KrissyKat91: This is another story that's actually been done for a while, which is why it's being updated so fast. Once again, I own nothing.

Ch. 7: Gone

"Sonic, what do we do?!" Sally screamed, latching onto him as the room began to shake in earnest, and the machinery around them began to spit sparks.

In answer, Sonic shoved himself to his feet, legs wobbling slightly.

"Sonic?" the princess asked, eying him worriedly.

The hedgehog clenched his teeth, drew in a deep breath, then scooped Sally up and took off down the hall, though at nowhere near his normal speed.

Sally wanted to ask what on Mobius Sonic thought he was doing, but she could tell it was taking all his concentration just to stay upright, so she kept her mouth shut.

On and on they went, dodging falling concrete and support beams. Just when Sally thought they'd be running upwards forever, the two Mobians suddenly found themselves back in the warehouse above Eggman's lab.

For a moment, just a moment, Sally thought they were home free. Then she saw the wide, jagged crack in the ground between them and the exit.

"Can you make it?" she half asked/half screamed.

"I have to!" he replied, tightening his grip on her as he leaped off the ground.

As they sailed over the crack, Sally felt a cold, sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. They weren't going to make it.

Sonic apparently realized the same thing, for he suddenly shifted her to one side and reached out with his free hand, barely managing to grab hold of a length of chain hanging over the edge. The chain dropped a bit, leaving them hanging about four feet below the edge of the sheer wall.

"Now what?" Sally asked, clinging to his arm.

Before Sonic could answer, a familiar voice shouted, "SONIC! PRINCESS SALLY!"

"Knuckles!" Sonic called back. "We're down here!"

There was the sound of running footsteps, and the scarlet echidna appeared.

"You two okay?" he called.

"We've had better days!" Sally replied.

Sonic had an unusually serious look on his face. "Knux, listen! This whole place is coming down at any second! I'm gonna throw Sally up to you! Take her and run!"

"What about you?" Knuckles asked, frowning.

"Don't worry about me! Just get her out of here!"

Nodding slowly, Knuckles bent down and held out his hands.

"Ready Sal?" the cobalt hedgehog asked.

Sally swallowed and nodded.

"On three: one... two... THREE!"

As the last word left his mouth, Sonic swung Sally upwards and into Knuckles waiting arms. Unfortunately, the movement jarred the chain, causing it to drop another two feet.

"Sonic!" Sally and Knuckles shouted.

"I'm fine! Get going!"

"I'll come back for you!" Knuckles promised, then grabbed the protesting princess and bolted.

Sonic tried to climb up the chain, but every time he moved, it dropped a few more inches. Just as he was about to try again, the building gave a sudden shudder, and promptly started to cave in.

Looks like this is it, he thought as he struggled to keep his grip on the chain. An image of the ring hidden in a secret compartment in his shoe popped into his head. Sorry, Sal. I never got to ask you the question I've been meaning to ask since you came of age.

The ground gave another lurch, the chain slid out of Sonic's grasp, and the cobalt hedgehog found himself plummeting away from the edge of the drop-off.

I love you, Sally Acorn.

As he fell, his head smacked against something hard, and the world went black.

"Knuckles!" Sally yelled at the echidna as he skidded to a stop a good ways from the collapsing building. "What are you doing?! We have to go back for Sonic!"

"I'm going back for Sonic! You are staying right here! He'll kill me if I let anything happen to you!"

"But I—"

CRASH!

Both Mobians froze, then spun around, only to watch in helpless horror as the warehouse completely collapsed.

"No," Sally whispered, shaking her head in denial.

"No." A violent shudder ran through her body.

"Sonic!" she screamed, lunging forward, only to have what felt like iron bars wrap around her upper body.

"Princess! Stop!" Knuckles shouted, struggling to restrain her. "There's nothing you can do!"

She fought him for a few more seconds, then sagged in defeat.

"Sonic," she whimpered. "He—he was still in there."

"I know," the guardian replied softly, then twitched at the sound of approaching sirens. "Come on. We need to get out of here."

Sally didn't respond, so Knuckles simply picked her up and carried her off.

KrissyKat91: For those of you planning to come after me with torches and pitchforks, he's not dead. I'm bringing him back in the sequel... well, sort of. It's complicated.