Rise of an Underdog

Inside the large workshop of one Miles Prower, better known as Tails, the lights were dimmed all around, giving the massive room an eerie, foreboding glow, but in light of recent events, this was the way Tails liked it. The young kitsune had had enough of his so-called "friends" pushing him around and treating him like nothing more than the gum stuck to the bottoms of their shoes. For the countless adventures they had been on together, who always claimed the glory? The fame? Sonic. Knuckles. Even Shadow on occasion. But what did Tails get? Nothing. And he was sick of it.

'I'll show them. I'll show them all that I won't take their shit anymore like I was a lapdog, obeying their every command. I will rise from the shadows and make the name Miles "Tails" Prower known throughout all of Mobius. But to do that, I must rid myself of the ones who stand in my way. And I know just the way to do that....'


The next morning....</I>


Everyone was gathered inside Tails' laboratory, called there earlier in the morning by the young fox himself. But to the gang's confusion, Tails was nowhere to be found. "Has anyone seen any sign of Tails yet?" Sonic asked out loud, catching the others' attention. Amy, who was happily clinging to Sonic's arm, looked her blue crush in the eyes and smiled. "He said he'd be here shortly, and you know what that means, don't you, Sonikku?"

Sonic saw the sparkle in the pink annoyance's eyes and tried desperately to hold down his breakfast while Knuckles, Rouge and Shadow watched in disgust. "I honestly don't understand what you mortals see in love." Shadow groaned, crossing his arms and turning away.

"You know, Shadow? Sometimes you can be a total dumba..." But before Rouge could complete her insult, the group of heroes heard a loud, mechanical whirring noise coming from all around them. Suddenly, and without warning, large metal plates that Tails had installs years back to protect the workshop from enemy attacks began lowering, and before even Sonic could react, all possible exits out of the room were sealed.

"What's going on!?" Knuckles shouted, his voices bouncing off the steel walls of the now locked down laboratory. "Sonic, I'm scared." Amy cried, clinging to the hedgehog's arm even tighter. Sonic was worried now himself. "Tails? You out there, buddy?" But what Sonic and the rest didn't realize was that Tails was watching the whole thing from a hidden camera in a secret room.

"Buddy." Tails scoffed. "Don't fuck with my emotions, Sonic. I was never your buddy, you only wanted someone to kick around. Well, not anymore." The fox grinned wickedly, his pearl-white canine teeth twinkling sadistically in the darkness as he pressed a button on the controller he held in his hand. Once he pressed the button, the trapped heroes could hear a hissing noise coming from the air vents all around them.

"What the..." Shadow said once he noticed a strange purple haze engulfing the room. "Tails! Let us out!" Everyone started shouting at different times, but their cries fell on deaf ears as Tails began a fit of crazed laughter. "Those idiots! They have no idea of what's about to happen to them!" Tails continued to watch in sickening delight as the strange mist rendered each of his former friends unconscious, one by one. Even Shadow quickly succumbed to the sleeping agent and was out with the others.

Once the mist had cleared away, Tails opened the doors and entered the room where Sonic and the others were out cold. As he looked down at each one of them, the crazed fox smiled. "Time to get to work..."


Several hours later....</I>


"Ugh... ohh.. where am I?" Sonic moaned as he slowly awakened. He attempted to raise a hand to his head, but quickly noticed that he could not. "What's going on here?" The blue blur quickly knew that he had been restrained, and try as he might, he could not free himself. "Damn it!" He cursed to himself as he looked around in the darkness.

'What's the matter, Sonic? Can't see? Well, here. Let me shed some light on things.' As the voice stopped speaking, Sonic instantly recognized it. "Tails!? What the hell is going on here!?" Sonic's question was answered once the lights came on, revealing Sonic and every one of his friends, shackled hand and foot to a steel rolling table. One at a time, all of the blue hero's friend regained consciousness.

Every one of them had been shackled to a table, same as Sonic. The heroes were arranged in a circular pattern in the middle of the room. "Tails, what on Mobius are you doing!?" Amy cried out, trying to free herself. But not even Shadow could break his restraints. As Tails watched his former allies struggle in vain, he nearly began to salivate at the sight of it all. "Alright, runt! You better explain yourself this instant!" Knuckles growled.

"I need not explain anything to you, Knuckles. All you need to know is you're about to be reborn. </I>All</I> of you." Everyone gulped in fear as Tails walked out of the circle of captured friends. Somehow, through all of the shouts of anger and cries of anguish, Tails showed no emotion whatsoever. His compassion for his friends was gone.

The psychotic fox was now standing in front of a control panel, staring back at his trapped prey and smiled, slipping a pair of goggles over his large eyes. Rouge, who had been silent the whole time, looked around in panic, realizing one of them was missing. "Where's Shadow?" Tails answered the bat with loud, maniacal laughter.

"You want to know where Shadow is? Very well, but don't fret, my friends. You will all soon share the same fate. Oh, Shadow!" As the fox called out the name, A figure that appeared to be Shadow walked up beside Tails. But to the horror of Sonic, Amy, Rouge and Knuckles, Shadow was...

"Tails... you didn't. TELL ME YOU DIDN'T!!" Sonic screamed at his friend, making Tails grin even wider. "Yes, Sonic. I did." No one could believe what they were witnessing, but standing in front of them, was not the Shadow they all knew. Tails looked at his new servant, then back to the others. "And you're all next." Amy began crying hysterically as she pleaded with the fox. "Tails, why!? Why are you doing this to your friends!?"

This comment angered Tails the likes of which no one had ever angered him before. "FRIENDS!? For years I lived in your shadows, always on the sidelines, only called to help when one of you wanted something built for you! HOW IS THAT FRIENDSHIP!? Well, I'm done being the lackey. As I was once told, you have two choices. You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Guess which path I chose..."

Without another word, Tails pressed a button on the panel in front of him, lowering a large glass dome down over Sonic and the others. "Tails, no! Don't do this!" But it was too late. As the blood-curdling screams echoed throughout the glass dome, Tails watched in sick pleasure as flesh and fur became metal, eyes became optical sensors, and clothing became armor. Once the transformation was complete, Tails powered off the machine, raising the glass dome.

The kitsune was beaming with malicious pride as he watched his new, robotic servants obediently lined up in front of him, all the victims of the horrific process known as Roboticization. Tails walked past each one of them and stood in the middle of the floor. "Shadow! Lower the dome." Shadow did as commanded, and soon Tails underwent the same transformation, only he allowed himself to retain his consciousness and free will. Once the process was complete, Tails took his place as the leader of his friends, a role he dreamed of fulfilling for years.

Once the proud heroes of Mobius, Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles, Amy Rose, and Rouge the bat now stood as the darkest force the planet Mobius would ever bear witness to... the Metal Armada. As Sonic spoke, his voice was cold and monotonous. "MASTER, WHAT IS OUR FIRST OBJECTIVE? DO WE TAKE MOBIUS FOR OURSELVES?" Tails turned his steel-plated head toward his servant and replied in the same cold, lifeless voice.

"NO. NOT YET. THERE REMAINS ONE MORE GROUP, NOT UNLIKE OUR OLD SELVES. THEY FIGHT ON THE SIDE OF PEACE, AND THEREFORE, MUST BE ERADICATED." The cyborg kitsune typed a few commands into his computer, and a picture showing a group of Mobians appeared on the screen. "THERE. THEY WILL BE THE FIRST CASUALTY OF THIS WAR... THE SHADOW LEGION...."

....The End