The Genesis of a Generation

"Bad taste is better than no taste."

Notes: It was brought to my attention that I had yet to write a chapter from Classic Tails' point of view. For shame, Hikari.

That being said, for reasons unbeknownst to me, this chapter was very difficult to write. Maybe it's because Classic Tails has such an innocence and lack of… cynicism about him that is so different from the others, making him almost the total opposite of, yet (somehow) completely the same as, Modern Tails. I have yet to write from the point of view of such a young, unknowing, yet brilliant individual, which presented a whole new parameter of challenges that I shall not get into. Ah well. Live and learn, eh?

With that in mind, please do excuse any type of out of character moments that any of the characters may experience. The simple fact that we are looking through Classic Tails' eyes might warp the other characters' personalities – or, as is more accurate, the reader's perception of their personalities – into something a little different. I tried my best to fix them, but I'm a character writer first and foremost, meaning that if Classic Tails wants to take over the chapter from me, then he will.

Please note: Everything in this story is meant to be taken as friendship. There is no romance at all. Don't squint for it; it's not there. I've had quite a few people PMing me and asking me if I secretly ship Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic, and all I can say is… no, just no. That would be like me falling in love with an eight-year-old version of myself. That's pretty messed up, if you ask me.

Tiny Tails loved living in the future for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, for his older self. He loved to be around Mechanic; loved being able to watch him work and try to understand what exactly he was doing. He could ask questions all day long and his elder self would never get annoyed or peeved or irritated, because he understood Little Tails' need to understand everything. He himself suffered from the same need, though he could now keep his questions down to a minimum, unlike his younger self.

There was something about the Mechanic that just made T2 happy to be around him. He had a presence about his person that just drew him in. In between the sarcastic remarks and the smart observations, his older self was everything that Tails hoped to grow up to be, and more. His bond with Sonic had grown so much that the hedgehog now trusted him enough to leave him alone with his experiments, and they had a steady banter, one so full of inside jokes that neither of the past incarnations could hope to catch up.

That was the second thing he loved, watching Mechanic interact with Big Sonic. The way they were around each other, so completely at ease, yet aware of the other's emotions and reactions made him wish that he and his big brother were like that. However, even his four-year-old brain knew that a friendship that complex and developed took time to grow and shape, and he was happy enough just to observe from the outside; he knew that one day, that would be him joking around with Sonic without a care in the world.

He cherished the moments when they got into a playful argument, watching as their emotions flipped unexpectantly and their jabs flew through the air like blunt knives, always hitting home but never slicing deep. The fact that they could laugh off their spats is what made them so special to the young kit; no tears were shed, only chuckles.

He knew that his Sonic didn't like it here. Heck, he had made it one hundred percent clear that he would rather be fighting Dr. Robotnik – in a volcano, he was always quick to add – than be stuck out of time like this. The lack of aging and movement was messing with his judgment and sense of self, he had confided in Tiny Tails a few weeks after settling into the Workshop; he couldn't get a good grasp on their surroundings when they left the Workshop, even though the planet hadn't changed much in the past ten years, and he wasn't sleeping well.

Tails hadn't mentioned it in return, but he hadn't been sleeping well either. The nightmares of what they had seen and experienced while they had been traveling through their future kept them both up well into the night, even when they took something to help them slumber. Of course, T2 tried to keep it a secret from Mechanic as well, but the other fox could see right through him – probably because he had once stood in the same exact place as the younger. The day he had finally addressed it had been a normal one, completely monotonous when compared to the other, life changing days they had been in the middle of lately.

They had been in the Workshop, Mechanic fiddling away with Knuckles' hoverboard, trying to improve some of the faulty mechanics, while T2 was barely peeking over the table with huge, dark eyes, watching as his older self's nimble fingers easily waded through the large expanse of wires and microchips. Outside, Knuckles and the elder Sonic were currently teaching the younger hedgehog how to ride a hoverboard. Little Sonic could already ride a snowboard and a skateboard, so, they claimed, it wouldn't be that hard for him to learn the hoverboard.

"What's that do?" T2 asked, standing on his tip toes so he could point at a something resting in the board's control panel.

"That's the thing that holds the gear," Mechanic answered with a smile as he easily pulled the circular disk out of its hold. It let out a hiss of pressurized air as it was removed. "Right now, I've got a grinding gear installed, because that's the easiest one to calibrate. Eventually, I'll put Knuckles' power gear back in." The elder fox held the gear out toward his younger self, and T2 tentatively reached forward and ran his small, gloved fingers over the gear, mouthing the name etched into the soft, malleable metal.

"This is so neat…" He whispered so softly that he could barely hear it himself. However, the elder fox seemed to have heard him, because he turned completely and set him with an understanding look.

"Would you like a better view?"

The fox nodded enthusiastically, practically bouncing on his toes as he tried to see over the work table. Mechanic laughed before putting the gear down and bending to heave his younger self into his arms. Swiftly, he placed the four-year-old down on the only free corner of the table, at a diagonal from where he was working. Immediately, the younger fox's namesakes curled around his legs and he placed his hands onto the wood between his splayed legs and leaned forward, his eyes somehow wider than before.

From this better vantage point, he could see every wire and mechanical piece of the hoverboard. His eyes quickly categorized the many wires, following them through the machine. His eyes pricked when he noticed a crack in the casing and he reached out a finger and traced the blemish.

The elder fox followed his younger self's movements and he huffed a sigh. "Knuckles is really hard on this board," he mumbled in explanation, rolling his eyes as he spoke. "He must've scraped it against the ground on a tight corner. Figures." He scoffed low in his throat. "I'll have to go into Station Square tomorrow to get the modified plastic to fix it; I used the last of it up the last time Sonic slammed his board into a cliff because he forgot to pull up. He ruined both hover jets and the air canister…" He shook his head, though there was a fond smile on his face. "I chewed him out for that one."

The kit listened attentively, his ears raised to catch every syllable and his head ready to nod at the appropriate moments. When his older incarnation did not make a move to speak again, he allowed the silence to settle, enjoying the simple joy of watching the elder fox work.

What could have been minutes or even hours later, the elder Tails clapped his hands, jolting the smaller out of his thoughts. "Well, that's it for Knuckles' board, beside the ding. How about we go get some lunch and see what the lugs are up to, eh?" He spoke as he swept the board off of the table and propped it against the wall carefully, making sure it was secure before turning back to his younger self. However, one look at the tiny fox kit and his brow furrowed.

Unbeknownst to T2 himself, he had closed his eyes and he breathing had deepened, like he was falling asleep. The older of the two foxes approached the younger and slowly reached out a hand to poke the child on the arm.

The reaction was instantaneous. Tiny Tails jumped, sending himself careening over the side of the table and onto the floor with a painful sound. Seconds later, a weak "ow" penetrated the air.

"Sorry, T2," Mechanic chuckled as he bent down to help the small fox up. "You must've dozed off."

The child allowed his elder persona to help him up and he shook his head, trying to get rid of the cobwebs creeping over his senses. "Must have…" He answered breathily, straining to remember where exactly he was. "What were we doing?" He asked eventually, unable to completely recall everything.

The look on Mechanic's face was alarmed and he quickly picked the fox up and placed him back onto the table, ordering him to lie down. The little one resisted, straining against the stronger hands, but the bigger fox won out in the end and he plopped back with a huff, crossing his arms.

"Mechanic…" He whined, turning his giant eyes towards the other. The receiver of the puppy-dog stare simply rolled his blue orbs and scoffed.

"Won't work, T2. I'm you, remember?"

"B-but, I'm okay now…" The child's voice wobbled dangerously, and his eyes were shining, despite their dark, desperate look. "Let me up please."

"How long have you been suffering from insomnia, T2?" Blunt and to the point, the unexpected question would have taken anyone with a smaller amount of IQ points by surprise.

Little Tails scowled, his woebegone façade gone in seconds. "I don't have insomnia, Mechanic."

"You've been falling in and out of sleep since I put you on that table, lil' me," the thirteen-year-old argued, his face concerned. "I assumed you hadn't gotten enough sleep last night, but then I remembered that Sonic made you go to bed early, because you had been nodding off on the couch."

The younger scowled at the mention of his forced slumber. "I got plenty sleep last night," he answered eventually, his tone firm.

Mechanic sighed, but his only reply was to plant his elbows on the table and cup his face in his palms. He stared down his younger self, one of his eye ridges raised in silent observation.

The younger fox held his stare for a few seconds before he looked away, mumbling under his breath. "A few months now."

"Come again?" Elder Tails cocked his head to the side so one of his ears was facing directly at the younger boy.

"I haven't been able to sleep for a few months."

Mechanic looked a little shocked at the amount of time, though he did a good job of hiding the alarm. "What's wrong, T2?" He asked, his voice soft.

"I've been having these nightmares, older me." The fox answered, voice half a step quieter than his companion's. Macro-Tails' eyes softened, and he looked ready to reply, but the smaller fox wasn't done yet. "All I see when I fall asleep are explosions and… and giant robots and… I'm so scared when I wake up. It seems real!" His eyes were moist, though he withheld the tears pooling right behind his irises. "Sonic's tried to help, but he's having nightmares too…" He sniffled. "I don't know what to do."

T2 mentally scolded himself for being so emotional. He wanted to be strong, like Sonic was! But, the dreams were so scary and overwhelming. They closed off his senses when he was asleep, and, when he woke, he was sure that real life was a dream. Usually, the only thing that could calm him down was the steady sound of Sonic's breathing as the hedgehog slept nearby, but Sonic had become more prone to running around the Mystic Ruins at night. Tails had no idea when he slept, but he assumed it was less than Tails himself was, which wouldn't be good when they had to fight Dr. Robotnik again…

He shuddered and rubbed his hands up and down his arms, trying to get rid of the goose bumps that had rippled up his arms at the thought. The notion that Sonic was weakened and vulnerable, even a small amount by lack of sleep, left him feeling harried and worried. That worry, in turn, translated into exhaustion, and, with the inability to sleep, he was slowly spiraling into a cone of exhaustive sleep deprivation. Sonic himself had noticed that something was wrong, but he had been constantly distracted by his older self before he could say something.

Mechanic's face was wide open with worry, and he eased an arm around his younger self's shoulders. The heavy weight of his arm – my future arm, he thought to himself – made his whole body slump, and he took a deep breath, the arm making him feel more secure than the older fox would ever know. "Your body is reacting negatively to being out of the time stream," the elder fox mumbled, his ears lowered in thought. He gazed down at the smaller kit's hands and slowly grabbed one of them in his own. He stared at their gloved palms, silently reflecting on how those small fingers would grow into his thin, nimble ones. "You aren't aging…" His brow furrowed and he pressed his hand against his the tinier hand, watching as their palms lined together, but his fingers extended past the edge of the smaller's own.

"I know," T2 murmured, his ears raised as he watched his older self's actions. He was amazed at the agile way he would be able to move his hands in the future, the complete control he had over every digit and joint. Right now, his hands were clumsy, unable to splice two wires together without great patience and concentration. He was working on his dexterity, and, from what he was seeing, it paid off. Easily, the elder fox curled his fingers around Mini-Tails small hand and he gave a gentle squeeze before releasing his hand. He removed his arm from the fox's person before hopping up onto the table next to the diminutive golden form. The four-year-old gazed at him with huge black eyes before scooting into his lap and leaning his head back onto the other's shoulder.

In that moment, with Mechanic's heart beat pulsing gently into his back and the sound of his breathing filling his ears, T2 never felt closer to someone. Sonic was his best friend, but this was his older self. They shared a soul, the same ambitions and dreams, and the same past. True, the elder had gone through a few more things than he had, but they were still essentially the same. He could feel their hearts synchronizing, their lifelines aligning as they were finally, truly, realizing how close they actually were.

"What did you dream about last night, T2?" elder Tails asked, surprising the smaller from his thoughts.

The child scowled. "That water demi-god, destroying Station Square. I was standing on a half-submerged part of the freeway, watching as Super Sonic charged at it, but I couldn't help him. I felt so useless, so inadequate… I wished there was something I could do…"

Mechanic ticked under his breath, sending a slight reverberation through the tinier fox's back. "This is worse than I thought…" he sighed, easing the fox forward so he could look him in the eye. "You're reliving my memories…" At the other's confused look, he plowed forward. "I mean, you're witnessing what's gonna happen in your future… my past… The place in between you and me." He was struggling for the words, unable to correctly form an explanation. Luckily, his younger self understood what he was saying.

"This isn't good," the child gasped as his fur started to puff out, shock and anxiety attacking him. "That means that the time line is slowly starting to crumble… Your memories are traveling back to me."

"Uh huh…" Mechanic groaned, sliding off the table and away from the younger fox. He quickly darted across the room and slid into the chair sitting in front of the main computer in the back corner of the room. Immediately, he swept his hand across the desk, summoning the holo-keyboard before starting to pound at the table top, watching as a prompt box sprung open at his touch. "Searching for anomalies…" he mumbled to himself.

However, before the computer could present him with its findings, the smaller kit was there, his huge eyes shining and innocent. He placed a hand on the golden arm of his older self, watching as the taller Mobian turned to look at him.

"Can I help?" he asked, though the yawn that sprung up cut his sentence in half.

A smile wormed its way onto Mechanic's face, and he shook his head. "No, you're exhausted T2." At the younger's downtrodden look, he smiled wider. "How about we go upstairs and tell Sonic about this, then you and I take a nap, huh?"

The four-year-old was going to argue, but one look into his older self's bright blue eyes, and his fighting spirit crumbled. The older two-tail's eyes looked just as harried as he felt, as if this new information was weighing down on him physically. Silently, he acquiesced to the request with a small nod, and the elder stood and took his head before leading him from the Workshop. They scaled the stairs into the kitchen and entered the house with a sense of foreboding.

However, before they could turn toward the back door leading to the backyard, Little Sonic brushed past them, scowling, and threw himself into a chair at the table. The darker blue incarnation of the ten-year-old followed quickly after, with Knuckles – Chip taking up residence on the top of the red Mobian's head – bringing up the rear.

The six beings stood in silence for a few seconds before Mechanic hedged a quick question. "Uh, what's up guys?"

That seemed to be the wrong thing to ask, because Little Sonic scowled and mumbled under his breath while his older self started to snicker.

"My older self has a horrible taste in hobbies, that's what," the adolescent hedgehog answered, his face set in a permanent dark glower. "His stupid hoverboard almost killed me."

"Bad taste is better than no taste, Little Blue," the twenty-year-old speedster answered, his body shaking with suppressed mirth. "And, in my hoverboard's defense, you did use up all of the air. Not my fault it was an older version, and if that happens, you're supposed to run along the track until you have to can refill the canister."

"Yeah, well, your stupid hoverboard almost dumped me into the ocean. Luckily for me, Knuckles was able to catch me."

"You're welcome, by the way," the echidna remarked as he sat down. Chip tumbled off of his head and padded over to the edge of the table before taking to the air. Quickly, he buzzed over to the younger fox and, as if sensing his unrest, attached himself to the kit's arm for a hug. T2 wasted no time grabbing Chip into his arms and squeezing him like a teddy bear. The tiny god hummed happily and relaxed when the four-year-old pulled him away from the hug, but kept him in his grasp.

"You shouldn't have launched it off the cliff, then!" Elder Sonic argued back to his younger self, rolling his eyes.

The younger incarnation of the hedgehog barked something back, but T2 didn't hear it because he was suddenly overwhelmed with a sweep of exhaustion. He swayed on his feet and was sure he would fall, but, suddenly, strong hands were on his shoulders, guiding him from the room. He glanced up to see his future persona steering him toward the living room, leaving the two quarreling hedgehogs and calm echidna behind them. Knuckles watched them leave with a knowing look before focusing back on the argument, being sure to stay firmly neutral.

About half an hour later, both hedgehogs were surprised to find their little brothers asleep on the plush carpet in the den, the smaller fox kit curled into his older self's stomach, his small face hidden in Macro-Tails' shoulder and Chip asleep in his arms. The older fox had his tails arched around the smaller's body, creating a warm cocoon of safety around their sleeping forms.

"That's the calmest I've seen him in months…" Mini-Sonic remarked, gazing at the scene with a soft expression.

"Hm, yeah," the elder replied, smirking. "He must've really needed a nap. Tails doesn't like to waste daylight by sleeping in the middle of the day."

"They looked worried when we walked in earlier," the little hedgehog responded. "Maybe something happened."

"How about we let them sleep in peace?" Knuckles asked, coming up behind them. "We can find out what's up later. Everyone needs a little peace every once in a while."

"Fair enough," the taller hero answered, turning away from the relaxing sight. "How about we teach Little Blue here how to board down the streets of Station Square?"

"After we drop him out of a helicopter, or is that optional?" Knuckles replied good naturedly, pointing the hedgehogs out of the room with a wave of his hands.

The ten-year-old's dark eyes widened. "What," he gasped. "No!"

"Oh, c'mon Little Me! It's fun!"

Their voices faded as they left the house, intending to catch the train into Station Square. T2 smiled slightly in his sleep, his subconscious recognizing the peace that was left behind.

Chip stirred slightly, opening one amber eye to gaze at the child who was holding onto him for dear life. "Sleep well, young fox," he mumbled, half-awake. "You are going to need your strength for what it is to come…"

End Chapter 36

Number of times the Sonics have found the foxes sleeping in the living room: 2. Really, you'd think I'd be more original.

And, Tails manages to make the ficlet super cute, adorable, and he saves my butt. Again. There's something about him that makes every chapter focused on him heartwarming. I'm not complaining, just… observing, I suppose. There's a reason he's my favorite character.

I really should stop pushing the prompts off into the secondary sections, but that's what I get for planning a chapter that doesn't really have anything to do with the phrase… Ah well, all that matters is that the prompt makes it in, even if I did kinda forget about it…

Okay, I forgot about Mini-Knuckles… Whoops. He's on Angel Island, watching the Master Emerald. Ya'know, the usual.

For those of you who don't know, I have a new story and a new oneshot up. The latter includes Sonic and Tails brotherly thunderstorm bonding, so check that out if you're so inclined.

So close to 250 reviews… I can feel it… A big thank you goes out to everyone who has reviewed this story. I realize that I usually forget to thank everyone, but I try to reply to all of the signed reviews I get, but, sometimes life catches up or my Internet likes to cut out (we have a sucky connection), and I forget. So, thank you!

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Reviews are cherished.