Sonic was speeding around the village. No matter how far he ran, he always found himself at Tails' usual hangout spots: Meh Burger, workshop, house, the beach, etc. Staring, waiting, hoping, wishing that somehow Amy had been right and his brother wasn't dead, been dead for a long time. Over and over again.
She was in denial; all his friends were. Yeah. He had to know that. Because if they weren't…
He looked down at his paws. They were dripping red. How? He tried wiping it on his thigh, but it did little to clean it away. He held his paw to his muzzle and inhaled the sweet smell of sickening, dry, metallic crimson.
Red.
So much red.
Red was everywhere.
Red.
He stuck out his tongue and licked at the juice. It was metallically and salty, and he liked it. But still, he wondered where it came from.
"What are you doing over here?" Amy's voice came out from behind him. It was stern, and jaded. He realized how fed up with him she must have been.
"Cleaning up the blood." He said, not bothering to turn around from where he was standing at the open doorway of Tails' house. No one was inside. The shelves were gathering dust. Tails would never let that happen if he was alive.
"Blood?!" She sounded panicked now, angry even. "Blood?! Sonic, what happened?! Are you hurt?! Did you do something?!" She stepped in front of him, eyes searching the house for a second before looking Sonic over. Then she slumped over, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Sonic," she told him gently, taking his paws in hers. Which she shouldn't have he thought, she's going to get red on her. "There is no blood. You can stop looking for Tails. He is with me. He is safe." Her voice was soft, soothing, and quiet, the way you would talk to a frightened child, which Sonic felt right now.
He blinked, and the crimson puddles disappeared. Huh, Amy was right about that. Could she be right about Tails being okay?
No Tails was dead. He'd seen it. He'd seen it many times. Over and over again, he died because Sonic failed to protect him.
He looked at her and nodded anyway.
—————
Sonic smiled as he took in the sun shining on his quills.
They were at a playground. Sonic had been meaning, for weeks, to find one to take the kit to. For a bit, he played with his little brother before sitting down to prepare dinner. He was putting another hot dog on a stick when Tails ran over to him, a large scrap on his knee. The little guy was playing too hard.
Sonic reached into his backpack for his first aid kit when he realized Tails wasn't crying. To think about it, he never saw the kit crying unless he left him alone for too long or if Sonic himself had gotten hurt.
He pulled Tails closer to him, "Let me see, buddy." The kit just looked at him, confused, "Why?"
Sonic chuckled, "So I can treat your wound."
"You're not mad?"
"No, why would I be mad?" He pulled the knee closer to him and started disinfecting it. Tails winced. "Has anyone gotten mad at you for being hurt before?"
"Yeah, but they seemed mad before that when they hurt me."
Sonic paused. This kid would admit to him the craziest things that he couldn't help but feel heartbroken over. Like when he handed his brother some money and told him to get food, only for the kit to return with stuff he fished out from the garbage. Or when he learned Tails liked mint so much because, pre-Sonic the kit chewed on mint leaves to quell his hunger.
He wanted so badly to go back to that island and kill anyone who had let that happen to his brother.
Sonic apologized as Tails winced again when he tied the bandage. He pressed his muzzle to the wound to give him a kiss like a mother and helped Tails sit down.
"Did they get mad when you cried?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I won't. Cry all you want around me, ked." Sonic tickled Tails, who burst into laughter.
They both helped themselves to as many chili dogs as they wanted that night.
—————
Sonic ran into his brother's house. His friends had finally stopped avoiding him for whatever reason and called him over to give Sticks an intervention. The team (Amy) had made her pick out a pet to get her to show a better appreciation for animals after the kitten incident. Unfortunately, she had chosen a small robotic slime puppy she named Buster.
But the robot was a nuisance. The whole team knew it. It stole ice cream cones. It ruined workouts. It licked them. And worse of all; it left slime everywhere.
"First, you say you want me to have a pet, then you say you don't want me to have a pet. I know what's going on here. A massive government mind-control experiment!" He wished that was what was happening, at least that it would be interesting.
"That's…one theory." Amy spoke up, "The other is, we just want you to discipline him. Show some- "Then she screams as she notices Buster on her head, drooling into her quills. "Forget it! Either Buster goes, or we do!"
"Well, if Buster goes, I go! And I'm not going!"
"Oh." Sonic interjected, "I guess that means we go." His friends start following him out the front door before Tails stops them. "Wait. This is my house." Oh, right. What are they doing?
That's when Eggman came over, "Oh, hello! I was just stopping by with a present for your little Cluster." He held out a box.
Sticks raised an eyebrow, "A present? For Buster?"
"Since little Buster here was created in my lab, I still feel like a father to him."
"You created Buster?" Sonic questioned. He guessed he shouldn't have been too surprised. The only other person smart enough to make a robot like that was Tails, who hated Buster.
"I did. And now I want to give him this little present!" He opened the box, revealing a robotic bone.
"Wait a minute. Are you sure this Cluster isn't just another evil robot built to destroy- "Buster jumped out of Sticks' arms and took the bone before he could finish.
"No. It's not an evil robot! It's an evil Slime Bot! It's a totally different thing. A Slime Bot is a robot covered in disgusting goo." So much different. Wait, is Buster growing tentacles? Yeah, they should have seen this coming.
"Is that the tentacle you stole from the warehouse?"
"Oh please, I used that tentacle as a backscratcher. When I was done scratching, I used it to build him." Buster reached his gross tentacles towards Sonic and his friends. The hedgehog put an arm out in front of Tails before that creature could touch his little brother. The robot starts targeting Sonic, but he manages to evade his attacks.
"Hey guys," He jumped back from another tentacle. "I think I'm gonna need a little help with the Cluster here." This is why they got to start training together more. He shouldn't have to tell them to help him.
"No!" Sticks cried. "Don't make me hurt my beloved Buster!" Oh, brother.
Knuckles shrugged, "Well, I never liked him much." He charges at the monster and pounds the earth to knock Buster off balance, but it does nothing. Buster slowly reaches for him. "Did I say, 'never liked'? I meant never got to know." A tentacle wrapped around him and pulled him into the air.
Amy took out her hammer. She looked like she'd been ready for this for weeks. "All right, Buster, the hammer's coming down!" They had to work on her catchphrases.
She charged at the robot, only for a tentacle to grab her.
Tails, ever so clever and wanting to show it, chimed in. "Or up, as the case may- "Then he got grabbed as well, not even having the chance to fight back.
Dr. Eggman laughed maniacally. Sonic sped around Buster. He leaped into the air landing on the edge of a table, causing it to fly through the air and sever one of the robot's tentacles.
"Ah ha!" Sonic boasted before the tentacle grew back. "Uh oh…" He leaps away but is pulled in the air as he feels the slimy appendage wrap around him.
"Good boy, Clusterbot!" Dr. Eggman clapped, "Now," He pointed at Sticks, "Get her!"
The robot approaches Sticks but doesn't attempt to grab her.
Sonic was still struggling to pry himself from its grasp. "Sticks! Buster won't attack you!"
"Aww, that's sweet!" The badger cooed.
"No, I mean, if there's any way you can stop him, now's the time!" Why couldn't Sticks just get a bunny? Or better yet, why couldn't Amy leave well enough alone and let Sticks hate animals?
"Buster, don't do this." Sticks looked the robot in the eyes to reason with him. "You're good on the inside! Remember all the times we had!" She stares at the monster for a few agonizing minutes of what Sonic could only assume was a flashback that only the two of them, or maybe only Sticks, could see.
Buster shook his head. "Yeah…I don't remember any of that either." Sticks scratched her head.
Dr. Eggman who looked sick of waiting gestured Buster. "And now, my Clustery friend…Finish them!"
It must have been some cruel joke that Sonic was conveniently being held right in front of Buster, getting a front-seat view of the robot putting Tails in his mouth.
"Uh oh…" The kit looked terrified, yet he seemed hopeful. They always got out of this. They had to this time too. Right?
Sonic struggled against his restraint more. He had to save Tails. Tails would be all right. He promised nothing would ever happen to him. He'd protect him. He wasn't dying right in front of him. He wasn't going to.
"Buster- "Sticks started, but the robot had already dropped Tails in his mouth. He wasn't going to listen to anyone now. It was hopeless.
One last desperate wail escaped the terrified kit as Buster snapped his jaws down. Then opened them and brought them down again.
Crunch.
"Tails!"
Buster tilted his head and moved his jaws up and down. He was chewing him in front of all of his best friends, who could only sit and watch the gruesome death. Blood and guts were falling over them now as the robot broke Tails' body into smaller pieces. One of his tails managed to break free and fly out of the monster's mouth.
Sonic felt like he was floating in space. His whole body was hurting as if he was the one demolished inside the robot's mouth. He couldn't breathe, and not just because of the tentacle wrapped around his body. It's like his entire existence was fading. He felt dampness drip down his muzzle. When did he start crying? What is that noise? When did he start screaming?
He'd found Tails as a toddler, had held him close during nightmares and thunderstorms, taught him how to fly a plane, and nursed him back to health when he got sick. That kid was his family. And now he could see his insides.
They could only watch, suspended in the air, as their friend grounded into mash before them. No piece of the kit left not drilled down, not even his bones. No part of him left.
Sonic looked at the blood dripping out of Buster's mouth. It shouldn't be there. It should be on his paws, dripping all over his neat, pristine gloves. He wanted to be sick.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The robot stopped chewing, seemingly satisfied with how well his meal ground now and swallowed. Buster took a few seconds before spitting out a giant yellow-orange hairball, then brought Knuckles close to him.
Just as he was about to eat the last echidna, a deep rumbling sound came inside the metal exterior. He looked down. His stomach was inflating.
Sonic closed his eyes as he felt himself fall to the ground, coats of metal and guts falling around him and his team.
He heard a wail, most likely from Amy, but might have been from any of them.
Eggman wiped some meat chunks from his coat. "Oh, right. I didn't program it to be able to digest flesh. Oh, well. I'll get the rest of you next time." Then he sped off in his Eggmobile.
Sonic got up and stood there on the blood-covered grass with his friends in shock. None of them said anything when Amy burst into tears. None of them said anything when Knuckles kicked a scrap piece of metal that remained around them. None of them said anything when the paramedics and police arrived to question them.
There was nothing to say. Tails was gone forever.
Sonic closed his eyes, rubbing tears away, then glanced around a second later. The paramedics, police, and his friends, all of them, were nowhere in sight. For once, they had been faster than him.
He tried to take a small step, but his legs felt like jelly. He stumbled onto the grass. Clean, neatly mowed green grass, without a speck of blood or flesh hindering it. No scraps of metal either; that cleanup crew sure did work fast. Or maybe he spaced out for a bit? That would explain why his head felt funny now.
Sonic hugged his knees to his chest. It made sense that his team was gone home by now, and none of them viewed their leader as one to like or need hugs, and they all probably needed time to grieve. Or, in Sticks' case, wallow in shame. But he still wished someone had stayed and comforted him. Usually, it would be Tails, but his little buddy was long gone by now.
He stared a hole into the grass where Buster had been. He wanted to cry. He wanted to yell. But most of all; he wanted to kill that badger.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The bamboo door was flimsy. He could easily tear it off its hinges, but he was going to give her a chance to invite him in.
He heard footsteps, and then a blue eye looked at him from beyond the peephole. "Go away! I don't want to talk to you right now!" Well, that didn't work.
Sonic took a few steps back and turned around, making it look like he was leaving, before spin-dashing the door down. He landed face-first on the moss-covered wall ahead of him, leaving a hedgehog-shaped dent.
"What are you doing?! Get out!" Sticks demanded, grabbing Sonic by the scruff of the neck and dragging him towards the door. He kicked her ankles, knocking her off her feet and getting free. Then he punched her as hard as he could, knocking the air out of her lungs. Sticks hunched down on the dirt floor as Sonic crept around the room.
The wild badger didn't have a lot of things, not many normal things at least, just collections of stuff she'd collected from the jungle: rocks, a table of fruits, animal pelts, and several tin foil hats.
Sonic made his way over to the tin foil and started stomping on them. Sticks struggled to stand using her staff. "Stop it! What's wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong with me?!" He threw a ball of tin foil at her. "You're responsible for it. You let it happen!" Sonic moved over to the table and started throwing the fruit on top of it around the burrow. More than a few spit open or splattered, Sonic smiled.
"I don't know what you're talking about, you nutcase! Did the rock people send you?!"
"Not even sorry, are you?! Are you?! Figures! People like you never are!" He stormed over and pulled Sticks' to him by the ear. "Listen, runt. Next time you think about taking in a robotic monster that eats friends. Don't." Then he shoved her back. Sticks growled, grabbing Sonic by the shoulders, pushing him out the door, reattaching it to its handle.
Sonic huffed. She deserved a lot worse. They all did. Anyone that let that happen to Tails deserved what was coming to them.
On his way home, he passed by a young yellow vixen in a red dress. She stopped when she saw him. Oh, it was Zooey. Did she know yet? It had to have been a few hours. At least someone was bound to tell her by now. She didn't look sad. If anything, she looked worried. She was clutching her hands together and twirling her head fur around.
"Hi, Mr. Hedgehog." This girl is so formal. He'd always approved of her despite that.
"…Hey, Zooey. How are you holding up?"
"Oh, I'm good. Worried about though." She rubbed her foot in the dirt, twisting her body from side to side. "Can I talk to you about Tails?"
"Of course." Zooey was once someone his little brother thought fondly of, and with everything that happened today to the poor girl's boyfriend, he had to be as nice to her as possible. But as he said it, the shock of the situation was fading, and it took every muscle in his body to keep himself from tearing up again, screaming at how the unimaginable could happen right in front of him.
"It's just that…" The girl sighed, "The two of us had brunch together earlier, and he just seemed so sad. I tried asking him what was wrong, but he wouldn't tell me what; I put my hand on his shoulder, and his bandit fell off. He ran off quickly after that, but I could still see bruises, Mr. Hedgehog. Really dark purple ones all around his throat. I think someone's been hurting him." Zooey hugged herself, "I'm scared." And so was Sonic.
—————
Where are my lines?
—————
"Sonic," Tails called from his sleeping bag as the two of them looked up at the sky in their sleeping bags. "Why do we stick together? Why do you take care of me?"
Sonic had gotten lost in the stars, but his head snapped back at the kit when he asked that question.
The hedgehog smiled. He could tell early on that this kid wasn't used to having anyone who loved him. Really broke his heart sometimes.
The older brother pointed above the two of them at the stars. "See that group of stars? It's called a const- Oh, what am I kidding, you probably already know what it is. Don't you? Little smarty pants." He ticked the fox, who giggled in return. "Anyway, that's the Ursa Major. It's supposed to represent a bear."
"Looks more like a frog." Tails giggled, moving closer to his brother.
"Anyway, right above it is called the Ursa Minor also known as the Big Dipper. See legend goes that long ago, the god of the sky had a child with a woman out of wedlock- "
"What does out of wedlock mean?"
"Means they weren't married. Now pay attention." Sonic took a deep breath, "So when the Sky God's wife found out, she was mad and turned the woman into a bear."
"That's a mean thing to do."
"The gods are mean. Anyway, her son grew up to be a hunter, and one day, he found his bear mom in the woods and was ready to shoot her."
"Oh no!"
"But the Sky God wanted to save them, so he threw the two in the sky, and they became stars. Now, they circle the planet each night together, never leaving each other's side again.
"Why not?" God, this kid was killing him. Is there a parenting book on how to deal with these questions?
"Because the bear and her son are family, ked. And family sticks together no matter what." He pulled Tails closer, wrapping around him with his quills out to protect the two of them from whatever planned to come at them from the darkness around them.
"Oh."
—————
They're all lying to you. He's dead. And who's fault do you think that is?
—————
Sonic sat in the Tailsmobile, trying to hide his aggravation. He'd been dragged out of his nap all the way to the middle of the canyon because his brother seemingly had something cool to show him. "What's so awesome that you had to bring me all the way out here?"
"Check it out. Voice-activated controls!" He turned to the front side of the vehicle, "Start engine." The Tailsmobile beeps, then turns on and hovers a few inches above the ground.
"Uh. Let me try. Give me a chocolate shake." A compartment on the dashboard opens, and a mechanical arm hands Sonic a vanilla shake.
"Vanilla? I asked for chocolate. Fail." He received a beep in reply before the same arm came out with a cup of chocolate syrup, pouring it all over the hedgehog's head. "Ah!" Great, all over his quills!
Tails scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Still working out the kinks…There's a towel back at the workshop.
Sonic jumped out of the vehicle without another word and sped to the workshop. He dries himself off with a towel and starts working his way back to his brother. He returned just in time to see the Tailsmobile at the end of a volcano, with Tails still inside it.
The kit shrieked and covered his sensitive ears, causing his vehicle to start beeping before falling right off the edge into the volcano. And it was bringing Tails along for the ride.
Sonic races down the circular path as the kit falls, jumping at the Tailsmobile. He attempts to knock it back onto solid ground but misses and crashes into the wall straight ahead.
There was a splash.
He stood back up and stared down over the edge at the lava boiling below him. Maybe his brother had managed to fly free just in time? He looked around the rest of the volcano. No one but him was there. Tails was gone.
He was gone.
He boiled alive in a pot of lava.
He was only eight.
Tails is dead.
And it was his fault.
He'd missed.
Sonic threw himself on the dirt and let out a gut-wrenching scream.
No.
No.
No.
He doesn't remember running there. He thinks he spaced out on the way home, mind too occupied with what had just happened.
But now Sonic was at Tails' workshop, standing at the entrance. It was all his fault, all of it. He should have been able to save him. But he couldn't. And now his ked was dead.
Sonic narrowed his eyes, glancing around the large room. Every invention here was responsible for Tails' death. If he had nipped the inventing in the butt when the kit was five, the kit would still be alive.
No, he shouldn't think about that now he had work to do. So, he picked up one of Tails' babies, his bud's precious hammer that he hadn't been allowed to touch, and swung it as hard as he could at the MX-4180 Electroplasmatic Capsulator. He felt his fist crash onto the metal over and over, too engulfed in his rage to feel his broken fingers.
His brother was so young. So innocent. He should have protected him. He deserved better. So much better.
But he was going to set things right now. He let the anger consume him even more he could only see red. Hitting, throwing, scratching, any invention he could get his hands on.
As he was kicking over the remains of the Auto Adjuster 3000, his red echidna friend walked in.
"Uh, what are you doing?!"
Shit, he hadn't even thought of this. He had to tell his friends what had happened, what he'd let happen.
"Tails is dead. His invention drove him into a volcano. I'm sorry." He made it as blunt as possible. Shouldn't sugarcoat this. It's how Tails would have said it.
"What?!" Knuckles dropped to his knees, holding his head trying to come to grasp with what the hedgehog had just said. "He- Oh my God..." He covered his head in his paws, resting his elbows on his lap.
Sonic threw the Miles Electric across the room. "His inventions caused this. They need to pay." No, it was actually his fault. Always was his fault. But how was he going to explain that?
"I...I want to help." The echidna stepped forward, taking a deep breath. He held his fists above the worktable and crashed it down, drawing into it a massive crack.
Sonic smiled as he picked the Miles Electric back up and let it fall to the floor again, stomping it with his foot.
It felt like a weight was lifting up over his shoulders as he and Knuckles trashed the workshop. Sure, he felt awful losing this part of his brother. But the inventions were dangerous and deserved it.
Soon enough, Sonic looked around, and there was nothing left to break except for the Tornado, which he wanted to put in his brother's tomb. It was going to be a massive one. They'll stuff it with things that meant a lot to Tails since he no longer had his body. Yeah, that would be the perfect way to honor his little buddy.
—————
"Sonic! Sonic! Look!" The five-year-old kit called to him, running over and holding a strange metal object for Sonic to look over. The hedgehog was lying under a tree, resting after their last adventure. There was a junkyard nearby that the kit wanted to play in, and he let him as long as he stayed close by.
Sonic grabbed the object in his paws and looked it over. It was a small handheld radio.
"Where did you get this, bud?" This junkyard had a lot of mechanical parts, but it would be almost impossible to find something as well put together as this in it.
"Oh. I made it." The kit rocked back and forth on his feet nervously. Sonic pressed a button on the small radio out of curiosity, and to his surprise, the box played music. How in the world?
"You made this?!" Sonic had just bought the kit a small tool kit yesterday, and he was already making stuff like this?! The older brother/ new parent had expected crudely made metal clutter, stuff a five-year-old would make. Not this!
"Are you mad?" Tails asked, flinching and backing away. Great, he just got the kid to trust him.
"No, no!" Sonic reached out to him, "This is amazing. Amazing how smart you are, ked. I love it."
He got up and squished his little brother's face with the palms of his paws. "And I love you."
Tails giggled and hugged him, pressing his small face into Sonic's chest. Sonic is so grateful he found this kid.
—————
The lines are gone. The lines are gone. The lines are gone. Where are the lines? I can't see the lines. They aren't where they should be. Bring back the lines. I miss the lines. Lines. L ines. Li nes. Lin es. Line s.
I need those lines.
—————
Sonic was relaxing on the beach with three of his closest friends, who were still slightly angry at each other.
Yesterday, Tails had shown them a robot he made that was supposed to translate any language but ended up being about to read their thoughts. It seemed harmless at first. Until it started revealing some thoughts, the team would have wished to keep to themselves. And today, well, had been even worse. It voiced that Knuckles called himself stupid and Sticks ugly, and the badger tackled him for causing the two to tassel one another. And it told Amy that Sonic thinks she's a big dope with stinky hair.
"You guys, stop! We've been duped! Eggman swiped UT and replaced him with this imposter!"
Knuckles and Sticks stop fighting as the former drops the badger onto the hard ground with a thud. Sonic and Amy stop screaming at each other and look over at Tails.
He didn't want to argue with her. First, she had been acting weird towards him for the last couple of days and now that they're talking again, she's trusting a bucket of bolts over him!
"We've gotta save the real UT!" The kit started running in the direction of Eggman's lair but looked back when he realized no one was following him. "…Don't you guys wanna get UT back?"
"Thing is bud," Sonic rubbed the back of his neck, "That robot of yours just makes us fight all the time."
"It's evil, I tell ya!" Sticks screamed.
"Fine. I see how it is. I'll go get him back myself!" And Tails ran off to save his unpopular robot.
After an hour Sonic was starting to feel a little bad, and worried, he trusted Tails, but he didn't want him going after an evil scientist by himself. He was about to get up to get him when the missing robot, U.T., Rolled over to them.
Amy pointed to it, "Hey, it's Tails' missing robot."
"We found him! When you see Tails, tell him we looked everywhere for a long time." Knuckles suggested as soon as he spotted him.
"Or we can just recycle the thing and take a blood oath never to tell a soul!" Everyone gave Sticks a look. "What? Just spitballing here."
Then the robot turned on, showing them all a hologram of Tails.
"Hey gang, it's Tails." The recording told them, "I'm going to be staying with Eggman. No need to rescue me, I'm one hundred percent safe and happy." Tails pressed a button and the hologram disappeared; the gang stood in shock.
Shit. Shit. Shit. It was all his fault. He drove Tails to Eggman of all people! Who knew what that bald loaf would do to him?
Then U.T. Spoke up translating what the hologram just said. "I snuck in Eggman's lair to save my robot. It was awesome. You should have seen me. Anyways, I need you to come rescue me now. Sorry for the inconvenience." Sonic felt relief wash over him mixed with terror at what his brother had just gotten himself into.
"Wow. U.T. Really came in handy." Knuckles crossed his arms.
Amy looked the robot over again, "Maybe it's not as dumb an invention as we thought."
"Yeah, but we should still smash it. Just to be safe." Sticks suggested again, ever the lover of robots.
"No time for that now! We've gotta go save Tails!" And Sonic ran off with his team, ready to go save his ked.
They had to destroy a few bots before they could get into the lair. Just as Amy and Sticks are crushing a Bee-Bot between them with a kick, the front door opens and Eggman looks over at the four.
"We're here to save our friends from your evil clutches." Sonic looked past the door, expecting Tails to be right behind Eggman, but no one was there.
"Uh, umm, about that…" The scientist scampered as the hedgehog started him down, tapping his foot.
"Well, where is he Eggface?"
"You see…uh…." Sticks whacked Dr. Eggman on the head. "Spit it out! We don't have all day, I gotta robot to destroy!"
Dr. Eggman took a deep breath, "Okay, so before you get mad, he's the one who decided to touch the outlet and- "
"What are you saying, Eggbreath?!" Sonic raised an eyebrow and shoved past the scientist, "Where is he?! What did you do?!" He ran around the lair, "Tails?! Tails?! Buddy?!" He stopped in the room where Eggman had his monitor. There under the counter on the floor was an unconscious yellow-orange furry mass.
Sonic ran over to it and crouched down. He turned the body around to see his ked's small face, normally lively bright blue eyes were now dull. He put his paw to his neck to find his pulse. Nothing.
He placed a paw on his forehead. Tails was so cold. So still. So dead.
He tilted Tails' head up and started pressing his hands into the small chest. Up and down.
Staying alive, staying alive, staying alive. Please become alive.
Then he opened his brother's mouth and plugged his nose, blowing two breaths into him. Set his head back down to go back to compressions.
He did this over and over and over. It felt like hours had passed when he finally noticed his friends surrounding them.
He heard Amy sniffle and then felt her paw on his shoulder. "Sonic. He's gone."
Sonic let out an Earth-shattering scream, falling to his knees. Eyes closed, trying to focus on his breathing to prevent an upcoming panic attack. A familiar feeling came over his body. It was as if his chest was hurting. It was as if Sonic had gotten surgery that tore off a piece of his beating heart right out of his chest.
When he finally found himself back in the headspace to open his eyes, he was at the entrance of Dr. Eggman's lair. He can't remember going there. Maybe he spaced out while they were collecting the body? He's got to get to a doctor about this memory problem. But no time for that now. Right now, he had to talk to a different doctor.
Sonic pressed the doorbell next to the doors of the lair, then pressed again when no one answered. Then again, and again, and again. Finally, Eggman came out in his onesie pajamas.
"What do you want, hedgehog? Shame on you for interrupting an evil scientist's beauty rest!" He's going to need a lot more than the rest.
Sonic kicked the scientist in the kneecaps.
"Ow! What the hell, rodent!?"
"I'm going to kill you."
"Oh, finally lose it, huh? All those years of me putting rat poison around your house finally got to you." So that's why the yard around his house smelled like garlic.
The hedgehog grabbed him by the collar and punched him as hard as he could in the nose. Then again, and again, and again.
"You killed my best friend!"
"Ow! What are you talking about!? That yellow fox is fine! See he's right behind you!" Dr. Eggman pointed behind them from where the two enemies were fighting on the floor. Well, Sonic was fighting, Eggman was getting the shit kicked out of him. Sonic turned around, and there was Tails and the rest of his team.
"Tails!" Sonic got up and sped over to the kit, but Knuckles got right between them, so he ran face-first into his echidna friend's chest. "Knuckles!" He tried to get past him, but Knuckles put his arms out, blocking the way.
Amy stood right next to her red friend. "What are you doing here, Sonic?"
Sonic pointed to Dr. Eggman accusingly, "He hurt Tails! We have to-"
"I was with Tails the whole day. We never even saw Eggman. He's on vacation, remember?"
"Yeah, I'm on vacation!" Eggman shouted from where he was still crouching in pain on the ground. Sticks hit him on the head with her staff. "Don't help."
"Ow! What's with your group today?!"
Sonic turned away from Tails and looked back at Eggman, slowly walking over to him, only for Amy to block his path. "No, Sonic."
He tried to shove her out of the way, but she took a step back in front of him taking out her hammer. "Move aside Ames, I'm not finished with him yet."
"Yes, you are! I don't know what's going on with you, but this isn't right! Eggman hasn't done anything recently, to warrant this kind of response."
They heard a camera click and looked back to see Knuckles had somehow gotten his hands on a camera, taking a photo of them.
"What? It's not every day we have to save Eggman from Sonic." The rest of them rolled their eyes as Sonic took another step forward.
"He hurt Tails!"
"No, he didn't!" His kit brother yelled at him from behind Knuckles.
Sonic tried to get around Amy again, only for Sticks to run over and block him with her staff.
"Hey, man…" Eggman spoke up, "Are you good? What's up?"
"What did I tell you about helping?!" Sticks pointed her staff at Eggman, who jumped back and gulped. While she was distracted, Sonic sped towards the scientist and started tussling him again, only to feel strong hands grab him and restrain him on the ground.
It reminded him of that night Knuckles had pinned him to the floor after he attacked the clone- attacked Tails. Oh God, what has he done…No that was a clone. He saw Tails die; it was the clone he attacked. It was the clone. Does that mean the 'Tails' behind him is the clone? He was such a fool greeting it like he was its brother. His brother is dead.
"Why won't you let me?! He hurt our friend!"
He saw Amy pull her hammer out at Eggman in the corner of his eye. "Did you do this?! If you did something to make him act this way, I swear to God I'll- "Acting like what? How was he supposed to act, seeing his brother die over and over again!?
"No! No, like you've said I'm on vacation. And even if I wasn't, this is not the way I would beat the rodent. I want to crush his spirit not make him lose his mind!"
Amy sighed, "So the problem is just him then."
"What?! Nothing is wrong with me! I'm fine!" Everyone gave Sonic doubtful glances. "Oh, come on! The one you should be worrying about is Tails!"
"Me?!" The kit tried to get past Sticks, who now took it upon herself to protect him. "I'm not the one going around attacking people like a lunatic!"
"Shut up! He's not Tails! He's not Tails! Tails won't stop dying! He's not Tails!" His chest was starting to feel like an overinflated balloon. He tried to breathe, but nothing was coming in. The floor was giving out beneath him. He was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to die.
Someone put a paw on his chest. "Hey, hey, Sonic. Deep breaths." They put his paw on her chest, "Copy me…there you go…just like that."
He noticed his friends staring at him in concern as he slowly returned his breathing back to normal. The clone gazed at him with something that seemed like pity and hurt. He watched the kit turn around and spin his tails to fly back home before anyone could stop him. He felt Amy brushing her paw through his quills comfortingly.
"Tails- "
"Have you considered taking him to therapy?" Eggman asked, getting up from the floor, ready for bed. "I, for one, have been going for years, and my therapist has done wonders."
"You should see a better one." Amy snapped attention still on Sonic.
"Yeah, fair."
—————
"Sonic…what if nothing I ever invent is ever good enough?"
The two sat together on the bench, looking up at the stars. They had a long day; Tails had just gotten himself back together after splitting himself into multiple people, seemingly so he could make better inventions. But the clones of himself came out having the mental capacity of three-year-olds, which made sense as Tails was only eight.
Sonic guessed part of it was his fault. When the Dome-apocalypse failed to protect the villagers against Eggman, he defended his brother from the villager's dismay by telling them that Tails couldn't think of everything. He was just one guy.
Sonic rustled the kit's head, "What are you talking about, bud?" It hurt his heart to hear Tails say that. Because he knew if his brother was talking about his inventions, he was talking about himself, his inventing was a part of him.
"I wasn't able to protect the village today. Eggman was able to outsmart me!"
"Outsmart you? An egg? Ha!" Nobody could even dare to compare to Tails in intelligence. Not him. Not Eggman. No one.
"Sonic."
"Tails, not everyone can think of everything all the time. You did your best. The village was safe for a little bit. But think of it this way; if it had worked, the five of us would be out of work."
The kit sighed, "I guess…" Sonic pulled him even closer.
"Buddy…"
"It's just…you think my stuff is kinda lame?"
"Hell no."
"But Amy thinks so."
"Did she tell you that?" Anger was seeping into his words; all his friends knew how deeply Tails wanted approval for his inventions.
"No, but…remember the Universal Translator I made? It told us Amy thought it was lame." Oh, Sonic completely forgot about that. That was months ago! He wished they'd known it was still bothering him sooner.
"Buddy. Don't take it personally. Amy won't think anything, but rainbows and unicorns are interesting. Besides, "He tilted the kit's head to look at him instead of down at the sand. "She loves you. We all do. And your inventions are wonderful. All of them."
"Thanks, Sonic."
—————
Sonic groaned from where he was hanging over Knuckles' shoulder. He insisted he could run home, but his "friends" wanted to make sure he got to bed this time.
He didn't want to go to bed, though. He didn't want to see Tails die again. He couldn't handle seeing Tails dead again. He would see it again; he knew he would.
So, he waited as Amy tucked him into his hammock, reassuring him that "they will get through this as a team." He waited until their footsteps faded, then got up and snuck around his house. There was only one thing he wanted to do tonight.
He hid behind a tree and peeked into Amy's house. Tails was on her elegant white couch, burying his face into a throw pillow. Amy sat beside him and patted him on the shoulder a few times. Then she laid down next to him.
The kit hugged her tight, burying his face into her chest, and she started rubbing circles into his back, murmuring something in a low voice.
Sonic stared at them in horror as Amy pulled a soft pink blanket over the two of them, then they slowly drifted back to sleep.
Only one thing was on his mind.
He'd been replaced.
—————
He has her now. He doesn't need you. You messed up your relationship with him. This is it. You have no family now. No family. Alone. You are alone. All a l o n e.