It was late, really late, like later then late, it was... Laaaaaaaaate. Oh yeah, and it was raining too. Raining hard, furious rain. Oh yeah baby, got the scenery. Sonic and Tails stood outside of the very tall gate that lead to Station Square.

"You know, I don't remember this being here." Sonic said, scratching his head.

"Me neither." Tails said.

"Isn't it supposed to be 'either'?"

"No, neither."

"It's either!"

"Neither!"

"Either!"

"I said it, damn it! It's neither!"

"Fine!"

"Yeah! Well, fine to you too."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" (This is going nowhere)

"Fine!" They stopped and stared at each other angrily.

"Let's just go in..." Sonic said, knocking on the gate. A camera popped out of the side and looked around making whirling noises. "Down here!" The camera looked upwards then left and right. "Hellooooooooooooo?" The camera finally looked at them and then went back into its little cubbyhole. A door opened up and some one stood in the doorway.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked.

"We wish to stay at the inn." Sonic answered.

"Why?"

"Mind your own business!"

"Okay, okay... It's my job to ask question after nig-"

"Look pal! I said we're going to the inn and if you don't let us in, I'm gonna-"

"Hey, I said I'd let you through!"

"That's it!"

"Sonic, didn't you hear him?" Tails asked. Sonic lunged forward toward the guard. He stepped aside and Sonic fell on his face.

"Don't mind him..." Tails said as he walked into the city. He picked up Sonic and started for the hotel.

"Your lucky this deformed freak his holding me back!" Sonic yelled back.

They entered the hotel and shook themselves as dry as possible. They looked up to the counter for the bartender.

"Scuze me?" Sonic said. He walked over and looked around. Seeing nobody he shrugged and started heading back. "Down here..." The bartender looked over the counter.

"Oh, what can I do for ya?" He asked. "We have nice little animal size rooms for some like yourselves, Mr...."

"Prower, my name is Tails Prower." Sonic answered.

"And who'd be your friend there?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!" Tails spat out.

"Oh, you look a lot different in person."

"We're friends of Shadow the Hedgehog." Sonic said.

"Shadow?" He thought a moment. "Ooooooooohhh, yes... Short like you, same ears, little bit darker and his spines go up a little instead of straight down."

"Yeah!" Sonic and Tails said at the same time.

"Sorry, never heard of him." He shook his head and left. Sonic and Tails looked at each other in concern. They walked over to the dinning hall and took a seat at a table. About an hour went by and Shadow still hadn't shown up.

"I'm going to kill him. Says go to the inn and we go to the inn, but did he go to the inn? NoooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo!"

"Tails, calm down. He'll be here." Sonic reassured him. Tails settled down and looked over his shoulder. "Tails?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you ever have the feeling you were being watched?"

"Could it be because that guy's been staring at you since we've got here." Sonic turned around to see someone in a cloak sitting on a stool in the corner, blowing bubbles out of his pipe.

"Wander who he is?"

"Maybe he likes you." Tails suggested. Sonic punched him in the head.

"Shut up!" Then Sonic stopped a waiter walking by and asked who the person was in the corner.

"Oh, its one of them hunters. Don't know his real name, but people around here call him Mittens." Then the waiter walked off.

"I'm going to get us some chilidogs..." Sonic got up and went to the counter and placed his order and came back. They sat there for five minutes before their food arrived.

"What is that?" Tails asked.

"This, my friend, is a king size chilidog!" Sonic said dramatically.

"They make king size? I'm getting one too."

"Oh no you don't!" Sonic tackled Tails to the ground as he jumped of the bench. Tails kicked Sonic off him and ran for the counter. The mysterious person in the corner sat up straight and pulled the bubble pipe from his mouth. Sonic came from behind, but Tails kicked Sonic in the chest. The emerald flew out of the bag around Sonic's neck. Sonic fell to the ground, reaching up for it. It fell, slowly towards him. It got closer to his hand, closer, closer, and closer, then as closest it could be, it bounced of the corner of a chair. Sonic snapped his fingers and chased after it. It flew up in the air and bounce along everyone's heads.

"Sorry... Sorry... Excuse me, coming through... Sorry about your braces ma'am." Sonic apologized as he jumped on everyone's head, chasing the emerald. He lunged for it and passed it. "Damn! Missed!" He smashed into the wall and hit the ground. As he looked up he could see the emerald land on the counter and slowly rolled to the edge. It slowly fell off the edge and landed in Sonic's hand. "Yes!" He got into a pose and the finish stage music played. Then, light burst from the emerald, enwrapping him in it and Sonic disappeared. Everyone in the inn clapped and whistled.

(Meanwhile, where Sonic was...)
He was still in the bar, but everything was inverted and everyone moved very slowly. He could still move and looked at the emerald. It was glowing a mixture every other color a Chaos Emerald would be. Then he heard a voice, much like Eggman's, but older. He turned around to see Gerald's face.

"Sugar..." his voiced echoed softly. "Spice, and everything nice..."

"Huh?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, wait, that's the PowerPuff Girls..." Sonic sweatdropped.

"Ice cream... Pickles... are... relish... only... different..." Then the emerald stopped glowing and Sonic snapped back to the real world. Suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder and pinned him against the wall. It was the hooded person.

"You attract to much attention to yourself, 'Tails Prower'"

"Of course, I'm famous." He shoved Sonic up the stairs and into a room. "Don't hurt me, I'm rich, I can give you anything you want!"

"Really?"

"Well, no... But it sounded good, right?" Tails then burst into the room with Amy at his side.

"Back off, fiend or I'll tear you apart with my bare hands." Tails yelled.

"You harm one inch on my Sonic and you will feel the wrath of my Piko Piko Hammer!"

"AMY!" Sonic and the hooded figured yelled.

"What?"

"Amy, you don't come in the story until later." Sonic explained.

"But..." She whimpered.

"No buts, we must play our roles." Sonic said, holding his finger up with his eyes closed.

"Oh fine! Your on your own Tails..." She stomped off and the story shall continue!

"Anyway, back off you fiend." Tails charged at him, but the hooded-one (don't you just love my names?) stepped aside.

"A valiant effort, but it will not save you..." The hooded guy said.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked. Then he grabbed his hood and ripped it back, revealing himself to them. It was...

I interrupt my story, yes mine, to increase dramatic tension by putting another, yet very long and well worded sentence between in this sentence.

Thank You.

"Knuckles!" Sonic and Tails said together.

"Yep, that's my name." Knuckles said.

"Who, what, where, why, how?" Sonic was confused and counting on his fingers.

"Hey! Why aren't you guarding Angel Island and the Master Emerald?" Tails asked.

Knuckles told them how one night he was sleeping when he heard some crashing on the other side of the island. After investigating, it was G.U.N.'s forces. They started attacking Knuckles for no apparent reason and took over the island after defeating him. He later learned that Gerald had taken over G.U.N.'s forces. Then he went to find them in help, but learn from Shadow on the way to the inn, Sonic and Tails were in possession of the Chaotic Emerald, an item that could be the end of the world.

"What a good story..." Sonic said. "Tell another, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaase?"

"What's with him?" Knuckles whispered to Tails.

"I think the longer he holds The Chaotic Emerald, the dumber he gets." Tails whispered back. They both watch Sonic stick his finger in his ear and started building a little wax castle.

"We'll rest here tonight." Knuckles announced. "We leave with the dawn."

"What's dawn?" Sonic asked. Knuckles and Tails sweatdropped.