It was morning in the forest of knothole as a light autumn shower blessed it with its' grace. The wet leaves glistened to the point where you could nearly see your reflection. The grass was starting to brown and dry up, but there was still some life to it. Birds chirped all around, filling the air with their sweet music.

And it was wholly disturbed by the fastest pity party alive.

A blue blur raced through the forest. It ran like the wind, jumping over logs and hopping over river's, never stopping for an instant. His arms brushed past various plants and small branches as he went, never caring much about anything other than what was right in front of him. And he still nearly stumbled enough to show that even that might have been a put-on. All he knew was that he didn't want to remember what happened the other day. He knew that maybe he shouldn't have gone that far, that things were no doubt more complicated than he made them out to be, that others were hurting more. But he just couldn't bear it. Couldn't beat to think of it. Couldn't—

"Gotcha!"

He tumbled to the floor. He wasn't sure what, but he'd just been attacked by *something.* And he would've liked to know what that something was. Whatever it was, it was still grabbing on for dear life, and the two of them rolled around like a tire until they crashed into the nearest tree.

The impact bounced the both of them back and laid them out on the floor, each sprawled out like ragdolls. "Oy." Sonic got up, though he still wondered for a moment if he should've. He took a moment to look at whoever had tried to catch him. As it turned out, he didn't even need to see them to know who it was.

Mina groaned like she had a hangover. Not that she did, but after such a collision, he couldn't blame her. She took a moment to get her bearings before remembering just why she was there. And then her gaze shifted almost exclusively to the blue blur standing in front of her.

"Sorry, Sonic, really! I didn't mean for that to happen, honest. I guess I just kind of tripped. One thing led to another and, well, uh, you know. Sorry."

"No, it's okay," he said. "I mean, sure, I got a bunch of branches stuck in my face once, but that's life. But if you don't mind, I'd really like to be alone. No offense."

"Sonic, you've been alone for the last day. You haven't really eaten anything since Chuck. And you've been running non-stop. You can't keep doing this to yourself!"

"Try me."

Just then, Tails flew in, hovering down to Sonic and Mina like a miniature helicopter. "Found you! Thanks, Mina!"

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one who cares about him. I mean, not in that way, of course! Except not really. I mean, I don't even know if I swing that way, except of course I do because I couldn't possibly swing THAT way ohGAEAIhaveissues-"

Tails was befuddled. "Uh, Mina? No offense, but could you please start making sense? Because this is starting to sound like some sort of word salad."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Tails hovered next to Sonic, gasping at him as though he could scarcely believe it. Sonic wasn't in the worst shape, but if he didn't get himself together, he'd be there soon enough. Small rings were starting to form under his eyes, and he was beginning to thin out as though he'd lost a few pounds. The price of running and running without eating enough to compensate.

"We've been worried about you big bro."

"Well, thanks, but you shouldn't be. I'm doing just fine by myself, thanks."

"Sonic, I can see your ribcage! You haven't been eating, not as much as you should. And you haven't gotten a wink of sleep. For your sake, we've gotta get you back to Knothole!"

"I'm not going. Not yet anyway. I just... I just can't."

"Are you serious? Look at yourself! You've been running yourself ragged! If we don't get you back now, you're gonna collapse. Or worse. Understand me?!"

Sonic shrugged. "So? At this point, I couldn't care less."

"But Sonic—"

"I'm not done. Chuck was… he was more than just an uncle to me. My parents weren't always there for me. They loved me, sure, but they just weren't always there. Always going on some trip or somethin'. Can't blame 'em though. Guess it runs in the blood. But Chuck? Chuck was always there for me. Whenever my parents weren't there, he was. And I think he did more to raise me than my parents did. I mean, I was still kinda an asshole. Not gonna lie. But if he hadn't been there, I might've been even worse."

Sonic clenched his fist. Almost as though he were about to strangle somebody. "And then what happens? He gets robotized! Out of nowhere! And I couldn't do a thing! Just like the King. I couldn't save him either. And I couldn't save Chuck. I failed the both of 'em when they needed me the most. And I can't just rush back in to save him either! SO WHAT THE HELL AM I GOOD FOR?!"

Tails and Mina were dumbstruck. They had never seen Sonic like this. Not for as long as they'd known him. Granted, they had only known him a couple of months, but this was still new for them. And for the moment, neither was quite sure what to say."

"Uh, look, Sonic," said Mina. "I know you've really got to be hating yourself right now. Not being able to save those you care about most and all that. And I get that. I mean, if I'd lost someone I cared about—"

"SHUT UP! We didn't lose him! We're gonna get him back! I just don't know how."

At this point, Tails figured he should say something. "Sonic. Remember when we first met? I told you how I'd lost my family. They didn't get robotized or anything like that, but I still lost them. And for a while, I wasn't sure if I could live with myself. But someone taught me I could. That there was always something to look forward to and live towards. That regardless of anything else, you need to keep moving forward and never look back. And now he's saying the opposite."

Sonic was cut to the quick.

"Tails, I—"

"'Big bro.' That's what you are to me. Someone who will never give up regardless of whatever comes his way. Someone who always tries to find a way to do what he has to and won't back down despite everything and everyone saying he should. But if you're just gonna run around like none of that matters to you, then you aren't my big bro!"

Sonic had more or less been blindsided. He wasn't expecting Tails to put up such a robust rebuttal as he had. Or with seeming much of a threat at all.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" he said. "Your sense of fun? Your sense of anything?! Because right now, it doesn't seem like you've got a whole lot of any of that.."

Sonic looked in a small pool of water at his feet. He took a good, long look at himself. And wondered if he really still had it in him.

Sonic stared at his fist for the longest time as if he were still unsure just what course of action he should have taken. And then he clenched it in less than a second. "Actually, I do still have one sense. And that's sensing I was a big ol' idjit just now."

Mina watched with bated breath while Tails could only breath with a sigh of relief.

"You're right," he said. "I don't give up. Because there's no reason to! They can take away everything I've got! My family, friends, anything! And I'll still win! Even if it's the last thing I do! UNDERSTAND ME?!"

"Now that's my big bro!" said Tails.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need a chili-dog. ASAP. Because WHOA do I feel woozy." Sonic began to lose his footing, gradually stumbling and swaying back and forth like a wobbling building before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

"Oh, Gaea! Is he gonna be alright?!" said Mina.

Tails kneeled and checked his pulse. He was sure it was nothing serious, but he wanted to be sure. "He'll be fine. At least after he gets some rest. The important thing though is we got him back."

"Yeah," said Mina. "Still though, that was just Sonic. What about Manic?"

"I don't know. Sonic was already taking it pretty bad. And if Manic's even worse.."

"That's doesn't sound good."

"I know. We're just gonna have to hope that Sonia can get through. Because if she can't, then I don't know who else can."


"Cuz? Hey, cuz? Cuz?"

Manic was sitting at the drums on the middle of the stage near the Terrace. His eyes were unfocused and blank, almost as if they'd been sapped of any will or sense of spirit whatsoever. He tapped on the drum every several seconds, establishing a repetitive and consistent motion. And one that was ever unchanging.

Sonia stood on the edge of the stage. She was calling to him, desperate for him to wake up from his stupor. But it wasn't to be. "Manic? Come on, Manic. Please! Don't do this to me! Look, I know you're kind of messed up right now. I really do. But I kinda am too ya know. Maybe I'm not freaking out to high heaven or anything, but I lost Chuck too. And I got turned into some sort of energy thingy! I just need someone to talk to. But Sonic's running himself to death and I don't really trust anyone else enough for this sort of thing. It may be kind of selfish, really selfish actually, but I need you. So please. Don't do this to me."

Manic didn't hear a word.

Sonia sighed. She hovered off the stage, faint particles of energy trailing behind her. Obviously, she had her own problems to deal with. But Manic came first. Or at least she wanted him to. But just how was she supposed to take care of him when he didn't want to be taken care of at all?

"Hey, kiddo." Sonia looked behind her. Standing large and in charge was Big, fishing pole on his right shoulder and Froggy on his left. "You okay?"

"Oh! Uh, fine, Big. Just fine. Okay, not really fine."

"That's what I thought. The kid still havin' a pity party?"

"You do know his father got turned into a robot just as the two were starting to reconnect, right? 'Pity party's' kind of a strong word there."

"Sorry. But he's still mopin', ain't he?"

"Yeah. I mean, I can't blame him. I'd probably do the same thing. But he can't just keep sitting there like that either. I'd tried talking and talking to him, going at it from nearly every angle, but nothing's worked. The only other thing I can think of is tackling it in the most brutish and cold way imaginable, and that's not something I want to do to Manic. So I'm at a loss."

Big took a good look at Manic, looking him over as though performing various equations and calculations in his head. He often had that look before a big haul, and he always managed to reel it in with aplomb. But fishing wasn't all that he excelled at.

"Looks to me like you need to try a different tact. Or let someone else try one. Sometimes, people are just too attached or they've got their own problems to deal with." He glanced at the crystal embedded in Sonia's chest, making sure she knew that he had. "They can't always help other people like they should because they're still trying to help themselves. Which is a long way of saying maybe you should give someone else a shot."

"Hey, if you wanna talk to him, go ahead. Because I'm out of ideas."

That was all Big needed to hear. "That's what I figured. Don't worry, kiddo. I'll see what I can do." He walked over to Manic, taking a moment to observe his repetitive, lifeless drumming before plopping down next to him on the stage. The whole floor shook like a quake with his presence, and it was all anyone on the ground could do to keep themselves from being rocked by it.

"Look, kiddo. I can't say I know what you're goin' through. Not really. But I do know what it's like to lose your folks." He sighed before looking up at the trees above, almost as though remembering something from long ago. "I was born as one of the Felidae. Might have heard of 'em. They're an old tribe of Mobians that have one of the wonkiest societies I've ever seen. And it was even wonkier living in it. Their whole society was based on clothes. If you wore an Inspector's hat, you were an inspector. If you put on a priest's robes, you were a priest. So on and so forth. And as you might imagine, it wasn't really the most stable form of government." He picked his ear, almost as if he couldn't care less about anything he had just said.

"But it was what we had. And most of didn't have much choice but to live in it. Anyway, I ended up getting my pole and my belt when I was about eight. And because of that, I was trained to be a fisherman. Course, turned out I loved fishin', but not everyone was so lucky. And I was still bein' forced into somethin' I didn't have any real say in. Which kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, I loved fishin' and still do, but what if I ever wanted to do somethin' else? What if I didn't want to be a fisherman? Sure, I guess if ever wanted to I could just put on something else and do that, but it still seemed kind of arbitrary. The whole thing did."

He held his rod forward almost as if casting it out, imagining the perfect cast in his mind's eye. "Didn't help that my father was in full support of it. He was a carpenter, though not because he wanted to be. He wanted to be a fisherman too. But regardless, he was also a man of integrity. And also flat out stubborn. This was how things were done so that's how they were done. Nothin' else mattered to him. So at the end of the day, I had an unstable government that was bound to collapse on one side and a stubborn as heck father on the other. So I left. And never looked back. Or at least that's what I told myself."

He put down his rod, his eyes almost beginning to tear up like mist. "Decades later, someone managed to get word to me about my Dad. He was dead. About a year before I got it. I never got a chance to say to him what I always wanted to say. Because I did, you know. I kept on thinking about what I'd say to him if I had the chance. About giving him what for, letting him know what he could've done different. And then maybe, just maybe havin' things be the way I always wanted 'em to be. But now, I don't got that chance."

He turned to Manic. "But you do. Things may look bad now, but look at it this way. Your dad ain't really dead. Sure, it doesn't look good. But there's still a chance. Maybe you don't know what it is yet, but you've still got a shot to fix him. To save him. And once you do, you can tell him everything you always wanted to tell him. But maybe that's just me bein' a sentimentalist."

Big looked at Manic for a moment. Despite all that he had said, he was still drumming as stiffly and lifelessly as ever. "Well, I tried." Big got up and began to walk off, his feet just reaching the edge of the stage.

And then the drumming stopped.

"I…" Manic's voice was low and hoarse, but it soon began to gain in volume and intensity. And his tear ducts quickly became floodgates. "I should have said something. Anything! That bastard! He just came in one night, had a quick fling, and that was it! He didn't even know about me until his niece just happened to run into me! MY MOTHER DIED! AND HE WASN'T THERE! WHAT THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO SAY TO HIM?!"

He rubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to stop the tears. But they just kept coming. "He tried, you know. Once he found out about me, he tried to make it up to me. Offered to take me in as his son. But I just couldn't. He wasn't there for me when I needed him. When WE needed him! And he just expects me to come running to his arms like that?! But now? Maybe I should've. Maybe I should've taken him up on it. Because I think he did care. Or wanted to. I don't know. But now I don't even have the chance, do I?!"

Big walked back over to Manic and placed a hand on his shoulder as if telling him it was alright. "Did you listen to a word I said? Of course you've got a chance. You've just gotta find it. Like I said, he ain't dead, is he? Where there's life, there's hope. Cliche as that may be."

"I… no. You're right. As long as he's still there. There's a chance. So. I swear I'm not gonna stop till I get Chuck— no, till I get Dad back to normal. And then I'll tell him how I really feel. And no-one's gonna stop me!"

"That's the spirit kid! And remember. I'm willin' to help ya every step of the way."

Manic continued to rub his eyes, the tears finally beginning to come to a halt. "Thanks, Big. You know, you'd be a really good dad."

Big rubbed the back of his neck. "That's a new one. Still though. Thanks, kiddo. No-one's ever said that to me before."

"Well, maybe they've should've. Hey, you don't mind comin' over to dinner tonight, do ya? Sonia was going to try and make some chili-dogs for me and Sonic, try and cheer us up. But I wouldn't mind if you came along."

"You sure, kiddo? You're gonna need an awful lot of chili dogs."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Besides, it's the least I can do."

Big looked at Froggy, almost as if asking him what he wanted to. "Ah, to heck with it. You want me there, you've got me."

"Great! I'll see you there! And really, Big. Thanks." He rushed off, eager to find Sonia and Sonic after his little epiphany. And all Big could do was sigh like he didn't know right from left.

"Froggy, what in the world am I gettin' myself into?"

"RIBBIT!"


Sonic groaned. What hit him? At first he thought he'd had a hell of a bender, but he didn't really drink. So that couldn't have been it. He tried to think back to earlier, to before he wound up wherever he was. He had been racing in the woods because of… because of Chuck. Then Mina and Tails managed to talk some sense into him. And then—

And then he passed out. Oh yeah. That's right.

He rubbed his eyes as he took a look around, wondering where Tails and Mina had hauled him off to. He was in a hospital bed in the medical wing, with a plate of chili dogs placed right at his bedside. He gobbled them up like a fiend.

"Finally up?" Sonic looked towards the foot of the bed. Sally was sitting in a chair, reading a book. 'Twilight of Gaea,' it said. It seemed to be some sort of philosophy book or another. Not that he cared.

"Sal! What are you doin' here? Don't you still have a bunch of big leader stuff to take care of?"

"I do. But even leaders need a break every now and then. I was on my way to enjoy some alone time when I ran into Tails and Mina carrying you around like a sack of meat."

"Oh." He supposed that wouldn't be remembered as his proudest moment. "Saw that, did ya?"

"In any case, Tails still had to do some work in the lab and Mina needed to work on her new song. So I decided to keep an eye on you in their place. Besides, I wanted to get some reading in any way. And this was as good a place as any.

"Thanks, Sal," said Sonic. "You know, a month or so back, I might've called you and Tails out. Said I didn't need anyone checkin' up on me. Things sure have changed, huh?"

"Yes. Back when…" She could barely say it. "Back when daddy was still around. Before…"

Sonic placed a hand on Sally's shoulder. "Hey, it's alright, Sal. I understand. Especially after Chuck."

"Thanks, Sonic. But I'm alright. Back when daddy was still around, I still felt I had something prove. That I was right and he was wrong. Of course, I also wanted to save the kingdom from one of the worst monsters it's ever known, but that was certainly part of it. I keep thinking back to then. About how perhaps I could have done things differently. But the end's always the same." A tiny tear trickled down her face like a small stream before she wiped it away. "That said. If Mother was still around, maybe none of this would've happened. Maybe things would've been different."

"Mother?" Sonic tried to hop out of bed, only to find himself nearly falling face first on the floor. He stopped himself just in time, staying under the sheets for the time being. "You never told me you had a mom."

"You never asked. Though I don't mind talking about her. Mother was everything daddy usually isn't. While still embodying his ideals. She was so sweet. So kind. So loving. And incredibly flexible. Among other things. She and Daddy completed another. When she… died, it was like half of Daddy died with her. And I can't say I was ever really the same either."

"That's rough," said Sonic. He tried again to get off the bed, only to find himself not faring any better than the first attempt. "I can't say if it was like that with me and Chuck, but we were still pretty close. But now?"

"Hey, don't get so down! You've still got a chance."

"I guess. I just wish I knew how to use it. I don't have the first clue about getting him back to normal. Didn't Rotor say roboticization was permanent?"

"Yes, he did. That said, there might be a way. Apparently, your uncle said something before Eggman robotized him. Something about a ring?"

Sonic thought back to that day. When Chuck was turned into nothing but a shell of himself before his very eyes. He didn't want to remember. Didn't want to see it play out in front of him all over again. But if Sally was right, then he may not have had much of a choice.

"Yeah, I think so. Not really sure what it meant though."

"Well, Nicole's trying to figure that out. She's combing through database after database in the hopes that whatever Chuck was talking about is in there somewhere. Or at least plans for it. Because knowing Chuck, it probably wasn't just some average ring."

"Any idea what it might do?"

"We're not sure, but it's worth a shot. It's better than just doing nothing."

"I hear that. Thanks though. It means a lot."

"Well, it's the least we could do. The least I could do. That isn't something anyone should have to go through."

"Yeah. Thanks. Though it still sucks. Your dad's still stuck in the Special Zone, right?"

"Yes. We've been trying to get him out ever since Eggman tossed him in there. But no such luck."

"Must be a lot of things you want to say to him, huh?"

"Of course. There are all sorts of things I'd want to tell him. What I've been up to in his absence. That I'm doing my best to make him proud. And…" her eyes began to tear up like a fine mist. "…that I wish he were here. And that I still love him. Even after all he's done."

"Again, sorry. I still feel like I should've done something, ya know? But I guess nothin's gonna come from worrying. Still wish I could help ya though. Just wave my wand, say the magic words and POOF! Problem solved! Like magic."

The words took a moment to register for Sally, like water running through a narrow hole in a block of wood. But eventually, they became crystal clear. And she sprung up out of her seat like a jack in the box. "THAT'S IT!"

"Uh, I'm not following. What's 'it' exactly?"

"Magic, that's what!"

"Uh, Sal? I hate to break it to you, but you know magic isn't real, right?"

"That's what most people think. But I've seen it. About a year back, we had an honest to God court mage. Ixus Naugus. Of course, he vanished not long after. But he was there for years. And some of the stuff he did may well have been miracles."

"Right. Well, I believe that you believe it."

Sally slammed her book shut, her priorities shifting in the span it took to close it. "If science can't get Daddy back, maybe magic can. Maybe it can even turn all the Robians back to normal!"

Sonic instantly thought about Chuck. If this had even a chance of helping him, then maybe it wasn't such a passing fancy after all. "Hey, whatever you say. Besides, if there's even a chance of getting your Dad and Chuck back, I'll take it. But where do we start?"

"That's actually pretty easy! See, we've been hearing rumors of someone up near the Bridge Zone. Someone claiming to be a mage. Now, mages and wizards aren't that common and most of them are crackpots, so we haven't really given her the time of day. But if there's any chance she's the real deal…"

"…then it's worth checking her out," said Sonic. "So what's her name anyway?"

"Ebony. Ebony Black."