Welcome to the start of my new collection of Sonic the Hedgehog drabble! This collection will house various, short fluff ideas I was unable to implement into one of my longfics or oneshots.

Unless otherwise noted, each chapter is stand alone and generally takes place in the main canon, with elements of the shows and comics sprinkled in as well.

Final note: for those following A Bridge Between Worlds, my longfic Sonic X reimagining, please be assured that I am still working on new chapters! I'll work on both projects simultaneously. I'm a bit stretched for time this month, but things should start freeing up soon!

Hope you all enjoy this collection!

Chapter 1: Exis-dental Dread

"C'mon, Sonic, why do you always have to be this difficult?"

Tails groaned as he stared at the lower mattress of the bunk bed he shared with his older brother Sonic, who was wrapped snugly in his blanket, resisting the orange kitsune's attempts at unfurling him.

"But I don't wanna…"

"Do we have to do this again?" Tails placed his gloved hands on his hips in disappointment.

"Hey, I just wanna sleep," Sonic replied as he curled into a ball under his blanket.

"But Sonic, you know this is important, right? You need to visit the dentist once every six months to ensure proper oral hygiene."

"But I hate it so much," Sonic replied with a groan. "The gum scraping, the teeth polishing, the poking and prodding, being stuck in a tight space…it's terrible!"

"I know, Sonic," Tails sat on the bottom bunk and patted his older brother through the blanket, "the dentist isn't the most pleasant experience in the world."

"Tell me about it," Sonic replied as he unfurled himself and stuck his head out from underneath the blanket.

"But we need to get it done, see," the young fox showed off his teeth to the elder hedgehog, "Wanna know how I keep my teeth so clean? I brush multiple times a day, and I always see my dentist twice a year. Now it's your turn…" Tails removed his gloves and pried open Sonic's mouth unexpectedly, the blue hedgehog's yellowing teeth now on display. "See, Sonic," Tails continued as he removed his fingers from Sonic's lips, "you're in serious need of a cleaning…" The fox waved his gloveless hand in front of his muzzle. "…and your breath is atrocious!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get your point." Sonic slowly pulled himself up and rubbed his eyes.

"I'll tell you what," Tails got up from the bed and stretched his legs, his namesakes fluttering from behind, "if you go to your appointment, we can go out for some chili dogs after, my treat!"

"Oh yeah, now you're speakin' my language!" Sonic jumped in the air in excitement followed by a few air punches. "Let's go get this over with and then pig out!" The blue hedgehog rubbed his belly as the thought of devouring delectable chili dogs made him hungry.

"Remember," Tails replied, "we need to wait an hour after getting our teeth cleaned before we can eat."

"Ohhh, c'mon, why is that even a thing anyway?"

"Do you want mint-flavored chili dogs?" Tails asked as he placed his hands on his hips once more.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd enjoy that." Sonic snickered into his palm.

"Well, actually…" Tails seriously pondered this idea as he raised a finger to his furry chin in thought. "…ummm, no, the contrasting flavor profiles just wouldn't go together." The two laughed merrily before the young fox raised his wristwatch communicator to his face. "Oh shoot, if we don't leave now, we're gonna miss our appointment!"

"Don't worry, lil' buddy," Sonic grabbed his younger brother and placed him on his shoulders, his feet dangling against his chest as he quickly grabbed hold of his blue quills to keep himself stable, "since when have I ever been late?"

"Good point," Tails replied. "So I take it we're not flying the Tornado?"

"Nahh," Sonic shook his head as he carried Tails out of the bedroom and down the hall leading to the front door. "You can pilot her fast, but nothing can beat my supersonic speed!"

"Haha, true," Tails giggled as he rested his head in Sonic's quills, which were surprisingly fluffy despite their outward, spiky appearance, "Nobody can defeat you in a foot race…now, a kart race on the other hand…"

"Cars help even the playing field," Sonic replied as he stepped out the front door, closing it behind as the two took in the brilliant morning sun, the sound of ocean waters crashing against the mountainside plateau filling their ears. "At least I have better taunts." It was now Sonic's turn to giggle. "Remember what you said to Shadow when you blasted him into the ocean?"

Tails' face turned red in embarrassment. "Oh, come on, Sonic, that was one time!" The fox balled his fists. "I didn't know what I was saying, all right?"

"Yeah, suuuure," Sonic replied as he ran toward the nearby train station.

"I'm serious, Sonic!" Tails protested. "I don't even know what who's your daddy means! I mean, if anything, Shadow has two dads, right? Dr. Gerald Robotnik and Black Doom?"

"I dunno, why don't you ask him again? He'd get a hoot out of tha—owww, hey!" Sonic peered up as his younger brother pulled at his triangular ears. "Okay, okay, sorry, buddy!" Tails chuckled as he loosened his grip on Sonic's ears, the blue hedgehog joining him in laughter moments later.

Making his way up the wooden stairs leading up to the train station, the blue hedgehog decided that running along the track would be faster. With Tails holding on tight, the two made their way through various tunnels and plains until they reached the hustle and bustle of the big city, running around cars on the busy streets until the brotherly duo reached their destination: a plain, white building with a friendly, cartoonish toothbrush as its mascot plastered on the side.

"…On second thought," Sonic began as he slowly turned around, "I forgot I…had a date…with Amy! I probably shouldn't keep her…"

"You have a date with Amy?" Tails asked with a grin. "So you're saying you'd rather have a nice, romantic evening than get your teeth cleaned?"

"Well, you see…" Sonic pulled at an invisible collar around his invisible neck.

"Why don't we put that to the test?" the orange kitsune brought his wristwatch communicator to his muzzle. "Call…Am—"

"Wait!" Sonic yelled as he grabbed hold of his younger brother's arm. "You've made your point. Let's just get this dentist business over with."

"Thought you'd say that," Tails replied with a giggle as the two stepped into the lobby. They approached the front desk, greeted by a Mobian bunny near Sonic's age.

"Hello, gentlemen, how may I help you?" she asked.

"We have dental appointments today!" Tails replied with a beaming smile.

"All right, I'll get you two checked in!" After a few mouse clicks, she peered up at the brotherly duo. "You two can have a seat in the lobby, and our dental hygienists will call you up when they're ready."

"Thanks!" Tails replied as the two sat down next to each other in the empty room. It was not long after they were called upon by two staff members. Whereas Tails jumped out of his seat enthusiastically, Sonic was uncharacteristically slow, his legs shaking like gelatin as he followed his hygienist to a small room where a dental chair waited for him. The blue hedgehog begrudgingly took his seat.

Sonic tapped his fingers against the armrests nervously as the dental hygienist prepared her cleaning tools. Several "Hello Puppy" stickers nearly obscured the letters spelling "Penelope the Mongoose" on her nametag.

"I know I shouldn't be admitting this," Sonic said with a sigh, "but the dentist's office isn't…my favorite place in the world."

"Oh, that's perfectly normal!" Penelope replied. "Even our bravest patients don't like us near their teeth."

"Really?" Sonic asked as he tilted his head, his tail wagging from behind. "I thought it was just me. My lil' bro had to drag me here. Can you believe it! Sonic the Hedgehog afraid of the dentist? It almost sounds ridiculous."

"Not really," Penelope replied as she brought a scraping tool to Sonic's mouth. The blue hedgehog opened wide, revealing his teeth to the hygienist. "Some people are afraid of the doctor, and some are afraid of killer robots, crazy madmen, and the like."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," she continued as she started scraping the tar from Sonic's teeth, causing the blue hedgehog to wince. "Everyone has a fear." She pulled her tool away from Sonic's mouth, replacing it with a small hose to rinse the loosened plaque from the blue hedgehog's teeth. "Wanna know my biggest fear?" She replaced the hose with a separate nozzle, sucking up the remaining water from the rinse.

"What's that?" Sonic asked, feeling more relaxed as she listened to Penelope's story.

"Water." She reached for her polishing tool. "I can't stand it. The vast, unknown, unseeing depths of the ocean freaks me out!"

"Me too!" Sonic exclaimed. "I've always been afraid of drowning, so I try avoiding Labyrinth Zone at all costs."

"I don't blame you!" Penelope agreed as she stuck the polishing tool in Sonic's mouth. "That place doesn't sound like my cup of tea."

The worst part was that I first visited Labyrinth Zone before I met Tails…I don't know how I managed to get through there without my lil' bro's help…

As the dental hygienist polished up the blue hedgehog's teeth, Sonic allowed his mind to play back memories of the precious moments he spent with his little buddy, from the time they first met when the orange kitsune was making repairs and upgrades to his Tornado biplane to their many perilous battles with the evil Dr. Eggman, from all-night movie sessions to the brotherly banter they shared while on their many runs.

"That about wraps it up!" Penelope said as she finished rinsing Sonic's mouth once more.

Sonic shook himself out of his daydream. "You mean I'm free to go?"

"Yep!" Penelope dug in a drawer, handing Sonic a small bag with a new toothbrush and a small container of toothpaste. She proceeded to walk the blue hedgehog back to the lobby, where the orange kitsune was patiently waiting for him while thumbing through a science magazine.

"Have a good day!" she said with a waive.

"You too," Sonic replied with a smile. "And Penelope, thank you for the lil' pep talk earlier. I feel kinda good about the dentist now!"

"I'm glad!" Penelope replied with a smile of her own as Sonic made his way back to the lobby.

"How'd it go, Sonic?" Tails asked as he placed the magazine back on the end table.

"You know," Sonic placed his hands on his hips, "it actually wasn't that bad!"

"Yay!" Tails cheered.

"How about you, lil' guy?"

"Well, it went, ummm…" The young fox's ears drooped as he scratched the back of his head. "I sorta…have a cavity."

"Wait, you, Tails the Fox…Miles "Tails" Prower, have a cavity?" Sonic's jaw dropped, dumbfounded by this shocking revelation.

"Yeah, I guess so," Tails replied with a light chuckle. "I have to come back in a few days for a filling."

"The irony." Sonic wiped the base of his nose with a gloved finger. "My teeth were totally fine."

"Shut up," Tails replied in disbelief.

"Nah, it's the real deal," Sonic opened his mouth, giving his younger brother a clear view of his cleaned, polished teeth.

"Just my luck," Tails said as he turned away, his eyes downcast.

"Hey, don't be sad, Tails," Sonic wrapped an arm around Tails' shoulder. "It happens to the best of us, right? And you know what? I'll provide some moral support from the lobby when we get your cavity filled!"

"Thanks, Sonic," the young fox replied, a small smile returning to his muzzle.

"No problem!" Sonic said with a thumbs up. "Now how about we go grab some chili dogs?"

"Nah ah ahhhh," Tails waved a single finger. "We need to wait an hour, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" Sonic grumbled under his breath. "What are we gonna do for an entire hour?"

"…how about a race around Station Square?"

"Oh, that sounds mundo cool!" Sonic eagerly replied as he slammed his fist against the open palm of his other hand. "Just don't let G.U.N. catch us!"

"I'll try," Tails replied with a chuckle as the two walked out of the dental office.

"If you think you can keep up…" Sonic started charging a spindash in the parking lot. "…just try it!" He launched himself forward, seamlessly joining the traffic and quickly passing the slower vehicles.

"Wait, Sonic!" Tails reached his arm out a bit too late. "I didn't get my stretches in!" He shook his head. "Oh Sonic…what am I gonna do with you?" Laughing under his breath once more, and shrugging his shoulders, the orange kitsune began spinning his rotary namesakes before taking to the air. Moments later, he spotted Sonic racing down Radical Highway.

"Right behind you, Sonic!"

Catching up, the blue hedgehog and orange fox sped along the busy freeway, racing neck and neck as they worked up an appetite for the delicious prize at the end of their metropolitan journey.