A/N: This was a fun one for me to write! Hope you guys enjoy!

Without further ado, let's move on to the reviews and what matters most: the prompt!

3 Reviews

Guest

It's okay, sometimes I can feel the same way when I ask certain question.

Here's the next chapter!

CreativeKitty975

Yeah... Motion sickness can be quite unexpected, and it's even scarier for someone like Chris because there's no way he can stop it.

Super duper waffles

Yeah... not even Sonic can be everywhere at once, but he'll try as long as it means he can protect Chris!

Day Seven: Only For Emergencies
Prompt: Magic With a Cost

Alarms blared in Chris and Rouge's ears as they ran through the metallic corridor of the Egg Fleet destroyer. Chris had just been broken out of prison by Rouge, mainly because he knew where Eggman was keeping a Chaos Emerald.

Chris had been separated from his friends during a Chaos Emerald hunt, and subsequently captured by the many robots that were operating the destroyer. Eggman had demanded that Sonic and his friends surrender the other Chaos Emerald they had on them as ransom. He had been scared for his life as he was flown up to the ship looming overhead, and it seemed as if his cries for help fell on deaf ears. Yet Sonic responded to him anyway, but he couldn't jump high enough to reach him.

However, on his way to the prison, Chris managed to see a glimpse of blue. He knew there was a Chaos Emerald in the room he passed by, but he couldn't stop because the robots escorting him to the prison had a firm hold on him.

He spent roughly half an hour in the prison before Rouge came to his cell. She had heard rumors that Eggman had an Emerald on the ship, and since Chris knew where the Emerald was, Rouge agreed to free him on the condition that he would take her straight to the Emerald.

"You sure you know where you're going, kid?" Rouge asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice.

"I think so," Chris said between pants, "just a few more turns to go."

"Good, 'cuz I'm not too keen on this alarm right now. That sound goes right through my head."

Suddenly they were ambushed by a horde of Badniks that emerged from the three-way corridor in front of them, forcing them to stop in their tracks. Chris eyed them carefully, but then he took a step back when the various Crabmeats and Caterkillers started to advance toward them.

"You sure this is the way?" Rouge said, glancing at Chris behind her.

"Y-Yeah," Chris said. "I know it was this way, and then a left, and then another right."

"I came from that way and I didn't see it," Rouge said with a shrug, "but hey, if you saw something I didn't, then lead the way."

"O-Okay, but if we go another way, what if we get lost?"

"Then it's a good thing you have me," Rouge said as she leaped into the fray and started kicking the Badniks into piles of scrap. "I know my way around the good doctor's bases like no one's business. GUN didn't hire me for my good looks, you know."

As Chris watched Rouge continuing her onslaught against the robot armies, he couldn't help but feel like he was inadequate. His friends were always fighting all his battles when it came to physical combat. They kept telling him it was okay because he was a human and he didn't need to expect himself to have their strength. But he still felt like he was lacking.

"All clear," Rouge said. "Now let's hurry. It won't be long before Eggman locks down the ship."

That was a new fear that Chris suddenly had. If he did lock down the ship, then they would never get to the Emerald in time.

The two of them made a left and picked up speed, then made another right turn.

"This is it! I think," Chris said as he slowed to a stop in front of one of the doors. There was a window next to the door, which meant Chris could see into the room.

Rouge eyed Chris in doubt. "I told you, I passed by this room already and nothing caught my eye. For all we know, it could have been anything else."

"Just please believe me!" Chris pleaded. "Look, kick the door down or something, but I know what I saw. The Emerald is in there!"

Rouge shrugged. "Be my guest, but if they trap us in there, I'm not the one to blame for that."

She took a step back and Screw Kicked the door down before stepping inside. Chris followed her, stepping over the fallen metal door, which now sported a huge dent. Rouge turned on the light, and she and Chris studied her surroundings.

It appeared to be a storage room of some sort. There were shelves everywhere, and the occasional box, ranging from those the size of his head to those half the size of his bed. He could only guess what was inside them. It could have been weapons, or spare parts for the Badniks, or–

"Should have asked sooner, but what color was the Emerald?" Rouge asked.

"Blue," Chris answered.

"Gotcha," Rouge said with a curt nod as she wandered around the room, looking for anything that gave off a blue shine.

Since Chris had been in prison for over half an hour, there was a chance that the Emerald was moved, but with any luck, it was still in there somewhere.

"Here it is!" Chris called as he reached up and pulled the blue gem off the shelf. Rouge ran over to him, looking somewhat surprised.

"Huh… So I guess it was here the whole time," she marveled. "If you hand it to me, I'll take you back to your friends."

"No!" Chris exclaimed, a little too loudly as he grabbed onto the Emerald with both hands and took a step back. "N-No, I can't do that, it's just–"

"It's just what?" Rouge said, crossing her arms.

"Um… S-Sonic's counting on me!" Chris said.

"To do what?" Rouge said. "Recover the Chaos Emerald for him? Look, you're a good kid, but you're still a human, and last I checked, human kids don't hold up well against Eggman robots. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be here now."

"But I am here now," Chris said in determination, looking Rouge in the eye. "I don't know why, but it kinda feels like I need to be here now." As he spoke, the Emerald glowed softly in his hands.

"You know if all the Emeralds are in one place, it makes them easier to steal, right?" Rouge said, completely blowing off Chris' words. "So if you just hand it to me, it'll make it harder for Eggman to get them all. And like I said, I'll take you back to your friends."

Despite Rouge's enticing words, Chris still felt like it wasn't right. Sonic and Rouge didn't always see eye to eye, and Amy was especially vocal in her distaste for her. If they found out that he let Rouge take the Emerald, then he was sure he would have been in big trouble, and he didn't want to face the wrath of Amy. She was scary to be around when she was mad.

"I…" He didn't know how to answer.

"Besides, they're better off with me," Rouge added. "Look, if we don't make a deal, I'm just gonna take it and run, and–"

"But you said you're gonna take me back to my friends."

"Yes, if you give me the Emerald first!"

"But you can't turn super like Sonic can!"

"That doesn't matter! All the world's gems are mine to keep! And that happens to include the Chaos Emerald you're holding right now."

"Rouge, shut up! They're coming!"

It was uncharacteristic for Chris to snap like that, but he was tired of being constantly badgered by the bat right now. Not only that, but he had started to pick up the sound of metal footsteps as they got closer and closer to the storage room. Even worse, he could tell they were running. He was surprised that Rouge didn't hear it sooner despite the fact her hearing was far better than Chris'.

And sure enough, they were gathering together outside the room, gradually stepping over the door as they made their way inside.

"If you didn't get cold feet all of a sudden and just handed me the Emerald, this wouldn't be happening," Rouge complained as she leapt forward and started fighting off the robot horde.

All Chris could do was stand back with the Emerald and watch the fight. Rouge did seem to have a point, but at the same time, he didn't want to take the risk that was offered to him. Deep down, he felt like the Emerald was better off in Sonic's hands.

The sounds of smashed metal and lasers being fired filled the room, and Chris huddled back in the corner, hoping the robots wouldn't get to her. But by the sounds of Rouge's grunts, he could tell that she was putting serious effort into the fight.

When he looked up, he saw that they were actually starting to push her back. More and more robots filed into the room, stepping over their fallen comrades without a hint of remorse. They were now halfway between the entrance and Chris, who was in the farthest corner.

"Give me that Emerald and I'll get us out of here!" Rouge shouted.

"But…"

"Ugh, why must kids be so hard to bargain with?!"

But then he looked at the Emerald, which was softly glowing in his hands. He remembered a few minutes ago, when he told Rouge he was here, and that fate must have put him here. And then he realized, there WAS something he could do.

However, he was told to never do it no matter what, because the consequences were potentially irreversible. He could still hear Sonic's voice in his head from the first week they met. He had told him to never use the Chaos Emeralds' power no matter what, because there was a huge risk that it would cause permanent damage to his body, since he didn't have any Chaos energy in him for the Emerald to pull from. As a result, it would pull from his life force instead.

But as Chris saw it, there was no way to leave the room without risking capture, and Rouge was actually starting to get injured in her fight.

"Rouge! Grab the Emerald!" Chris called.

Rouge's eyes twinkled as she realized Chris might finally be seeing things her way, but then she was hit with a sudden double take. Her glee changed to shock faster than Sonic running at the speed of sound.

"You're not doing what I think you're–"

"Do it!"

Rouge hesitated, but a sudden blast from a group of Buzz Bombers and Orbinauts forced her to reconsider. Chris thought of the camp that his friends had set up, and the Emerald glowed brightly, resonating with the boy's heart.

"Chaos Control!"

When Chris' eyes slowly opened, he found himself back at the camp that his friends had set up while hunting for Chaos Emeralds. However, when he tried to move, he found that he couldn't move his arms the way he wanted to. His brain kept telling them to move, but they wouldn't move no matter what. They tingled, and he realized it was the same sensation if they fell asleep for a very long time.

"You good, Chris?" he heard a voice say from nearby. He looked up to see Sonic.

"Did I…?"

"Yeah, you were taking a good long nap when we found you here at camp," the hedgehog told him, leaning against a nearby tree. "So what happened?"

"We were surrounded by robots," Chris said, trying to sit up but his arms wouldn't move, so he had to lie back down again. "And Rouge kept telling me to give her the Emerald, but the robots cornered us, and there was no way out, and when the robots were right about to get us… I used Chaos Control to get us out of there."

"Huh…" Sonic thought. "So that would explain why we found you both here."

"But…" Chris felt like he was frustrated with himself. "I-I can't move my arms for some reason, what happened?"

"Ah, that's one of the things that can happen if you try to use a Chaos Emerald," Sonic said. "Which is why I told you to never use them if you can help it. But since you told me you were trapped with no way out… eh, what does it matter? You're still alive and kicking, that's what counts." He grinned at Chris.

"Sonic, we got two Chaos Emeralds now!" Tails called as he ran into the clearing, before he noticed Chris lying on the ground, and his expression changed to one of worry. "What happened…?" he said, slowing his approach. "He looks really tired…"

"He just used a Chaos Emerald to get out of the Egg Fleet ship, that's all," Sonic said, trying to brush aside the severity of the situation, but Tails' eyes widened.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "Chris, you– You really used a Chaos Emerald?! But you could have died! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

In his momentary panic, he approached Chris and tried to feel his pulse, but the moment he lifted Chris' arm to feel the arteries in his wrist, Chris yelped in pain.

"A-Ahh! Let go let go!"

Tails scrambled back in surprise, before looking up at Sonic in confusion, not knowing what was wrong with Chris.

"Easy there," Sonic gently said, glancing at Tails, before his gaze returned to Chris.

"F-For some reason, I can't move my arms because of the Chaos Emerald…" Chris admitted, before looking down. "It feels like they fell asleep, but I didn't know it could feel this bad…"

Tails blinked, trying to process the situation. "Think it's nerve damage…?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sonic said with a shrug.

"Because I didn't know Chaos Emeralds could do that before," Tails added.

Chris tried to sit up again, but he let out a silent yelp of pain before he was forced to let his arms rest at his sides as he leaned against the tree. His arms couldn't touch anything because it would stimulate the pain.

"Um… H-How long am I gonna be like this…?"

"I honestly don't know, bud," Sonic said. "But we'll let you rest here a bit while we go look for the third Emerald we just picked up."

"Okay," Chris said. "Is Rouge here too?"

"Yeah, she's already on the hunt for the Emerald, so we gotta beat her to it! You coming, Tails?"

Tails hesitated, looking between Chris and Sonic.

"I really wanna go, but… someone needs to watch Chris, just in case something bad happens."

"Good call, little bro," Sonic said. "And if something happens, you know I'm just a call away on our communicators."

"Okay," Tails said with a nod.

"Rest easy, Chris!" Sonic said before he took off into the forest.

A/N: That concludes day 7! I chose "Magic with a cost" almost immediately when I saw the prompt list since I easily found a way it could fit Chris.

Also, I feel like this is probably the most in-character I've ever written Rouge in any of my stories. I'm curious to hear your thoughts!

Tomorrow's theme is "Sleep Deprivation!"