Amy and Cream walked through allies while Knuckles and I jumped roof from roof above them.

"Why are we doing this again?" he asked.

I sighed and explained for the 17th time, "We're making sure Amy and Cream are safe."

"Yeah, yeah, I get that part. But why do I have to come?"

"Because one: I told you to. Two: because you're all muscles and no brains. And three: Tails isn't dumb enough to . . . to . . . I don't know. All I know is that he's smart and you're not."

"Thanks, blue boy. That really helps the self - esteem!"

Sometimes Knuckles can be a real retard.

Amy entered a building as Cream walked away.

Suddenly Knuckles' cell phone rang. He put a finger to his lips and shushed me.

"You've reached Knuckles. How may I help you?"

Nice pick up line, Knux! What are you, a business agent? He sure wouldn't get a girl that way.

"Yeah, sure . . . okay . . . see you in a few." He snapped his phone shut. "Amy. She needs some help with something." he informed, then jumped down to the street and walked through the doors to the apartment building.

I jumped down from the building to Amy's balcony and hid behind one of the lawn chairs.

The apartment was quiet for a few minutes, then the door opened and some large silver box with blue ribbons was being pushed in by Knuckles. He pushed the box into the living room then walked back out.

Well, it looks like someone besides me forgot her birthday!

Amy walked in with several gifts, including thousands of sweets, and placed most of them on her kitchen counter. Then she walked into her bedroom.

I was so glad she was safe! That stupid bracelet was a mistake.

I watched Amy all through the night until she went to bed.

When I got back to Tails Workshop, Tails was at his work desk drawing on blue prints and Knuckles was sitting on the couch, watching TV and lifting weights.

Lindsey was gone.

"Where'd Lindsey go?" I asked.

No one answered.

"Hey, guys?"

Still no answer.

"Hello! I'm talking to you!"

Were they purposely ignoring me?

"Is anyone listening to me?"

That was an obvious no.

I sighed and yelled as loud as my lungs and vocal cords would allow. "YO!"

The two jumped a foot or two in the air. Tails head hit his work lamp and burned a patch of his fur. As for Knuckle head, his weights flew up with him. One of them hit his head. The other landed . . . you wouldn't wanna know,

"Oh, hey Sonic." Tails said, rubbing his noggin. Knuckles was crouching in a ball, whimpering.

"Hey little bro. Where'd Lindsey go?"

"Oh, she had to leave. Her mother called and wanted her to take the nightshift at the boutique."

I nodded and slowly walked up to me room. Somehow I felt a sudden bit of drossiness.

"So what are we gonna do about her?" Tails asked, following me.

"I don't know. Let's figure it out later." I replied, getting more and more tired every second.

"Okay, well, goodnight Sonic."

"Night Tails."

I crashed the minute I got in bed.

*Dream POV*

Sonic was riding on the wing of the X Tornado, Tails piloting it. Sonic's dark blue fur was now midnight blue and his pupils' dark black.

"Hurry up, Tails!" He growled.

"Cool it, Sonic! You've asked me to speed up twenty times already, and I'm going as fast as I can!" Tails replied.

They flew in the warm autumn breeze, approaching a large air craft.

Eggman's base.

"Eggman's gonna pay!" Sonic snapped.

'Wow, he was never so upset when Eggman captured her before. Why now?' Tails thought.

Sonic couldn't wait any longer. He made his hands into fists and started to run, faster and faster until he jumped off the X Tornado and landed on the ship.

There Eggman stood with his robot henchmen.

"EGGMAN! Where are they?" Sonic shouted, a jeer spreading across his face, full of anger and loathing.

"Sonic,"

He turned to see Sally and Amy in glass capsules full of smoke. They were both coughing hard, eyes watering. Amy was clutching her slightly bleeding leg and arm.

Sonic's face was surprised. He had never in his life seen Amy in so much torture and pain. It tortured him to see her like this.

"Hand . . . them . . . over." He growled.

Eggman smirked. "You want them?" He hand zipped over to a lever and pulled on it. A trap door under both girls slid open and they dropped downward into the forest.

"Go and get them." he finished.

Sonic's original fur and pupil color came back and his expression turned to worry. He ran off the air craft and fell down after them. He looked around to find that Tails had abandoned him.

The girls screamed and held onto each other in fear.

Suddenly a shimmering light glowed around the forest below Sally and Amy, so bright that Sonic had to cover his eyes. Once the glow had dimmed, a volcano had taken the

place of the forest.

Amy and Sally fell right into the burning rock and turned to ash.

"NOOOOOO!"