"I knew it," Tails whispered, eyes narrowing on the monster.

A twenty-foot mushroom shuddered under the howling wind, its orange-speckled cap gleaming under his light.

"That smell wasn't garlic or onions." Tails glowered. "I should have realized neither of those grows ideally in a tropical climate, but mushrooms love humidity."

He lowered the Miles Electric and switched it to scanner mode. The light changed into a green web, which ran from the giant fungus' top to its filaments in the soil. Tails' brow scrunched as the light clicked back to normal mode and data flew across his screen.

"It's already reached maturity," he hummed. "So it's released spores."

He turned to the front of the hollow, aiming his light down. Smaller mushrooms dotted the floor by the tree, some even crawling up the bark.

Tails walked over to the mushrooms, the cold receding as he neared them. He stopped under the hollow's entrance and crouched over the fungi, squinting in the darkness. The dirt was disrupted, grass trampled and twigs in pieces around the mushrooms. Someone had been gathering the fungus—recently—yet the only footprints around were Tails' own. Could it have been Scavengers who'd covered their tracks?

The ground rumbled behind him. Tails jumped, spinning around.

Thorn hissed under his light, her eyes squeezing close and hammer raised to block her face.

Tails hastily shut off his Electric. "Sorry, I was—"

Thorn's eyes snapped open. Tails stiffened at her glare while her leg shifted back into a battle stance.

"I told you." She bared her teeth. "To leave!"

Thorn lunged with a scream, her hammer swinging at his head. Tails threw himself aside, but couldn't land before the hammer was charging toward his face. He quickly leaned back, the mallet brushing over his nose.

He touched down in a handstand and launched himself into the air, his tails whirling. The fox soared away right before the hammer smashed into the earth where he'd been, splintering the ground. Thorn pulled back her hammer and gnashed her teeth at him as he landed high in a tree. She bent her knees, ready to jump, but Tails waved his hands.

"Wait, I know who the monster is!"

Thorn sprung up, hammer flying to strike his chest. Tails went to glide higher, but something snatched his ankle. He yelled as he was yanked down and crashed on his hands upon the branch. The kit whirled back and found a vine around his ankle while Thorn landed before him.

"I warned you," she growled, lifting her hammer.

Tails scrambled back, but the vine forced him to stop and his eyes widened. "H-hold on!"

The hammer careened towards his skull. Tails grabbed his head and ducked over his Electric, his eyes squeezing shut as he screamed.

"Mangey might be alive!"

The fox inhaled sharply, expecting death. The pain didn't come. He tentatively peeked open his eyes. Fingers snagged his front fur.

Tails grunted as he was dragged up to Thorn's face and she snarled, "You dare lie—"

"He was poisoned!" Tails rushed out, his shoulders rising and falling with his too fast breathing.

However, Thorn cocked an eye. "So you admit you Scavengers killed him?" Her face hardened. "With poison of all things?"

"No!" Tails shook his head and pointed at the giant tree below. "The mushrooms poisoned him!"

"Those orange-speckled ones?" Thorn snorted. "They aren't poisonous," she scowled, "Everyone's been eating them for years and no one's ever—"

His tails darted up to tie around Thorn's wrist. The girl flinched, but didn't let go of her hammer or Tails, and the fox glared.

"Listen to me!" He bared his canines. "If you want to kill me afterward, fine! But could you please just listen to me first?"

Thorn glowered. "I won't listen to nonsense—"

"Mangey was a fox." Tails' expression tightened. "Right?"

Thorn sent him a deadpan look. "Yes, I told you that."

Tails' jaw clenched. "So he wasn't a hedgehog, which means he wasn't immune to toxins like you and Blur."

Thorn's eyes widened, and for a second, doubt flickered across her face. However, she soon scoffed.

"Mangey ate those mushrooms plenty of times and was fine."

Tails' muzzle drew down grimly. "Maybe at first, but over time the toxins could have built up inside him until there was enough poison to make him sick."

He gasped, understanding dawning on him. "To the point, he might hallucinate."

The girl jolted, and they both recalled the same thing. The night he went missing, Mangey stared past Thorn like he spotted something frightening. Yet when she turned, nothing was there.

Tails gripped his head, mouth dropping. "They were all hallucinating," he exhaled. "Mangey and those squads Rouge mentioned."

"Prim?" Thorn asked sharply.

Yet Tails' mind spun while the pieces clicked into place, his namesakes slackening and falling off the girl.

"There was never a real monster." Tails shook his head slowly. "But the Scavengers must have struggled to find food when you first kicked them out of the jungle, so they ate anything they could get their hands on."

His eyes fell on the mushrooms by the giant hollow.

"They couldn't get fruit, but those mushrooms are everywhere. So they started eating more of the fungus and the toxins built up inside them until they hallucinated and saw a monster or something frightening like—"

"All you find is a blood trail."

"Blood." Tails went limp in shock. "And that made them—"

"We're tired of the screams ruining our sleep."

"Scream." Tails frowned, refocusing on the stunned hedgehog. "You hate the Scavengers…because they were taking too much of the fruit, right?"

Thorn eyed him warily. "Yes, and?"

"And Mangey realized that."

Tails' face wrinkled as a horrible truth struck him.

"So to respect your wishes," his voice became strangled and Thorn's eyes widened, "Mangey started eating more mushrooms, and that means…"

Tails paled. Thorn inhaled sharply, shock flashing on her face while she dropped the fox.

"N-no…" Thorn's hand covered her mouth as horror swept across Tails' expression.

"That's why Blur wouldn't explain to either of us." Tails trembled, hand clenching his Miles Electric tight. "He knew if he did, you'd realize—"

"I'm the monster," Thorn whispered, and the hammer fell from her hand.

It stabbed into the mud while she collapsed onto her knees, both hands clawing over her mouth.

"I killed Mangey." Her hands jumped to grip her hair, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm the reason he's gone!"

Her expression twisted with grief and Tails could only stare in blank horror as she cried, "B-Blur was trying to protect me, but I killed Mangey!"

She sucked in a shuddering breath, the tears spilling down her cheeks.

Finally, Tails shook off his shock and hastily reached to hold her shoulder. "Amy—Thorn, it's okay!"

The girl stared at him in disbelief, green eyes shattered and a shuddering sob wracking her body. Yet Tails gazed earnestly at her.

"Mangey might have survived."

Her sob cut off. She gaped, not even daring to breathe while hope and despair warred inside her teary gaze.

Eyes slanting down, Tails kindly said, "I'm not sure, but I think Blur realized Mangey was sick and tried to save him. That might have given him the fighting chance he needed to survive."

Tails glanced aside. "I don't know why he hasn't come back, but maybe he wandered so far away, he hasn't been able to find his way home."

He let go of the girl and lifted his Electric. He stared hard at the screen where a red line steadily rose over a graph.

"And that might be a good thing because according to my calculations, just inhaling too much of the spores could prove deadly over time." He frowned, whispering to himself. "So I have to find a way to counter the mushroom's poison for the jungle to be safe."

Thorn sniffled. "But," she hunched into herself, "What if it's too late?"

Tails faltered, then his expression softened. "Blur doesn't blame you."

Thorn's eyes widened.

"And I might not have met Mangey, but I doubt he would blame you either." Tails smiled. "'Cause you were his friend, and friends forgive each other."

Thorn's mouth wobbled, and Tails thought she might cry again. However, her arms wound around him and he blinked as her chin fell on his shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The kit's shock faded while a tender grin hitched up his mouth and he gently hugged her back. It felt like Amy's hug, despite her rougher clothing and coarse fur, and Tails melted into the embrace. Because even if this was another dimension, he'd always help his friends.

Tails' face fell, grip tightening on his Miles Electric.

No matter the cost.

Blur's mouth opened in a yawn, the teen rising on all fours over his leaf pile. He squinted against the dull sunlight scattered across his burrow, smacking his dry mouth a couple of times while he shuffled toward the tunnel. Blur trudged up the incline, sticking his head past his leaf door. He stopped.

Tails sat on the ground, his Miles Electric in his lap and back to the hedgehog.

"Mangey got sick," Tails said quietly, and Blur tensed. "That's how you realized the mushrooms were poisonous and why you've been trying to keep the Scavengers out of the jungle."

Tails turned around. His blue eyes were tired, expression drawn with grief.

"I'm sorry, but Thorn knows the truth too."

Blur's breath hitched and he scurried all the way out of his burrow, body arching in the direction of Thorn's hut. Yet he stilled as Tails sighed.

"She's okay, though I think she wants to be alone right now."

Blur wilted, a quiet whine leaving him, while Tails' expression grew sympathetic.

"You tried to save the sacrifices by getting them in your burrow and away from the spores out here, didn't you?"

Guilt flashed on Blur's face and he turned aside.

"But they'd already eaten so many mushrooms, there was nothing you could do."

Blur's head bowed. Yet he started as hands caught his face and raised it until he was peering into the fox's sad blue eyes.

"Everyone thinks you're a monster." Tails' voice shook. "But you're a hero, Blur."

The hedgehog blinked. "He…ro…?"

Tails laughed, but it was thick with unshed tears while he pulled back. "Yeah, a hero." His eyes crinkled with a smile. "Someone who saves other people even when it's not easy." His face softened. "And you saved me, didn't you?"

Blur's gaze fell. "Mangey…"

Tails shook his head. "No, you might have saved him too."

Blur's eyes snapped up and Tails' expression turned serious. "You anointed him, didn't you?"

Blur stared blankly at him and Tails sighed. "I mean, you slobbered on him after chewing on some mushrooms."

The fox's brow furrowed. "Scientists aren't sure why feral hedgehogs anoint themselves and others, but they've hypothesized anointing helps protect them against dangerous substances. And I think they're right."

He picked up his Electric, clicking on the power button so percentages showed on the screen. "According to my readings, your anointing saliva is giving off an odor that nullifies most of the mushroom's toxic effects."

Blur's eyes gleamed with hope. "Mangey?"

Tails frowned. "He might be alive, but the spores are still in the air and all over the plants you eat."

He looked down at the screen. 22% reflected across his blue eyes, but he quickly shifted his attention away from the battery.

"This entire jungle isn't safe, and won't be unless I find a way to nullify the mushroom's toxins." He stared up thoughtfully. "I'm sure something around here can be used to synthesize a chemical that mimics your saliva, and if I can make enough of it, I can stop the mushrooms from hurting everyone."

Tails looked at Blur. His ears drooped, face falling.

"But I'm not sure Mangey is alive."

The hedgehog hung his head low.

"Also, if I use my Miles Electric to synthesize a chemical, I won't have enough battery power left to find a way home."

Tails closed his eyes. Then a smile tilted his muzzle.

"But that's what heroes do, right?" He gazed determinedly at Blur. "They do the right thing even when it's hard."

His smile faded a little. "My best friend taught me that."

Blur gazed seriously at him. However, Tails shook off the sadness and hopped to his feet.

"So let's save everyone."

Tails offered Blur his hand. The hedgehog stared at his glove for a second. Slowly, a smile hitched up Blur's mouth and he reached to grab his hand.

It took three days to find the right ingredients and another two to gather and synthesize enough of the chemical mix for the whole jungle.

Tails stared at the purple powder in the wooden bowl, fur matted with sweat and exhaustion straining his face. He carefully lifted the bowl from the wooden workbench beside the gurgling river, carrying it over the test tubes and flasks he'd crafted with his laser pen.

He faced the river right as a boom rocketed behind him. Tails smiled and turned back. Blur was already leaning forward to sniff the powder and Tails huffed a laugh.

"Does it pass the smell test?"

Blur's nose stilled. He nodded and pulled back, swiping a finger under his nose with a smirk in a manner painfully similar to Sonic.

"Well, this is the last batch." Tails forced levity into his tone. "Let's just hope it's enough."

Tails walked up to the river edge, lifted the bowl high, and tossed the powder out. The particles fell into the water, staining the river purple until the current carried the mixture away.

Tails lowered the bowl and set it on the table, saying, "It will take a couple of weeks for all the plants to absorb enough of the chemical from the river, but when people drink water, it should nullify any poison inside them immediately."

"Mangey?" Blur asked, eyes shimmering with hope.

Tails lowered his head, his bangs falling over his face.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll come back soon." His mouth pressed together. "You should tell Thorn we're done, it might cheer her up."

Blur grinned, and in a blink, he was streaking through the treetops and quickly disappearing. Tails didn't move for a second. Then he reached back and pulled out the Miles Electric. His finger raised over the power button, hovering. He inhaled a shaky breath and pressed it.

A picture of Sonic and him lit across the screen. Sonic was grinning wide, his arm wrapped around Tails' shoulders while the fox beamed, eyes crinkled with mirth.

1% flickered over the battery symbol. Tails sunk to his knees, whispering.

"Goodbye, Sonic."

The Miles Electric beeped warningly once, twice, and then gave a final whir. The picture flickered and Sonic's smile was the last thing he saw before the screen winked to black.

One month later…

The sun scorched the bare canopy branches, bleaching their bark a pale tan. However, Blur didn't notice the heat as he climbed to the tip of a tree limb, staring off into the horizon. Almost too far to make out was a blurry brown line, a red, white, and larger purple figure moving about the distant platform.

"Why won't you talk to them?"

Blur's eyes narrowed and he didn't turn around as he hissed, "Hurt Thorn."

Tails' mouth drew to a line while he landed behind Blur, his tails stilling. "But," his voice gentled, "Thorn hurt them too…and you did as well."

Discomfort twisted Blur's muzzle and he looked aside.

Tails' eyes slanted down worriedly, his hand curling up in front of his chest. "Thorn thinks I don't understand because I wasn't here when she first kicked them out, so she won't listen to me."

His cheeks puffed up in a pout. "She's too stubborn." His face grew serious. "And Prim still thinks she's a monster."

Blur's jaw clenched while Tails motioned at him. "You're the only one Thorn will listen to and the only one Prim might hear out since you've stopped fighting the Scavengers. You have to—"

"No."

Tails recoiled while Blur looked back, mouth a line and gaze resolved. However, the fox's hands balled up and his canines peeked out in a glower.

"Why not?" Frustration burned in Tails' tone and he threw up his hands. "I thought they were your friends!"

Blur's face hardened. "Hurt—"

"Yes, they hurt Thorn and the jungle!" Tails crossed his arms. "But they're your friends, and you're the only one who can—"

Blur scaled down the branch, brushing past him. Tails' eyes narrowed at the dismissal and a dangerous glint sparked within them.

"Mangey isn't coming back."

Blur froze midstep.

"It's been five months," Tails scoffed. "If he's not back now, he must be—"

Blur was in his face and snarling in a blink, huffing sharply. Tails balked, leaning away as he realized what he'd said.

"I…" Tails' ears pinned back and his head hung low. "I'm sorry." Blur quieted, his eyes widening while tears pricked the kit's blue irises. "I shouldn't have said that."

Suddenly Tails' namesakes spun and he took to the sky. The fox quickly dove into the dense undergrowth and Blur ran after him as Tails scrubbed his face, half-heartedly pushing away leaves and vines. The teen dropped onto the mossy earth while Tails touched down, his namesakes drooping.

"It's just," Tails' voice quieted, "I had a friend who could always bring everyone together." He glanced at Blur. "And you're so much like him."

His gaze fell. "But you're not the same." He turned away. "And I shouldn't treat you like you are."

Blur's mouth opened, yet he stopped, ears snapping up. Tails didn't notice while he trudged ahead, heart heavy. Maybe it was time to give up, he just didn't have the skills or talent to bridge the gap between Blur and Thorn and the Scavengers. Not like Sonic would—

An arm snaked around his middle. Tails started as Blur pulled him to his chest, crouching up on his two legs and raising his nose to sniff.

"Blur?" the kit asked right when a distant boom echoed from the left.

The two shared a look.

"That," Tails frowned, "Doesn't sound like Thorn."

Blur's eyes narrowed. He dropped onto all fours and Tails quickly hugged his neck, securing his tails around his waist, while the hedgehog sprung into a tree. They sped from branch to branch, though in seconds, Blur slowed and slid down a slanted tree to the ground.

Tails looked up. He gasped.

Five trees laid broken on the floor. Smoke wafted off their splintered roots, their severed branches scattered across the fractured earth while leaves drifted around them.

"What did this?" Tails whispered, looking over the area and finding no one.

He moved to let go of Blur, but the hedgehog's palm pressed on his back. Tails glanced at the teen as Blur's head tilted up, and he followed his gaze to the treetops.

Tails gaped at the sun. A hole had pierced the jungle roof, welcoming in a bit of sky. Something had fallen through? A Scavenger—no, no way they could have caused this much damage. So a meteorite maybe.

A groan made Tails' ears shoot up. The fox turned to the fallen trees while a figure rose behind the smoke.

Blur's chest rumbled with a growl. Tails was turning to him when Blur suddenly pulled him off, and in a flash, he found himself alone behind a berry bush.

"Blur?" Tails whispered, glancing around.

He quickly spotted the hedgehog in a tree, stalking down the branch with his green eyes locked on something below. Tails' brow furrowed and he pushed aside the shrub, peering at the destroyed area.

Sonic stood on a fallen tree. Tails' breath stuttered. Sonic was groaning, his hand massaging his temples as he looked around dazedly, and this couldn't be real. Sonic couldn't be here, couldn't have found him out of all the billions of different dimensions, and wouldn't have left him here for over a month if he could. So, was he dreaming?

"Tails?"

The fox jolted while Sonic straightened up, his hand falling from his head as he looked back and forth.

"Tails!" Sonic called louder, a bit of franticness pitching his voice, and that was all the fox needed to burst past the bush.

"Sonic!" he yelled, heart thumping with hope even while his mind screeched it was impossible.

Sonic spun around. Tails skidded to a stop, chest heaving. Wide green eyes met ocean blue. Soon Sonic's shock melted into an easy grin.

"Little bro!"

Joy brightened Tails' face, his namesakes wagging.

"Sonic!" he cried, going to hug his brother because it was him. He was really here.

A blur smashed into Sonic's side. Tails gasped as the teen was thrown hard into a giant fern. Sonic grunted, bouncing off its stem and rolling roughly onto the ground.

"Thorn!" Blur growled, popping out of his curl midair and diving down to kick Sonic's head.

Sonic clawed to his feet and threw himself aside in a handstand so Blur struck the ground. The earth exploded, dirt and bark soaring up to the canopy. Tails yelped, his arms flying over his head while twigs and pebbles rained on him.

"Tails?"

The fox lowered his arms to see Sonic crouched beside one of the downed trees, peering at him worriedly through the dust cloud. Tails opened his mouth, but a tremor rumbled under his shoes. He looked down as the ground splintered apart in a jagged line, zipping towards Sonic.

Alarm spread over Tails' face. "Look out!"

Yet Sonic couldn't move before the floor crumbled beneath him. The teen cried out as he slipped into the tunnel, vanishing from sight. Oh, no.

Tails took flight and soared around the fallen trees, stopping over the deep hole. He saw only darkness while the faintest sound of a struggle pricked his ears.

"Hold on!" Tails angled himself to dive in. "I'm coming!"

He started to glide down, yet jerked back as Blur shot out of the tunnel. The hedgehog soared past him, his body limp and eyes squeezed close in a grimace until he crashed into a thick branch. Blur choked, his eyes popping open while he started to fall.

"Blur!"

Tails swooped down and caught the teen before he could hit the earth, gently setting him on all fours. Blur coughed, rubbing his chest, as Tails hovered worriedly around him.

"Blur, you need to stop! Sonic isn't—"

"Smell Thorn."

Tails recoiled while Blur's muzzle pulled back into a snarl, rage glazing over his eyes. "Smell blood."

Tails gasped. Thorn's scent was on Sonic? But Sonic wouldn't have hurt Thorn. Even if she attacked him, she looked too much like Amy for him to seriously hurt her.

The fox shook his head. "That doesn't—"

Blur's eyes darted aside. Tails whirled around to see Sonic standing by the tunnel, brushing dirt off his quills.

"Look, pal." Sonic glanced up and cocked an eye at Blur. "I'm just here for…" He trailed off, eyes widening. "Wait, are you me—"

Blur lunged at Sonic. Yet the hedgehog jumped aside and Blur bashed into a fallen tree. The feral teen cried out, tumbling over the timber and crumpling on his side with his shoes and gloves smoking. Tails' face grew concerned because Blur's speed was burning him. He had to stop him.

"Blur." Tails flew up to the battered teen as the hedgehog dragged himself up to a shaky stand, his teeth gritted. "I'm sure Thorn is okay—"

"Nobody."

Tails' breath hitched and Sonic blinked in surprise while Blur raised his head.

Blur's steely gaze burned into Sonic as he hissed, "Hurts my friends."

Tails' mouth dropped. Yet he couldn't grasp Blur's words before the hedgehog tossed himself into a ball and hurtled at a tree. Blur razed through the bark and the tree gave a mighty crack as it started to fall. Tails scurried away while it crashed, trembling the ground. However, Blur bounced to the next tree, and the next, becoming a zigzag of blue slicing through the timber until the forest was caving in over a gaping Sonic.

"Get out of the way!" Tails screamed, but his voice was lost in the thunder of colliding trees as dust billowed into his eyes.

Tails hissed, shutting them and coughing while the world darkened under the dust storm and his bones rattled with the quaking earth. Yet soon the clamor quieted, the ground stilling. Tails opened his eyes.

Sonic laid in a tangled mess of vines and branches, several giant trees scattered around him. The teen jerked his shoulders, trying to wiggle free, but stopped as Blur dropped down by his head.

"H-hey, there, other me." Sonic smiled nervously. "That was, um, quite a move—"

Blur lurched forward with his jaw opening to bite Sonic's neck.

"No!" Tails screamed, soaring at top speed and reaching for Sonic because he'd just gotten him back.

After he'd given up hope of ever seeing him again, his brother was here. No one would take him away!

Blur's mouth started to close right as Tails slid under him and threw himself over Sonic's chest.

Teeth shredded through flesh and a scream tore up to the sky.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood

Here's me hoping you all can survive another cliffhanger 😅

Anyway, thanks so much for the comment and the support all of you have given this story😄 I hope the plot twist lived up to the hype! Though I find it funny that I told everyone in Chapter 1 that this whole story is just a redo of the Sonic Prime episodes, yet no one seemed to suspect Thorn, the show's monster, could also be a monster in this (but I blame the mushroom more than anyone).

Now, feel free to share your thoughts and theories below, and take care, everyone!