Cream + Tails: Siblings Forever
By: DJ Rodriguez & Nicky Haugh
==PROLOGUE CHAPTER==
It was a mostly cloudy night on the planet Mobius, the moon hidden behind thick patches of clouds. Many small houses were alit, but among the abodes was a home that held three beings that were rather famous throughout the planet. In said dwelling was Vanilla and Cream Rabbit, a mother & daughter duo who were very popular and well-loved by the citizens. Cheese the floating Chao was helping his friend Cream by getting some snacks to put on some plates.
The reason for this is due to Cream having a slumber party at her house, even though there was only one guest that was with them. It was Tails the Two-Tailed Fox, a mechanical/engineering genius and best friend to the legendary hero Sonic the Hedgehog.
Said two-tailed hero went to the duo who were in the kitchen at the moment. He called out, "Hey girls! Mind if I lend a hand?".
Vanilla answered, "Yes, it would be very much appreciated Tails. Thank you very much for your help.". The male fox just grinned, happy that he could be of service to the duo. He helped the lovely mature rabbit in drying the dishes and putting them back in their proper place. As he was working, he saw Cream going through the kitchen door with a plate full of snacks.
The adorable bunny girl turned to the duo and said, "Mother, I'll be waiting for Tails upstairs with our snacks. I hope it doesn't take too long.".
Tails answered, "Everything should be done in five or so minutes Cream! Don't worry, I'll be up there soon!". Cream and Cheese giggled before going upstairs quickly, the little lady calling out to Tails to not be too long.
Vanilla giggled softly and said, "My daughter… so precious. Sigh… I'm just glad that she still has that innocence and strength. Especially after that's happened…". She continued to wash the dishes in one side of the sink, though her expression told to all that her mind was in another place.
Tails answered, "I know what you mean. I knows it just been three months since the event concerning Metarex… but all of it feels like yesterday.". His voice got low on the last part, especially after remembering how he had lost someone that he had come to love. It was a girl named Cosmo Seedrain, who had been an unwilling spy for the villainous Metarex.
He shook himself from the painful memories on how he and the others had found out that Cosmo was the unwilling servant of evil… and also that it had to be her destruction that would save her people and the universe. The emotional wound to his heart was still raw, so he forced himself to set the memories to the side. He looked to the side to see a plant nearby… which was all that was left of Cosmo, and it was blooming well so far.
Vanilla saw the look of sadness on the fox's face and decided that a change of pace was in order. As she handed more soapy dishes to Tails to wash off & dry off, she asked, "Say Tails, do you remember the time when Dr. Eggman kidnapped my daughter? And that you and Sonic, plus that well-mannered human Chris Thorndyke, saved her while defeating that bad doctor?".
Tails washed the soap off of the dishes with the water, drying them with a small towel and answered, "I remember that. Boy… now that takes me a bit back…". He started to remember the day when Sonic, himself and others had been transported to a parallel dimension & to another place called Earth where they befriended much of the inhabitants on said place.
Chief among the human friends was a human child named Chris Thorndyke, and his family which consisted of his parents Nelson & Lindsay Thorndyke and his grandfather Chuck Thorndyke. Also included in the family are Ella the robust maid and Mr. Tanaka the Japanese-American man who though goofy at times was potent in his own way.
Soon, Tails was lost in his memories as he remembered that day:
~Flashback~
Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest thing alive, was busy running for his spiny blue hide as he was dodging the multiple security robots that were part of Dr. Eggman's latest big warship- The Egg Fort. Sonic was zooming around as he dodged various explosive projectiles and metal punches from the security drones. He was loving it, living on the edge and also saving a friend in need! He exclaimed, "Come on Eggman! Surely you can do better than this! I mean, after all of the times we battled, you would have come up with SOMETHING decent to challenge me!".
On the bridge of the floating fortress, the round and bushy-mustache menace known as Dr. Eggman (a.k.a. Dr. Ivo Robotnik) was fuming at the mockery that his enemy/rival was doing. He proclaimed loudly, "I'll get you yet, you blasted blue pest! I'll make the Eggman Empire a reality & nothing will stop me this time!".
Suddenly, one of his loyal henchbots named Bocoe exclaimed, "Dr. Eggman sir, we have a bogey incoming on our six!".
The other henchbot named Decoe added, "The radar states that it's a biplane! That means it's…!". The radar screen changed to give them a visual on what was coming at them from behind, and it showed them the famous X Tornado! And in the cockpits were Tails and Chris, Eggman and the others surprised to see the human child from planet Earth now on Mobius.
The golden robot exclaimed, "That's Chris! How the heck did he get here from Earth?!".
Eggman replied, "Never mind that! Activate the defense systems! I want any and all of Sonic's little pests shot down! Do it now!". Bocoe and Decoe replied in a positive and pushed some buttons to activate the defenses on the rear side of the Fort.
Tails exclaimed, "Hang on Cream! We're almost… ah!". He was interrupted when a swarm of Dr. Eggman's drone sentries rose up from compartments on the ship, each of them armed to the teeth with lasers & other weapons!
Chris called out, "Activating weapons! Okay Tails, let's do this!". The fox nodded his head as he did some incredible maneuvering to avoid the attacks of the multiple enemies, doing barrel rolls and sharp climbs & dives to avoid getting hit. The human child activated the weapons, pulling the trigger on the joystick in front of him to fire potent golden laser beams at the floating targets. He managed to get some of them, but there was just too many...
...However, help came in the form of Amy Rose! A large mallet had come flying in to smash a sentry drone to bits, and actually moved like a boomerang as it continued to crush any in its path! The hammer made a wide arc and returned to the hand of the cute pink hedgehog, who was standing on the Egg Fort's surface. She waved to them, calling out to say that she was here to help.
Chris inquired, "How the heck did she get up here without anyone detecting her?".
Tails answered, "That's Amy for you! When it comes to Sonic, she can slip in almost past anything! I hope that she can keep some of those drones off of our tail!". Indeed, Amy was able to knock several drones away with her hammer that apparently had a new feature to it. However, the fighter drones kept on coming. Chris managed to shoot some down, but two of them managed to get past them & were about to attack from behind!
However, luck was still on their side when something tore right through the machines! It was Rouge the Bat and Knuckles the Echidna, the two friends/rivals of each other & Sonic waving to them.
Knuckles exclaimed, "You two keep on going and save Cream! We got some business of our own to take to Eggman!".
Rouge put in, "Be careful guys and good luck!". The two looked to each other, nodded and started to decimate the other machines! They had managed to clear the way for the duo!
Chris stated, "Tails, I see a hanger dead ahead!".
The two-tailed fox mechanical genius replied, "I see it, and according to my instruments… Cream is just down below it! Get ready to breach the defenses in there, Chris!". The human boy nodded, getting the weapons ready to attack in case they needed to.
Upon entering the hanger, they were met by many E-Series robots that were similar to Omega, a unique red E-Series robot that seemed to have a will and mind of his own. The robots aimed their powerful laser cannons at the X Tornado, but Chris was ready for them! He fired off several lasers that managed to penetrate through the armor, thus making them explode shortly after impact!
Tails did some maneuvering in the tight space, allowing Chris to target the other robots and the child kept on shooting until all were eliminated.
Once it was clear, Tails opened the cockpit hatches to allow Chris and himself to vacate the vehicle. Once they were on the metal floor, the two-tailed wonder pressed a button on the back of his left gloved hand. The aircraft flashed blue, then took off out of the hanger and back into the sky. Chris looked at Tails in puzzlement, looking for an explanation. He got one as he said, "I put the X Tornado on Auto-Guard. It's a new feature I added. She goes high above the sky away from the action, and will hover in place until I hit the recall button. It's handy in case of emergencies, and also to prevent any of Eggman's goons from taking her.".
Chris accepted the answer, than the two went to work as they searched for the way down to Cream. They rushed past a door and ran down a corridor, soon spotting an elevator that led downwards. When they climbed on it, Tails pushed the button for down to the 2nd floor. Upon reaching said area, the two peeked out first to make sure that there was no company waiting for them.
Thankfully, there were no other guards around. The human and humanoid fox rushed to the left, soon spotting a large room where Cream and Cheese were being kept in a large clear sphere of unbreakable glass. The rabbit and Chao were ecstatic to see the two, Cream especially glad to see Tails. She exclaimed, "Chris! Tails! You made it! You've come to save us!". Chao cheered loudly in his own language, but his physical expression told it all that he was also thrilled to see the heroes.
Chris replied, "We always come to help our friends! Tails, can you get them out of there?".
Tails looked at the console on the glass bubble and answered, "I believe I can. Just give me a couple of minutes and…". He was interrupted yet again when the ground came out from under them. Eggman had just activated a trap! Normally, this would be no problem for Tails to escape from since he could fly. But the trapdoor had a powerful suction function that activated, sucking in both Chris & Tails in fast! The human went in right away while Tails had to struggle a bit before the suction was too much and pulled him in as well.
Cream and Cheese gasped in shock as they saw the trapdoor closed, the floor seemingly had swallowed her friends!
Chris and Tails yelled in fear as they slid down the chute they were now on, wondering on what awaited them at the bottom. In a few moments, they hit solid steel with the human landing first and Tails landing hard on top of him. The fox was the first to rise up, rubbing his back as the landing on Chris had been painful. He looked to his human friend and asked, "You okay Chris?".
Said young lad answered, "I will be when I re-adjust my spine. You're a lot heavier than you look Tails.". The two-tailed fox just shot a mild glare at his friend before looking around the area they were in.
Once Mr. Thorndyke rose from his spot, he looked around and said, "This is weird. There no doors here at all. Only walls. Why is that?".
He got his answer when the room vibrated greatly… and the walls on either side of them started to move! Tails exclaimed, "That's why! Eggman tends to crush us like grapes! Quick, do something to try and hold the walls back!". Chris nodded, going to the left wall to try and hold it back while Tails did the same to the other wall. Needless to say, their efforts were futile as the sides still continued to slide towards one another.
It soon started to get very tight for the heroes, as they struggled greatly against the moving walls. Chris grunted out, "We're… not… going to… make it!". Tails refused to give up, but he was starting to believe the human's words as they were mere moments from being thin-sliced bread!
Just then, the left wall was obliterated as something powerful just tore through the metal! They looked to see that it was Cosmo, the celestial being smiling at them as it was her power that had obliterated the moving object! She smiled and said, "Come on guys, Cream still needs to be rescued! Follow me and we'll go to her!".
Chris and Tails were glad to see her, Prower especially since he had come to really like the unique female beauty. Cosmo than used her power to levitate them upward, glowing a blue aura as she rose into the air. The two boys were enveloped in the same aura, then rushed out behind Cosmo as she tore through the trapdoor in the ceiling with ease!
... Meanwhile, Cream was worried about her friends especially Tails. However, her worries dissolved as the trapdoor she had seen the duo vanish into was destroyed… and arriving was Cosmo with said boys! She exclaimed in joy and delight, "Cosmo! Tails! Chris! You're all okay!"
Tails replied, "Thanks to Cosmo, we certainly are! Now stand back Cream, we're going to get you out of there!". He went to the console on the protective glass sphere that encased Cream and Cheese, pushing the buttons on it rapidly. The large light panel on it blinked green and the top part of the bubble popped open. Cream leapt out of the confining ball, smiling brightly at Tails who returned the gesture. Cheese floated around his head in gratitude with a large smile on his face.
Chris put in, "I hate to break up this touching moment, but I think we should get out of here! Eggman is not going to be happy when he sees that his trap didn't work, and most likely will be coming after us now.".
Tails nodded and pushed the button again on his left hand, a circle of light appearing on it as it flashed red. He looked to the group and said, "Okay, the X Tornado is on her way to pick us up! I just hope that it can hone in on my signal in time...".
A voice called out, "I'm afraid that by the time it gets here, it'll be too late!". The group were stunned as they turned around to see that it was Eggman himself, along with his robotic minions. The trio were in the human doctor's versatile Egg Mobile, a hovercraft that was a match for Tails & Chuck's own creation and decked out with plenty of offensive and defensive capabilities.
Dr. Eggman cackled and exclaimed, "Now I got you all! And with you as my hostages, it'll be easy for me to force Sonic what I want him to do! Now I suggest you all surrender now before I get nasty!". With his craft hovering in front of them, loaded with all kinds of weapons, the doctor would make good on his promise of getting very nasty with them.
Tails and the others knew that they were cornered, but were not going to give up without a fight. Before any of them could do or say anything… the wall to the right side of them exploded! This caused the group to look in the direction where the smoke was coming from… and a familiar silhouette was shown. And emerging from the smoke and decimated wall was… Shadow the Hedgehog!
All exclaimed at the same time, "Shadow!".
The round doctor exclaimed in fury as he pointed to the black hedgehog, "How in blazes did you survive?! I swear, you must be part cat or something to have so many lives to come back!". He turned his craft to aim at his former minion, but Shadow said nothing as he gathered lighting in his right hand. He was using his technique Chaos Spear, gathering up destructive energy that took the form of electrified barbs. He quickly hurled the miniature energy projectile at Eggman, the golden bolt hitting and exploding on the Egg Mobile! Dr. Eggman and his minions were sent flying back hard into the opposing wall, the craft still intact but now embedded into the steel structure.
Chris and the others turned to see their foe stuck, turning to thank Shadow… but he was already gone. Cream asked, "Say, where did Mr. Shadow go?".
Tails answered, "Knowing him, he went off to do his own thing. And… here comes our ride!". True enough, the X Tornado came zooming into the hanger they were in! Tails told everyone to climb aboard, Cosmo going with him the pilot's seat while Cream & Cheese sat in Chris's lap in the co-pilot's seat behind them.
Once inside, the jet turns and blasts off from the place, leaving a very fuming & angry Eggman behind. The doctor called out, "ARGH! I'LL GET EVEN WITH YOU BRATS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO! AND NEXT TIME I'LL DEAL WITH SHADOW TOO!".
~End flashback~
Tails sighed as he said, "Yeah, I remember that day well. I also remembered how ecstatic you were when we managed to get Cream back to you.".
The mature beauty smiled softly and replied, "I certainly was. And Tails, I want to thank you again for coming to spend some time with Cream and Cheese tonight. And… for helping me to plan her surprise birthday party for Monday.".
You see, Tails had come to Cream's abode due to her inviting him over for a sleepover this weekend. He was the only one who could make it to her little get-together; Amy was making 'dating plans' which meant she was coming up with ways to ensnare Sonic into her arms, Knuckles was staunch in his duty to guarding the Master Emerald, which would likely involve looking out for Rogue as well since she practically enjoys him around & Big was just unable to be located as he loved to move around the area to places that had good fishing spots.
So Tails was the only one available, but he gladly accepted the invitation. He was also told by Vanilla to keep her daughter preoccupied for the weekend so that she could finish planning her 7th birthday part. She really wanted it to be a surprise for her precious treasure.
The two-tailed fox said, "It's nothing, Vanilla. Just glad to be of help and also to get out of the garage once in a while.". It was true, as the anthro fox had been tinkering his garage/lab for a long while and required a much needed break from it.
Soon, the dishes were done and everything put up. Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Vanilla and Tails went upstairs to see how Cream and Cheese were doing.
When they got upstairs and to her room, they saw the door open and peeked inside to see Cream looking at half a dozen board games with Chao. Near her bed was a dresser that had the plate of snacks that she had taken up earlier. The cute little treasure stated, "I hope Tails likes these games here! I'm really glad that he decided to come over to our slumber party! How about you Cheese?". Her little Chao friend cried in delight, showing that he too was glad to have Tails over.
Said fox boy grinned, then opened the door to let himself in. Cream and Cheese turned to see him and Vanilla coming in. Tails stated, "And I'm glad to be here too, Cream! Now, what board game do…?".
He was interrupted when a powerful crash of thunder sounded off, shaking the home very much! It indicated that the area was now right in the middle of a powerful storm that just arrived, rain pelting the abode and the rest of the homes outside while gusts of wind blew strongly. At the sound of the thunder, Tails actually leapt into the air and clung to the nearest person which was Vanilla.
He exclaimed loudly, "I'm afraid of thunder!". Some time ago, he used to be afraid of lighting. But he learned that it was not the flashes of light that scared him, but the booming sound that followed after that. Even after all he has been through, he still had a subconscious fear of the natural sound. Cream also leapt at the sound of thunder and ran to seek comfort with her mother as well.
Long ago, a powerful storm had arose when Cream was just a little child. The wind, rain, lighting and thunder were extremely potent on that day, and the power went out due to an electrical line being snapped by the wind. Ever since then, the little lady has had a case of fright concerning storms. Almost in the same boat as Tails.
Vanilla rubbed the heads of the children and said soothingly, "Now, now. There's nothing to be afraid of, dears. I got you and we're all safe inside this home.". The mother rabbit did her best to comfort the duo and Cheese, looking out the window to see the storm raging strongly.
She thought, "I don't know why but… I get the feeling that this storm is only the beginning. A prelude of things to come… but what, I don't know. I just hope that Cream and Tails here will be safe with me".
The motherly anthropoid rabbit managed to soothe the two young ones, than suggested that they play a game to pass the time. Sniffling and holding back her tears now, Cream agreed with her mother while Tails did his best to hold back his own shivers.
The trio played games such as Mr. McGee's Monopoly, Connect Five, Sonic's Ring Kingdom and Capture the Eggman. Vanilla showed that she had a keen sense of business when it came to playing the monopoly game, which surprised Tails as he didn't figure that she was good with money or business. Just goes to show that Vanilla was much more than just a pretty face. Cream and Cheese displayed that they were quite good when playing the game that had try to connect all five blue coins together in a slot.
Tails shined though in the kingdom game, where had to move their characters on the roll of the dice to try and get the necessary number of rings to win the game after a number of turns had passed. Cream also displayed a talent for building as they played the game that required the player to gather the necessary parts on the board they were on to try and capture the villain. Whoever made the game got the vile doctor's shape and size just right to make the game piece to resemble him.
After enjoying the games and snacks, Vanilla told them that dinner would be ready soon as she left to get said meal started. Once she left, Cream looked to Tails and asked, "Tails… can I tell you something?". She looked very nervous, making the young lad wondering what was wrong with her.
He answered, "Uh, sure Cream. What's up?".
The adorable six-year old child said softly, "I have been having a dream lately… a very scary dream.". Tails was a bit perplexed and also worried on how bad the dream was to make his friend act like this.
She continued, "I dreamt that something came to take you away from me, something terrible! And also I saw two Shadows fighting each other and… and…". She started to cry as apparently the nightmare was too much for her to even remember. Tails embraced the little one, Cream now crying on his furry chest. He stroked her head, doing his best to calm her down.
Tails whispered, "There, there Cream. I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that. I don't know about these two Shadows you saw, but I know this. I won't let anyone take me away from you.".
The little one looked up to the young fox and whispered, "Promise?". When he nodded, she smiled and just continued to hug him in comfort at that.
Downstairs, Vanilla worked on the dinner that would be made for the trio. She said to herself, "Tails and Cream are such good friends. You know… I wonder… should I let Tails know of my plans for him after Creams party? I want to surprise him but… I want to make sure he is willing to accept that.". It seemed that the beautiful anthro rabbit had some plans of her own for Tails. What they were was anyone's guess.
The mature beauty didn't realize it, but she hit the nail on the head earlier with her premonition of the storm that was still raging outside her home. It truly was a prelude of things to come… events that would change the family forever more!
To be continued…