67 Epilogue; Wonder World Adventure

Sonic and Tails sat on a piece of driftwood by the shore of Tropical Coast, as the Hexis went off to take down the semifinal Cacophonic Tower. Tails was coughing so much he could hardly breathe, as great pain coursed through his muscles. "Sunset's nice," Sonic mumbled, only realizing midway through his sentence how unimportant it was to say. Tails looked at him incredulously, but quickly calmed down. He gazed off into the sunset.

Tails took a sharp inhale. "Yeah… I think so, too…" he mumbled back.

Sonic felt hesitant to say anything. Probably because whatever he could try to say would probably end up coming out just plain stupid again. "Ain't just a 'little germ' after all, huh?" Sonic asked. "Hate to say it, but I'm getting worried, Tails. Should we check you into a doctor?" Tails looked to the ground, sniffling.

"You know we can't afford it," Tails replied. He shifted his shoes around nervously, drawing two arcs in the wet sand.

"Something wrong?" Sonic asked.

"I knew it. I just knew it," Tails sighed. "It's really come to this, hasn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

Tails looked away. "Oh my God, just TELL him. Tell him NOW," Tails' heart and mind screamed at him. "Keep putting it off, and you'll only end up hurting everyone later. Is that really what you want? You're so selfish." Tails clenched his eyes tight, but tears still leaked out from between his concealed eyelids. "You have to at least tell him. At the very least. You basically owe it to him." Tails took a deep breath. It was now or never. Sonic deserved to know what Tails had found out more than Tails deserved to keep it a secret forever.

"N.I.D.S.," Tails told him. Sonic looked at him strangely. The blue hedgehog opened his mouth to speak, but Tails cut him off, getting everything off his chest at once so he wouldn't have the opportunity to backpedal and save his friend the worrying. "Robotnik's computers detected it in my body when I was being Roboticized. He didn't tell me then, but I figured it out when digging through the undamaged databases. I had a feeling that was what made me sick in the first place. N.I.D.S. stands for Neuro-Immune-Deficiency-Syndrome. It's a rare disease that makes you progressively more frail, and tears your immune system open like a sheet of paper. I probably got it from the toxins in the air back in the Giganima Outskirts. There's no cure, and it's always fatal. It's not a matter of 'if' I die. It's a matter of 'when'." Tails opened his eyes, and stared into Sonic's.

Sonic, in that one instant, looked as shattered as Erius itself.

"No… that… that's impossible!" Sonic cried, placing his hands on Tails' shoulders. Tails continued to stare at him, both of them grief-stricken. "This is all my fault! If I hadn't taken you there at all, you'd be just fine. I never should've left the empire, and I never should have dragged you into it. Tails… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry!" Tails exclaimed, panicked. "I… know what I said as Robo Tails. When Envy was messing with my head. But I really do love our adventures! I love the excitement, the danger, spending time with Ata, Knuckles, Amy… and you… I wouldn't trade this life for anything…" Sonic, without warning, pulled Tails into a hug.

"You sure?" Sonic whispered, tears running down his and Tails' faces. "That's what you want? I could check you into a hospital. They could help you live longer, and you wouldn't get hurt anymore."

"No! I don't want to die hooked up to some kind of machine," Tails shouted. "I want to spend every last second of my life going on adventures with you."

Sonic thought on it as his heart broke. "Then I'll make sure that happens," Sonic promised under the orange-red sky. "I'll travel the whole world with you if I can. I'll show you everything there is to see. I want to see this whole wide world with you, Tails. I want nothing more." Tails' sadness disappeared. He smiled warmly as he hugged Sonic back.

"Thank you, Sonic," Tails mumbled. "Thank you so much…"

…

"Well, the Tornado's up and running again," Tails sighed, wiping sweat from his forehead as he put the finishing touches on the new wing. Everybody looked in his direction. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. "We might not have room for everyone, so a few of you will have to fly on your own. Who wants to—?" Tails opened his eyes, and looked back to the plane. Sonic and the Deadly Seven had made do with the space they had, squishing together. "Aw, come on you guys. Really?" Tails chuckled.

"We've made our decision," Sonic snarked, holding the Cacophonic Conch they had all found hooked up to a contraption in the ruins of Robotnik Castle as a trophy. It was probably the very same shell that Robotnik used as a basis for the Cacophonic Towers' audio signals. "C'mon, Tails, let's fly!"

"Well, if you all insist," Tails replied. "Try not to push Sonic off, okay?"

"It's very tempting sometimes," Zavok joked, striking fear into Sonic's very Core.

"Will the Lost Hex be okay without us?" Zor asked.

"I'm sure it will be, people love this planet down on Erius," Zeena answered.

"And you're about to love Erius up here!" Sonic exclaimed, pointing forward as the Tornado got ready for liftoff, speeding through the fields of Windy Hill Zone. "So what if it's in pieces? I'm homesick as all get out, so I bet I won't even notice. A new tomorrow's waiting for us, and I'm ready for whatever it has in store!" Even Zavok smiled a little bit, finally at peace. The Tornado lifted off into the sky, leaving the Lost Hex behind and heading down towards Erius.

And so they flew. The wind blew their worries away, as they soared above the many continents of the shattered world of Erius. They shared thoughts on their latest adventure as they made their way towards Neonne, Veinia to pick Amy up for their next adventure. They reminisced on both good and bad, hardships and triumphs. When the sun began to set and stars began to dot the dark sky, they hardly even felt the darkness in their hearts or minds. They took care to point out any interesting sights below, their surroundings constantly changing and morphing into different cultures and new wonders.

When they finally arrived in Neonne, Sonic was the first to approach Amy's motel room. He reached his arm out and, with a gulp, hesitantly knocked on the door. Amy answered the door, and as soon as she saw Sonic, her eyes lit up with joy. She leapt forward and hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder. Sonic hadn't realized how much he truly missed her until just then. With a tear in his eye, and a pain in his chest, he wrapped an arm around her too. He walked her down to the Tornado, still holding onto her just as tightly. He introduced Amy to the Hexis. As soon as Amy and Zeena's eyes met, familiarity sparked in both of their gazes. Sonic couldn't quite figure out why.

The team took their time, showing the Hexis brand new experiences that the seven never would have been able to have if they stayed on Lost Hex. They seemed to take great fascination in what Sonic, Tails and Amy saw as mundane, normal parts of everyday life. Tails' Tails Electric suddenly beeped, showing a text from Ata the Olm.

"Tails, Sonic, Amy! Come to Spagonia University in Ccino, NOW!! It's important!!!!" The text read.

"Looks like Ata wants to meet up. She wants us to go a few countries over to Ccino," Tails stated.

"A few countries over?" Zavok mumbled, squinting at Tails. "She really expects us to go that far and won't even tell you what she wants first?"

"It's just from Veinia to Spagonia," Sonic replied. "We just traveled around a whole planetoid. I think we can handle a light jog!" Sonic looked to the Hexis. They all looked absolutely exhausted and worn out as he ran in place and stretched. "Maybe you can just take the Tornado. It's not too often that I get to run alongside it. Let's see if that thing can keep up with me!"

Minutes later, Sonic blazed through the pastel rainbow road of Cherry Chalkwalk Zone with Amy holding onto his cloak and Tails flying the Tornado in the distance. A bunch of sleeping Hexis rested on the wing. This place was a world-famous coffee bean farm, fueling the java-junkie city of Ccino with energy, caffeine, and their very way of life. Huge coffee plants covered the plateau that stretched up towards the nearby mountain range. There were tunnels with interiors covered in all kinds of different chalk art. Sonic and the others sped out of the rural Cherry Chalkwalk, and into the ancient walled castle town of Ccino.

"Aaaand I win!" Sonic boasted as he skidded to a stop. Amy let go of his cloak and stepped foot onto the midnight brick sidewalk. The Tornado landed right next to them, and Tails hopped out of the driver's seat. "So where's Ata's place?"

"She said she's at Spagonia University," Tails answered, looking down at his Tails Electric. He then looked up, only to see Sonic staring down a long road with the only buildings being cafes. They were still open even at that hour. Sonic looked back, confusedly. "Uhh… just down this road. Big building, can't miss it."

They continued through the dimly-lit streets of Ccino. The warm light emanating from the old-fashioned buildings felt like a warm blanket as they staved off the cold air that smelled of brews and cocoa. The gravelly concrete road crunched under the group's footsteps, as they entered the university campus. In front of them was a huge academy. Tails looked around, before seeing Ata waving at them on top of the university's Solaris statue. Her hair looked neater than it was the last time Tails saw her. "Hey Tails! Hey Sonic! Hey Amy!" She cried, jumping up and down on the spherical metal sculpture with little concern for falling. Tails flew over to her.

"Hello, Ata! Long time no see," Tails greeted, shaking her hand. She felt extra fidgety. "You good? You seem nervous."

"Yeah I'm fine! I'm just hyped up on coffee. It's all they have to drink here!" Ata exclaimed. "I'm also SUPER excited to hang out with you guys again. C'mon in! It's almost as cold as Ice Cap Zone out here. Streets have started to get pretty mean around this time as well." Tails flew her down from the sun god statue, and the two walked inside. "Who are your new friends? There's a lot of 'em."

"We're Hexis!!" Zoga called from the bottom of the large staircase. Sonic rushed inside, and the Deadly Seven walked up the stairs.

Ata led them all to the third floor staff-only area. Sonic felt out-of-place, almost as if he wasn't supposed to be there. He would have thought he'd be numb to that nagging feeling after invading Area 99, but it was still there. His worries were rinsed away slightly as he looked out the windows at the city skyline. He could just about make out a giant flashy sign in the sky, reading "Cafe Cloudland".

"Are you sure we're allowed up here, Ata?" Tails finally asked. "I mean, do you even go to this school?"

"Of course I do! The whole reason I went to Angel Island in the first place was for a project in Professor Pickle's class," Ata replied. "So I'm not actually staff, but he's the cool professor, so I don't think we'll get in trouble."

"Wait, Angel Island?" Zik asked. "The legendary secluded landmass? Home to that tribe of crazy murderous echidnas? THAT'S where you went for your school project?" Zik thought on it a little. "I see great potential in you, brave olm."

"Heyyy… Knuckles is nice," Amy pouted. "He's not crazy or murderous, he's just shy."

"Let's be fair, Master Zik. It sounds basically just like the Lost Hex," Zor mentioned. "Even the murderous tribe part! We were pretty adamant on trying to kill Sonic and Tails, so we should be the last people pointing fingers at echidnas. At least it probably got her an S on her assignment."

"WHAT— is it with you guys and befriending people who tried to kill you?" Ata screamed. This granted her irritated knocking from the other side of many of the professor's doors. She jolted back. "Even if they come from the Lost Hex, which is super cool by the way." Ata whispered. She knocked on one of the doors. "Professor Pickle, come meet my friends!" Everybody gathered around Ata and waited at the door, waiting on the tips of their toes for the revelation of whatever was so important that they had to travel halfway across the continent. The anticipation was unbearable.

"I'll be out in just a minute, Ata," an old man's voice replied from the other side of the door. "I have just prepared myself a plate of delicious, fresh cucumber sandwiches. I must eat them before they get squishy." The sounds of a hearty crunch came from the other side of the door. Followed by chewing. Then, a gulp. Sonic tapped his foot as the cycle began anew.

"Can we just come in?" Sonic asked, impatiently.

"Oh, heavens no!" Professor Pickle replied. "I get anxious when people watch me eat." Sonic nearly fell asleep after a few minutes, when he finally heard the guy step towards the door. "Alright then," Professor Pickle gasped as he finished the last sandwich. He opened the door, and wiped his face with a cloth. He had big bushy eyebrows that covered his eyes, a big nose, and white hair. "Sorry to leave you waiting… Oh my! There's so many of you! Well, do come in if you so please. I implore you to make yourselves at home."

"Thanks, Professor Pickle," Ata yawned, lying down on the couch with her shoes on and stretching. She then sat up and pointed her head directly at Tails. "So, I'm sure you've noticed that the planet split apart just about a week ago because of a laser shot out of Lost Hex. After that, Dark Gaia emerged from the planet's core, and split apart. Its essence, called 'Dark Gaia Force' was then mysteriously sucked into the Lost Hex, along with the very life of the planet itself. Erius' life energy was quickly returned in full, but it was only two days ago when the Dark Gaia Force returned. I trust you know more about this than any of us that were down here do… Because you were on the Lost Hex when it happened."

Zeena stepped forward. "Look, it wasn't our fault. Robotnik forced us Hexis to create the Dark Battery. But that's about it. We rebelled and aided Sonic and Tails in returning all your planet's energy," she explained.

"Relax, everybody knows this was another one of Robotnik's schemes," Ata replied. "You're in the clear."

"Yes, yes… but now that the Dark Gaia Force has returned to our planet, it has begun doing some… interesting things. Very bad interesting things," Professor Pickle followed up. "It has started spawning monsters, to influencing peoples' behavior for the worse when they come in contact with it. Sometimes… it even turns people into these strange monsters." Tails and the Hexis looked at Sonic. He appeared frightened. "These strange occurrences only take effect at night, when the power of Dark Gaia is at its strongest.

"Professor, I… got hit with some of that Dark Gaia Force after I beat Robotnik," Sonic stated, as sweat rolled down his face. Amy gasped, covering her mouth. "All that stuff you said is happening to other people… that's not gonna happen to me, is it?" Professor Pickle looked to the ground.

"It is difficult to say, Sonic. Dark Gaia Force is still very unknown territory. It has been tens of thousands of years since this event last occurred, so some of the more specific details pertaining to our current predicament have been lost to time," Professor Pickle sighed. "Either way, I'd be on the lookout for any unusual behaviors, thoughts, or mood swings. Those are usually the first signs that you have been possessed by Dark Gaia." Sonic felt his anxiety skyrocket.

"Wait, you're saying this isn't the first time the world shattered?" Tails asked. "How is that possible? Surely it would have remained in pieces if this all happened before."

"The answers reside in the Gaia Manuscripts, Tails," Professor Pickle stated, gesturing to some kind of huge stone tablet on his wall. "Here they are, in all of their original glory. It has been my life's work to track these down, so please refrain from touching them." Sonic and the others looked to the Gaia Manuscripts. "Indeed, it would seem the world shattering is a recurring phenomenon, taking place every few eons due to the hyper-energy organism known as Dark Gaia. It is Erius' destiny to be split apart by Dark Gaia's might and desire for destruction, and then reformed by an equally powerful deity known as Light Gaia. However…"

"... However?" Sonic asked.

"... Light Gaia has not yet ascended from Erius' core as they were meant to," Professor Pickle continued, turning away and shaking his head. "This is likely due to Doctor Robotnik's Dark Laser breaking open the planet prematurely to the correct Time of Awakening for both Dark and Light Gaia. This may also explain why Dark Gaia has dissolved into pure energy, and is now spreading across the planet. However, this will not last. Dark Gaia will eventually reform, and with there being no Light Gaia to counter it, I am afraid the planet will surely be annihilated."

"There has to be another way to stop Dark Gaia," Amy murmured sadly.

"Right you are. There was a failsafe put in place by ancient man for the scenario Light Gaia could not appear to balance out Dark Gaia," Professor Pickle replied. "That is why the 7 World Instruments were created, along with the Temple of Gaia in the country of Mazuri. Should you collect these 7 mystical World Instruments from their resting places all around Erius and play them at the Temple of Gaia, Light Gaia will be called forth to strike down the darkness and put the world back together." Everybody took it all in.

"A planet-sized scavenger hunt?" Sonic asked, grinning with elation. "Sounds like fun!"

"Yes! An enthusiastic response!" Professor Pickle laughed cheerfully. "A healthy pinch of upbeat attitude is just what you need in times like these, my friend. Now, the 7 World Instruments reside somewhere in the world… There's two we know of, and… ah, more we don't. I believe the instruments I have documented are the the Mutual Mandolin, and the Cacophonic Conchs."

"The Cacophonic Conchs?" Zazz asked. "We happen to have one right here."

"You do?!" Ata asked, blown away as Sonic pulled out the Cacophonic Conch they had stolen from Robotnik Castle. "Whoa! Can… can I play it real quick?"

"No," Zavok replied.

"The Cacophonous Crab went extinct centuries ago, so their shells are a very rare find," Professor Pickle stated. "Great fortune has blessed us all today. This means we already have one out of the seven World Instruments!"

"That still leaves six more to go… Will we be able to gather them all in time?" Tails asked. Sonic looked his way, with an eyebrow raised. Tails glanced back to his best friend, then stood with his fists on his hips, grinning proudly. "Yeah, yeah we will."

"Splendid! Ata and I will be hard at work researching the World Instruments for you, so that we will know their approximate location on the map," Professor Pickle said.

"Yeah, we will!" Ata replied.

"Alright, then let's get this show on the road!" Sonic exclaimed. "But right now… I haven't slept for a while. Let's find a place to rest up. We're gonna need to prepare to travel the world!" Sonic smiled at Tails, and Tails smiled back.

They began to head back out of the city limits. Sonic and Amy were running so fast through Cherry Chalkwalk Zone, that they failed to notice a very peculiar message on the wall as it rushed by and blurred into the conglomerate of colors.

"Planet Erius, the waste rock of inequity. You have cast a horrid curse upon me that I am expected to carry to my grave. Instead, I have decided to make you repay for your crimes against me a million-fold. I will take back my god-given right that I was denied at birth without fail. From, the Phantom Thief of Hearts," the message read in a strange, blocky handwriting style. Attached to it was a drawing of a face obscured by a masquerade and top hat.

See you next arc! The journey to fix the planet will truly begin in Sonic Runaways' World Adventure Saga: STOLEN.