It was supposed to be like any other rescue mission. It should have been routine for Sonic the Hedgehog. Dr. Eggman's machine exploded over the sea after taking a powerful hit from the hedgehog, Amy Rose was accidentally knocked into the ocean, and Sonic jumped into the water after her to bring her back to the boat he had been on with his other friends: Tails the Fox, Knuckles the Echidna, Cream the Rabbit, and Cheese the Chao. Of course, he had to accomplish this with the use of a lifesaver float from the boat, because, as everyone knew, Sonic's one weakness was that he couldn't swim. It was supposed to be like any other rescue mission.
But something had gone horribly wrong.
As soon as Tails and Knuckles had pulled Amy safely onto the deck, a piece of Eggman's recently wrecked contraption, which had fallen from the sky into the water and rapidly passed the boat on the current, caught onto Sonic's ankle and quickly dragged him under. His head slipped through the lifesaver in the blink of an eye, and before his friends had any time to react, he was sinking through the water at a dangerous speed.
Everyone on the deck changed moods from relief over Amy's safety to renewed concern, this time over Sonic. It seemed that none of the blue hedgehog's friends knew exactly what to do now.
Except for one. Several seconds after Sonic had disappeared into the sea, there was a distinct splash, and everyone still on the boat looked around to find that someone was now missing from the deck. Looking back out on the water, they immediately noticed a couple of furry orange fox tails flailing through the surface. Tails had jumped into the ocean after Sonic, and when he reached the spot where the hedgehog had disappeared, he suddenly inhaled a great amount of air, held his breath, and dove into the salty water.
Meanwhile, Sonic continued to sink with the heavy piece of machinery. He looked down at the metal part caught on his shoe, and began to kick it with his other foot. It didn't take long for the hook-like portion of the mechanical piece to detach itself from his ankle, and the hedgehog watched its progress as it sank towards the bottom of the sea. Once it had disappeared from his view, Sonic looked back up towards the sky above. The hard part was not avoiding sinking with the machine part; it was getting back up to the surface of the water.
The blue hedgehog kicked and flailed with all the strength he could muster. He reached up towards the white clouds just visible past the barrier between the dark sea and the clear blue sky. But try as he might, he couldn't bring himself an inch closer to sweet, breathable air. He continued to sink towards the great sea bed, and before long he found his strength and consciousness leaving him. The last thing he could sense before he blacked out completely was the faint sensation of something wrapping around the wrist of his outstretched arm and pulling him slowly upwards.
Tails had Sonic by the wrist. He kicked and kicked with all his might away from the dreadful depths of the ocean, making his way towards the sky above. Twirling his twin tails like a propeller, the fox managed to pick up his pace, and before long both he and his big brother behind him had broken the surface of the water.
Knowing it would be too difficult to get Sonic back onto the deck, the young fox yelled out for Knuckles to bring the boat around towards the beach. As the echidna followed the orders he was given, driving the boat to the pier, Tails dragged Sonic towards the white sandy shore not too far off. His feet soon touched a sandy bank close to the beach, and it suddenly became easier to pull the hedgehog out of the water and onto dry land.
But the rescue mission was not over yet. Sonic was still unconscious, and he had swallowed a dangerous amount of water. There was no time to lose. As Knuckles, Amy, Cream and Cheese rushed from the pier to the beach, Tails began trying to revive his best friend. He performed first aid to the best of his knowledge, which, fortunately, was quite well, while the others lined up behind him to watch and wait in case they were needed.
Amy was desperate. She felt terribly guilty; if she hadn't fallen into the water, Sonic wouldn't be in this condition right now. She tried to rush forward to help Tails, but Knuckles grabbed her from behind and refused to let her go. He ignored the pink hedgehog's frantic struggling, keeping a firm grip on her arms.
"Tails knows what he's doing. Let him work", he said patiently, and Amy ceased her writhing, tears streaming from her eyes.
The two-tailed fox continued to perform first aid on the unconscious blue hedgehog. But after a few desperate minutes, nothing seemed to be happening. Sonic wouldn't wake up, and apparently no amount of pressure applied to his chest would restore his consciousness. But Tails would not give up.
"Oh, no you don't", he said quietly and determinedly. "Not today, not like this. Not on my watch."
Suddenly clenching one fist around the other, Tails lifted his hands and brought them down as fast and hard as he could, ramming them into his big brother's chest in what he hoped was exactly the right place.
That was it. The next sound that was heard almost made the young fox faint with relief: Sonic was coughing hard, water now spluttering out of his mouth. The knowledge that the hedgehog was breathing again cued Tails to collapse and quietly take in the cheers coming from behind him.
After as much water as possible had been expelled from within him, Sonic opened his eyes to see the big blue sky looming above him. He couldn't recall ever seeing a more welcoming sight. The blue hedgehog sat up slowly and looked to his left to find his little brother kneeling by his side, dripping wet and taking several deep breaths. It didn't take Sonic long to put the pieces together.
"Thanks, little bro", he said, grinning broadly at the fox. "I owe you one."
But Tails, suddenly recalling everything Sonic had ever done for him since they first met, simply smiled back at him and replied, "Don't worry; we're even. Just don't ever scare us like that again."
Everyone who had been watching the scene from behind the fox now hurried forward to relieve their concern over the hedgehog's health. Once Sonic had assured everyone he was fine, they all turned their attention to Tails, who was beaming brightly and still shaking slightly from the adrenalin rush he had received from rescuing his role model.
Knuckles patted the young fox on the back, Cream and Cheese each gave him a hug, and Amy kissed him on the cheek. Sonic then reached out his arm and caught his little brother in a playful headlock, ruffling his hair and laughing as everyone else applauded and cheered for the real hero of the day: Tails the Fox.
