Tails woke up to a snap by his ear. He cracked open his eyes, blinking groggily at the paper plates crusted with dried frosting on the coffee table.
"You're perfect."
Tails' ears twitched, his eyes becoming alert as he raised his head. Pale yellow light striped down the middle of his face, and he squinted, turning towards the illumination.
A spiky-haired shadow stood in the wide doorway of the room, silhouetted by the hallway lights.
"Sonic?" Tails called, his voice rough from disuse.
He scrubbed his eyes and hopped off the sofa, yawning while he slouched over to the teen. "Did you say something—"
Tails stopped. The Star fragment rested in Sonic's hands, his fingers arched into the cloth around it. The kit gasped, and suddenly he was very awake.
"Thirty-eight Tailses."
Tails' eyes snapped back to Sonic. Yet the teen was staring hard at the crystal.
"And you're one of the few with his DNA."
Tails frowned, unease threading through his heart. How did Sonic know his DNA? And why was he mentioning it?
His tails shifted uncertainly and he went to speak. Wind blasted his face. Tails yelped as he was bundled into Sonic's arms, and the fragment skimmed over his chest. The crystal vibrated, glowing brilliantly, while a piercing chime rattled the air.
Tails recoiled, shouting, "What are you—"
White exploded around them. There was the sound of shattering glass. Then they were touching down, dust sweeping into Tails' lungs and his shadow flickering across a stone floor.
Tails coughed and eyed their dimly lit surroundings. An ancient stone bridge was stretched out before them. Tails' eyes widened under the glow of the fire-lit chandelier burning high above. The Chaos Star temple?
He looked to the bridge side. The black ocean was gone, and a dark void had taken its place. Tails gasped. This was the Star temple, which meant they were in Sonic's dimension.
"Recognize it?"
Tails jolted as Sonic set him on the floor, and his fur stood on end as he realized his situation.
"It's home sweet home." Sonic threw out his arms towards the temple. "And not just for me, but this is where all the crystal pieces zap to after I touch them."
Tails backed up, his wary gaze locked on the hedgehog, and Sonic frowned as his namesakes raised to fly.
"Hey." Tails paused while Sonic's eyes drew down and he gently said, "There's no need to be scared." He rubbed his neck, smiling bashfully. "I'm sorry for just dragging you here, but I didn't want you freaking out about me stealing the fragment and I kinda hoped you'd let me explain once we were here."
Liar, hissed a voice in the back of Tails' head. However, he shoved aside the paranoid thought and looked over the teen. Tentative hope was flickering in Sonic's gaze, his quills flexing nervously, and yes, he had kidnapped him. Yet he hadn't hurt him, wasn't restraining him, and…Tails wanted to trust him.
The fox frowned but sighed. "Okay." His eyes narrowed. "Explain."
Sonic perked up and nodded so fast his head blurred. "Thanks, buddy!" His smile waned, expression growing serious. "Look, I know we were planning on tracking Tails' voice across the dimensions—and that's a great plan!" He hastily waved him down like he might be offended. "But there's something else I want to try first, let's call it Plan A."
He turned to the staircase. "Follow me."
Sonic started up the steps and Tails hesitated, yet eventually walked after him. Their footsteps echoed on the stone, but his ears twitched at a faint humming coming from above—electricity?
"So," Sonic began, and Tails looked at him. "You know how the fragments keep sending me to other dimensions?"
He glanced back while sidestepping a crater in the staircase. Tails did the same, though he eyed the thick, long cracks in the stone. That was from when this Sonic tore apart Metal, right?
"Well, after a while, I realized the fragments could also send me back here."
Tails froze. "Your dimension traveling is voluntary?"
"Yes, though it's not like I can just quit anytime because—" Sonic's eyes squeezed shut—"It turns out my Tails made a wish," he said tightly, and the fox gasped. "He fixed the world at the cost of his existence."
Sonic stopped at the top of the stairs and opened his glimmering, mournful eyes. "But I also made a wish for Tails to be safe forever, and I have good reason to believe that means Tails still exists."
His face grew determined and he turned. Tails followed his gaze.
The Chaos Star stood whole and unbroken on its cracked pedestal. Tails' mouth dropped as Sonic approached what should have been the throne, but was now a sleek red podium.
"You fixed the Chaos Star?" Tails looked at him in awe.
"Yeah," Sonic smirked, though he glanced down to push a button on the podium's side. "Got all the pieces back together in a month." He shrugged. "I just break off a fragment whenever I want to go looking for Tails and it sends me to a dimension with a version of him in it."
Tails blinked, stunned, and maybe it should have been concerning Sonic had more control over his dimension traveling than he'd led him to believe, but curiosity quickly overtook his suspicions.
Tails turned to the crystal, his blue irises gleaming in interest. "Can I…?"
Sonic's face became fond and he nodded. "Go ahead."
Tails brightened and was up the last few steps and examining the Chaos Star in seconds. The sphere was taller and wider than him, its surface reflective and smooth like a chaos emerald.
His tails wagged excitedly, but he didn't have his Miles Egglectrical to see if the Star had the same properties as an emerald, so he raised his hand to check its surface himself.
"Run."
Tails gasped, his hand snapping back at the harsh whisper. Who?
He looked around. Sonic was staring at a blue holographic screen beaming over the podium, reading what seemed to be brain waves. He hadn't heard the voice?
Tails' expression pinched, and he turned back to the Star. His frowning reflection met his gaze. That voice had been his own, just like the voice he'd heard in the crystal pyramid. But why was he hearing one of his dimensional counterparts now? And why did it sound like his counterpart was warning him?
"Alright."
Tails jumped and whirled around. Sonic was behind him, smiling. "Ready for Plan A?"
Tails' brow furrowed. "What exactly is Plan A?"
Sonic bounced on the balls of his feet and lifted his pointer finger. "The only way to reverse a wish made with the Chaos Star."
Tails gasped. "You can reverse it?"
Sonic smirked. "Yeah, and it's easy." He waved at the spiked crystal. "All the wisher has to do is touch the Star, say, 'I renounce my wish', and bam! All the effects of your wish are wiped away and the Star restores whatever it took as payment."
He paused, face falling. "But my Tails isn't here to revoke his wish. That's why I need—"
"Me." Realization flared inside the fox. "You want me to trick the Chaos Star into thinking I'm your Tails and have me revoke his wish for him."
Sonic lit up and sent him a wink with a finger gun. "Spot on, pal." He dropped his hand, expression becoming serious as he looked to the giant crystal. "But the Chaos Star can't be fooled easily." He shook his head. "You can't just look like my Tails, you have to think like him, feel like him, you even need similar memories, and the closer your DNA, the better."
Something wild and desperate shined in Sonic's gaze, and Tails shrank under its intensity.
"Though I've got a feeling you're the one Tails who can pull it off." Sonic shrugged his hands. "And even if it doesn't work, your plan will at least help me figure out where to head next."
Tails frowned while Sonic looked expectantly at him and he wanted to agree but…
The fox wilted, turning away. "And then I'll never see you again."
Sonic jolted and Tails shouldn't have said anything, but his heart ached too much for him to stay silent. It had just been so nice these past few days, hanging out, facing danger together, exploring strange new places, and simply being around each other. He…he hadn't done most of those things in months. He couldn't even remember the last time Dr. Robotnik accepted an invitation to eat out, and they hadn't battled together since obtaining the sixth chaos emerald…
Honestly, those Eggmanland tickets had been sitting on his shelf far longer than he cared to admit. Of course, he understood the Doctor was a busy man, but sometimes his lab was a little too quiet, the video games and movies just weren't enough, and he went to bed with a gaping emptiness in his chest.
Tails stared sadly at the ground. A sonic boom rustled his fur, yet he didn't look up even as Sonic caught his shoulder.
"Tails," Sonic said so gently Tails' eyes burned. No one would ever talk to him like this once Sonic left.
"Whoever said I wouldn't visit you?"
Tails inhaled sharply, his head whipping up. Sonic smiled while Tails whispered, "You'll…come back?"
Hope and uncertainty swirled inside him. However, Sonic smirked. "Until you're sick of me, pal."
Tails stared, eyes big and round. Gradually, a shaky smile curved his muzzle, warmth blooming from his head to his toes.
"O-okay," Tails said a bit choked up. Yet his eyes narrowed determinedly and he raised his fist over his chest. "Then let's get your friend back!"
Sonic blinked in surprise but soon he grinned. "That's the spirit!"
He let him go and Tails turned to the Chaos Star. Tails' confidence ebbed as he eyed the towering crystal, nervousness creeping up his spine. However, he shook off his fear and reached for the Star. He didn't notice Sonic's face creasing with guilt, his fingers twitching toward Tails before stilling.
Tails' hand hovered over the reflective surface. He gulped and planted his palm on the crystal.
Nothing happened. Tails sighed in relief and Sonic forced out a grin as the kit looked back, asking, "So I just have to say the words?"
Sonic nodded. "That and try to think of all the good times we spent together." Tails cocked his head and Sonic elaborated. "Like I said, your mind and heart have to resemble my Tails to fool the crystal, and if you think of happy memories with me, your feelings and thoughts should resemble him more."
The fox made an understanding noise and turned to the Star. "Alright, I'll try my best."
He closed his eyes, concentrating hard.
"This won't make me trust you."
An easygoing smile slid onto Tails' face. Oh, that time…
Tails scowled in the blue light of the Dome's CPU.
Yet Sonic smirked. "Or like me clearly."
That was when he'd first started to trust Sonic, even if he couldn't admit it back then.
Tails shoulders relaxed, and lost in the memory, he dazedly began, "I renounce my wis—"
"Sonic, no! "
Tails choked, eyes flying open. The temple was gone and a white void surrounded him. Suddenly, the floor vanished. Tails' mouth opened in a soundless scream as he fell into the white and lost himself to its brilliance.
Four Months Ago
A green forcefield shimmered around a crystal fragment. It drifted towards the Chaos Star, bobbing a bit in its enclosure before it stopped just above it. Spiderweb cracks scarred the sphere's surface, some of its spikes chipped or broken. Yet the fragment tilted towards the Star and floated down until their surfaces met.
Brilliant light flashed around them, a chime trilled through the air, and in seconds the light faded to reveal the Chaos Star, whole and unmarred.
"There!" Eggman grumbled from behind the red podium, clicking off the green beam shooting from his wristband. "The Chaos Star is fixed, are you happy now?"
He sneered at the seventeen-year old hedgehog and crossed his arms. Yet Sonic's back was to him while he laid his palm on the crystal, the slightest flick of his ears the only sign he'd heard him.
Eggman rapped his fingers impatiently along his arms, but when no reply came, he growled, "I'll take that as a yes." He turned. "Well, if you don't mind, I have things to do." He waved in a sarcastic farewell and started marching towards the stairs. "Emeralds to steal, cities to conquer."
His boots echoed along the stone as he went to step down.
"You were right."
He stopped. The doctor looked back, brow rising. "Right? About what?"
Sonic didn't look away from the Star as he quietly said, "You didn't kill Tails." Shock lit across Eggman's face. "And I don't blame you for what happened to him."
He turned to the Doctor. His green eyes were ice, mouth a grim line. "No," he said cooly and Eggman's expression became wary. "That's not what bothers me. It's the fact you would have let Tails die if it meant getting your wish."
Sonic's muzzle pulled back in a snarl and he glared at the floor. "And the fact I'm willing to do the same."
Eggman's brow rose while Sonic said, "When the Chaos Star shattered, it took me and Tails to another realm—another dimension." His fingers arched on the spherical crystal. "And I've been thinking, where does the Chaos Star take one's greatest strength? And how does it bring about your greatest wish?"
Eggman's eyes widened. "You think the Star is a dimensional portal?"
Sonic smirked. "According to my research, it is, which means I can use it to travel to other dimensions, and if I can find another Tails—"
"You'll have him revoke Tails' wish for him," Eggman said, strangely grave. He eyed Sonic, and after a moment, his mustache twitched with a frown.
"I never thought I'd see the day…"
Sonic's smirk faded, eyes narrowing.
"You'd be willing to commit murder."
The word hung heavy in the silence. Yet Sonic's expression didn't change and he…he'd lied to Tails, hadn't he?
White light blazed around Tails, and then he was opening his eyes to the Chaos Star under his glove. He stared blankly at its sparkling surface, numb shock coursing inside him until he just felt hollow. Slowly, he took back his hand.
"Tails?" Sonic asked, brow scrunching.
The fox bowed his head, his bang shadowing his face.
"Sonic," Tails whispered tonelessly and the teen's expression pinched. "Can we…go to Eggmanland now?"
Sonic jumped, bewilderment flashing across his face. "N-now?"
Tails' mouth quirked into a painful smile. "Yeah," he exhaled breathily. "You said we'd go today. So can we go now?"
The skin creased around Sonic's eyes. "Uh, sure, bud, but first we should try revoking—"
"You promised we'd go," the kit insisted, and Sonic faltered. "And I really want to show you the rollercoasters I designed. One's called the Tail Blazer, it's pretty f-fast."
His voice cracked with a sob and Sonic's eyes widened, realization dawning on him. "Tails, did the Chaos Star show you—"
"Our t-tickets have food passes too, there's gotta b-be a chili dog stand s-somewhere."
"Tails." Sonic's ears curled low while the fox swallowed another sob. "We…" He reached out, changed his mind, and dropped his arm, eyes shifting away. "We can go later."
Tails was silent. Then he whispered, "I want to go now."
Sonic sighed. "I know. We'll go right after—"
"I want to go now!"
Tails' head snapped up. His canines were bared, blue irises burning, yet tears were streaming down his face. Sonic looked up mournfully as Tails' anger crumbled and heartbreak twisted his expression.
"Why?" Tails whispered.
Sonic's jaw clenched and he turned away. "You should try revoking the wish—"
Tails' fist slammed on the Chaos Star. "You brought me here to die," he seethed between sharp, shuddering breaths, "The least you could do is tell me why."
Sonic's eyes narrowed, a strange look crossing his face, but he repeated, "You should try revoking the—"
"Code 8!"
A buzzsaw tore out of Tails' shoe, slicing the stone floor as he swung up his metal foot toward Sonic's head with a cry. Blue blurred beside him. Tails grunted, eyes widening as the world suddenly tilted and he fell onto his side. His bones rattled, elbow scraping the stone, yet he quickly sat up and looked down. His metal foot was gone, sliced cleanly from his ankle.
Tails' teary eyes widened while his ripped black and white sneaker clattered onto the staircase and tumbled off its side, plummeting into the black abyss.
"Why?" Sonic scoffed, and Tails flinched, looking up fearfully.
Sonic's cold gaze pinned him to the floor. "Because you don't have friends." Tails' breath hitched. "And your best friend," his voice lowered to a hiss, "Treats you like a pet."
Tails recoiled. His mouth moved to protest but the hedgehog continued, "I even asked Sonic if he would miss you."
The fox stiffened.
"But he was fine with never seeing you again."
Tails' eyes widened. And it shouldn't hurt, not after all the fights and broken promises between them. Yet Tails' blue irises stung and his breath shuddered with the start of a sob.
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Sonic frowned, some guilt spilling into his expression. "Thirty-eight Tailses…and you're the only one nobody would miss."
The fox gasped but…Sonic was right. His only friend was Robotnik…Robotnik who only called to hear about his work progress, who waved away all his offers to hang out, and who had merely mailed him a birthday gift last year. Two Eggmanland tickets with a promise to go next week, a week that never came.
Hot tears dribbled down Tails' cheeks while his head hung low. And could he blame the Doctor? Sonic was his enemy, he was a liar, he'd known that, and yet he'd betrayed his best friend and ran back to Sonic without a second thought. What a fool, how useless he'd become to Dr. Robotnik. The man deserved a better friend.
Blue sparks crackled around Sonic's quills. However, Tails didn't look up even as Sonic's electrified hand reached for him. He just cried quietly while his hand landed on his head. A shock zipped down his spine and Tails choked, stiffening. Yet there was no pain as a haze fell over him and grayed his sight.
Sonic's impassive expression was all he could see as the teen reached into his quills and pulled out Tails' brain monitor clip. The world blurred into shadows while the monitor snapped onto his ear. A buzz shot through his head. Then an image opened up amongst the shadows.
"This won't make me trust you."
Tails gasped.
"Or like me clearly." The computer's blue glow highlighted Sonic's smirk.
Tails' teeth gritted, eyes squeezing close. Memories? So Sonic had altered his monitor clip to not just read brain signals but to send signals, and now he was forcing him to relieve the memories needed to revoke the wish... He was using him just like he had all those years ago.
"Hold onto your seatbelt."
Tails' arms wrapped around himself, fingers digging into his flesh.
"Because I'm going at top speed, kid!"
In the eggclosure, Tails' wide eyes fell on his hands as they sunk into the blue fur of Sonic's shoulders.
A sob hitched Tails' breath. Lies, all of those moments were lies…and he'd believed every one of them.
The blue and white checkered floor gleamed as red sneakers rushed across them. Sonic dragged Tails out of his seat and glanced back with a smile that warmed him like the sun.
Blue. Tails always went back to blue. Sonic's blue fur under his hands, blue like the diner's checkered floor, and blue as the computer's glow on Sonic's face. Even after Sonic broke his heart, broke his trust, and left him with nothing, he kept crawling back to him again and again.
Not this time.
Rage swelled over the despair drowning his chest. A wild wrathful yell scalded his throat and with all his fury, his fists railed against the memory. The image cracked, pieces chipping away.
"This won't make me—"
Tails stuck the memory again.
The fox's eyes narrowed in the computer's glow, but Sonic smirked and some tiny part of Tails warmed—
His fist punched through Sonic's image. The memory quaked around his wrist.
"Or like me clear shrrkkkk—"
The image shattered, blue and yellow shards falling. Tails opened his eyes in a glare and found himself slumped against the Chaos Star's pedestal, Sonic a few feet away with his fingers rapidly typing on the podium's holographic keyboard.
Rage seared away the sharp-edged pain tearing at Tails' heart. Sonic had lied to him, used him just like he had all those years ago. Well, fine. Forget their shared memories, they were lies anyway.
Tails' face became frigid and he reached up, grabbing the monitor clip. He pulled it off, icy eyes locked on Sonic even as he pressed a tiny button on the clip's side. The cover popped up and Tails pulled it down. Tiny blue and yellow wires were tangled across the computer chip inside. Swiftly, he pulled their plugs and crossed the wires over each other, replugging them into the wrong sockets.
He closed the lid and clipped the brain monitor back on his ear with a snap! Sonic stiffened, looking up. Sonic's eyes widened as the kit smirked, though his gaze was heartbroken.
"Goodbye, Sonic."
Tails pushed the center of the brain monitor. The clip sparked and Tails screamed as electricity wracked his body, slicing through his skull.
"Tails!"
The clip was torn off his ear and Tails' scream cut out as all his senses fled him. Sonic caught him when he dropped back, but Tails couldn't feel him—couldn't feel anything.
Pained tears muddled his sight and Sonic's face became a blur of blue. Tails didn't fight it as his eyes closed and he fell into the color.
/
/
"Sonic."
/
"Can we go to…"
/
"It will be you and me, pal."
/
"Like it always should be."
/
Tails woke up to pressure on his back and something cold on his head. His brain throbbed and he hissed, eyes cracking open. Metal Sonic was crouched over him, removing his claw from his forehead.
He blinked dazedly at the bot while Metal said, "Mild fever, minor burns, no life-threatening injuries detected."
The fox glanced around the gray hallway. The Egg Carrier? His brow furrowed. When did he get here? And where was—
"Sonic," he gasped, frantically checking the hall. Yet his head pounded, vision tunneling briefly, and he groaned, grabbing his head while his face screwed up.
"Gone." Tails stiffened. His head whipped around. Doctor Robotnik stared at him, arms crossed and frowning. "Sonic left you."
Tails flinched at his wording as the Doctor continued, "And took the crystal and seventh chaos emerald with him."
The fox's face fell, his ears pulling back. "Oh…" He looked down. "I let Sonic out." A lump clogged up his throat so his voice shook as he said, "And he took me to his dimension to…to…"
His eyes stung, but he snapped them close. "To sacrifice me and bring back his Tails." His eyes opened while he smiled bitterly. "But I erased most of the memories we shared—he needed them for his plan to work."
He shrugged. "And I guess he left me here since I'm useless to him." His voice pitched with an edge of hysteria. "Just like I'm useless to you. Useless, disloyal, and stupid—so so stupid!"
He smacked his head, though it worsened his headache, and he clenched his teeth. Idiot, a complete moron. He'd known Sonic couldn't be trusted and yet he thought…
"I'm sorry."
Tails stiffened as large hands grasped him under his arms. He looked up to see Robotnik, face strained and frowning deeply.
"I've neglected you." Tails' eyes widened as Dr. Robotnik lifted him off the floor. "I left you alone."
Tails flinched while Robotnik sighed. "And you were so desperate for company you fell right into Sonic's trap."
The fox gasped, quickly shaking his head. "No, I was the—"
"Forget the crystal." Tails' mouth snapped close as Robotnik drew him to his chest. "Forget the emeralds." His blue eyes grew huge. "I'm just glad you're back, my dearest friend."
Tails gaped while Robotnik's fingers gently carded through his hair. "And I'm never letting any version of that blue rodent hurt you again."
Tails went to speak, maybe to deny the Doctor had done wrong or lie about his loneliness, but what came out was a soft, broken whine. The tears spilled free and Tails let out a horrible cry as he threw himself into the man's chest.
"D-Doctor—"
"Shhh," the man soothed, and Tails inhaled a heaving gasp, but everything was okay now. Dr. Robotnik still wanted him, he was still useful, and he hadn't lost his one true friend.
So he let himself fall against the man's chest and slumped against the red.
Metal carried Tails to his bedroom. The fox rested under his science-themed blanket, eyes closed and body relaxed, yet his mind was whirring.
"I want you to live on the Egg Carrier again."
Robotnik's smile showed through his voice as he bundled Tails in closer.
"You'll be safer here and well, you're not the only one who missed having some company."
Tails smiled at the memory right when a crunch rang through the air.
Tails' eyes popped open and he lurched up. Sonic stared evenly at him from beside the doorway. Tails inhaled sharply, jerking back against the wall. A nightmare, a phantom, please be anything but real!
Against his hopes, Sonic's voice held no ghostly quality while he said, "So, you remember me, but how much do you remember?"
Tails tensed. However, soon his muzzle pulled back in a snarl. "Enough to know I hate you."
Sonic's expression remained cool and Tails' anger grew at his apathy while Sonic nodded. "Memory is fickle…like the truth is fickle."
He frowned. "I mean, all it takes is one little fact or you growing up a little and suddenly the truth you held dear isn't the truth anymore."
Tails' jaw clenched and he growled, "Is that what you came here for? To share some meaningless philosophy?"
Tails panted, heart pounding from his rage, yet he was surprised as Sonic cocked his head.
"Do you want an apology?"
Tails straightened up in shock and Sonic smirked. "It would be pointless when we both know I'm a liar, so yeah, I guess I am here just to drop off some meaningless philosophy and then go on my way."
Sonic turned, clicking the button on the wall. The doorway opened, and the hallway lights spilled onto Tails' stunned face as the hedgehog stepped out.
"You were wrong."
Sonic paused but didn't look back as Tails held his head high, saying, "Dr. Robotnik would have missed me. Even after I betrayed him, he still wants me. That's the truth."
Sonic smiled tightly. "Really? That's…that's good."
Tails' mouth parted while Sonic looked back over his shoulder, his green irises softening. "I know it's meaningless coming from me but—"
A boom ripped through the air and Sonic was already gone by the time he heard his voice.
"I'm sorry, kid."
The door slid close while a slip of paper fluttered onto his lap. Tails looked down. A crinkled Eggmanland ticket rested on his knees.
Tails stared blankly. Then his tails were whirling and he was gliding to the window, fist crushing the ticket. He slapped the button by the glass and the window popped open, the breeze whipping through his fur. He glared down at the crumbled wad of paper and pitched back his arm to throw.
He didn't move. The seconds ticked away. Eventually, Tails lowered his hand and brought the ticket up to his chest.
"Dang it," he hissed as his tails slowed and he dropped to his knees.
"Why can't I let go?"
His hand clenched the paper tighter and a single tear dripped onto the ticket's blue print, bleeding the color and staining his fingertips blue.
Months passed. Tails threw himself into assignments with a vigor that wasn't healthy, but he needed Doctor Robotnik to know he could trust him, that he was still useful.
The fox flew down the Egg Carrier's hallways, his new metal foot dragging slightly with its heavier weight. Yet Dr. Robotnik had said it was made of a more durable metal that was sure to add a punch to his kicks so Tails bore the heavier weight proudly.
He never noticed the Doctor watching him leave his office, wariness slanting his eyes. Because Tails had fallen so easily into a friendship with that blue rodent, and when he'd thought about it, it became clear Tails had been hesitating to destroy Sonic for years.
So in his dimly lit lab, Eggman pressed his hands against the towering glass cylinder while it bubbled with neon red liquid, his mind-controlling metal dancing inside it. Tails' new foot would have something a little extra in it and he'd never be able to turn on him again.
Eventually, Tails would be sitting at his lab desk, drafting upgrades for the Eggcavator on his Miles Egglectrical when the ground vanished beneath him. The world went black and when he opened his eyes, he was peering at Sonic's concerned face.
Terror smashed through his heart while a hazy image filtered through his head.
Sonic beamed back at him in the diner, their feet flying across the tiles of white and blue—
However, it soon became clear this wasn't Smart-Sonic, but another alternate version of the hedgehog.
Tails glowered while the hedgehog offered him a bowl of mint ice cream. In the sunlight, Sonic's smile was dazzling while tentative hope wavered through his green eyes.
But he'd done this before. So it didn't matter how much this Sonic pretended to care and tried worming his way into his heart, Tails wouldn't give him an inch. Because if there was one thing he'd learned from Smart-Sonic, it was that all a Sonic ever wanted was to use Tails.
And he wouldn't be used this time.
Tails' heart hardened.
Never again.
Epilogue: Truth
"Murder?" Sonic asked, voice echoing throughout the Chaos Star temple. Slowly, a wicked grin curved his mouth.
"If I was that far gone, you'd be the first to know." He cocked an eye. "Don't you think?"
Eggman scowled. "Well, the text is clear. Revoking one's wish will kill the wisher."
"But Tails isn't the wisher." Eggman's brow jumped up while Sonic smirked. "It's my wish, though since Tails initiated my wish, I still need a Tails to initiate the revoking process."
Shock rippled across Eggman's face. "You're going to…kill yourself?"
Sonic shrugged. "If that's what it takes." Eggman's mouth dropped, and Sonic laughed. "What's with that face?" He pointed his thumb at himself. "Just because the Star took away my golden heart doesn't mean I'm not still Sonic the Hedgehog."
He grinned confidently. "So go ahead and try to take over the world." He turned to the Star. "Even if revoking the wish kills me, Tails will be back." Fondness and pride twined around his voice. "And he has what it takes to stop you."
Eggman's shock morphed into a scowl. "If you're going to insult me, I'll just leave. Not like I care if you die."
He scoffed and stormed down the stairs. However, Sonic paid him no mind as he bent down in a running position, his hand splaying on the ground and eyes locking on the Chaos Star. Alright, he just needed to trust his calculations and hit the crystal at the right speed to recreate the explosion he'd made when shattering it and that should open up a dimensional portal.
His legs revved up into a blur of red, dust kicking up around him. His muscles vibrated in anticipation. He inhaled a steadying breath. I'm coming, Tails. He launched off a top speed towards the Chaos Star.
"HA!"
Sonic's eyes widened at that triumphant laugh, but he was already curling into a ball and hurtling to the Star. The crystal shattered right as a laser scalded his side. Sonic cried out, popping out of his curl and landing in a crouch, his arm snapping around his scorched middle.
"You really thought I'd let an opportunity like this pass?"
Sonic looked up with a glare. Eggman sneered at him, his arm raised while a green beam was shooting out of his wristband. The shattered pieces of the Star were swirling inside a white vortex within a large green forcefield over their heads. Sonic's eyes widened.
"Now the Chaos Star's power is mine—agh!"
Sonic gasped while the man's wristband sparked, its green beam flickering.
"What?" Eggman growled. "A short circuit?"
A crack twitched Sonic's ears and he looked up. Fissures were spreading across the forcefield, bits of the shattered Star falling through the cracks and onto his head. Alarm flashed over Sonic's face and he stood, ignoring his pained middle to reach for Eggman. "Look out! The forcefield can't handle—"
The beam flickered off. White light exploded, wind rushing violently around them. Sonic screamed as he was thrown to the ground, the wind laying him flat. Yet as soon as it came, the light faded and the pressure disappeared.
Sonic groaned, clawing himself to his feet and peeking open his eyes. His breath hitched, quills shooting up.
Eggman, red coat scorched and shredded, lay at his feet, a crystal shard sticking out of his heart. Sonic's face twisted in horror. "No…"
"Sonic."
The hedgehog spun around. Amy was at the bottom of the steps, hammer limp in her hands and grief wracking her expression.
"What have you done?"
Sonic recoiled, but then he noticed warmth in his palm. He looked down to see a broken shard in his hand, a matching piece to the one in Eggman's chest. However, he couldn't explain as his injury flared across his side and he dropped to his knees while the crystal glowed brilliantly.
/
/
Four months later, Sonic's search finally came to an end. Tails #38 had a near identical background to his Tails, was a perfect genetic match, and best of all, he hated him, so wouldn't mind revoking the wish even if it got Sonic killed. Perfect. He was perfect…
…until they fought together in the Egg Dome and Sonic realized he couldn't stand having any Tails hate him. And when he found that photo in Tails' shoe, he realized maybe Tails couldn't stand hating any version of Sonic either.
So he wouldn't tell Tails #38 the truth. Rather, he'd sell him the perfect lie. And Sonic's plan went perfectly despite the Chaos Star almost revealing the truth because thankfully Sonic had altered Tails' brain monitor just in case the kit put up a fight.
Sonic crouched and set Tails against the Chaos Star pedestal. His ears wilted as he gently reached up to the fox's cheek, thumb wiping away his tears.
"Sorry, Tails," he sighed. "But when you wake up, you'll have a new big brother and I just know you and Tails are going to get along fine." He smiled, though his eyes were misty. "And you're going to have a blast hanging out with all my friends, no Eggman to bother you and no baggage weighing you down."
He pulled back and stood. Grim-faced, he walked back to the podium and raised his hands to type out his letter to Knuckles. The echidna would keep his secret and never let either Tails realize he'd died revoking the wish. No, the Chaos Star had simply turned Sonic into a villain, he had murdered Eggman—as Amy could attest—and ran away in shame after bringing Tails back, never to be seen again. Tails might not ever fully buy it, but he'd move on eventually and fly higher than Sonic ever had. And Tails #38…he would be safe and that was all that mattered.
Because regardless of the dimension, Sonic loved his little brother. That was a universal truth.
Always.
Well, there's the bittersweet ending you all probably weren't expecting, but if you read fractures between us, hopefully, you're not too saddened by it 😅
Regardless, thanks for reading, reviewing, and sending good vibes! I had a blast writing this prequel and I hope you all had just as much fun reading the conclusion. Though this is not the end of the series as I have another prequel to fractures between us up on my Ao3 account, under the penname MoonlitNightin, which I might start posting here. If I do that, I hope to see some of you there as well 😄
But for now, take care and bye!