Sonic in Between.
Author's Note: A new one-shot story of Sonic In Between mini-series! Here we go! Fair warning, this will be a little quite dark.
I hope you do enjoy the rest of the story.
Summary of Story 6: Not long after Sonic's quest in the world of King Arthur, the brotherly duo come across a seemingly deserted town that things were once pretty peaceful, yet at the same time it makes Tails question his unknown past long before he met Sonic.
I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog. All rights belong to Sega. I only own the OCs.
Tails of Encounters.
A week passed since Sonic's journey into the alternate world of Camelot, well, a week for him and in Mobius, whereas in the other world, the blue hedgehog suspected that it was almost over. But either way, both worlds were safe, he was home, and now the fifteen year old and Tails were continuing their adventure in Isalenna to enjoy their time together, with only two more towns left to explore and then the brotherly companions would return home to Station Square.
Sonic smiled as he stood on the wings of the Tornado 1 happily until Tails angled the plane to the side which made the hero of Mobius crouch and hold on until his little brother came into landing. Once they did, the cobalt teenager leaped off and landed on the ground, stretching his arms out while the two-tailed fox turned off the engine and climbed out himself.
"I could get used to this." Sonic breathed in the air almost greedily. "It's too bad that our tour's almost over, but hey, it's totally worth it. Right, ol' buddy?"
"Yeah! A few encounters and you disappearing for a little while aside, I had lots of fun! Plus it wouldn't be a bit more fun without saving the day, huh?" Tails agreed happily as he stood beside his best friend/big brother.
"Yeah, that's true. Plus, we've still got plenty of time to explore this new place and the next town we're goin' to afterwards." The blue hedgehog agreed as he and his two-tailed companion walked towards the new area, before he asked. "So um, what's the name of this place again?"
"According to the guide book, from where we are, it's about a five minute walk to Lancacle City, which has advanced technology and inventors with great ideas and good intentions can come visit all year long from all over the world." Tails explained, getting really excited.
"Sounds like your kind of place, Tails. I bet you wish you'd brought some of your cool gadgets with ya' huh?" Sonic smirked, knowing full well how much his best friend/little brother loved making all kinds of things and repair machines like mainly planes and such.
The two-tailed fox giggled, "Well, I sort of did. You still have the Sea-Mask I gave ya, don't you?"
Blinking in surprise before reaching into his quills to check, the hero of Mobius pulled out the aforementioned mask and smiled. "Guess I kinda forgot I still had this with me. But hey, it's been so great, you should make tons of them for future generations. I bet this would make people like water-excluding me and I only use this 'cause I have to-really excited to explore the ocean and rivers without drowning."
"Yeah...that would be cool, huh?" Tails smiled, but even though he felt confident with his own skills and the encouragement from his big brother always made him feel better, the young kit suddenly felt a lump in his throat, a sinking feeling in his chest as he lowered his gaze to the ground as they walked, as the bidden memories of his earlier days almost five years ago came back into his mind.
"Get lost, freak!"
"Who wants to be friends with you?"
"Don't you cause enough trouble with your two tails already?"
"You think you inventing things will make people like you? What a joke!"
"Face it, Miles Pro-Loser, you're a born a freak. Freaks like you are forever alone. If you want to be friends with anybody, try being friends with Dr. Robotnik instead since you two have a thing for building things."
Of course, those bullies on Westside Island were dead wrong, because one, that island was full of mean, rude, cruel and superstitious people, and two, Sonic was the very first person in the whole world who had given him kindness, warmth, support, encouragement, and more importantly, love. The blue hedgehog had given him the very things Tails had wanted the most; a friend, and a family.
Now the two-tailed fox had a home, lots of friends, able to use his skills for the good to help out, going on many adventures and going to many different places. Years went on as he grew up with Sonic, Tails became more confident and braver, he even saved Station Square from Eggman's Missile all by himself, and even built the Sea-Mask to keep the cobalt speedster from drowning.
"Tails? Hey, Tails." Sonic's voice brought the two-tailed fox out of his thoughts, making the eight year old blink before looking up at his adoptive older hedgehog brother, as the hero of Mobius noticed the somewhat distant look on the younger Mobian's face. "What's wrong, buddy?"
"Oh, i-it's nothing. Don't worry, Sonic." Tails replied, smiling weakly as he couldn't help but remember his past.
"Tails..." The blue hedgehog trailed off knowingly, but at the same time in a gentle tone that held concern as he couldn't help but gaze at his little brother worriedly.
"I'm fine, really. It's just...Well, I'm not sure if I'm ready to show off my inventions to strangers again, even at where we're going." The young kit mumbled, before sighing and admitted. "Actually, Sonic...I'm a little bit worried, maybe even a little bit scared. I just don't want to go through that nightmare again. Not before I met you."
Sonic must've sensed this because he gently pulled Tails into a comforting and protective embrace to shield him from the dark memories and shower light ones, giving the much needed love and support the not-so-little fox as he needed. The blue hedgehog then carefully gave his brother a kiss on the head which the eight year old felt a bit more relaxed and leaned into the fifteen year old's embrace.
"It's gonna be okay, li'l buddy. You know that I'd never let anybody hurt you, right?" He whispered, gently rubbing the back of the younger Mobian's head.
"I know. Thanks, Sonic." Tails nodded, nuzzling his head into Sonic's chest.
But as the two brothers embraced while thinking about leaving this area and head over to the next and last town on their list to explore, maybe spend a few days there to make up for lost time, the two-tailed fox thought about why he was born with two tails, why he was left all alone with no family on Westside Island, which was the place he was born in and lived for the first four years of his life, why he had two tails to begin with.
"C'mon. I'm sure Lancacle City's a fun place, and you don't have to show off your amazing skills if ya' don't want to. Plus you got me around, right?" Sonic suggested once he let go, though he placed a hand onto the young fox's shoulder while giving him a thumbs up and a wink.
"Right." The two-tailed kit nodded, smiling warmly as he was once again reassured that everything would be alright. Especially since most of the crazy villains were all now gone.
The two smiled warmly at each other before continuing onward towards their destination. But as they did, suddenly something appeared from above and hovered in front of them right in their faces which made both brothers stop in their tracks and jump back slightly in fright, though Tails jumped a couple feet in the air.
"AAAH!" The eight year old cub screamed.
"WHOA!" Sonic yelped, stepping back a little at the unexpected encounter.
But the figure then hovered back, startled itself and revealed itself to be a familiar cute little creature they had seen before. In fact, they recently saw one that belonged to their youngest friend long before they met her.
"It's a Chao." Both of them said in unison, surprised to see that it was indeed a Chao, exactly like Cheese but with the bow absent. Yet they had seen other Chao before in two separate colonies and the fifteen year old has first encountered the ghost of a rare white and blue Chao almost two years ago.
"Chao, chao, chao!" The little Chao chirped, gazing at the two young strangers together. Though when it gazed at Tails before noticing his twin appendages, it then chirped excitedly before flying around him as though it had found a lost friend it had been searching for.
"Well, it looks like this little guy really likes ya', Tails." Sonic remarked with a smile, placing his fingers onto his chin, watching the performance with curiosity as well as speculation.
"He sure seems very excited, huh?" Tails agreed, giggling as the Chao began to play with his two tails, the little creature giggling at being unintentionally tickled by the softness of the young fox cub's fur.
The Chao then flew over to the young fox and gestured him to the left in Chao language, before flying towards the thickness of the trees. While he and the blue hedgehog were puzzled over this, the little creature chirped again as though gesturing the two brothers to follow it, and then disappeared into the forest.
"He wants me to follow him?" The two-tailed fox wondered aloud, confused.
"That's weird." The blue hedgehog muttered, as though sensing that something was unusual about this encounter. "It's almost like he really knows ya or that he wants to show you somethin'."
"Maybe we should investigate to see where he's going." The eight year old suggested.
"Yeah. Let's go." The fifteen year old agreed with a nod, before he and his brother took off hoping to find the Chao before it would get further away and then they would end up lost in the woods. Sonic went into half of his speed while Tails used his namesakes to fly and keep up with his older brother.
As the two Mobians managed to catch up with the curious and chirpy Chao who paused and looked over it's shoulder to make sure that they were following it, the small being then continued to make it's way further into the woods, and Sonic and Tails both noticed that the forest was further away from Lancacle City. In fact, it was rather fresh and pretty, with different coloured fungus and rocks which the brotherly duo hopped and flew over.
"Where is he taking us?" Tails wondered aloud.
"I dunno. But you gotta admit, this forest is beautiful." Sonic responded, leaping over a large log as he went, before he and his best friend were lead to the right and through a small rock trench which made them both slow down with the hedgehog's fox companion landing and then they carefully navigated their way through between the two huge boulders, not willing to risk in going fast or else it could cause the rocks to crumble and crush them.
Once they made it through with the blue hedgehog helping the two-tailed fox the rest of the way out, they found themselves in a very unusual place that looked like a hidden valley of sorts, much to their amazement as Sonic and Tails softly gasped in awe, wondering where they were. It seemed to be dim here, almost like it was early evening with fireflies slowly hovering about. The two slowly walked forward while glancing around at their new surroundings.
"Whoa..." The two murmured softly.
"What is this place?" The teenage hero wondered.
"I'm not sure. But somehow it feels kinda...familiar, almost like I've been here before." The younger Mobian half-whispered, feeling a strange case of deja vu which didn't make any sense to him considering he was born and spent the first four years of his life on Westside Island, and then moved in with Sonic where he grew up another nearly five both on South Island and since two years ago, Station Square and the Mystic Ruins.
"Huh? How can that be?" Sonic asked, shrugging in confusion. "We've never been to Isalenna before, remember?"
"I know. It doesn't make any sense to me either." Tails nodded in a confused agreement. Yet somehow he couldn't help but feel the nostalgic feeling of a very vague and very early memory that was a blur, yet at the same time, he felt like...like he once lived here.
The little Chao they had been following then caught their attention with it's chirp, causing the two brothers to look up ahead as it gestured them to come with it, flying into a giant log that was the size of a huge fallen tree as the only way through. Curious and apprehended by this, the two shared a glance before hurrying after it, racing straight through the log that made them both feel like they've shrunk and were no bigger than Mobini mice.
"Hey, where're you takin' us?" Sonic called out, as he and his companion continued to follow the Chao.
"This is so weird. The familiar feeling's getting strong, but I don't know why." Tails remarked, feeling a little uneasy yet at the same time something was reassuring him that there was no danger into this at all.
The blue hedgehog glanced over his shoulder over his friend's remark and couldn't help but feel worried when he saw the nostalgic and unsettled look on the young cub's face. Something was bothering his little brother, and the hero of Mobius knew that the answer to all of this lied in wherever the mysterious Chao was taking them, as he felt a different kind of deja vu himself.
By the time Sonic and Tails emerged on the other side of the log and into a clearing, they came a stop and gasped in shock when they saw an abandoned village right in front of them. It looked like it had been attacked and left in ruins with houses destroyed beyond repair, though some were still slightly intact, growth of plants and moss covering them over what seemed like perhaps almost eight years by the looks of it, trees and rocks behind some of the ruined buildings, a back entrance leading up a path towards a mountain in a distance, and in the middle of the village was a well, older than the rest of the place. Strangely enough, while the place was void of people, humans and Mobians alike, it certainly had quite a couple of Mobini animals, but it was mostly now populated by Chao.
"No way..." Sonic whispered, feeling his heart drop that this was a place he never heard of...thus whoever attacked it surprisingly earlier years ago, he had been unable to save and began to feel guilty despite that it hadn't been his fault.
"What could have happened to this place? This is just...awful." Tails muttered, feeling the pang of familiarity and growing sadness form into his chest as a lump formed in his throat.
"This is terrible." The blue hedgehog murmured, as he and his little brother slowly walked into the ruins of this village, not sure what to make of it. He then asked in wonder. "Hey, Tails. Does the guidebook say anything about this village?"
Blinking in realization that he hadn't thought of it, the two-tailed fox pulled out the aforementioned book and attempted to read through it in order to find a clue about this unnamed village. To his surprise and disappointment, he couldn't and sighed. "No, there's nothing in here that indicates of this town. It's almost like it was either hidden in secret from the outside world, or that everybody in Mobius think that it doesn't even exist."
Looking back up as they stopped near the well, he then came up with a theory. "But with all of these Chaos around, maybe it's like a Chao Coloney, but having lived with some kind of secret society."
"Hmmm...With these little guys around, I guess would make sense. Question is, what happened here?" Sonic thought after a moment, his fingers on his chin.
Before the two brothers could continue their conversation, the little Chao that lead them here then chirped happily as many other Chaos then gathered around which surprised the blue hedgehog and the two-tailed cub who blinked in confusion, before the little creatures chirped in excitement and gathered around the eight year old fox, some happily hugging him which made the young child laugh and giggle, others, seeing the cobalt speedster and sensing that he was a very friendly outsider, gathered around and greeted him.
"Hiya. You sure seem pretty excited, huh, li'l guys?" Sonic greeted with a chuckle, gently stroking two Chaos on the head, making them chirp and beam happily with the little burbles on their heads become heart-shaped with pure affection.
"H-Hey, that tickles, you guys! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Tails laughed as he was being nuzzled and cuddled by the adorable, gentle and friendly Chaos.
"So, you have returned at long last, little one." An unfamiliar elderly female voice spoke from up ahead, causing both companions to look up and saw, to their great big surprise, an elderly Mobian vixen, who's yellow fur was aging to silver-grey, white furry muzzle, cobalt blue eyes, aging-orange-grey hair that went to her upper arms, wearing a silver robe with a wooden walking stick, and a gentle smile.
But what caught both brothers off-guard was her tail...no, tails, more like it. Two of them! Just like the eight year old cub, as she smiled warmly with a simple gesture of kindness and compassion. Flabbergast by this appearance, Sonic and Tails were almost completely speechless while the Chao, seeing their caretaker, flew over excitedly to the elderly vixen who greeted them by gently stroking one on the head.
"I-I-I-I-I don't...I don't believe it!" Tails exclaimed in shock, wondering if he was having a wishful thinking dream. "You've...you've got two tails, just like...just like me!"
"You have grown since the last I've seen you...Miles Prower." The elderly female fox greeted at the shocked and bewildered young cub.
"You...You know my name?" The two-tailed boy fox blinked at the mention of his real name.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Time-out for a second!" Sonic exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief and complete confusion. "What's going on here? Who are you? How do you know my little brother? Why do you have two tails just like he does?"
The elderly fox chuckled at the confusion, before gazing at the young blue hedgehog and said. "Ah...So you have adopted the little one and raised him as your sibling. I can sense that you have a pure heart, young man. Thank you so much for looking after the little one."
That only confused the two surrogate brothers even further as they just stood there in dumbfounded silence. Just what was going on here? Who was this lady?
Suddenly it occurred in Tails' mind even though it only left him even more confused. "Wait! If you know me, and you have two tails just like I do, then that means..."
"Yes, little one. This is your home. What remains of Kistune Village." The elderly vixen confirmed, much to the shock of the eight year old fox and the fifteen year old hedgehog.
"Kistune...Village?" The young fox cub murmured, now filled with even more questions in his mind. Would that mean...he wasn't born on Westside Island after, but was instead taken there in the first years of his life? Long before he was old enough to remember?
Even Sonic came to the same realization as he looked around, feeling like something horrible happened that involved in the possibility of Tails actually being taken from this place, far from Isalenna and straight towards Westside Island which didn't help the poor kit's situation.
"Wait, so you're saying that Tails wasn't always from Westside Island where I first met him?" Sonic asked with a small shrug.
"Tails?" The old woman asked, sounding more curious than disappointed and confused.
"Oh, uh...That's my nickname my friends call me." Tails explained sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, while the blue hedgehog smiled apologetically.
"Ah, I see." The elderly vixen smiled once more, as she understood before gesturing the young Mobians to follow her. "Please, come this way, young ones. I am certain there is much you want to know."
Not sure what she meant by that and, to be honest, they were now very curious about the mystery over the eight year old fox's past they both thought they mostly knew as he had spend the first four years of his life on Westside Island, Tails and Sonic shared a glance and a shrug before following the strange but seemingly kind two-tailed lady fox, with the Chao that lead them here following. It still made them wonder what happened that made the fox cub to end up being separated from this place that was where he was born and ended up on the cruel island where four years later he made the blue hedgehog who had become his first ever friend and soon his adoptive big brother.
'What could possibly she know about me? Why haven't I heard of anything of this place growing up? I don't understand.' Tails thought to himself, getting more and more nervous and worried about learning about his undiscovered past, and the more he and Sonic walked, the more this place gave him the same feeling of familiarity he just couldn't place.
Sonic in the meantime, feeling grave concern for his little brother, couldn't help but gaze worriedly at the young fox's troubled expression and began to sense that whatever they were going to learn would be heart-breaking.
'Poor Tails. It's already bad enough he had a tough life on Westside Island before I met him, back when he lost his parents and lived through all of the cruel torture of hatred and being bullied. Now he has to go through learning what caused his life to turn upside down before my parents and I adopted him? How much more horrible things does he have to take? It isn't fair.' The blue hedgehog thought to himself, before placing his arm around his best friend's shoulders to give him as much comfort as he could offer.
Feeling his big brother's touch, the two-tailed kit gazed up at the hero of Mobius who gave him a soft, warm, loving and comforting smile, making the younger Mobian smile back in gratitude, leaning slightly into the one-arm embrace, knowing that no matter what happened or what they would learn, they will still have each other.
"So um, ma'am..." Sonic began as politely as he could sound, but was gently interrupted by the mysterious old vixen's chuckle.
"Please, call me Keila." The elderly vixen, introducing herself as Keila, gently requested. "Although I am curious about your name, young hedgehog."
"Well, alright then, Keila. My name's Sonic; Sonic the Hedgehog. I'm Tails' best buddy and big bro'." The cobalt teenager replied, pointing at himself with his thumb, which made Tails feel a bit embarrassed but he smiled and shook his head with faux exasperation. "Anyway, what happened to this place? Why are you still here?"
"Sonic's right, Ms. Keila. You're here all by yourself with the Chao. Did you turn it into a Chao Colony?" The two-tailed fox added curiously and in concern.
"You will both know in time, but yes, I have been taking good care of these little ones for the remainer of my life." Keila replied, leading the younger Mobians into a house that was like a old cottage build deep within a large tree which reminded Sonic of Mnyambo's home in Mazuri, where she gestured them to step inside.
Hesitant and on edge, Sonic and Tails did so while sticking close, following the woman and the Chao inside with the door closing behind them. To their surprise and relief, it was nice and cosy even though it too aged over the years. None the less, it had knitted crochet blankets over chairs, a frilly table cloth on a wooden table designed to resemble part of a tree, comfortable arm plushed chairs and stool chairs around the table, though there were only a couple, a bookshelf with aging books, a fireplace that had a hook where a teapot hanged boiling water, tea cups set, a single bed with another crochet blanket, and pot plants with herbs that smelled strongly of fresh mint.
"Have a seat, dears." Keila kindly gestured at the two arm chairs, which Sonic and Tails did so, before she asked them while taking the tea pot that began to steam and whistle. "Tea?"
"Sure, why not." The blue hedgehog politely with a wave.
"Yes, please." The two-tailed fox cub added politely.
The kindly two-tailed vixen pour the tea into two cups and handed them to her guests who thanked her and both took cautious sips after cooling them down a little, finding the hot liquid very tasty, while Keila poured herself a cup of her own and took a seat on another chair, and the Chao that lead the two brothers into the Kitsune Village had a cup of it's own, seated next to her.
"Now then, first I would like to ask you two why you have come here to the continent of Isalenna and what brought you here." Keila requested.
"We're here on an adventure together, just the two of us. I made a promise to Tails that we'd go on a journey to have fun and explore new places. Not that we haven't been on tons of them since the day we first met, but this place is really cool. It was his idea to come here in the first place." Sonic explained, referencing on their adventure throughout the Isalennain continent.
"It's not much that I know of. I just found a guidebook that made this place very interesting to explore and see. So far everything here has been fun and really exciting." Tails bashfully added, before admitting as he shuddered over a certain memory. "Though there had been a couple of complications along the way, like what happened in Tesrod Village and the legend of the Scepter of Illusions."
The blue hedgehog grimaced over that time as well. "Yeah, that crazy cleaner guy at the Museum really wanted to make himself King and potentially take over Mobius. It's good thing the two of us and a couple of new friends put a stop to that, even though he turned himself into a giant."
Keila frowned in concern. "I had feared that the Scepter of Illusions would be used once more, as it would only be a matter of time before that cursed object would be wielded by the one with a malevolent heart."
"Don't worry, Keila. Like I said, me and Tails put a stop to it and smashed that thing into pieces, freeing the first person who trapped himself in it and Jeremony the cleaner ended up shrunk to the size of a doll. The curse is now officially broken." Sonic reassured and Tails nodded to confirm it.
This surprised the vixen as her eyes widened upon hearing the news, before gazing directly into Sonic's eyes for a long moment, as though attempting to read his mind, or his heart, or his soul. The blue hedgehog couldn't tell as he began to feel a little uncomfortable, not sure what to expect. She then smiled warmly and nodded with approval.
"Your heart is very pure, and your soul and mind hold deep compassion. You have a very benevolent spirit, as only those who are benevolent are able to destroy the Scepter of Illusions and end it's curse." Keila responded, before chuckling. "Yet I can tell that you are much like the wind, gentle and kind that blows to give hope, yet fearsome and powerful like a hurricane when given a choice, with the aid of your gift you were born with."
Sonic blushed slightly upon hearing this while Tails covered his mouth with his gloved hand, trying not to laugh but ended up snickering. The blue hedgehog then shrugged. "What can I say? I'm the fastest thing alive. But I couldn't have done it without Tails with me. It takes friendship, family and teamwork to go through really tough times, you know. If it weren't for Tails' bravery and really cool inventions and piloting skills, I'd be a goner."
He then turned to his best friend/little brother affectionately, "He's a hero too. One of the best with one of the purest hearts I've ever seen."
"C'mon, Sonic. It was you who motivated me to be a hero." Tails pointed out, now blushing himself.
"Tails, you can do things even I can't do. Like the Sea-Mask ya' made me, and boy that really helped me out at that Aquarium." The blue hedgehog reminded with a wink.
"A Sea Mask, you say?" Keila asked, curiously.
"It's not much of a big deal. I made it almost two months ago because, well, I like to build and fix things. Plus I can fly biplanes, too." The eight year old cub explained.
"My, you really are quite intelligent for your young age, Miles. Your mother and father would be so proud of you." The vixen nodded, though what she just said shocked them upon hearing this, making her gently hold a hand as she sighed, her smile fading into a look of sadness. "I am terribly sorry for your loss, child. They were benevolent to fault, as were many that once lived here."
"Not to rush you or anything, but that kinda brings back to my earlier questions. What happened here?" Sonic spoke up as he and Tails both became concerned once more.
"Where is everyone?" The young fox added.
"I'm afraid a tragedy occurred in a near of nine years ago. Six months after you were born, in fact." Keila shook her head, bowing her head slightly.
"Tragedy?" Tails and Sonic both chorused in deep concern and complete shock.
"Before I begin, I must ask. You were going to Lancacle City, yes?"
"Yeah..." The blue hedgehog replied, not sure what to make of the question.
"It's one of the last two stops on our trip before we head back home." The two-tailed kit explained. "Is there something wrong with it?"
Keila gazed at them with a hint of sadness but also being firm at the same time. "It is true that Lancacle City does allow outsiders from all across Mobius, but I'm afraid it is far too dangerous for you, child. The guidebook you hold may provide information, but not all is provided to visitors as quite a few towns and villages, such as Tesrod and Lancacle City, they hide the truth of pasts in fear of history repeating itself."
"What!?" Sonic gasped in shock, sharing a slightly horrified glance with Tails who shivered while rubbing his arms, gulping fearfully as they never expected to hear about anything about this.
"Well...considering what happened a couple weeks back, I can totally understand why." The eight year old kit grimaced.
"You're telling me, bro. And I thought the stuff that's happened in Tesrod was bad enough." Sonic shuddered in agreement, placing his arm around his little brother's shoulders. Suddenly he didn't like the idea of going to Lancacle City. "Maybe we should skip that place after we leave and then head over to the next town."
"Yeah, even though the book also says that it allows visitors and tourists, it's no wonder it's one of the least favorite spots of Isalenna. Especially when something awful happened that they don't like two-tailed kitsunes." Tails responded.
"I'm afraid it is not just kitsunes, child." Keila spoke up once more, gently stroking her pet Chao on the head as it cooed. "While they are not violent people, nearly everyone of the city treat all foxes very poorly and make them leave after a day visit. Wolves are in the similar manner even though the city is ruled by a wolf population who hate all foxes, especially Kisune, as they are the cause of the fear and misjudgement, which is why it is best you stay far away from it."
"Please, Ms. Keila...C-Can you tell us what happened?" The eight year old cub requested, despite feeling the chills as he felt like he didn't want to know but knew that he had to.
Despite not wanting to place fear or deep sorrow and regret into the boy's heart, Keila nodded, before she began. "Long ago, our village was the home of many foxes with two tails, much like you and I, Miles. You may not know of this, but we are a special kind of Mobian foxes, known as the Twin-Kitsune, children born under the light of the original Nine-Tailed Kitsune, or so our legends say, as we have come to know her as Kena(1), the Spirit Goddess who elders would say that she guides spirits of the deceased to peace if they feel unsettled once they have passed."
"Twin-Kitsune?" Tails blinked, before realizing with a soft gasp. "Wait! So that means...I wasn't born genetically mutated?"
"Yes, and no, in a way. You see, child, for years we have been peaceful, yet many of the outside world would not understand us, as centuries ago, our ancestors were thought has cursed or evil, especially by small islands who too would fear outsiders. Which is why we have hidden ourselves until we would one day be ready to venture out into the rest of Mobius and hope to coexist with the rest of life; Mobians and humans, alike." Keila explained.
"That explains why this place was so well hidden when your friend brought us here." Sonic stated thoughtfully.
"And why nobody else has seen a twin-tailed fox like me before." Tails added in agreement.
The elderly two-tailed vixen nodded, continuing as she thought back to the days of the younger fox's birth right up to the events which lead to the tragedy.
Flash-Back: Almost nine years ago...
"Inspite of our fears of the outside world, we have lived in peace and harmony, together with the Chao who had become our most loyal friends, safe within our presence. Children would be safe and happy, and would play with each other as well as our dearest companions."
In a still fully populated Kitsune Village where buildings were like cottages, the well kept clean and polished with buckets of water pulled up, other two-tailed kitsunes would either chop wood into lumber, vixens would pick fruit or cook fresh warm meals from freshly backed bread to sweet cookies, and warm vegatable soup, little children that were pure orange, brown, or yellow like Tails in the future were playing around with a couple of babies clapping away.
Inside one of the homes, though, a tall two-tailed fox wearing a blue shirt and brown boots, and an eye-patch over his right eye was sitting beside the bed of a yellow-orange two-tailed vixen who, exhausted and tired while resting in bed, smiled lovingly at the little bundle resting in her arms, and Keila stood by their side with a warm smile.
"But the happiest day like many before, was the day that you were born, Miles, to your father Amadeus, and your mother Rosemary Prower, a kindly couple who put the safety of their people above their own. The day you were born, child, was the day of their love being strengthed, their light of hope."
The baby is revealed to be the newly born Miles, who giggled and cooed, waving his arms at his parents who gazed at them lovingly, his mother gently kissing him on the forehead, and his father then holding him in his arms, the little newborn kit's tails swishing about in excitement.
"Hello, Miles. Welcome to the world...my son." Amadeus greeted with a warm smile.
"Amadeus and Rosemary Prower? I remember those really being my parents' names!" Tails exclaimed in realization as it was one of the earliest memories he had, yet the ligering sadness of the reminder of how he lost them. He couldn't remember how as he barely knew them, but he did recall that they died when he was just two years old.
"So they lived here too, huh? That's interesting..." Sonic muttered to himself in thought, intrigued by the story.
Keila nodded.
"I was once a medicine woman of the village, a care taker and one of the elders and sages. It was my duty to ensure that children would be born safely along with their mothers. Like all children, you were a happy child, little one. Yet you were very curious about the outside world already for your age, fascinated in creatures that could fly, whether they were Chao, birds or butterflies. Insects that had the ability with wings."
For weeks and turning into months after Miles was born, the baby would happily play with the Chao, crawling along with the supervision of his mother, then noticed a butterfly near a flower and reached out for it only for the little creature to fly off into the sky, sights of a couple of birds also in the sky flying above the trees, and the Chao that also had that same ability. The two-tailed cub's face lit up in awe, clapping his hands as in his young mind, despite that it was impossible at the time, he wanted to fly as well. He then began to flap his arms up and down while pretending he could fly.
Rosemary just smiled and giggled over her son's imagination and curiosity, before approaching the baby and picked him up into her arms to allow him to get a better view of the sky. "The sky is beautiful. Isn't it, darling?"
"S-Sky...Sky!" Baby Miles squealed, having already being intelligent enough to talk, which was a surprise since normally babies didn't start talking until they were at least two years old.
Sonic couldn't help but snicker gently over this information, teasingly saying to Tails. "Guess you really loved flying so much that your tails read your mind a couple years later, huh?"
"Oh, Sonic...!" Tails giggled, slight embarrassed with a mock of exasperation, but he knew that his older brother was right.
Statement did surprise Keila, but she decided to ask them on what they meant later and continued the story.
"But even with peace, there was a sinister heart within the village who would volunteer to gather supplies and bring a worthy visitor with a promise to keep our home and our legacy a secret. What we did not know is that the visitor whom the sinister one would bring, would be one of the most black hearted creatures of the world."
Both Sonic and Tails gasped in horror as their hearts dropped into their stomachs. While they both had their own theories and hoped that they were wrong, they were becoming horrified upon hearing the story, especially that one of the villagers of this place would go and betray their own kind which had put everybody's lives in danger.
"The sinister one heart, whom we called Sin Therous, had one day fled our village, and at some point forcefully removed one of his tails to resemble that of an ordinary Mobian fox, and entered Lancacle City, tricking and bringing the wolf pack into invading our home and claim the truth and possibly the powers of the goddess, claiming our people to be monsters and mistakes of the nature of Mobius itself." Keila said grimly.
"WHAT!?" Sonic and Tails both screamed in horror.
"NO! No, that's just not right! How could he could this!?" Sonic protested, shaking his head.
"Sin Therous...he really did that just to get the power for himself?" Tails asked, shakily, beyond horrified upon what he was hearing as he leaned into Sonic's arms even more, whimpering and feeling his heart break.
Keila nodded grimly as she continued. "Sin and the Wolf Pack, lead by the evil black heart, Reece O'Connell, then began to attack our home, demanding for the location of Kena, taking away many lives before the hunter threw away Sin's life as he was no longer of use. But I could not stand by and allow this to happen. I could only help as many Chao, children and their mothers and fathers to escape as possible. Including your and your family, Miles."
Everything was beginning to become devastated, many of the Twin-Kitsune attempted to flee for their lives even though the fathers and non-fathers tried to fight back against the invading wolves who fought back with brutal force, people screaming and Chao being forced into hiding along with parents and their young children, some separated and crying for their mothers. To make things worse, it was a dark and stormy night with rain pouring yet did so little to put out the fires which Lightning strikes added to the flames.
Rosemary tried to run with six month old baby Miles who, not fully understanding what was going on, saw many terrifying faces of the invading wolves, everything on fire, and...the Lightning flashing in the sky, thunder booming. One struck much too close to the fleeing mother who nearly fell to the ground but ended up dropping to her knees. Miles, flinching in fright upon seeing the scary event and what it could do, teared up and began to wail and cry.
"Shhh, shhhh...It's alright, darling. Mommy's here...Mommy's got you..." Rosemary attempted to soothe and calm her son, about to stand up as quickly as possible to try and escape, only sense movement behind her and looked over her should, gasping when she saw a tall and muscular Mobian Wolf, black and grey, holding up an axe.
"Hmph...Yeah, Mommy's got you, alright...and you both are going to the deepest abyss of the UNDERWORLD!" The Wolf declared, swinging the axe down to kill them both.
"NO!" The mother vixen screamed, clutching her child tightly to her chest and rolled out of the way, but not far enough as she screamed in agony when she felt the sharp blade make contact with at least one of her tails...and she curled up on the ground, while realizing that, feeling the stinging sensation, she could no longer feel her second tail, and tears welled up in her eyes. The second tail laid close by, having been cut clean off, which was picked up by the Wolf who chuckled.
"This would make a great souvenir...now for your dead body, and the rug for your little two-tailed baby rat..." The Wolf chuckled in a sickening way, advancing on the helpless mother and child who whimpered and cried even louder.
But just as the wolf was about to finish them off...
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Suddenly Miles' father, Amadeus, came charging and punched the wolf squarely in the face, clashing and struggling against one of the enemies, who fought back with greater strength, even to the point of slicing his tail off and causing the older fox to scream in agony, but managed to grab hold of a burning log and not only burnt the wolf's eyes beyond repair as the latter howled in agony, but also knocked him out unconscious. Panting while wincing in pain over the loss of one of his tails, Amadeus attempted to ignore it and hurried over to his wife and son.
"Rosemary! Miles!" Amadeus exclaimed, horrified when he saw blood coming from the vixen's back, gently cradling her and their thankfully unharmed but traumatized and crying son who thankfully didn't see that his parents had just lost one of their tails and were now permanently ordinary one-tailed foxes.
"A-Amadeus..." Rosemary spoke, tearfully and in pain.
"Shhh...I'm here..." The one-eyed fox whispered comfortingly, carefully helping his wife to stand up while making sure they didn't drop their vulnerable child. He then gently caressed the baby's head while the infant was now hipcupping after crying for so long. "Shhhh...It's alright, son. Daddy's here..."
"Amadeus! Rosemary!" Keila's voice cried out, causing the family of three to gaze up to see the elderly two-tailed vixen who was gesturing at them to follow her and the Chao that managed to survive. "Come quickly!"
"Let's go!" Amadeus declared, knowing that this was their only hope in getting away. Rosemary nodded, and held Miles close to her arms as the two hurried before following Keila into the woods, far from the burning village, leaving their home behind, overrun and destroyed by Sin and the Wolf Pack.
"All of the children and most of their mothers had been fleed from the forest, but I could only lead them into a secret passage where they remain in a place only I know of, and I cannot reveal it's location. Yet I feared what would become of Miles, as while the Prowers parents were permanately made Fox Mobians, they could not stay in Lancacle City, nor could they stay in Isalenna. We made the difficult decision that the only hope was for all three to leave and find a place where they would remain safe and in peace. I stayed behind to keep the Chao safe once the wolves left, yet they had sent Sin to his demise once his usefulness was done, as well as guard the entrance of the secret passage."
Days had passed since the tragedy that occured, and with Miles being the only Prower to have two tails, both Amadeus and Rosemary made the agreement to leave with their child, tearfully bidding Keila, the Chao and their home farewell. For days on end they traveled across the region while keeping their child out of the sight of Mobians and humans who would remain unaware that they were both once Twin-Kitsune and that their son was one, fearing for his safety.
Finally, after getting a brief job to gain enough money to buy a plane, with Amadeus piloting despite having little to no skills, they fled Isalenna with Rosemary holding onto baby Miles who, despite not fully knowing what happened, had began to calm down and when he saw that they were really flying, his fears from the nights before vanished and his love for flying was renewed. The little cub reached out for a bird passing by, his sapphire blue eyes twinkling as blue and bright as the sky itself.
"I can only surmise they flew for days or weeks, before they finally reached the Island you two speak of; Westside Island. For the rest, I can tell that your mother and father did not survive, little one."
End of Flash-Back:
"...So that's how it is..." Tails murmured in realization, tears forming in his eyes as his heart broke even further, sniffling. "Because the earliest I could remember was there was fire on the island due to a horrible storm, and my Mom and Dad hid me when I was old enough and smart enough to walk and talk and I didn't need diapers anymore. After that they...they were gone. When the storm was over, I tried looking for them and...I never saw them again."
Sonic felt his own heart shatter into tiny specs of dust upon hearing such a horrible tragedy that occured, and this happened when the two-tailed fox cub was just a baby. To think that the kid had to go through such a terrible event due to the betrayal of a Twin-Kitsune who paid for the price of selling out his own people just for power of a Kitsune goddess only to meet his untimely demise as well. Plus upon hearing what happened, it was no wonder his little brother was afraid of storms and lightning, and losing his parents to a storm two years later only increased said fear and made it worse.
"I am sorry, child. If only we had known, we would have stopped Sin. But by then, it was too late." Keila apologetically shook her head in sympathy and sadness over the memories, and the little Chao moaned in misery.
"Why...? Why did he do this?" The eight year old cub breathed heavily in sorrow and anguish. "Why did he have to go bring those mean wolves and take everything away!?"
"Oh, Tails...!" The fifteen year old hedgehog whispered, pulling his brother into a comforting embrace as Tails wailed and cried into the blue hero's chest, making Sonic gently rock the heart-broken fox back and forth. "Shhhh, shhhh...It's okay, Tails. It's okay...it-it's gonna be okay..."
But even as Sonic was saying this, his own voice was croaked with sadness with tears leaking and sliding free from his closed eyes, trying hard not to cry himself. He felt his little brother's pain, he wished he could make it go away, he was furious over what Sin and those cruel wolves had done yet there wasn't a thing even the hero of Mobius could do to fix it. The only thing the cobalt hedgehog could do was to be there for Tails, and keep to his promise to keep him safe, making him happy and give him as much love as he desperately needed.
'It's not fair...How much more torture did he have to go through?' Sonic thought to himself. More than anything, he felt terrible. Besides losing Uncle Chuck when he was a little boy, the cobalt teenager was probably one of the more luckier ones amongst his friends.
Tails lost his family and home in two separate and horrible incidents. Amy lost her parents to who knows what. Knuckles was the last of his kind of all of Mobius and the entire universe. Cream almost lost her mother due to Julius who had murdered his and Eggman's own father because of jealousy. Shadow lost Maria which drove her and Eggman's grandfather Professor Gerald Robotnik into insanity.
Keila could only gaze at the duo, before approaching them and gently placed a comforting hand Tails' head, making him and even Sonic, who sensed her movement, to look up at her as she wisely told the youngest in the room. "Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you choose to be, and the pure heart of the one you chose to trust and share your heart with."(2)
That instantly made Tails realize the truth of Keila's words as despite that after he lost his parents and had spent another two years of his life bullied because he was different on South Island, he remembered everything which changed his life for the better, making him into who he is now. Especially when he gazed up at Sonic who, also realizing that she was right, smiled warmly at him with his usual wink and thumbs up.
From the day he first saw Sonic, to fixing up his plane and facing him for the first time, the blue hedgehog admiring his skills and kindness, playing together, their first adventure against Eggman together, all of the fun times, both on-field and off-field, Tails even remembered the first few weeks of living with Sonic and their parents, the back-then eleven year old hedgehog giving the back-then four year old fox cub a ride on his back while pretending to be a train, even making train noises which had the young kit laugh happily, Sonic joining him.
The confidence he gained spending time with the blue hedgehog, meeting the rest of their friends, all of their adventures together despite the hardships and temporarily separations, the reunions, saving the world, Tails even saving Station Square all by himsel during the Chaos crisis, and all of their recent adventures including the eight year old helping the fifteen year old slowly recover from his misplaced guilt and depression, and their adventures here in Isalenna right before coming here to his birthplace.
He even remembered the promise they made before their previous adventure up in Eggman's Interstellar Amusement Park.
Flash-Back: The events of "Sonic and the Power of the Wisps"...
"WOOO HOOO!" Sonic cheered happily, loving the breeze that blew into his quills and on his face. "This is living!"
"It's really a beautiful day, huh?" Tails asked in agreement. "We would do this forever if we wanted to!"
"You said it, li'l buddy! And today, we're going on another adventure! Just you and me! Whaddya say?"
His best friend laughed happily. "That would be awesome, dude!"
Sonic laughed, smirking brightly at his best friend. "That's the spirit! We'll grab some Chili Dogs for lunch and then plan our next journey. We could go anywhere!"
End of Flash-Back:
"I guess you're right. Even though what happened almost nine years ago was horrible, if it didn't happen at all, I never would've met Sonic, or have him as my best buddy and big brother." Tails admitted, smiling tearfully.
"And I never woulda raised you as my best brave buddy and little brother either." Sonic agreed, gently stroking the two-tailed fox's head affectionately. "Tails, you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'll do my best to keep you safe and happy, and let you make your own choices. I promise."
"And I promise to help you whatever way I can do, big bro." The eight year old kit vowed happily.
Sonic just smiled, and the two brothers tightened their loving embracing, their bond becoming as strong as ever, with the blue hedgehog gently kissing him on the head. Seeing such the heart-warming scene made both Keila and her Chao smile, happily knowing that Miles "Tails" Prower was in the great care of Sonic the Hedgehog, who had loved him just as the young boy's parents had loved him from the day of his birth to the end of their lives, watching over him.
Once they calmed down knowing that they couldn't change the past, but now that they the truth, they would look forward further into their future while living in the present, Sonic and Tails moved away slightly with the latter wiping away his eyes and gazed at each other lovingly.
"Feeling better, li'l bro?" The blue hedgehog asked, and the two-tailed fox nodded, before they turned back to Keila who nodded in approval.
"Ms. Keila..." Tails began, moving away from Sonic and then hugged her in deep gratitude. "Thank you for saving me and my parents."
"You are quite welcome, child." The elderly vixen nodded, gently hugging the boy back, then looked up at the hero of Mobius, saying. "Sonic, thank you for taking care of young Miles. It's a miracle that you have found him."
Sonic blushed a little sheepishly, snickering. "Actually, it's more of the case that he found me." He then smiled warmly and added. "But you're welcome. I'm just so relieved that Tails managed to escape that day."
He then gazed at the little Chao who flew over to him and squeeled happily when the blue hedgehog gently patted it on the head. "And you know, it's thanks to this little guy that we've been brought here. Otherwise things would've been complicated if we did go to Lancacle City."
"Sonic's right. I'm really glad that the Chao brought us to Kitsune Village and have you warn us about the town." Tails agreed, moving away from Keila. "But I am curious, though. How are the other people living in the secret passage?"
"They had managed to recover, but it is best it should remain this way." The old two-tailed vixen shook her head, before giving the youngest two-tailed fox a reassuring smile. "But you, Miles, have the choice of rejoining your kin, or stay with your new brother Sonic the Hedgehog and be free to live in the outside world."
The two younger Mobians softly gasped at this; Tails had a choice...to meet his own people in person besides Keila? Feeling uncertain at first, before looking at Sonic who gave him a shrug indicating that the choice was his even though there was a look of sadness in his emerald green eyes but would accept whatever his little brother would choose, the more the eight year old thought about it, the more he realized that he would feel more uncomfortable in meeting and living with strangers in the same place for the rest of his life. Plus he would have to say goodbye to his new family and friends if he did.
Making up his mind already, the two-tailed kit shook his head and politely declined. "I'm sorry, Keila. But I...I wanna stay with Sonic and everybody else that I've met. I've learned a whole lot in the last nearly five years, and I got the chance to see new places, to have fun with my friends, and help to save the world. No offense, but I kinda like my freedom."
"I had a feeling you would say that. Who am I to stop you?" Keila nodded, understanding. "You have grown into a fine and handsome young man. You look just like your mother, especially with her beautiful eyes."
That made Tails blush as he scratched the back of his head, while Sonic happily placed a hand onto his shoulder, and while the blue hedgehog would've have to accept in saying goodbye to his brother if he chose to stay here but would respect the choice, he was so relieved and happy that the two-tailed fox decided to stay with him instead.
"I always thought he looked really cute, especially his way past cool two tails." The blue hedgehog half-teasingly stated, which made his little blush even harder with a giggle, shared by the teenage Mobian and the elderly woman. Sonic then said reassuringly. "And don't you worry about a thing. We won't tell anybody about Kitsune Village or the secret passage. Right, bro?"
"Right, Sonic." Tails nodded in agreement, knowing that it was best that his past and the past of the Kitsune Village would forever remain a secret.
Knowing that the two would keep to their promise, Keila nodded. "Thank you."
The little Chao flew around happily cheering knowing that despite that the story would always be sad, it was happy that it brought Tails back and learned that the two-tailed fox had found a best friend and big brother in Sonic, one of the most trust worthy and benevolent people in Mobius, the hero of the planet itself. They both laughed affectionately while the elderly vixen smiled.
Things were really looking up for the future.
Five days later...
After saying goodbye to Keila and the Chao Colony of the Kitsune Village Ruins and departing from the area itself, Sonic and Tails deliberately avoided Lancacle City for the latter's safety and instead continued onward for the last known town of Isalenna and explored it as well as the area around it. Once they completed their Isalenna tour and fueled up the Tornado 1, the two brothers were now flying their way back home, leaving behind the continent and passing over the ocean.
"Now that was a fun Eggman-free adventure!" Sonic said, standing on the wings of the plane with his arms folded, enjoying the wind blowing against his face and quills, contend and enjoying the freedom he and his brother shared.
"Yeah! Even though there had been quite a few misadventures along the way, I'd say it was one of the best we've ever had." Tails agreed happily as he flew the plane, happily content as he enjoyed the freedom of being able to fly.
As they flew across the large expanse of the ocean heading back to the continent of the United Federation of Soumerca, the two-tailed fox then took a glance at his left and found that this particular sight was strikingly familiar. For a moment, he thought he saw himself in the arms of his late birth-mother, as a baby kit, reaching his arms out for a bird. The sight of familiarity made him feel so free, free from the tragedies he had to go through, and free from the life of bullies. He smiled, finally understanding his love for flying.
"Tails? You okay?" The blue hedgehog spoke up, noticing his little brother's thoughtful expression.
"I'm okay. In fact, I don't think I've felt any better." The eight year old cub replied, looking over his shoulder briefly. "It's all thanks to you, Sonic. You made me who I am today."
Sonic just smiled warmly and happily, replying. "And I wouldn't have made it this far without you. The day we met will always be the best day of our lives. But no matter where we are, even far apart, we'll always be together forever. I've always been so proud of you, li'l buddy. And I'll always will be."
Tails smiled just as happily. "Thanks, big bro."
The two brothers laughed, before the youngest Mobian focused on ahead once more as they were almost home, ready to see the rest of their friends and family again, to share their stories of their adventures together, give out the souvenirs to everybody else that they bought, and looking forward to whatever comes next for them.
With their Isalenna adventure now over, Sonic and Tails couldn't wait for whatever comes next ahead of them, and little did they know, they were in for many more big adventures that were coming much sooner than they would expect.
Sonic's Next Adventure Awaits...
And...
To be Continued
In
Sonic and the Curse of the Sun Stone.
A/N: As shown in the ending of this mini-story, Sonic's next adventure leads directly into the still worked on story "Sonic and the Curse of the Sun Stone". But there will be more mini-stories within this one set after the events of said separate story which will continue to lead towards "Sonic's Space-Time Adventure".
Not sure when I'll be able to update this again(if Fanfiction survives since it's having problems again at the moment), but I'll do my best to update my other stories once I get out of the writer's block.
I did the best I could as I was struggling with how this one-shot would bring, but then I recalled the demo special prequel episode of Final Fantasy XV game and the trailer of Kena: Bridge of Spirits which I have yet to try out since it looks interesting and based this one them.
(1) Kena is based on the main protagonist, but as a Kitsune Goddess rather than a human spirit guide.
(2) Reference to the Soothsayer in Kung Fu Panda 2 even though I'm not much of a fan of the franchise, but I have seen parts of the second movie.
See you later!