I hope 2024's off to a good start for everyone. If some bumps have been encountered along the road, I hope you all make it over them and the rest of this new year's going to be bright.

I'm so sorry for the long wait. I've just been going down rabbit holes of mind-numbing work, the lack of motivation, family events, and other factors in life. I hope this new chapter makes up for it.

Part 5: In Which Second Chances Are Given

Shadow was experiencing a terrible sense of deja vu as he sped out of Dr. Eggy's lair with Faith in his arms. He clutched the little tenrec to his chest, the flutter of her breath the one thing keeping him from freaking out.

"Is she breathing?" Sonic kept repeating even after they'd emerged from the lair out. He hovered over Shadow while the latter passed the unconscious tenrec over to Rosey.

"We need to take Faith to the hospital," Rosey murmured, taking off her sarashi to wrap it around Faith's head. Faith whimpered, her face scrunching up before going completely still. That just caused Sonic to panic even more to the point that Shadow had to hold the hedgehog's hands and remind him to breathe.

Only Nine remembered one crucial detail. "The Chaos Council has one more Shard in there! We can't just leave without it" he protested.

"Do you really want to go back while they are still there?" Dr. Eggy pointed at his lair.

That's when Sonic remembered that the other Shard wasn't the only thing they left behind.

"Well, we can't leave Scarf and Terios to fight them on their own!" he retorted while wondering why everyone was suddenly so nervous. Didn't they care about Scarf and Terios taking on five Eggmen all by themselves?

"They'll be fine. Trust us. It's better we stay out of the lair until they calm down," Glamour told him, wringing her hands.

"Or at least until they've finished ripping those Eggmen apart limb from limb…" Sticks muttered under her breath.

While Sonic and Shadow looked at each other, unsure, Nine was stubborn. "Ugh! You guys stand around here. I'm going back for that Shard!" he said before scuttling back to the lair.

"Nine, wait!" Sonic ran after him, Shadow right behind him.

"Oh, for the love of…" Dr. Eggy shook his head then turned to Team Sonic and Team Dark. "Get Faith to the hospital. I'll handle this," he told them and followed the interdimensional trio.

It was dark inside the lair, but Nine, Sonic, and Shadow could hear a ton of bangs and crashes. All three of them jumped at a scream. Who had screamed, they didn't know. An unholy screech echoed down a corridor and, despite that, the trio followed it. The three had just entered the main control room when they saw Orbot and Cubot huddled in a corner with Dr. Babble.

"Dr. Babble?" Nine cocked his head to the side. Dr. Babble whimpered, stuffing his binkie into his mouth to keep himself from crying.

"I almost feel bad for him," Sonic knelt and looked at the frightened tot. "Hey, little guy… Where's the rest of your evil buddies?" he asked.

"Shhh!" Cubot held up a finger, his optics a dim blue. "Not so loud…" he whispered.

"They'll hear you and they'll come here," Orbot whispered frantically, the two robots tucking into their base forms. Dr. Babble had his little Egg Mobile back further into the corner, his hands over his eyes and trembling all over.

Now Nine was getting confused and a little worried. If the most sadistic member of the Chaos Council was scared, then something really bad was happening to the other members.

"I think we should go…" Shadow murmured before somebody suddenly tackled them from behind. Nine immediately went on the offensive and tried to stab their attacker with one of his robotic tails.

"Stop! Stop, you idiots! It's me!"

"Eggy?!" Sonic spluttered while Dr. Eggy pulled them away from the doors into another corner.

"Shush! Don't make a sound!" Dr. Eggy paled as the doors suddenly opened.

Sonic and Shadow's quills instinctively stiffened as Dr. Deep dragged his wrecked mech suit and himself into the room. He was covered in cuts and half of his thin handlebar moustache was gone, ripped out by the roots. He caught sight of Dr. Eggy and mouthed, "Help me."

Then, to Sonic, Shadow, and Nine's shock, black tentaclessuddenly shot out from the doorway and wrapped themselves around Dr. Deep's ankles.

"Nonononononono! NOOOOO!" Dr. Deep screamed as he was dragged back inside and the doors slid shut. A deafening roars sounded through the air and was followed by more bangs and crashes, and then terrified screams.

"What. The. Hell. Was that?" Shadow muttered as Nine wriggled out of Dr. Eggy's grip and ran to the doors.

"They have to be hiding the other Shard in the command center. Let's go!" Nine waved to Sonic and Shadow only for Dr. Eggy to run ahead and block their path.

"You three don't understand! We need to leave!" Dr. Eggy ordered them.

"We're not going back until that other Shard is out of the Chaos Council's hands. We won't let you stop us!" Shadow growled.

"Stop you? No, you dolts! I'm trying to protect you!" Dr. Eggy exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"From the Chaos Council? We can take 'em!" Sonic cracked his knuckles, getting ready alongside Shadow and Nine to barrel past Eggy as soon as the doors opened.

"I'm not talking about the other me's!" Dr. Eggy's eyes widened behind his blue-tinted glasses when he heard the doors open. He grabbed the trio and hid in the corner with Orbot, Cubot, and Dr. Babble in the nick of time.

Mr. Doctor Eggman, Dr. Don't, Dr. Deep, and Dr. Done It were all thrown into the room. Dr. Don't was bleeding heavily from his right shoulder and Dr. Deep was shaking all over, sobbing for mercy. Dr. Done It's beard was streaked with soot and looked like half of it had been torched. Mr. Doctor Eggman, on the other hand, had gashes on his belly and he had to be supported by Dr. Don't and Dr. Done It. His right leg was broken and dragging uselessly across the floor. All four had cracked glasses and their gear was shredded to bits, hanging off of them like rags. And the look of pure fear on their faces made Sonic, Shadow, and Nine go silent.

An oppressive aura suddenly spread into the main control room and Dr. Eggy gulped.

"I'm talking about them."

At those words, two figures entered the room, making the Chaos Council scream as they scrambled to get as far away as they could from them.

Sonic and Shadow both felt themselves freeze at what looked like Scarf floating in midair with pitch black fur and glowing white eyes. Beside him was an almost reptilian-looking creature sporting angry orange eyes with red sclera, wickedly sharp red claws tipped with black, and a long barbed tail.

It took a minute for both hedgehogs to recognize Terios while Nine raised all his tails in front of him as a shield.

"Is that Scarf and Terios?" Sonic whispered, Dr. Eggy nodding grimly.

"Dark Sonic and Doom Shadow." This universe's Dr. Eggman muttered as Scarf and Terios stalked towards the Chaos Council, ignoring their pleas for mercy. "Those forms only come out when they're either exposed to excessive amounts of negative Chaos Energy or give in to negative emotions like anger and despair," he explained.

Terios held his arms out in front of him, the fingers morphing into black tentacles that ensnared the four members of the Chaos Council.

Dr. Babble wailed, his chubby arms reaching for his fellow Eggmen, and then shrieked when he was suddenly snatched by another tentacle. Orbot and Cubot shivered and watched as the baby was dragged to join his brethren. Sonic and Shadow jumped out of their hiding space to try and rescue him only for Dr. Eggy to pull them back.

"Don't! When they're in those forms, they lose almost all reason. They'll attack anything that moves," he warned them.

But Sonic was already standing in front of the couple. Terios had Dr. Babble held up before him and was slowly dragging a claw against the infant's cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood. Meanwhile, Scarf had a black Chaos Spear in his hand and was pointing it at the other four members.

"Which of these bastards should I shoot first?" Scarf asked his husband, his voice deeper and distorted.

Terios looked up from torturing Dr. Babble, tail swishing. With his other hand, he pointed to Mr. Doctor Eggman. "May I suggest throwing it at his throat, my love? So he can die choking on his blood."

Sonic shivered but raised his voice nonetheless. "Scarf! Terios! Wait! Don't do this!" He stiffened as the couple turned to look at him.

"Give us one good reason why," Terios snarled.

Shadow stood beside Sonic, keeping his hands up in a placating gesture. "You two have already punished them enough. Look." He gestured with his head to the Chaos Council, who were already on their knees and begging for mercy.

"It's not enough." Scarf shook his head. "Let us kill them and they won't terrorize any other worlds."

"You guys don't have to do this. We brought these guys to your world in the first place. Let us deal with them. The burden on deciding the Chaos Council's fate doesn't need to fall onto you both," Sonic implored.

Scarf and Terios zipped over to the two hedgehogs at alarming speed, stopping just inches from their faces.

"THEY HURT FAITH!" Scarf screeched, his blank white eyes glowing with fury.

"THEY MUST PAY!" Terios snarled as his tail lashed furiously against the steel flooring.

"And they have." Dr. Eggy moved to stand behind Sonic and Shadow. "You both made them bleed, suffer, and they know they're beaten. If you kill the Chaos Council, then what?" He adjusted his glasses and looked at the two hate-consumed hedgehogs seriously.

"Will you be able to look your daughter in the eye and tell her that you murdered them?"

At that question, Dark Sonic and Doom Shadow faltered.

Terios looked at Dr. Babble flailing in his grasp and then at Shadow, who bit his lip and clasped his hands together.

Scarf let his Chaos Spear dissipate as he and Sonic locked eyes. The latter looked at the group of terrified Eggmen huddled in the corner. "Scarf, Terios, please…" he whispered.

Dr. Eggy calmly waited as the couple made their decision. Scarf and Terios looked at each other, and then nodded. Terios dropped Dr. Babble into Mr. Doctor Eggman's arms before snarling and using his tentacles to ensnare all members of the Chaos Council and lifting them off the floor. Scarf floated up followed by his husband with all five Eggmen in his grasp.

"No!" Sonic and Shadow shouted, but Dr. Eggy told them, "Wait." while the Chaos Council dangled in front of Terios and Scarf.

Scarf hovered closer to the Chaos Council, glowing white eyes wide open. "Leave this world and NEVER come back," he commanded.

"That is your ONLY warning," Terios growled, prompting all five members of the Chaos Council to nod and frantically voice out their agreements.

Upon releasing the Chaos Council, Scarf and Terios led Dr. Eggy, Orbot, Cubot, Sonic, Shadow, and Nine out. Nine glanced back at the Chaos Council who were limping towards their seats, preparing for takeoff.

"Are you sure we should be leaving one of the Shards with them?" he asked Dr. Eggy.

"It's their only way to get out of this Shatterspace and make good on those two's terms." the relatively more sane Dr. Eggman pointed at Scarf and Terios, the couple still in their Dark and Doom forms.

Nine took one look at them and shivered. For once, he was going to shut up about the Shards and count his lucky stars he was alive. He glanced at Sonic, who smiled reassuringly and ruffled his fur.

'At least one good thing came out of this whole mess…' Nine thought as they left. On the way out, they passed by Rusty Rose who was lying in a heap.

"Hold up. Orbot, Cubot, bring her with us. I think Sage and our Tails will want to examine her," Dr. Eggy ordered his two robot henchmen. When Scarf and Terios turned to look at him, he shrugged. "Relax, you two. She's practically useless now after what you did to her."

Rusty Rose made no complaint as Orbot and Cubot carried her away. She didn't even speak when the Chaos Council's mothership opened a portal and disappeared into it.

Once the portal closed, Scarf and Terios reverted to their original forms.

Sonic and Shadow were there to support them as they stumbled. Their counterparts were looking worse for wear with dried blood crusting over their wounds and bruises littering their bodies.

"Yeesh… you guys look like hell…" Sonic muttered as they started trudging back to the village.

"Feel like it too… Damn…" Scarf groaned, clutching his ribs. "...it feels worse after coming out of Dark Form…"

"At least the Chaos Council's gone. And the others took Faith to the hospital." Shadow glanced at Terios, smiling slightly. "She's gonna be okay."

Terios nodded, but his ears angled downwards. "Please… don't mention any of this to Faith…" he mumbled.

Dr. Eggy, Orbot, Cubot, Nine, Sonic, and Shadow merely nodded in agreement.

Faith woke up with a pounding headache. When she reached up to feel her head, she discovered that it was wrapped in bandages. She rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. She was in the hospital, an IV in her arm, and a heart monitor softly beeping in the background. Looking around, Faith noticed her Dad and her Papa sleeping on either side of her hospital bed.

"Dad? Papa?" Faith frowned when she saw that they both had more bandages than her. Bandages wrapped around her parents' arms, legs, torsos, and even heads until they looked like mummies.

At her voice, Scarf and Terios awoke. They gasped upon seeing Faith, finally conscious, and tears welled up in their eyes.

"Faith!" "Sweetie!" Both hedgehogs rushed to embrace their daughter. Faith let out a soft "Whuf!" as she was sandwiched between her fathers in a hug. Her head still hurt a little, but she felt a whole lot better just being in their arms.

Looking up at her parents, Faith frowned again and furrowed her brow. "You guys are all banged up. You two should go to bed," she told them.

Scarf and Terios couldn't help but chuckle at her serious face.

"We will, kiddo. We just wanted to make sure you're okay." Scarf nuzzled Faith, making her smile once again.

"Does your head hurt?" Terios asked softly. When Faith nodded, he leaned down to press his forehead against hers, Faith purring at the gentle touch. "We'll go to bed as soon as you take your medicine and lie back down. Okay?"

"Okay." Faith held her nose as Scarf gave her a spoonful of painkillers the doctors had prescribed for her. After that, she was tucked in. Suddenly, she remembered what had happened and sat up.

"Wait! What about the Chaos Council? Did…" Faith looked at Scarf and then at Terios, her eyes wide. "Did we win?" she asked.

Glancing at each other, Scarf and Terios grimaced.

Their counterparts and Eggman swore to never tell Faith what had happened back at the mothership. But, one day, they decided, they'd let Faith know the whole story.

For now, their daughter need not know just how far they were willing to go for her.

As soon as the Chaos Council left, the villagers prioritized clean-up and treating the wounded. Neighbors shared their homes with those whose homes had been destroyed during the fight. Egg Forcers were disassembled and melted down in Goggles' forge to be used for rebuilding efforts.

Sonic and Shadow weren't idle. They helped parents reunite with their children, delivered care packages, and assisted in reconstruction. The villagers were pleased to have them around while Scarf and Terios were recovering in the hospital with Faith. The presence of another Sonic and Shadow gave the villagers of Seaside Island some comfort.

Much to everyone's surprise, Dr. Eggy helped out as well, loaning some of his heavy-duty Badniks to assist with rebuilding.

Almost a week later, the Robotnik-Hedgehog family was discharged from the hospital. Life slowly returned to normal.

"And how many sugars would Ms. Lulubelle like, Madame Faith?" asked Sonic, clad in a top hat and sunglasses as he and Faith had a tea party in her room.

"Two please, Baron Sonny. And would you and Sir Gay Horse like some buttered scones?" Faith giggled and held up a plastic teacup. She wore a billowy pink dress with strawberries on it and a white hat with a pink ribbon.

"Oh, yes please!"

"Would you like jam or clotted cream to go with those?"

"Both please!"

Faith giggled as she tipped two clay scones onto Sonic's plate and slathered it with imaginary strawberry jam and clotted cream. She then turned to Shadow, who had on a bowler hat and monocle over his left eye. "And would Lord Shadsy care for some brewed coffee? Forgive me for not having the actual coffee beans. I must simply ask my fathers to pick up some more from the shops next time," she said in a prim and proper tone.

"A cup of well-brewed coffee is as good as the beans they came from, Madame Faith. I would love a cup, please," Shadow replied in his best British accent. To his relief, Sonic didn't laugh but smiled at him.

If Shadow had been told that he'd be playing tea party with Sonic in the room of their alternate selves' adoptive daughter a few weeks ago, he'd have roundhouse kicked whoever said that to oblivion. Yet here he was.

Shadow smiled as he watched the pair play. After everything that happened, it was good to see Faith and Sonic getting the chance to relax. Faith's injuries had healed up completely, with only a small scar above her right eye the sole remembrance of the Chaos Council's attack. As for Sonic, well, he and Shadow had gotten to know each other better as they worked together to help rebuild the village.

Shadow never thought he would know that Sonic enjoyed listening to classical music and baking until he chanced upon the blue hedgehog baking bread while Beethoven played in the background one afternoon. Sonic learned that Shadow liked knitting to de-stress when he visited Rosey's home and found the pink hedgehog knitting gloves with Shadow, the latter humming softly as he knitted.

All these little things about each other were tiny surprises that they discovered over the course of a week. Surprises they kept close to their hearts and stowed away for future reference.

'Maybe, when this is over, I can knit him a scarf,' Shadow thought and began wondering what color would be best for Sonic. A light turquoise blue to contrast his deep cobalt fur? Or maybe an emerald green to bring out his eyes? Maybe a bright red like his stripes?

Before Shadow could debate on scarf colors, he heard a knock. He, Sonic, and Faith turned their heads as Scarf entered the room.

"Goggles wants us to meet him at his place. He's got some good news to share," Scarf told them.

"This was a really good tea party. Thanks for playing with me, Sonny and Shadsy." Faith smiled and put away her tea set.

"You're welcome, kiddo. I loved having a nice light tea with you." Sonic ruffled her lavender-tipped quills.

"I'll make sure we have real food next time. And I'll get coffee beans for Shadsy too," Faith suggested.

"I'd like that, Faith." Shadow helped Faith clean up.

Once things were put away, the three of them left the house with Scarf and Terios. Arriving at Goggles' place, Sonic and Shadow noticed that everybody was present. Sticks, Rosey, Glamour, Big Knucks, Dr. Eggy, Sage, and…

"Rusty Rose?!" Sonic exclaimed upon seeing the now-repaired cyborg and he quickly shielded Faith while Shadow got into a fighting stance.

"It's okay." Rosey stood next to Rusty and placed a hand on her cyborg counterpart's shoulder.

"Goggles, Nine, and I were able to free Rusty Rose's mind from the Chaos Council's enforcer programming. We also unlocked her memory files," Sage explained.

Rusty looked down, mechanical hands clasped, her one organic eye downcast. "I didn't realize… Just how much had been taken from me… until I remembered…" she murmured as a tiny pink Flicky rested on her shoulder.

"Rose, go! I'll hold them off!"

Rose panted as she bolted deeper into the woods while her friend, Knucks, charged at the invaders. Flickies chirped in alarm and left their nests as the trees were cut down at alarming speed.

"Go! Go! Hurry! Fly as far away as you can!" Rose called out to them, gathering the smaller Flickies into her arms, and kept running. Birdy flew in front of her, guiding them between the trees.

Suddenly, two Egg Forcers emerged from the brush. Rose screamed as she was picked up by one and the Flickies were ripped from her arms by another.

"NO!" Summoning her hammer, Rose knocked off the arm of the Egg Forcer holding her. Upon dropping to the ground, she sprang up and bashed her hammer against the one in front of her before turning around to take a swing at the other. She screamed her throat raw as she smashed both Egg Forcers to pieces. The Flickies she had tried to protect scattered through the skies. Only Birdy remained and helped her fight when more Egg Forcers came marching into the forest.

She kept fighting until one of the robots struck her from behind. She felt her spine break, claws dig into her flesh. Another robot grabbed her hammer and snapped the handle. The last thing she remembered was seeing Birdy get captured while her broken hammer dropped to the ground.

"When I awoke, I… wasn't me anymore." Tears gathered in Rusty's one organic eye and dripped down her metal face. "I hurt so many people… I even let Birdy be used as a battery inside of me…" she sobbed.

Birdy chirped and gently nuzzled their old friend's face.

Seeing that Rusty Rose wasn't a threat, Sonic and Shadow relaxed.

"How are you still able to go on if…?" Sonic pointed to Birdy on Rusty's shoulder.

That's when Goggles and Nine emerged from the former's hangar. "I used an artificial Chaos Emerald we had on-hand to power up Rusty. She should be okay now," Goggles explained.

Shadow frowned. "How do we know for sure that she won't head back to the Chaos Council?" he asked him and Nine.

"We completely wiped out every trace of the Chaos Council's programming from her brain. But her memories of serving them are intact along with her original memories," Nine told him and glanced at Rusty. "Still… I don't know what we should do with her now."

"I…" Rusty raised her hand. "I want to atone for what I've done. But… I don't know what the people of New Yolk will think of me…" she admitted, looking defeated. "My world's Knucks, Rouge, and Big… They were my friends. But I've done too much to them. How can I ever regain their trust…?"

"That's just it." Sonic stepped forward. "You'll need to accept that it's going to take time for you to regain their trust. And you need to accept that things aren't the same anymore between you and them. What matters is… that you try, and keep trying to make up for the things you've done. And if your world's Knuckles, Rouge, and Big are really your friends, then they'll give you a chance," he told Rusty, his gaze softening.

Scarf smiled with pride as Sonic held out a hand to Rusty Rose who, with a teary smile, shook it.

Faith ran over to Rusty and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you no longer have to work for that rotten Chaos Council anymore, Ms. Rusty!" she said, her tail wagging. Rusty froze, her processors whirring, before she relaxed and laughed softly, tears of joy dripping down the left side of her face, and hugged back.

"Rusty being free isn't the only bit of good news we have." Goggles produced a remote and pressed a button.

Sonic and Shadow watched, amazed, as Goggles' plane rolled out of the hangar. It had been refurbished with a covered cockpit, rocket launchers attached to its wings, and a small laser gun installed at the bottom. Sealed within a tempered glass dome attached behind the cockpit was the yellow Prism Shard.

"Are you sure you'll be okay without a plane?" Nine looked from the plane to Goggles, apprehensive.

"I've got a spare one being delivered from the mainland. Besides, you guys need a way to travel through the other Shatterspaces and keep the Chaos Council away from them." Goggles winked. "Just give those guys what for the next time you see 'em," he said.

"And remember, if you're looking for a new place to live, you can be our Tails' long-lost brother!" Big Knucks joked.

Sonic and Shadow looked at each other and nodded. It was time to continue their journey.

Sticks told them to keep an eye out for spies. Glamour hugged Shadow and wished him well. Big Knucks gave Sonic a noogie, telling him to tell his Knuckles to loosen up every now and then.

Rosey embraced Rusty Rose. "I hope you live the life you want from now on," she whispered.

"Thank you. I won't take this second chance for granted," Rusty Rose promised.

Scarf and Terios looked to their counterparts. It felt a little strange. They were saying goodbye to themselves. Or, more accurately, versions of themselves that they wished they could be.

"I don't know how Shadow and I can thank you enough for everything," Sonic admitted.

"Meeting you two… it's changed us both." Shadow nodded in agreement.

"You two just keep it up with your training. Teaching you our moves is just the first step. There's still a whole lot more about yourselves and your powers that are waiting to be discovered by the both of you." Terios smiled with pride.

"And remember: Even when you guys disagree on things, have faith in each other. In the toughest times, having each other's backs can be the one thing to make things right." Scarf put his arm around his husband's waist, Terios nuzzling him.

Sonic and Shadow then looked at Faith, whose ears drooped. "Can you guys come back after you save the Shatterspaces?" she looked at Shadow, merlot eyes sad.

"We'll see if we can, kiddo…" Sonic's own ears drooped as he looked at this sweet child with her parents.

"But, if this is really goodbye…" Shadow knelt before Faith and opened his arms. "Can I have a hug?" he asked.

Faith grinned and embraced Shadow tightly, the latter's breath hitching as he let go. Hugging Sonic next, Faith whispered, "If you see another me in your world, tell her I say 'hi'."

Sonic hugged her back. And wondered if he could really fulfill this promise. He hadn't seen a single tenrec that looked like Faith in any of the other worlds. Even in his and Shadow's.

But, as he and Shadow climbed into Nine's new Shatterspace-worthy plane with Rusty Rose standing on one of the wings, Sonic looked back at Scarf, Terios, and Faith.

Seeing those three together…

It made him wonder if he was looking at his and Shadow's potential future.

The next chapter is going to be written after I watch the new batch of Sonic Prime episodes this month. My original idea is being rewritten in my mind thanks to last season's insane cliffhanger ending, so… apologies in advance for the long wait – again.

- GuardianDragon98