Chapter 5

"No, no, no, no! How could this happen?" Metamorphia yelped as she looked back again at her reflection.

But the bathroom mirrors did not lie. She had personated the fallen down feline. Looking down at herself, everything was precisely the same; from the clothes, even to her long tail. Pulling the fabric, she couldn't take it off. Like glue, this new suit of hers wasn't budging as she tugged on the face, the fur; even her blouse!

And then a thought hit her quickly. As she looked down at the fallen feline, she must have been able to transform, when they collided with one another. Of course! She isn't wearing gloves or anything to protect her; now making her feel more anxious to find her bag pack. How could she be so careless?

Getting back in control of herself, she saw the sink taps and turned them both off. In her confusion and panic, the floor was flooded. Next, her attention came to the feline. Carefully approaching her, the cat's eyes were closed. Pressing her fingers to her throat, she gave a sigh of relief as she was still breathing. She was just unconscious; no blood she couldn't see, but knew for sure she would wake up soon.

But it didn't ignore the fact what she had done. But what choice did she have? The feline was clearly gonna attack her; it was only an accident. But was it? And now she had a bigger problem to deal with. Pricking up her ears, she couldn't hear anyone approaching the bathroom. Good she thought, the commotion didn't cause any alarm.

She took the courage to peep outside the bathroom and looked down the corridor; everything was silent. Phew, she thought to herself. But then something caught her eye; another door in the corridor with the label; staff only.

Making sure the coast was clear, she opened the door to find it was a cleaning cupboard for the bathrooms. Then an idea popped into her head. Grabbing anything, she rushed through, placing the sign in front of the door toward the ladies. She hoped the "closed for maintenance" would make sure the feline wasn't seen by any of her customers. Mop and bucket would set the scene perfectly.

Then she looked at herself in the mirror, something was off. Something she was missing, but what? Then another lightbulb lit as she looked down at the unconscious cat. She wasn't a full copy; not without the large bag. Carefully placing her hands on the feline, she gently took off the bag and placed it on herself.

"I'm really sorry about this. I'll bring this back as soon as everything settles." She whispered to her.

But how long would it last? Maybe enough time to get the heck out of the café she hoped. There was no point simply going out, dressed up as the feline and announcing to all she was an imposter. They would call the police in a split second. But this didn't shake the guilt off, as she brushed the black fur, backwards against her face.

Making sure everything was set in motion, she took some deep breaths, before she took the courage to leave the bathroom. She took one quick glance to see the feline was still knocked out. Guilt stabbed her hard; no amount of apologising was ever going to be enough.

Taking a deep breath, she walked down the long corridor, back into the main café. Keeping her head down, she stormed toward the exit; ignoring the customers and the staff nearby. But only stopped, when someone rushed towards her. She stood frozen, was she caught red handed? Turning around, she saw the yellow hedgehog come up to her.

"Ebony! How is she?"

Was that the feline's name? But when the hedgehog approached her, the butterflies erupted in her stomach; making the black fur on her skin gather with goosebumps.

"Who?" Her voice pitched up suddenly, only to quicky cough.

"The customer?" The hedgehog asked her again.

"Oh yes! Well, she's fine. Just having a bad day, but best to leave her for a while." She nervously smiled.

Come on! Keep it cool, she thought to herself. But then another figure approached them; the elderly dog that welcomed her into the café. Wearing long wavy patterned pants and a small crop top, the dog looked fabulous and hippy from head to toe. But as Metamorphia looked at her, she was even surprised she could see anything; with all that wavy fur covering her eyes.

"Are you sure that woman is alright? Mr Henderson was worried about her." The dog looked at her concerned.

Metamorphia tried to keep herself cool in front of them, even when her heartbeat was racing hard against her chest. She could feel the rush of adrenaline, soak into the clothes and onto her forehead.

"Sure, she's fine. Anyway, gotta get moving." She replied in a hurry, hoping to end the conversation soon.

She smiled as she left the two animals, almost reaching for the exit. But then-

"Well, why don't you take Super with you?" The dog spoke out.

Metamorphia spun quickly back; even the hedgehog looked at his friend confused.

"Are you sure Pyjamas? What about the customers?" The hedgehog asked.

"We'll be fine, we got the other barista working today. And besides, it's not too busy and plus; with both of you, you'll be able to do the job quicker." The dog smiled.

Super looked toward the feline and back to the dog.

"Ok sure. Just let me get my stuff and we'll good to go. You Ok with that Ebony?"

She was so trance by his talking, that she accidently forgot to reply back. In a quick panic, she smiled and waved.

"Oh sure! You get ready" she replied with a smile.

But inside, she was trying her best to hide away the inner screaming in her head. How was she going to get away now? With the hedgehog now going with her, she couldn't simply go back into hiding. She had to get rid of him somehow; lose him in the crowds or something. But then something; a small tiny part of herself, was curious how will this end up? After all, she finally got a name for the guy. Super? Maybe a nickname or something?

But she didn't have to wait for too long as he came rushing back to her, pulling a black hoodie over him; how did he move so quick? But then she spotted something floating next to him. She moved swiftly to get a better look and a tiny winged creature, hovered above the hedgehog's head.

"Don't mind if we take Cheese? It's time for its walk anyway."

Metamorphia had no idea what kind of creature it was, but ignored it, for the fact she had another creature making a problem for her.

"Sure; the more the merrier." She joked, trying to keep holding the fake smile.

The tiny creature looked towards her and flew closer. The disguised feline, simply smiled and tried to reach for it; maybe give it a stroke? But what she didn't intend was the tiny creature to suddenly growl towards her, its tiny body puffed up in size as it tried to bite her finger. Metamorphia moved back suddenly, while the other two animals shouted and pulled the creature back.

"Whoa! Cheese, what was that for?" Super shouted, pulling the creature with both hands.

"I've never seen it attack anyone like that before." The dog muttered.

"Hey; what's going on with you? It's just Ebony; look!" Super shouted.

However, the tiny creature wasn't so sure as it stared at her and continued to growl. And Metamorphia knew why. Did it see through her disguise?

"Right, into the hood for you! Most likely cranky from staying in my room for ages." The hedgehog replied, shoving the tiny creature behind his yellow quills and into his blook hood.

Cheese did look calmer as it rested its tiny pink hands on his quills, but Metamorphia could still feel its eyes gazing at her. Tapping its tiny head, Super moved forwards, waiting for his friend.

"Well, we better get going before stalls get busy again."

Metamorphia clutched onto the shoulder bag for dear life; going through every possible outcome of this. But when the hedgehog looked back at her with that reassuring smile, her head felt a tad clearer. At least now, she had a name for him.

"Let's go Super." She smiled and this time, it felt genuine.

As the small group headed towards the neighbourhood, Metamorphia couldn't help but worry. Even though this new skin of hers was a great disguise, the fear of being spotted was still there. After all, with no control of her powers, how long would it last for?

As she glanced every so often towards the hedgehog in front of her, she only was caught off guard, by the returned glaze of Cheese; still giving her a dark stare as it poked its tiny head out of the black hoddie.

If she continued this masquerade, things would only get worse for her. She looked around the streets and stalls; maybe if they split up around the stalls, she could easily leave the both of them in a jiffy. Her head was puzzled and felt a migraine coming around, until-

"So, what's the first thing on the list?" The hedgehog looked back toward her.

Ah, so that was what they were going out for, she thought to herself. She reached for inside the bag and pulled out the long sheet of paper. Hmm, there were a lot of ingredients and things unfortunately, she had no clue what they were. However, she thought of a quick idea.

"Ok, there's a lot here. So why don't we split up? That way we can get things quicker?" She smiled.

"Ok sure. What do you want me to get?"

Metamorphia looked back at the list and thought about the next move.

"Why don't you get the fresh foods we need and I'll go get the rest?"

"Ok sure, no problem. Can I have a look?" Super asked, rising his hand towards her.

Her instinct was to move back; any kind of touch or interaction, could trigger another transformation. The hedgehog looked confused. Keeping it together, Metamorphia took a quick breath and shoved the paper in his hand; frantically checking her hand if she touched his afterwards. She waited a moment, but then the hedgehog smirked.

"No need to split up; they'll literally next door to each other."

Blast she thought to herself. Unfortunately, her experience with the neighbourhood was very little, as she would pass the place on her way to college. No time for dilly dallying as she studied day and night. Maybe now would have been a good time, to at least go out and sightsee the area. Now she felt banging her head against the wall for not paying any attention to her surroundings. What was she to do now?

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Course! You lead the way." She smiled.

Clever thinking, she thought; as the hedgehog was more than happy to be the leader. As Metamorphia continued to walk beside him, Cheese would occasionally pop its head out from under the quills. She could feel its glare towards her, which she tried to keep her cool with it.

Moments later, they were in the centre of the stalls. All of the streets were buzzing of food markets and the animals chattering to one another. Super continued to lead the group as they headed to their first destination. The conversations were small and simple; while some of the lenders were more than happy to take an ear or two.

Unfortunately, for Metamorphia, the questions were mainly for her; well Ebony for that matter. Was this feline such a chatterbox? She couldn't help but to apologise; making excuses to move on quickly. But she wasn't a fool that they noticed a change in the feline's behaviour, and so did Super.

"Hey, is everything ok?" He shifted his gaze to her as they carried the bags.

"What makes you say that?" The feline looked worried for a moment.

"Well, it's just that. Your awfully quiet today; that's not like you at all."

"Oh well; you know. Sometimes a bit of quiet time helps you think better." She replied with another fake smile.

Or come up with some sort of idea, on how the heck I'm gonna get out of this mess! Her inner thoughts screamed.

The thoughts in her mind were trying anything to think of an

escape; but would it come down to violence? The hedgehog didn't appear to be any threat to her but what if she had no choice? But as she gazed at him as they walk, something kept prodding her in her thoughts.

In the past, she had disguised a few times as a hedgehog to fool the freedom fighters. But this yellow one, a nagging sensation of memory was telling her she knew him; but of course, that made no sense. She had never seen a hedgehog like him before in her life. Something on the television? News? What was it?

"And there you go again." Super stated.

"What?" She asked, astonished that she was being spoken to.

"That look on your face."

"What look?" The feline nervously spoke in defence.

What, was her face changing? She managed to make an excuse to rub her face, touching the whiskers on her mouth. No, she thought; still the feline disguise. She why did he look at her with worry?

"Look, still my regular face. Now shall we proceed to the next item of the list?" she spoke in a hurry, as she walked faster in front of Super.

Blast she thought, this wasn't going well at all; she needed to think fast…

Something was clearly not right. Ever since Ebony left the Groovy Train, she looked withdrawn and quiet; something Super Sonic knew for sure wasn't her normal traits. As they continued shopping for more stuff, she looked nervous and caught off guard as the folks wanted to chat with her. Either she apologised that her memory was fuzzy that day, or the fact they were terribly late and had to move on. And that wasn't also what struck to him as odd.

Ebony the Mystic mog had been in the neighbourhood for years; even longer than the hedgehog. So why was she constantly getting lost? How many times did Super tell her that it was THAT direction? She looked so baffled and when she made a mistake, she looked like she was panicking.

Trying to change the mood, Super would take her to some of the stalls she liked; mainly filled with special items of magic or something that would catch the eyes of a Sorcerer. However, to his surprise, she wasn't interested in a single item; even touching and prodding them as if they were alien to her. The stall owner looked just as puzzled, as Ebony was one of his best customers. Saying farewell to him, they continued to walk onwards.

As time passed and their shopping list was almost done, the feline carrying the bags, looked exhausted. But every time he would offer to help her, she would decline and move further away from him. Her uneasiness, was starting to make him feel unease; sometimes walking silently; which that was the hardest to bear. Had he done something wrong?

And his little chao hadn't changed in mood either. Any time Ebony came close to them both, Cheese will hold a low growl towards her. Now that was really out of character; those two were pretty much stuck to the hips at work.

Did they have a fall out or something? Either way, the mood hadn't changed for a while and Ebony was still too quiet for his taste. Super thought of something on the spot and turned to face the feline.

"How about we get a drink somewhere?"

A silent nod was his reply with a gentle smile. Turning back forward, he could feel Cheese wriggling between his quills; somehow understanding the uncomfortable feeling that his friend was having, as he gently patted its tiny soft head….

A drink? Another delay to her plan of escape. However, the morning had brought her nothing but exhaustion and panic. A drink might actually make her feel calmer and think of a better plan.

She was quiet most of their trip as they finally collected the last item of their list; which Super was more than excited to talk to the sweetshop owner and returning with a smile. Smiling back, Metamorphia continued to watch her surroundings.

Animals did pass them as they travelled; some waved hello to them and some stayed to chat. However, she was quite relived that Super took charge in the chats. Watching him chat and smile, made her feel relaxed and content; but why? She didn't even hardly know anything about him? When they had finished, the fake feline walked onwards, till they reached the quieter area.

There, a huge water fountain display was placed. Animals would take the view of the masterpiece as they rested their minds and bodies, in the countless amount of bench chairs. As Metamorphia sat down with the bags, she could feel her body trembling, feeling the anxiety rush towards her stomach. She felt sick; as her mind spun around like a rushing hurricane.

Looking around, there were many entrances and exists to this place; that she hoped that while the hedgehog was distracted, this would be the perfect time to make her move; no one will notice her leaving the stuff on the bench as she made her escape. She lifted herself off the bench in a hurry, when suddenly-

"Sorry for the delay, the queue was a tad long." The hedgehog smiled.

Cursing to herself, she put on her fake smile as she looked down to see the two drinks. She immediately grabbed one and hoped it was one she liked. As she sipped it, she instantly coughed and gagged. Placing her hand near her mouth, the taste was bland and bitter.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think maybe I got the wrong one." She joked.

"Ok, take this one then." Super replied as they swapped drinks.

But as they got close to exchange, Metamorphia panicked and grabbed it quickly, away from the hedgehog. If their hands ever touched, who knows what she would transform into next. Taking a quick sip of the drink, it tasted much sweeter as she drew a sigh of relief.

"Much better thanks." She smiled as she sat back down.

The hedgehog simply looked at her quietly as he sipped on his drink. Metamorphia could feel his gaze onto her but as moments passed what felt like hours; she was getting agitated.

"What? What is it?"

"It's just…you seem, off today. Is everything alright?" Super asked.

"Course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, for one thing; you don't normally take surgery drinks like that." He replied, pointing towards the drink she held.

Metamorphia looked at it and of course, the name wasn't Ebony. Cursing silently, she had to think on the spot.

"Well…sometimes its nice to get a sugar boost! No harm in that is there?"

"No, not at all. It's just…"

The hedgehog looked hesitated for a moment as she could see that he was thinking of what to say. He then looked reserved as he watched the animals passing by. Cheese popped out of his hood and sat down beside him, keeping a far distance from her. Super placed his drink onto the bench, letting the tiny Chao sip through the straw.

"Things have been a bit crazy these past few months. But you've always told me, if something was up, I was able to talk to you. So, that means visa a versa. I mean, it's kinda bad to not lend an ear to you as well."

Metamorphia was silent for a moment, till she gave a deep sigh, looking down at her drink sitting on her lap. She wanted to spill out everything; about herself, his friend. But how?

"The truth is; it's also been a crazy few months for me. That I almost forget what it was like to simply, stop and relax." She smiled, looking at the view.

It was true, but how much could she spill to him? All her thoughts spun, just like her drink in her cup. She clutched on the paper cup, feeling the anger rise in her voice.

"It's just… no matter how many steps I'll take, I just keep going backwards."

"Whoa! What are you talking about?"

Only realising that Metamorphia was talking about herself; not Ebony, she panicked and shook her head violently.

"I'm so sorry, forget what I said." She rushed to speak, quickly sipping on her drink.

"Don't be ridiculous! You're one of the most hardworking animals I've ever met! How can you feel like you're going backwards? Is it…because of me?"

Metamorphia stopped and looked at the hedgehog confused.

"Why on Mobius would you think like that?"

"Well, I'm not exactly the easiest being to be around with." Super muttered.

"To be honest, I'm finding about that myself recently." She muttered in agreement, but the hedgehog wasn't having it.

"Don't be daft! Everyone likes you. The Groovy Train, the neighbourhood, this whole area would have been in Robotnik's control if it wasn't for you and Pyjamas. They're indebted to you."

Wow, Metamorphia thought; but only now feeling even more guilty to hurting the cat back at the café. If only those words were meant directly to her; because in the end, what has she contributed? Fear and imprison to the dozens of Mobians she took over? What could she ever do to make things right? Especially after all what's happened today? The crash, disturbing the peace and now; disabling and personating a café owner. She was in a huge mess and the fear started to creep in.

"I'm indebted to you the most; I mean I still kinda owe you for the damages still."

What damages she thought to herself?

"But you know, if you ever need help, you know I'm here. Well, anything that doesn't involve any destruction or anything like that" He replied, looking slightly sheepish.

Metamorphia gave a weak smile, but then looked back down at the drink.

She had to be careful what to say in front of him. But as he talked more, she wanted to be open; just for a little bit.

"Could I ask you a question?"

As she turned to face him, he was struggling removing the drink from the tiny creature. It was protesting to let go as the hedgehog pulled the straw out of its mouth.

"Go ahead." He smiled, but then looked disappointed that the drink was almost empty.

She kept focused on her drink. If she turned to face him, she would easily blush right now.

"If you weren't working in the café and could do anything you wanted. What would you do?"

Super placed his glove over his mouth, humming his thoughts, while moving Cheese with his other hand, away from his drink as it tried to take another sip.

"That's a tricky question; what I'm doing even now, is WAY out of my "normal daily routine". Hmmm, well if I have to say something, I guess…I would travel."

"Travel? Where would you like to go?"

"Don't know. Nowhere crazy or HOT, like the last time! Just somewhere different, I guess. What about yourself?" The hedgehog asked.

Metamorphia had to think carefully, as she didn't want to slip up.

"I…don't know myself. I guess I've never thought about that far into the future; especially with everything happening right now. Anything really; just to feel normal; I guess?" She replied, distancing herself with her words as she took a sip.

"Well, that's wired." Super boldly stated.

"What is?" She startled as she spoke; did she say something wrong?

"You always told me, that being "normal" is pretty much boring." He finished as he managed to wriggle the straw away from Cheese.

"Oh right! I see" She spoke quickly, sipping more on her drink; ignoring the slurping noises as she nearly finished every bit of her drink.

Blast, she wished she had more. In that way she wouldn't have to carry on talking. Why did she ask such a stupid question? To get to know him? To see if they liked the same things? Traveling has crossed her mind but whom was she kidding? The only place she's gonna end up in is prison at this rate.

That's all I want to be; just to be like everyone else. So why? Why is this happening to me?

"Hey, are you alright?"

So distracted by her thoughts, she only noticed the hedgehog was sitting closer. But why? Then she realised, as she touched her cheeks, she almost broke out in tears. Quickly wiping them, she stood up like a shot; surprising Super and Cheese.

"Ah blast! Got some dust in my eye or something" She joked.

She quickly looked inside the feline's bag and to her relief, there was a small packet of tissues inside. But as she quickly hid the evidence, Super didn't look convinced.

As she tried to change topic, she suddenly stopped.

"We should move on." She blankly stated.

Super was confused as to why until he stood up beside her. Policeman were around the premises, showing around a picture in their hand. Metamorphia watched them as they scanned, and patrolled the citizens. The yellow hedgehog moved closer, pulling the hood over his head. Cheese hovered over his head, curious to see what they saw.

"We better get moving; way too many of them around." The hedgehog agreed, shoving Cheese back inside his hood and placing it over his quills.

But wait, why would he be worried about the police? Not taking any chances, they continued onwards with their stuff. Metamorphia followed in pursuit through the citizens, not knowing that now, the chase was on….

The badger looked confused as he saw the cleaning sign at the lady's bathroom entrance. He approached Pyjamas, who was serving a customer, asking about the sign.

"What are you talking about?" The dog asked.

"Well, that customer hasn't come out yet and there's a sign out there for cleaning. Did Ebony put that up before she left?"

"Not sure, I'll go and take a look." Pyjamas explained, as she left the customer to the badger's care.

But as she approached the bathroom, she spotted the wet patch from under the door. Confused, she passed the sign and entered through the door. Only to be taken by the shock of the state of the floor. And the horror to see Ebony motionless.

Crying out her name, the dog dashed towards her friend, gently placing her hand on her chest. As she called and gently shook her, the feline stirred. Clutching her head, Pyjamas steadied the feline up.

"What happened?" Ebony asked in a daze

"You tell me? What the heck happened here?" The dog questioned.

But then a ping moment, alerted the dog.

"Wait, I don't get it. You left with Super Sonic a bit back, what happened to him?"

At first confused, the feline didn't understand what she going on about. And then a huge hit of memory, flashed in front of her eyes; realised just how bad the situation is. Pyjamas protested as she tried to get herself up.

"That isn't me! That's Metamorphia! She's back and…. I gotta find him. Get Johnny on the phone now!" Ebony ordered as she quickly ran outside.

Ignoring Pyjamas cries, or simply because her head was still spinning from the attack, she steadied herself as she prepared her location spell. Fear fuelled her adrenaline, as she knew from that instant, Super Sonic was in danger…

TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT PART "The Chase!"