Well, everyone, from here on out, the chapters will be new(er). So, I would really appreciate your comments. It's been two years since I left this project and I really need to know whether I've lost my touch or not. XD

As I said, I plan to expand these stories to more than just Sonic and Shadow—kind of like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the DC Extended Universe. I've just been in a rut with the Sonic series lately. It's been years since the last time Sonic had a decent game, and while I do enjoy the Sonic Boom TV series, it isn't really fulfilling.

But enough about me. Time to get back to this story and finish it. If you're a new fan, welcome aboard, and if you've been here since the beginning, welcome back.

Connor sat on his couch, touching and feeling his stomach with his hands. He could almost feel the shard of the Master Emerald resting inside his soul. It almost made him sick. This was the first time since he gained his powers that he felt this way. Chaos's message had left a permanent chill in his spine. That dream felt so real... It was real! Connor knew it!

He had to talk to someone. If he kept this bottled up, he knew it would surely eat him alive. His grandma Wilma was asleep in her room, so he couldn't talk to her. Elise was Sonic's biggest hater; he wasn't sure what would happen if he revealed his alter ego to her…

Miles… Connor could tell Miles. He grabbed the phone and dialed his number.

It rang only twice. "Hello?" came Miles's voice.

"Hey, it's me," said Connor. "Do… Do you think you can come over for a bit? I… I need to talk to ya. About something. Something important."

"Yeah, definitely," said Miles. "Is… Is everything okay?"

Connor heaved a deep sigh, shaking his head. "Not really."

"Oh… Sure, we can talk. I'll be over in a few minutes."

"All right. Thanks."

"Sure thing. See ya."

"See ya," Connor said, then hung up.

It was the longest fifteen minutes of Connor's life. He stayed on the couch, waiting anxiously for his best friend. His chest was heavy, his breathing was slight, and his stomach was tense. He honestly felt like he was going to vomit. Sweat was cascading down his face, and the collar area of his shirt was becoming damp. Finally, Connor heard Miles's parents' car pull up. He heard a car door shut, then he heard it drive away. He waited for Miles to knock on the front door. Miles didn't knock; he just walked in as if he lived there, too.

"C-Connor…!" Miles exclaimed. "You look terrible. What's the ma—?"

"Shhh…" Connor said, putting his finger to his lips. "Keep it down. My grandma's in her room sleeping."

"Oh. Sorry," Miles whispered. "How's she doing, by the way?"

"I don't know, Miles…" Connor said honestly. "After Grandpa died, she…just fell into a slump. All she does these days is sleep. She doesn't eat, and she barely talks—to anyone, not just me. She isn't handling it well, Miles. I'm worried about her."

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Miles asked as he took a seat next to his friend.

"Well…no. This is Sonic-related."

"All right. What's up?"

Connor cleared his throat, then took a few seconds to get his thoughts together. He kept his eyes on the floor. "I… The other day, I had this weird vision. It was like a dream, but it was so, so real. But...this blue, watery, alien-looking thing came up to me, and he said his name was…Chaos."

"Chaos…?"

"Yep. But… Okay, let me go back a bit. The shard I touched, that turned me into Sonic? It was from something called the Master Emerald. It's from this island my parents went to all those years ago, called Christmas Island. But it's actually called Emerald Island. The Master Emerald gives the island life, but since the shard is missing, I guess the island's dying. But if I give up the shard and let it go back to the Emerald, the island will go back to normal."

"Oh…" said Miles. "That…doesn't sound that bad. I mean, yeah, you probably won't be able to be Sonic ever again, but at least you'll save that island and restore the Emerald."

"Yeah, but…" Connor shook his head, fighting back tears of fear. "Miles, there's more. God, Miles, there's so much more."

"Okay. Then, tell me!"

"Okay, but what I'm gonna tell you might sound like B.S., so bear with me, all right? . . . Deep inside Earth, there's this monster called Dark Gaia. About twenty years ago, it got free and attacked Emerald Island. It killed everyone, except for two people who were able to get away. The people on the island were called Mobians. They looked just like me and that Shadow dude. But two of them escaped, and they came back with a guy named Light Gaia. They managed to put Dark Gaia back into the planet, but they didn't actually defeat it. In the vision, Chaos told me that Dark Gaia's coming back, soon, and with a vengeance. Chaos wants to use the Master Emerald to kill Dark Gaia and end it once and for all. But, in order to do that, he…"

Connor became silent. His trouble breathing came back, and again he felt like he needed to throw up.

"He what?" Miles encouraged. "C'mon, Connor. He what?"

Connor looked at Miles with fear-filled eyes. "He needs to blow up the planet."

Silence. Miles was wide-eyed. Connor could tell he was searching for something to say, but nothing was coming up.

"Chaos is coming to Empire, Miles," Connor said. "If I don't give him the last piece of Emerald, he… He'll go after Grandma and Elise." He decided not to say that Miles would also be on that hit list. "I'm freaking out, Miles. People are gonna die… I don't want that. I want to save people. That's all I ever wanted to do when I got these powers. All I ever w—"

"C-Connor…" said Miles. "Have you ever thought…that this was a dream and just a dream? Are you a hundred percent sure about this?"

"I'm a thousand percent sure, Miles. I can't take that chance. I know that this is going to happen. But I don't know what I should do about it! I… I just wanna be a hero, like Grandpa Gene."

"Connor, you don't get it! You don't have to be Sonic to be a hero! There are so many other things you can do…"

"Yeah? Like what?" Connor challenged, his eyes now filling with anger. He put his hands on his stumps. "You think someone's gonna hire a guy without legs? Huh? What else can I do? Tell me, Miles!"

"Is that the real reason why you love being Sonic? Because you get your legs back? That is really selfish there, Connor."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Connor growled. "You don't know what it's like. You'll never be in as much pain as I was when my legs were literally ripped from my body! Even today, it still hurts sometimes! Miles, I cried when I saw legs instead of stumps. I could finally walk again. I could finally run."

"I understand that, Connor, and I'm happy for you. But this isn't just about you. It's about everyone. Literally everyone. I… I don't know what advice I should give…"

"Well, it seems you want me to give the shard back to Chaos," Connor snapped.

Miles went silent. Connor's blood went cold as he watched a tear roll down Miles's cheek. His eye were squinted together—something he almost always did when he held back from crying.

"M-Miles…"

Miles sniffed. "No, no, it's okay, Connor, I… I should probably get going."

"No, Miles, wait. I'm sorry, I—"

Miles got out his phone, ready to call his mom or dad back. He stood up. "W-whatever decision you m-m-make," Miles said, "I kn-know it'll b-be the r-r-right one."

"Miles, wait! I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm sorry! Please don't g—"

Miles dialed the number and walked out, not saying another word. Connor looked out the window and watched him make his way down the sidewalk.

Connor collapsed back onto the couch and let out a long, drawn-out groan.

What the hell is wrong with me? he asked himself. And what the hell am I gonna do?