Ancient Secret, Inner Emerald

The Feeling of Life

"So Sonic," Tails heard Amy ask, leaning over the side of the plane to face the hedgehog who was flying alongside it.

"What was Kronos Island like in your time?" She asked.

The hedgehog was flying on his back with his arms behind his head. A wide smile broke across his face.

He always seemed so excited and upbeat about everything, maybe that's what was throwing him off. Tails wanted to like the guy, he really did, but there was just something about him. Something in his stories and his expressions that just made him uneasy, no matter how lighthearted or harmless it was.

"Oh it was beautiful" he said dreamily. "We were a farming island, Ares was for militarization, Chaos was for engineers and inventors, and Ouranos was for all the important people, leaders, elders, councils, the whole works." He said.

Tails took note of the strange way he said "Chaos" like he had choked on the word trying say it.

That was another thing he'd been wondering about, they hadn't seen Chaos, the god that is, it was strange. They were normally with Tikal for everything.

"But Kronos and Rhea," he continued "They were about life." He breathed.

"Learning about the land, using it to help us gain resources and giving back to it when need be." He explained.

"Kronos and Rhea was the Island where you went to live. To spend your life being happy, making friends, finding love. Kronos Island was about something more simple than a hierarchy or a military. It was about the people." He sighed.

"Did... You have a family on Kronos?" Amy asked, and Tails could tell she was trying her hardest not to be insensitive.

"Mmm, not really I guess. My creator lived on Ouranos but on Kronos I just kind of went with it, y'know? I talked with anybody I saw, spent nights wherever I liked, and did whatever I wanted to." He replied.

"Ha!" Knuckles laughed from his place on top of the plane. "I might've been wrong, maybe you are Sonic." He chuckled.

For a second he thought he saw the hedgehog's expression twitch out of the corner of his eye.

Tails knew what knuckles meant though, for as not-Sonic as this guy was, he knew his brother well enough to easily hear those same words leaving his mouth.

"Kronos Island dead ahead!" He called as the blip on the horizon suddenly grew.

"Sonic" turned to look ahead of them at the approaching land.

The hedgehog's eyes got wider and he steered himself over to grab onto the plane as Tails landed it in an open field covered in a canopy of small pink and white flowers.

They each stepped off and waited, the blueish hedgehog the last one to float off the plane.

It was a strange feeling, watching the first incarnation of the emerald step out onto the ground. He did so carefully, like one little misstep might cause the entire island to crumble to dust.

"So," Amy asked quietly, "how does it feel to be home?"

The Ancient was silent for a long time before a gentle smile slowly spread across his face and then-

KR-THOOM

He ducked his head at the sudden gust of wind and the familiar boom of the sound barrier breaking. When he opened his eyes he saw the ancient had shot off like a rocket.

Tails stared as the other flew at mach speeds over the surface of the ocean's waters, a wake forming around him as he twisted and turned.

A noise caught his ears and he saw a smile break out on Amy's face as they realized the other was laughing.