The Prower workshop/household was presently silent. All around the small homestead, gleaming white in the steadily rising winter sun, fresh snowfall lay across the land like a white blanket. All was silent, the scene almost like that from a christmas card, all occupants in the household sleeping at this time.

That didn't last long. Audible even from outside, though there was nobody there to hear it, a high pitched keening squeal emanated from inside the building, muffled through the walls.

"IT'S BEEN SNOWING!" Squirt Prower hauled tail through the house, screeching at the top of his lungs and scurrying between each room in a spurt of hyperactivity, "IT'S BEEN SNOWING!"

Feather Prower groggily sat herself up in bed as her smaller brother burst into her room, leaping onto the end of her bed and staring with big, excited eyes.

"Huh?" she rubbed at her eyes and suppressed a yawn, leaning up on one elbow to regard her sibling, "what's that, kiddo?"

"It's been snowing!" Squirt cried, hopping on the bed and pumping his fists on the underside on the top bunk, "wake up, Blitz! Wake up!"

A series of unintelligible snorts and grumbles came from above, Blitz Prower torn from his slumber by his little brother's hysterics. Squirt tumbled from the bed, rolling in mid air to land on his feet, and grabbed Feather's unoccupied hand.

"Come on, Feath! Come on! I wanna play in't snow!"

Feather chuckled as she allowed herself to be pulled from her bed, wrapping her purple gown around herself as she climb to her feet. "Ok kiddo... but remember," she offered him a stern finger, the smaller fox cocking his head quizzically, "bundle up! Okay?"

Squirt beamed happily before hugging his sister, and tearing back off into the hall, on a mission to wake the rest of his siblings.

"Whu..." Behind Feather, an extremely ruffle orange and white face peered from the top bunk, one eye still closed and fur sticking out at amazing angles, "whu'z ha'nnin'?"

Feather rolled her eyes and grinned, before making to get herself dressed.

The Prowers were soon roused, Blitz and Feather preparing a hot breakfast while Squirt played outside. Feather wore a smile as she peeked out the window, watching her beloved little sibling pounce into the snow. "The kiddo's having fun..." she said happily, setting plates onto the counter-top.

"Uh-huh..." Blitz, clad in a 'kiss the cook' apron and busy frying bacon, turned and nudged his sister on the arm. "Hey, go on! Sit down! My turn to make breakfast!"

Feather leaned against the counter and pouted, folding her arms over her dungarees. "I want to help!"

"You help enough!" Blitz smirked, "go on, take it easy. Chef Blitz'll handle this!"

Feather chuckled and did as she was told, grabbing her coffee and settling at the table. As she did so, a very groggy and messy-furred Blade wandered into the kitchen, heavy bags beneath his eyes.

"Oh hi, Mister Edgy!" Blitz offered his brother a glance, wearing his lopsided grin, "sleep on the sofa again?"

Blade grunted, resting his head in one hand as he set himself down. "Too right... think I'm kipping with the professor? I swear, the guy's acting weird..."

Feather hummed. "We noticed..." she said, raising her coffee to her mouth with both hands.

"Relax..." Blitz said, turning and shovelling fried bacon and eggs onto his siblings' plates, "the guy's just in a mood... happens to all of us!" he smirked and winked as he spun around with plates in hand, "even a handsome and charming individual such as myself!"

"Maybe we should Sync?" Feather suggested, "we haven't done for a few days..."

Blitz shrugged, his grin fading. "Yeah... I guess that's one habit we've let slide..."

"Yeah, well..." Blade grumbled, nibbling at a piece of bacon, "if it were up to me, we'd never do that again... I hate Syncing! S'like I'm not myself any more..."

"Well a little more research, and one day we won't have to!" Blitz replied, before heading over to the window. He opened it and stuck his head out, allowing freezing cold air inside. "Squirt!" he cried, spiked head fur ruffling in the breeze, "breakfast!"

"Jeez, shut that window will ya?" Blade snarled, "it's blowing a gale!"

Blitz cackled, grinning mischievously at his moody brother, "I'll blow you!"

"Gross, dude!"

Squirt raced inside at the mention of food, his winter clothes dripping wet with melting snow as he entered the heated interior of the homestead. He scurried excitedly through the house, beaming with joy. The little fox, the pure embodiment of a child's joy, had been playing in the snow all morning, pouncing beneath the white blanket, rolling giant snowballs, trying to get his siblings out for a snowball fight... as of yet they hadn't, though Feather and Blitz had promised they would join him as soon as he had some breakfast.

The fox cub's tummy grumbled as he scampered through the house, black nose twitching at the anticipation of food... and he promptly smacked face first into a taller orange figure, on his own way to retrieve his breakfast.

"What in the NAME OF-"

Squirt yipped in alarm and pounced away, crouching to the floor beneath the glare of an alarmed, and angry, Doc Prower.

Squirt opened his mouth to apologise... but the words wouldn't come out. He cowered beneath Doc's scrutiny, a look of pure outrage burning in the fox's face.

"You little-" Doc snarled as he dabbed at his side where Squirt had ran into him, the fur their wet with melted snow, "you..." Squirt's fur stood on end beneath his coat as Doc stepped toward him, a murderous look in the larger fox's eyes, tails swishing like angry snakes. "You..."

"I'm sorry Doc!" squirt yelped, curling into his tails and shooting his brother big, frightened eyes, "I din't mean ter run into yer an' get yer wet, I promise! Please don' 'urt me!"

Doc paused in his approach, sudden realisation falling over his face... before he cleared his throat and straightened, hands falling to rest behind his back, all trace of his anger evaporating instantly. "I... apologise, brother..." he said politely, "you... simply startled me, is all..." the larger fox's face twitched into a painful smirk. "Did I scare you?"

Squirt, eyes beaming timidly, nodded his head. "Yeah..." he squeaked, still frightened of his bigger brother's outburst, "I'm sorry Doc, I din't mean to bump into yer I swear..."

"What's going on out there?" Blitz's voice called from the kitchen before Doc could reply, "you wrecking the joint or somethin'?"

"Squirt's just on his way for something to eat..." Doc called back, his eyes not leaving Squirt's, "we just had a little bump, is all..."

"Oh..." Blitz responded after a moment's hesitation, "well come on, guys! Food's getting cold!"

Doc continued to stare at Squirt, that weird little smirk still on his face. "I'll... make something to eat later, brother..." he replied, "I have work to do..." Doc raised his hand and gave Squirt a little salute. "Well, see you later, lil' bro!" he said, before turning and walking toward his usual spot in the worshop.

Squirt Prower watched his bigger brother leave, unable to shake the feeling of terror the look in Doc's eyes had seeded within him.

Please... please stop... please stop...

Robotnik scowled as he tapped away at his datapad, interrupted in his work with the Chaos Splitter by the remaining presence of the real Doc Prower. The fox was still in the back of Robotnik's mind, and while it pleased the doctor to know that Doc was suffering... it would not do to have the blasted canine bothering him while he worked.

The distraction had already cost Robotnik several slip-ups.

The doctor bared his teeth, his tails swishing angrily as he glared into the reflective tank of the spitter, within which hung suspended the Chaos Emerald Tails had been experimenting on before his accident. From the glass, his own eyes glared back... the blue eyes of Doc Prower, behind which the fox himself could only watch in horror as Robotnik possessed his body like a malicious spirit.

"Oh, don't worry..." he chuckled quietly, relishing Doc's torment, "it will all be over eventually... just as soon as I finish off that hedgehog and your other fragments..."

Please...

Robotnik's leer became a grimace. "Listen you..." he hissed, the ends of his white muzzle twitching with the flesh beneath, "it should be quite clear that this body is no longer under your control... must you tire me with your endless whining?"

There was no response this time, Doc having faded back into his own subconsciousness.

Robotnik smirked. "That's better," he muttered. "The quicker I can complete my task, the quicker this can be over for BOTH of us! Do you think I intend to spend any more time than necessary in th-"

"Ivo..."

Robotnik spun around, ears pinned as he swore he heard a voice from behind. His eyes scanned the workshop, searching for sign of any intruder. He didn't need to be discovered arguing with the fox in his head, not again.

Nobody. He licked his lips.

"Yes..." he murmured, feeling around thoughtlessly to tap at the Chaos Splitter's console, "the sooner this is over, the b-"

"IVO!"

Ivo dropped the datapad with a clatter, heart racing, now utterly certain a familiar voice had just spoken to him. Not Blade, not Blitz, not Squirt or Feather, but-

"Tails?!" he snarled into the workshop, ears perked and tails swishing, "I know you're in here!" Ivo's stolen eyes darted all around, searching for the presence that was Doc's fragment of Miles Prower "show yourself, or I swear on my planet I'll kill-"

"Doc?!"

Ivo squeaked in utter terror, reaching into his satchel and wrapping his hand around the device inside... and hesitating when he found all four of the other Prower fragments gaping at him, concerned expressions on each fuzzy face.

"Doc?" Blitz raised his hands, signalling for calm as he regarded his brother with concern, "what's going on?"

Doc breathed heavily, fur sticking out on end, his eyes swivelling in their sockets as he looked between his brothers. He was clearly distressed, and clutching something in his satchel... and Blitz didn't want to escalate the situation if he could help it.

Doc appeared to swallow his nerves, blinking rapidly and making a visible attempt to calm himself down. "No... nothing's the matter, brother..." he said breathlessly, attempting to relax his stance, "I am fine. Everything is fine, I'm all okay now. How are you?"

"Doc..." Feather spoke up, her arms wrapped around Squirt who hugged into his sister defensively, "we know something's wrong..."

"Your weird behaviour, your mood swings..." Blitz counted off, "snapping at Squirt... and now this!"

"Told you..." Blade muttered, staring darkly at Doc, "he ain't right..."

"What do you know, edgy boy?!" Doc snapped, eyes glaring madly as spittle flew from his mouth, "what're you all saying?!" Doc began to desperately glance between each of his siblings, chuckling nervously, "Doc's gone crazy? Is that it? Well, for your information..." he glared at Blade, who looked ready to pounce him himself, "I've perfectly FINE, Blaze!"

There was a moment of silence, Blitz raising his hand to steady a growling Blade. "Doc..." the spiky haired fox said quietly, "who the hell is Blaze?"

Doc simply stared, the cogs spinning in his head... before he swore and reached into his satchel with a flash.

Before any of the others could reach him, he held a humming energy pistol, pointing directly at his siblings, holding them in place.

"NONE OF YOU MOVE!" Doc snarled, his pistol held steady and staying their feet, "I presume you would all LIKE to keep your blood inside your bodies?"

"Doc!" Blitz cried, again signalling his siblings for calm, "what the hell, man?"

"That's not Doc..." Blade growled, teeth baring as he glared at 'Doc'.

"What?!" Feather shrieked, Holding Squirt tight and preparing herself to cover his body if need be, "what do you mean, Blade?!"

"Oh, clever foxy!" Doc cackled, retrieving a small device from a belt pocket and activating it with a chirrup, "very clever foxy! You think you've figured it out, eh? Well, go on Blade! Do tell!"

Blitz frowned as Doc speech and body language shifted completely, now nothing like the stoic and logical scientific mind he usually was, and now appearing more like...

"No..." Blitz muttered, the penny beginning to drop, "it can't be..."

"It is..." Blade snarled, having figured it out for himself, "it has to be... Rob-"

"Ro... Robotnik..."

The siblings' ears perked and they watched, confused, as 'Doc' quivered, suddenly staring into space. The pistol remained pointed at them however, and they dared not move as Doc began to spasm, his eyes twitching.

"Ro... botnik..." Doc slurred, shuffling backward toward the Chaos Splitter. His eyes flicked between each of his siblings, and the weapon shivered in his hand. "Has... control..."

"Doc?" Blitz locked eyes with his possessed brother, trying to bore into his soul, "is that you?"

The corner of Doc's mouth twitched. "Not... quite... Blitz..."

Blade nudged Blitz' arm and grunted. "Tails..."

Blitz swallowed, his mouth and throat dry from nerves. "Tails?" he raised his hands pleadingly, "if that's you... help us out buddy, okay?"

Robotnik/Doc/Tails growled as the doctor attempted to regain control, a string of mucus hanging from their shared mouth, "hard... the doctor... is strong... I'm weak..."

Blade snarled as he was again held back by Blitz, fixated on the hijacked fox like a bloodthirsty hound.

"Blade! Chill! He still has the gun..." Blitz licked his lips as Blade held back, daring to take a step toward his brother. "Tails... what can we do?" he said, now slowly approaching Doc, "how do we get Robotnik out of there?"

'Tails' did his best to grin, reaching behind with a hand toward the Chaos Splitter's console, "already... been working on it..."

The siblings looked behind Tails to the now powering up splitter, understanding what he intended to do.

"Calculations... entered..." Tails hissed in pain, as he wrestled with the invading presence of Doctor Robotnik, "better... find some cover guys!"

Blitz and his siblings watched as Tails, with the last of his control, threw the pistol across the workshop in an uncoordinated toss, lunging clumsily around to the splitter's console. The possessed fox released a, agonised screech as he pounded at the computer station, and the machine began to power up.

"Everybody!" Blitz cried, turning and gesturing frantically to his siblings, "get down! NOW!"

FWASH

"Blitz? Blitz! Blitz wake up!"

Blitz groaned as he came to, ears still ringing from the blast. He blinked hard, clearing the stars from his eyes, finding Squirt clutching his ample chest fur and shaking him as hard as his little arms would allow.

"Blitz!"

Feather, coughing from the drifting smoke filling the workshop, knelt beside her brother and shook his shoulder, "are you alright?!"

"I'm fine..." Blitz hacked, shaking his head as he sat up, fully re-entering protective big brother mode, "head count! Where are we all?"

"I'm here..." replied a sullen voice, Blade just visible through the smoke as he stumbled to his feet. "Doc! You there, asshole?!"

Blitz heaved himself to his own feet with Feather's help, wafting away the smoke as he helped search for their fifth sibling.

"G... guys..."

There. A pained, frightened voice, quietly coming from ground level. Blitz and Blade dashed over to retrieve their brethren, hauling the limp orange figure from the ground and to his feet.

"Doc?" Blitz inspected the fox closely, Doc's eyes bulging and bloodshot as they scanned around, "you back with us, buddy?"

Doc's eyes locked onto Blitz's, almost looking through him... before the fox nodded rapidly, visibly swallowing his nerves.

"I..." Doc replied in a small voice, looking as though he'd been through Hell, "I think... so..."

Blade shoved Blitz aside and glared into Doc's eyes, gripping his jaw and swivelling his head for a closer look. "Anything left of egg-face in there?" he growled, glowering suspiciously at his brother.

Doc shook his head. "I... think he's gone..." he said, voice quivering as he blinked rapidly, "Tails, he... whatever he did, he... separated us..."

"Oh jeez..." Feather whispered, clutching Squirt tight and perking her ears, "then what happened to-"

"You... bastards..."

Each of the siblings froze as a sixth voice, high-pitched like Squirt's yet filled with venom, sounded from beyond the thinning smoke. They looked, finding a dark shape become clearer... short, stocky, brown-furred, in possession of a single tail and presently flattened triangular ears. This new fox, clenching their fists and breathing heavily, spent some moments with their back turned to the siblings... before doctor Ivo Robotnik, split from his host yet retaining a facsimile of the fox he had controlled, spun around with an expression of pure outrage and canines bared. "You..." Robotnik hissed, shrill voice cracking as he angrily scanned between the other foxes, "BASTARDS!"

Blitz couldn't help the malicious grin that spread across his face. "Well..." he said, setting his hands on his hips, "looking good there doc... feeling okay?"

Squirt frowned, looking up to Feather in confusion. "Is that egg-head?" he said uncertainly, straps to his flight helmet dangling over his shoulders.

"I think so..." Feather replied, fighting to suppress her own grin.

Robotnik snarled, jabbing a clawed finger at the siblings, "you think you've won?!" he shrieked, single tail lashing as he paced sideways across the workshop, "you think this is it?! Clever foxies, clever little foxies!" His bared teeth became a sneer, the presently mobanised human scowling maliciously at his enemies, "but just you wait! Just you WAIT until I get back into my body! I'll stomp you all! Stomp you FLAT!"

"Take a look around, dipshit..." Blade said with a vicious grin, slowly approaching the now smaller Robotnik and spreading his arms to gesture around the workshop, "you're all alone, there's five of us..." he approached the doctor menacingly, Robotnik now cowering slightly now he was shorter than the true mobian.

"And considering your present number of appendages..." Doc Prower spoke up, glowering with resentment at the doctor, "you can't fly..."

"Yeah!" Squirt hopped from Feather's grip and pointed triumphantly at Robotnik, "you've 'ad it, Buttnik!"

Blitz snorted at the impromptu nickname, and the hopeless look on Robotnik's new face. "Face it, doc..." he raised his hands in a shrug, lopsided grin settling on his muzzle, "you ain't going anywhere!"

At that Robotnik's ears perked as a low rumble came from outside the workshop, and the brown fox grinned. "Oh... I don't know about that..."

Before Blitz or his siblings could respond, the closed hangar doors exploded inward in a flash of flame and smoke. For the second time in mere minutes, the siblings dove to the ground to escape the sudden blast, as a pair of Badniks boosted through the door, settling themselves down in the middle of the workshop.

Robotnik raised the small device he had activated before the split, before his control had been wrestled from him by Tails, and barked orders at the robots, orders that went unheard by the Prowers as they scrambled for cover.

Robotnik's machines appeared to understand, and the doctor hauled himself into the clutch of one of the mechanical minions. "Well, congratulations guys!" he cackled, clinging tight to his chosen machine, "but as always, I'm one step ahead! You really thought I wouldn't have an escape planned?" The small fuzzy doctor offered a cheery salute from his mount. "Anyway, I have to go now! But I'll be back! Back to my old self, back to business... and back to destroy you all!" the brown fox winked. "Ta-ta!"

With that, the Badniks retreated before the siblings could recover and fight back, screaming across the trees outside and into the winter's day.

Blitz grimaced as he and his siblings watched the doctor vanish from sight.

"Doc!" he called, turning and gesturing to his revived brother, "get the Tornado running! See if we can't track him!"

"Blitz?" Feather replied, kneeling beside a slumped Doc, "he isn't in any condition to work right now!"

"And neither is the Tornado..." Squirt piped up, standing next to the aircraft in question, the plane now sporting several black holes in its engine, "we can't go after Buttnik!"

Blitz' shoulders slumped, the fox understanding that there was no way they were finishing this particular fight on their terms tonight. His ears perked as a hand rested on his shoulder, and he turned to find Blade stood beside him, jaw set with determination.

"We'll get the bastard..." Blade grunted, glaring out of the shattered hangar doors, "we'll find him and bring him down..."

Blitz sighed dejectedly. "Sure..." he replied, wearing an unconvincing grin, "sure we will..."

"Put me down... I said PUT ME DOWN, YOU IMBECILE!"

Doctor Ivo Robotnik squeaked in alarm as his rescue Badnik did as it was asked, releasing its grip and depositing him on the deck of his Egg Carrier. The ship, hidden above the clouds, now served as his primary base of operations. This was where he had taken Doc Prower after capturing him and his Tornado, where he had transferred into the fox's body like a parasite... and where his human body remained, mindless and waiting for his return.

The doctor brushed himself off as he returned to his feet, finding his fur ruffled and windswept from the flight to the carrier. He glowered at his brown arms. He had fought to regain control of his stolen body, but Tails... with the distractions already weighing on Robotnik's mind from dealing with Doc, the original fox had slipped in, and now here he was - split from his host, cut out like a cancer and remoulded into... this.

"Not for long..." he muttered, wincing at his shrill, child-like voice, "it's been fun and all, but I suppose it's time to return to form!"

Minutes later, the doctor was settling himself into the transference device, looking across to the other chair where his human body remained idle, kept alive via artificial life support He chuckled merrily to himself. "I suppose this has been an interesting little experiment," he said, ungloved fingers dancing over the from his perspective now much larger control panel, "but what can I say?" Ivo smirked, a pointed canine jutting from his top lip, "I'm only human..."

Ivo tapped in the final ignition sequence, and leaned back in his seat as the machine powered up. The whine of advanced machinery and the crackle of mad science surrounded him, and he felt his fur bristle with the static, keeping his eyes closed as he prepared for the disorienting sensation of instantaneously switching bodies.

The machine began to wind down, its function complete. The lab fell silent.

Ivo breathed deeply, tingling with sensation, and slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself frowning in confusion, as he was met with the still lifeless form of his human body... still sat before his eyes. With him decidedly not back in it.

"What the..." the doctor muttered, regarding his still brown furred body, legs kicking from the tall chair, "what the devil?!" he tapped furiously at his console feeling the blood draining from his skin. "This can't be... this can't be! I can't be stuck like this! I can't! WHY isn't this WORKING?!"

"Well, gee egg-head..." Ivo yelped and jumped in his seat, ears pinning as a familiar voice echoed clearly throughout the chamber, "looks like you really screwed up, huh?"

Ivo's frightened eyes locked on an orange and white figure, calmly manifesting before his chair as though made of a light fog. He leaned back in his seat as, wearing a mischievous grin, Miles Prower himself - or the fragment of himself that had taken control from Robotnik - dissolved into being between Ivo and his human body.

"Tails..." Ivo hissed, glaring in outrage at the ghost. "What... have you DONE to me?!"

Tails shrugged. "Nothing really... all I did was get you out of my friend..." the non-corporeal fox's eyes flickered over Ivo's present form. "And whatever spat you out like that... made you incompatible, I guess, with this thing..."

"FIX ME!" Ivo jabbed an outraged finger at his visitor, eyes bulging apoplectically, "FIX ME! OR I'LL... I'll..."

"What? Kill me?" Tails said condescendingly, "you can't kill what isn't alive, Ivo... can you? Either way, doc... I guess, just like me... you found out that screwing with your own Chaos Energy isn't a great idea... maybe you'll figure it out, maybe you wont, but for now?" 'Tails' offered a smirk and a salute as he began to fade from existence once again, returning to the nothing state he resided these days, "welcome to the club, brother!"

Ivo Robotnik swore loudly as the fox vanished completely, perhaps for good, before slumping in his oversized seat, and pounding his new furry brown fists into the machine's console.