Pinpricks of light burst through the darkness. Tails weakly cracked open his eyes. White light seared into his retinas. His eyes snapped close, but the motion sent waves of throbbing pain into his head and he groaned. However, he couldn't return to blissful unconsciousness as his ears flicked toward a sound.
"You thought you could take him away from me!?"
Tails' fur stood on end, that angry, guttural yell echoing to his core. Was that…Sonic?
Suddenly all the memories shot into his brain. Tails inhaled sharply, eyes flying open. The world flickered for a second, but he managed to stay conscious, recognizing he was crumpled against the wall with a metallic taste on his tongue. Yet he couldn't think more as he spotted a blue sphere in the air right before it slammed into Metal Sonic.
The robot crashed on his back with a resounding clang, but Sonic bounced up in under a second and slammed into him again. Cracks splintered the floor under Metal and the robot tried raising his arms.
"I'll teach you the same lesson I taught Eggman!"
Sonic slammed into him again and Metal's arms were forced down.
"And you—"
He struck him again and Metal's fingers twitched, but his hands didn't rise.
"Can both—"
Again, and Metal stopped moving.
"ROT!"
Sonic popped out of his roll, mouth a snarl, and raised quills bright with blue sparks while he drove his feet towards Metal's head.
The bot caught Sonic's ankle and flung him back. Sonic crashed through the throne with a cry, crystal shards scattering to the floor.
The hedgehog tumbled across the ground and slid, but Metal blasted towards him with raised claws. Sonic swiftly stood, threw himself aside, and rolled into a curl, racing up the wall to the ceiling. He shot down at Metal, yet the bot rocketed toward him.
Blue clashed with silver like comets colliding. They broke apart, weaving and twisting around each other in streaks, and Tails realized they were evenly matched. He had to do something.
The kit reached back a shaky hand for his blaster. His hand came back with metal pieces and wires—it must have broke when Metal hit him.
Tails grabbed at the wall and pulled himself to a wobbly stand. His legs felt like jelly, head screaming, but Metal was in trouble. The crystal in his chest must have corrupted his system. He had to free him.
Tails stumbled forward, yet nearly tumbled back as something rolled under his shoe. He lifted his foot and blinked at the small crystal fragment. Was it from the shards in Metal's chest?
The fox hesitated, but soon bent down and picked up the fragment. Warmth bloomed in his palm and Tails knew this was reckless, yet he had to save Metal.
He sat down, tore off his left shoe, and placed the shard against his metal foot. The crystal trembled. Tails gasped as the shard melted into his sole, lines of crystalline branching out from it. Warmth wrapped around his left ankle and Tails blinked only once before he was gawking at his smooth crystallized foot. However, his eyes slanted with determination and he looked up right as Sonic jumped out of his roll and swung his leg to block Metal's kick. The fox rose and twisted his left foot, white flames erupting out of his booster and launching him at the robot.
Metal whirled around and Sonic turned in surprise while Tails shouted, "Hold him!"
Sonic yanked back his leg and grabbed Metal's wrists. The robot tried pulling away, but Tails was already over him and smashing his crystal foot into the shards erupting from Metal's chest.
The shards flew out of the robot and Sonic gasped, hastily releasing Metal and speeding back from the falling pieces. Tails dropped down behind the robot, panting and grasping his aching head while Metal's optics flickered.
The robot's gaze dulled to black and he seized up before tipping forward. Tails' breath hitched and he rushed to him, sliding on his knees and catching the mechanical hedgehog.
"Metal?" Tails' face creased with concern. "Can you hear—"
Static shrieked through the air. He dropped Metal, hands slamming over his ears while he hissed. Yet the screech intensified, crackling and popping like a radio losing a signal.
Suddenly Sonic was crouched in front of him, mouth moving and brow furrowed worriedly. Another screech tore across Tails' mind and he yowled, falling against Sonic's chest.
"Why did you leave me?"
Tails' eyes widened. That voice…it sounded like him. Yet it was different, like a crooked picture frame—off.
"I don't want to be alone and that's your fault. I was fine until you showed up…so please, Sonic—"
Brilliant light exploded around the room.
"Come back."
Tails flailed as he fell into white oblivion.
Five Months Ago…
"The…Chaos Star?"
Seventeen-year old Sonic stood on the dry cracked earth in a forest of barren trees. The sun was rising in the distance, dyeing his fur a deep orange while he gazed at the blue communicator on his wrist. His expression was hopeful though he was breathing heavy with his left arm bound in a white sling.
"It's real," Tails said in a hush like he was afraid of being overheard.
Sonic's expression grew pinched. Tails had sworn he was heading somewhere safe, far from any Robotizers, but he wouldn't put it past the fox to lie for his sake of mind.
The hedgehog's foot tapped nervously and he went to cross his arms before remembering his sling and letting his good arm drop.
"Okay," Sonic whispered just in case Tails was somewhere dangerous. "So we're going to use it, right? Sooner the better? Send me your coordinates."
He tried to keep the edge from his voice because Tails needed to focus on staying safe and not worry about him. Still, if a Robotizer found Tails while they were separated—
Sonic jerked his head. No, don't go there.
"I've sent it," Tails' voice crackled over the radio and Sonic eyed the GPS flashing on his communicator, "I'll signal you when I see—ahh!"
Sonic's heart dropped.
"Tails!?" he called, gripping the communicator tight. "Tails, answer me!"
Static crackled over the radio. Sonic was speeding out of the forest before he knew it, dust clouds on his trail and his heart trying to bust out of his chest. No, no, no, not Tails, please!
The communicator beeped and Sonic slowed while running up a high iron wall, rain pelting his face and quills rising as he recognized the location. No, this had to be the wrong place. Tails wouldn't.
Sonic stopped on top of the wall, searching the dark sky for twin tails. Black waves crashed into each other with a thunderous roar beneath him, rain beating down on the weathered rooftops of submerged buildings and the iron walls encircling them. However, the teen barely noticed the stone temple looming in the center of the manmade ocean as his gaze caught on the clouds.
Gold streaked through the sky. Sonic squinted, thinking it was lightning, but then he noticed the six Metal Sonics chasing after the streak—Robotizers.
The hedgehog didn't hesitate to jump into the stormy ocean and speed over the water. He was under the fox in less than a second. Yet the world seemed to slow, his breath stilling in his lungs, as a Robotizer reached for Tails' ankle.
The fox's foot shot up in a blur and his heel smashed onto the robot's head. It went down, but a second Robotizer lunged over Tails, its arms stretching out like elastic and shooting at the fox.
Tails spun around its claws and threw himself into a spindash, rolling up the robot's arm and bashing into the bot's chest. The Robotizer went down, red eyes dimming and smoke sputtering from its engine. Sonic might have been proud if two Robotizers didn't appear behind Tails in a blink.
"Look out!" Sonic called because he wouldn't reach him in time with his sprained arm.
Tails gasped and turned not fast enough to dodge the Robotizer's foot sinking into his stomach. His eyes screwed close with pain as the robot's leg extended and stomped him down onto a half-submerged roof. The other Robotizers jetted over in a flash, soaring around the pinned fox like vultures while Tails gasped for breath.
"Tails!"
Sonic launched himself into a spin and shredded through the Robotizer's leg, freeing the kit. However, another bot was already beside him and punching him hard. Sonic was thrown out of his curl as a third Robotizer materialized over him, its claws sinking into Sonic's chest so metal started spreading over his thick fur—
Lightning flared around them. Sonic's eyes shut while hands caught his and the rainy wind blasted into his face as he was carried away. Soon the wind was gone and sunlight hit his fur, but Sonic was blinking through the rainwater caught in his eyes until Tails stopped.
The morning sun peeked through the broken window of a dusty, dilapidated building, a torn curtain pooled under the sill, and dirtied newspapers scattered across the floorboards. Tails lowered him, breathing hard, and dropped down on the floor, his namesakes falling limp.
Sonic's eyes narrowed as he spotted flecks of blood staining Tails' knee. In a flash, he was crouched, a roll of bandages he took from Tails' belt pocket in his hand.
"Hey," Tails said, startling and backing up.
Yet Sonic caught his leg and pulled it closer. "Stay still."
Tails scowled. "I can do it myself—"
"Want to explain what you were doing in Eggmanland?"
Tails' mouth clicked shut. His brow pinched under his yellow goggles and his gaze shifted aside.
"I was just—"
"Or why you were fighting Robotizers when I told you to always run from them?"
Tails' ears pinned back to his head, yet defiance angled his eyes.
"Well," he huffed, crossing his arms. "Excuse me for not wanting to become Metal Tails."
Sonic glared, seething, "That's why you're supposed to run."
Tails glared back, his fists falling at his sides. "I had to make sure the Chaos Star was in the temple. The readings needed to be taken up close or the data—"
"You could have called me as backup."
Tails scoffed. "We both know the Robotizers can track you, you'd have ruined my cover—"
"That's fine as long as you stay safe."
"Fine?" Tail's face darkened. "What about any of this is fine!?" He threw up his hands. "There's no food, everything's gone, we're barely surviving each day—you can't afford to coddle me!"
"No!"
The fox froze, defiance falling away while Sonic's chest heaved, his eyes shiny.
"What I can't afford is losing you!" Sonic shoved his finger into Tails' chest and the fox gasped while Sonic's voice broke. "You're all I have left," his hand fell away, "So no, I'm not going to let you be stupid and reckless when you're…"
Sonic sighed harshly, shaking his head. "I-I can't..."
Tails wilted, face crumbling with guilt. "I'm sorry," he said gently. "But I needed to be sure."
His eyes implored Sonic's. "Everything depends on us reaching the Chaos Star, we can't afford for me to be wrong."
Sonic closed his eyes, sighing. "Yeah, I know." He lifted the bandage and started winding it around Tails' knee. "I just…"
He stopped and tore the bandage, tying it off. Then he let go of Tails' leg, put the bandage roll in his quills, and stood.
"I know you can hold your own," Sonic said sincerely, grasping Tails' shoulder. "I know you're faster than ever and the smartest guy on the planet even if Eggman is still alive."
The kit's mouth dropped, ears rising a bit. Sonic smiled fondly, the golden sunlight a soft halo around him.
"But even the tough guys need help sometimes." He winked and raised one finger. "Why else do you think I keep you around?"
Tails' ears fully lifted from his head, a shy smile curving his muzzle. Sonic moved to ruffle his hair, but the fox dodged his arm and hugged his side.
"Well, Mr. Tough guy." Tails raised his face, beaming. "It's you and me against the world." He huffed, his namesakes wagging. "But that's kind of the way it's always been."
Sonic chuckled, wrapping his arm around the kit. "It always will be."
The hedgehog looked out to the rising sun, not noticing Tails' forehead crease before his blue eyes dropped to the floor.
.
.
Torches crackled against the stone corridor walls. Yet blue blurred past and the flames died out in the sonic boom.
However, Sonic didn't notice the shadows cast in his wake as his teeth clenched. Tails had to be here, had to be alivedespite being stupid and reckless and deserving of the lecture of the century. Just what the kit had been thinking running ahead while Sonic was fighting off the Robotizers, Sonic didn't know, but he was going to ask him and Tails had better be alive to answer.
Light breached the end of the corridor. Sonic slowed while running out onto a bridge, the faint glow of a flaming chandelier falling over him. His ears flicked towards the black ocean far below where waves beat against the temple interior, yet his eyes were locked on the steep staircase leading to a throne.
A growl rumbled out of his throat as Metal Sonic stared him down from the chair, though it died away when he noticed gold. Tails was glaring at the claw over his throat, but sat very still beside Metal, his gadget pocket missing.
Rage thrashed in Sonic's heart and he raised a fist, quills bristling.
"Let him go," he seethed.
Tails' eyes darted to him, fear flashing on his face, and he went to speak.
"You're going to make a wish," Metal said, cool and unbothered.
Sonic bared his canines. "So you can talk." He strode toward the staircase. "And yet your ears must be malfunctioning." His quills rose all the way. "I said let him go. Now."
"A wish for the world before the Robotizers invaded."
Sonic paused, eyes narrowing.
"That was your plan, yes?" Metal shook his head. "But the Chaos Star doesn't give wishes for free."
Sonic glowered. "We know that—"
"It will take away your greatest strength."
Tails' eyes widened. "Don't listen to him, it's a trap—"
"Quiet."
Metal's claws pricked Tails' neck and the fox quieted, though he scowled.
Sonic's gaze hardened to granite and he took another step up the stairs. "If you hurt him—"
"I won't be able to if you make a wish."
Sonic stopped, brow furrowing, and a smirk entered Metal's voice as he said, "In fact, I want you to make a wish."
The ground slid apart beside the throne. Sonic tensed, preparing to battle. Light emerged from the hole and the radiance reflected in Sonic's expanding eyes.
A tall white, spherical crystal littered with spikes sat on a stone pedestal beside Metal—the Chaos Star?
"You will make a wish," Metal's hand dropped onto Tails' head and the fox went rigid, "Specifically, you will wish for Tails to stay safe and healthy forever."
Sonic's frown deepened, but soon he scoffed, crossing his arms. "And why would I do that if you'll just make your own wish and cancel out mines?"
"I already used my wish."
Sonic and Tails jolted.
"You assumed Eggman wished for an army based on me." Metal shook his head. "But that was my wish. As for that fool…he's long gone."
Sonic's face wrinkled with uncertainty and he glanced at Tails, yet the fox looked just as unsure. Metal could be lying, but nobody had seen Eggman since the Robotizers were unleashed.
"So in that regard." Sonic refocused on the bot. "You have nothing to fear."
The hedgehog eyed Metal suspiciously. "That doesn't explain why you want me to wish for Tails' safety."
"Simple." Metal's hand ran through Tails' hair and the kit growled, his namesakes shifting agitatedly. "My greatest strength was my auto-repair function, but since the Chaos Star took that from me, I will eventually need a mechanic."
Tails sent him a derisive snort, yet Metal continued like he didn't hear him.
"Of course, I'll kill you after you make your wish." His optics slid over to the kit. "But that's better than the alternative."
Tails tensed, yet Sonic didn't notice as he raised an eye. "Better than what? Losing my speed?" He smirked. "Tails will just wish it back for me anyway."
Metal stared at him. Sonic's confidence waned as the silence carried on, the teen sensing something amiss, and the robot turned to Tails.
"You didn't tell him."
Tails bit the edge of his mouth and a thread of discomfort wound around Sonic's heart.
"Tell me what?"
The hedgehog looked at the fox. However, Tails wouldn't meet his eyes.
"You can speak now." Metal took his hand off the fox's head to gesture at Sonic. "He'll only believe it if it comes from you."
Tails glowered at the ground, hands curling up. "You're wrong." His voice quivered. "I calculated the possibility and the chances are—"
"Much higher than the Chaos Star taking Sonic's speed."
The hedgehog blinked. "It won't take my speed? But then what—"
"You always say love isn't a weakness."
Sonic's ears shot up, eyes growing big and round.
"That your friends give you strength."
"Sonic!" Tails peered desperately at him. "Don't listen to him, no matter what he says, it's not true."
"Except you've lost all your friends," Metal said over the kit. "All the people you love are gone…except for one."
Sonic paled. He shot Tails a look, but the kit shrunk and clawed at the stone beneath him.
"Tails?" Sonic said faintly, feeling a bit lightheaded. "Is what he's saying true?"
The kit looked aside, eyes shifting like he was thinking.
"You said the Chaos Star would take my speed, but will it really take…"
Sonic choked, the true horror hitting him. He wanted to be wrong, wanted Tails to tell him he was being stupid. Yet he knew he'd get no such comfort as Tails sagged and raised weary blue eyes.
"The chances are so low."
Sonic's heart shattered.
Tails closed his eyes, shaking his head. "There was no point in worrying you."
He opened his eyes, gaze begging him to understand. Yet Sonic couldn't face him as sweat beaded his head, the atmosphere suddenly too thin and not enough oxygen getting into his lungs.
"You," Sonic said breathlessly. "You were just going to let me…when you knew—"
"I knew," Tails cut in, resolve hardening his expression, "That once my friends returned, someone would wish me back if the Chaos Star took me."
Sonic blinked. However, hope couldn't stir inside him as Metal stood up and glared.
"Perhaps I wasn't clear." Metal's voice dropped to a hiss. "I'm not asking you to make the wish."
Metal's hand moved in a blur. Tails' eyes blew open wide, fur fluffing up. Sonic didn't understand until the robot pulled his claw away from Tails with a distinct squelch and the fox's hands shot to his throat.
"Make the wish or watch your little brother die."
"TAILS!"
Sonic was catching the fox before his legs gave out. Yet Tails was choking and twitching with sudden, unnatural movements. His blue eyes were frantic while a quiet gurgle stuttered out of his mouth. No, no, please, no!
"He has perhaps thirty seconds before he chokes on his own blood, you should—"
"SHUT UP!" Sonic snarled, quills alit with blue sparks.
Metal cocked his head, unfazed, while Sonic looked to Tails. His mouth quivered, yet he forced it to still as Tails looked to him, terrified and desperate.
"It's okay," Sonic soothed. "It's okay, I can fix this, it's going to be okay," he swore.
Tears pricked the corners of Tails' eyes and Sonic tucked him in close even as the scent of iron burned his nose. The teen trembled or maybe he was just vibrating with the urge to run because Tails was dying. His little brother was dying—he had to do something!
"Make a wish."
Sonic didn't spare Metal a glance while Tails hacked out a bubbly cough, a warm liquid dribbling onto Sonic's fur. The hedgehog wanted to pull him closer, but his heart was beating so fast he couldn't feel it and his limbs wouldn't listen to him because…Metal was right. There was only one way.
He lifted Tails off the floor and zipped to the Chaos Star. Sonic glanced at Tails and found the kit's jerking slowing, growing weaker. Resolve slanted his eyes and he took a deep breath, exhaling as he stretched his hand towards the Star.
A hand caught his wrist. Sonic looked down and found Tails staring mournfully at him, though his eyes were clear. Don't do it.
Sonic's expression crumbled. "I'm sorry."
He touched the Chaos Star. Warmth bloomed under his palm, the crystal flaring, and Tails tightened his grip while a garbled protest stuttered out of him.
Yet the hedgehog kept his gaze on the shining crystal as he said, "I wish—" Tails' grip became painful— "For Tails to be safe forever."
The crystal brightened even more while the fox's hand trembled.
"And for him to never be hurt by anyone."
The Star shuddered, an ethereal chime ringing through the air. Its glow became like the sun and Sonic turned away—
A fist crashed into Sonic's chest. Tails fell from his hold, hitting the ground in a tumble while Metal punched Sonic to the floor. The stone shook under the hedgehog, cracking apart as dust clouded the air and pain seared Sonic's back.
The hedgehog gagged as Metal pressed down on his chest and angled his claws at his eyes. His vision went in and out, but he shook off his dizziness while a familiar laugh rang in his ears. No way.
"I always knew you were a fool, rodent." Eggman sneered from beside the Chaos Star, his hand on the crystal. "But even I didn't think you'd fall for this."
Tails was slowly pushing himself from the ground, his hand pawing his throat. He pulled it back and stared at his unstained glove in amazement.
Sonic basked in the joy of his little brother being okay, uncaring of his own predicament as Eggman said, "All it took was laying low a few months until you were desperate enough to waste your wish, and now that that's out of the way—"
A smile split the doctor's face. "It's my turn."
Sonic's blood turned to ice. In a blur, he reached out desperately.
"Wait," Sonic begged, but wheezed when Metal increased pressure on his ribs. "Y-you'll cancel out my wish and Tails will—"
"I wish for the power to rule the world unopposed!"
Tails stiffened. His wide eyes met Sonic's and something passed between them. Then the kit fell on his side, his tails falling limp and body unmoving. Eggman said something, but Sonic couldn't hear while he stared at Tails' unmoving chest, his bangs shadowed over his eyes.
He…his little brother…he was…
"C-can I come with you?"
The four-year old fox peeked at him from behind the leafy bush, his tails bundled in his arms like a teddy bear.
Sonic glanced around the sunny field to the piles of crushed badniks and mechanical pieces strewn about the grass. A smile curved his mouth.
"What type of question is that?" Tails flinched, but Sonic's grin widened. "I met you like ten minutes ago and you've already freed a dozen flickies, invented that little ray gun thingie while we were fighting, and did I just see you spindash?"
Tails blinked, but slowly understood he was being complimented and a blush peeked through his fur. "You mean that spinning thing you do? I just thought it looked cool so I gave it a try—"
Sonic patted the kid's head and Tails froze. "Let's show up Eggman, eh?"
He winked and Tails' eyes widened. Yet slowly the kit's mouth curved into a dazzling smile.
"Let's go!" he cheered, tails spinning and lifting him into the air.
Sonic threw back his head and laughed before breaking into a run, the little kit soaring at his side.
Sonic stared at Tails' dead body and the world went silent. He didn't know what happened next, didn't remember moving, but suddenly Metal was tumbling down the stairs, his arms missing and sockets sparking with exposed wires. Shock warped Eggman's face, but then he was sitting on the ground, a line of blood streaking down his head and black lenses cracked. He raised his hands, mouth moving rapidly under his mustache.
Somebody screamed. Sonic blinked twice and stared at the white crystal shard in his hand, glittering pieces caught in his fur and the Chaos Star nowhere to be found. Sonic's eyes widened as he found Eggman splayed out at his feet, shirt scorched and shredded over his chest, and heart not beating.
"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's face warped with horror and he sunk to his knees while the crystal in his hand glowed a blinding white.
A cushion pressed against Tails' ear. The eight-year old gasped, eyes flying open. He stared at the rose-red walls, the rain pattering outside, and struggled to stifle his haggard breaths.
A shoe tapped on the floor. Tails tensed. Sonic…
Tails raised his head and immediately recognized the Mini Egg Carrier under the low-level lights. He sat up and his lab coat slipped off to pile on the cushioned bench extending out the wall.
Sonic was sitting in the black chair before the control panel and viewing window, his foot stilling as his ears twisted back to Tails.
"You're awake," the teen said quietly. "How are you feeling?"
Tails pushed himself up and blinked at finding barely any resistance from his arms. He'd been given painkillers then.
The kit moved his tongue to moisten his dry mouth before saying, "Tired, woozy, but nothing really hurts."
His eyes latched onto the gray clouds outside and he recalled the vision he'd seen, his tails twitching agitatedly.
"Where's Metal?" he asked to distract himself.
"In the storage compartment with the crystal." Sonic's voice held a frown. "I forgot to mention, but I don't always have to touch the crystal, just being near it can be enough to send me to another world, so I thought it best to keep my distance."
Concern twisted Tails' face and he glanced down. His metal foot gleamed back at him. Huh…had the crystal shard fallen when he kicked Metal?
Tails glanced at Sonic. His eyes sharpened.
"I have to ask you something." Tails slid to his feet and his metal foot lightly clanked as he walked over to the hedgehog. "And I need you to be honest."
Sonic's quills rose a bit at his harsh tone, but he quickly laid them flat. He turned while Tails came beside him, smirking.
"Woah, there's that scary face again—"
"Did you kill Robotnik?"
Sonic's face went blank, his eyes losing focus. He stared straight through Tails, a tremor running through his hands on the control levers. However, he twitched and clarity returned to his gaze, though he kept a death grip on the controls.
"Huh." Sonic swallowed, looking down. "You wouldn't believe how often I'm asked that question." He smiled slightly. "Do I really make it so obvious?" His expression became teasing as he leaned back in his chair. "Or do you just know a hedgehog that well?"
Tails glared, his namesakes beating the ground and hands clenching, though really nervousness threaded through every inch of him.
"You're stalling," Tails bit out.
Sonic's expression lost its levity and Tails resisted the urge to back away.
"Of course, I'm stalling," Sonic spat at the ground. "Because to answer that question, I'd have to tell you how Tails—"
Sonic stopped. Then he sighed and ran a weary hand through his top fur.
"If I answer that question," the teen said carefully. "I'd have to tell you how I lost my Tails." He raised his head, eyeing him. "That's a bit morbid, telling an eight-year old about his own…"
Sonic motioned with his hands before dropping them in his lap. Yet Tails raised his chin, expression frigid.
"I already know."
Sonic started. "You…know…?"
Tails' mouth drew to a line. "The crystal showed me." His eyes narrowed. "Or should I call it the Chaos Star fragment?"
Sonic gaped. However, he soon let out a shaky exhale.
"Then why are you asking me?" Sonic's expression pinched. "If you already know."
Tails crossed his arms. "I missed what happened before Amy showed up."
Sonic's nose twitched nervously, mouth pressing together. He eyed Tails for half a minute, then he exhaled and—
"I killed him."
Tails stopped breathing.
"Or," Sonic crossed his arms, expression cooling, "I didn't."
Tails blinked while Sonic glared to the side. "You see, that's the problem with the truth." Bitterness sharpened his tone. "It doesn't matter what actually happened, the truth is whatever you decide to believe. So I could say I killed Eggman."
Sonic tossed up his hands. "Or I could say I didn't, and you won't know which one's the lie." He shook his head. "So what does it matter what I say?"
Tails glared. "It matters because if you tell me the truth, I'll tell you how to find the voice."
Sonic's head snapped to him. "You know where he is?" he asked quietly, desperately.
The fox folded his arms. "Did you kill Robotnik?"
Sonic scowled. "What happens if you don't like my answer?"
"I'll tell you anyway."
The hedgehog blinked, stunned, while Tails' face fell. "Just tell me the truth. Tell me your truth."
Tails bowed his head, arms dropping. "And I'll believe you."
Sonic took a shuddering breath. Then he stood in a blink, flicked the autopilot on the control panel, and strode past Tails. He stopped at the compartment door, his head tilting back so Tails couldn't see his face.
"It's a...blur." Sonic's voice was almost too quiet to hear, but Tails didn't dare interrupt as the hedgehog sighed. "I was so angry. I've never felt that way before…"
Sonic stared down Eggman, but his face was cold. All his emotions had withered to dust, clogging up his lungs and leaving him barely breathing while one single thought ran through his mind.
"Give him back," Sonic demanded tonelessly, eyes staring straight through the doctor and ears unmoving despite the man's pleas.
Blue lightning lashed around his quills, eyes a neon shade to match. Yet Sonic felt none of the power, just a cold emptiness sitting in his chest like an ice block while he stepped closer to the man waving his hands in surrender.
"W-wait, Sonic, I didn't mean—"
"Give him back," Sonic repeated, but his heart throbbed and he winced.
"I already used my wish!" Eggman put his hands together pleadingly. "N-now I know it's shame, but Tails is gone." Sonic froze. "Still, how about you be my second-in-command and we call it even? Hmm?"
Sonic lowered his head, hands balling up tight at his sides.
Eggman stared up hopefully. "So, what do you say?"
"Give…" Sonic raised his face and Eggman recoiled. "Me back…"
Wrath deepened every line in Sonic's face.
"MY LITTLE BROTHER!"
Sonic's fist sped at Eggman's head like a rocket.
A red barrier shimmered around the doctor, but Sonic's fist kept going even as his glove shredded apart and smoldered. He wanted Tails back, he was going to get Tails back—give him back to me!
The forcefield cracked. Shock splayed across Eggman's face and he raised his arm, rapidly typing on his computer wristband.
"H-hold on!" Eggman gave up on the computer, waving his hands in surrender. "S-Sonic! Stop—"
The forcefield shattered. A scream screeched through the air. Sonic was thrown back while the world vanished and the universe unfurled before him as a blanket of stars.
"Sonic."
The hedgehog's eyes widened. He twisted around in the space he floated among, searching. "Tails?"
"This is…"
The stars started going out and Sonic was enveloped in darkness.
"Goodbye."
"Tails, no!"
Sonic threw out his hand, but choked as he found himself standing on the temple shrine. He stared in shock at the crystal in his hand, uncaring of Eggman's body at his feet until a voice called.
"Sonic?"
The hedgehog curled into himself, hands wrapping around his body tight. "I think it was the explosion that got Eggman."
A weak, sardonic chuckle erupted from the teen. "But that doesn't matter… I wanted to kill him."
Tails' face pinched.
"I was trying to kill him."
A shudder ran through Sonic's quills.
"But he was dead," he whispered. "And the Chaos Star was gone except for that shard and Tails…"
Sonic's ears drooped, fingers clawing into his arms.
"I don't know how, but that lil' genius managed to fix the world…though to do so…"
Sonic dropped to his knees and Tails' eyes widened while Sonic's breath hitched.
"He left me."
Tails gasped.
"Sonic, please, don't go!"
Tails had stared up through a blur of tears at the Tornado flying into the bright blue expanse, all his hopes and dreams burning away while his arms fell limp at his sides.
Sonic dropped on his hands, a quiet sob escaping him, and Tails startled as his ears picked up the sound of tears hitting the floor. Slowly, the fox walked over to the hedgehog. Sonic didn't notice while his sobs sharpened into keening cries.
Tails crouched down and raised his hand, but hesitated. Pieces of Sonic's story were missing, and some of what he'd said earlier didn't match up with what he said now...but...
"I believe you."
Sonic went silent. Tails got the feeling he'd stopped breathing, yet forgot about that as the teen raised his head. Wide, teary eyes met Tails'.
Then those arms were pulling him in close and the fox didn't think before hugging Sonic back.
"T-Tails."
"It's okay."
"I m-miss him so much."
"I know."
"Every day, every second—"
"I'm sorry," Tails said sincerely, though he was the wrong fox to be saying it.
Yet Sonic's Tails wasn't coming back… Just like Tails' Sonic never came back for him.
"Don't go," Sonic begged.
And maybe it was reckless, foolish even, but Tails pushed his muzzle into Sonic's chest and whispered a promise. Yes, this Sonic was a liar—they all were. Yet no matter what world it was, perhaps a Tails needed a Sonic because as the hedgehog held him a little tighter, he found himself relaxing in his hold and thinking this was just where he was meant to be.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the pieces of Darker!Sonic's backstory that you got here! Though I must warn not everything is as it seems...
Anyway, enjoy your Spring Break if you're in school and feel free to comment!