"The Magma Stone"
Authors: Francis Tolbert-Robert Brown
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of
America, Inc. and Archie Comics (except where noted, in which case
they were created and copyrighted by us or by another and we have
permission to use them). The authors hereby give permission for
this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as
long as (1) no changes to the story are made without our express
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it
will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: Hel-lo. Long time no write. It's Francis here. Believe it or
not, I actually wanted to write this Author's Note ( will wonders never
cease ).
I would like to apologize for the length of time it took to get
this story out. I would like to say the pace will be picked up, but I'm not
going to lie to you. Both Robert and I are going through tough times at the
moment. So it is kinda hard for us to concentrate on story writing.
In addition, we are writing three storylines. Of course, the
Sonic stories which are on Tyro's website at:
www.franken.de/users/deco/index.html
Pokémon stories at : fanfiction.net
and Rescue Rangers stories at: fanfiction.net; and
a-strange-website.com/RRData/RRindex.htm
All these stories and more are at :
www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Satellite/6616/index.html
We are also working on a fourth storyline( and don't bother asking either one
of us what it is 'cause we're not going to answer )so it will take us a while
to finish each story.
Finally, I'd like to thank all our readers for their patience
and understanding. We will try to get these stories out faster, but no
promises.
Peace, See Ya Later
Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)
Queen Sally Alicia Hedgehog
Knuckles Echidna
King Sonic Hedgehog
Donovan Osaya###
Nadia Osaya***
Krella###
Tanin###
Tanis Shi-rat***
Princess Sondra Acorn-Prower***
Rosie Shi-rat
Miles "Tails" Prower
Rotor
Dulcy
Antoine D'Coolette
Bunnie D'Coolette
Princess Alicia Rose Hedgehog***
Prince Juice Hedgehog***
Darrin D'Coolette***
Desirée D'Coolette***
Angela Shi-rat***
Rosa***
DJ Osaya###
Kelly Min Hedgehog**##
Destín###
Hugo###
Maxwell Kavenoff###
The Unholy One***
James Echidna***
#33
The Freedom Fighters. For thirteen years they struggled against
Robotnik to free their planet. For nearly eighteen years, they had enjoyed
the peace they had earned. Now that peace was shattered, and if any doubt had
remained about the new state of things, it was dispelled by the animal that
had suddenly appeared before them.
Sally trembled as she stood to face the newcomer, but not with fear as
might be expected. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her voice sharp
with anger. "We haven't seen you since the end of the Race. What has
happened to drag you from your Floating Island after all this time?"
"Your Majesties," Knuckles said respectfully, "as much as I would like
to tell you everything now, I must insist that all parties be present when I
do."
"All parties?" Sonic asked, looking around the room. "But all of the
original Freedom Fighters are here."
"While that may be true, what I am about to say must also be heard by
the Shi-rat," Knuckles replied. Then he looked right at the security camera
as if he could see through to the animals manning the monitors. "You as well,
Osaya," he added. "And bring your wife."
Donovan smirked as he heard Knuckles say that and looked down at the
communicator in his hand. He had just finished telling Nadia to get Rosie
and Tanis to the War Room when he had been summoned as well. "Oh and Nadia,"
he said into the communicator, "you might want to get yourself there as well.
We've both been summoned."
"That can't be good," Nadia answered back. "How long before you can
find someone to replace you?"
"Not long. I'll meet you there as soon as I can."
As the interested parties gathered, a different kind of gathering was
taking place in a dark corner of Mobius. Krella had locked herself in the
library, determined not to come out until she had restored her father's trust
in her. She looked from book to book, gathering every piece of relevant
information she could. "I've got to find this," she thought. "It's got to
be here somewhere."
So engrossed was she in her work that she failed to notice a swirl of
dark wind fluttering the papers nearby. "I thought I told you to rest up,"
a voice said near her ear, startling her.
Krella jumped, almost spilling the contents of her inkwell all over her
careful notes. "What was that for Tanin?" she said as loud as she could,
which wasn't very loud considering the choking she had just received at the
hands of her father.
"I had to get your attention somehow, especially since you are not
following my suggestions."
"Look," Krella said, turning back to her work, "Father nearly killed me
because I let him down. I have to find the next artifact and prove my worth
to him again."
"But three artifacts in as many days? Don't you think that's a bit
much?"
"No!" Krella said, slamming her hand down on the table. "I have to do
this. We didn't get the Flame because of my arrogance. I couldn't conceive
of anyone showing up and wouldn't change my plan even when they did. But I'm
going to make up for it this time."
Tanin raised one eyebrow in concern. "And how do you plan on doing
that?" he asked quietly.
"With these." Krella said, holding up a bunch of her notes. "They will
be more detailed once I find the artifact, but I've been studying every
situation and eventuality that could possibly happen and planning for them
with these notes. They won't catch me off guard again."
"Krella, you can't possibly prepare for every eventuality."
"Yes I can," Krella interrupted. "Now if you're not going to help me,
leave me alone so I can do my work."
Tanin stared at her a moment longer before leaving the same way he had
entered. He was so tempted to put her under a sleep spell and force her to
get the rest she so obviously needed. But he knew that if he did that, she
would be worse once she awoke and probably work herself into being bedridden.
He only hoped that whatever she was planning was enough so that she wouldn't
have to work herself like this again.
Inside the War Room in the palace, all interested parties had finally
arrived. "Why have we been summoned Guardian?" Tanis asked politely. "You
know we cannot take part in any war or battle. The covenant demands our
neutrality."
"That may be true Shi-rat," Knuckles allowed, "but this war transcends
even that limitation. It goes back to the reason we Holy Ones were originally
gathered: to protect Mobius from Chaos itself."
"But Chaos is gone!" Sondra protested. "Sonic made sure of that when
he used the Emeralds to restore Mobius to what it was before Robotnik took
over."
"So we thought, but now I have no choice but to think otherwise."
Knuckles wove a spell in the air, creating the illusion of a place only one
other there had ever seen before. "Do you recognize this place Sondra?"
Sondra stared at it for a moment before recognition dawned in her eyes.
"That's the Emerald Chamber," she said softly. "You took me there during the
Race when I wanted your permission on the de-roboticization gun."
"You have a good memory," Knuckles said, allowing himself a small smile.
"Since the Race ended, the Chamber has been completely dark, no light could
penetrate it once I sealed it. But that is no longer the case. Look for
yourself, and you will see."
The illusion swung around as if it were a camera, coming to rest on a
single pedestal. A pedestal that was now glowing a soft green. "Do you see
now what I'm getting at? Someone has taken the Emeralds and has begun
infusing magic back into them."
"But who would do such a thing?" Sally asked. "And more importantly,
why?"
"I believe I know," Rosie said through lips that had gone pale. "I
suspected as much when I saw my son here, but couldn't be sure until now."
She looked at Knuckles, her eyes begging him to tell her the words that would
come out of her mouth were wrong.
"I'm afraid you're correct," Knuckles said, reading the look on Rosie's
face without her saying a word. "Someone is trying to bring Chaos back to
this world."
It took only a second for his words to sink in. A second of absolute
peace and quiet that was shattered the very next second by everyone in that
room screaming their disbelief. "That's not possible!" Tails thundered.
"You said so yourself when Sonic won. Isn't that what the Race was for to
begin with?"
"That was how it was supposed to be," Knuckles agreed with a sigh. "But
there was one thing I didn't take into account. I thought with the end of the
Race came the end of my responsibilities as a Guardian. But there is a
prophecy I disregarded as rubbish. The ancestor who made it...well...was not
known for her sanity. All her prophecies had been disproven, except this
one."
Donovan closed his eye and rubbed it gently. "Tell me, Guardian," he
said with his eyes still closed, "just how did whoever's doing this get his or
her hands on the Emeralds to begin with?"
"An attack on the Floating Island," Knuckles admitted. "While I was
distracted elsewhere, someone got into the Chamber and stole the stones."
"Not someone, Guardian," Tanis said seriously. "We both know who did
this. Only *he* could have done this, and created such beings to serve his
will."
Knuckles' gaze whipped around. "He? The Unholy One? He is free?"
"He must be, that is the only explanation."
Rotor growled low, a thin plume of flame emerging from his nostril until
Dulcy laid a calming hand on his arm. "What is this prophecy you spoke of?"
he asked, placing a grateful hand over Dulcy's.
Knuckles took a moment to compose himself before he answered Rotor. The
news that the Unholy One was free was a tremendous shock, but now everything
was falling into place. When he had calmed himself down enough to speak, he
began a tale that should have held no meaning, but now may be their only hope.
"And so it shall come to pass that a great darkness shall fall upon Mobius.
It is a plague that has never been seen before, and shall never be seen again:
a death that is not a death, a life that is not a life. And though it shall
be stopped, the scars left on the planet and its animals shall never be
forgotten.
"But another darkness, deeper than the last, will be yet to come. A full
thrice ten years will pass from the onset of the first darkness before the
second is to come. Five babes will be stolen, their lights snuffed out
before they can grow. One will be brought to this world whose time is long
past. Together with he who has fallen from Grace, these Fallen Ones will
bring about the return of Chaos."
"If I may say something," Antoine said quietly, "how could you have
discounted this so easily? 'Death that is not a death, life that is not a
life.' That could only have meant the roboticization, and the plague
associated with it was Robotnik himself."
"And it has been 'thrice ten' years since that day he took over," Bunnie
pointed out. "Thirty years since the coup. And the five babes have to be the
five children stolen that Sally-girl's been obsessing over every day."
"I do not 'obsess' over them," Sally grumbled. "I've just...been overly
concerned about what happened to them."
"Sure Sally, keep telling yourself that. You might believe it by the
time you're a grandmother."
A laugh was shared by all, but it was tense and forced. "But who could
be the other one the prophecy talks about?"
"It has to be our son Tanis," Rosie said, her voice finding more
conviction. "He was with the others if you recall, and he's the one who got
them away."
"Your son?" Sally asked, leaning forward in her seat intently. "You
said something about that before, but I didn't really pay attention until now.
How could the two of you have a son?"
"My queen, do you remember when we banished the Kavenoff all those years
ago?" Tanis asked in a hushed voice. "During that time we all had to face
some of our deepest fears or darkest secrets. Mine...mine was the choice I'd
made to become a Holy One. I could have let my sister take the responsibility
of upholding the Covenant, but I was stubborn. A soul, this soul, had been
set aside to become my son. But when my training took longer than expected
and I couldn't find Rosie when I came back, the soul languished in a Limbo of
sorts. I was confronted by this spirit and had to banish it in order to save
myself. But now he's back, and he helps lead these Fallen Ones, as the
Guardian has described them."
"Oh Tanis, I never knew...."
"It was not yours to know," Rosie said in a kind but tired voice. "We
both have made our peace with our decisions. We may have been startled when
he appeared, but we will do what we must to stop him and those with him from
reviving Chaos."
"Then this is what we need to do," Sally said, standing up. "Knuckles,
is it safe to assume they'll go after another Fire artifact?"
"I would think so, but I can't be sure," Knuckles said after a moment.
"It seems a reasonable guess. But there are only two such artifacts in all of
Mobius for each Emerald."
Sally nodded, and everyone there could see a spark in her eyes they
hadn't seen since she'd left Knothole. "Donovan, Nadia, I need you both to
find what else could be used to recharge the Emerald, and start looking for
what could be used with the others. Use every resource available."
Donovan and Nadia both nodded. "As you wish, Your Majesty," Donovan
said.
"Donovan, this is not a time for titles, so drop it now, OK? And that
goes for the rest of you as well."
"Whatever you say, Silly," Nadia said with a smile.
Sally rolled her eyes but couldn't keep a smile off her lips. "Bunnie,
Antoine, get the guards ready. Use whatever training you think you have to,
but I don't want them to catch us unaware again."
"That will be difficult, My Queen," Antoine said, but under a glare from
Sally added, "I mean, Sally. Their powers are beyond the natural, and we do
not know if normal weapons can affect them."
"Well we'll just have to find out when they try again, won't we? Rotor,
Dulcy, can we count on the help of the dragons?"
"Of course, Sally," Dulcy answered. "We rule all the dragons, but you
rule over everyone. There are another few Protectors who have come of age
recently, and we'll put them at your disposal."
Sally nodded and then turned to the Shi-rats. "You said you would do
what you could to help. What can you do?"
"Each of these artifacts, though hidden, must give off a strong magic,"
Tanis said. "It will take us time, but we can track them down in that manner,
if you'd like."
"That would be perfect. We saved this world once, we can do it again."
"Now that's the Sally I fell in love with," Sonic said, standing up next
to his queen. "It looks like the Freedom Fighters are needed again everyone,
are you all with me?" A loud cheer went up from all present, even Knuckles
who was caught up in it all. "Well then, you all know what you have to do, so
let's get to it!"
"Wait a sec, what will you and Sally be doing?" Bunnie asked as she got
to the door.
"Simple, we're going to be the ones who go to stop them. And no
arguments either," he added, stopping everyone before they disagreed. "Yes,
we're the king and queen, but it's our duty to protect our subjects."
"And it's ours to protect you! No way you're doing this by yourselves,
royalty or not."
As the room filled with arguments about how many were going, five
figures pulled away from the door and moved quickly to a nearby room. "It's
not right," the first one said. "They went through enough when they were our
age; they shouldn't have to go through any more."
"You're right Sis," the second agreed. "But what can we do about it?"
"I'll tell you what we'll do, Bro," Alicia said, pulling the others into
a huddle. "We're going to be the ones to stop these 'Fallen Ones'."
"How are we going to do that, Princess?" Darrin asked.
"Simple, we can do everything they want to do and take care of things
before they get a chance."
"They're gonna be awfully mad Alicia-gal," Desirée said.
"Look, no one here has to join in if they don't want to--"
"I never said that," Desirée protested. "I just wanna make sure you
know what the consequences will be."
"I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't Desirée. Are you all in?"
"You know we are, Alicia," Angela said, looking around as everyone
nodded. "Just tell us what to do."
"Me?" Alicia asked, mentally taking a step back. "Wait, Juice is the
Crown Prince...."
"Maybe so," Juice said, "but we both know I don't have the mind to lead
to little group. You take charge Sis."
Alicia smiled for a moment, feeling like her brother was back to how he
used to be, before he became so obnoxious. "All right, then this is what we
need to do. What Juice?" she asked when her brother laughed.
"Do you realize just how much you sounded like Mom when you said that?"
Alicia blushed a bit but pushed it aside for now. "Well still, let's
get to work while they're still arguing. Darrin, I need you to spy on them
and keep us informed of their progress."
"I could take the guard shift in the War Room," Darrin said, rubbing
his chin. "Consider it done, Princess."
"I could convince DJ to help me with a computer search," Desirée said.
"Good thinking, Des. Angela, can you do a magical search like your
parents intend?"
"No, they'd feel my interference. However, there is a library hidden
underneath Sanctuary that might have what we need. But I can't search it
alone."
"I'll help," Juice offered.
Alicia narrowed her eyes at her brother. "All right, but no makeout
sessions till we're done, OK?"
Juice's eyes hardened momentarily. "Think what you like, I know when to
be serious."
"Sorry bro, I know that was uncalled for. I'll go to the library here
and see what I can dig up with Nicole's help. We meet back here when we've
got something, understand?" Everyone nodded again. "Good. Good luck
everyone, we're going to need it."
"Hey, what are you five up to?" a voice asked, making all of them jump
and turn around guiltily.
"Rosa!" Alicia exclaimed. "What makes you think we're up to something?
We were just talking."
"Yeah, right," Rosa said, folding her arms and smirking. "I'm not
stupid here. So spill or I go to your parents."
"That's playing dirty Rosa," Juice said, grumbling. "And here I thought
your title was Protector, not Tattletale."
"Low blow Juice," Rosa said, a puff of pink smoke appearing from her
nostrils. "Need I remind you that I'm the one who saved your mother? I think
that in itself should be enough for you to tell me."
"And just what do you think we're trying to do?" Juice demanded. "You
were there, you know what these guys are capable of, and that was only two of
them. We've faced off against three of the others, and there's still a sixth
out there. Like Alicia said, they've saved the world once already; it's our
turn now."
"So why couldn't you just tell me that? I agree with you, and I want to
help in any way I can. Just tell me what I need to do."
"If we come up with anything, we'll let you know," Alicia said before
Juice could say anything. "But for now, you have to keep this a secret."
"I can do that," Rosa said, reaching into the tool belt she wore. "Take
this," she added, tossing Alicia a golden whistle. "I can hear that from any
distance, and I'll come flying in at top speed if I'm able."
"Thanks Rosa," Alicia said, pocketing the whistle. "Now let's get going
if we're going to beat our parents to this."
In the abode of the Fallen Ones, Tanin ventured once more into the
library to check on his teammate. Unsurprisingly, he found her in the exact
same position he'd left her in. "You need to rest eventually," he said.
Though she had been startled earlier, she showed no reaction to him this
time. "So you said before, but don't worry, I'll rest up as soon as we obtain
the Magma Stone," she said, her voice sounding better then it had earlier.
"The what?"
"The Magma Stone. Legend purports that it is able to revive long
dormant volcanoes into controlled activity. An ancient race used it to create
new sources of geothermal energy. Who did it, or why they needed it in the
first place, is long gone, but the stone exists, and I've tracked it down."
Krella turned the book in front of her around so that Tanin could read
it. "This volcano here is the only active one for miles, and it's near the
ruins of a dead civilization. It's gotta be the location of the stone."
"So then what are you still researching for?"
Krella looked up at him in annoyance, and Tanin was taken aback at just
how haggard she truly looked. "I told you, I'm going to plan for anything
that could happen. They won't take me by surprise again."
Tanin sighed, more tempted now to place her under the sleep spell.
"Call for me when you're done, and I'll gather the others. Oh, there is
something you need to take into account that you are probably unaware of."
"And that is?"
"Father still speaks with Charisma. It is unlikely she will be joining
us."
Krella looked at the parchments in her hand and sighed. "Well, this was
useless then," she muttered, crumpling them up. "Gotta start from square one
then."
Tanin shook his head, but left without another word. "If Father doesn't
kill you, what you're doing to yourself will," he muttered to the closed door.
He turned away suddenly and walked down the hall, too upset to teleport at the
moment.
Desirée walked down a hall in the Palace, heading straight for the Osaya
residence. Just before she was about to knock on the door, she heard a voice
from the other side. "I know you want to use the computer DJ," she heard
Nadia say, "but this is important. You just have to wait until I'm done."
"Excuse me Mrs. Osaya," Desirée said, knocking on the door so that it
opened. "Is DJ here?"
"Hmm?" Nadia asked, looking up from the computer screen. "Oh, it's you
Desirée. Yeah, DJ's right here actually."
Desirée walked over and saw DJ standing on the other side of his mom
looking at the computer. "Umm, can I talk to you for a little bit DJ?"
DJ looked at Desirée questioningly but then shrugged and nodded. He
motioned with his hands as if telling her to start talking.
Desirée glanced at Nadia nervously, then grabbed DJ's hand. "Come on,
it's actually kinda private. We won't be gone long, Mrs. Osaya."
"Take all the time you need," Nadia said distractedly as Desirée pulled
DJ out and closed the door behind them. "You know, if this wasn't so
important, I'd probably be wanting to know exactly what the talk is going to
be about," she murmured to herself.
DJ was wondering the exact same thing, having no clue what Desirée
wanted. And when she intertwined her fingers with his, he couldn't help the
blush that rose to his cheeks. "Listen to me carefully DJ," she whispered
near his ear. "I need your help, but I can't let anyone know I'm asking for
it. So just act normal, OK?"
DJ nodded, and the blush lessened in his cheeks, though just having such
a beautiful doe whispering anything in his ear was enough to make him blush a
little. He did feel a little disappointed even though he knew he should have
known better.
"Oh don't feel disappointed," she whispered with a small smile. "I've
wanted to walk with you like this for a while, but maybe next time it won't be
because of business." The blush returned to DJ's cheeks almost immediately.
But he forced himself to keep listening to Desirée as she told him about the
situation with their parents. "So can you help us sugar?" she whispered, her
voice dropping down to a sultry level once more.
DJ swallowed and nodded, but then glanced back in the direction of his
home. "Oh right, your mother is on the computer. But isn't there anything
else we can do?"
DJ thought it over for a moment, then got a slightly worried look on
his face. Dragging her by her hand over to another, less-travelled hallway.
Looking around to make sure no one could see them, he took two chips out of
his pocket.
Desirée looked at them for a moment before recognizing what they were.
"Hey, isn't that your father's tele--"
DJ cut her off by putting a finger over her lips and shaking his head.
She was right, of course. But with the hallways covered in surveillance, he
couldn't afford to let his father know he'd taken some without permission.
He placed one behind her ear, conveying his wishes with a look.
Desirée smiled behind his finger, and then kissed it lightly, letting
the tip of her tongue lick his skin gently. DJ blushed even harder and drew
his finger back quickly. He pulled a remote out of his pocket as he placed
the other chip on himself. A button push later and they disappeared from
sight.
Desirée had to grab onto DJ until the nausea from the teleportation had
subsided. "So that's why you never took me anywhere like that before," she
said, keeping her eyes closed until she felt it was safe to open them. When
she did open them, she was surprised at what she saw. "Wait, where are we?"
DJ went behind a desk and pulled out a large ball of string. He tied
one end to the desk and unlooped it a little to let out the slack. He walked
forward down a massive hallway holding the slowly unravelling ball with one
hand and Desirée with the other.
Desirée was even more confused than she was before. Or she was, until
she saw that the "walls" that made up the hallways were actually giant
bookcases. "This must be the Great Library I've heard so much about," she
whispered. "Great thinking DJ! If it's anywhere, it'll be here."
After an hour of searching, however, they had yet to find something.
"This is hopeless," Desirée muttered, closing yet another book. "I'm not cut
out for this kind of thing."
DJ patted her shoulder comfortingly and walked to the ladder to get
another book. As he adjusted the ladder to where he wanted to climb, a book
fell from the top shelf and landed on his head with a thud. Tears of pain
leaked from his eyes as he grabbed his head. "DJ!" Desirée yelled, running
to him and prying his hands off his head. "You're gonna get a nasty bump, but
you're not bleeding." Without really thinking about it, she kissed the
bruising scalp softly, but long enough to leave a poorly defined print of her
lips.
Desirée noticed it, but couldn't bring herself to be bothered by it.
"Not quite," she thought, "but close. Maybe soon...." It was then she
noticed the book that had hit DJ's head. "Hey, wait a minute," she said,
picking it up and reading where the book had opened to. "The Magma Stone?"
she read the entry for a little bit, and then her eyes lit up. "This is it
DJ! This is what we've been looking for!"
DJ looked up at her in surprise and then read where she was pointing.
His disbelief was evident, but soon forgotten in the hug she was giving him.
"Come on," she said, following the string back to the doors, "we've gotta tell
the others."
As she hurried down the halls with DJ in tow, a shadowy figure detached
himself from the bookcase and watched them go. "Good luck," it said to their
backs, "you will need it." Then it turned and walked deeper into the heart of
the library.
When they got back to the palace, Desirée quickly got hold of Alicia and
Darrin after saying a heartfelt thank you to DJ and assembled them in what was
becoming known as their War Room. "Now we have to find a way to contact the
others," Darrin said. "Too bad we didn't think of that earlier."
No sooner had he finished his thought then Angela and Juice appeared in
a whirl of light. "We've got it!" Angela exclaimed happily, laying a book
down in front of the others. "It's the--"
"Magma Stone," Desirée interrupted with a smile. "Yes, we know. DJ and
I found it a few minutes ago. But it's good that you already know of it, that
way we can get down to figuring out where it might be located."
Juice shrugged it off. "Well, we know this thing makes volcanoes active
that normally aren't, so we need to look for an out of place volcano."
"See bro, you do have a brain," Alicia quipped.
"If you think I'm stupid, why don't you do something about it?"
"Like what?"
Angela quickly stepped in between the two siblings. "This is neither
the time nor place for this you two," she said calmly. "Let's figure out
where this stone is before the Fallen Ones get their hands on it."
Alicia and Juice stared at each other a moment before turning away in a
huff. "Fine," Alicia said, regaining her composure. "Anyone have any ideas?
I don't think we have enough time to research all this before our parents get
the information."
"I think it should be obvious," a voice said from the doorway, making
everyone turn to look. "You'll want the Kazora volcano located near the Great
Unknown."
"Aunt Kelly?" Alicia asked, surprised. "How long were you standing
there?"
"Long enough to know you five are planning something foolhardy," Kelly
Min said, walking in the room. "Look, I don't approve of what you're
planning, but I know your hearts are in the right place. And you're right, it
is our turn to save the world."
"Aunt Kelly, I don't think...."
"I've got the most survival training out of all of you," Kelly Min said,
staring Alicia right in the eyes. "I have been all over Mobius with my
parents, your grandparents, and I know what to expect in all of the areas you
could possibly encounter. If you want to have the edge over your opponents,
you're going to need me."
Alicia gulped under the intensity of her aunt's gaze. "All...all
right," she agreed weakly. "So what do you think we should do here?"
Kelly Min smiled slowly, tossing her hair-quills in a way that was
reminiscent of her mother. "Fortunately for you, I was going to lead an
expedition out there later this week, my first time in charge. I know all the
possible locations for this stone of yours, as well as a few surprises. So
here's what we can do."
Later that day, the five friends found themselves near the crater of the
active Kazora volcano. "Down there?" Juice asked, pointing at the lava.
How can we get to it?"
"I can use my powers to cool the lava enough for you to spin drill to
where it's located," Angela said, pushing up the sleeves of her robe. "I
can't hold the spell for too long though, so you'll--"
Angela whipped her head around, her senses going haywire. "They're
coming," she whispered, her eyes widening slightly. "The Fallen Ones are
coming!"
Alicia looked around in alarm. "Everyone, hide now! Use spread alpha
and keep quiet!" Alicia had worked with her aunt to develop a few emergency
plans based on Kelly Min's knowledge of the mountain and Alicia's natural gift
for strategy. The plan she had called for would work unless they were
actively searching for them. If that happened, then only Angela's magic would
be able to shield them.
A few minutes passed and no one came. Alicia knew to be patient, but
she could see her brother was getting impatient. She shook her head at him,
but it looked like he was going to ignore her. Fortunately Angela crept to
him and kept him in place by lightly touching his arm. The thought crossed
Alicia's mind that Juice was way too impatient at times to be king, but she
put it out of her mind when a black wind swirled across the volcano.
When the wind cleared, they could all see five figures dressed in black.
Alicia did a double take and recounted them. But yes, there were only five.
"I could've sworn Knuckles mentioned six Fallen Ones," she thought and could
see that thought mirrored on her friends' faces as they all looked at her for
what to do.
And that's when it fully hit Alicia. She truly was the leader here,
where it counted. Suddenly being Crown Princess seemed far less important.
With a confidence she only felt when running, she made a hand gesture to the
others, conveying the plan she wanted. The others seemed a bit surprised,
but one by one they nodded. They settled back to wait as Angela began
casting a spell in a low voice.
Further up the volcano, the five Fallen Ones gathered around a narrow
crack. "According to my calculations," Krella said, the strength in her voice
belying the weakness in her stance, "this crack leads directly to the chamber
where the stone is. Destín, can you make it down there?"
"Of course I can," Destín answered offhandedly. "I'll be back before
you know it." She slithered down into the crack so fast the only thing that
could be seen was the tip of her tail disappearing into its depths. "Mmm,
this is warm and cozy. I could fall asleep right here...."
"Don't you dare!" Krella yelled. "Unless you want me to get Father
here to bring you out, you'll get that stone!"
"Fine, you don't have to be so grumpy about it you know," Destín said,
obviously annoyed. She poked her head out of the crack a little while later.
"Here's your stone, now can I go to sleep?"
"I'll take that!" Juice yelled, running by at full speed and plucking
it from Destín's hand.
"What? No!" Krella yelled in frustration. "Maxwell! Hugo! It's play
time."
Hugo smiled as Maxwell drew his flaming runesword. "Crushing time," he
said in his slow, deep voice.
"Let's make him as miserable as we can before we crush him," Maxwell
said, tilting his head to one side. "I want him to suffer."
"You've gotta get by us first!" Desirée shouted, flying into Hugo with
a jumping side kick, making the bulldog stagger and nearly fall.
Maxwell turned to slice at her but found his sword blocked by Darrin's.
"She did say 'us', didn't she?" he said with a smirk.
Maxwell's eyes glowed red with anticipation. "So you will be the first
to suffer," he said, bringing his sword down in an overhead slice.
Darrin turned the blow aside and countered with one of his own. He knew
that the rat before him had little experience or technique, but his strength
and madness made him the most dangerous opponent he'd ever met. He parried
another blow just before the blade reached his fur and hopped back to put some
distance between them.
Juice made a quick u-turn and headed back toward the hiding spots,
making sure to keep clear of the crack that Destín had popped out of. But as
he ran over a different one, Destín fairly exploded out it, wrapping her lithe
body around Juice. "Give that back!" she cried, clawing at his hand to get
the stone from it.
Juice tripped over Destín's tail, skidding face-first on the ground for
only a second, but it was enough for Destín to slink away with the stone and
disappear into a crevice. "Get back here!" Juice said, jumping up and trying
to reach through the crevice to get her.
"Uh uh," her voice came back tauntingly. "You want it, come and get
it."
"If you say so," Juice said, standing up and going into a Spin Drill,
drilling straight into the crevice.
"Eeep!" Destín squeaked, wriggling further in and leading Juice on a
chase through the volcano itself.
"Oh no you don't," Tanin muttered, charging up a ball of dark magic and
sending it into the tunnel Juice had made. At least, that was his plan. The
magic actually bounced off a shield of light and dissipated harmlessly. "What
happened?"
"Not what, Brother," Angela said, stepping out into view with her hands
glowing faintly, "but who. You'll have to get passed me to stop Juice."
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Sister," Tanin said, starting to
chant under his breath.
Angela dodged Tanin's first spell attempt and fired back one of her own.
Tanin didn't even bother dodging as her spell bounced harmlessly off a shield
he had erected around himself. "Hey Krella, we could use a plan here," he
called, taking his eyes from Angela for just a moment.
Krella was busy sorting through an entire pile of parchments, looking
for the plan she had created for this specific emergency. "No, that's not it.
No, not it either. Where is it?"
As she looked, she felt a tapping on her shoulder. "Umm, excuse me."
"Not now, can't you see I'm busy?" she snapped, brushing the hand away.
"But I must tell you something," the animal said, tapping at her
shoulder again.
"What is it?" she asked angrily, turning around only to be met with a
fist right between her eyes, knocking her out before she even hit the volcano.
Alicia smiled and dusted her hands off. "You know, I completely
forgot," she said with a small shrug.
Darrin had his hands full with Maxwell, avoiding and parrying when he
had to, counterattacking when he could. He knew the story of the Kavenoff
spirit, and was in no hurry to get possessed by it. Then an opening came for
him to use his Starfire technique and he got his blade in position when his
mother's words rang through his mind. "You never use your best attacks in the
first battle," she'd said. So instead of using his Starfire, he struck his
opponent with the flat of his blade across his face.
Maxwell staggered back a few steps, right into the spot where Hugo
landed after being thrown by Desirée. "The bigger they are...." she began,
looking at her brother.
"...the harder we hit them," Darrin finished with a nod. He moved his
sword back into a defensive position as his sister fell into a fighting
stance, knowing these two could get up at any moment.
Tanin, on the other hand, had the upper hand against Angela. As a Holy
One in training, most of her magic training were in defensive and healing
arts. Tanin had no such limitation and was throwing every attack spell he
could at her.
But just as he started charging up a spell certain to break past her
defenses, a dirt brown blur shot out of the crack near his feet, making him
fall back in surprise. Angela's spell managed to get through his own
defenses, but did absolutely no damage. That brought a small smirk to his
face, but it was short-lived as he saw the state his compatriots were in.
Juice had caught up to Destín and had grabbed hold of the hand with the
stone. Destín had wrapped herself around him again, trying to make him let
go. Juice was trying to shove her away with his free hand wherever he could,
his entire attention focused on the stone. He finally managed to get a good
enough grip on her and held her still long enough to bring up his feet and
kick her away, taking possession of the stone.
Krella chose that moment to come to and started to push herself up to
her feet. Alicia crouched down next to her face, pushing Krella's hair to the
side. "Now, did I tell you to get up?" she asked in a sing-song voice. As
she stood up she kicked her foot straight up, striking Krella under the chin
and knocking her cold again.
Tanin's eyes hardened when he saw that. "I've had enough!" he yelled,
levitating to his feet. He charged up an enormous ball of dark energy,
pouring most of his power into it. Angela formed a large shield in front of
her, hoping she had enough left to block what was almost certainly a lethal
attack.
Tanin reared back to throw the spell, but then spun around and threw it
right into the crater of the volcano. Angela let the shield fall away in
surprise, not sure what was going on. Then she felt a small tremor run
through the rock beneath her feet. The tremor grew until it was enough to
knock everyone off their feet. "He couldn't have...." she whispered.
"Fallen Ones, to me!" Tanin called as the volcano began to erupt. He
picked up Krella in his arms as he completed his spell. In a swirl of dark
wind, they disappeared, leaving Angela and her friends alone.
"Angela!" Alicia yelled above the erupting volcano. "Get us out of
here!"
"I can't!" Angela yelled back. "I used too much power battling Tanin.
I've got nothing left!"
Juice got to his feet and stumbled over to Angela, picking her up as
Tanin had picked up Krella. "Sis, how many can you fly out?" he asked.
"Just one," Alicia said, grabbing hold of Darrin's hands as she flew
up.
"Grab onto my waist!" he told Desirée, revving up his legs. "I'll try
to outrun it!" He took off as fast as he could, but with the weight he was
holding he couldn't even break the sound barrier.
Alicia flew right above her brother, struggling to keep her hold on
Darrin. She pointed out what pitfalls she could see to Juice, keeping him
enough ahead of the lava so that they only barely felt the heat.
But then their luck ran out. A lava geyser erupted right in front of
Juice as he ran, throwing everyone to the ground, even reaching high enough to
clip Alicia and Darrin. "Everyone all right?" Alicia asked, wincing as
miniscule flecks of lava singed her tail.
"Yeah, I think so," Juice said, sitting up groggily. "We're not going
to make it, are we?"
"Wait, Rosa's whistle!" Alicia pulled the whistle from her pocket and
blew it loud and clear.
Just then, the lava beneath them erupted, sending them and the rock they
laid on flying to the air. "This is it!" Desirée yelled as they were
beginning their descent. "It's been great guys!"
"It's not over yet," Rosa said, swooping in and grabbing up three of
them. "Alicia, get a move on!"
Alicia grabbed Darrin's hands again and took off behind Rosa, following
her out of danger. "Thanks a lot Rosa," she said, her voice still straining
with the effort.
"No problem," she said back, making sure Desirée was safe in her pouch
and Juice and Angela secure on her shoulders. "Besides, I just happened to be
in the area."
Alicia shook her head, getting a better grip on Darrin. "Aunt Kelly?"
"Naturally."
"Remind me to thank her when we get back," Alicia said with a sigh.
As they flew back, the five Fallen Ones who had attempted to take the
stone were on their knees in front of their father. "Another failure," he
said, clearly speaking each syllable. "And this time, there is no other
artifact we may pursue. What excuse could you possibly have to explain your
failure?"
"The failure is mine, Father," Krella said in a broken voice. "The
blame is mine, and I will take the punishment."
The Unholy One stood in front of Krella, his hand flaming with unholy
power. "Are you fully aware of what you say?"
"I...I do."
The Unholy One lowered his hand and nodded. "Then you have learned one
of the lessons I meant for you to learn today. I knew you would fail, and I
have planned for it."
"Father?" she asked, looking up at him.
His face remained stern with displeasure. "You push yourself too far,
assume too much. When you do that, you risk all of our safety. You planned
the acquisition of the Tear flawlessly, but that made you think you could do
no wrong. This is your wakeup call. Find the middle ground, because you
will not get another chance."
"Thank you Father," Krella said, obviously relieved. "I promise I won't
rest until--"
Krella was cut off as Tanin's hand covered her face. Her eyes widened
in surprise, then slowly fluttered closed as Tanin's sleep spell took hold.
"When she awakes tomorrow, she will be refreshed and see things more clearly,"
he said quietly, drawing her into his arms again.
The Unholy One nodded and turned his back. "Now leave me, I must put my
contingency into effect."
Tanin and the others who were awake nodded, getting to their feet and
slipping out unheard. Tanin placed Krella in her bed and made sure she would
not be disturbed.
In front of the palace, the Freedom Fighters were making their final
preparations to recover the Magma Stone. "Everyone ready?" Sally asked,
adjusting her vest, the same one she had worn all those years ago.
"Ready, willing, and able Sally-girl!" Bunnie said, changing her arm
and legs to robotic. "Let's show these Fallen Ones what us Freedom Fighters
are all about!"
"No need," Alicia said, dropping into the courtyard behind Rosa, letting
Darrin land before she collapsed. "We already got it."
"Say what?" Sonic asked, staring at his daughter. "First of all, how
do you even know what we're talking about?"
"Umm, good hearing?" she said, grimacing as she rolled her shoulder.
"Hey, don't look at me," Rosa said, flapping her wings and taking off.
"I was just the ride back."
Sally looked over the five before her and frowned. "I want an
explanation, and I want it now."
Before Juice could open his mouth, an echidna who looked just like
Knuckles, except for the fact he was a light lavendar, dropped out of a swirl
of light, nearly landing on his father. "That hurt," he muttered, getting up
and dusting himself off.
"What are you doing here James?" Knuckles asked of his son.
James looked at his father and then at the five. "Father, don't you
sense anything special about these five?"
Knuckles looked questioningly at his son and then peered at the five
indicated. His breath caught in his throat as he saw what his son had seen.
"The Chosen Ones?"
"Who?" Sally asked.
"A part of the prophecy my father forgot to mention," James said as he
cleared his throat.
"But there are five who may stand against them, the Chosen Ones of the
Almighty. They will be bound by friendship, family, and love, and will be
known only by the uniqueness of their births. They alone have the Light that
can stand against the Darkness of Chaos and prevent his return.
"Unless I miss my guess, I believe these five were born on the same
day," James continued. "And they are all friends, family, or lovers. They
are the Chosen Ones."
"Told you it was our turn," Alicia said to the others, managing a small
smile. "The Chosen Ones. I like the sound of that."
Sally stared in disbelief at the children before her. A scene flashed
through her mind of a day long ago, the day of her wedding. At her reception,
she remembered that strange cloaked figure who had shaken her hand. Right
afterward, she had felt a strange sensation near her stomach. "Could it have
been the touch of the Almighty?" she wondered, seeing both Bunnie and Rosie
arriving at the same conclusions.
"There is another--" James began before his father cut him off with a
glare.
No one else noticed as they were staring at the newly named "Chosen
Ones". "If it is your destiny to do this," Sonic said slowly, "then we will
prepare you as best we can. And it certainly looks like you need it," he
added, looking over their singed forms. "We'll work out the details after
you recover. But for now, let's put this stone with the Flame so we can make
sure they won't get their hands on it."
The Chosen Ones nodded and shuffled into the palace. And though their
bodies were battered and burned, they all felt a hope welling up within them.
A hope that they could save their world and do their parents proud.
In a room somewhere on the planet, a figure watched this on the monitor
before him. "So," he thought with a chuckle, "now the war truly begins. And
this time, I intend to be an active participant." (
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616/sonic) (
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite/6616) (
geocities.com/televisioncity/satellite) (
geocities.com/televisioncity)