InuKaglover4ev22, IT'S NO USE I'M OUTTA USE, TheGameNguyener, IHeartSonAmy, ShadowKitten99, SpeedsMyGame:
Thanks so much for reviewing! You guys rock! I always love opening my email to see reviews. So thanks again. :D
This chapter took a while for me to write, due to IRL issues and me having to really work out the plot for this story. Usually I plan things out before I write them, but this started out by the seat of my pants. I have a solid grasp on the character arcs now, so it should all work out!
Please hang on to your hats, because this story's gonna get crazy and fun...
Chapter 3: Poor Decisions
...if the Sonic here liked her, did that mean… deep down, he actually liked her? Ugh, no way. He didn't even want to explore anything remotely close to his feelings on the subject. Amy scared him, she made him nervous, and anxious. That was it. He was sure of it. There was no way he secretly wanted to kiss her.
Original Dimension - Original Eggman
"Curse that hedgehog! Curse him!" Eggman shouted as he rode his Egg Mobile back into his base, still angry over Sonic destroying his OctoScramblers. His calculations had been perfect, impeccable, and completed over and over again in his brilliant mind. What had he been overlooking?
Soaring over the top of his rows upon rows of factories, all producing new robots for one scheme or another, Eggman was lost in thought. The buildings below him were small time; his latest plan had been beyond anything he'd tried before. To truly get rid of Sonic had been nothing but a pipe dream, but he could feel the possibility dangling in front of his face. But he'd failed. Again, and not in the way he'd expected.
The only thing he could think of was the power source itself had malfunctioned, or his scans and tests of its use were incomplete. Perhaps he had been too hasty on using it on Sonic himself - but how could he wait, when it had worked like a charm on inanimate objects? His test subjects had completely disappeared without a trace, no energy or mass left over. At first Eggman thought it too good to be true, as this new power source seemed to defy the laws of the conservation of matter. Making things disappear at will seemed to be it's only use though. So why did the objects cease to exist, while Sonic himself was unaffected? Eggman had seen the bright flash of light, and Sonic seemed to have left for a moment… only to return. Odd.
Either way, the gemstone (which he was still thinking of a proper name for - he quite liked the sound of Egg Stone) was still his for now. Sonic hadn't destroyed or even noticed it after dismantling his creations.
So, what was his next move? Go back to his lab and look over the data, try and figure out what happened. He could rebuild the OctoScramblers to perform further testing.
As he landed near his lab and walked in, the doctor considered calling for his two idiotic assistants, but knew this would have to be done by himself. He grabbed the Egg Stone (yes, clearly the best name) and placed it inside of a small cylinder pod to be scanned. As the pink gemstone was bombarded with weak lasers and lights, he heard the distinct sound of two robots hovering behind him.
"So… how did it go?"
Eggman curled his fists and kept staring straight ahead. "Orbot, Cubot… you two idiots get out of here and make yourselves useful! I need 4 more copies of the OctoScramblers for more testing, immediately."
Without even turning around from the computer monitors, Eggman could see their round and square faces droop in disappointment. "Yes Doctor…"
Good. Those should be coming along shortly. But the data from the Egg Stone? What was this? He squinted and leaned forward over his desk, trying to see the lines of numbers more clearly. A dimensional tear, in the location where he'd been fighting Sonic. So that's what had happened. But how did that explain…
Eggman typed several commands into the keyboard, running hypothetical equations and scenarios through a simulator. Multiple scenarios were displayed back to him, and he shook his head at each of them until the very last one.
It was the only one that made sense.
"So that's it, huh…" he muttered to himself, typing in more commands, as an evil smile crept up his face. "He traded places with another version of himself, in another dimension… that only means one thing."
The doctor stood tall, stroking his mustache and grinning as new plans, brilliant, magnificent, marvelous plans flooded his mind. "There's one more world for me to conquer! Oh-ho-ho-ho!"
Now, he'd just have to get his OctoScramblers fixed, and then he'd use the Egg Stone to transport himself to the other dimension. He'd have to go and inspect the world that he'd soon be ruling! Without time to waste, Eggman headed as fast as he could to check on the production of the bots. It was time to cause some mayhem in this new world.
Original Dimension - Alternate Sonic, Original Amy
After picking his girlfriend off the floor and drying her tears with kisses (yeah, he was kinda the perfect boyfriend), Sonic had settled on taking Amy out to cheer her up. Sure things were weird, but he'd have time for that later. Right now, Amy needed him and they were going to spend the day together. Whatever this odd stuff was, it could wait for tomorrow. Surely.
The only place Amy had wanted to go was to the mall, so that's where Sonic agreed to take her. As he pulled her into his arms and ran at dizzying speeds while carrying her bridal style, all Amy could feel was surreal. None of this felt real to her - as the world blurred around her and Sonic held her securely, she knew she should be happy. She should be thrilled, in ecstasy, beyond belief that she was finally spending time with her dreamy hedgehog. But all Amy felt was hollow and empty.
"Snap out of it, Amy," she scolded herself. "This is what you've always wanted, isn't it? To be with Sonic? Be happy..."
But the normally happy girl was left fighting her own emotions. Sonic had been amazing, but would he stay like this? What if tomorrow he would go back to being the old, confusing, mysterious, frustrating guy that she just couldn't get enough of? And what was with the sudden personality change?
Sonic had come to a stop in front of the mall entrance, his sneakers squeaking as he set Amy down onto her boots. Part of him had always wanted to see how the girl would look in running shoes like him… oh well. He felt Amy take his hand and he gave hers a small squeeze while looking up at the mall entrance sign. His mind immediately wondered what it'd be like to run around the perimeter of the huge letters.
"Ya know, this isn't my normal hangout but could be fun," he said with a smile at his girl.
Amy had to smile back. She was still flip flopping between feeling like she was dreaming, and genuine joy. Sonic's hand fit so well in her; she'd gotten butterflies when he'd squeezed hers. And they were definitely about to go on a date! How many times had she begged him to go shopping with her? She'd have to try on clothes and make him blush… ohmygosh, this was about to actually happen!
The spunk back in her step, Amy started walking, pulling Sonic with her. "Well, let's go! I think I know where we can find cute blue dresses."
"I sure hope so." He winked at her.
As they walked along, Sonic was trying to suppress his natural urge to run. The last time he was in here with Amy, he'd used so many of the obstacles and features of the mall to do tricks while she was trying on clothes. And he would probably do so again.
"What are you thinking about?" Amy suddenly asked him, looking at him sideways.
"Ah, nothin'... say, how far away is this store? You tell me where it is and I'll take ya there in no time."
Amy couldn't help but giggle. She found everything about him, even his impatience, adorable. "No, let's just walk. I like holding your hand!"
He looked away in slight embarrassment, still amazed that Amy was the only one who could make him feel flustered. He had to come up with a witty comment to preserve his ego… but as his eyes drifted to the crowd around them, he couldn't help but notice nearly everyone they passed was staring at them. He was used to getting stares, but these seemed more surprised than anything.
Whatever. He spied a nearby pretzel stand, the smell making his stomach growl. Without a second thought, he pulled Amy with him to the front of the line and began ordering a snack for each of them. The sudden unexpected momentum caused Amy to nearly tumble to the ground.
"Sonic... " Amy wobbled back and forth, her mind still 20 feet away.
"Ah my bad, Ames, I just thought you might want a snack."
"Y-yeah, okay!" Recovering, Amy had to randomly hug Sonic. He was being so nice!
Sonic couldn't stop his blush from feeling Amy hug him. No matter how many times she did, it always felt amazing. And to think he used to run away from this girl…
With pretzels in hand, and Sonic now with something to stop him from running, the two hedgehogs made their way to the large anchor department store of the mall. While Amy saw aisles and aisles of clothing, all Sonic saw was ramps and places to jump off.
"Now, help me find that dress you like, Sonic!" Amy squealed in excitement, glad that Sonic was with her in her favorite store.
"Ah, okay." He disappeared in a rush of wind, leaving Amy stunned. Had he just ditched her? She was about to yell his name in anger, but he returned before she could even say the first syllable, his hands holding as many blue clothes as he could physically carry. He dumped them in a pile at Amy's feet, crossing his arms and grinning in success.
Amy couldn't help it - she burst out laughing. "Sonic, what… did you do?" she giggled, not believing her eyes. There had to be 50 dresses right in front of her, all Sonic's shade of blue. Had he really gone through the whole store and picked them out?
"I mean… I did what ya asked," he laughed, as her giggle was contagious.
"I know, but…I didn't expect, oh, Sonic!" she hugged him again, this time tightly, joy filling her heart. Being with Sonic was a bit more rowdy than she'd imagined and dreamed about, but somehow nearly perfect.
As she picked through the pile of clothes, though, she still felt that twinge of doubt in her heart. This didn't feel right, not at all. But she fought it, telling herself to enjoy Sonic while she had him. If this ended up being a trick, he would definitely meet the mean side of her hammer. And if not, Sonic was actually her boyfriend now! Either way, today had been so many amazing memories already.
While Amy tried on clothes, Sonic fulfilled his earlier thoughts of running laps around the mall. After a few hundred laps he'd check on her, amazed at seeing her wearing gorgeous dresses. He hadn't managed to find the exact dress he'd love to see on her, but she still put on plenty of outfits that showed off her amazing body and legs. He easily bought her several dresses that they both liked.
As Sonic and Amy left the department store, Amy now wearing a cute blue dress, Sonic got the idea to get himself another phone. Amy was still confused, but wasn't going to complain about getting to text Sonic hearts and cute things… However, before they could hit the electronics store, they were interrupted.
"Sonic, Amy!"
The two hedgehogs looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. A two-tailed fox suddenly descended from the second floor of the mall, using his tails as propellers to fly to their location, landing near a T-shirt kiosk.
"Tails, buddy, what's up?" Sonic asked, smiling at his best friend.
"Here you two are…" Tails couldn't help but stare at their hands… were they seriously holding hands? And they were at the mall? "Um…" he blushed. "I hope I'm not interrupting something..."
"We're just on a date, but what's up? Something happen?" Sonic asked casually.
The fox wanted to say something, desperately, but it'd have to wait for later. "I've detected a weird energy surge and a possible dimensional tear in our world. Probably Eggman related. You said you were bored, so, do you want to go check it out?"
Sonic immediately looked to Amy. As boring as the mall was, and as much as he'd love a good tussle with the doctor, he was with his girl now. And if he left her behind, he'd have to deal with her later. He'd made that mistake more than once, and paid for it.
"Sonic?" Tails prompted, not used to his hesitation. "I have the Tornado outside."
"Nah, Tails, you go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later."
Tails looked at him shock. "What..? You don't want to go?"
"No, I do, but not right now."
Tails couldn't help but stare at Amy, who was positively beaming, and staring at Sonic with hearts in her eyes, and Sonic was looking back with a similar expression. Okay, something weird was definitely happening.
"Sonic… can I talk to you for a minute?" Tails asked with gritted teeth.
"Sure, what is it?" Sonic asked, still holding Amy's hand.
"No, I mean, by ourselves.."
"Ah…" Sonic let go of Amy's hand. "I'll be right back, okay Ames? Promise."
The two brothers walked a little ways away from Amy. Once they were out of earshot, Tails looked at Sonic with a raised eyebrow.
"So, you start randomly dating Amy and don't even tell me? I know you do things on a whim, but this is unexpected even for you."
Sonic raised both hands in a shrug. "What do you mean? Everyone knows we're dating."
Tails just blinked at him. "Well… now that you mention it, everyone knows you like her, but dating? Really?"
"Yeah, where have you been the past few weeks?"
"Fighting Eggman, with you."
"Well yeah, but in our downtime, I've been seeing Amy. And I've told you as much. Why wouldn't I tell my lil bro?" Sonic grinned, but Tails was just looking at him with huge eyes and a lost expression.
"...I think we should go check out this dimensional tear. It might be worse than I expected," was all Tails said.
"I mean, I'd love ta, but I'm kinda busy…" Sonic turned around to look at Amy, and she gave him a wave before blowing him a kiss. He quickly turned back to Tails before his cheeks got any redder.
"Are you blushing?" Tails asked.
"W-w-w-maybe…" Sonic looked away, his arms crossed, only slightly mad that Amy could do this to him. He hated it when Tails teased him.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Sonic?" Tails demanded with his hands on his hips, only halfway kidding.
"Nah, I'm still me. But that girl, lemme tell ya, the things she does to me…oh, man..." Sonic closed his eyes and a naughty grin crawled up his muzzle.
"Okay, please, spare me the details," Tails raised a hand. "But do you wanna go after Eggman or not?" Tails watched as Sonic looked back at the girl hedgehog. He sighed. "We can take Amy with us."
Sonic grinned. "You're a genius. Really. I'll convince her it'll be fun."
With that he rushed back to his girl, and Tails couldn't stop shaking his head. Sonic had gone suddenly love crazy. Okay, he could deal with this. As long as the hedgehog could still run fast and fight Eggman, they still had a chance to figure this out. Whatever it was…
Alternate Dimension - Original Sonic
Sonic just had to get out of there. He was both comforted and disturbed by the fact he was merely in another dimension. He'd traversed many a world in his lifetime of exploring, but none that he'd visited were as eerily close to his own world as this one. Only a handful of things were different, just enough to annoy him. He knew his world like the back of his hand, but here, he'd been surprised and nearly run into a tree more than once. All of the major landmarks were the same, but the little details were throwing him for a loop. But that wasn't all…
He shrugged the thoughts of Amy out of his mind. Just like he always did. The girl was nothing but a pain. Any version of him that actually wanted to be with her couldn't be truly him. Could it? But what did it mean to be him?
The fastest thing alive, the blue blur, the hero, the legend…
And to think in another life, he'd let himself be tied down to a girl? It didn't make sense to him. Either this guy that everyone thought was Sonic wasn't truly him, or… or what? He didn't like where his mind was going. Sonic hadn't ever thought much about Amy, period, and he couldn't stand how much she'd been in his thoughts. He didn't hate the girl, didn't even dislike her, but she could be so overbearing. It baffled him so much to think that a version of him could take a shine to her, even officially be her boyfriend. What did they even do on their "dates"? Were they somehow fun? What was it like to be with her, hold her close, kiss her…
Those pictures on that phone, of the two of them kissing, surfaced in his mind, and Sonic could only try and run faster to get them out of his mind's eye. Would he ever really do that? What would it feel like?
It baffled him, and yet, it baffled him how much it bothered him. Was it so weird? According to this world's Tails, he wasn't much different than the Sonic here. And if the Sonic here liked her, did that mean… deep down, he actually liked her? Ugh, no way. He didn't even want to explore anything remotely close to his feelings on the subject. Amy scared him, she made him nervous, and anxious. That was it. He was sure of it. There was no way he secretly wanted to kiss her. Yuck. All these thoughts were too much. Sonic wanted life to be simple, and any time Amy was thrown into the mix he just got confused. It was easier just to run from her and not let her have any ideas.
But while part of him just wanted to outrun his thoughts, part of him was definitely curious.
He sped up his pace even faster, wanting to reach Eggman's base as soon as he could. If his "team" here had decided they couldn't trust him, then he wouldn't trust them either. He could work alone if he had to, but there was no way in hell he was staying in this eerie dimension.
Sonic had to do some serious searching, though, to track down the doctor; in his world,
Eggman's new factories and base was to the west, but here, they could be anywhere. After he covered what he thought was the whole planet, Sonic finally spied a lone outpost nestled in some lowland hills. It had all the trappings of Eggman's base: a perimeter of sentry turrets (which he destroyed with ease), your standard alarm system with heat seeking missiles (which made Sonic yawn), and a locked security door (that was no match for his spindash). Man, the Eggman of this world was lazy…
Coming face to face with his arch-nemesis, standing in some sort of lab with computer monitors lining every wall, Sonic clenched his fists and glared at Eggman.
"Alright Eggman, time to spill the beans! What did you do to me?"
"Sonic! What are you doing here?" The doctor nervously backed up, climbing towards his Egg Mobile so he could get to safety. The wretched hedgehog had destroyed his defenses with annoying ease. Why had he come, anyway?
"I just wanna know what's going on! Where am I?"
Well, this was new. Sonic asking him for information? How could he play this to his advantage? Somehow, the hedgehog was confused. This could be the big break he'd been waiting for years for… what lie could he tell?
But before Eggman could open his mouth to respond, a blinding light engulfed and blinded his vision, and he was brought to his knees from a gigantic booming sound in his ears.
A sudden flash of light! The same as before! Sonic squeezed his eyes shut. "Not again… wait, don't I want to go back?" Before he could question his own motives too much, the light was gone, and Sonic opened his eyes to see… nothing had changed. Eggman was still standing in front of him, looking like the goofy villain that he was.
"What was that, Eggface? I'm not leaving without answers!"
Blinking behind his dark glasses, and still recovering from the transport, the Original Eggman's heart sank when he saw what was in front of him. That wretched hedgehog – he could never be free from him, not even in another world. Out of all the times he could have chosen to go to another world, it had to be when Sonic was confronting him on the other end.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. What's the deal?" Sonic kept demanding.
He'd have to think of something, now. But where even was he? Some sort of lab, or computer room. Where were his defensive controls? Where was his robot army? Did his counterpart in this world not have any work or weapons to speak of?
And come to think of it… where were his OctoScramblers, or the control panel, or the Egg Stone? Had they not traveled the gap with him? His calculations said that they would… if they hadn't, he was in big trouble. No more time for thoughts - Sonic was suddenly bouncing around the room, smashing his computers and furniture to bits. Oh shit - His Egg Mobile! Eggman dived for his escape pod and ascended as quickly as possible. He engaged the top shield and flew directly through the roof of his lab, bracing himself for Sonic to jump up to him.
"No, come back here!" He heard Sonic yell at him, but Eggman was already flying away. The doctor looked down to see Sonic below him, scowling, apparently not able to reach him at this altitude. He breathed a small sigh, knowing he'd barely escaped. He needed to recover, figure out what was really going on. Yes, this had all been a mistake - well, a miscalculation. According to the simulation he'd run, everything should have come with him. And yet, it didn't. The more he was learning about the Egg Stone, and the more he thought he understood it, the more it baffled him and behaved in unexpected ways. When he'd unearthed it nearly 6 months ago, he knew he'd hit the jackpot, but now?
Well, now, he was left in an unfamiliar world with no power source, no robots, no army, and not even a base to his name. He put the Egg Mobile on autopilot, and to his relief, saw "Traveling to nearest base - 45 miles" appear on the console. Well, that was something. Eggman had definitely been put in worse spots. He'd just have to figure out a way to find the Egg Stone of this world, and recreate the plans for the OctoScrambler from memory. And then? An optimistic grin came over his face, and he sneered.
Then he'd be able to take over not only one world, but two.
A little bit of something for everything in this chapter, a bit of plot, a bit of romance… the story is coming along, and I'm super excited for what's to come, I got big plans! It might become a little difficult to follow some of this, so I'm trying to keep it as clear as possible which dimension (and which version of the characters) we're dealing with. As always, if you have questions, feel free to ask!
