The morning, while slow coming, was beginning to make its appearance. Rouge and I were sitting at the Dining Table, drinking coffee. To my frustration, her questioning forced me to divulge details about the timeline and the events that have taken place that led to this very moment! Thank God I was able to sleep for a few hours before being woken up last night!
"I can't believe it! Not only do I have a child with the big lug, but I marry him?!" Rouge asked, still in shock.
"For the thousandth time, yes! How many times do I have to say it?" I asked, angry she kept asking me the same questions.
"Well, how come none of us went with you guys? I'm sure they would be more helpful than you two, no offense." She asked.
"They didn't come because they didn't know! Ruby and I did this in secret! Also, the two of us being in the past is less suspicious than having your future selves here as well!" I explained.
I took another sip from my mug, draining it. I got up, walking over to the coffee machine. It took me a while to figure it out, with the little cups and everything, but I managed to figure it out.
"If Ruby's my daughter, how come she didn't say anything about me being her mother?" Ruby asked.
"That's… a bit of a tender subject." I answered, filling my mug.
"What do you mean? Does it have to do with what happens in the future?" Rouge asked.
She was getting close! Of course, I wasn't going to tell her that she was killed by one of his badnicks! I mean, once we're done here, Ruby and I will prevent that future from happening!
"She looks up to you. Before she does anything, she thinks if you would want her to do it. But the thing is… she wants to be careful that we don't do anything that will affect the future in ways of our existence. She'd rather you think her a stranger than know her as your daughter." I explained.
Rouge nodded, understanding where we were coming from.
"What about you?" She asked.
"What about me?" I responded.
"Who are your parents?" Rouge asked.
I felt my blood run hot! Judging from stories about Rouge, she would love to drop a bombshell like this! I mean, she might not if I tell her, considering what we are doing here, but I didn't want to risk that!
"Sorry, but I'm not telling." I answered.
"Oh, come on! Not even a hint?" Rouge asked.
I shook my head, taking another sip from my mug.
"Well, you're no fun." Rouge responded.
As rays of the sun began to peek through the window, I could hear Ruby begin to wake up. She slowly got up from the couch, stretching and rubbing her eyes. She looked around, seeing Rouge and I sitting at the table, looking at her. Rouge got up from the table, yawning.
"I'm gonna take a quick nap. We'll meet up with the others later." Rouge said, walking to her room.
"Uh, did you…?" Ruby began to ask, before I stopped her.
"Unfortunately, she forced the answers out of me." I said.
"Does she know about…?" She began to ask, before I stopped her again.
"No." I said.
"What about me?" She asked.
"She knows. She actually took it better than I thought." I answered.
As Rouge slept, Ruby and I talked about our plan. From what I could gleam from the stories mom used to tell me, they would fight Eggman on a near-weekly basis! That would give us roughly 52 chances to take out Eggman before the Badnick Armageddon. And considering he would retreat after a battle, that would allow me to sneak away and dispatch him quietly.
"Man, thank Chaos telling Rouge who I am hasn't affected anything yet! I was so sure I was going to turn into dust or something !" Ruby commented.
"Dust? She only found out who you are. She wasn't given the Infinity Gauntlet!" I observed.
"You know what I mean! I haven't vanished from existence! I mean, we're about four years before we're supposed to be born, and it's as if it's set in stone!" Ruby explained.
"Well, mom always told me she could tell Rouge had a crush on Knuckles. Ever since she was saved from falling into a pit of lava." I said.
"Oh yeah! I remember that story! Man, how many times did she try to steal the Master Emerald?" Ruby asked.
"I think that's something to ask Knuckles. Anyway, I think I need a quick nap before we go." I said, walking to the couch.
"Do you mind if I join you? I had trouble sleeping last night." Ruby asked, yawning.
"Not at all." I said, letting out a short yawn.
3 Hours Later…
Ruby, Rouge, and I were walking towards an agreed meeting point, where we would be picked up by Tails in the Tornado X. Well, I was walking. Rouge and Ruby had the great fortune to be born with wings, so they were just hovering above the ground. We had to be outside of Central City to be picked up. The Tornado X has the capability to break every glass structure throughout the city if he would fly through the city's airspace, so this was the compromise. Soon, we were walking to a hand-made airstrip, where the ground has been packed down repeatedly over the course of several years. I plopped my pack to the ground, stretching out my arms. I felt my shoulders pop.
"I hate carrying that thing!" I said, rubbing the spot on my left shoulder where the strap was rubbing.
"The sooner Tails gets here, the better." Rouge said.
"What? Your legs hurt from all that walking?" I snidely asked.
Rouge glared at me, not saying a word. She only crossed her arms, waiting for the Tornado X to fly in. Ruby sat down, reaching into her pack. She took out a large slab of elk jerky, snapping it into two pieces. Taking a bite from one of the pieces, she handed the other to me.
"What kind of meat is that?" Rouge asked.
"Elk. I killed it my bare hands. Want some?" I offered.
Rouge shook her head, looking off-put by my comment.
"More for us, then." I responded, taking a large bite out of the jerky.
Suddenly, the sound of a roaring jet engine became apparent! The Tornado X zoomed across the sky, leaving behind a trail of white smoke. The plane rolled upside down and then looped back towards us, the gear pointing towards the ground. The Tornado X gently kissed the ground, bumping ever so slightly before being able stay on the ground, the flaps on the wings acting as a parachute. The plane slowed, eventually rolling to a stop. The brakes hissed. The cockpit opened, a two-tailed fox flying out of his seat. He floated to the ground; his tails ceased spinning. He had a large smile on his face. He walked towards us, radiating a welcoming presence.
"Hi! You two must be John and Ruby! Rouge told me about you guys!" Tails exclaimed, sounding happy.
As if on instinct, Ruby and I did a slight bow. This was a common gesture when meeting with an elder. Unfortunately, Tails was 8 years old at this time. He did look confused.
"Sorry." We both said, realizing our mistake.
Tails only smiled.
"That's okay! So, you two ready to ride in the Tornado X?!" He asked, excited to show off his plane.
We both nodded excitedly! While we have been in the Tornado X before, we have never had the pleasure to do so just for kicks! It was always mission related. Tails hit a button on his watch, causing the plane to split apart and reform, making a larger area for us to sit in. We piled in, strapping ourselves in, an effect of muscle memory.
"Hold onto something! This might be a bit intense!" Tails warned, accelerating the engine.
The plane sped down the runway, picking up speed! It felt like the gear was going to snap off from the sheer force we were travelling at! Suddenly, we felt a shift in direction. The noise began pointing towards the sky, taking off! Suddenly, a loud 'boom' generated, indicating we broke the sound barrier!
"Holy shit! We broke the sound barrier!" Ruby exclaimed, never experiencing something like that before!
"Hey! Language! I'm only 8, you know!" Tails warned us, his voice coming from a speaker connected to the cockpit.
"Sorry, Tails!" Ruby said, apologizing.
We soared around Central City, not entering within the city limits. We soared further into the mainland, soaring over numerous forests and rivers.
"Where're we headed?" I asked, not exactly knowing our destination.
"Angel Island! The others are already there! Rouge told us that you want to stop Eggman, so we're meeting up to help you guys!" Tails answered.
As soon as Tails turned off his intercom, I turned towards Rouge.
"Rouge, what did you tell them? You didn't tell them everything, did you?" I asked.
"I only told them that you and Ruby wanted to stop Eggman from messing up the future. We already have two people who are from the future that came here to change their future. Not really an uncommon happening." Rouge explained.
An image of Silver and Blaze already appeared in my head. I forgot they were from the future as well, albeit, a much more distant future. A future with fire and brimstone. I decided to remain quiet for the rest of the trip. I rested my eyes while we flew.
"John, wake up!" Ruby said, gently shaking me.
My eyes flew open, surveying my surroundings. Guess I dozed off. I looked out the window, seeing Angel Island! It was HUGE! Bigger than either Ruby or I could ever imagine! A large mountain jutted from the jungle, shadowing it. We flew further towards the island, another airstrip made in a clearing. The plane landed, deceptively smoother than the last one. It soon stopped, our destination being Angel Island.
"Well, we're here!" Tails said, exiting the cockpit.
Rouge, Ruby, and I exited the Tornado X. We walked with Tails towards the temple where the Master Emerald was. After a few minutes, we reached the steps of the Shrine. I looked up, seeing a blue hedgehog lounging on the upper stairs, along with the others, who looked as if they've been waiting for us for a while.
"The gang's all here." I thought to myself, feeling a sweat drop streak across my face.