Magma Mountain, Act 1.

[mach_n_roll]

Who: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails
What: Time to explore that volcano no one has ever noticed.
Where: ...That volcano no one has ever noticed.
When: Weekend before finals
Warnings: Lava, harmless secret agendas, terrible double-entendres, affronts to the tenants of geology

Once upon a time, Sonic had asked Knuckles for a spare fire shield. Knuckles had assumed that it was to investigate the active volcano in the mountains to the north, and Blaze would probably toast Sonic if he told anyone the REAL reason. Also, it sounded like a lot of fun, and if there was one place that fire protection trinkets tend to wind up, it's in a volcano.

So there they stand, at the base of the volcano. Sonic had given Tails and Blaze a call just before they left--he wasn't about to leave them out of the fun. Did Blaze know what he had in mind? Maybe. He hasn't said a thing about it... He squints into the sunlight and shields his eyes.

"Ready, everyone?"

Comments

[monotreme_101]

"I was hatched ready, Sonic." Knuckles replied, smacking his fists together in anticipation of some good ole fashioned digging. "It's been a while since we went on adventure together, not countin' our relaxing little vacation a few months ago."

He pointed at the summit. "I say we start off by racing to the top!"

[mach_n_roll]

"Sounds like a great idea to me. Ready... GO!"

He could probably take off in a blur and a blasting wave of compressed air and that would be that, but what fun would that be? He keeps things sub-sonic for now, black igneous gravel scattering under his feet as he breaks into a run.

[vela_nova]

Blaze sighed and shook her head as Sonic took off like a bullet. She hadn't expected anything less from the hedgehog. "I thought he'd at least wait until we'd reached the volcano before challenging us to a race," she said. "But still, if it's a race he wants..."

Blaze crouched into a runner's stance, and with a burst of flames at her heels she boosted off after Sonic.

[machomonotreme]

What was that, Blaze? Sorry. Knuckles couldn't hear you because he was sprinting up the hillside as fast as his colorful wee boots could take him.

"Mountains are kinda my jam, Sonic!" he said, laughing as he ran up a rock and jumped into the air. "See you at the top!"

[mach_n_roll]

"Yup! I'll be waiting for you!" He retorts, throwing his momentum into the air via a ramp made out of smooth rock.

...Who knows who will make it to the top. In a way it doesn't really matter. In fact, by the time Tails and Blaze catch up to them, they're already arguing the result at a cave near the caldera.

"No way! I totally made it first! You had to LAND to have made it here first!"

[monotreme_101]

"Sorry, what were you whining? Because I couldn't hear you over the sound of how badly I just whupped you at Volcano Climbing."

So smug.

[vela_nova]

"Boys, boys," Blaze interrupted when she finally arrived, "you're both pretty we just got here. I'm sure you'll find plenty of tit-for-tat chances once we're inside."

[mach_n_roll]

"...You're right, Blaze." Sonic eventually concedes, crossing his arms like the lightly salted hedgehog he is. "There's still plenty of time to beat him fair and square down there."

He waves them in, walking this time into the lightly-steaming mouth of the care. "C'mon, let's do this!"

[monotreme_101]

"In your dreams, Sonic. I got this." Knuckles replied, dusting off his gloves and walking in, still feeling way more proud of himself than he probably should.

The cave was hot, of course, and Knuckles drew in a deep breath. The steam was clean, at least - he couldn't smell anything too terrible in it.

"So, now we're all the way up here, away from the lava, we should be pretty safe. You guys get in any trouble, gimme a yell - I can dig us outta any tight jams we get into."

[vela_nova]

Blaze didn't feel any worse for wear when she entered. Being so used to her own flames, the heat of the volcano didn't bother her at all. She didn't even break a sweat. It felt... comforting in a strange way. "What exactly are we looking for in here?" she asked the assembled party.

[mach_n_roll]

"Oh, you know. Nothing in particular." Sonic replies offhand, having a better grasp on this whole "secret" thing since earlier. He can't really say with Knuckles around, and besides, it'd be nice to surprise her...

"There's bound to be something cool down there. It's a volcano!" Beat. "Well actually it'd be hot, not cool, but yanno what I mean."

The cave slopes down in a lazy spiral, reddish crystals dotting the walls. Sonic can't help but drift ahead, puzzled by the sound of a dull rumbling sound.

"You guys hear that?"

As though the word "that" was some sort of pass-code for shit to go down, the sound changes into a rocky CRUNCH, and the floor below him crumbles and he falls through. "WHOAAA--"

Fortunately, or UNfortunately in Sonic's case, that roar was an underground rapid just below them, and the hot spring water looks eager to flush him to parts unknown.

[vela_nova]

"SONIC!" Blaze called out in panic, rushing to the crumbled ground and looking down after him. He was going to get swept downstream!

Quickly looking up at the other two, Blaze said, "Follow the stream up here and try not to fall through!" What was she going to do?

Dive in after him, of course. Sonic couldn't swim. He needed some help.

[monotreme_101]

"Hngh! Hey - I'm a strong swi--"

But she was already gone.

"Damnit."

He'd spent plenty of time roaming around Hydrocity and other watery places in his homeland. He'd dealt with plenty of underground rapids in his time, he was the logical choice to jump in after the Hedgehog. But he supposed he couldn't begrudge Blaze the opportunity to play Hero.

And this was no time for woulda coulda shoulda anyhow. He leaped down against the wall, following the stream and spearing the rock with his hands to get a better hold. He wasn't sure how Tails wanted to follow along - the Fox would surely have his own way of doing things - but he was going to stick as close to it as he could and run as fast as he was able where possible. Everything else? He was going to dig.

[mach_n_roll]

In a way, it wasn't that Sonic couldn't swim. It was more that he would always sink, like the water viciously refused to let him go. The darkness keeps Sonic from seeing anything, of gaining much of a sense of orientation in the swift rapids. His head breaks the surface with a splutter and a gloved hand briefly grips a stalagmite before slipping free and vanishing into the heated, turbulent water again.

That must have been enough for Blaze to see him, since cat eyes more acclimated to the dark than his. He instinctively lurches when she gets a hold of him, in a quickly-abandoned impulse to struggle against everything. No, no wait. It was her. It was okay.

But where were they going? What was at the end of the rapids?

Good question.

[vela_nova]

What indeed... Blaze had Sonic in hand, and now he wasn't going to drown. She held him above the water. "I've got you. I've--"

What was that sound? And why was it getting louder?

Blaze's eyes widened in panic. The stream was emptying out into a waterfall...!

[machomonotreme]

"Oh Chaos!" Knuckles yelped, leaping into the air and trying to glide fast enough to catch up to them. He extended a hand to try and grab them but... frankly? There was only so much speed he could manage while falling with style.

[mach_n_roll]

"Plhkuh. Splf." Is Sonic's immediate reply as he tries to re-acquaint himself with the idea of breathing air. He finds himself looking ahead at the sudden drop-off of visible water and puts two and two together.

"Oh maaaaaaannnn--!"

That's all he says as they go over the falls. For maybe the first time in his life, he maybe HOPES there's a deep pool at the end.

At least Blaze will be okay that way!