Chapter Text
"Just one more, please? The last one?" Sonic asked with a pair of bright, hopeful green eyes toward Longclaw, snuggling deeper into her feathers. Any discomfort with the quills long forgotten after some years of dealing with them.
"Sonic, it's getting late," she said again, the third time since the last "last one". Longclaw was a grat warrior who inject fear in her enemies but couldn't facing the only disadvantage of such an energetic child: a insatiable curiosity.
Having a "story time" had already proven to be an efficient way to both pass on the knowledge Sonic would need in the future and to make him happy.
She would put him in bed near the window with a privileged view of the celestial bodies and stars, lie down next to him, and share stories and legends that would make a difference one day. A good advantage of the fact that bedtime was the best time to do this when he was most willing to listen and pay attention and least likely to run away.
"Please, this is really the last time," Sonic practically begged, gently grabbing her feathers with his small, soft, chubby hands.
Longclaw exhaled gently, looking at him with affection.
She had undertaken countless missions. Longclaw had explored the galaxy, fought in deadly battles, and survived the extinction of her people. These were monumental tasks that demanded her mind, body, and inner balance, and she had triumphed in all of them, some with flying colors, others with less. All of them successfully, however.
Although, caring for Sonic was something totally different from anything she had ever done in her entire life.
Longclaw found him, small and alone, wandering the streets of another city whose name she could no longer remember. It was during her wanderings in search of a safe place after the last battle, in a place where everyone around him felt fear.
Uncontrolled chaos energy, they whispered. A threat waiting to be unleashed, the rumors said. A bad omen, was the cruelest in her opinion.
She saw none of that.
No, she remembered bloodthirsty warriors, destroyed armies, and companions turned to stone and reduced to dust. Sonic didn't seem to be anything remotely like the bringers of suffering she had seen time and time again in her sacred oath to protect the universe.
He was a lonely child with no one, in need of care.
And, well, Longclawn happened to be a lonely person too. Except that she sought to care for and protect.
Because she knew better.
Longclaw had lived and seen enough to know better.
They would use him. For power, riches, revenge, all kinds of nefarious actions and intentions that unscrupulous creatures with devious methods used when faced with such potential. To mold him as they saw fit for their own benefit. Without any consideration for what that child might want.
She took Sonic with her that day.
Away from prying eyes, whispers, and painful possibilities. To a new home in a new place, where nothing and no one could hurt him.
Safe and secure.
There was never any other possible outcome, she always concluded when reflected on it.
Longclaw had nothing left to fight for. The Master Emerald was safe on Earth, far from the Echidnas and anyone who might think of abusing its power. Her people had guaranteed this in exchange for their own existence. And her oath as guardian required little more than hiding.
She might as well use the end of her life for something productive, for a greater purpose than herself. To use all the knowledge accumulated and the experiences marked on her feathers to leave something good to the universe that had given her so much.
A good existence and a good purpose for Sonic would be her final act, giving meaning to a life as it had been given to her. As stressful and tiring as was at times.
Chaos energy wasn't called that for nothing, and her little kid could be a force of nature that was difficult to guide and care for. But seeing him like this, happy, safe, and snuggling up to her, made it all worthwhile.
He would be an excellent guardian when the time came, and as eager as she was to share this purpose that she knew he would love, Longclaw focused on ensuring that her protégé took one step at a time. No unnecessary pressure.
Sonic had a heart like no other she had ever seen, full of kindness and gentleness. Time would do the rest. For now, the priority was to tell one more story. "Okay, but just one more."
"Yeah!" He celebrated, throwing his little arms up in the air, giggling with excitement. "Tell the one about Little Planet. The one about Little Planet again, please!!"
Longclaw tilted his head to the side, his beak curving into a slight smile. "Again? It's just that you listen to it the most."
"Again! Please?" Sonic clasped his hands together, interlacing his fingers, pleading.
The reason why Sonic was so obsessed with Little Planet and its stories would forever remain a mystery to her. Maybe because it was basically a tale about freedom, or because it was the only story he could attest to with his own eyes. As the planetoid being there the next day.
Whatever was, it made him happy and that was all that mattered.
"Okay. A long time ago, before anyone could remember, a small, forgotten planet with no inhabitants was blessed. Charged with so much chaos energy that began to change the planet. From all this accumulated and transformed energy, seven stones emerged from the center," she began, raising her head to look out the window at a fixed point beyond the horizon.
"The Time Stones!" Sonic jumped up, standing on the bed, practically vibrating with excitement and following her gaze.
She leaned closer to the boy, beaming with pride. "That's right, the Time Stones! Gems that together are capable of altering reality, rewriting history, and miraculously granting wishes."
"And they also make the planet move!" Sonic shouted, his quills glowing blue. In the blink of an eye, he appeared on the other side of the hut. "Going from one place to another, without stopping!"
Longclaw followed him with his eyes, amused, observing Sonic imitating the planet running and stopping, before continuing. "Yes. Little Planet realized that having so much power could attract evil forces, so it used the Time Stones to travel through time and space, without anyone knowing where or why."
In a second, Sonic reappeared at his side, a small breeze ruffling his feathers, curiosity overflowing in his posture and voice. "Does that mean the planet is alive?"
"Yes... in a way." It was hard to say, honestly. Little Planet as a whole was shrouded in mystery, and who could explain it better —it didn't matter. "Anyway, since then, Little Planet has been traveling through the universe, sometimes appearing to a few to prove that it is more than a legend." Longclaw resumed the explanation.
"Unlike the Chaos Emeralds, right?" Sonic mentioned before disappearing in another blur and reappearing wrapped in sheets.
Longclaw wanted to laugh at the irony, settling for a nod instead. "Yes."
"And since he's very real and happens to appear nearby, and I've behaved myself these last few days, that means we'll see it up close tomorrow, right?" Oh, the littlle deal between them.
Longclaw knew she couldn't control Sonic; running and being free in his nature. And while the prohibition on running without permission would not change in her set of rules, she tried to be as flexible as she could. "If you sleep now, yes."
"Okay, good night, see you tomorrow!" he exclaimed, throwing his head back on the pillows and squeezing his eyes shut.
Longclaw chuckled softly, stroking behind the boy's ears with her beak. "Good night, Sonic."
She was already on her way to her perch when he got up once more, this time throwing his arms around her neck and nestling his face there. "Good night, Longclaw."
She wrapped her wings around him in a tight hug before Sonic jumped to the floor and ran to bed.
He really is special, the guardian thought, watching the boy fall into a deep sleep. Nothing in her order, not even her own training and upbringing, had prepared her for the task of raising someone like this hyperactive, larger-than-life creature.
But Longclaw would not choose another path.
"C'mon, let's go! Let's go! Let's GO! We have to get there before it appears!" Sonic called, pulling her by the tips of her wings.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming."Longclaw chuckled at her boy's excitement, leaving her perch and taking a few steps to the porch of their small tree house. The view was excellent.
Never Lake sparkled in the background, and since it was a special day...
She spread her wings and prepared to take flight. "Race to see who gets to Never Lake first?"
The joyful and excited sparkle in Sonic's eyes was priceless, and the way he was practically beaming almost made her forget why he needed to not run.
"See you at the finish line," Sonic teased, disappearing in a blur.
An excited laugh bubbled from her chest out of her beak, and Longclaw flapped her wings, cutting through the vibrant blue skies. The sun shining on a cloudless landscape. She hadn't flown like this since her warrior days, saving it for the occasions when she raced with Sonic nowadays. An attempt to nurture his basic need while keeping him safe.
Although she would be lying if she said that feeling the wind on her face wasn't pleasurable.
Longclaw took impulse with a warm wind current, following a blue trail that cut across the plains and natural loops. Their island was deserted but no less fascinating.
An obvious choice of home. After the first few days with Sonic, she realized she would need both a safe and spacious hideout. You can't deny the basic nature of any creature, let alone one that emanates energy from chaos almost like breathing.
She had a genuine fear that if she were more strict in prohibiting Sonic's mischief on the island, the boy would legitimately explode or something. And although she would have preferred him to be more discreet, she would accept the victories granted to him.
Sonic stopped at the edge of Never Lake and Longclaw glided before landing near him a little later on one of the spike-shaped elevations of the uneven terrain.
"And I won! But not bad for someone competing against the fastest thing in the universe," he announced cheekily, placing his gloved hands on his hips.
Longclaw allowed herself the indulgence of ignoring the comment. "Thanks."
"So... when is it going to show up?" Sonic abruptly turned his head toward her, swaying back and forth.
She looked up. "I think now."
As if taking the cue, the sky above them began to flicker, rays of raw, bright chaos energy appearing and disappearing in a heartbeat. The blue color gave way to purple, and a strong breeze blew before a pulsating glow appeared.
Almost like by magic, a green celestial body filled with lakes and bodies of water appeared floating above the lake; white, glowing chaos energy in the shape of stars being poured out and causing colorful flowers to grow on the lawn around it.
Little Planet and its flowers.
The scene was beautiful, and even she had witnessed for years, never lost its charm.
Longclaw glanced to the side, seeing Sonic's attention completely captivated by the planet that had just appeared, an ecstatic laugh filling her ears. An appropriate reaction to the first time witnessing such event.
She hadn't seen such a phenomenon until adulthood, when her master decided she was mature enough to explore the universe and honor her clan's name.
Providing this for him at such a young age warmed her heart. Sonic already surpassed her in so many ways that it moved her.
"How they appear?" Sonic asked, running toward the countless new flowers, the yellow ones in particular catching his attention.
Longclaw picked one and handed it to him. "Little Planet has a lot of energy. And that energy makes the flowers bloom."
Sonic held the flower up to his eyes, staring at it with fascination. "Are they made of chaos energy?"
"Yes. Like the Time Stones and you," she explained, receiving a stunned "oh" from the boy.
Sonic's eyebrows furrowed slightly before he turned to face her. "How do you know so much about it?"
For the first time that day, her face faltered. Of course he would want to know. "It's a boring story you wouldn't want to hear," Longclaw tried to change the subject in vain.
"But I want to." And by the stars, he looked so small and innocent and full of disarming childish curiosity.
This little hedgehog would be her dead, Longclaw was sure.
"Is nothing, just a friend who told me." And she hoped that vague explanation would suffice, but of course it didn't.
Sonic's eyes widened at the new information. "Wait, friend? Like in someone? Can people live on Little Planet?!" The questions came fast and furious.
Longclaw hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, but—"
"We can visit them? They are here?" Sonic began to run back and forth with every word that came out of his mouth before he stopped in his tracks in a gasp of realization, right in front of her. "Can we go now?"
"No!" She shouted, instantly regretting it. Sonic's ears drooped and he cowered in a manner that hadn't done in a long time. Putting one of her wings around his shoulder, her voice calmer this time, she explained, "They're very reserved people, they don't like others coming. And I haven't talked to them in a long time. Maybe another year."
"Oh. Okay." And disappointment still tinged the little hedgehog's voice, but at least the sadness seemed to have disappeared. Replaced again by curiosity. "I thought that no one lived there."
"No one did. But in its stops across the universe, some people got on, and the planet decided to accept them. To take care of them." Because Little Planet was as careful as it was mysterious, one of those things that Longclaw knew that not even all the studies in the world could explain.
"And they don't... try to steal the power of the Time Stones?" Sonic asked confusedly, turning to the blue and green planet.
"Little Planet surely must have its own ways to protect itself." And although she herself did not think it was the right decision, the ways of chaos energy and its whims were beyond her.
Sonic nodded, still staring at the planet. "Makes sense."
A silence fell, and somehow, for Longclaw, a strange tension welled up in her stomach.
"How about we have a picnic here?" The suggestion caught Sonic off guard, and he blinked a few times before smiling. "Spend some time outside the cabin and you can run a little—"
"Yes!" He disappeared in a blur before returning with a towel and some cutlery from the cottage. "You can hunt and I can run to see how far I can go."
"Okay. But not too far and be back in an hour. I'm serious, Sonic," she warned, although she was almost certain that everything would be forgotten.
Sonic nodded frantically. "I promise."
Longclaw gave one last smile before watching him disappear over the horizon in a trail of blue lightning.
The next half hour was spent hunting mice and picking some fruit from nearby bushes. Sonic was even less demanding about food than she was, having a simple diet of plants and the occasional fish.
A blessing considering the amount needed to keep the boy on his feet.
Putting the last blackberries in the basket and returning to the picnic area, Longclaw looked at Little Planet once more. Still strange to see the planetoid after everything that had happened in recent years.
When her clan was still alive.
She averted her gaze to the flowers.
The fauna of Little Planet was unique but similar to countless other planets. Some looked like sunflowers, others like roses, others—
"Longclaw?" Her feathers bristled at the mention of her name. The calm, somewhat playful voice behind her.
No. It couldn't be. Not after all this time.
But she would recognize that voice anywhere.
She turned to find herself face to face with a owl with brown, light brown, and white feathers. The small golden highlights on the white face were as bright as she remembered. "Marigold?"
The owl took a few steps forward, her golden bracelets glinting in the local sunlight. The warm smile in place. "Long time no see."
"You're still alive." And Longclaw almost felt silly saying it.
However, a quick reminder of Marigold's mission, and the surprise that she wasn't on the great battlefield in the sky wasn't so shocking after all.
Marigold raised an eyebrow eyebrow, but the smile was still on her beak. "So are you."
Longclaw frowned, the feeling of discomfort returning with full force. "But I suppose you knew that already, knowing how nosy the Knight of Kronos can be."
"No hard feelings too," and the slight irritated inflection was easy to detect, despite the golden masked owl's smile, "but yes."
"What do you want, Marigold?" Longclaw asked, fatigue beginning to weigh on her wings.
The conversation exhausted her before even began.
"Just talk to you." And the glint of hurt in Marigold's amber eyes for a second almost stopped Longclaw's sharp comments. "Unless you think Knights of Kronos are also heartless on top of being nosy."
"Don't know about all the clan, but you may be." Was childish. Petulant. The kind of behavior her master would scold her for fervently, but Longclaw would allow herself this slip.
"Serious and wrong. Yeah, same old Longclaw. Missed you." The irony was as vivid as she remembered, but Marigold still had that transparent sincerity that made her believe she really missed her 'good best friend'.
"I thought you were on a mission. In the past years. That's why you didn't come, because you were busy." It is the most civilized she could be, but even the golden masked owl was worthy of some decorum.
Marigold nodded. "You guessed right, although the ultimatum you gave me to never show up in front of you again also has something to do with it."
"Yet, you're here." The response was sharp and cold, before she composed herself into something less... aggressive. "They were successful, if you're here. I'm glad you're okay."
"Thanks," Marigold said, a warm and sincere look on her face, and Longclaw felt her features soften.
She took a few steps back, gesturing for the golden masked owl to approach the picnic area. "How are you doing in Little Planet?"
The visitor approached, picking up one of the available mice and swallowing it in one bite, then shrugging. "As good as the guardian of Time Stones can be."
Longclaw exhaled softly. "Let me guess, the future is still a headache to take care of."
"Oh, you can bet," Marigold scoffed, a hint of weariness tinging her posture.
The owl warriors would be the greatest clan Longclaw would ever know in her life, but she also had to admire the selflessness of the Knights of Kronos.
An entire group dedicated not only to caring for all the creatures in the present, but also in the future. Traveling across the galaxy in the name of their life's mission, helping and guiding heros not matter where to assure a good future.
"Still sounds stressful." Because she couldn't imagine what it was like. Being an owl warrior was about always being alert, but the Knights of Kronos were perpetually in this strange state of vigilance. As if waiting for signs of things going wrong.
The weight of the following words only increased that certainty. "It is." And for the first time since she had arrived, Longclaw realized how the years had affected Marigold. Affected herself.
And people like the guardian of the Master Emerald or the Time Stones didn't just stop by to see old friends. Longclaw knew better than that. "Marigold, what do you really want?"
And seemed that the golden masked owl saw her for the first time since the conversation began. "First, I would like to say I'm deeply sorry. I would talk to you earlier, but you were just pretending I didn't exist, so I gave you time. After what happened with your clan—"
"And why do you think I would do that?" The words came out full of venom and scorn. Her Master would be so disappointed.
Marigold's gaze darkened. "What happened was not my fault."
Her audacity was sharp enough to pierce the breastplate Longclaw wore. "Yes, yes it was."
"You can't put that on me. On any of us, honestly." And the harshness of the tone almost caught her off guard.
Marigold never sounded harsh, but time does not spare change. Not even from those who control it, she supposed. "What kind of knights for a good future are you, people?" It was low, Longclaw knew it .
Marigold flinched at the comment. "The one who tries to be fair."
"Tracking timelines? Seeing potential futures? With the power to rewrite reality? Very fair. Sounds more like creatures playing with lives like pieces in a game to me." The flash of chaos energy that flickered in her amber eyes almost startled Longclaw.
"You're being mean," Marigold said with a trembling voice, and somehow it seemed worse than any blow she could have dealt.
Even so, Longclaw did not back down. And suddenly, flashbacks of feathers and red quills flashed in her mind. "The Knights of Kronos could have come. Fight by our side, so my clan, my people wouldn't be dead. You didn't listen."
"I told you not to go!" Marigold exploded, her feathers bristling. "I begged you not to go. To listen to us. To me. That it would only end in suffering and pain. The owls who didn't listen."
"You could still come." And she must have said that hundreds of times. Always the same brigade, again and again since the last attack.
The owls asked the Knights of Kronos for help in defeating the warlord with the Master Emerald. They didn't go because the condition was to return the emerald. Not even the youngest and newly enthroned guardian and Longclaw's friend accepted.
"For what? To steal? That Emerald had owners." And of course she thought so. The whole argument, the rift between the owl warriors and the Knights.
Between the two.
All because of... a difference of opinion. It always sounded so ridiculous.
"Owners who tried to destroy an entire civilization." Because they also saw the destruction. The deaths. The imbalance that could have been caused in the future.
"One of them. It doesn't mean every other echidna would." And Longclaw almost wanted to laugh at the naivety.
"Was the only choice." And the desolate look on Marigold's face, the way her golden feathers fell as she listened, always tore her apart inside.
She didn't understand. Her best friend didn't understand.
The golden masked owl's features hardened. "Not is wasn't, you know that." And there was always that unyielding certainty in those words. An unshakeable certainty that only someone who knew how the future could unfold could have.
But not even the Knight of Kronos knew everything.
Marigold gave a weary sigh and all the weight seemed to be washed from her stature. "But I'm not here to talk about the past. Again."
And, to be honest, it was tiring for Longclaw too. "So why did you come?"
"To say something important," Marigold began, "about you, your-"
Longclaw tried to cut her off. She didn't need Marigold telling her how to do things. "Well. The Island is calm. And my duty doesn't demand a lot."
"Good, I'm glad," she replied, her face turning colder with the response. Longclaw had hit a nerve. "You and your kid should visit sometime, now things are better."
"Maybe—" And Longclaw stopped at her own words, a visceral fear rising up her spine. "What did you say?"
"Sonic, isn't it? A blue hedgehog? A witty little thing?" And there it was. That look that said 'I know everything, don't try to lie. It's my job.' The upright and sober posture of a protector on a mission. She was out of patience.
Longclaw assumed a fighting stance. "If you came for Sonic, it doesn't matter—"
"I didn't come here for him. I came because of him," Marigold replied bluntly, her features impassive. "Congratulations. Your kid made it into the future."
Longclaw frowned, incredulous. "Sonic is—"
"Affecting the timelines? Yes, he is. At least he will. Still blurry. The future isn't an exact science, but some of his actions are starting to show up in probable outcomes," the golden masked owl explained, glancing at Little Planet.
That couldn't be true. "Marigold, what do you want me to do? The future is your job, and I'm not going to put Sonic at risk—"
"Come with us." She said out of the bloom. Firm. Uncompromising. Standing.
"What?" And Longclaw couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"If Sonic is there—in the future—it only means bigger challenges and risks. And he, both of you, need help." Marigold's face glowed with hope. "You don't need to do everything by yourself. And he doesn't need to be alone. The owl clan is no longer here, but there are people who can be there. If you let them."
"Marigold, you don't understand. He is different from everything we've seen." It was too much information. Longclaw felt the world spinning.
"Believe me, I know." She was trying, Marigold was really trying, but wasn't enough.
Longclaw felt her breath catch. "No, you don't—"
"I know because I also have someone like this." The information came out all at once, just like Sonic would do.
"You..." She needed a minute to compose herself, "you found an apprentice too?"
"Yes. Cycles end all the time, Longclaw. With me it will be no different." The idea that her friend would grow old and eventually leave sounded strange. Marigold gave an incredulous and proud smile. "You should see her."
Longclaw's beak opened slightly. "It's a girl?"
"Yes. Smart little thing. Chaos is enriched by the heart and for the stars, I never saw none like hers. She is a hedgehog too," Marigold took a step forward, hopeful. "You can continue to be a guardian, Sonic can still stay hidden. You just won't have to be alone."
It was tempting. Really tempting.
But there were risks.
Too many risks for her to bear. Risks that Sonic wouldn't have to go through otherwise.
"I appreciate the offer, Marigold. And I appreciate you coming to tell me. But I have to decline. Sonic is my responsibility, and I'm afraid that being on Little Planet will do more harm than good." Because it never worked out.
Marigold's gaze and shoulders slumped. Devastating sadness was etched in her amber eyes like she hadn't seen in a long time. "I see. Well, you should still come visit though. Or let me visit you." And she was holding back, Longclaw knew. The golden masked owl's teary eyes gave her away every time.
"Will think about it, really," she tried. She was still her best friend, somehow.
"Sure you will," Marigold said with an empty smile. "Goodbye, Longclaw."
The golden masked owl took flight, leaving a very disturbed Longclaw behind. The surroundings of Never lake seemed to spin.
"Longclaw!" Sonic's voice snapped her out of her reverie, a crease forming on his forehead. He looked where Marigold had been standing. "You were talking with someone?"
"No," she shook her head, handing the basket of fruit to the little hedgehog as she picked up a familiar golden feather.
"There was no one."
Sonic had been acting weird for a week now.
He was increasingly suspicious when she asked him where he was when ran away, knowing things that she knew he hadn't learned before.
And when questioned about it, all Sonic could do was stammer out an excuse before running off to supposedly fetch something.
He never got nervous when he was caught on his running escapades.
However, the last straw was the questions. More specifically, the questions about leaving the island.
"Longclaw, what's outside the island?" Sonic asked at one of the meals, and she almost choked on one of the mice. The universe outside the island was rarely discussed, limited to distant stories.
"Outside the island?" She tried to keep her voice steady. Sonic asked a lot about history, curiosities, but never about outside the island.
He poked one of the fruits on his plate, looking away. "Yes, there are other planets, but what are they? What's on them? Can we visit them someday?"
It was an uphill battle to keep her expression neutral. "Why are you asking that?"
"No reason! I was just curious. Little Planet shows up here, and I wondered where else it might go." The answer was too hasty, too quick. Too nervous.
Sonic reacted in many ways to many things, but he almost never got nervous.
Unless he was caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.
That, along with all the other strange actions of the last few days, could only mean one thing: he was talking to someone.
The worst thoughts ran through her head that night. A stranger trying to gain his trust to take over his powers. Someone who induced him to secrecy. Someone who would do terrible things.
Longclaw had to approach this carefully. If Sonic was hiding someone from her, it meant that person wouldn't think twice about putting him in danger.
First, she had to know what she was dealing with.
It was in the third week of his escapades that she decided to follow him. Longclaw flew low, a crease in her brow and a restless feeling in her feathers.
The familiar jagged rock formations then began to appear in the landscape as Sonic ran. Never lake?
Hiding behind one of the stalagmites, all she could do was watch.
And while the theory that her protégé was meeting with some stranger behind her back, rather than some power-hungry madman, cunning bounty hunter, or even the echidna clan seeking revenge, she saw... a girl.
A small, bright pink hedgehog in a green shirt, orange skirt, and purple shoes who looked to be about Sonic's age.
A friend. Sonic had made a friend.
She's a hedgehog too.
A feeling of dread opened a hole in her stomach.
The universe must hate her. It must really hate her.
"I told you I knew what you were going through." Marigold's voice came up beside her suddenly, and Longclaw nearly jumped out of her own feathers.
She turned to face the golden masked owl, dissatisfied. "You knew that?"
A deadpan expression appeared on Marigold's face. "No, I didn't. Amy disobeyed me. I told her not to leave Little Planet."
Longclaw looked around, stretching her wings and taking one last look at the children. "Follow me."
She guided the guardian of the Time Stones to the cottage, landing on the doorstep before opening the door and motioning for the visitor to enter. It felt strange to have someone other than herself and Sonic there, she realized. Especially with Marigold seeming to examine everything her eyes focused on.
"So this is where you live. It's an excellent hiding place.
But there were more important things to deal with. "We need to take care of this," she demanded, turning to the other owl with a hardened expression.
Marigold sighed. "The planet is leaving at the end of the month, you don't need to worry."
"No, you don't understand. This is bad, this friendship is bad. Sonic needs to stay hidden from everything and everyone. It's already hard to keep a low profile without your child putting things in his head." And Marigold had no right to look offended as she was.
She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'putting ideas in his head'?" Marigold asked, irritated.
"He's talking about leaving the island, exposing himself more." Longclaw began to pace back and forth, the possibilities of what could happen making her spiral. "He would be hunted. If the wrong person sees his powers and decides they want, it's over for him.
"And being the future guardian of the master emerald makes it worse," the golden masked owl added, following the train of thought, finally understanding the gravity of the situation.
Longclaw covered her beak with one of her wings. "For the stars, he doesn't even know the master emerald is real yet."
Marigold blinked a few times, apparently in shock. "Wait, you didn't tell him?"
"That's not the point. Your child did this, and now I have to fix it."Because things were fine before that little pink rascal showed up and messed everything up. And you'd think someone with as much responsibility as the "guardian of the Time Stones" would know how to raise a better pupil.
"It wasn't Amy's fault. Sonic is clearly curious, and he's going to grow up, Longclaw. And from what little I've seen, he'll want to know more. Explore more. Freedom is part of who he is." And there it was again, that look of someone who knew everything. Of someone who was sure she knew everything, that she was right.
Longclaw had never despised it as much as did now. Deciding to ignore how the doubts began to buzz in her ears.
"Sonic has a mission to fulfill, and a difficult life with a target on his head. The last thing he needs right now is to be more exposed," she replied, staring at Marigold. "He has no idea of the risk he's taking."
The guardian of the time stones scoffed. "What do you suggest? Erase his memory?" Marigold held her gaze with a mocking smile for a moment, then a minute.
After two minutes, Longclaw saw the smile fade to give way to pure shock and disbelief. Marigold's beak opened slightly, incredulous. "No. You can't be serious."
"And erase the memory of your child's too, just to be sure. It's the only way." Marigold studied her from head to toe as if analyzing another of her threats to the timeline. Although her frightened face gave away that it was more personal than anything else.
"Stop saying that," Marigold demanded breathlessly, taking a step back, "you've gone mad. I'm not going to let you interfere with the free will of two children."
"We're talking about my child. The one I fight day and night to keep safe. That yours showed up and got in the way of keeping him safe." Because everything was fine before. Because Sonic could be stubborn and rebellious, but he didn't talk about running away, about putting himself in danger. "And about the whole future. Sonic needs to be alive to ensure good things, you told me that."
The golden masked owl looked away for a minute at the argument, before refocusing. "Erasing the things he thinks about leaving the island would probably also erase Amy from his memory. And he's a being of chaos energy, driven by emotions. You can't guarantee that it would work out completely. For either of them."
"It can't be worse than having him dead," she retorted. Because Longclaw knew that no matter what came, no matter what happened, she could help Sonic survive. She had moved on after losing her entire clan, he could live remembering a friend he had only known for a month. "He'll be safe."
And Marigold stared at her as if she were making the biggest mistake in the galaxy. "You can't keep Sonic away from everything. It's not good."
"I won't risk losing him, Marigold." She couldn't, she just couldn't. The mere thought of it tore her apart inside. "Not when he has so much ahead of him. He'll have the freedom he wants, but at the right time."
Because this was about Sonic, but it was also about something beyond him in a way she didn't have enough information to understand. However, i f the one among them who could see the future couldn't articulate it any better than she could, Longclaw would allow herself not to have all the answers this time.
"This won't end well, Longclaw." And suddenly, she's in that white, purple, and gold palace from so many years ago again. With her best friend who never gets bored telling her a truth she knew was right.
But done the wrong way.
"Please, understand. I need you support this time," Longclaw begged. Because this time Marigold had no choice but to see reason, because betting against it this time would not lead to the same good result.
And no guardian would go against their own mission.
Marigold sighed wearily. "All right. But things will still end in disaster, Longclaw." And this time it wasn't her best friend saying it. This was a Knight of Kronos, the guardian of the Time Stones and herald of the future and time speaking.
It was a warning.
"Fine, as long as it's not with him."
She recorded a message for Sonic on the map that night before sneaking at night.
Siberia remained as cold as ever, and the temple was as majestic as she remembered. Of course, the imposing gates and sculptures were now nothing more than symbols of a clan on the brink of extinction.
At least Longclaw was comforted by the knowledge that the mission was in better hands than those of the owl warriors.
The tale of the echidna tribe against the warriors, impeccably carved into the wall, made her feathers bristle, but she had work to do.
Finding the compass was easy, and getting to the island was even easier. A short flight through the maze and soon it came into view—the Master Emerald. The reason for the extinction of everyone she had ever loved, the object of so many desires. A jewel powerful enough to drive a mere mortal mad.
But she wasn't the guardian of such a jewel for nothing, no.
Longclaw knew better. Chaos was enriched by the heart, and that was the secret. With love, anything could be achieved.
The emerald was absorbed. Longclaw could feel the universe pulsing, his feathers now green. A single, singular thought.
Protect the one she loved.
The universe has changed.
She returned the emerald to its pedestal.
Sonic was weird for a week, right after Little Planet left.
The races slowed down, and Longclaw caught him staring out the window melancholically, almost as if he had lost something.
"Are you alright, Sonic?" she asked, finally, one afternoon, after witnessing the scene once again.
Sonic shrugged, without taking his eyes off the green plains. "Yeah, I'm... I'm fine."
She took a few steps closer, tilting her head to get a better look at the spot Sonic was watching. Never Lake sparkled in the background. "Something happened?"
"No, I just," he hesitated,"think I lost something."
"Why?" She asked, hesitant.
Sonic shrugged. "...I don't know."
Longclaw spent the night awake after that.
Had she made a mistake?
Sonic wasn't in pain, and with each passing day his mood returned to normal, but she still saw that confusion.
The attempt to remember something he didn't know what it was.
Emotions, Marigold said. An anchor in reality that no alteration of time perception could erase, even if it could weaken it.
How far did that feeling go? Did his attachment to a girl he had known for such a short time run that deep?
Longclaw didn't have to wait long for his answer.
Sonic always had his little fixations. Whether it was collecting a leaf from every tree or talking to every animal on the island.
But she had never seen one as strong as the one he had recently acquired for flowers.
Every day, after every run, he would bring back a new specimen. Large and small. Purple, yellow…pink.
Some he gave to her as a gesture of affection, others on a whim.
She asked him why he liked them so much.
Sonic didn't know how to answer.
Ironically, the end found her because of a flower.
She didn't blame Sonic. After all, there was no way he could have known that there was an entire clan of beings dedicated to hunting him down and that it was his future responsibility. She never told him.
And it wasn't as if she didn't know what was coming. The Echidnas were only a matter of time.
As the edges of her eyes grew darker by the second, Longclaw begged him not to blame himself either.
Because there was no choice in her life more certain than keeping him alive. Even if that meant she wouldn't be there to see it.
Although she regretted not preparing him to be without her so soon. Unfortunately, her teachings up to that point would have to suffice. At least he could be self-sufficient.
On Earth and alone, with no one to hurt him. The thought comforted her enough in the final moments between red bodies and increasingly distant senses.
Sonic would be alone. He would be fine.