A/N: Holy crap. It's been another long two weeks since the last chapter was posted. I'm heading into finals week, and I'm already tired and stressed out from studying. At the very least, this story (not including the last personal update) received over 300 views in a one-week span, the most I've ever gotten. Special thanks to Steel Magic & Tiger of Darkness for helping me reach 40+ reviews!

Also, I decided to change this fanfic as a 'Regular' story under the Mario category. It may be a crossover featuring Sonic, Tails, and everyone else I've added earlier, but Luigi will be the main character while Mario also plays a major role. Ironically, this chapter is mainly focused on Tails and Sonic. But whatever. I wanted to see if this move works out to interest new readers and gain extra feedback on my writing.

Thanks again for being patient, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I only own the story plot and my OCs. Everything else is owned by Nintendo and Sega.

Chapter 19: Search and Seizure

Location: Vanilla Dome

It was cold inside the dark, musty caverns. Hours ago, heavy rain poured outside as lightning and thunder boomed loudly that it caught the prisoners in a waking frenzy. Despite the cold winds and constant downpour, they managed to withstand the storm until morning came by. Through the small opening, the party could still see clouds rolling by. The rain may have stopped, but the sky remained covered by the color gray.

"Another day, another moment where we remain stuck in this cell," moaned Toadette. "I sure hope the guys are coming here soon."

"I am more concerned of the fact that these robots won't treat us with decent hospitality. I must say, the least they could do is give us blankets for warmth and adequate rations for us to consume. Instead, they act and treat us in the most inappropriate manner!" bellowed Toadsworth.

"I could care less for food. But the least they could provide us is some water. I'm dehydrated," Blaze commented.

"How are you guys holding up?" Amy directed her question to the other girls sitting next to her with their backs against the wall with the small hole.

"Could be better. I'm a little chilly from those gusting winds coming from outside. It makes this place feel like we're stuck at Frosted Glacier," replied Daisy.

Peach was the next to answer. "I'm okay, Amy. But I sure wish we could get out of here soon."

"I may be a bat, and being in caves is nothing new for me. But when you add a jail and I'm forced to stay in here, it irks me to a new low," Rouge shrugged.

Toad, Cream and Cheese were sitting on the left side of the prison across from Blaze, Toadsworth and Toadette. At one point, they tried to play some hand clapping games, but that lasted only two minutes before the robot guards told them to be quiet.

Cream sighed. "I'm so bored. I wish we could do something fun."

"Chao Chao…" Cheese dryly added.

Toad stared up at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. "I wonder if they're coming as fast as they can. Unless rescuing us is their top priority, I can't imagine what's taking so long."

"It takes patience, Toad. I've had plenty of that unfortunate business whenever I have to wait for Mario to come rescue me every time I get caught. It makes me feel so useless when I can't do anything to escape or at least prevent myself from going through this time and time again."

"Peach, don't be like that," assured Blaze. "At least you had the courage to uncover anything on the villains' plans during your imprisonment. You helped Mario gain knowledge to rescue you despite the consequences that came with it."

"And you were a part of the conversation when Eggman leaked that information about Edge and his stupid robots!"

"HEY! We heard that!" one of the guards boomed at Amy's comment.

"And we told you to SHUT IT!" yelled the other robot.

"Whatever," the hedgehog scoffed. Ironically, they were irritated of her insult, well more of their constant babbling, yet they managed to miss the part where she explained they got help from an unlikely source.

"As long as they got the message, I know they'll be here for us. Mario has never let you or us down before. And with Luigi, Sonic and Tails, I'm positive we will receive their help." Daisy had a sincere smile towards her blonde friend, which reassured the Mushroom Princess.

"You guys are right. I forgot about all of that. I'm also sure Mario and the gang will be here soon. Thanks for making me feel better."

"No problem, Peach. We just wanted you to realize that you're helpful in your way. Everyone's different when it comes to contribution!" cheered Amy.

"Now it's just the waiting game. All we could do is sit and rest if these dunces aren't going to give us nourishment," Rouge whispered making sure the lookouts didn't hear her.

"We don't have that many choices anyway," said Toadette.

"Patience is the key. It's one of the few things I possess. Energy is not one of them, however," added Toadsworth.

"I still wonder where our other friends were taken. I'm scared for them. What if they're gone forever?"

"I wouldn't be too worried about them, Cream. Those guys are tough enough to withstand those guards and ghosts," assured Toad.

"But still, I just wish we knew where they were taken away. I miss Silver," moaned Blaze.

"It's very peculiar to not have Shadow or even the red dolt around." Peach looked at Rouge with a questionable stare. "I'm talking about the knucklehead echidna, not the plumber," she defended.

"I was about to say, at least you specified who you're talking about."

"I wonder where the guys are right now, especially Sonic. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he was either running around looking for us, or if he's knocking himself out with a chili dog fest."

Amy's words couldn't have rung true. But they have…

Location: Toad Town

In what would have been at least 15 minutes for an average Toad to walk from E. Gadd's bunker to the warp pipe outside of Mushroom Castle only took less than a minute for the blue hedgehog by simply running at his top speed. To brighten his mood, the rain stopped pouring as he reached Toad Town. He even had the audacity to stop at Tayce T.'s house and ask for some chili dogs as his brunch. (1) The elderly Toad was surprised to see Sonic appear, but was more than delighted to whip up a batch of his favorite treat. Sonic offered her some rings as a tip, but Tayce politely denied the gratuities. He still thanked the woman and made it to the blue pipe. While waiting for Tails, he sat down and munched on his first of six chili dogs.

"Mmm… Damn, Tayce T. really knows how to make food taste really good here! I mean I've had better at the food stand in Station Square, but this is delicious!" By the time he devoured three more, he heard his yellow friend whirling his namesakes from above. "Hey Tails! You want a bite?" he shouted as he pulled out his fifth chili dog from the bag. Tails didn't reply as he had an angry expression on his face when he landed in front of the pipe. Sonic caught on his bad mood. "What's wrong, bud?"

"First of all, you're eating chili dogs at a time like this?"

"Well I haven't eaten breakfast yet, so I asked Tayce T. to make me some! Do you want one or not?"

"You could have waited for me when you ran out of E. Gadd's lab. But that's not why I'm really mad."

"Then what's up?"

Using the most inquisitive, yet sarcastic, voice he could pitch, Tails asked him a question. "Do you happen to know how to access the pipe back to our home world?"

Sonic raised an eyebrow wondering why he would ask that, especially in the tone he spoke. "Well yeah. We need to bring a Chaos Emerald to unlock the entrance, the same way we do in our world whenever we visit here. It's our ticket to and from home. Otherwise, Power Stars are needed if Mario and his friends wanted to access Mobius. That's why the Bros. built these long-distance pipes."

"Now that I think about it, why don't we use Chaos Control again?"

"You know that, Tails. Only Shadow, Silver and I have the power to use teleportation with Chaos Control whereas the others don't, which includes everyone in Mario's world. If anyone other than three of us wanted to travel one place or the other, all they need is one of the seven Emeralds to unlock the pipes. Besides, since we're so far away from home, it takes up almost all of its energy to transport us between Mobius and the Mushroom Kingdom. And the last time we did that, we ended up losing the Emerald immediately." (2)

"Alright then. Why don't you open it right now?"

Sonic looked back at Tails. "Are you trying to pull a fast one on me? I'm not that stupid."

"In some cases, you are," he muttered in his thoughts.

Sonic put the chili dog back in his bag and ruffled through his blue quills. Then, his eyes widened. He searched thoroughly in the back of his head and started patting his body and hips as if he had pockets. But because he didn't wear pants or a jacket…

"Oh, shit… Where's the Chaos Emerald?! I could've sworn I kept it in here! But, where is it?!" He continued through his careless charade of frisking until Tails coughed for attention.

"Ahem… Sonic…"

Sonic didn't listen as he checked inside his gloves and even his shoes.

"Sonic!"

He finally turned to him. "What?"

Tails dug through his appendages and revealed the yellow Chaos Emerald. "Looking for this?"

"Tails! How do you have it?!"

"To reiterate, you ran out of the lab when you could have waited for me. Not only because you left me alone, but it fell out of your quills when you were in a hurry!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really! I told you to never rush things until you have everything in set. I understand your determination, but your impatience overshadows that sometimes. You're lucky I caught sight of this or we would've ran all the way back to Boo Woods. And walking through that forest is already freaky enough with the crows and the sounds of those mischievous Boos."

"Wow. I never would have thought I'd be that careless. I'm lucky to have a partner like you."

Tails calmed down after hearing the hedgehog's appreciation. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again. And if you wouldn't mind, at least wait for me before you run. I always fall behind because I'm slower than you, or Eggman interferes and kidnaps me when I'm alone."

"Sorry about that, Tails. I'll make sure that never happens again."

"That's okay. Now let's get back to home and find that last Emerald. But first…" Tails drifted from his speech after unlocking the pipe to Mobius and expressed a mischievous grin. "I'll be taking that!" And with a quick move, he snatched the bag of two chili dogs out of Sonic's hand.

Sonic shook his head rapidly wondering what the hell just happened. It was a sudden role reversal. "Huh? Hey! Tails!"

"You want them back? You'll have to catch me!" he taunted as he entered below.

"Oh, I'll get you back from that, buddy! That I swear!" he smirked. The Blue Blur jumped into the pipe, closed the hatch, and ran after the fox with the chili dogs.

While Sonic and Tails ventured their way back to their home planet, the Mario Bros. and Colombo revisited Toad Town as they bought several items for the trip. While exiting the shop, Mario looked over their list to double-check their shopping.

"Let's see… Mushrooms and Super Shrooms, check. 1-Ups, check. Fire, Ice, and Boomerang Flowers, that's been bought. Refreshing Herbs, got them. Cape Feathers for flying us there, yes." (3)

"It's too bad Colombo can't fly like the other ghosts. It would make transportation much easier for him. Looks like I'm going to have to carry you to Vanilla Dome, boy."

"Bark!" Colombo woofed happily at Luigi's offer.

"So, how you feeling, Weegie?"

Luigi turned to his shorter brother. "How am I feeling? Fine, I guess. Why'd you ask?"

Mario shrugged his shoulders. "I was just curious. After all, Edge really harmed you that night and I was extremely worried. I wasn't able to help and I couldn't forgive myself for that. I'm just grateful you're back and stronger than before." He continued to ramble on until he realized he was talking too much. "Sorry for my overprotectiveness. Force of habit."

Luigi shook his head. "No, Mario. You were doing the right thing to look out after me. You did care about me whereas I acted like a jerk to you when I woke up. I should've been more respectful considering you're the older brother."

"Age doesn't matter, fratello. We should be looking out for each other, not just me protecting both of us. That's what brothers are for. Just because I'm older doesn't mean I'm the boss. I don't want to be overpowering. But I can't help but worry for your self being. The same should apply to you. You've been more taciturn, yet you always know what is the right thing to do."

Luigi slightly pouted. "I just wish I could be as brave as you, Mario. That's the one thing I'm envious about. You have this determination and passion to save the world and you rarely show any signs of surrendering. In fact, you never seem to give up. Against Bowser, Fawful, the Shadow Queen, Tabuu, any enemy at all… You're the epitome of what it takes to be a hero. Even Sonic can relate to that because he's always determined and rarely afraid of anything."

"Except for water and needles. And I get the same feeling with the latter."

"Touché. But I wish I can just man up and not look like the butt of the joke whenever we go on adventures. If you remember our previous journeys, I always get bad luck whether it's me getting hit with fire or hammers, chased by enemies, freaked out by Boos, or anything that makes me look like a fool."

Mario placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I would suggest that the first thing you should do is stop thinking about negative thoughts. Sometimes, if you believe in yourself, to look on the bright side, things might start going your way."

Luigi sighed. "Sorry if I sound like a killjoy. I'm just not looking forward to this in the case if Edge shows up and tries to electrocute me again."

"Don't worry, Luigi. I'll be right there with you, and so will Colombo."

The Polterpup agreed with Mario as he barked twice for confirmation. "Bark! Bark!"

Luigi got a chuckle out of that. "Alright then. Are you ready for takeoff?"

Mario pulled out the two Cape Feathers he bought and handed one to the taller brother. "You betcha!"

They absorbed the power-ups and magic capes appeared from behind their backs, transforming into Cape Mario and Cape Luigi.

"Ready to go, Colombo?"

"Bark!" he yipped.

Luigi picked up the ghost dog into his arms. "Okey-dokey. Hang on tight, boy. Ready whenever you are, Mario."

Mario nodded with a smile as the two began to run. As they gained speed, they took flight with their capes as they floated their way down south near Yoshi's Island. And nearby the dinosaur land is the Vanilla Dome Caverns where Princess Peach and their friends are held captive.

Location: Station Square

The dynamic, inseparable duo of Sonic and Tails transported their way back to Mobius after the wild goose chase that ensued. Tails managed to eat one of the last two chili dogs, but the last one was sniped and devoured by Sonic. Despite this, they still had fun chasing each other as they reached the pipe exit that led to Station Square. But by the time Tails jumped out, his eyes glued to the destruction that was left behind.

"Oh… my… Chaos…"

Then, Sonic popped out and landed behind him. "Ha! I finally caught up to… you…" he started before he realized the scene in front of him.

They saw hundreds of construction workers rebuilding the skyscrapers and buildings. Most of them were repaired, but still had some more work to be complete again. Gardeners were tending the new patches of flowers grown in the grass. Pedestrians walked along the destroyed sidewalk while the roads were being repaved. They even caught a glimpse of some people with noticeable injuries. It was quite a surprise to them to see how much damage Edge exploited with the Chaos Emeralds.

"Shadow wasn't kidding when he mentioned Edge terrorized this place. Only four days have passed since the attack, and it's quite ironic that they need more time to reconstruct everything compared to how long the Toads took to clean their mess from Bowser's invasion. But still, it's insane how he caused all of this."

"And that's what happens when the Chaos Emeralds fall into the wrong hands."

"Well they didn't technically fall into his possession. He stole the first two from Eggman, the turquoise one from Shadow, and his goons found two more. But I get your point."

"Man, that shadow guy is starting to get on my nerves. He wasn't as horrible as Perfect Chaos flooding the entire city, but he still caused some major destruction here."

"What do we do now, Sonic?"

"We're going to find that last Emerald before the robots get to him first."

Tails pulled out the yellow Emerald and held it tightly with his hand. "I'm trying to get an energy signal here."

Meanwhile, Sonic closed and locked up the pipe hatch and returned to Tails' side. "Any luck yet?"

After focusing for awhile, the yellow gem shined brightly in front of them. "I've got it! Now let's find out where it leads us to!"

"Cool! Lead the way, bro!"

Location: Emerald Hill Zone (4)

Emerald Hill Zone. The very first area Sonic and Tails ventured as a team back on West Side Island. Full of cascading waterfalls, coconut palm trees, and green hills, it drew similarities to South Island's Green Hill Zone. This place brought back memories for Sonic, because it was where he met Tails who eventually took him in as his younger brother and sidekick.

"So this is where the Emerald led us to," Tails said uneasily.

"I remember we had fun running through these hills. Good times, huh pal?" Sonic asked happily.

"Minus the times I was bullied and abused for my tails, it was the only thing I liked about this island. I know I've said this many times before, but I was lucky to meet you here. You were my first best friend who appreciated me. And I have to thank you for that."

Sonic hugged his arm over Tails' shoulder. "You're welcome, buddy. My adventures wouldn't be as fun without you. Not only are you a smart inventor, but a flying enthusiast. And I couldn't ask for more."

Tails chuckled as Sonic gave him a noogie. "Okay! Hehehe! Now how about we find that Emerald before Edge's jerks do? Remember what E. Gadd said. We can pick up some rings and power-ups along the way."

"Sounds like a plan to me! Let's get to running!"

The hedgehog and fox sped off through the grass once again as they collected tens of rings, Speed Shoes, and Shield items for the adventure ahead. Jumping from platform to platform and running at the speed of sound, the duo journeyed through the zone until Tails felt a strong presence.

"Sonic! The Chaos Emerald is telling me that it's nearby somewhere!"

"Well that's good! We're almost there!"

They continued their run until they reached the base a large cataract. Beyond the falling water was a cave. As they stopped, Tails turned to Sonic.

"It's probably past that waterfall and inside the cavern. I'll dive in and try to locate it."

"Good luck, Tails." It was understandable why Tails decided to leave Sonic by himself as he searched for the Emerald. If it was underwater, it'd be concerning for the hedgehog to swim due to his aquaphobia.

After giving a reassuring nod, the twin-tailed kit splashed into the lake and swam past the raging waterfall. He appeared back above surface to catch his breath and continued to tread inside the dark cave. Eventually, Tails came across land and jumped out of the water. After shaking his body and drying his fur, he looked around the darkness to find any signs of the green Emerald. He took out the yellow Emerald as a source of light and walked slowly.

"I really hope the Emerald's in here. This better not be some joke."

As he got deeper into the grotto, the Emerald shined much brighter than before. And the next thing he knew, he noticed a green hue glowing behind one of the cave walls.

"Is that what I think it is?" Tails whispered to himself.

He looked inside the wall to see a small ledge. And there it was: the green Chaos Emerald! He gasped and smiled. He activated his wrist communicator and contacted Sonic from outside.

"Sonic! I found it! The green Emerald's in here!"

"Really?! That's awesome, Tails! Now bring the Emerald back and we'll be on our way!"

"Will do!"

Tails stretched his arm inside the hole until his fingers touched the shining object. As soon as he grasped it, he pulled it out of the cave and admired its appearance.

"Alright! Now we've got two of the Emeralds. All I gotta do is get back to Sonic and…"

"Two Emeralds, you say? That's more than enough information I need to know."

Tails paused with his eyes wide open when he heard someone behind him. When he slowly turned around, he was taken aback by a red robot standing in his way. He was four times Tails' height with buff, mechanical arms, a spiked collar around his neck, and a laser cannon attached to his left fist.

"Huh?! Who are you?! What are you doing here?!"

"The name's Rocco, but that's beside the point. I'm here for the same reason why you're here. I was searching for the any of the two remaining Emeralds that my master is after. But when I heard you coming inside, I hid behind the rocks. And now that you've found the one hidden here, I'll be taking that along with the one you also have. Just hand them over to me and I won't harm you, little fox."

Tails narrowed his eyes. "In your dreams, bozo!"

"You dare to defy me?"

"You must be one of Edge's minions, and there's no way in hell I'll give you the Emeralds."

"Persistent, aren't you? Then I guess I have no choice."

In a split second, Rocco launched a laser towards Tails. He jumped out of the way as the laser destroyed a rock. Crumbled pieces went flying from the attack. It was so loud that Sonic heard an echo from behind the waterfall. Being worried for Tails, he contacted him.

"Tails? Are you alright?"

The fox put away the Emeralds and pressed his communicator to respond. "I'm in a tight predicament here. I… WHOA!" he yelled as he dodged another laser.

"What's going on in there?"

"There's a robot trying to take the Emeralds away!"

Sonic's eyes widened. "What?! You're not kidding, are you?!"

"If I was kidding, would I be panicking at this point?!" Tails dodged more lasers as he spun his tails to fly.

"Stay still, you yellow pest!" Rocco bellowed as he fired another shot.

"Yikes!" Tails flew over his head as fast as he could, ignoring the idea of swimming back.

"Get back here!" Rocco trudged through the water in pursuit of Tails. Luckily for the robot, he was impervious to water.

Unluckily for Tails, he was catching up as he exited the cave. He flew past the waterfall and shook the water off his fur again. With not a lot of time to think, he tossed both the yellow and green Emeralds to Sonic.

He was about to question why Tails did that, but he unexpectedly saw Rocco emerge from behind, so he quickly hid the Emeralds in his quills quickly. Then, the robot grabbed Tails with his right fist.

"AAH!" he cried within Rocco's grasp.

"Tails! Let him go now!" Sonic demanded.

"I don't have time to listen to a rodent like you. Now with the fox in my hand, I'll lock him up as prisoner along with the others. And he'll have no choice but to surrender the Emeralds to my master!"

Sonic was about to say something again, but he saw Tails with pleading eyes, signaling to stay quiet. He mentally nodded at his friend, still worried about him.

"Now then… I must make a quick trip to my master's headquarters. Don't bother looking for us or you'll be sorry, pest!" threatened the red mech. He flew off with Tails in tow who cried for help.

Sonic glared at the runaway robot, eyes narrowed, teeth shown, and fists clenched. "That bastard's not getting away with this. I've got to rescue Tails and fast." With determination pumping in his chest, he raced off to follow the two. "I sure hope Mario and Luigi are having better luck than us," he said to himself.

END OF CHAPTER

A new enemy appeared from Myster Edge's army, and he kidnapped Tails! However, he was unaware that Sonic has the Emeralds. Will the hedgehog save his best friend? Only time will tell. But in the next one, we will return to Mario and Luigi's side who have their own rescue mission. Stay tuned for Chapter 20…

Once again, thanks for being patient with this update. And as always, thanks for reading! Leave a review, follow/favorite the story to catch up on the plot, and I'll see you guys next time! This is TGN, signing off.

Post-Chapter Notes:

(1): Tayce T. is the cook in Paper Mario (N64) who can make unique dishes for Mario during his adventure.

(2): I wanted to explain the purpose of these warp pipes. Yes, Sonic can use Chaos Control for quick teleportation, but almost everyone else can't. That's where they come into play. The same applies for Mario and his friends, except they would use a Power Star to unlock the pipe.

(3): The Cape Feather was first introduced in Super Mario World. Mario and Luigi would have capes to help them fly across levels. And for this story, I decided to use this power-up as their way to reach Vanilla Dome.

(4): Initially, I was going to have Green Hill Zone for the location, but I switched it to Emerald Hill as an Easter Egg to reference the first level Sonic and Tails played through in Sonic 2.