"But… But I didn't want it to be like this." Sonic looked at LongClaw with tears in his disappointment on LongClaw's face shattered him. LongClaw bowed her head: "No one wants anything like this, but it happened. It wouldn't have happened if you'd listened to me. You didn't listen to me. You're guilty. It's your fault." At that moment, an arrow lodged in LongClaw's chest. Sonic was nailed to his place with dread. He turned around. It was like another scene was alive. He saw Eggman with his familiar mustache. His eyes opened in fear. He was holding a gun to Tom's head.
"No, no! Don't hurt him!" Tom looked at Sonic as he tried to get rid of Eggman's clamp. He had both sadness and disappointment on his face. Just like LongClaw.
"You're going to put this on us. You were supposed to be kept secret. You're supposed to be stronger. You can't use it when you have that much power. It's all your fault." And all of a sudden, the explosion of the gun..
Sonic was straight in his bed in sweat. He tried to take deep sat by the edge of his bed, covered his mouth with his hand. He was really shaken up. It's been a few months since he started living with Tom and Maddie, and it's been a few months since he'd had no nightmares. After all, he found himself a family, and he wasn't alone anymore. He didn't have to hide, at least in Green Hills. The whole town accepted him. He had everything to make him happy. He really scared when he had a nightmare like this all of a sudden. His eye slipped on the clock by his bed. 4:00 a.m. "I hope I didn't make a sound," he said. He didn't want to wake Tom and Maddie up at this hour and worry. He patted his face with both hands. Just as he was going to be back in bed, he heard a scuffi on the attic stairwell. He's been so irritable. Fortunately, it wasn't Tom or Maddie. Ozzy stretched his head off the ceiling cover. Sonic breathed a deep, comfortable breath. Ozzy slowly came to Sonic's bedside. That's when Sonic pulled the bedspread on him. He stroked Ozzy's head with his hand. Ozzy approached Sonic as if he felt it and put his chin to the bed. Sonic fell asleep slowly.
—
Maddie placed the pancakes she made in the pan on the plates. Tom walked through the kitchen door. He was wearing a Sheriff's uniform. He was trying to tie his tie. He cheerfully came to Maddie:
"Good morning, honey." Said. Maddie left the pan on the stove and turned to Tom. She got the tie that Tom couldn't tie:
"Good morning, dear." she grinned and said, "When are you going to learn to tie this up?" Tom grinned:
He said, "Why should I find out when I have a beautiful wife who can tie it up?" When Maddie finished tying the tie, Tom put a kiss on her lip. He's headed for the fridge. He took the juice out of the fridge and started filling glasses. "Is ours awake?" Asked.
"I guess no, I haven't been able to wake him up yet." Tom filled the last glass: "I'll get him. " He put his juice back in the fridge and headed for the attic staircase. He slowly walked through the lid. Sonic's back was covered, he pulled the cover all the way to his head. Ozzy was still right next to him. When Tom saw it, he came up with excitement, whispering, "Good morning, buddy." He patted his face with both hands. He slowly came up to the bed and sat down. He stroked Sonic's head with his hand. "Hey, good morning, kid. Come on, it's time to get up," He said without raising his voice. Sonic took a deep breath and moved in. He showed no signs of waking up. Tom leaned in his ear: "Come on, buddy, if you don't get up now, you're going to miss breakfast." Sonic muttered and opened his eyes slowly. After yawning, his face turned up. Tom was smiling sincerely. But suddenly, seeing Tom in front of him scared Sonic. He just got out of bed. He breathed quickly. Tom was stunned by Sonic's sudden movement. Normally, he wouldn't react like that:
"Are you all right, buddy?" he asked in amazement. Sonic paused a little. He said, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Good morning," he said with a scoured smile on his face. He quickly lifted his cover off him and got out of bed. He's headed for the ceiling cover. Tom slowly climbed down the stairs. Sonic quickly moved to the kitchen table chair. Maddie smiled: "Good morning." Sonic smiled and said: "Good morning." He was going to put his hand right in pancake: "Did you wash your face and hands?" she asked. Sonic opened his mouth and closed it again. He used his speed to leave the table immediately. Maddie giggled behind his back. Tom's on the table. Sonic rustled again into the kitchen and sat in the chair. They all started having breakfast together. Maddie felt the stagnation at Sonic. The blue hedgehog, which is normally swallowed with pleasure, was very slow this morning. Maddie gave Tom a look. Tom swallowed and shrugged.
"Sonic?" he called out in a soft voice. Sonic stopped sewing his juice glass to his head. He looked at Tom. He saw Maddie looking at him, too. He said, "What?" with confused eyes.
"What's wrong with you? You're stagnant this morning. It's not a thing," he said. Sonic swallowed it. When he remembered last night, his face and ears fell. "I really don't want to talk about it," he said in a low voice. Tom and Maddie were really worried. When Sonic realized that, he said, "Don't worry, I'm fine." Tom raised one eyebrow: "Are you sure?"
"Yes, you don't have to worry. Come on, let's have a nice breakfast." This time, he was delighted to be in pancakes. They both looked at each other and kept eating. After breakfast, Tom headed for the door. Maddie and Sonic were waiting behind him. After Tom put on his shoes, he gave Maddie a kiss. "Have a good day, be careful," she said. Tom nodded with a smile. Sonic also smiled: See you, Donut Lord." Tom leaned over and stroked Sonic's head. And then he walked out the door. Sonic immediately returned to Maddie, asking, "What are you going to do today?"
I'm practically empty today. At least as long as there's no call," he said. Sonic moved excitedly:
"Then can we do yoga together?" he asked. Maddie smiled. "Sure, but promise me you won't push yourself. You almost sprained your ankle last time." Sonic laughed: Ok, okay, I promise," he laughed. Together, they laid the yoga mats on the balcony, on the floor. First, after doing some yawning moves, Maddie opened the video he used to do yoga on her laptop all the time. They started posing with slow movements. Sonic was still trying to imitate Maddie, even though he didn't quite understand. By the time they came to the 7th pose, Sonic was getting tired. Maddie snated Sonic with her eyetips. He yawned once. She sat down smiling and asked, "Didn't you sleep well?" Sonic was irreputed with that question. He didn't want to remember anything about last night, but they were rightly asking. But it was true, he couldn't say he was sleeping well.. "Yes, I suppose so." He rubbed his eyes when he said just realized he was really tired. "Do you want to take a nap?" Maddie asked in a soft voice. Sonic nodded. They went to the living room together. "If I'd helped you pack…"
"I will take care of it, and you rest." Sonic reached the seat, and Maddie put his seat pillow under his head. A run immediately brought a veil from the inside and covered Sonic. Sonic didn't last long to fall asleep. Then she slowly went back to the balcony and continued her yoga. It's been about an hour. Maddie finished her yoga, collecting her mats. She took the mats to her room. Just as she went into the bathroom to take a shower, she saw Sonic vibrate. She stared at her eyes. Sonic kept nodding. She came right by the seat. When she looked closely, she saw Sonic sweat. She knew he was having nightmare. She slowly put her hand on his head: "Hey, hey Sonic. Calm down." She said. Sonic started delirious, he couldn't calm down:
"It's not. It's not my fault. It's not my fault!" Maddie was a little freaked out. She began to shake Sonic slightly: "Sonic, hey! Relax, it's okay. You're just having a nightmare." He seemed to feel Maddie's hand. His tremor scarred, his breathing was arranged and slowed down. Maddie kept stroking his head. As he calmed down, he said: "I can't lose you too. Not again…"
He's starting to sleep calmly again. Maddie understood the cause of his early morning situation. Looks like he had a nightmare last night. He didn't tell them not to worry. He looked very fragile as he was now. When Tom arrived, they had to have a serious conversation. She didn't want to get up. The cause of his insomnia was obvious, and she didn't want him to wake up while he was at situated. At the same time, she was trying to make sense of what Sonic's delirious about. "It's not my fault" and "I can't lose you too." What did it mean? Tom knew Sonic had a trauma in the past. But she couldn't find anything to trigger this nightmare right now. She took a deep breath and kept stroking Sonic's head. They used to argue when Tom came.
—–
It was coming to 6:00 p.m. The doorbell was ringed. Maddie slowly headed for the door and opened the door. She was up against Tom.
"Hello, honey," he said, with a kiss on her forehead. Maddie took her index finger to her lip. Tom was irreputed. He frowned on his eyebrows. Maddie pulled out the door to get Tom to see the hall. Sonic was still sleeping on the couch. When Tom realized the situation, he nodded and slowly went in. They both went into the bedroom. Tom started knots of his shirt. Maddie spoke at the time:
"Honey, I think we have a problem." Tom raised one eyebrow: "Did something happen?"
"We were doing yoga together, and then I realized he was tired. He said he didn't sleep much at night. So I put him on the couch for a nap. About an hour later, he started having a nightmare."
"What?" Tom came into the living room with a rustle. He crouched next to the seat and began stroking Sonic's head. "Is he okay?" he asked.
"He looked pretty shaken up, he was sweating. He's delirious." Tom is getting nervous. He swallowed: "What did he say?"
""It's not my fault. I can't lose you too. Sentences like this" Tom swallowed it:
"I think it's old stuff. We need to talk about this. It turns out why he was stagnant in the morning."
"He obviously saw it at night."
"Why didn't he wake us up?"
"He probably didn't want to worry us"
Tom stretched his lips. "He's been through a lot at his age. It would be ridiculous not to be impressed," Maddie said. Tom swallowed : "Did he at least sleep?"
"He slept well after calming down." She turned her head into the wall clock and looked at Tom again:
"I think it's been about five hours. I've always been there for him." Tom turned his face to Sonic. As Maddie said, he seemed very calm right now. His breath was tidy.
"He didn't eat at noon then?"
"I was going to wake him up, but he was so sluggish. That's why he didn't eat. Are you hungry? Tom grinned: "Big time." Maddie laughed: "Then I'll prepare the table. We'll pick him up soon," She said with turned to the kitchen. Tom got off the couch and went back to his room. He changed. Sonic moved in. He opened his eyes and stood up slowly. That's when Tom came back to the living room. When he saw Sonic awake, he smiled and immediately went to the seat, next to him. "Rise and shine, sleepy head. " he laughed. Sonic rubbed his eyes. When he saw Tom, he smiled: "Welcome, Donut Lord." Tom put his hand on Sonic's head: "How are you?" Sonic paused: "I'm hungry." Tom laughed:
"It's natural, you're pretty sleepy today." Sonic stretched with his arms open. "Ugh, I'm pretty numb," he said. He said, "If you want to take a tour and come, you'll open it." Sonic nodded:
"Yes, that's a good idea." Sonic immediately got off the seat and headed for the outside door. He opened the door and went out with rust. Tom locked his eyes on the wall clock. Sonic went back through the living room and sat on the couch. Tom twisted his lips and laughed: "Hmmm, 5 seconds." Sonic looked at the clock. "So I toured all Green Hills in five seconds." Tom raised his hand in the air. Sonic laughed and banged a high-five. Maddie's voice was heard from the kitchen:
"Hey, you two. Dinner's ready." Sonic ran into the bathroom using his speed and sat at the table immediately afterwards. Excitedly, he stirred up the seat:
"What's at dinner?" he asked. Maddie smiled and placed a large tray on the table. It was full of chili-dogs. Sonic's eyes flashed. He raised his hands in the air:
"Long live it, that's it!" They're all lumped in hot dogs.
After dinner, Sonic went to his room. He reached for bed and started looking at the ceiling. He was trying to figure out what his problem was. He's been tired of having nightmares for two days, and there's still a night. The lid of the attic was knocked . Sonic was straightinked in his bed when he heard the sound:
"Buddy? Can I come?" The voice belonged to Tom. "Of course," Sonic said without raising his voice. The hatch opened and Tom climbed up. He smiled and came to the bed. Sonic sat on the bed by tying his legs. Tom sat next to him. Sonic looked at Tom with bewildered eyes:
"Did something happen?" he asked.
" I thought you'll answer that." Sonic stunned:
"What do you mean?"
"Last night and today, you had a nightmare." Sonic missed his eyes and swallowed. "I was just wondering if you were okay."
"I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry." He bowed his head when he said that. Tom put his hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Are you sure? You still look shaken." There's been a little waiting. "Do you want to talk?" Sonic swallowed: "I'm sure you won't like what I'm going to tell you."
"No one likes nightmares, Sonic." Tom put both hands on Sonic's shoulders and made him look at him. Sonic still can't look Tom in the eye. "Share it with me. It would be more harmful to keep it in."
Sonic took a deep breath and began to explain:
"It's the same nightmare as 3rd. LongClaw is standing in front of me. There's a lot of disappointment on her face, and I can feel all her sadness."
"LongClaw… She was the one in your world who took care of you, wasn't she?" Sonic nodded. "Even though I wasn't related, she raised me. Se said from the beginning, I had to hide my powers. Of course I didn't listen. The result is clear." He gulped. "With all the disappointment, she asks, "Why didn't you listen to me?" I'm saying I don't want it to be like this. And she said, "If you'd listened to me, it wouldn't have happened. It's all your fault." And that's when she gets shot in the chest with an arrow." Tom kept listening without changing his facial expression.
"I try to figure out what's going on and turn around in the direction where the arrow comes from." Sonic paused. Tom put his hand on Sonic's back. Sonic took a deep breath again. "That's where the scariest part of the nightmare begins. I see Eggman. He's got his arm in his chest, and you're in the clamp." Tom's eyes are clear. "Eggman's putting a gun to your head. And I'm begging him not to hurt you. You turn your face to me and talk while you're trying to get rid of the clamp." He stopped leaned over Sonic's face: "What am I telling you?" He gulped:
""You caused us this problem. You were supposed to be kept secret. You don't use it even though you have that much power. It-It's… It's all y-your fault." T-then h-he s-ho…" Meanwhile, the blue sparks that Tom witnessed before began to dance on Sonic's quills. Sonic's breath has immediately hugged Sonic, thinking he was losing control. But the hug stretched him much more than calming Sonic. The sparks are starting to grow. Tom could feel the static electricity that was formed all over his body. He never bothered him to hurt him. He tightened up his hug. Sonic was trying to take deep breaths. Tom began to speak calmly:
Shhh, calm down. Calm your heart down. First of all, I'm sure LongClaw will never blame you. All she wanted to do was protect you." Sonic sobbed. Tom continued to talk without loosening his hug:
"The Eggman thing, you couldn't stop what was going on. He was a freak. I would never blame you for that. All this time, you used your powers to hide, and then you discovered your responsibility and saved us from that guy. Now you're here with us. Everything's fine." Sonic tried to calm himself down again by taking deep breaths. Tom continued to speak softly:
It's not your fault. It's not your fault Sonic." Sonic whispered, "It's not my fault." His breath slowed down. Tom loosened his grip and separated his chest from Sonic's face. They looked at each other. Tom smiled sincerely. "Are you feeling better?" Sonic tried to wipe his eyes out. "Yes, yes I'm fine. Thank you. " The attic hatch was clogged and opened. Maddie climbed up. When Sonic saw Maddie coming, he turned his face to the left and pulled his nose. Maddie smiled: "It's good to see him drain his emotions. I thought you'd cause another interruption." Tom was surprised: "Is the electricity gone?"
"No, but the lights were sizzling. It looks like he's normally back." She's approached to Sonic. She held his hands. "Are you all right, honey?" Sonic pulled meddle again. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Good, next time you have a nightmare, come right next to us, okay? It's a relief to talk."
"Okay, I just didn't want to worry you."
"We know, but come no matter what. We're a lot more worried about you being upset. We love you very much," she hugged Sonic. Tom hugged from the other side. Sonic responded to their hugs and said: "I love you so much. And please, don't leave me."
"If you don't want to, never." Tom said. They were wrapped up for a while. All of Sonic's happy energy was back. He knew he wasn't alone anymore. At the same time, he knew that it wasn't his fault…
THE END