One day, Sonic the Hedgehog was doing what he did best: Running around at super-speed. As he was tearing through Green Grove Zone like a strongman with a phonebook, he suddenly came to a halt and took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh…now this is livin'!" exclaimed Sonic. "I wish the whole world could be like this!"

While Sonic was enjoying the world around him, his little moment of bliss was interrupted when he heard somebody teleport behind him. He would've kept running, but he turned around to see who it was: It was Shadow the Hedgehog…NOT! It looked like Shadow, but this guy had bluish-green stripes, gray chest hair, and a tinge of bluish-green rather than red. This was Mephiles the Dark, an old foe of Sonic.

"Hello, Sonic," said Mephiles, his head hanging down.

"What the…" Sonic readied his fists. "All right, put 'em up, man!"

"Oh, how painful it is to be judged by the vestiges of one's past."

"Heh? What are ya talkin' about, Mephiles!? Is this some kinda sick game!?"

"No, it's not a game. I come to you with only the most honorable intentions."

Sonic crossed his arms. "Man, you're jivin' me! What makes you think I'm gonna listen to ya after what you did to me!?"

"You actually retained your memories of that moment?"

"You're dang right I did!" Sonic's eyebrow twitched. "Hey…why are ya lookin' at the ground!? What, is your neck broken or somethin'!? Answer me!"

Mephiles didn't answer Sonic; he kept looking at the ground. Sonic went over to him and forcefully grabbed him by the collar.

"You got a real attitude problem, sucka!" exclaimed Sonic. "I should break all your teeth right now…that is, if ya got any!"

"Go ahead, I would love to see you try," Mephiles lifted his head and glared at Sonic. "You couldn't possibly cause me any more pain than anything I've ever experienced."

"Oh, I see you're ready to face me like a man! Now tell me the truth: Why are ya here?"

Mephiles hung his head again.

"Sonic the Hedgehog…I am so lonely, and I feel underappreciated. All I want is to have a friend."

Sonic blinked in disbelief.

"Wait…first ya killed me, and now ya wanna be my friend!?" Sonic chuckled a bit. "Man, you must think I was born yesterday!"

"Please, do not do this to me. I told you that my intentions were honorable."

"Suuuuuuuure. Ya know, there are some real bad roads that were paved with honorable intentions."

This time, Mephiles managed to lift his head up just enough so that his reptilian green eyes could meet Sonic's eyes.

"I implore you; do try to understand this from my point of view:" said Mephiles. "That day when I killed you, something else entered my mind. When I witnessed how your companions felt, that was when I began to have reservations about what I was doing. When Princess Elise cried, I felt very much like crying, too. Yes, I had performed some exceptionally wicked acts before, but I was so immature back then. I cared for naught except getting revenge against the people who had so selfishly endeavored to manipulate me for their own covetous ends. Alas, I lost sight of my initial objective, and in the end, I became the very thing that I so despised.

Ironically, it took her loss for me to find myself. At that very moment, I realized that what I did was wrong and that I wanted no more part in the grand scheme I had constructed. How sweet the sound indeed. Regrettably, I did not have the willpower to discontinue my behavior due to the release of Iblis. Even if I did, Shadow the Hedgehog would never have understood…but you…you were different. When your friends were in bereavement, I understood why they loved you. At once, I saw an uncommon kindness, a willingness to absolve one of their past sins. Sonic, I know you are more than willing to do likewise for me."

Sonic was speechless.

"Look…Mephiles…I can see you're in a real tough position, but I'm not sure if I can forgive ya for icing me."

"Sonic, I'm sorry for what I did to you. How can I make things better?"

"Gee…I'll have to think about that for a bit," Sonic scratched his chin. "In the meantime, I gotta say, ya got a real good case goin' on there!"

"Is this an indication of your forgiveness?"

Sonic paused for a moment.

"Ah…what the hey!" exclaimed Sonic. "Amy once told me that everybody deserves a second chance, and you're definitely somebody, so I forgive ya!" He let go of Mephiles.

"Thank you," said Mephiles. "I am most grateful." He held his head up higher now.

"You're welcome, man! There's just one problem…"

"Yes?"

"I may have forgiven you for now, but that don't mean I'm gonna invite ya to my next birthday party just yet. I really wanna know that you're tellin' the truth, ya dig?"

Mephiles held his hands out to the sides, as he often did.

"Pardon me, but what do you mean by that last part?" he asked.

"Oh…my bad!" said Sonic. "I mean, 'you understand?'"

"Yes, I understand if you are hesitant to confide in me. What must I do before I am worthy of your trust?"

"Well…now that ya mention it…there are plenty of fun things we can do if you're willin' to turn over a new leaf."

"Seems…compelling. I accept your offer. What shall we do now?"

"There's one thing that I really like, and that's running! Come on, let's boogie!" Sonic started running. Having grasped Sonic's meaning, Mephiles tried running after him. However, he couldn't keep up, so he yelled: "Sonic, wait!"

Sonic stopped running.

"What's wrong, pal?"

"My power has atrophied since our last encounter," replied Mephiles. "Could you please reduce your speed?"

"Hey, if it really is that bad, I suppose I can slow down a bit. Now, let's do it to it!" The two of them continued on.