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TOPIC POSTED 2 WEEKS AGO
Sonic faked his “capture" and has been chilling in a government safe house this whole time
[Top Replies]
SkyPatrol 2 DAYS AGO
Wow. I’ve seen some ridiculous stuff on this forum but i think this officially tops my list
XUnreality420X 2 DAYS AGO
@SkyPatrol a little skepticism is healthy for an unconscious populace. you're open to challenging any of my points however, you'll soon realize it to be futile
SkyPatrol 2 DAYS AGO
@XUnreality420X Sure, I've got a few counterarguments. Exhibit A: you're wrong?
SkyPatrol 2 DAYS AGO
@XUnreality420X Exhibit B: Darn. Wrong again.... Guess you have to tell the 508 people who liked your post you were wrong actually, because I said so
JustA_Guy07 1 DAY AGO
@SkyPatrol no real comeback for op? lame lmao how would you know anyway. you sonic’s bff or something
SkyPatrol 1 DAY AGO
@JustA_Guy07 I mean i could be
JustA_Guy07 1 DAY AGO
@SkyPatrol what’s his new favorite food
SkyPatrol 9 HOURS AGO
@JustA_Guy07 It's always been chilli dogs? Is this a trick question??
JustA_Guy07 4 HOURS AGO
@SkyPatrol lol bro everyone knows sonic’s pescatarian now. didn't you see the Fishy Fry commercial two days ago? he's their new brand ambassador [attachment.png]
SkyPatrol 1 HOUR AGO
@JustA_Guy07 ???????
_ThePirateQueen666 JUST NOW
@SkyPatrol fake fans are the WORST
Only two things could trigger an inventing spree of this scale. Either 1) Tails was riding out a sugar high, or 2) someone was dying. Usually it was Sonic. This was neither, and though the rocket gauntlet Tails dropped by Amy’s desk at HQ yesterday morning was thoughtful–exquisite, really, the rose gold plating a matching set to her new earrings she threw an entire month’s paycheck on–it wasn’t the point of this visit.
The point, she told him with all the pointedness she could muster, was that this had to stop.
“What do you mean?” Tails asked. His left eye bag hadn't stopped twitching.
She gestured theatrically at the state of his workshop. An unfinished line of tech glinted under the lights, their metal insides disassembled. Beside Tails’ bandsaw, a huge liquid dispenser swirled with what Amy guessed was a horrid neon concoction of vanilla syrup, ice, Red Bull, and something else. Tails was slurping on it now like an overgrown hamster. It wasn’t far-fetched, but Amy hoped Tails wasn’t voluntarily eating his meals out of a straw.
Tails’ eye twitched again; Amy hoped like hell .
The kid could flip on his genius like a switch, but sometimes he fumbled and flipped the wrong one. When Tails smiled sheepishly at her it was Sonic’s smile, the one that said, why yes I am absolutely running on fumes and no you shouldn’t worry actually I would resent that and then we are going to talk in circles until you stomp off in a rage and then you will forgive me like you always do won’t you?
“It’s mint-flavored,” Tails explained. As if that was the most pressing concern.
While most people were planning outfits for the global thanksgiving parade later in the month, in commemoration of The Day We Didn’t All Burn to A Crisp, Tails was cranking out new gear like he was being paid for it. (None of the core team were; might as well call them a nonprofit). And while the restoration efforts had kept them equally busy, Tails was… something else entirely.
Amy watched it happen, as she watched the days inch closer to the war anniversary. The Tails that came out on the other side of the war with her wore the same soft, bashful smile, but even that was a guise. He never took credit for it: the biomimetic housing he’d designed for refugees, made from the ground’s very same mud and stone. He rebuilt power lines, funneled light back into villages Robotnik plunged into a six-month gloom. Their city’s defense walls prickled with power. Transmitters picked up scattered traces of the remaining ruby prototypes normal eyes would’ve missed.
Eggman would never catch them unaware again. And that was a Prower guarantee!
That was youngest Restoration defense member Miles “Tails” Prower, the Tails she knew. But this?
Building more and more fighting tech when they weren’t at war? Programming a robotic arm to drop incoming calls and handfeed him mints? Overlording the HQ thermostat by installing a spray gun that activated each time someone changed his ideal settings?
(Which–rude, by the way. She just had her lashes done with Rouge!)
When Tails begged Amy to pair him up with Sonic in their last routine cleanup mission, the one before that, and then the one prior, the realization ping-ping-pinged in her head. But they were all safe now. No one was taking Sonic away. Not if she could help it. Especially not armed with these gorgeous gorgeous gauntlets, and where had Tails been keeping these beauts anyway?
Again, not the point. The point was–what was–? Right. This was overkill. She set the weapon down–exquisite, light-weight perfection that she’d so lord over Knuckles during their sparring session later–on Tails’ desk, and then bag of oranges, a few vitamins, and by the time she’d finished her lecture, Tails nodding somber mmhms and sorry Amys, his mind had already drifted elsewhere. His thumbs flew lightning-fast across his keypad, his tongue poking out his cheek.
“Just who is so important to be distracting you right now–”
Tails reddened and pocketed the Miles Electric. “Sorry, Amy.”
“You keep saying that!”
“Sorry–I mean–”
She sighed. “You’re not actually sorry, are you.”
“It’s the principle of the thing.” Amy's mouth shunted into a line. Tails switched tactics. “So–you didn’t like it?” He frowned down at his gift.
“Tails, I always love your inventions,” she began, crouching down on one knee to meet his eyes. “And you know I love to wreck stuff. If I wasn’t so used to my hammer I think I might’ve already added this to my arsenal, but I’m not here for an upgrade.” She tried to brave a smile, but it was slipping; Tails’ eyebag kept pulsing to an invisible beat. “The question isn’t if I like it–it’s whether I need to bash someone’s head in at all. What’s happening, Tails?”
“I mean, it’s always good to be prepared.”
“For? ”
“You never know! Look, since you’re here anyway–and sorry about the whole spraying you thing, I uh, got carried away. Haha. It gets hot here easily and–okay, I’ll take it out, promise! Anyway! I was running diagnostics on the spliced ruby prototype for a set of new field gear I’m designing for Sonic–he says he’s sorry for spelunking that one time without a communicator, but it’s Sonic’s you know? Tell him not to do the thing and he’s gonna do it anyway, might as well give him the tools to get back in one piece–”
His twin tails bobbed in the air while he surfed through a pile of robot parts and sheets of metal, and that was when he pulled out the weapon, phantom ruby shard at the center, pulsing soft like a warning, and later, Amy wished she’d chucked the thing out the window, stamped out its wick, but how could she have known? She was no god. Not her, not any of her friends, even if some of them slayed them once–or were one, but that was a whole other can of worms reserved for long nights and a nice glass of bubbly, or several. That was the problem, wasn’t it? The whole trying to be everything, all at once. Someone had to draw the line.
If Amy had a wish? She’d take a trip ten years back, when she could bury her muzzle in a field of flowers and not smell smoke or chemical tar. A perfectly uneventful life, and maybe a hundred-year vacation. That was a choice she and her friends deserved. And it was right here, if only Tails would let himself taste it.
Despite Robotnik’s love affair for wanton destruction, he’d left the theme parks intact.
Er, relatively.
Still, Tails would take their small miracle. Good to know the Doctor still had feelings (evil, environmentally fatal), and that there were still stubborn patches of the world still untouched by the war. After a few minor fixes, Tails had everything running, and Sonic was grinning again, wild around the edges, the long routine mission already forgotten as he tugged Tails towards Mountain Railroad Romp, where they would ride loops until they ran out of rail. Literally.
At the basketball stands Sonic earned 1000 points and a Hello Doggy plush, for Tails' growing collection—all in a new record of 7.38 seconds. Tails modded the bumper cars in AutoLand and watched them crash into each other, one exquisite explosion after another.
“You smell smoke?” Sonic called out.
“Yep!” Tails chirped from his perch by the ring. Ash had gotten into his fur. “Sure is dangerous out here, huh?”
“You said it,” Sonic laughed. An electrical pillar came loose, and Tails sailed out of its trajectory without glancing up from his pad.
They rode the Tilt-O-Whirl until they both went hoarse. If Tails puked in his mouth a little bit, nobody had to know.
Breathless, Sonic said, “Another?”
“Uhhhh, hold on–”
Green in the face, Tails flew down from his seat, turned the speed to its highest setting, and, oh, he almost forgot! The Miles Electric pinged to confirm bluetooth pairing, and a chorus of electric guitars and crashing cymbals rumbled out the speakers, scattering birds into sky and rousing the rest of West Lakes Theme Park from its months-long slumber.
Tails said, “That’s better.”
Sonic chuckled as Tails strapped himself back in. “Oh, you’re a little fucked up actually, aren’t you.”
“If only I knew who I got it from,” Tails wondered with a smirk–and then they were spinning, spinning, and oh, now they were puking.
Sonic clutched his head. “Another?”
The fan gifts HQ received were growing wilder and wilder by the day. Not that anything would beat the bizarre pullstring puppet with Sonic’s voice–”Or the toenails,” Tails recounted with a full-body shiver. Nobody blamed them, of course. Tails would be the last to start. The world was bereft of the blue blur for six months, and now everyone was loving on him with a vengeance, often loudly.
Sonic ate it all up, of course. In interviews, reporters asked, So what was it like in the cell? and before Tails or any of Sonic’s friends could step in Sonic was already moaning, Awful. No air-conditioning. Damp spot in the carpet, couldn’t get it out. Infinite? Terrible host. Never even offered to tour me around his crib, would you believe? One star!
The whole thing rolled off of his shoulders like water off a ducks’ back, and it was what everybody needed. Radio stations played his interview for months. A fast food chain signed the rights to mass-produce his image, and once Tails saw a tiny blue figurine strung alongside a windchime at the doors of a temple, deep, deep in the mountains.
kid fought a god once, a Station Square local wrote last Tuesday on one of the forums Tails frequented. course this was nothing. wish he’d take it easy on the fame whorin tho
Within the hour, Tails had gotten the account suspended.
Tails should really stop looking for fights in these godless messaging boards, but he wasn't Sonic, who forged on ahead, ready or not.
When another chain of kids dropped by HQ for Sonic’s autograph, Sonic knelt on the ground to sign whatever they shoved with shaky hands under his nose. Now with firsthand knowledge that 1) yes, Sonic did save the world, and 2) yes, Sonic was a teen, some mothers were inconsolable. They pinched the lean fat on his arms, turned his cheeks this way and that. Tails caught Amy’s eye and bit back a laugh. They stood back and let the world have their hero.
Like Amy, Tails knew to wait his turn.
But he lingered by the door. Just in case Sonic needed an excuse to jet off. Or hopefully Sonic would catch his eyes too, and with one look be able to sort the chaos there, just like he used to, when they were younger and didn’t need words as much as they did now. Even then, when Sonic wielded English like a bar of wet soap, when every single thing seemed to fight and shout for his attention, Tails was never mendokusai.
Hey buddy, something wrong? Sonic would sign. What’s eating ya?
I don’t know, Tails would say. But I’ll figure it out, won’t I, Sonic? You always say I do.
Sonic’s laughter echoed down the hall.
Tails didn’t mean to doze off on the job. But sleep had always come easier when Sonic was nearby, puttering around or snoring up a storm into his ear.
When Sonic suggested a quick break at the ferris wheel (their last detour, promise), Tails shut his eyes, the cable car rocking them gently, and fell into oblivion hard and fast. Sonic was gone when he woke. A cool wind fingered the door loose. The cable car had reached the crest, and outside, Sonic was perched on the hood, surveying the land he’d memorized.
On the way here, Sonic had pointed out the towns by name. Or at least, what had remained of them. There–that bubbling stream Sonic loved in the summer, the blue vein of it stretching throughout all of West Lakes. Now it was filled with dust and debris. When Eggman rolled a launchpad over it, the town’s crops had withered until nothing green climbed up from between the cracks.
Sonic’s stare was hard as the earth.
Tails knocked on the window. “Sonic?”
In a flash, his brother was inside. His gaze thawed when it landed on Tails. “Good dream?”
Tails flushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall as—”
“Nah, it’s good you did. Don’t think I don’t notice those eye bags, bud.” Sonic reached out to ruffle the top of his head. “Gotta take care of the cargo, make sure it doesn’t shrivel up and go wrinkly, yanno?”
“Brains are normally wrinkly, actually. It’s where memories are stored.”
“See, you already sound like yourself,” Sonic teased. “Lo, what wonders a quick nap can do.”
Tails didn’t think he’d seen Sonic asleep in the past month. They'd spent the summer untethered, floating between HQ and the field and all the things that needed them. And there were things they did not tell each other. Even now, Tails’ tongue kept betraying him.
Before he could try again, Sonic was speaking. “You know, pal, I was thinking of taking a... sabbatical from restoration biz. You know–go sight-seeing for a bit, the real deal,” and before Tails could open his mouth, he continued, “I think I wanna do this solo, actually.”
Tails sat up straight. "Oh! Of-of course. I’m… actually really relieved to hear that, Sonic. If anything, I’m surprised it took you this long.”
Sonic bumped their knees together, but his smile was complicated. “Thanks, lil’ bro. Wanted to stick around for a bit until things really settled.” Slowly, something in his face gave way. "You know I was telling the truth, right? I don’t lie, not even on TV. It really wasn’t all that bad. Promise. I mean, sure–the cell was no staycation. And Infinite–zero points in the conversation department.”
Sonic’s smile was in his eyes now; Tails’ throat felt thick. "But I knew Ames, Knux, and the guys were out there. And that you were being looked after. Really, that’s all I could’ve asked for.”
Tails touched his neck. "Right."
“And the Resistance had you! You and your big, genius, dehydrated brain.”
“Hey, I hydrate!"
“Sure you do. A cup every two days, maybe.” Sonic ignored his squawking in lieu of offering a closed first. “I’m glad it’s over. Couldn’t have done it without my partner.”
Tails stared at Sonic’s fist. He bumped it, a beat too late. “I wish I could've helped you more."
"You help me plenty–"
"You’ll tell me, right? If you weren’t okay?”
Sonic blinked at him. “Psh,” he said eventually, rubbing his nose. “Don’t even worry about it.”
They startled apart as Sonic’s wrist communicator let out a shrill beep.
I don’t make it a habit of tracking your GPS, but you’ve been stationary for more than I like, Sonic, Knuckles said. Tails too. Everything alright?
A smirk was already playing on Sonic’s lips. “Spying on me, Knux?” he said into the receiver. “I think I’m blushing.”
Sonic–
“Kidding, Commander. Everything’s good. We were just on our way back until we decided to take a little stretch break.” He winked at Tails. “Few badniks loose in the valley, they won’t be a problem anymore. What about you? Oh right–you can’t leave HQ. Love that for you. Hey, how’s all that paperwork going, sir?”
Riveting, Sonic.
“Ooh, fancy word! Man, Knux, just what are you becoming?”
Get your ass back here, idiot, came his snarl. Amy wants your report, first thing. No more detours!
Sonic saluted as the line dropped. “He sure knows how to show a guy he cares. Whaddya say, bud? This was great, but duty calls.”
Tails stepped out of the cable car and hovered to survey the sky. “Yeah, we should get back before it pours. Looks like a big one.”
Sonic followed his gaze. “You could tell? Well, I hate rain. Race ya?” He stretched out a crick in his neck and grinned, a flash of bright boyish bravado. “You can have a two-minute head start.”
“Make it–” Perched on the cable car’s hood, Tails winded his tails back and made a show of thinking, “–one minute and twenty-five seconds?”
“Oh ho? Someone’s feeling competitive.”
“Feel like making you eat my dust today, is all.”
Sonic barked out a laugh. “Brave words, little bro. Liking the new ‘tude. When did you get so big?”
I wished it on a star, Tails thought, mirroring the reckless shape of his brother’s grin as he dived into the trees below, the wind a waterfall in his ears. The moment I got you back, I promised I’d pay my dues. So I’m paying up.
Could you grieve for someone still alive?
Tails didn't used to think so, but by month four things began to bend at the edges. The days blurred and turned septic. When it rained, as it often did, every patter of rain was a firecracker. He darted between clusters of badniks, hunting traces of blue, made himself a whisper. Several times he considered capture. Each time Sonic was in his ear, loud and incessant, jerking him towards the next burning town, the next civillian he could save, and Tails had no more Disappoint Your Brother Cards to spare, officially.
He kept walking.
The next abandoned mall had its roof blown open. Drawn towards the stationary shops, Tails found it with a cry under a sheen of rubble and dust–all the colors of the Hello Doggy gel pens he'd been collecting. Even the special edition set with the pink heart glitter. The neon ink glided on the page perfectly!
Turning around to show Sonic, Tails caught his reflection in a puddle.
Nerd, came phantom Sonic’s voice.
That was month five and two quarters, when the Sonic in his head finally stopped holding back his bite. The pens made him feel normal for days until they didn’t.
In the distance, a plume of smoke mushroomed into the sky.
When the transmitters Tails had been installing in each village finally narrowed down Eggman’s prison base, he flew right towards it. He plugged fingers into his ear; Sonic sounded angry, and then panicked, and then he wasn’t there at all. Not a whisper, not even when Tails saw the full might of what he was up against and turned around, tears streaming down his face.
He’d never felt so young in his life. Not even when he was four, trying to wrangle a fish for dinner after Sonic broke his leg and needed him.
With one look at his empty net, his skinned knees, Sonic had said, Aw, s’okay lil bro, you’ll get it one day . His smile a cup full of forgiveness and running over. In month six, Tails was abandoning his brother again. He flew fast, then up and up and up. Blam, went Eggman’s last homing missile. They were scrap metal at this altitude. Don’t worry about it, bud. Just wait and see ‘til you get a couple years in ya and– Tails thought, eureka!
Funny, when inspiration decided to strike. Up here the air thinned and froze his tears. His lungs crinkled like foil with each gasp.
When his tails finally locked up, the moon was a bright blot in his face. Behind him, Eggman’s base fell off the horizon’s edge–and Tails let himself fall too, into the merciful arms of exhaustion, straight into the dream where he was a little bit faster, a little bit braver.
Behind his eyes, his brother was running free–
Amy watched the fast-moving blip on Tails’ monitor. In three seconds, it had crossed the border. Now the thing was inside the workshop.
“There you are,” came Sonic’s voice. “Jeez, Ames, you need to hook me up on some better missions. If I have to do another cleanup job I think I might actually lose it. Good thing Tails found the theme park–I mean, heh, we found a functioning theme park totally by accident, can you believe it? Yo, catch–”
To Tails, Sonic tossed over a device that he’d plucked from his heels. Amy had seen it power up Tails’ tech before. A quick thirty minute run could juice a machine for days.
“Awesome, thanks Sonic!”
“Always happy to serve. Loving the grip on these kicks too, bud.” Sonic gave the new no-slip sneakers Tails designed an appreciative turn–(“One time he tried running vertically in the middle of a storm, and we all know how that ended up–this should support him in all kinds of terrain!“) Sonic winked at him. “Man, you’re really outdoing yourself. Knux isn’t gonna give you a promotion or anything, you know that, right? Hey–what’s that?”
“This? Oh, it’s nothing.” Tails twirled the new weapon in the air with fake modesty. “Just a Ten-Year Portal gun.”
Once Tails fed the battery in, the barrel began to pulse a soft blue. At the heart, it was acid-red. When Tails had explained it to Amy, it sounded groundbreaking. But seeing Sonic and the ruby in one room, even if it was only a fragment of the icosahedron original, made her quills flare.
“Tails–” Amy began.
“Oh,” Sonic beat her to it. “Is that a ruby?”
“Um, yeah,” Tails said, suddenly unsure. “I–I’ve been testing out the tech to see what other effects I could draw out from it. I was gonna destroy it after–”
“After we retrieved all the lost prototypes. I’ve asked another… special unit to track them down,” Amy said. “Knuckles wanted to dispose of them, but I agreed it would be… best if Tails took a closer look.”
Sonic’s brow lifted. “Okay? Don’t care either way, but–” he caught Amy’s eyes and bared his teeth in a grin, “if it’s hunting down rubies, then you should’ve put me in, Lieutenant. No one knows that ugly old rock better than I do.”
Amy met his gaze. “No, I don’t think that’d be necessary.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Amy said. “You should stick to cleanup duty.”
Sonic’s grin edged into a sickle. “Is that an order, ma’am?”
“Sonic, um, hello? I really need you to help me test out the gear,” Tails said in a rush, pulling on Sonic’s arm until his brother budged.
Amy’s chest unspooled with relief.
While Tails manhandled Sonic into position, his mouth began running a mile a minute: “Listen closely, okay? So, basically, it’s for battle emergencies. Think a Wisp power up, but multiply that by two. Or ten? Anyway, only use it when you really need a boost.” Tails was gesturing wildly in the air. “I fought alongside a younger you once, and I thought–hey, what if we switched it up? An SOS call, but from the future? The swap can only hold for so long, though. I need major juice to sustain it–”
“Whoa, hold up. That is so cool?” Sonic’s switch to earnest big brother was almost jarring. “So how does it work?”
“I’ll show you!” Tails pointed his gun at a flask of plant spores. “Whatcha think about a new fern to spruce up your room?”
“Nice, always wanted a plant.”
“I already feel sorry for it,” Amy sighed.
“Hey, what does that mean?”
Tails pressed fire. A purple magnetic charge rippled out the nozzle in waves, and inside the glass the spores levitated for a fraction of a second before coming back down.
No leaves sprouted.
“Sorry, gimme a–”
Tails shook the weapon like a ketchup bottle. Then he aimed again.
Nothing.
“Maybe it needs more power?” Amy tried.
“Bummer,” Sonic posed, voice gentle. He elbowed Tails' in the side. “S’fine though, I’m sure you’ll get it.”
Tails’ face crumpled as he frowned down at the gun. “No, no–it worked last night, it should’ve–” Flustered, he began to walk off, disassembling the weapon on his desk.
“So,” Amy began. Sonic’s head turned. “We’re good, right?”
Sonic’s smile was true. It tugged at Amy's own. “‘Course, Ames.”
She allowed herself a step closer. “And… how’s the speech going?”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me. You know I’m no poet–can’t we hire a ghostwriter for these things or something? Thought they’d be sick of my face by now, but TV really can’t get enough of me, huh.”
“Ha! Mr. Congeniality finally admits he’s popular.”
“When did I ever deny it?” Sonic stuck his tongue out. “You know, all that paperwork is getting to Knuckles’ head. Maybe he should have at it. I see plenty potential in his future speech writing career.”
Amy’s wrist communicator began to beep. “Speak of the devil. What’s up, Knuckles?”
His voice came out two-tone and warped. Amy, the last unit just fixed up the dam in Ore City. Electricity should be back in the local villages by nightfall. Anyway, bumped into Sonic yet?
“Yeah, he’s right–”
I’m worried about him. Amy’s eyebrows shot up. She chanced a look, and Sonic returned her gaze with a wry turn of his mouth.
“Knuckles–”
Do me a favor and kick his ass into an actual bed after his report, yeah?
“Aw, Knux,” Sonic announced himself. Amy massaged her temple, where a nerve began pounding with wholehearted effort. “So you really do care! I’m touched, I am. Gotta say, though… don’t really appreciate all this behind-the-back scheming.”
Amy bristled. “Sonic, no one’s scheming behind your back–”
Knuckles said, Ah, shit.
From his desk, Tails cried, “I got it!”
“Not now, Tails.” Sonic waved him off.
“I promise, it’s working now.” Tails bounded over, punching his arms in the air. “I’ll prove it–”
“Tails, I said–”
“But Sonic–”
“–only opened up to us more,” Amy was saying; it was finally spilling out of her like water, “then we wouldn’t be worried sick all the time, would we?”
“I’m okay, Ames, really–”
Yeah, Ames, really, Knuckles mimicked in a tinny voice.
“–like you genuinely think you’re okay, and don’t you think that’s a little crazy, like doesn’t that make you go a little–”
“Ames, it’s not like I haven’t taken a beating like this before. Listen, if it makes you feel better I am gonna go on a vacation. I’m serious, no, Ames, look at me–white beaches, pina coladas, the whole shebang–see? I was gonna tell you, pinky promise, you don’t have to–WHOAAAA WHOA WHOA. TAILS, WHAT–”
In a blink, Sonic was wrestling the gear back from his brother’s hands.
“It worked before!” Tails explained, holding fast to turn the barrel towards his belly. “Maybe the energy output needs a bigger sample this time!”
“Tails, are you out of your mind!” Amy screeched, at the same time Sonic boomed, “What did we say about using yourself as a guinea pig?”
Guys, what the shit-
“I crossed my–give it, Sonic–I crossed my fingers behind my back, didn’t count–!”
“Dammit, Tails–”
Tails’ face twisted. “You never let me help you–”
Watching Tails trip, the ten-year portal gun soaring into the air and hitting the ground with a shudder of uncontained energy–a neon halo of pink and blue rippling out to pull Tails in its mouth–Amy wished she had those gauntlets right about now, oh my god.
The world was bright.
Tails winced, cracking his eyes open to see the silver strip of a 360 monitor surrounding him. All around CPUs hummed, chattered, and debated. Behind the monitor, a sea of clouds swam in and out of view.
A quick peek out the window made his heart leap into his throat. Holy smokes. He must’ve been a hundred feet up! Below, treetops were thick with spring. Was this his workshop? Some kind of tower? He tried sitting back in his seat and tripped. This chair was the wrong height. A collection of vintage mint cans hung as wall decor. All around him were toys and trinkets Tails itched to get his hands on.
“This is the BEST decision of my life,” Tails decided aloud.
This was so great. He wished Sonic was here to see it. His head bumped the ceiling. Alright, Tails, reel it back. Belly breaths. Slowly, he drifted back to the ground as his tails lost speed.
Cautiously, Tails poked through the new fighter tech models left out in the open. A handful of minutes passed like this. Elegant-that was the word. This was extreme gear built to last the ultimate fighter, all conditions accounted for. Not just slippery stone paths.
Tails breathed out.
He reached for the breastplate, wanting to memorize the configurations, steal a decade of research back home, until, on his desk, the Miles Electric–new gold trim, same familiar build–lit up.
Sonic was calling.
Three things, just in case you were wondering, came the voice; it passed through Tails like a livewire. One: I did not need that baby protocol activated, but thanks for saving my ass, I guess. Two: I passed by our favorite chilli dog stand and got you the vegan dip, because I’m such an awesome big brother, you’re welcome. Three: I’m coming up–don’t make me wait! Hard enough breaking into your tower as it is, Rapunzel.
The monitor prompted: Allow entry?
Right away, Tails hit yes; he couldn't imagine a future where that was even debatable.
In the center of the room, a chute slid open and spat out his brother.
"–ever told you I hate elevators? Whatever happened to good old-fashioned stone staircases? Like in the dark ages, since that seems to be your whole gimmick. Wh–Tails?"
The plastic bag of chilli dogs slipped from his fingers.
This Sonic was his–Tails would know him anywhere–but the one in front of him seemed to be etched out of stone: tougher quills, legs wrapped in sports tape, and a starburst scar that started at his collar and ended just below his ribs.
"Tails–" whatever was said, it was muffled as Tails flung his arms around his brother. His throat tightened like a fist. He felt buoyant enough to float. So he had been right; things were better in the future, here where everything was pink with potential, and Sonic was still keeping him around.
Tails was pried off by the scruff of his neck. "Whoa, whoa, alright, let's roll that back. Tails?" Sonic said. "You're not… my Tails, are you?"
"I am, but ten years in the past!” Tails touched his throat, flushing at its sudden squeakiness. “I’m eleven now, but I’m almost twelve! I can’t believe it worked, oh my god, my portal gun, I was testing it–and, and now I'm here! And this workshop is so, wow–and, and, and your quills! And oh it's so good to see you, Sonic–”
"Whoa alright, you too, bud, you too.” Sonic dragged him back down from the air by the hand. "Holy hell. Tails told me this would happen. Boy, it is good to see you." He seemed dazed as he reached out to touch the fox's tails, until he changed his mind and pulled Tails into a hug that went on for too long without words, his hand cradling the back of Tails' head.
"Sonic?"
Sonic pushed them apart, chuckling. “Sorry about that. Forgot you used to be… little."
"Wh–I'm tall for my age!”
"Sure, you little, fluffy man." Sonic grinned, but the shape of it was strange, a little strained at the edges. Winking, he put a finger to his mouth. “Listen, I don't wanna spoil the future, but you get really impressive when you grow up, you know."
"Really?" Tails’ heels lifted off from the floor.
"Oh, yeah. This crazy tower? You designed it yourself. There’s plenty more, all around the world. You're almost tied with Eggman. He’s not happy about that. So, if you thought your workshop at the Mystic Ruins was cool… oh ho. See, I knew it would get to your head.”
“No, no, keep talking! I’m just–really curious.” His tails curled shyly around his ankles. “Tell me more?”
Sonic tapped his finger on his cheek. “Oh, what the hell. Well, you’re a very important man, Tails. I mean, what’s more important than being my go-to guy? You’re there for everything, bud.” His hand hovered over his chest as he paused. "So what are you doing out here? Uh–alone?"
"A little… lab accident." Tails scratched his cheek. His heart was racing; he had so many questions! But he knew he only had so much time left. Tails stared at Sonic’s new scar and asked, "Are you alright in the future, Sonic?"
"Oho, loaded question alert," Sonic laughed. "Loaded like a gun. Hell of a question to ask."
Tails looked away. There was so much sky around, it was almost the sea. He felt strangely liminal, both here and nowhere. "It's just–things just got better, where I’m from. I'm scared things might reverse themselves–or get worse."
A moment passed. Sonic knelt on one knee and pulled Tails in by the neck. “C'mere. Listen to me. If there’s anything I learned at this age–”
“But you’re only in your twenties–”
“Shhh. Listen. If there’s anything I learned, it’s that we’ll never be as ready for the future as we are right now.” Tails frowned at that, and Sonic double-tapped his nose like he was liking a post. “But as long as we’re together, we can face anything.”
Tails looked helplessly up at him, a flower to the sun. “Yeah?”
“Yeah! Don’t you doubt it.”
“But–ow!”
Sonic let go of his cheek. “Sorry, it’s just–you're so little–”
“Sooooniiiic–”
“Okay, I’ll be serious now. Just promise me two things?”
“Okay?”
“Take care of yourself.” There was no good humor in Sonic's voice now. “I’ll do my best, but when I’m not around–” he glanced off, and when he turned back he was himself again, a picture-perfect trademarked smile. “I need to know you can take care of yourself, too. I trust you. Okay?”
Warily, Tails nodded. “And the second?”
Sonic pointed at his shoes. They were blue, a new design, and the whole thing felt off. Upon closer inspection, Tails noticed the original no-slip pattern on the sides.
“I like them in red.” Sonic winked. “Blue just cramps my style.”
If Tails' calculations were right, he had a few seconds to spare. He grabbed Sonic’s wrist.
"Wait! I might get swapped back any second now, but–! The Hello Doggy summer collection! I need to know! Do I ever complete–”
Something in his navel tugged hard.
And then he was folded back into the portal’s mouth, Sonic's surprised yelp flattened into a pinprick of sound.
The present filtered itself back in pieces: the ground, his feet, his knees, and oh–that was his lunch, rushing to escape his mouth–
Someone rushed a bucket towards him. Then he sat back on his haunches, wiped his mouth, and declared, “That was AWESOME.”
"You okay?" Sonic was in his space in a blink. Then Tails was poked, prodded, and turned side to side in hedgehog speed.
"Yeah. I think? Guts of steel and all," Tails moaned. His legs felt like jello, and the world tilted like someone put it down all wrong. “So? What was I like? Didja meet him? The older Tails? Do I look cool?”
Amy was studying her shoes. Sonic pulled Tails to his feet and said nothing else.
“Um.” Wobbling, Tails looked between them. “Guys?”
“You do!” Amy finally said. Her voice took on a high-pitched chirp. “But if you want the details, think again, little man. Your head’s already huge as it is. Haha. Right, Sonic?”
“Right,” Sonic said.
Tails turned towards him, wanting to shake his brother until a smile fell out. Things would be okay! In the future, things would be perfect. “Fine, keep your secrets. I’ll tell you exactly what I saw. You should’ve seen it, Sonic! My workshop looked awesome! It was up there in the sky! Like some sort of top-secret, ecopunk tower–and, and you were there! You looked so cool–although–” he tilted his head, “I don’t think anything too important changed, you sort of looked the same as you do now–”
“Good,” Sonic said. As the world righted itself, so did Sonic’s image, and the intensity of his gaze as he studied Tails passed through him like a javelin. “Some things don’t have to change.”
“I mean, sure, but–it’s a good change, Sonic! You were telling me–not you, I mean, the older you–that I get really strong in the future, and Eggman's expansion–”
Sonic put his hand up. “Actually, I think I liked the future better when it was a surprise, you know?"
A pit formed in Tails' stomach. Of course. He slapped a hand over his mouth and nodded, eyes pleading as if to say, I’m sorry! There was nothing Sonic loved more than a life laced with thrill and unpredictability; Tails’ had just spoiled a big chunk of it.
Seeing his distress, Sonic’s eyes softened. He ruffled Tails’ bangs. “I’ll give it to you though. You do grow up to be one heck of a cool kid.” His hand hovered over Tails’ shoulder, then without warning, dragged him in completely for an ego-destroying noogie. “Don’t grow up too fast though, ‘kay? Can’t have my lil’ bro stealing my thunder just yet.”
“Ugh, Sonic!”
“Aw, is this embarrassing you? Too bad.” Sonic's grin was a gash. In another light, it looked almost dangerous. “Until you’re eighteen, you’re kind of technically still my kid, so. Sorry, ‘lil bro.”
“Sonic,” Tails whined, ears flattening as he pried Sonic’s hand off. “You’re so annoying.”
Mercifully, Sonic let him go. He turned to Amy, gesturing flippantly in the air. “About those special missions. I want the same assignment you give your special units.”
There was nothing playful about it now. Tails’ eyes flitted between them, flailing to catch what he’d missed. For a moment, Tails thought he saw Amy’s shoulder’s coil back, ready for a fight. But she only sighed.
“Just this once,” she decided.
“Let’s see about that,” Sonic said, but he bowed generously. “Knew you’d see it my way, ma’am.”
“Call me ma’am again, and I’ll kick you.”
Tails propelled himself between them. “So, when are we leaving? I just finalized the new line of heat-resistant gear for Sonic, so this is perfect, we can test it on the field and–”
Sonic was shaking his head. “Nah, you should stay here, bud. Don’t think I forgot about your little experiment.” Tails flushed in shame. “Let’s not mess with time anymore, how about that? You stow that somewhere safe, I’ll do my mission, and we’ll do movies later. Sound good?”
“Fine, but on the next mission–”
“There won’t be a next mission,” Sonic said, and Tails stumbled back; it was Sonic in the ferris wheel again, the one he caught when his brother didn’t think he was looking, eyes callous and unseeing. “No next mission, bud, because… I’m gonna be doing them solo from now on.”
“But–”
“The Restoration needs you here.” Sonic rested his hands on Tails’ shoulders. “Go do your thing and make people’s lives better. Okay?”
Tails studied his brother’s pinched smile, the tense line in his jaw and frowned. He opened his mouth, then closed it. No one knew his brother better than Tails; right now, there would be no winning.
He nodded. A bright grin swam back up Sonic’s face.
“Okay, Sonic.”
Behind his back, Tails' fingers were crossed.
TOPIC POSTED 2 DAYS AGO
If anyone needs a ride to the parade, my group is organizing free carpooling! <3 Message anyone with a blue icon and our team will help you out!
[Top Replies]
XUnreality420X 2 DAYS AGO
WAKE UP. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG IS A PUPPET. WE ARE ALL STILL LIVING IN INFINITE’S SIMULATION
SkyPatrol 2 DAYS AGO
@XUnreality420X I can't believe you're still at it
XUnreality420X 2 DAYS AGO
@SkyPatrol and I will never rest. until everyone uncovers the truth
SkyPatrol 2 DAYS AGO
@XUnreality420X Buddy, I'm sorry to say but......... if anyone's living in a simulation, it's you
XUnreality420X 2 DAYS AGO
@SkyPatrol You seem to know an awful lot about what actually happened. Yet you present no valid rebuttals, no solid evidence. I've been recording these anomalies before this war even started. What were YOU doing when sonic was captured
XUnreality420X JUST NOW
@SkyPatrol Thought so
The future would have the answers he sought. Scientific miracles, just waiting around the corner. In ten years Tails would be smarter, stronger, would understand his brother better. Maybe Sonic would finally tell him what happened during his capture, maybe not.
Only one way to find out.
Without Sonic around to power his portal, Tails had to bootstrap a solution. In the end, after a couple of high-powered trips, spinning his tails extra hard until they cramped in places he didn’t think was possible, he got two minutes on the battery. Maybe even less.
That was fine. Sometimes, all you needed to change your life was a second.
On his monitor, the question was displayed in 540pt size text:
TELL ME WHAT'S THE NEXT BIGGEST THREAT?
Tails added a pleading emoji. Just to be safe. Were emojis even a thing, ten years from now? Not to mention how weird it was that he could communicate with himself like this…
Counting to three, he blasted himself into the brilliant future.
The ruby’s glow burned behind his eyes. In both timelines, he always woke up in his workshop. Plan B was to snoop around his own stuff, but future Tails was prepared. Paranoid, at best. Everything was encrypted. Defeated, Tails reached out for the half-finished pint of chocolate mint ice cream on the desk–
–and he bit down on an invisible spoon as the portal whisked him back home. Darn.
When he came to, a hyperlink beeped in the text. He whooped; his future self had done it! But there was a code–nested under another code–nested under another complex Russian doll simulation that was starting to get on Tails’ nerves. Finally: a folder, with a two-tailed logo emblazoned across.
When he clicked it, the tails spun. A text document revealed itself. One word was typed under it.
No :)
Tails dropped his head on his desk. “UGH.”
Weeks later, Sonic still wasn’t taking him along on missions.
This was fine. (It wasn’t).
Tails was taking this well. (All things considered.)
Even his braincells were shrinking noticeably, a natural reaction to Sonic’s absence. Which was to say, when he dropped by the Chaotix’s agency–technically a satellite to the Restoration, working by its side as contractors, so, ha! Who said he was going against his brother?–nothing about it felt unsound. This might've been one of his better ideas, actually.
Post-war, the Chaotix's office was in shambles. Metal pipes stuck out the ceiling. They sat on tires and robot parts as makeshift chairs.
They would be crazy to say no to Tails repairing their espresso machine, right?
“On a normal day, I would call this a bribe.” Vector sipped his latte and shivered. “Shit, that hits the spot.”
“I prefer calling it,” Tails pondered, “ an equal exchange.”
“Or a nice favor between friends!” Charmy suggested, doing caffeinated somersaults in the air.
Tails lifted his mug, to which Espio gave a begrudging toast. “Or that.”
No further questions asked, The Chaotix took him on their mission.
As the desert van rumbled towards the underground colosseum, where they were to pose as gladiators in reward for a phantom ruby prototype (all original Team Chaotix intel, not even Sonic wouldn’t have gotten a whiff), Vector asked, “You think you could do our taxes too?”
Tucked in the back, Espio murmured, “We also need a better CMS system.”
“I want a gaming PC!” Charmy said, next to him.
Tails raised his hands. “One at a time, people. One at a time. Only enough supply to go around, but I promise I’ll get you what you need.”
Day dipped into night. The desert sky was so black here it was blue. Tails thought of Sonic’s face; something had spooked him. Something big. The more that he thought of it, the more he was sure Sonic wouldn’t just push him away out of some silly tech mishap. Right? Now, if this mission was a success, Tails could get the ruby and be back before Sonic’s own mission ended, and Sonic would see how silly it was to ever leave him behind.
Up ahead, the colosseum glittered like an imposing crown. Now, Tails only needed to survive the next few days.
It was a miracle the Chaotix hadn’t self-destructed yet. Charmy and Espio were like flint and steel–kicking each other in their sleep and yelling themselves hoarse all along the way. Charmy stuck his head out the window and wouldn't stop; so Espio shoved him bodily out of it. They were so different. Like oil and water, foxes and hedgehogs.
“Like two pearls in the same oyster,” Vector said when he caught Tails staring.
Tails doubted that. Until later, when they walked into the gladiator arena, and in three minutes the first match with Charmy and an overgrown lizard declared its winner. There it was, glinting in the light: a shuriken stuck in their opponent's throat. Oblivious, Charmy flew victory laps across the viewing stage. Miraculously, their team had progressed to the next round. When Tails looked around Espio was already walking out, not even a word. Not a damn thing.
It wasn’t his proudest moment. But Tails was just the right mix of desperate and lonely that he found the messaging board. Each time he’d managed to intercept Robotnik it was short-lived; the doctor threw static into his comms, blocked his screen with the logo of his leering face each time Tails progressed into the main controls, where the soft underbelly was, where Sonic could be-
Eggman’s empire expansion was moving faster and with more startling ferocity than Tails could keep up with. He was cold all over, his fur was dirty, and the last thing he ate was a cracker this morning, or was that two days ago… the mayor of the last town he'd saved gave him a pack of dried meats and nuts, and he'd lost it somewhere flying over a stream. He'd never had to scavenge for food again since Sonic's popularity, his outrageous brand deals.
Tails' claws had gotten dull.
I spoiled you, phantom Sonic whispered into his ear. Tails flinched.
He didn't know what he was looking for. But there it was anyway: a whole underground community of survivors online, helping each other, posting warnings when a wave of badniks were on their way. Horde spotted on the east, one typed. I have room for 2 in my bunker, another said. Has anyone see my cat? someone shared. Black spots, one blue eye, one red, can’t miss him
And one day: I think it's him! one of the locals posted, it's Sonic! and Tails’ entire body jolted with lightning. A village had been miraculously saved. The whole thing, over in a minute. Nothing but a strange magnetism in the air, a flash of electric blue, then a red echo.
Tails’ brother was alive.
Where is your location? he demanded on his new account. Several people replied. He was soaring. Where is Sonic now? Each witness had different accounts, but no matter. Tails flew like hell.
When he arrived, the whole town was still.
Where is everyone?
No reply. The grass smelled acrid. The earth scorched.
Until days later, a new message:
they came back to finish the job. if sonic saved us, it was his ghost
The thread was deleted. And Tails was alone.