When Tails woke up on a wooden platform among a forest of bare, willowy treetops, head pounding, the sun scorching, and arid air scalding his lungs, he knew his day was off to a bad start. However, he wasn't expecting his thought to be confirmed the second he sat up and found himself surrounded by strangers wearing his friends' faces.

Zero recognition showed through their wary, surprised expressions while they shifted uneasily in clothes that weren't more than woven leaves and crudely-fashioned ropes. This was an alternate reality—Tails realized right when the one resembling Knuckles raised his fists and squinted at him from under his leafy hat.

Then the echidna turned to the Rouge adorned in teal face paint instead of carefully-applied makeup and grinned with all his teeth.

"I think the trees just sent us our next sacrifice!"

Tails' eyes widened and he quickly launched himself to his feet, dodging around Knuckles' grabbing hands while spinning his tails. He soared over Big and shot towards the blue sky, shocked exhales chasing after him among the ringing in his ears.

The kit grimaced as his brain throbbed, but pushed himself to fly higher. He didn't know what was happening or where he was, yet he'd seen enough movies to know being called a "sacrifice" was never good.

A shadow fell over him. Tails suddenly remembered Rouge had wings before a heel drilled into his spine. He cried out, dropping in a spiral so the world spun into streaks of brown and blue. Yet he righted himself inches above the platform and twisted around to see Rouge in the sky, a dark mirage against the sun.

Tails waved her down, gaze earnest. "W-wait! I'm not sure what's going on or how I got here, but I don't want to fight—"

Feet scuffed behind him. Tails spun around just as a rock smashed into his head, and he was out before his body hit the floor.

Water dripped onto Tails' ear. He winced and bark scraped his back. However, Tails' mind was blank while he stared dazedly at the mossy ground under a web of massive tree roots. It was dark, and it took a minute to realize it hadn't been dark earlier. Was it night? How long had he been out?

Rope tightened around his legs. The kit weakly glanced down. Rouge was crouched on the roots, tying a knot in the ropes binding him to the tree trunk.

"We don't enjoy doing this," she said without looking up. "Especially to some lost kid but…"

She paused, sending his red shoes a curious look likely because she'd never seen such material before. However, she shook her head and rose, her eyes locking onto his.

"There's a monster in the woods."

Tails' breath hitched while a flame flickered to life on a standing torch beside him. The fire warmed Rouge's eyes to blood red as the shadow of hanging vines arched like claws around his body.

"And monsters must be appeased."

Rouge's wings spread out wide and Tails tried asking, "What monster?" Yet his mouth stayed shut. He looked down and found rope tied around his muzzle.

"We're tired of the screams ruining our sleep," Rouge explained, batting her wings so the flames bowed under the wind gust. "Sorry." She flew up towards the orange beads of light between the ginormous leaves. "But the monster won't let us eat unless he eats first."

Tails' heart jumped to his throat, the fox finally recognizing he was being offered as a meal to some monster. He let out a distressed noise, yet Rouge dove through the thick leaves and Tails knew she wouldn't return while they settled back into place.

So he squirmed against his bindings. However, the ropes just tightened until his chest ached with every breath. He stopped and instead glanced around the undergrowth. Thorny twigs littered the ground, a couple of orange-speckled mushrooms peeking between them, but they were all far from reach.

He looked up. Vines hung from the thick branches. Tails' eyes narrowed on the vine half a foot to his left, then slid over to the torch burning on his right. If he could push the vine into the fire and then get it to burn his ropes… But fire spread quickly and if he couldn't escape his bindings in time…

Tails' brow furrowed. And even if he escaped, what next? This dimension was clearly primitive and the only tech he had on him was a laser pen in his glove and his Miles Electric, which was about half-charged. Would that be enough to get him home? And now that he thought about it, how did he even get here?

Memories of an explosion in the sky and a wormhole dragging him through a colorful vortex flitted through his head. Oh, that was what happened, but what caused a wormhole to appear out of nowhere? He'd simply been out for a morning flight, enjoying the spring breeze running through his hair when a portal appeared in front of him. Had he just happened to stumble across a random wormhole? Or was it purposely opened near him? By Eggman maybe?

Tails slumped and released a frustrated sigh through his nose because nothing made sense. Though at least, Sonic was sure to notice he was missing, the hedgehog having still been sleeping in his bedroom when Tails left his workshop.

Smoke drifted into his face. Tails' expression screwed up in disgust, eyes shutting against the sour smell. Ick! Just what was burning in that torch? Garlic? The stench was probably meant to attract the monster, but still.

The trees trembled. Tails' eyes snapped open, ears shooting up as vibrations rumbled under his back. The leaves shuddered throughout the forest, a few drifting to the ground.

His eyes widened. No…the monster? But he hadn't escaped yet!

Tails swiveled toward the vine and strained his head forward, trying to catch it with his ear. There was still time! If he could just catch it on fire—come on!

The earth trembled violently and his head fell back against the bark. He hissed through his nose at the pain. However, he shook off his dizziness because there was no time. He was going to be eaten if he didn't escape now.

The ground exploded. Tails let out a muffled scream while dirt sprayed at him. Something blurred through the air and a snap resounded up to the sky. The fire went out and Tails glimpsed the torch rolling on the ground in pieces.

A growl pricked his ears. Tails' heart skipped a beat. His gaze shot behind the tree roots. A shadow crouched on four spindly limbs glared back at him, sharp canines peeking through its mouth and several horns jutting from its back.

Tails couldn't decide whether to scream or struggle before a whoosh of wind hit his face and he was staring straight into the jaws of the monster. He jerked back against the tree, eyes closing instinctively as sharp teeth brushed over his neck.

He was going to die. Any second now those teeth would pierce his throat and his whole world would end. He'd never go home. Never finish his lab projects. Never see Sonic again.

Tails trembled and he almost wished to be dead because the reality of his situation was too much.

The teeth sliced down in a sharp motion. Tails braced himself for pain and blood. The ropes slackened. Tails' eyes popped open while he slid down the bark and onto the roots. What?

The fox looked up and his breath hitched at seeing familiar green eyes right when larger hands grabbed his, yanking him down. Tails fell onto a bristled back—quills?—and then he was holding onto it for dear life as the monster launched itself at a tree. The world blurred, wind crashing into his face and leaves flying around them. Tails' stomach lurched, but he swallowed down the bile rising up his throat and fought to stay on.

The monster touched down in a dirt clearing. Tails was torn off its back and dropped on the floor. He released a muffled grunt while he rolled down a steep slope, the world darkening even more as he slid into a dirt wall.

However, he picked himself up and his night vision activated just to see the monster crawling after him. Tails flinched back, wide-eyed, but then the monster raised its head.

Sonic's face glanced his way. Tails' mouth would have dropped if he could open it.

Sonic, walking on all fours, headed towards a pile of speckled mushrooms in the corner. The hedgehog bent his head and sunk his teeth into the fungi, crunching ferociously as drool dribbled down his mouth.

Tails couldn't move, his chest heaving and fur fluffed up while he watched the hedgehog. Sonic? The monster was Sonic?

Curiosity took over Tails' expression, though his heart still beat wildly, and he squinted at the hedgehog. That was definitely Sonic's face and build, though instead of socks with red shoes, a pair of smoldering wooden sandals clad his feet.

The fox frowned. Those shoes…they couldn't handle Sonic's speed, could they?

Tails' gaze moved up and he cocked his head at the two pink feathers tucked behind Sonic's left ear, held down by his quills, and at the leafy gloves tied around his hands. They too were smoldering. That must hurt…

The crunching stopped. Sonic raised his head and turned, revealing frothy saliva bubbled around his mouth. Tails recognized the intent in his green eyes and made to rush out of the burrow.

Hands caught Tails' wrists and slammed him onto the ground. The kit winced as Sonic crouched over him, no recognition in his gaze while a growl rumbled from his chest.

The hedgehog's tongue stretched out of his mouth, and Tails quickly remembered Sonic was the monster of the forest. Sonic had eaten the other sacrifices, and now Tails was one of those sacrifices.

The fox wanted to struggle, but there was no point. Sonic was too fast to escape and he could never hurt any version of Sonic anyway. Still, a muffled whimper left Tails as the hedgehog's tongue ran over his forehead.

Tails turned away, not wanting to watch a monster with his best friend's face tear him to shreds. Frothy saliva dripped onto Tails' chin and that was his last warning before the hedgehog moved in a blur. Tails expected teeth to sink into his throat or maybe a limb. However, all he felt was the lightest jabbing over his face, neck, and chest and the pressure was gone.

The hands released his wrists. Tails stared blankly at the dirt wall. Wait…he wasn't being eaten?

The fox turned. Sonic was sniffing him, his long nose tickling his sides. The kit didn't move, but his face wrinkled when a flowery aroma stung his nostrils. What was that?

Sonic pulled away and stared at him like he was thinking. Then his gaze fell on Tails' muzzle. He frowned and swiped at it. Tails blinked as the rope fell from his mouth and he shifted his freed muzzle in shock.

"You…"

Tails tentatively pushed himself up and sat across from the hedgehog. Sonic gazed back, green eyes iridescent in the darkness.

"You're not going to eat me?" Tails asked, brow wrinkling.

Sonic's expression went deadpan. He made a scoffing noise.

Tails was taken aback by such a typical Sonic reaction. Though, if he wasn't going to eat him, what was he going to do with him? And what about the other sacrifices? Didn't Rouge mention their screaming woke her up? So had Sonic eaten them, yet was letting him live?

The fox went to speak, but choked. Dizziness crashed over him like a wave and he grasped his head.

"Woah," he hissed.

The world seemed to slow, shadows leaping and twisting around him. Sonic's expression grew concerned, or maybe Tails was just imagining that because suddenly he was laying on his back and gazing at the ceiling. His nose burned, the sweet scent invading his lungs. Why did he feel so sleepy?

Tails' eyes fluttered, and the last thing he saw was Sonic at his side, a large leaf in his mouth while he dragged it over him until darkness swept everything away.

The fox woke up the next morning to sweat clumping his fur. He groaned, the humidity urging him to crack open his bleary eyes. He stared at the dirt ceiling. Soon a heavy sigh left him. So that wasn't a bad dream, he really was in an alternate reality.

Tails rolled over to his knees, but froze as something jingled beneath him. He suddenly noticed a weight around his neck and looked down.

A tan gourd dangled over his chest. He frowned, grabbing and lifting it curiously. The gourd jangled again—it was hollow with either beans or seeds inside. He tried pulling it away, but stopped when something tightened around his throat. Tails quickly pawed at his neck and found braided vines encircling it like a collar, the gourd tied to it.

Tails' frown deepened. The gourd was put on him with clear intent—so he couldn't leave without being heard. And the only person who could have put it on him was…

The kit turned to the other side of the burrow. Green eyes gazed back at him. Tails tensed. Sure, this Sonic hadn't eaten him, but what if he just wasn't hungry last night and now was?

The teen got up on all fours and his quills rose, jaw opening to reveal his teeth. Tails held his breath. Sonic yawned and cracked his back. Tails blinked, realizing the hedgehog was merely stretching while his quills laid back down. Oh, he must have woken him.

Tails turned, figuring the hedgehog wouldn't be up for attacking him after just waking. Dull sunlight peeked through a large leaf covering the entrance of the burrow a few feet above Tails' right, roots peeking through the tunnel's sides.

His gaze fell down and he noted the pile of leaves under him as well as leaves under Sonic—bedding?

Tails continued looking around, but there was nothing more to see except the crude rope that had tied his mouth, which lied beside a woven basket and wooden bowl in the corner. Tails' face wrinkled because though those were primitive tools, they required some intelligence to craft. Also, last night, Sonic seemed to understand him when he was speaking.

"Blur."

Tails' ears shot up. He twisted around to see Sonic staring at him, his hand pointing at his chest.

"Blur," he repeated in a whispery, yet dreadfully familiar voice.

Tails gaped. He could talk? And Blur…was that his name?

"Not Mangey."

Sonic—no, Blur—pointed at Tails. The fox cocked his head.

"Uh, no, I don't have mange." Tails smiled awkwardly. "Thanks for, um, noticing."

The teen's eyes narrowed and he pointed again. "Not Mangey."

Tails sensed he was misunderstanding something, but the hedgehog lowered his hand and shook his head, snorting slightly.

The kit rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Well, nice to meet you Blur, but I really need to get going."

He turned to climb out of the burrow, and in a flash, found himself staring into Blur's bared canines. Tails leaned back while Blur released a sharp huffing sound, his nose pushing into Tails' chest and eyes narrowing.

"Okay, okay!" Tails threw up his hands. "You don't want me to leave, I get it!"

Blur stopped huffing, yet glared for another second. Then the hedgehog sighed, and Tails faltered because, for a moment, he looked so much like Sonic that it hurt.

The hedgehog's expression grew determined and suddenly he leaned back on his legs, lifting himself to throw his arms around Tails. The kit was limp in his embrace before awkwardly reaching back.

"Oh, we're hugging, that's—"

Blur raced out of the burrow. Tails' hug turned into a stranglehold around Blur's neck while his tails wrapped around the teen's waist and he screamed. Mossy tree branches, glimpses of sky between leaves, and thorny bushes rushed past them. Yet as soon as he started, Blur stopped.

Tails let him go immediately, falling on the damp grass while breathing heavily. Blur walked over him like he hadn't just given him the fright of his life, smoke tendrils wafting off his gloves and sandals.

"A little warning," Tails squeaked. "Would have been nice."

Gurgling water pricked Tails' ears. He sat up and turned to see Blur crouching over a river lined by arching trees, his head bowed as he lapped water like a dog.

Tails turned away, discomforted at seeing someone who looked like Sonic acting so feral. Then again, Blur had probably lost his parents when he was very young, and unlike Sonic, he probably grew up alone. Or, maybe not entirely alone, considering he could speak somewhat.

"So you don't want to eat me…" Blur's ears turned his way, but he continued drinking while Tails asked, "So then what doyou want with me?"

Blur paused. Tails waited. However, the hedgehog's ears flicked away from him and he resumed lapping up water.

The fox sighed. So he was ignoring him. Alright, fine, Tails would figure it out on his own.

The kit pushed himself up to his feet, the gourd jingling at his neck. He reached back into his tails and sighed in relief as he found his Miles Electric unbroken. He clicked a button and the screen flashed to life.

43% gleamed tauntingly over the battery symbol.

Tails glanced at the dark forest, eyeing the giant trees. Something was wrong with this place, the trees shouldn't be so massive and yet completely barren above the canopy. However, analyzing the trees would consume precious battery power that he might need to get home. Though…what if the forest's abnormalities were related to how he got here? After all, there had to be a reason the portal led here, right?

Still, Sonic probably knew he was missing by now, yet how was the teen supposed to find him in a whole other reality? Even Tails wasn't sure how he got here. Also…

Tails looked to Blur. The hedgehog was dipping his hands in the river, probably to cool them down after his running burned his gloves. Tails' mouth drew to a line. Why did Rouge and everyone up top think Blur was a monster? Sure, his super speed might be intimidating and he was a bit feral, but he seemed harmless.

Though, it sounded like Tails hadn't been the first person they'd sacrificed to Blur. Yet Tails hadn't seen anyone else around, so what had happened to the other sacrifices? Did Blur actually eat them? And if not, where were they?

Tails glanced at his Miles Electric. Yes, a bunch of missing people in another reality technically weren't his problem, but Tails was a hero. He couldn't just ignore a problem when there was something he could do about it.

The kit scowled resolutely. He quickly typed in his device, switching to scanner mode and adjusting the frequency to search for any life forms that weren't animals and plants.

A green web of light beamed from his Electric and ran over the ground. Blur whipped back. The hedgehog growled at the light, nose twitching. However, his nose quickly stilled and a contemplative look crossed his face. Soon he shook his head and went back to dipping his feet in the river, deeming the light a non-threat.

Tails hardly noticed as his device beeped and the light retracted. A GPS appeared on the screen and one red light flashed over the map. A life sign…

Static distorted the screen for a second and Tails frowned. Weird, it was like something had disrupted his signal, yet the technology to do that didn't exist here…right?

Tails shook off his confusion and turned in the direction of the life sign. He started to walk, his gourd rattling. Blur's ears twisted his way and he sensed his eyes following him, but the hedgehog didn't leave the river. Okay, so Tails was allowed to wander, likely as long as Blur could hear the gourd.

The fox continued on, brushing past the foliage and stepping around roots, until he came across a patch of thorns blocking his path. His namesakes whirled and he glided up and over the thorns, though he went slow after taking in the branches and vines spread throughout the forest. Wow, it was a miracle Blur could use his super speed without crashing all the time, though if he grew up down here, it must have been second nature to maneuver around any obstacles.

His Miles Electric beeped twice. The kit glanced at the screen, slowing to a stop. He had just passed the signal. Tails turned to go back. He stilled.

Thirteen mounds of dirt were lined up in rows in the clearing beneath him, a single pink feather resting on all of them. Tails' face twisted with horror. Graves. Those were graves. People were buried here.

Tails lowered his Miles Electric and glided down. He landed behind the first row of mounded dirt, and though it was faint, the stench of decay reached him. Tails took a step back. These people…what had killed them?

The fox's breathing quickened. It couldn't have been Blur, could it? No, that didn't make sense. If he hurt these people, why would he bury their remains? Or, were the people above the canopy the ones who buried them?

Tails eyed the pink feathers on the graves. They might have fingerprints. He approached the nearest grave, bent down, and reached for the feather.

The ground crumbled apart beneath him. Tails yelped as he fell into the deep tunnel while hands pulled at his ankles. Yet the kit dug his fingers in the earth and twisted around. Blur glared at him. Then he was pinning Tails' arms down in the soft dirt, frothy saliva bubbling around his mouth.

Tails wondered if this was it, if this was the last thing all the other sacrifices saw before they perished because maybe Blur was like a cat who played with its food. And now he was done playing.

Blur licked his neck, jingling the gourd. Tails flinched while the hedgehog licked his neck again and his frothy saliva spread over the vine collar and his fur. Disgust replaced the fear on Tails' face and he wiggled back as much as he could.

"Ugh, why do you keep licking me?"

Blur ignored him while his long tongue—chaos, did all hedgehogs have such long tongues? He'd never noticed with Sonic or Amy, but it wasn't like he watched them eating—ran over Tails' forehead. It dragged around his eyes and coated the back of his ears and chest.

Tails felt a little ill at seeing his damp fur sticking up every which way, knowing it was Blur's drool drenching him. Then again, he'd heard of something like this with feral hedgehogs.

"Anointing?" Tails whispered as Blur retracted his tongue and wiped his froth-covered mouth on his own shoulder. "Why are you anointing me?"

Blur let go of him. Tails' eyes widened as the hedgehog pushed himself onto two legs instead of all fours and stared him down. In a blink, he snatched Tails up by his vine collar and sped out of the tunnel.

"Not-Mangey," Blur growled the second they were on solid earth, depositing Tails on the ground. "Bad."

Blur pointed at the graves. Tails grimaced, remembering his suspicions. However, he didn't actually know if Blur was the reason the sacrifices had died, so he just shook his head.

"I don't understand."

Blur scowled, his arms crossing and foot tapping impatiently. The kit realized he was waiting for an explanation and quickly continued.

"I mean, they call you a monster."

Blur's foot stilled, scowl vanishing and gaze shifting aside.

"But you didn't eat me and you didn't hurt those people either, did you?"

Blur's expression fell, ears drooping. He didn't say anything, yet Tails understood and nodded.

"Okay," his face hardened, "But someone hurt them, right? Maybe the actual monster?"

The hedgehog's mouth tightened and he glared at the floor. So he was right, there was a real monster around here…and…was that why Blur wouldn't let him leave? The hedgehog was worried Tails might run into the monster and suffer the same fate as the other sacrifices?

Tails' face softened even while a chill took root in his lungs because Blur was like Sonic. And though it had only been a day, he missed his brother.

"Blur."

The hedgehog tentatively raised his eyes.

"Someone or something else lives down here, don't they? Can you take me to them?"

Blur cocked his head. Slowly, he nodded and dropped onto all fours. Tails put away his Miles Electric and went to fly, but the hedgehog let out a loud huff and jabbed his nose into Tails' chest.

The fox waved him down. "Oh, I know you're really fast, but I'd rather carry myself—"

Blur tackled him. Tails grunted as the teen settled on his chest and stared pointedly at him.

The kit glowered. "Stubborn much?"

Blur released a scoff that was almost a laugh, pushing his nose insistently into his shoulder. Tails sighed, yet obediently wrapped his arms around Blur's neck and secured his tails around his waist.

The hedgehog's mouth hitched up into a smug grin and Tails was tempted to stick his tongue out at him, but then the hedgehog sprung into the air. Tails could only hold on tight while they blurred from branch to branch and headed deeper into the dark forest.

Yes, this is just a reversed version of a Sonic Prime episode but with Tails and Sonic switching roles, and yes, I had too much fun writing it 😆

Feel free to comment and theorize below ;)