AN: I've officially decided that I will no longer include the disclaimer. I believe it is already quite apparent what I do and do not own. All of these apply for any further chapters.

That being said, it's good to be back! I was attempting to write an original novel, but I scrapped the first attempt, hence why it's taken me so long. I believe, starting next chapter, my writing style may ever so slightly change. I will try to include more concrete characterization as well as a better description of the setting. Hopefully this will help me to improve. Thank you all for your patience!

My beta-reader was sadly unable to review this herself, so I had to do the deed on my own. But I still shout out to her as being the best beta ever.

~ ("You do the right thing even if it makes you feel bad. The purpose of life is not to be happy, but to be worthy of happiness."—Tracy Kidder) ~

Syaoron the Fox presents

Following the Events of Sonic '06

Accompanied by Various Music and Themes

Remnants of the Past

Chapter 14

Full Circle Pt. 1

^/\^|v\/v

Station Square

January-8-2505

13:20 Mobius Time

[Now Playing: "Sky Is Over" by: Serj Tankien]

The six anachronisms fell from the portal through time after they'd discovered a huge disturbance in the time continuum. They landed in a park in the city, a park that was very familiar to Tails and Knuckles. "This is Station Square," the echidna spoke up. "I thought the Sol Emeralds were supposed to cause paradoxes. As I remember, Station Square was fine."

Tails sighed and shook his head. He massaged his forehead, wondering how to explain. "Knuckles, that's what a paradox is," he explained. "We know it was fine at this time, but the Sol Emerald came back in time and screwed up the original history. We've been fixing paradoxes throughout our travels. I thought you understood that."

"Hey, I just wanted an explanation," Knuckles growled defensively. "No need to be so condescending."

"I'm just saying it like it is. Maybe you should pick up on things faster, dolt."

Knuckles glared at Tails, tackling him to the ground and pinning him. "Watch your mouth, fox!" he shouted. "Last time I checked, we saved your life back in the castle. What the hell is wrong with you? Be a little grateful."

"Shut up, Knuckles! You don't know anything," Tails shouted back, glaring fiercely at the echidna. It was the same deathly glare he had given back at the castle of crystal. "Now get off me."

Thunder sighed and shook his head. He plucked Knuckles off Tails and stared at them both. "Guys, we haven't even been in this world for five minutes. Can you hold off of the fights? I know this teamwork concept is hard for you to understand, but stop getting at each other's throats."

While Thunder pacified those two, Cynthia spoke to Silver, "You can put Ghost down now. He should be well enough to walk on his own as long as he doesn't do things that are too strenuous."

Silver trusted Cynthia's judgment of Ghost's health, but he still set him down daintily. Ghost stretched himself a bit after having been in a frozen state for so long. "It's great to finally stand on two feet again," he said. "What's up with Tails, though? He seems different, somehow—angrier."

"We noticed that too," Silver said. "I'm worried about him. He came back from the Crystal Palace and now he's different. Something happened to him in there, but he won't talk about it."

Ghost looked down at the white hedgehog and, noticing his downcast expression, patted his shoulder. "Hey, calm down. Whatever's wrong, it's not your fault. Tails is strong, he'll get through this," he assured the hedgehog. "Now, let's get a move on. We should find the source of our paradox while we have daylight."

The six then moved on into the city to search for their next objective.

[Stop Music]

^/\^|v\/v

Castle Usha

September-28-2506

6:19 Mobius Time

"His light grows dim, Chameleon; his resistance grows thin."

Chameleon looked up to his lord, sitting at his mighty throne, and felt confused. "You mean the kitsune?"

"That is who I'm referring to," Imperious assured him. The great dragon stood off his throne on his hind legs and spread his wings to stretch. "Everything will come full circle soon. The kit's resistance will fail and his emotions will surge. Then and only then will he be vulnerable."

Chameleon frowned and looked out on the dark corridor lit only by pale, blue flames. "Master Imperious, this is almost cruel."

"I understand, Chameleon. It is not my wish to break a child for our salvation. But he may very well be the only one who can hold the power of Iblis."

Imperious began to walk down the hall, taking leisurely strides to his destination. Chameleon followed on his heels. "Master, are you positive they will come straight for us?"

"Of course, my young pupil; we have the final emerald they seek, after all," Imperious said. "Now come with me. There is much preparation to be done."

Chameleon remembered this set of hallways. This was where they kept the prisoners. Cynthia used to reside here as well. "Master, what of the traitor? What will we do with her?"

"Cynthia went with her brother and the others," Imperious grumbled in a low tone. "She will face punishment for her treason in due time. You need not worry about her." The two arrived in one cell where they were holding a blonde, blue-eyed woman. She was John's lover Samantha.

When she heard the entrance of Imperious and Chameleon, she jerked her head up. Her eyes were filled with hot anger and cold fear upon seeing Imperious. The dragon's arcane tattoos struck fear in her heart whenever she saw them across his black scales, yet she remained strong. "What do you want now, Imperious?"

"You still haven't given up, I see," Imperious responded cruelly. "I thought for sure that trying to fuse you with the wisp of Iblis would either break you or kill you."

"It takes a lot more than an itty-bitty flame to break someone's hope, Imperious," Samantha replied.

Imperious' gaze was piercing. He appeared omnipotent and irate to the human woman, making her shiver in her shackles as she hung from the ceiling. "John will fail miserably, you know that," he said to her. "Even you cannot lie to yourself. His failure and the failure of his comrades are inevitable."

Samantha remained silent, clenching her fists. "I don't believe that!"

"Of course you don't. You still have your foolish hope," Imperious responded snidely. He then turned around and walked out the door.

Chameleon quickly caught up to Imperious, confused by his actions. "Master, what was the point of going in there? Even after all the torture, she is not afraid of you."

Imperious chuckled. "To spite her," he said. "I am merely biding my time, Chameleon. It is only a matter of time before inevitable events come to pass. We can only bide our time and wait for them to come." The dragon then scratched his chin with a claw. "Her, though… it is particularly amusing to taunt her. She is the key to our plans, Chameleon."

"I'm still confused. How is she a part of the plan?"

"All these events have yet to pass, my pupil," Imperious said, closing his eyes in thought. His inner sight was far off, looking into the events of the near future. "She is the key item in a transaction that will bring us in possession of Iblis himself."

Chameleon nodded in simple understanding. There was still much to his master's plan that he didn't quite understand. Even though he was the dragon's pupil, there was still so much that he didn't understand about Imperious' plan for the future. World domination seemed like such a difficult thing to attain, but Imperious felt like he had a fool proof plan. Chameleon only wished that he could understand the plan as well.

"Rest, Chameleon," Imperious ordered him as he returned to the dark throne room. "You will need your strength for the events that are soon to pass."

^/\^|v\/v

Soleanna

September-28-2506

9:33 Mobius Time

[Now Playing: "Drawbar" by: Linkin Park]

Jack was infuriated with the princess. Maybe she felt that what she did was justifiable, but he couldn't believe that, not when it was done with such selfish intentions. He felt betrayed, tricked into hunting down friends for the selfish needs of those above him. He clenched his fist and entered the royal throne room on his own accord. He had to talk to Princess Elise about this.

The royal guards were suspicious of him when he entered. They bore their ornate halberds, pointing the spear tip at him. "Stand down," Elise ordered them from the back of the throne room. She stood off her chair and walked down a few steps off her high platform. "Jack, I did not expect you to come in so unannounced."

"Hell, I know you didn't. I came of my own accord, Princess," he said angrily. "I am still upset with you about that."

Elise sighed. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She knew it was wrong—sending Jack after John Murray in order for Sonic to be released—but she didn't know that her actions would hold so many repercussions. "I understand," she said, leading him to her bedroom. In the midst of the room was a large bed, upon which slept the hero Sonic the Hedgehog. "He still has not awoken."

"Why did you do it?"

Elise looked over to John. She was disturbed by his ferocious anger. "I did it because I thought it needed to be done," she responded. "He's a hero, John."

"But that's not the reason you did it," he spoke pointedly. "You sent me to kill John Murray, a former royal guardsman and a friend of mine, and annihilate the rest of his party. All this because you have some love for that hedgehog. You know I'm right. You and I, we endangered the entire world by doing this! Imperious' forces played us like pawns."

"Jack…" she retorted. "This… You must understand that this isn't my fault."

"It is your fault! You were so blind and selfish by saving Sonic that you've endangered the future!" Jack shouted. "Your impulsive actions may have saved one hero, but you're putting six other heroes in danger. Right now, John and the others are trying to save the world from destruction, and you sent me out to stunt that, all for some hedgehog!"

"He's not just a hedgehog! He's a hero and I love him! Is that so wrong?"

Jack quaked in rage. He tore off his cloak—his symbol of allegiance to the royal guard—and threw it on the ground. "If that's the way you think, your highness, I have no business being a part of your guard. I quit," he said as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door upon his exit.

All was quiet around Elise. She wept silently, sitting at the bedside. She wept for all which she had done wrong. "Elise, is all of this true?"

The princess looked beside her to see Sonic sitting up. "Princess Elise, you have to tell me what's going on," he requested. His green eyes shone with confusion.

"The being that had you captured is called Imperious," she replied softly. She hugged her knees in to her chest to calm herself. "He's on some quest to take over the world. Some of your friends and a few others are traveling through time to stop him."

Sonic sighed and looked down at his feet. A feeling of defeat washed over him. "The doctor said that I won't be able to run anymore, huh?" he mumbled.

"No… No, you won't be able to run like you used to."

Sonic stared up at the ceiling. He kept his gaze on anything but Elise. "I guess that will be fine. With or without my speed, I'm still Sonic," he said, though it sounded doubtful. "It'll take a lot of getting used to. Answer my question though: is everything you and that man just talked about true?"

Elise felt shame to even admit it now, but she nodded, accepting it. "It's true."

Sonic was silent for a moment. He looked down at is feet again. "At least you tried. I can't say you did the right thing, but you tried to do the right thing."

"Be honest with me, Sonic. What should I have done?"

Sonic clenched his fist. He didn't know what to think about that. "You should have let me die," he said to her. "That would've been better than letting me live the rest of my life helplessly."

"Sonic… This doesn't sound like you," Elise murmured, frowning at his words.

Sonic sighed. "What do you want me to say, Elise?" he said to her. "You asked me to be honest. I was scared, but you should have let me die. You should have been supporting Silver and Tails and the others. I wasn't important in the equation."

"But you're important to me!"

Sonic sighed as he looked down at the ground. "Elise… you know I don't feel the same way," he said.

"But Sonic, I…"

"Elise, I protected you and showed you the world," he said swiftly. "But in all things, you're more like a sister to me; someone else who leads their people in times of darkness. The kiss during the Solaris incident was just necessary. I have never thought of you as more."

"Sonic…"

"Elise, that's enough," Sonic said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I know you love me, so I understand why you did what you did. Just think more carefully about the consequences of your actions. My friends are getting hurt because of this…"

The princess, under the tumult of stress and disorder, leaned on Sonic's shoulder and cried. The hedgehog could only sit there and support her. They mutually lamented, waiting for a time when they could do something about the future.

[Stop Music]

^/\^|v\/v

Station Square

January-8-2505

16:20 Mobius Time

[Now Playing: "Lost in Hollywood" by: System of a Down]

The six had decided to split up into groups of two in order to explore the vast city for clues. Somewhere here, there had to be a clue to their paradoxical anomaly. Ghost was exploring the city with his sister by his side. "I never realized Station Square was such a large city," he said. "If we're looking for an anomaly, it will take us forever to find the problem."

Cynthia took him by the hand, making sure she kept track of her brother throughout the time. "We'll need to keep track of anything that's different. We should try looking at places of importance in the city first," she said. "Those places will have changed the most."

They went along and took note of all they saw. Station Square was occupied by a mix of humans and Mobians. It wasn't uncommon at this time, but they seemed even friendlier than the mixed races of Soleanna were. "Everything is so tranquil here. I don't understand what could possibly be the problem," Ghost mused.

"Maybe we're digging too deeply. Why don't we try looking at a bigger picture," Cynthia replied. "I've been to Station Square a few times on Imperious' orders. I think I know what to look for."

The siblings had to evade crowds since they were slowing the two down. "Cynthia, you never told me how you came under Imperious' services," Ghost mused. "How exactly did you meet him?"

"He came to me after our apartment was destroyed," she explained, stuffing her hands in her pockets to keep warm in the cold. "I had nothing left after you were gone. He offered me a chance to change things and to take revenge on those who bombed us. I was young and foolish; I took it."

"And what did you do, exactly?"

"Temporal espionage," she said. "I popped in and out of timelines to search for people that would serve as useful pawns. I was the one who identified Tails, and Knuckles for Imperious so he could send Chameleon to capture them. I identified Silver as the one who would come for them."

Ghost sighed and looked over to her. "That's good, I suppose," he said gruffly. "I'm just glad you're okay. I looked all over for you after all that had happened. Promise me you'll be safer, okay?"

"I promise, bro. Stop getting all mushy; it's embarrassing," Cynthia mumbled as they kept walking. "Hurry up. I have one place that I want to check out. I have a hunch that it's linked to the anomaly."

Cynthia dragged Ghost around the city, moving up and down smaller avenues and boulevards until she found a small park. The park was circular and grassy, and a few trees grew around the park. Cynthia went to the middle of the park, perplexed by what she found.

"What is it?" Ghost asked her, looking around. "I don't see anything."

Cynthia frowned. "That's the problem. Here once stood a statue of a martyr, a young girl. It should be here… but it's not.

"Well… maybe she never died," Ghost suggested.

"And therein lies the paradox."

"What does this martyr look like?" Ghost asked her. "Cynthia, who was it? Cynthia?"

But his sister had ceased to respond. Her gaze was caught by something else. Across the park, on a sidewalk, a girl walked in the company of a two-tailed fox. The girl was dressed in a floral gown, and ruby rosebuds bloomed in her emerald hair.

^/\^|v\/v

Meanwhile, Knuckles and Thunder had set off to explore other parts of the city. "You know, one thing I don't understand is how this city's people can be so happy," Thunder mused.

Knuckles raised his brow to question. "What do you mean? Station Square has lots of reasons to be happy. We've saved it countless times."

"But that's not the point. The anomaly had to have changed something," Thunder argued. "So what did it change?"

Knuckles scratched his head at that. "That's why we're investigating. We just don't know yet," he said. "Though I must say, Station Square seems different from the last time I saw it."

"How different?"

"It's hard to explain," Knuckles sat, fidgeting with is gloves as he thought about. "The people are bright, but the atmosphere is dark. A sea of smiling faces and an air of unease," he said, trying to describe this intangible sense. "When I guarded the Master Emerald, I would feel these sensations occasionally. I could feel darkness, even in the light; that was always right before something bad happened."

"It could be a sixth sense you've developed," Thunder suggested. "The Chaos Emeralds and its Master are all closely connected to time. You could have gained clairvoyance from exposure to them."

Knuckles sighed as they continued traveling. The two were surrounded by a sea of phony people. The cacophony of voices from the crowds prevented them from hearing much more. "We need to get out of this crowd if we're going to focus much more on finding clues," Knuckles said, pulling on Thunder's wrist. They fled until they were on the outskirts of the crowd of people.

"Have there always been so many people in Station Square?" Thunder asked.

Knuckles gave a nod. "Yes. It's a bustling metropolis. I hated it when I first came here too; there are just too many people here," he said. He looked up suddenly and frowned. What he saw wasn't welcome. "No… this can't be right."

Thunder looked up at what Knuckles was seeing. It appeared to be a photograph from a year ago on a billboard. The subtitles were bright and bold, reading: Heroes Save the Universe from Utter Destruction! The aforementioned heroes included Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and others who had gone on the voyage to defeat the Metarex. "What's wrong with it, Knuckles?"

"That girl," he said, pointing to a green-haired girl with red roses in her hair. She stood by Tails with a smile on her face. "That's not right! She's supposed to be dead. I saw her die with my own two eyes."

"She's supposed to be dead?" Thunder asked.

"Yes. A few years ago, that girl saved the universe by giving her life," Knuckles said. "I saw her die; we blasted her with the Power Cannon! She could not have survived."

Thunder bit his lip. "That's not good… That's not good at all," he said. "She can't be our anomaly, can she?"

Knuckles gnashed his teeth together. Tails was not going to be happy about this. "She has to be. It's impossible for her to have lived," he said.

Thunder looked around anxiously. This time, a person was their anomaly. The lion then gasped and tapped Knuckles' shoulder. "Knuckles… look at that."

The echidna turned to look toward a street that was near a park. Walking away was the very same girl with green hair and roses in her hair, accompanied by a fox with two tails. "No…" Knuckles mumbled, his breath catching in his throat. "Dammit."

^/\^|v\/v

"So tell me, Tails, what exactly is the connection between the Sol Emeralds and the Chaos Emeralds?"

Tails looked over to Silver, his partner, and groaned a bit. His voice held an undertone of disdain as he spoke, "I thought it might be obvious. The Chaos Emeralds have time-related powers, but the Sol Emeralds are their counterpart. They have space-related powers. Their powers involve the manipulation of the very fabric of space itself."

Silver winced slightly from his condescending tone. "You don't have to be rude about it," he mumbled. "But I see what you mean. That makes sense."

"I would hope it does. You're trying to use the Sol Emeralds to rescue Blaze from an alternate dimension, no?" Tails said. "You should realize that they use that sort of power."

Silver looked up into the sky and saw nothing but dark clouds hanging over them. "Tails, what happened to you in the Crystal Palace?" he asked.

"Nothing happened," the kit replied bitterly. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Because obviously something happened," Silver said, trying to reason with the mad fox. He saw a dark light in Tails' eyes that he hadn't seen before, something that burned from within with an intense desire to lash out at the world, like a beast in a cage.

Tails sighed and looked away, reigning in his bitterness. "I saw some things in the palace, things that disturbed me," he said simply.

"That's all you want to say?"

"That's all I can say. That's all there is to say."

The sun was starting to set. They had been searching for quite some time yet their search shed no light into the dank darkness of this mystery. The rotting stench surfaced from the depths of this incomprehensible puzzle, yet they could not find its source.

"Will you at least tell me what you saw?" Silver asked.

Tails shook his head. "I could share, but you wouldn't understand," he responded shortly.

"Then share; my ability to understand isn't important right now."

Tails sighed and looked down at his feet, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. "I saw a girl that I once loved. She was taunting me and insulting me. She and the voices assaulted me with the awful things they said," he mumbled. "It angers me and saddens me simultaneously."

"Oh," Silver muttered. He made no other response, and Tails didn't expect him to.

And then he saw her. After walking more, Tails stopped and stared across the street. Walking from a park, strolling across the street, passing by them, and heading out were the green-haired girl and her accompanying two-tailed fox. They passed close but noticed neither Tails nor Silver. Tails' eyes widened and suddenly stood still.

He eyed the girl as he walked down the street. She passed around the corner before he drew in a shaky breath at last. Tails crumpled to his knees and began to cry silently.

Silver knelt beside the kit and shook him. "Tails, snap out of it! What's wrong?" he asked frantically.

The fox began to breathe harder, clenching his fists to try and calm himself. His fit of disorder shook him. In all that time, whilst Silver was tending to his shocked state, Tails could only mutter one thing: "Cosmo…?"