Chapter Text
It had been a hard six months, and Tails was no closer to figuring out why the Eggman Army was after him. Maybe if he ever had a moment to stop and breathe, he might be able to figure it out, but chances like that were few and far between, and honestly better used to snatch what little sleep he could before he inevitably had to flee again.
Sadly, there were getting to be fewer and fewer places for him to flee to. Eggman was taking over at a rapid pace, and he still hadn’t heard anything about where Sonic could have gone.
Because of this, Tails more often than not avoided any towns or cities, choosing to instead forage for himself in the wild, and only ventured into civilization when he really had to. There was really no reason for him to risk the civilians if Eggman got any hint he was there and attacked.
Unfortunately, right now was one of those times he really needed to go into a city. His Miles Electric had been on the fritz in the last few days, and he needed to get the correct part to fix it. And he needed to do it soon, as his Miles Electric was honestly one of the few reasons he was still alive right now. He likely would have been captured by Badniks without its scanner letting him know when any were nearby, and he definitely would have been dead without its encyclopedia telling him which mushrooms and berries were safe for him to forage and eat. And the electric shock he’d added as a security feature had proven to be his most effective weapon in his arsenal in taking down any who came across him. Strangely, it always worked even better than any other weapon he put together against them, but he rarely had time to stop and think about why.
He chose to go to Sunset Heights for the part, hoping the place Sonic was captured would be the last place Eggman and his minions would think to look, and as an extra precaution, he did his best to disguise himself.
Tails scrubbed mud into his fur to hide its bright yellow-orange color. Once he determined he looked suitably brown, he then reached behind him to tie a ribbon around his tails to hold them together, and make it look like he only had one. Examining his reflection in a nearby puddle, he nodded in satisfaction. It wasn’t pretty, and he probably didn’t smell great (Though to be fair, it wasn’t because of the mud. He hadn’t smelled great in a long while. Life on the run does not often give time for proper hygiene.), but he didn’t look much like himself, and that was all he really needed.
He made his way into Sunset Heights, trying to watch his back but be subtle about it so as not to draw attention. Fortunately, the part he needed was a common one, so he likely didn’t even need to go into a store to find it. Just a bit of scavenging among the scrap from Eggman’s last invasion of the city should be enough.
Still, despite his best efforts, he did draw some attention just for the fact that he was even there. Sunset Heights had mostly been evacuated after Sonic’s disappearance, both from the robot attacks and the damage from Eggman’s following take over making the city fairly unsafe to be in. Not to mention, with the bridge being destroyed by Sonic, there were a limited number of escape routes if anything should happen, and the city got worse.
Even so, a few civilians still remained in the city, mostly those who didn’t have anywhere else to go or were unable to flee. It was clear that times were tough for those who stayed, so Tails’ worn appearance didn’t stand out among them.
Still, as Tails watched people pick through empty buildings just trying to find the things they needed to live, he felt awful.
Even after all this time, Tails still felt guilty over the state of his world. This should never have happened. He and Sonic never should have split up. If they hadn’t, maybe Sonic would still be here, and the world would never have fallen into this state because they already would have sent Eggman packing like they always do.
But there was little Tails could do about it on his own. Especially not when he was the reason this place could be attacked again at any minute. He just had to find what he needed and leave before he caused these people any more grief.
It wasn’t hard to find a few downed Badniks and pry them open to rummage inside.
However, just when Tails got his hand on the part he needed, the screaming began.
“They’re back!” someone ran down the street shouting. “Eggman’s forces are back! Take cover!”
All around him was the noise of people screaming and rushing to escape or find shelter from the impending danger.
The sound filled Tails’ veins with ice.
Another attack? Here? Now? Why? None of Eggman’s forces had been nearby last he’d checked. Had he been spotted? Was he the reason Sunset Heights was going through this again?
Tails was about to turn tail and flee when he spotted the start of Eggman’s invasion overhead.
And… watched as it flew right past him and off to somewhere else…
Huh?
Was… he not the target?
And if not him… then who?
The sound of shooting in the distance made Tails hesitate for a moment, but then curiosity got the better of him and he followed the sound.
To his utter shock, he found the cause of the ruckus to be none other than E-123-
“Omega!” Tails couldn’t help but shout as he saw the walking arsenal mow down Badniks with the machine guns in his hands.
“DIE EGG-SCUM!” the machine yelled as it fought against the horde.
It was an impressive sight, but even with Omega’s massive arsenal, there were just too many to take down on his own.
Not that he would ever admit it, but he clearly needed help.
With that thought in mind, Tails quickly rummaged through his bag for something he’d been saving for a rainy day.
“Omega!” he shouted as he raced to the robot’s side.
“MILES ‘TAILS’ PROWER, REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION, STATUS UPDATE, NOW FOUND!” Omega said to acknowledge his presence as he continued to gun down egg drones.
“Do you have shielding against EMPs?” Tails asked quickly.
“AFFIRMITIVE! QUEARY, WHY?” Omega replied.
Tails’ only answer was to pull a slapdash bomb he’d constructed from his bag and toss it into the air, then duck for cover underneath Omega’s frame with his hands pressed over his ears.
It detonated with a concussive blast that knocked all the Badniks out in one go, and they crumpled to the ground in heaps around them.
Seeing his foes dropping like flies, Omega lowered his weapons with an air of disappointment. “I WANTED TO DESTROY THOSE!” he complained.
“Sorry,” said Tails as he crawled back out from under him. “I just needed to talk to you without them recording us.”
Thankfully, the robot didn’t appear to hold a grudge and waved his hand dismissively at the apology. “IRRELEVANT! EGGMAN HAS RECOGNIZED MY SUPERIOR MIGHT! MORE SHALL ARRIVE SOON!”
Tails blinked in surprise when he heard that. “Wait, they’re after you?” he asked, confused. He had thought Omega had just been caught in the crossfire as they searched for him. “I thought they just wanted me.”
“NEGATIVE!” said Omega. “THEIR PURSUIT OF ME HAS BEEN RELENTLESS! IT HAS BEEN MOST SATISFYING DESTROYING ALL THE FORCES EGGMAN SENDS TO THEIR DOOM!”
“But they’ve been after me nonstop for months, too,” Tails said with a frown. “Then… it must be that they’re after both of us. But why?”
“UNKNOWN: THERE IS NO CORRELATION BETWEEN US! I AM LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE! YOU ARE SMALL AND SOFT!” said Omega.
“Maybe, but we must have something in common that Eggman wants, but what?” said Tails thoughtfully as he pulled out his Miles Electric to run some scans.
But even as he did that, the sight of his invention had the answer hit him like a bolt out of the blue. “The quills!” he shouted.
“HAVE YOU SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO YOUR CRANIUM?” asked Omega in as close as he got to concern.
“No, that’s what we have in common,” said Tails, opening the back of his Miles Electric to show the robot.
There, nestled where batteries should be, were several clipped pieces of a blue hedgehog quill that glowed and crackled with power.
“Remember, back when we were in that timeless void on Sonic’s birthday? We met those other versions of him and me from the past and another dimension, as well as another-dimension Knuckles and Shadow,” said Tails, his tails spinning as he tried to articulate his thoughts.
“LIFEFORMS DESIGNATION: INFANTS AND DESIGNATION: FUZZY BRIGADE ARE IN MY MEMORY BANKS! THEY DESTROY THINGS GOOD!” Omega confirmed.
“Yeah, they did, especially the Fuzzy Brigade,” said Tails with a nod. “They had that extra power that would make machines go crazy unless they had one of their quills as a power source. The other Sonic, Blue, he gave me one of his quills so I could use my Miles Electric, and since you were still working after their shockwaves, you must have been powered by one too!”
“NEGATIVE!” Omega replied.
Tails immediately drooped upon hearing that he was wrong. “Oh, I thought for sure that-”
“I HAVE THREE QUILLS ACTING AS AN ALTERNATIVE POWER SOURCE!” Omega continued, heedless of Tails’ reaction.
Tails head snapped up. “Three?!” he exclaimed. His Miles Electric was running better than it did on any power but that of a Chaos Emerald with just one quill.
“CORRECT! DESIGNATIONS BLUE, RED, AND STRIPES ALL CONTRIBUTED QUILLS TO MY UPGRADE!” Omega replied.
Tails gaped up at the robot. “No wonder Eggman’s practically sending entire armies after you!” he said. “Compared to me, you’ve got the motherload.”
“HE CAN SEND AS MANY ARMIES AS HE WANTS! I REVEL IN THE CHANCE TO BURN THEM ALL TO THE GROUND!” Omega replied.
Tails nodded absentmindedly, his mind more focused on this new revelation. “We have to keep these quills out of Eggman’s hands,” he said. “But the question is, why does he want them? Is it just because he wants another power for his army or…”
Tails’s eyes widened as the new thought occurred to him. “Or does he want them out of play because they can act as a weakness?”
That got Omega’s undivided attention. “I’M LISTENING!” he said.
“This is just speculation, but whatever that creepy new guy Eggman has working for him can do, it’s augmented by the doctor’s machines,” said Tails, thinking hard. “And ever since I’ve been on the run, my Miles Electric has been the one weapon I’ve had that’s been the most effective against them. What if it’s not the shock it gives so much as the quill powering it? So if the quills can disrupt things like they can with his other machines, that might just be his weakness. Not only that, but if we can somehow use them to make a shockwave like the Fuzzy Brigade could do, then we could destroy Eggman’s entire army in one blow.”
“ROUGE REPORTED BLUE ALONE WAS STATED AS ABLE TO KNOCK OUT ALL POWER IN A FOUR-THOUSAND MILE RADIUS! MASS DESTRUCTION LIKE THAT WOULD PLEASE ME!” said Omega.
“Then are you willing to stick with me so we can figure out how to do it?” asked Tails.
“WILL THAT MAKE EGGMAN SEND MORE TROOPS TO BE DECIMATED AT MY HANDS?” asked Omega.
“Well, he’ll be sending the people who were after me and the ones after you together, so statistically the numbers after us should be higher,” Tails said, knowing putting both Eggman’s targets together might be putting all their eggs in one basket, but he didn’t see any other options.
Omega, however, relished the idea of more foes. “PROPOSAL ACCEPTED! I WELCOME YOU AS MY NEW SIDEKICK!”
Tails couldn’t help the nervous laugh that slipped out after he heard that.
Finally, he had something of a plan. Finally, he had some way forward after Sonic…
Tails shook his head and forced his mind to stay in the present. Wherever Sonic was, and whatever state he was in, he would be counting on Tails to save the world.
He wouldn’t let him down.
Floating far above the planet, the presumed dead Sonic the Hedgehog had never been more restless in his life.
Infinite had initially wanted to torture Sonic, but Eggman dismissed his idea. He knew no torture would be worse for Sonic than forcing him to sit still.
He was right. Trapped in a small room, unable to run, unable to help his friends, and left with nothing but his worries about what could be happening to them. Nothing could be worse.
He’d long since lost track of how long he’d been captured, but he knew it had been a long while.
At best, he could do push-ups (he’d done so many push-ups, Knuckles will be so proud) or pace around his cell to move and work off some energy, and the only way to pass the time was when Eggman came by to brag about the progress of their conquests. It was intended to hurt him, to mock him about all the harm they could do with him helpless to stop them.
Joke's on him. Sonic could read between the lines. For all the tales he told of ground gained and battles won, it was what Eggman didn’t say that gave Sonic a small amount of comfort.
They didn’t have Tails. Eggman would have loved to rub it in his face if they had him. To know they had his little brother trapped somewhere and he could do nothing to help would be torture of the highest degree. His little buddy may be out there who-knows-where, but wherever he was was safer than in Eggman's clutches.
His friends were still fighting. Maybe they weren’t winning, but they were still out there giving it their all. For every boast of a victory against them Eggman gave, he never once mentioned any captives, serious injuries, or worse had happened to them. They fought, they lost, but they still survived to fight another day.
Sonic put on a show of frustration and worry whenever Eggman came by to fuel his ego (most of it not even faked), never letting him realize that the stories were probably the only things getting him through this.
Well, that, and a little prediction given to him by a friend.
They would get through this. He just knew it.
He just needed to wait a little longer.