1x09 - Emerald Hunt

Previously on Desperate Hedgehogs...

Sonic and Tails' relationship have only gotten worst, as Sonic's question have angered Tails to the point where they are no longer working on the mission to find and stop Eggman together. The real question is whether Sonic is going to make that same mistake again when he confronts Eggman yet again. He'll find out soon enough, as the doctor is most likely looking for the Chaos Emeralds, which he is confident he'll find all seven of.

Amy is finally free from Eggman's grasps, although the same cannot be said for Rouge. However, she finds herself now stuck in the hospital, accompanying her best friend, Cream, who was severely injured from the fleet's crash. Vanilla, Cream's mom, seemed awfully worried about Cream. What will Cream think of Vanilla once she knows what she really feels? And why did Tails suddenly appear at the end of the episode?

Shadow knew of Eggman's plan all along, as is now at an undisclosed location to him with Eggman, Omega, and surprisingly Rouge, who decided to tag along when Shadow used Chaos Control. Why did Rouge decide to grab onto Shadow when she was finally free from Eggman's grasps? Will Shadow find another Chaos Emerald for Eggman? And what will Shadow do now that he knows what The Shadow Project is, knowing Omega knew all about it?

Silver is still angry about the fact that Eggman tricked everyone by having a hologram sent to distract them. Silver swears vengeance for a reason that's still unknown to everyone but himself. Even the doctor is confused by the person. What will Vector do about Silver if Espio is to find some interesting information? And just who is Silver and why does he want to stop Eggman?

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Shadow

What in the world was this? Shadow never so many of....him. East and West, North and South, there were hundreds and hundreds of figures that looked just like him. As if they were clones. Or were they robots? It didn't seem to matter, because either way, they were him. And he was them. Just what exactly was Eggman trying to pull over here? Did he make all of these things, or was there more to Shadow's backstory than Eggman had told him?

Omega stood right in front of Shadow, with a the same expression Omega had always given him. It seemed like Omega was incapable of showing emotion, but it was obvious Omega wasn't expecting Shadow to come in here. Shadow wondered, did Omega know about this the whole time?

"Omega....this is the Shadow Project, isn't it?" Shadow asked, trying to break the ice.

Omega stood silent for a second. It seemed like for a bit that his orders were not to tell Shadow anything about it. But suddenly, Omega just nodded, answering Shadow's question.

"So, you knew about this," Shadow concluded. Maybe Omega was willing to tell him some things now that Shadow had caught him red handed. He could always try. "Omega, what in the world is this? Why do all of these robots, or clones, look like me?"

Omega then asked, "How did you discover the contents of this project?"

Shadow was shocked. That was probably the first words that Omega had ever said to him. And if Omega said something before, it certainly was just something nowhere near as significant as this. "On the fleet, I was just looking at some files in the main memory on a computer, and I found a password protected file called The Shadow Project." Shadow hesitated to ask the question he was about to ask, this really was his most risky move he was about to make. "You wouldn't happen to know what the password is, would you?"

Omega stood still, silent for an even longer period this time around. Was Omega just going to ignore his question? He wouldn't blame him if he did, but this answer would determine if Omega truly was on his side or not. But Omega did say something, and that was, "This is a warning Shadow, do not look where you re not meant to look."

Shadow acknowledged Omega's comments. Omega did know the password, that was a sure thing. But for now at least, Omega wasn't going to give him it. Shadow nodded, realizing how useless it was going to be to try to reason with a robot. "The doctor wants us to travel to Hang Castle to look for the next Chaos Emerald. Let's go to the emerald vault, collect a Chaos Emerald, and Chaos Control ourselves over there."

Omega nodded to respond, and slowly walked out of the room towards the vault room. Shaodw followed shortly after he left the room. But before he exited the room, he took one last look at the tons and tons of figures that looked just like him. He wondered, could they talk? Or were they incapable of thought? Were they really just copies of him? Or, was he actually one of them? That doesn't explain why he's only seen them now though. It was as if he was special in some way.

Shadow took a look at a faraway Omega, heading down the hallway. That robot knew something, Shadow knew it. But why did the robot bother confirming his thoughts about the room? Did Omega have the ability to think for himself as well? Shadow wondered if there was more to Eggman's robot then he thought. He exited the room, taking his questions with him.

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Amy

"Tails?" Amy and Cream asked simultaneously, with Cheese giving quite a stare at the yellow fox.

"Hey guys," Tails said. With his yellow/orange colored fur, Tails walked over to Cream who was still lying in the bed at the hospital. How did he even know that Cream was here? Amy didn't know, but she guess that didn't really matter. But Cream and Tails weren't the biggest friends, but they did have a mutual respect for each other. Doesn't Tails have other things to do?

"How you feeling today Cream?" Tails asked.

Cream smiled, thinking that Tails was just here for her, which was surprising but nice. The two never did talk much, but maybe they could start to? "Oh, I'm doing pretty good Tails, thanks! The doctor said I was severely injured, but it was nothing he could fix, and I should be out of the hospital pretty soon actually!"

Tails smiled, a little surprised yet not surprised about Cream's enthusiasm. Always a nice thing to be with when you weren't in the best of moods.

Amy still wondered why Tails would come here though, as there probably was something more to it. Afterall, how did he even find out that Cream was here? He would've had to be looking for her to find her. Or maybe perhaps, Tails was looking for her? She thought it was useless thinking about it, so she asked, "Hey Tails, how come you're here?"

Tails just said, "I just heard Cream was hurt, and I came to see if she was alright, that's all." Tails let out a quiet sigh, not meaning for it to be heard by anyone, but Amy heard it loud and clear.

Amy suddenly remembered seeing Sonic and Tails right after the crash and wondering what they were talking about. Why Tails seemed so, angry, at Sonic. Maybe he sighed for that exact reason. Amy, being the helpful person she thought she was, then asked, "Hey Tails, do you know where Sonic is?"

Tails was a bit taken aback by the question, but he answered by saying, "Who knows, he's so unpredictable you don't ever know where he is."

Amy knew there was something up, and she could tell by Cream and Cheese's facial expressions that they got a similar vibe from the two tailed fox as well. Maybe Tails would tell Amy why Sonic was so quick to leave. "What do you mean by that Tails?" she asked.

Tails just turned to Amy, looking depressed due to having to answer such a question. He tried to shrug it off and give Amy an obvious message by saying, "It's nothing."

But Amy wasn't who she was 5 years ago, she was alot smarter, and more able to read into people's thoughts. She knew something was wrong with this picture, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it one way or another. "It didn't look like nothing when I saw you and Sonic arguing last night right after the crash."

Tails just stood silent, he knew Amy had caught him dead on with that comment, because she was no doubt right.

"Come on Tails, you know I'm not the girl I was five years ago, you can trust me. You saw how much I've grown too because I've helped you these past five years in the lab, remember?" Amy referred to her part-time job of helping out Tails in the lab. Amy had actually quite a bit from the experience, and had gotten closer to Tails then she ever had before. But the relationship usually was just a boss and worker relationship at the base of it.

Tails sighed, there was no escaping it now. He looked at Amy, as Cream and Cheese faced the fox along with Amy to see what he would say. "Let's just say Sonic isn't the same guy he was five years ago, and it sucks."

Amy definitely knew how Tails felt, feeling like Sonic didn't even want her around anymore. Before, Sonic may not have been the nicest to her, but at least he tolerated her as a friend. But now, he was a bigger jerk than before. Just what had happened to Sonic? "I know what you mean Tails. I feel like Sonic doesn't want a thing to do with me. I don't know why I still keep chasing him after so long. I wish I could just give up in all honesty and find someone that'll appreciate me."

Tails looked at Amy who looked like he had understood exactly what Amy had said. "Sonic has changed. I wish what I saw him do wasn't true, but, I saw him do something so selfish and just, not him, in front of my own eyes."

This was something Amy didn't expect to hear. She wanted to know what Tails was talking about right away. "What did he do Tails?"

This was where Tails turned his back to Amy, Cream, and Cheese. It was definitely the part Tails didn't want to talk about. He just said, "Look, all you have to know was you can never look at Sonic they way you did before if you were to find out what exactly he did. Why I came down here was...," Tails turned around to the girls yet again, "...I'm not going to continue my mission with Sonic to find Dr. Eggman. But under president's orders, I have to keep going with the mission. I was wondering if you three wanted to help me out with the mission."

Amy thought of what kind of oppurtunity it would be to make a name of her own by actually helping out the government in the mission to capture Dr. Eggman. And she also had that little hope that Sonic would acknowledge the fact that she saved the city and maybe change his mind about her and realize she wasn't the annoying kid she was before. She didn't want to admit it, but she thought having Tails' help would make this dream come true.

"Sure Tails, anything to stop that madman from keeping people like me as a prisoner!" Amy said in happiness.

"Cheese and I are willing to help to, we just have to wait for my mom to check me out of the hospital!" Cream said, with Cheese saying Chao in agreement with her.

"Excuse me?" asked Vanilla, who had surprisingly walked into the room when Tails had asked that question for Amy, Cream, and Cheese to answer. "Honey, I don't think you should go help on this mission."

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Sonic/Silver

The bitter cold didn't exactly help the situation at all. Sonic, Silver, and the Chaotix were at Ice Cap, trying to look for a Chaos Emerald to try and find Eggman. Eggman would no doubt be looking for the emeralds, so Eggman would inevitably have to come out of hiding to get the emeralds if the good guys had some of them. That would be the chance to strike.

The Chaotix were in the back of the group, just chatting along with each other. Silver wondered what they could be talking about. Maybe Vector was finally telling them about what he had heard him say? At least it didn't seem like Vector was telling the blue hedgehog, Sonic. How could these people work with someone they had barely known anyway? Didn't the Chaotix hold suspicions about him at first, and didn't Sonic hold any suspicions at the moment?

Truth be told, Sonic already had so much on his mind, a mysterious white hedgehog really was the least of his worries. From Eggman coming back, Shadow returning, Rouge still missing, and of course, his fight with Tails, there was just so much to think about. Silver was the least of his worries. But, the hedgehog definitely seem strange, as if Sonic was concious enough from Eggman's attack, Silver actually tried to kill Eggman. And he seemed very angry after Eggman turned out to be a hologram. But Sonic didn't need another problem, not now.

"So, where exactly is the Chaos Emerald here?" Silver asked.

"It should be somewhere inside the center mountain, underground. So we kind of got a long way to go, hope it doesn't get too cold," Sonic said, being able to crack a smile.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me," Silver replied. And Silver was right, he had gone through so many worst conditions, this bitter cold was nothing compared to the things he had done before.

"Well I-I'm f-freezing!" Charmy shouted complaining.

"Too bad, you're gonna have to get used to it!" Vector said in annoyance.

Sonic chuckled at yet another Chaotix moment, these guys always make you laugh, even when they didn't intend to do it. Silver smiled, but he couldn't help but think of what the Chaotix were really thinking of him at the moment. It didn't matter though, he needed their help to find Eggman, and as long as Eggman was put in the place he belonged in, he didn't care what they thought of him. He was certainly not the bad guy, that's what he knew for sure.

Later on, the five continued to walk across the snow. Sonic would've just ran if he was there by himself. Although, he had to admit, this bitter weather would make it hard for Sonic to just blaze through it. Walking was unfortunately the much safer option.

Silver thought they got lost many times, but truth be told, Sonic always said that they were heading in the right direction. Who exactly is Sonic anyway, and why does he seem like the big name everyone knew? The people at GUN talked to him like he was a celebrity, and Charmy certainly thought Sonic was mad cool. Whatever he was, he was on his side, for now at least. Silver hoped he wouldn't turn anyone else against him.

"We're here," Sonic said, as they finally entered a cave on the center mountain of ice cap. The mountain was said to be so high that it could touch the clouds, but high wasn't where these five wanted to go. They wanted to go down, to where the Chaos Emerald was being held. As they entered the cave, they had realized, there were two paths leading down, but in completely different directions.

"Which way do we go?" Silver asked, unsure of which path to take.

"I'm....not sure," Sonic said, unfortunately forgetting to actually ask for directions to where the emerald was. "I guess I forgot to ask for specific details."

Espio then walked up to the front with an idea on how to progress. He said, "How about we split up from here you guys? Silver and I will take the stairs on the left, which you three take the stairs on the right."

"Sounds good to me," Sonic said, not having a problem with Espio's suggestion. "We should notify the other group if one of us finds the Chaos Emerald, so we can meet up back here and get on to find the next emerald."

Everyone nodded in agreement, including Silver, who was glad he could have some space from Vector for the time being. All five of them headed off in the groups they were assigned, hoping to find that Chaos Emerald down there somewhere.

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Amy

"What do you mean mom?" Cream asked, as she didn't quite catch what Vanilla had said. At least, that's what she thought, but she truly knew what Vanilla had said.

"I'm saying I don't want you to go on such a dangerous mission after just being in the hospital," Vanilla repeated.

Amy and Tails just tried staying in the background, as they definitely were not interested in getting into a mother and daughter argument. Amy knew Vanilla had some problems with Cream lately, but she never actually saw them have an argument before. But, she obviously has now.

"Mom, you don't have to worry, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself!" Cream said trying to convince her mother.

"Cream, you are only eleven years old, you are not a big girl!" Vanilla argued back, getting a little fed up with Cream for once. "Now, I've always tried my best to acknowledge that you have wishes and let you do what you want to let you be happy, but this is the last straw Cream. You almost got killed last night right after I said it was a bad idea to go and shop at night. I'm only saying no for your own good Cream, you're going to rest at home."

Cream couldn't believe her ears. Never had her mother really sounded this strong in an argument. She didn't like it either. She always thought her mom saw her as this very responsible and mature girl that could make decisions on her own. But that's obviously changed, all because of this accident. "But I know I'll be fine mom! Amy, Tails, and Cheese will make sure I'm okay, and I always help my friends when they ask for it! This is a good cause to finally stop Eggman, I want to do this, especially since he's the reason I'm in the hospital in the first place."

Vanilla sighed, Cream just had to bring the saving the world and helping out friends cards. It wa shard to argue against that, but Vanilla didn't care. "I really don't care Cream, this is for your own good, I forbid you to go on this mission!"

Cream suddenly stood up from her bed, even more shocked to hear Vanilla say that word, forbid. "Mom, I'm sorry, but you can't forbid me from helping my friends. I'm going to do this, and you can't stop me!"

Vanilla couldn't believe how strong her daughter really was. She really did think that she could come out of this unscathed. Vanilla didn't know what to do, it seemed like it was impossible to make an 11 year old come to her senses. So in a sense, she basically gave up. "Fine Cream, go. Go and give me a heart attack when you are hurt again by that madman! Just know that I only tried to fight for this, because I felt I was fighting for your life. Tails, Amy, please take good care of her, she obviously doesn't do a very good job at it herself." And just like that Vanilla left the room, a few tears falling from her face.

Cream turned around from the door where her mom was standing a few seconds ago, and just sat on the bed and sighed. Cheese walked over to Cream and gave her a hug. Amy and Tails walked up to Cream, still shocked at what had happened.

"I had no idea Vanilla would be so upset," Tails said. "I'm sorry I asked Cream, you really don't have to come if you want to make your mom happy."

Amy then contributed, "Cream, just remember Vanilla loves you, and that's why she doesn't want you to go and put your life in danger. If you want some time to think about it, then we'll give you the time." Amy didn't think Cream absolutely had to come with them to find the emeralds, she kind of thought it would've just been better if Cream went and said sorry to her mom. Because Vanilla was right, Cream was only 11, and she just got hurt severely from the crash. But Amy wasn't going to tell Cream what to do, it wasn't her place she felt.

But Cream shook her head to the suggestions, and then said, "No guys, I want to do what I feel is right. I'm going to help my friends because they're always there for me. So, let's go!"

Tails nodded, and then said, "I have a Chaos Emerald in the Tornado 3, let's fly in that and get to where the Chaos Emerald is. My emerald will be able to tell us where it is since emeralds react to each other's prescence."

Tails, Cream, and Cheese then exited the room to go to the plane. Amy left too, but she stared at the red emerald in her hands before leaving. "I'm going to show Sonic, I've changed." She finally ran out of the room.

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Sonic

Well, the path these stairs lead to never merged with Silver and Espio, so it really was just Sonic, Vector and Charmy. Sonic wished it wasn't so dark under the mountains, but at least he had a flashlight on him so they could see. But it really wasn't much of an improvement. It was still dark as can be in the mountain.

"This is kinda scary," Charmy said worrying about getting lost.

"Maybe for idiots like you that get lost easily, but not for me!" Vector said, sounding very proud of what he thought was a good comment to make.

"Hey, just because you're big and older doesn't mean you can say things like that to me!" Charmy said sounding very annoyed that Vector tried to undermine him yet again just for being smaller and younger.

Sonic just ignored what the two was saying. He instead just tried to focus on finding that Chaos Emerald and nothing more. He didn't want to focus on anything else. Especially Tails. Just focus on the emerald, forget about everything else that has happened. Just stop Eggman, and go back to the way it was and just disappear from the world for good. He didn't deserve fame and glory anymore, now he would throw it away even more then he ever did before.

Vector thought of how unusually silent Sonic was. He always was a talker if he could remember. What made him so focused on the mission for once without having any fun? He still thought something was wrong with Sonic, despite what Sonic had assured him of before. Maybe Vector should take a different approach to getting information out of him.

"So Sonic, how exactly did Eggman escape from you on the fleet?" Vector randomly asked.

Sonic's face suddenly froze, definitely looking uncomfortable no matter how much Sonic had tried to hide it. Vector noticed this, he wanted to ask a question that would get Sonic to make such a face. He just didn't think he would get it right on his first try, he had a ton of questions he was going to ask.

Sonic had to respond somehow, but no way could he tell the truth, that was a definite not. He would just come up with some story in his head quickly and then tell Vector that story. But Vector was a detective, so he had to sound convincing. "Ah, the egghead had a secret attack up his sleeve and he got me by surprise and got away before the fleet crashed into the city," Sonic replied.

But Vector saw Sonic's face, and knew that something was up. It was time to put his detective skills to the ultimate test. Will he be able to get the truth out of the blue hedgehog? He'll find out soon enough, he was sure o fit. "What exactly was the attack?"

Sonic thought he was basically damned, he didn't know much about weaponry. What kind of attack could slip under him and also surprise him? He guessed he'd just say something random. "It was just some laser I hadn't seen him use before. It's been five years Vector, so I guess I kind of lost some of my flare."

Vector wasn't done yet however, that definitely wasn't on that was it. He thought of what else he could ask Sonic. After much thought in just a few seconds, he had found the answer. "Tails was with you when you went after Eggman right? You said he was busy at GUN, isn't he going to join us eventually? What could he be doing?"

Vector was good, very good. How was he going to say something else besides the fact that Tails saw what he had done and would never speak to him again? Sonic looked down as he was walking, looking like he had given up trying to hide what he was feeling. He sighed softly, trying not to let the other two hear.

Vector definitely saw that he had reached the jackpot. It was time for the grand finale. "Sonic, you can tell us anything, we'll understand! You're Sonic afterall, you deserve some help yourself after all you had done five years ago."

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Shadow

Hang Castle, the stories that surrounded the area sounded like nothing but myths. But the truth is, if you were to just get a glance of the area in real life at night, you'd basically scare your pants off. The place looked as haunted as ever, all that was really missing was the haunted music when you go through the door.

This didn't intimidate Shadow or Omega once though. They were under orders to find the Chaos Emerald in this area. Eggman seemed very sure that the Chaos Emerald was inside this castle. There were lots of mini black castles surrounding the big one, but Shadow and Omega were able to reach the door of the main one in no time. But likewise, they did encounter some very unfriendly ghosts that had pumpkins as a head.

Yes, this was a strange place. If you looked down, you basically see nothing but clouds. This was strange as the castle was definitely not in the sky. Shadow wasn't bothered though, all he wanted to do was find the Chaos Emerald and get back to the base as soon as possible to ask the doctor more questions, and maybe discover more about The Shadow Project.

Omega was silent the whole way through, not wanting to talk about what had happened in the base. He obviously knew Shadow was not supposed to find out about the project. Omega couldn't help but just say yes to Shadow's question about if that was the project though, and he didn't exactly know why he disobeyed orders that time.

"This must be the castle," Shadow said. "This place sure is mysterious. What do you know about Hang Castle Omega?"

Omega went to work and researched the internet inside his brain for information on the area. But strangely, Omega said, "No information is available on current location."

"Well, that just makes it even more mysterious," Shadow concluded. They both opened the huge gates and entered through the castle.

The inside of the castle was unusually bright, with orange wall covering and a giant lamp on the top. It looked like a mansion of some sorts actually, but it still definitely was a mysterious looking place.

"How can a place like this be here?" Shadow asked.

Shadow and Omega ran up the stairs and through the door, which lead into a hallway. They ran across the hallway, then up some stairs, and entered through another door, until they came to a stop at a large circular room with a door right infront of them. The two of them ran to the door to open it, only to find that there was nothing behind the door. They opened it only to see the other side of the room.

"This is strange," Shadow said. "It's a dead end."

"We should look around for another way," Omega said. "I will head back to see if there was any specific items we may have missed, you explore this room." And just like that, Omega left as Shadow nodded.

Shadow walked around the room hoping to find something to help them continue their mission towards the Chaos Emerald. As he walked, he finally noticed there was a hole in the floor at the other side of the door. He looked inside it and saw the blue spherical object. Shadow wondered what this way, and reached out his right hand to touch it.

"W-what is this?" he asked.

Suddenly, a bright white light started to shine in the orb, which was engulfing the entire room. Shadow couldn't see a thing, as the room transformed right before his eyes.

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Amy

Outside the castle where Shadow and Omega were, was actually Amy, Cream, Tails, and Cheese, who were just entering the dark area. They were pretty far from the actual castle, but their emeralds were pointing towards the castle, so they had best get there and start their search for the Chaos Emerald.

"Why would an emerald be in here?" Amy asked. "Isn't it a bit dark to be a perfectly good living condition?"

Dark it was indeed, as the sky was dark black, and all the castles looked to have been made out of black or silver bricks. The road they all stood on was brown, and torches were around to give some light. But it still was quite the creepy area, you did not want to get lost in this place, or you would remain lost for the rest of your life.

Cream and Cheese both looked equally scared. This was definitely not the place to go to pick out flowers. They had heard stories about this place, but never believed the area was actually that scary. But they were wrong, very wrong, as they stared at the whole kingdom in horror.

Amy, noticing Cream and Cheese's expressions, then asked, "Are you sure you two don't want to just go back home? I'd understand if you thought this place was a little scared, I'm scared too. Just look at this place!"

Cream shook off her facial expression, while Cheese kept his, as Cream said, "No, Cheese and I will be fine! We're going to help you two okay, don't worry about my mom!"

Amy nodded, she wasn't going to get involved with the situation. It was Cream's choice, no matter what she was thinking. Amy just hoped that Cream and Vanilla would be okay, as they used to be so close when she had first met Cream. She always remembered that day, where they met by accident, and have become fast best friends ever since.

But Amy decided not to think about the past now, it was time to get down to why they were there. "Tails, do you know anything about this place?"

"Nothing but myths and legends," Tails said. "But they might as well be true, as this place is always under dark skies, no other place in the world is like that. Everywhere but this place always gets a little bit of sunshine. I've spent some time researching this place when I first found out about it 3 years ago, but there was nothing that could truly explain this whole place, researchers have been stuck on Hang Castle for a long time."

"Sounds like the perfect place for a Chaos Emerald to hide," Amy said in annoyance.

The four of them began to walk forward into the empty kingdom that contained nothing but ghosts to haunt it. The road quickly led them into a small castle, which had a dead end at the end.

"What do we do now?" Amy asked.

Tails looked up into the sky and saw that this castle had no ceiling. "We can fly up there and keep on going," Tails concluded.

Cream and Cheese went first and flew into the sky and landed on the other side of the castle. Amy was about to grab onto Tails' feet to get going, until she noticed something strange. She saw a blue spherical object in front of her where the dead end was. She wondered what it was, why it was so bright.

"Tails, do you see that?" Amy asked, pointing to the object.

But Tails just looked at Amy like she was crazy, saying, "I don't see anything Amy."

Was this just an illusion? One of the legends of Hang Castle? Amy didn't know, but she was too curious to leave this alone. She walked over to the blue object, and touched it. Suddenly, a white light shined through the object, as it began engulfing the entire room.

"Ahh!" Amy said, as she went blind due to all the light for a few seconds.

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Silver

Back at Ice Cap, Silver and Espio were in an area that wasn't dark at all, but it wasn't very bright either. They were in a narrow hallway, walking through it with walls that are made of ice. Who knew it would be even colder down here? As if it couldn't get cold enough. But at least there wasn't any snow flying towards their faces like there was outside. So Silver and Espio was satisfied.

They were mostly silent until now. Espio definitely was the silent type of person, and Silver didn't have a single problem with that at all. The less talking, maybe the less suspicious anyone feels about him. He definitely learned that the hard way.

Espio knew that Vector had suspicions however, and when Silver had finally let his guard down, he was going to strike hard where it hurt. In all honesty, Espio had never had much trust in Silver in the first place. As a ninja, he was trained to see even the smallest hints of unintegrity in all people he is to interact with, and he certainly some of that in Silver at certain times. But he never decided to act on the instincts, as he would be alone in the matter if he told Vector and Charmy, until now that was. And also, Espio didn't have strong feelings of doubt towards Silver anyway.

"So Silver, where do you reside?" Espio asked, beginning his mission.

Silver didn't expect Espio to speak so sudden like that. And to top it off, quite the random question. He had to answer it, no more looking like a crazy guy to everyone for Silver. He said, "It's a place I wish I didn't have to call home."

Espio was a bit surprised by that answer. He expected a random name of a city or something along the lines of that. But Silver said something much deeper instead. "Why do you say that?" Espio asked.

Silver sighed, he wished he could tell the full story behind it, but he couldn't let anyone know everything that they needed to know about him. He had a hard time trusting people, along with a few other reasons that he just couldn't go and tell why he was here trying to kill Dr. Eggman. "Let's just say, I didn't have the best childhood. But that's why I'm here, to make sure no one else has to live a life like mine."

Espio realized there was much more to Silver then he had initially expected. It seems like Silver has more to share then he is letting on. Espio suddenly became much more interested in this mission to discover the truth. "And arresting Eggman will help?" Espio asked.

Oh, if only Silver had to just arrest him. But nope, Silver was going to kill Dr. Eggman. For all the things he believed the doctor has done, he wants to make him pay. He wants to save the world. But he still wouldn't say exactly what Eggman did to anyone. "Of course it'll help, isn't he the number one most wanted terroist here?" Silver asked.

Espio nodded in agreement. "I guess you do have a point here."

Silver nodded, and kept on walking with Espio through the hallway. They kept walking, until however, Silver started to slow down. Espio stopped as soon as he noticed Silver had come to a complete stop. He walked back to Silver, who was strangely on his knees on the cold ice floor.

"Silver, are you okay?" Espio asked.

"I-I'm..." Silver could barely say a word, as he began to face down, looking to be in pain. "Argh..." Suddenly, the floor began to rumble as if there were an earthquake, and the ice walls began to break apart. Espio loses his balance, in absolute confusion on what was going on.

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Sonic

"Well Sonic, say something man," Vector said.

But Sonic didn't even want to say anything. Why did he have to be forced into this situation? Vector had hit him right on the money. You've got to give the guy credit, he was a decent detective. If only people these days needed their services more, the Chaotix would be booming with service. But since Eggman had been in prison, they were having alot of trouble.

But Vector was a cool guy, and Charmy would probably not think any less of him being as young as he was and not exactly understanding the whole story. But still, Sonic didn't want to share. He was too ashamed of what he had done, and letting the whole world find out would only make it worst. All you had to do was tell someone, and it would surely spread like wildfire. Would Vector and Charmy be any different? He had to say something. He stopped walking and just sighed, turning around to Vector and Charmy.

"No Vector, I don't deserve help," Sonic said.

"Hm?" Vector asked confused. "How come Sonic? Everyone could only wish they were just like you, being able to save the world everytime it is in danger. How could you not deserve some help from some friends?"

Sonic wished he couldn't prove Vector wrong, but he definitely could if he told Vector the exact truth. Sonic knew that what he did would shock the both of them. Perhaps they would not see him for what he was anymore. Eventually, it would be useless to try to hold onto that image of being that great hero that stopped Eggman dozens of times, neutralized a giant blue monster, and stop a research center from crashing into the Earth's atmosphere. He wasn't that guy anymore, he might as well admit it.

"Guys, I really don't know if I can explain it, but, it's useless trying to pretend it never happened, because it did. When we were on that fleet, me and Tails had Dr. Eggman trapped. And I couldn't arrested him right there and finish the mission. Well, he was a hologram so not exactly. But I didn't know he was one at the time. So, when I was about to capture Eggman, something...held me back."

"Held you back?" Charmy asked. "What in the world can slow you down?"

"Apparently, me. I just...couldn't take him back to prison. Go back to that life where there was no longer a point to my life. I became a regular citizen, and I hated those boring days of just lying in Mystic Ruins every day for five years. I guess I felt, capturing Eggman would.......bring me back to that."

Vector and Charmy stood silent, with blank faces, unable to react to what Sonic had just said at the moment. They didn't expect that of all things to come out of Sonic. Who knew he would be the one to let Eggman get away on purpose? Even though he was a hologram, so he wouldn't got away anyway.

"So, that's what Tails interpretted it as?" Vector asked.

"Well, he thought I was being selfish, and he's kind of right," Sonic said, finishing off with a sigh. "You happy guys, now you can stop calling me a hero, because I'm not! Let's just go and get this mission over with."

Sonic quickly continued walking, forcing Vector and Charmy to quickly leave their thoughts to follow him, now unsure of what to say to Sonic. But they would think of something, they didn't hate Sonic for what he admitted doing, absolutely not. But, what Sonic did was definitely crazy, there was no doubt to that.

Suddenly though, the ground began to rumble in the dark area, as icicles started falling from the black sky, which made it impossible to see where the sharp icicles were coming from.

"Oh no!" Charmy shouted. "We're going to die if we get hit by those things!"

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Silver

"Argh!!!" Silver kept shouting as the hallway around him continued to collapse.

Silver knew what was happening, and he didn't like it one bit. He was obviously in pain, and he obviously knew why the room was rumbling, as he was being affected as well. He wished he could stop this so bad, but he knew that there was only one way to do it, and it would be a miracle if Espio knew what to do.

But Espio was just speechless, as he watch Silver's powers go out of control as the ice walls and floors around him collapse. He could've sworn that an earthquake was about to start. Or better yet, already starting. He knew this had something to do with Silver, seeing him in the pain he was. Now he knew for sure that it was necessary to find out who Silver truly was. But first, he had to do all he could to stop all this chaos.

"Silver, your powers!" Espio said.

"Y-yes Espio, y-you need t-to leave!" Silver shouted. "NOW!"

But Espio wasn't the kind of person to leave someone whom he did not dislike in danger. Silver could get hurt quite a bit from all the damage being caused here, perhaps even death. He wasn't going to let that happen. He wouldn't start going against what he had believed was right, despite what Vector suspected about Silver.

"No, I'm not leaving you here alone, you're coming with me!" Espio cried back refusing Silver's request.

"You don't understand!" Silver cried, still sounding in quite alot of pain. "I can't explain it to you, all I know is that you have got to leave this instant! I'll be fine, but you won't be if you stay here!"

"Try me."

Espio then grabbed Silver's hand and was intending to make a run for it back up the stairs and then outside the mountain. But as he continued to run dragging Silver, the earthquake slowly came to stop, stunning Espio and Silver as they stopped moving for an exit. The room reached a more stable situation, and everything was finally back to normal.

"E-Espio, how did you know?" Silver asked, amazed at how Espio was able to save their lives.

"I-I don't know, I just touched you and all of a sudden, everything was back to normal," Espio replied, in shock wondering how they had gotten so lucky.

Silver knew what this meant though. Knowing everything about what had just happened, there were only a certain group of people that knew how to calm him down like that. It was something he couldn't do, but this special group of people that he knew could, he suddenly realized, that Espio was apart of.

"Espio, are you a part of the.....Warrior Order?" Silver asked.

Espio stared at him in absolute shock. No one, not even the Chaotix knew of his alliance with that order. How was Silver able to guess that from the little conversations they had? "H-how did you know?" Espio asked. "The number one rule of the Warrior Order is to not disclose your identity to any non-members, which I've followed strictly."

Silver nodded, as if he knew that Espio would say such a thing. "But your kind is the only one with the powers to stop what you had just stopped," Silver said. "Espio, I'm a member of the Warrior Order in the year 2206."

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Shadow

"W-where am I?"

That's the question Shadow asked as soon as the light had disappeared and everything went dark. Shadow couldn't see a thing, as there was nothing but darkness wherever he was. Was this area completely empty then? As he could literally see nothing. There should've been something he could see, but there was nothing. What had happened by touching that blue object? Did it teleport him somewhere, or did it change the castle?

Shadow suddenly felt the Chaos Emerald he had taken to Chaos Control himself and Omega react alot more this time around. The Chaos Emerald must've been near. But even with the light from the emerald, there was nothing to be seen. But it looked like a Chaos Emerald was closeby, wherever this place was. Shadow figured he would find the emerald, and then figure a way out of there.

So he began running towards wherever the emerald was leading him. The reaction from the emerald would just slowly build up. The emerald must've still been pretty far away, but this was the most Shadow's emerald had reacted. He kept going blindly in the dark. And he continued to do so as he heard some strange voices.

"Who am I?" "Where am I?" "Am I who everybody says I am?" "Can Dr. Eggman be trusted?"

These voices were...his. What kind of sick mansion was this? It was as if every question he had thought in his mind was suddenly being shouted at him repeatately.

"Will the Chaos Emeralds help me discover who I am?" "Does Omega know anything about me?" "Who were those two girls, and why did they seem familiar?" "What is The Shadow Project?"

"Am I a part of that army of Shadows?"

Shadow no longer could tell what he was hearing was either what he has actually said or just the voices that seem to be shouting at his head. He suddenly came down to his knees, covering his ears with his white glove covered hands to try and block out the sound. He felt like he couldn't even think, let alone try to speak. Why did he have so many questions? And why was he being reminded over and over of how many he had?

Shadow suddenly looked up in the dark area, and saw someone he had not expected to see. It was a girl, probably a young teenager. She wore a blue sweater, with a long blue dress to cover most of her legs. She had beautiful blonde hair, and just the most innocent eyes, and the sweetest smile.

"W-who are you?" Shadow asked.

"Shadow, I beg of you," the girl began to say.

"Maria!" Shadow thought up in his mind. But, he had not thought that up by himself, it actually came to his head by surprised. Maria, is this what the girl's name was?

"Do it for me, for a better future," the girl continued. "For all the people who live on that planet, give them a chance to be happy!"

What the heck was this? Why was this girl saying the things she was saying? Shadow just stared at the girl in utter confusion. Just what was this place, and why was it tearing his head apart like this?

"Let them live their dreams, Shadow."

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Shadow suddenly asked, surprised to hear his name come out of her mouth.

"I know you can do it," the girl said, as if she were acting like Shadow was not infront of her asking that question. "That's the reason you were brought into this world. Sayarana, Shadow the hedgehog."

The girl suddenly began to walk away, leaving Shadow reaching his arm out for the girl, not wanting her to leave. "Wait, please!" Shadow cried. Shadow tried to run after the girl, but right when he reached her, she had already disappeared. Shadow looked ahead in absolute awe. Who was she, and why was he so curious to hear more of her words? Was what she said true? Or was the mansion just trying to mess with his head? Shadow fell to the floor, exhausted by these mind tricks.

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Amy

"What just happened?"

Those were Amy's exact words when she realized she was staring at vast darkness where it was impossible to see a thing. Was she dying? She doesn't remember getting hurt or anything, just touching some blue object and then seeing light change the entire area. But what really was the true story behind what just happened? And where were Tails, Cream, and Cheese? How did Tails not see that blue object anyway? Was she going insane?

Amy took out her Chaos Emerald then, a noticed that it was reacting more then it ever was before. Did this mean that the Chaos Emerald was somewhere here, wherever it was? There was only one way to find out, and that was to follow its signal. Amy quickly got started in hopes that finding that Chaos Emerald also led to a way out.

She wondered what Tails had exactly been talking about when he was talking smack about Sonic. It must've taken to get Tails off of Sonic's side of all people. Tails was always Sonic's best friend, and if even Tails could not stick up for Sonic, who could? She wondered if this was a sign that she should really give up on Sonic for good, and move on to someone that actually wants her.

But there was just something about Sonic that drew her to him. He just seemed so fearless, a guy that would protect her girl at all costs. Amy liked being the princess in the fairytales always being saved by her prince charming. The thing is, those are the only times she feels this chemistry towards Sonic. Anything else though, and there just seems to be a whole lot of disappointment.

"Why do I keep chasing him?" said Amy's voice, although it did not come from Amy's mouth one bit.

"Who's there?" Amy asked, taking her hammar out ready to fight.

"What's so great about Sonic?" "Why can't I just let him go?" "When am I finally going to grow out of this crush?" "Has Sonic really changed?" "What will saving Eggman do to make Sonic change his mind about me?"

Amy realized that these were all her questions about what was going on. She also realized that all her thoughts were about Sonic. Why was it after so many years, her head still could not focus on anything but him? What kind of twisted kingdom was this? Was this place playing mind tricks on her?

"This is really weird...," Amy said, trying to stop herself from going insane from all the voices coming from her head that didn't seem to want to stop. They just kept on going, like one hundred cats trying to get that one ball of yarn. It was just insane. Why was this happening to her? Why can't those voices just stop? Please, please stop. No more, I'll do whatever you want, just please. I can't take no more...

"STOP!!!!!!!!!" Amy shouted.

The voices had suddenly stopped, and Amy looked up, surprised at how they listened to her. But then she had spotted something amazing infront of her. Which was a pedestal, with light shining on it, along with a Chaos Emerald sitting right on it. It looked so beautiful, and it was hers to take. Now that she found the emerald, she could focus on getting out. Amy quickly runs up to the emerald, and collects the emerald.

"Gotcha!" Amy said happily.

"Not so fast," said a voice that was all too familiar to Amy. Amy quickly turned around, and saw that the figure that said that was none other then the black hedgehog she had escaped from on the fleet.

"Amy, it's good to see you again," Shadow said. He didn't expect Amy to show up here. It was nice to see someone else stuck in this mess. It was too bad though that she was an enemy according to the doctor, so she could not be trusted.

"S-Shadow...," Amy said, in shock that out of all people, he was over here.

"I'd hate to cut our reunion short, but I'm going to have to once I obtain that Chaos Emerald," Shadow said. "If you just give me the emerald, there will be no trouble. I don't want to hurt you." Shadow did mean those words too. He genuienly didn't want to hurt Amy, as there was something about her that made him hesitate to really take out. That's why he saved her back at the Mystic Ruins in the first place.

"So Eggman IS looking for the Chaos Emeralds!" Amy shouted. "If that's the case Shadow, then the answer is no." Amy and Shadow stared at each other then. Both want the emerald, and both knew there was only one way to get them.

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Conclusion

  Will Sonic, Vector, and Charmy get out of the little earthquake scar free, or will they be stuck down there covered in spiky icycles? What is the Warrior Order, and what does this mean now that Silver had revealed he isn't from the present timeline? How will Vanilla and Cream's relationship go from here? What will the messages Shadow and Amy got at Hang Castle do to them in the near future? And which one of them is getting that Chaos Emerald? All this on the next episode of Desperate Hedgehogs!