The warm intrusion of the sun's rays poured in through my window, stirring me from my slumber. I'd fallen asleep at my work bench again. The last thing I remember was working on creating a new transmitter with improved encryption to stay one step ahead of Dr. Eggman. The more I thought about him, the less I understood the man. Had he and I not been enemies, maybe I could have had great conversations with him, made a friend out of him. He left me bewildered. I couldn't understand how someone with an intellect like his could use his gifts only to bolster his own ego. I believed it made more sense to use one's talents for others.
Sitting up in my stupor, I felt a weight on my shoulders and down my back. A blue blanket, one I recognized to be from my bed, was draped around me. This wasn't my doing, so I looked around in confusion while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. A smile crept onto my face. Sonic was sitting on my floor, fast asleep with his back up against the wall. He must have come by to check up on the progress of the new transmitter. Given his energetic and competitive nature, staying a step or two in front of Eggman was something of a position of pride for him. Plus, Sonic wasn't like Eggman. There's a part of me, deep down, that knew that he probably stopped by in the middle of the night to make sure I wasn't overworking myself. I'd spent a majority of the past couple of days testing radio and electronic frequencies that Dr. Eggman's machines responded to, making use of some of the badniks we had salvaged from a previous mission. Sonic was so cool, taking down those robots left and right!
He made it look easy. He made a lot of things look easy. Helping him do what's right to support other Mobians filled me with so much joy, and it helped my own talents make a difference in the world. It was because of Sonic that my life was so great, even when times were difficult and I couldn't will myself to look toward tomorrow. Sonic's speed wasn't his only power. His big heart and sense of adventure of move mountains and ripple through jungles.
My tails began to wag slowly as I thought dreamily about the thrills our lives held and about the number of times and ways we'd saved the world. I didn't think of myself any different from any other Mobian, aside from having multiple tails and being the more socially reserved type. As it would turn out, others stop being afraid of what's different if what's different helps them, protects them and empathizes with them, and it was because of my best friend I was able to come to this.
"Live and learn…" Sonic mumble-sang in his sleep.
With a soft chuckle, I said in response, "Hanging on the edge of tomorrow." He didn't have to spend the night. I wondered why he chose to. Pitting my willpower against the comfy blanket, I sat myself upright and examined my work. To the left of where my face had been was a prototype transmitter. It was clunky and rectangular, with an antenna jutting up from out the side and a dial and reader to adjust and measure the frequencies of the radio waves, respectively. To the right was a signal transceiver hooked up to a battery and a multimeter, which I had been using for tests. Where my face had been sat an open notebook with notes about my findings. Where did my pencil go…?
Suddenly, I got the idea to make Sonic breakfast. He was kind enough to get me a blanket and make sure I was comfortable. It was the least I could do. I didn't have anything fancy, but I was sure eggs would do. Eggs were more of a breakfast food than chili dogs anyway. I got out of my chair and, with the blanket still on my shoulders, sauntered over to the sleeping form of my friend. Still adorning a smile, I took the blanket from my shoulders and placed it over him such that only his spiky, blue head was exposed. Then, I wandered into my admittedly lackluster kitchenette. It had a stove with no oven, which gave me more cabinet space, and a fridge. I wasn't much of a cook and didn't need anything fancy, so I used some of that extra cabinet space to stow some of my toolboxes.
I gripped the fridge handle and pulled the door open. On the second-to-highest shelf, off to the right, was an egg tray with six eggs in it. Delicately picking up two with my right hand, my right tail slipped under the handle of one of the cabinet doors under the stove. Shutting the fridge door with my foot, I reached into the cabinet with my left hand and grabbed a frying pan.
The eggs poured slowly and methodically onto the frying pan after I cracked them open. It was so satisfying to watch. I set the pan onto the burner and turned the heat onto low. Now, I just had to keep a watchful eye. Sonic wasn't really one for waiting, so I counted myself thankful that he was asleep.
I've made so many friends since Sonic came into my life. I felt like I had a home and a purpose, not just a dwelling and an indefinite lifespan. I had confidence, a sense of self-worth and people I could help. It was like all destinies curved toward him. It that's how this life worked, then I didn't mind.
Suddenly, I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and a gloved hand was holding a pencil out in front of me. "Looks like you dropped this."
I turned to see Sonic's green eyes beaming kindly at me. Taking the pencil, I asked, "Where did you find this?"
"It was under your chair. Must have rolled off your workbench last night," he explained. "Whatcha got going on here? Smells good, buddy."
"Omelets. Nothing special. So, what brings you around?" I replied, accepting the pencil from his grip.
"I wanted to check up on you and say thanks," Sonic kindly answered, "for all the work you do. After all, if my speed was all we needed, Eggman would have given up a long time ago. Your technical know-how and bravery have helped save the entire universe. Are the eggs to celebrate your latest victory against Eggman?" He winked at me, and I sheepishly met his eager gaze.
"I, uh…" A blush made its way to my face as I confessed, "I haven't actually made a breakthrough."
"But you will," he assured me. "You always do." My tails started to wag as his words of faith and empowerment hit my ears. "We've always had each other's backs. Always will, too."
As long as Sonic believed in me, he gave me hope and purpose. I'd lost so much—everyone we knew had suffered loss—but Sonic gave us all reason to look on and see every tomorrow that would come. I went to flip the eggs over, but I was too quick and scrambled them by mistake. I groaned, "Darn it…"
"What? Aren't you supposed to do that?" Sonic asked me, confused by my frustration.
"No, they're not supposed to break like that in an omelet," I informed him.
"What's wrong with moving fast and breaking things?" he asked incredulously. It was then that I remembered he practically trademarked both those actions.
"N-nothing!" I stammered, trying to walk back whatever my offense was. "J-just that—"
"I'm only messing with you," Sonic teased. "I never really had the patience for cooking, so how I take eggs never really made a difference to me. Maybe you could teach me a thing or two. Who wouldn't be excited to use something they learned from a pal?"
Sighing, I reminded him, "I'm no gourmet chef, either, you know. I doubt I'm even qualified."
"Qualified, schmalified," he responded, taking his arm from around my shoulders. "You're smarter than anyone else I know. Smarter than Eggman, even. After all, you know crime doesn't pay. Well, unless it's in punches."
With a laugh, I concurred, "Yeah, you said it!" Since my little accident with the eggs already changed my plans, I started to scramble them with my spatula. A thought crossed my mind regarding Eggman. After all he's done, Sonic rarely showed genuine resentment toward him. "Hey, Sonic… Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, buddy. Something wrong?"
"Not really, but… He's done so much to terrorize us. You do everything to stop him, but…you have fun doing it. You don't hate him, do you?" I asked. I grabbed a pair of plastic plates from another cabinet and divided the eggs between the two. "Is it wrong to hate him?"
He stared at me intently for a second. Two seconds. Three, now. Then, his neutral expression upturned into a clueless grin as he shrugged. His response shocked me and shook me to my core. "I claimed to be the fastest, not the holiest. If you want to hate him, you can. He's done enough to deserve it, but we've faced worse."
My jaw slacked and my eyes gaped at his response. In a moment, when I had the wherewithal to speak, I stammered, "B-but don't you? After everything he's put us through—specifically put you through—do you hate him even a little bit?"
"Of course," he informed me. "He's a sociopathic nutcase. I just don't want hate to be my reason for everything, or even anything. That's not who I am or who I want to be. It's not wrong to hate him, but what you do with that hate matters. I fight him because it's the right thing to do. That and he's pretty fun to mess with." He gingerly grabbed his plate. "Let's sit outside and get you some fresh air." Before I could respond, he zoomed outside with his plate, a gust of displaced air left in his wake. That was when it occurred to me that he forgot to get himself a fork. I opened the drawer where I kept the silverware, seeing that I had once again forgotten to organize it. Taking two forks and my plate, I eagerly followed him outside. The sun was bright and warm. The breeze was gentle as it rustled my fur. With a single, deep breath, I took in the scents of the grass and the nearby trees carried on the wind.
"Hey, Tails. Can ya spare a fork?" Sonic asked sheepishly. He was a few feet off to my left, his legs crossed, his plate on his lap and his right hand waving to me. I zealously approached and plopped down next to him, placing the fork in his outstretched hand. "Thanks, Tails. Where would I be without you?"
"I could ask you the same," I informed him, giving him a fist-bump before indulging in the scrambled mess that was my breakfast. Sonic was my best friend, my brother and my savior. He wasn't perfect, not even close, but I would have been nowhere without him. His flaws made me feel alright about my own. He was everything a best friend should have been and more.
Thank you, Sonic.