Underground X (*Straight Sonadow*)

Best Birthday Ever, A New Land, and Someday

Sonica was sitting on the ground, leaning against a nearby tree, a look of complete misery and sorrow on her face. Not that her friends could see her face very well; she was staring down into her lap.
Amy, at some point during the story, had taken her hammer back out, but now the mallet rested on the ground. She couldn't be angry with her now. Not when she was like this.
Almost all of the audience was gaping at her. Not that anyone could blame them. She had been able to hide this for years.
Tails, being the closest one to Sonica (both physically and bond wise), tried to comfort her. "Son-"
Before he could even complete the hedgehog's name, she bolted off at supersonic speed. The fox's ears folded down. He couldn't help feeling like he had caused Sonica's pain at the moment.
Knuckles, however, knew better. "Come on, kid. Let's see if we can find her." Sonica needed friends right now, whether she wanted them or not.
"I'm coming too!"
Knuckles shook his head at the impulsive girl. "No, Amy. Me an-"
"Why not?!"
The echidna took a deep breath. Amy could be really annoying when she wanted to. "Amy, you can't." He held up his hand as he saw her about to protest. "Sonica is probably really upset right now. Me and Tails are the ones closest to her. We'll have a better chance to help her than if everyone came at once."
Amy gave a slight huff, but did mumble an agreement.
"Will Miss Sonica be okay?" Cream asked, worry eminent in her eyes.
Tails glanced to Knuckles; the kit truthfully wasn't sure. He had known Sonica for the longest (besides Knuckles) and had never seen her like this. He wasn't used to seeing his big sister so depressed.
Big sister. It seemed weird calling her that, now that he knew about her siblings.
"She'll be just fine." Knuckles seemed to be talking to Tails more than the small rabbit that had asked the question.
She seemed happy with the answer though. "Good! You'll make sure she'll come back just as happy and fun as ever right, Mr. Tails?"
Tails smiled down at the ten-year-old and nodded. The childish naïvety seemed contagious. "Yeah. Yeah, we will."
Charmy started buzzing over all their heads. "Yeah! It's no fun when she's all sad!"
"Big Blue needs to stop being so blue."
"She's still Sonica, royalty or not."
Tails felt better hearing all his friends. He looked over to Knuckles and nodded. Time to find Sonica.

It didn't take long for them to find her. She was sitting on one of the loops a good distance away from her birthday party, just staring off into the distance.
Tails airlifted Knuckles up and stood there for a minute. He wasn't sure what to do. Luckily, Knux was there to help. He stood behind the fox and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry about it, Tails. She hasn't changed; just talk to her. Come on." He dragged Tails over to the hedgehog, Tails getting butterflies with each step.
Sonica didn't notice them until they were a few feet away. She turned to them, trying to put on a brave face. It didn't work. "Hey, guys."
"Sonica, are you okay?"
"Yeah, buddy, I'm fine. Just some memories comin' back." She laid down, putting her hands over her eyes. "It's kinda hard."
Tails somehow sympathized with her. He hadn't had any family before Sonica; he had been all alone. Sonica had lost her. That must be one of the loneliest feelings in the world. "You're not alone, Sonica."
The blue blur looked up at her friend, a questionable look on her face. "Huh?"
The kit shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you've still got Knuckles and me, and all the others. They were all talking about how they want you back to your old self: happy and fun." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "And I do too."
Sonica smiled at her adoptive little brother. She could tell what was gnawing at the fox. "Don't worry, li'l bro. I'll be back to normal in no time."
Tails' ears flicked up when he heard her say 'li'l bro'. He suddenly relaxed. His biggest worry had just been taken away. He sat down next to his best friend, who put her arms around him.
"Thanks for comin' up here, Tails." She looked back to the echidna. "You too, Knux."
Knuckles only nodded.
Tails leaned into Sonica. "Ya know... I was kind of worried."
"'Bout what?"
"Well..." He paused for a second, building courage. "You are my only family, and when you told us about your brother and sister, I felt like I might have been just a... replacement. And when you ran off, I couldn't help but feel like it was my fault."
"That's a lot of worry over little ol' me." She tightened her grip around the fox's shoulder. "Don't worry, Tails. You'll always be my little brother. Triplets or no triplets. And it wasn't your fault when I ran off; I just needed to clear my head."
The two-tailed fox smiled gratefully at his big sister. He wasn't about to lose his family.
"Come on, guys." Sonica got up and helped Tails stand as well. "I think we ought to get back to my party."