And here is another story from me. Honestly, I've planned on doing this one for awhile. If all goes well, then it might actually stay. Only time and reviews can tell if it'll be a success. Now, this story is a bit similar to my cancelled story: Sonic: Return of the heroes, but not by much.

Sonic: Say, are you ever going to continue that one?

Shadow: Probably not with her lousy schedule.

Hey! I have school coming up!

Shadow: *rolls eyes* Likely story.

*mutters* Emo-hog. Anyway, in the story, some of the chapters will follow up to the games, but a bit differently. I'll do ones such as Secret Rings, Unleashed, Riders, Colors, Lost World-

Shadow: God, the skittle rejects and 06: the sequel? This is-

-Generations, and so on! Old characters will also be returning, and maybe I'll put in newer characters such as Relic, Sticks, or Perci.

Sonic: Wait, so Sonic Boom will be a chapter?

Hahaha, no. I don't think so.

Shadow: Just start the damn story already.

Right. Lets get on with it then. Sonic, if you would?

Sonic: Sure. Sonic155 doesn't own any of us except her own ocs. We belong to SEGA.

Gems...

They gently hovered around in a small circle, in a calm and peaceful way. Each one had a different and unique color. A color that represented a feeling, an emotion really. A soft and spiritual glow which would illuminate from time to time. People had often wondered what was the famous mystery to these sparkling wonders. Where did they come from? What properties could they do? How exactly did they work? No one knew for sure. The mystery of the Seven Chaos Emeralds was truly intriguing. Only a small group of beings knew the true origins of the emeralds and what they were capable of. But this small group were only three beings, each with different talents, and unique powers.

Cool sapphire eyes watched carefully as each gem passed by, gently breezing in a nice, calming way. The owner of said eyes smiled. No matter how many times she had to retrieve the emeralds for dire situations such as the one she was currently in, she couldn't help but relish the peaceful feeling the emeralds had to offer. It was relaxing.

The girl frowned.

If only others could see the true beauty of the emeralds, instead of focusing on trying to gain their power for selfish reasons. If only a certain someone hadn't made her be in the same situation she was in now. If only a certain someone hadn't claimed the lives of...no... they were alright. They were in a happier place.

"Tikal."

Once she heard the deep voice, the ancient echidna separated her gaze from the emeralds, and slowly turned to the man with green reptilian skin. His violet eyes from under his hood watching as she straightened up. The girl swallowed nervously.

"Yes? What is it, Oracle?" Tikal timidly asked in a soft voice. Whenever her mentor used that tone, it meant trouble was not too far behind. Honestly, she didn't know how much more heartache and grief she could take. Her world was falling apart faster than she dreaded.

The Oracle of Delphius stared at his young apprentice knowingly. He knew that look. She was preparing for the worst to come. She was trying to be brave, trying so hard not to break down right there and now. The Oracle felt a grimace coming along, but he kept a straight face. He knew this would happen. Sonic's death. The conquest of Mobius. The shattering of the Master Emerald. Chaos' rampage.

Chaos.

He was the main reason as to why Tikal was behaving this way. Those two have had quite a history together. After Chaos' defeat from Sonic, he acted even more protective around Tikal. Why, Tikal seemed to see him as a older brother of some sort. At the time, the Oracle felt as if nothing could go wrong...but he knew it couldn't last like that forever. It was predicted in the future, the former God of Destruction would fall prey to the enemy's grasp...and fall prey he did. Now he was just a heartless and mindless monster pledged to serve the enemy.

The Oracle mentally heaved a sigh.

Ever since the fall of her claimed 'brother', Tikal has been a shell of her former self. It was truly depressing to see such a bright spirit turn into a fragile girl deprived of all hope. The Oracle hoped with all his magical will that what he was about to show her would make Tikal start to believe again.

"It is time."

Tikal stood there, deadly still, processing what her mentor said. Time? Time for what? Were they off to Angel Island again? They hadn't planned on going there. Perhaps, the Oracle finally found the last shard to the Master Emerald? No, she would've been informed immediately if that were the case. "Oracle, if I may, what do you mean by that?"

The Oracle sighed. He expected her to ask this. Turning his back on her, he began to walk off slowly.

"Come. I shall show you what I mean."

'Show me? What does he mean?' were the echidna's thoughts as her eyes watched her mentor come to a halt. Slowly, she followed until she halted to a stop not too far behind the old-timer. The reptilian anteater calmly rose a green, tri-fingered hand, and slowly started to wave it around through the air in a circular motion. Nothing appeared at first. But as the minutes wore on, a small crackle could be heard as faded blue energy began to sparkle to life in a circular shape. Slight wind blew out the now formed vortex, licking at the Oracle's face. He smiled once his little task was complete. Now, he could proceed with the first step of the plan.

Without looking behind him, the cloaked-one took his left hand and gestured for his young one to come forth. Tikal immediately obeyed, padding her sandals across the ground until she stood right next to her mentor. She looked deep within the vortex, hoping to find the answer she longed for. You see, whenever the Oracle summoned a portal, it meant that young Tikal had to search within it until she found the answer, the event that was going to take place that day. Sometimes she would succeed, and others... not so much. After scanning the swirling mass of light and energy for nearly ten minutes, Tikal sighed in defeat. It looked like it was going to be one of those slow and unsuccessful days... or so she thought.

"Tikal," a voice said, interrupting her thoughts. The orange echidna quickly opened her eyes, and looked up to meet the watchful eyes of her father-like figure, "tell me, what do you see?"

The fragile spirit turned away to look at the portal. She frowned in confusion.

"I...I don't see anything, Oracle. I can't find it this time."

She heard the Master of Time hum in thought.

"Close your eyes, Tikal. Close them and let them rest for a moment. When you're ready, open them and focus on the portal." the Oracle instructed.

Tikal nodded and did what she was told, relieved that she could rely on him for guidance. Momentarily, everything was black, as she took in a deep breath, calming her nerves a little. The Oracle watched as her body stood perfectly still. He smiled. Good. That meant she relaxed a little. Now, here comes the hard part.

"Now, I want you to open your eyes on the count of three, do I make myself clear?" A nod from the echidna urged him to continue. "Alright, one, two, ...three."

Gently, she opened her eyes and blinked a little, before peering into the vortex. She strained them just a bit, hoping she could find something -anything- for a clue. Come on, where was it? Surely, it had to be there somewhere. Maybe if she focused on the center a little- hold on. There in the center, she saw something. Two blurs, a brown one, and a pale one. As she focused more on the odd image, it slowly began shifting more and more until a clear image appeared. Her eyes furrowed in confusion.

The Oracle smiled upon noticing her expression. He knew she'd find it eventually.

"Tikal, what do you see?"

"I..." she hesitated for a moment, not sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Perhaps, she needed more sleep? "...I...I see two boys walking around in an empty room. One seems to be a teen, while..." she cut herself off as she caught a glimpse of the sapphire Chaos Emerald glowing a little as soon as she mentioned 'teen'. What was the meaning of that? "...while the other is a young boy." And just as she finished, the yellow Chaos Emerald glowed a little. She raised an eyebrow in questioning. Just what were up with the Chaos Emeralds? Maybe she'd have to look into that later on.

The Oracle nodded as he watched the scene play in the portal. Two boys were walking around in an empty room with white walls, and soft beige carpet. The Oracle made his eyes glow slightly, commanding the portal to grant them access to hear their conversation.

One of the boys, the young one, stopped walking and pointed to one wall.

"Hey, Jake, what if you placed the TV on this wall? I'm sure I'd be able to get the right screws to mount it there." he suggested, pointing at the wall while glancing at the other boy.

The other one, the teen, shook his head. "Nah, you don't have to do that, Miles. Just let dad take care of it."

The boy shook his head. "No, no, I insist. Besides, I'm positive mom and dad are worn out from just moving here. They had to move the couch, the table, our bed-sets, and so on."

"Yeah," the teen said, scratching the tip of his nose with an index finger, "which is why we had the moving crew help out, remember?"

As she watched the scene with curious eyes, Tikal took note of two of the Chaos Emeralds' strange behavior. Each time the boy spoke, the yellow emerald glowed, and each time the teen spoke, the blue emerald glowed. It was almost as if...they were connected somehow.

The boy sighed. "Yes, I remember. How could I forget? One of them collapsed on the couch for nearly three hours."

The teen chuckled. "Good thing Shabestan was there to wake him up. I think tha-" The teen paused abruptly when he shivered.

Tikal tilted her head to the side, wondering why the teen had stopped speaking.

Blinking a little, the teen slowly turned his head in Tikal's direction, a look of confusion etched on his face.

Tikal gasped. The way he looked towards her, and his odd behavior... could he sense their presence?

The Oracle smiled. The boy was sharper than he looked. Looks like he was the right one after all.

The teen held his stare for a minute, before he turned his head in many other directions, looking around the place in a puzzled manner. Yet, he snapped out of it when he heard the boy calling him.

"Hey, Jake? Jaaaaaaaake? Earth to Jake? Dude, are you in there?"

Shaking his head, the teen relaxed, turned away from the two observing beings, and faced his younger brother.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Are you okay? What was that?"

The teen waved him off. "It's... nothing. I just thought I heard something."

"Maybe it's Cameron rehearsing one of her speeches again?"

"Yeah... maybe."

Without warning, the scene ended as it faded away into the swirling light blue mass once more. Tikal just stood there, wondering what would happen now? She turned to her mentor, who was smiling. But why? What just took place almost seemed normal -well except for that teen-aged boy. Could he actually had detected them? No normal human being had done it before. Was that boy even normal?

Noticing her gaze, the Oracle turned to her with that same smile. It really started to bother her.

"Can you tell me what that was?" he asked.

Tikal opened her mouth but no words came out. Uncertainty bled in her eyes and she shook her head no. The older one chuckled.

"That, young one, is only the beginning of the prophecy."

Now Tikal was really confused. Prophecy? What prophecy? Why didn't she know about this?

Upon seeing her perplexed look, he continued. "It is said that a great evil would come and bring our world to its' end. The origins of where he came from is... unknown. Sadly, it stated nearly nothing could stop this dark, dark force at the time. Even our worldly protector and his group of allies fell beneath this force. As time grew on, the dark force grew more stronger, ferocious, dangerous, practically unbeatable."

Tikal shakily looked at him, fear clutching at her soul. Practically unbeatable? That couldn't be right. They were still here! There had to be a way to fight this- wait... Didn't her mentor do something to the enemy?

As if sensing her thoughts, Oracle smirked lightly. "I see you're catching on. Yes, I did do something to the enemy. I weakened him. But," he fixed his apprentice with a firm look, "it won't hold forever. It'll give us enough time to perform the prophecy."

This puzzled the echidna. "Perform?"

The reptilian anteater nodded with a smile. "Yes, preform. 'When a mist of darkness washes over our land, bonds will break, lives will perish, and heroes will fall. But in our dire time of need, a band of new heroes shall rise to rid both our worlds of evil'."

"Both our worlds? Oracle, I don't understand. The Prime Zone aren't suffering our fate, are they?" Tikal asked with a bit of urgency.

Sensing her tone, Oracle assured her with a warm smile. "No. They're fine, Tikal. The world that I speak of, however, will not be for much longer."

"And... what is this world like?"

"A world far different from our own. Here, our kind do not exist. Only humans and regular animals roam around freely. To the humans, we would be considered as 'make believe.' But if they actually realized that we are indeed real, chaos would ensure. These beings fear what they do not understand and will not understand until they can fully accept us."

"But.. if that is true... then how can these heroes help them?" the girl asked. She couldn't help but let her eyes lower in disapproval. That... that sounded awful. She was taught by her grandmother to never judge a book by it's cover. She hoped this wasn't the case with all humans.

"All will be answered in time." the cloaked one smiled. Now... have you ever wondered how young Sonic and the others may be fairing?" he asked.

At the mention of her deceased friends, Tikal faced the ground with a sober look. "I'm sure they're doing fine wherever they are now, Oracle."

A chuckle brought her out of her depressed state. "You are correct, young one. For their very spirits are placed inside the Emeralds."

What?

The cloaked reptilian anteater turned to look at the Emeralds, catching Tikal's speechless expression. "Yes, you heard me correctly. You see, just before they were separated from their body, the Emeralds performed a last resort; absorbing their form and energy just as the prophecy said. Each hero is with their respected color. For example: Young Sonic is in the blue Emerald, Mr. Prower is in the yellow one, and so on. As for guardian Knuckles... well, his spirit lies within the form of the Master Emerald."

"The Master Emerald?" Tikal gasped, not believing her ears. "But I thought that was shattered beyond repair!"

"That is a story for another day." the Oracle chuckled. "And these emeralds will not be the only ones assisting us."

Tikal watched in stunned silence as a second set of emeralds levitated into the room, the Sol Emeralds.

The Sol Emeralds were quite similar to the Chaos Emeralds in many ways. The only differences were their rectangular shape, their fiery properties, and the fact that they kept a certain princess' dimension stable. They stopped right beside the Chaos Emeralds.

"Princess Blaze's soul is in the purple Sol Emerald. Traveler Silver claimed the white one. And the rest shall be revealed in due time." explained the Oracle. He studied both sets of emeralds for a brief moment, before he snapped his fingers. Tikal watched as even more emeralds entered the room, followed in strangely by rainbow-colored rings.

"These here are the last ones to be brought in." he said. He gave the echidna a look. "Listen closely, Tikal. These emeralds are copies of the original ones. Nonetheless, I managed to equal the amount of power they possess just by a little. Inside are the rest of the required spirits. And as for the rings, well, you'll find out soon enough do you understand?"

Tikal nodded, watching all the glowing, floating objects in awe. They were so beautiful. It was like she was watching the Chaotic Lights. (A/N: Mobius' version of the Northern Lights. That's how I see it.) She would've stared at them longer, had the Oracle not placed his other and on her other shoulder. She was slightly surprised by the serious look she received.

"Now, Tikal," he started in a firm tone, "here is your mission."

And there you go! So whatcha guys think?

Sonic and Shadow: ...

Sonic: ...Why are we dead?

Shadow: *brings out gun*

*Ignores it* Well, fine! I thought it was good!

Shadow: *loads gun*

Sonic: ...Okay. So, who's the new baddie?

*grins* You'll have to wait to find out.

Shadow: *aims it at me*

*turns to him* Shoot me and SEGA will find out about this.

Shadow: *scowls and lowers the gun*

Anyway, seeya soon!