Sorry. Probably you think I dumped you. I want to stay more time with you..."

Amy's tears mixed with the blood puddle she was on. She was afraid of never getting back home or not being able to see Sonic again... The wounds were really deep, nobody could move, they only could hear the Red Queen's laughs.

"A.C.!" The dodo got close to the yellow hedgehog when she saw her arrive on the Griffin. "Are you OK? Have you seen the Hatter, or Rei? How is the Red Queen treating you? How is Chou? Is it true Alice is here?" She asked so many question in less than 20 seconds, in a worried tone.

A.C. sighed. "Calm down, Grace." She stood on her feet before start talking again. "Yes. No. That Bloody Queen is soft with me. Chow is fine...and playing. Yes." Answered the question in order.

"Where's The Mock Turtle?" Asked the Griffin.

"In the lake." When he got his answer, the Griffin left.

"So... You alright?" A.C. asked the Dodo.

Grace nodded. "Thanks to you."

"I only want you three out of all this. I wanted to see how are you doing, that done, I will back with the Red Queen." The hedgehog turned around, but felt a hand on her shoulder. "What?" asked without looking her.

"Why are you doing this? You are the Red Queen helping the Mad Hatter, and looking for Chou. You have to take a choice!"

"Maybe. But right now, I'll keep neutral" A.C. began walking to get out of the place.

"If you keep like that much longer, not even Alice will be able to save you!" warned a new voice, the Mock Turtle.

"I know." she said simply.

The Mad Hatter arrived to the forest, just when an explosion was heard. 'That explosion came from the castle.' He figured it out.

"Hatter, what's happening?" Asked the Blue Caterpillar weakly, in Hatter's arms.

" Nothing love, keep sleeping." Said with a reassuring smile. 'I will never forget that day...'

One day in the past, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare were having their usual tea party... Throwing the cups against trees, breaking them, without even drinking the tea in them. Until Hare realized something...

"Hatter! You just threw the cup with the Bee-Mouse inside!" He cried exalted.

"Say what?" Hatter sweat dropped.

The Blue Hedgehog went in the direction he threw the cup, but stopped when he saw a multicolour smoke, and decided to find the origin of it.

"Who is there?"

That was the first time he saw him: sitting on a mushroom and smoking a narguille. They immediately understood each other, the Hatter always was there, even when Rei didn't need him...

"Hatter?" Called Rei.

"Hm?"

"What if... Something precious for you betrays you?"

"Hmm... I'd rare off it's skin and brake it's organs." Said smirking.

"I see.."

Hatter looked Rei still smirking and then turned away. "It's a lie."

"Hm?"

"What I would do is beg for an explanation and scream for a reason." He explained himself.

"Hatter... What if.. I-I...?"

Mad Hatter interrupted him, placing himself just in front of Rei with a serious look. "Don't say that. I know you will never betray me. And if that day comes, I'll beg for an explanation and scream for a reason."

Rei looked him for a while. "If that day comes, tare my skin off..." He put his hands in front of Hatter.

The Mad Hatter stared Rei dumbfounded a while, before taking him in his arms, smiling. "I'm so happy to have you."

But in that time, Rei was still with Spirit, and he loved him, however, the Hatter said he will never give up on winning Rei's heart. Then, that day the ground started to shake, and while was far of Rei to checking things out, someone got close to him from behind with a sword.

"Umm... You don't look like a fighter, but you'll have to do..." A feminine voice was heard.

"Rei!" Yelled the blue hedgehog seeing his treasure in danger.

"Shouting to a lady, how rude." Her grasp on the Blue Caterpillar tightened when he struggled to free himself.

"Who are you!? Let him go!" He yelled furious, his eyes were glowing red.

She laughed. "I'm the Red Queen, ruler of Wonderland since the Queen of Hearts' recent *demise*. And if you choose to join my army, I'll free him."

" I will never work for you, Bloody Queen!" He refused, throwing the knife in his hat towards her.

The white bat snorted. "Well then. He will pay for your bad choice." When she said that, a plant tied itself around Rei, making him gasp, and pulled him into a hole, the queen left and Hatter tried to grasp Rei's hand.

"Rei, don't let go!"

Ruby eyes opened wide. "Spirit!" He yelled.

It was then, in that weakness moment, that the Mad Hatter lost his precious treasure for a very long time...

'That will never happen again...' He told himself. He leaned his lover against a tree and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll back soon, wait for me here."

The Mad Hatter went way back to the castle. Rei coughed and when looked his hand his eyes wide opened, blood. But he knew the reason of this...

'It's starting...' He never noticed the people approaching behind him...

" Red Queen." Said a new voice entering the throne room.

The bat smiled when she saw the newcomer." Glad to see you, M.C."

"What took you so long?" Asked Spirit, slightly irritated by her presence.

"I had to... check out something."

'M.C.?' Thought Amy, still conscious, she tried to move her head a little to see the face of who the Red Queen and Spirit were talking to. She opened wide her eyes when she finally achieved that. 'A.C.!?'

In that moment, three new persons stepped in the room, a raccoon, a flying squirrel and a armadillo. In the hands of the armadillo was Rei, he was dropped on the floor just when the Mad Hatter arrived, shocked with the sight.

"Alice." The butterfly appeared in front of her. "You seem so confused, let me help you, but it will take a while..."

When the Mad Hatter came back to the castle, he stood in shock, everyone was in the floor bleeding. But he eyes glowed in red again when he saw Rei on the floor, just when he attempted to step forward Spirit stood in front of him, ready for another fight if it was necessary.

"This is really what you want to do?" Asked furious the blue hedgehog to the echidna, baring his teeth.

"I...I..." Muttered the knight, expressing doubt towards his actions for the first time in many years.

"Spirit!" Yelled M.C.

Hearing the yellow hedgehog's voice make the hatter look to her, with wide eyes. Spirit growled at her, he took a decision. "Queen!" He shouted furious.

"Spirit, you-!" The bat started, but the echidna shouted again.

"This wasn't suppose to happen. You said he wouldn't get hurt!" He accused.

The bat was going to reply, but from all of sudden a multicolour smoke filled the throne room, the Hatter recognized the smoke immediately. Rei sat up slowly and muttered a few words that no one could hear, but the Hatter read his lips and took the Blue Caterpillar in his arms when he lost consciousness.

"Rei.. No... Stay with me..." Said the Mad Hatter, afraid of the worst.

Spirit wasn't paying attention to that anymore, what caught his eye was Amy moving, without any wound.

"Alice..." Said A.C.

"Alice has turned into... Chosen Alice." Said Spirit surprised.

The pink hedgehog appearance changed, but only a little, her hair was now reaching to her ankles and a serious attitude was reflexed in her now blue eyes.

'This is Chou's doing.' Thought A.C. starting to look around searching for the butterfly, she spotted her flying near Chosen Alice, the butterfly was waving at her.

"Things will get more interesting now." Said Chou.

"I should have killed you 500 years ago!" Exclaimed the Red Queen, taking a sword and charging towards Chosen Alice.

"Now, It's your turn to suffer." Was Chosen Alice's reply.

Just two seconds later, the Queen was bleeding due to a deep wound in her stomach. " *ugh* This... Will not be... The last time you see me."

"Help the others get outta here." Ordered Amy, slowly returning to be herself.

"Hatter, you take care of Rei." The blue hedgehog only nodded before run towards the exit with the Blue Caterpillar.

The castle was beginning to hover in the air, knowing that the Red Queen had lost, Loss and Claude helped Spirit with the wounded, in a while everyone was already outside the castle, near the forest.

«I'd have liked to see the tea cup you made for me» Those were Rei's last words.

The Blue Caterpillar's body was lying on the ground, the Mad Hatter's cries were loud.

It was then everybody realized the tragedy that happened, "Rei..." Said Spirit, obvious sadness in his voice.

"I wanted you so bad..."

"Never thought you would say that, Hatter." Commented the Cheshire Cat.

"If I wouldn't have been so weak that day, none of this would have happened." Said the Hatter before sobbing, holding Rei's body close to him.

"It's not your fault." Said Amy, trying to comfort him.

"THEN WHO'S FAULT IS IT!? YOUR'S!? CHESHIRE!? SPIRIT'S!? ANYONE!?" He cried furious.

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT! I'm the one who betrayed him first. Because of me, he suffered! For 500 years I became cause of his pain!" Shouted Spirit, pointing to himself.

Only a few feet away, were A.C. and Chou finally talking to each directly again after a long time, seeing the sad scene, even Chou's playful smirk faded.

"Don't you think..." Started the butterfly with a low tone of voice, "Don't you think if we would've stopped the Red Queen at that time, things would have been different?" She asked, looking the yellow hedgehog at his inexpressive eyes.

"Maybe." She paused before continue, "At least the King of Hearts always managed to stop his Queen from cutting everyone's heads." She explained, Chou nodded in agreement.

"The White Queen, she will come back?" Asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know." After saying that, she turned around, decided to leave the zone.

"A.C.! Wait!" Amy's voice made her stop in her tracks. "Please tell me, who are you? Enemy or friend. You too, Chou"

At the mention of those names everyone looked at the two that were attempting to leave...

"So my suspicions were right. You were the same A.C. that was the advisor of the White Queen, before she disappeared." Said Spirit, remembering the yellow hedgehog's old role from 500 years ago.

"You are more clever than I thought, Spirit." Added A.C., still with her back to them, Chou remained silent.

"What?" Amy was confused. They were helping her or not? She only wanted answers.

"Alice..." Chou started. "I only did it because I was bored. And I wanted to see Rei and the Hatter again. I am not neither your enemy nor your friend."

"Why?" Asked the March Hare. "Were you two that disappeared just after the White Queen did. Do you know where is she?"

A.C. remained silent and Chou only shook her head. Remembering the White Queen, an idea came to Loss' mind, who now was in his Duquess outfit.

"That is! If we find the White Queen, maybe she will be able to revival Rei." Everyone looked at him, when he said that, in disbelief.

"Is that true?" Asked Amy, Loss nodded. "Did you hear that, Hatter?.. uh?"

When Amy looked back, the Mad Hatter was gone, only Rei's body remained there. And in that moment of distraction, A.C. left too...

'Run A.C., Red Madness will not be soft with you.'

The yellow was running as fast as she could, knowing Red Madness would use at least 10% of his power with her, the double of power he used with Spirit, would be hard for her getting away. When she arrived to the cliff, surprise was present in her eyes, Red Madness was just in front of her.

"Where is she?"