Notes: That last chapter certainly was intense! I was glad to hear so many of you enjoyed it. Thank you all so much for 100 reviews on this story! I honestly can't believe Time Warp has come so far, especially since it's my first story on this site and it features some of the franchise's more obscure characters. Seriously, I can't thank you all enough. So here's a new chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

The walk to wherever Scourge was leading them all was surprisingly silent. Not a single "are we there yet?" or "where are we going?". Everyone was in too much shock. Mobius was lost. Huge chunks of the ground had broken apart and flown up into a giant time-hole in the sky as lava burst from the earth and the wind ravaged the land- and that was just what happened to the Marble Zone on South Island. What had happened to cities like Station Square and Central City? Entire skyscrapers being lifted from the ground would be catastrophic. Everything happened so suddenly, people wouldn't have been able to escape in time. Zonic had called in the Zone Cops to begin emergency evacuation of the planet, but there would be no way to save everyone. What about Knuckles? And Amy, and everyone else they knew?

Sonic limped along, leaning on Tails for support. He hadn't been able to do anything. He could barely move. If it hadn't been for Zonic dragging him, he would have been stuck on Mobius, too. He couldn't even save himself, let alone billions of others. The normally cocky, happy-go-lucky hedgehog was completely silent. He looked down at the ground, only lifting his eyes often enough to get a sense for where they were going. His movements were uncharacteristically sluggish, and his eyes were bloodshot. Well, one eye was bloodshot anyway. The other was completely black except for his iris, which had turned a bright, somewhat glowing lavender color. His vision out of that eye was foggy and dark. He could only make out silhouettes of people and things, with the occasional detail, like someone's eyes or mouth, highlighted in light purple. It was bizarre and disorienting, and only served as a constant reminder that he wasn't healthy. That he wasn't okay, that he was getting worse with each step he took.

He hated the Time Eater. This was the sort of hatred he usually saved for Eggman after the man had done something completely wretched, like when he unleashed Chaos on Station Square and nearly washed away half the city. Sonic the Hedgehog never deliberately wished to harm another living thing, but the Time Eater and its goons were the exception.

Speaking of which, what had inspired him to punch Zonic like that? It was so unlike him, so out of character. He could barely even remember doing it; one second he was yelling at the Zone Cop, and the next minute the kid was on the ground and Sonic's fist had blood on it. Something was happening to him that he didn't like. He was feeling less and less like himself every time his scar grew and spread, and that frightened him. He didn't want to think about what would happen when it finally consumed all of him.

The only way Tails could cope with the recent disaster was by distracting himself. He couldn't bring himself to think about the fate of his home, the fate of all those people. So he focused on Sonic's injury, what the Time Eater's next target might be after Mobius Prime, what their next move should be after they rested up. He spoke none of this, but his mind was going at a million miles per hour. A coping mechanism that usually only Sonic used, Tails instinctively adopted. He had to keep his mind occupied, or he risked spiralling down a slippery slope of hatred and depression, like his older brother was currently doing. He was determined to stay strong. So he did what he did best- he thought, and he worked.

The younger versions of Sonic and Tails were devastated. Even though they were eight years in the future, this Mobius was still their home. It was where they lived, it was where their friends lived, it was where billions of people and animals lived. That something like this could happen to the whole world… they couldn't believe it. The two time travelers were more accustomed to saving small islands than they were to saving planets. The sheer gravity of everything they had been doing had never hit them until they found themselves in Marble Zone. Even then, they were dumbfounded. That the Time Eater was this powerful, that the whole world could collapse at a moment's notice… they couldn't comprehend it.

Zonic sent a short message out to No Zone via his helmet's computer as soon as they started walking. "Escaped to Moebius with Sonics, Tailses, Scourge, and six Chaos Emeralds. We need time to rest before planning our next move. Over and out." Then he turned off his helmet. He didn't want to deal with the Commander and other No Zone higher-ups asking questions. He didn't want to talk about anything that had just happened. He couldn't talk about it. It was his duty to protect and maintain order throughout the multiverse, and the central hub of all realities had just been destroyed under his watch. He felt like a failure, almost as much as Sonic did. What was going to happen now? Mobius Prime had never not existed before, at least from the point of view of all the other worlds out there. Whatever happened next was a total mystery. The entire multiverse could fall apart at the seams, for all he knew. Whatever happened next was on his head. Not to mention, he had never become so attached to another Zone before. No Zoners didn't often make friends with their alternate selves, but Sonic was his friend. Tails was his friend. Mobius had started to feel like a second home to him. A place he felt safe and welcome and comfortable. And just like that, poof. It was gone.

"We're almost there," Scourge said, his voice quiet. He tried to push the day's events out of his mind. He himself had tried to destroy Mobius in the past. He shouldn't be getting all sad about it being destroyed now. Even if the Mystic Ruins had begun to feel sort of homey and safe, which it didn't, it wasn't like he would have been staying there for much longer. 'That world should mean nothing to you,' he told himself, blinking away the dust that had gotten in his eyes from the storm. 'Focus on what's next. We've gotta stop this thing before it wipes out a planet you actually want to live on.'

Everyone slowly raised their eyes to see up the hill in front of them. There was an old, decrepit-looking house at the top, surrounded by overgrown grass and hedges. House was a bit of an understatement, as the place was enormous. It was practically a castle, complete with columns and spires, and even gargoyles perched on the high-up ledges. If it hadn't been falling apart, the place would have appeared to be regal, elegant, and excessively gaudy. However, the windows were all boarded up, with some of the planks of wood having rotted away or otherwise fallen down. Shingles were missing from the roof. Graffiti was everywhere. The gargoyles were broken and chipped in places, or just missing entirely. A lot of the exposed windows were broken or cracked, and ivy was covering most of the walls.

"What is this place?" Tails asked, looking up in surprise. Of all the places he thought Scourge would bring them, a run-down mansion was not one of them.

"My parent's place," the green hog said, not caring to mention any more than that. Seeing how well the place had been cared for over the years, it was pretty clearly a place he didn't like visiting. It was quite possibly the only place he could have brought him where he wouldn't be arrested on-sight. He had tried to conquer Moebius, after all, and it wasn't exactly common knowledge that he was currently on probation. Staying in an abandoned house on a hill far away from any other property was likely his only option for refuge now.

"This is where your parents live?" Lil' T asked, wiping his eyes and nose. "It looks abandoned. Did they decorate for Halloween early or something?"

"They don't live here anymore," Scourge answered. On the outside, he seemed indifferent to the whole arrangement, but the Moebian's heart had dropped into the pit of his stomach as soon as he saw the house. He had hoped to never come here again, to leave this part of his past alone and never look back on it. The last thing he wanted was to invite people in. He had a bad feeling that his parents would come up in conversation at some point. Scourge shuddered, briefly thinking back to the nightmare he'd had last night. 'Dad… Shit, this is not gonna be fun.'

They approached the house, finding the impressively large front gate locked with a heavy padlock. The lock and chain were added recently. Cops weren't fond of kids trespassing on the old property, it seemed. "I could break this down, but if we're staying here for a while, we don't want anything to give us away," Scourge said. He looked over at the Tailses expectantly. They got the hint and nodded, and in less than a minute they had carried the rest of the party over the fence and landed safely in the overgrown garden. They pushed their way through the tall grass and brambles, shoving through the ivy that had sprawled all over the old walkways. After climbing up the porch steps, Scourge reached up to a small hole in the wall, just underneath one of the cracked porch lights. He brushed aside a spiderweb or two and felt around until he found a key. He pulled it out of the wall and inserted it in the lock on the door. 'Good thing all the kids who dare each other to come in here are too chicken to try,' he thought as he turned the key and the lock clicked. He turned the knob and pushed, finding it stuck. The green hog shoved it with his shoulder, forcing it open. "And here we are."

The door swung open, and the dusty 'grandma's attic' smell hit the group before they even entered. They all filed in, walking into a huge foyer with a large staircase at the back and several doors leading to other parts of the house. The remains of an elaborate chandelier hung from the ceiling, pieces of the crystal littering the floor.

With the lack of power in the house and all the boarded up windows, there was very little light in the room. Zonic turned on the headlight on his helmet so everyone could take a look around. "Yeesh," he said, sneezing when dust from the ornate area rug flew into his face. "How long's this place been abandoned?"

"I dunno, ten years-ish," Scourge shrugged. "The place ain't comfy, but it's prob'ly one a' the only places we can stay around here. Unless we crash in some other Zone instead," he said, giving Zonic a sideways glance.

"We can't risk the Time Eater following us halfway across the multiverse," the Zone Cop grunted. "No offense, but Moebius is a lot more expendable than No Zone."

"No offense taken. Trust me…" the green one shuddered as he closed the door behind the older Sonic, who was the last one inside.

The younger of the Sonics stared up at the high vaulted ceiling and the chandelier that clung from it. "Wow, were you… rich?"

Scourge rolled his eyes. "What, did the huge mansion give it away? Duh, we were loaded. S'what happens when yer dad's a backstabbin' politician and yer mom's a professional pretty person."

"Y'don't have to be salty about it, man…" the small hedgehog muttered under his breath, stepping further into the house. He squinted to see in the limited light of Zonic's headlamp. "Green, you got any candles in this joint?"

"Probably. Dunno where. Like I said, it's been a while," the Moebian grumbled. He started pulling white sheets off of the side tables in the room, of which there were several. He yanked open their drawers, pulling candles and matches out of a couple of them. He scratched one of the matches against the Zone Cop's jacket (to Zonic's loud disapproval) and lit three or four of the candles. Zonic, satisfied with this new light source, turned off his headlamp. The room instantly dimmed, now lit only with the flickering golden light of the candles. It gave the foyer an eerie feel. The candles were distributed amongst the party members, who held the light sources close. "Well, um… Make yourselves at home, I guess…?" Scourge said hesitantly when everyone looked to him for what to do next. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh, livin' room's that way if ya wanna crash," he nodded to one of the doors on the left.

Lil' T raised his hand high in the air, somehow still being full of pep after everything that had just happened on Mobius. "I wanna 'splore!" the child declared, standing up on his tippy toes.

"Good for you," Scourge said with an annoyed frown. "Whaddaya want, a tour? If you wanna look around, go right ahead."

The kid's face lit up with a smile. It really didn't take much to get him excited, Scourge guessed. The fox kit grabbed the younger Sonic by the hand and started leading him towards the stairs. "C'mon, Sonic! This place is huge, I wanna see all of it!"

Mini-Sonic looked like he was about to say no, that he was too tired, that he needed to lie down for a bit and digest everything that had happened to them that morning. But he couldn't say no to Tails when he was somehow in a good mood and all the rest of them were miserable. Someone had to keep up morale, he supposed. "Sure thing, bud," he said, trying not to sound too emotionally exhausted.

"Hey," Scourge called after them, "jus' don't go lookin' in the room at the end of the hall on the third floor, alright? That one's off limits."

"Why?" Lil' T asked, already halfway up the first flight of stairs.

"Because I said so, that's why," the green hedgehog grunted. He sighed and rolled his eyes as the young fox shrugged and bolted up the rest of the stairs, his older brother in tow. The Moebian muttered something under his breath before he stalked off into the living room, the door swinging shut behind him. Zonic and Tails went to follow him, but Sonic lingered behind.

"I think I'm going to try and find a guest room," he said quietly, his eyes following the kids upstairs. "I… need to lie down for a bit, I think." What he really wanted to do was to go for a long run, get all his thoughts sorted out, to release his frustrations away from everyone else. But since he felt sore just from walking, the best he could do at this point was to hope for a nap.

Tails nodded. "Do what you gotta do, bro. Given the state of this place, I'm not sure what shape the beds will be in… but you're welcome to try them," he said with a half shrug. Sonic nodded before silently walking off, slowly climbing the ornate stairs as Tails and Zonic followed Scourge into the living room.

By the time Sonic had ascended the stairs and found a guest bedroom with a bed that was in decent condition, his legs and lungs were aching. The room he found was a little on the smaller side, with a window that hadn't been boarded up letting a small amount of light in from outside. All the furniture was covered in white sheets to keep the dust off of them, and even then, the place felt excessively gaudy. He yanked away the white cloth that was covering the bed, and collapsed onto the mattress, not bothering to get underneath the covers for a nap. He wished that the pain in his legs would stop, that everything would stop. He couldn't accept that Mobius was gone, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do about it. They were missing a single Chaos Emerald, and they were unable to do anything about the Time Eater without the last one. What was he supposed to do? He was always looking forward, refusing to let the bad times get him down. But he had no idea what lied ahead for him anymore.

He placed a hand over his darkened eye, feeling the rough texture of his scar that had invaded his face. 'What if I'm stuck like this forever? If I'll never look like myself again… What if I'll never run again... ? What am I gonna do?' He pulled his hand away and instead covered up his other eye, the one he could still see out of properly. With only his dark eye opened, his entire field of vision went almost entirely black. It wasn't quite black, but dark enough that he wasn't sure what else to call it. The light streaming in through the old, dirty window was a dull lavender color, and the edges of some of the pieces of furniture were highlighted in light purple as well. There was a clock on the wall to his right- it was no longer running, but even if it was, he couldn't make out its hands well enough to be able to read it. 'This is… really trippy,' Sonic thought, alternating between his two eyes to figure out how much vision he still had in the scarred eye. 'It's not like I'm blind, I can still see where things are. But… I can't see any details like this. I doubt I'd be able to read anything. Dunno if I could look at a picture and make it out, either. Weird…' He exhaled slowly through his mouth. If he could be grateful for anything, at least only one of his eyes was screwed up. He'd already practically lost his ability to run. Losing this much sight in both of his eyes would just be the icing on the cake.

'Well, this is one fine mess you've gotten everyone into this time, Sonic.' Images of Marble Zone breaking apart and getting sucked into the sky were still fresh in his mind, even hours later. 'You lost. The one time it really mattered… You even called in Zonic and Scourge for help, and you lost. You had your younger self here, and you still. Lost. Who even knows if we can fix this? What the hell can we do to fix all this…?' And the hedgehog laid there, looking up at the ceiling, hopelessly wondering that one, important question. What was he supposed to do?

ooo

After Scourge had got a fire going in the fireplace, the living room started to feel almost comfy. The white sheets covering all the furniture had been tossed aside, as well as the see-through plastic coverings for the couches and arm chairs ("My parents were freaks," Scourge had uttered as they threw the things aside). At the very least, the plastic had prevented any bugs or small critters from making a home of the couch cushions over the past ten years, which no one was complaining about. Scourge, Zonic, and the older Tails had all claimed their own seats around the room, and sat in relative silence. There wasn't much to talk about aside from Mobius, and no one wanted to bring it up. Zonic had his helmet on, and was absorbed in reading reports on the Prime Zone; which cities had been successfully evacuated by the Zone Cops before everything got destroyed, mainly. Tails had taken to jotting down ideas on a yellow pad he found sitting next to a dead landline phone. He would stare at the paper for long periods of time without writing anything, seemingly lost.

Scourge didn't have anything to distract himself with, so he stared into the fire, trying not to think about the fires that had engulfed Marble Zone. 'I hate this place,' he thought as memories of his childhood flooded his mind. 'Why the hell did I decide to bring everyone here? We coulda taken our chances elsewhere, see if we could rent out a motel room or somethin' without people tryin' to kill me. Not like we got a ton a' cash on us, but still. This place is almost as bad as Zone Jail, and that's sayin' somethin.' He shuddered, and zipped up his jacket to hopefully drive away the chills.

Why did he even feel the need to get the group someplace safe so they could rest? They failed to stop the Time Eater- that's it. End of the line, job done. Right? There was nothing left for them to do, no reason for them to all still be together. So what was he doing? He knew he'd been getting softer lately, but was he starting to... like these guys? 'Ew, no way,' he sniffed, shooing the thought from his head. 'I mean, they're better than my old quote-unquote team, but there ain't many people I hate more than those pricks.'

He found himself wondering if his old gang knew about what happened on Mobius. They were generally pretty savvy when it came to major goings-on in other Zones, Miles especially. His world's version of the two-tailed fox was particularly devious, and could dodge cops from ten different dimensions at once if he wanted to. Would he know about the Time Eater and what it could do? And what if the TE had followed Scourge and the others to Moebius once it was done with Mobius Prime? Sure, his old teammates were assholes, but for some reason, leaving them for dead without even a warning didn't sit too well with him. 'Jeez, I been hangin' out with Sonic for too long,' he thought, disgusted.

After a while of sitting together, lightning flashed, and a crack of thunder outside broke the silence. "Shit," Scourge breathed, "is it gonna rain? Hope this joint is still in-tact enough to hold out a storm." Tails shuddered, and his namesakes curled around themselves tightly.

"I hope so too," he said, eyes glancing over all the windows. Thunderstorms were not his favorite. What else could possibly happen to make the day worse?

Zonic stood up and stepped over to the window, peering between a crack in the wooden boards. "Doesn't look like it'll start raining for a little while yet," the teen said with a hand on his hip. "There's a city close by, right?"

"Yeah, Mobotropolis is only a few miles out. Why?"

"I'm hungry, and if we're gonna be crashing here for a while, we're gonna need food. Any good pizza places around?"

Scourge thought for a second. "Dunno if it's still open, but the one on 23rd wasn't half bad. Pick up some garlic knots while yer there."

"Alright," Z nodded. "My treat. For, uh, letting us stay here awhile. See you guys in a few." He gave a short wave and ducked out of the room. A few seconds later, Scourge and Tails heard the sonic boom outside as he sped off.

Scourge leaned back in the armchair he'd claimed as his own, trying to get comfy. "Guess the kid needed some alone time, too. The way he rushed outta here..." he breathed, pulling his sunglasses off the top of his head and inspecting the lenses for scratches. Lightning flashed again outside, and the hedgehog saw Tails jump a little out of the corner of his eye. Scourge raised an eyeridge. "Don't like storms?"

"So what if I don't?" Tails asked, his fur bristling. 'If Scourge tries to make fun of me for being a little uncomfortable with lightning...'

"Jus' tryin' to make conversation, s'all," the green one shrugged. "If you wanna talk about somethin' else, I'm all ears. I'm just sick of the damn quiet. This house gives me the creeps as it is, y'know?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean," the fox looked around at the large living room. The whole place gave off a kind of 'haunted mansion' sort of vibe. "Can't believe you used to live here."

"Me either, sometimes," Scourge said. "Wonder what the half-pints are getting into upstairs?"

He didn't even have time to think about possibilities before Mini-Sonic burst into the room, fuming. He had the young Tails in tow, keeping him close behind him. "What the hell, Scourge."

ooo

Several minutes earlier, the two kids were exploring the third floor of the house. The floor creaked underneath their feet, and dust and dirt billowed up with every step. The candle-lit hallway they were in had cobwebs and spiderwebs littering the ceiling, and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls. Sonic could have sworn he saw a cockroach run by once or twice. He was just glad it wasn't a rat.

Lil' T was leading the way, checking inside each and every room for anything remotely interesting. Almost all of the furniture was covered in white sheets, and removing them revealed nothing of interest. All the rooms they'd looked in so far were spare bedrooms and a bathroom (which smelled about as good as one would think). There were three rooms left on the floor that they hadn't checked out.

Sonic nearly ran Tails over as the fox kit stopped walking abruptly. He was staring curiously at a door- one of the three they hadn't entered yet. Sonic looked up at the door, and his eyes widened. There was a faded sign, drawn on construction paper and stuck on the door with tape. It was barely legible anymore, but he thought he could make out the words "Sonics Rume" and a poorly-done crayon drawing of a blue hedgehog.

Sonic frowned. "Is this... Scourge's room?" he wondered aloud. "I think the other Tails said that his name was Sonic, and then he changed it... He is pretty big on that whole 'being his own person' thing, makes sense."

"Come on, let's go look inside!" Tails cheered, barging into the room. Sonic would have tried to stop him, but he was pretty curious himself.

The first thing they noticed about Scourge's room was that all of the furniture was uncovered, and a thick layer of dust coated everything in the room. Small black sneakers littered the floor, as well as scraps of paper. Sonic bent down and picked a few up; they looked like photos of a young Scourge (who looked exactly like Sonic- freaky) with his family. He didn't look very happy, even though he was smiling. It was like it was forced. His parents looked happy, though, from what Sonic could make out. At least, he assumed the other people were Scourge's parents. He had never known his own, so he didn't know what they were supposed to look like.

"Looks like Green had some parent issues," he said. It was obvious enough from how the photos were torn up and thrown everywhere.

"Wow, look at all this!" Tails said, standing on his tiptoes to peer into an old toybox. "There's so many toys in here!"

Sonic walked over to Tails and looked inside the chest. There were a lot of toys, more than Sonic himself had ever had as a kid. "Well, the guy wasn't neglected in the toy department, that's for sure," he muttered. "Come on Tails, we really shouldn't be in here. We should go."

The fox nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We can always come back later, anyway!" The two left the room, making sure to close the door behind them. There were only two doors left in the hall that they hadn't looked into yet. "Hey Sonic, let's try this one next!" Tails said, plowing through the nearest door with little warning.

The room looked like some sort of office or study. There were bookshelves lining one wall, completely filled with old, dusty books about history and politics and law. There was a large mahogany desk, facing front and center, with an old, cracked leather chair parked behind it. Various papers were strewn across the desk, like they had been neat and orderly, but then someone decided to knock them out of their piles. There was a big, tall window behind the desk, which would make whoever sat there appear backlit on a sunny day. Menacing.

"Tails, I think this is the room Scourge said we shouldn't go in," Sonic said, glancing around. "Not sure why though, it just looks like someone's office. His dad's maybe? I dunno." Tails instantly ran to the bookshelf and started scanning it for anything he would find interesting. It didn't look like the hedgehog was going to be able to pull him away if he tried. Exhaling in defeat, he strolled around the room, looking at certificates that adorned the walls. "Jules Hedgehog... Guess that was my dad's name. Or, in this case, my anti-dad, I guess." Either way, Scourge's old man had earned himself a whole mess of awards over the years. Most of them had to do with serving his country, or peacekeeping. It seemed like his anti-dad was a pretty upstanding guy. Which was weird, because he had always assumed his parents had been nice people themselves. Although, he never actually knew them, so he supposed it was possible that his dad could have been a nasty dude. He didn't like to think about it, though.

Done looking at the walls, he turned to the desk. The papers on top of it were the only things in the whole room that seemed out of place. The rest of the office was neat and tidy, but the papers were scattered about every which way. It seemed a little weird, but whatever.

He caught a glimpse of something bright on the floor, clashing with the dark hardwoods. Sonic walked behind the desk to get a better look at it. His eyes went huge at what he saw.

ooo

Fast forward to the present, with the two kids in the living room, standing off against a confused Scourge.

"What the hell is going on?!" Mini-Sonic growled low in his throat. He was glaring daggers at Scourge, who sat up straight in his chair with surprise.

"I thought you two were exploring the house?" the elder Tails asked, looking between the two time travelers and the blue-eyed hog.

"We were," the small hedgehog said. His fists were trembling. "Tails couldn't help himself and went into that room Scourge said to stay out of. The one at the end of the hallway, on the third floor."

"You what?!" Scourge gasped, standing out of his seat. He knew taking the team here was a bad idea, he knew it.

"What was in there? What happened?" the older Tails asked, his voice layered with worry.

"There was..." Sonic swallowed. "A white outline. Of a body, on the floor," he said hoarsely. "And Scourge knew it was there and tried to keep us away."

"Oh, Chaos..." Scourge stammered, all eyes on him. "Look, I can explain, alright?"

"Explain what? That the violent criminal who tried to take over the world coincidentally just happened to live in a house where someone was killed? Don't tell me you had nothing to do with this, I know you did!" Sonic yelled, as Scourge oddly found himself at a loss for words. "Was it your dad? 'Cause it looked like a private study up there, one that belonged to your favorite 'backstabbing politician.' You killed him, didn't you? You killed your dad!" he shouted.

Scourge stood there in silence. He didn't know how to respond. His mouth had gone completely dry. Why was he acting this way? He usually revelled in the villainous things he'd done, but he was frozen to the spot.

Lil' T peeked out from behind Sonic, eyes wide with fear. "No… You didn't kill anyone, right? Scourge, tell Sonic you didn't kill nobody!" He looked up at Scourge, but the green hedgehog refused to meet his gaze. "Say something!" the child pleaded, but Scourge remained silent.

The older Tails got up from the couch and stood by the kids, a frown on his face. "I know you didn't exactly have a happy childhood…" he said quietly, not sure what to believe. "And that you've done some pretty terrible things, but…"

"What're you guys talking about?" Lil' T said, turning towards his older self and Sonic. "Scourge is my friend, an' he's real nice! He wouldn't do anything bad like that, right? C'mon Scourge, tell 'em they're wrong!" Once again, Scourge was silent. The young fox turned and looked up at him again, worry showing on his face. "...Scourge?"

The green one refused to meet his eyes, staring down at the floor instead. "I'm… I'm sorry, kid," he said quietly. And for once, he actually meant the apology. The fox kit had been the only one who was completely comfortable around him, who thought he was an alright guy. He'd actually begun to kind of enjoy the kid's company over the past few days. And here he went, breaking Lil' T's heart and shattering his trust.

"Oh my gods, you did do it," the older fox breathed.

Sonic was livid. "I knew it, I knew I couldn't trust you!" He barked, grabbing Lil' T's wrist and pulling him away from Scourge.

"N-no…" the child squeaked, his voice breaking. "No, you're lying… You're all lying!"

"Tails, Scourge has been in prison!" Sonic said harshly. "He took over his world, tried to take over Mobius, he's killed people! He killed his own damn father! It's the truth!"

"W-what?" the kit looked up at the Moebian, shocked.

'Right,' Scourge thought, his heart pounding in his throat, 'he was the only one who didn't know about the whole Zone Jail thing. Or just the evil thing in general. Shit.' He hesitated, Tails staring up at him. "I... " he started. He sighed. "He's telling the truth, Tails."

That was not what the young fox wanted to hear. He turned and bolted out of the room, tears leaking from his eyes. "Kid, wait!" Scourge reached after him, but Sonic blocked his path.

"No," the blue hog growled, "you stay away from him, you, you… traitor!"

"Sonic." The older Tails interrupted him, a stern look on his face. He glared at Scourge. "Why didn't you tell us about this? What, did you think we wouldn't find out?!"

"Are you kidding?" Scourge asked, dumbfounded. "Why the hell would I tell you? Because I love having people hate me? I'm supposed to be tryin' to earn your trust, right? Does this seem like a fun trust-buildin' exercise to you?!"

"Well, if you didn't want us to find out," Mini-Sonic argued, "then why the hell did you bring us here?!"

"I told you guys not to go in there! What part of 'off limits' did you not get?! 'Sides, it's not like I have anywhere else to go, everyone else on this damn planet wants me dead!"

"Gee, I wonder why!"

"Will you two shut up?" Tails said frustratedly, stepping in between them both. "Yelling is getting us nowhere!"

Both hedgehogs quieted down, but were still staring daggers at one another. After a few seconds, Scourge broke contact, and glanced down at his boots. "Look, I… I'm tryin' to start over, move on from all the stuff I've done in my past. Alright? Especially shit like killin' my old man." He crossed his arms over his chest, and his voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "That isn't… I'm not… That was ten years ago. You really think I'd do somethin' like that now? That I-I'm still proud of that?" he said, looking up.

The young Sonic didn't look convinced in the least. He looked like he was about to start yelling again when Tails cut him off.

"I don't forgive you for this. I can't. But…"

"But?" Sonic said angrily. "He killed his dad! There's no but!"

"But he regrets it," the fox rebutted. He frowned. "And… what you decide to do next defines you more than what you've done in the past. Everyone deserves a second chance. Right?" He looked up at Scourge nervously, and the hedgehog's expression told him he was right. "What's passed is past. We all make mistakes, even if it takes us a while to realize it…"

"D-dude!" Sonic gasped, taken aback. "You're taking his side?!"

Tails nodded slowly and gulped. "Scourge, I think… I think you should go talk to little-me."

Both hedgehog's eyes went wide. "W-what?" the green one stammered. "Are you sure?"

"No!" Sonic protested. "He's my brother, and I don't want you going near him!"

"And I'm his older self," Tails said. "Go."

Scourge nodded and took off to look for the younger fox before Tails changed his mind. Tails blocked the door after he left so that Sonic couldn't chase after him, and the two continued to argue about what to do with Scourge until Zonic appeared in the doorway, arms filled with soda and pizzas with a bag of garlic knots balancing on top. He looked at both the kids, confused. "Um, what did I miss?"

Notes: This chapter was especially hard to write, just from the amount of times I played out the ending in my head. It's also hard to write the Sonics as being so upset and angry, so sorry if they seemed OOC at all (especially the younger Sonic. Yikes, he gets pissed). Either way, I hope you all liked it! Not sure when the next chapter will be out, since I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo in July and pretty much all of my writing will be devoted to that instead of Time Warp. I'll try and get it up as soon as I can! If I don't post for a while, I hope you all have a lovely summer (or winter, if you're in the southern hemisphere).

If you liked it, please leave a review!