Chapter 4: Back to the Past
When he reappeared, Shadic didn't feel so good. They hadn't told him that would happen. It wore off quickly, though. Looking around, he noticed that it was night.
He looked around and noticed that something was happening in Station Square. His eyes widened as he saw Sonic, facing Shadow. The black hedgehog smirked.
"It all starts with this," he said, holding up a Chaos Emerald.
"The Chaos Emerald!" Sonic said. Frowning, he stared up at the other hedgehog.
"My name is Shadow," the black hedgehog said. "There's no time for games...farewell!" And he vanished in a flash of light.
Shadic was confused. This wasn't when they were shot. Sonic still looked angry, turning when he heard the military's cars.
Shadic gasped. He ran up to them. "Stop," he said. "You can't arrest him. He's innocent. I saw everything. The person you should be arresting is Shadow, not Sonic."
The soldiers looked from him to Sonic. "Do you know where this 'Shadow' is? Sonic shook his head. Shadow had vanished right when he heard the cops, but the military had mistaken Sonic for Shadow.
"Then we'll have to bring you in anyway."
Sonic hesitated, and then spoke.
"You have me mistaken for someone else. That guy didn't even look a thing like me."
The police thought about it. "We'll look into it," the chief said, and left.
Sonic sighed in relief and looked at Shadic. "Thanks for that," he said. "But how did you know who that other hedgehog was?"
Shadic hesitated. "I've seen him before," he said. "My name is Shadic."
"Sonic the Hedgehog," Sonic extended his hand. "But you already know that."
Shadic smiled and nodded. "I do," he said, and looked around. Then he frowned. "Do you know what year it is?"
"2001, why?"
Shadic's eyes widened. He had messed up. This wasn't the correct time. He groaned and shook his head. "It's supposed to be 2022."
Sonic blinked a few times. "2022? Why's it supposed to be that year?"
"Because...that's the year I came from. I'm from the future. I went back in time to prevent the death of my parents but...instead I came to this time for some reason."
"Time travel?" Sonic couldn't believe what the hedgehog had told him. After a pause, he shrugged. "Whatever. Who are your parents?"
Shadic hesitated. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Sonic yet.
"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. I've got some stuff I should be doing, anyway."
"Okay. Mind if I join you?"
Sonic nodded. "It's fine. Do you know any ways you can help out?"
Shadic smiled and nodded, then told him. "I have speed and I can fight if I have to." He then frowned, wondering how he was going to get back to his own time, and pulled out his Chaos Emerald. Sonic noticed this.
"You have a Chaos Emerald too?"
"Yeah, it's what I used to come back in time. But it sent me back here instead...I'm just wondering if it will let me get back to my own time."
"Are you sure? You might end up going too far the other way."
Shadic thought about it. "That's true. I've only used Chaos Control once, and that was to go back in time to...stop my parent's...murders." Tears welled up in his eyes as he said that and he started to cry.
"Hey, don't cry." Sonic moved forward, gently cupping Shadic's cheeks in his hands. "You'll be able to save them. After all this is cleared up, we'll find some way to get you home."
"Sorry," Shadic said, wiping his tears away. "It's just...I didn't expect them to get shot by some thugs; that's how they died. It happened last night."
Sonic looked at Shadic in sympathy. "Come on. We'll find a way to save your parents."
Shadic nodded, and they left. Ten minutes later, they had reached Sonic's house. The time-traveling hedgehog wondered if he should tell Sonic that his parents were him and Shadow.
"Tails should be around here somewhere," Sonic said.
A few minutes after he said that, Tails walked out of his lab. He looked at them and nodded but then noticed Shadic.
"What's your name?" Tails extended his hand toward Shadic, smile on his face. "I'm Tails."
"Shadic. It's nice to meet you."
"I assume you're here because you need Sonic's help with something?"
Sonic chuckled and spoke. "He used something called Chaos Control to transport himself back in time to save his parents from dying, but went too far back. He's from 2022. Now, he needs to find a different way back because he might mess up again."
Tails eyes widened. He looked at Shadic and nodded. "Also, do you know anyone named Shadow?"
"I've...heard of him," Shadic said hesitantly. "When I came here, he was fighting Sonic."
They looked at him suspiciously as Tails got a good look at Shadic; he resembled Sonic closely.
"You look a lot like Sonic..." Tails paused, thinking. "Is Sonic your father?"
Shadic's eyes widened. He looked back at Sonic, and then at Tails. "Y...yes..."
Sonic's eyes widened this time. "Amy's not your mother, is she?"
"No, she's not."
Sonic sighed in relief. "That's good. Could you tell me who is, then? Anyone I know already?"
Shadic hesitated. "It's...Shadow."
"Shadow?" Confusion automatically came to Sonic's face.
"Yes, Shadow."
Tails' eyes widened. That meant that Sonic was gay. "So Sonic's gay?" Tails looked between the two hedgehogs again. "Wait, never mind that. How did two guys have a child?"
Shadic hesitated. He didn't want to give away too much information about the future, since his birth was five years away. Then again, he assumed it wouldn't hurt. "Sonic became a female through a serum that you gave to him," Shadic told the fox, and then frowned. "Should I be telling you guys all this? I don't want it to affect the future, especially my birth."
"How am I supposed to fall in love with that guy? He got me into a lot of trouble." Sonic asked.
"Don't answer that one," Tails said. "He'll just try to avoid it. You probably shouldn't tell us too much, anyway."
Shadic nodded. "All right," he said.
"But, I want to know." Sonic was frowning at the both of them.
Shadic hesitated, wondering if he should tell Sonic. "Are you sure?" He asked his father, looking at Tails as well. "It might cause a time paradox."
"Just let destiny run its course," Tails said. "If Sonic's supposed to fall in love with a man and have a child with him, then it's going to happen. Let him find out for himself."
"Alright. So, what are we going to do now?"
Sonic frowned; they had to find Shadow. "We have to find out why Shadow stole that Chaos Emerald," Sonic said. "Whatever his reason was, it couldn't have been good."
Tails nodded as well. "Where should we start?"
Sonic thought about it. Shadow had mentioned Prison Island, so they would start there. "Let's go to Prison Island, first. He said something about that place."
Shadic nodded. Then he, Tails and Sonic left the house and got in the Tornado, heading towards Prison Island.
"You sure I should tag along with you?" Shadic asked them. "It might change history. I'm not even supposed to be born in this time yet; that will be five years later."
"How would it change history?" Sonic asked. "Unless you do something huge, I don't see the problem."
The time-traveling hedgehog nodded, and they continued on.
