I covered my ears as the most deafening sound came from Ember's guitar. I cried out and fell to the ground, my head feeling like it was being stabbed. I grit my teeth and waited, not daring to move until it stopped. The sound turned into a loud ringing, making my head ache. When I finally opened my eyes, Danny and Danielle had disappeared. I frowned as I saw Ember saying something, but only had the constant ringing. I felt my eyes go wide as I watched Ember's lips move, realizing what had happened.

Something flew into me, and I fell to the ground, looking behind me. I frowned as I saw Danny, his eyes dark as he loomed over me. There were three ghosts fighting me, and I had just lost the one way I could detect them with: my hearing.

Without spending another moment there and knowing what was going to happen, I dashed back toward our campsite, glancing behind me every few seconds to see how close they were. I tripped, starting to feel a little defeated, but kept on running.

I came to a stop at the campsite, looking around wildly. I turned in circles, looking for any sign of a ghost, then looked at Sam and Tucker. I couldn't tell what they were saying, and I quickly gathered my thoughts.

"Ember's controlling them," I said, though I couldn't be certain that's what I said.

I barely jumped away as Danielle appeared and kicked at me, Danny punching the back of my head and making me get a face-full of dirt. I spindashed a little bit away, dashing to the side as they came for me. I went back to the side that Sam and Tucker were on, running into Danielle's fist. I fell on my back, Danielle stepping onto my chest. She said something to me, but I didn't pay attention. I turned my head and closed my eyes as I waited for some blow to the head, opening my eyes as I learned that the pressure wasn't on my chest anymore. I scrambled to my feet, panting as I looked around.

I felt something grab my shoulder, and I threw the hand away, jumping backward. I still searched the sky, waiting for Danny and Danielle to strike again, but Sam leaned down next to me and said, "They're gone." Or, something like that. Tucker held up a little bottle thing, but I wasn't quite sure what he meant.

Tails took Sam's place, saying something to me, but I was still on edge and didn't read his lips. I blinked, and Tails took a step back, looking surprised. Tucker came over next, saying something, but I just glanced at Tails. I still only heard a loud ringing in my ears.

Tails scratched his head, then ran back into the ship, bringing out the little device he had made to detect Chaos Emeralds. I looked back at the city, remembering that the ghost had a Chaos Emerald. That kind of power didn't come from anything else.

Tails looked at me one more time, his eyes close to mine. I blinked, wondering what in the world he was doing. After he pressed some buttons and tapped the screen, he sat on the ground with his fingers moving swiftly over the device. He turned it around and showed me what it said. "What happened?" it said. 

I sighed, taking the device and looking away. I told them about the ghost Danny called Ember who had a really loud guitar. They nodded, giving me confidence that I still knew how to speak. After, Tails took his device back and the three of them spoke between each other. I felt a little scared. I had never not had my hearing. As long as I had my speed, though, I could overcome anything. Hopefully.

Tails tapped my shoulder, holding up the device. It said, "Danielle and Danny in this -" Sam held up the bottle thing "- we release Danielle, knock senses back into her."

I frowned. "Will that work?"

They nodded, and I scratched my head. "How am I supposed to fight her?" I added. I pointed to my ears. "Can't see or hear her."

Tails looked at Sam and Tucker, but they just shrugged. Tails gave me a sympathetic smile, and I sighed. I knew we needed Danny and Danielle's help to do much of anything. On the bright side, if we went back to fight Ember, I wouldn't be able to hear her earsplitting music.

I clenched my fists, then relaxed. I pointed to the bottle and nodded, ready to see what I could do. With a click of a button, Danielle streamed out of it, her eyes looking around until they locked on me. She rushed at me, and I smiled as I fell back, kicking up as she flew over me. I winced as she rolled on the ground, feeling guilty. I ran forward as she didn't move, but it was a trick; she threw her fist into my chin, and I fell backward. I put my hand to my face, stepping out of the way as she flew toward me.

She turned invisible, and I felt my stomach knot up. I turned in a slow circle, frowning and waiting. I turned as I felt a presence behind me, punching out with my fist. I was shocked to see my hand connect with her face, cringing at the force that had just been mashed into her face. She switched from her ghost form, sitting up with a groan. Like Sam and Tucker had guessed, she was back to normal, although worse for wear.

She said something, and I turned to Sam, Tucker, and Tails, who walked over to us. I tried to help Danielle up, but she just glared at me, probably not saying anything nice as she got up herself. She pointed at me and kept speaking, and I just glanced at Tails. He shrugged with a sympathetic smile.

Sam and Tucker started talking, probably explaining the situation. Danielle glanced at me once or twice, but didn't look me in the eye. I folded my arms and waited for them to finish. It seemed to take a while, Danielle asking questions while I just stood in buzzing silence.

Tails knelt on the ground, typing something out. It made me feel like a burden, making them take extra time in order to explain things to me. But maybe I had just had it easy before.

Tails held up the device, a determined look on his face. "Danielle will help you beat Danny," it read. "Together, you should be able to do it. If not, you two can get some rest and try again in the morning."

I nodded, turning to Danielle. "Sorry," I said, pointing to her face. "I got lucky."

She shook her head and smiled. She nodded at Tucker and Sam, Tucker getting ready to let Danny out. He streamed out, his eyes dim. The second he saw me, he rushed toward me, and I was too stunned to move. I hadn't expected him to attack me so quickly.

But he didn't attack me. Instead, he turned invisible, trying to take over my mind. I held my head as it felt like knives were being stabbed into it, my focus faltering. Danny had said he could do something like this, but it was different experiencing it. The annoying buzz in my ears didn't help, the silence outside of that only making it worse somehow.

It suddenly disappeared, and I nearly lost my balance. I rubbed my arms and shivered, feeling like there was a constant chill running up my spine. I turned to see Danny and Danielle fighting, green ghost lasers lighting up the sky. I watched them fight waiting for an opening. They were doing a pretty good job of taking each other down, but it was clear that Danielle wasn't going to win.

She looked at me with some determination, then turned to Danny and held her hands out. Some sort of sphere appeared around Danny, and he wasn't able to escape. A lightbulb went off in my head, and I jumped into the air, spindashing into Danny and ramming him into the ground. Danielle slowly came down from the air, slumped over. She asked me something, forgetting I couldn't hear.

I grit my teeth as Danny rose, the distant look still in his eyes. I jumped, throwing my foot into his stomach, feeling guilty. I looked at Danielle, who put her hands out and shot one more laser at him, and he fell to the side, changing to his human form. He was out cold, and Danielle looked relieved. I still felt guilty, knowing that it wasn't his fault. Hopefully, it wouldn't take long before he woke up.

I turned around, Sam and Tucker going to Danny. Danielle grabbed my arm and smiled at me with a nod, but I was still sad. Above everything, I just wanted to hear again. It was eerie, watching everything happen around you but not really knowing exactly what was happening.

I went over to Tails, who was inside the ship. I sat on the seat next to him, feeling sorry for myself. Tails typed something, then tapped my shoulder and showed it to him. He looked hopeful and at ease, the complete opposite of how I was feeling.

"The Chaos Emeralds should fix your hearing," it read. I frowned, wondering why I hadn't thought of that earlier. I looked out the windshield of the ship, my eyes in the city. That ghost would still be there, holding on to that Chaos Emerald that we needed to get out of this world.

Tails tapped my shoulder again and shook his head frantically. He typed something quickly, shoving it in my face. "Not alone," was all it said. I sighed, eager to be able to hear something again. But Tails was right, as always. It still made me sour.

Tails and I moved to the back of the ship and Tucker carried Danny in, setting him on the seats. Then, he, Sam, and Danielle came to the back of the ship, talking among themselves. Tucker yawned, and Sam laughed. I laid down on the cold, hard floor of the ship, closing my eyes. I tried to sleep for what felt like hours, but the buzzing in my ears was driving me crazy. I got up, making my way outside. I leaned against the back of the ship and looked up at the stars, dimmer in this universe than mine. I tried to make shapes out of them, thinking that that might make me tired enough to fall asleep.

I glanced at the city, bright lights emanating from it. It seemed like Ember was playing music or something, making use of the Chaos Emerald. I wasn't sure how Danny and Danielle would be able to get near her again, but...

Then, it hit me. It had been that sound that had caused them to go nuts. So we just had to make sure that they couldn't hear her, right? Some ear plugs and headphones would do the trick for weak human ears. I wouldn't have anything to worry about.

I jumped as something hit my leg, scrambling to my feet. I sighed with relief as I just saw Danny, looking less murderous but tired. He said something, but I just blinked, pointing to my ears. He said something else, looking pretty angry. When I saw him stop talking, I said, "I can't hear anything."

Danny frowned, looking a bit stunned. I shrugged with a forced smile, sitting back down. He stood awkwardly for a moment, then walked away. With a sigh, I got back up, going into the ship. I was surprised to find the lights in the ship on, everyone awake and talking. Danny avoided eye contact with me, and it was definitely awkward. Danielle grabbed Tails' device, typing something on it and showing me.

"Going back to city," it said. "Can't leave it like that."

I felt nervous as I spoke. "I should go alone."

Everyone looked at me like I had said something really dumb. "But I can't hear," I continued, pointing to my ears. "Her music can't affect me."

Danny said something, and Danielle started typing, but then said something. Soon, the room was bustling with another conversation I couldn't hear. I was tempted to just run out to the city and take her down, annoyed with how the whole day had turned out.

Danielle turned to me, and shook her head. "Too dangerous," she typed.

"Then you and Danny have to find a way to cover your ears," I said. "I'm tired, and I don't want to attack you guys again."

Danny shrugged as he looked at Sam, and everyone erupted in conversation again. I scoffed, tapping my foot as I waited for them to come to another agreement.

Danielle started typing again as Danny narrated to her. Finally, she showed me the tablet.

"You go to Ember and get her out of the stadium," it said. "Danny and I will find something to cover our ears with in town, then we come help. Don't let people get hurt." She made a face and typed something else. "And be careful."

I smiled and nodded with a thumbs up, and Danny and Danielle turned to their ghost forms. Danny pointed to the city and nodded, and I went off toward it.

I took my time, trying not to feel super angry toward the person who had stolen my hearing. I tried to get the anger out of my system before I got there, knowing that this was all the fault of Vlad. And I would get my chance to make things right with him.

The stadium had just as many people crammed into it as before, if not even more full. Suddenly, I was kind of glad that I couldn't hear anything except the ringing; this much noise would have been really painful.

I shoved my way inside, all of the people stuck in a trance. It seemed like Ember was hypnotizing them; they did nothing except yell and dance to the music. There were so many people that it took a few minutes to get to where I could even see Ember. I went down to the first row, stepping over people sitting on the stairs. I accidentally knocked someone over, but she didn't even seem to mind.

"Hey, Eeeeember!" I yelled. As I yelled her name, though, I realized that I didn't have a way of quickly getting out of the stadium. I winced, hoping that she hadn't heard me. I would have to wait for Danny.

Ember searched the stadium, her eyes looking over every single person. I tried to crouch down so she wouldn't see me, but there wasn't any space. I looked wildly around for an exit, but I couldn't see anything besides the sea of people and Ember's wild hair. She strummed a chord on her guitar and a giant arm came out. I tried to jump out of the way, but the people seemed to be working against me, keeping me where I was. The massive hand grabbed me and brought me back to Ember, who folded her arms and smiled as she saw me. I tried to pull myself out, but the grasp was too tight. I was stuck.

She said something, but I couldn't figure out what she was saying. She raised her hand and strummed her guitar wildly, obviously expecting something to happen. I smiled smugly, resting my head on my hand. She looked taken aback, not sure what was going on. She looked down at her guitar and tried again, but nothing happened.

She looked up, and I turned to see Danny and Danielle going through the ceiling, wild looking headphones on their ears. I turned back to Ember, my smile disappearing. She looked pretty angry.

She yelled something, then shoving me into the ground with the giant hand. It trapped me, leaving me to push against the hand to avoid from being squished. I could feel the power of the Chaos Emerald through the arm, slowly absorbing its power. I felt my arms getting slightly stronger and stronger, yelling out as my arms burned. I yelled out, finally gaining enough space to spindash through the hand.

I groaned, my arms hurting horribly. They hung at my sides, pretty much useless. Ember's hair still burned high into the air, using the power of the Chaos Emerald to fuel her.

I turned to see that Danny and Danielle were struggling with their own weird ghost hand things, so I went straight for Ember. I ran forward and spindashed at her, letting her fall backward. I caught a glance at the bottom of her guitar, seeing a familiar green glint. I went for her instrument, but she hit me in the head with it. I saw a few stars, Danielle and Danny on their way.

"It's in the guitar!" I yelled at them before realizing they couldn't hear me. Ember strummed her guitar, causing an extremely powerful soundwave that knocked us back. Dani stood her ground, though, shooting a powerful ray at Ember. I went to the side, spindashing into her from another angle. Before she could collect herself, I took her guitar and took the Emerald out, throwing the instrument on the floor. It felt good to have the Emerald in my hand. I tapped into its power, hoping it would give my hearing back.

But I opened my eyes, the only solace being that the buzzing was gone. I felt defeated, looking down at the gem. Was it simply out of power?

I turned as Danny came from behind me, holding up the bottle that held ghosts. The two of them took off their headphones, then took out plugs from their ears.

Dani said something, but I just forced a sad smile, now living in complete silence. I almost missed the ringing, but now I would be able to sleep.

"It'll come back eventually," I said, pointing to my ear. "Let's go back and get some rest."

But we couldn't go back yet.

The ground began to shake violently, looking at Danny and Danielle for guidance. They seemed as taken aback as I was, looking at each other questioningly. I dashed forward as someone fell from the stadium, jumping off of a wall and catching her. I set her down, watching Danny fly up and let a part of the ceiling fall on him and turning it invisible. He managed to get it to the ground without anyone getting hurt.

The shaking stopped, but there was a panic that broke out among everyone in the stadium. Danny flew into the air, saying something that made everyone seem to calm down. He pointed at the exits, everyone leaving quickly but carefully. No one else fell off, but a section of the seats started to collapse. I ran up the stairs, helping people out of the new chasm. Danny hurried people outside, while Dani was helping people in other parts of the building.

I pulled people out, a few others helping as well. I looked up to see someone pointing at it, watching as it grew bigger, looking like he was screaming. I couldn't hear anything, but the ground around the hole was going to collapse any second. I jumped inside, pushing aside seats and looking for something. I looked up occasionally, the man watching me with intensity.

I felt my heart drop into my stomach as the ground shook again, waiting for the rocks to crush me. It didn't last more than a couple of seconds, but I didn't have much time left if I wanted to get out alive.

Finally, I picked up a broken seat with my arms protesting and saw a small child curled in a corner. I picked him up, holding him close and shifting my feet as the ground shook again. It stopped, and I wasted no time in running up the crumbly wall onto solid ground. I handed the child to his father, then pointed to an exit; everyone needed to get out of that place.

After everyone was out, I went back to the middle of the stadium and picked up the Chaos Emerald, still a bit disappointed that it hadn't fixed my hearing. Danny and Danielle came back, looking exhausted. Danny pointed toward an exit, and I nodded.

We all got back to the ship, exhausted and ready for sleep. Tails met me as I came inside, and I handed him the Chaos Emerald. I shook my head as he began to speak, his face falling. He said something else, and I just shrugged.

I laid down on the floor, not minding the cold. The silence helped me fall asleep in a flash.