A blue hedgehog watched the television screen with bloodshot and tiresome eyes. A whiskey bottle hung empty in his gloved hand. His figure slumped drastically, deflated pupils focusing on the images being projected. A news announcer began speaking of some pointless story or whatever. His eyes began close ever so slowly when-
"Sonic!"
A red echidna burst through the door.
"We found him."
The blue hedgehog rotated his wheelchair to face his visitor.
"Where." He grunted rather harshly.
The echidna gave no reply.
"WHERE?!" shrieked the hedgehog.
The echidna bowed his head.
"Under a rock."
Sonic stared at him, his eyes softening.
"Wh..what?"
"He was crushed. Fell on top of the poor soul."
Sonic looked around his guest to find a young cream-colored rabbit crying her eyes out.
"Knuckles… you… you're not kidding?" he muttered, slowly beginning to sob, his eyes filling uncontrollably with tears.
Knuckles nodded. "I'm sorry."
Sonic lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"Go."
"Son-"
"GO!" he screamed.
Knuckles was about to put a hand on his friend's trembling shoulder, but then recoiled it into a fist.
He closed his eyes and said "I'm sorry we couldn't get to him in time."
He then walked out to console the weeping rabbit.
"Tails…" whispered Sonic. "Please… no…"
…A Few Hours Earlier…
A light.
Tails squinted his eyes at the sight of the piercing orb.
He surveyed his surroundings.
It was a cave, cold and damp. Moisture dripped from the roof, performing for the fox a bleak, complex tune.
"Ah, the innocent has awakened." spoke a sly, malevolent voice.
From the shadows came a figure, familiar yet alien. A dark aura surrounded him, complete with poisonous eyes, penetrating Tails' soul with merciless evil.
"Hello, Miles Prower." It spoke with a venomous tone.
"Who are you?" asked Tails, scared for his young life.
"I am Mephiles, dear child. And you unfortunately have stumbled upon my domain."
Tails sensed his eyes widen with fear. He had heard of this being, but had only heard horror stories. And by the looks of it, the stories were true.
Mephiles smirked. "You seem scared, Miles. Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you… yet."
Tails could only watch in fear as the dark one made his way over to the wall. The fox wanted to run away, but alas, he was chained to the wall.
"Now, now, don't make a fuss. We wouldn't want you to strain yourself now, would we?" Mephiles spoke with a seemingly calm voice; however, there was a growling undercurrent to his words. Tails gagged on the pungent stench that bled from the dark one's maw.
"What do you want from me?" asked the vulpine.
"As I mentioned earlier, you've stumbled upon my domain. Now, you must be punished. But before we go on with the show…" Mephiles' voice slightly dropped, and then he continued. "Why, pray tell, were you on my grounds?"
Tails was faced with a split decision.
Option numero uno: explain his mission and possibly be killed.
Option numero dos: lie and possibly be killed.
Well, this is nice, thought the dual-tailed fox.
"Not talking, are we? That shall soon change." Mephiles growled. He then made a quick forward movement with his head and bit down on his neck. Tails let out a scream of pain as he felt the blood run down his neck, staining his fur.
"There we go." said the demonic being. "Now is an answer in order?"
Still wincing, Tails' head sank to a hanging position. "I'm on a self-appointed mission to retrieve the Master Emerald and return it to its rightful place at Angel Island." he confessed.
"Hmm. Good boy." Mephiles smirked. "Where, might I ask, do you think the Emerald is?"
The young fox attempted to scan the room. He then noticed a green glow. His eyes widened, and Mephiles laughed as he saw this.
"Well done, child. You're smarted than I originally thought."
Using all his strength, Tails brought his head up to the demon's, and stared him in the eyes.
"You won't get away with this." He growled into Mephiles' face. "I will return the Emerald to its home."
Mephiles leaned in closer. The captive and his captor were now inches- nay, centimeters- away from each other.
"And how, child, will you do that?" asked Mephiles, his venomous eyes piercing Tails' own sky blue orbs.
"Because… I broke the chains."
And with that, Tails tackled the demon. The fox wasn't kidding: he did break the chains. He wasn't sure how (no one really is), but he had managed, and was now attacking the demon.
Unfortunately, Mephiles was MUCH stronger. He threw Tails against the wall.
"FOOLISH CHILD!" he growled.
Tails then launched himself, with the assistance of his namesake, back at him.
But he missed.
Intentionally, though.
Mephiles never saw it coming, but Tails, using his superior mathematic skills, had calculated the correct flight path needed to not only avoid Mephiles while at the same time, grab the Master Emerald and, on top of all that, make his way out the cave. All in one simple path-
"Not so fast, Miles." Mephiles caught the vulpine by one of his tails.
The Master Emerald flew out of Tails' hands and was projected out of the cave.
"NO!" screamed Tails and Mephiles in unison.
They then began racing towards the entrance/exit, clawing, biting, and kicking at each other, trying to prevent the other to getting to the Emerald first.
Fortunately, Tails beat Mephiles to the outdoors. He immediately began hunting down the absent Emerald when suddenly, a large dark shadow loomed over him.
He looked up behind him, and there was Mephiles.
With a large boulder in hand.
Which was positioned right under the poor child.
Tails tried to escape his aim, but alas, the fox had been gotten tangled within a group of vines.
"DAMMIT!" he screamed, trying ever so desperately to escape the green entrapment.
He then returned his vision to the hovering demon, who was presenting a hateful, sadistic grin.
"It appears you have met your end. Good-bye, Miles Prower."
He dropped the rock.
Right on top of Tails.
"AHHHHHRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!" screamed the vulpine child, shrieks of pain erupting from his crushed body. The rock had taken up a fatal residence over two-thirds of his body. "MEPHILES YOU BASTARD!" he shrieked.
The one the comment was aimed towards only smirked in satisfaction.
"Silly child." He said. And then he flew off, leaving Tails for the reaper.
...Back To The Present…
Sonic rode his wheelchair out of the comforting darkness of his home in order to address his now-returned search parties.
They were all gathered in a half-circle around Tails' corpse that was being cried over by Cream and Cosmo.
Sonic scooted over to the other side of the cadaver.
He looked so peaceful, lying in the sun in an eternal slumber, with a beautiful soft glow coming from his hand-
"Hey, what's this?" perked up Sonic, bending down out of his mobile confinement to grab the mysterious light. To everyone's surprise, it was none other then-
"The Master Emerald!" cried Knuckles as Sonic held it up for the lot of them to see.
Sonic grinned weakly. "Tails, you sly fox. You actually did it. I wonder how though…"
…Flashback to Tails Under The Rock…
Tails tried to move, but it was useless. His right hand was free, however his left was crushed under the weight of the boulder. He felt his lungs gasping for oxygen, his heart struggling to keep going, and his vision slowly leaving him.
"This… is… it…" he gasped as he gave up on trying to move about. "I've… failed… Sonic… forgive… me…" he choked out his words painfully. Then, something caught his eye. He lifted his slightly to investigate further.
A green glow?
It couldn't be.
Could it?
"The emerald!" he gagged. Within his reach, as well. Tails grabbed it, using the last of his energy. He then brought in close for him to inspect.
"Well… I'll be-COUGH COUGH- damned…" he whispered with a faint smile. He put it into his backpack's tiny opening (it had been on him the whole time) and closed the flap.
Tails the proceeded to rest his back on the ground. "Heh… I knew… I wasn't too… young…"
And those were the final words Miles Prower spoke before his mortal spirit left to join the land beyond the heavens.
