Hi everyone! I've recently gotten hooked on Sonic the Comic -Online!, and I'm desperate for the original comics, but for now, this is all I've got. I really have an issue with Fleetway Sonic's attitude, and the way he treats Tails in that version. It is a little stressed in this, so please bear with me. I know StC Sonic is a good guy underneath and he has his moments, but other than that... Well, let's face it. He's a jerkwad. This fic has SEGAverse Tails get swapped with Fleetwayverse Tails, and SEGA! Tails isn't used to condescending Sonic...
He still wasn't sure how this happened...
"It just doesn't make any sense..." Tails sighed, head hanging dejectedly. "If the Special Zone is down in this world... Then how did I get here? And... How am I supposed to get back?" The fox frowned, a sense of panic arising in his chest, and he turned to look at a familiar face. He found no solution in the green eyes watching him, and with another sigh, the kit turned away.
Back in his world, Sonic would tell him not to worry. He'd tell him that everything would work out. He wouldn't just stand there uselessly and watch him suffer. Suppressing a frustrated groan, Tails began typing furiously, if not to find a code, then to at least take his mind off the annoying Sonic-doppelganger staring at him.
It had been at least a week since he'd woken up here. Seven -no, eight -days of living in this messed up mirror world, masquerading as some "Other Tails" with some ragtag group of "Freedom Fighters" and an "Other Sonic" who acted nothing like the Sonic he knew. This Sonic wasn't supportive, or even very friendly. He was tense, and rude, and he seemed intent on putting him down whenever the opportunity arose. Eight days in this wannabe-Mobius, and he was sick of it. He was one more name-calling away from bursting into tears and crying "I wanna go home!"
Footsteps tapped against the concrete floor, and Tails looked up in surprise as the Other Sonic came up behind him, staring at the screen. Millions of equations, numbers and symbols most couldn't understand, flashed on the screen, meaning nothing unless he could put them together. The hedgehog frowned, stroking his chin and then shrugging.
"Well, I don't get it." He announced, and Tails sighed -again.
"Well then, I might as well give up then." He replied sarcastically, pointedly ignoring the hedgehog's scowl.
As he continued typing, trying to unravel the equations in his head, he became increasingly aware of the two eyes that were boring into the back of his head. The Other Sonic was staring at him, observing him -rather closely, he might add. It made him feel like he was under a microscope, and it unnerved the little fox.
"You're... Not like him." He said finally, and Tails glanced over. The hedgehog had a stern, decisive look on his face that was constantly reminding Tails how unlike Sonic he was.
"Like who?" He asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew who the hedgehog was talking about.
"Pixel Brain." The Other Sonic replied, and Tails' ears flattened unwittingly. He knew he shouldn't take it personally -after all, it wasn't his Sonic that was calling him names -but it still hurt every time this Sonic insisted on referring to the other him with some mean nickname. Maybe the Other Tails didn't mind, but he sure did. After all... If this place was just a mirror of his world, then didn't that mean this was what could have happened?
Could he have ended up with a mean Sonic? In this weird world where Eggman -or, Robotnik as they called him -was so much more than just some joke, everything seemed backwards. Amy was mature, not glomming Sonic every time he entered the room. Knuckles was even more isolated than he'd ever been, but at least he treated him civilly, which was more than he could say for the Knuckles in his world. And who were these strangers he'd never met before? 'Porker Lewis' and someone named 'Johnny Lightfoot' that everyone always mentioned, with sad looks on their faces. And of course, the jerky version of Sonic with his wonderful attitude. Tails wondered, not for the first time, if this world was really just some alternate universe, a 'What could have been' to his own world.
"The Tails I know never would've been able to figure out something like this. I doubt he could even turn the computer on." The other Sonic grinned a grin that looked too much like his world's Sonic's grin, and it sent a wave of homesickness crashing down on the fox. He didn't like this Sonic. He'd tried to get to know him, to understand what made him act the way he did, but he couldn't do it. Again, he wondered, what had possessed this world's Tails to stick around this guy for so long?
Maybe he's like you, Tails thought sadly. Maybe he has no one else.
"Yo, Poindexter? You still with us?" Tails snapped to attention at the sound of the familiar voice, then frowned, noticing the nickname Sonic had given him when he'd discovered that he wasn't their "Pixel Brain." He figured Poindexter was better than Pixel Brain -after all, he rather be called a nerd than called out for being stupid. Not that he really thought this world's version of him was an idiot, but in Sonic's opinion, he certainly wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
"I have a name." He reminded him, not bothering to hide the irritated tone in his voice as he returned to his typing. His ears flicked as he heard the hedgehog shifting from one foot to another.
"Yeah, I know." Sonic replied, though he didn't continue. The air around them filled with an awkward silence, save for the ever-present clacking of the keyboard as Tails typed. Tension coiled around them, begging to be broken. Since Sonic didn't seem to have any interest in doing so, Tails took the plunge.
"Well? Are you gonna say it?" Sonic looked up in surprise. Tails was watching him expectantly now. He wasn't sure why, but he had a sudden urge to hear the hedgehog speak his name. It didn't really matter, he supposed, but there had to be some victory in getting him to call him by his name, rather than 'Poindexter.'
The hedgehog frowned, green eyes narrowing slightly; not in anger, though Tails couldn't quite define the emotion in his gaze.
"No." He answered finally, and Tails sighed gustily. This guy, he decided, wasn't worth his time. He just wanted to focus on getting home, so he could see his Sonic, and not this world's stupid, mean, jerk-ass version of him.
The only bad thing about this is, once I get home, the other Tails is gonna have to come back here... Tails frowned, his ears flattening with a bit of guilt. He'd figured that, if the Tails from this world had stuck around Sonic for so long, then he must have gained some immunity to the hedgehog's teasing and name-calling, but he still felt bad about having to send him back here. Especially after he'd met his world's Sonic, the definite better of the two. I bet... This guy... Doesn't even miss him. This thought made Tails tremble a little bit. He wasn't this world's Tails, but if there was even a slight possibility that he could have been, he still felt a kinship to this Other Tails he didn't know. Every jab aimed toward Sonic's "Pixel Brain" hit him too, and it hurt, a lot more than it should have.
"How much longer is this thing gonna take, anyway?" Sonic asked, leaning against the chair and staring over the fox's shoulder. Tails looked up in surprise, and then turned away, doing his best to ignore him. A finger flicked his head, and he let out a small yelp of surprising, glaring at him. "I asked, how long is this stupid thing gonna take?" There was irritation in Sonic's voice, but no threat or malice, which Tails guessed was a good thing.
"I don't know. Why do you care, anyway?" Tails scowled, dually annoyed with the hedgehog's impatience. "I'm not even sure if this is the way I got here in the first place." The kit huffed, ears flattening in a mix of frustration and desperation. He'd figured that, if both worlds had a Special Zone, then that must have been what had transported him here -and, what would transport him back. Unfortunately, the Special Zone in this world seemed to have been obliterated -and this fact was starting to dampen both his theory and his spirits.
"Then why are you wasting your time on this when you could be doing something, oh, I don't know, useful?" Sonic asked with sarcastic pleasantry, and Tails glared at him.
"I don't see you doing anything helpful!" He cried, tears of frustration springing to his eyes. He hated it here. He hated this weird world and this annoying Sonic. He just wanted to get home! Was that too much to ask?
The look in Sonic's eyes softened a bit, and the hedgehog's attitude altered.
"Hey, calm down kid." His voice sounded exactly like the voice of his world's Sonic. For a moment, he just wanted to pretend it was; get and hug or a hair-ruffle or even one of those over-used thumbs ups he always gave. Man, he'd give anything just to see one of his Sonic's cheesy "It's okay" grins with that stupid thumbs up he'd thought was 'So cool!' when he was little.
But this wasn't his Sonic. And if he couldn't figure this out, he might never see his Sonic again. This thought was like a dagger through his heart, and a few tears managed to trickle down his muzzle. Great, he thought miserably, another thing for him to tease me about. Just what he needed.
"Aw, geez, c'mon Kid. I didn't mean it. Don't get so upset." The hedgehog sighed, standing awkwardly next to the kit. Tails sniffled loudly, wiping his eyes and wishing he could move fast enough to just run away. He wanted to be alone right now, but it didn't seem like that would happen any time soon. "Look, I'm sorry. Okay?" Tails looked up, surprised. This Sonic hadn't seemed like the apologetic type. But, it was a start, right? "I know I'm being impatient. It's just -I -" Sonic kept cutting himself off, looking for just the right words to finish his defense. "I just... I really need this thing to be finished soon." Tails frowned at his awkwardness.
"I can see why I'm upset about not being able to figure this out... But why are you so worried about how fast I can do it?" He asked sourly, swallowing back his tears. The hedgehog's frown deepened, and his gaze fell away from the fox, focusing on something that wasn't fixing him with an expectant look. He shrugged, and Tails sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Look, does it really matter? I just... Want you to figure it out, okay? Now come on Poindexter, I thought you were supposed to be a genius?" Sonic recovered rather quickly, smirking at the fox, who sighed heavily before returning to his work.
"Well, there's one thing you have in common..." He muttered. Both of them were as impatient as they came... Why this Sonic was so worried about him getting this project/theory finished up, he couldn't figure out, but it vexed him for all of three minutes before it clicked. As it dawned on him, the kit's face spread with a smile, and then split with a grin.
"You... Miss him, don't you?" He asked softly. Sonic looked up, confused.
"Eh? What're you talking about-" It clicked, and his eyes narrowed. "That's not it!" He scowled, his voice rather defensive in Tails' opinion. "I just... Want to make sure you get home. I'd rather have Pixel Brain than some Know-it-all any day." The hedgehog crossed his arms indignantly, and Tails continued grinning.
"You do miss him, don't you?" The kit beamed, and Sonic scowled, refusing to look at him. His face was looking a little red, though Tails didn't say anything.
"Just... Finish up, will ya' Poindexter? I'm getting bored of waiting around." He huffed, turning away. Tails smiled, typing less now. The stabs of pain in his chest had faltered now, and were being replaced with a much softer feeling.
"I have a name, Sonic." He sighed, though his smile hadn't faded yet. "Why can't you just call me Tails?" He asked softly. Sonic didn't move, didn't turn to face the fox, and finally, Tails gave up, returning his attention to typing. This sonic... Was far too much work. It took way too long to get an ounce of niceness out of him, and even then, he wasn't all that pleasant. It was several moments before a voice broke the silence again.
"Because... You aren't him." Sonic replied, his voice quiet, almost a whisper. "You aren't my Tails." Tails paused, the clicks stopping for a moment, but then picking up again before Sonic could suspect the fox had heard him.
Shoes scuffed the ground as the hedgehog walked off. Tails stopped again, turning to watch. A small smile returned to his face.
Maybe... He wasn't so bad after all.
There you go! Fleetway Sonic's a jerk, but he has his moments ^_^ IDK if StC's Sonic would really be all that distressed if Tails did get swapped or disappear. If he was, it'd probably more hidden though. I doubt he'd be willing to show it. Despite his jerkishness, he has a good heart, and he cares about his friends, whether or not he ha a good way of showing it...
This is the first of many StC based fics to come. If you have any comments, please, review! Operators are standing by.