#but i've never been able to draw mobians. i can kind of draw tails and that's it

[mars-ipan]

@degrading-m0ss so ermmmmm..

not ashamed to admit that charlie drawing took a startling amount of time to get to a point where i could be satisfied with it. simple artstyles can be deceptively difficult to mimic lmao

[shadofiredragon]

Legends Never Die

{ Big shout out and thank you to my dear friend @000marie198 for beta reading and taking part in editing! Grammar mistakes are real guys }

Part 1 ~ Immortal Escape

Chapter 2 - Undercover Immortal

The fox felt something pull at his attention, a sensation that felt both familiar and foreign. His ear twitched towards where the strange energy seemed to be coming from and was about to turn around out of curiosity when Kant, the timber wolf, clapped him on the shoulder.

“You're a hoot, Kit! Are you this funny in sparring?" The wolf gave a crooked grin.

Kit's ears corrected themselves and he shook off the warm pull that had caught his attention, chiding himself for being so easily distracted.

He cracked a smile, forcing himself, with some level of disgust, to match the haughty expression of his comrade.

"Well, why don't we spar sometime and you can find out?"

"Oh-ho! That sounds like a challenge!"

The other two mobians, a rusty brown squirrel and a black and white raccoon, clapped his shoulders with their hands.

"Rookie wants a fight, eh?" the raccoon laughed, the squirrel joining in with some amused chuckles.

"Hey, I might be new here but I've had plenty of experience elsewhere," Kit warned them playfully.

"Alright, then how about a sparring match tomorrow?" Kant grinned.

Kit's smile disappeared for a second, his feet shuffling nervously.

"Well, I'm not sure about that... I might be relocated again tomorrow."

Kant scoffed and the other two mobians groaned.

"C'mon, Kit, do you really move around that much? You only got here a couple weeks ago!"

"Hey, it's not my fault our superiors find my skills adaptable to all our locations," Kit said, smirking.

"Oh you're so full of yourself, Kit," the raccoon mumbled, rolling his eyes.

The squirrel looked at him curiously, "What kind of person do they move around so much? What kind of skills could possibly have you being relocated so much?"

Kit shrugged his shoulders with a sigh, "Sorry guys, top secret information there. And I'm pretty sure you don't have the clearance."

"Hardy har har," Kant replied sarcastically while the raccoon snorted his amusement.

Kant continued, "Fine. You're busy. How about tonight instead?"

This also caused Kit to pause, considering. He would have preferred to complete his mission in the evening and leave before lights out. He'd already been there for so long, he was looking forward to finally going back home...

I guess I could use another night to properly prepare... If I get too hasty, I might miss something, and that would only make things more dangerous for us down the road. He thought.

Trying not to show his reluctance he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Kant grinned, his shining white canines flashing in the light as he slugged Kit in the shoulder.

"That's what I'm talking about! Let's hear it for Kit, finally stepping up and taking on an actual challenge!"

The two other Mobians hooted and cheered, turning some civilian eyes to them.

Kit laughed at their antics, joining in with the rowdy whooping as they continued back to base. But inside, the unruly antics only made him feel bitter.

~•~•~•~

Kit rotated his arm, stretching the sore limb as he walked through the long hallway that led to the living quarters. Sweat still coated his ruddy orange-brown fur, and he probably would have had some bruises if his body wasn't used to years of close combat.

He'd just finished his sparring match with Kant. The wolf had been declared the winner after Kit had submitted mid-fight, and the two canines had shaken hands afterwards in respect for one another.

Of course, Kit had to let him win. He had previously decided against sending the wolf yelping with his tail between his legs, though, in all fairness, he very well could have. Even though it felt weird not being able to use the full extent of his skill and experience, he really didn't want to draw more attention to himself than was necessary. He wanted to be present, but not memorable. And from what he could gather, beating the wolf in combat would've been a very memorable moment.

The crowd of over fifty other soldiers gathering for the fight was a testament to that fact.

In any case, he was ready for bed. It wasn't lights out yet, but if he was going to complete his initiative in the morning he needed some good rest tonight. He also needed to let the others know he was going to be a little later than planned.

Quickening his steps he reached a corridor lined by doors, each with a numbered plaque nailed to the front. Upon reaching door number 207 he pulled a card from his uniform vest pocket and pressed its face to the black scanner next to the door handle. It beeped twice before a green light blinked, followed by a large click as the door unlocked.

Tucking the card back into his pocket he twisted the handle and stepped into the room.

An overhead light instantly blinked on at his entering, illuminating one bed on the farthest wall, a sink and mirror to his right and a desk with drawers to his left.

It was a humble living quarters, but he didn't complain. Most facilities only had such accommodations ready since he would arrive without any warning, giving the agency little time to prepare.

And soon I'll be leaving again.

He tried to find comfort in that fact, letting his mind muse over what he'd possibly come home too as he stripped himself of his uniform.

‘He's probably torn the whole lair apart by now.’

He chuckled to himself, sliding off all but his gloves and socks and folding them over the back of his desk chair. He glanced in the mirror, baring his fangs to make sure he hadn't gotten any food stuck in them. He nodded in satisfaction when he found none.

He resisted the urge to look more closely at the rest of his appearance and his light blue eyes.

Striding over to his cot he plopped down onto the covers and reached into his pillowcase, pulling out a small black device that he carefully lodged into his ear. He tapped the device until it beeped once, signaling that it had activated and had made connection.

"Kit to base," he whispered, looking up at the wall as his tail swished behind him, "Anyone there?"

There was a long silence before a robotic voice replied.

"Affirmative. My systems are picking up your message with complete clarity."

The fox felt a smile pull at his muzzle.

"Hey, 'Mega."

"Have you completed your initiative?"

The smile left. "No. Not yet."

"Is there reason for the delay?"

"Not really. I just needed time to get some of the others off my back." Kit hesitated, before lowering his voice, "Is, he there..?"

A moment of silence.

"He grew impatient, again, and has taken to resting in his quarters until further notice."

Kit couldn't help feeling disappointed.

"Would you like me to awaken him?"

Kit sighed. "No, let him rest. I won't be doing anything tonight, so might as well leave him be."

"I do have one inquiry..."

Kit turned over onto his back, one hand tucking under his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Inquire away."

"If you do not plan on completing the mission tonight, when exactly are you going to go through with it?"

"Tomorrow morning," Kit replied frankly, reaching up with one hand and twisting his fingers in an attempt to amuse himself, "I'm getting up earlier, so less of the base will be active. It'll also give me some time to set everything in place."

There was another pause, and Kit could practically hear Omega's whirring processor.

"Hey, 'Mega? Could you make sure that I wake up in time? 3:30 please. I'll keep the ear piece in while I sleep so I can hear you."

"Do you not trust yourself to wake at the desired time?"

Kit felt his muzzle begin to twitch up to a smile. "Organic creatures aren't as efficient at timekeeping as machines."

"Very well. I will have him wake you when it is time for you to arise."

A warm grin came across his muzzle. How a machine was able to read his mind was beyond him, but he was grateful for it.

"Thank you."

"Your gratitude is unnecessary, but accepted."

Kit chuckled, a comforting, happy feeling that was so different from the laughter he shared with the brutes who called themselves guardians.

There was a long pause in which Kit could tell the A.I. across the comm was thinking.

"Something wrong?"

"Negative. I was simply wondering..."

Kit tilted his head. "Yes?"

"Do you think... You will be able to locate him this time..?" The robotic voice quieted as it spoke, as if nervous to really be asking.

Kit's expression grew solemn.

"I don't know... I hope so.”

"Do you think a machine, such as I, can feel hope as well..?"

This question took Kit aback a bit, but he softened at the A.I.'s uncharacteristic timidness.

"Yes, I think so."

The robot took a second to process this before responding.

"Good. Because if not I would have asked you to run diagnostics on me and check for viruses upon your return."

Kit snorted in amusement at the A.I.'s brash logic.

"I don't think that's necessary."

"No. I suppose not. This hope... I enjoy the feeling it evokes in my programming."

"Then why would you want me to erase it in the first place?"

"Because any threat must be eliminated. And if it would cause me to turn on you then it should be removed with haste."

The seriousness of Omega's robotic tone made Kit wince.

"Don't worry. That won't happen."

"The sentiment is foolish, but appreciated."

Kit chuckled, rubbing his eyes with a yawn before rolling onto his side.

"Okay, I need to get some rest now. Just thought I would update you both that I'll be heading back later than expected."

"Affirmative. Enjoy pleasant renditions of your imagination during your time of rest."

"You too, pal."

"I am unable to conjure dreams since I do not own a subconscious."

"Good night Omega."

A short pause before, "Good night."

Silence descended upon him and he clapped his hands once. The light overhead obediently flicked off, plunging him into darkness. Shifting his weight off the covers, he draped them over his slightly sore body and quickly drifted off to sleep.

~•~•~•~

Knuckles walked in through our front door. As usual, my brother and I greeted him with warm smiles, Sonic patting him on the shoulder while I gave a simple fist bump.

"What brings you down to the humble surface of Mobius, Knuckles?" Sonic teased the echidna. "Got tired of waking up on your magical island paradise every day?"

Knuckles huffed, crossing his arms indignantly. "No, I did not. And I've actually been 'down' for a while now, thank you very much."

This caught my attention and I tilted my head curiously at him. "Really? Then, who's guarding the Master Emerald?"

Knuckles waved his mittened hand dismissively. "No one. And for security reasons, I'm not telling you where I hid it."

Sonic and I exchanged glances, his green eyes looked at me with amusement and I shook my head, unable to keep the smile from my face.

"But I didn't come here to talk about my duties as the guardian," Knuckles said, his face growing serious, "There's, something I found out... That I need to tell you..."

His violet eyes flicked between me and Sonic, our expressions growing confused.

"It might be a bit crazy to hear- but as your friend, I feel it's my duty to tell you what I've found. And, Tails..?"

His eyes locked with mine, and the deep sadness I saw there made me feel frightened.

"I don't know if you'll like it."

I swallowed hard. Sonic took Knuckles by the arm and led him into the living room, prompting me to follow.

"Here, Knuckles, how about we sit down a sec?"

The Echidna didn't resist, solemnly taking a seat on the longer couch with Sonic taking a spot next to him. The hedgehog’s emerald eyes scanned the echidna with concern.

"Are you sick or somethin'?"

The echidna sighed, looking down at the floor between his shoes.

"No, I'm not sick."

His gaze came up to meet mine, and I'm sure he could see my confusion and worry.

"Tails, what do you know about your parents? Or any of your ancestors?"

I sucked in a breath and I saw Sonic stiffen at the question, no doubt for my sake more than his own.

"Nothing," I answered honestly, trying hard to ignore the ache in my heart and reminding myself that I'd found my true family. I didn't need my blood relatives. Not while I had my friends and, technically, brother by my side. "I don't remember anything about my parents and if I did have any other relatives, they didn't make themselves known."

Knuckles' expression darkened, only filling me with more worry.

"Tails... I know this is going to sound crazy, but about a month ago I was... conversing, with the Master Emerald."

"Talking to yourself," Sonic coughed under his breath, earning a glare from the echidna. But the joke did make me feel better, breaking the suffocating seriousness of it all with a chuckle.

"Anyway," Knuckles growled, ignoring Sonic's tease, "While I was tending to it, I had a vision. It was confusing at first, kinda like a dream where you can't clearly see what's going on, but you just have this feeling that thing's are happening..? But it showed me something... Something about you..."

Even Sonic had leaned forward in his seat, brow furrowed.

"And?" He questioned.

"Tails." Knuckles' expression was so serious, so pitying, I could hardly handle the suspense.

"I think you’re a... Kitsune."

It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. At first I was confused. But then all the retellings of legends and myths that Sonic collected from across the world came flooding back.

Kitsune. A mystical being rooted in eastern culture. Often possessing great power, and revered for their cleverness.

Most commonly identified as a multi-tailed fox.

I shot up from the chair, my confusion turning to cold blooded shock.

"No.” I shook my head, "No, you're wrong!"

On top of that, how dare Knuckles make jokes about me like that?! I felt my shock turn into anger. "And it's not funny to make jokes like that!"

Knuckles stood from his seated position, extending his hands apologetically.

"I'm not joking, Tails... I did some research, and it all matches with what the Master Emerald showed me."

My tails lashed behind me as I glared into the echidna's solemn violet eyes.

He was serious.

A sick feeling spread through my chest, poisoning my stomach with dread. It couldn't be true... It just couldn't...

I looked to Sonic for help, my angry blue eyes pleading for him to say something, to stand up and tell Knuckles that he was wrong. To tell the echidna to apologize for even thinking up such a cruel joke.

But Sonic wasn't looking at me. His emerald eyes were distant and I'd never seen his expression so thoughtful.

"Sonic?"

His emerald eyes looked up at me, but now they held the same heaviness that I had seen in Knuckles'.

Tears burned under my eyelids as I stared at him, begging for him to affirm the denial in my heart.

"Tell him he's wrong!"

Sonic opened his mouth and I felt my hope rise.

That's right. My brother was going to tell Knuckles that everything he was saying was false. I couldn't be a Kitsune! What a ridiculous idea!

But then the hedgehog's mouth closed again, and he looked away.

He looked away.

I staggered back, hitting the edge of the chair with my leg. But I didn't care.

My head swam, tears blurring my vision and I clenched my fists.

"No. No! I don't believe you! It's not true!" I shouted at them, "You're lying!"

Sonic stood up now, taking a step towards me.

"Tails-"

"Don't, Sonic!" I snapped, "How can you agree with this?! Kitsune aren't real! They're just legends!"

"Come on, buddy, just hear him out," Sonic pleaded.

I shook my head, taking another step back.

"No! I won't listen to lies! I don't want to listen to either of you until you tell me the truth!"

I spun around and ran upstairs, furiously taking the steps two at a time. Tears had begun to stream down my cheeks and even more fell when I heard Sonic's voice call out desperately behind me.

"Tails!"

But I ignored him. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear any of it.

My heart thudded in my ears and my head felt dizzy. I ran to my room and slammed the door shut behind me, making sure it was loud enough for the both of them to hear.

Once in my room, I couldn't help it. I slid down the door, unable to hold back the tears. A sob choked me, the tears running hot down my muzzle.

I never felt so scared, confused, and angry all at once. I wanted to feel betrayed, Sonic was supposed to be my brother! Why didn't he stand up to Knuckles and talk him out of all this nonsense?!

But I couldn't. Because I didn't have to think too hard about it to know that what Knuckles had said was true.

I didn't want it too, I didn't want all the pieces to fit, and I hated that they did...

Another sob racked my body, as I pressed myself to the door.

"No, it can't be real. I have to be dreaming. This is a nightmare. It's not real. It's not real."

All the stories Sonic had told me came rushing back to my mind. It was customary for him to share bits of interesting folklore from different cultures with me and now everything he'd told me about Kitsune clouded my mind.

Many Kitsune possess a variety of powers, such as flight, shape shifting, and illusion.

A whimper tightened in my chest.

Kitsune are identified by their multiple tails, which showcase their power and ranking among other Kitsune.

I tucked my dual tails closer to my body, clutching them as I sobbed into their soft fur.

The most powerful of this creature is a nine-tailed Kitsune, which is rumored to be so powerful, that the whole world cannot provide enough energy necessary to satiate it.

I pushed my hands over my ears, as if doing that would be enough to stop the thoughts from continuing.

A Kitsune gains a new tail for every 100 years of its life, though some Kitsune have been known to be granted an extra tail as a reward for noble deeds.

I didn't want to hear it, I didn't want to think about it-!

Because of this, Kitsune are considered immortal. Reaching full power and maturity at 900 years.

I screamed against the thought, trying desperately to blot it out. I stood up from my sitting position, shaking my head and shouting denial.

"It's not true! It's not true! It's not-" a sob hiccuped from my throat, cutting me off.

I desperately wanted comfort, for something or someone to reassure me that it wasn't real, that it was all just a sick joke, and that everything would go back to normal. But I couldn't face either of the two who could do that. So I ran for the next best thing.

Crashing onto my bed I curled onto my side, snatching up my pillow and hugging it to my chest as I sobbed, desperately willing the thoughts to go away with little success.

Eventually my tears ran out and my cries subsided, leaving a dull emptiness in my chest. I curled tighter around the pillow, wrapping my tails around myself and pressing my eyes closed.

I don't know how long I laid there, feeling lost and hopeless. And I didn't know how it had happened, but I had somehow accepted what Knuckles had said.

Sometimes it's a curse to be clever...

I heard the door handle click followed by a small creak, but I remained unmoving, not even twitching an ear towards the sound.

"Tails..?"

The sound of my brother's voice sent a jolt of grief through my body and I clutched the pillow tighter, more tears threatening to unleash themselves.

He didn't move for a moment, allowing a moment of silence to settle between us, before I heard his gentle steps enter the room and approach my bed. I didn't turn to him, pinning my ears tighter to my head and pushing my muzzle farther into my pillow, making myself as small as possible.

I felt his weight bend the mattress behind me, but I couldn't face him. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. Not because of how betrayed I had felt earlier, but because of how ashamed and lonely I felt now.

A gentle hand rested on my arm.

"Hey, bud. I know you're upset... but-"

"I don't want to talk right now..." I managed to squeak out.

Sonic paused, before I felt the mattress move beneath me once again.

"Okay. We don't have to talk."

His shifting stopped and I could feel his presence sitting on the bed behind me, most likely hunched against the headboard.

"Let's just sit here a bit..." He whispered, his hand remaining on my arm.

My breaths shuddered in and out as I struggled not to cry. Just having him there made me feel a bit more comforted. And yet, at the same time, Sonic's presence only deepened the gaping hole in my heart.

I couldn't help it when I turned around to finally face him. Releasing my pillow, I propped myself up on the bed and looked up at my brother, who returned my gaze with a small smile.

"Hey."

"Hey," I croaked back.

His bright emerald eyes held nothing but kindness and understanding as they stared into mine.

Suddenly the tears rushed back and I couldn't stop myself from breaking down again. Only this time, I curled against Sonic's side, crying into his peachy fur.

He wrapped his arms around me, hushing me and stroking my back in slow, soothing movements.

"Hey, hey don't cry. It's okay. I know that was a bit of a shock down there..."

Understatement of the century...

"And I already talked to Knuckles, about how discretion can be a virtue..."

I nuzzled closer to my brother, feeling his ever present aura of warmth and safety steady my shaky breaths and slow my tears.

Sonic tilted his head to look down at me, a gesture I wasn't quite willing to return yet. He didn't seem to care though.

"But really, being Kitsune isn't something to cry over."

I could hear the smile in his voice, trying to help me feel better.

"I mean, it's not like they're something hideous, like a golem or a troll," he mused, and I felt a weak smile pull up the corner of my muzzle.

He continued, "I mean, come on, a Kitsune? They have all sorts of cool powers! No clue what they all could be- but shape shifting is one right? How cool would that be! Think of all the pranks you could get away with!" His voice grew more excited, and I could tell that he was trying to get me excited about it too.

It was almost working.

Sonic whistled to himself in wonder, "And to think. I get to say that my brother is a Kitsune of legend! Forget hero of Mobius- I get the title of, 'Bro to Ultra Awesome Fox Boy'!"

I laughed weakly at his joke, and he seemed to like that. His positive energy emanating from him in stronger waves.

My smile disappeared. Was that how I could feel Sonic's energy..? Because I was Kitsune..?

"Yeah, that'll be a neat headline," Sonic grinned, unaware of my troubling thoughts.

There was a comfortable silence that settled between us before I finally worked up the courage to say what was eating me away on the inside.

"Sonic..?" I rasped.

He looked down at me.

"Yeah, bud?"

I fisted my hand against his chest, feeling it rise and fall with every breath he took.

I hesitated to say it. The idea too horrible.

"Will..." My eyes were transfixed on his rising and falling chest, tears blurring my vision once again, "Will I have to watch you die..?"

A sharp inhale filled his lungs, raising his chest under my fist abnormally quick. The feeling made my heart hurt and more tears rushed to the edges of my eyes.

"Will I outlive all our friends..?" My voice cracked, and a tear broke loose, trailing down the side of my muzzle.

Peachy arms wrapped around me, pulling me tighter to their owner as Sonic rested his chin on my head. I allowed his radiant energy to wash over me, snuggling closer to him with a sniff. My ear was pressed against his chest and I couldn't help but listen to the strong, speedy beat of his heart, treasuring its liveliness.

"I don't know, buddy," Sonic whispered.

I couldn't ever remember hearing him sound so sad.

"I don't want to..." I whimpered, pressing myself as close to him and his warmth as I could.

Sonic didn't answer for a while. And that was okay. I just wanted him to hold me. To be there.

"Tails," he finally whispered, his tone sounding serious, but I could detect the pain behind it, "Maybe... Maybe you, or I, should talk to Shadow."

I jolted, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"What? Why?"

Sonic averted his gaze.

"Because, maybe he can give you some advice... If you're really..."

I could hardly believe my ears.

Sonic sucked in a breath, tilting his head up towards the ceiling and smiling weakly.

"He'll be able to take care of you. After I'm..."

I shook my head vigorously.

"No, don't say that. No one could ever replace you!"

Sonic looked back down at me and I couldn't help but marvel at the spark retained in his emerald eyes. How could he still be so hopeful? So himself?

"He wouldn't be replacing me, Tails. You'll always be my main man and little brother!But," a somber smile came across his muzzle, "You'll need someone to keep you company. It'll be good for him too, I think." Sonic mused over the idea.

But my stomach only churned with bitterness and a resurgence of denial.

"Knuckles could be wrong," I said, holding onto the rebellion that reared up inside my chest, "He could've misinterpreted what the Master Emerald was trying to say, or maybe's he's just jumping to conclusions again-"

"I think we both know he's not," Sonic said, squashing my hopes as quickly as they'd dared return, "I always sensed there was something different about you. And as you've gotten older, that feeling has only grown stronger."

I ducked my head in defeat. I knew what he was saying was true. Deep down, it felt right. It made sense.

Sonic continued, his smile still on his muzzle,  "It's not a bad thing, Tails, and I don't want you to be mad about it. If you're Kitsune, then that's what you are. Sure it's gonna be different from what you expected, but you can use that to make a difference. Even after I'm gone, you can keep making a difference! You can change things and help people, you can continue living life and using that clever head of yours to make this world a better place for everyone!"

My tails twisted behind me, uncertain.

"But... What about you..?"

Sonic's smile faltered. Only for a moment.

"Don't worry about me, little bro. I'll keep living my life to the fullest, right alongside you, for as long as I can."

"Maybe, maybe I can figure out a way to-"

He cut me off, "Tails, no. We can't interfere with nature. As much as we'd like too. I promise, that as long as there's some fight in me, I'll always keep on running. But as much as I hate to say it... Even I can't live forever."

Tears were filling my eyes again, my chest aching with an oncoming sob.

"Hey, Tails..."

The deep voice startled me, both Sonic and I sharply turned our heads towards the voice. Knuckles was standing in the doorway, an awkward expression on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

He opened his mouth, but his voice sounded hazy.

"Tails..?"

I tried to listen closer, but it felt as though all the sound had been sucked out of the room. I looked to Sonic and I watched his mouth open as if to speak.

"You awake?"

The voices weren't making sense. What was going on?

"Tails??"

I looked around, everything was beginning to fade as the voice grew more clear.

"Hey! It's time to wake up!"

~•~•~•~

Kit awoke to a voice speaking directly into his ear. He groaned at the jarring sensation of being so awkwardly pulled from the dream world and into reality.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled, turning over onto his other side and pulling the rough covers further over his head.

An amused chuckle came from the device he'd left lodged in his ear over night.

"No can do! You wanted an alarm you got an alarm! Now- Up and at 'em!"

Kit let out another groan, this time to make his annoyance audible to the person on the receiver as he threw the blanket off of himself and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He blinked his eyes blearily, trying to get them to clear.

"Come on! Today's the day we'll finally find something! I can feel it."

"That's what you say every time," Kit, or rather Tails, muttered, rubbing his eyes and squinting ahead, trying to get his eyes to work.

"Well someone's a pessimist today. What happened, did you wake up on the left side of the bed?"

"I woke up with a very, very loud voice in my ear," he grumbled, standing up. His vision had begun to clear, and his keen eyes had already begun to adjust to their dark surroundings.

"If I'm really such a pain in the morning, why'd Omega tell me you wanted me to wake you up?"

Tails could hear the smirk across the comm.

"Maybe because, as obnoxious as it is, it's still better then an online audio recording of an air horn playing on repeat?" He answered, clapping once to turn the light on and recoiling as the sudden light burned his retina.

"Still better than the air horn. Can't be that bad then!" The voice joked.

Tails laughed weakly, still rubbing his stinging eyes.

"So! You awake yet?"

"Yes I'm awake," Tails answered, finally opening his now adjusted eyes.

"Good! You ready then?"

"Well give me time to get in uniform." Tails grunted, grabbing the uniform off the back of his chair and working to slip the shirt and pants on.

"Make sure you're still in character while you're at it," the voice nonchalantly reminded, "You sometimes lose it while you sleep."

Tails paused with pants halfway up and glanced at the mirror. Sky blue eyes stared back at him, clear and bright. His brown fur from last night was gone, replaced by fur with a vibrant, golden hue.

He let out a sharp sigh in frustration.

"You lost it didn't you?" The voice was unbearably smug.

"No, I didn't," Tails protested, quickly focusing on his appearance, watching in the mirror as his body changed back to the fox from the night before. In only a few moments, he was Kit again. His attention then went back to the pants. "I'm just having trouble with the pants."

"Ugh."

Tails could practically hear the shudder over the comm.

"Pants... See? This is just more proof that this organization is no good. Mobians wearing pants. Pure evil..."

Tails rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smiling at the voice's dramatic over-exaggerations.

"Oh sure, forget the fact that they've locked up an innocent Mobian and kept him prisoner against his will for over 150 years. No it's the pants that makes them evil."

"Hey- I'm not saying it's a worse crime, only that it adds to it."

Tails shook his head with a chuckle, slipping his boots on and tucking his newly donned pants into them in the uniform style for G.U.P.

"Is Omega ready to go?"

"Affirmative." the robotic voice of E-123 Omega responded, "I am fully operational and prepared to fulfill my role."

Tails finished buckling his boots, as well as the belt that housed his weapons. Looking over himself once in the mirror to make sure he was properly disguised, he turned back to the desk and opened one of the drawers.

Moving a stack of papers he spotted what he was looking for and snatched up a black device with two stylized tails marked on the top. It was about the size of a large USB drive, but didn't have any noticeable place to port it into a computer.

He tossed the device into the air, caught it mid fall and dropped it into one of his vest pockets. Inhaling sharply, he turned towards the door. He knew he could do this and yet, somehow, the knowledge did nothing to rid the butterflies  that fluttered in his stomach and made his heart skip.

"Ready?" The voice prompted into his ear.

Tails exhaled slowly, forcing the butterflies into submission as well as consciously making an effort to relax his tense muscles.

200 years and he was still acting like a scared kid.

Well, not today.

Confidence flooded his body and he nodded sharply. "Ready."

He stepped forward, putting his hand on the door handle and turning it.

"Let's go find our friend."

~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~—~

{ Story Facts! : What is G.U.P?

Guardian Units of the People, or G.U.P for short, is a military organization primarily focused on internal security. It's main goal is to keep peace within the nation and protect the citizens therein, acting almost as a more superior police force.

Though international security is in the minds of the officials, national problems are often handled by the parent organization, Guardian Units of the Nation, or G.U.N.

In accordance with their role, G.U.P is much more active in local communities, exercising judicial authority over their inferiors. As the child organization, G.U.P does have some ties and connections with G.U.N. However, these connections are mostly in the form of command chains in which officials of G.U.N will pass down instructions or alerts to G.U.P should the need arise. For the most part however, G.U.P acts on its own accord, and is fairly innocent to matters of international security.

G.U.P is very conscientious concerning its people groups. For this reason, it splits its troops into two segments, Sapiens and Bestia. This separation includes separate barracks, training facilities and tech support.

This separation of races was deemed beneficial since it would be easier to send like-species teams into certain environments or communities that might lean more towards Sapien or Bestia in population. Because of this, it is fairly normal to only ever see Mobian Guardians in more Mobian populated communities, and Human Guardians in the more Human populated communities.

Though experimentation has begun in establishing race specific bases, in which there is one base for only Bestia or Sapien respectively, it is still in the testing phase. With G.U.P still preferring to use larger multi-species bases with the separate accommodations made for each race. }

[Here it is! Chapter 2!! Thought I would post it for Wholesome Sonic and Tails Wednesday since I’ve been a little busy to do much else. There’s a heart-touching Sonic in Tails moment in here- so I’m counting it XD Hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully the third chapter will be up soon! As well as this story on AO3. So keep your eyes open!]

Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

[jsio]

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

MILES PROWER, ANTI-TAILS

Moebius' true king.

Art by Arealscrog

Archie's wasted character

Who is Miles?

Miles Prower is the Anti equivalent of Tails, from Mobius Prime. He is afew years older, being 11 instead of 8 and much more mature. He still appears to possess Tails' youthful tenacity and desire for independence, but he has a violent rebellious attitude and shows no interest in holding himself to childish things, even though he's only 11 years old himself, hating the nickname "Tails" being an example.

Miles holds his younger counterpart in utter contempt for traits Miles sees as weaknesses, especially how Tails went down the path of Science and technology instead of his magical Chaos force heritage, implying that Miles went down a more mystical path instead of Science, but from what we see in the comic Miles is more in the political field, by that I mean he manipulates all the political aspects of Moebius.

His actions throughout the comic run make him out to be smart, picky, but also cold, calculating and always 5 steps ahead of his own team and Adversaries, this leading to Alicia making him the Suppression Squads leader behind the scenes, while she is the figurehead "ruler."

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That's Anti-Tails, Who throughout this I'll be reffering to as "Miles." Now you may be thinking, "Why make a post on an extremely obscure and hardly used Archie character? Why not someone Like Tails, Shadow or a more popular Archie character?"

Well, it's because I believe that Miles had the potential to be one of Archie's most intresting original characters, I believe he could've easily held his own "Suppression Squad" comic run, but Archie Unfortunately really underused him and wasted his potential, but hey...

That's where us fans come in!

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This post is All about Miles Canonical self, every canon fact I can find about him and his full story in his short run during Pre-Reboot Archie Sonic, and my own personal headcanons in the later post.

But...before I get into any the headcanons, I need to teach those who don't know him about him, I need to talk about his Canonical self..so, let's get into it. Headcanons will be in the follow up post.

Canonical Apprearnces.

(Reworded from the wiki)

First appearance

The first appearance of Anti-Tails was back when the character was just "Evil Tails" and it was of him joining the Anti Freedom fighters in an attempt to take over Mobius Prime, prior to the downfall of Eggman.

He and his evil allies pretended to be the good Mobius Prime versions, and struck knothole with acts of mayhem, vandalism and overall mischief, a common thing on moebius. The real Freedom Fighters soon returned to set things straight, but their initial attempts to defeat the Anti-Freedom Fighters failed as their Anti-Mobius selves knew their moves as well as they did. Sally Acorn came upon the solution: switching combat partners. When he faced Rotor, Evil Tails proved unable to overcome the larger and stronger Mobian. Defeated along with the other Anti-Freedom Fighters, he was sent back to Anti-Mobius, where they continued to cause mayhem despite the efforts of the kindly Dr. Ivo Kintobor (Anti-Robotnik) to stop them.

This was the last we saw Evil Tails for awhile, however we did see a cameo of him along with every other tails when they all came together and formed Titan Tails.

The Suppression Squad

Art by Pota on Pixiv

Some time passed before his next appearance, and in that time "Anti-Mobius" went through changes in its name, now "Moebius." And all the characters changed alongside it.

Miles had assisted Boomer in stealing Dr Kintober's goal posts in order to allow the Suppression Squad to have access to inter-dimensional travel. Scourge obviously took this opportunity and went straight to Mobius Prime, along with a few other members of the SS, Miles being one of them, and they attempted an assult on the Freedom HQ, where we see Miles' and Tails face off, with Miles declaring to not be referrd to as Tails or Anti-Tails, but instead just "Miles".

He also indicated his disgust at Tails for having chosen a path of Science and study, despite having a strong connection to "Chaos force", aka magic. This has led to people believing Miles himself is a magic user.

When Metal Sonic attacked Scourge, believing him to be the real Sonic, Miles stayed back and observed instead of helping his king. Now, you may think that's betrayal, but in reality Miles didn't help because he did not wish to undermine Scourges strength, so instead he observed. Soon after Sonic came onto the scene he showed his willingness to help anyone, even his enimies, and this gave Miles an idea:

Let's team up with the freedom fighters to betray Scourge, that's the new plan.

Miles later met up with Sally, Bunnie, Antonie and Tails to offer an alliance, but didn't let Tails speak and showed his contempt to the original version, telling him, "Please don't talk, little boy, We're trying to have an intelligent conversation." Sally accepted the offer, knowing she needed all the help she could get for taking down Scourge.

Upon returning to Scourge, pretending to be running from the freedom fighters, Scourge asked for a summary on his mission, that being "bomb New Metropolis" but Miles ignored him however, instead reporting to Alicia (Anti-Sally) that his mission was a success. Immediately thereafter, Alicia told the Suppression Squad to, "Show our King just what we think of him", with Boomer and Patch clearly readying for battle

However, Miles was doubling up his betrayal, blasting both Sonic and Scourge back into Moebius for them to Duke it out there, with Boomer sealing the portal behind them. An ethical debate followed this, between Sally, Alicia and Miles, the trio being ordered to get the goal posts ready to be able to return the freedom fighters to Mobius after both groups agreed to make sure Scourge was defeated on Moebius by Sonic

Miles was as shocked as the rest of the group to find Scourge had defeated all of his opponents as Super Scourge. When the rest of the Knothole Freedom Fighters and Suppression Squad were quickly defeated, Scourge turned his sights on Miles, identifying him as the mastermind behind the betrayal.

Miles, cowering in fear, denied his role in betraying Scourge, who was threatening to beat him for his betrayal. However, Miles was saved by Silver the Hedgehog and unlike the rest of his allies, wasn't even hurt. Following Scourge's defeat and Miles' attempt to recruit Buns Rabbot into the Suppression Squad, Miles spoke to Alicia about who would be their new leader. Alicia explained that while she may be the figurehead ruler, they both knew Miles held the real authority at this point, to which Miles grinned.

That was the last we see of Miles in the Archie comics, he unfortunately isn't in the post reboot because he's now owned by Ken Penders, so we'll never see him again. Below is all of his official designs, and after that is my final thoughts on the character.

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My overview of Miles as a character.

I'm no Character analysist so I'll make this short and sweet, my review of Miles is that he's a Character with alot of potential, but he went wasted, not on purpose, but thanks to the lawsuit.

I believe that if that lawsuit never happened, and that arc was closed up nicely Anti-Tails would of became a far more realistic and grounded Character, and probably pretty popular too. Miles to me is a kid who was manipulated into a life of crime and now believes that's what is right, and I think that could of been an arc for him, mellowing out and becoming a true king for the people of Moebius. I also like how when Scourge goes Super and goes to Miles to confront him, he dosent stand up to him, he dosent become strong, but instead he cowers in fear, hes terrified and tries to lie, to me, that makes him feel more grounded, and I like that.

Personally I wish Miles was more popular, I wish he got more spotlight than he did and I wish his story got concluded, but with what we got, I think he's pretty good, and pretty interesting too! I've seen alot of ideas float around for this dude, all of them making sense in they're on way, and to be honest? His lack of story kinda helps make him more accessible.

Tl:Dr: I like Miles alot, and I hope this post helps you lot learn more about him and overall, gets more people down to write with him, draw with him and explore him!

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Would I change him in any way?

Yeah, there's one key part of Miles (from what we got) that I think was wasted. Now, what is that? What would I change about a Character I've mostly praised? Well...

I wish he was magical. In the Archie comics Tails is actually strongly connected to the "Chaos Force", not as connected as Shadow, but still VERY connected, and guess what? Miles and Tails ARE biologically the same, same DNA, and in that bit of the comic, Miles calls Tails out on something he should have no idea about if he himself isn't connected to the same thing (or Moebius equivalent). To me at least this kind of implies Miles is magical too.

Basically, I'd give Miles' moveset a touch of magical abilities, connecting him to Moebius' "Anarchy force". I think it would help separate him abit more from Tails, while also connecting them, because whenever you have science and magic together...they clash.

But yea that's all I'd change in what we got, just hints of magic, some magic attacks here and there. I think it'd be pretty neat, and it'd have the science Vs magic aspect with him and Tails relationship.

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Lets finally wrap this up! At least, for now.

Thank you so much for reading all this If you did, it, this took me alot of hours, and I, I think it's over 2000 words now you madman. Why not spend your time doing something more worthwhile? Why not...have fun? meet someone? Go on a date? Live your life? Why read a post on an obscure Character, mainac.

But in all seriousness thank you for reading my post, I really like this character (clearly) and I want to teach people about him, and I hope this post has done that! Post 2. There's going to be a sequel post going over all of my personal headcanons, and possibly a 3rd going over community ones. Keep ya eyes out~

But yea, big read, now you lot know about an obscure Character, and this was fun to write! But now I'm gonna end this post with a fun fact:

Miles and the Suppression Squad were going to have one more arc, it was teased at the end of issue 196, but unfortunately it never got written. That would of been really neat but unfortunately it never got to happen.

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BON'VOYAGE, HEDGEHOGS!