Chapter 115: Time

"I think I've figured out what's going on here," said the yellow fox that called itself Tails.

"So have I," Miles said in conjunction.

"Then let's hear it," Sonny said glancing occasionally at the blue hedgehog that was apparently named Sonic.

"We're traveling through time and space!" Miles and Tails said together.

This in turn caused Sonny and Sonic to flinch in surprise.

"How is that possible?" Sonny asked scratching his head.

"I'm guessing that thing that took our friends must have something to do with it," Miles answered.

"That's what I think, too," Tails said nodding. "And Sonic told me that he fought Eggman inside the portal just now before Eggman was mysteriously kidnapped by the black thing you were talking about."

Then right before Sonny could reply, the ground started shaking and a vortex similar to the one that appeared over the park emerged above the portal.

"There it is!" Miles exclaimed as the same black shadowy creature came from the vortex.

It flew over their heads several times before vanishing into a similar vortex above a city landscape that looked like Station Square before it was destroyed by Chaos.

"Where did it go?" Tails wondered.

"Looks like it went that way," Sonny said pointing toward the city. "We need to stop that thing, and fast!"

Sonny and Sonic then took off toward the city while Miles and Tails watched.

###

"Sonny," Crème said once she and Cheese were no longer a statues. "I was so scared when that monster took me, but now that you're here I feel much better."

"Well, that's good," Sonny said.

"Cheese!" Sonic suddenly exclaimed which surprised both Sonny and Crème as his voice sounded like a teenage boy's.

In response, Cheese flew over to Sonic who had significantly changed since Sonny last looked at him. He was now a little taller than before, with longer legs, bigger spikes, and his eyes had gone from black to green.

"Who's your new friend?" Crème asked as she watched Cheese fly around Sonic's head. "Cheese really seems to like him."

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog," Sonic said and soon noticed Sonny's surprised look. "You didn't think I could talk, right?"

"Um, no," Sonny said dubiously. "Where I come from, hedgehogs don't speak."

"Huh, that's not the case in my world," Sonic replied.

"Are you really Sonic? You don't look human," Crème noticed.

"Am I supposed to be?" Sonic asked.

"It's a long story," Sonny answered.

Then a huge tidal wave suddenly overtook Station Square forcing Sonic and Sonny to move to higher ground carrying Crème and Cheese with them.

"I wonder why Cream is not present," Crème said as she jumped up and down trying to fly.

"You know Cream the Rabbit?" Sonic said looking at Crème.

"Yes, she lives inside me," Crème answered though Sonny shook his head at her.

"Come again?" Sonic said with a confused expression on his face.

A deafening roar shook the buildings as a menacing creature emerged from the water.

"Hold that thought!" Sonic said. "I've got a date with Chaos!"

Before Sonny could stop him, Sonic leaped down and attacked Chaos head-on by plunging through its serpentine body and popping out its head.

"He's doing the same thing I did when Chaos attacked Station Square," Sonny said. "You weren't here when that happened, right?"

"No, I wasn't, but you told me about it," Crème said shaking her head. "Where are we, exactly?"

"According to Miles, we're in the past but not the one we know," Sonny answered. "This is what Mobius looked like when Sonic was alive."

"No way," Crème said shivering while Cheese tried to comfort her. "There was a Station Square and Chaos back then too?"

"It seems that way," Sonny said as Sonic managed to finish off Chaos.

"Sorry about that," Sonic said appearing before Sonny and Crème in a flash. "Now what were you saying about Cream?"

"Um, I think she was talking about someone else," Sonny said closing Crème's mouth before she had the chance to speak.

"Are you sure?" Sonic said dubiously.

"Positive!" Sonny said flinching as Crème bit his hands.

"Okay, then let's keep looking for that shadow monster."

Once Sonic was far enough away, Sonny moved his hands away from Crème's mouth as Cheese lightly bopped him on the head.

"What did you do that for?" Crème said angrily.

"We can't tell Sonic that him and his friends die and inhabit our bodies as spirits in our time," Sonny replied.

"Why not?" Crème asked.

"I don't think he'd take the news well."

"Oh, I see. So what are we supposed to do?"

"For now, we need to find the rest of our friends and let them know what's going on."

"Okay, then I'll do that," Crème said and suddenly floated into the air while Cheese flew alongside her. "Oh, my, I guess I can fly without Cream, after all."

"See you later, then, and be careful!" Sonny said as Crème floated away.

"I will!" Crème replied as she and Cheese disappeared over the skyscrapers.

###

"Hey, Sonny," Rouge Baxter said once she was no longer a frozen statue standing on a sidewalk in an area that looked like Central City. "I'm sure glad you're here. You have no idea what I just went through."

"We'll talk about this later," Sonny said and picked her up. "Some G. U. N. soldiers just showed up and they're after Sonic."

Before Rouge could question him further, Sonny took off with her holding on tightly as they scaled a building and jumped from rooftop to rooftop while Sonic ran through the streets outrunning several G. U. N. drones. Eventually, night fell and Sonny nearly lost track of Sonic until he noticed several explosions occurring a few blocks away. But once Sonny and Rouge got there, Sonic had just defeated a G. U. N. drone when there was a flash of light and a black hedgehog with red headlights that looked similar to Sonic appeared.

"Shadow!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Shadow?" Sonny and Rouge said staring at the black hedgehog with confused looks.

"Yes, it is I, the Ultimate Life-Form," the black hedgehog said smugly in the same deep quiet voice that Sonny heard being spoken through Shawn when they first met.

"What are you doing here?" Sonic asked.

"I came here to offer you a challenge," Shadow replied and a black and purple portal opened behind him. "Follow me if you dare."

As Shadow disappeared through the portal, Sonic followed him. Then Sonny and Rouge jumped down from the building they were standing on and attempted to follow Sonic through the portal when another flash of light appeared in front of them and Shawn appeared with his head tilted downward.

"Shawn!" Rouge exclaimed and walked up to him. "Where've you been?"

When Shawn didn't answer, Rouge huffed. "Well, if you're not going to answer, then Sonny and I will be leaving. A couple of talking hedgehogs disappeared in that portal behind you, and one of them called himself 'Shadow.'"

As Rouge tried to walk past Shawn, he blocked her way and tilted his head up. Sonny noticed that Shawn's eyes were no longer their usual crimson red color. Instead, they had changed to pale gray.

"Do not…interfere," Shawn said hesitantly.

"What's wrong with you, Shawn?" Rouge said irritably as Shawn followed her movements. "You're not acting like your usual self right now."

"That's because he isn't," Sonny said putting a hand on Rouge's shoulder. "He's behaving the same way Miles did after getting zapped by Eggman's mind-control device on Asteroid Coaster."

"Then you're saying he's brainwashed?" Rouge looked nervously at Shawn. "How do we snap him out of it?"

"I'm not sure," Sonny responded. "I just encouraged Miles to snap out of it, and that seemed to do the trick. But then I learned later the reason Miles snapped out was because the amount of energy Eggman gave him was small, so the effect didn't last long. Now I don't know how much energy Shawn's been given, assuming this is Eggman's doing, but try encouraging him."

"I know just the thing." Rouge pressed herself against Shawn and embraced him tightly before kissing him full on the lips.

Shawn's eyes briefly changed color till they settled back to crimson red. When this happened, Shawn pushed Rouge away and wiped his mouth in disgust.

"Now there's the Shawn I know and love," Rouge said giggling.

"Rouge," Shawn said growling through his teeth. "Don't ever…do that…again."

To Rouge's surprise, Shawn's eyes then suddenly went back to pale gray and he attacked Sonny before Rouge could stop him.

To be continued…