"Tails!"

Sonic's fearful eyes fell on the kit as Tails' face screwed up with agony and he snapped his mouth close on his scream. Blur, wide-eyed, quickly pulled back and Tails collapsed across Sonic, shivering against each wave of pain pouring from his spine.

"Tails!?" Sonic called again, fighting to get his arms free and check on the fox, yet the branches kept him pinned.

"Not-Mangey!"

Blur pulled Tails off of Sonic and into his arms, but Tails squirmed even as the movement tugged harshly at the broken flesh on his back.

"No, you can't hurt him!" Tails glared at Blur and the hedgehog blinked. "He's my friend." He stilled, face softening. "You know, the one you remind me of?"

Blur gasped. His head snapped over to Sonic who was straining to get out from under the mess of branches. Blur's eyes narrowed.

The feral teen deposited Tails on the ground and stalked towards Sonic. Tails reached for him worriedly but winced as his injury flared and pulled back.

The hedgehog stopped over his counterpart, and Sonic froze while Blur glowered. "Thorn," he hissed.

Sonic blinked and Tails hastily explained, "The Amy of this dimension, he thinks you hurt her."

"Oh," Sonic drawled, nodding. "Yeah, I met her." Blur's muzzle pulled back in a snarl, yet Sonic's expression went deadpan. "And by that, I mean I met the bad end of her hammer."

Sonic gazed seriously at Blur. "Trust me, pal, she was the only one trying to hurt somebody in that encounter."

Blur scoffed, quills rising, but Tails got up and grabbed his shoulder. "He's telling the truth. You know how Thorn gets around Scavengers." He waved at the destruction around him. "And that blood you smelled probably came from Sonic when he crashed."

Blur's quills lowered and he frowned. His eyes scanned over the smoldering, ruined earth. After a second, he looked at Sonic. Then he moved in a streak of blue.

Tails started at the pile of broken branches and vines suddenly beside him while Sonic flexed his freed limbs and grinned, hopping to his feet. He turned to Blur as the feral teen slowed beside him.

"Thanks—"

Blur collapsed, rolling onto his side. Tails inhaled sharply and Sonic choked as they noticed Blur's smoking feet, his sandals gone, and the rope that held them black and frayed. Red and raw skin showed between seared-away fur, and Tails ignored his own screaming injury while rushing to him.

"Blur!"

Tails dropped to his knees beside the hedgehog as Blur weakly pushed himself up on his forearms, his gloves charred and fingertips poking through the burn holes. The fox caught Blur's ankle and carefully lifted his foot for a closer examination. No blood, but his fur was missing in patches around his heel, and the red skin beneath was blistered and burned.

"Is he okay?" Sonic asked behind him, eyes drawn down worriedly.

Tails shook his head. "No, he needs burn salve." He turned back, pointing to the left. "I have a medkit in his burrow. Can you get it?"

Sonic nodded. "On it!"

He quickly sped into the forest, Tails' hair rippling in the wind blast. Though the fox didn't notice while he stared sadly at Blur, setting the hedgehog's foot down on its side. Still, Blur flinched when the edge of his sole touched the ground and he panted through the pain.

"You really did a number on yourself." Tails' brow furrowed and the hedgehog glanced back. "I've never seen you go that fast…why'd you do it?"

Blur's face contorted and he looked down. "Mangey." He sighed, eyes closing. "Gone."

Tails inhaled sharply while Blur opened shimmering eyes. "Thorn not."

Tails' heart pang. "Oh."

Blur knew Mangey was gone and likely wasn't coming back. So he'd fought hard to protect the one friend he had left.

"Not-Mangey."

Tails refocused as Blur regarded him, his ears drooping. "Go home?"

Tails winced and turned aside. He was going home now that Sonic was here, but how could he tell Blur that? He'd already lost one version of Tails, to lose another all over again…

Tails reluctantly faced the teen. "I…"

A boom whipped through the air behind them. Blur tensed while Sonic stumbled to a stop, tripping a bit over a broken branch before regaining his footing.

"Is this it?" Sonic offered a closed woven basket to Tails and the fox nodded.

"Yeah, I can—"

Blur lurched forward with lightning speed. Sonic made a surprised noise as Blur snagged the box, though Tails could only blink when a tongue suddenly brushed over his wound. Sonic jolted, wide-eyed.

"Uhh, Tails?" Sonic asked slowly while Blur's tongue brushed him again. "Why is jungle-me licking you?"

Tails sighed, sitting down and crossing his arms. "To clean my wound."

Sonic continued staring, and Tails blandly said, "Just think of it like a feral cat cleaning a kitten."

Sonic grimaced, yet nodded. "Okay, jungle-me is like a cat. Got it."

The tongue retracted and Tails grunted as pain stabbed his back, his fingers clawing into the soil while Blur wiped ointment over his wound. However, the hedgehog wouldn't treat himself unless he was fixed up first, so Tails didn't protest and instead regarded Sonic.

"How did you find me?"

Sonic turned to him and warmth bloomed in Tails' chest as their eyes met because his brother was really here. Sure, it had taken over a month—a dreadful month of thinking he'd never see him again—but it didn't matter now that Sonic was here. So a gentle smile flourished across Tails' face while Sonic scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, that's kind of a long story." Sonic's hand dropped, the teen frowning. "But it looks like some version of me in another dimension broke reality, and now reality is falling apart."

Tails' jaw dropped. "What!?"

"Yeah," Sonic crossed his arms, his foot tapping agitatedly. "A bunch of portals have been appearing in our world—what they're calling reality fractures." He scowled up at the sky. "You and Amy were sucked into them, and Rouge said Knuckles got taken by a portal too right before she fell into one."

A leafy bandage pressed over Tails' wound, Blur winding it around his chest, but the fox hardly felt the sting as his mind buzzed.

"So Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, and I were taken to other dimensions?"

Sonic sighed. "Yes, probably because my counterpart caused this mess, the portals are targeting people I know, which is why you and I are going to track down that other Sonic." A confident smirk curved his muzzle. "And help him fix reality before our dimensions fall apart."

Sonic's smile dropped slightly. "I'm sorry it took me a few days to get here—" Tails' eyes widened— "But the portals open and close at random so I had to wait for your portal to pop back up."

"Oh…" Tails' face went blank, the kit hiding the shock coursing through his veins. "That's okay."

It wasn't, but clearly, time worked differently in this dimension…and he couldn't tell Sonic that. His brother would only blame himself and he shouldn't feel guilty for something that wasn't his fault.

Sonic glanced at Blur as the feral teen carefully stood on his now bandaged feet and hands, teeth gritted in pain. "Will this guy be okay if we drop him off with that cavegirl Amy?" He frowned. "I'm not sure what type of dimension our Amy landed in, but if it's as messed up as this place…"

He eyed the giant trees and Tails' namesakes flicked nervously. Sonic was right, Amy might need their help, especially if time moved faster in the dimension she ended up in. However…

The fox looked to Blur. Their eyes met. Soon resigned acceptance dragged down Blur's face and he turned away.

Tails' ears pulled flat, guilt swamping his chest, and Sonic frowned.

"Tails?" Sonic asked, glancing between the two.

The kit pushed himself to his feet. He glared at the mossy earth and exhaled.

"I can't." Tails raised determined eyes. "Blur lost his friend, Mangey."

Blur wilted and Tails lowered his voice to a whisper. "He lost his version of me."

Sonic stiffened and a mixture of fear and sadness crossed his face before swiftly vanishing. "Huh," the hedgehog said a little too casually. "This jungle is a bit of a maze."

Tails shook his head. "Mangey went missing after eating a poisonous mushroom five months ago." Sonic recoiled. "But even if he's really gone," his voice softened, "Blur at least deserves a body to bury, right?"

Sonic's face fell. "Yeah, of course."

He frowned thoughtfully for a couple of seconds. Then his mouth hitched up in a lopsided grin and he elbowed Tails.

"I think Amy can handle herself for a few more hours, don't you think?"

Tails inwardly winced, but forced out a smile. "Yeah, though we shouldn't spend any more time here than we need to."

He reached back, pulling out his Miles Electric.

"Now," his gaze became pleading, "Tell me you have some metal, even just a paper clip." He frowned at his device. "If I could make a temporary battery, my Electric should be able to track down Mangey."

Sonic's brow rose before his expression turned smug. "Buddy," he reached into his quills, "I've got something better than that."

Tails gasped as he pulled out two silver batteries.

He quickly snatched them and Sonic chuckled. "I figured when you didn't send an inter-dimensional message that your Electric must have died."

The fox's twin tails wagged and he beamed. "I'd hug you if it wouldn't hurt!"

He spun towards Blur. "I can find Mangey!"

Blur's eyes widened while Tails flipped over the Electric and popped open a small side panel. He slid the batteries into the empty slots, clicked the panel back into place, and hit the power button.

The screen lit up with his two-tailed logo. Tails brightened like the sun. He quickly typed on his device, pulling up a map of the jungle.

"Mangey looked like me, which means we must have had similar DNA." He increased the search radius to its highest setting, speaking more to himself than the hedgehogs. "So if I scan for someone with about ninety percent of my genetic makeup, I should be able to find any tracks containing my counterpart's DNA."

Tails looked at Sonic. "Mangey is probably outside of my scanner range, but this should at least give us an idea of where to look for him."

Sonic grinned. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Tails smiled and clicked the flashing START SEARCH on the screen. Green light beamed out of his device, Blur eyeing it while the light ran over the clearing and stretched further out. Tails stared intently at the screen, waiting for a signal to appear. Come on, come on, give me something.

The map didn't change. Tails bit the corner of his mouth while Blur vibrated in place and Sonic leaned over his shoulder, peering at the map.

A dot blinked on the screen. Tails almost jumped for joy, but remembered his injury and settled for pumping up his fist.

"I have a lead!" He smiled at Blur and the hedgehog's eyes gleamed hopefully while Tails turned back to the map. "It's small, so it's not Mangey, maybe just a sample—"

Tails stopped. His brow creased, and Sonic eyed him.

"Tails?"

The fox didn't hear him while his gaze raked over the map a second time. This couldn't be right…

Tails lowered the Miles Electric, eyes widening. "She lied to me," he exhaled.

"Not-Mangey."

Tails' head jerked toward Blur.

The hedgehog's expression grew uncertain as Tails tentatively began, "If my readings are correct, there's a sample of Mangey's DNA—"

The kit looked up at the hole in the canopy and the sunshine fell on his frown.

"By the Scavengers."

Thorn gritted her teeth, huffing sharply while her fists clenched her hammer tight. She glared at Tails, and though the anger wasn't directed at him, he and Sonic shared wary looks.

"I knew the Scavengers wanted revenge," Thorn hissed, and Blur growled lowly as he circled her feet. "But to think they'd target Mangey when he was sick—"

"You shouldn't assume the worst."

Frustration sharpened Tails' tone because he was tired of hearing accusations against the Scavengers—even if they might be warranted this time.

"Mangey could have just dropped something and a Scavenger happened to find it." Tails tossed up a hand. "Or maybe Mangey passed through the Scavengers' village while he was running."

Blur scoffed, the fresh red paint around his eyes stretching with his glare and he stomped the spare wooden boots Thorn had lent him. Tails frowned because the speedster should be careful with his injured feet.

"Blur's right." Thorn's eyes narrowed. "If Mangey was sick, he wouldn't have had the strength to climb up to the canopy."

Tails scowled, namesakes swishing. "Maybe you're underestimating him."

His hands curled up, yet he forced them open. Now wasn't the time for an argument. He sighed, conceding.

"But regardless, we won't know for sure unless we ask the Scavengers."

"Ask!?" Thorn marched up to Tails and Sonic's quills rose slightly, but he didn't move as she got in Tails' face. "They murdered my friend—Blur's kin!"

Blur stilled, huffing to himself while the girl's chest heaved. Tails looked between them and his brow knitted together.

"The Scavengers will run if they see either of you." Thorn pulled back and raised an eye challengingly, yet Tails added, "And Blur can't chase them in his condition."

Thorn faltered while Blur's quills bristled, frustration crossing the hedgehog's face. However, Tails grinned.

"But they've traded information with me before and I'm sure I can get them to talk again."

Thorn looked ready to protest when Sonic stepped forward. "Okay, I'm not sure what's going on between you guys and these Scavengers but," his expression grew serious, "Violence never solves anything." He crossed his arms. "And if you want to learn the truth about Mangey—"

"Stay out of this," Thorn snapped and Sonic leaned away as she shoved her hammer in his face. "You might not be a Scavenger, but you're still an Outsider."

Tails rushed between the two. "Then don't listen to him," he pushed down the mallet to peer earnestly at the girl, "Listen to me."

Thorn glowered, yet he pressed on. "I know how to find out what actually happened to Mangey, but it won't work unless you listen to me."

He glanced at Blur. "Please." The hedgehog turned aside, eyes narrowed stubbornly. "Mangey would have wanted you to know what happened."

Blur twitched while Tails' gaze fell. "I know he would."

Blur's ears drooped, and Sonic sent Tails a knowing glance.

"Not-Mangey."

Tails looked up as Blur pushed himself onto his feet, grunting. Thorn's eyes widened, but Tails was already running while the hedgehog entered a wobbly stand.

"Blur!" Tails caught him around the waist and the hedgehog leaned on him, panting. "What are you—"

"Find Mangey."

Blur eyed him, his green irises shimmering with an old pain as his expression broke.

"Please?"

Tails' eyes lit with surprise while Thorn and Sonic gazed sadly at Blur, yet soon the fox nodded.

"I will."

Determination hardened Tails' face, though a smirk slid across his muzzle.

"Alright." Tails looked at Sonic and Thorn. "Here's what we need to do…"

Prim, Gnarly, and Hangry lounged on the platform ledge, bark in their hands and sweat glistening off their grimacing faces. The bat went for another bite of her bark, gaze dull. A tremor shuddered through her ears. She froze, brow rising.

Gnarly noticed and cocked an eye. "Prim?" he asked between crunches.

Her wings shot out, Hangry startling beside her while she hopped to her feet and swiveled around. The echidna quickly followed her gaze to the bridge between their village and the neighboring tree. Tails stood there, mouth a line and six berries in his arms.

Gnarly choked, hand going limp so the bark slipped from his fingers. However, Hangry pounced to his feet so fast that the platform shook.

"Berries!" the cat cried, tongue wagging as he made grabbing motions and lumbered towards the kit.

Prim sped in front of him and laid her hand on his chest, hissing, "Stop! Are you trying to scare off the only guy who trades in fruit?"

Hangry wilted, ears laying flat while Gnarly shook off his surprise and got up. "Eh, who says we have to play nice?" He came to Prim's side. "We could just steal the fruit from the kid. Not like we haven't taken him down before."

His hands flexed and Prim's nose wrinkled in disapproval. Yet the trio stiffened as Tails cleared his throat behind them.

"If you're done debating whether to attack me—" Prim and Hangry shot Gnarly a look and the echidna shrunk, laughing awkwardly—"I'd like to trade with you."

Prim quickly composed her expression into a charming smile, her tone honey while she simpered. "Of course, kid! Have you come for more information?"

Tails shook his head. "No, actually, I lost something." He glanced over the platform. "And I heard it might be near here, so I'll give you the fruit if you let me take a quick look around. Deal?"

"What's this something?" Gnarly leapt in front of Prim, and Tails blinked owlishly as he growled, "Is it something for the trees!? Did they send you—mmph!"

Prim's wing slapped over Gnarly's face, and the echidna gave a muffled yell, scrambling to pull it off while Prim smirked. "Deal."

The fox handed the berries to the girl. Prim bundled them in close like they were diamonds while Hangry leaned over her shoulder, neither noticing Knuckles drag off her wing to gulp a desperate breath.

"This shouldn't take long," Tails tossed back while slipping out his Miles Electric.

He examined the dot blinking on the GPS. The sample should be just six feet away.

Tails walked slowly until he was right on top of the signal. He looked up and found himself by Hangry's leaf tent, two crates, and a pile of rope next to it. His eyes ran over the ground but he saw nothing under the leaf or around it.

The fox's tails swished nervously. It had to be here, blood, hair, maybe a clothing accessory his counterpart wore. His eyes slid over to the crates. Maybe… He crouched by the first crate and grabbed the lid, opening it.

Empty.

Tails frowned and resealed the crate, turning to the next one. His fingers grabbed the lip of the lid, about to tug. He stopped.

"Find what you're looking for?" Prim called, hands on her hips as Hangry devoured his two berries and Gnarly tucked the fruit under his hat.

Tails plucked the object off the crate's side and curled his hand around it. Slowly, he turned, eyes on his fist.

"Remember," he began quietly. "The last time I was here, I asked you about Mangey."

Hangry recoiled, ears shooting up, while Gnarly swiveled to Prim. "He what?"

The bat ignored them, raising an eye. "Yes, did you—"

"After Thorn kicked you out of the forest," Tails cut in, jaw clenching. "Did she, Mangey, or Blur ever come up to your village?"

Prim scoffed, "No." She sneered. "Monsters aren't welcome here."

"Then tell me."

Tails raised his flinty gaze while opening his fist. Honey-brown fur rested in his palm.

"How did Mangey's fur get here?"

Prim inhaled sharply, Gnarly gaped, and Hangry stepped back. Yet soon Prim was striding up to the kit and snatching the fur out of his hand. She peered at it, fear and uncertainty deepening every crevice of her face.

"This…is Mangey's." Prim raised her head, eyes big and round. "But none of us have seen him in months, and he never came up here." She frowned at the fur, exhaling, "So how?"

Tails observed her coolly, tails lashing back and forth. However, he nodded.

"I believe you." Tails' gaze slid past her and Hangry's fur fluffed up while Gnarly stared at the floor, eyes blank with shock. "Which means you aren't the one who murdered Mangey."

"Murdered?" Gnarly stuttered, face straining in horror. "What do you mean murdered?"

"Mangey was poisoned," Tails said, and the trio gasped.

"He ate something that made him hallucinate and ran away from Blur one night, but even if he accidentally came up here, whoever was on night watch should have spotted him."

Tails' voice hardened. "And they lied to the others about it."

Prim's face grew ashen and her too big eyes darted from echidna to cat. "Gnarly? Hangry?"

Hangry's mouth wavered like he was trying to speak yet couldn't, but Gnarly growled, "You think one of us killed—why should we even listen to you!?" He threw out his hands. "None of us would hurt Mangey!"

Gnarly raised his fists in front of his chest, body shifting into a fighting stance. Tails tensed, angling to fly if need be.

"Those nights."

Tails swiveled to Prim as her forehead scrunched together. "Back when the screams first started." Her breath quivered. "Only Hangry was up here."

Hangry's tail went rigid, the cat looking like he'd been struck. "You think I hurt Mangey?"

"She's right." Gnarly looked the cat up and down suspiciously. "Me and Prim were in the forest, trying to figure out why people kept screaming while you were making sure no one ran off with our supplies."

Tails frowned as Hangry cowered, glancing between his companions. "No…I…"

The cat's mouth moved, but no sound came out and Tails eyed him. Was it really Hangry? Big was always so gentle, if a bit simpleminded, and this cat seemed the same. However, he was the only one who could have seen Mangey here that night.

"Was it an accident?" Tails asked, expression pinching, and Hangry whirled toward him. "Maybe you mistook Mangey for a thief and you hurt—"

"NO!"

Tails jumped, Prim's wings flapped in shock, and Gnarly nearly fell off the platform as Hangry's ears draped over his eyes and he yanked them hard, teeth clenched.

"I didn't hurt Mangey!" He shook his head rapidly. "And I never would because….because…"

He let go of his ears and they snapped back while he shouted at the sky.

"He gave me fruit!"

Prim and Gnarly gawked while Tails asked, "What?"

Hangry hunched into himself, rubbing his hands together nervously.

He avoided eye contact with Prim and Gnarly as he said, "Mangey gave me fruit a couple of weeks after the monster kicked us out of the forest. It was when we were foraging, Mangey just popped out of a bush."

The cat sighed, shamefaced. "He left three berries on the ground and then ran off." He shook his head. "But I was so hungry, I ate them all, though I think he wanted me to share."

"Hangry," Prim hissed, aghast.

However, Tails rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Was that the last time you saw Mangey?"

Hangry looked up, shaking his head. "No, he showed up a few times." He jolted, spinning to Gnarly and Prim. "But I swear I shared all the berries after that!"

He tugged on his tail, petting it nervously. "I just didn't tell you guys because Prim was so mad at Thorn and…"

He trailed off while Prim's eyes widened. "Hangry…" She looked away, rubbing her arm. "I wouldn't have been mad at you, or Mangey."

"Well, that solves it."

Gnarly scowled at Tails. "Mangey's fur must have been on the mangos he gave Hangry and fell on the floor when he shared them with us."

Hangry brightened, but Tails frowned. "Mangos?" He cocked his head at the echidna. "Why did you say mangos?"

The echidna stared at him like he was slow. "The fruit Mangey gave Hangry, didn't you hear—"

"He said berries."

Gnarly stiffened.

"Hangry said berries, so why did you say mangos?"

Gnarly went to speak, but Prim said, "You gave us mangos." She laid her hand over her heart, staring intently at Gnarly. "Sometimes after the monster attacked, we'd all get separated and you'd come back with mangos."

Realization dawned on Tails' face. "Mangey," he began carefully. "Didn't only give fruit to Hangry, did he?"

Gnarly reeled back, eyes shifting nervously under the brim of his hat. However, soon he straightened up. His mouth drew to a line and he bowed his head, hat shadowing his face.

The echidna swallowed. "And?" He raised his face to glare at Tails. "And so what if he did?"

Tails' eyes widened while Gnarly demanded, "What's so wrong if Mangey gave us fruit? We were starving!" He threw out his hands towards the stunned Prim and Hangry. "And yet he had our backs! So if you ask me," his voice rose, "The only one who would have killed him was those monsters!"

His voice echoed across the sky, the echidna breathing hard. Hangry blinked, amazed, but Prim's face fell.

"Mangey…" she whispered. "Was trying to help us?"

Grief wracked her face, but Tails stared at Gnarly. The echidna was angry, his hands balled up and canines bared. However, Tails knew Knuckles, knew that while the echidna had a temper, he rarely got this mad over a grievance towards himself. So why…

Tails' namesakes stilled, mouth parting. "You found Mangey."

Gnarly froze, eyes wide.

"Didn't you?"

The echidna faltered, but Prim grabbed his shoulder. He turned to her and the girl's face softened.

"It's okay, Gnarly." She smiled, though it was sad. "Whatever happened, we won't be upset."

Gnarly shook his head. "I-I didn't kill him," he said almost too quiet to hear while Hangry quietly approached the two, expression unsure.

"I know." Prim squeezed Gnarly's shoulder. "It's alright," she repeated.

Gnarly's face twitched. He turned to the floor.

"No." Gnarly inhaled a shuddering breath. "It's not." He looked over to Tails and the fox's heart trembled as the echidna whispered, "Nothing about what happened to Mangey is okay."

Gnarly's muzzle pulled back in a snarl and he gritted out, "Nothing."

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

Let it be known, I wrote Tails playing detective in a murder mystery 4 weeks before Sega 😆

Well, I hope you all have been enjoying this story because the next chapter is the big finale! Thanks to all those supporting this fic here and on Ao3, your comments are appreciated :D

Now feel free to share your thoughts/theories below!