Chapter 1
Sonic and Tails are relaxing on the beach in front of their home. A table sits on either side of them with a drink on each one. The temperature is a wonderful 80 degrees with a nice, cool breeze off the ocean. Its sunny with not a cloud in the sky.
Sonic and Tails had just defeated Dr. Robotnik in another attempt to take over the world. A nice day of relaxation was in their favor. They both needed it. This last fight wasn't really the cleanest. Sonic had a couple of broken ribs and Tails suffered a broken tail and dislocated shoulder.
(flashback) "Oof! Ahhh! My tail!" Tails screams as he hits the ground.
"Tails! Are you alright?" Sonic yells back.
Tails motions to his right tail. "I think its broken! I can't fly anymore!" he shouts. Tails then gets hit with a mechanical tentacle and flies into a tree. He yelps in pain and grasps his left shoulder.
Sonic runs over to him. "Are you alright Tails?" he asks.
Tails shakes his head and says, "No, I'm not. I got slammed into a tree and now I think my shoulder is broken!" Tears stream out of the young fox's eyes.
"Just stay here and out of the line of fire." Sonic commands. Tails nods and runs behind a tree.
"SONIC!" the machine says with a bellowing voice. "You won't escape me this time!" Sonic looks at the machine angrily. One of the tentacles rushes toward him. Sonic runs at the machine and tucks into a ball. Another tentacle comes out of nowhere, it seems, hits Sonic and slams him against a tree. The tentacle has Sonic pinned up against the tree and is slowly crushing him. He hears and feels his chest snapping. Sonic then hears Tails shouting at the machine, distracting it.
Sonic is dropped from the tree and hits the ground. With his chest in a lot of pain, he looks over at Tails. He sees Tails get grabbed by the machine. Thinking about what might happen to his best friend and "little brother", Sonic quickly gets up, rolls into a ball, and speeds to the machine. He goes through the other side, bounces off a boulder, and goes through a second time. The machine trembles and starts exploding, letting go of Tails. As Tails starts falling, Sonic runs and catches him. They both take cover behind a boulder as the machine explodes. Pieces of metal rain down from the sky. The smell of burning oil fills the air, a welcomed smell to Sonic and Tails.
They both look at each other and Tails asks, "Are you alright, Sonic?" in a painful way.
Sonic winces, "I'll be fine. Your not in the best of shape either." Tails sniffles and laughs.
Sonic carried Tails home. The fight really tired Tails out and he was in shock from the broken tail. It was a grueling walk home. Sonic didn't want to hurt Tails anymore than he already was and running made his chest hurt a lot. They finally get home and Sonic puts the cast on Tails tail. He then wraps himself up and, after putting Tails to bed, he goes to sleep, painfully.
(present day) Sonic lifts up his sunglasses and looks at Tails. Tails is staring at the sky just basking in the sun. His fur is slightly tarnished from a little dry blood, his right tail in a cast. Sonic then looks at himself. He still has a little dry blood from the fight as well as the bandages around his chest.
Sonic then asks, "How's the tail, Tails?"
Tails lifts up his sunglasses and looks over at Sonic. "Its gettin' there. How 'bout you?" he replies.
"Same." as Sonic touches his left side and winces a little. Sonic then starts thinking about the fight. 'That didn't seem right' he thought. 'That machine seemed more tough than usual. Not too mention that Tails and I got seriously hurt.' Sonic couldn't help but think about it. It just didn't seem like Dr. Robotnik at all. It was like he really wanted to kill off Sonic and Tails. 'Eh, no use worrying about something that hasn't even happened yet.' he thought. Sonic puts his shades back on and continues to not think.
Tails gets up and takes a sip of his drink. He notices its pretty much empty so he asks Sonic if he needs a refill.
"Not yet Tails." Sonic replies.
Tails gets up and starts for the house. "Alright then. I'll be right back."
Sonic looks up at Tails and says, "Don't try to fly. It'll only hurt more."
"I know, I know." says Tails, sarcastically. He gets his drink and comes back outside. He rejoins Sonic and lays down, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Enjoying yourself Tails?" Sonic asks.
Tails smiles happily and replies, "Oh yeah. This was well worth the broken tail." He folds his arms behind his head. He then continues, "It should be a while before Robotnik builds another machine."
Sonic turns and faces Tails. "Was there anything about that last fight that seemed a little unusual to you?" he asks.
"Like what?" Tails replies.
"It seemed to me that Robotnik was really trying hard to knock us off." Sonic explains. "He's been passive about it in the past. Doesn't it seem odd?
"Well kind of. But isn't that what Robotnik wants? To get rid of us in order to rule the world?" Tails asks.
Sonic answers, "Personally, I think he just keeps around for fun."
"Oh I see." Tails says. "Robotnik thinks of us as pets to torture and torment."
Sonic snickers and replies, "I guess you could say that. Without us, he wouldn't have anything else to do with his miserable life." Tails pushes his shades down and looks at Sonic.
"All I'm saying is that I think Robotnik is getting bored." Sonic says. Tails then looks away, worried.
"Well," Sonic says, "for right now, I wouldn't worry about it Tails. For now, we relax and heal." Tails nods and puts his shades over his eyes. 'Damn it Sonic,' Tails thinks, 'now you've got me worried.'