Note: This is the Sonic version of the MLP fanfiction "The Cough". Hope you guys like this.
In the pitch-black darkness, somebody coughed.
"Who did it?"
Silence.
"Who!?"
Suddenly, an ice-blue light flared up from the white hedgehog's hand, his powers just barely being able to illuminate the room. A room of different shades of blues and black now making themselves known. Darkness remained in the places where Silver's light wouldn't reach.
Noctis watched, as Silver's yellow eyes now slowly made their way around the room, staring at each of their friends. Amy was curled up in a corner, eyes wide with an unreadable expression as she looked at a boarded-up door. On the room's only bed, Rouge and Blaze were sitting there together, Rouge shook as she sobbed without making a sound. Noctis could understand why the bat was crying, the whole room reeked of unwashed bodies, and everyone's fur/quills were matted and unkempt. Blaze, however, could only stare wisely back at Silver when his gaze met her own.
The next Mobians to have the white hedgehog's gaze on, were Knuckles, Noctis, and Shadow. Knuckles blinked at Silver, but didn't say anything. Noctis met Silver's gaze, wordlessly telling him that she didn't cough. Shadow, on the other hand, let out a soft growl when Silver looked at them. Although Noctis and Shadow could not catch the virus, they had both agreed to stay with their friends until this nightmare was all over.
Finally, Silver's gaze fell upon Sonic, and then onto Tails. The two brothers were locked in a tight embrace, it was the only comfort they could give each other. The blue hero at long last found his words, when Noctis saw Tails tremble in fear, "Why does it matter?"
Silver's eyes narrowed, "Sonic, be serious here. It'll be better if eight of us make it out alive than two of us. Coughing is the only sign we're going to get."
Tails' whimper echoed through the small space, "C-can't we….w-wait and see. It could j-just be dust or a cold. P-please?"
"I really wish we could do that Tails," Silver sighed, the sharp edge in his voice gone for a moment, "But we all saw what happened out there, we can't afford to take that hazard."
Blaze sighed, then finally spoke up, "I'm afraid Silver is right, Tails. It's either one death," she paused, took a deep breath, then continued, "or seven deaths."
Sonic let out an explosive sigh, "Isn't there anything that can be done!? Can't your psychokinesis cure it, stop it, slow it down….anything?"
The white hedgehog slowly shook his head, "Not even the chaos emeralds can cure it. There's only thing to do when we spot it. Every carrier must be killed. We're wasting precious time Sonic, why are you staling?"
Sonic quickly glanced at Tails, stood up, and said in a confident voice, "I'm staling because I did it. I coughed."
The two-tailed fox gaped at the blue hero, Sonic himself turned to look at his younger brother, "It's okay," he told Tails, "It will be better this way, at least the rest of you will be able to live happier lives when this is over. Besides, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let the rest of you die."
Tails' mouth was dry, but Noctis could hear him whisper in a hoarse voice a single, "No."
Sonic looked away, and his gaze met Shadow's, "Shadow, you're one of the strongest ones here, and you would be the least traumatized in doing this. So…." Sonic trailed off.
"Alright," Shadow said, rising to his feet and walking up to Sonic.
Blaze spoke up again, her voice grim, "Sonic, stand up straight and put your head against the wall. It…it'll be….q-quicker this way," her sentence ended with Blaze choking on a sob.
Sonic obeyed, and Shadow got ready for the attack. Before he could move, however, Noctis quickly said, "Silver, I think it's best if you put out the light. No one should see this."
Both Sonic and Shadow nodded in agreement, and Silver put out his light. Almost instantly, there was loud crack and thud, along with pained whimpers, Shadow had connected. The black hedgehog must have reacted quickly to the suffering blue blur, for there were two more loud cracks before the pained whimpering finally stopped.
When Silver quickly put the light back on to check on everyone, Noctis now saw Tails sobbing quietly to himself, his namesakes wrapped around him tightly. Shadow walked back over to Noctis and sat down, hugging her. Finally, Silver once again put the light out.
Silence reigned.
In the pitch-black darkness, somebody coughed.