Brother of Mine

Thank you to all those who read/follow/favorite/review this story! It means a lot to me!

Disclaimer: Never owned Sonic the Hedgehog, probably never will.

Chapter 4: Invasion

The flash of red was all he could think about. Robotnik…he knows that I'm here! His heart felt like it was racing a million miles a minute. He had only been here for a few days, two or three at most. He couldn't believe it. All this time he had thought that he was safe, free from his responsibilities. But now he felt like he was being forcefully dragged back into the world of Robotnik. There was no telling how much time was left before Robotnik showed up but one thing was for certain, the city was in grave danger. There was absolutely no way that everybody on the island could make it off alive, there were too many people. Fleeing by boat would be catastrophic if Robotnik were to invade right now with airships that were larger than the entire island. Flying would be the best choice but the only plane on the entire island (Due to the lack of an airport) was his measly little biplane which only had enough seats for one person.

Frustration tormented the young hedgehog, stressing him enough to hurl the robotic tracker far off into the ocean where it promptly short circuited. There's no way this can be happening… He trailed off. But deep inside, he knew it was true. It felt like a nightmare but this was reality.

Sonic's breath caught in his throat as he remembered the fox he had saved. The poor guy went through his whole life suffering and now he was forced to pay for a mistake made by some stranger he only met a few days ago. He couldn't let that happen but there was also the city that would need assistance. He couldn't save both at the same time, could he? Not only was Tails too young to fight but he was also too hurt to protect himself if the need arose.

Then there were the lives of everybody in the city. None of them knew of the imminent danger that was fast approaching. If he didn't at least warn them then Robotnik's surprise attack wouldn't be just an attack, it would be pure genocide. The police force would be decimated by the fat man's greater power.

With one final glance at the peacefully sleeping fox, Sonic raced back to the city and quickly found the location of the mayor's office with ease. Bolting in through the large double doors, Sonic was stopped by a female cat wearing what looked to be an extremely expensive suit. Realizing that this was the secretary, Sonic opened his mouth to request an immediate audience with the mayor but was beaten to it.

"Hello Mr.…Sonic the Hedgehog. May I ask why you ran in so suddenly and so late at night?" She spoke as if she were already uninterested in their conversation.

"Hey, uh, wait… how do you know my name?" It had only been about six months since he really began fighting Robotnik so he really didn't expect a remote place such as West Side Island to recognize him just from appearance.

The secretary huffed impatiently. "Oh please Mr. Sonic, it's part of my job to keep tabs on individuals that interest the mayor. Now if you would kindly stop wasting my time and tell me why is it that you are here?"

A little weirded out that the mayor is interested in him and at the prospect of being called Mr. Sonic, Sonic brushed the thoughts aside and remembered why he so suddenly barged into the office. "I need to see the mayor immediately about an urgent matter."

The cat only looked at him with a brow raised in a non-caring manner before leaning over to a microphone and pressing a button. "Mr. Mayor, Sonic the Hedgehog requests a meeting with you, shall I let him in?" A buzz was heard before the mayor began speaking to the secretary through her earpiece. When their exchange was over she turned back towards Sonic and pointed towards a door to her right. "You can go in, he's waiting."

A little surprised that it was so easy to get an audience with the mayor, Sonic thanked the secretary before making his way into the next room. In front of a large glass window sat a large beaver who also wore an expensive blue suit and tie. The mayor motioned for Sonic to sit in one of the two chairs opposite his mahogany desk to which Sonic quickly complied.

"Now, what seems to be the problem Mr. Sonic? Couldn't this wait until morning?" The mayor asked with a kind face.

"Uh…Just Sonic will be fine Mr. Mayor." Sonic interjected before getting back to the topic at hand. "Robotnik plans to attack the city soon; I need you to help me evacuate the island."

The mayor eyes only widened slightly as if he wasn't too surprised at the news. "That Robotnik…I knew one day he would come back and finish the job…I just never thought it would be so soon…" He mumbled to himself. "Even if I wanted to help you Sonic, and believe me I do, there just aren't enough boats to evacuate everyone quick enough. If Robotnik were to return within the next two days then at most we could only save half of the population, if we're lucky that is."

Sonic felt his frustrations grow at the response. "But there must be something you can do! We can't just let all these people die! There must be something, anything?!" Sonic questioned in rage as he abruptly stood up and slammed his hands on the mayor's desk. Mayor Beaver only sat back and spun his chair around to face the window, looking longingly at the city, the calm before the storm.

"There is one thing I could do…" He said in transfixed thought. Sonic perked up at this bit of hope and looked questionably at the mayor. "…It involves a secret only known by me and Robotnik. If I play this out right then there's a chance that I can persuade him into sparing the city…"

Sonic recognized the secret as being the same one the old chili dog vendor had told him about just the day before. A slight bit of hope could be seen in his eyes now. "Mr. Mayor if I may…" He began, curiosity overtaking him. "…What was it you told him that made him so mad on that day?"

The mayor remained silent as if recounting a horrible memory. "Sorry kid but if Robotnik finds out that I told someone, the only hope left for this city would be gone."

Sonic became persistent at learning what really happened between them. "But what if something were to happen to you? What if-"

"No." The mayor smashed his fist into his desk creating a very loud boom and ending the discussion from continuing onward. "You are his main enemy. It is you that he's after. If I told you it now then he would no doubt annihilate this city once he knows that you know it."

Sonic recomposed himself from the sudden shock and quickly stood up. "Fine then," Now he really wanted to know what it was that angered the fat doctor on that day however that would have to wait. "Do what you have to do mayor but we can't let them die, we have to save them." He stated firmly.

The beaver nodded affirmatively and turned back around to look out the dark window. Taking a long breath, the mayor sighed. "I will sound the evacuation alarm soon and use all available boats in the port to take the citizens to the mainland. The chances of Robotnik sparing this island are around fifty fifty as I don't believe Robotnik would want his secret to be spread. When he arrives, then I will tell you what he said." The mayor finished while gently wiping a bit of sweat from his head nervously.

Though only slightly satisfied with the answer, Sonic left the mayor to his thoughts and sped back to his biplane.

It was around midnight by the time Sonic made it back from his meeting with the mayor. Although it hadn't gone exactly as planned, the outcome was still favourable to a surprise attack on the sleeping city. Not a few minutes afterwards, sirens could be heard in the distance in the direction of the large city. Lights began to envelope the previously dark buildings as the inhabitants were woken up from their sleep. Near the shipyards, the engines of three large cargo ships hummed in union with the sirens.

Sonic released a breath of relief, glad that he warned the city before the mad doctor attacked. After all it was only a matter of time before he showed up. And when he did, Sonic was ready. Even with only six months of experience fighting Robotnik, Sonic had never lost a fight yet. Granted, he never had to save people while fighting either but it probably wouldn't be that hard, right?

A faint mumble made itself known causing Sonic to readjust his gaze from the panicking city to the half-awake fox at his feet. Tails rubbed his eyes to try and get the blurriness to go away but was unsuccessful. Blinking as he slowly started regaining consciousness, his ears perked up at the sound of unfamiliar sirens going off in the distance. Confused, Tails noticed that there was someone standing beside him causing him to flinch in terror before realizing it was Sonic.

"S-Sonic?" Tails said after calming down from the shock.

"Yea buddy?"

"What's going on?" Tails looked more confused than ever. The city was never awake at this hour and what was up with the sirens? Were they celebrating because they thought he was gone?

Sonic contemplated telling the young genius what was truly going on but decided against it. Placing his hand on Tails' head, Sonic ruffled his hair and gave him a kind smirk. "Nothins happening. Go back to sleep Tails, you need to rest."

Even though Tails trusted that Sonic wouldn't hurt him (at least, not for now), he still found the gesture to be quite odd and foreign but soothing at the same time. Letting out a loud yawn, the kitsune followed Sonic's command and curled back up into a ball, partially because it was Sonic and partly because he still felt extremely exhausted. No sooner had he done so than soft snores began resounding in the siren-disturbed air.

Leaning back against the Tornado and letting out a sigh, Sonic pat the sleeping kitsune on the head while also letting out a yawn of his own. He watched as a large cargo ship was boarded with restless civilians in place of the standard cargo boxes.

Robotnik was going to attack soon, very soon. And something told him that this time the mad doctor was going to send an army. He could only hope that the mayor's plan would work and Robotnik would spare the city. If not, Sonic was going to need all the rest he could get if he wanted to fight off the invasion whilst making sure nobody became caught in the line of fire.

His eyes once again drifted to the kitsune sleeping peacefully under his arm. I can't fail now, I won't! He thought while resting his hand on Tails' head, determination clearly evident in his eyes.

The unmistakable rays of sunshine burst over the horizon and lit up the already bustling city of West Side Island. Nobody in the city paid any heed to the rising sun; in fact it may have even quickened their pace. A quarter of the population had already evacuated on three large cargo ships leaving everyone else to anxiously wait for the ship's return. Of course it had been higher class Mobians who evacuated first leaving the poor and sick to scramble for whatever wealth they had. The news had come as quite a shock to the entire city. Fights began breaking out over who would board the ships first. The mayor called for the police to help quell the madness but the situation was already beyond recovery. Stores were robbed by poorer families to try and scavenge enough money to land a spot on the boats. What was a peaceful city just 24 hours prior was now a warzone of blood and glass.

Sonic became anxious at the sight. He knew that panic would spread over the city like wildfire but it was the only way to get everyone out in time. The scene was only becoming worse and worse by the minute however, if something that happened during the night could attest to that.

During his sleep, Sonic had been woken up periodically to the sounds of shouting. When he sat up to see what all the commotion was about, he was surprised to see large groups of people moving within the forest, flashlights in hand. At first he was utterly confused as to what they were doing. Shouldn't they be packing their things and preparing to leave? That was when he noticed their clothes. It wasn't fancy or high class by any standard. They were dressed in worn clothes with patches and holes. Then he realized. These were the lower classes. They had no chance at making it on a ship, but what were they doing here? Then he heard their shouts of a name that Sonic was unfamiliar with. Miles Prower! They shouted. At first he thought that they were looking for a kid who got lost in all the confusion but as time went on, their yells could be heard saying other things. Get out here you freak! Where are you two-tails?! I knew we should have killed him when we had the chance! Which made Sonic realize something; they were trying to find Tails. Of course! They must think that Tails' bad luck is the reason Robotnik is coming! He had thought and shifted his body so that he was closer to the two tailed fox, placing an arm over his shoulder protectively.

That was how he stayed until dawn broke over the horizon, never once leaving the kitsune's side. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. Not just for himself but for Tails and the entire city too. What if he couldn't protect them all? What if he was too distracted and something happened to Tails? Or someone else for that matter? He already had to hide the fox in the cockpit of the Tornado when civilians stumbled onto the beach and saw him. They left when they couldn't find the twin tailed fox but what if Sonic hadn't have been there? They would have ransacked his plane for their own use and found the sleeping fox inside. He couldn't let that happen to Tails.

Sonic was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt his arm move by itself. The sleeping kitsune under the limb slowly shifted his body as he woke up. Feeling an unknown object slung over his shoulder, Tails looked to his side to see the blue hedgehog with his arm wrapped around him comfortably.

"Sonic?" He said quietly. "W-why do you have your arm around me?" Tails asked, a little scared that the hedgehog was invading his personal space a little too much for his liking.

Sonic noticed that Tails' blue eyes were looking at him worriedly and quickly retracted his arm from over the young kitsune's shoulder. "Oh…It's nothing Tails." He said, not wanting to scare the little kid.

Tails raised his eyebrow at the response which only caused Sonic to chuckle at the cute action. Still a little confused at the situation, Tails' attention was suddenly drawn to the sight of three large cargo ships sailing closer to the city. His eyes widened at the display of machinery. Though he still favored planes over boats the large ships were still quite exhilarating. Speaking of planes, Tails turned his head towards the Tornado and glanced over the edge of the engine to see if he had missed anything during his repairs. The fox had been dead tired by the time he finished fixing the plane and fell asleep right then and there without another thought. Seeing that nothing was sticking out, Tails let out a small smile, content at his work and rested his head against the aircraft.

"Hey look! I found him!"

Spinning their heads around to look at who was here, Sonic and Tails spotted a grey fox pointing at them, one that Tails knew very well. Fear suddenly took over the fox as he stood up while using his arm to lean on the Tornado. Sonic was instantly in front of him glaring at Victor. The older fox began strolling down the beach with a vicious smirk on his face. Not soon after, a group of people of all sizes broke out of the foliage of forest and made their way toward them as well. Tails' voice was caught in his throat as he desperately tried to plead for Sonic to leave. Sonic however stood up straight and held his ground all the while scowling at the approaching group.

Victor frowned at Sonic's action. "Leave hedgehog, this matter doesn't concern you." He commanded with bitterness in his voice. Sonic just stood his ground, pissing off the grey fox. "Hey! Are ya deaf or something?! I said leave!"

"No." Sonic replied firmly, shocking Tails at how far the blue speedster was willing to go for him. Sonic glanced back at the pleading kitsune with a reassuring smirk. "Don't worry Tails, I got this."

"It's all because of that two tailed freak that we have to evacuate! You should never have been nice to him hedgehog! Look at what you've caused now!" Victor screeched in pure fury. Tears began to form in the corners of Tails' eyes as a choked sob escaped him. Evacuate? Since when did they have to evacuate? Despite not knowing why, he knew it was still his fault. Whenever somebody was nice to him something bad would happen immediately afterwards. He could only look on now as Sonic stood firmly, not budging in the slightest.

Victor looked at him angrily. "Fine then, I guess we'll just have to go through you then!" He bellowed before charging at the hedgehog while pulling a knife out from behind and stabbing it forwards. Sonic was too fast however and ducked under the blade. In a blur he kicked the fox's feet out from under him before throwing an uppercut under his chin that resonated with a sickening crack and launched the fox backwards onto the ground.

The entire group was shocked at how fast the hedgehog moved and how quickly he dispatched the number one bully in town. Getting over their shock, the whole crowd charged at Sonic who took off in a blue blur. The younger members of the group were knocked out in one hit, easily taken care of by a less powerful spin attack. The adults however had weapons and took much longer to knock out. Dodging a hammer swing, Sonic ran up the arm of the man and jumped off his head causing him to crash into the ground. A group of people ran towards where he would land and stuck their weapons into the air. Using gravity to power his spin Sonic careened to the ground, blasting away the weapons along with their users. Some of the adults recognized the blue hedgehog, knowing exactly who it was they were fighting and ran off in fear. The remaining ones stayed and surrounded the hedgehog on all sides.

Tails was marvelling at the feats of the blue hedgehog. Another group of bullies and adults alike were sent tumbling to the ground from the force of his spin. Sonic dodged and weaved through the weapons and landed solid blows on the larger men that sent them flying, gasping for air. What was once a large, intimidating squadron was now just a measly group of men surrounding the hedgehog. Tails recognized some of their faces as being part of Victor's gang but even then he knew they didn't stand a chance.

A sudden fist shot into his peripheral vision and knocked him to the ground. Tails eyes lit up in fear as he looked up just in time to see a beaten Victor grab hold of his white furred chest and thrust him onto the side of the Tornado, knocking the wind out of him. Victor's eyes were wide and bloodshot which only furthered Tails' fear as the grey fox snarled at him.

"You…you're invention…!" He heaved out painfully. "They knew…the money was fake…! I was tossed off…the boat…and now…you will pay!" With his left hand holding up the petrified fox Victor wound his right hand back into a fist before bringing it forward right into Tails' face. The younger fox yelped as his head impacted the cold metal behind his head as Victor's fist landed on his face causing a bit of blood to spill out of his mouth. "It's your fault…that we all have to…leave…" Tails' eyes were blurred as he looked to see the older fox preparing for another punch. "V-V-Victor I'm sor-" The blow landed on his cheek causing his head to twist to the right before smashing back into the cold metal plane.

Not being able to take it anymore, Tails looked behind Victor to see Sonic preoccupied with his own battle. "Sonic!" He yelled with all his remaining strength hoping that the blue hedgehog had heard him. Another punch was thrown sending his head in the opposite direction this time with just as much force as the last. Suddenly he felt Victor's hold on him release sending him spiraling to the ground with a cry. Looking up with blurry eyes Tails saw a blue figure with his arm outstretched towards him. Taking the hand, Tails warily stood back up with the help of the figure. "T-thank you Sonic."

Now that his eyes were clearer, Tails could see the relieved expression on the hedgehog's face. "You're not hurt are you?" Sonic asked quickly. Though he still felt a sharp stinging sensation on his face, Tails decided not to make it a big deal as he wiped the bit of blood from his mouth and shook his head.

"No, I'm fine." Tails replied before a loud explosion caught their attention. Twisting their heads to the sound, the duo were met with a sight that shocked them to the core. One of the three cargo ships was on fire and was quickly sinking into the dark ocean. A foreign sound penetrated the air before a rocket soared into another ship and exploded on impact. Turning to look at where the rocket originated from, the two were left frozen on the spot. In the air was a large dark red fortress. Symbols of Robotnik's logo were plastered all around it. The fortress itself was heavily armored and looked to be the same size as the city, possibly even bigger.

Tails placed a hand over his quivering mouth in terror. Despite that, he thought the flying fortress was beautiful. The design was so stunning that it was all he could think about. And the fact that it could fly just made it a thousand times more exciting. The only question he thought of was why it was here. Is this the invasion he was talking about?

Sonic however had other thoughts. Robotnik's here already?!... How the hell am I even gonna destroy…that? He gulped nervously. His heart race began to pick up as the menacing battleship loomed over the city. No…Calm down Sonic. Getting worked up won't help anyone. Besides, the mayor's plan could still work! Looking over at Tails, Sonic gently shook the fox's shoulders, snapping him out of his trance. "Tails, do you know how to fly a plane?" He asked the ridiculously serious question to the four year old, hoping that the genius fox would say yes.

Tails had never heard Sonic this serious before and was a little surprised at the tone of voice. Nevertheless, he looked up at the hedgehog's emerald green eyes curiously. "Well…I've read books on it but…I've never actually flown one before."

Sonic seemed satisfied with the answer, if the breath he was holding had anything to say about it. "Good…I need you to promise me somethin."

"What is it Sonic? What's wrong?" Tails asked, a little frightened at the hedgehog's foreign attitude.

"I need you to promise to take my plane and leave. Go to the mainland. Don't wait for me." Sonic stated firmly leaving no room for argument.

Tails was stunned by the bizarre request. "S-Sonic…what do you mean?" Slowly his fears began taking him over. Prevailing was the feeling of being alone, as if he were being abandoned once again.

"You heard me Tails…I want you to leave." He didn't want the fox to be alone again, in fact, the thought made him feel sick. But the fox's life right now was in danger and that was worse.

"What?! No! Sonic I-I can't! I w-won't l-leave you!" Tails sobbed as he summoned all his courage to say that one line. Tears were freely forming from his eyes as his worst fears came to fruition. Thoughts of being alone again filled his already overflowing mind. All doubts he had about the hedgehog were tossed aside and in their place was his heartfelt desire to stay by his side.

Sonic turned away from the kitsune. He couldn't bear seeing his face like that. No sooner had he done so however than a large explosion rocked the very ground and sent a skyscraper toppling over. The mayor's plan had failed. The city was in danger.

Not turning around, Sonic began walking away from the full out crying fox. "You don't have to." He said firmly. Tails' eyes lit up in hope.

"Because I'm leaving you."

Sonic ran, passing crashing buildings in the blink of an eye. He never turned to look back at the teary-eyed fox, only hearing his name being shouted before he found himself back in the city. His heart ached at what he told Tails and wanted nothing more than to go back and apologize to the devastated kitsune but he couldn't. He needed Tails to leave and live a better life than he had here. That was the least he owed the poor fox and unfortunately he couldn't be with him.

A burning building fell in front of the speeding hedgehog snapping him back into reality. I can't think about that now, I have to stop Robotnik! He thought and proceeded to sprint towards the sound of explosions. Turning a corner, his eyes spotted an army of Robotnik's badnik robots tearing buildings apart and shooting frantic civilians. In the center of a group of humanoid looking robots was Robotnik himself standing over a beaten mayor.

Sonic's pace increased rapidly as he tucked himself into a ball and spun straight into a badnik and exploded out the other side, destroying the machine. All the robots in the vicinity suddenly turned their focus on the blue hedgehog and either chased after him or shot at him. Sonic was much too fast however and easily maneuvered above the flying badniks, tossing them straight into the line of fire where they promptly exploded, creating dense smoke clouds that blocked him from view.

"Oh ho ho! Mr. Mayor, did you think that the bug I planted on you was broken after all these years? You can't stop me and I don't care who you tell that secret to…" Sonic heard Robotnik say over the gunfire. "…After all, that man is probably dead after all these years anyway…" He muttered in a rare instance of sadness, one that shocked the hedgehog into stopping.

Robotnik seemed to notice Sonic's presence behind him and whirled around to face the blue hedgehog. His frown transformed into a smirk which grew wide across his fat face. "Oh ho ho ho! Sonic! What a surprise seeing you here!" Robotnik taunted at his arch enemy.

"Leave the city out of it Robotnik! This is between you and me!" Sonic shouted though still confused as to how a man like Robotnik could be sad.

"No Sonic…this is not just between you and me. You see, I plan on taking over this city and making it a part of my Robotnik Empire!" Robotnik laughed back.

"Fat chance Robotnik! I'm puttin' a stop to this right now!" Sonic began preparing a spin dash but stopped when he noticed Robotnik had a gun pointed at the mayor's head.

"You can't stop me you miserable rodent!" Robotnik smirked. "Unless of course…you're willing to let the good people of this city die under your watch!"

Sonic grit his teeth and glared at the mad doctor. "No! Don't do it!"

"Oops!"

A loud bang resounded as the mayor's head flopped to the side, dead. Sonic's eyes blazed with fury as Robotnik dusted off his bloodied hands. "When will you realize Sonic that you can't save everyone no matter how hard you try?"

A low growl escaped his throat, unable to make a comeback. The mayor was dead now because of him along with who knows how many other people. He wanted to believe Robotnik was lying but he knew he was telling the truth.

"You're not getting away with that Robotnik!" Sonic yelled as he spun lightning fast at Robotnik's turned back. Suddenly a metallic fist flew out of nowhere and knocked him to the side and into a brick wall. Looking back to his unknown assailant, Sonic was met with the sight of a red humanoid robot with what looked to be a machine gun as a left hand. Shaking his head to clear away debris, Sonic stood back up and faced the large robot.

"Good job E-102 Gamma, I was beginning to wonder where you were." Robotnik said to the robot before turning around and beginning to walk away. "Take care of Sonic for me, I trust that won't be an issue…?"

"AFFIRMITIVE, MASTER." Gamma replied in a monotone robotic voice. Robotnik smirked and nodded his head at the robot's obedience. Sonic charged for another spin attack and aimed directly at Robotnik's bald shiny head before a large metallic arm blocked his path once again and smashed him into the ground creating sizable cracks.

"Oh ho ho ho…Good luck Sonic…you'll need it dearly." Robotnik taunted. Gamma lifted the blue hedgehog up before throwing him back down, deepening the hole. Blood leaked out of the corners of his mouth. This robot was much stronger than the ordinary badniks; that much was evident.

Sonic struggled futilely against the large robot's metallic grasp. He could feel his ribs being crushed by the pure pressure of the metal hand. He couldn't escape the hold, his feet swung weakly into the robot's chest but only succeeded in making a small thud sound. His vision began to blur as he felt himself becoming weaker by the second.

Is this…the end?

Tails stood wide eyed as Sonic sprinted away from him. Tears freely fell now as his mind raced into overdrive.

"SONIC! COME BACK!" He yelled with choke filled cries. But his cry was never answered; the dust trail kept receding into the city. Tails fell onto his knees in anguish. He felt abandoned, alone. He should have seen it coming. Of course the hedgehog would desert him, everyone did! But then why was he so nice to him? Did he find happiness in breaking his heart?

A part of him wanted to believe that Sonic truly cared for him, but the nail that sealed the coffin was what Sonic had said right before he left.

Because I'm leaving you.

Those words echoed in his head, breaking his heart into smaller pieces each and every time. Tails placed a heavy hand over his heart as if it would help to mend the emotional wound. But it didn't. Nothing did.

Another explosion in the distance shook the ground. Tails looked up and stared at the looming warship as metallic robots flew out of its underside. He faintly recalled Victor mentioning an evacuation and realized that the city was on fire.

Sonic had told him to leave and not come back. Was this why? Does Sonic still care about me? A sudden sense of hopefulness made its way into his emotional turmoil. Had Sonic wanted me to live? But then why did he abandon me?

Tails grew hopeful at the improbable thought. His heart hurt more than it ever had before and he knew why. He needed to find out if Sonic still cared.

As Tails slowly stood up another explosion rumbled in the city. His eyes widened as a large skyscraper collapsed in a heap of fire and smoke. He gulped at the immense display of power. This would be the most dangerous thing he had ever attempted in his short life but he needed to know the answer.

Wiping a few stray tears from his damp muzzle, Tails looked back at the Tornado with a new resolve. His breath was shaky and quietly sobbing. Lifting a hand up and heaving himself over the edge of the biplane caused a sharp pain to run through him but he ignored it. There were more pressing matters to attend to. His eyes were still red while he looked over the controls of the plane and familiarised himself with them. Starting up the plane, Tails wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and sat on the edge of the seat to glance over the sides of the biplane. Pushing a button, a glass window came out from behind his head and covered the top of the cockpit. The Tornado taxied down the beach with rocky movements before it took to the skies and turned around, heading towards the city.

He couldn't cry now, not until he knew the truth.

The burning city quickly came closer into view as Tails lowered the plane to get a better view. Far up ahead he could faintly make out the shape of a large robot pinning a blue figure to the ground. That's Sonic! Tails realized. I have to do something! Looking around the controls of the biplane, his eyes were drawn to an unlabeled button to his right. Going with his gut instinct, Tails pushed the button and waited for something to happen.

A few moments later an explosion rocked the plane causing Tails to struggle to regain control. Immediately afterwards another explosion was heard, this time closer. Making sure that nothing was in the path of the Tornado, Tails risked a glance behind him only to see huge smoke clouds and fire bellowing up from below.

And then he realized what the button was for.

Is this…the end?

Sonic could only stare back at Gamma as emerald eyes locked onto green LEDs. Nothing he did had any effect on the humanoid robot that still held him in an iron grip on the ground. Darkness began taking over his vision as his vision slowly darkened.

Not a moment later his eyes shot back wide open. In the distance, he could hear it. The hum of a plane engine. And it was getting closer. An explosion rocked the earth, another one following soon after. Tails?! I told him to… Turning his head with all his remaining strength, Sonic's blood froze.

Not by the fact that his biplane, the Tornado, was flying rapidly in his direction but by the plumes of smoke and fire that towered over the remaining skyscrapers.

When Tails pressed the unknown button, a hatch opened up underneath the Tornado and began spilling out bombs. Each one so powerful that upon contact with the ground not only did it cause a miniature earthquake but it spewed out an inferno so hot and extravagant that it spread out across the entirety of the surrounding roads, encompassing everything in a burning blaze of glory. Badniks turned to the commotion only to melt in milliseconds as the flames from Hell itself were sent from the Underworld to wreak havoc on the city. The remaining skyscrapers collapsed only adding to the destruction as Main Street was lit up in a fireworks festival.

HOLY… The view of the Tornado flying away from the raging inferno and towards him as it dropped hell-fire onto the city shocked Sonic back into action. He quickly pulled Gamma closer to him, surprising the robot at the sudden change in direction causing him to topple over onto the blue hedgehog. But Sonic couldn't be more relieved as moments later a bomb dropped directly onto Gamma releasing a blistering heat that scorched everything in the vicinity. Even under the large robot Sonic could feel the heat burning at his insides.

The Tornado continued dropping the inferno bombs onto the remainder of Main Street as the entire city blew up in flames. Tails hesitated to take another look at the city but was shocked to see brilliant flames dancing around crumbling buildings. His heart suddenly stopped as a heavy realization dawned on him.

Sonic was dead, and he had killed him.

"What is taking Gamma so long?" Robotnik questioned to nobody in particular, clearly annoyed. He had made it back to his Egg Battleship about ten minutes ago and his Egg Workers had left to follow orders a few minutes earlier but there was still no sign of Gamma.

Looking back out the large window that displayed a view of the entire city, Robotnik was shocked to see a red biplane in the distance flying into the city. "No! How did he get his plane fixed?!" Just as the fat one was about to call for his nephew an explosion went off near the center of the city, the Egg Battleship shaking slightly even though it was in the sky. Robotnik looked on in astonishment as a brilliant fire sprouted out of the massive cloud of smoke and embodied everything in its surrounding area. Another explosion went off causing more smoke to rise and impelling the fire to grow rapidly. "HOLY….How…?...That hedgehog can't possibly make bombs as powerful as that!" Robotnik screeched in anger as more bombs dropped out of the sky and vaporized his badniks.

"Snively! Get in here NOW!" No sooner than he yelled it, Snively appeared at the doorway.

"Yes your Roundness?" He asked though Robotnik ignored him.

"Send in the other E-series!" He yelled before turning around and storming away. "Do NOT let that hedgehog ruin my plans any further!"

Sonic held a hand up to cover his mouth from the inescapable smoke. Even though Gamma was out of commission, he had whole new slew of problems. Getting out from under Gamma was his current priority but the robot felt like it weighed several tons. Had the red robot not created a hedgehog sized hole when he slammed him into the ground, Sonic had no doubts that he would be a fried pancake right now.

Alright Sonic…think…He tried to formulate a plan. I can't move the body so I'm just gonna have to move myself! Using his hands to dig a little further into the hole, Sonic found enough space to use a spin dash and drill back up to the surface. Climbing out of the hole, his eyes went wide as he was forced to cover his mouth and take in just how powerful the inferno bombs were. The entire sky was covered in thick black smoke. Fallen skyscrapers surrounded him on all sides, all of them on fire. This isn't good… He frowned.

A building collapsed behind him reminding him just how much time he had left. Alright, I guess I don't have a choice. And with that thought he started charging up a spin dash in a rapid circle. The miniature tornado helped to quell some of the surround fires but its overall effect was barely noticeable. Finishing the charge, Sonic blasted off directly over a fallen building and instantly caught on fire. The flame's heat burned against his skin badly but he had to ignore it. Spinning straight through a burnt wooden roof, Sonic found himself on a burning highway. The burning ball evaded collapsing holes and road signs easily but the heat of the fire was starting to get to him. He couldn't bear it anymore and felt himself slowly losing focus.

A large chunk of concrete fell from a collapsing tower and smashed directly into his path. Sonic tried to stop but it was too late as he barrelled through the block smashing it to bits but stopping his spin as well. He fell to the ground with a thud, no strength left to move as blood seeped out of his wounds.

He couldn't believe it. All those years spent training to stop Robotnik and it was going to end like this. He never got to do what he dreamed of doing in the future yet. He couldn't even kill the man he hated oh so dearly. And to top it off, he couldn't save the city from Robotnik. In fact, he was the reason it fell in the first place. Regret washed over him like a lulling wave, either that or it was just death coming to finish its job.

Tails sobbed quietly to himself, his thoughts spinning wildly out of control.

I-I killed him! I killed S-Sonic! And with each thought, more tears escaped him. Regret consumed him. I n-never should have press that b-button! He thought with his head buried in his knees.

After the unplanned disaster, Tails quickly flew out of the flaming city and landed on a beach. Shock had taken over his mind until he hopped out of the plane which was when full guilt and agony took its place. He hated himself for this. He had killed the one person who cared about him more than anyone ever had before. Emotions swirled around in his head like a wild thunder storm. His fists were clenched so tightly that blood began to drip from reopened wounds. Tails paid no attention to this, his only focus on the burning city.

And suddenly, a new emotion started to form. It felt…different than the others. It wasn't sadness, guilt, or regret. It was something else entirely. An emotion Tails had only experienced to this extent very few times in his life. His tear stained muzzle lulled back with his head as his eyes closed silently, his mind overtaken by the new feeling.

Anger.

Anger at the attacker for destroying the city. Anger at Sonic for abandoning him. Anger at himself for killing his new friend.

And above all, anger that he could do nothing to save him.

And with that, his vision was consumed by darkness.