And so begins chapter fifteen! :D still going on strong! I'm soooooo sorry it's so late. Life has just been busy, especially with Black Friday quickly approaching. I really really want to finish this story, but i especially want it done before I get busy with school again as well. gotta keep going! lol anyways, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog. Everything, except for the plot and my OC Rosalina the robot, are the property of Sega and Sonic Team.

Sonic, Tails, and Shadow flew through the vortex with blinding speed. They felt their bodies being dragged and thrown in every direction and had no control over where they went. After what felt like hours of constant spinning, it finally stopped and they collided with something hard. The impact had them completely disoriented. After their heads cleared, they found themselves lying on the ground in an unknown area.

"What the heck was that? Where are we?!" said Tails, his head still spinning. Shadow slowly stood up on his feet and checked his watch for map coordinates to find their location.

"Strange... this says we're in the exact same spot we were in before." Shadow said.

"You mean we didn't even move? Then what was the point of all that?" Sonic asked as he also sat up. Then the three of them started surveying their surroundings. They really were in the same location they were in before the vortex sucked them in, but something was definately off about this place. The sky was completely polluted with thick black clouds, and many of the trees were long gone. They looked for Tails' Workshop, only to find there was no workshop at all. It appeared that a land slide had caused the whole cliff, including the workshop, to fall into the sea long ago. Tails stared in horror.

"My workshop!" Tails exclaimed as he cringed at the sight.

"So, it's not where we are..." Shadow trailed off. He glanced down at his watch again and saw that it had malfunctioned and would no longer display the date. "...but when."

"Are you saying we travelled through time?" Sonic asked. Shadow nodded.

"It seems we were sent to the future." Shadow replied. They walked to the edge of the cliff and stared out at the sea. The ocean was dark and eerie from the black clouds that stretched across the horizon. The sky lit up temporarily as lighting could be seen coursing through the air at a distance. A bone-chilling breeze coming from the dark sea made them shudder.

"How can this be the future?" Tails asked sadly as he hugged himself for comfort.

"Well, how do we know for sure that this is the future?" Sonic asked.

"I can't think of what else it could be." Shadow replied. "My watch no longer displays the date. That probably means it isn't even programmed with this particular date."

"We should probably look around, see if we can find out anything." Tails suggested. Sonic and Shadow agreed. They ran down the steps and made their way across the rubble of the collapsed bridge and to the front of the now abandoned Mystic Ruins Train Station. They saw a strange yellow poster nailed to the wall.

"What's this?" Tails said as he pulled the poster off of the wall. He read what was written on the poster. "...By order of the Emperor, this train station shall no longer operate and is hereby shut down permanently. Signed, Emperor Eggman of the Eggman Empire?!"

"WHAT?!" Sonic exclaimed. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"That's what it says." said Tails.

"So, Eggman accomplished his dream of an Eggman Empire after all." said Shadow.

"But how is this possible? How would he even be alive if this is the future?" Tails asked fearfully.

"I don't know... but I guess we'll know soon enough." Shadow replied.

"This is crazy! I just wanna know how he became emperor of anything! I would have never let that happen!" Sonic said angrily.

"Heh, maybe somewhere down the line he finally bested you." Shadow taunted.

"Shut up, Shadow! This isn't funny!" Sonic yelled. Shadow snickered at his reaction.

"Let's keep looking." Tails said. They walked up the hill to the waterfall and found that the water had completely dried. They looked to the left of the former waterfall and saw a familiar mine shaft.

"Well, the mine shaft is still open." Sonic remarked, and they quickly entered. It was dark and foggy inside the mine shaft, and they had to tread carefully over the ruined mine rail. As they cautiously approached, they noticed a strange light at the end of the tunnel. When they made it out of the mine shaft on the other side, they were utterly shocked at what they saw.

"Holy..." Tails trailed off. Rather than seeing a beautiful forest, they saw something else entirely: a giant robotic city. Thousands of skyscrapers were scattered across the whole area where the forest once stood. The Mystic Ruins was now a barren wasteland of buildings and metal. Huge factories completely polluted the air with black smoke as far as the eye could see, and flashing search lights lit up the sky in red, giving the whole city a dark and menacing atmosphere. The very sight had them speechless.

"I... I-I don't understand. Where's the forest? Where's anything?!" Sonic asked, still gaping at the large city below him.

"Where do you think? Gone." said Shadow. He took a few steps toward the ledge to get a closer look, glaring intensely. "I think what we're looking at is the capital of Eggman's Empire." Shadow said as he noticed the many Eggman symbols and statues that decorated the streets of this vast city. Large electrical tubes and wires stretched all the way across the city, between structures and along roadsides. "This must be where it all started. Where the world we knew came to an end, and a new age began. An age where Eggman finally has total control." Shadow said in realization.

"So then this really is the future..." Tails said hopelessly as he stared solemnly at the evil city. "This is horrible! How could it end like this?"

"Who knows. All I know is as soon as we get back to our own time, I'm gonna stop this before it even starts!" Sonic said, enraged.

"There's just the matter of how we get back." said Shadow. "We need to search this city."

"And what exactly are we looking for?" Sonic asked impatiently.

"Well, if my suspicion is correct, we're going to need the Chaos Emeralds. I imagine Eggman would have them somewhere in this city. We need to find them." Shadow replied.

"Sounds like a plan to me." said Tails. At this, Sonic's angry expression was quickly replaced with a determined smile.

"Then let's do it." Sonic said as he lept from the ledge and landed on top of one of the large buildings, and Tails and Shadow followed. They had to make their way down slowly by jumping on multiple platforms to reach the bottom. When they made it to the ground, they were astonished at just how tall the buildings really were. The structures towered over them by several thousand feet and were very close together. The small alleyways were very dark from the shadows cast by the buildings above. They began running full speed ahead through the dark alleyways, trying to find a way out of the maze of buildings. They saw that many robots inhabited these alleyways as they ran through them.

"That's weird, how come these robots won't attack us?" Tails inquired.

"They must be docile." Shadow replied.

"Uhh... docile?" said Sonic. Shadow rolled his eyes.

"It means they aren't fighters. As long as we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone." Shadow replied.

"Oh, I get it." Sonic said.

"Hmph. Idiot." Shadow said, smirking.

"Hey, I may not know them fancy words, but I'm a lot smarter than you think." Sonic said while grinning pridefully.

"I'm sure you are." Shadow replied sarcastically. Sonic frowned at Shadow.

"It's still strange that Eggman would create robots that don't even fight." said Tails.

"Why would he need them to anymore? It's obvious there's nothing left for him to fight in this time line. I'll bet he's conquered just about everything by now." Shadow said.

"But how did all this happen? How did he do it?" Tails asked.

"I'm sure the answer to that lies somewhere in this godforsaken city." Shadow replied sternly. They continued their dash through the alleyways, making turn after turn with no luck finding the way out for several minutes. Finally, they managed to find the exit. It lead to a very wide road that was over a hundred blocks long and went through a densely urban part of the city. Despite being a large street that seemed like it was meant for lots of automotive commuting, there were no cars to be seen anywhere. Only robots.

"Huh, where are all the people?" Sonic wondered. Tails wondered the same as he looked around the area, not seeing any people anywhere. Then he noticed a peculiar robot standing idle at the corner of a four-way intersection. The robot was making strangely cheerful beeping sounds and appeared to be in a good mood.

"Do you think maybe we could ask that robot over there for anything that might help us?" Tails asked, pointing at the unusual robot.

"What makes you think that robot would help us?" said Sonic.

"Just a feeling. It's worth a try, right?" Tails said.

"We'll have to be very cautious and discreet. We can't let any of the robots here know we are Eggman's enemies." Shadow said. Tails slowly approached the robot with Sonic and Shadow behind him. As they got closer, the robot immediately turned to them and started speaking.

"Greetings, creatures of the living!" the robot exclaimed. It spoke in a chirpy tone with a formal British accent. "Such a beautiful day to be in the city, isn't it?"

"Uhh... sure, I guess." Tails said reluctantly.

"Is there anything I may be able to assist you with?" the robot said politely.

"Well, actually we were wondering if you could answer some questions..." Tails said cautiously.

"Certainly! What is it, good sirs?" the robot asked.

"Well for one, where are we?" Sonic inquired.

"Oh! You gentlemen must be new here! Allow me to introduce you to this sacred place." the robot said enthusiastically. The robot held his arms up in the air, as if he was about to preach to them. "This is the capital city of the greatest empire ever to be conceived on this planet, the mighty city Robotropolis. This is where our noble Emperor reigns supreme. Truly the most remarkable place on Earth!"

"I see... so where are all the people?" Tails asked. The robot paused.

"What do you mean where are the people?" the robot asked.

"As in where are all the people! There's no one here in case you haven't noticed." Sonic said irritatedly.

"You're not referring to humans, are you?" the robot said in a perplexed tone. "Hah, you can't be serious!"

"Just answer the question." Shadow said threateningly. The robot chuckled.

"You really don't know, do you? How does one not know about this?" the robot said. "Very well, then I shall tell you. The humans died out ages ago. They have been extinct for almost two hundred years, you see." the robot answered. Sonic and Tails gasped, utterly astounded.

"Extinct?! How?!" Tails inquired urgently.

"Well, it is a long and complex part of our history. But I'll do my best to summarize it for you, since you are so eager to know." the robot began. "Right around the time the Eggman Empire was first founded, Emperor Eggman began conquering the earth in order to gain power. He started by obtaining the entire planets energy resources in order to begin building his own society. After he took what was rightfully his from those wretched humans, he dispatched his army of loyal and brave robots and destroyed their civilization. One by one the world's most prestigious cities fell by the hands of the Eggman Empire." Sonic didn't want to accept what he was hearing.

Those people, all dead... Sonic thought as he became sick to the stomach.

"Wait, the Emperor took all of Earth's energy you say? As in energy from the humans?" Tails asked.

"Yes, precisely." the robot said.

"Project R..." Shadow muttered.

"Pardon?" said the robot.

"Nothing, please continue." Shadow replied.

"Right. As I was saying, once the human race was completely eradicated, the Eggman Empire could begin expanding. It only took about twenty years later for the empire to extend across the entire planet. This city is the oldest and most renowned part of the Eggman Empire. It began in this very place, and the Emperor's rule here has remained strong to this day." the robot said.

So, Eggman kills off the human race and builds a society of robots. That maniac! Shadow thought, shaking his head.

"Hold on. You said the humans are extinct, but isn't Eggma- I mean, isn't the 'Emperor' technically also a human?" Sonic asked.

"Well, if that were the case he would have died of old age many years ago, and we wouldn't have an emperor anymore, would we?" the robot retorted. "But it is true that the Emperor was once a human himself. There are many rumors about how the Emperor has sustained life for this long, but it is uncertain whether any of them are true. Most believe that when the Emperor was about to die, he ordered his royal subjects to replace his dying flesh with the everlasting parts of a robot so that he could become immortal and rule the empire forever."

"So... he's a cyborg?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, at least that's what they say. But it is only a rumor." the robot replied.

"Alright, just one more question." said Shadow. "Would you happen to know if there are any Chaos Emeralds in this city?"

"What do you mean? Of course there are! They are kept high in the Spire of the Emperor's Stronghold, just over there." the robot said as he pointed. Sonic, Shadow, and Tails turned in the direction the robot was pointing. Their eyes grew wide and their jaws dropped as they saw a building unlike any other. The dark tower was at least three times the height of the rest of the skyscrapers in the whole city. They had to lean their heads all the way back just to be able to see the top of this monstrous structure. Huge sparks of electricity could be seen flowing from the top of the tower and into the sky. It didn't take them long to realize that this building was standing where Eggman's Mystic Ruins Base once was.

"That thing is enormous! I've never seen anything that big!" Sonic exclaimed in awe.

"Quite a beauty, huh? That is where the Emperor conducts political business. It is also considered to be the central power plant of the world, containing the entire planets energy in a large protected sphere at the very top. It is the ultimate power source of the entire Eggman Empire."

"So how do we get there from here?" Tails asked. The robot immediately erupted in laughter.

"Get there?! You?! Oh, the idea! You silly creatures, you kill me!" the robot said as he continued his odd robotic laughter. "Don't you know that the Emperor's Stronghold lies within the Inner City? No living beings are allowed beyond the walls of the Inner City! Anything that is not a robot that tries entering is killed on sight. You would be fools to try to enter that place. You have no right to set foot within those sacred walls."

"Okay. That is all we need to know. We appreciate the help." said Shadow. The three of them walked away from the robot as it continued laughing uncontrollably.

"Geez, even robots can have weird personalities." said Tails.

"Robots have no personality. That robot must've been programmed that way." Shadow stated.

"So now what do we do?" Tails asked.

"Easy. We get into that Inner City. If those damn robots won't let us in, we'll just break in!" Sonic said.

"If you even try doing something that reckless, you're begging to provoke the wrath of an entire city of Eggman's robots." Shadow said. "We need to be smart about this."

"Maybe if we sneak past first?" Tails suggested.

"Exactly." Shadow replied.

"I know! What if they thought we were robots? Like we had some kind of disguise?" Tails said.

"Okay. But how do we disguise ourselves as robots?" Sonic asked. Tails started looking around for anything that could be made into a robot cover, and noticed a large pile of discarded metal scraps behind one of the buildings.

"Hey! Maybe this stuff here could help." Tails said as he ran over to the pile. They dug through the pile of metal and found several broken robots underneath.

"Yes, these will do nicely." Shadow said as he started disassembling one of the robots.

"This would be much easier if I just had my tools with me." Tails said disappointedly. They all started taking the broken robots apart and used the pieces to create makeshift robot costumes. Ensuring that the disguises were efficient enough, they quickly put them on.

"I dunno. You guys sure this is gonna work?" Sonic asked.

"If you have a better suggestion, we'd love to hear it." Shadow said scornfully. Sonic shrugged.

"Ugh, I feel like a walking gas can." Sonic complained.

"And you smell like one too!" Tails teased as he waved his hand in front of his nose. Sonic and Tails laughed noisily together.

"Hah! Good one Tails." Sonic said, giving Tails a high five. Shadow sighed in annoyance.

"Let's get going." Shadow said, and they made their way cautiously down the large street. Surprisingly it didn't take long for them to reach the entrance of the Inner City. As they approached the giant metal gates, they were stopped by three big robot guards.

"Halt! State your business." said one of the guards.

"Uhh..." Sonic cleared his throat and tried mimicking a robotic voice. "We've come to give honor to Emperor Eggman. We are uhh..." Sonic trailed off, trying quickly to come up with something convincing.

"Tourists!" Tails improvised.

"Ah... yes! We are tourists and... we want to visit this awesome place and show our respect to our ruler and... stuff." Sonic said. Sonic bit his lip anxiously as he waited for the guard's response.

"Proceed." the guard said. The huge metal gates behind the guards began opening slowly and creaked sharply as they did. The guards stepped aside to let them through. Sonic was heavily relieved that the robots bought his story.

"Thank you." Sonic said as he, Tails, and Shadow quickly walked past the gates. "That was easy." Sonic whispered. The gates rumbled loudly as they closed behind them. They were now standing in Robotropolis' Inner City. It was strangely quiet compared to the rest of the city, and there were no other robots in sight.

"We need to be especially careful. I've got a bad feeling about this." Shadow cautioned. They walked down the main road that lead to the base of Eggman's Stronghold, unaware that they were being watched by something lurking in the dark.

Phew! that was a long chapter to write! It's my longest one yet! hope you enjoyed this one! I know it's a little bit denser in terms of content than the rest of the chapters have been up to this point. I hope I haven't confused anyone here lol thanks for reading and please leave me a review telling me what you think!

Random discussion topic: If you could travel to the world of ANY game, movie, book, etc, where would you go and why? Personally I'd want to go to the world of the Elder Scrolls so i could learn magic nd such, or be a warrior, or maybe a queen or something corny like that XD So tell me where YOU would go and why.