Chapter Text
Somewhere, in an old, now-abandoned Egg-Base, in front of a terminal, in a room illuminated by a dim light.
"Progress log beginning. The war is over, and it saddens me. The Doctor had the world in his hands; he was showing it his genius, his empire. But Sonic, that stupid damn hedgehog, HAD TO RUIN EVERYTHING!" In a fit of rage, Starline overturned everything on his desk. "His pathetic little group of friends, the Resistance and him have annihilated the Eggman Empire's army in just a few days! Inadmissible! Unacceptable!" A long sigh, followed by the platypus slumping in his chair, his fingers on his temples. "Sigh... and yet it happened. I have to accept it. The Doctor is missing, and even his body can't be found. His entire army roams the planet without a leader. And I am at a standstill. I was ready to present myself to the Doctor as his assistant, and as proof of being worthy to be his right-hand man, I was ready to bring him a report on the powers of the Warp Topaz. Sigh..."
A long pause for consideration followed. Starline got up from the chair and went towards all the objects he had thrown on the ground: sheets with designs and calculations, a pen, the keyboard of his computer, and more. He knelt down to pick them up but remained there contemplating them. A few seconds of silence, to speak again soon after: "... it's exactly like with the Doctor. Everything's perfect. Everything's in order. To then get carried away by emotions and make everything chaotic and disordered again..."
The platypus gently gathered his things, placing them back on the desk in their proper spots with maniacal care: "... but if the Doctor isn't here, then it's up to me. I'll have to restore order to the chaos." He sat back down in the chair, this time his fingers under his beak. "But where to begin? The Warp Topaz allows me to explore the world and conduct extensive searches. I'll need a map of the entire planet with the coordinates of the best places to search, and it'll definitely take days... many days. And then once I've found him? I'll have to introduce myself and prove myself worthy of being his assistant. How to do it? He'll need to start rebuilding his empire, and I don't know how interested he might be in my research..." An epiphany struck him as he observed the gem in his glove. "Yes, of course! The Warp Topaz no, but the Chaos Emerald yes!" A 32-tooth smile appeared on his face. "Exactly. I have to bring the seven Emeralds to him!"
He began typing a series of commands very quickly on his keyboard: "During the war, the Emeralds were not seen, as the Doctor was more focused on the Phantom Ruby's mysterious powers, and the Resistance neither used nor searched for them, so they must surely be somewhere on this planet. And finding them is another story altogether. I would need to build a detector, but how can I do that without at least one Emerald to test on? Plus, it would take too long to build one anyway. No, I need to think of a faster solution. Hmmm, an Emerald detector... who could've one? Let's see... " typing, typing. "... added an additional layer of encryption just for security measures, the signal bounces through about twenty servers around the world, a little trojan here, et voilà! I'm in! The GUN database!"
GUN, Guardian Units of Nations, the international military organisation that couldn't withstand Eggman's assault. The association had been officially disbanded by the Eggman Empire, but their servers had been kept running by the Resistance. Inside, there was highly sensitive information: witness protection programs, war plans, blueprints for new technologies. To protect all this information, GUN disconnected their servers from the network the moment they realised they couldn't counter the Phantom Ruby's powers on their own, and thus Eggman never managed to get his hands on these highly sensitive files. During the war, GUN passed this information to the Resistance, which took meticulous care of it.
But now that the war was over and there was no longer the need to keep those files protected; now that Eggman was no longer a threat and the world needed to start rebuilding, that information had been put back online.
And in a matter of seconds, Starline bypassed all the security layers and downloaded what he needed: the files of the key individuals according to GUN. "Aaaand click! Disconnected! Inside and out in a few moments and without leaving any trace! Ahhh, the Doctor would be proud!"
That said, still rubbing his fist on his chest, he got up to make himself a well-deserved coffee. He would've needed energy and focus to read such delicate information. Anything could've brought him one step closer to his success. Moreover, who knew that information might have come in handy in the future.
Sitting back down at his desk in front of his steaming cup, the first thing Starline decided to do was open Sonic's personal file: "Sip, let's see, hmmm... he doesn't have a permanent residence, but that was known, blah blah blah, nothing useful. Let's see what happens when we search for "Emerald" in this file... hmmm... I notice that Knuckles and Prower's names appear very often. So, Knuckles, the Master Emerald's guardian who lives on Angel Island, what useful information do you have for me? ... hmmm, Angel Island possesses a lot of historical information about the Emeralds. This could be useful to me if in the future I need to study the gems, but for now, I don't need it. And who is Prower then? And why is his file so large?"
The file named Miles Prower was much larger than the ones on Sonic and Knuckles combined. As the platypus opened it, the sight of the famous two-tailed fox made him gasp: "But is this Tails!? Sonic's sidekick!? ... oooh, Miles Prower is his name, I see. But wait a moment... eight years old and an IQ equal to the Doctor's!? Inventor and essential supplier of designs and arsenal for GUN!? Ostracised by his own people due to his physical anomaly and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and major depression!? What the heck...?"
Only the Tails' file's introduction had begun to arouse a morbid curiosity in Starline. By now, he had found what he was looking for, namely the fact that the twin-tailed could have an Emerald detector, and stealing such an object would've been very easy for the platypus. But the more he delved into the file, the more fascinated he became by what he was reading. The quantity and quality of the fox's inventions were kept under strict surveillance by GUN, especially since Eggman had attacked Station Square with a nuclear warhead.
"Wow, he even created a fake Emerald himself? Definitely fascinating! And this? Admission to a psychiatric hospital?" Starline adjusted his glasses to read better: "The company had gone into space on a mission to save the planet. Ah yes, I remember, when it suddenly started to wither. It was because of an alien mech, if I recall properly, and it had then returned to normal after a few months. Now, we were saying... mission accomplished; the planet had begun to heal, and the heroes who had set out returned all victorious. But it was evident that the event had traumatised them, especially Prower. The paramedics who examined him deemed it necessary for him to be immediately admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where he remained for two weeks. The only thing the boy brought with him was a white terracotta pot with soil, which he watered regularly every day and never parted with, not even to sleep. Special Agent Rouge ordered to not separate him from that pot for any reason and to let him be. Psychologists say that it was the tool that allowed him to cope with his trauma, the simple domestic act of taking care of a little plant. They also say that during the sessions he said nothing, ate little and reluctantly, did not interact with the other patients, who did not strike up a conversation with him anyway, and spent his time in his room looking outside, always with his pot, in silence. When his friends (Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, Cream the Rabbit, Vanilla the Rabbit, Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, and Charmy Bee) came to visit him, he was visibly happy, ate, and talked with them, sometimes crying, but it's unknown what they talked about. When the doctors asked if they could listen to their conversations, they replied no, adding that the boy had done the impossible and the unimaginable. The first time Prower spoke to the doctors was during the fourteenth session, with a stuttering manner, and it seemed he was asking for the moon. He simply and politely asked to go home. Considering the absence of a suicide risk and the necessity for young Prower to resume his normal life, he was discharged. Since then, he spends all his time between his laboratories, and only leaves home to move between them, or to go out with Sonic, or when Dr Eggman launches a threat to the world. Neither he nor his friends have ever said what happened in space, and even Special Agents Rouge, Shadow and the Chaotix Detective Agency have refused to provide information about it. They simply stated that they respected Prower's wish to remain silent and that if he had wanted to talk about it, he would've done so himself."
Once he finished reading the text, the platypus leaned back: "What a story. The impossible... who knows what happened. None of his friends, however, died on that mission, or so they say, and neither did Special Agent Rouge want to talk about the matter. What could have traumatised him so much? Such behaviour is very similar to the process of grieving. Hmmm..."
While he mumbled, he sipped a bit more of his coffee, which in the meantime had reached the optimal temperature, and then continued his stream of thoughts aloud: "A lot of time has passed, but that behaviour of his is not something that heals with time. Knowing that the boy's so intelligent and so unstable, stealing his radar could be extremely dangerous, not so much for his psyche, but for the consequences on my health: given the arsenal at the boy's disposal, if he wanted me dead, I think he'd be more than capable of achieving it. But I could still try to get closer, explore the area, and pick up some hints on how to proceed. I'd say it's the beginning of a plan. Very well then, this first log can end here for today. It was very productive."
And so, Starline finished sipping his coffee and stopped the recording. He then took a blank sheet of paper, his pen and began to plot: he would've needed a perfect plan, tools, and resources, all without revealing his identity. He would've lurked in the shadows and acted without anyone noticing.
Central City, Resistance's headquarters.
The technical team had just noticed an unauthorised access to the GUN database, and the captain was putting very aggressive pressure on the poor technicians.
"Did you find the perp?"
"He used a VPN software, we can't track his IP."
"IN ENGLISH, GODDAMIT!"
"We... can't find his computer-"
"IN FRENCH!"
"Nous ne pouvons pas trouver son ordinateur."
"IN MORSE CODE!"
". - - / . / -..."
[Author note: this is a famous ProZD sketch, you can watch it here.]
Mystic Ruins, morning.
Using his own windows to spy on which laboratory Tails had retreated to, Starline had found the fox holed up in the one at the Mystic Ruins, a place suitable for peace, calm, and tranquillity, so that the young genius could stay alone without being too disturbed.
Tails owned multiple laboratories to which he had access, all registered in the GUN database, and before the war, GUN allowed him to keep them on the condition that he continued to provide services and technologies for the United Nations, a sort of unwritten mutual service pact. The fox was indeed kept under close surveillance due to his potential danger. But now that the war had happened and the GUNs had been disbanded, his laboratories had become mere homes for Tails.
The Doctor was hiding in a bush away from potential thermal sensors, contemplating how to execute his future moves. He thought: 'Here it is. Very understandable, far from the hectic city life, surrounded by the calm of nature.' He looked around curiously, stroking the leaves of the bush he was hidden in. 'It seems that the Mystic Ruins were one of the few places not affected by the Doctor's army. The vegetation is still flourishing and lush. But this is a strategic point: a hangar full of who-knows-what arsenal, a runway, good points for anti-aircraft, practically an airport. The Doctor must have been aware of this place; it can't be that he didn't know. Yet this place seems to be untouched, unspoiled. Could it have been a strategic error? Hmmm... I can't answer these questions yet; better to stick to the plan for now.'
Starline then opened a micro-portal near the laboratory and left a small parallelepiped device attached to the wall on the ground. Through that, by capturing the vibrations, a close-range radio signal would've allowed him to hear any noise nearby and coming from inside the house.
After having closed the portal and put the headphones on his ears, he waited and listened: from inside the laboratory came the sound of slow footsteps, which seemed to go back and forth, but still no voice.
While he was still pondering the possible reasons why the Mystic Ruins had not been stormed or at least besieged, he heard the sound of something that seemed to be breaking the sound barrier, followed by a cool breeze which caressed his beak; he turned around, and a blue arrow had stopped in front of the main door of the laboratory. He was turned away, but he recognised him clearly: 'Sonic, the Doctor's nemesis, the detestable hedgehog who prevents him from expressing his magnificence.' He shook his head. 'No, Starline, don't let emotions take over and make mistakes. Remember that you are here to gather information. Also, if the Doctor still hasn't managed to finish him, what hope do you have since you've never faced him?'
The hedgehog knocked on the lab door: "Tails, buddy, I'm here."
A few seconds later, the door opened, and he could see the features of an anthropomorphic fox in the house's shadow: "Hi... thanks... and sorry." Starline heard very faint words spoken in an incredibly weak tone.
"Don't worry. As promised, here I am. Can I come in?" Words spoken in a very patient and loving tone. The platypus had read in the GUN documents that the bond between Sonic and Tails was very strong, and the hedgehog's care towards the fox had so far been predictable.
"Yes." With a whisper, Tails let the hedgehog in, and the door closed behind them.
What followed after the clear sound of some light footsteps was silence. A long silence. A strange silence. Neither of them was speaking. For a moment he doubted that his device was working properly, and he was almost ready to retract it, but he stopped when he began to hear faint, muffled sobs.
A few more seconds and then an explosion into tears. The fox tried to speak, choked by sobs: "Sonic... I can't do it... during the war... I was a coward... I can't do it... I thought you were dead... I hid... I messed everything up... if your past self hadn't come, I... I... I could've saved you... I should have intervened... I... I don't deserve anything... I don't deserve to live... they were right... they were always right..."
"Tails..." Starline couldn't see, but he could easily imagine a warm hug from the hedgehog towards his friend.
The minutes passed slowly, and the sobs gradually became lighter until they eventually stopped. Meanwhile, Starline took note: 'The boy clearly has his thoughts in disarray. He's trying to express his guilt, and he needs a protected environment. He sees Sonic as an older brother, but the traumas of his past still eat away at him from the inside.' The platypus knew that to recover from such a strong moment of depression, even in a safe environment, it takes time, sometimes even hours, and so he waited patiently. Tomb silence, no footsteps, only the sound of nature.
Ten long minutes of silence.
"Sonic..." Tails finally spoke. "... I think I'm feeling a bit better. Sorry..."
"Do you feel clearer-headed?"
"M-hm, yes."
"Everything you told me earlier... you know I've no idea what you're talking about, right?"
"... yeah, you're right... you were in prison for six months..."
"Now that you're feeling better, do you want to tell me?"
The sound of wheels on the floor indicated two chairs moving, a sign that the two brothers were sitting down.
"Alright. I'll try to keep it brief..."
"Make it long too. I'm listening."
A smug smile appeared on Starline's beak.
Tails let himself go: "After Eggman captured you... I almost lost my sense of reason. I didn't know what to do; I was constantly in a panic. This was my refuge, and fortunately, it was never raided by Eggman's troops. Every day, however, I listened to the radio and made sure that this place was still safe... for her..."
'Her?' The platypus wondered.
"Yeah, I imagine so. Despite everything, Eggman kept his promise. It wasn't a given, you know?"
'A promise? Had the Doctor made a non-aggression pact with Prower in the Mystic Ruins? Possible?'
"Yeah..." Tails sighed.
"Hey, buddy, you don't have to feel indebted to him for this, okay?" Sonic half-joked.
A sweet laugh came from the fox: "Haha, no, I don't feel indebted to him, Sonic. Not at all."
"Hehehe, better this way. And then? What else did you do?"
"Well... while I was listening to the radio, one day I started tracking Eggman's troops' movements. I began identifying patterns, and I sent the information to the Resistance anonymously. I didn't want to reveal myself; I felt too ashamed for having fled. Then I decided to do something more, and I began to rebuild Omega." A long sigh. "And then... Chaos... or rather, that strange form of Chaos... and the rest you already know."
"Yes, the me from the past had intervened."
Tails scolded himself again: "Sonic, I thought I had grown up. I thought I had finally become strong." Another long sigh and a brief pause, followed by the sound of footsteps and an object being picked up."... but if I'm not strong on my own, how could I ever be strong for her when she returns? I mean... I'm coping. There's nothing that tells me she might come back, even if the DNA is hers, but I absolutely know nothing about her species. I could try to reach her planet for information, but it's absolutely impossible: I have neither the strength nor the energy nor the time to build a new spaceship. I... really don't know what to do."
'Fascinating!' Starline thought. 'He must have collected the specimen of a seedling on another planet to study during their adventure in space. And perhaps because of the hatred he endured in the past, maybe the idea of never being able to find a mate in his life due to his physical defect, his unconscious reaction was to fall in love with the alien plant. But then for some reason the plant died, and he still hasn't been able to process the grief. And yet he talks about DNA, so maybe the little plant has started living again, but if so, why is he still crying?
Sonic spoke after a brief moment of consideration: "You know, Tails, I was thinking: do you remember the first time we met?"
"... how could I forget it, but what does it matter?" Tails replied.
The hedgehog continued: "Know that I've never forgotten how those inept fools were treating you. You became my friend not out of pity, but because you wanted to follow me, and I felt good with you. You wanted to be free, and you ran after me; you kept up; you wanted a friend, and I was able to see what was and is inside you. In all the adventures we've had together up to today, I've seen you grow up, and while we were in space, one day I thought about how much you had matured, how insecure you were about your abilities, and how much confidence in yourself you had gained." A brief pause. "And Cosmo had seen it too. She had seen exactly all of this: she had understood what you had in here... and what you had in here. I'm convinced these were the reasons that led her to get so close to you after that little underground odyssey of yours."
'Cosmo, huh? So this is her name.'
"... you say?"
"Hehe, we all noticed it, even Knuckles." The last joke elicited an embarrassed giggle from the fox. "Since that adventure of yours, Cosmo had changed a lot. After the adventure on the jungle planet, she had opened up a lot to Amy and Cream, and in fact, she had started cooking with them. But after the adventure with you, she had started cooking alone just for you."
Sonic's words confused Starline: 'Hold on, wait a moment. But weren't they talking about a plant? Unless... a sentient plant life form?'
"... oh... uhm... I thought she had started doing it for everyone..."
"Hehehe, you were always so busy with the Typhoon's maintenance you didn't even notice."
"... I've been an idiot, haven't I?"
"No, Tails. You never were. You were taking care of all of us, and you had a huge responsibility on your shoulders. It was your way of showing your feelings, your love for us and for her. You were our captain, after all. Everyone on the Typhoon had their role, and together we had been able to show Cosmo that a real life would've been possible."
"Sonic... those are beautiful words, but... I can't believe you, because the result of our actions... of MY actions is this!" The sobs resumed. "I want to believe you... but I can't... I just can't..."
'So, is this Cosmo the origin of the trauma? Yet his sense of guilt is very profound: what exactly is he blaming himself for? What are these actions of HIM? ... he wouldn't have... no, absurd.'
"Hmmm..." Sonic began pondering, and after a few seconds, a snap of fingers was heard. "Let's do it this way. Tell me about all the progress you've made with her so far."
'Oh, well done, Sonic! I don't even have to ask.' Starline rubbed his hands together.
After hearing the sound of a pair of hands typing quickly on a keyboard, the fox spoke again in a very emotional tone and a still somewhat shaky voice: "S-So... as I already told you, the DNA is hers. Not her offspring or a relative, but hers. A perfect match. But I'm stuck: I have no idea if she can be reborn from this little plant or if it'll grow into something else, and even if she could be, I have no idea how long it'll take or if she'll be reborn as a child, if she'll retain her memories... too many variables." A brief pause. "Although..."
"Although?" Sonic asked with a curious demeanour.
"Uhm... it's easier if I just show you." Tails' voice became very embarrassed.
A small pause followed, then after a few seconds, a gasp from Sonic: "Wow! Amazing! How long has she been doing it?"
"Since she sprouted. It's... very sweet, but... I don't want to draw conclusions from a behaviour whose origin I don't know."
"Don't worry, buddy, I understand perfectly. You want to try not to deceive yourself unnecessarily if it's not her."
"Yes, e-exactly."
"Yet, it's a very interesting reflex. It really seems like those little leaves want to hug you."
Tails' voice became even more embarrassed: "Yeah... sigh... if only we had all the Chaos Emeralds..."
"The Emeralds? What are you thinking?"
Starline was getting even more aroused: 'Things are getting more and more exciting!'
"You see... I was thinking... maybe with Chaos Regeneration... but last time it didn't work..."
"Hmmm... Chaos Regeneration, you say? You know, now that you mention it, the Master Emerald was in pieces last time, remember?"
Tails had an epiphany: "Y-Y-You mean that...?"
Sonic nodded: "Yes. Maybe there's a chance."
"Are... are you sure?"
"I wouldn't suggest it to you otherwise. But something fundamental that I don't have is needed."
"Uhm... what?"
"You, friend."
"W-what now? How?"
"Your emotions are what would allow Chaos Regeneration to succeed."
"B-But Sonic... I'm not like you. I can't control the Emeralds like you do."
"That's not what I meant. I thought you could act as a catalyst for the Chaos Regeneration. Cosmo had developed a strong and pure bond with you, and only through your emotions we can succeed. Surely we need to ask Knuckles for some extra guidance to avoid further incidents."
"Incidents? What do you mean?"
A little break.
"Sigh... do you remember when Narcissus had taken her hostage? Remember that I told you about another one of my transformations? At this moment, inside you there's a lot of confusion, and I don't want what happened to me to happen to you too."
"Sure, Sonic, I understand... and... you're right. We need Knuckles. If things go wrong, at least he'll be able to neutralise the power of the Emeralds."
Starline was over the moon. All that information was filling him with curiosity: 'I knew that Sonic could use the Emeralds to draw power from them, but apparently, there are different ways to harness their powers! I have to see it! I'll have to study it! I wonder if the Doctor knows about this information!'
After another brief pause, Sonic spoke again: "Well then. Shall we call Knux?"
Tails' tone became joyful: "Yes." Then he lowered his voice. "Oh, Cosmo... I pray I'm not deluding myself. But if things go well... maybe soon you'll finally be able to live. And now that Eggman is missing, it's the best time."
The waiting sound of a communicator was interrupted by another voice coming from an intercom: "Hello? Sonic?"
The hedgehog spoke: "Hey, Knux. I'm here with Tails."
The fox greeted: "Hi."
Sonic continued: "We have to meet with you for a delicate matter. Where can we find you?"
Knuckles replied: "I'm at Station Square right now; I was helping the local militia clean up."
The speedster taunted him: "What kind of guardian are you if you're not on Angel Island?"
The echidna maintained its composure: "Tsk. Of course I hid the Master Emerald to help down here. We need all the support we can get, but I can come to you if necessary."
Tails asked: "Since you're at Station Square... could we meet at the Mystic Ruins' station?"
"And staying away from the crowd? Sure. See you there in two hours." The sound of the communication closing followed.
"How about a walk, little brother?" The hedgehog proposed.
Having regained his good mood, the fox finally joked: "Sonic? Are you okay? You who want to walk?"
Sonic counter-provoked: "Hey, I can always do it in a few seconds and wait for you over there, leaving you here all alone. I thought you appreciated my company." A hearty double laugh followed from both brothers.
Starline couldn't be happier: 'Oh! Splendid! It seems they'll do all the work! And in the end, I'll reap all the rewards!'
The Doctor then withdrew his device through a new portal without triggering any alarms, leaving the two friends in the dark about everything. After a few seconds, the lab door opened again, letting out the blue lightning bolt and the twin-tailed genius; the hedgehog was bare as he had arrived, but the fox had a backpack on his shoulders with probably some of his gadgets inside and in his hands a white terracotta pot with a small plant inside. Despite the distance, Starline could see a glimmer of joy in Tails' eyes, which were otherwise filled with sadness.
'I better follow them from a distance, and now that they're outside, I can use this.' The platypus pulled out a long-range directional microphone, got up from its bush, and started walking behind Sonic and Tails, keeping a good distance from them and not following their path, towards the Mystic Ruins station.