Sonic stares for a moment. Then he shakes his head and brings his hands together in the classic T for timeout. "Woah, woah, hold on. Why are you trying to kill me?" He frowns. "And why do you look like—"
Nine turns to his Grim bots and Sonic lets out a surprised huff as he's ignored. "Hurry to the workshop." Nine's hand slices through the air. "And protect Tails from Shadow at all cost."
Grim Tails' optics expand, a fretful whir leaving it, and Grim Sonic looks equally stunned. Yet soon the robotic fox glares determinedly. The kit swoops, grabs Grim Sonic's wrists, and blasts off, a gold streak against the pale gray sky.
"Shadow is after Tails?"
Nine's face darkens, but he closes his eyes and blows out a long puff of air until the tension bleeds from his shoulders. Then he opens them, turning.
Sonic's worried expression cuts him down to the marrow. Oh, he cares when Tails is hurt yet when he had been staring at him in the Grim, trapped under Shadow's foot and reaching up desperately, Sonic did nothing—
Nine shoves down the memory and smoothes out the wrinkles in his muzzle before they can become a snarl. That wasn't Sonic Prime, he has no quarrel with this hedgehog.
"Yes," Nine says calmer than he feels. "A Shadow from another reality—my reality—followed me into this one and is attacking Tails."
Sonic gapes. "You're from another reality? So you're like an alternate Tails?" His brow scrunches. "But why does an alternate version of my best friend want me dead—"
"Too many reasons to count."
Sonic flinches and Nine's eyes widen, mouth snapping shut. He quickly shakes it off though and growls, "We don't have time for this. Tails is in trouble and my bots might be able to stall Shadow, but if the Sonic of my universe helps him, they won't last long."
Sonic blinks. "There's an alternate me with Shadow?" Nine glares and Sonic's expression grows serious. "You know what? Doesn't matter. If Tails is in trouble I'm going—ah!"
Sonic's leg crumbles and he falls onto one knee, face screwing up while he grips his ankle. It's swollen, possibly sprained.
Nine frowns. Even if it is, Sonic Prime is probably reckless enough to fight Shadow anyway.
So he sighs, "I'll carry you."
He flies down and snatches Sonic's wrists. The teen starts, muscles tensing under his fingers like he's going to pull away. Yet he doesn't, and the hedgehog's uncertain gaze pricks Nine's skin as he takes to the sky.
Nine doesn't meet his stare while they rush over snow-crusted trees, his tails whirling fast as they can despite Sonic's extra weight. He has to get back to the workshop, has to protect his only friend.
"You care about Tails," Sonic exhales in realization. "How long have you—"
"I've been living with him since I tried killing you in the forest."
Sonic's brow rises high. "Oh, so he was keeping you a secret," he says idly, unbothered. "Probably 'cause he realized you don't like me."
He frowns. "Though I'm surprised that didn't make him suspicious."
Nine glowers. "I'm sure it did, but I've covered my tracks." His voice hardens. "And I have a plan to keep him from ever finding out I killed you."
Sonic's frown deepens. "You sound like Eggman."
Nine bristles but Sonic quickly adds, "As in your beef with me is personal, but you're from an alternate reality, which means it's not me you hate, is it?"
Nine's jaw clenches, grip tightening on Sonic. Yet if the hedgehog feels pain, he doesn't show it. Rather, his face falls.
"That other Sonic hurt you bad, huh."
"It's not personal," Nine hisses. "I have to kill him, and besides," he scoffs. "You're only slowing Tails down, burdening him."
"Slowing?" Sonic says, somewhere between affronted and shocked.
Nine's expression cools. "Arrogant." Sonic stiffens. "Foolish, rash, impatient, and always jumping into danger without a second thought. That's you. It's always you."
Sonic scowls. "For someone from another world, you sure seem to think you know me."
"What you see is what you get."
Sonic startles while Nine smirks. "That's what you said on Tails' livestream." His blue eyes turn into ice. "Of course, I've researched you since coming to this world and that's how I know…"
He slows to a stop. Dark blue waves crash into each other below and Sonic suddenly notices the ocean foaming under them.
"You can't swim."
Sonic's ears shoot up, eyes widening.
"It would be easy. No body to clean up, water would speed up degradation—"
"Nine—"
Nine lets him go. Sonic gasps, yet swiftly catches the kit's hands as Nine continues, "You'll vanish for a while, and sure, Tails will be heartbroken."
Two of his metal tails electrify and lurch at Sonic's hands, tasing them. Sonic cries out, letting go reflexively. A third tail catches Sonic's neck and he gags, scrabbling at the appendage.
"But after weeks of searching, he'll find you. And you'll have a little amnesia and maybe won't ever quite be the same after whatever happened to you, but Tails will be too happy to care…and he'll never know you're a fake Sonic created from my Prism power."
His tail yanks Sonic up to his face and Nine smiles a gentle yet too wide smile. "He'll have his friend and I'll have a Sonic under my control." The hedgehog wheezes, trying to speak. "And he'll be so impressed by the Grim, he'll want to stay with me forever."
Sonic struggles for breath, but his gaze is locked on Nine's, something sad and pitying in his green irises. "N-Nine," he chokes out. "You don't—"
A boom echoes. Nine spins towards the snow-dusted hills. Smoke rises from a distant wooden structure.
Horror washes over Nine. "Tails!"
His tail lowers Sonic, and in a burst of energy he didn't know he had, Nine shoots towards Tails' home. Don't have been inside, don't have been inside, please, be okay!
Nine jerks to a halt over the workshop, heart pounding. The roof has a smoldering hole, wood blackened and chipped around it while broken planks sway where they're barely hanging on to the edges. Fire dances on the ground but the flames are already dying, the ice killing them quickly so only smoke tendrils remain.
Something screeches. Nine's eyes snap to the side. Grim Tails is screaming, launching a drill kick at Shadow, but the hedgehog raises a green emerald.
"Chaos control!"
Shadow vanishes and Grim Tails strikes where he was. The hedgehog reappears above him but the bot quickly takes flight to confront him. Then they're dancing around each other in a whirl of red and gold. Grim Sonic is nowhere to be seen and Nine has a bad feeling about that. Yet he forgets all about the bot as he notices yellow on the doorstep.
Tails is half-buried under a pile of wooden debris, teeth gritted while he grips the doorstep edge and struggles to pull himself free.
Nine swiftly tosses Sonic Prime at Shadow. The hedgehog yelps but Nine is deaf to him as he dives towards his twin. "Tails!"
The kit's head shoots up, eyes widening. "Nine?"
Nine engulfs him in a hug, sinking to his knees while his mechanical tails yank the broken pieces of wood off Tails and toss them aside.
"I'm sorry," Nine stutters in a rush, eyes strained. "I didn't mean to leave you but I panicked and then I was—"
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Tails soothes, and Nine pulls away to see Tails' earnest gaze. "I'm fine."
Nine checks, looking him up and down. Tails' fur sticks up in places, and bruises stain his knees, but there is no blood.
Nine's throat tightens, relief overwhelming. However, they're not out of danger yet.
So he pulls himself together, eyes sharpening. "Let's get out of here."
He stands, pulling Tails to his feet. Tails grunts in surprise and stumbles while Nine drags him off the doorstop.
"Wait, Nine."
Tails rips back his hand and Nine stops, whipping around. "Whatever it is, you can do it late…"
He stares, and Tails jogs over to the translucent hedgehog sitting against the lab door. Sonic's eyes are half-lidded and he's panting hard. He could fade any minute.
Yet Tails grabs the hedgehog's arm and slings it around his neck, helping Sonic up. Nine knows what his counterpart is going to say before Tails turns begging eyes on him, and though their eyes are identical, something about Tails' baby blues tears down the ironclad walls around Nine's heart so he's already halfway given in before Tails says, "I dropped my chaos emerald while I was fighting Shadow and he took it, demanding I use it to help Sonic."
Tails bites the corner of his mouth, glancing worriedly at Sonic. "And I would have but these bots who looked like me and Metal Sonic—" Who? "Showed up and attacked him."
He starts turning to the fight but Nine quickly grabs his hand and pulls him towards the garage. "Fine," he growls. "We can find another chaos emerald."
Tails shakes his head. "That will take too long. We have to get back my emerald."
He tries pulling away but Nine tightens his grip, eyes narrowing. He can't let Tails talk to Sonic Prime after he revealed he's the one who's been attempting to kill him or let Tails risk his life trying to get back the emerald.
Tails digs his heels in the ground and Nine glares over his shoulder. He'll knock out Tails if he has to but he doesn't want to. Yet his thought must show on his face because Tails tenses, eyes darting aside like he's searching for help. No, he'll lose Tails' trust if he does that, so he tries convincing him one more time.
"Shadow wants me dead." Nine's face falls. "Even if he gives you the chaos emerald, he'll be on me the second you save Sonic."
Tails wilts while Nine implores, "Isn't there anything else we can do?"
Tails' brow wrinkles, his namesakes batting the earth agitatedly. Then he looks up at the sky, gazing towards the ocean.
"There is one." Tails glances at Sonic. The teen's eyes are closed, his legs trembling. "But we have to hurry."
Tails flies up and pulls Sonic into his arms. Nine's metal tails drop down and carry him after his twin, his flesh tails burning with exhaustion he just notices.
They round the corner and enter the open garage. Nine balks as Tails drops onto the Tornado's wing, settling Sonic in the backseat. They're taking the plane?
Light flashes behind them. Nine can't turn before he's shoved to the ground
"You're not escaping," Shadow growls over him, and Nine freezes, his tails going limp.
The Tornado spins. Shadow cries out as the plane wing clips his arm, knocking him onto the couch. A potted plant crashes on the floor, books tumbling off the shelves as the wings bump into them.
"Nine!"
Nine's head whips up. Tails is in the pilot seat, hands on the yoke. Nine's tails quickly launch him onto the plane wing and then Tails steers the Tornado in reverse, swerving around the workshop.
He's no expert in piloting but he's pretty sure planes aren't supposed to take off backwards. Yet if Tails is planning to turn around, he can't as Shadow flashes in front of the plane.
"Hold on!" Tails' eyes narrow while he flicks a red switch.
The Tornado speeds up and Nine yelps as three of his tails slip off the wing, falling back.
Fingers hook around Nine's wrist. The fox's breath hitches as Sonic's tired but determined gaze meets his.
"Come…on…" Sonic says barely audible over the breeze, his ghostly fingers lighter than feathers on Nine's skin.
And Nine just stares for a moment. Yet soon he twists his hand to grab Sonic back and reels himself in, dropping on the chair beside the hedgehog.
A thump. Nine twists aside. Shadow is crouched on the plane wing, red irises burning into Nine and chaos emerald gleaming in his hand.
"No!" Tails pulls out a yellow blaster, aiming at the hedgehog.
Shadow's foot sweeps back, kicking the blaster out of his hand. Then he's catching Nine's collar, yanking him from his seat.
A blue blur slams into Shadow. Nine falls back into the chair while Shadow and Sonic Prime tumble onto the runway. Nine's eyes widen. He saved him…both Sonics saved him…
"Sonic?" Tails jolts, noticing Sonic Prime, but the Tornado's wheels are lifting off the runway, the plane racing too fast to stop.
Tails tries to say something but the wind roars in Nine's ears right as the Tornado soars off the runway edge. The plane drops immediately. Nine's stomach plummets, heart clenching while he turns to the crashing waves behind him.
Boosters flare under the scarlet wings. Their descent slows until the plane pauses and they hang suspended for a brief moment. Then they're blasting up, gravity punching Nine's chest so he chokes and cold air stabbing his face.
The Tornado levels out. Nine's breathing eases as the gravitational pressure fades, the plane slowing.
"You two okay?"
Tails glances back, sweat dampening his worn face and bang billowing in the breeze. Sonic snorts weakly and gives a shaky thumbs up while Nine nods, shock still echoing through his core. However, he shivers and the cold rouses him from his daze.
"Where…" Nine frowns at his dry mouth and swallows to moisturize his tongue, starting again. "Where are we going?"
Tails' expression grows grim and he faces forward. "Angel Island…to the Master Emerald."
Nine looks ahead. He inhales sharply, eyes widening.
In the distance, green flourishes over sloping jagged peaks and gray cylindrical structures that are too symmetrical to not be the work of architects.
Nine exhales harshly, chest pumping hard. It's an island—a floating island.
He wonders if he's dreaming but the waves crashing below and the sea salt scent burning his nose are startling real as the island emerges from rolling gray clouds.
Well, that was fun! I've been debating whether to let Nine see Angel Island for months, but now that he has, I'm glad I went with it. Now who's ready to see some Knuckles?😄