Me:Please don't start yelling at me for not publishing any new chapters! I'm trying though folks, so hold on!
Shadow:Or not.
Me:Did anyone ask you?! Actually, now that I think about it, why are you here?!
Shadow:Sonic had wardrobe malfunction and for some reason I was sent here to take his place.
Me:Hmph, how typical. Anyway, we need to get this started, so do you mind doing the introductions?
Shadow:I mind very muc-
Me:Well, I don't give a flip. Now, just do the introductions before I make a story where you dance around in a dress.
Shadow:Heh. Like you would actually-
Me:*Holds up a notebook with the words 'Shadow the Queen of Dance' at the top*Like I would actually what?
Shadow:*Growls*Fine. I'll do the stupid introductions.*Sighs*Hello people-I-don't-want-to-talk-to and welcome-not really- to 'Remember Those Who Fought'. This story was made to represent Memorial Day and to thank those who fought in the war for our country. Now...
Me:Que the story.*Smirks at Shadow*See? That wasn't so bad!
Shadow:Yes, it was.
Remember Those Who Fought
(Told from Tails' POV)
Explosion.
A large red fiery ball exploded across the middle of the evacuated Crisis City. I could sense that the car I was hidden behind me was melting due to the intense heat. Around me, I heard screams and whimpers coming from the others, worried that those were going to be the last sounds that they were ever going to make. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as my hands tightened on my twin tails in fear, my eyes squeezed. Then, after what felt like an hour, the heat faded away and then the area was silent. I peeled my eyes open one at a time before uncurling from my fetal position and looked around. My small group of friends were panting, probably due to shock, and some them had started to rise to check if everyone was there.
He was missing.
"Where's Sonic?"Called Knuckles, his eyes searching the area like a hawk.
Everyone froze, their eyes wide. They also looked around, making sure that Knuckles hadn't missed a head... or a quill. While they continued to hopelessly look around, I peeked around the corner of the car, narrowly missing the melted part of the car that dripped off the sides. Where a towering robot and a skyscraper once stood, there was now a large smoking pile of twisted metal. Turning my head back to others to see if they would notice, I then rushed off towards the pile. Acting on impulse, I scrambled onto the pile before I started to dig through, not caring about the way the metal cut into my gloves.
I found him.
I was moving a large piece of metal when I saw it.
His gloved hand.
I must've of screamed or shouted for the others suddenly began to call out my name in panic. They scurried out from behind the car like mice, rushing towards me with worry evident in their movements. When they saw what I had uncovered they asked no questions. Instead, they also ran towards the pile and helped me dig him up.
There was something wrong.
Knuckles let out a grunt as he shoved aside a practically large piece of metal that was twisted beyond recognition. He then gave a loud shout before lowering himself down and lifting him up.
I only had to see a flash of blue before I began to move over to Knuckles' side. But as I got close, I then noticed that Knuckles didn't have that look of unsuppressed joy that he had on his face only a few moments ago. No, now he had a look of horror as he studied the hedgehog he now laid on the ground.
"Somebody call an ambulance!"
Confusion.
Why did he say that?
Was something wrong?
I scooted over one more inch before I saw it. The large pools of red that surrounded the bottom of my best friend. I could only take it in for just about a second before I was pushed to the side by Amy. She literally fell to her knees near Knuckles, her eyes stuck on the person who was on the ground. She probably could've stayed that way all day if Knuckles hadn't repeated his message in a more rushed tone.
She blinked once before she took out a cellphone out of the pocket of her dress. Quickly dialing a number, she then waited a second for someone on the other line to pick up the phone and then she spoke, shakily into the phone, her words coming out too fast for me to understand. When she was done, she hung up the phone and placed it into her pocket. She leaned over to Knuckles and whispered something. Knuckles nodded in response to whatever she said before he leaned over and tried what he could do to help Sonic.
Silence.
No one spoke.
I was too shocked, worried, and scared to say anything. Tears had started to flow down Amy's face as she messed with her fingers. Knuckles seemed like he was stuck in his kneeled position, Sonic's head cradled on his knees. Behind me, Rouge stood with Cream near her, the little rabbit's head was pressed into her jumpsuit. Next to them, Shadow had his head to turned to the side, a serious expression on his face as he searched for something in the distance.
Sirens.
A large white ambulance suddenly came down the street, destroying the silent air around us. It's sirens were blaring like crazy as lights on the top of it repeatedly flashed red. It came to a stop a few feet away from us, the doors at the back of it swinging open, revealing a short human man and a small dog, both dressed in a dark blue. Together, the two of them pulled out a yellow stretcher out of the back of the ambulance and rolled it over to us. Knuckles lifted Sonic from the pile of metal and helped bring him down to the two paramedics. When he was close enough, the small dog rushed forward, gently took Sonic, and lowered him to the stretcher. While the small dog began to steer Sonic to the ambulance the short human talked to Knuckles, possibly asking questions on what exactly happened.
Too much happened if you ask me.
When the short human got everything he needed, he followed the small dog, who already loaded Sonic into the back of the ambulance, and climbed in before slamming the door shut. Instantly, the ambulance started up and sped back the way it came.
Realization.
It was quiet then for a moment. But that moment made me realize a few things.
My best friend and big brother was injured.
Bad.
He could be in terrible pain and I wouldn't be there to help take it away.
He may wake up and find himself surrounded by strangers instead of his friends, his family.
He could be in some kind of coma and I wouldn't be there to convince him out of it.
And then I realized the biggest thing.
He could die inside that ambulance and I wouldn't be at his side.
Numbness.
That one realization made my heart throb, my head spin, and made my mouth feel dry.
Sonic could die.
I don't know how long I probably stood there, thinking that one very real possibility before I felt someone sling an arm around my shoulder and lead me down the pile of metal.
I-I think it was Knuckles, for when I looked to the right I swore I saw a red blur with a frown on his face. The red blur-or I mean 'Knuckles'-turned his head to the side and barked something out to the others.
I couldn't quite grasp what he said, but I did hear the word "hospital".
It wasn't hard to figure out where we were going.
Blur.
I almost murmured to Knuckles that we should've just taken the X Tornado, that we would've gotten there faster, but I stopped in the middle of my sentence when I remembered something.
The X Tornado was now apart of that pile of smoking twisted metal.
So, I didn't say anything.
I noticed, though, that as we all walked, that everything started to blur together.
So, I didn't notice when the hospital was only few feet away, it's tall structure towering over us.
So, I didn't notice when we entered and walked up to the front desk.
So, I didn't notice when Amy talked to the lady at the front desk, her voice shaking so hard it was almost impossible to understand the name she was trying to say.
So, I didn't notice when the lady pointed down one of the hallways, quietly giving us a room number.
So, I didn't notice when a nurse stopped us and directed us to the waiting room, making the others whisper to each other in fear.
So, I didn't notice when Knuckles plopped me down in one of the old red torn cushioned chairs.
And I didn't notice the hours ticking by.
I woke up.
I hadn't realized that I had fallen asleep until Knuckles nudged me in the side. Stiff, I stretched before I tossed Knuckles a questioning stare. Instead of answering my silent question, he just pointed down the hallway at someone who was heading towards us. It was a tall grey mobian goose with a lab coat, a stethoscope around his neck, and clipboard in his hands.
The goose stopped a few feet away from us."Um, is the family of Sonic T. Hedgehog here?"
We all stood up, causing the goose to look shocked.
"Okay then."The goose quickly regained his composure and studied the clipboard in his hands."Due to the fact that Sonic was brought in with extreme blood loss, we had to connect him to an IV. Also, we had to conduct surgery due to some metal that managed to slice into some of his bones."The goose smiled."Strong kid, though. The surgery went without an hitch. He should be resting now."
Relief.
Everyone, including me, let out an sigh of relief. I guess I wasn't the only one who was worried about the possibility of Sonic dying.
"Can we go see him now?"Asked Amy, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Yes, but,"Amy stopped mid-step from walking down the hallway and looked back at the goose,"he's under heavy sedation so, he won't be awake for a while. But, I also need to inform you of some other news. Bad news."
Worry.
The joy in the room suddenly dissipated and was replaced with worry.
"What bad news?"Questioned Knuckles, narrowing his eyes at the goose.
The goose fidgeted under Knuckles' narrowed eyes."Well, um, as I said earlier, we had to perform surgery on the bones that were sliced by the metal. But, whenever the metal had sliced through the bones, it also sliced through some of the nerves."
Rouge crossed her arms."Meaning?"
"Well,"the goose swallowed nervously,"It means that Sonic is going to be-"
Everything Froze.
The word that came out of the goose's mouth made everything and everyone around me freeze.
Knuckles and Rouge were frozen in angry positions, the both of them getting up in the goose's face, possibly blaming him for something he couldn't prevent.
Shadow was leaning against one of the corner in the waiting room, casting a slightly sympathetic look down the hospital's hallway, the look possibly directed at Sonic's door.
And last was Amy, who had her hands covering her face, small crystal tears leaking between them, and Cream, who was leaning against her, tears also running down her face as she wrapped her arms around Amy.
Then there was me, standing there in the middle of all of this sadness and anger, not knowing how to feel. All I knew was that this was something that wasn't just going to affect me, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Shadow, or Cream.
It was going to affect Sonic too.
And that's when I knew my world was going to start falling apart.
A Few Months Later...
(Not In Tails' POV)
Tails shook his head, pushing away the memory of what happened a few months ago out of head when he realized that he was squeezing the glue bottle in his hand a little too hard, making it's insides splatter across his piece of paper. Sighing, he placed the glue bottle on the table and attempted to use his glove to wipe away the excess glue. Once he was sure the glue hadn't ruined the paper, he inspected the paper to make sure it was perfect before folding it in half.
'I hope he likes this.'Hoped Tails, trying to line up the corners.
When he finished folding it, he then stood up from his chair, made his way across his cluttered room, and opened up the door. Unsurprisingly, he found Amy standing a few feet away in front of a dark green door, a steaming bowl of soup cradled in one hand.
"Sonic! Come on, open up!"Exclaimed Amy, knocking on the door.
"Go away, Amy."Came a muffled reply from the other side of the door.
"Not until you get something to eat!"
There was a sigh."I'm not hungry."
Amy puffed out her cheeks as she stomped her foot on the ground.'You say that every time! Don't you want to get better?!"
There was no reply to her question. This in turn made her growl.
"Sonic!"She banged her fist on the door once more before trying the doorknob. When it didn't turned, she glared at the door as if it was Sonic in person."Fine! Stay that way! See if I care!"
She turned to leave when she noticed Tails standing in the doorway of his room, a worried expression on his face. The angry look on her face instantly went away and was instead replaced with a small sheepish smile.
"Tails,"she began, giving an awkward chuckle,"how long have you been standing there?"
"Um, just a few minutes."Mumbled Tails.
"So, you saw the..."he nodded, causing her to sigh,"I didn't mean for you to see that Tails."
"It's ok."Said Tails, giving her a weak smile."I'm used to it by now."
She nodded her head, sadness and pity flashing across her features."Of course you are."
Tails looked away from her expression. He was getting increasingly tired of the looks of pity that was thrown towards him nearly everyday. Amy seemed to notice the way he averted his gaze from her and decided to change the subject.
Her eyes landed on the card clenched in his hand."Hey Tails. Who's that for?"
"Oh."He lifted the card and allowed her to see the front of it."It's for Sonic."
"Oh!"She pointed at the card."It's because it's Memorial's Day isn't it?"
Tails nodded."Yeah. I just wanted to give it Sonic to thank him for everything."
"Aw."Amy rushed towards him and scooped him up in a hug."That's so sweet!"
"Amy."Wheezed out Tails, tapping her on the arm."I can't breathe!"
"Hm?"She realized that he was getting a little limp."Sorry Tails!"
She then released him, allowing him to take in a deep breath of relief. While he was regaining his breath, Amy put a hand to her chin in thought.
"You know, that's not a bad idea giving Sonic a card for Memorial's Day."She suddenly brightened and, if it was possible, she probably would've had a lightbulb over her head."I've got to make some phone calls! Here,"she thrusted the steaming bowl of soup into Tails' hand, nearly causing it's contents to spill over it's sides,"give this to Sonic."
"Amy, what-"
He never got to finish his sentence for Amy had already turned her back to him and ran down the hallway, disappearing around the corner. Sighing, he shook his head and looked at Sonic's door.
Flashback
(Back A Few Months Ago)
Tails sighed as he closed the door behind Knuckles, a hand rubbing one of his temples, showing that he had a headache. Another door closing from the hallway next to him caused him to turn look down the hallway.
There was Amy, who was heading towards him, tucking a stray pink quill behind her ear.
"Hey, Am-"
She put a finger to her lips."Shh."She pointed back down the hallway."Sonic's asleep."
Tails nodded, signaling that he understood, and motioned for Amy to follow him. She did so without any protest and together, they walked into the living room, which was a short distance away from the hallway leading down to Sonic's room. When they were far enough, Tails turned and gave Amy a small smile.
"Thanks for helping me bring Sonic from the hospital, Amy."
She waved his thanks away."Anything for a friend, Tails. But,"she smiled a bit,"you know, I could stay here and help you and Sonic."
"No."
She frowned."Ah, come on, Tails! Do you really think you can take care of Sonic the way he is now?"
Tails winced, causing her to look apologetic."Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I-I just meant that maybe I could be some help in helping Sonic get back to his original self."
Tails sighed."I don't know, Amy. I don't want to bother you..."
"But you won't!"Exclaimed Amy before realizing that Sonic was sleeping and lowered her voice."I want to do this. For both you and Sonic. Please, let me help."
Tails thought about it for a moment. He really did know nothing about how to take care of Sonic in his... condition. Meanwhile, Amy was the medical expert in the entire group, she knew about this stuff more than anyone. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad...
He let out a breath."Okay."
"Really!"Amy smiled."Sweet! I'll be right back!"
She rushed around Tails and ran out the living room. A few seconds later, the front door was slammed shut, making Tails flinch.
'I think I made a mistake.'
Tails blinked as the memory faded away, his fist raised to knock on Sonic's door. Getting his head out of the clouds, he then knocked on the door, hoping that Sonic wouldn't sent him away.
"I said to go away Amy."
The slight irritated tone that Sonic spoke with caused him to step back a bit, but he quickly regained his composure."I-It's not Amy, Sonic. It's me, Tails."
"Oh. What do you need, Tails?"
"Um,"he looked down at the card for reassurance,"I brought you something."
Sonic was silent for a while, probably considering whether or not he should open the door in case Tails was teaming up with Amy to get him to eat something. After a few seconds though, Tails heard a small click from the other side.
"Come in."
Tails took a deep breath, building up the nerve to enter the room as he gripped the doorknob. He then opened the door and walked inside Sonic's room.
"Hey, Sonic."
Sonic turned his wheelchair around, revealing the large metallic braces that were on his legs. Tails couldn't help, but notice how Sonic's once ocean colored fur now looked like the sky and his body seemed less muscular and toned and more... like a twig. Knowing that his big brother didn't like it when someone stared at him, Tails averted his gaze and instead studied Sonic's bleary eyes.
Sonic gave him a curt nod."Hey, Tails. What do you need?"
"Well, I-I made you this."He approached Sonic like he was a rabid bulldog who could jump out and bite him on the leg."For Memorial Day."
Sonic raised an eyebrow."Really?"He held out a hand."Let me see it."
Tails nodded and held it out to Sonic. The blue hedgehog took it out of his hand before studying the front of it.
'To:Sonic
From:Tails
Happy Memorial's Day!'
Sonic shook his head at Tails' attempt to write in cursive. He found it strange that the kid probably had an I.Q. of 300, yet he couldn't ever master the art of writing in cursive. Ignoring that fact for now, he then opened up the card, not noticing how Tails suddenly seemed nervous as he placed the bowl of soup on the table beside him.
From the day you rescued me from South Island, you called me your best friend, your little brother, and a part of your family. You never called me a freak or a nerd. You never destroyed any of my inventions, fearing that they would hurt someone, you saw them as cool.
You taught me many things over the years.
You taught me about bravery.
You taught me to trust my gut.
You taught me to never doubt my abilities.
And you taught me about trust.
But most importantly, you taught me about never giving up.
That you should never give up even when you fall down.
That you should never give up even when everything seems hopeless.
That you should never give up even when everyone else is against you.
That you should never give up... even when it seems like you should.
You never did give up before. So why start now?
You're my hero, Sonic. Don't stop being my hero just because of an accident.
Keep going.
Sonic gripped the card tightly in his hands as he stared at the picture at the bottom of the page.
It was of him, standing on top of a building with a red cape, which was tied around his neck, fluttering in the wind behind him. A few feet behind him was Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Cream, Rouge, and surprisingly, Shadow. All of them were cheering him on, a large bubble that said 'Never give up!' above their heads.
Sonic closed the card, studying the front of the card before looking up at Tails, who had his ears flat against the top of his head.
"I-I can understand if you don't l-like it-"
"Tails."
He gulped."Yes, Sonic?"
"Come here."
He obeyed, twirling his fingers nervously as he approached his big brother's wheelchair, almost afraid what Sonic would do. When he was close enough, he stopped where he was and stared down at his feet. He could feel Sonic's gaze boring into the top of his head. He was surprised though when Sonic suddenly flung his arms out and wrapped him in a small hug. Tails was shocked for about a second before he returned the hug.
For the first time in a long while, Tails felt like everything was back to normal. That Sonic was better, that people didn't stare at him with pity, that he didn't constantly hear people say 'I'm sorry', and that his friends didn't whisper behind his back about Sonic's condition.
Sonic pulled away and, to Tails' shock, he smiled at him."Thanks for the card, bro."
Tails blinked, once again shocked, this time that Sonic had actually called him something other than his name."Y-You're welcome."
"Hey, Tails."Said fox picked his head up and looked at his big brother."What time was my appointment again?"
Tails had to think for a moment.
When Sonic was checked out of the hospital, they were told that in order for Sonic to ever regain the ability to walk again, he would have to go therapy. When Sonic was well enough, he absolutely refused to go to any of the therapy sessions. When asked why, he just looked away and remained silent.
"I-I think it was at 3:30 today. But I can't understand if you don't want to go agai-"
"No."Interrupted Sonic, staring at Tails with something that looked determination shining in his eyes."I want to go."
Tails' eyes widened."You do?"
"Yeah,"Sonic smiled again,"I have to get better if I ever want to show up that Faker again."
Tails laughed, something he realized that he hasn't done in forever."Yeah."
There was a knock at Sonic's door. Tails saw Sonic put his hands near his wheels so, he could wheel himself over to open it, but he stopped him.
"I got it."
Sonic nodded and leaned back in his chair, watching as Tails rushed over to the door and opened it. He was confused when the fox started to laugh at what was on the other side.
"What's going on?"He asked, shakily wheeling himself over to the door. What he saw on the other side of it though made him smile."Oh wow."
There, on the other side of the door, was Amy, Knuckles, Cream, Rouge, and, standing in the background with his arms crossed, was Shadow. But, what made Sonic smile was the silly balloons and cards that were held in their hands.
Sonic laughed and motioned to the balloons and cards."What's all this about?"
"What do you think?"Inquired Knuckles. He then pointed to Amy."She practically dragged all of here just give you this stuff for Memorial's Day."
Sonic looked at Amy."Really?"
She nodded, a shy look on her face."Yeah! You do so much for us so, I thought..."
Sonic smiled."Thanks."
Amy returned a smile of her own."Any time."
Tails watched with a content smile on his face as the others literally crowded Sonic with the balloons and cards.
Everything was going to be okay.
About Eight Months Later...
Even though he walked with a bad limp, Sonic the Hedgehog was back on his feet. Thanks to his... family.