Commission for TheMaskedTime on DeviantArt. I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog or The Mask.

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Despite its tall buildings and crowded streets, the city of Station Square also had a quieter side. Just west of downtown stood its arts district, a quaint little row of shops with paintings, books, and everything else to make a house feel like home. Strolling into a shop with a light blue facade, a pink hedgehog happily greeted the owner at the front counter.

"Hi Jessica! Hope you've been having a wonderful day today! What's new in store?"

A basket of fresh fruits and vegetables in one arm, Amy Rose was in a quite cheery mood today, even for a girl who was known for her sunny disposition. She had finished up a delicious lunch at a nearby cafe, bought some delicious food to take home, and was now looking for that special something to give her house an autumn charm.

Jessica, a gold ferret and the shop's proprietor, looked up.

"Hey Amy! Looks like you've been busy today. What's on your list today?"

Amy giggled. "Well, it's almost autumn, got any new candles for the season?"

"As a matter of fact, I just did! Only two scents in so far, cinnamon and spiced apple. Any of those sound good to you?"

"Ooooh, spiced apple sounds lovely! I'll take three of those, if you have them!"

"I do, let me get them bagged for you."

As Jessica went to the back, Amy looked out the store window. Even though it was supposed to be nice and sunny, the skies above appeared to be getting darker.

"Say Jessica - I didn't think it was supposed to rain today."

Meanwhile…

"Mayday, mayday!!! It's a twister, Auntie Em!!!"

As the tornado grew ever greater in size, a yellow and green blur followed in close pursuit. Even running at speeds only Sonic could come close to achieving, Mask Tails was struggling to keep up with his creation, as it continued to bear down on Station Square. He needed to stop it fast - if only he could find a way in.

Getting nearer and nearer, his boots suddenly shifted into giant metal springs, as Mask Tails prepared to make one giant leap.

"Time to SPRING into action!!!"

He jumped, aiming straight for the wall of wind that kept the storm afloat - and as he hit this wall, Mask Tails was shot out the other direction. Landing in a heap a mile away, his eyeballs bounced out of their sockets like ping-pong balls before finally returning to his large green head.

Pupils spinning and stars flying around his head, Mask Tails tried to compose himself.

"So that's how a trailer park feels like."

Looking up, he realized that the storm was almost on the outskirts of Station Square, a pale green color filling the sky. His first attempt had failed miserably, and precious seconds were ticking away. If only he could think of something crazy, something over the top…

"Eureka!!! If I can't go through the tornado, I'll have to go above it!!!! Rockets, engage!!!"

Flames spewing out of his black boots, the green-headed fox lifted off, a thick trail of black smoke left behind as he flew above the city streets.

On the ground below, Amy and Jessica stared at the sight in front of them. Normally, they should have been running for their lives, or trying to take cover wherever they could find it. But either because of its size or the rarity, they stood transfixed at the massive twister, bearing straight down on the arts district.

Realizing the sudden danger, Jessica threw the shop door open, beckoning Amy to follow her. It was a small basement, but it was far better than standing out in the open.

"Amy, get inside!!!!"

"I'm coming!!!!"

As she prepared to dash in, something else flew above Amy's head - a yellow fox with a large green head, rocket flames shooting from his boots. Even at great speed, there was something familiar about him. If it wasn't for the green head and boots, she would have sworn it was her good friends Tails - but no, Tails couldn't possibly be doing stunts like this. Could he?

"Amy, NOW!!!!!"

"All right!" Shutting the shop door and hurrying into the basement, Amy hoped she could get through this calamity unscathed. If she did, she needed to pay a visit to Tails' house tomorrow. Maybe it was just her imagination, but something was up. Slamming the basement door shut, she and Jessica huddled, begging for the storm to miss them.

"Gotta go faster! Up up and away!!!"

Pushing his new abilities to their limits, Mask Tails had finally made it up above the storm clouds, up to the point where he could dive into the maelstrom head on. Even if this was his own creation, he was finally getting the chance to play hero - and he wasn't going to miss.

Careening into the winds below, Mask Tails was in - but where was he going to find the machine? Around him, all kinds of dirt and debris swept by, including a single cow and an old bicycle. No jokes to be made here - he had to get lower, and lower he did.

Dropping another 100 feet, he finally saw it - humming and rattling, the machine continued to pump out gust after gust of wind. Maneuvering into position, Mask Tails' hands were finally on it.

"Now, where did I put the self-destruct button?"

His eyes scanning the box over, a flashing yellow light caught his eyes, the words "SELF-DESTRUCT" blazing white. Lowering his goggles, Mask Tails prepared for a big boom.

BOOM!!!!!

Pieces of the box went flying, as did the masked fox in a different direction. In an instant, calm began to re-emerge - the twister disappeared, the clouds dissipated, and it was bright and sunny once again. Coming out from their shelters, the residents of Station Square were left to wonder if it was all a weird dream.

Landing in a clump of trees, Mask Tails brushed himself off, having had more than enough adventure for today.

"Now, how do I take this thing off?"

Reaching for the back of his head, he found a seam and began to tug them apart. Grunting and groaning, a rather horrific scene developed as rubber began to merge back into wood. But eventually, the mask popped off. Tails' head was once again yellow, and his eyes bright blue.

Looking down at his hands, he stared back at what was now a piece of wood. Had he just done all of that? Had that mask made him - a hero? Now he knew why Eggman wanted this - he had to keep this safe, but how? And who could he possibly share this secret with?

For now, all Tails wanted was to get home. Tomorrow was a new day - perhaps that was a better time to deal with this brand new conundrum.