Part Seven
Sonic and I managed to find three more Emeralds, all of which were of course taken by Eggman. Knuckles had once again been tricked into helping Eggman. He had been told that Sonic broke the Master Emerald and stole its pieces, which, of course, was false. "Nice job, Knucklehead…" I remember Sonic said that to Knuckles after he found out he had been tricked.
I had been flying Sonic up to Eggman's new ship, the Egg Carrier, in the Tornado-1 to try and rescue Amy, since she had been abducted by Eggman, when we got blasted by a large beam that I hadn't seen at first. It pretty much scrapped the Tornado and sent me and Sonic plummeting down in separate directions. I don't know where he ended up, but I ended up unconscious somewhere near the workshop.
Before I had woken up, I was having one of the most relaxing dreams I'd had in a while. I was dreaming about the race that Sonic and I had more than a year ago. It brings back so many good memories. Back when he and I didn't have to worry about a thing…
I've been looking for a Chaos Emerald to see if I could use it to power the Tornado-2, and Big the Cat's frog, Froggy, had swallowed one. I gave chase to it, and eventually caught it. I got sent back to the past because of a weird red orb after I did, though. I met an echidna named Tikal there. After I came back to my senses, Big startled me, and I let go of Froggy… But I did get the Emerald!
Right now, I'm going to my workshop. I have to fix up the Tornado-2 and go get Sonic.
"I sure hope he's okay!" I exclaim to myself as I rush up to my workshop. I get there within a minute, and the Tornado-2 is right where I left it. "Okay, time to start fixing!" I go into a frenzy. This reminds me of when I fixed the Tornado with Uncle Paul, except this isn't near as big of a fix. It wasn't trashed by Eggman. Sooner than later, the Tornado-2 is polished and ready to go… almost. I have to paint it really quick. I know Sonic needs me right now, but if I don't do it now, I don't know if I'll be able to.
I grab some blue paint and start to paint the Tornado-2. I end up not painting it a solid blue, but decorating it with several decals, such as my two tails (I had to add something in that made it mine), and some text that reads "Sonic". And that's when I notice that, if I take this plane out to fight Eggman with, it may get beaten to a pulp, and I would lose my special engraving forever. I need to write it down somewhere so I'll never forget it. I grab a piece of paper and neatly write the message down. When I'm finished, I get a piece of tape and hang it to the wall of the garage.
I open the garage door and get into the Tornado-2. I start it up, and I hear the two engines start and continually rise in pitch until they reach a very high whirring. I face the paper that I had written the message down on and wave my hand at it. "Good-bye, Uncle Paul! See ya when I get back!" I get the biplane out of the garage and accelerate down the runway before achieving liftoff near the end of it. "Here I come, Sonic!" I exclaim.
I fly around the Mystic Ruins and find no sign of Sonic, but then I catch sight of the Egg Carrier near Red Mountain. That has to be where Sonic is! I fly over there, and go to the side nearest the Carrier. As I patrol that side, I see Sonic. "Sonic!" I yell. "I've got the Tornado-2 running! Come on! Let's try to land on the Egg Carrier again!" Sonic nods, and as I fly toward him, he jumps onto his favorite spot, right in the back.
I fly us up toward the Egg Carrier, but then, it starts happening. A thunderstorm starts around us, and I start to freak out. I can't stand rain! I can't bear the sound of thunder! All I'm doing as we approach is making the Tornado-2 shake. "Come on, Tails. Be strong!" exclaims Sonic. "Don't let a little rain and lightning scare you. I hate to get wet as much as you do, but you have to overcome your fears. You have to believe that you aren't gonna get pneumonia. You have to believe that you aren't gonna get zapped by lightning. You have to believe in yourself." But it's so hard! I want to believe that… I really do…
"Uncle Paul would want you to be brave right now, wouldn't he?" asks Sonic. "What would he say to you right now?" He'd try to encourage me to be bold and face my fears. I need to! I need to do this. I've committed myself to stopping Eggman and his evil plots. I won't let him or his robots kill any more innocent people like my father. "All right, Sonic!" I exclaim. "Let's go!" I fly the Tornado-2 straight toward the Egg Carrier at top speed.
A few minutes and a lot of fighter plane robots later, I try to close in on the Carrier, but a fighter plane faster than any of the ones Eggman sent at us before flies toward us. "All right, time to transform the Tornado! Sonic, hop in the back seat really quick." Sonic nods and gets in the back seat of the plane as I press the button to convert the plane. I've been waiting to use this. The biplane's wings form an "X" shape as the propeller retracts into the body. Two rocket boosters pop out at the bottom of the plane, and we start to go supersonic. "Okay, Sonic, you can hop back up on the plane now!" He hops back up to his spot, and then I quickly veer to make a one hundred eighty degree turn and fire the Volkan Cannon at the fighter plane, and it hits straight on.
"Yes!" I yell. I turn back toward the Carrier and try to land on it when I realize something. "Um… Sonic…" I say worriedly. "What is it?" he asks. I shout as loud as I can, "There's no landing gear in this mode, and we're too late to change back! Get ready to jump, Sonic!" Sonic nods, and as I angle the plane toward the Carrier, I stand up in my seat. As soon as we're about to land, we both jump off onto the runway as the Tornado-2 skids across it. The biplane stops near the edge of the runway, only a few inches from falling off.
Then I notice that the thunderstorm has stopped. I wring out my tails and shake my fur. I have to dry myself off as well as I can! "Are you all right?" asks Sonic. I shiver and reply, "Yeah, Sonic, I'm fine. I just need to dry off. That's all." Why does water have to scare me so much? "Okay, let's head for the bridge! That's probably where Amy is right now!" exclaims Sonic. I nod, and we start running over to where the bridge is located, but about halfway there, Eggman's voice starts over the intercom, "Welcome to Dr. Ivo Robotnik's spectacular ship, the Egg Carrier. Congratulations on making it this far, Sonic, but I won't make it any easier for you past this point. Do you want to see what this ship is capable of?"
The ship starts to change shape as soon as he gets off the intercom, and its wings combine together near the top of the ship, nearly changing the whole ship's layout with it. "How are we going to get to the bridge now?" asks Sonic. He's right. I can't fly that high, especially not on something that's moving. I'd just get blown off. "The only way to get here now is through the Sky Deck!" exclaims Eggman. "I'd like to see you make it through there without a couple scratches!" Eggman laughs maniacally and then shuts off the intercom. "Well, Tails, are you up for some fun?" asks Sonic. I give him a thumbs-up and reply, "Sure am, Sonic! Let's go!"
He and I dash for the Sky Deck. When we get to the entrance, Sonic says, "Okay, Tails, let's race! Whoever gets to the bridge first wins!"
After only ten minutes, Sonic and I made it through the Sky Deck, and I came in first place! As I step through the door to the bridge, though, I realize that I shouldn't be celebrating my victory right now. Amy is in front of Eggman, holding a bird flicky to protect it from Eggman. "Amy," starts Eggman. "if you would be so kind as to hand over that little bird, it would be greatly appreciated." Amy shakes her head and asks, "No way, what in the world would you want with this poor little birdie?" Eggman simply sighs and extends a claw from his hovercraft, which nabs the bird right out of Amy's hands.
All Eggman does, however, is grab the jewel off of the bird's locket, at which point I realize it's… "A Chaos Emerald?" exclaims Sonic from behind me. Eggman lets out an evil laugh and yells, "Gamma, come take care of these pests! I need to feed Chaos!" His hovercraft flies away, but before I can catch it, a red E-series robot with the number 102 on it steps in front of me. "Get out of my way!" I shout.
The robot makes no attempts to do so and fires directly at me. Luckily, I saw it coming, and I jump out of the way. I spin jump on its head once and back up, after which the robot once again fires, but this time, he launches a small homing missile. I quickly dodge when it's about two inches away from me, and jump on the robot's head two more times, the second of which knocks him back a few yards. When I'm about to go in and finish him, Amy steps in my way. As to not collide with her, I quickly push my heels down onto the floor.
"Get out of my way, Amy," I say once I've stopped. "He's dangerous! Why are you defending him?" Amy shakes her head and responds, "Gamma's not dangerous, Tails. He's my friend. He helped me escape from Eggman's prison." I sigh. An Eggman robot helped Amy? That seems very out of character, and I'm sure that, even if he did help her, it was all just some part of one of Eggman's schemes. Yet, Amy only trusts people that she knows are her allies… "All right, Amy," I agree. "You have your reasons, I guess."
Then, I feel very light all of the sudden. What's going on? Wait a second… "The ship is losing altitude!" I exclaim. "Sonic! Amy! We need to get off of here! Quick!" Sonic walks up to me and says, "You and Amy go, Tails. Carry Amy and fly down to Station Square. I've gotta stay here and stop Eggman. Don't worry about me. I'll make it through this, I swear it. I wouldn't let you lose another family member, Tails!" I nod and tell Amy to grab onto my hands, which she does, and I start flying us off the Carrier. Oh, man, I hope Sonic makes it!
Within about twenty minutes, Amy and I make it to Station Square. I gently set Amy down on the ground, then plop down onto it once I land. My tails hurt like nothing else! "Tails, are you alright?" asks Amy. Through my panting, I reply, "Sure am, Amy. I'm just a bit tired." Amy smiles, probably because she's glad to know I'm okay. "Well, I've gotta help this little birdie find its parents," she says. "I'll see you later, Tails!" She runs off in the direction of Emerald Coast, leaving me to relax for a few minutes.
After about ten minutes of laying there and disregarding the looks that I'm getting thrown, I see Eggman's hovercraft crash down across the street from where I am. "Look. It's a giant talking egg…" I murmur. With my excellent hearing, I hear Eggman mumble, "Oh, woe is me! Sonic has defeated Chaos and destroyed my Final Egg! Oh, well, I'll just destroy Station Square myself!" Then, a missile comes flying toward Station Square from the direction that the Egg Carrier was in. No! This isn't how I want to die! My instincts take over, and I duck while putting my tails over my head. I hear the missile crash into the ground, but nothing happens after that. I look around. Everything is still there.
"No! It was a dud!" yells Eggman. He immediately starts his hovercraft and heads in the direction of Highway 255, better known by its nickname, Speed Highway. "I've got to get there as fast as I can!" he exclaims. Oh, no! If Eggman gets to that missile… then Station Square is done for! I've got to stop him…! But I'm just a wimp… I can't do anything without Sonic or Knuckles' help…
I've changed a lot since I started hanging out with Sonic, but I can't depend on him forever! I know I can do this by myself! "Look out, Eggman, 'cause here I come!"
I start to chase after Eggman as the sun starts to set. By the time it finishes setting, we make it to Speed Highway. This highway is aptly nicknamed, since there is no speed limit. This inner-city highway is usually full of cars right about now, but with this missile crisis, the roads are all but deserted. He starts racing down one of the hills and yells back to me, "You think you can keep up with me?" Did he just taunt me? Not on my watch! I speed up my tails and fly over his hovercraft. "What? He's caught up!" As I speed on ahead, he shouts, "Tails, wait for me!" Why on Mobius would I wait for him? He wouldn't wait for me even if his life depended on it.
Within only five minutes, I arrive at my destination. The missile struck a bridge that's part of Highway 37. I fly up to it and open it up, revealing wires galore. Knowing Eggman, the wiring is probably very touchy, and the slightest slip-up could cause it to blow. All but one wire are probably set to make the missile explode. I examine the wires. There are several multicolored wires, but one stands out in particular, as it's the only one of its color, the orange one. This might be the one. I don't know anything about defusing a missile, so this is my best bet. I pull out my wire cutters, one of the many tools I carry around with me, and cut the orange wire.
I close my eyes and plug my ears, waiting for my bad luck to take its place, but nothing happens. I open them, and the missile is still there, not blown up or anything. I'm alive? I actually did it? Yay! I can hear people cheering from behind me, chanting my nickname. I turn around and look at all of their happy faces, but happiness soon turns to fear as Eggman exits Speed Highway. "Dr. Robotnik! Let's get out of here!" yells one of the citizens as they all disperse. I fly off the bridge and get in front of Eggman.
"What're you gonna do now, Eggbelly? I defused your missile, and now you have nothing left to attack Station Square with. Face it, Eggman, you lost!" Eggman quietly chuckles. "What's so funny?" I try to menacingly ask. Eggman sighs and replies, "You really are clueless, fox boy. I always have a plan B. Prepare to meet your doom, Tails, because this time, Sonic isn't here to save you."
His hovercraft suddenly sprouts legs and turns into a large walker as wide as the street. "Meet the Egg Walker, fox boy!" That thing is HUGE! I've never had to do something like this without Sonic. I'm scared, Sonic! You can do it, Tails! Sonic? His voice is in my head. I don't know… Can I do it? I'm just a puny little fox. Miles. Uncle Paul? Believe in yourself, Miles. Believe in myself… I begin to recite the poem in my head. I wanna fly high so I can reach the highest of all the heavens. / Somebody will be waiting for me, so I have gotta fly higher. / Gotta keep going. Everything is a brand new challenge for me. / I will believe in myself. This is the only start for me.
I do have to keep going. Sonic wouldn't want me to just give up, and neither would Uncle Paul. Eggman can't kill anyone else! "I'm not scared!" I exclaim. "I'm not scared! I'M NOT SCARED, EGGMAN! You hear me? I won't give up! I won't allow you to kill any more innocent people like my father!" Eggman chuckles and responds, "All right, then, Tails. Give it your best shot!" Maybe I'm a bit in over my head, but I don't care! I'm going to try anyway! Sonic, Uncle Paul, I'll make you proud!
The Egg Walker starts stomping through the street, crushing all of the cars in its wake. When it approaches me, it seems like it's going to squash me like a bug, but instead, it stomps near me and releases an electric shockwave that hits me, and I feel a painful shock course through my body. I growl in pain until the electricity finish its course. "Gotta watch out for that…" I look at its feet as it jumps away from me and starts crawling toward me again. Its feet are its weak point! If I can attack its feet, then I'll be home free!
When it stomps on the ground near me again, I jump to avoid the shockwave, then land and kick the dome on there as hard as I can. The legs on the Walker fail, and I spin jump on the cockpit. After three more times, I finally end up disabling Eggman's controls as the machine falls apart, leaving only his hovercraft. "Dammit! I was supposed to beat you! You're just a weak little fox cub!" he shouts as he flies out of Station Square. "Yeah, that's right!" I yell. "Run, Eggman! Run and DON'T EVER COME BACK!"
People gather out on the street once again, chanting my name. This praise… It feels great! No wonder Sonic likes being a hero! "Mommy! Mommy! Can I go? Please, Mommy?" A high- and squeaky-voiced rabbit keeps asking her mom if she can come and meet me. I've never had anyone want to meet me. A smooth voice replies, "Okay, dear. You can go and talk to him." The rabbit shrieks in joy as she runs up to me. Her vermillion dress flows as she continues toward me.
"Hello, Mr. Prower! My name's Cream the Rabbit, and my Chao is named Cheese!" she exclaims when she reaches me. Mr. Prower? "You don't have to call me Mr. Prower, Cream," I say. "Just call me Tails." She nods and says excitedly, "That was amazing, Mr. Tails!" Mr. Tails? Oh, well… I guess that won't hurt. "It's cool how you were able to stand up to Dr. Robotnik like that!" I chuckle and scratch the back of my head as I look more closely at her. She's… kinda cute… Her soft brown eyes are looking at me in admiration as a smile continues to be present on her small mouth. She has cream-colored fur, and her ears are extremely long, but they add to her cuteness. "I-it was nothing…" I stutter. She slightly tilts her head to the side as she asks, "Mr. Tails, if I may ask, why are you blushing?" I'm blushing? It's noticeable? I quickly try to stop as I stammer, "It's n-n-n-nothing, Cream."
Then, I see a tall and polite-looking rabbit excuse herself through the crowd. Her fur is the same color as Cream's, making me assume that she's related to her. She's probably her mother. "Cream, dear, we must be heading back home." She nods to her mother, and then politely bows to me. "Thank you for letting me meet you, Mr. Tails!" I politely bow back, smile, and reply, "You're welcome, Cream. It was no problem." I direct my words toward her mother. "Thank you for letting me meet your daughter ma'am." Her mother smiles and responds, "You're welcome, Mr. Prower, but we really must be going." The two of them walk away, and Cream waves back to me as she calls out, "Good-bye, Mr. Tails." I wave back, and then the crowd comes up to me and picks me up, still chanting my name.
