Tears flowed unchecked down Amy's cheeks as she stared at the machine that had once been Tails. No... That wasn't right. The machine that was Tails. He was still there, trapped inside of that metal shell. The worst part was that there was nothing that she could do to help him. She couldn't escape the cage, no matter how hard she tried, and even if she could, how would she know how to reverse the roboticization process?

A loud clang echoed through the base, as Amy swung her hammer at the bars of her cage in a fit of rage at the injustice of the whole situation, causing Tails to glance in her direction, robotic eyes glowing indifferently. Amy shivered. Those eyes... Did he even recognize her? A sob escaped Amy's lips as she looked away. She hated those eyes... That metal shell... She just had to figure out some way to help Tails. He didn't deserve to be a robot.

Amy miserably curled up into a ball in the corner of her cage, suddenly exhausted. Her eyelids felt like lead weights, and it felt like her heart was going to break. She lay there for what seemed like an eternity, chest heaving, and tears hot on her face. Gradually, her breathing became slower and more steady, and her sobs less audible.

--------

Amy's eyes fluttered open. The room was dark, and Tails appeared to be asleep. Well, as asleep as a robot could get. A tear rolled unnoticed down her cheek as she imagined what poor Tails must be going through. It couldn't be later than one or two in the morning at the very latest. Vaguely she wondered what had woken her up, when a faint red light caught her eye, contrasting harshly with the dull, monotone grays of the walls and floor.

Quietly, she edged over to the glow, her curiosity getting the better of her. The source of the glow seemed to be lying on the ground outside her cage. Stretching her arm through the bars of the cage, she felt around for the glow. Eventually, her hand landed on the strange thing. Closing her fingers around it, she moved over towards a faint patch of light coming from a monitor left on, likely forgotten. As she edged the item into the light, she gasped.

"A Chaos Emerald! Maybe I can use this to help Tails! I'd better keep this secret..." Quickly, she pocketed it, failing to notice the way it faded from ruby red into the black of shadows around the edges.

Yawning, Amy tried to find a comfortable spot to go back to sleep in. If she didn't sleep, she'd be too tired to help Tails when the time came. She'd find some way to get him deroboticized, and nothing would stop her.

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Reluctantly, a new day dawned gray and gloomy over Robotropolis. Amy tossed fitfully in her sleep. Suddenly, she shot straight up into a sitting position. Gasping, she looked around and sighed. It was only a nightmare thank goodness... Eventually, her eyes settled on Tails. He just sat there... Amy knew he was only in power save mode, but it looked so much like he was dead... A soft sob escaped her lips. Shifting her position on the cold metal cage floor, she felt something poke her from her pocket. Carefully, she pulled it out. It was the Emerald she'd found last night. However, now that there was enough light to see by, she noticed the gradual fade from ruby red to shadow black. It glowed eerily... The glow couldn't be described as a light, because it wasn't. It was more like an aura of shadow or something.

Glancing at Tails, she saw he was now 'awake,' and quickly pocketed it again for safety. A low rumble from her stomach made her realize she was starving. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd eaten a decent meal. She knocked on the cage to try and get Tails' attention.

"Tails?" Her voice was shaky and quiet. "Tails? Can you hear me?"

Tails glanced indifferently towards her with those eyes she hated so much, causing Amy to shiver involuntarily.

"I'm hungry... May I have something to eat please?"

Tails watched her for a few moments, and then walked out of the room. Amy curled up pitifully on the hard metal cage bottom. She hated every inch of this place. Ever since she had found herself in this dreadful place, she had felt like she was going to drown in sorrow. It was as if the city was able to just drain the hope right out of one's soul, leaving nothing but a black pit of despair. The sound of metal moving brought her out of her reverie. Turning towards the door, she saw Tails enter with a tray of... something. It didn't look like food, but it didn't look like anything else, either. Tails approached the cage and bent down to slip the tray in. Suddenly, he froze in mid-bend and his eyes flickered between blue and red rapidly. Amy stared for a moment, and a shadow in her pocket caught her eye. Quickly, she pulled out the weird Emerald. It was glowing with a strange darkness; now almost pitch black, with the faintest hint of ruby in the center. Suddenly, it flared up, and Amy heard Tails' metallic voice.

"W... w... what... what happened? Amy? What..." Tails glanced around, unconsciously setting the tray of food down.

Amy's head snapped to look at Tails. His eyes were blue instead of that creepy red right now. "Tails?! Tails! Is that really you? That's not the robot?"

"Robot? What..." His voice trailed off and he slowly raised his hand, afraid of what he'd see. "Oh lord... I'm... I'm..." Amy knew that he was crying, even if he couldn't show it.

"We'll find a way to fix it Tails!" Amy hoped she sounded more certain than she felt. "Let me out of here and let's get back to Knothole. Rotor, Bunnie, or Sir Charles might be able to help..."

Tails nodded. He fumbled with the lock for several minutes, half dazed. Eventually the lock clicked and fell off, and the cage door slowly swung open. Amy grabbed her hammer and slipped out. Tails stood silent, starting at his robotic hand.

"Come on Tails... We've got to hurry!" Amy's voice was no louder than a whisper, and she was glancing around rapidly.

"A...alright..." Tails shook himself mentally. Amy was right. They had to get out of there, or else they'd be in much bigger trouble.

--------

Tails stared at his hand as he walked. Metal. Robot. Roboticized. But if he was roboticized he shouldn't have free will... Robotnik would have made sure of that. But he definitely was a robot. Something was seriously wrong, and Tails was extremely glad that whatever it was, wasn't working right.

"Amy?" Tails paused. She winced whenever she looked at him. He knew she didn't mean to, but it still bothered him. "Amy... What... What happened back there?"

Amy just shook her head. Well, if she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to force her. "Will you at least tell me what that dark flash I saw was?"

"You mean that dark red shadow thing?"

"I think so. I saw a flash of dark red light, and then I was me again... I can't figure out what that light was though."

Amy walked silently for a few moments, and then reached into her dress and pulled out a dark red Chaos Emerald. Tails stared at it. It couldn't be the real thing... But it was too similar to be a coincident.

"I think this is what you're talking about... This... This... Shadow Emerald. I found it back...back there. When you came over to me, it started...glowing...strangely, and then I heard your voice. I think this Shadow Emerald is what's behind this."

Tails looked at it closely. "May I see it?"

"Sure Tails. Here."

Tails gently accepted the Shadow Emerald. It glowed with a strange light... But what was even stranger was that the energy it was emitting felt oddly...familiar. Like he'd felt it before even. Where though... It didn't feel like the energy the Chaos Emeralds gave off, and it certainly wasn't the same feeling as the Master Emerald, but if not either of them, then where? Suddenly, the dark aura flared up. His vision went dark and a strange voice echoed through his ears.

"THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE SHADOW EMERALDS TO BE AWAKENED. THE GUARDIAN MUST FIND THE POWER."

"Tails? Tails! What's wrong?!"

Tails opened his eyes. Amy stood nearby, looking extremely worried. "A...Amy?"

"Tails! What happened? The Shadow Emerald flared up and you went all weird!"

Tails blinked. "I... I don't know. It spoke to me."

"It...spoke to you?"

"Yeah… The Guardian must find the power... Do you think it means Knuckles?"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure... We need to get you home though. Come on."

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"For the last time Sonic Hedgehog, stand still!"

"But what if he's in trouble!"

Sally sighed. Sonic could be so impatient at times. Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, and Amber, were gathered around the table of Sally's hut, while Sonic paced the floor.

"If there is, there's nothing we can do right now. This might be exactly what he wants."

"C'mon Sally, what're the odds of that? We all know Snively couldn't reason his way out of a paper bag!"

"Y'all might wanna calm down shuga-hog. Bein on yer high horse won't get Tails back any faster."

"Bunnie's right Sonic. Tails can take care of himself." Rotor tinkered idly with a machine while he spoke. "He's not a little kid anymore."

Sonic threw up his hands in exasperation. His little buddy was in trouble, and all he was allowed to do was sit and wait.

"But Sal-"

"Sonic Hedgehog..." Sally didn't sound angry yet, but her voice definitely carried a warning tone. Maybe it was best to let her cool down before he tried again.

"Sally? Sonic? Bunnie? Rotor? Is anyone here?" Amy's voice drifted in through the open window, along with a chill winter wind.

"Amy?"

Sally's door slowly creaked open, revealing Amy standing in the doorway.

"Amy-girl! Y'all're alright! What happened? Where's Tails? Y'all aren't hurt, are y'all? ...Amy-girl, what's wrong?"

Amy wiped away a stray tear, and motioned for them to follow. "There... There's something you should... should see."

When everyone had gathered outside the cottage, Amy disappeared into the bushes. Several moments passed, and eventually a rustling was heard signaling her return. As the bushes parted, she stepped out, followed by Tails.

"Oh my God... Tails... What happened?!"

"Tails! What happened to y'all?!"

"Tails! No! What happened?"

"Man... If only the deroboticizer was fixed..."

Sonic slowly approached Tails, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Tails... What... What happened?"

Tails pulled away slightly, turning his head to stare off into the bushes silently. "I... I don't want to talk about it," he replied quietly.

"...Alright big guy. I understand." Sonic patted Tails on the back twice. "Don't worry, we'll fix you up."

Tails' only reply was a silent stare towards the bushes.

"Sonic. Sonic, over here." Sally motioned for Sonic to come over to where Bunnie, Rotor and she were standing.

"What's up Sal?"

"Sonic, Tails probably needs some time alone. Remember how it was when Uncle Chuck got roboticized?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah... Alright. Let's go then." As they turned to go, Sonic paused, and walked slowly back over to Tails.

"Don't worry big guy. We'll think of something. Just wait, you'll see."

Silently, Tails nodded and headed back towards their hut with Amy.