Tales from the Phantom

Pilot

"We made it back" Tails sighed as he unlocked the door that hadn't been unlocked in a very long time, opening the creaky door to house on Angel Island.

Otherwise known as the home of Sonic and Tails. The two best friends, the latter being a world-known hero.
Sonic, however, said nothing, simply sitting on the couch. Rather different to his usual character.

Tails sighed again, "You're safe now. No one's going to get you here," but Sonic knew he was just saying that to comfort himself, so he just smiled slightly, before laying down, going to sleep.
Tails smiled again in assurance that his brother was finally going to get some proper rest.

He scanned over him, looking at all the scars that were still fresh, all of the bandages over his limbs, the two leg braces, along with some patches where fur had only just grown back.
Tails checks his wrists and ankles. All four still had big black and purple bruises from where he'd been restrained.

It was no secret that Sonic the Hedgehog had been put through intense torture, barely making it out with his life.

For six months they'd been at war, before Rouge the Bat had found Sonic alive, the war ending soon afterwards. They'd stayed at the HQ for about a two months, helping to clean up Sunset City.

But they was easy targets to rogue Eggman robots, and Sonic wasn't one to sit still and watch, so he'd fought. And got himself more hurt in the process.
That was when they decided to take him back to his home, for his safety.
Tails checked his phone, seeing a message from Rouge herself.

The bat had been very active with Sonic's recovery, and had been the only one he'd opened up to, much to Tails' annoyance.

Found Sonic a private doctor
just on the outskirts of
Station Square. Figured
he'd benefit better from that,
he's also specialized in
Möbian anatomy.

Tails opened the file she'd sent along. Seemed like a nice clinic. Definitely out of the way, and the least likely to draw attention. Of course, everyone had been very hush-hush about Sonic's status, again, not to draw attention to the wrong people.

The cub, also tired, decided that it would be best if he too went to bed. So, leaving his friend sprawled out on the couch, he went upstairs to sleep.

***

Sonic slept for a full eight hours, something he hadn't done since before being ambushed.
Waking up, he looked around the room for reassurance that he was home, and that it wasn't just another dream.
One part of him screamed to just stay on this couch forever, and never face the world again.
The other knew that he couldn't. Physically or mentally.

So he got up, limping to the kitchen where he got to work making a coffee.
Sonic had never been one to have a steady hand, and now that his wrists where in the condition they were, it was at least 10x harder.

Luckily, Tails came down the stairs finding Sonic tried to hold the coffee jug, Tails rushing over.
"Oh, Sonic!" He panicked, taking it of him gently, much to Sonic's annoyance.

"I can do it myself.." The blue muttered, clearly unhappy.
Tails ignored his remarks, continuing to make his brother's coffee, before handing it back over.
"Oh, Rouge has made you an appointment at a clinic just on the outskirts," Tails informed.

"Cool," Sonic simply responded, drinking the coffee that was surely still too hot. But yet, he didn't even flinch.
"We'd better get ready" Tails walked off, leaving Sonic stood in the kitchen alone

***

The medical clinic was like nothing the two had ever seen. A family house with the small clinic attached to it. Tails had heard that it was a family business, but he didn't think it would actually be at their home.
To get to the clinic, they had to walk through a garden, which, even though it was early December, was still beautiful to look at.

Walking inside, they was greeted a tall woman with freckles and long ginger hair.
"Good morning, I'm Jennifer, and welcome to the clinic. Ben should be ready to see you know, if you'd just follow me."

Something about how she spoke to him made Sonic feel good inside. It was nice to be talked to like an ordinary person, instead of a celebrity.
Jennifer led them into a bright room, with who Sonic assumed was Ben inside, along with an assistant.

Ben wasted no time, beginning a general check up.
"Well, you're still a little underweight," Ben typed on his computer, "but still gaining more from the records Rouge sent me"
He then examined the healing wounds, cleaned some of them as well as doing X-rays on his legs, beaming at the results.
"Well, some good news, looks like the bones have made a full recovery." Ben smiled, before going to touch Sonic's arm to check his bruising.

Sonic flinched hard, pulling away.
"Oh, no touching? Ok. Not a problem." He wrote something down.
"Can you at least show us?"
Sonic hesitated a little, before showing his wrists and ankles, Ben and the assistant looking at each other in concern.

That is what happens when someone is held in chains for 6 months on end. The doctor thought to himself.
"Okay. Try ice-packs to help with swelling. And rest" Ben confirmed, taking about ten minutes to write some instructions down, before handing the paper to Sonic.

"It's been lovely to meet you Sonic. And I wish you the best of luck for your recovery." Ben smiled, the blue nodding as he left, sighing as the two left the building.

"You see? That wasn't too bad now was is?" Tails laughed a little, a slight smile appearing on Sonic's face

"No. No it wasn't"

For once, someone has asked before they touched. No one had seemed to understand his pain generally, never mind when people where prodding and poking at his deep bruises. Or when people grabbed them, causing him to fall into another flashback.

But Ben understood. He understood his pain, his discomfort. How hard it is to just 'heal' from something so traumatic and life-changing.

It was no secret that Sonic the Hedgehog had been put through intense torture, barely making it out with his life.

Though something people regarded as a simple story. Perhaps something that was even purely fictional

This is the story of Sonic the Hedgehog. Not a story of a hero, or an inspiration, or a role model. But the story of someone going through healing, self- discovery, and family.

This is the story of a survivor