A/N: So, this fanfic was inspired by a combination of things. First off, Sonic's torture aboard the Death Egg in Sonic Forces. Second thing was an image done by Nictrain123 on deviantArt of Sonic being beaten to a bloody pulp by Metal Sonic. PM me and I'll link you to the image. I don't like it very much cause I've never seen Sonic look so….vulnerable? I guess is the word I'm looking for, I don't know. Anyways...on with the story. I guess you could also call it an AU since it takes a look at what would happen if Sonic had died on his way back to Freedom HQ from the Death Egg. If enough people give this a read and review, I may do more chapters, but I'm not sure. It's got Sonaze content too, as the character I have in mind to use for Forces when I get a Switch is a Sonaze fanchild. Also look for a demo reel soon, involving Forces, that involves the Sonic rescue mission. I'll be recording a bunch tonight, so please bear with me. As a note, the title "Dying Resistance: Freedom's Hefty Price" is a placeholder title. Couldn't decide between these two, so I plugged both titles in. Let me know in a review which one you like more. Starting the story on board the Death Egg. Sure, it will mean witnessing firsthand Sonic's brutal death at the hands of Chaos' Zavok's, Shadow's and Metal Sonic's copies, but I think at this point, anything's fair game. Have a good day and hopefully hear from everyone soon!

Sonic the Hedgehog

Dying Resistance: Freedom's Hefty Price

Chapter 1: Death of a Legend, Kindling of a New Flame

In a dimly lit prison cell on board the Death Egg, Sonic sat with his hands bound in front of him and a forcefield making sure he stayed in one place no matter what. Though he was somewhat banged up, it was a little difficult to tell because of how dark it was. He had heard, as soon as he had boarded the Death Egg, that a Resistance movement had been started by Knuckles and all of his friends to try and fight back against Eggman's takeover of Mobius with his new partner, Infinite. However, no rescue mission had even been attempted yet. He knew, though, that they hadn't forgotten about him. Tails had, after all, fled with the other furs in the area when he had suffered a beatdown at the hands of the Phantom Ruby's copies of this world's strongest. Surely he would've said something to Knuckles and the others...or had he? What if he had been too afraid to even bring it up? Whatever happened, he wasn't going to give Eggman the satisfaction of hearing him cry. No matter what he did.

As if on cue, the evil genius himself came over a loudspeaker and said, "Oh, you'll break, my darling Sonic. You'll break, and the little Resistance founded on your behalf will crumble into ashes."

Not one to let Eggman get the best of him, the Blue Blur responded, chuckling, "Don't you know the old saying, Eggman? From the ashes, a fire shall be woken…" He wasn't worried, as he knew that even if he did die, the Resistance would carry on his legacy, and Blaze was carrying his child, though only she, Shadow, Tails and Knuckles knew at this point and she was still early in her pregnancy. The 'magic' had happened only two weeks after his birthday party, as Blaze would soon be departing and he wanted her to know exactly how strongly he felt about her. Annoyed by the fact that Sonic still wasn't shaken, he said, communicating through an open channel, though he didn't realize it at the time, "Zavok,I'm activating the ruby and bringing out the other copies. I've put up with that hedgehog's cheek long enough!"

The copy of the Zeti nodded and soon after, the clones of Metal Sonic, Chaos, and Shadow all materialized outside the cell. Once they were there, Zavok's copy asked, "Shall we torture him now, master?"

Eggman smirked and nodded, "Yes, begin….begin his...EXECUTION."

Sonic trembled. Though he wasn't afraid to die, he had hoped the madman would make it a quick and painless death, not a dragged out painful one by the hands of copies. He said, looking directly at the camera outside the cell, "Eggman? Come on, if you wanna kill me, why not just shoot me in the chest and be done with it? Why drag it out?"

Eggman responded, "Because I wanna show you that I AM better than you. Why else?"

` Sonic growled, "Fine...but if Tails and the others storm your base and destroy every last robot in your army, don't blame me!"

Moments later, Eggman ended the transmission with a simple, "Nice knowing you, Sonic. Now, robots, DO IT!"

The copy of Metal Sonic lowered the forcefield, ripped the cuffs off Sonic's arms and not caring if he tore the skin or ripped fur off, since they had been ordered to kill him. He then shoved the Blue Blur hard against the wall and pinned him, nodding to Zavok and Chaos.

Zavok and Chaos's copies were soon by his side and began pummeling the speedy blue hedgehog to a pulp.

Getting an idea, Eggman smirked and changed the frequency on the camera outside Sonic's cell to match the one that the Resistance was broadcasting on, hoping to stop them in their tracks before they got too far in their opposition of him. He then turned on his PA and made sure that it was also on that frequency. He said, "Good evening, Resistance fighters. Did you miss me? Anyway, don't think that I haven't been noticing what you are trying to do. Unless you STOP right now with it, I can't guarantee that Sonic here will draw another breath."

Gasping at seeing Sonic so beaten up, Tails shook his head, knowing that it wasn't what Sonic would want from anybody. In response to what Eggman said, he told Nicole to broadcast directly to the Death Egg and said, "No way, Egghead. While he is my best friend...we know it's not what he would expect of us, so there's no way we'll give in!"

Sonic, coughing blood by this point, mind you, weakly responded, barely audible, "Tails...he's…*groan* lying to you. He's going to kill me anyway. Shut down the transmission…"

Though he could barely hear the Blue Blur, Tails knew what Sonic meant, but gulped back tears and nodded, "Okay. Try to hang on, Sonic. We'll get there as soon we can, all right?"

Sonic chuckled weakly and said, "Not...gonna...hold my breath…."

Tails, worried sick that Sonic could die before they'd get to him, responded, "Okay. And...if we don't make it, I'm sorry."

Sonic shook his head, telling the young fox with a small smile despite everything that was happening, "Don't apologize, it's not your fault, Tails. I got in way over my head on that one. Just...do me a favor and tell Blaze that I love her and our kid, okay?"

Tails gasped, but nodded, anger and fear making his entire body shake, "Okay. I love you, big brother. Goodbye…" He hung up the transmission, then broke down crying on Nicole's console. She soon materialized in her Mobian form behind him and hugged him, having been able to tell that it was especially hard for him to say all of that to his long-time friend. She said, "That was very brave, Tails. I'm proud of you."

Tails responded, "Don't say you're proud of me until we've gotten Sonic home. All right?"

Sally told him, "You heard what Sonic said, Tails. Even he isn't entirely sure he's going to be alive by the time we get to him. There is a small chance of that, but we can't bank on it. Let's just focus on defeating Infinite, retrieving the Phantom Ruby and rescuing anyone else that has been held captive, all right?"

Tails gulped, but nodded, "Right. Nicole, display a map of Mobius, if you would. I need a full summary of how things stand."

Nicole nodded and displayed the map, which showed that Eggman now controlled most of the world. She clenched a fist since she was still in Mobian form, "It looks like Eggman now controls a large portion of Mobius. We need to do something about this! We can't just let things stay how they are."

Blaze, who was leaning against a far wall, responded, "You're right, we can't, Nicole. But what are we supposed to do? If we jump into action too soon, I'm afraid my child won't have a safe home. And I want Sonic's child to live in the same world he did, not in the Sol Dimension. I can already feel her power growing, and she's only two weeks old. I fear that if she stays in the Sol Dimension, my people will be afraid of her and force an abortion. Whereas here on Mobius, while some may be afraid of her, they'll ultimately accept her, as Sonic accepted me."

Tails sighed and said, "Blaze, it's too early to tell the gender of your baby. You know that, right?"

Blaze nodded, "I know, but I've had the feeling that...Sonic's child is going to be a girl ever since finding out. I can't explain why, but...I don't think he'd have it any other way." She grinned a little, reminded of his attitude the morning after they had done things.

Amy asked her, "Blaze...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous, but...if Sonic doesn't survive, are you going to be okay to raise the baby alone?"

Blaze sighed and responded, "It's not going to be easy. I realize that, but I know Sonic. He would tell me that if anyone can handle being a single parent, it's me. Unlike a lot of my own people, he's very supportive of me and not afraid. Ever since meeting him, I've felt very at home with him, no matter where we are. Whether it's in my dimension, here, or somewhere in between."

Silver nodded, "We all get that. I think what Amy is asking is if you want help when the baby comes."

Blaze told him, "I may need help here and there, but when she's old enough to speak and understand when she's being spoken to, I want to be the one to tell her about her father. All right?"

Knuckles responded, nodding despite the grim outlook, "That sounds fair. After all, you were closer to him than anyone else."

Blaze told them, "Thank you. Let's get busy putting together a rescue plan. Despite his insistence to the contrary, I doubt Eggman has the Death Egg that well protected, and I want Sonic to at least get the chance to feel his little girl moving at least once before he passes on."

Tails sighed, but then looked at Nicole and nodded, knowing what Blaze was saying. He said, "All right, but it's got to be a quick in-and-out mission to the Death Egg. I've put together a compound that should be able to disable the security and weapons on board it temporarily, but it won't last forever."

Amy gasped, then smiled and nodded, "Great job, Tails! So how long will the stuff last?"

Tails told her, "I'd say about 6 hours, give or take about 10 minutes for it to take effect. That should be long enough to get to Sonic's cell and break him out. Is there anyone currently with us that could move that quickly?"

Astra and Tobias, twin hedgehogs created from Shadow's DNA, that had been rescued from under Eggman's amusement park in a secret lab, waved their hands as if to answer the question. Astra said, "My brother and I can go pretty quickly when we want to."

Shadow, who had been silently watching the entire time, spoke up and told her, "Listen, little one, as much as you and your brother annoy me, I don't want you killed. You shouldn't attempt a rescue mission by yourselves. Besides, what would you do if Sonic was injured?"

Tobias, who had slightly more attitude than his sister, retorted, "Simple, we'd carry him out, old man."

Blaze sighed and said, "And if he's dying? What would you do then?"

Astra, not sure of how to respond to Sonic's lover, said, "Umm….well, we'd make sure his last moments were peaceful and comfortable, of course. You can come with us if you want to, 'mom.'" She had the nagging feeling that they were going to need Blaze's firepowers, as her pregnancy had somewhat intensified the flames. The first few days of the feline's pregnancy had been tough, as her flames had been all but snuffed out. But the very next day, on the fifth day to be more precise, the flames had become closer to white in color, and much hotter. Everyone had guessed that the power boost had come from the unborn child, who Nicole guessed would have a combination of Sonic's powers and Blaze's powers.

Now, Nicole said, "Okay, well, whatever happens to Sonic, we need to keep this Resistance going. We can't let Eggman get to us, no matter what he pulls. Does everyone understand?"

Tails gulped, but nodded, "Okay, Nicole. You've got it. I'll keep fighting, for the sake of Blaze and his unborn kid. It's what he would want, you know?"

Sally smiled and nodded, her friendship with Sonic staying strong even if they didn't have romantic feelings toward each other anymore, "Yes, you're right about that one, Tails. Even if he can't lead the fight himself, he would want us to keep our wits about us and keep on fighting to free the world no matter what."

After all was said and done, and a quick in-and-out rescue plan had been made, Blaze, Astra and Tobias boarded a spaceship that Tails had built recently, based on the design Eggman had made for the gigantic mech that he had used to try and oppose Sonic when he had freed the Wisps from captivity. ((A/n: Think the Wii version of Colors, final boss fight. That's what it looks like except for no tentacle arms.)) Tails hugged Blaze and told her, "If you do get to Sonic before he is dead, please apologize to him again for me." Blaze sighed and stroked the top of his head, knowing full well what had happened the day Sonic had been captured. She told him, "Listen, Tails...Sonic doesn't blame you. Everyone heard your conversation, and no one holds you responsible, all right? Just let it go. Sonic wouldn't want you to hang onto the guilt from that day, and I don't want that for you either. Don't worry about it."

Tails nodded and told her, "This ship also has escape pods and small shuttles if you should ever need them. You probably will, given the scope of the Death Egg and how tight security is there. I wouldn't try docking on it directly. I'd stop outside the forcefield Eggman has around it so you're less likely to get caught." Blaze nodded, and with that, she got into the spaceship and closed the door after Astra and Tobias had gotten in.

After close to 3 hours of traveling, they stopped as Tails had advised them to, directly outside the forcefield around the Death Egg. They got into a smaller shuttle and managed to breach the forcefield without setting off an alarm, due to the small size of the vessel. Once they got in, Astra, Tobias and Blaze landed their small shuttle on a landing pad and went inside. When they got in, they were instantly greeted by robots, though they hadn't set off any alarms.

Melting the robots within moments of seeing them, due to the currently white-hot flames in her body, Blaze sighed and said, "We need to find out where Sonic is being held, and quickly. The sooner we know where he is, the sooner we can get out of here."

Astra nodded, "Right."

Tobias replied, "Won't be easy finding a computer room, but I think we'll manage it."

After an hour of searching, they found a computer room that contained a layout of the Death Egg and located where Sonic's cell was. They quickly went to it, and upon arriving, found Sonic on the floor, very bloody, badly bruised and barely breathing.

Astra gasped, "Big...big brother!" She called out, as if her loud voice would wake the Blue Blur up.

Tobias shook his head, "No good, he's out cold and hardly breathing. We need to get him medical attention, stat."

Blaze told them, sensing Sonic's life ebbing away with every second, "Even if we did that, it would still be too late, you two. He's barely got any life left in him, and the strain of the trip back to Mobius would kill him in an instant."

Sonic began waking up at the sound of her voice and coughed out, weakly, "Not...necessarily...Blaze."

Blaze gasped at hearing his voice and her eyes brimmed with tears, relief spreading through her like wildfire, "Sonic, oh thank goodness! Astra, see if you can take this forcefield down."

Astra nodded, and once she found the control panel, she pressed down on it and removed the forcefield from Sonic's cell. She then said, "It's down, Blaze, but like you said, the trip back to Mobius would probably be enough to kill Sonic."

Blaze responded, "And he said it wouldn't necessarily, so there you go."

Tobias folded his arms and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but he's been known to stretch the truth a little too."

Blaze sighed, "Maybe...but like I told Tails, I want to give him the chance to feel his baby girl's movements, at least once more."

Astra nodded, out of respect for her feelings, and fell quiet.

Sonic chuckled and told Blaze weakly, as she helped him up, "You don't know it's a girl, Blaze...still...way...too early, you know." He coughed, the effort to speak having hurt him somewhat.

Blaze shrugged, holding him, "Maybe it is, but the baby is shown to have flame powers and only females can inherit flame powers in my world. Though, the flames will probably be hotter. My own powers are temporarily strengthened, and the flames are white-hot. Even just in making our way here, I was able to melt all the robots we encountered without much effort."

Sonic smiled and nodded, "Sounds...like...she'll be a force to be reckoned with when she grows...up...then." He coughed and groaned softly from pain. Blaze nodded and responded, "Let's get you on board the ship, Sonic." Once they reached the spaceship, Blaze and Tobias made a direct beeline to the infirmary, so they could stabilize the Blue Blur's condition before taking off. However, it was not to be.

When the feline and hedgehog made it to the infirmary, Sonic had said weakly, "Blaze...I love...you." She teared up and kissed his hand, begging him to hang on with the gesture. She told him, "I love you too, Sonic...but please, don't give up! I need you! Our baby needs you!" Sonic groaned in pain and shook his head, the pain in his grievous injuries from the pummeling growing ever worse. He told her quietly, "Blaze...my bones are all but dust now...and my organs are almost mush, thanks to the Phantom Ruby's copies. ...Sorry to have to...leave you..but…*Groans, coughs* it can't be helped. I was too focused on...protecting everyone else. Thank you...for an amazing last night. I love you…" As he was about to close his eyes forever, Blaze sat on the side of the bed and collected him into her arms, wanting the last thing he felt to be her warm embrace and the subtle movements of his developing daughter.

Sonic smiled and responded, "Love you...too, Blaze. Oh wow...I can feel the baby moving. This is...amazing...thank you, honey, for letting me feel it, one last time." He then closed his eyes and passed away peacefully in Blaze's arms, smiling in spite of the brutal way he had been killed. Hours later, Sonic was buried close to his parents, and a small celebration of his life was held, in spite of everyone's broken hearts. Sonic's friends did this because they knew it would be what he would want, and they never let Eggman see them shed a single tear. They needed to show the evil scientist that even though they had lost someone pertinent to their cause, they weren't going to let the fires of rebellion die out, no matter how sad or dangerous things got for them.