Authors Notes: Hello everybody! This is not the first story I have ever submitted. But, it is the only one under this account. I hope you enjoy it and I apologize for the first part being relatively short. Please, review, whether you liked it or not.


He shot bolt upright, mind racing, emerald green eyes darting from side to side and beads of sweat pouring down his body. "Another nightmare" He panted, rubbing the back of his neck slowly and trying to forget the vivid dream. He knew it was impossible to forget. He had tried many times but every night it was the same nightmare. The thing had been plaguing him for weeks and made him afraid to even close his eyes. This was his first attempt at sleep in the past three days.

However the dream and his sleep deprivation suddenly became a fleeting thought as his heart rate climbed once again.

These surroundings were unfamiliar, a place he had never seen before.

He was in a relatively small stone room, filled with various cracks and obvious signs of aging. A musky scent filled his nostrils and above him was a square hole, which made it apparent that nightfall was not far off, as he could see the hues of sunset coloring the sky through it. Before he could even think for a moment, a cold chill shot through his spine and fear crept into him as an overpowering odor enveloped his senses. Slowly he looked down, not wanting to see what he was sure of and desperately wishing he was wrong.

Blood…

The scarlet substance blanketed the floor like carpet, most of it was dried but some was very fresh. In fact some of it, was right below him. His eyes widened in horror but there was no denying it. His own blood was pooling beneath him. Struggling to push back the panic setting into his mind, a horrifying realization swept over him. Blood loss…

His whole body had gone numb, not even able to feel the very ground beneath him.

He screamed… as loud as he could, but his cries were only heard by the darkness that was slowly enveloping him. There was no way out. There was no one around. And judging by the amount of blood and the tingling sensation that was beginning to set in. Death was not far off. He could feel its cold embrace pulling him ever closer.

Again he screamed. Hoping and praying that somebody, anybody would hear him. He tried to move his limbs but they simply lay unresponsive and ghostly white. His breathing slowed and he tried to scream once more but the sound died in his throat. Eyelids becoming heavy, the world around him growing colder. He was scared… He had so much left to do, and many people he wished to see again. He just wanted to say goodbye at this point. Was that asking so much? Another glance, at the blood beneath him confirmed a swift answer.

Omnipotent time creeping by. The cold chilling him to the bone. His own mortality baring down upon him. He chuckled. So this is the end of the great hero? He thought. Bleeding to death, alone, in some hole like this. He laughed, almost breaking into a coughing fit. What a story behind my name. He always had a strange way of dealing with things and it was definitely showing through now. He had to struggle not to burst into laughter every time he caught another eyeful of his own blood.

Fear had begun to leave his mind and as the thoughts of friends and the glorious life he had led busied him, his heartbeat slowed until it was but a murmur. Eventually his eyelids slid closed and, very slowly, he slipped into the warmth of acceptance as weazy breaths slowly fell from his lips…


3 Hours Earlier

Adjusting herself to a more comfortable position atop the highest tree branch she felt confident about climbing to and folding her hands behind her head, she tried to relax. Her blue hero always made it sound so peaceful, to just lie there. In a tree. Perhaps, she needed a second opinion…

Here she was, in the middle of the same meadow he always went to and even in the same tree he always relaxed in. Yet something was definitely not right.

Twisting and turning , there appeared to be no, even remotely, relaxing way to do this. Frustrated, she brushed her pink quills away with a gloved hand and stared up into the cloudy sky, as if it held some kind of answer to her problem.

Before she even had time to seek her answer in the clouds however, they slowly began to part and a golden ray of light seeped through the cracks. Her eyes went wide in awe as the clouds parted further and the eerie gray of the world around her was illuminated by the radiant glow of the sun. She basked in its warmth and smiled as everything around her slowly came back to life.

She understood… He came here to simply think about how wonderful life really was. It was not that this tree was particularly comfortable or that its branch was anywhere near as relaxing as a bed. But, no bed could bring this kind of surreal feeling. She felt at one with nature, in the middle of the meadow. Nothing but trees and flowers as far as the eye could see. Their colors danced brilliantly in the new light as if to celebrate the return of the sun, like it had been a long lost friend or companion.

"Wow…" She muttered with a smile. "Maybe there is even more to him than I realize. "

Returning to her previous position, with hands folded behind her head, she stared back into the sky. Her thoughts drifting to her friendship with a certain blue blur.

A sharp pain shot up and down through her entire body like electricity. Shocked, she slipped from the branch and fell to the ground with a resounding thud. Luckily she had not managed to climb very high and quickly regained her composure, leaping to her feet.

"Sonic!" She gasped in between breaths, clutching her fist tightly over her heart, which felt as though it were about to burst. Getting her bearings together she looked around, feeling lost for a moment before coming back to reality.

"Tails!"She panted. "I need to get tails now!"

Turning in the direction of tails'workshop , she burst into a run.

Whether it was from the shock of the situation or just sheer fear in her heart for her hero, she could have matched his legacy that day. Everything zipped past her at such high speed, she could only make out blurs. In moments the steel door marking the entrance to the workshop, was right in front of her. Wasting no time she grabbed the metallic handle and practically ripped the door off its hinges. Soon after, a loud clang of the door hitting a nearby wall proceeded to echo through the workhouse. She was about to scream but the sound came out as a soft and gentle. "Tails."

The kitsune was crumpled on the floor, wrapped in his two tails, with tears streaming down his face and one gloved hand over his heart. "Amy…" He choked, as fresh tears formed in his sapphire blue eyes and he buried his face even farther in his tails.

Amy slowly walked over and sat next to the small fox, clutching her heart once more.

"You feel it too don't you?" She questioned. "Something happened to Sonic."

Slowly Tails looked up and turned to stare into her emerald green eyes. Her presence was comforting to him and it felt as though a great weight was lifted now that someone else knew what was happening to him.

"Yes." He said, barely above a whisper. "I feel it."

Choking back tears he continued to stare into her eyes and saw just how scared she truly was. He wondered if his eyes reflected the same look, the same fear…

His thoughts were interrupted by Amy's outstretched hand in front of him.

They both knew what needed to be done. They needed to find Sonic, before it was too late.

Tails shakily took hold of her hand and quickly wiped a few tears from his eyes as she helped him to his feet.

Something terrible had happened to the blue hero and they could both feel it throbbing in their hearts, tearing away at their emotions. They both clutched their chests once more.