Desert (Egg Bunker)
Robotnik steers his transport into the desert, with Stone behind him, and Knuckles using his ironclad grip to stay on. This doctor must have a weird way of doing things, because Knuckles is questions everything about this "base."
"Why would you hold a base in this environment? Conditions are too hot for most humans to handle."
Knuckles' questioning earns a little scoff from the doctor. "I have my resources. You can't change the world without planning ahead."
Robotnik brings his transport to a stop, all while a little patch of sand opens up to reveal a dark hole beneath. He brings the cart inside, as well as the echidna. Surely his mind is going to be blown, never even seeing the bare minimum of technology. The possibility excites Robotnik, who gets to impress someone else.
When it reaches the bottom, Knuckles hops out instantly, walking into the main room. He looks puzzled as the giant red screen pulls up a variety of menus. The files are probably limitless. "What is this sorcery?"
"This is where the magic happens." Robotnik kneels to his level. "I'm a crafter at heart. It's my passion. There's no need to use your fists all the time when you can create workers to do it for you."
That raises a nonexistent brow. "That is just slavery."
"Slavery? Blasphemous! They choose to acknowledge me as their master. They have a conscious." Robotnik explains. "There's no need to worry."
Before Knuckles can respond, Bokkun comes flying in with his bag. "DOCTOR! I'VE GOT A MESSAGE FOR YOU!" Robotnik looks indifferent, Stone grimaces, and Knuckles..
"INTRUDER!"
He punches the kid, who goes flying at the screen! Robotnik catches him before he can cause any damage. His first sign of irritations shown with a stern warning. "Knuckles! We don't harm my machines..do you want the hedgehog to destroy your island?"
Knuckles closes his eyes. "I did not intend to bring harm to the child. I believed he was an intruder with how quickly he approached you."
Bokkun starts wailing in his arms, and the Doctor looks around for a remedy. Lightbulb! He grabs the TV from its bag and throws it at Stone. "Play the message! NOW!"
With one click..the three crowd the TV, tuning out Bokkun's cries.
A man with gray hair stares into the screen. There's a logo behind him, circle-like, but the man's head blocks the contents inside.
"Ivo Gerald Robotnik. I thought our last encounter would have had you running for the hills, but it seems you never learn your lesson. Officials reported a disturbance at a maximum security prison in Texas, and since that was clearly you…you are not just an enemy of the country anymore. Our allies are well aware of your antics, Doctor. It's a matter of time before the whole world becomes your enemy. You may not have been satisfied with how we've ran things, but I can promise you that you'll regret going rogue."
He pulls out a notecard.
"Oh, and I've been informed this television's going to explode in three seconds."
Robotnik hurls the TV at Stone!
"Sir I—"
KA-BOOM!
Stone hits the ground, coughing out the fumes. That puts a smile on Bokkun's face, pointing and laughing at the agent. Robotnik mouths "let him have this". Despite the pissed off look on Stone's face, he obeys.
Knuckles gets right back to his questioning. "What is your conflict with the man on tele..vision?"
"Sour history." Robotnik crosses his arms. "Any idea I pitched to evolve the world was shut down with meek criticism. They'd always say the world isn't ready for my technology, and wasted my valuable time on small-scale projects. Meaningless presentations..all to please the next generation of kids who laugh at POTATO CHIPS!" he snaps, stomping around just thinking about it.
Knuckles shakes his head. "The hedgehog bested you because of your bitterness. A clear head will help us both." The echidna turns to leave. "I will tour the rest of your magical base."
"Ooo! Ooo! I'll show you around!" Bokkun volunteers.
After they're both gone, Robotnik's jaw drops. "Stone.."
"..yes doctor?"
"Who does this insect think he is criticizing ME? His feeble brains stuck in the prehistoric period." Yeesh, scathing review.
"These aliens are strange. Strong too." Stone turns to the doctor. "Next time someone brings a TV, you should take the hit."
Robotnik laughs it off. "Ho-ho-ho..I can't, silly! My reflexes are too fire, as the kids say."
Tails sits in endless plains, looking at the clear blue skies above. A twin tailed bird sits on his hand, wolfing that bird food down. The fox has been stressing over Robotnik's inevitable return, but Sonic recently told him all about staying in the present.
"Maybe I should take his advice…"
No matter how many times he tells himself to listen, his heart and soul just can't let it go. The twisted plots. His metal copy. He saw things no kid should every see. Now he's paying the price. The birds chirping helps keep him comfortable. Animals help heal his soul.
Tails uses a finger to pet the bird. It doesn't seem to like that, so it flies away. Tails reaches out to it, but it's too fast. Unrealistically..it left in a flash. Tails blinks thrice at the sight. "Birds don't have the energy to leave like that.."
A giant shadow clouds the sky. The stomps make the ground rumble, stopping the breeze cold. Tails squints to make out the shape, and when he does, his face goes pale.
"No! Not now! Why now?!"
He's frozen in fear, as the Death Egg Robot's blank eyes glow above all else. Tails steps back..but bumps into the heel of another copy, focused on something in the distance. Tails sees a blue trail and cups his mouth.
"SONIC! GET THE TORNADO!"
Sonic doesn't listen, dodging multiple beams along the way. Egghead should know better than to use those. Before the kid can critique to himself, Sonic's got him by the shoulders! "Get to the garage, I'll hold them off." He delivers, with that unmoving confidence. "I got this."
Tails nods, looking to use his tails, but…he can't feel a thing back there. He looks back…
His tails are gone.
The kid lets out a scream, running to his garage. The sky above him changes from blue, to red, to orange, purple, over and over again. Each cycle gets faster, the confusion whipping his panic into a frenzy. He pants, finally reaching the garage..
"Now I—"
A giant red foot turns his beloved base into a crater! That Death Egg looks into the kid's eyes, sensing the full terror inside. Their best escape plan got thwarted. While Tails retreats the other way, the pieces to a new puzzle come together. It's slower due to his heavy breathing, but simple panic can't break a puzzle apart.
"I'll fly Sonic out, we'll rebuild..it's ok. It's ok…"
Sonic rushes between the legs of one, grinning at his impressive strategy. Tails waves his hands around, running over to give him the..well, news. Right when he's about to touch Sonic's hand, the hedgehog gets squashed like a bug! Time unfairly slows down for the Fox, who watches as several quills fly around him.
He can't move his arms.
Can't move his legs.
Nothing.
All he can do is watch as the monsters crowd him. The sky goes dark, each star replaces with Robotnik's sneering face. No matter where he runs, cold metal knocks him back down. There's no more tails to carry him over.
He's trapped again. The robots' eyes light up, about to eviscerate the kid in one fell swoop.
"NOOOOO!"
.
.
.
The fox throws his cover off and collapses onto the carpet below. He shakes himself out of the trip, and glances at his yellow clock. The suns rising, as orange seeps through his sole window, into his room. Most of his gadgets are left in the garage, except for his Miles Electric that he keeps on the counter next to him.
"Time is currently: 8:30 A.M." the clock says, as monotone as ever. He makes a mental note about improved automation. The kids drowned in projects, so that won't be top priority.
Tails takes a second to catch his breath after that horrible nightmare. If one more traumatic event occurred in there, he'd be hiding under the covers. Maybe even the bed! But luckily his nightmare stopped before bad morphed to worse. The Fox leaves the confines of his bedroom, and slowly walks right to the fridge.
TAP.
TAP.
Tails turns to the source with dread in those eyes..and spots a white glove leaving his window. He lightens up a bit, knowing the source of them. He decides to spoil himself with some mints, and heads for his door.
He opens it to find Sonic leaning on the wall, popping into kernel in his mouth. "You're up early."
"I can say the same for you.."
Sonic crosses his legs. "I don't stick to a sleep schedule. Seems pretty stressful forcing yourself to sleep one hour, and wake up the next. Feel for the workers, man."
Tails blinks. "You've..never had a job?"
"Nope."
"Not even fast food?"
"Nada." Sonic shakes his head. "They'd make me stand behind a register all day, type on a slow computer that takes seven years to load, all for ten rings an hour. There's better ways to move up." The hedgehog grabs Tails by the hand. "I scored us a trip at Windmill Village. They wanna interview me about the whole Death Egg thing."
Tails gasps. "You're..like super famous!"
"I know right!" Sonic yells, fist bumping his buddy. "If Baldy shows his face again, I'll beat him on live television. Sounds like a sweet deal to me." Tails has zoned out.. "Tails?"
The Fox shakes his whole body. "Huh?"
"You been combing your fur?"
Tails gets a look at his body and..yeah he's in desperate need of a brushing. Some furs sticking out, making him look like a fuzzy furball. "Oh! I'll take care of it right now!"
"Gotcha."
Windmill Village
The duo passes a wooden sign, to see a series of cottages next to each other, red roofs with a sole blue one sticking out. There's of course, two windmills in view. One spinning up front, and another hiding away in the back.
"No fire. No robots..yep it's safe!"
Sonic takes the lead heading into the territory. A brown walrus with two picks sticking out greets the hedgehog. "The world-famous Sonic Hedgehog! I've been waiting to see that smile!"
"You asked.." he flashes that smile.
"That's what I'm talking about!" The walrus exclaims, his happy expression changing the second he sees the Fox. Instead of a glare, a little frown grows. "I hope you fit in well with our village. I believe most of our residents are more forgiving than yours."
A smile grows on Tails. "Oh..is there anywhere I can..really go?"
"Someone will invite you two in. When I say they saw everything, boy I say they saw EVERYTHING." The walrus explains, turning back to Sonic. "What really caught they eyes was when you went gold. You gotta explain!"
Sonic glances around. "As long as a mob doesn't surround us.."
"Oh-ho-ho! We ain't Central City. It's ok..get a look around, you can tell us all about it for that interview." The Walrus leaves immediately after that, having new talking points to show the world. Sonic takes his advice seriously, and points out the ice cream mammal in the distance. A gray walrus, sits in the comfort of his truck, looking bored with different sections of ice cream split up. It's a master class of ice cream all in one truck.
"Nothing like a little treat before our responsibilities, right?"
Tails nods along, Sonic leading the way. He whips out three rings, and the walrus can barely get his head up. "What do you want?"
"Three scoops of Rocky Road."
"Rocky road.." The scooper notes. When he spots Tails, the cringe dials up. It doesn't fit with the holly jolly aesthetic. "..what are YOU doing here?" He asks, some spit coming out. Hearing the fox's sigh, Sonic jumps into action.
"What's the big deal?"
"I don't serve bad luck charms. Ever heard of it? No? That's cause you never come around Westside!" He rants. "I'm startin' to think that Doctor was onto something.."
"Oh boy, one of YOU.." Sonic rolls his eyes. "Imagine bullying a kid over a LITERAL VILLAIN."
"I don't care what he is. What are YOU going to do about it? Chew me out 'till I quit? I can serve whoever I want. I'm no doctor, you can't do NOTHIN' to hurt me."
Sonic just lifts his business off the ground, shaking it from side to side. "It'd be a real shame if you went out of business. Given you hate your own base, you're getting pretty close."
"LET ME GO!"
"Hmmm..nah." He keeps shaking, using some low tactics to avenge his friend. "If you keep hating on my friend, you won't like what happens next."
"Drop me and you look bad!"
Sonic gets a look around, and well..nobody cares to stop him. There's no fear. No panic. No hysteria to be found. "Did he screw you guys over too or what?"
One walking chicken stops. "He refused to serve my daughter. He clucking said she needed to lose weight."
"That's funny coming from him."
"I know right?! We don't care what happens to him." That chicken says, leaving Sonic to hold the truck high. Tails tugs his leg.
"I think that's enough…"
Sonic twirls the vehicle like a basketball, before setting it back down. The walrus flops around from the impact, using his two teeth to get up. "OK. Ok..just this once!" He has no problem getting the Rocky Road one out.
"What do you want, Tails?"
"Hmm…" he looks into each tub. The green one looks appealing. "That one!"
"Two scoops of Mint Chocolate Chip!"
The delusional business owner takes his sweet time, practically moving in slow motion. Sonic taps his foot impatiently, checking his invisible watch. "I thought you said you'd be quick." The walrus doesn't answer, making Sonic's face go flat. "What a dick.."
"Yeah.." Tails scratches behind his ear.
"Sorry about making a scene, bud. I had to set this guy straight." Sonic explains, licking his Rocky Road. The Walrus is just getting the cone, stopping in his place to "stretch" apparently. "That's it."
Sonic snatches the spoon from his hand, gets three scoops of the Mint, and drops them on the cone. After handing Tails his treat, he leaves his four rings on the counter. "Next time, run a better business." The walrus is left with a glare.
"Stupid hedgehog.."
Tails is gobbling up his ice cream. "Thnks Snc." Is all that can be made out, as he's muffled by the treat.
"No biggie. You were gonna eat anyways. Besides..he's a loser Tails. Losers go around being bitter all the time. You could win so much and still be sour at everything. Eggman's a smartypants and still goes around whining." Sonic explains.
Tails stops mid-lick. "You've never really been..mad before.."
"I have." That confident smile fades for only a second. "Some things were just out of my control."
That ending..what do you think Sonic was alluding too? His past will get dived into soon. Next chapter features the Windmill Village interview, as well as some surprise visitors. Things are going to pick up, and new events will be uncovered. Stay tuned for the next chapter!