Running Wild! Part 3.
By T. 'RockChick' Evans.
Lots of angst and weirdness in this one. It's longer than parts 1 & 2, but I wanted to get into Sonic's thoughts more.
Poor Sonic, don't you just feel sorry for him?
Nah… :)
(Sonic: Have you got a death wish?!
RockChick: Uh oh…)
* * * *
I sat at the bar, staring morosely at the can of Coke in front of me. The same thing that I'd been doing all day. My face was hidden in the shadows of the hooded grey cloak that I was wearing; I only hoped that the outlines of my quills weren't too obvious through the material.
I didn't want to be recognised. Not now, not ever.
As far as I was concerned, Sonic the hedgehog was dead- and that was exactly the way I wanted it.
Yes… I wished I was dead. It wasn't like me to think that way… but I had killed my own friends. I was a murderer, so why would I want to live? Especially now that I was a danger to everyone around me. There was so much Chaos energy flowing through me that the slightest stress could cause the transformation into Super Sonic…
I had hoped it would fade with time. But the power was still there, even after two weeks… I could feel it, pulsing in every cell of my body, waiting. Terrifyingly close to the surface.
Terrifying, but also somehow tempting…
That was why I hadn't attempted suicide. I had thought about it, I had even come close to leaping from the top of one of the Metropolis Zone's skyscrapers. But I knew what would happen. A moment of fear, an instant of pain, and my demon would be released.
Even a nightmare could trigger it. And I had had plenty of those… I had relived the moment when I realised what I had done many times in the past fortnight. Sometimes, I awoke screaming. More often than not in a completely different Zone to the one I went to sleep in. I dreaded to think how many other innocent lives I had ended.
Turning myself in to the police would do no good, either.
Instead, I opted to disappear. I would live out the rest of my days in hiding, hopefully finding somewhere remote and uninhabited where I wouldn't be a threat anymore. I had yet to find that place.
So somehow I wound up in the Metropolis Zone.
It was almost funny, when I thought about it. Here I was, in Spike's Place- one of the Zone's most notorious bars… and I had spent the last of my money on a can of cola. The one eyed bulldog behind the bar - Spike, probably- had given me the mother of all weird looks…
But no matter how much I wanted to, I wasn't going to drown my sorrows with something stronger. Anything that would make me let my guard down or lose control of my emotions for even a moment could be disastrous.
I took a sip of the now- flat Coke. My hand was shaking…
A group of three rough- looking characters were engaged in a rowdy conversation further down the bar, almost drowning out the raucous noise from the other 'customers'. I quickly sized them up; feeling glad that my hood prevented anyone from seeing where I was looking.
Definitely not the type of people you wanted to mess with.
A grey dog and a scar-faced rodent stood by the bar; and listening in behind them was a huge, muscular boar, complete with tusks. I could tell that this hog was the complete opposite of Porker Lewis.
I made to get up and leave, but a snatch of conversation caught my ear.
"I heard he killed them all when he was Super Sonic…" the dog remarked. "Blew their plane right out of the sky!"
Talking about me. They were talking about me! I winced… I didn't want to be reminded. Amy, Tails Johnny… I had betrayed them. They were gone…
At least I couldn't remember doing it. But perhaps, deep down, I wanted to remember. I deserved it, I thought. Deserved to be haunted by my friends' final moments, forever…
I found myself wondering- when I was Super Sonic, what drove me? Blind rage?
Or something else?
Perhaps I had acted on a subconscious desire… had some dark part of myself actually wanted to see them dead?
No, I told myself… that wasn't what I wanted. I would never have wished that on my friends…
Would I…?
The guy with the buck teeth and scarred face chuckled.
"Hah. Sonic killing his own gang… what a laugh!" he smirked…
The lowlife actually smirked.
That was something I just couldn't stand…
"Yeah, real funny…" I snarled with sarcasm, and a trace of my former attitude.
"You talking to me, stranger?" he snapped… the guy was probably drunk, I thought, and out for a fight. I cursed my short temper; I was supposed to be lying low!
"Forget it," I muttered quietly. I just wanted to be left alone.
But the rodent would have none of it.
"Don't tell me to forget it, creep!"
He grabbed the hood of my cloak, pulling it down… and his eyes widened in shock and recognition…
"Hey, look!" he exclaimed. "It's Sonic the hedgehog!"
If only I wasn't so damn famous!
But I was, and my cover was blown. I backed off, allowing the now- useless cloak to fall away; my eyes desperately scanning for an exit.
There was none. I was surrounded by dozens of shady characters, each with an identical hostile stare.
"I…I ain't looking for trouble!" I said, feeling the beginnings of panic. Yeah, I was afraid. Again, that wasn't like me… but my spirit was broken; besides, I had every right to be terrified.
Not for me, though. For them.
"Robotnik still has a reward out on this guy, right?" the large pig began menacingly.
"Right," The dog confirmed. About twenty of the guys began to advance on me, made confident by alcohol and my apparent fear.
"Keep back, please…" I pleaded. Still no exit. My back was pressing against the wall… cornered.
They kept on coming. I tried to warn them… my own terror was working against me now, and I could feel the familiar buzzing in my head.
"…I…I mustn't get upset…" I gasped. The change had started… my heart began to beat faster; my muscles tightened; red began to creep in around the edges of my vision.
"No… it's too late. The stress is making me change… no!" Fury. Power. I saw the blue colour of my fur start to lighten, and closed my eyes…shaking my head violently in an attempt to clear my thoughts… I had to fight it…
"How about that. Sonic's scared… Hah, what a coward!" I heard someone say.
There was no stopping it now. My body shuddered, altering… I feared for the city's inhabitants…
"I'm scared all right," I moaned through clenched teeth, trying to hold back the energy for a little longer. "Scared of what I might do to you… but now it's… too late…"
But by the time I finished saying that, it didn't seem to matter anymore…
* * * *
Super Sonic ricocheted around the tavern like a manic pinball, his golden-yellow form shedding crackles of energy.
"Feel my power, you pitiful fools!!" he yelled at the terrified people all around.
Pick a fight with him, would they? They would soon know better…
…if they lived long enough.
But, the hedgehog thought, were these pathetic specimens worth his time?
Not when there was a whole city to devastate! Yes, he was in a city… he remembered that…
Aiming a final spin attack at the bar, he bounced of the remains and exited through the ceiling.
The roof suddenly exploded into fragments, and Super Sonic erupted into the air with an insane grin and a shower of debris…
He looked down.
The grin turned into a frown… standing outside were three familiar figures. A hedgehog, a fox, and a rabbit. They had that laptop with them, and… something else, big, covered with a tarpaulin.
Wait a minute… didn't he remember destroying those three?
Super Sonic hated unfinished business. He would deal with them… after he got some answers.
"Why, if it isn't Amy Rose and her cute little furry friends…" he called, her name coming more easily to him this time. "Aren't you all supposed to be dead? I saw your plane crash. I'm really interested to know how you escaped…"
Actually, he didn't particularly care much, but they must have pulled something incredible to escape him.
He regarded the pink girl expectantly, descending to a couple of metres from the ground.
"Well…" she began hesitantly, nervously. "I… I used the Kintobor computer to fly our plane by remote control… we were never actually on it!"
Not bad, considered the yellow hedgehog. Not that it would do them any good.
Tails and Johnny were up to something, he realised. Pulling the big, tarpaulin covered thing into an upright position… what was it? The shape was somehow familiar.
Didn't matter. Whatever they were doing, he could deal with.
"We've been on your trail for weeks…" Amy's voice took on a pleading note. "Sonic, please listen… your not yourself, we just want to help you get better!"
No. Way.
He was not Sonic.
He was Super Sonic.
And he had every intention of staying that way.
"You fools!" he snarled, eyes glowing fiercely. "Why should I want to turn back into that blue weakling that I used to be?" The hedgehog began to rise into the air, fists clenched in fury. "I am now the most powerful being on Planet Mobius…" The malicious grin returned… "The only ones who need help… are you!"
He dived.
"Sonic, no!!" Amy shrieked, just managing to throw herself out of the way; Super Sonic skimmed the ground, then shot off into the air.
He turned, coming back for another run-- and a flying orange fox suddenly darted in front of him.
So Tails wanted to play, too?
With a twisted smirk, the hedgehog gave chase to the irritating little kid. The one who was always under his feet, in his way.
How annoying.
Super Sonic allowed the fox to stay ahead for the moment, toying with him. They swept around the star post- for that was what the tarpaulin covered thing was- which had lost its' covering, and now had some kind of wiring attached to it.
The yellow hedgehog barely noticed this, though. He was in striking distance; he reached out to grab the fleeing fox…
He would rip his tails off first, he decided.
Then, unexpectedly-
"Wha--?"
Something- some force- jerked him to a halt, pulling him in…
Super Sonic snarled in outrage. He turned, observing a beam of golden light connecting him to the star post's disc…
"Some kind of energy beam… dragging me back…"
What were they up to?
He struggled to remain stationary, but the tractor beam drew him inexorably towards the star post.
The hedgehog hissed, enraged. He would not be beaten by some stupid machine; it couldn't possibly be stronger than he was. Nothing was stronger than Super Sonic--
Straining against the beam with all his energy, he spun round the star post; getting faster and further away with each orbit. ..
It was working… he was going to escape… Super Sonic grinned; it would take more than this to get the better of him. A few more seconds and the tether would snap.
It snapped all right, but not in the way he expected. A pulse of energy suddenly travelled down the beam; it rippled and flexed, then abruptly twanged like an elastic band. With the force of a cracking whip, the thread of power sucked the yellow hedgehog in…
"Noooo!!!" He shrieked, moments before disappearing into the star post.
* * * *
…I awoke in limbo, a swirling nothingness. I had been there before; I recognised the dimensional rift between Mobius and the Special Zone.
What had I done this time? How did I end up here?
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember. As usual.
Then, there was pain--
…I would have screamed, if I could. There was…. A pulling. Like I was caught in some kind of cosmic tug of war; it felt like my mind was being ripped in two.
I suppose it was, now I come to think of it.
I felt every last bit of energy being drained from me; then everything went dark, and I was falling…
Someone caught me in mid air. My head was pounding- I opened my eyes, but shut them again just as quickly. Everything was blurry, spinning. It made me want to throw up. And I felt strange… different somehow, like something was missing…
I staggered as I was set down on the ground, feeling weak and dizzy; luckily, someone supported me so I didn't embarrass myself by falling over.
"Wh… what's going on…" I muttered groggily, opening my eyes again. Luckily everything came into focus this time, even if my head was still spinning.
But I didn't believe what I saw.
Or should I say, who. Tails and Johnny were either side of me, and helped keep me upright until I got some of my co-ordination back. Amy was in front with the Kintobor computer.
I blinked and shook my head … no, I wasn't imagining things. My friends were there, alive! For a moment, my muddled brain was afraid… maybe this was another one of those nightmares, and something was about to happen. But it was way too real for that.
That meant I really hadn't killed them, and it was like a huge weight being taken off my back. I just stood there, speechless, infinitely relieved.
"Sonic, you turned Super again- but worse than ever," Johnny explained. Yeah, I'd already figured that one out. But what had happened then? I put a hand to my forehead, trying to ease the slowly- fading headache.
"Kintobor worked out how to use the star post's energy to remove all the emerald radiation…" Amy said. More geek speak, but this I understood. She was right, there was no Chaos energy in me now. That's why I felt so drained…
But it was more than that. Ever since I had first become Super Sonic, I had been able to sense that fury lurking somewhere in the back of my mind… now there was nothing.
Did that mean I was finally… free?
Well… yes and no.
"Amy, I'm picking up really wacky readings from the star post!" Kintobor exclaimed suddenly. "If I'm right, we may have sent all the emerald energy into the Special Zone." The computer paused ominously. "What I'm trying to say, is that Super Sonic may still be alive in there!"
I tensed. This was bad… but maybe Kintobor was wrong. How was it possible?
"But how could he exist by himself?" Amy pondered, echoing my thoughts as she looked around at the crowd that was starting to gather.
Johnny shook his head, observing the throng of people. Some of which looked curious, some scared… and some openly hostile.
"Look," the rabbit began quietly, cautiously. "There's nothing we can do about that right now… let's get out of here!"
I nodded, and my three friends moved off- leaving the now damaged and useless star post where it stood in the street. After shaking my head to clear the last of the confusion, I followed… a bit shakily. I have to admit that I'd have been better off with someone's help, but I was glad Tails, Amy or Johnny didn't offer… they know me better than that.
Even in a situation like this, they hadn't let me down. Even when I (he?) had tried to kill them…
Guess I'm lucky to have such good friends, huh?
"This has been a total nightmare. You all risked your lives…" I began, then hesitated. I cleared my throat and continued… even I can forget my pride sometimes. "Thanks, guys. I…er… owe you one!"
They looked at me, surprised. I grinned, realising for the first time that it was finally over… even though Kintobor had said Super Sonic might still be around, and I would have to go to the Special Zone and check it out.
But as for me… my curse was lifted. I wouldn't have to worry about hurting people any more.
Never again…
* * * *
The Special Zone. An universe all it's own, with a region of chaos and confusion at it's heart…
The echidnas had called it the Nightmare Country. And perhaps they had been right… especially now.
The shifting core of the Zone was made up of thousands of nonsensical geometric objects floating in space, as well as asteroids, old space ships and other junk that had been sucked in.
The sudden flash of brilliant yellow energy went unnoticed, such phenomenon being common in the area. But this was different…
A ball of pure Chaos energy emerged from non- space and hovered there for a moment. After a few seconds it began to coalesce, gradually forming the shape of a hedgehog. Yellow quills, red eyes.
Super Sonic looked around and realised that something was different… he was different.
He was now composed entirely of pure Chaos energy.
He was here… but Sonic was somewhere else.
Freedom.
Freedom at last.
With a diabolical chuckle, Super Sonic hurtled into the depths of the zone. If he was no longer a part of that blue hedgehog, that meant…
…He could destroy him. Sonic would die, quite literally, by his own hands. And Sonic deserved to suffer, after keeping Super Sonic trapped for all those years.
The chuckle turned into a bellow of uncontrollable laughter. It amused him to no end… and he couldn't wait to see the look on that weakling's face.
Oh yes, Sonic would suffer.
But first, it was time for a little fun…
*** ~ The end… ~ ***
Did I do STC justice? Is that possible? If 'yes', yayyy!! If 'no'…. tough.
Thalia 'RockChick'
By T. 'RockChick' Evans.
Lots of angst and weirdness in this one. It's longer than parts 1 & 2, but I wanted to get into Sonic's thoughts more.
Poor Sonic, don't you just feel sorry for him?
Nah… :)
(Sonic: Have you got a death wish?!
RockChick: Uh oh…)
* * * *
I sat at the bar, staring morosely at the can of Coke in front of me. The same thing that I'd been doing all day. My face was hidden in the shadows of the hooded grey cloak that I was wearing; I only hoped that the outlines of my quills weren't too obvious through the material.
I didn't want to be recognised. Not now, not ever.
As far as I was concerned, Sonic the hedgehog was dead- and that was exactly the way I wanted it.
Yes… I wished I was dead. It wasn't like me to think that way… but I had killed my own friends. I was a murderer, so why would I want to live? Especially now that I was a danger to everyone around me. There was so much Chaos energy flowing through me that the slightest stress could cause the transformation into Super Sonic…
I had hoped it would fade with time. But the power was still there, even after two weeks… I could feel it, pulsing in every cell of my body, waiting. Terrifyingly close to the surface.
Terrifying, but also somehow tempting…
That was why I hadn't attempted suicide. I had thought about it, I had even come close to leaping from the top of one of the Metropolis Zone's skyscrapers. But I knew what would happen. A moment of fear, an instant of pain, and my demon would be released.
Even a nightmare could trigger it. And I had had plenty of those… I had relived the moment when I realised what I had done many times in the past fortnight. Sometimes, I awoke screaming. More often than not in a completely different Zone to the one I went to sleep in. I dreaded to think how many other innocent lives I had ended.
Turning myself in to the police would do no good, either.
Instead, I opted to disappear. I would live out the rest of my days in hiding, hopefully finding somewhere remote and uninhabited where I wouldn't be a threat anymore. I had yet to find that place.
So somehow I wound up in the Metropolis Zone.
It was almost funny, when I thought about it. Here I was, in Spike's Place- one of the Zone's most notorious bars… and I had spent the last of my money on a can of cola. The one eyed bulldog behind the bar - Spike, probably- had given me the mother of all weird looks…
But no matter how much I wanted to, I wasn't going to drown my sorrows with something stronger. Anything that would make me let my guard down or lose control of my emotions for even a moment could be disastrous.
I took a sip of the now- flat Coke. My hand was shaking…
A group of three rough- looking characters were engaged in a rowdy conversation further down the bar, almost drowning out the raucous noise from the other 'customers'. I quickly sized them up; feeling glad that my hood prevented anyone from seeing where I was looking.
Definitely not the type of people you wanted to mess with.
A grey dog and a scar-faced rodent stood by the bar; and listening in behind them was a huge, muscular boar, complete with tusks. I could tell that this hog was the complete opposite of Porker Lewis.
I made to get up and leave, but a snatch of conversation caught my ear.
"I heard he killed them all when he was Super Sonic…" the dog remarked. "Blew their plane right out of the sky!"
Talking about me. They were talking about me! I winced… I didn't want to be reminded. Amy, Tails Johnny… I had betrayed them. They were gone…
At least I couldn't remember doing it. But perhaps, deep down, I wanted to remember. I deserved it, I thought. Deserved to be haunted by my friends' final moments, forever…
I found myself wondering- when I was Super Sonic, what drove me? Blind rage?
Or something else?
Perhaps I had acted on a subconscious desire… had some dark part of myself actually wanted to see them dead?
No, I told myself… that wasn't what I wanted. I would never have wished that on my friends…
Would I…?
The guy with the buck teeth and scarred face chuckled.
"Hah. Sonic killing his own gang… what a laugh!" he smirked…
The lowlife actually smirked.
That was something I just couldn't stand…
"Yeah, real funny…" I snarled with sarcasm, and a trace of my former attitude.
"You talking to me, stranger?" he snapped… the guy was probably drunk, I thought, and out for a fight. I cursed my short temper; I was supposed to be lying low!
"Forget it," I muttered quietly. I just wanted to be left alone.
But the rodent would have none of it.
"Don't tell me to forget it, creep!"
He grabbed the hood of my cloak, pulling it down… and his eyes widened in shock and recognition…
"Hey, look!" he exclaimed. "It's Sonic the hedgehog!"
If only I wasn't so damn famous!
But I was, and my cover was blown. I backed off, allowing the now- useless cloak to fall away; my eyes desperately scanning for an exit.
There was none. I was surrounded by dozens of shady characters, each with an identical hostile stare.
"I…I ain't looking for trouble!" I said, feeling the beginnings of panic. Yeah, I was afraid. Again, that wasn't like me… but my spirit was broken; besides, I had every right to be terrified.
Not for me, though. For them.
"Robotnik still has a reward out on this guy, right?" the large pig began menacingly.
"Right," The dog confirmed. About twenty of the guys began to advance on me, made confident by alcohol and my apparent fear.
"Keep back, please…" I pleaded. Still no exit. My back was pressing against the wall… cornered.
They kept on coming. I tried to warn them… my own terror was working against me now, and I could feel the familiar buzzing in my head.
"…I…I mustn't get upset…" I gasped. The change had started… my heart began to beat faster; my muscles tightened; red began to creep in around the edges of my vision.
"No… it's too late. The stress is making me change… no!" Fury. Power. I saw the blue colour of my fur start to lighten, and closed my eyes…shaking my head violently in an attempt to clear my thoughts… I had to fight it…
"How about that. Sonic's scared… Hah, what a coward!" I heard someone say.
There was no stopping it now. My body shuddered, altering… I feared for the city's inhabitants…
"I'm scared all right," I moaned through clenched teeth, trying to hold back the energy for a little longer. "Scared of what I might do to you… but now it's… too late…"
But by the time I finished saying that, it didn't seem to matter anymore…
* * * *
Super Sonic ricocheted around the tavern like a manic pinball, his golden-yellow form shedding crackles of energy.
"Feel my power, you pitiful fools!!" he yelled at the terrified people all around.
Pick a fight with him, would they? They would soon know better…
…if they lived long enough.
But, the hedgehog thought, were these pathetic specimens worth his time?
Not when there was a whole city to devastate! Yes, he was in a city… he remembered that…
Aiming a final spin attack at the bar, he bounced of the remains and exited through the ceiling.
The roof suddenly exploded into fragments, and Super Sonic erupted into the air with an insane grin and a shower of debris…
He looked down.
The grin turned into a frown… standing outside were three familiar figures. A hedgehog, a fox, and a rabbit. They had that laptop with them, and… something else, big, covered with a tarpaulin.
Wait a minute… didn't he remember destroying those three?
Super Sonic hated unfinished business. He would deal with them… after he got some answers.
"Why, if it isn't Amy Rose and her cute little furry friends…" he called, her name coming more easily to him this time. "Aren't you all supposed to be dead? I saw your plane crash. I'm really interested to know how you escaped…"
Actually, he didn't particularly care much, but they must have pulled something incredible to escape him.
He regarded the pink girl expectantly, descending to a couple of metres from the ground.
"Well…" she began hesitantly, nervously. "I… I used the Kintobor computer to fly our plane by remote control… we were never actually on it!"
Not bad, considered the yellow hedgehog. Not that it would do them any good.
Tails and Johnny were up to something, he realised. Pulling the big, tarpaulin covered thing into an upright position… what was it? The shape was somehow familiar.
Didn't matter. Whatever they were doing, he could deal with.
"We've been on your trail for weeks…" Amy's voice took on a pleading note. "Sonic, please listen… your not yourself, we just want to help you get better!"
No. Way.
He was not Sonic.
He was Super Sonic.
And he had every intention of staying that way.
"You fools!" he snarled, eyes glowing fiercely. "Why should I want to turn back into that blue weakling that I used to be?" The hedgehog began to rise into the air, fists clenched in fury. "I am now the most powerful being on Planet Mobius…" The malicious grin returned… "The only ones who need help… are you!"
He dived.
"Sonic, no!!" Amy shrieked, just managing to throw herself out of the way; Super Sonic skimmed the ground, then shot off into the air.
He turned, coming back for another run-- and a flying orange fox suddenly darted in front of him.
So Tails wanted to play, too?
With a twisted smirk, the hedgehog gave chase to the irritating little kid. The one who was always under his feet, in his way.
How annoying.
Super Sonic allowed the fox to stay ahead for the moment, toying with him. They swept around the star post- for that was what the tarpaulin covered thing was- which had lost its' covering, and now had some kind of wiring attached to it.
The yellow hedgehog barely noticed this, though. He was in striking distance; he reached out to grab the fleeing fox…
He would rip his tails off first, he decided.
Then, unexpectedly-
"Wha--?"
Something- some force- jerked him to a halt, pulling him in…
Super Sonic snarled in outrage. He turned, observing a beam of golden light connecting him to the star post's disc…
"Some kind of energy beam… dragging me back…"
What were they up to?
He struggled to remain stationary, but the tractor beam drew him inexorably towards the star post.
The hedgehog hissed, enraged. He would not be beaten by some stupid machine; it couldn't possibly be stronger than he was. Nothing was stronger than Super Sonic--
Straining against the beam with all his energy, he spun round the star post; getting faster and further away with each orbit. ..
It was working… he was going to escape… Super Sonic grinned; it would take more than this to get the better of him. A few more seconds and the tether would snap.
It snapped all right, but not in the way he expected. A pulse of energy suddenly travelled down the beam; it rippled and flexed, then abruptly twanged like an elastic band. With the force of a cracking whip, the thread of power sucked the yellow hedgehog in…
"Noooo!!!" He shrieked, moments before disappearing into the star post.
* * * *
…I awoke in limbo, a swirling nothingness. I had been there before; I recognised the dimensional rift between Mobius and the Special Zone.
What had I done this time? How did I end up here?
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember. As usual.
Then, there was pain--
…I would have screamed, if I could. There was…. A pulling. Like I was caught in some kind of cosmic tug of war; it felt like my mind was being ripped in two.
I suppose it was, now I come to think of it.
I felt every last bit of energy being drained from me; then everything went dark, and I was falling…
Someone caught me in mid air. My head was pounding- I opened my eyes, but shut them again just as quickly. Everything was blurry, spinning. It made me want to throw up. And I felt strange… different somehow, like something was missing…
I staggered as I was set down on the ground, feeling weak and dizzy; luckily, someone supported me so I didn't embarrass myself by falling over.
"Wh… what's going on…" I muttered groggily, opening my eyes again. Luckily everything came into focus this time, even if my head was still spinning.
But I didn't believe what I saw.
Or should I say, who. Tails and Johnny were either side of me, and helped keep me upright until I got some of my co-ordination back. Amy was in front with the Kintobor computer.
I blinked and shook my head … no, I wasn't imagining things. My friends were there, alive! For a moment, my muddled brain was afraid… maybe this was another one of those nightmares, and something was about to happen. But it was way too real for that.
That meant I really hadn't killed them, and it was like a huge weight being taken off my back. I just stood there, speechless, infinitely relieved.
"Sonic, you turned Super again- but worse than ever," Johnny explained. Yeah, I'd already figured that one out. But what had happened then? I put a hand to my forehead, trying to ease the slowly- fading headache.
"Kintobor worked out how to use the star post's energy to remove all the emerald radiation…" Amy said. More geek speak, but this I understood. She was right, there was no Chaos energy in me now. That's why I felt so drained…
But it was more than that. Ever since I had first become Super Sonic, I had been able to sense that fury lurking somewhere in the back of my mind… now there was nothing.
Did that mean I was finally… free?
Well… yes and no.
"Amy, I'm picking up really wacky readings from the star post!" Kintobor exclaimed suddenly. "If I'm right, we may have sent all the emerald energy into the Special Zone." The computer paused ominously. "What I'm trying to say, is that Super Sonic may still be alive in there!"
I tensed. This was bad… but maybe Kintobor was wrong. How was it possible?
"But how could he exist by himself?" Amy pondered, echoing my thoughts as she looked around at the crowd that was starting to gather.
Johnny shook his head, observing the throng of people. Some of which looked curious, some scared… and some openly hostile.
"Look," the rabbit began quietly, cautiously. "There's nothing we can do about that right now… let's get out of here!"
I nodded, and my three friends moved off- leaving the now damaged and useless star post where it stood in the street. After shaking my head to clear the last of the confusion, I followed… a bit shakily. I have to admit that I'd have been better off with someone's help, but I was glad Tails, Amy or Johnny didn't offer… they know me better than that.
Even in a situation like this, they hadn't let me down. Even when I (he?) had tried to kill them…
Guess I'm lucky to have such good friends, huh?
"This has been a total nightmare. You all risked your lives…" I began, then hesitated. I cleared my throat and continued… even I can forget my pride sometimes. "Thanks, guys. I…er… owe you one!"
They looked at me, surprised. I grinned, realising for the first time that it was finally over… even though Kintobor had said Super Sonic might still be around, and I would have to go to the Special Zone and check it out.
But as for me… my curse was lifted. I wouldn't have to worry about hurting people any more.
Never again…
* * * *
The Special Zone. An universe all it's own, with a region of chaos and confusion at it's heart…
The echidnas had called it the Nightmare Country. And perhaps they had been right… especially now.
The shifting core of the Zone was made up of thousands of nonsensical geometric objects floating in space, as well as asteroids, old space ships and other junk that had been sucked in.
The sudden flash of brilliant yellow energy went unnoticed, such phenomenon being common in the area. But this was different…
A ball of pure Chaos energy emerged from non- space and hovered there for a moment. After a few seconds it began to coalesce, gradually forming the shape of a hedgehog. Yellow quills, red eyes.
Super Sonic looked around and realised that something was different… he was different.
He was now composed entirely of pure Chaos energy.
He was here… but Sonic was somewhere else.
Freedom.
Freedom at last.
With a diabolical chuckle, Super Sonic hurtled into the depths of the zone. If he was no longer a part of that blue hedgehog, that meant…
…He could destroy him. Sonic would die, quite literally, by his own hands. And Sonic deserved to suffer, after keeping Super Sonic trapped for all those years.
The chuckle turned into a bellow of uncontrollable laughter. It amused him to no end… and he couldn't wait to see the look on that weakling's face.
Oh yes, Sonic would suffer.
But first, it was time for a little fun…
*** ~ The end… ~ ***
Did I do STC justice? Is that possible? If 'yes', yayyy!! If 'no'…. tough.
Thalia 'RockChick'
