I'm back with another chapter, and I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I haven't lost motivation or experienced writer's block, but my life has gotten extremely busy and I have almost no free time where I'm able to write. I have no intentions of abandoning this fic, no matter how difficult or busy my life gets. Updates just might be a bit slower from now on!
Icy gusts of wind pummeled his body, whipping his bangs back from his forehead and yanking his tails to-and-fro in the violent blast of air. He had given up on trying to shelter his teammates using his tails since the wind was constantly blowing them in every direction except towards his teammates, and he wasn't going to use up his energy fighting the wind when it was already a losing battle.
Grabbing his tails and pinning them beneath his body so they would quit flapping in his face, Tails scooted closer to the azure hedgehog that flanked his right, hoping to draw in some warmth from his body heat. The frosty terrain that they were camped out on was zapping away all his heat, and he hoped his teammates couldn't hear his teeth chattering over the howling wind.
Sonic was curled up on his side into a tight ball, his back facing Tails. Rows of the hedgehog's blue quills were brandished in his direction, but Tails knew that Sonic's quills were only hardened when he was in action, and any other time, his quills were deceitfully soft. So when Tails nestled up to him, he couldn't hide the pained bark of surprise when he got a face-full of sharpened quills.
He bolted straight up, leaning his elbows on his knees as he cupped his face in his hands. Hot pinpricks of pain pulsed across his face, like someone was tapping a red-hot needle against it. His cry must have woken up one of his teammates, and when it wasn't a heavy mitt that clamped down on his shoulder, Tails already had a response formed.
"I shouldn't have done that." Tails sniffed into his glove cuff, failing to hide his wince. "I'm sorry for waking you up."
"Nah buddy, I should be the one apologizing. Guess I'm a bit stressed, huh?" Sonic forced a tight-lipped smile, but it only came off lopsided. Tails must have shown his shock in hearing his idol confess that he was stressed, because Sonic's smile crumbled into a frown as he scooped a handful of snow. "Here, this'll numb the pain."
If anything, the pressure and painful coldness against his tender skin only seemed to aggravate rather than heal, but Tails knew that the snow would eventually help so he bit his tongue and allowed Sonic to continue. For a painful minute, both brothers seemed at loss for words, the frigid wind stealing away all words before they could pass their lips. It was obvious that there were brewing questions that both wanted to ask, but they were trying to figure out how to word it without being confrontational.
Finally Tails cleared his throat, the sound making Sonic pause from dabbing at his facial gashes. "Sonic...I don't know how to word this, so if you don't wanna answer…" Tails trailed off, scratching the back of his head bashfully.
Sonic cocked his head, nodding in encouragement to prod the fox forwards. "You know me, Tails. I'm an open book." He jabbed a thumb towards himself. "Fire away!"
"Well, if you say so." Tails nibbled his bottom lip anxiously. "When all of us were waking up after getting transported to the arena, you were the last person to wake up. Before you woke up, you started yelling." Tails' voice quivered. "You attacked Knuckles and started threatening someone. I guess I just wanted to ask…" Words fled the fox's mind as he drew a blank, so he took a deep breath and blurted, "That's not like you, Sonic."
Tails watched the hedgehog's facial expressions carefully, dreading that he had phrased the sentence wrong and had offended his best friend. He was in for a surprise when instead of frowning, Sonic offered a sincere smile.
"Well, I learned that you can never be too old to have nightmares," Sonic replied, his tone much too enthusiastic considering the topic of conversation. "Just some apocalyptic world I was trapped in. Nothing serious." He shrugged nonchalantly, although Tails could see that the hero was putting on a brave face. Something in that nightmare had rattled him, and there was something he wasn't telling him.
"Oh." Tails nodded, pretending to fall for Sonic's act. "Typical."
"Yeah, gotta love those apocalyptic nightmare scenarios. Especially when you wake up drenched in sweat and your heart is racing at a fast enough speed to rival me. That's the life!" Sonic paused, looking sympathetic as if remembering what Tails had been struggling with. "Sorry, I shouldn't be making light of nightmares. Since we're already on this topic, I think I should address the elephant in the room."
"Uh, what elephant in the room?" Tails questioned, inwardly groaning when Sonic shot him an amused, pointed look. Sonic wasn't going to let this topic of conversation slide, so he braced himself for the worst.
"C'mon, buddy, don't try to dodge! I'm not really good at this stuff, but I wanna help you out." Sonic lowered the handful of snow from Tails' cheek, carding his fingers through his messy blue quills.
Tails arched his brow, wondering if that was a motion that the hero did when he was nervous or fidgeting. Everyone had at least one motion that they did when they were uncomfortable or nervous. Tails himself would wring out his tails or dig the toe of his sneakers into the ground when he was in an awkward situation, so it only made sense that his idol would share a similar trait when he was feeling out of his element.
"Hello? Earth to Tails?" Sonic snapped his fingers in front of Tails' face, knocking him from his thoughts. "I knew I shouldn't have read that book about parenting! It told me to give you your space, but I think I let this situation spiral out of control." Based on the horribly confused face Tails was making, Sonic chuckled, "I must have said too much, cause you're zoning out."
"Sorry, it's nothing you said," Tails apologized, feeling embarrassed and guilty for locking himself into his mental land of thoughts while Sonic was trying to talk to him about something serious. "I'm just distracted, I guess."
"Well, if that's all it is, then maybe a chili dog will cheer you up." Sonic grinned, leaning backwards and snagging his blue-spiked bag, dragging it towards them. He unzipped the bag, withdrawing a crinkled foil wrapped over hot dogs, a thermos filled with steaming chili, and a small plastic container of shredded cheese. "Extra cheese?"
A tired smile crawled across Tails' face, honored that Sonic was sharing one of his most treasured possessions in the world with him. "You know me too well." After Sonic sprinkled some shredded cheese on top of the chili dog and handed it to him, Tails took a bite, the heat from the food warming his insides. "Hanks...Shonic," He thanked, not bothering to swallow first before talking.
"Um, was that English?" Sonic dug his pinky into his ears, making a motion of cleaning his ears out. "Because I know you definitely did not just talk with your mouth full."
"Guilty as charged." Tails shoved the remainder of the chili dog in his mouth, chomping away happily. The chili dog tasted better than he had remembered, but maybe it was just because he had been so hungry from the hike through the arena and he was in need of something to warm him up. Or maybe Eggman had put some drugs in the chili dog that made it taste better...
Sometimes he hated how his mind thought.
"Hey Tails?" Sonic spoke slowly, much too slowly for Tails' liking. "I shared what was in my bag. Mind at least telling me what's in yours?"
"Huh?" Tails whipped his head around, zeroing in on his own bag that was abandoned a few feet behind them, tipped over on it's side. The bag was zippered, but a faint, amethyst glow was radiating from it, the fabric of the bag failing to conceal it.
Tails crawled towards it fearfully, already having a sinking dread of what was inside it. Noticing his hesitation, Sonic scampered forwards, unzipping it hastily and jerking the purple Chaos Emerald out of it.
"Huh, how did you get on good terms with Egghead?" Sonic balanced the emerald on the tip of his finger. "I thought he said the Chaos Emeralds were scattered across the arena."
"I guess he forgot about this one," Tails offered lamely, flinching when Sonic gave him the side-eye. Struggling to find another explanation, Tails floundered for the right words. "Maybe he wanted to give us an advantage over the others? Or maybe it's a fake?" Just like the one that killed you in the real timeline.
"I dunno, this looks pretty genuine to me. Dont'cha think?"Sonic mused aloud.
Tails didn't reply immediately, realizing that Eggman had purposefully hid that emerald inside his bag. Did Eggman know that the same emerald was in his bedroom and shimmering uncontrollably on the night that Sonic died? Or was it just a coincidence?
"I guess I'll just put it here for safekeeping." Sonic tucked the pulsing emerald into his quills, raiding through Tails' bag and yanking out a spiral notebook with wrinkled pages. Sonic blinked down at the front cover, a grin splitting across his lips. "I thought you said you threw this comic away."
"Huh?" Tails cocked his head sideways, wincing as his confused frown pulled at the welts on his delicate face, courtesy of Sonic's quills.
Sonic held up the front cover, smirking victoriously. "How could you forget about Captain Super Fox-Man?" The cover displayed a crudely-drawn picture of Tails, squeezed into a skin-tight superhero suit, complete with bulging biceps and chiseled abs.
"Don't read that!" A blush spread across his muzzle as he tried to snatch the notebook from Sonic. "I drew that when I was a kid!" At Sonic's smug expression, Tails added weakly, "Well, when I was more of a kid anyway."
"It's too late for that. I've already read it." Sonic hummed as he skimmed the pages. "Although, I don't think I've read this issue. The last issue I read was the one with the evil ninja monkeys." A few more pages breezed past the hedgehog's face, and Tails tugged at his tails, gnawing his bottom lip.
"Yeah, I drew a few more comics after the ninja monkey issue," Tails finally confessed, hoping that the piece of information would halt the hedgehog's hunt. He was dismayed when that only succeeded in getting Sonic to turn the pages faster to the point where Tails was sure the paper would get ripped.
"Why didn't you tell me you made another issue? I love this series!" Sonic paused as he arrived at the middle of the notebook, where Tails had written a new issue. "Woah, this is definitely a newer issue. Ah bummer, no more cheesy artwork and tight body suits." Sonic flashed a picture of the updated cover, although Tails could already remember that notorious cover, burned into his mind.
His sketched counterpart stood in a grassy clearing, abandoning the superhero suit in favor of sporting a simple red cape instead, knotted around his shoulders. His demeanor was more stoic and thoughtful than his previous superhero version, who had been boisterous and brave as he swooped through the skies to save the world. It was because the updated version that he had drawn of himself was realistic, not clouded by the illusions that his childhood had plagued his mind with. He wasn't a hero, but he didn't have to be, as long as he was Sonic's faithful sidekick. But in this issue, he wasn't exactly a sidekick either.
Because his drawing was staring through horrified eyes down at a stream that pooled around his ankles, his reflection gazing back up at him. It was the scene that Tails had dreamed about in the form of a nightmare. His comic...was the source that was giving him nightmares? It didn't make any sense!
"Um, Tails?" Sonic blinked down at the comic, snapping Tails from his troubled thoughts that whirled around in his mind like a cyclone. "Who is this?"
Sonic held up the comic for Tails to see, and Tails sucked in a pained gasp of air, his eyes hopelessly locked onto that shadowy figure. His sketched twin was pinned to a metal table in a laboratory, iron cuffs locking him into place. Various syringes littered the concrete floor, needles scattered and papers hanging out of ajar cabinets. His whole body was limp and broken, his bleeding eyelids closed. It looked as if he was dead.
A wispy, black fog was trailing out the lifeless fox's chest, the shadow solidifying to morph into an exact replica of the dead fox. Only, there were some stark contrasts between the two of them. This one was a rich lemon-yellow color, like the burning rays of the sun. It's bangs were more prominent and spiked, and one of it's tails was cybernetic. Now leering over his dead copy, the newly-formed fox was reaching out a bony hand, the gesture looking as if he was checking the trapped fox's pulse. The picture made it unknown what the fox's intentions were.
Tails felt Sonic's questioning gaze on him, so he exhaled shakily. "This was the last issue I made. The fox that's trapped was experimented on, and died while still in captivity. And that-" Tails traced the outline of the malicious-looking fox. "-was supposed to be the villain. He was the evil spirit of the dead fox."
"That's...genius," Sonic praised, making the kit raise his brow. "That's an epic villain, although he doesn't look like a villain. So does the trapped fox resurrect and defeat his evil spirit or whatever?"
"No." Tails shook his head slowly. "After that frame, I didn't write anymore of the issue. Lost motivation, I guess." Or maybe that's just my way of telling myself that a villain like that can never be truly defeated.
"That's a shame. You should finish the issue at least. You can't leave off on a cliffhanger!" Sonic begged. "And if the trapped fox is supposed to represent you, then who's the villain supposed to represent?"
Tails rubbed his forearm awkwardly. "When I originally created him, he wasn't a villain. I referred to him as The Prowler, and he was just some black fog that stalked me. The fog was meant to represent my fears, and then I decided to alter The Prowler's appearance after myself."
"So you designed the protagonist and the villain after yourself?"
"No, remember I said he wasn't the villain when I wrote this?" Tails sighed, all of this becoming too complicated. "After I wrote this, I realized that The Prowler had become a villain in my mind, because I designed him from the false illusion of myself. The Prowler was the person I wanted to be."
"Oh," Sonic muttered, his breath fogging the chilled air.
Tails didn't reply, knowing that the hedgehog had put the puzzle pieces together. When he was a kid, he had been bullied for having two tails, which was why he had designed The Prowler to have a prosthetic one. The Prowler's fur was brighter and glowed due to chaos energy that he could harness, alluding to the power that Tails wished he could possess. But now looking at that crazed grin, Tails knew that his fear and comparing himself to others had crafted this villain. It wouldn't have been a big deal, except now his creation was showing up in his nightmares.
"After all that news, I think I'm gonna need another chili dog." Sonic reached back into his bag, looking sympathetically at Tails. "Want another?"
"You go ahead. I need to take care of something." Tails offered an open palm forwards. "Can I see the comic?"
"Sure. It's yours, after all." Sonic relinquished his hold on it without complaint, busying himself with preparing a second chili dog. "Go do what you need to do."
Tails nodded firmly, rising to his feet and treading carefully across the frozen wasteland, cautiously avoiding the patches of ice. He didn't pause until he reached the frozen lake, taking a deep breath before stomping his foot against the glassy surface. With a crack, the ice shattered, dark waters rippling beneath the sheet of crystal. Tails couldn't help it—he locked eyes with his project wistfully and regretfully as he loosened his grip, the notebook splashing into the dark depths.
He thought he would feel the burden lift from his shoulders, but instead, heaviness crashed down on him instead. He had poured his soul, energy, and time into that comic, and now it was gone forever. Just because of one creation.
Tails blinked down at the fractured ice, his reflection staring back up at him. He relaxed his posture, knowing that it wasn't a different fox's reflection, just like in his nightmare. But for some odd reason, he had secretly wished that his reflection had been different.
Tails licked the gloved palm of his hand, frizzing and teasing his bangs until they resembled the spiked ones that his wicked copy from his comic possessed. Oh, how he wished he could be someone different.
Think of who you could be, a broken voice whispered from the deepest recesses of his mind. No more running, no more hiding. Destroy Sonic, and the power is all yours.
"Um Tails? Are you...grooming yourself?"
Tails dropped his hand from his bangs, stiffening as Sonic trotted over. "Ew, no!" His ears lowered, embarrassed that he had been caught doing that right in front of his idol. Before Sonic could question it further, Tails dropped his voice to a murmur, "Sonic, there's something I need to tell you."
"Alright, shoot!" Sonic nodded for him to continue, and Tails took a deep, steadying breath.
"Well, y'know the nightmares I've been having?" Tails knew it was a dumb question, and when Sonic only gave him a pointed look, Tails continued, "Sorry, I guess it would be kinda hard to forget the nightmares I've been having. Anyway, in my nightmares, it was always that same fox from the comic that was in my dream."
"The Prowler or the captured guy?" Sonic questioned.
"The Prowler," Tails replied. "The night back in the real timeline, before you supposedly, um… you know what." Tails twiddled his thumbs nervously. "I had another nightmare, but when I woke up from it, I noticed you had left that purple Chaos Emerald on the bedside table. And it was glowing and pulsing way too brightly, and it kinda freaked me out." Tails braced himself for the next piece of information he was about to offer. "And now that same emerald was in my backpack, and about a minute ago, I heard a voice."
"Tails, I didn't leave a Chaos Emerald in your room." Sonic's smile fell, not a gradual crumbling away but rather getting wiped cleanly from his lips at the shocking revelation. "You heard a voice? What did it say?"
"It wa-wanted me to de-destroy you. Said that if I did, I would re-receive power." Tails crossed his arms tightly, as if trying to give himself a reassuring hug. "What's wrong with me, Sonic?"
His ears drooped even lower, and he sniffed as he wiped the snot from his nose. His eyes were glued to the ground, not daring to make eye contact. He could hear the soft crunching of ice beneath approaching footsteps, but he didn't look up until two peach arms wrapped around his torso, crushing him against another body.
Tails didn't fight the embrace, easing his tired eyelids closed and resting his head against Sonic's shoulder. His tensed muscles relaxed, the body heat and presence of Sonic creating some sort barrier that kept the cold and the negative thoughts away. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, only that it was too short when Sonic broke away, latching his hands around Tails' shoulders so he could direct his full gaze into the fox's.
"I'm glad you told me that, Tails. I'm not glad that something is bothering you and that you're having nightmares and hearing voices, but we'll figure it out. I'm sure the Chaos Emerald has something to do with it, and as much as I'd like to get rid of it so it won't bother you, I think we should keep it until we can figure out what's going on. Shadow's more experienced with chaos energy and the emeralds, so maybe he could help us out." Sonic shrugged. "But don't feel guilty about this because it's not your fault. You're my buddy and best friend, and I'm not gonna let some emerald and a fox that you created from your imagination get in our way!"
Tails didn't speak, since he wasn't even sure what to say and he feared his voice would crack because he was on the verge of having a meltdown. Even after all this, Sonic refused to think negatively. But maybe Sonic was right. Perhaps Shadow could help them out, or this would prove to be just a coincidence.
Tails brightened, his smile less forced as he nodded. "Thanks, Sonic. For everything."
"Anytime." Sonic flashed a thumbs-up. "Anything for my buddy!"
A groggy yawn split the chilled air, and Tails looked over Sonic's shoulder to see Knuckles sitting up, his head tilted sideways. Despite just waking up, the echidna seemed to gain awareness quickly, his purple orbs narrowing as he surveyed the smudged tears that stained Tails' muzzle. And just when Tails hoped he was going to roll over and go back to sleep, the echidna spoke.
"Did I miss something?"
Eggman stared up at the monitors that flanked the farthest wall of the control room, swiveling around in his chair as he drummed his fingers against the desk, smirking when one zoomed in on the shivering trio camped out in the frigid tundra zone.
His eyes flicked down to the keyboard beneath the massive computer that he was hunched behind, the dangerously glowing keys too tantalizing to ignore. With the simple press of a button at his command, that trio would have the time of their lives trying to thaw from the avalanche that he could spawn. Unfortunately, Sonic could probably outrun it, and that freakish fox could fly them to safety even if that blue rat couldn't outpace it.
Besides, that trio had their purpose, and Eggman needed them alive if he ever wanted to get out of the Omega timeline. The blue rodent's team, along with Shadow, that futuristic hedgehog, and that fire feline would be the perfect ones to go back in time to try to rescue the Alpha timeline. And as much as Eggman hated to admit it, he life depended on those nuisances, although he wouldn't admit that to anyone other than himself.
So rather than targeting Team Sonic like he had previously intended to, Eggman spun away from the computer screen and towards an electronic chart that displayed the outline of the arena, color-coded with the dividers for the different zones. Thirteen red dots that looked just as insignificant as the individuals they represented blinked across the screen, but Eggman ignored them, already knowing their whereabouts thanks to the camera monitors that he had hidden across the arena's vast expanse.
Eggman's calculating gaze traveled to the outskirts of the arena, where the thick, deadly fog clogged with purple toxins crawled forward sluggishly, plants withering as soon as the foggy tendrils wrapped the foliage in it's deadly embrace. One touch of that fog was all it took, and Eggman didn't have to wonder what would happen when that fog caught up with the players of the arena.
He was thankful he had chosen to set up his temporary base in the middle of the busy streets of the city zone, far away from the fog that was taking over the boundaries of the arena. He had chosen the tallest, grandest skyscraper in the city, not caring about being subtle or inconspicuous. In fact, he would welcome any visitors. He hoped that holding the answers to what was happening the in Alpha timeline would grant him power over the rodents that fought for their lives beneath him, but so far, no one had taken the bait.
He had laid the traps carefully, and he grinned victoriously when he remembered the horrified, conflicting glaze in Amy's eyes as she threw her items into the ocean. That short story had struck a nerve, just as he hoped. Now all he had to do was wait, and Amy would soon come crawling to him, begging for answers. He had a feeling that she wouldn't be the only one that was seeking answers.
He couldn't understand the behavior of a certain fox. He had packed that comic simply because he found it ironic, and he knew that the comic would embarrass the fox. Rather than being embarrassed, like how Eggman had intended, Tails had seemed horrified, as if there was some hidden meaning behind the comic. There was definitely something going on in that pea-sized brain of his, and Eggman was going to find out what.
He flicked his gaze over towards a bulky headset that was strewn on a nearby metal table, wires snaking out from the headset and disappearing into an outlet to charge it. To most people, it would appear that he had a hobby of indulging in virtual reality worlds, but it was actually one of his greatest achievements. He had been working on it since he had arrived in the Omega Timeline, and it granted him the ability to spy into the events of the Alpha timeline. He abused the ability that it offered him and guarded his costly possession carefully, since that was the only thing that connected him to the Alpha Timeline.
Figuring that was nothing else better he could be doing, Eggman popped the headset over his head, loosening the strap as he slid it over his glasses. He checked up on the status of the survivors as he slumped further back into his chair, resting his arms comfortably across the back.
Thirteen circular profiles with a facial icon for each greeted him, and he frowned, the down side being that his profile wasn't available. It was alarming and frustrating that the only person he couldn't keep tabs on was himself. He would just have to hope that his version in the Alpha timeline would encounter one of the rodents soon, so he could know for certain that he had survived.
Sonic's and Amy's profiles were plastered over with a gray film, a glowing red X slashing over their smiling faces. That was all the proof he needed—both of them were indeed dead. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He had not intended for Amy to get killed, and Sonic..well, he did plant the bomb in the fake emerald. What else did he expect? Oh, maybe that the blue rodent would be quick enough to outrun it, just like he did every other time. He was too stupid and stubborn to die, so what had changed during that night? What had lowered Sonic's defenses? It was a question too haunting to ask, and yet, Eggman wondered.
The whole fractured timeline reeked of mystery. Eggman had been wanting to destroy Sonic, but instead, that action had somehow split the timeline. There was a static wave, and then there was nothingness until he had been transported to this timeline. He hadn't created the Omega Timeline, so who had? Somehow, his design for the arena that he had built in the Alpha Timeline had been copied into this timeline, so whoever had crafted this false timeline had spied on his genius plans!
He pushed away his thoughts before they could spiral out of control, returning his focus towards the profiles. He wasn't sure why he didn't gloat over that news of Sonic's and Amy's deaths that had just been affirmed, but before he could question if he was going soft, another X symbol suddenly sliced across the selection screen, cleanly cutting Charmy's cheesy grin right in half. Eggman blinked blankly at the screen, and then he exhaled slowly.
It wasn't just the fact that a child had died that made pause and consider, but there was obviously a very real threat in the real timeline. He captured children, but he didn't kill them. That didn't have his name written on it. But who else could it have been? He knew that some of Sonic's friends had taken dark paths, so was it possible that he had as well?
Not liking the direction his thoughts were taking him, he gravitated towards Tails' profile and selected it hastily, as if afraid that the corrupting X would slice the fox's profile picture in half. He sighed in relief when his surroundings transformed into a humble workshop, which he assumed belonged to Tails. The view of the virtual reality headset had it's setbacks, since he couldn't see the fox, only the fox's surroundings since he was looking through Tails' eyes.
The only sound he could hear was faint sniffling, and Eggman pursed his lips and waited impatiently for the fox to do something. When it seemed like the fox was frozen in time as he wallowed in sorrow, Tails must have lowered his head, because Eggman's view was tipped downwards so he got a clear shot of the fox's upper torso.
Bandages sparsely covered the kit's upper half, the peeling wraps hiding how serious his injuries were. Eggman wracked his brain before he remembered the plane crash. Despite the fact that the fox could fly, he had apparently tried to rescue Amy rather than saving himself.
A foolish choice.
Eggman could see Tails reach his fingers out towards the bandages, but must have thought against it, because he retracted them quickly, suddenly crawling out of his chair and craning his head out the open doorway of the workshop. Beyond the door and down the hallway, Eggman could see Knuckles sprawled out on the couch, tossing and turning fitfully. Tails appeared to have been pleased with the echidna's sleeping state, because he padded urgently back over to his desk, getting on his hands and knees beneath a vacant bed.
Eggman could see a faint amethyst glow radiating from underneath the dark recesses of the bed's shadow, and he could see Tails' fingers scrabble frantically for the glow, producing the purple Chaos Emerald and hugging it against his chest, his tails swishing in...affection? It was a motion that reminded Eggman of something Rouge would do, but he was baffled by the fox's gravitation and obsession towards the emerald. Eggman was startled, to put it bluntly, but he trained his mind to process and latch onto the words when Tails spoke.
"Why won't you talk to me?"
Eggman stiffened, his jaw hanging open and mind racing as he tried to figure out how the fox had realized that he had been spying on him. When no words would come out, Eggman chuckled nervously, wringing his hands out. How could the fox have known? He was in a different timeline!
He could see the glow of the emerald burn brighter as Tails tightened his grip on it, his fingers scratching at the surface as if trying to claw his way inside the emerald. "Please talk to me," he whimpered. "I need you."
Eggman felt as if someone had just poured a bucket of ice-water down his spine. Goosebumps rippled down his arms, his mustache twitching. Tails hadn't been talking to him...he had been talking to the emerald. The brilliant fox that had designed countless gadgets and had more brains than Eggman wanted to give him credit for...was talking to an emerald?
It didn't make sense either, because all of the Chaos Emeralds were in the arena, so they couldn't be existing in that timeline. As far as Eggman knew, the purple Chaos Emerald was still in Tails' bag, so how could it be in a different timeline? Unless one was a fake.
The most twisted thing about this was the way the fox thumped his tails against the floor affectionately and the sickening way he clutched the emerald as if it was a lifeline. But despite his bodily movements, the fox's tone betrayed him. He was terrified and submissive, and Eggman could see the emerald slipping in the fox's sweaty grip.
There were two options he could be dealing with. One was a genius fox who had lost his mind, and the other option was a possessed Chaos Emerald. The first one was more logical, considering that the fox must be under a lot of stress from Sonic's death. The emerald was just acting like an imaginary friend to the fox. Nothing more than that.
Disturbed, Eggman exited the scene, returning to the selection menu and hunting down more profiles to spy on. Spying on the others had lost it's appeal since the scene he had just witnessed, but it wasn't like the others could be worse. The scene with Tails had been startling, because he hadn't been expecting it.
However, his dread only festered when he clicked on Rouge's profile, an inky force of darkness wrestling against a beaming pillar of light. Was this something the bat was surveying right now, or had the headset twisted his perceptions? It wasn't complete darkness, so the bat couldn't be dead. Maybe that sight of darkness and light clashing was symbolizing unconsciousness, where the light was representing life and the darkness was representing death. He clicked on Silver's and Blaze's profiles, a similar sight of the light against darkness awaiting him. Assuming that those three were either sleeping or unconscious, Eggman moved along to the next profile.
Omega's surroundings were warped with static, and Eggman concluded that the bulky robot had either been dismantled or destroyed, although he couldn't understand who could destroy Omega without getting past his fierce teammates first. Perhaps whoever had destroyed Omega had knocked out Rouge. He was almost afraid to click on Shadow's profile, certain the Ultimate Lifeform was seething over his fallen teammates.
Deciding to spy on Shadow last, he selected Cream's profile, his surroundings swarming with complete and total darkness. At first, he had assumed that the rabbit was unconscious, but there was no light or darkness clashing, and he could faintly hear soft, slowed breathing. He came to the conclusion that the rabbit was sleeping and returned to the main menu, where only three profiles remained.
His heart dropped when he clicked on Espio's profile, his surroundings morphing into a gory image. Eggman was staring over the vast expanse of a city, perched from a looming roof of a skyscraper that overlooked the bustling streets of Station Square. It wasn't the height that made Eggman's heart plummet, but the eerie crimson liquid that was smeared across the dirty panes of the roof. It wasn't an abundant amount of blood—not enough to make Eggman believe that the chameleon was in trouble of dying due to blood loss.
The chameleon must have been invisible, because the only thing that Eggman could see was a bloodied shuriken hovering in the air a few inches away from his face, no hand attached to the bladed weapon. Eggman had been puzzling over what had attacked the ninja, that is until an ear-shattering scream split the air, and the puzzle pieces fell into place. But it wasn't the answer he had been hoping for.
"Someone call an ambulance!" A frantic female shrieked, an open window to a lower level office piercing the air. "Oh, he's not dead, is he?" A beat passed, and Eggman was sure the woman was checking the victim for a pulse. He received the verdict when the woman sobbed hysterically. "There's a killer on the loose! Someone help me!"
Instead of rushing towards the distressed female like Eggman had thought, Espio must have sprang towards the skyscraper edge, because now he was free-falling.
That blood...that wasn't Espio's.
Sickened by the fact that the ex-detective had taken a dark turn, Eggman exited the scene, disturbed by the fact that he foreseen this event happening. He had smuggled that bottle of poison into Espio's backpack, coaxing the ninja to use it in the arena. He doubted the chameleon would ever use it, but Eggman was beginning to rethink his previous thought since he saw how Espio was reacting in the real timeline.
Wondering if Vector knew about his teammate's dark deeds, Eggman entered the jade detective's surroundings, almost wishing he could immediately exit the scene as soon as he was thrust into it. He appeared to be in a prison cell, steel bars crossing his vision and other prison cells flanking the opposite wall. A duo of thievish birds were locked in the cell across, and Eggman felt a flare of disgust burn inside him at the sight of two members of the Babylon Rogues.
Vector was silent, and Eggman wondered what crimes he had committed. Were Espio and Vector still teammates or had the detective business been shut down? That would make sense, and Eggman wouldn't be surprised if the two were working together to perform heinous crimes. Grief could make a person do some terrible things, but Vector didn't seem like the type.
Eggman was just about to exit the croc's surroundings, but then a subtle movement must have caught the croc's attention, because his head sluggishly swerved over to a cell at the end of the corridor. It was different than the other cells, a steel door with reinforced locks and seals bolting the cell. A tiny window was sliced into the door, just enough room for two mismatched eyes to peek out.
The sapphire-blue orb was more attractive and natural, twinkling with deadly mischief and calculation, although neither of those qualities were concerning. It was the amber eye that made Eggman shrivel up with terror, the harsh, yellowed-eye burning with unspeakable rage and thirst for vengeance and bloodlust. It wasn't the anger or calculating glare that made Eggman nervous, but the presence of them both.
He couldn't exit the scene fast enough, wondering if Shadow's surroundings could top the horrors of Espio's and Vector's as he clicked on Shadow's profile. At once, harsh, bright lights bounced around him at dizzying speeds and the surroundings were ripply and static, making Eggman feel light-headed. And in the midst of the chaotic ripples, Eggman could hear a voice, smooth and gentle. It was childlike, and the serene tone should have made him relax, but it instantly made him recoil.
"You did very well, Shadow."
A sickly, frail-looking girl approached the center of his vision, wearing a knee-length white dress and sporting a pale blue, collared cardigan. Her side bangs were swooped away from her face, pinned up in her blue headband. The remainder of her wavy blonde hair brushed her shoulders, framing a pale, delicate face. A pair of glassy blue eyes blinked innocently, and yet, that motion only made Eggman squirm with unease. She continued to approach, her bare feet sticking to the tiled floor.
"Maria? Was that...what you wanted?" Shadow's voice didn't sound relived to see his best friend that should be dead, his voice weary and heavy.
"You know I did." Maria tilted her head back as a lilting laugh wafted from her lips, sounding so twisted and wrong. "I'm so proud of you, Shadow."
"I don't want to do that again," Shadow replied bluntly, his voice hardening. "Not Rouge."
That threw Eggman for a loop. Rouge's profile surroundings were darkened, and she was either sleeping, unconscious, or dead. Did Shadow have something to do with that? And what had this illusion of Maria ordered Shadow to do?
A warning chime from the monitors jerked Eggman away from his spying, and he hastily slid the headset off, relived for the distraction so he could exit the haunting sight of a resurrected Maria. He grumbled when he snapped his gaze over to the electronic chart, the purple fog advancing forwards, eagerly leaving wilting plants in it's deadly wake.
"That's...not good."
Eggman punched a series of keys on the keyboard, the clicks echoing throughout the empty control room. That fog was hungry because there had been no casualties in the arena yet. But maybe he could satisfy it by eliminating the expendable players. Blistering sand and piranha-infested waters for Amy and her team and a robot squad to take care of the Chaotix should be enough to knock some players out of the timeline.
Eggman watched the chaos unfold on the monitors, his eyes narrowing behind the linted lenses of his glasses, the headset abandoned. He wasn't going to put it back on anytime soon. The events were concerning, to put it lightly. He was not used to being outsmarted or surprised, but the grave occurrences in the real timeline had left him stumped. A talking emerald, a resurrected Maria, the darkened surroundings that many of the blue rat's friends had, and the dark turn that the Chaotix members had taken were not to be taken lightly.
And as the first screams of tormented players crackled through the audio, Eggman lost himself in the troubled, jumbled hurricane that he called his mind.
In all chaos, there is calculation. A healthy balance between those two elements, and success and victory could be achieved. If one was overbalanced, then the scale would tip, flushing his plans and hopes for world-domination down the drain.
In the midst of the chaos of finishing his blueprints for his robotic army, Eggman paused to revel in the moment, a sickening grin splitting his lips when he recalled the beautiful moment that had kickstarted his dreams. The world had been freed of that dirty blue blur, and now, nothing could stand in his way.
His friends were all still grieving, if they hadn't been killed yet. And Eggman, being the sympathetic person that he was, was going to give them mercy and provide a quick death so they wouldn't have to grieve any longer. They had fought nobly, but with Sonic and Amy gone, the little team of heroes had crumbled without their cornerstone.
A pity.
Eggman flicked his gaze up at the computer screen, clicking on a tab and widening it until an electronic blueprint that he was designing stretched across the screen. He was still ironing out the last-minute details, but he could begin construction on it soon. And once his new weapon was unleashed, his plan would be fulfilled.
His new robot was specially designed to sense chaos emeralds, and it would also help in his quest to steal the Master Emerald. Of course, his new robot would have never been designed if it wasn't for the helpful blood sample that Rouge had gladly donated.
After fleeing his base after the incident with Sonic, he had paused to collect some of Rouge's blood that was pooling across his floors, certain that was the key to creating an unstoppable robot. And shortly after he finished his first robot in the Phantom series, then he could focus on the others. His shaded eyes traveled over towards a syringe filled with Amy's blood that had been collected from the plane crash scene, and his smile broadened.
"Must you always sit on your ample derriere and smile like that?" a dry, robotic voice roused him from his gloating, turning his wide smirk into a disapproving scowl as he glared at the robotic counterpart of the deceased blue blur.
"Must you always spy on me? Am I that entertaining to watch? I gave you tasks to do, so go do them!" Eggman growled out, wondering why he had decided to build him in the first place. He was useful, although he always had a bit of an attitude. His attitude had tripled since Sonic's death, and Eggman had a nagging feeling that Metal was jealous that he hadn't been the one to kill Sonic.
"I finished everything you asked of me." Metal Sonic folded his arms across his metallic torso in a challenging manner.
If Metal thought that he was going to praise him, then he was mistaken. Instead, Eggman closed out the window before Metal could see the blueprints, knowing that the robot would be jealous that he was getting replaced.
"You took care of the rabbit and Omega?" Eggman questioned warily, not trusting his robot to follow his directions exactly.
"If by taking care of means beating the rabbit into unconsciousness and wiping the memory bank of that inferior robot, then the answer is yes." Metal's crimson eyes flashed, and Eggman knew that the robot had deliberately disobeyed him. Metal had followed his instructions half of the way, but incorporated his own method.
"I told you to inject the rabbit with sedatives and I did not give you permission to completely wipe all of Omega's memories! Now, he is going to have to get trained all over again, and all previous techniques that he learned have been lost." Eggman tugged at his mustache, grinding his teeth together in frustration. "Bring him here!"
"THAT IS NOT NECESSARY." Another robotic voice pitched in, and Eggman whipped his head around to lock onto the bulky robot that must have trailed in after Metal, deciding to lurk in the doorway rather than approach his creator. "IF YOU HAVE A MOMENT, I HAVE SOME CONCERNS TO EXPRESS, BEGINNING WITH HIM." Omega gestured in Metal's direction.
"Is that so?" Eggman couldn't help but chuckle in dry amusement. "Well, that sounds lovely, but first, I think introductions should be made." He straightened himself. "I am Doctor Eggman, your creator. From now on, you will serve dutifully by my side. All my enemies will be yours, and all your enemies will be mine." He paused, adding, "Do you understand?"
"I COMPUTE. I WILL FAITHFULLY SERVE YOUR WISHES, MASTER EGGMAN. ALL WHO OPPOSE YOU WILL BE CRUSHED," Omega pledged adamantly, that sentence making Eggman sigh with relief, not thinking that this day would come. No more opposition and pointless rebellion against him. Just spineless, obedient puppets remained.
"Thank you, Omega. I appreciate that." Eggman swiveled his gaze disapprovingly towards Metal. "You should take some lessons on respect from Omega, Metal."
Metal didn't offer a snide reply, his glowing orbs smoldering with rage as his metallic claws clenched tightly at his sides. Eggman was surprised that Metal hadn't attacked Omega yet, since the tension between the two was stifling. In due time, he would allow his robots to compete for dominance, but for right now, he needed both of them.
"Omega and Metal, I have a task for both of you." Eggman clicked his fingers against the keyboard, a checklist flashing across the screen. The list was daunting, but with his robots by his side, and more in development, he couldn't fail.
"I DO NOT WISH TO WORK WITH HIM." Omega motioned towards Metal again. "HE IS DISRESPECTFUL AND RUDE. IF HE IS TO ACCOMPANY ME, I MAKE NO PROMISES THAT I WILL NOT FRY HIM IF HE GETS IN MY WAY."
"The feeling is mutual." Metal snarled. "Good luck keeping up with me."
"That's enough from both of you. You both are behaving like children! I had no intention of pairing you up, but don't make me change my mind," Eggman threatened, skimming the objectives he still had to complete, pinpointing the most important ones.
He still needed all seven Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald, but he would wait until he finished the first robot of the Phantom series before he took on that task. Omega and Metal's absence would be a welcome gift, so he could finish the blueprints and begin construction on the new robot, away from prying eyes.
"Omega, I want you to go to GUN Headquarters." Eggman pursed his lips together when he thought of how the Commander had failed to keep his end of the bargain. He had not killed Shadow like how he had promised, and Eggman knew Shadow was the biggest threat to him. So, since the Commander would not do him the favor, his now-faithful robot would take care of his former teammate.
"I want you to find a black and red hedgehog. His name is Shadow the Hedgehog, and he threatens my empire." Eggman's gleeful grin grew. "Kill him."
"UNDERSTOOD. TARGETING SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG." With a burst of flame from his jetpack, Omega zoomed off, knocking down tables and blowing papers off the desks in his sudden haste. Although having doubts in his robot's abilities, Eggman knew that the production of his robots of the Phantom series would replace Omega if he failed. With that in mind, he turned back towards his computer, clicking on a surveillance tab that illuminated the screen.
A dingy corridor split the screen in half, cells crisscrossed with iron bars flanking both sides of the walkway. Some of the prison staff was feeding the prisoners, mushy globs of food spooned onto plates getting slid into slots that would carry it to the prisoners. He could hear a thousand questions radiating from Metal, but stubbornness won over, and Metal remained silent.
Forced to appeal to Metal's curiosity since he did not voice it, Eggman sighed, "Metal, I want you to go to the Station Square Prison. I'll dispatch a squad of robots to assist you." Eggman zoomed in on the grainy footage, heterochromic eyes staring back at him.
"I think it's time to pay an old friend a visit."
There was some ground covered in this chapter with a lot of foreshadowing, and things are looking pretty bleak and mysterious in both timelines. I threw in a little easter egg from the Sonic Archie comics, so kudos if you caught it. In case you didn't, Captain Super Fox-Man was a comic that was written by Tails in the Tails Mini-series of Archie comics, so I just recycled the idea. This chapter probably only succeeded in giving you guys more questions, but you'll get your answers...eventually. It wouldn't be very suspenseful or mysterious if all of your questions were answered immediately, now would it? :)