Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter is late, but before we begin, I have an announcement to say; Apparently there's a rumor that Netflix is developing a new Sonic TV series(in 3D and this could be the answer of the mysterious "3") and has it's sights on releasing in 2022. Though I'm not sure if Sonic's design will be like in both the Modern games(unless the new games coming out next year say otherwise) and in the IDW comics and not like Sonic Boom and the movie that came out this year.
Personally, I prefer Sonic's peach-coloured arms since he looks 100 times better than with the blue arms, and I like him having his emerald green eyes better too. Anyway, here's a new chapter!
I own no rights to Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the related media.
Chapter 4: Truth of the World.
"Made a reality? You mean, there's a chance that Earth and humans are all real? Even Chris? Then what did he mean by he's not real like he told me earlier?" Sonic asked quickly, now wanting to really know the truth.
"First, are you aware of how both worlds in your dream were connected?" Tikal asked patiently.
The blue hedgehog paused while sensing his friends looking at him, folding his arms in thought before nodding and answered. "Yeah, just near the end of it, it was discovered that they used to be a single world, and unless me and the others had to come back to our world, both would merge and time would stop forever."
"In the dreams, yes both worlds are apart. In reality, however, it never happened." The ancient Echidna began.
Just like that, Sonic's hopes plummeted again. He knew it; humans really were just figments of his imagination. It still didn't make sense, though. "I don't get it. Tikal, what is a Dream-link?"
"Dream-links are what Mobians and Humans used as a way to communicate in dreams to visit each other, or inform of each arrivals in the times long before I was born." Tikal explained.
"So...humans used to exist? So they were real?" The teenage hero muttered, his hopes rising once more, despite that it would be more complicated, especially now.
"Not used to or were. They still exist, deep within this world." She replied.
Sonic and his friends all gasped in shock, disbelief and bewilderment as he exclaimed. "Say what!? Humanity is actually here!?"
"You mean humans actually live somewhere in our world?" Tails asked.
"Yes." Tikal nodded. "Long ago, before the time my father made the horrible goal to take the Chaos Emeralds to conjour our neighbors through greed, anger and hate, humans and Mobians once lived in peace and harmony, understanding each other. They would meet through Dream-links by selected chosen, at first awakening to be nothing more than dreams, each manifesting dream versions of themselves and each other without each other's knowledge. But when they meet in reality, their bond they shared in their dreams would be made real. In dreams, they would go on adventures they thought would be real, but when those dreams end, they would be sad until they would meet each other and their hearts would be healed."
"Was it related to the Chaos Emeralds?" Knuckles asked, a little skeptical, but felt that this was all true. After all, he was speaking his people's ancestor.
"Those who made contact with the Chaos Emeralds would so, yes. It didn't happen to everyone as most would meet as everyone would, especially today. When they awaken at first and then sleep to share their goodbyes to their close friends, their hearts would be broken and only the truth of what they would see and hear would help them recover, along with the bonds of the people they already have and love and share." The Princess explained.
"Even when the Chaos Emeralds were actually used or misused?" Amy asked.
"In a way. It is different for Sonic, however." Tikal said.
"So then...the Chaos Emeralds didn't lie to me? They were just trying to lead me to...to the real Chris?" Sonic muttered, lowering his gaze as he thought about what the Dream-Chris told him.
"Everything about me, about our adventures together...it was all just a dream, done by the Chaos Emeralds when the machine blew up. It affected you, Sonic, making you live in a dream that seemed real, and you had to say goodbye to me...in order to wake up back in the real world." Chris sadly explained.
"That means...the real Chris saw the same thing, except in his case, it was me who told him that I was just a dream; at least, my dream-self did." The blue hedgehog realized, his lips quivering and tears once again forming in his eyes. Except they were of relief, beginning to cry in happiness. "Then we're going to meet for real...We really are friends...!"
While he was still heart-broken that most parts of his dream weren't real, like Amy's feelings towards him, the void he felt in his heart now began to reseal itself. Chris was real! Somewhere here in this world. He could finally see him, if he could. Sonic wiped away his tears, as Tails, Amy and Knuckles noticed and while they still felt worried about him, the fact that at least one part of his dream was real that made their heroic friend so happy and looking like he was healing made them relieved.
"Yes, Sonic. You have re-formed the Dream-link with Christopher." Tikal confirmed, smiling softly and warmly.
"This is so cool! I'm so happy!" Sonic croaked with tears in his voice, but smiling almost in a goofy way. "Chris is real! I can see him!"
"I'm so glad, Sonic." Amy said emotionally, holding her 'boyfriend' by the arm and asking. "Feeling better now?"
Sonic nodded, and while he still wasn't certain with the pink hedgehog, the blue hedgehog then saw, deep in her beautiful jade green eyes, that she really did care about him. He wasn't sure if it was because she deeply loved him like she demonstrated in his dream by giving him the sea-shell bracelet, he smiled emotionally. The fact that he still had his friends with him, having met them in reality and they had been there with him in his dreams, it gave him support to prevent himself from falling apart, and now thanks to them, he learned the truth. The blue hedgehog wouldn't have known about this if they hadn't tried to find him.
"Thanks, guys. I feel like the luckiest hedgehog on the planet. Wouldn't trade any of ya's for anything." Sonic said, gently wrapping his arm around his self-proclaimed girlfriend and even pulled Tails into another group hug. "You all saved me from my sadness, and helped me learn the truth. I wish I could repay you."
"We're just glad you're gonna be okay, Sonic." Tails replied tearfully, as he and Amy hugged the cobalt hero back, with Tikal and Knuckles smiling at the trio, glad that Sonic was going to be alright, before the young guardian turned his attention back to his ancestor.
"Tikal, you said that Sonic will be alright, and that humans are real. I have to ask, if they are real, and they're here, where are they?" The echidna guardian asked, which, hearing him ask this question, brought Sonic, Tails and Amy back to their attention to the princess that the hero thought wasn't real, and they realized that Knuckles had a good point.
Tikal, knowing there was much more to explain, sighed before closing her eyes. "They once lived deep beneath the surface of our planet, that once was their own before the evolution of our kind in most cases and even then our ancestors and humanity learned to adapt and live together."
"So...you're saying that..." Tails trailed off, as realization dawned onto him and the others who stared on in shock.
"Mobius is actually...?" Sonic continued in disbelief.
"Earth itself?" Amy finished, bewildered.
The princess nodded. "Indeed. Humans called the planet Earth, whereas our ancestors, after a tragic calamity began, called it Mobius to hide a terrible truth that forced human beings into hiding and to their near extinction."
"Just like our people!?" Knuckles exclaimed, shocked that his own kind wasn't the only species in the time of speech that almost became completely extinct.
"What happened?" The blue hedgehog asked, horrified. If humans were brought to near extinction, would that mean...Chris was living a much more horrific and struggling life than he was in the dream?
"10,000 years ago, where technology advanced and humans and Mobians continued to live in peace, one day something happened. No one knows what or how, but from the deepest secrets only my clan knew of and vowed to not tell anyone unless the Dream-link is brought back to life, evil beings began to appear. No one knew what they were, except they were the most terrifying and monstrous creatures seeking the Chaos Emeralds, and the Master Emerald." Tikal told them.
"No...They wiped out most of humanity, didn't they?" Sonic guessed, fearing that they only be a few humans left in the world now.
"They infected half of the human population, and our people fought hard to protect them, only that an unknown Mobian discovered that Mobians held the power to use the Chaos Emeralds. But he was forced to use those powers of hate and rage and soon greed to defeat the enemies. The Mobian sent the enemies far away and have not been seen since, but he too had to be killed when he threatened humanity. The earliest Echidna clan forced humans into hiding underground, all techology lost and most memories of that day lost, with our people believing humans never existed." She explained.
"And so everything was reverted back to ancient times as though life started all over again?" Tails asked, horrified by the story.
"On both sides, yes. I've only known because being inside the Master Emerald has shown me the truth, in the time when my father made a terrible mistake." Tikal nodded in sorrow, turning her gaze to Sonic. "The mistake you know fully well, Sonic."
"Chaos..." Sonic muttered, gazing at the Master Emerald worriedly too. "Chaos is really inside there too. Except he's still angry, sad, and confused. Because of what your dad did to both you and the Chao, just to get to the Emeralds."
"For years, I prayed it wouldn't happen again. But it was foretold that a blue hedgehog with a pure heart would accidentally become Dream-linked with a human child by the power of the Chaos Emeralds being misused, and it would be the key to bring back harmony between humans and Mobians. It was their power that sank all human continents beneath the surface. However, if a machine that was misuse the Chaos Emeralds, it would not only dream-link the two, but it would also cause the continents to rise again, merge and reconnect with our continents like bridges...in a matter of days." Tikal nodded grimly.
"WHAT!?" Sonic, Tails and Knuckles exclaimed, while Amy covered her mouth with her hands after gasping, all four of them shocked.
"And an invisible barrier holding an advanced human technology would be broken and be seen in the skies once again. There was also one human that has escaped life from underground to live his life here...and become evil because he was too different. I fear you know who that may be." The female echidna continued.
Memories of the ARK in his dream resurfacing and, now understanding what Tikal meant by some parts of it being real, but almost like in an alternate universe kind of thing, Sonic knew instantly who she was talking about because it made absolute sense.
"Eggman..." Sonic hissed, his eyes narrowing. "He's the one responsible for all of this; kidnapping Cream and Cheese, stealing the Chaos Emeralds, his stupid robots crashing into the machine that knocked us out and made me dream up everything I thought was real...and now this...!"
"If our people see the humans and only think of them being the same as the planet's enemy-"
"Then there'll be big trouble, and we could end up in a great big fight because both sides wouldn't understand." Sonic cut Tikal off, already fearing the same thing he sensed that she feared. Plus given it's been over thousands of years and history of the true past being hidden until now, it would only be a matter of time before a huge misunderstanding would cause severe damage.
"But what if humans really are just like Eggman? They could try and re-dominate the planet because of their greed and selfishness they developed, and they're probably jealous of us because they were underground for centuries." Knuckles thought in concern with a serious frown.
"No!" Sonic yelled, standing up. "Humans are just like us! There are good people and bad people! Remember a couple months ago we had to stop a crazy Peacock from using Silver Scepters that controlled the weather and that he wanted to cover the planet with hurricanes and giant tornados? He even imprisoned most of a city, putting them and even Eggman to sleep and it was only you and me that could stop him."
"And those Guana Brothers from fishing up a giant Octopus to terrorize a hotel just because they didn't get an invite and wanted everybody in the world to pay?" Amy added.
"They're right, Knuckles. I mean, I'm really nervous about seeing real humans, but as Sonic and Tikal said, there's gotta be some that are good." Tails added, as he and the pink hedgehog also stood up.
"Besides that, they're probably just as oblivious about us as we were to them because of our ancestors' history being hidden, no thanks to some cruel and horrible monsters that separated both kinds in the first place, yet things were okay for a long time because there wasn't much of a choice and the world's been in peace. Now because of Eggman, that peace is gonna be put under more threat besides him if we don't do something!" The blue hedgehog continued.
The teenage hero then lowered his gaze, as he muttered softly. "And it would've been better off if this new crisis didn't happen. Or what happened in that dream. For everybody's safety. I wish I could've stopped him from kidnapping Cream and Cheese and stealing the Chaos Emeralds."
As he gazed up to the distance in thought, memories of both his dream and his real life forming in his mind, Sonic felt a pang of guilt with the moon full and being the main source of light besides the Master Emerald. He had spent an entire day heartbroken and crying, trying to get back to normal life after succeeding in returning Cream to her mother, his friends worrying about him and Knucklehead having a false theory that the blue hedgehog was actually dying due to the overdose of Chaos Energy, which he realized that if he wasn't careful, he could really end up dead because of having too much of it, and having used the Chaos Emeralds for so long.
Now the world, the real Earth he had been born and grew up in all this time, was in more danger than ever before. Sonic sighed and rubbed his arms as though he was feeling cold. "Well, at least we wouldn't have to worry about the whole Space and Time travel thing, trying to get back home, the whole merge between two worlds and time stopping."
Still, he couldn't help but worry that his Chaos Energy may eventually become too much if he didn't do something about it. Plus with the Dream-link, he was scared that it was only increasing that power and it could become uncontrollable.
Then it would no doubt drain away his normal energy and destroy his soul.
'Oh, Chris. I'm sorry. It's all my fault.' Sonic squeezed his eyes shut, fearing that something terrible was about to happen, and he didn't know when all the human continents would rise up. Tikal said it would take days before they would return to the surface. It would cause panic for both Mobians and humans, both sides wanting answers, and come to a false conclusion that both sides were the enemy to each other, invading the world and wanting to rightfully declare it as their own.
Or worse. Eggman tricking both sides into attacking each other as another evil scheme to take over the world, which would be the worse Sonic would ever experience, a losing battle where he and his friends would be seen as traitors.
No. He can't let that happen. If he didn't do something to calm both sides, and/or prevent his nemesis from doing what the blue hedgehog feared he would most likely do, then all was lost. He opened his eyes and stared hard and firm over the horizon, knowing what he had to do despite the risks.
"I have to go to the human continent." Sonic declared with determination. That announcement shocked his friends and Tikal.
"Say what?" Amy exclaimed.
"You mean, you're gonna go and talk to the humans?" Tails asked in disbelief.
Sonic nodded, turning back to his friends as he lowered his arms, his hands tightening into fists. "There's no other choice. We don't know how much time we have before either side get the wrong idea or Eggman uses this crisis to his advantage with whatever evil scheme he could come up with, but if I don't do something to tell everybody the truth and prove that neither one is the enemy, then the world is good as doomed."
"Are you crazy!? They'll mistake you for aliens!" Knuckles shouted, thinking that the slightly younger teen had lost his mind.
"Hey, in the beginning of the dream, I was lost and even I thought they were aliens, and they wanted to catch me because neither of us knew at the time. I know it's gonna be tricky and it is a huge risk, but I have to at least try." Sonic pointed out. "I don't want a great big war to happen, and unless we do something, that's exactly what's gonna happen! Millions of people on both sides will die!"
"Sonic is right, Knuckles." Tikal spoke up, getting the younger Mobians' attentions as they turned back to her. "Fear, greed, anger and misunderstanding is what caused the Echidna Clan to their own downfall, and my fear refused to see the truth. I failed to stop him, and Chaos is only feeling anger and hate. Sonic is our only hope, because of the dream-link he unknowingly shared with Christopher. He will need your help, as well as the help from everybody else he knows."
"Tikal..." Sonic whispered, feeling some form of relief that even she knew what has to be done, given how she had imprisoned herself inside the Master Emerald to seal away Chaos, and while he was scared that the monster could wake up sooner than he would've liked, so far she was holding it back to tell him and his friends of what was really going on.
"I beg you to not allow anymore horrible things to happen as my father has done." The Princess pleaded.
Sonic felt his heart ache, Tails repeatedly wiping his tears away, and Amy trying to stop herself from crying. Knuckles lowered his gaze, and while he didn't like the blue hedgehog's idea, hearing what he has heard, and that Sonic has somehow envisioned Tikal's past which her own father had been the catalyst of their people's near and slow extinction, the red echidna was horrified by the destruction. He'd already seen what Eggman would have done and that was bad enough. Sonic did say it was a huge risk, but he was willing to try and prevent a possible great war from happening, and he would need all the help he could get.
'Just hope the humans are the listening type, not like Eggman.' Knuckles thought to himself, grudingly admitting that Sonic's idea was the only way to prevent blood from shedding.
"I'm not sure how this will work, but if Sonic wants to try, then I guess I should help whatever way I can." He finally decided. "Plus, it's already bad enough with Eggman causing heaps of trouble, and I wouldn't want to see a war of a misunderstanding start."
"Thanks, Knuckles." Sonic said, feeling relieved that his friend could see his point.
"I wanna help too. If we all stand together, this will be a cinch." Tails declared, already deciding to help his big brother.
"Going to see the human continent, save both sides and helping them to understand each other. Couldn't it be anymore romantic?" Amy said dreamily, her hands together as the thought of being by her 'boyfriend's' side to help both Mobians and Humans to join together in harmony again was an amazing chance to be with him.
Sonic felt emotional and while he didn't want to put his friends into this risk, he knew that it was going to take more than himself to try and make the harmony possible, to at least make both their people and humans to learn the truth of the past and that they were all born here and the world should be shared. While things were about to be different, he knew that he would always have his friends despite that he did like his privacy. Now he felt ready, and determined, and, as this was a new quest, excited for a brand new adventure.
"Great! Then it settled. We're going to the human continent!" Sonic announced, smirking in his usual heroic self. A thought then occured to him as he added, "But first, I gotta be careful with the Chaos Energy inside me."
His friends and Tikal gazed at him, realizing what he was saying and shared glances. The blue hedgehog then asked the spiritual princess. "Tikal, is there anyway for me to stop myself from gaining too much Chaos Energy?"
"The Master Emerald." Tikal said, turning her gaze back to the Emerald that has been both her home and her prison for 4,000 years. "When one begins to fear their own Chaos Energy overflowing, and it becomes too much for their bodies and soul, the Master Emerald will absorb the unneeded energy. You will still be able to use the Chaos Emeralds, but when it feel and sense that it becomes too much, return here and let it fix you."
"So the Master Emerald is the cure we need?" Knuckles asked, shocked and surprised. "I never knew that!"
"Well, it does control the Chaos Emeralds, so it should control the Chaos Energy too." Tails pointed out. "But what if it has too much of someone's Chaos Energy?"
Sonic folded his arms, just as uneasy. "I'm more worried about what would happen if Chaos had too much of my energy, if I keep coming back to stop myself from dying. You sure it's such a good idea? I only wanna use the Emeralds in case of an emergency."
"I'm...not certain, either. I only know that the Emeralds use the powers based on hate and rage and sorrow." Tikal admitted.
"That's true, but there're other feelings way more powerful than anger and hate. It's friendship and thinking of others that brings out the real power of the Chaos Emeralds. That's how I transform into Super Sonic with them all the time." The blue hedgehog reassured, before admitting. "But still, after what I've seen in my dream, I can only hope that Eggman doesn't find out about this, especially with Chaos potentially having my energy that I really don't need."
Before anyone could continue this conversation over Sonic's Chaos Energy, suddenly there was huge rumble that began shaking the earth and even shook Angel Island, alarming all five of them as they all gasped in fright and confusion. And not just where they were, but all across the globe as every single person on the surface felt the world-wide earthquake, the ocean rippled and began to boil as though somebody was cooking in a pot. Everyone in the world were all crying out in fear and alarm, wondering what was happening.
Cream, who had gone to bed due to her mother's rules and had been sleeping with Cheese in her arms, woke up in alarm as her house shook. Terrified, she and her pet Chao raced out of her room and met with Vanilla who was also woken up and caught her terrified daughter who leaped into her arms in fear.
"Mama, I'm scared!" The little rabbit girl cried, burying her face into her mother's chest.
"Chao, chao!" Cheese chirped fearfully.
"It's alright, dear. Everything will be alright." Vanilla attempted to comfort her daughter, even though she was terrified herself, but she stealed herself for her little girl's sake.
In Eggman's base, which was under construction in being renovated due to what happened, Eggman, who was still fuming at his latest loss the night before, fell off his chair as he, Decoe, Bocoe and Bokkun, who had been busy along with other robots in fixing up their home, all screamed and began to panic.
"What is this!?" Eggman demanded, holding onto the desk for dear life.
"It's a massive Earthquake!" Decoe exclaimed as the rader and alarms went off, red lights blinking and the warning sounds blaring.
"We have to get out of here!" Bocoe screamed, holding onto a nearby pole.
"AAAHHH!" Bokkun screamed hysetrically and crying. "We're all done for!"
The evil scientist, attempting to see on the radar on what was happening, awkwardly stand up as everything shook, and despite his monitors going all static due to the earthquake, he discovered that there were a bunch of large red dots that seem to have appeared, getting larger and larger, images of what appeared to be continents rising from the ocean and beginning to connect with the current continents across the planet, but not replacing them or the water. He and his robots, who were struggling to keep their balance, all gapped in shock and disbelief on what was happening.
Back on Angel Island, Sonic and his friends were forced onto their knees as the blue hedgehog held both Tails and Amy close to him, while Tikal gasped in horror while the Master Emerald began to glow and she began to disappear into a red glowing orb.
"Hey, what's going on!?" Sonic exclaimed, alarmed.
"The human continents...they are rising! The invisible barriers protecting their technology and their cities will soon disappear once they have raced the surface!" Tikal exclaimed. "Their barriers also act as artificial skies to keep them in the light while living underground!"
"WHAT!?" Sonic and his friends exclaimed, only to gasp as Tikal was almost completely gone, fading away back into the Master Emerald.
"Hey, Tikal!" The blue hedgehog cried out.
"Sonic...the rest is up to you now! Please, bring peace back between Mobians and humanity!" The Echidna Princess pleaded, before vanishing entirely and return to the Master Emerald.
"Tikal, wait! Come back!" Sonic screamed pleadingly.
Out in the ocean, several large continents emerged protected by huge barriers that seemed to make them invisible to the outside world, as the people within, the real humans, unknown to everyone in Mobius, were all exactly like what Sonic saw in his dream, some having been sleeping, others just doing their daily live businesses, all screamed and panicked as they felt the tremors and thought the end was coming. Eventually after what seemed like forever, they finally emerged and the barriers soon disappeared, shattering like glass and for the first time, seen by the outside world.
Inside a large mansion of the real Thorndyke household, a twelve year old human boy, the real Chris Thorndyke, who had been miserable due to having a mysterious dream that he thought was real, and had just fallen asleep finally after a bad day at school, was clinging onto his bed as the earth moved before it finally stopped. He jolted upright in bed with his eyes wide, alarmed.
"W-What was that?" Chris asked, terrified.
With the tremors finally stopped all across the planet, and the Mobians all over who had seen the continents rise, all stared out in wonder and awe, all of them questioning on where these 'new' lands had come from, whereas the humans thought it was the other way around.
On Angel Island, Sonic, after asking his friends if they were alright and felt relieved when they reassured him that they were fine, gazed out over to the horizon and, remembering what Tikal had said, felt a sense of dread rise.
"Tails...we gotta get to the ocean, ASAP!" Sonic quickly said, standing up after helping his best friend and self-proclaimed girlfriend up.
"Okay!" Tails saluted, immediately knowing that this was no time to argue.
After telling Amy(who protested but was negotiated to stay behind) and Knuckles(who obviously didn't want to leave the Master Emerald unintended and promised to protect the pink hedgehog) to wait here while promising they will be back, Sonic and Tails both quickly boarded the X Tornado and took off for the skies once more. As they flew while the blue hedgehog was perched on the wing, the two-tailed fox told him to look up and saw two new glimmers of light appear suddenly in the sky. They looked like stars but Sonic felt that they weren't.
"Where did those stars come from?" Tails asked.
"I don't know, but I got a feeling they're not stars at all." Sonic responded.
They flew over their village, and secretly past Eggman's still busted base already under progress of being fixed, and across the ocean that seemed to have enlarged itself. Within an hour, an unfamiliar continent came into view, and as the two best friends squited their eyes for a better look even though it was in the middle of the night, large buildings with city lights came into view, and while both of them gasped in shock, Sonic felt the most shocked as he almost instantly recognized it.
"Oh, no way! It can't be!" The teenage hedgehog cried out.
"What is it?" The eight year old fox asked, worriedly.
"It's...it's...It's Station Square!" Sonic exclaimed.
He couldn't believe it. Station Square...it really is real!
A/N: It was originally going to be a short story, but then I decided to make it a bit of a long one, almost like a rewrite of the entire Sonic X series. It is not a merge between two worlds. Rather it's more of how Station Square was hidden underground in the Sonic Archie comics, a la Atlantis.
See you later!