Chapter Text
He sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady his rapidly increasing heartbeat.
This was it. He was going to do this. There was no turning back.
He was going to Earth to meet Sonic the Hedgehog himself.
Well, if by meet, he meant to warn him about the threat that was coming for him. (Maybe even get a quick autograph if he was lucky.)
He had heard of Knuckles the Echidna, the last of the echidna tribe warriors and the most dangerous and feared warrior in the galaxy. Obsessed with finding the legendary source of ultimate power in the universe; the Master Emerald.
And when he heard rumors in his village that he was going after Sonic, his idol, his hero. He knew that he had to do something.
Because to him, Sonic was the only person he knew who was like him.
Different. Alone.
And of course, there was the planet the hedgehog resided on. Earth.
Even the most detailed galactic encyclopedias warned him about that planet. A land of warmaking, animal trapping, primates and their barbaric ways…
Of course, people had been wrong about things like this before. They were wrong about Tails, sure enough. He was an inventor, a puzzle solver! And a go-getter.
But when anyone on his home planet looked at him, all they ever saw was what made him different.
And seeing Sonic making the most of his situation on Earth and never giving up was inspiring to him. It brought him hope that maybe one day, he’d find that same happiness too.
And he was not going to stand by and leave his hero to face the oncoming danger unprepared.
Tails drew in a breath, taking in the stale familiar scent of the oil grease, electricity, and machinery he had known all his life, before exhaling slowly. He adjusted his yellow backpack on his shoulders, hearing the soft rustling of his gadgets inside. He was going to need them for this journey as traveling across the galaxy to an unknown planet was a dangerous task, but one he was willing to endure if it meant helping his hero.
He looked down at his gloved hand, holding the golden ring between his fingers. In his other hand he held his ever trusty Miles Electric, with the computerized scope locked onto Sonic’s exact coordinates, which Tails had calibrated himself.
He raised his arm to throw the ring, but found himself hesitating.
He bit his lip, his mouth going dry. His tails flicked tenuously.
He lowered his arm, his gaze falling back to the ring in his hand.
Was he really about to do this? Could he do this?
Leave everything he knew behind? (Even if what he was leaving behind wasn’t all that great to begin with.)
For a brief moment, he considered putting down the ring and possibly finding some other way to warn Sonic. Maybe he could use his devices to send him a message via his phone from solar systems away?
After all, why would Sonic, a hedgehog as cool and fast as the wind ever want to be friends with a freak like–
Tails shook his head.
Nope. Don’t go there.
You don’t need to think about those times. Not now.
Now was the time for action.
Suddenly, the ring was out of his fingers. Soaring through the air until it expanded into a large golden portal.
He felt the wind rush past him, the scent of fresh trees and dirt greeting him as he jumped through the ring.
He landed gingerly on his feet as the ring portal closed behind him. There was no turning back now.
Not like he wanted to as he held up his Miles Electric, with Sonic’s readings pinging on the small screen. He looked out at his surroundings.
He found himself standing at the edge of a small cliff, overlooking a large valley full of trees that were much larger and thicker than the simple palm trees back on his home planet. It was almost like an ocean of green.
At the center of the valley was a large settlement with several buildings, houses, and other things in the distance.
‘Green Hills.’ Tails thought to himself, allowing himself to breathe in amazement. He was really here. On Earth. In Green Hills. About to meet his hero. He couldn’t screw this up!
He noticed that the sun had almost completely set, the skies behind him beginning to darken as he became aware that it would be night soon.
Soon enough, the device beeped as it locked onto the blue hedgehog’s unique chaos energy.
“If these readings are accurate, he’s here. I’ve found him!” Tails voiced his thoughts aloud while he adjusted the dials on his device, his lips twitching upwards into a smile. “I just hope I’m not too late!”
Crouching, Tails puffed up his namesakes, splitting them apart. Excitement bubbled in his chest as he took a running start before jumping off the cliff.
The wind whipped past his fur as his tails began to twirl rapidly like the blades of an airship. Eventually his descent halted as he hovered in the air.
The air of Earth itself was actually a lot nicer than he expected. It was sweet, the climate was temperate. Not too hot, not too cold, perfect flying conditions.
And as he flew, Tails couldn’t stop smiling as he soared through the air towards the town. He looked up to see a flock of birds flying by, some of them even looking down curiously at him.
Tails was tempted to wave at them, but knew he had to focus. He had a job to do right now!
Still, as he flew, he noticed the birds coming closer towards him, almost as if they saw him as a bird as well.
Before he knew it, the whole flock began to circle and surround him. Almost like they were forming a sort of barrier around him.
Like he was one of them.
Tails, despite his urgency, felt his lips twitch upwards into a smile. The cool evening breeze felt quite soothing against his fur almost like a fresh wave of water.
One the more bolder birds flew closer to him, nudging him almost playfully with it’s beak. Tails giggled, raising his free hand to gently pet the bird’s head. The white bird leaned into his touch before moving away to rejoin it’s flock.
Tails continued to fly with the flock, smiling happily while gazing around at the birds.
It was quite amazing, really. He had only been on this planet for a few minutes and already he was experiencing something beautiful.
Deciding to be experimental, Tails twisted his namesakes and leaned back, flying upwards in a full loop-de-loop.
The birds followed him in a similar fashion, following him all in perfect formation, their wings flapping loudly as they propelled themselves up before tucking them in and swooping back down.
Laughter bubbled it’s way out of Tails’ throat as spun his body around in an aileron roll, the birds following him blindly.
This planet and it’s lifeforms were almost nothing like the life on Mobius. On Westside Island.
It felt truly amazing.
*Beep* *Beep*
He nearly jumped out of his skin at his device’s noise. Right, he had a job to do.
The noise also startled the birds, causing them to fly away.
He frowned a bit. Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted. Even if it wasn’t for very long.
Tails looked down at his device, the scanner quickly pinpointing Sonic’s location much more accurately this time.
Tails chewed his lip, the anxiety slowly creeping back up as he flew down towards the streets below.
It was night by the time he reached ground. He instinctively maneuvered his feet out in front of him and let gravity take him as he landed in one of the large bushes near one of the houses.
The landing could’ve been better. He brushed some of the leaves that stuck to his fur. But he didn’t have time to worry about that. Not with what was at stake.
“Hmm, he’s close.” The fox kit mused to himself aloud. “I just need a way to reach him without being spotted.”
Tails was of course no stranger to keeping a low profile in a likely xenophobic society. He had to do this quickly and quietly.
As he peered over the bushes, he noted a large vehicle parked across the street from him. An automobile that he recognized as being driven by the local law enforcement in Green Hills as well as other settlements on this planet.
“Standard human transport.” Tails noted, his lips quirking upwards into a cunning smile. “Perfect!”
Shutting his mouth, Tails glanced both ways down the asphalte street, the only sources of light being the dimly lit street lamps which definitely looked like they could use some maintenance.
Coast was clear. Tails let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Good. That should make things easier.
His legs were moving before he even registered it, his ears twitching at the subtle pitter-patter of his feet hitting the rough concrete. Soon, he found himself standing right beside the door of the car, the white paint so clear that he could almost see his own reflection.
Sticking his tongue out, Tails slid his backpack off his shoulders. Unzipping it, Tails pulled out a small device that extended into a small wire.
Tails smirked as he inserted the wire into the lock. Unlocking a local officer’s vehicle door should be a piece of cake!
However, as he moved to twist the wire, he was surprised to hear no click or feel any shift in the lock.
Odd, he thought to himself. Shouldn’t this car be locked?
Apprehensive, Tails slowly grasped the handle on the door and gave it a light tug.
To his surprise and slight bewilderment, the door opened with no struggle.
He looked around the surrounding area to see if there was anybody watching him because there was no way an officer would just leave their car unlocked.
Nothing.
He looked back inside the car to see if there were any signs of a hidden trap or anything that could potentially harm him.
Nothing.
Either the officer who owned this car was very confident nobody would steal his car… or he was not the sharpest tool in the workshop.
Tails decided not to question it.
“Oookay then…” Tails murmured to himself aloud.
Grasping the seat, Tails heaved his little body up onto the car seat, making sure to close the door for good measure.
Once he was in the driver’s seat, Tails quickly managed to hotwire the car to get it to start.
‘Combustion engine.' Tails marveled at the car’s sputtering motor. ‘Crude technology, but I can make it work!’
He looked around the cab of the car, studying the gearshift.
However, he soon hit a snag in his plans.
That being he couldn’t reach the pedals of the car due to his small size.
No problem! Nothing some remote controlled magnets can’t fix!
Tails gripped the steering wheel as the car gained speed, cruising down the road at a rapidly increasing pace.
As he drove, he checked on his Miles Electric which still had Sonic’s coordinates on it. And luckily, he wasn’t too far away!
Tails chewed the inside of his lip. How should he approach Sonic? Maybe he could knock on the front door? Maybe he could send him a message? Still, it would be a little awkward if he simply strolled up to Sonic’s doorstep and said, “Hey, Sonic! I, some random fox from another planet, came to warn you about a dangerous echidna warrior coming after you!”
*BOOM*
Tails yelped, nearly jumping in his seat as a bright light flashed in the distance followed by a shockwave of red energy.
What was that?!
Tails held up his Miles Electric. On the screen, it still showed Sonic’s energy signature, but from the looks of it, it was also detecting something else.
A strong chaos energy signature… one just as strong as Sonic’s?
“Wait…” Tails poke aloud. “A strong chaos energy signature, red chaos energy…” His eyes widened. “Oh no…”
He remotely pressed down on the acceleration.
Knuckles was here and Sonic was in trouble!
Adrenaline rushed through Tails’ whole being as he got closer and closer to the source of the source of the shockwave.
He took a sharp turn off the paved road and into the grass of the forest, narrowly avoiding the trees.
Through the car’s headlights, Tails could see his destination.
Sonic’s house was just up ahead, the lights from the headlights reflecting off the wet wood that made up the fence surrounding the backyard.
Sitting up on the seat and arching his back a bit, Tails was able to make out a bright patch of blue that stood out from the rest of the dreary background just behind the fence.
It was Sonic!
Tails felt his heart momentarily rush with excitement. His lips were tempted to twitch upwards into an ecstatic smile.
There he was! Sonic the Hedgehog, his hero, his idol, was just a few yards away from him!
That same joy and excitement was quickly forgotten as he realized the blue hedgehog was currently being pinned against a large tree in the yard. His throat was being held by a large gloved fist that looked like it was going to crush it at any moment.
Tails’ eyes widened in horror as he realized who was threatening the blue hedgehog.
Knuckles.
Tails had really only heard stories of him from the faint whispers in his village. The last of a race of fierce ancient warriors known for their strength and ruthlessness. Tails had also heard of their ancient war with the owl tribe and how Longclaw, Sonic’s previous caretaker, had almost single handedly wiped out many of the remaining echidnas before dying herself.
He remembered seeing her memorial when he visited Sonic’s old home on Mobius to get a proper fix on the hedgehog’s chaos signature.
When he had entered the house, he remembered feeling a strange sense of comfort in the old abandoned home, almost like a mother’s warm blanket being draped over him. Now Tails was normally not one who believed in the supernatural, but at that moment, he almost felt like he could hear and feel Longclaw’s presence there.
It was almost hard for him to believe that Sonic had been a kid just like him when it had happened.
He quickly snapped back to reality when he heard what the red echidna had to say next,
“Longclaw and her people were the sworn enemies of my tribe, the echidna!” He heard Knuckles declare, “We fought and died at their hands and now you will die at mine.”
As he spoke, he saw the echidna draw his fist back, his knuckles sparking with red chaos energy that sent chill through air.
Tails felt a shiver run down his spine as looked at Knuckles’ eyes, a pair of violet irises filled with a mighty rage.
He then shifted over to look at Sonic, who’s emerald greens were filled with fear and desperation.
It was at that moment that Tails made the ultimate decision.
Without a moment of hesitation, Tails slammed the button on his Miles Electric, activating the magnet on the accelerator.
The engine revved up with a mighty roar, the siren on the roof blaring loudly as Tails drove the car right through the fence, driving straight for the echidna with no intention of slowing down.
Knuckles, caught off guard by the sudden interference, quickly dropped Sonic. Tails acted faster than the echidna could react, driving at the warrior at full speed.
*BAM*
Tails nearly flew out of his seat, his tiny body slamming against the steering wheel as the front of the car collided with Knuckles, sending him flying back into the tool shed.
There was a brief silence as Tails stopped the car. His eyes were wide as he stared out the front windshield while his mind caught up with him.
He just ran over Knuckles the Echidna.
Right! Get Sonic!
Without a second of hesitation, Tails rolled down the window of the seat next to him and scrambled over to the front passenger seat.
“C’mon! Get in!” Tails called out to the hedgehog, peeking his head out the window. “I’m on your side!”
“I’m sorry, who are you? ” Sonic looked up at him with a wary expression, eyes filled with confusion and astonishment. His blue fur was dirty, likely from the beating Knuckles gave him as Tails could just barely make out the bruise beginning to form around his neck through the dim lightning given off by the car’s headlights.
Tails was just about to explain himself when he heard Knuckles groan from the crumpled remains of the toolshed.
“You know what? It doesn’t matter!” Thankfully that seemed to be enough to convince Sonic as the blue hedgehog scrambled over to the car.
Tails quickly scooted over back to the driver’s seat as Sonic clambered in through the window, landing in the front passenger's seat.
As the hedgehog sat up in the seat, his emerald green eyes met with Tails’ sky blue for the first time. Tails couldn't deny the swelling feeling of excitement in his chest as a warm smile spread across his lips. It took almost all of his willpower to not start geeking out right then and there because, oh my gosh! Sonic the Hedgehog was right here! Sitting next to him! In person! He was really meeting him!
Sonic gazed at the young cub, his lips twitching upwards into an awkward, weary smile. Just that smile alone was enough for Tails to let an internal squeal.
*Thunk*
Tails yelped, and Sonic did too, as a large human threw himself against the windshield, interrupting the moment. The human himself was bald and had a funny looking mustache, his clothes were worn and tattered, like he had been living in the wild for a long time. But right now, that didn’t matter to Tails. What did matter was getting as far away from Knuckles (and this crazy human) as possible.
“Get us outta here!” Sonic yelled frantically. “Go, go, go, go! ”
Tails didn’t need to be told twice as he pulled the car into reverse.
The human clung stubbornly to the windshield, snarling and growling like a rabid animal while he clawed at the glass. It was honestly really freaking Tails out.
“Gaaah! He’s gone rabid!” Sonic exclaimed.
“Gross! Is he licking it?!” Tails said incredulously.
The man snarled, his tongue actually licking the windshield as his eyes locked with Tails.
Those dark brown eyes that stared right back into his.
They way they stared into his made Tails shiver. Those piercing brown eyes full of maliciousness and insanity. Like they would reach through the glass to throttle him. Eyes that threatened to hurt him. Like those from his village.
Tails quickly shifted the car into drive before activating the device on the accelerator.
“See ya!” Tails grinned, making a sharp turn that caused the human to lose his grip and slide off the windshield.
“Make sure to get your shots, Eggman!” Sonic quipped as they got further and further away.
Tails giggled at his hero’s joke as he continued to drive the car past the side of the house and getting onto the driveway connecting to the road.
He clenched his teeth as he turned the car onto the main highway, the tires of the vehicle screeching while they swerved. He could hear Sonic yelping as they straightened out.
Once they were on the main road, Tails let himself relax a little as he focused on driving.
But he quickly felt a resurgence of excitement as he turned to look at Sonic the Hedgehog (even if he was looking more than a little freaked out from the whole situation, not that Tails blamed him).
“Wow! Okay, let me just say, it is an honor to finally meet you, Sonic!” Tails smiled, letting his inner fanboy show as he bounced in his seat giddily because holy crap, he was meeting Sonic the freaking Hedgehog, how could he not be excited?!
“Is it okay if I call you Sonic? Everyone calls me Tails! You’re probably wondering why?”
“... Let me guess… because of the extra tail?”
“That’s right! I should’ve known you’d get that!” Tails felt his twin namesakes hitting the back of the seat as they wagged in excitement.
“Cool. Also, WHAT IS GOING ON?! ” Sonic yelled hysterically. “Robotnik’s back?! And who is Clifford the big red rage monster?!”
Tails glanced over his shoulder when Sonic gestured behind them.
It seemed Knuckles had recovered much faster than he had hoped as the echidna warrior was now on their tail, his face etched in a fearsome scowl that sent shivers down Tails' spine.
“Oh, that’s Knuckles. The last of the echidnas and the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy.” Tails explained to Sonic. He faced forward to focus on the road, driving the car at at least a hundred miles an hour. “He’s obsessed with finding the Master Emerald.”
“Are you serious? The Master Emerald?” Sonic voiced in disbelief. “That’s just a bedtime story!”
“Well, he believes it’s real.” Tails rebutted, turning to the blue hedgehog. “And he must think you’re the key to finding it!”
Sonic opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he was going to say didn’t come out as the blue hedgehog shifted his gaze forward.
Tails saw his emerald eyes widen in alarm. He turned back to him with a panicked look which immediately put Tails on edge.
“Red light! Red light, red light – give me the wheel! ” Sonic shouted, suddenly jumping across and grabbing the steering wheel.
“Hey! What are you-?! ” Tails questioned in surprise and confusion while they fought over the steering wheel.
“Move your foot! ”
Whatever was alarming Sonic seemed to be important as Tails reluctantly gave up the steering wheel and scooted over into the front passenger seat.
Sonic quickly got into the driver’s seat, spinning the wheel frantically.
Tails looked forward, and his eyes widened in horror when he saw the large water truck pulling up right in front of them at the crossroads. Now he understood why Sonic had been so frantic earlier. He mentally kicked himself for not paying as much attention to the road as he should have.
He gripped the seat as the car narrowly avoided hitting the truck, the tires screeching as they reached the other side of the crossroads. The side of the car nearly grazed the front of the truck, Sonic straightening out the car as they reached the other side.
Tails let out the breath he had been holding, still clutching the seat tightly until they were fully on the road again. His heart was pounding like crazy and adrenaline rushing through his veins.
He had had multiple brushes with death in his young life, but this one was probably the most tense.
Next to him, Sonic breathed a sigh of relief. “I think we lost him.”
Tails looked up into the rear-view mirror, not seeing any sign of the red echidna.
However, he didn’t let his guard down for a second. If what those rumors said was true, Knuckles was a relentless warrior who didn’t give up so easily.
*BOOM*
Tails whipped his head around, seeing an explosion of water and shredded metal behind them. And from the explosion he briefly caught a glimpse of a streak of red.
Before he knew it, something heavy landed on the car’s roof, shaking the cab. Though at this point he was well aware of who it was.
Suddenly a spiked gloved fist burst through the roof of the car, causing Tails’ heart to jump up into his throat.
“We did not lose him!” Sonic cried, just as startled. “We definitely did not lose him!”
Just then, the door on Tails’ side of the car was ripped off its hinges, with Tails only managing to catch a glimpse of Knuckles’ fist drawing away.
His mind raced with rapid thoughts. They had to get out of here! But how?
Wait, he knew how!
Tails felt the idea come faster to him than any random equation he knew, faster than any thought he had ever had in his life.
He looked out the gaping hole where the door used to be, letting out a light gasp as he looked to see they were driving along the edge of an elevated cliff side.
Below them was just an endless sea of trees and darkness that threatened to swallow the poor soul unlucky enough to be ensnared in their grasp.
That is unless you could defy gravity itself with your butt.
“I’ve got an idea!” Tails exclaimed, his lips twitching upward into a bright smile.
He glanced over his shoulder at Sonic, who was now spinning the wheel back and forth in an attempt to shake Knuckles off.
This was it.
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course not!” Was Sonic’s immediate incredulous response. “I literally just met you!”
“Just let me…! ” Tails didn’t have time to explain as he leapt across the seat and grabbed the wheel.
“Woah, woah, woah— what are you doing?!” Sonic, in his panicked confusion, attempted to gain control of the wheel back, pulling it away as much as he could.
“C’mon!”
Tails used Sonic’s momentum against him, throwing the wheel to the right.
The car's tires screeched as they drifted off the road onto the dirt near the edge of the cliff.
Sonic screamed as they breached through the guardrails surrounding the cliff, the tires leaving the dirt ground and being met with rapidly passing air.
Tails felt the adrenaline rush through his veins, his brain racing a million miles a minute as he made the ultimate play.
Reaching over, he grabbed Sonic’s wrists, holding them as tightly as he could.
He prayed to Light Gaia himself that he would have the strength to do what he was about to do.
Tails’ namesakes instinctively began to spin in an all too familiar pattern, picking up speed as he yanked Sonic out of the car and into the open air.
As he pulled him up, he saw Knuckles making a desperate reach for them on top of the car.
And as Tails continued to ascend with Sonic, the red echidna made one last jump towards them.
Luckily, Tails was high enough to the point where Knuckles couldn’t reach them, instead using his knuckle spikes to grasp onto the side of the cliff while the car landed in the forest, exploding on impact.
Tails let out a breath of relief as he attempted to process what had just happened in the past few minutes.
Despite Sonic being taller than him and likely heavier, Tails was surprised by how easily he was able to carry him. It almost came naturally to him.
Call him crazy, or even delusional, but he almost had a strange sense of Deja Vu carrying Sonic. Almost like he had done it before…
He snapped out of his thoughts as continued to hear said hedgehog’s panicked yelling.
He looked down to see Sonic grasping his hands tightly, his free hand waving around wildly while his eyes were tightly shut.
Tails found himself nearly laughing at the sight as Sonic finally calmed down, opening his eyes when he realized they weren’t plummeting to their unsavory deaths.
“Huh, we’re flying…” Sonic breathed, kicking out his legs at pure air as he looked around with eyes wide in astonishment. “Uh… did your butt just turn into a helicopter?”
Tails laughed mirthfully. “A buttcopter! ” He sighed, calming down a bit. “Oh, only Sonic the Hedgehog could come up with something like that!”
With that, Tails tilted himself forward and flew off into the night with Sonic in his hands.
All's well ends well, right?
Well, Tails would soon shortly learn that this was not the case.