"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 Pok‚mon 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*** Desir‚e D'Coolette*** Angela Shi-rat*** Rosa*** DJ Osaya### Kelly Min Hedgehog**## Dest¡n### 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," Desir‚e said. "Look, no one here has to join in if they don't want to--" "I never said that," Desir‚e protested. "I just wanna make sure you know what the consequences will be." "I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't Desir‚e. 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," Desir‚e 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. Desir‚e 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," Desir‚e 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 Desir‚e. Yeah, DJ's right here actually." Desir‚e 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 Desir‚e questioningly but then shrugged and nodded. He motioned with his hands as if telling her to start talking. Desir‚e 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 Desir‚e 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 Desir‚e 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 Desir‚e 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. Desir‚e 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. Desir‚e 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. Desir‚e 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 Desir‚e with the other. Desir‚e 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," Desir‚e 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!" Desir‚e 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. Desir‚e 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, Desir‚e 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," Desir‚e 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. Dest¡n, can you make it down there?" "Of course I can," Dest¡n 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," Dest¡n 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 Dest¡n'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!" Desir‚e 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 Dest¡n had popped out of. But as he ran over a different one, Dest¡n 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 Dest¡n's tail, skidding face-first on the ground for only a second, but it was enough for Dest¡n 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!" Dest¡n 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 Desir‚e. "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 Dest¡n and had grabbed hold of the hand with the stone. Dest¡n 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 Desir‚e, 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!" Desir‚e 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 Desir‚e 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."