“I—Jesus Christ. Just… bring the guy back to his car, Beau,” she gritted out, nails biting into the flesh of her husband’s arm. “The sheriff ain’t gonna like this.”

“No,” he replied, shrugging off her grip before reaching into his pocket. He withdrew a crumpled photo, gruffly thrusting it into her now-empty hands. “Think he wants to be here.”

Lily frowned as she ran her fingers across the creased folds. Shadows of the nearby forest obscured her, but nestled in the heart of the shot was undoubtedly Sloane. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders like a velvety curtain, framing that familiar penetrating dark eyed gaze.

Tails' eyes narrow up at the doctor, floating overhead in his Egg Mobile. He quickly ushers the small group of civilians still in the square behind him, readying his weapon. He had just finished building it, a clever little EMP device that he hoped would be able to take out Eggman's badniks, without messing up any of his own tech. It'd be fun to try it out.

"So stoic and silent today, Tails?" Eggman mocks, tilting his Egg Mobile forward to lean out of it, a grin spreading across his face as if he were the one with the upper hand here. "Perhaps you're too scared to fight me all by yourself, without your precious Sonic to save you!"

"Really?" Tails sighs, fiddling with a few buttons on his device. "That's the best you can come up with? I think your head's stuck a few years in the past. I'm not four anymore."

"Like a few years of experience will make you any superior to me, boy."

"You keep telling yourself that." Tails glances back up at Eggman, and he has to keep himself from smiling as he goes through the same predictable motions. Step One: The twitch of the mustache, an easy signal blatantly showcasing his annoyance, as he leans back in his seat. Tails can't see his eyes beneath his glasses, but he knows they flick down to his console, just for a second. Step Two: Eggman presses a few buttons, then pulls a lever. The badniks all turn to Tails and Sonic- no, just Tails this time- their glowing eyes burning just a tad bit brighter. Step Three: Eggman heads upwards, getting himself out of the way of the fight. All that's left is Step Four: One last taunt from their side, Eggman will yell a war cry, and the battle can finally begin.

"You know, you wanna call me a coward for 'hiding behind Sonic', you really oughta look at yourself in the mirror."

"Rgh! Crush him!" Eggman screams, and the badniks spring to life. Tails leaps out of the way just as they attack, slapping the device onto the back of a Moto Bug's head.

3...

He jumps out of the way again, flying upwards over a pair of Buzz Bombers trying to dive bomb him.

2...

A quick chain of spindashes has three Crabmeats down for the count, shrapnel scattered on the stone floor of the courtyard.

1...

Tails freezes, flying upwards to survey the battlefield. He has to dive away to evade a lazer shot from another Buzz Bomber, but he gets a good look at all the badniks below. Moto Bugs, Buzz Bombers, Crabmeats, he even sees a few Spikes. His brow furrows in confusion. These are cannon fodder, the most basic badniks Eggman has. Why on Mobius would he be using such basic badniks, unless...

Tails gasps, only being snapped out of his realization by his EMP blast going off, sending a shockwave through the courtyard. He can barely brace himself in midair, the force sending him back a few feet as the badniks crumple to the floor. Even Eggman's Egg Mobile wavers in midair a moment, making him grab at the edges, panicked.

"Oh come on! You weren't supposed to defeat them all that quickly!" Eggman sputters, leaning out to survey the damage.

"That quickly? So you were planning on having me defeat them!"

"Rgh! Not you! You were supposed to call for backup!"

Tails' eyes narrow, flying over to land on the outside of the Egg Mobile "What's that supposed to mean? What are you planning?"

Eggman yelps, flattening himself against the back of his seat. "Eugh, nothing at all! I was just insulting you, that's all! Y-you're too, um, weak to defeat them all on your own!"

"This is a trap for Sonic, isn't it?"

Eggman frowns, grumbling wordlessly. Reaching out, he taps a button on his console, right by Tails' foot. He recognizes it, though its one he rarely uses. A communicator.

"Infinite, change of plans," Tails smirks, a little thrill shooting through him at successfully catching Eggman before he could even pull off his trap. "Get the fox."

Tails' smug pride is quickly replaced with ice-cold fear, slamming into his stomach like a rock. Or like the blast of energy that knocks him off of Eggman, straight to the stone floor below. His vision spins, barely able to make out the two blurry figures floating overhead. One was Eggman, obviously, he'd known that silhouette for years, but the other... He squints at the smaller, black shape, watching it slowly come into focus. A Mobian, definitely, or at least Mobian-shaped. The body looked strangely organic, at least by Eggman standards, but the face was all metal. Could it be an android, like the Shadow Replicas?

Tails glances down to his Miles Electric. He reaches for it, only for a horrifyingly familiar air shoe to come stomping down on his arm, holding him in place. "Wh- Shadow, what are you-?" No, no, there was no way, it must be an android too- But he furrows his brow, bearing his teeth in a snarl that Tails knows the androids' metal shells would never be able to replicate.

Something is very, very wrong.

The metal of Shadow's shoe digs painfully into his arm as he struggles beneath it, trying desperately to break out from his hold. Usually he can't stop his brain from analyzing, surveying the situation to get himself the most favorable outcome, but right now all his mind can focus on is panic. Shadow hasn't activated the jets, thank Gaia for that, but he can still feel the heat against his fur, an obvious threat. Tears prick at his eyes as the metal digs in harder, bringing an almost burning pain to his arm as he pulls, frantic to get away, to get out.

And all at once it stops, and Tails snatches his arm back with a gasp, cradling it close to himself.

"Shadow, have you lost your mind?!"

Tails' head snaps up at Sonic's voice, looking over to see the two hedgehogs furiously beating on each other. Shadow doesn't respond, not even a grunt, just focused on blocking Sonic's hits. "What's gotten into you, man? Snap out of it!" Sonic dodges a blow, only for another strike to come from behind. Tails blinks in shock, rubbing his arm. Metal Sonic was not there a second ago. He's seen Metal rush in from out of nowhere before, but this was different. There was no movement to this, no trail of his jet showing where he came in from. He just... appeared.

Tails goes for the Miles Electric again, pulling up the scanner as fast as his fingers can move. He barely notices the rumble below his knees as he lifts it up, watching the battle through the screen.

That can't be right.

He glances back to the fight, watching the situation with his own eyes. There it was, Sonic fighting against Shadow and Metal. But when he looks back to the screen... there's nothing. Sonic stands in the center of the courtyard, delivering and receiving blows from absolutely nothing. He fiddles with the scanner, trying to pick up something, anything, that could explain just what the heck is going on.

Then he sees it. A faint outline, some sort of energy, floating in the spots where Shadow and Metal stand. The screen is slowly beginning to fill with the stuff, coating everything in an off-putting red. If he could just see where it was coming from- There! Like strings on a puppet, leading from the pair battling Sonic to... Of course. Tails smacks himself in the head, immediately regretting the action as pain pangs though his forearm. Where else would it be coming from but the floating figure, the first newcomer to enter the area? Tails redirects the camera, moving to face the figure directly. It's watching the fight alongside Eggman, but the moment Tails focuses the scanner on it, its head snaps to the side. Suddenly the screen is filled with nothing but its singular, unblinking eye.

Tails moves the Miles Electric away to look back at the pair, only to yelp in shock when he sees the dark figure only inches from his face. He stumbles back, landing with a splash in the thin layer of water below.

Wait...

Water?

Tails looks down to confirm that yes, the courtyard is slowly beginning to fill up with water, though he can't see a source. Dread whirls in his stomach the same way the water begins to circle around the three fighting in the center, becoming faster and faster until it's a violent whirlpool. Sonic freezes, panic dawning on his face as he realizes what's happening.

"Sonic!" Tails screams, pushing past the figure to run to his brother. Sonic can only reach out a hand- out for him or out to stop him, Tails can't tell- before Tails is sent rocketing back, his head colliding with the stone wall behind him. He can hear Sonic shout something, but it's too distant to hear. Tails reaches out, his fingers numb, but he just keeps getting farther...

and farther...

and farther...

Tails wakes up with a snap, flinching as the light of the setting sun floods into his eyes like a spotlight. His head spins, and he topples over just as soon as he pushes himself up to his feet. He blinks slowly, his head foggy and the taste of iron tinging his mouth. The Miles Electric lies beside him, shattered into pieces. He doesn't remember it breaking. Water drips off of it, making the exposed wires spark and hiss, and Tails scooches himself away from it with a heavy sigh. He can always make another one, he supposes. Just needs some supplies to do it, maybe he can send Sonic into the market to get-

Sonic.

Tails sits up, all the panic flooding back into him as the fuzziness flees from his brain.

Sonic was gone.

He can feel his heart hammering in his ribcage, slamming violently against his bones as he gasps out frantic breaths. Eggman- A trap- Water- It had all happened so fast, and Tails just sat there, useless- He gasps a choking breath, as if he'd been the one with his lungs full of water, not Sonic, floating limp and lifeless in the middle of the square- If Tails had just done something, helped him, just got up and moved-

A sob wracks through him, sending him down to his hands and knees. The stones are still damp, and his sobs echo through the empty courtyard.

He's alone.