Reversion

by Asher Tye

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Sonic, I own nothing of Tails, I own nothing typically recognized as belonging to Sega. I wish I did, but I don't… :Sad Face:

Author's Note: Merlin's Disease is not a real disease, but I do feel I should give credit to my source anyway, Dan Simmons who wrote the Hyperion Cantos series. I've changed the characteristics of the sickness somewhat, but as Hyperion is where I first encountered it, I don't want to step on any toes. I should also point out that this story jumps back and forth between the past and the present. I'll provide break-ups for it, but I hope it isn't too confusing.

Okay, so after reading over the chapters of this story I've written, I am amazed at the sheer number of typos and errors present in it. To that end, I've decided to begin re-uploading the chapters as I work on Chapter Six. Enjoy

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Present:

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It was early morning in the Mystic Ruins and Sonic had taken his customary position sitting at the foot of a certain bed, gazing into the dozing face of its sole occupant. Lying in the bed, tucked securely under the sheets with a contented smile on his furry face was Tails the fox, Sonic's best friend and the single most important person in the cobalt blue hedgehog's life. The azure speedster stared grimly into the sleeping face, his body calm despite the turmoil raging through his tormented mind, a torment that had come to him each and every day of the past two years he'd found it necessary to perform this ritual; ever since Tails had turned ten. The now twenty year old hedgehog started a little as the fox let out a quiet yawn, an action that easily displayed his sharp canines as he did so.

It had really been two whole years. Two years since he'd been forced to take root here in the workshop Tails had built in Mystic Ruins. Two years since that horrible day his eldest friend's condition had worsened to the point that he could no longer be allowed to remain alone for longer than the space of a few hours. Two years since Sonic had returned home just in time to find a poor and frightened little kit bawling his eyes out, completely unable to tell friend from foe, fully believing himself to be completely without anyone to come to his aid. That Sonic had been able to undo some of the damage of that day mattered not, his friend had needed him and it had only been purest coincidence the hedgehog had been coming for a visit.

Slowly cerulean eyes opened as the fox blinked into the morning sun shining on his soft, light colored fur, fur that was much too soft and much too light for a fox that, by all rights, should be growing into adulthood. But, as he watched young Tails awaken, Sonic knew the truth of the matter. Blue eyes locked onto green, focusing on this perceived intruder to his domain, and Sonic found himself fervently hoping that today would be different, that something had stuck.

&Please kid, say "Good Morning Sonic" or any variation of that, just this once,& Sonic thought, a hope that was quickly dashed as he noticed the confused look beginning to spread over the fox's youthful face.

"Who… Who are you?" the kit asked nervously, pulling his sheets up to cover his muzzle in a childish attempt to hide, as if afraid of a stranger who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Though a little part of him had died inside at the question, Sonic refused to let the kit see it as he began his part in this sick little drama life seemed to have cast him in.

"Hey kid, it's me Sonic," the hedgehog answered.

"Do I… Do I know you?" Tails asked, the sheet lowering somewhat. Outwardly Sonic chuckled in good humor while inwardly he cursed everything that ever was and ever would be for making him do this.

"Of course you do Tails, I'm your big brother," Sonic again answered, a friendly smile on his face.

"Sonic… my big brother," the fox repeated, testing out the strange but familiar words. "But… you're a hedgehog, and I'm not."

&At least he's still as sharp as he used to be,& Sonic thought bitterly, this seeming constant only serving to dredge up memories that would serve no purpose other than to make him sad. "Well you were kinda, adopted, ya know. But it's cool, you're still my little bro, you know."

"Then… where are our parents?"

"Gone I'm afraid," Sonic replied, fully prepared for the storm of tears that sometimes followed the tragic news. Fortunately, this time the fox seemed to accept it rather well, so the hedgehog continued. "Afraid it's been just you and me for a few years now. You remember?" Quickly the fox shook his head. "Do you remember me at least?" Another head shaking occurred, but this one was slower, less certain of the answer. "Come on," Sonic said with another smile, latching onto this small hope, "you and me, we're as thick as thieves. We've been on adventures, met some great friends, and even saved the world from Eggman, Chaos, and Solaris just to name a few of the butts we've whumped ."

"We… We did?" the fox asked, warming up to Sonic's semi-lies. Quietly Tails began to digest the information he'd been given, his mind attempting to reconcile this seemingly new knowledge with the memories that lay inside.

&Please let there be enough of Miles left to make this easy,& Sonic hoped as he stared at the fox whose hands clasped his head as he struggled to remember.

"Yes, I… I remember we flew a plane up to the Death Egg… We met Knuckles on the Floating Island…" gloveless hands dropped to orange furry sides as Tails stared at his hedgehog friend, his eyes unfocused for just a few seconds before he smiled. "Sonic, I remember now!" Sonic smiled a real smile now, glad that fate had decided to go easy on the kid today. It wasn't often, but there were mornings Sonic almost had to go through each step of his friend's life with him before jogging enough neurons to bring some semblance of his memory back.

"Hey kid."

"What happened? How come I couldn't remember… anything?" Tails asked in a confused voice, his mind thoroughly out of sorts as he struggled to find his own answer. Sonic did as he always did and acted quickly before that ever so sharp mind came to the conclusions the hedgehog could never allow it to reach.

"Morning amnesia the doctors called it," the hedgehog lied to his best friend. "You just need some help getting things straight in the mornings sometimes, not very often, maybe once a year or something like that."

"Really?"

"'Fraid so lil bro, but don't worry, that's why I'm here." So saying Sonic grinned reassuringly at the eight year old fox, rubbing his head affectionately. Tails giggled as he felt the move, a smile on his face Sonic hoped with all his heart would remain for all the kit's remaining years.

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The Past: 14 years ago

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Adoption day. Oh how he hated adoption day. Everyone else at the orphanage loved the day the prospective parents showed up looking for discarded kids they could take home, and all the children got dressed up in their best outfits and made themselves look their cutest as they were trotted out for display like so much merchandise offered in a shop. And yet, as the six year old hedgehog named Olgilvie stood around the common room dressed in his nicest shirt and jacket, his cobalt colored quills combed and prodded into place, he couldn't help but feel bored and more than a little agitated. Always an active boy filled with energy, Olgilvie hated having to stand around and try to look cute for others, especially when just outside the front door it was a bright and sunny day he just knew was made for running. Of course it didn't help matters that he went into each of these little "Pageants of the Forsaken" knowing that he stood a zero percent chance of getting picked. When he'd been younger? Maybe; before his quills became sharp and he began to have trouble staying in one place for an extended period of time. But now? Prospective Mommies and Daddies weren't keen on getting a child they had to be careful of when they touched, one who couldn't stay still long enough to be tucked in, a spiny ball of needles and energy. And of course it didn't help that Olgilvie's coloring made him something of an oddity, even amongst his fellow hedgehogs. No one else had ever heard of a hedgehog with cobalt blue quills like his, a fact that often caused some to wonder if there was anything else "off" about him. No, the youthful sprinter didn't see himself getting adopted this time or any time for that matter; hence why he tended to hate Adoption Day.

So it was that, as the children lined up to look their best, Olgilvie reached into a pocket and pulled forth the toy he'd managed to pilfer from the toy box when the head mistress wasn't looking; a medium sized yoyo. Originally the hedgehog had thought the circular pieces of plastic tied to a string to be a fairly boring item, but the truth was it was small enough to go missing without anyone noticing and he could quickly hide it so, for the moment, it helped to alleviate his boredom. And he'd actually managed to get fairly good with it too. Naturally skilled at hand-eye coordination, the spiny kitten found that once he'd mastered keeping the little disks from getting tangled up in the line, he was quite capable of performing tricks such as making a cat's cradle and walking the dog. It also helped that the toy could be used to smack the other children in the orphanage from a good distance and not get caught himself, a game the foul tempered hedgehog loved to play, particularly when he was having a bad day. Nothing made a miserable Mobian feel better than making someone else feel miserable.

Casually he cast a glance at the new adult that had just entered the room, a tall fox wearing a pair of goggles on his head, a brown scarf around his neck, a matching vest, and a satchel strapped over his shoulder and hanging at his waist. All around him the children voiced as one a message of greeting that had been taught to them by the orphanage's staff, a speech Olgilvie simply aped so as not to appear out of place and get his ear cuffed by the lady that was currently watching them. Having thus met the "enemy" as the youngster began to think of the fox, he then turned on his heel and walked over to the furthest corner to practice his yoyo until the vulpine had either made his selection or asked to see something in a younger model.

Reaching into his pocket, the hedgehog pulled out a few coins, carefully setting them on the floor in an organized pattern. Olgilvie had been previously trying to master the trick known as "Around the World," but one too many collisions with lamps and other assorted breakable furniture had gotten him banned from playing with his little toy in such a way. Now he'd decided to practice making the yoyo go where he wanted to throw it, all the better to strike the backs of knees and funny bones for some cheap laughs later. Again and again he shot the disks forward, striking each of the coins in turn. With a flick of the wrist he was able to "walk the dog," making the spinning toy travel along the ground to each of the four metal circles in turn before rising around to his hand. A smile came to his face as he completed the loop for the fourth straight time in a row without recalling the yo-yo, a personal best.

"That's very impressive," came a voice as the sound of clapping hit the hedgehog's ears. Startled Olgilvie turned, quite surprised to find himself now the only orphan left in the main room… and the fox from before now watching him quietly. "I'm sorry if I startled you, I didn't want to break your concentration."

"You didn't startle me," the hedgehog lied, an angry look coming over his face. Why couldn't anyone have told him the children had been released? Quickly Olgilvie pocketed his yoyo and turned to leave.

"For someone who says they weren't startled, you certainly looked the part," the fox called. The blue hedgehog turned around again to face this Mobian.

"Look furface, if I said I wasn't scared, I wasn't scared," he said in his gruffest and most ogre-like voice, a voice he'd used countless times to successfully intimidate the other children when they got on his nerves. This time however, all the voice managed to do was cause the fox before him to let out a quiet laugh. "What's so funny?!" Olgilvie demanded.

"You are. The way you puffed up and became indignant over such a trifling little comment, and then tried to bluster about it, especially since I paid you a compliment. You are as bad tempered as they say. I must admit I didn't believe them." A warm feeling of embarrassment came to hedgehog ears.

"'They' say? Who's 'they?'" the boy asked, already knowing the answer. As the only blue hedgehog he or anyone knew of, Olgilvie was something of an oddity in these parts. It wasn't out of the question for an out-of-towner to be told about him and decide to come see for himself. Already the hedgehog decided he didn't like this fox as he favored the vulpine with a scowl. "Well you've seen the freak now, so you can leave and go home to brag," the hedgehog growled as he once more moved to leave.

"'Freak?' I gotta say its surprising to hear someone with something as superficial as an aberrant fur color regard themselves as a freak."

"Ha, shows what you know," Olgilvie said as he stopped and turned. He didn't really understand why he was bothering to explain this to the fox, he'd never bothered to voice these opinions to anyone, preferring to take a moral high ground that let him compensate for his less than pleasant social skills. "Blue hedgehogs ain't natural in case you're blind, I'm the only one around, which is probably the reason I'm an orphan in the first place."

"That seems like a foolish reason to give up your kid," the fox said.

"Seems like a perfect reason to me," the hedgehog chirped. "I'm a mutant, who'd want a mutant for a kid?"

"Well fortunately for me," the fox answered as his tail rose up from behind him to mimic an arm rubbing his chin… while a second tail also rose to touch the first at what would have been its elbow had it been a real arm. Olgilvie's eyes widened as the fox continued, "my parents didn't seem to mind."

"You… You've got two tails!!" At the hedgehog's observation the fox feigned surprise and looked at both appendages as though seeing them for the first time.

"My stars, you're right, I do," the fox said happily, his face looking similar to that of a kid who had awoken on Christmas to find the exact gift he'd wanted awaiting him under the tree. As he watched the fox's reaction, the blue Mobian's eyes once more narrowed.

"Oh I get it," Olgilvie said. "I'm a freak, so they send in a freak to try to adopt me, is that it? You have two tails and I'm blue so immediately I'll fall all over you trying to get you to adopt me, right?"

"Nope," the fox answered without even missing a beat.

"Nope?"

"For such a messed up little hedgehog you certainly seem to have an ego on you," the fox explained. "I didn't even know about you being here until I showed up in town to look at the orphanage. If you want to read that as me trying to be sympathetic to whatever plight you think you're in, you may, but I'm not. It's just a coincidence that I came to Green Hill at all."

"Yeah right," the hedgehog spat. "You expect me to believe you stayed here when I was all alone just to see me do yoyo tricks?"

"I'm a fox, my attention gets snagged fairly easily if I'm not careful," the fox admitted. "Besides, I happen to be pretty good at using a yoyo too, I was just curious about another aficionado." Suddenly the fox found the yoyo pressed into one of his hands by the surly hedgehog.

"Prove it," he challenged brusquely. Smiling the fox looped the string around his middle finger and gave the small toy a testing throw. Predictably the yoyo became entangled in its own string, stopping at the floor with an audible thud. "Ha, knew it."

"Give me a break, how comfortable are you with a new yoyo?" the fox countered, allowing the string to unwind itself before he gathered it back up into the disks. Another flick of the wrist and once more the toy descended, this time stopping a few centimeters off the floor before coming back to the vulpine's hand.

"Wow, scintillating," Olgilvie commented, wondering why he was being so patient with this strange adult. This time the fox shot him a somewhat annoyed glare, and inwardly the hedgehog smiled. He'd finally managed to get a rise out of his "guest." Suddenly, without warning, the vulpine threw the yoyo downwards, sending the disks spinning at a tremendous speed before rocketing back up with a slight jerk of the finger. This time instead of catching the toy, the fox let it bypass the hand it was attached to, allowing its string to wrap around his other hand as it came back down. Again and again the yoyo was spun around his arms, fingers, and wrists, moving at a very impressive speed as it twisted and twined around his fingers and its own string. Finally the yoyo's twisting was stopped and it began going up and down on the short bit of string that remained, the rest having made a rather intricate design between the vulpine's hands. After a few seconds the fox jerked his hands, causing the yoyo to once more wind back up its string.

"You might want to step away in a minute," the fox cautioned. For a brief second Olgilvie considered stepping closer just to annoy the boasting vulpine, but his eye caught the speed with which the yoyo was about to finish escaping its strings. It was thanks only to reflexes beyond those of a normal six year old that Olgilvie was able to leap backwards quick enough to avoid getting hit by the toy as the fox pulled the thing into a massive loop, standing up as it began to twirl around his head, narrowly missing the wall as it did so. Olgilvie's eyes widened as he watched the yoyo spin around a grand total of five times before it once more wound back up with its string, snapping audibly into the fox's hand. "And that is what we call 'Around the World,'" the kitsune said triumphantly. Quickly his hedgehog audience composed himself, attempting to appear nonchalant about what he'd seen.

"Okay, so you've got some skills," the hedgehog said, for all the world unimpressed by the vulpine's tricks. Fortunately, this adult proved cagier than others… and it didn't hurt that he had seen Olgilvie's stunned face earlier.

"Well if you want to see something really impressive," the fox intoned as he once more threw the yoyo, making it walk the dog. Quickly he stepped over to the wall, allowing the toy to approach as well, giving its string a slight jerk upwards as it did so. Immediately the little spinning disks jumped, catching onto the wall and beginning to walk up the wall itself. With both gravity and friction fighting the little toy, of course it was not long before it lost steam and fell back to the ground. Before it could completely lose its spin, the fox gave a much harder jerk to rewind the toy back into his hand.

"Okay, that's impressive," the hedgehog admitted, having never seen someone defy gravity like that.

"Well thank you." So saying the fox pulled the toy from his finger and handed it back to the blue boy. As he did so however, he decided it was time to ask a question. "Not for nothing, but I typically like to know the names of the people I impress, especially when I do it on a one on one basis."

"What, didn't 'they' tell you it when 'they' told you about me?" Olgilvie asked insolently. If this had any effect on the vulpine, he hid it well, far too well for the hedgehog to notice.

"Not really," the fox admitted. "It seems that 'they' were rather vague on a lot of details. So, what is your name?"

"Uh-uh, not gonna tell you so you can blab it around. If you gotta call me something, 'Blue Boy' or 'The Hedgehog' 'll do."

"Ah I see. Not only is he embarrassed with his blue coloring, he also thinks he has an embarrassing name," the fox stated.

"Let me guess, you do too?" Olgilvie replied snottily. "Trust me, it can't be as bad as Olgilvie…" Suddenly the hedgehoglet slapped his hand over his mouth as he realized what he had just said. Immediately his eyes hardened as he saw the sparkle in the fox's eyes.

"Olgilvie, eh?" he said, a smile appearing on his face that showed his pointy canines.

"Fine, go ahead, laugh," Olgilvie huffed, turning his back to the fox as he did so and preparing to stomp off in anger, the beginnings of tears appearing in his eyes. Despite his earlier decision not to like this fox, Olgilvie had been rather surprised to find himself liking the elder Mobian, if only because he didn't seem to be interested in making fun of the boy like so many others liked doing. Now that he'd revealed his name though, what prevented him from going down that path?

"It's nice. Not stuffy and fun to say," came the reply that stopped the hedgehog in his tracks. Cautiously he looked back at the adult.

"What?"

"Well the way you were carrying on, I thought it was something pretentious like Alfonse or Constantine. And it helps that Olgilvie's fun to say. Still I guess I can see why you wouldn't like it." For a minute the fox thought before he suddenly bent his knees so he could stare into the young hedgehog's eyes. "If you like I could call you Olly. I'd think that'd be a little more acceptable than 'Blue Boy,' especially given your dislike of your blue quills."

"Told you your name wasn't as embarrassing as mine," the hedgehog intoned as he considered the fox's proposal. "But Olly sounds okay, I guess." In truth the hedgehog disliked any reference to his hated first name, but as "Olly" could easily be confused for Oliver, he was willing to work with it… at least until he got a proper name for himself. Suddenly the boy remembered something, a sly smile appearing on his face. "So what's your name?" The fox blinked at this question, just a little surprised.

"Hmmm?"

"I told you my name, you have to tell me yours."

"I don't recall making any such bargain," the fox said with a mischievous smile.

"Yes you did, you said…"

"No, you're the one who surmised my name was odd, I never said I would reveal it."

"No fair!"

"No, it isn't. But then 'Life isn't fair,'" the fox intoned in a somewhat somber tone. "Fortunately, there are quite a few of us who think that needs to be changed."

"So then you'll tell me your name?" the hedgehog asked again. The fox once more rose to his full height.

"If you think being Olgilvie the blue hedgehog is a hardship to bear, consider what it was like for a two tailed kit holding the moniker of Miles Prower."

"'Miles… Prower?'" the hedgehog asked slowly, unsure of just why that would be a difficult name to bear. Patiently Miles alleviated young Olly's confusion.

"Try saying it fast…" he suggested.

"Miles Prower… Miles Prower… Miles Prower…" the hedgehog repeated to himself. Suddenly his eyes widened as he realized what he was saying. "Miles per hour?"

"A pun that happens to become all the nastier when one considers you have to say it fast to make it apparent. It gave new meaning to the phrase 'talking a mile a minute.'" Suddenly the fox began to chuckle.

"Mr. Prower," came a voice from the door. A female monkey named Lillian Price stood in the doorway, a clipboard in her hands as she smiled a smile Olly knew to be more for show than anything else. "I'm sorry Mr. Prower, I didn't realize you were still in here. I do hope Olgilvie hasn't been giving you too much trouble."

"No more than I would have given him if our ages were reversed," Miles lied, or at least that's what Olgilvie chose to believe.

"Don't sweat it, me and Miles were just messin' around," Olgilvie announced, much to the shock of Ms. Price.

"Olgilvie, that's not right!" she barked at the young boy as Miles himself turned to face his new acquaintance.

"She's right Olly. The proper way to say it is 'Miles and I,'" he said, causing Lillian to sputter as Olly chuckled lightly. Finally the monkey regained her composure.

"In any event, MISTER Prower, I'm afraid visiting time is over." At her words, the fox suddenly looked at his watch, his own eyes widening as he saw how much time had passed.

"Nuts, you're right," Miles announced. "I need to be somewhere in a few hours."

"Ha ha ha," Olgilvie sounded at the absurdity of the fox's statement. That was when he noticed Miles was walking away, his twin tails wagging behind him as he did so. Quickly the hedgehog moved to catch up. "So… I guess this is good-bye, huh?"

"Maybe, maybe not," came the vulpine's response.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, I'm not from around here," the fox reminded his hedgehog acquaintance. "I may not be able to make it back here for a while."

"Such a shame," Lillian said, her voice taking on the neutrality of one who has lost interest in a conversation or event. Olgilvie on the other hand looked completely indifferent. This might have been taken at face value had Miles's sharp eyes not noticed the small hedgehog's crestfallen appearance the moment the fox had reminded him he was not a native of Green Hill. This, combined with Ms. Price's lack of concern for the matter, was what prompted the youthful kitsune to speak next.

"Ah, what the heck," he said, a jovial smile on his face. "It's not like it's a difficult commute to me." Suddenly the hedgehog's face took on an indignant look to it. He knew charity when he heard it and, despite his current situation, he was nobody's charity case.

"Don't bother, I'm done with ya," he said.

"But I'm not done with you," the fox pointed out. "You were trying something with at yoyo before. I wanna see what you were gonna pull off."

"Pssh," the hedgehog replied, tossing the aforementioned toy to the ground. "I'm done with this stupid thing." So saying the hedgehog walked off, fairly certain he'd seen the last of this Miles Prower person. Had he turned back his head and glanced behind him, even for a moment, he might have noticed the extremely amused face the fox was casting in his direction.

&Heh heh… oh yes, Olgilvie, I think I want to see you again…&

To be continued…