After dropping Amy off with a medic, Sonic helped Bunnie haul the crates down to storage, finding it already a quarter full. It was still nowhere near enough to feed the small army of people, but at least it was progress.

As far as he knew, Antoine had taken Tangle, Blaze, Silver, and Shadow with him as well as a couple others when they'd set out. They weren't due to be back for another couple of hours, but he had to be available to help them haul stuff, or in case something went wrong. This meant he couldn't go back for another shipment today, nor would he have wanted to risk another group venture.

He'd been hesitant to bring even Tails and Ella along, the both of them being around the same age. And after Amy had gotten her nose broken, he certainly wasn't going to bring her along again. Sure, she'd been fine, and a broken nose wasn't too bad in the grand scheme of things, but what if something worse happened? He didn't want to be responsible for her getting injured again. Heck, he didn't want her to get injured at all.

Maybe he could go solo after dark, he mused. He was fast enough that he could pull it off. He might get an earful from Sally over it, but food and supplies trumped getting scolded. Plus, then he wouldn't be putting anyone else in danger.

His mind was made up then. Tonight, he'd head back out on his own and see if he could get his hands on anything else.

"Sonic," called a voice, pulling him from his thoughts. Sally stood in the doorway, beckoning him with a hand gesture. "Come with me. We've got some things to discuss."

"Got it," Sonic replied, following her as she led him up the stone stairs and down several winding hallways until they reached the area where their bedrooms were. Sally opened the door to her own room and gestured for him to come inside. Sonic obliged, shutting the door behind him when she asked.

When the door was finally shut, Sally tackled him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're back," she said. "Things were looking pretty grim without you." She pulled away and smiled at him. "We missed you," she finished.

"I missed you guys too," Sonic replied, his cheeks heating as he gently pushed her away, holding her at arm's length. "And hey, I think things are starting to look up again. We got a lot of people out of the camp, and we're going to do it again soon. We've got a band of privateers on our side—specifically Shadow. And last of all but not least, we've got you as an awesome leader."

Sally blushed and smiled bashfully. "I try but I wouldn't say I'm an awesome leader," she said. "But anyway… we need to talk about that little kiss a while ago."

Sonic sighed. "Yeah…" he begrudgingly agreed. "Look, Sal… It's… not really that important. I mean, it was, and it might still be if… circumstances were different. But I hope that it doesn't change our friendship. I just… had to be honest for once, ya know? I… y'know, I loved you. I still do, but… it's not really the same. I don't know if I'm making any sense."

Sally nodded. "I get it. And I really appreciate your honesty, Sonic," she said. "But… I've never felt that way towards you. My parents used to think that you and I might… I don't know, make a good match I guess, but you've always just been my best friend, and I don't want that to change either."

"Okay," Sonic said with a smile. "Good. Now… on that note…"

Sally raised an eyebrow. "Is this about that pink hedgehog girl?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, kind of," Sonic replied. "Her and Shadow…"

Sally's eyes widened as he explained his feelings and Shadow's offer, but she waited until he was done before speaking. "What's really stopping you?" she asked. "If this is something you want, then go for it."

Sonic sighed. "I don't know if I want it, Sal," he said. "I mean, they're both beautiful and strong and smart and just—" He cut himself off, his cheeks flushing as Sally made a face like she was trying not to laugh. "Anyway, I don't want to be the reason their relationship is ruined. They were happy without me before, so why mess with that?"

"But could they be even happier with you?" Sally asked. "Do you think you could be happier with both of them?"

How quickly the answer came to Sonic's mind startled him, and though it was simple, it lay like a stone on his tongue, leaving him unable to speak.

Yes.

But it frightened him too, so he stayed silent, and Sally sighed. "Well, if you don't think so, then don't," she said. "It's up to you. But…" She looked at him, biting her lip in thought. "I know the way you're going right now, you're whipping yourselves into a miserable frenzy. So either rip off the bandage now, or go say yes."

Sonic nodded, though what he was going to do, he was still unsure. It would be so much easier to just say no and have the whole thing over and done with now. It would stave off a lot of pain later if it didn't work out.

If… If it didn't work…

What if it did?

Sonic sighed. "I think I need to go for a run," he said, but he gave Sally a smile. "Thanks for the talk, Sal. And… I'm glad we're still cool."

Sally smiled. "Go," she said. "I'll see you later. Stay out of trouble."

Sonic smiled, then left, walking down the halls and all the way out of Knothole before finally breaking into a sprint.

He came back an hour later to find Tails wandering around just outside the main entrance. He screeched to a stop, then frowned. "What are you doing out here, buddy?" Sonic asked.

"Huh?" Tails said, jumping a little, then he relaxed when he saw it was Sonic. "Oh, nothing. Just… thinking is all. Where'd you go?"

"Out for a run," Sonic said. "Had to clear my head a bit." Not that it had worked. He was still as confused as ever, but the tired ache in his legs was strangely comforting. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

Tails hesitated, his fingers fidgeting, his eyes downcast. Sonic knelt down in front of him, eyebrows crinkling with worry. "You okay, bud?" he asked softly.

After a moment, Tails shook his head. "I'm… I'm worried we're gonna run into Martin again," he said. "I mean, he's working for Kintobor directly, which means he might be trying to hunt us down right now, and we have no way of knowing that unless maybe Espio relays something from one of his spies. He might be trying to find me again and I…" Tears spilled down the fox's cheeks. "I don't want him to come back. I just… I want my big brother back. Not… Not that."

Tails wiped at his cheeks, and Sonic gently nudged him towards the entrance to Knothole. "It's kinda dangerous out here," he murmured. "Let's head back in."

Tails nodded and went back down through the hole, Sonic following and closing the entrance behind him. The silence was heavy as they made their way through the tunnel. Sonic looked over at Tails, who was still wiping at his cheeks and sniffling, and if anything it seemed to be getting worse. So when they got to the bottom, Sonic led the kid away from the bustle of people and towards a quieter corner on the outskirts of the tunnel system, deep in the caverns of Knothole. No one would be coming this way for a while.

"So…" Sonic began. "What happened, bud?"

"Did Shadow tell you about how he got his abilities?" Tails asked, sitting against a wall and curling into his tails. Sonic sat down next to him and nodded. "Well…" Tails began. "That same guy… He's the reason Martin's like that. Well… actually…" He looked up at Sonic with tears pooling in his eyes. "I'm the reason he's like that."

"Like what?" Sonic asked.

"Crazy, evil, just… That's not Martin. Martin never would have wanted to hurt me or anyone. He was the nicest guy I knew. He took care of me after mom and dad died and… and helped me when people would pull on my tails and…" Tails buried his face in his arms. "That's not my big brother," he sobbed quietly.

Sonic felt his heart crack in two in his chest, and he reached out and wrapped his arms around Tails, hugging him tight. He wondered just how long this kid had been carrying this; the guilt, the grief. Tangle had seemed to know the basics of what had happened, but with how… broken the kid sounded, Sonic couldn't help but wonder how much Tails had really kept to himself. "It's not your fault, kiddo," Sonic said quietly.

"But it is!" Tails shouted, his voice raw, breaking into another sob. "It is! It was my dumb idea to see Black Doom and it was me that the spell bounced off of. You want to know why I have these stupid things?" He grabbed his tails and waved them in the air. "Because my mom barely had enough money to keep Martin and I alive! She got a scammy spell from a witch to give me a fighting chance in case something happened to them and guess what!" He paused, his chest heaving. "She put a target on my back!"

Sonic had no idea how to respond. Obviously Tails was upset, and he seemed to just be ramping up, but Sonic had no idea how to calm him down, so he stayed quiet, and Tails continued.

"Everyone hated me! They hit me, they stole from me, did what they could to make my life miserable… But Martin didn't treat me like they did. He was… Awesome. He played with me when I was little, made up stories to keep me entertained, especially when mom and dad were sick. He let me follow him when he was getting into trouble, and I pulled him out of it more times than I can count. But… A few years ago, we found Black Doom. Martin said that he could take away my extra tail." Tails finally took a deep breath, his shoulders deflating as he curled in on himself again. "So we went, and we took all the money we had to do it, though…" Tails sighed shakily, squeezing his eyes tight as more tears trickled down his cheeks. "That was… so so stupid. But we didn't know about the permanence of Witch magic–no one in our village ever used it–and so Doom's spell bounced off me and hit Martin instead. It was fine at first. I mean, all that showed were the new purple marks on his face. But then…"

He curled in on himself even more, hiding behind his tails. Sonic hugged him tight. "You don't have to keep going," he said.

Tails shook his head. "He got mean," he said, his voice so quiet Sonic almost couldn't hear him. "He still defended me from bullies, still tried to protect me. But there was something… different. Then one day… it was like he snapped. He came after me and…" He took a shuddering breath. "He tried to hurt me. I still don't understand why. I flew away, and he came after me for months. It wasn't until I found Tangle and Rosy and they convinced Captain Shadow to let me on board that I could finally get away…"

Sonic reeled from the information, his heart plummeting in his chest. Tears began to well up in his own eyes, a mirror of the fox's pain. He hugged Tails tight as he sobbed and sniffled. If Martin is going to be a shitty big brother, then I'm going to take the job over, Sonic vowed silently. "As long as I'm around, I'm not gonna let him hurt you," he said aloud. "I promise."

Tails nodded.

After Tails had calmed down and left, which had taken a long time, Sonic decided to wander over to the infirmary. Maybe Amy was still there, he hoped. Though a broken nose probably would have already been patched up, especially if there were any witches in there to help her heal. Or if she'd found spell ingredients and done it herself.

When he got there, he saw her bustling with the other witches and medics, trying to heal several other people. She already looked exhausted, but she happened to look up and see him standing in the doorway, and she grinned and waved, suddenly looking a lot brighter. Sonic's breath caught in his throat, his thoughts–Tails's revelation, his worries about them–all coming to a standstill. She was messy and tired and… so beautiful.

He wanted to cross the room and kiss her right then and there, to just stop caring about what happened if things didn't work and just go for it. But the ache in his chest sent his thoughts into turmoil again, and he waved goodbye as he walked away from the infirmary, wishing he could banish the fear, banish the reservations. But he still… just couldn't quite do it.

And he hated himself for it.

So he retreated to his room, waiting for nightfall so he could go out on his solo mission.