Now it's my turn

I never thought I'd be the one put in this situation. My brother is badly hurt and I am not sure how serious the wounds are. I'm not a hero Sonic is. What am I going to do? Oh gods am I scared!

Several SWAT-BOTs lumbered toward me with their red eyes blazing. I tried to run but I couldn't leave Sonic, I just couldn't.

"k-kiddo…l-leave me….save…save..yourself."

"I can't leave you!" I wailed. "You are all I've got!"

I still can't believe a day that started out so right has turned into this…

Earlier that day

"Sonic WAKE UP!" I screamed. I was tired of waiting on him to get up. He promised to take me fishing almost three hours ago.

"Nggg? Lil bro? W-What time is it?" My big brother said groggily.

"It's nearly eleven Sonic. You said we would go fishing at nine! Come ON!" I said in my favorite pouty voice that tended to get me my way. I wasn't spoiled by any means so don't even think it.

I saw Sonic flinch and slowly crawl out of bed. "S-Sorry kiddo. I was out late on a mission and I lost track of time. I promise once I wake up we will go. That ok with you?"

I nodded happily. "Yeah!" However my happiness slowly faded when I noticed a large red stain on Sonic's bed. I was afraid to mention it because he would only deny anything was wrong.

Sonic took another hour to get ready. I assumed it was because he was dressing his wounds. It is times like this I wish I could go on every mission so that I could help him. I love him so much I couldn't bear to lose him.

"Yo Tails you ready go?" Sonic said with a smile. It seemed to me that everything must have been taken care of. I ran up and hugged Sonic and didn't let go for a few moments.

"Tails? What is with the sudden affection here? I don't think our fishing trip would cause a hug like that.

"Just thought you needed a hug." I said kicking at the ground.

"Well I appreciate it. Come on kid get up on my shoulders and I'll juice us to the biggest lake this side of Mobius."

I got on my brother's shoulders and pointed toward the lake. "To the lake Jeeves and step on it."

"Yes sir!" Sonic said with a salute and sped off as fast as he could toward the lake.

I always loved it when Sonic carried me places. The feeling of the wind rushing by me made me really feel like everything would be ok. That one day I'd be able to look back on all of this with fond memories. How Sonic made something like this horrible war tolerable for a young war orphan like me.

"Sonic are you sure it is safe for us to go out here to fish?" I yelled hoping Sonic could hear me.

"If it wasn't would I bring you?" Sonic said patting me on my side.

"Yes…I think you would just for the thrill." I said laughing.

It wasn't very long before Sonic and me reached our destination and started to fish. It was beautiful.

"Sonic….this place?"

"I know lil bro. I want to have my wedding out here. Isn't it awesome?

"Wedding? Are you thinking about something here?" I said. I swallowed hard, hoping that didn't mean he was ready to send me away.

"Well…yeah kid. Someday I want to get married. God knows how long it will be before marriage would make sense. It is hard enough to believe I manage to take care of a kid and have time to take him fishing during a time like this."

I nodded as I threw out my line and sat down on the ground. "I know. I'm sorry that I've made life so much harder for you…but…I'm grateful for you."

Sonic turned and faced me. "Sorry? Kid…you are the reason I fight. Don't even start that stuff with me."

Several hours went by without incident. Sonic ran and got us some chili-dogs for lunch and we both ate them hungrily. After that I don't remember too much until later that evening.

"TAILS WAKE UP!" Sonic screamed at me and shook me hard.

"Sonic? W-what is wrong?"

"Robotnik found us! I don't know how he found us but he did."

I cowered in fear at the sound of Robotnik's name. "W-What do w-we do?"

"We fight kiddo. I recall you wanting to start fighting with me right?"

"Well….yeah…but…I thought we'd start out a little smaller than this."

Robotnik seemed to grow tired of our talking and brought his hover car down to our level.

"Ahh Sonic good to see you again. I know it was you that destroyed my factories last night. I saw video proof of it. You cost me a lot of time hedgehog. For that you will pay. I brought my brand new creation so it can have the pleasure of killing you.

I peeked out from behind Sonic and saw something that will probably haunt me for all time. Robotnik's new soldier was clearly at one time a Mobian…but he had done something to it. It looked like he had fused it with robotic parts. Like an android of some type.

"S-Sonic what did he do to that poor fox?" I asked nervously. "Please don't let him take me!"

With that Robotnik unleashed the robotic fox with a battalion of SWAT-BOTs. "Sorry if I don't stay for the party, but I have towns to decimate, Mobians to roboticize….you know…dictator stuff."

I noticed Sonic was shaking with rage. He pushed me back and looked at me with serious eyes. "Tails I want you to stay behind me at all times. Watch what I do. If you can mimic me, then go for the SWAT-BOTs. Leave this new abomination to me."

I looked at my big brother with adoration. "Gotcha Sonic. I'll do my best. I promise."

Sonic ruffled my hair and sped off towards the nearest bots, however, he didn't get far before the once alive android stopped him in his tracks.

"Priority subject: Sonic the hedgehog. You are to come with me quietly. Do so and no harm will come to you."

"I really don't think so." Sonic said as he punched the bot in the fleshy part of his face. The bot took the blow and smiled.

"My turn."

The bot slammed its fist into Sonic's mid section causing him to double over in pain. Once he hit the ground the bot began kicking him and causing massive amounts of damage to Sonic's body. I never thought he would go down so easy. He always looked so untouchable to me and now here he lays in front of me broken and bleeding."

"T-Tails…..he is too strong. Run…."

I couldn't move. I was frozen in fear.

"K-Kiddo…r-run….l-leave me here."

I ran up and blocked the one time Mobian from reaching Sonic.

"I can't leave you here. You were already hurt before you brought me here. I can't leave you to die."

The android laughed. "Don't worry we don't want him dead. We want him to become one of us."

My stomach turned. "Over my dead…."

Sonic squirmed. "N-No….don't…." Sonic said as he pushed me away from the android. The laser bolt that was designed for me ended up hitting Sonic in the shoulder and knocked him back to the ground.

"I told you….to…run." Sonic said his teeth gritted.

I felt braver for some reason. "No. I am not running."

All I could think about was all of the things Sonic did for me. How he always made sure I was fed and warm. How he made sure I was entertained and enjoyed life. More importantly how he made me feel like I belonged when no one else would.

"Come here android. It's between you and me now."

I felt a strength inside me I had never felt before. All of a sudden I wasn't afraid anymore. Once the android stepped toward me I used my tails to increase my speed and I tackled it as hard as I could. I cried in pain as I hit him.

"Nice try little one, but I'm a lot stronger than you think." The android began to throw a series of punches towards me, but I managed to dodge most of the blows. The one blow that connected knocked me back several feet and I slid into Sonic's very damaged body.

Sonic's eyes grew wide when he saw my bloody face. "Tails….use your brains…..don't try and out muscle that thing." Sonic tried to get back up and help but he just couldn't. "Bro…it's up to you. I still wish you'd just leave me."

"Never!"

I stood back up and checked my surroundings. There wasn't much for me to use against him except the lake itself. However, throwing him into would do no good.

The android began shooting several volleys at me, but I was too fast. I dodged many blasts including blasts from the much slower SWAT-BOTs. The android didn't seem to care what he hit in his attempts to take me down as he destroyed one of his own fighters.

That was when the idea hit me.

I quickly ran over to the downed SWAT-BOT and forced open it's chest cavity. Once I got it opened, I took out its fusion battery. It didn't seem to complicated and I was able to arm it while avoid the android's fire.

"What are you doing Miles? Just come with me and I promise it will end swiftly." The android said.

"mmm That is quite alright." I said as I began to rev up for one last body slam. Once I got up my speed I took off with the fusion battery stuck out in front of me. I slammed my battery hand into the chest of the android and managed to get it stuck in the android.

"Nice try young fox…but you will die too." The metal fox began to laugh and I began to cry. I had failed. I was no hero. That was what Sonic was for. What would he do it this situation? I looked over at my fallen brother in desperation.

All I saw was him mouth 'Run'.

I immediately began to try and run, but my hand was stuck in the android's chest. I just kept trying to run, trying to break free. I could hear the battery reaching critical levels. I couldn't break through. I just couldn't.

Then all of a sudden with more luck than one person should have, my arm broke loose and I was able to run back and protect Sonic's broken body from the explosion. I felt shrapnel go into my body and I cried out in pain. I could feel Sonic shifting from hearing me cry out. I knew it was tearing him up to hear me being hurt.

Once the mixture of machine and Mobian parts finished falling, I lifted myself off of Sonic and looked at him. "Sonic….can I help you up?"

Sonic stared at me. "Y-you saved me. You saved me when you should have ran and saved yourself. Why didn't you risk yourself for me? I'm just a run-down hedgehog."

I had tears well up almost immediately at that comment. "You are not run down. I know you were already hurt." I continued to talk and cry at the same time. "I saved you because you'd have done it for me….that…and because….well….It's hard to come across new family members. I didn't really want to see my new family die in front of my face."

Sonic smiled weakly. "Well…I think you are ready for prime time…what do you think?"

I embraced my brother…father…whatever he really is to me and held him tight. "I think I am ready…but now…let's just rest and let me rejoice in the fact that my big brother is still here with me."

"Do I really mean that much to you kiddo?"

I pulled a piece of shrapnel out of my back almost a half a foot long. "Yeah I think so."

Sonic laughed and hugged me tight.

"I love you kiddo"

"I love you too big bro. I promise I'll never leave you."

"And I'll never leave you."

The End