19 - The World's Crumbling, So Eat Cake

"What you said before, what do you mean you both 'didn't understand emotions'?" Shadow asked with a raised brow.

The question made Zonic sigh. That was a bit of a long story. Before he got into that, he requested something of Shadow. "I'm sorry, but before we continue, would you like some coffee?"

Shadow saw the tired expression on his face. He nodded without a word, and watched the officer grab something from behind his desk. He was holding up a walkie talkie. He talked into the device, asking for a nearby soldier to carry up a tray of two freshly brewed coffees, and some random breakfast pastries.

He wanted to be done with this day, and he probably wanted to go home. He was dealing with what Sonic called 'heartbreak', if he wasn't mistaken. As they spent time together as a couple, Sonic told Shadow what such a horrid feeling felt like. It wasn't just some emotion, it was an actual physical thing that could traumatize both your mind and body for a period of time. It was worse than depression, and it was as painful as getting a hole rammed into your chest. No exaggeration either, your chest actually became a hole that felt like it's been bludgeoned by a sledgehammer, over and over. Not only that, but it could deteriorate your health. Apparently, this is something people can die from.

This is why the concept of emotions was so lost on the biohog. He knew the basics, happiness, sorrow, rage, hopelessness, exhaustion...And he was slowly understanding what 'liking' and 'strongly liking' something was. That correlated with affection, and passion. Perhaps, branches of love? But why was love so detrimental? How could emotions be so dangerous? He understood mental issues sprouting from emotions, such as madness, obsession, isolation or extreme passion. But he didn't understand why the more normal and everyday emotions, could be just as deadly, or just as important.

That's why he didn't get why it was so imperative to say it to Sonic from time to time. Hell, he didn't understand why Maria even said it to him. He only said it back to her, because he felt that it was only right. If he was able to feel that way with her without reluctance, why did he have so much difficulty saying it to Sonic? Was it because his love for him differed from his love for Maria, and the depth of their relationship wasn't as deep? Having a sibling-like bond with the girl, made him happy. But not in the same way Sonic made him happy. He knew for sure he felt affection for Maria, but not in the same way he felt affection for Sonic. He loved Maria but-

...Oh...He didn't love Sonic the same way. He loved him, on a level more than that.

He...Loved him more than he loved Maria? No, that...That couldn't be, right?

"Shadow prime? Are you okay?" He heard the commander ask.

The dark hedgehog slowly looked up to face him, and just shook his head. "I'm fine." He dismissed his concerns.

Zonic smiled a little. "I think, I know what you were just thinking about." He got up from his chair and walked over to his office door. Shadow didn't even hear them knock. Zonic opened the door and quickly thanked the soldier who delivered their beverages. He took the tray and walked passed his desk to place the tray on the little coffee table he had near the back of the room. He pulled a chair over and gestured for Shadow to join him. He did the same and sat with the commander. "I believe you also are not sure of certain emotions. You don't truly grasp what love is, right?"

"I don't." Shadow replied hopelessly. "I know I'm supposed to, but I don't understand why. And I know I'm capable of doing so, and saying so, but I just can't. I know I can, but something is holding me back. Why is that? What is it?" He asked with a sense of distress.

"Simple, Shadow prime. Well, it's not that simple, as I've only just learned the meaning myself." He handed a mug of black coffee over to him, to which he quietly thanked the other. Zonic dabbed some cream and sugar in his own, which was supplied on the tray. Everyone in the facility knew their commander loved cream and sugar with his coffee, as he had a guilty pleasure of sweets. He watched his dark beverage fade into a lighter brown color. "The word 'love' is a complexity all on it's own. That's why the phrase 'I love you', is so difficult to say. It has such a strong, and heavy meaning that too many people effortlessly throw around. Love isn't a life long commitment, it isn't sexual desire, and it's not some unconditional feeling of a special bond."

"...It isn't..?" This shocked Shadow tremendously. Maybe not sexual desire, or commitment but love wasn't the feeling of a special bond?

"No. You can say I love you to a pet that's been with you for years as a loyal companion, but it's not the same. Maybe sentimental history, but that isn't the point of love." He stirred his spoon in the mug, watching the added contents form and mix together perfectly. Molding into something better, sweeter. "Love is something you feel to someone who just makes you feel happy. You don't need special brands as to why you feel for them. They make you feel happy, inspired, important and serenity. That's all you need." Zonic held up his spoon and took a small taste test. Yup, that's how he liked it. "I only fell in love with Zhadow, because I got to know him. He made me feel joy. In turn, I did the same for him. Sure, him putting me under his wing may have helped, but that wasn't the initial cause as to why. I just grew to feel that way for him." He held up the mug and sipped it carefully, as the contents were hot.

"Then how do you explain the feelings for friends or family? People who don't count as your significant other."

"Family and friends have a different level of affection than partners." He said before finishing a gulp. "Family and friends can't make you feel the same way as a lover. It's just an indescribable feeling that feels entirely different. While it is a different love, it's still love at the end of the day."

He only said he loved Maria because she was someone who made him feel joy. She looked after him, and he looked after her. They were inseparable, But that was all his love could reach to, a sibling affection. For Sonic, his love reached farther. He didn't just look after him, he did other things with him that siblings couldn't do. It was all so clear to him now. He didn't love Sonic more than her, he just love him in a different way that allowed them to do things he and Maria couldn't.

Zonic was right. It was simple.

"Shadow prime," Zonic started. "I need you to do me a favor, but I need to ask something first."

"Okay."

"You didn't answer my question from before. How long have you and Sonic prime been dating?" He smirked. "It seemed as if you didn't want to confess, then you asked me something to change the direction of the conversation."

"I..." Shadow couldn't even talk his way out of that. The lieutenant general read him good. "I assure you, I genuinely wanted to understand. It's something I've been dealing with ever since we established that we were in a relationship. But, you've made it clear to me now. I finally understand, so, thank you." He said softly. He looked down at the breakfast pastries, that were nearly all gone. The hell? Did the commander eat them all? His stomach was as large as Sonic's. "We've only been dating for a few days, now. We both had developed a crush on each other, but it took us years to finally confess."

"I see. And I assume you've been intimate already." Zonic stated while wiping crumbs from his mouth.

"..." The ultimate life form's red muzzle and diversion of red bashful eyes told it all.

"Hahaha," The zone cop laughed. What a nice sound to hear. "Nothing to be shameful of. We all still have the minds of teenagers, after all. Though," He chuckled with a small blush of his own. "I'm kind of glad my monitors stopped working when they did. That is one sight I'm glad I missed."

"Y-Yeah..." Shadow mumbled. "But," He still didn't know what to do. "Still, when do I say it to him? He won't say it to me, because he's afraid of scaring me off. Actually, he did say it to me the other day. Right after we, well, you know. He said it just felt right to say it at the time. You said sexual desire doesn't define love."

"Yes, it doesn't. But at that moment in time, I can conclude that you both made each other very happy." He said with a suggestive expression. Shadow realized the commander was secretly very dirty. "There's a difference between love and lust. In that instance, it was more than just you two fooling around. Sonic prime genuinely felt a pure sense of passion. That's why he said it, and why it felt right to say it. You only say it to people when the time feels right, when they've really made you happy. Even if it's for something small."

When Maria said it to Shadow, she would sometimes say it out of the blue. Was it because him just being around her made her happy? That, would make sense. And that would mean she really must have...

...Oh man, this stuff was heavy...No wonder this concept was such a damn headache.

"You don't need to say it too much, but you can't say it too little. Unless of course, he's alright with that. Sometimes it doesn't even need to be said, Shadow prime." Zonic shrugged. "Everyone is different, as every relationship is different. These are all just my opinions, after all."

"No, I think you're right." The biohog suddenly declared. "That, makes sense. I completely understand." Why was he so happy that he finally figured it out? Over something so small? No, it wasn't small. This was Sonic he was talking about. Nothing was small about him, nothing about him was insignificant. If he said it to him, it would make him ecstatic. He smiled to himself. The time would come for sure. All they had to do was wait a little longer, and he could see the most beautiful expression on his face.

That's what love was about. Making him happy.

Him being happy, made him happy. That's what Zonic was talking about, right?

Feeling a sense of pride and vicariousness through Shadow's enlightenment, Zonic's face couldn't help but brighten up. He was so glad they found each other. He hoped all counterparts of the primes found each other, just as he and Zhadow did.

...

Zhadow...

His coffee mug shattered on the floor.

Zonic gasped in pain and gripped a hand on his chest. His chest, his heart, it was still swelling. It hurt so damn much, he couldn't take it. He needed him, he needed-

No, he couldn't think about him right now.

"Commander!" Shadow cried. "Are you okay?"

He was starting to sweat a lot again. Shit, that wasn't good. He had to calm down. Zonic took in a few deep breaths, trying with every ounce of energy he had left to relax. As his fingers gripped his top, he still couldn't help but smile. What would that bastard say at the sight of his heartbreak for his love? He'd probably smirk, or laugh victoriously. Or, he'd frown, and maybe he'd cry in sadness. He hated to see him hurt, so maybe he would scream in rage.

Zonic laughed louder.

They cared so much for each other.

So much, that it was killing him.

"Commander, you need to rest."

You need to go home, rookie.

"Damn it, where the hell is faker?"

Do I need to call back up for you, private?

Hahahaha...Hahaha...

He kept hearing his voice, he was going insane. His green eyes, it was almost as if a clash of love and madness swarmed in his pupils. Shadow needed to call someone right now, he looked sick.

He was dying.

"Shadow prime," Zonic croaked while his eyes became half lidded. "That favor I needed to ask of you," He trailed off. At this point, Shadow was out of his chair, holding the commander just in case he fainted.

"Whatever it is, it can wait! You need to-"

"I-I, need you to..."

Clair De Lune always put him at ease.

The light of the now blood red moon that rose to the skies, made his nerves settle. He wanted to go to sleep after watching it's crimson light shine down upon the world. Scourge could only smile. How gorgeous. He twirled his favorite toy in his hand, a toy he hadn't used in so long. His signature baseball bat, with nails stuck inside it's base. The very weapon he used to kill so many people, to cause so much destruction and havoc. He'd use it just one last time before initiating the next part of his plan.

As he swung and bashed the brains of a woman, he didn't stop there. He twirled around and swung it into someone's else's face. Blood coated his outfit from head to toe, his fingers caked with the brains and skin tissue of others. He tasted some on his mouth, which was pretty foul, but he didn't pay it any mind. Some of the blood was even falling off of him, dripping like a busted pen coated in ink. This crowd was pretty big, but he'd get through it in no time. Fiona was off somewhere, killing just as he was. He lost track of her after they jumped from the roof top. That song still playing, it made him feel so serene. He didn't even care where she went. All he wanted to do was keep swinging and killing, humming to himself as he felt the hands of angels humming right with him.

Screams, screams and more screams.

Riots, riots and more riots.

Murder, murder and more murder.

Crying, sobbing and more despair.

This was true devastation. Something everyone needed to face once in a while. These people had their hero shove smiles onto their faces for too long, now. When's the last time they ever had a crisis? No, they're all fools. Taking their lives for granted, smiling and laughing in the face of the imitation of hope. As long as they had their hero everything was a-okay, right? Wrong.

So, deadly wrong. But he'd make them all pay. All pay for acting so damn ignorant! So mindless and stupid! All imbeciles! All insolent, slow witted, empty headed sows who can't understand anything! They've never seen demolition, they've never seen horror. They're so used to their fantasy world, they don't even realize the danger that loomed over their noses the whole fucking time! Their phony fake world, soon they'd all see that kind of world can never exist! Idiots, idiots, fucking idiots!

...Idiots. Fools.

That's what they all were. Poor, simple fools.

As the song played, Scourge's motions slowed. He saw something. Rather, he heard something. It was screams of course, but over the screams and hollers of terrified and wrathful people, he heard something else. A cry for help, a plea of a child. It was a child's voice.

There was a child here?

Scourge put down his bat and narrowed his eyes. He held up a hand, and black energy surrounded it. Then, a large wavelength spread throughout the street. Anyone who was still alive, was now passed out on the floor. That sound, it was nearby. Around the corner of that alley, as a matter of fact.

He would find out what it is, who it could be.

"Commander please-"

"Listen," He panted. "I already lost my chance." Zonic gently pushed Shadow away, indicating that he didn't need his help, he could get through this. Shadow still refused to move, however. "Zone cops like myself aren't born, Shadow prime. Like you, I was created. Officer Zhadow was created as well. Not in a space station, but right here in No Zone." He turned his head to the side, seeing the black and red striped hedgehog's face become pale with shock. "The bloodline of overseers was created by those of your world, to watch over their bloodline. The warden knows all about that. Other high ranking officers, the veterans of this world, raised me. I was to be a soldier without emotion, without a will to live except to protect Sonic prime. They didn't want me to understand emotions like 'love' or 'joy', because that wasn't my job. My purpose was to fulfill my duties, not find happiness in life."

"What...?"

"That's why I didn't understand, at first. We both didn't. I couldn't tell him, not one time. I regret it so much, and it's destroying me." He seized Shadow's hand, holding it tightly. "Shadow prime, please. Do not make the same mistake I did." His fingers were squeezing him. He needed to be assured, he needed him to promise him this one thing. He just needed to hear him say it, he didn't want them to end up like they did. Should disaster strike either of them, he didn't want them to live with the same agonizing regret that he's fighting.

It was too painful, and it was killing him.

"Tell him. The last day of the festival, tell him at least one time." He requested. "Do this one favor for me, as a friend. And if not for me, for Sonic prime."

He wanted to hope, he wanted to believe. But he needed his doubts to be answered with certainty. He didn't want this for them. He wanted more for them. What kind of person would Shadow be if he just ignored his wishes?

He placed his other hand on top of Zonic, holding it firmly. His eyes sharpened with assurance.

"You have my word."

The orange fox jumped down from the helicopter, using namesakes to help him float down to land safely. He landed on the roof of his own house, and hopped off the side. He ran around the perimeter to the back, where his garage was. He huffed and bent down to lift up the door to it. With a grunt, he pushed it upwards and ran inside. He ran to his work table and grabbed all the transmitters he could find. He then looked over and spotted his large plane immediately. While carrying the devices, he jumped up and landed right in the pilot's seat. He placed them down by his feet, not caring if they got scattered on the aircraft's floor. He looked over his dashboard and pressed his gloved fingers on a few buttons to make some commands.

The engine started up, he was nearly ready. He heard the rumble of propellers spinning, pushing air into the wind. He strapped in his seat belt, the roof of the plane setting down to cover him from above. He gripped his hands on the control sticks, ready to fly. The aircraft moved forward, it's wings still tucked in. The entrance to the garage transformed, making a bigger opening for the plane. Lights poking from the grass and floors below guided from inside to outside in a perfect aisle. As he left the garage, the plane's wings began to extend. Once he was fully out and made it a few feet away, Tails pulled his hands at the controls. He lifted off of the ground, and the aircraft's wings extended, a hawk soaring the night.

He made it to the air, gliding flawlessly across the sky. He went even higher, nearly touching the clouds. That's more like it. He flipped the machine on auto pilot, before looking down underneath his dashboard to see his goggles. He leaned down and grabbed them, adjusting their lenses. He placed them on his head and strapped them behind his ears. He slowly placed them down on his eyes, focusing his pupils out the window. He pressed a button on his watch-looking transmitter and spoke into it. "Knuckles, I'm in the air. We'll meet up at GUN HQ."

"Alright, I'll meet you there. Be careful when you land that thing."

"Same to you." The connection ended, and the fox put his hands back on the control sticks, flipping auto pilot off.

Now all he needed was for Rouge or Amy to get back to him.

That noise, that sound...

All that whimpering and crying, it was this brat?

Scourge sucked his teeth and put his hands on his bloody hips. Well, can't say that he was surprised. He had a feeling it was her. He wasn't surprised at the priceless expression on her face, either. After all, he was wearing the blood of so many people. But it wasn't just her, there were two others. He crossed his arms over his chest, his bat still in hand. Making an unimpressed glare, he looked down at the girl below him.

A rabbit, her jasper colored eyes shaking in fear. Two big floppy ears that resembled two big pigtails. A stupid orange dress, with an even stupider blue tie and white collar. She used to hang around that Amy girl. He could tell, because her dress resembled hers a little. Must have modified it to her likeness as she got older. She was crying, so many tears that he didn't care for. She was sniffing and coughing, she had a gash on her leg. There was some weird blue looking thing floating next to her. The hell was that? Some kind of fairy made out of blue pudding or something?

Oh, this was a chao. Those weird mutated looking things that fluttered around the master emerald. They were repulsive looking, and they sounded annoying. He kept hearing it cry, "Chao! Chao, chao!" He had half of mind to throw that thing through a brick wall. The rabbit girl saw the irritation on Scourge's face, so she flinched and grabbed her chao friend. She hugged him close, crawling backwards into the third person he noticed before. This other person looked similar to the girl, but she was definitely older. She had ears as big if not bigger than hers, with a nice amount of brown hair on her head. Her eyes were darker, brown.

Hey now, she was pretty cute looking. No, the hell with 'cute', she was hot.

She had some middle aged looking dress on, like she was some old lady, but her face and body surely didn't match. Her face was that of a twenty year old, and her body was scrumptiously curvaceous. She was just as curvy as that bat girl. She was packing a nice pair of tits, too. Must have been the girl's mother. Scourge sure loved him some MILFs-Wait a minute, was she dead? Scourge tilted his head and leaned forward. No, he saw her chest move up and down. She was breathing. Ah, but there was blood trickling down from her forehead. She must have gotten knocked out. Both her and this girl were slumped against the cold wall of this alleyway corner. The uproar must have gotten the better of them.

Scourge crouched down on his knees, and put down his bat beside him. He took his hat off from his head, then placed his hands between his legs. The girl closed her eyes and looked away with a sob. The green hedgehog's eyes lowered. "You're Cream, right?" Another friend of Sonic's.

Trembling with the chao in her arms, she nodded quickly. She still wouldn't look at him.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked pleasantly.

She nodded again, but Scourge cut her off with furrowed brows.

"Speak, girl." He commanded roughly.

"Y-Yes!" She cried. "Y-Yes, I'm sorry.."

He internally groaned. He hated children. Hated them. "That your mom behind you?" He said with a lowered voice.

"Y-Yes." Another sniffle.

"And," He looked down at the blue creature, his eyes glinting red. The little chao glared daggers into him, making him scoff. It squirmed it's way out of her hands and flew up in front of Scourge's face. It shouted at him, yelling, 'chao!' this and 'chao!' that. Like he could understand the little shit. The girl protested against his actions, telling him come back to her where it was safe. "This little chao of yours?" He asked as he took his fingers and pinched the creature's head, lifting him up. He squeezed it's tiny head, making it wiggle in his hold. The girl pleaded for him to stop.

"N-No! Please give him back! That's my friend, Cheese! H-He didn't mean it, just give him back!"

"Ya know," Scourge poked his nail into the creature's cheek roughly, watching him squish like a slice of watermelon. "Where I come from, we eat chao."

"W-What...?" Her eyes decreased in size.

"Yeah. We cut 'em up and eat 'em."

She shook her head slowly. "No." She uttered.

"But not before we squish 'em like bugs," He grinned as he took both of his fists, and crushed them between the creature's face. He was gonna wring his neck like a wet towel. The chao desperately tried to reach for Cream, muffled screams echoing the block.

"No!" Cream reached her hand out to try and grab him, but it felt like something was holding her back. She looked behind herself, to see her mother Vanilla smiling at her. She was awake? She had her arms wrapped around her, but the embrace wasn't comforting. It was so tight that she couldn't breathe. Cream tried telling her mother to let go, but it was no use. Before her, she saw Vanilla's eyes turn black, laughing manically as she forced her daughter to turn and watch Scourge kill Cheese in his hands.

His fists kept pushing and pushing, crushing and crushing until his head-

"NO!"

His delicate little head...

...Smashed into mush.

She screamed with both the pain of being squeezed, and the pain of losing her childhood friend. She cried and cried until-

"Hey, what are you crying for?" The hedgehog asked with a smirk.

And, everything was fine.

Her mother was still passed out behind her, she never put her arms around her in a bear hug. Cheese was still in her hands, asking her to calm down, wiping her tears with his tiny arms. Cream, no longer felt the air being taken out of her. She was crying, but...What just happened? Did she imagine everything? But it seemed so real. With blank, hollow eyes, she just fell limp against her mother's body. Her broken eyes were enough to make Scourge satisfied. He wouldn't kill her yet.

He stood up from the three while picking up his bat, and putting his hat back on. He turned around, walking away from them. He chuckled. He didn't hear that damn crying anymore. As he walked, he thought about what he'd do next. For the next part of his plan, he had to make a little announcement first. Cream wouldn't be the only person he'd visit.

No, he had a date with Big Blue next.

The hero sped into HQ in a blue streak. He ran inside the elevator and waited for his floor to arrive. He hummed the song of the elevator music, looking over at the bag of goodies he bought. He didn't realize it'd take him forever to get it, though. The line was so damn long, and then they took forever to make the freakin' cake. Their food seemed great, but their service was way too slow. Not to mention pricey as hell. Sonic broke in almost a thousand rings for this freaking cake. Who the hell pays that much for cake? Maybe a wedding or party, sure, but just to eat? Outrageous.

The bag looked similar to that box Zonic had on his desk the other day. The one with the ribbon. He just hoped it tasted as good as it costed. Most of all, he hoped Zonic liked it. He remembered how much he loved sweets. He bought a few other things besides the cake, just in case it wasn't as good as everyone hyped it up to be. Besides, he never got to buy his twin gifts before. He didn't mind at all. With a smile on his face, the elevator settled on the designated floor. He stepped off and walked in the direction of Zonic's office.

He was now standing in front of it, giving a few knocks on the door. After a minute, it opened. He saw that Shadow was in the doorway, he opened it for him. Sonic's smile widened. He sneaked a kiss on his lips before walking inside. As Sonic walked in, he saw Zonic wasn't at his desk, but laying his head on his coffee table instead. He looked like he was asleep, but he knew better than that. Poor guy probably had insomnia. With a sympathetic expression, Sonic came over while dragging a chair from his desk to sit next to him. He placed the pink and white plastic back on the surface of the table, looking at his twin. "Hey Z? You awake, buddy?"

"Yes." He heard him mumble. He sounded very sleepy.

"I gotcha somethin'." He grinned.

"Sonic prime, that wasn't necessary-" He began to protest groggily as held his head up and spotted the bag in front of him. He felt his swollen, scorched and battered heart throb. But, in a good way. That bag, he recognized it's colors. The brand was familiar, too. This was from that new bakery that opened up, that had really expensive cakes and pastries. Zonic was speechless.

"Look, I never buy you anything. And, I wanted to cheer you up." Sonic opened the bag and took out a few boxes. One was the slices of cake, one was a small box of chocolates, and another was a box of crepes of different fruit flavors. Shadow sat next to his rival, and smiled at his generosity. There he went, doing things for others again. "I know I missed like, nineteen birthdays, so I wanted to get you something for once."

"..B...But I never-"

"You don't need to get me anything. You're busy always watching over not just me, but other worlds. I, didn't realize how important you were to me until you told me that." He pushed the box of cake over to his twin. "You always work way too hard. You never catch a break. Neither of us do and it's no competition, but, I think you work harder than I do." He took Zonic's hand gently into his own, and placed it down on top of the box. It smelled heavenly. "I know what it's like to, feel like how your feeling right now. It's, really, really hard to get by. And it hurts, so bad. I know, but," He guided Zonic's hands to open the box. "You can't let that keep you like this. It'll kill ya, you know? So live through it," He handed him a pink plastic fork. "Cry as much as you need to," He made Zonic stab the fork into the slice. "And stuff your face until you can't eat anymore."

That's so odd. Sonic was right. Zonic was just so hungry all of a sudden. After finding out about Zhadow, he, he just kept craving things. It didn't help that he often starved himself when overworking. No, he needed this.

He'd stuff his face all day, to hell with it.

Sonic prime truly did understand.

With a sense of relief, he watched Zonic devour the slices of cake. He could see he was still holding tears back, probably because he didn't want to cry in public. But it was fine. He'd do what he needed to do when they left. Shadow looked over at Sonic with puzzlement. How did he know that was what he wanted? Of course they knew he loved sweets but, how did he know that would be the thing to help him relax?

Sonic shrugged. "I had heartbreak before, I told you. When someone gets heartbreak, they either eat a bunch or they start fasting. Z and I don't gain weight from eating a lot of food at once, so it's fine. I'd rather him be greedy than go days without eating."

A thank you, wasn't needed. He could feel his gratitude through his munching.

The girl with a mallet swung down her melee weapon down onto the ninth radio they found. Amy was sweating a bit. How many of these things were there? She swung at another, breaking it into pieces. That was at least two on this roof top. She held up the weapon and laid it against her pink shoulder. She looked over at the building a few feet away. Rouge was currently destroying the radios on that one. Amy noticed that as they destroyed them, the red looking chaos energy that drifted around began to disappear. Not by much though. Who knows how many of them were out there. They probably only added more after they left Station Square.

Damn, he had more than the city under his control. They needed to do more. Tails said it'd be adequate if they just gotten rid of the radios in the square, but would that be enough? This energy was still pretty strong. And there was another thing that still boggled her mind.

Why weren't any of them under Scourge's control?

They were exposed to the energy, so why weren't they mindless by now? As they were out, Rouge mentioned something interesting about Shadow, but she didn't quite understand it. She'd have to ask her what that was about again. She looked down at the broken bits of the radios on the shingles, and noticed something fishy. She took her hammer from her shoulder so she could lean down to look over the debris more. She tilted her head around as she adjusted her focus. She held up her hand and poked a smashed piece with her finger. Right as she touched it, a red electrical flash surged. She snatched her arm away and backed up. What the hell was that?

That wasn't just chaos energy, that was chaos...Electricity? Could it really look like that? How curious. She needed to show this to Knuckles and Tails, but Rouge needed to see it first. Maybe she'd know something about this since she hung around the ultimate life form all the time. Wind began to blow against her hair, and she looked behind her to see the bat in question. Her wings whooshed up and down, floating to slowly and softly land down beside her. Her strong perfume wafted Amy's nose, making her wrinkle her face up. Flapping her wings didn't make it any better.

"Alright, I made a few rounds in this area. When you're ready, we should go in the chopper and look for more boom boxes." She advised while dusting herself off.

Amy frowned and put a finger up to her chin. "Um, hey?"

"Hm?" The woman saw the worried look on her face. "What's wrong, honey?"

"That thing you mentioned about Shadow earlier, could you explain it again?"

The bat flagged it off with a smile. "Sure. It's not that easy to understand. The whole 'chaos energy' concept is a long rabbit hole." As she talked, she took the communication device Shadow gave her out of her bosom. "One day at work, Shadow told me he was able to figure out how to convert chaos energy into a form similar to electricity. He said he didn't perfect it, but he even figured out how to convert chaos energy into other devices, almost like hacking. That he could form that energy into actual coding, in a way. He said he could even program something if he focused correctly." As she explained, she tampered with the device, trying to get it working. Of course, it still wouldn't go through, not even with the radios destroyed. "But, that was over a month ago, and he said it wasn't easy. He said that if he tried to connect his energy with a device, it could cause damage to him if some kind of power surge interrupted the connection. I don't think he perfected it to a point where he could use it frequently."

"Oooh!" Amy exclaimed while carefully picking up the red electrified piece of the radio. Interestingly, it wasn't hurting her. It wasn't effecting her, but she had a theory as to why. "Okay, now I get it! So all these radios were programmed with chaos energy. That's why it's sparking like electricity."

"Yeah, I-" She blinked and looked over at the piece of rubbish. It was sparking red, this was what she was talking about. "Oh. Oh my." She poked at it herself, but it didn't harm her.

"Do you think that, maybe these were only programmed to target normal townspeople?"

Rouge squinted her mascaraed eyes. "What do you mean, hun?"

"Like, you notice how none of us are affected even though we're exposed to this weird stuff? What if Scourge, I dunno, programmed it to only affect civilians? Like maybe if a police officer came up here, or the owner of this house climbed up to the roof to turn it off. They might be affected the minute they step outside, or would get shocked from the sparks even if they made it to the radio." She rubbed at her head with her knuckles, as her hand was still holding her mallet. "I mean, I don't know for sure. Like you said, the whole chaos thing is freaky and confusing."

"Actually," The woman pursed her lips, making a face of deep thought. "That, makes a lot of sense if you think about it." She snapped her finger with a gasp of revelation. "That fox boy is a genius!" She suddenly cried.

"Huh?" Amy pouted. Wasn't she the one who figured this out? Why was she talking about Tails?

"That friend of yours is a little Einstein! So that was his plan all along." She put her hands on her hips while smirking. "That green brat's got control over everything because of that weird power he's got. Fox boy already understands how it works, and how to interfere with it. If he takes it down successfully, which he probably will, it won't just shut down his control over the city, it might even kill him in cold blood."

"W-What!?" The girl winced at her sadistically eager tone. "Tails wouldn't do that! How would he even know that would happen?"

"Well, like I said, your friend's a smart boy and he catches onto things quickly. I'm sure he knows what'll happen, should he take that route. But he probably knows that it might not kill him at all." She shrugged, putting her communication device back where it belonged. "Who knows, it might just knock him out. But there is a good chance it'll do some kind of damage to him." She sneered while cracking her knuckles in her fists. "That little bastard is strong, very strong, but any amount damage is good enough if it'll bring us closer to taking him down. I don't particularly mind getting my hands dirty either, should it come to that." She then softened her expression while flipping some of her white hair over her shoulder. "But, that's what shrews say, and I'm a lady. We'll just have to see what happens." She glanced over at Amy who still seemed a bit doubtful.

"I don't know, what if-what if something even worse happens when Tails shuts everything down?" She bit her lip. "I got a bad feeling about this."

"Even if it does, sweetheart," She said nicely. "You kids are a lot more competent than you're given credit for. Even knucklehead." She closed her eyes, thinking about the two boys who left them days ago. They were still out there, fighting for them. Trying their best to find a way to either come back, or find a way to beat Scourge. They put their trust in them to protect the city while they were gone, and they couldn't falter now. "Even if things get so much worse, as worse as the Perfect Chaos incident," She started naming more. "The Eclipse Cannon, Black Doom's Comet, or the world shattering into separate pieces," Despite all they've been through, it didn't matter. She opened her blue eyes, meeting Amy's green. "It doesn't matter. Sonic or no Sonic, ultimate life form or no ultimate life form, you all come out on top every single time. I'm not gonna start doubting you now."

Amy was at a lost for words. The bat never talked so kindly about them before. What's gotten into her? Maybe, maybe she was scared too. Maybe she was starting to get hopeless, until she realized Tails' plans.

"That fox boy really is a chip off the old block, only he's not in Big Blue's shadow anymore." She turned around and folded her arms underneath her breasts, looking over at the now destroyed city. "Just like him, he took control of the situation, and he's persistent on winning." She sighed. "Scourge turning green is my fault, and he wouldn't be as powerful as he is now if it wasn't for me. Damn it, I was so, stupid and careless then..!" She hissed at herself. "Maybe, none of this would have happened. Maybe we wouldn't have a damn body count."

The pink girl lowered her eyes. She was guilty, that's what it was. In a way, she was confessing her sins.

"We've never lost so many people before, in such little time." She dragged her hand over her face and grimaced. "It's in the past now, but how long can I keep saying that? Heh," She laughed. "So this is what Mr. Sunshine felt like, huh? All this guilt and regret, confessing to you kids like I'm the one who committed a crime," She shook her head. "This isn't me. Not at all."

The pink hedgehog waved her hand, making her hammer despawn and disappear. She stood by the bat, side by side, looking over the results of someone's mistakes. "Well, none of us are acting like ourselves. Not even Sonic. Before he left, he was sad and angry. He's never like that." She put her hands behind her back. "Sonic could have killed him, ya know? But, he doesn't kill. He won't ever kill. Honestly though," She clenched her teeth and stiffened up. "Maybe he should have did it, so he wouldn't come back." She covered her face with both hands. "Why would I think like that? Killing is wrong but, b-but," She sniffed, faintly hearing the cries and pleas for help of the citizens down below. She couldn't help it, her tears were slipping out of her eyes. "I hate him, I hate him so much. He hurt so many people, just to hurt us, just to hurt Sonic. No one deserves this!" She shouted.

Rouge, now dejected, watched the girl beside her cry.

"I don't know where Cream is, and I'm so worried...But not even just her. All of our friends. The Chaotix, Ms. Vanilla, Cheese...They're all in danger. They all might die, just because someone wants to hurt Sonic." She never understood why villains always had to make everyone but the hero pay for their vengeance. "Sometimes, I hate Sonic, too."

"..Wha..?" Rouge barely whispered in shock.

"I-I don't mean it like that, I just," She sniffled. Wrong choice of words. "I hate that he's a hero sometimes. 'Cause if it wasn't for him, bad guys wouldn't always try to hurt everyone else. I don't want him to get hurt either though, I don't want anyone to get hurt!" She sobbed. She felt Rouge's hand grab her shoulder, a tight hold that almost hurt. The look on her face didn't look very pleased. Amy knew why. What she said was selfish, and ungrateful. "..Sorry." She mumbled while looking down.

The bat eased her hand off and continued to look her in the eyes. "It is not Sonic's fault that people want to kill him and see him suffer by hurting his friends. It's no one's fault. That's what bad guys do, they hurt what's precious to their target. In this case, it's the world." She herself felt as if she was speaking with doubt. "That boy loves this world. He loves everyone in it, even the villains. In my opinion, he's a damn idiot for that," She looked to the side. "But at the same time, he's so pure, I can't even hate him for it. No matter what, Big Blue only wants what's best for everyone. Even if it's at the cost of his own downfall. I hate people like that too, but the blame can't always be pinned on him." She tightened her hands into balled up fists. "Like I said, I don't like body counts, but if we have to end the life of one brat in order to fix the world," She scoffed with bitterness, her eyes glaring into shingles of the roof. "Then so be it."

The girl wiped her eyes of her tears, just shaking her head. As much as she hated to admit it, Rouge was absolutely right. Maybe they really couldn't play mister nice guy this time around. People were dying, hundreds of them at a time. The person who did all this couldn't get away scott free, and then attempt to do it again in the future. No, they had to do the one thing Sonic promised to never do. This time, he'd have to break that promise. All in the sake of saving the world.

"I just," Amy tried to say. "I just feel so-"

"Empty?"

"Yeah." She replied, but then her eyes started to get smaller. She slowly turned to Rouge, who turned to her at the same time. That, wasn't her voice, was it? The bat just shook her head.

"I...I didn't say that."

"Oh no." The ladies swiftly turned around, their fighting stances ready. Amy swung her hand out, a hammer spawning in her palm.

The green hedgehog appeared before them, walking across the roof as if he owned it. He tipped his hat over to them with a smile, holding up his bloody baseball bat against his shoulder blade. He crossed his arms and eyed the both of them with an amused look on his face. He started laughing under his breath. They were shocked at his corpse-like appearance. Amy scowled and prepared to swing her mallet.

"What's so funny!?"

"Oh I'll tell ya what's so funny you ugly, guzzling, pink cum dumpster," She growled at his insult. "You two." He retorted. "So you figured out how my radios work, good for you." He laughed a little harder while holding his hands up in the air in a big, over exaggerated shrug. "And? Whoopty-freakin'-doo." He took a few steps closer, making the two girls back away instantly. "I don't give a fuck if your stupid fox kid shuts everything down. Everything you say is exactly right. He'll win the satellites and networks back, but it don't matter." He boasted. "Say he's successful, which he probably will be," He said while winking at Rouge, copying what she said earlier. "Being severed from the connection will hurt me pretty bad. Might give me a stomach ache, some migraines. It won't kill me, but I'll be fixed with some pretty bad boo-boos." He admitted sarcastically. "But guess what? I don't care, because I won't be around when he does it anyway."

"What?" The Mobian females nearly gasped. He was leaving again? No, no it couldn't be. It couldn't be another-

"This was just another phase of the plan."

Another phase...? Another...Another phase of the...All these people dying, all the murders and killing...It was just...

Rouge gritted her teeth while Amy dropped to her knees. No, it can't be. Just another phase? There was more? Even more? What else could he do that was worse than this? What?! What more could he do to this world!? It was already dying! How much more damage did it have to take until he was satisfied!?

"My power is so strong, that's it's interfering with Blue's ability to warp here. Not only that, but it's also fucking with the connection to the device in your big ol' titties there." He made an 'oh well!' look on his face. "Blue and Stripes ain't comin' back here for a while. Even if your fox friend destroys what I've built, they still won't come to your rescue." He held one of his hands up in the air, a small golden ring appearing in his hand. It sparkled gorgeously, but it's beauty was tainted with a black oozing energy surrounding it. "I'm gonna warp right on back to where they are, and give 'em a good fight. Won't be the finale, but it'll be a doozy, I'll tell ya that. The fight'll probably take a while, not counting the amount of time that passes when you warp to another place. So, it might take a day in your time. Hopefully you guys can make it until then, if he beats me before the final showdown." The grin on his face widened to his cheeks. "But just like you said," He added with a low, creepy tone.

The fur on Rouge's neck was standing up.

"If he plays that pacifist act again, if he doesn't gather the balls to kill me," His voice was rising with every word.

His legs moved closer, making Rouge back away while bending down to grab Amy's arm.

"I'll be forced to pull out my trump card, and become the final boss. I'll get all big, scary and mean lookin', just like in those action games! Or in all the other shitty ass games he's been throwin' out these past couple of years." He was speaking so excitedly, like a child running downstairs to the tree on Christmas day.

"...Why..?" Amy whispered pathetically.

Scourge was now only a few inches away from the two girls. Their feet were tipping off the ledge of the roof. Rouge's heels were slipping off, and she barely had a good hold on Amy. He pouted at Amy's whiny, annoying pleading voice. In turn, his puffed his cheeks up while making an innocent expression.

"Caaauuuse! I already told you, you big ol' stupidhead," He insulted while placing both his hands on the handle of his weapon. His expression changed, void of any playful act or emotion. His face was the raw image of someone who was done with playing games. His eyes were sunken in dreadfully, with his pupils as tiny as the period of a sentence. His muzzle was scrunched up, while he glared swords into them. His voice alone, crept the feeling of horror in their hearts. "This was all just foreshadowing."

Before she knew it, Scourge whipped his baseball bat into Rouge's head. Blood flew onto his face as he cackled. She fell backwards, she didn't even scream. Her hand was still grasped on Amy's arm, pulling her down along with her. Amy screamed, her hand reaching up at him as he watched them fall. Her mallet was falling with them. They both plummeted, until he could no longer see them in the dark abyss of the streets.

He heard a heavy thud.

Yup, they were down.

...Tch, 'why'? why was he doing this? They still didn't get it.

That's fine. They'd understand soon enough.

END - 19

"...All just foreshadowing."

I wanted to write Rouge's and Amy's dialogue to show just how serious and detrimental the condition of Sonic's world is. While finding a sense of companionship, I wanted them to basically say, "Hey, this isn't gonna go down like in the games where Sonic lets the bad guy go and every's thing all peachy." No. Just, no. People don't die in Sonic games (I don't count the Shadow the Hedgehog game of course), and there's barely been any deaths in the comics. (Barely. There's been a few, but I can practically count them on one hand.)

It's just like Scourge says. If Sonic doesn't have the balls to kill him this time, he'll regret it.

Scourge planned so many layers to this, you have no idea.

I'll say this. Buckle yourself in, 'cause this story ain't gonna end pretty.

Nothing will ever be the same again.

Alright enough cryptic crap, let's get to the bonus time!

1. Scourge uses a nailed baseball bat as a melee weapon. This is somewhat cannon for the comic, as the anti-Sonic (When Scourge was still blue) used a spiked baseball bat or club. Sonic for that matter doesn't use any weapons, only using his fists most of the time to fight.

2. Scourge's chaos abilities are more advanced than both Sonic's and Shadow's. So much so that he's mastered the ability to configure chaos energy into electricity and code.

3. Scourge could be considered either a sociopath, or a God damn psychopath. Sonic obviously isn't either. Or rather, he tries not to be...

Another little notice. In a few minutes, something weird will be posted in the story as a chapter. You can read it if you want, or you can ignore it and wait for the next chapter next week.

Anyway, have a wonderful night.