Chapter Text
If he had to be honest, these were the most interesting caves he'd ever seen in his entire life on this crazy planet. Though, if he also be honest, these were the first and only caves he'd seen at this point, but he doubted that most caves looked like this.
The caves were lined with dimly lit cyan cracks crawling along the walls like veins. Every few feet or so, the cracks would be interrupted with this brillaint diamond shape in the walls. He couldn't tell if they were holes or not, because he hadn't taken the time to check. He was tempted to touch one, but there were more important things to do right now.
There was also a glowing stream. It was definitely the same cyan, though it was considerably brighter. Not bright enough that they'd be able to see without the torch in his bony hand. So far, he was hoping what they were looking for was wherever this stream was actually coming from.
And so far, Sonic the Hedgehog was just about ready to throw something.
I probably could've run there and back by now! Sonic thought. His grip tightened on the torch. But you're not supposed to run with fire. It's freakin' FIRE, Sonic. It might go out, and suddenly we can't see anything!
Plus... there's this whole thing to worry about. Sonic lifted his free hand to his chest, placing it right where he thought his heart should be. It seemed to be beating fine, for the most part. A little quick, but fine. And his lungs also seemed to be fine right now, but on the inside, it felt... weird. He had no idea how to explain it. Which was why it was so important he took things slow at the moment. It's painful, though! I miss being able to run so fast. It felt like flying....
There was a little tug on his scarf.
Sonic's hand fell to his side, quickly turning his head to the source of the voice. Sapphire blue eyes stared up at him. The eyes belonged to a small fox with golden yellow fur; darker markings were placed on the bridge of his nose, the tips of his ears, and both of his arms and legs. His chest and muzzle were a lighter color, as were the inside of his ears and the tip of his tail.
He wrung Sonic's scarf in his little hands, the fingers poking out of his dirty gloves threatening to dig their claws in. "S-Sonic?" he piped up. His voice was incredibly small.
"Yeah?" Sonic said. "What's up?"
The fox furrowed his brow. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Wha — of course I am!" Sonic tried to smile. "Where'd that question come from, bud?"
His little brother shrugged, deciding he wanted to fiddle with his own scarf for a while. He didn't make eye contact with Sonic, his tail between his legs. "You were holding your chest...." He looked up at Sonic. He looked so, so lost in that moment. "Were... you hurting again?"
Sonic's heart twanged. "Oh, buddy." He wrapped an arm around his little brother's shoulders, pulling him in close as they walked. "No, of course not! Just double checking that everything's in order! You can never be too careful, Miles." Looking ahead, Sonic felt his shoulders relax. "Hey hey! Looks like we're almost there! We're so close to this thing I think I can taste it."
Miles lit up, and Sonic was glad he didn't seem to notice he was changing the subject. The little fox looked like he wanted to run off right then and there, but he instead forced himself to stay right where he was by Sonic's side. Which Sonic himself appreciated, even though he knew he personally would've liked to bolt through that entrance. But then again... there was everything else to consider.
Like the fact he was basically holding FIRE on a stick right now.
The next cave was much, much brighter than the ones they'd just walked through. To the point Sonic wasn't entirely sure they needed the torch anymore. There were four pillars, placed carefully around the cave. There were symbols along the base, all of which reminded Sonic of shapes on stained glass. Judging from how they were placed together, they were probably letters and words, but Sonic couldn't read them. It looked like the same word over and over again, though. Crescent moon, square, triangle, circle... uh. Weird rectangle?
However, one shape stood out, as it was quite easy to tell what it meant; it was familiar and gem-like. They were along the pillars themselves, running up from the sky down to the ground. Well, as far down as the bases would allow them.
Then, he saw it. Sonic's eyes widened, and for a split second, he nearly thought his breath hitched. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell Miles hadn't seen it. Not yet, anyway. So he tapped Miles' shoulder, using the torch to point. His brother let out a little gasp, announcing that he finally saw it, too.
By the back of the cave, surrounded by a glowing lake, was a cyan gem.
The gemstone was perched on the ruins of a fifth, crumbled pillar. To Sonic, it was utterly flawless. It looked like it was glowing within, and it looked smooth and shiny from where they stood. It kind of reminded Sonic of tinted glass for some reason.
Miles let out a little squee! "The Cyan Emerald!" he said. He began clapping his hands, jumping up and down. His tail was wagging wildly. "I can't believe we found it!"
Sonic couldn't stop smiling. He pulled his little brother into another one-armed hug. "This is it! This is actually it!" He glanced at the Emerald. "I got this."
He pulled away, holding the torch to Miles, who promptly grabbed it. The little fox held it away from himself, as though he thought it would burn him if he held it too close to his face. Sonic hurried over to the lake, earning a squeaky little "Careful!" from Miles.
Sonic stopped at the edge, forcing down the almost-instinctive urge to clutch his chest. He could feel his heart stuttering, even without a hand over his chest. It was definitely faster, and felt like it was striking his ribs with each beat. He wasn't sure if it was the excitement of being so close to the Cyan Emerald or it was from the effort of running. Man, it didn't used to be so hard.
Sonic dipped the toe of his shoe in the water. It's... not too deep, he noted. He put his foot back on the stone. But these are literally the only pair of shoes I own. Soggy shoes are not a risk I'm willing to take for this thing.
The distance from the lake's edge to the pillar was, like... two versions of Miles laid down. Not bad, honestly. But then again, Miles was like two feet tall. Sonic wasn't good with numbers, but that would be like... four feet or something. Not that he actually knew how far four feet was. How tall was Miles, really? Sonic grit his teeth, a headache forming just behind his eyes. And this is why I don't use my brain sometimes.
"It looks like there's a foothold to stand on, Sonic!" Miles said. "Maybe if you back up and jump, you might be able to reach it!"
Sonic turned to look at Miles. The jumping part he'd come up with himself, but at least Miles could flesh out his ideas, even when Sonic hadn't told them to him directly. He gave Miles a thumbs up. "Right on!"
In turn, Miles gave Sonic a big smile, his eyes lighting up with glee. Ohh, little guy.
As Miles suggested, Sonic backed up, ran forward and jumped. He grunted as he landed on the pillar's base, his fingers holding onto whatever cracks they could find. There was a splash behind him. Sonic turned around to see that Miles had apparently decided to throw the torch into the lake. Sonic looked at his brother with his mouth wide open, gesturing to the floating torch, though it was technically just a stick now.
"Do ya have any idea how many rings that was?"
Miles just timidly shrugged, avoiding eye contact. For all the brains he had, he could sometimes be... well, not as smart as he usually was. But I can't fault him for that! He's only eight, he doesn't know any better. Sonic sighed. "It's... fine," he said. "Don't worry about it."
He turned back to the Cyan Emerald. His hands shook as he held them out, letting them hover by the Emerald's sides. So close... so close! All he had to do was pick it up, and it would be finally done. Mission complete. For some reason, Sonic almost didn't want to touch it. It was so perfect... what if he ruined it by smudging it or getting dirt on it?
I can't back out now. Not when I'm so close! Not when we're so close!
Sonic clenched his jaw and picked the Emerald up.
He was certain he could feel its power. Energy thrumming under the surface, in his grubby little hands. He hadn't done anything with it, but he could feel how powerful it was regardless. It felt as though electricity was buzzing through the air. The Emerald was lighter than he was expecting it to be. It made a strange humming noise, its light growing brighter for a split second.
"I... I did it." Sonic turned around, making eye contact with Miles. His heart gave a weird flutter. "I did it! I got an Emerald!"
Miles let out another little squee! and began rapidly clapping his hands together.
Sonic managed to clear the lake again. He proudly held the Emerald in one hand as he walked over to join Miles. The little fox's eyes seemed to sparkle in the gem's glow. He was clearly in as much awe as Sonic was right now. Honestly, Sonic hadn't felt this happy in years.
"Well!" Sonic said after a minute. "We finally got an Emerald. Now, all that's left to do is bring this bad boy over to the Big Egg himself!"
Miles put a hand on his chin, carefully looking the gem over in all its glory. "It's gotta be worth a lot. Due to its status as the most elusive of the Seven Legendary Chaos Emeralds, the Cyan Emerald is the the most desired by the Eggman Empire. It's probably got the biggest bounty on it. So we're lucky that we found that one."
Sonic ruffled the fur on his little brother's head. "How'd you get so smart?" he asked, earning a little storm of giggles from Miles. Sonic returned his attention to the Emerald. "Chaos, if that's the case, imagine the rings this thing could rack up. And the things could get with 'em! Like... a new pair of gloves. These ones are ratty, tatty and old. And oh man, food. We'd never have to starve again!"
Miles' tail began wagging, his eyes lighting up, ideas clearly filling his head to the brim. "You could finally try a chili dog!"
A wide smile crossed Sonic's features. "You could get that model airplane you've been drooling over!"
"We could fix you!" Miles said. "You'd never be hurting ever again!"
Sonic felt his smile waver. "That means... going near grown-ups, doesn't it?"
The sparkle in Miles' eyes were replaced with guilt. An expression an eight year old should never have to wear. "I-I know, b-but... Eggman's a grown-up too, isn't he?"
Sonic shrugged, his smile completely falling from his face. "Yeah, but he's different. Even if he doesn't know me, I know him. If... we were to see what's actually wrong and... see if it could be helped, th-that... that might mean going near strangers. People I don't know." He shuddered. He stared at the Emerald in his hands. If he looked closely, he could see the reflection of his worried face looking back. "What if they refuse to help me? What they tell me it's impossible to cure? What if they tell me how long I have left to live? I can't, I can't — I-I don't want to...."
"Sonic." Miles reached up to put a hand on Sonic's shoulder, giving him a little smile. "Could we at least check?" His ear twitched. He furrowed his brow, before shaking his head.
Sonic sighed. "Maybe," he said. "But we'd have to hold onto this thing long enough to even get it to Eggman before anything else. We just painted a big target on our backs, Miles. If someone sees this thing, we can say goodbye to our reward, your model airplane, and my chili dog."
"And to fixing you," Miles added.
If it's possible, Sonic's mind treacherously thought. His mouth twisted into a crooked smile. "R-right on, buddy." He glanced at the Emerald again. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have a bag on you, would you?"
"No," Miles immediately said.
"Of course not, what am I saying? Where would you even put it?" Sonic let out an annoyed growl. "Man, I wish we thought of that before we found this thing. It's stupidly light, but it is also stupidly big. That means it's gonna be hard to hide, especially without something to put it in."
Miles nervously chuckled. "I mean, no one ever talks about how big the Chaos Emeralds are. To be honest, I thought they were smaller than this. Like, I always thought they were small enough to put all of them in the palm of your hand! So we could've potentially tried to hide them in one of our scarves, or even one of our socks."
"Ha! Yeah, right! As if we're lucky enough for that ta happen!" Sonic sneered. "We're lucky ta find th' freakin' thing! Could ya imagine what our lives could'a been like if we had that kinda good luck? We wouldn'a had ta find this thing in the first place! Heck, we probably wouldn'a gotten kicked outta—"
"Sonic." Miles pointed at his throat. "Accent."
Sonic blinked. "Oh." He ducked his head. "Oops. Sorry. Forgot that ha—"
"HEY!"
The voice came out of nowhere. It came from behind them, and nearly made Sonic drop the Cyan Emerald and have a heart attack. He definitely had no idea who that belonged to. Sonic and Miles turned to the newcomer. While Miles merely gasped, Sonic's heart decided to skip a beat, stutter, and then freak out.
The newcomer was definitely a Mobian, but he couldn't recognize what he was supposed to be.
He had what Sonic assumed were red quills, but no visible ears to speak of. Unless they were under his hat, but that probably wasn't the case. He had a pointed muzzle with a triangular black nose, but it wasn't covered in fur. The muzzle, he meant. He couldn't tell what color his eyes were supposed to be in this lighting. Purple? Blue? His tail was just really weird. It was shaped kind of like a lightning bolt.
And then there was his gloves. They looked like they were boxing gloves made out of a softer material. Or perhaps they were mittens, maybe? No idea. But the thing that both confused and freaked Sonic out the most was the pointy nubs along the knuckles. Especially considering that the newcomer had decided to make a show of punching the palm of his other hand, standing tall and proud as though expecting to fight.
In that moment, Sonic the Hedgehog decided that he didn't want this unknown Mobian to punch him.
Miles grabbed Sonic's arm, practically tugging him down so he could be level with Sonic's ear. "An echidna!" the little fox excitedly exclaimed. "It's an echidna!" He lowered his voice, to the point Sonic himself almost couldn't hear him. "They're supposed to all be extinct, but this has to be the last echidna left!"
"Huh? Oh." Sonic looked the newcomer over again, then wrinkled his nose. "That's what they look like?"
The newcomer bared his teeth. "That's a lot of talk, coming from someone who looks like a body that decided it wasn't done living yet."
Sonic winced. "Ouch. Low blow, dude."
Apparently satisfied with that response, the newcomer slowly approached, rolling his shoulders. He stood nose to nose with Sonic, clearly having no concept of personal space.
"This Emerald is hereby now under the protection of the Chaotix. Hand it over, or I'll break your spine."