These Inhibitors' Flaws (Reworked)

by FortuneSpirit

Summary:

After an incident where Sonic loses control and goes Dark, Knuckles convinces Tails that it's time for Sonic to have inhibitors, like the ones Shadow has. Now stuck with the restrictive rings, Sonic must learn to live with their strange feeling. But he has to wonder... are they really working as intended?

Notes:

IMPORTANT: This is a rewrite of an old story previously posted on Fanfiction.net (under Fortune Spirit)! It is also being posted on Wattpad (under RosyShySpirit). The old one can still be found on my Fanfiction.net account.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Wide green eyes stared into the void. Sonic was confused, but something about this felt… familiar. He turned his head, hoping to see something, anything, around him, but all he saw was darkness. If he could not see his own hands right in front of him, he would have thought his eyes were closed.

He took a shaky step forward. For some reason he felt off. It’s not that he was sick, he just felt disoriented. And tired. Ok, maybe just a little nauseous. It was hard to catch your bearings when you couldn’t really see anything. For all he knew, he could be upside down in this weird place. It did feel like he was spinning actually, now that he thought about it… He hoped that was just his imagination.

What had he been doing? Where had he been before this darkness? He could not remember.

He felt a pulse of something. He knew it, this energy, but his clouded mind could not quite grasp what it was. It was Chaos, he knew that much. With no other direction, he sought to seek out that strange energy.

His footsteps echoed when he began walking. It sounded like stepping on hollow glass. No. Crystal. It sounded high-pitched, more musical even, like crystal. He furrowed his brow. How was it that he could see nothing, but hear the sound of a non-existent floor? Then he had to correct himself; if he was walking on something, a floor must exist, he just couldn’t see it.

He growled in annoyance. The sound reverberated back to him with the same wavering echo his steps had. It sounded wrong. Really, really wrong. He didn’t like it. Flattening his ears, he pressed onwards.

The closer Sonic got to the source of this energy, the more off he felt. Now he was really starting to feel nauseous.

Suddenly, a tingling sensation ran down his spine, making his quills bristle. He spun around on his heel with a stuttering breath. There was no one behind him, but he swore he felt eyes watching him.

“H-hello?” he called out into the darkness, wincing at the quaver in his voice.

He shook himself out and cleared his throat. He tried to ignore the way his voice bounced back at him and started again.

“Who’s there?”

Good. This time his voice was clearer.

Something cold grazed his shoulder and he spun around again, fur on end. Again, he saw no one. He shivered. Sonic realised he could now see his breaths puff out in front of him. He couldn’t help the way his breathing picked up at the sudden change.

Something, or someone, was fucking with him.

“Show yourself!” he hissed.

A sound akin to the wind whistling through tree branches started around him. The sound got steadily louder and doubled up on itself. It took a moment for him to realise it was not the wind, but whispers. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, it was all too garbled. The whispers circled him. He swivelled around, trying to find the source. His quills were raised and he felt his hands unconsciously curl into fists at his sides.

And then, as fast as it started, everything went silent again. Every muscle in his body tensed. His eyes darted around. The silence was somehow quieter than it had been before. How was that even possible? He took a few steps back.

Then something wrapped around his ankle and yanked it out from under him. He yelped, landing on his back. His hands came up to shield himself, but from what he didn’t know. He snapped open his eyes and saw two, glowing white eyes staring at him. He froze, breath caught in his throat.

“Dark,” Sonic whispered.

Those white eyes narrowed. “Hello, Maurice.”

He swallowed thickly, hands still raised in front of him. Dark’s voice was low and sounded calm, but Sonic knew better than to trust that voice. It had been years since he’d last seen Dark. His black-furred refection floated above him on his stomach, hands propping up his head as if he was leaning on something. What should have been peach fur on his chest, arms and muzzle were paler, more of a light beige. Dark’s quills curved upwards, like his Super form. Because Dark was a super form, but he wasn’t Super.

Now he knew why this place was familiar. It was the Voidspace. And if he was here, that meant…

“Wh-what did you do?”

A small smirk broke out of Dark’s face. It looked wrong.

“You summoned me. Do you not recall?” Dark chuckled.

He gasped. “What? N-no, I wouldn’t have done that!”

“Oh, but you did,” Dark sang. “You let me in, Maurice. You slipped.”

Sonic rolled to the side and got to his knees. Dark turned to look at him but made no move to get closer. There was still a smirk on his face. He seemed to be enjoying his discomfort. Dark was very good at confusing him. It was often his tactic to cloud Sonic’s memory, so he couldn’t remember what was happening when Dark took control.

“Don’t call me that,” Sonic snapped, but the bite was drowned out by the tremble in his voice.

Dark’s smirk only grew, but he said nothing.

Sonic got to his feet and faced Dark, ears folded back. He tried his best to look commanding. He had to remember that, while Dark was extremely powerful, he was the one in control here. This was his body, not Dark’s.

“Give me back control, Dark. This isn’t funny.”

Dark tilted his head and lowered to his feet. A spark of purple-blue light flashed around his body for a moment and Sonic felt himself flinch. He had to reach out into the Voidspace. He had to reach another super form.

He took a deep breath and tried to let the tension fall from his shoulders. His fear only fuelled Dark. Worrying would help nothing. If he took away Dark’s power over him, it would allow another super form to overpower Dark so that he could regain control. He just had to lower his heart rate and attain a calmer state, then he could reach out to Hyper.

He rose his chin and fixed Dark with a glare. He felt for Hyper’s distinct energy. It took a lot of concentration to call out to a super form, and Hyper was usually the hardest to reach. He couldn’t actually access his power without the Super Emeralds, and Sonic wasn’t so sure he’d ever be able to use them again. But he had to reach Hyper now. He was the only super form he had that could incapacitate Dark.

Dark must have known what he was trying. The purple-blue flicker returned. Dark lunged at him and Sonic dashed to the side to avoid him. He broke out into a run, hoping to put some distance between himself and Dark until he could get Hyper to respond. He reached out with his own energy as he heard Dark screech behind him, the horrible sound echoing back, distorted. He couldn’t let that distract him. He had to remain calm.

Sonic felt his energy brush up against a calmer energy right before Dark slammed into him from behind. He cried out as he hit the floor of the Voidspace, feeling claws sink into his back. At the speed they were both going, the two slid far. Sonic took the brunt of the impact, but he managed to throw Dark off him. Sonic coughed; the air had been knocked out of him. He rolled onto his back so he could suck more oxygen into his lungs. Or, whatever the equivalent was in Voidspace. As he understood it, this place was in his mind. It had always been a part of him.

Sonic heard Dark growling. He shivered and tried to get to his knees. He looked up in time to see a blur of white crash into Dark mere inches from his face. His wide eyes followed the two hedgehogs as they tumbled over one another. Hyper ended up on top of Dark. He turned to Sonic, bright white fur glistening with specks of rainbow coloured light.

“Are you ok?” Hyper called, red eyes flickering with the same iridescent rainbow hues as his fur.

Sonic, still rather winded, nodded back with a grateful smile. He hadn’t properly seen Hyper in forever either. He’d missed him.

Dark attempted to throw Hyper off, but now the other super form was here, Sonic found it easier to relax. That gave Dark less to feed off and Hyper more power.

Sonic watched Dark kick Hyper away, but the white hedgehog didn’t go far. He immediately doubled back and punched the darker form in the cheek. While Dark was briefly stunned, Hyper gathered energy around himself, a shifting rainbow glow enveloped him. He shot the energy towards Dark, who managed to recover quick enough to counter with a shield of dark purple energy. Sonic tried to fight his worry as he continued to observe the fight. He needed to believe that Hyper could do this.

“Come on Hyper…”

Dark lunged at Hyper. The lighter form grabbed Dark by the wrist as he narrowly avoided his swipe. Dark hissed as the other used his energy to burn him. Yanking his hand back, Dark swung around and kicked Hyper, knocking his feet from under him. Then, the darker form took to the air. He began gathering purple energy around his fists. Hyper got back to his feet and shook himself. His eyes were narrowed.

Sonic sat back and folded his legs as Hyper shot after Dark. If he could reach a proper calm state of mind, Hyper should be able to end this. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, blocking out the sounds of his super forms battling it out. He tried to pretend he didn’t hear Hyper yelp. Sonic relaxed all his muscles and counted his breaths. Inhale for two. Hold for one. Exhale for four. After a few moments, he cracked open an eye to see how Hyper was doing.

It looked like Hyper had indeed turned the fight. He was standing on Dark’s chest, who was growling. There was a trail of red from Dark’s lips to his chin. Hyper had actually drawn blood. Dark didn’t seem happy about it and he was breathing hard – he had to yield. Hyper was still glowing with multi-coloured light. The two were staring at each other in a silent glaring battle.

Finally, Dark huffed and disappeared.

Hyper ran over and kneeled next to Sonic. He gently grasped Sonic’s shoulders.

“I managed to break Dark’s connection, but doing so has left your body unconscious.” Hyper’s voice was urgent, but calm, like it had always been. “I’m not sure what is happening outside your body, so you must go back as soon as possible. We don’t know what Dark may have done, or what danger had triggered you to unconsciously allow Dark to take control.”

He knew he had to leave. Hyper was right; anything could be happening out there. Sonic wrapped his arms around Hyper.

“See you soon?” he mumbled, already knowing the answer.

Hyper only hugged back. “Stay safe.”

---

When Sonic opened his eyes, he was lying on his back. He felt dazed. And he was looking at a scorched metal ceiling. There was a hole in the roof, and he could see the clear blue sky through it. He really hoped he hadn’t done that.

He must have been in an Eggman base. So why had he lost his cool?

Then it hit him.

Eggman had a really big robot. It looked similar to the Death Egg Robot, but it was unpainted and the exterior had been a lot tougher than the original. There was also no head, the had Egg Mobile sat in its place. There was a Chaos Emerald inside, he’d felt it. It must have been what was protecting the robot, because he hadn’t been able to even scratch it. Neither had Knuckles.

That’s right. Knuckles had been here. And so had Tails.

And while Sonic had been trapped in its hand, Eggman had knocked Tails across the room.

And he hadn’t got up afterwards.

Sonic sat bolt upright, quills bristling. His head felt heavy, but he fought through it. He had to make sure his friends were ok.

The first thing he saw was the arm of Eggman’s robot. In front of him. On the floor. The other arm, with its clawed hand missing, was off to his left. The body and legs, which were still somehow together, were a lot further away. The Egg Mobile was nowhere to be seen. The whole body was scorched and blown apart, like it had exploded. Looking around, Sonic saw shrapnel everywhere.

So it had exploded.

Had Dark done that?

Sonic shifted and flinched when his hand brushed up against something. He whipped his head around and sighed when he realised it was just the Emerald. The red one. He scooped it up and, ignoring the familiar pulse of energy from the Emerald, glanced around again.

In horror, he realised that some of the scorch marks on the floor weren’t scorch marks at all, but blood. Not a lot of blood, but blood none the less. Swallowing thickly, Sonic got to his feet. He swayed slightly, an aftereffect of Dark’s control.

“Guys?” he called out.

Tails’ face appeared first; thank Chaos, he was ok. He was hiding behind the arm to his left. His baby blue eyes were wide and he was trembling. Sonic immediately felt like he wanted to throw up. His brother was trembling because of him.

Knuckles wasn’t far behind Tails. He was also behind the arm. When he emerged, he was glaring directly at him. He stomped over. He looked really pissed off. It didn’t escape Sonic’s attention that some parts of his fur were darker than others.

“You could have killed us, you idiot!” the red echidna snapped.

Sonic folded his ears back. “Knux, I-I… I’m sorry, I just…”

Tails ran between them, his fluffy yellow tails twitching nervously. Sonic noticed there was blood on the side of his brother’s head, and something inside him began writhing in rage. He quelled it as best as he could, taking slow, subtle breaths through his nose.

“Knuckles, please. It’s not like he did it on purpose,” Tails said.

Knuckles’ purple eyes never left Sonic’s own. Tails grasped one of his namesakes.

“It’s been a long time since it’s happened…” the fox added quietly.

Sonic was the first to look away.

“Where’d Eggman go?” Sonic asked.

Knuckles looked like he was about to start yelling again, but Tails beat him to it, “He left. A while ago.”

Sonic nodded.

His head was still a little fuzzy and the action made him nauseous again. He made a mental note to avoid running for a few hours.

“Like we should have,” Knuckles grumbled, heading for the door.

Sonic deflated a little more at that. Tails patted his arm to get his attention. The younger fox had stopped trembling, but Sonic could tell by the way he was hugging his tail that he was still a little uneasy.

“Don’t listen to him, Sonic. He was just worried, that’s all.”

Sonic sighed. “I know…”

‘So was I.’

Sonic passed Tails the Emerald. The fox put it in his backpack and ran after Knuckles, who had yet to reach the door. Sonic watched as the two exchanged words. He was too far away to hear what they were saying. Tails’ ears lowered and the echidna walked on ahead of him.

Sonic narrowed his eyes.

Chapter 2: Chapter One

“What?”

Sonic stared at the rings in Knuckles’ hands, frowning. The rings looked slightly off, not perfectly circular but more oval shaped. This was because they were “open.” They almost looked to be made out of frosted glass, and he could see intricate silver lines, with rounded contacts, along the inside of them. They were a deep crimson colour, swirled with slightly lighter ribbons. Despite the colour, he immediately decided he did not like them. At all.

He outright refused to wear them.

“Clearly, your energy is out of control,” Knuckles said. “We think it’s time you got inhibitors, like Shadow.”

Sonic couldn’t help but notice the way Tails was avoiding eye contact with him. Or the way he winced when Knuckles said “we.” It did not appear that this conclusion was agreed upon by both of them. Was this what Knuckles had spoken to Tails about back at Eggman’s base three days ago?

“My energy is not out of control,” Sonic hissed.

Knuckles gave him a look that screamed “are you sure?” and Sonic wanted to punch him in the face. It was one time. One. He’d gotten really good at managing his Chaos energy, and his super forms. He messed up once. For the first time in years. How was this fair?

“Don’t fight this, bro, please?” Tails mumbled. “It won’t be that bad. Shadow manages just fine.”

“Shadow is Shadow,” Sonic grumbled, trying his hardest not to snap at his brother.

He kept his arms folded tightly at his chest. Perhaps if Knuckles couldn’t get to his wrists he’d give up and Sonic wouldn’t have to wear them. It was silly to think that would work for long, but he would put this off as much as possible. They all knew Knuckles was physically stronger than Sonic. If he got frustrated enough, it wouldn’t take much to tackle Sonic to the ground and force them onto his wrists.

Of course, he’d have to catch Sonic first.

And he was seriously thinking of booking it right now. It was alarmingly easy to piss off Knuckles sometimes. Sonic had gotten his fair share of bruises from making Knuckles angry over the years. And a couple broken bones. Not to mention that scar under his chin from when they first met; those spikes on Knuckles’ fists were no joke. Granted, Knuckles did hold back more when they got into their occasional scuffles these days. Sonic hadn’t received a scar like that from him for a while.

Knuckles narrowed his eyes. “I know that look, hedgehog. Don’t bother trying, I already had Tails lock all the doors and windows.”

Sonic eyed Tails, trying to gauge how accurate that was.

“Sorry, Sonic…” Tails mumbled, still not meeting his eye.

Sonic huffed, keeping his arms folded. He sank further into the dark settee. They had ambushed him while he was napping. They must have locked everything while he was dead to the world. Sonic wondered how he hadn’t heard them doing that; he was generally a light sleeper. Perhaps he hadn’t slept as well as he’d thought last night.

Knuckles sighed. “Come on Sonic, don’t be difficult.”

Sonic continued to glare past him, arms folded. Knuckles shook his head and passed the inhibitors to Tails, who took them hesitantly. Sonic saw this exchange in the corner of his eye and growled under his breath. Knuckles was such an asshole. He was going to make Tails do it because he knew Sonic would not lay a finger on his little brother. He couldn’t.

Sonic closed his eyes and let out a puff of air as Tails stepped closer. His tails were flicking and he still couldn’t meet his eye. Sonic opened his eyes and stared at the inhibitors. He could just take them off later anyway, right? When they were both gone, he could just slip them off, “accidentally” lose them, and they’d never have to speak about this again. After a moment, Sonic unfolded his arms and held out his wrists like he was about to be put in handcuffs. Though, he supposed they kind of were like handcuffs.

He watched Tails slip the first one around his wrist and snap it closed. He moved his hand to look at it closer as Tails put the other one on. He couldn’t even see the seam where the two halves joined. He twisted his hand around a few times, taking in the way they caught the light. They weren’t nearly as heavy as they looked, which he found to be a relief. Not that he’d be wearing them long, of course.

Once they were both on, Sonic felt something shift inside him. His ear flicked, but he did not allow the grimace to show on his face. He wasn’t quite sure what he was feeling inside, but he knew he didn’t like them. And he wanted them off.

Sonic grasped one of the inhibitors and ran his fingers along its smooth surface. How exactly did he take them off? Was there a button somewhere? A tiny crack in the material he could use to pry them open? He tried to play it off as simply checking them out, but he began to get panicked when he couldn’t feel anything along the inhibitor.

“How do I take them off?” he said, trying to keep his voice level.

“You don’t,” Knuckles responded simply.

Sonic folded his ears back and stood from the settee. Tails’ ears were similarly lowered and he was staring at the carpet.

“Very funny, Knux,” Sonic grumbled. “Seriously, Tails. How do I take them off?”

Tails would not look at him. He still would not look at him. He expected the fox to laugh, to show him what to do, to assure him he still had a choice in this. But he didn’t.

“Tails… please tell me there’s a way to take these off.”

Tails finally looked up at him. His eyes were wide, apologetic, guilty. Sonic suddenly felt sick.

“There is. But Knuckles made me promise not to tell you,” the fox whispered.

Sonic growled lowly.

Tails flinched.

Suddenly, the blue hedgehog swung around and punched Knuckles in the face. The echidna staggered from the blow, stunned. Knuckles took a few steps back and his leg knocked the coffee table, spilling a mug of tea that had gone cold an hour ago. Sonic turned and launched himself through the living room window, uncaring of how the glass cut up his arms as he shielded himself. He didn’t care about anything but getting as far away from the house as possible.

He was no longer in the mood for company.

Tails called his name but he did not stop.

Though, he did feel bad about the window. They had given him no other choice. They’d locked the house up. He was not waiting around for Tails to produce the key, he needed to move. Now. Before he snapped and did something worse than punch Knuckles. The echidna would get over it, deserved it really. He hadn’t punched that hard anyway.

He hoped.

His anger had replaced his panic. He hadn’t really meant to lash out at Knuckles. Even if he deserved it.

Sonic watched the world fly by beneath his feet. The green blur of grass was replaced by the brownish-red of leaf-litter. Gold, brown and red took the place of the blue sky above him. Sonic began to slow until he was standing in a clearing. Around him, bordering the clearing, were the tall trunks of various trees. The colours of their leaves were all so bright and, ordinarily, he’d find them pretty.

Sonic realised that he could not find the trees of autumn pretty at the moment. He always though the trees in the surrounding forest were gorgeous, no matter the time of year. But autumn always made them so interesting and varied.

He found no joy in looking at them today.

The panic, the anger, the betrayal were all still present just below the surface, but he was rather… numb right now. He stood in the clearing, the wind ruffling his fur, singing through the trees. There was an oppressive ache through his body. He felt heavy, but his head was light. He was finding it hard to concentrate on any one feeling, so he focused on none.

Sonic sat down in the centre of the clearing and just stared at the leaves by his feet. The forest floor was slightly damp from the light rain this morning. Sonic found that he didn’t care about that either.

---

Tails stared at the glass on the cream coloured carpet. Most of it ended up outside, but a few shards had fallen inside the house. They still hadn’t cleaned it up. He felt awful.

Sonic had been gone for hours.

They’d tried searching for him. It was starting to get dark now. Through the broken window, Tails could see the stars, still struggling to be seen through the sun’s light. The sky was a pale purple. It would soon give way to navy blue, to black, and the stars would be able to shine.

Tails had come back to the house with Knuckles ten minutes ago.

Knuckles had said if Sonic didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t be. Tails knew he was right, but it still hurt like a splinter of glass in his heart all the same. He hated being the reason Sonic was upset, the reason he wouldn’t come home. Knuckles was so sure he’d come back once night fell, but Tails knew better. Sonic would be gone for as long as he was angry. And it was always hard to tell how long that would be with Sonic.

When Sonic was upset, he usually didn’t like to be around others, didn’t want them to see. He was never really great with emotions. Especially not sharing them. And that’s what scared Tails. He’d argued with his brother many times, but never had he done anything to break the trust between them. He was afraid that in giving in to Knuckles’ demands, he’d severed that trust forever.

He just wanted to apologise.

The yellow fox pulled his gaze from the window and looked around the living room. The walls, which were painted a pale blue like his room upstairs, were covered in framed photographs. There were photos of all their friends from all sorts of occasions, but the ones of just Tails and his brother stood out the most. It was one in particular that caught Tails’ eye.

It was from Sonic’s birthday a few years back. Generally, Sonic didn’t like to celebrate his birthday. He didn’t really enjoy big parties, but he usually endured them for his friends. He hated people making a big deal of his own birthday, so often it was just Sonic and Tails acknowledging the day. Tails was sure half their friends didn’t even know when Sonic’s birthday was anyway.

But that birthday had been special. The previous year, Sonic had officially given Tails the Tornado. And earlier in the same year that photo was taken, the old biplane had been heavily damaged during an Eggman attack. In the days leading up to Sonic’s birthday, Tails had spent so much time fixing up the plane. He’d had to replace so many pieces of it that the brothers often joked if it was still technically considered the same plane.

For that birthday, Tails had asked Sonic if he’d wanted to help him re-paint the Tornado. They’d had so much fun together that day. They’d stuck with the red and white paintjob, but it had been wonderful to hang out, just the two of them. They’d gotten paint all over themselves. Some of it was accidental, but some was definitely purposeful. Later they’d gotten chili dogs – extra cheese for Tails, jalapeños for Sonic – and sat together watching some action movie. Tails couldn’t quite recall what it was, but it hadn’t mattered; they’d fallen asleep together on the settee halfway through.

The picture was the one they had taken with the biplane after they’d finished painting it. Sonic was somewhere in between happy and surprised on the right side of the frame. Tails, on the left, was laughing as he was wiping yellow paint on Sonic’s cheek. Between them, the side of the plane where they’d painted TORNADO in big white letters stood centre frame. Under the name of the plane were two handprints side by side. One was slightly bigger than the other. The smaller handprint on the left was yellow; the bigger one on the right was blue.

Tails smiled softly at the memory for a moment. Then he sighed and ran a hand through the fur on his head. They hadn’t really done much for his birthday this year, and while Sonic probably didn’t care, Tails felt guilty. Next year, Tails really needed to do something special like that again. Sonic always accepted presents when Tails gave them to him, but the fox knew Sonic wasn’t really a material person. He had a box in his room of memorabilia that was special to him, but he hardly ever bought himself anything.

Tails knew one of his old wrenches was in that box.

He sighed. Sonic’s birthday was still so far away. It was autumn, but it would be getting a lot colder soon; winter was on the way. Sonic’s birthday was in June. He’d just have to plan something sooner. Maybe he could cheer Sonic up? If he'd even talk to him again, that is.

The tv was on, but Tails was taking none of it in. He could hear Knuckles running the tap in the kitchen; the echidna was getting them both a glass of water. Tails wasn’t sure he’d actually drink it, but it would give him something to focus on. He couldn’t bring himself to tinker with any of his gadgets. When Knuckles handed him the glass, Tails paused before he took it. The glass was Sonic’s favourite. It wasn’t particularly interesting, nor was there a real reason for its value to Sonic. It was just a plain glass with a very slight red tint, and a tiny chip in its thick base. But all the same, it was Sonic’s glass. Tails wondered if Knuckles had chosen it on purpose.

“He’ll be back soon,” Knuckles said, placing a large hand on Tails’ shoulder.

While he appreciated the gesture, Tails knew in his heart that wasn’t true. He slouched in his seat, ears flat. Knuckles sighed beside him.

“I’m sorry, Tails. I really am. But you know this is as much for his benefit as it is for ours. He just doesn’t see it yet.”

Tails leaned against the echidna, hands still locked around the glass. He still had not taken a sip, and he was sure Knuckles had noticed.

It was supposed to be for Sonic’s benefit. Tails knew he hated it when he lost control. It had only ever happened a handful of times that he could remember, but every time Sonic would get quieter for a few days afterwards. Perhaps they should have given him more time. Perhaps they should have talked to him about it instead of making the inhibitors behind his back. Perhaps they shouldn’t have forced it on him.

No. Not perhaps. They should have never forced the inhibitors on Sonic.

“Do you think we made a mistake?” Tails asked.

Knuckles was quiet for a moment. Tails looked up at the echidna, frowning at the pensive look on his face.

“In our approach, maybe,” the echidna finally said. “But this is what he needs. He’ll come around.”

Tails wasn’t convinced. “Hopefully…”

“Eventually.”

---

When had the sky gotten so dark? Where had the time gone? He’d left the house at midday, he was sure of it. So why could he now see stars through the bronze leaves of the trees?

It was like he had emptied his head and slept with his eyes open for hours. But he hadn’t slept. He knew he hadn’t.

Sonic rubbed his face, pausing only when he felt an inhibitor brush against his cheek. He huffed, staring at the red rings, noticing for the first time that there was a faint glow to them. Had that been there before he’d put them on? Shadow’s inhibitors didn’t glow, did they? Not that he remembered. Though, they were made by different people, he supposed. Tails’ design was probably a lot different.

He took a moment to really focus on his energy. What felt different? The best way to describe it was… confused. His energy felt confused. It was like having something stuck in your throat but you could still breathe. It was like feeling the need to vomit when nothing would come up. He felt sick, but he was perfectly healthy. Because it was his energy that really felt sick. The energy of Super and Hyper, he noticed, were blocked off from him, like there was a wall between them. His own energy was clouded and hard to reach.

It felt wrong. Really, really wrong.

He felt around one of the inhibitors again, hoping to find something he’d missed before. He wasn’t sure why he tried. He wouldn’t find anything. Knowing Tails, he needed some tiny key, or a remote that would open them.

He’d seen Shadow remove his inhibitors a few times when he needed unrestricted access to his Chaos energy. Shadow could probably kill himself doing that if he wasn’t careful. As Sonic understood it, Shadow’s energy was unstable when he took off his inhibitors.

Sonic’s energy was not unstable, but he wasn’t given the option to remove them whenever he liked? How would he used the Chaos Emeralds and go Super? How would he practice the Chaos techniques he’d started trying to teach himself after watching Shadow preform them?

How would he function reliably?

Looking at the sky again, Sonic realised he needed to come to a decision about what he’d do tonight. He couldn’t exactly go home. He wasn’t ready to face his brother and closest friend yet. That was if Knuckles was still even there… The chance of him staying behind for Tails was too high for Sonic to go back now. He could forgive his brother, perhaps not quite yet, but he could. He would, because he simply had to. He couldn’t live without his brother, he just needed time to process some things. Knuckles had to have been the one to suggest the inhibitors in the first place. That was why he couldn’t face Knuckles yet. He hadn’t trusted him enough to simply speak to him first, to discus the inhibitors or alternative ways of managing his darker forms. Perhaps if they had spoken to him, he could have agreed to the inhibitors, saw their side.

But they hadn’t even tried. And that’s what was so agonising.

No. He couldn’t go back. He had to sleep out here tonight. Not that it would be an issue. He was used to camping out under the stars. He’d had to when he was younger because he had no home, no choice. But often now he would choose to sleep in the trees, or on the roof, on clear nights. But that was different, because it was his choice.

He liked having his own choice.

He stood up and stretched his numb legs for a moment before assessing the trees around him. Trees were always safer than camping out on the forest floor; he’d learnt that the hard way after he was woken by a badnik when he was six. After he walked around several trees, he settled on one with a decent height and bright crimson leaves on its boughs. He always was drawn to red. Sonic pulled himself up into the branches of the tree. He found a particularly thick and sturdy branch and sat with his back to the trunk. Sonic watched the sky until the silver moon slid into view, then he slid down the trunk until he was curled up on the branch.

And that’s where he fell asleep, under the watchful eyes of thousands of flickering stars.

Notes:

Hope you're all enjoying reading this so far! Sorry if it's a little jumpy or moves too fast here; pacing is so difficult.

I've started writing the next chapter and hopefully that'll be up soon-ish. My goal is to get a chapter uploaded each week, but sorry in advance if that falls apart really quick, I'm so bad at sticking to schedules! If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please let me know; I sort of edited this in a half-paying-attention haze.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to see you all next week!

Chapter 3: Chapter Two

Notes:

Hi.

Ok, so… it’s been a while. I had an excuse for the first week, but not anymore. I kinda got in a funk for a bit, despite over half of the chapter being ready for weeks now. I’m going to try not to let it get to that point again, but I can’t really promise much. I can’t gauge when I’m going to get writers block unfortunately, but I’m not done with his story, far from it. Please be patient, and thank you for taking the time to read what I upload, and to those of you who comment, it means a lot. Like, it really means a lot. Seeing your comments really make my day.

~Fortune

Shivering in the darkness, Sonic’s heartrate picked up.

He was in the Voidspace again. But, wait. He already remembered what this place was. Usually he did not when Dark dragged him here.

Why had Dark not wiped his memory again? He knew it was Dark who had brought him here, because this was Dark’s domain. Super, Hyper, and Fleetway had their own “places” in Sonic’s head, but the Voidspace was unique. Dark could shape the Voidspace however he liked. He often kept it pitch black to add to Sonic’s disorientation and confusion. But it could do more, so much more, and only Dark himself could control it. Right now, the Voidspace was essentially dormant.

Now that Sonic recalled this fact, he was somewhat glad Dark hadn’t done anything the day he took control. There were worse places to be than a dark, echo-y space.

Much worse.

Sonic got to his feet and shook out his fur. Best get this over with, whatever this was. Dark couldn’t take over with the inhibitors, right? And the last thing he remembered was going to sleep. Thus, while this could really be happening, Dark had no control over his body. That thought alone eased his poor heart some.

“Dark?” he called, the Voidspace predicably answering with the same.

There was a wind-like sound behind him, then the light tinkle of feet touching the floor. Sonic turned his head to look at Dark out the corner of his eye. There was still a trace of blood staining the side of Dark’s mouth. Sonic absently wondered why he hadn’t wiped it away completely. That was more Fleetway’s thing, not Dark.

“The blood’s still there.”

Dark scoffed. He stalked around Sonic like he was some sort of prey. Hedgehogs were prey animals, he supposed, but then Dark was a part of Sonic, making him essentially a hedgehog too. It was kind of a silly sentiment; prey stalking prey. Or, predator stalking predator. Prey was helpless. Sonic was not helpless. And he did not consider himself completely helpless around Dark either. When he was taken off guard, sure. When his memory was clouded, of course. When he was fully aware of what was happening, not so much. It was much easier to keep a level head. Mostly. The fact remained he had no idea what Dark was planning here.

“I still can’t quite fathom how that prick managed to do it,” Dark seethed.

Ah, so he was mad.

“Yeah, well, you’re more of a prick than Hyper,” Sonic shot back.

Was it the best idea to anger an already angry super hedgehog? Probably not. Sonic couldn’t help it though. It wasn’t his smartest comeback, but he had to jump to Hyper’s defence. He would not have anyone besmirch Hyper’s name, or Super’s.

Dark stilled.

“What’s the matter, Dark?” Sonic said. “You gonna sulk ‘cause Hyper’s better than you are?”

Dark narrowed his glowing eyes, raising his hand to wipe the thin stain from his muzzle. He took a long, drawn out step closer to Sonic. The blue hedgehog held his ground, returning Dark’s glare. The temperature in the Voidspace dropped considerably.

“That stuck up, sparkly hedgehog is not better than me.”

Dark’s voice was so quiet not even the Voidspace bounced his words back. Dark practically spat the word “sparkly” and his sentence fizzled out with a growl. Something primal in Sonic shrunk at the acidic tone.

Sonic’s gaze never left Dark’s. He stood stock still, waiting for Dark’s next move.

It came quick.

In one swift movement, Dark gathered swirling purple Chaos energy in his left hand and shot it towards Sonic. The hero had barely any time to react to the attack, dodging it by diving to the side. He felt the searing hot energy graze his fur. With it, the icky, prickly feeling he got around Dark’s messed up energy spread through his body. He may have avoided the initial attack, but the tiny taste he got of Dark’s energy was enough to make him falter as the next came.

As Sonic gasped in shock, Dark flung another ball of energy his way. This time it connected, fully. He went sprawling, the air forced out of his lungs. A shiver wrack his body and he curled up on his side, coughing terribly as he struggled for breath.

Making Dark angry really wasn’t the best idea.

It felt like the energy was clogging his lungs. Sonic clenched his fists, attempting to reach out to Hyper with his energy like last time. When he tried, his energy abruptly hit a solid wall. Perplexed, he tried again, trying to find a crack. He found none. Sonic widened his emerald eyes. He couldn’t call out to Hyper; he couldn’t hear him.

Sonic struggled to his feet. If Hyper was blocked off from him, did that mean Super was too? After a quick search with his energy, he came to the same conclusion. He couldn’t get to Super either. There was one he could sense, but he wouldn’t go near that sickening energy. It would no doubt end badly. Sonic’s heart sank.

He was on his own.

With shaking legs, Sonic spun around to punch Dark, but the darker hedgehog grabbed his wrist the moment he turned around.

Sonic forgot how difficult fighting Dark could be. Hyper had helped him defeat and contain Dark for years, but Hyper hadn’t always been with him. He’d fought Dark alone before, he knew he had. He supposed Dark had gotten stronger in isolation. How else would he have blindsided Sonic back in Eggman’s base?

Sonic ears lowered. Dark’s grip on his wrist was crushing and beginning to really hurt. Sonic moved his other hand in a fake-out gesture and turned to kick Dark’s legs out from under him instead. Dark had seemingly foreseen this move, but had not been prepared for the fist that came next. After the punch to his nose, Dark let go of Sonic’s wrist. He quickly retaliated with a kick of his own. Where Sonic’s kick had only knocked Dark off balance briefly, the force behind Dark’s kick sent Sonic stumbling backwards. This time, he managed to stay upright however.

He was stunned enough that, when Dark charged at him, he didn’t even react. Dark’s fist wrapped around his throat. Sonic’s feet left the floor of the Voidspace. He tried desperately to pry Dark’s hand off his neck as his windpipe was crushed.

“As much fun as this was, Maurice,” Dark said. “I have stuff to prepare. So I’ll be seeing you. Soon.”

Sonic’s eyes widened. “W-wait-”

Dark plunged his hand into Sonic’s chest.

---

Sonic’s eyes snapped open with a light gasp. For a moment he couldn’t remember where he was and he shifted too far, falling off the branch he’d slept on last night. He hid the forest floor with a thud and the crackle of dry leaves. Thankfully, he’d missed the thick roots of the tree. He’d had worse falls and, other than being quite shocked, he was perfectly fine.

Except, his chest still hurt really bad. He’d landed on his stomach, so he might be able to blame the throb in his ribcage on his fall. But that didn’t explain why he could still feel where Dark’s hand had entered his chest. He clutched his peach fur, able to feel the echo of Dark tearing through his skin. It felt as if his hand was still in there, crushing his heart in his fist.

But he was fine. He’d just taken a fall and possibly winded himself. That’s all.

No. Wait.

Shouldn’t his inhibitors be stopping Dark from fucking with him? His super forms were essentially pure energy. So how could Dark reach him?

It must have been a silly dream. It meant nothing; he was just frazzled.

He wanted to scream in frustration so badly, but he would not. Could not. If what had just happened was real, any sign of weakness could and would encourage Dark. Better safe than sorry. It wasn’t paranoia. It wasn’t.

Sonic was feeling rather low though. Just thinking about his new inhibitors had already dampened his mood drastically.

Something lightly grazed his ear. He hopped up to his feet and growled, glaring around the clearing. He saw nothing. A falling, golden leaf fell on his nose and he flinched. He watched it’s descent to the ground with a frown. Then he realised what had happened. A leaf had touched his ear. And he’d snapped.

Something so small. And he’d snapped.

Sonic frowned. His current mood wasn’t far off how he felt on what Tails referred to as his “off days.”

Generally, Sonic was a positive person. At least, he tried to be. Some days he had to put on a smile and act like everything was ok when it wasn’t. More often than he’d like, really. But he was mostly positive.

And then there were his “off days.”

On his off days, he didn’t feel like himself. Those days passed slow. He would struggle through them in a weird gloom, like walking through thick miasma. He wouldn’t want to do anything. It was like the weight of the world fell upon him at once on those days. He would just feel so miserable out of nowhere.

Only Tails knew he had these days. And Tails noticed the signs. He’d wake up late, which was never like him; he was usually an early riser, and that was the first sign something was wrong. Then there was the way he carried himself when he finally did get up. He’d drag his feet, his shoulders would be slumped, ears droopy, eyes half-lidded. Tails often said the spark in his eyes was missing on those days. Sonic wasn’t quite sure what he meant.

He wouldn’t leave the house on his off days either. He’d spend most of the time curled up on the settee, wrapped in a super soft, red weighted blanket. His favourite blanket, strictly reserved for off days. Sonic also had a hot water bottle, embarrassingly encased in a plush chao. That was a newer edition to his routine on off days. Tails bought it a few months back. No one ever saw it apart from his brother, and Sonic did love it. It was your typical hero chao; white, blue and yellow. It was also super soft. Tails said he was a very tactile person, whatever that meant. All his blankets had to be soft. Even the carpet in his room was incredibly plush. And that had nothing to do with the fact that he sometimes slept underneath his bed after a nightmare. Definitely not.

While holed up in the house, Tails would be there to cheer him up the best he could. The fox would hardly leave his side. Unless he was making food. Sonic’s insatiable appetite would be near non-existent, but he would accept the snacks Tails brought him. And the hot chocolate. They drank a lot of hot chocolate together on off days. And they always drank them the same way. Whipped cream, three large marshmallows – two pink and one white every time – and a crushed peppermint for Tails. Just marshmallows for Sonic, seven small, only the white ones.

Sonic would not eat the pink ones.

He claimed the two colours tasted different. Tails wasn’t convinced.

Sonic smiled.

Their routine for Sonic’s off days weren’t too dissimilar to their routine for storms. Except, it was Sonic looking after Tails during storms. And instead of the weighted blanket and hot water bottle, Sonic would make a pillow fort in the living room using spare blankets, pillows, and a couple dining room chairs. It was there that they’d wait out the storm, huddled up in a fort lit by the soft, warm glow of ring-shaped fairy lights.

His smile slipped away.

He felt shit, like on his off days, but he was also jumpy. And there was a lingering, roiling feeling deep in his chest. A strange mixture of anger and anxiety.

Sonic wondered if he was having an off day now. He looked through the trees, trying to gauge the time of day. His internal clock was usually flawless, but he couldn’t even guess at the time today. That was also a sign of his off days sometimes.

He sighed. Whatever the time was, it was at least before midday. Otherwise, he’d probably be able to see the sun.

He could really use his hot water bottle chao right about now.

All he wanted to do was go home, apologise for running off and curl up with his brother on the settee. But he couldn’t. Betrayal still occupied a bed in his heart.

---

He wasn’t back yet.

Knuckles huffed, staring around the empty living room. He’d already checked Sonic’s bedroom. He’d even checked the garage, remembering when Tails told him about when he found Sonic sleeping in the cockpit of their biplane a few years back. But there was no sign of him.

Part of Knuckles thought Sonic was being childish. The other, quieter part of him reminded him that Sonic was still a teenager.

And ambushing him had been a tad unfair, he supposed. That probably didn’t help.

Ok, it was definitely the wrong move. Knuckles was starting to regret it. Like, really regret it.

Sonic was a difficult mobian for Knuckles to understand. It sometimes bothered him how easily Tails could communicate with the blue hedgehog. They wouldn’t even need to speak; it was like they could read each other’s minds sometimes. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t freak him out occasionally. Though the two were extremely close.

Sonic hadn’t been able to speak when Knuckles first met him. But even back then, Tails seemed to understand him. Down to the smallest flick of an ear, or twitch of his nose, Tails could accurately tell you how he was feeling back then. Though Tails had admitted to him once that Sonic got harder to read the older he got. Only, Tails could still read him sometimes; Knuckles still could not.

Knuckles had never truly learnt how to speak ‘Sonic.’

Shaking his head, Knuckles migrated to the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. He was never picky about where he sat, but Sonic and Tails had always been. They were both picky about a lot of things. They both had specific seats at the table; Sonic on the right, closest to the door, and Tails on the left, closest to the fridge. Knuckles wasn’t quite sure why. If he had to guess, Tails had picked up this quirk from Sonic himself. Sonic always had to be particular about everything.

Why? He didn’t really know.

Tails was still sleeping. He hadn’t gone to bed until sometime past midnight. Knuckles was sure Sonic wouldn’t have been very happy about that. He’d tried to coax the young fox to bed last night, he really had, but Tails was as stubborn as his brother. That was also something extremely annoying the fox had picked up from Sonic. Knuckles wasn’t entirely sure if Sonic was the best influence for Tails growing up, but he did know one thing: that hedgehog had given everything to his adoptive brother. Everything.

He had to come back soon.

Knuckles heard movement upstairs. He looked expectantly at the door to the kitchen, but Tails did not appear.

Looking at the faintly glowing green clock on the oven, Knuckles noticed how late it really was. From his experience around the two brothers, they were early risers. They’d definitely be up before eleven, that’s for sure. It was just turning half past.

He wasn’t typically an early riser himself. Truth be told, he hadn’t really slept all that much last night. The spare room was perfectly cosy, as it always was, stocked with plenty of pillows and plush blankets. That wasn’t what the problem was. He just couldn’t seem to close his eyes. Knuckles replayed that panicked look of betrayal over and over again in his head. At the best of times, it wasn’t a very comforting expression. But on Sonic? One of his first and closest friends? It made him feel ill.

And he was the main reason Sonic had felt betrayed. He certainly deserved that punch. It had left a light bruise, the phantom feeling of Sonic’s fist against his cheek. Knuckles would give anything for Sonic to turn up at the door, just so he could apologise. Even if that meant another punch, he’d take it. Hundreds of times over.

‘Wherever you are, you better be ok,’ he thought, tapping a finger against the table top.

There was another vague creaking of floorboards from upstairs, but it never reached the stairs. He was starting to wonder if Tails was pacing or something. It certainly sounded like it.

He’d give it another few minutes before he went up to check. If Tails wanted to be left alone for a moment, he wouldn’t pry. Didn’t mean he wasn’t worried though. Comforting people was never really one of his strengths, but Sonic, and by extension Tails, were on another level. Tails was typically easier to read; his namesakes gave away a lot if you paid attention. Pacing was something that he’d seen them both do. Again, he chalked that up Sonic’s influence on Tails. Neither were particularly great with their emotions, he’d learnt. At least Knuckles could tell when he was feeling something. Sometimes, it felt like the most basic emotions were foreign to the brothers.

No. Perhaps not foreign. More like… unwelcome? That felt like a better word for it.

Tails wasn’t too bad. When he was tired, he’d pretend he wasn’t. But he was still a kid, so that wasn’t all that surprising. The fox would not typically act on anger either. Fear… fear was something he had yet to accept. The kind of pure terror he felt during a storm was hard to hide. Fighting one of Eggman’s bigger, more destructive robots was a lot easier though. Especially when you grew up with Sonic, the bravest hedgehog on the planet.

But brave didn’t mean you weren’t afraid. Brave meant you could fight through the fear. Brave meant you could continue fighting, even when you felt like it was hopeless.

Sonic hadn’t quite grasped that either.

Despite what he may say to Tails, Sonic seemed to think brave meant you never felt fear. At least, you never let it show. He overheard Sonic telling his brother that even if you're visibly afraid, you could be brave. But he didn’t live by that himself.

Knuckles knew one of Sonic’s worst fears on the planet was water. It took him years to learn this fact. Because Sonic was good at pretending. Thinking back, Sonic had typically kept his distance from larger bodies of water. But sometimes, during adventures, they had to cross a few water-heavy zones. Sonic had braved them like a champ.

It wasn’t until the Perfect Chaos incident that Knuckles saw how much water really affected him.

After the fact.

The hedgehog wouldn’t drink water for a full week after that fight. Even then, he would take small sips. Baths had always been a big no-no, but even showers had been difficult for a long while. Whenever it rained, for almost a month after the Perfect Chaos incident, Sonic outright refused to go out in it.

But he tried to play it all off with different excuses, instead of owning up to his own fear.

Not drinking? He wasn’t thirsty, he drank earlier but you didn’t see. Not showering? He could go another day or two, he wasn’t that smelly yet, there wasn’t that much dirt in his fur. Not going out in the rain? It’s cold, there’s no point, he might slip in the mud – not like mud had stopped him before.

Knuckles was also at least 70% sure Sonic had claustrophobia too. There were probably more fears hidden below the surface that he wasn’t privy too. It wouldn’t surprise him.

It wasn’t just fear Sonic did this with. He did it with every emotion under the sun, other than happiness. He typically used happiness to cover up anything else he might be feeling.

Which is why that burning betrayal in his eyes yesterday had really bothered Knuckles.

Why had that been so clear?

He rubbed at his face with both hands, ignoring the dull ache in his cheek. The floorboards groaned again, but this time he could hear the distinct squeak of one of the steps on the stairs. Tails was coming down. He had to ignore the nagging feeling that something was seriously wrong. Tails needed him now. And he would stay for as long as he had to, for as long as Tails wanted him here.

Chapter 4: Chapter Three

Notes:

Hi!

Apologies for the late update! I was aiming to get this out much, much sooner. Unfortunately, while on holiday last week I fell ill. Like, two days into the holiday. Fuck me, right? Whole week ruined. It also set back my writing, and I only started to feel better a few days ago. I’m a-ok now, but I just wanted to let you all know why this one hit a brief snag. Chapter Four has been started, and I’m aiming to get that out before I go back to University. If that doesn’t happen, there might be a lot more of a slow down for a few months while I battle with my third year (wish me luck, I’m terrified).

Also, this is the first chapter that has taken direct inspiration from the original story. What was chapter five of the original has now been moved to chapter three (mostly due to the story change and longer chapter length). Some dialogue and descriptions from the original have been re-written and adapted to fit the newer narrative. I hope you all enjoy, and those of you who knew the old one… let me know if you like the changes. Hopefully I’ve improved, but I’d like to hear your thoughts!

A pointed black ear listened absently to the muffled sounds coming from the next room over. Voices. One in the kitchen, one through a communicator. One smooth, one gruff. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, and he didn’t much care. Unless the world was being threatened, he couldn’t care less what they were talking about. He could detect a worried tone in both voices though. That was the only reason he was even paying attention.

Shadow’s red eyes narrowed, looking at the open book in front of him but taking in nothing from the page. He ran a gloved finger over the spine of the book. Rough leather with indented lettering. He traced each letter. Chaos Theory. He’d read it a thousand times. But he could not focus today; he was only seventeen pages in.

With a sigh, he closed the book, setting it aside. Shadow folded his arms over his chest and stared at the coffee table. His coffee had long since gone cold. The mug, a solid black on the outside and grey on the inside, was given to him by Rouge a few years back for Christmas. He didn’t care much for the bothersome tradition. The mug was his favourite, however. It was plain, it was simple, and it did its job. Besides, all of Rouge’s mugs were too flashy.

The voices in the kitchen stopped. Shadow listened to the tap of Rouge’s heels on the hardwood floor as she entered the living room.

“Sonic’s missing.”

Shadow rose a brow and turned to face the white bat. Rouge’s dark wings fluttered behind her. Shadow recognised the motion as a nervous tick. Her ears were bent slightly and she was frowning. Missing didn’t exactly sound great, but this was Sonic they were talking about. Why did she care anyway?

“How long?” he asked indifferently.

“Five days,” the bat replied.

Shadow huffed. Five days? Didn’t that fool disappear for weeks sometimes? How did this qualify as missing? Shadow could often tell when Sonic was gone because he’d bug him less frequently. As far as he was concerned, Sonic being “missing” was a blessing. It just meant he’d have less headaches for a while.

“Five days? Seriously?” he said with an eyeroll. “And here I was thinking it was something serious.”

“Shadow, this is serious,” Rouge scolded, putting her hands on her hips. “Knuckles and Tails haven’t been able to contact him at all.”

Shadow gave her a deadpan look. “And?”

“And, they’ve asked us to keep an eye out.”

Shadow’s eyes drifted from the open kitchen door to the window beyond. Outside, the sky was cloudless and such a vibrant blue. He couldn’t focus on reading, so perhaps he could get some fresh air instead. It was certainly a better idea than sitting here listening to Rouge prattle on about that blue fake.

Shadow shook his head dismissively. “That hedgehog disappears all the time. He’ll come back.”

He stood from the dark leather settee. The light cream rug in front of the settee was plush and he felt his shoes sink into the material. He never liked that rug.

Shadow stepped around Rouge. He started for the front door, the wood freshly painted in a light grey. Rouge stepped in his way. He glared at her but she would not be moved. Rouge knew him well. He would not hurt her, so his severe looks would not scare her.

“Apparently this is different,” she said.

“Don’t care.”

He spun around on his heel and dashed to his room. The room was dark all over. Dark grey carpet, black painted walls, black curtains, black sheets. There was a wardrobe in the corner, despite there only being a solitary piece of clothing in there – a black jacket he never wore. There was a dark wooden bed covered over with a black quilt, a dark grey pillow at the head of the bed. A bedside table where a simple lamp with a black lampshade sat next to a softly glowing digital clock. There was also a small desk with a wooden chair, his laptop left closed on the tabletop. The curtains were drawn.

All in all, the room was perfect. Simple, dark, his.

He was already halfway out the window when he heard Rouge shout after him. He ignored her.

“Shadow!”

---

His chest was on fire. He had to reach the surface.

Fuck. Where was the surface?!

He couldn’t see through the thick miasma around him. His eyes stung. He flailed his arms wildly, hoping to feel one break through to the air. Was there any air? Was he drifting further down? Was he pushing himself further down? Shit, what if he was?

Suddenly, Sonic could move his fingers freely with little resistance. The surface!

He began to thrash harder with renewed fervour. Eventually, his head broke the surface and he took in big gulps of air. Sonic blinked his eyes hard, trying to clear them. He shook his head, finally clearing his eyes enough.

The first thing he saw was a crimson wave lurching above him.

His mouth was still open when it hit him. And it hit him hard. The force of the wave knocked him deep and for a moment he was dazed. He felt the thick liquid enter his mouth, force its way down his throat. The metallic tang made him gag. It coated the inside of his mouth and it was all he could taste. He tried to ignore it as he focused on finding the surface again.

How had this happened? A few minutes earlier he had been back in the Voidspace. Dark hadn’t said a word, and this time he had been waiting for him as he awoke. He hadn’t done that before; he must have wanted to get right into it this time. It had been three days since Dark had forced his hand through Sonic’s chest. Every night Sonic awoke in the Voidspace. Every night, Dark subjected him to some fight. Every night Dark made vague threats.

Sonic was sure he was trying to take control again. Though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why he couldn’t just… do it. Without Hyper here to help keep Dark at bay, surely he could just take control? Unless there was something else going on here.

Dark had just stood there in the Voidspace, glaring at him. He’d smirked and suddenly the floor beneath Sonic had turned red and he was falling. Falling through the air. Then crashing down into an ocean of blood.

An ocean of fucking blood.

This was… new. And not exactly Dark’s thing.

Sonic found the surface again and he coughed. He tried wiping at his eyes to clear them, but he only succeeded in smearing more blood across them. Blood splashed in his mouth and he continued to pretend it wasn’t happening.

Another wave took him down before he even cleared his eyes. At least he’d had his mouth closed this time.

Why had he turned down those swimming lessons from Amy?

Oh, right.

Because he couldn’t even get within five metres of a large body of water. Because his legs quaked when he had to be anywhere near the ocean. Because he couldn’t even take a bath without freaking out. Because sometimes even the rain made his skin crawl. Because he hated water.

More than hated it; he was terrified of it.

And right now he was in an ocean of blood. Actual honest-to-Chaos blood.

He didn’t have time for his fear to take over. He could only flail, fight for the surface in order to stay alive.

No. Not alive. In order to stay sane.

He had to remind himself that he could not die here. No matter what Dark threw at him, he could not die.

So what was Dark’s goal?

To get him to give up. That had to be it. He wanted Sonic to lose himself. He wanted him to go insane, to give in, to surrender.

If Sonic did give in to Dark’s twisted torture, would his super form be free? Would he target his friends? Would he really do everything he threatened he would? Would Sonic even be able to fight his way back to his own body?

He couldn’t let it get that far.

As he thought this, his hand connected with something hard. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he was more determined than ever to find out. He broke the surface once more and launched himself at the object. As he was blinking blood from his eyes, he grasped it and felt along the top.

It was flat and mostly smooth.

And most importantly big.

When his eyes cleared, he recognised it as a piece of wood. He let out a shaky sigh of relief.

Sonic clambered up on top of the convenient driftwood. Why it was there, he didn’t know, but he also didn’t care. He kneeled on its surface, swaying with the waves. The rhythmic motion combined with the thick metallic scent in the air caused him to gag. He coughed and spluttered, expelling the blood he swallowed from his body. It stained the wood below him a gruesome red.

Sonic stared at his ruined gloves for a moment, trying to collect himself. He was done heaving for now, though the light bobbing of the waves did nothing to ease his stomach and his breathing was ragged. That’s when he noticed that the ocean had calmed somewhat. He stared around at the much more gentle waves in confusion.

Then the fur on the back of his neck stood up and he whipped his head round.

And predictably, there was Dark.

He was sitting in the air, legs folded, arms folded across his chest. Dark’s fur was completely spotless. So he hadn’t been near the blood himself. And no wonder.

His expression was unreadable.

Sonic’s throat felt raw from vomiting. When he spoke, his words came out quiet and rough, fighting around gasps for air.

“This… isn’t typically… your style.”

Dark chuckled, coming to stand on the wood. It swayed dangerously under his weight and Sonic wobbled for a moment. Panic spiked through his chest at the thought of falling back under the waves.

“Let’s say I got some inspiration from a friend,” Dark said.

Sonic frowned, glancing up at Dark through his peripheral vision. His expression was still blank. Dark didn’t know anyone else; he was stuck in his head. Who could Dark have-?

His eyes widened in horror. ‘No…’

“B-but…” Sonic stuttered, then tried to clear his scratchy throat. “You and Fleet don’t get along.”

Dark smirked. “We do now.”

Dark pushed the blue hedgehog’s shoulder back with his foot, sending Sonic tumbling back into the ocean of blood. Sonic watched in dismay as the blurry shadow on the surface faded away. The driftwood was gone. He had to find another. Dark must have put another here somewhere. Why else would he have put one in to begin with?

The anxiety welling up inside him gave him no room to think about what he’d just learned.

Sonic started another relentless fight for air. His limbs were getting tired, making it harder to move through the thick liquid. He couldn’t give up; he refused to. No matter what he had to keep fighting this.

It was honestly a miracle he kept finding the surface to begin with, considering his lack of swimming skills.

There was blood in his mouth again. He wanted to cry. Sonic was just glad he wasn’t the sort of person to faint at the sight of blood. He wasn’t exactly a fan of gore, but he wouldn’t feel queasy if he saw it. Which, honestly, was great, because he got hurt a lot. He was no stranger to tasting blood either. A punch to the face would sometimes split his lip, or he’d end up biting the inside of his cheek or tongue by accident. Not to mention, getting thrown around a lot did nothing good for your insides. He’d coughed up blood more times than he could count.

But there was so much of it. Everywhere.

By some chance, he managed to thrash his way back to the surface again. He blinked and shook his head violently. He had to clear his vison so he had a chance to look around before a wave came to ruin everything. Thankfully, it seemed like Dark had left the sea calm for now. Sonic glanced around frantically for something, anything, that he could grab or climb on top of to stay away from the sea.

He caught sight of another piece of driftwood just before a wave dragged him back below the surface.

But all hope was not lost. He knew where it was now, and this time he had braced himself before the wave hit him. He knew where to go. The only problem now was how to get there.

Sonic waved his arms around, trying to mimic what he’d seen his friends doing in the ocean when they occasionally dragged him to the beach. He pushed down his terror and concentrated on the same repetitive movement. It wasn’t perfect, but he was moving. At least, he was pretty sure he was moving. It sure felt like he was.

The wood wasn’t too far. He could make it. He had to.

The longer he stayed below the surface, the tighter his chest became. That panic he was trying so hard to ignore was creeping up steadily. A little longer and he might miss his chance entirely. Damn it, where was this stupid driftwood?!

His hand hit the wood and he wasted no time in dragging his body up and onto it. He ended up on his side, coughing. Being careful not to fall off the driftwood, he rolled onto his back so that he could breathe. For a moment he just lay there, breathing deeply with his eyes closed, feeling the sway of the waves. His ears were clogged with blood, but he could still hear the crashing of the waves all around him.

Sonic became aware of light laughter near him not long after. He cracked an eye open and immediately closed it again when it started to sting. Huffing, he rolled back onto his front and pushed himself to his knees, blinking the blood out of his eyes for the hundredth time. He shook his head, clearing the blood from his ears, and realised the laughter was not light at all. It was mocking.

He opened an eye and glared up at Dark. He was sitting cross-legged in the air again. His hands were resting on his knees this time.

“You’re… enjoying this… too much.”

Dark quirked an eyebrow. “Is it that obvious? I should take ideas from Fleetway more often.”

‘Please don’t,’ Sonic thought, overcome with dread.

He didn’t want to respond to the psychotic hedgehog next to him anymore, didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Fuck Dark and his fucked up games. He turned away from the super form, flattening his ears. He needed to find a way to wake up; surely there was a way to do that? He hadn’t found a way yet, but there had to be some way, right?

It turned out ignoring Dark was the worst thing he could have done. The dark-furred super form grabbed a handful of his quills and yanked him to his feet. Sonic cried out as a sharp pain shot down his spine. He brought his hands up, weakly tugging at Dark’s hands, trying to get him to let go. He tried flexing his quills, but Dark’s grip was unyielding. Even when Sonic broke the skin on Dark’s hands, the dark form didn’t even flinch. Dark’s patience was definitely starting to wear thin.

Dark growled deeply, energy flaring up around him for a moment. Sonic winced at the spiky feeling running along his skin as it made contact.

“Don’t you dare ignore me!” Dark snapped.

He swung Sonic around like he was nothing but some empty bag. Dark grabbed a hold of his shoulders and before Sonic could react he was being forced under the surface of the blood sea again. But this time Dark was holding him. Terror surged through him and he began to thrash.

All logic went out the window the moment Sonic realised Dark wasn’t letting go. Dark was stronger than him. No matter how hard he tried to escape that steely grasp, all he was achieving was wearing himself out. With the knowledge that he would only be let go when Dark was through with him, Sonic’s resolve shattered. No matter how scared he really was, he couldn’t let Dark win this. He was more petrified of the consequences of giving in than this messed up nightmare.

Only when his movements began to slow did Dark mercifully pull him back up. As he was coughing terribly, Dark growled again.

“Well?” he hissed.

Sonic spat some of the blood that had gotten in his mouth at Dark’s face. The super form’s quills bristled. Dark’s eyes narrowed.

“Three words,” Sonic growled between mouthfuls of air. “Go. Fuck. Yourself.”

Something in Dark’s eye flashed and Sonic was flung back below the waves.

But Sonic was prepared this time. This situation was anything but ideal, but he stayed stubborn. He couldn’t let Dark win. He had to wake up.

He just had figure out how the hell to do that.

Why did it have to be an ocean? Dark knew him too well. That about freaked him out more than the ocean of blood itself. Fleetway’s creative torture method was pushing it, definitely, but it would have honestly been just as bad if it had just been water. Dark must have known that. So why would he take a suggestion from Fleetway?

He shook off the thought. That was a question for later.

For now, he had a choice to make. And though he hated the thought, he made his decision.

He fought with all his might to stay under the surface, to push himself further down. He was caught between two of his greatest fears, and right now he figured he’d rather face drowning than Dark. Because at least he would be fine. Mentally… not so much, but his body, his real body, would be fine. Perhaps that was the way to wake up.

But Dark was far from pleased with his newfound interest in drowning himself. He dragged Sonic back up. The panic was overwhelming his senses at this point so Sonic lashed out in the only way that came to mind.

He bit down on Dark’s arm.

He felt his canines sink in, tasted the blood that flowed from the wound. He’d never bitten anyone before. It was a low, primal move. He’d say he was ashamed, but he honestly didn’t care in this moment.

Dark hissed in rage and flung him back at the driftwood. Sonic hit the wood so hard it cracked, but thankfully stayed together. He slipped halfway off though and he scrambled to stay on the wood as it swayed. When he managed to haul himself back up onto it, he could feel himself shaking. Every cell in his body was in flight mode, but he had nowhere to go. Nowhere.

A flare-up of Dark’s energy engulfed his body. He felt the twisting, writhing energy wrap around his neck and clog his throat. He was suffocating. Sonic’s eyes widened. He clawed at his throat frantically, only succeeding in scratching the delicate skin there. He couldn’t even feel where the energy had him in its snare. But it was there alright. It was definitely there.

“D-Dark…” he coughed out, feeling his whole body tremble.

Dark had never done something like this before. Sonic hadn’t even known that his super form could do this. He wasn’t even anywhere near him for Chaos’ sake! His energy was the thing strangling the life out of him right now.

His dark form’s hand was balled up, but not all the way. Dark was shaking and his eyes were narrowed so far only a thin line of white was visible. Around him, his energy danced like it was alive. Purple-blue fire, coiling and curling and curving in a movement of no discernible pattern.

The fear was too much now. Sonic felt his quills flatten against his will. His ears were lowered and he began to whine. He tried saying Dark’s name again but nothing came out. With wide, terrified eyes, he pleaded with his super form.

He received no sympathy.

“You’re testing my patience, Maurice!” Dark snapped.

Sonic flinched at the name, letting out another whine. He struggled against the tendrils of energy winding around his throat uselessly. No matter what he tried, he couldn’t pry free something that wasn’t physically there. He let his hands fall away from his neck, digging them into the wood beneath him until his nails began to bleed.

His neck started to burn. Tears sprang to his eyes and he let them fall down his cheeks. All sense of pride was washed from him in that moment. Only the animalistic, primal terror remained.

Sonic reached his hand out towards his super form. Dark clenched his fist until his own claws were digging into the skin of his palms.

Sonic’s vision went black in an instant.

Chapter 5: Chapter Four

Notes:

Hey!

I'm actually back before University. Dang, wasn't expecting that myself. To be honest, I've been procrastinating by writing something else recently; I have a really bad habit of doing that, whoops. Maybe I'll post it, maybe not. Don't really know yet...

Thank you to everyone who has been leaving kudos and commenting on this story so far - you're all the reason I have the motivation to write things like this. It makes me super happy to see everyone enjoying it! I hope this chapter ends up being worth the wait.

“Y-y-you’re right. I… I can’t r-reach him either.”

Hyper sighed, running a hand through his upturned quills. The golden hedgehog before him sat slumped in the boughs of an oak. Super’s crimson eyes looked tired. Hyper didn’t blame him. Super must have known something was wrong first, even if he didn’t know what. He always knew first.

Hyper shook his head. “I thought so. Thanks for trying anyway, Super.”

“Sorry, Hyper,” Super said, ears lowered. “I… I knew something felt off b-but.. I didn’t… I thought…”

Hyper frowned, stepping closer to the oak. “It’s alright, Super,” Hyper soothed. “But if you can’t reach him, we’ve got a real problem here.”

Hyper continued to watch the normally perky super form. He didn’t seem to shine like he used to. Hyper noticed his own fur had grown duller than usual a few days ago too. It was perturbing. He wondered if this happened to Dark and Fleetway, then corrected himself. Fleetway probably wouldn’t have noticed, and his fur was always matted anyway. And Dark did not shine. Dark was something else entirely. If anything, Dark thrived in isolation.

But Fleetway liked attention.

Hyper wondered if Super still visited him. He could never quite stomach talking to Fleetway himself. Super had a soft spot for his twin, and it seemed as though Fleetway missed Super too on his good days. He was almost tolerable even. If you ignored some of his remarks, of course. On his bad days, no amount of positivity from Super would stop Fleetway from attacking him.

“He’s distressed.”

Hyper perked his ears up in surprise; the other had startled him after being quiet for so long. Super still had a connection, it seemed. At least, partly. Super was always the best at reading Sonic. Being the closest to him, at least these days, it made sense. Apparently, even with the severed connection, he could still feel Sonic’s mood. ‘Distressed’ did not sound promising. He did not know how to respond.

The shimmering white hedgehog let his eyes scan across the landscape. This was Super’s domain. Mostly fields, a few trees dotted here and there. What really stood out were the flowers. Flowers from all seasons, from completely different biomes, bloomed in Super’s domain all the time. Daffodils, lilies, roses, peonies, bluebells, orchids of all types, violets, forget-me-nots, dahlias, tulips, hydrangeas, carnations, anemones, poppies, and of course, Sonic’s favourite: sunflowers. Every natural colour of each flower existed somewhere in the domain, sometimes in separate patches, sometimes clumped with a bunch of other flowers. Hyper was sure there were even more than what he was familiar with or could see just from where he was standing.

The wide open expanse of hills and meadows made sense. It appealed to Sonic’s love of running. The wide open spaces also allowed Sonic to watch the sky. Super loved manipulating the skies, the time of day, in his domain for Sonic.

Hyper’s own domain was more of a forest, filled with trees of all kinds. His domain shifted from Spring, to Summer, to Autumn, to Winter the further you walked in. Sonic had always been partial to the Spring section of the forest, where the cherry blossoms were in permanent bloom. The shades of the blossoms ranged from almost white to a deep, deep pink. Sonic always said the palest blossoms were his favourite. Hyper had kept that in mind and left a few solitary trees of pale blossom apart from the rest.

Sure, Sonic couldn’t run as efficiently in a forest, but he certainly loved the challenge. Sonic was also addicted to the mystique a forest radiated, he’d noticed.

It sort of fit, if Hyper thought about it. A forest was more than just surface level; there was much to be discovered in its depths. Similarly, there was way more to Sonic than what the world saw on the surface, and Hyper wasn’t just thinking about himself and the other super forms. Sonic was a wonderful mobian with more problems than anyone would ever know. It was one of his worst traits, borne from his early forced independence and incessant need to protect everyone around him at all times. He hated when people were worried about him because he was convinced that it was his job to worry about everyone else. He was selfless to a fault. Hyper couldn’t really blame him for it though. It was Sonic.

He had so much heart but it worried Hyper sometimes.

He worried about Sonic a lot. He spent his whole life protecting the world, but what did he really get for it? When he was… gone… would the world really miss him, or his protection? Hyper wasn’t always convinced that the world deserved the young hero.

He and Super really needed to find a way to talk to Sonic. Soon. They needed to know what was happening so that they could help. Though Hyper had a feeling that they were on their own with this.

Hyper frowned. He felt his ears lower.

That also meant that Sonic was alone. Sonic and alone did not mix. Hyper hoped that whatever was going on, Sonic would stay with his friends and not freak out. But now that he thought that, he knew exactly what Sonic was going to do.

Sonic was going to freak out.

---

Sonic stared at the clouds gathering overhead, flat on his back. He hadn’t eaten properly in days, but at the same time his recent encounter with Dark had left him feeling queasy. His throat still felt tight like it was hard to swallow. It was just his imagination but it felt so real.

At least, he was sure it was. The phantom feeling just wouldn’t go away.

Sonic forced himself up until he was sitting. His head felt heavy, foggy. He probably needed to start figuring out where he was. For a guy who liked speed and adventure, he hadn’t really moved far in the last few days. He just didn’t have the motivation to. He had to find the motivation fast though, or he might accidentally end up starving himself. He was awful at remembering to eat at the best of times, but all of this… it just made it worse.

He pushed himself to his feet and just picked a direction. Eventually he’d come across something.

He started off at a slower than walking, stumbling pace. He was sluggish. Sonic grit his teeth and pushed on. For years he’d dragged himself out of bed in the morning and pushed himself to face the day. This was no different. All he had to do was keep walking. Keep walking. Keep walking.

“Keep walking!”

Sonic choked on his own spit and almost tripped. A surge of adrenaline forced him upright, his spine rigid. Quills bristling, Sonic swung his head around. Left. Right. Behind. In front. Above. Below.

Nothing. Absolutely no one was there. But he knew that voice. Had heard it enough recently not to be able to recognise it immediately. He was still dreaming, right? He was still dreaming. This was all just some fucked up dream. Maybe he didn’t actually wake up earlier and this was just a continuation of the nightmare he thought he’d escaped. Is that why his throat still felt clogged? Is that why his head was as heavy as Angel Island? Is that why he was still so disoriented?

“Where are you?!” he snapped at the trees.

He could hear Dark laughing at him. He was always laughing at him. His hands curled into fists so tight he could feel his claws digging into his palms. He didn’t care; this wasn’t real anyway!

Sonic growled. “Come out, you coward!”

Dark had admittedly gotten the better of him earlier. Yes, he’d been afraid. Yes, he’d cowered like a hoglet before his super form. Yes, he regretted that now. But that didn’t mean he was about to back down.

Maybe if he just ran. Just ignored the bastard and ran. Just ran and ran and ran until his mental form’s legs gave out and he couldn’t any longer.

He was already moving before he could think about it further. Dark’s voice followed him. He started running faster and faster, ignoring the trees closing in on him from either side and his legs shouting in protest. Sonic covered his ears with his hands and kept running. Dark’s laughter fizzled out and was replaced with one word. Whispered in his ear. Clear as day.

“Maurice.”

Sonic scrunched his eyes closed and missed the tree that had entered his path. He didn’t hit it head on but he clipped his side, knocking his arm. It struck him off balance and he fell, skidding along the forest floor until he met another tree. For a moment he lay there, breathing hard as his vision swam. He was lying on his side, back to the tree that had stopped his momentum entirely. Slowly, feeling came back to his adrenaline-numbed body. Every scrape from the scattered twigs and stones burned. His back ached. His head was throbbing. And worst of all, his arm was screaming in agony. The pain first started dull but as his body relaxed from the adrenaline it became an intense, clawing feeling. It started in his shoulder and shot down through the rest of his arm.

Tears collected in his eyes but he blinked them away. He rolled onto his back, ignoring the way his spine protested, and brought his uninjured arm up to inspect the damage. His shoulder felt weird under his fingers; not the smooth transition from his collar bone to his arm that it should be, but a strange dip and then a rounded lump. Closing his eyes, he breathed through the roiling feeling that settled itself in his stomach. Careful not to move his arm too much, he felt along the appendage, checking for any breaks.

He couldn’t find any, so he was hoping it was just dislocated. That didn’t mean there wasn’t a break though. He wasn’t a fucking doctor.

Either way, it was not ideal.

He knew he probably had to support the arm, but he just lay there, staring through the branches of the trees.

Dark’s laughter had turned into a full on cackle. Sonic tried to tune it out. It was difficult, but he tried. And that’s when it dawned on him. He’d already woken up. He couldn’t see Dark. Dark’s voice had stayed constant – and even though the super form was strikingly fast, the sound hadn’t changed one bit, like he’d been right beside him the whole time. He’d heard Dark’s voice through his hands, clear and strong, not muffled in the slightest. And now he’d seriously injured himself. Over nothing.

Because Dark wasn’t here.

He was in his head.

Which meant Dark could bother him even when he was awake. And Sonic had a bad feeling his last Dark-induced nightmare was to blame. He’d let his resolve slip. And even though Dark didn’t have control…

He’d forced his way out far enough to have access to his conscious mind.

---

Shadow sighed irritably.

It looked like it was going to rain. The clouds that had filled the sky all morning appeared to be getting darker. A lot darker. It wasn’t ideal, but that wasn’t what had soured his mood.

Why did Rouge assume he’d give a shit about what was going on with his rival? He was missing? And only for five days? He snorted. If Sonic wanted to give his friends heart attacks, that was his prerogative. It had nothing to do with him.

He’d come back soon and everyone would be relieved and wonder why they were even worried to begin with.

He was lying on the roof of Club Rouge, though he wasn’t sure how long he’d be doing that judging by the clouds. Shadow was honestly surprised that his annoying roommate hadn’t followed him. She was good at talking his ear off until he reluctantly gave in but she wasn’t even trying this time. He wondered if she’d left the house entirely. It was possible.

Those clouds were definitely darkening. It washed out the city around him, making the grey buildings look even duller than normal. Shadow was no stranger to dull, grey surroundings, but that didn’t mean he liked them. They were pretty depressing. And reminded him of the Ark. In a bad way.

A really bad way.

He rubbed a gloved hand down his face and sat up. Shadow wanted to get a run in before the heavens decided to burst. He needed to stretch his legs and clear his mind. The nearby forest, which he could just about see through the taller skyscrapers, would be a refreshing change of scenery. There was just the issue of having to go back through the apartment to leave. He hoped Rouge really had left.

Re-entering the apartment through his window, Shadow reached out to grab the Chaos Emerald off his nightstand and froze. Damn it. He really shouldn’t have left it down here while he was on the roof. That’s probably why Rouge hadn’t chased after him.

Great.

Now if he got caught in the rain, he’d have to run home instead.

Shadow growled and stomped through the hallway. It looked as if Rouge was out because all the lights were off. As he walked through the club downstairs, he noticed the place was locked up too. He had to unlock the club doors with his spare key and re-lock them behind him as he was leaving. Seemed as though Rouge wasn’t even opening Club Rouge tonight then. He didn’t think she’d cared about Sonic that much. As far as he knew they weren’t even that close. She’d never expressed any interest in him before.

Shadow wove his way though the streets, expertly dodging pedestrians as those depressing buildings passed by him in a blur. Club Rouge was close to the centre of Central City. This area of the city was Night Babylon. It used to be home to numerous casinos and bars, their neon lights drenching the streets in bright colours throughout the night into early morning. Most of the other night-life businesses had since shut down, but Rouge was proud that her own club was still going strong. It had been the most popular place to visit back when everything else was open, so Shadow supposed it made sense. It did make the street quieter at night, which Shadow preferred, but that also meant they were surrounded on either side by boring corporate buildings now.

He sort of missed it, if he was to be perfectly honest.

Eventually, hard concrete pavements gave way to dirt and grass. Shadow slowed his pace slightly, but he was still going faster than the naked eye could see. He breathed in the clearer air, completely free from the pollutants of the city which stood only a mile away at most. He could tell now that it would rain soon. The air had that cold dampness that he found was often a precursor to the rain.

As he was skating through the trees effortlessly, he caught a colour out of place in the browns, greens, yellows, oranges and reds of the Autumn-touched forest. Blue.

Bright, royal blue.

He scowled, coming to a stop. Of course. Of course the dumbass was literally just in the forest by Central City. Why was he surprised? All his stupid friends were losing their shit for no reason. Perhaps they needed to search better if they were really that worried.

Intending to give the hedgehog a piece of his mind for interrupting his day and worrying his friends, Shadow turned around and stalked back to where he’d seen that flash of blue. He’d run a bit further than he’d realised, because it took him a moment to find him again. He caught sight of Sonic and stopped.

He could see him from the side. Sonic was huddled by the roots of a tree, head down. His arms were folded over his chest. There was a soft red glow by his hands. Still far enough away that Sonic wouldn’t see him, if he looked up that was, Shadow walked further into the trees to get a better angle. Something was off. With his new angle, more head-on, it looked to Shadow like Sonic was holding his left arm up with the other. He had red rings around his wrists. Shadow wondered what they were, but determined that there was more that needed his attention first. He’d moved a little closer now, and could see that Sonic’s ears were folded flat against his skull. He couldn’t see his expression.

Shadow began to walk towards him. The closer he got, the more he realised that Sonic’s arm looked wrong. No, not his arm. His shoulder. He’d hurt himself. And his breathing was fast. Too fast. With a jolt, Shadow realised he might be going into shock.

He ran over.

“Faker?”

Sonic didn’t respond. His head remained down. His breathing was shallow.

Shadow reached out to shake his good shoulder. The moment his hand brushed peach fur, Sonic flinched. The blue hedgehog kicked out, the uncoordinated and sloppy attack still managing to land. That gold-buckled sneaker connected with his chest; Shadow hadn’t been expecting it. The blow sent him tumbling backwards. The blow had been hard, but not enough to break his collar bone and thankfully not quite enough to wind him either. If Sonic hadn’t been disoriented, that kick would have been devastating. It was definitely going to bruise though.

The dark hedgehog would have loved nothing more than to retaliate with a fist of his own, but he couldn’t do that. Sonic may be one of his least favourite people on the planet, but he needed help. Shadow wasn’t heartless.

He’d deck the fool in the face when he was coherent again. Hard. And hopefully break his stupid nose.

Shadow let out a strained breath. He thought back to his medical training from the Ark. He needed to be calm, and reassuring, no matter how hard that was for him.

“Faker, it’s me, Shadow. Can you look at me?”

Sonic’s wide emerald eyes were staring through him. It was a little unnerving. He waved his hand in front of Sonic’s face until his eyes cleared slightly.

“Look at me,” he repeated. “I need you to control your breathing.”

“Shad…?”

His voice was quiet. Raspy. Shadow had never heard him sound like that before. It made something inside of him writhe with an emotion … unfamiliar to him. Not quite foreign, but forgotten. It was something he couldn’t quite grasp.

He shook it off. That was something to unpack later. Or never. Right now he needed to focus on Sonic. He wasn’t steadying his breathing.

“Faker, you need to breathe slower. What happened?” he asked.

Sonic’s eyes were still a little unfocused. He blinked slowly, starting to try to slow his breathing down. It wasn’t perfect, a stuttering slow then fast then slow gasping, but he was trying. That meant that he’d heard him at least. It also meant that Sonic hadn’t gone into full-blown shock. But he’d been close.

“D-dislocated sh-sh-shoulder…” he wheezed. “Don’t think it’s b-broken.”

“How?”

“Tree… p-panicked.”

Shadow frowned. “Panicked?”

Sonic didn’t respond. His eyes were closed, breathing low. Shadow wasn’t sure how present he really was during that conversation, and now the fucker was asleep. Hopefully he didn’t have a concussion on top of that arm…

And now he had to get him back to Club Rouge. Without an Emerald. Which was going to be so easy with all that dead weight, while also being mindful of his arm.

Shadow felt a drop of water land on his ear.

“Fuck you, Rouge,” he growled under his breath.

Chapter 6: Chapter Five

Notes:

Hi, all!

First of all, I’d like to thank @MissCoolCookiexd on WattPad for making me a cover for this story! I’ve never had anyone make me something before, so it feels really special. I encourage you all you check it out on either my WattPad or Fanfiction.net account.

I wasn’t expecting to get another chapter out until after university, but apparently a couple days ago at one in the morning my brain just decided that yes, I am. So… here it is! I already have an idea of how I want to start the next chapter, but this time I may not have time to get it up, so this will most likely be my last update for a while, unless I magically find the time, which would be nice.

Some of you who’ve read the old version may notice some very familiar dialogue in this one. A large section of this is a slightly updated version of an old scene, but with a different outcome this time. There's also a section where we get a different perspective of a piece of dialogue (those of you who know the section may be able to finish the line yourselves). I think this new version is going to be more fun to play around with…

Thank you to everyone who has read, commented or left kudos, it really makes my day, and I hope you all continue to enjoy what I have to share!

A blinding pain rocketed through his arm.

Sonic screamed. Sitting bolt upright, bleary green eyes snapped open. He only vaguely registered blurry purple and black around him, but right now that’s not what his mind cared about. He was – literally – painfully aware of the fact that something or someone was holding his arm. The same arm that had just dragged him back to consciousness. Sonic yanked his arm away from whatever was holding it and cradled it against his body with a defensive growl.

After the initial spike of agony, the pain in his arm dulled to an achy throb. It was still not pleasant. At all. But it was manageable now.

“Idiot,” Sonic heard a voice mutter to his left. “If you hadn’t dislocated your shoulder in the first place, it wouldn’t be painful now, would it?”

The voice was deep, gravelly.

Sonic swung his head around. Against the purple backdrop, a dark figure stood. He still couldn’t make them out. But they were a hedgehog. He could tell that much. He hissed, primal fear overtaking any sense of pride he had left. Not that he had much of that left. If this was the same person who’d just been holding his arm, they’d hurt him. That’s all his mind could comprehend.

Then his vision cleared.

It was Shadow. Not Dark. Shadow.

Not Dark.

Sonic stopped hissing but hesitated to relax. This wasn’t Dark, and that was a relief. But it was still Shadow. As much as Sonic would like to consider him a friend, he’d made it clear long ago that he wanted nothing to do with him. Shadow was a wild card, not always on his side. Shadow hated him. It was hard to trust him completely. Plus his arm still really hurt.

Or…

No.

He’d dislocated his own shoulder. By running around like a fool. That pain wasn’t on Shadow. At least, not entirely. Sonic subtly tested his arm while still holding it. He could sort of move it now, though it hurt like crazy when he did.

Had Shadow… set it?

“Wha?”

That was all he could manage. Chaos, he must look pathetic right now.

If he was here – wherever here was; Sonic assumed it was Rouge’s apartment, though he’d never been inside before – that meant Shadow had brought him here, right? So he’d found him. When had that happened? What happened after he’d dislocated his shoulder? Everything was so foggy. He vaguely remembered talking to someone. He supposed that must have been Shadow but he couldn’t remember.

“There’s not much going on in that brain of yours, is there?” Shadow asked.

Sonic huffed. “Excuse me?”

“What the hell were you even doing out there?”

Sonic narrowed his eyes. He resisted the urge to growl at Shadow. Where was this interrogation coming from?

“None of your business,” he snapped.

Shadow folded his arms. He didn’t look impressed. Though he never did. This was Shadow, The Ultimate Grouch. He always looked moody. That was his default setting.

“Faker,” Shadow said slowly. “You’ve apparently been missing for five days. Your shoulder was dislocated. Not to mention you were either going into shock or having a panic attack when I found you. Do you have any idea how worried your friends have been?”

Sonic looked away with his ears bent back. He didn’t respond. A rolling growl rose in his throat. He didn’t need Shadow to remind him of his friends. He had nothing to do with this.

“I best be leaving,” Sonic said, forcing his tone to be light.

It was clear that Shadow wasn’t pleased by his deflection. Nor was he convinced by his tone, which must have come out wrong judging by the look on his face. Sonic didn’t care.

Still holding his arm close, Sonic made for the front door. Shadow, being closer, reacted far faster. As Sonic reached the door, Shadow slammed his hand against it, keeping it shut. With his hand on the door handle, Sonic started growling again. He felt his fist tighten around the intricate handle. What the hell was Shadow’s problem?

“Shadow…” he growled in warning.

“Faker.”

“You mind moving your hand, pal?” Sonic hissed through gritted teeth.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on with you, hedgehog?”

“Why the fuck would you care?”

Sonic caught the flicker of surprise in Shadow’s crimson eyes. He didn’t swear often, and definitely not around someone like Shadow. It sort of slipped out. He was starting to get a little… frantic. Ok, little may have been an understatement. His breathing was getting shallower, more rapid. A sudden wave of claustrophobia kicked in, sending his body into fight of flight mode. The walls were closing in. He couldn’t breathe. It was a similar sinking sensation to that of Dark’s sea of blood.

He hated it.

He needed out. Now.

With only a brief hesitation between thought and action, Sonic flung himself at Shadow, teeth bared. He lashed out, aiming to strike the other with his fist. He was too sloppy, too slow. Shadow moved out of the way effortlessly as his fist collided with nothing but empty air. Sonic stiffened, awaiting a blow that never came. His arms were swiftly pulled behind him instead. Shadow was trying to subdue him rather than attack outright.

Sonic did not like being restrained.

“L-let me go!”

He struggled in Shadow’s hold, trying to ignore the protesting of his already delicate shoulder. Having it twisted in such away behind him was painful, and Sonic’s jerky movements trying to throw of Shadow weren’t helping at all. His rival was freakishly strong. Probably on account of him being genetically engineered. Combine that with his questionable health and mental fatigue, Sonic had no chance.

Accepting that his current tactic was having no effect, Sonic decided to switch it up. Instead of trying to fight away from Shadow, he forced all of his weight back. He must have caught Shadow off guard like he’d hoped, for they both went tumbling to the floor as he threw of his rival’s balance. Startled, Shadow loosened his grip enough for Sonic to squirm his way out of his arms and hop to his feet. He was already opening the door when Shadow shouted something after him.

He didn’t hear what it was. He was too busy making a mad dash for fresh air. Something in the back of his mind acknowledged the silence coming from down below while he was on the stairs. As he dashed through Club Rouge at the bottom, he confirmed that he must have been in Rouge’s apartment. He supposed Shadow must live with her.

Sonic took all this in within seconds, then he burst through the doors to the outside. He took in massive gulps of air like he’d just surfaced from a lake. Sonic fought past the image of that bloody sea again at the thought. He was sure Dark had helped bring that mental image to the forefront, the bastard.

‘Fuck you,’ he spat at Dark in his head.

He was greeted by silence. He couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Considering Dark was chaotic, spiteful entity, it was most likely a fucking terrible thing. He may be screwed. Dark was plotting, which was never a good thing.

Sonic’s heart was hammering in his chest as fast as his feet could go. It wouldn’t slow down.

He stumbled a few steps down the street, clutching his tightening chest. Everything blurred into a grey mess around him. He wasn’t aware that his legs were failing until his knees hit the pavement. A stinging alerted him to the fact that he’d skinned his knee. He kept his injured arm on his chest and placed the other on the slightly cracked pavement. He could barely feel the pavement anymore; his body was numb. He tried to focus on his hand. On occasion, the blurry white and red cleared enough where he could see his hand properly.

It was shaking.

His eyes zeroed in on the inhibitor. Its lightly glowing surface made him feel sick in this moment. He was sure Tails had made them that colour on purpose, hoping that it would be easier to accept them. It wasn’t. They were just steadily making him hate his favourite colour. And why did they glow? Was it because they were made of a different material than Shadow’s? Or was it to do with his Chaos?

There was the rapid sound of footsteps behind him. He couldn’t even find it in him to growl at Shadow. Why wouldn’t he piss off, damn it? When hands closed around his wrist to pull him to his feet, he wanted nothing more than to kick, punch, scream in protest, anything to make the other go away. But his body wouldn’t respond to any of his commands. He knew he was hyperventilating, and that was bad, but he couldn’t calm down. He’d never had this much trouble with stuffing down his emotions before. Why was it so hard now?

Was… Was it Dark?

Or the inhibitors?

Or both?

Shadow started to guide him back towards the club; he had no choice but to go with it. Grey was replaced with black and purple as they entered the club. Sonic was only vaguely aware of the tables around them as he was shepherded towards the stairs again. As his mind gradually began to clear, Sonic grew hot in embarrassment. He glared at the floor but even that was half-hearted. All the fight had left him along with his energy in his initial flight. All that was left was that tired, hungry feeling.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?” he dejectedly mumbled. “I want to be alone…”

He received no answer. Not that he was expecting one.

About halfway up the stairs, Dark started to laugh. A chiding, chilling cackle. Sonic wanted to throw up. He kept repeating the same sing-song of a mantra.

“Tick-tock, Maurice. Tick-tock!”

He really hoped that was just Dark trying to fuck with him. It didn’t help quell that bubbling anxiety in his chest though.

---

Shadow hadn’t a clue what to do.

He hadn’t planned on watching over the flighty hedgehog. He hadn’t even intended to find him in the first place. Now he was stuck.

It was alarming how limp Sonic had become in his grip. When they were back in the apartment, Shadow lead the surprisingly unresisting hedgehog to the settee again. His blank eyes were on the floor. He didn’t move once he was released.

Shadow didn’t trust that though. He cautiously locked the apartment’s door. He couldn’t risk Sonic making a run for it again. There was something seriously wrong here. He narrowed his eyes. There was a strange taste in his mouth. Was this why his friends were so worried? Did they know Sonic was… off? He found it awfully suspicious. What was causing his strangely sour mood? It felt wrong for the usually upbeat hero.

Shadow got a glass of water from the kitchen and set it on the low coffee table in front of Sonic. He didn’t even react.

With a frown, Shadow reached for his communicator. He should probably call Rouge so she could deal with this. Or better yet, call his annoying friends. At least he wouldn’t have to babysit the catatonic hedgehog anymore.

“Faker.”

Nothing.

“Faker, I’m going to call your friends.”

That got a reaction. Sonic’s head snapped up. His emerald eyes were widened in alarm. Why alarm…?

“No.”

“What?”

“Don’t… don’t call them.”

“Why not, Faker?”

Shadow narrowed his eyes when he got no response.

“Sonic, why don’t you want me to tell your friends where you are? They’re worried about you.”

“I’m aware,” Sonic mumbled, looking away.

“Then why-?”

Sonic cut him off with a shake of his head and returned his gaze to the floor. That just added another layer to this puzzle. So Sonic didn’t want to see his friends. That certainly wasn’t a normal occurrence as far as Shadow knew. It didn’t look like Sonic was going to elaborate either.

Shadow sighed and sat down in the dark leather armchair. They stayed in silence for quite a while. Eventually it started to get to Shadow. Which was silly. He liked silence. It was just… Sonic being silent didn’t feel right.

He wasn’t sure why he was obeying Sonic’s bizarre wish. But he was. Shadow wondered if contacting Rouge counted as telling a friend. They weren’t that close, right? As long as Rouge didn’t say anything, that should be fine. Right? Why was he even trying to reason this? He really should just call Miles and be done with it. But if Sonic ran off again, it probably wouldn’t end well.

As he was debating bringing up Rouge to Sonic, he saw the other lift his head from the corner of his eye. Sonic opened his mouth, only to quickly close it again. He dropped his gaze to his shoes with an aggravated sigh. But Shadow saw, he heard.

“What is it, hedgehog?” he asked.

“No-nothing.”

Shadow shook his head. This hedgehog was somehow being more difficult than usual.

“Look, if you want to say something, then say it. You’re not typically the… quiet type.”

For a moment, Sonic just opened and closed his mouth like a startled goldfish. He kept trying to start something, but it didn’t seem like the words were coming. Eventually, he settled for a quiet “doesn’t matter” and tried to go back to staring at the floor. Shadow wasn’t having any of it.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, alright? Just… speak! Say something!”

He thought he was being fair, but apparently Sonic didn’t think so.

“Why do you even care?” he suddenly snapped. “I thought you’d like the silence! I thought you’d like to see me as a complete and utter mess! I thought you’d like to see me-”

Whatever he was planning on saying next died on his lips. It almost sounded like he choked. The spluttering, growling sound that followed seemed to be borne from frustration. Or aggravation. Shadow couldn’t quite tell. Sensing he’d overstepped, he felt he needed to calm the other down.

“Sonic-”

“Forget it!”

Sonic dashed to the door again like Shadow predicted he would. After he tried the door and found it locked, he just stood facing the door for a moment. Sonic let his head fall against the door, forehead against painted wood, with his ears folded. Shadow wasn’t sure if he should do something or if nothing was the better approach here. He was far from being fine, that was abundantly clear at this point. For some reason, Shadow was finding himself wanting to know why.

“Sonic, we can go back to silence if you’d prefer, just sit down.”

“Open. The. Damn. Door.”

Shadow’s ear flicked at Sonic’s tone.

“I can’t do that,” he replied calmly.

“Why not?” Sonic spun around with a growl. “If you won’t get off your ass, then just give me the key!”

“Not gonna happen, hedgehog.”

Sonic glared at him from by the door, but did not move. Shadow was expecting him to start fighting tooth and nail for the key. But he didn’t. Sonic stalked back to the settee and grabbed the glass from the coffee table. He sat down and took a sip, purposefully avoiding making eye contact with Shadow. His ears were still folded.

Sonic sipped at the water until it was all gone. It was like he hadn’t drunk for a while but trying not to make it look like he hadn’t. If he’d been out in that forest for five days, it was entirely possible that he hadn’t. Shadow blinked. Had he eaten?

After a moment fiddling with the glass, Sonic got up to refill it.

He refilled it a third time before Shadow determined that he probably hadn’t eaten. He wasn’t a very good cook himself, since he didn’t need to eat that often in the first place. Maybe he should let Rouge know.

While Sonic was refilling his glass again, Shadow sent Rouge a message. He only told her that he knew where Sonic was, while also asking her not to tell Knuckles or Miles. When she messaged back asking why, he told her Sonic didn’t want them to know but he didn’t know why. He told her to come back to the house.

Shadow hoped she’d hurry up.

---

Rouge frowned at her communicator.

She’d just left Knuckles who’d been searching the forest by Central City. Tails hadn’t been present. Knuckles told her that he hadn’t let Tails know he was still looking for Sonic. She’d tried asking what was going on, but the echidna wouldn’t clarify what was wrong or why he wasn’t including Tails. It had piqued her interest when he’d originally called her. Now, however, she was starting to get suspicious. She had to admit that Shadow had a point – Sonic did disappear quite frequently.

What really made this time so different?

That’s why she’d agreed to go out and help Knuckles. She was hoping he’d let something slip, tell her something that might reveal the real problem here. But he hadn’t. The stubborn echidna was as tight-lipped as usual. It was rather boring. She couldn’t even fluster the echidna today, he was too focused on finding Sonic that he’d ignored her flirting. How rude.

And then Shadow contacted her. After making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the situation, he apparently got involved. Rouge snorted. How hypocritically ironic. What changed? What made him want to find Sonic in the first place?

Rouge admired the gorgeous green Emerald she’d swiped from Shadow’s room, watched as the sunlight glinted off its faceted surface. Maybe he was just being spiteful because he didn’t have his precious Chaos Emerald. If he didn’t want her to take it, he shouldn’t have left it out on his bedside table. Rouge rolled her eyes and stuffed the beauty back into her little black crossbody bag.

Shadow said not to tell Sonic’s friends. She’d respect that. For now. Only because she loved a good secret. If Shadow really knew where Sonic was, she wanted to know. Had to know. She’d decide if she still wanted to keep this little secret between them once she knew the full situation. Unfortunately, it sounded like Shadow didn’t know either. But she’d find out. She had her ways. And who better to go to than the source himself?

After stretching her wings out, Rouge took to the skies. Her communicator buzzed against her wrist again. She looked at the little words that appeared on the screen: Be quick. She rolled her eyes. Would a “please” kill this man? She beat her wings a little faster, fixing her gloves. She could have been spiteful and taken her time just to piss her roommate off. Could have stopped by a few shops to appreciate the bright, shiny, perfect jewellery on display. Could have maybe even swiped a few pieces for her ever growing collection.

But if she wanted information, she had to know where Sonic was. Shadow was the type of person to withhold that information if he was angry. Besides, her curiosity was getting the better of her.

She touched down at the doors of her club in record time. She frowned when the key wouldn’t turn any further in the lock. The doors were unlocked. She rubbed at her eyes after releasing a puff of air. She’d wonder if that hedgehog was raised in a barn if she didn’t know his story. She’d locked the door for a reason, to protect her club, her liquor!

Oh, she’d thrash that hedgehog.

Didn’t he realise how expensive her liquor was? She had some premium aged red wine in the back from Holoska, excellent quality gin from Adabat, several spirits straight from Apotos! So much costly, delectable alcohol... and that damn hedgehog may have just compromised her supply.

She locked the door behind her then started skirting around the tables, making her way over to the bar. After a quick once over and determining that her roommate may yet live another day, she stomped to the stairs. The door at the bottom of the stairs was also unlocked, which wasn’t ideal either. But, surprisingly, the front door to the apartment was locked. Huh. So… so he can lock the front door? But not the club? After he unlocked the doors in the first place? She was going to sit down and have a nice, long conversation about her property with him after this. And he would listen. She’d make him listen.

When she opened the apartment door, Rouge had to do a double take. And then a third. And an fourth.

Well. She knew where Sonic was now.

Being pinned down on her fucking settee.

He was hissing and growling. One leg was curled towards his chin, foot firmly planted on Shadow’s chest. The other was braced against the cushions. Shadow had him by his wrists and looked just about as pissed off as he usually did with the hero. His knee was pressed against Sonic’s stomach. Sonic looked scraped up but there was no telling if that was from their little scuffle or not; Rouge thought it was a possibility.

Was this why he wanted her to be quick?

“What the hell is going on here?”

Chapter 7: Chapter Six

Notes:

Hey…

So, I’ve never updated a story this quick before. Man, it’s hasn’t even been a full day. The idea just sort of hit me with the force of a ten ton truck and I just had to get it down. Not much happens in this one, but I suppose it’s more of a set-up chapter. Your minds should all change slightly regarding a certain character in this one though. And I’m hoping I didn’t just ruin it…

As always I love reading all your comments, they mean the world to me. Enjoy!

The mad hedgehog’s domain was vile. Positively vile. Dark wrinkled his nose in disgust as he slunk through the derelict building. Run down, enclosed and rotten. The place looked burnt, while also dripping with Chaos knew what. He flicked his ear in annoyance as something wet but also thick dropped against it. He rubbed at the offended appendage with a gloved hand that came back stained a grimy, bitty black. He grimaced.

He shifted his gaze past his hand and saw two glowing red spiral eyes staring at him from the darkness. Anyone else would have jumped. But Dark only found this irritating.

“Fleetway.”

Even in the dim lighting, Dark could tell the hedgehog was upside down. He was hanging from the rafters like a demented bat. His arms were left to dangle, gloves stained with the same stuff that dripped from every crack in the ceiling and walls. It was mixed with something red. Dark was sure it was blood. Both fresh and dried. He often wondered where it came from. And the grin on Fleetway’s muzzle quite literally split his face. His mouth was wide. Too wide. The skin around his lips was cracked, ripped and torn. It unnerved even Dark sometimes.

He wasn’t the biggest fan of Fleetway. Sonic was right; they didn’t ordinarily get along. Fleetway thought Dark was boring. Dark thought Fleetway was vile. His domain certainly fit. Dark hated it as much as the super form before him.

And he did hate Fleetway. With every fibre of his being. More so than Sonic.

Dark had to catch himself.

It wasn’t that he hated Sonic. Not… not entirely. It wasn’t exactly anger he held towards the being he resided in. It was resentment.

He hadn’t always felt that.

Sometimes he wished he didn’t.

Other times he wanted to strangle the hedgehog until he stopped breathing. Until his neck snapped clean in half. Until his body went limp in his hands. Until the life dulled in his bright, emerald green eyes.

Dark blinked. He had to collect himself.

“There’s a little something on your ear, Dork.”

Dark narrowed his half-lidded eyes into a full on glower. He felt his energy writhe around his fists. He reeled it back in. It wasn’t worth it. The bastard wanted a rise out of him.

“Dark,” he hissed, correcting the dirty golden hedgehog.

“Whatever, Dork.”

Fleetway’s voice had a certain quality to it. It sounded like Super’s. But it also didn’t. Super’s voice was usually like Sonic’s when he was excited, perhaps a little higher, but just as soft. Fleetway’s had that excited edge, but it was tainted. Wrong. Echoed in ways it shouldn’t, even in an open space. Dipped lower every few syllables, distorted. Sort of like what Dark’s Voidspace did to sound in its dormant state, but somehow more off-putting. Dark had grown used to his Voidspace. He would never get used to Fleetway’s voice.

Fleetway dropped from the ceiling. He landed on his hands, then performed an elaborate hip-hop style breakdance until he was back on his feet. Dark cringed. Sonic sometimes did something similar when he was hyper, but when Fleetway did it… it just didn’t fit. Dark didn’t like him imitating the move. It gave him a bitter taste way back in his throat.

The only super form who could pull it off was Super.

Super was annoying. He was too happy and upbeat all the time. The way Sonic was outwardly. That’s sort of where he got his personality from. And also why Sonic found it so easy to plaster on a smile and ignore everything else. It was Sonic’s open personality for sure, which made sense. Super was the closest to Sonic. Now at least. He hadn’t always been. He hadn’t even always existed. None of them had.

Except Dark.

Super was tolerable at best, and the most helpful for Sonic. Dark could accept that. Hyper… Hyper made Dark as angry as Fleetway did. But for different reasons. Hyper was useless. He’d helped Sonic out once. Once. Fucking once! And he was Sonic’s favourite, the stuck up, self-righteous, smug piece of shit and he knew. He knew he was the favourite. And he was never about. He never helped. Came to Sonic only on occasion to speak with him, comfort him. He needed the fucking Super Emeralds to give Sonic his power. And they were gone. Hyper served no purpose anymore.

He’d helped Sonic far more times than Hyper ever had or will. He didn’t need the Emeralds like Super. But Sonic… hated him. And he hated Sonic.

At least, he thought he did. Right? Had to. Because he’d cast him out. Like Fleetway.

That was why Fleetway had suggested they work together.

“How’s it going with ol’ Blue Bitch?” Fleetway asked, fixing his glove even though Dark knew he didn’t really care about his appearance.

Dark also frowned at the nickname. For some reason it made him furious.

“It’s not my style.”

“But is it working?”

“That remains to be seen.”

“It’ll work.”

Dark was sure he was right, but there must have been a better way than this. There was also no telling how long this would take. Dark wasn’t… enjoying this. He’d put up an act for a while, for too long. He was sure Sonic noticed his change in demeanour. But did he ever ponder over it? Or did he just accept it was from years of isolation?

Had Hyper told him that?

The thought made his energy crackle inside him.

“What’s your next idea then?” Dark asked scornfully.

Fleetway’s manic gaze landed on him. His grin was wider than before. Impossibly so.

---

Dark found himself roaming the familiar darkness of his domain a while later. Fleetway’s suggestions were always… intense. Dark wasn’t so sure he liked his newest one. It required him to conjure something heinous. Fleetway was really pushing it this time. Dark had objected immediately.

Fleetway had convinced him to give it a go anyway.

Dark wasn’t sure how he managed to do that. He was having second thoughts again. But going back to Fleetway to argue now was admitting defeat.

Dark caught a spark of light in the distance. It cut through his beloved darkness, but if he knew if he took a few steps back it would disappear entirely. This was the centre of his Voidspace. An area Sonic never managed to reach. Not anymore. Dark stepped up towards it and ran his hand through the lightly pulsing energy. He twisted it in his hands. The energy was warm to his cold palms. He spun threads of light from the centre of the energy.

Dark walked the threads back away from the centre and began to craft his scene. He wove them together, threw others out, pulled them apart and reshaped them. The threads bent to his will as effortlessly as modelling clay. He told them what to do, and they did it. Just like they always did.

A building with golden ears came into being before long. Dark frowned.

He didn’t want to show his face for this one.

---

When the door opened, Sonic hardly even saw Rouge. All he saw was freedom.

He kicked Shadow in the chest. He’d been distracted by Rouge’s sudden appearance. Sonic hadn’t been. He saw this as an opportunity. While Shadow was cursing, he wriggled out of his grasp and started towards the door. Shadow recovered quickly though. Too quickly. He grabbed Sonic before he’d even gotten past the rug.

Sonic yipped.

A high pitch, pained yip.

And then Shadow found himself with his arm caught between Sonic’s teeth.

And Sonic bit hard.

Everyone in the room froze. It occurred to Sonic less than a second after it happened that he’d done his twice now. That wasn’t a good sign. But Shadow had hurt him. He’d grabbed his bad arm. Sonic wasn’t sure if he’d meant to. He thought he might have just because he hated him that much. But… would Shadow really be that cruel just because he was mad? Was Shadow capable of that? Even to Sonic?

What would he do now that he’d bit him?

The lowest thing a mobian could resort to?

Sonic tasted blood. For a moment he was back in that sea of blood Dark had thrust him into days ago. That was why he didn’t let go immediately. Because to open his mouth meant taking in more blood. It meant drowning.

But he wasn’t there.

Rouge slammed the door shut as Sonic let go of Shadow’s arm.

On no. Was she mad?

It was a pretty disgusting thing for a mobian to do. So… so animalistic. Mobians wanted to separate themselves from the animals humans thought them to be. And when a mobian lashed out in such an aggressive manner… well, it only proved the humans right, didn’t it?

Biting Dark was different. Biting Dark was an act of survival. Biting him was retaliation for what Dark was trying to do to him. Biting Dark wasn’t the same as biting Shadow because Shadow was a person. Dark was essentially energy. Personified energy, but energy none the less. His own energy.

He was pretty much biting himself.

And no one would know about that.

Sonic was gone from the room faster than the two agents could blink. No one had said anything. No one could say anything.

He couldn’t leave. Rouge was still by the door. The door which was closed again. And her hand was on it. So he fled down the hall. Into the bathroom. He locked himself in, letting gravity pull him to the floor. His palms rested on the grey-painted door. They were shaking again. He moved his left arm against his chest where it hurt less.

It wasn’t his brightest idea, cornering himself in a room without a window. He should have aimed for a bedroom. A bedroom would have a window. One that was likely unlocked, or able to be unlocked. Could take two seconds to be unlocked. But he hadn’t been thinking. He picked the first room he saw. And that just happened to be the bathroom. And he couldn’t leave now. Not when Shadow and Rouge were on the other side. Fuck. Fuck. Shadow could Chaos Control in at any moment and beat the shit out of him. And he wouldn’t be able to do anything. He wouldn’t be able to do anything because his head was fuzzy and his arm was throbbing and his stomach was hollow and his eyes were heavy and his hands were shaking and he felt absolutely pathetic.

“Sonic?”

He squeezed his eyes shut and rested his forehead against the door. It was cool, and smooth. He focused on the feeling, tried to calm his breathing. He didn’t even know when he’d started hyperventilating. He blinked his eyes open. The first thing he saw were his inhibitors. Were they glowing brighter than before? He closed his eyes again.

“Sonic? Can you open the door?”

He kept his mouth shut. He didn’t trust his voice right now.

Why wasn’t she yelling? Where was Shadow? Why couldn’t he hear Shadow yelling?

“Honey?”

He took a deep breath. A light floral scent washed over his tongue. He opened his eyes, a frown on his muzzle. He sniffed the air. There was definitely a floral scent in here. A familiar one. It was sweet, but subtle, fresh. He liked it, but couldn’t place it. His breathing evened out slightly.

“Sonic…?”

“Yeah…?” he mumbled, hoping his voice didn’t sound as shaky as he felt.

Rouge’s voice was muffled through the door. She was talking loud enough for him to hear but her voice was soft. She didn’t… she didn’t sound angry.

“Are you ok, honey?”

“I didn’t mean to bite Shadow…”

“I know. Are you ok?”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s ok, Sonic. Are you alright?”

“I’m sorry.”

Rouge rapped her knuckles lightly on the door. “Can I come in?”

Sonic didn’t respond. He reached up to click the lock and sat back against the cabinet under the sink. Rouge heard the lock. He’d expected her to, but half hoped she hadn’t. He kept his eyes on the floor, knees tucked under his chin. His arms were folded against his chest, right over left. Rouge slowly opened the door. He didn’t look up to see her expression.

---

Rouge was surprised he’d unlocked the door. He hadn’t responded to her for several minutes. But he'd unlocked it and she took that as a win. Her curiosity to crack this puzzle was put on the backburner for now. Way back there. Her desire for drama suddenly fizzled out.

Shadow was cleaning up his arm in the kitchen. He was grumbling, but didn’t appear to want to break Sonic’s legs, which was a good start. He had told her he kind of deserved it. Apparently he’d grabbed the arm that Sonic had dislocated. When she’d panicked and asked him to clarify, he just responded “tree.” She’d asked what that meant. He told her he had no idea.

No wonder he’d made that awful sound though. She’d never heard Sonic yelp like that.

So Shadow hadn’t done it. But he did look like he felt bad about grabbing his arm. Considering he knew, he probably should. But he’d also clearly been trying to keep Sonic in the apartment. Rouge absently wondered if that was why the doors downstairs had been unlocked. If he was trying to contain Sonic, a hedgehog known for his speed, she supposed he wouldn’t have time to think about the downstairs doors.

Still didn’t mean she wasn’t mad about it, but she’d yell at him later. Sonic needed her now.

“Hey.”

Sonic didn’t respond. She closed the door behind her and sat against the bath. Sonic was curled up against the sink. His ears were folded flat on his head. This just didn’t look like Sonic in front of her. This small, lightly shaking ball… it was wrong.

“Are you ok?” she tried again.

He shrugged. He wouldn’t meet her eye. She noticed the way his arms were held close. Perhaps she should give Shadow his Emerald back. Maybe he could heal some, if not all the damage.

“Shadow isn’t upset, you know.”

“I bit him.”

Rouge frowned. They were going in circles.

“I know you did. And that’s wrong. But you don’t seem like you’re in a… stable frame of mind right now,” she said carefully.

“Doesn’t make it right.”

He didn’t deny what she’d said. Alarming.

“No, it doesn’t make it right. But you obviously know it was wrong.”

He didn’t respond again.

She wanted to pat his knee. She didn’t know how well that would go over right now though. How exactly did one go about comforting Sonic? Rouge wasn’t aware of a time when she’d seen Sonic on the receiving end of comfort. Only the giving end. For Tails, for Cream, for Charmy, for Amy. For little kids he’d rescued during Eggman attacks. She’d seen him a few times on the battle field stop to make sure someone else was ok. People responded differently to different things, but Sonic had always been an enigma to her. He accepted hugs from Tails and Cream, begrudgingly dealt with hugs from Amy, maybe even a few side hugs from Knuckles on occasion. But he never seemed to be an overly… physical person.

She sighed. “I’m going to get Shadow to come have a look at that arm, ok?”

Sonic sent her a startled look. She put her hands up in what she hoped was a calming gesture.

“I’ve got his Emerald. He can heal you right up, alright? I’ll make sure he does,” she said.

She got up off the floor to fetch her roommate. Sonic’s wide-eyed gaze didn’t leave her as she opened the door.

Rouge pulled the door closed and jogged down the hall. Shadow was in the living room, a strip of gauze tied around his forearm. Sonic’s teeth were sharper than she’d thought they were. Shadow hadn’t been bleeding heavily, but there had been blood. The mark left on his arm when he’d been rinsing it in the sink looked nasty.

“I assume he opened the door?” he asked.

“Not exactly. He unlocked the door. Close enough.”

Rouge dug out the Emerald from her bag. She threw it at the dark hedgehog. Shadow caught it with ease, frowning. He was about to open his mouth, probably to curse her out for stealing it the first place but she didn’t want to hear it. As far as she was concerned, she was justified in her theft. He’d left her club open to bloody theft.

“Don’t want to hear it. Just go fix your mess.”

“It’s not my mess!” he snapped, affronted. “That dumbass got himself hurt!”

“Yes, and you made it worse,” Rouge snapped. “Fix. Now.”

Shadow grumbled something under his breath and walked past her to go down the hall. He stopped before the door, seeming to remember something, and turned back to her. He was frowning but it wasn’t the frustrated frown he’d just given her. It was actually a concerned frown. If you squinted.

“I don’t think he’s eaten,” he said, and disappeared through the grey door.

The bat stood in the hall for a moment. He meant since he’d disappeared. He hadn’t said it but he’d implied it. Sonic hadn’t eaten for five days. If that was true, the best thing for him right now would be a light soup or fruit. With a plan in mind, she hung her bag up by the door, which was now securely locked again – at this point, she realised, for Sonic’s safety. She made her way to the kitchen to start a pot of soup. Chicken noodle was always a safe bet. Unfortunately she didn’t have chicken in the house right now. She did have chicken broth though, so she supposed she could make more of a vegetable noodle soup instead.

She certainly didn’t think she’d be making soup for a mentally shut-off hedgehog today. Rouge liked excitement in her life, but watching Sonic bite Shadow then flee into an unresponsive shell was… a lot.

She went over it all in her head.

So. Sonic disappears five days ago. Why? She didn’t know. Knuckles can’t find him but somehow Shadow stumbles across him hours after saying he wanted no part in the search. She walks in to find them fighting, nothing new there. But then Sonic felt threatened enough to actually bite Shadow. Now he was sitting in her bathroom, on the floor, in a ball, and he can barely make eye contact.

Sometimes it was hard to pin down what exactly had led her life to moments like this.

And the best part was, she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t really know Sonic all that well. He didn’t want Knuckles and Tails involved, who would be the best mobians to go to right now. But if that’s what he wanted to feel comfortable, to trust her, she’d have to go with it. This was so much more than she’d bargained for this morning. Oh, and Shadow would likely be no help. Maybe she’d have to force him to help her, perhaps to make up for almost letting her club get destroyed. He definitely had to make up for that. She wasn’t going to let that slide.

Midway through making the soup, Shadow stopped by the kitchen. She had just turned it down from boil to simmer and at first didn’t hear the door open. Rouge was cutting a few slices of bread off the last of their loaf. She almost dropped the serrated knife she was holding when he spoke.

“Never take my Emerald again.”

Rouge turned slightly to send him a sly smirk.

“Oh, honey. It’s not yours to keep,” she shot back.

She had a point but he’d never admit it, she knew. Though, while she had him…

“How about you never leave my doors unlocked again and we’ll never have this conversation again, hmm?” she said.

Shadow blinked. “Shit, did I?”

Rouge only turned back to the soup with an exasperated sigh.

“You hedgehogs will be the death of me, I swear,” she mumbled. “Make yourself useful and get me a bowl.”

“Rouge-”

She pointed her knife at him. “Bowl.”

Shadow held up a hand. He looked frustrated, but he still walked over to the cabinet. With his back turned, she just about made out what he muttered under his breath.

“Scary fucking woman…”

Chapter 8: Chapter Seven

Notes:

Hey.

So I’m back. Again. Is stress-writing a thing?

Anyway, so… this will probably (maybe?) be the last for a while since I literally start university again tomorrow, but we’ll see I guess. I really fuck up Sonic in this one. As always I love reading your comments. I hope you enjoy, and I’ll see you when I see you!

Sonic stared into the bowl of soup Rouge had set in his hands. He was still on the floor in the bathroom, not sure if his legs could take his weight right now. Rouge didn’t question it, or tell him to move. She just handed him the bowl, set down a plate with buttered bread next to him and left. It smelled pleasant. A translucent yellow broth with sliced carrots and potato, thick, flat egg noodles and what appeared to be parsley, thyme and flecks of fresh cracked pepper. It looked like an improvised chicken noodle soup, just missing the chicken part. He took a spoonful, blowing on it lightly to avoid scalding himself, before taking a bite.

His eyes lit up.

It was peppery. Very peppery. But Sonic loved it. Despite its black-pepper-forward flavour, the smooth broth was just as pleasant as it smelled. The carrots gave the soup a little snap. The potatoes were soft, but not mushy. The noodles were perfectly cooked, just slightly al dente which he loved. He ripped off a chunk from the thick-cut bread and dunked it in the broth. It must have been a salt and pepper loaf, judging by the black specks on the crust.

He had to ask Rouge for the recipe. It was so good.

Sonic didn’t cook as often as he used to anymore. When he and Tails were younger, they would eat whatever they could find. Sometimes Sonic would heat up what they scavenged from bins over a fire or make a rough stew from the vegetables they managed to forage. Once they built their house, and were finally getting money for their heroism – granted, those checks from the president were infrequent at best – Sonic had a whole kitchen to work with and he could go to the shops in Central City. He would cook for them every day.

Sonic didn’t think his cooking was particularly good. It was edible. Tails acted like whatever he cooked was the best thing on the planet. But he was his brother. Sonic had a feeling he was either trying to make him feel better or he’d ruined the kid’s palate.

Eventually, Tails had found an interest in cooking himself. They traded off making meals for a few years. And then, one day, Sonic just sort of… stopped. Tails insisted Sonic cook on his birthday, and he would sometimes make a little something for special occasions. But only ever for Tails. He never cooked for anyone else.

He wanted to cook again.

He missed it.

It gave him something to focus on. Perhaps he could just forget about Dark and his inhibitors and Knuckles for a few hours. Just lose himself in the repetitive act of cutting vegetables, meat and fruit, or stirring something in a bowl or pot. He just wanted to listen to something sizzling in a pan, smell the aromatic scent of spices.

Sonic had finished off the whole bowl before he’d even realised.

He set the bowl down on the plate beside him. After pulling himself up to his feet using the sink, Sonic took a few tentative steps to see how well his feet would co-operate. Passable. He picked up the bowl and plate and made his way to the kitchen. Shadow had healed his arm and the other scrapes and bruises his body had taken from his little tumble in the forest, so at least his body was no longer protesting with every movement he made.

The entire time Shadow hadn’t said a word though. Sonic wasn’t much better; he’d been frozen, expecting a punch or worse. It had taken him off guard when he’d held his upper arm (much more gently than the last time he’d touched that arm) and healed him.

Sonic had seen the gauze on Shadow’s own arm, knew it would be gone by the next time he saw the dark hedgehog. But it still bothered him. He couldn’t begin to describe how ashamed he felt still. He’d wanted to apologise to Shadow, but he’d left while he was still trying to formulate the words. Sonic wasn’t sure how he’d face him after that.

Thankfully, Shadow seemed to be either in his room or out of the apartment entirely. He found Rouge with her own bowl at the table in the kitchen. He took a step into the room.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

Rouge looked up and smiled. “No problem. I know it’s no chili dog but I hope it was to your liking?”

Sonic blinked. “Oh, no, it was good. I really enjoyed it.”

He placed the bowl and plate in the sink. The urge to wash it was high but was it rude to wash up in someone else’s home, or rude not to? Before he could do it anyway, Rouge stepped up beside him and ran the tap herself. For a moment he stood a few steps away awkwardly.

“Could… could I maybe get the recipe for it?”

Rouge rose a brow at him. “For what?”

“The soup?” he clarified.

“Of course. I didn’t realised you cooked.”

“I do… on occasion. Not… not often. Not anymore.”

With a stomach full of warm soup, now all Sonic wanted to do was find somewhere sheltered or high up and sleep. But he was also wary. He just wanted a peaceful night tonight. He just wanted to actually feel rested for once. He was probably not going to get that with Dark around.

And he also had to leave.

But how was he supposed to leave when the door was locked? He supposed through a window…

“Sonic?”

He turned to Rouge, unaware that he’d zoned out. He hummed in acknowledgement.

“Could you stay here? Just for tonight?” she asked, as though she’d read his racing thoughts.

She wanted him to stay? Well, he supposed they did lock him in the apartment. And they must have spoken to Tails and Knuckles. He wasn’t sure he wanted to stay. What if they called them while he was stuck? Sonic still didn’t think he could face them. Definitely not Knuckles. And… and he still wasn’t quite ready to look Tails in the eye. Not yet.

“I…”

“Please? We won’t call your friends. I promise.”

He stared at her for a moment, looked into her aquamarine eyes. She looked sincere. She sounded sincere. But Rouge was a master at deception. She could be lying. He didn’t know her tells.

“I just want you to be safe.”

Sonic’s ear flicked. He could hear a light pitter-patter against the windowpanes. He supposed he could use a roof over his head tonight. He wasn’t a fan of rain.

“Ok…”

Rouge let out a breath and smiled at him. She led him to a door down the hall painted black. It stood directly opposite a black door with a red stripe across the top. Huh. Shadow’s room, he guessed. He would have snorted if he hadn’t felt so uncomfortable. That meant the purple door opposite the bathroom would be Rouge’s. He kept that in mind.

This was a spare room. There was, surprisingly, a bed in here, though Sonic wasn’t sure what guests Rouge would ever have over. Perhaps that lady from G.U.N. she seemed fond of? Topaz, he believed. Figures Rouge would be drawn to her, considering her name. He couldn’t think who else would use this room otherwise. Perhaps she had other friends. It was not Sonic’s place to know or judge. He just wasn’t expecting the apartment to have a guest room.

It was plain, only a bed, wardrobe and bedside table were in the room. Everything was dark wood and black. Even the carpet was black. Sonic’s own room was dark; his walls were painted a midnight blue and dotted with white paint. He’d painted it with Tails years ago to mimic the night sky. They’d made the constellations all over his walls and ceiling. It was pretty and cosy and sometimes helped trick his brain into thinking he was outside.

This room just felt empty and small and depressing.

Rouge left him with a quick “good night” as he was taking the room in.

There was always something about unfamiliar buildings that still made him as wary as when he was a kid. He loved his room back home but when they’d first moved in, when it was all new, Sonic had been uneasy. This felt no different. Sonic supposed there was still something in him that thought of four walls and a roof as a cage.

Sonic ended up rolling into a ball under the bed. He was pressed against the corner of the wall, bundled up with a blanket. Tight spaces were not something he was entirely fond of, but when he was anxious, old instincts kicked in. He liked being surrounded on most sides so he could see any threat that could be coming, while ensuring that nothing could attack from behind.

It took him a long while to drift off, but eventually sleep came. He accepted it readily.

---

When his eyes fluttered open, he was lying in verdant grass. There was a light, pleasant breeze but he could feel the sun beating down on him. The warm feeling came in spots over his skin. He was lying under a tree, the leaves leaving the light dappled across his pelt.

Sonic moved to sit upright, frowning.

How did he get here?

Where was here?

He glanced over the landscape, taking in very familiar details. He was sitting on a hill dotted with only a handful of trees. Looking down the gentle slope, the grass stretched on into semi-flat meadow. The meadow was flowering. He knew this area. Knew it like the photos that lined his living room. This meadow was close to the Lab Tails used for some of his more… delicate experiments. This spot was halfway between that Lab and their house. He looked to the left, taking in the rolling hills. Their house lay just beyond them. Then he swept his gaze over to the trees that lined the path to the Lab.

He stilled.

There was a curling line of smoke against the sky above the trees.

Sonic felt his fur prickle. He shot to his feet.

Smoke. Where there was smoke there was fire. Fire was bad. Fire was very bad. And it was coming from the direction of the Lab.

The Lab.

Tails!

Sonic was running before his brain even told his legs the command. All the questions he had were gone. They didn’t matter. Of course they didn’t fucking matter. Tails was in danger. His brother, his world, his life.

Sonic tore down the path, feet pounding so hard against the dirt it sent shockwaves through his legs, his body. He pushed himself faster, the initial boom echoing through the trees far, far behind him. He’d broken the sound barrier in a matter of seconds.

The Lab came into view moments later.

He skidded to a halt when he saw it.

The little building modelled after Tails head was up in flames. Flames were climbing up yellow-painted ears of the building, they left the paint blackened in their wake. The two windows were closed, but he could see hot blue fire engulfing the room behind them. At the moment the fire was at the far end of the house but it was creeping closer and closer towards the front at an alarmingly rapid pace.

He bolted to the door.

Once he was closer he could hear the pounding of fists against the wood.

“Tails!” he called, hand grasping the doorhandle.

He let go with a yelp immediately. The handle was screaming hot, so hot he’d felt it through his gloves.

“Sonic!” Tails’ muffled voice cried beyond the door. “Sonic help!”

“I’m coming, buddy! J-just hold on!”

He grabbed the handle again, trying to ignore the stinging agony that shot through his fingers, his palm. He tried to turn the handle but it wouldn’t budge. His body took back control and released the doorhandle without his input. The skin on his hand was definitely burned. He couldn’t care less.

How the hell was he supposed to open the door without-

“T-Tails… Tails, can you back up at all? I-I’m gonna try and kick the door in!” he called.

“No! N-no, no, no! Sonic, I can’t! The f-fire… I… the fire!”

“Can you step to the side of the door at all?” he asked frantically.

He glanced at the window, seeing the fire already engulfing half the space he could see. They were running out of time. Tails wasn’t responding. All Sonic could hear was coffing. Really, really bad coffing.

“Tails? I’m kicking the door down,” he warned.

Sonic levelled his foot against the door, bracing his hands against the doorframe. Even the wood felt scorching hot, especially against his already sensitive hand. He brought his leg back and slammed it against the wood. It cracked slightly but didn’t give way. Sonic could feel his heart hammering against his ribs as he brought his leg back to kick again. Some of the wood splintered off. Still, it did not budge.

“Sonic…”

The blood in his veins turned to solid ice when he heard his brother’s tone. Quiet. Filled with dread, terror, knowing… acceptance.

“Tails?”

“It’s by the hydrogen canisters.”

Sonic didn’t have time to react.

Didn’t have time to land another kick.

Didn’t have time to say another word to his brother.

The windows exploded out. The oxygen that raced through the opening continued to feed the fire. Sonic felt the force of the explosion race either side of him. He wasn’t blown back by the explosion itself but the suddenness of it startled him. He stumbled back slightly. His ears were ringing. It felt like his heart had stopped.

“TAILS!”

Sonic took a running kick at the door. This time the damaged wood gave out under the strike. The smoke that erupted out at him clogged his lungs instantly. He swung his head left and right, eyes zeroing in on the limp body of his brother slumped to the right of the door. He grabbed the fox by his shoulders and dragged him out through the door, away from the smouldering Lab.

Sonic could feel himself shaking. He rolled the fox over, taking in the singed fur all over his back as he did. Tails’ eyes were shut, blood seeping from the side of his head. Sonic called his brother’s name, shaking him by the shoulders.

His chest wasn’t moving.

He wasn’t breathing.

And his head wasn’t sitting right. When Sonic shook him, his head lolled forward, completely limp. His head was at a funny angle. His neck just didn’t look right.

He was…

Was he…?

Oh Chaos.

He couldn’t.

He couldn’t just be…

Sonic screamed.

---

Shadow’s eyes snapped open. A heart-wrenching scream tore through the apartment. He sat bolt upright. The screaming continued and Shadow was on high alert. He launched himself from the bed and ripped the door open. Swivelling his ears, he tried to determine the source. His eyes landed on the door across from his own.

Sonic.

He was opening the door as Rouge’s bedroom opened down the hall.

“Shadow?” Rouge asked, alarmed but still slightly groggy from sleep.

He ignored her. He rushed into the room. The bed was empty, but that’s where the screaming was coming from. It took his brain three seconds to figure it out.

The hedgehog was under the bed.

He didn’t know why. He didn’t care why. It didn’t matter why.

Shadow dropped to his knees. He could see the silhouette of a shaking ball of spines pressed against the wall. The overhead light clicked on. Rouge was by the door. Shadow crawled halfway under the bed to reach Sonic. There was nothing in the room and, as he dragged the hedgehog out from under the bed, he could see he was unharmed. But his eyes were closed.

He was having a nightmare.

Shadow felt his body relax slightly. There was no immediate threat. But this wasn’t the sort of scream from a scary dream. This was something more intense. It wasn’t fear so much as it was distress. It wasn’t a sound Shadow was accustomed to hearing from Sonic. And that’s what kept his heart thudding loud in his ears.

Shadow shook the hero, seeing Rouge kneel beside him out the corner of his eye.

“Faker! Faker, wake up!”

Sonic’s eyes opened blearily with a stuttering gasp. His eyes were shiny, unfocused, darting around. He pushed himself away from Shadow, hyperventilating. His quills were standing on end. To Shadow he looked downright panicked.

“Faker,” Shadow said, catching Sonic’s attention. “Calm down. You were having a nightmare.”

Sonic looked at him with an unreadable expression before letting out a sorrowful whine. He burst out in tears. Sobs wracked his body as he buried his face in his hands. Shadow felt something twist and subsequently snap inside him at the sound.

“Sonic… honey?” Rouge asked, hesitantly reaching out to touch his shoulder.

“I want Tails,” he whispered. “But Knuckles is back home…”

“Sonic, what-?”

“I want my brother!” he cried hoarsely, unshed tears gleaming in his eyes.

He curled in on himself. His ears flattened as he continued to sob. Rouge exchanged a look with Shadow. She looked just as shell-shocked as Shadow felt. At this point though, to her credit, Rouge looked wide awake.

“Do… do you want us to call him?” she asked.

“Yes! No. I-I… I don’t know… I…” Sonic whimpered through staticky breaths.

“Shadow, go call Tails. I’ll stay with him,” Rouge said.

Shadow nodded, leaving the room before switching on his communicator. It was five in the morning; the sun was not quite starting to rise yet. He was most likely going to wake Miles. But he had a feeling when the fox heard what he had to say that he’d be over here at the speed of his brother.

Shadow wondered what exactly Sonic had thought was happening when he was asleep. He wondered what could make Sonic scream in such a way. He wondered what would make the proud hedgehog cry for his brother like that.

Nothing good. That’s what.

It hadn’t escaped his attention what Sonic had said however. He wanted his brother… but clearly not Knuckles. So, whatever was bothering Sonic the last few days, whatever was making him stay away from his friends, must have to do with the echidna. The question was, what had the echidna done? Then Shadow paused. Was the only reason Sonic wasn’t at home, the only reason he wasn’t with his brother, because Knuckles was there? It was his house, wasn’t it? Couldn’t he have just kicked Knuckles out?

Was Knuckles even the whole problem?

Shadow frowned, scrolling through the contacts on his communicator. Tails’ contact was pre-installed on every communicator he made, so Shadow didn’t have to worry about not having it. He found the fox’s name – written, he noticed, as his nickname and not his real name – and hit dial.

It surprisingly didn’t take long for the fox to answer.

“Shadow? What’s up?” he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

Right. It was early after all. And Shadow hardly ever spoke to this kid, let alone called him. The poor fox kit probably thought the world was ending.

Shadow sighed. “I know where your brother is.”

There was a frantic shuffling sound from the other end.

“Is he ok?” the small voice asked.

“I don’t think so. He’s asking for you.”

“Where are you?” the fox asked.

He’d said it quick. He’d started before Shadow had finished speaking himself. There was a desperate edge to the kid’s voice.

“Above Club Rouge,” Shadow responded. “Don’t tell the echidna.”

“I won’t,” Tails said and ended the call.

Shadow was torn between going back to the spare room or waiting downstairs for Tails to arrive. In the end, he decided on the latter. Not before peeking his head into the room to check on Rouge and Sonic though.

Sonic still wasn’t ok. He was sat by the wall now, Rouge at his side. She had her arm around his shoulder. Sonic’s face was hidden in his knees, which he was hugging close to his chest. Shadow presumed, with a frown, that he was still crying. His shoulders were still quaking, but Shadow couldn’t hear anything anymore.

Rouge looked up at him with a hopeful expression. He held up both hands. 10 minutes. He was probably being a bit optimistic with that estimate, he thought, but he wouldn’t put it past the fox. His response had been enough for Rouge though. Either way, she knew the fox was on his way. If there was anyone that could help here, it was Tails. The brothers were super close, even Shadow and Rouge could see that. They had a bond that was stronger than diamond.

Shadow pulled the door to. Now he just had to wait for Tails.

Just how had he become this involved in the young hero’s life?

And why wasn’t he as bothered by that as he should be?

Chapter 9: Chapter Eight

There was nowhere he could land the Tornado if he flew the plane to the city. Which was a problem. Because the Tornado was his fastest option. And his brother needed him.

Tails stared at the biplane in frustration. He could fly fast, sure, but not Tornado fast. He hated the physical limitations of his body sometimes. Machines could be tinkered with, improved. He could not be improved.

Sighing, Tails opened the garage door.

Knuckles was still asleep. Shadow hadn’t needed to tell him not to fetch Knuckles. The problem was Tails could see both sides of this issue but he also agreed that Knuckles pushing this on Sonic was wrong. And Tails knew Sonic’s healing process. Had he upset his brother in this way before? Of course not. But he knew. He knew Sonic would forgive him first. Not that this was what was happening here. Shadow had said he wasn’t ok. Tails reminded himself that he hadn’t yet been forgiven. That was for Sonic to say. And that was fair. He shouldn’t have gone behind his brother’s back like he did. It hurt, but it was fair.

And he also knew Sonic didn’t like it. He didn’t like pushing Tails away. But Tails had made him think he’d had to.

Tails took a running start and launched himself into the air. He twirled his namesakes as fast as he could. The sky was still quite dark, navy blue gradually shifting to a lilac-grey colour. He knew the sky would be full on lilac if not becoming blue by the time he got to Central City. He really hoped he remembered where Club Rouge was… He was sure he did. He never really went there. They had been invited to a few parties hosted by Rouge before but not many.

All he did was worry as the city skyline came into view. What happened? Shadow said Sonic had asked for him. So it must have been bad.

Tails flew high over the buildings, trying to remember exactly where the club was. It was in Night Babylon, right? Ok. So… where was Night Babylon? It used to be easy to spot. It wasn’t anymore. But it was close to the centre. That he knew. He just had to look for the sign. It probably wouldn’t be lit but it was purple with two hearts at the end. The name itself was in cursive neon. The hearts overlapped, one bigger and one smaller.

Then he saw it.

12 minutes. 17 seconds.

As he got closer, he could see Shadow standing by the door. His arms were folded and his eyes were closed. When he landed, out of breath, Shadow opened his eyes. Shadow was about to open his mouth. Tails didn’t give him the chance.

“Where?”

It was less a question and more of a demand. He hadn’t meant to say it that way. He was winded and worried and just wanted to see his brother. Shadow didn’t hold it against him. Though he did look mildly surprised.

“Up the stairs, grey door down the hall.”

Tails nodded and shot inside the club. He should have thanked the Ultimate Lifeform. Sonic taught him to always be polite. He hoped Sonic could forgive this one slip; all that mattered to him right this second was getting to his brother, not courtesy. He heard the metallic tap of Shadow’s air shoes behind him, just much slower.

It took five seconds for him to locate the stairs. It took another six to climb the stairs, and another five to run down the hall. He saw the grey door, which was closed, and wasted no time opening it.

Sonic was scrunched up against the wall, face concealed by his knees. Rouge was sitting next to him. She looked up when he entered. He hardly saw her. All he saw was his brother. His brother in a position that he rarely saw unless he was having an off day.

It was far too early for this to just be an off day.

Which meant there was more going on, more that was wrong.

He was by his brother in an instant. The blue hedgehog flinched when Tails wrapped his arms around him. He’d startled him, though it didn’t take long for the hug to be returned. The peach arms that surrounded him were trembling. Tails pushed his head up under Sonic’s chin; Sonic hid his face in the fur between Tails’ ears. Sonic’s grip on him tightened, like he was afraid to let him go. Tails could hear his brother’s heart. It was pounding like he’d just run around the whole world. His breathing was wrong too. Shaky.

He’d been crying.

No.

He was crying.

Tails could feel dampness against his forehead. He just wasn’t making any noise. That made sense to Tails. Sonic didn’t like being overly expressive. Unless he was happy. He was fine being happy, sometimes played it up more than he was. He absolutely despised being emotional in front of anyone. Most of the time that even included Tails. And what was scary, was it took a lot to get Sonic to this point. What happened?

Rouge had left a few minutes after he’d gotten here. He figured she wanted to give him time to calm Sonic down. He wasn’t sure how long that would take. Tails didn’t know how much time had even passed already, but he could see light through the curtain now.

“I’m sorry,” Tails whispered.

Sonic shook his head.

Did he still not forgive him? He knew he’d made him angry. He knew but… He thought…

“N-not you.”

Tails blinked. His voice was hoarse and quiet and slow like he’d struggled through the words. It wasn’t a full sentence either. He was sure he meant that he wasn’t angry at him anymore. At least, he hoped. That’s what it felt like. Or did he mean it was Knuckles he was mad at? He knew that. Hadn’t Sonic been upset with him too though? He was sure he had.

And why was he-?

Oh.

So whatever happened was that bad.

Oh.

Sonic was finding it difficult to speak. He was finding it difficult to speak. That’s how upset he was. Even on his off days – at least most of the time, for it did happen every now and then – Sonic had his voice. He was quieter, but he had no issues speaking. If he was struggling to find his voice now, that wasn’t good. Tails hoped his voice was coming back… but it was entirely possible this was the start of it going.

Shadow said Sonic had asked for him.

Tails curled closer to his brother. That meant it was going. He’d spoken before. And now his voice was going. Tails was still adept at sign language. He wasn’t quite fluent like Sonic, had never really been, but he’d known enough to have no problem communicating with Sonic. Sometimes they even used sign during stealth missions. So Tails wasn’t too worried about that. What really bothered him was that this didn’t happen that often anymore.

‘What happened, bro…?’ he thought helplessly.

There was no point asking right now. Sonic would not answer. Not because he couldn’t speak, because he knew Sonic would not tell him.

---

He wanted to be sick.

He was shivery and nauseous. Damn it, he should have seen this coming. He shouldn’t have done that. Why did he do it? Why?

Dark growled, sitting in the air in his Voidspace. He rested his chin on his hands, eyes closed. He listened to the dead air around him with a frown. Dark liked silence. But right now he didn’t want silence. He wanted something… something soothing. A sound that Sonic found soothing…

Running water. Like that of a stream.

Not too much water, a decent distance away. But still possible to see. Close enough to hear clearly. Far enough where it wouldn’t cause anxiety. Far enough to avoid accident. Surrounded by moss and smooth stones, both giving the water a soft sound.

Yeah. That’s what he needed.

He opened his eyes and unfolded his legs, letting them come to rest of the floor of the Voidspace. He made his way to the centre, cringing at the last time he’d done this. Regret flooded his chest. He knew it was going to be awful. He knew and he’d done it anyway. What was he even trying to achieve anymore? What had he done? There was a cloying, clogging sensation in his throat but the air flowed into his lungs just fine. He flattened his ears and reached out for the light.

He stopped dead at the echoing footsteps he heard behind him, fingers just grazing the light. His ears swivelled back. Dark felt his spines bristle. He felt his blood freeze. He felt his breath catch in his throat.

How…?

He turned around slowly.

“A little… dull in here, ain’t it?”

Fleetway was staring at him with his mangled, wide, lopsided grin.

Dark fought the urge to shudder. Fleetway didn’t scare him. What scared him was that he was here. Here. In the Voidspace. His Voidspace. Dark flexed his fists. He didn’t like uninvited guests in his domain. Not only that… Fleetway couldn’t leave his own domain, shouldn’t be able to. He was confined there. And for good reason. His presence was… alarming.

“How did…?”

“Oh, c’mon, Dork. You knew what you were doing,” the golden hedgehog said cheerfully, arms folded behind his head.

“I… what?”

Dark didn’t understand. He wasn’t trying to free Fleetway. Was… was that what he’d done? His eyes widened.

“You tricked me,” Dark snapped.

Fleetway walked around him in a circle. A predator stalking prey. Dark growled. He was not prey. Fleetway shouldn’t even exist. He was the fucking prey here.

“What did you think we were trying to achieve?”

“Not this! You said I could gain control!” Dark yelled, eyes narrowing.

“And you can.”

Fleetway stopped and stared at him for an eerily long time.

“BUT SO CAN I!”

Fleetway charged at Dark, knocking him to the ground. Dark hissed, kicking the other in the face. The mental super form was thrown off but only for a moment. When he flew back at Dark, there was blood all down his face. The super forms were all extremely strong, but not indestructible. Dark had bled after his fight with Hyper but only a little. And he’d been miffed. But Fleetway was different, unstable. He liked to bleed. He purposefully let himself bleed.

Hands wrapped around Dark’s throat. He felt Fleetway’s sharp claws sink into the sides of his neck. He yelped and gathered his energy in his fists. Dark struck Fleetway in the solar plexus. He reacted by laughing.

Laughing.

Dark punched him again. And again. And again.

The bastard had flipped. The manic gleam in his eye had turned into a full on burning inferno. He’d been trapped in his domain for so long and now he was out. Dark knew he couldn’t quite take over Sonic’s body, not yet. But now he could reach Sonic… how long would it really take?

Fleetway wouldn’t hold back.

Not like Dark. What Fleetway had wanted him to do with Sonic’s last nightmare was rip the fake Tails in half. He’d wanted it to be bloody and visceral and horrific. Dark just simply couldn’t stomach that. Not Tails. Not Sonic’s sweet little brother. Burning him and snapping his neck had been enough to make Dark want to retch. Not because he couldn’t stand violence and gore. Because it was Tails. And he hadn’t even done it himself. He’d had the Voidspace do it for him. Yes, he’d set the events in motion. Yes he’d scripted it out all to happen a certain way. Yes he’d had to test to make sure it would work the way he’d wanted.

He hadn’t stayed to watch the real thing. But he’d heard Sonic.

He'd heard.

Dark gagged when Fleetway picked him up – hands still grasped tightly around his neck – to slam his head against the Voidspace. He saw light dance across his vision. The dark-furred super form let his energy flare up around his whole body and released it, sending Fleetway hurtling through the domain. Dark stumbled to his feet, feeling the damage to his neck and head. His hands came back dotted with blood. He was thankful the bleeding was minimal. And it was mostly from his neck; that was to be expected.

He was stronger than Fleetway. But that didn’t mean it hadn’t hurt. Fleetway’s assault was chaotic and fast and frankly unexpected. And the golden hedgehog could take the hits. Because he liked the pain. It didn’t bother him.

And that made him a rather terrifying opponent.

Even Dark would admit that.

And just because he was stronger, didn’t mean he was physically stronger. His energy itself was much, much stronger than Fleetway’s, but physically Fleetway had him beat with brute strength. Dark specialised in speed, agility and energy. Not brute strength.

Dark dashed to the light in the Voidspace and grabbed a handful of it. He resented what he was about to do. But he had no choice, he knew that now. He used the pure energy to strengthen his own, beginning to reach out…

He wasn’t fast enough.

Fleetway slammed into his side and sent him rolling. The white energy around his fingers dissipated as he hit the ground. He watched it fade away in a shower of sparks. Damn it. Reaching out for another super form took time and concentration. And… to be honest… he hadn’t done it for quite some time. Hardly ever, really. When Super was new, he had… he had actually tried to make that connection. He’d welcomed the other form in.

It was after Hyper entered the picture, after Super was split in half, that he’d grown to hate the others. He still held some respect for Super. But only some. Because Super had essentially replaced him when Hyper came into existence.

He and Hyper did not get along. Dark had always thought of Hyper as a stuck up, arrogant prick. He was too high and mighty. Hyper had considered him too negative, too cynical. He’s said Dark was a bad influence. That he had too much control. That he was… purposeless.

Super was there to provide the extra strength and power. He was there for Sonic to talk to and provided more “positive” support.

Hyper was there to comfort Sonic. And, honestly? He did a very good job at that. But only at Sonic’s worst. Only at his worst would he make his divine appearance. He didn’t provide anything else anymore. And he called Dark purposeless.

Then he’d convinced Sonic to agree to sealing him away.

He had, admittedly, caused problems for Sonic. He took over without permission. He supposed he had been very cynical. He could be violent sometimes. With that, Hyper had – Dark grimaced – a point. But he had no right to suggest he be shelved like a fucking book. Dark wasn’t some form created from using the Emeralds like Super, or the Super Emeralds like Hyper. He hadn’t been torn from another form to create an unstable half like Fleetway.

Dark had always been a part of Sonic.

And Hyper had convinced the hero to shelf him.

Though now he thought about it, he couldn’t fault Sonic for agreeing…

He thought about what he’d done in order to escape his prison. Now all he felt was shame. Shame for attempting to hurt, multiple times, the hedgehog who’d created him; created him a form out of desperation when he was merely a hoglet, gave his energy meaning, sentience. He felt shame for going out of his way to upset him. Shame for making him think his brother had died in front of him.

Truthfully, when he’d taken over back at Eggman’s base, he’d been trying to help. Sonic had been terrified for his brother’s life. He’d… he’d tried to offer support. But then Fleetway had gotten in his head about what Sonic had done to him and… and he had grown hateful. He’d resorted back to his initial retaliation when he’d first discovered what Hyper and Sonic were trying to do.

He’d used his Voidspace to craft nightmares, to contain Sonic for minutes, sometimes even hours at a time. He’d lashed out because he’d felt betrayed, hurt, scared.

Then Hyper had figured out exactly how to cut him off from Sonic. And it was over.

He’d ruminated for years, alone. He’d… he’d even cried that first night, when he couldn’t hear Sonic anymore. Then Fleetway had managed to reach out with his energy. It had been easier because they were both locked away. They’d exchanged a few words. Fleetway had put ideas in his head, ideas that were not his own.

He felt like such a fool.

A stupid fucking fool.

He could hear Fleetway stalking towards him. Dark had stopped on his side, facing away from the other. He took in all his mistakes, breathing hard. He listened to those steps not even trying to be quiet. They echoed everywhere. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. The rhythm was not consistent. But then, nothing Fleetway did was consistent. Even his voice was inconsistent.

Dark closed his eyes. Then opened them, glowing bright. He disappeared in a flash, reappearing behind a confused Fleetway. He was close to the centre again, so he pulled a few strands from the light. He twirled it around his body. The strands split apart into flecks of light which covered his fur unevenly; stars in the night sky. Dark started the process of reaching out again as he felt his energy coat his hands, feet, his quills. The purple-blue energy flickered like flames. He let out a slow breath quietly through his nose as Fleetway started looking around.

“Where are you, coward?” Fleetway sneered. “Scared?”

Dark shot forward, curling into a ball. He connected with Fleetway’s back, feeling his quills slice through fur and skin. The cuts weren’t deep – after all, they were super forms – but he’d left a decent enough mark. And drawn more blood. Good. As Fleetway fell forward, Dark bounced back and uncurled. He landed lightly with both his feet and one hand on the floor.

Fleetway got to his feet and swung around with a deep, warbly growl. Then an energy-clad fist struck Fleetway’s cheek. Then another landed on the side of his head. Dark swung another, but this one was caught by Fleetway. Dark’s eyes widened. Fleetway smirked. He headbutted him. Dark staggered back, dropping to the floor and swiping Fleetway’s legs out from under him.

The dark-furred super form rolled away from Fleetway and got to is feet. The star-like bits of light scattered on his fur pulsed, glowed brighter. They separated from him and he used them to make a temporary containment field of opaque white crystal around the other.

It wouldn’t hold for long.

But hopefully long enough.

His energy had just connected with Hyper’s. He felt the energy of the other slide against his own, twist together, become one.

‘What do you want?’ Hyper hissed through their connection.

That wasn’t Hyper’s usual calm tone, but it was still in his normal cadence. Dark didn’t always receive that calm tone when Sonic wasn’t present. He refrained from hissing back. Even though everything in his body told him to, he held back. He let out a steadying puff of air.

‘Hyper, I-’

‘What have you done?’ Hyper asked, cutting him off.

Couldn’t he listen to him once? Just once?

Dark turned to look behind him. He could hear Fleetway screeching. He was punching the barrier he’d made. Dark could hear each strike getting harder. And harder. He bit his lip.

‘Hyper.’

‘Super says Sonic is crying. I don’t know what you’ve been doing, but I know it’s you. It’s always you.’

That hurt. Because it was true. It had been him. But he’d been blinded by Fleetway’s poisonous influence. Blinded by his own pain. It wasn’t an excuse, he was aware of that. It didn’t erase what he’d done. But if Hyper would just let him explain…

‘Hyper… I… I did upset him, but-’

‘Are you aware that Sonic has been distressed for days? Are you aware that you’ve made him so distressed that Super feels distressed? Sonic’s pain is affecting Super. And it’s made Super stop speaking. Do you understand that if Super isn’t speaking, that means Sonic isn’t speaking?’

If he’d had his proper connection with Sonic, that would be him right now. But though he had access to Sonic’s consciousness, it wasn’t consensual. It didn’t go both ways. So he did not have their old connection – the connection that Super had gained when Dark was put away in a box. So no, he thought bitterly, he wasn’t aware.

Cracks were forming in the crystal. They were steadily growing, spider-webbing out. Every time Fleetway hit the barrier it sounded more and more like cracking glass. He was running out of time, damn it.

‘Hyper, listen to me, I-’

‘No, Dark. You listen to me,’ Hyper said, voice alight with quiet anger. ‘Stop what you’ve been doing, or I’ll make you stop.’

‘I will, ok? I’ll stop. Just le-’

‘Oh, fuck you, Dark.’

Hyper tore his energy from Dark’s. The sudden loss of his energy pressed against his caused Dark to gasp. It wasn’t pleasant having a connection like that severed so harshly. He didn’t usually hear Hyper swear either. He’d really pissed him off, which was fair. He was the cause of Sonic’s misery. They both deserved to be more than mad at him.

Dark heard the crystal barrier shatter.

Notes:

Hey!

I’m back. Again. I have never in my life written this much for a story so quickly. I’m lowkey impressed with myself.

A LOT of Dark in this one. I know. But now you can all get more context of why he’s so resentful, why he’s been so cruel and a tiny bit more about the super forms’ origins. Hyper does come across as a real asshole in this one, more so than I had initially intended... But since it's Dark's perspective, I feel like that makes sense anyway.

Thank you, everyone, who has told me to look after myself. I promise I will. Now may be the last update, or there could be one more, but we’ll just have to see on that. Thank you also for your wonderful comments, they help keep me sane and happy! I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I’ll see you when I see you!

Chapter 10: Chapter Nine

Notes:

Ok, um. Hi.

I meant to get this chapter out ages ago, and I'm soooooo sorry about that. After University finished I just couldn't get back into writing for a good while there. And that sucks so much because this chapter was basically done months ago. It took me writing something else entirely a few days ago to get me back into a writing mood (and I might just upload that sometime, not sure yet).

But, well, here's chapter nine. We're almost at the big ten (even though, technically with the prologue, we're already there but... well, that doesn't really count). I've made a start on the next chapter, but no promises with when that'll be done. I may be uploading some other stuff in the meantime, just as I'm finding my motivation again. We'll see.

Thank you everyone who has left kudos or a comment on this story while I've been gone, and, well, just in general really. I'm sorry if there are a few of you I haven't responded to - it's kinda gotten away from me recently. Your comments really do help me see that the story is still engaging and that people still want to read it, so please do keep your lovely comments coming. They make my day.

I hope you all enjoy! And hopefully I'll be back (either updating this or uploading something new) a lot sooner than last time.

Oh! And before I forget: someone wrote a story inspired by mine! Like, super stoked about that. It should show up at the bottom of the story, but just in case it's called Heroes are People Too by Shrimpickle. Please go check it out. It made me so happy that someone was somehow inspired by my own crappy work. And I hope they read this and know just how excited it made me when I got the email about it.

Sonic loosened his grip on his brother but he did not let him go. He couldn’t. He looked into Tails’ baby blue eyes and all he could see were those eyes surrounded by blackened fur. He could see that limp, lifeless body lying in the grass. He could see that askew neck.

But none of that was Tails. None of that was his brother. Because his brother was here in his arms. Clean fur. Straight neck. Breathing.

How could he find the words to tell his brother all he meant to him? Those word’s didn’t exist. Not a single word existed that could accurately convey exactly how important Tails was in his life.

For seconds, just the briefest of seconds, Sonic had to imagine a world without the two-tailed fox. He could not picture that world with him in it. Without Tails there was no Sonic. There was a teenage blue hedgehog with superspeed. But there was no Sonic. That blue hedgehog may have friends or he may not. He may be a hero, he may not be. He may be alive… he may not be.

Actually, no. Sonic knew what would happen if Tails left him. That blue hedgehog would be alive, yes, but he wouldn’t be living. He wouldn’t have friends because he’d shut down completely. He wouldn’t speak. He wouldn’t even use sign. He may even forget to eat. And sleep. He’d probably get sick. The one thing that would remain of Sonic would be his drive to help those who could not help themselves. He’d still fight Eggman. He’d still fight any and every threat that popped up. But there would be no purpose to it. He would be doing it because it’d be the only thing he’d know how to do.

Sonic felt hands against his cheeks.

Tails was wiping away fresh tears he hadn’t meant to let escape. He shouldn’t be doing that. It wasn’t his job to look after him. Sonic had to look after Tails. And he would. He wouldn’t let what happened in his nightmare happen in real life.

Because if it did, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

“It’s ok,” Tails said softly. “We’ll treat this like an off day, yeah? We’ll just… just not do anything today. You don’t have to do anything today, ok?”

Tails’ hands were still against his face. Sonic untangled his arms from Tails only so he could grab Tails’ wrists. For a moment he let those hands linger against his face before gently pulling them away. Sonic didn’t let go. He shook his head.

“Sonic…”

He opened his mouth, intending to tell Tails he didn’t need to waste his time. Intending to tell him not to worry about him. Intending to tell him he’d done nothing for six days now and didn’t need to sit around for another.

But the words didn’t come.

They got caught in his throat. The sound was wrong. His tongue wouldn’t cooperate to form the words properly. Instead, all that fell out of his mouth was a stuttered choking. He tried again. And again. He folded his ears back. Then he made a frustrated mewling sound which was completely mortifying.

Tails squeezed his hands, bringing his attention back to the fox. He let go of Sonic’s hands. A brief flicker of panic overcame Sonic’s heart for a moment at the loss of contact. That uncontrollable shaking feeling started to return. Breathing was harder.

He reached for Tails’ hands again, grabbing them before they could pull away completely.

Tails looked at him with a frown, eyes gleaming.

No. Damn it. He was worried again. That’s not what he wanted. But… but he didn’t want Tails to let go. Because if he did, he might cease to exist entirely. What if this was the nightmare? What if he’d passed out from the sheer panic of losing his brother and this was the actual nightmare? What if Tails left forever if he didn’t hold him here in this world?

After shifting his hands around in Sonic’s grasp, Tails held them tightly.

“I was going to say use sign,” Tails whispered. “But you don’t have to…”

Sonic let his forehead fall against Tails’. He couldn’t have both, he realised. He couldn’t tell Tails not to worry about him while his body also wouldn’t cooperate. He couldn’t tell Tails to stop watching over him if his own body wouldn’t let him leave. He felt selfish. But Tails didn’t seem to have any plans to go. Even though he probably had stuff to work on.

Tails’ Lab flashed through his mind.

Maybe… maybe Tails could go a day or two without making some invention or performing an experiment of some kind. Maybe Sonic could quietly remove all the flammable liquid and gas from the Lab without Tails knowing…

But in the meantime, maybe this was ok. Maybe they could just stay here.

Sonic sighed. He moved Tails’ hands to his shoulders so he could speak with his own.

With shaky hands he signed, ‘I am sorry.’

Tails’ ears folded back.

“You’re not the one who needs to be sorry, Sonic,” Tails said. “I am. I’m sorry about the inhibitors. I’m sorry I never asked. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how to get them off.”

‘How do I get them off?’

Tails hesitated.

‘Tails.’

“There… there’s a passcode,” he said quietly.

‘Which is?’

“I don’t know…”

Sonic blinked. He didn’t… then how did…? Why wouldn’t he know?

Before he could ask, Tails looked away. He looked guilty. Remorseful. His ears were lowered. Sonic could see his tails shifting behind him.

“Knuckles insisted on recording the passcode,” Tails whispered, like he was worried he’d be yelled at. “It has to be his voice. I don’t even know what the word is.”

Sonic whined.

“I’m so sorry…”

Sonic shook his head more forcefully than before. This was all Knuckles, not Tails. The fox may have made them but Knuckles had told him to. How had he ever been mad at the fox for doing something Knuckles had convinced him to do? He was fourteen. It wasn’t his fault.

‘I am sorry I was ever angry.’ Sonic signed. ‘I am not now. I should not have run off.’

He hesitated before signing his last bit.

‘I missed you.’

Tails nuzzled his face against Sonic’s chest. Sonic held him again. He curled around the fox, keeping him as close as he could. He knew he had to let the fox go at some point, but now was not the time. For now, before Rouge or Shadow came back, Sonic could forget about everything else but his brother. Because he was all that mattered. Just having him here in his arms would fix everything.

“Enjoying time with your brother?”

Sonic’s eyes snapped open. His body became stiff. Tails looked up at him alarmed and confused. He called the blue hedgehog’s name. Sonic didn’t respond. That voice. It was familiar. It didn’t come from within the room either. It trilled, rose and fell both in volume and pitch. It held a playful cadence but it came across wrong, menacing.

It wasn’t Dark.

---

Super watched Hyper pacing from his tree.

He looked irritated. Super didn’t want to bother him.

He swung his legs back and forth. Super was leaning back on his hands, paying close attention to the feeling of bark under his gloves. It was rough but kind of smooth in spots. He liked it. This was an oak. The birch trees in Hyper’s domain were smooth all over, which he also liked. But when he needed a distraction, he needed more texture. That way he had something to focus on. That’s why he’d chosen the oak.

Hyper had lots of pretty trees in his domain. Super wanted to sit in them all. They were all so different. But he didn’t want to stray too far from the other super form. He looked really upset. Super hated it when someone else was upset.

A wave of panic shot through Super. He sat up stiffly, legs stilling. He couldn’t place why he should be worried. He just knew that he was.

It was coming from Sonic.

He wished he could know why. He wished he could speak to Sonic. Wished he could calm his heart. His own was racing just as fast, just as hard. Super’s ears flattened, fingers curling into the bark along the branch. He felt the wood loosen under his grip. He watched it flake off and fall away like leaves.

Super whined. It caught Hyper’s attention. He hadn’t wanted that.

Hyper wasn’t pacing anymore.

“Super? What’s wrong?”

Super shifted in the branch as Hyper walked over. He knew sign language. Because Sonic knew sign. He’d been talking to Hyper through sign for the last hour or so because his voice wasn’t working. That meant Sonic’s wasn’t either. He thought how to form what he wanted to say. It was hard to describe, so he settled on one word.

‘Panic.’

Hyper frowned. It didn’t take him long to figure it out, Super could tell by his face. Sometimes Super just couldn’t articulate what he meant. Thankfully, Hyper could read him pretty well.

“And I suppose you don’t know why.”

It wasn’t a question. Hyper wasn’t asking. So Super didn’t respond. The white hedgehog growled. It was a deep rumble, a sound that was barely there. But it was there. It was wrong coming from Hyper. Everything was wrong.

“I told him,” he said, a quiet edge to his voice. “I told that asshole if he didn’t stop I’d go over there myself.”

Super tilted his head.

‘Who?’

“Dark.”

Super blinked. Dark had spoken to Hyper? They never spoke. And Hyper hadn’t left Super since they’d lost contact with Sonic. So he hadn’t gone to see him.

That meant Dark had reached out. Dark did not reach out, not anymore. He’d only ever done that a few times. With him. Not Hyper. Dark had spoken to him like that. Three times. Super had been fascinated by the darker form. He was so… different. He’d never fully understood why Hyper had wanted to seal him away. He understood with Fleet because he was not very nice sometimes. Dark could also be not nice, but he meant well. Super knew he meant well.

He worried about Sonic like they all did.

Sometimes, Super thought he worried more. But, in his own way. Dark was very much made up of Sonic’s deeper emotions, the things he keeps close to his chest, deep, deep, deep down. His avoidant personality. His anger. His sadness. His stress. Personified. But, like the rest of them, Dark was his own person. Super just wished he wasn’t so combative all the time. Then Hyper wouldn’t have helped Sonic seal him away.

‘You spoke?’

“Before,” Hyper said, still frowning. “He reached out. It was… odd.”

‘What did he say?’

Hyper folded his ears back. His eyes widened slightly. There was… regret there.

“I don’t know. I… I didn’t let him speak.”

He looked up at Super.

“He reached out…”

‘He never does that.’

“I shouldn’t have been so snappy… Something’s wrong. And I don’t think it’s just Dark.”

Hyper was pacing again. He was concentrating. He kept up his pacing for ages. It took Super a moment before he realised Hyper was attempting to reach out to Dark’s domain. Super focused on the Voidspace too, but found that he could not access it. That wasn’t right. He knew Hyper had forbidden him from trying to contact Dark, but he knew the Voidspace, what it felt like. Right now he couldn’t find it. In its place was nothingness. An empty hole where it should have been.

Super decided to reach out to Dark himself. It took a while. At first he was worried that Dark was ignoring him. Then he felt it, that cold, sad energy wrap around his own. The connection was desperate, he could feel it in the way it grabbed his energy tightly. He allowed his own energy to sink into the other’s.

‘Super?’

‘Dark! Are you ok? Hyper’s been trying to reach the Voidspace, but it won’t let him enter.’

There was silence for a moment. The connection wavered, strengthened again.

‘He’s… trying to reach the Voidspace?’ Dark asked.

‘He regrets not listening. He does. I can see it. But we can’t reach you. What’s going on?’

Another pause. This time it felt deliberate. Like he didn’t want to answer. Super worried at his lip.

‘Super, I… It’s a long story. But I did something bad. Really, really bad.’

Super heard the tone. He heard the thickness of his speech. It was hard to place what it was. It was a swirl of emotions. Super could pick up regret. He could pick up remorse. He could pick up… pain? Why could he pick up pain?

‘Dark?’ he asked, knowing the anxiety bubbling in his chest was his own this time.

‘I’m sorry. Can you tell Hyper that for me, Supe? Can you tell Sonic for me when you have the chance?’

That nickname…

‘Dark?’

‘I’ll let Hyper seal me away again once I fix this, I promise. I… I won’t fight it.’

Super could feel his eyes burning.

‘Dark, what’s going on?’

‘Fleetway.’

The connection Super had to Dark snapped. He wobbled on his branch, startled. Dark hadn’t initiated it. He was just… gone.

Super hopped down from his perch and ran over to Hyper. He grabbed the white form by his shoulders to stop him. Hyper startled. Super took a step back. He could feel his eyes burning still. Hyper reached a hand out to him but he stepped away from it.

“Super? What-?”

‘It’s Fleet.’

Hyper stiffened.

“What do you mean?” Hyper asked.

‘Dark told me.’

A flicker of surprise darted across Hyper’s eyes. There was something like relief in that spark too. They all knew Fleetway was bad news. But that relief… That relief from Hyper at the mention of Dark. Why was he so relieved?

“You reached Dark?”

‘He said he did something bad.’ Super signed. ‘He said he’s sorry.’

Hyper flattened his ears.

‘He said he’s sorry.’

---

Dark could see blood on the floor.

His blood.

He’d tried to take them back to Fleetway’s domain. And he had. He knew he needed Sonic’s help, and probably Hyper’s too, to seal him. But, he thought, if he could just keep Fleetway here, he’d be able to keep him from Sonic…

Fleetway was gone.

He was in his Voidspace. His domain.

He had access to the energy of his domain.

Dark wasn’t sure if he knew how to use it. But he’d figure out sooner or later.

But now he was stuck.

Dark looked down at the wood embedded in his stomach. He was still trying to comprehend it. A massive stake of wood. In his stomach. Through his stomach. Through the wall behind him. He breathed slowly. It wouldn’t kill him. But it hurt. Bad. And he couldn’t comprehend how it had happened.

He’d just kept going… He’d kept going and he hadn’t stopped.

At first, the wood barely grazed his skin. Fleetway had slammed it against him over and over and over and over. Dark had been winded, stunned. And he’d kept going. Fleetway had enrobed it in his energy after a while. Hot, scarlet energy. He’d managed to break the skin.

Then he’d kept going.

And going.

And going.

Dark shifted and grimaced. Blood seeped around the stake, down his legs. Dark had never… felt this before. He could feel the poisonous energy inside him. Flecks of it were still lingering on the wood. It made him nauseous.

This whole domain made him nauseous.

He leaned his head back against the stained wall. Hesitantly, Dark wrapped his hands around the stake. It moved slightly at his touch. He hissed through his teeth, stopping his hands from letting the wood go again. He had to get it out. He had to stop Fleetway.

He coughed, feeling the pain spike. He could taste metal. That wasn’t good.

How could he have let this happen? How could he have blindly trusted that bastard? Now he had free reign to torment Sonic and it was all his fault. Dark growled lowly, half aimed at Fleetway, half at himself. He should never have been so stupid. How would breaking Sonic down really give him what he wanted?

He didn’t just want freedom.

He wanted his old connection back.

How was he ever to gain that now? Sonic would never trust him again. He’d known that years ago, and still he’d thought this would work? He couldn’t force it; he would never get back what he had with his host. Now he realised that. Now he wasn’t fighting for himself. He supposed he never had been. Now he was fighting for Sonic’s sanity, his freedom. He was fighting for Super’s right to foster his old connection. And, though he may despise it, he was fighting for Hyper too.

The wood shifted as he applied more pressure. Dark grit his teeth and tried to ignore the way his stomach churned. The feeling was welling up into in his throat. Funny. The last time he’d actually experienced that was when he still had his connection to Sonic. He supposed he could still feel sick in extreme circumstances then. He’d never been hurt this bad before. It was all so foreign and strange.

Dark absently wondered what his plan would be once the wooden stake was gone. Fight Fleetway? Like this? It wouldn’t exactly be the smartest move, but what else could he do? He couldn’t let Fleetway do whatever his was planning. But fighting him, so badly injured like this, would do nothing for his chances either.

Did he really have the right to ask Super and Hyper for help?

He caused this. And would he even be able to reach them? Contacting them would require a lot of concentration and right now the pain flooding his system felt like too much of a distraction.

He tugged a little harder, ears flattening, eyes scrunched shut. His left incisor sliced through his cheek. He ignored it. With a lurch, he felt the wood disconnect from the wall behind him. He stumbled forward, a high pitched sound gurgling in the back of his throat. Once he was free from the wall, he ripped out the remaining length of wood and tossed it aside. Dark gasped. Agony raced up and down his legs, his arms. Dark fell to his hands and knees, his vision swirling. He coughed and spluttered, feeling blood well up passed his teeth. It dribbled out down his muzzle.

Dark shivered.

Moving so one forearm, flat on the bloody ground, could support his weight, Dark lifted his other hand to his stomach. He had to heal all he could as fast as possible. He was no longer conscious of time. He had no idea how long Fleetway had been left to his own devices. He had no way of knowing what was going on.

Fuck. He wanted to throw up.

Chapter 11: Chapter Ten

Summary:

Hi. So I’m back. Oop. Been a while again. Partly graduation, partly starting like two other projects and, to be perfectly honest, partly Baldur’s Gate 3. Not gonna lie, I’ve been thoroughly distracted recently. And no, I have still been writing. Just not… this. That’s not to say I’m losing interest – not at all, I assure you – I just simply wanted to, needed to really, start a few other stories that will likely end up trashed or sitting in a folder for eternity. Weeeee, love my brain.

Anyway… New chapter, yay, go me, I did it. Eventually. Was up until three in the morning yesterday doing a god damn sprint to write half this chapter, just because. I hadn’t even intended to start writing, I just wanted to check over what I’d done and gauge how much needed to be added and, well, here we are.

I hope you all enjoy. Thank you, once again, to everyone who has left kudos and commented. A comment I received out of the blue yesterday sort of pushed me to open this chapter again in the first place. So, they honest to satan do help with my motivation. Sincerely, thank you.
Still debating on uploading something new, just so I feel like my recent word-vomit episodes aren’t completely for nothing, but we’ll see...

Suddenly, letting go of Tails felt so much easier.

Sonic excused himself and stumbled his way to the bathroom. Tails called his name again. He locked the door, took three steps and his legs failed him. Thankfully, he was close enough to catch himself on the toilet. Good thing too, because the moment he got there he began to heave. So far there was nothing coming up though.

The panic gripped his heart. This couldn’t be happening. This was a joke, a sick joke.

‘Wh-where’s Dark…?’ he asked the insane hedgehog hesitantly.

Did he want Dark back? Of course not, but he wanted to know if he had to deal with them both. He also wanted to know exactly what happened. Why was Fleetway talking to him now? Why was Dark quiet?

“He’s taking a little itsy-bitsy vacation,” the twisted form sang.

Vacation? He could hear Fleetway cackling. What did that mean?

“Oh, it has been a while,” Fleetway continued. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun.”

‘I don’t want to play.’

“Too bad, bitch.”

His mind was silent after that. Sonic heaved again. This time a little something came up. Guess he could say goodbye to that lovely soup he’d had last night. He felt the burning in his throat, knew he was just getting started. The next heave brought up much more. He felt the liquid force its way up his throat. The burning entered his nose. For a moment, it just kept coming.

When he was done, he breathed in so hard he choked on the air.

He could hear a light knocking on the door. It was specific. Two knocks. Pause. Two. Pause. Two. Pause. One knock. He didn’t even need the voice to confirm who it was. He hadn’t heard that pattern in a while.

“Bro?” Tails called. “Are you ok?”

Man, he was getting tired of that question.

The answer was no. It was fucking no. But he couldn’t say that, not to his brother.

It just felt like everything had been turned up to twelve hundred all of a sudden and he couldn’t see properly. It felt like every nerve had been wired to a 9 volt battery. His stomach was still protesting, but there was nothing else to bring up. He gagged a few times, bringing up nothing but air. The only meal he’d had for the past few days had been that soup. That was certainly out of his system now.

Sonic leaned his cheek against the toilet seat for a moment. Was it gross? Sure was. Did he fucking care right now? No.

“Sonic?”

Fleetway was worse than Dark. So much worse. They must have been talking. So he’d been right; Dark must have gotten some inspiration from Fleetway for those horrid nightmares. They just weren’t his style. But they were Fleetway’s. Dark was sort of an enigma, but the nightmares did not fit with the Dark Sonic remembered. But they absolutely lined up with Fleetway’s. So why? Why? Sonic knew Dark didn’t like Fleet. Dark didn’t really like anyone.

Now, that was a lie. Sonic couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he knew that was a lie. At least, it used to be. Because Dark did used to care. He must have, at least somewhat. About him. About Tails. Even, perhaps, about Knuckles. In his own weird way. He must have cared because Tails was often the catalyst. If Tails was in danger, Dark’s insistent spark would blaze inside Sonic. Sometimes, Sonic had let that fire consume him. Others, he’d been able to resist it, extinguish it. But Tails’ life had always seemed so important to Dark.

Probably because he was so important to Sonic.

‘That must have changed,’ Sonic thought grimly.

But Fleetway was something else. Dark had always resented his other super forms. But Fleetway… he was just different. Fleetway was a psychopath. He was destructive and cruel and bloodthirsty. And Sonic could remember a time when that had disgusted Dark.

So what had changed?

“Bro?”

Sonic gagged again. Still, nothing more came up. He closed his eyes and breathed through his mouth. His nose felt super gross. Sonic reached for the toilet paper to wipe his mouth and blow his nose. He would likely be gagging and heaving for a while yet, but at least he knew nothing else would come up.

---

Tails hovered outside the bathroom. His brother wasn’t responding.

“Sonic?” he asked a little louder. “Can you hear me?”

“Is everything ok, Tails?”

The yellow fox turned to see Rouge walking down the hall towards him. Behind her, he could see Shadow hovering in the doorway to the living room, frowning. He opened his mouth to respond and then closed it. It didn’t really feel like anything was ok anymore.

“Sonic left a few minutes ago,” he told them. “I… I think he was just throwing up.”

“Throwing up?” Rouge asked, alarmed.

He watched the bat exchange a wide-eyed look with Shadow. Even the Ultimate Lifeform appeared worried. Like, clearly worried. It made the anxiety in his chest skyrocket. Shadow never really portrayed much on his face, so to actually be able to see the worry there? Tails was a few steps away from joining his brother at the toilet – if he ever opened the door.

“He does that sometimes,” Tails said and, once he started, he couldn’t quite seem to stop. “When he’s really stressed. And right now he is but I’m not sure what triggered it. One moment we were… talking… the next he completely froze up. Then he was gone and, well… I-I-I don’t know what happened.”

Had they been “talking?” Technically yes. Technically no. The semantics didn’t matter right now. What mattered is that his brother was in full panic mode and he could see nothing that would have set him off so badly.

Rouge seemed a tad shellshocked but she recovered rather quickly. She had a hand to her chest and her ears were perked. Tails idly watched her dark wings flutter. In. Out. In. Out. He tried to time his breaths to that steady rhythm while Rouge collected herself. Shadow was looking at the carpet with furrowed brows and folded ears.

“Nothing happened?” Rouge clarified. “He just bolted?”

He nodded solemnly.

“Maybe it’s the inhibitors…” Tails mumbled, taking a similar stance to Shadow.

“Inhibitors?”

“Those rings around his wrists,” Shadow chimed in. “I noticed them when I first found Sonic, but they’d slipped my mind with everything else. I hadn’t realised that’s what they were.”

Tails nodded again. He flattened his ears and averted his eyes. All of this was somehow connected to the inhibitors. It had to be. Besides the incident at Eggman’s base, Sonic had been fine before. Unless there was more to this than just the inhibitors. Sonic had run because he’d felt betrayed, but everything else? This was more than Sonic simply feeling upset over a decision he’d had no say in. And it must stem back to Eggman’s base. Perhaps even further back than that – it was so hard to gauge with Sonic sometimes. He always kept serious stuff like this to himself.

For all Tails knew, this had started months ago.

“Why does he have them?” Shadow asked.

Those ruby eyes were fixed on Tails. His eyes were narrowed, irises slits so sharp Tails could feel them cutting into his soul. Just carving strips from him and flinging them aside, digging for an answer. Tails shrivelled under that intensity.

“It’s a long story,” Tails said, voice impossibly feeble. “Knuckles thought he needed them...”

“Why?” Shadow pressed, sounding angrier than ever.

“I…” Tails started, then stopped. “Knuckles just… Sonic is… It… I-It’s hard to explain.”

“Try.”

Tails opened his mouth to respond but the words died on his tongue. The muted sound of running water came trickling through the bathroom door. Tails’ ears registered it as the sound of the toilet flushing, followed by the tap. Part of him hoped Sonic would open the door. The other half of him suddenly hoped Sonic would keep the door locked and stay inside. He knew this was not a conversation Sonic enjoyed having. He did not like bringing up the strange, scary super form he had. That was part of why Knuckles had wanted to go behind Sonic’s back for the inhibitors. Tails had not seen the super form in a very long time and, now that he thought about it, he realised only he, Knuckles and Eggman even knew of it.

Explaining the inhibitors meant explaining that weird form. And Tails didn’t know how to start with that. He really didn’t know much at all. Only that Sonic never seemed himself in that form; he did not seem to have full control of himself. He’d only ever seen it in times of stress, times usually when he was in danger or when things looked bleak. He knew the form was terrifying. He knew that after the fact, Sonic was always upset. Tails did not know how Sonic could achieve the form without a single emerald. He did not know why Sonic seemed to have no control. He did not know where it came from. Tails just knew it existed and that it was bad.

Shadow was still waiting for a response. He’d moved from his spot in the doorway. The dark hedgehog shouldered his way passed Rouge. He towered over the yellow fox and Tails took a step back. He could not meet those blade-sharp eyes.

“Why does Sonic have inhibitors, Miles?”

“That form,” he whispered.

The bathroom door opened right as Shadow took another step towards Tails. All three of them turned to look at Sonic. His quills were on end, his muzzle pale. There were haunted shadows fogging over his half-lidded emerald eyes. Sonic’s fur was ruffled, matted, and his ears were drooping. Tails saw Shadow’s eyes drift down to look at the inhibitors he’d made and felt another prickle of guilt creep along his chest.

Sonic’s eyes, dazed and hollow as they were, narrowed minutely at Shadow’s aggressive stance over Tails. He let out a low, barely audible growl. The bite was there in full force, but Sonic’s face was remarkably blank aside from the slight glare. Shadow wisely took a step away from Tails but did not back off further. The growl felt wrong to Tails. He’d heard Sonic when he was angry before – it did not happen too often in his memory, but he’d heard it – and this growl was different than that. It wasn’t anger, it was full on rage. It was the type of growl Tails associated with Sonic’s scary super form. Thankfully, because of the inhibitors, Sonic’s fur stayed the same shade of royal blue. That was comforting at least.

Tails couldn’t figure out where that protective fury had come from.

Shadow was a little close for comfort, sure, and his stance had been threatening. But it was Shadow. You sort of expected that type of thing from the darker hedgehog. And Tails was mostly sure Shadow wouldn’t actually harm a single hair on his body. Surely Sonic knew that too. So why the growl?

“Hey bud,” Tails said hesitantly. “Are you alright?”

Sonic’s hands started to move. Shadow and Rouge frowned in his periphery but Tails tried to ignore them. He watched Sonic’s hands for a moment as the words formed. What he signed was brief. It was alarming in a way Tails couldn’t pin down.

‘I am so tired.’

“Sonic?” Tails asked, taking a small step closer to his brother.

‘I do not want to do it anymore.’

Tails swallowed thickly. He felt his tails, which had been flicking nervously since Sonic had run for the bathroom, go still. He wrung his hands together. The agents watched the exchange with an almost sombre respect, like neither wanted to interrupt or ask what was happening. Tails supposed neither knew sign.

“Do what, buddy?” he asked, not sure he wanted the answer.

‘Everything.’

---

Tails was gone.

It had been obvious to Knuckles the moment he woke up. Tails’ bedroom door stood open in the hall. So was bathroom door. The garage downstairs, filled with homemade gadgets and tools, wires and metal – a mess, as usual – held no fox in its walls. Other than Knuckles, the house was devoid of life.

Knuckles hadn’t felt this out of place in the brothers’ house since he was first invited down from Angel Island. He remembered the awkward moment when Sonic had first offered clearly.

Sonic had come up to Angel Island in the Tornado by himself. Until that point, he hadn’t even known Sonic could fly it. He learned later, of course, that Sonic had fixed the plane way before he’d even met Tails. But at the time, it had been so strange. The red-winged contraption had touched down on a bare patch of ground in sight of the Master Emerald. From his place by his charge, Knuckles had noted with startled surprise that he could see Sonic sitting at the controls. The hedgehog had hopped out and was by his side before he could even comprehend what was happening. He remembered growling – Sonic was too close to the Master Emerald – but the blue menace hadn’t even looked over at the giant gem. Those unsettling green eyes were on him.

“Heya, Knux,” Sonic had chirped, sounding a little stilted.

He hadn’t been speaking for long by that point and his voice had been so off. It was like Sonic couldn’t quite figure out what tone was meant to go with the words he was using. Knuckles had been torn between a weird sense of pride for the hedgehog and an uncomfortable need to push him down the shrine’s stairs. Still, it was nice being able to actually understand him.

He didn’t respond.

It hadn’t deterred Sonic though. With his hands behind his back, Sonic rocked back and forth on his heels. He’d had to look up to meet Knuckles’ eye back then. Now they were closer in height. Not the same height, but much closer. Knuckles still had a couple inches on the younger hedgehog.

“Was just thinkin’ that you’re probably lonely up here by y’self.”

“I’m used to being alone, hedgehog,” he had snapped back. “I like the quiet.”

Sonic’s face had scrunched up in a frown. The rocking had stopped, but his hands remained clasped behind his back. He shifted, seemingly always needing to be moving some part of his body.

“You’ve never not had quiet,” Sonic shot back.

Knuckles had to stop himself from telling Sonic he’d just used a double negative. He wouldn’t have even understood what that meant, and that would’ve just lead to a fight when Sonic had clearly come with peaceful intentions in mind. So again, he didn’t respond, just watched the hedgehog with cautious eyes. What was his game? For surely, he was playing one. Sonic always seemed to be playing some game that no one else around him was privy to. Except sometimes Tails, that was.

“Weeeeell, I’m just gon’ leave this here then.”

Sonic unclasped his hands, revealing a small key in the palm of his glove. While Knuckles stared at him, Sonic had slowly put the key down in front of him on the floor. The little clink as it touched the ground was still so loud in his mind. Sonic had backed up a few steps, gave him a salute, and dashed back down the steps.

He’d already been back in the air before Knuckles could reach the bottom step of the shrine.

With a sigh, Knuckles shook his head, but the memory wouldn’t quite go away. Sonic had never really asked him officially, just left a key to the house he shared with Tails with no explanation. Eventually, Tails had addressed it himself, asking if he’d like to stay indefinitely. Knuckles had declined, but he did  spend more time than he’d like to admit on the surface these days. He still had that key.

He found himself in the kitchen again. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been holding the glass in his hand. It was the red one. The one with the crack in the base. Sonic’s glass. The urge to toss it against the wall overcame him for a moment. He stopped himself. Just barely. It wouldn’t be right to smash Sonic’s favourite glass, especially not when Knuckles’ frustration was directed at himself. He set it down gently and just stared at it for a moment. He watched the way the sunlight filtered through the glass, leaving a pink stain of light across the countertop. His violet eyes found the crack again.

Why did Sonic like it so much?

The glass was damaged. Not enough to be useless, but enough to be noticeable. Why had it not simply been thrown out? Why was it his favourite? It just didn’t make sense to him. He picked up the glass again, felt along its base, realised the crack wasn’t just noticeable, but that he could feel it too.

Somewhere, deep in the recesses of his mind, Knuckles could see Sonic doing what he was doing now. Could see Sonic thumbing the glass where the crack was idly, talking to Tails across the table. Could see, now, another memory of the same glass. One where Sonic had felt along the base at the wrong angle. Could recall how he’d frowned slightly mid-conversation, subtly turning the glass in his hand without missing a beat in the conversation. Could recall how that frown instantly melted away once the crack had be found again. His finger had been searching for that imperfection. Had almost seemed to… need it.

But why?

Knuckles furrowed his brow. He set the glass back down and opened the cupboard again. He took out Sonic’s mug. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but something told him to look at it closer. After a moment, he found what he had been unconsciously looking for. A imperfection, a fault, along the handle. A slightly irregular groove on the inside. He felt along it again, once more remembering Sonic fiddling with the mug, how the back of his finger trailed up and down along the handle.

Knuckles started to pull out more dishes from the cupboard. Then silverware from the drawer.

Sonic’s favourite plate. A chip on the underside. Noticeable only if you caught it right with your finger.

His favourite bowl. A mistake in the glazing; the spot had been missed. It left the small area rough instead of smooth.

His favourite knife. It was a butterknife with a tiny indent towards the bottom of the blade, the section below sticking out, a little too sharp. Sonic used it for everything, despite it being only a butterknife. Knuckles almost genuinely cut himself.

His favourite spoon – Knuckles now saw it was warped slightly.

Fork. One of the tines was bent so it was sticking up a little further than the rest.

Knuckles was almost frantic now and he didn’t even know why. He ran to Sonic’s chair at the table, the one by the door. Along the edge of the seat, he caught it: a groove in the wood. Deep but not altogether noticeable on first glance.

What the fuck?

Why…?

Why was everything the hedgehog owned damaged in some way? Why were they all imperfect? It couldn’t be a coincidence, surely? Every. Single. One. Why was Sonic seemingly drawn to broken things?

And why was that starting to make him mad?

It was so small, so easy to miss. But it was true. Knuckles even went into the living room, found the spot he liked best on the settee – right side, by the armrest. He saw how a piece of irregular stitching stuck out where it was absent on the left side. He could see, so damn clearly now, how Sonic’s hand would trace that stitching. Fuck, he could see it now. But he hadn’t thought about it back when he first noticed it. He hadn’t thought about any of it, but now he couldn’t stop.

What else in this house was subtly imperfect? What else did Sonic hold close that was damaged in some way? Did Tails know? Was it even really that significant? Was he overreacting? What did it all mean? Did it mean anything? Was Knuckles genuinely losing his mind?

Why did it seem like Sonic favoured everything damaged in this bloody house?

There was no way it was a coincidence. He refused to even entertain the idea.

He had to search the rest of the house.

 

Chapter 12: Chapter Eleven

Notes:

Hi!

Bet no one was expecting an update for this today, huh? No, it hasn't been dropped! Anyone who has been reading Running on Steam has probably seen me talk about my difficulties getting this chapter done, but I'm finally happy enough to post it. It's not particularly eventful, unfortunately, more of a set-up chapter I suppose, and I guess that's why it was so difficult. I knew where I wanted to go with this story, but not how to get it there, if that makes sense. But I've finally landed on a combination I like. Some of the sections are quite short, just a little tease at a few developing situations, but I hope you like it and it was worth the wait!

I'll try and get the next one out a lot sooner than this, and for those of you reading Running on Steam, I've actually almost finished the next chapter for that too, so that's a plus. I think I work in bursts of productivity and then kind of procrastinate the rest of the time. But oh well, that seems to work for me, so you all just have to deal with it, unfortunately. Sorry!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, I struggled so hard with it. Thanks to anyone who has left a comment on this, and any of my other stories, they always make my day! I'll see you next time (and hopefully not too far in the future, oop).

A low, warbly growl left Fleetway’s throat. He could feel the warmth of the Voidspace’s energy centre, but he was having a hard time finding it. He’d been near it before, when he’d kicked Dark’s pathetic ass, but now it was nowhere to be found. He stopped, trying to reach out for that well of Chaos but it felt so distant now.

This wasn’t ideal.

By now, he should have been devising a new nightmare for Sonic. He should have been creating his new masterpiece. Not running around in the vacuous void of Dark’s domain. Somehow, he had a feeling the dark-furred form had done something. He must have sent out a wave of energy to confuse him. Smart, and honestly impressive with how he’d left him. Didn’t make it any less infuriating though. Fleetway had half a mind to go back there and twist the wooden beam in his stomach.

Another growl left him, this one tinted with impatient anticipation. He couldn’t wait to break Sonic down until he could wrestle the control from his trembling hands. He couldn’t wait to hear him whimper. Fleetway wanted to see that blue hedgehog cry. He bet Dark had already seen it, lucky bastard. But he wanted to see it himself.

Did he have any particular reason to? Did he have any real grievance with Sonic? Not really. It was just fun. Being locked away had been a total bore though. He’d missed his host’s delicious screams. His terror had always been the sweetest. Sure, when he’d been free it was awesome to terrorize villages of stupid mobians, but Sonic’s fear… the fear he had for innocents, the fear he had for his friends… that was just delectable. The fear he had for himself? Now that was sometimes hard to bring out, but that was the best.

But he had an idea to get it. He just had to find the well of energy in the Voidspace to set it up. Honestly, it was so simple it was honestly laughable. But it would work. It would work because Sonic was hopelessly pathetic.

Though the idea he had was simple, he would be lying if he didn’t say he liked his dramatics a little. He knew what he wanted to do, but he had yet to decide how he was going to implement it, to afflict him with it. Oh, there were so many choices. But he had to make it believable too, or it might not work so well. Dark had told him that his ocean of blood had worked wonders, but the blood was a bit overkill. Sonic knew right away that it was fake, which wasn’t ideal for that pure fear taste.

Not, he’d reel it in a little this time. As hard as that was sometimes.

Fleetway felt giddy as his plan formed in his mind. His fur sparked with red energy in excitement. With his forearm, Fleetway wiped a trickle of blood from his nose distractedly. It left a gory line of clotted red along his already stained peach fur. He could still taste his own blood in the back of his throat. It was glorious.

But, Dark’s blood tasted far sweeter. Though, still not quite as sweet as Sonic’s fear.

He licked his claws with a growl-like purr. There were still traces of Dark over his hands. The ripped fabric of his gloves was soaked in his beautiful blood. Such a pretty colour, red was. Such a pretty colour indeed.

He must have gotten his love for red from his host, but their reasons for liking the colour were wildly different. Fleetway wasn’t quite sure why Sonic liked red, he didn’t really care, but either way he was wrong. Red was pretty because it was the colour of blood and viscera, that was all. And oh, did blood always make things better. A corpse, a wall, the floor. Blood made everything look so much better. And oh, how he wished to paint Dark’s Voidspace with his wonderful strokes of bloody paint. The whole domain could use a coat of the stuff; it was far too boring here.

Boring, boring, boring. Dark was just as boring as the dormant state of his domain.

He’d wanted to back out of the last nightmare. He’d refused to go as brutal as Fleetway had suggested. Granted, what he did had worked just as well, it was still a boring move. Just an explosion? Where was all the blood? Chaos he was so boring. He could be doing so much more with his stupid Voidspace.

Fleetway stopped for a moment, catching a glimpse of white light at the edge of his vision.

“Finally!”

Oh, he had so many plans for this special domain…

---

Rouge had no idea what Sonic had said.

Sign language. He was using sign language. She couldn’t understand it herself, but she knew what it was. She hadn’t realised, however, that Sonic knew the language.

She was getting distracted again. Whatever Sonic had told Tails must have been bad. Like, really bad. The poor fox had fluffed out his fur in alarm, tails somehow even fluffier than normal. It would have been cute if the blood hadn’t drained from his face. Tears filled his eyes and he’d launched himself at Sonic. The blue hedgehog had caught his brother in a loose hug but his expression remained worryingly blank, staring a hole into the wall opposite.

Now Sonic looked almost… soulless. It made Rouge feel uncomfortable.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Tails was pleading into Sonic’s chest. “Please tell me. Is it the inhibitors? We can go to Knuckles. We can take them off. I’ll make him listen. He has to listen. You just have to talk to me.”

Tails stepped back, taking Sonic’s hands in his own. There were rivers flowing down his cheeks now. Something sparked in Sonic’s eyes for a moment, but it was swallowed up in the thick fogginess before Rouge could place it. Sonic was looking at Tails now, at their hands. Tails carefully let go.

“Just talk to me, please.”

Sonic pulled his eyes to the floor and wouldn’t look at Tails. His hands fell to his sides.

Beside her, Shadow stepped forward. He’d lost his threatening stance from before. The sound Sonic had made was full of such unbridled fury that even Shadow was worried about it, it seemed; Rouge was glad she wasn’t the only one. But now, he had that look in his eye. Shadow needed answers. Rouge was curious herself. What the hell was happening? They both deserved an answer by now. Though, it seemed like Tails was missing some of this puzzle himself, and they certainly weren’t going to get it from Sonic at this point. Still, it wouldn’t stop Shadow from trying.

“Miles, what is going on?” Shadow said, clearly trying to keep his voice level.

Tails shot a look over his shoulder of complete distress. It stopped Shadow in his tracks completely. The fox was making quiet whining noises now. It was a hiccupy, high-pitch sound that broke Rouge’s heart into several pieces. Rouge stepped forward too. She couldn’t take this anymore. Whatever was happening, it seemed like Sonic was the only one with the answers, and he was upsetting his own brother now. Yes, Sonic was clearly suffering too, but she needed Tails to get some fresh air for a few minutes. The fox looked like he might pass out from how stuttery his breath was.

And maybe, she thought, if the two hedgehogs were alone for a few they could talk it out, maybe figure out what was going on. If Sonic would even speak him, that was.

Rouge put an arm around Tails. Gently, she tried to coax him away.

“Come on, Tails,” Rouge said. “Let’s get you some fresh air, huh?”

Before Tails was even shaking his head, Sonic was straight up hissing at her. Rouge drew back in shock. It was the spitting hiss of an aggravated cat. The blank look turned almost aggressive and Rouge couldn’t help the little spike of fear she got after seeing it. Shadow stepped in front of her and glared at Sonic but the blue hedgehog’s expression didn’t change. He hissed again, the sound trailing off into a growl mimicking the one from before. Sonic wrapped Tails in his arms again, pulling him close. She could see his hands tighten around Tails. He was baring his teeth.

“It’s ok,” she heard Tails whisper. “I’m not going anywhere. Everything’s ok.”

Tails returned the hug, despite how aggressive it had been. He was still crying, but appeared more concerned with trying to calm Sonic down. And it worked. Somewhat. The growl faded away. The glare remained.

But Rouge was still worried about Tails.

She also desperately wanted to know what Sonic had said. And why wouldn’t he say anything else? Why wasn’t he talking at all? She wasn’t used to Sonic being so eerily quiet. Was this normal? Was this normal and she just didn’t know him well enough? Or was this an anomaly to the fox too? Chaos, she wanted to know so badly. It was killing her not to know.

And what of the inhibitors? Shadow had asked and Tails had started to tell them something. He mentioned some “form” whatever that meant. Did he mean like Sonic’s Super form? Or something else? Rouge simply found that she was left with more questions than answers after all of this. In fact she had no answers at all.

Despite this, she had to accept that she wasn’t going to be able to pry Tails away from his brother. So instead, she chose to pull Shadow away down the hall. He rose his brow at her but did not resist as she dragged him through the door and into the living room.

“Rouge?”

“I think…” Rouge started. “I think we should give them some space. Sonic seems rather… protective right now. And I suppose he feels threatened by us, as weird as that sounds.”

“Threatened, huh?” Shadow said with a scoff. “I see what you mean. But what exactly are we supposed to do in the meantime?”

“Wait.”

Who knew how long that would be. But they had no other choice. They had to wait until either Tails could get away from Sonic or said hedgehog was ready to talk. Rouge had a feeling they were going to be waiting a while.

Shadow disappeared in a flash, but not without telling her to message him if anything changed first. He’d probably be back way before that.

Chaos, she needed a coffee. Or something harder.

Probably something harder.

---

This was a complete mess. A complete, utter mess.

And Hyper had no idea what to do.

Dark was sorry. Dark absolutely did not apologise. Part of Hyper wanted to stay mad at him. He’d admitted fault, like Hyper had expected. But he’d never heard Dark apologise. That was what frightened Hyper the most.

And he was lacking some crucial information here. What did Dark have to do with Fleetway? Why was he apologising? What did he do?

Super had curled up in his tree not too long ago. He wouldn’t communicate anymore. Last Hyper checked, his hands were too shaky. He couldn’t even ask what had changed. All he knew was that Super was distressed, even more than before. And Hyper felt so useless. He couldn’t reach Dark, he couldn’t reach the Voidspace. Hyper wouldn’t even attempt to reach Fleetway. Though he was sure Super had. It was hard to tell if he’d gotten through or not.

Hyper couldn’t ask that either.

He stopped pacing, turning to face Super’s chosen tree. He’d gravitated to the blossoming trees slowly before he’d shut down completely. Hyper had changed his pacing to follow him. Super was sitting with his back to the trunk, halfway up the tree. His knees were draw up to his chest. Though his face was half-hidden in his knees, Hyper caught a glimpse of those crimson eyes staring blankly out at the trees. He’d picked a tree with very light blossoms, but not the lightest. His eyes were on the lightest one.

Judging by Super’s demeanour, Hyper could only guess at Sonic’s current mindset. Though it was sometimes hard to tell how much of Super’s mood was affected by Sonic. Was this Sonic’s influence or Super’s anxiety?

Hyper sighed. He sat down on the grass, watching a single pale petal flutter by. Absently, he reached out to grab it. It slipped through his fingers and whirled up into the air. Out of reach. Slowly, he let his arm fall back down. He rubbed a hand over his face, stifling a groan. Flicking an ear to the side, he could hear Super shifting in the tree. Upon looking, Super had buried his face fully in his knees, ears back and quills stiffened.

Things were getting worse, and if Hyper couldn’t find a way to fix it soon…

A growl threatened to leave his throat and Hyper had to bite it back in alarm. He couldn’t lose his cool, not now. He’d already growled in front of Super already. It was a mistake, one he wouldn’t let happen again unless he was fighting. He had to be level headed.

Because crumbling under the weight of anxiety would help no one. Not him, not Super, not Sonic. And not Dark.

From what he could tell from Super’s frantic signing before, Dark was in trouble. Super said he’d sounded like he was in pain. That by itself was terribly disturbing. Had Fleetway managed to hurt him? But how was that possible? He should be trapped within his domain.

He shouldn’t be able to leave.

But if Dark was hurt…

Hyper startled, feeling a chilling energy graze his own. Recognising it as Dark’s, Hyper tried to reach for it as it slipped away again. For a moment he thought he’d grasped it, but before he could entangle it with his own it faded. Hyper closed his eyes, trying to find that energy again, just a trace of it. Briefly it flickered back to life. He almost physically lunged for it, needing answers to his questions desperately. The cold energy flickered, like a flame threatened by the wind. And then…

It was just gone.

Hyper clenched his fists. His claws dug into the flesh of his palms. He loosened his fists slightly when they threatened to break the skin.

How could it just be gone?

Why was Dark struggling so much to reach him? Was it because he was hurt? Was he simply having the same issues as Hyper and Super? Then how could he reach them before and not now?

He had to try harder. Hyper closed his eyes again. But no matter how far he pushed, how desperately he searched, he couldn’t get through the peculiar barrier that was blocking him. Where had this barrier come from? It was making everything so difficult. Hyper was just glad he hadn’t been cut off from Super too.

He didn’t know what he’d do if he’d been cut off from Super.

A hand touched his shoulder and Hyper snapped open his eyes. He was met with hollow crimson eyes and ruffled golden fur. That fur had lost its shine, precious metal dulled to a dreadful matte. Hyper could only imagine his fur was following suit. He couldn’t bare to look. Super plopped down beside him and wrapped both his arms around Hyper’s arm. He leaned in, resting his head limply against Hyper’s shoulder. Then Hyper felt it, their energy connecting. He widened his eyes.

“Together,” Super whispered. “We try together.”

His voice was shaky and hoarse, so quiet Hyper almost missed it. But it was there, and that gave Hyper hope. How had he not thought of that? If they used their combined energy, they should have a better chance of reaching Dark.

So Hyper took hold of Super’s energy and guided it out with his own. With their combined efforts, they managed to sneak a bit of energy passed that barrier, as if slipping through a crack in a wall. With a wider space to scope out, they felt out for Dark’s energy. It weakly met them halfway, grasping at their energy like a drowning man for air. With both Hyper and Super’s strength, they were able to keep his energy from disappearing again. While Hyper concentrated on keeping their energies stable, Super wove all three together to create the connection.

Dark broke through with all the grace of a floundering goldfish. But Chaos, was Hyper actually happy to hear his voice.

‘H-Hyper? Supe?’

Hyper blinked at the nickname for Super. It was the one Sonic sometimes used. He hadn’t been aware that Dark used it. Somehow, that made something shift inside Hyper’s view of Dark… But he also heard what Super had heard before: that under-cut of agony in his speech.

‘Dark!’ Super cried, loud and desperate. ‘Are you ok?’

There wasn’t a response. Not at first. Hyper thought to keep his mouth shut, at least for a while; Dark was more likely to speak to Super than him, he knew that. Hyper and Dark didn’t have the best relationship. That was Hyper’s fault. He could admit that. But Dark had to admit his own faults before Hyper would truly forgive his actions, whatever they may be. That didn’t mean he wasn’t concerned about that trace of pain he could hear though.

It was refreshing to hear Super’s voice as it should be again though. Maybe not fully there – the anxiety clouded his normally upbeat attitude – but it was closer than he’d heard in a while.

‘N-not really,” Dark said after an agonisingly long pause. ‘But I-I need to get back to the Voidspace.”

Hyper’s heart froze solid in his chest. So he was hurt. How badly? Why wouldn’t he respond at first? And what did he meant get back to the Voidspace? Wasn’t he already there? Then where the hell was he?

‘What happened?’ Super asked.

Hyper could feel Super’s grip tighten around his arm. He wanted to pull him into a hug, but with their position that would be quite difficult. Instead, Hyper leaned his head on top of Super’s. His eyes were still closed, concentrating on keeping the weak connection they all had intact.

‘I fucked up, and n-n-now Fleetway has access to my Voidspace.”

Hyper noted the change from “the Voidspace” to “my Voidspace” with curiosity. There was a sharper tone, a possessiveness, when he’d said it. Dark was irate but also… worried. And he was being vague intentionally. He said he’d messed up, but what did that entail exactly? What had he done? Why was Fleetway in the Voidspace? Why wasn’t Dark?

‘I’m sorry,’ Dark choked out. ‘I’m so very sorry. This is all my f-fault. I could make excuses, b-but at the end of it the blame is on m-me. And I’m sorry.’

Hearing it from Super had been surreal, but actually hearing Dark say it? Multiple times? It was beyond surreal. It felt fake, but he’d said it with such sincerity…

But what did he do, damn it?

‘What happened, Dark?’ Super tried again, voice softer.

‘I…’

Dark was silent for a good while. Hyper couldn’t do it anymore. He had to speak up, had to ask what was on his mind. Dark was dancing around the issue. Hyper wouldn’t let him. He’d had enough of Dark’s obfuscation.

‘Dark, what happened?’ he asked, harsher than Super had.

Another pause. An intake of breath.

‘I helped Fleetway get free,’ Dark whispered.

Shame. That confession was filled with so much shame. It was dripping from every word, every breath. Hyper felt his anger rising, but it was stifled, not by the shame, but by something else. Something lingering in the confession that Hyper couldn’t place at first. It wasn’t quite anger, though that was present too. It was something softer, something deeper. Something that could swallow you deeper in its depths than even anger could. Something that, once you gave it power over you, it hung there relentlessly, tugging at your strings like a limp puppet. It was hard to shake, hard to quantify. It was as sharp as glass and held you tighter than a constrictor.

‘I’m so sorry...’

Hyper found the name of that oppressive emotion eventually. But even once he did, he couldn’t fully grasp it. On one hand, the emotion felt right for Dark. On the other, it was so foreign for Hyper to hear it, for anyone to. Because Just like Sonic, Dark didn’t ever like to let it show. The embodiment of all that was negative within Sonic, the personified image of all his worst traits, Dark masked most things just like their host. And between them, this emotion was vilified. Always.

Sorrow.

Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve

Notes:

Hello!

I'm back with another update for These Inhibitors' Flaws! My god, can you believe it? Me? Back with an update so quick (that wasn't planned in advance)? It's madness - madness I tell you!

Anyway, jokes aside, there's a bit of a longer section in this one to make up for last chapter. Some more vagueness with no real answers, but maybe some hints? Maybe. Possibly. I'm tired ok? And going on holiday tomorrow. So the notes are all over the place today, oop. If the first section changes tense anywhere, it was originally written in a different one while I was bored and I had to re-write it, so sorry about that. Let me know if you do spot a part that looks wrong and I'll correct it. And a little bit of a different way of writing what I call Sonic's "struggle dialogue" here, one that I used in I'll Always Be There (Yeah, I'm Not Gonna Move) - I quite like using it, and I acknowledge that it can be difficult to read but... that's kinda the point?

Oh, and I'll see you soon with an update for Running On Steam, since that one's almost done. Might even update it in a few days if I feel like editing. We'll see. Thank you for all your lovely comments! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

The first sound was the shifting of gravel. A harsh, scraping sound that started subtle at first then escalated to a frightening roar. All other sound was washed away once those stones began to move. But it wasn’t just stones, it was rocks, boulders, massive chunks of the mountainside the size of cars rolling down the steep incline. Sonic tried to dodge, to run for the edge that was safer, but he was too disoriented. He took one step, then two, and suddenly the landslide was upon him with the force of a Chaos Blast. For a moment or two it really was just stones, pebbles. One hit his temple, another his shin. Then his forearm after he swung it up in a weak attempt to protect himself. He was still running but it became a staggering, half leaping motion, like a newborn deer in a hurricane. His legs just wouldn’t work right, the panic had become too great.

And then the first boulder hit. It landed on the path ahead of him. Sonic was forced to come to a dead stop when it fell, stealing precious seconds of time he no longer had. It rocked back and forth for a moment, fighting with gravity, before slowly tilting and shooting down the rest of the way, down to the foot of the mountain. Before he could take another step, he was knocked off his feet. Sonic was treading air. Time seemed to slow to a dreadful crawl. He watched the boulder, the one that had blocked his path initially, finally reach the ground. It kept rolling for a few more metres before coming to a stop. He had time to swing his head around, to catch a glimpse of the rock that hit him. There was blood on the side of it, but that side was turning away from him with the motion of its spin.

He was lucky that he was still coherent enough to angle his fall back at the mountain. There was a ridge where the boulders seemed to be bouncing up and away from. If he could get there, he might survive. But his head felt like tomato soup, sloshing around in his skull uselessly. He held his breath, closing his eyes and waiting for the impact.

It came sooner than he’d expected.

But it was that second sound, the crack, that made him feel sick. That sound reverberated though his skull, drowning out the crash of the rocks. Immediately after, sound seemed to slip away from him entirely. There was a dreadful moment when he couldn’t figure out what had broken. What bone was it? Reality caught up fast enough to give him the answer.

His leg.

It was his leg.

Feeling steadily returned. It was a splintering sensation. Sonic could feel the way the bone had shattered. Then a burning like acid flowed through his veins. It ripped a long yelp from him. But it wasn’t just pain in that third sound. It was terror. A horrific knowing that seemed to hurt more than the actual break itself.

His leg was broken.

Sonic saw the blood first. It fanned out along the rock below him, spreading steadily closer to the edge. But that wasn’t what he was worried about. What twisted his gut was the glimpse of white he could see poking through the skin, under all that redness. Bone. It was bone. Bile rose in his throat, breaths coming in sharp gasps. His vision shifted, blurred. It took him a moment realise he was crying. That's probably where most of the blurriness was coming from. But his panic must have counted for something towards it. And by Chaos, he was panicking alright.

He couldn’t breathe.

Suddenly, he was upchucking his guts over the side of the ledge. It was as quick to pass as it was to come on. He didn’t think he’d lost enough blood yet to start feeling nauseous. It was that dreadful panic that tore the vomit from his body. But it passed. Because he couldn't quite rationalise what was happening in his brain. He couldn’t accept that this was real, that he was stupid enough to be caught so off guard like that.

He needed his legs. He needed them. He was nothing without them.

Was he shaking? It felt like his hands were shaking.

Fuck.

Wait, his communicator! He could call for help. Tails would come for him. He always did. It sounded like the rocks had stopped falling. He could call his little buddy and everything would be ok. Everything would be ok.

Sonic swiped at his eyes with the back of a dusty glove and took a deep breath. And then another breath. When his breathing still felt shaky, he took another. Then he pulled back the cuff of his glove.

The screen was cracked, a frosty spiderwebbing spreading across the surface. His pulse spiked again, but he pushed the feeling away. That didn’t mean anything. Sonic trusted Tails’ tech. It was the best of the best. He knew the Miles Electric’s screen was made with some special strengthened type of glass. The specifics went over his head, but it could withstand a whole lot of abuse. That much he could understand. It meant that it could still work reliably, even after a nasty fall or a heavy hit. Sonic was sure Tails used the same stuff for his patented communicators. After all, most of the mobians who wore them were constantly in battle, pulling dangerous stunts, and taking pretty nasty hits. They had to be durable.

Sonic pressed the power button. The screen fired up, flickered… and then fizzled out. His heart dropped.

No.

No, it had to work! A stupid fall like this couldn’t take out one of Tails’ communicators! It just wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. Tails’ stuff was on another level of durable and reliable. It had to work. It just had to.

He tried again. The screen didn’t even come to life the second time.

A whine was building up in his throat. It escaped before he could bite it back. Once one graced the air, a string left him. On the back end of every exhale was a high-pitched sound. They grew louder, more frequent as it sunk in.

His leg was broken. He couldn’t call for help.

“No…” he whimpered. “No, no, no!”

He was definitely shaking. The tears came back in full force. That horrible churning in his stomach threatened to return, but he willed himself not to. He’d thrown up so much recently. He wasn’t in the mood to do it again. He scrunched his eyes closed.

Then he heard a laugh.

Sonic snapped his eyes open.

The mountain was gone. He was lying in a bed, in a dimly lit room. Rouge’s apartment, his hazy mind supplied him with. It didn’t quell the adrenaline shooting through his veins any. The blanket was half on him. Sonic shoved it off the rest of the way and sat up. That laughter was still lingering. Something wasn’t right. He was trembling all over but he felt weirdly warm. But alternately cold too. And numb. None of those things went together, but he had no other way to describe it.

“Pitiful.”

Sonic froze.

The word came to him like a whisper on the breeze, yet so close, so very close. He could almost feel hot breath grazing his ear. Sonic felt a violent shiver wrack his whole body. His ears flattened and he held his head in his hands.

The voice was distorted.

“Though I do quite like your tantalisingly pathetic sounds, I was hoping for a scream.”

Sonic gave it to him.

---

Shadow huffed, letting his eyes scan the page. He was restless, but he promised Rouge and Miles that he wouldn’t leave the apartment. Reading was the best he had to pass the time. Though he couldn’t really focus, he pushed through. Shadow was sure he’d read the same paragraph at least eight times by now. Absently, he tapped a finger against the front cover. The hardback gave the tap some body.

He’d come back from his run just before Rouge checked on the brothers. They’d apparently migrated back to the spare bedroom while he’d been gone. Rouge had re-entered the room with Tails in tow. The bat told him Sonic had drifted back off to sleep. Shadow supposed he hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, what with waking up screaming like that and all. So Rouge was going to take Tails outside to get some fresh air. He knew her motives were to give Tails a chance to calm down away from his brother, but she was also dying to know what was going on, just like him.

Shadow wondered if she’d gotten anything from him. Had she even tried yet?

He turned the page, having not fully comprehended the previous page. It didn’t really matter. The book sucked anyway. The only reason he hadn’t put it down yet was because it provided some distraction. Not great distraction, but distraction nonetheless.

Fully paying attention to this dogshit would probably rot his brain anyway. He really needed to talk to Rouge about real literature. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to borrow one of her books ever again.

A scream that was, horribly, starting to become familiar tore through the apartment.

It was a single scream, not followed by any more. Something about that felt worse to Shadow somehow. And it had a different cadence than the one from the morning. This one wasn’t the desperate, horrified wailing of before. It was a defeated, sad kind of sound. It made his quills bristle.

Shadow ditched the book immediately. He didn’t care where he dumped it, where it landed. He was already halfway down the hallway.

Sonic was still on the bed this time when he opened the door. The curtain had been drawn, keeping the evening light out. Shadow flipped the light switch, flooding the room with a harsh yellow. Sonic hardly reacted. His head was down, fingers digging into his temples. It took Shadow all of three seconds to realise it wasn’t just his fingers but his claws, sinking into his skin. To prevent the hedgehog from hurting himself further, Shadow dashed over and grabbed his wrists. It took more force than he’d expected to move Sonic’s hands. But once Sonic finally noticed him, he reacted almost at once. Sonic wrenched his hands from Shadow’s grip, pushing him away. Shadow expected another growl from the hero, perhaps even a swipe of those claws, but instead Sonic seemed to fold in on himself. He curled up, hugging one of his legs to his chest with a tiny sound bordering on a whine.

It was much more of a pathetic reaction than he’d been prepared for.

“Faker?”

There were unshed tears lingering in the corners of his eyes. Shadow saw them only briefly, but that shine was a dead giveaway. He tried getting his attention a few more times, even using his name when the usual nickname failed, but he had no reaction. The dark hedgehog thought about getting the others. But something kept him in the room. He wasn’t sure what. But he just… couldn’t leave.

Shadow went to close the door and then settled himself at the bottom of the bed. He listened to those wavering gasps in silence. Under those gasps, that curious high-pitched sound was still present. Every now and then Sonic would scrub a fist over his eyes almost angrily with a quiet sniffle. He wouldn’t let go of his leg. When Shadow shifted, he saw Sonic hold his leg closer out the corner of his eye. It gave him pause.

"Faker, what's going on?"

Chaos, that came out more gruff than he intended. Shadow sucked at being soft. He might end up having to go for Miles and Rouge anyway. I mean, why hadn't he already? Why was he still here? Surely Miles was more qualified for this situation than he was but, at the same time, he sort of agreed with Rouge. Sonic’s state was clearly taking a toll on his brother. Not that it was the blue hero’s fault either, Shadow supposed. At least, he didn’t think it was. Shadow didn’t really know what was going on in the first place, so he was in no position to point the blame. But Sonic was also clearly keeping some stuff to himself too…

He took a deep breath and tried again.

"If you don't tell us what's wrong, we can't help," Shadow said.

He tried a slower approach this time, tried to lower his voice a touch. It came out a little better this time. Was it still a little forceful? Probably. But he wasn't great his at this, damn it.

There wasn't a reaction from Sonic for a good while. It was hard to tell if he'd even heard him. But then there was movement. Sonic lifted his head slightly. He didn't turn to meet his gaze though. After a few minutes he set his hands in shaky motion. Shadow watched each shape and motion Sonic made with his hands. It... didn't really help. Shadow sighed.

"I... I can’t read sign," Shadow said.

A longer pause.

"W-wouldn't... und-erstand."

Shadow perked his ears forwards. Sonic’s response was quiet, and he hadn't expected it. A bit disjointed and incomplete, it was shaky at best. But it was there. He'd take it. But what did he mean? Perhaps he just wasn't willing to share with his rival. After all, they didn't know each other all that well. Shadow understood that; he wouldn’t want to share personal information with the young hero either.

"Try me," Shadow said.

Hell, might as well try.

But Sonic seemed to struggle. It was so strange hearing him have difficulty speaking. It wasn't right, wasn't Sonic. At least, not the Sonic he knew. Tails knew sign too. The fox didn't seem too surprised to be using it earlier. So maybe... maybe this wasn't as strange as Shadow thought. But surely that couldn't be right? The hedgehog was a chatterbox.

Sonic held out his wrists. Shadow looked at the inhibitors, actually looked at them properly. They almost looked like they were made of glass. Though, if they were, they were probably made with a special kind – otherwise, what would stop Sonic from just smashing them? They were kind of interesting actually; flecked and swirled with opaque red, while otherwise being nearly see-through. Like hazy fog on the surface of a lake, he supposed. They gave off a faint glow too, a steadily pulsing light. It was very subtle but he could still see it. They almost looked… pretty.

"Ne-eed... off."

"The inhibitors?" Shadow asked.

Sonic seemed to struggle with his words again. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly. Sometimes, what sounded like the start to a word would leak its way out but would never resolve. A frustrated sound escaped him.

"Not... wor-working," Sonic mumbled.

Shadow frowned. Sonic seemed like he was having to force each syllable out of his body. And he spoke so slow. Each word was bit out almost like he was angry. But who was he angry with? Shadow for asking questions? Tails for making the inhibitors? Knuckles, for what ever reason he seemed to be avoiding the echidna?

Himself?

"How do you mean?" Shadow asked.

Sonic opened his mouth. Nothing came out. A huff. He tried again. Another frustrated half-whine. Then he sagged, seeming to give up. He was glaring a hole through his own hands.

Shadow hummed to himself. Why didn't he think of it sooner?

"Would a pen and paper help?" he asked.

Sonic thought for a moment, then gave a single nod. He still wouldn't look at him. Sonic let out a breath and clutched his leg again. There was a tiredness behind his eyes, similar to how he looked earlier. But it looked somehow worse now. Shadow wasn’t sure how that was possible, but there it was, clear as day. Sonic was exhausted. He had a feeling it wasn’t just physical either.

Shadow got up to leave. But he paused. There was an easier solution…

"Would you like me to get the others?"

There wasn't even a pause this time. Just a single, firm shake of the head. A no then. A hard no. Strange, but he wouldn't question it. If Sonic was willing to speak to him of all people, so be it. As long as he was telling him something, he wouldn’t push it.

Shadow came back after a quick scout for paper. He ended up finding an old notebook that had hardly been used. Rouge and Miles were back already. He’d dodged their questions, afraid Sonic would change his mind, but told them to stay away from the bedroom for a little bit. He saw them exchange a worried look. Probably thought he was going to beat the answer out of him or something. They didn’t think he was that bad, surely? Right?

Was he?

Shadow handed the items to Sonic. The blue hedgehog let go of his leg, folding them instead to rest the book on his knee. The blue hedgehog scribbled for a moment. It occurred to Shadow that he'd never seen his handwriting before. He couldn't figure out why that was even relevant right now. Still, he watched the slightly shaky, but otherwise neater-than-expected print emerge patiently. It was most likely only messy to begin with because his hands were shaky. Shadow found himself wondering how neat his handwriting was ordinarily. He felt like it didn’t fit his image of the hero somehow.

It only took him a moment to realise Sonic had stopped writing. Still no eye contact.

'I think Tails based them on yours,' Sonic wrote.

"You think it's the energy difference or something?” Shadow asked. “I'm still not sure what you mean by not working, I'm afraid."

Shadow was patient as Sonic wrote his next response. Sonic had to think about it for a moment.

'Sort of. You use positive, right?'

Shadow frowned. He meant positive Chaos Energy. Though Shadow still couldn’t see how that would change anything.

"Yes...” Shadow said slowly. “So do you."

Sonic paused with a half sigh, half huff. He didn't pick the pen back up. It sent off alarm bells in Shadow’s head immediately. Why wasn’t he writing anymore? Sonic absolutely used positive Chaos. Shadow knew he did. He was struggling to understand why Sonic would just stop responding after that. What was he trying to imply?

"You do, don't you?" Shadow asked, more cautiously this time. "When you go Super. That's positive energy, Sonic."

Something wasn't right here.

'I know.'

That was it?

"So, what's the problem?" he asked.

Another pause. But Sonic didn’t make a move to pick up the pen again. He was frowning at the page.

"Sonic?"

Sonic held his head in his hands with a groan. Shadow wanted to ask again, to push Sonic for an answer, but that method had already been proven not to work with Sonic. All he could do was wait and hope Sonic would say – or write – something else. So Shadow watched Sonic have some sort of internal debate with himself in silence. Sonic’s eyes were closed. One finger tapped against his temple. His ears flicked back and forth, as though listening to something Shadow couldn’t hear. The hero growled and suddenly snatched up the pen again.

Furiously, he began to write before trailing off to a hesitant stop. It ended mid-sentence. Shadow read over what he’d written as Sonic decided whether or not he’d finish it.

‘When I go Super I do use positive Chaos Energy, but I can-’

But he could what? Sonic huffed, scratched out the sentence and started again. Then again. And once more. Each ended up scribbled out.

‘I’m able to’

‘At first, I’

‘Super isn’t the only’

‘Chaos Energy is compli’

Eventually, he ended on one simple phrase. One that gave Shadow even more questions than answers. Again.

‘I can use both.’

Shadow blinked. He couldn’t possibly mean what Shadow thought he meant, right? Because it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t. There was no way Sonic was serious. It was just a joke. A poorly timed, stupid joke. Because it simply wasn’t possible to do what Sonic was suggesting.

“Both positive and negative energy?” Shadow drawled. “That just isn’t feasible, Sonic.”

“It is…”

Again, Sonic’s voice startled him. He’d whispered it but, still, Shadow almost jumped when he opened his mouth. Sonic finally met his eyes. And, well, he certainly looked serious. He gave Shadow a deadpan look that, with the haunted edge in his eyes, almost made Shadow flinch. There was nothing humorous in this conversation. That look wasn’t meant to serve as a dry delivery of some joke. Sonic was serious. And that in itself made Shadow feel strangely cold. It also meant that Sonic knew it was possible. He knew about something that no one else had ever achieved, that had never been mentioned in any theory books. Not even Gerald had talked about such a thing in his diary. And he had studied Chaos Energy pretty extensively.

Sonic put a hand to his throat. He set the notebook and pen aside completely.

“You do-on’t bel-l-lieve me,” Sonic forced out. “But I don’t ca-are to expl-ai-ain r-right now. They’re no-ot sup-sup-s-”

Sonic growled, folding his ears back.

“Suppressing the ri-ight energy.”

Shadow went to open his mouth. Sonic removed the hand from his neck in a halting motion. Shadow found himself snapping his mouth shut at the authoritative gesture. Mostly, he wanted to keep Sonic talking. But part of him felt slightly intimidated by the look on Sonic’s face. It was a look that didn’t belong. So upset, almost calculating, severe even.

“And it’s too la-a-ate now,” Sonic growled, seemingly to himself. “Because the n-negative is n-n-ot even the pro-blem anymore.”

Sonic looked away, ears folded. And suddenly he looked so lost.

“At le-ast… I-I-I don’t th-think it is…” he whispered.

“What do you mean?”

Silence. Sonic opened his mouth but nothing left his throat. His breathing had picked up. When had that happened? The blue hedgehog glanced at the notebook. He hissed and knocked it off the bed before collapsing in on himself. His words had failed him, but he wouldn’t even write anymore. Shadow sensed he wouldn’t be getting anything out of the younger hedgehog now. But he still had so many questions.

Shadow reached out to touch the other’s shoulder. The moment his finger grazed fur, Sonic lashed out at him. Shadow felt those claws he’d expected before flash across his face. The pain was delayed, lost in his shock. He should have felt angry but the emotion wouldn’t stick. Shadow scooted back across the bed with his hands up, both defensive and soothing. Sonic stared at him for a second, looking quite shellshocked himself. Their eyes met, both equally wide, before Sonic curled up again with a low whine.

An apology, something in Shadow’s mind seemed to register. An apology.

“Sonic?” Shadow tried quietly.

He got no response.

Chapter 14: Chapter Thirteen

Notes:

Back again!

Woo, a These Inhibitors' Flaws update! I hope you all enjoy it. I realised I had finished it days ago and just got distracted with something else. Like a really big something else. A "this has eight chapters already?" something else... Of course, I didn't write all eight in the past week but I have written at least three of them recently. Maybe four. Sort of got carried away. Maybe you'll be seeing some of it soon...? Who knows.

Though I might just drop what I think I want the summary to be here, just to gauge some reactions:
"After a solo mission for G.U.N. goes awry, Shadow ends up in possession of a sacred sword… and another being. The main issue? He happens to know the mobian he now owns. Except he’s not actually a mobian either. When did everything get so confusing?"
Intriguing or... not feeling it?

Anywho... New chapter. Enjoy. Please leave a comment if you're enjoying the story, makes my brain happy with all those serotonins!

He was done. He was so done.

Almost every object in this house that Sonic had personal ownership over was damaged or imperfect in some way. Some were more obvious than others, but still they were off. Loose stitching on a blanket. An asymmetrical pattern on a cushion. A flaw in the mould of a picture frame. A crack in the glass of a different frame. Chipped red paint on his god damn bedroom door.

Knuckles couldn’t understand how he’d never noticed any of it before.

He didn’t snoop in the hero’s bedroom too much, though he suspected the same results in much of what was in there. Knuckles would respect Sonic’s space; after all, he was very particular and would likely notice if anything had moved. Though the echidna was quite curious about what Sonic kept in there. He knew from Tails – though he was never allowed to repeat it to the hedgehog himself – that Sonic kept a box under his bed. Most of what was in it was a mystery, but he knew the stuff held some sort of value to the hero.

He kept it locked.

And apparently the key was in a locked drawer. The key to that was presumably somewhere in the room. Most likely not out in the open and easy to find either. So Sonic was clearly protective of it. Knuckles was so tempted to have a peek. But Sonic was already mad at him, and breaking his privacy like that would destroy his trust entirely. From what Knuckles understood, Sonic’s trust was not something to take lightly. He was friends with so many people, but of those people, few really held Sonic’s actual trust.

Because trusting someone on the battlefield with your life – or rather, the lives of everyone else, since Sonic was weird about that too – was different than trust in Sonic’s mind. Real trust was a personal thing. Something that, once you had earned, you knew it. Something that only a handful of people in the world could claim to have. A very small handful.

But what did that trust grant you?

It granted you a look into the real Sonic. Not a hundred percent of him, but as much as he was willing to share. And for what you saw you had to understand you were lucky to have seen. It was a privilege. For “Sonic” and Sonic were different. Very different. And when you had Sonic’s trust, you learned to differentiate between the two.

“Sonic” was what the world saw. The happy-go-lucky, carefree hero. The one who appeared to be open, but really wasn’t. The one who was always happy, only letting a muted version of everything else through or sometimes not at all. And certainly not fear, sadness or anxiety. Because he was endlessly happy, right?

But Sonic was so much more than that.

He was anxious. All the time. Even when he didn’t show it, he was worrying about something or other. Eggman attacking, Eggman not attacking, the safety of his friends during an Eggman attack. Chaos, that hedgehog could worry alright. He knew Tails had tried to convince him to see someone about it a few times but Sonic was adamant about not speaking to a stranger about his problems. He resented the very idea. Just bringing it up made his quills bristle. He also hated the idea of medication to manage it. Which Knuckles thought was a little silly since sometimes he worried so much he made himself ill. But, Sonic would just push through it and pretend nothing was wrong. Super healthy.

He also had a short temper, at least he used to. He’d learned to manage it as he got older but his fuse was sometimes so dangerously short when he was having a bad day. And Sonic did have bad days. He had them fairly often. Tails usually dealt with them by himself but Knuckles knew of his “off days.” Sometimes he was snappy, oftentimes he was just low, quiet, miserable. Tails suspected it might be depression, seasonal or something like it. But he never mentioned it to Sonic, considering the hedgehog would probably resist getting any sort of treatment for it, like usual. And as smart as Tails was, he wasn’t a psychologist. The fox didn’t know what to do.

Knuckles knew there was so much more than that, but even he wasn’t privy to everything. Because Sonic’s trust was also a spectrum. And despite being higher on that spectrum than everyone aside from Tails, Knuckles was still so out of the loop when it came to the big stuff. And even Tails didn’t know everything about the blue hedgehog either. He was oddly secretive about a lot of things. His past, his relationship with Eggman, and even that dark super form of his.

But now Knuckles was sat on the stairs, trying to piece together all he knew about Sonic and how this broken-thing-obsession fit in.

The first thought that occurred to him was that maybe Sonic just liked broken things. Then he thought maybe it wasn’t just things. He hated to call any of his friends “broken” but they all had something, didn’t they? Tails had a mutation that gave him two tails. Knuckles had lived in isolation for most of his life. Amy was a runaway with a frankly obsessive personality. The Chaotix were a general mess. Rouge was a, sometimes morally questionable, thief. Shadow was a genetically engineered hedgehog who had his fair share – several people’s share, really – of shit going on in his life. Silver was an anxious mess with his whole future-thing. Blaze was a princess from another dimension, which surely came with some stress. Honestly, Knuckles could go on.

Cream may have been one of the only people Sonic knew who didn’t have some thing in her life. At least, Knuckles didn’t think she did. For all he knew the rabbit was dealing with something rough.

But did it run deeper than even that?

His head hurt.

Knuckles looked down the carpeted stairs. He was sat on the landing at the top. Some of the steps creaked. But Knuckles hardly ever heard Sonic when he was coming down the stairs. He avoided those steps like the plague, even when everyone was awake. So, he didn’t favour everything broken in this house then? His head hurt even more now. Maybe it meant nothing. Maybe it was one big coincidence and he was just being stupid.

But Knuckles couldn’t help but notice the connection between the flaws – faults? – with their friends and Sonic’s belongings now. It seemed so glaringly obvious. But why? He still didn’t know what it all meant. If it meant anything at all.

With a sigh, Knuckles stood. Out the corner of his eye, he could see the still open door of Sonic’s room. And he caught something in that room he hadn’t noticed before. He was kicking himself that he hadn’t sensed it earlier. He walked over to pick it up from under the bed. Its golden yellow sheen was dazzling once he brought it out into the evening light.

The yellow Chaos Emerald.

It wasn’t exactly surprising that it was in the house but…

Knuckles didn’t know Sonic had it. And for some reason that bothered him. Did Tails know it was here? He was sure the hedgehog must have just found it out and about fairly recently and brought it back to the house with him. But how come he didn’t know about it? Why was it under the bed and not just on the bedside cabinet or something?

Had…

Had Sonic been experimenting with Chaos Energy again?

Knuckles tried not to feel annoyed by that but it was hard not to get a little frustrated. He told that idiot that if he was going to be doing that to do it with him, damn it.

Chaos Energy was a very interesting thing. It was powerful and exhilarating. But it could also be fickle and volatile. Training to be able to control it effectively was no easy task; everyone’s energy was different and everyone had varying levels of Chaos Energy within them. So training had to be very specific for everyone.

Sonic had so much energy but, unlike Shadow, he wasn’t the best at controlling it. Knuckles had offered to help him find ways of channelling his energy better. The training, of course, had to be personalised for Sonic. So, Knuckles had wanted to gauge what they were working with so he could better plan how to proceed. The hedgehog had stayed for maybe half of the first session Knuckles had planned and then he bolted. Just… disappeared without saying anything. Knuckles had been left holding the cyan Emerald looking, like a fool, at the empty space beside him, mouth open, midsentence. He just couldn’t understand it. Sonic was so jazzed about learning about it; apparently he had bugged Shadow a few times already by that point but the dark hedgehog had refused. So Knuckles couldn’t understand why Sonic suddenly wouldn’t explore his energy with him.

But it seemed like he might have been trying by himself. That was dangerous. The idiot could have hurt himself. Though, it meant he was still just as curious about his own energy as he used to be. So why wouldn’t he just come to Knuckles?

Did Sonic not trust him as much as he thought he did?

Did he do something wrong, even before all this inhibitor stuff?

Why wouldn’t Sonic let Knuckles help him?

There was something off about that session too. Knuckles had asked Sonic to show him what he could do. And there had been definite hesitation from the hero. That hesitation was strange. So maybe the problem hadn’t been Knuckles. Maybe Sonic’s problem was with himself. And Knuckles was sure Sonic hadn’t shown him everything he could do either. He’d held back.

Sonic was hiding something. But wasn’t he always?

After all, he didn’t talk about that strange dark-furred form ever. The one with the hollow white eyes. Knuckles had only ever seen it twice but twice was enough to know it was bad. The hedgehog seemingly had no control in that form. And Knuckles couldn’t understand where it came from. And how was it triggered? If it was stress, why hadn’t it appeared for a while? Why at Eggman’s base? That robot had been bad but not that much worse than a lot of his other creations. Eggman had pulled bigger schemes than that in the last year alone.

And Eggman hadn’t been too shocked to see that form either. But he’d been afraid. Very afraid. His taunting had stopped, all his attacks had stopped. All Eggman was trying to do at the time was flee. The mad scientist had even apologised to Sonic. He'd pleaded with him. Begged for his life, for the hero to come to his senses. And Sonic had just laughed. This horrible, wrong laugh. It wasn’t amused or even mocking. It was just a cold, dry laugh. Mirthless. Angry. Altogether wrong coming from Sonic.

Knuckles could still hear that laugh. It made his fur fluff up just thinking about it. He hoped to Chaos he’d never hear it again. With the inhibitors, that shouldn’t be an issue at least.

He stared at the Emerald with a sigh. He had to find the brothers soon.

---

He'd only caught him with two of his claws. Still, they left angry marks along Shadow's forehead and nose. The fact that Shadow could easily heal them did nothing to quell the nausea rolling in Sonic's stomach. He hadn't meant to hurt him. It wasn't as bad as the bite he'd given him, but he'd lashed out twice now without even thinking. It was getting harder to pull coherency out of his increasingly frequent spirals of panic. At this rate, would he manage to hurt Tails in his stupor? The thought made his blood thicken.

Perhaps the fox should stay away.

Despite how painful it was, it was his only option. He couldn't hurt Tails. He'd launch himself into the Grand Canyon if he did. He'd never be able to live with himself.

Shadow called his name. He didn't want to answer.

Talking to Shadow had been difficult. But it had also been sort of freeing to share a secret he'd been weighed down by for years. Sonic supposed he probably didn't believe him still. He'd prove it to him someday. That day just might be closer than he hoped. And he might just have no say in it.

Where the fuck was Dark?

It was seriously starting to worry him now. It had been clear that he'd been working with Fleetway for a while, though for what reason Sonic couldn't figure out. So, he supposed it had been inevitable that he'd have to face the insane super form again. But Dark; where was he? Why was he so quiet now. What had Fleet meant when he said he was on "vacation?" None of this made sense.

Fleetway shouldn't even be able to speak with him.

Chaos, he missed Super. And Hyper. Surely they'd know what to do? And where were they? Why couldn't he reach them? The inhibitors, sure. But were they truly capable of stopping him from just talking with them? Sonic wanted to ask Shadow but something told him that the Ultimate Lifeform would think he'd completely lost his marbles.

Although... Shadow did have a Chaos Emerald...

But would it be a good idea to try and use its energy himself right now? He'd been fine when Shadow was healing him. But things had sort of escalated since then too.

He could feel the pull of the Emerald in Shadow's quills. He'd always felt that. It was slightly muted now, but that tugging feeling was still there. Sonic tried to connect with it, to use its power to search for his super forms, but his access to it was too limited. He unfurled slightly, cautiously locating the darker hedgehog. He was sitting at the bottom of the bed again, leaning his elbows on his knees. His head was in his hands. It looked like he was deep in thought. The marks were still there.

"Eme-rald."

Shadow started, swinging his head around to meet his eye. Too bad Sonic was keeping his gaze firmly on his feet. Shadow asked him for clarification. Sonic didn't want to have to explain himself, so he just tried again.

"Can I b-borr-ow the Eme-ral-d?" he asked.

Sonic held out one hand, palm up.

"Two m-m-minutes, ma-ax," Sonic added when Shadow failed to respond.

Shadow still didn't make a move for the gem. He stared at Sonic for a good while. Sonic could feel those eyes on him, scrutinising him. It made him feel all weird.

"That depends," Shadow said slowly. "What do you intend to do with it?"

He was probably afraid he'd Chaos Control away. Fair. And Sonic would be lying if he said he hadn't considered it. But he had no idea what energy he could manipulate at the moment. Would the Emerald give him enough energy to perform the move, or would the inhibitors stop even that? Sonic had no idea. It was probably safer not to try it. So, he told Shadow as much.

No reason to lie about it.

"Don't kn-ow if I c-can even use i-t," he said pointedly. "No-ot going a-a-anywhere."

Shadow removed the Emerald from his quills. Its green glow was comforting, familiar. The dark hedgehog handed it over hesitantly. The jolt of energy Sonic felt crackling down his fingers when Shadow placed it in his palm was different than he'd expected. Colder, deeper. Sonic choked back a gasp, hoping Shadow didn't notice the initial sound. In retrospect, he should have expected it.

Sonic had been fully truthful when he told Shadow he could use negative Chaos Energy. But he never said he could control it well. He hadn't even tried to since he was a hoglet. Not properly at least. The energy was cloying. Sonic often thought of it as spikey. If positive was cloud-soft, negative was sharp like glass. And just as unforgiving. The energy sank into his hand, claws grabbing for him desperately. Sonic searched for the positive energy. Unsurprisingly, he couldn't even find it.

Sonic frowned. He wouldn't be able to reach Super or Hyper with this but he tried anyway. Sonic stared into the green gem, ignoring Shadow and all other outside stimuli, reaching inwards. He hit that same wall he encountered last time, it was just easier to reach this time. That didn't exactly change much. He closed his eyes, scrunching them tightly and pushed just a little harder. Still nothing.

But there was someone he probably could contact. It was just a question of if he wanted to. Sonic's automatic answer was no. Though, he was still curious about why he'd gone silent.

Sonic was sure his two minutes were up by now. Shadow exactly didn't seem to be itching for the Emerald back but that didn't mean he wouldn't want it back soon. If he was going to do this, he had to do it quick.

He didn’t really want to.

But he tried anyway.

With the help of the Emerald, the connection was almost automatic. An energy even colder than what was seeping through the Emerald met his. Dark. His energy was tentative, almost as though not wanting to properly establish the connection. Their energies danced around for a moment, acknowledging each other but never allowing the connection to form. Sonic was insistent. Dark seemed to relent.

'You've been quiet,' was all Sonic said when the connection was made.

'Sonic...'

Dark's voice didn't sound quite right.

'I...' Dark started, then cut himself off. 'There isn't... I can't...'

Dark sighed. It was a tired sort of sound. His breathing was slightly laboured. Sonic could hear that clearly. He was searching for something to say, sounding not too dissimilar to how Sonic did before. Finally, there was another sigh.

'I'm sorry.'

Sonic snapped open his eyes, ears springing upright. His posture went rigid. Shadow started beside him again. Sonic stared out at the room. He was sure he looked as shocked as he felt. Shadow said something. He didn't hear it.

'You...' Sonic choked out, then paused. 'It's been a long time since I've heard you say that.'

'I know...' Dark said quietly.

And that's how Sonic knew he was serious. It struck him like an arrow. He wasn't sure how to feel. A whirl of anger, anxiety, terror... mixed with a strange sense of calm. He chewed his bottom lip thoughtlessly. Shadow was staring at him with a weird look. Sonic briefly caught it out the corner of his eye but it didn't really sink in. It couldn't. Everything outside of this conversation fell away. It might as well not have been there at all.

Sonic's grip on the Chaos Emerald tightened.

'You have no reason to forgive me and I don't expect you to,' Dark said. 'But I am sorry. I've made a horrible mistake, and I'm trying to rectify it but...'

He trailed off. Sonic sat patiently for him to finish. Dark made a vague coughing sound, to which Sonic narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong with Dark. For the sake of his pride, Sonic didn't question him; he'd tell him if he wanted to.

So he probably wouldn’t find out.

'But Fleetway is making it difficult to get back to the Voidspace,’ Dark finally responded. ‘He's taken full control.'

Dark wasn't in the Voidspace. And Fleetway was. So that last nightmare was all Fleet. Sonic had suspected but the confirmation was nice. Well, not nice but it at least made sense. It was unnerving though.

Fleetway was free.

For some reason, Sonic just felt numb to the information.

'Sonic?' Dark asked cautiously, voice nearly a whisper.

Right. He hadn't said a word yet. Shadow was still giving him a weird look. It got worse when he sighed. Sonic continued to ignore Shadow; he was busy. But what to say? It was hard to really say anything but he had to. Despite everything, Dark needed a response. He deserved one. Sonic made his decision. He was about to respond.

But he didn't get the chance.

Their connection was torn apart violently, as though someone had grabbed it and sliced it in half. Sonic let out a startled cry and the Emerald dropped from his trembling hands. They were pulsing and aching, his fingers tingling. Shadow was by his side. He could feel hands on his shoulders. He didn't shrug them away this time. Shadow's hands slid down his arms to his wrists. Sonic met Shadow's eye by accident. He ducked his head, but it was too late. Shadow had seen his panic before he could mask it. Fuck.

"Sonic?" Shadow asked. "What happened? I saw red Chaos Energy around your hands."

Sonic looked up again, feeling his heart stop in his chest. His eyes widened, unseeing even as he locked eyes with Shadow. The darker hedgehog was there but he wasn’t. Sonic started to see something else instead. The images swirled together until he couldn’t tell which was real. Maybe they both were. Shadow almost looked… yellow for a moment. Then he was himself again. But Sonic had caught it. He had.

"R-red?"

Shadow frowned at him.

"It felt... odd," Shadow said.

His voice felt far away. Sonic could barely hear Shadow anymore.

"Red...?" Sonic repeated.

Chapter 15: Chapter Fourteen

Notes:

Hellooooo!

Finally, another update for These Inhibitors' Flaws! I know it's been a long time coming, so sorry for that. Partly distractions and partly writers' block but hopefully this chapter makes up for the wait? Maybe? I hope so.

Tails has some interesting details for a certain "incident" in this chapter...

Also, to clear up any confusion at the start for those of you who read the last few chapters when they were originally posted: I changed the piece of paper Sonic was writing on to the full notebook instead because it made more sense for the direction I wanted to take this chapter. It's just a small thing some of you might not have even noticed but I thought I'd mention it in case some of you did.

No telling what I'll be writing an update for next, though later this week I will be putting up a chapter of By the Blade, We Are Bound because I have those ready to go.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter! And thank you again to everyone who has left kudos or commented. I enjoy reading your comments, they really make my day when I receive them. See you all later this week probably!

Sonic was unresponsive.

Shadow didn’t know what to do. That energy he’d seen on Sonic’s hands before he’d dropped the Emerald had made his skin crawl. It was only there for a moment, crackling around his fingers. It had felt… sick. The energy itself had felt sick. Shadow had no other way to describe it. It was wrong. So wrong. But it was Sonic’s reaction to it that worried Shadow more. His eyes had lost their focus, wide and terrified. And he’d kept repeating “red.”

Why was that what Sonic had issue with?

What had that energy been? Why had Sonic wanted the Emerald? What had he been doing with it? Why had he yelped like he’d been in pain?

Sonic was just staring at his hands now. His ears were back, knees to his chest. Shadow could see him trembling. He tried calling the blue hedgehog’s name again. He got no response, as he’d expected. Sonic was gone. Lost in his own mind. His ears wouldn’t even twitch anymore when Shadow tried speaking to him. Shadow wasn’t even sure if he’d blinked in quite some time. He was frozen.

Shadow shuffled closer to the catatonic hedgehog. At a loss of what to do, Shadow took Sonic’s hands in his own. He was just trying to snap him out of it. Shadow could feel the way he was shaking now, like a motor vibrating. Sonic did react this time. It was slow. But he did. Those emerald eyes slid up to meet his. They were still wildly unfocused. He’d reacted though, so that was something. Shadow counted that as a victory.

Why hadn’t Shadow gone for Miles?

He sighed. If Sonic was still like this in ten minutes time, he’d call the fox in. For some reason, Shadow wouldn’t accept defeat on this. He needed to know what all that was about. The Emerald, the silence, the initial flinch and gasp that he tried to hide, the yelp as he dropped the Emerald, that odd sick energy. He needed to know. Sonic had been in a relatively giving mood earlier. Not super open but he had been answering Shadow’s questions, albeit vaguely. If he could just get a little more, just enough to figure all this out…

“Sonic?” he tried again. “I need you to be present right now, hedgehog. I need to know what’s going on.”

Sonic started to open his mouth. A shudder went through him. He closed it again.

He was so close.

“Come on, hedgehog…”

The blue hedgehog closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It took him a while to collect himself. But Shadow was patient. He’d somehow managed to break Sonic from the trance he’d been in, so now all he had to do was wait. Sonic’s eyes were looking a little more focused when he opened them. Still, he was quiet for a good while.

It came suddenly.

“U-unsta-able…”

Shadow furrowed his brow.

“Unstable?” he repeated. “You mean your energy?”

Sonic paused mid-nod and frowned. Shadow watched him look down again, in thought. Then he made a so-so gesture with his hand; palm down, tilting side to side. He looked unsure. And yet, when he responded, his answer was firm.

“H-his,” Sonic said.

Shadow was even more lost. Who was Sonic talking about? They were just talking about his energy, were they not? Sonic had practically said yes to his question with that half-nod.

“Whose?” he asked.

Sonic sighed. His eyes drifted down again. At the same time, they both suddenly became aware that they were still holding hands. They pulled away, Sonic almost frantically, Shadow with an awkward clearing of the throat. Sonic averted his eyes, flustered. Shadow was left with a strange tingling in his hands that he didn’t understand. All he knew was that he was too close to the hedgehog. He shuffled back a little. After a moment, Sonic gestured half-heartedly for the notebook that he’d let tumble to the floor. Either his voice had given out completely again or what he needed to say was much too long. Shadow guessed the latter.

Or both.

Shadow reach down for the notebook. The pen had rolled under the bed. But only just; he could still reach it. He passed them to Sonic without a word.

Sonic got to writing.

Now that he was sitting in front of Sonic rather than beside, Shadow couldn’t see what he was writing. Sonic scribbled for a long time. Like before, he’d occasionally scratch out a word or two, a sentence, at one point a whole paragraph it seemed, before continuing to write out what he wanted to say. Shadow had no idea what to expect. Sonic stopped for a moment to re-read what he’d written and shook his head. He tore out the page completely and scrunched it up. Shadow followed the path of the ball of paper as Sonic tossed it aside. It hit the bedside table and bounced away, rolling to the floor.

Sonic definitely didn’t scratch out whatever that last part had been. And he was sure Sonic hadn’t crossed out all of what had been on the page to begin with. There might be something there. Shadow made a mental note to grab it when Sonic wasn’t looking.

What had he written?

Some more scribbling. Shadow listened to the sound of the ballpoint pen against the paper. Sonic wrote a lot faster this time, less hesitant. Like he’d finally figured out what he wanted to say. Sonic wrote at a speed more fitting for what Shadow had expected, his hand flying over the paper, line after line. When Sonic was satisfied, he handed the book back to Shadow.

‘There’s a problem inside of me that I need to fix urgently. But to do that I need the inhibitors off. You need to get Tails to convince Knuckles to say the passcode, which probably won’t be easy. He’s not going to change his mind about the inhibitors without some major convincing, he’s too stubborn for that. But I need them off. Now. This isn’t just some silly game, it could very well be life or death. Just not for me. And that’s what I’m most worried about.’

That was a lot of information to take in at once. Whatever was wrong could end up hurting or even killing others? How? Shadow felt like he needed some more information there. What exactly was this issue Sonic had to fix? Clearly it was bad. So how would he fix it? And what was that stuff about a passcode? There was one thing that Shadow noticed immediately after reading through the whole paragraph though. Something that frustrated him more than the still vague answers he’d received.

There was no mention of the guy Sonic had been referring to before.

Because it wasn’t Knuckles or Sonic would have just said that. And Tails didn’t have a large Chaos Energy signature himself. And the energy he’d seen, he’d felt, had been Sonic’s, right? It had to have been; there was no one else in the room. And yet, that one word was driving Shadow crazy. Who was Sonic originally talking about?

“Ok,” Shadow drawled. “But that doesn’t really answer my question, Sonic. Who were you talking about? What is the problem you have? And how does it put everyone else in danger?”

Sonic stared at him. He hesitantly took back the notebook and wrote out something else. It was a quick response this time. Just one quick sentence. When Shadow got the notebook back he almost smacked the hedgehog over the head with it.

All he wrote was, ‘You won’t believe me if I tell you.’

It was a reflection of his earlier line, way at the beginning of their original conversation. Wouldn’t understand. That’s what he’d said. Though, admittedly, a lot more broken up. Talking to Sonic was incredibly frustrating. All his responses were so vague and short and barely even qualified as answers.

“Are you serious, hedgehog?” Shadow said.

He’d only just stopped himself from snapping at the still distressed hedgehog. Snapping wouldn’t help here but Shadow was starting to lose his patience. Why couldn’t he just get a straight answer, damn it? Surely a proper answer would clear up all this confusion, get them on the same page? Then Shadow could help the stubborn hedgehog with whatever this problem was.

Sonic only shrugged and looked away.

He would not be getting clarification then.

Shadow shook his head and stood from the bed. He told the hedgehog he’d speak with his brother and sort out the inhibitor situation. Shadow took the notebook to show the fox. He thought it might come in handy when talking to the echidna too. Sonic wrapped his arms back around his legs and rested his head on his knees. His eyes closed. Shadow took the opportunity to hastily swoop down and pick up the balled-up note before making his exit.

He unfolded the paper once the door was closed. Most of the text was scratched out. But there were a few words that he could make out. And of course, the last thing Sonic had written. While they didn’t clear up much, what was written did provide some form of answer. A name.

Fleetway.

And the rest that he could make out was chilling.

The scratched note read: ‘It is my energy but also not. It’s hard to explain… form is not the only… others…’

A much longer section was scratched out here, much more heavily than everywhere else. What others was he referring to? And he’d mentioned some form, like Miles had earlier. But this form was not the only one? Did he mean to say he had more super forms or something? Was that possible?

And then it continued: ‘… unstable Chaos Energy… he’s different… horrible… take control… I don’t know what to do… it’s not… no way to… If Fleetway gets what he wants, everyone dies.’

Shadow wasn’t even sure how to unpack that last part. Whatever Sonic had been saying sounded terrifying. But exactly what he was talking about was still so terribly unclear. And Sonic had written that he didn’t know what to do, so did that mean he didn’t even know how to fix the situation? And yet he still wanted to handle it alone?

Shadow sighed. Now he at least had something to ask Miles.

Who the fuck was Fleetway?

---

Tails sat with Rouge in silence. He’d been outside with Rouge earlier but the fresh air had done nothing. He still couldn’t think straight. The living room felt so lifeless, the colours so much more muted than they should be. He was juts so hollow after what Sonic had said. He couldn’t even imagine what his brother felt like right now.

And Shadow was with him. That in itself was concerning.

“Tails?”

Tails perked up at Rouge’s voice. He curled his namesakes closer to himself.

“Why does Sonic have inhibitors?” she asked softly.

Where to begin with that question? It was certainly a more loaded one than Rouge could ever understand. More than Tails could understand, frankly.

“About – I think it was ten days ago now – there was an… incident at one of Eggman’s bases,” Tails started.

“An incident?”

Tails sort of wanted to avoid talking about it. It wasn’t something he exactly enjoyed remembering. He hated seeing his brother like that because that form was so far from what Sonic was. At least, what he typically was. He could have his moments but Sonic never got that scary. Not unless he was in that horrible black-furred super form. That fur that seemed to make Shadow’s fur look like a bright colour. That purple-blue energy that swirled around the room like a malicious miasma.

And his eyes. Chaos, his eyes.

They were so haunting. Tails sometimes saw them in his nightmares, staring at him from the darkest corner of his room. And he hated that those eyes had taken place of his brother’s. Sonic’s soft, emerald green eyes were always so full of life. There was no life in those blanked out eyes. Just rage. Pure, unbridled, white-hot rage.

“Eggman had this massive robot,” Tails mumbled. “A-and we were having trouble. Eggman hurt me. Not too badly but he hit me across the room really hard. I still kinda have the bruise on my back. I… I didn’t tell Sonic. He would have worried like crazy.”

Rouge was listening attentively while he was working his way up to the real problem. She widened her eyes when he mentioned his bruise. It really wasn’t that bad anymore. Thankfully his fur was thick enough to hide the mark. Or Sonic would have been so mad. Tails was honestly worried seeing it would trigger that scary form again. He hadn’t wanted that.

Tails hadn’t gotten up immediately because the pain had been blinding. For a moment, he had honestly thought his spine had broken or something. Other than the bruise, he’d been relatively ok. He was sure the shock had contributed a lot too. And the hit to the temple. But he’d moved his head just enough to catch Sonic’s transformation. It had been just as terrifying as the first time he’d seen it. More so even. Because this time, he’d known what was coming.

“Sonic…” Tails began, then had to clear his throat. “Sonic didn’t handle that well.”

He paused. Rouge was waiting for him to continue. Tails really didn’t want to. His throat felt dry.

“It’s… hard to really explain the next part,” he said. “It’s sort of a blur and I don’t really know how it happened. Sonic sort of triggered his Super form but… it was different. And… there was only one Emerald in the building.”

Rouge put a hand to her mouth.

“How is that possible?” she asked. “I thought the guys needed all seven to go Super?”

“This… this wasn’t Super,” Tails whispered. “It’s different than that. When Sonic goes Super, the energy that you can feel around you is… well, it’s empowering. Uplifting. Warm. You know?”

Rouge nodded. She was frowning.

“But that’s not what this energy was like,” he said. “It was dense, crushing, cold. I don’t know a ton about Chaos Energy. It’s so hard to research properly. But I do know one thing: Chaos Energy is emotional, reactive. And Sonic was angry.”

Rouge’s wings fluttered. She looked stunned. And Tails hadn’t even told her what Sonic had done yet. He hadn’t told her what this other form looked like. About that fur, those eyes. He hadn’t told her the state of the base afterwards, how they’d had to hide in order to avoid getting hurt themselves because his brother had been too far gone.

He hadn’t told her how terrifying it was to watch his brother tear apart a robot they’d barely scratched the whole time like it was paper.

There was some movement by the door to the hallway. Tails snapped his mouth shut. It was just Shadow. Sonic wasn’t with him. Still, Tails felt nervous about continuing now. Shadow was staring at him so intensely. How much had he heard?

“Angry?” Shadow asked.

Rouge turned to see Shadow. Tails shrank back into the settee. Rouge filled him in on what Tails had already told her. Chaos, he wanted to continue even less now.

“What happened after Sonic got angry, Miles?”

Shadow had no comment about the Emerald thing. Tails had a feeling he was internalising that information to think on by himself later. Shadow was the type who liked to analyse the information he was given. And he was very thorough in his thinking, never voicing his thoughts until he had a good idea of what he wanted to say.

“He went Super,” Tails said again. “But he looked wrong. His fur was black. Blacker than black. A-and his eyes… his pupils and irises were just gone.”

Oh, it had been more than just that.

Sonic’s body just locked up, stiff. His head was low. And then his fur had darkened, just melted into that awful shade of black like all the colour had been sucked from him. Like he’d been dunked in tar. It was a slower change than going Super. Tails could practically feel the whole room freeze. They’d all seen it before. Not many times but they all had. Everyone in that room knew what was happening but none of them knew how to stop it. So they just had to wait and watch as Sonic disappeared before their eyes, replaced with the scariest monster Tails had ever seen.

Because that form wasn’t Sonic. It just wasn’t. Tails wouldn’t accept it.

And then his eyes had snapped up. His pupils pinpricks, trained on Eggman’s destructive robot. Sonic’s quills were swept up, as if by an invisible wind. He’d blinked and then his eyes were just gone, replaced with that endless, hollow whiteness. They glowed slightly. Ever so slightly. And then a smile and cracked open on his face. A smile that held no mirth, no happiness. A smile that held only malice.

“H-he tore apart E-Eggman’s robot like it was n-nothing,” he whispered, lost in his memory now.

He’d laughed. That disturbing laugh that hardly sounded like Sonic either.

One moment, he was on the floor. The next, he was in the air. His hand was pressed up against the chest of the robot. And his hand had just sunk into the metal. Not even a punch, just a slow, flat-handed push. That purple-blue energy coiled up around him, swirled down his arm and coated his hand like a second glove. It almost melted the metal. Tails guessed Sonic’s hand had connected with the Emerald inside the robot and then his smile had widened.

The chest blew apart from the inside out. The fire and smoke and metal debris seemed to bypass Sonic entirely, flow around him like water around a rock that had breached the surface of a raging river. There had been no barrier around Sonic as far as Tails could see from his angle.

After that initial explosion is when things got fuzzy for Tails. He’d definitely hit his head when he’d been flung by that robot. He’d only found out after that he’d been bleeding. It hadn’t seemed to matter then. Knuckles swooped in at some point to pick him up, his shoulder bleeding. And they’d bundled up behind one of the arms of the robot. It had been on the floor then, completely separated from the robot; wires spiralled out of the end like grotesque veins. Tails had missed when that had happened. The second arm followed shortly. Tails saw that one soar through the air, scarily weightless, before it crashed to the ground. Tails had felt the vibrations in the floor.

Something touched his arm. Tails startled, realising quickly that it was only Rouge. He hadn’t realised he’d stopped talking, that he’d let himself fully sink into that awful memory.

“Tails? What happened?”

“It was bad,” he forced out, unable to meet their eyes. “That’s all you need to know. The base was a mess, the robot worse. Eggman fled and some time later… Sonic just sort of collapsed. Knuckles didn’t want it happening again. So he suggested the inhibitors.”

“Sonic is capable of that?” Rouge asked in disbelief.

She hadn’t even seen how bad it was.

Tails sighed. He rubbed his face and tried to collect himself. He had to make it clear that he didn’t blame Sonic for what happened. He had to make them know just how much it affected Sonic too.

“He’s not himself when that happens,” Tails insisted. “I’ve only ever seen it maybe three times in my life. It’s terrifying but… but Sonic doesn’t even remember what he does. He hates it.”

Shadow hummed in thought.

“Do you think that form might have a name?” Shadow asked suddenly.

Tails blinked at the dark hedgehog. He asked him to clarify what he meant and that, no, he’d never put a title to it other than scary.

“Fleetway, perhaps?” Shadow asked.

He sounded confused himself. Shadow handed over the notebook he’d taken earlier and another piece of crinkly paper. Tails looked at the paper first. He folded his ears as he read through what was on it. Or, at least what he could read. It was Sonic’s handwriting; Tails could pick it out easily as Sonic’s. And that’s what made him feel sick.

He’d never heard the name Fleetway before. Sonic had never mentioned it. He told Shadow as much. But Sonic talked of them as thought they were another person. So it couldn’t have been the name of that form, surely? Because it was just a form Sonic took. Despite how much Tails wanted them to be separate, Sonic and that form were the same person. They had to be; nothing else made sense. And what a strange name for Sonic to have chosen anyway. Shadow told them that Sonic had been writing to communicate with him, and that he scrunched up the scratched out note. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted anyone to read it.

Tails was also curious who this Fleetway person was.

Then, the fox took a look at the notebook. He scanned through what must have been some of Sonic’s vague answers to some of Shadow’s questions. And then he got to the last part. About the inhibitors. Shadow elaborated on some of Sonic’s responses for them as they went through it together.

It was horrible knowing that the inhibitors he’d designed weren’t working.

He thought he’d been helping his brother, despite how awful it was to have cornered him with them. But to hear that Sonic thought they weren’t even doing what they were supposed to be doing was disheartening. Tails felt even worse about making them to begin with. He didn’t know Sonic could use both negative and positive Chaos Energy. He didn’t know that the inhibitors would even have to be designed differently to counteract that; truthfully, he’d thought the inhibitors supressed all energy, not just positive. He was kicking himself now for not putting it together, for not thinking about the possibility.

Had he been hurting his brother without even knowing it? Were the inhibitors he’d made that bad?

They had to go speak to Knuckles. And Tails had to do a whole lot more research on Chaos Energy soon. There was still so much he didn’t understand and that naïveté was proving to be dangerous.

Chapter 16: Chapter Fifteen

Notes:

Hey all!

I wanted to get this update out on New Years, but I fell ill instead. Great way to kick off 2025, huh? So much fun. But I got to writing yesterday and finished the whole chapter super quick (pun entirely intended). I'm afraid not much happens to really move the plot forward in this chapter - I meant to get around to writing the Shadow and Knuckles confrontation which I know a lot of you are waiting for but, spoiler alert, didn't get there... Oop.

Instead, have a rare one-character perspective chapter. Wasn't expecting it myself to be honest, but here we are. Bit of an info dump chapter which wasn't my initial intention but oh well. Hope you guys enjoy anyway and I'll see you soon with another update for something! Thank you all for your lovely comments, they brighten my day, especially when I'm feeling shitty.

Super took a breath. Hyper was back to pacing, as usual. Super sighed, scooping a pile of pale petals into his hands. He studied the tiny petals, so soft and delicate. Fragile. He sighed, his breath disrupting the blossoms and causing some of them to slip away from his cupped hands.

Waiting.

That’s what they were doing now. And none of them were good at that. Not Super, not Hyper. Not Fleetway. Not Dark. And not Sonic. Hyper could certainly be patient… usually. And Sonic had his moments. But being patient and waiting were different things. Especially when their time felt so short. Waiting, doing nothing, while so much was on the line, was stressing Hyper out big time. And Super couldn’t blame him. He didn’t have the energy to pace right now though, not that pacing was his thing. That was for Hyper and Sonic. Though he wouldn’t put it past Dark to be partial to some pacing too. He seemed the type.

Super wished he knew him better.

Maybe after all this was over… If – no, when – they stopped Fleetway, maybe Super could convince Hyper and their host that Dark be spared. It wasn’t fair to keep him locked away. Super had always felt that. And if he was free again, Super could talk to him. The enigma that was Dark had always fascinated Super. He just wanted to know him. Because deep down, Super knew he was a good person.

He was. The fact that he reached out, that he apologised, meant he had to be. Besides, he and Sonic used to be so close. Sonic wouldn’t have been so torn about sealing him the first time if he’d been all bad. Super had wanted to ask the story of where Dark had come from, about their relationship, but he’d been afraid to ask. He’d been worried the wound was still too fresh. Though he also wasn’t sure if that wound would ever fully heal either.

Dark had been there before them all. But certainly, he couldn’t have been inside Sonic from the beginning. Could he? Super honestly didn’t know.

Hyper let out some sound. Something frustrated, like a grunt, with a slight waver to it. Almost a deep whine, but not deep enough for a growl. Almost an in between, but not quite either. Super watched Hyper for a moment but the back and forth motion started making his eyes hurt.

What exactly was Dark doing?

He’d told them to wait while he tried something. The dark form never told them what he was going to do. Just that they had to be patient. He was always so cryptic and vague. Super knew that came from Sonic. Their host could be… enigmatic sometimes. Super was fine going with the flow. He just sometimes wished Sonic could be more straightforward. Hyper hated it though. It made him frustrated. Though, a lot did these days. He hid it well but Super knew. He liked to pretend that he was immune to anger but none of them were; they just felt it differently and showed it in their own ways.

How long was Dark going to take? Super hoped nothing bad had happened.

Super flopped down, throwing the blossom petals in the air as he did. They tumbled down around him like pink snow as he stared out into the soft orange sky above. Hyper had hoped the atmosphere of mid-sunset would calm their nerves somewhat. Super closed his eyes. He thought it was helping. He felt a little better at least. He sucked in a breath and let it out through his nose. Super furrowed his brow and opened his eyes. A petal had landed on his nose. Super crossed his crimson eyes to stare at it, the trees around him going blurry. He blew it away. It whirled through the air for a moment before it twisted out of sight. Super couldn’t find the energy to turn and search for it.

And then there was a change in the domain. Super felt it. And if he did, Hyper most certainly must have.

Super pushed himself back into a sitting position, ears perking up. The air around him cooled. Out the corner of his eye, he saw that Hyper had stopped his pacing. He followed the silver and rainbow-speckled hedgehog’s gaze.

He was on his feet a second later.

Super closed the distance between himself and the newcomer in moments. His steps faltered as he got closer and then stilled entirely. He’d stopped mid-stride, eyes widening. Hyper hadn’t even made a move yet. He’d seen what Super had far quicker.

All the excitement, the relief, the questions of how he’d gotten there melted away.

Dark looked like hell.

The flesh around his stomach was torn and ragged, a half-healed tear still visible. His fur was slicked down in places, clumped in others. Blood. Fresh and coagulated and drying, all at once. It didn’t show up too well against his fur but Super could tell the bulk of it was centred around his stomach and down his legs. There were a few scrapes and scratches elsewhere but his stomach was by far the worst. Dark’s gloves were soaked through with the red fluid too, though it was now drying into a horrible rusty brown.

And then the smell hit. Metallic and acrid.

Super had heard the pain in Dark’s voice through their connection. He’d heard it, and yet he’d had no idea how bad it really was. Dark’s eyes, normally a glowing, brilliant ghost-white, were faded and his breathing was shallow. He was standing though, far steadier than Super would have thought after seeing the damage. He looked stable enough, though his condition wasn’t looking good. Dark masked, like Sonic did. But a defeated, pained look had partially leaked through.

Super stepped forward. He held out a hand but Dark stepped back and looked away. His ears were bent back. Super wanted to hug him real bad. He looked like he needed it.

Hyper had to forgive him now, surely? He’d clearly suffered trying to right his wrong.

“You look awful,” Hyper said.

Hyper still hadn’t moved. Super wished he would just come over already. They had to work together to stop Fleetway; if he’d done this to Dark, Super couldn’t even imagine what they were up against. He’d faced off against Fleet before. With Hyper and Sonic. But it had been three against one. Dark had faced him alone. Fleetway was reckless and persistent and he almost liked pain; it made him very difficult to fight.

But Dark was also had to fight. He was cunning and fast, the fastest of them all. He fought smart, not blindly like Fleetway did. And his energy was strong. Far more concentrated and volatile. Suffocating. His energy trumped even Hyper’s on its own.

But Fleetway had bested him. And that’s what made Super’s quills bristle.

Dark never responded to Hyper. He just sat down under the lightest blossom tree and buried his face in his hands. Maybe he wasn’t so stable after all. His breathing was still so shallow and Super could see that his wound was still actively bleeding. He approached the darker form, a lot more cautiously this time.

Super wasn’t afraid of Dark lashing out. The dark form seemed very high-strung right now and Super didn’t want to upset him. But Dark wouldn’t hurt him, not on purpose. That wound needed looking at and soon. It wasn’t fully scabbed over and he was losing blood. That’s what Super was worried about. So he approached slowly but with purpose, letting Dark know he was there.

His tree selection was curious but understandable. But it also made Super feel… sad. He pushed the feeling away.

Super crouched by Dark. He could hear a slight wheeze to Dark’s breathing now and, when he raised his head, he could see that his muzzle was lightly stained with smeared blood.

‘Can I help?’ he signed to Dark.

It was hard to tell where Dark was looking unless he moved his head, but Super could see the slight shift of his eyes this close, the telling lowering and raising of his eyelids. Dark looked down at the bloodied mess of his stomach then back up to Super. The shifting of leaves and petals caused Dark to look up, past Super. Those eyes narrowed sharply for a moment but then he turned his head away. He didn’t flinch this time when Super moved to help. That was a good sign. It at least wasn’t a no.

It seemed like Dark wasn’t in the mood to talk himself.

Hyper sat beside Super and placed his hand on his shoulder. Super felt Hyper’s energy move through him. Together, they could heal him faster. It didn’t matter if Dark tried; it would probably be better to let him rest anyway. Who knew how nasty that wound had been before he’d attempted to heal it himself? It still looked nasty as sin.

Super placed his own hand against Dark’s stomach. He received a growl in response but Dark still didn’t shift away. An iffy response at best but still not technically a no. More like a warning. Super would be as gentle as possible. He felt Dark tense under his hand as he streamed his energy into the wound. Super frowned when his energy met a familiar, spikey sort of energy.

Fleetway’s.

No wonder Dark was looking rough. Fleetway’s infectious, vile energy was still doing damage inside of him. Super frowned. He bet that hurt a lot more than Dark would show. Super didn’t even want to know how that had happened.

Super hoped the positive energy wouldn’t upset Dark’s system too. He was pure negative energy. It was hard to say. But if it would heal Dark, they had to try. It might be risky though. Worst case scenario, he felt sick, right? Maybe? At least, Super hoped that was the worst case…

Dark suddenly rose a stained hand. He started coughing before his hand made it. Super saw the red mixed in with the spittle that flew from his mouth. Super sucked in a breath.

The damage was deep.

“How did you get here?” Hyper asked.

Super thought he should have waited. Dark was in no condition to be talking in his opinion. And it didn’t seem like he wanted to be either. But he could understand Hyper’s confusion. They couldn’t reach Dark or Fleetway’s domains at the present time. How had Dark gotten here?

Dark shook his head.

“Block doesn’t go both ways,” he mumbled. “Apparently.”

“Why not?”

“Sonic’s fancy new inhibitors only block positive energy.”

Super blinked. He exchanged a bewildered look with Hyper. So that was why they were finding it near impossible to move outside of their domains? Sonic had… inhibitors? They’d missed that crucial piece of information. They weren’t always aware of everything Sonic was doing; they had to reach out personally to know most of the time. Though Super shared his emotions, he didn’t always know why Sonic was upset.

They hadn’t known about the inhibitors.

“Inhibitors…” Hyper whispered. “So that’s it. But why would Sonic accept inhibitors?”

Dark sighed.

“Because of me.”

“You.”

It wasn’t a question. Super wasn’t sure if he should intervene but Hyper’s voice was dipping into that tone. The still calm but angry tone. He shifted where he was sitting between them.

“I told you this was my fault,” Dark said, his head still turned away. “Back at Eggman’s base, I caused enough destruction that Knuckles finally made the decision. It wasn’t exactly Sonic’s choice.”

Dark huffed. But Super heard the sound underneath. He was disguising a hiss.

He was still in so much pain. The healing process was made slower by the presence of Fleet’s energy. Super pivoted to tackling the poisonous stuff. Healing him would have to wait. Super didn’t like it though. He wished he could speed this up more. Dark was hurting.

“And that was the start of your little plan, was it?” Hyper snapped.

“Don’t start,” Dark snapped back. “I made a mistake – more than that – but I’m trying to make this right. I don’t need you to remind me of what I’ve done.”

Dark sighed.

“You can yell at me when I’m sealed again,” he whispered, dejected.

Super reached out to take Dark’s hand. Dark turned to look at him as he flinched away from the contact. No touching then. Only healing. Super dipped his head in apology. Maybe he was seeing things but it really looked like Dark’s eyes softened slightly before he looked away again. Probably just seeing things. He liked to think it was there though.

Dark wasn’t so scary.

After some more pushing from Hyper, Dark eventually told them what he’d done. All of what he’d done. He left out a lot of details and only told them the bare bones of his scheme with Fleetway though. A few times Hyper tried to cut in, to snap back at Dark’s twisted decisions. Super got him to back down with a shake of the head or sometimes just a look. It wasn’t that Super was happy with what he was hearing. He wasn’t. It was horrific what he’d put Sonic through with Fleetway’s influence. But Dark was uncharacteristically and voluntarily being vulnerable with them right now. He was admitting his wrongs. That was big.

But Super could also see his actions for what they were driven by: Fleetway’s toxic influence and Dark’s depressive isolation.

Should he have done what he did? No. His deliberate and malicious manipulation of Sonic’s dreams was cruel. The aiding of Fleetway was wrong. His intentions were clouded. But that didn’t mean Dark was completely at fault. Not to Super.

Dark was responsible for a lot of the blame for sure, but not all of it. Fleetway had to take a lot of that himself. He preyed upon Dark’s desperation. It was scarily… calculated for Fleet. But it was hard to ignore that Hyper himself had to take some of the blame too. He was the one who convinced Sonic that sealing Dark was the right thing to do. Which, by extension, meant Sonic had a hand in this too. And Super was hardly innocent himself. He stood by as Dark was sealed and was part of the reason Dark was so shut off from their host; Super had taken his connection with Sonic after all.

Yes, they were all at fault. But none more so than Fleetway. Super stood by that.

Dark’s – or rather, Fleetway’s – plan was essentially to break down Sonic enough that Fleetway could escape his imprisonment. Apparently, the Eggman situation was just a helpful coincidence. Somehow, Fleetway had figured out that his seal’s strength correlated to Sonic’s mental strength. So breaking him meant weakening the seal. Fleet had promised Dark his own freedom and revenge on Sonic. Though Dark admitted that he was never really sure if he’d wanted that revenge to begin with.

Dark had been chipping away at the energy that had sealed him for years, before even Fleetway’s influence apparently. That was what had allowed him to take over Sonic in Eggman’s base; he’d damaged the seal enough that he’d been able to slip through. And Sonic’s mindset was just panicked enough to allow the take-over to happen. They hadn’t known that the seal could be damaged like that; Dark’s energy was stronger than they’d realised. It was definitely not something to take lightly. The seal, though cracked, had not been broken back at Eggman’s base. Fleetway had convinced Dark that the quickest way to escape would be hurting Sonic.

“And like a fool, I trusted him.”

But Dark hadn’t stopped to realise what harming Sonic would do for Fleetway’s seal.

Their seals were slightly different, but that difference was more severe than it sounded. Dark had inadvertently weakened his own seal, yes. But Dark’s seal had been stronger to account for his energy. Clearly, Hyper hadn’t accounted for it enough. Dark had done more on his own before Fleetway’s interference.

But Fleet’s seal had been weaker. Though physically the insane form was stronger than them all, he was lacking in the energy department. Therefore, his seal hadn’t needed to be stronger than it was; they knew physical attacks did nothing since the seals themselves were pure energy. Apparently, Fleetway had more free reign than even Dark had now. Both of them were no longer sealed within their own domains but sealed within Sonic. But Fleetway had been able to keep Dark away from his own domain.

What exactly did that mean for Sonic though?

Fleetway was still fighting for control. Even with his freedom inside their host, he could not achieve what Dark had done with less. It really put into perspective how powerful the darker form really was.

Needless to say, all this only meant that Sonic’s torture would continue. Which would lead to Fleetway’s seal breaking further. And they could all picture what would happen if Fleetway took control…

Dark couldn’t take control again for one simple fact: the conditions weren’t right. Sure, Sonic didn’t seem to be doing all that well. But when Dark had been triggered the first time it was because of Tails. There were only a few things that got Sonic that panicked these days. Even after those nightmares, the initial panic spike hadn’t lasted long enough to work. Not with how little energy he had to actually work with outside the Voidspace. What panic remained wasn’t potent enough. Dark had felt too sick to even try after the messed up nightmare he’d put poor Sonic through. And even then, he wouldn’t be able to hold that control for long because of the seal. Hyper probably hadn’t needed to interfere the last time. It simply wouldn’t have been worth it to take control anyway. It wasn’t necessarily what Dark had wanted.

Dark never told them what he did want. But total control over Sonic was clearly not it. Super wondered what it was. Dark wasn’t speaking anymore though. He was done. Super understood.

All this to say, their next step after healing up Dark was clear to them all.

Get to the Voidspace.

That was easier said than done, of course.

With their combined energy, they might be able to manage it. Though that was only a theory. Just because Dark could move between their domains and Fleetway’s, didn’t mean they could all get to the Voidspace. Besides, with the block from the inhibitors… would Super and Hyper even be able to leave their domains? With or without Dark’s help, Super wasn’t sure it would make a difference. No reason not to try though.

Perhaps they could get a message to Sonic instead?

The inhibitors likely needed to be removed before they could confront Fleetway.

But according to Dark, they were kind of shit out of luck there. Sonic didn’t want them either. It was Knuckles who refused to let him remove the inhibitors. They all knew how stubborn he could be. And Knuckles, like all Sonic’s friends, had no idea they existed. Not in the fully-conscious-beings sense, at least. As far as they were concerned, they were just forms Sonic took, not separate entities with their own free will inside his head. Sonic had been weird about telling them; he didn’t think they’d believe him, which was fair. And Sonic had kept that secret for so long. It was very likely that none of them would believe what Sonic had to say. Especially not after Sonic’s recent… decline, to put it lightly.

So the message to Sonic wouldn’t achieve much. Unless they could prove their existence to Knuckles somehow. Or maybe they could contact Sonic to come up with a plan? Their host shouldn’t be in the dark after all.

Everything was so much more complicated than Super had ever realised it could be.

Hyper disappeared further into the trees not long after Dark was done telling them what he had to say. He’d left calmly. But Super had seen the silver form’s fists clench. Dark, like through most of his story, would not look at Super. That was ok. Maybe eye contact was difficult for Dark?

Super and Dark jumped slightly at the distant crack that broke the silence in the forest. It was followed by an even louder thud. The sound was concerning. But it didn’t take Super long to realise what they’d just heard. Which was even more concerning…

Hyper had felled a tree in his own domain.

That was bad. The damage would be fixed quite easily, so that wasn’t the issue. The problem was that Hyper didn’t get outwardly angry often and certainly not in front of anyone. Granted, he’d walked away but they could still hear what he was doing. Another crack split the air. Dark finally met Super’s eye as the next thud came. His face was blank.

“I th-think he just n-n-needs some time…” Super told him quietly.

Crack.

Dark sighed. Super was still using his energy to help Dark. Without Hyper, the process was harder. But Hyper really did need some time alone. He’d deal with the inconvenience, no matter how upset it made him. Dark needed his help, Dark would get his help. He couldn’t help Hyper. The only way to do that now would be to leave him to whatever he had to do. He’d calm down eventually. Probably.

Thud.

“F-feeling f-funky or ok?” Super asked.

Hyper wouldn’t stay mad. Would he? And who was it directed at? Super hoped it wasn’t Dark.

CRACK.

Super winced.

“Fine.”

Super frowned at that blank look. Dark looked away and huffed again. There it was once more. The disguised hiss, the light hitch in his breathing. But was it pain or something else? Super couldn’t tell but he had a feeling Dark was lying.

So much like Sonic…

“O-ok…” Super mumbled, unconvinced.

THUD.

Chapter 17: Chapter Sixteen

Notes:

Heeeey!

I'm back. Really quick. I've pretty much almost finished the next chapter after this, so I was too excited. Next chapter will be a little... different. But I really enjoyed writing it. So I hope you all will like it too.

That being said, I hope this one isn't too disappointing... I know the Shadow and Knuckles confrontation was pretty hyped up and a lot of you have been waiting for it. I'm not sure if what I wrote will be meeting your expectations. It may have been... too hyped. Either way, I hope you like the chapter! Let me know what you think and I'll see you next time!

Lavender.

It was lavender he’d been smelling in the bathroom the other day. Sonic had only been able to place it because he’d smelled it again when Shadow had been in the room. It was ironic that he only noticed it now in its absence. Maybe that’s why he’d been so open with Shadow earlier. Damn him. Did he do that on purpose? Or had he… always smelled like that? Sonic was having a hard time remembering.

Outside, it was harder to pick up on stuff like that. And it’s not like Sonic hung out with Shadow often. And when they did they were racing or fighting. Scent was a hard thing to pick up with the wind whipping around you. And smelling Shadow was the last thing on his mind when he was getting punched in the sternum.

But it was definitely lavender.

Sonic had cleared a weight from his mind, if only for a little while, talking to Shadow. He hated to admit that was true, but it was. The lavender had helped. That’s why he’d finally been able to place it; because he could think again. Think about something other than Dark and Fleetway’s torment.

And now the only thing he could think of was lavender. It sure beat working himself up about something he couldn’t currently control. Not that he wasn’t still worried about that, he just had to accept that he couldn’t do anything about Fleetway right now. When was the last time he’d properly smelled lavender though? Sonic honestly couldn’t recall. But the flower itself was pretty and had a pleasant scent. He didn’t remember seeing the plant in the bathroom. Why the hell did Shadow smell like it?

Sonic sighed. Maybe he wasn’t so thrilled about his apparent new fixation. Now he’d rather not think about it at all.

With a groan, Sonic let himself flop down against the bed. He stared at the ceiling, not really seeing it. Though the scent of the flower was mostly gone now, its effect had certainly set in. He was almost feeling sleepy, despite his anxiety. That wasn’t fully on the lavender though, he supposed. Sonic hadn’t gotten a proper amount of sleep in many days now. The stress had certainly stolen the last shreds of his energy too. Running on what was essentially zero hours of sleep, not a lot of food, and pure adrenaline was exhausting.

With half-lidded eyes, Sonic rolled over and crawled up to the top of the bed. He slipped under the blanket and curled up in a tight ball on the pillow. He wasn’t going to get any sleep and he wasn’t even sure if that was what he was going for. He just wanted one moment, just one, to rest his body if not his mind. He would go without sleep if he had to but his body needed some recharge time. Sure, he hadn’t done much for a few days, but his body had been so tense recently. His muscles needed relief.

‘Just one moment,’ he begged Fleetway. ‘Please…’

He received no response. Which was odd. He’d expected the insane hedgehog to at least laugh at his pitiful attempt at begging for mercy. Maybe even some mockery for begging in the first place. But he got nothing. From Dark, silence was unnerving but fairly normal. But Fleetway? Surely he wouldn’t ignore the opportunity to make fun of him? It felt wrong but Sonic was grateful for it nonetheless. Was Fleetway doing it on purpose to psyche him out? That wasn’t really his thing. He was usually more direct with his actions. Maybe he should be worrying about that. He couldn’t care less in the moment though.

A soft knock at the door startled him. He supressed a groan, uncurling slightly and rolling so he could see the door. Mercifully, it didn’t open. But a voice drifted through the wood.

“Sonic? Can I come in?”

Rouge again. Talking through the door. Like the bathroom. When he’d smelled that lavender.

Damn his brain.

Should he say no or yes? Was his voice even still semi-working? He just wanted to lie there and exist in his not-quite-sleeping-but-not-quite-present state a little while longer. Saying no was rude though; it was her house. And she was just worried, probably. All of them were. Sonic wished they would just leave him alone. He didn’t want their pity, their concern. He just wanted nothingness. Just for a little while. But Rouge…

“N-no.”

It had left his mouth before he could stop it. He wasn’t in the mood for company. It wasn’t very polite though. Strangely, while his words were still fighting him, that one “no” slipped through so quickly, almost effortlessly. Guess his mouth was finally in agreement with his brain. That was new.

“Oh,” Rough said. “Are you ok?”

“Mhm.”

Not a real response. But words were rapidly becoming harder again. Like his voice was as tired as he was. It was hard to describe. Sonic never was good with words, whether he was speaking them aloud or not. Either way, Sonic didn’t think he’d be speaking for a few hours at least. It felt like his system was going into a total shutdown. He sort of… welcomed it. Like falling into an endless pit, he felt all weightless and lost, but the world around him didn’t seem to fade away. He was aware of everything, yet still his mind was getting cloudy.

“Well, I’m here if you want some company,” Rouge’s voice said through the door.

She didn’t sound convinced. Shadow probably told her the things he’d said. She knew he was lying. He couldn’t bring himself to give a toss.

His eyes felt… heavy.

---

Shadow folded his arms, staring at the red echidna.

He and Miles had run into Knuckles as he was leaving the brothers’ house. Literally as he was opening the door, the two were walking down the path. The echidna stayed frozen in the doorway, blinking. Honestly, all three of them were frozen. Miles had been pretty quiet since they left the apartment and Shadow hadn’t really thought about how to approach this. Knuckles clearly hadn’t been expecting to see them; damn near seemed like they gave him a heart attack. Shadow would have found it oddly amusing if he hadn’t been here on a very specific mission.

Get Knuckles to remove the inhibitors.

Miles was still a little shellshocked after telling his tale. Halfway through recounting what had happened, the fox had just… stopped and stared out at nothing. It was the look in his eyes that had spiked Shadow’s heartrate. He just wished he knew exactly what Sonic had done. Miles had simply told them it was bad. Shadow wondered absently if the base had been left in that state, if he could glean anything from looking himself. Because if Shadow was honest, not much Miles said cleared up anything. He had way more questions now. Questions he’d thought over on their way here that he still couldn’t answer.

How had Sonic seemingly triggered a Super form with only one Emerald? The changes to the Super form could probably be explained away by Sonic’s apparent ability to use negative Chaos Energy. It being triggered by anger would certainly support that. But one Emerald? How was that anywhere near enough energy? If it was what Sonic had referred to as “Fleetway,” why had he written of the form as though it were another person? Did he simply want to distance himself from it as much as possible? He recalled what Miles had said…

‘He’s not himself when that happens… It’s terrifying but… but Sonic doesn’t even remember what he does.’

So, Sonic did not seem to have control over the form. That was worrying. Was he driven purely by his emotion? Would that really explain the blackouts in his memory though?

‘He hates it.’

Knuckles cleared his throat, bringing Shadow back to the present. Those violet eyes bore into him. The echidna had never liked him. He hated to tell the echidna the feeling was mutual. It was going to make this particular conversation harder though. Sonic had written that the echidna was stubborn but he’d surely listen to reason?

Was what Shadow had to say “reasonable” though? He supposed not. Because he still didn’t know exactly what he was going to be arguing for. Sonic’s pages were far too vague. But the genuine terror in his emerald eyes had convinced Shadow that Sonic thought this was serious. That and the unsettling energy he’d felt for a that fleeting moment.

“Where’s Sonic?” Knuckles asked.

Shadow supposed he’d already figured out that they knew. The echidna wasn’t as dense as he looked. And he was suspicious, guarded. Bad start.

Miles stepped forward. Despite his near-reticence on the way over, he looked like he had something to say now. Shadow would stay out of it and only step in when he felt he needed to. Miles had a better chance of getting through to the echidna in the peaceful way. If he needed more… convincing, Shadow would give it a try.

He’d make the echidna listen if he had to.

“We’ll only tell you if you agree to say the passcode that opens the inhibitors,” Miles said firmly.

Ah, so that’s what the passcode was for. A voice lock. Smart, if they hadn’t wanted Sonic to remove them himself. Stupid, if they seriously hadn’t thought something bad would happen with that system. What if something had happened to Knuckles? Or Sonic needed to go Super when the echidna wasn’t around?

That also bothered Shadow; Sonic made it seem like he couldn’t access any positive energy at all. Shadow could easily go Super with his own inhibitors on. Could Chaos Control and use other Chaos techniques without problem. Because Shadow’s inhibitors were specifically tailored to him and Miles had simply copied the design. And he hadn’t exactly had the reference of Shadow’s inhibitors to go off either. It was likely that he’d merely guessed at how to put together the limiters, so they probably didn’t even work like his anyway.

They must have been blocking everything.

Chaos Energy was very specific to an individual. Shadow thought he finally understood part what Sonic had been trying to tell him. The inhibitors would have had to have been fine-tuned to Sonic’s specific “frequency” so to speak.

Shadow had mentioned as much to the fox on the way over. It was the only time he’d spoken. Miles had admitted that he’d had a feeling they would need to be tweaked after the fact. He’d planned on monitoring Sonic’s energy so he could adjust them. But Sonic had bolted almost as soon as the rings were put on his wrists. He hadn’t gotten the chance. He’d also admitted, meekly, that he hadn’t known fully what he was doing. The fox seemed guilty enough that Shadow had managed to contained his fury. But only just. Messing with another’s energy was just…

Shadow knew from experience how inhibitors made wrong could feel. Gerald went through many iterations before he’d landed on the model that worked. And Sonic could, apparently, use positive and negative energy. Tails hadn’t even known what to be accounting for when he made them. He’d probably assumed the positive was what he was supposed to be working on anyway. So supressing the energy that wasn’t the problem was not going to work to begin with.

“Do you want another situation like at Eggman’s base, Tails?” Knuckles snapped. “It’s for his own good.”

“But he says they’re not working!”

Everyone’s experience with their own energy was different. Shadow physically couldn’t contain all his energy on his own; a biproduct of being genetically engineered. He needed inhibitors to stay stable. That didn’t mean Sonic needed them. Only Sonic really knew what was right for him because no one else could possibly know Sonic’s experience. Energy signatures could be recorded and monitored, felt through other energy-sensitive beings. But no one could claim to really know another’s energy. Gerald, frankly, hadn’t fully understood that at first either. But when Shadow complained, he'd listened.

“It’s Sonic,” Knuckles said. “He’s always being difficult. He just wants to get out of wearing them.”

Knuckles wasn’t listening.

“I think this is more than that, Knuckles,” Miles insisted. “I really do.”

How was Sonic really feeling? He clearly wasn’t right, even Shadow could see that and he didn’t know Sonic all that well. But if Sonic wasn’t willing to be upfront about what issues he was dealing with, about who “Fleetway” was and why this other form of his was bad… just how much of what he was really feeling was coming through? Sonic had been openly distressed from the very beginning. But how deeper did it go? Was Sonic uncomfortable? Confused? In pain? If he could speak properly, would he be able to articulate exactly what was wrong with his energy?

“Tails.”

Did he even know how to quantify what he was feeling?

“You didn’t see him Knuckles,” Miles insisted. “He’s really messed up. It’s like he’s lost all motivation to do… anything.”

There was something with the way Miles said “anything” that felt wrong. Was Sonic really that lethargic? Shadow thought back to that moment in the hallway, the way Sonic had signed something that had completely shaken Miles. And then his face had been so blank. He’d refused to communicate, even when Miles had begged him to. Was that what he’d told him? Shadow had a feeling Sonic phrased it differently. In a more… alarming way.

Something shifted in Knuckles’ expression. But he shook his head.

“It’s too dangerous, Tails. He’s too dangerous. I’m sorry.”

Miles seemed to deflate. He coiled one of his tails closer and hugged it to his chest. The fox opened his mouth to say something, ears flattening. But like his brother, no words seemed to come.

Enough. He’d had enough of this drivel.

Shadow finally stepped forward, through the analogistic barrier that had kept him out, into their conversation. It was going nowhere. Miles had hit a wall. He’d failed. Now it was Shadow’s turn. And Shadow would not back down.

“Did you know that Sonic could use both positive and negative Chaos Energy?” Shadow asked.

Knuckles turned his attention to Shadow. He was frowning, confused. But there was a calculating sort of look in his eyes. He was mulling it over. Shadow watched his eyes widen slightly. His stance changed a little. Subtly. But Shadow caught it. And he caught the harder look in Knuckles’ eyes too. It appeared he was piecing something together, something bigger than Shadow understood. Knuckles knew something. Maybe he’d only just realised it, but he knew. Shadow could tell by his face. That understanding that clicked into place. Something else seemed to cut through that understanding though. Something angry – no, frustrated. Exasperated. Maybe even… hurt?

“I knew something was wrong with that form,” he mumbled to himself. “But I hadn’t thought… That shouldn’t be possible.”

“No, it shouldn’t,” Shadow admitted. “But that’s what Sonic is claiming.”

Knuckles shook his head again.

“That idiot,” Knuckles hissed under his breath. “If he’d just listened to me, none of this would be happening.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes.

“Listened to what?”

Knuckles pulled out an Emerald from his spines. The yellow Chaos Emerald. The glint of it in the evening sun made it look almost orange. He ignored Shadow, turning to stare at Miles instead. That hard look in his eyes was back.

Shadow’s fur ruffled. He didn’t like being ignored.

“Did you know this was in the house?” Knuckles asked.

“It’s an Emerald, Knuckles,” Miles said, confused. “It’s not like that’s that strange. The red one is in my lab.”

“But did you know this one was in the house?” the echidna pressed.

Miles thought for a moment. He shook his head. He still didn’t look as bothered by that as Knuckles was though. Shadow was curious himself. Why was Knuckles so upset by Sonic having an Emerald? Miles was right, that seemed pretty normal. So why this line of questioning?

“No, I guess I didn’t.”

“Because that fool was hiding it,” Knuckles snapped. “It was under his bed. Why was he hiding it?”

Hiding it? How odd.

“I don’t know!” Miles suddenly cried. “Sonic does strange things all the time! Does it matter right now? He probably just forgot about it.”

There was something about that outburst that intrigued Shadow. He did “strange things all the time?” What sort of things? From what he knew about Sonic, he could be a bit odd at times. He made decisions occasionally that baffled Shadow, made things needlessly difficult. But what “strange things” specifically was Miles referring to? The fox was the one who knew him the best, right? He would know if the hedgehog was acting weirder than usual.

And personally, despite Sonic’s air-headedness, Shadow didn’t think it was possible to forget where something as important as a Chaos Emerald was. It was in his own room. He’d sense it every time he was in the house. Probably from even further away.

Shadow found Miles’ suggestion hard to believe.

“He did it on purpose,” Knuckles said. “He’s been messing around with his energy. I bet that’s why we saw that damn form again. Sonic has managed to keep it in check for years. So why now? Why would it appear again now?”

Just what was this form? Shadow wanted to see if for himself.

“That’s just a coincidence, Knuckles,” Miles said.

“I’m starting to think nothing is a coincidence when it comes to that hedgehog,” Knuckles muttered.

Shadow growled. Knuckles met his eye again. They both glared at each other. Miles looked between them nervously. Shadow didn’t care about any of this shit. Knuckles was dragging this conversation out. Who cared if the hedgehog was hiding an Emerald? They could have this talk, preferably with Sonic himself, later, damn it. It was hardly relevant right now. What was Knuckles even trying to get at?

“None of this matters,” Shadow snapped. “Sonic thinks something is seriously wrong with his energy. We need to take his inhibitors off. Now.”

“I’m not risking that!” Knuckles growled. “You didn’t see what he did!”

Shadow huffed. Did nothing sink into his head? He was telling him there was something wrong with Sonic. Something that was causing him issues. Was he just not hearing him? Or was he really that obstinate?

“They’re not supressing the right energy in the first place, moron,” he tired.

“Stay out of this, Shadow,” Knuckles huffed.

Shadow hardened his stance. His fingers flexed at his sides, ears starting to tilt back. This was getting ridiculous.

“Absolutely not,” Shadow said.

“It’s not like you’re even his friend.”

Shadow’s fist connected with Knuckles’ jaw with an awful crack. The world seemed to slow down around him. Knuckles stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. The echidna’s hand came up instinctively to protect his face and nurse his jaw. Shadow didn’t hit hard enough to break his jaw. At least, he didn’t think he had; he’d been sort of blinded by rage for a moment there. He’d give it to the echidna though, his hand kind of hurt afterwards. There was a slight ache to his knuckles. The yellow Emerald dropped from Knuckles’ hand and rolled through the grass. It came to a stop by Shadow’s foot. After the initial surprise wore off, the echidna glowered up at Shadow. His lip was bleeding.

Why did he do that? Knuckles was right; they weren’t really friends. So why did Shadow feel so… so… irate?

Because it didn’t matter if they were friends or not, Shadow reasoned. He wouldn’t let Sonic suffer because his friend was stubborn. He wouldn’t let incorrectly calibrated inhibitors harm the hedgehog. Sonic was sitting in the spare room above Club Rouge panicking right now because of his own energy. Even if Sonic was lying about the negative Chaos Energy thing – Shadow still wasn’t entirely sure if he believed him – he was clearly not ok. It was entirely possible that his energy alone was causing him stress. If that stress could be avoided, why fight this? Why couldn’t Knuckles just come with them and unlock the damn inhibitors?

“I don’t think you understand,” Shadow said lowly. “Whether you think Sonic needs them or not, they’re harming him. Get that through your thick red skull, echidna. You are hurting your friend.”

Knuckles was breathing heavy, fists clenched. Shadow couldn’t tell yet if he was going to have to trade blows with the echidna before he actually listened. He tensed. If the echidna wanted to fight, he’d get a fight. Shadow hadn’t really meant to start one though. He supposed that fury he’d tried supressing earlier hadn’t fully gone away yet. And something about what Knuckles said had made it flare up again. He just wasn’t sure why that happened.

Namesakes flicking erratically, Miles shakily moved between them. Poor fox looked terrified. He wrung his hands together and looked from Shadow to the yellow Emerald and then to Knuckles. His blue eyes eventually turned back to the Chaos Emerald. They stuck there, the fox unable to meet the eyes of either of them.

“Wh-why don’t we compromise?” Miles asked hesitantly. “What if I adjusted Sonic’s inhibitors to supress his negative energy instead? I messed up but I want to fix this. I can fix this.”

Shadow lowered his fist slightly but not fully. It had kind of slipped his mind that it was still raised after his punch. According to Sonic the negative energy wasn’t the problem. At least not anymore. Shadow didn’t know what that meant exactly. But, if they could actually get Sonic to tell them the real issue, maybe Miles could adjust the inhibitors. Then Sonic wouldn’t have to worry about whatever energy he seemed to be afraid of. Right?

Would that work…?

“Who are we to say that’s what he even needs?” Shadow asked.

“Who’s to say if that fool can even use negative energy in the first place?” Knuckles grumbled.

Chapter 18: Chapter Seventeen

Notes:

Hello, hello, hello!

A bit of a different chapter this time, but hopefully one you'll enjoy. I really liked writing this one. Gonna have to wait on that plot progression though, I'm afraid.

An update for By the Blade, We Are Bound should be following this one if any of you read that one too; a little present from me to you on my birthday~

Hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think and I'll see you next time!

The ground was hard beneath him. Hard and cold, so cold. After a few winters, the feeling was starting to become familiar, the embrace of an old toxic friend. Maurice welcomed it, though not because he liked it. Winter brought the cold and he’d learnt to deal with that. But why did the ground have to be so hard? It was so spongy in spring, oddly soft in the summer. Sometimes a bit too wet in autumn though. He shivered and rolled over.

He'd take the hard ground over a wet one any day. Mud was too sticky and clung to his fur in autumn. The feeling always made his skin prickle and his stomach flip. So gross. It felt chilly then too, not really as cold, but chilly enough. Snow was by far colder and made this teeth click together against his will. And that always made him cringe. But the mud somehow made that cold feeling seep deeper, past his fur and quills, straight to the skin. Under it even. Sometimes, it felt like it reached as far as his bones.

At least, he thought that’s what it was. Maurice didn’t really know what bones were. Only that “sticks and stones” could break them. And that didn’t sound good, so they had to be important. Nothing could be broken unless it was important. So maybe he was fine. Maybe he couldn’t be broken.

Maurice smiled. Yeah. He liked that. He couldn’t be broken because he wasn’t important.

He was told so.

“Maurice.”

Blue ears twitched, his nose crinkling. Maurice was curled in a tight ball, nose buried in his hands to protect it from the cold. Now he had to get up. But he wasn’t too bothered. He blinked open his bleary eyes and groggily searched for that familiar voice. Soft but also low. Not deep, low. He spoke quietly. And calmly. Maurice uncurled fully so that he could sit up on his knees. The palms of his ungloved hands almost immediately started to go numb against the frozen dirt. The fur on his hands was much too short compared to the rest of his winter coat. He snatched them back up and licked over one to get the feeling back. He grimaced at the earthy taste that met his tongue. A little metallic too.

As he lapped at his numb hand, he looked around. Left, no. Right, still no. Not behind either. Ah, up. He was above him in the tree.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

The black-furred hedgehog peered down at him with blank eyes. Maurice always thought his eyes looked like fog lit up by the moon, all misty and swirly and glowing. Just completely whited out. And deep, endlessly deep. He supposed they might have been alarming if he didn’t know the hedgehog so well.

Maurice liked Dark.

He beamed up at the hedgehog. Dark was sitting with one leg folded under him and the other dangling down off the branch. He returned the smile, much softer and reserved than Maurice’s own. Patting the spot next to him, Dark tilted his head. An invite. Maurice took it readily.

Scrambling up the tree was difficult with his still-numb hands and the frost that had settled on the bark. Still, eventually he managed to pull himself up onto the branch. It swayed a little but Maurice was super light, so it was fine.

Dark said he was too light. He didn’t know what that meant.

When he was closer, he could see the familiar faded-look of his friend’s body. He could see through him, see the outline of the trees, the branches, the snow. And none of the snow that was falling, although it was super light today, would stick to his fur. It would simply pass on through. It was odd, because the snow had already gathered on his own pelt; he’d been lying down there for a while. And Maurice knew he couldn’t technically touch Dark but he could feel him. It was hard to explain. It was like how he imagined a ghost would be like. Maurice reached out and let his own hand sink through Dark’s. He shivered with a giggle. Dark was cold. But this coldness didn’t make him want to curl up and ignore the world. This coldness made him relax.

Maurice couldn’t speak. It was something that had always bothered him. He knew the words just not how to form them. But talking to Dark was easy. Because he didn’t need to speak at all; his friend could hear his thoughts.

‘Hi Dark,’ Maurice thought. ‘It’s cold today.’

Dark nodded once.

“It is.”

Maurice kicked out his legs, watching them sway under him. Dark had the right idea. Trees were fun. They were also safe. But the wind had been rough last night and the roots of the tree had blocked the sharpness of it better. It had died down a bit in the morning but Maurice had been almost cosy, so he’d stayed where he was. He only now realised that the sun had passed its midpoint in the sky already; the clouds were thinning a bit despite the snow. Just enough for the light to cut through. The wind really had bothered him… He didn’t usually sleep so late. Maurice really liked the wind ordinarily but he was just too cold last night to enjoy it. He was still cold now. Hanging out with Dark made him forget about that though.

Dark was the best. And he was never far away. Because Dark lived in his head. Maurice knew he’d always be there and that made him feel better too.

They watched the snow together for a moment. Neither of them spoke. Just took in the flakes of snow drifting weightlessly through the air. Snow was pretty but Maurice only ever liked it if it stuck around for a few days. Not two weeks. And the snow was still coming. It had slowed, much more in the last few days, but it was still snowing. The ground was white all over, except for the spot he’d cleared at the base of the tree last night. That would fill in again soon enough probably. Watching the it was nice for a little while. When it dawned on him that the pretty sight meant more snow, his mood soured.

‘Dark?’

“Yes?”

‘Why do people hate me?’

Dark pulled his attention from the snow and looked at him. His face was blank. His resting face was always blank but there was something behind his eyes, something swirling in the depths of that fog. Maurice thought it was anger but, when he spoke, he sounded calm enough.

“Because they’re stupid,” he said simply.

‘I don’t like them either,’ Maurice told him. ‘Does that make me stupid too?’

Dark’s response was immediate.

“Of course not,” he said firmly.

‘Why?’

“Because it’s different, Maurice.”

‘Why?’

If Dark could roll his eyes, Maurice was sure he would have. But Dark’s face didn’t change at all. He remained as expressionless as always. Dark was always so patient with him. He wondered if he ever did get frustrated with him and just didn’t show it.

He thought about asking Dark. He didn’t.

“It just is,” Dark said with a sigh. “You don’t like them because they’re mean to you. They don’t like you because you’re different.”

Maurice felt his ears fold back.

‘Is being different… bad?’

“No.”

A muted thump sound caused his ear to flick. Maurice flinched, swinging his head around. He caught the culprit as another pile of slow dropped from a branch the next tree over. It fell in two clumps. Thump, thump. Maurice shook out his fur. The snow made everything hauntingly quiet; every sound set him on edge. His quills were still raised in alarm; he couldn’t seem to smooth them.

Stupid quills. Nothing even happened but he felt so freaked out. It was just snow. Snow. Maurice tried shaking out his fur again. It didn’t do anything.

‘But everyone else seems to think so,’ Maurice thought miserably.

“Because they’re stupid.”

Maurice looked down at his hands. Dark always made him feel better. But he still didn’t understand. If being different wasn’t bad, why did people throw stuff at him? Why did they shout and get angry? Why did the grown ups look at him funny? Why did the other kids make fun of him?

Maurice decided he’d had enough of the snow. He wanted to go somewhere else. Somewhere with trees where it was warmer. Somewhere where the mean people couldn’t hurt him. Where he could hear water, but in the distance where he couldn’t actually see it. Somewhere where the sky was blue and filled with puffy white clouds. Clouds that wouldn’t drop anything cold or wet on him. Somewhere where there was no snow.

‘Can we go to the Voidspace?’ Maurice asked.

Dark dipped his head. He leaned forward slightly on the branch. Maurice was half afraid he’d fall. But Dark was careful and had amazing balance. Maurice also had to remind himself that nothing could touch his friend.

His friend would always be ok.

“If you like,” Dark said.

‘I want it to be warm, with trees just like this,’ Maurice told him. ‘Oh! And I want pretty flowers! Sunflowers and cherry blossoms!’

Maurice paused, frowning.

‘Wait…’ he thought, disappointed. ‘But… cherry blossoms and sunflowers don’t grown at the same time…’

Maurice sighed. He kicked his feet again. He forgot about that. But they were both so pretty. And he liked the way the trees on the south part of the island went red in the autumn too. He thought they might be called oak trees. He’d heard someone call them “red oaks” once. But that didn’t make sense. They weren’t always red. So were they “green oaks” in the spring and summer? What about in winter? “Naked oaks?” Maurice snorted.

“Seasons don’t affect the Voidspace,” Dark told him. “I can make you both.”

Maurice perked up.

That’s right. The Voidspace was very special. Dark could make it anything he wanted to. Anything Maurice wanted. Dark like making things for Maurice. He always made the cosiest of spots. Even when Maurice had no requests, Dark always seemed to make exactly what he needed. He knew him so well and they liked a lot of the same things. Sometimes they’d just lie together in the grass and talk. Super cosy.

If he didn’t have to go to sleep to visit it he’d almost be tempted to fall asleep in the Voidspace itself.

Huh. What would happen if he did? Would he go to a Voidspace within the Voidspace? Or stay where he was in a dreamless sleep? Could he sleep there? Maurice’s head hurt thinking about it. Whatever. It didn’t matter anyway. Spending time with Dark was so much more fun than sleeping.

‘And those pretty red leaves…?’ he asked. ‘The ones that look funny? Like long, thin hands?’

“Of course.”

Dark stood suddenly on the branch. He glanced around. Maurice watched him curiously. What was he doing? What was he looking for? And why did it look like he was frowning when he looked back at him? Was something wrong?

Could they not go to the Voidspace?

“You need to find somewhere warmer first so you can go to sleep,” Dark said eventually. “I can’t see anywhere nearby. You should make a burrow.”

Maurice pulled a face.

‘My hands are numb,’ he complained.

“All of you will be numb unless you get out of the cold,” Dark pointed out dryly.

Maurice sighed dramatically. Dark was right but he wasn’t happy about it. His ears and tail were starting to sting. But he just wanted to go somewhere else. Now. He didn’t want to dig for hours first. The ground was hard; he wasn’t even sure if he was going to be able to shift it. His little claws could only do so much. Sometimes he just felt useless and too small. The world was so big.

‘Ok…’

Maurice began to climb back down the tree. His foot slipped out from under him when he braced against the trunk. He let out a tiny sound of alarm. A little, high-pitched huff. Dark tensed up on the branch, ears forward, quills raised, eyes wide. But Maurice didn’t fall. He still had a hold of the branch and his grip was pretty good despite his tingly hands. He sent Dark a smile to assure him he was ok. Dark was still frowning. Maurice’s smile faltered. He was ok. So why did Dark still look so worried? It was fine; he wasn’t important.

Once at the bottom, Maurice circled the tree in a flash. He though he might as well check around the base first to see if there were any good spots to dig. The base of trees were always good for that. He almost lost his footing on some of the tighter packed snow. Dark made a sound above him. Maurice’s breath puffed out in front of him when he stopped, arms swinging in order to keep his balance. He succeeded. The puff of air was visible for a moment but disappeared really quick. Maurice sent Dark a thumbs up.

He was still frowning, balancing up on his branch.

“I’ll stay with you,” Dark promised. “I won’t go anywhere.”

Maurice already knew that. It still made him happy though. He kicked snow away from base of the tree with his holey sneakers. He didn’t want to make his hands super cold before he’d even started to dig. So he cupped them near his muzzle and tried to blow hot air on them. It felt like the air froze his breath before it even reached his hands. It didn’t seem to be making much of a difference.

“You shouldn’t do that,” Dark said again, sharply. “The moisture will make your hands colder.”

Dark was standing beside him now, feet disappearing in the snow. Maurice hadn’t even seen him climb down. Dark’s feet left no marks in the powdery white stuff; it looked funny, like his feet were sticking out of water instead. Maurice stopped breathing on his hands and tucked them up under his chin instead.

Dark knew best.

‘But they’re already cold,’ Maurice thought with a huff.

“I know, but you’ll make them worse,” Dark insisted, more gently this time.

Maurice kicked another pile of snow with bent ears. This wasn’t fun. Snow stopped being fun so quickly after it fell.

He blinked. He’d noticed something. There was a little gap where two of the roots met the tree. He crouched down beside the gap. It was far too small to crawl into as it was but… maybe he could make it bigger? He pawed at the earth, glaring at it when it refused to be moved under his hand. The dirt had solidified into stone.

‘I can’t move it.’

Maurice hissed at the dirt. It still didn’t move.

Stupid dirt.

“Here,” Dark said. “Let me see if I can help.”

Maurice felt something ghost along his fingers, his hands. It was cold too but in a different way to the snow. This coldness didn’t make him shivery. He knew this cold too; it was the cold of Dark. It always felt so strange though. He watched the purple-blue energy whirl around his fingers. It left a tickly feeling along his skin. Like fleas. But fleas were annoying. This energy was the opposite.

Despite how cold it felt, when he dragged his finger through the snow by his side it melted a thick line through it. Maurice grinned. Maybe he could warm up the ground a little so he could shift it…

‘Your energy is so cool,’ Maurice thought.

“It’s your energy too,” Dark reminded him.

Maurice stared at the energy again. He flexed his hands. The energy seemed to dance in response. He perked his ears forwards. Did he do that?

Dark chuckled. The sound made Maurice jump. It was a rare sound. It’s not that it was scary exactly, but it made the fur along his neck fluff up and prickle. He did like Dark’s laugh but it was startling in a way he couldn’t quite understand. There was something to the rhythm that unsettled Maurice. And yet, after the initial startle, he found himself relaxing listening to Dark. It was like his energy; jarring until you got used to it.

It made him happy that Dark was happy.

He smiled again as he pressed his hands against the dirt around the hole. Almost immediately the dirt began to soften. A minute later, Maurice started scraping away some of the earth. His claws were still too small to really drag away much and the ground wasn’t super soft yet. So it was going to take a while still.

Dark said he was impatient a lot. That word meant “not able to wait.” At least, that’s what his friend had said. He supposed he was impatient, but why couldn’t things be quicker?

‘You say it’s my energy,’ Maurice thought with a frown. ‘But I can’t use it by myself.’

“You’ll learn.”

‘When?’ he asked.

“In time.”

What did that mean? Why couldn’t he learn now? He was already using it.

Though he did want to get to the Voidspace as soon as possible… Learning how to use his energy could wait. It wasn’t that urgent anyway, right? Dark was here. And as long as Dark was here, he could always help him use it.

Yeah, he had nothing to worry about.

‘You said I have other energy,’ he thought instead.

“You do,” Dark said. “But I can’t help you with that.”

‘Why not?’

“I can’t access it.”

‘Why?’ he asked, puzzled.

Dark was quiet for a moment. He was thinking. Maurice didn’t want to interrupt him. But he was quiet for so long. And shifting the dirt out of the way was still taking for-ev-er. Maurice started humming something to himself, some random tune he made up. It wasn’t consistent and had no real rhythm, he just suddenly needed to fill the quiet. The snow made the silence feel extra silence-y somehow. It was weird though. Words were hard but he could make sounds. He could hiss, growl, whine, hum. But no words. Maybe they were different, came from different parts of him or something. Was that how it worked?

“I don’t really know,” Dark said eventually with a hum. “I’m sorry.”

‘That’s ok,’ Maurice thought. ‘I don’t want it anyway. I have your energy.’

Dark sat down in his eyeline. The other hedgehog folded both legs beneath him and clasped his hands in his lap. The snow rose up either side of him, untouched and uncaring of his friend’s presence.

“Your energy,” Dark corrected.

Now was Maurice’s turn to chuckle. Dark was always so straightforward with what he said. Sometimes he wished he would loosen up a bit. He could be rather… stiff. But that was fine. Because Dark kept him company when no one else would talk to him. Though he supposed no one else could talk to him. At least, he couldn’t talk to them. He was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with him. Seriously wrong. But Dark said he was fine. And Dark was always right. Maurice just didn’t believe it though. There were so many other people who’d called him a freak. Maurice wasn’t sure what that was but they yelled it at him like it was a bad thing. And some of them threw rocks at him when they yelled it.

It was bad, wasn’t it? There was something wrong about him. He couldn’t speak. His fur was a strange colour. He could do things that others couldn’t.

He was different.

Dark said different was ok. But Maurice wasn’t so sure that everyone thought that.

The gap was getting bigger. He’d be in the Voidspace with his friend soon. And then none of this would matter until he was awake again. He couldn’t wait to be asleep. Maybe he could ask Dark for a race? He knew Dark let him win on purpose sometimes but that was fine. It was still fun.

Dark tensed beside him. The darker-furred hedgehog looked up. It made Maurice pause.

“Someone’s coming,” he said, voice sounding wrong. “Hide.”

Maurice bristled. He scratched frantically at the earth before giving up and squeezing into the tight space anyway. It was much too small still. He could feel his quills being pressed down forcibly. It hurt but he couldn’t seem to flatten them himself either. Maurice had to really curl up to fit. That meant he couldn’t watch out the opening to see what was happening. He had to rely on hearing alone. And Dark.

Footsteps crunch, crunch, crunched through the snow. Maurice held his breath. He hoped his stupid fur wasn’t visible through the gap. Dark liked his fur but Maurice didn’t. It stood out too much. It made him a target. And the villagers called it ugly. So it must have been ugly. And ugly was bad.

Wasn’t it?

Crunch, Crunch. He bit his lip so that he wouldn’t whimper. Something metallic lingered on his tongue. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone?

‘Take me to the Voidspace,’ he begged Dark. ‘I don’t want to be here.’

“Maurice, what if-?”

CRUNCH.

‘Take me there now!’ Maurice cried.

He could feel himself trembling now. It was uncontrollable. Like some jolt had been sent though his system and his body didn’t know how to react. That last step was so close. So loud. It sounded like it was just the other side of his tree. Could they hear that pounding sound? The one in his chest? It sounded so every loud in his ears. Maurice was losing the ability to hear past it. The THUD thud, THUD thud, THUD thud was all his ears could pick up anymore. His eyes were stinging.

Maurice tired sucking each breath in slowly and deliberately, the way his friend had taught him. It was supposed to make the sound much quieter. He still couldn’t hear past that awful thudding though. He had no idea if it was working.

‘Please, Dark…’ he begged again.

His friend was quiet for so long. Maurice worried that he wouldn’t be able to hear him either. But after a long hesitation, Dark’s voice came through. Quiet but clear.

“… Very well.”

Chapter 19: Chapter Eighteen

Notes:

Yooooooo!

So... I just realised I had a chapter of These Inhibitors’ Flaws literally ready to go. What the hell? So uh, here, dropping it early because damn, its already done? Don’t know how I forgot about this. Don’t expect anymore quick updates anytime soon though, ha ha. Blindsided MYSELF with this one.

Also, new profile picture. This one is unfortunately drawn by me. And it’s super blurry, even better. But I tried.

Oh! And I had my first piece of fanart back in January! It suuuuper cool! It was made by the ultra talented @theyodelerz on Tumbr, go check them out: https://www.tumblr.com/theyodelerz/773565314634022912/made-for-fortunespirits-these-inhibitors-flaws

I have a Tumblr myself, @fortuneshyspirit (look for the pfp with @theyodelerz's fanart). I don’t have anything on there at the moment, but maybe someday I’ll post on there. Story updates, sneak peaks and some of my dogshit art maybe? We’ll see. I don’t really use social media, but feel free to message me on there if you like. Might be a way to connect to my audience a bit more if you guys are interested? Let me know. Otherwise, I don't think I'll bother.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think and I'll see you next time!

Fleetway grit his teeth. What was that prick doing? He’d felt it. An energy surge that had disrupted his marvellous creation. Dark shouldn’t have been able to affect the Voidspace; he’d blocked him out with his own energy damn it! Dark had done that when he’d first gained control of the Voidspace too, Fleetway realised. Somehow, he was able to affect the Voidspace without being in it. Perhaps Dark’s energy couldn’t fully be cut off from his own domain? Fleetway hadn’t considered that. It was annoying as all fuck.

Suddenly, he became aware that he couldn’t reach his host either.

“Bastard!” Fleetway snapped into the void.

The sound bounced back twice as distorted. He twitched an ear. For some reason it irked him. He didn’t like being fucked with. Why had Dark even set up his stupid domain like this? Did he enjoy this mind-numbing darkness and annoying echo? He could have picked anything, surely.

And he picked this.

His last nightmare had worked splendidly though. Fleetway had intended to fling another Sonic’s way when he inevitably fell asleep again. He’d felt it happening, felt the hedgehog’s mind drifting. His creation was almost ready. And now all his hard work was gone, just like that. It was incredibly infuriating. The Voidspace’s energy was surprisingly finicky and did not like bending to Fleetway’s will. He supposed because it was a well of pure negative energy. It did not enjoy being manipulated by a being with corrupted Chaos. That made it super annoying to work with, constantly fighting against him. But he made it succumb by sheer force of will.

Fleetway’s energy had always been unique in a beautifully unstable kind of way. It was primarily positive energy, like his twin’s, but it wasn’t “whole.” That’s how Sonic had described it. Stupid Super’s energy had remained intact upon their splitting and Fleetway had been stuck with an incomplete signature. But that didn’t bother him. Because the unstable quality of his energy allowed for… interesting effects. It lashed out with devastating strength. And Fleetway relished in its twisted power. It was almost corrosive. Though it frustrated him that despite its raw power he couldn’t attain the energy levels of Hyper and Dark.

Their energies were on a whole other level.

Hyper simply had a more powerful strain of what Super had, just cranked up a few dozen times. But Dark’s energy was different entirely. Negative. And he didn’t have to split his energy with anyone. Not to mention their host’s natural affinity for the colder energy. Fleetway snorted. If Sonic actually learnt how to use it, he’d probably find it easier to use than the positive strain he seemed to prefer. Fool. Did he even realise how concentrated his negative Chaos Energy was?

Absently, Fleetway wondered, if he killed the two annoying forms… could he absorb their power and become even stronger than he was now? The negative energy probably wouldn’t like that very much, but with nowhere to go… would he be able to control it himself? There was so much energy hiding within Dark. It would be incredible to have that much raw power.

And at the same time, he didn’t care much for Dark’s energy. All cold and gloomy. It didn’t hold a candle to Fleetway’s wonderfully broken energy.

Fleetway spun around with a huff and faced that enticing well of energy behind him. He focused on the negative chill and forced it to bend to his will. As he did so, Fleetway searched again for Sonic.

His host was asleep. Already in a dream. Fleetway couldn’t even access it to see what he was dreaming of. He growled again, swiping a hand through the energy. It shied away from him, as though scared. Good, Dark’s stupid domain should be scared of him. Fleetway didn’t know how to interrupt a dream that was already happening, so now he had to wait it out. Wait until his fucking host woke up and went back to sleep. Glancing at the negative energy that had accumulated under his claws after his swipe, Fleetway allowed it to connect together and form a strand of white, wispy energy. He watched it writhe in his hand, struggling to escape his grasp.

Then he snapped his fingers to his palm and cracked the strand in two.

Dark was going to pay for fucking with his plans. He was seriously going to pay. And Fleetway knew exactly where the bastard was; pinned to a wall as an ugly decoration in his domain. So, he thought he’d pay the dark form a little visit. To let off some steam.

Fleetway closed his swirling eyes, thinking of his dastardly domain. The familiar feel of his own energy surrounding him again really put into perspective how different the Voidspace was. Not suffocating, exactly. But he had a sense that the energy itself didn’t want him there, was offended even by his presence. But here, as that sweet metallic tang washed over his tongue, Fleetway felt so much better. He hadn’t realised how stifling Dark’s domain really was.

With a toothy grin, Fleetway opened his eyes, already striding forward through the rust-streaked building. But when he turned the corner, into the room he knew he’d left Dark, his grin morphed into a scowl. A growl built in his throat as he stared at the blood-stained beam on the floor. There was still a puddle of steadily coagulating blood pooled by the wall, already sinking into wooden floorboards.

Screaming, Fleetway obliterated the wall to his left. Splinters stabbed into the flesh below his claws as he swiped, punched and kicked the wall. His energy, untameable even for him sometimes, engulfed his body, ripping gaping holes through the wall, ceiling, the floor. For a moment, despite his frustration, Fleetway lost himself in the euphoria of destruction. He tore his way through the wall as easily as the a knife though a heart. Fragments of stained wood and plaster, metal and wallpaper, fluttered around him in the tornado his energy had become. It helped somewhat, but he was still infuriated.

His plaything was gone.

But there was one thing that gave him solace. All that blood was Dark’s. That wall, this room, would always be a monument to the damage he’d caused the black-furred form. All the pain he’d been in. Fleetway could still taste it now in the air. Dark hadn’t been gone for long. Fleetway didn’t know where he’d gone, but he surely was going to be recovering for a while still. He’d torn a serious wound through the bastard’s torso.

The insane form’s furious screech suddenly flipped, broke out into a laugh. A haunting, shifting, hysterical laugh that echoed around the dilapidated house in a much more satisfying way than the Voidspace. He doubled over, cackling his lungs out until the warbly sound was broken up by gasps. All the debris swirling around him dropped to the floor.

“When I find you,” Fleetway hissed between gasps and lingering chuckles. “I’m gonna crush you, Dark.”

He ignited his energy in his hand, the deep red glow like an acidic fire. It crackled and twisted. Ever changing, flickering, spluttering in and out. He stared into that glow, a seething hatred settling in his core.

“I’M GONNA CRUSH YOU!”

---

They were at an impasse, it seemed.

Knuckles stood from the ground, using the back of his hand to wipe away some of the blood around his mouth. The iron taste made him pull a face. His frown deepened upon seeing the streak of red seeping into his glove. That was going to stain. Knuckles’ lip was stinging where his teeth had clacked together around the skin. He’d been seriously unprepared for that strike. But if Shadow wanted to go toe to toe, the next one would not catch him off guard. Knuckles was sure of it.

Despite Shadow’s guarded stance though, he didn’t seem keen on continuing his assault. Besides, Tails was still lingering in-between them. Knuckles didn’t think Shadow would put the fox at risk just to prove a point. He didn’t like the guy, but Shadow still had some form of morality. Even if it seemed shaky at best sometimes.

This was so messed up. This whole situation. It suddenly seemed a lot deeper than he could have ever imagined.

He knew Sonic was prone to lying. Even if said hedgehog tried to hide that fact. Still, Knuckles couldn’t fully dismiss Shadow’s claim. The dark hedgehog didn’t seem to have any evidence, only that Sonic had told him he could use both positive and negative Chaos Energy. But that black-furred form had always felt wrong to Knuckles. Not just in its appearance, but the quality of the energy around it. The thought that it might be negative energy had never crossed Knuckles’ mind. But he couldn’t rule it out either.

Sonic was known for his surprises, after all.

And nothing was more surprising than the appearance of that damn form. It still gave Knuckles the heebie-jeebies just remembering that blank, disturbing stare. Those eyes that seemed to just stare straight through you. What bothered Knuckles the most was that you never quite knew where Sonic was looking in that form. Watching someone’s eyes was a good indicator of how much danger you were in. But with that form, it was impossible.

When Sonic had lost it and transformed into that haunting form, Knuckles couldn’t even explain the overwhelming fear that passed through his system. Sonic’s fur had lost its colour and his quills rose up, tugged by invisible strings. Sometime after he’d completely obliterated the torso of Eggman’s robot, Sonic’s head had turned in his direction. Time had seemed to slow considerably. The pain in his arm from the shrapnel barely registered. He’d been closer to the initial blast than Tails. But he was ashamed to say that the fox hadn’t even been on his mind in that moment. Only his own safety.

It was only a half turn; Knuckles couldn’t be sure if Sonic had looked at him, seen him. But for an agonising moment, Knuckles was frozen.

He’d been mid-stride, attempting to go to Tails’ aid. The way the fox had hit the wall had sickened Knuckles; he hadn’t known if the kit was conscious at the time. Tails had been half-conscious at best, seemingly slipping in-between awake and passed out for the better part of ten minutes. But all thoughts of the poor kit vanished when Sonic looked at him.

It was only after Sonic had turned his attentions back to the massive robot that Knuckles dared to move again. He’d scooped up Tails’ worryingly limp body and rushed to the door. He was intercepted by a chunk of metal – the hand of the left arm, Knuckles realised later – as it crashed in front of him, sparking and crackling. Knuckles had to quickly pivot to run, against his screaming instincts, further into the room instead. A flying piece of debris caught him along his collarbone, causing him to stumble.

That’s when the first arm dropped. Once more, it had landed in front of Knuckles. Though, ironically, if he hadn’t stumbled they would have both been crushed. With no where else to run, the echidna had taken his chances and ducked behind the arm. The entire time, Tails had been held close to his chest, protected from any further harm. Only after he’d finally stopped running did Knuckles feel the slight rise and fall of Tails’ chest against him. To say he’d been relived was a massive understatement.

“Sonic, please,” he’d heard Eggman plead. “This isn’t you. Get a hold of yourself!”

Somewhere behind him, the mad scientist shouted. Pain? Fear? Both? Knuckles didn’t know. What followed was a curse. Then the tell-tale pop of the man’s Eggmobile disconnecting from the rest of his machine. Knuckles set Tails beside him so he could peek over the twisted metal of the arm. The second arm went sailing overhead but Knuckles had been watching the Eggmobile.

Eggman had apparently given up his attempt at talking Sonic down. Knuckles didn’t blame him.

The mad scientist slammed his hand down on is control panel, firing a missile at the ceiling. The roof blew up and out, giving Eggman his escape route. The man was almost out and into the sky as Sonic screamed. It was this unnatural shriek, filled with rage. The hedgehog hadn’t even seemed to notice that Eggman was fleeing. He just kept mercilessly ripping pieces off that robot, seemingly unaware of everything else around him.

Like the robot had been the target.

Not Eggman.

Then, eventually, Sonic just dropped to the floor. Motionless. Colour bled back into his fur. Tails had woken fully by then, though he was still wobbly. The fox had tired to stand, to go to his brother. Knuckles just pulled him back down beside him. And there they huddled, for twenty excruciating minutes, as they waited for Sonic to wake.

Knuckles hadn’t wanted to risk anything. Not until he’d known Sonic was in his right mind again. Too risky. Too dangerous.

And to think, all that had started because Eggman had cornered Sonic, trapped him against the ground with a robotic hand as the other blindly struck out at Tails. Knuckles had seen the situation for what it was: Tails being hit was an accident. Not that Eggman hadn’t attempted to and, on various occasions, actually hurt them. But this moment, this one moment, had been purely by chance. Eggman had been focused on Sonic. Simply turning his robot to ready a strike at Sonic himself had caused the arm to shoot out, knocking the yellow fox instead. Tails had, quiet honestly, just been in the wrong spot.

Shadow clearing his throat brought Knuckles out of his mind. He hadn’t even realised he’d sunk that deep in his memory until that grounding sound. The echidna faced the hedgehog, the echo of a glare still on his face. Knuckles was feeling just a tad too sick for the full bite to remain.

He saw Shadow look at him funny. He chose to ignore it.

“We need to come to some sort of decision soon,” Shadow said. “Sonic seemed pretty… frantic, earlier.”

Frantic? Now that wasn’t a word Knuckles would associate with his blue-furred friend. It was the pause before Shadow said it, the deeper furrow to his already sour face, that caught Knuckles off guard. That almost made Knuckles flinch.

Huh. He thought he’d be prepared for the next blow. Though he’d been expecting physical one.

Maybe… maybe he should give Shadow the benefit of the doubt. Agree that Tails needed to revamp the inhibitors. It could only be a good thing, right? Besides, did Tails need to remove them to fix the inhibitors anyway? If he could tinker with them still on Sonic’s wrists, maybe that would solve their problems.

And if not, the fix wouldn’t take long, right? A few minutes. A couple hours at most surely. Or a day. That wouldn’t be so bad. As long as nothing triggered that dreadful form. Everything would probably be fine.

Then he could finally speak to Sonic. Get on the same page. Explain himself.

Apologise.

“To fix the inhibitors,” Knuckles started, his attention fixed on Tails. “Would you need to take them off?”

Tails hummed in thought. He still looked a little on edge. The kit probably expected them to start an all out fight. To be frank, Knuckles had expected one after that punch too. He wondered why Shadow had uncharacteristically backed off.

“I would,” Tails said, hesitantly. “They need to be open to access the inner workings.”

Knuckles was going to regret this wasn’t he? He was going to look back on this moment in the near future and hate himself for the decision he was about to make. But if Sonic could truly use negative energy on top of the positive, the inhibitors really wouldn’t be doing anything. This would be safer. Besides, to talk to Sonic, he had to be allowed to see him. And it was clear he wouldn’t get that unless he agreed to this.

So the echidna took a deep breath. And he nodded.

“Fine.”

Tails actually looked surprised that Knuckles had caved. Shadow was eyeing him still but he said nothing.

There was just one thing that Knuckles needed to be assured of before he went with them. Something he had to regretfully entrust to Shadow. Which, for the record, he wasn’t thrilled about. But Shadow was the only one who could keep up with Sonic if he bolted. And there was a high likelihood of that once the inhibitors were removed. Very high.

“But you,” Knuckles said, pointing to Shadow. “You have to be on standby in case he runs.”

Shadow dipped his head.

“Glad we’re finally on the same page,” the hedgehog said. “But…”

Shadow paused. He rose a hand to his chin, appearing to be lost in thought. That frown, the same intense one from before, was still lingering. Knuckles was itching to follow them to Sonic’s location. What was this new holdup about?

“We need to agree to consider Sonic’s thoughts on the matter too,” Shadow said.

Knuckles opened his mouth to protest. Sonic would be adamantly against having the inhibitors back if he had any say. Knuckles could already see that. Had Tails not told the dark hedgehog what had happened, why the inhibitors were even necessary? Sonic needed them for Chaos sake. But Shadow held up his hand to annoyingly silence him. The hedgehog could be incredibly haughty sometimes.

“Before you say anything,” Shadow said. “I understand your position. I do. But Sonic said some offhanded comment to me earlier. Something that suggested there’s more to this situation than just his negative energy.”

Knuckles narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t know anything past that,” Shadw continued. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t pursue the inhibitors – I think Miles should still work on those – but Sonic must be consulted before we take any further action. It’s his body we’re messing with, remember. He has a right to decide for himself.”

“Yeah,” Tails mumbled. “If we all explain our positions on this, have a real talk, maybe we can come to a conclusion that we all agree on.”

Knuckles couldn’t see that happening.

But eventually, he agreed. Only so he could see Sonic again. He had so much to ask the hedgehog. And he also wanted to smack the idiot upside the head for lying to him, to them all. For running away and worrying them. For being so damn difficult.

It came as a real surprise when the two mobians led him to Club Rouge of all places. In hindsight, with the appearance of Shadow alongside Tails, he probably should have expected as much. As they walked up the stairs from the club itself Knuckles actually felt strangely nervous.

Rouge greeted them, quietly, in the living room.

“I think he’s asleep,” Rouge whispered. “Finally. He hasn’t woken yet either; a new record.”

She said it half in jest. But the implication was disconcerting. Knuckles was hit face-first with a wall of guilt. Raw, unadulterated guilt. Sonic was having trouble sleeping. And that was his fault, wasn’t it?

“He was bound to get exhausted enough eventually,” Shadow said with a sigh.

“Let’s just hope he stays asleep this time,” Rouge said grimly.

All jokes were gone. She seriously meant it this time. Sonic had not been sleeping. So Knuckles would have to wait to speak with him. But how long had Sonic been having that problem? Presumably since the inhibitors. But he must have been at Club Rouge long enough for them both to see a pattern in Sonic, to know for sure that he wasn’t getting enough rest. How long had he been here? Rouge hadn’t said a word about it when they’d been searching for him together. So it must have been sometime after that.

“We’ll keep an ear out,” Shadow promised.

What did that mean?

Rouge left the apartment with Tails after that. The fox said he wanted to get some stuff that would help keep Sonic comfortable, including some food that would hopefully ease him. It made sense; the fox usually had a whole routine figured out for helping Sonic when he was feeling down. Tails hadn’t thought to grab anything while they were at the house, so they were going there first and then to one of the stores in the city. Rouge had agreed to go with him to help carry the stuff. But it also seemed that she wanted to stretch her legs and her wings a little.

How long had she been idle in the apartment to make her crave that? Or had something bothered her that made her want some fresh air. Though she’d been flippant as usual, Knuckles absently wondered if she was just as stressed as they all were. He also found himself wondering why he cared.

Chapter 20: Chapter Nineteen

Notes:

Hey-hey!

New chapter! Woooo, and it didn't take an eon this time. Not sure if my next update will be this story or one of my others. I don't want to neglect any of my stories for too long. But it all comes down to inspiration. And sometimes that means I do have to give my focus to one story for a while. But multiple stories on the go honestly helps my creative process, so I'm not stuck on one idea for too long and I can keep the writing fresh and enjoy writing all my stories properly. Does that make sense?

The Tumblr thing is still on the table. I haven't decided if it's worth it yet. Might make a couple of posts and see how it goes. Not sure. Let me know if you'd like to see it happen! I hound my friend with random snippets of story updates all the time, and even stuff that never makes it to an upload, so it might be fun? Maybe?

Anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter! I love reading your comments, so let me know what you thought and I'll see you all next time!

Tears lingered in Sonic’s eyes. He wasn’t quite sure what to feel.

A dream. A real one for once. Or – no – more like a memory. Half nightmare, but only for the spike of panic that still remained. The panic felt more like an afterthought really. Inherently, it’s not a nightmare at all. Just… memory. Neither good nor bad, just memory. The tears are still there, dancing in his eyes and interrupting his vision. But none of them fall. He was in some frozen state. Calm. But not quite calm. Something was writhing beneath the surface, an emotion he didn’t quite want to touch.

But outwardly, he was frozen.

He hadn’t thought about being a hoglet for so long. It’s not a time he looked back on fondly. Not usually. But for once, mixed in with that anxious twist in his gut was a warmer feeling. A feeling of missing, longing. And, as he wiped away an errant tear, the feeling rose again, overwhelmed him. Though he felt like he’d just wiped them away, more tears sprung to his eyes. These ones fell like shooting stars down his muzzle before he could stop them, leaving blazing trails across his skin. Something between a sob and a hiccup wracked through his body. Sonic wiped at his eyes, more frantically, desperately than before. It wasn’t a tickle in his eyes anymore; it was a full on burn. And he couldn’t stop it.

He stifled another sound, muffled it behind his hand. He felt like a fool, sitting up in an unfamiliar bed and crying like a hoglet. That feeling that accompanied being a kid, that unparalleled small feeling, wouldn’t leave him alone. Somehow, these tears are different that the last few boughts he’d had recently. These ones aren’t necessarily fearful or hopeless. They just… are.

And he’s still not sure why he was crying.

Suddenly, all he wanted to do was talk to Dark. Like being a kid, it wasn’t something he’d thought about in ages. Not properly. He’d reached out to Dark earlier – or was it yesterday? Either way, this time wasn’t the same. It was an urge, the overwhelming need to hear his voice. The sort of need he hadn’t had since he was a kid; scared and alone, desperate for a friendly voice to get him through a rough winter.

And he couldn’t even reach Dark this time. Because Sonic didn’t know how to use his own energy. Maybe if he’d listened to Knuckles, if he’d attended those stupid training sessions the echidna had tried setting up thousands of times. If he’d been honest, maybe he might just be able to do it. To trigger that unforgivingly cold energy by himself. But so far, the only luck he’d had was through the Emerald he’d borrowed from Shadow.

Sonic would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about trying to learn by himself. Sometimes, he’d sit up in bed – his own bed – with an Emerald on his lap, two steps away from picking it up and trying to find that negative energy. But something always made him pull away. Or something pushed him away. It was an odd sensation; of wanting to learn but fearing what that would do. For so long, his negative energy had been sealed away with Dark after all. What would he even accomplish by trying?

But he had thought about trying.

The temptation always hit him at night. Sonic wondered if that happed for a reason. Maybe it was that strange phenomenon, the one that made you think about just the worse things possible when you were alone in the dark. Chaos was linked to emotion. But aside from sitting there with the Emerald, he would never really attempt it. It was a fantasy, one he thought over a lot, but never really acted upon. Frankly, it scared him to try.

That’s partly why he’d bailed on knuckles that once. The one time he’d given in. Knuckles had wanted to see exactly what he could do. But Sonic didn’t even know himself. He supposed part of him was worried about looking like a fool in front of the echidna, of attempting something he thought he could do and failing. But it was more than that really. It was supposed to be a lesson of self-discovery, of learning. But he never got that far.

Sonic just wussed out and ran.

Like a coward.

Amid his tears, Sonic found himself snorting. A mobian scared of his own ability. Not even that; more like terrified of what he might be able to do. Because the truth was, his negative Chaos Energy had always been stronger. Sonic hadn’t really accessed it by himself much, if ever really. But from the taste he’d had, he knew. It felt so much more potent. He wasn’t sure how else to describe it past that. Just potent.

And he’d neglected that energy for so long that now he didn’t even know how to tame it. Wasn’t even sure if that was possible anymore. Not on his own.

He needed some air. Or at least to get out of this room for a little while. A glass of water and a night-time view of the city seemed like a decent combo to him. Even if it had to be from a window. So Sonic slipped out of bed to stretch his legs. When was the last time he’d properly run? Maybe when he’d dislocated his arm against that tree. Was it weird that he was starting to miss when his only problem was Dark and his awful nightmares?

Because now it was Fleet. And it seemed like he was actually finding a way to sneak through his defences. Which bothered Sonic even more. Because the inhibitors were blocking positive energy, right? Did… did Fleetway’s energy just not count as that?

Maybe it was too corrupted to truly be positive Chaos anymore. And if that was the case, everyone was in serious danger, inhibitors or no.

---

Sonic actually ended up sleeping well into the night. Shadow suspected he’d passed out, his body forcing him to get some well needed rest. Or maybe he’d just finally been able to drift off. Either way, it didn’t matter. They were all just glad he was finally getting some rest.

Rouge had checked on him, quietly, when she got back. And later Knuckles did the same. Both reported that Sonic was away in dreamland, softly breathing. Knuckles said he was turned away when he opened the door, but Rouge said he’d been facing her. Sonic’s face had been scrunched into a frown then, his brow furrowed and ears tilted back. She was worried he’d end up waking again. Then his features had smoothed out somewhat and he looked marginally more relaxed. Which was reassuring.

Everyone had since joined the hedgehog in his slumber, scattered about the apartment. Rouge was in her own room but Knuckles and Tails had taken Shadow’s, wanting to give Sonic his space. Other than having his room invaded, Shadow wasn’t too bothered. He wasn’t tired anyway. Being the Ultimate Lifeform meant he didn’t technically need much sleep, though he often chose to these days. Tonight though, he just wasn’t interested in sleeping; he had too much on his mind.

But that meant Shadow was the only one still awake in the apartment when Sonic finally woke up.

It was three in the morning when Shadow heard a door unlatch in the hallway. In the quiet apartment, the sound was surprisingly hard to pick out. But Shadow’s hearing was exceptional, so he caught the sound. It was followed by slow, practiced footsteps; the gait of a stealth master. If Shadow hadn’t been listening out for it he wouldn’t have heard it at all. His first thought had been of Rouge, but then she didn’t typically care much about tiptoeing around her own apartment. Even with guests, it wasn’t typical. But there was a sleep-challenged hedgehog in the apartment at the moment, so maybe she was making an exception.

So he was actually surprised when Sonic slipped into the room. Though, in hindsight, it shouldn’t have been that surprising. Sonic was very light on his feet by nature. Countless years sneaking his way into Eggman bases would certainly help him improve his stealth. But outside of such situations, Shadow had imagined Sonic’s movement to be uncaring and loud. Sonic was clearly more aware of his surroundings than Shadow gave him credit for, conscious of the noise he made.

The blue hedgehog, it seemed, had also not expected to see Shadow in the living room. He stopped in the doorway momentarily. Unsure, Shadow read in his posture. He saw the suspicious redness in his emerald eyes too; he’d been crying. But Sonic didn’t wake up screaming this time, so Shadow wasn’t sure how to approach this.

Mention it or pretend it wasn’t there? The latter seemed safer.

“Sleep well, hedgehog?” Shadow asked.

The blue hedgehog didn’t say anything for a while. Shadow was mentally slapping himself. Sonic had been struggling with his voice yesterday. There was a good chance he still was.

But then…

“Yeah…” Sonic mumbled.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. He scanned around the hedgehog’s appearance again. Red eyes suggested he was upset. His locked up shoulders indicated wariness or some sort of tension. Sonic’s ears weren’t droopy though. And now the surprise had worn off, there was that recently familiar blankness to his face. But also something more perplexed looking. Shadow was having a hard time interpreting his body language to be honest.

“You don’t sound so sure of that,” Shadow pressed.

He just hoped he wasn’t pushing too hard.

“No, it’s not that,” Sonic said slowly. “I just… I had a weird dream. I, uh, don’t really remember what it was. Only that I feel weird now.”

Something told Shadow that was a lie. Sonic absolutely did remember his dream, he just didn’t want to share it. But he clearly wanted to talk about it. Or at least about how the dream made him feel. It was a start and Shadow wasn’t about to let this opportunity go. Anything Sonic was willing to share on his own was a great start. And it seemed like he was in a relatively chatty mood. Shadow would never have said that he missed that until recently.

But he found that was true, he really did miss hearing Sonic’s voice as it was now. Not exactly strong or loud, but it was much clearer than it had been recently. He wasn’t stuttering. He wasn’t speaking in that oddly broken, warped way. And, thankfully, there was no need for a pen and paper, which drastically slowed down a conversation. And gave Sonic time to carefully revise what he wanted to say, rather than just saying what was on his mind. It wasn’t like he couldn’t lie while actually speaking. But writing made it so much easier to skirt around a question, without stuttering or pausing in an obvious way.

“Weird how?” Shadow asked.

“I don’t know,” Sonic said. “Kinda sad. But also happy? And…”

Sonic paused, staring down at his hands. He looked confused, and Shadow noticed that the lost look in his eye was still there from earlier. But something had lifted slightly in his demeanour. He still wasn’t right but there was something different about him. Something strangely lighter. Yet subdued.

“Guilty,” Sonic said finally.

“Guilty?”

Sonic shrugged.

“Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn’t,” he said. “S’not really important.”

Something told Shadow that Sonic didn’t really believe that either. Shadow wanted to ask about his dream. But prying would push the hedgehog away. With Sonic being as weirdly open as he was right now, it would be downright stupid to spook him.

So Shadow decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. He should wait until the others were awake so they could all talk about the important issue, but there was no reason he couldn’t bring it up.

“Knuckles is here,” he told Sonic.

Sonic widened his eyes slightly. It was hard to tell if he was happy with that news or not. After all, he’d asked them to talk to the echidna, knowing that they would bring him back with them. That was the goal. But Sonic seemed a little put off still. Perhaps he was feeling nervous about talking to Knuckles again.

It might slow down their talk later, but he supposed Sonic and Knuckles needed some time to work out whatever issues they had. And judging by Sonic’s reluctance to see the echidna, that was a long overdue and possibly painful conversation.

“Good,” Sonic said, somewhat distractedly. “So I can finally get these off?”

Sonic held up a wrist, glaring faintly at the crimson ring. He twisted his wrist slightly. The inhibitor caught the light from the lamp, adding to it’s subtle glow. Sonic’s face seemed to sour more at that, if that was even possible. Then his ear twitched, almost like he was hearing something Shadow couldn’t. The blue hedgehog sighed deeply.

Shadow was afraid to tell him that they hadn’t quite made that decision yet. But Knuckles was still set on Sonic wearing the inhibitors, just with some tweaks. Shadow himself though that there might be a better solution, one that Sonic would be happy with.

Surely if Sonic had some help to understand his energy, then the issue would be more or less fixed, right? From what Shadow could gather from Tails’ account of this strange form of Sonic’s, it was a control problem. So, teach him how to control his energy and he can rein in the form. Of course, Shadow had no experience with negative energy himself, but he would still be more than willing to help Sonic explore his negative Chaos.

“We still need to talk about it,” Shadow said carefully. “But Knuckles has agreed to hear your side.”

“Doesn’t mean he’ll be on my side,” Sonic huffed.

He sounded bitter. And Shadow was able to confirm that Knuckles had been the one to make the decision on the inhibitors. That’s why Sonic was so upset with him. Knuckles hadn’t discussed them with Sonic beforehand, obviously leading to Sonic’s distrust of the echidna. Shadow would feel the same in Sonic’s place.

When Shadow was dealing with his own inhibitor problems, there were times when he questioned them. His first pair were gun-metal-grey. Large, very industrial. Weighty. And on top of that, they’d made his hands and feet feel tingly, like they were cutting off blood flow. But they weren’t. Gerald had checked and re-checked the circumference of them, how tight they were. They were fine. The man’s first plan was to downsize them a little, in case the weight was the problem. But the tingling had persisted. In fact, it had gotten worse by the second pair; it had spread. Shadow remembered complaining about the tips of his fingers going numb. After running some tests, Gerald had finally found the problem: his energy.

But that didn’t mean he’d known how to fix that problem. Shadow had lost count at some point, but he must have gone through upwards of thirty, maybe forty designs before his current model. It was a nightmare, but without them he’d be terribly unstable. And he’d had Gerald there, constantly working on improvements. And Maria to sit with him through the headaches, the dizziness. She had been his light then.

Like he’d been for her, when she was having her various medical examinations, some just mundane, others more invasive and unpleasant. When she was too sickly to get out of bed and cause mischief. When she was up all night vomiting or drowsing away restlessly during the day. He’d been there.

And Shadow found that he… wanted to be there for Sonic.

“What do they feel like?” Shadow asked.

Sonic frowned at Shadow. He looked like he was debating sitting down, suddenly looking a little unsteady on his feet since Shadow had come back from his thoughts. Sonic’s brow was tightly knit, ears lower than they had been before. Shadow couldn’t tell if he looked conflicted by something or… sick. But something had changed. For the worse.

“The inhibitors?” Sonic asked, sounding a tad distracted again.

“Yes,” Shadow confirmed. “I’ve had my fair share of hell with bad inhibitors before, you know. I might not understand exactly what you’re going through because we’re different, but I’m here to listen.”

“I guess I… hadn’t thought about it.”

Sonic finally sat down across form Shadow. He almost looked meek as he stared at the red rings around his wrists. Emerald eyes narrowed. He was thinking, concentrating. And Shadow was happy to let him think. Sometimes, if you had been trying to ignore something for a long time, you could genuinely forget the feeling was there. So maybe that’s what Sonic was doing: trying to parse out what was wrong. So he’d let him ruminate for as long as he needed.

Shadow also had to factor in the possibility that Sonic wouldn’t know how to articulate what he was feeling. It was understandable; Chaos energy was a funny thing, and sometimes it was difficult to understand how that energy felt.

Back when Gerlad was refining his inhibitors, Shadow had realised himself how difficult it was. He’d know something was wrong, but not what it was exactly. Answering Gerald’s questions had been hard at times and he knew the man had been close to losing his patience more than once. But Gerald had been patient. More so when he realised just how much Shadow was really struggling. Because Gerald had no idea how Chaos energy actually felt. He had no frame of reference.

“Achy.”

Sonic’s voice cut through his memory like a jagged claw. Shadow was brought back to the present. It took his mind a full ten seconds to register what the blue hedgehog had said. He felt a little guilty for zoning out when he’d explicitly said he was there to listen.

“What feels achy exactly?” Shadow asked.

‘His wrists,’ Shadow thought. ‘It’s probably his wrists.’

But Sonic’s eyes narrowed further. He took a deep breath. It left him slightly shaky, like Sonic was worried about something. Shadow wondered why but he was afraid to ask. Or, rather, he was afraid of Sonic shutting down if he pushed him too hard.

“Everything,” Sonic breathed.

His hands tightened into fists briefly. Then they unclenched and Sonic let them fall into his lap.

“It’s like my body is stone,” Sonic said, seemingly not all there. “But my head feels light and far away… Breathing is hard but it’s not. And I feel sick… but I’m not sick either.”

Shadow was seriously concerned about what he was hearing. He recalled feeling sort of sick sometimes himself. The breathing thing was completely different to his own experience though. Shadow assumed he meant he felt heavy, like it took more energy to move his body or something. Or perhaps he was lethargic?

If Sonic really could use both positive and negative energy… what was it like to have one of those completely restricted? Had he really been dealing with this, holding on to all of it by himself for this long? Chaos…

The hedgehog let out a groan. Almost pained, slightly frustrated.

“My energy feels so sick and wrong,” Sonic whined. “But I can’t tell anymore if it’s the inhibitors or-”

He seemed to catch himself. Sonic stopped speaking then. He just shook his head and sighed again, heavy and stressed. Really stressed.

And Shadow stupidly pushed it before he even knew he was speaking.

“Or if it’s… what?” Shadow asked.

“You won’t understand.”

There it was again. Sonic’s favourite phrase.

“You keep saying that. But if you want me to understand, just tell me. Explain it. I’m here to listen, Sonic.”

The hero paused. Seriously considered his answer. It was a long debate, one that Sonic clearly hated having with himself. Whatever he was thinking of sharing must have been super personal, vulnerable. Sonic’s eyes softened but he sounded wary when he spoke.

“Do you believe that I can use positive and negative energy?”

Shadow hesitated. Just briefly. But that seemed like enough of an answer for Sonic. He huffed, standing from the settee. Stalking past Shadow, Sonic had his arms folded, ears flattened; every indication that Sonic was done with this conversation. It was exactly what Shadow had been trying to avoid: he’d shut down. Shadow got the sense that he’d just completely thrown away any chance of talking to Sonic on the subject again. A slight pause in his answer had just ruined the whole conversation completely. He should have been more careful, damn it.

“Yeah,” Sonic snapped. “Exactly.”

Shadow stood to intercept him. He slid in front of Sonic as he was heading for the hallway door. Part of Shadow was at least somewhat glad he didn’t immediately go for the front door. But the relief wouldn’t come. Sonic’s mood had flipped so dramatically in the last five seconds. Shadow was suffering a case of mental whiplash.

“Sonic, I-”

“I don’t wanna hear it, Shadow. If you don’t believe me on that, you won’t ever believe what’s actually wrong with me.”

The hero shouldered Shadow out of his way. This wasn’t the first time he’d actually seen Sonic angry. But Shadow wasn’t used to this side of the hedgehog; he was completely unprepared for how volatile Sonic was in that state.

“Sonic…”

His hand closed around Sonic’s wrist, his finger brushing the smooth surface of the inhibitor. And something inside Sonic seemed to snap. The blue hedgehog stiffened completely, whirling around and snatching his hand back like he’d been burned. He glared at Shadow, venomously. And all at once, Shadow knew he’d made it worse.

“Just fuck off, Shadow!” Sonic snapped. “Leave. Me. Alone.”

As the blue hedgehog stormed off down the hall, Shadow couldn’t help but think he’d seen a flash of scarlet in Sonic’s eyes. Perhaps it had been a reflection off his inhibitor, but it hadn’t looked like a reflection. It had almost seemed, for a second, like he might have gone Super. Shadow worried if he’d upset the hedgehog enough to narrowly miss triggering that dark-furred form Miles had mentioned, the catalyst for all of this.

But the fox had said his eyes were white then. Not red.

Maybe… Maybe it really was just a reflection…

Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty

Notes:

Hey!

New update, woooo. I'll be honest though, not massively happy with this chapter... I had some trouble with it, as I had pretty much written down all the dialogue first and then... just didn't have the energy to fill in the rest. Then, when I came back to it after a long period of distractions, I still had a little bit of a struggle. I needed this chapter done so I could move on, so it might feel a little rushed unfortunately - I know, I see it too, and I hate it too. Things are about to kick off soon and get more interesting at least. Hopefully the next chapter might be a bit more gripping.

Going back to those distractions... get ready for two new stories, I guess. I started a re-write of an older story and then immediately bounced to a new story I've been trying to start for a WHILE. I know, I know, I should stop making new things and focus on what I already have to update, but I couldn't help myself. The first story has three chapters that are mostly ready, and the other has two and a half. I will be working on my other stories in the meantime, but if an update isn't ready for one of those I'll be posting them instead.

Follow me on Tumblr @fortuneshyspirit for sneak peeks and to see what stories I'm in the middle of working on: https://www.tumblr.com/fortuneshyspirit?source=share

Hope you enjoy the chapter, maybe, possibly, and I'll see you all in the next update!

Sonic sat cross-legged on the settee. Everyone was in the kitchen right now. Well, nearly everyone.

Knuckles was in the living room with him.

And so far, neither of them had said a word. Sonic wasn’t sure what he wanted to say to Knuckles. He’d rather just get this over with so he could deal with the inhibitors faster, but Rouge insisted they talk it out first. And Tails, like the sweet little fox he was, agreed that it was a good idea. Sonic knew they needed this conversation. But still, this was so awkward. Sonic might just start screaming soon if he had to keep sitting here in silence.

Why did he like the quiet sometimes and hate it other times? It was just one of those wild contradictions that Sonic didn’t understand. Maybe it was all about context. And right now, he’d rather not be here.

“I’m sorry,” Knuckles started. “For not talking to you about the inhibitors first.”

Sonic didn’t respond. What exactly could he say to that? Was the echidna expecting him to just accept his apology and move on? Just like that? Sonic wanted things to be good between them again, he really did, but he also couldn’t let what the echidna had done slide.

If he couldn’t stop Fleetway before it was too late, part of the blame was inevitably going to be on the inhibitors, on Knuckles. But it would fall on Tails’ shoulders for making them. And it was also on Dark for releasing him. On Sonic, for allowing Dark to be manipulated like that by sealing him away. And, obviously, massively on Fleetway for simply being himself. So many people to blame. There were so many people to blame here.

Sonic didn’t want to blame anyone but himself; unfortunately, the facts said otherwise. Logically, he couldn’t ignore that. Not right now. It was just easier to work towards avoiding the worst, then he could pretend it never happened. That’s always how Sonic operated. He’d just… never mention it again. And then life could go back to normal. Easy as that.

But right now, with the threat of Fleetway still hanging over him, Sonic knew there was a good chance he’d break free completely. The consequences were inevitable then. And everyone would feel those consequences whether Sonic wanted them to or not. If he made his own threats to Knuckles, perhaps the echidna would realise that and agree to remove the inhibitors. He detested the method, but that was all Sonic could hope for now. He was out of options to exhaust.

“I still think you need them,” Knuckles then clarified. “But I acknowledge that they need some… improvements.”

“That’s it?”

Knuckles’ head snapped up to look at him. But Sonic wouldn’t meet his gaze. He was glaring at the carpet. A stiff silence passed, more stifling than the first time. Louder somehow. Another contradiction that just made sense to Sonic. And yet, he knew it didn’t. After a beat, he scoffed.

He had to be combative to get the outcome he desperately needed.

“You acknowledge they need improvements?” Sonic drawled. “Are you serious?”

“Sonic…”

“I don’t want them, Knuckles. Full stop. It wasn’t fair to manipulate me with Tails into putting them on. That was low.”

Knuckles averted his gaze. Out the corner of his eye, Sonic saw the guilty look that flitted across his face and a similar feeling fluttered deep in his stomach. But Sonic wasn’t in the wrong here; Knuckles was. He shouldn’t be the one feeling guilty.

And yet, he was. Because Sonic hated upsetting his friends. He hated having to be the one to tell Knuckles that he was acting selfishly. Maybe Sonic was a little too, but that was besides the point. The fact was, he despised himself for making Knuckles feel guilty even though he bloody deserved it. It wasn’t something he enjoyed doing. But he had to remind himself of all he’d been through because of those stupid, red rings around his wrists. Tails may have made them, but it was on Knuckles’ order. Technically, Sonic had been pushed into forgiving his brother first, because he’d needed him. Needed to know he was ok.

But Sonic required just a little more time before he could truly forgive the echidna.

“I…” Knuckles said quietly. “I know.”

Sonic folded his arms, willing himself not to back down on this. It was difficult. All he really wanted to do was force down his own discomfort, that feeling of betrayal, and backtrack like crazy. He wanted to tell Knuckles everything was fine, that he was sorry too, that he forgave him. But that wasn’t right. Because in his heart, Sonic didn’t forgive him. And that was the hardest part; knowing he didn’t trust the guardian.

Knuckles had taken the first step towards that forgiveness by just being here. Another, when he’d apologised. A step backwards when he’d double down on Sonic needing the inhibitors with his tone-deaf clarification. The next step he needed now was to remove the inhibitors. And afterwards, Sonic would gauge how he felt.

Just not yet.

“Shadow told me we’re supposed to be having a conversation about them soon,” Sonic said. “And I’m going to tell you now, that I won’t agree to any scenario in which I have to keep wearing these things.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

“Can we just… get on with it?” Sonic asked with a sigh.

Knuckles hesitated for a moment before sighing himself. Then he stood from the settee and strode past him, heading for the kitchen. As he opened the door, calling for the others, Sonic was internally seething. This whole act seemed pointless to him. There was no discussion to be had as far as he was concerned. He refused to wear the inhibitors any longer; he hadn’t wanted them in the first place. And no amount of conversation would ever change Sonic’s mind on this. He just needed them off so he could figure out how to stop Fleetway’s plans; that was the only important thing right now.

Shadow entered first, leaning against the side of the settee Sonic was on. Tails took a seat beside the blue hedgehog. Knuckles sat back down where he’d been before and Rouge perched herself on the back of the settee behind him. With everyone gathered, Sonic tried to force himself to relax. But he was still so tense.

No one said anything for a good while. To alleviate some of his nervous energy, Sonic stood up to lightly pace.

“Can you prove you can use negative Chaos?” Knuckles suddenly aksed.

Sonic paused in his pacing, back to the group. He knew this would come up. And, regretfully, his answer would not help this discussion move forward. His own abilities, or lack thereof, would discredit him.

“No. I can’t.”

“So you admit you can’t use it?” Knuckles said.

Sonic whipped around to glare at the echidna. Absently, he could feel his quills rattling along his head and back. He was overcome with a wave of unbridled fury and he had no idea where it had come from. It sort of… scared him. And yet, that angry feeling carried him, invaded every cell of his body like a disease until it was all he could feel. No matter how much he tried to breathe through the frustration, to calm himself down, it wouldn’t seem to go away.

“I never said that,” he hissed. “I can use negative energy.”

Chaos, he’d lost his cool so early in this conversation. That didn’t bode well for the rest of it, did it? And where had this anger come from? His head was starting to pound something chronic.

---

“I’m gonna need some evidence of that, Sonic,” Knuckles huffed.

Why was the hedgehog still playing this game? All he had to do was show them. That’s it. Just some shred of evidence for his claims; that’s all Knuckles really needed to make his decision. Then he’d open the inhibitors and allow Tails to tweak them. Meanwhile, they could have the more important conversation; the one where Knuckles had the impossible task of convincing Sonic of his side in this. Convincing him to wear the inhibitors.

“I can’t,” Sonic said.

“What do you mean you can’t? You claim to be able to use it.”

There was a shared tension that spread around the room like wildfire. Rouge and Tails looked on with mirrored expressions of worry. Shadow watched with narrowed eyes. The dark hedgehog was no longer leaning but standing upright, more alert than before. Almost like he was ready to step in at any moment.

Knuckles wasn’t sure who he would be stepping in for. He seemed to be on Sonic’s side yesterday. Was he waiting to tell Knuckles to back down?

Or did he think Sonic might run?

“I can,” Sonic said, strained. “B-but I can’t show you.”

“Why not?” Knuckles snapped.

Sonic’s eyes narrowed into slits. He was gritting his teeth. Something seemed to snap inside him. His ears were drawn back, quills bristling harder than before. The hedgehog took a single step forward, throwing his hands down at his side with a snarl.

“Because I don’t know how!”

Red energy crackled around Sonic’s balled-up hands. There one moment, gone the next. It seemed to send a jolt through Sonic, through all of them. The blue hedgehog gasped at the sensation, like he hadn’t been expecting it. To Knuckles, the energy felt wrong. Certainly not like Sonic’s positive energy. But was it quite like the energy from back in Eggman’s base? Not really. That energy had been colder, a purple-blue flare. This felt different than that unsettling energy and the warm, gold energy of Sonic’s Super form. This was something else entirely.

Sonic was staring at his hands like he’d seen a ghost, all pale and horrified. Knuckles could see his friend lightly trembling. What was that stuff? And what was with Sonic’s reaction? It was just his energy.

“Well, it seems like you just did,” Rouge mused.

Sonic shook his head. Frantic.

“That’s not…” Sonic mumbled. “H-h-how did…?”

Everyone was quiet for a moment. All of them were confused. But there was more to Sonic’s own confusion, more to his silence. Knuckles could practically hear the cogs churning away inside Sonic’s head, revolving at a pace that could surely rival his feet. A light flicked on, deep in his eyes, something akin to panic or terror. Whatever he’d been parsing out had clicked into place, it seemed. And the conclusion he had reached wasn’t good.

“It doesn’t count,” Sonic breathed, voice barely above a whisper.

Knuckles exchanged a look with Shadow, who was now standing beside him. They’d both heard it, both seen; Knuckles could tell by the furrow in the dark hedgehog’s brow. Knuckles went to step forward. He wasn’t sure what he was planning on doing. He just needed Sonic to talk to them. Knuckles was getting tired of all the vagueness and lying.

“Soni-”

“Take them off.”

Knuckles paused. His friend’s tone felt stilted. Calm, but in a forced way. Like a calm-before-the-storm sort of way. A terrified sort of way.

“Knuckles,” Sonic forced out, a desperate quality sinking into his voice. “They’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing. They’re making things worse.”

He knew he should say the passcode, should unlock the inhibitors. That tone was enough of an indication that something was seriously wrong. But for some reason, Knuckles was still stuck on the lack of answers. He needed to know what was happening, damn it. He needed to know why. So they could help.

Why wouldn’t Sonic let them in?

“I need to know what’s going on first, Sonic,” Knuckles said. “I’m sick of not knowing what’s going on with you. Sick of not knowing why you blow me off when I try to help. Or why you keep important things like this to yourself. I need to know.”

“I don’t have time to explain!” Sonic groaned.

The blue hedgehog took his head into his hands. His ears were flattening. Knuckles couldn’t help but notice an edge to Sonic’s voice. Like that of agony somehow. But otherwise, he showed no signs of being in pain. No wincing or laboured breathing. And there wasn’t a mark on him; Knuckles could plainly see that. Perhaps he was mishearing.

When Knuckles wouldn’t budge, Sonic sighed. A weighty, frustrated sigh. He rose his gaze, hands still grasping either side of his head.

“I can use positive and negative Chaos,” Sonic started, biting out every word with forced patience. “The inhibitors are blocking my positive. And the negative isn’t the issue, not right now. The red energy is. So, I need you to take the inhibitors off so I can fix it.”

“So what is this red energy then?” Shadow asked. “Sonic, there are only two forms of Chaos energy.”

“I-I don’t entirely know myself,” Sonic admitted. “It’s fractured. Broken in some way. Not… not whole.”

Sonic said that last part slowly, like he was coming to some realisation. Knuckles would have been thrilled to know exactly what that realisation was. But, as always, Sonic seemed intent on keeping it to himself. No surprises there, unfortunately. Though it just served to piss Knuckles off more.

“How exactly did this energy… break?” Shadow asked.

He was picking his words carefully. It seemed like the dark-furred hedgehog was trying to mediate. It seemed odd, like it just didn’t fit with Knuckles’ view of him. Shadow was a violent mobian. Knuckles didn’t blame him for it; it was how he was made. But it was hard to ignore that Shadow usually jumped to solving problems with fists and Chaos Spears. He could be logical and cold, but also very violent, especially when it came to Sonic.

Knuckles would admit that he used to be the same. He could relate somewhat. Any situation, he used to think he could get through with brute strength alone. But he’d realised in recent years that his fists could not solve everything. Perhaps Shadow had come to the same conclusion.

Knuckles could respect him for that. Begrudgingly.

But it didn’t escape his notice the way Sonic’s eyes lingered on Shadow. Cold, almost accusatory. Shadow’s frown had deepened. Then Sonic looked away, features smoothing a little, as though the moment had never happened. Knuckles knew the two didn’t get along very well… but glaring was usually Shadow’s department. Sonic was the one who liked to act overly friendly, to purposefully tick him off. If anything, he’d ordinarily smirk at Shadow. But Sonic had been here for at least a few days; Knuckles wondered if something had happened between them.

“It’s complicated,” Sonic mumbled.

“Oh, don’t give me that shit, Sonic,” Knuckles growled. “No more secrets. If it’s so complicated, just explain it. Why is that so difficult?”

“I told you,” Sonic snapped back. “I don’t have the time! Not right now. If the energy is leaking through, it won’t be long before h-”

Sonic cut himself off with a shake of the head. They were so close to learning something. Why couldn’t he just finish the thought? That would be explanation enough, surely? What was going to happen?

“Before what?” Knuckles pressed.

The hero took a shaky breath, closing his eyes briefly. He was trying to collect himself. But when he opened his eyes again, Knuckles could see the rage still burning away inside. His little breathing exercise hadn’t helped.

Knuckles had very rarely seen Sonic in this state. But when he had, it was very likely to be followed by something… explosive. Something with blacker-than-black fur. Something with a cracked smile and raised quills. Something wielding a cold, suffocating, purple-blue energy.

Something with horribly blank, white eyes.

“Knuckles…” Tails whispered from somewhere behind him.

The fox had noticed it too.

Knuckles had to de-escalate the situation, and fast. The problem was, he was the one that had instigated from the start; Sonic was unlikely to be receptive to him now.

“Look,” Sonic said. “I’ll tell you later, ok? I promise, I’ll explain all of it later. But I need the inhibitors off now.”

Still, he had to try. Knuckles raised his hands, palms forward. He took a slow step back, holding his arm slightly out in front of Shadow to get him to do the same. They had to give the hedgehog some space. Thankfully, Shadow stepped back in time with him, picking up on Knuckles’ unease. Rouge rose carefully from her spot in his periphery. He glanced back, seeing Tails pull his legs up onto the seat with wide eyes. They were all appropriately on guard. Sonic, thankfully, hadn’t seemed to notice.

They’d yet to see the other initial warning signs, not that Shadow and Rouge would know them. The rippling fur, the slackening of his shoulders, the awful stillness. But Knuckles was not going to risk it. He had to treat this situation as if Sonic had already checked out. Speak slow, clear, carefully. Don’t raise his voice. Stay calm and be calm. Pushing any more past this point could trigger that form.

And if it came out now they were all screwed.

“Son-”

“For Chaos sake, Knuckles!” Sonic snapped. “Would you rather I dislocate my fucking thumbs trying to get them off myself? Because, damn it, I will if I have to! This is bigger than you realise. More dangerous than you could possibly know. Just take them off. Please.”

Oh, he knew how dangerous it was alright. He knew firsthand how dangerous that form could be. But he wouldn’t argue. Not anymore. It was far too risky now.

Knuckles took a deep breath. Here was the difficult decision. If he did this, there was no going back. Sonic was more than likely to flee. But it didn’t sound like an act and Sonic didn’t plead for anything, ever. The fact he was now proved one thing: he was serious. But would he keep his word? Would he actually tell them? And how exactly did he think he was going to “fix” whatever this broken energy was by himself?

The echidna found he was just as answerless as he had been before the conversation had started. But he knew Sonic really would hurt himself if it meant getting out of the inhibitors. It was honestly surprising he hadn’t already; the blue hedgehog was fully capable of it. Without a doubt.

Knuckles couldn’t let his friend do that.

Nor could he allow that form to take over. It just wasn’t an option.

“Wind,” Knuckles said, trying to make his voice as clear as possible.

Suddenly, the inhibitors each let out a sequence of clicks: click-click, pause, click. The red rings steadily lost their glow. The vibrancy of them weakened and weakened, like an ember being snuffed out. Then they popped open, now wide ovals more than rings. Sonic yanked them off, one by one, dropping them in disgust. They made a heavy, muted clinking sound as they hit the carpet. Then Sonic just stared at his wrists for a moment, as if unable to comprehend that they were actually gone.

The hedgehog’s shoulders seemed to loosen ever so slightly before tensing again. His ears flicked. His face was unreadable for a beat. But overall, Sonic’s demeanour had changed ever so slightly. He still looked a little ruffled but also relieved. And yet, the relief didn’t seem to last for long. Sonic’s eyes hardened and a determined look crossed his features. But there was something else in his expression.

Knuckles couldn’t place it.

“I have to go,” Sonic said.

“Now, wait a minute, hedgehog,” Knuckles said. “We haven’t even-”

“If something goes wrong, I can’t be here. I need to buy myself some time just in case.”

Sonic was backing away from them, almost cautiously. He must have suspected that they might stop him. Still, Knuckles was frozen for a moment. Not only was he trying to comprehend the hero’s words, but he wasn’t keen on provoking Sonic right now either. For now, it seemed they were safe. But it hadn’t been long since he’d been irate; if Sonic was still on the cusp of snapping, Knuckles was deathly afraid of pushing it.

Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what the cool-down period of Sonic’s anger was. Knuckles wasn’t used to dealing with it. Sonic was always a rogue element, an unpredictable factor to consider carefully. And Knuckles was kicking himself for not treating the hedgehog with the caution he deserved when he told Tails to make the inhibitors.

He should have known it would blow up in his face.

“In case of what?” Knuckles asked slowly.

The blue hedgehog paused briefly, looking suddenly sick.

“In case I fail.”

And with that, Sonic was gone. A blue afterimage was all that remained. All four of them jumped, hearing the distant sound of a window shattering down the hall. The sound pierced the tense air, a needle through the membrane of a balloon. One of the bedrooms. He’d left through one of the bedrooms.

Knuckles stood there, stunned for a moment. Shadow was already sprinting after the hedgehog, just like he’d promised. Though Knuckles wondered if it might not be a good idea. Without hesitation, the dark-furred hedgehog turned into the room Sonic had been sleeping in. He never came back out; Shadow had guessed right first try. Figures Sonic would have found a way to avoid inconveniencing the G.U.N. agents as much as he could while still damaging their property. Rouge’s room would have been closer.

They’d barely even spoken. Not really. They hadn’t reached a real conclusion on the inhibitors, since Sonic hadn’t allowed the conversation to go that far.

Knuckles couldn’t help wondering if he’d just made a terrible mistake.

Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-One

Notes:

Hey all!

Early update! I couldn't resist. The next chapter is ready to go, with chapter twenty-three about halfway done. So they should both be along shortly. But I was too excited to wait - things are heat up to boiling point... I'm hoping the action isn't disappointing - I don't think I'm great at fight scenes personally.

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! Please let me know what you think and I'll see you in the next update!

Chasing down Sonic proved harder than Shadow had anticipated.

When the blue hedgehog didn’t want to be tailed, he was really slippery. Diving this way and that, turning so sharply that Shadow had trouble matching it with his hover shoes. And the head-start he’d acquired while Shadow had been briefly stunned made all the difference. Trying to process Sonic’s words had stalled him for maybe five seconds. Still, with their speed, it didn’t take long for Sonic to put some real distance between them.

This wasn’t like a friendly race, where they were starting on an even playing field; same starting point, same starting time. Sonic had a head-start. And this wasn’t some competition, where the goal was typically more fun-based than anything else. Shadow was pretty sure that’s what Sonic really cared about while they were racing, not winning. The blue hedgehog acted like he did. But Shadow suspected otherwise. In fact, he was almost positive Sonic just liked hanging out with him. But Sonic wasn’t interested in even entertaining giving up his lead this time.

He seemed desperate to leave Shadow in the dust.

Shadow swore under his breath as Sonic took a sudden turn, right into a forest. It wasn’t the one outside of Central City; they’d gone way further out than that. Honestly, Shadow wasn’t sure where they even were. But Sonic seemed to. And that added an extra element of challenge to this. The terrain was unfamiliar and rough, the tree-cover dense. And Sonic was weaving through them like it was nothing. Like he knew the area like the back of his hand.

Maybe he did. Maybe that’s why he chose this area. It was a place he knew he could disappear in. Shadow had no chance. But that didn’t mean he was about to give up. He still had that fuzzy flash of blue in his sights, glimpsed through the trees. And as long as Shadow could see him, he could follow him.

For how long that would be possible, Shadow had no clue. He was already struggling, tensed with having to quick-dodge trees and roots constantly. He wasn’t tired yet, but the terrain was definitely putting a strain on his body. How did Sonic do it? Honestly, Shadow was impressed. Sonic possessed skills he’d never even known about.

Shadow wondered how many things Sonic could do that he hadn’t shown off before. How many things could he do that he just simply didn’t think about being remarkable?

And then, another thought hit him: how much of this planet had Sonic mapped out in his head? He always seemed to know where he was. And he did appear to do an awful lot of exploring. He certainly had the time and speed to grow accustomed to a lot of areas. But how familiar was he with exactly how many places on Mobius?

That dark hedgehog shook his head. He was getting distracted. Thankfully, he hadn’t lost Sonic yet. He did have to frantically bend to the side to avoid crashing into a particularly monstrous tree though. It seemed to rise out of nowhere.

A lone redwood.

Which was peculiar. This forest was more diverse than the one by Central City. Shadow couldn’t identify all the types of trees, but he did see oaks and firs, and perhaps a few maples. There were a few thinner, scraggly trees he couldn’t identify, and some with sunset orange bark. But the redwood threw Shadow off momentarily. And for a few more paces, it was the only one he’d seen. Then they started to crop up again; one to his left, two over by his right. So thick and tall, imposing. Menacing, almost. And then they slowly but surely became more frequent. Until all he was seeing were those intimidating redwoods. True to their name, the bark was a rusty, almost brick-red colour. On some, you could probably stand seven or eight mobians in a line next to one and barely cover the full diameter.

Shadow hadn’t encountered a lot of redwoods before. Where the hell were they?

The sheer bulk of the trees meant that Shadow had to slow slightly to be able to effectively dodge them. As he reduced his speed, Sonic became a smaller smear in the distance. And Shadow realised he wasn’t going to catch Sonic; the hero himself didn’t seem to be slowing much at all. The blue hedgehog had succeeded in shaking Shadow. He slowed to a light jog.

“Damn it.”

Turned out, Sonic was pretty crafty. Unfortunately, that meant Shadow couldn’t follow him perfectly. Not anymore. Shadow thought about using his Emerald, but with Sonic on the move he’d be extremely difficult to pin down. By the time he re-appeared, Sonic could be several miles away. The only option he had left was to track the hedgehog using his heightened senses, Sonic’s Chaos Signature, and environmental clues.

Like the sneaker-sized divot in the ground to his left. A round, vaguely oval shape. Slightly wider to one end – the toe of the shoe – with a ladderesque pattern. Driven deeper in the dirt towards the toe, reflecting Sonic’s stride. Thankfully, the dirt here was damp, not quite mud but wet enough for the tracks to appear fairly clear. All he had to do was follow them. Shadow figured Sonic had to stop at some point. And when he did, Shadow would find him. All he had to do was get close enough to sense his whereabouts, then Chaos Control to him. Then he could apprehend the flighty hedgehog.

---

Sonic paused to catch his breath, casting a glance over his shoulder. He’d lost Shadow. But it was up in the air how long he had before Shadow located him again.

He felt kind of… unsteady.

When the glow of the inhibitors had fizzled out, Sonic had felt an overwhelming relief. Breathing had become easier instantly. And yet, the rush of his energy coming back had a sort of delayed reaction. And now Sonic was feeling like he’d just fallen from the tallest building in Metropolis. His body was aching and tingly and his migraine had finally come to a head. He thought all that would go away pretty quick but his energy still felt wonky. He couldn’t tell if that was Fleetway or some vertigo brought on by his own energy flooding his veins again. Was that how it worked? It didn’t feel wholly like Fleet’s energy. Maybe he’d have to ask Shadow later. Hopefully it would pass and he’d be fine.

But he didn’t have time for his body to recover right now. He had to reach his forms and find a way to stop Fleetway.

After a quick scan of his surroundings, Sonic’s eyes lighted on a scrappy looking bush. Not ideal for hiding, but the best he had. He crawled inside the pokey plant, ignoring the way the branches snatched at his fur.

Super seemed like a safe bet. He was easier to reach than Hyper, and Sonic’s relationship with Dark was a little rocky. Those rolling hills should be secure; Dark said Fleetway was in the Voidspace.

It took a moment longer than he’d been expecting to make contact with Super. Perhaps his energy was still a little funky. But after an agonising moment of nothing, warmth filled him and Sonic clung to the energy he’d been cut off from for so long. Too long. Super had understood his intentions; Sonic felt the familiar tug in the back of his mind and allowed the feeling of falling to take him. Distantly, his body fell against the scratchy ground. But Sonic’s mind was already being pulled away from consciousness. Down, down, down, deep inside of him.

It felt like falling asleep. And yet, it was so different too. Sonic had never found an appropriate way of describing it. He supposed it was like he was falling through the world, past the earth and rock and magma and metal, out into space. It was a weightless, hazy feeling. The first time he’d visited the Voidspace, it had been weird. Not unpleasant but bizarre nonetheless. Now, he was used to the feeling. Welcomed it.

He just wished he was visiting his forms on better terms.

It was a gradual thing. How the sun warmed his skin, the grass tickled his sides. Like waking up after a long nap. Sonic opened his eyes, seeing red eyes staring back at him. The golden-furred hedgehog’s face was upside down. Super was crouched over his head, worried yet relieved all at once. Sonic reached his hands out to Super, but he wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted.

“Supe!”

Super pulled him up so that he was sitting. He might as well have not bothered; they both ended up on the floor again anyway when Super launched himself at him. Arms wrapped around Sonic, so warm and solid and warm. He returned Super’s enthusiastic hug with one just as strong. He’d missed the sweet form so, so much. It hadn’t even really been that long. But ever since Super had become a part of him, he’d always been there. He was always one thought away. Having him gone had been so agonisingly wrong.

Like how he’d felt when Dark was first sealed away.

“You’re here!” Super cried, nuzzling the side of Sonic’s muzzle.

Sonic widened his eyes. Over Super’s shoulder, he could see Hyper running over. The shimmery white hedgehog kneeled at his side. Iridescent red eyes scanned him up and down, as if he’d be injured or something. Odd, for the most logical of his forms, but Sonic assumed he was just worried. Sonic grabbed his hand to stop him, offering a quick squeeze to show him he was ok. When Hyper settled back with a small relieved smile, Sonic returned it.

But there was something else he’d seen. Over by the lone tree Hyper had come from. Someone else.

All three of them were here?

Sonic turned his gaze back to the black-furred form. His head was turned away. Ears low. Dark was sitting propped up against the tree, hand resting against his stomach. He didn’t rise to greet Sonic. The blue hedgehog didn’t expect him to. But it still hurt. Like a punch to the sternum. Sonic felt something in his chest twist. Even with Hyper’s hand in his, even with Super’s arms around his chest, Sonic just felt… empty.

Reluctantly, he pulled himself from Super’s grip, took his hand back from Hyper. He stood and walked over to Dark. He could feel his positive forms staring at him, watching him. They stood but did not immediately go to follow him. When Sonic glanced back, he saw that Hyper had grabbed Super by the arm to stop him from following. Green eyes met speckled red and Hyper gave one, slow nod. So Sonic closed the remaining distance between himself and Dark. But the dark form still felt so unbelievably far away. Like if Sonic took his hand he wouldn’t even be there. The twisting of his heart became worse, like it would snap.

“Hey,” he said softly.

Dark lowered his head to avoid meeting Sonic’s gaze. So Sonic sat beside him, pulling his knees up to his chin. For a moment, he just stared at Dark, watched what he could see of his face. He didn’t know what to say. There was so much they needed to talk about. But no words would come.

“We need to come up with a plan,” Dark said matter-of-factly.

Yeah. He was right. As always. A conversation that loaded would have to wait. But the hurt wouldn’t go away. It sat, a heavy stone in his gut, as he let out a breath. Would this pain ever go away? This crevasse that had opened between him and Dark? It really didn’t feel like it would. It felt too deep, too wide. Crossing it seemed out of the question. No bridge felt like it would ever reach the other side. And if it did, it would be too unstable. Would rock in the wind and knock you off before you could even get halfway.

The scabbing around Dark’s stomach didn’t go unnoticed. But Sonic would not bring it up. Dark wouldn’t want him to. Because Sonic wouldn’t want that either. That didn’t mean Sonic could stave off the rush of concern for the form though. Nor did it mean he didn’t want to reach out to Dark, to take his hand away, to see the damage.

Fleetway had done that. Hadn’t he?

Sonic’s eyes lingered on Dark for a moment before he gestured for the others with a flick of his head. Super surprisingly settled himself on the other side of Dark. Hyper picked the spot beside Sonic.

“So what do we do?” Sonic asked wearily.

“It won’t be long before Fleetway knows you’re here,” Hyper warned. “What ever we decide, it has to be quick.”

“Maybe we can just talk to him…?” Super suggested.

Even as he was saying it, Sonic could tell Super knew it was silly. He’d always wanted to believe that Fleetway could be reasoned with. But Sonic was a convinced a long time ago that it just wasn’t possible. He was unhinged and violent.

“There’s no reasoning with a maniac like that,” Dark spat.

The black-furred form had said exactly what Sonic was thinking, if a bit harsher. Super flinched. Sonic saw Dark wince. And all at once, two things became clear.

Dark hadn’t meant to snap at Super. There was a gentleness to the hedgehog that came through every now and then. Hard to see unless you squinted. But it was there. Dark had a soft spot for Super. Sonic knew he did. Upsetting Super was not his prerogative. Sonic was aware that Dark hadn’t always liked the lighter form, but that a sort of calm appreciation had built up since Super first appeared. He hesitated to say that Dark thought of Super as a friend. But enemy, he certainly was not.

The second thing was that Dark hadn’t just been talking about Fleet.

“We’ll have to seal him again,” Hyper said.

“He’ll just break free,” Dark growled. “What’s the point?”

“The point,” Hyper said curtly. “Is that sealing him away will buy us some time to come up with a more… permanent solution.”

The white hedgehog sent Super an apologetic look. Super shrunk in on himself. But he nodded, agreeing with Hyper. They all knew Fleetway had to go. None of them knew how to do that, but they had to find a way. Hyper was right; if they sealed him away they should have more than enough time to come up with a better plan. But that was easier said than done. They’d achieved it before. It was possible. Fleetway was going to fight them with every step though. The insane form would not make it easy. And Dark was injured.

“It’s the best we got,” Sonic said with a sigh. “But how do we get into Fleetway’s domain?”

“I might be able to help with that,” Dark mumbled. “I’ve been there before. He let me in last time, but I think I can force my way there if he’s in the Voidspace.”

Dark stood, hand falling away from his stomach. Sonic got a better look at the jagged, half-healed hole there. It was crusted over with drying blood, shockingly rusty against his pale peach fur. A matching scab was mirrored just below his back spines. Whatever Fleetway had done, it had gone right through. Sonic shuddered. His wound was doing very well all things considered. The hole had closed up almost all the way to the surface. It still looked nasty though. Sonic had that urge to reach for Dark’s hand again but he stopped himself. Dark rose a hand, swirled with purple-blue energy.

The black-furred form didn’t get very far.

The first warning Sonic had was Super gasping sharply. Then a blur of dirty yellow and red crashed into Dark and sent him tumbling. Sonic rose to his feet, but a hand was already closing around his windpipe before he even saw Fleetway. Spiteful, hellish eyes stared through him. The bark of the tree was digging into his fur, bending his quills awkwardly. Sonic thrashed against Fleetway’s hold, kicking out in panic. His sneaker found the form’s stomach but he barely flinched. A beat later, Fleetway was being dragged off him. It all happened in maybe eight seconds.

But what was eight seconds to beings that could move at the speed of light?

Sonic coughed, rubbing his palm over his abused throat. A hand found his shoulder. Super. Breathing hard, Sonic looked up to see what was happening. Hyper was wrestling with Fleetway a little down the hill with Dark. It seemed like they were trying to pin down Fleetway’s arms. They weren’t having much luck. Sonic patted Super’s hand.

“Help them,” he croaked.

Super brushed his cheek along Sonic’s for a moment and took to the sky. In a whirl of golden light, Super flew at the three. Hyper and Dark spotted him and threw themselves to the side. Super landed with his shoe against Fleetway’s chest. Stained gloves closed around Super’s ankle and flung him over Fleetway’s head. Dark was on the insane form the moment Super was gone, punching him across the face with an energy-clad fist. But Fleetway retaliated just as fast, slashing his claws over the still open wound along Dark’s stomach. The dark hedgehog hissed, stumbling away. Fleetway was back on his feet.

Sonic watched them fighting helplessly. If he knew how to use any Chaos techniques he might actually be helpful. But he didn’t know how to preform a single one. He cursed himself for avoiding Knuckles and his intimidating lessons. His forms needed him and he was just standing there, at the top of the hill. Dead weight in his own mind.

But he had to do something.

“Think, damn it, think,” he growled.

It was him Fleetway really wanted, right? Maybe Sonic could distract him? This body wasn’t real anyway, just a mental projection. He could feel pain but his body would be fine. He couldn’t die. It was time to stop wallowing in fear. Sonic could take a little pain; he had to stop being a pansy in his own mind, damn it.

So he curled himself into a ball and shot down the hill. The momentum carried him, the angle of the hill increasing his speed. He felt himself connect with Fleetway’s leg. Already, he knew nothing he could do would even scratch the form. But he wasn’t intending to hurt him. Just to get his attention. And at the angry, warped roar that followed him the rest of the way across the meadow beyond, Sonic knew he’d achieved just that. Before he was even losing speed, Sonic uncurled and sprung to his feet. He tried to run in an inconsistent, swerving pattern. Left then right, then left and stay left, then right again, then left, then right, then left, then turn left again and backtrack. But Fleetway was faster than him.

And Dark was faster than Fleetway.

Once Sonic felt claws sinking into his scruff, they were already gone. Whisked away like they’d never been there. Only the trace of a sting reminded Sonic that he’d almost been snatched by Fleetway. He dug his heels into the grass, spinning around. He caught Dark using his energy to burn Fleetway’s arm. There was so much fury flickering in his white eyes; it was probably pretty satisfying to get revenge for that hole in his torso.

Then Fleetway drove his fist into Dark’s stomach. Blood bubbled up past his pale lips. Not all of his insides must have been healed yet. A flash of rainbow light knocked Fleetway off his feet. Hyper was hovering in the air, a shiny coating of colourful energy flaring out around him.

“Fleetway, please!” Super called out, appearing beside Dark. “Just stop!”

Dark swiped a hand over his muzzle, flicking his wrist to the side. Droplets of red scattered all over the flowers. Sonic stared at them for a moment distractedly. The sunflowers were covered in blood spatter. Sonic’s ears flattened. They weren’t even real; still something really bothered him about that sight. He hated it. He swung his head around to glare at Fleetway. That was Dark’s blood. And Fleetway had drawn it. Anger coiled in his stomach. Out the corner of his eye, he caught Dark looking at him. Finally looking at him.

Sonic sprinted forwards, hands curling into fists so tight he could feel his claws slice against his palm. Hissing, he ran straight into Fleetway, tucking his head in and throwing all of his weight into a shove. It was incredibly stupid. Hitting Fleetway was like hitting a wall. The insane hedgehog didn’t even move. As Fleetway grabbed a fistful of his quills, Sonic wondered what had driven him to even try. He yelped, pain erupting along the back of his head as Fleetway swung him around, letting go at the apex of the arc. Super intercepted Sonic midair, gentle hands catching him under his arms just like Tails had done so many times.

But once again, Sonic had proved enough of a distraction. When he cracked an eye open to look below, Hyper had Fleetway by the wrists. Dark was coming up from behind. Purple-blue energy swirled around Dark as he charged up an attack. But Fleetway turned, pulling Hyper off his feet.

And right into the path of Dark.

“Dark!” Sonic and Super called out together, trying to warn him.

But it was too late. Sonic saw the split second of Dark’s eyes widening, already going too fast to stop his momentum. Then he slammed into Hyper head on. The white hedgehog grunted, letting go of Fleetway’s wrists, and the two went sprawling. Fleetway had hopped away in time, cackling. The fur along Hyper’s back was singed. Dark rolled passed Hyper, coming to a stop on his front with a hiss. He’d landed directly against his stomach.

“You don’t have to do this, Fleet!” Super cried.

The dirty yellow hedgehog swung his head around to look at them, up in the sky. His eyes were narrowed into crimson slits. Sonic tensed.

“Shut the fuck up!” Fleetway roared.

Red engulfed Sonic’s vision as Fleetway collided with them. There was a burning along his arms, corrosive energy weaving its way along his skin. It felt like his flesh had been pressed against the bars of a grill. And then he was falling. There was a horrible moment of silence as the wind rushed around him. Super’s hands against his upper arms were long gone. There was just a feeling of hollowness wrapping around him now. He felt weightless.

There was no one waiting to catch him this time.

Sonic hit the ground, choking on his own spit. All the air had been knocked from his lungs. Every inch of his back ached but the pain hadn’t quiet set it. It was far away. As if, even inside his own head, his mind couldn’t process it. He coughed and coughed, rolling onto his side. He felt all shivery again, like before he’d entered Super’s domain.

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do!” he heard Fleetway shriek somewhere to his left. “Stupid bitch!”

But another sound reached him. One that forced him to his knees, despite how much his body protested every tiny movement. Sonic’s arms shook beneath him, body quaking. Raising his head took so much effort. But he needed to know what was happening. He needed to know. Because that sound was making him feel queasy. It was a bad sound. A really awful, terrible sound.

The sound of Super screaming.

Fleetway had the golden hedgehog pinned to the floor, both hands wrapped around his throat. All the grass and flowers had been burned away by the red energy lashing around them. Super’s legs twisted and pushed against the mud, but he couldn’t get any traction, any leverage. Fleetway had him stuck fast. He was stronger. And it wasn’t just the flowers that the unstable energy was burning. It was Super’s fur and skin too. Parts of his fur were turning a horrible, dull brown-black. He was writhing against the floor in agony. Tears were streaming down Super’s face as he wailed. Fleetway picked him up slightly and slammed him back against the ground. A nauseating crack echoed around the domain. Super’s scream stuttered slightly.

“Shut up!”

Hyper was struggling to his feet a little ways away, eyes wide. Dark was already trying to approach, Sonic’s horror mirrored on his face. But the black-furred hedgehog couldn’t get close with all that scarlet energy engulfing them both. He couldn’t get to Super.

But Super was crying. He was crying for them. He was in pain. Dark had to get to him, he just had to. He had to get to him.

Something seemed to break apart inside Sonic. Like a piece of wood snapping in half, scattering shards of itself throughout his chest. His body went hot. Really, really hot. There was an ache settling behind his eyes. His vision was skewing, becoming blurry and wet. Sonic felt kind of woozy. Was it just him, or was all the colour fading away…?

“SUPER!” Sonic wailed.

Chapter 23: Chapter Twenty-Two

Notes:

Hellooooooo!

New chapter, woooo! I'm kinda tired, so I'll try to make the note short today. Next chapter is halfway done but no promises on when it'll be ready, so you'll have to be patient with me. I've got chapters lined up for Help Me... Please! and I Live to Rule by the Sword so I'll probably be updating those for a while. And I've got a new story for When to Fight, When to Wait coming soon! The next few days are gonna be pretty busy for me, so forgive me if I'm quiet for a while. I want to get another chapter of something up before the week is out, but I might be too swamped to actually do it. We'll see. I meant to get this chapter up the other day but I was distracted by going to see a musical so... oops.

Consider following me on Tumbr for sneak peeks of upcoming stories and chapters: https://www.tumblr.com/fortuneshyspirit?source=share

Please enjoy the chapter, let me know what you think, and I'll see you all in the next update!

When Shadow was close enough, it became clear that Sonic had stopped. He could sense his energy somewhere nearby. So he dug his Emerald out of his quills. He stared into its faceted green depths, focusing on that unique energy Signature. It had a depth to it that Shadow had never thought about before. He’d always known this energy as Sonic but now he really let it flow over him, picked it apart. Knowing Sonic’s insistence that he could use both positive and negative Chaos, Shadow could feel something that was assuredly different than every other Signature he’d felt. A swirl of something. It was hard to pin down, even as he was actively looking for it, but there was definitely something there.

No wonder he’d never noticed it before.

The Emerald’s energy heightened the Signature, made it clearer. Or perhaps the mix really did just feel stronger somehow than it used to. But it was still a subtle blend. It was warming, like the sun. But, paradoxically, cool as ice where it slid against his own energy. And there was something else. Some prickle of something more. Something… almost acidic. That weird red energy.

Three sensations. Three energies somehow. Maybe even more... All wrapped up into one. They all melded together in such a way that it was so hard to feel the distinct parts. But with the Chaos Emerald, he could just about pick them out.

Sonic really was telling the truth, wasn’t he?

Shadow felt awful about that tiny iota of doubt that had stalled him last night. The blue hedgehog had every right to be upset with him. He wanted to find Sonic now more than ever. To apologise. To tell him he was on his side, that he’d support him no matter what. To tell him he wanted to help in any way he could. Knuckles be damned, Sonic wouldn’t be putting those inhibitors back on unless he somehow changed his mind. Shadow would not allow it to happen.

Focusing in on that Chaos Signature once more, Shadow pinpointed where it was at its strongest. Then he whispered the words that would take him there. In a flash of light, Shadow appeared in a section of forest almost identical to where he’d just been. It was so disorienting. But maybe the redwoods were a little thinner here. There was some sad looking foliage dotted around.

And through the branches of one patchy little bush, Shadow saw flashes of that vibrant blue fur. He’d tucked himself away… in a bush? A pretty crappy hiding place. He called the hedgehog’s name and got no response. Sonic didn’t even jump out to flee. So Shadow crouched down to push some of the scraggly twigs out of the way. The hero’s eyes were closed, breathing slow and even. And that’s when Shadow realised.

Lying in the dirt, beneath the bush, Sonic was sleeping.

He’d been running away not ten minutes earlier. Shadow had been tracking him. And now he was fast asleep. Was he really that exhausted? His health had clearly taken a dive recently and he hadn’t been sleeping properly. But he had slept last night. For the first time since Shadow had brought him to Rouge’s apartment, he’d gone to sleep and stayed that way. Had running really taken that much out of him? It was possible… but it still felt weird.

The other option was that Sonic had purposefully gone to sleep. Out here. And that felt even stranger.

Shadow reached his hand into the bush, feeling those deceptive little twigs scratch up his arm. Why had Sonic picked here? Chaos. He shook Sonic’s shoulder. But the hedgehog was limp beneath his hand, deep in the grip of sleep.

“Sonic?”

He tried again, shaking a bit more vigorously. Still nothing. Now Shadow was getting worried. He couldn’t have gone to sleep that long ago. And even if he was completely conked out, Shadow should have been able to wake him.

Unless he’d completely lost consciousness. If he’d passed out.

But how would that have happened? Why? It couldn’t have come on suddenly, or Sonic wouldn’t have had time to crawl under the bush.

Shadow shoved more of the branches out of the way and took a hold of Sonic’s shoulders. He pulled him out from under the bush, turning him onto his back as he did. Slipping one of his gloves off momentarily, Shadow pressed two fingers against Sonic’s neck. His pulse was steady, slightly too fast, but Shadow knew that was normal for the hyperactive hedgehog. His breathing was fine, so he didn’t bother checking that. Every now and then his eyelids would flicker, the eyes underneath moving. REM. He was likely dreaming. But that meant he certainly wasn’t in deep sleep. And that still didn’t explain why Shadow couldn’t wake him.

He had to call the others.

As he was scrolling through his contacts for Rouge’s number, Sonic made a tiny sound of distress. A whispered whine. Shadow looked over the blue hedgehog. His brow was creased, muzzle wrinkled above his nose. The twitching of his eyes was a little faster than before. His ears flicking. It seemed like his dream was taking a turn. Shadow was on guard, ready for when he woke; Sonic would probably be screaming again.

Shadow kept an eye on Sonic as he dialled Rouge. It barely rang once before she picked up.

“Have you found him?” Rouge asked immediately.

If this were any other situation, he might have made some snarky comment about there being no greeting. Just like Rouge always did to him. But everyone was on edge and Shadow wasn’t the jokey one. Sonic was.

“Yeah, I’ve got him.”

“Why haven’t you brought him back then?” Knuckles snapped.

Shadow narrowed his eyes at his communicator, as though Knuckles would be able to hear his glare. Shadow may not understand the choices Sonic made, but he’d come to his own conclusions about all this in the last ten minutes. He’d have Sonic’s back on this. If the hedgehog wanted to be out here, in this forest, then by Chaos he’d stay out here. No matter how strange that was. It was his choice. He deserved that much.

“Maybe we should respect Sonic’s wishes,” Shadow responded coldly.

“His wishes?” Knuckles growled. “He’d not in the right frame of mind to make decisions right now, Shadow.”

This might be crossing a line. But it had to be said.

“That’s your problem, echidna; none of this would be happening if you’d let Sonic make his own decisions from the start.”

There was a moment of silence. Shadow hoped the echidna was listening to him this time. Really listening. It was hard to tell. Even when his voice rang out from the communicator again, Shadow wasn’t sure.

“Where are you?” Knuckles asked.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Shadow said. “I’ll stay with him, just to make sure he’s ok. But I think everyone else should keep away. That’s why he left.”

Silence again. Something tense and nerve-wracking. Shadow could hear his heart in his ears, a ringing sound almost. There was a lot of mumbling, muffled speaking that the communicator wasn’t quite picking up. Arguing? Then, one quiet phrase leaked through right before the call hung up. It made Shadow’s blood freeze.

“Tails, track Shadow’s communicator.”

The black-furred hedgehog frantically searched through his communicator’s settings, trying to find a way to turn his location off. He mentally berated himself for not familiarising himself with all the functions of the communicator before. Typically, Shadow just used it to contact Rouge. Sometimes for the torch feature, but his night vision was usually good enough. And the camera, to collect evidence when on missions. They could do so many other things; Miles had loaded his devices with features. But Shadow barely used any of them. It was a pure convenience device for Shadow, so he didn’t need to carry a phone. He’d honestly forgotten that they could be tracked.

The settings were extensive. Display, sound, brightness, font and text size, a whole section for camera settings, customisation, permissions, notifications. None of this was what he needed. Shadow growled. Where were the locations settings, damn it? Date and time, backups, battery, accessibility, wireless updates, an about section for the communicator’s ID, user guide. And finally: location.

Once he’d tapped on the location section, he scanned the information on the page. Map settings and GPS. There: display location for all to see. Shadow flicked the tab off. He just hoped he was fast enough. And that the fox didn’t have some master override.

He probably did.

Sonic turned back onto his side. The hedgehog was restless. Shadow placed a hand on Sonic’s side, where blue fur met peach. Even as he did it, he wasn’t sure why. He supposed he just wanted to try and ease the hedgehog. That crease had grown deeper in his brow. Sonic’s breaths were coming out in agitated puffs. Another whine left him, muffled his time by his hand where it was curled over his nose. Must have been some nightmare. And nothing Shadow tried made a difference. Running a hand through his quills, patting the fur between his ears, flattening the fur along his side. He even tried waking him again. Nothing worked.

So Shadow just sat there, watching Sonic with a frown. Black ears picked up every panicked breath, every huff, every whine. His tossing and turning seemed to be growing in frequency. Shadow found it deeply upsetting. It hit him in his core, in that same way that first scream echoing through the apartment had. He wondered again what Sonic was seeing. But maybe he didn’t want to know.

About twenty-five minutes passed before Shadow started to hear footsteps. Irritation flooded Shadow’s veins. He stood from where he was sat beside Sonic, turning to meet the approaching mobians. Knuckles appeared first, Rouge at his side. Miles was lagging behind somewhat, looking miserable. Shadow met his blue eyes. His ears were low.

“Sorry, Shadow,” the fox said quietly. “I didn’t want to. Knuckles took my communicator.”

True to his word, Shadow could see the little wrist device in the echidna’s hand. Miles must have had an override if Knuckles had needed it. Which also meant that perhaps Shadow had been fast enough. Even if he’d only been bought that time by the two mobians fighting over Miles’ communicator. The echidna tried to slip around him but Shadow stepped in his path with a growl. Knuckles returned it.

“Are you with Knuckles?” Shadow asked, still looking at Miles. “Or your brother?”

“Sonic,” Miles whispered. “He wanted to be alone. You were right; we shouldn’t be here.”

“Then why are you?”

Miles flinched. He lowered his gaze. For a moment he just shifted in place, looking sideways at Knuckles. Poor fox looked guilty and tired. It made it hard to be mad at the fox.

“I was trying to stop Knuckles,” Miles said.

Shadow turned his sights on Rouge. She was frowning, arms folded. He could see the nervous flutter in her wings. Shadow could tell she didn’t want to be here. But the point still stood that she was. If Rouge had been trying to stop Knuckles as well, they would have at least been able to stall him for a few moments, surely? So he already guessed her answer before she’d said it.

“And what about you?” he asked.

“We need to talk about this,” Rouge said, concern evident in her voice. “We can help, if Sonic would just explain.”

“He doesn’t have to explain,” Miles said with a sigh.

It sounded like he’d been trying to tell them that the entire way here. He sounded exasperated. Shadow was grateful to the fox for trying. But there wasn’t much he could do against Knuckles. But of all the mobians Shadow knew, Miles would be the one to be on his brother’s side. It was interesting, however, that the fox didn’t even want an explanation from the shifty hedgehog. Was he not at all interested in what was happening?

Or did he simply respect his brother’s privacy? Shadow was leaning more towards the latter. And that’s what bothered Shadow the most about the other two ignoring the fox. Miles had known Sonic the longest, knew him the best. If he was telling them to leave Sonic alone, why wouldn’t they? By now, the fox had clearly marked down Sonic’s mannerisms. He knew not to push the hedgehog.

No one was heeding the fox.

“Why’s Sonic on the ground?” Knuckles asked, a suspicious edge to the question.

Shadow felt his quills bristle at the insinuation that he’d done something. Sure, he hadn’t always liked the hedgehog. But Shadow didn’t think that was the case anymore... Even if he did still hate him, why would Shadow purposefully attack Sonic while he was vulnerable? Knuckles clearly had it out for him, for whatever reason. Shadow would never hurt Sonic while he was defenceless. He wasn’t a monster, for Chaos sake.

“I didn’t do anything,” Shadow bit out. “He was asleep when I found him.”

Miles approached hesitantly. He paused in front of Shadow, wide, innocent blue eyes staring up at him, so much like Maria’s. And he stepped aside for the fox. Knuckles huffed but didn’t make to move forwards again. Miles was worried about his brother; who was Shadow to stop him? He did watch the fox out the corner of his eye though. Miles ran through the same quick vital sign check that Shadow had. Then he took up his spot beside Sonic, curling his fingers around the hedgehog’s hand.

“Why would he go to sleep right now?” Knuckles snapped back. “He was so set on trying to fix his vague problem.”

“I don’t know,” Shadow said.

Miles shifted behind him. Shadow turned his attention back to the brothers. The fox had one hand over Sonic’s palm, the other lightly stroked the back of his hand.

“How do you know he isn’t?” Miles askes softly.

All of them had their attention on the fox now. He didn’t say it like he knew anything in particular. But there was something trusting in the fox’s voice. Miles believed the hedgehog was somehow doing exactly what he’d said he would. Shadow was inclined to believe that was the case if Miles did. But he still wasn’t sure how.

“Tails…” Knuckles muttered.

“Sonic’s not stupid,” Miles suddenly snapped. “He might do things we don’t understand, but he’s not dumb. Yeah, he likes keeping to himself. And that’s fine; he shouldn’t have to tell us everything. I trust that he’s doing something.”

“Tails, honey, he’s unconscious,” Rouge said carefully. “No one’s saying he’s stupid. But I don’t see how he’d be able to fix anything while asleep.”

Miles was quiet for a moment. A contemplative look crossed his face. He stared at his brother, as though he was trying to figure out a complex problem that had stumped him for years. Maybe Sonic really was a complex problem. One that possibly had no answer, no solution. Just something to puzzle over foolishly until your drove yourself mad. A trick question, almost.

He certainly was starting to feel like one.

“He used to do this a lot,” the fox whispered.

“Tails?”

“Sometimes, if something was bothering him when we were younger, he’d just… go to sleep,” Miles said. “I couldn’t always figure out what had upset him. We’d be out there, looking for Eggman, just the two of us. And his mood would just take a nosedive. Sometimes he’d talk to himself. He thought I didn’t notice. I could never make out anything that made sense. But his fix always seemed to be going to sleep. He wouldn’t always wake up completely fine but he’d… be better somehow.”

All three of them listened respectively to the fox as he spoke. He was quiet, morose. Sharing something he’d kept with him for so long. Like it was some sacred secret that should never have been said out loud. It didn’t sound immediately significant, but Shadow filed it away to think on later. It must have meant something.

In any case, it was an insight into Sonic’s mind. A minor one, but one nonetheless. It was an interesting quirk for sure. Shadow wondered where he’d picked it up from.

“If Sonic thinks he can fix something like this, I’ll trust him,” the fox whispered.

“Tails,” Knuckles groaned. “Whatever coping mechanism Sonic had as a kid doesn’t mean anything. He made his situation sound time-sensitive. You don’t just fix a problem by going to sleep.”

“But Sonic did,” the fox insisted. “You weren’t there. He doesn’t do it so much anymore, but he really would feel better.”

“Tails.”

Sonic chose that moment to let out a particularly sorrowful whimper. He’d been sort of quiet for a few minutes. But this sound was much louder than the rest. They all jumped. Sonic’s breathing had picked up. Incomprehensible muttering filled the air. He curled in on himself, trembling.

“Certainly sounds like he’ll be better,” Knuckles huffed.

Then suddenly, Sonic fell still. Alarmingly still. He unfurled, sitting up with his head lowered. Miles called his name but for a full five seconds the hedgehog didn’t even stir. Eventually though, his head rose, eyes snapping open. Miles leaned away from him. Shadow had seen what he had. Sonic’s eyes were pinpricks. The green of his iris was swallowed up by a violent red, the colour bleeding out, like blood vessels breaking along the whites of his eyes in a spiral pattern.

Before Miles could get any further away from him, his hand shot out, curling around the fox’s throat. Shadow tensed, Rouge crying out in alarm behind him. Knuckles started forward but Shadow held him back with an arm. The echidna was saying something angrily, but Shadow didn’t want anyone else near the hedgehog. Something was seriously wrong here. Sonic would never hurt Miles.

Sonic’s quills swept up, a dirty gold consuming his fur until not a single blue hair was left. He stood, dragging Miles along with him. A grin split open his muzzle. Something malicious. Impossibly, it was Sonic’s Super form standing before them. But it wasn’t. It was far more twisted than that. The gold of his fur didn’t look quite right, his eyes were downright crazed. And that energy radiating off him… it felt like that red energy.

Sonic didn’t look friendly anymore.

It wasn’t the form Miles had described, with the black fur and white eyes. The one that had supposedly started this mess. This was something else; a warped version of his Super form. And Shadow couldn’t figure out it was even possible.

That hastily scribbled out note returned to Shadow. That one name that had stumped him. The one that not even Miles could give him an answer for. It wasn’t the designated name for that black-furred form Shadow had yet to see. No.

Could this be what Sonic was referring to in the note?

Could this be Fleetway?

Slowly, Sonic’s head turned to stare at Miles. The fox was clawing at the hand around his neck, his eyes screwed shut. Sonic didn’t even flinch, even as scratches started to appear on his forearm. He tilted his head to the side, almost curiously. Observing. Every movement was slow and stiff, almost robotic. That horrid smile was still there.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had so many toys to play with.”

But his voice was the worst part. It set Shadow on edge, made his teeth hurt. It was like a tickling down his spine. Sing-songy but distorted beyond belief. The pitch warbled and wavered, fluctuating all over the place, like he couldn’t control it. The tone felt wrong, almost… childish. But it didn’t sound anything like Sonic. He wasn’t so easily shaken, but it triggered some sort of primal fear in Shadow.

“I’m so happy I get the chance to play with you first,” Sonic purred at Miles.

And then the fox was sent straight into the side of a redwood. Miles yelped. Shadow heard the sickening snap of bone. He snarled, gathering energy in his hand to form a Chaos Spear and aiming it at the hedgehog.

Sonic had completely lost it.

“You bastard!” Shadow snapped.

But Sonic had closed the distance between them before he could fire off the spear. Seeing his eyes up close made Shadow feel sick. But the smile was definitely worse. A hand pressed against his chest, swirling eyes lighting up in delight a split second before Shadow found himself being forced backwards with an immensely powerful shove. He collided with someone else. Judging by the shriek, it was Rouge. Shadow tumbled over her, feeling warmth splash his quills.

He'd cut her. He’d cut Rouge. His quills had been stiffened and he’d cut her. All he could think was where? Where was she hurt? Was she ok? Did it feel worse than it was? Or had he caused much, much more damage?

Shadow tried to stop his momentum, to catch himself against the ground. He didn’t manage to get much traction before he slammed into a tree, the air being forced from his body in a rush. Shadow coughed, already raising his head to check on Rouge. She was lying a little further away, blood smeared across her face and chest. Shadow felt cold. Rouge struggled to her knees, pressing a hand to her cheek.

“I-I-I’m fine!” she called. “Help Knuckles, I’ll g-get Tails!”

Rouge stretched out her wings, taking to the air. Shadow had to put her out of his mind for now. She was right, he had to help the echidna. Shadow swung his head around, trying to locate Sonic and Knuckles. He couldn’t find them anywhere. They’d both just vanished.

Then something red fell from above, knocking Rouge out of the sky along with it. Both Rouge and Knuckles crashed to the ground in a heap. Shadow saw blood spray the ground beneath them, but he couldn’t be sure whose it was.

“No!” he yelled, scrambling to his feet.

A hand closed around his top quills, keeping him in place. Shadow couldn’t turn his head. He reached back blindly, attempting to pry the fingers away from his scalp. He had to make sure the others were ok. He had to stop Sonic. But those fingers didn’t budge. The grip was so strong; Shadow could feel pressure building along the base of his quills, like some might come loose any moment.

“Normal people break so easily,” that awful voice sang in his ear.

The bastard sounded bored.

“But you won’t, will you, Ultimate Lifeform?”

Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty-Three

Notes:

Hey all you looooovely people!

Ok, so… this update is waaaaaay overdue. Sorry about that guys! I was genuinely trying to get an update out yesterday but I was whacked over the head with a really bad cold. Like floaty-head kind of cold. I’m ok now, I think. Still sick but no longer mush-brained at least. I’m telling you, hot water and honey is GOLD. Especially when it tastes like gingerbread.

Aaaaaaanyway… Getting side-tracked. New update, finally! Sound the alarms, this story lives! Ha ha. And, you’ll be happy to know, the next chapter is half-complete already too. So hopefully that won’t be too far behind. If not, I’ve got a backlog of like eight other updates for other stories still saved up. But no, we will hope for more These Inhibitors’ Flaws updates. Wow, try saying that five times fast. Am I still a little loopy from being ill? You betcha! You’re just gonna have to deal with it. Sorry, not sorry. But… I mean, kinda sorry.

Follow me of Tumblr for updates and sneak peeks and terrible (and sometimes minor spoily, oop) doodles: https://www.tumblr.com/fortuneshyspirit?source=share

Hope you enjoy the long-awaited chapter! Please let me know what you think and I’ll see you in the next update! (I might try and get something else out a little sooner to make up for the long update gap).

Shadow was battered and bruised. He couldn’t feel the right side of his face; it had gone numb about five minutes ago. At least, he thought it had been five minutes ago. It was hard to tell anymore.

He had manged to land a few blows on Sonic himself. A well-placed Chaos Spear had caught Sonic on the collar bone. Weirdly enough, it actually managed to leave a bloodied mark. Shadow wasn’t sure if it was because the Super form had been triggered without the aid of the Emeralds, or if it was something else entirely. But a regular Chaos Spear had hurt him.

Well… it had drawn blood. Whether or not it had actually hurt was another question. It had certainly pissed Sonic off though.

Except, calling this monster Sonic felt so wrong. Nothing about the hedgehog that currently had his foot on Shadow’s skull was Sonic. Sonic wouldn’t have hurt his own brother. Sonic wouldn’t have thrown Shadow and Knuckles into Rouge. Sonic wouldn’t be laughing right now as Shadow scrabbled to get out from under him. He wouldn’t be playing with him like a cat. Because, assuredly, that’s what he was doing. Honestly, the hedgehog could have probably killed him already. Or at least seriously maimed him. Incapacitated him at the least. This was not Sonic.

This was what Sonic had been afraid of. This is why he’d left.

“In case I fail.”

Chaos, they really should have listened to him. But what happened? That’s what Shadow still couldn’t understand. One moment, Sonic had been tossing and turning, trapped in some disturbed sleep. Whimpering and muttering things, lost in his own warped dreamland. The next he was wide awake, triggering a fucked up mirror version of his Super form that exuded psychopathy. But how? What happened?

Shadow supposed Sonic had failed. Whatever that meant.

“Come on,” the hedgehog complained. “I thought you were supposed to be stronger than this. You’re no fun. Maybe I’ll go see if the fox is still back there.”

Shadow dug his claws into the earth.

“Leave him… alone,” Shadow spat.

“You know, there’s a special kind of thrill in hurting Miles,” the hedgehog said.

Miles. Miles, not Tails. Sonic hardly ever called the fox Miles. Shadow wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Sonic call him Miles. And that just solidified how this wasn’t Sonic somehow. It was like someone else had jumped into his body, taken over. Hadn’t Sonic said some things that had validated that thought? Shadow dug through his memory. He was feeling a little woozy at the moment from being knocked around, but he could still think coherently. Mostly.

Sonic had said the red energy was unstable. But he’d just said the word by itself. Shadow had asked if he meant his energy. But Sonic had said his. Not mine, his, as though he was talking about someone else. And then there was the note. Sonic referred to this “Fleetway” as though he was another person entirely.

‘If Fleetway gets what he wants, everyone dies.’

Hadn’t he also told them that he hadn’t been the one to trigger the red energy back at the apartment? But if that was the case, then who? Who had formed the red energy in his palms? Who had been doing that against the will of Sonic himself?

Fleetway. This strange, mysterious Fleetway character.

And that had to be who this was.

Fleetway sighed, bringing Shadow back from the depths of his thoughts. It was a pleased sort of sigh, excited almost. It made Shadow feel ill. Whatever this monster was excited by was definitely all kinds of fucked up. Shadow almost didn’t want to know what was on the bastard’s mind. He tried to wriggle free again but Fleetway wasn’t letting up.

“There’s something forbidden about Miles,” Fleetway said wistfully. “Off-limits. That makes him so much more fun to rip apart.”

Shadow met his crazed gaze. He couldn’t stop the widening of his eyes, betraying his horror. Fleetway sent him a twisted grin so unlike Sonic’s it hurt. Shadow wanted that look of the hero’s face; it didn’t suit him. That smile tainted the last remnants of Sonic in Fleetway’s borrowed façade.

“I can’t wait to see the look on Sonic’s face when his precious little fox is dead.”

Fleetway took off with a cackle. Shadow gasped, forcing himself to his feet. He fumbled with the Emerald in his quills and quickly searched for Miles’ weaker Signature. He reappeared in front of the fox, who was crouched on the ground with his arm held close to his body. Seconds later Fleetway grabbed a hold of Shadow’s shoulders and shoved him against the tree. The redwood was so thick, but Shadow felt bits of bark come loose under the force of the impact. His spine tingled. And he might have been tasting metal.

Miles was already scrambling to his feet and running. Shadow just hopped he’d keep going and not look back. But he could already see the fox stopping to shake Knuckles and Rouge, who still hadn’t risen from their pile. Damn it, he had to keep moving. He was in serious danger.

But what Fleetway said had confirmed it. He was not Sonic. Which meant that Sonic was… where? Stuck inside his own body somewhere? Was he conscious of what was happening?

Who or what was Fleetway?

Shadow just had so many more questions now. Why was Sonic such a mystery? Had anyone known about this beast inside of the hero? Where had it come from? Why had Sonic kept it from them? Was Sonic… also afraid of this thing? Did he even know what it was? Is… Was it possible that Sonic was just as in the dark as the rest of them on what Fleetway was?

“Get the fuck out of my way, you boring bitch!” Fleetway screeched.

The faded-golden hedgehog swore a lot when he was pissed off. It reminded Shadow of that time Sonic had snapped at him when he’d first brought him to the apartment. But he wasn’t nearly as bad as Fleetway was now. Claws bit into Shadow’s shoulders, the bark dug into his back. Those swirling eyes were narrowed into slits. Fleetway’s teeth were bared in a sneer, flecked with blood. His own blood. In his fury, he seemed to forget all about Miles. Good. Shadow would try all he could to keep it that way for as long as possible.

He kneed Fleetway in the stomach. The golden hedgehog just threw him to the side like he was weightless. Shadow tucked in his shoulder so that he rolled as he hit the floor. Then he sprang back to his feet. His head swam for a moment but he shook it off. Shadow stood no chance against a Super form without the Emeralds; as it stood, he only had one. The best he could hope for was to distract Fleetway.

For how long and what purpose though? Was there a point? Was Sonic fighting for control? Would Fleetway eventually run out of steam like any other Super form? Shadow had no clue. He just had to buy as much time as he could for the others to get away. And just… hope. He could figure out the rest later.

If he was still alive later.

Red energy flickered to life around Fleetway. The hedgehog brought his hand up and Shadow watched the energy singe the fabric of his glove, tear at the cuffs. If that’s what it did to Sonic’s gloves, what would it do if it touched him? Shadow didn’t want to find out. When Fleetway flung the energy at him like a warped Chaos Lance, Shadow dove to the side. It carved a hole straight through the redwood that had been behind him. Directly through. And the trees here were thick; that really didn’t bode well for him. One hit from one of those and Shadow’s insides might be reduced to soup.

Shadow took off in the opposite direction of the others. Thankfully, Fleetway still seemed intent on hurting Shadow again; Miles had been completely forgotten. He flipped so quickly from who he wanted to focus on. It meant distracting him was easy at least.

Scatterbrained. Not unlike Sonic sometimes. How could this monster be so much like the blue hedgehog while also being so unbelievably different at the same time? Who was he? Shadow wanted to know so bad.

Fleetway was faster than him. The dirty gold hedgehog crashed into Shadow, taking him to the ground. Shadow found himself with claws in his back. He hissed, trying to shake Fleetway off. A crackling growl erupted in the hedgehog’s throat above him. Unnatural and bone-chilling. The claws dug in deeper, trying to pin him in place. Were Sonic’s claws always this sharp? Shadow had been lucky not to lose an eye the other day.

Shadow had to take of his inhibitors. It was the only chance he had to get some real damage in. But he couldn’t reach them right now. His chest was pressed too firmly against the uneven ground. He’d have to try once he was free again. Most likely Fleetway would remember Miles again soon. Then he’d have his chance.

Chaos, Fleetway was strong.

Rolling to the side, Shadow actually managed to throw Fleetway off for a moment. When the hedgehog recovered to come back at him, Shadow summoned a Chaos Spear and struck out. He shoved the Spear directly into Fleetway’s cheek. The force of it actually threw the golden hedgehog back a few paces. So Shadow scrambled to his feet, immediately reaching to twist off his inhibitors. He didn’t get far. Fleetway was on him again two seconds later, hissing in fury. Blood dripped down the hedgehog’s muzzle and he didn’t even attempt to wipe it away. Cringing, Shadow felt it splatter across his own face, against his temple and nose and down his chin. He made sure to keep his mouth shut and tried not to think about how that was Sonic’s blood on his face.

Fleetway wrapped a hand around Shadow’s wrist, using his other hand to push Shadow’s face against the dirt. Even with one hand free, the dark hedgehog couldn’t do much. He tried another Chaos Spear. Fleetway kicked out his leg, knocking Shadow’s hand and sending the Spear of energy over the golden hedgehog’s shoulder instead. Shadow cursed.

“Now you’re putting up a little more fight,” Fleetway purred. “See, it’s not that hard.”

Shadow tried to roll. But the other would not be fooled by that again.

“You put up more of fight than Sonic at least,” the gold hedgehog said with a derisive snort.

Shadow stilled momentarily. Was that what he’d been doing? Fighting this psychotic prick? Was Sonic ok? The idea of the blue hedgehog being hurt in any way made Shadow feel violently ill. And very, very angry. With a scream of rage, Shadow managed to kick Fleetway off him. Then he rolled away and rose to his feet. He wasted not a single second this time, yanking off his inhibitors in an action strangely reminiscent of the younger hedgehog.

The shift in his energy was immediate. Familiar. He allowed the energy to enfold him, making him glow a soft, shimmery red. A less saturated but still brighter red than Fleetway’s. It felt warm against his skin, but not acid-hot like the other’s seemed to be. This was pure positive energy. How Sonic’s liquid-gold energy usually felt. Shadow let all the Chaos go in one massive burst, directed at the dirty gold hedgehog.

“CHAOS BLAST!”

---

Rouge was coming around. Knuckles breathed a sigh of relief. She was a strong woman. Whether she had a concussion or not was still unclear though. The echidna was more concerned about her wing, which had ripped ever so slightly where his knuckle had caught her when they collided. And her face and arms were cut up and bloody. Overall, she was looking a lot worse for wear. But she was breathing pretty steadily and her eyes were starting to flutter open. Good signs, all things considered.

At his side, Tails was crouched, namesakes fluffed up and flicking aimlessly. He was cradling his arm to his chest. It looked like a fucked up staircase. Knuckles tried not to stare at it. The fox had roused him a few minutes earlier. Knuckles was just glad to know the kid was alive with how Sonic had flung him aside like that. How could he do that to Tails? The only explanation Knuckles could find was that the hedgehog had snapped or something. He would never, under any circumstance, hurt Tails. Not ever.

The hero was no longer in there.

And Knuckles wasn’t sure what to feel.

Had the inhibitors really been ineffective? But this warped Super form only came about after the rings were off.

But at the same time… there was that red energy. Sonic had definitely used it before Knuckles had caved and removed the inhibitors. And it seemed to be the one he was using now. The echidna had never seen Sonic use that colour Chaos before. Only ever yellow in his Super form and that purple-blue one with that black-furred form. Somehow, this new one with the crazed eyes was worse than the one Knuckles had previously feared. Because at least while using the black-furred form, Sonic had never intentionally aimed for them during his manic boughts of violence. Any injuries they’d sustained were simply a product of his destructive nature. That didn’t make it ok but Sonic’s new form was definitely worse. It didn’t even feel like Sonic was in there. It was so bizarre.

Was Sonic always capable of this? Was he truly capable of hurting them on purpose? Knuckles didn’t want to believe it. There had to be something else going on here. There just had to be. Knuckles just couldn’t come up with an explanation that made any logical sense.

Sonic claimed this energy was broken. That was the word he’d used. Had it fucked with his mind? Somehow warped his perception or something? Chaos was inherently linked to emotion. Depending on what you were feeling, it affected how the energy could be used. Knuckles supposed, in theory, it was entirely possible for the inverse to happen; for the energy to influence emotion instead. Was that what was happening?

He shook his head. Something to think about later. For now, he had to get Rouge and Tails out of here. Sonic could come back at any moment. Tails said Shadow was trying to fight him. By the sounds of it, it wasn’t going particularly well. It was awful to say, but at least the dark hedgehog was buying them enough time to get away. Hopefully Shadow could escape himself and they could reconvene somewhere else to figure out what to do. Knuckles wasn’t the biggest fan of the dark hedgehog. But even he didn’t want to see the jerk killed.

The Chaos Emeralds. That was Knuckles’ first thought. But they didn’t have the time to find them. Shadow presumably had one – he always did – and there were two back in the Tornado. But that still left four completely unaccounted for. Sonic would doubtlessly be on top of them before they’d even managed to track down a single Emerald.

How long would this form last? The Emeralds had a limited timeframe before they powered down. But this odd Super form apparently did not require the Chaos Emeralds to be triggered.

Just like that soulless-eyed, black-furred form.

Was this just an extreme version of the same form? Knuckles still had no idea how it was possible for a Super form to be achieved without the use of the Chaos Emeralds. But that was Sonic, right? Always doing the impossible, effortlessly. Like it was nothing. What was it that made the hedgehog so special? Because he definitely was. Knuckles had always known something was different about him. But to have learned so much that legitimately set Sonic apart in the past few years, especially in the last month? Less than that, really. It set into perspective how unique Sonic truly was.

He was able to achieve a Super form without a single Emerald. He could, allegedly, use positive and negative Chaos. And on top of that, his Chaos was also broken? What was going on with that hedgehog…?

“Come on, Rouge,” Knuckles said. “We have to leave.”

“Where’s Sonic…?” Rouge asked, clearly spaced but at least awake.

“With Shadow. We need to go before they come back.”

Knuckles pulled the bat to her feet. Tails wasn’t much help with his arm but the fox tried, grabbing Rouge by her other wrist. Knuckles had to ignore the throbbing in his neck, back, and down his legs. He was pretty sure he’d sprained something. He’d definitely escaped the least scathed out of the four of them though.

Sonic had picked him up by his ankle and dragged him into the air. Then he just… let go. Knuckles was rocketed into the boughs of the trees so fast. He hadn’t even had time to register the fact that Sonic was in front of him before he felt all his forward momentum ricochet off Sonic’s fist, his head snapping forward as his body was instead forced downward. Right into Rouge.

Still, he was lucky he could walk at all.

Tails jumped terribly at the booming crack not too far off from where they were standing. Knuckles turned in time to catch the fading red glow through the trees. Still quite far off but close enough to be concerning. Knuckles hoped to Chaos that was Shadow. The acrid tang of char and blood drifted to them on the breeze. Hopefully the smoke wasn’t indicative of genuine fire and only energy-burnt wood or this whole forest would be ablaze in minutes. It was hard to tell from here. Knuckles ushered the others onwards, opposite the blast site.

At least they knew which area to avoid.

There was a distant screech. Somewhere between pain and pure wrath. Sonic. Knuckles shivered. If he was still conscious after a blast like that they were all screwed. It had looked big, bigger than Shadow’s usual Chaos Blast. Which had initially worried the echidna. But knowing Sonic had been hurt at least meant Shadow had managed to get a hit in.

But that also meant Sonic… had been hurt. Something inside Knuckles, despite the current situation, writhed with concern for the hedgehog.

Chaos, this was all his fault. He’d pushed Sonic too far. And now the blue hedgehog had completely lost his mind. If they all made it out of this, if they somehow managed to bring Sonic back from the brink, Knuckles promised himself he’d stop pushing the inhibitors. Maybe Shadow was right. Maybe Knuckles should have tried to reach Sonic better, to help him figure out his Chaos Energy. He shouldn’t have caved so easily when the blue hedgehog refused his help. But Sonic was a tough mobian to deal with sometimes. The echidna just thought the inhibitors would be easier. Easier than trying to break though Sonic’s titanium walls.

All they’d done was make those walls higher, thicker. Knuckles worried Sonic might never let him in again after this. He did deserve it. But Tails did not. Knuckles wasn’t quite sure how long Sonic usually held grudges. The hedgehog certainly didn’t hold one for long when they first met. But there was no telling with Sonic. He was rather unpredictable at the best of times.

Knuckles had to half carry Rouge as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Tails stumbled on the other side of her, trying to keep her awake. They hadn’t had enough time to determine if she had a concussion, but Tails was very hesitant to let her fall asleep, just in case. Every now and then, Knuckles would send a glance over his shoulder, checking for a glint of gold through the trees. He was endlessly paranoid about Sonic charging after them from around a redwood. Knuckles couldn’t let Rouge and Tails come to any more harm than they already had. Though he wasn’t sure what he’d do exactly if Sonic managed to break away from Shadow or, Chaos forbid, killed the dark hedgehog.

They attempted to stay on a fairly straight path, which was difficult with how thick the trees were. Every time they had to swerve around a particularly large redwood, Knuckles tried to overcorrect to keep going the right way. He didn’t care where they ended up at this point, screw the Tornado, he just wanted to get out of the forest. They’d have to locate the biplane later. Getting in the air with a rogue Super-powered hedgehog didn’t seem like the best idea anyway.

It was when the trees were starting to finally thin out a little that Knuckles heard it. He slowed to a stop, passing off a half-limp Rouge to Tails. The fox struggled to keep her upright. But that was the least of his concerns. Knuckles growled, moving to stand in front of the fox and bat protectively. He knew that blasted hum and he was not in the mood to deal with the man behind it. Not right now. They had enough to deal with without having to add what ever nonsense the mad doctor had cooked up into the mix.

A familiar, round machine appeared from between the branches. The Egg Mobile. What could Eggman possibly want? Now that he thought about it… the doctor had been remarkably quiet since the incident at his base. Chaos, what exactly had he been planning?

Knuckles refused to believe Sonic had scared the doctor into a break last time; he always bounced back eventually. Eggman really knew how to pick the worst moments to spring an attack. Like right now.

The man appraised them. Doubtlessly, he noticed the blood, Tails’ arm. Hell, even Knuckles’ rumpled fur. The doctor did not laugh, did not mock. He didn’t even ask what happened. He just levelled his gaze with Knuckles’ – the clearly most coherent of the battered group – and frowned a grave serious frown. Still, the echidna was wary.

“We have a problem,” Eggman said. “One I’m sure you’re already well aware of.”

Knuckles narrowed his eyes. He didn’t lower his arms from where they were outstretched in front of the others. But he did loosen his stance somewhat. What was up with this day? Knuckles could feel a light pound beginning around his forehead. This was all so odd. The way he phrased it…

Eggman wasn’t here to fight, was he?

“Something’s wrong with Sonic,” the man stated bluntly.

He really wasn’t.

“… How do you know that?” Knuckles asked cautiously.

Notes:

Oh my, did I just end on two cliff-hangers? Yes. Yes I did. Suffer.

Chapter 25: Chapter Twenty-Four

Notes:

Hey all!

A slightly longer chapter today to make up for the long update gap. Trying to make sure my other stories don't get left behind makes updates slower. That, and I had issues with the second half of this chapter... And I maybe sorta got distracted by the plague that is I Live to Rule by the Sword at some point there, ha. So, apologies if the wait for certain updates takes a while at the moment. Unless I seriously get stuck with a story, I don't think it's fair to let it fall to the wayside for too long. I love all my stories, just sometimes the brain do weird things, you know?

There's been some new (not so new) fanart for this story recently by @selendred on Tumblr too! Chaos, really, really sorry I think I forgot to shout you out last time? Ahhh, I feel really bad now, I can't remember when you made it, I'm so sorry! Everyone, please go check it out, it's SUPER cool (pun entirely intended): https://www.tumblr.com/selendred/783498344431583232/here-it-is-my-gift-for-fortuneshyspirit-s-holy

Follow me on Tumblr for update notices, sneak peeks, terrible art and other stuff (I also reblogged the fanart but it's been a while so it's not near the top anymore): https://www.tumblr.com/fortuneshyspirit?source=share

Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Please let me know what you think and I'll see you in the next update!

In that brief moment, Sonic was left completely open. Defenceless and distressed, it was Fleetway’s perfect moment to strike. So he did. Numb to everything but debilitating panic, Sonic only briefly registered the hand closing around his throat before his world went blank.

Sensation came back to him gradually. There was something coarse beneath him, that’s what reached his muddled mind first. Then a pervasive sickness that spread from between his ribs and out, through every cell in his body. Eyes still closed, Sonic groaned, rolling onto his side and clutching his chest. He sucked in slow breaths, hesitant to breathe out because it exasperated the nausea more. He felt like he might throw up any moment, but the feeling never culminated into anything.

When he tried to move again, a bolt of agony tore through him. A burning, corrosiveness danced across his skin like a raging wildfire. It dragged a harsh yelp from deep within him. As soon as it came upon him it was gone again. The aftershocks still wracked his body for a good while after. Sonic still hadn’t opened his eyes, felt like he couldn’t open them. Like they were glued shut or something. His eyelids just felt so very heavy. His whole body was heavy. A pain-filled paperweight and nothing more. Sonic wasn’t sure what was happening, only that it couldn’t be normal to feel this way. And while he was… wherever he was, Fleetway was somewhere else. Hurting his other forms.

Possibly…

Possibly hurting his friends.

Chaos, was he free? Was that what that horrible feeling in his chest had been? Was that why he was in pain now? Had Fleetway achieved what Dark had set out to do?

Was Super ok?

Shit, no. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t. This was really, really bad. Beyond bad. The worst thing that could have possibly happened. Exactly what he had feared. Everyone was going to get hurt because of him. Because he’d lost his cool. Because he’d panicked. Because that bastard had Super by the neck.

Sonic tried to take deep, shuddery breaths, paying no attention to the sweet but stale rot in the air. The cold horror wouldn’t be quelled. But he didn’t know all the facts yet. Yes, it was possible Fleetway was free. Yes, Super was most likely very, very hurt. Yes, his friends were probably in serious danger once Fleetway found them. But he couldn’t do shit lying here like a pathetic sack of sand. He had to get up. What good was he to anyone if he couldn’t even open his eyes?

So, despite his better judgement, Sonic forced his eyes open. It was hard, but eventually he manged to crack one slightly. He was greeted by a rusty-stained wooden wall.

Right. The shack. That made sense.

Sonic hadn’t been here that many times. But he’d seen the shack enough to know he was in Fleet’s domain. It wasn’t hard to distinguish if from the other domains, splattered and smeared with Fleetway’s signature: blood. Besides, it was the shack. Sonic shivered. He did not want to be on this floor any longer. He could feel the grime eating into his soul.

But even sitting up was a battle. Every tiny movement brought a fresh wave of agony. He still had only one eye half-open, but he could now see the crackle of red energy raking over his skin when he shifted. With each pass, a thousand knives carved up his flesh, deep into muscle and straight through to the bone. Sonic grit his teeth through the excruciating feeling. But he knew now for certain that Fleetway was free. Trying to ignore the fresh spike of panic, Sonic managed to push himself up onto his hands and knees. But that’s as far as he got. Sonic’s pain tolerance was pretty high; he could power through a decent amount but even he had his limits. And this… this was certainly pushing it.

Even now, his arms were trembling just trying to keep his upper body off the floor. With the currents of energy traveling up and down his arms, Sonic was having a hard time preventing his nose from being driven into the blood-caked floorboards. No need to add more blood to them; they were stained enough.

He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to do. Calling for the others would be pointless if they were still locked in combat with Fleetway. But he didn’t know how to reach them. Or how he’d gotten here to begin with.

Well, Fleetway, obviously. He hardly remembered it though.

Was it him, or did the redness on the floor here look more vibrant than all the rest? Fresher. And wasn’t there supposed to be a wall over there? It looked like there had been at some point. Only rubble remained now. And a fine layer of dust and debris on the floor. Also recent?

Sonic swallowed thickly. Might it have had something to do with Dark? Sonic had seen the healing remnants of his wound. It had looked really bad. It was the only thing that made sense. Otherwise, it could only have been Fleetway’s. Which wasn’t that out of the ordinary either, really. Most of the blood in here was Fleetway’s and Sonic’s anyway. Other than the stains that were there from the beginning. But Chaos, that was a lot of fresher blood on the floorboards…

‘Oh, Dark…’

Sonic scrunched his eyes closed at another wave of nausea. He should try to stand. It was a horrible idea but the only one he had. Perhaps he could find a way out or something. He didn’t really have much hope of that though. Sonic was fairly sure there was no way to just walk out of a domain. He’d never done it before. It certainly wasn’t as simple as finding the front door, that’s for sure. Wow he was really nauseous. After a moment, Sonic tried to get up. He didn’t get very far and ended up back on his side with gritted teeth and a hiss in the back of his throat.

Maybe he should just stay here for a moment. Try and come up with a plan from here before acting on it. Maybe reaching out to Hyper would be a better idea; at least then they could think of a plan together, even if Hyper was focused on Fleetway.

Through his eyelids, Sonic saw the room get brighter for just a moment. The light dissipated. He groaned. There were a few hesitant steps. Then a hand came to rest very gently on his arm.

Cold.

“Sonic? Can you hear me?”

He cracked open an eye again. Pale, glowing eyes stared back. For a moment, he couldn’t find the words. He just looked up at the black-furred hedgehog kneeling beside him, dumbfounded and numb. But somehow, less panicked than before.

“I knew it should have been Hyper here…” Dark said with a sigh.

“D-D-Dark?”

Sonic reached out to grab the colder hedgehog’s hand. It made him shiver. But Dark’s touch wasn’t nearly as bad as the red energy crackling up his arm at the movement. Sonic scrunched his eyes closed again, just barely fighting off a whine. He felt the hand on his arm flinch away from him. He longed for it to come back. Dark used to be so gentle; how could he have not noticed the change in his demeanour sooner? This. This was more like the Dark he knew. His mannerisms before were so Fleetway-coded and jarring. Sonic had just thought the isolation had driven him to the same path as the insane hedgehog.

Could that have been Dark’s way of distancing himself from the acts he was committing? Sonic cursed himself for not seeing it before.

“I f-feel sick,” he groaned.

He meant to say more. So much more. But his mind was foggy and words were difficult. Dark grabbed his hand and helped him into a sitting position. He hissed through his teeth at the jolt of pain but was otherwise relieved to not be on his side anymore; halfway there. Dark sat beside him to help support his body. His touch was hesitant each time like he was afraid to make contact with him. Sonic was worried it wasn’t just Fleetway’s energy that was deterring the dark hedgehog. He leaned heavily on Dark. The other froze for a beat. With the burning along his skin, Sonic needed the chill of darker hedgehog. He didn’t move away from him this time but Sonic could feel how tense his muscles were under matted fur.

“We need to get you back to Super’s domain.”

“How is he?” Sonic asked his voice quieter than he’d like.

“Not ok,” Dark admitted. “But he’ll be fine. Don’t worry about him right now.”

Sonic couldn’t help but worry. He’d worry until he saw the golden hedgehog with his own eyes. But for now, he had no choice but to trust Dark’s word. He didn’t make a habit of lying too often. Sonic didn’t think he’d lie about this. At least, he wouldn’t normally. Sonic wasn’t fully sure if that was the case anymore, it had been so long. He didn’t have the energy to think on it for long.

He had more to ask. Though he wasn’t sure he wanted the answers. Sonic hesitated.

“And… Fleet?”

Dark was quiet for a moment. Sonic absently chewed his bottom lip. He wasn’t quite sure how worried he should be with Dark’s silence.

“Distracted.”

Sonic grimaced. That confirmed that Fleetway did have control, not that he needed that confirmation. But what did Dark mean by…?

Then it hit him. Fleetway wasn’t great at dividing his focus. Dark had him beat with that for sure. He had enough discipline to carry out two different tasks at once; keeping control and interacting with Sonic seamlessly at the same time. Fleetway was incapable of that. Which meant they might have a chance at stopping him. The only problem was… how long had he had control?

And what had he done in that time?

He tried not to think about that; there was nothing they could do until they had wrested control back from Fleetway. The insane hedgehog could not be sealed until Sonic had dominion over his own body again and taking it back would not be easy. But it was going to be much harder if Sonic couldn’t even stand by himself. He would only be a liability. His forms were counting on him to be ready when Fleetway’s control slipped. He had to be ready to seal him away. Sonic shook his head, feeling the static scatter along his quills. He used Dark’s shoulder for balance and forced himself to his feet.

Sonic had braced himself for the pain. Still, it elicited a hiss from him and his legs buckled. But instead of relying on Dark, Sonic stumbled his way to the wall for support. He tried to ignore the almost spongey texture of the coagulated blood under his gloves. They were definitely ruined. Good thing they weren’t real. Out the corner of his eye, Sonic saw Dark hop to his feet, hands half-extended out to him. His quills were stiff, ears forward. Sonic tried to keep the smile at bay. Same Dark, different setting.

“Then let’s t-take advantage of that,” Sonic said, sending Dark a lopsided smirk.

Dark’s face remained blank.

---

“Please,” Eggman scoffed. “You think I don’t have ways of tracking Chaos Energy throughout Mobius? I picked up a spike of energy in the area. Frankly, a worryingly familiar spike.”

Eggman was just vague enough that Knuckles doubted it was just a spike in energy that had tipped Eggman off. With how fast he was down here, it seemed his system was a little more… precise than that. That’s what was immediately more alarming than the man’s presence alone. That fact that he’d known. He said familiar. Figures the man would have his enemy’s Signature memorised. Was Eggman actively tracking Sonic? That didn’t seem very comforting.

“Sonic’s energy,” Knuckles said.

“More than that,” Eggman said. “A specific energy. A Super form gone off the rails, perhaps?”

Knuckles froze. To know Sonic had gone Super was one thing – that would account for a spike in energy, Knuckles supposed. But to be able to determine that something was off with the Super form without even being around to see it brought up some worrying implications.

It was the energy. That weird red energy Sonic had been bizarrely afraid of. How did Eggman know of it? It rubbed Knuckles the wrong way. Something about all of this felt somehow wrong. Too suspicious. It made Knuckles suspect that Eggman was aware of this red energy. Before all of them. How could that be? Surely Sonic wouldn’t have told him. Which only meant Eggman must have witnessed it firsthand, had experience with it. But what exactly did that mean?

“Wait, are you saying Sonic’s done this before?” Rouge asked, still a little out of it.

The man looked her over for a second before responding. It wasn’t hard to see the blood; it stood out against her normally pristine fur like dirt on snow. It was difficult to tell exactly what Eggman was thinking behind his glasses, but Knuckles could just about see his eyes narrow from this distance. Calculating. Eggman was always calculating. It was just whether or not that calculation would be used against them or for their benefit.

If Eggman was truly aware of this form, then he must know how bad it was. He must know attacking them at this moment wouldn’t be worth it. Knuckles tried to find solace in that. Still, he did not trust this man. Knuckles had been tricked by deceiving words once before; he would not allow it to happen again. Not now, not ever.

He’d keep his eye on Eggman. Just in case.

“Once,” Eggman responded. “That I’m aware of, at least.”

“What happened?” Tails asked, voice very, very small.

Again, Knuckles could tell the man was watching the fox. Eggman could see the way he was holding his arm, see the way it was lying wrong. With a man of his intellect, he assuredly knew it was broken. All three of them were sitting ducks at Eggman’s mercy. Caught between Sonic and Eggman right now… Knuckles still thought they’d at least have a chance against Eggman still. But what exactly did Eggman have to gain from being here right now? If it wasn’t to attack them, why was he here?

But what he said confirmed that he had seen Sonic in this state before. And Knuckles was curious himself; what could have brought Sonic to this point before? What had brought him to it now? Why was any of this happening and why didn’t Sonic just tell them what was wrong? What did Eggman know about this horrible form with the swirling eyes and ruffled fur? When had he encountered it and why didn’t any of them know it existed? Sonic had clearly wanted to keep it from them. It just frustrated Knuckles more that his enemy would know more about Sonic than his own friends did. But they had known each other for a long time, longer even than Tails.

Their relationship had always been… unusual to Knuckles. There didn’t seem to be clear lines between what they really were. The world saw two enemies fighting it out. From up close, Knuckles heard almost-friends banter on occasion, an odd familiarity. But what lay between them had always been amorphous.

“I think it’s better you don’t know,” Eggman said gravely.

Knuckles wanted to know. Eggman sounded disturbed. What had Sonic done that made Eggman feel so strongly about keeping it to himself? It must have been really bad for him not to share. And seeing how Sonic was now, maybe that wasn’t too surprising. The hedgehog was mentally gone. Not all there in the slightest. Knuckles just wanted to know how to help, how to break through that manic need for senseless destruction and bring the Sonic he knew back.

“But why are you here?” Knuckles growled. “Just to be as vague as Sonic always is? Chaos, you two are cut from the same cloth, aren’t you?”

Eggman stared at Knuckles for a moment. Then he pressed a button on his control panel. The bottom of the Egg Mobile opened up and a robotic hand emerged. In the clawed hand was a metal box, a cuboid shape with a numpad-based lock on the front. The arm dropped it in front of Knuckles, who edged back slightly in suspicion. He drew Tails back away from it when the fox tried to take a closer look. Rouge had sunk to the floor, leaning against a tree with her hand to her forehead.

Knuckles hoped she was doing ok.

“What’s that?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

Eggman simply scoffed. He gestured to the box impatiently.

“Open it and find out, echidna,” Eggman said. “Two three six nine one.”

Keeping Tails back, Knuckles approached the box cautiously. He stared at the red display for a moment before inputting the code Eggman had relayed. Each number he pushed let out a deep beep. Once all five numbers had been pressed, the box hissed, clicking open. With narrowed eyes, Knuckles recognised the energy leaking out before he’d even raised the lid. But he was just even more confused.

The box had seven compartments, but only four were filled. Obviously lined with some material to stop them interacting or able to be sensed from outside the box. Knuckles stared down at the colourful gems, dumbfounded. Blue, cyan, white, purple. The unaccounted for Chaos Emeralds. All four, just staring at him from within their separate little cubicles. Eggman must have been collecting them while they’d been distracted with the inhibitor situation.

And he was giving them up? Just like that? No fight, no struggle, no negotiation? Whatever plans he’d had for them up in smoke. And the man was just… ok with that?

How serious really was this?

Knuckles took out the blue Emerald, staring into its faceted depths. He heard Rouge gasp behind him upon seeing it. A blue almost as deep as his friend’s fur. There had to be a way to stop this and still bring him back. Knuckles refused to acknowledge any other outcome. He tightened his grip on the Chaos Emerald. These were their last chance. Their only hope. Shadow had the green. The yellow and red were in the Tornado. As long as they could get to the Tornado before Sonic, they’d have all seven. Shadow could use them. Then maybe he’d have a real chance at beating the hedgehog.

“Why are you helping us?” Knuckles asked.

“Believe it or not, echidna,” Eggman said. “I don’t particularly want to be eviscerated by a powerful hedgehog who’s lost his mind.”

“Eviscerated…?” Tails squeaked.

The man met Tails’ eye. When he spoke next, his tone was severe but oddly soft for Eggman. It made Knuckles frown. Nothing about the current situation was normal. But there was just something much more freaky about the way Eggman was acting.

“That thing isn’t your brother anymore,” Eggman told the fox. “It’s something else. Something… cruel and bloodthirsty. He cannot be reasoned with.”

Eggman didn’t think they stood a chance. After everything, he had no faith in their ability to fix this.

“So how do we stop him?” Knuckles asked.

“We don’t.”

Knuckles blinked. Then what was the point? His anger was slowly creeping up now, replacing his frustration. Did Eggman come here to give them false hope? To mock them? What the hell was his game?

“Then why come down here?” he snapped. “Why give us the Emeralds if you don’t think we can stop him?”

“Sonic should eventually come back to his senses,” Eggman explained. “He’s stubborn like that. But we need to keep him busy in the meantime.”

Eggman was calm. He was serious, worried even, but he was remaining so deathly calm in the face of this. He told them he didn’t want to be eviscerated. That was a very specific word to use. He knew something they didn’t. And yet, he was surprisingly calm. Like he already knew the outcome. The man was on the same level as Tails when it came to smarts, perhaps above only due to his age and experience. He could probably read a situation very well, take in what he knew and accounting for what he didn’t. If he was sure of the ending to all this, Knuckles was inclined to believe him.

But the man’s own stubbornness had led to his own defeat on numerous occasions. Was his word really trustworthy on this?

“What do you mean? What is that form, anyway?”

Eggman sighed. It was a stressed sort of sigh.

“I don’t know,” the man admitted “All that I do know is that it’s bad and we should keep our distance. Where is the Ultimate Lifeform right now?”

“Back there, fighting Sonic,” Knuckles told him.

Eggman shook his head. He hummed thoughtfully. There was that calculating look again. And perhaps a tinge of concern, if Knuckles looked deep enough.

“Shadow is powerful but without the Emeralds that’s suicide.”

“We didn’t exactly have a choice,” Knuckles snapped.

“Well, now you do.”

Rouge was already scrolling through the contacts on her communicator when Knuckles turned. She may have been half-conscious for most of the discussion, but she’d obviously heard enough. Knuckles didn’t even have to ask her to contact Shadow, but reminded her not to reveal all their cards right off the bat, just in case Sonic heard them. If he knew they had most of the Emeralds, he’d do all he could to stop them from getting the other two.

For an agonising moment, the communicator rung and rung and rung. It was maddening. Was Shadow ok? Tails’ namesakes twitched. His blue eyes were glued to the little device around Rouge’s wrist. Knuckles could tell the kid was thinking the same thing. Even Eggman looked worried again for a second. Rouge was determined though; she clearly believed in her fellow agent. Knuckles wanted to so badly. But Eggman’s warnings made the chance of Shadow losing so much more possible. What if Sonic had already won? They needed Shadow to be ok, for all their sakes.

Eventually, the call picked up. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Shadow, come to the edge of the forest,” Rouge said into her communicator. “We have a plan.”

“I- Fuck!”

Knuckles’ blood froze in his veins. The way Shadow was cut off immediately was a bad sign. There was the sounds of a scuffle for a moment. A muffled scream of rage. Another curse from Shadow, further away from the communicator this time. A grunt. What sounded like a hiss or growl that made Knuckles’ fur stand on end. Then a cracking sound – a tree being felled? What the hell was happening over there?

“G-give me a second,” Shadow breathed.

“Shadow?” she asked, alarmed.

Her ears perked forward. They all waited with bated breath for the dark hedgehog to respond. There was another grunt from Shadow. Then a long period of silence. Knuckles felt like his heart stopped for a moment. No one dared breathe. He couldn’t hear a single sound around him; not from the gathered group, not from the wildlife or the wind. Just deafening nothingness.

“Be there soon.”

Shadow hung up. The droning tone surrounded them all for a moment. Rouge’s wings fluttered. She met Knuckles’ eye. Hopefully the hedgehog could get away, could distract Sonic long enough or lose him in the forest. Hopefully Sonic hadn’t heard what Rouge had said because she just called out their position. But then, she’d never said where they were exactly, so they might have a few minutes to prepare still. And hopefully Shadow could even find them himself to begin with. Rouge sent him their coordinates as an afterthought, but would he have a chance to figure out where that was, a moment to even read them?

There was so many ways for this all to go wrong.

They were all screwed…

Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty-Five

Notes:

Hey guys!

I’m kinda tired so short note today.

Ok, I’ll be honest, the second half of this chapter is a little same-y. I promise it’ll pick up more next chapter. And again, I’m terrible at fight scenes so sorry if the start feels a little rushed. I'm not sure if this chapter was worth the wait because not much happens so sorry about that too. And half of this was edited while I was tired.

Follow me on Tumblr for update notices, the occasional doodle and to see what I’m currently working on: https://www.tumblr.com/fortuneshyspirit?source=share

Hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think and I'll see you all next chapter!

Fleetway scowled at the gap in the trees in front of him. He wiped the mix of blood and spittle from his lips, letting it sink into the torn fabric of Sonic’s gloves. The metallic tang lingered in his mouth from where he’d scraped an incisor across the inside of his cheek. The slice was still bleeding. But it’s delectable sweetness was made bitter by his anger. Fleetway loved the spilling of blood, especially when it was Sonic’s, but the fact that little shit managed to get a few genuine hits in irritated him. The pain meant nothing to him. It was the pure audacity of that black-furred fuck that really put a damper on his mood.

In a moment of lapsed focus, his plaything had managed to escape.

To Fleetway’s left was the tree the Ultimate Lifeform had dropped on top of him. It was in pieces now. He turned to glare at it. The shredded bark mocked him. Threatened to bring about the anger he’d just supressed. He’d flown into a rage when the tree had struck him, ripping it apart with his claws and charring the bark with his energy. It was lightly smoking now.

And it was all Hyper’s fault.

After a particularly nasty Chaos Lance to his arm, he’d had the Ultimate Lifeform by his leg, dragging him across the forest floor. His claws had carved wonderfully through the skin, down to the muscle. And then Hyper had managed to steal his attention for just a moment. In the brief second it had happened, enraged, Fleetway snapped back to the forest only to realise the Ultimate Lifeform was no longer in his grasp. He’d heard the sound of the redwood behind him but it was already too late to do anything. The tree, which had been damaged during the Chaos Blast the hedgehog had set off earlier, had been unstable. One last attack from the other had set it on its course. And Fleetway had been in the way.

It slammed into his back. Fleetway had managed to fall to the side slightly, so the main bulk of it had missed his spine but instead settled almost entirely on his arm. It ached now, throbbed with the reminder. It hadn’t been broken, only knocked out of place. Fleetway had hastily set it, still at an odd angle but useable. The stab of pain that shot up that arm every time he moved it only served to fuel his rage.

The Ultimate Lifeform would pay for that, dearly.

But first, he had more important matters to deal with. There was no point chasing after the genetically engineered hedgehog if he couldn’t keep a solid hold of his control. So it was time to remind the meddling form who was in charge right now.

Flitting between the mind and the real world when in control was a weird thing. Like being fragmented. Fleetway was aware that, even when he had completely and utter control, this body was still Sonic’s. It was an odd thing to grasp, to explain. Fleetway had never really cared about the particulars of it. All he knew was that he existed in both spaces at once. And manging both was incredibly difficult. He had to purposefully tune out of reality, like switching a radio signal, and pick up the sound of Sonic’s mind, so to speak. Wait for the noise to clear. And then he was standing there, back in Super’s domain.

The blood under his claws here was Dark’s, Sonic’s, Super’s. It reached further up his arms, warm like a second layer of gloves. Home. He turned to glower at Hyper, who he’d managed to throw off him during his stupid little distraction earlier. Unfortunately, he hadn’t drawn blood with his strike directly, but a thin line of smudged red was present under his nose. The blackened fur and quills along his back was satisfying too. Hyper met his glare with narrowed eyes. The other had managed to gouge a deep cut along Fleetway’s collar bone, eerily close to the site of the burn he’d received from the Ultimate Lifeform. For some reason, that frustrated him more. Fleetway ran his thumb over the jagged scratch, licking the blood from his glove with a huff. Hyper pushed himself to his feet, wobbling slightly.

The dumbass was still dealing with the aftershocks of having his energy blocked off from Sonic and then returned all at once. Fleetway recognised the slight waver in his movements. Same with Super. His other half was lying on his side off behind Hyper. His golden fur was ripped and torn, burnt and bloody, neck blotched with more red than anywhere else. Super was still breathing, though it had become laboured and shallow. He’d be fine.

After his moment of blind fury, Fleetway felt… weird about what he’d done. For the first time ever, something gross was squirming in his chest. Frankly, he hadn’t thought he’d hurt Super as much as he had. Not that he cared, of course. Perish the thought. Fleetway was just surprised. Yeah, he’d go with surprised. Super would bounce back in no time; the annoying wretch always did.

As he took a step towards Hyper, fingers itching to return the scratch he’d been given, Fleetway glanced around suspiciously. There was a distinct lack of prick around. Where the hell did Dark run off to? He didn’t like his absence.

Hyper sprinted at him, fist glimmering with his signature rainbow energy. Fleetway managed to dodge to the side just in time, catching the other by the wrist. He tightened his grip, claw unfortunately missing the major veins there but actually managing to break the skin. His energy was great for ripping into anything, including the other bothersome forms inside of his host. Something about its broken nature always seemed to force its way past their defences. Hyper hissed, swinging his other arm to punch him square in the sternum. Fleetway was forced to let go of his wrist, not without leaving a trail of scratches as his hand pulled away though.

It was harder to knock Hyper off his feet than it was with Super. That didn’t stop Fleetway from striking out with his leg, managing to throw him off balance long enough for him to take to the sky.

“Your distractions are pointless, Hyper,” Fleetway taunted. “How the fuck do you think you’re gonna take control away from me?”

“I don’t need control to keep you from hurting anyone,” Hyper said with a quiet growl.

The self righteous prick had the gall to raise his chin in defiance at him. Hyper launched himself up, more gracefully than Fleetway had, and levelled with him. A white ear flicked slightly and then Hyper flashed towards him like a shooting star. Admittedly, Fleetway hadn’t been able to avoid him this time. It seemed the other’s goal was to drag him back to the ground, likely to try and pin him. From the momentum, he was knocked back. Fleetway latched on to Hyper and pushed against him. They tussled in the air for a moment, scratching and striking each other. They might as well have already been on the ground with the way they remained in relatively the same spot before Fleetway gained the upper hand. Taking a page from Hyper’s book, the dirty golden hedgehog slammed him into the grass, hands locked around Hyper’s wrist and just above his elbow. He snarled into the white hedgehog’s face.

Then a searing cold sharpness was thrust into his back, tiny icicles in his shoulder blades. They hooked themselves into his skin and fur, trying to haul him away from Hyper. Fleetway tried to shake his attacker off. They dropped to the side with a sharp inhale. He swung his head to growl at them, realising, bewildered, that it had been Sonic and not Dark. He could have sworn the grip had felt cold. In his confusion, Hyper managed to buck him off and rise to his feet.

Fleetway had no idea how Sonic had gotten back. Nor did he know how he’d even attempted to land a blow on him in his state. He could see now how Sonic shuddered, curling up with a hand to his chest like he’d been stabbed. Spasming in the dirt. Fleetway was sure he’d left him back in his domain. So what was he doing here?

He took all this in, possibly in two, maybe three seconds, before a colder hand closed around his ankle and threw him to the side, further from Sonic. That time it was unmistakably Dark. Fleetway must just have been confused. Maybe it was simply because that’s what he had expected. A split second after he hit the ground, Dark was upon him again. Glowing white eyes showed in the smallest of slits, teeth bared past pale lips. The black-furred form hit him at an angle, sending them both tumbling. Even with the blood still dripping from his lips, internal injuries clearly not as healed as the hastily closed up hole in his stomach, Dark was relentless in his anger. Again, the pain didn’t really bother Fleetway, it was more of an annoyance than anything. But the longer they all kept him here, focused on them, the further away the Ultimate Lifeform was getting.

Dark must have manged to bring Sonic back. That’s why he had been missing. Fleetway was hoping it would take them a little longer, that even forcing their way into his domain would have been more of an ordeal. He should have known Dark had some sort of backdoor there. The negative form always had some wild tricks.

Fleetway roared, feeling his energy respond to his infuriation. Dark grunted at rolled away from him, unable to completely avoid the lashing, whip-like tendrils. It flayed his face, leaving a curling blacked mark along his cheek. The centremost part let out a bead of crimson blood. Dark covered the lash with his hand. He’d come to a stop on his knees a little ways away. Hyper was approaching from the other side but had wisely paused. Focusing on the rumbling energy beneath the surface, Fleetway released it, creating a flaming crater around him. The flickering fire was a violent red, fuelled entirely by his energy. No one would be getting close while the ground was still burning. Just in case, Fleetway raised his hand, trying to reign the energy into a shield like barrier. It was harder to form than he’d expected, coming out more holey and fluctuating than he’d like. It would do.

He had to get back to reality so he could catch that lowlife fake hedgehog.

“It’s been fun, gentlemen,” Fleetway hissed. “But I’ve got better things to be doin’.”

The redwood forest bled back into his vision. It had been there the whole time, like a ghost flitting across his sight, completely stable as Super’s domain had moved around him. But it had been faint, very faint, and completely easy to disregard. He stretched his arms above his head, the crackling pain like lighting in his arm helping him click back into reality. He huffed.

Time to find that red-striped dick.

---

It took Shadow a moment to find them. “Edge of the forest” wasn’t a very helpful description. But he supposed anything more specific would have probably alerted Fleetway. Then again, a set of co-ordinates might have been helpful too – Sonic hadn’t been wearing his communicator, so there was no way for Fleetway to have known that. Perhaps, in all their panic, it hadn’t occurred to Rouge to do so. Shadow chose to forgive the oversight. It was probably safer anyway.

He'd Chaos Controlled a good distance from Fleetway in hopes of throwing him off his trail a little. Since he’d left, Shadow had seen no signs of the other tracking him, so it seemed to have worked. At least, he hoped so.

It was Miles he spotted first. Shadow paused though when he saw the Egg Mobile, the doctor turning to stare at him from his cushioned seat. Quills stiffening, red eyes scanned the other mobians. Knuckles, despite looking a little worse for wear was standing beside a large box. Miles was holding his arm but looked relatively fine otherwise. Perhaps a little faint. Rouge looked the worst by far, fur marred by red and sitting half propped up by the trunk of a redwood. His jaw tightened but she had just spoken to him. He took a step closer to the group and she raised her head, sighing in relief. Shadow loosened his shoulders slightly. Everyone seemed ok. Not great but ok.

No one was reacting negatively to Eggman’s presence.

So Shadow cautiously continued forward. It wasn’t completely unheard of for the doctor to be fairly passive on occasion. Despite that, Shadow did not trust him. But he knew Knuckles would be the first to doubt Eggman, so if he wasn’t freaking out he’d have good reason. Shadow must have just missed something while he’d been trying to hold off Fleetway. At least everyone got away. Shadow just wished they’d kept going; it still wasn’t safe here.

“You look like shit,” Knuckles said.

“You don’t look so good yourself,” Shadow shot back, folding his arms. “Do I even want to know why the doctor is here?”

Knuckles ran Shadow through what had happened after Shadow drew Fleetway away from them. About how they’d stumbled upon Eggman when they reached the edge of the forest and how the man had handed over the Chaos Emeralds in a rare moment of co-operation. He’d apparently been collecting them – for another plot of his Shadow was sure. Eggman had picked up on Fleetway’s energy and recognised it for what it was. The man did not tell them why he knew that odd red energy, nor did he explain any further. Suspicious. But they had bigger problems right now. Stopping Fleetway was their top priority. So he said as much.

“That’s all well and good,” Knuckles said with a huff. “But Eggman doesn’t seem to think we can stop him.”

Knuckles glared at the man. Shadow flicked an ear back, following the echidna’s gaze with a furrowed brow. Eggman looked impassive but Shadow could see how tense his shoulders were. He was afraid.

“I didn’t say that he couldn’t be stopped,” Eggman defended. “Only that we likely won’t be able to do much.”

“So what exactly are the Emeralds for?” Shadow asked.

“To give you a chance to distract him without dying,” Eggman said simply.

The distraction seemed pointless without any real direction but there didn’t seem to be much else they could do. Would Fleetway eventually run out of energy like an ordinary Super form? Sonic hadn’t used the Emeralds, so it was hard to say. Eggman seemed to be implying that might be the case though.

“Why did you call Sonic Fleetway just now?” Miles asked.

Shadow blinked.

“Just a hunch,” he replied. “One of the only things on that scrunched note had been that name. This Fleetway character seemed to frighten Sonic. His comments on his unstable energy seem to line up is all I’m saying.”

“Are you’re implying that back there isn’t Sonic?” Miles asked. “But how would that be possible?”

“I don’t know, Miles. But did he seem like Sonic to you?”

The fox did not respond. He looked down, shifting his feet. The poor kit looked incredibly worried. He’d been the most outspoken about leaving Sonic to his own devices. And Shadow himself had ended up advocating for the hero himself. But Sonic hadn’t been able to fix his energy issue the first time. Could he do it by himself now? What if he couldn’t? What if he wasn’t even in there anymore? Eggman apparently thought Sonic would figure it out and he’d known the hedgehog longer than even Miles had. Shadow hoped he was right.

Sonic did always seem to come through in the end.

“Look, whatever’s going on, maybe we should just focus on getting Sonic back first,” Knuckles said. “Then we can ask him what the hell is going on. And I’m getting a fucking answer this time.”

With Shadow’s Emerald, they had five. The other two were in the Tornado. Shadow had to run to get them, hopefully before Fleetway caught wind of what was going on. With his Super form, he’d hopefully have more of a chance against Fleetway. Eggman reckoned he wouldn’t be able to stop him but that wouldn’t dissuade Shadow from giving it his all. Miles was instructing Knuckles on how to track the Tornado; it was harder to use his communicator when his opposite arm was useless. The Tornado could only be tracked from Miles’ or Sonics’ communicators apparently. The fox was very protective of that plane, though Shadow wasn’t sure why Sonic also had access to the biplane’s specific frequency.

As they were doing that, Shadow knelt to check on Rouge. She assured him she was ok. But her eyes were a little foggy and she appeared sickly. The fact she was sitting down here and not on her feet was concerning by itself. Shadow didn’t like it. He asked her if she felt nauseous or if she was dizzy at all.

“A little,” she responded, sort of groggy.

Concussion. Shadow was sure of it. He told her to stay where she was, not that she had any plans to go anywhere right now. The bat rolled her eyes but it lacked the usual sass. Rouge waved him away.

Glancing back at Knuckles, Shadow could see that the echidna was rubbing back of his neck. Right at the base, applying a lot of pressure. He was wincing subtly. Shadow was starting to wonder if the echidna hadn’t left his encounter with Fleetway as unscathed as he’d first appeared either. Not all damage was outwardly visible.

Knuckles turned, catching his eye and beckoning him over. He read out the co-ordinates for Shadow to input into his communicator so he could find the Tornado. Miles went to sit down by Rouge so Shadow took that time to ask about the supposed neck injury.

“You alright, echidna?” he muttered.

Shadow had a feeling the proud echidna wouldn’t want to worry Miles. But there was clearly something wrong.

“Neck’s a little stiff is all,” Knuckles admitted. “I’ll be fine. You need to take the Emeralds and go. I’ll stay here with Rouge and Tails and make sure Eggman doesn’t pull anything.”

Possible whiplash. Being thrown at the velocity he had certainly made that a possibility. It would likely get worse over the next few days. Shadow told the echidna to be careful, that he’d try and keep Fleetway away from them to the best of his ability. For a moment, they looked at each other, sharing a moment of understanding. They may not always see eye-to-eye but it was refreshing to not be arguing with the echidna for once.

Shadow took the four Emeralds from the box and tucked them away into his quills. He could practically feel them trying to interact with one another already. Which was usually why they were stored separately when possible. It wasn’t a massive problem for a mobian who could manage Chaos Energy though. All he had to do was make sure their energy wasn’t mingling too much. They could sometimes act a little… unpredictable when not all together. But it would be fine. Shadow would have them all soon enough.

After a nod to Knuckles, Shadow zipped away. The forest was massive but it might be more advantageous to stay on the outskirts rather than cut through the trees instead. He was less likely to run into Fleetway. Shadow would rather not encounter him again until he had all the Emeralds. Once he got close enough, he’d try Chaos Control. For now though, he wasn’t sure if that might give his position away to the psychotic hedgehog lurking in the forest. Frankly, he was surprised Fleetway had not yet found him already. Just what was the hedgehog doing now that he was alone? What if he found the others before Shadow could reach the Emeralds?

Not far from the Tornado, Shadow decided to risk it. He Chaos Controlled the rest of the way. Shadow was too anxious to find Fleetway again, just so he knew where the other was. It was beginning to worry him that he hadn’t seen the dirty yellow hedgehog yet. He’d been sneaking glances into the forest all along the treeline the whole time. Not a glimpse of yellow to be seen.

He wasted no time opening the compartment in front of the pilot’s seat. Inside sat the yellow and red Emeralds. Together they cast an orange glow inside the small space. He reached for them, taking them in each hand.

His ear twitched, picking up a subtle sound to his right. Before he could turn, Shadow felt an acidic burning along his arm. Hissing through his teeth, he fell from the cockpit of the biplane, dropping the red Emerald. It slid under the belly of the plane. Shadow couldn’t lose it though, he couldn’t let Fleetway take it. So he rolled under the plane himself, sideways, swiping up the Emerald as he went. He came to a stop on his stomach, grasping both gemstones once more. He turned his head to the side and froze.

Two swirling crimson eyes were staring directly at him. They were wide and almost vacant. Fleetway had one hand resting against the plane, body tilted to the side so that he was bent over like a broken doll. His other arm lay almost limp, swaying slightly. It didn’t look right. Fleetway’s head was just shy of being completely upside-down at the angle. His scruffy muzzle slowly cracked into a grin, teeth sharp and bloodied behind his lips.

“Found you, fuckhead.”

Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty-Six

Notes:

Hi!

Sorry not much happens in this chapter. I don't even know how that's possible at this stage myself. It's gonna pick up soon, promise. We're reaching the climax soon. It's just a case of how long that takes me to get to.

Follow me on Tumblr for update notices, what I'm currently working on and other writing stuff: https://www.tumblr.com/fortuneshyspirit?source=share

Hope you enjoy the chapter! Please let me know what you think and I'll see you all in the next update!

The moment the Tornado was flipped up, his cover ripped away from him, Shadow didn’t even think. He just ran. The problem was, if he ran backwards he risked being crushed under the weight of the biplane as it toppled. This much his panicked mind registered. It did not take into account, however, that running forward meant running straight into Fleetway.

Shadow felt those claws rake across his side. Like a broken touch screen, it took a moment for it to properly register. The hot pain seared through him, a branding of Chaos flared across his skin. It caught him off guard enough to elicit a hiss. Shadow did not stop though, he kept pushing through, sprinting forward in a daze. Blood-loss, exertion or some other injury finally catching up to him? It was hard to say. Shadow just knew his head hurt and he had to go.

The Emeralds were still in his hands. Hastily, Shadow tucked them both away in his quills with the rest of them. Together, they were stable now, so he didn’t have to fight to keep their energies separate. But he couldn’t use them, not yet. Not when Fleetway was right there. He had to get further away, far enough to be able to trigger his Super form without getting interrupted. It didn’t matter where, as long as it was away from Fleetway.

He wasn’t exactly sure how far he’d been expecting to get. At least to the treeline maybe. But he was sent sprawling, still a few feet away, before his mind could catch up. He tasted dirt. And metal. When he struggled to his knees, he saw there were ripples of blood through the raised ridge of earth. Had he really been thrown that far? His mind was losing its edge. Going Super would fix the damage, that he wasn’t worried about. It was living long enough to use them that was starting to scare him. Fleetway was mad, in both senses of the word. It was going to be challenging getting away from the bastard.

On the bright side, at least he knew where Fleetway was. The others were safe. For now.

The warped chuckle that reached his ears was grating and smug. Fleetway knew Shadow was starting to really feel all his wounds. That was beginning to effect him. Shadow grit his teeth, letting a Chaos Lance form in his hand. It was still pressed against the dirt, the opposite side from where Fleetway was approaching. The other couldn’t see it. As soon as he was close enough, Shadow would strike, using the resulting anger as his opening to escape. He just hoped it would actually stun the psychotic hedgehog long enough instead of sending him into an immediate frenzy.

“Where you going Shadsy?” Fleetway taunted.

He was stalking towards him like a satisfied cat. Shadow had a feeling he was supposed to be the downed bird in this simile. And that slightly altered nickname made his quills bristle. He used to hate that nickname. Shads. Somehow, it had sort of grown on him over the years. To the point where it no longer bothered him like it used to. To the point where he stared to put on his disgruntlement at being called it. But somehow, this one infuriated him so much more. A distorted version of the nickname in the distorted voice of a distorted Sonic. It was not the nickname that he knew, the one he frankly hadn’t heard in a while. It almost made him… miss it. Weird. He’d never realised how much he actually sort of liked that nickname until now.

“I’m gonna need those Emeralds though,” the dirty gold hedgehog continued. “Can’t have you trying to even the playing field; that’s no fun. Not that you’d even it much, of course. Super’s pathetic.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes. He looked so much like Sonic’s Super form. What did he mean Super forms were pathetic? Was he not using one right now? Shadow wasn’t really sure how, what ever this was, worked. But this guy was definitely using a Super form. Wasn’t he? Though it had been triggered without Emeralds. And it didn’t look quite right. Maybe it really was different. Still, it hurt Shadow’s mind trying to think about it.

If Sonic was still in there, he’d really like an explanation when this was over. He almost wanted to ask Fleetway a few questions but Shadow was honestly afraid of the answers he might receive. If it would buy him some time though…

“What exactly have you done with Sonic?” he asked.

Fleetway laughed. It made Shadow tense.

“Why?” Fleetway shot back. “Worried about that dumbass? As far as I was aware, I thought you didn’t like ‘im?”

Shadow dug his claws into the dirt, clinging to the energy solidifying in his hand. Perhaps a week ago, he might have been right. Shadow didn’t know how he currently felt towards the blue hedgehog. He knew the idea of him actually dying at the hands of this freak made him feel unwell and livid. He knew upsetting Sonic back at the house had felt shitty. He knew he didn’t hate him.

But Shadow didn’t know what that meant.

“He’s alive, unfortunately, if that’s what you’re asking,” Fleetway said. “Couldn’t kill the little shit if I tried. Unless I wanted to kill myself…”

For and agonisingly long time, Fleetway paused. It was alarming that this guy was seriously considering killing himself just to get rid of Sonic. He was genuinely mulling it over. Fleetway really didn’t like Sonic, did he? Again, Shadow found himself wondering who this hedgehog even was. Why did he share Sonic’s body?

Fleetway hummed.

“Tempting. But ultimately pointless. I’m not looking to die today.”

It actually did calm Shadow somewhat though. Sonic was still in there. It brought up more questions, like everything Sonic-related seemed to, but for now it was enough for Shadow. Sonic was alive. But since Eggman had no faith in being able to actually stop Fleetway, now he really did just have to bide his time, waiting for Sonic to put a stop to the psycho himself. And Shadow didn’t know how that was supposed to work. He just hoped the hedgehog could somehow come through on this, like he usually did.

Fleetway stopped for a moment, growling lowly. Shit. Had he seen the Chaos Lance? Shadow decided to risk it. The other was a few steps away. Shadow swung his arm in an arc, flinging the Spear directly at Fleetway’s leg. The way he jolted at the attack, so unlike every other time Shadow had hit him made the dark hedgehog falter slightly. Then he pushed himself to his feet and sprinted into the trees. Chasing him between the trunks was an enraged screech. Why did it seem like Fleetway was actually surprised by that attack? Had he… not seen the Chaos Lance in Shadow’s hand? Then why did he growl like that?

This hedgehog was very confusing. His mood seemed to switch so fast and so dramatically all the time. Shadow supposed Sonic had been a little mood-swingy recently himself. Like when he’d snapped at him last night. But he hadn’t been this bad.

What had he been growling at?

Shadow shook his head. No time to think about that now. He dug one of the Emeralds out of his quills. The brilliant green glow greeted him like an old friend, brighter than usual due to its proximity to the others. As long as Fleetway was far enough away, he could safely Chaos Control deeper into the forest in order to go Super.

“Chaos Contro-”

Shadow was cut off with a grunt. Fleetway slammed into him just before he disappeared. They teleported together, hitting the ground  at an angle on the other side, rolling, and coming to a stop in a heap. The breath had been knocked straight out of Shadow’s lungs. He stiffened his quills, aware that Fleetway was on top of him. Though it didn’t really deter the gold hedgehog much as he pressed Shadow’s gasping face into the forest floor.

The green Emerald was still clutched in Shadow’s hand. But he was acutely aware of the fact that the other Chaos Emeralds were at risk now. Damn it. He should have checked first before attempting to Chaos Control. His mind really wasn’t up to scratch right now.

All the more reason to get out of here so he could use the damn Emeralds.

“Nice try, prick.”

Immediately, he felt Fleetway’s hand dive into his quills, rooting around for the Emeralds. His heartrate spiked. Shadow rolled to the side, feeling his quills slash the hedgehog’s hand. When he scrambled to his feet, stowing the green Emerald away again, he froze. In Fleetway’s bleeding hand was the blue Emerald. The golden hedgehog stood, a cracked grin on his muzzle. He tossed the Emerald in the air, catching it with his other hand. Then he turned it over, staring at it. Fascinated.

“Never actually held one of these,” Fleetway said, chuckling. “They’re weird little buggers, aren’t they?”

His grin seemed to widen.

“You don’t like me, do ya?”

Was he… talking to the Emerald? His tone had shifted slightly, the type of voice one used when talking to a child or pet. Condescending almost. While talking to an inanimate object no less. Shadow knew there was something inherently mystical about the Emeralds, about Chaos in general. But sentient? Not quite. Perhaps if it was the Master Emerald – but that was way different. Shadow didn’t think the Chaos Emeralds were the same. It confused him enough to keep him in place for a moment.

Then he rushed Fleetway, hoping to snag the Emerald back.

The gold hedgehog reacted faster than Shadow had hoped, pulling the Emerald out of reach and grabbing Shadow’s wrist. Fleetway stabbed his claws into the skin just below his inhibitor. Shadow had put them back on to conserve his energy as best as possible. He was endlessly glad he had now or he might be worse off than he already was. But it seemed the bastard couldn’t help but find a way to draw blood at every turn. Two seconds later, he released Shadow, throwing his hand back and causing him to stumble.

He had to get the Chaos Emerald back or all their efforts would have been for nothing. So in a desperate move, Shadow dashed forwards again, forcing all his weight at Fleetway. He managed to knock the other off his feet. They grappled on the floor for the gem for a moment but Fleetway was much too strong; Shadow could not prise the Emerald from his deadbolt grip. All he got was a few more scratches to add to his collection and a particularly deep gash across the back of his shoulder from one of Fleetway’s quills.

When he was finally tossed across the ground, Shadow smacked his nose off a fallen branch. A branch from a redwood. There was a dull ache around the bridge but, when he swiped the palm of his hand under his nostrils, his glove came back clean. Well, not clean – his gloves were already covered in dirt and smears of blood – but no new stains appeared. It didn’t feel broken and it wasn’t bleeding. So that was something.

Rising to his feet, a little unsteady, Shadow faced Fleetway. He gathered energy in his hands, two more Chaos Lances burning away in his palms. Those swirling eyes narrowed at him, red energy cracking away at Fleetway’s finger tips. Shadow paused for a beat before hurling the first Spear at the yellow hedgehog’s face. Predictably, the other rose a hand to block the attack with his own energy. So Shadow retaliated like he’d planned all along, already throwing the second towards his chest. This one hit home, leaving a vicious mark just under the previous one. Shadow sort of felt bad when he remembered this was Sonic’s body he was hurting. But there was no helping that right now.

He sprung once more for the Emerald. Shadow was kicked before he made contact this time, the air leaving him in a rush. He registered the tree about five seconds after he hit it. Remarkably, he remained on his feet though. Shadow leaned against the redwood, trying to catch his breath while keeping an eye on the dirty gold hedgehog. Fleetway was baring his teeth at him, half grin, half glare.

The irony of fighting over the blue Chaos Emerald was not lost on Shadow. It was oddly… symbolic. Poignant. And Shadow didn’t want to lose. Losing felt like a bad omen. But he was getting nowhere like this.

Fleetway’s hand was abruptly enveloped in golden energy. The psychotic hedgehog dropped the Emerald with a hiss. The energy looked like it had crept up from underneath the gemstone. Shadow stood there, dumbfounded before the realisation hit. The Emerald. He dove for it, swiping it from the ground and running full pelt between the trees. He wouldn’t question his luck, question what just happened. Maybe Fleetway was right, maybe the Emeralds didn’t like him. What ever it was, it had helped him. It was a later dilemma to tackle.

Right now he needed to put some distance between him and Fleetway. So he focused on the energy of the blue Chaos Emerald and tried once more to Chaos Control. He was not intercepted upon his second try, succeeding in finally getting away. For how long was uncertain however.

He had to do this quick.

Closing his eyes, Shadow reached for the power of the Chaos Emeralds. Reacting to his wishes, he felt them move, sliding from his quills and coming to circle him. With each pass, their energy forged a connection with his own, became one. They grew closer until the familiar, yet peculiar sensation of them passing through his skin eased him. Opening his eyes, he watched his fur lighten into the pale gold that glimmered like the stars, motes of light rising from his fur. The way Sonic’s should have been with that warped form. Chaos surged inside of him, spreading through his wounds and soothing them, a balm of warm, positive energy. The aches and pains faded into the background, still present but rapidly becoming a distant memory. They’d be healed soon. For now it was enough.

Now he was refreshed and stronger, he stood more of a chance. Perhaps not at defeating Fleetway but keeping him distracted. And if that was all he could do, then by Chaos he’d distract the hell out of that bastard. All to buy Sonic time.

‘I hope you have a plan, Faker.’

---

Super’s ear twitched. He heard movement around him. Brief shouting. It was distant. Though he couldn’t tell if they were actually far away or if his ears just weren’t working right at the moment. His neck ached, skin burning real bad. Despite how much he wanted to see what was going on, Super could not find the energy to open his eyes. He tried but his eyelids were just too heavy. In all his years of existence, he’d never felt this worn out. The pain wasn’t completely new but this much of it was a little different. Super thought his cheek might be against the ground; grass tickled his nose and gave him something to focus on. He just wished that horrible burning would go away

But… wait. What was…?

There.

Chaos Energy. Was Sonic’s body in contact with an Emerald? That… didn’t seem like a good thing. He furrowed his brow. Struggling to maintain a connection, Super reached out to that influx of energy. For a moment, Super just let it wash over him, relished in the uplifting quality of it. Breathing came easier and his skin felt less hot and stingy. Revitalising.

But he had to let go of it. There was no good scenario that Super could see with Fleet in contact with the Emeralds. He might not be able to use them properly. But someone out there could. They might be able to use it against Fleetway and hold him off. Super had no way of knowing if someone was out there right now, facing his other half. But if he could help, he had to. So instead of reaching for the energy for himself, he tried to use the Emerald to strike back instead. It might startle Fleet more than actually hurt him, since Super wasn’t at his best right now, but still he tried. He grit his teeth. Just a little push.

Nothing.

He tried again, really focused his energy on output rather than input. Out. Out past the barrier that was no longer the inhibitors but Fleetway himself. Out past Sonic’s skin.

Out.

The well of energy snapped away. Fleetway had let go of the Emerald. Super let out a breath, allowed himself to relax. Sometimes the small victories were worth celebrating, even if they didn’t achieve much in the long run. All he could do was believe that his actions had helped someone. And that was a nice thought.

Someone settled beside him, with apparent difficulty, and took his hand. Super knew immediately from the way their grip stuttered against his own that it was Sonic. The blue hedgehog’s grip tightened when Super moved his fingers to take a hold of his hand. Sonic was always like that, a slight hesitance with most physical touch. Subtle but there. A byproduct of so much time spent on his own; it was still sometimes hard for him to initiate contact on his own directly. Just like Dark. Super was sure neither of them were fully aware of it.

Sonic’s hand felt cool underneath his glove. But Super could feel the poisonous fire past it, under his skin, smouldering away, just waiting to crackle to the surface. Fleetway’s energy. Sonic wasn’t ok. But he was here. They could be not ok together.

“How you holdin’ up, Supe?” Sonic asked.

His voice was raspy and slow, like it might give out at any moment. Super didn’t quite trust his own. But if Sonic was brave enough to talk to him, Super could find it in him to be too.

“A little better than before,” Super said. “There’s an Emerald out there somewhere.”

“Is it helping?”

Super cracked open an eye. Sonic looked awful, breathing a little laboured, eyes half lidded. The blue hedgehog was curled on his side, legs tucked in loosely. His arm was the only thing stretched out from his body. Even his ears were low. He stared back at Super, blazing green eyes tired and shadowed but fully present. Body folding under the strain, his mind was still quite sharp. That was reassuring at least. It pulled a smile from Super.

Sonic was looking out for him, when he wasn’t doing so good. Even if Super was stronger, he was stronger on Sonic’s terms, with Sonic’s energy. He was a part of Sonic. The blue hedgehog thought of them as separate. And they were. But that just meant Sonic cared about all of them more than he did himself.

“It was,” Super responded. “But it’s gone now. I don’t want Fleet to have it.”

“You… were able to stop him?” Sonic asked.

Stop was strong word. He couldn’t stop Fleetway at all from this position. But prevent him from keeping hold of an Emerald? Yeah, he was pretty sure he’d managed to do that.

“A little. It was hard.”

“Tha-ank you, Super.”

Sonic’s voice was starting to fail. And sign wouldn’t be much use if they were both struggling to even sit up. Oh well. Sonic’s hand against his was enough. Still, before his host’s voice gave out completely, he wanted to know what was happening. So he asked Sonic, picking his muzzle off the floor and turning his head to scan the hilly meadow. He saw a lot of fire, scorching away his pretty flowers and grass. Hyper was standing with his arms crossed – thinking. Dark was pacing with bristling quills a little further away. Also thinking? Between them, in the middle of all that scarlet fire, was Fleetway.

“Fleet su-surrounded himself with his… energy,” Sonic said. “We can’t get to him right n-now.”

Sonic shifted. A pulse of Fleetway’s energy fizzled up inside him and caused him to grit his teeth. Super felt the wave though their connected hands. It was nasty. Super just wanted to do something about it. But eh couldn’t.

“It’ll burn out eventually,” Super tried.

And he wasn’t just talking about Fleetway’s protections.

“We don’t have that k-kind of ti-ime.”

“No,” Super admitted.

But even from here , Super could see the flicker in Fleetway’s shield. His other half couldn’t concentrate on both that and what ever he was doing with Sonic’s body at the same time. It was only a matter of time before his energy fizzled out, then they could attack from above.

“Hyper managed to sneak a bo-olt of Ch-Chaos through a gap in his defences a m-moment ago. But he’s st-strengthened the barrier since.”

Any attempt was something. It didn’t matter how small, how ineffective. It was something. They had to hold on to that. If they didn’t, it would just shatter them all.

“He won’t be able to hold it for long.”

“That’s what I’m ho-oping,” Sonic mumbled with a sigh. “But h-how long do we have to wait?”

Super didn’t have an answer for him.