Chapter III: Enemy Prower

I.. really don't know what to make of this.. Cream's thoughts were racing as she was being carried at high speeds in the arms of a frightened Tails. She could feel heat creeping up her cheeks, upon realizing she was in the arms of her best friend. She wanted more than anything to do what she could in order to try and comfort him, despite her own uneasiness toward the situation. She too was a little shaken up at Sonic's sudden mood swing: from completely relaxed to stressed out in mere minutes. She couldn't believe that Sonic would yell at him without any explanation or reason that she could think of. Her eyebrows twitched slightly, feel a tinge of anger ignite inside her at the blue hedgehog. She decided to push that feeling down, knowing that more anger would only make the situation worse.

Despite the tension of the situation, she couldn't help but feel a little joyous as well. She loved the feeling of the breeze against her fur and the mach speeds Tails was running at. It felt being on some sort of roller coaster from Twinkle Park, just much faster and softer. That feeling of excitement didn't last too long; too many questions were racing inside her head. Why was Sonic so determined to know what Tails was doing today? What made him lose his temper so fast? Sonic's always so calm and carefree, it takes a lot for Sonic to 'lose his cool' like that. The only time I've ever seen him so serious is when he's facing Dr. Eggman or some other.. wait, that can't be right. Sonic seeing Tails as some sort of threat? That small presence of anger she felt before sparked once more as she thought about it. He did mention something that happened in Station Square. Could Sonic really have accused Tails of anything bad happening in Station Square? Cream looked up to face the Yellow Fox and into his sky blue eyes. She could see the fear and sadness evident from the earlier interrogation of his surrogate brother. Despite the hurt, she could also see the warmth and kindness that always seemed to be there clear as day to her. Someone with eyes so gentle could never do anything harmful on a level like Dr. Eggman.

Tails really wanted to get away from the Mystic Ruins, fearing he'd be further interrogated by a hostile blue hedgehog. He couldn't believe that whom he's come to think of as his big brother was now starting to talk to him like he was some kind of criminal. Tails was not only perplexed, but stunned and hurt from the sudden turn in emotion from one of his closest friends. With as hurt as he was, it also really made him think about what made him act so strange. What was he doing during the small amount of time I was spending with Cream? He could recall the questions he was being asked relate to something that happened in Station Square. He must of been watching the news on the television or listening to the local news station on the radio. He was furthermore confused. If there really was a situation in Station Square, why would Sonic think that I had any part in it? It doesn't make any sense..

"Oh my, it seems the fox boy has become a renegade, hm?" A figure gracefully glided down and landing in front of the cave entrance of the cliff. Tails was immediately cut from his thoughts and quickly stopped before running into the figure.

"Rouge? What are you doing here?" Tails inquired, surprised at her unprecedented visit. As soon as he asked, Sonic appeared right behind him and Cream, nearly running into the two as he was on his tip toes, flailing his arms about.

Sonic sighed. Wow, his shoes almost makes him as fast as me now.. that's my buddy for you. Always going above and beyond with his inventions.. Sonic felt even more guilty now with how he acted with Tails. He wasn't used to such a longevity of peace, the lack of villain-thwarting must of been getting to him. Oh, the irony.

Rouge put an arm on her hip and looked into the eyes of the young fox, young in her eyes anyway. She knew she was right to come here, something didn't feel right when talk was going around G.U.N. " Word at my headquarters is: there were talks of a teenage yellow fox causing disruptions in Station Square. All of a sudden, he vanished with what looked like a red type of jewel in his possession.. that doesn't sound like the fox boy I know."

"T-that can't be true!" Cream jumped out of Tails arms and looked face to face with the albino bat. "Tails would never do anything like that.." It suddenly began to dawn on both Cream and Tails. At nearly the exact moment, the both of them turned their heads toward the blue hedgehog behind them. Now it all made sense as to why Sonic was acting so strangely.

"That's what I was.. um, trying to ask about before." Sonic said, scratching his ear nervously, "I may of gotten a little carried away though. I didn't mean to, it's just.. it was surprising seeing that on the news and I started to panic in your house and then I just wanted to know the truth.. I didn't mean to scare you or make you think that I was hunting you down or anything, Tails."

Tails felt a little more hurt that Sonic could ever jump to that conclusion about him. He also had to keep in mind that this also involved a.. two-tailed yellow fox? Now he was even more at a loss of thought. There really was a crime involving someone that looked exactly like him? How could that even be possible? He'd never met anyone with similar unique traits such as his two namesakes; not to mention another fox in general let alone the same fur color and traits as him. This was not only perplexing, but a little intriguing as well.

"That's what I came to talk to you about." Rouge stated to the bewildered fox, as the three turned back to face her again. "G.U.N. was planning to send out some of their agents to capture and interrogate you before anymore damage could be done." Tails froze with his eyes agape at the thought of him being pursued by that organization. He wouldn't stand a chance against them. She folded her arms and a playful smile formed on the bat's features, adding in a wink as she continued, "Of course, I managed to convince them to not to do anything drastic, like the last time they tried this with Sonic and the mistaken identity." A relieving sigh escaped the fox's mouth, with Sonic standing behind him with an appreciative grin on his face to Rouge. Cream felt herself calming down now after hearing this bit of good news.

"I really appreciate the trouble you went through to do that, thank you." Tails said sincerely, but couldn't help but ask, feeling hesitant in asking, "Um.. but why would you help me?" Rouge walked over to the curious fox and gently placed a hand under his chin and smiled.

"What kind of agent would I be if I let a cutie like you be taken away by them?" She winked and placed a soft peck on the fox's nose and ran off towards the rocky wall she'd previously staged her entrance from. "I told Knuckles I would be returning after running an errand or two.. hopefully he's not too worried about little ol' me. Until next time.." She flew back up the wall and disappeared from their sights. Tails looked out with a blank stare and reddened face at the unexpected display of affection from her. Despite being grateful for her helping out Tails, Cream couldn't help but experience this strange feeling growing inside her, as she found herself with her hands on her hips and glaring up to where the female bat vanished.

Tails eventually broke out of his blank state and faced Sonic once more, cautiously staring at his surrogate big brother, "You.. don't believe I did anything, do you Sonic?" Tails looked over him carefully as he saw him sigh and look Tails in the eyes.

"Of course I don't. I know you aren't capable of causing anyone harm. I just overreacted and panicked before, jumping to a conclusion that couldn't possibly be true. Although.. I was worried that maybe you could of been being controlled or.. well, who knows? I'm sorry, buddy." Sonic explained, guilt clearly displayed in his light green pupils as he once again resorted to scratch near his ear nervously. Tails knew that he was being sincere and honest and gave him a smile, holding out his fist. Sonic grinned, making a fist and bumped Tails' fist. Cream's eyes lit up at the sight, happy they were on speaking terms again.

"Hmph, some secret agent. You couldn't even figure out that you were being followed all the way out here." The cloaked figure spoke to the now tied up and gagged Rouge. "Although I must thank you, for leading the way for me. I couldn't of found young Miles without you." Rouge was struggling on the ground, trying to free herself from these bindings. The hooded figure turned away from the helpless bat to overlook the large open area of the Mystic Ruins, There he stood, above the cliff that Rouge had just previously tried to exit from. Down below, the cloaked figure could see three other creatures, chatting amongst each other. He smirked, catching the sight of a certain yellow fox with them. His two own yellow tails waving up and down simultaneously in anticipation. "It's been awhile, Miles. I thought we'd never meet again, but here you are; waiting for me to fulfil your true fate. First, let me see how fast your group's reflexes are." The cloaked figure held out his right arm toward the group, revealing a red chaos emerald in hand.

~~~

"Let's head back to the workshop. I was hoping to maybe find out more about this mysterious fox in Station Square." Tails said with Cream nodding in agreement, both turning around to head back. Sonic was about to follow, but something in the sky caught his attention. A strange dark light was hurdling directly at them! Sonic reacted without thinking, grabbing both Tails' and Cream's arms and sped out of the targeted area. Unbeknownst to them, as soon as this strange beam of light struck the ground, a small explosion of energy was triggered; sending the three of them toppled over to the ground from the shockwave. Sonic quickly jumped up looking over at the direction from where the light was released, with both Tails and Cream catching their breathes from the sudden force.

"W-where did that c-come from?" Cream asked, trembling in fear. Tails too was shaking a little in freight, slowly getting up and helping her to her feet. Sonic was still scanning the area around the cliff, until finally spotting a cloaked figure up above the cliff. Sonic readied himself for another possible strike, keeping his eyes sternly on the figure above.

"It's him!" Sonic declared, pointing to the figure above, "It's the Tails imposter!" Tails quickly jerked his head upwards, looking upwards to the cloaked figure. His eyes grew wider in shock as he noticed the two yellow and white-tipped tails, waving back and forth behind him.

"T-two tails.. just.. just like mine." Tails whispered in astonishment, now even more frightened than before. There really was someone that was exactly like him.. he couldn't believe it. Where did he come from? Who is he? Does he know who I am? Why did he come here? More and more questions kept popping up in his mind, still unable to believe what he was seeing.

A menacing grin crossed the cloaked figure's face, "I can see the fear and skepticism in your eyes. I'm offended that you don't remember me, Miles."

"He.. knows your name?" Cream asked in concern, still staring at the figure above. She didn't like the feeling she was getting from him. She could tell just by looking at him that he wasn't someone to be taken lightly.. somewhat similar to Shadow's presence when she first encountered him. This was a little different still, knowing now that Shadow was a good person inside. This person though.. didn't seem to share that quality. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was just this strange negativity surrounding him. She felt herself shaking more, feeling a little overwhelmed by his presence.

Tails seemed to take notice of this, and rested his hand on her shoulder and spoke softly, "It's okay Cream.. we can take him if he tries anything. He's just like all the others we've faced." She started to calm down a little, thanks to the comfort of Tails. She still couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this cloaked fox.

"How touching, but enough stalling. I've come to make your realize your fate and nothing will get in the way of that." The cloaked fox jumped off the cliff, his twin-tails spinning in an identical fashion to Tails' infamous flying method. Flames began shooting out from the bottom of his shoes, rapidly propelling himself towards the group. Sonic quickly jumped in front of his friends, "You two stay back, I can take him on, no problem." Sonic ran up and jumped out at the oncoming fox, readying his attack before the fox could reach the other two. The cloaked fox smiled and before Sonic could compress himself into a ball, he suddenly found his legs being forced together. His legs appeared to be clamped together with what appeared to be a long, mechanical rope-like device. Unable to break free, Sonic flew by the cloaked fox and landing both feet on the ground, now just trying to keep his balance to stand up. "Let's see how far you get without the ability to move." Just as he spoke, an electrical current shot through the hedgehog's body.

"Ahh!" Sonic yelped as he was forced down to the ground, falling hard on his stomach in pain from being shocked.

The cloaked fox towered over him with a menacing grin and spoke, "As I said before, nothing will get in my way, Sonic the Hedgehog. Each time you make any sort of movement to attack, get up, or even struggle free will result in a few.. shocking unpleasantries. Consider yourself lucky you're not my initial target." He began slowly walking over toward the teenage fox, seeing the entire sight in disbelief. He shook his head and immediately stepped in front of Cream.

"He's after me, get out of here Cream." Tails said, clenching his fists with his stare of disbelief growing into a look of anger and determination.

"No! I'm not going to leave you alone with him!" Cream exclaimed on the spot, wrapping her arms around him and showing no intention of budging. As Tails was about to retaliate, he noticed the cloaked fox holding up the red chaos emerald.

"You heard him, you foolish rabbit girl. Begone." The chaos emerald began to radiate in a strange, darker red illumination. "Chaos.. Burst." The same light as before shot out from the dimly gleaming chaos emerald and struck the ground in front of them. Another explosion of energy erupted from the ground, hurling the two backwards a small distance away.

Tails! Cream!" Sonic gasped seeing the explosion, trying to get free from his oppression just to be shocked once more. He really hated the fact that he had to stay put and watch this demon toy around with his friends, not knowing what he's up to or how far he'll go. Tails' fur was a little messy and a little dirty from the explosion, but besides that he felt perfectly fine. He looked over to her friend not to far from him and noticed she wasn't moving. His thoughts began to run astray, thinking if she was really hurt or.. worse. He quickly calmed himself down to think logically; he was in front of her during the little explosion and he was just fine, so he quickly concluded that she was just unconscious. Of course, that didn't stop him from worrying and getting up to go aid her. As soon as he tried to push himself up, he was slammed hard, back into the ground by the cloaked fox; now on top of him with his legs on his arms so he couldn't move them. He tried to squirm and struggle free from the cloaked fox's grasp, but could not budge.

The menacing grin was still present as he looked down to the scared, teenage fox under him and spoke, "All I simply want is but one thing from you, Miles." Tails hesitantly faced the half hidden face of the attacker, not able to make out any part of his head above his muzzle. He couldn't even look him in the eyes and he felt very intimidated by him. "All I want is for us to be a family once again, is that so difficult to request?"

His eyes widened once more in trembling confusion, "F-fa.. family?"

A small frown could be seen on the hooded fox, as he held out the chaos emerald once again; his hand above the emerald with the sharp bottom gleaming in the sunlight. He lifted it over his head, looking down at him and explaining further, "Of course.. my little brother. Let me renew our bond of brotherly love by introducing you to your true destiny. Join me Miles, in the realm of darkness where you belong." He threw down his arm and thrusts the bottom of the chaos emerald in the center of Tails' forehead, just below the three bangs sticking out from his fur. He yelled in agony as a dark light illuminated upon penetration, glowing brighter with the emerald shrouded in a reddish electricity.

"Tails, no!" Sonic yelled, his eyes as big as plates at what he was seeing. He was trying harder than ever to break free from this strange, confining device. Ignoring the increasing shock passing through his body, he didn't want to give up. He couldn't give up now, he needed to break free and save him before it was too late. I can't lose you, you're my best friend.. my buddy.. my little brother.. Eventually, the pain of the continuous shock overwhelmed him as he slowly began slipping into unconsciousness, but not before calling out his name once more in a whisper.

"T-Tails.."

Yay, new chapter. Chapter IV is almost done too, so there you go. I am working on this again. XD This is basically the chapter that the plot starts to come in, for the most part. Next chapter will conclude this one, and will mainly focus on Tails' and Cream's relationship.

I think I am going to be redoing the first chapter too, I just think it'd be for the best. The first chapter basically determines if you're going to keep the reader or not. I feel that these new ones are definitely an improvement, of course, it could be all in my head; just run with it though. =3