Third chapter is up. This one will be slightly dialogue heavy. Soon we will meet the rest of the cast.

Disclaimer: Words on page not recognized as property of original creator. Proceeding to delete story.

M.H.: Damn it Metal! The whole point of this site is to allow fans to write about their favorite games, books, or movies!

Metal: Why would anyone waste their time with such activities?

M.H.: Some of us enjoy writing, so why not write about something you enjoy? Double win right?

Metal:…simpleton logic does not-

M.H.: Compute, right we all get it by now. Just stop arguing and get on with the disclaimer.

Metal:…very well TheManiacalHunter918 does not own Sonic, me, or anything related to the series.

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A Stranger in my own World

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The skies continued to pour relentlessly. Sonic knew he had to get shelter wherever he could find it. His house was too far away to try now, so he would have to seek out someone he knew instead.

The question was, would anyone still know him?

After the reaction he got from Knuckles, Sonic wasn't sure he wanted to risk meeting another 'friend'. The storm was steadily getting worse, and soon there wouldn't be any dry ground left. He rushed for the nearest residence he could remember, which should belong to Vanilla and Cream. If he had any luck left, he'd at least be able to weather this one night. He hated the thought of barging in, but he couldn't get washed away either. Arriving at their porch he checked the mail box. Sure enough, like all the residents in these parts, Vanilla's name was written on the side. Wasting no time the cold, wet, and slightly bloody hedgehog rang the doorbell. A minute or so passed before he saw a curtain pull back. They obviously wouldn't answer for a complete stranger in this weather, so he understood the delay.

"I just hope I'm not considered a 'stranger'." he started to worry, but as the door swung open, he was greeted by a concerned Cream.

"Oh my goodness! Mr. Sonic! Please come in right away!" the polite rabbit offered. He was so relieved that he nearly stumbled in. This was also due to the injuries he got from his fight, but he was quick to hide the cuts in his blue fur. He didn't want to worry his hosts any more than he already had.

"You're soaking wet! I'll get a towel right away!" Cream left in a hurry. Sonic was happy to be somewhere nice and dry. If one thing hadn't changed, it was the severity of South Island rainstorms. Every year a few people were lost to the severe flooding, while the homeless would often freeze. It didn't help that he and water had never really gotten along in the first place.

"Mr. Sonic, what were you doing out in this terrible weather?" Vanilla asked the drenched hero.

"I was trying to get back home, but I got a little side-tracked…" Sonic said truthfully "I'm sorry to impose upon you ma'am."

Vanilla gave caring smile "Not at all Sonic, we all owe you so much. Opening our home is the least we can do."

"That's right so no more sad faces Mr. Sonic." Cream added while handing him the towel "We're glad to see you safe and sound."

Sonic was nearly elated by the familiarity around him. If only he hadn't had that fight with Knuckles, he would've thought the whole thing had just been a bad dream.

"Thank you." he said drying his quills "I can honestly say it's good to be back." he accidentally referred to his last fight with Eggman; still under the impression that this was his world. Thankfully, Cream seemed to know what he was talking about.

"So did you meet Robotnik?" Cream asked cheerfully.

Sonic's mind stopped. Talk about a blast from the past. He hadn't called Eggman by his proper name since his youth. In fact, he and Tails were some of the last few that actually knew that name. Sonic just passed it off as a coincidence.

"Yeah don't you worry, Eggman got his butt kicked good." he said as non-offensively as possible.

"Eggman? Who's that?" Cream asked swaying her arms.

The hero felt his blood come to a halt. Cream had called him Eggman since she was able to speak. There was no way she couldn't know who he was talking about.

"I'm sure it's just a nickname dear." Vanilla whispered to her daughter.

"Oh I see! Like how Mr. Sonic calls his friend Tails right?" Cream whispered back.

"That's…a little different sweetie." Vanilla put it mildly "Let's not forget that we have a guest."

"Oh right! Sorry Mr. Sonic!" but Sonic didn't respond. He was still trying to accept that some things were different, and that there was nothing he could do about it. Still, he had to make sure. He wasn't ready to admit that everything had changed. He debated asking, but wasn't certain if he should take the risk. Vanilla seemed to be deep in thought, as she watched his reaction.

"It's already quite late. In fact Cream dear, it's past your bedtime. Tell Mr. Sonic goodnight." Vanilla told her daughter abruptly. Cream was a little pouty about this, but nonetheless did what she was told. Giving Sonic a quick hug she left for her room. Vanilla offered Sonic a place sit, which he accepted gratefully. After Cream was in her room, Vanilla's tone turned from polite to strict, although it was still surrounded by a motherly kindness.

"Sonic something is wrong, isn't it? Perhaps you'd like to talk about it?" Vanilla took notice of his unsure gestures, and overall lack of responsiveness. The leap was made without his consent, which at this point, was rather convenient.

"I guess it's pretty hard to hide it." Sonic started out slowly "A lot of things aren't making sense at all." Vanilla didn't follow his meaning.

"Best if you be more specific." she advised, but Sonic still looked hesitant "Don't worry, I'm not going to judge you. Just tell me the truth."

"I'm not sure if I want to know the truth." Sonic thought to himself before saying aloud "I want to ask you a question: What is Knuckles like? Why is he a criminal?" Vanilla's eyes widened. She looked like someone had just confessed to teaching Cream how to curse. Sonic braced himself for a long lecture, or at worst, maybe he'd get kicked out.

"Sonic…are you alright?" Vanilla instead spoke in very worried tone "You of all people should know about what he did, or at least tried to do." She seemed to be trying to spark Sonic's memory. However, unknown to her, this Sonic didn't have any memory that would fit her implications.

"I'm going to be very honest, I don't." Sonic only felt more awkward as she gasped. He was sure he had finally blown it. To his amazement, her tone only became more sympathetic.

"Oh Sonic how tragic…" she said while her hands slightly covered her mouth "Have you lost your memories?"

Sonic was not expecting this turn of events. Vanilla went from thinking he was hiding something, to believing that he was suffering from amnesia. At first, he debated denying her claim. He only stopped himself because the ruse might be just what he needed to find out more about where he was. Even so, he made no habit of deception, and would be sure to tell her the truth someday.

"I admit I…can't remember anything about him." Sonic did not lie exactly. If this really was a different world, he shouldn't know anything about anyone.

"Oh how awful. You at least remember your childhood friend, don't you?" Vanilla asked hopefully. Sonic considered just saying no, but he thought it would be nice if he seemed to remember something. He whacked his brain for a guess, but only one answer came to mind.

"Tails?" he tried cautiously. Much to his relief, Vanilla was visibly comforted by his answer.

"Thank goodness. I was so afraid that…" but she stopped herself short "Never mind, I should've known you wouldn't forget something like that. Still, how upsetting this must be for you. I'm sorry for causing you some distress." she apologized.

Sonic was glad that he was finally getting somewhere. And as an added bonus, he had confirmed that his little brother was still on his side. Somehow, that didn't shock him very much. "Go figure. The only person I can always trust, ends up being my best buddy." he thought happily.

"I suppose I could tell you about Knuckles but…" Vanilla said with a frown "I think something like that could be better answered by...someone else. She would never lie to a friend, least of all one like you." Sonic once again missed her implication. Given the somewhat suggestive tone, he assumed she was talking about Amy.

"Well then, I guess I can ask her tomorrow." Sonic settled. Hopefully that meant Amy was okay too. If so, he could better focus on figuring out where he was.

"She really is a devoted fan of yours." Vanilla smiled thoughtfully "But please be gentle. I don't want you to upset her too much."

"Don't worry I won't." Sonic knew how devoted she was, but still couldn't afford to lose her trust. Based on how Vanilla was talking, he began to wonder how close they were in this world. Still, a little awkwardness wouldn't kill him, right? All things considered, Sonic began to think that maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.

"I know she'll understand." Vanilla assured "Well look at the time! I apologize for keeping you up so late Mr. Sonic. Now come with me, I can show you to the guest room." Sonic nodded, not aware of how tired he was until now. Having arrived at the room, Sonic thanked her and lay down peacefully on the warm bed.

"Get some rest Sonic, and pleasant dreams." Vanilla closed the door quietly, as the hero had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Neither of them noticed the large silhouette outside his window.

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End of Chapter Three

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They say a bad day must inevitably be followed by a good day. Sadly it's also said that the good days don't last. Can't make it too easy for him, can I? I'll need support along the way, if people want me to keep this going. I'm not going to start another long project if no one is interested.

Until next time.