Chapter 5: Return of the Doctor:

An explosion woke Team Heroes up from their sleep at around 6:00am.

"What the hell was that?" Sonic asked, having been sent flying out of his bed in surprise.

The trio gathered around their window to see if they could see what had happened. They could see a giant robot with a long tail, a drill for a hand and a rapid-fire blaster for the other. Dr. Eggman had rebuilt the Egg Dragoon, and was leading a large army of Egg Pawns. There were also two smaller versions of the Egg Dragoon hovering alongside him. Amidst the chaos, they could hear crowds of people screaming and a few sirens. Also, standing out among the early-morning mist was a white spotlight that was blacked out in the middle, with the blacked-out part being shaped like Sonic's head.

"Damn it. Why doesn't he ever take a vacation or something?" Knuckles groaned.

"Well we all knew he'd return eventually, even though we never heard from him for years." Tails said.

Sonic took out a small chest hidden in his dresser, and took out all seven Chaos Emeralds (in case the situation demanded it).

"Quick! To the Tornado!" He ordered.

The trio hurried down the hallway, and bumped into Amy (who had also been woken up by the explosion). They all landed on their butts and the two hedgehogs locked eyes for a few seconds.

"Guys, snap out of it! We gotta hurry!" Knuckles shouted.

The four of them got up and ran to inform everyone else.

I am Blaze the Cat! The former princess of the Sol Dimension!

To be perfectly honest, I seriously NEVER thought I would love stepping down

from royalty as much as I do now! No legislature, no worrying about my public image,

and pretty much no cares at all! Not to mention, this house could be comparable to a

palace anyway, so I don't feel TOO out of place. And living in close proximity to my

new friends and boyfriend from this dimension only improves the experience! ...Yeah, I

don't think I'm EVER going back! Anyway, yesterday was a blast, and I wonder what

exciting events will transpire TODAY!

Meanwhile, Silver and Blaze were awake in bed. Neither of them seemed to notice the explosion, as they were too lost in an episode of "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog". Blaze was resting her head on Silver's chest as they watched the show. She then sat up and shot a fireball at the fireplace, lighting it. After warming the room up, she assumed her previous position. A few minutes later, Tails burst into the room.

"Guys! Eggman is rampaging around town! We gotta go!" He shouted.

The couple quickly got up, donned their usual clothes and hurried out.

I'm Shadow the Hedgehog! The Ultimate Life-Form!

Yaaaawwwwnnn! I don't think I've ever slept better in my entire

damn life! ...Yes, artificial beings still need rest! I guess it's all thanks

to Rouge, but it's not in vain. The minute she walked into my room last night,

something clicked. I felt a sense of compassion, love, and most importantly,

happiness. I hadn't felt any of those since before Maria's death! And alongside

that, I feel like I have something more to live for besides keeping my promise to her.

Yup, this will DEFINITELY be a catalyst in helping my improve upon myself!

In Shadow's room, he and Rouge were lying under the covers on their backs. They both gave out a big sigh.

"That whiskey must've really kicked in!" Rouge said.

Shadow said nothing.

Though she forced me to do this, I have to admit, that felt awesome as hell. He thought.

After a few minutes, Amy barged into the room.

"Guys, get up! We need to stop Eggman again!" She yelled.

Rouge sat up, in her usual nightgown.

"Ya seriously couldn't have picked a better time? I'm not even wearing a bra!" She said, pointing to the part of her chest her nightgown was exposing.

Amy rolled her eyes. "You never wear those, dumbass! Now hurry up!" She yelled.

Amy left the room, and Rouge got up.

Well, that honestly seemed like a PERFECTLY good excuse. She thought aloud.

Rouge turned to Shadow, who was slowly getting up.

"Well, I'd best be off. I enjoyed the night. Later!" She said as she left the room.

Shadow sat up, watching her leave. For the first time in many years, a smile appeared on his face.

Everyone met up outside the house. They looked at the town of City Escape that lied just a few miles away from their current location.

"Is everyone ready to scramble some Eggman?" Sonic asked.

"More like serve him sunny-side-up!" Knuckles replied with a cocky smirk.

Tails pulled his Tornado into the driveway.

"All set, Sonic!" He said with a thumbs-up.

Everyone hopped onto the plane, except for Silver and Rouge, who chose to fly alongside them. The view was splendid as they all flew above the city. Within 15 minutes, they had finally sighted Dr. Eggman's robot army.