Sonic The Hedgehog: Dark-Bright

[INTERMISSION ARC] Chapter 42: Unexpectancy

Sonic and the others finally completed their mission and stopped Dr. Eggman once again, leading them to return home to Emerald Town. The Blue Blur felt relaxed, knowing that all the trouble he had gone through was now over. However, what lay ahead was uncertain. Sonic looked around the place he appeared in. It seemed like a quiet area, with his house located right behind the forest. As he looked, he noticed scratches on one of the trees and chuckled, realizing that it was indeed his home. Opening the door, Sonic entered and shouted, "Hey...! Everyone...! We're back!" He couldn't wait to see his family, but oddly enough, there was no response, leaving him puzzled.

"Uhh... Mom...? Dad...? Tania...?!" Panic began to set in as Sonic searched the entire house, checking every spot. It appeared that the whole house was empty, and Sonic started to feel insecure and wary. "This can't be true... IT CAN'T BE... Where did... my family go...?!"

He rushed outside the house, only to find the entire district deserted. It felt eerie and made him anxious. Just as he was about to take a step forward, he heard a ringtone coming from inside his house. The sound seemed familiar. "Is that coming from my cellphone...?"

Sonic reentered the house and picked up his phone. He realized that Amy was calling him and answered the call. "Hello...?" Sonic responded, feeling slightly nervous about the situation. "Sonic?! I'm glad you picked up. We need you. There's something we must talk about. You better hurry up!" Amy sounded urgent, and it seemed that his friends were facing the same problem. The call ended, and Sonic grabbed his cell phone, ready to head out. He felt a sense of strangeness, but there was no time to dwell on it. "Why couldn't she tell me where they are right now...?!"

Suddenly, Tails jumped in and looked at Sonic. "Sonic...! We're right over there, in my lab."

"Good to know. Let's get to your place right away." Sonic didn't have any time to waste and decided to head straight to the lab, realizing the seriousness of the situation.

They entered the laboratory, and everyone had a serious expression. Cream appeared sadder than ever. Shadow looked at Sonic. "Glad to see you here, Sonic. Now... we can discuss what's happening in the town right now."

"Yeah...? Like the fact that we failed to save our parents, our people, everything...? We just saved ourselves in the end...?" Sonic said.

Tails looked at him. "If we didn't...? Is there a way back...? What if Eggman didn't really destroy all those dimensions? Maybe there's some hope. Maybe he left one intact, or there might be a safe dimension, like Sunset Hill..."

"Maybe... But we don't even know how to get back if we didn't... Who knows how we'll find our way back home with all those people...  Maybe... we should consider moving to a different place. Although I would be sad to leave our parents. I can't imagine what they felt, not being able to see them one last time." Sonic looked down.

Contrary to his statement, Amy disagreed. "Don't be like that, Sonic! Emerald Town was a wonderful place. It had everything we loved. Don't lose hope yet. You still have us."

"Yeah, sure... We have... friends... Do we...?" Sonic started to lose hope, and while his positivity kept him going, he couldn't decide which way he should feel at the moment.

Rouge made a sound as she slammed the table. "I think we should focus. Sad or not, we really need to discuss this matter!"

"Yeah! I think by talking about it, we may find a solution and locate our loved ones!" Cream supported Rouge's idea.

A couple of minutes passed, and the discussion became more serious. However, despite their efforts, they couldn't come up with a satisfying answer. Seeing this, Sonic decided to take a break and stepped outside the lab. He looked at the fountain and said, "No matter what happens, I can still keep my smile bright, right?" He tried to force a grin at his reflection in the water.

As he gazed, Sonic took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. In the distance, he saw an airship flying away from Emerald Town. It resembled one of Eggman's airships, triggering his recognition. Without hesitation, he decided not to wait and went after the ship.

Meanwhile, Tails suddenly became worried again and approached Dijon. "Could you bring Sonic back here? He seems to be going through a lot, just like the rest of us."

"No problem, Tails. There's more to it than meets the eye, especially considering how worried he is about his younger sister, Tania."

Half of the group was shocked by this information, and they all exclaimed, "Sonic has a sister?!"

Surprised, Dijon replied, "Wait... You didn't know he had a sister? Didn't he mention it to you?"

"Hmm... I don't recall Sonic ever mentioning having siblings to our friends. It's interesting that he keeps it a secret," Amy said.

"Just as I said before, I'll look out for him," Dijon said and left the building. He walked to a waterfall and noticed that Sonic was no longer in the area. Something seemed off to him. "Strange... Sonic never leaves without giving a reason."

Shadow entered, slightly irritated. "So, he ran off without saying anything. I guess he's off on the hunt."

"Are you trying to find him? I must say, I can't keep up with his speed," Dijon commented.

Shadow stepped forward. "Fine by me. My rocket shoes match his speed quite a bit. I won't have a problem finding him."

"I hope both of you find your way back quickly. We don't have much time. The town could be abandoned by the government at any moment," he added.

"I'll be quick. I promise," Shadow assured, boosting off into the distance.

"I hope everything turns out fine. Their relationship seems complicated, now that I think about it," Dijon said, pondering what might be happening between Sonic and Shadow.

-CHAPTER END-