The Dragon Kingdom
The Royal Castle of the Free People

The One-Planet Government was in complete disarray. According to news reports all over Mobius, civil disturbances and mass riots dissented, words of anger and protest worming their way towards the authority of the Regime. Normally, the Regime would be meeting on the Hall of Justice or the Space Colony ARK, but seeing as how the Insurgents blew both of them up; they were forced to gather in the Royal Castle of the Free People. Fortunately, Perfect Chaos survived the Hall of Justice's explosion, and they transferred him to a secure location in the Dragon Kingdom for use in case of an emergency.

Sonic was a visible wreck. Sitting at the throne, his shoulders slumped and his eyes never left the floor. The assault against the Insurgency had horribly failed, and the Regime suffered a loss of a few of their own; worse, they returned from the battle to the scorn and anger of millions. Really, everyone had. All of the Regime operatives had left their posts to participate in the slipshod operation, and now all became synonymous with the futility of the accursed battle. But since Sonic's the High Councilor, most of the blame was passed along to him.

Right now, Assistant High Councilor Amy, and Regime operatives Monkey Khan, Enerjak, Ixis Naugus, Neo Metal Sonic, Bunnie Rabbot-D'Coolette, and Julie-Su were situated at a round table, discussing the next course of action; what to do with the Insurgency, and the anger against them. Amy took it the hardest, as she was in an extremely foul mood and her breaths get heavy.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Amy roared as she slapped Bunnie, Julie-Su, and then Naugus. The Ixis Wizard took the slap patiently, only wiping the temporary wound on his cheek. "You failed! You failed to stop the Insurgents! And you failed so spectacularly, that none of us may taste victory..."

Bunnie interrupted, "Amy, calm down! What's goin' on?"

Julie-Su agreed, "Yes, I have to concur. What is going on?" She turned to Bunnie and corrected her, "And it's Assistant High Councilor. You would be wise to show respect."

Bunnie fretted, "C'mon, Julie-Su. Amy's our friend. I'm sure she'll let it slide—"

"What's going on? What's going on?! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S GOING ON!" Amy screamed, and she slammed her hands on the table in frustration. "Those half-witted duplicates… They've incited insurrection throughout Mobius. They're turning the people against us!"

"Well, morale is certainly at an all time low," Enerjak pointed out. "The Insurgents took advantage of this by blowing up the Hall of Justice and the ARK. They're cutting us one by one."

Amy agreed with Enerjak, "This is an outrage! We protected this world, we eradicated all evil, we gave the people safety beyond anything they hoped for!" Her breath came in furious pants, "And this how they repay us?!"

The Regime operatives agreed with Amy in silence.

Amy continued her rant, "What do we have to give to get some respect from those people?! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow them to pieces right now! Wipe them off the map with my mighty Rose Fleet! Maybe then, they'll show us a little reverence!"

Neo Metal Sonic joined Amy, "I concur with the Assistant High Councilor. The duplicates have indeed incited rebellion against us. We must suppress this filth."

Naugus added with his arms crossed, "Willfulness leads to anarchy. It cannot be allowed to spread."

Bunnie nodded, "That's right! If we don't teach those people a lesson, they're never gonna learn!"

The others situated around the table chattered with approval. They were abruptly interrupted by a low voice.

"I made them safe."

The voice came from Sonic the Hedgehog, who finally spoke up after taking time to his thoughts. Everyone turned to hear his opinion.

He continued, "I shielded them. Protected them. But are they grateful? Do they appreciate my protection?" His expression turned into a sneer, "No." He banged a fist at the edge of the throne. "They whine. Complain. Side with those criminals."

Every word he spoke seemed to get nastier and nastier. Sonic rose from his chair to face the others as Miles "Tails" Prower, Vector the Crocodile, Fiona Fox, Rouge the Bat, Bean the Dynamite, and Bark the Polar Bear were entering.

Amy voiced her curiosity, "Um, High Councilor… Sir…?"

"If they prefer chaos, I'll give it to them," Sonic addressed to his team. "New Mobotropolis and Station Square… I'll flatten 'em. Set an example. Then… we're going into their world these duplicates came from. They'll PAY for interfering."

Amy cheerfully clapped her hands, approving Sonic's decision, "An excellent idea, High Councilor! I'll prepare the Rose Fleet immediately! But just one question…"

Sonic asked, "Yes, Amy?"

Amy answered, "There may be other worlds in other dimensions that look identical to ours. What should we do with them?"

Sonic replied with a chuckle and a smirk, "I thought you'd never ask, Amy. We'll stomp all these worlds into space dust." His voice grew more sinister as he continued, "Smash every planet in the multiverse until only ours is left. Every. Single. One. And then, no one from any world will ever get in our way again."

Laughing with glee, Amy clapped again, "Now THAT is a plan! I like the way you think, High Councilor!"

Sonic chuckled again, this time at Amy's compliment, "Not bad, huh?"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Vector interrupted. "Hold on. So we're wiping out whole cities? Invading worlds in other dimensions?"

"You have a problem with that, Vector?" Sonic asked coldly, preferring not to hear another word right now.

"Well, yeah," Vector nodded. "It's crazy! It's going too far!"

Enerjak interjected, "This planet is incapable of self-rule. We will preserve order."

"By destroying everything and everyone?!" Vector demanded angrily. "Is that supposed to make things better?!"

Amy glared at Vector, "You dare question the authority of the High Councilor?"

Before she could advance towards Vector, Sonic motioned his hand, stopping her.

Vector continued his argument, "So what if a few people tried to turn against us? Not everyone can give us the respect we deserve, you know! But making decisions to hurt people just to spite you?! We're supposed to be protectors, not destroyers!"

Sonic replied cruelly, "We ARE protectors. Not just from others, but from themselves. They already made their decisions to turn against us, and now they're reaping what they sowed. If they're not happy with what they've got, they'll find no mercy from me."

"But people could die!" Vector protested furiously. "People will die! And what will you get out of it?!"

Sonic suddenly lost his temper, "I'll get what I deserve! You said it yourself! Not everyone can give us respect…" His eyes narrowed with dark intent, "So I'll have them fear us instead."

In a fit of rage, Vector stormed in front of Sonic, "NO! It's all wrong! Attacking places and hurting innocent people is wrong! Everything's wrong! And YOU'RE wrong! Don't you get it?!"

"Enough of this!" Sonic declared. Tails wanted to join, but Fiona held him back.

"There have to be limits!" Vector protested further. "Even on us! Especially on us!"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" Sonic's voice rose to a nearly incomprehensible roar.

"We can't do this! Have you gone nuts?!" Vector yelled. "Sally would never want—"

The mere mention of Sally's name caused Sonic to snap as he grabbed Vector by his throat. Vector opened his jaws, attempting to bite Sonic's head…

…and Sonic grabbed one jaw with his other hand. With a single movement of Sonic's arm, Vector's mouth was snapped wide open, his bones cracking like the sound of a twig bent apart. Vector was moving no longer, and Sonic dropped his body to the ground. The blue hedgehog smirked at how foolish Vector had been to try and resist him.

"Anyone else?" Sonic asked.

There was utter silence in the throne room now. No one dared to speak up. Even Tails, who wanted to voice his critique, stayed silent— and that pleased Sonic. He had ruthlessly killed two traitors today, and they knew he would be willing to kill more if needed.

"Good," Sonic nodded. He turned and gave orders to each of his comrades, "Bunnie, Rouge, take control of all media broadcasts. I want everyone to see this. Amy, Enerjak, Monkey Khan, Naugus, you're with me. Neo Metal Sonic, prepare your ground forces. Tails, Fiona, Julie-Su… get Chaos ready."

He took one last look at Vector and left the throne room. Amy and the Regime operatives followed, leaving Tails, Fiona, Bark, Bean, Julie-Su, and the dead body of Vector behind.

Bean sighed looking at Vector's corpse, "So much for Mr. Sherlock Croc… Might as well give him a proper burial. I doubt anyone would miss him…" He turned to Bark, "Take him outside, big guy."

Bark silently nodded and took Vector in his arms. Tails stared at the lifeless body one last time before Bark departed, while Julie-Su and Fiona started working on some machines.

The two-tailed fox, on the other hand, stood remorsefully about Vector's death. Imagine that, the loss of a friend that reminded him of the good old days he spent with the Freedom Fighters. He remembered Sonic, before he was the High Councilor, was a role model, best friend, and big brother to Tails. Then he remembered Sally, who is a natural leader and aunt figure. Then Bunnie. Rotor. Antoine. His father Amadeus. His mother Rosemary. His uncle Merlin. All of his old friends and associates. The ones who stuck with him during the hard times.

Dr. Finitevus was right about everything; Sonic has gone too far. He's not the same best friend and big brother he once knew anymore. There was still a chance for Tails to redeem himself, to set things right. No matter the cost.

"He was right," Tails shook his head. "This isn't what we signed up for."

Julie-Su spoke up, "It doesn't matter anymore, Tails. We did our job. We eliminated all crime."

Tails argued, "No, you're wrong. Vector's not a criminal. He's—"

"A casualty of war," Julie-Su interjected. "Acceptable losses."

"ACCEPTABLE?!" Tails shouted angrily, and his voice was loud and strong. It forced Julie-Su to turn and face him seriously. Fiona was still busy working. "Vector's our friend, and you call killing him acceptable, even if he did nothing wrong?!"

Julie-Su said firmly, "Tails, what's gotten into you?"

"SHUT UP! YOU LISTEN TO ME!" Tails screamed at the top of his lungs, much to Julie-Su's surprise. "YOU THINK THAT MAKING WAR AND KILLING PEOPLE IS GOOD! YOU THINK THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DESTROY WHATEVER WE WANT IS GOOD! YOU THINK THAT SACRIFICING OUR FRIENDS FOR WHATEVER THEY DID, RIGHT OR WRONG, IS GOOD!" Tears began streaming down his face, "IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL IT?! FOR US?! FOR EVERYONE?!"

Julie-Su didn't respond. With no strength left to support his voice, Tails took a deep breath and sighed, and dried the tears from his eyes. It's no wonder Tails is so young, he can bawl out tears whenever he gets angry, frustrated, or if he wanted to shout in front of somebody. He returned to his normal voice, albeit a little crack in it.

He continued, "All this time, I let myself believe that we're doing the right thing, that we're making things better. But we're not. I can't do this anymore. We're done, Julie-Su. We're leaving." He turned away from Julie-Su and whispered sadly, "Good-bye."

Julie-Su caught his arm. She exclaimed, "Are you having a death wish?! There is no 'done!' And what makes you think I'm leaving with you?"

"I wasn't referring to you, Julie-Su," Tails admitted. "I was referring to her."

He pointed at Fiona, who exclaimed, "Well, don't look at me. I'm not going anywhere. If you leave, it's not my fault."

"You lobotomized Fiona years ago with the nanites you injected, Tails," Julie-Su pointed out. "After Nicole was destroyed in New Mobotropolis, you kept her nanites as your own. They were used to keep inmates like her in check. You said it was unbreakable."

"Turns out I made a white lie," Tails shrugged. He turned to Fiona, "Override code: Fiona Fox 051965."

Suddenly, Fiona's body collapsed on the floor, twitching violently and shaking across the floor. Her eyes watered with tears, her pupils shrunk, her mouth shuddering repeatedly.

Tails pleaded, "Come on, Fiona… Please be there…"

Instantly, memories of her life up until that point filled Fiona's mind. Her boyfriend Scourge the Hedgehog slaughtered by Sonic's Regime, spending years as a guinea pig to Tails' experiments, eventually succumbing to his brainwashing and killing many friends and foes alike. It was all too much for her to take. It wasn't long before Fiona's body stopped shaking, and her face was mixed with shock, pain, and distress, and tears falling down her cheeks.

"FIONA!" Tails yelled, frantically grabbing Fiona's body.

"T… T-Tails…!" Fiona shuddered upon seeing Tails' face. "W-What… What did I… What did I do?!"

"Fiona, I'm sorry," Tails apologized to his former love interest. "I'm sorry for everything. It's all my fault. I admit I was wrong. You can do whatever you want with me, but right now, we've got to get out of here!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Julie-Su responded by materializing restraints of red Chaos Energy around Tails' body. "The penalty for desertion and insubordination is death. Doesn't matter though… I never believed a kid should be a member of the Regime anyway…"

Tails glared at his ex-Regime colleague, "You wouldn't."

A wicked smirk crossed her face as Julie-Su channeled her Chaos Energy to tighten her magical restraints on Tails. Tails lets out a scream of pain as the restraints tightened, and at the same time, electrocuted him. As the torture intensified, Fiona completely recovered her senses and came to quickly realize what was going on. In response, she pushed herself off the ground and threw her Chaos Whip at Julie-Su, hitting her in the face and knocking her to the floor.

Fiona demanded, "Get away from him! Now!"

Julie-Su stood up and growled, slowly recovering from the whip mark on her cheek, "You're nothing but a weak, spineless vixen, Destructix! I'm going to do what Sonic should've done a long time ago!"

STAGE 1: FIONA FOX (REGIME) VS. JULIE-SU (REGIME)

Fiona responded first with a quick kick to Julie-Su's face, and gave a Chaos Whip crack to her cheek, sending her flying backwards. Julie-Su tried to counter, but Fiona simply whipped her in the face again. She gave two more whip attacks, followed by a series of punches and kicks, and the last blow being an uppercut to the jaw. Julie-Su quickly recovered and blasted Fiona with a series of Chaos Energy attacks before knocking her back at bit.

Fiona recovered and performed a 15-hit combo from her Chaos Whip. Next, Fiona uppercuts Julie-Su into the air and cracked her whip into her neck, swinging her around like a tornado and slamming her head into the ground hard. Fiona gave a few more punches and kicks, followed by an elbow to Julie-Su's forehead. Fiona attempted to punch again, but Julie-Su countered and pushed her back.

"Die, Fiona Fox!" Julie-Su screamed.

"Wanna see a trick with the whip?" Fiona smirked.

The two clashed at each other, and ended with Fiona making the first strike. Before Julie-Su knew what was happening, Fiona delivered a combination attack of punches, kicks, and whip attacks until Julie-Su could take no more. The pink echidna collapsed from exhaustion.

Fiona smiled over Julie-Su unconscious body, "Should've known better than to mess with me, Pink Knux." She turned to Tails and helped him up after he was freed from Julie-Su's restraints, "Are you okay, kid?"

Tails nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Fiona." He paused and stared at Fiona, "You know, it's been a long time since we're on the same side…"

"Way back when I was a Freedom Fighter," Fiona recalled. "Last thing I remember, I dated Sonic before I dumped him for Scourge."

Tails recalled the same memory uneasily, "Yeah. I could hardly remember the time you told me you're not interested in boys my age…" A sudden blush of red circled around his cheeks, memories of his long-lost crush on Fiona starting to get to him, "Just like old times… way back when you still like me… I can't stop thinking about it."

Fiona chuckled at Tails' compliment, "Yeah. You seem to be quite the big dreamer, you know that, kid?" She made a serious look, "But save the reminiscences for later. We've got to hit the dirt, and fast."

Tails snapped out of his blushing and agreed with his ex-crush, "Sounds good to me. Fiona, I'm going to the Insurgency to help them and stop Sonic. Are you coming with me?"

"Might as well," Fiona smiled. "I've got a score to settle with Sonic for what he did to Scourge. You know where you can find them?"

Tails answered, "I made a copy of a digital map from Bunnie's computer. I can take us there with the Tornado, and—"

"HEY!" a voice yelled.

The two turned to see Bean and Bark charging at them.

"What'd ya do to boss-lady?!" Bean shouted, juggling his bombs. "I'll blast y'all sky-high! C'mon, Barky!"

Fiona suggested, "I'll handle the bomb freak! You go after the big guy!"

"Right!" Tails complied, considering he recovered a lot, he was ready to fight this time. The two-tailed fox stood in front of Bark determinedly, "Don't try it, Bark!"

STAGE 2: MILES "TAILS" PROWER (REGIME) VS. BARK THE POLAR BEAR (REGIME)

Bark managed to strike first with two hits. However, Tails recovered by flying with his two tails and kicked him into a nearby statue that crashed into his body. Tails gave five Buster Arm Cannon shots, followed by a two-tailed swing, knocking the polar bear to the ground. Tails fired two Buster Arm Cannon particle beams, slamming Bark's chest. He grabbed a nearby small statue, lifting it and slamming it down over the brute's head. Tails lands a 10-hit combo with his two tails, and then grabbed him by the chest, lifting him into the air and throwing him back down. Next came a couple of blows to Bark's head, followed by a charged Buster Arm Cannon blast.

Tails fired more Buster Arm Cannon shots at Bark, followed by a punch to the right side of his face, and another flying lift-up and throw-down. Bark went in for the kill, but Tails reacted fast with a strong uppercut to the chin. Tails then brought out a stinger missile and fired at Bark, resulting in a big bang attack. Tails attempted to punch Bark, but the brute responded quicker and blocked him, sending Tails back a little bit.

Bark silently stared at Tails, readying his knuckles by cracking them.

"Bring it on!" Tails readied himself.

With that, the two clashed, and Tails struck first, sending Bark flying back. Tails charged all energy into the Buster Arm Cannon to fire a giant laser beam that devastated Bark, taking him down for the count.

Tails grinned, "Never was a big fan of polar bears."

A few minutes later, Bark and Bean were tied up by Fiona's Chaos Whip, which had been in turn-off mode.

"Like you said before, Fiona. Let's hit the dirt," Tails suggested.

Fiona stopped him, "Hold on, little guy. I've got a better idea." She turned to Bean and Bark with a sarcastic grin, "Yeah, we have to admit, the two of us are out of our league messing with your Regime. And we can't afford to get outta this place all by ourselves. So I have a proposition for you…" Her smile grew, "I want to hire you to help those Insurgent guys. And whatever you're being paid, I'll beat it."

Bean and Bark were confused. They had long been working for Sonic to satisfy their desires for money, but… Is Fiona willing to pay even more than Sonic?

Bean asked conflicted, "So… not work for Sonic."

Fiona nodded, "Uh-huh."

"And… work for Insurgies."

"Yep."

"For money."

"That's right."

"Even more money than Sonic?"

"Sure."

"And possibly cupcakes?"

"Pretty much so."

Bean couldn't help but smirk on Fiona's offer. He turned to Bark, "What do you say, big guy? Easy money is easy money, right?" Bark silently agreed with a grin. With that, Fiona released Bark and Bean free from her whip.

Tails whispered to Fiona, "Geez, Fiona, how'd you get them on our side?"

Fiona rolled her eyes with a chuckle, "Heh, mercenaries like them are only for the money. They're so easy to trick. That way, we'll keep them distracted so they won't lead them to us."

Tails smiled, "Oh, I get what you mean. That makes this way too easy. Now, let's get the Tornado."

Bean cheered, "We get to ride your plane? Cool!"

"Hold on!" Tails stopped Bean. "If you take time to listen, we have two problems: #1, the Tornado can't lift four people at once, and #2, Bark is way too heavy!"

Bean pouted, "Darn! Then we'll just have to follow you with our own transport."

Fiona nodded, "Fine by me. Don't blame us if you're left behind."

Bean protested, "No, you don't!"

And thus, the four ex-Regime members made their way out of the throne room, unaware that a half-conscious Julie-Su planted a tracking device on Bean's backside…

Later that night…

Two machines can be seen flying above the clouds: the Tornado plane, operated by Tails with Fiona standing on its wings, while Bean and Bark followed with their own aircraft, another of the Regime's designs. As they were flying upstate to the direction of the Insurgents' base, a yellow pillar of bright light caught Fiona's attention.

"Over there!" Fiona pointed.

"I see it," Tails agreed. "Time for a detour!"

"Hey, wait for us!" Bean hurried.

As soon as they landed on the ground, it turns out that Neo Metal Sonic has already prepared his ground forces at the ruins of Knothole, once a barren wasteland, now remade into a military outpost for the Regime. Floating before the ensemble of soldiers, he makes his speech while Tails, Fiona, Bean, and Bark hid behind one of the Regime's vehicles to hear it.

"Those who are gathered here are the elite," Neo Metal Sonic declared to his troops. "The best and bravest soldiers this planet offers. Yours is a heroic mission. It requires that you transcend your humanity, and embody the highest One-Planet principles: obedience, order, and control." He motioned to a group of soldiers bringing up another group with burlap sacks over their heads, "But those who defy the High Councilor's commands will suffer for their insolence."

"Tin can loves to hear himself talk," Fiona scoffed softly.

"You're tellin' me!" Bean agreed angrily. "His voice is so buzzy, I can't sleep at night!"

"Firing squad, assemble!" Neo Metal Sonic ordered. "Teach these traitors what happens when they rebel."

The firing squad did as they were told as they were about to shoot the hostages.

"I don't think so," Tails whispered, readying his Buster Arm Cannon.

"It's showtime!" Bean cheered, juggling his already lit bombs.

With Tails' Buster Arm Cannon blasts and Bean's bombs, they manage to decimate every soldier assembled on sight. Fiona disarmed the firing squad's rifles with her whip before they would fire, while Bark charged and flipped over all the vehicles with his brute strength.

With the military outpost occupied by Tails and Bean's demolition techniques, Fiona and Bark stood before Neo Metal Sonic.

Fiona said, "Now then, piece of hedgehog metal. Enough talk."

Before they could react, Neo Metal Sonic transformed his arms into metal tentacles and grabbed the two ex-Regime operatives.

"Yes," he agreed. "Quite enough."

He slammed them a few times into the ground face-first and the same to their backs. He then tossed the two into the distance. Fiona and Bark fell through the air and crash-landed into the abandoned Freedom Fighter HQ. Bark got up first, only to see Fiona passed out.

"Desertion, Bark the Polar Bear?" Neo Metal Sonic asked amusingly. "Poor timing for you and Fiona Fox, don't you think?"

Bark didn't say anything, but by narrowing his eyes, he knows Neo Metal Sonic was right. After working as Sonic's lapdog for so long, he should've done this sooner.

STAGE 3: BARK THE POLAR BEAR (REGIME) VS. NEO METAL SONIC (REGIME)

Neo Metal Sonic threw a Chaos Fireball which hit Bark first; however, Bark recovered and punched the robot many times with his huge fists. Bark jumped and performed a body slam, smashing Neo Metal Sonic to the dirt.

Bark tried to attack again, but Neo Metal Sonic kept blocking every single attack. Neo Metal Sonic slammed Bark to the ground by enlarging his metal tentacles and sweep Bark around effortlessly. Bark quickly recovered and delivered another series of punches. Bark's punches were so absurdly super-enhanced that parts of Freedom Fighter HQ were actually beginning to fall off. Finally, Bark delivered a punch that sent Neo Metal Sonic into a nearby flying saucer that exploded and bounced him back, followed by a uppercut and a hammer punch that floored the robot.

Neo Metal Sonic's armor was moderately damaged due to Bark's massive punches. For the first time, the robotic hedgehog was heavily confused; he copied data from Mobius's greatest heroes with the power of Chaos, and he has become super-strong. He considered himself the ultimate robot, and yet… how could Bark be so tough? It was very clear that this polar bear has the strength of a thousand Mobians, making him no pushover, even for a super-powerful robot.

It's time to end this quick. Bark unleashed a massive thousand-punch technique that rained endless fists on Neo Metal Sonic, damaging his armor and body heavily with each blow. The last blow was a punch that pierced through Neo Metal Sonic's chest, ripping out the core from his body.

And that was the end of Neo Metal Sonic, whose red glowing eyes disappeared from his screening pupils and his body exploded into a small sea of flames. Not just a sea of flames, but a wave of pure Chaos Energy that caused Freedom Fighter HQ and the Regime outpost to collapse completely into rubble and scraps of metal. Luckily, the blast didn't hit Tails, Bean, and Fiona.

Bark smirked at his handiwork, proud of ridding the Regime of another spineless lackey. After dusting his hands, he helped Fiona up as she looked at him.

"Well, no more playing robot toys for me," Fiona shrugged. "Let's go. We've got some Insurgents to warn."

Once again, Tails, Fiona, Bark, and Bean left for the Insurgents' base. There was dissension within the ranks of the One-Planet Regime: three have been K.I.A.'d, and four defected. Still, that doesn't stop them from carrying out their genocidal master plan.

Insurgency HQ

Knuckles was alone in the meeting room, swinging his fists in the air for training. Doing so gives him brief moments of rest before a big battle. A while after the battle in Prison Island, Insurgency Shadow was pondering on what to do next, as he had to attend to the resistance fighters who were injured during the fight, hence the reason Knuckles must prepare himself for anything. As soon as he finished training, Knuckles wiped sweat from his forehead.

"That's a warm-up," Knuckles smiled to himself. "I sure hope Julie-Su sees this. No, not here in this world, but our world."

He was interrupted by a small explosion from the wall. The Regime versions of Tails, Fiona, Bean, and Bark stood before Knuckles.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Fiona asked Tails.

"Looks like an old funhouse to me," Bean shrugged.

"Oh, my gosh!" Tails gasped in disbelief upon seeing Knuckles. "Knuckles! No, not our Knuckles, but THE Knuckles! Is that really you?!"

"That's me," Knuckles said sarcastically. "And I'm sure as heck not the echidna in the mask."

"If you're here, that means your world's Espio's here!" Tails guessed.

"In the flesh…" a voice echoed.

Espio the Chameleon emerged from the shadows and threw a kunai at Tails and his group, but Fiona caught it with her hand.

"Aw, c'mon! We're not here to cause any trouble," Fiona argued.

Bean agreed, "Yeah, like she said! Where's Shadow? Our Shadow?"

"He's out somewhere not being a murderer," Knuckles answered sternly.

"Come on, guys," Tails fretted. "You know you can't hit us like that."

"I wasn't trying to," Espio responded.

Fiona looked closer on the kunai she held to notice there was a timer that reached zero on the LED screen. Before Fiona or the others knew what was happening, the kunai exploded, knocking Fiona out and disorienting Tails, Bark, and Bean.

"Leave those guys to me!" Knuckles shouted, charging at Bean and Bark, while Espio confronted Tails.

Espio glared, "You may have found our secret base, but unfortunately, we won't let you get away, Regime lapdogs!"

STAGE 4: MILES "TAILS" PROWER (REGIME) VS. ESPIO THE CHAMELEON

Tails responded by spinning his two tails, knocking Espio to the ground. He slammed his fists down on Espio's back and fired a Buster Arm Cannon shot on him before backing up. All the while, Tails made sure to pull his punches so as to not inflict a lot of damage on Espio, but give just enough to subdue him and allow them to talk.

Espio performed a Leaf Swirl on Tails, which dizzied him upon impact. Espio then punched the two-tailed fox into the far wall. However, Tails managed to punch Espio and give him a kick with his boot, sending him flipping in the air. Espio countered with a kunai, but Tails dodged and punched the chameleon a few times. The last blow was an uppercut to the jaw, pushing Espio to the point of disorientation.

"That's enough, Espio," Tails pleaded. "We're on your side."

After a few seconds of recovering, Espio confusedly looked at Tails, "What's going on?"

Knuckles stopped his scuffle with Bean and Bark, and Fiona recovered. The red echidna shared Espio's confused look, "Yeah, what's going on?"

Tails motioned everyone to gather round, "We need you to listen up. And you're gonna have to trust us. There's no time."