Quite some time has passed after the incident at the hospital. The sun was setting on the horizon with the blue sky changing into an orange hue. The sunlight shining directly through a window nearby onto the golden fur of a young fox. He slowly opened his eyes but quickly shut them from the intense light. After they readjusted, he was able to look around his surroundings. The entire room was empty and the interior looked different than the one he was just in. He looked out the window which revealed a different view from the other side of town. He must've been put in a different hospital. He tried to sit up but the pain that shot right through his head made him stop. He laid back down and noticed the bandages on his head. He must've been from the shockwave that hit him and Shadow. Wait, where is Shadow?
The door next to him opened and a doctor entered the room. He was surprised to see his patient conscious and aware.
"Oh! You're awake! How are you feeling?"
He walked up next to the bed and started to write down notes.
"Uh, I feel fine. Besides this headache…"
The doctor nodded as he finished writing.
"Yes, you suffered a concussion and minor injuries. It looked like you were fist fight. Besides that, you might experience some dizziness over time. But it shouldn't affect you for long."
"Thank you, doctor…"
"McCoy."
Tails nodded, "Doctor McCoy…"
He sat up slowly and pulled the sheets off him. He was able to get his feet off the bed before the doctor stopped him suddenly.
"Woah, where do you think you're going?"
"I need to get back to my friends, they need my help."
"And are you just going to ignore the concussion you just got? You need time to recover after being unconscious for a long time."
Tails paused, realizing what he said.
"How long was I out for?" He asked.
"Maybe several hours, now. The longer you're unconscious, the more severe the injury is. You need to go home and rest for the rest of the night. I'll see if I can get someone for your transportation."
"W-wait!"
The Doctor stopped and turned at the sudden call.
"B-before the whole… incident. I was trying to check up on someone in the previous hospital. Is it possible she was transferred here like I was?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know who-"
"Princess Sonia Hedgehog, you don't need to keep her a secret from me. I'm working with her and the royal family."
Doctor McCoy was stunned for a moment that he knew who the classified patient was. But he had to stay strong.
"Princess? I'm sorry but we don't have princesses here. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"I can name the immediate family of the royal hedgehogs if that would satisfy you. Aleena Hedgehog, Queen and ruler of Mobius. Her triplets Sonic, Sonia, and Manic Hedgehog, all heirs to the throne."
McCoy froze, he knew way too much to be someone random. If he already knows about this intel, what is the point of acting like he doesn't know?
"So, you know the royal hedgehogs… Well, even if I wanted to tell you, I can't. I would violate the confidentiality of a royal and I do not want that on my record."
Tails was getting impatient; he needed to know the condition of Sonia to tell Sonic and the others.
"Please, Doctor! I have to know what happened to her. The last I've heard, she was being taken away with some kind of emergency!"
Doctor McCoy felt bad that he couldn't help. But a smile formed when a possible loophole came to his mind.
"I'm sorry, I still can't reveal any information. But…"
Tails' ears twitched upward, eager to hear what he was about to say.
"If I had a patient that was having an episode that would declare an emergency, I would move them to the nearest and safest operating room."
He winked at the fox and tails' smile grew back.
"But that is just what I would do. You didn't hear that from me, alright?"
Tails nodded and Doctor McCoy walked away and left the room. Tails sat back down on his bed and looked out the window. He saw the sun starting to fall under the horizon and the sky began to diminish into nothing but stars. It was getting late, he would have to find Sonia later. He needs to get to Sonic to track down Manic. But then, a new thought entered his mind…
"If I was unconscious the entire time, what happened to Amy and Aleena?"
Sonic was still in the exact same position as he was before. He watched Robotnik constantly without rest, as if his energy replenished indefinitely so he could stay up. That was, until he noticed something off in the back of his mind.
It was him…
"Why are we just watching this filth sit in the same spot for days on end?"
"So he could be tried and convicted of what he's done…" Sonic whispered in his head.
"You know they are just gonna kill him, why not just speed up the process?"
A dark aura began to phase in all over Sonic. But it quickly fled with a slight grunt.
"No. It won't make us any better than him. In fact, worse." He began to sound annoyed. He closed his eyes in frustration.
"Oh, come on! Let's just end this excuse of life already!"
"No!" His rage started an aura on its own.
"Why not? We can do anything we want and you don't want to kill the very person that ruined your life? Harmed your friends and family? Are you denying the justice he deserves?"
"ENOUGH!"
His scream sent a small shockwave of power that knocked over many items in the room. After he calmed down, the voice spoke once more…
"I guess it's too late, then. Don't come crying to me later…"
Sonic lowered his brow in confusion. Why did he just give up so easily like that? He looked back through the mirror and found out why…
"He's gone… He's gone!"
He ran over to a panel and slammed a button with his fist which unleashed an alarm through the building. Red lights flashing everywhere. He was going to exit the room when his own prisoner materialized right in front of him. A faint yellow glow appeared as he did before it died out.
"You're too late, hedgehog. My project is complete and there is nothing you can do now. Ha ha ha ha!"
The same thing happened again as he started to disappear with the faint yellow glow. Sonic tried to stop him by grabbing onto him but he couldn't. Robotnik's body wasn't solid enough for him to grab on. With that, he was free and there is no clue to where he may have gone…
As night fell, many people had already returned home and the streets were empty for miles. The sunset sky turned into a black darkness with bright white stars scattered everywhere. Lights illuminated the streets for anyone still awake to travel. But there were spots where the lights couldn't reach.
Nearby, there was an alleyway that was dark and dirty. A fence blocking entry from anyone on the street. But that didn't stop a certain green hedgehog. He was able to just fly above and land on the other side. He could've just climbed it with his experience but he was too tired to do so. He walked down the alley and found a dark and secluded spot for him to sit and think. He laid up against the cold brick wall as he stared up at the stars. But soon, storm clouds began to form above and small drops of rain fell from the sky. That caused him to look down in sorrow, his eyes beginning to fade back to normal from his power crystal color. Rain falling off his quills and hair, all the while his fur getting soaked.
"We're all falling apart…" he whispered.
Seconds, minutes, maybe hours passed into the night. He didn't care, he didn't care about anything. He just wanted to be alone. At least he felt safe given that he already did this for a living before he found his mother…
All was silent besides the sound of rain splashing on the ground… and the sudden sounds of footsteps splashing in pools of rainwater getting louder and louder as it approached him.
"Excuse me…" They spoke.
"Go away, man. It's not safe out here." Manic answered.
"I know but I must speak with you and the others…"
Manic opened his eyes and his face showed confusion. The person that was speaking to him was wearing a dark cloak that covered his face in darkness but the hood was long at the back of his head. It's possible he was talking to another hedgehog but who is this guy?
"Others? What are you talking about, dude?"
The cloaked one looked around frantically as if he was looking to see if the coast was clear to speak.
"There isn't much time, he may already have escaped. We need to get to a safe location, Manic."
He then grabbed onto his arm to which Manic's eyes instantly turned back to crystal white. He countered and used a take down move on his visitor, causing him to fall on his back. The sudden move caused the hood of the cloak to fall and reveal that he was a hedgehog. But he had fur on his muzzle along with whiskers. He had an unusual fur color as well, being mainly blue but his muzzle was a gradient of white and yellow.
Manic stared in confusion for a moment before he finally spoke,
"Look, dude. I don't know who you are or how you know my name but I don't have time to-"
"To bring Robotnik to justice?" The hedgehog finished. "To make him pay for what he did in the past?" Manic backed off and slowly walked backwards as he continued and stood up off the floor. "He Roboticized innocents, killed resistance members, destroyed our home, and you don't have time to avenge them?"
"Of course I want to! But everything just keeps falling apart! What am I supposed to do?!"
Manic's eyes began to tear up from the stress once more, catching the hedgehog's attention. He sighed before answering,
"Let us help you…" he extended his hand out to him, "One resistance member to another… We did it once, we can do it again…"
Manic's ears raised for a moment, he must've been a member before they first took down Robotnik. Hesitatingly, he took his hand and shook it with a slight smile. The hedgehog returned that smile back. They both let go and started walking further into the alley.
"So, who are you exactly? It's been awhile since I've seen the faces of every resistance member." Manic asked.
"Oh, I don't think you know how long it's been since you last saw me. I always stayed away from others when I was young. In fact, I think you are the only one who used to talk to me before you took down Robotnik.."
"Really? I don't remember…" Manic was puzzled. He doesn't recall speaking to someone like him. Yet, now there was a sense of familiarity with him. Maybe his mind was messing with him…
The hedgehog saw his confusion and frowned but he regained his smile.
"I see… maybe this will jog your memory."
He stopped walking and began to remove his cloak. With one swift move he removed the cloak and revealed himself.
He was a blue hedgehog with a muzzle of white and yellow fur along with whiskers. He wore a suit or uniform with some kind of insignia on the side of his left upper arm. It was a circle with some kind of vessel with stars in the background. Along with his uniform, he had black fingerless gloves with another insignia on the back of his hand. Some kind of yellow arrowhead shaped outline with another symbol inside. But there was one big thing that took Manic by surprise, he had an extra appendage.
A fox tail… He has a fox tail?!
"Wait a minute…" Manic whispered.
The now revealed hedgefox chuckled, "Now you recognize me?"
"Kirb! Dude, I haven't seen ya in so long! Look at ya!"
Kirb laughed at his surprised reaction. "I know! I was just a little baby the last time you saw me. But now that we got that out of the way, are you ready to finally set Mobius free?"
He reached out with his hand once more and Manic grabbed it with strength. Both look at each other with wide grins as they both let go. For a moment, Manic's eyes morphed Kirb's appearance to what he once remembered him as. A tiny little hedgefox baby with big shining eyes. He shut his eyes for a second and when they reopened, Kirb was back to normal.
"Let's finally teach Robotnik a lesson he'll never forget!" Kirb spoke.
"Yeah, Alright!" Manic cheered.
Then, Kirb reached into a back pocket and pulled out a small device. It was rectangular in shape and had a flap which opened with a flick of Kirb's hand. As he did, an audible chirp sounded before he spoke into it.
"Kirb to Freedom, two to beam back."
"What are you-"
Before he could finish that question, both were engulfed in a crystal white glow. Then, they both began to fade away as the glow diminished. Once the process was complete, they both disappeared entirely, leaving the alley empty once more…
Amy fell onto the couch after cleaning herself from all the hard work she pulled off. The entire operation took the whole day to finish. Once she did, she immediately cleaned up the immediate area. Then, cleaned herself of any mess or blood on her skin and fur. She used the shower at the house and put on a spare set of clothes she prepared for when she arrived. She had to do this all by herself without the aid of the little fox friend. She was so tired that the moment she laid down on the couch, she almost fell asleep then and there.
"That… was exhausting… Thankfully everything went well…"
Her eyes began to shut and her dreams were calling to her.
At first, it was all pitch black, cold and dark. An endless void of black surrounded her. Then, she saw herself floating in the void. At any moment thought, the void would turn into a beautiful dreamscape filled with all the things that would make her happy. But that moment never arrived…
Instead, a slight purple hue engulfed the black void. The sudden change started her, a sense of fear taking over her…
"So, you're the one who's attached to the prince…"
Instantly, she spun around only to find that no one was there.
"Who's there?" She called out.
"Heh heh, you'll find out soon enough. But for now, it's best to wake up. Your prince is waiting for you, peasant…"
"Who are you calling a-"
"Amy!"
She stopped. She recognized that voice…
"Amy, wake up!"
Sonic… Sonic was trying to wake her up!
Everything started to fade to white as his voice got louder and louder. Soon, she awoke with Sonic holding her shoulders firmly. She was a bit disoriented at first and Sonic noticed it.
"I didn't want to wake you up from your beauty sleep, but this is important! Where's Tails? I need to tell both of you."
Amy's disorientation wore off and she regained her voice to answer.
"I- I don't know! He was trying to call Manic earlier today but then something happened and he had to leave!"
"Manic…?" He removed his hands from her shoulder, "Where is he?"
Amy got up and stood next to him.
"He went to the hospital to visit Sonia…"
Sonic turned around and began to walk out.
"Then I'll meet 'em there…"
Amy quickly grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
"Hold on! What's so important that you need to talk to Tails?"
"I'll tell you when you and Tails are here."
"Sonic Hedgehog if you don't tell me right now…"
He stopped and turned around. He gave a deep breath and looked her in the eyes.
"It's Eggman… He… He escaped…"
"What?!"
Both heads turn to their side as they hear a new voice react to Sonic. Standing in the doorway of the front door was the one Sonic was looking for. His bright yellow, two tailed fox buddy….
"He escaped?!"
