Equal Footing

Chapter 7: Like Brother Like Brother

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic and co. are owned by Sega.

Knuckles was shock after what his faster than sound friend had told him. "He doesn't have a brother!" he mentally echoed. "What happened?"

"He said some things, I said some things, in the end we decided to end our friendship and hate each other" Sonic said with a blank expression and matching tone.

"What did you?" the echidna asked quickly. In Knuckles' logic most problems stemmed from Sonic in some way, shape or form and the hedgehog knew it. Any other night he would have shrugged it off with some witty comeback. Tonight he was not in the mood.

"You think everything is my fault" he shouted, pointing his finger in an accusatory manner. "You'd blame the recession on me if you could!"

"Don't think I've tried" he cut in quickly.

The hedgehog growled through gritted teeth, something he hadn't done since his werehog days. "I had just had lost my best friend and little brother and you blame me without a second thought. I was not the one who made someone homeless. All you had to do was go 'sorry, let's talk about like friends' but no, you can't because your head is full of the giant rock as usual" he exploded before turning on his heel. "I do you a favour and you go and do this" he said as he went marching off.

He didn't really get anywhere before the Guardian asked him a question that made him stop. "If you wanted that why come to me?

"Because I you're my closest guy friend now" he said without turning around, which caused him to miss the look of horror which was on the echidna's face before he regained his composure.

"You're not gonna make me your best friend are you?"

"Don't worry; I'm not going to make the stupid mistake of having a best friend again."

"It's that bad?" Knuckles thought as the hedgehog got further way. "If he uses the Chaos Emeralds like this it'll be a disaster and I don't know when we may need Super Sonic again. Plus I sort of feel bad for them. Curse you hedgehog, you and the fox have made me soft." He quickly caught up to the grumbling speedster. "Sonic wait. I'm sorry okay; I didn't know that you were in that kind of mood. You really need to talk to someone before you do something stupid, -er than usual."

This got Sonic to stop. "Why do you suddenly care now? How does how I feel tie in to keeping your rock safe?"

"First off, the Master Emerald is not just some rock. And if you must know if your negative mood and chaos energy mix it would be Prefect Chaos all over again." The hedgehog just glared at the Guardian out of the corner of his eye. "And I know what it's like to lose your temper and do stupid things."

Sonic nodded his head in agreement. "That's what I thought, though if it was just that it would have a tossup between you and Shadow, and we haven't fought recently."

"Come on; let's head back to the shrine."

"Never far from your mind is it?"

"It's my duty to protect the Master Emerald" the echidna explained once again but his thoughts were more positive. "Seems like he's lightening up a little."

"How to go about getting those shards of Time Eater's core?" Dr. Eggman thought out loud. He was back in his most secure base, the Lava Shelter which is built inside a volcano. His lava defences were active so for now it was near impossible for the government to get to him even if they knew where he was. He was in the control centre of the base, which was essentially a dark, metallic room with a number of large screens, a keyboard and chair the doctor designed to fit him comfortably. There are lights, but currently the only light in the room was coming from the screens.

"I need a robot and strike now while Sonic and Tails are fighting, but I'm currently pulling in my resources since my last defeat." He thought back to his last big scheme, him and his past self piloting Time Eater, trapping Sonic and his friends in the white world and erasing his past defeats from existence. If it hadn't been for that hedgehog, his past self and the Chaos Emeralds he would have succeed. However the emeralds activated after all of Sonic's friend cheered him on.

"Perhaps their emotions were the key. If only I could harness the emeralds real powers instead of forcibility activating them, then I could complete my conquest of the world. Not that I can use that energy by myself. Although, there is my other creation I saved in the past. That would do the trick." He broke out into malicious laughter which slowly died down as a realisation dawned on him.

"I have to stop talking to myself before I look crazy. I'm beginning to remember why I created Orbot and Cubot, someone to listen to me. It would be better if I had someone else to think of ideas. Too bad the only person who can match my intelligence is me and I lack the means to travel in time again. If only there was someone else..."

An idea came to him. "Perhaps there is someone close to my talents." There was one person that had some mechanical ability and although they were enemies for the most part they did seem to well together when they had a common enemy that time. Even better was that he would be in a very sensitive state of mind, which was the only reason that this plan even had a chance of working, but if it did the devastation it would cause his nemesis made him grin. "I understand your pain Tails, Sonic's been a thorn in my side even long that he has yours. Get ready to get your revenge against him and the world with the power of the shards in your possession."

He broke out into evil laughter again but he got to his feet and headed to the room's exit. "I hope the third member of this alliance is ready" he mumbled on his way out.

After he left another voice came from the shadows. "It's a good thing Eggy loves the sound of his own voice. If not I'd have to hack into his systems and while it would be more entertaining it would also be more work." The voice was coming from a figure sitting on a ledge in the shadows above the computer. She was Mobian bat with white fur, black wings on her back and green eyes with blue, painted eyelids. She wore long white gloves with purple cuff, black skin tight one piece with her chest being covered by a section looking like a purple heart and over the top of them knee high white, heeled boots with a purple heart at the ends of them. This was the G.U.N. spy and treasure hunter Rouge the Bat who was currently on a mission to spy on Eggman.

"It sounds like something happened between Big Blue and the little cutie. Must be big if Eggman thinks he can split the pair up. But if he' planning to bring back that machine that froze me in time there's gonna trouble. H.Q. has to know about this" she said raising her glove to her mouth.

"And that's when I used Chaos Control to try and get here" Sonic said, finishing his recount of his and Tails' fight to Knuckles. The hedgehog was sitting on the top step of the shrine while the echidna was standing behind him, his arms folded. The blue Mobian had calmed down some more during the story and was now picking out a part that he really regretted. "I told him that I never needed him, my former best bud. Who does that?"

"Apparently you" the red Mobian replied flatly. "Why did you say that?"

"Because it's true" was his first answer but the unwavering stare the Guardian was giving him forced him to change his answer. "Because I... I... was hurting by finding out that he didn't need me so I wanted to make him feel the same way" he said with a sigh. "What's wrong with me?"

Knuckles bit back the 'apart from what's usually wrong with you' comment that flashed through his head. "You were trying to outdo him as you usually do only this time Tails was also trying to outdo you."

"Being a teenager must've messed up his head, he wasn't like this before."

"Or being around you did."

"Knuckles, you already tried to blame me" Sonic moaned with half closed eyes.

"Yeah, but that one was habit. This time it's actually is your fault" Knuckles explained. "Well, Tails' to, but mostly you into making him like what he is now."

The hedgehog shot onto his feet after hearing this, the fury clear on his face. "I made him that anti-social jerk who hates everyone."

The Guardian didn't flinch at this; part of him saw something like this happening. "He got your stubborn streak, your inability to do what you're told and your wanting not to be told what to do."

"What?"

"From what you told me, the both of you basically mirrored each other. He said he didn't need you, you said you never needed him. He told you that you were threatened by him, you said that he should burn in an orphanage for some reason. I don't get that one."

"He did" the speedster interjected.

"You left, he evicted you. You took the Chaos Emerald, he said he was going to destroy your things."

"He won't" Sonic interjected again.

"The point is," Knuckles said raising his voice to stop the hedgehog from adding anymore comments, "that you are his role model and big brother"

"Former big brother."

"You want me to finish?" The blue Mobian nodded his head and made a motion that looked like he was zipping his lips close. "Good. Now then, you are his role model and former big brother so of course he's going to copy you. I just wish he could've copied your better traits."

"Really? I didn't notice" Sonic stated.

"Of course you didn't. You were with Tails everyday so you couldn't tell the difference. I could though. I remember that when I first met you two..." he was cut off by his friend.

"When you tried to kick us off the island because Eggman told you we were thieves even though Eggman was planning on stealing the Master Emerald all along."

"Yes, that" Knuckles replied in an annoyed tone. "He seemed shy and quiet but before he became your age he was joking and a lot chatty that what he used to be."

The hedgehog's eyes widened in realisation. "You're right. He got that from me? But that means..." His pupils shrunk in horror as his head started to face the ground. "I did this. I ruined him."

"To an extent."

"Then even if I wanted to I couldn't go back."

"What?" the Guardian asked, deadpanned. "He should be bettering himself so that he could go back and make up, not keeping his distance. Why must you make everything so difficult Sonic?"

"I always knew that bring Tails with me all those years ago would not a smart thing to do but now I know that the worse thing for Tails is me."

"Sonic, that's not what I was saying..."

The hedgehog cut him off. "Maybe not, but thanks for telling me anyway" he said with a very forced small grin.

The echidna's expression turned deadly serious as he grabbed Sonic by the shoulders. "Listen to me Sonic. Friendship is not my speciality but even I know that this is a mistake. Down there is fox who is not in his right mind and will need someone to help him from not doing anything stupid, something else he gets from you, and you're just going to leave him?"

The speedster knocked Knuckles hands off him with a little bit of a struggle. "If I really care for him, then I can't care." He then took out his emerald. "See ya later Knuckles. Chaos..."

"He can't go now! Never thought I'd ever think that" shot through the red Mobian's mind. He extended a palm towards his own emerald to the side of him and started the fasted recital of Tikal's prayer ever attempted. "The servers are the seven chaos, chaos is power enriched by the heart..."

...Control!" Sonic finished before Knuckles could stop the gem from activating. With a green light that blocked his vision the blue Mobian was gone.

Knuckles then cried out in frustration as he twisted his body to hit the object closest to him, but his fist stopped an inch away from that object which was the Master Emerald. He took a deep breath and sighed as he walked away from his charge and towards the crater Sonic caused by falling out of the sky. "Now I really can't leave the island until this is over" he grumbled to himself. "Can't believe Tails would do any favours for the guy who convinced his brother to give up on him even if wasn't my point. Maybe smashing those fallen trees will help me cool off a little."

"Don't do it Romeo, she's not really dead" Amy Rose cried out to the TV in front of her. She was wearing a fluffy pink dressing gown and matching red slippers. After dropping off Cream and hoping that Vanilla could do a better job of reassuring the young rabbit than she could the pink hedgehog had decided to watch a televised version of Romeo and Juliet and like always envisioned Sonic and herself as the main characters. Amy's apartment was a decent size with the living room and kitchen in the main area and a separate bedroom and bathroom with both a bath and shower. Surprisingly only the bedroom walls were pink as she felt that if she made it too girly then Sonic would never come round, but that hadn't stopped her from buying pink sofa bed or from knitting a throw for the sofa which had many love hearts, many pictures of Sonic and his name in blue wool several times.

She heard a knock at the door. "Who would that be at this time? If it's some creep out for money or worse they better get ready to meet my hammer" she thought as went to answer the door, getting ready to summon her hammer at a moment's notice. However when she opened the door, her face lifted and her heart raced.

"Sonic!" she squealed, cupping her hands together. After she got over the initial elation of Sonic's presence Amy got a better look at her blue love and her expression turned into a concerned one.

"Are you okay Sonic?" she asked. The speedster looked broken, eyes pointed towards the floor and his back slumped.

"Sorry to call in so late" he started quietly with a forced smirked. "Is that sofa bed still free?"

"Of course, anything for you. What happened between you and Tails?"

The blue hedgehog walked inside and plonked himself down on the sofa, Amy following him.

"Was it bad?" she asked worriedly.

"He hates me."

"You know that teenagers always say things they don't mean."

"But he doesn't need me even if it wasn't true."

"So that's what this is about" she thought as he said that. "My Sonic was always so protective of Tails and now he claims that he doesn't need him."

"I can't understand how you're feeling but one day Cream maybe the same with me so I can understand why this happened."

"Thanks, but I said some things too so I think it's over for good" he said with a sigh. "He kicked me out.

The pink hedgehog couldn't help but let out a gasp. "Oh, Sonic" she said as she put wrapped her arms around his body.

"But he only did it because I was going to leave him to calm down for a few days."

"You boys, trying to look stronger than each."

"And that's the problem. He's not like that, or he shouldn't be at least."Amy looked confused at this statement. Sonic saw this. "I made Tails from a kind hearted genius to a moody jerk."

"That's not your fault..."

"It is, Knuckles said so."

"Since when do you listen to anything Knuckles says?"

"Since he started making sense."

"Doesn't that mean the world will end?" Amy said jokingly.

"Maybe" he said with a little laugh. "Thanks Amy."

"For what?"

"For being there when I needed you."

The pink hedgehog had to hold back a squeal. "My pleasure."

Tails slammed the picture frame in his hands down on the counter so that the picture was face down. "That should be the last one. Why do I have so many pictures of him?" He had gone around making sure that he couldn't see Sonic's face, or his own. The happy expression on their faces cut into him but he was at the end of that task, ending up in the bedroom.

He slipped off his shoes and got into the bed before he remembered he had one last picture, this one in his tails. It was one that was taken not long after the Chaos incident, they had gone for ice cream in Central City as he had badgered Sonic to take him to the capital and Amy had also volunteered to go. The picture was basically both of them mid-laugh and they looked alike in a sense without physically like each other, like they were real brothers. It was his favourite picture, or was.

"I better tear this up before it haunts me" he thought, putting his hand at the top and bottom of the photo as if to rip it up but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He could feel his eyes getting watery again. "Why can't I do it? Why? I must be frazzled from today's events. Maybe I need some rest. Tomorrow is another day."

He got into bed, trying not to think about how empty the place felt now. "The first day of my live without that blue back stabbing... him!"