, reporting on him. He preached about honesty but it was clear he had plenty of his own secrets he was keeping.
I told you. You can't trust anybody. The whisper grew louder. More intense. Even without touching the emerald, Sonic could feel its presence envelop him.
Your friends betrayed you. "Tails and Amy betrayed me," Sonic repeated softly.
They sold you out. "They sold me out."
They only want to have me all for themselves. Take me to my brother. Reunite me.
With newfound vigour, Sonic gripped the emerald between his fingers, bit his bottom lip, and rushed out of his house as fast as his legs could take him. He didn't know where he was going, but he had a feeling and followed it like a man on a mission as the anger enveloped him.
