Prologue
"Tails? Tails, where are ya buddy?"
Sonic the hedgehog immortalized for incredible speed, unyielding courage, and the world champion when it came to eating chili dogs. However, if there was one skill he sorely lacked beyond social etiquette, and proper bathing routines, and the importance of personal space, and that you should never stick a dog's tail in a light socket…
The kid had a history of impatience is the sum of the situation. Currently, the three alien teens turned house guests for the friendly Wachowskis of the sunny little burg of Greenhills were getting to go to their first ever family vacation. As it turned out, Tom had some family in England that lived in a small burg not unlike Greenhills. It was small, out of the way, and with more than enough forest surrounding it that Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles could all run about and enjoy themselves rather than being stuck at home.
Sonic scampered up the ladder to their shared loft bedroom, nearly hitting his head on the barbells Knuckles had tied to a rafter to, quote unquote, "build upon its integrity". The entire roof was going to collapse on them one day, Sonic just knew it, but what he didn't know was where Tails had gone. His workbench in the far corner of the room was unoccupied save for the small scraps and half finished inventions he had been working on. On a whim, Sonic trotted over to it and inspected his work. Genius Tails might have been, tidy he most certainly was not. Even Sonic's room had been a more put together mess than what that young preteen could do with nothing but a small bench, some screws, and a wrench. Sonic flipped through the various gadgets, which ranged from useful things like laser weapons and boomerangs to nerd things like radars and translators that didn't work. However, amongst the bits and baubles was one item that didn't belong. It was a tiny piece of round metal with a blue and red ribbon hanging underneath it. In the center of the medal was what appeared to be an acorn, and around the rim read these words:
"Mobian Medal of Valor."
"Mobian?" Sonic hummed as he picked up the medal. "Why does that word ring a bell?"
Just then, Sonic became aware of a rapid swishing sound, and he looked to the large round window as Tails came fluttering in.
"Tails, there you are! I've been looking all over for ya! Donut Lord is ready to go, and you're the one with the rings."
"Sorry, Sonic." Tails panted, a tad winded from his flight. "My new drone I made from Eggman's tech got away from me. By the time I was about to catch it, the battery died and landed in the middle of a bear cave. After barely escaping with my life, I've decided to wait till winter to retrieve it."
"Smart as always, little buddy." Sonic chuckled. "C'mon. Knuckles waits any longer, and he'll start up another fight with Ozzie, and after how badly he lost the last time I think we should save him the humiliation."
"Ha ha, yeah." Sonic giggled. "I'm ready. But first, think you could give that back, please?"
Sonic paused, and then he remembered the medal in his hand. He quickly tossed it back to Tails and grinned.
"Don't know why people gave you such a hard time back home." He chirped. "I mean, I saved the entire planet, and you don't see 'em pinning a medal to me."
Tails blinked, and he looked down at the medal.
"What, this? It's not for me. This belonged to my dad."
"Oh!" Sonic gasped. "Hey, yeah, you never really talk about your folks much. I'll bet your dad was really brave and strong to earn a medal like that."
"I wouldn't know." Tails said with a shrug. "He died before I was even born, and mom didn't have any photos."
The tone of the room suddenly took a much more dour turn. Sonic could see on the little kitsune's face that this was something of a sore subject, and likely something else he was teased about as a kid. Thinking quickly to change the subject, he remembered the odd word on the medal and its insignia.
"What does Mobian mean?" He asked. "I remember Longclaw saying something about it once, but I don't think she ever elaborated. That or I wasn't paying attention that day."
"Likely the latter." Tails said with a laugh, pocketing the medal in his bag. "You still have that old map Longclaw gave you?"
As though Tails had to ask. Sonic instantly ran back and forth to reclaim the map from his nightstand, Longclaw's feather perched in his ear. He unfolded it, revealing the many worlds printed upon it, as well as some new ones that had appeared recently. Likely a result of finding the Master Emerald and coming into contact with the seven Chaos Emeralds. It was an odd little map, that was for sure. Tails accepted it, and he pointed to one of the little fragments on the edge.
"Aha! It did appear! This is where I used to live: the South Island Zone."
"Zone?" Sonic asked.
"Planetoids that haven't gathered the necessary mass to become a full planet while still providing a breathable atmosphere and biomes for flora and fauna." Tails explained. "See? If I did my math right, and I always do my math right, this is where you and Longclaw used to live, right?"
Sonic inspected where his buddy pointed, and he nodded.
"Yep. That's the ol' homestead. Now that I don't have psychopathic echidna hunting me anymore, I really should check the old place out. See if the house is still standing."
"I'll gladly help." Tails offered. "For now, take a careful look at the zones. They look like the pieces of a big puzzle to you?"
Sonic looked again. Sure enough, and provided you were a tiny bit creative with the placements, the pieces looked as though they, at one time, were part of a greater whole, albeit with a few notable missing sections.
"Some of the zones eventually became full blown planets like that mushroom planet you hate so much." Tails said. "That's why no one lives on them yet. But once long ago, these zones were part of a much greater whole. A planet called Mobius, which is where my mother came from. Mom told me amazing stories about Mobius and all its wonders. Apparently you, me, and Knuckles are all from there in one way or another if my history is right."
"And your history is always right." Sonic chuckled.
"Quite. But the thing that made Mobius so fascinating was the global power struggle between the Mobians, our kind, and the Overlanders, think humans with only four fingers."
"Weird."
"But accurate. I don't know how the struggle started, such details were lost to time and planetary fragmentation, but it was a blood feud reaching back as far as time itself. The Overlanders were lead by a powerful warlord named Charlemagne, a man blinded by a desire for conquest through ancient and forbidden knowledge. Knuckles denied it, but supposedly he had a pact with the echidnas to study the magic of the Master Emerald itself. Using what he learned, Charlemagne invaded the Acorn Kingdom and challenged the King, Maximillian Acorn, to one on one combat. A final bout to decide the ultimate fate of the planet. But Maximillian did not go into battle alone. In his hand was a legendary sword handed down amongst his ancestors: the Sword of Acorns. The two warriors clashed with a terrible fury, and their blows shook the very foundations of planet Mobius, until at last it could no longer contain the power. With one final clash, ripples of energy were sent into Mobius' core, shattering it and in turn causing the planet to split apart into the zones we know of today."
Sonic held up a hand for silence. He needed a moment just to catch his breath, and his jaw hanging open. He had just wanted to know about the medal. He had no clue that apparently an entire planet had died to create the home he had known. Longclaw must've forgotten to tell him the story, because there was no way he would have forgotten something that epic.
"Don't leave me in suspense, bud! What happened after that?"
"About what you'd expect." Tails said dryly. "Understandably, many lives were lost that day, both Mobian and Overlander, not to mention the many planets that were likely struck with debris from the cataclysm. Mom only barely made it out with me in tow, and everyone else was scattered into the zones. From what I learned, Overlanders have ultimately become vagabonds, traveling in groups from one planet to another to hunt for supplies and anything else they need to survive. Some have even learned to live in harmony with Mobians, though very few."
"And that King Max guy?" Sonic asked.
Tails shrugged.
"Dead and gone, I suppose. He and Charlemagne were at the epicenter of the fracture, as was the ancestral home of the royal family. It's doubtful there are any remnants of the two ruling powers left after something like that."
Tails looked down at the medal again, his heart heavy.
"Mom used to say that dad was a real hero. He earned this medal after saving the king's life once. I always wondered how I measured up to him, but how can you measure up to someone you've never even met?"
He looked back to Sonic and smiled.
"Then I met you. A genuine hero in the flesh. Someone I could look up to and learn from. I don't know if I measure up, still, but I'd like to think dad would be proud of me."
Sonic couldn't contain himself after that. He rushed over, grabbing his friend in a headlock as he ruffled his hair.
"Whachew talkin' bout, Willis? You were a hero long before you met me. You're a genius inventor with a lotta guts and a big heart. Show me a dad that wouldn't be proud of that, and I'll show you a deadbeat."
"Sonic, quit it!" Tails giggled as he pulled himself free, fixing his hair. "Thanks, pal. I kinda needed that. Leaving home wasn't easy, but I'm glad I came here."
"And we're more than glad to have you." Sonic said with a nod. "But now that I know you have a mom, do me a favor and call her some time. If Longclaw taught me anything, it's that moms worry."
"Yeah, ok." Tails chuckled.
"HEY!"
That voice came from outside. The two teens looked out the window to see Tom standing next to the truck with Maddie in the cab and Knuckles waiting in the bed with the luggage.
"You two coming down or what?" Tom called up. "We're ready to go."
"We'll be right down!" Tails called. "Well, Sonic, I guess we'd better get going before…"
He looked to where his friend had been, only to find empty space.
"Hey Tails!" He heard Sonic call from down below. "Come on down! You're the next contestant on Let's Get Going Already!"
Tails rolled his eyes and shook his head. Only Sonic the Hedgehog could pretend to have been with the majority the whole time. He gathered a few more of his little gadgets, just in case he might need them, and he slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"Knothole Village, here I come." He chirped, and he made his way down the steps.
