The air was still as the four made their way outside to the city street, and as if on cue the clouds let out with a pouring rain. They looked to the barrier, Rotor was still thinking. "There has to be a way to bring it down."

The air suddenly picked up, it wasn't a natural wind, and it seemed to be coming from down the street. Everyone seemed to change the direction of their stares, looking down that street, Bunnie backed up a little. "Careful y'all somethin' is headin' our way."

Everyone readied themselves as the wind picked up, the young fox, used to being a look out, flew up and looked down the road. He then saw who it was; it was Selim, with Knuckles in tow. "Hey guys it's Knuckles! It's Knuckles! He's coming! And it looks like Selim is with him." He said as he landed behind them. The young vulpine remembered something he had forgotten until now, it was Selim who had stolen his Tornado, he frowned. He had trusted the older vulpine even looked up to him like he did Sonic, and then he goes and steals his most prized possession. He felt angry, without much of the sadness he usually experienced with it.

The wind blasted and stopped as the older vulpine came to a halt, he saw the group from a good distance and knew he should probably talk to them first. He looked about the freedom fighters, most of them had mixed emotions of relieved and upset, and he knew that they were probably upset about him taking the plane. They probably were suspicious of him as they had a right to be.

"Listen guys, I'm sorry about what I did earlier, but I had reason to suspect that Knuckles wouldn't have been able to get the Emeralds to us alone." He stated.

The others seemed to be skeptical except Bunnie, knowing who Selim was. That was until they looked to see the guardian, who was still holding his left shoulder with his hand. The leaf covering it was blood stained and now they knew he wasn't lying. "What happened?" Rotor asked looking at the wound.

"We ran into an assassin sent by Robotnik, a robotisized mouse…" Knuckles stated.

"Jerome…" Selim said lowly looking down.

"Oh my stars… he was robotosized?" Bunnie asked.

The fox nodded.

The young Tails walked up to his older form, not as angry anymore. "Is the Tornado ok?"

As the subject was changed Selim smiled and nodded. "It's fine, it's in the Hidden Palace, Knuckles will take you there when he's healed up."

The little one nodded eagerly and then looked up pleadingly at the fox. "You gotta save Sonic and Aunt Sally, please…"

As the older fox looked down upon himself he couldn't help but smile lightly. He wondered if he always sounded so desperate for help, for someone to come save the day. He wouldn't let himself down, he would save Sonic like he had planned, and the little one would have someone to look up to, for all time. This world was too scary to face alone, and friendships were worth more then any wealth in the land, as they became harder and harder to come by with each robotisized Mobian. To lose one such as Sonic would absolutely crush the kit, and Selim was surprised he was able to survive, his heart in as many pieces as it was when that day came.

"Don't worry kid, I've got it covered." He stated looking to the shield. He looked at the energy dome's pinnacle and just as he expected there was a large stealthbot flying, releasing the energy down onto the city. It was very dark and grey, blending in with the heavily overcast sky, but Selim could see it as plain as day.

"Knuckles give me the emeralds, I'll get them to Sonic, I want you and the others to get as far away from the city as you can, go back to Lower Mobius." Selim said with authority.

Knuckles nodded and gave the fox the Emeralds. "You best give them back to me when you're done, we're in this fight against Robotnik together, but I alone am the guardian of the Emeralds." He stated as he walked back into the building. In which the others followed, the young two tailed kit was the last to go in giving one last look of pleading toward the older fox, to which he nodded. It was all up to him now.

Selim spotted a parked stealthbot. It seemed inactive so it would be perfect to attack the small battleship which was trapping Sonic and Sally. He had to hurry though, he didn't know how long the field had been up and every second more could mean all this was for naught.


Snively sat in the ship, his view of the battlefield was the best in all of Robotropolis, though he wouldn't really call it a battle, the blue rodent was getting his quills kicked all over the place. He now knew what his uncle liked about savoring the victory, seeing his adversary's last breathing moments.

Suddenly a red light started to blink, along with an alarm sounded. The long nose human looked at the light as it showed the rear view of the ship. "What the hell?" He asked as he saw another steathbot approached. "Attention stealthbot! Turn back at once, repeat turn back!" He stated. There was no response from the vehicle it just kept coming forward. "If you don't turn back this instant I'll deactivate you!"

A video display suddenly replaced the one currently showing the approaching vessel and it showed Selim glaring into the display at the other end. "Deactivate this!" He growled. The fox reached for a button and a whistling sound could be heard, obviously it was a projectile coming in, but it couldn't be evaded, because if the large stealthbot moved it would disrupt the field. There was only one thing Snivley could do now to achieve victory. "Gizoid! Kill the rodent now!" He cried over the loud speaker, the order echoed through the buildings as the projectile hit. The weapon disabled all of the ships electronic systems the shield fizzled out and the huge robotic ship fell downward like a dropped stone. With the shield down Selim quickly descended into the city streets to land.


Sonic looked up as he heard the voice ring across the buildings, Sally heard it too, and the robotic hedgehog looked down upon them both, glaring at the blue hedgehog. Suddenly the barrier fizzled out to the ground squirrel's surprise. "Sonic quick let's get out of here!" she cried.

The speedy hedgehog also noticed that the escape route was open, but he knew that running away would be impossible, even if he could go at full speed, which he was too injured to do, escape would have been impossible. He knew he'd have to make a sacrifice one of these days, and he was ready for it. "Sally, you go, I can't shake 'em, but I'll keep him distracted as long as I can."

Sally sniffled as Sonic's words sent a numbing chill through her, she felt really pathetic. Why didn't she listen to Miles when she had the chance? Now it was too late, and if things couldn't be changed, if Sonic couldn't live, she felt she had no reason to live either. "You're not going to die alone Sonic Hedgehog." She sniffled. Dying alone, she knew, was his greatest fear.

"Go now Sally!" He urged, the use of her full name employed the seriousness of his plea. He then charged at the robotic hedgehog hoping to keep it busy just a bit longer, but it had its orders, it was no longer playing. It quickly cut through the charge dodging, the robot threw his fist into the hedgehog's stomach a blast of energy suddenly discharged from the planted fist throwing the opponent upward and back a few feet. Sonic hit the ground with a loud cry, he had never seen or felt the likes of that move before, its power rivaled that of Knuckles' but was delivered with a speed that rivaled his own. He tried to move, but he couldn't, everything was blacking out. Was this it? Is this what death was like, he'd been running from it for so long and it looked like it had finally caught up to him. Even the screams of the princess began to fade, all drifting away like a fading dream. The metallic face of the hedgehog's lost relative looking down and his fist ready to give the finishing blow.

"No!" A voice cried as an orange blur came out of a nearby alley. It smashed into the robotic body causing it to fly and crash into a nearby debris pile. The princess shielded her vision as she didn't want to see the final blow come to pass, but after hearing the unexpected cry she opened them again. Standing where the robotic hedgehog once did was the older fox she thought she would never see again after he took off with the Tornado. "Selim?" she asked, a little stunned.

The fox paid her no heed though as he looked upon the heavily injured body of his long lost friend, soon to be the same for the Tails of this era, the body laid apparently lifeless. Was he already too late? No… he couldn't be. "Sonic… Sonic can you hear me? Sonic!" He asked as tears started to come across his cheek, he was going to lose him again… he felt like he did all those years ago, all the anguish and despair he though he had been rid of for nearly seven years, the acceptance of losing, vanished in a heartbeat. "Sonic, damn you! Wake up, don't leave me here, don't leave us here!"

He fell on his knees and picked up the hedgehog's unconscious body in his gloved hands, the quills scraped roughly against his arms as the hands went behind the hedgehog's head. He tried so hard to save him; he should have known all his efforts would have left the same consequence. He had been a fool to get his hopes up, thinking he could do the impossible. But Sonic told him nothing was impossible… no, that had to be a lie, cause if it wasn't that means he had failed, failed his friend twice, the one who never failed him. He didn't know what else to do, he put his head down into his friend's shoulder and cried. Everything went cold.

There was then sudden warmth… something he couldn't explain, it wasn't like that burning anger that he experienced the first time the hedgehog had died, it was more of comforting calm warmth. It was at that time that a rainbow of glowing color could be seen dancing around the fox, which forced him to look up. His eyes met seven gems at his chest level, encircling him… almost like the time he saw Sonic… at that point it hit him, not just what was happening, but a power. It was unlike anything he had felt before, all his worries and pain were washed away, he felt rejuvenated, reborn, and the heavy sorrows were lightened. He felt his feet lift from the ground, if he wasn't concentrating on staying on the ground he could have flown, past the highest of the heavens, through the universe.

Princess Sally gasped at the sight, the fox's orange fur brightened to a paler, more yellow tone as his fur wavered and flowed. His eyes deepened in color to a deep orange, almost red to those that were at the distance that Sally was. His ears looked sharper, and the fur around his tails poofed, like an angry alley cat ready to strike. She looked about as shocked as when she had been when she first saw Sonic like this. Though, she thought that when the young Tails came in contact with them they had no residual effect, not like this anyway.

The fox stood steady, looking around as the emeralds fell to the ground, their charge dissipated it seemed, he saw himself glow. "What is this…?" He asked as he looked at his hands. This was a power he never even dreamed about, one that had probably corrupted many that searched for even a taste of such a high. He kneeled down again and placed his hand against the hedgehog's chest and closed his eyes. His hand pulsated energy thorough it as it touched the hedgehog's skin. The hedgehog's wounds coming together and healing up just as the emotional scars the fox had did under the Chaos Emeralds' powers.

The hedgehog felt his eyes opening, his vision blurring back to the world around him, he saw a light form around him, and at first he thought he was dead, the light coming to collect him, however he soon saw a familiar face. It was then, he noticed that Sally was right, why was he so blind to it before, the face was so similar.

"Tails…?" he asked weakly as he came around.

The form nodded, "Yes, it is I, just don't call me that alright." he stated, looking to Sally's direction, who hung her head. She had acted as rashly as Sonic had, and it was the one trait she had tried to avoid.

Sonic sat up, looking at the fox; it didn't take long for him to figure out what had happened to him. "…and here I thought I was the only one who could do it…" He said with a little smile.

Selim smiled back. "Sorry to disappoint you, I'm just as surprised as you are."

There was a sudden clanking sound and all three of them looked toward its origin, the robotic hedgehog was coming back and now the older fox could see why Sonic couldn't beat him, it was guised as Uncle Chuck. "You guys should go; I'll take care of him…"

Sonic stood up and shook his head. "Don't kill him; you know how much my Unc means to me."

The vulpine turned to the blue hedgehog and shook his head. "That is defiantly the same chassis as your uncle, however the innards were changed, I can sense that, and I'm sure you could too, if you doubt me ask Nicole…"

Sonic turned to Sally, who just nodded weakly, Miles was right, it was not Uncle Chuck on the inside, what happened to him, they could only imagine. Sonic then clenched his fist, "I'm going to help, and I won't let him get away with this…"

Miles shook his head. "Sonic, please, let me handle it ok, be with Tails and the other Freedom Fighters, they need you… do it for me, you owe me that much…"

The hedgehog nodded, he was kind of a jerk to him this whole time, and even when he pushed him away he persisted to help. He had to admire that persistence, the same he saw in Sally. "Alright Selim, or Miles, I'll do that for you, make him pay…"

Without warning the robotic hedgehog charged at Sonic, its order to kill him still stood, and it wasn't going to be caught off guard this time. However the speeding assassin was easily detected by the fox's sharp ears. He quickly spun around smashing his tails into the robot's stomach area, as he did his body spun to face away from the Sonic. "Go now!" he cried.

Sally tugged on the hedgehog's arm, as she began to move away, back to the meeting spot. Sonic nodded, understanding and surprised at the speed of the older Tails's attack. If anyone could take this monster down, he could. On top of that he was far too emotionally distorted to fight his own Uncle, and though he knew it wasn't him anymore and he could be 'dead' it was too tough to fight, not only physically but emotionally.

"Good luck, big guy…" Sonic said, heavily audible in the silence. As the hedgehog and ground squirrel moved away the silence continued, a serious look upon the fox's face, his eyes narrowed, preparing to counter any move the robot made to intercept the hedgehog. The metallic hedgehog just stared back, realizing how much of a threat this new form was. It had been the first one to get a good blow off on him, and it knew it'd have to go through him in order to complete its mission.

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That's it for now, next update will be here on March 21. But which year? Just kidding! We're getting close to the end, can't ya tell? (That means this will be my first complete fic! Whoo-who!)