It started like every battle against Eggman. Sonic trashed the doctor's base, Eggman tried destroying them with some new robot, and Sonic swiftly turned it into scrap metal.
Eggman shook his fist from behind the cracked window of his eggmobile, its engine sputtering smoke as it shakily rose to the warehouse ceiling.
"This isn't over, you blue rat!"
The cobalt emergency lights flashed over the doctor's face, highlighting his dark glower.
Yet Sonic stood tall on the heap of twisted metal that had been Eggman's robot, his mouth curving into a smirk. "Are you sure about that, Egghead? Because from where I'm standing it looks like you just lost for the—" He glanced at Tails, and the fox grinned, twin tails whirling as he hovered beside him. "How many times have we sent him packing again?"
"Thirty-four," Tails said smugly.
Sonic blinked, surprised by the low number, but then the fox smirked. "Oh, did you mean for the whole month? I thought you meant how many times we beat him this week."
Tails sent the man a snide look, and the doctor's fist shook with rage, face reddening while Sonic chuckled. "Sounds about right."
He pointed victoriously at the doctor. "You know, for a genius, you're pretty bad at math if you still think the odds are in your favor."
The fox beamed at the math pun because he'd been the one to tell it to the hedgehog, and Sonic's green eyes shot over to him, full of mirth until Eggman slammed his fists on his control panel.
"I'll show you genius! Behold—" The doctor clicked a red button on his dashboard, and Tails' ears twitched as an electrical hum erupted above them. "This is the end for you, hedgehog!"
Tails looked up, and his mouth parted at seeing a giant silver laser dropping out of the steel rafters. Lightning sparked around its pointed end while it aimed for the middle of a ring stretching from one end of the roof to the other.
The kit quickly pulled out his Miles Electric to analyze the laser, but turned when Eggman laughed, the sound echoing up to the ceiling as Sonic eyed the laser warily.
Yet soon the hedgehog grinned and cocked an eye at the doctor. "Really? A laser is going to take me out?" He scoffed, crossing his arms. "Talk about a letdown."
The Miles Electric beeped and Tails stared intently at the line graph spreading across the screen. The laser's potential energy output was high, but that wasn't concerning until he noticed the data beneath it.
Tails' breath hitched. Electromagnetic waves were fluctuating on the screen, increasing fast. No, this couldn't be a laser, these readings better matched a—
"This is no ordinary weapon, rodent." Eggman grabbed the dashboard and leaned forward with a sneer. "But if you're so confident, just try to stop it!" He gestured at the laser as its pointed end glowed neon blue.
Sonic smirked challengingly. "Alright, Egghead, but don't blame me if it blows up in your face!"
"Sonic, don't!" Tails reached out as the teen leapt into a spindash.
His hands struck Sonic's chest. The hedgehog's eyes widened while he tumbled out of his spin and fell back onto the scrap pile, rolling down its side and crashing at the bottom with a clatter. However, Tails couldn't explain before a boom rocketed across the warehouse.
A strong gust billowed in around them, and Tails wobbled midair as a strong force pulled at his fur. He looked up and found red and violet matter spinning between the metal ring like a miniature spiral galaxy, the laser shooting a blue ray into its center. It was a wormhole, and it had a hold on him.
Tails started drifting up. He rushed to fly back down, but even pushing his tails to their limits, he was steadily being dragged towards the vortex.
"Tails!" Sonic shouted, zipping up the scrap heap and grabbing his hand.
He strained to haul him down, his green eyes vibrant with concern, yet Tails was pulled a couple of inches higher.
"Have a nice trip in space!" Eggman cackled before the eggmobile turned and zoomed out to the hallway, the man clearly not wanting to stick around the dangerous vortex.
"You have to close the portal!" Tails shouted over the laser's hum. "Or we'll both be sucked in!"
Sonic's heels started lifting off the ground, teeth gritting as Tails was jerked up an inch. "How?" he asked, fighting to keep a hold of him.
Tails thought rapidly before saying, "Let me go and destroy the laser!"
Sonic frowned. "If I let go—"
"I can hold on long enough!" Tails saw the protest on Sonic's tongue, so added, "The longer you wait, the stronger the portal will get!"
Sonic hesitated, then nodded. "Okay!" He let go, and Tails lurched up a foot towards the portal, but stopped as his tails propelled him downwards. "Just hang in there, buddy!"
The hedgehog sped off in a blur, stopping on the ground, and getting in a running position angled towards the laser.
Tails' eyes squeezed shut and his hands clenched, the fox struggling to maintain his position. His heart was hammering, sweat running down his face while he felt himself moving back more and more.
"Hurry!"
Sonic's eyes narrowed and he rolled into a spindash as a strange tingling on Tails' back made his eyes pop open. His head swung around to see the portal four feet behind him.
Panic seized his chest and he screamed while he was sucked in closer. "Sonic!"
A blue blur shot up and smashed through the laser. The metal burst apart, small pieces hitting Tails as the laser's ray cut out. However, the pressure didn't let up, and he looked back to see the portal still open. No…had the portal grown strong enough to maintain stability without a power source?
"Got ya!"
Hands latched onto his, and he saw Sonic standing on the ring around the portal, teeth gritted while he tried reeling him away from the vortex. Tails glanced at his Miles Electric and found the bar graph for the energy readings were dropping, just not fast enough for the vortex to close immediately.
"The portal is breaking down," Tails explained, voice high with fear. "But slowly—"
He was yanked up. A cry left his mouth as everything below his shoulders dipped into the portal and went numb—were his tails even still spinning?
"How much longer?" Sonic asked through his teeth, glaring at the portal while his arms shook from exertion. "I might pull a muscle if I have to stay like this for too long, and you know I make a terrible patient," he joked, though he didn't smile.
He was obviously trying to reassure Tails, and might have been successful if there wasn't a sudden tug on his neck.
Sonic's eyes widened, Tails' hand nearly slipping out of his grip, and the fox tried to speak—
His head went under the portal and the world was swept away.
"Tails!"
Sonic felt the fox's hand go limp and fear lanced through his heart. Yet before he could despair, the portal flickered.
The red and violet spiral slowed, its gravitational pull disappearing. Sonic yelped as Tails fell out of the portal, crashing into his arms and knocking him off of the ring.
They plummeted to the floor. Sonic curled around the fox and they landed in a rough roll. Steel banged against his head and he gasped as they fell back against the metal pile. Yet he hastily shook off the pain and stood, eyes darting up.
The portal was flickering rapidly, and Sonic tensed. However, in a blink, it vanished.
Sonic sighed in relief. Looked like Tails was right, not that he ever doubted him.
He glanced at the fox while the emergency lights shined over them. "Hey, Tails, you okay?"
The kit didn't respond, his head lolling against Sonic's chest and arms hanging limply. Sonic frowned, and grabbed the kit's shoulder, shaking it.
"Hey," he called, concern lacing his voice. "This isn't the time for a nap—"
Tails' eyes shot open. Sonic froze at the terror in the kit's gaze. The teen opened his mouth to reassure him, but swiftly the fear faded from Tails' face and a scowl replaced it.
"Hedgehog," Tails hissed, more loathing in his voice than Sonic had ever heard.
Then an elbow jabbed into his chest, and Sonic grunted while the fox slipped out of his hold to fly above him.
"Tails?" Sonic whispered, rubbing the sore spot before straightening up with a pinched expression.
However, Tails wasn't looking at him, but was glancing all over the warehouse. Though he stilled, his blue eyes lighting up when they fell on the back wall. Sonic followed his line of sight to the red Eggman insignia painted there.
His frown deepened. "Buddy," he began tentatively. "You feeling alright?"
Tails still didn't look at him, and the feeling that something was very wrong grew. Had Tails hit his head while in that portal? Eggman did say the vortex led to space, so maybe an asteroid conked him on the head and scrambled his memories.
"I'm not your buddy."
Sonic looked up to find Tails glaring at him. He balked at the sheer hatred on his face, unsure he'd ever seen Tails so angry.
Still, shaking off his trepidation, Sonic asked, "What do you mean?" He pointed his hands at himself. "It's me, Sonic—"
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Tails growled, and Sonic's mouth snapped shut. "The only friend of mine is Doctor Robotnik."
Sonic's jaw dropped, shock radiating from his very core because what?
He was too stunned to move as Tails swiftly soared down and punched him square in the face.
To read the full version of this story please go to Archive of Our Own and either look me up by my name there, MoonlitNightin , or search for the title fractures between us in the Sonic the Hedgehog section.
Thanks for reading!