Shadow descended the steps into The Temple of Time. He moved so quickly, even Sonic had trouble keeping up. As Shadow reached the stairs, Sonic yelled out, "But we can't mess with the timeline. It is too dangerous!"

"We have little choice!" Shadow stepped into a large dark room. He heard a sound coming from the darkness, "Someone is here!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Luxor appeared from the darkness, "Surprised!"

"How did you get here?"

Luxor held up The Time Stones, "I sensed the fading energies of my brother. I just waited for the right moment." He extended his free hand, "Thank you Sonic! I wouldn't have found this place if it wasn't for you."

"Your not welcome!" Sonic stood ready with The Sword of Virtue.

Luxor held up the stones, "I will erase you from the pages of history itself." The stone glowed with a dark light and shot at the ground in front of the hedgehogs, "Face a foe from your future!" The light exploded, "Meet Hyper Metal Sonic!" An eight foot metal hedgehog was standing where the light was. He looked like a heavily armored walking tank. His metal quills were larger and sharper. Large ruby plates were on his arms and thruster vents were all over his back and legs. His dark visor lit up and twin red points of light appeared. Luxor stepped back into the shadows, "Kill them!"

"Yes!" Metal's voice was surprisingly human like and dark. The plates on his arms glowed red and a blade of energy grew from each one. Each blade was about three feet long. Metal's vents glowed blue and he shot forward. Sonic and Shadow managed to dodge as Metal swung his blades. The blades dug into the wall like it was paper. Metal turned around as the hedgehogs backed away, "You died by my hands once. And now you will die by them again."

Sonic gulped, "We need a plan!"

Shadow looked at his arm, "Our robotizers aren't working."

Metal laughed, "Only machines I allow will work here."

"We will have to use our chaos powers."

Sonic nodded and shot forward, "Works for me!"

Sperk walked toward The Master Emerald with the crimson emerald he had gotten from the future Sally. He sensed that his brothers were in danger. But he didn't know where they were. Leda had entered labor just minutes after Purge left. Fortunately whatever hold Purge had had over the citizens of Angel Island had ended. She was in the hospital and had given birth to a baby boy. He cursed himself for not being their. But he had to help his brothers. Sperk placed his hand on The Master Emerald, "I know you and I haven't gotten along. I have tried to destroy you at least five times. But I need you to take me to my brothers. Please! Only you can get me there in time to save them. And to return in time to be with my family." The emerald spinning sped up and light filled the cavern, "Thank you!"
Sonic blocked Metal's strikes with his sword, But Metal's strength pushed him back. Metal moved with speed that seemed imposable for something of that size, "Shadow! Go ahead!"

The unarmed Shadow had thrown a few chaos spheres, but Metal had blocked each one. Shadow nodded, "Good luck!" He took off down the corridor at the end of the room.

Metal's eyes glowed, "Your friend will not make it to Luxor. Your past will soon be erased. But not before I kill you!"

"Shut up!" Metal's gaze turned to the entrance. Sperk stood there with sword in hand.

"You! Primary target!" Metal turned toward him, "I will destroy you."

Sperk readied his sword, "Whatever! Sonic go on! This thing is nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm the general, remember! I am suppose to be your strength. GO!" Sonic ran after Shadow.

Shadow reached another room after running down a long corridor. Luxor was waiting for him, "The three brothers have come. Now my victory will be complete."

"Yeah right!" Sonic appeared behind Shadow.

Luxor aimed The Time Stones and blasted another beam of dark light. Fifty humans in red Celtic armor appeared, "Meet The Undead Army of Dread! Men quivered in fear at the sight of this force almost a thousand years ago." Luxor vanished.

"Keep going!" Sonic stepped up with his sword, "Stop Luxor!"

"You should go!"

Sonic shook his head, "Shadow! You are much smarter and more patient than me. If anyone can outwit Luxor, it is you." Shadow nodded and ran around the group of undead. They took no notice and drew their rust swords. Sonic ran at them, "Bring it on!"

Shadow ran into a room that glowed with multi-colored light. Luxor stood in the center with The Time Stones in hand, "So it is just you an me!" Luxor released The Time Stones and they floated above his head, "I will take pleasure in killing you myself."

Shadow stood ready, "The only one too die is you."

Luxor threw his right hand out, "Die!" Black light shot from his finger tips. Shadow jumped up landed on the wall. He lunged off the wall and reached out for The Time Stones, "No you don't!" Luxor's hand shot up as Shadow's reach the stones. Both managed to grab the stones and they ripped them apart. Shadow landed on the floor with one of the stones in his hand. Luxor looked at his, "That will not save you."

Shadow turned toward him and smiled, "I can draw power from this just like I do from a Chaos Emerald."

Luxor cursed, "Damn!"

Sperk hit the floor hard. Metal chuckled, "Your pathetic! Without your robot body, your helpless."

Sperk stood up, "Perhaps!" He wiped some blood from his mouth. He pulled off the robotizer from his wrist and tossed it away, "But I don't need that thing to show my power." He looked at his sword, "Nor do I need this." He chucked it away.

Metal watched the blade hit the floor and slide away, "Are you trying to die quicker?"

Sperk held up the crimson emerald, "I have depended on those things for far to long." He squeezed the emerald and it began to crack, "It is time to use my own power." The emerald shattered. A crimson light filled the room.

'Father!' Sperk heard a voice in his head, 'Mother gave this to me to protect. Now I return it to you.'

"My Soul!" Sperk yelled out as his body erupted with crimson light. The light died away and a crimson hedgehog stood where Sperk was. He wore his Sperk outfit and weapons. Sperk held his hand out, "This is who I am! Not a robot, nor a sword fighter." He clenched his fist and lightning exploded around him, "I am Sperk, The Warrior of Dark Lightening!" A black light shot from The Sword of Chaos and exploded. The sword flew into Sperk's hand and he placed it into the sheath on his back, "The will of the sword is gone. Now it is the real me you face."

Metal chuckled, "Whatever!"

Sonic fell back, "Damn that bot for frying my robotizer." He had cut into several of the zombies, but they just healed up. He suddenly felt something from his sword, "This isn't me. What has this sword done to me." The sword exploded in white light and suddenly died off. Sonic erupted with golden light and transformed into his super form. His red eyes flashed and fire formed around him. Sonic ripped his robotizer from his arm and chucked it away, "Fate has manipulated every moment of my life. It is time to take my life into my own hands. I am Sonic, The Golden Fire!" He impaled the sword into the ground, "Time to get back to what I do best." Sonic curled up and shot forward. A trail of fire followed him.
Shadow ducked another blast from Luxor and put up a barrier of energy from his Time Stone, "It is over Luxor!"

"How do you figure that?"

Shadow smiled, "We figured it out."

Luxor's eyes narrowed, "Really!"

"The swords were created from two living emeralds. One imbued with light energy and the other dark. They were instilled with the will to destroy each other, which was passed on to the ones who wielded them in sword form." Shadow held up The Time Stone, "And thanks to this little gem, I now know that it was you and Lazar who created them in the first place. Some sort of test you two came up with so long ago."

Luxor laughed, "So you figured it all out. But that won't help you. Even if your friends have managed to break the will of the swords and finally master them. They will be too late to stop me."

"They are my brothers. We are linked together by the paths of time. And together, we will defeat you."