The Burning Bush (version 8)

Two days later after marrying Amy and Rouge, Sonic and Shadow slowly and silently woke up from their beds with soft smiles. Amy and Rouge are fast asleep on their beds. Sonic and Shadow ran their fingers over their cheeks, then they leaned over and kissed them there. Amy and Rouge smiled in their sleep, and Sonic and Shadow whispered to them with a sweet smile, "I love you."

He got up from the bed, grabbed his shepherd staff, and gave her one last smile before leaving the tent. He looked at the flock of sheep and the mountains where the sun was rising and took a deep breath of fresh air, waiting to enjoy another day of watching his flock. He walked through the flock and petted one of the sheep, but one of his favorite sheep baaed from a nearby cliff nearby and started running into the mountain. Norman chuckled and started to follow it.

The sheep ran into a cave, and Norman said to himself as he climbed the cliff, "It's too early for this." He went inside the cave and started looking for the sheep, but he saw a blue and white light in one part of the cave.

He heard the sheep's baas and climbed down the cave to find the light source. He got to the bottom and saw a bush burning white flames on a rock. Out of curiosity, Norman took one end of his staff and placed it over the flames to see if they would burn it. He brought the staff back and saw no flames on it. He touched the end with his hand, but he felt no heat on it either.

He wondered if it was real and reached over to the flames to touch them to see if it would burn him, and some of the flames came on his hand. Norman brought his hand back and the flames disappeared in an instant. He looked at his hand to see no burns on him.

He wondered what sort of magic this was, and a wind blew inside the cave and a voice said to him, "Sonic, Shadow..." Norman looked around in surprise, wondering where the voice came from. The voice kept calling to him and he replied, "Here I am."

He waited for the voice to answer as he held his staff closer to him, and when it did, it revealed a spirit of a mighty lion which was the source of the voice coming from the bush. The spirit said to him, "Take the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is Holy Ground." Norman looked down at his feet as the wind blew between them. He looked over at the spirit above the burning bush, "Who are you?"

The spirit answered, "I am that I am." Norman got confused and said, "I don't understand." The spirit replied, "I am the God of your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Sonic and Shadow are shocked; the Hebrew God was speaking to them!

Sonic dropped his staff and he and Shadow quickly took off their sandals as Sonia's voice echoed in the cave, "You were born of my mother, Aleena! You are our brother!" Sonic and Shadow tossed the sandals aside and Sonic asked God, "What do you want with me?"

God answered as his flames aura turned from white and light blue to orange and yellow, "I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, and have heard their cry." He made Shadow and Sonic's voice from his last days in Egypt when he killed Sir Ffuzzy Logik for whipping the old Mobian echo in the cave, "Stop it!" "Leave that Mobian alone!" The memory of that day made Sonic and Shadow's hearts sting with pain, remembering saving the Mobian slave and killing a slave driver at the same time.

God continued, "So I have come down to deliver them out of slavery, and bring them to a good land. A land flowing with milk and honey." Sonic began to sob, remembering his painful last moments in Egypt and his last time with Scourge, and the sadness on his face when he left. Noticing that, Shadow got calmly sad. God said to him, "And so, unto Pharaoh, I shall send... you." Then God said to Shadow "And you, Shadow, shall support the hedgehog you called your 'brother.'" Then he sounded out Shadow's comforting words to Sonic on the night Sonic discovered his true heritage, "Even if you and I are not really brothers, know that I'll always love you like the brother I had. And I will support your choice in any way." Sonic and Shadow couldn't believe what He was saying, and Sonic said, "Me? Wh-who am I to lead these people? They'll never believe me. They won't even listen."

"And I was Egypt's youngest prince who once didn't realize the suffering those Mobians went through all those years." Shadow agreed in sadness.

"I shall teach you what to say," God said to him. He made a voice echo, sounding like Sonic, "Let my people go!" Shadow exclaimed with sadness, "But Sonic and I were their enemy." Sonic then added, "I was the prince of Egypt, the son of the man who slaughtered their children. You've-you've chosen the wrong messenger!" Then both Sonic and Shadow asked, "How can I even speak to these people?!"

God blasted white light in the cave, making Sonic and Shadow fall to the ground, and shouted, "Who made man's mouth?! Who made the deaf, the mute, the seeing, or the blind?! Did not I?! Now go!" Sonic and Shadow curled into balls to protect themselves from the light, terrified, and the flames died down into the same light blue flames, and smoke formed around him and gently lifted them in the air.

God said to them softly as the smoke got Sonic and Shadow on their feet, "Oh, Sonic, Shadow, I shall be with you when you go to the king of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not listen." He continued as the smoke came into the air and formed together, "So I will stretch my hand, and smite Egypt will all my wonders." The smoke blew around the cave and came around Sonic. God said to him, "Take the staff in your hand, Norman. With it, and Shadow by your side, you shall do my wonders."

The smoke placed the hedgehogs down, and everything in the cave cleared up. God said to them, "I shall be with you both, Sonic and Shadow." Sonic and Shadow looked up as a tear started rolling down his cheek and smiled at his encounter with God. Sonic heard voices call his name and saw his staff laying on the ground. Remembering God's words, he grabbed his staff and got on his feet. He looked at the bush, which had leaves on it without any charred branches, and gave it an understanding smile.

Sonic then looked at Shadow, and they smiled softly and nods at each other, now knowing what they must do.

Later that day, Norman found the sheep and they left the cave together. Norman stood on top of the hill with the staff in his hands and looked down at the village. A big smile grew on his face and he rushed back to his tent, where Olivia was folding some blankets and doing some chores. Norman came over to her, spun her in the air, and told her about his experience with God. He even told her that he had been chosen to free the Hebrews.

Amy and Rouge sat on the pile of blankets and sighed, "But, Sonic, you and Shadow are just two men." "How can we be of assistance?" Rouge asked. Sonic and Shadow puts their hands on their cheeks, turned them to face them, and said to them, "Amy, Rouge, please." Amy and Rouge gently brought themselves away from them, not wanting to go to Egypt with him after how they were captured and brought to the royal court when they and their husbands first met.

Sonic and Shadow sighed, and they had Amy and Rouge look over to Silver, Blaze, and the girls, who were sewing a new tapestry together and Blaze laughed happily with the girls while Silver smiled softly. Sonic said to Amy, "Look at your family. They are all free. They have a future. They have hopes and dreams, and the promise of a life with dignity." "That is what Sonic and I want for his people. And that is why we must do the task that God has given Sonic."

Amy and Rouge thought of what he said for a moment. Then they looked at them and said as they hugged them, "I'm coming with you."

Silver and Blaze then came in the tent with soft smiles. Sonic, Shadow, Amy, and Rouge noticed them and looked at them with curiosity.

Silver then said with a soft smile "Blaze and I overheard your conversation."

Blaze added in agreement with a soft smile "If your people do matter, Sonic.... Then, Silver and I will accompany you four."

"May, my oldest daughter, will take over my title in mine and Blaze's eternal absence." Silver said.

Sonic, Shadow, Amy, and Rouge looked at May, who nods with a soft smile. Then the four smiled softly and nods, their plan settled.