Honestly, this fic is just a test to see people's reactions, it was something I had to get off my chest.
Inspired by Pink Floyd's song "Comfortably Numb."
This is not a song fic, lyrics will be kept to an absolute minimum.
If you've never heard the song before... surround headphones now, YouTube now, 1080HD now. In the song, there is literally a 5 minute long orgasm to your ear guitar solo. In fact just listen to Pink Floyd in general, it's all awesome! (cept their early stuff.)
Takes place after episode 78 of Sonic X. Really dark story, saying more will ruin it.
Don't own a thing here.
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain you would not understand
This is not how I am
I have become... comfortably numb.
Eggman just stood there...
Stood there, not even caring he had been discovered by Amy and that rabbit girl.
Eggman just stood there...
"Hey Tails, got us some chilli dogs!" Sonic exclaimed as he ran through the heavy metal door to the fox's oil and grease stained workshop, a quick search of the entire complex and Sonic saw no sign of the kitsune fox, "Hmmm, wonder where he could have gone?" Sonic said to himself. "Must be in the can."
Running into his and Tails shared kitchen he quickly stashed away some of the chilli dogs in the fridge for Tails, before proceeding to sit down with the rest of them the lounge.
Turning on the TV and switching over to the news he saw the usual, him and the rest of the freedom fighters once again defeating Eggman, Sonic watched as a particular good camera angle showed Tails blasting uncountable amounts of robots into oblivion with his trademark X-Tornado.
That was the funny thing about the kid, almost everything he does turns into a trademark, those trademark tails, that trademark nickname (which was pretty much his real name now.) the trademark grin, the trademark Tornado, the trademark X-Tornado, that trademark happy personality, the trademark "break the laws of physics, biology and nature by spinning your tails fast enough to mimic a frickin rotor blade"
And what did Sonic have?
Speed? The fox boy himself could almost take him on and he hadn't even hit puberty yet, as well as actually being faster than he was in the X-Tornado.
Power? Tails just wasted an entire battalion of robots in under three seconds on the TV, course now the TV was showing Amy smacking away Eggman's Egg-Mobile with her *sigh* trademark Piko Piko hammer.
Intelligence? Sonic memorized the definition of 'rhetorical' for this very question, he had heard rumours that Tails intelligence even surpassed that of the good doctor.
Yep, Sonic "Maurice" hedgehog felt like shit, even heard Tails laughing in his head.
And what did Sonic have, just his speed until Tails finally beat him in a race, and his not so unique doushbag attitude, thanks only to Knuckles and Shadow being around.
He was able to keep his "trademark" spindash until Shadow came around... but he didn't care about Shadow at the moment, Tails was still able to pull off his own version of the thing by simply jumping and wrapping his 'trademarks' around him to smash this shit outa anything he hits, the pure brute force his trademarks gave him alongside his fur actually turning razor sharp, made Tails spindash even deadlier then his own version, that's not even counting what happens when he actually sticks his trademarks out.
That was another thing, Tails was easily the best hand to hand combatant out of the group as well, perhaps not as physically strong in body as himself, Shadow or Knuckles, he could use his fucking "trademarks" as another pair of arms or legs to compensate for his own loss in upper body strength, and then they fucking hurt when used as clubs.
There was that fucking laughing in his head again, happy, joyous... and more heart warming than half a bottle of high grade percentage beverage, with the added ability of sticking in his head more effectively then porn to an adolescent schoolboy.
Another god damn trademark... his laugh... his fucking laugh...
Just stood there...
"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" the little rabbit girl yelled, never had Eggman heard such language from Cream, nor would he expect it under different circumstances.
Just stood there...
"Do you know why you're here?"
"No..."
"Hmmmm."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Doctor Quack..."
"HA... HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Yes, I get that a lot..."
"You don't say..."
"Yes, Quack isn't exactly the best name for a physiologist now is it?"
"In the nut house?"
"hmmm... yes, well since you don't seem to know why you're here..." Quack stated, pushing his chair to the back of his office and grabbing a generic brown folder, "let's have a refresher shall we?"
Trademarks... trademarks...
Laughing... laughing...
"Tails!" Sonic yelled, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LAUGHING AT!" he screamed into the hill above, his trademarks visibly silhouetted against the dark starry sky behind him.
"Sonic... Sonic, come up here, it's a miracle!"
"What?" Sonic said, Tails hushed voice could be heard momentary before he answered again.
"Just come here." Tails said, giggling. Sonic decided to give in and just go up there to see what all the fuss was about, after all, if he was talking to someone up there.
"Ok Tails... What is it?" Sonic asked, Tails looked to the left and started laughing again.
"It's Cosmo, she's returned!" Tails exclaimed, jumping up and down with his hands on Sonic's shoulders.
"Tails, what are you talking about?" Sonic asked, looking around for the Seedarian girl.
"Look, right here..." Tails exclaimed as he pointed to Cosmo, Sonic looked shocked for a second before replying.
"Tails..."
"Isn't it great, she's back... she's back, Cosmo's back!"
"Tails... there's no one there!"
"I faintly remember that now..."
"Do you remember what happened next Miles?" Quack asked, grabbing a notebook and pen out of his table draw in preparation for note taking.
"Please, call me Tails..." Tails said softly, looking downwards.
"Hmmm... ok, but can I ask why?" Quack asked as he took a note.
"I... I just prefer to be called that... its nicer sounding and doesn't sound like 'miles per hour'." Tails said. Dr Quack looked at him for a second before writing the answer.
Ironic... his two greatest enemy's and two best friends were the same people.
Just stood there, as Amy walked up to him, summoning her hammer.
Enemy's... no...
The hedgehog... his greatest competition and polar opposite.
The fox... his greatest rival and only equal.
Just stood there...
The hedgehog came first, battling him in and his badniks through the green hill zone.
Just stood there...
Was that when his life got a purpose? When he swore to kill that blasted hedgehog after he trashed his "Wrecking Ball?"
"So, I repeat the question... do you remember what happened next?" Quack asked.
"I was forced into the rehab centre." Tails replied.
"Very good Tails..." Dr Quack complemented as he quickly noted that down, underlining the word 'forced' in thick, heavy blue pen, "... and why was that?"
"I was taking drugs." Tails replied, disappointment was clear in his voice. Dr Quack looked at the fox briefly, wondering what to think.
On the one hand, Miles was telling the truth and sounded disappointed.
On the other hand, Miles was a cleaver fox and could be acting in hopes of a shorter term, and the drugs looked like they had nothing to do with the condition he was sent he for.
"Can you tell me Tails, what were the drugs called?" Dr Quack asked, wondering how the fox would answer this particular question. Quack watched on as the fox internalised the question for a few seconds.
"I'm... not sure, I made them myself down in my workshop..." Tails said, suddenly frowning "but it's been so long, the only thing I can remember putting into it was cedar oil."
"And why is that?" Dr Quack asked, genuinely curious.
Trademarks... trademarks...
"Would this become a trademark?" Sonic thought as he walked over to the chemical station in the fox's lab, the greenish brown powder lay in a small bowl over by the window.
'Tails the fox, world's greatest hero, fastest thing alive, greatest genius this planet has ever seen?'
'Tails the fox, addict?"
No, Tails was better than that.
Trademarks... trademarks...
Shoes... shoes...
These shoes were trademarks...
These shoes were their trademark...
Their trademark...
Brothers...
The only reason he himself was the hero, was that Tails didn't like fame.
Fame...
It was already all over the news... Tails addiction, how he invented a new type of super drug in his workshop, just for shit's and gigs.
Addiction...
Brothers...
"Those journalists will have something to write about in the morning"
Just stood there...
When he first saw Tails for the first time in the emerald hill zone, he couldn't help but laugh at the site of the mutant fox and chastises Sonic for bringing a kid into his war.
Just stood there...
Boy was he in for a surprise.
"Get your hands off me! SONIC, HELP!" Tails cried as he reached out for his hero's supportive grasp.
None was given.
"Sonic?" Tails whimpered as a syringe went through his neck, "Ple... ase... hel...p..m..."
"Because hedgehogs are allergic to cedar oil." Tails stated, "I remembered that because of Sonic." Quack was genuinely surprised at this statement, taking his time to think this piece of knowledge over.
"You look up to him... don't you?" Dr Quack asked, clicking his pen out.
"Yes, we're brothers." Tails replied happily as he swung his feet between the chair legs, enjoying this simple piece of freedom he had while he laughed happily.
"Why are you laughing Tails?" Quack asked.
"Small things doctor... Small things..."
"Small things?"
"Small freedom's doctor, small little freedom's." Tails replied with a happy smile, Dr Quack looked slightly downcast as he quickly scrawled down some small and invaluable notes.
"Why does that bring you to laughter?" Dr Quack quizzed, if it was from anyone else he wouldn't expect a proper answer.
"Because I can simply enjoy them... because you never took this freedom away..." Tails chided, "Please don't take this away from me!" Dr Quack again spent time mulling over his answer.
"Are you afraid of losing your freedom, of being locked up?" he asked.
"Isn't everybody doc?" Tails retorted.
"Could you tell me some simple freedoms that you miss Tails?" Dr Quack asked, flipping over to another, spacier page.
"I miss being able to move my arms and brush my own teeth..." Tails instantly stated, Dr Quack looked up in surprise at the answers speed. "I miss working on my machines and swishing my tails..."
Dr Quack stopped his note taking; he could always go over the tapes in an hour. Grabbing a tissue and wiping the fox's eyes, he sat down and let Tails continue.
"... I miss my home, no our home... I miss being able to brush my fur... I miss flying the tornado... I... just miss flying by myself... I miss my friends... I miss Sonic..."
"What are you most scared of?" Dr Quack asked, retrieving his notebook again.
"I'm scared of this place... I'm scared of my friends dying when I'm in this place... I hate this place, I hate the pills, I hate the electro shock and I hate you!" Tails said sincerely.
"Why... do you hate me?" Quack asked, he was used to this kind of answer from inmates but the reasons were always trivial, something told him that this time wasn't.
"Because of what you want me to become! Of what you want to change into!"
"Change..."
"Into a gibbering, mindless fool, tottering around with his little plastic card that has SANE written on it in big red letters! Showing it to everyone whilst asking 'hey buddy, where's yours?'"
"Tails... I understand what you're saying..." Quack said, Tails just shook his head quoting
"Horseshit."
"It's highly unusual, but I'm prepared to grant you some of your small freedoms."
Trademark...
Was this to become his trademark... a trademark of his very own?
Stupid trademark...
Stupid blood...
"Come on Sonic... stay with us..." Amy screamed forcing his eyes open and peering into his green eyes.
"Stu-pid trad-emar-ks..."
Fame, love and sacrifice, three trademarks the hedgehog had, three trademarks he overlooked and three trademarks that killed him.
In the morning, Tails was found dead in his holding cell with a snapped neck.
They had removed his straight jacket and unbound his tails, and he had committed suicide.
Freedom and regulation was what drove the fox, freedom and regulation was what killed him when he never had it.
Pulling the 44. Magnum from his pocket, he pointed it at the head.
Stood there... just stood there...
Not Amy's, the rabbit girl's or her mother.
Stood there...
His own...
Stood there... just stood there...
Pulled the hammer back with his thumb...
Stood there...
And fired...
Stood there... lay there... breathed no more, atop the graves of Sonic and Tails.
He wanted friends, this was the best relationship he could find.
He never realised it, until it was too late.
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb