"Sonic?"

Green eyes snapped open. The seventeen-year old hedgehog gasped at the endless space stretched around him, his feet kicking out to run instinctively. Yet there was no surface beneath his shoes, no warmth, no wind, just a chilly atmosphere pricking his skin while he gazed around the abyss. What was this place?

"Sonic."

The teen froze.

"Tails?" Sonic whispered.

It couldn't be. Yet hope sparked inside him, and before he knew it, he was swiveling back and forth.

"Tails!?"

Sonic's heart thumped like a rock in his chest while he breathed too fast and the oxygen scalded his throat.

Distant lights speckling the darkness were all he saw. A fist gripped Sonic's heart, but he kept searching. That was Tails. He'd heard him…hadn't he?

Sonic's face fell, ears drooping. His eyes squeezed shut and he gripped his head. Stupid. That couldn't have been Tails. His little brother…he was…

"Sonic."

His eyes snapped open. He turned back.

Tails smiled, hovering a few feet across from him with faint starlight aglow on his face. Sonic's eyes widened while a wide smile crawled over his face and he slowly lifted a trembling hand.

Sonic lurched with a sudden cry. Tails' eyes slanted sadly as Sonic clawed desperately at the space around them, his green irises frantic.

"Tails! Tails!"

The teen kicked out, trying to run, but his soles were bound to nothing so he didn't move any farther or closer to the fox. A frustrated growl wrenched out of Sonic's chest and he tore his hands back, curling them into shaky fists while breathing hard. Tails was so close—so close.

"I'm sorry."

Sonic jolted as Tails' gaze fell.

"I made a wish."

Sonic's breath stuttered. "You what?" He shook his head disbelievingly. "How…?"

Melancholy weighed down Tails' face. "When you touched the Chaos Star, I grabbed your wrist—" Sonic's eyes widened— "And used you as a conduit for the wish in my heart."

Tails laid a hand over his chest, face crinkling with a grin. "I wasn't sure it would work…"

Sonic's brow furrowed. "Is that why we're here? Because we both made a wish at the same time?"

He glanced at the universe stretched out before them, unsure whether this was actual outer space or another realm. However, Sonic frowned as something else occurred to him and he turned to the fox.

"Tails." The kit's expression grew strained, knowing what was coming. "What did you wish for?" he asked tentatively.

Tails' mouth drew to a line, his tails thrashing agitatedly. Sonic's body hummed with tension, and if he was on the ground, his foot would be tapping a mile a minute. His wish couldn't have been anything too bad, right? Though, why did Tails look so sad then?

Worry mounting, Sonic said, "Tails—"

"I realized Eggman was going to make a wish," the kit interrupted, eyes begging. "So I wished to erase any wish that came after mine and replace it with…"

Sonic's heartbeat sped up, a possibility stirring in the back of his head, though he wouldn't acknowledge it. Tails was here, he wasn't dead, and even if they were stuck wherever here was, the fox would get them out of this place eventually. They were going home. Together.

Tails' sorrowful gaze tore Sonic's heart apart as the kit admitted, "I wished for the Chaos Star to fulfill your original intended wish, including all the consequences of said wish."

Sonic stopped breathing. Yet Tails' expression warmed.

"Amy, Knuckles, everyone, the world," Tails sighed contently. "It should all be like it was before—"

"But what about you?"

Sonic leaned forward suddenly and Tails jumped. However, no blood stained the fox's throat, meaning Tails' wish hadn't canceled out Sonic's…because Sonic didn't make a wish after or before Tails did, but at the same time as him.

The hedgehog would do anything for his theory to be true and looked to Tails for assurance that it was. Tails flickered. Sonic reeled back.

"What—"

"Metal was right." Tails chuckled sadly, his head bowing. "Your greatest strength is your friends…"

Realization slammed into Sonic. He choked.

"N-no." Sonic slowly shook his head. "The Chaos Star…it's taking…"

"Me," Tails said, his image flickering like an old TV channel losing its signal.

"No!" Sonic threw himself forward, grasping air, but the distance between them stayed stubbornly the same.

"Why would you do that!?" Sonic cried between sharp, panicked breaths. "Why didn't you just wish to fix the world—"

"Because the world can't afford to lose what the Chaos Star would have taken from me."

Sonic froze. Tails smiled, though his eyes were tired.

"You mean," the hedgehog let his hands drop, eyes shimmering, "I'm…"

"Ever since we met." Tails scratched his cheek bashfully, though his image flickered twice and his voice crackled like a radio. "Watching you inspired me, pushed me to strive to new heights."

He beamed at Sonic. "So yes, Sonic, you're my greatest strength. Everything I've accomplished is thanks to you."

Sonic's face softened. "Tails…"

He gasped as the fox flickered rapidly, his image becoming translucent. Sonic reached out and jolted as he actually drifted across the distance and caught the kit's shoulders.

"Tails," Sonic pleaded. "You can't go."

The fox shook his head, but Sonic caught his cheek and gently tilted his head up. "You're my greatest strength too." His eyes bored into Tails' surprised gaze. "Which means I need you, I'll always need you, so please don't go."

Tails' expression crumbled. "Sonic," he began, but the hedgehog refused to hear it.

"I don't care about the world!"

Sonic threw out his hands, shocked he meant it. Tails looked stunned too, but Sonic clenched his teeth and kept going.

"I just want you to come home."

Sonic gripped his shoulders tighter, panting while a strange feeling clouded his chest. However, he forgot about it as Tails wilted.

"Sonic."

Tails wrapped his arms around him, smiling into his neck.

"This is goodbye."

The stars winked out around them, the darkness growing, but Sonic didn't care as he hugged the kit back.

"Please, don't—"

The weight vanished under Sonic's arms. Then his knees were hitting the cold stone floor and he was staring at the cracked pedestal of the Chaos Star. Glittering shards littered the cracked ground and Sonic gasped, turning in case the Star had fallen.

Yellow goggles laid on the stone staircase. Grief twisted Sonic's expression and he closed his eyes, dropping his face in his hands. However, soon Sonic raised his head. Slowly, he got up, walked over to the goggles, and bent down.

The tatters of his glove draped off his fingers as he clenched his fist around the goggles and stood back up, teeth gritting.

"Oh, Tails…" Sonic raised his face, eyes welling with sadness.

A rough cough broke the silence. Sonic stiffened, expression going blank, and he turned. Eggman was sitting up by the broken and scorched stone slabs that had been the throne. The man sputtered another cough while wiping off the dust and glass clinging to his torn clothes.

Sonic's face hardened.

"You…" the hedgehog hissed, striding over to the doctor.

Eggman's head snapped up. "O-oh, Sonic, you survived—"

Sonic was before him in a blink, his foot sinking into Eggman's gut. The doctor gagged as he was kicked down, but Sonic caught his collar in a blur and dragged him up to his knees so they were eye to eye.

"Bring Tails back," Sonic growled, green eyes burning with hatred.

"Bring him back?" the doctor stuttered. "But the Chaos Star is gone!" Eggman put his hands up, his sweat merging with the blood running down his face. "There's no way to reverse—"

"There is."

Eggman froze while Sonic's quills shot up.

"And you're going to figure out what that way is. Otherwise…"

Blue lightning sparked off Sonic's quills, casting jagged shadows on the hedgehog's cold expression.

"You're not leaving this temple alive."

1-9-7-8-9-0 sped across the top of a digital keypad in the wall.

Sonic drew back his hand, foot tapping in a blur against the metal ground while he warily watched the screen, waiting.

Passcode Not Accepted flashed bright red, replacing the numbers.

Sonic released a frustrated hiss and threw back his head, scowling up at the Egg Carrier's ceiling like it was responsible for him guessing the wrong code. Yet soon he sighed, dropped his head, and absently hitched Tails higher in his arm as the kit slumbered against his shoulder.

"S-Sonic!?"

The hedgehog didn't turn while speedily typing another random code on the keypad.

"That's my name." Sonic hit the enter key. "Don't wear it out," he finished blandly, glancing over his shoulder.

Eggman gaped at him, four white metal spheres hovering around him as their eyelike centers glowed fire red.

"How did you get in here without alerting security!? And why are you—"

The man paused, his eyes narrowing behind his dark lenses. Sonic ignored him while he shot an irritated look at the keypad as it flashed Passcode Not Accepted again.

"You're not Sonic. You're the other one."

Sonic turned and raised an eye at him, gaze sarcastically asking, "No, really?"

Eggman's blood boiled because the blue rodent was just as irritating as the one in this dimension. So he clicked his wristband and his robots aimed laser pointers across Sonic's body.

The hedgehog's expression became bored, though he shifted slightly so Tails was angled away from the lasers, and said, "Uhh, is this about me stealing Tails' ship? Because if so, you should be more mad at whoever left the hanger door unlocked—"

"Where have you been for the past three weeks?" Eggman demanded, raising a fist. "And what were you doing with my assistant?"

"Three weeks, huh." Sonic cocked his head, unbothered by Eggman's glower. "Guess I'm an adult now."

He shrugged. "Well, I was helping Tails track down the crystal that brought me here." He tossed his thumb over his shoulder. "It's in the back of the Mini Egg Carrier along with Metal who needs some major repairs."

Eggman recoiled, brow jumping to the ceiling. "What!?"

"Where's Tails' bedroom?" Sonic asked, sending a glare to the keypad. "The painkillers kinda knocked him out—"

"Why are you so obsessed with him?" Sonic blinked while Eggman's eyes narrowed and he stared him down. "You looked up Tails' profile as well as your counterpart's."

Sonic's face hardened and Eggman cocked a brow. "You didn't really think your amateur hacking on the Egg Dome's computer would go unnoticed, did you?"

The hedgehog stared at him for a moment. Then a smirk hitched up his mouth.

"Amateur?" Sonic chuckled lowly. "That's funny since you're the one who taught me how to hack."

Eggman gaped while the hedgehog shrugged his hand. "As for what I looked up, I just wanted to know why Tails is with you—"

"You looked up Tails' medical records."

Sonic froze while Eggman glared. The hedgehog worked his jaw, brow folding together as he thought hard. However, soon his expression eased and he turned.

"Fine," Sonic scoffed, raising his hand in goodbye. "If you're not going to help, I'll find Tails' room on my own—"

"The Chaos Star."

Sonic stopped, ears twisting around to the doctor though he didn't turn back. Eggman eyed him, expression serious.

"It took something from you…something you can't get back," the man said solemnly.

Sonic twitched before turning. He smiled, though his grin showed too many teeth.

"Careful, Doctor," Sonic wagged one finger, "The last Eggman who crossed me didn't make it." His voice tightened. "Even if it was unintentional."

He spun around and sped off down the hall without hearing a reply. Eggman stared after him, frowning.

"Unintentional…"

The door slid open with a hiss. Sonic entered the doorway, backlit by the hallway's white lights as shadows cast over him and darkened his fur. He stepped into the unlit bedroom, glancing around curiously while his nose twitched at the odd blend of mint and motor oil in the air. However, soon a smile tilted his muzzle because the scent was so Tails.

The door closed behind him and Sonic squinted in the dim light coming through the curtained window. He eyed the large TV but paused as he spotted the half-open closet. Needed to check there.

However, Sonic went to the bed and gently laid the fox on top of the covers. He pulled the lab coat off him and draped it over his arm before moving to take Tails' shoe. Sonic's gaze sharpened at his robotic foot while he set the shoe on the floor. That could become a problem.

His quills bristled, yet Sonic shook off the thought and reached for the science-themed blanket, dragging it over the kit. He froze as Tails turned to bury his face in the cloth, sighing happily.

Sonic relaxed, expression softening. "Sleep well, little bro."

The hedgehog stepped back. His face went cold. Sonic scanned the room carefully until he spotted the remote beside a framed picture on the dresser. The teen strode over, grabbed the remote, and pushed the power button as he turned to the TV.

"—Robotnik City Zones are worlds better than any Freedom City! Don't let that rebel propaganda fool you!"

"Ugh." Sonic stuck out his tongue in disgust before clicking off the television. "Looks like Eggman's ego is so big, it's not limited to just one reality."

Sonic chuckled to himself, but grew serious when his eyes fell on the closet. He tossed the remote back onto the bed and approached the closet, pulling the door open all the way.

Seven lab coats hung off sleek hangers. Sonic raised an eye. How many did one fox need? Then again, Tails had lost two of them in the scant day he'd been with Sonic so…

The teen pushed the coats aside and blinked at the shoe boxes stacked neatly in the corner. His eyes narrowed on the small red and white shoes beside the stack. They looked a lot like the shoes his Tails used to wear. He crouched, picking them up.

Paper rustled in the left shoe and Sonic's face lit up in interest. "Huh."

He reached into the shoe and plucked out the folded piece of paper, quickly unfolding it. Sonic stared at it. Pity weighed down his face.

"Oh, kid."

Sonic raised his sad eyes from the torn photo and turned to the slumbering fox.

"You still love him, don't you."

Sonic looked back at the photo, gently folding it up. He tucked the picture back in the shoe, set the pair down, and stood up.

"Now this…this complicates things."

Sonic pinched his nose and closed his eyes, sighing roughly while he walked back to the entrance. The door slid open before he reached it.

Sonic's eyes snapped open under the hallway lights.

"What the—"

A robot hand shot out of the hall and latched around the teen. He cried out as he was yanked from Tails' room, the door sliding shut behind him while Sonic writhed.

The hand squeezed, fingers digging painfully into his skin, and Sonic's eyes screwed shut as he strained for breath.

"Going somewhere?"

Sonic panted, cracking open one eye in a glare. He bared his teeth as Eggman sneered from behind the blocky, scarlet and yellow robot nearly twice his height.

"I thought," Sonic choked out, fire in his gaze. "I made myself clear—"

"Spare me your threats, rodent." Eggman arched a brow. "You can't hurt me without upsetting Tails." Sonic's face darkened. "Just like I can't get rid of you without doing the same."

Sonic scowled for a second, but soon his expression eased and he smirked.

"Okay," he exhaled, voice a bit strangled, "Then what's the plan, Doc?"

Eggman's face hardened.

"You're going to take the Chaos Star fragment and leave this reality—" Sonic's eyes widened—"After I finish examining it."

He crossed his arms.

"In the meantime, you'll power Zone 1." Surprise rippled across the hedgehog's face, but Eggman explained, "I managed to adjust the settings to your frequency while you took my assistant on a road trip."

"Ah," Sonic smirked, "I see. You're trying to keep me busy so I can't complete whatever dastardly plot you think I have."

Sonic scoffed, "Like I'm the bad guy here."

Eggman stared at him for a moment. Then he turned away.

"You're not Sonic."

The hedgehog's smile dropped. Confusion wrinkled his face.

"Not after what you've done."

Sonic's breath hitched, ears shooting up. However, he relaxed and his expression cooled.

Bitterly, Sonic whispered, "Like you have any idea what I've done."

"Actually," Eggman coolly glanced over his shoulder, "I know more than you think." Sonic balked as the doctor faced ahead. "Take him to Zone 1."

The robot nodded and his feet clanked as he started down the hall. Eggman sensed the hedgehog's eyes on him as he was carried away, and his expression hardened.

"You're not Sonic," Eggman repeated. "Not after what the Chaos Star stole from you."

Eggman was still for a second. Then he shook his head and walked down the corridor.

"Dr. Robotnik!"

The man in question didn't look up from his cushioned office chair behind an oak desk. Bright sunlight streamed in through the window taking up most of the left wall, but he sat in the shade while while typing on his red holographic keyboard.

Tails skidded to a stop before the desk and panted, resting on his knees with his lab coat half off his shoulder and fur sticking up every which way. Yet he quickly straightened, his frantic blue eyes seeking the doctor's.

"I'm so sorry for disappearing for three weeks! Sonic warned me that time could be affected by the fragment and I should have told you, but I wanted the crystal to be a surprise! Then Metal got destroyed and now I can't find Sonic or the crystal and I'm way behind schedule—"

The man raised his hand. Tails' mouth clicked shut, though he breathed hard as he nervously bundled his tails to his chest.

"It's fine, Tails." Eggman stared at the thermal image of the Chaos Star fragment on his holographic screen. "You can just pull a couple of all-nighters to catch up on your assignments."

Tails winced. It would take more than a couple of nights to get back on track after a three-week lag. However, maybe if he limited his eating to one meal a day—

"As for Sonic."

Tails looked up while Eggman regarded him, dropping his hands so the hologram winked away and steepling them on the desk.

"He's currently powering Zone 1." Tails' eyes widened. "I wasn't idle while you were gone, though I did spend some time and resources looking for you."

Tails wilted, but the man flashed his teeth and gestured grandiosely at him.

"Of course, anything for my beloved assistant."

The fox brightened, dropping his tails. However, his joy swiftly faded and he looked away.

"Um, I'm guessing you reviewed the security cameras on the Mini Egg Carrier." Tails' fingers clawed at his coat pockets. "I know it probably looked like I, uh, had a moment with Sonic."

He looked up, desperation gleaming in his gaze.

"But I was just getting information about the Chaos Star!" He hunched into himself, rubbing his arm and turning away. "And I needed to be sure he wasn't a threat to you." He sighed. "I know his story doesn't add up with his recount in the interrogation center and I can tell he wants something beside the fragment—"

"You don't have to explain."

Tails blinked, looking up. Eggman's mustache twitched as he smirked.

"You did good, kid."

Tails' breath hitched, eyes glistening in the sunlight. He…did good? Robotnik was proud?

The kit's heart soared until he was breathless, a blush burning his cheeks.

"T-thanks," he gushed.

However, Eggman waved his hologram back up and no longer faced him.

"That's why I trust you to catch up on your work while I finish repairs on Metal. The computer should be done with its analysis of the crystal by tomorrow, and then we'll use it to send that Sonic back to where he came from."

Tails stiffened as Eggman made a shooing motion.

"Let him be the other reality's problem."

Uncertainty twisted Tails' face, but he quickly bowed his head to hide it.

"Of course, I'll do exactly what you say."

Tails turned and strode towards the entrance. Eggman continued typing until the door slid close behind him. He glanced up. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Sonic yawned, the corner of his eyes tearing up a little behind the walls of the eggclosure. However, his legs were a blur of red while he sped across the silver treadmill, lightning sparking around him. Yet he jolted as the treadmill slowed.

"Huh?"

Sonic's brow jumped up while he was forced into a jog before stopping entirely as the treadmill shut down.

"Hey."

Sonic swiveled toward the silver console.

Tails smiled behind the controls and waved.

"Want to grab some pizza?"

Shock sparked across Sonic's face, but it vanished as the hedgehog's mouth curved into a toothy grin.

They ended up going to Tails' favorite diner. The fast food joint with red bubbly borders went unnoticed between two dark alleyways as Zone 1's haggard citizens kept their eyes on their motorized sidewalks while they passed.

The Omelet—it said in neon blue cursive over its big windows, casting the diner's bright lights out onto the streets. White tables and glittery red booths were pressed up against the glass, yet all were empty except for the last in the far corner.

Sonic scarfed down a tower of chili dogs at a breakneck pace, some of the cheese and pepper bits falling to the blue and white checkered floor. Tails stared blankly at him across the table, his own pepperoni pizza slice falling limp in his hold. He remembered what Sonic's favorite food was, but it had been a long time since he'd seen a hungry Sonic eat at super speed. It was kinda horrifying.

Sonic fell back against his seat with a satisfied sigh, patting his belly.

"Aw, man, maybe it's the fact I haven't eaten in over a day, but that was some of the best chili dogs I've ever had!"

Tails blinked, still in shock over how fast Sonic had packed away his food. However, he soon smiled and set down his pizza.

"I thought you might be hungry," Tails said as Sonic took a long sip of his lemonade. "But that's not the only reason I brought you here."

Sonic stopped sipping, yet shrugged.

"I figured. So what's up?"

Tails' expression became serious and his muzzle twitched nervously.

"I said I'd tell you how to find the voice."

Sonic froze.

Tails was taken aback by the intensity in his gaze as he whispered, "You know how to find Tails?"

The kit's ears drooped and he hastily looked down.

"Yes…and no." Sonic cocked his head while Tails pushed aside his plate and soda. "I have a theory about the voice."

He took out his Miles Egglectrical, pulling up Sonic's brain images while inside that crystal temple.

"I heard the voice too and it did sound a lot like me, even had my same speech pattern, but—" Tails stared seriously at him— "I don't think it's your Tails."

Sonic's brow scrunched.

"But you just said—"

"I think it's multiple Tailses."

Sonic inhaled sharply.

"What?"

Tails' eyes narrowed on his Egglectrical's screen.

"I think you're hearing multiple versions of me." He turned the brain images to Sonic. "Remember you said you couldn't understand the voice? How it sounded like his voice was overlapping?"

Sonic's eyes widened as Tails pointed at the lit up area of his brain. "Well, your cerebral cortex is also reacting like you were receiving multiple different audio at once when you heard the voice. It might just seem like one Tails is talking because all of the voices are very similar or even identical—"

"Since they're all Tails," Sonic whispered, paling.

The kit nodded, turning his Egglectrical back to himself.

"Which means to find the source of the voice, you'd have to track it back to its dimension. Or, well," Tails smiled shyly, "I could do that by monitoring your brain while you're in proximity to the fragment and then searching for the frequency across the multiple realities. However…"

Tails' eyes slanted sympathetically. "I can't promise it will be your Tails we find."

Sonic's face fell. He stared at his empty plate, hand clenching the table edge.

"Well," Sonic exhaled. "It's a start."

He raised a hopeful grin and Tails brightened, his namesakes swishing excitedly.

"Then let's go—"

Tails stopped. His shoulders slumped.

Oh." Tails' elbows thunked onto the table and he grasped his head, shaking it in dismay. "But I have so much work piled up and I promised Dr. Robotnik I would—"

Suddenly Sonic was pulling him out of his seat. Tails yelped as the hedgehog started dragging him to the door.

"Don't worry." Sonic tossed a wink over his shoulder. "I think I have a solution to that."

Tails' breath hitched, awe blooming in his heart. Maybe it was the way the lights made Sonic's smile shine like the sun or maybe it was the gentle grasp on his wrist. Yet Tails believed Sonic, and it felt good trusting a Sonic after all these years. So Tails let himself be dragged out the door while a broad grin spread across his face.

Thanks for all the patience, everyone! I had to make a couple of the end details more concrete to myself before updating, but now that I have, these last two updates should come sooner 😉

Also thanks to anyone who left a review! You're all so nice 😃 and I hope this chapter cleared up some discrepancies in Darker!Sonic's story (though certainly not all of them). ️

Now feel free to share your thoughts and theories down below!