Hello again everybody. This Fanfiction is a follow up on my other one entitled 'A Hole in Fabric'. If you haven't read that fanfic yet it is ok, however there maybe are a few points that you wouldn't understand unless you have read that first. Not TOO many but a few. And since this is a new story I'll go through my disclaimer again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tails, Sonic, Rotor, Sally, ect., ect. They are owned by there distinctive owners and are being used without permission. I wish them to beg my pardon and not to be hostile, and if they wish me to discontinue writing then I will do so by their command. If you read this and are not an owner of said companies you have just wasted valuable time reading this, Thank you and now on with the story. ------------

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As the colors moved about before him the older fox looked about for the shadowy figure. "What are you doing?"

The voice didn't respond as the colors started to take form, and scenes from the past he forgot started to come to him. After the stage was set, the darkness spoke again. "I'm going to show you what truly happened… the true events that make you who you are now."

VVVVV

In the underground village of Lower Mobius, it was dim as the power stone simulated nighttime. The streets were empty, but the lights were on in one building, and as one got closer to it the sound of voices could be heard, they were singing a song. Coming even closer, one could hear the lyrics.

"Happy Birthday dear Tails, Happy Birthday to you…" The chorus sang, and then died down with applause. The candles burned brightly as the fox smiled, he was a little embarrassed by the song, especially with everyone singing.

"Make a wish hun." Sally stated as they were ready for Tails to blow out the candles.

The fox thought a bit before he did so. What he wanted to wish was something that plagued his mind, every year before it was something sort of selfish. Like he wanted to be faster then Sonic last year, and the year before he wanted a new dirt hockey stick, which he got. This year though, he thought to himself, this year he'd wish for something that wasn't as selfish. He contemplated and made his wish. I wish I could live in a world without the fear of Robotnik was what he thought before blowing out the candles. Though it did sound possessive he believed that everyone had that wish in their mind.

"So what'd ya wish for big guy?" Sonic asked as he took the candles out of the cake.

"I can't tell ya that Sonic, if I did it wouldn't come true." The fox said shaking his head smiling.

"Oh, almost forgot about that." The hedgehog said with a smile.

"That must be it…" said a voice, looming in the darkness of a metallic bunker somewhere inside Robotropolis. The video was frozen on a bird that was flying right above a picture of an older fox. The vulpine was Selim, the older form of Tails that had stopped Snively's plan at world domination, before disappearing without a trace. The pointy nose human had spent a little over a week going over the tapes of the battle trying to figure out exactly what had made the vulpine disappear and now he was sure he knew.

"Computer, run a data check on that creature." He said to the empty room, the creature in question was the blue bird, which had been yellow when Selim was in super form, but now was back to its original color.

A mechanical voice filled the room as the bird's data was analyzed. Its properties spilled out before the human, and to which he grinned. The flickies, a mysterious race of birds that are capable of teleportation, and supposedly come from another dimension. That must be what happened to Selim, the flickies must have sent him through time. He smiled to himself, if he could control those birds he could create a machine that would send him back in time, in which he would destroy the Freedom Fighters, and Julian before they rose to power, and then he alone would rule the world. He cackled with glee as a map displayed with a flashing red dot on an Archepeligo a good distance southwest of Robotropolis, he was going to Flickie Island.

Sally and Bunnie were picking up the dishes from the table. The others were in the adjacent room probably talking about where they would go from here. The girls looked at each others as they picked up the dishes at the opposite side of the table. They were thinking of their own little conversation to make the work go faster. Bunnie held in her thoughts until they reached the kitchen though, putting the dishes in the sink she looked over. "Another year, huh?"

Sally nodded, "Yeah, I wish we knew how old he really is though… we put an approximation by his appearance…"

Bunnie sighs and puts a hand on the squirrels shoulder. "We go over this every year Sally-girl. I know we don't know everything about him, but ya'll shouldn't be too worried, he's happy now, it doesn't matter if today is really his birthday or not… we just made it today because it was half a year from when Sonic found him." She said looking into the princess's eyes.

The princess nodded. "I don't understand… Nicole knows my history, your history, Rotor's history. But if I delve into Tails's, or even the very early history of Sonic… it seems to cause this strange error to come up. Like the data is restricted permanently."

"Ya told me hun. I don't understand it either, but as long as I can remember Sonic was with us. I remember Charles came into town when I was about 5, and Sonic came with him, and afore that I have no idear."

Sally cocked her head and chuckles… "iDeer? What is that…"

Bunnie puts her arms across her chest. "Y'all makin' fun of little ol' accent Sally-girl?"

Sally giggled. "Naw, I ain't." She said smiling. "I'm just trying to lighten up; today we're supposed to celebrate." She picks up a glass with a colorful drink in it. "To living another day, and to those that fight for the next."

"Cheers." Bunnie smiled clinking an empty glass with Sally's, "Too bad I got nothin' to drink…"

Knuckles looked out off the edge of the island, it had been a quiet ten days since he had returned. He did get a few calls from Lower Mobius from his new 'allies', however nothing really major. There was something in the air, a sense of danger that he had become familiar with throughout his life. His eyes closed as the wind blew through his dreadlocks. There was a scent to the air, one he had become used to by now, it was a fire, destroying, consuming a woodened landscape. The guardian looked down to see smoke rising into the air from a land form below.

"What is that?" He wondered to himself as he saw the archipelago, far below him. Having been to many places on his floating island Knuckles guessed that it must have been a freak fire. There was nothing on that island of any real significance… just a bunch of birds. Then he looked down closely, he thought he saw something, something moving. It was a grey object of some kind. He looked down peering, and now he was suspicious. He had to tell the Freedom Fighters about this strange occurrence, he would go himself, but it might be a ruse to get him away from the emeralds.

"Are you sure Knuckles?" Grif asked the echidna who was on the video display. Sonic and Sally were sitting inside the room after the guardian requested their presence.

"There's defiantly something going down on Flickie Island… I thought I saw a flying machine heading in, but it was too hard to see. There was a fire though, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Robotnik was there." He said to the Freedom Fighters.

"Can't hurt to check, but what would old Buttnik want there?" The hedgehog asked crossing his hands in front of his chest, thinking aloud. "Maybe he was upset when they came into Robo-town…We'll check it out Knuxs, thanks for the heads up."

Sally looked at her palm computer; she was already looking at the information on the flickies, seeing if there was anything about them that Robotnik would want. She gasped as the display read out what she feared; there was a use for the creatures. "Guys, look at this…" She said, putting it up into a holographic projection. The information on the flying creatures displayed. "They can travel through space…"

Knuckles scratched his head. "I heard that a few of them can warp, however not as potently as the Chaos Emeralds."

"I don't like it one bit Sal… he's up to something… he's gonna use that ability of theirs somehow. We have to save them."

The princess nodded, and stood up. "We'll be right there Knuckles, thanks for telling us." She said shutting off the video conversation. She sighed and turned around in her chair. "And just when I hoped we would have a break…"

Grif nodded, "I wish I could help, but this is my village and I need to stay…"

Sally looked down. "I'm staying too… since the birds could be used as hostages we can't attack with a mass of people. A bulk of the Freedom Fighters will have to stay here. I have to be here for them." She turned to Sonic who seemed to be very curious on the game plan. She then continued. "We need someone fast, because as I said before, they might take the creatures hostage if we attack head on. You'll have to move quickly and quietly… We're counting on you Sonic…" she said with a smile. Plus she had to keep the blue one busy; he had started to think more about what happened to Uncle Chuck lately.

The hedgehog nodded. "Alright Sal… but can I ask one favor?" He asked looking up at her.

"Yes Sonic?"

"Can I bring Tails with me?"

Sally frowned and looked away a little, sighing. "Sonic this mission is too dangerous to get him involved…"

Grif looked to the two and he moved to the exit, obviously this wasn't a good time to be listening in, it seemed like this argument might get into subjects he would neither understand nor needed to hear, so he left the two in the room alone.

"Come on Sal! You promised after his 12th birthday he could go on any mission he wanted to…that was yesterday…" He said tapping his foot. "Besides, he was supposed to be in charge of the freedom fighters at this very moment, we aren't even supposed to be here Sal…"

Sally sighed. "We are, because we are Sonic Hedgehog. Selim changed things, sure, but we aren't supposed to know that we are supposed to be dead. We just know because Selim told us."

"Come on Sal, if S'lim weren't there we'd be killed, that barrier would have made us sittin' ducks. If we had died Tails more then likely would have ended up just like Selim, because he isn't just a kid Sal. You see him for his age, I see him for what he is capable of. If he just sits here in Lower Mobius his whole life… he won't be capable of nothin' Sal." The hedgehog stated, shaking his head. "Sal, I'll be with him the whole time, you remember how helpful he was at Drood Hedge, and on the Floating Island, he'll be of great help to me now."

Sally sighed. "Fine, you take care of him, I guess I'm just being overprotective. Listen though, if he gets hurt I want to know, and don't let him out of your sight."

"Alright Sal, no problem." Sonic said nodding.

"Oh, and you should probably take this…" Sally said, giving her palm computer to Sonic. "She should be able to decipher their language."

Sonic nodded and took Nicole, and laughed at Sally, "Don't worry I won't let her outta my sight either." He said as he left the room, leaving Sally alone.

"Hey there, big guy." Sonic said as he walked into the pipeline segment that was currently being used like a hanger. The Tornado was sitting in the middle of the room, the fox doing some basic maintenance as the hedgehog was coming in.

"Hey Sonic." The kit smiled as he stopped what he was doing and turned around. Wiping his oil stained paws on a handkerchief before putting the cloth down on a nearby table. "What's up?"

The hedgehog smiled, "We got a new mission comin' up T-2 and we want you to help."

The fox looked as if he just won the lottery; a smile crossed his face as he looked up to the hedgehog. "Really?"

As Sonic let off a nod the vulpine jumped up and shouted. "Past cool… Thank you guys… I've been waiting so long to go on an adventure… so where are we going?"

"Flickie Island… apparently ol' Buttnik found another species he hadn't touched yet, so we're guessin' he's down there messin' things up big time." He said. "But it's surrounded by water, so I need ya to fly us in."

Tails seemed a little disappointed when he heard that. He thought he was going on the mission, but it sounded as if all they wanted him there for was to bring Sonic to the island. The hedgehog noticed this and smiled. "Hey big guy, don't worry you're coming with me, I could really use your help out there, it'd probably be tough by myself."

The fox smiled; though he didn't really think it'd be too tough for Sonic by himself, he was glad he was allowed to go on this mission. "Thanks Sonic." He said as he shut a little hatch in the hull. He got into the plane's cockpit and let Sonic sit in the back seat. He turned on the engine and it purred beautifully, the hedgehog didn't know why that every time he heard the sound he wondered how the little guy was able to build something so efficient in so little time. It was a very beautiful biplane, unlike that air jalopy, the Freedom Stormer, they had built before which crashed when the hedgehog landed it. Of course the others were quick to blame his piloting skills, but it was more his attempt at showing off.

"We got a map I can use?" The kit asked back to the hedgehog who handed him Nicole, she had the map on display. Tails looked at it and thought for a bit. "It's a good thing I put more fuel in this thing, it'll take the full tank to get us there and back… I hope."

Sonic looked up at Tails as the fox made the plane move down the runway, "What do you mean by that…"

"Well, it's an educated guess, but it could be off by a bit. If I'm overestimating then we won't be able to make it back to the hanger without running out of feul…" He said, shrugging. "I'm a little worried."

Sonic smiled and shrugged back. "Don't worry about it, hopefully we can find some petroleum on the island, or maybe Knuckles has some, since the Floating Island is nearby…"

The fox nodded as the plane lifted off the ground. "Just remind me to grab some ok?" He asked as the Tornado went through the open end of the pipeline, flying off into the distance. Tails wasn't worried about the trip back right now. He was just eager to fly off to adventure.

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That's it for the first chapter, the second will be on its way May 13th, Friday. Mwhahahahaha. Trust me; there will be bad luck all around. Anyways hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you liked this be sure to read my other one too, if you haven't already. Reviews on either story are always welcome if you can find time, and are greatly appreciated. See you next chapter.