As usual, I do not own anything. I am merely a fan doing this for the amusement of myself and others.
* This was suggested to me by a user on DeviantArt.
What had started as a normal day quickly took a turn for disaster. It was a calm night in the village. The people were going about their daily lives, not a worry in the world. But all of a sudden, Eggman arrived with a whole swarm of upgraded robots, including a large, draconic one. The robots laid waste to the village, setting the place ablaze. The sky was no longer illuminated by the moon or the stars… it was replaced with the amber glow of fire and destruction. A layer of smoke loomed over the village as it burned, like a reaper hovering over a person on their death bed. It was truly a terrifying sight to see.
One that Sonic and his team would put a stop to. The five rushed into the fire to engage the enemies. However, things were not on their side. The heat of the fire, mixed with the smoke that clouded their vision and restricted breathing, and the robots new upgrades, all made for one disastrous, one-sided fight in the robots' favor. And in no time, the five heroes were defeated and left for dead in the blaze. The sound of the roaring fires and Eggman's dark, evil laughter echoed throughout the skies as the heroes laid there in the village square, their bodies battered, bruised, and burned. He called for his robots to retreat back to base for a celebration.
After what felt like hours, Tails was the first, and so far ONLY,
one to wake up. He coughed as the heavy smoke still lingered, and groaned as his injuries racked his body with pain. He staggered up to his feet weakly, looking in horror at what has happened. Fire had ravaged the village. Many buildings had completely collapsed, while the framework of a few remained. And should any standing building fragment collapse, there was a flurry of embers that shot up. Several fires were still burning, also. He could not believe it… In a matter of minutes, Eggman had swooped in, burned the village to the ground, defeated the entire team, and left them all for dead.
Tails turned to his teammates. He went over to each one to check if they were ok. And to his relief, they were still alive, but they were unconscious. And so, one by one, he dragged them all out of the village to safety. Knuckles was the hardest to drag out, due to his large size and bulk. Meanwhile, Amy was the easiest to drag out. But as Tails dragged Sonic out, he realized he did not see his beloved wildflower anywhere. "Sticks… she must still be in the village!" Tails gasped before running back into the village. He did his best to scan the place high and low, which was hard due to the smoke still lingering overhead. As a result, he was forced to look for Sticks on land. "Oh, man… where are you Sticks?" he asked out loud, scared of what could have happened to her.
As his hunt persisted, Tails was getting more worried and scared by the minute. He feared the fires may have taken her.
Still, he was not about to give up the search until he found her. And soon enough, he did find her. She had been knocked into a building, with some of the framework having fallen on top of her. "Sticks!" Tails screamed, rushing over to her and pushing the burnt wood off of her, creating a flurry of embers that forced him to shield his eyes. He soon had removed enough to free her and move her out. He set her in an open area to check her. He felt his heart stop when he could not feel hers beating. He tried to perform CPR on her, hoping that would work. He check again… still nothing. He then shifted to mouth-to-mouth… and still, nothing. Tails was doing everything in his power to keep from losing it. "Come on… please don't do this to me..." he begged on the verge of tears. He kept trying to bring her back, but nothing came of it. After what felt like forever, Tails' drive suddenly died on him. He broke down in tears and was forced to face the fact – Sticks was dead. He cradled her dead body in his arms. Although he felt warmth still coming from her, he knew it was only because of the fire. He still felt the chill of death on her. He sobbed hard, mourning the loss of his beloved wildflower. "Sticks… I am so sorry..." he said, feeling as if he was responsible for her death. "I swear, I will do whatever I can to avenge you… I will not stop until Eggman lies dead before me, slaughtered like the pig he is by my hands!"
A truly noble mission, I must say." A dark, metallic voice said from behind him. Tails looked back and was greeted by Metal Sonic, who came crashing down on a burnt building, making it collapse and sending a flurry of embers flying everywhere. Tails was forced to shield his eyes. "But alas, you will never carry it out." Metal Sonic said. "But, since I know how much you love your precious flower..." he trailed off, building energy in his chest. Tails looked on in horror as Metal Sonic's chest began to glow brighter and brighter. He even began to hear humming coming from it. "I'll send you RIGHT TO HER!" Metal Sonic roared, firing the laser full-blast at Tails and Sticks. Tails was stiff as a board as the laser blasted him to oblivion. And suddenly, there was a bright flash of light.
"GYAAAAAHHHHH!" Tails yelled, shooting up in his bed, his body in a cold sweat. He panted frantically as he looked around his room. Apparently, what just happened was all a nightmare in Tails' head. But to make sure, he sprang out of bed, flipped a switch, and stood before a mirror. He looked himself over repeatedly, but saw nothing wrong. He saw no burn marks, no soot or ash, nor did he feel any burn marks on his body. He smelled himself as well, but there was no trace of smoke on him. Although that should have been enough proof for him, he still wanted to be sure. So he ran outside and flew upwards, looking towards the village. And to his relief, there was no amber glow of death and destruction. The only illumination was coming from the full moon and the stars. Tails felt his panting calm as he descended to the ground. He leaned against a wall and slid down, his breath still shaky.
"A nightmare… it was all just a nightmare..." he said to himself. But his moment of tranquility was cut short when another thought hit him – what of Sticks? He was alright, and the village was alright, but what about Sticks?
"Tails? What's wrong?" a female asked him. Tails gasped and shot up in his spot. He looked over and felt his heart soar and his tails wag rapidly as his beloved wildflower, Sticks, came walking up with a lantern and a jar of honey.
"STICKS!" he exclaimed in joy, running over to her as fast as Sonic and clutching her tightly. "THANK GOD YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" he cried, tears of joy streaking down his face. Sticks was concerned now. What HAPPENED to him, she wondered…
"Tails… what happened? I was having trouble sleeping, so I was making me some special warm milk to help me relax. I was out of honey, so I went to get some, and I hear you screaming. What's wrong?" Sticks asked. Tails pulled away and sniffled before explaining his nightmare to her in every frightening detail. Sticks gasped after he was done. She now understood perfectly why he screamed, and why he was so happy to see her safe and sound.
"Oh, poor Tails..." she said, hugging his neck softly. "I didn't know you had a nightmare."
"It was horrible." Tails said as a stray tear fell down his cheek. Sticks noticed it and wiped it away with her thumb. She looked eyes with him and smiled warmly.
"It's ok, Tails. It was just a dream. I'm perfectly fine. There's nothing to worry about." she told him soothingly. It always broke her heart to see him in such a state. She hugged him some more as he hugged back, softly sobbing into her shoulder as she rubbed his back comfortingly. Soon, his sobbing stopped and they pulled away. "Would you like to come back with me to my burrow?" Sticks offered. Tails sniffled and shook his head yes. Sticks smiled and took his hand in hers. "Ok. Also, can you hold my jar please?" Tails was happy to do so, and he took the jar from her, holding it in his free hand. And once that was settled, they walked to Sticks' burrow.
When they arrived, Sticks took the jar and went over to the small pot she had over the fire. She got a spoon and scooped up some honey, mixing it inside the milk. After a short while, she took the pot off the fire and placed it close by, She went to get a ladle and scooped some out, pouring it into a cup. "Here you go. Drink this." Sticks said, giving Tails a cup. "It'll help you relax and go back to sleep." Tails smiled and took the cup from her, taking a drink from it. His eyes lit up like those of a small child.
"Whoa, that is good!" he softly exclaimed. "So warm and sweet… and I do I detect cinnamon in there?"
"Uh huh." Sticks replied. "I usually add that to give it a little kick." she explained.
"Well, it's really good. Thank you." Tails said.
"My pleasure Tails." Sticks replied sweetly. The two young lovers enjoyed their drink in silence.
Once they were done, she put the cups in the sink to wash them later, and poured what was left of the milk outside so that other critters could have some. When she came back inside and put the pot in the sink as well, Tails walked up to her. "Yes Tails? What is it?" she asked, almost immediately met by his arms encircling her waist and his lips pressing against hers for a passionate kiss. Sticks melted in the kiss and hugged his neck, one of her legs raising up girlishly. After a few seconds, Tails pulled away, leaving Sticks flustered and smiling. "What was THAT for?" she asked. "Not that I mind..." she added. Tails smiled and rubbed his nose against hers.
"For being there for me when I needed you the most." he replied. Sticks smiled and kissed his cheek.
"Anything for my boyfriend." she replied sweetly.
They share a sweet, tender moment before going to bed. Sticks got on her bed and pat a spot next to her for Tails. He climbed in with her and held her close. Sticks held him close as she brushed her leg against his. Then they pulled the covers over them and shared one last kiss before turning in. "Good night, Tails." Sticks said.
"Good night, Sticks." Tails said back. And soon, they drifted off to sleep. Tails went to sleep with a big smile on his face, no longer haunted by that terrible nightmare. Only happy thoughts and tranquility were on the twin-tailed fox's mind. And it was thanks to Sticks that he was saved and made happy once more.
The End
* This is my first attempt at a more angsty one-shot. Still, how did I do? Was it good, or do I need to try harder next time? Let me know, and be sure to check out my other stories if you enjoyed this one.
