Over the streets of Soleanna, Eggatha flew in her own mini Egg Mobile with Metal Sonic alongside her.

"This! Is! Awesome!" Eggatha declared, doing loop de loops with the Egg Mobile.

"Glad you're enjoying yourself, but do stay focused," Robotnik demanded over comms.

"Right," Eggatha replied, straightening out and looking down at her screen. "The tracking signal is just up ahead."

Metal Sonic rocketed forward, heading right towards the hotel Sonic and the others were staying at. Zeroing in on the signal, he crashed through the balcony doors to one of the room they were staying at, landing on the ground to survey the room. Eggatha landed on the balcony and exited the mini Egg Mobile to look around. To their surprise, no one was there.

"Hey," she let out. "Where is everyone?"

She pulled out her tracking device, reading the signal from the tracker.

"Signal says they should be here. So what gives?"

Metal Sonic looked around the room, scanning for the tracker until he walked towards one of the beds. He jetted up a bit so he could look down at the bed, finding the dress Elise was wearing the night of the festival.

"Tracker located," he informed, holding up the dress with the tracker on it.

"Aw man," Eggatha let out. "They're traveling incognito. That's so unfair."

Just then, there was a barking coming from the mini Egg Mobile, prompting Eggatha to smirk before grabbing the dress from Metal and walking out to the mini Egg Mobile, where fido was waiting.

"Hey Fido," she greeted, kneeling before him. "You wanna treat?"

The robotic dog jumped in anticipation, prompting Eggatha to toss him the dress. The dog leaped into the air, catching the dress and tearing into it, Eggatha snickering in delight as the garment was ripped to shreds.

"So, what do we do now?"

Metal Sonic's eyes began flashing, as if he was searching for something. After a second he raised a hand, causing a cable to shoot out from his wrist and plug into the mini Egg Mobile. Eggatha turned to see the screen flashing, showing some security footage of several people entering an elevator, including a woman in casual clothes and a hoodie, as well as a few notable Mobians.

"Ooh, security footage. Sweet."

She and Metal looked at the footage, listening to what they were saying.

"How soon will it take us to get there," Chuck inquired.

"The train should get us there in a few hours," the hooded figure replied, sounding just like Elise. "I still don't feel completely comfortable about this."

"I know it feels wrong," Blaze concolled. "But you are doing the right thing. Eggman won't want the kingdom if he knows you're gone."

"You got that right," Eggatha remarked before activating her comm. "Did you get that Uncle Ivo?"

"Indeed," Robotnik confirmed. "Looks like we've got a train to catch."

Back in the future, the heroes stared in awe of the worm form of Iblis towering over them. The creature let out a massive roar before diving at the group. Not missing a beat, the group scattered as Iblis tore through the ground once again, only to rise up a second sooner. It then swung its head down low to try and attack the group, only for the heroes to duck down to avoid the attack. It then straightened up, spewing a stream of fire from its mouth right towards Sonic and Knuckles, prompting the two to roll out of the way.

"Whoa," Sonic let out. "This thing is persistent!"

"And dangerous," Knuckles added, clenching his fist. "If that thing destroys the Master Emerald, we'll never get back home."

"Then we make sure that doesn't happen."

Sonic quickly sped forward, leaping up into the air and rolling into a spin dash that collided with Iblis' face hard. The monster roared in pain as it turned towards Keith, Hope, and Topaz. Iblis shot another stream of fire towards the three, causing Hope to twist a dial on her watch that projected a flame red bubble that encapsulated the three of them. The flames passed over the shield, leaving its occupants completely unharmed.

"Flame shield?" Keith asked.

"Tricked it out with a few elemental variants," Hope explained.

"Nice."

Keith then summoned some electrical balls and fired them at Iblis while Topaz tried to shoot it in one of the eyes. These did little more than tick the monster off, causing it to dive towards them. Keith quickly grabbed Hope and skated out of the way as Rouge swooped in to scoop up Topaz before the monster made contact.

"At this rate, we'll run out of floor before we do any damage to that thing," Rouge commented.

"Agreed," Sonic commented, landing on the far side of the room. "Tails, any ideas?"

"Working on it," Tails replied, firing his laser pistol at the creature. "Maybe this thing has a weak spot we can exploit."

"Which means getting up close and personal to this thing."

Tails quickly flew up towards Iblis, dodging his fire attacks and using his laser pistol to shoot it whenever he could. While that was going on, Shadow was skating up the side of the wall, working his way up so he could be above Iblis. Once high enough, he leapt off and turned towards the monster.

"Chaos Spear!" he cried out, summoning several energy bolts that rained down on it.

Iblis roared in agony before turning towards Shadow. Shadow himself quickly ported out of the way right before the blast hit. Meanwhile, Chessie used her cables to swing around the room from the stalactites on the ceiling. She then used one of her cables to slice one of the stalactites from its base and cause it to drop right onto Iblis, sending him crashing into the lava as she swung down to the ground.

"Think that did it?" she asked, joining up with the group.

"Knowing our luck, not for long," Knuckles commented. "Let's just get to the Master Emerald, and-"

Just then, Iblis sprang back up, the two Mobians slowly backing away as Kat used her bat to create water and ice balls in sequence so she could hit them towards iblis. Sadly, they didn't seem to be doing much damage, the Fire spirit's power was too great for her tiny baseballs to do any damage. Finally, the creature swung its head towards her.

"Kat!" Knuckles cried out, running towards her.

He managed to push her out of the way just as Iblis' head made contact, striking Knuckles and knocking him across the room. Kat hit the ground hard, pulling herself up to see her friend on the ground not moving.

"Knuckles!"

Back in the present, the others managed to board a train heading for the Soleanna woods. Along the way, Cheese was informing Chocola of everything that had happened up to that point, pantomiming fighting moves and explosions as he did. Chocola held his numbs up to his mouth in amazement, getting a chuckle from the humans and Mobians watching.

"He certainly paints a vivid picture," Elise commented.

"Quite," Vanilla agreed.

A few seats down, Silver was staring out the window, taking in the sights that the world had to see. He occasionally looked down at the Chaos Emerald he found at Eggman's base, rubbing his thumb against the cut of the gem in thought.

"You okay?" Blaze asked, causing him to look up.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure. I was just… thinking."

"About what?"

"What we've been doing. Helping the Queen. It feels…right. Like… like it's what we're supposed to do."

"We've always tried to help people, Silver. It's who we are."

"I know. But this time, it feels like we're actually making an impact; like, it actually matters. Maybe helping Elise… is the way we can change the future."

"So, you've changed your mind about Sonic?"

"I'm… willing to give him another chance."

"I guess that's as good as anything."

Silver smirked before leaping to his feet. "I'm gonna check around the train. Make sure we weren't followed."

"Need me to come with?"

"I'll be fine Blaze. I promise."

Silver walked off, leaving Blaze to cross her arms in contemplation. An action that didn't go unnoticed by Amy.

"Everything okay?" Amy asked, walking up to her.

"Fine. Just… concerned. Silver doesn't do well when he's alone."

"It's just a train car over. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I know. I just worry, you know?"

"I get it," Amy replied as Blaze walked back to her seat. "You care about him a lot, don't you?"

Blaze stopped for a moment. "Of… course I do. He's my friend."

"That's not what I meant. I mean that you care about him as… well… more than a friend."

Blaze paused for a moment, finally turning back to Amy.

"Even if I did, it doesn't matter. The mission of protecting our world always came first and that hasn't changed."

"But if we change the future and stop Iblis, you'll have succeeded in your mission."

"Yes… but there's a chance that…"

"That what?" Amy asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"... that if we change things, the versions of us that exist now will… no longer exist."

"Well… maybe that's all the more reason to say something. If you put it off then… you may never get the chance."

Blaze didn't know how to respond. She just returned to her seat, pondering what Amy had suggested.

In the next car over, Silver was looking around, not seeing anyone that looked like a threat. Silver let out a sigh of relief, stashing the Emerald away.

"It appears you've taken your eye off the ball."

Silver perked up at the voice, turning to see the hooded figure from before walking towards him.

"You?!" Silver let out. "Where did you come from?"

"I've been around. Watching you work. And I must say, I'm really disappointed. I thought you wanted to save your world."

"I do… but I found another way."

"Can you be sure of that?" the figure asked, beginning to circle Silver. "What if while on your fools errand, the Flames of Disaster are unleashed upon the world. Can you honestly take that risk?"

"Well… what about the Iblis Trigger? Everyone says Sonic is a hero. Why would he want to unleash such evil?"

The figure stopped for a second. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters because I don't want to make a mistake and kill an innocent person."

"Your morals are commendable… but you lack understanding of the bigger picture." The figure turned back towards him. "Just know this. If you fail to act, the future will remain as you left it. And everyone you care about… will be gone." This causes Silver to lower his head in contemplation. "So the next time you have a chance to save the world… I suggest you take it."

Silver looked back up, surprised to see the figure was gone. He looked around the train car, but found no sign of him.

Back in the future, Knuckles laid still on the ground of the Hidden Palace. His fur singed and bruises lined his body. Kat was scrambling to get to him, discarding her bat as she grabbed him by his shoulder.

"Knuckles! Knuckles, stay with me!"

Amidst the fight, Sonic came to a stop, seeing the situation with Knuckles and rushing over to them.

"What happened?" he asked, kneeling down.

"I-Iblis attacked…" Kat stammered. "He pushed me out of the way, and… and…"

"Kat, listen to me," Sonic spoke, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Knuckles is going to be fine. I promise. The Master Emerald should be able to heal him. Just get him there, and we'll do the rest. Okay?"

Kat was still edging towards panic, but managed to swallow hard and nod. She scooped up Knuckles, and started running for the shrine. While she did that, Sonic turned towards Iblis, his face hardening into a scowl.

"Alright, ugly! I don't care how tough you are! No one messes with my friends!"

Sonic then ran towards iblis before leaping into the air and rolling into a spin dash. He collided with the crown of Iblis' head, spinning against it and chipping away at the rock before finally bouncing off. Iblis cried out in pain as Sonic landed on the ground, skidding to a stop. He grimaced, some burns appearing on his body. As the creature barreled down at him, Rouge swooped down from above, quickly spinning into a screw kick and nailing Iblis in one of its eyes. The monster roared in agony as Rouge looked down at it.

"Is it just me, or are we just pissing this thing off?"

"Better than doing nothing," Tails replied, flying next to her and firing his laser. "We gotta keep trying."

"I hope one of those gizmos of yours can find that weak spot you were talking about," Rouge replied as Tails pulled out a scanner.

"It's trying. This creature is comprised of pure magma. We don't have enough of a combatant that can douse that kind of heat."

"Well, you better think of something. We're running out of room here. Literally."

After saying that, the two quickly flew out of the way of an oncoming fire blast. Meanwhile, Kat made her way up to the Master Emerald shrine, placing Knuckles right next to the Emerald.

"You're gonna be okay, Knuckles," she insisted. "You're gonna be okay."

Knuckles just sat there motionless, much to Kat's horror.

"No… no come on!" She placed a hand on the Emerald. "The servers are the seven Chaos! Chaos is power enriched by the heart! The controller serves to unify the Chaos!" She was openly sobbing at this point before slamming her fist on the Emerald. "Come on, please! Help my friend!"

Knuckles' eyes slowly cracked open, finding himself laid out on the steps of the Master Emerald Shrine. However, these were not the desolate ruins of this twisted future, nor the ruins that he called home. Instead, this was a clean, clear version of the shrine from the past. He slowly sat up, looking around at his surroundings, unsure of how he got there.

"What… what's going on?" he asked, getting to his feet. "What is this?"

"This…" a familiar voice answered, causing Knuckles to turn towards the Emerald, "is an experience."

"It's… it's you…" Knuckles realized. "Tikal."

Tikal smiled as she approached. "It's good to see you again, Knuckles."

"Tikal… where are we? This isn't another vision, is it?"

"Not exactly. This is where Chaos and I returned to after you and Sonic helped open his heart."

"Chaos…" Knuckles repeated, realizing something. "Where is he? Can he help us fight Iblis?"

Tikal grimaced, turning away. "No… I'm afraid Chaos has been lost to me for some time now."

"What? How?"

"He tried to fight against the creature you call Iblis. He… did not survive."

Tikals face dropped, causing Knuckles to walk over to her.

"I'm sorry," he consoled.

"I know…" Tikal steeled herself as she turned to face Knuckles. "But I did not bring you here to grieve."

"Then why did you bring me here? Kat and the others are in the fight of their lives right now. They need my help."

"Yes, I heard her cries. It is why I have come to you now, to awaken the power deep within your soul."

"Power?"

"You are among a select few of your tribe that have been granted the duty of Guardian of the Master Emerald. As such, your soul and the power of the Master Emerald are interconnected."

"Interconnected… Is… is that why I'm able to sense the Emeralds the way I can?"

"That is but one of the gifts this connection grants you, proof that you haven't even begun to tap into your full potential."

"I… I always knew I had a connection to the Master Emerald but I never knew how strong it was."

"And I had hoped that you would have the opportunity to grow into your powers naturally. But… if the world is to have a future worth living, you must awaken it all." She reached out, taking his hands before closing her eyes. "The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power enriched by the heart. The controller serves to unify the Chaos."

Tikal began to glow as she recited the prayer, and Knuckles began to glow as well. A red light manifested in his eyes, and red lightning danced across his body.

"Whoa…" Knuckles let out.

"Good luck my friend," Tikal told him before everything began to fade to white.

Back in the future, Kat kept trying to get the Emerald to work, but Knuckles still laid out cold.

"Come on!" she pleaded. "Come on, dammit! Just work!"

She slammed a fist down on the Emerald once more, and almost instantly it started glowing. As it did, Knuckles' eyes flashed open, red energy emanating from them as he sat right up. The instant Kat saw that, her face lit up with relief.

"Knuckles!" she let out, hugging him. "You're okay! Thank God!"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

She pulled back when she saw red sparks out of the corner of her eye, then gasped when she saw the power practically pouring off of him. "What…. What happened? You're… sparking."

"I'll tell you later," Knuckles replied, getting back to his feet and pounding his fists together, causing lightning to spark. "Right now, I have a score to settle with that guy."

With that, Knuckles took off, a trail of red energy following behind him as he ran towards Iblis. He then leapt up into the air, a fist drawn back as he approached the creature. Finally, he punched it right in the face, knocking the creature back and causing it to collide with the wall. Knuckles landed between its eyes and just kept wailing on it, actually chipping away at the rock covering its face. Iblis then shook his head, trying to throw him off. Thinking fast, Knuckles leapt off the creature before shooting back down in a drill dive, hitting the creature dead on. Iblis collapsed back into the lava as Knuckles landed on the ground, Sonic and Shadow running over to him and Sonic even letting out an impressed whistle.

"Sweet upgrade there, Knux," he commended.

"Thanks," Knuckles replied. "The rocky plating around the creature is where he's most vulnerable. We take that out, we can subdue him."

"Sounds like a plan," Rouge noted, looking up at the stalactites on the ceiling. "Hey Foxboy, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh yeah," Tails replied. "Let's do this!"

Tails and Rouge took off towards the ceiling as Iblis emerged from the lava. Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles took off towards it, ready to continue the fight. Sonic quickly grabbed Knuckles' wrist and spun him around, launching him right at Iblis. Knuckles managed to punch it right in the eye, causing an ear piercing roar to emanate from its mouth. Knuckles just kept hanging on as he dealt one punch after another to the beast. Just above him, Rouge and Tails flew up to the stalactites, Tails pulling out some dummy ring bombs and Rouge using some explosives she had on her. The two threw them up onto the ceiling, causing a series of explosions that knocked several of the stalactites free. They came crashing down to the ground, with most aimed right at Iblis. Knuckles saw this and quickly leapt onto the nearby wall, clinging to it as the enormous rocks continuously struck the creature. With each impact, more and more of the rock shielding around Iblis was knocked away.

"It's working!" Kat exclaimed, reclaiming her bat. "Keith! Come on! We have to help!"

Keith nodded as he created some electric balls, chucking them at the ceiling as Kat smacked some explosive balls up there as well. Sonic saw this and ran up the wall, jumping towards the ceiling and rolling into a spin dash to cut through a stalactite. The sharp stone began to fall even harder, raining down on Iblis without mercy. Seeing the damage being done to the beast, Knuckles glided out to the monster one last time, charging his fist with energy before landing a punch right between the eyes. The impact was enough to shatter the rock plating around Iblis, causing him to roar in anguish before falling back into the lava. The others regrouped as Iblis faded from sight.

"That looks like it did it," Rouge noted.

"Looks like," Keith agreed. "But if Silver's right, that won't keep him down forever."

"Keith's right," Sonic concurred. "Let's get going while the getting's good."

The group instantly took off towards the Master Emerald. Sonic and Shadow were the first up the steps, both slowly approaching the Emerald and putting their hands on it.

"Focus your mind on the day we left," Shadow instructed. "I get the feeling both of us focusing on that day at the same time will be enough to get us back."

"Right," Sonic agreed.

Both of them closed their eyes, focused their minds on the day they left for the future. Once they were certain of the day, their eyes snapped open.

"Chaos Control!" they declared in unison.

The Master Emerald glowed brightly as its power was tapped into. Just then, a sparking suddenly emanated from above the Emerald, growing into a portal for them to go through.

"That's our exit!" Sonic declared. "Come on, let's move!"

Rouge quickly scooped up Topaz and flew in first, Knuckles and Kat quickly jumping in after. Tails flew in next, followed by Keith. Chessie was about to go through before turning to Shadow.

"Come on," she ushered.

"I'll be right behind you," Shadow reassured. "Don't worry."

She looked concerned, but stepped through.

"That everyone?" Sonic asked. "I don't think I saw Hope go through."

"I'm sure she made it," Shadow replied. "I'll double check to make sure."

"Okay," Sonic replied, giving a two-fingered salute. "See you on the other side."

Sonic then leapt through the portal as Shadow turned to look around. His eyes went wide when he saw Hope being held up by the throat by the hooded figure Silver was speaking to before. The figure pulled his hood back, revealing himself to be Mephiles.

"You're not leaving yet, are you?" he asked mockingly. "We were 'hoping' you would stick around."

Mephiles cackled maniacally as Shadow scowled at the creature. He instantly skated towards them, leaving the portal to close behind him.

As Sonic went through the portal, he landed on the sands of a beach, unsure of where he ended up.

"Guys?!" he called out, looking around. "Where is every-"

He suddenly stopped for a second, seeing of all people, Big the Cat fishing near the water.

"Oh," Big replied, turning to him. "Hi Sonic."

"Uh… hey, Big… uh, random question but… I'm in Soleanna right?"

"Yup."

"Just checking," Sonic replied, letting out a sigh of relief before perking up. "Speaking of, what are you doing here?"

"Fishing," Big answered plainly. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know. Saving the world. Fighting the forces of evil. The usual stuff."

"That's nice. Need any help?"

"Uh, I think I'm good. But I can tell Amy and the girls you said hi if you want."

"Please do. Oh, and you better look out."

"Why do I-?"

"INCOMING!" Tails shouted.

Sonic instantly turned around, only for Tails to fly right into him and knock him to the ground. Big winced at the impact.

"Hey Tails…" Sonic let out.

"Sorry about that," Tails replied nervously, looking up. "Oh, hey Big."

"Hi Tails."

Tails got off of Sonic, helping him up as the others came running up.

"Looks like we all made it back in one piece," Knuckles noted.

"And only a few hours after we left," Keith informed. "Meaning there's still time to save Princess Elise and save the future."

"Wait…" Chessie started looking around frantically. "Where's Shadow?"

"He was right behind me," Sonic replied, noting he was gone. "Damn, he must not have made it through."

"Hope's not here either," Tails realized.

"Oh no…" Rouge let out. "Don't tell me we left them behind in the past!"

"And the Master Emerald won't work for them," Knuckles whispered, going pale. "They're stuck."

"No, no, no, no, no," Chessie let out, visibly panicking as she put her hands on her head. "What do we do? What do we do?"

"Hey," Rouge let out, waking over and placing her hands on her shoulders. "Shadow's gonna be fine. The guy survived falling from orbit, for pete's sake. You of all people how much of a survivor he is."

"Besides, he's not alone," Tails insisted. "He's got the survivors to help him out, and I'm sure Hope can find a way to turn Omega-"

"Omega!" Chessie's head snapped up. "Tails, you're a genius! Rouge, I need to get back to my lab now!"

Chessie instantly took off, leaving Rouge scrambling after her. "Sorry guys, I can't leave her on her own like this. Good luck with the Princess!"

"Just make sure they both get home okay!" Knuckles called back.

"Got it," Topaz promised before pulling out her radio and chasing after them. "This is Agent Topaz! I need a GUN mobile command center and the lab contents of Agent Chessie in Soleanna ASAP."

"Those guys can handle getting Shadow and Hope home," Sonic responded. "Right now, we need to focus on Elise."

"I'll call my dad so we can work out a plan for our next move," Keith replied, activating his watch. "Dad, you there?"

"Keith!" the answer was almost immediate, and the relief was palpable. "Thank God! What happened?! Where are you?! Are you okay?!"

"I'm alright, Dad. The others and I were sent to the future Silver and Blaze are from, but we're back now."

"Thank goodness. Well, while you were gone, Amy, Silver, Blaze, and Cream and Cheese managed to rescue Elise from Eggman."

"Really? Where is she now?"

"Best we don't say over comms, in case Eggman tries to trace the call."

"Smart. Still, we'll need to meet up somehow."

"Let us get to a secure location first. We'll contact you when we can."

"Alright. Be careful."

"You too, son."

Keith hung up the call before turning back to the others. "Looks like Dad and the others are laying low for now."

"At least we know Elise is safe," Kat replied.

"In the meantime, we can head back to the airfield and get the X-Tornado," Tails offered. "That way, we're ready to move when they're ready to contact us."

"Sounds like a plan," Sonic agreed.

Back in the future, Shadow charged right up to Mephiles, reaching for Hope. To his surprise, the mouthless hedgehog seemed all too happy to throw the teen at him. He quickly caught her, holding her close to his chest.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, getting a terrified nod.

"How fascinating," Mephiles mused, watching them both. "I find it shocking that you actually care about that creature in your arms, given all that her kind has done to you."

"Why are you here?" Shadow demanded. "Did you destroy this world?"

"Yes… and no. But let's not make this about me. This… is about you."

"Shadow, who is this guy?" Hope asked.

"Someone who has it out for me. But I don't know why."

"There's a lot about yourself you don't seem to know." Mephiles tapped the side of his head. "Your mind is all… messed up. Wiped clean for the convenience of these selfish animals. But then again, where the mind forgets…."

Mephile raised his hand, causing a ball of purple energy to manifest.

"...the heart will always remember."

He placed the ball on the ground, causing it to grow in size. Shadow and Hope looked down at it, seeing an image being projected through the energy. Shadow's eyes went wide at the sight.

"That's… that's me…"

Hope looked closer, seeing Shadow holding the hand of a young blonde girl as they ran down a metal hallway.

"Yes," Mephiles spoke, getting their attention. "That's you. Over fifty years ago your time. On the Space Colony ARK."

"Aunt Maria…" Hope gasped. "That's her…"

"Indeed," Mephiles confirmed. "She was your friend, Shadow. The only friend you ever had. Now… see how your good will towards humanity was rewarded."

"This is wrong and you know it!" Maria's voice insisted, causing the two to turn back to the vision. "Don't do this! Please!"

"Maria..." Shadow let out.

The soldiers surrounding the pair aimed, unmoved by her pleas. One did look at his comrades in horror, trying to talk them down.

"She's just a kid! There's no need to-!"

"We have our orders," another soldier argued before turning back to Maria. "Last chance kid. Get out of the way.

Maria stood her ground

"If you want to hurt Shadow, you have to go through me!"

"So be it."

The soldier raised his gun, much to the outrage of his more compassionate comrade.

"NO!"

The gun went off and Maria crumbled to the ground, clutching her stomach.

"MARIA!" Shadow cried out.

Shadow was floored by the sight, backing away from the orb. Hope looked sick as well, turning stumbled backwards, falling to the ground as he took in what he saw.

"I… I don't… remember any of that…"

"But it happened," Mephiles continued, walking up to him. "And those who don't learn from history…" he snapped his fingers. "Are doomed to repeat it."

Shadow turned around, shocked by what he saw. It was a triangular energy cage that contained… him! A version of him was suspended in that energy cage, seemingly in some sort of trance. His hands and feet were completely encased in this restraints, and he was wearing what seemed to be a battered version of Chessie's vest.

"Yes, that's you," Mephiles confirmed as Shadow got to his feet, walking over to it.

"The humans we encountered…when they attacked me… they were talking about this."

"After the world was consumed by Iblis' flames," Mephiles continued. "A search for the guilty was underway."

"But… how did they know…"

"They didn't," Mephiles answered, surprising Shadow. "Humanity was always jealous of your power. More so, they feared it. They used this tragedy as an excuse to hunt you down."

Shadow didn't know what to say, his eyes never leaving his trapped counterpart. Mephiles followed his gaze, eyes settling on the battered vest.

"Ah yes, that tattered thing. I suppose one of the pigs decided to do you a kindness. After gunning down your little cat friend for defending you, they gave you her vest, as if that would fix the injustice they had done to you."

Shadow said nothing. He dropped to his knees in anguish, overwhelmed by the news he had been dealt.

"Humanity is a poison upon this earth, Shadow. One I intend to wipe clean." He walked over and placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Join me. Together we can punish mankind for all it has wronged you. You have every right to want justice."

"No!" Hope cried out, running over to them. "Shadow, you can't do this!"

"Insolent brat!" Mephiled backhanded Hope, sending her flying into a rock. She bounced off it hard and crumbled to the ground. "You have no place in this matter."

"But I do!" Hope insisted, pulling herself up. She was bleeding, and favoring one side, but she moved to get closer to the black hedgehog. "Shadow I know it's hard to do what's right when it feels like the world's against you. I know you're angry and upset about losing the people you care about, and having everyone else turn against you. I've been there, but you can't give in to the pain. You're better than that, stronger than that! This may have been your past, but it doesn't have to be your future! Aunt Maria and Chessie both did what they did because they believed in you! That you're stronger than what the world could do to you! Please, don't listen to him!"

"Shadow, these are the naive words of a child," Mephiles insisted. "Your pain is inevitable. Join with me, and the human race, and all their evils… will be nothing but a memory."

Shadow looked up at Mephiles, then turned towards Hope, seeing her pleading face. Eventually, Shadow closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Whatever… you plan to do to this world… and the people in it…" Shadow's eyes snapped open. "You can do it alone!"

Shadow then summoned a Chaos Spear, striking Mephiles in the chest and knocking him back. Hope's face lit up as Shadow ran over to her, helping her up.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah..." she grimaced. "I've had worse."

"I'm sorry… and thank you."

Hope smiled in response. "I've seen enough people go to the dark side today."

Mephiles picked himself back up, scowling at the two of them. "I'm disappointed, Shadow. You would forgive humanity for this folly?"

He gestured back to the caged Shadow, forcing the current Shadow to turn back to Hope and see the look of determination on her face. Shadow just smirked before turning back to Mephiles.

"I determine my own destiny," he declared.

"Such foolishness… very well."

Mephiles then shot his arms out, causing a bright light to engulf him. As the light cleared, Mephiles' form had been altered. His skin was crystalized, his nose was gone, his fingers were razor tipped, his feet were replaced with a purple mist, and his eyes were red iris' and light green pupils that almost looked reptilian in nature.

"If you will not join me… then perhaps you can entertain me…"