A few months earlier

Tigerstripes looked around at his teammates before turning his gaze to the strange pulsing dot in the distance. He had no idea what in whiskers name the cainar empire was trying to pull here but the hero's of the planet were determined to stop it. Scientists still were not sure what those beams of light that had been shot into space from Cainar headquarters were. They were still running analysis. He did know that he and his companions would do everything in their power to protect their world from harm...but just in case every spacecraft that could be built or found was loaded to full capacity. They orbited safely out of reach. Nearly every citizen was on board one. He hoped for the sake of any who refused to evacuate that this mission was a success. There was a sudden massive tingling in his whiskers signaling imminent danger. Seconds later a bright flash of light washed over everything in view with astronomical force. For Tigerstripes it felt like spinning in a whirling vortex of liquid light...spinning and drowning. Finally everything mercifully went black.

The next thing he knew Felinus was lying of the ground. It seemed the force had blasted him clean out of his super form and down to the planet's surface. He forced his eyes open. He was apparently lying in an alleyway. His eyes looked upwards to a sky of unfamiliar blue. The light was wrong. He closed his eyes and concentrated reaching out his senses for his teammates. All he could feel was a faint impulse like a few fragile whispers of energy to faint to even be able to guess which individual they belonged to. Of Nekoline his home...his world, where its familiar comforting tug of power should be, there was nothing but a black and empty void. Nekoline was gone. With a soft groan of grief and despair he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Oh, why did this have to happen now?
He had been so at peace for the past few days. It had been perfect; pleasant weather, alone time all to himself, and, most importantly, no danger whatsoever. It was bliss.

Until it wasn't.

Knuckles audibly groaned. As Guardian of the Master Emerald, he had established an unbreakable connection with the powerful relic. A sort of symbiosis, really. It's pain was also his pain, and his ideals were also it's ideals. So when something was up with the Emerald, Knuckles would always know.

This was one of those times.

Knuckles shook his head to himself as he made his way up the side of Red Mountian, the fridgid air not bothering him. He had already checked all of Angel Island, and there was no sign of danger. In the echidna's experiance, that could only mean one thing: The issue was on the surface, and he was obligated to go find out what it was.

He knew by now to use the updrafts coming up from Lava Reef to get enough height to reach the only place where he could always (Against his better judgement) rely on somebody to assist him when it came to uncertian situations. That place Westside Island, Tails' homeland and his rival's appearant stomping grounds when he wasn't just barely avoiding death.

Knuckles sighed. "The things I put up with..."

---
It was around 8 o'clock on a fine weekend morning, and as usual, Emerald Hill was lively as ever. Birds sang, a playful breeze rustled the grass, and small mammals sucrried back and forth amoung the foliage.

It was also around 8 o'clock that chaos was unleashed upon the hills. However, the wildlife was no longer bothered by it.

A streak of eye-catching cobalt cut through the greenery, followed by an exhilerated holler. "Woooo-HOO!" The blue quilled creature cheered. Sonic was his name, and quite a fitting one at that, considering the break-neck speeds he was capable of sprinting at, leaving the wind and even sound itself in his dust trail. He was renowned all around the planet for his heroic acts, as well as his confident (occasionally cocky) and lighthearted 'never-say-die' attitude. This jog was just a part of his routine.

He kept accelerating, and soon felt himself pressing against an invisible barrier. Sonic smirked and took a few more steps...
And BANG!
The world around him fell silent and faded into streaks of color. Thrill surged through him, and he laughed. This was what he lived for.

Felinus opened the door to his small apartment-come-office .He looked around with a slight sigh. This new world he found himself on was different to say the least. Today while not being horrible could have gone better. He had been invited to a charity event by his new friend and her daughter. They had found him several months ago, unconcious and laying in the alley where he had landed. Finding he had lost his home they assumed he had been in an area attacked by someone called Eggman. They also assumed he was just a cat from their world. These sentiments while a bit confusing at least seemed normal. What had really startled him was when they offered him, a complete stranger, to stay in their guest room until he could find a place of his own. However having no other options he was virtually forced to accept. They then introduced themselves by name Vanilla and Cream...and Cheese the Chao.

It took some time before he learned their species was called rabbits, not really being able to ask questions that might make him seem odd. Once somewhat recovered from his shock he took some odd private eye jobs and looked into getting his own apartment. While not ideal it at least gave him a place to live. Vanilla and Cream seemed to come by regularly, once it was for a friend who needed a case solved and the only other detective team on the planet was busy. A few times it was to invite him to social functions and Charity events they liked to participate in. Mostly it was just to check on him. He looked at the plate of cupcakes on the counter and pondered upon his friends. Cream was a sweet, Innocent kid (As the young ones were called on this planet). She was kind and gente with a sense for those who needed compassion worthy of a Neko. Felinus felt a small smile tug at his lips. Vanilla was in many ways just as kind. A Motherly sort who could not seem to let anyone who needed help to go unnoticed. Spending time with them made his adjustment to his new home a little more bearable. The problem came in the form of some of her other friends. A trio of detectives who seemed to resent having some competition.

Vector seemed to resent more than that. It was pretty obvious that Vector had a crush on Vanilla and saw their friendship as direct competition. His competitive streak left no room for an explanation that he did not see Vanilla that way. They were just friends. In fact the Chaotix brand of Competition left room for no words at all it seemed. The Chameleon creature Espio, at least seemed to keep his rivalry sentiments on an occupational level, while Charmy seemed to dislike him merely because the other two did. The bee attempted a glare whenever they passed on the street or grocery stores, though said glares were hardly intimidating.

Felinus sighed as he thought about the day. Vanilla and Cream dropped by and finding he was free invited him to their event. A town cookoff to benefit the local orphanage. He had always had a soft spot for kittens..er..kids and he had a few bucks he could donate. At any rate the cookoff and the following dinner went well except for the usual glares from his business rivals. The annoying part was when they followed him when he walked his new friends home chatting and laughing with them. He shook hands goodbye at the door. From the corner of his eye he saw Vector in the alley. The gator looked like he was about to burst. He could understand being a little jealous with your crush, but come on all that over a handshake. Then they proceeded to follow him home. Having been a superhero with a Secret Identity to protect on his old planet this couldn't help but make him feel uneasy. He had spent too long guarding certain secrets from evil doers to be comfortable with being follwed. He could feel his powers surge with his irritation. It had been some time since he had used them at all, and rerfraining from doing so brought its own kind of exhaustion. He flopped on his cot maybe he could go on a practice prowl later, as long as he was careful that none of the citizens see him. Felinus hummed softly at the thought. He would give it a few hours for Chaotix to get bored and then maybe just maybe he would go out and exercise his skills.

Knuckles could've recognized it from a mile away. It was pretty hard for him to miss, actually. The sound of a sonic boom was both familar and unmistakeable to the echidna, as he had been around several of them. Sure, had almost gone deaf as a result, but that was hardly the point.

Anyway, he was on the right track. Considering it was understandibly illegal for planes to fly supersonic over land, there could only be one other reason for the limits of sound to be breeched.

"Idiot hedgehog." He grumbled as ge countinued his trek.
----
Sonic slowed to a trot in the next village over, ears twitching as he looked around. He flashed a smile at a few passerbys before flopping down on a bench.

"Oh, boy. What a rush, huh?" He said to nobody in particular. For the hedgehog, going supersonic was the equalvant as a casual pedestrian sprinting for a while. It didn't matter too much, though, as a couple minutes was a long time at those speeds.

He smiled to himself again. He'd be off again soon, but right now, he could relax a bit.

A few hours catnap and Felinus stretched and sat up. He carefully twitched his ears searching for any sound out of the ordinary. Then he carefully stood and walked around his small apartment stealthily checking out the windows for any sign of his rivals. Nothing seeming suspicious he went to a back window and slipped out. He walked the back alley to a nearby fire escape and climbed to the rooftops. He paused a moment in uncertainty. He wouldn't feel comfortable until he knew just where that pesky Chaotix team was. He set off across the rooftops to check their home for himself.

A short while later he peered across the street at the windows of the Chaotix detective agency below. Looked like Vector and Espio were deep in conversation, or rather Vector was ranting and Espio listening silently. He felt better seeing the only two members he worried about occupied. There was a movement by the window as charmy zipped across it. Grinning to himself Felinus stood and walked to the other end of the building he had been spying from. At least now he could be reasonably confident he wasn't being followed. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he reached for his power and felt its response. The power shivered through his fur changing his usual outfit for the one he had not worn in months. Behind his black mask his blue eyes flashed and he couldn't help the small smile that graced his face. He stretched out as the comforting power swept through him. Crouching down he sprang into a speedy run across the rooftops of the city. He spun and leapt in the air across the narrow alleyways below putting his agility to the test in incredible acrobatics. The fading light of day did not bother him as he swept around a deserted skatepark and past a park. Near the other end of the city he finally stopped still breathing lightly. He glanced at the sky as the first stars started shining.

A sudden scream cut across the night drawing his attention. Without a second thought he set off in a orange and white flash towards the sound. It was a Mother and son Raccoon being menaced by three lizard like thugs. With a cat like growl of anger he studied the situation briefly checking for hidden enemies before he made his move.

the lead lizard sneered at the helpless frightened pair. "Come on lady hand over the purse and you and the brat just might get out of here unharmed." The other gang members laughed as they closed in the mother hugging her child sobbing, "N-no please, we need the bus fair to get home."

The boss lizard snorted, "Not my problem lady." They were totally unprepared for a flashing blur of light that knocked the three away from their would be victims. "What the.." One of the lizards shouted trying to throw a punch at the mysterious blur that raced the shadows. The effort ended with said lizard flying into some nearby garbage cans. The other lizards were set flying in various directions after being smashed by the strange apparition. Before they even had time to regain their feet they found themselves speed dragged to a light post where they were left hanging, their tails tied together with some cords grabbed from the trash.

The raccoons looked at their defeated attackers in awe. Brushing off her dress the mother turned to their unexpected protector, "Why thank you Mr. Son- Wait your not Sonic. The white and orange colored feline turned towards them. The boy looked up in amazement. "Who are you?"

The cat like creature smiled at them, "I'm a friend, don't worry you should be safe now. " The mother finally regaining her composure asked tentatively, "What's your name?" The Cat smiled bravely and replied, "They call me Tigerstripes." The curious boy looked up, "Are you a hero like Mr. Sonic?" Tigerstripes grinned at him, "Nope I'm a hero just like myself". The mother cracked a small smile at his humor as the boys eyes brightened.

Tigerstripes grinned at the kids bright eyed smile of amazement, "Gotta go, you two stay safe out there its a dangerous neighborhood you know." With a wink he leapt into his super speed combining it with his agility to reach the rooftops his keen hearing catching the boy's whispered "Woooow".

Tigerstripes watched from the roofs until the pair safely boarded the bus. He had not intended to do any heroics tonight, but he had to admit it felt good to be doing such things again. For the past several months it felt like he was living a half life of sorts. For the first time since before the blast he felt his heart lighten. He grinned into the darkness, yes it was good to feel like his whole self again. A short time later he zipped into a little used subway station. Finding no one about he swiftly switched back to his normal clothes before the next subway came. Boarding it he paid for his ticket. The next stop took him out of his way, but he didn't worry about slightly longer walk home. Felinus relaxed back against the seat and smiled. Today had ended up being a pretty good day after all.

The police tipped by an anonymous phone call arrived at the alley to pick up the lizard thieves. The Incident was thoroughly investigated, but the only thing known about the rescuer was the name he had given. Slowly in coffee shops and across school yards a rumor started to circulate. It seemed there was a new hero in town.

( I am open to having one of the other Characters spotting a part of his rooftop run, just not his changing between identities. I'll have that exposed later in the RP.)

Sonic tilted an ear and glanced over at the person approaching him. His quilled coat was a firey red in color, a white streak adorned his chest, and dark, alert eyes gazed attentively at the blue hedgehog. Sonic smiled. This person was an echidna, and there were only one of those.

"Hey there Knuckles. Long time, no see, huh? Angel Island finally get too boring for ya?" The hedgehog greeted.
"I have a job. Thrill adict hedgehogs get bored." Knuckles curtly replied.
"No hello? Ah, well. What's up? You hardly come down unless there's a problem." Sonic slid down the bench and patted the space beside him, inviting his friend to have a seat.
Knuckles hesitantly complied. "The Master Emerald's acting up." He said in a low voice. He never had like talking about it in public.

"Oh, so it wasn't stolen this time?" Sonic joked. Knuckles glared at him and snarled in reply, so Sonic merely continued before he could get more upest. "Alright, sorry. But why come to me for council?"
His rival rolled his eyes. "Because I think you can tell me what could be causing it."
Sonic sighed. Oh, what a surprise. Knuckles always called him a trouble magnet.
"And why would I know that?"
"I know you're street smart enough. You see things, hear things. If something was going on down here you'd be the first to know about it."
"First of all, as flattering as that is, it makes me sound like a gangster. Secondly, Well, hate to break it to ya, but I haven't noticed anything. Everything's been chill last few days. But since you told me, it sounds like an invatation, so I'll help ya find out."

Knuckles abruptly jerked and glanced at Sonic. "But I never--"
"Too late."
"But--"
"Nope."
"I don't need--"
"Oh well."

Knuckles groaned. He knew that Sonic was hard to deter, and thanks to his journey, he didn't really have the energy or motivation to take the hedgehog in a physical fight over it. That and street brawling was frowned upon.
"...Fine. Just stay out of my way."
"Deal. Aw, don't look at me like that. It'll be fun, me and you."
"It's 'you and I', Hedgehog. And l last I checked, you and I have very different definitions of 'fun'."

Sonic chuckled and hopped off the bench. "Let's just get breakfast first. You know how it goes; Fast feet, faster metabolism."
Knuckles huffed wearily and followed. "Alright, whatever." After a moment, he glanced back at Sonic. "Just one question..."
"Yeah?"
"What's a metabolism?"

Felinus looked down at the file in his hand and sighed. Nothing more than to follow a Guinea Pigs business partner and find out why he never eats in the company cafeteria. He understood that these were a detectives bread and butter cases, but they were also incredibly boring. Shoving the file in a drawer and grabbing his usual tool kit he set off. Time for him to find and follow a certain Blue Jay business man.

He strolled unhurriedly down the street. According to the file his target would not leave the office until twelve fifteen PM. He had time to get there. He enjoyed the warm sunshine as he took a short cut through the park. It was a beautiful day. The sound of voices caught his attention. He spotted two creatures on a park bench. One was blue, he had seen a few others of its kind in different colors. The other was a red Spiny creature he hadn't seen yet. He wasn't sure the name of either species. He paused for a moment studying them curiously. The crimson one seemed a little aggressive but nothing out of hand. Realizing he was staring he shook his head and turned his mind back to business at hand. Besides if they saw him looking they might think he was rude. He did not need a confrontation when he had work to do. He turned to make his way out of the park.

(Keep forgetting to ping)

Sonic laughed aloud. "Ah... just the sciency word for bruning energy or something like that. I heard it from Tails." He managed to string together once his giggles died down.
"...Okay." Knuckles shrugged a shoulder as Sonic led him to the diner downtown. "Where is the kid anyway?"

"He's at some kind of fancy science-guy convention at Spagonia University." Sonic waved his right hand a bit as he talked. "Took the Tornado yesterday. It's like a week-long thing, so he won't be back for a while."

He was about to go on, when he noticed Knuckles had stopped walking and was gazing absently down the street. The hedgehog glanced in that direction, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. With a bit of concern, he snapped his fingers, getting his friend's attention. "Yo!"
"What?"
"Something botherin' you."
Knuckles hesitated, then shook his head. "Forget it. It's proabably nothing."
~~~
Knuckles cocked his head. "....You ordered a hotdog. For breakfast."
Sonic shrugged. "Guy's gotta eat, y'know? And it's kinda early lunch by now."
Knuckles looked out the window, taking note of the sun's positioning. "....Alright, fine." He gave before tearing away some of the skin of an orange, muttering something about how it wasn't fully ripe.