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P A R T Y:
(Tebice - Sonic - Tails - Knuckles)
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-Central City.-
Tebice: I'm not coming with you! Get away!! [His tail rises above his head, a white light gathering at the tip of it from only the air around him. He seems to be converting the air into a high concentrated, radiant plasma. It swirls into a sort of sphere of shining blue and white. Aurax.]
BlackSin: ...Hmph, so you understand Aurax... I should've expected this much. After hundreds of millions of years, it should only be your instinct..
Tebice: [Growls, ready to release the Aurax.]
BlackSin: Come now, little Tebice! Why bite the hand that feeds? Do you not want to know of your true past?
Tebice: I don't care what you say. I'll find my past with those who I trust!
BlackSin: Heheheh... Stubborn, just as you were as the Creator's pet... Eras later, and you have not changed a bit. Very well, little Tebice... Do as you wish, for now. [He begins breaking into little bits of black matter.] But heed my words... This was a warning... Hellspawned will claim you. You can't hide. The realm of Dreamland. You will be brought to the Creator... Even if we have to flush you out by destroying those you once cared about... [He breaks completely into the atmosphere.]
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Tebice: [The Aurax fades. His tails drops.] ... (They're playing mind games now, pretending like they know me... M-maybe they know me, but they probably don't know much...) [Lowers his head.]
Sonic: [Having been sitting down the entire time, he stands up and walks closer to Tebice.] Tebice? ...
Tails: [Hops out of the cockpit, rotating his tails rapidly enough to hover, which he does next to Sonic.]
Knuckles: [Standing beside Sonic with his arm crossed, a bit stunned. The three are looking down at Tebice with confusion.]
Sonic: Alright, little guy... You've got some explaining to do.
Tebice: [Looks up at the three.] I'm sorry... I don't know how to... [At this moment, he catches a glimpse of all three of them with a strong emotion accompanying it.] ...
Tails: Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.
Knuckles: I think we all just did... I wonder what that strange, black creature was.
Tebice: [Shakes his head quickly.] U-um, never mind that. I'm fine... We should go now.
Sonic: Tisk, tisk... [Points at the plane behind Tebice.]
Tebice: [Looks back at the Tornado.] ...Oh...
Knuckles: Do we have a plan B?
Sonic: We'll think of something.
Tails: I sure hope that thing doesn't come back... It was scary.
Tebice: [He seems very quiet.] ...I think I can get us to Angel Island... gather around me. (I know what the shrine looks like... I can take them to the Master Emerald... it feels like I can.)
Knuckles: Why didn't you just say so?
[The three gather closer to Tebice. Sonic kneels down to his level.]
Sonic: What's your plan?
Tebice: That Hellspawned thing said that this "Aurax" stuff comes naturally to me... It's weird, but... I think I get it...
Sonic: I heard him mention that. What do you think it means?
Tebice: It's probably some strange energy... (But I feel like I know how to use it... Maybe it really is natural to me, 'cause I feel like I can do a lot with it.) ...Okay, I got it. [Closes his eyes.] ...
Sonic: Whatever it is, I guess we have no other choice.
Tebice: ... (This power feels so right... I already feel more at home with it than the black lightning. I've only been this tiny thing for a couple hours, I think, and it all feels so perfect for me... It's funny how Angel Island's a real place now. Good thing I've played the games.) [A light blue orb with swirling white radiance surrounds the four. It closes in on them until it is so small that it disappears...]
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-Angel Island Shrine.-
[The "Aurax corridor" reappears as a tiny orb in front of the Master Emerald shrine, now upon Angel Island. It grows until it is the size it started out as, then fades away, all with a second.]
Sonic: [Stands, turning in all directions.] Whoa. He really did it!
Knuckles: We could have done this sooner!
Tails: That was awesome, but it's still raining here.
Tebice: [Looks around.] (It worked... I'm starting to remember ways of how to use Aurax. Maybe I should've asked a little bit about myself... I was stubborn... Agh, so much is happening and it's hard to take in. I need to just stay calm and focus... focus on what's in front of me.)
Sonic: So where's that Emerald?
Knuckles: Follow me. [He begins up the shrine with Sonic following behind.]
Tails: [Turns back to Tebice.] Thanks for the help, Tebice. Are you coming?
Tebice: [Looks up and nods.] Oh! Yeah yeah.
[Tails leads Tebice up the shrine.]
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[It appears that Angel Island really has fallen to the surface of the sea again. The tropical wilderness possesses a looming shadow this day...]
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[At the top of the shrine, the Master Emerald has no radiance, which is abnormal. The small Chaos Emerald place at the base of the grand pedestal holding the larger Emerald gleams violently. It is a deep maroon luster.]
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Sonic: Whoa, check it out! [Reaches for the Chaos Emerald.]
Knuckles: [Smacks Sonic's hand away.] Don't touch it. Trust me, I learned the hard way.
Sonic: What's the worst that can happen?
Tails: Sooonic... We already know what happened to Cream and Shadow...
Knuckles: Actually Tails... we don't know for sure.
Sonic: And we never will if Knucklehead keeps us from it! [Points to Knuckles, now facing Tails.]
Knuckles: [Turns all the way to Sonic, shaking his fist at him.] You ungrateful little--
Tails: Guys! Stop for a second, look at the Emerald! [Points at the Emerald. The glowing intensifies, and an ethereal humming is heard.]
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[The three behold the Emerald...]
Tebice: [Distracted by his thundering thoughts.] (Wh-what about the others? Lea? Naught? What're they gonna do? Fox? I beat him, but--...D-did I? Was that the real Fox? Ughhh...)
[The Emerald entrances the three.]
Tebice: Guys...? [Looks back up at them. Red rays of light can be seen now. The Emerald glows even brighter until Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles become a part of the glows, gleaming red themselves. The rays of light surround them, pulling them into the Emerald. They shrink, until eventually they have vanished into the jewel... or so it seems.]
Tebice: G-guys!?!? [Runs up to where they had stood moments ago.]
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[The emerald continues gleaming.]
Tebice: Well this is great... I let my stupid thoughts ruin everything... [Looks down at the Emerald.] Well, I've got nothing to lose at the moment. Hang on, I'm coming!
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[Strangely, the Emerald ceases glowing as Tebice stares into it. It seems to sense a greater presence of light. Little does Tebice know that his body gives off a natural, ever-glowing blue radiance which is all it takes to silence the Chaos Emerald.]
Tebice: Hmm...? C'mon, Chaos Emerald, work your magic... Unless... my magic's messing you up... Hm... (Could this be the Aurax...? What does it have to do with the Chaos Emeralds? Futhermore, what does being a little tiny animal thing have to do with Dreamland? Why is being "cute" the key to everything? ...There I go, letting my mind question crap again... Hey, what's that?)
[The Emerald reveals a projection of a sunny beach with a large cave nearby... Before he can do anything else, Tebice's sight becomes slightly worse and worse, blackening gradually.]
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[He can no longer speak.]
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[Everything becomes dark.]
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[Static.]
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...(Ah, it would appear that his existential being is not as attuned to Dreamland as I though... I do say, it is much more powerful than any other who has come to this realm from Fantasy...)
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(Farewell, strange one. I do hope we meet again.)
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P A R T Y:
(Chris)
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-Rest-Post Tartarus.-
[The Rest-Post is like a small two-story home. {It is not as vast as it is in the future.} Chris is asleep on the living room couch.]
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Chris: [He awakens. His eyes shoot open, and a second later he is sitting up, arms in front of him.] Wh--! ...Whoa... [Looks down at his hands.] Back to normal already...? ...Was it a dream...?
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Chris: No, it was way too real... All of these weird feelings with it... And Hellspawned, they were there. [Rubs his face.] Uggghhhh. [Drops his hands into his lap again.] (Wish I knew what they want with me. It's freaking me out. I can't defeat them on my own... It takes a lot to kill one of those suckers.) ...[He shifts his legs over the side of the couch, scanning the living room.] We really need to spruce this place up... But Darkness has got a lot more things to worry about, I s'pose. [He stands, walking to the front door.] Who knows, maybe it really was some epic dream...
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[Chris leaves the Rest-Post.]
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...(It was no dream... The world that this Overlord of Misery sends you to... is the dream.)
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--E N D I N G--
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