Sky: Fourth chapter! Not much Metal Sonic in this one, but oh well! I realized I spelt Emerl's name wrong last chapter, but I fixed that up. Even though I always thought his name was spelt Emrel. Oh well, hope you enjoy!

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Sonic could feel the wind flowing through his fur, calming down his nerves. He stood on the Tornado, flying into an orange sky. Operating the small blue plane was Tails. "Are you going to be okay, Sonic?" He asked over the roar of the engine.

He had heard Tails, but he did not want to raise his voice over the air craft's noise. Sonic kept his emerald eyes down, gazing into the sparkling ocean below, but he did not see this beautiful sight. All he saw…
Was Shadow.
Over and over, he saw the child destroyed in his mind. It was a nightmare. 'Why would Shadow ever do that?' He continued to scream in his mind. There has to be some reason. Either way, he had failed the people of Station Square.

Tails looked away out to the clouds. Sonic had asked him to go on a plane ride, and he hasn't spoken since. He knew that Sonic was upset, because whenever the blue hedgehog needed to think, he would come to Tails and ask for a ride. Tails heard the news about Shadow's rampage, and couldn't believe it. Sonic must not have been able to either.

With a sigh, Sonic looked over and saw Angel Island. He didn't want to deal with that echidna today…

Amy.

Sonic nearly fell off the plane, his chest heaving. Tails jumped. "Sonic, that's it we need to land and talk!"

He didn't respond to Tails. His entire mind was, all he could think about was…

Amy.

What's going on? Sonic clutched onto the plane's wing as it began to descend towards Angel Island. "What the hell… Is happening?" Sonic groaned, his entire body aching. Something was doing this to him at Angel Island.

Amy.

It all felt like a blur, and before he knew it, Sonic was on the dirt, with Tails desperately trying to keep him awake. "Sonic! Sonic!" He cried, his goggles still on, as he was too worried to take them off.

Feeling his thoughts drift, the hedgehog tried to raise his head, but felt a horrible searing pain as he did so. "It's okay, Sonic, we landed right next to the Master Emerald shrine, Knuckles can help us, I know it!"

Sonic could suddenly feel his pain start to leave as Tails lifted his body up the bridge. Sonic's body stiffened, and the pain was gone. "Let me go, Tails." Sonic said quietly.

"No, we need to get you to-."

"I said let me go!" He screamed, pushing the fox down, and throwing himself to his feet. Something at the shrine was calling him. His chest rose and fell at the sudden rage he felt. He didn't care if Tails had a few scratches or not. Sonic rushed up to the shrine. There… He saw it.

His heart was broken. His heart was destroyed.

"No… Wh-what?" Sonic's knees could no longer support his body, and he fell face first in the dirt.

"I love you too, Amy." Sonic heard up ahead.

That image would always stay in burned into his skull.

Knuckles and the one he loved, Amy, stood with their arms around each other, kissing passionately. Sonic's mind was clouded; his body was quacking with disgust and rage. "Wh-what are you doing?" He screamed at the echidna.

Tears started to form, but he wouldn't let himself appear weak in front of that backstabbing friend. "Amy, how could you?" He roared. Sonic stood up and faced them now. Amy seemed ashamed and frightened. In a burst of fear, she fled, leaving only Knuckles and Sonic.

"Sonic!" Knuckles clenched his fist. "You horrible bastard! How could you scare Amy like that?"

Sonic heard nothing. "What are you doing with her?" He shouted.

"Amy and I are in love." Knuckles gritted his teeth. "You can't separate us!"

No. This isn't right. No. Not at all right. Amy… Amy… You loved me didn't you? I thought you loved me? Knuckles? Weren't you my friend? Didn't you care that I loved her with all my heart? No. No.

There was nothing left. Knuckles had betrayed him, just like Shadow had. "I'll kill you!" Sonic screamed at the top of his lungs, before leaping into a mad dash at the echidna. "I'll kill you!"

Knuckles gave no reply, and kept a simple stance as the hedgehog charged forward. He planned on winning this. For Amy.

Sonic shot a punch forward, filled with uncontrollable rage. Knuckles however, stayed calm and was able to get out of the way. Punching the hedgehog's side, Sonic flew down into the dirt. In a flash, Sonic was back up again, his eyes still flaring. "Why would you take her from me? Why?" He roared, firing out his fists.

Knuckles would not answer. With a stern face, he blocked each attack, and finally threw Sonic down to the dirt yet again.

The blue hedgehog was covered in the disgusting brown stuff. His body was still trembling, but he stood up. "Amy…" He whispered, his body tired out.

"Knuckles, Sonic, stop!" Tails screamed from afar, a few scratches across his face.

"No." The echidna stepped forward to the pained hedgehog. "It's over."

"Knuckles, please don't!" The kitsune begged, desperately trying to make his way there in time.

"All of it. It's over." Knuckles held out his fist. "Goodbye, Sonic."

Sonic looked up, but he felt nothing. He couldn't move and he didn't want to move. The fist sliced through the air towards Sonic's face. "Sonic!" Tails shouted, tears spilling down.

The sun's orange glow spread across the shrine, and colored the sapphire hedgehog a mix of blue, orange, and blood-red. Sonic's body fell to the ground, and Knuckles gazed down at him. Tails stopped cold. His hero, his brother, wasn't moving. Tails fell down to the ground, the tears couldn't be stopped now. Sonic still wasn't moving. "Please… Please move…" Tails cried.

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There it was. Finally, through all that trouble, there was the door to Chaos, the door to my old power! I gave more energy to my jets, and cut through the darkness, while that robot, Emerl ran beside me, thinking it was a race. I could care less about him now. The brown door was coming closer, its golden knob shining with my lust for power, shining with my desire to kill Sonic.

I slowed my engines down, and stopped right at the door, while Emerl made it beside me. "Wow, you're pretty fast for a robot, Metal." He joked.

I gave no reply. He didn't deserve one.

No more waiting, it's right there now. I reached out and grasped the door in the darkness, and felt a new power already flowing through my body. With a pull, I flung open the door. "Oh yeah, you might want to watch out for the first step, it's a real-."

"Quiet." I ordered.

Emerl shrugged. "Suit yourself."

The opened door… It led to nowhere! This was nothing but a door frame in the middle of the darkness! What?

Suddenly, the inside of the frame exploded in a rush of white, completely blinding my eyes. Like a drain, I and the darkness were sucked up into the bright light, before being thrown down to the ground. "Told you to watch your step, but did you listen?" Emerl's foot tapping echoed into my robotic ears. After my sensors got used to the light, I looked up to see that tan robot with his arms crossed.

"Arise, Metal Sonic." A dark voice boomed.

Was this Chaos? I stood up quickly, searching for his location. "What is it you seek?"

"My former power." I said, still unsure where he was.

"Your former power that you lost to that hedgehog." He seemed irritated. I didn't care. He would give me his power, if I had to force it.

Emerl looked out into the vast sea of nothingness. "Hey, give him a break there Chaos, he's just a robot."

It was my turn to be aggravated. I hoped I would not have to work with this so called "god of wrath."

"I was not speaking to you, Emerl!" The voice boomed. "You should know your place."

I was tired of waiting. "Give me my power." I ordered.

Chaos grew more and more rage-filled. "You especially, Metal Sonic. Why should I give you my power again?"

Keeping my eyes forward, I said, "Because, you need me. No one else can set you free, now can they? I don't believe you would be able to destroy me. Now… Give me my power!" I growled once again.

Silence washed over the void. "Very well. You speak the truth Metal Sonic." Of course I do. "I give you, once again, my power. Do not fail this time."

A dark laugh escaped my body. "I don't intend to."

I stepped forward into the empty void, blue blobs starting to form around my perimeter, growing and growing. Once they were big enough, the liquid blue blobs began to circle around my body, increasing in speed every second, until they were nothing but a light blue blur. Sparks of electricity began to emanate from them, and from the sheer power, I began to float up into the air.

"Wow." Emerl crossed his arms as he watched, trying not to look impressed.

The sapphire blobs suddenly stopped, and an instant later, jumped up onto my metallic body, flowing into every crevice to give me power. Soon, I could feel it, my power rising again! I had the power of a god flowing through my body! I was a god!

The transformation then took place. My spines grew larger and more deadly, my claws became sharper, my legs stretched out longer, and my power increased more than ever! From Chaos' power, my spines were striped with a streak of silver.

"Wow…" Emerl said once again.

Once it was over, my feet touched the ground again, and electricity was flying around my body, the raw power flowing in every direction. "The power is mine again!" I roared, holding a hand up into the air.

By my own will, the empty dark void soon became filled with black darkness. "I am the god of Deception!" I bellowed, lightning appearing inside the realm of Chaos.

"Uhh… W-wow…" Emerl took a step back.

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"Come on, Rouge!" A small tan rabbit shouted, jumping up and down with uncontained excitement. "Come on, come on! Cheese and I want to see the ice cream place! Please, Miss Rouge?"

The white bat girl took a deep sigh, her metal heels clicking against the tiled floor. "Cream, Cream… Calm down…" She put up her hands in defense as if the little bunny would attack her. "We'll get there, but…" She sighed. "Miss Rouge is tired from running around with you all day."

"Okay!" She smiled, and ran back to the government spy.

Rouge groaned as the people continued to pass by her like an endless river of humans. Why she agreed to take Cream to the mall, she'll never know. Past the flow of people, Rouge spotted a nice comfy bench to sit her tired back on. "Come on right over here." She started to walk, but was forced to a stop by a squeal from Cream.

"You have to hold my hand, Miss Rouge! What if I get lost?" She looked up at the bat with big innocent eyes.

Growling, she took Cream's hand. "People just better not think you're my daughter or something… I have a reputation you know." Not in the mood, she merely pushed anyone down that stood in her way to get to the resting place.

"You're lucky your daughter is there, or I'd kick your-."

"Shut up!" Rouge shouted. With a deep sigh, she sat down on the bench, cooling off her rage and frustration. Cream smiled and cuddled up next to her. "What are you doing, Cream?" She looked over to the comfy little rabbit.

"I'm tired too, Miss Rouge!" She yawned. "Would it be okay to take a nap on you?" The little blue chao, Cheese, nodded and flew down on Cream's furry head, letting out a big yawn before going to sleep right there.

"Yeah yeah, sure…" Rouge waved a hand at her. "This is only because I'm tired out too, so don't-." She stopped, seeing that Cream was already fast asleep against her shoulder. The bat couldn't help but smile, she was pretty cute after all.

The endless human voices, all merged into one giant chorus of constant blathering, but once she got used to it, Rouge felt it to be slightly calming. Each voice aided the other, and the click of steps soon was delicately etched into her senses. Rouge's eyes began to droop, until she could no longer fight it, and fell into a slumber with Cream's furry body next to hers. The little girl's chest rising and falling helped her maintain the slumber, putting her in a peaceful state.

…

"…never gonna wake up…"

"…think she is now…"

"Hey, Momma Rouge, wake up already!" A voice yelled into her sensitive ears.

Rouge shot up, filled with a new born anger. "Look, she's not my daughter, and no one is allowed to call me 'Mamma Rouge' except…" Her jaw dropped. "Em-Emerl?"

A tan robot stood in front of her, his thumb pointing back at himself in a prideful expression. "In the metal!" He said with a horrible pun.

Next to him was a black hedgehog, red striped across his quills. "Shadow?" Rouge let out. What were these two doing here? And… Emerl too?

Cream woke up from the commotion and let out a scream of joy. "Oh, Mister Emerl! I'm so happy to see you!" She cried, jumping up and hugging the robot. "It's been so long! I thought you were gone forever!"

Emerl laughed and patted her on the head. "I missed you too, Cream…" He said gently.

Rouge felt a wonderful feeling back in her heart now that Emerl was back but, she was also filled with a deep suspicion. The black hedgehog, Shadow, was said to have gone on a rampage and killed a kid. What was he doing here now so calm? And why was Emerl with him? "Hey there, Shadow." She said casually, as if she had no idea what horrible crime he committed.

"Hey, Rouge." He greeted, like he didn't know he had done anything either.

Something strange was going on…

"Aren't you going to say hi to me, Momma Rouge?" Emerl sounded irritated.

She looked back at him surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm just… Still in shock you're here! Hi Emerl!" She sighed. "What are you two doing here in the mall?"

Emerl chuckled. "Well, we heard you were here, so we came to see you!"

Lie. She told no one she was here.

"Really?" Rouge tilted her head. "Who told you?"

Shadow crossed his arms. "What's it matter? You should be happy Emerl is here again, not interrogating him."

Cream never let her arms loosen around the robot. "I am! I'm so happy!"

It was getting later in the day, so fewer people were seen walking around. Probably because they saw that maniac, Shadow. Rouge began to feel uncomfortable around the two. "Well, Cream and I were just about to go get some snacks so…"

"Mind if we tag along?" Emerl seemed to smile.

"Yeah, it's been a long time since I had this 'ice cream' anyways…" Shadow smirked.

How did he know they were going to get ice cream? What the hell was going on? Well… It was best she didn't offend them. Maybe, Shadow never committed those crimes, and maybe… Maybe Emerl was truly back. Either way, she needed to keep an eye on them now anyways. "Sure, I'd be glad to take you guys!" Rouge put on a fake smile. Lying was something a spy like her had to do constantly, it came naturally to her, and no one dared to say she wasn't speaking the truth.

"Emerl, Emerl!" Cream squealed happily. "Will you hold my hand on the way there? Please?"

Rouge gave a fake smile. 'Well she blew me off easy for that robot.' The Chaos look-alike took her hand. "Of course, Cream." He said in a happy tone. But… When he said that… something was strange. There was a hint of sadness. "You really missed me, huh?" He asked. Shadow seemed to give him a glare.

Nodding Cream said, "Yeah! A whole bunch!"

Emerl seemed to be overjoyed. He hefted the rabbit up onto his shoulders and whispered something Rouge could barely hear, even with her super sensitive bat ears. "I didn't think anyone missed me…"

The day was beginning to end, and the sun was setting, as Rouge could see the golden orange glow enter through the windows, reflecting the light around the almost empty mall. She was starting to get the creeps, being the only ones in Station Square's biggest mall. Of course, Shadow and Cream didn't seem to notice, or care.

The four made it to the ice cream shop, seeing no one in there as well, except one simple employer. "Hello, can I help you four today?" He smiled.

Shadow smirked. "Huh, not too busy today?" Rouge commented, seeing empty tables all over.

The teenager shrugged, not noticing how strange it was. "Oh well. You guys want ice cream or what?"

'Shouldn't he be screaming in fear, seeing Shadow walking around? He must not have heard the news… Kids today…' Emerl took a gleeful step forward and motioned for Cream to order. She giggled with her arms wrapped around his head. "Umm… Cheese and I would like…" She gasped. "Oh! Oh! We want vanilla! That's my mommy's name!" Cheese squeaked with joy.

The boy nodded. Shadow, still smirking for some reason, stepped up. "I want something with marshmallows."

He tilted his head. "Could you be more specific?"

"I don't care, put marshmallows in it and give it to me! Understand?"

The guy jumped and nodded nervously. "I'll have…" Rouge scanned across the menu on the wall. "I don't really know; just get me a vanilla too, will you?" He nodded. "Thanks sweetie." She winked at the now awkward teenager. Rouge loved making guys nervous… It was all too easy.

A few minutes later, he came back with three cones, all of them vanilla, while one just had random marshmallows protruding from it. "I-I couldn't get any flavor with marshmallows in it, sir, so I…"

Shadow swiped the ice cream from his hand. "I don't care, it has marshmallows." He took a bite out of it, looking almost happy. Emerl walked Cream over to get her tasty snack, and she politely thanked him. Right away she started eating it, with Cheese taking tiny licks as well.

"Uh, Cream, sweetie…" Rouge looked over. "I don't think you should let Cheese share with you, you don't really know where his tongue could have been."

She smiled. "Silly, it's been in his mouth!" Cream dove in again, her face already getting covered in the vanilla ice cream.

The boy held out a shaking hand to Rouge. "He-here you go ma'am." His face turned red as her hand brushed against his to get the food.

Rouge felt like having a little fun. "Oh, dear me…" She started. "I seemed to have forgotten my money… I really wish I could pay you…" Rouge said as innocently as possible.

He shook his head rapidly. "Oh don't worry, miss, it's on the house!"

Sucker.

"Oh you're too sweet, thank you dear." Rouge walked out with the others, grinning. How many times has that old trick worked? Too many to count! Now if only it'd work on that stubborn echidna…

"Gee, Mamma Rouge, you still got it." Emerl laughed.

Shadow smirked. "If only you could get it to work on that stubborn echidna…"

Rouge froze. Did he?... No… He couldn't have…

What the hell is going on!