Black Water Lilies by Aurora.
Solitude by M83, Felsmann and Tiley.
~~~

"Can't catch me, Papa!"

A wheeze trailed from behind. "Maybe not. But I know someone who can."

A tiny mobian whirled around, colliding with indigo fur and teared white gloves. She laughed and smoothed golden quills over her forehead, meeting the muddy eyes of her husband. A snoring baby hedgehog sat lazily in a carrier over the fathers front and a fuschia sister clung to his hand by his side.

The cobalt brother stomped. "How'd you do that?"

"You may be faster, but I'm quick enough." The mother winked.

"Only 'cause you're used to it."

"You calling me old?"

"No! Just...-."

"Wise." The dark blue adult assisted.

"Clever."

The oldest of the three children observed her ocean toned brother get scooped up in his mothers arms before glancing over her shoulder. Snowy mountains distantly reached for the sky, clouded by the darkest of smoke. A colourful line stretched almost as far as she could see and she chewed her chapped lip at the sight of all the bags and carts they equipped.

"Why are we leaving?" She asked.

"A...new adventure. Exciting huh, Sonia?"

Sonia watched her brothers blue eyelids close over emerald eyes as he yawned. "What's that smoke?"

She may only be five, but she was perceptive enough to notice the shared worry between her parents when they met one another.

"Mother? Father?"

"A fire." The former sighed.

"From what?"

Another glance and Sonia frowned.

"There's something you should know, kiddo." The dark blue hedgehog spoke. "I just hoped we'd be able to wait until you were older."

"What is it?"

"Not everyone is kind, sweetheart." The mother continued. "Some are...selfish. Greedy. Sometimes we cross paths with them and sometimes we don't...."

"You know me and my big mouth. Sometimes it gets us into...trouble. 'Can rub people the wrong way and they come after us. There was a war, you see. Between humans and mobians. There was one man in particular-."

"Jules." The mother shook her head.

Jules hummed. "Sorry, Bernie. Anyway, I met him- more than once. With your mother and uncle, of course! When the war ended, this mans greed became unstoppable and now...."

"It's more personal." Bernadette frowned. "You know your brother has this...untapped power, yes?"

Sonia pointed. "Olgilvie?"

"Just like your mum." Jules grinned.

"Well yeah- he won't shut up about it."

The mother snickered. "Well, unfortunately this man caught word and...well-."

"Is he after Olgilvie?"

"Chaos, no. Just...an added benefit if he catches up to us, I guess."

"He sounds mean."

"That he is. But he hasn't caught up to us yet and I certainly don't plan on that changing."

"So that's why we're leaving home? Has he found us?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

Sonia's ears strained at the nearing whirs from above and she stalled to look. Many behind mimicked her and soon a red plane peaked out from the light snow, mist and thinning smoke. A brilliant smile exploded on her muzzle and only when she started waving did the terrific crowd behind relax.

"Bap bap!" Manic, awakened, clapped his hands together- small legs kicking.

"Uncle Charles!" Olgilvie squirmed and zoomed in little circles when freed, zipping over the second the plane landed.

"H- oomph!" Brown moustache shook over the laughing smile as he hugged his eldest nephew.

"How is it?" Bernadette inquired.

Charles' smile faltered. "It's him alright. We've been found."

"But the Tornado can't carry everyone."

"How'd you think he got here? There's an aircraft in the direction we're going. We'll take it and flee."

"I don't wanna leave." Olgilvie whined.

"It won't be forever, Little Buddy." Jules soothed. "We'll come back to Christmas Island."

Years later, and he always wondered why his father lied. They never returned and so so many were lost. When 'the man' learned of their narrow escape- he polluted the three islands in a rage. Drowned them and washed out any memory of civilisation. Although they fled, so many he knew and once played with succumbed to Doctor Robotnik's inevitable terror.

When they left Christmas Island behind, Sonic didn't think he'd ever return home.

———

It was difficult to even name what he saw as 'home'. Instead of snow there was rain. Instead of ice there were crashing waves. Instead of snowy mountains and white blanketed land, there were slippy rocks and jagged terrain. Christmas Island once consisted of three main districts, joined by bridges but now was left as a hazardous, isolated mound stomped out by the towering, pristine structure above.

"You okay?" Amy Rose asked at his side.

Forced to crouch from the storm, Sonic's grip over the edge of the planes wing tightened. "Yeah."

"Sonic- you know I can tell when you're keeping something from me. You've been here before, haven't you?"

He paled and emerald eyes locked onto the helicopter they chased. "You could say that. What gave it away?"

Amy's hand rested over his and he felt abruptly warm. "The way you panic everytime someone mentions this place."

"That would give it away, yep."

"Well, don't you worry." She winked. "You're not on your own this time. We've got your back."

Sonic struggled to swallow and cursed himself for looking at those sparkling forest green eyes. What frustrated him most was how he didn't even want to look away.

"Doctor Harris mentioned he destroyed this place in a rage. Why would he return?" Shadow's voice thankfully cut through.

"It's isolated with no nearby terrain for miles. It's history is almost completely wiped out and the only thing we know was that this place was polluted." Tails explained. "Why wouldn't he pick here?"

"It also started his reign over Mobius again. After the war between humans and mobians, this was the first trace of him." Rouge added. "He must be feeling sentimental."

"Chao!" Cheese huffed, small arms crossing.

"Didn't you say Harris told you to...." Knuckles looked to his best friend. "Well, ask you what happened here? Why?"

Sonic combed through the quills over his forehead. "I dunno how she could know but...I knew a very different Christmas Island. Stayed here for a while 'till Eggman showed up."

"Meaning?" Omega pondered.

"I was born here."

———

Eggman wasn't all too surprised to hear the tremendous steel doors slide open from behind. He stood and stretched his arms wide in greeting. Certainly, Commander Abraham Towers met him with Doctor Harris lurking at his side.

"Greetings! I hope the storm didn't disrupt your travels too much."

"Don't ignore why I'm here." Abraham spat. "Tell me what's really going on and I'll deal with you then."

Eggman only laughed as Harris dug her staggered claws into his shoulder. "All alone? Only a fool would try."

"Then count me a fool."

The round man frowned and stepped down from his elevated desk. He grinned. "Fine. I might as well seeing as you won't make it out alive."

With a snap of his fingers Harris shoved the Commander forward. They left the room filled with cameras showing the ruinous island and stalked down a surprisingly well lit corridor.

"It's a shame mobians and humans just can't get along. The slightest doubt and suddenly they're all rabid animals. You put trust into one child to save the world and when he makes a mistake- well, it's incredibly easy to twist their opinion of him."

"Why tell me this? I already know."

"Because not everyone here does." A nasty smile and Eggman's eyes searched the walls beside them.

"It was much easier to take mobians from society when G.U.N's Commander kept looking away-."

"Have you been Robotisizing them?"

"Not quite. Unfortunately I don't have the materials to do something like that anymore." Eggman stalled and gestured to Harris.

"But I can do that. An upcoming scientist, looked down by all her peers, family and teachers. You know, the classic sob story. When Robotropolis was taken from me by those blasted Freedom Fighters, I fled and hid. Harris found me and we made a deal. She offered I experiment with her before we try mobians again. The human mind is much more susceptible to change, after all- less stubborn."

"That's how she looks so...human." Towers yellowed.

"Yes. I realised all I really needed was for their minds to change. Harris was the first- so there's a few jinks. Teeth and eyes and hair for example. But now? One of my creations could re-enter society and no one would bat an eye."

"And...have they?"

"Not yet. Like I said, the mobian mind is much more stubborn. On the outside they look the same as everyone else- but internally? I've practically mastered it, yet there's too many slight differences that if you knew them- you could tell something was wrong."

"I'm guessing you've turned all those missing people into your psychotic experiments?"

"Most."

"Damn it."

"Chin up, Commander. We haven't even gotten to the exciting part."

Eggman pressed his hand against a jutted out piece of wall. Red illumination spread and hummed and beeped when completed, allowing the discrete doors to slip open. He marched ahead and Towers gaped at the lines of glass tubes- stuffed with bubbling green liquid. Too thick to see what floated within, but between the thinnest of gaps he could see similar rows stretching further back than what he wanted to estimate.

"Ho ho ho! It's staggering what a little amount of DNA can do." The man moved into the wider space beyond and stood sharp atop neon yellow marked stairs, guiding Abraham's eyes towards the massive glass shaped emerald behind.

There was something floating within, but was coated in far too bright a green for him to name it.

"When I tore and duplicated Sonic's DNA those years ago, it created one Metal copy." Said machine crawled out from the shadows and met Eggman's left.

"He returned to me recently with something far greater. You see, Towers, I've been forced to swallow an unnerving fact this year. Like my dear cousin, I've been cursed with an annoying hindrance."

"Your coughing fits." Abraham breathed.

"It's much more than that, but yes. Unfortunately I had to rest for a while- recover from the worst of it. But eventually, as I always do, I realised something. Over fifty years ago, sweet Maria Robotnik was plagued with N.I.D.S. It seems I've developed a lesser version of the same thing. Fortunately, you and I both know a cure."

"No! You would also know he failed. He didn't save her-."

"He could've. With enough power."

Static consumed the room, erupted by blinking lights and a nasty, unique smell. Harris' hold vanished and Abraham seethed beneath the burning steam and deafening rumbles. Even so, he could still hear Eggman's cackle roaring above. He didn't sound ill anymore- not in the slightest. Had he already...?

When Towers' eyes opened the smoke was gone, smell was fading and lights dimmed. None of it mattered when he froze on a pristine, almost glassy dark hedgehog on Eggman's right.

"How...? You didn't have enough DNA to-."

"Shadow isn't like any of us. Even he doesn't know what mixture of elements came together to create him. But even with my intelligence, I couldn't quite capture the perfect replication of my Grandfather's creation. Luckily I found something formidable enough to power them all."

Abraham hadn't ever felt so faint. "Them...all?"

"I prioritised quantity over quality, in the end."

Something crashed over his far left and he turned, meeting empty, steaming tubes. The lights flickered and a few creaks and thuds followed.

"Eggman." He croaked. "What did you do?"

"Found the cure to my illness. Really, I found the answer to building my Empire once and for all."

Stampedes burst from Abrahams right and he lifted his arms for weak protection. He narrowly caught glistening red streaks and black and ruby eyes before the brightest of blues covered his vision. Thick mist from the whirlwind followed and clattered parts of metal dropped to the floor.

"Hope you're not so prideful that you won't let me save ya."

"No. I'm actually glad you're here."

"I was wondering when your patience would run out, Sonic."

"Yeah well bumping into you always seems to do the trick." Emerald eyes met a cold, eerily neutral pair or red optics with a headache buzzing in the back of his mind.

"Quittin' on the whole 'perfect copies of mobians that I can put back into Mobius' plan? For what? A Metal Shadow?"

"Haven't you been paying attention? Not just one. A whole army."

From the gaps and shadows, countless metal dark hedgehogs slithered out. With wires dripping down over many, they moved slowly and heavily- arms hanging before them like weights.

"What in the...."

"All powered by one fantastic component. This one by me was the first- and the closest to your rival. One Shadow almost succeeded in blowing up the entire planet, just imagine what a hundred can do." Eggman stroked his moustache, looking like a gleeful child showing off their latest project.

"I am curious, Sonic, why you thought of coming here alone? That scared of your friends finding out who you really are? Who would've thought the 'great hero of Mobius' was perhaps the biggest coward of them all."

Sonic's eyes narrowed and briefly he observed Doctor Harris stalk over to the large man. "You've really got me figured out, huh?"

"I know you better than anyone. Such a shame you'll fall without any of your friends. You'll die alone-."

"I hate to interrupt...." Four golden rings glimmered and soothed to show a scowling Shadow step from behind.

"But he didn't come here by himself. And for the record, I find these...zombie buffoons a great insult."

"They aren't-."

"Nah Shadow, zombies imply they're not falling apart at the seems. I'd go with robot Frankensteins." The bang of a tremendous hammer and Amy stood at Sonic's other side.

Eggman frowned. "I forgot how funny you all think you are. I've been gone for a year but I'm sure there's more of you."

"There are." Leaping over the Commander, massive mittens crushed against steel and pushed up Knuckles.

"They're busy with Breezie and freeing our friends and anyone they find here."

Eggman seethed, fists clenching prior to smacking a hand over Metal Sonic and Shadow respectively. "Very well. I've succeeded in curing my disease- something you- Shadow, could never do. Seems all you needed were a dozen or so copies and extra power."

"Extra power?"

"That." Towers whispered, head jerking to the glass emerald ahead. "Whatever's inside must be what's giving all...this a boost."

Knuckles' eyes widened and he appeared like a ghost. "It couldn't be...."

"If these things aren't like the real Shadow, or zombie-fied versions or whatever- what do you call them?" Amy asked.

Eggman stretched out a nightmarish grin. "I'm glad you asked. These, dear Rose, are my Shadow Androids."