Sonic The Hedgehog: Trailblazers (BETA)

Chapter 1: Diverging Paths

Truly, the night that stretched across the vast skies was a sight to behold. With stars that glimmered and spun, a brilliant moon whose bright reflection danced across the surface of the inky ocean waters, serving as the only headlight to the weary travelers that sat atop the infamous Tornado.
It was eerie, the way that silence hung over the heads of the team like a thick coat, the only sounds that dared to break the ice being the gentle lapping of the waves, and the low rumbling of the Tornado's engine.
Exhausted, a word so simple, was the best way to describe the passengers aboard the red bi-plane. One wouldn't have guessed the raw excitement and bliss the crew was exhibiting just about an hour ago.

It had been an eventful few months, what originally was supposed to be a stop at the islands to nab the emeralds, and maybe do some exploring, ended up being the most one of the most grueling, life changing adventures yet.
No more cyber ghosts, no more cyber corruption creeping over each nerve and brain cell, and best of all, they were all able to see each other again, to touch and feel whole once more. They couldn't have helped themselves but to exchange high-fives, playful punches to the shoulders and lung crushing hugs, whooping and exclaiming their joys to the skies that were littered in falling debris of the Supreme.
Of Sage.

The gut wrenching memory had Sonic turning his head over his shoulder, green eyes searching the blackened horizons as if he would hope to find something, a light, a sign, anything that indicated something different than the untimely perishing of the young AI.
Squeezing blue eyelids together, a sigh escaped the blue hedgehog, attempting to shove the thoughts out of his mind. He wasn't even sure if he had the energy to let his emotions run their course, not now at least..

"You know, it's funny!"
A voice piped up, successfully brushing Sonic's inner turmoil from his mind as a blue ear angled itself behind him.
A soft chuckle from Tails, and the fox continued.
"We went there to collect the emeralds, we held them several times and yet we're coming home empty handed."

Sonic finally turned his head to face the fox, the moon illuminating the frame of his face. The look that the kit held, it was obvious another idea had struck the mind. A familiar expression, honestly.
A light grin curled over the hedgehog's muzzle, an eyebrow raising. One adventure just ended and he's already thinking of the next.. he really has taken after him.

"Ah I know that face when I see it! What's next on the agenda buddy?"

Tails's eyes shifted toward the moon, tapping away at some buttons and levers on the dash panel of the Tornado, setting it on auto pilot as he reclined in the cockpit, focusing on the endless sky above.
"I'm gonna set off to find all the Chaos Emeralds! Sure, it's something we've done before, but I want to really take my time to find them, study them, gather as much data as I can! It feels like the more we learn about the Chaos Emeralds, the more mysterious they become!"

With each word, Tails's eyes grew brighter, his namesakes beginning to fluff and shift behind the genius, hands gesturing wildly in the air.

"From the Gaia Temples, the ruins of Angel Island, and now the Ancients.. we barely know or understand anything about the emeralds, and after this latest run in? I'm ready to do some deep researching! I'll track down each and every emerald, I'll stop by Spagonia, Holoska- all the temples and see what I can discover!"

Tails was beaming, babbling on about each detail of his makeshift adventure planned out in his head. It was enough to make Sonic's chest swell with pride as he soaked in all the information spat at him, nodding along silently as he let the fox speak his heart out.
Sonic didn't doubt a word of his idea, after all, back on Chaos Island Tails had settled on the idea of setting off on his own, to start paving his own path of discovery, exploration. To find independence, without standing in the shadow of his hero..