Author's Note: Welcome back, everyone! I know that you're eager to see Sonic and the Werehog finish and I will get back to it, but once again writer's block hit. So...yeah, sorry about that.
To TurquoiseTriangle: Tails met his younger, alternate self in the second chapter. Don't worry, Sonic and Amy will meet their counterparts soon. Either in this chapter or the next.
And yes, Sonic 06 does not exist in this story timeline, because my Sonic stories are all based in their own universes. For example, the non-crossover ones are a mixture of the games and anime, and this one is a mixture of the comic books, and Silver and Blaze both hail from the world where Scourge lives in the Archie Comic book series(before the reboot), as does Dr. Ovi Kintobor in this series.
The cross-over Sonic stories(in my other series Sailor Moon Continuum which is multi-cross-over of many of my favorite anime, games, tv shows and movies) have their own original story-line.
Anyway, hopefully that helps and let's continue onward!
I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog. All rights belong to Sega. I only own the OCs.
Chapter 4: Vs. Metal and Scourge.
"So, basically this place is the Chemical Plant? No wonder it looked kinda familiar." Tails inquired after he and the other saw the factory building's life and colour be restored, and after Sonic explained what he went through, and now all four of them were walking towards another place that could lead them to the next crystal and another clue.
"Yeah, pretty much." Sonic nodded, sighing as he ran a hand through his quills. "Another thing, while I was fighting those robots, I think I kinda figured out who's also behind this apart from that monster and this Scourge guy Silver mentioned."
"Scourge?" Amy blinked, puzzled over the name before turning to the aforementioned silver hedgehog and asked. "Is he the evil hedgehog you told me earlier?"
"Yes. As I told you, he's very dangerous. It's a relief that none of you have been attacked by him yet. He's relentless and he will only keep people alive long enough until he gets what he wants." Silver nodded firmly.
"Hey, Silver. You said that I look just like him. Is he identical to me, or is there a slight difference?" The blue hedgehog asked with a shrug. While he knew that he had to be careful, Sonic did want to make sure that there wasn't any confusion and he certainly didn't want a repeat of his first meeting with Shadow.
The younger hedgehog shook his head, sighing. "Well, up until just after I met my two friends, he was identical to you, Sonic; same colour, same eyes, everything. Only differences were that he wears a leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses even indoors or in dark places."
That made the cobalt hero shudder at the thought. "That kinda sounds like he could pass on as my evil twin brother or something. Ugh."
"So how did he turn green?" Amy asked, confused. Both Sonic and Tails gazed at their newest ally curiously and in surprise, causing all three Mobians and, unknown to them at the moment, Moebian from the future, to pause in their steps.
"Have any of you heard of the Superior Emerald?" Silver asked back. The trio shook their heads silently. "It's what controls the crystals, which I should tell you of what they're called since how we're on the same side; the Sol Emeralds."
"Superior Emerald and Sol Emeralds?" The pink hedgehog blinked.
"Hey, that sounds like the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds!" Tails softly exclaimed in realization, turning to his best friend/older brother who pulled out the two that he found, gazing at the now newly identified Sol Emeralds thoughtfully.
"Well, these things do kinda feel like the Chaos Emeralds too." Sonic remarked. "Tikal even felt it herself, but she didn't know what they were, only that they're really important to save everybody. Could it be a coincidence?"
Silver folded his arms in deep thought himself. "Okay, so none of you know of the Superior Emerald or the Sol Emeralds until now, and with me, it's the same with this Master Emerald and these Chaos Emeralds."
"Yeah, well, both sets of Emeralds in our case aren't toys either, and they're definitely not just pieces of jewerly. Like the Superior Emerald, the Master Emerald controls the Chaos Emeralds, but that's a rare thing to happen considering it's so big it's hard to move. The Chaos Emeralds on the other hand are like these, only diamond shaped. Not to mention that they hold strong power of both good and evil." The blue hedgehog explained.
"And from what I heard earlier, this Dr. Eggman sought out these Chaos Emeralds, right?" The future hedgehog asked, already having a feeling he knew where this was going.
Sonic, Tails and Amy all nodded, the blue hedgehog grumbling softly. "More times than I can count. In fact, they're one of the two main reasons how I ended up going to stop him in the first place."
He then scoffed and shook his head in slight exasperation, "Then again, he may have been an evil genius, but he was never very good in keeping things hidden. That guy stuck out like a swollen, red thumb. Never mind just a sore thumb. Anyway, back to Amy's question."
"Ah, yes. Thank you." Silver nodded. "Anyway, Scourge attempted to harness the power of the Superior Emerald to make himself faster and invincible. But it didn't accept him and knocked him away, with only one side effect which he pretty much likes."
"He turned green because of the Superior Emerald." The nine year old fox realized, and the silver hedgehog nodded. "For how long?"
"It's permanent, so he can't change back to his original colour. At least his fur can't. Like I said, he pretty much likes it. He thinks it makes him, and I quote, look more cool."
"Think I'll stick to being blue, thanks." Sonic stated. "I'm not against green, but blue's always been my favorite colour, aside the fact that I was born cobalt blue like my dad. Only thing green are my eyes and that comes from my mom."
But before the conversation could even continue, suddenly the group heard a loud boom behind them which made them jump in fright, causing Sonic, Tails, Amy and Silver to immediately turn around to find the source of it. Half way from where they were, there were buildings that looked more like a Casino city or street of some sorts, and from within the entrance there were sparks of electricity coming out and...a sudden hints of darkness.
"Sonic, look! Something's in there!" Tails cried out worriedly.
"Scourge?" Silver grunted, narrowing his eyes as he had a bad feeling about this.
So did Sonic, because he narrowed his eyes as well and instantly knew what to do. "Only one way to find out. You guys stay here, I'll see what's going on! If it is Scourge, I'm gonna beat him like there's no tomorrow!"
Before any of his friends or Silver could protest or say anything for that matter, the blue hedgehog gave the younger hedgehog the Sol Emeralds just in case and immediately dashed off towards the familiar Casino like place, racing right into the portal. The hedgehog from the future blinked, gazing at the Emeralds that hero of Mobius just handed him for safe keeping. It was in that near instant that he knew that he can trust Sonic, because the sixteen year old trusted him to keep them out of Scourge's hands and apparently fearing that the evil green hedgehog could defeat him and steal the crystals.
'He really is the opposite of Scourge, and smarter than I thought.' Silver thought to himself, almost dazed in shock and surprise, gazing at the Sol Emeralds in his hands. While he admired Sonic's good thinking, he found it hard to believe that the blue hedgehog who was identical to the evil green hedgehog was so...different in many ways.
"Be careful, Sonic." Tails muttered worriedly, unaware that his younger, alternate self and the younger alternate Amy approached from behind, the latter two not yet seeing their older counterparts.
Until Young Amy spoke up in surprise, "Huh? Was that Sonic I just saw? I thought he already-"
"Yeah, that was Sonic." Amy unknowingly agreed, only to blink in surprise and confusion when she heard someone that sounded just like her but younger speak. "Huh? Wait, what?"
The two Amys and the two Tails, hearing this, glanced at each other, and while Tails and Younger Tails flinched before realizing who they were each looking at, Amy and her younger, alternate self stared for a very long time...before screeching loudly in shock and bewilderment, startling Silver who jumped and turned to see what's wrong, only to blink in utter confusion and shock at what he was seeing.
"You look just like-how are you-what's going on!?" Both Amys exclaimed, pointing at each other, while Tails and his younger self stared, before sharing a scared look as they both realized the mistake they made and sweat dropped.
"Uh oh..." The nine year old and the four year old chorused.
"Oh wow! You look so pretty! Those pretty green eyes, and I love that red dress you're wearing! It's more beautiful than my clothes!" Young Amy then squeeled, stars shining in her non-coloured eyes and all around her that you could actually see them. "I should wear a dress like yours and maybe that'll get Sonic's attention, and then he'll really love me!"
Amy, while stilled bewildered of seeing her slightly different younger self, blushed cutely despite being older and a bit taller. She giggled. "T-thank you, but you look so adorable! Come to think of it, I used to wear that outfit when I was eight years old."
"Really?" The younger pink hedgehog asked, glancing down at her green shirt and orange skirt.
Silver blinked in shock, almost rendered speechless, his eyes all wide with a sweat drop. "What? What in...?"
"Um, Amy?" Tails tried to get his friend's attention. Thankfully she did, but so did Young Amy, and both were shocked to see two of him as well and gasped in disbelief.
"Huh!? Now there's two of Tails?" The younger Amy exclaimed, while her older self, suddenly realizing that the two young kits didn't look as shocked, gave him a glare which made the nine year old fox flinch, smiling nervously and backed away a couple of steps.
"Uh, A-Amy...P-Please let me explain..." Tails stuttered, afraid of what the pink hedgehog was going to do to him.
"Tails, what's going on?" Amy demanded, placing her hands on her hips as she stepped up to him. "If there are two of you and two of me..."
"Does that mean there are two of Sonic!?" Young Amy exclaimed in disbelief, turning to Young Tails who shrugged sheepishly.
"Well...yeah." Young Tails answered for his alternate, older self.
Tails quickly waved his hands, adding. "I was gonna tell Sonic and then tell you, but you know how he gets and we were busy talking about Silver and learning a bit more about the Sol Emeralds and-!"
"Huh? Who's Silver?" Young Amy asked, confused.
"What are the Sol Emeralds?" The four year old kit added to nine year old kit.
"...Why are there two of each of you, and how are there two of Sonic?" Silver spoke up awkwardly, causing all four of them to turn their gaze to the still dumbfounded future hedgehog. "What is going on here?"
There was a long moment of silence before any one could even figure out this awkward situation, all the while Sonic and Young Sonic were still fully unaware of what was happening.
Back with Young Sonic...
"Metal! Where are you!? Show me your sorry-tin-canned butt so I can beat it!" Young Sonic shouted at the top of his lungs as he raced through the Casino-like landscape which didn't help matters in the way he was feeling. He had struggled through not just Robotnik's Badnik robots that got in the way, but also a giant pinball machine that used him as the ball and he had to avoid in falling down the hole between the bumpers.
He was already in a bad mood despite having gotten the Chaos Emerald back, and to make things worse, the young blue hedgehog still hasn't found the other Sonic yet, and he was nowhere near closer in solving the mystery. The giant monster, Robotnik's latest evil part, another Sonic, another Tails and even another Amy...And places he has been to before. Green Hill, the Chemical Factory...
Young Sonic, having eventually made it out of the giant pinball table, he continued to run while trying to figure out how solve all of this by himself, unable he came to a realization that made him feel even worse.
'What if I can't do this by myself this time? Could there be a reason why there's another me in this mess? I can beat Ro-butt-nik and whatever he's got to throw at me, but...maybe I'm not ready to face that giant monster on my own.' That discouraged the eleven year old hedgehog greatly, to the point of his heart aching and tears beginning to form which he quickly wiped away in frustration.
"Wait a minute, what'm I thinking?" Young Sonic chastised himself, bonking himself on the head as he paused for a brief second to avoid in crashing into something. "I can't give up! I've battled Buttnik's giant robots before. How hard can a giant monster be?"
His thoughts were interrupted when a flash of metal and electricity suddenly came charging down at him from the sky, causing the hero of Alternate-Mobius, who heard the crackling noise and saw this, to yelp and jump out of the way before he was hit. The eleven year old hedgehog skid to a stop and glared hard at the culprit of the attack; Metal Sonic stood ready facing.
"There ya' are, Metal! I've been looking for you!" The young blue hedgehog grunted, already in a battle position himself. "You won't get away this time!"
His robotic copy said nothing, and instead decided to get straight into battle with only one thing on his agenda; to destroy Sonic the Hedgehog and take the Chaos Emeralds. So he charged up a large laser to fire at Young Sonic who braced himself for whatever his enemy had in mind. When the robot fired, the young Alternate-Mobian quickly dashed out of the way to the right while the laser hit the ground so hard that it crumbled. But Young Sonic kept on running while glancing over his shoulder and glaring at his enemy.
"Bet you're thinkin' how this will turn out, huh? Well I've got my bets on me smashing you for good!" The eleven year old hedgehog taunted with a smirk, irritating his opponent who then made to chase after him as the fight was on. He waited until Metal Sonic charged forward while covering himself with electricity, but the young hedgehog spun around and jumped high into the air and over the robot who missed. Turning around while in midair, Young Sonic then Spin Dashed down and hit his opponent hard onto the back, sending his opponent violently forward where he crashed onto the floor hard, the electricity dying down.
The hero of Alternate-Mobius laughed as his enemy recovered and glared, before the latter charged up another laser again, while he pulled down his lower eye-lid and gave him a raspberry before quickly jumping out of the way and then slapped his bottom at Metal Sonic to taunt him even further. That made the robot mad and then flew to the side of the path, tearing off lamp posts and tossing them towards the young blue hedgehog who narrowed his eyes and quickly dodged them before having an idea. He jumped as high as he could and leaped from post to post, much to Metal Sonic's shock. The real hedgehog then jumped high before karate-kicking right into the robot-hog's face, sending him flying backwards once more and his head spinning out of control while Young Sonic landed on the floor safely.
"Just like old times." Young Sonic chuckled, only to gasp in shock when Metal Sonic, who recovered and managed to get his head to stop spinning, charged forward using the same electrical attack, only this time it was bigger and faster even by shattering the floor and even the lamp posts and pretty much anything that got in the way like nothing. The young blue hedgehog ran out of the way and attempted to get behind him, but Metal Sonic spun around and charged again, this time grabbing the eleven year old's arm and electrocuted him.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in agony at the paralyzing and burning sensation, before being lifted off the floor and spun around and around several times by his copy and then thrown high into the air before falling. Young Sonic crashed onto the ground and tumbled and rolled before coming to a stop on his front, simply laying there and hissing in pain. Attempting to ignore his injuries, the young blue hedgehog pushed himself up, and rolled out of the way when the robot-hedgehog charged again, this time aiming to Spin Dash into him.
Thinking quickly, the eleven year old Spin Dashed himself and the two clashed with sparks flying(which is what Sonic and his group saw outside of this place) even though the real hedgehog attempted to push his opponent back as hard as he could. Young Sonic managed to successfully do so and sent Metal Sonic skidding across the floor. He wasted no time in flipping over the slightly malfunctioned robot who by the time he recovered, saw that his real self had vanished and thus was not aware that Young Sonic landed behind him before he charged himself, punching and kicking at the robot's back several times, catching him off-guard.
The eleven year old hedgehog didn't stop there, because he Spin Dashed into Metal Sonic that sent him flying, before he jumped into the air and Spin Jumped onto him several more times and as a finishing move, Young Sonic kicked him right in the chest which forced the robot right down towards the floor once again, this time with a large hole in his metal chest, and upon crashing, the robot smashed and exploded into pieces, several robotic pieces scattered everywhere.
"Yes!" Young Sonic cheered after landing safely onto the ground, punching the air with his fist in victory. "Another score for Sonic the Hedgehog! Take that, Metal! Still can't beat the real hedgehog!"
However, his victory is short lived when he heard the sound of someone clapping mockingly. Confused and suddenly tensing up when he felt the pressence of very unwelcome company, the young blue hedgehog spun around and looked up to see who was clapping and caught sight of a figure sitting casually on a building above him.
"Bravo. Encore, encore! You sure didn't pull any punches with that pathetic excuse of a robot copy, kiddo. Gotta admit, you sure impress me." The figure said mockingly, holding a nasty, evil grin on his muzzle and chuckled as he stopped clapping, placing a hand onto one knee. "Pity that won't be enough to help you get through what you're in for."
"Who're you?" Young Sonic demanded, getting into a defense stance. Even though the silhouette of the figure was hard to tell, he did make out the spikes and ears of the head, correctly guessing that it was a hedgehog. His brows narrowed as he asked carefully, "Are you...the other Sonic?"
"Pftt. Close, but no cigar." The figure scoffed, leaping down from the building and landed onto the spot and in the middle of Metal Sonic's remains.
The eleven year old gasped in bewilderment, getting a good look at him; he was a green hedgehog that strongly resembled to himself, but the same height as his older, alternate self, same build as well. Except this guy's fur was green, with two painful looking scars on his chest, a jacket with flames on the shoulders, black/green shoes and sunglasses with red frames. Unknown to the younger hedgehog, it was Scourge the Hedgehog who smirked coldly.
"You...you look just like-!" The young blue hedgehog stuttered, almost rendered speechless.
"You and this other Sonic? Heh, yeah that's right, kid. Except that I'm the fastest thing in all existence. Name's Scourge the Hedgehog." Scourge finished.
Now fully convinced that this older Sonic-look-alike was indeed trouble, Young Sonic glared hard and asked. "Are you the one working for Robotnik and caused this to happen?"
"Maaaaaaaybe..." The evil green hedgehog trailed with fake innocence and a shrug with a gangster grin. "But that's for me to know, brat."
"Tell me where he is, you fake hedgehog! Where's Ro-butt-nik!?" Young Sonic yelled angrily.
Scourge just laughed both insanely and in amusement. "You think I'd just go and tell a little pipsqueak like you? And you call yourself a hero? You look more like a kid with the same but weaker abilities as mine who likes to play around pretending to be a hot-shot."
The young blue hedgehog gritted his teeth, angered and irritated. The older hedgehog's smirk then sighed in boredom and impatience, "But since you're too stubborn to get out of my quills, I don't have time for you. You want to find this Robotnik dude, you're on your own. I'm outta here. Got another guest to find."
"STOP!" Young Sonic shouted and dashed forward in high speed, but to his shock, Scourge snapped his fingers as a large black void opened up behind him and the green hedgehog speed right into it in a green streak before it closed, forcing the younger hedgehog to skid to a stop. "Wait, come back!"
Too late and left in frustration, the eleven year old could only stand there as he glared at the spot where the new enemy had vanished from, thinking to himself with uneasiness. 'Scourge...What is he? Where did Ro-butt-nik find this guy? Or was I wrong about the doctor being behind this the whole time?'
Sighing as he ran a hand through his quills, Young Sonic realized that he wouldn't be getting answers if he just stood there. Nodding to himself and knowing what to do as a very unusual portal that looked like a giant golden ring with a black and purple vortex sparking inside appear in front of him, the young blue hedgehog, seeing no way else out of here or even a Chaos Emerald in sight, the young blue hedgehog braced himself and leaped right inside.
Back with Sonic...
"Ugh. This place is worse than the Casino City, and I thought it had been fun when I was with Tails and Knuckles." Sonic grumbled after finally managing to get out of the giant pinball machine and whatever else he had to avoid or escape from. He took out several more robots that were in his way and running up and down the path. When he saw that parts of the road was broken off as though there had been a battle, he easily used his Boost ability to jump up high and ran along the side of buildings before reaching the other side safely before continuing on.
The blue hedgehog caught sight of sparks flying ahead of him, but by the time they died down and ended, the sixteen year old was too late as when he arrived and jumped and leaped expertly and easily over the ruined path that looked like it had just happened moments ago(which unknown to him really did), and was just about ten seconds too late as the portal that his younger, alternate self had entered vanished. What he saw made him skid to a stop as the sight before him made his eyes widen in shock and confusion. While the pieces of the robot was almost unrecognizable, there was no denying on who this robot was.
"Metal?" Sonic muttered in disbelief, seeing the remains of his robotic copy all over the place, like Metal Sonic had just been brutally defeated by someone, which in reality was. The cobalt hero of Mobius approached the remains and bend on one knee to examine the damage and couldn't help but wince with a whistle.
"Whoa, whoever beat you up sure didn't pull any punches. It's just like how I'd woulda beaten you like five years ago." The blue hedgehog muttered with a raised eyebrow and a sweat drop. But what really concerned him was that his robotic-copy was here, and that could only mean one thing.
Eggman really was here and partially behind this along with Scourge and that giant monster. Sonic frowned in concern, guilt and nervousness. Standing up, he then said to himself. "If Metal's here, then Eggman really is alive."
The teenager gazed up at the night sky, adding. "Which means I really did accidentally save his life when I used Chaos Control, and now he's either teamed up with Scourge, or they're both competing against each other. Wouldn't be the first time considering how that Egghead and Black Doom fought each other once and a while."
Either way, the blue hedgehog knew that he really screwed up this time, and now everyone and the world was really paying for it. He'd known all along that if he had saved the evil scientist, Eggman would just find another way to conquer the planet and has found the perfect source; the unusual monster connected to this place, kidnapping Sonic himself and all of his friends, and places from his past or memories or whatever, and he can't even use the Chaos Emeralds this time to stop the madman.
Then, remembering what Silver said about Scourge, the blue hedgehog shook his head to rid those thoughts of the evil man's possible survival and said. "Or maybe Scourge stole Eggman's things and is using them on his own."
He nodded and decided to accept that conclusion. "Yeah, that sounds more like it, considering how Silver warned me about that guy." Sonic's expression then turned to determination and gazed up ahead. "Either way, I've gotta find out. I won't let that creep or Eggman or that monster get away with this!"
Knowing what to do, Sonic raced forward once more and left the remains of Metal Sonic behind in hopes of finding more clues and maybe another Sol Emerald, thankful to have left the first two with Silver. The teenage hedgehog bashed away more robots and flipped over some before grinding his way down and landed onto a giant Pool Table, zig-zagging around the giant numbered balls and Pool stick that was hitting the main ball which each one attempted to squish him like a pancake.
"Ya' know, this game should be in a giant Bar or somethin'." The blue hedgehog remarked, jumping up high and landed on the wooden edge before leaping down and surfed his way down another grind rail, leaping from one to another to avoid in either getting hit by random robots that fired missiles and lasers at him, or falling to his untimely demise.
But as he continued grinding his way, suddenly there was a distortion all around him, with tale-signs of darkness all around in odd places and slithering around like tentacles, before it spread across the area and everything except for the cobalt young hero and the grind rails. As Sonic watched in shock and confusion, the area suddenly went through a strange transformation. No longer was the place like a giant Casino City, but a city that had normal sized buildings, with a mixture of a giant toy box and different kinds of games made for children and teenagers around his age.
"Huh!? What the-!? What's goin' on!?" Sonic cried out, bewildered. He was so distracted by this unusual phenomenon that the rail ended and he was left flailing his arms and legs as he was sent falling, having discovered this too late, and screamed. "Wooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
Descending towards the dark abyss below and a giant Snakes and Ladders game with robotic snakes that slithered around the ladders, looking up to see a decent meal coming right at them, the teenage hedgehog felt his heart skip a beat as he knew that if he didn't do something quickly, he was Robo-tile food. Flipping in midair and Spin Dashing into one before it could open it's mouth to engulf him, Sonic landed onto the ladder that was his size and quickly made a run for it, jumping and leaping either to dodge the fangs of the robots, or on top of their heads to give himself a better chance to slow them down and escape.
"I don't remember any of this! This wasn't in any of the Casino places I've been to!" The blue hedgehog exclaimed, hopping off the ladder and onto another, this time running downward faster than going up, which helped a little even as one of the robot-snakes slithered up towards his direction and opened it's mouth to swallow him whole. Narrowing his eyes before forming a smirk as he had an idea, he curled up and jumped before attacking it with his Spin Dash once more, putting it out of commission and surfed onto it's back and towards it's tail like a grind rail.
Sonic then had the tail to fling him up and onto another ladder, back upward towards the end of the board and another platform even with several more snakes attempting to catch him from behind, and one in front. The hero of Mobius rolled his eyes with a smirk and boosted his way up and over, using the same strategy as he did before and easily jumped up high into the air, glancing over his shoulder to witness the snake robots to clash and crash into each other, exploding upon impact.
He laughed in victory before giving the destroyed machines a raspberry and then landed on the edge outside of the huge game, then turned and continued onward, finding that he was approaching an over-sized toy box; well, toy city with human and Mobian sized dolls standing still with driver-less cars around to which Sonic decided that his safest bet was on the sidewalk even though he was used to running past real cars on the road even when he wasn't meant to. On top of that, there were real food carts with actual people in them.
"Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through!" Sonic apologetically called out, running past several Mobian-like people and humans who moved out of the way for him to run past, being careful not to run into them. Though he could've sworn that he heard murmurs like, "Isn't that Scourge?" or "He looks a bit different." or even "He even said nice words!"
The blue hedgehog frowned in concern as he realized that this city must be a place where Scourge comes from and since he and Sonic both looked alike, it wasn't hard to figure out that they at first mistook him for the evil green hedgehog. He felt awful for all the horrible possible things Silver's enemy had done and wished there was something he could do to help solve this problem. Speaking of problem, he couldn't figure out how this place merged with the Casino Night, and that he has never heard of this city before.
"Maybe that monster is merging many different cities I know and don't know together?" He thought to himself, looking around while running up a hill and walls before reaching the top of what he realized was a giant toy building and stood on the roof, gazing at the city all around him. "And either this place is a giant toy box and games town, or I've been shrunk down to size and these people are trapped here to live the rest of their lives like this."
As Sonic thought, he folded his arms, humming to himself. "Hmm...Then again, it's not the first time I've encountered giant stuff that made me feel really small. Casino cities are one thing, and come on, there's an entire planet made out of sugar which includes a giant bowl of ice cream."
Deciding that maybe he can find Scourge here, or some other sort of clue, the sixteen year old darted his way from building to building in high speed and dodging several biplane sized toy planes that can actually fly before leaping off and surfed down another grind rail, Homing Attacked a couple of toy-soldier robots that he didn't recognize that were causing problems and eventually landed on the ground where the found himself in an area that looked like a mixture of the old 1990's pixel games and an enormous toy box of stuffed toys like giant teddy bears and dolls having tea.
"Well, this is definitely new." The blue hedgehog muttered, feeling even more uneasy as he walked to glance around his surroundings. The paper-thin pixel buildings, cars, trees, ectera, and the giant child items made him gulp nervously even as he attempted to remain calm and collective. "Man, what kind of a place that looks like everything's getting all mixed up is this? It's giving me the creeps. I've got a bad feeling about this."
While he thought about this, Sonic was unaware that there was more to this area than he thought. So much so that the giant dolls and teddy bears actually began to move, turning their gaze towards the teenage hedgehog. Fortunately, since he had sensitive hearing, he heard the moment and, feeling his quills prickle and stick up a little, the blue hedgehog nervously looked over his shoulder and gasped in horror as his eyes widened while turning fully around with a sweat drop to see the giant toys move slowly on their own...and their expressions turning from any innocent looking toys into evil and scary grins.
Unable to believe what he is seeing, Sonic quickly rubbed his eyes and looked again to double check. Surely enough it was real and he wasn't hallucinating, at least part of him said that he wasn't. The rest of him wished that he was, but how they stood up and he felt the ground quake at each foot step, this pretty much confirmed that this was indeed real. The evil-looking teddy bear loomed over him and reached out it's stuffed paws to grab him. Not wanting to stand around and be captured by evil-possessed giant toys, he did the one thing he could think of.
Make a run for it.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Sonic screamed as he spun around and ran away in high speed, narrowly escaping from the giant paws that hit the ground which shook. The blue hedgehog didn't stop as he ran as fast as he could as the giant toys now began to move all around him and made their attempts to catch him.
Not that they had any chance, but still.
"That's it! I'm definitely dreaming!" The blue hedgehog exclaimed, frightened out of his mind and desperately wished that this was all a dream. "This is a nightmare! I gotta wake up, in my bed, safely back at home, going on my birthday run and meet up with my friends! Maybe even have a birthday picnic if they haven't already set it up for a surprise party! Somebody wake me up, PLEASE!"
Unfortunately for Sonic, this was real as he ended up having to karate kick and punch even more robots along the way before he finally found the exit of this nightmare of an area and all but leaped through it. The sixteen year old was unaware that as he did that the entire area rippled in distortion all around him. Though by the time that he landed on his front on the ground, and panted to catch his breath as the adrenaline sweeped across his body, the blue hedgehog pushed himself up and a hesitantly opened his eyes while bracing himself for another nightmare-like area of giant games and toys out to kill him.
What he saw caught him off-guard once again; the familiar near exit of the Casino Night city was all around him this time, though it seemed to be blocked off by a black vortex like wall that looked ominous.
"I'm back here? Was the whole giant games and toys parts all in my head?" Sonic asked himself, dumbfounded as he blinked, glancing all around him. Standing up, he placed a hand to his face, groaning. "Yeah, this really is a dream. The craziest one I've ever had!"
"Aw, what's the matter? Don't tell me you're scared of children's games and baby toys?" An unfamiliar voice mocked a sympathetic tone, catching the blue hedgehog off-guard and making him glance around for the source of the voice.
"Who's there?" The cobalt hedgehog called out, on high alert for any more enemy attacks.
The voice laughed evilly, which sounded like it was above him. Sonic looked up and saw, standing on top of a building, was an strangely familiar figure despite that he's never seen it before. But when the moon's light shined onto the potential enemy, it revealed someone that made the young hero gasp.
"I'd say that I'd hate to tell you, but I'd be lying. In fact, I'd LOVE to tell you that this ain't no dream, blue bozo. This is definitely real. More real than reality can get." The figure continued, gazing down at the blue hedgehog below.
The sixteen year old's eyes widened in disbelief as he got a good look at the figure; it was a hedgehog, and to make things worse, this guy was everything Silver warned him about; Green fur that used to be blue, black jacket, the pair of sunglasses. Though the silver hedgehog left out a few minor details on this guy, like the actual designs of the jacket and specs, and the black/green shoes. But there was no denying that the body build was the same as Sonic's. Everything else about him was much like the blue hedgehog.
He even looked around the sixteen year old's age, only that Scourge is seventeen years old.
"You...You're-You're Scourge!" Sonic exclaimed correctly. No wonder Silver had a hard time identifying him at first.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Oh, so you know me, huh? That's a surprise. Yes; I'm Scourge the Hedgehog! The terror of the world, and the fastest living being ever." Scourge laughed manically, which made the blue hedgehog glare hard at him and stood in defense. "Just curious, though. How is it that you know about me, when I know a little bit about you."
"Silver warned me about you! How you're stealing the Sol Emeralds for evil purposes, and that you used to be blue just like me! That you're the reason how he'd end up in this white, empty place and lost track of his friends!" Sonic shouted back angrily, preparing himself to battle the evil green hedgehog.
That made Scourge frown before groaning in complaint. "Ugh, that guy's still alive? And I thought the Cat-Princess and Kinto-Butt were stubborn, but sheesh! Should've known you'd go and make friends with him if he's told you that already."
"Better me than you, ya' big, fat jerk!" The blue hedgehog yelled. "What you're doing is twisted, cruel and wrong!"
"Do I look like as if I care?" The green hedgehog rolled his eyes behind his shades, before flipping down from the top of the building and landed neatly on the ground a few feet away from his newest enemy. "But seeing that you're with that sore loser, you're even a bigger one as far as I can tell."
"I'm no loser! I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! I've beaten many evil enemies before, and as far as you and I are concerned, pal, I'm gonna defeat you and teach ya' a lesson!" Sonic growled with determination.
Scourge scoffed in disbelief. "You, teach me a lesson? Ha! Yeah right. You have no idea who you're facing, twerp. But then again, I shouldn't be surprised considering how much that egg-shaped guy Robotnik complained on how a blue pipsqueak ruined his plans."
Hearing the name made Sonic freeze up, his eyes widening with his emerald irisis shrinking back a little, his breathing becoming shallow and he could've sworn his heart stopped for a moment. Robotnik...? Then, the blue hedgehog really did accidentally...?
"E-Eggman? He-he's alive!?" The blue hedgehog gasped, for a moment forgetting how to breathe. 'Then...I really have saved him by accident...! This...this can't be happening!'
The green hedgehog raised an eyebrow at this, confused at first before realizing that this could work out to mess with this version of Sonic who obviously was still unaware of his younger, alternate self being here as well and that things were working out the way Scourge wanted, except for a few things but he can work his way around it. He smirked darkly over the teenage hero's reaction.
"Do you really want to know? Then again, that guy just wouldn't shut up about the blue heroic hedgehog who he hates the most." Scourge taunted coldly.
Sonic felt his resolve being crushed, the heavy weight of guilt placed onto his shoulders and unknowingly falling for this trick despite that the name Robotnik did used to be Eggman's name before the incident of the Chaos crisis. But he shook his head and tried not to let this evil hedgehog get to him and glared furiously at the green monster in hedgehog disguise.
"Tell me where he is!" Sonic demanded. "Is he behind the giant monster, or are you the one!? Where's Eggman!?"
"Oh, boo-hoo! Are you really that upset that the guy you hate the most is alive and well?" Scourge mocked, placing an arm over his eyes, pretending to be dismayed, before dropping the act and scoffed. "Not that I care of how you think he died or anything. Personally, I kinda like him even if he is a cranky, stupid old man who needs a serious need of a trim with that ugly mustache of his."
The blue hedgehog growled in rage before running up to him and grabbed him by the collor of his jacket, pulling the twisted hedgehog close to his face with his eyes burning in pure anger. "WHERE IS EGGMAN, YOU EVIL HEDGEHOG!? ANSWER ME!"
His enemy was admittedly surprised and a bit scared over Sonic's rage, but thankfully his sunglasses covered his eyes from revealing that they widened and shrank back a little. The green hedgehog then hissed darkly before kicking the blue hedgehog's stomach so hard that it knocked the wind out of him which forced him to let go of the jacket, sending him flying back a couple of feet and he landed hard onto the ground with a thud and a cry of pain. Sonic gasped while placing a hand onto the spot where he'd been kicked, wincing in agony.
"I'll tell you if you can defeat me! Not that you'll win because as far as we're concerned, you'll be dead before you even know it." Scourge said darkly with a frown. "No one can defeat me!"
"You mean no one has yet!" Sonic hissed, glaring up at his new enemy with utter hatred, now fully understanding why Silver had a hard time with the green hedgehog. Ignoring his latest injury which would result in a bruise later, the blue hedgehog forced himself to stand and and took a fighting position. "You're not the only one that's fast, Scourge! Because I'm the fastest thing alive!"
"Then let's see who is the fastest, Sonic the Hedgehog." The green hedgehog challenged.
"Bring it on!" The blue hedgehog accepted immediately.
Scourge smirked, admittedly impressed as he took a fighting position himself. "Good. Let's see what you're made of."
The hero of Mobius and the terror of Moebius stared hard at one another, wondering who would make the first move. Finally after a moment, the two hedgehog charged forward with the perfectly time kicks at each other, and Sonic and Scourge were both shocked that they both hit each other yet protected themselves at the same time, almost like a mirror image.
"Huh!?" Sonic gasped.
"What!?" Scourge grunted in shock.
The two hedgehogs then kicked and punched at each other with the same result, though Sonic decided to duck when Scourge aimed a punch at him before the younger hedgehog slide-kicked at the seventeen year old's kicks, sending him falling to the ground and then made to roll out of the way. However, Scourge grabbed Sonic's ankle and held him tightly, kicking him with the same strategy which made the blue hero fall as well. Though the sixteen year old quickly punched his enemy's arm away when the latter attempted to grab him by the throat, causing Scourge to cry out in pain and shock and letting go of Sonic who rolled back into a safe distance, recovering.
"Hey, quit mimicking my moves!" The blue hedgehog yelled angrily.
"You're the one who's copying me!" The green hedgehog, quickly recovering himself, argued.
He charged forward and did a Spin Dash, which forced his opponent to dodge out of the way before Sonic did the same, the two hitting each other in flashes of blue and green which filled their made-shift battlefield. The impact of each other's attacks forced the two hedgehogs to bounce around the area and walls while attacking one another in each moment they got, receiving injuries as they went before they landed on the ground and uncurled themselves, glaring at one another and attempted to ignore the pain they were quickly going through. The two charged once more and delivered more heavy punches and kicks, either managing to block them or hitting each other hard.
Though to Scourge's frustration and disbelief, Sonic knew his moves since they were much like his own and thus was able to duck and dodge even though his hits weren't getting anywhere either. But the young hero of Mobius refused to give up and his determination to defeat the evil hedgehog, to save the world and his friends, to help Silver find his own friends, and solve this mystery burned deep into his heart. But there was also the guilt of knowing that Dr. Eggman was alive and he was to blame for it, and the unspeakable rage against Scourge who refused to tell him anything as well. The teenager's emotions were like a mixed nut-bag right now that he really didn't think of much else apart from the battle.
"Ooh! Did I strike a nerve? You look like you're angry with me!" Scourge taunted upon seeing the pure rage, guilt and hate in the blue hedgehog's eyes.
"Shut up!" Sonic screamed angrily, aiming for a punch only for his opponent to catch it, then grabbed his arm and tossed him easily into the air as he screamed. But then thinking quickly, the blue hedgehog flipped to reposition himself and did his Homing Attack with help of his boost, zooming straight towards the green hedgehog and hitting him squarely in the chest which sent him flying backwards screaming himself. He hit the ground hard and skid before stopping while Sonic landed in a crouch, wincing as he placed a hand onto his arm which he knew was also going to have some bruises for awhile.
Scourge hissed in pain and was unable to believe that his newest enemy had done this to him. Growling furiously himself, the evil hedgehog sped up straight towards Sonic who did the same and the two attempted to smack each other in the faces but ended up colliding with their arms instead, grunting and struggling to push each other back before the blue hedgehog tried to kick his enemy in the stomach, and was successful in giving the green hedgehog a taste of his own medicine. It also allowed him to punch him squarely in the face, knocking him backwards stumbling and causing his sunglasses to fly off where they landed on a clatter on the ground.
Emerald green eyes full of now pure rage and disbelief stared back at Sonic's which widen in disbelief and horror; his enemy really was identical to him, much like a mirror image or a copy with slight differences.
"That...was...my...favorite...pair of...SUNGLASSES!" Scourge roared furiously, now really bent on killing Sonic who, still shocked over how identical they both looked but being polar opposites, couldn't help but smirk in amusement.
"Ya' know, I'm kinda surprised that you could see through them in the middle of the night and dark places like this one. Plus there's tons of sunglasses in the world." Sonic teased, wanting to give his opponent another taste of his own medicine.
"YOU'RE DEAD!" The green hedgehog charged once again, only for the blue hedgehog to run out of the way and despite the two being shockingly matched in speed, continuously repeating the process of their fight to the point of becoming nearly exhausted, Sonic then had an idea which he hoped would work.
The sixteen year old quickly punched and kicked the seventeen year old hard in the chest, face and stomach before kicking him on the side which made the latter scream. The blue hedgehog then ran and spun around and around and around so fast that he began creating a blue tornado of speed and dust which picked up the green hedgehog who, not having expected this despite that this too was his own move, yelped and screamed in alarm while being lifted into the air. Sonic then stopped before Homing Attacked Scourge multiple times that his newest enemy was helpless and for the first time in the green hedgehog's life, felt the sudden sense of loss of the toughest battle he ever experienced.
"Eat this!" Sonic shouted, now above his enemy and Homing Attacked straight downward once his Tornado technique ended, hitting Scourge so hard that he was sent falling straight towards the ground screaming before crashing hard in a matter of micro seconds, dust flying everywhere in the area. The blue hedgehog landed safely on the ground, wincing at the heavy battle he had to endure which was the toughest he's ever experienced.
"Ow..." The cobalt hero softly grumbled, placing a hand onto his arm as he hissed in pain. "And I thought my battles against Shadow and Knuckles were tough, but geez. No wonder they both had a tough time whenever I beat them."
As the dust cleared, there was a small crater was shown, and within it was an injured, stunned, shocked and bewildered Scourge the Hedgehog who laid there at first, staring at the sky with a wide-eyed expression.
"I...I can't believe it...! I lost...to a blue bozo who...has the same skills as me!" He muttered, not wanting to accept it, before hissing in pain over his own injuries. "Ow...Hate to admit it, but I kinda get how Sil' and his cat girlfriend felt."
Despite this, he stood up while ignoring his injuries and jumped out of the crater, much to Sonic's shock, unable to believe that the green hedgehog was still able to move. He landed near where his sunglasses landed and picked them up, glaring angrily at the bewildered hero of Mobius.
"Hmph! You just got lucky, Sonic." Scourge grunted in pure hate, replacing his shades over his eyes. "The next time though, your luck will run out."
"In your dreams." Sonic growled back, in defense just in case. "Now, time to hand over your end of the bargain. Where's Eggman? Where can I find him?"
A long moment of silence as the two hedgehogs stared each other, before the blue hero shouted impatiently and angrily. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Where. Is. Eggman!?"
"Do you really want to find him?" The green hedgehog challenged darkly.
"Of course I do! I have to stop him, just like I'm gonna stop you and that giant monster and save the world, and all of my friends!" Sonic shouted.
"Hmph. You're gonna have to go through one more area before you find him in another. Just so you know, you're in for a bit of a competition since somebody else is looking for him." Scourge reluctantly relented.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you'll find out. You don't know who he is, but he certainly has been following you, and before you ask, no it's neither your friends or Silvy-Wilvy. He's...shall we say, much like you only slightly different...in appearance."
Before Sonic could get any further answers, Scourge simply snapped his fingers as a dark void opened up behind him before the latter ran inside.
"Wait! Scourge!" The blue hedgehog cried out, but the portal already closed before he could even think of making a move to chase after him. Now left on his own, he stood there thinking over what he has learned.
Eggman's survival and latest scheme, teaming up with the evil green hedgehog, and possibly and very likely controlling an evil monster that Sonic once again had never heard of, like with Dark Gaia, and the Wisps...the teenage hero felt like he was the one who lost the fight instead of Scourge.
No. More like having won a fight, but lost a war. All because he tried to save himself in his battle against the Nega-Mother Wisp to return her to normal, while having unknowingly saved his long-time enemy and foolishly believed that he had been dead for three months, when he was sent to the place that the teenager hadn't even heard of.
"WHY!?" Sonic screamed to the sky, while holding his hands onto his head in anguish frustration, his voice echoing through out the area. "Why does this always happen!? Why can't you just quit!? I hate you, Eggman! I HATE YOU!"
Feeling drained all of the sudden with the screaming, the turmoil of his emotions and unbearable guilt that was washing over him and his injuries leaving him exhausted, the teenage hedgehog lowered his hands from his head, buried his face into them, and cried. Though nothing could stop his tears from falling free and landed onto the floor like rain drops. He collapsed onto his knees and continued to cry, the heavy weight placed both onto his shoulders and into his heart held him tightly as though he was captured against his will.
"...It really is all my fault! I messed everything up...!" The distraught young hero sobbed. "I finally did it...! I destroyed...I destroyed the world!"
Sonic spent the next five minutes crying even when it felt more like an eternity, before finally feeling too tired to continue, sniffling before forcing himself to calm down, and wiped away his eyes even though they were stubborn and more continuously slid free.
"Well...Guess I'd better go and fix this up. It's my responsibility, and sitting here doing nothing isn't gonna help." The blue hedgehog croaked, his throat feeling sore from all the yelling and screaming.
As he tried to settle down, he was surprised when all of the sudden a very unusual portal that looked like a giant golden ring with a black and purple vortex sparking inside appear in front of him. Blinking in confusion, Sonic decided that since he couldn't find a Sol Emerald and hoped that Scourge hadn't stolen it already, that was his only way out and stood up before racing through into it.
When he emerged on the other side, he was greeted by the relieved and surprised trio of Tails, Amy and Silver who unknown to him, had just seen the former two's younger, alternate selves run off to meet with the blue hedgehog's alternate, younger self. But when they saw his injuries and then his somber expression, the trio ran up to him.
"Sonic! What happened?" Silver asked.
"Are you okay?" Amy cried out frantically, fearing for the worst.
"Did you find out anything useful?" Tails exclaimed. "Are you badly hurt?"
Sonic waited patiently for the questions to die down, before sighing and began. "Well, in order, I found what was left of Metal Sonic who was smashed into pieces. Not sure who did it, but maybe it was Scourge or somebody else."
That caught Silver's attention instantly as he went up to the blue hedgehog, demanding. "You saw Scourge!?"
"And fought him. You were right, Silver. He's no pushover." The blue hedgehog confirmed. "More than that, I now know who else is responsible for this mess, and have an idea how he did this."
"...Who is it?" The two-tailed fox asked, fearing that he already knew the answer but didn't want to believe it and instead waited for his best friend/big brother to answer.
A moment of tense silence.
"...It's Eggman." Sonic replied with his eyes closed in guilt, so softly that it was even barely a whisper. "He's still alive."
"WHAT!?" Tails and Amy both shrieked in horror and disbelief.
"That can't be!" The nine year old exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought he was-!"
"I thought so too, but then I began thinking. With all of these robots robots, who else would go and send out metal toys that are Egg-shaped? When I was in the Chemical Plant, I couldn't figure out how it was possible, but then I realized something. You guys remember when I said that I used Chaos Control to get myself out before Yacker's mom could swallow me after she trapped me inside her possessed mouth?" The sixteen year old gently interrupted, struggling not to cry again.
"...Do you think that Chaos Control freed Eggman?" The thirteen year old hedgehog asked, hesitantly.
Sonic nodded grimly in guilt, "And sent him to where that giant monster is, wherever that was, and somehow connected when Scourge tried to use the Sol Emeralds. Think about it, all that is so that Egghead could not only take over the planet, but also get his revenge on me."
"Um...What's Chaos Control?" Silver asked, awkwardly as he felt uncomfortable with this new revelation.
"It's a power that the user of the Chaos Emeralds use to either teleport to places, or freeze people in time temporarily." Tails explained, making the fourteen year old hedgehog from the future stunned in shock and disbelief.
"No way!" The silver hedgehog exclaimed.
"Worst part is," The blue hedgehog continued, guilt eating at his heart and sorrow threatening to take control, tears forming in his eyes. "I didn't have a choice. I thought that...that Eggman had been digested by the time I used it. But I was wrong! Scourge pretty much confirmed my suspicions and knows where he is!"
Breaking down into crying once more uncontrollably, Sonic buried his face into his hands and sobbed. "Oh, Chaos, I'm so sorry, guys! This whole thing is all my fault! It's because of me that this happened...! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"
"Sonic...!" The two-tailed fox whispered, tears already falling as he felt his heart break due to how his big brother was blaming himself for this situation to happen.
"Oh, Sonic...!" Amy tearfully whispered, gently reaching over and pulled her distraught and guilt-ridden boyfriend into a comforting embrace, and felt him automatically return it and cried onto her head which she ignored the fact that it was getting wet due to his tears. Tails walked over and also hugged the crying blue hedgehog in his attempts to comfort him.
Silver in the meantime lowered his gaze, not sure what to do, but felt his own guilt rise even further. He failed. He utterly failed to stop Scourge from using the Sol Emeralds, and now both Moebius and Mobius were in grave danger and he had no idea how to fix it. The silver hedgehog blamed himself for what was going on, and getting Sonic and all of his friends involved which also has their own evil enemy still being alive apparently all this time.
"Sonic...I don't think it was Chaos Control that caused this to happen." Tails finally spoke up, remembering what he has seen earlier and felt like he was getting closer in figuring out the truth.
"No, Tails. It definitely is. How else can you explain...Eggman still being alive? I messed everything up; three whole months into believing he was dead, only for this to happen, and attacked when he figured out it was my birthday, today." Sonic shook his head.
"Well, maybe Scourge brought him back to life or it's like another Eggman." The nine year old blurted out.
"Huh?" The blue hedgehog blinked, gently pushing away his best friend/little brother and his self-proclaimed girlfriend to gaze at the former better. "What're you talking about, bro?"
"Well...did you haven't to notice anybody that looked like you, apart from Scourge?" Tails asked awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
Sonic raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what his little brother meant. "No. Why?"
"I kinda have my own theory, because, well, this is gonna sound really crazy and you probably won't believe me or Amy or even Silver. I tried to tell you when you got back from the Chemical Plant, but I didn't get the chance. See, before you found Amy and after you left to investigate...I saw another, younger version of you, but slightly different in appearance." The nine year old kit explained.
The sixteen year old stared at him in disbelief. "Another me?"
"Yeah, and after he left, I even met another younger version of me! And then just after you went into this place, he came back with a younger version of Amy, too!" Tails continued.
"She was even wearing the same outfit I wore when I was eight years old." Amy quickly added. "So there's two of the three of us!"
"They're telling the truth, Sonic. Though I haven't seen another you yet, I've definitely met the other Tails and Amy." Silver added.
Sonic raised an eyebrow in disbelief, before shaking his head. "Sorry, but I find that hard to believe. I think you guys saw a bunch of illusions of this place, 'cause I saw something completely crazy while I was in the Casino Night. But I'll explain that later. Right now, I've gotta check out another place and hopefully find another Sol Emerald before Scourge does, and then locate the other place where Eggman might be, assuming that jerk hasn't lied to me."
The future hedgehog sighed, scratching the side of his head. "The thing is with Scourge is that he does sometimes lie. He might be pretending and making you believe that he does know him."
"No, he definitely said the truth. I didn't even mention anything about him, and Scourge even mentioned Eggman's old name Robotnik. Either way, this is my responsibility and I have to fix up this mess." The blue hedgehog said firmly.
"Sonic-" Tails tried to speak up again, as what he heard only began to prove his theory even further. But once again his older adoptive brother kindly interrupted by gently patting him on the head.
Sonic smiled in sadness and guilt. "I'm sorry, Tails. I'll set everything back to normal. I promise."
Before either of his friends or Silver could say anything further, the cobalt hero waved at them and then dashed off into the same direction they'd been going, towards another area that looked like a place with over-sized mushrooms and flowers.
"...But I don't even think it is Eggman. At least not the one we knew even if it is the same guy but..." The nine year old kit muttered, even though he knew that Sonic wouldn't hear him.
"He's stubborn." Silver remarked with an annoyed sigh.
"He's always been that way." Amy simply said, still feeling awful for her 'boyfriend' feeling like this was all his fault when even she knew that it wasn't.
If only Sonic really knew what was going on.
A/N: Doing both Metal Sonic and Scourge battles were tough, and while I can't remember the locations of Moebius since it's been a while when I read the comics(though between you and me, I find comic books to be a little too dark. I know Mangas are as well, but I find them somewhat more light-hearted), I made up the location of the Game/Giant Toy Box City being a city of Scourge's world being an Anti-Casino City.
Next Chapter we set forth into Sky Sanctuary! See you later!
