Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog.

A/N: It feels a little choppy.

Chapter 4: The Need To Prove

XxxxSonic

Even now he could still feel the heat blistering at his back as the huge beam bit to close to his heels. The rain falling slick against his quills in strong contrast to the energy tailing him. Lightning streaked the sky and rattling booms of thunder shook the rickety platforms beneath his feet. Back then it hadn't seemed as though he could run fast enough and it was still the same. The weather had calmed to the smooth cloak of night and Robotnik was absent from the scene but the danger… it was still there.

He'd lost his brother- lost him to his metal counterpart and this was much like what had happened on Little Planet when the mech claimed the pink hedgehog instead. Only this time Sonic wasn't so willing to let his foe out of sight, not with the little fox wailing and thrashing. He tore down the collapsing pathway, feet clumping like a charging rhino's hooves as he closed in on the pair. He flung himself high and came down fast, soles colliding with the robot's skull with such a force that Metal slammed forward into the ground.

Fortunately the impact had forced him to release Tails.

With a quick glance backwards Sonic checked to make sure his brother was alright before giving the downed bot a hard enough kick to send him flying over the side of the platform. "You stay away from my family Metal!" He snarled before continuing along at an easy trot. There seemed to be something of interest ahead- a portal.

Only he failed to reach in as something came barreling into his side- sending him bounding to the edge of the platform. His fingers gripped at the grating in the steel to keep him from sliding off as he slammed his feet upwards into his attacker. Apparently Metal hadn't had enough so he went at him again. Exchanging blows as they raced towards the portal.

Sharp fingers grazed his spikes and electricity drew close several times as he was forced to spring away to spare himself the pain. It took him a long time to get the upper hand and by the time he delivered the final blow and sent Metal soaring away into the night- he felt winded. Before he could even take a moment to catch his breath though something hard bumped him in the head. He grunted, eyes darting to the side in time to see his brother going for the object. "Look Sonic."

A chaos emerald? He had thought they left those all with Knuckles.

"That's… great Tails." This whole ordeal was a mess, he really had no idea what was going on because even what had just happened made no sense. Metal had been destroyed- crushed, he saw it and yet he had been here, whole again.

XxxAMY

"I never want to go there again." There was a nod of agreement and the soft clumps of steel transformed into silence as their feet connected with the white. Several paces were put between them and Chemical Plant before anyone spoke up again. "So what now?"

It was a question that had already been posed before she arrived and now Sonic was answering it again. The fox seemed to expect a little more though… maybe a step by step plan but they both knew he was asking the wrong person. There was an easy edge to Sonic's response since it was dosed up with confidence but she couldn't help but notice the was he was rubbing the space behind his right ear. Was it bothering him for some reason?

"Stay here Amy. We'll be right back." All she knew was that she getting left behind once more and as such she turned her back to the two with a small huff, missing the glances they exchanged at her reaction. Sonic made a soft sound like he wanted to say something but soon enough she could hear the two retreating into the distance.

It felt as if she had been alone for awhile but eventually she noticed two mobians coming down from the platforms above her. From the looks of it Sonic and Tails were making their return. Neither one seemed to pay her much mind though and that irritated her. Not only did they have the nerve to blow her off but now they were giving her the cold shoulder.

"Hey!" The moment she called out there was a yelp as Tails latched onto his brother and the hedgehog's arms shot up in response. For whatever reason they seemed surprised by her presence but it wasn't until she moved closer that she realized why. "What-" Her words fell short as she noticed how young they looked. "What happened?"

"We got in a fight with Metal." Tails peeped up though she really wasn't sure how that explained their ages. She stepped closer, ignoring the cold glare Sonic was giving her. It seemed out of place and as such she looked past it- drawn to the red of blood. Three short gashes, as if someone took to raking something sharp across and she was pretty sure she knew who. The strange part was that the injury was in the exact spot he had been rubbing earlier. When he was still the proper age.

She reached out for him but he jerked back before she could make contact, looking miffed at her attempt to touch him. He pushed Tails off himself and continued to stare her down in a silent manner that left her feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Sonic, I just want to help… your hurt." His continued refusal made her believe he wasn't too concerned. It was just a small thing an she was probably more worried about it then she needed to be. In fact, her alarm over the cuts seemed to be transferring to the young fox who probably hadn't given it much thought before.

Now he was shifting uncomfortably, glancing at Sonic repeatedly as though afraid he might fall over but this worked for her because now he was trying to convince him. "Just let her help you…" He was uttering softly as he glanced her way. "She looks nice." That wasn't something she heard in relation to herself for quite sometime. Usually she got a stuttering mess in reaction to her presence and people backing away as she summoned her mallet.

Oh well, it wasn't like she wanted to hurt either of the kids. Right now she truly was looking to help. Sonic didn't seem convinced despite her smile though. "The name's Amy Rose…" That seemed to trigger a reaction as he let out a small hiss of air. To be fair she had known Sonic for a long time so maybe the name did ring a bell even if she had been going by a different title in the beginning. Lots of people had known her as the Rosy Rascal but she had thought she told him different after their escape from Metal.

"Guess you must be the older version then." He finally commented in a low voice that she might have missed if not for the silence around them. She knew she should have been more patient but she really wanted to make sure he was alright.

"Like the other Sonic?" She didn't give him time to answer his brother as she tackled him in a rather rough fashion. Tails jerked in alarm and she could feel him pulling at her arm but a mere toddler didn't possess the strength to compete with her. Not that Sonic wasn't giving her trouble though with the single kick he landed before mellowing out. He probably didn't want to hurt her anymore then she wanted to hurt him. His jaw clenching and his eyes turning steely with displeasure.

She tilted his head slightly and touched the injury. It didn't look too bad but they should probably clean it out if it was Metal that had done it. She really didn't trust that his fingers would have been clean when it came to attacking. Then again, she didn't expect Sonic would sit still long enough for her to go find a first aid kit in this place. Finally she withdrew deciding even back then he could handle himself. She brushed herself down as he rolled over to his feet. His voice was the sharp edge of a blade: "you happy now?"

"No." She dropped her gaze to her feet. She forgot how rude he use to act the majority of the time. His attitude had been a pretty bad one but not that she blamed him… he had a lot to deal with back then. Taking care of a toddler and saving the world on a regular basis probably did take its toll. He had still been nice about the whole ordeal with Metal though. That had left her pretty shaken up and he had walked all the way back to the orphanage with her despite clearly having better places to be.

He had always been nice when the situation called for it but not as openly as he was these days. It was odd to see how much he had changed now that for some reason his past and present were meeting. She had half the mind to chase him, just to refresh her memory but in the end she decided it might be best not to mingle too much with the past. Beside there was nothing wrong with the Sonic she knew now- aside from not knowing where he was at this moment but she was sure he'd be back like he said he would.

He always kept his word. So for now… she would wait.

XxxSonic

His memory might be growing a bit fuzzy but he thought sky sanctuary had been destroyed. Once more he found himself running over pathways that crumbled away as he sped higher above the clouds and colorful birds were sent scattering upward as he drew too close for their liking. The world was full of luscious plant life and smooth white stone. He drew down a deep breath as he found only the gentle blue ahead of them. There was a moment of silence before Tails took him by the hands and began to carry him across.

"It looks like the older you has already been here."

Sonic drew up his legs as the fox began to dip subconsciously lower as his strength waned. Fortunately they had almost reached the other side by now. "What makes you think that?"

He was dumped out onto the stone as Tails took a tripping landing. "Most of the color already returned." The fox pointed out as he straightened and Sonic nodded in agreement. This place had already been touched by someone else's memories. He started off again, keeping to a pace that his brother could follow. "You think we will find Knuckles here?"

Sonic shrugged, "maybe his future self?" It looked as though no one else from there time was here and that was probably because they were the only ones to go through a portal. Perhaps it was better that way- he would hate to know the people he'd come to care about in life had been trapped in this void place. That all they could do was wait to be saved. Wait for him to save them.

Like almost all the other places they had been the world began to fade back into white but unlike before they had a choice. A great swirling passage of purple energy sat waiting for those brave enough to push through to the other side. It wouldn't deter Sonic who didn't even need to think before leaping though once he did he realized his brother hadn't come along for the ride. No matter… he didn't seem to be alone here.

There were footsteps falling at a matching pace and he could make out the slightly blurred form of the taller hedgehog as they sped down the hall. It was something he seemed to notice as well and he drew to a stop as he did. Even now he had a hard time picturing this as him in a couple years and mimicking him didn't really change that fact though he found it odd that was so easy to do as if some part of their minds was in sync.

"Take a good look at yourself Sonic." This should have been expected. If there was trouble it seemed that Robotnik was the one he could always find behind it. Maybe he wasn't really sure how he would pull off something like this off but there was no reason to say it wasn't possible. The man kept talking but he was already moving- quicker then his older counterpart it seemed. To be honest he hadn't looked back to check.

He was so set on going at his foe that it wasn't until he'd gone through the doors that he realized he had done so alone. From the looks of it he was going to have to kick Robotnik's butt- literally. This was a mech he had fought before and for some unexplained reason was made in its creator's image.

XxxSONIC

There was simply no way he had lost his mind. That was him- in the younger flesh. Now if only he could get someone else to see that so it could be confirmed among them. Why was it that no one else was ever around when stuff like this happened?

He tapped his fingers against the side of his skull, staring at the shut door. It made sense to think that his counterpart would have to come out of there once whatever he was going through came to end. He'd just wait until then.

It was something that proved to be easier in theory.

He began to bounce one foot against the floor repeatedly with impatience. He really couldn't help the fact that he had other places to be and should really be searching for his remaining friends. It may have only been a handful of minutes he was standing there but it felt like a century to him. Finally the doors flung open though and the small hedgehog jumped through. For some reason he appeared to be rather baffled, scratching at the place behind one ear as he stared down at his feet.

It might be said that he went at his younger self too quickly even if it was at a walking pace because it startled the kid into a defensive stance. Sonic rose a brow at him: "you know something I don't?" He asked at his obvious unease, simply wondering if there was some sort danger he was overlooking.

"It wasn't Robotnik…" Came the distracted reply and the kid turned to run off but Sonic managed to hook one arm around him, pulling him back despite the prickle of sharpened quills. It seemed he was even more of a hurry then him by the way he was currently thrashing for freedom. "Let me go! I gotta go talk to my brother!"

"I'll go with you."

"I don't need you to go with me!" It was just a simple offer, there was really no reason for him to get so testy. "I can handle this by myself!, the way I am right now." There really was nicer ways to refuse assistance but it seemed his younger self was above that. Not that he could really be deterred by it though. He kept a hold of the hedgehog and headed back to where he assumed he would find the others.

The kid was insistent though: "I don't need your help!"

It was any wonder when that view would change.