"FREEDOM FIGHTER, PRIORITY ONE! FREEDOM FIGHTER, PRIORITY ONE! CAPTURE BY ORDER OF ROBOTNIK!"
Tails jammed his finger down on the emergency speed button of the Tornado to escape the dispassionate yet horrifying tinny voices that kept repeating those commands. Every time he looked back, he saw them. Thousands upon thousands of SWAT Bots clanking after him, breaking through the foliage like it was nothing. Their piercing red sensors focused on him and him alone.
"FREEDOM FIGHTER, PRIORITY ONE! FREEDOM FIGHTER, PRIORITY ONE! CAPTURE BY ORDER OF ROBOTNIK!"
"Come on, COME OOOOOONNNN!" Tails whined as he practically pummeled the emergency speed button until it broke. Try as he might, the copter pack would not go any faster. As a matter of fact, it was slowing down!
A strange burning smell assaulted his nostrils. The SWAT Bots! They hadn't started a forest fire, had they?! His head whipped around so quickly, he was amazed he didn't break his neck, and his eyes were assaulted by thick black smoke. The Tornado was overheating!
To prevent his fur and body getting burnt, he was forced to slip out of the straps and fell roughly to the cold hard ground, his namesakes flailing and jarring painfully. He pulled his face out of the ground just in time to see the terrible humanoid machines closing in on him from all sides.
His pulse racing and cold sweat streaming down his body, the fox got up and tried to twist his tails together. Like Sonic had told him, wait until the last minute and then launch into the air! The pain was blinding and he involuntarily cried out. He couldn't fly! The SWAT Bots reached him and escape was impossible. They were upon him! Cold, metallic hands beat and grabbed him before lifting him into the air. Through his tear-filled eyes, the cub saw the princess watching the scene in the distance.
"AUNT SALLY!" he screamed hysterically. "HELP ME, PLEASE!"
The chipmunk gave him an uncharacteristic sneer. "Why should I?" her words cut into him like knives. "Why should I save a silly little burden like you? You'll only put us all in danger again!"
The SWAT Bots began to march back to Robotropolis, carrying the helpless fox above them.
"Enjoy being a Worker Bot, honey," Sally cooed mockingly. "At least Robotnik will make you obey orders!"
"NO! NO! SAAAALLLLLYYYY!"
"I am NOT your Aunt Sally!" He could hear Sally's voice booming into his head.
Tails awoke with a scream that echoed throughout the pitch black forest. After gulping down deep jagged breaths of air, he used his nocturnal vision to scan his surroundings. There were no SWAT Bots to be seen. The Tornado was still on his back, completely unharmed. But why was he sitting up in a tree, all alone, at night?
Then he remembered. He'd ran away after telling Aunt Sally that she wasn't his aunt…after she'd yelled at him. So, why did he feel so…guilty?
"She was going to take my happiness away from me…" he thought to himself. "I had a right to say what I said to her!" This internal reassurance failed to do its job.
A frog croaked in the distance and he gave a yelp of fear and tried to cover it up with a dignified cough. It may look like he was by himself, but there might be a judgmental bird in its nest who would laugh at the silly little boy.
He'd been camping in these woods with Sonic. He knew it like the back of his paw. So why did he feel so scared?
"I had a nightmare," he told himself. "But now I'm goin' it alone, who do I talk to it about?"
Try as he might, he couldn't stop his thoughts from drifting back to Knothole. "I'd tell Aunt Sally about it. And she would say 'Oh, honey!' and 'I would never say those things. I…love…you…'"
His train of thought ran out of steam as he began to think about his Aunt. His aunt whom he'd said those terrible things to. He willed himself to continue.
"Then she'd give me the Funny Kiss…" he looked around in case a cricket, bird or other creature was looking. Then he kissed his paw and tapped his right cheek, his left cheek and finally his nose.
"And…and for no reason at all, I may or may not get something in my eye and she'd…she'd sing to me…"
Rocking side to side on the branch, he began to sing softly, pretending the chipmunk was there.
Sally's voice was becoming hoarse. She'd lost track of how many times she'd yelled Tails's name. She tried to stop herself from using her radio to contact either Sonic, Bunnie, Rotor or Antoine every minute to ask if they'd found the little fox.
Visions of Tails lying slumped against a pile of rocks or being personally thrown into the Roboticiser by Robotnik himself chased themselves through her brain. But her tail wasn't twitching, so Tails was safe. For now.
But where could he be? Why did he run away like that? In retrospect, she had been harsh with him, but she had to be. He'd frightened her, acting so recklessly with his injury.
"If something's happened to him," she thought miserably, "I'll never forgive myself…"
"TAILS!" The silent forest held no answers for her. "TAI-AAAIIIILLLLSS!"
The chipmunk's ears pricked up and then twitched at the sound of someone singing whilst in tears.
At first, she thought it was the wind, or her brain going into overdrive making her think there were things that weren't there. But it couldn't possibly be an auditory hallucination. It got more and more audible the further ahead she walked.
"Hush now, my little angel,
Aunt Sally is here to stay,
There's no need to shed a tear
With all your fears gone away."
Her heart skipped a beat. She recognised that song. And she recognised that voice!
"Listen, my little angel,
I will always be with you,
My words are as true as steel,
So promise me you won't stew."
The little voice began to falter somewhat with some sniffles. "Tails…" she gasped. "Tails!"
"Hug me, my little angel,
You'll always be in my arms,
The warmth of my heart's stronger
Than missiles and firearms"
"C'mon, honey, let me know where you are!" Sally knew that her fox couldn't hear her, but she had to use his singing and her ears to determine his position.
"Don't cry, my little angel,
You have those who love you so,
Sonic, Bunnie, and the rest,
Who will never let you go."
Tails began to sob and was almost unable to finish the song, but he managed it. Sally almost began to choke up herself. She wanted nothing more than to hug the heartbroken kit.
"Hush now, my little angel,
Aunt Sally is right here now.
To be with you forever
And I will make that my vow"
The chipmunk looked up at the nearest pine tree…and there he was. Still wearing the Tornado, sat on the highest branch. She gave an excited gasp and her eyes filled with tears.
"Don't cry, sweetie, Aunt Sally's here!" she thought and prepared to climb up to him. Then, Sonic's voice echoed in her head. "After that performance, goin' after Big Guy straight away'll make things worse…"
The thought of Tails getting upset by her presence unnerved the princess greatly. What was more unnerving, though, was Sonic zipping to her side just as she'd thought of him.
"Sal, there ya are!" he rattled the moment he saw her. "He ain't near the Great River, Bunnie looked near the Great Oak, Rotor looked in his workshop and Ant got hungry and went back for a snack!"
"Sonic, shush!" Sally hushed him, and pointed up at the little fox in the tree. The hedgehog's eyes widened. He was about to shout but Sally stopped him. "Don't scare him," she whispered. "You go up there and talk to him"
"Me? Sal, I'm his big bro, not his aunt, what am I gonna say? Why can't you go get him?"
"Because I'm the one who upset him," Sally hated the words that came out of her mouth. "He might fly away. Besides, you said so yourself, you're his big brother. He'll listen to you"
"Yeah, but, again," the hedgehog persisted, "what do I say? Didja write a script?"
"You'll think of something"
Without another word, Sally nudged Sonic towards the tree and pointed upwards. The hedgehog winced, before climbing it.
Up in the highest branch, Tails hugged himself and wiped his tears away. He was only hugging himself because it was cold. There was no other reason.
"Hey, Tails!"
"H-Hey, Sonic…" Tails turned whilst covering his eyes. It took a few seconds to realize he wasn't alone anymore. He almost fell out of the tree in shock, but Sonic put a supportive hand behind him.
"Whadda ya doin' way out here, T2? You know that's not how ya camp"
"Hey…" the fox repeated, trying to not show his brother that he'd been upset.
"Didja at least pack a suitcase if yer leavin' forever?"
"Didn't have time…"
"Already know what ya'd pack anyway. The cookie jar, some chilidogs and yer hockey stick. Speakin' of…" he handed Tails a piping hot meat product.
"That why you came after me?" the kit asked, taking the snack.
"You know why, Big Guy"
"I'm not goin' back. I'm not sayin' sorry to her" the kit looked around as he munched the chilidog. "Where's Sally? She hiding somewhere?"
"No. Matter of fact, she's out there, looking for you"
"Probably wants the Tornado so she can destroy it, huh?"
"She had a point about you being safe, Tails, but she was way outta line with ya"
"Why'd she yell at me, Sonic? I thought she loved me"
Sonic was quiet for a moment. How could he explain this without sounding too sentimental?
"Big Guy, just because she got miffed doesn't mean she hates ya now. She did it because she cares about ya"
"Got a funny way of showing it, huh?"
"Yeah, you can say that again"
"All I wanna do is fly. She'll take it away the moment I come back. If I ever come back"
"Well, where're ya gonna go, pal?"
"I…could always go live with you and you wouldn't tell anyone. You're no snitch"
"I sleeprun, Big Guy"
"Well, I could wait for another windstorm and go wherever the currents take me"
"Straight ta Robuttnik"
"Well, what can I do, Sonic? I can't go back to her! She'll just yell at me and throw me in the dungeon!"
"She's not the kind of princess that would do that to a kid like you."
"She screamed at me. Told me that you guys coulda died all 'cause of me and made me out to be some silly kid!"
"Well, try to look at it from her point of view, T2. You went out flyin' on yer lonesome and got blown into a tree. Ya hit yer head and broke your tails. Then you go and fool around with Rotor's invention and nearly had the same thing happen again"
"Rotor built it for me, though"
"Rotor's heart was in the right place, pal. We all wanted to help you. But Sally's been worried sick about you. She doesn't wanna see you hurt"
"Well, that means I'm not going on any missions"
"No, it don't, Big Guy. Now, look. I'm gonna tell you something about yer Aunt Sally and why she acts the way she does around ya" the hedgehog paused impressively. "You may call her Aunt Sally, but to her, yer more than her nephew. You're her son"
"I…I am?"
"Yep"
"B-But she's not my mom. I don't even know who my real mom is…"
"That doesn't matter. Sal ain't yer real mom, kiddo, but she's good as. She was the one who found you after Buttnik ruined everything. She raised ya. She reads to you at night. She knows when yer scared or in danger. She gives you the Funny Kiss thing. If that's not the ideal mom, I dunno what is, Big Guy!"
Tails didn't answer, so he continued.
"Sal's real sorry for the way she talked to ya, T2. She's scared for ya, and she'll find ya sooner or later. She has…the sense…"
"Sense? Y'mean she can smell me?"
"No. Whenever yer in trouble, her butt vibrates. For the longest time, I thought it was a cover-up for bad gas"
Down below, Sally blushed scarlet. "It's my TAIL, Sonic Hedgehog!" she hissed. Then, she heard the most precious sound on Mobius…Tails was laughing.
"Even when yer apart," the hedgehog went on, "yer always with her, Tails. Ain't she always with YOU?"
The little cub thought about this. Almost instantaneously, his brain provided a memory. The night before the Freedom Fighters went on their first mission…
"…And so the brave plumbers vanquished the evil Koopa King and rescued the princess!" Sally finished dramatically, closing the storybook with a grin.
"Yaaaay!" Tails cheered. "I wish I was like the plumbers!"
"Which one?"
"The tall one who wears green. He can jump high, like I can fly! The short one in red reminds me of Sonic!"
"Well, he certainly likes his food, doesn't he?" the princess chuckled. "And he's a great big brother, too!"
"It must be so cool to go fighting bad guys like they do!" Tails went on. "What happened to that bad old Koopa will happen to Buttnik!"
He was so busy getting excited, he didn't notice Sally's expression somber up at the sound of fighting bad guys. She didn't even tell him to stop when he suddenly jumped out of bed and flew around his hut!
"Tails…what if…" the chipmunk seemed to struggle over how she was going to word what she was about to say, "What if I wasn't here all the time? What if I were…somewhere else?"
"Oh, that wouldn't be fun," Tails carelessly responded, hovering above his bed. "I'd feel kinda lost without ya. Who would I call…on those days where I'm just not strong enough? Oh!" His namesakes gave out from exhaustion and he landed on the bed, the springs squeaking. "Or…brave enough?"
"Well…actually…" Sally ventured.
"And who would I ask for advice," the cub went on, climbing back into bed, "when I didn't know which way to turn?"
Sally tried to find a way to come clean about what she and the Freedom Fighters were going to do. Pussyfooting around the subject or lying wouldn't help. But then Tails gave a long and admittedly adorable yawn.
"Oh, Miles…"
The cub was too tired and sleepy to listen, and telling him the truth would trouble him.
"Sweetie," she whispered, putting a paw on his, "even if we're apart…any of us: me, Sonic, Bunnie, Rotor or Antoine. We want you to remember one special thing…"
"What might that be, Aunt Sally?"
"Even if we're apart…" she ran a finger down his chest and to his heart, making him giggle. "We, but especially I, will always be with you."
Tails's eyes began to droop. The last thing he remembered was the chipmunk stroking his head and whispering that same sentence.
"I'll always be with you… Always be with you…"
"Big Guy? You okay?"
Tails opened his eyes with a jolt. He suddenly had a slight smile on his face from the memory. He remembered the day after. Sonic, Sally, Bunnie, Rotor and Antoine had been at Robotropolis all day, and he'd been overjoyed when they returned. Although he'd worried where they'd gone, he hadn't felt alone all day.
"Tails?" Sonic repeated, unsure whether to be relieved or concerned by his friend's sudden change in mood.
"Y'know, Sonic?" Tails sighed. "I…I shouldn't have run away like that. Maybe I did kinda scare Aunt Sally…"
"I thought she wasn't your Aunt Sally anymore," Sonic grinned smugly.
"I know, but that was when I was a dumb kid. I'm hours older now and we gotta go home, fast!'' The kit began to climb down the tree.
"Whoa, kid!" the hedgehog put a hand on his shoulder. "As much as I agree, if you fall from here, Sal'll kill me! And I'll feel pretty bad too!"
"I know, I know," Tails hurriedly tried to clamber back down. "But I gotta go apologize to Aunt Sally noOOOOOOOW!"
Sonic's heart stopped as Tails miscalculated the distance between the branch he was on and the one below him. He was falling. The height of the tree was too low for him to save himself with the Tornado.
"Hang on, Big Guy!" he shouted, running down the trunk.
"CATCH ME!" Tails yelled as he plummeted down.
On the ground, Sally saw everything and heard the cub's desperate plea. She watched as her son came helplessly down towards her. Her nightmare drilled its way back into her head. Tails dangling from the tree… Tails falling into the abyss…
"You always catch me, you're real good at it!" her cub's voice whispered around her brain.
"NO!"
She rushed forward, her arms outstretched. Tails slammed into her, and his weight combined with the Tornado sent her to the ground.
Tails dazedly opened his eyes. He was back on the ground. Completely safe. From a height he'd fallen, he should have been killed.
"Ooohhh…" A very familiar voice groaned.
"AUNT SALLY!" he squealed. "AUNT SALLY, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!"
He got off the chipmunk and patted her paw in a bid to wake her up. Sally's eyes fluttered open. "Tails?"
She sat up so quickly that the cub fell down.
"TAILS!"
Next thing Tails knew, her arms were around him, his cheeks were wet (from his tears or hers, he never knew) and she was kissing his right cheek, his left and his nose in great succession.
"Sal! T2! You okay?" Sonic reached their side in a heartbeat.
"Oh, Tails!" Sally sobbed. "Oh, Tails! Oh, honey! You're safe! You're alive!"
"He won't be if ya squeeze him so hard!" Sonic chuckled.
"Oh, sorry!'
You never would have thought that a few hours prior, the two of them had been majorly furious with each other.
"Aunt…Aunt Sally, I…I never meant to say that dumb stuff about you not bein' my aunt! I…I shouldn't have taken the Tornado!"
"Sweetie, I never meant to make you feel I was taking your life away! I love you so much and I don't wanna lose you!"
Sonic didn't know what else to say, so he just stood and grinned broadly at the scene. "Best get on the ol' horn an' let the others know we found him…" he thought to himself. He was about to switch on his radio when he noticed the wind was picking up. "Uh-oh…"
"When we get home, I'm gonna make sure you have your favorite meal and…" Sally promised Tails, when she was cut off by the now urgent blue blur.
"We gotta get home NOW!" he demanded. "Robuttnik's…"
Everything else was lost in a terrible howl. From out of nowhere, out of nothing, they were assaulted by a hurricane that was even stronger than the one the day before.
There was an ominous rumble, and all three of them saw it happen at once. A dead tree was pulled right out of the ground and bounced straight towards them. Without hesitation, Sally hugged Tails to her and shielded him from the oncoming threat with her own body.
Sonic rushed towards the tree and spun into a ball, his blue quills cutting it in half like a buzz saw. The two logs flew harmlessly past them, crashing into some windswept bushes.
"WE GOTTA FIND THE OTHERS, THEY'RE STILL OUT THERE!" Sonic shouted. "BIG GUY, TAKE CARE OF AUNT SALLY!" With a sonic boom that briefly drowned out the whistling gale, he was off.
Sally wasted no time in picking Tails up and carrying him behind a nearby boulder, shielding her eyes from the wind as she did so. "Whadda we gonna do, Aunt Sally?" the fox cub begged as she set him down, "There's no way Sonic can save them by himself! Even if he is faster than…the…"
He stopped. His mind flew back to Rotor showing them the Tornado that morning. "I even programmed it to go just as fast as Sonic can run!" he heard the walrus in his head.
"Honey?" Sally looked concerned as the kit's eyes lit up.
"Sonic can't save them by himself!" he exclaimed. "He needs us!"
"No, Tails," Sally placed both paws on his shoulders. "It's too dangerous, we'll get blown away!"
"Ohhh, no, we won't!" Tails smirked. "We have the Tornado!"
Before she could object, he started up the rotors and shot upwards. Sally seized his waist in a bid to stop him, but the force of the copter pack lifted her right off the ground. "Tails, don't, TAAAAAIIIIILLLLSSS!" the chipmunk shrieked.
The moment they left the shelter of the boulder, they got blown back, straight towards a huge pine tree.
"Sure hope this works…" was the main thought running through Tails's brain as he pulled a lever…
Sally didn't even have time to scream, as they abruptly shot forwards just as they were going to collide with the trunk.
"WOOOO-HOOOOOO!"
Sally could hear her son's ecstatic cheer over the wind, but didn't share his enthusiasm for his plan. She had traveled at high speeds many times, but they had all been on the ground. Traveling at high speeds through the air was an alien experience to her.
Trees flashed by in seconds; a clear indicator of just how fast they were flying. The wind assaulted their faces, but they rocketed on.
Sally cringed and shut her eyes, clinging to Tails for dear life.
"I sure hope Sonic's found the others," Tails thought to himself. "Hang on, Aunt Sally!" he shouted down to her. "Don't be scared!"
"I'M NOT!" the petrified princess wailed. "I JUST DON'T LIKE FLYING!"
"Ah sure Sugah-Hog or Sally-Girl found Sugah-Fox!" Bunnie bellowed. "Ah sure hope they're still in the Great Forest, too!" She clung to a tree stump with all her might, watching small rocks, branches and bushes fly over her head, just missing by inches. Wherever her friends were, she prayed for their safety. She prayed for this nightmare to end so she could get out of here and help them.
"What if the whole 'o' Knothole is gone? Just blown away like some ol' newspaper 'n' ah'm all by ma lonesome?" a thought struck her. "Ma stars, ah'm startin' ta sound like Tails!"
"OOF! OH! OUCH!"
If her long ears weren't being blown back by the blustery weather, they'd have pricked up at the sound of those grunts of pain. "If'n ah'm not mistaken, that's…ROTOR!"
If the situation wasn't so precarious, she'd have found the sight hilarious. The chubby walrus was bouncing along like a beach ball gone out of control. On his bottom, then his belly. On his bottom, then his belly. If it were possible, Bunnie would have heard a timpani being hit every time he made contact with the ferny floor.
"Whoa there!" Rotor felt his unpleasant bouncing come to an abrupt end, despite the lashing elements, and looked back to see Bunnie clinging to his feet.
"What is it with lil' old me an' catchin' you fellas?!" she laughed in spite of her dire situation, something she was meticulously good at.
"Bunnie, are you alright?!" Rotor shouted back.
"Mighty fine, sugah!" came the levity filled response. "Ah'm gettin' ma hair dried faster than ol' Sonic!"
Jokey as she was on the outside, Bunnie was calculating a way to save herself, Rotor and…
"AAAAANNNNNT!" a familiar voice whined. "LEGGO, YA IDIOT!"
Sonic and Antoine flew through the air. Flew? What the…?
On taking a closer look, Bunnie and Rotor could clearly see that the hedgehog and coyote were indeed airborne. The hedgehog clung to the coyote's legs…the coyote clung to his parasol!
"Ant, it's a stupid umbrella, ya got about twenty of 'em at home!"
"Eet'z not an oombrella, you fuel!" Antoine squawked. "Eet'z a parasol, and ah am lucky to 'ave found eet aftair ze last bicycle!"
"Twan, are y'all tryin' out t'go parasailin' up there?" Bunnie called.
"Antoine, let it go!" Rotor yelled up to them. "Is that parasol really worth more than your life?"
"Oui, zat eet eez, Rotair!" the coyote waved his arms around, not noticing that he'd let go of his precious item, and it went spinning away. "Eet'z worth ten ov moooiiiiii!" Though they didn't have the parasol to catch the wind, they were still tossed around by it. Sonic quickly got his bearings, seized Antoine and rushed back down to Earth, the cobalt rodent outrunning the currents to reach the bunny and walrus.
"Sugah-Hog! Y'all okay? Where's Sally-Girl? Did ya find Tails?"
"I'm okay, so's Sal, and she's with Tails!" Sonic confirmed. "I gotta get you guys back to Knothole outta this mondo bad storm! Then I'll go back for 'em!"
"No need, Sonic! We're cooommiinng!"
The four freedom fighters looked to the sky in shock and amazement. There was the little fox, the princess dangling from his feet, her knuckles white and her face a terrified grimace.
"Sugah-Fox!"
"Little Buddy!"
"Young Tailz! Heep, Heep, Huzzah!"
"Big Guy, I told ya to stay behind!" Sonic scolded. "But I'm glad you guys are okay!"
"I'm alright," Tails proclaimed proudly, "but Aunt Sally's been real quiet since we took off!"
The Tornado hovered above them, rocking occasionally, but adeptly resisting the wind.
"I'm sure glad you have the Tornado, Tails!" Rotor shouted. "I knew Sally was too hasty in…"
"In WHAT?!" the princess abruptly demanded, making the walrus clam up.
"Never mind that!" Sonic rallied. "We gotta go home now! Rote, you're with Sal an' Tails! Ant…yer with me, I guess…"
"What about Bunnie?" Tails cut in.
Bunnie was silent for a moment. She never liked being carried by Sonic (due to being a burden in her eyes, the high-speed never bothered her) and she looked far too heavy for Tails.
"Don't y'all worry 'bout me," she reassured them all. "Ah can walk it! Ma 'bot bod's more 'n' likely wind resistant"
"Oui, zat eez all very good!" Antoine whined. "Now let us go 'ome before we go flying so far from eet!"
"Antoine's right!" Rotor agreed, awkwardly hugging Sally and feeling his clawed feet leave the ground. "Let's go!"
"Hey, hey, who's in charge here?" Sonic asked indignantly.
"I AM!" Sally screamed. "AND I SAY GOOOOOOO!"
Tails had already set the Tornado in motion, and he zipped away for Knothole, Sally and Rotor in tow. "Race ya, Soniiiiiic!" he called back in a sing-song voice.
"CHEATER!" the hedgehog bellowed after him. He turned to Bunnie, a smug grin on his face. "My little bro is growin' up…" Then he hastily cleared his throat. "Try ta keep up, Bunnie!"
And he was off. The rabbit smirked. "Boys will be boys…"
She began to extend her legs and her body rose into the air. The moment her shelter was taken away, the currents hit her like a bus. "WHOOOA!" she exclaimed, just barely managing to regain her footing. "If there's any consolation," she thought wryly, "this means ah ain't gettin' fat!"
Her mechanical legs clanked as she marched doggedly along, her feet planted firmly on the ground.
"Never was the fastest at school…" she chuckled. "But slow 'n' steady wins the ol' race!"
All of a sudden, there came an ominous groan. Bunnie's whiskers twitched. Her eyes zipped every which way there was to look. She didn't like the sound of that. The creaking groan turned into a tearing roar, and she looked just in time to see a great beech tree begin to fall. Heading straight for her. There was no time for her to get out of the way. Sonic, Tails and the others were too far ahead to know what was happening.
Bunnie felt cold…and it wasn't just from the wind. She closed her eyes, covered her head, and prepared herself for the end.
"BUNNIE!"
She felt something furry slam into her like a fluffy dodgeball, knocking her backwards. Her eyes snapped open, and there was Tails, pushing her away from the falling mass. It hit the ground with a deafening crash, just missing her!
"Sugah-Fox!" she exclaimed in jubilation. "Well, ain't ya ma knight in shinin' armour!"
"I dropped Aunt Sally an' Rotor off back at Knothole an' came back for you!" Tails exclaimed as they looked at the fallen giant. "Take my hand! I'll protect ya!"
At first, Bunnie thought he was being a sweet little gentleman…but considering the fact that she was almost crushed and he'd saved her life, well, she wasn't taking her chances.
"Well, c'mon, now, Sugah-Pie!" She took his paw.
If the situation wasn't so dire, then the sight of a cyborg rabbit, with stilt-like legs holding hands with a two-tailed fox, who had a helicopter pack, would have looked rather silly. If they weren't fighting for their lives, they'd have thought the same thing.
They put their heads down and battled against the elements. Bunnie swatted away stray items that blew their way, such as stones, branches and bushes, while Tails lifted her over ditches and kept on the lookout for anything she might trip over.
"How's Knothole doin'?!" Bunnie shouted over the wind.
"Not too good!" Tails yelled back. "A tree fell on the square, but it's not hit anyone! See, look!" He pointed, and Bunnie was shocked at how fast it had taken them to reach home.
"Oh, ma stars!"
Knothole Village was suffering terribly from the storm. The glass in windows were broken, doors and shutters had been blown off their hinges, and a tree lay in the center of it all, its branches punching holes in Antoine's hut.
"Aunt Sally told everyone to gather in the mess hall!" Tails shouted as he landed and Bunnie shrank her legs back to their normal size. "C'mon, Bunnie!"
While the wind raged outside, an argument raged inside. Freedom Fighters and villagers alike were talking at once. Some angry and bitter, others tearful and afraid. What they all had in common was that they were demanding to know what was going on and what was to be done.
Sally was at the head of the main dining table, trying to restore order and calm things down. Her expression changed the moment she saw who had just entered.
"Tails!"
Not caring about everyone watching, she rushed to the cub and embraced him. The princess had been too rattled and shaken by her flight to notice that Tails had flown off again to help Bunnie. Had she had enough time to recover, she'd have had Sonic go instead. While everyone else had been panicking about the damage that had been done, she'd panicked about the kit. "Are you two alright?"
"We're mighty fine, Sally-Girl!" Bunnie confirmed with a carefree grin. "An' if it weren't for ma little bro, ah wouldn't be here to tell y'all that!"
Tails blushed, but before he could elaborate, Antoine piped up "Vat are we to be doeeng about zis wind? Ma beautiful 'ouse eez ruined, eez eet not?"
"The same thing could happen to all our houses!" Rotor interjected. "And my beautiful workshop!"
Everyone murmured in agreement.
"This wind ain't natural!" Sonic stood up on the table, ensuring everyone's eyes were on him. "The Big Round Guy is behind it! If it keeps up, there won't be any trees left! Knothole ain't safe now! If we don't stop whatever's causin' it, we're sittin' ducks ta Buttnik!"
The door shook in the gale, and some villagers gasped and screamed in shock. It was almost as if Robotnik was outside trying to get in. Antoine shrieked and hid behind a chair.
Despite her fear, Sally tried to think rationally. There had to be a way to make sure her subjects were safe until they found a way to reach Robotnik. "We need to evacuate," she immediately suggested. "Somewhere these storms can't reach us!"
"That ain't gonna work, Sal!" the hedgehog snapped. "He won't let up until he gets us!"
"Sugah-Hog's right," Bunnie agreed. "The moment he figures out we're gone, he'll jus' follow us an' use whatever thingummybob he's built again!"
"We gotta stop it here an' now," Sonic had a steely glint in his eyes. "An' by we, I mean me! The old hedgehog's the only one here who ain't fazed by those gales!"
"And me!" Another voice chimed in.
To say there was silence would be a stretch, as the despairing gale rattled the windows and moaned through the roof. That said, everyone stopped to stare at Tails, whose expression was just as determined as his big brother's.
Nobody spoke for a good while. They weren't sure what to say. Until…
"Big Guy's right," Sonic finally agreed, jumping down from the table and patting the cub's shoulder. "I need all the help I can get, and our little Freedom Fighter is the perfect candidate for this mission. He's the only one who can keep up with me, with or without his tails!"
A horrible vision of a frightened kit standing before a cruel and inhumane Robotnik entered Sally's mind.
"No…" Sally murmured as if in a dream. "No…not Tails…not my boy…" She'd only just got him back. He couldn't go. She wouldn't let him…
"Sally-Girl?" Bunnie put a paw on her shoulder and recoiled as the chipmunk shoved it away.
"Are you crazy, Sonic Hedgehog?! How can you even think of sending him to Robotropolis in his condition?!"
"He didn't, I did!" Tails replied. "I can use the Tornado, like I just did to save all of YOU!" He pointed at Antoine, Rotor and Bunnie, who awkwardly looked away.
"Honey," Sally looked as if she was going to faint from the stress. "This isn't the same as those races you've had in the Great Forest, Robotnik is an inhuman monster! Think of how we'll feel if he gets you!"
"You never think of how I'll feel if he captures any of you every time you go there!"
"You don't think I ever consider you every time we go to Robotropolis?" Sally choked, a tear in her eye, "Of how one reason I have to avoid being captured and roboticised is that I'll either never see you again or Robotnik will personally send me after you?"
"I'm a Freedom Fighter, same as you!" Tails would not back down. "Let me pull my weight, Aunt Sally!"
"Tails, don't you understand? I don't wanna lose you! I…I can't lose you!"
"And I don't wanna lose you either, Aunt Sally! But that doesn't stop you from fighting Buttnik all the time! How can you not wanna lose me when you're always running the risk of being roboticised or killed? Leaving me alone?"
"That's different, honey, I wanna make this world a better place for you!"
"Then let me help! Buttnik's everyone's problem! We can stop him together! I wanna stop him with you!" Tails cried, still determined, but with a plaintive look in his eyes.
Sally wiped the tears away from her eyes and nodded, agreeing with what her precious fox just said. Even the little lad had a tear resting on one of his eyes after realizing how valuable he was to Sally this whole time after the princess confessed to him.
The chipmunk took a deep breath and got down on one knee to face her charge. "Do what Sonic tells you, use the wind currents to your advantage and give Butt-nik hell for your Aunt Sally, sweetie" she grinned.
Her heart sang as Tails giggled upon hearing her use the derogatory name Soniv had coined.
"Nuh-uh. Not for my Aunt Sally," Tails replied. "For my Mom"
They hugged for what seemed like an eternity. Sally indeed wished it would last an eternity. She wished more than anything that she could protect her son…but she loved him more than life itself, and knew she had to let him make his own decisions.
Sonic watched the mother and son, as equally moved as the others. But Robotnik wouldn't give them too much time for sentiment. "Yo, T2! I'm waaiiting!"
Reluctantly, the fox and chipmunk let go of each other. But not before a few more parting words.
"Besides," Tails murmured shyly, "you're coming with me…"
"How so?" Sally raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Dontcha remember? Even if we're apart…"
"…I'll always be with you…" Sally finished, tears returning to her eyes. The next second, she planted the Funny Kiss on his cheeks and his nose. Tails gave her a sad smile before Sonic put a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go drop in on our pal, T2," he gave a cheeky wink. "Once this is over, we find out who can eat the most chilidogs in one sittin'!"
"Yer on, Sonic!" Tails responded as if he was going to school as opposed to a holocaust. Sally and the others watched as they strode out of the mess hall and into the village square, standing defiantly against the tempest.
"Up…"
"...Over…"
"...And gone!"
There was a sonic boom, a roar of propellers and the pair were off, Robotropolis in their sights.
Princess Sally stared at the spot where they had been for quite some time.
"Sonic," she said quietly to herself, "keep him safe…"