The Starfallen

Reflections and Mirrors

When Tails wakes up, the first thing he notices is that he's not on the ground anymore. Instead, he's someplace a little softer but still firm, and covered by a blanket. Then, he realizes that must mean he's not in the cave anymore. This makes him sit up abruptly, looking around for somebody, anybody, before his eyes land on Shadow, who has stood up, and is watching him with an unreadable expression. "Shadow??" He asks. He vaguely remembers him trying to attack Sonic. The hedgehog had somehow managed to stop him, but released Tails in the process. "Yes?" Shadow replies, then seems to realize what he meant and corrects himself. "I took you away from Sonic. You're lucky I did; seeing as he almost killed you." Tails looks down. Calling the structure he sits in a bed would be being kind; it's more of a cot. "Thank you." He says quietly. Shadow, recognizing that the fox is still processing what happened, sits back down on the crate he'd dragged over. He lets a few more moments pass; while Shadow may not hold anything against the young Mobian, they haven't had the best of interactions. He's unsure of what to say. "Why'd you come? How did you know to?" Tails inquires, looking up at him once more. "Rouge had found something while searching for some gems, thinking that's what Robotnik had found. Instead, she found some ancient texts speaking of a great evil under the ground. Coincidentally, the exact cave the doctor had dug up. He didn't know about it, only that there was a big source of energy in the area. He must have assumed it was a Chaos Emerald. When she said you two were going to explore it, I knew you'd end up causing trouble, so I came to stop it. It appears I was too late. Whatever was in that lake, it's been released." Shadow explains, gesturing in accordance with his words. "Do you know if Sonic's okay? Or where he is?" Tails' hopeful query is shut down as the dark hedgehog shakes his head. "I don't know where he is. And I wouldn't suggest that you seek him out, either. Whatever that thing is, it's clearly no longer Sonic, if it ever was at all." Tails tilts his head, frowning. "What do you mean? From what I understand, Sonic's just possessed...right?" He says.

"I don't think that's how it works." Rouge interjects, making her entrance. "I managed to scrape together some more details for you; hope you're happy." She hands Shadow the USB again, which he takes to the computer, bringing it over so Tails can see. "Seems like it wasn't just the Echidna that were in on this. There was a far more ancient race that had a part to play. I guess whatever these Ancients started, the Echidna finished it, or tried to. But that's beside the point–it's not Sonic. Or, I don't think so." Rouge steps forward and types something into the computer, pulling up a certain set of words and images onto the screen. The primary image shows a dark cloud with glowing eyes and a monstrous grin attacking what appear to be creatures like Chaos, with strange markings that look like they have eyes in their chests. "These Ancients seem to have led this threat to Mobius with them, albeit unknowingly. They talk about a sort of dark cloud falling from the stars, giving it the nickname 'the Starfallen', and infecting the waters of a nearby lake. When it infected one of these beings, it was because it fell into the lake. This thing was apparently meant to help another enemy, a far greater threat, destroy those Titans Sonic fought. After successfully killing and causing the suffering of many, they found a way to trap it, sealing its consciousness into the surface of that same lake. The trapped Ancient was returned, explaining the thing was already chained to the lake from the start, and rambling on about seeing things through reflections and another sort of pocket dimension. Flash forward to the Echidna..." Rouge taps the keyboard and the screen shifts, Tails identifying some of the ruins in the imagery to be very much like the ones Knuckles once showed him on a tour. "They had a legend of this lake, passed down through their generations, and that caused them to dispatch two warriors to protect it at all times, just like how our Echidna protects the Master Emerald." She explains. Shadow crosses his arms, regarding her with a grim yet closed expression. "You think this thing and Sonic switched places?" He infers. The bat nods, waving to indicate the computer, which Tails is now reading on, but still half-paying attention to the conversation. "Makes sense. when it was trapped back in the lake, that Ancient was freed, and the way it's explained sounds like this 'Starfallen' thing just impersonated them." Shadow nods, thinking hard. "Rouge may be correct. They never say anything about it inhabiting a body, they mostly focus on its ties to the lake." Tails muses, ear twitching in contemplation. "So...we get that thing back in the lake, and we free Sonic?" Shadow confirms, and Rouge shrugs. "Sounds like it, anyway." He scowls, thinking it over for a minute. "Then Tails, you should hide. I may not like that blue hedgehog, but it doesn't mean I won't protect his friends if they're in danger like this." The little fox looks up from the computer, listening as Shadow speaks. "Is there a safe place he can even go? Does this Starfallen have Sonic's speed?" Rouge inquires. "I think so, it's just figuring out how to use the new form it's copied." Shadow answers, taking back the computer. "Then nowhere on this planet is truly safe." Rouge points out. Shadow groans, running a hand over his face.