Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the characters that appear in this Fic.
Alive
"Aaaah!" Sonic screamed, sitting bolt upright. Chest thundering, his gaze swept the room in a panic, hoping, wishing, it all had been a dream. His heart fell into his stomach when he saw the mangled cell bars.
"Sonic!" came her voice, tearing through his fears. She wrapped two warm arms around him, enveloping his worries and pain.
"S-Sal?" Sonic stuttered, trying to get a grip on his frantic breathing. Endless questions assaulted him, his mind racing faster than his chest.
"Calm down Sonic, everything is alright now," Sally said, embrace tightening.
Sonic cautiously returned her embrace, a deep silence falling between them. With every shaky pant he thanked the heavens she was here.
What felt like hours passed between them, pounding in his center coming to a slow calm. His mind still ran with hundreds of scenarios for what occurred but they all paled compared to the comfort in knowing he'd be out of this crazy place soon.
"Sal," Sonic said softly, "tell me all that didn't happen."
Sally released the embrace, a warm smile at hearing his normal voice again.
Registering his question, she frowned, taking a seat on the mattress next to him. "Wish I could," she said, pursing her lips.
A chill ran up Sonic's spine, eyes flicking back to the mangled bars. The longer he stared at them, the more he knew it was his doing. But no matter which way he looked at it, he couldn't remember.
Another blank spot. Was he losing it?
When the guard wasn't around he tested many techniques on his indestructible cell and each one ended the same as the last. He'd tried everything all the way down to a painful attempt where he slammed into the bars at Sonic speed, resulting in knocking himself unconscious.
Yet, there lay the all but shattered pieces of metal.
"What the heck is going on?" Sonic said.
She went to speak, but the words caught in her throat. She looked to the bars, back to Sonic and furrowed her brow. Finally, she took a deep breath pulling all her strength together. He deserved to know, despite her aching heart.
"Sonic," Sally said, pausing. "Do you remember how you got in this cell?"
Sonic gave a swift shake of his head, pulse climbing again.
Her heart skipped a beat, concerned that might be the case.
"Last thing I remember is Ol' Robuttnik sent another one of his fancy Metal Heads into the Great Forest," Sonic said. "Of course the tin can was trying to find Knothole. So, I went out to give him a warm welcome."
The hedgehog took a moment, digging deeper into his mind. "We fought for a while, until someone showed up to back me up. I can't remember anything past that."
Sally's eyes went wide for a second. "You made the decision to face Robotnik's new mech head on," Sally began. "Whatever Robotnik created, it was able to imitate your speed and it was obvious that the only one capable of facing it was you."
Sonic nodded along, memory returning to his battle with the black robot.
"Three hours passed without a word from you and the Freedom Fighters agreed to send me in to back you up. Unfortunately." Sally paused. "Antoine got this bright idea in his head to come after you first, without telling the rest of us."
Sonic shot Sally a look of confusion. "You're kiddin me right?" he said with a chuckle. "You're tellin me Ant' actually decided to try and be the hero?"
Sally shrugged. "You weren't the only one who was surprised."
Sonic shook his head. "Well, what happened next? Can't have been good," Sonic said, smirking.
Sally sighed audibly. "Not good is an understatement," she said. "I eventually made it there after Antoine and the mech was successfully destroyed, but." She looked into Sonic's eyes. "He was hurt Sonic." She paused again. "Bad." Another pause, the events difficult for her to relive, lip quivering. "And you were… Different."
Sonic's stomach lurched, body tingling all the way to his fingertips.
"Y-You," Sally stammered, every piece of her telling her to stop. Her body screaming to forgo the strength she built up, insides churning in anxiety. "You." Her heart throbbed up into her throat. "You turned on us Sonic."
Sonic's eyes went wide, disbelieving. Panicked, he grabbed Sally's shoulder. "W-what do you mean?"
She held her ground. "After Antoine got hurt something changed," she said, hesitant, "your fur turned black and you were surrounded in this black aura." Her body shivered.
Sonic's gaze flicked to the bars, then to his hands. Another chill sent tingling numbness through him.
"You… attacked me," Sally continued, her heart knotting.
Sonic remained silent.
"Thankfully, I managed to evade you long enough for more backup to arrive. The rest of the Freedom Fighters and a few of the new recruits in training arrived to assist me." She swallowed hard. "We didn't stand a chance."
Sonic's pulse rose further, heart pounding wildly in his ears.
Somehow, Sally held on, pushing through the pain in Sonic's eyes. "We fell one by on to whatever had a hold of you." Sally brought a hand to her chest, eyes filling with tears as the memories surfaced. "I was the last of our squad left standing." She remembered the killing intent in those milky white eyes, she felt it all over.
"Luckily," she said with a shaky breath, "you lost consciousness right in front of me. Whatever had a hold of you left, your fur reverted color and you passed out."
Only one question overwhelmed Sonic's mind, his gut lurching as the words left his mouth. "Did I… Are they alright?"
A piece of her heart break for the Hero. "The entire Freedom Fighter squad is recovering and looking to come out of this without any scars." Sally paused, her body screaming in protest once again. "And almost all the recruits got away with only minor injuries and concussions. But," Sally choked on a sob, "one of them hasn't woken up yet. It's not looking good."
Terror racked Sonic to his core, burying his head in his hands. Tears poured from his eyes, body shaking.
His world shattered, every perception of himself as the Hero of Mobius fading into darkness. He saw images of himself fighting his own kind, hurting them, destroying them. Memories of his service to Knothole flashed, each one without meaning, each one empty in contrast to the evil he committed.
What was this thing hiding in him? Was he always a monster?
That's what put him and his dark half in the cell, he realized. The concrete walls, non-robotocized Mobian, lack of interaction with Robuttnik. He hadn't been brought down by the tin can or captured by Robotnik. This was a Knothole prison. His own kind threw him down here.
His fur flashed black, then blue, a faint trace of the familiar black aura covering him.
"Sonic!" Sally shouted, her heart screaming, "please no. No. Not again Sonic. Don't do this again." She grabbed his hand.
He never acknowledged her, his mind reliving more memories. Constant impatience and showboating, never spending a moment to think or make plans. Why was he so stupid? Were these just traits of something deeper?
Disdain of every Freedom Fighter rule and regulation. Inability to follow orders when he needed to or outright defiance of direct commands. Selfish.
Maybe he deserved this.
"Sonic!" she yelled louder, shaking him. "Sonic snap out of it."
He never heard her, his mind falling deeper into itself.
He'd spent most of his life fighting Robotnik and never made a lick of progress. The big guy still had control of Robotropolis, Uncle Chuck was still Robotocized and trapped in that mad house. Knothole remained hidden from the rest of the world.
What was the point anyway?
A fierce pulse of energy knocked Sally from the mattress into the concrete wall, hard. Pain erupted through her body but she ignored it, staring in awe at the dark hedgehog floating above the earth. Ground beneath him cracked at his presence, gusts of wind pulsed outward and a dark aura engulfed him.
He turned his milky white eyes to Sally.
Her whole body shook, images of the Freedom Fighters falling one by one to the dark power flashed.
"No! Sonic!" she screamed, voice quivering.
He floated forward stopping feet from her.
"S-Sonic?" she stammered.
Time froze, his fist reeled back, white eyes piercing into her with their empty gaze.
She didn't falter, heart thundering, terror overwhelming her. Even as Sonic began his strike, she didn't turn from him, staring straight into those white eyes.
A loud crack echoed, concrete exploding around Sonic's hand, his punch landing inches from her face.
She didn't look away.
The dark hedgehog froze, his eyes meeting hers, killing intent seething from him.
Sally watched in disbelief as his pupils returned. The once milky white eyes, filled with his emerald green ones.
Tears fell from the shattered hedgehog and ever so slowly, he collapsed to his knees.
"Sal," his broken voice begged, resounding with the echo of the dark within him. "I'm so sorry."
Fur reverting to blue, his aura faded, every trace of the evil in him subsiding.
Heart leaping into her throat, she grabbed him, pulling him close. He didn't resist, falling into her arms, limp and sobbing.
She'd never allow this to tear him apart. He was Knothole's hero, defender of Mobius, leader of the Freedom Fighters. He was her hero.
She gripped him tighter.
She had to get him out before he transformed again, she thought. This was the second time he reverted back to his dark self and if this prison impacted causing it to happen, they needed to leave. Not to mention the guards were unlikely to ignore them making that much noise twice.
"I don't know what to do Sal," said the fragmented voice of the blue blur.
Another blank spot in his memory added to his little pocket of insanity. What could have happened had he regained himself moments later, the hedgehog thought. Would he truly have ended Sal, just like that? He still felt its presence, nipping at the back of his neck. As though it was waiting for the moment he lost control, biding for the chance to take over.
"I need you to hold on Sonic," she said, her voice concerned but strong. "We need to get out of here first."
A firm grip on Sally's shoulder, he thrust her to the ground, lethal red light buzzing past his ear.
He couldn't catch a break.
"Soldier! What do you think you're doing?" Sally yelled, her authority returning.
Pushing away the darkness tearing at him, Sonic turned to see the smug grin of a too familiar wolf.
"Following orders Princess," he said, voice firm, leveling his blaster once more.
"Unless you want a repeat of last time," Sonic said, "I'd lower that thing."
The guard's eyes flashed with fear, before a smirk settled on his face.
"You're a traitor hedgehog," the guard said, "and I'm not about to let a traitor go free."
Sonic rose to his feet, mind screaming deep into his heart. How evil was he really? He had his own kind turn on him, imprison him and even threaten to end him.
"Stand down," she commanded, "or you'll regret it."
"I don't think so Princess," the guard retorted. "Did you really think you could storm into this prison and take Sonic of your own will? You overestimate your authority."
Sonic couldn't keep his thoughts in check, rubbing his temples. What if the dark came out again? Would he try to hurt Sally again? Would all Mobians treat him this way?
"Come on hedgehog," Sonic mumbled under his breath.
It took every bit of Sonic's combat experience to shove his frantic ideas down. This was looking to break into a fight and he would be useless if his head was wondering.
There'd be another time to figure this madness out.
A volley of laser fire erupted from the darkness behind the guard, streaking toward Sally. Sonic saw it, gripping her arm and dashing behind his mattress, flipping it on its' side. It was a lousy excuse for cover but it would buy him a few seconds.
"They've got backup," Sally yelled, tucking her head down and inwardly cursing. She never expected an ambush.
With a nod, Sonic glanced out from behind the mattress. He counted at least ten guards and they'd taken formation outside his only escape route. An idea sprung into his mind.
"Follow my lead," Sonic said.
A burst of lasers tore through the soft cotton of his mattress, sending it alight.
Fire spreading fast across the bed, Sonic gripped Sally's arm, braced himself and pressed against the cushion.
"Here goes nothing."