Sonic: No Brotherly Love

Prologue (Part I) - The Fall

The sky was a wondrous blue - it's colourful splendour hanging over a dark ocean far below it's great heights. Behind a thin layer of clouds sat the glorious sun, which shone it's blinding rays down upon the water's surface, looking as though a sudden flurry of stars had begun to surface from the ocean's depths. It was as though this place, this vast ocean with a calm sky watching over it, was the perfect picture of peace. And that was why it perfectly hid a dark secret; a secret known only to one until now.

The tranquillity is shattered by the distant sounds of something unnatural; unsettling. It was the sound of air being manipulated, used for a purpose other than carrying oxygen. Flying over the ocean was a large, rectangular shaped object. It was black in colour, and had one large rotor of blades atop it's centre, with a smaller one at the rear on what looked like a tail. It also had three strange shapes underneath it's body, like a triplet of legs, although at their ends were circular shapes. The flying object also had what appeared to be wings at it's sides, which held something else that, unless one was told, was a complete mystery. Contrasting it's dark tone, along the side of the tail was white text that read: G.U.N. It was a Blackhawk helicopter, and not far behind it were a good dozen more, completely identical in appearance.

Jumping over the calm waves of the ocean were boats, which held men and women dressed in military gear who appeared rearing and ready to go. While one person steered the boat, one sat perched at the front, looking down their sights in case they spotted any peculiar activity. Along the sides, the others sat calmly, awaiting news from the upper brass. In the centre of each of these boats sat an individual that stood out from the rest. He had peculiar machinery on his back, with an antenna atop it. In their hands were bulky devices with a square screen on the upper half of it's surface. On the screen, a pale blue line span around and around and around, with only small circles appearing behind and beside the centre, signifying the other boats. Should a red circle appear, they were to alert the others.

However, something peculiar flew way above the boats and just slightly higher than the helicopters. By 'peculiar', it is better to say it was peculiar when compared to the other machinery crossing the ocean, but would be seen as fitting when flying above a city, small town or countryside. It was a biplane, yellow and blue in colour, with a very unique pilot sat in the cockpit.

A young yellow fox, with two tails, was piloting the aircraft, a serious look on his face. Behind him sat another creature, which was blue in colour and certainly not a fox. It sat with it's feet up and hands behind it's head. Or, more accurately, it's quills, for this was a hedgehog.

"Sonic," the fox started, a serious look on his face, "we're nearing the coordinates G.U.N sent us. Are you ready?"

The blue hedgehog, Sonic, opened one of his lidded eyes and smirked confidently, before stating, "Ready whenever you are. I'm itchin' to get this show rollin'."

"Alright," the fox smiled before turning his attention to a strange contraption attacked to the front of his cockpit. "We're ready whenever you are, commander. Just jet us know when you want us to dive."

A firm voice came from the radio, saying, "Roger that. In approximately twenty seconds you'll be right above the target. Dive and then do what you can to retrieve the hostage. You'll be given an hour. After that, we move in. Affirmative?"

"Affirmative," the fox confirmed, then turned his head to look at his friend, asking, "You get that?"

Pulling his pinkie from his itching ear, Sonic echoed the commander's words, "Hostage. One hour." The hedgehog then smirked once again, "Seems they're giving us a little extra time to wreak havoc, huh?"

"We need to be precise, Sonic. Besides, if you go wrecking everyth-," the fox was cut off by the sound of beeping, and then exclaimed, "Alright! We're gonna dive! You ready?"

Sonic gave him a simple thumbs up, and not a second later thick glass shot from one side of each of their cockpits to the other, similar to that of a jet's. Then, the biplane pointed downwards, it's nose now pointed to the direction of the water. The rotor blades came together and bent to form a metallic shield encasing the plane's nose, making it appear like a large arrowhead. Then, the wings came together before bending into the plane's sides, now half the length of what they were but far thicker. The tail remained almost the same, the only difference being that an engine of some sort appeared underneath, just before it's end, and began to emit a humming sound. Within seconds, the plane had transformed into a submarine, but only an instant before it speared into the water.

With the rear engine now propelling them downwards, the hedgehog and his fox friend sat safely in their submarine, venturing deeper and deeper into the ocean's depths.

Before long, when they were surrounded by nothing but the suffocating blackness of the ocean, something caught the pair's attention - a distant, blinking light. Deciding to investigate, the fox increased the speed of the submarine. Even with the increase in speed, the fox took great care to focus on where the sub's lights were pointing, as they were his only indication for whether they were closing in on some rocks. Upon nearing the blinking light, another appeared, but was lower than the one that came before. This was when the fox's ears shot up in realisation; these were lights, not dissimilar to those of a landing strip at an airport, which led pilots to safety by helping them to navigate and deduce what lay ahead. The only difference was, these lights were underneath the ocean's surface, but their purpose was the same. The fox realised that this was perhaps their best shot at finding their 'target', and decided to follow the lights…but did so warily.

The lights led the pair to an opening of a cave, at which the fox asked of his friend, "Are you ready for this?"

Sonic gave his friend a frown and smiled, "What sort of question is that? So long as I'm dry, I'm ready for anything, Tails."

The fox, Tails, smiled in return before steering the submarine into the cave which, upon their entry inside, had underwater vegetation and growth both above and below them. From the vegetation radiated strange and ghostly colours, ranging from the palest of blues to the most mysterious of greens and even sorrowful whites and wondrous pinks. Indeed, it was like stepping into another world. Stalactites and stalagmites were all around, sometimes meeting halfway and conjoining with one another, giving them the appearance of pillars that prevented the entirety of the cave from collapsing onto both Sonic and Tails.

Lights were still attached to parts of the cave's many sides, ceilings and floors, leading the pair down narrow tunnels into other open areas of the cave and then another dozen tunnels.

Eventually, something peculiar stood out to both Sonic and Tails. Not too far in front of them, the lights that had led them seemed to just…end, and in their place stood a thick metallic door, square in shape and dark in colour, making it almost impossible to see lest one was incredibly close. Tails' mouth opened in awe, while Sonic grinned devilishly, as this meant that they had found just what they'd been looking for.

"Now", Sonic started, his grin ever widening, "how do you suppose we get through that?"

Tails studied the door for a moment, before answering, "I have some gear that could help us get through, but just us. Trying to create a gap big enough for the Tornado would take…well, let's just say you don't have the patience and we certainly don't have the time."

"Alrighty then! So…who's going out into the water?" The hedgehog asked with a knowing smirk.

Tails looked at him with furrowed brows and commented, "Well, we know who isn't going into the water."

And with that, Tails put on a breathing mask which had a tube leading to a small, square-shaped metal container of air at his side, attached to a belt - an invention he had crafted a while ago so as to make the gear used for underwater exploration far more compact and easier to manoeuvre. He also took with him a pair of goggles, unusual gloves and a small device, one that looked like a paint gun with a small cylinder attached underneath.

Using his twin-tails like a pair of rotors, the fox propelled himself, once he entered the water, towards the large metallic door. Once he reached it, he held the device he had taken with him just a few inches from the door and pulled on the trigger, holding it in place, and bright blue flames blazed out in a concentrated manner, making it's heat cover a small space but by doing so intensified it's effects dramatically. Tails made a circular shape in the metallic door and, once it was complete, held his hand at it's centre and used his other hand to twist the wrist area of the glove, which had a small black 'band' around it. The glove then gave off a sound similar to that of a lock before Tails pulled his hand away from the door, while also pushing his body backwards using his twin-tails, with the metal circle he had formed being held at his fingertips. Once the metallic circle had been fully separated from the door, it began to pull Tails down due to it's great weight, leading the fox to once again twist the 'band' on the wrist area of his glove, which then detached the circle from his hand, allowing it to fall to the cave's depths.

Tails then turned to face the submarine, and noticed Sonic had fallen asleep, much to the fox's irritation. He remotely turned the frequency of an earpiece he had given Sonic before leaving the sub right up, and it wasn't long until the hedgehog jumped up, fully awake due to the horrific noise of endless screeching. He shot Tails a glare before the fox signalled for him to follow. Sonic's face dropped, and sweat began to form on his forehead. He hated the ocean; hated it more than anything else, but knew that he had to face his fear, put on the diving gear and allow Tails to pull him through the hole in metallic door, since the hedgehog himself couldn't swim. Perhaps that was why he hated the ocean. Perhaps it was a bad experience he had long ago. Only he knew, but one thing was for certain: Sonic wasn't going to do it without complaining the entire time, something that Tails was all too aware of, and so readied his earpiece to be on the lowest possible volume for when the hedgehog entered the water.

Once he left the safety of the sub, Sonic immediately began to move frantically, as though he was trying to fend off the water that surrounded him. Tails made his way towards his friend and grabbed his wrist, which immediately put the hedgehog at ease. Or, at least, calmed him to some degree. After using his 'rotors' to propel them, Tails made his way through the small opening in the metallic door, pulling Sonic alongside him. When they were through, it was even darker than where the pair had come from, as there was no glowing vegetation or growth, nor was there the comforting white lights that the submarine used to illuminate the blackness.

The two friends looked at one another, and then upwards. They then began their ascent, and as they did so Tails pondered on what they - him, Sonic and their friends - would do if this mission was a success. Would they simply live out their lives, like so many? It was a possibility for the others and himself, but what of Sonic? The blue hedgehog lived for adventure, danger and the exploration of the unknown. If they removed their prime source for these, where did that leave him? The fox thought back to a book he had read, one that told the story of what a hero, someone who was so dedicated in eradicating the evil of another person, does when they achieve such a goal? At first, they were lost and without a calling, but managed to pull through in the end and learnt to enjoy the life they then led. But…this was Sonic, the walking, talking definition of stubborn, so could even he learn to let go? Only time would tell…

Before long, the pair reached the surface of the water, which was being prevented from rising any higher by stone ledges that had yellow and black stripes painted on them. On the ceiling were dim lights, so it was no wonder the two friends had not seen them when further below. There were iron catwalks that led to metallic doors, similar in appearance to the one they had just gotten through, albeit on a smaller scale.

Tails pulled them both towards one of the ledges, with Sonic humming the tune from a popular spy movie as he did so. The two climbed out, began removing their diving gear and Tails lifted his arm to look at his wrist that had a watch strapped around it, which looked weathered and old but still very much ticked and tocked. He then twisted the watch's side, and the arms at the centre were replaced with a lens. He aimed the lens all around the room, now clicking the side to take a picture.

After taking off the last of the diving gear, Sonic sighed in relief before asking, "What're you doing?"

"Just taking some photographs for G.U.N.", the fox stated, "they want as much intel on this place as possible."

"Even after what's gonna happen?" The hedgehog questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Tails shrugged and answered, "Guess it never hurts to have more intel."

"It doesn't hurt, buddy, but it's a waste of time. Let's get this whole thing done with ASAP, 'kay?" Sonic suggested with a smirk.

The fox shook his head, "They'll chew my ear out if I-"

"Yeah, yeah…put it on the report that it was my fault, okay? Say I, uh, rushed you or something. We know they won't give me any trouble," Sonic proposed, while walking away.

Tails chuckled slightly with a friendly smile on his face, still amused at how unashamedly arrogant his friend could be. "You're not untouchable, Sonic."

"Maybe not…," the hedgehog began while looking away, before turning towards his fox friend with a grin, "but I've made it this far, right? I'm lucky like that."

Tails now followed after his friend as they made their way up a catwalk, and commented, "Perhaps it's not so much luck as it is, oh I don't know, me and the others looking out for you?"

Sonic couldn't hold back a chuckle, and said, "Could be that, too. But it's mostly luck. Or my speed. Heck, it could be these good looks o'mine, and Egghead would just feel too cruel in ridding the world of such a beauty!"

"The only people who think you're a beauty is yourself and Amy."

The blue hedgehog stopped just before going through one of the metallic doors. "Well, Amy has a good taste. Perfect, even!"

Tails then muttered, and spoke in a wondering tone, "Now all she needs is a perfect way to catch you…"

"You help her and I'll never forgive you," Sonic declared quietly, grabbing his friend by the arms while staring into him a serious look.

Tails simply smiled wickedly in return before pulling out a small device from his utility belt, attaching the wires that were on it's side to a scanner on the wall, right of the door.

Sonic placed his back against the stone wall to the left of the same door, crossed his ankles and arms, before saying, "Besides, she's not talking to me."

"Oh?" Was all Tails managed to conjure, as he was too focused on trying to gain them access.

"Yeah. Ever since I borrowed some of her make-up, she's had it in for me - chasing me around with that hammer of hers."

Tails looked away from what he was doing for a second, and asked bewilderedly, "Why…did you borrow Amy's make-up?"

Sonic look at his friend plainly for a moment, before shrugging and answering, "Knuckles was asleep."

"Oh."

"But it was a masterpiece, if I say so myself. She should be proud of what I made, not going on about how I wasted her 'expensive miracle workers for such childish exploits'!" The hedgehog proclaimed.

Tails gave his friend a quick glance. "She really said that?"

"Yeah. Knuckles barely comes to visit us, as it is! So when he decides, in what I can only describe as a fleeting moment of madness, to fall sleep while in my company at your workshop, I have to do something! And the whipped cream and feather is just too cliché nowadays." Sonic explained, earning a laugh from Tails, whom had nearly cracked the door.

"Amy doesn't wear make-up most of the time, right? Why would she even need it?" Tails questioned, genuinely curious.

Sonic pondered for a moment, placing a finger to his chin and scratching in thought, before saying, "I haven't seen her wearing make-up. Ever. She was probably saving it for some special occasion."

Tails' head shot up, and his eyes widened in realization of why Amy had the make-up. She was just waiting for Sonic to ask her out on a date. A real one, and wanted to look her best for when the time came. If it came.

Tails was about to lecture the hedgehog when the blue blur stated, "Wow. If she really was waiting for the right time to use it…for, ya know…I feel kinda bad. I should get her some more and apologise."

Tails was pleased with his friend for realising his mistake and what the make-up was meant for.

He was anyway, right before Sonic said, completely genuine with his words, "It wouldn't be right that I'm the one to put the make-up on Knuckles, especially when she'd been waiting so long for him to pay us all a visit. That's a special occasion, alright. I'm so…so selfish."

Tails face-palmed himself just before the door opened.

"Well, that's this door dealt with. Just a possible two-thousand more to go." Tails then saw Sonic's face sink, as he hated the thought of waiting so long again. "Don't worry, I have the codes now."

Sonic sighed in relief, and said, "Don't do that again, buddy. Never again. My ticker just couldn't take it."

Tails laughed quietly as the two made their way through the door and onwards, making progress in completing their objective.

Sadly, nothing could prepare them for what was about to transpire…

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Well, here's the first part of the prologue for Sonic: No Brotherly Love. This is a retelling of my original, now ancient, story No Brotherly Love, as it will focus on the same initial idea, but have significant differences. There's two parts as I feel the prologue would be too much to digest in one sitting and would benefit from having the time and care taken in setting up the events for the story. It also gives me time to write carefully and constructively rather than rushing. This story, however, is written collaboratively with The Wandering Looney, so check them out! They have their own solo story that they're writing!

Thanks for reading!