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The next thing Ivo knew, it was evening, and they were on the streets of Station Square. The place was bustling with life, even more so than it had been before Eggman had come to the park. Youths, human and furry alike, roamed in happy, smiling bands, and adults went about in smaller groups. Varsity jackets, GUN Dress Uniforms, and the typical casual chic of the city all blended together into a beautiful image that could only be Saturday Night in the city.

Amy Rose stood in front of the movie theatre. She looked a little more familiar now; gone were the baggy clothes, replaced with that red halter dress. Normally, Eggman hated that outfit-he felt it degraded women and made Amy seem to be more of a damsel-in-distress than she actually was-but now he was happy to see it, and the confidence it implied.

Or perhaps just the dress.

Amy was standing there, looking at her watch, and tapping her feet impatiently. "Ooh, it's been twenty minutes! He's late!"

"Where is Sonic? It's not like him to be late unless it's my fault..." Eggman mused.

"Let's go find him," his cousin suggested.

He balked. "And leave Amy?"

"We can't protect her anyway... And she's strong now. C'mon."

Maria waved a hand, and in an instant they were inside. Eggman looked around, and found himself in a sparsely decorated room with several couches and an impressive entertainment center. On one couch was a myriad of familiar furries-A blue hedgehog, a red and yellow armadillo, a lavender chameleon, and a crocodile were sitting, controllers in hand, playing video games.

"But Sonic has a date with Amy..."

"Shh." Maria hushed.

The purple chameleon looked calmly at the screen and pressed a few buttons. "Sonic, don't you think you should at least call that girl and tell her you aren't coming?"

Sonic laughed, pressing buttons wildly. "Aww, c'mon man. That wouldn't be as fun."

The crocodile glared. "Dude, you lead on a junior high kid and stood them up. That's not right."

"It's not like it's gonna hurt her."

"Yeah," the Armadillo piped in. "That girl's been around the block."

The chameleon stood up. "Sonic, Mighty, you two disgust me." He sat down the controller.

"Aww, c'mon, man!" Sonic pleaded. "If we didn't do it, the seniors would."

"No," the Crocodile reminded, "The seniors have done worse to her."

Eggman looked to Maria, but she was staring out a window.

"Alright, look, I'll call her and tell her I can't go..." Sonic got up and made his way over to a phone.

"She's probably waiting for you," Espio scolded.

"So?"

"So she won't get the message. Go to the damn movie with her, Sonic."

Sonic sighed. "I don't want to go on a date with a..."

"Girl?"

"You just wish, Mighty." Sonic frowned. "I don't want to go on a date with a seventh grader. I was just messing with her. I didn't think she'd actually believe me."

"Well, she did." Espio put his hands on his hips. "I've seen that girl around, Sonic. She's got the worst life ever. She doesn't deserve to be treated like this."

The blue hedgehog sighed and went to a closet, grabbing his jacket. "Fine, I'll babysit her for two hours. It'll be better than being lectured..." And he disappeared out the door.

Eggman looked at Maria again. "Was that... really Sonic?"

Maria nodded, not looking at her cousin. "In a world without you... nothing ever hurt Sonic. He never had to turn his attentions outside of anything but his own ego. He's not a bad guy, but he's not a good one either. He's mischievous, cocky, and completely unconcerned with the happiness of others. Frankly... he's a lot like you."

"My God..." Eggman sat down on the couch, taking the space that Sonic had vacated. He could hear the Chaotix talking, but he paid them no heed. "All because of me?"

"Without you, Sonic never met Tails. Tails is a huge part of why Sonic is who he is. Without you, Sonic never had to save Amy, which also influenced him. Without you, Sonic never had to save the world... He never realized that other people weren't as powerful as him and needed to be protected. And he never realized that he was anything more than a really fast hedgehog."

"So in other words... he's not Sonic."

"I think you'll find that only a handful of people in this universe are anything like what you remember."

"So should we follow Sonic?"

"No. He'll be nice to her the rest of the night."

"You're certain?"

"Sonic in a world without you isn't good... but he's not bad either."

Eggman sighed with relief, but then frowned. "I suppose you're going to show me Tails next."

"C'mon."