Chapter 6: Arid Hearts

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Life got busy. If I get another snow day tomorrow I might upload the next chapter then, but if things get busy it might be Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

A cool wind washed through the street, and Chip shivered.

"You're sure he'll be ok, Sonic?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine. The doctors said it missed all the major organs, just skin and muscle. He'll have to take it easy, keep still for a while to heal, but he'll live. She stopped before she got his bowels or anything." Sonic didn't look as relieved as he sounded.

The passing people looked at them with disdain through beards and veils, only the odd smile peeking through among murmurs of failure that Sonic didn't seem to catch. The trio of fellows behind them especially seemed incensed, making some comments about an ethnicity and aliens that Chip didn't quite understand himself. Indeed, while Chip found himself hyperaware of all these people and their malice, Sonic hardly seemed to notice anything, barely dodging people on the street. A pair of women in black veils whispered, "hey," as they passed, but Sonic didn't even notice.

Like Chip didn't even notice Espio, until it was too late. "He… he was going to die saving me." Chip settled onto Sonic's shoulder.

"That's what Heroes do, Chip."

He hugged Sonic's spiky head. "Tell me all about his friends. Please."

He could feel Sonic's cheeks rise into a smile. "I know those guys through friends, Mighty and Knuckles. They got trapped by Eggman, and busted out together. They called themselves the Chaotix. Knuckles did his own thing, and Mighty ran off with some fox, but Vector, Espio, and Charmy Sr. stayed together and started detective agency. Charmy, he died in the Chaos attack on Station Square, but Vector and Espio raised his son as their own. The whole family bickers constantly, but they always have each other's backs."

Chip blinked. "So… they're together? Like boys and girls?"

This thought seemed to incense the men following too close behind.

Sonic shrugged. "Think so. Doesn't matter much to me, long as I don't have to watch it happen."

They were quiet for a moment, and then Chip asked, "Do you think Vector will be mad at me?"

Chip felt a pat on his head. "Nah. Vector isn't like that. He can forgive."

As they turned the corner, they found themselves in a narrow alley; what had made them turn that way. A voice behind them taunted, "Maybe we are. Like that."

In seconds, something had its hands around Chip's waist, tearing him away from Sonic, and Sonic was on his face on the pavement, the foot of a violet-eyed human boy in his back. Chip flailed, but there was no use fighting.

They started to say something, something about vengeance and what Sonic's failure did to them, something about being a traitor, when a pair of women in black emerged into the alley. Chip couldn't make out much of them, just the sharp eyes behind their veils, but he saw the smaller woman strike the wrist of the man holding him at the bone, allowing Chip to wiggle free. The other woman grabbed Sonic's captor and threw him into a wall with a soft grunt. The gentlemen fled.

"Pretty… committee?" Sonic gasped, trying to get to his feet. "Yasmine?"

The woman hoisted him up, and her smaller compatriot squeaked, "He remembers!"

Sonic laughed. "and Samia? You…"

"Jet the Hawk sent us for you. There were rumors of assassination now that they say you're working with Eggman." Yasmine picked him up in her arms. "And Am-excuse me, Dr. Rose, she said we should help if you were sick."

"You look different than last time, Chip!" Samia exclaimed.

"Jet the Hawk is my contact in Shamar? How the heck does that work?"

"He was one of the last people to submit to Eggman," explained the elder sister. "So when he finally caved and became Eggman's ambassador here, people didn't hate him as much. He's made Eggman do a number of things to appease us…"

"Not as much lately. I think the evil doctor has something on him."

Chip settled on Samia's head.

"So where are we meeting up with the Rogue?"

"Professor Pickle's old lab. Dr. Rose has some facilities there, still, and we can use them, but Jet mostly wanted the nostalgia trip, I think."

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The lab was musty, dusty, not well maintained. It made sense, Sonic thought; Eggmanland wasn't too friendly with Shamar, only communicating about matters of Gaia. Amy wouldn't get there all that often. It was so much like he remembered it, though, he could almost see Professor Pickle sitting at the table, waiting to tell him the location of the next temple.

Instead, he saw a green hawk, feet kicked up on the table, a book in his hands. It was a library book from the Eggmanland Library System, Sonic recognized it well; he'd wracked up a 50 Ivo fine on Shadow's account with that copy. He wasn't sure what to make of how self-aware it was of Jet to be reading it here, in Shamar, where it was written, or of how it made him think of Shahra.

Yasmine, the elder girl, locked the door behind them, but Jet didn't look away from the book, or at least, he seemed not to. It was hard to tell beyond the silver goggles he wore. He wore a red fez, Sonic decided probably more to be ironic than anything, and a shortened version of a traditional Shamari robe.

"So, Sonic. Long time, no see."

Sonic glared. "I wasn't aware we had a date."

Jet stood, waking over to him. "How do I know you're the real deal, and not one of those robot copies, like Metal Sonic made of Shadow?"

Sonic cocked his head to the side slightly. "How do you know about that, Jet?"

"Raided Eggman's Lava Shelter once, after the aliens came," After a moment, he explained further, "For Extreme Gear parts, and revenge after that flying carpet thing."

Sonic crossed his arms. "I don't feel like playin' some game with you, Jet. I don't mind our races but this ain't the time."

Jet got in his face "I won't accept some inferior copy, or some blue coward."

"Where were you, Jet?"

"Trying to keep Wave from killing Storm." Jet gave him a shove. "I was going to challenge you right here, right now, but then that little pink girlfriend of yours—"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"—threatened to bash my brains in if I did. I'm not afraid of her but I don't feel like dealing with it, so Noon, Tomorrow, near the Temple. Be there." Jet turned to walk away.

"Nice catching up with ya, buddy." Sonic rolled his eyes and sneered.

"The living quarters, we went through and prepared them for you with Layla's help," the younger guard noted, taking Sonic's hand in hers. "Let us get you a meal and somewhere to rest."

Sonic thanked Light Gaia for small kindnesses. Nothing in this world lifted his spirits like the admiration of a child, even one grown.

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He remembered this bed, this wall, this window. Happier times, as sad as they were.

He hadn't been able to sleep in them, then, either.

So he went over to the wall, where the Committee, as he had come to call them, had installed a simple computer for him. He called and he waited, and he waited, and he waited.

It took a long time connect, before it finally did. She answered, and he was relieved, seeing the smile on her painted lips, her green eyes lit up. After a moment, however, her brow furrowed.

"Sonic, you should be asleep."

"I can't sleep here, Amy," he explained, sitting down. "Ghosts in these walls."

She shook her head. "I'm pretty sure Pickle didn't stick around."

"How did he die, Amy?" Sonic shook his head, leaning on the table on his elbows, stretching his arm to reach the mouse and turn the chat program's volume up.

Amy frowned, looking down. "I'm still not sure of the details. Communication was shaky then—it was right after Shadow retrieved me, and I was a little distracted trying to rescue Charmy Bee. Yvon told me that he'd had a massive heart attack. I think he died of a broken heart."

Sonic got up and turned away from the screen. "About Charmy."

"About Charmy," Amy echoed, barely above a whisper. "I should have known eventually you'd find out."

He stared at the blank wall ahead of him, at the moonlit window outside, trying not to picture his own words. "Amy, how can you be with Shadow if he did that to you? Hurt you that badly?"

"It's a mental illness." Amy cleared her throat. "Dark Gaia is a mental illness, with which he is afflicted. He knows if he deviates in the slightest from his treatment regimen, I'm leaving."

Sonic turned back, snarling. "How could you trust him after that?"

"Five years of him showing me he was in control, not the beast."

He growled, clawing into the table. "How could you even respect him afterward? How could… how could look at him, speak to him? Doesn't it bother you?"

She laughed suddenly. "Does what bother me? The fact that I couldn't save Charmy myself? Of course it does, Sonic. So does the fact that you had to rescue me from Eggman on the Little Planet. No one likes knowing they could be overpowered."

Sonic's jaw dropped. He'd never thought of it that way.

"But there's something out there that can defeat even you and Shadow. I can count on both hands the number of beings in this world still left who can hurt me, and all but one of them is in love with me." Amy smiled gently.

Sonic wasn't sure what kind of face he made in response, but it made her smile.

"I'm sorry I can't love you both the same way. But he worships me, he follows me, except when he feels stubborn. He submits to me. You never would, and I wouldn't want you to—you mean more to me now than you could ever have as a lover." Amy shook her head, still smiling. "But the reason that I'm still here, still alive, in a position of power after all that happened, is not because I was strong. That helps, a lot, but it's not enough. I made everyone love me. I bring sad people comfort and solace, I bring curious people knowledge. Every now and then I realize I'm doing it for my own benefit, but mostly I just hate seeing people sad."

Sonic felt something warm on his face. Was it just a blood rush? Was he crying?

Amy leaned in toward the camera, frowning. "I didn't mean to make you attracted to me. I can't say I mind the attention, but no, I didn't mean that. I wanted you to respect me, really. I'm sure once you're socialized again, not so lonely all the time, you'll get used to it and get over me. Knuckles tells me one of his staffers helped you right after the Last Sunrise. She's cute, for a girl; you should ask her out."

Finally he spoke.

"Amy, do you really love Shadow, or are you just using your marriage to keep yourself safe?"

"I love him," she decided. "I really do adore him, but he disgusts me sometimes, and he always wants to bake together when I have research to do. And you can't change someone. They can only change themselves. And whenever I start to feel afraid of him, I just make up an assignment in Spagonia or Shamar and Eggman signs the decree for me, and Rouge checks up on Shadow's treatments."

Sonic shuddered, putting his head in his long claws.

"But look at you. Ten years as the werehog and the worst you do is throw someone off a cliff."

He whimpered.

"But you tricked her into thinking it was for real when it wasn't. Oh, Sonic, I wish I could reach through the screen right now, you need a hug. What you did to Rouge was a real jerk move, but it wasn't evil. You aren't evil, not even with all the evil of the world running through your veins."

"And why is that?" he choked.

"Because you're self-aware. You know exactly who and what you are, so you notice when something changes. Espio said you think your Dark Gaia infection is getting worse; who notices that? Keep us informed, so we can help."

"He's ok?"

"Fine. But watch out; Charmy's missing, and given his attitude problem there's a good chance he's coming for you."

Sonic looked up at the screen again, looking at the twinkling of sad green eyes. He realized how much older she looked.

"We're going to make it through this, Amy," he tried to comfort.

"I'm not the one with doubts, Sonic. Plug in that bookreader I gave Shadow for Christmas two years ago, and I'll upload Jane Eyre. That ought to put you to sleep."

He finally felt himself smiling. "What are you talking about? Jane Eyre isn't boring. Send me some Tolkien; the foreword'll knock me out."

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The sun came up, and he swallowed a scream. He jerked, driving his nose into her forehead. Then he could no longer stifle his agony. He roared, pulling his upper body away, squeezing his black nose to stifle that particular pain.

"Shadow? What's wrong?"

She reached up, brushing a pink hand against his black brow, but he said nothing, trying to ignore the pain, absently wishing the impact would have drive those little tabs of bone into his brain. He didn't think it'd kill him, but he could hope.

"Shadow?" Amy begged, "Talk to me!"

"Nose," he squeaked.

"Oh, are you going to be ok?" She seemed almost relieved, her hand on him instantly relaxing, causing him to loosen at the shoulders too. He looked across the bed at her messy pink spines and smiled.

"Fine. Go back to sleep. I have duty."

So he got out of bed, still pinching his aching nose. He fought to stand straight, walk straight, until he was out of her sight, and then he collapsed on the bathroom counter. He let a low whine. How long had he wished to be his old self again, a hedgehog, small and fast. Now he missed the werehog. His rage was much less now, yes, but this twice daily agony was not worth the drop in his aggression. He turned on the shower when the phone rang, and he dashed out into the other room to pick it up before it woke Amy.

"Hello?"

"Shadow," came a soft, clear, voice, "I hope I didn't wake you, but I figured it was after sunrise."

Shadow snorted. "I was up." He put down the toilet lid and sat down atop it. "What can I do for you, Dr. Prower?"

That deep voice wavered. "I'm s-sorry to bug you, and I know this is weird, it's not like we're all that close, but…"

Shadow rolled his eyes and grabbed his toothbrush.

"But you're our head of security now. So anything unusual, I'm supposed to report to you."

Shadow swished the foam to the side of his mouth. "Cu' th' crapb, Milesh," he slurred, and spat.

"I saw a creature in the rocket. Made of Green light, like some kind of fairy. It seemed… familiar."

"But we're in the city. Surrounded by Gaia Absorbtion Generators, none of those things should be able to resist."

"Yes." There was a long pause before Prower spoke. Shadow used the opportunity to rinse and gargle, despite his confusion. "So it can't be Dark Gaia."

Shadow reflected for a moment, leaning.

"It was broad daylight, Shadow, reports are rolling in all over the city of the same. Cats, phoenixes, even bears. And in cities on other continents, always in the vicinity of either Suppressors or Temples. Rouge and Cream have reported them, eye witness, so has Espio."

"And you've told Eggman about this, right?"

Miles sighed. "Yes, and he says he's going to tinker with the suppressors. He insists it's Dark Gaia. But, you're our security head and you need to be informed, so I thought I'd give you my eyewitness report."

"Help me do my job. Right."

"And I noticed my assistant, the one with purple hair. She used to have blue eyes. They're teal, now."

Shadow stuck his feet in the tub, enjoying the warm water. "Spend a lot of time lookin' in her eyes?"

There was a pause. "Compared to where most men look? Yeah. She's not my type."

"Amy says my eyes have changed color. They're brown now, but they're red like always at night."

Shadow wiggled his feet in the water.

"I only work day, Shadow. I haven't seen her at night."

Shadow grabbed the soap and began washing his legs, phone tucked under his chin.

"I don't know why but… after I heard about what you said… I know you'll be honest, Shadow. You don't usually lie."

"For a moment, Miles, I thought you were going to say I was like him."

The fox laughed across the phone line, a roaring, boyish giggle. "Shadow, you're only like him in shoe size."

"And alignment. Have you heard, he's calling himself King Arthur I of the Little Planet."

"it's what you have to do to play ball with Eggman," noted Prower. "Same move Knuckles made. I.. I hope I get to see him. Sonic, I mean."

"Gonna knock some sense into him?"

"Of course. Not like Cream though. To think I almost asked for her hand."

"So," spat Shadow uncomfortably, 'You're noticing strange green creatures and eye color changes. Anything else?"

"I've lost three of my staff members to harassment complaints in the last six days. Accusations of Dark Gaia sympathies and infections. All sorts of nasty moral judgments. My assistant asked me the other day, 'Why weren't you there for him?'" Shadow couldn't hear it, but he knew Tails was fighting a sob.

"But you were. She… how dare she."

"She used to be so shy."

Shadow pulled the showerhead down and rinsed his legs. "You know, Miles. I've been feeling judgmental. No doubt you heard what I said."

"I heard." There was a long pause before he asked, "So, have they found Charmy?"

"Passenger manifest to Shamar. Look, I gotta get ready for work. Can I talk to you there?"

"Sure."

Shadow put the phone down, hung the showerhead back up, and turned it on, letting the water burn way the pain and sin.

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They baked beneath the desert sun and waited.

He pulled his cloak further over his face, ignoring the burning at the tip of his nose and in his stomach. Already noon and still he wasn't over the change. Or was it Amy, who haunted his dreams and stirred up his discomfort? No, he was pretty sure this was not that kind of discomfort.

Yasmine and Samia waited impatiently, the elder checking her watch with frustration, and the younger cuddling up to a sleepy Chip, his long tail wrapped around her robed arm.

"It's 12:30. He's an hour late."

"I hate it when people keep me waiting," he murmured, rolling his eyes. Yasmine slapped him upside the head. He grunted out a "Sorry. But it's not like him to be late."

"He's not going to help us," she decided, glancing at her sister and Chip. "We have to get the tablet from him."

"Steal from a professional thief? That's a great idea." Sonic dropped into a deep lunge, stretching his leg. "Give him another half hour."

"Then we should get you some shade, Sonic." Samia came over, wrapping an arm around him protectively. "You weren't looking well this morning."

"I need him to see us. I'll be fine."

Yasmine walked over, closer, so she could be heard over the desert breeze. "I wish I knew why people were so cruel. They don't understand how hard you worked."

"They need someone to blame, Yaz. It's too hard to blame Eggman with all the good he does now, so it goes to me."

"I guess."

"I won't say it doesn't hurt." He knelt down, stretching his legs, trying to get warmed up for what he knew was coming. "But what I do to myself is way worse. I can't wait for all of this to be over, so I can move on."

Samia went back to hugging Chip. "What will you do when it's over, Sonic?"

"Huh. That's a good question."

It was then that he heard a subtle whirring, drawing his attention and the others', even waking Chip. A green blur approached in the distance, wobbling n the air over golden dunes. He flew up to them, sans robe and fez, wearing only goggles, riding boots and a wicked grin.

"So much for the early bird," Sonic quipped.

"Is that a blue worm sticking out of the sand?"

Jet hopped off his board, leaning on it. "Where's your gear, Sonic? Bubbling in the mantle?"

Sonic frowned, cursing himself for showing weakness. "You didn't tell me it was an Extreme Gear race."

"What would you expect with me? Tech decks?"

"An XG race wouldn't prove anything with you anyway, Jet. I think we ought to have a foot race."

Jet laughed, a mad hen's chuckle. "Any cheap Eggman copy could beat me in a foot race, with how I was born for the sky." Jet got into Sonic's face.

"You'll fly. I'll run. I'll lead you there."

"And if I get ahead?"

"For more than five minutes, or so bad we get off track? You win. But I remember the way there."

"And what does that prove?" Jet peered at Sonic with bright blue eyes. Sonic leaned back a bit, to bring his face into focus.

"That I want to get there as fast as possible. That once Dark Gaia is stopped, I'll race you or help you find Wave or whatever. But this is important now."

The girls looked at each other, Samia dropping Chip in shock. "She's missing?"

But Jet laughed. "Sonic, you're such a goody two shoes, you slay me! I know exactly where she is."

Sonic looked at him expectantly.

"Eggman needs her skills. She's on the moon. Can you fly me to the moon?"

Sonic grinned, teasing, "Sure, but not Jupiter or Mars." This earned a chuckle from Jet, and Sonic continued, "If I can get there, I'll find a way to get you there."

"But how'd you know?"

"Shadow keeps me informed."

The two men stared into each other, blue into green. "You're sure you're up for a race?"

"All I'm up for is saving the world. If I have to race, then so be it, just as long as it's not my last."

Yasmine came over, pulling off her veil and revealing long, black hair, braided.

"Whoah, don't let the morality police see that."

"Oh, like you care, Jet." She rolled her eyes, raising the scarf into the air.

Sonic cast aside his cloak and crouched in the sand, stagger-footed. Chip flew onto his chest and Sonic wrapped an arm around him, clutching him low, like a football. Jet picked up his board walked back, and started running.

"Ready? Set? Go!"

Yasmine whipped down the scarf with a flutter, and Sonic started running. Within moments he could see Jet rising into the air behind him as he looked over his shoulder.

"Go Sonic!" the girls cheered behind him, and Chip in his arms. He pulled Chip closer and held him, trying to get a head start before the climbing part of the path started. The wind in his spines, somehow the sun didn't seem so harsh. Somehow, he felt all right.

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"So that's it, then."

"The ships are ready," he replied, leaning into the camera. "The imperial ship launches as soon as we have the last Emerald. The first colony ship will come after, and Sonic's success will determine whether it comes back for more."

The swallow also leaned in, scarf falling away from her violet face. "You're excited to see him again, aren't you Tails?"

"Quit calling me that!" The fox bared his teeth for a second before admitting, "and yes, I am. As soon as I make this call, I'm leaving for Adabat."

He wondered how wooden his faced looked, how restrained. Her response gave him his answer.

"You don't know how to feel, do you?"

"No, Wave. I don't."

She laughed. "Oh, give him a break, furball! He's probably embarrassed he lost. Wouldn't you be, if you failed him like you think he failed you?"

Miles growled at her. "Hey! He didn't… I didn't hide when I failed him."

"No, because you have it in your head that he's the world hero and you're just some kid. If you lose, he'll be there, he was before." She adjusted the camera, tiling it up, more on her face and less below. "He knew if he failed no one else would pick up the pieces. They might put things back together, but not right. He bore it all himself, afraid to burden you."

"So?"

"So take it on."

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Jet flew though the air, board vibrating beneath his feet, thinking, Can it really be him? After all these years?

He looked over the vast desert below, the skeletons of ancient palaces wrapped and dressed in stone and sand. He could see the huge blur of Sonic's footfalls, the displaced sand, cutting a line through the winding mountain path. He wondered about the unbeatable Sonic, who only lost twice—once to Shadow against the Black Aliens, and once against Bean the Dynamite. But he noticed as he came upon the mountain that the path was becoming erratic, waving, with sharp points and shaky footing.

He swore and flew lower, searching for the hedgehog. Halfway around the peak he found him, hanging over a ledge by his filthy-gloved fingers, trying desperately to reach a little higher with one hand. A figure, dark, hidden in the shadow of the mountain, boot raised, stood over Sonic's planted hand.

In a moment Jet flashed back, the moments coming together. He remembered fighting the strange blue creatures in Westopolis with Storm and Wave, watching the sky go dark and the moon disappear. He remembered trying to sooth burning flesh that Storm couldn't bear, and hiding behind his extreme gear when the pain became too great. He remembered waving to the duo as they went into the shuttle, trying not to let tears fall down his face. He remembered his father's gift to him that last day, making Jet promise to forgive them all if he never returned. He remembered seeing the tears in Sonic's eyes on the news, barely fought off, as an escape pod came back empty. He remembered most of all their time together, racing along the sands atop their boards, Sonic smiling, not even realizing the weight of it all.

He ditched his board and flew into the dark figure, screaming.

He felt a hand punch him in the face, and then something pierced into his thigh, like a hot knife. He squawked and planted a feathery fist into his opponent's face, hand sliding off chitinous armor. An insect. He tried to stick his thumbs into the attacker's eyes—

"Don't hurt him, Jet!" came a panting cry from Sonic, now visible to Jet kneeling on the ledge. It gave Jet enough pause for the insect to throw him away. Jet glanced at his leg, spotting a huge swelling wound, perfectly round. A sting. A bee.

Jet watched the black-clad bee circle in on Sonic. "This is your fault, what happened to Espio, to Earth!" came his shrill voice. "You did it!"

Sonic stood, shaky. "Espio saved Chip. I owe him my—"

"You should have saved Chip!"

"Yeah?" Sonic sneered. "And you should have saved Shadow."

Charmy spat. "Don't talk to me about that nutcase!"

Sonic bore down on Charmy, approaching, looking down into his eyes. "Who was there to save whim when the ARK fell? We thought he died, but we didn't place blame. Lucky Eggman saved him!"

Charmy paused. "…Espio's alive?"

"He'll make a full recovery, might have a scar."

Charmy was quiet a moment, but then he threw himself at Sonic. "You didn't tell me!"

"You threw me off a cliff!" Sonic dodged awkwardly.

Chip flew from below the ledge, over to Jet. "Uh… Jet? What do we do?"

Jet coughed. "Let 'em fight it out, I guess." He sat down shakily, watching as Charmy punched, and Sonic dodged, Sonic kicked, and Jet shivered.

"Jet?" asked Chip.

"I'm allergic, I think." He wheezed.

They watched Charmy push Sonic over to the cliff, shouting about Eggman and Gaia. What Jet saw—or imagined—stunned him. Something unseen took Charmy's hat, causing the insect to shout in shock, nearly dropping Sonic over the edge.

"Espio!"

Jet decided that Chip was good at spoiling moments.

"Espio?" Sonic gasped. Charmy echoed the statement, but was quickly interrupted by a great green figure sweeping out of the darkness and locking his head within its arms.

"Charmy, you little brat!" shouted the crocodile, squeezing on his neck. "Take the whole phone call before you run off half-cocked for vengeance!"

Espio appeared in view, huge white bandages wrapped around his slender waist. He hobbled over to Charmy and Vector. "I'm fine, Charmy, but I'm not happy. Everything we sacrificed, you just put at risk over your temper."

Jet tried to draw their attention, but he couldn't draw enough breath. He looked at Sonic with pleading eyes, asking, Will my whole family die saving you?

"Uh, guys?" Chip interrupted.

"It's his fault you got hurt!" pouted Charmy.

"No, it's Eggman's. Right Vector?"

Sonic tapped Vector's shoulder, and pointed toward Jet.

"Jeez! Shaddap, Charmy, we gotta get Jet help!"

Jet pulled the tablet out and sat it on the ground. Vector let go of Charmy, who then scooped up Jet and began to fly. From Charmy's arms, he could see Vector and Espio hop on his board. He heard them shout something down at Sonic and Chip before everything faded.

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The moon wavered overhead as Sonic's breath failed him.

"I'm not fast enough!" He panted. Chip looked on sadly.

Sonic lay at the bottom of the stone door, panting, long furry arms hanging over the steps. His legs burned at him, his fingers and claws ached. "If only we'd made it here before sunset, I could get in before it fell…"

"You can wait, right?" Chip sat on Sonic's leg.

"I wish I'd just gone with Jet." Sonic looked at his friend, watching those bright green eyes shining in torchlight. "It's my fault Charmy stung him."

"It's not your fault. It's mine. And there wasn't enough room on the board for you and Vector and Espio. And Vector told you to keep going!"

He offered a sigh. "And there was something here before, you could use to hold down the switch, open the door. That door!" he pointed at the door before him. "I remember you hit that switch"—he pointed across the little courtyard—"to open this door."

Chip patted Sonic's leg. "We'll figure it out."

"I have to do this all over again! The first time didn't count for anything!"

Chip whined, eyes watering. "Sonic." He took a claw in his tiny hands. "Life isn't a list of things you do. It's a constant struggle… ooh, like those waves on that beach. In and out. Each day we try to grab what we need. Some days we get it, some days we don't, some we lose what we have. But it's always that give and take, back and forth. Nobody wins forever."

Sonic glanced down at Chip, trying to figure out where all that wisdom came from. Did he remember? "That was deep."

"And you act like the world is so much worse, but, aren't there people who are better off? I mean, Dark Gaia is evil. But doesn't evil give good meaning?"

"I guess."

"Do you think Amy would be as strong if you had won?"

Sonic put his elbow on his knee, and his chin on his fist. He thought for a moment, before offering, "I guess not. She always would have followed me. And I finally snapped Knuckles out of his gullibility, I guess."

"See?"

Sonic flicked Chip's forehead with two fingers. "You can't seriously be arguing that the world is better because I left."

Chip frowned, looking up at the moon. "No, Sonic… I'm saying. There are good things that happened because of that. And if you could find away to take it all back, to win the first time… you'd take those good things away. They could never have happened, because it was the bad things that made good rise up."

A strange voice added, "And now that the world knows the danger of Gaia, they will never again underestimate it."

Sonic jumped, sending Chip flying, hitting his head with a painful tunk on the molding of the temple door. Chip righted himself to look at the newcomer, a shriveled old man in Shamari robes and a turban. The man's eyebrows were so thick that they obscured his eyes.

"But you're dead!" Sonic shouted, pointing, trying to back up against the stone door. "Amy told me you were dead."

"In a way, my boy," said the fellow in his clear, deep voice, "I died with you."

Sonic began to weep.

"Sonic, who is this?"

"I'm Professor Pickle, my boy. And don't be afraid, Sonic. I'm alive, and I have been these last ten years. I went into hiding because of how many people blamed me for collaborating with Eggman. Never mind that I was under duress."

Sonic stopped backing up, shaking, and threw himself forward, giving the old man a surprisingly gentle hug.

"I thought I killed you, Professor. They said… you died of a broken heart."

The old man patted the werehog on the back reassuringly. "Had I known you were still with us, I would have told you I was well."

"Same here." They separated. "So what are you doing out here?"

"Gurading the temple, of course!" Pickle sighed after his exclamation. "The least I can do after my miserable failure."

"Your failure! I'm the one who missed!"

Chip slapped himself in the forehead.

"I was unable to prepare you."

Sonic smiled, shaking his head. "I know what I'm up against this time. If you stand on that switch," Sonic pointed, "I can go through that door and fix this."

"And after?"

"I'm taking reinforcements down. This is the whole world's fight, not just mine, and I'm not going to go unprepared."

"Godspeed, Sonic the Hedgehog."

Pickle stepped onto the lever and the door slid open. Sonic took a long look at the old man before stepping through.

"Thanks," Chip purred behind him.

"Oh, don't thank me," Pickle chuckled. Sonic stopped, listening, trying to make out his words. "And you won't thank him when he finds out the truth."

Chip quickly caught up, pale, as if he'd seen a ghost.

hr

He dreamed of amusement parks, of death traps and little blue hedgehogs, of robots, of power. He dreamed of an empire spanning the stars, of mountains of ice cream, of a galaxy in the palm of his hand.

He rose from his bed and was dressed by his attendants. He thought of what crime he'd make up for the short one, the one who was part of the resistance, in order to ease Shadow's conscience at the execution. It had to be horrific; anything too petty would be hard on Shadow. He wasn't sure why it was that he was so concerned about Shadow's happiness. He told himself that it was because Shadow was dangerous when angry and that his happiness guaranteed Amy's allegiance. He was certain it was really that he cared, but in the end, did it matter? They were still at his command.

He ignored the voice in his head, telling him how callous and spiteful he was, how worthless he was, how unworthy he was to bear the will of Light Gaia into the stars. He would make penance when the God was before him. He was pretty sure this was just a low-level possession anyway, and that either way, he would have victory. Either they would defeat Dark Gaia and be an instrument of Light Gaia's love, warm and safe in its superiority for eternity, or he would use it to power his path to other worlds. He'd never felt quite so peaceful about a plan, especially curious in light of the fact that Sonic's meddling was both its lynchpin and its only disastrous contingency. By the time Sonic knew, though, it would be too late, provided his paranoia were in check.

He made his way into the imperial ship's hollow central chamber with a tiny box an attendant had prepared for him and opened it, pulling out a sundae. He offered it to the awaiting elven giant, who looked at him sadly, tears of light pouring down his eyes.

"Take heart. He'll be with us soon."