Nine wove through the crowd in the station terminal. Tails tried keeping him in sight, but couldn't help glancing at the people passing by.

No pink hair. No red dress. Some green eyes, yet none the right shade. Tails slumped, sighing. However, he lifted his head and checked again for blue fur or that winning smile.

Haggard, blank, but mostly broken expressions surrounded him. Tails' face pinched, and he stopped under a crimson lamp. No Amy, no Sonic, no sign of their counterparts and…

Scarlet light darkened his fur while he looked up at the subway wall. Eggman's symbol grinned across two red screens, and the Doctor's laugh echoed through his head. Those signs were a reminder, a taunt—"I won," they said.

Tails scowled, his hands balling into fists. This place was everything he'd spent most of his life fighting against, and he wanted so badly to show the Doctor how he felt about it.

"You'll fall one day."

Tails' ears twitched and he glanced across the railroad to the other concrete platform. A girl in a gray sweatshirt was staring at the same screens, her hood shadowing her face. Yet there was fire in her eyes, steel in her voice, and something about her screamed familiar.

Hope bloomed in his chest. Amy? Or Amy's counterpart? Tails stepped up to the yellow safety line, about to fly to her. A horn blared. He yelped, flinging himself back while a train screeched between them.

His startled reflection rippled across the train windows until it came to a halt. He calmed as its pod-shaped cars lowered onto the platform and he peeked between them while their doors popped open.

The girl was gone. Tails' breath hitched and he scanned the other platform again. However, no one in the crowd was wearing gray. Hope dwindled to ash in his chest and he raised his arm, reaching out futilely.

"What part."

Tails jumped, arm snapping back and swiveling around.

"Of keep close," Nine seethed, and Tails shrunk. "Did you not understand?"

Tails' ears pinned back, realizing he'd abandoned the boy. "Sorry," he said sincerely. "I lost you in the crowd."

Nine's eyes narrowed like he didn't believe him, but soon he looked past his head towards the train. "Just get in. This will take us to Dr. Done-It's district anyway."

Tails' brow furrowed. "Dr. Done-It?"

He wanted to ask, yet Nine was glaring, so he quickly turned and hopped into the train car. Neon violet light stung his eyes and Tails squinted, nearly crashing into the steel bench jutting out the wall until it brushed his knees. He sat down, Nine getting seated across from him, and Tails went to speak.

The door slammed shut. Tails flinched as metal harnesses dropped over them, instinctively grabbing at the U-shaped restraint. However, Nine's expression remained flat, and Tails realized this was normal.

Yet this was too excessive to be just for safety. This train…it was broken up into pods instead of long cars, preventing large groups from interacting. And these harnesses kept even those in the same car apart. Tails' face hardened. The Council was isolating people, perhaps to prevent them from rallying against their rule…and maybe that was why Nine had never met Sonic's counterpart. Even stricter regulations probably existed in the city.

Tails' face fell. Regardless, why hadn't the other Sonic defeated the Council yet? Or was he someplace far off, unaware of the Council's schemes?

Tails sighed. Guessing would get him nowhere. He needed facts.

The fox looked up. Nine was staring at him, curiosity stark on his face. Yet their eyes met and a cold mask slammed over Nine's expression.

"What?" the boy snapped.

Tails frowned at the hostility, but soon said, "This Chaos Council…does it have a Dr. Eggman?"

Shock flared across Nine's face. "Your world has a Mr. Dr. Eggman too?"

Tails balked. "Mr. Dr. Eggman?" He raised an eye. "Uhh, he's just Dr. Eggman where I'm from." His expression turned deadpan. "But if he's bald, shaped like an egg, and is as much of a genius as he is egotistical, then yes, we do."

Nine's mouth quirked up and Tails brightened at seeing him amused by his description. However, soon Nine grew serious.

"That sounds like Mr. Dr. Eggman." Nine reached back, pulling out his yellow device. "But you're also describing most of the Council."

He clicked a button and pulled the trigger. A hologram opened over his device, displaying a picture of five people in hovering chairs with names beneath them.

Tails immediately locked onto the man in the middle, his eyes narrowing. That was Eggman alright, but the others… He paused, face contorting.

"Umm," Tails pointed at Dr. Babble, "Is that a baby?"

"Yes." Nine's brow crinkled with uncertainty. "Though, he has looked like that for years."

Tails raised an eye, but Nine showed no signs he was joking. Okay, so a non-aging baby resembling Eggman was an evil dictator in this world…and yet that was not the strangest thing he'd ever heard. However, it was almost uncanny how much this infant resembled the mad scientist…

"Wait," Tails paled, "Is Dr. Babble Eggman's son?"

Nine recoiled. "Ugh," his tongue stuck out in disgust, "No." He shook his head, hair shifting from the force. "None of the councilors are related, though that's a common misconception."

Tails cocked his head. A common misconception? He glanced at the photo. Eggman's face smirked back from every councilor. Tails' eyes widened. All of them looked like Eggman, even the teenager and old man… Hold on. Teen…old man…

Tails choked. "No, they are related."

Nine's brow furrowed. "What?"

Tails peered earnestly at him. "Sonic said an alternate version of himself broke reality." Nine's mouth dropped. "And though I don't have all the details, assuming that other Sonic's world is like mine, he also has an Eggman."

Tails glared at the ground. "It wouldn't surprise me if this other Sonic was fighting his Eggman when something went wrong and he broke reality—he broke space and time."

Tails pointed at Dr. Babble. "Baby," he slid his finger across the group, "Teen, young adult, middle-aged, old."

Realization sparked in Nine's eyes and Tails stared seriously at him. "The councilors are like us." The boy's breath hitched while Tails said, "They're counterparts—temporal counterparts."

Nine gaped at the photo. "The Chaos Council…they're all the same person."

"Split into five bodies." Tails paused, thinking. "You're only the second version of myself I've met, but looking at the Council, me and my friends might also have five different counterparts."

Nine frowned thoughtfully and rubbed his chin. "Which means there are probably five dimensions, each containing one counterpart."

Tails nodded. "Though it's strange all of Eggman's counterparts are in one dimension, it might have something to do with how they're temporal instead of dimensional versions of Eggman."

He brightened and looked to Nine. "Thanks." The other kit jolted, his head whipping up. "I still don't have all the details, but this information might just be what I need to fix reality."

Surprise lit across Nine's face and his mouth parted like he was going to speak. Yet he made an aborted sound and shut his mouth, gaze darting aside. Tails' smile fell. Nine wasn't used to gratitude, was he?

Tails' eyes drew down sympathetically. He moved to grab Nine's shoulder.

"You should—"

The train jerked. Tails yelped, falling back against the wall, and Nine grunted as he was thrown into his harness, his hologram flickering away. However, Tails couldn't check on him before the train took off fast.

Gravity slammed into his chest, pinning him to his seat while the train thundered around him. His teeth clenched, heart thudding as the gray tunnel blurred into neon lights, and he shut his eyes against their brilliance. Chaos, was this a train or a rollercoaster!?

As if hearing his thoughts, the train shot up. Tails gasped while they blasted over a hill, his stomach dropping and body going weightless for a second. Then the train raced down and he crashed painfully into his harness, the oxygen whooshing out his lungs.

Suddenly the train pulled up and Tails fell back as it leveled out. The railing screeched and his ears pinned down while the train slowed to a stop.

"Arriving in the Eggshell district."

A robotic voice announced from the speakers, and Tails opened his eyes, his chest rising and falling with haggard breaths. The car doors popped open, steel harnesses snapping up and off them, yet he stared dazedly at the ground. Crashing the Tornado was pleasant compared to this train ride. However, he shook off the dizziness and turned.

Neon lights flashed over a tall, black staircase leading out of the subway. Tails' ears perked at the rumble of engines and whirl of propellers above, but he grimaced as a chemical stench stung his nose. Pollution, an Eggman specialty.

"Don't forget the rules."

Tails glanced up as Nine entered the doorway and glared over his shoulder.

"The Council will be watching us closely out there, so we're going to have to be discreet and quick when getting the supplies."

Tails nodded, expression serious. "I'm guessing we can't just buy this stuff at a hardware store."

"No." Nine turned away, yet there was a smirk in his voice as he said, "We're going to steal them."

Tails' eyes widened while Nine hopped out of the car and slipped into the crowd heading for the stairs. Tails scrambled to his feet, hurrying after him.

"We're steal—"

Nine sent him a sharp look, hand going to the gear on his wrist, and Tails' mouth snapped close. Oh, yeah, no talking was a rule.

Tails frowned as Nine lowered his hand and started up the dark steps, the kit following. However, his frown deepened as the stench of pollution grew and the lights became dazzling, the neon lines on his shirt glowing under their shine.

Apprehension spiked through his chest, but Tails forced himself to approach the loudening buzz of motors and electricity until he was stepping out onto the city streets, raising his face. A scarlet and saffron sky stood over towering metal buildings. He stiffened, eyes widening. Train rails were crisscrossed against the smog while motorized sidewalks carried weary citizens down every direction. Shadows of giant sweeper trucks crawled across building walls among a haze of poison-green light as helicopter bots patrolled the air, their single red eye scanning everyone. Posters littered most buildings, slogans stamped across Eggman's grinning image.

Be a good egg!

Think egg thoughts and only egg thoughts!

We're always watching—

Tails' hands clenched, a growl rumbling deep in his throat.

"You fight Eggman."

Tails started and turned. Nine was eyeing him, brow raised in shock.

"You're like some type of hero," Nine said, a strange emotion gripping his voice.

Tails blinked, but he hadn't exactly been subtle about his dislike of Eggman, so nodded. "Yeah, me and Sonic have been fighting him together since the day we met." His face hardened, and he gestured around them. "So that this never happens."

Awe spread across Nine's expression, but in a blink, it vanished.

"Well," Nine said cooly, his head tilting up so he could stare Tails down. "You can't play hero here." His hand sliced between them. "Maybe you can handle one Dr. Eggman, but this city has five and their power is unlimited."

Tails frowned. "Then why haven't they taken over the whole world?" Nine jolted while Tails continued, "Dr. Eggman wants to control everything and everyone, so if he's limiting himself to this city," he turned to the ground thoughtfully, "Something must be keeping him and the Council here."

Nine blinked. "I've…never thought about it like that."

Tails raised his head and his eyes became strained. "Regardless, you're right, I can't beat the Council on my own." Worry filled his gaze. "And I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Nine started and regarded Tails like he thought him insane. Tails' face fell, ears sagging. No one had ever shown care for Nine either, had they?

Suddenly, Nine turned. "I'm glad you understand."

He strode off without waiting for a reply and Tails realized he was running from their conversation. However, saying more might get him electrocuted so he let the matter go and trailed Nine onto the motorized sidewalk. The metal rumbled under their feet, carrying them almost painstakingly slow, but Tails barely noticed while he glanced at the smoggy sky. Sonic…Amy…where are you?

He bowed his head. If Amy had been here for even half as long as he'd been in that jungle, anything could have happened to her by now.

His ears pulled low. And what about Sonic? He should have entered the portal right behind him, but he'd yet to appear in this dimension. His brother wouldn't just abandon him unless he was forced to…but what could stop an unstoppable force like Sonic?

Tails sighed. He just hoped everyone was okay, Amy, Sonic, Knuckles, and Rouge. However, when it came to these dimensions, anything was possible.

A chill bit through Tails' clothes and he glanced around, hoping for a sign.

Yet the city gave no answers.

Gray factories puffed out thick clouds of smoke at the end of the block, a long stretch between them and a few secluded residences. No bots patrolled the neighboring street or sky, the sidewalk ending long before reaching them, yet that didn't comfort Tails so much as make him wary.

However, Nine ignored the holographic No Trespassing sign floating above the gate and dropped down in front of the chainlink fence, quickly scanning the area as he rose from his crouch.

A security camera above the factory window turned his way, but Nine whipped out his device and took aim, pulling the trigger. The camera seized up, its red light blinking off.

Tails dropped down behind Nine and the kit glanced back. "It won't be long before my EMP is noticed." He turned and strode over to the factory door, grabbing its rusty handle. "But the security system will take two minutes to reboot." He dragged aside the door and it clanged faintly. "Then another minute for the eggforcers to come and investigate."

He entered the factory's pitch-black interior, Tails trailing him and examining the room curiously. Rows and rows of assembly lines were stacked above each other. Lamps, fridges, televisions, and other electronics littered the unmoving conveyors under the faint light coming through the high windows, Eggman's logo glinting off every one.

Tails bared his teeth at the Doctor's symbol, but then his shoulder struck metal. He whirled aside. An orange robot stared him down. Tails gasped and jumped back, arms flailing into a defensive position.

"It's offline."

Tails turned to see Nine staring flatly at him from a concrete staircase descending into the ground.

"EMP, remember?"

Tails blinked. "Oh."

Nine rolled his eyes and disappeared into the floor. However, Tails sent the tall robot another look. Appendages arched over its shoulders—likely laser shooters—and a round, armored body. The bot was probably fearsome in battle, though for now, it was motionless, its optics dark, so he brushed past it and headed to the staircase.

Cool air conditioning billowed over his head as he came up to Nine and the kit pressed two buttons on his yellow device, projecting a hologram.

— Strife wires (2)

— Auxiliary amplifier

— Tri-Battery

Tails eyed the three objects framed beside the list while Nine said, "I'm going to unplug the strife wires first and you'll stash them in the pipeline as I remove the auxiliary amplifier from the factory's reactor."

Tails' brow scrunched together. "Wouldn't it be faster if I helped you remove—"

"No."

Tails flinched while Nine glowered in the hologram's glow. "Because if you're half as smart as me, just giving you a paperclip would make you dangerous."

Tails opened his mouth but paused. After a second, he shut it.

"That's," Tails rubbed the back of his neck, looking aside, "A fair point."

Nine nodded and turned off his device, stuffing it away while he continued down the stairs. Though, Tails' ears twitched when Nine clicked the silver center of his belt. His mechanical tails shot up and Tails yelped, flinching away just in time to avoid being hit. Yet Nine didn't even glance back, and Tails' cheeks puffed out indignantly. However, arguing would waste time they didn't have so he kept quiet until they reached the bottom of the steps.

Hazy scarlet fell over Tails and the fox squinted at the basement bathed completely in a red glow. That couldn't be the lights, the EMP would have taken them out. Soon his sight adjusted and he looked around.

A metal cylinder sprawling from the ceiling down to the floor encompassed almost the entire room. Tails' brow rose. Six huge wires rigged the cylinder to the ground while a scarlet light shined behind its small viewing window.

Nine quickly crouched by one, his metal tails latching onto the silver ring connecting the wire to the cylinder. However, Tails' gaze stayed on the window even as the light stung his eyes.

That glow…it was the same shade as the portal right before it struck him with lightning.

A sense of déjà vu swept over him, and he tensed. It was cold down here, just like in the tree hollow, and those wires looked a lot like roots feeding the reactor...but feeding it what?

Tails' face creased. "What's powering this factory?"

"No one knows." Nine pulled off a wire with a hiss and set it down before his tails moved to unscrew the metal band on another. "It's unlike any known energy, but whatever it is, the Council has plenty of it and uses it to power the whole city."

Tails' eyes narrowed. Could the Doctors have a chaos emerald? They were called the Chaos Council after all…but they could have taken over the world with an emerald, so no, it must be something else…similar to a chaos emerald yet different…

"Here."

Tails started as two large wires were dumped into his arms. He instinctively grabbed them but grunted and stumbled back under their weight.

"We've got one minute before the eggforcers show." Nine approached a triangular circuit board on the container's side, the tips of his metal tails sparking and tapping it at specific points. "So get those wires stashed in the pipeline quick and come—"

Wind rippled through Nine's shirt. The fox stiffened and spun around. Tails returned in a yellow streak, skidding to a stop and lowering his namesakes.

"Done!" Tails beamed.

Nine gaped. "How—you're that fast?"

Tails blinked, cocking his head. "My brother has super speed." He shrugged. "You've got to be fast to keep up with the fastest thing alive."

Nine's mouth moved like he wanted to ask more, but then he shook his head and turned back to the circuit board.

"Well, in that case." Nine's tail tapped the board one more time and its conduits went dim. "We're finished early."

His metal tails plucked the circuit board off the container and handed it to Tails, yet the kit frowned. "But what about the tri-battery?"

"It's outside." Nine strode towards the staircase. "And since the power is still out, we can just pull it off the wall and—"

A boom rumbled faintly above. Their heads whipped up as the ceiling shook, dust drifting down.

"Eggforcers?" Tails whispered, face wrinkling fearfully.

"No." Nine's eyes narrowed. "It can't be."

He hurried to the steps and Tails hastily stuffed the circuit board in his shirt before chasing after him. The ground quaked while they reached the top, another boom echoing closer, and they both stopped to stare out the windows.

Flames danced against the glass outside. Tails' eyes widened as he suddenly registered the sharp sound of lasers scorching the air—a battle?

"Rebels," Nine growled, his hands clenching tight, and Tails turned to him in shock.

Yet the other kit was already striding toward the entrance. "Those morons!" Nine hissed, frustration lacing his voice while he stepped outside. "They're going bring the Council on our heads!"

Tails came beside him, but stilled. The fence was ablaze, the holographic sign sparking on the ground, and debris strewn about the road. However, Tails' fur fluffed up when round-framed orange robots glided over the street—the same as the one in the factory—and they shot lasers at a burning debris pile. Tails frowned when something red shifted behind the debris and he looked closer.

Knuckles gritted his teeth while his scarred face warped with a glare. Tails' mouth dropped as the echidna leaned around the debris and aimed a robot's severed appendage like a gun, firing at the bots.

"Knuckles?" Tails whispered.

Yet fear seized his heart when six more robots dropped out of the sky, their shooters locking on Knuckles—they would kill him.

"Knuckles!" Tails called, moving to fly.

Electricity flared from his cuff. Tails choked, mouth agape in a soundless scream while electricity raked through his veins and burned his skin. The sparks faded and Tails dropped to his knees, the world twisting around him as he panted.

"No playing hero," Nine said cooly, his hand pulling back from the gear. "Now follow me—"

The street blasted apart. The flaming fence tipped toward them and Nine recoiled, his tails raising to shield his face from pebbles while smoke billowed around the explosion. Tails weakly raised his eyes as the smoke cleared.

Pink and red rose from the crater. Tails' eyes grew huge.

"A-Amy?" he croaked, heart pounding.

Nine turned to him, saying something. However, Tails didn't hear him as he lurched to his feet and sprinted toward the hedgehog, Nine's hand just missing his shirt collar.

"Amy!" he cried, leaping over the gate and dropping down behind the girl. "Are you—"

Tails stopped. His face went blank, and a tremor ran through him. Mechanized pink quills framed the back of Amy's head. Tails' heart stopped as the girl turned in a sharp, precise motion.

"Citizen," Amy said mechanically, her green eye void of emotion while it ran down his form. "You are trespassing."

Her red iris bored into him, its sclera a black abyss behind metal grating. Tails stared back, horror gripping his lungs and strangling him into silence. So he could only stare, stare and wait for a spark of recognition, for Amy to look at him with that usual sparkle in her eyes before she bundled him in a hug.

Amy's blank expression didn't change, and Tails wanted to scream, to run, to grab Amy, and shake her until all the awful metal fell off and left behind the real Amy. However, all he did was tremble while his heart dropped to the floor and every sound was drowned out by his pounding heart.

Amy had been roboticized. Her body was completely metal except for her head and he didn't want it to be Amy, would beg for it to be anyone but her. Yet her armor's red and white accents mimicking boots and a dress left no doubt who this was and what had Eggman done to her!?

Tails stepped back, exhaling shakily, and Amy's green eye narrowed, her hand moving to grab him.

"Sorry!"

A hand caught Tails' shoulder and his knees buckled under the weight, the kit just barely keeping upright as he grappled with his horror. However, Nine got between them, his mechanical tails bundled together and hood up, obscuring most of his face.

"Those ungrateful rebels knocked some debris into my friend's head and I think it gave him a concussion because he ran off in the completely wrong direction from his home." A terse smile entered Nine's voice. "Sorry for trespassing, we'll leave right away if you let us go."

Amy examined them. Slowly, her head angled aside, and Tails shivered. Metal Sonic did the same whenever he was debating whether to attack or not, and Nine noticed too, his grip clenching nervously.

However, the girl righted her head, and after a moment, gave a tight nod.

"Return your companion to his residence." Amy's head rotated nearly a full 360 degrees towards the blazing road and Tails' stomach churned. "I will deal with these rebels."

Her legs extended, Amy shooting up to tower over them, and Tails gaped. However, Knuckles whirled around and didn't hesitate to charge Amy, releasing a battle cry while firing at the girl who should be his friend—and that wasn't really Knuckles, was it?

Amy's fists clenched as those orange bots flew to her sides, yet Tails couldn't see more as he was dragged into an alley. Nine tossed him against the wall, but Tails felt no pain while Nine glared at him. Because Amy…she was…

Tails' breath shuddered, and Nine was taken aback as Tails' face was wracked by despair. He clutched his own arms bruisingly tight, his eyes squeezing close.

"That was Amy," Tails hissed. "Amy's been roboticized!" His eyes snapped open and he gazed desperately at Nine. "We have to help her! There has to be some way to reverse—"

"That's not Amy."

Tails stiffened while Nine frowned. "That's Rusty Rose, an enforcer of the Council's rule." Tails' mouth dropped as Nine shook his head. "So unless there was a time dilation of years between this dimension and the one you were in, she can't be your friend."

Hope bloomed in Tails' chest. However, soon his hope dimmed and his eyes slanted down. "But what if Amy has been captured by the Council?" His gaze became pleading. "We have to find her or she might end up like Rusty."

Fear strained his face. However, Nine's expression went cold. "That's not our problem." He turned away. "You want to help your friend? You can after I send you back—"

A light thump resounded behind him. Nine blinked and looked back.

"Please."

Nine's mouth dropped.

"I can't leave without knowing she's okay." Tails begged, his hands and knees digging into the cold ground. "So please," he lifted his teary blue eyes and Nine gasped, "Help me find my friend."

Nine reeled back, but Tails couldn't leave Amy in this cruel, miserable city. The danger was too great and...and he couldn't bear the thought of her becoming another Rusty.

Yellow was shoved in his face. Tails jolted, pulling away. The Miles Electric gleamed under the street lights.

Tails inhaled sharply. "H-how?"

"It hit me on the head right before you arrived."

Tails' gaze shot up to Nine and his twin scowled while Tails zeroed in on the faint bruise by his ear. His Miles Electric must have tumbled into the portal after he dropped it, falling on Nine. His counterpart must have been trying to get home to deal with his injury, only to pass out on the subway tracks.

"Now stop whining and get up," Nine ordered. "I saw a GPS on there, it can track your friend, right?"

Tails' blue irises gleamed hopefully, realizing Nine was helping him. "Yeah," he accepted his Electric and stood, "But if Amy had her communicator when she arrived her, I don't even need the GPS to find her."

He clicked the power button and eagerly watched the screen blink on. Nine frowned slightly at his golden two-tailed logo before Tails swiped to his apps. He hit the box with a watch symbol, his heart thumping in anticipation as he scrolled down the list of names. A chime resounded from his device. Tails went rigid as pink flashed across the screen. No, that was…

"What's wrong?" Nine asked, noticing his reaction.

"That's…" Tails' hand clenched and he breathily said, "Amy's emergency signal."

Shock rippled over Nine's face. "When did she—"

"Three days ago," Tails cried, his jaw tightening.

Nine recoiled, but Tails gritted out, "I might be too late." He stopped, face hardening. "But there might still be time!"

Tails raised his namesakes and Nine's eyes widened as he shot up into the sky.

"Hey!"

Tails ignored him, uncaring if he was electrocuted while his hands balled up and he sped into the saffron sky. The scent of pollution burned his nose, his chest heaved, and tears pricked the corner of his eyes. Yet determination coursed through his heart while he raised his Electric. The device chimed, its screen flashing pink again, but he clicked off the alarm and hit the Locate button. Lines of a map popped across the screen before the screen zeroed in on a pink dot.

"Get lower."

Tails froze and spun around. Nine was glowering behind him, his own flesh tails whirling. Tails' brow rose, having been unsure the kit could fly considering how often he hid away his real tails.

"You'll hit the city's forcefield if you go any higher."

Tails' eyes widened, having expected Nine to either berate him or attack. However, Nine just looked annoyed as he turned, gliding down. Tails followed until they were right over a curved skylight rooftop and Nine stopped across from him, turning to Tails.

"You can't find your friend if you're reckless," Nine growled, and Tails flinched, ears sagging.

"I'm sorry," Tails whispered. "You're right." He raised a loose fist over his heart. "But she's in trouble and this place is so—"

Red electricity sparked over the Electric. Tails yelped, instinctively letting it go while pain seized his hand and the device fell.

"No!" Tails reached for it, yet froze as a streetlight turned off below.

He and Nine tensed, looking around as the next streetlamp shut off and a building went dark. Click, click, and click rang throughout the street as every light went off darkness fell over them both. Unease wove through Tails' veins and his wide eyes met Nine's equally large ones.

"A power outage?" Tails whispered, and his skin bristled as he realized there were no sounds beside his voice and the beat of his spinning tails.

Nine's ears twitched, seeming to also notice the odd silence, and he shook his head. "There's never been a power outage in…"

He trailed off. Alarm flashed over his face, his gaze snapping past Tails' head. However, Tails couldn't turn before blue blurred between them.

Tails heard Nine cry out in either pain or surprise, but he forgot all about it as he stared up into a familiar face. Sonic's mouth twisted into a smirk under red-framed sunglasses and then a force struck Tails' chest.

The fox jolted, shock and disbelief twisting his expression.

"Tails!"

Sonic snickered and tore his clawed hand out of Tails' chest, scraps of his torn shirt flying loose.

"Tails!"

Sonic's face flickered like a hologram, but Tails couldn't react as his body went numb and he started to fall.

Long has paled that sunny sky

Echoes fade and memories die

Autumn frosts have slain July.

Well, there goes those cliffhangers I'm known for 😅

Anyway, thanks for the comments and the massive support you all are already showing this story! It's nice seeing some old readers from Into the Tulgey Wood are still around and I hope you enjoy this story just as much as the last one 😃

Feel free to share more of your thoughts/theories down below, and take care, everyone!