Chapter 2

Night was closing in as I sat in a large padded chair sipping a hot chocolate. After Sonic had rescued me we had taken a short trip to Western Island on the Tornado and had landed at the little house Sonic had on the island. It was just as I had remembered it. Little living room with a log fire, compact little kitchen where I'd tried my first chili dog, the bathroom I had spent hours in. Sonic had fixed me up with a drink and then had gone outside to put the Tornado away in the hanger. I was exhausted and soon after finishing my drink I dropped off to sleep…

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"Keed, hey Tails keed. Wake up will you."

Slowly I opened my eyes to see a blue hedgehog looking down at me.

"You going to sleep all day? Come on we got stuff to do." he said.

"Huh?" I replied sleepily.

"Jeez keed, I've never seen someone sleep so much in my life."

"Huh?" I said again.

This time the hedgehog just laughed slightly and walked off. I was about ready to fall asleep again when his head poked back into view.

"I got pancakes for breakfast." he said.

That did it. I was up and ready within a few minutes and sitting eagerly at the breakfast table. Sonic had made me pancakes for my first breakfast and I wasn't about to miss out on them. I didn't have long to wait before Sonic set a large plate of pancakes, covered in maple syrup, in front of me. I started eating hungrily as Sonic walked past me.

"Ok Tails when you're done wash up and come on round to the hanger. I'm going round there now ok." he said.

"Ok Sonic." I replied.

He then ruffled my hair, smiled and walked out of the house leaving me to my breakfast. I had been living here with Sonic for a few days now and it had been hard work so far. After Sonic had said yes we had spent the rest of the day just relaxing. Sonic had taken me fishing and shown me the joys of travelling at mach one. Man that had been frightening at first but I kinda liked it now. After that it had been straight to work. Sonic had already had be clean the kitchen several times, sweep the living room floor twice, tidy the Tornado's hanger and cook a meal all in two days. But then it was worth it for two reasons. Firstly it was way better than being back in the forest with the other kids and secondly, for every job I did Sonic allowed my to help him with fixing the Tornado for a bit. I think we had both been surprised at how much I knew about mechanics, I guess all that hiding and reading books paid off. I had heard Sonic whispering to himself about how he couldn't have done all this in the same time on his own. It gave me a kind of warm tingling feeling inside.

I had soon finished the pancakes and took the plate over to the sink to wash it. After I had done I went back into the living room and sat down for a minute. I gave a few stretches and yawned a couple of times before pulling out a pair of thick tatty looking gloves from under the sofa and swapping them for my white ones. Sonic had given me these gloves to work in so I didn't mess up my normal ones. Slipping my shoes on I left the house and walked round to the hanger. The doors were wide open and you could see the front end of the Tornado glinting in the sun. Sitting next to the plane was the Tornado's engine which Sonic was bent over. So far we had taken apart and put the engine back together about five times between us and it still didn't work. Sonic thought it was some sort of clog in the fuel lines or something.

"Hey Sonic." I called announcing my presence.

Sonic stopped and looked round at me.

"Hey keed, come on over." he replied.

I did and knelt down next to the engine.

"More problems?" I asked.

"No kidding. I got it to give a short splutter but that's about it."

"Sounds like a fuel blockage as you said then."

"Yeah it's just finding where the blockage is. This engine is a complicated little thing. Not only are there the normal engine systems but you have to take into consideration the booster. That thing plays a big roll in the fuel systems, plus this engine is turbo charged making it even more tricky."

"Should we strip it down again?"

"I'd like to try an avoid that if possible. Now let's see if we can get this sorted."

For the next few hours we toiled over the engine. It was slow work and I found myself getting exceeding dirty again from the grease and oil. But then it was fun, I had to admit that I had found a joy with tinkering machinery. Sonic seemed to get frustrated by the set backs and problems but I strangely enjoyed them. The pair of us continued our work on the engine, stripping the fuel system down and rebuilding it, for most of the day with only a few short breaks for food and rest. If it had been left to me we wouldn't have stopped at all, the only thing that stopped me was Sonic disappearing at times and coming back with a chili dog for me. It must have been nearing dinner time when, with a cheer from me, the engine spluttered into life. Sonic was grinning broadly and looking at me out of the corner of his eye as I stood, twitching happily as I listened to the sound of the engine. It was the first time I'd really heard the sound properly and it was beautiful. When it had started it had made a few throaty throbs but had now descended into a rhythmic purring sound. The throttle controls were visible on the side of the engine and I leaned forwards opening them up slightly. As I did the engines tone increased, its tempo picking up sharply and then dying off as I released the throttle.

"Nice sound isn't it." said Sonic.

I just nodded in response. I heard Sonic chuckle.

"Well turn her off for now Tails, we don't want to waste fuel now. We'll get the engine installed first thing tomorrow morning and then I think I'll take you for a spin."

I turned towards Sonic completely amazed.

"Me?" I asked shocked.

"Who else? I'll tell you now keed, if you hadn't been here it could have taken me weeks to fix that thing. You really have a knack for mechanics you know, you're much better than me."

At this remark I blushed and dropped my head.

"Heh! And modest too with it. Listen kid, go get yourself cleaned up. I'm gonna tidy a few things away and then I'll join you ok."

"Ok." I replied.

Sonic gave me a short wave and turned to busy himself with some tools. I took my work gloves off and headed back into the house. I headed to the back of the house and into the bathroom. Before long I was stood in a warm stream of water washing the grease and oil out of my fur. As I stood I began to think to myself. What if I installed the engine myself tonight? That'd surprise him wouldn't it! I laughed to myself at the idea, I probably wouldn't be able to lift it anyway, best wait until tomorrow. Finishing my shower I dried off and left the bathroom to find Sonic waiting in the hallway.

"Ah you're done good. Listen bud, I'm gonna take a long shower tonight, I tell you I need it, so I probably won't have time to fix up dinner. If you get hungry just take a look in the cupboards, I'm sure you'll find something cold that you'll like." he said.

I just nodded at him and smiled as he slipped past and closed the bathroom door. I returned to the living room and put my white gloves back on before lying back on the sofa. Sonic must have made a fire while I was in the shower as it was blazing away nicely. For a while I just lay and thought about the day, thinking back I couldn't imagine it being any other way. As I had gotten to know Sonic more I had found we had a lot in common, it was funny but he felt like the big brother I'd never had.

Sitting up I wandered into the kitchen. As I started to look through the cupboards my sweet tooth kicked in and soon I had found a lone tin of rice pudding in one of the cupboards. I found the can opener and was soon sat in front of the fire again eating my find. I had to admit, Sonic had some great food in his cupboards! I was about halfway through the tin when I heard a fumbling outside and then a knock on the door. Sonic wasn't out of the shower yet so I decided to see who it was. We hadn't had any visitors since I'd arrived, maybe it was one of Sonic's friends? I put the tin down and walked to the door. Sliding the bolt back I opened the door. What greeted me gave my the chills. Leaning against the doorframe was a grey coloured squirrel. He had cuts and bruises all over his body and his breathing was laboured slightly.

"St…STEVEN?!" I cried.

"Help me…" replied Steven before collapsing into a heap on the doorstep.

I stood frozen to the spot just staring at Steven for a moment before I spun and fled into the house. I ran straight to the bathroom and banged on the door.

"Sonic! Sonic!" I cried.

There was a moment of shuffling inside the room and the door opened. Sonic stood rubbing his quills with a towel looking a bit irritated.

"Tails I told you not to disturb me when I'm in the…"

Sonic stopped and his irritated look dropped away. I guess he saw my face and frantic pointing, as he rushed past me and into the living room. I followed but heard his reaction before I reached the room.

"Oh god!" came a cry from the doorway.

As I entered the room I saw Sonic carrying Steven over to the couch. He looked at me as I entered.

"Tails quick! Get me a bowl of warm water and a cloth from under the sink." he said as he lay Steven on the couch.

I spun and ran into the kitchen area. I found a small bowl and filled it with some warm water, gather a cloth and raced back to the living room. Sonic quickly took the bowl from me and started to wipe up Steven's cuts. I just stood behind him watching nervously. Sonic soon finished and gave Steven a nudge.

"Hey there, hey wake up keed." he said still nudging Steven.

Slowly Steven moaned and opened his eyes. Sonic seemed to breathe a sigh and turned towards me.

"This is…" he started.

"…Steven." I replied looking a little uneasy.

Sonic looked back at Steven as he seemed to come round a bit more. I continued to watch over Sonic's, hiding slightly as I did. Sonic helped Steven into a sitting position and then continued.

"Now kid what's wrong?" he asked.

"…He….he's attacking Serena!" cried Steven.

"Serena! Who's attacking the town?" asked Sonic.

"R…R…Robotnik!" replied Steven.

Sonic was on his feet in a second. He spun towards me and then glanced out of the window. It was still light outside, probably about late afternoon or something. Sonic looked back at me and put his hands on my shoulder.

"Tails I want you to stay here ok." he said.

"Huh? But I…" I replied a bit shocked.

"Tails this could be dangerous. I don't want to risk your life before I know what we're up against. I'll be back ok. Promise me you'll stay here."

"But…"

"Promise me Tails."

"…Ok."

I hung my head slightly but Sonic lifted it and smiled.

"I'll be back soon Tails. Sit tight."

With that he turned and, in a blur, shot from the house. For a moment I just stood watching the door thinking. Finally something else caught my attention.

"Hang on a second! MILES?!" cried Steven.

I looked back at Steven on the sofa. He was looking at me with a kind of astonished look. I just smiled awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I er…I'm staying here." I replied.

Steven suddenly laughed and lay back down on the sofa.

"Staying here? You're staying here with Sonic the Hedgehog?" he roared in laughter.

I couldn't think of a reply to this, I was confused really.

"What would Sonic want with you? He's probably just trying to think of a way to get rid of you." continued Steven.

"Shut up Steven." I replied getting slightly angry but also scared, "He's nothing like that. We're friends."

"You with friends, that'll be the day."

I stood for a moment in silence. Everything was happening so fast and Steven wasn't helping. I turned away and sighed before walking into the kitchen. I stopped and scratched the side of my nose. So this Robotnik guy was attacking Serena. Why would anyone want to attack Serena? It was the most beautiful city I had seen, granted I had only seen Serena in real life but I had seen pictures of other places. The streets were lined with flowers and the buildings gleamed in the sun. But then it was Robotnik. Over the last few days Sonic had told me about him. About his machines and evilness. About the stuff he did and why Sonic opposed him. I shuddered slightly as I remembered, it wasn't all that pleasant.

"What's wrong weirdo?" came a voice.

I looked over to see Steven standing in the doorway. He wasn't looking all that great on his feet but still managed to look threatening. I ignored him, walked to the fridge and opened it. I was fishing around inside for a soda when the door slammed shut on my head. For a moment I thought it had been cut off but as soon as I started flailing my arms I knew it wasn't.

"You haven't change a bit wuss." said Steven.

"Lemme go Steven! Dammit lemme go!" I cried frantically.

Steven just laughed and continued to hold my head in the fridge. He still found pleasure in tormenting me! If what he said was true about Serena wasn't there more important things going on? I found my heart beating faster and a new feeling entering my mind. I was getting mad! Before I had always been too scared to be mad but now it was just Steven. I continued flailing, trying to break his grip even just slightly. Just then I felt my tails brush against something soft. I heard Steven splutter and the pressure on my neck decreased. I must have whooped him in the face with my tails! I didn't wait a second longer and pushed back sharply. The fridge door moved back slightly and then hit something with a bang. I heard Steven scream and then the door open fully. I spun round to see Steven had staggered back and was leaning against the kitchen table. He had a hand to his face and I could see a faint trickle of blood flowing between his fingers. I'd broken his nose! I couldn't have imagined a more pleasing sight at that time.

"You'll pay for that!" squeaked Steven obviously in pain.

He sprung forwards at me bringing one of his hands back in a fist. I quickly stepped to the side to avoid him and my tails flew out behind me as I did. Steven didn't have time to stop, tripped over my tails and ran straight into the fridge. He slumped to the floor with a groan and a thud as I turned. For a moment he lay on the ground groaning before propping himself up. His nose was bleeding even more now as he glared at me.

"Damn freak!" he growled.

My anger was still there and seeing Steven in this state only made it worst. The rage started to boil inside me as I took a step towards him. For a moment I saw Steven's face freeze in fear, we had swapped roles, now he was the hapless victim. Strangely it felt good and I wasn't about to let it go. Steven made a move to get to his feet but only got to his knees before I landed a hard kick in his chest. He fell backwards onto the ground and curled up onto his side. One of his hands shot out as he looked up at me, his eyes filling with fear.

"No Miles stop! Don't do this!" he cried.

"Why not?!" I cried landing another kick in his chest making him scream, "What's it like to be the victim Steven?! HUH?!"

I kicked him again and then fell to my knees next to him. I drew my fist back and hit him squarely in the jaw. My other hand soon formed a fist and I lay into him. Two years of anger, fear and pain flowed out of me as I continued.

"You'll never call me a freak again Steven! NEVER!" I screamed.

"HOLY CHILI DOGS! TAILS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" cried a voice.

I froze solid as I heard the new voice. I was mid way through a punch and slowly I dropped my arm to my side and turned my head slightly. Standing in the doorway to the house was Sonic. He had a look of complete shock and dismay on his face. I glanced back at Steven who looked like he was on the verge of unconsciousness. I blinked, my anger dropping away and realized what I had just done. I looked back at Sonic and then to Steven, what was I doing? My lower lip began to tremble and I quickly jumped to my feet, raced past Sonic and fled the house bursting into tears as I did.

I ran into the forest, tearing my way through foliage and bushes as I traveled in a straight line. I couldn't believe what I had just done. I had never hurt anyone before in my life, well not like that anyway. What had come over me? I was in such a fluster I ran straight into a low hanging tree branch and was knocked to the floor. I didn't get up, I couldn't seem to make my body move. My mind was occupied with other things. For what seemed like a zillion lifetimes I lay there on my back looking up at the canopy. Then I heard it.

"Tails? Hey Tails keed where are you?"

I didn't reply. I couldn't face him now, I couldn't face him ever, but like before I still couldn't move. It was only a few moments before his voice came again.

"Ah jeez Tails!"

A moment later Sonic was at my side and had moved me to a sitting position. I bowed my head and looked down at the ground, I couldn't think of anything to say. For a while silence reigned over us before Sonic spoke again.

"Tails? What happened back there?" he asked.

"I…..he…..I…." I stammered quietly, "…just leave me Sonic."

"Huh?"

"Just leave me. I wasn't meant to be friends with anyone. I'll leave you alone, then you won't have any trouble."

"Tails trouble is my middle name. It kinda follows me around all over but forget that for now. What happened? I leave to check on the situation and come back to find you beating the living…um…well you know."

My shoulders dropped and I gave a few short sniffs. Looking up hesitantly I saw Sonic's expression. I had expected to see anger or disappointment but instead I saw concern and worry. I looked down again not saying a word. Sonic sighed slowly.

"Tails please tell me. I know that kid has been picking on you for years but did you really have to make suck a mess of the carpet? I'll be cleaning those blood stains out for ages."

"Huh?"

I looked up at Sonic. Had he just cracked a joke or something? As I saw his face I felt my spirits lift slightly. He was smiling at me.

"How…..how is…?" I began.

"How is he?" finished Sonic, "Well if I'd been about five seconds slower he might have been in hospital but I think he's going to be ok. On my way back I found a group of people who had escaped from Serena before the attack. I took him to them before coming to find you, made an excuse, said he must have got caught in an explosion or something."

"E…escaped?"

Sonic sighed heavily.

"Seems like every time trouble arrives it brings more trouble. Steven was right Tails, Serena is under attack. I did what I could but the town is in ruins."

I couldn't believe it, not Serena! My face must have gone white or something as Sonic started looking concerned again.

"Hey there Tails take it easy ok. It's ok I don't think anyone was killed. Just don't hurl ok. Listen Tails, Steven was also right about the other thing he said. It's Robotnik, he's here on Western Island."

I started to shake, it was all getting too much for me. Sonic picked me up and stood me on my feet before giving me a quick hug and stepping back.

"There's more Tails, it seems this time Robotnik really means business. He's got twice the force than last time I faced him. I barely got out of Serena with my hide intact. I can't do this alone, Tails…..I need your help."

My eyes flew open and I looked at him sharply. Had I heard him right?

"You….you need….me?" I asked.

Sonic just nodded a couple of times.

"I didn't want to have to ask you this, but I have no other choice, you're the only person I can think of that could help. You're fast, you proved that by keeping up with me a few days back, you're smart, you're energetic and you're my only real friend on the island."

I just blinked a couple of times. I hadn't expected this at all, Sonic was asking for my help. But what could I do? I was just a kid right? But then would Sonic have asked if he thought I was just a kid? Probably not. What made me different from the other kids? I looked down and found my answer, my twin tails were folded around in front of me and with a gasp I looked back up. I stared wide eyed at Sonic and slowly nodded once. Sonic's smile turned to a broad grin and he walked towards me.

"Knew I could count on you Tails. Now come on we have to go right now."

"Now?"

"Yes now before Robotnik gets any more of a grip on the island than he has already."

He reached forward and took hold of my wrist tightly. Before I could make any move myself I had been pulled off my feet as Sonic accelerated. The world whizzed past at an incredible rate making everything look like a blur. I was just being dragged along, my entire body trailing behind him like a long flag. What a thrill it must be to travel at this speed all the time. Nothing to stop you, nothing to get in your way. Before I could finish my thoughts I noticed the landscape slowing slightly and suddenly we stopped. I would have flown forwards and landed on my face if Sonic hadn't caught me. He planted me on my feet and then pointed. I turned to look where he was pointing and froze. Before us sat a wide open plain of hilly greenland. Trees and flowers were scattered all over and if wasn't for the large number of robots moving around it would have been a paradise.

"These are the Emerald Hills or at least they would be without the bots. Robotnik can't seem to leave anything alone but this is our way forward." said Sonic looking down at me, "I can't tear through here, it's too dangerous. We have to be careful."

"But how do we get past those robots." I asked.

"Robotnik likes to think his robots are hard but in truth they are weaker than crockery. All you have to do is give them a sharp kick and they fall apart. If you can kick then as hard as you were beating Steven earlier you'll do fine. Just watch your back some of these things are nasty. Heads up Tails, here they come."

I looked back at the hills to see what they were indeed coming. A small group of robot's were heading our way and they didn't look friendly. A few were flying and looked like giant wasps and some looked like monkeys, swinging between the trees as they approached. It was then that one of the monkey bots threw a round item towards us.

"Tails look out!" cried Sonic as he darted to one side.

I was puzzled and didn't move as fast as Sonic. However as the item hit the floor and exploded no more than a few feet away I bolted. As I ran I heard Sonic call to me but I was too shocked to turn. Diving into a nearby bush I curled up and started breathing heavily. What was I doing? How was I supposed to help Sonic? I could still hear Sonic calling to me combined with the sounds of several explosions. Nervously I peeked out from my hiding spot. Sonic was darting from place to place avoiding laser fire and explosions and occasionally jumping at one of the bots shattering it to pieces. As I looked out he looked towards where I was and saw me. He gave a frantic wave at me before an explosion landed right next to him throwing him hard into a tree. I nearly died on the spot from fright. Sonic slowly got to his feet and dodged just in time to avoid a second explosion but this lead him straight into a third. Again he was thrown airborne and crashed down in a patch of grass near to where I was. My fur was sticking up on end and my feet seemed to have glued themselves to the ground. I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything but watch. Sonic looked dazed and wasn't getting up all that well and all the time the robots closed in. Sonic slowly rubbed his head and looked at me.

"Tails? ….Tails help." he groaned.

"I…I…I…cant…" I stammered.

"Yes you can…you can do anything you set your mind on."

"I…"

Another explosion rocked the ground and Sonic caught part of it. I looked at the approaching robots. They just continued towards us, they didn't care about Sonic, all they wanted to do was destroy. My breathing started to come in shuddered sighs as I continued to watch them. Another explosion detonated throwing Sonic to one side once again. This couldn't be happening! It couldn't be!

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!" I screamed diving from my hiding place.

The robots stopped and turned towards me as I charged out of the undergrowth. They must have been surprised, if robots can be surprised that is, but didn't get to do much else. Tearing towards them I curled into a ball like I had seen Sonic do earlier and smashed my way through two of the monkey shaped robots. As I did they split open and fragmented into pieces. I uncurled and looked back to see a small rabbit had dropped out of each robot. They bounded away happily but I was puzzled. What were they doing there?

"HEADS UP TAILS!" came a shout.

I looked to one side to see that Sonic was back up on his feet. Guess he only needed a short breather. I said feet but really he wasn't exactly on his feet. He was curled into a spinning ball that was revving on the spot. I was both amazed and shocked at what he was doing but got even more amazed as he launched himself forward. The Sonic ball flew down a short bank, smashing through a monkey bot along the way, and hit a lip in the ground sending him flying into the air. Uncurling he headed straight towards on of the flying wasp bots and kicked it hard in the head. The bot spun round and then dropped to the ground, smashing open as it hit, and released a small blue bird. Landing, Sonic looked at me and gave me a huge smile and a thumbs up. Moment later his face dropped and he yelled.

"WOW WOW WOW! Tails duck!"

Sonic quickly dived to the side but I turned to see what the problem was. A number of wasp bots were heading our way…firing laser bolts from their tail! Laser bolts started to rain down around me and I did the one thing I was good at. I ran! I put my hands on the back of my head and curled up slightly as I ran towards a bridge, the wasps still following me. As I made it onto the bridge the wasps seemed to loose interest in me but I soon found out why. A huge mechanical fish leaped from the water below aiming right for me with its metal jaws. I staggered backwards trying to avoid the fish and in doing so found another problem. The bridge had no side ropes and with a yelp of horror I plunged off it. Falling towards the water below I could see yet more metal fish ready to chop me up.

"No! NOOOOOOOO! SONIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC!" I screamed as I fell.

As I looked down though I could see that my decent was slowing. Why would it be slowing? Had Sonic caught me? No I couldn't feel him, then what? I looked behind me and then became aware of the feeling in my tails. I had been so wrapped up in the fall I hadn't noticed before but I did now. My tails were spinning round with a pretty powerful force, just like a helicopter rotor blade! I was flying! Blinking in amazement I looked back down. I had come to a complete stop now and as I watched I started to climb. The fish below me appeared not to like this and started to jump up to try and reach me. As each one jumped it was met by a kick and exploded. Looking up I could hear a number of explosions and such like and my mind set on what it had to do. I had to help Sonic!

Spinning my tails even faster I climbed up and landed back on the bridge. I could see Sonic battling a number of monkey and wasp bots not so far away. I started to run towards him, spinning my tails and taking off as I did.

"SONIC!" I cried as I neared the hedgehog.

Sonic shot me a glance and a look of shock flashed across his face as he saw me. However Sonic wasn't the only thing that saw me, the wasp bots did too. They turned and fired at me but I was moving fast enough to avoid them. I headed straight towards them, making them scatter as I passed by them, before coming to a complete stop.

"Hey try and hit me now!" I cried playfully.

The four bots had now formed a square shape around me and as I yelled they all fired. As the laser bolts flew at me I flew up allowing the shots to pass under me. The shots hit each other dead on and bounced back the way they had come. Obviously not expecting this the wasp bots were blown apart by their own shots and fell to ground with a smash. I lowered myself to the ground slowly and then fell over. I hadn't realized how tired I had got and I started gasping heavily. A next few moments were filled with a few explosions and clanks before a hand gently touched my shoulder.

"Tails? Hey bud you alright?"

I looked up slowly to see Sonic bent over me. He looked concerned again but I smiled slightly and he seemed to relax. Sitting down next to me he leaned back and sighed.

"That was intense eh?" he said.

Slowly I sat up and propped myself against a tree.

"Yuh huh." I replied still gasping for air.

"Must say you did pretty well Tails. I didn't know you could fly."

"Neither did I until just now."

"Is that so!" said Sonic chuckling slightly, "You're a hell of a kid Tails."

"Thanks."

It was then that I noticed that a number of small rabbits were bouncing around us happily. I cocked my head in puzzlement and looked at Sonic. I decided to ask what I'd been wondering about.

"Sonic? Why do these robot's have animals inside?"

Sonic blinked slowly and sighed as he looked over at me. Looking back at the sky he spoke.

"I've not told you everything I know about Robotnik Tails. I've barely scratched the surface really."

"How'd you mean?" I asked.

"Robotnik doesn't build his robots. He just feeds endless lines of animals through his machines and turns them into robots. When you smash them it releases the animal from its prison."

"Huh?!"

"Told you Tails. Robotnik isn't hated across the whole planet for nothing you know."

"How could anyone do that?"

"I've asked myself that in the past and frankly I haven't a clue."

Sonic slowly stood and stretched. I looked at the small animals as they gave a final leap around Sonic and bounded away.

"Tails we have to press on. This place isn't the only place that Robotnik's affected."

I looked up at Sonic, he looked more determined than ever and it gave me a bit of strength. I slowly got to my feet and Sonic took a hold of my arm. Moments later we were tearing across the hills at a bluring pace. I began to wonder what else lay ahead. What other things would we meet? What else did Robotnik have that Sonic hadn't mentioned yet? What?

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A gentle nudge woke me from my slumber. Looking up I saw Sonic standing over me holding two plates.

"Sorry to wake you bud but I made some food." he said.

I licked my lips slightly and yawned.

"Thanks Sonic." I moaned quietly sitting up.

"No problem. Nice sleep?"

"Yeah, dreaming about the past."

"Heh! Yeah lots has happened eh."

"You could say that. Amazing to think originally I'd never even heard of you."

"HAHA! Yeah that amazed me. Guess this place brings back memories eh."

"Yeah, yeah it does."