An immense robotic army sparked an inferno.

The orange rage gradually melted the dreams of an island's only city. Heavy clouds climbed an afternoon sky. Machines scoured the territory's neighborhoods and districts. They listened closely. Among the silence, the sobs of a youth reached them.

Rumbles of thunder roared from weapons. A revolt arose. It compelled the attention of a distant twin-tailed fox. As his eyes and ears ventured into the chaos, the soldiers threw themselves at the mechanical fleet. Though the passion for justice drove their actions, their journey fell short in a torrent of bullets.

Blood recolored the ground. His breath shot out. An urge to help tugged at the fox, but the fear of joining those who collapsed forced him away. The metal beasts reloaded and approached everyone remaining. They forced the citizens into an enormous airship lingering nearby.

After clearing any means of escape, each member of the military gave a signal to the pilot and began a march about the platform. The deep booms of an elaborate engine drifted with the air as it carried its passengers northwest, nearing a sky smothered with smoke. A slice of time allowed the airship to hide in it and disappear.

"Robotnik", the fox whispered.

Time seemed limitless. A fire becoming a fading memory and remnants of energetic lives created a still wasteland. Only the wind noticed their existence. It gently swept away the debris as if it were a broom, revealing roads and sidewalks underneath. Clear skies guarded the island and greeted a pair of feet wandering within it.

Dead flesh's thick scent relentlessly burned inside the fox's nose after his first steps into the quiet world. He scanned the path he chose. The blaze etched the outside of buildings with large black designs. It crafted an art. Across every structure, faint pictures took form on the walls and repeated for miles.

A storm of thoughts steadily drowned him in worry. The questions amplified in his mind: did anyone escape? Are they okay? Where are they?

It took control of the fox's voice, beginning a search for survivors. "Hello?"

His words echoed within the lossless universe, to no response. The inferno's masterpiece finished at a certain point, but his eyes gave attention to the structures surrounding him. They concentrated on windows giving life and spirit to deserted rooms, wondering if anyone still existed.

The message repeated.

"Hello?"

The instruments of footsteps played in the silence. He froze.

A mesmerizing dream came to him in the shape of a vixen. With each passing moment, the features of flawlessness came alive: an elegant shade of red perfected her fur, a fragile tail with a soft tip complimented her and a yellow bow contentedly rested on her head, completing her. Once simple inches separated them, she took him in an embrace.

His paws locked onto each other behind her back and pulled her intimately close. The fox's tails instinctively followed.

Trembling breaths told her story. Memories a family's lifetime of love and care built - destroyed. Lifeless ashes took their place. She is alone. Frightened. The reality overwhelmed her and she dreamed of escape.

When hidden tears made themselves known, the fox made use of a paw. It brushed her fur with infinite tenderness. The careful touch understood her monster. The pieces the vixen sensed falling apart reunited. Spirits inside her rose. More confident eyes presented themselves to the ones of who kept her close.

Innocence returned her gaze. Ocean eyes welcomed her with delight and invited her to stay. The same pool of blue lived in her eyes. An angel's smile inspired tranquility. She noticed daylight create little twinkles on his golden fur. Captivation found her.

Centuries passed before the sweetest voice to ever come across the vixen's ears spoke its first words to her.

"You all right?"

"Yeah," she answered, pausing to sip a drink of air.

"Do you need any help?" continued the fox's questions. "Is there anyone else out here?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "I... I didn't see anybody else. I was hiding."

"Was there anyone hiding with you?" he asked.

Momentary hesitation borrowed a thoughtful second's time.

"I- I can't think straight right now," she stuttered. "I'm just..."

A fox's playful nose greeted the vixen's. Two sparkling lakes locked onto each other. His paw lingered in the miniature paradise of her fur. Sincerity filled in the blanks of a response.

"Don't be afraid," she heard his reassuring voice say. "I'm right here for you, and I'm not going anywhere. Nothing should ever bring you down, and I'll do whatever it takes to get you back up."

What was to be the final teardrop lived as a twinkle in her eyes.

"Thanks."

"What's your name?" wondered the fox. "I'm Tails, and it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Fiona. Nice to meet you, too."

Excitement poured into a wagging tail.

"I never met another fox before," Tails noted. "You're really pretty."

Friendly words confided to her. Happiness came alive as a smile on her face.

"Thanks."

"Let's get off this island," suggested Tails. "I know some people back home who can help."

"Who?"

"I'll tell ya on the way there."

A lone boat patiently awaited instructions a mile away. It slept peacefully. Scattered lights reflected off tired waters and danced along the waves like a kaleidoscope. They woke the boat. It admired their routine and decided to perform with them. When Tails and Fiona arrived, they gazed at their boat rocking to the ocean's beat.

The lips of an evening sun kissed the face of a moon eager to come out.