Tails of the Six Paths-Ch 2

A week later and no one had heard from Sonic. Besides Amy, no one was really worried. Sonic had a habit of running off for long periods of time and getting into adventures.
Tonight, Tails was with Amy, Cream, and Chris watching a meteor shower.  

“This meteor shower only happens once every thousand years.” Tails said, setting up a telescope, “We won’t see anything like this in our lifetime again!”

“Um…Tails?” Amy asked, her vision locked to the sky where white streaks were flying across the sky as the meteor shower began, “Is it me or is that meteor getting closer?”

The fox’s eyes widened as he saw a “meteor” zoom closer and he leapt back, hands held in front of him.

“Bansho Ten’in!” He shouted, and Amy, Chris, and Cream were sent flying towards him as they narrowly avoided being hit.

When the smoke cleared, they saw the meteor was a spaceship of some kind, whose cockpit was knocked open upon contact and there were four figures lying on the ground. Each was a girl of some kind, and seemed to have flowers (flower buds in the youngest one’s case) on their heads.

Tails walked over and knelt by each of them, checking their pulse.

“They’re alive, but we must get them to shelter.” Tails said, making three strange symbols with his hands.

“Tiger. Dog. Snake.” He whispered to himself before calling out “Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!”

Tendrils of wood seemed to sprout from his body and condensed into eight exact copies of him. “They should be enough to carry them safely.” Tails said.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The next morning, the four seedrians awoke in someone’s house, a blanket pulled over each of them. Sitting by them was a two-tailed fox wearing a white cloak with his eyes closed-meditating. A pink hedgehog in a red dress was standing over them with a tan rabbit in a yellow dress. A red echidna was standing at the door, looking stern and a human child was calling to someone that they were awake.

The youngest seedrian hid her head slightly. “Why did there have to be…boys….” She said, “I haven’t had the best experience with them.”

“Cosmo!” The blue one scolded, “Be polite. They obviously helped us!”

“But sister!” Cosmo replied.

“Don’t worry. You four are fine. We’re just confused to what happened.” The fox spoke, still not opening his eyes.

“Excuse me? Why are you sitting with your eyes closed?” Daisy, the yellow-orange one asked.

“Sorry. You four are guests and my eyes are…odd…I don’t want to frighten you.” The fox spoke, twirling his two tails to fly up and land in a standing position, his cloak fluttering in the breeze created.

“….You can fly?!” Cosmo asked, keeping her eyes on the fox boy.

“Yeah…it’s a skill I learned to help my friend Sonic.”

“Sonic?! As in THE Sonic the Hedgehog?! The Legendary Hero who can use the Chaos Emeralds.” The last one-Starla asked.

“Oh great. More fan girls. Amy is bad enough.” The red echidna said, before the pink hedgehog hit him on the head with her hammer.

“Watch your mouth Knuckles!” She yelled.

“Quiet! Both of you!” Tails said, as Amy and Knuckles got into a shouting match. Neither seemed to pay any attention to him.

“Sorry for what you’re about to see.” Tails said, before pointing his hands at Amy and Knuckles.

“SHINRA TENSEI!” With that, both the pink hedgehog and red echidna were flung out of the room, flying past an older version of the tan rabbit.

“Shincho ni kodo shi nasai!” (Behave yourself!) The fox yelled out the door at Knuckles and Amy. After that, the older version of the rabbit in the room walked in and set down a tray of tea.

“Sorry about that, Miss Vanilla.” The fox spoke up as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“A two tailed fox around Cosmo’s age….” Galaxina muttered to herself, “May we see your eyes Mr. Fox?”

The fox gulped and opened his eyes, revealing a completely blue set of eyes with concentric circles around the pupil.

“Pretty.” Cosmo said, memorized by their color and shape while the three older seedrians gasped as the words of the shadowy figure that saved them echoed through their minds.

"You will find a two-tailed fox around Cosmo's age who has eyes similar to mine. The one known as Miles Prower...your Universe’s Rikudou Sennin: Sage of the Six Paths!"

“Miles….Prower….The Sage of the Six Paths.” Starla said in awe.

“How did you know my name?” Tails asked.

“A shadowy figure saved us.” Galaxina said, causing Cosmo and the others to look at her, “He looked like and adult version of that kid’s species, but he had purple eyes with a similar pattern. He’d said that a two tailed fox that had eyes similar would help us alongside Sonic….and that he would be our Universe’s Sage of the Six Paths.”

“There’s that Sage title again.” Chris noted.

“Well, I didn’t have any other plans that I can’t do on the move. I guess I’ve been recruited!” Tails said, picking up his black staff that had six golden rings-three on each side-in the top look.

“Oh thank you Miles!” All four seedrians said, as he rubbed his head sheepishly.

“Miles is too formal for my liking. Please call me by my nickname, Tails.” Tails said.

“Tails…It’s a nice nickname.” Cosmo said, looking at his two tails.

Right after they said that, an explosion rocked the house and Tails’ eyes narrowed.

“Whatever that was didn’t sound good. Come on!” And the group left the house, followed by the four seedrians.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
(Enter Sonic soundtrack: His World (Instrumental)-link on description)

When they arrived on a clearing, they saw a small army of brown, metallic creatures and a larger one hovering over the ground, while a more complex version of the brown ones hovered in the air, watching over everything.

“You’re not invading on my watch!” Tails shouted as he ran forward, his right hand in a fist with the middle and index fingers extended upwards, “Wood Release: Underground Roots Technique!”

Right after he called that, giant roots emerged from the ground and pierced some of the brown creatures and tied up others.

Amy and Knuckles were also on the battlefield, swinging their hammer and fists respectively.

Deeming the fox as the biggest threat, the brown ones started homing in on Tails as some fired laser cannons.

“Tails! Watch out!” Cosmo called out, wondering why he was risking his life for them, “Those are Metarex!”

“Six Paths Technique: Preta!”  Holding his hands out, a grey circular shield formed around him and reverted the lasers to pure energy, which he absorbed.

“Chakra Receiver Manifestation!” Tails called out, forming a black rod from his hand before separating it from his hand and throwing it at one of the machines, which it pierced and was stalled from Tails’ Chakra entering it.

“RRRRAAAGH!” Knuckles growled out, slamming his fist into it and denting it.

“I wasn’t about to let you have all the fun.” Knuckles said, as Tails hunched down to avoid a strike from another machine.

“Shinra Tensei!” Tails called out, with his hands pointed at the machine, which suddenly flew back and crashed through a tree.

Without warning, a blue blur flew through the battlefield and destroyed multiple versions of the brown machines and flew up and slammed into the larger one that started firing a beam into the ground. While it did nothing, the blur did land back on the ground, revealing Sonic.

“Sonic!” Tails called out, “You’ve arrived late for the party.”

“Sorry pal. I had to rest after a hard fight.” Sonic said.

“Great! Now use the Chaos Emeralds to go super and take them out!” Knuckles said.

“I would if I could.” Sonic said with a shrug.

“What?!” Tails said.

“I was losing in Super form against a large creature similar to the one up there watching over things, so I scattered the Chaos Emeralds across the Universe!” Sonic explained.

“You dolt!” Tails said, slapping the back of his head, “It would have been easier if you sent them across our planet! Now we have to search the entire Universe!”

After he said this, Tails let out a sigh. “You’re lucky I built a spaceship.”

The earth started shaking as it opened up, revealing a green orb with what looked like a Universe in it.

“The Planet Egg!” Galaxina shouted.

“The WHAT?” Amy said.

“It’s the source of all life on the planet….if it is removed…” Cosmo said, right before it flew into the larger machine and the robotic army retreated into the skies.

After they left, all the plant life immediately started to wither and die.

“I….have failed.” Tails said, slamming his staff into the ground.

“No we haven’t!” Sonic said, “All we have to do is go into your spaceship and go after that machine that stole our planet egg while we recover the Chaos Emeralds.”

“That’s just the thing, Sonic” Tails said, “My spaceship was designed to run off the Chaos Emeralds.

“We DO have an emerald, Tails! And it’s even better than the Chaos Emeralds.” Sonic said, smirking in the direction of Knuckles.

“Oh no you don’t! What makes you think I’ll give up the Master Emerald?” Knuckles said.

“One, you would be able to come with us and watch over it. Two, while watching over it you would be able to fight more of those creeps and better defend your home while we’re out in space. Three, when we’re gone, what makes you think they won’t come back and take the Master Emerald?” Tails listed off, pulling his staff out of the ground and held it while his cloak with the seven black magatama designs fluttered in the wind.

“Ok…I guess you’re right.” Knuckles said.

“Great! Meet me at my house!” Tails said as the echidna ran off. After he vanished out of sight, Tails’ eyes widened.

“Oh great! I’ve never explored the Universe! We’ll get lost.” He shouted.

“Leave that to us!” Daisy said, holding up a peace sign with her fingers.

“She’s right! We’ve explored the Universe, we can act like guides!” Starla said.

“Those Metarex destroyed the rest of our race; I won’t let them destroy another!” Galaxina said.

“I guess it can’t be helped. They prevent the Universe from attaining peace among the different species.” Tails said.

“You want peace too?” Cosmo said, getting right in front of his face.

“Gah!” Tails cried out, blushing from the close proximity to the girl.

“Cosmo! What did I tell you about personal space?” Galaxina scolded.

“Sorry Tails.” Cosmo said, bowing in apology.

“No need to bow to me, I’m nothing special. Just warn me next time you suddenly get close like that.” Tails said, starting to walk off towards his house.

“How can the Sage of the Six Paths who fought off more Metarex than our race did say he is nothing special?” Cosmo asked her sister.

“Because he is humble, Cosmo. He is not proud of his actions. You heard him say he wants peace, and yet he was forced to fight. That is why, Cosmo.” Galaxina said.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

After entering Tails’ house, Tails led the group through a doorway leading to a stairway that ended with another metal door. Entering it, Knuckles and Chris were lead by a Wood Clone of Tails to the engine room to set up the Master Emerald while, Amy, Cosmo, Galaxina, Starla, Daisy, Sonic, Cream and Cheese followed Tails himself to the main control room, where a window was overlooking the outside, which was dark.

“Opening hangar.” Tails said, pressing a button, and the area in front of them suddenly got brighter as the ground in front of them opened up to the sky.

Lights started flashing as Knuckles’ voice came through the speaker. “The Master Emerald is hooked up to the main generator. Both are looking fine-no damage to either.”

Right as the gigantic spaceship started moving upwards; a machine similar to that of the one that stole the planet egg appeared in front of them.

“Well then, it’s time to test the Sonic Driver” (Sonic Power Cannon’s original Japanese name.) Tails said; pressing a button and the deck opened up, revealing one massive blue cannon.

“Sonic. You know what to do. Just spin dash before it fires!” Tails said, as Sonic ran into the cannon at blinding speed.  

“Sonic Driver charging….” Tails said, looking at a screen with a targeting machine while a switch opened up on a throttle he was holding, revealing a red button.

“Fire!” With that, Tails pressed the button and the spin dashing Sonic flew out of the cannon-the momentum giving him enough force to tear through the machine-with it exploding right afterwards.

“Sonic, get back inside. We’re going to take off before any more Metarex show up.” Tails said, as the spin dashing hedgehog turned himself in mid air and landed safely on the deck before running back inside.

“The Metarex were ….destroyed…” Starla said in awe, “We have a chance to stop them.”

“Indeed.” Tails said; hopping down to glance out the window as Chris took over the controls. Tails picked up his staff from where it was resting.

“Cosmo.” Tails said, looking at the seedrian his age.

“Yes Tails?” She asked.

“While your sister and her friends are helping us, I want you to do me a favor.” He said.

“What do you want me to do? I mean  I’ll help, but I’m a little clumsy.” She admitted.

“I want you to keep my staff safe.” He said, holding the staff out to her.

“Your staff?” She asked, taking hold of the metal staff with the six golden rings on it.

“If this is going to go as I think it is, there’ll be a lot of fighting. I can’t risk losing this staff. So I want you to look over it for me.” He admitted.

“But…why me? Why not someone you know.” She asked.

“Because you are like me.” Tails admitted, looking into her eyes with his blue Rin’negan. “Before I met Sonic, I had nothing. No purpose in life. Even after I met him, all I could do was help him from the sidelines, building machines to help carry him from place-to-place or delivering power rings. Now that I have the Rin’negan, I can help him more directly. I know how you feel. You want to feel like you made a difference. I’m going to help you do so-even if it is something as simple as holding my staff.”

As he walked off to his room to meditate, Cosmo looked at the staff and then back to the fox.

“Tails….thank you…”