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XI: Paradox

"This is all so confusing!" Sonic groaned as he walked next to his future self.

"Tell me about it." He agreed as they walked quickly over the hills towards Angel Island. Shadow had run on ahead with the chaos emeralds in an attempt to stop more shadow demons from leaking out until they got there.

"It's weird thinking your parents had lives before you were born." Sky mumbled and both Sonics looked at her offended before she laughed at their reactions.

"Well done Sky for creating a paradox." Knuckles said. "If the world rips open and reality starts going weird then I know who to blame."

"That's what I can't understand." Sky said. "I know what I did was incredibly stupid, but I just can't understand why nothing weird seems to be happening yet."

"Define weird." Sonic asked as he watched his future…ugh the word just sounded weird coming from him.

Sky ignored his comment. "I would've thought the whole future would've changed by now, I mean that's how it happens on TV and stuff."

"Yeah well life isn't like those silly cartoons you watch." Future Sonic said ruffling her quills and she smacked his hand away in annoyance.

"They're not silly, they're cool." She defended them.

Future Sonic snorted. "Yeah, they're nothing compared to what I get up to on a daily bases."

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "There you go again with the showing off. After all this I hope you help me get the master emerald back seen as you're the one who started this whole mess in the first place being reckless as usual."

Future Sonic sighed. "I already promised to help you, it just needs to stay with Eggman for now, we need him to use that machine of his again to close it back up, but it's not ready yet. Just a few more hours."

"Is that why we're walking there instead of using chaos control?" Rouge demanded as she rubbed her sore ankles.

Future Sonic nodded.

"Can we at least stop and rest?" Rouge moaned and didn't even wait for a reply before sitting down on the grass. Everyone reluctantly joined her, but Sonic went for a walk towards the opposite end of the field thinking about everything that had happened.

He didn't expect his future self to be so different. He had new powers and seemed to have gone through a lot over the years and he had a…family. Sonic the Hedgehog actually settled down at one point. What was up with that? For as long as he could remember, he vowed to himself that he would spend all his life running. He would always try out new things and never let the adventure stop and live his life as much as he could. Fighting evil was just something fun he did on the side lines to challenge himself. He would stop and visit his friends occasionally, but he'd soon be off again on another adventure.

"Pretty sure I can guess what you're…I'm…whatever, thinking." Sonic jumped as his future self appeared next to him and leaned against a tree.

"I just don't understand any of this." Sonic answered honestly. "What exactly happens to me in the next few years?"

Future Sonic's face turned grave. "Lots of stuff."

"And you're not going to tell me?"

Future Sonic shook his head. "Well you've already seen what becomes of most of our friends and you've even met Sky. I'll never pretend to understand how time works."

Sonic sighed. "Me neither. Just…a family?"

Future Sonic laughed and nodded.

"When? How?" Sonic spluttered. "What about freedom and adventure?"

Future Sonic managed to stop laughing and answer his question.

"Are you kidding?" He said once he calmed down. "The adventure never stops. Having my family was has been the biggest adventure ever and it never takes my freedom away. I still go out for runs, see my friends and stop evil like I used to. My family doesn't stop me from doing that and now it looks like Sky is entering the business as much as it worries me."

Sonic pulled a face. "I never knew I became so cliché." He muttered. "But Sky, she's a good kid."

"Yeah, she is." Future Sonic smiled as he watched her tease Knuckles and Rouge. "Three more are at home: Alex, Matt and Jade."

Sonic didn't say anything as he took all this information in. He couldn't believe it.

"I still don't understand this whole paradox we've created." He finally responded.

Future Sonic didn't say anything as he looked out onto the horizon.

Sonic looked at him suspiciously. He knew something.

"Whoa!" Knuckles cried out as Shadow Demons began appearing out of the ground."

"No!" Future Sonic yelled as they all began making their way towards Sky. Both Sonic's rushed to the scene and began trying to fight back the shadow demons. Their attacks had little effect on them.

"Ugh, why didn't we just keep one of the emeralds?" Knuckles grunted as he kicked and punched at one of them, but to little affect.

While trying to push back on of the demons, Future Sonic flicked up his wrist communicator. "McNosehair this is blue blur, is that emerald nearly ready."

"I wish you'd stop with that nasty code name!" Eggman snapped back. "It's nearly done, but you'll have to transport it there in the tornado."

"No problem." Future Sonic replied and shut it again before running out the way of a shadow demon that was about to grab hold of him.

"We can't let them get Sky!" Knuckles called out.

"Thank you captain obvious!" Future Sonic snapped and Rouge looked like she was about to say something sarcastic before one of the demons punched her, knocking her over.

"Oh no you don't!" Knuckles yelled as it looked ready to drain the life out of her. "No one messes with that batty girl, but me."

"Well, that line was almost romantic." Rouge mumbled as she watched knuckles punch the creature away from her in shock. His attack had had an effect. Why?

"Hey, they're becoming solid!" Rouge shouted as one of Sonic's attacks finally sent one of the demons flying backwards.

"I think that might be because of me." The pink hedgehog at the edge of the field said as she pulled her hammer out. "Leave them alone!" She screamed before charging towards them and knocking one of them back into the ground.

"How the hell did you do that?" Sonic squeaked as the shadow demons seemed to look at Amy in fear before vanishing completely.

Amy nearly fell backwards when she caught sight of past Sonic, but when she caught sight of Sky she went charging towards her and pulled her up into a tight hug.

"Why did you run away Sky?" She demanded as Sky struggled to breathe. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

She dropped Sky who gasped for air, before turning to future Sonic.

"And you! Disappearing like that without any contact and vanishing off the face of Mobius. What was I supposed to think?"

"Amy." Future Sonic gasped out before running over and hugging her tightly.

Sonic felt like his eyeballs were bleeding. He did not just watch himself willingly hug Amy.

"Save the gooey romantic reunion for later, sounds like we've got a plane to catch." Knuckles said and future Sonic and Amy pulled apart, but future Sonic still kept one arm wrapped around her.

Sonic wanted to vomit. He should've known it would be Amy. Fate seemed to be mocking him right now. Sure he liked the girl when she wasn't obsessing over him, but come on! First he finds out he has kids and now this? What next?

"Not until Sky goes home." Amy said glaring at her daughter.

Sky gasped. "No way. Dad said I could stay."

"And now I'm saying you can't. It's too dangerous." Amy insisted and Sky folded her arms across her chest.

"Tell her dad." Sky demanded and Amy turned to future Sonic who looked at Sky worriedly.

"Amy it's kind of important that Sky stays close because…they want to use her as a sacrifice." Future Sonic explained

"WHAT?!" Amy screamed and future Sonic shushed her, trying to calm her down.

"Don't worry though, I promise I won't let anything happen to her." Future Sonic reassured, but Amy didn't look completely convinced.

"I remember what happened the last time you said something similar to that." Amy whispered and put her hands over what looked like scars on her arms. Future Sonic looked like he's just been punched in the face and Sky looked around awkwardly.

Sonic squinted as he tried to get a better look at Amy. She had certainly changed a lot. Her quills were longer and her outfit had changed to a long red top with rips down the side, white leggings and red boots. One of her golden ring bracelets now had what looked like a gold scorpion on it and her arms were dotted with random scars. It looked like she'd been involved in a really bad fight. What happened to her?

The way his future self seemed to react to the memory, he felt like he didn't want to know. Sonic was still definitely changing this future. He wasn't going to let anything bad happen to anyone like he seemed to have failed to beforehand.

He watched as his future self took a deep breath as if to calm himself before speaking. "Look, all I am saying is that it would be better if we were near her to keep an eye on her." He explained before everyone heard Sky scream.

They turned around to see two shadow demons grab hold of her arms whilst she tried to thrash out of their grip.

"NO!" Everyone shouted as the shadow demons disappeared with Sky in their grasp.

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