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andtails · 5 years ago

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A Prelude to Chaos Control - Chapter 2: The Great Emerald’s Power

Click here to start from the beginning. You can also read this story on FanFiction.Net or Archive of Our Own.

*****

“Sure…is…cold in…here…” Sonic said to himself, shivering as the cool air from the freezer pierced his fur. Balancing on a step stool to reach the top level of his refrigerator, the blue hedgehog sifted through various frozen foodstuffs until he found a half-consumed tub of vanilla ice cream.

“There it is,” Sonic declared, grabbing the plastic handle and pulling the gallon container out from the freezer. Careful to maintain his balance, Sonic stepped down from the stool and placed the ice cream on the kitchen countertop.

“It’s colder than Ice Cap Zone in there,” Sonic said, rubbing his hands together to warm his body, his shivering beginning to cease.

Sonic raced around the kitchen, grabbing a variety of ingredients so he could put together the perfect ice cream sundaes for him and his little brother. After placing the ingredients near the tub, he proceeded to shovel large scoops of ice cream and drop them into the two bowls, totaling three helpings each. The hedgehog then microwaved a container of hot fudge and evenly poured the contents over the scoops. From there, he smothered the ice cream with whipped cream, sprinkles, and crushed peanuts.

“I almost forgot,” Sonic exclaimed as he went back to the cupboards to grab an unopened box of Mobian Scout™ mint chocolate cookies. Recently purchased by the duo to benefit the youth scouting organization, he was surprised to find that the two-tailed fox hadn’t already gobbled-up the delectable morsels.

“He must’ve forgotten about them,” Sonic said to himself before quickly realizing the foolishness of this thought.

Silly hedgehog…Tails would never misplace a minty treat!

Not wanting the hot fudge to melt the ice cream too early, Sonic poured some of the cookies into a sealable plastic bag and crushed them with a rolling pin, breaking the cookies down into tiny pieces.

“That’s the way the cookie crumbles,” Sonic mused to himself, pouring the crumbs over the ice cream.

Finally, after adding a few cherries to the top of each sundae, and staking the scoops with cookie straws, the hedgehog took one final look at his delectable creations before placing the bowls on the coffee table in the living room and returning to the workshop to fetch his younger brother.

*****

“That should do it,” Tails said to himself as he placed the last component in its final corresponding pile on his workbench. “Now I just gotta find a place to store everything.”

The young kitsune glanced over at the unfinished detector, the light from the mid-afternoon sun reflecting off its glass surface. Tails picked it up, staring at it while rubbing his head with his free hand, wracking his brain for ideas on how to get the detector to work.

Sighing heavily, the discouraged fox slumped in his chair, allowing his arms to dangle freely as he stared up at the tall ceiling of his workshop.

“Hey Tails, the ice—" Sonic began to say as he came back from the kitchen, stopped short by the sight of the apathetic kitsune in front of him.

Knowing what he’d say next, Tails sat motionless for several seconds, looking away from the hedgehog as if in a daydream, before turning his head in his direction.

“Okay, Sonic,” he replied in a somber, emotionless tone before getting up and making his way to their living quarters, no spring in his step.

As they entered the house, Sonic ran to the couch, beckoning his brotherly companion to join him.

“I think you’re going to enjoy this!” the hedgehog said, waving an arm in his direction.

Tails sat down next to his older brother and looked down at the treat before catching a whiff of something utterly delightful.

“Is that…is that mint?” the orange kitsune asked, taking in a few deep breaths right above his bowl as the feelings of failure begun to dissipate, replaced only with the desire to consume his favorite dessert flavor.

“It sure is, pal,” Sonic replied. “Crushed-up Mobian Scout™ mint chocolate cookies, to be precise.”

Tails licked his lips in anticipation of the treat as he witnessed a flow of hot fudge dribbling down a hill of vanilla ice cream, taking bits of peanut and cookie crumbles down its stream. Using a cookie straw as a spoon, Tails took a bite of the sundae, ensuring that it contained a diverse mix of ingredients.

“It’s so good!” Tails exclaimed, before munching on the cookie straw and grabbing a metal spoon from the coffee table, ready to dig into the rest of the dessert.

“Glad ya like it,” Sonic replied, pleased to see him enjoying his confectionary creation.

Grabbing his own bowl with one hand, and the television remote with another, Sonic began flipping through channels while taking a few bites of his own cold treat.

“Anything you wanna watch?” Sonic asked, looking over at the orange kitsune, hot fudge dripping from his lips.

“Not really,” Tails replied, distracted by the sundae that remained half-eaten in his lap. “Nothing too scary, though.”

“You got it,” Sonic said, searching for something that the brothers could enjoy together.

“How about this?” Sonic asked, pointing the controller at the television. Tails winced at the sound of gunshots bellowing out of the television set, exchanged between a group of bank robbers and the police officers attempting to stop them.

“A bit too violent,” Tails replied, setting down his empty bowl on the coffee table, scooting closer to his brotherly companion.

“Alright,” Sonic said as he continued changing programs. “How about this one?”

Tails looked on to see a group of 20-somethings crowded in a large apartment, having conversations about their relationships, artificial laugh tracks regularly interrupting the dialogue.

“Too cheesy,” Tails replied, yawning into a gloved hand.

Finally, in a last-ditch effort, Sonic found a channel that he was sure would be to Tails’ liking.

Sonic nudged Tails’ shoulder, at this point leaning against his own, as he pointed towards the television. It was a nature documentary featuring a narrator with a rhythmic, slow voice describing, in detail, the mysterious origins of flickys and how their evolutionary track diverged from their avian brethren.

“Sure,” Tails said in a tranquil voice, leaning further against his big brother while shutting his eyes. Sonic set the remote down and settled in for a documentary that he’d likely find boring.

Sonic looked down at the orange fox, cuddled peacefully against him, his tails covering his chest like a blanket.

Sure has been sleepin’ a lot lately.

Sonic took a closer look at the sleeping kitsune, noticing that his face was still stained with hot fudge. To remedy this, he reached for a tissue and gently wiped below his lips, not wanting him to wake.

Crumpling the used tissue into a ball and throwing it toward the coffee table, the blue hedgehog sighed, drowning out the television as he lost himself in thought.

If only I knew what was going on in that big ol’ head of his, maybe I’d do a better job of helping him feel better. Ice cream sundaes won’t work every time.

Itching below his nose, Sonic peered over at the distant wall, observing the clock near the kitchen.

4 PM, huh?

Not necessarily accustomed to sleeping this much in a day, Sonic allowed himself to nap, his little brother still snuggling against him.

*****

The sun gave way to the glow of the halfmoon in the sky, pouring its dim light through the dark living room housing the sleeping orange fox and blue hedgehog. Sonic was in a sitting position, arms resting against the back of his head as he snoozed, when a physical force against his belly woke him up.

“Owwooo,” Sonic yelped, placing a hand on his lightly bruised belly. After realizing that no harm was done, he looked to his left to find the source of the attack: his kitsune companion rustling in his sleep. After falling asleep against his shoulder, he shifted to his back some point after Sonic began snoozing. The blue hedgehog looked on as his little brother continued raising his knees for small kicks in his direction while flailing his arms.

“H..Help me, Sonic,” Tails said, although not to Sonic himself. The hedgehog scratched his head before coming to the realization that Tails was having a bad dream.

“S..sa…save me, please,” Tails begged, choking up as his arms and legs continued moving around as if controlled by a puppet. Sweat rolled down his fur, and a pained expression appeared on his face.

Getting out of harm’s way, Sonic got up from the sofa and dropped to his knees next to his little brother. He gently placed his gloved hand on the kitsune’s head, rubbing his fur back and forth gently enough to prevent the fox from waking up.

“It’ll be okay,” Sonic said, hoping that his voice would reach Tails’ subconsciousness. “I’m here now.”

As if by magic, Tails’ limbs ceased moving, and his face relaxed. His breathing was no longer labored, instead returning to a slow, consistent pace.

“Th..thank you, Sonic,” Tails said in his dream, presumably having been saved by the blue blur himself from whatever was tormenting him in his nightmare.

“No problem, buddy,” Sonic said, padding the excess sweat from Tails’ forehead with a small towel from the coffee table.

After drying off his little brother, Sonic covered him with a blanket, tucking his body in to ensure that he stayed warm and comfortable.

“Sleep tight, little bro,” Sonic said, smiling at the knowledge that, even in his sleep, he can help him feel better.

Not wanting to be too far away from Tails in case his bad dream returned, Sonic crept to the closet to find a blue sleeping bag, generally only used on long expeditions but perfect for an impromptu sleeping solution in emergencies such as these. The hedgehog unfurled the bag on the floor facing the sofa, got in, and zipped himself shut. After a brief yawn and a final stretch of his arms and legs, Sonic fell back asleep.

*****

Surrounded by Eggman’s army of robots in a wide, metallic corridor, Tails reached for his utility belt to find that his supply of ring bombs had been depleted.

“Damn it,” Tails said to himself, looking around once more to find Eggman’s minions approaching him from all sides, stepping over shards of their own fallen comrades previously destroyed by Tails’ arsenal of bombs and physical attacks.

The orange fox, whose only option now was to make a strategic retreat, decided to use his twin namesakes to propel himself out of harm’s way. Before he could begin rotating his tails, however, he felt a cool hand grab both from behind, pulling the fox backwards.

“Ahhh!” Tails cried as he fell to the cold floor, the army of robots now mere feet away from the cornered fox.

Realizing that there was no longer any way out, he covered his face with his arms and screamed, “Help me, Sonic!” His voice echoed across the room, ricocheting against the metallic walls, echoing back into his sensitive ears.

But Sonic wasn’t there to save him. Not this time.

The robots surrounding the orange kitsune targeted him with their front-mounted machine guns as the robot nearest Tails pulled him up by the neck and raised him in the air.

“Put…me…down,” Tails struggled to say, gasping for breath as the robot tightened its hold on his neck. Tails flailed his arms and legs around, attempting to escape the robot’s wrath before he suffocated from the lack of air.

“S..save me…please,” Tails yelled, now attempting to pry himself out of the robot’s metallic grasp with his hands.

So this is how it ends, huh? After all the years battling Eggman, I’m going to die at his hands.

All alone.

Worthless.

That’s all I really am.

That’s all I really was.

Tails closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, when he heard exploding robots in the distance, the whooshing of a blue blur pulverizing the mechanical slaves at a rapid pace.

By the time he opened his eyes, all the robots were already destroyed, save for the one still holding him above the ground. Finally, this machine met its own demise, destroyed in the same manner as its metallic colleagues, sending Tails careening to the ground. Before Tails collided with the floor, however, Sonic, with outstretched arms, caught the terrified fox and dashed away from what was now a robot graveyard.

Bracing for impact just a few seconds prior, Tails loosened the muscles in his face and slowly opened his eyes to reveal the blue hedgehog running swiftly, determined to get the two out of harm’s way.

“Th…thank you, Sonic,” Tails said in a raspy voice, still recovering from the excruciating chokehold.

The blue hedgehog simply gave his trademark wink and said, “No problem, buddy.”

The orange kitsune could hardly keep his eyes open as his blue savior jumped out of an open window, landed gently on the cement surrounding Eggman’s base, and ran away, traveling toward what appeared to be a large void of white.

“Sleep tight, little bro,” Sonic said, clutching Tails in his arms, helping him feel safe and secure.

But then he found himself lying on the ground, all alone in the white void, no presence of Sonic anywhere.

“Where am I?” Tails asked himself, as he lifted himself up and attempted to find any landmarks that could provide a clue of his location.

There was nothing but white.

“Well,” Tails began to say to himself, stretching his arms. “I’m sure Sonic couldn’t have gotten far. Maybe if I wait here, he’ll find m—”

His monologuing was interrupted by the sound of beeping coming from his utility belt. Reaching into the belt, he was surprised to find one of its pockets full, the same compartment he found empty when cornered back at Eggman’s base. After fishing around a bit more, he retrieved the object responsible for making the artificial noise.

“My Chaos Emerald detector?” Tails asked himself in wonder, his pupils dilating in surprise. “What are you doing here, and…are you detecting something?”

As if answering his question, the glass screen surrounding the circular device began displaying two blinking dots: one in the center and another a short distance ahead. The central dot represented the location of the device, whereas the other dot was…

“…a Chaos Emerald?”

Astonished that his device was working, and eager to verify the contraption was tracing the Chaos Emeralds’ unique energy signature, the orange kitsune began sprinting forward. After gaining enough speed, he switched to his twin-tail propellers, going as fast as he would when racing against Sonic the Hedgehog himself.

After a minute of flying, a large structure became visible in Tails’ line of vision. He continued racing forward as the object grew larger, and when he was but a few yards from his destination, he stopped to catch his breath and analyze what he found.

“The Master Emerald shrine?” Tails asked himself, scratching his chin as he wondered why the device brought him to the large gem that gave power to the smaller Chaos Emeralds that he was truly after. As if responding to his question, the detector began to beep more loudly than before, beckoning the orange kitsune to climb the stone steps to greet the Master Emerald in-person.

Taking the hint, Tails traversed up the shrine, wondering why the Master Emerald wasn’t being guarded by Knuckles the Echidna, the sole protector of the priceless gem.

“And if the Master Emerald is here,” Tails asked himself, “wouldn’t that mean Angel Island fell to the ocean?” He was, of course, referring to the fact that the Master Emerald kept the floating island from falling to Mobius. But he saw no ocean. No island either, for that matter. Only the shrine in the forefront of an empty void.

The kitsune reached the top of the stairs. He stared at the large green emerald that awaited him before stepping forward, keeping the detector in one hand as its beeping grew louder by the second.

As if acting by instinct, Tails reached out with his other gloved paw and placed his palm against the emerald, its warmth radiating up his arm, across his torso, and down his legs, providing the fox with a renewed sense of vigor.

Putting the device back in his pocket, Tails placed his free paw on the gem, feeling the energy coursing from the emerald continue to bridge over to the young kitsune. His heartrate intensified as he looked down at his furry body, glowing with an orange hue unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Indeed, the great emerald’s power allowed him to feel a sense of hope and fulfillment, emotions that had been dormant as of late.

Finally, as he was about to let go of the Master Emerald, he heard a young woman’s voice permeate his thoughts.

The controller serves to unify the chaos.

“Huh?” Tails asked himself, looking around for the source of the voice. Before he could look further, however, the emerald began to glow various shades of green before disappearing into nothingness.

“Wait a second!” Tails yelled, jumping headfirst towards the vanishing emerald. Instead of catching the mystical gem, however, he found himself falling belly-first down an endless white void, the shrine having disappeared along with the Master Emerald.

“Ahhhhh!” Tails yelled, as the fall appeared never ending, his rotary namesakes unwilling, or unable, to save their owner from certain death.

Staring downwards into white emptiness for several more moments, Tails finally noticed the appearance of solid ground below. A few seconds later, he was able to make out a bed of sharp spikes waiting below to turn him into a freshly skewered fox. Bracing for impact, the kitsune covered his face with his arms.

*****

He didn’t feel any painful spikes dismembering his body. Instead, he only felt the warmth of a blanket covering his legs, arms, and torso, tucked in to ensure that he’d stay warm and comfortable. He slowly opened his eyes, surprised that the white void was replaced with a dark living room, the sound of steady breathing coming from the floor below.

Tails rolled onto his side to get a better peak at the noise, peering down at his hedgehog companion soundly sleeping in his blue sleeping bag, only exposing his face and quills from the open end of the zipped-up blanket. Looking back down at his own tucked-in blanket, and the empty ice cream sundae bowls on the nearby coffee table, the orange fox’s eyes welled-up, thinking about his best friend’s kindness and generosity as a smile filled his face.

“Thank you, Sonic,” Tails whispered to himself. “For everything.”

Before he had the opportunity to lie back on the couch, however, the young kitsune began to feel a radiating sensation in his lower abdomen similar to what he experienced when interacting with the Master Emerald in his dream. Taking a few moments to comprehend what was going on, he placed an arm behind his head, lightly blushing in embarrassment, as he realized that he needed to use the restroom.

After making his unscheduled pitstop, Tails crept silently back to the couch to resume his sleep, only to find Sonic sitting on the sofa waiting for him.

“Ohh, hiya Sonic,” Tails said, pleasantly surprised to find him awake to greet him.

“How are you feelin’, bro?” Sonic asked.

“Well,” Tails said, looking behind him in the direction of the restroom he just vacated. “I feel a bit better now!” The two companions chuckled in unison at the fox’s literal toilet humor.

“Hey Sonic?” Tails said, his heart beginning to race once more.

Before Sonic could respond, though, the fox ran into his arms and gave him a hug.

“Thank you.”

The blue hedgehog, taken off guard by the sudden display of affection, regained his bearings and returned the hug, rubbing Tails’ back as he did in the workshop that afternoon.

“You treat me just like family, even though I always mess things up,” Tails said, looking down at Sonic’s sneakers and his own bare feet.

“I’m so lucky to have you as a friend,” Tails continued, moisture from his tears beginning to dampen Sonic’s furry chest.

“Hey,” Sonic replied. “That’s what best buds are for, right?”

“Mhmmm,” Tails said, his voice muffled in their shared embrace.

The young kitsune was the one to end their hug, choosing now to sit on the sofa.

“Do you wanna hear about my dream?” Tails asked, drying the moisture around his eyes with his hands.

“Sure,” Sonic replied, taking a seat next to the orange fox.

“Well, you see,” Tails began. “The first thing I remembered was getting cornered in one of Eggman’s mechanical fortresses. A robot took me by the neck, lifting me yea high,” he described, standing on the couch and raising his arm up in close approximation to the height the robot took him.

“But then,” Tails continued, “You showed up.”

“I bet I mopped the floor with those mechanical thugs,” Sonic exclaimed, punching the open air as if fending off robots in real life.

“You sure did,” Tails replied, a smile on his face, as he dropped back down to the couch.

“But then,” he continued, looking up at the ceiling while rubbing his chin. “You took me away to a white void, and you disappeared. I was left all alone.” Tails’ voice became somber as his eyes peered down at his feet, dangling off the sofa cushion, too short to reach the floor.

“That’s how you knew it was a dream, right?” Sonic asked. “Because I would never abandon you like that in real life.”

“I know, Sonic,” Tails replied, a small smile returning to his face as he looked back at the blue hedgehog. “That isn’t even the craziest part.”

Tails proceeded to complete the story, telling his hedgehog companion how his detector led him to the Master Emerald, how the mystical gem filled him with immense energy, about the woman’s voice who spoke a mysterious hymn, and how he fell into a pit of death.

Performing a long whistle, Sonic said, “That sure is one weird dream!”

“It felt so real, too,” Tails replied.

Sitting in silence for a few moments, Tails stood back up, this time on the floor, and turned to Sonic.

“This may be a longshot,” he began. “But what if it was a sign?”

“What d’ya mean, buddy?” Sonic asked, not used to his little brother speaking in riddles.

“Well, I’m not quite sure,” Tails replied, placing an arm behind his back in embarrassment before he looked sternly at the blue hedgehog, allowing his arm to drop back down. “But I almost felt like the Master Emerald was…calling for me.”

Sonic looked at the determined fox in bemusement, unsure of how to respond to his theory.

“I say we stop by Angel Island and run this by Knuckles,” Tails proposed. “Maybe I can even bring some equipment, try studying the Master Emerald to see if it could help get the detector to work.”

The controller serves to unify the chaos.

“That hymn,” Tails said to himself, as it played back in his mind, pondering its meaning as he placed a hand on his chin.

“Either way,” Sonic replied, standing up and giving the orange fox a thumbs up. “We can see what Knuckles thinks.”

“You mean it, Sonic?” Tails asked, happy to see that the blue hedgehog appeared on board with the plan.

“Of course,” Sonic replied. “After all, I’ve been wanting to stop by Knucklehead’s island for a while now. No time like the present!”

“Then let’s go,” Tails said, rushing to put his sneakers on near the front door.

“Hold on a sec,” Sonic said, sticking his arms out, motioning Tails to stop. “You do know what time it is, right?”

“Huh?” Tails replied, with one sneaker on one foot and the other in his hands. Sonic pointed to the clock behind him across the living room.

“10:30 at night,” Tails said to himself. “I guess I lost track of time.”

After sharing a few laughs, Tails said, “I feel wide awake, though.”

“Well yeah,” Sonic replied. “Between our nap at the oak tree and your rest just now, it’s no wonder why you’re so awake!”

“I suppose I messed up our sleep routine, huh,” Tails asked, sticking an arm behind his head once again.

“No sweat,” Sonic replied. “We can just wake up for our morning run extra early tomorrow.”

Tails slipped off his shoe, placed them neatly back by the door, and proceeded up the stairs to his bedroom.

“G’night, Sonic,” Tails said as he walked past the blue hedgehog.

“Sleep tight,” Sonic replied, collecting the sundae bowls to wash before heading off to bed himself.

As Tails slipped into bed, pulling his comforter over his chest, he stared at the ceiling, reflecting on his prior dream.

“Even if it was just a dream,” Tails said, rolling onto his side. “I’m just happy we finally have a plan.”

Tails turned off his bedside lamp, turned on his alarm clock, and closed his eyes, excited to visit Angel Island and, with some luck, finally find some answers.

*****

Chapter 3

#sonic the hedgehog #Miles Tails Prower #tails #Tails the Fox #fan fiction #fan fic #Sonic X #action #Adventure #brotherly

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