Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Careful What You Wish For ❯ 'Split' Personality ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

As Tails lay motionless on the cold ground, Knuckles just stood there in complete shock at what had just transpired. "Oh, no. What have I done?" The echidna whispered to himself as Sonic and the others rushed to the unconscious kits' aide. Sonic knelt down beside Tails and placed a hand behind his head, raising it slightly.

"Tails? Tails! C'mon, lil' bro! Say something!" The entire group had now gathered around the fox in complete silence for what felt like an eternity. "Is he okay?" Amy asked, worried for her friend. Everyone else remained silent, until Cream began to notice a change in Tails' appearance.

"Hey! Look, you guys! He's changing back!"

The little rabbit's observation was indeed correct. Tails' golden yellow colored fur was now slowly regaining its normal orange hue. Also, his three bangs of fur had fallen limp back down over his eyes.

After Tails' transformation had finished fading away, and after a few more moments of silent worry, the little fox slowly opened his eyes. Tails looked around, noticing all of his friends surrounding him, concern spread across all of their faces.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Tails spoke very slowly and quietly. He then looked up at Sonic, who had a smile of relief on his face. "Good to have ya back, buddy. You had us worried for a minute." Cream sat down next to Tails and took hold of his hand.

"How are you feeling, Tails?"

Tails slowly turned to face Cream and smiled. "I'm okay, Cream. Just a little tired, that's all." He then turned back to Sonic and asked, "What happened to me, anyway?"

Knuckles had finally joined the group just in time to hear the young vulpine's question. "Um... I think I can answer that one." The echidna said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Tails slowly sat upright with Sonic's help and listened intently as the guardian began to explain.

"Well, ya see... After you made that joke about guarding the Master Emerald, I just kinda lost it and came after you full force. As I was charging towards you, I noticed you suddenly grab your chest, as though you were in pain. But in my rage I thought maybe you were just fakin' it so you could catch me off guard. But after seeing you laying there, unconscious, I know now that you weren't fakin'. Sorry, kid." Knuckles explained, ashamed of his actions.

Tails just smiled at the echidna. "That's okay, Knuckles. I know that you were trained to always be on your toes. It's not your fault." Knuckles was perplexed as to how Tails could be so forgiving, but he just smiled at the young fox kit and said, "Thanks, kid." Tails then added, "But I do wish I knew why I was in so much pain before."

All of Tails' friends gave him a confused look. "What're ya talkin' about, Tails?" Sonic asked, clearly puzzled. The fox looked at his hedgehog friend and said, "Well, right before Knuckles hit me, when he saw me holding my chest, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It felt almost like my heart was about to burst. But I don't remember anything after that."

Once Tails had finished talking, everyone stood in silent thought, until Shadow broke the silence.

"I think I might know what happened." The black hedgehog said, gaining the group's attention. "Really, Shadow?" Sonic asked. Shadow nodded.

"Alright then, what happened?"

Shadow growled angrily at Sonic's demanding tone, but dismissed it knowing he was just concerned for Tails. "Alright, Faker. Think back to the first time you went Super Sonic. How did you feel afterwards?"

Sonic thought back to his first transformation, placing a finger to his chin. "Now that you mention it, near the end of my transformation, it felt like all of the energy had suddenly left my body."

"Exactly. This was your first transformation, was it not, Tails?" Shadow questioned the young kitsune. Tails nodded at the hedgehog with what little energy he had. Shadow then started speaking again. "So my guess would be that your body is still adjusting to your new powers, and the pain was most likely caused by the length of time you sustained your Super form."

Tails was amazed by Shadow's knowledge of Chaos energy. "You know, that does make a lot of sense, Shadow. I'm impressed." The dark hedgehog smiled back at Tails as the fox struggled to get back to his feet. Leaning on Sonic for support, Tails looked up to the sky, and saw that the sun had now completely set.

"Wow. I must've been in my Super form all day. No wonder I'm so ti... ti..." But before Tails could finish his sentence, the young kit collapsed.

"Tails!!" Sonic shouted as he caught his friend before he hit the ground. "Is he okay?" Amy asked, looking down and placing a hand on Tails' forehead. Sonic looked down and saw Tails' chest rising and falling slowly. A faint snoring noise could be heard coming from the fox's nose as well. "He'll be fine, Ames. He's only sleeping."

The blue hedgehog looked around at all of his friends and said, "Hey, what do you guys say we call it a night? I think Tails should get some rest. Poor guy's worn himself out." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Cool, we can all meet back here tomorrow morning around ten."

"Okay, Sonic. See you tomorrow." Amy replied, walking in the direction of her home, with Cream following close behind. Knuckles just waved as he jumped into the air, gliding back towards Angel Island. Shadow simply teleported away. Now only Sonic and Tails remained.

Sonic smiled at the slumbering fox in his arms and said, "C'mon, lil' bro. Let's get you into bed." Sonic then turned and started walking back to Tails' workshop.

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Once Sonic had made it to the front door of Tails' workshop, he had to hold the kits' full weight in one arm while reaching down to pull his key out of his sock... this was NOT an easy task.

"Man, Tails. You really need to lay off the chilidogs." Sonic grunted while unlocking the door, being careful not to drop Tails. After unlocking the door, Sonic entered and closed the door behind him. He then proceeded to carry the young fox upstairs to his bedroom. "Unh... next time... you can carry me." Sonic grunted, toting the kit up the seemingly never-ending flight of stairs.

Once Sonic had made it up the stairs, he carried Tails into his room, turning on the lights, and laid him down gently on the bed. The blue speedster then removed Tails' shoes and socks.

"Wow, your feet really stink, Tails." Sonic groaned, holding his nose.

Sonic tucked Tails into bed and walked over to turn off the lights, but not before taking one more look at his sleeping friend and whispering, "Sleep tight, buddy. I'm proud of you." Before Sonic shut the door, he could already hear the kitsune snoring loudly. "Hehe... Good night, Tails." But Sonic had no idea that Tails' night would be anything but good.

****Later That Night****

Tails had continued to sleep through the night until about 5:30 a.m. when he was awakened by the same intense pain in his chest. The fox struggled to sit up in bed, clutching his chest tightly. "Ahgh... wh... what's... happening... to me?" Tails cried, unable to endure the excrutiating pain he was experiencing.

Tails pulled the covers away and slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed, attempting to stand. But as soon as Tails got to his feet, he instantly collapsed to the floor due to the extreme pain.

"Damn it!" Tails yelled, desperately struggling to stand up again. Although his legs felt numb and his chest was throbbing, Tails managed to rise to his feet and slowly made his way to the bathroom, which now felt like it was miles away. After what seemed like an eternity, Tails finally made it to the bathroom, where he supported himself on the sink to keep from falling again and looked into the mirror.

"I... I don't... understand. Where is this pain... co...coming from?" The now pain-stricken fox choked out, tears now streaming down his furry cheeks. Just when Tails felt as if he couldn't take it anymore, he heard someone speak to him.

'I believe I can answer that for you, Miles.'

Tails' eyes shot open and his ears began twitching, searching for the source of the voice. "Who... who said that!?"

'I did.'

"Where are you?" Tails asked, still looking around the small bathroom.

'Turn around.'

The young fox did as told, but when he turned around, all he saw was his own reflection in the mirror. "But, there's nothing here." He whispered.

'Look again...'

Suddenly, Tails' reflection began to glow. So brightly in fact, that Tails had to shield his eyes from the light. A few moments passed before the light finally dissipated. Once it was clear, Tails looked into the mirror, but what he saw horrified him.

"No...no, it's not possible!"

'But it is.'

What Tails saw in the mirror was still his reflection, but in his Super form. But when the fox looked down at himself... he was not! With a noticeable quiver in his voice, Tails started to speak to his reflection. "How... how is this possible!?"

Now with a face to match the voice, Tails' reflection began to speak, in a voice similar to his own. "I can give you all of the answers that you seek... but you must do something for me first."

"And what might that be?" Tails asked, still not believing what was happening.

His reflection just smiled evilly and shouted...

"Let... me... OOOUT!!!"

Without warning, the mirror shattered and Tails, although not hit by any glass shards, fell to the ground, howling in agony. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Tails continued to scream as his entire body began to glow. Then... the young fox's world went black.

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A few minutes later, Tails had finally regained consciousness. He slowly raised his head, beginning to stir, and then someone spoke to him.

"It's about time you woke up."

The fox looked up to see who was talking, but what he saw in front of him defied all the laws of science he knew so well and threw his entire perception of the universe into question. "It can't be." Standing before the confused kit was none other than...

"Super Tails." Tails whispered to himself.

"Correct, little Miles." Super said in a voice similar to Tails', only more sadistic. "But... but how?" Tails said as he cautiously stood up, being careful not to step on the broken mirror in his bare feet. Once the fox had made it to his feet, he noticed that the pain in his chest was gone.

"I assume your chest isn't hurting anymore." Super asked. Tails stared in confusion at his super-powered doppleganger and said, "But, how did you know about that?"

"Simple. I was the one causing it." The golden anti-fox smiled evilly. "Why?" Tails questioned his look-alike. Super just rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Geez, you sure ask a lot of questions. However, I suppose I will tell you. The pain you were experiencing was me trying to escape from your body."

"This can't be happening." Tails whispered to himself.

"Oh, but it can. And it is." Super laughed. Then his voice took on a more serious tone. "And now... I'm afraid there's only room for one Miles Prower on Mobius." He then started slowly walking towards Tails.

"Wh... why are you here? And how?" Tails stuttered, backing away as his anti-self approached him.

"Why am I here? To kill you, of course." Tails let out a small whimper and had begun to sweat. "And as for how? Well, that is all because of you." Super grinned, bearing his razor sharp teeth. Tails' eyes went wide and his ears drooped. "Because of... me?" Super was now mere inches away from Tails' face. "That's right."

The now trembling kit managed to find his voice long enough to speak. "How could this have happened?" Super growled at Tails, clearly annoyed by the fox's inquisitive nature. "Ugh, you're really starting to bug me, kid. However, if you truly wish to know before you die, then I will tell you." Tails was still shaking with fear, but listened closely to what the sadistic superfox was about to tell him.

"As you already know, your friend Sonic achieves great power by absorbing the positive energy of the Chaos Emeralds. By being present during numerous transformations, you yourself have absorbed trace amounts of Chaos energy over time." Tails opened his mouth to speak, but Super placed a hand over the kit's mouth, silencing him before he could say a word.

"However, since the energy you absorbed was filtered, 'leftover' if you will, the energy was impure. Unstable. Tainted."

Tails remained silent as Super removed his hand and continued to speak.

"Over time, all of that negative energy accumulated inside your body with nowhere to go. That is, until you pulled that clever little stunt with your invention yesterday. As soon as the Chaos energy was absorbed into your body, it was instantly tainted by the negative energy already inside your body, thus giving life to the magnificent creature you see before you now."

Once Super had finished speaking, it was Tails' turn.

"Okay, that explains your existence, I guess. But it still doesn't explain how you were able to gain a physical form and seperate from my body." Sometimes, Tails was too smart for his own good.

Super was growing more irritated by the second, but he just closed his eyes and laughed. "Oh, yes. That. Well, have you ever heard the saying, 'The eyes are the window to one's soul'?"

Tails nodded slowly.

"When you looked into the mirror earlier, your reflection falsified the image of two bodies, therefore opening the window to my escape and giving me a physical shape. I suppose I should thank you for giving me life... Dad." Super chuckled softly.

Tails hung his head low and whispered, "So, this is all my fault?"

"That's right. Now for the real reason I'm here..."

Tails' head shot up just in time to feel a hand clamp down tightly around his throat. The young fox could feel his feet leaving the ground as Super lifted him into the air. "It's time... for you... to DIE!!" He yelled as he threw Tails as hard as he could, sending him crashing through the bathroom wall and landing on his bedroom floor. Tails lay motionless for a few moments until Super began to taunt him.

"Come, come little Miles. I'm sure it didn't hurt that much." Laughed the psychotic superfox as he stepped through the large hole that Tails' body had made in the wall. Tails slowly rose to his feet, growling angrily as he shook the debris out of his fur.

"Alright, then. If it's a fight you want, then you've got one!" Tails shouted, charging towards his super powered counterpart, all hint of fear no longer present in the young fox's voice.

Tails continued to close in on his enemy, who just stood there, arms crossed, and smiled. Once the fox was only a few feet away from Super, he leapt into the air and brought his right leg back, then thrust it forward aiming his foot directly for Super's head. However, due to the increased strength of his anti-self, the second his kick made contact with his enemy's head, Tails heard (and felt) several bones in his foot shatter.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Tails screamed, falling to the ground grasping his foot in pain.

"Tsk, tsk. Now I would've thought you were smarter than that, Miles." Super chuckled, standing over the injured Tails. He then brought his foot back, imitating the same action that Tails had just performed.

"Here... is THIS what you were trying to do?!?!"

The sadistic superkit swung his leg forward, crashing his foot into Tails' face with devestating force, sending the helpless fox flying through yet another wall, this time landing in the hallway about ten feet away from the staircase.

"This is pathetic. You're nothing! And to think I was once a part of you!" Super spat in disgust.

Tails had managed to get to his hands and knees, tears of pain running down his face, his nose bleeding and coughing up blood.

Super walked over to Tails at a leisurely pace. Soon, he was standing directly over the beaten and bloodied fox.

"Aww, here. Let me help you up." Super said sarcastically and grabbed Tails' wrist, yanking the kit into a standing position, a faint whimper escaping the fox's mouth.

"Ooh, that sounds like it hurts... but not as much as THIS!"

Super wrenched Tails' left arm behind his back, harder and harder until...

(SNAP!)

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!" Tails screamed so loud that all of Mobius could've heard him. His sadistic Super form had now broken his left arm as well. Super continued to laugh maniacally as he carried Tails by his broken arm over to the staircase.

He looked at the fox still in his grasp, who was bleeding badly from the numerous cuts and gashes all over his body, and smiled. "Well, this has been most entertaining, young Miles. But I'm afraid that it must now come to an end... Goodbye." Super than proceeded to toss Tails' near-lifeless body down the winding flight of stairs, watching his limp form bounce off of each step, until he heard a sickening crunch when the back of Tails' head crashed against the steel banister at the bottom.

Super frowned down upon the kit's lifeless body, which now had a pool of blood forming underneath his head. "Fool. Thinking that he was a match for m... huh!? I can sense a great deal of Chaos energy coming from..." Super suddenly flew up, bursting through the ceiling, and searched the sky outside. He continued scanning the skies, until he finally spotted Angel Island. "That way!" He shouted, taking off full speed towards the island.

Back in Tails' workshop, the fox that Super had left for dead was still clinging to life, but just barely.

Tails summoned every last bit of strength he had left and managed to roll over onto his stomach. How he was still conscious, let alone alive, was anyone's guess. With the life quickly draining from his body, the young vulpine struggled to pull himself across the floor with his good arm to reach his cell phone on the coffee table.

Tails could feel himself slipping away, but by some miracle, he was able to reach his phone. He slowly opened it and pressed the first speed-dial button he saw... Sonic. As Tails listened to each ring, it felt as though each ring was another breath being ripped from his body.

"Pl... please... pick... up." Tails cried quietly to himself as he fought to stay conscious, but is it already too late?

....To be continued