Chapter Text
There were still some sections of Knothole Village where the smog didn't completely permeate the atmosphere and it was possible to get a rough approximation of the time from looking at the sun's placement in the sky. Those of the older generation remembered a time when the entire planet was like that, when one could travel in peace from one forested region to another, when no one needed to know coded handshakes, when children and the elderly didn't need to work just as hard as the adults in their prime.
No one knew where Doctor Ivo Robotnik (sometimes mockingly called Doctor Eggman) came from nor what his ultimate goals were, and he wasn't the type to give lengthy monologues. Through his genius, he invented a way to capture soldiers, most of whom had spent years of their lives in training against him specifically, and shortly converting them against their will into cold steel robots, Swat-Bots, now obligated to follow his will with mindless obedience. Some speculated that he was a kind of robot himself, since no one with a heart could be so meticulous and ruthlessly cruel. But no one had ever gotten close enough to confirm the rumor.
The rumors, which were already far-fetched and mythical, would have grown to outlandish fables without Sonic, the bravest and fastest of the Freedom Fighters, who somehow managed to consistently foil Robotnik's plans. His enthusiasm was just as infectious as the Roboticizer and his constant unpunished taunts, although admittedly annoying, reminded the others that they weren't in a war against an omnipotent god. On most evenings, when Sonic, Sally, and other selected Freedom Fighters would return to Knothole Village, accompanied by rescued prisoners, frightened, sweating, hungry, but unscathed, the other residents would begin to feel as though they could believe that maybe, just maybe, they had a fighting chance after all.
Other nights, when Sonic, Sally, and the other Freedom Fighters would return alone, or tragically, with fewer people than they started with, it was easy to get depressed. Even Sonic's typical antics were noticeably half-hearted and it wouldn't take long before he would completely give up on enlivening the crowd and speed off to be somewhere alone. He knew, along with everyone else, that they couldn't afford more defeats. They could hardly afford any successes, as it was.
As it usually happened, on one particularly somber evening, the expectant crowd that gathered to meet Sonic upon his return was far more quiet when he returned only with Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine. No one needed to ask, "Where's Cat?" Some of them still clapped for a few seconds out of politeness but were quickly silenced by a headshake from the hedgehog as he slowly walked with Sally towards her hut.
It was the early morning after and still none of the Freedom Fighters had left their huts. A blue Flicky fluttered from Amy Rose's extended hand to perch on top of her head before it descended down again in indecisiveness as she herself sat on a large hollow log, letting her feet sway while she waited for her hero to emerge.
Tails couldn't help but laugh to himself about how every girl had a crush on the Blue Blur, although he was hardly one to judge since, about a year ago, while Aunt Sally was reading him a bedtime story about a prince and a princess getting married, he frankly asked her if they themselves could get married when they were older. She had just laughed and said maybe she'd consider it before she finished reading. In typical fashion, she gave him a funny kiss on the nose before she bid him farewell for the night. Now that he was a little older and had an indication of just why Sonic and Sally spent each night in the same hut together, his face burnt bright red just thinking about his puppy love.
"Hello," he said, accompanying her on the log, his two tails draping over the back.
"Oh, hi, Tails," she acknowledged, as if startled, her pensive expression quickly replaced by a polite smile.
For a while they sat their awkwardly, not saying anything to each other, letting each other rest in the sorrow of having lost an acquaintance. Cat was not the most well-known Freedom Fighter; he was an introvert who preferred his own company most of the time and they only remembered seeing him during meetings, in the cafeteria, or in other large groups. Still, it was just one more loss that they would have to deal with and despite being children, neither of them were unfamiliar with personal loss. Their stories were similar. Both of their parents gave them tight hugs before they strongly admonished them to head towards Knothole Village. The last words either of them heard from their respective parents were the harsh commands of "Go! Go!" as Swat-Bots swarmed their houses.
Hope was difficult. Not just hope that their parents and former friends were still alive, but hope that they could possibly win the war. Hope that maybe Rotor or Nicole could figure out a way to reverse the effects of Roboticization.
"Hey," he said at last, turning to her again, "do you mind if I show you something?"
She nodded, intrigued by the sudden proposal. Suddenly, he grabbed her arms and hoisted her into the air.
"Eek!"
"Oh! Uh, you don't have a thing against heights, right?"
"Nah... just a little surprised," she said, catching her breath. Hearing that, Tails continued his ascent.
His grip was surprisingly strong and at no point did Amy fear falling down to her death. On the contrary, looking down actually filled her with excitement and awe as tall oak trees soon became needles, huts became brown dots, and even entire forests became little patches of greenery. In the distance, the tall looming factories of Robotnik that threatened to swallow the entire planet slowly became visible from such a high vantage point. But Tails hadn't yet reached his destination. Eventually they reached the white, opaque clouds where Tails and Amy could barely see each other and for the first time the pink hedgehog became conscious of just how high they were and what could happen if his grip loosened, but thankfully it never did. Even while they were still ascending she felt the illogical urge to ask him if he was still there, but finally they passed that layer and for the first time in her life (or at least, as far as she could remember) Amy saw the clear blue sky as it really was.
"Sonic says that this is what the sky always looked like," Tails explained, glancing down at his passenger. "I sometimes come up here when I'm depressed, just to remember what we're fighting for."
They were too young to remember a time without war and so it was difficult to imagine the world they inhabited as a naturally healthy place. But here, outside of the range of the smoke of the factories, there seemed to be a kind of purity to the air, not solemnity, as if they were in an important meeting and needed to stay still and silent, but serenity, as if it was a holiday and they could take a much needed afternoon nap. Even though the air was significantly thinner and colder further away from the surface, the view was so spectacular that Amy wished that she had been born a bird, or a bee, or some other flying Mobian, and started feeling envious of their amazing freedom. Maybe, to compensate, Tails could take her up here on repeated trips? She let it remain an unvoiced thought, however, since she didn’t want to intrude.
"Thanks, Tails. Have you taken anyone else up here?"
"Well, since you're the youngest who can't fly and seeing as you've never seen-"
"Hey!" she interrupted him. "I'm older than you!"
""Really? When's your birthday?"
"186, 3226."
"Mine is 297, 3225."
"Oh," she said in realization, hanging her head defeatedly, but only for a moment. "At least I'm taller than you," she grinned up at him with that same cheerful enthusiasm which she always seemed to have.
"Oh dear," he said, rolling his eyes.
Well, anyway, the view was too nice to be spoiled with a petty argument. Up here, there were no obligations, no tasks, no Freedom Fighters busily running around and preparing equipment for Sonic's next mission. It was actually peaceful, another foreign concept for the two of them. As much as they wanted to stay up there, Tails knew that they both eventually would need to be present for morning rollcall and his arms were starting to get pretty sore.
Soon they dipped back down below the clouds and into the stuffy atmosphere again, the sudden shift causing them both to cough for a few seconds.
Finally, when the trees of Knothole Village came into view an they were near the ground, Amy thanked him again.
"No problem, Amy," he responded. "And just let me know if you ever want to see the sky again. You're not that heavy, after all."
"Actually, I think it's just because you're really strong!" she said absentmindedly, her feet now reaching the ground as she let go and touched solid earth, dusting off her dress once she was safely back. It was still early morning and they had some free time before their first duties. Tails smiled uncomfortably as Amy squeezed his bicep with an innocent giggle. Then she waved goodbye and skipped away, leaving a highly embarrassed Tails to blush bright red in the middle of Knothole Village.
Cautiously, he rubbed a gloved paw over the area Amy had playfully squeezed. Strong? Well, maybe. He did try to prove his worth, being one of the youngest Freedom Fighters, but he certainly could have used more practice. Maybe I should try carrying Amy around some more, he thought to himself before he began walking to the main hut to report for duty.