Archive of Our Own

It was hot. He felt sweaty. His brows were furrowed to keep his eyes squinted from a bright light.

Tails?

His thoughts felt like they were being tugged out of something, and pictures went through his mind of what he felt around him; the ground, air, the sky…

The air was still and it caused him to sweat more. His back, against the ground, felt stuck from being in place for so long.

Tails.

He was hearing something. It felt far away, distant.

The bright light got brighter.

Tailssss…

The sound was closer now, clearer. It was teasing and comforting, pulling him toward it with love and forgiveness. He wanted to hear it again. 

The light had gotten brighter and it was beaming at him.

“Tails.”

His mind snapped. Clear as day, the voice woke him up.

He was awake but kept his eyes closed. He took a deep breath, feeling sticky from sweat and sore from limbs that hadn’t moved for hours.

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking at the sun. It reflected the green color off the leaves above him, which reflected onto the blue silhouette standing over him.

His attention went towards the blue silhouette as he was trying to wake up. His mouth felt dry and parched as he looked into its eyes.

“You okay?” Sonic stared at him, hands on his knees as crouched over where he was laying. 

Tails was awake now, looking at Sonic then moving an arm from where it was locked in to rub at his eyes.

“What’re you doin’?”

The question was kind. It wasn’t harsh or probing, demanding an answer out of irritation. An innocent question that welcomed an answer, if the boy wanted to give one.

He looked at Sonic again for a moment, then looked away. He tried to word something but all that came out was air. His throat was dry and hoarse, probably from breathing through it.

He was thirsty.

“What’s that?” Sonic asked him kindly, turning his head to point his ear at the fox. Just a simple, curious question.

Tails tried to speak again, moving around figuring out where he was because he seemed to have lost all brain function and couldn’t remember anything before waking up.

“Huh?” The fox was confused. He wasn’t sure where he was. It was as if someone went into his head and stole his brain because he couldn’t form a single thought besides being tired and thirsty. He moved around some more, trying to sit up. 

His face was hot and his arms were shaky. Sonic moved his hands from his knees to his waist, standing up straight.

“You tired?” Another question, kind and soft hearted. Tails didn’t make any response as he sat up.

Sonic was so nice. 

There was a minute of silence. The fox sat there with a blank stare, listening to bugs that flew past his face and the steady breathing of his brother who was still standing over him. He could hear his shoes crunching the dirt when he moved just the slightest bit.

Tails’ arms moved instinctively to rub his eyes again. They were itchy with crust in the creases.

“Mm…what time is it?” He asked with croaky words.

He listened for an answer. Sonic moved a hand from his hip to look at his watch.

“‘Bout 4:30.”

4:30. It was 4:30. He was asleep and now it's 4:30. How long was he asleep for? When did he fall asleep? And how did he end up here?

“How long have I been asleep?” A question asked both to himself and his brother.

“I don’t know. I just found you.”

Tails sat there for another moment, trying to think but couldn’t find anything.

“Huh.” He said straightforwardly, like it was the only conclusion he could come up with. It was an agreement to what he was feeling right now. He couldn’t think of anything else.

The boy started to stand up slowly, pushing his hands on the ground to give him a lift. Dirt smeared on his gloves and dusted off through the air.

He found his way on his feet but felt a tug to his head and started leaning. A hand grabbed his elbow, steadying his stance, keeping him from falling.

“Woah there, you alright?” His brother asked with concern and a smile.

Tails nodded his head with closed eyes, looking for balance from his brother’s form.

“Mm-hmm.” A simple answer for a simple question. He held onto Sonic’s wrist, now being led away from the spot he was found before, still unable to remember how he got there. 

They walked away from the area, Sonic taking them somewhere else. 

“So there was an argument in town earlier.” Sonic began as they walked. “One of the shop owners got heated at another shop owner for supposedly setting his stuff up on his property. I heard they started brawling when one of them ‘accidentally’ knocked over a stack of fruits.” Sonic snickered while he was talking, finger quoting ‘accidentally’. 

Tails listened with his eyes closed, occasionally opening them to make sure he wouldn’t trip on anything, even though Sonic was holding onto him.

“I went over cause I wanted to see the fuss but I got there too late. The fight stopped before I got to see it. It sounded pretty funny if I’m bein’ honest cause it’s these two older guys who aren’t really that tough so they were probably just slapping each other.” He laughed at the thought.

Tails tried imagining what it had looked like, but his brain felt too foggy. “Mm,” was all he could give out.

They continued walking. The fox kept his eyes closed from the sunlight beating down on him. He tried to think about his nap that he took on the dirt ground which he thinks was near his workshop. The area looked like it was near his workshop anyway. He just can’t remember or figure out why he fell asleep there.

He couldn’t recall anything special happening earlier. No major events, no hangouts, no fights, no threats, no plans. 

It felt like it was a regular day, with nothing exciting to do. Maybe he was just tired and wanted to take a nap. Maybe he felt like not doing anything. 

The ground started to feel different, now soft and squishy versus the hard, flat terrain they were on before.

He opened his eyes to see why. They were walking on sand now and he could smell salt in the air, along with distant sounds of splashing water.

Sonic had led them to the beach, which would then lead them to his shack. It was in the perfect spot; right underneath a burrow of palm trees yards away from the water. Tails sometimes wonders why Sonic put his home right next to the ocean. He knows he loves the beach, but can’t swim for the life of him. Maybe it's the sight and sound that pulls him to it, but Tails still has his doubts. 

Sonic tugged him along, helping him up the steps and into the house. He sat him down at a table in front of the TV, already turned on when they arrived.

“You thirsty?” Sonic asked, and Tails remembered his parched throat.

“Yeah.” 

The hedgehog walked to the fridge sitting against the wall on the other side of the shack.

“Whatchu want? Water? Juice?”

Tails was quiet for a second.

“Water.” He answered.

The boy sat with a distant stare, eyes lidded. He heard glasses clinking, then applause coming from the TV. Outside there was shuffling in the trees and two squirrels raced past the windows, disrupting the still plants out of their frozen stature.  

He thought back to before when he woke up. It felt like a dream at this point. Thinking about it, it didn’t feel like it happened but he knows it did because he wouldn’t be right here if it didn’t.

Maybe he did an all-nighter last night and his lack of sleep hit him while he was walking, so he decided to take a snooze outside his workshop, if he was even outside the workshop, that is.

“Here you go.” His thoughts were disrupted with the voice and a cup full of water put in his face. He slowly took the glass from Sonic with two hands, trying to hold it steady.

“Thanks.” He replied quietly.

“Mm-hmm.” Sonic went to his hammock right besides Tails and jumped in, putting an arm behind his head, relaxing. 

Tails sipped the water, then chugged it till it was empty. The cup was big and filled to the brim, but he drank it all and it was enough to satisfy his thirst. He took deep breaths after he finished, holding the cup tightly. 

Minutes went by of digital laughter and steady breathing. Creaking from the hammocks ropes sounded every time it swayed, letting Tails know that Sonic was still there. He could hear him breathing and it was almost hypnotic, but he got pulled out of it when Sonic moved an arm to scratch at his leg. 

More minutes went by, all the more quiet. 

Sonic’s head shifted against the hammock.

“You want more water?”

Tails shook his head. Not right now.

Sonic went back to the TV and Tails went back to his thoughts. Maybe his brother could help him remember some things.

“Sonic?” 

“Yeah?”

“Was I outside my workshop…when you found me?” 

He could feel Sonic looking at him when he answered. 

“Kind of? You were a bit far but still close. Like by the trees and stuff.”

Tails had a blank face, thinking about that. “Oh.”

Maybe he did go for a walk, or just wanted to look around. Or maybe he wanted to take a nap on the ground because he was tired. It seemed odd, but not out of place for him. He could sleep anywhere if he wanted to, being a fox.

“Why?” Sonic asked him, curious and confused. 

The fox was quiet for a second, looking at nothing. “I just…I don’t remember how I got there.”

Sonic raised an eyebrow and looked at hi, for a moment before speaking. “What d'ya mean?”

Shrugging his shoulders, the fox kept a blank face with a distant stare. “I don’t know…I just don’t know how I got there… or when I got there.”

Hearing this made Sonic’s face go from confused to a little worried. He sat up on the hammock, one leg dangling off the side. 

“You don’t remember how you got there?” He asked.

Tails shook his head. Sonic looked away to the side, thinking. He looked at Tails again, leaning forward with his arms in front of him. “Do you remember anything before that?” He asked him.

The only answer he got was another shake of the head. Tails could feel the impending wave of speculations and interrogations his brother was about to give him. This situation was probably going to turn into a pursuit that wouldn’t stop until a resolution was found. 

“Really? Nothing at all? That’s weird.” The hedgehog looked off to the side.

“Do you think you hit your head or something?” 

Tails shook his head.

“Ate something bad?” That question made him think. There aren’t any poisonous plants or berries around his home that could cause a blackout and post-amnesia. There was no odd taste in his mouth that could identify he ate something previously. He was hungry, but that could be caused by going hours without eating. 

He couldn’t find a reason so the fox shrugged his shoulders, unsure about that possibility. He continued to stare at the TV while Sonic stared at him. 

The hedgehog watched his brother, who was still slightly shaky, gripping his cup, breathing hoarsely through his nose and slumped in the chair with a look that was the equivalent of exhausted. 

He looked away. “Huh. Weird.” That was all he said. Tails wanted him to say more, to find a reason that could answer this weird state he was in. To give him reassurance that nothing bad happened to him and his brain just hasn’t updated yet and his thoughts about the entire time before this will eventually show up. 

As if Sonic could hear his prayers, he decided to say more. “This seems pretty serious if you ask me. Are you sure you’re not hurting anywhere?” He moved his other leg off the hammock, leaning forward to get a closer look at Tails. “Maybe you hit your head and got a concussion and the pain hasn’t hit you yet.”

Concussions don’t work like that, Tails thought. He looked down, shrugging his shoulders again, mouthing the words ‘I don’t know’ quietly. 

“Hm, well,” Sonic looked over Tails again, “maybe some food will make you feel better. Get your head gears turning again.” He stood up with his hands on his hips. “Why don’t we call it an early dinner? What’re you hungry for?” 

Tails thought about it and what he was craving. Doing so caused a sudden growl to tear its way from his stomach, and he pressed his arms against it, trying to smother the sound. The water passed through him pretty quick. Guess he was more hungry than he thought. 

Sonic obviously heard the growl because he snickered quietly above him. Tails’ ears folded in embarrassment. 

He looked down and after only a second of searching, he exclaimed what he wanted to eat. 

“Burger.” He said, straightforward.  

Sonic’s ear flicked.

“Burgers? You want a Meh Burger?” 

“Yeah.” He said, his voice still a bit croaky. 

Sonic checked his shoes to make sure they were secured. “Alright, anything else?”

He was silent for a moment, thinking, then the fox answered. “Fries. And uhh…juice.”

“Fries and juice? Alright, I’ll be back in a zip.” Sonic made his way to the door. “Don’t go anywhere!” And he ran off before Tails could reply.

“Okay.” He said, even after his brother was gone. 

In no time Sonic was in town making his way to Meh Burger. The dinner rush hadn't started yet, so there wasn’t anyone in line, which was lucky for him. The town itself was quite empty, only a few people out walking around or shopping, giving in to the lazy day trope. 

It was quiet and hot outside, no hanging ideas in the air that said today was meant to be spent outdoors. Sonic certainly felt that way when he woke up. He spent nearly his entire day watching TV and picking at loose threads in his hammock. He felt too lazy to get up and plan something to do, he just wanted to lay down.

The only thing that made him get out of the house was the fickle argument between two grown men that made him want to see a fight rather than be in one. He wished he could’ve been there to see it because he knew he would get a laugh out of a fight that wouldn’t do any damage besides ego or status. 

And then he wondered what his little fox brother was up to and found him lying on the dirt ground by his workshop which would then lead him to their darling C grade local restaurant to get him a meal that would hopefully put his mind back together. If the food didn't do it, hopefully the artificial flavors would knock his noggin back into place. 

The hedgehog walked up to the register and put in the orders. He made sure to get the food right so Tails wouldn’t be upset. He wanted him to be able to remember what he did today so he didn’t have to worry if something bad actually did happen, which Sonic hopes didn’t.

He’s not sure if he’ll have to take him to a doctor, if nothing lets up. That would mean something is seriously wrong. It’s not normal for Tails, or anyone really, to not remember anything before a nap they took on the ground outside their workshop instead of the bed or couch in their home. That's a perfectly reasonable place for a nap. 

Something else must’ve happened, and the more Sonic thinks about it, the more he worries. 

With the ring of a bell and an eye roll from the poor service worker, he got the food. And it took a while even though he was the only one to order something the entire time he was there. But that’s what you should expect with Meh Burger. 

Burger bags and drinks in hand, he sped back home holding on tight to their dinner. He made it to the front porch onto the steps and upon looking into the house, the hedgehog stopped in his tracks. 

Tails was gone. 

“Tails?” He called out and only silence greeted him. He walked further in, putting the food down and looked around. He noticed the cup he gave the fox earlier was sitting on the table, right next to the chair. 

The hedgehog looked around again to see he could find anything else, but couldn’t. He groaned. 

“Ugh, Tails, I told you not to go anywhere.” He said out loud and walked out of the shack and onto the beach, looking for the fox. 

He didn’t see him on his way back home, so he probably went to the other side of the beach where his workshop was. Sonic was a bit annoyed by this. His brother’s mind was obviously out of it and he didn’t want the boy wandering around alone. Any other day he would be perfectly capable of taking care of himself but right now, not so much. 

This case of memory loss didn’t feel right to Sonic and he didn’t want it to be the cause of anything serious. And the fact his brother left the shack when he told him not to kind of feeds into the theory. 

He walked some more, eyeing the treeline and the wooden building slowly coming up over the hill. He started walking up the hill but something caught his right eye. Something yellow. 

He looked down to the ocean and what he could see on the shoreline was Tails walking into the water. 

Sonic immediately panicked. From his spot on the hill he turned his heel and ran straight to his brother as fast as he could. 

“Tails, what are you doing?” A worried and alarmed question left his mouth as the hedgehog reached the shoreline, skidding to a stop.

Only a few feet in front of him, Tails was waist deep in the water. It seems he ignored the question because he didn’t turn around or acknowledge what Sonic said. He just kept going further. 

“Tails!” Sonic sounded his name again, trying to get him to stop and wondered why he wasn’t answering. The fox ignored him again. 

Sonic made a groaning sound as he looked at the water, jumping back every time it threatened to touch his shoes. 

“Tails, get out of the water!” His attempts to get him out was yelling quips that sounded like a person yelling at someone to get out of a dangerous spot, like a parent yelling at a child to get out of the street. 

Only the water wasn’t dangerous, Sonic was just afraid to get it in. 

“Tails, I’m serious! Get out of the water! Now!” Ignored again. Sonic’s angry-panic turned into worried-panic when Tails went further in. The water got up to his midsection, almost going to his chest when Sonic realized his words weren’t going to get him out. 

He made an agitated groan, fighting the force in his body that stopped him from going in the water. When a rather large wave splashed over the fox almost making him go under, Sonic’s inner fight died and he shoved his fears away. 

Stepping quickly into the water, doing what he could to get to his brother as fast as he could, he pulled his legs up and over every time he took a step until it was too deep. The feeling of the ocean around him caused some type of jab in his back that made him want to get out, but he pushed the feeling away.

Now only a few feet from the fox, he reached for his arm when a wave went through them, pushing Sonic back, almost making him lose his footing. His breath caught in his throat and he felt frozen from thinking of what could’ve just happened, but the sight of his brother moving in deeper pushed him to move again.

He moved closer, fighting against the waist length water and the constant pulling and tugging, and now just a foot away, he reached out a hand and grabbed his brother’s arm. 

With a rather harsh tug, he pulled the fox towards him, stopping him from going any deeper. Putting both arms around him, he picked him up and walked towards the sand the best he could without falling or losing his grip. 

Tails made some type of noise, reaching an arm out towards the ocean like he was trying to grab something, but Sonic held onto him tight. 

They made it to the sand and Sonic put Tails on the ground but kept a firm grip on his arm. He wasted no time in questioning what the fox was doing. 

“What were you doing, Tails?! Why were you going out there like that?” Sonic wouldn’t admit it, but he was a bit shaken. He looked at Tails with an agitated stare, holding onto his arm and refused to let go.

Tails, again, didn’t answer. He kept looking at the water.

“Tails? Answer me!” Sonic tried again. His breathing was quick and his limbs trembled, but he still held on tight. 

Tails finally gave him an answer after an abrupt shake. “I thought I saw someone in the water.” 

Sonic blinked. He stopped talking and stared at the fox, loosening his grip a bit. Thinking about what he was just told, he turned his head around and looked at the ocean. Confusion all over his face, the hedgehog looked at the vast body of blue to see if there was anything out there.

All he saw was waves and the reflection from the sun. No people. 

“What…Tails there’s…there’s no one out there.” He looked at the fox, who was still looking at the ocean.

“But…I thought I saw someone…” Tails’ words were quiet and distressed. Sonic took a deep breath and released his hand, rubbing his forehead.

“Ah jeez, buddy…” His words were tired and guilt-ridden. This is not how he thought his day would go. He just wanted to go home and make sure his brother was okay. Clearly, he wasn’t and clearly, he had to figure something out as to why. 

“Alright,” Sonic exhaled deeply, “are you sure you saw someone? Or you think you saw someone?” 

Tails looked up at him with an upset face, letting out his words quietly. “I think…” 

Sonic took in his words and took a deep breath, shutting his eyes. “Okay, it seems like this situation you’ve got going on is making you see things.” Tails looked at him worriedly. “Maybe you did hit your head or something.” He observed the fox’s head while saying so.

“But my head doesn’t hurt.” The fox tried to reason with him, trying to convince him as much as he was convincing himself that nothing bad happened to him.

Sonic tugged his arm and pulled him away from the beach. “Let’s just go home, okay? Today is already ruined for me.” 

Tails felt a pang of guilt as they went.

Sonic groaned again. “And now we’re all wet. I’m gonna have to dry my shoes out.” After saying that, Tails put his attention on his own shoes, realizing they were soaked along with his socks. “Yours too. I should charge you with a laundering fee.” Sonic said looking at Tails’ soggy footwear, trying to lighten the mood. 

He tried to laugh, but couldn’t find it in himself to do so. He just stared forward while they walked. 

They got back to the shack and Sonic promptly sat his brother down in the same chair after giving him a towel. He lifted the boy’s feet, taking off his shoes and socks, and placed them by the wall to dry out.

The hedgehog did the same with his own shoes, taking off the old, worn out sports tape and throwing it away. 

After drying himself off the best he could, he went over to the table where their food was waiting. Tails was already digging through the bags, pulling out what was his. Hopefully his dinner was still warm. 

He pulled up another chair and sat down next to his brother, who still had the same exhausted look as before, and got to eating. He looked at Tails for a moment before putting his attention on the TV.

Hopefully the meal will help him get some memories back. 

Hours went by and the sun set below the sea. Both boys were still in the shack, not moving or leaving to go do something somewhere else. Sonic moved back into his hammock and they watched TV like it was the only entertaining thing on the island and kept their eyes glued to it. 

Sonic kept thinking about earlier; his brother walking into the ocean, ignoring his calls, and Sonic having to go in to get him out. He kept thinking about the feeling of the ocean, pulling his legs, threatening to pull them out from under him so he’d be engulfed by water. The thoughts gave him an uncomfortable feeling. He didn’t like it. 

Tails hadn’t said a word since they ate. He stayed in his seat and didn’t move an inch the entire time they were here, still hugging the towel around him. 

Sonic got curious so he decided to start a conversation.

“Hey, you feel any better?” Sonic said, looking over.

Tails’ eyes shifted away from the TV, acknowledging his brother’s question, and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.” He stated quietly.

“Still don’t remember anything?” 

The fox shook his head.

Sonic kept looking at him. This entire situation started to feel bizarre. 

He shifted in the hammock, got on his feet and stretched his limbs, then walked to the table, collecting the trash.

“I think I should take you to a doctor. You’re kind of making me worried.” The hedgehog said with a furrowed brow, glancing at the fox.

Tails looked back with his own worried face. Clearly this was a problem if even his genius brother didn’t know what was going on with himself. 

“How bout I take you in tomorrow morning?” The question was soft and kind, like the others before were. “How’s that sound?”

Tails looked away distantly. He had a thinking face and soon enough, nodded his head. 

“Yeah, that sounds good.” He agreed to his brother’s outlook, thinking this might be the best thing to do.

Sonic had a smile on his face. He patted the fox on the back and took the leftover wrappers to the trash can. He then walked to his freezer, pulling out a tub of ice cream. 

“I got some ice cream here if you want any. I don’t have mint so don’t bother asking.” Sonic said quickly, looking back at Tails and grinned when he noticed how he slumped over after being told. 

He got out two bowls and made one for the fox so he didn’t have to get up. 

“You know, if something happened to you, there should be something on you that tells us something happened. Like a bruise or bump or something.” Sonic rambled out loud. “It’s weird there’s nothing like that. Unless something else caused it. I don’t know what would cause it but once we figure it out we’ll see why.”

Sonic finished one bowl and moved onto the next. Tails wasn’t saying anything which was fine. Sonic only failed to notice that the reason Tails wasn’t saying anything was because his attention was fixated on something else. 

The fox was looking past the TV towards the windows on the other side of the shack, and what he saw through one window had his eyes glued to it like a tile glued to the floor. 

“Maybe one of your inventions malfunctioned,” Sonic kept going, “and you hit yourself with a magic ray or whatever.” 

Tails kept looking through the window, unmoving, unblinking and refused to look away. 

Sonic, unlike Tails, failed to notice that this window had something in it that was looking directly back at them. 

“I don’t know, I just hope you didn’t run into anything dangerous.” Sonic dropped a spoon. “Dang it.” 

He picked it up and went to get another one. Tails, after not saying anything the entire time, decided to say something.

“Hey, Sonic?”

Sonic put the new spoon in the bowl and picked them up. “Yeah?”

The fox was squinting his eyes and with a small hand, pointed to the back of the shack.

“Who’s that?” 

Sonic stopped where he was, bowls in both hands halfway turned to make his way back to his spot. He looked at Tails, looked at his pointed finger, then looked to where he was pointing, through the windows on the other side of his shack. 

Sonic froze. 

Through one of the windows he could see a tall figure standing in the trees with glowing yellow eyes, staring right at them. 

The air went still and everything went quiet besides the TV. Sonic stared at the figure, bowls still in hand. Tails was the one to break the silence.

“Sonic?” His voice filled with uncertainty, Tails looked like he was about to jump out of his chair. 

Sonic finally came to his senses and looked at the figure with a harsh glare.

“Hey!” In a flash the figure moved from its position and zipped through the trees behind the shack, making its escape after being discovered. Sonic, in no time, ran past Tails, dropping the bowls on the table and stopped at the window, looking for the figure through the trees. It was gone by the time he got there, so he wasn’t sure which way it could’ve gone. 

Sonic growled under his breath. Something had been watching them. He doesn’t know how long it was watching them, but the thought that whatever that thing was spied on him and his brother made the hedgehog just the slightest bit mad. And also put just a small chill down his spine, but he wasn’t going to say that. 

He turned around, ready to leave to go look for it but the sight of his brother stopped him.

Tails was standing up, holding onto the chair with one hand, and he looked scared.

“Sonic…” He said warily. Sonic ran up to him and put his arms on the fox’s shoulders, looking back at the window.

“Hey, hold on,” He kept looking back and forth between the window and his brother, “it’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna find out who that was and make sure they know who they’re messing with.”

Tails gripped the hedgehog's arm. “Sonic, I don’t feel good about this.”

Looking at the fox, Sonic could tell this upset him a lot. Tails looked frightened, and he gripped Sonic’s arms like he was afraid to let go. 

“Hey, it’s gonna alright, I promise.” Sonic clutched him back, assuring the boy nothing would happen to him. “I don’t know who, or what that was, but I’m not gonna let some creep spy on us like that.”

The hedgehog started pulling them to the wall where their dried shoes and socks were. “Why don’t we go over to Amy’s and see if we can stay with her? That way if it comes back we-”

“No, Sonic,” Tails cut him off mid-sentence while Sonic was picking up his shoes, “I mean that didn’t seem like some random person. That felt like something else.” His voice shook while he spoke. “I- I don’t…” 

He looked at Sonic, who looked back with worry written all over his face. Tails looked like he was about to cry.

“I don’t like this…” The fox said, looking back and forth between his brother and the window. 

Sonic went quiet. He didn’t know what to say. He kept looking at Tails, trying to find any sort of meaning in what was happening. He wanted to think it was just a person, a villager who thought it would be funny to scare them. But there aren’t any villagers that are as tall as that thing. And none of the villagers can move that fast, as far as he knows.

It must’ve been something else, maybe a prank caused by someone they already know. He knows others who can match his speed, but none of them are that tall. Maybe it was…

A terror-filled scream was suddenly heard in the distance, causing the fox and hedgehog to jump. 

“Uh oh.” Sonic exclaimed with wide eyes, looking in the direction the scream was heard, which happened to be through the forest behind his shack.

Tails’ grip on his arm tightened. 

“We gotta go see what that was.” Sonic put his socks and shoes on in a split second along with new sports tape. “C’mon put your shoes on.” He handed Tails his footwear, but the fox had on look on his face that said ‘I don’t want to.’

“Sonic, I really don’t feel good about this…” Tails’ tone and face made Sonic stop what he was doing. The fox looked genuinely scared. 

“Tails..” He started, looking at the boy. “We have to go see what’s going on. Someone could be in serious trouble.”

“I know but-”

“And I can’t leave you here alone. You’re not well enough to be by yourself.” Sonic grabbed Tails’ socks and ushered him to put them on. “Besides, I don’t want that thing coming back here if you’re all alone.”

Tails grabbed the socks and stared at them.

“So c’mon!” The hedgehog hustled him on. “We gotta go see what’s happening.”

Tails, still hesitant, put his socks and shoes on and followed his brother out the door in the direction they heard the scream. 

Upon further searching through the trees, the two came to a clearing that happened to be the edge of the town, where only a few houses stood in the area. In the clearing, a small group of villagers huddled around something, muttering words of confusion and alarm.

Sonic and Tails walked up to the villagers to see what was happening.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Sonic was the first to say something, looking between the people and trying to see what they were huddled around.

The villagers turned around when they heard the voice and immediately reached their arms out when they saw who it was.

“Oh, Sonic! Thank goodness you’re here!” One of them spoke, an ox, running towards the hero.

Another villager, a cat, ran up to the hero, speaking in a frenzy. “We don’t know what happened! We were in our homes when we heard a scream and then saw her laying on the ground!” Pointing a finger behind himself, Sonic saw what must’ve been the source of the scream.

A goat lady was laying on the ground, unconscious.

Sonic ran to the lady, putting his arms on her shoulders, and slightly shook her.

“Miss? Miss? Can you hear me?” He said in a loud, concerned tone.

“We tried waking her up,” The cat continued behind him, “but nothing we’ve tried works.” 

Sonic was quiet for a moment before standing up. “Did you see anyone else when you heard her?”

They all sequentially shook their heads. 

Sonic thought about that. How did this lady end up here like this? And why did she scream?

It wasn’t completely unlikely, but he believes the thing that was in his window could’ve made its way over here and did something to the woman that made her end up like that. It did look like it went in this direction when it ran away.

Sonic looked at the villagers, then looked at Tails, who was staring at the goat lady on the ground. His face still had a sense of uneasiness in it and Sonic couldn’t help but have the urge to take it away.

“Okay, Tails and I have a feeling of what could’ve caused this.” The villagers looked at Sonic and Tails with faces of expectancy, wanting an answer for this. “But we aren’t entirely sure. So we need you to-”

Before he could finish, it seemed like the night was going to be filled with terrorized shrills when another scream broke through the air further in the village.

Sonic looked down the path between houses before turning around to the villagers.

“Take her to the doctor!” He said, grabbing Tails and heading down the path. “We’re going to see if we can find out what’s going on!” 

With a fox in tow, Sonic ran down the path to find who let out the scream and hopefully the perpetrator of it, leaving some nervous villagers behind. 

Sonic made it to the next area where more people were huddled around something. It looked like another villager.

He didn’t want to spend too much time talking with them to know what happened. It was pretty clear the same thing happened to this poor person just like the goat lady. Only he heard these villagers saying things like ‘who was that?’ and ‘what was that thing?’

This gave Sonic an insight that these people might’ve seen where it went. 

Skidding to a stop in front of them, he wasted no time in asking what he needed to know.

“Which way did it go?” 

The villagers pointed down another path, and off he sped with Tails right behind. 

Each house they went by, people were coming out of their homes as if something had woken up the whole village. Lamps and porch lights turned on one by one further down the path. It was as if they were lighting the way for the hedgehog and fox. 

And as mystical as it sounds, it worked. They made it all the way to the town square when something caught Sonic’s eye. Something that didn’t look like a villager. Or a person. Or anything considered normal.

In front of an alley between two buildings, a tall creature with long, bony limbs, old, torn robes, a head with ragged hair, and a face that looked mummified stood crouched over a villager seemingly sucking the soul out of them. 

Well, that’s what it looked like to Sonic. The creature was face to face with the person, staring dead into their eyes, and the poor schmuck was staring back with a face full of fear, locked in place. Its mouth was agape and a yellow light was seeping out of the villagers mouth into the creatures, like it was sucking it out. 

Sonic was a little freaked out to say the least. He had a disturbed look on his face, and Tails was a little more than freaked out.

“What’s it doing?” The frightened fox asked, clutching his arms toward himself, taking a step back. 

Sonic ignored his question and sped as fast as he could to the villager, grabbing them, and carrying them to the other side of the square, away from the creature. He laid them down on the ground where they stared wide-eyed at nothing, and was unresponsive when Sonic asked if they were alright. 

“Hey! Hey, can you hear me?” Shaking the poor villager to get a response didn’t seem to work, and Sonic watched them as they closed their eyes and went limp, falling into what Sonic was hoping would be a deep sleep.

He turned around to the creature. 

The thing was still in the same spot as before, but had turned its attention to them. Sonic got a better look at it this way, and couldn’t help but notice the glowing yellow eyes piercing at him.

Tails appeared next to him. “I think that thing is what we saw…back at the house.” The fox was still standing nervously, looking at the creature while moving closer behind Sonic. 

The hedgehog stood up, not breaking eye contact. 

“...Yeah.”

He slightly turned his body to Tails, getting his attention. “You stay with them.” He motioned to the unconscious villager on the ground. “I’m gonna see if I can find out what that thing is…and what its problem is.”

Tails hesitated for a moment, an emotion smeared on his face that said he didn't want Sonic to do anything, afraid he might get hurt. But he quickly pushed it away because Sonic knows what he’s doing, and he never loses a fight. 

“Right.” The fox ran to the villager, picked them up under their arms and started dragging them away to a safer area. 

Sonic walked towards the creature.

“Hey! What’s your deal man? You got a thing for sucking the souls out of people?”

The creature didn’t respond. It continued to stare. 

Sonic moved closer.

“Well hate to break it to you but I’m gonna have to stop this little game you’re playing so you better-”

The creature charged at Sonic at full speed, face and body morphing in a deranged way at the rate it was moving, and it opened its mouth to let out a deep roar for its attack. 

Sonic just barely processed the thing charging at him and narrowly avoided a clawed hand attempting to grab him. 

He ran around the village square, hitting the walls and using them to ricochet him in a different direction while the creature chased him. It kept roaring and kept swiping at the hedgehog, managing to clip him and rip a bit of fur out. 

Sonic hissed at the sting in his back and ran down a path between the buildings. 

He regretted it immediately as it was the same path Tails took the unconscious villager for a safe spot, and as he passed through the creature swiped its arm at Tails, hitting and throwing him into the air, causing him to fall and crash into a wooden stand. 

“Tails!” Sonic dug his heels into the ground and made a one-eighty back down the path, bee-lining his way to his brother going straight through the creature. 

The thing missed him by a hair and threw its claws into the ground to get it to stop, swinging its body around and charging towards the hedgehog again.

Broken wood surrounded Tails as he tried getting up, and splinters were stuck all in his fur. “O-ow…” He let out a strained noise of pain as he pushed himself up, his arms shaking underneath. 

Sonic was next to him in an instant.

“Tails! Tails, are you okay?!” He put his arms around the fox, trying to help him.

Said fox couldn’t really answer as he feels like the wind was knocked out of him and his stomach hurt really bad. He was also too distracted by the ghoul that was approaching them at light speed to attempt at giving Sonic an answer. 

Sonic, also seeing the ghoul, now decided that he was going to try and stop this thing with what he knew best: brute force. 

Spinning into a blue ball of light, Sonic spin dashed into the creature’s face as fast and as hard as he could. 

The force knocked the creature backwards, and its jaw almost disconnected from its head. 

It smashed into the ground on its back and Sonic took the seconds of opportunity he had to keep spin dashing into its torso.

Hit after hit after hit a deeper crater formed on the creature. It tried getting up, tried to grab the hedgehog but was unable to due to the force of the spin dash. 

Sonic, after one final hit, unfurled in the air and landed in front of the creature. He panted as he watched it struggle, as it tried to move, and took this moment to check on Tails. He turned his head, looking at his little buddy sitting on the ground rubbing his torso, then turned his body to run up to him. He managed to take one step before something gripped his arm.

He looked back and the creature was staring with its wide yellow eyes into his. Sonic struggled against the hand. He tried removing the fingers with his free hand, attempting to lift its fingers with his own, and when that didn’t work, he tried using the force of his body to tear himself away. 

He jumped and pulled but the clawed hand had an iron grip on his arm. The other clawed hand gripped his other arm, and the creature lifted him just enough so his feet barely touched the ground.

Sonic continued to struggle, trying to break free, but when he looked into its eyes, he froze. His body suddenly felt weak and distant from him. His mind couldn’t think and his eyes couldn’t move. He stared dead into the things eyes, seemingly into a trance. 

Waves of horrid thoughts went through his head. Things popped in his mind that he didn't construct, like there was a tv being played out of his control. He saw images of bad things happening to his home, his friends, and himself. He saw hopelessness and agony and grief. He felt the force of water dragging him below the surface. He saw his life force being stripped from him. He saw the one person he cared and loved about most in the entire world being taken from him in the most brutal way. 

His worst fears were being shown to him. And he couldn’t look away. 

He wanted to scream, wanted to cry, wanted to run, but something forced him to watch these things and he felt weaker and weaker by the second. 

The force of gravity felt like it was pulling him down. His muscles and blood sank downwards with every passing second. His eyes would water and dry up continuously and everything seemed to be getting darker. 

It almost got completely dark…until something clicked. 

He heard it. The sound of a loud ‘pop’ happened right in front of him as well as a crash. His body met the ground. 

Sonic!

A familiar female voice called his name. It sounded so nice. 

Sonic! 

It spoke again, clearer and closer. His eyes were open, staring at the starry sky, and pink filled his view.

“Are you okay?” Amy looked down at him, pretty as always.

…what?

Sonic felt like he was just pulled out of an intense dream where his soul got separated from his body. He took in a sharp, deep breath, and gasped for air like someone who just ran a ten mile marathon.

“Oh, good.” Amy sighed in relief. “I stopped it before it could finish.”

She bent over a little bit, like she was out of breath too. Her hammer rested on the ground next to her while she held the handle, and Sonic assumes that’s what caused the popping sound. She straightened back up after a few seconds.

Sonic looked at her as she readied another stance, looking beyond him.

“F-finish?” 

Amy looked down at him.

“Yeah,” She pointed in front of her, “that’s an Essence Devourer. They’re ancient demons that take your life energy so they can get strong enough to have a physical body. I guess I stopped it before it could take all of yours.”

She looked at him with pride, happy that she was able to save him before that thing could completely drain his energy.

Taking his ‘life energy’ made a lot of sense to what he was feeling just a few minutes ago. Sonic felt like he couldn’t even walk. And he was really, really tired. 

“What…” He looked between her and nothing. “What would happen if it took all of it?” 

“Oh, nothing terrible. You would just get extreme body weakness and fatigue. Victims tend to fall asleep right after being targeted and won't wake up for hours, sometimes days.” 

Fatigue…being asleep for hours…

He recalls the villager the creature was gripping from before passing out in front of him and refusing to open an eye when he tried waking them up. 

“And it also causes memory loss.” Amy continued. “Victims won’t remember it happening to them once they wake up. It keeps the Devourers hidden so no one can suspect them.”

Sonic looked at her with a distressed face. 

“I learned about them in my ancient history class.” She said with more pride and a bit of flaunt. 

He whipped his head around to look at Tails.

The fox recovered from his fall, having stood up and still rubbing his torso, looking back to where the two hedgehogs were. 

“Oh, Tails…” Sadness and pity flooded his tone. Sonic figured out the mystery to the fox’s amnesia they’ve been dealing with all day. His poor brother was a victim of this demon's work.

Now knowing this, he couldn’t imagine the horrors Tails had to look at when he was in its grasp. He feels kind of grateful he doesn’t remember it though.

Sonic turned his attention to the other side he was laying and looked dead at the demon, who was recovering underneath bricks and cement. 

Amy hit it so hard it put a crater into the tower it collided with and was currently digging itself out. 

Said hedgehog had her hammer readied and was prepared to make another strike. 

Sonic, though his limbs felt like jelly, sat up, pushed himself off the ground, and faced the ghost who was about to get the beat down of its life. 

“We gotta be careful about this.” Amy started next to him. “Since it has a physical body, we can stop it with physical force. But it can easily grab one of us and take our life energy to make itself stronger.”

“Got it. Don’t let it grab you. Should be easy enough.” Sonic spoke with smugness, even though mere minutes ago the thing snatched him up and nearly took his soul out of his body. 

Amy looked at him with an annoyed face like they were sharing the same thoughts. 

“Just don’t let it get you!” 

“I won’t! Who do you think you’re talking to?” The sarcastic question didn’t seem to fool anyone. Sonic took one step and nearly lost his footing.

It was Amy’s turn to give him a smug face. 

The pink hedgehog ran to the side behind the demon. It was still struggling to get out of the bricks and she took the opportunity to throw a nasty blow to its head. 

It roared in pain, holding its skull with its bony hands.

Amy threw another blow, wasting no time to hurt the demon without any remorse. 

It roared again, struggling harder against the rubble, and Sonic thought he should do something instead of just standing there trying to catch his breath like he was doing something the whole time. 

He ran (slowly) towards it, and mustered up what strength he had left to hit it with a hard spin dash. 

Amy jumped back before he made the impact, and watched as the demon got thrashed deeper in the bricks.

The attack created cracks in the tower, and more bricks fell from the side the creature was on.

An idea pooped in her mind, one that was seen many times before but an easy solution to kill a soul sucking demon. 

“Sonic! Keep hitting it in the tower! I’ll do the same!” She yelled out, ready to strike the building.

“Uuggghhh…” Sonic groaned with exhaustion. “O-okay…”

He did another spin dash and another. Amy was hitting the walls of the tower. More cracks appeared and it made loud rumbling sounds, indicating a soon-to-be collapse. 

“Okay, Sonic!” Amy yelled to him. “We have to lure it out to us!” 

Sonic stopped his attacks, looking almost grateful. He put his hands on his knees, panting. He looked up to the sound of cracks and falling rocks. The tower was leaning, and was leaning towards him.

Amy ran up to him and grabbed his wrist. 

“C’mon!” She pulled him away and they stopped after only a few seconds of moving. They were still in front of the tower, but further from before. 

The creature was able to get out of the rubble now. It looked around angrily before it locked eyes with the two hedgehogs. There was a pause as they stared at each other, and both Amy and Sonic hoped it wouldn’t notice the leaning tower right behind it, getting closer and closer to the ground. 

Sonic wanted it to get hit with the hardest force the tower would give, so he called out to the demon.

“Over here you stupid ghost! Come and get us!” He yelled at it and his yelling seemed to work. 

The thing roared at them and quickly floated in their direction. 

It was a shame it didn’t see the tower behind it, because if it only moved a few feet to the side, it would just narrowly miss it. 

With a giant boom and shattering bricks, the tower fell directly on top of the demon, crushing it. 

Clouds of dust filled the air making it hard to see. Sonic and Amy coughed, waving their hands in front of their faces to get rid of the thick clouds swarming around them.

The dust quickly settled, allowing them to see clearly in front of them.

Villagers from every direction came running up to the tower, faces and tones full of shock and disbelief. 

“What happened?”

“How did it fall?” 

“What’s going on?”

The same questions were repeated over and over again as the villagers scampered around, looking at the mess. 

Sonic looked at everyone around the village, then looked at Amy. She had a relieved look on her face and that subconsciously gave Sonic his own relief. It looked like their plan, well, Amy’s plan, worked out. He felt a brush on his arm and looked over. Tails found his way to Sonic’s side and he was staring at the tower.

The hedgehog put an arm around the fox, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

As the people talked between each other, a bright yellow light suddenly illuminated from underneath the bricks. It was seeping out, looking almost like water. It was bright enough to light up the village's nighttime atmosphere. 

Everyone backed away from the tower, afraid something was going to jump out, but nothing did.

The light dimmed slowly until it was gone completely. 

Everyone was quiet. No one was sure what to do or say.

Sonic turned to Amy.

“Uh…did we do it?” He asked, hesitantly. 

She looked back. “Well, from what I learned, if you successfully manage to kill one of these things, its ‘soul’” she finger quoted, “should leave its body and dissipate into the air.”

They all looked back to where the light came out before.

“So, yes!” Amy continued. “I guess we did do it.”

“Wow.” Sonic was still looking at the tower. “That was…intense. If I’m being honest I don’t want to fight anything anytime soon.”

“Same here.” Tails spoke up for the first time since he appeared next to them.

Sonic turned to him. “I guess we have an explanation now for your memory loss.”

“We do?” The fox was confused but also looked expectant.

Right. He wasn’t there when Amy explained what that thing was.

“Oh, Amy could probably explain it to you better, but those things suck out your soul and make you forget you saw them so they stay hidden or something.”

“Life energy.” Amy corrected next to them. “They suck out your life energy. Not your soul.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” 

She rolled her eyes. 

Tails, still a bit confused, looked relieved to know what caused his nap earlier and why he couldn’t remember anything the previous day.

The fox turned to Amy. “Will I get my memories back? Now that it's dead?” He hoped she would give him the answer he wanted.

“Mm no. Your memories won’t come back.” She said, regretfully.

He slumped.

“I’m not sure why though.” She continued. “There aren’t any records of it. Usually someone's memory stays if you stop the demon from taking your energy in time.”

They looked at Sonic who became the prime example. 

“But don’t worry.” She looked at Tails with a heartening face. “Nothing bad’s gonna happen to you. It's probably a good thing you don’t remember because the Devourers usually show you what your worst fears are to scare you and make it easier to take your energy.”

Sonic became stiff after hearing that, as his mind flooded with the images he saw before when he was in the demon’s grasp. A chill ran up his spine.

“Yeahhh how bout we stop talking about it and call it a night?” A shaky laugh filled his voice and he wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. Maybe with the lights on.

Amy responded first. “Okay! Well you two can go along. I’m gonna stay here and help clean up since I’m part of the reason for this mess. Goodnight!”

“Night Ames.” Sonic waved.

“Bye.” Tails waved next.

The hedgehog and fox started making their way out of town, away from the mess.

They walked slowly, Sonic completely drained of energy and Tails still hurt from being thrown into a stand. 

Sonic spoke up after a few minutes. “Hey uh, I think I might crash at your place tonight. I’ve got the creepy crawlers running up my back.”

The hedgehog was a little more than freaked out from what he was shown. He kept trying to bury the images but every time they popped in his mind, these horrid things he would’ve never imagined in his life, he’d get goosebumps and feel nauseous. 

“That’s fine.” Tails said quietly. “I was actually going to ask if you could stay over. I don’t think I’d be able to sleep peacefully tonight by myself.”

Sonic put an arm around the fox, rubbing his fur. “Sure thing, bud.”

And they walked. Today was a really long day and it’s not how either of them thought it would go. They’re just glad they can go home now and Sonic’s glad he found the answer to the mystery he’s been trying to solve all day. Even if he’s now scarred for life.

“I wonder what made that thing show up here.” Sonic asked out loud, making Tails’ ear flick. “Amy said it was a creature from ancient times. So why is it out and about today?”

Tails looked at him with tired eyes and all he could do was shrug.

Oh well. Another mystery for another day. They’re both too tired to think of any answer. Besides, all they can think of is how long it’s gonna take to get home at the pace they’re going.

Up in the mountains in an ancient cave, far behind the village, Dr. Eggman laid on the ground unconscious. 

The lights from the egg mobile were the only thing illuminating the dark tunnel. 

The doctor’s breathing pattern, which was steady and slow, suddenly changed and his body twitched. 

Slowly, the doctor opened his eyes for the first time in who knows how long and he moved a hand to rub at them.

He sat up and looked around, confusion all over his face.

“What happened?” He exclaimed to no one. “Where am I?” He looked around, hoping to get an answer, but none came. 

After a moment, he weakly got up off the ground and walked to his egg mobile. He felt very weak and tired and he had no idea what time it was or the place he was in.

His mind gave him a great desperation in wanting to go home. So he did. He turned on his egg mobile and made his way out the cave.

What he left behind was what looked like an old shrine. Multiple pots with sealed lids were displayed on shelves with sharp daggers planted in front of them, insisting no one touch.

And beneath the pots and daggers in front of the shrine, lay a broken pot on the ground.