The three of them dashed forwards as fast as they could, chased by the collapsing land. Jumping and dodging, the fox, the hedgehog, and the chameleon managed to outrun the crumbling landscape just enough to end up on a solid chunk no longer connected to the collapse. From here they surveyed the scene.

"Okay," Sonic said, "It seems like this time we're going to be outrunning collapsed ledges and probably having to pick the right path if the route ahead is anything to go by."

Tails simply nodded, but Espio was a bit confused "'This time'?" he repeated

"It's always different," Tails smiled, "Sometimes we're collecting balloons, other times we're chasing some chao, others it's just getting to the end of a maze without hitting an exit."

"You get used to it after a while," Sonic smirked, "just keep moving, and keep trying. Worst that can happen is you get it wrong and have to try again. Not great when that happens, but I've never not been able to finish them eventually."

"I see," Espio paused, "So which way do we go?" the chameleon said, before pointing at the split path in front of them."

"I'm not sure," Tails answered, "You got any idea Sonic?"

"Not this time," Sonic said, "This time I think we have to rely on guesswork."

"Left," Espio said.

"How can you be sure the emeralds there?" Tails asked,

"We're after Charmy aren't we?" Espio smiled, "He would have gone left, as it's easier to fly down."

Tails looked down both paths. The right path, while much clearer on foot, was littered with overhead cables, bars, and all sorts of obstacles that would be a tight fit to fly through. By contrast, the left path, while just as messy, was covered in rubble, rubbish, and junk all strewn across the floor, but with no air obstructions. "I'd agree with that choice," Tails said.

The trio continued forwards, Sonic dragging them through some of the faster areas of collapsing walkway, Tails able to carry them over some of the larger gaps, and Espio proving to be very useful at both spotting and removing potential threats before they were even noticed by either Sonic or Tails.

But Sonic felt uneasy. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something inherently wrong. It was not a big enough concern to mention, but in his gut he could just feel that this wasn't how things should be. The pocket dimension they were in seemed more warped than normal, and in the back of his mind the hedgehog felt as though there was more at play than he thought.

The honest truth was that Sonic knew very little about these realms. He'd never given them a second thought, but now they seemed to be becoming increasingly important. Yet where could he turn for information about them? Sonic had once asked Knuckles, and the echidna was almost as clueless as he was, and he was practically the authority. Tails on the other hand had some scientific theories, but those were not only related more to where they were based on a geo-dimensional plane, but also were much too complicated, and didn't explain the purpose, which was the answer Sonic had often wondered about.

That sense of unease didn't go away when they reached the emerald. All three of them relaxed upon seeing it, the worst of their dashing was done, at least for this dimension. But all this way they'd not seen Charmy.

"Did he take a different path?" Tails asked.

"I doubt it," Sonic said, "and if he did he would've returned back to our world. Which means either we passed him without realising, or he's not here."

"So we need to head back and search where we've been." Espio nodded, mentally setting a new goal.

"Or we could grab this nice shiny blue Chaos Emerald," Sonic grinned, "and if he's in here he'll be sent back with the rest of us."

"Are you sure?" Espio asked.

"Positive." Sonic said "Anytime anybody touches an emerald it's as if the entire stage closes up. Everyone's kicked out and you can't return until all seven emeralds have been collected and used."

"So what are you waiting for Sonic?" Tails asked "Lets go."

Sonic looked at the young fox next to him, Tails was smiling happily and seemed relieved to have got through the stage. Espio stood next to him, his face completely blank, refusing to give anything away, though the hedgehog was sure Espio would be happier if and when they reunited with Charmy. Yet Sonic was hesitant. Everything in his body said to grab the emerald, but there was something in his mind that was stopping him. The hedgehog dismissed it, and reaching out he clutched on the smooth edges of the blue emerald.

A white light enveloped the three of them, blinding each of them. For Sonic and Tails this was completely normal, but Espio didn't expect it and audibly winced at the brightness. For a fraction of a second, the three of them felt feet somehow fall away from solid land into nothingness and then back onto the familiar solid land of the casino they had started in.

Sonic looked at the casino, he was in the same spot he left from. But instead of Vector's bulky frame looking down at him he was greeted with the black eyes of a red armadillo.

"Well," the armadillo said, "any luck finding Charmy?"

Espio looked sheepish, "Sorry boss, he wasn't in there."

Sonic looked to Espio confused, but before he could say anything Tails piped up.

"Don't worry Mighty," Tails said, "We know for certain now that he didn't take this portal. It may not be much consolation, but at least he's in this dimension."

"Thanks, I think." Mighty sighed.

Sonic looked at his best friend, and was horribly confused. For once however he chose to bite his tongue. Sonic had had a few run-ins with the Chaotix in the past; it was possible that he'd simply never met this member before. "What happened to Vector?" Sonic asked.

"Who?" answered Espio, Tails, and the armadillo in unison.