Sonic had enough. He's not usually one to get fed up, at least this easily, but today was just not his day. He should have realised it was a bad day when his favourite chilli dog joint was closed this morning, it was like the universe was warning him that today just isn't going to be a good day and he should just go back to camp and nap. If he only he had listened.
But instead, like the good hero Hedgehog he is, he went and investigated the -oh so very humid- jungle thanks to certain rumours of his arch nemesis having made a base, and was tagged along with his two best pals. Well at least a pal he thought was a good friend of his.
He didn't know why, but he could tell the moment he saw Knuckles today that he just wasn't himself. Granted, it could be that they showed up unannounced, but something in Sonic's gut told him that wasn't quite right. They've always gate crashed on his island without making plans and the hot headed Echidna would seem to be over it more and more quickly with each visit, only a few moans and groans when they last dropped in.
He didn't seem annoyed however, he just sort of seemed…sad. Something that the Hedgehog hadn't seen from him before. Angry, annoyed, irritable, loud, sure but sad? That one was new.
After Knuckles agreed to join them, he tried asking about it when they were on the Tornado, hoping that maybe it was something he could help him with. Unfortunately that seemed to be the last thing on his red friend's mind.
"Mind your own business Hedgehog!"
He wasn't usually one to be offended, having pretty much most of his young life receiving insults and mean remarks from Evil scientists, rough thugs and even members of the public. But this hurt more than he'd like to admit, Knuckles' words seeming to stab him in the chest. That wasn't even the nastiest thing the Echidna has said to him, so why did this pain him so much?
It didn't end well after that, deciding that if the Knuckles was going to be curt, then he was going to be that right back.
This happened all day, with Sonic's mood getting worse and worse. From the horrible humidity, slow pacing, getting lost and the Echidna's irritated attitude all taking a hit on his mental state. Tails also had him worried, with the Kit looking worse for wear as the day went on. He was always a trooper with just getting on with it and having no complaints, but that's what worried him the most. He didn't know if he'd be able to cope if Tails went out of commission all because he wasn't doing his big brother duties of looking out for him enough.
And that's where they were now, Sonic checking his little brothers arm from a buzzbombers caused injury. Thankfully, from what he can tell, the laser had only grazed him and left what was most likely a mild second degree burn but he'll probably need to get that bandaged sooner rather than later. If only he'd done a better job of keeping an eye on Tails, this wouldn't have happened.
"We better start moving before a whole swarm of badniks surrounded us again."
The Hedgehog let out a frustrated sigh, really not in the mood to be rushed by Knuckles of all people. He really should have called in the sack this morning. He had to remember next time that when his favourite chilli dog stand is closed, its clearly a bad omen.
"Yes okay just give us a minute."
"That's funny, you were so impatient and wearing to go before, did those badniks slow you down?"
Something inside him snapped, feeling his literal blood boil from that sentence alone. How dare he say that. He knew he'd been bickering all day, either from wanting to prove that he was fine or for some other stupid reason he had no idea, but this was too far.
"Are you serious right now! Tails got hurt and you think now is the time to test me?" He clenched his fists, his voice booming around them, the sudden loudness surprising even himself. He knew he was being too loud, knew that this was really uncool of him, but he couldn't care less right now. Any other day he'd be more rational, not one to resort to shouting, especially to his friends, but the way his head pounded, his ever sinking irritable mood and now his injured brother, he had enough.
Knuckles did look taken back though, clearly not from just the tone alone.
"Wait, Tails got hurt?"
The Hedgehog stared at him in disbelief. How the heck did he not notice one of his teammates, his friend, was hurt?! That just made him more irritably mad.
They continued their bickering, the anger in his voice raising with each sentence. He tried to hold back before, he really did, but he couldn't anymore, his frustration needing to get out.
"You have no idea what you-"
Before he could finish his sentence he was slammed into, having no control as he crashed to the ground. Before he could question what happened, a rush of air went passed him, a speed of which he hadn't seen since…
He heard Tails' scream, a scream that made his gut twist into the tightest knot. It shook him to his core, making him get to his feet in milliseconds.
"TAILS!" He didn't even realise he yelled, his actions going in auto pilot as he ran after his little brother. His mind finally caught up to the situation, not being able to comprehend at the being who nabbed Tails. Someone from his past that he thought he would never see again.
"Metal?!"
The robot doppelgänger he met over a year and a half ago, Metal Sonic, the robot he could have sworn that got destroyed just like his other copycat robots. But yet, here he was standing in front of him, his brothers life in his hands.
He made a step forward, his hand instinctively reach out. The pained cry Tails let out made him quickly stop however, his hand withdrawing back, the knot inside tightening.
"Nah ah ah Sonic. Take one more step and your little friend here will have his brain coming out of his ears." Sonic didn't have to guess twice to know who that static voice belonged to.
"Let him go Robotnik!" He growled, his voice dangerously low. Metal Sonic's red eyes seemed to be starting straight through him, somehow emitting hatred into his cold stare. He gave a quick glance to Tails, noticing the fox's eyes being shut closed as he seemed to be struggling for air. He had to save him fast.
"Sorry Rodent, but I'm afraid I'm going to need your friend for collateral damage. I need you and the Echidna to help me with a favour."
"Like we'd ever help you!" This was Knuckles' turn to speak, the Hedgehog not noticing when he'd snuck up next to him. He had his whole focus on his metal counterpart and his best friend. That's when he suddenly noticed crimson red. He felt his breathing hitch as he watched the bright colour dripping down yellow fur. Blood.
"Well I'm afraid you're going to have to if you don't want Metal Sonic here to snap Tails' neck. This plan seemed to work out better than I hoped for. I was aiming for you Sonic, but it actually works better that the fur-ball got in the way."
The Hedgehog barley acknowledged what the evil genius had bragged about, not taking his focus of his little brother. Maybe if there was an opening he could try and make a grab for him…
"I need the two of you to grab me the last two Chaos Emeralds. You have 24 hours to bring them to me at Sunset Park Zone. If you don't, then I'm afraid you won't see your little friend again."
Before even the Hedgehog could compute, Metal took off in the direction that they entered, taking the Fox in tow.
"TAILS!"
He didn't waste any time as he speeded after them. He was going to catch up to him, there was no other option. Sonic was a few beats behind him, determination fuelling his every step, pushing him beyond his limits.
"LET HIM GO!" He knew this was a futile attempt, knowing full well that Metal Sonic wasn't going to just drop him just because of his request. But maybe, hopefully, it might just make him slightly turn round or even hesitate. Even if it was for a slight second, he'd take the advantage.
Although Metal didn't slow down, he didn't expect Tails to somehow turn towards him, his midsection on the Robots shoulder. The Fox reached his hand out, struggling to try and loosen the grip around his waist. Despite the situation, Tails wasn't giving up, and he'll make sure that he wouldn't let him down.
Sonic reached his hand out back in earnest, not wasting an opportunity like this. He was going to save him. They're fingers we're nearly touching, just a little closer.
A sharp, powerful kick went straight into his stomach, the air taken out of him. He didn't notice Metal turning round until it was too late. He flew backwards from the force of it, not being able to stop his fall as he tumbled backwards and face planted into the floor.
He shot back up, only to see the integrity of the rock walls crumbling down where he was just standing moments ago, the visual of the robot running ahead before the crumbled rocks blocked his view. Metal must have caused a cave in. Sonic gritted his teeth as he went into a spin dash, the only thing he could think of that would destroy the blockade in his way. He will catch up to them befo-
His arm was suddenly yanked back causing him to stop revving up, the suddenness making him fall backwards and land on his tail. He turned to the perpetrator who would dare stop at a time like this, his eyes the sharpest of daggers.
"What the hell-!" The Hedgehog didn't get to finish his question, when Knuckles yanked the tan arm backwards again.
"If you spindash into that wall, there would be no point in saving Tails as we'd all be caved in alive!" The Echidna shot back, a hysterical note to his voice. Sonic stared back for a few beats before he snatched his arm back. Fine if he can't go through that way he'll find another way. He shot back up and ran full speed into the opposite direction. If he could find an exit maybe there was a chance he could intercept them.
Except that it took him about 10 minutes until he found the next exit, a hole in the wall with what happened to be a water system, big enough for him to crawl through. Any other day he would have groaned having to crawl through shallow water, but that was the last thing on his mind. He crawled as fast he could, panic slowly rising in his chest on how slow this was taking. He managed to finally get out of the chaos forsaken cave and bolted round to find the original opening.
But he was too late. Despite running around the entrance, searching inside and back out of the cave and through the jungle, Metal was long gone. He could have gone in any direction, and with the speed he was going out, let alone having the ability to fly, there was no chance he'd find them. His heart fell to his stomach, tightness in his chest increasing with every breath.
He didn't save his little brother.
About 15 minutes later, Knuckles followed suit and joined him in front of the entrance. Sonic still had another run through the jungle once more before he decided to wait for the red Echidna, hoping to get some clue as to what direction they might have taken. But he still came up short, not even being able to spot a possible branch that metal could have stomped on or shrubs he moved out of the way. He really did leave no trace.
"Do you know what direction they went in?" The Guardian asked, his voice back to its normal stoic self. The Hedgehog didn't make eye contact as he looked away to answer.
"No, he was long gone by the time I found another exit."
Knuckles huffed in response before he asked, "What the heck was that robot anyway?"
Sonic turned to him and stared for a few seconds, looking at him dumbfounded until it dawned on him.
Oh. Right. Neither he nor Tails have actually met Metal before.
"That's Metal Sonic. He's the robot that kidnapped Amy before I met you guys," He explained bluntly, not wanting to elaborate further.
Sonic genuinely thought that would be the last time he'd ever see him again. Robotnik isn't one to usually rebuild robots and always opts for a new trick up his sleeve. Clearly he must have a soft spot for it.
Knuckles grunted but thankfully didn't add a response back. There was a few beats of silence, neither of them not knowing what to do now.
After a few moments, Knuckles broke the silence.
"Sonic…about before, I truly didn't know he was hurt…" The Hedgehog put his hand up to stop the guardian from continuing.
"I know, I overacted…"
There was another few beats of silence, an awkward atmosphere settling around them. Sonic sighed, the tightness in his chest only seeming to get tighter. What do they do now? Sonic didn't even have the faintest clue on where to begin searching for the last two chaos emeralds if Robotnik couldn't even find them. Not to mention it was going to get dark soon, the sun already starting to set. Their time was dwindling fast and they hadn't even made a start.
"We better start looking for those emeralds then." Knuckles was the one to break the silence yet again, seeming to be on the same wavelength.
"Yeah," Sonic turned towards him, "can you feel any sense of them?"
Knuckles closed his eyes, concentration in his frown.
"Hmmm I think maybe to the west of here. I definitely felt them when we first arrived and they haven't moved since." The Guardian opened his eyes as he shot his eyes back at Sonic.
"Well then, lead the way."
Thankfully, either from desperation or stoke of luck, they managed to find the 1st emerald rather smoothly, having not been too far from the Tornado and only being buried a feet in the ground.
"Why couldn't you locate it when we first got here?" Sonic asked, a delicate tone in the question. He didn't ask because he wanted an argument, it was more out of concern. The Echidna can usually locate the emeralds with ease, having such a deep connection with the power of Chaos, that it was more surprising and even a little worrying why he couldn't find them before.
Knuckles frowned looking like he was about to argue back, but for whatever reason he stopped in his tracks. "I was distracted, wasn't at my best."
"That's not like you?"
The Echidna huffed but didn't respond back, his eyes focused on the emerald. Sonic guessed he didn't really want to delve into that topic. Fine, if he wants to be all mopey, then he can be his guest.
Except…deep down, Sonic knew there was something wrong, right when they first met this morning. He wasn't one to get all talkative, especially when it comes to feelings, but he couldn't exactly sit by and let his friends feel down without letting them know he at least cares…even for the Echidna.
"Look, I'm only gonna say this once, and you don't have to talk or anything, but if somethings got you down, I'm always here to…I dunno just listen or whatever you need to get off your chest." He turned to Knuckles, but his eyes was still focused on the emerald. Although now from what Sonic can see, he swore there was a slight shine to them.
Sonic gave him a few beats and then sighed, knowing that Knuckles wasn't gonna talk anytime soon. The Hedgehog then focused back at the task at hand, he didn't have time to waste. Although not taken too long to find the first emerald, time was still ticking fast, the sun no longer in the sky. They'd only have about half hour max before it was completely dark.
"Can you sense the other emerald?
The Echidna finally tore his eyes from the emerald and looked to the the blue blur before closing his eyes, seeming to be concentrating.
"Hmm I can but it's very slight, I think it could be the next zone over, to the west of here."
Not the best answer but not the worst either. The West from here was Winter Zone, but thankfully this time of year the snow is mostly gone, leaving an area with little desire. With the time they have dwindling like a candle on the end of its wick, they needed to make a decision fast.
"We can run to Winter Zone then set up camp and start looking the moment daylight hits. Sound good?"
Knuckles nodded, tucking the emerald in his glove for safe keeping.
"Fine by me."
The hedgehog zipped to the tornado that was stationed a few miles away, grabbing his rucksack filled with essentials, thankful that he remembered to pack it before their mission. Double checking he had everything they would need for the night, he then ran back to where he left his red friend. Knuckles pointed the way that they needed to head towards, not being able to draw his hand back in time before the Hedgehog grabbed it and sped to their new destination.
The fire crackled, the orange hue of the fire casting on the two individuals, as darkness had shortly settled. They'd both been quiet, neither one feeling like having a chat after the events of the day. They'd both finished eating the emergency energy bars in Sonic's backpack, the Hedgehog practically forcing himself to eat. He had absolutely no appetite but he knew he'll need all the energy he could get for tomorrow.
Guilt hit him once again. He couldn't stop replaying the scenes over and over in his mind, kicking himself mentally of his stupidity. If only he'd paid attention and stopped arguing, then Tails wouldn't have-
"About before," Knuckles snapped Sonic out of his downward spiral, rooting his mind back to reality, "…with what you said…"
The Hedgehog turned to him, waiting for him to finish. He didn't realise the guardian had been thinking about what he said for all this time.
"I've been feeling…conflicted recently. And well, I suppose that has made me feel…sad." The Echidna said the last word ever so quietly, like the word felt alien coming out of his mouth.
Sonic knew that for Knuckles to open up, especially to him of all people, this must have really been playing on his mind. As much as he loved to tease his red friend, he knew that right now he needed to be serious and select his next few words extra carefully, to show how serious it was for him too.
"What have you been feeling conflicted about?"
Another few beats of silence, the Echidna's eyes glued to the fire.
"About whether I'm worthy to be the guardian of the Master Emerald."
Sonic's eyes widened at that, not enough to draw attention but it definitely surprised him. From what the Hedgehog knew about the guardian from the past 6 months of knowing him, his duty was something he took so seriously, that there was possibly no other person even suitable for the job let alone anyone that would be more worthy than him.
"Dude if you're not worthy then literally nobody is. What makes you think you're not worthy to be a guardian?" The Hedgehog's words were light but his tone was heavy. Knuckles huffed, a dryness hidden in there but he replied.
"For my whole life, I believed my only purpose was to guard the Master Emerald. Day in and day out that was my role, along with protecting Angel Island. But ever since the day you and Tails arrived unannounced on my Island I…" Knuckles stopped, a defeating sigh following soon after. Sonic could tell the emotion his friend was feeling was sitting on his square shoulders, the weight of it must have been getting heavier and heavier as each day that emotion grew. It pained him to see the Echidna, a usually confident being, being dragged into the depths of his sadness. Although he hesitated, just briefly, Sonic reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, hoping that gesture would lighten his load. Even if it was just a little.
"Go on…"
Knuckles lowered his head. "I just keep dreaming of life outside the Island. To go and have an adventure when you want, where you want? I find myself yearning for it. Going on the past few missions with you, Tails and Amy has been a lot of fun. But the more times I leave the Island, even if it's brief…the more overwhelming the guilt becomes."
It was silent for a few seconds, the only sound of the fire crackling. The Hedgehog took a deep breath, wanting to make sure he sounded grounded with what he was about to say.
"You know, I can't say I know what it's like to be a guardian, but I do know what it's like to feel like you don't deserve something. You've devoted your whole life to protect the Master Emerald. If anyone deserves to have a bit of fun, it's you Pal."
Knuckles turned to him mid sentence, a sadness clouding his eyes, the usual fire that burns behind his pupils looking dim.
"No I don't, I should be fully guarding the Master Emerald and the Island, not going globe trotting whenever I get a bit mellow! What type of Guardian would that make me?"
Sonic hummed as a small smile appeared on his face. "Exactly, who's to say what type of Guardian you should be?"
The red Echidna stuttered, perplexed at the response. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're the last guardian of Angel Island right? Who's to say you can't do things your way? If you need time here and there to have a breather and actually act like the teen that you are, who's to say you can't?"
Knuckles scoffed, as he turned back to the fire. "Because someone needs to protect the Island from the dangers like Robotnik."
"Yeah that's true, but you also have friends that you can trust to watch it whenever you need to right? Me, Tails, Amy, heck even the Chaotix would probably watch it for you if you asked them nicely!"
The Edina's eyes widened slightly, his attention fully back to the blue Hedgehog. Sonic's smile grew as he withdrew his hand and gave a soft punch to Knuckles' arm in return.
"What I'm saying is, although you may be the last guardian, you have friends now that can help you when you need them. There's no point shouldering this all alone when you have us right here, right?"
"It wouldn't be honourable to let outsiders do the job that I've been bestowed…"
"Do you think it's dis-honourable that I rely on you and the others to help me take down Robotnik?"
Knuckles was taken back the second time that night, confused as to the sudden change of topic.
"Well no, but what does that have t-"
"I took it upon myself to take down Robutnik when he first came on South Island, originally me and only me was to take him down. But, before I knew it, I had you guys helping me."
Knuckles huffed as he crossed his arms, "Well that's a job that needs help."
"Your right, there's only so much I can do on my own. I'd be dead by now without you guys saving my butt more times than I can count." Sonic quietly chuckled, briefly remembering all the times his friends had came to his aid when he needed it most. "Same goes for you and being a guardian, there's only so much one person can shoulder on their own."
The Echidna curled his fists, the fire in his eyes slowly relighting. Sonic grinned as he knew he got him.
"You got friends now Knuckle-head, whether you like it or not. And there's no way we're gonna let you shoulder everything on your own."
Finally, the Guardian chuckled lightly, his usual confidence slowly coming back to him.
"You know, for someone who constantly spews banter, you do give some rather good pep talks when you want to."
Sonic smirked at his remark, glad that his red head friend was feeling more like himself, even just a little. "Yeah well I gotta be encouraging sometimes, no fun to poke fun at you if you're not feeling your best."
It was silent for a while after that, the Hedgehog's mind once again going back to the events of today. The brief distraction Knuckles gave was only temporary as he felt his own guilt clawing back up.
Despite what he just said to Knuckles, a part of him slightly regrets letting others, especially people he'd call his friends- no family even - help take Robotnik down. Although they are always a tremendous help, they'll always have a target on their back because of him. Even if they're not on a mission, anyone can be watching them, tracking them, anything to get to him, to use against him. Even beside the evil scientist, others have tried to use his friends in the past either for their own gain, Robotnik's gain or to use against Sonic, and there's no doubt that will continue as long as they're around. Heck, even if they weren't, he's made it clear that he cares about them that they'd probably track them down still, it doesn't take a genius to know that's the best way of getting the Hedgehog's attention.
Robotnik knew that, and if he didn't drag others into his battles then Tails would still be here. Safe.
"I'm sorry for arguing with you so much today," Knuckles suddenly said, " if it weren't for me Tails probably wouldn't have been…"
Sonic shook his head as he gave his friend a sad smile, "No, I'm sorry, it's my fault it happened. I'm the one who couldn't protect him."
He couldn't help but hear the scream when Tails was snatched away, can't help but to see the blood that trickled down his skull, all playing over and over in his mind.
"We'll get him back," Knuckles said this with such confidence, like there was no doubt in his mind. The Hedgehog wished he felt the same.
"Yeah…I know."
The Echidna nodded, raising his fist. He then stretched, a yawn escaping him. "Come on, we better get some rest."
The last thing Sonic wanted to do was sleep, every bone in his body ached for him to start running and try looking for his friend. But it would be a waste of time, let alone energy. Despite having no desire to rest, he knew for now it was the best thing.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna go on a quick run first though."
He didn't give time for Knuckles to react before he zoomed past. He needed to clear his head for a bit before he would try to settle down, his thoughts all in one horrible jumble.
As he ran, he looked up at the full moon, the bright light illuminating his path. Maybe Tails was watching it too.
'I'll save you lil bro…I promise.'
Notes:I hope you enjoyed this chapter, next one will be the final one, will Sonic and Knuckles save Tails? You'll just have to wait to find out!
Just wanted to clarify a few things as well:
In this story Tails and Knuckles have never met Metal before, only ever heard him from Sonic and Amy in passing. From what I know, I don't think there's been anything official of them meeting for the first time? If there is then just think of this as an alternative story.
Beside doing the odd Google search, I barely know anything on caves so apologies if they're not actually accurate.
The zones I used are from Sonic triple trouble, wanted somewhere a bit different than the usual zones.
Thanks for reading and have a good day :)
