Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Miles 'Foxy' Prower! ❯ The 'Ultimate' Surprise ( Chapter 20 )

Whoo hoo! This is AWESOME. You know, when I first started writing this on a mere whim, I never in my wildest dreams even vaguely considered I would come this far in it… and look where I am! Chapter 20! Geez, I could write a book!

 

It's really cool to know that people all over the world are reading this, and saying `man, that guy's a good writer'. Well, at least that's what I hope they're saying!

 

Anyway, I digress, all of my reviewers that've been sticking with me since the very beginning, I love you guys! Seriously, you're like the second family I never had…

 

Ok, my current favorite reviewers are as follows…

 

Fairy-Girl,(I ADORE that person, and I've never even talked to her…THAT'S how good her reviews are.), Luv Shadow 14 ( a good friend), Watch for Stars (another good friend), and Rach(buncha numbers here), and Tails11 (his are short, but kind, and he never fails to leave one, either.)… and there's also another whom had no access to mediaminer, and reviewed via email… well, that is until I re-posted on fanfic. Ah, yes, take note that all these reviewers, bar that one, are from MediaMiner.org, not from Fanfiction.net. All the GOOD reviewers from fanfic.net followed the story here, and I now consider them as mainly reviewing from mediaminer, anyway. Plus, all the `extra' reviewers I've picked up on mediaminer are also fantastic… I haven't gotten a single flame, I tell you!

 

The numbers still pale in comparison to what I'd have if it had never been deleted off fanfic, but since re-posting on ff.net, I find that the actual quality of the reviews are far superior on mediaminer, and personally, I'd rather have 3 GOOD reviews than 300 half-a-sentence ones. Plus, I've been accumulating a few flamers and critics from fanfic, and that just doesn't sit well with me.

 

This is not to say those are the only ones I love, those are just the only ones I remember I ADORED, and I just so HAPPENED to notice they're all from mediaminer. If it's somehow important for you to be on the list, then leave a good one for this chapter! And don't just say that you liked the story, or chapter… tell me what you liked about it, and what aspects of my style or plot you enjoyed… these are the properties of a good review!

 

Ok, moving along, now that I've got a considerable amount of original stuff in here, here's something I don't normally do…

 

Disclaimer: All aspects of this story are copyright to Sega, or somebody else who's not me, with the exception of Armic, the other 6 members of the Chaos Troupe, Sir Alexander, the Demon Bacillus, and all other concepts exclusive to “Crystal Kingdom”, which was an original work by myself, combined with this story to spice things up. If you're interested in using any of these for yourself, please consult me before you do-so. On the off chance that somebody DOES have some use for these things, I'd be truly flattered, and, provided you give me recognition for my own ideas and characters, would gladly give you my permission to use them as you please. I doubt anyone's fanatical enough to do any of this, but I just thought I'd let you know in advance. Thank you.

 

Yeah, I don't generally do disclaimers, because… well, I find them somewhat unnecessary…

 

I mean, anyone who knows how to READ should be smart enough to know that anything posted on a site under the category `fanfiction' isn't completely original… I honestly believe I could claim all these characters for myself, and nobody would do anything… if they did, I'd laugh at their sheer idiocy. However, I thought it would be good to inform you that, if you haven't yet figured it out, Crystal Kingdom belongs to me, myself, and I. Needless to say, I hate disclaimers, I find them a hassle, and I'm probably not going to do another one anytime soon, much less every chapter, so pay attention to what that one says.

 

Ok, I know you came here not to hear my opinion, nor be instructed by me, but to read chapter 20… so, I'll delay no longer.

 

“Miles `Foxy' Prower!” Chapter 20: “The `Ultimate' Surprise”

 

As the dark began to slowly consume the light, the sun could be found retreating on the horizon, leaving it's trail of fading colors. The sea sparkled as a final farewell to the mother star, as it's way of telling her she'd be missed.

 

Creatures of the day mourned, whilst creatures of the night rejoiced.

 

Accursed sun… may it never return. Shadow wished silently, as he did during every sunset.

 

 

 

…Sonic, who'd been moved to a medical tent belonging to G.U.N., squirmed on his cot.

 

“Peh… these bandages are so itchy…” He muttered, trying not to scratch at them.

 

“Now you know how I feel.” Knuckles said, from the cot across from him. Sonic looked at him a moment, then laughed.

 

“Hahaha, you said `I'.” He pointed out. The feisty echidna just glared at him, trying to relay to the hedgehog how distasteful the joke was. The jokester frowned.

 

“Ok, Ok… I was just funnin', sheez. Try to lighten up a little, Knux.” He suggested. The red fighter only scoffed, and folded his arms.

 

“…You never cease to amaze me, Sonic. You get the pulp beat out of you, 6 of the emeralds shatter, a crazy, unstoppable demon is on the loose, destroying everything in it's wake, and you STILL manage to think that I need to `lighten up'.” He stated. The blue bolt, to his dismay, found himself without any sort of counter-point. He shook his head.

 

“You're startin' to sound like Tails…” He told him, laying back and closing his eyes. “Which I guess means you're right… for once.”

 

Knuckles didn't respond, only went back to his thoughts.

 

 

…In the tent next to them, Rouge, Cream, and Amy were just sitting around, small patches of conversation passing between them every now and again.

 

Cream looked to her right, knowing the echidna and hedgehog were only feet away.

 

“…Do you really think they'll be able to get along all night? That's an awful long time for those two to be together…” The bunny said, wording her concerns. Rouge shook her head.

 

“Well, even with all the `one-eye' jokes Sonic will doubtlessly crack, Knuckles has enough honor not to hit an injured hedgehog.” She told them. Amy, adjusting the pillow of her bedspread, sighed.

 

“It doesn't matter, he's just being a hypocrite.” She groaned. “Sonic may have both his eyes, but, in most cases, he's as good as blind.” She claimed. Cream giggled a little at that, and Rouge smirked.

 

“Heh. Well, the way I look at it, one eye or two, as long as a man can still see anything, you can bet he's gonna wanna see everything.” The bat philosophized with a snobby look. Amy laughed.

 

“Oh, was Knuckles checkin' out your goods, again?” She teased. A vein promptly bulged out of the thief's head.

 

“Shut up!” She scoffed, folding her arms, and averting her eyes. Her face matched her suitor for a moment there. Even Cream giggled, though it really wasn't her type of humor.

 

Eventually, however, the rabbit found her spirits sinking again. It didn't take Amy more than a second to notice.

 

“…What's wrong, Cream?” She asked. The girl just shook her head, and sighed.

 

“…Tails… I've never really even seen his eyes. Whenever I try to look at them, he always looks away…” she uttered, mournfully. Even Rouge found her heart sinking at the young girl's tone. Amy gave her a hug, trying to cheer her up.

 

“It's ok, Cream… Tails is just… one of those secretive guys.” She told her. Cream sniffled a little, from her cold, which didn't seem to want to heal. The cocoa eyes looked up into Amy's teal.

 

“Secretive…?” She mirrored. The pink hedgehog smiled, and nodded. Rouge stretched a little, and crossed her powerful legs as she sat.

 

“Oh, I know the type,” The bat began. “She's right, Tails is definitely one of them… He hasn't been telling us much of anything lately.” She speculated. Amy nodded in agreement, before looking back to Cream, who, by her eyes, was practically taking notes.

 

“And Tails, he's not stupid… I bet you he knows that girls have a way of… finding out how boys work by looking into their eyes. Maybe that's why he won't look at you.” Amy offered, with a warm, welcoming look. Cream smiled a little, and nodded, considering what the girl had said. After a moment though, the bunny girl felt compelled to say something else, unable to leave the subject. (She could talk about the boy for hours, of course)

 

“…Actually, I think he's scared of me.” She admitted. A moment passed, and just as soon as they registered the information, Amy and Rouge both looked at each other, and simultaneously let out a thunderous `Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!', frightening the girl somewhat.

 

Cheese was roused from it's light sleep, and began looking around for the source of the noise, before it slumped it's head back down onto Cream's pillow. The chao had always been a heavy sleeper… especially nowadays, since it got a considerable amount lazier over the years.

 

“Hehehe! That's so cute!” Amy said, through her own incessant tittering as she nudged the rabbit with her foot. Cream blushed, confused as to how that could be a good thing. Rouge put an arm around her, embarrassing her even more.

 

“Ok, he definitely likes you.” The bat claimed, heartily. Amy went over and put her arm around the girl as well, sandwiching her in between the older girls.

 

“Oh, for sure! I can't believe it, Tails is one of those `emotionally insecure' guys! TAILS!” She repeated, as she and Rouge laughed almost drunkenly. Cream wriggled her way out of their grasp, and looked at them, face still tinted pink.

 

“What do you mean…? That's not funny, tell me what you're talking about!” She demanded at the sight of her friends whispering something to each other. They winked at one another, and Amy smiled at the bunny.

 

“Ok, look girl, it's like this… Tails isn't afraid of you… he's…” Amy put her finger to her lip and thought a moment, trying to find the perfect way to word it. Rouge interjected.

 

“He's afraid of the way he feels about you.” She informed them. Amy turned about and nodded wildly.

 

“Yeah! That's it! He's just afraid of confronting his emotions when you're around…” She explained. Cream, though still a tad shy on this subject, especially since the two girls were being so LOUD, took a moment to think on what they were saying.

 

…Well, they seemed to know what they were talking about… If she knew one thing about them, it was that finding out how guys functioned… It was sort of a hobby of theirs. Still, she really couldn't use what they were giving her.

 

“I don't get what you mean… Why would Tails be afraid of his own feelings?” She asked. She had an idea… but she wanted a second opinion. Amy looked pensive.

 

“Well… Tails, to my knowledge, has never really shown any interest in girls, really. At least not any in particular. I guess this is the first time he's ever liked anybody… It's a new feeling he's never felt before, and he doesn't know how to react… so naturally, he gets nervous and tries to avoid it, and it's source...” She said. The bunny sort of understood…but she hung on those last two words.

 

“It's source…?” She parroted, cutely.

 

“You, girl!” Both girls said in unison.

“Oh… Oh, my…” Was all she could say, as blood conquered the vessels in her face, giving it the hue of a tomato. She was smiling though, through her embarrassment. Deep inside, she hoped they were right… that would mean that Tails DID like her… and that was all she really wanted.

 

She sniffled a little, and then sneezed, cupping her face, as she was always taught not to do so was impolite. As one's head naturally jerks when a sneeze comes, the bell she wore jingled wildly for a moment, though she herself didn't notice it. Amy's ear twitched, and her eyes zeroed in on the accessory.

 

“Bless you.” She said first, “Cream, where'd you get that?” She then asked, touching the golden object with her finger. Cream sniffled a bit more to clear her tiny nose, then looked down at it.

 

“Oh, Chris gave that to me…” She said, not really thinking anything of it. She loved it, really, but her mind was on other things. Amy's eyes grew wide, and she and Rouge grinned at one another again.

 

“Seriously? For no reason?” The pink hedgehog asked. The bell-wearing rabbit cocked her head, looking suspicious.

 

“Yes… why does it matter?” She counter-questioned, at length. Rouge let out a long, soft chuckle.

 

“My, my, everyone's out to get, you, ah? I guess guys like cute and innocent nowadays.” She said with a shrug. Cream frowned, perplexed.

 

“It was only a gift… and I like it… what's the big deal?” She asked them. A pink tint found her cheeks. Amy smiled, and sat down, leveling with her.

 

“Well doesn't that tell you something? It's a really cute little ornament… especially on you. Chris must've put a lot of thought into getting something especially for you. Something you'd love. Guys only do that on one occasion.” She explained. Though the bunny was a tad uncomfortable, she still listened. She didn't make any sense of what Amy was implying; though it was so dreadfully simple.

 

“What's that…?” She asked. Amy sweatdropped, not realizing the girl was really as naïve as she looked.

 

 

“Well, uh…” The pink hedgehog started.

 

“Ah, let her figure it out herself, Amy.” Rouge said, interrupting. Amy looked at her, thought a moment, then nodded.

 

“Yeah… You really should find out for yourself. If you really wanna know, Cream, you should consider all the things Chris does, and the way he acts around you.” She suggested. Cream pouted a bit, finding herself unsatisfied with not having the answer handed to her, as per usual.

 

“Ok...” She muttered. The girl really wanted to know, but that didn't change the fact that she was passive by nature. She'd never really argued with anyone, much less haggle information out of them. It was something that just didn't sit well with her.

 

…The final tent, across from the other two, had possibly the most… unlikely assortment of characters within it. This being…

 

…Regrettably, everyone else.

 

“Bah, stupid boy!” Eggman shouted at Chris, abruptly. The punk rocker gave him a strange look, almost in pity.

 

“What… did I do now?” He asked, hesitantly. The doctor had been fuming at him and everyone else within five feet of his cot for the past 2 hours.

 

“…Nothing, I just felt like letting you know you're stupid!” He said, folding his arms, and turning his nose up. Chris sweatdropped.

 

“It's no use,” Holo-Tails interjected, from his spot placed in the corner of the large tent. “Eggman obviously has to be yelling at somebody in order to function, Chris, you should probably just ignore him.”

 

“Grr, shut up!” Was all that came from Eggman's side of the tent, which was probably more than his share. Chris turned his attention to the holographic kit.

 

“So, Tails, I've been meaning to ask you… where are you transmitting this from?” He asked, referring to the real fox's location. Tails thought a moment, but shrugged, seeing no reason to keep it from him.

 

“My workshop, naturally.”

 

“Oh.” The boy responded, sitting down on his cot. He glanced over in the direction of Armic, whom only smiled at him. He smiled back, but then frowned when his eyes met the ground again.

 

A moment passed, and the rock star found himself getting restless. In dire need of some form of conversation, he looked up at Armic once more.

 

“Say Armic… I'm sure you had a rough time explaining the history of the Emeralds to everyone… maybe you should get some rest…?” He suggested, for lack of anything else to say. Armic started to say something, but Tails interrupted.

 

“Chris, if Armic really is in direct link to the infinite energy of a Chaos Emerald, he probably has no need for rest, or sustenance.” The fox boy informed. Armic found himself sweatdropping. Tails had an impressive intellect, but, as they say, no one likes a know-it-all.

 

“Huh?” Chris said, seeming to be in disbelief. “You mean he doesn't need food or sleep?” He asked. The Emerald Spirit nodded.

 

“Yes, that's about the size of it.” He told him. Chris blinked.

“Huh. Well, why didn't I realize that?” He asked, rhetorically.

 

“Because you're stupid, stupid boy!” Eggman grumbled irritably from his cot. Chris only narrowed his eyes in annoyance, then laid down.

 

A long moment passed, and other than Eggman's consistent ranting, complaining, and insulting of every person he could think of, nobody really said anything.

 

Suddenly, a loud, static covered racket erupted from Tails's Nano-Holo. Chris sat up, and looked at it, puzzled.

 

“Tails, erh, I think something's wrong with your device…” He trailed, unsure what to do.

 

“Oh- *fzzt* shoot…*bzz*-ink it's *zzt*-unning out of p-*gzz*-er…” The fuzzy picture muttered, it's message distorted and incomprehensible. Chris tapped the small metallic square a little, and the image of Tails disappeared completely. The rocker jumped, feeling like he messed it up somehow, as he picked it up, shook it, wiped it off with his shirt, pretty much anything that he thought might get it to turn back on.

 

“Oh man, what's… wrong with this thing…?” He questioned in distress, looking for some sort of switch or something, finding nothing. Without warning, Eggman walked up, and snatched it from him.

 

He examined it, using one hand to lift his shades out of the way, so he could see the object better.

 

“Hmmm… Oh, oh I see!” He exclaimed, as if he'd just had a breakthrough. The young musician looked at the doctor with pleading eyes.

 

“What? What is it!?” He begged to know. Eggman opened a small port on the device, and, from the opening, pulled a small, cylindrical object, which was labeled with the letters…. AAA?

 

“It's out of batteries!!” He proclaimed, causing Chris to promptly face-vault. (He should have used Energizer!! They keep going and going and going and going…)

 

Armic, completely oblivious to what a battery even was, sat to the side, looking confused. Chris jumped up.

 

“So, replace em' already!” He commanded the doctor.

 

“All I have are AA!” He complained. The young boy looked in disbelief.

 

“What!? Oh, come on, you have to have AAA somewhere! Or a charger?” He asked. Eggman shook his head. “Some genius!” The boy shouted, folding his arms.

 

“Hey! I was balancing formulas for complex ionic compounds when you were in diapers, boy!” Eggy claimed, pointing his plasma gun at him.

 

Whilst those two argued, Armic sighed, and exited the tent, unnoticed.

 

The breeze that met his face was cool, and tranquil, just as the quiet, peaceful night. His head tilted toward the sky, the one thing that remained unchanged, and shared his trait of immortality. The stars glittered trillions of miles off, and the moon sported one of it's most elegant phases… the crescent.

 

It was beautiful, to say the least… unlike the stormy night that preceded this one. However, the boy's enjoyment of the moment of peace was short lived, as he soon felt a presence right… next to him!

 

His head and body jerked in the direction, and, as misfortune would have it, his heel caught a totaled piece of sidewalk, causing him to trip backwards, sprawled on the ground before this individual…

 

The jet hedgehog only glanced, and grinned lightly at him, before his scarlet pupils met the moon again. Armic, unsure who this individual was, was frightened for a moment, having left his staff inside (he's as good as helpless without it)… but he sensed no danger. He took the moment to study this new character.

The emerald spirit was nearly entranced with the view of him. This was an individual at total and complete peace… no regrets, no worries, just tranquility. The way he looked upon the moon, his eyes sparkled, like rubies. This person had much love of the night, that much he could tell. His quills were the darkest shade of pitch he'd ever seen… blacker than black, except for the crimson highlights that were strewn exotically amongst his spikes. His cloak, also red, blew in the gentle breeze, was a bit tattered, and gave him a mysterious, somewhat dashing look… one might even go so far as to say gallant. He bore a strange resemblance to Sonic, but only a very vague one… they just happened to be the same size and build, that was about it.

 

Standing up, Armic's gold eyes softened.

 

“Oh… forgive me, you sort of snuck up on me.” He said, with a welcoming smile. Shadow looked at him, then back up to the stars.

 

Armic waited for a moment, and then felt awkward.

 

“Erh… Forgive me… I am called Armic. What is… your name…?” He asked, holding his hand out. Shadow stared at it for a moment, then reached out to shake it.

 

However, he was unable to answer, and merely looked back to the sky.

 

A long moment of silence passed, and Armic frowned.

 

“…You are… Unable to speak…?” He guessed. The sable hedgehog merely nodded, not taking his shimmering garnet eyes from the moon.

 

Armic turned to look at the moon as well.

 

Suddenly Shadow turned to the boy again. He looked at the ground for a moment.

 

“…Yes…?” Armic said, ready to assist in any way possible.

 

“Armic…? Armic? Where'd you…” Said Chris, poking his head out of their tent. The boy's eyes centered on Shadow, and shrunk. Shadow sparsely recognized the boy, and tensed a bit, but didn't let it show.

 

“Sh…Shadow!?” He half-shouted. The black hedgehog examined the punk rocker's features, but the thing that made him realize it was Chris were his eyes.

 

“Shadow? What are you talking about, stupid bo-…eh!? Shadow!?” Came the voice of Doctor Eggman, whom practically fell over backwards in sheer surprise.

 

Shadow said nothing, but only looked at them. Armic turned and looked at the cloaked life form, and then back toward Chris and Eggman.

 

“Oh? His name is Shadow?” He said, innocently. Chris shook his head in disbelief, taking a single step forward.

 

“Shadow… I can't believe it! I thought you were dead!” He said, somewhat excited, somewhat intimidated. Eggman scratched his noggin.

 

“Well you're more versatile than I thought! I don't think even Sonic could've survived a fall through the Earth's atmosphere…” He mused. Shadow's ear twitched at the mention of his formal rival's name.

 

“Hey, what's all the commotion out here, can't a bat get a little shut-eye around… wha? Shadow!” Came the silky voice of Rouge. The bat had her pajamas on, well, if you can call clothing that tight pajamas… She rubbed her eyes in astonishment, walking out to examine him closer. Shadow only glared back at her, in that `what are you looking at?' way he always did. That was enough to let her know.

 

“Good god, it IS you, Shadow! I… Amy! Cream! Sonic, everyone!” Shouted the bat; eager to rouse everyone out to see that Shadow the hedgehog was, indeed, alive. Shadow held his hand out, as if to stop her, but she just ran off to her tent, ignoring him. He shook his head. This appearance was most… ungraceful, he thought. He'd wanted the situation in which he returned to his old friends to be a bit less… awkward.

 

“Rouge, you must be seeing things… Shadow's been dead for… huh!? Shadow!” Shouted Amy, her teal irises shrinking, and her mouth hanging ajar in sheer awe. Cream came out after her, looking around quietly; wondering if what Rouge had said was really true. Finally the rabbit's eyes locked with Shadow's, and she squeaked.

 

“Oh my, he really is back!” She said, unable to hide her joy that one she thought to be dead was alive, although they were never `friends', per se.

 

Shadow only stood there, feeling horribly anxious, restless, and miserable. He had joy in his heart to see that his old friends were alright, but, as rare as this emotion was for him, he had no clue how to deal with it, and it just made him wish he were invisible. He never liked attracting too much attention to himself. Rouge went into the final tent, and came out, dragging Knuckles by the arm. The irritable red one was cursing, calling her a lunatic, and struggling to get away, but to no avail.

 

“Rouge, I'm telling you, you're eyesight must be worse than MINE is if you think that Shadow's actually… Uh!? Shadow!!” He exclaimed, ceasing his resistance and rubbing his eye, squinting to see if it were some kind of trick.

 

The group gathered around the soot-colored hedgehog, making him feel uneasier than ever. They persisted to attack him with questions, tell him all sorts of things, try to get him to speak with them. All the while poor little Armic went ignored as he ran left and right, trying to explain to them that he was incapable of answering.

 

Suddenly, something whizzed by everyone, pretty fast, then slumped to the ground before it could really get any farther.

 

“OWCH!!!!!!!!!!!” It shouted…

 

It was Sonic, of course.

 

Everyone just stared, until Amy finally realized what happened, and put her hands on her hips.

 

“Sonic the hedgehog! What's wrong with you!? You can't run yet, you idiot! It hasn't even been a whole day, yet!” She scolded, helping him up. He just winced at his own pain, unable to deny her, as his body had already proved her point.

 

A moment passed, and Shadow and Sonic just stared at one another, unsure what to do, what to say. Nobody dared speak, because everyone knew, Sonic and Shadow had a certain… kinship, one that nobody could really explain. At first it was rivalry, then partnership, and eventually the two believed in each other more than anyone else. For Sonic and Shadow both, it was like seeing a long lost brother.

 

With a simple grin, the injured blue hero managed to abolish a lot of the tension in the air.

 

“I knew you weren't dead.” Was all he said. And it was true. Sonic never once doubted that Shadow was alive after he heard about the `mysterious hero, cloaked in midnight' on the news. Shadow only folded his arms, closed his eyes, and smiled, looking smug.

 

Somebody expected him to say something, but it was silent. Sonic was the first to detect that something was wrong here.

 

“…Shadow? You…?” Was all he managed to say before Armic stepped in.

 

“Can you not tell? He is mute. He cannot answer you vocally…” He said, huffing and puffing. He'd fought through the crowd trying to explain it, but up until now, he'd gone ignored. Everyone looked at him, then at Shadow.

 

The coal-quilled hedgehog merely nodded. Chris scratched the back of his head.

 

“Wow… That is NOT cool… I can't imagine what it must be like… I'm real sorry, Shadow...” He said. Amy nodded in agreement.

 

“Yeah, it must be horrible, not being able to talk!” She said. Sonic began to chuckle, making everyone stare.

 

“Heh, we all know Amy couldn't live without her blabbermouth, that's for sure.” He said, ever the jester. Shadow couldn't help but grin, and several others laughed, but most everyone else was smarter than to mess with the pink time bomb.

 

“*scoff* How DARE you!! You… blue pig!” She shouted, as she punched him square in the nose, leaving him on the ground, spirals in his eyes, and stars circling above his head.

 

She went to the far side of the group, and folded her arms, turning her back to him, a vein of rage still popping out of her head. Sonic sat up and wiped his nose, to make sure it wasn't bleeding.

 

“Owww… Dang, woman, can't you take a joke!?” He said, sneezing once. Shadow was grinning widely, exposing his fangs, but not purposefully. Sonic just glared at him.

 

“What are YOU smirkin' at?” He asked, causing the black hedgehog's grin widen. Sonic scoffed.

 

“Yeah yeah, bite me. Oh… On second thought… with THOSE chompers, you can bite yourself.” He said, slightly intimidated by the pointy canines. Everyone looked to see, and Shadow wasn't fast enough to hide his grin.

 

“Oh, great. Now I'm not the only one.” Rouge mused, smiling a little to show off her bat-like fangs.

 

“Yikes! Shadow, you should see a dentist about that… Last time I checked, hedgehog's aren't supposed to be carnivorous…” Said Chris. Sonic cracked his neck a little.

 

“Dude, you're forgetting that I eat chilidogs. That has lots of red meat on it.” He told the boy. Chris scratched his head.

 

“But I've seen you eat salad before…” He countered, folding his arms. Before Sonic could respond, Amy interjected.

 

“Chris, we're omnivorous, just like you are. We've evolved beyond the hedgehog's you read about in textbooks and national geographic magazine, obviously.” She said, still seeming a bit mad.

 

“I'm a vegetarian…” Cream admitted. Amy just sweatdropped, and stopped talking, keeping her back turned to the group.

 

“Ok, so it's complicated. But, I still don't recall you having fangs, Shadow… Something you wanna tell us… oh wait…” She trailed, realizing that wasn't possible.

 

“…How should we go about this…? Uh, maybe you could write something down!” Said Sonic, a light bulb appearing above his head. “Yeah! That's it! Anyone got any paper?” He asked… Everyone just shook their heads, and the light bulb burnt out, replaced by a sweatdrop.

 

Shadow tried sign language, but nobody recognized it. He tried the simpler sign language using the alphabet to spell things out, like with Tails, but nobody could decipher that, either.

 

Eventually, the black hedgehog was making things up, in a ridiculous-looking bout of charades that everyone guessed at hopelessly.

 

He smacked himself on the forehead, at how hopeless the situation was. He was hoping Tails would be able to translate for him, but not only was the kit not present, but he noticed Eggman holding his device as well… and the device was turned off.

 

A moment passed, and nobody could think of a plausible way to communicate with Shadow.

 

“Jeez. If I knew this was gonna to be so hard I would've learned sign language.” Sonic said, scratching his head. Amy was still facing away from them, stubborn thing.

 

“Pah? You? Sit still and actually learn something? I'll believe that when I see it!” She said, her voice still very edgy. Sonic looked at the ground frowning. He shook his head, and decided to swallow his pride and humble himself to the girl.

 

 

“Ok Ok…I'm sorry Amy… Don't be mad at me anymore, please?” He asked. She opened her eyes, and her features softened a little bit, as she considered forgiving him.

 

“…Well…” She trailed, turning around and looking pensive. He winked at her.

 

“Hey, had I known you had such a mean right hook, I'd a never even said it.” He told her, rubbing his nose where she'd popped him. Her anger melted completely and she smiled.

 

“Oh, alright. I forgive you…” She said, making Armic and Cream smile with relief. Neither liked it when Amy was upset. She walked back over to Sonic and helped him up from the ground, supporting him like before.

 

“Well, it's all fine and dandy that you two have made up, but that doesn't solve our problem.” Said Knuckles, bringing everyone back to the matter at hand. Amy and Sonic both looked at the ground, as if thinking hard.

 

Suddenly, little Armic gasped, as if realizing something.

 

“Goodness, of course! Oh, but I am foolish! Why did I not think of this sooner?” He said, frantically searching his pockets.

 

“Armic…?” Said Cream, looking at him curiously. He looked panicked a bit, but also eager.

 

After what seemed like five minutes of the boy rustling around his robes seeking something, he pulled out a very small pouch from deep within his garb.

 

“Yes! I still have it!” He shouted gleefully. Nobody said anything, but just stared at him curiously, wondering what would happen next. The young immortal opened the pouch and stuck his smallish hand into it, searching blindly until he finally found what he was seeking.

 

“Ah-hah! There you are!” He said, pulling from the bag a small, deep violet gemstone, which had a strange symbol carved into it.

 

Rouge's eyes lit up as she saw the stone, which redefined the night-sky in the form of a jewel.

 

He held the rock out for everyone to see, and everyone examined it.

 

“That's a very pretty rock, Armic… what's it for?” Cream asked.

 

“Yeah, what's that have to do with anything?” Sonic asked, uninterested.

 

“Hehe, I'll show you.” He said, as he held the gemstone up high, and began chanting:

 

“Commune comes in many forms; the smallest song can calm great storms, but true expression need not be meek, provided it can simply speak. So talkers weep, and mute rejoice, give this silent one a voice!”

 

The royal purple gem sparkled, then glowed, until finally, as Armic's rhyme came to a close, it let off a brilliant light. Everyone covered their eyes, astonished beyond words.

 

Armic brought the gem down, and traced the air with it, the light from the strange rock leaving a neon purple trail behind it. Facing Shadow, he drew an odd glyph in the air using the trail, and it glowed brighter than ever. The glyph twirled about in the air, and shot fourth toward the ebony hedgehog. Too shocked to avoid it, it hit him square in the throat, branding its symbol into his flesh. It singed him, and hurt, and he fell to the ground, clinching his throat.

 

“G-Gahk!!” He shouted.

 

…The wind blew, and all were silent… Finally the black hedgehog looked up, eyes showing his own astonishment. Everyone looked amazed, frightened, and many other words, but mostly shocked, bar Armic, whom was grinning hugely, the gemstone in his hands smoking as if it had been on fire.

 

“…How…Is it possible?” The vampire said, unable to give the feat logic.

 

End Chapter

 

Hehe, you wanna know the answer to Shadow's question? Tune in next time and maybe Armic will explain what the hell, and how the hell he just performed such a miracle with nothing but a shiny rock and a few rhymes.

 

So yeah, you KNOW you wanna know! Oh, by the way, I know it took FOREVER, but it's finally here… chapter 20! Sorry everyone, for the long wait. There's really no excuse for making you wait so unbelievably long, suffice to say I had some seriously nasty writer's block. Yeah, I know.

 

I rarely get writer's block, but when I DO get it, it generally lasts a long time, and it irritates me to no ends. But I'm back in business, and you can hope to see chapter 21 before the week ends. Also, I have two other stories, not to mention a few new ones that I'm not just going to ignore, so be sure to check on those, too… I'd really love to get reviews on them.

 

Oh, and just to let you know, when I get reviews I REALLY like, I make a note to check out the person who left it's profile… and yes, their stories. If only for a thank-you review from yours-truly, be sure to not only review this, but all my stories. Some may be a tad confusing, but that's just my style of writing. I don't just make stuff up without at least a FAIRLY logical explanation, but sometimes it's provided not immediately, but later on, since that goes with the flow of the story better. For instance, right now you probably have absolutely no clue how the hell Armic just pulled a Jesus and cured Shadow's voice (permanently? Read the next chap and maybe you'll find out), but when, or IF I explain it in the next chapter (if I don't by some chance, it will be in the one after), you'll read it and say “OHHHHHHHHHH!!” Which is something I like to do with my writing… rouses your curiosity and keeps you reading.

 

Not only that, but cliffhangers are something I just love doing, though sometimes, for the sake of length, I can't leave off exactly where I want. But I got lucky this time ^_^

 

Ok, so enough of my blabbering, just… PLEASE review. It's only three stories, and if you'd leave one review for each I'd love you forever. Ok, I'm done blabbering now… Until chapter 21, my darlings.