AFTER THE METAREX: TAILS' STORY
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Cosmo's Work Relived"
The next day was sunny. Tails hoped it was a good omen. He managed to convince his parents that he needed to do something in the back yard and would be out there for awhile. They had stopped talking when he entered the room, which was frightening, but he decided to let it pass for the time being.
Cream and Cheese came over. Tails was waiting in the front yard for them, afraid his parents wouldn't let them in if they knocked.
"See, dear, there's that little bunny girl I told you about," Rosemary said, peeking through the living room curtain.
"Doesn't look too bright, does she?" Amadeus said. "No wonder that crazy red head talks her into things. And speak of the devil!" Amy Rose was coming down the street. "Shall I chase her off?"
"I'll keep an eye on her," his wife assured him. "Don't worry. I can handle Rosey the Rascal!"
Fortunately, Amy didn't have a hammer at her at the moment. If she had appeared armed, the Prowers no doubt would have rushed out and the result would not have ended well. But Amy saw no need for her weapon in a simple little trip to Tails' house.
"Um…can I come in?" Amy asked. Tails had been pretty mad at her too about the Cosmo robot.
"I wouldn't recommend going inside of my house," Tails said. "My parents…don't make friends easily." He'd nearly mentioned that his mother would probably complain about Amy being a poor role model for Cream again. He didn't want to have to deal with that. Not today.
Tails brought Cosmo's plant into the greenhouse. The girls followed him.
"What's that boy so interested in that flower, we have plenty more," Tails' father demanded.
"He thinks it's his dead girlfriend coming back to life I'm afraid," Rosemary said. "I was going to throw it out, but Miles' therapist says that he's so closely identified with it, he might have a total breakdown. Besides, he always hides it when he goes out. Probably somewhere in those awful tunnels underground. I'm sure they're just simply filthy and crawling with disease!"
"He thinks it's what?!?" Amadeus demanded.
"Apparently the Parlouzer boy performed some sort of magic trick, and said a seed he gave Miles was his friend," Rosemary explained. "I asked Merlin, and he just said 'Who knows?'"
"Merlin always was an odd one," Amadeus said. "Probably where Miles gets it from. Don't know who the other one took after."
"Still can hear you, Dad!" Sanguine said from the couch, where he was watching television.
"Go out there and watch your brother!" Amadeus said. "Move it!"
Sanguine stepped outside. "Hey, guys," he said.
"Don't start anything!" Amy told him. "I don't need your nonsense today! Can't you see this is something sacred?"
"I think you'd rather have me out here than…" Sanguine looked over towards the window. The drapes moved quickly.
"They're watching me like they think I'm going to play with matches," Tails said. "Sometimes I think I should take the X-Tornado and fly to the other side of the world. Well, let's just pretend we don't know they're over there. I've made the greenhouse out of a special unbreakable material instead of glass. I don't want somebody breaking in and stealing Cosmo's plant. After what Eggman just tried, I'm afraid he might come after her. That's why I placed a burglar alarm on the pot. If anyone but me picks it up, you can hear it for a mile."
Amy and Sanguine stayed back while Tails and Cream went to the spot Tails had prepared for the plant. Cream examined it carefully. She took a small spade and worked on the hole a little bit. Finally she nodded.
"Let me have the flower pot, please."
"Please be careful," Tails said nervously.
"I do this all the time," Cream assured him. She carefully dug out the plant's root system. Tails felt a vice on his heart. So fragile! If anything went wrong with the transference, Cosmo might die again right before his eyes!
Cream planted the flower in the hole. She instructed Tails exactly on how to help her. "Please don't cry, Tails," she said. "Everything's going to be all right."
When they were finished, Cream gave him a hug. "See? Everything's fine. Cosmo wasn't hurt one bit. Now we just need to be patient."
"Thanks, Cream," Tails said, hugging her back. "I couldn't get through this without you."
"I'll always be here for you!" Cream promised.
"They're such a cute couple!" Amy said, lacing her fingers together. She sighed. "Ah, love! Isn't it grand?"
"Don't do it," Sanguine said.
"Don't do what?" Amy demanded. "And who asked for your opinion, anyway?"
"Don't set my brother up with Cream," Sanguine said. "He's not interested in another girlfriend."
Amy glared at him. "Listen, you," she said, lowering her voice, "Cosmo has already said she's not coming back. You brother's going to be devastated when that plant doesn't turn into her! He needs somebody to take care of him. To mend his broken heart. And he likes Cream. It's the perfect solution!"
Sanguine shook his head. "You're playing god," he said. "Cream's probably his best friend now. He told me what Sonic did to that robot Cosmo. He even told Mom and Dad he doesn't want to see your boyfriend. That's serious, Amy. He's been closer to Sonic than he has to his own family. Instead of setting Miles up with Cream, you should be helping me figure out a way to get him to make up with Sonic."
"Tails and Sonic have an unbreakable bond," Amy insisted. "He's angry right now, but he'll get over it. Trust me. I know your brother better than you do. Which is sad if you think about it."
"Now she's flirting with Simon!" Rosemary Prower hissed to her husband, who was watching television. "Then she wonders why that Parlouzer boy runs from her!"
"Didn't she used to pick her nose?" Amadeus asked.
"No dear, that was Sonic," Rosemary said, "Rosey used to talk with a lisp."
"Oh, right," Amadeus said, nodding. "The little girl that was always spitting."
"Sorry I can't invite you and Amy in, Cream," Tails said. "But my parents…"
"Your parents are out of their minds!" Amy yelled.
"Amy! They'll hear you!" Tails cried.
"So let them hear me!" Amy said. "I'd like to see them say something to me!"
Tails ran his hand through his hair. If Amy made a scene, his parents might forbid him from seeing her and Cream again. Tails wasn't too sure about Amy's company, but he had come to rely on Cream for support. He also didn't want to cause her any trouble. Vanilla was a very kind and understanding woman, but if his mom really started yelling at her…well, he'd seen the way Vanilla had looked at Vector.
************
At that time, Sonic wasn't thinking about Tails. He was too relieved to see his little sister was sitting up in bed, looking very bored and eager to get out of the hospital.
"So there you are, Mister Superhero!" she said. "I thought maybe you'd gotten lost."
"Sorry," Sonic said, "I was…busy." And suddenly Tails came flooding back into his mind.
"You look like somebody just punched you in the stomach," Anita said. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Sonic said, sitting down in the chair next to her bed. He didn't want to burden her with his problems.
"So, how you doing?" Sonic asked.
"I'm starving," Anita said. "And all they'll give me is hospital food!"
"Well, if you're a good girl, maybe I'll bring you one of Uncle Chuck's chili dogs," Sonic said.
"No onions," Anita said.
"But a chili dog isn't the same without cheese and onions," Sonic argued.
"You're so weird," Anita said. "Come here."
Sonic thought she wanted to whisper something in his ear. Instead, she hit him with her pillow. "Now get me something to eat, moron!"
"Wow," Sonic said, "you really are feeling better!"
"Why are you still here?!?" Anita demanded.
Sonic took off. He considered going to see Tails, but was sure that he'd be okay for awhile. He wanted to get to know his sister again.
Sonic had no idea that he and Tails would both regret his not looking in on his friend.
************
"Here," Tails said, showing Cream and Amy and his brother the lock on the greenhouse door. "I've set this up so that if anyone gets locked in, they can open the door from inside, but to open it from out here, I'll need to make retina scans."
"Um…what?" Amy asked.
"You'll need to look into this camera here," Tails explained. "It will scan your eye and record it. Eyes are like fingerprints. Everyone's is different. Then, if you need to go in sometime when I'm not around, you can open the door by placing your eye against the monitor."
"Oh," Amy said. "So…who are you trusting to get into your greenhouse?"
"Just you three," Tails said.
"What about Mister Sonic?" Cream asked softly.
Tails sighed. "He didn't even show up today!" Tails said.
"He said he wanted to give you some time to get over being angry with him about…you know…the Cosmo robot," Amy told him. "Besides, his sister's still in the hospital. I guess he's over there with her."
"I'm happy Sonic found her," Tails said. "I know losing her's been on his conscious for years. But I'm not at all sure how I feel about Sonic right now. I don't want to yell at him. Say anything I might regret later. Amy, Cream, you were there when I blew up at him on the Blue Typhoon. I never want that to happen again."
"You really scared me that day!" Cream said. "And there hasn't been a day since then that I haven't been scared for him!" she realized.
"I'm sorry," Tails told her. "I…I'm hoping things will start getting better soon. I know I've been difficult since we got home from space. Please, just give me a little more time."
"Of course we will!" Cream said, suddenly hugging him. "You just take all the time you need!"
"Time…" Tails said, his eyes suddenly far away. "Yes…time heals all wounds."
"Tails?" Amy said. "You…you okay there?"
"What?" Tails said. "Oh, sorry." He grinned nervously. "Guess I'm just turning into one of those absent-minded professors."
************
"But, Miss Vanilla!" Vector cried. He had just knocked on her door, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a box of candy in the other. She had looked surprised, then closed the door in his face.
"Please go away, Vector," Vanilla said through the closed door. "I'm not ready to talk to you yet."
"But…" Vector struggled for something to say. Normally, he could go on and on and on for hours, without even thinking about it. But right now, his mind was suddenly blank. Vector sighed and walked away.
Vanilla shook her head. She couldn't understand her feelings for him. She'd naively believed all of the stories he'd told her. Vanilla had been a simple country girl. Unless she knew she couldn't trust someone, she just assumed that everyone was honest with her.
"Why do I care if he doesn't come back?" she asked herself, sitting down at her kitchen table. "We're only friends, after all." She remembered her husband, Cream's father. She had only been friends with him, once. Sort of like Vector, without that crazy streak. A big goofy guy with a smile that had lit up her world. Would she be unfaithful to his memory if she…
"No!" Vanilla said out loud. "No, no one will ever replace him!"
"Who, Mom?" Cream asked, coming into the kitchen. "Who are you talking about?"
"Dear," Vanilla said, "what do you think about Mister Vector?"
"Well…he was awfully mean to Amy," Cream said. "But maybe he just can't help himself. I mean…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't know. I always thought he was funny. But what he did to Amy was just plain awful!"
"Yes," Vanilla said, nodding her head. "Yes, it was. Would you and Cheese like something to eat, dear?"
"Ice cream?" Cream asked hopefully.
"You can't just eat ice cream and cake, dear," Vanilla said, getting up. "I'll make you something nutritious…and then we'll see."
"Yay!" Cream said, hugging her mother. "You're the best, Mommy!"
************
After Amy and Cream had left, Tails asked his brother for some time alone.
"Sure," Sanguine said. "Hey, listen, why don't we do something? Play a board game or something? You need to spend less time locked up in your workshop."
"We'll see," Tails said. If this worked, maybe he'd be more in the mood to do something lighthearted. Well, he could only hope.
After his brother had gone inside, Tails opened the door to his greenhouse and stepped inside. Cream had happily provided him with many flowers, plants, and seeds. He realized she'd be over probably every day to take care of them and see how they were growing. Tails also realized he liked having the little bunny over. She helped him get through the bad times. Now that she was gone, he felt depressed.
Tails passed the sunflowers and asters. He noticed the irises. They looked almost like tiny plant people. He wondered if Cosmo's flower would start looking something like that. In the back, just before a small patch of flowering bushes, stood the most precious one of all. Cream had just watered it, so there was nothing Tails could do for it now. Nothing except make a promise.
"I swear," Tails whispered, getting down on his knees and gently touching the flower with an ungloved finger. "I swear, I will do everything within my power to bring you back to me. I…I just hope you won't resent me."
Tails continued talking to the little plant until he could build up the reserve to do what he'd been planning to do for months. He blew the little plant a kiss, then turned and headed for the door. He locked it behind him, then went inside.
"Miles? Dear?" his mother said gently, giving him a hug. "Are you okay, sweetie?"
"Yeah," Tails said. "Or at least…I will be." He looked towards the room where his time machine was carefully hidden. "I hope."
************
Vector returned to his detective agency. Espio was throwing shuriken at a picture of Eggman. Charmy was asleep.
"Hey, Vector," Espio said, noticing the crocodile still had the flowers and candy he'd bought. "She wouldn't take them, huh? I tried to tell you we went too far this time."
"Yeah, well, why don't you ever try harder?!" Vector demanded. "Aren't you supposed to be my conscience or something?"
"I don't remember ever agreeing to that," Espio said rolling his eyes. "Besides, I gave up on you listening to me a long time ago."
"That's your problem, Espio!" Vector yelled. "You just don't try!" He dropped the candy and flowers on the kitchen table and stormed off.
"What was that all about?" Charmy demanded, waking up.
"Miss Vanilla won't take Vector back," Espio told him.
"Oh," Charmy said.
"Why do we do it, Charmy?" Espio asked, going back to his target practice. "Why do we let Vector talk us into crazy things?"
"Well," Charmy said, thinking about it, "I guess we…just need somebody to tell us what to do. And Vector's good at giving orders."
"I guess you're right," Espio said. "Unfortunately, Vector needs somebody to tell him what to do."
"Yeah," Charmy agreed. "If he thinks long enough, that crazy little voice starts talking to him again."
"My sensei would be so disappointed in me," Espio said. "I've failed at everything I've tried. I know what to do in a fight, but in peace time, I…I just wait around for somebody to give me instructions."
"Yeah," Charmy agreed, joining Espio's game. "You and me are kind of pathetic, aren't we? And Vector's…well, Vector. Guess that's why the three of us are such close friends."
"Yeah," Espio agreed sadly. "I guess so."
************
Amy saw Sonic talking to his Uncle Chuck, and decided to surprise him. She moved stealthily from tree to tree. "Perfect!" she thought. "Sonic doesn't suspect a thing! Super Rose Glomp coming up…now!" Amy leaped at Sonic. Sonic moved without even seeming to notice her. Amy suddenly found herself hugging Uncle Chuck.
"Um…hello to you too, Amy," Uncle Chuck said. "I'm afraid you'll have to be little faster than that to catch my nephew!"
Amy pulled away from him. "S-sorry, Uncle Chuck!" she said. She turned to see Sonic just disappearing in the distance. She let out a big sigh.
"Can I get you anything?" Uncle Chuck asked. "Chili dog? Corn dog? Soda?"
"How about a boot to the head?" Amy moaned.
The old hedgehog patted Amy on the head. "Don't worry," he assured her. "Sonic likes you a lot. I'm not quite sure even he understands how much."
"Then why does he hurt me so much?" she asked. She bit back the tears. "I try and I try and I try. He asks for space, I stay away as long as I can bear it! What more can I do?"
"Just stay positive," the old hedgehog told her, handing her a corn dog. "Things are never as bad as they seem, child."
Amy sat down on a small stool and shut her eyes. "You're right," Amy said. "I'll never stop hoping. It's only when we give up hoping that things really go wrong. Thanks, Uncle Chuck!"
"Any time, Rosey," he said. Uncle Chuck was probably the only person that could get away with calling her that.
Amy ate her corn dog, slowly, thoughtfully. She looked at Sonic's uncle. He was a nice old guy. Alone for many years. Amy smiled. She'd just have to find him a special person of his very own!
"I'll see you, Uncle Chuck," Amy said, giving him a hug. She raced off. She was sure she could find a single or widowed older lady who needed company!
************
"Okay," Tails said, checking over his time machine for the final time. "If this works…well, we'll see." He knew that he still didn't have a solution. He'd have to stop Cosmo before she left Cream and transformed. But at least, if this worked, he'd know that it was possible to change the past. He crossed his fingers, and pressed the main button. Swirling patterns of colored lights appeared all around him. He heard a strange humming sound, not from the machine, but from everywhere. There was a blinding light. Tails shielded his eyes with his hand.
When the light faded, Tails looked around. He was on the Blue Typhoon! But when? He raced through the ship, looking for Cosmo.
From the bridge, Tails heard Sonic cry out, "And now, you all listen to me! Call all the strength you have and all the energy you can find! The Sonic Driver will bring me victory!"
As Tails continued to search for Cosmo, he heard himself argue with Sonic. "Your body is overloaded with energy since you transformed into Super Sonic! It wouldn't survive being struck by the Sonic Driver!"
Tails knew what he was doing would probably kill Sonic, but he had to at least try to save Cosmo! "I'm sorry, big brother!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry! If…if this works, I'll…I'll come back again and find some way to save you too! I swear I will!"
He found her with Cream, and realized he'd just made it. "Cosmo!" he cried. "Cosmo, please don't do it!"
But Cosmo and Cream ignored him. Cosmo was staring up at the Dark Planet. Cream and Cheese were praying.
"Mother?" he heard Cosmo say.
"Cosmo!" Tails cried. "Cosmo, stop!"
Cosmo seemed to be in a trance. It was as if someone were speaking to her. Then she said, "Yes, I'm the only one that can do it, Mother."
"No!" Tails screamed, reaching for her. "Don't!" His hand reached for her…and went right through her!
"What?!? What's going on?" Tails yelled. He looked at Cosmo. She was paying no attention to him. Neither was Cream.
"I didn't come back right!" he realized. "I'm here, but not here! I'm just a ghost! I can't do anything! I can't change anything! All I can do is…Oh no! No! No, please! I don't want to see it happen again!"
Tails pressed the button on his time machine. Nothing happened.
"Why isn't it working?!?" Tails screamed. "Stupid machine!" He shook it. "Work! Work already!"
He looked up to see Cosmo turn to Cream. "You must all let me do it," she said. "Call back Sonic and Shadow, please. I'll you help you to create a world of future and liberty."
"Cosmo?" Cream said, starting to cry.
Cosmo smiled and let out a sigh. Then she rose into the air, past the protective fields on the ship.
"No!" Tails shrieked. "Don't go! Come back!"
"Cosmo?" Cream called. "Cosmo! Cosmo!"
Tails watched until he couldn't see Cosmo anymore. Then he noticed Cream was gone. He raced back to the bridge. There, he saw himself, sitting at the controls.
"Tails! Cosmo just went out there!"
"What?!?" Past Tails cried.
"No!" Tails wailed. "Get me out of here! I don't want to see it again! I don't want to shoot her again!" But the machine still wouldn't work. He tried to fix it. Everything looked all right. What had gone wrong? What mistake had he made? Why couldn't he talk to anyone?
"Shadow warned me!" he remembered. "I thought he was just being a jerk! He probably did try to go back and save Maria! Did he stand there, watching, while she was killed again?"
"I'm in place…you can do the shot now," he heard Cosmo say. "I'm directly linked to this monster's body as you can see! So I beg you…shoot on me and you can destroy him!"
Tails vaguely heard Amy and Knuckles and Chris talking about how horrible it was that Cosmo had merged with Dark Oak. Knuckles yelled at Past Tails to do something else. But his former self looked so confused. So helpless.
"Just like I still am now!" Tails thought. "I still can't do anything! I'm sorry, Cosmo! I let you down again!"
"Think of something else, Tails!" Knuckles yelled. He had tried to save her. Had tried so hard to stop Tails from what he had done. And Tails had refused to speak to Knuckles since then.
"You did more to save her than I did, Knuckles!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry!"
"Listen, all of you," he heard himself say, "leave us alone…please?"
"Come on!" Tails screamed at himself. "What's wrong with you?!?" But no one could hear him.
Then he heard Eggman. "Tails…it's time!"
He saw himself start to push the button. "FIRE!" He cringed, then watched himself hit his heard against the button, closing the compartment.
"Yes!" Present Tails yelled. "Yes! You have to stop this! Please!" But he knew he wouldn't. Because he hadn't.
"Do you know how she's feeling at a time like this?" he heard Eggman ask. "You traveled with her all this time. You know."
"Shut up!" he screamed. "You're trying to make me think you cared…then you built that robot to drive me crazy! I won't forgive you for that, Eggman!"
"Tails-san, I really want…to receive your shot."
"No!" Tails cried to his former self. "Don't do it!" But Past Tails couldn't hear him.
"Wasn't there…a promise? That when this was over, you'd come and live with us on our planet?"
"Stop talking nonsense, and think of some way out of this!" Present Day Tails screamed. But even after all these months, he still couldn't think of another way.
"Until the end, for all the problems I caused you…please excuse me!" He heard Cosmo say.
"No!" Tails wailed. He knew it was almost time. He tried again to get his machine to work. Why wouldn't it get him out of there?
"You never caused me problems, Cosmo!" he heard himself say. "It's too hard! Because, Cosmo…I love you!" And while Present Day Tails tired uselessly to stop himself, Past Tails pushed the button. Both Tails screamed in agony.
Present Day Tails collapsed. "No!" he yelled. "NO! It's not fair! It's not fair!"
"Cosmo?" he heard his former self cry. "Cosmo! I can't see her! Cosmo!"
"You're wasting your time!" Tails told himself. "She can't hear you! Anymore than you can hear me!" He started pushing the button on his time machine. "I want to go back!" he wailed. "Get me out of here!"
"Don't be sad, Tails," he heard. He spun and watched Cosmo's spirit approach his former self. "Whenever you need me, I'll always be right here by your side!" She tried to kiss Past Tails, then faded away before their eyes.
Tails knew what was next. That Sonic would arrive and hand him the seed. He didn't want to go through that again too! "Send me back!" he wailed, pressing the return button again and again. "Please! I don't want to live through this again!" He realized he wasn't as strong now as he had been five months ago. Reliving those final days on the Blue Typhoon now would kill him!
"I thought…you could save her! Just a little while ago… this was Cosmo!" he heard he heard himself scream at Sonic. "I believed in you! I BELIEVED IN YOU!"
"I killed her again!" Present Day Tails wailed. "I killed Cosmo again!" He shut his eyes, pressing the return button again and again. "I killed her again! I killed her again!"
Outside his workshop, Tails' mother, checking on him, heard him screaming and called her husband. Amadeus kicked the door in. They found Tails huddled on the floor, smashing his time machine.
"Worthless piece of junk!" he wailed. "What good are you to me? What good is anything to me! I killed her again! Not Sonic! Me this time!"
"Miles!" Rosemary cried, putting her arms around him. "It's all right, honey! Mommy's here!"
"I killed Cosmo!" Tails wailed. "I killed her!"
"Yes, yes, baby, but that was months ago!" his mother tried to reassure him.
But Tails didn't want to be consoled. "No! I killed her again! Just now! She was here…she was alive…Alive! Right here beside me! And then…and then I pushed the button! And Sonic and Shadow killed her again! Because of me! It's all my fault! Shadow warned me! He knew! He must have known!"
"Miles, son, you're not making sense!" Amadeus said.
"I'm making perfect sense!" Tails wailed. "I'm a monster! I don't deserve to live! Not when I killed Cosmo again! I could try again and again, but I'd just do it again! And again! And again!"
"That does it," Amadeus said. He left the room.
"Dear, what are you doing?" Rosemary called, still trying to comfort Tails.
"What I should have done a long time ago!" her husband yelled back. "Miles is sick! He needs help! And I'm getting him some now!"
Amadeus called Tails' therapist. "Doctor? Yes, it's Miles. He's having some sort of breakdown. Keeps screaming that little girl he killed months ago was just here and he shot and killed her all over again. Yes, I think that would be for the best. Yes, we'll keep him here until you arrive."
"Amadeus, what did you do?" Rosemary asked worriedly as her husband returned.
"I'm going to pack some clothes for him," Amadeus said, patting his son's head. "He'll…be away for awhile, dear."
Rosemary gasped. "Oh! Oh, Amadeus, you didn't!"
"Look at him!" her husband said. Tails was still sobbing in his mother's arms. "He needs help, Rosemary. He needs it bad. And I'm afraid it's obvious by now that we just can't give it to him. Stay here with him until…until they come for him." He walked slowly away.
Sonic arrived just after the ambulance did. "Wha? What's going on here?" Had Eggman attacked? No, the house was in one piece. Had Tails…had he tried to hurt himself? Then a dog and a squirrel came out of Tails' house. They were dressed in white and pushing a gurney. Sonic gasped when he realized Tails was strapped to it. He seemed unconscious.
"Hey!" he yelled. "What do you think you're doing?!?" He was about to knock their heads together, when he heard a shout.
"Mind your own business, hedgehog!"
Sonic stared at Tails' father. "You're behind this! What are you doing to him?" He clenched his fists.
"Miles just had a nervous breakdown," Amadeus said. "Because of whatever you and your Shadow friend did to that little girlfriend of his. He needs professional care, and I'm going to see that he gets it! Now get off my property! This is none of your business!"
Sonic ignored him and went to Tails. His best friend was really out of it. "What did you do to him?!?" he demanded. Tails' eyes were open, but out of focus.
"He tried to get away," the dog said, as he and the squirrel lifted the gurney into the back of the ambulance. "We had to give him something to calm him down."
"You…you…" Sonic felt a rage burning inside of him. He had done things to hurt Tails, but this…"You're not taking him!" he said, gritting his teeth.
"Can you help him?" Rosemary demanded. "Can you make him happy again? Can you fix this?"
"I…I…" Sonic had no answers. Maybe, just maybe, there weren't any.
Suddenly, Tails moaned. "Sonic…"
"I'm here, buddy," Sonic said. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this!"
"Please…" Tails said, "please…Cosmo's…plant…Cream…take care of…it…"
"Of course Cream will take good care of it!" Sonic said. "But she won't need to! I'm gonna get you out of this, buddy!"
"Please…don't let…Cream see…me like…this…" Tails begged. Then he passed out again.
"Get out!" Amadeus yelled. "Now! This doesn't concern you!"
"I'll go," Sonic said. "But if anything happens to Tails, you'll regret it!" He turned back towards the ambulance. "Hang on, buddy! I'll get you out of this!"
"We've already signed the papers," Amadeus said. "If you try to stop this, you'll be breaking the law, and I will press charges against you!"
"You've just made a very powerful enemy," Sonic said in a cold voice. "Do what you will, I'll have Tails out before you know what happened!" Sonic sped off towards the palace. He had to get Princess Sally to overturn the commitment papers. If he couldn't…well, no building could keep Sonic the Hedgehog out!
"Sorry, Sonic," Nicole said when he reached the palace. "Sally is in a private meeting with her brother. Besides, Tails' parents are his legal guardians. You can appeal, but that could take weeks, maybe months."
"So what happens to Tails until then?" Sonic demanded.
Nicole shook her head. "I'm afraid he stays where he is unless his parents, or his doctor, change their minds about his condition. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do but tell Sally the moment I see her."
Sonic snarled. "Do you know who protects Mobius from Doctor Eggman?" he demanded. "I do. If anything happens to my best friend because of idiotic red tape…"
"Are you threatening Princess Sally and King Elias?" Nicole asked, her image flickering.
"Do you think anyone could stop me if I did?" Sonic hissed. He sped away. He wasn't sure what to do now, and needed to think.
Nicole watched him go. "Please, Sonic," she said softly. "Please don't force us to fight you!" She faded, hoping to talk to Sally. But the princess was being yelled at by her brother and the high council, and Nicole broke the connection without saying anything.
************
Tails awoke several hours later to find himself in a room covered with thick white padding. He tried to move his arms, and found that they were strapped down. He shut his eyes. "The moment I saw Cosmo in the line of fire…the instant I realized…what I'd have to do…I guess I knew then that I'd end up here sooner or later." He felt the tears come again, and made no effort to stop them. "It's no more than I deserve." He opened his eyes. Cosmo stood there. Watching him. With tears in her own eyes.
"Please don't cry for me, Cosmo," Tails sobbed, shutting his eyes again to block out her image. "I'm already dead!"
He cried himself to sleep.
Mother? Why didn't his machine work?
Because what must be must be, Galaxina.
He's lost his mind now! We have to tell Cosmo about this!
No. She shouldn't see him like this.
Perhaps you're right, Mother. Nova? What do you want?
That gives me an idea. Maybe I can change Cosmo's mind, Mother. Galaxina.
Nova? What are you planning, little sister? Nova! Come back here! What are you going to do?
Perhaps she can convince her, Galaxina. She doesn't seem to want to listen to you or me.
Yes, Mother.
To be continued (This takes place before chapter seven of Cosmo's Story)
Five more chapters