One day later, Rouge was sitting on a public bench, eating a chili dog and listening to 'It Doesn't Matter'...

Then as a car near the other side of the street passed by, something caught Rouge's eyes in the window of a shop. She hovered across the street and pressed her hands against the glass. It was a gleaming crimson jewel.

"Where have you been all my life?! This will make a fine addition to my collection"

Rouge started drooling at the sight in front of her. A concerned pedestrian walked up to her.

"Uhh...miss...are you alright"

She immediately looked at him in a confused manner, she then looked away and started to think

"Wait a minute, am I alright? What kind of hero thinks about stealing gems, the only person I know who does that is Tails...Wait a minute…"

She remembered the incident back at Eggman's lab involving the mind control device

"That device, when it broke...It must have caused our personalities to get mixed up. That fight yesterday went as awful as it did because none of us are suited to replace each others' roles like that. And I just realized that Sonic was wearing a dress, and Eggman is now a good guy...actually that last one's a good thing...wait, if I just find things that will remind them all of who they are, they should be back to normal. It looks like it's my job to change them all back"

Rouge ran off to go find the rest of the group. She eventually ran into Sonic who was lying down on the sidewalk visibly sick and covered in ice cream, still wearing his dress.

"Sonic?"

"All this ice cream made me sick, my mom's going to be really upset with me"

"Sonic, has it concerned you at all that your mother is a Rabbit while you're a Hedgehog?"
"Rouge, do you think you could help me get home?"

Rouge started to think "That didn't work, maybe if he eats some regular food he'll wake up. wait...that's it!"

Speaking again, she said "Hold up a sec. I'll be back"

Rouge ran down the sidewalk and turned behind a building, she came back with a chili dog with extra jalapenos, she proceeded to hand it to Sonic.

"Here you go Sonic, I got you this chili dog. Why don't you have it?"

"Chili dog?"

"Wait, you mean that you don't even know these exist?"

"I've never heard of a chili dog, but if its a gift from you, I'm sure I'll love it"

He took a bite out of the chili dog and his eyes went blank for a second, he then placed his hand on his forehead and looked as if he just woke up.

"...what happened? Oh man, what am I wearing?"

"I was just about to ask the same question, but we have problem"

"I can tell"

"Well, all of our minds were mixed around when Eggman's mind control device broke. However, I have a solution. If we find things that relate to our actual minds, we should be able to return to normal"

"Ok, I guess I won't be needing this dress anymore"

Sonic ripped the dress off with ease while some pedestrians looked at him in confusion

Sonic asked "So where do we go from here?"

"Well, I suppose we could bring Knuckles back easily, but i'm going to need to borrow a piece of the master emerald"

"I don't think he'd like it if you did that"

"True, but I'm pretty sure it's the only thing he thinks about on a regular basis"

"I don't have any better suggestions, so I say we just do it"

The two ran off outside of the city until they found where Eggman was guarding the master emerald. They both went and hid in the bushes nearby, while Eggman began to monologue.

"Hehehe, that fox boy won't be able to steal the master emerald this time, he won't be expecting that I've hidden it out in the middle of nowhere"

Rouge whispered "To be fair, I'd say this was easier to find than it normally is"

Sonic replied "but how do you expect to retrieve it without him noticing"

"If it were this easy to find, then…

Eggman turned after hearing a familiar voice come from above

"Well well, Eggman. Were you keeping this emerald just for me? Aww, you shouldn't have"

Tails flew down and gently landed in front of Eggman

"Tails! somehow I knew deep down that hiding it here was a bad Idea"

"Great, he's distracted, now let's go get that emerald" said Sonic

Sonic vaulted over the bush while holding a hammer and chisel and sprinted to the emerald. He chiseled a shard of the master emerald off and lept back behind the bush. He and Rouge both got up and headed to "Knuckles'" workshop. When they both got there, the entire building was full of broken equipment that had been repeatedly punched and hammered way too hard. Knuckles was in the corner hammering the Cyclone repeatedly until it toppled over with a loud crash, blowing metal dust into the air.

They both walked up to him and Sonic said "Knuckles?"

"Don't look at me Sonic, don't look at my shame. These hands weren't meant to create, they only destroy! I can't look at them!"

"Knuckles, do you ever consider that maybe this equipment wasn't made by you. I mean, the emblems on all this equipment show a pair of fox tails"

"I never really thought about it, I'm too busy coming up with new ideas and repairing things I've broken"

Rouge tried her hand at reasoning with Knuckles "Have you ever considered the fact that you aren't smart in the slightest?"

"What are you talking about? I made all these devices, and that includes the Tornado."

He pointed to the Tornado, flaming and in disrepair.

"Okay, if you're smart, then explain anything about how the Tornado works."

"Well the….uhhh...I don't have to know how it all works, but I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing."

"That's it, he's lost it. I guess we have to use plan B" lamented Sonic, as he pulled out the emerald shard and handed it to Rouge .

Rouge teased "Hey Knuckles, look what I've got!"

Knuckles immediately recognized the shard and flashed his teeth in anger

Speaking through clenched teeth, Knuckles demanded "Hand over the emerald shard and nobody gets hurt"

Sonic went over and hugged Knuckles, telling him "Knuckles, you're back!"

'Back? What are you talking about? You have some explaining to do"

"Ok, first you can help us out, have you seen anyone else acting strange lately" asked Rouge

"Well, I did see Shadow walking down the street picking flowers, and he had this strange theme song playing. He kept saying 'Lately I just feel so fine! I imagine that you're mine!'. I don't know what he's talking about and I don't want to know"

"What are we waiting for, let's go find him! I'll explain everything on the way" said Sonic

The three left Tails' workshop and headed towards the city.

After a long walk back into the city, they saw Shadow on the other side of the street acting exactly as Knuckles described him.

"Ok there he is, but how are we going to bring him back" asked Rouge

"Hmm...isn't there some girl he always mumbles about, what was her name…"

The three notice that they are standing right outside of a costume store

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Sonic

"I think so" stated Rouge

The three of them went inside of the costume store, and a few minutes later, Rouge came out wearing a blue dress and a blond hair wig. She then crossed the street to talk with Shadow.

"Shadow?"

"Good afternoon ma'am, have you seen a white haired bat walking around? It's just that, that bat's my girlfriend and I've got a present for her. I'm really excited to give it to her and see her reaction."

"Shadow, do you talk to all strangers this much?"

"Wait, how do you know my name? Are you one of Rouge's friends?"

Rouge immediately tried putting on an act "Shadow there's no time, you have to protect the ARK!"

"Maria? Don't worry, I'll always protect the ARK no matter the cost"

Sonic and Knuckles came out of the costume shop dressed as GUN soldiers holding foam dart guns.

"um...Thank you Shadow"

Sonic proceeded to shoot a foam dart at Rouge and then she pretended to die. Shadow clenched his teeth and was about to charge at Sonic and Knuckles, but Rouge got up without the wig on and asked "Did it work?"

Shadow stared at her in confusion, and looked at Sonic and Knuckles who had their helmet's off already, he then grumbled and said

"You guys do realize it's not very nice to haunt people with their tragic past, right?"

"I know, but we couldn't think of a better solution. You had been acting like Amy since that incident at Eggman's lab" stated Rouge.

"Speaking of Amy, have you seen her around? Even if you haven't, she's currently acting like you and you might know what you'd be doing right now" asked Sonic

"I haven't seen her recently, but I'd assume she's probably brooding on top of a building right now, that's what I do for most of the day"

"Hmm, what do you think will bring Amy back to normal?" wondered Sonic

Knuckles responded "I think we all know what that will be"

Sonic laughed nervously.

A few minutes later, they went up the stairs of a building and saw Amy standing outside facing away from them.

Sonic stated "I don't know if this will work, what if she thinks I'm still like Cream?

Shadow responded "Just be yourself, then she'll probably recognize you right away. It's not like Cream tries to get in a relationship with her."

"That's what I'm worried about. She may still think that's who I am right now"

"Don't worry, even if she doesn't change back, I'll be there for you" added Rouge

"I think I have a few more chances before I get that desperate"

Sonic stepped out nervously and approached Amy

"Hey Amy, I've been thinking about us for a while"

Amy turned her head to look at Sonic

"Us?"

"Yeah, me and you. Our relationship"

Amy gasped "Our relationship!?"

"You know, like…." Sonic looked to the side and spoke through clenched teeth "Like boyfriend and girlfriend."

Amy clasped her hands together and began tearing up

"Sonic, I'm so excited! You finally realize we were meant to be together!"

Sonic jumped back and thought about turning back "Actually, I think I'll take the bat girl"

As he said that, Amy ran up to him and hugged him tightly

Knuckles started speaking with Rouge "It looks like that went well, now all that's left are Tails and Cream, but where would Tails be right now"

"To be honest, I don't even know myself, this might be more difficult than I thought" stated Rouge

After a while of looking around, the group found themselves inside an empty building where Tails sat on a stool, looking into a mirror with his back turned to the group.

Rouge walked up to him and carefully said "Tails?"

Tails turned around to reveal himself. He had applied a generous amount of blue eyeshadow, dark black eyeliner, and unnaturally long eyelash extensions.

Rouge gasped, "Ok Tails, that's just creepy, snap out of it!"

"Snap out of what? You invade my dressing room and then tell ME to snap out of it?"

"Uhh...guys...am I actually like this"

Knuckles clarified "I don't think you've ever acted this strange before, and it's worse because it's actually Tails"

"And I certainly don't live in an abandoned warehouse"

Tails started speaking "Well, as you can see i'm going to need a lot of space for my new jewel collection. You'll notice I've already started" he pointed to a pile of broken stained glass.

"That's...absolutely pathetic, you really need to get back to your actual life" stated Sonic

Offended, Tails responded "I know you're all just jealous of me and my collection"

Rouge turned back to the group "Do any of you guys know how to bring this guy back, he seems really far gone"

Sonic suggested "We could try taking him back to his workshop"

Knuckles stated nervously "uh...I don't think he'll want to see that right now, especially like this"

Amy suggested "Maybe you could try singing his theme song"

"Ok, i'll give it a try"

Rouge started singing

"I wanna fly high

So I can reach the highest of all the heavens

Somebody will be

Waiting for me so I have gotta fly higher

Gotta keep goin'

Everything is a brand new challenge for me"

Tails completely ignored the song and walked over to his freshly collected broken glass and started picking up pieces of it and admiring them.

"I don't think it worked, It looks like I have only one other option" said Rouge as she stepped over to Tails

Tails started to get into a defensive stance "I'll never let you take any of my gems"

"Tails, Sonic is in big trouble, he's gotten into another fight with uhh" she turned to the rest of the group and signaled them to improvise something

Knuckles whispered "robots"

Amy picked up a bucket that was lying nearby and put it on her head and started acting like a robot

"...with robots. You're the only one who can save him and you have to use the Tornado!"

Tails stared at Rouge as he came to the realization of what was going on

"I'll be there as quickly as possible! I can't leave my friend behind!"

He looked over Rouge's shoulder to see Sonic standing by, completely unharmed

"Didn't you say Sonic was in trouble and needed help?"

"Uhhh" she started waving to Sonic again

Sonic fell to his knees and started acting "Help! Help! I am being murdered!"

Tails was unphased from Sonic's all too apparent acting

"Don't patronize me Sonic, I can see you're fine. Now tell me, what's going on here?"

Rouge turned Tails toward the mirror "We'll why don't you take a look for yourself"

Tails saw his face covered in makeup and shouted "Why am I wearing makeup, and why is there a pile of broken glass over there?! What's going on"?

"It's complicated, but we still have one more person to help" said Sonic

"Right, I think Cream should be easy to save," stated Rouge "all we need to do is return Cheese to her...oh no, I forgot to release Cheese when we were back at the lab"

Shethen ran out the door leaving the rest of the group behind.

Some time later, Rouge was back at the lair where the mind swap occurred. She headed inside to the lab, only to find Cheese still locked inside the cage.

"Oh no, Cheese!"

She ran to the cage Cheese was in and spoke to them

"Cheese, are you okay? ….You were fed by robots?...The food here is great?...Booby traps?...Whatever, we need your help. We think you might be what can turn Cream back to her old self again. I'm gonna get you out of that cage and then we can go save Cream, sound like a plan?"

"Choo choo!"

Rouge grabbed the lock on the cage door and fiddled with it in an attempt to open it. She heard a click and a cage came down from the ceiling, trapping her and Cheese within.

"What's that you said about booby traps?"

Meanwhile, Cream got an alert on her Eggmobile

"Oh, so there's been an invasion in one of my satellite lairs. It's probably that meddlesome bat and her friends again. "

Cream headed off to check on her new captive, unaware that she already had a prisoner from before. Arriving back at the lair, Cream walked into the lab to visit her intruder.

"Rouge, how surprising. Who would have guessed my arch nemesis would break into my lair? This'll certainly make my job easier. And to think, you brought this upon yourself! Well, since you're trapped here, I'll enjoy my freedom and wreak some havoc."

"Really now? Maybe you should take your pet with you"

"Pet?"

"Yeah, you know Cheese remember him...her…" Rouge turned to cheese "Wait are you a boy or a girl?"

Cream sneered "That thing's name is Cheese? What idiot would name their pet that"

"You're the idiot who named them that, it's a pun on your name. Cream Cheese, get it?"

"That name isn't nearly evil enough for the pet of an evil genius like myself. Let me see this 'Cheese' thing, I'm sure you're leaving out some facts about it" said an indignant Cream.

Cream walked over to the cage and Cheese squeezed through the bars to go out and meet her. The appearance of Cheese caused Cream to break her stride and freeze. Her mouth started to slowly open as she continued to gaze into Cheese's forgiving eyes.

"Oh no, Cheese! What's happened to you! What happened to me!"

"It's a long story, if you can let me out I can tell you all about it."

"Oh, that will be easy"

Cream skipped over to a control panel, she pressed about a dozen switches on it before one of them released the electronic lock on the cage. Rouge climbed out of the cage.

"Ok, but do you have any idea what those other switches did?"

"They didn't seem to do anything, I just pressed a bunch until the door opened"

"Great job Cream!"

Instantly, the lights in the room dimmed and rotating red hazard lights flicked to life. A loudspeaker blared a sound not unlike an air raid siren and the lair's PA system issued a warning recorded by Eggman for those inside the building.

"The self destruct sequence has been activated. This facility will self-destruct in thirty seconds. All staff (if I had any in the first place) please report to the emergency exit, if you can even make it by then. Unless you are Sonic or one of his weird friends, in that case please calmly wait for the explosion to erase you from existence. Oh, and have a nice day."

The three of them sprinted to the exit while the alarm continued to sound. The lair began exploding as the group continued their mad dash to the exit. Cream held her arms above her head, shielding herself from an explosion that blasted a panel from the wall beside her. They made it to the exit, just after another blast collapsed the entrance, entombing them.
Rouge yelled in frustration "Oh come on, is this some kind of video game?! Let's try this other door, it's our only option"

A pipe burst from the ceiling in front of them, soaking them all as they ran through the downpour of water. They reached the other door and opened it, revealing a long hallway.

"I see a door at the end of the hall, so I guess we're going through this way..."

Rouge took point and sped towards the door. She turned her head and saw photos of Eggman's The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog iteration in suggestive poses plastered against the wall.

"Cream, don't look at the walls!"

Rouge turned to the other side and found crude drawings of a muscular Eggman fighting a giant monster who vaguely resembled Sonic. Even though she had only a glance as she sped by, Rouge shuddered at the abomination before her. She finally made it to the door and attempted to turn the handle

"It won't budge! It's stuck! Here Cream, help me push"

Rouge and Cream placed their hands against the door and pushed using what unremarkable strength they had. After trying multiple positions and failing, Rouge came up with an idea.

"Stand back Cream, I'm gonna ram this door down!"

Rouge stepped back to gain speed and braced her shoulder, but was cut short by another explosion close behind her. The force of the blast unhinged the door and sent the group flying out of the opening and into a ditch. Seconds later, a far larger explosion sent a wave of flames soaring past the ditch. Rouge looked up to view a site as if she had been submerged in lava. A cloud the color of marbled amber and soot rose above the former site of the lair in a mushroom cloud. The ends of Rouge's fur were singed from the heat and the fauna around the lair was blackened and charred. Once the cloud subsided, Rouge poked her head up, awed by the scorched earth and devastation before her.

"We need to get back to Tails' workshop, everyone needs to know what happened"

Later, the rest of the group was back at Tails workshop. Rouge, Cream, and Cheese threw open the door to Tails workshop, smoke emitting from their ash and mud-covered bodies.

Rouge gave a faint smile and jokingly asked the group "Hey everyone, what's going on?" before collapsing on the floor, revealing Cream hanging on her back.

Tails rushed over to Cream and checked her for any wounds "Get me the medical bag on the shelf over there, who knows what they've been through"

Knuckles went to retrieve the bag as asked. He took the bag down from a shelf and Eggman burst through the door next to him, swinging the door directly into Knuckles' face

"Guys, I need your help, someone's taken a piece of the master emerald, and did you hear that huge explosion earlier?"

Rouge looked up and said "Oh wait, I never changed him back, maybe we can just..."

"Wait a minute, do we really need to change him back?" interjected Sonic "He'll stop being evil if we keep him like this."

"Hmm, you might be right, we could consider it an upgrade"

Eggman looked at the group and his expression changed as he noticed that they were all back to normal.

He grumbled, "Curse you Sonic, and all your friends too! If you all didn't attack me, I'd have you all as my personal slaves. But considering how dangerous this mind control device really was, I think i'll just go back to trying to destroy you all."

Eggman started to leave and mumbled to himself "I'm going to need about ten sub sandwiches and 3 extra large drinks to get out of this confusion"

He addressed the heroes by saying "Don't worry, I'll be back with another fiendishly clever plan, and that one won't fail! With my forest lair at my disposal, you won't be able to stop me!"

Eggman ran out of the building and slammed the door behind him.

Rouge stood up to speak with the rest of the group "I'm sure he'll like the way his lair has been redecorated."

Amy raised an eyebrow and replied "I didn't have you pinned as the interior decoration type, Rouge. I can only imagine what a jewel thief would do with an evil lair"

"It was a spur of the moment thing. Also, It was actually all Cream's doing"

Tails asked "It wouldn't have anything to do with that huge boom we felt earlier would it?"

"Well, let's just say I changed the lair to an open air design..."

Shadow stated "I don't get it"

Amy's eyes widened in surprise "No, don't tell me…"

"Way to go Cream!" celebrated Knuckles as he realized what happened

Sonic mentioned "Man, what I would give to see Eggman's face when he sees his lair got blown up! Wait a minute, I don't need to imagine it, I'll just leave now and wait!" and he ran off to view Eggman's decimated lair.

Tails asked the group "Ok, so now that everything's back to normal, does anyone have any suggestions on what to do now?"

Shadow crossed his arms and replied "I don't care what you do, I'm leaving. I've had more than enough of all of you today. Hopefully I'll just forget this ever happened, especially how I acted with Rouge"

Cream offered "How about we all get ice cream! I haven't had one in days"

Shadow poked his head in the doorway and said "Well now that you mention it…"

Rouge joined in "Yeah, I think that's a great idea"

Tails stated "It will certainly help after being in an explosion"

The group all left the building to go back into town.