Greetings yall! Joe Stalin here, bringing you the third addition to his new Sonic story series...'Sonic: Year One'!

'New Surroundings' last time dealt with Tails & Sonic's burgeoning friendship the morning after their first meeting. Now its time to see if that friendship will survive the test, as the dynamic duo enter...The Guardians domain!

Yes, its time for everyone's favourite Rad Red Echidna to make his appearance! What new mysteries await on the fabled Floating Island, and how well does Tails really know Sonic?

Note: To get the full story behind this new series, please read 'The Fox, The Gem and The Hedgehog' and 'New Surroundings' first.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any other SEGA characters, this fic is written purely for enjoyment.

Sonic: Year One

The Guardian

This is the story of a hedgehog, a guardian and a floating island.

WEEKS END

Miles Prower was a low-life. He was a heartless con-artist, a scoundrel, a liar, a thief and a cheat. He hurt everyone he came into contact with and was unloved and despised by everyone in turn.

Miles Prower died the night I met Sonic the Hedgehog.

Now I'm Tails, just Tails. My old life ended in the most bizarre of circumstances, the events of which I still struggle to believe to this day.

I still don't really know why he did it. Why he picked me of all people to be his friend, his partner, his 'little buddy'. If I had been in his place I wouldn't have picked me. Why would anyone have picked me? What use could I possibly be to him, a hero who risked his life on a daily basis saving the world? I was just a common thief, I should have been nothing to him.

But Sonic was different, so very different from everyone else in my life, my old life at least. Sonic didn't care what I was, what I used to be. He only saw what I could be. What I am today, because of him. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

My first week with Sonic wasn't as chaotic, as surreal as the night we first crossed paths, not at first anyway. I hesitate to call it 'normal' exactly, at least not what other people would call normal. But it was my first taste of a new life, a new start, a new opportunity to start afresh. To prove that I could be more than just a conman, that I could finally just be me. It was also the last week where my life had any sense of normality about it.

If I had thought I knew everything about the world around me prior to meeting Sonic, the events of that first week made me come to the conclusion...that I really didn't know anything at all.

My eyes couldn't help but keep falling down to admire my reflection in the glossy red heels of my sneakers. Childish I know, but I really did like those shoes.

My tattered evening suit had been discarded long ago, no amount of scrubbing was going to get out the mix of robot oil and chili sauce they'd been subjected to. It was almost cathartic, as if I was throwing away the last shreds of my old life. The new outfit Sonic had presented me with had initially made me balk, but I was slowly getting used to it.

Thick white gloves enclosed my hands, similar to the ones Sonic wore but with leather buckles round the wrists. My upper body was bare save my fur, a beige pair of cargo shorts fitted snug round my waist, determined I was not to copy my new friends minimalist attitude to clothing.

A pair of aviator goggles completed my new attire. I'd found them randomly in one of the piles of junk slowly engulfing Sonic's living room, and had taken an odd sort of liking to them. I'd never been one for random accessories, but I couldn't deny that they just seemed to 'fit'.

I remember looking in the mirror the first time I'd worn my new clothes and doing a double-take. The fox in the reflection seemed younger, healthier...happier. I liked my reflection for the first time in my life, because finally it was the real me staring back.

Sonic's room was now my room. There had been no discussion, he'd just given it to me. It still felt kind of wrong, as if I'd invaded his personal space where I had no business being in. He'd just laughed when I'd voiced my concern.

"What kind of lousy host would I be if I made you sleep on the floor? That's where dogs sleep buddy, not foxes"

I still felt bad about the whole thing, I'd even offered to pay him as some kind of rent. Not that I had anything to pay him with, but I felt that I had to at least make the offer. The look he'd given me was priceless, mock anger and indignation as if I'd slapped him in the face or dyed his fur a different shade of blue.

"Money? What on Mobius would I do with that stuff?" he'd bristled, and there was no more discussion of the matter. I wasn't sure even now if he was being serious or not. Judging by his surroundings though, Sonic and money didn't seem to have a consistent relationship together.

Sonic's place was situated in a corner of forest greener than any dollar bill I'd ever wrangled from someone's pocket. No wonder it was called 'Green Hill Zone', you couldn't get away from it! Green grass, green leaves on the huge trees that to look fully up at required you to crane your neck to impossible lengths, green everything! Sonic's blue hue was a welcome relief within this alien landscape, so used was I to grey buildings, glass and tarmac.

It was so natural out here, so remote that I almost felt as if I'd entered a whole other world. No other buildings, no roads, no hustle and bustle of any kind. Just the calls of distant flickies and the crisp sound of grass underfoot.

The house itself was bigger than I'd initially thought. Two stories high, it was built on top of a slight mound of earth that was slowly reclaiming the foundation. One wall had surrendered itself to moss and tangled vines, the roof speckled with fallen branches and leaves. There were actually two separate buildings, what I took to be a large garage built round the back. A heavy looking metal bay door hid whatever was inside. My curiosity peaked, I went over to explore and was immediately restrained by the blue hedgehog.

"Uh-uh. No peeking, that's a surprise" he winked as he led me away, still looking back at the garage/hangar and wondering just what exactly it was my new friend was hiding from me.

Sonic had taken me exploring my new surroundings that very first day, on the pretense of breaking in my new sneakers. I took silent amusement in his eagerness to highlight and point out every little thing of interest, his childish delight rubbing off on me as I took in the new sights and smells. I couldn't help but be awestruck at the size of some of the trees, their canopies casting thick shadows as we walked further into the shrubbery.

We stepped into what I assumed was a small glade, a dazzling pool of water in the centre catching my attention instantly. The crystal clear water sparkled in the bright sunlight, not a shrub or lily-pad marring its brilliance. Sonic cleared his throat as he caught my staring.

"It's a Ring Pool. Really rare, you have to know where to find them"

I don't know why I was so enthralled in what was basically just a pool of water, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. I bent my knees and bobbed on my heels as Sonic continued his narration.

"There's an old legend that the ring pools create Power Rings. They're supposed to have magical powers, able to grant your deepest wish, wisdom and insight. If you belief that kind of thing"

Magic rings, huh? Sure, why not. On the list of strange and bizarre things I'd come across recently, magic wish rings were surprisingly low. Miles would never have believed something so childish, so stupid. But Tails was open to new ideas, new mysteries to explore.

A magic ring didn't appear as we left the Ring Pool behind, another mystery for another day. We made our way back to the house, Sonic bending down briefly to pick a flower which he held against his nose for the duration of the walk. My own nose wrinkled as I became aware of the vast amount of pollen rapidly invading my senses. I'd had extremely bad bouts of hay-fever as a kid, and that familiar prickling in my sinuses was beginning to creep up on me.

I still had questions for Sonic which I was eager to have answered. He was still an enigma to me, a strange creature that could have stepped out of a kids fantasy book who was now walking at my side sniffing a pollen encrusted flower. How could someone be so carefree, so at peace with his surroundings whilst at the same time seem to have the weight of the world on his shoulders?

He looked at me with one eye half-lidded "Something on your mind, Tails?"

I looked away sharply. I'd been staring and it had been oh so obvious. I was really bad at this whole 'interacting' thing when I wasn't acting, wasn't putting on a front. My con-artists handbook didn't help much when I was trying to be a real person for the first time in my life, and there were several awkward seconds of silence before I found my voice again to answer.

"How...how do you do it Sonic? How can you act the way you do?" I put my hands in my pockets to prevent them from wringing in embarrassment.

He looked at me with a raised brow "Erm...not sure what you mean buddy. Want to run that by me again in English?"

I ran my next sentence through my head several times before I answered "I mean...you're this big hero of the world, you save the day and all that good stuff. Ad yet you act so...normal. I don't get it"

He smiled at me and shrugged his shoulders "Not much to get really, pal. I don't pretend to be all 'deep' and brooding, I'm just me"

He stepped in front of me and flashed a pose, one thumb jabbed towards him and that cocky grin spread across his face "Sonic the Hedgehog, what you see is what you get"

Exhibitionist. That was the word that came to mind as he stood there in his heroic pose, in the middle of a forest. And that was who he was, exactly as he'd said it. Sonic. Just Sonic.

I sighed and shook my head "I'm sorry Sonic. It's just that I'm not used to...this. To any of this" I lifted my hands up to illustrate my point.

He looked round and tilted his head at me in puzzlement "What, green stuff?"

I face-palmed, and bit my lip. I wanted to be serious "You know what I mean. This life you have, the amazing things you do. I guess...I'm just struggling to understand why you picked me of all people to be a part of it"

His smile wavered slightly as I found myself rubbing my arm, eyes downcast as I bared my soul to him.

"You've treated me better than anyone else in my whole life, you've given me a place to stay, fed me, heck you've even clothed me!" I pointed at my sneakers. "You've shown me all this cool stuff, and what I want to know...is why? I don't deserve your kindness Sonic. If the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn't have given you the time of day"

I looked back up at him to read his reaction "Why are you so...nice?"

He folded his arms and looked at me intensely, emerald eyes sparkling with the same fire I'd seen the night in Pickles' mansion.

"Because I can be"

Such a simple answer, but it answered all my questions right there and then. Why did he choose me? Because he could. Why did he do the things he did? Because he could. Why was he so complex? Because he could be. That was Sonic.

He let out a huge exhale of breath and the smile returned to his face "Now, if we're done with all the soap-opera stuff, lets get back home. There's still plenty of stuff to see out here"

I followed at his side as we continued on, all questions answered for now. I was determined that our relationship wasn't going to be one long circle of questions and doubt. I wanted a fresh start, and that was going to begin with trust. I had to trust that he was genuine. It was getting easier the longer I was in his presence.

He still had that flower he'd picked from before, only now it was placed behind his ear with his arms clasped behind him. I kept my arms in my pockets, twin tails swaying behind me in the quiet breeze. My nose was really starting to itch, old memories of streaming eyes and mountains of tissues rearing their ugly head. I doubted I'd find any tissues in the mountain of junk back home, which only seemed to speed up the mucus flow.

My thoughts were cut short as an explosion of noise caused my ears to jolt erect, fur bristling as my eardrums rang in pain. Sonic stared back at me, gloved hands pressed to his face muffling his voice.

"Sorry about that. Pollen gets everywhere out here" he sniffed, discarding the flower from behind his ear with a look of disdain.

I laughed, probably the hardest I'd ever laughed in as long as I could remember. Sonic looked sheepishly at me as I doubled over, tears threatening to blur my eyes as I struggled to breath. My laughter didn't cease as we made our way back to the house, all past concerns long forgotten about.

The first week past by relatively slowly. If I'd expected Sonic's life to be one non-stop adventure, dashing from one exotic place to another, I was sorely disappointed. I guess Egg-head or whatever he was called was busy doing un-evil things. Or whatever megalomaniacs did on their days off.

I spent my days instead exploring, taking in my new sites both inside and outside. And cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning.

I had decided very early on that I wasn't going to live in a mountain of junk, for my own sanity's sake if nothing else. I therefore endeavored to do what I could to return Sonic's place to some semblance of normality. A thankless task, in retrospect.

I'd asked him the reason why there was so much junk around the place, what the significance of it was. Heck, I was still new to this whole hero thing. Maybe there was a reasonable explanation, some deeper meaning or method to his madness.

Nope. He was just untidy, he'd said. Amazingly untidy, and lazy with it. No wonder he enjoyed the great outdoors so much, any excuse to avoid cleaning up around the house.

I set to work downstairs, and lets just say my white gloves weren't so white by the time I gave up. I put a good few hours a day to my task at hand, and by the time I finished I was convinced that all I'd managed to achieve was simply moving the mess around. It was everywhere! Books, newspapers, crockery, bits of machinery, wiring, power tools. You name it, I stubbed my toe on it.

I couldn't help but be intrigued by some of it though. When I was younger I'd always had a fascination with building things, taking old bits of rubbish and putting them together to make something which I could be proud of. That had been quickly stamped out of me though, the other kids hadn't exactly shared my worldview and had taken great pleasure in destroying what I created. After a while, and countless tears, I'd just given up trying. Why give them more excuses to harass me? They already had enough.

Still, as I tried to sort out what could be binned and what could possibly be salvaged, I found myself setting several things aside. A bit of metal here, a few wires and insulation tape there. I didn't know what I planned to do with them, but the more I tried to clean the more bit and pieces which ended up in my pockets. I emptied out a draw and put my keepsakes inside, something to come back to if I ever got the urge.

Sonic didn't help all throughout much to my chagrin, the blare of his guitar pounding through the walls as he occupied himself in the other room. He at least had the courtesy to stop playing as I made a start on that room, munching away on a left-over hot dog as he watched me. I made a beeline for the table which the radio was placed on, removing the dust covered blanket and almost choking on the dust-cloud which resulted. Sonic chuckled as he polished off his dog and walked out, leaving me to my work.

I intended to use the blanket to wipe down the radio-set, but something immediately caught my eye which I hadn't noticed before. In between the speakers was a slip of paper, a single worn corner jutting out. I took it in-between my fingers and removed it.

It was a photograph, worn and faded with a large crease in the right hand corner. It was taken at an angle, slightly blurred as if the person who took it had unsteady hands. It showed Sonic, a lot younger judging by the length of his quills and his height, and another person. I was immediately taken aback by the colour of the other figures fur- bright red, which was in stark contrast to the cobalt blue of the hedgehog beside him.

The colour of the guys fur wasn't the only thing that caught my eye. Long dreadlocks hung down past his shoulders, a studded white fist held in front of him with his thumb up. His other arm was around Sonic's shoulders, holding him tight almost in an embrace. Both of them were smiling, like they didn't have a care in the world.

My examining was interrupted suddenly when the photo was snatched from my fingertips. Sonic glared at me, brow furrowed as he swiped the photo from me. I hadn't even heard him come in.

I scrambled for an apology as he looked at me then the photo in turn "I'm...I'm sorry Sonic. I didn't mean to...I should have asked before..."

"Don't" he replied curtly, shocking me into silence. He sighed softly, almost under his breath as he seemed to forget I was there, looking at the photograph with an almost haunted look in his eyes.

"Don't apologize Tails" he looked back at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have snapped, you didn't do anything wrong"

I just nodded as he gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before putting the photo down on the table. I pointed at it as he used his index finger to carefully smooth out the crease. My interest was now peaked all the more from his reaction.

"Who is he? You look like you were pretty close"

He didn't answer straight away, just hummed under his breath as he picked the photo back up and held it up to the light.

"Long time ago now...5 years...been a while buddy" he muttered under his breath, my ears straining to pick up each word being spoken as I'm sure he wasn't addressing it to me.

"Sonic?" I tried to get his attention, his eyes snapping back to me like he'd just come out of a trance. He cleared his throat and lowered the photo, a weak smile on his lips.

"Sorry Tails. He's a...was a...is...a friend" he handed the photo back to me, giving me permission to look.

A friend? Why hadn't he mentioned that before? From what he'd said to me the first time we'd met I'd assumed he was the same as me. An outcast, alone in the world until we met each other. Yet the evidence in my hand suggested otherwise. So why the weird reaction? Why the haunted look? What was my blue friend hiding from me?

"Does he have a name?" I asked, pointing to the dread-locked figure in the picture. Sonic chewed his bottom lip for a few seconds, as if mulling over just how much he wanted to let me know.

"Plenty, at least that's what it used to be like" he replied, confusing me all the more.

The blue hedgehog started counting off on his fingers "Rad Red, Knucklehead, Knux, K-Man, I knew him by all those names. But that was...a long time ago now" he finished the sentence with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

I just looked at him in puzzlement, that last answer not really answering my question at all "Meaning?"

I never got to find out how he would have answered that last question. There was a sudden crackle of static that filled the room, the pair of us looking round for its source. It didn't take us long to zone in on where it was coming from. The radio-set.

Sonic was a blur as he grabbed the speakers and plugged them in, fingers frantically twisting every knob on the contraption as the static continued to crackle. I watched in bemusement as Sonic flicked over every switch in turn, dust particles shimmering in the light. Snapping on the headphones, a swift punch on the main speaker broke the white-noise and a faint voice could be heard. I moved over cautiously as Sonic strained to hear, face furrowed in concentration.

"...Sonic? Sonic, you there?" came the reply, faint and echoing with static. Sonic twisted a dial which seemed to help.

"I hear you. Speak up a bit, you're really faint" he replied, speaking into a smaller speaker which he had clasped tightly in his hands.

"Is that better?" my ears hurt as the voice came out several decibels higher than comfortable. Sonic lifted one of the headphones and rubbed his ear with a grimace.

"Much"

The voice continued much clearer now, the static all but gone as it filled the room "Good. I'm surprised this heap of junk still works"

I was struggling to read Sonic's expression as he cradled the speaker in his hands gently. His eyes were almost twinkling, a warm smile slowly creeping on his face.

"It's been a while buddy" he said, his voice soft and hesitant. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me"

I stood at his side as the response came through after a brief pause, still clutching the photograph in my hand. I had no idea what was going on, but I was intrigued to find out.

"Listen Sonic...I need you down here. Now"

I watched Sonic's eyes widen, letting go of the speaker with one hand as he fumbled under the desk "Just...just give me a second. I need to find the map"

My fur ruffled as Sonic sped past me into the living-room. Loud bangs and crashes from the other room caused my ears to wilt, all my hard work for naught as the blue hedgehog looked for his 'map'. He returned in a blur of quills, a large rolled up parchment under his arm. He reached over and pulled the speaker off the table, unraveling the parchment and spreading it out on the floor. I stumbled backwards as he rolled it over my shoes, looking down at what he'd revealed. It was a large map of the world, the colours faded from age and the material frayed and tatty. Sonic took his finger and placed it in the middle of the map, mouthing to himself with his eyes half-lidded in concentration.

I couldn't make out a word he was saying as he slowly traced his finger along the map, every once in a while twirling it a full 360 degrees and moving with no apparent pattern.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, catching me by surprise as he jabbed his finger on the map. I craned my neck to see what he was pointing it, but all I could see was blue water. What was there that was so exciting?

Sonic picked up the speaker from the floor "I know where you are. Give me an hour, tops. I'll be there"

"I'll be waiting" came the reply, and the speaker went dead.

I watched as Sonic rolled the map back up, tucking it back under his arm. He jumped to his feet and looked at me with a grin so big I swear it was going to fall off his face.

"Tails?"

I couldn't understand his excitement. He was practically shivering with giddiness, like a kid on his birthday "Yeah Sonic?"

He stepped right up close to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. His eyes twinkled with glee.

"We're going on a trip, little buddy!"

I managed a smile of my own, his mood was infectious despite the fact I had no idea what was going on "Where to?"

He took the picture from my hand and held it between thumb and forefinger. Both Sonic's grinned back at me.

"We're gonna see The Guardian!"

Next time in Sonic: Year One- Tails finds himself in the centre of The Guardians domain. What does this old friend want with Sonic, and what dark secret is the Floating Island hiding?

See you next time guys! Don't forget to review! Joe.