And now, at last, it ends.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me

…

Everyone stared in disbelief at what appeared to be a vintage DeLorean sitting before them, frost covering its silvery form and a pair of trails of flame burning the grass leading up to the car's rear tires. Several complicated mechanical apparatuses were mounted on its rear, including what looked like a pair of rocket boosters with some sort of glowing energy core in between them, the light dimming somewhat with each passing second, as it did on several energy coils covering the exterior, which was already thawing.

"Okay, am I the only one seeing a classic car before us?" Mighty asked finally.

"No, I see it too," said a dazed Amy.

"Oh good, I was worried it was just me," Knuckles said in relief.

"What the heck is a DeLorean doing here?!" Vector demanded.

"And time traveling, at that," Shadow agreed, getting the strange feeling that the answer to that should be incredibly obvious.

Tails gasped. "Sonic, isn't that-"

"Yeah, I think it is," Sonic agreed, looking excited.

"You recognize this car, beloved?" Blaze asked.

Sonic nodded. "Well, given the license plate, I think it's safe to say the only person who could possibly be driving that thing is-"

"DAD!" Tails cheered ecstatically as the driver's side door swung upwards and an old man with wild white hair, a lab coat, an ugly Hawaiian shirt, and goggles climbed out. His tails spun wildly, propelling him towards the human and tackling him in a hug.

Doctor Emile Blue laughed and hugged his son back. "Miles, my boy! A pleasure as always to see you. I forgot how small you were at this age…"

Shadow took a deep breath. "Doctor Blue…"

"You were going to talk to him about his grandfather, right?" Rouge asked the black hedgehog.

Shadow nodded. "I was, yes. I never thought of it so soon…"

"Don't worry, Grunkle Shadow, after everything else that's happened today, this should be no problem," Cream assured her great-uncle.

"I hope you're right…" Shadow murmured with a frown.

"Doc, what are you doing here?" Sonic asked as he walked over to his old neighbor and sort of-mentor.

"Yeah, and why didn't you tell me you were back from the moon?" Tails demanded his father.

Emile winced. "Well, about that-"

The passenger side door of the DeLorean swung open and a cream with brown spots dog wearing a red neckerchief, blue singles, white gloves, and an orange vest over a blue jacket and plaid button-down shirt climbed out of the car. "Hey Doc, did we make it to- oh, hey Sonic! I guess we're here! That's a relief."

"Muttski!" Sonic cried, surprised to see the dog. "What are you doing here?"

"Who is this?" Blaze asked in confusion.

"This is Muttski, remember? My former pet that got uplifted by the Doc just like Tails, and became my brother?" Sonic reminded her.

"Oh, right," the cat recalled. She extended a hand to the dog. "It is a pleasure to at last meet a member of my intended's family. He seems to have been trying rather hard to keep me away from them for some reason. I am Blaze the Cat, your brother's 'girlfriend,' as I believe is the parlance of your world."

As Sonic laughed sheepishly, Muttski smiled and shook her hand. "It's nice to see you as well, Blaze, though this isn't actually the first time we've met."

"It's not?" Blaze asked in confusion.

"Well, you see-" the dog began.

"Muttski!" Mighty interrupted, barging over and hugging the startled Muttski, causing him to wince as his bones cracked. "Man, it's been years! It's good to see you again, buddy!"

"Good… To see… You too… Mighty…" Muttski said through gritted teeth.

"Mighty, you might want to let him go before you break his spine. Again," Sonic told the armadillo.

"Oh, right, sorry," Mighty said apologetically, letting the dog go. "It's just… I'm really happy to see you, man. I haven't seen anyone else from South Island in so long… It'll be good to go home."

"Yeah, your parents will be thrilled to see you," Muttski agreed. "But we don't have time for that now! The Doc and I are here on a very important mission!"

Emile nodded. "That is correct! Everyone listen to me, because this is very important! Any minute now, Silver the Hedgehog will appear from the future, claiming that his nemesis Eggman Nega intends to destroy your pasts to prevent you from becoming heroes, and ask you to tell him your backstories so that he can make sure history stays on track! However, he's lying about his purpose, so whatever you do, you mustn't-"

"Um, actually, you're a bit too late," Tales admitted sheepishly.

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, he just left."

Emile and Muttski went pale. "Aw crud…" The dog moaned.

"Great Scott! Don't tell me you told him everything!" Emile desperately pleaded.

"We… Sort of did?" Amy confessed, looking embarrassed.

"Is it bad that we did?" Cream asked uncertainly.

"Bad? BAD?! Only if you consider the ruination of future Earth and the extinction of human and Mobiankind as something as trivial as 'bad,' then yes, it is!" Emile raved.

"Wait, what?!" Charmy cried, startled.

"I think you need to start explaining yourself, old man. And fast," Rouge said sharply.

"YES, BEFORE-I-DECIDE-TO-DESTROY-YOUR-OUTDATED-VEHICLE," Omega threatened.

"Oh no oh no oh no… This is terrible…" Emile moaned. He sighed. "Very well, I had hoped to keep explanations to a minimum for the sake of the timestream, but it seems as if we are left with no choice. Miles, my son, I regret to inform you that at this point of time I am, in fact, still on the moon. I haven't come home yet."

Tails blinked and looked up at his father in confusion. "What? But then how did you-" He gasped, glancing to the DeLorean and back, a look of wonder in his eyes. "Then… You mean… You finished it?!"

"No way! Doc, you finally made a working Time Machine?!" Sonic cried, excited.

Emile nodded proudly. "I did indeed! And I wouldn't have finished it if it weren't for your help, Miles… Or rather, I WILL finish it thanks to your help in the years to come! For as you no doubt have surmised, I'm not the Doctor Emile Blue of this era, but from the future!"

"As am I," Muttski spoke up as everyone who hadn't already figured this fairly obvious twist out gasped. "Since I became the Doc's assistant after you and Tails left home, I've been his companion as we explore all of time and space in our sweet ride."

"That is so cool! I'm incredibly jealous," Sonic said enviously.

"Yeah, me too!" Mighty agreed.

Espio groaned. "Oh great, more time travelers…"

"Well, at least these two seem less annoying than the one we usually get," Knuckles pointed out.

"Wait, you turned an old car into a working Time Machine? Why?" Asked a confused Amy.

Emile shrugged. "Why not? It's no stranger than an old British police box being a Time Machine."

"I suppose not," the pink hedgehog admitted.

"Wait, if he's from the future, why doesn't he look much older than he did in Sonic's story?" Vector questioned.

"Hey yeah, why don't you look much older, Dad?" Tails asked, perplexed.

"The benefits of anti-aging treatments. They don't exist yet, but they will soon, and aren't really relevant to the current situation," Emile explained offhandedly.

"If you're from the future, then does that mean…" Shadow asked uncertainly.

Emile nodded. "Yes, Shadow, it means we've already talked about my grandfather, from my perspective. Which, of course, doesn't mean that you're off the hook for not telling it yet to my younger self. Just know that when you DO tell it to me, I will be very grateful."

"… That's very nice to hear," Shadow said with a faint smile. Cream gave her great-uncle a much bigger one.

"Yeah, yeah, it's all nice and stuff, but we don't have time for sentiment, we've got big trouble!" Muttski insisted.

"Well, actually, we have more than enough time, considering that the events we're concerned about won't happen for several centuries, but yes, we probably should get to that," Emile agreed. "Basically, in Silver's era, he was assigned a history project on some of the greatest heroes in the world. Naturally enough, that includes you all."

"What, even the Chaotix?" Rouge asked.

"Strangely enough, yes," Emile said.

"Hey!" Vector protested.

"However, he wound up putting off his project until the last minute because he was too engrossed in a new video game, and by the time he realized his mistake, he only had hours before he was supposed to turn his assignment in," Emile continued.

Espio snorted. "Yeah, that sounds like him."

"I can sympathize, though. I think most of us have been there," Sonic commented.

"I haven't," Tails said.

"Nor have I," Cream said.

"This comes as a surprise to no one," Amy joked.

"As he often does to solve his problems, he got the bright idea to travel back in time to this age to trick you into helping him," Emile continued. "He made up a cockamamie story about needing your backstories so he could protect your history, allowing him to get all the information he needed to create a history report which would earn him accolades from his teacher and help raise his flagging grades so he doesn't have to repeat the course."

"That son of a-" Vector swore.

"Dude, not cool," said a disgusted Knuckles.

"On the one hand, I'm impressed by his deception," Rouge admitted. "On the other, I'm absolutely livid he did that to us and that we fell for it."

"Okay, while that's not a nice thing to do, why would that mean the end of the world?" Asked a perplexed Cream.

Emile hesitated. "Ah. Well. That's when things get a little tricky. Because, you see, this is where you, or rather, your future selves come in."

"Our future… But, Silver's from like 200 years from now! How would we still be around by then?" Asked a confused Mighty.

"Well, to be fair, not ALL of you are," Muttski spoke up.

"Oh yeah, that's right, a bunch of us are immortal," Knuckles recalled. "So we would probably be still around by then."

"As will my beloved, thanks to the fruit of my kingdom," Blaze said. "Tails too."

"More than just those of you who are already immortal, actually," Emile interjected. "Death is virtually unknown in Silver's time, but the seeds for that future will start to sprout within a few years from today, and because of them, the majority of you will still be alive for centuries, if not millennia, to come."

"… I'm going to live to be over 200?" Amy asked, eyes wide.

"He said, 'the majority.' That doesn't necessarily mean you in particular will live to see that future," Espio pointed out.

"It doesn't mean you will either," Amy retorted.

The chameleon sighed. "I am well aware of this."

"I don't suppose you're willing to tell us who…?" Tails questioned.

Emile winced. "I'd rather not say. But… Yeah, it's probably everyone you're thinking of."

Tails nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"But who ARE you thinking of?" Charmy demanded.

"I'd rather not say," the Fox said. The bee groaned.

"Wait, if we're still alive in Silver's time, then why doesn't he bother THEM instead of constantly coming back in time to irritate us?" Knuckles asked.

"Probably because our future selves will have remembered all of his constant irritating visits and will know to avoid him?" Shadow suggested.

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense," the echidna agreed.

"I for one will make sure to have a restraining order in place the instant he's born," Rouge spoke up. "I suggest you all do the same."

"Those of you who will still be around, anyway," Shadow added.

"So, okay, we're alive in his time, but how does his acing his history report affect us? What happens to us in the future?" Mighty asked in concern.

"What, do we become assholes?" Sonic asked.

Emile shook his head fervently. "No, no, no, no, Sonic. Most of you turn out fine. It's your kids, Sonic! Something's got to be done about them!"

Blaze and Sonic stiffened. "Our children?! As in… Mine and beloved's?!" Blaze demanded. Amy started growling at this.

"Not just yours, but everyone else's!" Muttski said.

Knuckles' eyes widened. "Rouge and I are going to have kids?!" Rouge fidgeted uncomfortably and Shadow cringed.

"And Cream and I?!" Charmy asked eagerly. The rabbit blushed. Both Shadow and Alonzo growled.

"… Yeah, sure, let's go with that," Muttski said awkwardly.

"You see, your children happen to go to the same school as Silver," Emile explained.

"Oh, are they friends?" Cream asked.

"No," Muttski said bluntly. "You really think that if Silver had friends in his own time, he'd keep traveling back in time to pester you?"

"… That's actually kind of sad," Amy confessed.

"That poor thing…" Cream murmured.

"While your heart is in the right place, Miss Cream, unfortunately he doesn't really deserve it in this instance," Emile said gravely. "Thanks to his trickery, Silver manages to score higher on his history report than your future children. He then proceeds to rub it in their faces by claiming that he knows their parents much better than their own children do. This turns out to be a bit of a sore spot for some of your kids because for a number of reasons your relations in the future will be… A little strained."

"Wait, what? Strained?! What are you talking about?!" Sonic demanded in alarm.

"Explain yourself. Now," an angry Blaze commanded.

"Look, it's a lot of things, okay? Call it a mix of angry teenage hormones, being in that phase where you have trouble respecting your parents, and the fact that… Well, it's kind of hard growing up in the shadow of people who've been protecting and shaping the world for hundreds of years and wondering if you're ever going to live up to that legacy," Muttski said uncomfortably.

"Or wondering if you even want to…" Cream murmured. Shadow put a hand on her shoulder in sympathy.

"I… Guess I can see where you're coming from," Rouge admitted reluctantly. "I've never hated my mother, not even once, but… Yes, there's times I've wondered if I can really be as good Queen as she is."

"YOU'LL-BE-A-BETTER-ONE," Omega assured her.

"In any event, this turns out to be the last straw for some of your kids, and… Well, a fight breaks out. Things get out of hand, there's a lot of property damage followed by lawsuits, expulsions, worsening of relations between you and your children, some of them run away and get involved with the wrong crowd, and things get so stressed and heated that when the dread Gizomochao finally makes his move to destroy the world, none of you are in any fit state to defeat him and his legions, and the world is doomed," Emile said solemnly.

"… Holy shit, all that just because Silver cheated on his history report?!" Vector said finally after a stunned silence.

"Big things can have small beginnings," Shadow said gravely.

"I…I can't believe it. How could we possibly screw up that badly as parents that something like this happens?!" Asked a shocked Sonic.

"Speaking from experience, parenting is not easy, beloved. Even Honey and I have had our rough patches," Blaze said sadly.

"Plus, if they're really teenagers, that could explain some of it. Going through puberty was certainly a trying experience for me and my parents," Mighty recalled.

"I had to go through it twice," Muttski complained. "Once as a regular dog, once as a Mobian. Not fun."

"Don't worry," Tales told Sonic. "Now that we know we're going to screw up somehow as parents, that means we can avoid once it actually happens."

"Not necessarily," Rouge pointed out. "200 years is a long way away. Not to mention that our actions to try and prevent that future might bring it to pass anyway."

"Like, if we try to spend more time with our children instead of being distant, they might interpret it as us smothering them and resent us anyway," Shadow agreed.

"Wait, so we could lose out either way? That's not fair!" Amy protested.

"Well, that's parenting for you," Vector said with a shrug. "A thankless, never-ending struggle."

"Then why do people have kids anyway?" Asked a confused Knuckles.

"I-ASK-MYSELF-THAT-ALL-THE-TIME," Omega said.

"Biological imperative to continue the species," Tails explained. "It's kind of built into us."

"NOT-ME," Omega said proudly.

"Parenting can be challenging, but it certainly has its rewards," Blaze said.

"And besides, without parents, most of us wouldn't be here," Espio pointed out.

"Those future kids certainly wouldn't be. Ungrateful brats," Vector groused.

"Hey, as long as none of you abandon your kid for having a voice you don't like, you can't be that terrible," Charmy complained.

"The obnoxious bug whom I wish were mute has a point," Shadow reluctantly admitted.

"Thanks…hey!" Charmy exclaimed.

"Still… If there's any way we can do better, we have to try," Sonic insisted.

Blaze nodded. "Indeed. For our children, whoever they are, even if they haven't been conceived yet. I know I shall love them all the same."

"As will I," Rouge pledged.

"And me too!" Cream spoke up.

"And don't forget me!" Amy added.

"Sure you won't just abandon the kid if it turns out not to be from Sonic?" Mighty snarked.

"Of course I won't! And there's no way it won't be from Sonic anyway," Amy said cheerfully. "If he won't impregnate me willingly, then I'll just steal some of his sperm and do it myself."

Everyone stared at the pink hedgehog in horror. "… Okay, you know what, that settles it, once we get back to civilization; I'm getting a restraining order. Enough is enough," Sonic said flatly.

"About damn time," Blaze grunted.

What?! But-but, Sonikku-" Amy protested.

"Don't you 'Sonikku' me!" Sonic snapped. "Seriously, Amy, this is the last straw. I'm sorry, but trying to steal my sperm?! That's just… ew!"

"I don't even know what sperm is, but I'm still disgusted and ashamed," Cream spoke up.

"It's not that bad…" Amy said weakly.

"It kind of is," Shadow said bluntly.

"Well, in her defense, at least she wasn't considering raping him," Espio pointed out.

"She was trying to give him a love potion earlier," Blaze said flatly.

The chameleon considered this. "… Yeah, that might hold up in court." Amy cringed.

"Wait, if Sonic gets a restraining order for Amy, how are we supposed to save the world together anymore?" Knuckles questioned. "I mean, we have to stay in close proximity to each other a lot during some of our big fights and team-ups."

"We can let the lawyers figure that out," Rouge said breezily. "I'm sure exceptions can be made for extreme circumstances."

"Are… Are they actually talking about this?" Asked a baffled Emile. "What happened to worrying about your children or the future of the world?!"

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that," Mighty realized.

"Sorry, it's been kind of a day," Tails said apologetically.

"Wait, so Gizomochao finally makes his move in 200 years? First off, holy crap, that means Shade was right to get the heck out of here!" Said an alarmed Vector. "Second, seriously, why has he been waiting this long? If he's really been active and in hiding for all these thousands of years, why hasn't he been doing anything other than making those creepy Omochao until now?"

"Entities such as Gizomochao may not see time the same way most of us do," Rouge suggested. "Nor do they think the same ways mortals do. While we might not be able to understand why he chooses that specific time to emerge, for him, it might make perfect sense."

"Well, now that we know the specific date when he'll emerge, we can set preparations in motion," Shadow suggested. "So hopefully our future selves will be readier when the time comes."

"Yeah, forewarned is forearmed or something," Mighty agreed.

"Did that change anything? Did our knowledge about what's coming and our resolution to change it alter the timeline?" Sonic asked hopefully.

Emile frowned and checked what looked like a wristwatch, but was clearly some sort of high-tech futuristic gadget. "… A little, but not enough. You'll be more prepared, but the issue with your kids will still keep you from operating at full capacity. You'll stop Gizomochao, but with absolutely MASSIVE casualties."

"Wait, seriously? That's it?!" Protested a startled Knuckles.

"But we know it's going to happen! Isn't that enough to change things?!" Charmy asked.

"Not as much as you might think," Emile said regretfully. "After all, it's easy enough to say you'll do something, and another to do it."

"Not to mention that the events we're talking about won't happen for another 200 years. A lot can happen between now and then, and a decision you make in this moment might get forgotten or more difficult to carry out when the time comes," Muttski pointed out.

"Oh, like how nobody ever keeps their New Year's resolution," Mighty realized.

"I always keep mine," said a surprised Cream.

Shadow chuckled. "Of course you do, Cream."

"In addition, there is only so much you can really do to prepare," Emile said. "Especially where children are concerned. Making decisions on how to raise someone who won't even be born for a few centuries isn't really that feasible. And then, once they ARE born, well…" He shrugged. "Well, the best-laid plans have a tendency to fall apart in the presence of the enemy."

"But these aren't enemies we're talking about, but our future kids!" Amy protested.

"The two aren't mutually exclusive," Espio snarked.

"Wait, what if we take Gizomochao out now? Now that we know for sure he's still alive, maybe we can find him and take him out before he's going to destroy the world!" Sonic suggested.

"No, no, no! You mustn't do that!" Emile cried, horrified.

"Huh? Why not?" Asked the confused hedgehog.

"In your current states, NONE of you are strong enough to defeat Gizomochao," Emile said firmly. "In the thousands of years since his fight with Emerl, he's only gotten stronger. You won't be powerful enough to defeat him for another few hundred years, and even then, it would be pretty tight."

"Seriously? But I've defeated tons of Eldritch abominations and world-ending threats already!" Sonic protested.

"As have we," Shadow added.

"Unfortunately, bro, Gizomochao is on a far greater level than anything you've ever fought," Muttski said firmly. "If you fight him as you are now, you'll die. Plain and simple."

"But what if-" Rouge started.

"No," Emile said bluntly.

"HOW-ABOUT-" Omega begin.

"No," Emile said bluntly.

"Maybe-" Tails tried to say.

"No," Emile interrupted. "I'm sorry, all of you, but trust me on this. It is too early to fight Gizomochao. You are not ready."

"What about me?" Blaze spoke up. "Not to brag, but I am considerably stronger than everyone here, when I tap into more of my true power."

"Sounds like bragging to me," Vector grumbled.

"I wouldn't say 'considerably,'" Shadow said defensively.

"I would," Sonic quipped. Shadow glared him.

"I still want to see if the Dark Heart is a match for her Iblis," Rouge murmured.

"I don't. Pretty sure a clash like that would lead to the Apocalypse," Knuckles commented.

"… THIS. MUST. HAPPEN," Omega said eagerly.

"You're probably the only one who, at the moment, has the best chance of defeating Gizomochao," Emile admitted.

"Seriously? What does that make the rest of us, then?" Charmy complained.

"As useless as always?" Mighty sneered.

Omega laughed. "GOOD-ONE."

"… He has a point," Espio admitted.

"I know. I wish he didn't…" Vector grumbled.

"Unfortunately, you'd have to tap into so much of your full power to do so that you'd probably destroy at least the half the world in the fight," Muttski spoke up. "So, probably not a good idea."

"What, seriously?" Asked a surprised Amy.

"Well, she is the Destroyer of Worlds," Knuckles pointed out. "Except when she's not trying to, which I guess limits her options somewhat."

"PATHETIC," Omega sneered.

"Unacceptable," Blaze said sharply. "Is there nothing more we can do to avert this catastrophe?"

"Oh, wait! What if we did something about Silver?" Charmy offered suddenly. "If most of us are going to live long enough to be in the same century as him, that means we'll be around when he's born, right?"

"Meaning we could murder him when he's a baby? I admit, the idea does have some appeal…" Rouge contemplated.

"I like the way you think," Alonzo said approvingly.

"AS-DO-I," Omega spoke up.

"What?! No! You can't do that!" Cream protested.

"I-SEE-NO-REASON-WHY-NOT," Omega said dismissively.

"Yeah, that's not what I was going for," Charmy admitted, repulsed by the suggestion. "I was thinking more along the lines of, I dunno, arranging things so that he didn't go to the same school as our kids? Or maybe – – and here's a thought – – we find some way to keep him from ever getting his time traveling license or whatever it is that allows him to come back here whenever he wants?"

They considered this for a moment. "The idea does have some appeal," Shadow admitted.

"It would certainly make things less annoying," Espio agreed.

"Yes, but unfortunately, it's not an option," Emile said.

"Huh? Why not?" Amy asked.

"If our future selves prevent Silver from ever traveling back in time to begin with, then we'll have never met him, meaning we won't remember he ever existed, meaning that our future selves also won't remember to prevent him from traveling in time, meaning he WILL travel in time, and we're right back to where we started," Tails explained.

"Oh, one of those time paradox things," Vector realized.

"Yeah, like what happens if you try to kill your own grandfather," Mighty agreed.

"Why would you ever want to kill your own grandfather?" Asked a horrified Cream.

"Maybe he was a really bad person? Like, Hitler levels of evil?" Rouge suggested.

"I'm not certain I would care very much if my grandfather or most of my ancestors were to die," Knuckles growled bitterly.

"But if they were killed before they had you, then you wouldn't exist, meaning you couldn't go back in time to kill them, meaning you WOULD exist, so… Oh dear, I'm starting to get a headache," Amy complained.

"Yeah, trying to figure out temporal mechanics can do that to you," Muttski admitted.

"So what, you're saying time itself won't let us get that annoyance out of our quills for good?!" Shadow asked in your frustration.

"I'm afraid not," Tails said apologetically.

"But if that's the case, how are we supposed to prevent the Apocalypse or keep things from going bad between our future selves and our future children?" Cream asked in concern.

Emile sighed. "Well, Miss Cream, I'd hoped to avoid getting more involved than I already am, but it seems Muttski and I have no choice but to resort to Plan B: traveling into the future and preventing Silver from delivering his history presentation. It's not an ideal solution, and it won't resolve all of the family issues you and your children have- though thankfully, they are a bit less dire than they were in the original timeline – – but it'll keep things from reaching their boiling point at the worst moment possible and give you a better chance of stopping the end of the world without being forced to sacrifice more than you can bear to lose."

"So yeah, no pressure," Muttski said sarcastically.

"Can't you just travel a little further back in time and cut Silver off before he even tricks us into telling him everything?" Knuckles asked.

"No, there's been too much mucking about with time already, the risk is too great," Emile said with a shake of the head. "We don't want to unleash any quantum zombies, after all!"

There was a pause. "… Quantum zombies?" Espio asked finally.

"That's a new one on me," Rouge confessed. "And I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about all things undead."

Muttski shuddered. "You DO NOT want to know."

"Are they anything like probability zombies, or-" Blaze began.

"Worse," Muttski said flatly.

"Probability zombies?" Asked a confused Amy.

"I'll explain later," Blaze promised, having no intention of doing so.

"Do you think this will work?" Tails asked his father in concern.

Emile grimaced. "The odds are not in our favor, but unfortunately, it's the best I can come up with that doesn't risk causing irreparable harm to the space-time continuum."

"What if we came to help? Would that make things easier?" Cream asked.

"How would our younger selves existing in the same time period as our older selves possibly make things easier?" Asked an incredulous Knuckles.

Cream shrugged. "Can't hurt."

"Actually, it could. Quite a lot," Espio argued.

"Yeah, didn't Silver say it would be a bad idea to cross our own timelines?" Charmy agreed.

"So we're going to believe him when he said that, after all the other bullshit he fed us?" Mighty asked skeptically.

"Just because he was lying about his mission doesn't mean he was lying about that," Rouge pointed out.

"Well, nothing bad happened the last time I teamed up with my past self-" Sonic began.

"Sonic, for the last time, time was already pretty badly broken when that happened!" Shadow snapped.

Sonic raised his hands defensively. "It was just a suggestion."

"While I thank you all for your kind offer-" Emile begin.

"Hold on, not all of us necessarily agree to this," Charmy interjected.

"Yes we do," Vector said firmly.

"When?" Charmy protested.

"Just now," Vector said. The bee sighed.

"I must agree that I don't think it's a good idea," Emile continued.

"Why? Our future selves will remember our traveling to their time since they did it when they were us, so won't that avoid the potential changes to the timeline that would come if we interacted with our past selves in their time?" Knuckles questioned.

Everyone looked at the echidna in surprise. "While I'm not entirely sure that's accurate, that's an impressive line of thought, Knuckles," Rouge said approvingly. Shadow grunted.

"EVEN-A-STOPPED-CLOCK-CAN-BE-RIGHT-TWICE-A-DAY," Omega said dismissively.

"What about a clock that's missing a hand?" Amy asked.

"LESS-THAN-USELESS," Omega said.

"While it's an interesting thought, Knuckles, even if your future selves will already remember this, the risks are still too great, especially since YOU will remember everything you see in the future, which could affect your actions going forward once you returned to this time in a negative way and alter the future in a potentially catastrophic way," Emile explained.

"You mean like our actions will be affected by what you've already told us about our futures?" Cream asked innocently.

Emile hesitated. "Ah. Well. Hmm. A fair point, I suppose, but-"

"If you're that worried about what we'll remember, couldn't you use future tech to erase our memories or something?" Sonic suggested.

"I'm immediately opposed to this," Shadow said sharply.

"… Oh, right, given how much you've suffered from amnesia in the past… Right, sorry," the blue hedgehog said apologetically.

"You should be," Cream said disapprovingly. Sonic flinched.

"Doc, why don't you run the numbers, just to be safe?" Muttski suggested. "It can't hurt to check. I think we could use all the help we can get."

"Yeah, dad, can't hurt," Tails agreed.

Emile sighed and started fiddling with his wrist gadget. "Oh, very well, though I don't expect a significant…hmm. That's interesting."

"What is?" Blaze asked.

"Hold on, let me run them again, make sure it's not… No, no, I got the same results. Huh." The scientist looked up from his watch. "As counterintuitive as it may seem, according to my calculations, bringing all of you with us would actually significantly increase our chances of saving the future."

"Wait, really?" Amy asked in surprise.

"Told you," Knuckles bragged.

"What, even the Chaotix?" Mighty snarked.

"Hey!" Vector protested.

"As strange as it may sound, yes, even their contribution will have a positive effect on the outcome of this mission… Albeit by a very small fraction of a percent, but still, it's better than nothing," Emile said.

Vector's shoulders sagged. "Seriously?"

"Hey, at least our coming won't decrease the chances of success," Espio pointed out.

"Plus, while we're there, maybe we can find out what happens to our future selves!" Charmy added. "Silver implied it was something really, really bad…"

"I-HOPE-IT-WAS-ME," Omega said. Everyone stared him. "WHAT? I-THOUGHT-IT-WAS-CLEAR-BY-NOW-THAT-I-WISH-TO-BE-THE-ONE-TO-END-ALL-OF-YOUR-WORTHLESS-LIVES. EXCEPT-FOR-SHADOW-AND-ROUGE, OF-COURSE."

"Thank you, Omega," Rouge said cheerfully.

"Good to see you value our friendship over your desire to murder all life on this planet. However, if you don't add Cream to that list, I'll rip you to pieces," Shadow said casually.

"OH, FINE," the robot grumbled.

"Thank you, Omega," Cream said gratefully. "Do you think there are a few other people I could convince you to spare as well?"

"DON'T-PUSH-IT," Omega growled.

"We'll talk later," Shadow promised his great-niece.

"So that's it, then? We're really going to the future?" Knuckles asked.

"It would appear so," Emile said with a shrug.

"Awesome! We're going to get to see how our lives turn out!" Sonic said eagerly. He paused. "… Which kind of takes the surprise out of it, but hey, if it happened to my past self a few times…"

"It will be for the better, I imagine, except for the Chaotix," Rouge commented.

"… I'd be upset, if she weren't probably right," Vector said wearily.

"And I'm going to finally find out how I get married to Sonic!" Amy cried ecstatically.

"No you won't," everyone said flatly.

"You don't know that!" The pink hedgehog protested.

"Yes, we do, and you don't," Muttski said bluntly. "End of story."

Amy's jaw dropped. "But-but-but-"

"I hope it's a nice future," Cream said hopefully. "And I look forward to meeting my future children. Oh, I hope we'll be able to help them patch things over with our future selves…"

"While it's not part of our mission, I would not mind having the chance to try," Blaze said firmly. She glanced at Emile. "If that is permissible, Doctor Blue?"

The scientist said his mouth in a straight line. "We'll see how the situation unfolds," he said uncertainly. "I'm still not sure how what we're planning isn't going to break time, and I really don't want to push it."

"I have broken worlds. I have no problem with breaking time as well if it saves the people I care for," Blaze said firmly.

"If you break time, won't that just put them in an even worse situation?" Knuckles inquired.

"I think it depends on how time is broken," Charmy said. "Sometimes breaking it makes things horrible, other times it makes them… Better somehow? I dunno."

Muttski nodded. "Yeah, time is really complicated that way."

"Timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly," Tails said sagely.

The dog smirked. "Exactly."

"Please don't talk so casually about breaking time, it'll give me ulcers," Emile pleaded. "Anyway, if we're going to do this, and clearly we are, which get moving. Everyone, into the DeLorean at once!"

The rather sizable group of Mobian stared at the small car which could only fit two people, maybe three if they were pushing it. "I don't think we're all going to fit," Mighty said finally.

"I'm definitely not," Alonzo agreed.

"Oh, you're coming too?" Rouge asked the immense elephant.

"I'm Cream's bodyguard. I never leave her side," Alonzo pointed out. "Even if it means going to another time."

"Don't worry, it's actually pretty roomy in there," Muttski assured them.

Emile nodded. "Yes, I've installed advanced space compression technology that hasn't been invented yet to make sure there's more than enough seats for as many passengers as are required."

Tails grinned. "So you're saying that it's… Bigger on the inside?"

"Like all good time machine should be!" Emile said proudly, patting the car's hood. "I also considered painting her blue, but I thought she looked better in her natural silver."

"It's a good look," Tails agreed.

"I dunno, I think it would look fine being blue," Sonic commented.

"And I'm sure you're saying that with no bias whatsoever, beloved," Blaze said in amusement.

"Absolutely none!" Sonic said with a cheeky grin, unable to keep a straight face.

"I think it would look good blue as well!" Amy exclaimed.

"Don't brown-nose, Amy," Blaze said coldly. The pink hedgehog growled.

"All right, everyone in!" Emile said, opening the driver's door and slipping into the front seat. "We haven't a moment to lose!"

"Why not? We're time traveling," Espio pointed out.

"Yes, but I wanted to give the sense that we should get out of here soon as possible," Emile said impatiently. "Because we really should."

"I call shotgun!" Sonic shouted, hand instantly shooting up.

"Dammit!" Shadow, who hadn't even realized he wanted shotgun until that moment, swore.

"Sorry bro, but that seat is mine for life," Muttski said smugly as he opened the passenger's side door.

"Actually, Muttski, I was wondering if you would mind riding in the back with the others, I was hoping to give it Miles a chance to sit up here with me for this trip," Emile said apologetically.

"Yes!" Tails cheered.

"What?! But-but Doc, you said I could ride shotgun in perpetuity!" Muttski protested in alarm.

"I'm sorry, Muttski, but Miles is my son. Family trumps everything," Emile said apologetically.

Muttski grimaced. "Yeah, yeah, all right…" He glared at Tails enviously as the Fox eagerly climbed into the seat next to his father, giddily staring at all the complex instruments before him, which the scientist was more than happy to explain to him. "Yeah, enjoy it while it lasts, Foxboy, I don't care what the Doc says, that seat is mine, and I'm taking it back on the ride home!"

"Don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously?" Amy asked skeptically.

"Getting to ride shotgun is a very prestigious honor and privilege, Amy," Sonic said scornfully.

Muttski nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's a guy thing."

"A guy thing," all the other males in the group chorused, except for Shadow, who rolled his eyes in irritation.

"I-HAVE-AN-ACTUAL-SHOTGUN," Omega spoke up.

"I don't get it," said confused Cream.

"Let it go, Miss Cream. Like they said, it's a guy thing," Alonzo advised her.

Muttski sighed and pushed up Tails' seat, the Fox too busy pushing buttons and flipping switches to notice. "All right, everyone get in," he said, gesturing at the space behind the seat.

"You sure we're all going to fit?" Vector asked skeptically as they uncertainly approached the vehicle.

"Yeah, it's all good, get in," Muttski said, getting annoyed.

"Well, if the Doc and my bro say it's fine, that's good enough for me," Sonic said, grabbing Blaze by the hand. "Come on, let's get first pick."

Blaze chuckled good-naturedly as her boyfriend dragged her towards the car. "Oh my! How presumptuous of you, Mister Hedgehog. Be careful I don't call the executioners on you."

"If you ever DID call the executioners, I'd know I deserved it," Sonic said seriously as they climbed into the car and disappeared behind Tails' seat.

"Hey! Don't get too close to him, you witch!" Amy cried, rushing in after them… And gasping. "Oh, wow!"

"Amy? Are you all right?" Cream called in concern.

"Please say no please say no please say no…" Charmy muttered under his breath, crossing his fingers.

Amy poked her head back out of the door, much to the bee's disappointment. "Guys, you've gotta see this! This is amazing!"

Intrigued, the others gathered around the car door as Amy retreated inside and stared in amazement at the interior of the DeLorean. Instead of a cramped space to store luggage like they had expected, there was a lengthy lounge that wouldn't look out of place in a stretch limousine, comfortable-looking leather seats lining the walls (each of which had a seatbelt, of course), a number of monitors hanging from the ceiling (which looked much higher than the actual car roof) interspersed with mood lighting, a soft shag carpet, windows that did not appear on the exterior of the vehicle, a minifridge, a wine bar running down the middle, and even a door in the very back. Sonic poked his head out from the door, exclaiming, "There's a swimming pool!"

"And a library!" Blaze called from further in. "Strangely enough, they occupy the same space. That does not seem entirely sensible."

"The books are all waterproof," Emile yelled back to her.

"Oh. That explains it, then," she shouted back.

Dumbstruck, Knuckles stared at the inside of the car, the outside, back at the interior, then at the outside again, repeating this for several seconds before declaring, "Okay, I'm not the only one who's thinking that it's smaller on the outside, right?"

Tail snapped his fingers. "So close!"

"How the… How the heck is this possible?!" Asked an astounded Vector.

"It's bigger than our apartment!" Charmy cried. "And nicer, too!"

"Not that that's a high bar to clear," Espio grunted.

"Weren't you listening? I told you, futuristic space compression technology!" Emile said proudly.

"You mean you stole it from the future?" Mighty asked.

"Of course not!" Emile cried, disgusted. "I invented it along with Miles! Or rather, will invent it. I mean, I've already invented it, but the Miles you know hasn't-"

"We get the idea," Shadow interjected.

"Wait, then how is it futuristic?" Asked a confused Knuckles.

"Because it will be invented in the future. Just because it's a few years off rather than a few centuries doesn't change that," Tails explained. "Also, Dad, the next time you see Future Me, tell him he's a genius."

"I do it all the time," Emile said proudly.

"Eh, it's nothing that can't be and hasn't been done easily enough by magic," Rouge said, unimpressed. "You thought my Castle back home looked big from the outside? You have no idea…"

"Well, I'm impressed," Cream spoke up. "It looks very nice, Doctor Blue."

"Yeah, I was kind of expecting something a lot messier from a mad scientist," Charmy agreed.

"I'm not mad!" Emile said, offended. "A bit eccentric, perhaps, but certainly not mad!" He paused, and then grinned. "Although, you calling me that is certainly making me angry!" There was a pause. "You know, because then I wouldn't be a mad scientist but an angry-"

"We understood the first time, we just didn't think it was funny," Espio said bluntly.

Emile pouted. "I didn't get it…" Knuckles muttered to himself.

"Well, I thought it was funny," Cream said encouragingly. Emile perked up at this.

"Did you really, or are you only saying that in an attempt to make the doctor feel better?" Shadow asked.

Cream fidgeted. "Well… Um…" Emile's face fell.

"Cream, you should know better than to tell lies," Shadow chided her.

"Well, apparently I'm going to be next in line to run a massive criminal empire, so I have to do it eventually," Cream said with a hint of bitterness.

There was an awkward silence. "We… We'll discuss this with your mother later," Shadow said uncomfortably.

"Hey Sonic, is there a bathroom in there? I kind of need to go," Mighty asked the blue hedgehog, trying to change the subject.

"Uh, that's a good question. Hey Blaze, you see a bathroom back there?" Sonic called back into the depths of the vehicle.

"No, but I haven't really been looking!" Blaze yelled back. "I've been too busy staring at some history books describing my future conquests and wondering if I dare to look at them or not!"

Emile grimaced. "I wouldn't recommend it!" He yelled to the cat. "But ultimately, it's your decision! Oh, and Mighty, turn right when you get into the library and take the third door on the left. Make sure not to go too far, or you might wind up in the Arboretum by mistake."

"Thanks, Doc," Mighty said gratefully, climbing into the car and heading towards the back door, which Sonic opened wider to allow him entrance.

"Oh, and when I mean door, I mean one that has a doorknob, if you open the sliding door you'll wind up in the zoo for extinct animals from other time periods," Emile added.

"Duly noted," the armadillo replied as he went through the door.

Cream's eyes lit up. "Oh! I'd love to see the zoo!"

"We can go later, Miss Cream," Alonzo promised her.

"Yeah, you'd probably love the dodos," Muttski suggested.

"… Just how much stuff do you have back there?" Asked a bewildered Vector.

Emile shrugged. "A considerable amount, really. I've discovered that when time traveling, I prefer to do so in luxury, especially when the accommodations in some of the eras I've visited have been somewhat… Lacking. And really, with space compression technology, why WOULDN'T you want to take a sizable mansion with you wherever you went?"

"… You know, that might not actually be a bad idea," said intrigued Rouge. "If I fit my house into my purse – – or at least give it a subspace passage leading to my house – – that would certainly make some of my missions a great deal more comfortable."

"Why's everybody gotta have mansions but us?!" Charmy complained.

"I don't have a mansion," Sonic pointed out.

"Neither do I," Amy seconded.

"I'm barely even able to build a hut," Knuckles complained.

"Sonic, you're going to be marrying a Queen, you have no place to talk," Espio said sharply.

"Fair enough," Sonic conceded.

"We can give you guys a tour later," Muttski said as he climbed into the car. "But for now, we really should be going."

In short order, all the heroes entered the car and had taken their seats in the lounge, marveling at the interior and the comfort of their seats. Even Muttski didn't seem to mind being put in the back so much anymore. It was somewhat comical seeing Alonzo and the ninja bodyguards wearing seatbelts like everyone else, and even with the expansive interior granted by the space compression technology, the elephant still seemed too big for the car. Blaze's Biter had also been allowed on board and had been buckled up next to Cream. Emile couldn't help frowning as the seat blackened from contact with its molten hide and the carpet was burning in places from its flaming saliva. "Really shouldn't let pets in the car…" he muttered under his breath.

Once Sonic, a refreshed Mighty, and Blaze, the latter holding a book and looking uncertainly at it, returned from the back and took their seats, Emile announced, "All right everyone, it's time to get going. Once we get to 88 miles per hour-"

"Wait!" Amy cried, interrupting him.

Emile sighed. "What is it now?"

"Amy, if this is about Sonic or I, I swear to Iblis that-" Blaze started angrily.

"No, it's not that! We forgot Big!" Amy said quickly.

Cream gasped. "Oh no, she's right!"

"… Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot about him," Vector realized.

"Like you forgot about me for years?" Mighty snarled.

"Can't you just let that go already?!" Charmy snapped.

"NO!" The armadillo shouted.

"Settle down, Mighty. But Amy has a point-" Sonic begin.

"Now that's a rare sentence," Rouge joked. The pink hedgehog growled.

"We did forget Big. It wouldn't be right of us to leave him out of this," Sonic continued.

"Oh, but its okay to include people who don't want to come?" Charmy whined. Everyone ignored him.

"Are you sure he'll even want to come?" Shadow asked skeptically.

Knuckles shrugged. "Can't hurt to ask."

"A better question is, do we even WANT him to come?" Espio grumbled.

Emile checked his gadget. "Actually, according to my calculations-"

"Let me guess, bringing him with us will ALSO somehow increase our chances of success?" Rouge asked in exasperation.

"Yes, and considerably more so than the Chaotix," Emile reported.

"Oh COME ON!" Vector yelled, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

"Yeah, I'm not really surprised," Espio grunted.

Tails rolled down his window and poked his head out. "Hey, Big, want to come with us on an adventure to the distant future?"

Big, who hadn't budged from his fishing spot at the punch bowl, mountains of fish bones towering around him, paused in thought. After several long seconds, he asked, "Will there be fish?"

Tails glanced at his father. "Dad, will there be fish?"

"Well, there should be. Additionally, thanks to pollution and exposure to radiation, many of them will be much larger than the ones in this day and age," Emile recalled.

"There will be, and they'll be really big!" Tails called to the large cat.

Big stared at him for a very long time. He blinked once or twice. Finally, he said, "Okay."

Big reeled his fishing line in, slowly rose to his feet, and ponderously made his way over to the car, the ground trembling slightly with each foot fall. Tails quickly opened his door and pushed his seat up all the way as the feline approached, and even then he found himself shoved against the glove compartment as Big forced his immense mass through the rather too small door, the DeLorean sagging on its side so much that everyone sitting on the opposite side of the lounge almost slid off their seat, but were held rather uncomfortably tightly in place by their seatbelts. Big sat down, nearly crushing Charmy as he found himself squashed up against Espio, then attempted to buckle himself in. Keyword being: attempt. No matter how hard he pulled on it, it wouldn't go all the way around his immense bulk. Finally, Charmy, flailing and gasping for breath, managed to pull the buckle out enough for Big to slide the tongue in, but even then it just barely fit, and the belt was cinched so tightly against his chest it looked to be digging into his belly fat. Big, naturally, did not notice.

Knuckles blinked. "Okay, how is it that Alonzo, an elephant, was able to get in and buckle himself up with no problem, but Big, who is considerably smaller, did all… That?"

"Heck if I know," said an equally bewildered Alonzo.

"Doc, do you think you could maybe do something about all… This?" Muttski asked.

"Just a moment," Emile said, flipping a few switches.

Suddenly, the lounge stretched out a bit more, allowing poor Charmy to breathe again, and leveled out, so that once again everyone was comfortably seated, and even Big's belt had adjusted to fit him perfectly. Naturally, he did not notice. "There, that should do it."

"You're a miracle worker, Doc," Mighty commented, impressed.

"Oh don't thank me, after all, none of this would be possible without Miles," the scientist said, fondly glancing at his son, who'd managed to push his seat back to a more comfortable position.

Tails blushed. "Okay, now I'm really looking forward to inventing all of this stuff with you."

"It's a day worth remembering," Emile agreed.

"So, Big, what do you think of the inside of the car?" Muttski asked casually.

Big looked around slowly. He blinked once or twice. "It's nice," he said finally.

"Well, yeah, it is, but do you notice anything? Like, say, its size proportionate to the outside?" The dog continued, started grin.

Big stared blankly at him. Muttski's grin started to look a bit strained.

"Bro, I don't think he's going to understand that word," Sonic spoke up.

"I certainly don't," Knuckles commented.

"THIS-IS-A-SURPRISE?" Omega sneered. The echidna glared at him.

"Err, right. Big, have you noticed that the inside of the car isn't exactly the same as the outside?" Muttski tried again.

Another long pause. Another few blinks. "It is?" Big asked finally.

"… You… You seriously didn't notice?" Muttski asked, incredulous.

"No," Big replied after several very long, tedious moments of thought.

"So the fact that it's bigger on the inside then it is on the outside means absolutely nothing to you?!" Muttski asked in disbelief.

"No," Big said after some more thought.

Muttski was crestfallen. "Sorry, Muttski, but Big's too stupid to notice stuff like that," Charmy spoke up.

"That's not very nice," Cream said, indignant.

"But not necessarily wrong," Alonzo added. Cream frowned at her bodyguard.

"Look at this way, at least Knuckles was impressed," Shadow remarked.

"Yeah, I was… Wait, why are you singling me out?" The echidna asked in confusion.

Emile chuckled. "You certainly have some interesting friends, Miles."

"Yeah, I know," Tails admitted, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Uh, maybe we should get going?"

"Indubitably!" He turned the ignition, causing the car to start up with a surprisingly loud roar from the engine, all sorts of lights flashing on the dashboard instrument panels, much to Tails' delight. "All right everyone, get ready!" Emile announced as he pushed down on the accelerator, causing the DeLorean to start moving, the passengers noting with some amazement that they could barely feel any motion at all. "Once we get up to 88 miles per hour, the time circuits will engage, transporting us hundreds of years into the future! I hope you're ready for this, because I'm taking you to a world unlike anything you've ever seen before!"

"I dunno, I've seen a lot," Rouge commented, unimpressed.

"As have I, but there's always something new to see, even for beings as ancient as us," Blaze pointed out, her eyes again focused on the book in her lap, an uncertain look on her face. Sonic put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she shot him a grateful look. Amy scowled.

"Hey Doc, we better back up," Mighty said in concern, noticing that they were approaching the trees at the edge of the clearing a little too quickly for his liking. "We don't have enough road to make it to 88!"

"More to the point, we don't have any road at all!" Espio agreed, starting to get anxious.

Muttski burst into laughter at that. Emile grinned. "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need…" He casually lowered his goggles. "Roads."

He flipped a switch…

And the rockets on the rear of the car flared to life, the tires flipping 90 degrees to the horizontal position as the entire DeLorean rose into the air, shooting over the trees just before it could crash into them, shaving off some of the foliage as they went and leaving a trail of burning leaves in their wake.

"WOW! AMAZING!" Omega declared as everyone looked out the windows in surprise. "… ARE-THINGS-I-WOULD-PROBABLY-SAY-IF-I-WERE-AN-EASILY-IMPRESSED-ORGANIC-AND-IF-FLYING-CARS-DIDN'T-EXIST-ALREADY."

"… Guy's got a bit of a point there," Mighty admitted.

"Except that most flying cars aren't this luxurious," Espio pointed out.

"I don't think we've ever been in one this fancy before," Charmy agreed.

"And you probably never will again," Rouge said cheerfully.

"I hate that she's probably right," Vector grumbled.

"Nor can they travel through time!" Muttski said defensively.

"Don't listen to him dad, I think it's incredible!" Tails assured his father.

"Thank you, Miles, your validation is all I need," Emile said gratefully.

"HE-IS-JUST-SAYING-THAT-BECAUSE-HE-IS-YOUR-ADOPTED-OFFSPRING," Omega said dismissively.

"Am not," Tails said, turning around and sticking his tongue out at the robot.

"… NOT-FOR-THE-FIRST-TIME, I-WISH-I-HAD-A-MOUTH-SO-I-COULD-RETALIATE-IN-KIND," Omega lamented.

"Don't worry Omega, we'll get you one someday," Shadow promised.

"Wait, you want a mouth so you can stick your tongue out at people? Isn't that kind of petty?" Amy asked.

"HAVE-YOU-MET-ME?" Omega asked incredulously.

"Hey Omega, you realize that once we get the future, you're going to be horribly obsolete, right?" Mighty pointed out.

"I… WHAT? THAT'S… NO… THAT… THAT-CAN'T…" Omega stammered, twitching, sparks flying from his joints. "NO… YOU'RE-RIGHT… NO… NO… NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"That wasn't very nice," Cream chided.

"Guy's always going on about how superior he is to the rest of us. Figured it was time he got a taste of his own medicine," Mighty said unapologetically. "I can be petty too, if I want. I think I've earned it by now."

"You realize that if he is still alive in the future, he'll not only be heavily upgraded but probably remember this?" Rouge pointed out. "And we just established how petty he can be."

Mighty's eyes widened in horror. "… Oh shit. Uh, hey, Doc, I don't suppose it's too late to turn this car around?"

"We're almost at 88 miles per hour, so, no," Emile replied.

Mighty gulped. Omega glared at him menacingly.

"I can't believe we're really going on another adventure, so soon after the last one," Knuckles commented.

"I know! And to the future! Who knows what's going to await us there?" Sonic said excitedly. Muttski cleared his throat. "That was a rhetorical question."

"Why do people bother asking those if there's always a high risk of them being misinterpreted?" Espio wondered.

"I dunno. Wait, was that a rhetorical question?" Charmy asked in concern.

"I… Don't think so, no," the chameleon said, looking uncertain.

"You do realize that if you don't erase our memories, I'm going to be taking back a massive amount of information once I get in touch with my future self, right?" Rouge asked the doctor.

Emile winced. "I don't suppose I could ask you not to do that?" Rouge burst into hysterical laughter. He sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Don't worry, dad, I'm sure it'll turn out okay," Tails reassured his father. "After all, if it wouldn't, your probability calculator wouldn't have said it was okay to bring us all! Well, assuming it's not malfunctioning."

"… Maybe I should check one last time-" Emile said anxiously.

"We're almost at 88 miles per hour, so, no," Mighty said snidely. Emile grunted.

"The future… I wonder what we'll see there?" Shadow mused.

"Maybe find out if we even have one," Vector said anxiously.

"Or if I take over my mother's business," Cream said in concern.

"I'm sure you'll make a great Donna, Miss Cream," Alonzo assured his charge.

"I'm not sure I want to be," the rabbit whimpered.

"Or if I have fulfilled my ambitions, and what price I may have had to pay to achieve them," Blaze said uneasily, still looking at the unopened history book in her paws.

"Or what kinds of adventures we've had, both epic and…otherwise," Sonic said softly, putting a hand over Blaze's and smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Or if I ever become a truly great Guardian, and stop being the butt of everyone's jokes," Knuckles said hopefully.

"Or if I finally wind up with Sonic!" Amy said eagerly.

"Yeah, I'm going to guess the answer to those two is no," Charmy sneered. Knuckles sighed and Amy growled.

"Or if there are good fish to eat," Big said simply.

Everyone stared at him for a moment. "Well, I suppose there's something to be said for being easy to please," Espio said finally.

"YES. THAT-HE'S-AN-IDIOT," Omega sneered, processor racing as he made plans to steal as much future technology as possible to augment his body to prevent himself from becoming obsolete and laughed at by the robots of the future, including his older self. It's what he would do if he were his future self, after all.

"Or how things turn out for Cosmo and I, and how much of the world of tomorrow is shaped by my own hands," Tails wondered.

"Well, son, you'll find out shortly," Emile promised the Fox. "And all of you as well! Brace yourselves, for the future awaits!"

As the DeLorean rocketed ever higher, the coils on its side glowing, a corona forming around the front, and sparks and colored lights crackling off of its form as it approached its target speed, nobody noticed a one-man hover pod containing an egg-shaped man with a red jacket, goggles, pince-nez glasses, and a huge bushy mustache frantically flying after them, shouting, "Wait! Wait! I didn't get to tell my origin yet-"

In a flash of light, the DeLorean vanished, two trails of fire burning in the air where it had just been. The fat man sagged. "Oh, bother."

"It appears that we are too late, Doctor Eggman," a diminutive round red and black robot said apologetically.

"Gee, you don't say?!" The mad scientist snapped.

"We'd be happy to hear your origin story, Boss," a second robot, this one yellow and cube-shaped, offered.

Eggman sighed. "It's just not the same, Cubot. It's just not the same."

There was another flash of light, and suddenly another one-man hover pod containing an egg-shaped man with a jacket, goggles, pince-nez glasses, and a huge bushy mustache, only the colors were different from Eggman's, appeared. After looking around for a moment, he cursed. "Blast, I missed them! And I was finally going to reveal my true origins to them, too!"

"Well, you could always tell me," Eggman suggested, trying not to look too eager.

Eggman Nega sighed. "Oh, very well. It all began-"

…

And with that, we bring this story to a close.

I have to say, I did not expect this story to run for as long or take so many years to complete as it did. But, as is so often the case with my work, I often let my writing get away with me. It's something I really need to work on.

Do I have any regrets? Well, while I'm largely satisfied with this story as is, I can't help but feel that I put far too much emphasis on my interpretation of Blaze and her backstory. I probably could've trimmed down her story to make it WAY shorter, not take up two incredibly long chapters which make up a sizable percentage of the whole story, and maybe not have thrown in a Kamen Rider crossover. I mean, yeah, I enjoyed it, but that doesn't mean all of my readers did.

Regardless, I'm glad I finally finished this story. It was fun to work on, but it was really time to move on. While I may return to this universe in future stories- but don't hold me to that, I have a lot of other things on my plate, including a certain unfinished Pokémon story which has been looming over me for years - I regret to inform you that I've no intention of writing a sequel featuring the adventures the cast gets up to in the future. Such a story is beyond my scope as a writer, I believe.

Thank you for reading this story and sticking with me for as long as you have. I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you had just as much fun reading it. See you next time.