FicWad

Saint Stephen, with a rose
In and out of the garden he goes
Country garden in the wind and the rain
Wherever he goes, the people all complain

Stephen prospered in his time
Well he may, and he may decline
Did it matter? Does it now?
Stephen would answer if he only knew how

Multiversal, part one..
By Josh Snyder


All men are created equal. In the first moments of life, we are capable of becoming anything our hearts desire. But with each passing second, time chips away at the possibilities. Our first words, our first steps, first classes, first loves, and the many more to follow, all determine who we are. As well as who we will be. With every choice, a consequence. With every consequence, a change.
Everything we choose to do, is the choice not to do a million others things. And yet, more often than not, we are left with the eternal question. What if? What if I had chosen east over west? Evil over good? Mustard over Ketchup? The limitless possibilities for every decision is the foundation of our imagination.
There are those who believe that the question "What if?" has already been answered. That every decision we make splinters off a separate reality. One both different, and much like our own. Thousands of alternate universes, each affected differently by our decisions.
How wonderful it would be, what closure we would find if we could just peek into these alternate worlds, too find the answer to "What if?". To see our friends and what they may become, to see the world through fresh, new eyes.
But with every choice, a consequence. No one can say what the answer would be. No one can say if we would find new enlightenment, or wish that we had never looked. If we found ourselves in these worlds, for however long, what would we find? Would we laugh at the absurdity of it all? Or would we cower in the dark shadow of what might have been.
Or, perhaps... both?

*

Those who survived would damn him for centuries to come.
"Axxalon, begin the process."
"Yes sir."
He was described as a mammoth creature, a frighteningly obese overlander whose only hair was a well kept moustache that nearly reached his shoulders.
"Convert power from start up to cooling."
"Converting."
Adding to his grotesque image were numerous cybernetic attachments. His left arm, and his eyes were a cold blue steel. His legs had long been removed, and replaced with a disk that kept him suspended in midair.
"Increase the energy flow to the Gate."
"Increasing."
The endless factories that poured out his mechanical army produced smog so thick that it choked the life for miles out. His own lungs had given away, and oxygen had to pumped through a tube to his nose.
"Sir, the circuitry will overload in two point eight minutes."
"Let it! The experiment will continue as planned!"
He was The Cyborg. He was The Conqueror. He was The Damned One. He was Doctor Ivo Robotnik.
"Energy flow is reaching optimal levels."
"Proceed."
A large machine hummed in front of him. Six powerful stones danced in their tubes, pouring their power into a large circular gate. The steel structure, marked with wires and lights, vibrated with the rush of mystic energy. The hideous figure floated towards his creation.
"To think, I was once satisfied with just a single planet." He mused, as he ran his metallic hand over one of machine's curves. "With this device, I can spread my influence to not just this reality, but any I see fit!"
Bolts of white and pink energy cracked from within the metal circle, causing the doctor to jump back slightly. They grew more numerous, until they began to form a small circle of energy in the gate's center.
"Yes." The overlander spoke, watching his creation grow. A savage wind began to whirl from within the gate, as bolts of energy lashed out in search of a target. "Yes! Ha ha ha! It's working! The gate is opening!"

*

"I am so bored down here." It said, though not to anybody in particular. "If I ever ger my hands on that retched rodent, he will pay for dunking me in here."
It had not seen an intelligent creature for almost a decade. For most of that time it had sat and watched various fish and crustaceans pass too and fro, and even served as a roof for a family of shrimp. It didn't like any of it.
"Braaah! Too think, I, the mightiest of all the jewels wound up like this! There were once temples built to honor me! Virgins sacrificed to calm me! Wars fought to control me! And here I am, at the bottom of the Great Sea, nothing more than a passing oddity to a bunch of fish."
A small sword fish passing by stopped, looked at it, poked it with it's nose, and swam off.
"I hate fish."
A small flounder swam up, and repeated the same action. The only difference was the deadly shock it received when it prodded the jewel with it's nose.
"Except in sticks." it mused, as it watched the fish's corpse sink to the sea floor. "If there's one thing those Mobians do right, it's fish sticks."
This type of mindless rambling was a habit to which it had grown accustomed, if for nothing else to kill time. And, since it was unlikely that a fish would find a talking jewel to be odd, and even less likely for it to care what a fish thinks, it had been rambling on for almost six years.
"I wonder when they'll get into a nautical battle," it pondered. "A change of scenery would be nice around here. A few rotting battle ships here, some submarines there... It would be so nice to see what delightfully destructive machines the.. What's that?" A strange force sent shivers up and down its being. A foreign, yet familiar power. "That's peculiar. That's not coming from anywhere on Mobius."
The gemstone began feeling about the planet, attempting to sense whatever it was that was causing this phenomena. "No..." It finally confirmed. "No, not THIS Mobius, anyway... Finally! An end to this ceaseless boredom! If I can just harness it..."

*

"Alright, Tails, it's not far now."
A blue hedgehog, followed closely by an orange kitsune pushed their way through the forests of Angel Island. The sun fell through the leaves in strands of gold, as the sound of running water could be heard yards away.
"How do you know, Sonic? You heard the rumor at the same time I did!"
"How far could it be?" the hedgehog replied. "It's not like he has many places to put a racetrack."
He was soon proven true, as he pushed back the green brush, revealing an open plain. Within it, with fresh asphalt baking in the noonday sun, turning and curving like a drunken mule, was a mile long racetrack. Red, green, and yellow lights stood high above the checkered line, and bright red trim laced the road, as it lifted high above the ground and back in it's endless lap. Sonic and Tails' eyes grew wide as they took in the awesome sight
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice behind them asked, causing both Sonic and Tails to jump out of their skins. "You guys are lucky I expected you, or I woulda dumped you in the ocean by now."
"Oh, Knuckles..." Sonic gasped, clutching his chest. "Don't sneak up on me like that."
"How did you manage to build this thing?" Tails asked, more interested in the construction than the track itself.
"I had the Station Square folks build it. They owed me one, anyway. The hard part was getting the materials here." He walked past his friends with a twinkle in his eye. "I've been dying to try this thing out." He then turned around and said "Wanna race?"
Sonic clapped his hands. "You bet!"
Knuckles in turn shook his head and waved his hand. "No no no no no. I don't want to get beat on the first race. Not you." He pointed at Tails. "You."
"Aww..."

*

"Sir, the gateway is being tampered with by outside interference."
Dr. Robotnik glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye. "Interference?" he asked, with a quiet curiosity.
"The gateway is being redirected." The crimson android stated.
"Redirected? How?"
Axxalon began typing at a keyboard. "The energy is being called to a specific reality. It's destination is being controlled by another entity."
Robotnik turned his gaze back to the gate, and folded his arms behind his back. "Could it be that there is someone out there after the same as I? It could be a new ally..." A tone of eagerness passed across his face, and was quickly replaced by one of concern. "...or a trap." He shook his head. "Bah! Too many variables! Axxalon! Abort the experiment."
Again, Axxalon typed away at its keyboard. "Negative." It said, finally. Again Robotnik whirled around.
"I said abort!" he commanded angrily.
"Negative." Axxalon repeated, in the same cold, even voice. "The flow of energy is being controlled by outside entities. The Emeralds will not cease power flow."
A growl emitted from Robotnik's throat. "Override!"
"Negative."
"Transfer power from gate to city infrastructure! Redirect as much of it as you can!" The doctor ordered, panic beginning to eat away at his voice.
"Negative" Axxalon replied, without a change in his. "Power will continue towards the gate, indefinitely. It cannot be converted, redirected, or channeled in any way."
"But that will cause a..." his cold red eyes moved slowly towards the gate, fright beginning to build within them. The wind whipping around the room could not cause his eyes to close, as he stared into the metallic circle. "A meltdown... They'll be nothing left of me... of my city! My empire!" He hovered towards the source of his misery. The energy sparkled and cracked, as if oblivious to it's own doom. "This whole continent will be a smoking crater..."

*

"Shaman!" A red echidna ran into a wooden hut. The walls were decorated with archaic symbols of spiders, eyes, warriors, and various other voodoo symbols. It was lit by six large torches, burning seemingly without fuel. In the center, inside a large eye painted on the wooden floor, sat a lone echidna, dressed in a woven sombrero and a road worn poncho. "Shaman, you called for me?"
"Aye I did, boy." The echidna turned, showing his face to be covered in a large wooden mask. The carved features of the mask shown with great fierceness, and clashed directly with the man's voice. "I feel som'ting. Som'ting..."
"What is it, Shaman?"
The man's dread locks followed the edge of his mask as he thought. "I feel our world be in great danger, boy. I feel I be leaving ya soon ta be 'elpin' it."
"But Shaman!" the young echidna protested. "If.. If our world is in danger, surely your place is here, with your tribe! You would abandon us?"
The mask swayed from side to side. "I'll not be abandoning ya, boy. This battle not be in this world." The man sat on the pupil of the eye, his legs crossed and his hands upon his knee. "Ya be m'favorite student, boy. I ask ye ta be 'elpin' me ready for m'leavin'."
"Of course, Shaman." the echidna replied, taking the same sitting position as the masked man. "It would be an honor."
*

"Come on... come to poppa.. Just a little more..."
Reality began to warp itself around the jewel. Fish scurried this way and that to get away from this oddity. Turtles hid in their shells, afraid of what might happen if they stuck their heads out.
"Oh yes!" the gem screamed in glee. "I can feel the energy connecting! At last, I'm free of this watery grave! Ha ha ha-" It's laughter was cut short by a freezing chill emitting from the very energy he was attempting to control.
"What is this?" it asked itself. "This new energy..."
An image shot through it's mind, or what could be considered as its mind. A single person, tall and thin, with long hair and a pair of tinted glasses. And then, it was gone.
"Oh, no! You're not getting me that easily!" It began to strain, putting everything it had into connecting with the mystic energy. The jewel began to vibrate and move itself on the seabed. Around it, reality virtually rippled with the water itself.
The image flashed in its mind's eye once more, and it found itself swept away by the same energy it tried to control.
"Wait! No! I was so close!"

*

The six gemstones grew brighter and brighter, the wind they generated sending various papers flying throughout the room. The doctor gazed into the light in a deep reverie.
"Sir. A third party is tampering with the energy stream." the large android reported, although it would go unnoticed.
"I always thought it would be one of those damn rebels that would kill me." Robotnik mused as the machine began to rattle. "The avenging hero. The great soldier. Even some young rookie that got lucky." The foundations of the building began to vibrate, windows shaking with the force of the wind. "Too think, it would be my own creation."
The glass in the tubes began to give way, as the energy that they held poured into the laboratory.
"How poetic." The doctor muttered, as the light consumed him.

*

"Here it be comin', boy!"
The echidna looked up to find the mask looking directly at him. "Here comes what, Shaman?"
"M'journey is about to be starting, boy. Leave. Leave or you'll be swept up, too!"

*

"Come on!" Sonic whined as he bounced from foot to foot. "Is it my turn yet?"
"Yeah..." Tails panted between breaths. "Go for it..."
"Yahoo!" and in a flash, the blue hedgehog was at the checkered line. "Okay, start it up! I'm ready!"
"Is he always like this?" Knuckles asked as he shook his head, though not to anyone in particular. The echidna walked over to a large stopwatch near the track, and pressed a few buttons. "All right." he announced. "Ready. Set. Go!"
The hedgehog took off like a shot. He followed the track's curves and climbs as fast as he could. He had gone so fast on some curves that Tails was sure he'd fall off of the thing. But in truth, it only excited him more. He loved it. The wind thrashing against his face. The plains of Angel Island nothing but blurry lines beside him, just him and the track.
He turned to wave at his friends at the end of one of his laps, only to find them not paying any attention to him. Instead, they looked around, as if spooked by something. He was going much too fast to have heard or seen anything peculiar, so he slowed down to find out more. That's when it happened.
A bright flash of light caught him completely off guard. Instinctively, he threw his forearms up to guard his eyes from the bright flash. Once he felt it had passed, he lowered his guard in time to see a large oak tree heading his way.
With a yelp, he lunged himself to his right, avoiding the tree, but tripping himself in the process. He bounced and skidded on the fresh asphalt, eventually being sent off the side of a turn. He quickly grasped the edge of the track to prevent from falling. When he finally shook off the impact and opened his eyes, the sight shocked him.
The track was suddenly now in a forest. Trees as far as the eye could see, both ahead and above. A fine greenish mist covered everything, and limiting his vision to only a few dozen yards away. He blinked a few times, and climbed back onto the track.
He shivered slightly in the sudden cool as he gazed along the brand new racetrack. It was now littered with trees. Trees in the inclines, in the curves, in the twists.
"At least it's more interesting now." Sonic muttered to himself as he kneeled down to look at the hole a tree was in. He was shocked to see that there was no space between the asphalt and the bark. There were no cracks, no caulk, no bumps, they were simply in an airtight embrace, as if they both had always existed.
"What happened?" he asked himself as he stood up. "Where am I?" After rubbing some warmth back into his arms, he cupped his hands over his mouth. "Tails?" he yelled out. "Knuckles? TAILS!?"
A faint reply deep in the forest made his ear twitch. "Tails?!" he called out again, with the same response. Worried for his young companion, Sonic leapt off of the track and ran through the woods. He slowed himself as he noticed the gigantic trees and misty air had given way to a lush green forest. The ground was covered with leaves, damp beneath his feet.
"What..." he muttered.
"Pops!" he heard a voice call out. He looked up to see Tails. Or it looked like Tails. He had grown an few inches, and bought a blue Hawaiian shirt since they last met.
"Tails?" Sonic finally asked, a tad confused.
"Good, you heard me." the man responded. "What brings you here?"
"I...don't know..." the hedgehog stammered. "Where did you get that shirt?"
The two-tailed fox simply rolled his eyes at the question, and proceeded without it. "Say, did you happen to see that bright flash of light?"
"Yeah." Sonic replied, a burst of realization coming to him. "Yeah, a bright flash of light, and suddenly the whole track was in the forest!"
Tails tilted his head to the side. "Track?" he asked.
"Yeah, the one Knuckles just built! Say," the hedgehog looked around. "Where is Knuckles, anyway?"
"Oh, out drinking and whoring. You know, the usual." Sonic stared blankly at him. "Sonic, Knux has been dead for three years! That should be something you remember!"
If Sonic had understood that sentence, he certainly didn't show it. "Heh.." he laughed, nervously. "Seriously, where is he?"
Tails tilted his head to one side, a curious look on his face. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Yeah, why?"
The fox's look hadn't changed. "Maybe we should get you back to the village." he commented. He then sighed roughly and turned around. "Should be that way somewhere." he commented as he began walking. "Who knows, maybe we can find out what on Mobius that flash was."
"All right, then." Sonic agreed, as he followed the young lad. "But, what's a 'Mobius'?"
Without breaking his stride, Tails turned and walked up to Sonic. "That's it, are you sure you're okay?" he asked in an accusing manner, as he held Sonic's eyelids open with his thumbs, and gazed into his eyes.
"Hey! Get off!" the hedgehog yelped, as he swatted at the kitsune's hands.

*

"Axxalon. Why am I still alive?"
"Unknown, sir."
Doctor Robotnik hovered in the same spot he had been for quite some time. The blinding explosion had come and gone, and the spots had long since left his eyes. His initial relief at not being destroyed had given way to frustration. He was now staring at a large metal circle, and six broken, empty tubes. Something had gone horribly, fearfully wrong.
"Axxalon." the doctor called, turning to face his servant. "I want you... too..." His thoughts trailed off as his eyes passed over the shattered window on the far side of the room. He hovered near it, the large life support unit above sliding on an unseen track to keep with him.
"Please be more specific." his servant asked, in a preset manner.
"Never mind." Robotnik remarked, as he set his steel hand on the window frame and gazed outside. His city, the once glorious Robotropolis, the iron forest that stretched for miles around, that dominated the very earth it rested on, was gone. In it's stead, was acres and acres of grassland, farmland, even a small town. The forest he had decimated so long ago could be seen from his vantage point in the upper levels of his stronghold.
But as incredible as that was, it did not catch his attention nearly as much as what was above it. The sky, although usually a sooty grey, was not even blue. It was a bright, fluctuating canvas of whites, blues, pinks, and several pastels. It danced with an eerie beauty, yet promised nothing.
"Remarkable!" the doctor breathed, quickly realizing that he did so in unison with another. He swirled around on his hoverdisk to see who it was.
He was a familiar, yet odd looking fellow. Tall and lanky, with a torso that was oddly egg-shaped, a pair of thick glasses over his eyes, and a moustache to rival Ivo's. He had taken a liking to the large object in the center of the room, and was running one hand over it's surface, the other rubbing his chin. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his host. Noting the expression on Robotnik's face, he quickly withdrew his hand.
"Am I not supposed to touch it?" he asked, more curious than apologetic.
"No, no, please continue!" the doctor spoke, barely keeping his excitement down. "It's been quite some time since anyone actually ...admired one of my inventions!" He began to hover towards his guest. "My name is Doctor Ivo Robotnik. And I shall call you...?"
"Robotnik, eh?" the man asked, somewhat nervously. "I am Doctor Eggman. Scientist extraordinare, and heir to the great Professor Gerald Eggman! And this," he held his hands out to the device, "is the most ingenious generator I have ever seen!"
"Generator, you say?" Robotnik's interest was peeked, and he floated behind Eggman, his hand rubbing his chin. "Not it's original intent, but the design definitely warrants it. Yes. That idea has potential! I like the way you think, Eggman. Allow me to discuss this with my... assistant for a moment." Robotnik turned and floated to the large robot.
"Axxalon." he whispered. The robot leaned towards the doctor. "I don't buy this 'Eggman' business for a second. He is not to be trusted. No. Watch him. Closely." He floated back to his new guest, and rested his metal hand on his shoulder. "Now, tell me, how would you-"
"Okay, you glorified lawn ornament!" The iron doors of the laboratory flew open as a short clown, dressed in a blue jumpsuit and carrying a large Gatling gun barged into the room, causing both doctors to jump. Axxalon calmly lifted his own wrist-mounted machine gun to greet the stranger. "...w-where'd he go?" He looked at his surroundings, as well as his new hosts. "Never mind that, where'd I go?"
"My, my, my." Eggman mused. "Isn't this place becoming popular?"
"Quite." Robotnik agreed. "And to whom do I owe the occasion, clown?"
"Close!" The man casually tossed his weapon over his shoulder, and took a bow. "Booze-O the Clown, at your service."
"Well, good," Ivo smiled, "because that's right where I plan to keep you."
The clown's head snapped up, and he met his host's eyes. He looked behind him, to see Axxalon holding Booze-O's own weapon against him. "Hey, what's the idea?"
"The idea, my fine fellow, is that there has been a strange accident."
"Accident?" Eggman queried. "How so?"
The doctor didn't respond, but rather, drifted to the window on the far side of the room once more. He gazed out into the new meadows and farms that littered what once was his empire.
"The fact of the matter is, gentlemen, you all work for me, now. Are there any objections?" The only sound to be heard was Axxalon readying the clown's weapon. Eggman and Booze-O glowered at the cyborg. "Good. The Transdimensional Gateway you see before you was once powered by the Chaos Emeralds."
"Transdimensional... Gateway?" Eggman looked at the circular object that dominated the room. "Is that what this thing is?"
"I don't know what happened to cause all this, but I believe the Emeralds may very well still be near by. Yes. I want them. Any questions?"
"Just one." Booze-O confessed, appearing beside Robotnik as if he were always there. The clown pointed out the window, and turned his confused face towards his host. "Huh?"
"A good... if simple question." There was a long pause. "I don't know." he said, solemnly. "That's why I want the Emeralds. So I can open the Transdimensional Gateway once more and escape this place. And if it's what I think it is..." he swirled around to face his new cohorts. "Find those Emeralds!"
"I will need resources, of course." Eggman declared, one eyebrow raised.
"Of course." Robotnik agreed. "As my end of the bargain, I shall provide you with whatever I can find. I trust only the most advanced of my technologies will impress you, Eggman." The large man glanced at his crimson android. "Axxalon will assist you personally."
"What about me?" Booze-O asked, in a whiney manner. "What do I get?"
"The scraps." Robotnik growled. He then turned back to gaze at the fields, and once more at the swirling vortex of bright colors that was his new sky. "You are free to roam my stronghold."
There was a lengthy, awkward silence, broken at intervals only by Booze-O's low grumbling. "This guy makes my skin crawl..." he mumbled as he finally turned to leave.
Eggman stood there, examining his new lord from head to disk, memorizing even the hoses and wires that led up to his life-support system. Eventually he too began walking towards the large iron doors that led to the halls of the stronghold.
As he left, he passed by the crimson android. He turned his head, and lock contact with the glowing red orbs in the blank eyes of a skull-like head. The machine regarded him cooly, scanning him the same way he had scanned Robotnik.
Eggman turned and exited the doors. "We shall see what we shall see." he mumbled to himself as he explored the cold blue halls of the Stronghold.

*

"I'm telling you there's nothing wrong with me!"
Sonic and Tails walked through the brush and woods of the forest. Sonic had been following his young friend the entire time, since he moved as if he knew where he were going. Every so often he would stop, look around, mumble to himself, and begin walking again.
"Sure there isn't."
"I'm perfectly fine."
"Well, that's for Nichole to decide, isn't it?"
"Who's Nichole?"
Tails stopped abruptly. He slowly stretched his neck to one side, as if he had hurt himself. He then took a deep breath, coughed, and began walking again. After a few more moments of silent walking, he pushed aside a large bush and entered a large clearing. In the clearing, among the short, cared-for grass, were several hut-like houses. As well as a larger stone structure in the center.
"Odd," he mused, eyeing the building. "I know it's been a while since I've been this way, but that shouldn't be there. Have you seen it before... Son...ic..." he turned back to see Sonic staring upwards, mouth open in awe. "What's wrong now?"
The hedgehog only dumbly pointed towards the sky. Tails followed his direction, and found himself staring at the swirling pastels that were now the sky. Even through the dense forest canvas, thinner now than during their trek, the blues and pinks could be clearly seen.
"There really isn't anything wrong with you," the fox asked, his gaze not shifting, " is there?"
"Nu-uh." was the hedgehog's reply.
Their heads lowered, and their eyes met. Without either saying a word, they both looked at the stone structure in the center of the village.
"I'd bet money that thing has something to do with," Tails said, words failing him. "..well.. THAT!" He pointed beyond the canvas of leaves, to the swirling sky.
A serious look passed over the hedgehog's face. "Good. I'm going to have a look inside." He walked past Tails, who looked at him open-mouthed.
"Are you nuts?" he yelped. "We have no idea what's inside that thing!"
"We may find some answers."
"We may find some traps, too."
Sonic spun around, fire burning in his eyes. "Look, you and I have been best buds since I don't know when, and right now we know nothing about each other! Eggman's up to something, and I wanna know what it is!" With that, he turned back around, and entered the building.
"Who's Eggman?!" he asked, then rubbed his face with his hands. "Now he's got ME doing it. Hold up, I'm coming too!" He pulled a small pistol from inside his shirt, and followed the hedgehog in. Sonic pushed the large wooden doors open. The slid easily at first, then creaked and moaned as their hinges began to stick.
Inside the stone building was a rather unusual sight. The walls were made of old, almost rotten oak, yet the floors were covered in a plush, blue carpeting. As if this wasn't enough, it seemed to fluctuate along with the skies above. The blue carpet would give away to cobblestone, then to linoleum, then marble, then to any one of a thousand things. The walls were just as lousy with unorthodox designs. Among the halls, the voices of the creatures could be heard.
"Why do you have a gun, anyway?" the hedgehog asked, in an accusing tone. "You don't need a gun."
"You can never be too careful." the fox replied. "I've got some designs thieves would just love to get their hands on."
"Designs? You mean as in inventions?"
"Kinda, mostly it's just engine blueprints. For planes and helicopters and such."
"Well, still, what do you need a gun for?"
"To shoot them! Duh!"
"The engines?"
"NO! Not the engines...."
This manner of bickering and arguing would fade in and out amongst the silent awe of their surroundings.
"Hey, am I wrong," Tails began, "or is place a lot bigger on the inside than it is on the outside?"
Sonic stopped and looked around. "Now that you mention it..." He scanned his eyes looked back and forth once again, turned to move forward once more, and ran face first into a plaster wall. "OW!" he yelped. "That hurt."
"Okay, now I'm confused." Tails commented. "Where'd that come from?"
"I don't know, but it's a really lousy place for it." the hedgehog whimpered, rubbing his nose. Once the pain had passed, he stared at the wall. What once was simple plaster became wooden paneling with green trim. Sonic cautiously lifted a hand toward it, and rapped it with his knuckle. "Well, it feels real, anyway..." he mumbled, more to himself than to Tails.
The fox let a loud growl pass his lips. "Man, I'm really starting to hate this place! Buildings that change they're decor every five minutes! Tie-dyed skies! Strange hedgehogs running around!" Sonic made a noise of protest, but Tails ignored him. He instead walked up next to Sonic and struck the wall with his hand. "Running into walls that weren't there two freaking seconds ago!" He lifted his hands and yelled at the ceiling. "What in the blue Hell is going on around here?!"
"That be a good question, boy." a voice behind them spoke. They spun around to find another wall, this one with a high arcing open doorway. Beyond the doorway, a red creature with long dread locks, and a large sombrero stood, his back too them. The man swung a golden lamp on a string too and fro, filling the room with a thin, yet aromatic smoke. "Da realities have'n decided on which t' be followin', yet."
"....what?" the fox responded, not quite grasping what the man just said. Sonic, on the other hand, was more interested in the man himself.
"Knuckles?" he asked, one eye cocked toward him, "Is that you?"
The echidna turned around, revealing a large wooden mask. "Is that what ya be callin' me, boy?" the mask asked them, it's expression both warming and chilling. "I be called Shaman all m'life. Neva had I thought I'd be called by m'fists." The echidna waved his lamp to and fro, walking in a circle around the room. The thin smoke wafted out into the hallway, covering Sonic and Tails' ankles.
"What did you mean by 'realities not knowing who to follow'?" Tails asked, walking into the room. Sonic made a brief noise of protest, but entered behind him anyway.
"Strange Juju be at work, boy." the mask said, not pausing in it's course. "My world an' yours be throw t'gether. We be given a new world, but it not be done yet."
"New world?" Sonic repeated, awe in his voice.
"That's impossible!" Tails remarked. "How on Mobius could that have happened?"
"Strange Juju, boy. I not be knowin'." A chill filled the room as the echidna layed the lamp on the floor. He then sat down amongst the smoke, and waved for the others to do so as well. After they had both done so, Tails more reluctant than Sonic, the mask began to chant in a low, mumbling voice.
A faint, light blue glow began to spread throughout the smoke. The smoke itself began to swirl around the room, forming a clear eye in the center. The chill in the air cut them to the bone, as a small, sky blue flame grew within the eye. It grew larger and larger, until it seemed to dominate the room it was in, although it gave no warmth. Inside it, images began to swirl, the clearest being a young face, with thick glasses, and long, shaggy hair.
Shaman's chanting continued, as the image began to speak. Wether there was anyone around to hear it, it didn't seem to care. "...can't say much, man..." it spoke, it's voice cracked and faint. "..sou.. by south.est... ...nd.... jewel... ..he Hip...e... ...lk mo..then..."
"South by southwest..." Sonic repeated to himself. "Jewel."
"Did he just say he was a hippie?!" Tails asked, incredulously. He turned to Sonic. "He said he was a hippie, right?"
"I wonder... Jewel... He couldn't mean..." Sonic continued, oblivious to the fox.
"Hello!" Tails yelled, to no avail. "I still don't get it.."
"There is much that be hiddin', boy." the mask spoke. "You're friend be right in listenin' to da man."
"Knu..err.. Shaman," Sonic asked, "which way would south by southwest be?"
The echidna stood, and the others followed suit. "I sense ya be restless, boy. Ya shouldn't be so. This world be filled with a strange Juju. It be wise to find a rest and a friend before ya be goin'."
"Oh, like our friend, the burning hippie?" Tails asked, still skeptical of the whole thing.
The mask turned around, and seemed to look past them. "I fear ya be finding some friends far stranger, boy."
The two of them followed his gaze, or as well as one can follow the gaze of a mask, and looked behind them. Through the archway, on the other side of the hall, a false wood door had manifested itself. They shot a quick glance to each other, and slowly made their way towards it.
"Better keep an eye on the Shaman." Tails commented. "Just incase his room decides to disappear."
Sonic ignored him completely, and pressed an ear up against the door. The only noises he could hear were some faint radio static, and the sound of someone yelling in both an agrivated, and pleading manner.
"What do you hear?" the fox asked.
"Something weird." Sonic stated, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, that's nothing new..." Tails mumbled to himself, as he opened the door.
"Aw, c'mon! Don't do this to me! Not now!" a large, arguably female yellow insect yelled. The object of her frustration seemed to be a malfunctioning television set. "It's almost to the end!" she pleaded, swatting it with one of four hands. "He was gonna unmask him! UNMASK HIM!"
The creature picked up the TV with all four arms and shook it. "WHO THE HELL IS NEGADUUUUUCK!?"
Tails slowly closed the door once more. After a long pause, he looked up to the hedgehog and asked, "What have you gotten me into?"
"ME?!"

*

A tall, thick, red robot stood at the edges of the Great Forest, watching the skies with great interest. His emerald green eyes swaying this way and that, taking in every random motion the bright colors felt like taking. He let a whistle pass his lips, as if he had seen a woman he thought attractive. He took a few steps away from the forest, to remove the treetops from such a wonderful sight.
"Robo Knuckles." A deep, quiet voice called behind him. The android turned to watch a deep blue robot, round and shining, emerge from the shadows of the woods. A long, burgandy cape dangled from his shoulders, catching on the brush and trees as he passed. Among the robot's footsteps, the rattling, jingling sound of a chain could be heard. A short, yet obviously full grown, hedgehog pranced along on all fours by his side.
"Ah, Metal Sonic. Shortcake. How are you?" he said, with a friendly little wave. Robo Knuckles' brow gathered as a thought passed through his head. "Didn't I kill you two?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Metal Sonic hissed, his eyes shooting daggers at his host.
"You've been upgrading yourself I see! I love the new look, man." Robo Knuckles formed a box with his thumb and forefingures, and began circling Metal Sonic while looking through it. "I like the cape, especially. But burgundy? Come on, man! Clashes like no tomorrow. I'd say you'd look best with a navy blue, or mahogany. Maybe even-"
"You've been dead a long time." Metal Sonic interrupted. "I thought I had finally rid myself of you."
"Charming as ever, I see." the metal echidna commented, as he kneeled down to face Shortcake. The girl stared blankly at the android, as he raised his hand to her head. His fore finger gently brushed her scalp, and she lifted her head into his hand. Robo Knuckles giggled in amusement as he pet her. "Such a little sweetheart." he said. "Tell me, how did you get her to think like a house cat?"
"She doesn't think." The robotic hedgehog snapped. And then, more calmly "she only reacts. To smells, tastes, sensations..."
"I was wondering when you'd get tired of putting up with her and brainwash her." he said, scratching the subject of the conversation behind her ears. " I always knew you had it in you."
A faint growling noise emitted from the back of Metal Sonic's throat. He sighed heavily, if a robot can do such a thing, and calmed himself once more. "Apparently we're both supposed to be dead, Robo Knuckles." he spoke, with impatience in his voice. "I'd like to know why we're not."
"Screwey, ain't it?" The red robot stood, prying his hand away from his newfound friend. "If I don't miss my guess, I think it has something to do with that." He jabbed with his thumb behind him towards the sky. Metal Sonic followed his rival's direction, his eyes resting upon the swirling canvas above them.
"Incredible!" He began to move past Robo Knuckles, pausing only when he noticed the ground grow darker, and then light again, as if a cloud had passed overhead. He scanned the skies for one, but saw none. "How is this possible?"
"It's not something that just happens, that's for sure." Robo Knuckles stepped forth, joining Metal by his side. "Something's causing this. And personally," he clapped his mitts together and began rubbing them. "I can't wait to get my hands on it!"
Metal slowly shook his head. "As always, you are irrational. What makes you think whatever caused this is even tangible?"
"That." the red android pointed towards a small gathering of buildings far to their left. Metal Sonic turned, and began to zoom his sight in on his target. To his surprise, he found a large, egg-like building stretching high above the ground. What he found more surprising, was how close the local vegetation was too it.
"Robotnik's stronghold..." Metal murmured, his voice riddled with distaste. "And yet.. Where is Robotropolis? There should be a massive city, and yet all I see is grassland."
"Exactly!" Robo Knuckles exclaimed, sounding quite excited. "Something that lardass did screwed up reality, and I wanna know what he used to do it!"
"I wonder." his cohort said with heavy sarcasm.
"Yeah yeah, I know." The android replied waved off the comment with a chuckle. "Chaos Emeralds. The problem is, when I scan for them, I only find six."
Metal Sonic rubbed his forehead. His patience was beginning to wear thin. "That's because there ARE only six."
Robo Knuckles glanced at Metal Sonic sideways. "Oh, right." he finally spoke, in a disconnected manner. "Well, I'm going to go looking for them."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because I know you don't care." Robo Knuckles grinned in an irritating manner. He turned to look at Shortcake once more, and noticed her staring blankly at him. For a moment they locked eyes, neither blinking. "Whew..." Robo Knuckles breathed. "If I had skin, that would give me goose bumps." He looked up at Metal Sonic once more. "Good job, man. Later."
With a friendly little wave, small jets unfolded from either side of his shins, and he began to float away. As he turned, another set of jets protruded from his back, and he began to fly over the forests. Metal Sonic watched in a studying manner as he left.
"So he can fly." he noted, and then looked toward his protege. He gave a quick jerk to her chain, and held his arms out. Shortcake obediently climbed into them, and he stood up.
"Let him run on his goose chase." A series of vents opened all along his lower legs, as his feet split in two horizontally. A blast of flame emitted from his right ankle, and he began to run towards Robotnik's Stronghold. With every step, another blast emitted from the foot that was leaving the ground.
"I have more important business to attend to."

*

Sonic sat on the steps of the large stone building, and stared up at the sky. Although it was dark as night anywhere else he looked, the sky was as bright as it ever was. The swirls and vortexes showed no sign of the darkness beneath it. He lifted his hand and rubbed his eyes, the contrast of the sky and ground hurting his head.
"Odd sight, isn't it?" Tails asked, walking up beside him. He pulled a cigar out from his shirt, and began rummaging in the other side for something else. "I seriously don't like it."
"There aren't any stars... the sky isn't even dark!" the hedgehog repeated, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "I need to find that jewel tomorrow. If it's what I think it is..."
"Well," the insect announced, walking through the doorway, and snacking on a candy bar, "The shaman just told me what..." her voice drifted off as the skies caught her eye. "...holy shit..."
Tails finally pulled out a book of matches from his shirt pocket. "Let's see.. Captain..." he thought, as he light his cigar. "Chaotica, wasn't it?" The insect nodded dumbly. Tails whipped the match out and tossed it to one side. "Well, you guys can stargaze if you want. If my guess is right, my workshop is nearby. I'm going to go look for it. I suggest you rest up."
Tails turned, and disappeared into the forest. Captain Chaotica stared at the sky for a few more moments, and went back into the building, leaving Sonic to himself.
"Not even any stars..." the hedgehog repeated to himself. He stood, and took a few steps forward, still staring skyward. "What have you done, Eggman?" The vortex above him swirled in response. It was both foreboding, and oddly comforting. And for now, it was the only star Sonic could see.
"I need that jewel." He mumbled once more.

To be continued....