A/N: Despite another long hiatus, I'm back with another chapter of MOWE. Thank you for waiting on this, and I appreciate all of the latest reviews, follows, and favorites since the last update.

And a major warning, there is a graphic scene near the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Sonic the Hedgehog.

Chapter 8: Let the Fox Out of the Bag

~Resistance HQ

"There. I said everything. Do you need any more information from me, or are you going to guilt-trip me until I turn into a pile of sweat?"

They both lost track of the time. But throughout the discussion, the dormitory was filled with an endless pool of disturbing secrets and shocking thoughts that Knuckles couldn't believe his ears. Everything Tails had confessed to him was the stuff he refused and failed to apprise Sonic. Yet the longer the Commander soaked in his vent, the more guilty he felt for the fox. He didn't expect his problems would amount to this.

Simultaneously, the echidna wasn't the best person around to sympathize with. He was better than Shadow, for sure. But Knuckles always had a tough time figuring out what to say afterward in a situation like this. The last thing he wanted was to induce another outburst from Tails. But the fact that the fox was able to communicate his issues with him exemplified a sign of trust between them. They were, and still are, good friends. Knuckles did appreciate the thought. Unfortunately, the fox wished it was easy to speak to his best buddy without freezing up.

Detecting how frazzled and tired Tails was feeling, Knuckles shook his head and finally replied to his question. "I think I've heard enough. However, I will say I'm glad you found the courage to finally explain the meaning behind your odd behavior."

"Thanks, Knuckles," Tails rasped with a low sigh, scratching the back of his head.

"Still, I think we both know what needs to happen next."

The kitsune nodded under the somewhat stern look on Knuckles' face. "I have to tell Sonic. And this time, I'm not going to run away from him again. If I try though, feel free to punch in the stomach or something. Tie me to a chair, keep me suspended upside-down, hold me off the edge of a cliff, or-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Slow down there, Tails. Let's not get too extreme about this, alright? Just simply promise you'll be frank with him the moment you two encounter each other."

Sticking true to his word, Tails raised his right hand and drew an 'X' over his white-furred chest. "Cross my heart," he whispered before taking in a gulp.

Knuckles gave him a soft, sad smile before patting him on the shoulder. "Good. Now, because it's still Saturday, feel free to rest. We got the whole day off, and you might be more refreshed with some extra sleep."

"But what if... it occurs again?"

The guardian hummed to himself before placing his fist under his chin. Contemplating a decision, he then said to him, "If you're dealing with the same thing, notify me on my communicator. Or if I hear something from your room, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. For me, I better finish cleaning up the main lab. Amy's probably thinking that I'm slacking off or dozing in the supply closet."

Tails tried to hold in a snicker, but he couldn't help it. Knuckles noticed and expressed another small smile after he told his joke. The fox sat on the edge of his bed and kicked his shoes off. Getting comfortable in the sheets, he thanked the echidna once more before the latter left.

"Wait, Knuckles!"

The Commander paused. "Yeah, Tails?"

"Can you please keep it between us until I tell Sonic? I really don't want the others to worry about me."

Knuckles responded with a firm nod. "Of course. But to be fair, they've been concerned ever since you started isolating yourself."

"Yeah, you're not wrong," the fox sounded dejected.

"Get some sleep, man."

"Okay, Knuckles. Thanks again."

"Anytime," he mentioned while gently closing the door.

Being alone for the umpteenth time, Tails released another deep sigh as he stared at the empty bed across the room. As he closed his eyes, he spoke softly to himself.

"I promise I'll let you know about everything, Sonic. And if I don't, so help me Chaos..."

Inside the hallway, the Commander tilted his head, hearing the bones crack in his neck. He was burned out just from listening to what the former jackal had on his mind. It didn't make him satisfied, for lack of a better term. On the other hand, at least he knew the truth. He swore to the kid he wouldn't snitch on him. It was his personal problem to handle. Spreading the truth to the Resistance members was not wise as it would only lead to another huge dilemma.

Tails had enough problems to begin with. Literally.

Then, Knuckles heard a few metal clanks around the corner. Unsure if he was being spied on, he hurried over to the sound. Soon, he bumped into Amy and Savage in the next corridor. Knuckles nearly screamed at them, but he held himself back to prevent waking Tails up. He kept his voice hushed.

"Amy, Savage! What are you doing here?"

"Well, first off, Amy really thought you were slacking off or dozing in a supply closet," explained Savage.

Knuckles blinked. "Wasn't that verbatim of what I said earlier?" he thought.

"Gee, thanks," Amy huffed at the wolf.

"Well, am I wrong?" he countered.

"Seriously, guys. What are you two doing here?"

"It's been over an hour since you left us. We just wanted to find you and say that we're practically finished cleaning – no thanks to you, by the way," Amy placed her hands on her hips.

"Ugh, I had a bad feeling about that. Listen, I'm really sorry."

"Listen, Knucklehead. 'Sorry' doesn't cut it for me! Now explain why you've been missing before me and my hammer pounds you flatter than a pressed flower in a photobook!"

"If I explain, can you please either keep your voice down or zip it?!" he growled at her.

Amy was about to burst, but Savage stopped the pink hedgehog before she could try screaming back at him. "Hey, take it easy, okay? Let him speak."

"Ugh, fine," she crossed her arms. "This better be a good reason."

"I would say it's legit. Tails came back."

Amy's furious expression immediately softened the second she heard the fox's name. Savage adjusted his glasses. Both were surprised to hear the news. At the same time, they were relieved to know the fox wasn't completely lost again.

"R-Really?" Amy's voice cracked a little.

"Yeah. He's taking a mental break in his room."

"Is he alright?" Savage wondered.

Knuckles stretched his lips to the side. "If I said 'yes', you would catch me in a lie."

His response made them unsettled. Amy dared to ask, "Did he break down again?"

"To be honest, it wasn't as traumatic. Yet he told me about his... nightmares."

"Nightmares?" she reiterated with a hint of angst.

"What did he dream of?" inquired Savage.

Beautiful. He had to walk himself into an interrogation. Amy wasn't one to budge, and Savage was equally invested to find out, even though he only worked alongside the fox for about a month.

"Listen, guys, don't take this the wrong way. But he doesn't want anyone else to know aside from Sonic."

"Why is that? What do you mean he doesn't want us to know?" Amy implored for clarification.

"It's more personal between him and Sonic. And if I give out this information, who's to say his secret won't disperse like a wildfire, accident or not? What if the other soldiers start targeting him?"

"Are you saying that you don't trust us?" the pink hedgehog sounded offended. "We're his friends!"

"Until he discloses it to Sonic, I don't want to break his promise. Final say."

"But-"

"No buts. No ands or ifs, either. I'm dead serious," Knuckles stayed adamant.

Amy was left with a solicitous look on her face. As much as she was mad at the echidna, she was more focused on the young fox. She couldn't imagine what was wrong that caused him to keep himself locked away when it's evident that he needs some kind of comfort. Whether it was from herself, Knuckles, one of the others, or Sonic – most of all. Amy also thought about how desperate the blue hero must be since he was still searching for him.

That alone nearly made her facepalm. "Knuckles, if Tails is back, I should probably call Sonic over here."

He pondered for a few seconds, rubbing his hand under his chin. "I guess it's reasonable to bring him back. However, even if he returns quicker than expected, we should let Tails be alone for now. He's currently resting as we speak."

Amy nodded before excusing herself down the hall. Savage and Knuckles started walking over to the computer room.

"Hey, Commander, I-"

"Savage, I told you you can refer to me by my own name. You're no longer a rookie in training."

"My bad. I'm still used to it. Regardless, you can't blame us for being worried. I may not be as close to him compared to you, Sonic, and the rest of the team. But after what happened between Raff and me when the war began, I'm afraid – afraid for him, to be clear."

"No, I understand you. It's honestly unfair how much pain and suffering he experienced before Sonic entered his life. He has come so far to prove his worth by exploiting his abilities and smarts to get the upper hand. By being himself, he has gained a lot of respect. Yet it also put a new target on his back. Eggman would do anything to defeat Sonic, and that includes hurting us or even worse."

"Kidnapping, manipulation, transformation... Basically, his entire scheme to create Project Infinite," the wolf mussitated.

"I don't know what the doctor is up to at this point. But of course, given our history, he usually stays away from the action or doesn't emerge from the shadows for a long time after a major loss."

"Yeah, after this one, it's by far the most crushing defeat he underwent. To think, Eggman was this close to achieving total world domination," Savage gesticulated with his thumb and index finger held mere millimeters apart. "I'm glad we somehow pulled it together to prevent him from succeeding."

"Despite our victory, it hasn't been long enough for us to forget the whole shebang. A month is way too early. And if we needed any indication..." Knuckles didn't have the heart to finish his sentence. The circumstances were already palpable where neither he nor Savage could continue from there. They subconsciously concurred to not speak and return to the lab.

Meanwhile, the pink hedgehog was by herself in her dormitory, trying to reach Sonic on her communicator. Her teeth clenched as she impatiently waited to hear his voice.

"Come on, Sonic. It's really important..." Her fingers tapped anxiously on the mattress covers.

The tones repeated for a while, putting Amy on edge as if she was being cornered by Metal Sonic. Completely desperate with no help on the way. She couldn't understand what was taking so long. But just when she was about to give up, the familiar voice brightened up her eyes.

"Hello?"

"Sonic! About time you picked up! I thought you were supposed to be fast!"

"Whoa, whoa, chill out, Ames," Sonic replied. "Didn't mean to freak you out or something. Even though I have no idea what I did or what's going on. I'm still invested in finding Tails."

"Which is why I was attempting to call you! Knuckles told me he's back at the headquarters."

She immediately heard his sneakers skid across the ground. A short period of silence followed afterward, making Amy anxious again.

"Sonic? Sonic?!"

"Oh, yeah, I'm here! Are you positive he's back at the base?" he sounded enthusiastic yet doubtful at the same time somehow.

"Yes, I told you Knuckles confirmed it to me. My only con-"

"Well, that's awesome!" he unintentionally cut her off. "I've been searching practically everywhere up to this point! I checked Red Gate City, the outskirts, the Mystic Ruins, our house, and even West Side Island!"

"Okay, but Sonic, I have to say-"

"I feel like I've spent years looking for him, and now you just made my day! I'm heading back to the Tornado now! See you in a few hours!"

"Yes, but-" Amy couldn't garner his attention as he was too eager about the news. She let out a disgruntled growl. "Sonic, why can't you listen for once in your life?"

If there was one trait she loathed about her crush, it was his inattentiveness. The Blue Blur usually doesn't lounge around for the long, boring details - even if they were vital in their missions. Sonic was only fixated on a variety of things that he thought were important to him: protecting his friends, saving the world, and kicking Eggman's butt (plus his robots). Sure, the first component exuded how he doesn't take other people's pain and suffering for granted. He'd do the bare minimum by stopping the doctor from attaining his evil schemes. However, he clearly wasn't the sharpest pencil in the box. Sonic had been notorious for making impulsive moves that ended up being detrimental to his friends or himself.

In this case, Amy couldn't mention her caveat without him interjecting. She was frightened that if Sonic approaches his little brother again, Tails might experience yet another breakdown. From what Knuckles emphasized, the kid wasn't ready to unveil his demons.

Did Sonic forget what Tails did that caused him to decamp? Whatever the reason was, Amy assumed it was harrowing. Even if she didn't know the truth herself, she was at least respectful to give Tails his privacy. Barging into his room was not an ideal maneuver. Yet the thought of leaving him alone when Tails needs all the support he can get plagued her thoughts. Just like Sonic and each of his friends, she wanted to help.

"Should I call him again? Or should I tell him once he's here?" she mused out loud. Despite her indecisiveness, Amy attempted to rally her hopes up. "Maybe Sonic can get him out of his funk. Because that's what he does! He always finds a way to fix the problem. Still, it might be too soon to talk to him. So with that, I better make sure he doesn't jump the gun."

Hopping off her bed, she sported a small grin as she anticipated meeting the blue hedgehog following his brief hunt. Amy kept maintaining her positivity as she hurried out to catch up with Knuckles and Savage.

~West Side Island

Sonic had never run faster in his life than now. Even his own eardrums were ringing as he broke the sound barrier. After zipping through the streets of the city in West Side, he continued his quest through every square foot of the island. Halfway through his sprint, Sonic was trapped in a hopeless maze. Just when he thought he never went through this kind of emotion since he was tricked into thinking his little buddy died, it was recurring at the worst time possible.

From the slot machines in Casino Night Zone to the abandoned database in Chemical Plant, all of the zones Sonic explored were barren. No matter where he searched, Sonic was becoming more frustrated and desperate than ever.

But the feeling didn't last forever. Nor did it persist for much longer.

The hero was so preoccupied with his search that he almost didn't answer the call on his communicator. He had no time for interruptions, but the constant ringing started to irritate him. While continuing his dash around West Side, he eventually stopped when Amy gave him the best news ever since the moment Eggman's downfall was confirmed.

Tails was found. He was home at HQ.

Instantaneously, his face lit up like a kid roaring to try out all of the rides in an amusement park. As long as said place wasn't Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park in space. Nevertheless, he was too ecstatic that he didn't notice himself interrupting Amy a few times. All he sought was to reunite with his buddy and figure out what's been bothering him.

"I feel like I've spent years looking for him, and now you just made my day! I'm heading back to the Tornado now! See you in a few hours!" he chattered before hanging up. The hedgehog never let Amy finish her statement.

Even though it's been a month, it felt like Tails was stuck with crippling depression for much longer. Sonic's intuition told him the war had affected his friend's mind, especially after the doctor was daring to transform him into his enslaved weapon. But he didn't know for sure. The only way he could discover the truth was to follow Sam's advice. He had to be direct and upfront with him. Of course, he wasn't going to scream or condemn him for running away. But he had to do anything instead of letting Tails wallow in silence and misery.

By then, Sonic zipped to the red biplane he parked on the beach. Turning the engine on, he prepared for takeoff and soared into the skies, high above the glistening ocean waves. The smile on his muzzle remained present and wide throughout the entirety of the ride. He was bound to see Tails and the others at home base.

But similar to his first encounter against Infinite, he wasn't going to expect the unexpected.

"Okay. I think that's everything," Rouge stated as she threw away the remaining streamers in the wastebasket.

"About time we finished, too. But I'm not shocked Knuckles momentarily left us," Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, what gives?" Vector complained. "He may be the Commander, and he's done a lot to lead us in the war, but he can't even help us clean up a birthday party?"

"I'm sure he has some important matters at the moment," Raff considered.

"Like sleeping in the closet? Or his own bedroom?" Charmy unironically asked.

"What is with you people thinking that I'm slumbering – in the utilities closet, no less?!" Knuckles bellowed once he stepped foot into the lab.

"Uh, I-I didn't say that! I-It was Espio!"

The chameleon gave him an unimpressed glare and shoved his hand into his face, pushing the bee away. "The place is all tidied up, Knuckles. But we are curious, what took you so long?"

Savage, who was standing behind the echidna, walked up next to him. "Guys, simmer down, will ya?" he held his hands up. "It's more critical than you think."

"Critical in what way?" Blaze wondered.

"Tails is back," the leader responded.

The Mobians froze as soon as they heard his announcement. Half of them thought Knuckles was kidding. The other half figured he wasn't lying. Yet all of them were worried after the fox had been absent for hours. They thought over six months without Sonic and Tails was gruesome enough. But the current situation was just as flustering.

"Is he okay?" Cream ran up to Knuckles and Savage. "Can I see him?"

"Chao?" Cheese mumbled, expressing an equal amount of agitation.

"Now is not the time," Knuckles warned the bunny. "He's taking a nap in his room as we speak."

"What happened to him? How did he return all of a sudden?" Silver asked as he approached the guardian.

"It's really complicated to explain," he scratched his red quills with his head peering down at the floor. "I should also mention it's very confidential to Tails. He needs his space."

"As if he hasn't isolated himself for the past month..." Shadow's comment resulted in a multitude of glares from the other Resistance members. "What?"

"You know it's serious, Shadow. Don't act like this is a trivial matter," Rouge scowled.

"I'm not. I'm just saying when is he finally going to publicly confess? Staying cooped up for this long is only lowering his morale, whether he's aware of it or not."

"So... we won't know what's wrong with him?" Raff slouched his shoulders.

Knuckles maintained his frown, feeling guilty. "Not until he's confident to reveal the truth."

Amy soon stepped into the computer room after her quick call. All eyes were on her now. "I do have some good news."

"Aside from Tails returning after going through... you-know-what?" Silver kept it vague, even though everyone knew what he was referring to.

The pink hedgehog nodded. "Sonic is on his way. The only problem was that he's not aware of Tails' state of mind. With his nightmares haunting him, it gives-"

"Nightmares?" Cream furrowed her eyebrows.

"Uh oh," Amy realized.

"Ugh, I guess that's out of the bag," Knuckles facepalmed his forehead. "Listen, I don't want anyone in here to confront him at this time. He earned my attention and addressed the conflict to me. I promised him that I wouldn't disclose the details until Sonic gets here. If anyone even tries to interfere, I will not hesitate to-"

"Hey, Knuckles, not to be rude, but can we veer off from there?" Savage suggested. "Trust me, I'm pretty sure everyone gets the gist of it. Right, guys?"

Their friends slowly came to a consensus, silently nodding their heads and murmuring either 'Yeah' or 'Sure'.

Tired of the stress, Knuckles exhaled deeply while squeezing the bridge of his nose. "Alright then. Just... do whatever you want on your day off. All I ask is for you to not confront Tails. Capisce?"

"Of course," replied Raff.

"Affirmative," Omega responded.

"You got it," Espio nodded.

"Good. Chaos, I need a grape soda or something."

"No... Please, no..."

Darkness shrouded him wherever he went. The black expanse, coupled with the lack of lighting, gave him the impression that something was going to jump out at him. However, the source was closer than he thought. Yet for some reason, he knew it was coming. No, not 'it'. He was coming.

"I'm sorry... Please don't..."

"You really think you can get away with this?"

"I never meant to... I wanted to break free, but-"

"But you didn't. All you did was betray me."

"I... I know. I can't deny that. But you have to believe me!"

"Believe that you're nothing but a masochist? Nothing but a traitor who let me down? Nothing but a freak?"

Within the shadows, a figure emerged as he walked straight up to him. The eyes staring down at him were green. Yet at first glance, they were the blankest he had ever seen. Deep down in those emerald pupils, there was disapproval written all over them. The individual continued his derision at the victim.

"I'll be honest, you have proven to me how you're worth living."

The compliment seemed backhanded to him, and he had a feeling he was being sarcastic. There was no filter or emotion in his words every time he spoke. It only made him sound like a parent pretending to care for their child when they secretly loathe them with a passion. The mood in the black abyss was swimming with a mixture of discomfort and dejection.

"You've proven how much I want to get my revenge on you."

And there it was.

He didn't muster up the courage to defend himself or talk back. Their feet were glued to the floor, unable to escape. Soon, he found himself in a life-threatening condition. The tall figure had their gloved hands wrapped around his neck, crushing the esophagus as he couldn't breathe or remove the stable grip. His vision was getting hazy, seeing several colors blurred out. But the most prominent hue he could make out was a coat of cobalt blue.

"You see these bruises and scars? You did this to me, Tails. I'll give you something worse than them."

"S-Sonic..."

Suddenly, the hedgehog shoved him into a body of water. It was the same tank that Eggman plunged his captives into during their imprisonment. The clear liquid splashed all over the place, getting on Sonic's face and body. But he didn't care one bit. His grasp on Tails' neck remained tight as he began shaking the fox deep underwater. The vigorous movements made the kid's vision worse than before. However, he could easily detect Sonic's unmoving, cold glare through the distorted surface.

Tails took his hands and placed them over Sonic's, hoping he could get out of this demonic nightmare. But no matter how hard he tried, he was weak.

Weak...

"You're weak!"

"No... I'm... not!" he struggled to talk while submerged. The tears dissolved in the water as Sonic continued to condemn him. Eventually, the words he yelled became faint. He couldn't hear anything else as he lost all five of his senses.

"Sonic... S-Sonic... I-"

...

"Tails! Tails, wake up!"

"No... Please! Let me go!"

"TAILS!"

"AAAHHHH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, sitting upright on his mattress. Sweat covered his face as he woke up in a frenzy after experiencing it yet again. He was still fazed by the dream that he didn't notice the voice directly beside him.

"Tails! It's okay! I'm right here!"

He gasped lightly. Cautiously shifting his head to his right, he saw him sitting on the edge of the mattress, laying a hand on his yellow shoulder.

"Buddy, no need to be scared. I'm here. You're alright."

Tails' lips quivered, unable to think properly. "S... S-Sonic?"

"Yeah, it's me, bud."

This time, he didn't shriek when he locked his blue eyes with Sonic's green. The latter was filled with genuine concern, both relieved and afraid for his buddy. While he was finally happy to see the kitsune again, Sonic couldn't imagine what kind of psychological pain he was dealing with. Before he arrived, Amy and Knuckles forewarned him about his previous conditions. Once they finished explaining, the group heard noises coming from Tails' room. It was confirmed the former jackal had another nightmare, so they hurried over to get him out of his trance. Only the Blue Blur had entered the dormitory in hopes of quelling his anxiety. But the additional damage had been done.

With tears starting to form in his eyes, Sonic quickly opened his arms. His hands didn't strangle Tails' neck. They were wrapped around the fox's back, rubbing them gently in circular motions as the kid couldn't handle it anymore.

"S-Sonic..."

"I'm here, Tails. I'm not going to hurt you. I would never do that to you."

The Sonic in his nightmares begged to differ. But Tails kept that to himself as he laid his head against the crook of his shoulder, feeling his best friend's embrace warm him up.

There was no escaping. No escape from Sonic's hug, that is.

END OF CHAPTER

I wanted to push out a chapter before I fly out for vacation next week. I was able to get something for New Brotherhood and now this. Can I do one for Hotel Horror? I'll have to see for myself.

Once again, thanks for taking the time to read My Own Worst Enemy. We now have a clear idea as to what Tails has been hiding from his older brother. But the full background will be discussed next time. What will the fox share with Sonic? And can he recover soon before things take a bigger toll on him? Hope to see you soon in Ch. 9! This is TGN, signing off.