Notes: Well, this is it. The last chapter of Time Warp. A day later than I had wanted (ending this story on Sonic's 25th birthday would have been SO COOL), but ultimately I wanted to take a little extra time to get it just right. I'm really happy with how this chapter turned out, particularly the ending. I hope you all enjoy it! And a happy belated 25th Birthday, Sonic!
Scourge awoke slowly, with a pounding in his head. He was immediately aware that he hurt all over, like he'd been hit by a truck. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep right then, but there was something nagging in his mind. Something important… why did his whole body feel so sore? It wasn't for no reason. He thought for a few moments before remembering.
The Time Eater.
Everything came back in a rush, and the hedgehog's eyes snapped open. The monster had been killed, right? The Time Eater was gone forever? The multiverse… everyone was safe? He looked back and forth, looking for any trace of the beast as if the fight had just concluded minutes ago. Instead of being in the Hidden Palace, he found himself in a sunny, white room- a hospital room, he noted- and heard faint conversation taking place outside the door. He looked around the room, quickly finding that he wasn't the only one in it. Lying asleep in the bed to his left was Sonic, probably still out cold from patching up the entire time stream.
He relaxed fully, his head sinking back into the pillow. Everyone was safe, the multiverse wasn't going to blow up. They were all alive. All of his… friends… the word stressed its way through his mind. Crap, he'd called them all his friends out loud, hadn't he? He got a little too worked up during that final battle, he supposed. His mouth had spat out the words that his mind was still having a hard time formulating.
To be fair, if he was going to call anyone his friends, this group would definitely be the most likely candidates. Over the past couple of days, after a rocky start… they'd been encouraging him, helping him with his nightmares, worrying about him, fighting alongside him, joking with him… those were all things friends did, Scourge was pretty sure. The guys… they cared about him, didn't they? And if his performance protecting them from the Time Eater was anything to go by, he cared about them too. 'Well fuck,' he chuckled quietly to himself. 'Dunno if I'm cut out for the whole friendship thing, but what the hell. It hasn't been too bad so far.'
He attempted to sit up, his muscles groaning with the effort. He hated going Super. He got immense power, more than even Sonic, but it always left him in terrible shape afterwards. The last time he went Super, he wound up unconscious for an entire day after. But this time, he'd stayed in the form way longer, used way more power. He wondered how long he had been asleep for. After a good deal of trying, he got himself up into a sitting position. His head swam, but he refused to lie back down. 'Even if being Super makes me feel like this,' he thought, piling his pillows up behind him for a little bit of support, 'it was worth it. I… I got to help save the world. I saved every world. I did that… I still can't believe it, that an asshole like me helped save everyone. Is that who I am now? I'm a…' he hesitated to use the word 'hero,' but he still smiled at the thought.
Scourge's ears perked up as he heard movement outside. A pair of voices filtered through the door, one sounding similar but older than the other. "I told you, they're probably both still asleep," the older of the two said.
"I still wanna check!" the younger replied, and the door to the room opened a crack. Lil' T poked his head in, and his face immediately lit up when he saw that the green hedgehog was in fact awake. "Scourge!" he cheered, rushing into the room and leaping onto the bed without hesitation. He landed in Scourge's lap and wrapped his arms around him as the hedgehog hissed in pain.
"Ow, ow, ow…" he moaned as the small fox took the hint and let go of him. "Easy there kid, I kind of hurt all over," he said with a toothy smile.
The child muttered an apology while his older self walked into the room. "Welcome back to the world of the living," the older Tails said. "How're you feeling?"
"Like crap," Scourge answered, rubbing at one of his eyes. "I'll get over it. How long have I been out?"
"Two… almost three days."
"Damn," the hedgehog shook his head. "Kinda what I was expecting, but that's still a while." He scratched the back of his head, rustling up his spines. He probably had some serious bedhead going on. "So I take it everyone's still alive after that whole shebang?"
"Yep," the older Tails sighed, looking sort of bummed. "The younger Sonic had to get his rib patched up, but he was out of the hospital within a day. He's back in the workshop, resting. Zonic's back to normal, too, though he kept those scars on his leg. The only one who hasn't woken up yet is Sonic." His eyes drifted to the blue hedgehog across the room, who hadn't moved an inch. Sonic took light, shallow breaths, but that was the only real indicator that he was still alive.
Scourge tried to smile. "Ahh, he'll be fine. I've given him harder beatings than this anyway, he always bounces back. Whether I want him to or not."
"Yeah. It's just… this has never happened before. He's always okay coming out of a transformation. I can't help but be worried," the fox said, his namesakes twitching slightly. "Knuckles said he wanted to come by tomorrow, check Sonic out for himself. Sonic did get knocked out after being Hyper, after all… It's not something that happens everyday."
The green one saw the concerned look on Tails's face, feeling bad. "Figures. You hero-types are all worry worts," he snickered, trying to lighten up the mood. He got the older fox to successfully smile, and Lil' T giggled from his curled-up position in the bed next to him. "So. I've been out for nearly three days. What's been goin' on? Fill me in."
"Well, we're all just kind of resting right now. Except Zonic, of course," the fox said, his smile widening. "Y'know, he's quieter and calmer than you or Sonic, but I swear, he has no idea how to take a break and relax. He got right back to work as soon as we got back here. Helping get the people who were evacuated back into their homes, writing up an apparently massive report for his boss, helping with PR… Dude's got his work cut out for him."
"Just the way he likes it," the hedgehog rolled his eyes softly. "Y'think the guy would take a vacation or something… He was just a thirteen-year-old after all. So when'd he turn back?"
"He was actually back to normal after you defeated the Time Eater, but I guess you didn't notice."
"I was kind of consumed entirely by pain at the moment, so yes, it managed to slip my notice," the Moebian said tiredly.
The younger fox seated on the bed with him nudged his knee, grabbing his attention. "I know something else you didn't notice! C'mon, guess, guess," he asked, opening his eyes as wide as they would go, showing off his new bright blue irises.
Scourge squinted his eyes and inspected the kit intensely, acting as if he hadn't noticed his eyes immediately. "Hmm…" he tapped a finger thoughtfully against his chin. "You got a haircut."
Lil' T giggled, a big smile on his face. "No," he said.
"Okay, uhh… Ya grew an extra tail."
"No!" the child laughed harder, giving Scourge a gentle shove. "My eyes turned blue! Like older me's!"
"What? Oh hey, would'ja look at that!" the hedgehog said, smiling lightheartedly. He rustled the bangs on the kit's head. "How'd that happen? Did Sonic's eyes turn green, too?"
"Yep," the child's older-self said. "We think it was because of all the Time and Chaos energy going wild back there. Everyone's eyes change from black to another color at some point naturally, but ours were sort of… activated before they normally would have."
"Yeah!" Lil' T nodded excitedly. "Hey, your eyes are blue too, Scourge. We match!"
"Huh. You're right, we do."
"Y'know, your eyes have changed, too," the small fox said, looking up into the hedgehog's eyes. Scourge and the older Tails glanced at each other before looking back at Lil' T.
"Whaddaya mean, kid?" the green one asked, really unsure what his small friend meant.
"Well, they've been blue this whole time, but they used to be like… like an icy blue. But now they're sunny, like the sky outside!" he beamed. His answer caught Scourge off guard, and the hedgehog stopped and thought about it for a moment before he laughed.
"They are, huh? Well, I guess I can live with that."
Their conversation was put on hold when there was a knock on the door, followed by a hospital nurse entering. "Oh, you're awake!" she exclaimed upon seeing that Scourge was sitting up, with Lil' T sitting in his lap. "Sorry boys, but would you mind stepping outside while I check his vitals? I just need to make sure you're alright. You were out for quite a while, Mr. Scourge."
"Mr. Scourge, eh?" the green hedgehog quipped. "In that case, you can check more than just my vitals, babe- OW," he grunted, receiving a biff to the back of the head from the older Tails.
"Behave yourself," the fox rolled his eyes at him. "Awake for five minutes and already causing trouble… Sorry ma'am, we'll get out of your hair. C'mon Lil' T, let's go."
The smaller child whined as his older-self hoisted him up. "But I wanna stay!"
"Scourge still needs rest, and he can't get that if you keep bugging him. We'll come back later tonight, yeah?" the vulpine said, looking to Scourge for confirmation.
The Moebian nodded, trying not to jostle his head too much. Tails might've shaken something loose. He raised a hand to lazily wave them goodbye. "See ya," he said, feeling a little more tired that he had a second ago.
The nurse's visit came and went relatively quickly. Scourge hadn't gotten hurt much during the fight, after all. He was just suffering the after effects of being Super, and he knew from experience that those would wear off with time. For the time being, he was just very tired, and very sore. The nurse checked his vitals, gave him some medication to help with the pain, and that was that.
The green hedgehog sighed, lying back down fully. His back protested the movement, but his sore muscles soon relaxed in the new position. He groaned, closing his eyes. The nurse had given him painkillers, but he still hurt all over. "Dammit," he whispered to himself. He turned his head to look at Sonic, still solidly unconscious. 'At least I woke up,' he thought. 'Three days is a long time to be out of it. Granted, we both did some pretty crazy shit, but…' He couldn't help but feel a little bit worried about his counterpart, who lay there unmoving. 'Still can't believe you fixed the whole time stream all by yourself. Show-off… Or at least, enough of it that it was able to stitch itself back together. I get the feeling that the fabric of time pretty heavily resists ripping in the first place.' He looked up at the plain white ceiling, taking his eyes off Sonic. It wasn't easy to see a guy that strong be so hurt. Not too long ago, he would've loved to put the blue hero in a coma. But now…
Scourge felt a chill go up his spine as he recalled his nightmares. Now, the idea of hurting Sonic and the others severely freaked him out. Now he actually cared about them, wanted to protect them from getting hurt. He always saw friends as just liabilities, but now that he actually had them, it was definitely something more than that.
"S'pose I should be thanking you, Blue," he said softly. "I dunno if I even deserved all those second chances you gave me, but ya gave 'em to me anyway. That was either really smart or really stupid, but I'm glad you did it."
The green hedgehog huffed. Part of him wondered what could come next for him. The last few days (that he was awake for, anyway) had been so frantic, it was hard to just take it slow and not think ahead. But he had no idea. No immediate goals, no place to stay, and a homeworld he didn't want to live on anymore. If it weren't for the hospital bed underneath him, he'd feel completely lost. At least he knew he could rest here on Mobius for a few days. 'Unless the Zone Cops come and drag me back to prison. That's a possibility too, I guess. I saved the world, but I also tried to conquer it once or twice. That's not somethin' you just forgive that easily.' He closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about it. The Zone Cops weren't that cruel, and he had Zonic on his side. At the very least, he'd be able to stick around on Mobius Prime until he felt better. Whatever happened after that… He'd cross that bridge when he came to it. But if he had a choice, he'd pick being a hero over being in Zone Jail any day.
He didn't want to fall asleep, still nervous about having another nightmare. He hadn't had one since that last night on Moebius, but still. Unfortunately, lying down in a semi-comfortable bed with his eyes closed and his system pumped full of drugs was a recipe for a snooze that he couldn't resist.
Luckily for him, his mind was too tired to dream, though his sleep still didn't feel particularly restful. He didn't stir until later that night, vaguely aware of sounds in the room. Someone was in there with him, speaking quietly.
"Yeah, I know, Zector. I'm gonna stick around here for the night. Tell Zlaze I'll have that report done by the morning… Yes, I'm sure I'm fine. You guys really worry about me too much. Yeah… Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, man. Yeah. Bye," Zonic said, hanging up the phone. He yawned, stuffing his cell phone back in his pocket.
"Workin' hard, Cap?" Scourge asked, his voice hoarse. He rubbed his eyes open, despite his arms not wanting to move.
"Oh, hey," the Zone Cop said, standing up. He'd been sitting in a chair against the opposite wall. He was back to his normal, twenty-year-old self, and out of uniform. "Sorry, I wake you up?"
The green one shrugged. "No big deal. I've been sleepin' for three days, I don't need anymore sleep," he chuckled tiredly. "What time is it?"
"Uh, eleven-ish? It's pretty late. The Tailses dropped by a few hours ago, but you were asleep."
"Didn't think hospitals were this lenient about visiting hours," Scourge smirked. "How'd you get in here this late, you cashin' in yer hero points?"
Zonic coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Kinda just… 'ported right in here. I'm tired, didn't feel like dealing with people."
"Oh snaaap, officer straight-and-narrow breakin' the rules? Just to see lil' ol' me? I'm flattered."
"Well, I'd heard you'd woken up, wanted to check and see for myself if you were doing okay. You did save our lives, after all. Plus…"
Scourge rolled his eyes. "Okay, why're you really here then?"
"We need to talk," Zonic said, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. His expression turned slightly more serious.
Scourge feigned a horrified gasp. "You're breaking up with me?"
The cop groaned. "About what's gonna happen to you after all this. About Zone Jail."
The injured one's expression sobered up quite fast after that. "So… what's goin' on with that?"
The No-Zoner sighed and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Zlaze is on the fence. Given that she hasn't stationed any guards outside this room and you aren't wearing an inhibitor collar right now, I'd say she's closer to swaying to our side. She just needs a little more convincing to let you go free."
"And you think you can convince her?"
"I hope so. You've got a pretty good case in your favor, though."
"What case?" Scourge groaned as he dragged a hand down his face. "I conquered my planet, and tried to do the same to Mobius. I helped save the day once, and that should just magically make up for the years of shit I've done?"
"Green, we saved literally everyone in the entire multiverse, past, present, and future. That's huge. Don't be so hard on yourself," Zonic said, offering up a smile. "Don't sweat it, okay? Everything'll be fine. It'll all work out."
The green one sighed. "I'll believe it when it happens," he said dejectedly, sinking back into his bed.
"I know you're worried," the No Zoner said, his shoulders drooping a bit. "Just try to focus on feeling better. I'll handle the Chief."
"Ain't there anything you can do to help me feel better? Mr. Healer?"
"Actually…" Zonic crossed one arm across his chest and used the other hand to rub his neck. He sounded bummed. "I can't do that stuff anymore. Not since I turned back."
"Woah, what?" Green's eyes opened wide. "What're you talkin' about?"
"Whatever Nega did to me that took away my speed in the first place... kicked back in once I aged up again. And apparently, that includes any and all Chaos powers. No more running, no more healing, no more nothing."
"Aw man… that sucks ass, dude. That's not fair!"
"Yep. I'm back to normal. In every sense of the word."
"Dude, you stand sideways and take down interdimensional criminals. You were never normal," Scourge smirked. Zonic rolled his eyes, but still looked disappointed with the situation. "Look," the Moebian said, looking away. "You don't need that stuff. You've taken me down without powers before, no problem. It sucks that you can't run anymore, but you ain't the Zone Cops' star officer for nothin'." He saw the cop smile out of the corner of his eye. "And don't tell nobody I said that!"
Zonic laughed. "C'mon man, you say something nice about me, and I'm not even allowed to brag about it? Now that's unfair."
"Hey, gotta protect what's left of my rep. Nothin' personal."
The two continued chatting for a while, catching up on the last few days and recounting the fight with the Time Eater. Zonic had apparently been bragging to anyone who would listen at the station that he'd gone Super, something that no No Zoner had ever done before. Even if he couldn't run or use any powers anymore, he was still excited to gush about the brief time in which he could. Scourge remarked how he enjoyed this Super transformation more than his last one- something about the Chaos Emeralds just felt better than Anarchy Beryl.
"Maybe that's just the multiverse's way of telling you you belong on Mobius after all," Zonic joked. The green one laughed and nodded, while simultaneously feeling like Z could have a good point there.
"So… if I did stay on Mobius. How would that work? You Zone Cops get your panties in a bunch with every little zone hop, after all," he asked, entertaining the idea.
Zonic shrugged. "You'd need a Zone Visa. The Zone Cops haven't handed one of those out in ages, and it would be a mountain of paperwork, but it can be done," he said, before suddenly groaning. "Ugh, speaking of paperwork… I gotta finish that report. Given how insane this whole time has been, Zlaze wants all the details. Kill me now."
"Oh, don't tempt me," Scourge laughed. "Guess I'll see you later, then?"
"Yeah. I'm spending the night at the workshop, No Zone is a little too hectic for me right now. Can't wait til all this blows over so I can get a break. A short one, at least." The Zone Cop stood up from his seat on the edge of the bed, readjusting his jeans and shirt. "Feel better, alright?"
"Yeah. Thanks, man."
A few moments later, Zonic had portal'd away, and Scourge had closed his eyes and let his head sink into his pillow. But no matter what Z had said in an attempt to calm his nerves, images of Zone Jail were now fresh in his mind. His heart was beating in his throat, his gut felt cold, and he could hear the blood rushing through his ears. He pulled the thin hospital sheets up over his arms and up to his neck, as if the blanket could protect him from Smalls, the prison guards, or anyone else who might come for him in the dead of night. 'I'm not going back,' he repeated to himself until he fell asleep, muscles tense. 'I'm not going back.'
ooo
Sonic finally woke up the next morning, his mind filled with cotton. Every bit of his body, from his eyelids to the tips of his toes, felt so heavy and solid that he could barely move them. His mouth tasted like something had died in there, and even the softest of noises sounded as loud as a jackhammer. But the most distressing thing the hedgehog felt was a gut-wrenching emptiness, like something was missing. His limbs were definitely all still there, and all very sore. He couldn't quite put a finger on what the empty feeling was, but he knew he didn't like it.
His ears twitched, listening to his surroundings before he could gather the strength to open his eyes. He heard a steady beeping pounding through his head. A heart monitor, he was sure. He was in a hospital, big surprise. Someone in the room was snoring, fast asleep. Zonic or Scourge, he guessed. He had a feeling his dimensional brothers snored as much as he did.
Sonic tentatively opened his eyes, the bright light painful and groan inducing. He squeezed them shut again, his whole body shifting with discomfort. He'd almost prefer being unconscious again.
"Sonic?" he heard, followed by a shuffling, and then footsteps. The hedgehog dared peek open his eyes once more, seeing a blurry yellow-orange shape that could only be Tails- his Tails- leaning over him. He winked at the fox, moving just enough to convey that he was awake and cognizant. Tails, to put it lightly, flipped a shit. The grin that split across his face was a mile wide. He wanted to just jump onto Sonic and hug him, but he had to settle with just grabbing his brother's hand and holding on tight; almost like if he let go, Sonic would fall back into his comatose state. "I'm… I'm really glad you're okay," Tails said, his voice hushed.
Sonic smiled, opening his eyes a little bit wider. "H-hey, pal," he choked out, coughing at the effort. His mouth was uncooperative, the syllables feeling fuzzy as they passed through his lips. He vaguely noticed a slip in Tails's expression, something catching the fox off guard. "... 'Sup?" the hedgehog asked.
"Your eyes," Tails said, brow scrunched up. "They're black, like when you were little."
"W-what?" Sonic wheezed, his eyes opening a little wider. True enough, his irises were a hard, charcoal black, showing no trace of their normal green.
A sudden gasp broke through the otherwise quiet room, the relative peace broken as the sound of snoring abruptly stopped. Scourge shot up to a sitting position in the other bed, shaky and rapid breaths wracking his system.
"Woah!" Tails quickly turned to face him. "Scourge, you okay?"
"Huh? Tails?" Scourge blinked, starting to calm down a little as he realized where he was. "I, uh… Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Just need a second." The green hedgehog looked shaken up, but otherwise not too bad. It was possible that the nightmare he had woken up from hadn't been too bad. Or at least, not as bad as some of his other ones. He held his head in his hands, trying to steady his breathing.
"Take your time," the fox said. "Sonic just woke up, so-"
"Huh, 'bout time," Scourge scoffed. "Welcome back to the land of the living." He didn't lift his head up, speaking the words quietly to his lap.
"...Anyway," Tails huffed, turning his attention back to Sonic. Scourge still needed some time to cool off. "How're you feeling, bro?"
Sonic held out his hand flat and tilted it back and forth, the universal symbol for "so-so." He would live, but he sure wasn't doing great.
Tails shrugged. "I guess that's to be expected, you did take a beating. You were asleep for… this was the fourth day. That's quite a while."
"How're the others?" Sonic asked, his voice still raspy.
"Good. Little you's got a busted rib, but he's all patched up and resting back at the workshop. Everyone else is doing okay. Zonic's back to his older self, and... unfortunately that seems to include his lack of powers," the fox relayed with a sigh.
The blue hedgehog frowned slightly, closing his eyes. "Had a feeling that might happen," he said. Still, at least all of his friends were okay. Everyone was alive, and it seemed like the multiverse was safe and sound. "I'm jus' glad everything's back t'normal," he slurred a little bit. He opened his mouth wide and stuck his tongue out. "Blaaah, Chaos…"
Scourge lifted his head up and rubbed his eyes, feeling better from his dream. "Dammit," he grunted quietly. "So fuckin' tired 'a those… Yo Tails, any news from Z?"
"Nope. He left the workshop to go to work before I woke up, and it's still kind of early for him to call…" Tails noticed Scourge's ears and quills droop as the hedgehog tilted his face back down towards the bed. "Hey, don't worry. Z'll let us know as soon as he hears anything, and he's trying his hardest to make sure the only news will be good news. You won't be going back to Zone Jail while he's on the case."
Sonic subtly nodded. "Zone Jail? That still up for debate…? I doubt the Zone Cops are that heartless. You turned a new leaf, after all."
"Right?!" Scourge's voice raised, and he turned so that his feet were dangling off the bed. His body felt a lot less sore than it did yesterday, allowing him more movement. "I turned the shit outta that leaf…"
Tails quirked the corner of his lip into a half-grin. "Will seeing little me make you feel better?"
"Gods Tails, you make me sound so clingy," the green hedgehog laughed.
The fox shrugged. "Well, he and Knuckles are downstairs in the cafeteria. Knuckles wanted to check on Sonic anyway, and now that Sonic's woken up, they'll wanna get in here to see him."
"Ugh, Red?" Scourge slouched, not looking forward to meeting the echidna. "How much you wanna bet that douche still wants to bash my skull in for hijacking the Master Emerald's energy that one time?"
"Thousand rings," Tails answered.
"Two thousand," Sonic quietly added.
The flat look Scourge sent them could've killed a man. "I hate you both."
Ooo
"I can't deny it. Scourge has definitely changed," Chief Zlaze said, arms crossed as she observed the Prime Zone monitor. She and Zonic were in Zonic's monitoring station, a wall of Sonics before them. The hedgehog had just handed in his report, which eventually segued into a conversation about the Moebian's future. "And as much as I hate to admit it, you have a point. I doubt sending him back to Zone Jail will accomplish anything."
"I'm glad you agree, Chief," Zonic said, a hint of a smile forming on his lips. He didn't want to get ahead of himself. "I've also heard that the Warden is pleased with his progress, and is willing to let Scourge go. Right?"
"Yes, and ultimately his opinion matters more than mine does on this particular matter," the cat frowned. "As much as I still don't trust Scourge, he's free to go back to Moebius."
Zonic's small grin faded again. "...Just Moebius?" he asked, almost hesitant. "Chief, are you sure that's a good idea?"
The Chief's eyes narrowed, disliking that her decision was being questioned. "What do you mean?" she asked sharply, clearly not in the mood for negotiation.
Zonic mentally cursed himself for bringing it up. The point had to be made, but he was not looking forward to bargaining with Zlaze like this. "Scourge hates his homeworld," he said, his tone serious. "There's nothing there for him anymore. Taking him out of one place where he's hated, and just putting him somewhere else where he's hated won't do anything for him! He has friends on Mobius Prime, let him stay there."
Zlaze looked at him as if he just grew a second head. "Permanently? Are you crazy? We can't have two Sonics living on the same world!"
"Oh, but it's okay to have Scourge in Zone Jail, locked up, right? Because that's totally a different scenario."
She glared at him, because dammit that was a good point he just made. "You know what I mean," she growled. "Having him out and about, interacting in Mobius Prime's society, it can't happen."
Zonic crossed his arms and raised an eyeridge. "Why?" He asked, in much the same tone a child would use. He was getting sassy- either this would pay off, or he'd get in some serious trouble.
"Each world needs its own Sonic!"
"Why?" Zonic asked again, pushing his luck straight off a cliff.
Zlaze was getting annoyed. "Don't be childish, Zonic," she practically spat.
"With all due respect ma'am," the hedgehog said matter-of-factly, "I've spent the last week and a half as a middle schooler. I think I'm entitled to be a little childish. So I'll repeat the question: Why?"
Zlaze swiped her datapad off of Zonic's desk, handling the device forcefully. "It goes against Zone Law," she hissed, punctuating each of her words. She turned towards the door, fully intending to leave the conversation at that.
Zonic followed her, not letting himself get cut off like that. "Maybe it's time the laws were changed, then."
The Chief walked right out of the room, Zonic hot on her heels. "They're in place for a reason," she said, not even glancing up at him.
"What reason?" Zonic demanded as the two continued arguing down the hallway, drawing the attention of all the other Zone Cops they passed. The outsiders' attention wasn't held for long, though- Zonic and Zlaze were always at each other's throats, so this was nothing new.
"To keep everything from falling apart, that's what!"
"Do you mean the fabric of time and space? Because guess what, that was falling apart. And we fixed it! And we can do it again! What the hell could fall apart so terribly that we couldn't rebuild or fix it?"
"The order of everything in the damn universe, hedgehog!" Zlaze shouted, getting suspiciously close to wanting to throw her datapad through Zonic's head. "Dimensions aren't supposed to cross, or merge, or interact. Everyone and everything has its place. Zone Cops are supposed to keep order throughout the multiverse!"
"We're supposed to protect the multiverse!" Zonic yelled back at her, hands clenched tightly into fists. "Not impose judgement on what should go where, or who should do what! There's order, and then there's shoving people into defined little boxes and categories, taking away their free will!"
Zlaze stopped dead in her tracks and whirled around to face Zonic, all in one swift movement. "What the hell has gotten into you, Captain?!"
"I dunno," the hedgehog said, calming his voice before they escalated into a full-blown shouting match. "Maybe some of Sonic's freedom-loving attitude rubbed off on me." He stared her down as a sea of Zone Cops parted around them, utterly disinterested in their argument.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about. When people from all different dimensions come together, timelines are irreparably altered. It makes a mess of everything! Removing dangerous criminals from a world to maintain peace is one thing, but-"
"But working together with people from other worlds to maintain peace is different entirely?" Zonic interrupted her. "Why the hell does everything have to be separate, Zlaze? I mean, sure, the Cosmic Highway is a wreck, and No Zone is nowhere near equipped to handle the amount of traffic that would happen if all those gates were opened up. But from a fundamental, theoretical standpoint… what would be so wrong about Scourge living on Mobius Prime if he's happier there? If he's less likely to return to the way he used to be?" he said, noticing the fiery rage on Zlaze's face melt into a smoldering anger. Slightly calmer, but still mad. "Do you want the people of the multiverse to be happy, or do you want to be able to control them? Choose where they can and can't go, who they can and can't see?"
The cat sighed forcefully, dragging Zonic off to the side of the hallway so they weren't right smack in the middle of the traffic. "It's…" she started, deciding what words to use. "It's not like that, Zonic."
"Then what is it like? Or is that classified information?" he said, resisting the urge to put 'classified information' in air quotes. "Chief, I find it hard to believe that the Zone Cops know the grand master plan behind everything in the multiverse. We don't have a blueprint of how everything should go, we're still figuring it out ourselves. What do we tell Scourge, that he has to live on Moebius because 'reasons'? It's bullshit."
Zlaze didn't have a direct answer for him, perhaps realizing that he had a point. "... Why are you sticking your neck out for him?" she asked, borderline changing the subject.
The hedgehog did a one-shoulder shrug. "Hey, once you get to really know the guy, he's not too bad. Still an asshole, but he's capable of compassion. Plus, he… He's not doing too hot," he admitted, lowering his voice. "Zone Jail was really rough on him. He needs to be with his friends. Taking him back to Moebius and leaving him all alone will do more harm than good, I guarantee it."
Zlaze sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "I can't remember the last time something like this was allowed," she mumbled. "The amount of paperwork would be insane."
"...But?" Zonic led her on hopefully.
"But, if he slips up even once, breaks one single law, it's on your head, Captain. I'm holding you responsible for him, you got that?" she said, jamming a finger into Zonic's chest plate.
Zonic smiled. "Thanks, Chief," he said, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. He was looking forward to telling Scourge the good news.
Zlaze smirked. "You won't be thanking me when you see all the forms you're going to have to fill out. Your responsibility, remember?" she said, bringing something up on her datapad. "Only… twelve different packets that need to be filled out. In triplicate."
Zonic's groan was loud enough to attract the attention of every officer in the hallway.
Ooo
Tails had shot Knuckles a message through his communicator (Knuckles had one on at all times- Angel Island didn't exactly get cellphone reception, so it was a habit he got into), and the echidna and Lil' T made their way up to the twin hedgehogs' hospital room within just a few minutes. Luckily for Scourge, Knuckles gave him a dirty look as he walked in, but aside from that, the echidna opted to ignore him. There were bigger fish to fry, and the Moebian wasn't much of a threat at the moment anyway. Lil' T was ecstatic that the older Sonic was awake, and Knuckles was incredibly curious about his new black eyes.
The younger of the foxes sat on the edge of Scourge's bed while Knuckles leaned over Sonic, his brow furrowed and tense. "I've never seen this before," Knuckles muttered. He held his hands a few inches above Sonic's head and chest and closed his eyes. He attempted to pick up some trace of Chaos energy within Sonic, something that was not usually hard at all. The hedgehog, usually full to the brim of Chaos energy, had shockingly little running through his system. "You're effectively running on empty. What did you do, exactly?" he asked, opening his eyes again.
"Um… Well, I went Hyper," Sonic said, recalling the events of the fight. "Sort of rushed the transformation though, there was no time to change the Chaos Emeralds into Super Emeralds. But I was already Super, so I figured it wouldn't be a huge deal, and it did work." He received a glare from Knuckles, as he normally did when he misused the Master Emerald. He ignored it and continued. "Then I just finished repairing the time stream, kind of using Chaos powers and my time powers. I got it…. I'd say about 90% finished? Before I turned back to normal and passed out. Guess I fixed the time stream enough that it was able to patch itself back up, since everything around here seems to be back to normal."
"Yeah, seems that way," Knuckles hummed. "You're definitely running low on power, but I doubt that's from rushing the Hyper transformation. As much as I don't like you doing that," he pointed the statement with another glare, "you did what you had to, and the Master Emerald is just fine. It could be because you were a show-off and decided to heal the entire time stream by yourself."
"Hey!" Sonic whined, wanting to cross his arms, but the limbs feeling too heavy to move properly.
The echidna gave him a dry smile. "Most likely, it was the time energy that was inside you. The Chaos energy dispelled it from your system, and vice versa. The time energy got the Chaos energy out of your system."
"Not permanently though, right?" the older Tails asked, standing at the foot of the bed. His hands were wrapped around the railing in a slightly awkward configuration that probably wasn't comfortable.
"Nah, it'll come back," Knuckles said confidently. "His eyes'll turn back too, It'll just take a while, since he's got a lot to replenish. So, Sonic, that means lots of rest, lots of meditation, possibly at the Master Emerald if we can arrange that. And don't be surprised if you can't sense things that you normally would, or run for a while."
"Aw, what?" Sonic groaned, his face contorting in frustration. "I haven't been able to run in like, a week. And now you're telling me it'll be longer? UUGGHHH."
"Just be happy this isn't permanent," Knuckles said.
Conversation grinded to a halt as a portal suddenly opened up in the middle of the room. Everyone turned to look as Zonic stepped out of the vortex, followed by the younger Sonic, whose torso was completely bandaged up. "Hey! Good, everyone's here," the Zone Cop said as he assessed the room. Knuckles groaned when he saw his face.
"Oh great, another Sonic to deal with? How many is that, four? I think this is the worst day of my life."
Mini-Sonic scoffed. "Oh, thanks Knuckles, it's nice to see you again, too."
His older self chuckled. "C'mon Knux, you'll like Zonic. He's just as hardworking as you are. Somehow."
"Older-me!" the smallest hedgehog smiled, just now realizing his future self was awake. Little Sonic hopped up onto his hospital bed, sitting on the edge happily.
"Glad to see you're awake, Prime," Zonic said. "And Knuckles Prime! Glad to finally meet you. My name's Zonic, I'm a Zone Cop from the No Zone," he smiled, eagerly extending a hand, which Knuckles reluctantly shook. "Anyway, uh, I brought Sonic's past self here since I wanted everyone to be here to hear this. I've got news about Scourge."
"Just spill it already!" said the green hedgehog in question, who'd been sitting stiff as a board since the Zone Cop had walked in.
"Right! Sorry," Zonic smiled. "I talked with Zlaze. It took some persuasion, and I probably owe her a big-time favor now, but… Scourge, you're not going back to Zone Jail. You have permission to live on Mobius Prime."
The small hospital room erupted into a chorus of cheers and applause, and it was a miracle that a nurse didn't come barging in and kick them all out. Scourge felt an impossibly large weight lift from his chest. He wasn't going back to Zone Jail. Hell, he didn't even have to go back to Moebius! No more Smalls, no more anything that reminded him of his parents, no more any of that. Never again. He could live here, on Mobius Prime, where there were people who didn't completely hate his guts. Where there were people who liked him.
The Time Eater was dead. He would never have to see Smalls again. Nobody here wanted him dead. He felt safe. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way, but he definitely liked it.
"Z, you are somethin' else," the green hedgehog smiled, his heart beating excitedly in his chest. "Yer the best cop an ex-con could have."
Zonic laughed, his grin just as wide as Scourge's. "You're welcome, you've earned it. As long as you don't go causing trouble, Chief Zlaze won't have any reason to bother you- or me, for that matter."
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya," Scourge said. "Wait. What's the legal drinkin' age 'round here?"
"Eighteen," the older Tails answered.
"Phew! Okay then, we're good, I'll be fine," the green one laughed.
Lil' T suddenly looked terrified. "You gotta be eighteen to drink stuff?! But I've been drinkin' things my whole life!" he shrieked. His big brother laughed.
"Tails," the younger Sonic said, "they're talking about alcohol. You're not gonna get arrested for drinking juice."
"Ooohhh," the young child said, nodding. "That's good. 'Cause I'm real thirsty an' I don't think I could wait that long."
Everyone laughed, except for Knuckles, who seemed to be distracted by something. He'd been eyeing Zonic up and down the whole time, trying to figure something out. The Zone Cop was another version of Sonic alright- looked like him, sounded like him… acted differently, but that was to be expected. What was puzzling about him was that he seemed to be giving off way less Chaos energy than Sonic usually did. But… it also wasn't like he just didn't have much energy within him. There was something in him, but it was acting very… quietly, was the only word he could think of at the moment.
He took a few steps closer to Zonic, and the cop turned his head. "Sorry," Knuckles said. "There's something weird about the Chaos energy in you, and I just can't put my finger on it."
"Oh, yeah," Zonic nodded. "Something happened to me when I was a kid. Made it so I can't run anymore. That's probably what it is."
The echidna stared at him wide-eyed. "You and I are gonna have to have a talk about that. Because I thought I'd seen everything when it comes to Chaos energy, but after today, I apparently haven't."
"Oh! Uh, yeah, sure!" the Zone Cop beamed. "I'd love to, but it'll have to wait. I gotta head back to the station, I still have a ton of work I gotta get done."
Knuckles nodded. "Another time, then," he said, starting to warm up to the officer. He respected the guy's work ethic, at the very least. He could relate to it.
Zonic set a hand on his belt, ready to leave again. "Of course. See you all later, guys!" He did a short wave goodbye as a bright orange portal opened around him. Everyone said goodbye as it closed, and the Zone Cop disappeared.
Knuckles smirked. "Y'know Sonic, I think I like him more than you." Sonic hmphed.
"Yeah, you would," the hedgehog rolled his eyes. He turned his attention to his younger self, currently seated on the edge of the bed. "Hey, there's where my green eyes went," he smirked, noting the kid's emerald green irises. "Looks good on you, man."
"Thanks," the kid said with a smile. "How're you holding up?"
"Fine, fine, just need a ton of rest and I'll be good as new," Sonic said, tired of talking about himself. "You?"
The younger Sonic stretched uncomfortably, holding a hand gently to his side. "Fractured rib. Luckily we still have all the Chaos Emeralds, so it's healing a lot faster than it normally would. Still a pain in the butt though, and Tails and I can't go home to my own time until I'm completely healed. Gotta make sure we go back in the same shape we arrived. Minus the whole eye color thing, of course."
"Oh, naturally. Gotta say, I got used to having you two around. Kinda forgot you had to leave at some point."
"Yeah… I kinda got used to it, too," said the small hedgehog. "As much as it might feel like it, this isn't our home. Not yet, anyway. We gotta head home at some point."
Lil' T bounced on the edge of Scourge's bed. "Yup! I can't wait to tell our Knuckles about everything that happened!" he said excitedly, while starting to count on his fingers all the interesting things that happened in the past two weeks. He quickly ran out of fingers.
"Yeah, speaking of me," Knuckles said, stretching his arms behind his head, "I think I'll take my leave. Just being in this room has filled my Sonic quota for the next… month, maybe month and a half. I need to take a nap, maybe punch something."
"I feel so flattered," the three hedgehogs said, all equally deadpan.
"Yeah, that's it. Leaving now," Knuckles groaned as he turned toward the door. "Call me when you're out of the hospital, Blue," he said before swiftly walking out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him.
Little Sonic smiled. "Pissing Knuckles off never gets old."
"Agreed," his older-self confirmed.
Ooo
The next few days were very… well, restful. Sonic and Scourge were released from the hospital the following morning, both healthy but in need of more bedrest. Scourge was well enough that he could walk around without much protest, but Sonic was still incredibly sore- especially his legs, which were used to being filled with Chaos energy- so he was grumpily stuck in a wheelchair for the time being, only able to stand for short periods of time. The two hedgehogs were happy to return to the workshop, if only to escape the stifling environment of the hospital. The blindingly white walls and the sterile smell was something they could both agree on disliking.
Scourge stole one of Sonic's old hoodies almost as soon as they got back to the workshop. Really, Sonic let him have it since the Moebian's leather jacket got torn to shreds in the Time Eater fight, but Scourge liked to think that he stole it. It was simple and black, with a ring insignia on the chest; not as 'bad to the bone' as his old jacket, but it got the job done.
The three hedgehogs in the house slept a lot, trying to more quickly shake off their injuries. Tails kept Lil' T busy, the two of them tinkering in the basement lab when they weren't helping the Sonics and Scourge. Zonic stopped by in the evenings after his shift, bringing stacks of papers for Scourge to help him fill out. With two of them working, it wasn't as much of a chore, and they took the opportunity to joke around with each other when they got bored of filling out forms. All in all, the residents of the workshop, both permanent and temporary, fell into a sort of rhythm, which was a nice change of pace from how hectic things had been just a week prior.
But of course, not all rhythms last forever. After a few days with the Chaos Emeralds, the young Sonic's rib was healed. Still a little sore, but nothing anyone in the past would question. The rag-tag group of six assembled in the living room of the workshop that evening, the setting sun outside casting the room in a bright, orange hue. Scourge and the younger Sonic, the only two able to use the Chaos Emeralds at the moment, used Chaos Control with the seven Emeralds, along with Zonic's belt; they needed its help to pinpoint the exact location the kids needed to go to and to help with opening a portal. It took a few tries, but they eventually got it. Instead of Zonic's normally orange Zone portals, and the Time Eater's purple portals, this one was a bright green color, warm like spring leaves. Through the other side they could see Green Hill Zone as it was eight years ago, just the way the kids had left it. The younger Sonic felt something catch in his throat. He turned to face the others, a somber smile on his face.
"So… I guess this is it," he said, handing the Emeralds he held off to his older self. "It's time for us to go."
Lil' T clutched the hedgehog's now-free hand, holding it like a lifeline. "But... " he whimpered, big blue eyes looking up at everyone else. "But Sonic, I don't wanna go…"
"I know, bud. I don't wanna go either," he said with a sigh. "But we gotta get back to our own time. Robotnik's not gonna defeat himself, is he? And who's gonna annoy Knuckles if we're not there?"
"Yeah…" the fox said, sniffling lightly. He loosened his grip on his brother's hand, and instead gravitated toward the older fox. "Bye, older me," he said quietly, before getting swept up in a hug from the older Tails.
"Oooh, I'm! Gonna! Miss! You!" Tails said, holding Lil' T tight, swinging him around with every word. Lil' T giggled, hugging him back. "You are a great lab assistant, and my basement will be sorely lacking without you. Try and keep little Sonic out of trouble, alright?"
The child nodded as he was put down, and then moved on to wrapping his arms around the older Sonic. "Bye, older big bro!"
"Bye, Lil' T! Don't listen to Tails, I don't get into trouble," he whispered. The older Tails snorted.
Lil' T hugged Zonic next, the Zone Cop rustling his bangs with a sad smile on his face. "You're a good kid, Tails. You two be careful, alright?"
"Hehe, okay Z," he said. There was only one person left to say goodbye to… The small fox turned to Scourge, stepping over to him slowly. "I'm… I'm gonna miss you, Scourge," the kid said, his voice starting to catch. "You're a really cool guy, and y-you're a good friend, and…"
Scourge entered panic mode. He was seeing wobbly, wet eyes, a trembling lip… Was Lil' T about to cry? "Oh no, no no no, hey, c'mon," the hedgehog said, kneeling down in front of him. "Don't you start cryin' kid, not over me, I'm not worth-" but he was cut short by Tails wrapping his arms around him, burying his face in his shoulder. Scourge froze for a second, processing what was happening- 'he's hugging me, this has never happened before what do I do'- before embracing him, pulling him close and cradling the small form in his arms. "I'm gonna miss you too, kiddo," he said softly. Tails didn't make a sound, but hugged him tighter. They held each other for a bit before they eventually broke away. The child's smiling face was stained with tears, which Scourge wiped away with his thumb. "It's okay, kid. You'll see me again. Although, I won't exactly be the nicest guy… Uh, sorry in advance for beating you guys up a few times," he said, looking at Mini-Sonic now, too.
"Eh, don't sweat it," the small hedgehog grinned. "We can handle you, no problem."
His older self wrapped an arm around Mini-Sonic's shoulder, squeezing him a little bit. "That's what I like to hear!" he cheered. "'Sides, this isn't really goodbye, is it? You two will see all of us again, and, well, I'm you! And Tails is Lil' T! You guys are still inside us. Buried somewhere, under years of experience. Cynicism. Changing world-views."
"Chili dogs," the twelve-year-old added, nudging his future-self in the stomach.
"And chili dogs," the older Sonic nodded. "Anything else?"
"Uhh, lame one-liners, a massive ego…" he continued before getting elbowed in the arm by his future self. "Aw, come on, you know you'll miss me, Gramps."
"Yeah, I guess," the older Sonic joked. His kid-self glared at him, and he rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. I'm proud of you, little Blue. I'll miss you. Even if you keep insisting that I'm old."
Zonic smiled as he got one last round of high-fives from the Littles. "Yeah, you guys'll see me and Scourge soon. Probably two, three years?"
"Sounds about right," Scourge nodded, getting back to his feet. "I was still blue back then, though. And I wore leather boots in addition to the leather jacket, and had really cheesy sunglasses. I looked like a freakin' greaser. So beat the tar outta past-me, okay? He deserves it, stupid jerk."
"Aye aye!" Lil' T exclaimed, holding his hand up to his forehead in a salute. "Oh, I almost forgot something!" He reached into his twin namesakes to pull out something gold and shiny. He handed it to Zonic, looking relieved that he remembered it. "It's your badge! Remember, you gave it to me to hold onto when we were in Scourge's house," he said, tracing the insignia once more with his finger.
"Oh crap, yeah! Can't believe I almost forgot about that," the Zone Cop laughed. "Thanks for holding onto it for me! You kept it nice and safe, there's not a single scratch on it. Good job!" He pat the sniffly fox on the back, and the kid beamed proudly.
"That portal's gonna close soon," the older Tails pointed out, holding out his hands and got high-fives from the kids. "You guys ready to go?"
The young Sonic and Tails looked at each other once, and nodded. The ending was bittersweet, but it had to come sooner or later. "We're ready," they both said.
"Alright!" the older Sonic said, clapping them both on the back and directing them to the portal that was in front of the fireplace. Green Hill could be seen through the portal, and the kids' eyes brightened at the sight of home. The two held hands. "If you two ever get lost in time and space again, you know where to find us," Sonic said, waving goodbye.
"Have fun with all the adventures in store for you!" Tails said. "I know I did!"
"It was fun getting to know you two," Zonic smiled warmly. "We'll miss you!"
"Yeah, what he said!" Scourge waved, trying not to look too upset. Lil' T was his first friend, and now he was leaving. But things would be okay, he was sure of it.
The young Sonic and Tails waved, saying goodbye over and over until they disappeared through the portal. The gateway closed. And then they were gone.
The four remaining stood there quietly. They'd done it. They had saved the world- no, the multiverse, and all of time and space, and they sent the two kids back home. No one had really wanted to see them go, but it had to happen.
"Hey," Tails said, prompting everyone to turn and face him. He was looking at Scourge specifically. The fox's arms were outstretched, and he wore a smile that was somehow both sarcastic and sincere. "Miss me?"
Scourge closed his eyes and laughed, taking a second to make the connection- Tails was Lil' T, just grown up. "You… cheeky little piece of shit,"
"I'll take that as a yes," Tails said, hugging the hedgehog, who had gone stiff. "I'm still Lil' T, y'know. Just older. I'm still your friend."
"I-I know," Scourge choked. His voice cracked, to everyone's surprise. He tensed up, his hands reflexively coming up from his sides and naturally finding their way around Tails's shoulders from there. "Kid…" Something inside his chest felt heavy and thick as the hedgehog suppressed a sob. He… he had friends, people who he could actually trust. He felt safe, he felt like he could belong somewhere. It was overwhelming, in the best way possible. These were things he had previously thought that he could never even want, let alone hope to obtain. He had always felt alone, and he accepted that. But he wasn't alone anymore, and he could definitely say he prefered having friends to having no one. The heaviness in his chest was demanding to be released, and the Moebian choked out a sob. He held Tails close as his eyes became wet and his face grew hot. 'Shit, no, c'mon Scourge, don't cry. Fuckin' wuss… Gonna bawl your eyes out in front of the guys, like a goddamn baby…' He sniffed and tried to compose himself, but he choked and sputtered, tears leaking from his eyes.
Sonic suddenly joined Scourge and Tails, hugging them both with a smile on his face. "Group hug!" he said, his head pressed against Scourge's. "Zonic, get in here!"
"10-4!" the Zone Cop said, joining the hug from the other side, so that he and Sonic sandwiched the other two.
A wobbly smile formed on Scourge's face. "Dammit, guys…" he breathed, tears now leaking steadily out of his eyes. He couldn't stop the waterworks. Noting Scourge's smile, the other three smiled wider and started to laugh. "Oh, you assholes…!"
"Aw, c'mon," Sonic said, "you all saw me cry my eyes out after we lost Mobius."
The green hedgehog let out a half cry, half laugh. "You had a reason!" he said, his voice thick and wet. "You lost your home, and you were infected with some… some fuckin' time energy shit that messed with you!"
"I cried 'cause I lost my home, yeah. So you're allowed to cry 'cause you found yours," Sonic reached up and gave him a noogie. "Let it out bro, we gotcha covered!"
"Yeah," Zonic agreed. "That's what friends are for, after all. We stick together through thick and thin."
"You can count on us!" Tails chimed in, his voice muffled since he was in the middle of the group hug.
Scourge laughed, his sharp canines showing. "Gods, you're all fuckin' saps…! You guys… fuckin' hell…" he cried, still smiling. The four stayed that way for a good while, hugging and laughing. As it went on, Sonic leaned on the others more and more, his legs beginning to tire out. The other three had to hug even tighter to keep him upright.
The tears leaking from the green hedgehog's eyes began to slow, and he found himself able to take deep breaths again. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. He was in a group hug with people who used to be his worst enemies. This was most definitely not his style, and if he had his way, this would never happen again. But he supposed he could let it slide just this once.
Eventually, once Scourge had calmed down, they just started having casual conversation with their arms still wrapped around each other. "So how's everyone doing?" Sonic asked, as if nothing had just happened.
"A little tired, a little hungry," Zonic shrugged.
"I'm hungry too, actually," Tails agreed.
"Well, we did save everything. We never really got to celebrate, did we?" Sonic wondered with a smile. "I mean, the Time Eater's dead, his ghoulies are gone, and we just saved the whole dang multiverse. I think we've earned a meal out."
"I'll go anywhere with booze. I haven't had any since I got released, which fuckin' sucks," Scourge said, exhausted from crying. His eyes were dry now, even though his cheeks were still stained.
"Well, we can't go to a bar," Zonic hummed, "since Tails is still underage. But I'm really not in the mood for anything fancy. I need cheap, greasy food."
"There's a diner just outside Station Square," the fox suggested. "I think they have beer."
"You talkin' about that one dive with the killer milkshakes?" asked Sonic.
"Yeah. Whaddaya think?"
"I'm down. Z, sound good?"
"Sounds very good," the cop smiled. "Scourge?"
"Sure. Just as long as you assholes LET GO OF ME!" he yelled, fighting weakly against their seemingly everlasting hug. The others laughed and released their grip on him, ending the hug. Scourge brushed off the front of his hoodie, as if the others got their germs all over him. "If any of you say anything about this, I will kick the living shit outta you."
The others played along with the empty threat, suppressing the urge to act overly-friendly to Scourge in public as they left the workshop and made their way to the aforementioned diner. What followed was possibly the best meal any of them had had in a long time, with lots of chili dogs, disco fries, milkshakes, beer (mainly for Scourge, Zonic had one before switching to soda), singing, and laughing. Tails snarfed milkshake out his nose at one point, which resulted in his sinuses burning and freezing all at the same time. That sent everyone else into a complete laughing fit, Scourge laughing so hard he started snorting. That only made everyone laugh harder, Sonic banging his hands on the table and Zonic close to falling out of the booth.
After two hours of this, they got kicked out of the diner. Heroes or not, they were disturbing everyone else in the restaurant. Scourge would have been angry at the owner, but frankly, he was too drunk and giggly to care.
It was a lucky thing Zonic had his portal belt, because Scourge was wobbly on his feet and Sonic's legs were too tired to carry him very far. They all stumbled back into the workshop. It was dark, they were tired, and they were all full to the brim of warm food and good vibes. The four friends slept in a pile on the couch that night, feeling no reason to split up. Why should they? They had full stomachs, a major victory under their belts, and a pull-out couch. They had each other. What else would they need?
The End
Notes: Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews this story. This fic has been an absolute blast to write, and I can't believe it's finally over. There will most definitely be short stories about all these guys and what happens next, so stay tuned! I'm going to make a separate fic for that, so stay tuned! I'll probably add an extra chapter to this story, telling you where to find the short story collection when they start coming out. Zonic and Scourge are two of my favorite characters, and it seems you guys have really grown to like them, too. How could I stop writing them?
I'd like to give a shoutout to my friend Jade, who was my beta reader for this whole story. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and help me edit my stupidly long chapters, and for helping me brainstorm! This story wouldn't have been the same without her.
I'd also like to thank my friends Hikareh and Yami-Sama42, aka Ashley and Kiersten. They've been like Sonic fic moms to me for the past... what, year or so? I dunno. And even if they don't care for the Archie characters like I do, they still inspire me to improve my writing all the time. Not to mention, the early chapters of this story were inspired by Hikareh's fic The Genesis of a Generation. Please check it out if you haven't! She's not really actively working on it anymore, but it's still delightful and one of my favorite reads.
One more shoutout! I just wanna boost the Sonic/Harry Potter AU blog I'm a part of once again! It's done by myself, Hikareh and Yami-Sama, and can be found on tumblr at SylvaniaSchoolOfMagic. Now that Time Warp is done, I'll probably be doing a lot more writing for that. It would mean a lot to me if you took a look if you haven't already!
I think that's all I really have to say. Thanks again to everyone who's read this all the way through, this story wouldn't have been nearly as much fun to write without you. I'll see you all next time :)
Don't forget to review if you liked it! What was your favorite part? Any questions I accidentally left dangling? Let me know! Thank you!