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Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog.
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Forever and Always
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Shadows stretched out as far as they could as an orange light beamed just above the horizon. The deciduous trees whistled from the wind, completely bare from all the leaves fluttering away or lying on the ground. On a breezy, autumn morning, it was an ideal start to the day, perfect for a morning stroll.
Coincidentally enough, Sonic the Hedgehog was out and about yet again for his daily constitutional. The sun was slowly rising up to peek over the mountainside and down towards the Mystic Ruins. At this time of the season, he wasn’t feeling warm from the rays shining down on his eyes. But it also wasn’t frigid enough where the temperature was around the freezing point. Winter hadn’t come yet, but it was slowly approaching with every passing day.
Still, to keep himself somewhat comfortable, the blue-furred hero sported a red, hooded jacket with a zipper and some pockets; the color scheme matched his speed shoes. It was a special present he received from his little buddy last Christmas. Sonic was normally stubborn with wearing stuff on his upper body since they tend to limit his movements. Whenever he sprinted with any kind of clothing, save for his shoes, socks, and gloves, they usually got dirty, torn, and ruined in a matter of seconds most of the time. But lately, Sonic kept his hoodie in a very clean condition since the day the twin-tailed prodigy gave it to him.
It was saying something that he cherished it as much as he cherished his supersonic speed.
Stuffing one of his gloved hands in the left pocket of his jacket and holding a flower in the other, Sonic whistled a tune to coincide with the wind. Colored leaves rustled from beneath his shoes every time they made a loud ‘crunch’. He was on his way to meet his little brother at a specific spot.
He genuinely couldn’t explain how lucky and grateful he was to have someone like him by his side. It was all because of his biplane malfunctioning, forcing him to land on West Side Island. That location was where he first ran into the young fox when he was innocent, alone, and surprisingly fast to catch up to him. Sonic was impressed by Miles’ abilities and intelligence. But more importantly, he thought his second tail was a special gift, no matter what his tormentors said to him. After an affable conversation, Sonic happily allowed him to tag along. After all, he was also the same person who fixed his plane and helped him defeat Eggman from terrorizing the locale. Showing his worth, Sonic took the fox along in his other adventures and prospered him into the sidekick everyone now knows as ‘Tails’.
The path led all the way to an isolated, grassy ledge with a fence built along the cliff, overlooking the ocean. Sonic stopped whistling for a moment as his ears perked to the breeze brushing his triangular ears. As it whisked in his face, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply, gazing at the beautiful, blue sky that always hung above him. Continuing his stroll, he finally reached his destination. Standing near the barrier was the one whom he had planned to see. Sonic smiled, watching his bangs flow back against his forehead. His unique namesakes also fluttered up and down slowly as he watched the waves crash along the shoreline.
“Hope I’m not too late,” the hedgehog caught the individual’s attention.
He turned around to stare right into his emerald eyes. Mirroring the expression on his muzzle, he momentarily stepped away to head over and greet his lifelong best friend. The young fox clasped his hand before offering a brief, one-arm hug.
“You do realize that I’m not gonna be mad at you if you aren’t punctual, right?”
“Heh, sort of. But you know, I’ve just... been casual with my morning exercise and stuff. Not trying to pull a muscle or two.”
“Just do whatever you want to do, Sonic. But don’t overstrain yourself.”
“Yeah, yeah... What are you, my mom?”
“No, but I am your little bro. Just because I’m shorter and younger doesn’t mean I can’t care about you and your own safety. Especially since I’ve known you for so long that you’re usually careless throughout your sprints.”
“Hey, I can’t help it! Of course, you already know me – a hedgehog who likes to run and show off his good looks,” Sonic spiffed with the collar of his jacket.
Tails rolled his eyes lightheartedly. “Ok, Mr. Fancy Pants.”
“I don’t even wear pants, buddy!”
“You get what I mean!” he laughed, causing the other to chortle as well. “So, what have you been up to lately?”
“Oh, you know,” the hero vaguely replied.
“Bro...”
“Alright, since you convinced me,” Sonic scoffed humorously. “On occasion, I’ve been hanging around with Amy, Cream, and Cheese in Station Square. I’ve already lost count of how many times I was forced to go shopping with them. On the bright side, Amy got me a new pair of gloves and socks since my old ones were getting worn out.”
“That was nice of her.”
“Sure was! I also paid ol’ Knucklehead a couple of visits on Angel Island. As per usual, Mr. Guardian of the Emerald is lazily laying on top or standing in front of the shrine protecting it from any intruders. It’s funny how the only one who has been some kind of nuisance to him is Rouge.”
“Well, is it really a surprise to you?” Tails quirked his eyebrow.
Sonic snorted with a silly grin. “Pfft, of course not! I still laugh at how she always picks a bone in a hilarious way to get him flustered. And obviously, we know him so much that he easily loses his mind like his head’s gonna erupt.”
“If anything, I wouldn’t be shocked if his head spewed out more lava than any blowhole in Volcano Valley Zone.”
“Ha! That’s a good one, buddy!”
“What about the others? Have you seen them as well?”
“Yeah, I visited the Chaotix’s headquarters on rare occasions, traveled to Blaze’s kingdom to help her with the Sol Emeralds, got to see Silver from the future, and even helped Shadow with a case he was running with G.U.N.”
“You? Helping Shadow out? That’s a sentence I would never believe out of your mouth.”
“I mean, whenever I poked a little joke or two, he threatened me with a couple of sucker punches to the face or a Chaos Blast to the chest. I knew he wasn’t too serious, but-”
“-this is Shadow we’re talking, right?”
Sonic stopped in his tracks. “How the heck did you know what-”
“-you were going to say?” Tails smirked. “You and I both know the answer, I’m pretty sure.”
“Hey, stop doing that!” Sonic chuckled. “Anyway, I’ve been out and about ever since Eggman’s been quiet. While hanging out with the others is fun and all, there is no one out there whom I’d rather spend more time with than you.”
Tails gently nodded, but he didn’t respond back immediately. His heart tweaked a little, beating in small yet uneven intervals. While he knew how much he cared about his brother and vice versa, the fox couldn’t help but feel upset on the inside. Tails did his best to conceal his true feelings, so he quickly waved it off by changing the subject.
“It’s nice to see you in the hoodie again.”
“Thanks! Your present looks great on me, and I love the fleece inside! It always keeps me warm, but it’s also stylish!”
“I figured you would like it, but I never thought you would wear it very frequently.”
“To be fair, it’s been getting chilly here on Mobius. It’s already the middle of autumn, the leaves are falling from the trees, and winter is on its way. It’s a wonderful sight to behold. Yet like every other year, I can’t believe how fast time has gone by.”
“I know... Taking it day by day, week by week, and now months, it’s hard to imagine what you want to do every day to spend your life.”
The last choice words from Tails shook Sonic out of his stupor. He temporarily shifted his head down, peering at his red sneakers. “Right...”
As the mood suddenly changed in the blink of an eye, Tails immediately frowned. He already failed his internal mission. The young kitsune quickly apologized to his friend. “I’m sorry, Sonic.”
Another deep sigh escaped the hedgehog’s lips. “No, Tails. I’m the one who should be apol-”
“Can you please stop saying that?”
The Blue Blur blinked at his request, perceiving his serious countenance. While he seemed somewhat exasperated on the outside, he was upset deep down for a specific reason. As much as neither of them wanted to bring it up to the surface.
“Sonic, we’ve met each other at this location practically every single day. How long has it been?” the fox demanded an answer. But as he received nothing from his colleague, Tails promptly interrogated him with the same question. “How long has it been?”
Unable to face him while responding to the question, Sonic’s eyes creased slightly before he peered out towards the cliffside.
“Several weeks?” he mumbled without a hint of confidence.
“Much longer than that,” Tails shook his head.
“Oh. Right...”
The kind of tone he voiced was very unnatural for the fox to hear. He rarely heard Sonic act so faltered until now. It was as if he knew his companion had been feeling this way for far too long. To think, he was typically upbeat in almost every aspect. He did anything in his power to make the world a better place, and he always loved to spend each day for adventure and freedom. Enjoying time with his best friends also fueled that energy he possessed. Other times, Sonic became bored and irritated whenever things were sluggish or downright annoying, depending on the situation. But then, all of his charisma quickly vanished. He was not even close to being the same hedgehog as he was before. All of his positivity, if not most of it, was gone. His life was replaced with misery, disappointment, and most notably in his mind, loneliness.
“And it’s all your fault,” his conscience jabbed at him.
“You’re doing it again.”
The sudden jerk from Sonic was a clear indicator that he was becoming unsteady. Tails couldn’t bear to see him like this, which was why he interrupted his friend’s thoughts.
“Sonic, please... Don’t even try.”
“But, Tails, I can’t help it. It’s really my-”
“It is not!” he cut in, refusing his surrogate sibling to let him finish that sentence.
Sonic flinched as his clenched fists and body shifted back in surprise. Of all things he had faced, Eggman’s Badniks and every other opponent he fought in the past was child’s play. But under Tails’ remarks, he underwent an emotion he normally doesn’t express nor admit.
Fear.
“How many times do I have to make it clear? You are not the reason why things transpired this way! Yet you can’t seem to realize it!”
“Tails... You can’t convince me otherwise.”
“You’ve been holding on to this thought since our last mission, Sonic! Heck, you’ve been holding on to ‘what if’ for months!”
It was at this point where Sonic lost it. His fists clenched tighter than before. His feet and body shook with anger he had bottled up. “Well, you wanna know why? Because what if I was the one who should’ve protected you?! Then you wouldn’t be in this mess!”
Tails knew he was going to bring this up. The sad part? This wasn’t the first instance it occurred.
“Eggman had been targeting me since the day I went after him and rescued those animals on South Island! I was his main archnemesis! You may be a hero and my trusty sidekick, but more importantly, you were my little brother! I did everything in my power to make sure you lived a normal life as a kid! I tried anything to make sure you wouldn’t get hurt and tormented by bullies or even Robotnik! You shouldn’t have put yourself in such a stupid situation!”
“Stupid,” the kid repeated with the dullest tone. “You really thought what I did was ‘stupid’?”
“Yes!” Sonic screamed. “Because of you, now I have to deal with Eggman alone! I have to live my life on my own. And it’s all because... Because...”
Tails’ frustration faded away as it changed to worriment. He watched his friend stutter while slowly losing his own ire.
“Sonic?”
As the Blue Blur failed to maintain his composure, the cracks started to form once more. His voice became more shaky and quiet. “B-Because... I miss you, buddy.”
He couldn’t shake off the image as it replayed in his head, day in and day out. Whether he was asleep, out on a run, or busy with his friends, Sonic had failed to move on from the day he witnessed the worst thing in the world.
Tragedy had fallen the moment Eggman had the hedgehog right where he wanted. Completely powerless, fatigued, and fragile from head to toe. The evil doctor prepared for this moment since the day he was initially vanquished by Sonic. His mighty robots were no match for the enfeebled hero. Yet a hero swooped in to prevent such as a major casualty. All for the price of taking the bullet himself.
Even with the influence of the seven Chaos Emeralds, even after the fact he transformed into a Super State, Sonic watched his little buddy take on Eggman by himself. He remained valiant and tenacious without showing a single sign of giving up. The eight-year-old did his best to counteract with his newfound Chaos Energy radiating deep in his bones. It felt like the battle went on for an eternity, yet it lasted for mere minutes. Tails already managed to neutralize the robots, yet Eggman had the last laugh. Once the prodigy was tired out, the doctor pulled out one last weapon. Something small and simple, yet effective to a fatal extent. One click of the trigger, and a laser fired sharply at the one whom he had clashed with countless times. Tails reacted, and it ultimately ended the physical bond of the Inseparable Duo.
It was forever known as the day of Tails’ sacrifice.
“And I’ll never forgive myself for it.”
Sonic lost his own battle of emotional turmoil. He fell to his knees in front of a specific location, dropping the flower he kept in his hand throughout the whole duration. The hero had visited this cliffside every single day since the disaster. Several feet away was a tombstone, engraved with his little buddy’s name in bold letters.
By then, the hedgehog felt something over his shoulder. Cautiously looking up, he gazed at Tails’ blue eyes. His face was just as miserable, upset at how his big brother was in shambles. The salty liquid that formed within his blue eyelids was genuinely unnerving for him to look at.
“Sonic, whether I may be a spirit or a figment of your imagination, there’s something you need to know. The question is, are you willing to listen to me?”
In his best attempt to find solace, his body felt a little warm by the sensation. While he refused to think about what was true or not, Sonic closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It didn’t take long for the tear to cascade down his cheek. He followed up with a silent nod before staring back at his pal.
“I’ll never forget the time you helped me fly to the skies and believe in myself. You’ve always been there for me when I needed help or a shoulder to cry on. Even throughout all the hardships we faced, all the fights we’ve been in, you’re the reason why I trust what you say. You always tell me that I don’t have to repay you for your kindness, yet I’m beholden for letting me realize that I’m not a freak. Although I’ve also struggled terribly with my mental health, you were always there to get back on my feet. And I appreciate everything that you’ve done to shape me for who I am. But now you have to do the same for me.”
“And... h-how do I do that?” Sonic whispered, sniffling softly.
Tails kneeled as they were both at equal eye level. Smiling sadly at his best bud, he responded, “Like you always told me. Believe in yourself, keep your head up high, and live your life to the fullest.”
“Yeah... But it’s gonna be tough to have fun and fight robots without you.”
“While that might be true, I’ll be by your side. Not in real life like we used to, but in spirit. I’ll look down on you to make sure you’re doing okay. I’ll be there whenever you get back into action. No matter what new obstacles or dangers you may encounter, I’ll be right there with you. That’s because I respect and love you as both a brother and a best friend – forever and always.”
Despite another small sniff, Sonic found himself smiling again. “Those words are very similar to what you mentioned before... you know.”
“Now I feel bad because you always told me you would never leave when you first took me in. And then, this happens. But I swear to keep my promise,” Tails placed a hand over his heart.
“I know you won’t break it. I trust you so much.”
“As much as I reciprocate those feelings.”
Even with the bitterness and the cold breeze whisking through his sharp quills, Sonic felt a strong resurgence in his body. Deep down, he was heartbroken at how Tails was no longer here. But in another part of his beating heart, the hedgehog wanted to fulfill his wishes, to show the world, his buddy, and even himself that he remained up and running in the present day and for the unforeseeable future. With some powerful insight and encouragement, it was like he never left him in the first place.
Truly, Tails was still here.
Forever and always.
“I’m never going to forget my journeys with you, bro. Every time I fight against evil, it’ll be in honor of you, to remind me of how many times you backed me up when I was about to crumble. I probably wouldn’t have survived in half of the battles if you didn’t use your brain and strengths.”
“And I will never forget every moment you supported me regardless of the scenario. You find a way to come back and be next to me if I was alone, afraid, or lost. It was a thrill to run around at the speed of sound, to follow and help you out as you helped me realize how valuable I can be. I would’ve never found a friend – a bunch of friends, no less – if it weren’t for you.”
Suddenly, Sonic felt another chilling sensation. Tails’ arms wrapped around his body, holding on for dear life. As the saltiness returned, the hedgehog couldn’t help but replicate his movements. He grasped onto the fox, refusing to let go for several moments. By then, the image of Tails began to look blurry. It wasn’t because of the tears though.
“Remember, Sonic, I’ll be right there beside you,” he reiterated.
“I know, Tails. It’s definitely gonna take more time for me to completely move on.”
“And there’s no problem with that. All you have to do is be happy like you usually are.”
As a grin cracked on his muzzle, Sonic embraced his pal tighter. “I will, buddy, just as long as you feel the same way.”
“In the end, I’ll be waiting for you. For now, make the best of your time. And regardless of what fate has in store, you’re still my big brother.”
“And you’ll be my little bro, forever and always.”
“Forever and always,” Tails echoed, his voice becoming fainter than before.
Seconds later, the physical contact was no longer present. Sonic’s arms were now hovering in midair before pulling them back at his hips. With another emotional sigh, the fastest thing alive reminisced all of the glorious memories he had shared with the twin-tailed prodigy. As much as he wanted to hear his voice and laughter again, Sonic took in Tails’ words of wisdom. He was not going to pout, break down, or grieve every single day as he had done for the past several months. However, he planned to visit his grave every once in a while.
Grabbing the flower he dropped onto the ground, he stood up from the grassy plain and placed it directly on the tombstone. Maintaining his sad smile, Sonic made a final, silent prayer. Recoiling from the wind, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, turned away from the burial site, and began his trek back home in the Mystic Ruins.
Everything was going to be alright. He convinced himself, and so did Tails. If his hope ever got lost, Sonic expected to go with whatever the kitsune would want him to do.
Because he was the first one to turn to for assistance.
Because he trusted him with all of his might.
Because they were brothers and best friends.
Forever and always.
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END OF STORY