Doc Prower didn't ask for much in life. Just peace, quiet, and time to perform his work.
None of which were being offered him at this given time.
"What's that?"
Doc sighed. "Fuel intake..."
"Oh... what's those?"
"Spark plugs."
"Oh... and what's-"
"Squirt..." Doc turned over on his back and glared at his present company from behind his goggles, "do you remember anything about biplane engine maintenance?"
Beside him, Squirt Prower ducked his ears and fiddles with the toy plane he insisted on carrying around with him everywhere he went. "I'unno..." the smaller fox said, "I jus' wanted to 'elp..."
"Well, you aren't helping..." Doc replied, returning to his work on maintaining the Tornado's engines, "If you'd really like to help, you could start by maybe going away and leaving me in peace..."
"You're mean!" Squirt pouted, shuffling into a cross-legged position on the floor of the workshop.
"I'm practical," Doc replied idly.
"Hey dudes, how's it hanging?"
Doc grunted in annoyance yet again, this new interruption as unwelcome as that offered by his 'little brother'.
"Blitz!" Squirt was up and scampering toward the other fox as Blitz Prower entered the workshop, the taller fox hitching the smaller into his arms like a small child, "Doc's bein' mean! He said I was dumb!"
"That right, huh?" Blitz replied, the spiky-haired fox approaching the gleaming red plane in a pair of Sonic's old sneakers, "What's the story, Doc?"
"The story..." the irritable fox replied from below, "is that the squirt won't stop badgering me about the condition of the Tornado..." the goggled face emerged from beneath the plane, glowering in frustration.
"He's only curious!" blitz said defensively, "right buddy?"
"Right!"
"Yes well, be that as it may..." Doc retorted, standing from his work position, "he has retained the least amount of knowledge out of any of us, least of all mechanical, and constantly being asked to describe the internal workings of a turboprop engine is beginning to get on my nerves."
"Let him be, Doc..." the other fox replied, running a hand through his spiked back head fur.
"How long's it gonna be?" Squirt chirruped, hopping from Blitz' arms and investigating the plane, ears perked and nose twitching eagerly.
"A lot quicker if I had some actual help..." Doc offered a pointed glare at Blitz, who spread his arms defensively.
"Hey, I been exercising!" the other fox grinned innocently, "gotta keep these tails in shape, buddy! You never know when ol' egg-for-brains is gonna make a reappearance!"
"When it's finished, can I fly it?!" Squirt piped up excitedly, eyes gleaming and face splitting into a hopeful grin. His tails waggled while Blitz and Doc exchanged nervous glances.
"Well buddy..." Blitz replied, "maybe we can sort something out..."
"Absolutely not!" Doc snapped, "I'm not putting this thing back together just to have it smashed into the ground in a millions pieces!"
"Hey!" Squirt's ears drooped at Doc's outburst, "I won' crash nuffin!" the small fox protested, clutching his toy plane to his chest.
"Oh, I'm sure..." Doc said sarcastically, "I'm sure your lack of engineering knowledge is surpassed by extreme piloting skill..."
"I like planes!"
"Yes, and Sonic likes chilidogs, that doesn't make him any good at cooking them!"
"You're bein' mean!"
"And you're being irritating!"
"GUYS!"
Blitz raised his hands and gestured for calm, finally tiring of the bickering between his two brothers. The spiky-haired fox offered a lopsided grin and ruffled Squirt's hair. "Like I said," he continued, "we'll figure something out..." He leaned over and grinned to his little brother. "Maybe we can ask Sonic when he gets back from visiting Knux? See if he'll let us take you for a flight?
Doc folded his arms and huffed. "Well, unless you've actually interested in learning and not bending my ears, don't interfere with my work!" he directed this to Squirt, who glowered petulantly from Blitz's side. "Now if you'll both excuse me..." the goggled fox turned back to the plane and lowered to the floor, readying himself to slide back beneath the frame, "I have work to do..."
Blitz sighed and gave Squirt a little squeeze. "C'mon buddy..." he said, grabbing Squirt beneath the arms and lifting the smaller fox up, "let's go make some supper, and then you're going to bed!"
Squirt didn't reply, simply allowing himself to be carried from the workshop, looking back longingly at the Tornado.
"Okay little dude..." Blitz said, depositing a sleepy Squirt into the bed they had all once shared as Tails, "bedtime..."
The smaller fox shuffled around beneath the covers, releasing a squeaky yawn as his bigger brother tucked him in. "No'... sleepy..."
"Yeah, sure you're not..." Blitz grinned, while the smaller fox cuddled with his favourite toy plane, "but you gotta get your sleep! Get that big brain rested and ready for learning, right?"
Squirt didn't answer, big blue eyes flicking uncertainly down to the foot of his bed. "Blitz..." the fox cub said quietly, "do you ;fink I'm dumb?"
"What? No!" Blitz said in shock, his eyes widening at Squirt's sudden self-doubt, "of course I don't! Why'd you thinkthat, little buddy?"
Squirt shrugged. "'Cuz you guys are all like, smart an' grown-up an' stuff, and I don't know nuffin'..." the cub said miserably, "I'm jus' a dumb little kid..."
"Hey, you're not a dumb little anything..." Blitz said soothingly, sitting himself on Squirt's bed, "you're a part of us! A part of Tails! Smartest fox on the planet, remember?"
Squirt didn't respond, fiddling with his toy plane. "Blitz?" he said quietly, "remember las' night? When we were talkin' 'bout mom an' dad?"
Blitz' grin faltered, not quite reaching his eyes now, "yeah, I remember buddy..." he replied solemnly, "you really miss 'em, huh?"
Squirt nodded. "You ever wanna go find 'em?"
Blitz forced himself to wear the typical lopsided grin he'd picked up from Sonic. "I dunno, little dude..." he said, "and that's the truth..."
Squirt looked away from his brother's eyes, and Blitz gestured out to the smaller fox. "Hey, c'mere..."
Squirt raised himself from his pillow and allowed himself to be taken into a hug by the 'older' fox, squeezing his face into Blitz's tufts of chest fut.
"You got your brothers to look after you, right?"
"uh-huh..."
"And we're never gonna let anything happen to you, right?"
"Promise?"
Blitz grinned genuinely as the big blue eyes of his younger brother looked up at him, and he shook the smaller fox gently. "Promise."
Squirt clung tightly to the other fox, the two sharing their embrace for several moments before Blitz scratted the top of Squirt's head.
"Okay bud, bedtime..."
Squirt yawned and shuffled down beneath the covers, hugging his plane close. "Night, Blitz..."
"Night buddy. Sleep tight."
The larger fox stood from the bed and made for the door, taking one last look at his smaller brother. Squirt had turned over beneath to covers, his back to the door, and had fallen utterly still and silent save for light breaths.
Blitz smiled warmly and hit the light, leaving the door slightly ajar as he exited the room.
He didn't notice Squirt creak open his eye and perk his ears, listening and waiting to make his move.
Blitz snorted as he entered the living room, eyes flicking over to a near-identical figure slumped over the computer desk. "Looks like the squirt isn't the only one ready for bed," he chuckled, gesturing at the darker-furred, sleeping form of Doc.
Blade, from his position on the sofa, shrugged as he clicked away at a gamepad. "The professor said he weren't tired, and then he just zonked." the moody brother replied, "dumbass."
"Now now..." Blitz said cheekily, flopping down beside Blade and rocking him with the motion, "is that any way to talk about your beloved brothers?"
"Whatever, faker."
"Edgy-boy!"
"Spiky head."
"Emo!"
"Boys, please..." a fairer voice spoke from a chair across the room. Feather, wrapped in a purple gown and curled into his chair reading a magazine, flicked his long head fur out of his face and offered an exasperated look to his bickering brothers, "can you be civil for like five minutes?"
"Sorry, princess!" Blitz chortled, receiving a snort of laughter from Blade. The fair-furred fox rolled his eyes and gathered up his magazine, wrapping his gown closer around his effeminate body as he left the chair.
"Well if that's how you're going to talk to me, I'm going to bed..." he said haughtily, offering his brothers an irritated glare.
"Sure thing your highness..." Blade replied dryly, flicking his dyed-black bangs out of his face.
"Check on the squirt, yeah?" Blitz said as his brother walked away, Feather clucking his tongue as he left.
"If I must..."
"Thanks! Love ya, bro!"
Feather left the room without another word, and Blade gestured after him with his controller.
"D'you think he's... a bit funny?" Blade said when he was sure Feather was out of earshot.
"I think he's one of my brothers, and I don't care." Blitz replied, giving the darker-furred fox a warning look. His face fell into his usual lopsided grin as Blade grunted, and he grabbed the other controller. "Okay bro, prepare for another butt-whooping!"
"I'll kick your ass, faker."
"You love me really, edgy-boy!"
Blade smirked. "Maybe. Let's play."
Blitz and Blade Prower prepared their game, while over at the computer desk Doc Prower snorted in his sleep.
Feather Prower sighed as his brother's raised voices sounded from behind him. He loved them all really, despite their ribbing, but the effeminate, fair-furred fox found Blade and Blitz to be a little abrasive at times.
He smiled to himself however. Crazy to think they had all been, and still were in a way, the same person.
He silently wandered down the hall toward the Squirt's room, with the intent on checking up on their smallest brother on his way to his own quarters. A couple more bedrooms had been put together for the five brothers, made out of the spare rooms in Sonic and Tails' self-built workshop-home, especially for the component parts of the formerly individual fox.
He reached Squirt's room, the fox cub having his own space in Tails' old room, and gently pushed open the door. He tugged his gown around himself and squinted in the dark, his natural night-vision making up for the lack of light.
He paused, and then a spike of panic lanced through his heart.
Squirt's bed was empty.
"Bullshit!"
"Ha, in your face edgelord!"
"That's bullshit!"
Blitz cackled as Blade shoved him, the dark-haired fox having been beaten in their game of Mega Mutant Mash-em-up. His lighter-furred, spiky-headed brother chuckled and tossed a pillow back at him, the commotion causing a still-sleeping Doc to snort and mumble idiotically as he slept.
"Boys! Boys!"
Both foxes perked their ears and ceased their bickering as a distressed Feather ran into the room, gown flowing behind him and an alarmed expression on his face. Doc woke with a startled yelp, his goggles comically askew across his face.
"Whu... whuz' ha'nnin'?!"
"Yo, what's the matter princess?" Blitz chortled, while Doc came around, "we interrupt your beauty sleep?" Feather glared at his brother, Blitz's ears drooping beneath the scrutiny. "Sorry bro, I'm just playin' around..."
"Can you PLEASE be serious?!" Feather snapped, crossing his arms like an angry older sister, "we have a situation!"
Blitz sat up straight, suddenly serious. "What's going on?" he said, regarding his brother with concern.
"It's Squirt!" Feather replied, "he's not there!"
Blade frowned. "What d'you mean, 'not there'?"
"What do you think I mean, Blade?" Feather snapped, "I mean he's not there! As in 'gone'! Are you sure you tucked him in, Blitz?"
Blitz stood to his feet, hands on hips as a deadly serious expression fell over his face. "I swear the little guy was zonked when I left him!"
"So, what are we gonna do?" Blade spoke up, standing beside his spiky-headed brother, "just stand here yapping?"
"No..." Blitz shook his head, "We'll split up. Go find him. He has to be around here somewhere..."
"Yes, but where?" Doc said as he joined the other foxes, sleepily rubbing his eyes.
As Doc finished his query, the hum of thrumming engines sounded from the workshop hangar, and each fox exchanged incredulous looks.
Feather clapped his hands to his face. "The Tornado!"
"Don't just stand there!" Blitz cried, "let's go!"
Squirt had waited until Blitz had been gone several minutes before making his move. Silently, clutching his toy plane defensively, he crept from his bedroom and made for the hangar.
His ears had drooped when he heard his brothers talking between themselves, ribbing and playing with one another. He didn't want to leave them really, he loved his bigger brothers with all his heart. But he knew they'd never go along with his plan, so he had to do this himself.
He had hesitated in the hall, torn between abandoning his brothers and doing what he had to do... and had made up his mind when Feather had been asked to check on him. It was now or never, and so the little fox had turned and scampered down the hall, making for the hangar.
The little fox had clambered into the red hull of the Tornado, settling himself in the pilots seat and fixing the leather pilot's helmet over his head. He set his toy plane beside him and strapped himself into the seat, lowering his goggles and observing he controls with excited eyes. It was working! He was doing it!
His face fell and his excitement evaporated as Squirt realised... he had no idea how to operate the plane.
He struggled to remember... and slumped in his seat. Tears began to form in his eyes as Squirt realised just how useless he felt... his brothers had all inherited something useful from Tails when they had split. Blitz was super confident and sure of himself, Blade was tough, Doc was super smart and Feather... Feather was the kindest fox of them all. Squirt... Squirt was useless.
"I really am a dumb little kid..." he muttered miserably, staring at the dash through impotent tears.
The little fox reached out and tapped at a couple of buttons, seemingly at random... and frowned. The e motion had been automatic, but he was sure it... felt right. licking his lips, Squirt raised his other hand and flicked a switch. He was rewarded with the plane's instruments lighting up.
Hardly daring to believe his luck, Squirt tapped away at the plane's controls... until eventually, the engines kicked in, and the Tornado hummed into life, her propeller swirling. Squirt lowered his flight goggles and grinned, reaching out and clutching the flight stick. He had his plan, and now it was time to see if he could fly.
"SQUIRT!" A voice called out from behind and Squirt swivelled in his seat to to find an alarmed Blitz leading a trio of near-identical twin-tailed foxes toward him, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Squirt didn't reply, simply returning his attention to the plane's controls and hitting the accelerator. The craft taxied out of the hangar as fast as he could pilot her, his brothers hot on his tails.
By now, Blitz and the others were flying after him, the spiky-haired fox almost level with the cockpit as the Tornado took to the air.
"SQUIRT!" Blitz called after him, "STOP THE PLANE RIGHT NOW!"
"I have to go!" Squirt called back, "but I'll come back! I promise!"
With that, the Tornado's afterburners ignited, the heavily modified biplane boosting forward far faster than the foxes could follow, and left a trail of rocket smoke as she shot through the night sky like a missile.
Blitz stopped in mid-air, watching hopelessly as the craft disappeared into the cloud cover, and swore as the smallest Prower vanished into the night.
"I don't believe it..." Blitz growled as he prowled the empty hangar bay, his brothers gathered around as they igured out what to do, "I don't believe it!"
"It's not your fault, Blitz..." Feather said soothingly, gently resting a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Yeah, well, he got away didn't he?" Blitz snapped, "I should've been faster..."
"The Tornado is built for speed, Blitz..." Doc said matter-of-factly, "With her engines and fuel reserves she can outfly and outlast us. We could have flown all night and still lost him."
"What the hell was that all about, anyway?" Blade said sullenly, fiddling with a penknife as he leaned on a workbench, "why'd he steal the Tornado?"
"Because the professor here..." Blitz glared angrily at Doc, "convinced him he was a dumb little kid who couldn't do jack!"
Doc sniffed and clasped his hands behind his back. "Given his lack of knowledge on the Tornado's systems and general immaturity, I assumed he would be likely incapable of operating the plane in flight."
"Yeah well, he proved you pretty damn wrong didn't he?"
"Boys, please..." Feather set himself between the two foxes and gestured for calm, before wrapping his gown tighter around his fur. "If Squirt just wanted to prove himself..." he said lightly, lengthening head fur brushing over his shoulders as he looked between his two brothers, "he would have come back by now. He's going somewhere." Feather's bright blue eyes locked on those of Blitz's, regarding the spiky-haired fox patiently. "Blitz... did he say anything... strange tonight when you tucked him in?"
Blitz swallowed, his ears drooping as the cogs began to work. "He... spoke about wanting to find our parents again..." he said, eyes widening at the realisation.
Blade snorted, pointing his knife at his brothers. "That's it then..." he said darkly, "he's off to find dear old mom and pops..."
"That would be a reasonable assumption, yes..." Doc agreed.
"Okay, so we have an idea of what he's up to..." Father said patiently, wrapping his arms around his slender form, "so what do we do now?"
"Well..." Blade huffed, "where would you start if you wanted to find our parents?"
All four foxes exchanged glances, the four brothers coming to the same unanimous conclusion.
Emerald Hills.
Squirt nervously clutched his toy plane as he stood before a small town, the straps of his aviator's helmet hanging loose and framing his face. He didn't want to go there. He didn't have good memories of this run down place.
But if he wanted to find his mommy and daddy... the cub would have to be brave. Just like his older brothers.
Filled with determination, the small fox cub clutched his plane and stepped forward, passing the sign and heading for Tails' home town.