Wow! I can't believe that it's been over two years since I've updated this story! Sorry about that folks. I don't really have control over my writings and the inspiration for those writings. Sometimes I'll have this really weird or interesting idea, and I'll be all fired up to write it. But then after a certain point, I lose all the inspiration for it and it just kind of dies. Luckily though, I was re-inspired to start this up again. I don't know if I'll finish it, but I'll do my best.
It's been a long time since I've read any of the Archie-based Sonic comics, especially the old ones that help this story along. So a lot of this (as I've mentioned before) probably won't keep up with the comic continuum. Despite that, though, I hope it ends up all right.
Anyway, I'm done now. Enjoy!
The sounds of furious and upset voices yelling could be heard throughout all of Knothole, causing all the inhabitants of the village to watch as Sonic seemed to angrily storm off towards his hut with Tails following behind him.
"Sonic, I'm sorry!" the fox said as he hurried to try and catch up with the other.
"Whatever…" the hedgehog snapped back, not looking at him.
"I'm serious, I didn't know!"
The azure hero didn't reply and instead ignored the other as he continued towards his hut.
Tails finally stopped following the teen a few feet away as Sonic reached the door, opening it and heading inside. "Sonic……" the fox said softly.
The hedgehog froze for a moment, standing in the doorway with his back facing the other.
Sighing softly, the fox looked at his friend. "I'm really sorry……I didn't know…And I don't know what I should do now…What…I mean…I don't know what else to say…"
"Then don't say anything…" Sonic replied softly, though the resentment in his tone was clear. "Nothing you say can change what's happened…" The other villagers watched as the hedgehog continued inside, closing the door behind him and leaving the fox to stand by himself.
Everyone in the village remained silent, questions roaming in their minds about what possible event could cause two such close friends as Sonic and Tails to argue that way. The tension left behind by the duo's words seemed to trap them all as the villagers lingered, wondering what would happen.
After what seemed like an eternity passed, Bunnie Rabbot slowly approached the fox. As she did so, she noticed that the boy's body seemed to tremble slightly.
"Tails…honey…" she said softly, placing her metallic hand on the boy's shoulder, "what's wrong…?"
"Nothing…" he replied softly, keeping his head hung low to avoid meeting her eyes.
"It had ta have been something, what with what went on between ya'll…Why don't we go an' talk about it?"
"I don't feel like talking right now…" he whispered, rubbing his shadowed eyes with a clenched fist while pulling away from the rabbit's touch. His two tails suddenly twirled, creating the familiar propeller he was famous for. Quickly he ascended into the air, flying above the rest of the villagers and heading away from Knothole.
"Tails…!" Bunnie called, but sighed knowing it was of no use. Turning, she walked over to the door of Sonic's hut and headed inside. She wanted to find out what was happening…
Carefully, the Tornado landed in the vast desert area, arousing the dust that lay beneath them. As the propeller slowed to a stop, Sonic jumped off the plane, looking around.
"Tails…!" he said over the dying engine. "Are you sure this is the place?"
"It should be…" the fox replied as he jumped out of the cockpit and landed next to the hedgehog. "At least, this is where my dream said to go…"
"But why here of all places?"
"Um…Something about wanting to talk to me without other people around, or something like that…"
"What?" the hero asked, looking at his younger friend. "They wanted you to come here by yourself?"
"Well…Yeah…I think…But, I'm glad you're here anyway…"
Sonic smiled a bit, ruffling the boy's hair. "Sure thing, Tails…"
"Well, now, what's this?" a mysterious voice said around the two.
Turning around, Sonic watched as a cloaked figure seemed to appear from within the cloud of dust that was raised by their landing, slowly walking towards them. As the dust settled, the teen was able to just make out the slightly familiar face hidden beneath the dark hood, and his eyes widened slightly.
"Hey…!" Sonic said as the figure drew closer. "I know you…We've met before, haven't we?"
"Well," the figure said, standing before the two, "I would not say we have actually met…But yes, we have encountered each other once before…"
"So you're the one I'm supposed to meet…?" Tails asked softly, looking at the cloaked figure curiously.
Turning his dark eyes on the younger, the figure replied, "Indeed…However, I do believe that you had been asked to come alone…"
Stepping up, Sonic placed his hand on Tails' shoulder. "Yeah, sorry about that…It's my fault…I just kind of tagged along…"
The cloaked one rubbed his chin delicately, eyes focused on the two. "I see…" he said after a while. "Perhaps, then, it would be wise to discuss this another time…"
"What…?" the fox asked. "Why can't we talk about it now?"
"Yeah…" the hedgehog said. "We came all this way for some answers…"
The figure walked past the two heroes, folding his arms across his chest as he seemed to think. Finally, he said, "What I have to say is not good news…And I am afraid of how you both will react…"
The two friends looked at each other, exchanging glances of curiosity in their eyes before looking back at the character in front of them. "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it…" Sonic said, shrugging a little.
Turning to the two, the figure frowned slightly. "Such carefree attitudes are commendable…But this is hardly the time for such…"
"What is it exactly that you need to tell us?" the young genius asked softly. "If it can help me at all, I'm willing to hear it no matter what it is…"
The cloaked individual sighed softly, shaking his head. "I can see that you both are determined to hear what I have to say…" Looking up, he said, "Very well…I am aware of the strange circumstances that have been surrounding you both recently…"
"Which ones?" Sonic asked, glancing quickly at his young friend.
Turning to Tails, the figure said, "Such as the instance where you do not remember your birth name, and the reoccurring nightmares you have been having these past few weeks…" Looking at Sonic, he continued, "As well as your discovery of the young one's similarities to the Chaos Emeralds…"
The fox turned to his taller companion. "What? What discovery?"
Sonic flinched slightly, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, about that…The tests that Doc Quack ran on you showed that your energy is similar to a Chaos Emerald, or something like that…"
"When did you find that out, Sonic?"
"Just before we came here…While you were sleeping, I went to see the Doc, and that's when he told me…I was going to tell you eventually, but I wanted to wait until we were done here…"
"But how can that be?" Tails asked, looking at the cloaked figure. "That's impossible, isn't it?"
"Perhaps…" the man replied, "but perhaps not. I believe that all these things have a connection to each other…"
"How so?" Sonic asked, impatience growing within him. He just wanted to get the answers and leave.
"Well…Their connection is the reason why all of these events have happened in the first place…And that reason is because…"
Sonic's emerald eyes snapped open as the sound of a sharp rapping on the door jarred him out of his thoughts. Grumbling a bit, he quickly pulled the blanket over his head. "I don't wanna talk about it!" he called.
He groaned softly as he heard the creak of the door entering, followed by the heavy metal clank on the floor as one of his parents entered. He was just glad that his back would be facing whoever came in for he really didn't want to talk about what he knew was on everyone's mind.
"Sonic," he heard the robotic voice of his mother say, "what's going on between you and Tails?"
"It's nothing…" he mumbled.
"Bunnie told us that you and Tails had an argument."
"It's nothing…" he repeated, praying his mother would just leave him alone.
"No Sonic," Bernie said firmly, "nothing doesn't cause two close friends like you and Tails to argue like that…Nothing doesn't cause Tails to run off…"
Pushing the blanket off from over his body, the younger hedgehog sat up in his bed, turning to look at his mother. "What?" he asked, his emerald eyes wide. "Tails ran off? Where did he go?"
"Calm down…" Bernie said, sitting on the bed beside her son. "Your father and a few others went to look for him. But why don't you tell me what's going on first?"
The teen sighed softly, looking down at his hands. "You wouldn't understand…"
"Well, of course I wouldn't understand, Sonic…How can I if you don't tell me what's going on?"
Glancing at his mother, the teen shook his head slightly. "I…I just don't know…"
"Sonic, what could possibly cause you and Tails to argue like that?"
Sonic felt his teeth clench slightly as his patience was once again wearing thin. "You really wanna know, Mom?" the teen snapped. "You wanna know why I'm mad? Okay fine! Maybe I'm mad because of the fact that this Tails isn't real!"
Bernie froze. "What…? What do you mean, Sonic?"
The teen sighed, placing a hand to his forehead. "Tails…isn't really who we think he is…"
"I don't understand, Sonic…"
"He's a…what was that word? A…doppelganger…He's not…really Tails…"
The robotic woman frowned deeply. "Wait a minute…Where did you hear that?"
The hero's fingers curled up tightly as he pushed the edge of his palm hard against his brow. "Well…'Tails' and I had gone to see this guy…because 'Tails' had a dream to meet him…He knew about all the strange things that were going on…and why those things were happening…"
"And that reason is because that the young Tails standing here…is not the real Tails at all…"
"What…?" both Sonic and Tails exclaimed. "What do you mean?"
"We have discovered…that this young one is only a doppelganger of the original…We are unsure of the whereabouts of the real Tails, or how you were created…But Sonic's discovery of your likeness with a Chaos Emerald may suggest that you were created with the help of the Chaos Emeralds…
"We also believe that your creator linked your mind to that of the original to create you so that you would act, speak, and think like the real Tails. However, for some unknown reason, the memory of Tails' real name has escaped you, possibly because the link between the two of you is relatively weak. We are still not completely certain…
"I was compelled to tell you this now because of the reoccurring nightmare that you have been having as of late. That nightmare could very well be the location of the original Tails, but the connection between you is still rather faint that the location is not clear. Even I am not able to determine the true position of the real Tails, and I am unable to determine what has happened to him. As of now, it appears that the only way to find the true Tails…is through you…
"We don't know how long the real Tails has been missing or how long you have been taking his place…We are unsure of his condition and if there are any means to reach him…All we are sure of is that he needs to be found soon, and that you are the only one who can do that…"
"But how do you know that all of what he said is true?" Bernie asked softly.
"I…I don't know…" Sonic replied, his hand clenching the blanket beside him. "I didn't…wanna believe it…but…when I saw the look in the guy's eyes…I…I knew…that he was telling the truth…somehow…I saw that Tails believed him too…I guess he never knew that he wasn't…real…until now…"
"Then there's no real reason to be mad at him, is there? If he didn't know he wasn't real…then it isn't his fault…"
The teen shook his head slightly. "I…I'm not really angry with him…"
"You're not?" the robotic mother asked, a bit surprised. "Then why…?"
"Because…he was just there…The real person I'm mad at…is myself…"
"Sonic…" she said, placing a metallic hand on her son's shoulder, "none of this is your fault, either…you shouldn't blame yourself…"
The younger hedgehog clenched his fists tighter. "Yeah right…How can I call myself Tails' best friend? I never even realized…that something was wrong…And even now, there's nothing I can do to help him…I don't know if he's okay or not…I don't know where he is or how to find him…And thanks to me, that Tails that is here with us ran away…" He sighed softly, placing a hand to his forehead again.
"Sonic, look…No one knew anything about this, all right? The other Tails didn't even suspect anything was different, so there was no way you could have…You shouldn't be so hard on yourself…And when you do find the real Tails, you'll figure out what to do…"
Slowly, the teen glanced up at his mother.
"And when your father and the others find Tails, you'll be able to apologize, okay?"
"I should help them look for him…"
"You've had a tiring day, Sonic…" Bernie replied, getting to her feet. "You should get some rest first."
"But…"
"You go on and get some rest…I'm sure they'll find him. Just rest for a little bit, okay?"
"Well…" The teen hesitated slightly. "I guess so…" he finally replied as he slowly lay down on his bed.
Seeming to smile slightly, Bernie quietly began heading for the door.
"Mom…?"
She stopped for a moment, looking towards her son. "Yes, Sonic?"
"If I…fall asleep…and Dad comes home with Tails…will you wake me up?"
"Of course…"
"Okay…Thanks Mom…" With that, the teen turned to lie on his side facing the wall.
Turning again, the robotic mother silently left the room, carefully closing the door behind her.
Sonic gasped and sat quickly up in bed, jolted from his slumber by the deafening boom that rattled the walls and window of his room. Looking outside, the hedgehog blinked when he saw how dark it had become outside as well as how loudly the wind was howling. He nearly jumped slightly as lightning flashed and brightened the gloomy sky for the briefest of seconds, quickly followed by another thunderous crash that momentarily drowned out the forlorn cry of the gale whipping through the trees.
"Tails…?" he called, sliding out of bed and slipping his red and white sneakers on. He knew of the fox's fear of thunder and lightning and wanted to comfort his friend as he always did during such storms. "Tails, are you here?"
Looking around, he finally realized that the other's bed was still neatly made. Curious, the teen headed for the door.
"Mom? Dad?" he called, walking into the living room. Seeing his two robotic parents sitting and talking, he stopped and stood silently until they noticed him.
"Mom, Dad…Where's Tails…?" Sonic asked, looking around.
"Um…about that, Son…" Jules said, rubbing the back of his head, "we…weren't able to find him…"
Sonic's emerald eyes widened. "What…? What do you mean you couldn't find him?"
"We looked, Sonic…" the robotic male said, "we looked for him in Knothole and in the forest surrounding Knothole…But while we were looking, the winds started picking up…And sometime later, we received a storm warning…We had to come back here…"
"But what about Tails? You mean to tell me he's still out there in that?" the teen demanded, pointing to a window as lighting flashed and thunder boomed.
"We had to come back, Son…I promise, when the storm clears, I'll…"
"No!" Sonic said. "No! I can't wait that long!" Turning away from his parents, the teen sped back to his room, opening his closet door and pulling out his forest-green cloak. Putting it on quickly and pulling the hood over his head, the teen hedgehog sped back to the living room, opening the door.
"Sonic!" Bernie exclaimed as the gust rushed into the small room. "Where are you going?"
"I have to find Tails!" the teen replied, yelling to be heard over the roaring wind. "He's scared to death of lightning! I have to find him!"
"Sonic!" Jules yelled after his son, but couldn't stop the teen as he raced out the door.
TBC
So how was it? I hope it was okay. I actually had this written up all ready, but for some reason I just couldn't get it posted up. Oh, and I would like to mention that this story isn't really centered around the fact that 'Tails' is a doppleganger, but the drama that surrounds it. I guess I'm afraid that it may seem a little odd that I'm putting it out now that it's a doppleganger.
Anyway, please review, and I'll do my best to get the next chapter up.
