Sonadow: Night Falls

Chapter Four

"Whaaat?!" Tails inquired the person they had met at Spagonia University in Professor Pickle's lab.

"Professor Pickle's been kidnapped?" Shadow interjected. He held Sonic's hand, worriedly. If they couldn't find Professor Pickle, Sonic would never return to normal.

"It was a little bit before the tremors hit," the stranger replied, "This old man showed up with a"- he used his hands to illustrate a big belly-- "and a"-- then a mustache-- "and a whole pack of robots. They carried poor Professor Pickle off,  lab data and all."

"It can't be!" Shadow exclaimed.

"That sure sounds like Eggman," Sonic replied and squeezed Shadow's hand to comfort him.

"What a horrible thing to do!" Chip cried, "We gotta go help out that professor guy and fast!" Sonic, Tails, and Shadow turned to look at him. "If he got kidnapped that long ago, he's got to be real hungry by now! And and, if I was that hungry, I- I don't know how long I would last! I'd rather be dead!" Shadow rolled his eyes. Chip reminded him of a certain blue hedgehog he knew; a blue hedgehog's whose face was now undeniably red, accompanied by a nervous grin.

"I- I'm sure Eggman's feeding him," Tails assured Chip, "Even he's not that cruel." This comment gained an unexpected reaction from Sonic though, who doubled over and cried out in pain. Shadow caught Sonic as the hedgehog landed on his knees.

"Sonic?!" Shadow shouted, "Are you alright?" Sonic shook his head to clear it of the images that flashed before his eyes and replied, "I'm alright, Shadow. It was just a kick." Shadow looked at Sonic's belly. That wasn't his normal reaction to one of the pups kicking, but Shadow didn't question him.

"Okay," Sonic began as Shadow helped him up, "Let's go and find the professor!"

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It was late that night when Sonic, Tails, Shadow, and Chip found where the old man was being held and found that Professor Pickle was sitting in a adequate furnished chair in a small cell of glass.

"Professor Pickle!" Tails called. "Are you alright? We got here as fast as we could!" Tails flew up to the professor's cell to see him clearly focused on something else. "Professor?" Tails spoke, trying to gain his attention.

"Um, hello?" Chip added.

"How dare they call this culinary concoction food?" The professor thought aloud. He turned to The two animals. "Look here, do you see this sorry excuse for a sandwich? The bread should be no less than 3/4 of an inch thick. Upon it, one tablespoon of mayonnaise and a pinch of black pepper. The contents, fresh cucumber, sliced thinly, if you please! Am I quite right, Tails?"

"I know I learned something here today!" Chip exclaimed, excitedly.

"P-Professor. . ." Tails said, a little embarrassed. "It's good to see you haven't changed!"

"But tell me," Professor Pickle continued, standing from his chair, "What brings you here? The menu is hardly worth the trip, if you ask me."

"N-no, Professor. We came here to rescue you!" Tails pressed the button at the top of the cell and freed Professor Pickle.

"Oh? Oh! I see, how rude of me." Professor Pickle stepped out of the cell once he reached the ground. "Right then, first things first! It's about time someone taught the chef here how to make a proper sandwich."

"You can file a complaint later, Professor!" Tails said as he blocked the Professor's path to leave.

"Let's get outta here before Eggman's welcoming committee shows up," Sonic suggested.

"Oh, yes. Quite." Professor Pickle agreed. "But let us be sure to collect the contents of that vault before departing." The group turned and saw a vault in the corner of the room. Sonic stretched his arm and pulled the door right off the vault! Tails flew into the vault and came out seconds later with a scroll.

"Ah, thank you," Professor Pickle spoke. "Those documents are our only hope for surviving this crisis. Let's go. There's no time to lose. I'm half-starved after being fed nothing but those terrible sandwiches!"

Chip flew to the Professor and kindly offered, "Want some chocolate, Professor?"

"My, my!" The professor exclaimed, "Don't mind if I do!"

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"These ancient documents are known as the Gaia Manuscripts," Professor Pickle explained. "They tell the legend of a disaster that befell our planet some tens of thousands of years ago."

"A disaster. . .?" Tails inquired.

"Quite," Professor Pickle answered. "And according to the Gaia Manuscripts, this isn't the first time the planet has been broken apart into pieces." Sonic, Tails, and Shadow gasped. "The cause lies at the very core of the planet. All of the phenomena we've witnessed are the direct result of one creature--the hyper-energy organism spawned at the planet's core, Dark Gaia."

"So how do we stop this Dark Gaia and put the world back together?" Shadow asked.

"Luckily, Dark Gaia has yet to be fully reborn," Professor Pickle answered calmly. "We most likely have Dr. Eggman's premature wake-up call to thank for that. If we act now, we may be able to restore the planet by returning power to the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic, you must travel to each of the temples listed in the Gaia Manuscripts. The planet's power will restore the Chaos Emeralds, and in turn, the Chaos Emeralds will restore the planet and help it heal naturally."

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Sonic and Shadow stared at each other once they stood outside Spagonia University.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Sonic?" Shadow asked, holding Sonic's hands in his. Sonic deeply sighed and replied, "I have to do this, Shadz. I don't have a choice."

"You do have a choice Sonic," Shadow said. He looked down at Sonic's belly and laid his hand there. He then raised his gaze so that his crimson eyes met Sonic's emerald green eyes.

"No, Shadow. I don't."

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Yay! Finally finished this chapter. I am so sorry for the slow updates. I will try to do this quicker. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I hope to update soon.