A/N: Here we go again. This chapter is pretty long, ew.
Sonic's Big Break
The pink Mobian gazed at the city of Station Square from across the sea. The breeze was fresh, though salty, as it played with her short hair and made her sundress lift slightly. The sun was shining on her, bringing her warmth. Today would've been a great day to visit the beach…
"Amy, stop straying…we need to stick together or we'll get caught!"
She pouted as she sent the fox hybrid an annoyed glare. "We're on a top secret military base, Tails. Being caught is inevitable." Her eyes narrowed skeptically as the blond fiddled around with his newest creation. It was called the Cyclone, a walker that was able to revert into its original form, the Tornado. The hedgehog complained earlier about his decision to bring that instead of the X Tornado, which she thought looked better, but was reprimanded by the kit for her disregard towards the classics. Whatever. She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Tails, hurry up! We need to find Sonic and you're being too slow!"
"Sorry, I haven't really been able to test it out yet…"
"That's not comforting at all!" She huffed.
The blond hybrid began controlling the machine to walk, smiling as it did so with no faults. The pink hybrid walked beside him and his machine as she looked for a way to get inside the building.
"Do you think it was a good idea to come alone? I'm sure Blaze and Silver would've helped..."
"Tails, it's alright, we can save Sonic on our own. I have faith in us. We can be heroes too!"
The fox turned his head and looked down at her doubtfully. "But we helped out during the Chaos Crisis! We've already proven ourselves!"
Amy scowled. "Yeah, but don't you wanna do more? Don't you wanna show Sonic that we can go on wild adventures too and not be sent home for our protection? You know that the only reason we were allowed to stick around last time was because everything was happening too quickly and we were all separated."
"Yeah…"
The preteen sighed. "Ever since the Chaos Crisis and Halloween, we've been able to have so much fun with Sonic. Before, we used to be sheltered, and I appreciate that more than anything, but now that we've been able to do so much, I just wanna do more." She shot Tails a smile. "I'm not the same girl he rescued all those years ago, he's inspired me to be a heroine!"
His doubtful look softened into a smile. "Yeah, I understand, and I agree wholeheartedly!"
She beamed. "We'll, what are we waiting for? Let's go save Sonic!"
oOo
"A-Amy?" Sonic stared at the pink hybrid with complete surprise as he sprung to his feet and gripped the bars of his cell.
She shushed him. "We're gonna break you out."
"But how did you-? What happened to all the guards?"
"Tails is on guard duty right now," She shrugged before confidently waving a card in front of him. "There's no need to fear, Amy Rose is here!"
"I can see that," He nodded, before blinking suddenly. "Wait, is anybody else here?"
"Um…" The pink Mobian smiled sheepishly. "N-no? It's just me and Tails…" She paused with an alarmed expression. "You're not mad, are you?"
"No, just surprised is all." The blue teen answered honestly as he watched his younger sister smirk before swiping the card on the lock. The bars rose into the ceiling, freeing him. "So, what? You guys just happened to know I was sent to Prison Island? That I was confined to a cell underwater?"
Amy ushered for Sonic to follow her. "Well, I was worried about you, so I convinced Tails that you needed help. He did some hacking and we flew here on his updated Tornado." She grinned at him. "It has rockets."
The older hybrid chuckled. "Okay, and what about the rest of the girls?"
"They're home safe. I asked Blaze if she could watch them because I had errands to do."
"Good." He paused. "You, uh, you haven't seen Shadow around, have you?"
"No, why?" She replied, not breaking her stride.
"Because...well, the reason I'm in prison is because of him." He admitted.
Amy came to an abrupt halt and stared at him in shock. "What?"
He sighed. "Yeah, he stole a Chaos Emerald, and everyone's thinking its me. I saw him after I escaped the helicopter, but I haven't seen him since."
The preteen frowned. "I remember hearing about that on the news when we got home." She continued leading Sonic. "You escaping, I mean. I had no clue Shadow was involved." Her head whipped around to face him. "Why is he doing this to you though? You two are a couple!"
The blue teen lightly blushed. "We're not a couple, Ames." He insisted. "As for why, I don't have a single clue. However, being locked up with nothing else to do but try to read scribbles on the walls gave me time to think. I'd say he's been planning this for a while."
"How long?"
"Since shortly after Halloween. I mean, it's been really gradual, but that's when I started noticing something was off. It's probably the reason he's changed so much lately."
The pink Mobian scowled. "If that's the case, I'm gonna show this guy a lesson! Nobody hurts you and gets away with it!"
He sent her a half-hearted smile. "Amy, it's fine. I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this soon."
She observed his expression and noticed him trying to conceal his true feelings behind that mask of his. Her eyes narrowed and her face hardened.
"C'mon," Sonic began, "Let's go get Tails!" He quickened his pace and Amy paused as she watched his retreating form before soon following suit.
oOo
"Hey, it's Rouge. I've got a small problem...Ugh, I can't believe I'm trapped inside this locked safe with the Chaos Emeralds!"
Shadow glanced at the transmitter on his wrist with furrowed brows.
"I guess I won't be able to call myself a treasure hunter anymore…"
He blinked, and suddenly he wasn't in the forest anymore. He was back on the ARK, and before him stood a human girl with fair skin and blonde hair, staring at him with large blue eyes and a gentle smile gracing her lips.
He cringed and blinked again, shattering the vision. He didn't want to relive those last moments; he knew exactly what would come next. He felt frustration overwhelm him as he clenched his fists and ran.
oOo
It hadn't been long since he separated from his younger siblings, but Tails had informed him that he saw Eggman on one of the security cameras while he was hacking the prison's security, and Sonic was eager to know what the mad scientist was up to this time.
That, and perhaps he was curious to know if a certain Mobian hedgehog was involved with the Doctor's schemes. They were related, after all. Not only that, but it was highly unlikely that Eggman's return and Shadow's sudden change in behavior were mere coincidences.
He froze as he caught something odd in the corner of his eye and turned his head, eyes wincing in disbelief.
Shadow?
"You really are involved?" The blue Mobian asked aloud, more to himself than anybody else.
The darker hybrid was perched in a tree, scouting the forest. At the sound of the other's voice, he looked down. He stood up straight and crossed his arms.
"I see you're still here..."
"Well, no duh!" Sonic huffed, suddenly filled with annoyance as he walked toward the other. "You impersonated me and I had to deal with all of the consequences!"
Shadow scowled. "I never impersonated you, those humans are simply too stupid to tell us apart."
The blue teen rolled his eyes. "Whatever! You're still at fault because you let them continue believing that!"
"I told you to leave, and you didn't listen. I'm not the one at fault, you're just too stubborn for answers."
"Well, can you just stop for a second to explain to me what's going on? You're acting like such a...a faker!"
Shadow paused and his head tilted to the side while his corners of his lips turned downwards, disapprovingly. Really? Faker? Of all the insults...it was like he was drunk all over again. Still, it offended him to be called that. He was the Ultimate Lifeform, but the teen before him was an enigma whose very existence defied his creator's teachings. "Me? A faker? Maybe you're the fake one around here."
"Excuse me?" The blue Mobian felt his pitch rise.
"You're comparing yourself to me?" He scoffed, his pride getting the better of him. "You're not even good enough to be my fake."
Sonic stared at him with disbelief as he felt an ache in his heart. "What the hell are you talking about? What's wrong with you, Shadow?" He shook his head. "This isn't you, I know it isn't you. I don't understand why you're being such a jerk…"
The darker hybrid's eyes softened their cold gaze for a split moment as his mouth opened on its own as though he wanted to speak, but couldn't say the words.
"Please, stop...I can help you."
Had this been about him, those words may have been enough to make him reach out to the other and apologize...but this wasn't. For that reason, he was fine. He didn't need help, he just needed to carry out her will. He promised her revenge, and he would stop at nothing to grant it. It was all about her, his own happiness could be damned as long as she got what she had been denied so long ago...and yet, this blue mystery still found a way to remind him so much of her.
"Last chance for you to back out." He found himself saying. "After this, I'll have no choice but to fight you. I will not let you get in my way of my plans."
Sonic stared at him defiantly. "I'm not leaving you. Fight me all you want, I will get to the bottom of this. I will help you, even if I have to risk my life for it."
The older Mobian cursed under his breath as his fists clenched. He hadn't wanted it to end up this way, but the other's annoying nature left him no choice.
"Fine, then allow me to show you what you're getting yourself into."
He lunged at the teen below him, who managed to dodge the blow only barely as he rolled out of the way. As the darker Mobian landed on the balls of his feet on the firm soil, he swung his legs, knocking the younger teen off balance struck his ankle. Shadow got up and approached him, his eyes narrowed as he saw the boy get on his hands and knees.
"Do you give up yet? You have no chance in stopping me." He taunted as he drew closer.
"I won't give up." The blue teen gasped as his arm with patches of dirt sticking to his sweaty skin reached into his sweatpants pocket. Red eyes widened as he saw a glowing ring be clasped into a fist and absorbed into the other.
oOo
"Tails," Amy ran towards her little brother with a worried expression. "When do you think Sonic will be back?"
The blond shrugged as he focused on the tablet he had inserted into his Cyclone, skimming through the text of information quickly. "It seems that Eggman is here for the Emeralds. There's been four sealed inside a vault on the other side of the island."
The pink hybrid frowned. "Then we should get them, right? With that yellow one you got, we'd have five!"
The blond rubbed his chin in deep thought as he switched programs to view the security cams. He repeatedly swiped the screen to view the different areas being recorded. "I can't seem to find it. I'm guessing some of these cameras were destroyed by an intruder." He passed the static screens onto ones that were actually functioning. He stopped when something familiar caught his eye.
In the armory, there was a small device attached to a cage holding explosives. He instantly recognized it. It was the same as the one Eggman had launched into the city the day before after Sonic had been captured a second time. The bomb he had disarmed. It had a timer for less than five minutes. He desperately swiped the image, only to notice more of the devices spread throughout the entire island. Despite being a great hacker, there was no possible way he could get to them all in time.
"Hey, are you okay? Tails?" Amy asked after noticing the panicked look on the fox hybrid.
He turned to her. "We need to find Sonic and leave!"
"But what about the Emeralds?" She felt herself become nervous at his desperate tone of voice.
He shook his head. "In four minutes, this island will be gone."
Her jade eyes widened as she watched the Cyclone transform back into the Tornado. She immediately understood the gravity of situation they were in.
oOo
The two were panting; Sonic was hunched over with his hands on his knees and his face looking straight into the turf beneath him, while Shadow's eyes were closed as he focused on his breathing. He opened his ruby eyes and stared at the blue Mobian before him, curiously, frowning as he thought to himself.
'Who is he, really? What is he? He shouldn't exist...how can he possess so much strength...he's tougher than I gave him credit for, not to mention his potential in controlling chaos…'
Sonic looked up at Shadow, his emerald eyes glaring at the darker Mobian. The other merely watched him with an expression that bordered between skepticism and fascination.
"Try all you want, I will...I will hel-"
"Shadow! Get back here right now before this whole island blows up with you on it!"
His eyes widened in alarm as they desperately flickered between Shadow's transceiver and the other hybrid himself. "Blows up!?"
The darker Mobian glanced from his wrist to Sonic, eyes widening and heart pounding.
"Shadow, I-shoot! The kids!"
The other hybrid sent him one last worried look before running into the forest, leaving him on his own. He shook his head, as much as he wanted to chase Shadow, he needed to protect his family first.
With all his speed, he ran in the opposite direction.
oOo
Rouge stared at the timer anxiously; she had ten seconds remaining before her death. Her heart rate was accelerating, her mind reeling. She never finished her mission, never got to finish her treasure hunting, never told a certain hot-head her feelings for him…
Well, at least she had these Chaos Emeralds with her in her final moments.
"Chaos Control!"
Her head whipped around to face the voice; she watched as a black blur ran towards her. She was swept off her feet before being enveloped in a bright white light.
She didn't even have a chance to blink before realizing what had transpired.
Thirty minutes after being saved from death, she wandered the halls of the ARK in search of her savior. She let her intuition lead her, and soon enough, she found the hedgehog hybrid on his own in a large circular room with a wide window that had the most beautiful view of Mobius. She walked up to him, noticing how he didn't at all seem to pay attention to the sound of her heels clicking as she moved.
Her aqua eyes observed him as he gazed at the planet pensively. His eyes were hazy, as though he were in a memory.
"Why so melancholy?" She asked curiously, watching as crimson eyes cleared and shifted onto her. She looked out the window with a small smile on her face. "Just as I thought it was the end of the line, you saved me. Thank you, Shadow. Your ability to Chaos Control certainly comes in handy."
"I didn't come to save you, I came for the Emeralds." He replied snarkily.
Rouge felt a smirk grow on her face as she saw right through his denial. "Yeah, yeah. But then again, that's not the whole story, is it?"
Eggman coughed loudly as he entered the room to gain the attention of the two Mobians. "Everything is ready to go!" He announced proudly.
The white-haired hybrid turned around, confused. "Are you sure? Last I checked, we only had six of the Emeralds, not seven."
Shadow pulled out his green emerald with an unreadable expression as he walked towards the door. "That's more than enough for the demonstration. Let's get this over with."
oOo
During the flight to Station Square, Tails had explained to Sonic how he managed to get the yellow Chaos Emerald while he had been locked away in prison. It was an award from the city after his valiant sacrifice to save them all.
The blue teen had been so impressed that he he couldn't even muster the strength to reprimand the other for getting into a dangerous situation. The blond was smart and could handle himself; to see his little brother finally become confident in his abilities made his heart swell with pride.
The fox hybrid dropped him and Amy off in a desolate part of Station Square so he could go back to his workshop and finish up on an important project he had been working on. Judging by his antsy behavior, the blue teen figured it was very important and let the boy go without question.
Shortly after Tails left, it began to pour in their beautiful, tropical city. The two hybrids ran into a nearby convenience store and bought cheap, dark-colored rain ponchos and put them on quickly before anybody could notice the convicted blue Mobian.
Together, the two hedgehog hybrids walks down the festive streets with their hoods donned so they wouldn't be notice. The cops and robots on patrol assumed they were just normal civilians as they walked by.
"Did you hear? Prison Island blew up just a while ago!"
"What? No way!"
"I bet that Mobian boy was involved. He's been quite the delinquent lately."
"Well, he is an animal. We should've known better than to put our trust in one of them."
He remembered the adrenaline rush he faced as they took off the doomed island. It had only been seconds later when a series of explosions had gone off and destroyed everything. That time had definitely been a close call.
But the kids were safe, and Amy was contently walking beside him with his hand in hers.
He let out a heavy sigh as he walked through the heavy crowd of people doing their Christmas shopping. All he wanted to do was go home and relax, yet all this stuff was going on and he was sucked into all of it.
'He warned you. He told you to get out when you had the chance, and you didn't listen.' He pouted. 'But I can't just leave him. He needs my help. I've seen that pain in his eyes before...he's been lonely this whole time...but I can save him. I know I can. He's just confused.'
He could deal with the disguise, the terrible weather, the crowds, being treated as some lowlife criminal. He could deal with it all if in the end he helped Shadow.
Suddenly, the duo heard a familiar cackle echo throughout the plaza they were strolling through.
They looked at the huge digital billboard in the center of Station Square and immediately jumped in surprise when they saw none other than Eggman. "Citizens of Mobius, lend your ears to me!" He began, smiling maliciously. Other pedestrians stopped what they were doing to pay attention. "I am Doctor Eggman, the world's greatest scientist, and soon I will become the ruler of the greatest empire of all time." Sonic and Amy both scoped their surroundings, noticing the flow of shoppers cease altogether as a massive crowd stopped to watch. The video of Eggman was being shown on every digital media available, from electronics displayed in shop windows to cell phones and tablets. People were bewildered that the doctor had been able to hack into their personal devices.
There was a loud boom and everybody immediately searched into the rainy night sky for the source; the ARK had been reactivated, the lower half had completely blown off, revealing a structure that bared a resemblance to Eggman's face. The tip of his nose glowed blue, only to widen as it opened, creating a large glowing orb.
A beam appeared, aiming directly at the moon.
Amy screamed, along with many others, and grabbed onto her older brother as they both watched half of the moon shatter into pieces as it was blown away into the endless void that was space. It was heartbreaking to see something that was so pure, so consistent, be desecrated in such a way. Sonic could remember the nights he couldn't sleep, how he would lay outside and just gaze at the moon as it's glow lulled him into a peaceful state. It would never be able to do that again...
He was alarmed by the power Eggman had. To use that weapon on Mobius would not only destroy something beautiful, but would destroy lives. He couldn't let the old man get away with that.
...Was this why Shadow warned him to leave?
The mad scientist laughed psychotically, and the blue teen glanced back at the screen, noticing that it had changed into a timer.
"That came from my Eclipse Cannon! If you don't surrender to my empire within twenty-four hours, I'll blow this planet away!"
23 hours, 58 minutes, 36 seconds.
The pink-haired preteen buried her face into his chest as she trembled. "Sonic, he can't do that. He can't. It's not right."
He squeezed her gently, before creating a small space between them, holding her arms for support and having her look into his sincere eyes. "I know, Amy. He won't."
oOo
Tails frowned as he stared at the two Emeralds in his hands; the yellow one that shined brightly, and the other that was very dull in comparison.
He let out a heavy sigh as he walked out of his workshop in Mystic Ruins and got into his Tornado, inserting the bright gem into his machine while placing the dull one into his satchel.
Blue eyes stared at the broken moon with determination.
"You won't get away with this, Eggman." He narrowed his eyes. "When I find Sonic, he'll stop you!"
He started the Tornado and took off.
oOo
Rouge let out a laugh. "You blew up the moon and now you're both sulking? Am I missing something? Isn't the world supposed to be under our control by now?"
Shadow scowled at her before facing the Doctor. "At this rate, the cannon will need more power to charge up. If you want it to reach its full potential, you'll need all seven Chaos Emeralds."
"And where in the world have you been?" Eggman yelled at the bat hybrid, who tried her best to stifle a smirk.
"Something happen?" She said with feigned innocence.
"Our threats fell on deaf ears." The other Mobian crossed his arms as he glared at the machine.
"How embarrassing! You two are throwing tantrums like small children!"
"And you? You promised me the Emeralds, so where is the last one? Didn't we have a deal?" Eggman huffed.
"My, my, aren't you impatient." Rouge teased as she fiddled around with the buttons on the transmitter on her wrist. A hologram of a news report appeared from it. "See? I've been doing my part just fine."
"Why didn't you show me this before?" Eggman scolded her as he read the headline.
'MOBIAN MILES PROWER GIVEN CHAOS EMERALD.'
She shrugged. "I suppose I got distracted during the mission where we were on an island that was about to explode. Oops, my bad."
The Doctor huffed before reading the smaller text. "Station Square saved from a life-threatening missile attack sent by the notorious Doctor Eggmam. For his bravery, the city has awarded its most prized possession to a Mobian fox-hybrid by the name Miles Prower...Miles Prower? That boy from my old science class?"
Rouge hummed. "You must remember the boy from more than just that? Surely, you do."
"Of course, he was tagging along Sonic when the brat was interfering with my plans! Oh, well, at least this makes it easier for me to locate." His eyes darted between the two Mobians. "Hurry, and bring that Emerald back to me."
The white-haired teen glanced at Shadow. "You ready?"
The darker Mobian closed his eyes. "Soon enough, Maria." He whispered softly to himself before passing her and following Eggman out of the room.
She paused, watching his retreating back with sympathetic eyes.
When the door closed, she instantly brought her transmitter close to her face. "This is Rouge reporting. I still do not have enough information to tell whether or not Shadow is the Ultimate Lifeform. I will be continuing my research on Project Shadow and have a follow-up report shortly." She smiled widely. "Oh, and Topaz? Can you do me a favor and pinpoint the location of high Chaos Energy? There's something I need to find..."
oOo
"For some reason, I'm not getting any signal from the other Emeralds!" Tails explained to Sonic as the other relaxed on the couch, despite the fact that he currently had to deal with two young girls clinging onto him after seeing the news, sobbing into his side. He didn't blame them, everyone was devastated that the moon had been partially destroyed. The girls were especially heartbroken, as they despaired over how hurt the poor Luna was.
Silver and Blaze were there too, standing behind the couch and glaring at the TV.
Amy and Sonic were the only two in the group to have seen the moon blow up with their own eyes. The preteen knit her brows together while leaning against the kitchen counter as she thought of a possibility to her little brother's exclamation.
"Do you think he brought them into outer space?" She suggested.
Tails looked at her with surprise before pursing his lips. "I guess he must've." With that said, he ran into the boy's bedroom, back to his underground lab.
Amy sighed while she turned her attention back to the oven to check on the cookies she was baking. They were done, so she pulled them out and set the cookie sheet on the stove. She figured it would be nice for everyone to have a treat to lighten the mood, and baking always calmed her nerves.
Sonic ran his fingers through Cream's hair and frowned. He was still a convict according to the news. It had been pure luck that he managed to sneak back onto school grounds without being detected.
Everyone jumped as the door suddenly opened; the blue teen almost panicked, thinking that GUN had found him. He was so not willing to go back to prison. Not when he needed to rest a little before finding a way into outer space. He didn't even have the slightest clue on how he would pull that one off.
Fortunately for him, it was only Knuckles, who was carrying a large bag on his back. "Hey, guys! Long time no see! Thought you'd all be here."
"Geez, Knux, you scared the living daylights out of me." Sonic groaned. "What's up?"
"I've almost found all the pieces of the Emerald, but I'm thinking Eggman must've found a couple and taken them with him. I'm hoping you guys know a way to get to his base?"
"Nope. Join the club."
"Sonic!" Tails ran out of the bedroom. "I've managed to find some transcripts between Eggman and the President after hacking into the government's database!" He raised the tablet in his hands. "I'm actually tracking the President's limo right now!" He tapped the screen a couple of times. "I bet if we follow the limo, it'll lead us to Eggman. After all, he should have a base on Mobius that takes him to the ARK, right? How else would he be able to go back and forth so easily?"
"That's actually...a really great idea!" Sonic smiled as he carefully got up. He looked at Blaze and Silver. I'm counting on you two to take care of the girls while the rest of us head out. Can you guys do that?"
Blaze nodded, after noticing her friend's hesitance she placed a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't your battle, Silver. We weren't involved when it began, we'd just get in the way." She looked at Sonic. "Should you need us though, just contact us and we'll come immediately to back you up."
The blue Mobian nodded gratefully before rushing out the door with Tails and Knuckles in tow.
"Enjoy the cookies!" Amy called out as she ran after the others before shutting the door behind her. Like hell was she going to let the boys have all the fun without her. Not this time.
oOo
The President heaved a heavy sigh as he rubbed his temple, mentally processing the information the doctor had oh-so-graciously shared to him while he road in the back of his limo down the streets of Station Square.
"All you have to do, sir, is surrender the United Federation territory to me, otherwise…"
"...Otherwise…"
"Otherwise your country will cease to exist!" Eggman smirked. "That timer is counting down. You only have 21 more hours to give me your response."
"-No way!"
The elderly Overlander looked out his window to see the blue hybrid running alongside his limo, a wide grin etched on his face. With a quick jump, the Mobian got onto the vehicle and slipped himself through the open sunroof.
Sonic faced the digital version of Eggman displayed on the monitor. "Eggman Empire? Really? What a joke."
Tails jumped into the vehicle shortly afterwards, and immediately began tinkering with the electronics by the television.
"What the hell is going on?" The President stared at the Mobian who should've been in prison.
"Don't worry, sir!" The teen smiled at him. "Everything is under control, just leave it to us!" He turned towards his little brother. "Got it, Tails?"
The boy showed him a small chip that was pinched between his index finger and thumb. "Yes! He's transmitting from the ARK, and there's some other coordinates here! That must be his secret base!"
"Nice!" Sonic turned back to the President and gave him a polite salute. "Nice seeing you again, sir!"
"Hey, wait!"
The two Mobians were gone in the blink of an eye.
The President sighed solemnly, "Might as well let the kid go if it's gonna end up like this."
"Sir," his secretary beside him, a young woman with sun-kissed skin and light brown hair, began as she adjusted her glasses. "Our other two agents have new information concerning the men who kept the incident aboard the ARK a secret."
"Let us hear it then."
oOo
"Shadow! Sonic and Tails should be in that blue plane!"
"Alright, I'm in pursuit."
"...You know, they don't see you as an enemy. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Shadow paused. Did he really want to fight them? He clenched his empty hand repeatedly, scowling as he felt frustration overcome him. First that bat tricked him into spending time with the kid, now she was intent on making him question himself. Had he not followed her advice, he would've avoided this predicament. Every time he tried to focus on her, he would start seeing him. Why did they have to be so similar? To be so kind and loving. So warm. He hated it. He hated that he actually enjoyed the other's presence, that he was filled with so much anguish every time those emerald eyes looked at him with that hurt expression. He couldn't stand it. It was tearing him apart. On one side, he knew he had a promise to fulfill, a purpose for being alive. On the other, he found somebody that made him as happy as she once did...
He was doing it again. He was being selfish. It wasn't about his happiness, he reminded himself. It was about hers.
He tried to justify himself by remembering how he told that blue Mobian numerous times to take his family and leave. If any of them got hurt, that was their own problem. Yet even so, he couldn't shake off the terrible remorse that consumed him.
His red eyes averted their gaze as he groaned. "I'm headed back to the ARK. No doubt they'll end up there with the Emerald."
He pretended not to hear the content hum Rouge replied with.
oOo
"...Tails, are you sure this is Eggman's base?" Sonic asked uneasily as he examined the pyramid in the uninhabited desert.
The blond nodded. "The coordinates led us here. If not here, then where else?"
Knuckles crossed his arms. "You can't argue with that. This is our best bet."
"I dunno, I just have that feeling we should be careful with the ruins or Mr. Stewart will fail us for the year. Tread carefully, Knux. I know your grade can't risk it."
"Can you shut up?" The redhead raised his voice as his cheeks tinted pink. It wasn't like he was dumb in the class, he was actually very knowledgeable in things they were learning. He just never did the work.
The blue Mobian chuckled. "Well, let's try figuring out how to get in that thing. I need to destroy that cannon and then have a talk with a certain someone. You know, assuming he doesn't try to knock me unconscious the moment I open my mouth."
Amy whipped her head around with a horrified expression. "He wouldn't!"
"Well, with the way he's been acting, who knows what to expect from him."
She furrowed her brows while the redhead cracked his knuckles. "If he becomes a problem, you have me to help put him in his place."
The blue teen shook his head. "No, I can handle him on my own. I'll only fight back in self-defense if it comes down to it. I have to help him."
"Help him?" Tails raised a brow. "But he framed you and is working with Eggman…"
"I know, and technically he didn't frame me…but I know something isn't right with him. I'm sure if I can just find a way to get through to him and get him to talk to me, then.."
"I think you're right." Amy nodded. "From what I've seen, this isn't like him at all. He saved me from falling during Halloween, and he tried to save you too. There's gotta be good in him somewhere."
Sonic smiled after hearing her agree with him.
"So you think Eggman is misleading him?" Tails asked with a raised brow.
"They're related, so there might be some kind of family business going on that we don't know the whole story about." The blue Mobian explained.
"What?" The pink Mobian's face contorted into disgust. "How can somebody like Shadow be related to someone like Eggman?" She seemed genuinely disturbed. "Like, he's so handsome and then Eggman is so...bleh."
Knuckles was nonplussed as he rubbed his temple. "Well, crap. I honestly have no idea on what to do with this information."
Sonic paused as he remembered the sepia-toned photograph he had seen on two separate occasions. He didn't know why, but for some reason it seemed to resonate with him. Did Eggman's grandfather have anything to do with this? "We need to get moving. There's a timer going on and we need to beat it."
"Right," his older brother nodded while watching the pink Mobian with an amused expression; she was still in shock after the revelation, which was evident by how she covered her face and shook her head, trying to get the image out of her mind.
"Well, since I'm the one with the machine I'll go find the entrance." Tails told them as he moved forward in his Cyclone.
"Alright, Tails. The rest of us will be right behind you."
oOo
Inside the temple, Sonic beamed as the family stopped just before a beautiful, metallic door designed with intricate symbols meant to mimic hieroglyphics.
"See? And you guys doubted me before. There's always a secret passageway!"
"Give it up, Sonic!" Amy laughed. "You and your obsession with ancient temples is insane!"
"You guys just don't want to admit that I was right all along!" The blue teen sang. "I was right with Mystic Ruins, and I was right about this pyramid. Best part? No water puzzles."
"Yeah, but now we're stuck in here and there's no way to open this door!"
"Actually, it's just locked, Amy." Tails said after inspecting the door. "We need to find the key."
"No problem! We get to hang out here while Knuckles gets it for us."
"What? Why do I have to get it?" The echidna hybrid frowned.
"Well, because you're the world's greatest treasure hunter, duuuh." Sonic snickered. "We're counting on you."
"I hate you."
"Love you, too."
The three watched as the redhead turned and left with an annoyed expression on his face. Tails immediately began typing on his tablet while the two hedgehog hybrids sat themselves against the door and played "Would You Rather."
After a few minutes, the blond raised his head. "There's a shuttle in this base."
Sonic turned his head just before he could answer Amy's recent question. "A shuttle?"
The kit nodded. "We can use it to get to the ARK. It's just on the other side of this door."
"Sweet! Now we just need to wait for that slowpoke to get here-"
A loud yell cut him off. The trio directed their attention to the source of the sound, only to see the redhead running towards them with a panicked expression on his face. The loud booming following the other was extremely alarming, as Sonic and Amy got to their feet and Tails readied his Cyclone for battle.
"Where's the key?" The blue teen raised a brow as the echidna got closer.
"Screw the key, we've got bigger issues!"
"What?" The younger teen scowled. "You had one job, Knux-"
"Did you insufferable brats honestly think you could get out of here alive?" The four Mobians turned to see none other than Eggman in a machine very much like Tails' Cyclone. Since when did his Mobile have legs?
"Insufferable brats? Please, I cleaned tables for you. You should appreciate me more."
Eggman scowled. "This time I will take your lives as well as the Chaos Emerald."
"Oh, wow. Are you threatening us?" Sonic laughed sardonically. "Oh, Eggie, you really don't want to do that."
The other three Mobians became very uneasy when they watched a twisted grin grow on the Overlander's face. "Oh, don't I?" The Doctor backed himself against the wall. "Egg Golem, finish them!"
The Golem emerged from the shadows, revealing itself to be massive in size. Its head resembled a pharaoh's, but its build was nothing but boulders put together as though a child had created it.
"Well, Knux. I see what you mean by bigger issues."
"I told you!"
The Golem was slow enough for Sonic to predict it's moves. It's raised leg alerted him that it aimed to attack, quickly he swooped Amy off her feet and jumped out of the way while Tails and Knuckles ran in the opposite direction. With all of its force, it kicked, resulting in the door to dent before following over as a piece of scrap, though bits of rubble from the surrounding stone had crumbled as well.
"There's your key!" He heard his older brother yell at him from across the room.
He chuckled as he let go of the preteen and ran around the Golem to distract it from his family. The echidna took the opportunity to help the younger kids get through the doorway safely before joining his brother in taking down the boss.
Sonic stood in place as he waited for the Golem to attack- slowly. It raised its fist, alerting the blue teen of its next move, before crashing its hand against the stone terrain, creating a small crater that its arm was confined to and rendering itself temporarily immobile. The hybrid wiped debris off his sweatpants as he got off the ground, having rolled out the way shortly before the stone pharaoh made impact. Knuckles ran to him, grabbing his arms and swinging him around before letting go and sending him sailing towards its massive head. He landed a powerful kick on its headdress then planted his feet on the beings shoulder. As he turned to observe the creature, he realized he had exposed a suspicious looking blue button at the top of it's head. He crouched to support himself as the Golem dislodged its arm from the floor and stood up straight. Though his legs were slightly wobbly on the uneven platform, he managed to run up what would be considered its clavicle and leaped, his hands pressing the button with all his body-weight shortly before his arms extended to push him off, his body doing a front flip as he fell back to the ground.
"Sonic, you fool! You destroyed the restraining mechanis-Ah!"
His brother pushed him against the wall as giant stone soles sent tremors throughout the base and nearly trampled him. The blue teen watched as the Golem chased the evil scientist away, leaving them alone.
"Thanks," Sonic chuckled as he backed away from his brother, who had been holding him protectively. "Before I forget, nice key."
The redhead grinned as he punched the other lightly in the arm. "Smartass."
oOo
"Oh, they escaped? Can you tell me how that happened?" Rouge teased Eggman from her transmitter. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. I'll just go after them myself. Oh, but before I do that, can you tell me the password for the space colony control? …..Thanks, love." She hung up, and smiled to herself.
"Well, if I knew tricking that old man was so easy I would've outright asked him to tell me all his plans!" She walked towards the control mechanism and began typing.
M-A-R-I-A.
She paused after seeing the word typed before her. Maria? The name Shadow constantly would mutter to himself when he thought no one was listening? She was a bat hybrid, so of course she would've heard with her animal-like, overly-sensitive ears. Perhaps she was an important person in the Robotnik family; though that was a personal issue that didn't involve her, as intriguing as it may be. She could pry into that later, she decided, before pressing enter.
The system was open to her and immediately she began her research.
"What the hell is this?" Rouge exclaimed as she read through files that disturbed her. "There's no way this is right...Just what is Shadow, anyway?" She blinked as she saw Sonic and his friends on the security cam in the far right corner of the screen. A smirk graced her lips when she noticed a certain redhead. So, he took the bait after all.
Well, this could be fun.
A/N: Has anybody realized that all the chapter titles I use are just references to something in the Sonic series? Like from episodes, to songs, to levels. And by episodes, it can be from any Sonic show. Like, I'm so bad at coming up with title ideas, that I decided to be cheeky and make my unoriginality my originality. Wow, so creative. Not. Whatever, it's just a fanfic.
But that devotion Sonic has towards Shadow? That's something I like to see.
On a side note, after getting a bunch of work on my first few days back at school and ten minutes of deeply contemplating my priorities (video games being number 1, LBR), I've decided that I'm gonna take a break from this story, a hiatus, if you will...after I upload either the last chapter of this arc or the chapter right after. I dunno, depends my motivation. I'm a pretty impatient person, so I don't want these just sitting on my computer collecting dust as I slowly hand them out at a nice pace. Nope, that's not how I work. I will forget about them and then be like "oh crap, now I gotta catch up" and will probably hand them out all at once like how I tend to do. I am not one for organization and strategic pacing, I'm a sad excuse for a multi-chapter writer. Remember that. On a side note, this hiatus shouldn't last too long. I've been very good lately about working on my rough drafts for the rest of the story, and I have a strong idea on where it's headed. Since this arc basically stops right before New Years, I figure that it's a good place to stop. Got four months down, around 6 still left to go. At least 6. I dunno, maybe more. Not less.
TLDR: In a chapter or two that probably will be released by the end of the week or next, I'll be taking a break. Whether anyone likes this story or not, I vowed many years ago that I would complete it, so I will. If you don't see me post in a few months, just assume I died or something. I need the time to work on my the second half of the school year...and prepare for Sonic's 25th anniversary (hopefully it'll be a great game, but either way I'll still gonna play it religiously)...hehe. Priorities.
Please review, reuse, and recycle folks.