Back with another episode of "The Faith Tenrec Saga" for y'all. This time, it's not really going to be plot-centric. I had the urge to make some vignettes centered on Faith bonding some more with the members of Team Sonic.
So… here you go. Hope you enjoy.
NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE (except for my OC, Faith).
Episode 8: Bonding
With Sticks
"Okay. You're all set." Sticks adjusted the little tinfoil hat on Faith's head. "Remember: never take the tinfoil off otherwise the aliens will be able to probe your mind," she instructed Faith, who nodded.
Clutching their water guns, the two girls crouched down and started creeping through Sticks' burrow. All around the burrow, cardboard aliens were set up. Sticks pulled various ropes at random times to make the "aliens" pop out of their hiding places. And the two of them would aim their water guns at them and fire.
"Is aiming for the head the best way to get rid of aliens, Ms. Sticks?" Faith asked after taking down three "aliens" all by herself.
"Yep. When in doubt, headshot." Sticks nodded before firing another jet of water at the "alien" they'd just downed. "And do a double tap to make sure they stay down," she added.
"Ohhh…" Faith mumbled just as another "alien" popped out from behind her. Turning around, she fired two jets of water at the cardboard figure's head.
"Good. Very good, kid," Sticks praised before pulling the final rope. To Faith's confusion, a cardboard cutout of Shadow popped out from behind the stone table in the middle.
"Oh, he's part-alien, Faith. And you never know when he'll turn on you!" Sticks told her firmly.
"But…" Faith looked at the Shadow cutout then at Sticks, her eyes big and sad. "I like Shadow. He's really nice. Can we spare him, Ms. Sticks? Pleeeeaaaasseee?" she pleaded.
While not overly fond of anything adorable and fuzzy, Sticks found herself bowing to Faith's puppy dog eyes. "Fine… We can spare Shadow. He can be our mole and gather intel about the invasion," she sighed.
"Yay!" Faith cheered, hopping up and down.
"Whoa there, kid! Keep low! We gotta stay sneaky!" Sticks chuckled. Faith covered her hands, giggling, and crouched down so they could continue their game/training for the alien apocalypse.
'Maybe the alien apocalypse won't be all doom and gloom if this kid's with me and the gang…' Sticks thought to herself, smiling fondly at the little tenrec.
With Knuckles
"Aaaaaawwww!"
Knuckles grinned widely as he watched Faith pet Ms. Tomatopotamus, the latter letting out happy snorts and crawling into Faith's lap.
"She's so cute and pretty," Faith cooed, hugging the videogame hippo.
"You wanna see something cool?" Knuckles asked, fetching some plates. Ms. Tomatopotamus wagged her tail and jumped out of Faith's lap. "Atta girl! Now, fire at will!" said Knuckles, tossing three plates into the air.
Faith watched, her jaw dropping open, as Ms. Tomatopotamus fired three tomatoes at the plates with pinpoint accuracy, shattering all three plates.
"And the best part is that we get all the tomatoes we can ever want to make our own ketchup or tomato sauce," Knuckles said, patting his pet hippo.
Faith and Knuckles continued to play with Ms. Tomatopotamus until it was time for her nap. While his pudgy, tomato-spewing friend napped in Faith's lap, Knuckles told the little tenrec stories about the ancient echidna tribe and Angel Island.
"The echidnas were the most knowledgeable about Chaos Energy. One of my ancestors, Tikal, was best friends with the water god, Chaos. I was very lucky to get to meet her during one of my adventures with Sonic," Knuckles said as he built a little model of Angel Island in the sand, placing a large rock in the center to represent the Master Emerald.
"Whoa… and the whole island is floating in the sky right now?" Faith asked, looking up at the heavens, keeping an eye out for Angel Island.
"As long as the Master Emerald stays on the island, Angel Island remains hidden in the clouds. Before I came here, I was the sole Guardian," Knuckles informed her, smiling proudly.
"But if you live here now, then who's guarding the Master Emerald?" Faith titled her head to the side.
"Tails designed a state-of-the-art security system around the island. And I've got my three friends from the Chaotix Detective Agency dropping by to check on the Master Emerald." Knuckles looked up at the sky as well.
Tails had assured him that the security system was totally Eggman-proof and he trusted his brainy friend. And while he'd been living away from the Master Emerald for a long time, he still had his deep bond with the precious gem. Always, the Master Emerald assured him that it was safe on Angel Island. It also helped that Espio would contact him every now and then to let him know that he'd checked up on the Master Emerald.
Faith's sweet little voice brought Knuckles out of his musings.
"I wanna see Angel Island and the Master Emerald. Can we go there, Mr. Knuckles?" the little tenrec asked, cuddling Ms. Tomatopotamus.
"Sure thing, Faith. I'll take you to see the Master Emerald, then there's this really cool mural in the ruins you gotta see," Knuckles replied, ruffling Faith's quills.
That got Faith really excited and she started talking about how she would love to see all the paintings made by the ancient echidnas and learn how to read their language. All the while, Knuckles listened and made a mental note to ask Tails, Sonic, and the rest of the gang if they can take a day-off from being heroes to visit his old home.
With Amy
Amy hummed as she strung some more beads onto the necklace she was making. On her crafting table were spools of colored string and chests filled with multicolored plastic beads and silver charms. Seated beside her, Faith was sticking her tongue out in concentration as she tried to tie a knot to finish the bracelet she was making.
"Almost…" Faith muttered before one end of the string slipped from her fingers, causing beads to spill down onto the floor.
"No! I was so close!" Faith cried out, getting out of her chair to gather the fallen beads.
"It's okay, Faith. We have plenty of beads here," Amy said, getting up to fetch a broom and dustpan. When she finished sweeping up the beads, she and Faith sat back down.
"You have to leave a little bit of string free at one end so you'll be able to tie a secure knot," Amy advised, finishing her necklace and setting it aside. She watched Faith string together pink and white beads alternately, the little tenrec including a silver heart in the middle.
Faith followed Amy's advice and left an inch of extra string free from any beads, smiling as she tied the knot. Then, to Amy's surprise, she turned to the pink hedgehog and presented her the bracelet.
"This is for you, Ms. Amy," said Faith, her cheeks slightly red.
"Oh, thank you, sweetie," Amy cooed, immediately putting on the bracelet. It was a very simple bracelet but it was made by a sweet little girl. She treasured it already.
"I love it." Tenderly brushing her hand against Faith's cheek, Amy smiled as Faith giggled and leaned into her touch. Then, Faith turned back to the table with its string and beads, before starting on another bracelet.
"I'm gonna make everyone bracelets as a thank-you for taking care of me," Faith declared, picking out orange and brown beads, as well as a leaf charm. Unknown to her, Amy kept her gaze on Faith, touched at the sweet child's thoughtfulness.
With Tails
"Wooooooohoooooo!"
Tails grinned as he piloted the Tornado through the clouds, performing a loop-de-loop as they entered one. Coming out of the cloud, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Faith smiling widely. The little tenrec was securely strapped to the backseat of the plane, wearing one of his vintage aviator helmets. Through the clear goggles, Faith's pinkish-red eyes sparkled with unbridled joy.
"Higher! Higher! Let's touch the sky, Tails!" Faith cheered, waving her hands in the air.
"Sorry, Faith. We're already at peak cruising altitude. But I can still do some more tricks," Tails said apologetically.
"Okay. What else can you and the Tornado do?" Faith asked eagerly.
"This!" Tails whooped, angling the joystick to have the Tornado do a power dive as they flew over the ocean. Faith shrieked with delight, the wind whipping her quills back, as the Tornado continued its descent. Tails then had the Tornado pull up so its wings skimmed the water, exciting Faith as drops of water flew past them.
An hour of flying later, the Tornado landed in front of Tails' house and Faith watched – open-mouthed – as Tails got out of his seat and flew over to her. "Wow! You can fly, too! That's so cool!" she squealed.
Tails chuckled as he carried Faith out of her seat and set her down on the ground. He then let out a soft "Oomph!" when Faith tackled him in a hug.
"Thank you so much, Tails! I had so much fun!" Faith cheered while the two-tailed fox inventor wrapped his fluffy namesakes around her.
"You're welcome, Faith. Hey, wanna get ice cream?" Tails offered, earning an enthusiastic nod from the little tenrec. They headed to Hedgehog Village and bought ice cream from the local vendor – mint chocolate chip for Tails, chocolate and strawberry swirl for Faith.
The villagers gave Faith curious glances. They'd heard word of a little girl living with Team Sonic but hadn't had a chance to get a really good look at her until now. And they found Faith to be a really cute kid, albeit quite shy. Faith hid behind Tails every time someone approached them to say hi.
"It's okay, Faith. No one's gonna hurt you," Tails reassured her as they sat down on a bench near the ice cream cart to eat their frozen treats.
"Hey, Tails!"
Faith's ears perked up at the high-pitched female voice. As she ate her ice cream cone, she saw a yellow fox wearing a red dress heading towards them. She instinctively sidled closer to Tails, who gulped and quickly finished his ice cream before frantically wiping his mouth.
"Oh, h-hey, Zooey!" Tails greeted his crush. Zooey smiled and asked, "How are you? Have you been inventing?"
Faith looked at her gloves and boots, then at Tails. Seeing the fox's flushed cheeks, her eyes lit up. "Tails made me my gloves and shoes," she piped up, catching Zooey's attention.
Zooey smiled gently at her, stooping down to be eye level with the little tenrec. "Oh, they look so pretty," she complimented. Tails raised an eyebrow in surprise at Faith, the latter telling Zooey all about her gear, animatedly gesturing as she talked.
"They're really comfy and the copper helps me control my lightning. Tails worked really hard on making them. He's so smart!" Faith gushed. Then, she looked at Tails then grinned mischievously.
"I think Tails likes you and he thinks you're very beautiful."
"Faith!" Tails yelped only to get surprised by Zooey, as the latter leaned in to kiss his cheek.
"Making someone new gear… that's really sweet of you, Tails," Zooey told him.
Faith giggled as she ate her ice cream, content to watch Tails awkwardly flirt with Zooey.
With Sonic and Shadow
"But how will I know when I get there? And how will I know when to leave? We've all gotta start from somewhere, and it's right there for me. The possibilities are never-ending…"
Sonic strummed his three-necked electric guitar and sang loud and proud. He grinned as he watched Shadow and Faith dance around the living room. Faith giggled as she stood on Shadow's shoes and let the black hedgehog do all the dancing for her. Shadow smirked and placed his hands on Faith's waist and lifted her up so they could twirl about.
"I see it, I see it, and now it's all within my reach! Endless possibility! I see it, I see it now; it's always been inside of me. And now I feel so free! Endless possibility!" Sonic sang, loving how happy and carefree Faith and Shadow were.
He loved seeing Shadow show his carefree side when he would just cut loose and allow others to see the beautiful and fun soul he knew Shadow possessed. His boyfriend's actually been quite chill these past few months. Now that he and Shadow didn't have to hide their love from the world, Sonic felt like the change did great things for both of them. Especially for Shadow.
As for Faith, there was just something about the way the little tenrec would look at him and his friends that warmed Sonic's heart. He was a simple hedgehog with simple wants. But, right now, Sonic felt like he wanted nothing more than to see Faith smile and laugh… and be happy.
"Sing more, Sonic! Sing more, please!" Faith laughed after Sonic finished the first song.
"You heard the lady, love. We'd like an encore," Shadow chuckled as he and Faith started tapping their feet in sync.
Sonic chuckled and played the opening chords for another classic.
"Well, I don't show off, don't criticize…"
With Team Sonic
It's almost been two months since she ran away.
And, in all that time, Faith could hardly believe so many things had changed.
People actually liked her and took care of her. She had a bed of her own now, got to eat yummy and nutritious food, and never got yelled at. Her entire life, she'd only known pain, hunger, hateful words, and scary glares. And the first time she'd experienced love and care turned out to be nothing more than a lie.
Now that she was staying with Team Sonic, Faith got to experience all kinds of new things. She no longer wore her rubber gloves and was being taught how to control and manage her powers. Little by little, she stopped being scared of her lightning and began to see it as something incredible, something she could potentially use to help people.
Hugs were one of the best things she'd ever discovered and experienced. Every time she was hugged, Faith felt warm and fuzzy all over. Most of all, she felt safe. Like nothing could ever hurt her as long as she was being hugged.
Sonic and Shadow's hugs made her feel the safest.
And one of the biggest changes Faith experienced was weekly Movie Nights.
Every Friday, Team Sonic got together to watch a movie complete with buckets of freshly-popped popcorn, candy, and soda. The movie, which had been decided on by the group the day before, would be played on an old-school movie projector and everyone had fun.
The first movie Faith watched after she got better was Chao in Space, a "classic" as Knuckles described it. She loved seeing the cute, little Chao go on an epic space adventure and got really excited when Amy told her that Chao were real and lived in Chao Gardens on the mainland. Maybe, one day, she could get to go to a Chao Garden and meet some Chao!
The second movie she got to watch was Chao in Space 2. It was one of Shadow's favorite movies and he was very pleased to see Faith enjoy it.
This time, the movie the gang was going to watch was different. It was called Lilo and Stitch.
Faith sat between Sonic and Shadow while Amy, Sticks, Tails, and Knuckles reclined on beach chairs or beach towels with cushions. As the movie played, the little tenrec was swept up in the story of a lonely little girl befriending a feisty blue alien.
Then, suddenly, it dawned on Faith.
She was just like the blue alien, Stitch.
Her Daddy hated her because she was a freak who killed Mommy. Daddy told her that she was a bad girl and will always be a bad girl. Then she ran away and she ended up all alone…
Alone and lost.
Then Sonic, Shadow, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Sticks found her. They didn't think she was bad. They took care of her, gave her hugs, yummy food, new clothes, and a bed of her own, and… made her feel loved.
But, as much as she loved everything about being with Team Sonic, there was always one question that tugged at the back of Faith's mind. And, when she was by herself, that question would race to the very front of her mind.
How long will this last?
Sonic, Shadow, and all the rest had jobs to do. They were heroes and they needed to be on constant alert in case the island was attacked. They had their own lives where they could do whatever they wanted or needed to do. And they could do them all just fine without her.
'They shouldn't have to stop everything to take care of me. I shouldn't… I shouldn't even be here. I'm just a kid. I'm no one special…' Faith thought as the movie continued.
"Ohana means 'family.' Family means nobody gets left behind."
When she heard Lilo say those words, Faith felt like she wanted to cry. Looking around, she saw Amy and Sticks openly crying. Knuckles and Tails were trying not to cry, rubbing their eyes. When she looked up at Sonic and Shadow, she saw the two hedgehogs smiling, cuddling together.
Then Sonic glanced down and his smile faded, replaced with a worried frown.
"Faith? You okay, kiddo?"
That's when she felt the tears sliding down her cheeks. Oh, no, now everyone was looking at her. She was distracting them from the movie.
"I-I'm fine… It's nothing…" she mumbled, wiping away her tears.
Sonic scooped her up and cradled her in his arms. Shadow scooched over to wrap one arm behind Sonic's back while his other arm encircled both her and Sonic. "It's okay to cry, Faith. This is a pretty emotional film. I cried a little the first time I watched it," Shadow whispered, winking.
Faith let out a watery laugh, wiping her tears away. For the rest of the movie, she stayed in that little hug and didn't cry.
But, deep inside, she wanted to cry as an intense longing filled her heart.
She wished she could be as lucky as Stitch. He got to stay with Lilo and be part of an ohana.
Faith wanted that. She wanted to be part of a family, a family where everybody loved each other and nobody got left behind.
Looking at the six members of Team Sonic, Faith knew that they were a family. Their family was bigger than Lilo and Stitch's family, but they all loved each other and helped each other out whenever one member was in trouble. Even when there were times she saw them argue, they always made up in the end. They fought bad guys together and had tons of fun together.
As she snuggled into Sonic's chest, Faith looked at each member of Team Sonic again then made a secret wish in her heart as a single tear fell from her eye.
'I wish they could be my family…'
Shout-out to scarletdragoness05 on Twitter for giving me the ideas for bonding activities between Faith and the six members of Team Sonic :D The last one was inspired by a thought I had about Faith getting to watch movies for the first time, and Sonic and co. were the ones to introduce her to the wonders of film. And, honestly, Disney's Lilo and Stitch is the PERFECT movie to relate Faith's story to.
Let me know what you guys think. Read and review. Constructive criticism helps me improve my writing and, y'know, feel free to suggest some ideas. They can help me develop this story further.
-GuardianDragon98