.:How to Save a Life:.
Sung by The Fray
Author's Note: About a week ago when I was in a mall, there was a young girl having a seizure on the ground of a Five Below store, and they were playing the song "How to Save a Life on the radio at the time. So going with that experience (and the fact that I love this song), I decided to write this. I'm not exactly sure how relevant the storyline is to the lyrics of the song, but I tried to make them correlate. It's angsty and has Son/Sal fluff in it, so if you're not a fan of either, well then...whatever. - Make sure you review, and enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own any Sonic, SatAm, or Archie characters, blah, blah, blah, you know the drill...
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG ran back to his home in Knothole, but much slower than usual. The rest of the Freedom Fighters, or at least who was left of them, slowly trudged behind him, their glazed-over eyes only staring straight ahead of them. Eventually they saw the thatched-roof huts and a wide-eyed fox eagerly waiting for them. His eyes darted back and forth between their faces, not understanding the reason for their appearances. He frowned when they passed him and walked into their huts as if he didn't exist. He followed Sonic into his hut before he could shut the door.
"Sonic, you look horrible. What happened?" He asked.
"Wha...huh?" The hedgehog shook his head, coming out of his trance-like state. "Uhh...I really don't know how to explain it, Tails." He cast his eyes downward and bit his lip, holding back tears.
Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
"It's not a secret, is it?" Tails asked with a slight smile. He shook his head.
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Tails looked out Sonic's window and turned to face him. "Sonic...Aunt Sally's light isn't on. Where is she? When's she getting back?" His voice took an obnoxious tone.
"That's the hard part, buddy..." His eyes became wider at Sonic's reply.
"S-She's not...no she can't be...Sonic, why?!" The tears streamed down his face as he realized what the terrible unspoken news was. He could see the regret in Sonic's eyes, along with weariness that only comes from witnessing death.
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came
"I'm sorry, bud. I really tried to save her."
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
It hurt the hedgehog to think of her in the condition he last saw her. His best friend in all ofMobius; the leader of the Freedom Fighters; his love; helpless, marred, and slowly slipping away.
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
It was a simple mission to Robotropolis. After getting the update on the new Swat-bot factory that had been built a week ago, Sonic, Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor were waiting for Sally to return with the saved information on Nicole. After ten minutes of waiting with no calls from her on their communicators, they started to become worried. They were startled to hear an announcement over the loud-speakers of a nearby building that was addressed to them:
"I have you precious princess, rodents. I suggest you find the Roboticizer room if you ever want to see her alive. But I do suppose your girlfriend should die a hero's death, isn't that right, hedgehog?" A loud and obnoxious cackle followed the announcement, causing them to shudder.
"You guys stay here. Don't worry, I'll bring her back." Sonic flashed them his trademark grin and gave them a thumbs-up before confidently bolting off. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins; the weight upon his shoulders. He busted through the evil dictator's Swat-bots three at a time before reaching his destination.
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
The sight that greeted his emerald eyes terrified him, to say the least. The dimly-lit room hosting the most despicable machine ever unleashed on Mobius and the hideous, overweight dictator were enough, but he had not expected the princess to be in such an injured state. Her prone figure had been beaten and had marks appearing to have come from metallic talons. He was at her side in an instant. Once turning her onto her back, he heard her raspy, uneven breathing. He would make Robotnik pay for making Sally suffer like that, in the same way that the Freedom Fighters would make him suffer for tormenting Mobius.
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you told him all along
Emphasizing the spring in his step, Robotnik walked over to Sonic, who was now kneeling on the metal floor with the feeble princess in his arms.
"Looks like you're too late. But I do commend the princess on her effort; it took five blows to knock her unconscious." He grinned evilly at them. Sonic growled back. Taking another glance at her, he could see that Robotnik was probably right. Not even he, Mobius's hero, could have survived whatever she had been put through.
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you
After waiting for what seemed like years in silence, apart from Robotnik's occasional snicker, Sally's eyes fluttered open, and she gripped Sonic's arm for support. Her breathing was still rapid and shallow.
"Sonic?" She quietly mumbled, her eyes too clouded to see her surroundings. Robotnik was completely flabbergasted. How on Mobius could she withstand that kind of torture? He was sure it had been foolproof.
"Sal...how do you feel?" He was almost too nervous to ask.
"Terrible...I-I don't think I'm going to make it." At that, the malicious glint returned to Robotnik's eyes.
"What?" Sonic whispered. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. "Sal, you can't give up! The Freedom Fighters need you! And I just told you a couple of weeks ago-" She put a finger over his mouth.
"I know Sonic," She smiled ruefully. "I love you too." She gave him a firm kiss on the lips, one so breathtaking that Robotnik began to regret what he had done. The suffering princess fell back into the hedgehog's arms, her tears slowly trickling down her face. "Take c-care of Tails...for me."
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
The devastating feelings Sonic had were impossible to imagine. How would they ever win the war without her? Even if he had lead the others to believe it, Sonic knew in his heart that he would never be able to lead the Freedom Fighters in the same way as Sally. Sonic had given up on trying to comfort Tails, being that he was in a state in which he had stopped listening to Sonic altogether. He simply paced around the room, occasionally demanding why his "aunt" couldn't be saved or why Sonic came too late.
As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
He eventually quieted down and his yelling was reduced to repressed sobbing. If it was a different time, in a different situation, Sonic would have attempted to comfort the fox by telling him that everything would be alright or admitting that he knows how he feels. But there was no point in comforting one when you needed comforting yourself.
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you begin to wonder why you came
Sonic watched the young fox sleeping fitfully in his own hut. He had felt guilty that he wasn't fulfilling Sally's wish, so he carried Tails across the path to the fox's home.
he made sure he was asleep before heading back. He passed by the other's huts, imagining how horrible they were feeling. He took one last look at Sally's unlit hut before shutting the window.
"Don't worry, Sal. We'll get him someday..."
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life