"I'm… from another timeline. And this one? This one shouldn't exist."

At last, the Time Eater did not intervene.

Sonic couldn't have used words to describe the euphoria surging through his veins – even if he wanted to. His eyes shimmered, and a wide smile grew slowly on his face as reality sunk in deeper.

His shoulders jerked as he started to laugh. Feeling a tingling excitement rush through him caused him to suddenly leap out of the bed. "Yes!" He exclaimed in triumph. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The hedgehog suddenly took off outside the cave, back into the camp – perhaps even past the camp. It was hard for anyone but him to tell – but he was running victory laps around the island. He did around a hundred, but for everyone else – barely a second passed before he returned. He stood just outside the cave, his body glowing as the sun shone down on him.

"Finally!" Sonic beamed. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this!"

Sonic felt his good spirits begin to get clawed down when he stared at his friends, cast in the cave's shadows. Their eyes wide and confused – even worried.

"A-another timeline?" Tangle stuttered. "What does that… mean?" Tangle asked, stepping closer towards him.

"Oh damn, right- I have to suddenly summarise the whole story now. But the gist of it is that I'm from another timeline where Eggman hasn't taken over the world! I, with the help of my awesome friends, saved the world from Eggman's plans all the time! Things were going great until he busted out the Time Eater – a weird creature God thing that allowed him to create a new timeline without me in it – allowing him to finally succeed!"

He was met with a sea of blank faces.

Sonic continued on. "I know most of you guys from the actual timeline! Knuckles-" Sonic turned him. "You and I are pals, we are buds – sure, we butt heads sometimes, but we are inseparable – and we are always alongside our amazing buddy Tails!"

"And you guys – you're not mercenaries!" Sonic pointed towards the Chaotix. "You're detectives! The best detective trio in the world…" Sonic trailed off. "Mainly because I don't have anyone else to compare you to, but that's beside the point."

"Shadow, Rouge!" He gestured to the two of them. "You two are government agent badasses! Rouge, while breaking a few laws, has a gold heart and a confident spirit! She is besties with Shadow – who is grumpy, egotistical, snarky, annoying, morally questionable – but ultimately fights in the name of good and wants to save people."

Rouge opened her mouth to remark but was interrupted by Sonic continuing to tumble out his words.

"You two are best friends – and you have a robotic teammate called Omega!"

Shadow's face twisted in disgust at the idea of ever being friends with Rouge. For an inexplicable reason, Rouge's face paled after Omega was mentioned.

"And while I don't know you in that timeline – I'm certain your lives were better, Tangle and Whisper." He told the girls. "All of your lives were better – there was no dictator taking away your freedom! No needless death happening every day under his regime!" Sonic insisted. "I'm doing all I can to bring that world back…"

Whisper, surprisingly, spoke first. "Why did you not say anything?" Some of the group nodded their heads in support of her question.

"I couldn't, like physically." Sonic explained. "The Time Eater kept on reversing time whenever I tried to explain myself. That's only changed now since I was able to show…" Sonic looked up as he realised that talking about both versions was going to get confusing. "I was able to show our Shadow – a letter from my Shadow that broke the Time Eater's rules."

"No, that… some more things are making sense now." Rouge said. "The fact that no one really knew who you were until recently, the fact that you knew my name before I even told you it…" She rubbed her chin gently in thought. "It's… making more sense than I want to believe."

"I… I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept of two timelines." Tangle admitted abruptly. "I really need to sit down…" True to her word, she dropped down to the floor – crossing her legs and staring ahead at one of the walls.

"So, you're from a whole other world… and we're all living in a fake world." Rouge said. "So, we shouldn't exist…"

"It's not like that! It's just, you shouldn't exist in this form! In my world, you're all living happier, better lives – and I want you all to be safe-!"

"How do I bring it back then?" Shadow asked through gritted teeth, starting to get irritated by all the conversations.

"I've been trying to collect the Chaos Emeralds with you guys because I have reason to believe that Chaos Energy is the counter to the Time Eater… it's how I ended up in this timeline in the first place." Sonic then glared at him slightly. "Also, it's we – we are working together to fix this. You aren't running off on your own – got that?"

Shadow seemed to just ignore Sonic's warning. "And what of the Master Emerald?"

"I was thinking… using it could work, if possible." Sonic nodded. "But thing is, I've been taking it one step at a time. I don't really know what comes next-"

"I think I do." Knuckles said, standing – all eyes were upon him, and when Knuckles realised this – he found himself quickly averting his gaze from the group and focused on Sonic. "Something that Tikal said to me makes a lot more sense now. When she told me to come find you… she said something about the passage of time being disturbed and that the world should not be as it is. I didn't think before that what she said was so… literal." Knuckles contemplated, folding his arms. "But now I know that my ancestors wanted me to help you to restore the timeline all this time. That is my assignment."

"Makes sense to me." Sonic nodded with a small grin. "Maybe you know something about using the Master Emerald to restore time? Is that a speciality of yours?" He asked with good-humoured mockery.

"I'll have to find out." Knuckles replied simply. It was evident that he was lost in thought than rather fully being involved in the conversation. His feelings in the matter remained unclear as a result.

"That's it?" Vector raised his voice in disbelief, speaking for the first time in a while. "We're going to suddenly erase an entire world for another one? What will happen to us after that?" He asked.

"I…" Sonic felt a sinking pit in his stomach. "I'm not- I'm not really sure. But I'd assume this timeline doesn't exist, and you'd go back to living your actual lives."

"That might be easy for you to say, isn't it?!" Vector argued, a potent rage ignited in his eyes. "You popped out of nowhere – but we've lived for years in this timeline. We were born here, raised here, this is the only reality we know."

"We are not your friends." Espio said, stepping closer to his leader's side – glaring intensely at Sonic. "We are not the same people. You are opting to destroy a whole world for the sake of yours."

"And look – I appreciate you guys taking us in, but I don't think I'm willing to just sit still while you erase my world- our world from existence! I've got a kid and I am not just letting him go like that!" Vector argued, taking a few angered steps towards Sonic.

The hedgehog didn't know what to do – the last thing he wanted was a fight, but he remained standing where he was. "That kid is still with you in my timeline too! And he's safe, not living through a war – he's possibly the happiest kid I've ever known." Sonic added with a fond smile.

Sonic watched as Vector's gaze softened and gave way to hesitance instead. His shoulders eased, and he immediately turned his face away with a small grunt. "Damnit…"

Espio stepped forward, placing a hand on Vector's arm as he was too short to reach his shoulder.

"You're not lying, are you?" Vector asked, turning his head back to Sonic.

"I have no reason to." Sonic said with certainty.

"I never thought… I never thought I'd be this okay with a guy telling me I shouldn't exist…" Vector spoke quietly. "I just want Charmy to be okay…"

"He's not our Charmy." Espio pointed out. "Should we abandon our Charmy for the sake of another one?"

"I don't know!" Vector snapped at him. "But our Charmy is suffering – everyday we're risking his life under that fat man's rule! Why should we prolong that if this whole thing shouldn't exist?! If we shouldn't exist?!"

"Guys." Tangle stood up from the ground. "It's not about us." She spoke as though she had achieved a certain level of clarity surrounding the situation. However, that confidence was undermined by her ears being pinned back. "It's about Sonic, isn't? His entire world was stripped away… can you even imagine being in his shoes?"

Espio held his head down.

"If we try to stop him from bringing his world back… then we're actively killing his world too. There's no winning here. But from… purely a logical perspective? Our world is a result of an insane man's dreams. It's not… it's not right, it shouldn't exist. But Sonic's world should."

The smile she gave him was soft but sincere. "We owe you. You saved our world, and now we know this? You… you really didn't have to. You didn't have to save a corrupted version of your world… but you did. The least we can do is help save yours – right?"

"Tangle…" For a moment, Sonic found that his voice wasn't willing to cooperate with him. He knew it couldn't be that easy for Tangle to admit to giving up her world, the distress in her voice was evident – yet she was shoving aside all her doubts for his sake.

After taking in a breath, he could finally speak. "Please, listen to me. Tangle, when I'm able to restore my timeline – know that one of the first things I'm going to do is look for you. You've been an incredible friend and-"

Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms being thrown around him – squeezing him tightly. "You d-don't have to say it. I know you care; you've been… so good to me." She let out a giggle despite herself. "I'm glad I met you. Makes my non-life worth it, you know?"

Sonic held onto her. "Don't call it that. It's just… not the one you were supposed to live. I don't know where you are in my world, but hey – looking for you will be an adventure in of itself!" He told her, pulling back so he could look her in the eyes. "You've got a fighting spirit; I think you'll make a great addition to our group."

Her smile was shaky, but at the very least – it was genuine. "I… I'd love that more than anything." She admitted. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me." Sonic shook his head. "I should be thanking you for everything you've done for me. Navigating this world would have been hard without you."

"Mhm." Tangle didn't know what to say, her lips quivering, but she did hop backwards to give Sonic some space.

"Rouge? Are you okay with all this?" Sonic asked her, realising she hadn't said much in a while.

"I'm not sure if it's just because it hasn't truly sunk in yet for me… but I'm like – way too chill about it?" Rouge's brows were furrowed. "I mean, a world where I exist and I didn't help a guy in trying to destroy the world…? I don't know, hon – that actually sounds kind of appealing at this point…" She shrugged.

Sonic tilted his head slightly, Rouge was always hard to read – and even more-so considering she was a different version of her. However, he could also understand the fact that she might want to run from her shame in hope there was something better.

"If… if you're certain you feel that way." Sonic said slowly, before shifting his gaze to Whisper. "And you?"

"I do not want to live in this war… and no one else should have to either. I am in support of what you are about to do… and I am willing to lend my help."

Whisper was borderline impossible for him to wrap his head around – he knew little of who she was, or what she was really after – but during her time with her group, she had always held a determined and steely focus.

"Alright, thank you." Sonic nodded to her, grinning.

"We gain little from this discussion." Shadow cut in. "If you all are wanting to save the world, this is the only way how – feelings don't matter."

"It's a little more complicated than that, I think." Sonic said, eyeing Shadow carefully.

"You know? I'm kind of with Shadow on this one." Rouge brought up. "I mean, you might want to get to The Master Emerald and bippity-boppity-boop this timeline away before I have the chance to think about it too much…"

"Do we… do we tell everyone else about this?" Tangle asked.

"Perhaps… it would be kinder not to." Whisper answered.

"I can keep everyone unsuspecting… and leave their final moments peaceful." Knuckles then said. "But, before that – I feel as though I should give some time for you to just… be with that kid of yours, before everything gets fixed." He told the Chaotix.

Espio bowed. "Thank you."

"Hm." Vector nodded. "Yeah, let's go Espio."

The two were slow to move out of the cave, walking past Sonic without once looking him in the eye. Sonic bit his lip, trying to not let himself think about anything for too long.

Sonic sighed.

"I'm just… giving them a bit of time." Knuckles explained, filling the stillness of the room. "Before I do anything."

"Knux…" Sonic began. He made sure his whole attention was focused on the echidna, so-much-so that the rest of the world almost seemed to fade away. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me here too. And you seem calm and all, but I want to make sure you're-"

"I'm fine with it, Sonic." Knuckles' voice was steady – like a tall pillar that had braved all kinds of harsh weather. "Now, I get to fulfil my destiny by my ancestor's design… that's what my life is for." He explained, a smile then creeping up on his face. "I might have been more hesitant… but, knowing that I'm still with you in that world? That's all the assurance I need."

Sonic let out a soft chuckle, tilting his head away slightly as he felt a slight build up of heat burning up on his cheek. "Heh, I'm not used to you admitting your friendship with me outright."

"Well, it's the last you'll see of me, this version – anyway. So might as well." Knuckles shrugged lightly, but he focused his attention downwards rather than looking the hedgehog in the eyes.

"I guess I'll have to savour this moment then." Sonic said fondly.

"Perhaps you should."

"Are we like… are we cool to get this thing started?" Rouge spoke up suddenly, breaking them both out of their momentary spell. "Because the longer I'm thinking about this, the more I'm having an existential crisis-"

"Right." Knuckles said, making his way towards the entrance and stood by Sonic's side, but looked in the opposite direction as him – instead overlooking the camp.

"Chaos Control." Knuckles whispered.

The world stopped spinning.

Sonic turned his head, eyes meeting a scene frozen in time. The survivors of Eggman's tyranny were sat on logs, holding each other close – sharing laughs and smiles. Even after the events of the night prior, even after the dark times they had already endured – they were still happy.

Although they remained like statues, their joy almost felt contagious.

Without warning, Sonic's surroundings suddenly changed. It took a moment to click that he had been warped by the echidna to the altar. Tangle, Rouge, Shadow, and Whisper were all still with him – all stood on the steps.

They were all in an awkward position now. The close goodbyes had already been said, the rest were simply not as close to warrant an emotional farewell.

"It was… it was cool working with you, while it lasted." Tangle looked over to Whisper, beaming her a smile. The wolf looked in her direction and made sure to smile back.

"I know I've already said it, but…" Rouge took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Tangle said.

"Sonic… thank you for everything." Knuckles said, his back turned – staring at the emerald.

"Same to you." Sonic said.

Silence had never felt so heavy.

"The servers are the 7 Chaos. Chaos is power... Power enriched by the heart… The heart is the controller… The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." Knuckles began the mantra.

Home was in reach.

Tails, Knuckles, Amy… everyone. They'd at last be safe.

"Ancestors… heed my call. Hold within your hands the fragments of our broken time, and with your blessed souls – weave and heal reality – and restore the world to its former glory!"

Knuckles' eyes shone a bright, emerald green.

Energy crackled from the emerald like bolts of lightning, before then tightening around the echidna's limbs like pieces of rope. The energy then spread Knuckles' arms open against his will, and as his head begin to roll back slightly – it seemed as though Knuckles had little control over his body at all.

This was… supposed to happen, right?

Despite himself, Sonic jogged forward – getting a glimpse of Knuckles' vacant expression.

"Knux-!" Sonic called out worriedly. "Are you okay?!"

He gasped as ball of energy suddenly flickered to life in front of the echidna's body just a few feet away. It grew in size, and Sonic quickly realised that it had taken the form of a green, cloudy portal.

"A portal…?" Tangle questioned.

One glance at Knuckles told him that the echidna couldn't move any time soon.

Sonic bent down under the ropes of energy, walking in front of the portal. "I'm assuming this is for me then…" he said.

He allowed himself just one small glance over his shoulder before he disappeared.

Sonic immediately found himself floating in a void swarming with pastel green hues. He didn't understand it – why did his veins feel like they were burning-?

One look down at his golden arms explained that quickly.

He supposed if this portal was a result of Master Emerald energy, then the exposure to it would turn him super.

He can't say he expected to be in this form again so soon.

"Hedgehog. Get moving."

"Shadow?!" Sonic exclaimed, swivelling his body around and gaping as the other hedgehog floated towards him – his paler fur shining bright. "What are you even doing here?"

"Making sure the timeline gets fixed." Shadow responded sharply – immediately flying past Sonic.

"I-" Stunned, Sonic could only stare after him. "What?! You think I can't do it on my own or something?!" He shouted out to him.

Shadow was already out of sight, so Sonic rolled his eyes. "Ugh, you know what? Whatever. Whatever makes him feel better…"

Sonic caught up with him in no time at all. They flew quietly next to each other until Sonic tried striking up a conversation.

"We didn't really get to talk after all that." Sonic mentioned. "I'm glad you decided to change your mind."

"It doesn't matter now." Shadow's frown deepened.

Sonic bit back the urge to yell at him. Shadow could just… be so… annoying sometimes. Instead, he switched the topic. "Out of everyone… you were the most adamant about fixing the timeline – why?"

"To save the world." Shadow responded curtly. "To fulfil my purpose as the Ultimate Life Form… and fulfil the promise that I made to her. The true promise."

It made some more sense now. "I can respect that." Sonic said.

Eventually, the two hedgehogs would stumble upon a pool of black beneath their feet – breaking apart the sea of green. They paused above it, hovering and staring into its depths.

Why was it here? … How deep did it go?

"That's a hole." Sonic pointed to it unhelpfully.

Shadow stared at him with a rightful amount of judgement.

"Well, I can't see anything else around here telling us where to go so… might as well?" Sonic shrugged uncertainly, squinting into the darkness. There wasn't a sign of anything inside.

"Suppose we've got no choice."

Sonic darted into the hole like a bullet, Shadow following swiftly behind.

Not even a few seconds in, they suddenly found their bodies overtaken by a cold surge as their super forms disappeared in a snap.

They started to fall.

"Shit!" Sonic exclaimed, trying to twist his body around mid-air so he'd be falling stomach first – but was failing in that process. "Why did that happen-?!"

Shadow's surprised expression quickly became unamused, and then immediately back to startled. "Why won't you start…?" He grumbled, looking down at his shoes.

"Huh-?" Sonic questioned.

"My rockets! They're not-!"

"They're not-?! Ough-!" Sonic let out an unflattering grunt as he collided with a hard, shiny surface – cracking it beneath him. His face had unfortunately received the brunt of the impact.

To the contrary, Shadow had managed to land with both feet and a hand placed on the ground – making his landing far more graceful. He scoffed at Sonic as he lay on the ground, but perhaps in an unexpected move – stepped towards him and held out his hand.

Sonic at last lifted his head and stared at Shadow's open palm. The blue hedgehog took a moment to pant, catching his breath. "I thought you were gonna run off ahead the first chance you got." Sonic admitted with a small grin.

"I have not forgotten the fact that you tried to save my life." Shadow said. "While foolish… it is something I am aiming to repay as I restore your world."

Of course, Shadow hadn't forgotten anything this time around.

"If that's how you see it." Sonic took hold of Shadow's hand, and the darker hedgehog pulled him up to his feet.

Sonic at last got a look at his surroundings. It seemed to be some sort of cavern with the way crystals were jutting out of the walls. Everything was glowing… and purple. He was really starting to hate the colour purple if he was perfectly honest.

Both he and Shadow were reflected in pieces of the uneven walls, and even on the floor beneath their feet.

When Sonic turned his head, he realised there was only one path forward – as the other was blocked with a wall. It was a one-way trip. "I can't say that I expected fixing the timeline to involve… a crystal cavern of all things."

"Let's not waste time." Shadow huffed, before then shaking his leg. "Why won't you stupid things turn on?!" He growled at his shoes.

Sonic smiled smugly. "What's the matter? Need rocket shoes to run fast? Can't relate – I'm going ahead-!"

The blue hedgehog attempted to dash away – but he moved so slowly.

Slow in his eyes, anyway. It wasn't even fast like his friends could sometimes run to keep up with him. Sonic moved his legs again, sprinting forward – but only able to push himself so far…

He was running at a basic human speed.

Sonic began to panic. "Oh God, oh God – why can't I run fast? Whyyyy can't I run fast?!"

"Well, something is blocking our abilities and gear." Shadow remarked dryly, snapping his fingers – and scowling when no Chaos Energy sparked in his fingertips.

"What am I supposed to do if I can't run fast?!" Sonic exclaimed; his pupils shrunken as he tugged on his quills.

Shadow slapped him in the face. "Focus!"

"Ow-!" Sonic rubbed his cheek. "Jeeze man…"

"I keep telling you we shouldn't be wasting time – so we need to move, or I shall just leave you behind." Shadow told him. True to his word, he was already turning around and leaving him.

Sonic ran after him at his frustratingly normal speed. "This is so weird…" He groaned.

After nothing but empty halls and caves, the only thing of note being the sparkly crystals – they at last found something that looked like it had some use.

In a large space, several pillars arose from the ground. Sonic pointed to each, whispering under his breath as he began to count.

There were 14.

"It's weird, but… they remind me of the pillars back on the island's shrine." Sonic said. "The ones that hold the Chaos Emeralds."

Sonic whipped his head towards Shadow. "Hey, do you still have your-?"

Shadow was already ahead of him, taking out his blue Chaos Emerald and stepping towards the nearest pillar. With no other options, he had to resort to climbing to reach the top – placing the emerald neatly on top.

It was a perfect fit.

Shadow jumped down from the pillar as the small lines engraved into it started to glow blue, the same shade as the emerald.

Nothing happened other than that. So, it was a good sign – right?

"Welp. Nothing blew up." Sonic pointed out. "That must mean we still need… the rest of the Chaos Emeralds…"

"Why are there 14 pillars?" Shadow narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe the old timeline… has some? So maybe there are double the amount…?" Sonic scratched his head.

"Then how do you propose we get our hands on them?" Shadow asked, folding his arms.

"Well, I'm sure the gang that are still there can help me on that front. I can communicate with them, in my dreams." Sonic explained.

"So… the old timeline still exists?"

"Yeah, but – everything has gone really weird there for some reason." Sonic told him. "I suppose it would as a result of a time anomaly…"

Shadow flicked his quills back, a habit that Sonic suddenly realised that both Shadows seemed to have. "So, we've come all this way to learn… that we still need the Chaos Emeralds?" He asked.

"Well… I guess." Sonic said. "I don't know what any of this means! But Knuckles opened up this path for us… so I'm assuming something will happen if our theory is correct."

"This is all just theory?" Shadow rose a brow.

"Yes!" Sonic exclaimed. "Because I thought we'd just be able to summon the Time Eater or something and just fight it to the death! That's how I thought this was going to go… not just more complications and vague…. Whatever this is!" He gestured to the pillars, before then sighing – turning back to Shadow.

But he wasn't there anymore.

Sonic was alone.

"Shads?!" Sonic called out. "Shadow?! Where'd you go?! Did you run off-?!" Sonic let out a groan, concluding that he probably did.

The blue hedgehog bit his lip, trudging onward past the pillars to find wherever Shadow ran off to.

Suddenly, Sonic halted in his tracks – noticing something. There was something wrong about his reflection, something he noticed just out of the corner of his eye.

Sonic faced one of the walls and gasped. Sonic wasn't met with the sight of his own face – but rather… he saw Blaze.

That didn't make any sense.

Sonic stepped forward, and true to being a reflection – Blaze drew closer, mimicking his movements exactly. Sonic waved – so did she. Sonic tilted his head – so did she.

It was definitely his reflection, but why did he look like her?

Sonic only stopped when he was close in front of the dark purple wall, transfixed by the bewildered Blaze staring back at him.

Sonic's ears drooped. "I don't even know what's going on with Sol right now… I hope everything's okay. I hope you're okay." Sonic whispered.

"I'm not sure how much more we can take…"

Sonic yelped as his Blaze reflection was no longer mimicking him and was in fact speaking on her own – expressing herself fully.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sonic asked. "Is that really you, Blaze?"

"If you keep on interfering with the timeline, I fear what will happen to our worlds…" She brought a hand up to her chin.

"Blaze! Is it… is it really you? What do you mean by that?" Sonic asked.

"The universe cannot take the strain of any further damage." She explained. "Know that you walk a dangerous path."

"What are you talking about? Blaze?" Sonic touched the wall, and Sonic jumped slightly as his reflection suddenly morphed.

It was Silver now – matching his startled his face. If there weren't a wall of crystal in the way, their hands would be touching.

"What's going on…?" Sonic whispered.

By going ahead on his own, Shadow had made a severe mistake. He entered another small area – closed in aside from a small hole that was an entrance to the next area.

Sat upon a large crystal digging out from the ground… was himself.

Shadow froze.

The other hedgehog slowly turned his head – everything about him was the same. Their bodies, their face…

Instinctively, Shadow held out his hand to summon a Chaos Spear – one that didn't come. Instead, he growled in frustration. "Who are you?!" Shadow pointed at the imposter.

The other Shadow smiled. "Isn't it obvious?" He asked. "I'm you… from the other timeline, that is."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Then what are you doing here?" He immediately questioned, already suspicious.

The doppelganger stood up, shrugging nonchalantly. "Investigating, you could say. Similarly, to you – I'm trying to figure out how all this works."

Shadow wasn't sure if he believed that. This was all… too sudden.

"I want my timeline back…" The imposter said with an almost childish pout. "Things were great there… I had friends, I had power…"

Shadow blinked. "… Okay?"

"Don't you want to get it back too?"

"Stop asking me idiotic questions and let me get past-!"

"Shadow!" Another voice echoed throughout the cavern. Shadow immediately felt his heart begin to race, his fur standing on end. When he searched around, his copy was gone at last… but that voice… it was her voice.

"Shadow, over here!"

"Maria!" Shadow choked on his own breath as he ran towards her being reflected in the cavern's walls. Her gaze was warm and soft, filled with love – as they had always been.

Shadow lost all logic, all reason – refusing to question the whys or the hows, all that mattered was that she was here.

Shadow touched the wall, and Maria let out a gentle giggle. She placed her hands on the other side in response to the gesture. If only they could touch… if only he could hug her. He missed her. He missed her so much.

"It's so good to see you, Shadow!" Maria let out in relief. "I was so worried about you, after everything-!"

"Please, please don't be-" Shadow begged, his eyes swelling with a surge of tears he was unprepared for. "I-I don't know what happened! I…" His voice wavered, unable to keep himself steady – he leaned against the wall. "I couldn't remember what you asked of me. I l-let my rage, and everything else – it all took over! It was… I didn't want to, but at the same time… I couldn't control-!"

Shadow gasped when the wall suddenly cracked apart. Maria disappeared, and it took a moment for Shadow to click that a bolt of energy had struck the wall. Shadow immediately turned – and was back to facing the doppelganger that he had thought disappeared.

The imposter laughed – a long, cruel cackle. "You don't need her. What are you doing?"

A tear escaped from Shadow's eyes, and he sought to quickly wipe it away. "Why did you do that?!" He yelled at the other, enraged, fighting the urge to leap at and tackle them.

"If you can't let go of her, you will never be able to move on." The doppelganger told him with a lazy shrug, putting his hands behind his head. "What did she ever mean to you, anyway?"

"She was my sister." Shadow snarled.

"And yet, unlike a family member should… all she does is hold you back." They spoke patronizingly, as though Shadow were a mere child. "Her love made you soft and weak – it's why you fail to live up to your title."

The imposter's smile was wide, eerily so. His teeth were completely visible, and his eyes were small, making him appear to truly be mad.

"That's not-!"

"Do you want to live like me?" The copy cut in, grinning like a bobcat. "Free of all the guilt and shame? Surrounded by people that adore you?"

"What are you even saying?!" Shadow asked. "Come out with it!"

"You want my life so badly – don't you? It makes you look stupid." The other mocked. "Convince Sonic it's about efficiency all you want, but you're not fooling me."

"Stop saying stupid things!"

"But I'm not, you're the one yelling like a child." The doppelganger snickered. "I'm just trying to offer you advice, so that you may live your life like mine."

Shadow felt his throat dry up.

"Let go of that past of yours, it's the only way – realise they mean nothing. Only you are responsible for all the incredible things you've achieved." The other boasted. "She did nothing for you."

"Is this… are you seriously the person I became in that timeline?" Shadow's voice came out quieter than he would have wanted – if he could, he would have screamed to the roof.

"Why?" They asked lightly. "Why does it matter?"

"Because you don't DESERVE to move on!" Shadow found his voice – bellowing from his throat. "She did SO MUCH for you, she was ALWAYS THERE for you! How could you EVER ignore that?!"

He marched towards the imposter as their smile somehow only grew as Shadow drew nearer.

"She DIED because of YOU! Because YOU were created! Because YOU were deemed a FAILURE! Because YOU failed to PROTECT HER! It's ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Shadow panted.

"… The LAST thing you've earned is happiness!"

Shadow roared and swung his arm back, launching a fist at the imposter's face.

"I'm not sure about this anymore, Sonic." Silver said. "It's all… it all seems more trouble than it's worth. I'm worried it'll…"

"Worried it will what?" Sonic pressed his hands further against the glass.

"I'm not sure if things will ever be the same again! Time… time is fickle." Silver tried to explain. "Even if we do succeed in restoring the timeline from Eggman's dystopia… I doubt things will be the same. Time is more likely to create something entirely new, and-"

"Silver, there's no evidence of that." Sonic shook his head. "I get that you time travel more than me… but I'm certain that all we need to do is defeat the Time Eater-"

"What then?"

Sonic blinked, and suddenly his reflection had become Shadow – the dark hedgehog looked up at him with scorn. "Abandon an entire world's worth of people that need your help? By fixing the timeline – you are neglecting all of them, you're killing them!"

"That's not true!" Sonic argued. "I'm just setting things back to the way they were! And you know what?" Sonic raised his voice in anger. "I don't have time for whatever trickery this is! I'm going!" The hedgehog announced.

Sonic walked away and headed down what was essentially a hallway of crystals, just a narrow path surrounded by reflective walls.

They were still following him.

"Sonic… I'm worried about you."

Despite himself, Sonic looked – seeing Rouge walk beside him in the walls, staring at him with an intent concern.

"You're self-sacrificing tendencies were so close to costing you your life just last night…" Rouge brought up. "That is not a healthy habit to have… I once lost a friend to that kind of behaviour once, you know. I wouldn't want to lose you too."

Sonic shook his head, choosing not to respond – instead, he increased his pace into a run.

Although it was far too slow for his taste, at least it felt as though he were getting somewhere. Sonic didn't even mean to look – but he saw that his reflection was now being shown as Amy – running beside him – but not looking at him despite what he was doing.

"I suppose this wouldn't be the first time you've run away from your feelings…" She remarked bitterly.

Sonic skidded to a halt. "Amy…"

"We're trying to help you because we love you! Why aren't you seeing that?"

"Sorry Ames," Sonic shook his head again, beginning to run – he couldn't allow himself to get affected by whatever this was. "You guys are not saying anything that makes sense!"

"Sonic, won't you listen to me?"

"Tails! I'm sorry… but I'm not gonna fall for-" Sonic's path was completely obstructed by a crystal wall – and Tails' reflection loomed.

"I just… I had a question, that's all." Tails said, rubbing his own arm. "You'd love me in every timeline, no matter what right? You're my big brother… always looking out for me."

Sonic pursed his lips.

"You'd save every version of me if I were in trouble! I know you would – that would be one of your first priorities – right?"

"Tails-"

"You wouldn't just leave me!" Tails teared up.

"No-"

"You wouldn't leave me to die… without even trying to reach out – would you?" He laughed through the tears that escaped him.

"You don't understand. I'm sorry, but you're not him – I don't know who or what you are, but we are not going to be the ones having this conversation…"

Sonic closed his eyes, heaving a sigh – and when he opened them, he knew who he was going to see next.

Knuckles smiled at him gently, and despite being reflected on crystal – one could somehow feel the comforting warmth that radiated from him. "I admire that you're trying… so hard to fix all this."

Sonic met his eyes.

"All the burdens and responsibilities though, they've all fallen upon you. And that… that kind of thing is hard to shoulder on your own. It isn't a responsibility that should be yours alone…" Knuckles pointed out gently. "You're pushing yourself so hard to save the timeline… but I urge you to remember…. That there's no shame in not being able to handle it, no shame in giving up – because one person simply cannot-"

"Gotcha, Pachacamac. At least, pretty sure it's you somehow." Sonic grinned. "Those are some words that Knuckles just… would never say. I get that it's you… trying to get my friends to say my doubts to my face, to make me back away like you asked before – I get it now. Gig's up."

The wall in front of him suddenly crumbled down, and when Sonic looked to the crystals beside him – he saw that his reflection was back to normal.

It was just him, at last snapped out of whatever spell he had been under.

"I don't know when you're gonna learn that you can't manipulate me easily!" Sonic remarked smugly.

He was so preoccupied by his victory that he didn't even see that Shadow lie beyond the former wall. Sonic at last noticed him, and immediately ran to his side.

"Shadow! Snap out of it!" Sonic called out.

Shadow was rooted to the spot, purple rocks and crystals were forming around his legs – keeping him frozen in one spot. The number of crystals grew and kept crawling up his leg the more time that passed.

Of course, Shadow didn't notice – instead, he was holding his head in his hands – shaking uncontrollably. "You don't deserve it! You don't deserve it!"

"Shadow!" Sonic tugged at one of his arms, and Shadow took no notice.

Sonic gritted his teeth, grabbing hold of Shadow's waist and pulling him up with as much strength the blue hedgehog could muster. He grunted and heaved, but with each tug – the looser Shadow became.

Sonic gripped tighter – one last pull – and he'd be out completely.

Sonic grunted, but at last – the dark hedgehog broke free of his crystal chains, and Sonic set him down on the ground. Sonic clutched his side, taking a moment to pant.

Shadow had returned to reality. "What-? What is-?"

"We need… we need to get out of here." Sonic said.

Shadow's eyes were still shaken, wide in horror. "Quite." He choked out.

"I think we have what we came for anyway." Sonic then took off in a sprint, and Shadow ran alongside – desperation on both of their faces as they hoped they could travel just a little faster.

They wanted to get out.

Sonic made it to where there was only a dark abyss above, his lungs burning. "How do we… how do we get up from here-?"

Shadow looked around helplessly. "I don't… I don't know-"

"KNUCKLES!" Sonic called out in a last ditch effort. "WE NEED YOUR HELP TO BRING US BACK!"

To his surprise, it would work.

Sonic and Shadow abruptly found themselves flung from the portal and out onto the stone steps of the altar. It was a harsh landing to make… but ultimately, they were grateful for it.

Sonic opened his eyes and saw Knuckles in front of the emerald, bending down in front of the emerald and looking ready to collapse.

"Knux!" With Sonic's speed returned, he made it to Knuckles before he could fall – catching the unconscious echidna in his arms.

"Oh my gosh…" Tangle's gaze flitted between Sonic and Shadow. "What happened with you guys? Why is everything-? Why are you back?"

Sonic heaved a sigh, exhaustion taking over him in a wave. "Turns out… the plan hasn't even changed. It doesn't matter that we have the Master Emerald… I need the Chaos Emeralds." Sonic exclaimed, lifting Knuckles up in his arms so that he could carry him.

"You can't be serious…" Rouge remarked.

While Sonic understood her frustrations, he ignored her for now. "How was Knuckles throughout all that?"

"Fine for a bit… but then it was clear that holding open the portal was causing him pain, and he was murmuring things under his breath…"

Sonic gazed down at his face with worry, eyes darting to make sure there was now visible injuries on him.

"You okay?" Tangle offered her hand out Shadow, but he refused it – getting up on his own. Seeing Shadow's impassive frown on his face caused Sonic to slowly shake his head – after whatever he'd been through in that place, Sonic was never going to get him to talk about it – was he?

"Fine." Shadow huffed.

"I'm getting Knuckles to a bed." Sonic said abruptly. "I understand you all have questions, but I need a moment to think. Please."

When no one said anything, Sonic understood it as a respect for his wishes.

"Thank you."

Summary of this chapter? Angst. Just angst. What is existence? What is reality? Are you allowed to move on from the death of your sibling? Are you allowed to have the fate of the world on your shoulders? Who tf knows.

Next chapter? Hoo boy I am SO HYPED for next chapter, it is one of my favourite chapters in the entire fic so I really hope you enjoy it! :)

But as always – let me know what you thought of this one in a review! I think it took a turn that no one anticipated XD. I hope ya'll have a wonderful week ahead and I can't wait to see you for the next one ;)