Passion of The Heart.
Author's note: Just a one-shot story set post-Metal Virus Arc of the Sonic the Hedgehog IDW comics with issue 29 coming out tomorrow, with issue 30 following on the 5th of next month. It's mainly head-canon for most part as I do not know how the outcome of the true ending of the current arc will play out.
Do note that this story is not related to my other Sonic fanfics that I'm still working on. It's set within the IDW comic and game universe.
I do not own any rights to Sonic the Hedgehog. Only Sega does.
Two weeks. It has been two weeks since the Metal Virus had finally ended, one that almost destroyed the entire world. Created by the evil Dr. Eggman, who after his defeat against Sonic, his alternate self, and the Rookie, lost all of memories and developed a much nicer persona named Mr. Tinker, whom the heroic hedgehog thought would finally put an end to their conflict.
But not long after Metal Sonic was defeated, Dr. Starline, that twisted fan of Eggman, found him and restored his memories, thus he came up with the idea of the virus in the first place, infecting most of the people of the planet including Sonic himself, and many of his friends; Shadow, Charmy, Tangle, and even Cream...almost everyone.
And Sonic had no one to blame other than Eggman and Starline but himself. That the distraught, traumatized and guilt-ridden teenager fully believed.
Which was why, after defeating Zavok who, using the power of the Chaos Emerald, grown into a giant and almost destroyed the world with those fireballs of his and the endless horde of Zombots, some that had been the blue hedgehog's friends, and using Chaos Control as Super Sonic to cure the planet and restoring all the Zombots back to normal, curing his own infection as well, he left secretly in self-exile.
He had been unable to face everyone due to what he had done. All of his recklessness and selfishness had really caused him to almost lose everyone he cared about, seeing the heart-break of those who had been closer to others shattered him from the inside, and the lack of sleep due to trying to keep his infection under control certainly was the wake-up call that he deserved. If he had listened to Shadow, none of it would've happened.
Sonic had believed he had cared, that he had the natural gift in seeing the bright side of things and giving everyone hope and positivity and that it would work out in the end. But he had been dead wrong.
He laid in his cave that he had been living in for two weeks, on his make-shift bed of old sheets, leaves, grass and a pillow he made for himself made of the same materials, fully cured from the virus and now being able to sleep, each minute he would be reminded of his horrible actions, and would cry. He would cry in trauma and guilt.
'I was selfish. I was cruel. I didn't care about anyone. I only cared about myself. Why didn't I see that? Why was I ever like that? I'm a horrible hedgehog.' He would repeat these thoughts over and over, crying almost endlessly.
The only times he wouldn't cry was he would weep himself to sleep. But even his dreams wouldn't give him a break; he'd been haunted with vivid nightmares based on the near-apocyplse, of the Zombots engulfing the planet, the Deadly Six and/or Eggman ruling the world, Sonic himself as a fully transformed Zombot, everyone he came to know and love all killed. He would then wake up screaming and then cry once more. This had been an endless cycle for the last two weeks, and the young hero-former hero now he heart-breakingly accepted-would only leave if he was hungry and thirsty.
His only meals he had would be fruit in the trees and bushes of the forest he now lived in, and the river being the only water source. Other than that, Sonic didn't want to run anymore. After endless days running to keep his infection from transforming him, he felt that he didn't deserve it. His days as his old self were now gone; all of his dreams to explore the world, to help the innocent, to have fun, to hang out with his friends whenever he felt like it, and his freedom...washed away because he finally saw the truth.
He never had any sympathy. Sonic thought he had, but that was an illusion he created for himself and had been living in without even knowing, and the Metal Virus has broke him free from it, and revealed his true, cruel side, having fooled himself and the entire planet. He never cared. The only reason he cheered people up was because he disliked tears. He only pretended to be the caring hero and didn't even realize it.
"It's not fair...Why was I even born, if I was meant to be evil, when I didn't want to be?" Sonic whispered to himself, fresh new tears leaking and sliding every second. "Why didn't I understand everybody else's feelings...!?"
He punched onto his 'bed' in frustration, guilt and heart-break, almost screaming in angst. "I HATE IT! I HATE MYSELF! IT'S NOT FAIR!"
Wailing and screaming in his regret for ever being alive, Sonic sobbed, burying his face into his pillow which had been damp due to his tears for weeks. He wanted to go home, he wanted to see his friends in the resistance, to make sure they were okay, to apologize, to feel their presence, to hug them, to love them like he thought he always did. He wanted his little brother Tails, and Cream who was like a little sister in his arms. Heck, the blue hedgehog even wanted Amy's crushing embrace and overwhelming flirting. He wanted to be with everyone.
But Sonic couldn't face them, not after what he had done. Because of him, Eggman almost destroyed the world with Dr. Starline and the Deadly Six. Now that Sonic thought about it, the truth about him began to dawn ever since he and Tails first discovered the Lost Hex, how their friendship was strained up until the end of that adventure, and then they had reconciled.
Then came the great war which resulted in Sonic being imprisoned on Death Egg in Space for six months, and during that time he began to lose hope in ever returning home, knowing that it would be almost fully metal with no life up until his friends found that he'd still been alive. He owed the Rookie for rescuing him.
Now this happened, and three times of bad luck had finally made him open his eyes. Sonic the Hedgehog, the would-be hero had never been a hero. He was a coward, he feared death, he fought for survival, not for anybody else as he thought he did. Yes he did save lives, but only because he had to. Now he knew that he had been evil and selfish, and he was terrified of his real personality. He had no sympathy as he thought he did. That was an illusion.
Thus he had decided to disappear, to leave behind everyone because he knew it was for their own safety. They could handle things without him now. Shadow was the real hero, he can take out Eggman, and most likely kill him. Sonic's heart broke at the thought of Tails being heart-broken again due to his disappearance, and so would Amy, but they would be okay with each other, and Cream with her mother. They would be fine. Knuckles would okay too, and the blue hedgehog was definitely convinced that the Chaotix, with Charmy now back with them, would be more than happy to have seen him go after he betrayed them.
The Rogue Babylons would be more than pleased, especially Jet who would now take the title as the Fastest Thing Alive with Sonic out of the picture. Rouge would probably go back to her treasure hunting.
Silver would be going back home to a brighter future, one where Sonic would no doubt be forever known as the blue terror of Mobius. Who knows how Shadow was, if he was okay, if he recovered or what he was doing. Maybe he was seeking the blue hedgehog out for revenge in fury for not listening about 'Mr. Tinker', and the teenager wished he had.
"I'm a monster...! Maybe...Maybe I always have been...! I wish I didn't exist!" Sonic muffled into his pillow, not noticing that it had been raining outside with thunder roaring and lightning flashing. "I don't even...I don't even deserve the name Sonic the Hedgehog...! What's wrong with me!?"
Sonic weakly lifted himself up a bit, screaming up to the ceiling of his permanent home, more and more tears running down his face, his eyes all bloodshot from weeks of crying. "WHO AM I!? WHAT AM I!?"
Crying harder despite being sore from inside out, his throat aching, his heart threatening to explode, the cobalt teenager collapsed onto his pillow once more and wailed feverishly. Shivering in the cold due to the campfire having gone out hours ago, the chilly air from the storm outside, crying for weeks and weeks, having gone without food and water for today, or maybe two days, Sonic lost count on how many times he skipped meals, the long hours of sobbing left him mentally exhausted, because after another half an hour of crying and screaming in guilt...
He fell asleep.
Fifteen minutes later, as Sonic was sleeping in a restless sleep, the storm had long passed but he didn't wake up. Not even when two familiar figures of Tails and Knuckles, both along with the rest of the resistance including the restored members, had been searching for their heroic friend while trying to rebuild the world from the Metal Virus. The two had landed the Tornado 1 in the clearing of the forest and searched around the area as this was the only other place they could search to find the blue hedgehog.
"I hope Sonic's okay. I'm really worried about him." Tails muttered, having been so upset when his best friend had vanished and hadn't stopped crying for two weeks. He only managed to calm due to the help of the others, but that didn't ease his worries as he felt the horrible case of deja vu.
"I'm sure he's fine. Plus, if anybody to outrun Eggman again after this, it would be him. Sonic's not one to be captured that easily." Knuckles attempted to reassure his younger friend. But even he had his own worries. He always thought he was better than Sonic, but the crisis of the War, Angel Island nearly taken over, and then the Metal Virus had proved him wrong.
He had poor leadership skills despite everyone looking up to him for not giving up, he lacked the same full own confidence as Sonic, the same leadership skills as the younger teenager even though the blue hedgehog really didn't intend on being a leader. He was just born with not only his speed, but his gift of being the role model. The heart of a hero. Cocky, short tempered, and overconfident, yes, but Sonic had always been pure hearted.
"But...but what if Eggman got to him in the last two weeks?" The young fox pointed out, beginning to tear up again without even realizing it. "What if...what if Sonic's gone and he's not coming back this time?"
The red echidna could only sigh, knowing that words alone won't make the two-tailed kit feel any better. The six months of the blue hedgehog's absence had broken the young fox's confidence to the point that he left, and he only managed to gain some of it back from his encounter with the other Sonic from the alternate dimension. Tails then regained all of it when Sonic, having been rescued and freed, came to his and his other self's aid.
But that was nothing compared to what Sonic and virtually everyone else had gone through due to the Metal Virus. Once Knuckles witnessed his friend almost fully overtaken by the infection and that scared the heck out of him, and he was certain that Sonic, who only feared in losing his friends and drowning in water, had been utterly terrified as well. The guardian of the Master Emerald had wished he'd done something more to help him.
'Some Guardian and Leader I make. If this is how my people felt and tried to do, it's no wonder echidnas have gone extinct.' Knuckles thought to himself miserably.
"Hey, Knuckles." Tails spoke up, bringing his older friend out of his thoughts, and when the echidna glanced at him, the young fox pointed at a cave ahead of them. "Do you think that cave could be a clue to where Sonic is?"
"I doubt it, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to check." Knuckles replied. He didn't think that the cave would lead them to Sonic, but it was worth looking.
The two of them shared a nod before walking closer and closer. The more they did, the more they noticed something quite odd about it; lingering pieces of cut up old, dirty fabric, make-shift ropes, scattered leaves and tiny pieces of grass that lead a bit of a trail inside the cave, a make-shift trash made entirely out of wood badly built that had lingering pieces of apple cores that had been eaten recently, and thinner vines and a made-up needle were scattered all over the place.
In their confusion, both of them half wondering if it was Sonic while the more logical side of them said that it was a homeless person having been living in a cave for shelter for who knows how long, Tails and Knuckles silently crept closer inside. The opening was large enough to fit thirty people, and the person they saw made them gasp in shock, confusion, half-relief but increasing worry.
"SONIC!?" Tails and Knuckles shouted as they spotted their lost and now found friend, lying face first in his makeshift bed, passed out. His campfire having burnt out ages ago and he didn't seem to be moving.
The two immediately rushed over to their best friend's side, Knuckles surprisingly making it first and rolled the unconscious hedgehog onto his back, crying out. "Hey, Sonic! Are you okay!? Pull yourself together!"
Sonic didn't seem to be injured, but he did look sickly pale on the muzzle, thinner than usual due to the lack of food and water, unconsciously shivering in the cold, and what shocked the red echidna even further, his face was crusted with tears that dried up but still visible to see.
'Has he...been crying?' Knuckles thought to himself, unable to believe that his blue friend would be in such a state. 'Don't tell me he's been like this for two weeks.'
"Sonic!" Tails cried out, tearing up to see his surrogate brother this way. "Is he okay!?"
"I don't know. But obviously he's too fast asleep to hear us." The guardian replied.
"He's freezing and I don't think he's been eating right for days. We've gotta get him back to our base!" The young fox said, checking over Sonic's condition.
"Yeah. Let's go." Knuckles agreed, carefully scooping up Sonic's unconscious form bridal style, letting the younger teen's head rest onto his shoulder as the blue hedgehog moaned in his sleep. He then whispered to the young hero. "Hang in there, Sonic. We'll get you home."
Finally having found their missing friend, Knuckles carried Sonic out of the cave and followed Tails straight back to the plane to return to the base, to fix and patch up the blue hedgehog, to ask him what happened and why he didn't come back home. Though if the echidna were to guess, given the evidence of the hero's tears, he could only think of one thing that made sense and his chest ached over it.
Sonic had been living in self-isolation and guilt.
7 hours later...
Once again having gone through a restless sleep, one that thankfully didn't fill his mind with nightmares for the first time in weeks, Sonic finally woke up after another night of exile and crying. Tiredly opening his eyes and expecting to be on his make-shift bed to start up all over again, maybe stop himself to find some food since his stomach ached, demanding for something to eat, and then go to the river for a quick bath and some water to drink, what he didn't expect to see was that the ceiling was different.
A ceiling of metal and pipes, yet the bed underneath him felt so soft, softer than his own that he made for himself. Not the grass or leaves he placed the old sheet on top of, but an actual mattress. Even the pillow was full of cotton and false feathers, and over his body to his chin was a nice, warm, thick quilt that ceased his shivering. The ceiling lamp shone dimly in the oddly familiar room.
Gasping in shock and confusion and now fully awake, Sonic sat up in alarm as he looked around his surroundings. This was his room, one that the Resistance granted him since rejoining, since he'd been rescued beforehand. How did he get here?
"Hey...what's going on? Why am I here?" The blue hedgehog asked himself, and while relief to be somewhere safe flowed, paranoia and worry quickly took over, and soon fear that made his guilt even worse.
Had the resistance been looking for him, to catch him, make him recover before demanding answers? Or was he locked up against his will because of his actions? Had he been hunted down because of him running away?
'Running away...No...no, I can't believe it...! I ran away! I ran away like a coward without facing...without facing the consequences of my actions...!' These thoughts haunted him, making Sonic realize that leaving on self-exile made him even more of a traitor and now everyone, all of his friends, or at least his so-called or former friends, were against him. They found him, and had put him under house arrest, rather than full arrest, or even letting Shadow kill him.
"...I'm a coward. I'm a traitor...!" Sonic tearfully muttered to himself, scared, frightened, feeling all alone, and now even more guilty for his actions. He wasn't ready to face the judgement against him, but he felt mentally weak.
He couldn't run anymore. He couldn't escape the horrors of his crime. His judgement day was coming. Sonic's luck had finally run out. Broken and shaken, Sonic wailed before covering his face with his gloved hands and resumed his crying. When that didn't seem enough, the blue hedgehog turned and buried his face into his nice, clean, pillow and sobbed, his tears now making it begin to get wet.
Still exhausted from having just woken up, and his crying still keeping him tired, the teenage hedgehog was back asleep within the mere ten minutes.
Another hour later of another dreamless sleep, Sonic moaned as he shifted a bit, not hearing the door open or Amy Rose, his self-proclaimed girlfriend, who had been worried sick about him, step in while carrying a plate of a Chili Dog and a glass of Soda only to spot him in his current position.
Worry overwhelming her but not wanting to scare him awake, the pink hedgehog approached as silently as she could, having waited for hours for him to recover and wake up after Tails and Knuckles returning, finally having found him. Everyone had been greatly relieved to see Sonic alive, but in such a state of hunger and thirst, and what really shocked them as they all saw what Knuckles and eventually Tails had seen, the dried up tears on the blue hedgehog's muzzle.
Most have guessed that Sonic had felt so much guilt that he couldn't bear to see any of them, and thus had been living in self-exile because of what happened, and really, Shadow had come pretty close in doing the same. Vector and Espio both certainly blamed themselves profusely over what happened to Charmy who didn't blame them or Sonic at all, having continuously blamed Eggman for everything that's happened. Silver had come close in living the rest of his life in the present, once saying that he didn't deserve to return to the future, but his friends of the present told him that he shouldn't punish himself over what has happened.
Not a single one of them wasn't affected by the crisis that they endured and lived through. It traumatized all of them in many ways, and they had known that Sonic was badly affected. They had been so worried and had taken turns in trying to find him while helping to restore the planet prior to Eggman's worst mistake of his life.
Amy silently placed the plate and glass onto the bedside table, and carefully caressed her 'boyfriend' on top of the head, Sonic moaning in his sleep. As he unconsciously turned his head that unknowingly faced her, the pink hedgehog softly gasped as fresh new crust of tears were shown. Seeing him like this made her tear up as well.
"Oh, Sonic...My sweet, brave Sonic." Amy whispered tearfully, trying not to cry before she gently shook him by the shoulder with a soft, gentle smile. "Sonic...Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey."
This seemed to do the trick, as Sonic opened his eyes for the second time in hours, having less sleep than he had when he first woke up here, and, finding that waking up in his room hadn't been a dream, the sight of a very familiar, beautiful face, standing beside him with an expression that he thought he'd never see again, and the aroma of a Chili Dog he'd been craving for weeks fill up his nostrils, making his mouth water a bit and his stomach growling to consume it made him even more convinced that this was real.
Or maybe this was a pleasant dream to soothe him from the cruel reality he'd have to face soon.
"A-Amy?" Sonic muttered tiredly, feeling the gentle touch on his shoulder that was warm and comforting, given Amy's obsession over him.
"It's okay, Sonic. You're safe now. You're home." She replied gently, more tears threatening to leak.
Groaning as he sat up in bed, the blue hedgehog rubbed his eyes before looking back at her. "Is this real?"
"Of course it is, silly." Amy replied, before inadvertently glared at him in anger which made Sonic flinch and gasp in fear as she demanded. "Sonic the Hedgehog, why didn't you come back and why were you camping out in that cave?"
"W-wait, wait! How'd you know where to find me?" Sonic asked, holding his hands up in surrender and wondered if maybe this was some twisted nightmare. First it would start up a bit pleasant, and then it would take a dark turn for the worst before he would wake up screaming.
"Tails and Knuckles found you unconscious and brought you back here. Everybody's been worried, and I've been worried sick about you! Do you realize that you made everybody search all over the place like crazy!? What were you thinking, vanishing like that after using Chaos Control to cure the planet!?" Amy explained and all but shouted.
Sonic was about to protest when her words on how worried everybody was made him stop. All of his friends...had they been worried? Worried about a monster like him?
"The last time you disappeared as bad enough...I thought...I thought you were gone forever, but I never gave up hope that you were still alive...! Why did you have to go and disappear like that? We almost lost you twice...I almost lost you twice!" The pink hedgehog continued, her anger melting into sorrow.
The cobalt hero could only gaze at her silently, rendering into tears himself again. He wondered if this was because he now fully cared and sympathized deeply, not like the illusion he had created for himself unknowingly and didn't know how he'd done it. Either way, he knew that he wasn't getting out of facing everyone again who had been worried.
He had to tell them the truth. The truth about himself even he didn't know until this point.
"Please don't disappear like that ever again, Sonic the Hedgehog!" Amy sobbed, her tears falling freely.
Sonic sniffled, crying again himself while trying to hold it back, but it was a losing battle. Overwhelmed with the sense of being in the company of those he deeply cared for, for real now as he believed, he couldn't hold back the urge to be in someone's arms anymore. After two weeks of being all alone in guilt, trauma and sorrow, he deeply wanted company, he wanted to cheer everybody up again.
He wanted them back.
"Oh, Amy...!" Sonic whispered, and didn't even flinch when she, unable to help herself, threw her arms around him into a squeezing, tight hug and cried onto his shoulder. He cringed at the tightness and overwhelming familiar sense, but he held back the urge to push away and instead gave in the need to return it, wrapping his arms around her body.
It was pleasant, it was warm, it was soothing, everything that he took for granted, it felt just...right. For the first time since becoming infected by the metal virus, the blue hedgehog desperately needed the touch of another person, craved for it.
"I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry, Ames...!" Sonic muttered, crying as well. "Oh man...I missed you guys so much...! I'm so really, deeply sorry...!"
Amy was shocked that her boyfriend was crying himself, as she had never seen him cry before. Yes she has seen him really sad, like when everyone thought Shadow had died after sacrificing himself, when he had missed Chip the Light Gaia, and the cute aliens the Wisps and seen him feeling guilty for what he put Tails through during the Lost Hex crisis. But never cry like this. He really must've been deeply affected by the Metal Virus.
Unable to say anything, she just snuggled into his chest as the two hedgehogs embraced as much as they both needed, as much as they both wanted. After a few minutes, the two reluctantly let go, their tears still visible, but with soft, emotional smiles.
"I'm really sorry for being horrible. I didn't mean to." The blue hedgehog muttered.
"Sonic, you were never horrible. The only horrible people around are Eggman, those two creeps, Metal Sonic and that dumb Platypus guy who found that creep." The pink hedgehog pointed out softly.
Sonic looked away in shame, his smile fading. "That still doesn't change the fact of what I did, and how that mess started up. I...I didn't even realize that I had been living in my own illusionary world for most of my life, and I can't figure out how it started or why I haven't seen it before. I thought that I cared a lot about you and everybody else, that I cared about other people, and went out of my way to save them and go on adventures, making new friends along the way. I thought that I had a heart of a hero, somebody to help make others feel better."
More tears leaked and spilled, his lips quivered as he continued as he was rendered into his crying yet again. "But I was wrong...! I only...I only cared about myself...! Everything was...for my own interests...! I only...I only cared about my freedom, my speed, my love for adventures...! I never understood other people's feelings...! I was never sympathic! I thought I was, but now I see that I wasn't! I'm so ashamed of myself, Amy! Everybody almost died because of me!"
"Sonic...!" Amy whispered, shocked at what she was witnessing, of what she was hearing. Had his confidence really shattered?
"Most of our friends got turned into Zombots, because I let Eggman go free as-as Mr. Tinker! Now he'll never be fully reformed, and the only person to blame for that is me! He created the Metal Virus because I was selfish, stupid and cruel! I'm a monster! I always was, and I never realized it until I was infected with the Metal Virus! My eyes are wide opened, and now I see how horrible I truly was! How can I call myself a hero and a friend if I was only pretending even to myself!?" Sonic almost screamed, before sobbing once more.
Sniffling while trying to control himself but unable to do so, he continued. "Not only that, but...I'm a coward. I ran away because...because I couldn't face any of you for what I've done...! I've spent two weeks in that cave, making it my home, exiled myself because...because I'm a traitor to the planet. I thought I loved all of you guys...but that was just an illusion I'd been living in and spread to all of you, just like the Metal Virus...!"
Amy's heart broke, not because of what Sonic had said, but because of how he felt, the guilt having made him believe such words that she knew wasn't true. She gently placed a hand onto his tear-soaked face, making him slowly turn his head to face her.
"Sonic, you're not a monster, and you never were. The main problem is that you were sometimes too overconfident and cocky. You did care, you just needed a bit of a reminder, to see how much everybody means to you, and how important friends and families really are. Would a monster feel sad when Shadow was thought to have died, or you thought I was gone? Would a monster do his best to cheer others up, or risk his life to try and protect them, to save many others with determination? To even call everybody he'd come to know his friends?" She responded.
"No." Sonic replied, before asking hopelessly. "But how do we know I cared in the past?"
"Because you always were the leader to us, Sonic. You did care, but I think you've gotten too overconfident lately, and you're so used to your freedom, you're scared to let it go, especially after being stuck on the Death Egg for months. Being trapped like that would drive anybody into a, well, 'Freedom-Syndrome'." Amy replied.
The blue hedgehog paused and stared at her in surprise. While he was certain that 'Freedom-Syndrome' was something she had just made up, he it let sink in and thought about it. The more he did, the more he realized, and remembered, that he had made himself a promise; he promised to enjoy as much freedom as he could ever want after defeating Eggman and destroyed the Phantom Ruby. He had been so crazy that he, as he realized, put his friends second and just wanted to enjoy his renewed freedom, his love for adventure, to rebuild the world, to beat up robots just for fun and as for a stress relief.
As much as he hated to admit it, he had been miserable and going stir-crazy during his imprisonment. So much so that he'd become self-reliant, more so than ever, and slowly forgetting his enjoyment in being around his friends and even acted even more cocky and too overconfident. He then remembered all the times and fun he shared with all of his friends, everything they went through together, and how he deeply enjoyed their company.
Sonic had been so proud of Tails for having been smarter than Eggman, and regretted in doubting his adoptive little brother who looked up to him, and he had always been so proud of the young fox. How he loved being in Cream's company sometimes since she was so sweet and kind and muture for her age, very polite and trying her hardest to be brave, and he admired her for that and praised her. Loved her since she was like a little sister to him.
Everything he felt for his friends...Sonic smiled softly in realization that his feelings for them were not an illusion. He just needed a reminder of how much they meant to him, and how important it is to sympathize, because caring for others is much more important than his own problems.
"I guess I didn't see that." Sonic admitted, sheepishly as he scratched the top of his head. "I'm sorry, Amy. It's been so stressful and well, the whole Metal Virus is still my fault, and I really need to make it up for it."
"You already did."
"Huh?" He looked at her, confused.
"When the Chaos Emeralds cured you, you were the first to realize that they were what could cure everybody, and you used that power to save everyone. It's you that always manages to cure people and beings from the darkness or infections or whatever, like you did with Chaos. You knew that sealing him away would keep him angry and confused forever. You never gave up, because you always believed in the doing the right thing." Amy continued warmly.
These words somehow cured his heart which had been put into a bad place for ages ever since the crisis began.
"Besides, everybody makes mistakes. It's those like Eggman who don't regret it most of the time." She added.
Smiling emotionally, Sonic wiped away his tears and looekd at his self-proclaimed girlfriend. "You're right. I just have to remember that from now on."
"You'll have better luck in remembering on a full stomach, before your Chili Dog gets too cold." Amy stated, and the moment she said that, her boyfriend's stomach growled loudly.
"Heh heh...I could use a warm meal after two weeks on living on nothing but apples, even though an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Sonic sheepishly replied, and accepted the plate his friend gave him. "Especially bad ones like Eggman."
"But you looked thinner than usual. How many times have you stopped eating?" She asked, worriedly.
"Uhhhhhh...Lost count." He shrugged, before taking a bite out of his favorite food, moaning in pure delight when the familiar taste of the Chili Dog hit his taste bud. It was still warm and fresh, and before he knew it, he munched and gulped it down within second and rubbed his now satisfied belly. He then took the glass of soda and gulped that down as well since having nothing but water for survival, he felt quite spoiled at the moment.
Amy giggled at how her boyfriend was enjoying his first warm meal in two weeks.
"Man, that hit the spot." Sonic sighed, smiling warmly as he gazed at his self-proclaimed girlfriend. "Thanks, Amy."
"You look like you could use twenty of those." Amy remarked.
"Yeah, I could." The blue hedgehog agreed, before sighing as he set the glass back onto the table along with the plate, his guilt still hanging heavily. "I...I'm sorry for running away. The thing is...I'm not sure if I can be a hero anymore. Everything I did lately, it's been one chaos after another. I just didn't want any of you get hurt because of what happened. The pandemic is worse than when Eggman took over the planet in those six months."
He then gasped as he realized what he was saying, and shook his head. "Now here I am, talking about my own problems and...and I haven't even thought about how everybody else were doing...! I've done again...! How am I so selfish!?"
Sonic, in guilt for not once thinking on how his friends were recovering and once again realizing how selfish he really was, how unsympatheic he is, sobbed once more, covering his face with his gloved hands. Here he was, feeling sorry for himself and not once thinking about how everybody else felt. Spending two weeks calling himself a monster, he hadn't even thought of how everybody else were feeling in the aftermath, or how traumatized they were.
Amy stared at him, her own tears of guilt forming once more. Everybody else had their own feelings of trauma, not once thinking about Sonic's and each their own problems. She had sensed that Sonic left because he didn't want to hurt him, or face them for the consequences of his mistakes because he had been traumatized.
"You just...needed time to recover." She pointed out, her voice quivering. "We all did."
"But I didn't...I didn't even think that you were...all having problems. I thought that...I thought that you were okay after I cured the planet." He tearfully replied, hesitant but slowly looked back up to his friend, and his heart burned even more to see her in tears once more, the reminder of his guilt. "I'm so sorry...! I thought...I thought that you would be okay without me...!"
Unable to hold his gaze, Sonic looked away once more as his tears continued to fall. "I wanted to see you guys again. I wanted...I wanted to come home, to make sure you were okay. I mean...I knew that...that you and Tails would be upset after I disappeared, and I'm so sorry for that. I just thought, you would be better off without me. I wanted to see you again, but I couldn't...Not after...not after what we've all been through. I was worried, but...how can anybody worry about me, when it was all my fault?"
"Sonic..." Amy whispered, her tears falling.
"I didn't think Knuckles would worry so much. I know how much Cream must've felt, or at least I think I do. She must've been so scared, and...it's not fair for her or Charmy, or anybody else to be turned into Zombots. I'll bet Vector and Espio would label me a traitor because of that. I bet the Rogue Babylons are more than happy that I disappeared. Jet can keep my title as the Fastest Thing Alive, because...they always hated me, and what I did is a perfect excuse for them to keep their reputation. I'm not so sure about Rouge or Omega, and..."
He trailed off, before muttering. "I wish I could thank Silver, and apologize to him. He's probably gone off home by now, hasn't he? And Shadow...I should've listened to him. We really should've kept a better eye on Eggman, and stopped thta stupid Platypus from restoring his memories after kidnapping him...That's what started this mess...! It's all my fault!"
Sonic collapsed onto his bed, his face buried into his pillow once more and renewed his crying. Amy could only watch him break down, before gently placing a hand onto his shoulder and rubbed his back to comfort him as much as possible, even though she had no idea what else to say to reassure him. It dawned onto her that his guilt, fears and self-exile had left him feeling so alone, thinking that everybody was better off without him and wasn't ready to face them yet, no matter how much he wanted to come back. He was right about some of them, but he was wrong about the Chaotix, and even the Rogue Babylons.
She heard the door creep open, and glanced over her shoulder to see the tearful looks of Tails and Cream, with Cheese in her arms as the little Chao seemed to have been crying himself. Pretty much everyone was there. Charmy couldn't stop his tears from falling, Vector and Espio both held sympathic and guilty expressions, Knuckles looked just as guilt ridden and uncertain, Silver lowered his gaze in shame and sympathy, even Rouge had tiny traces of tears in her eyes, and Shadow...
He tried to hide it, but the sorrow and guilt Sonic was feeling so badly made the ebony hedgehog look away with a somber expression, reminded of how he failed to save Maria, how he himself almost destroyed the planet over a misunderstanding. Yes he did fault Sonic for not being careful, but he knew that the younger hedgehog hadn't meant to make a mistake like letting Eggman go free as the amnestic Mr. Tinker.
Heck, even the Rogue Babylons looked on with uncharacteristic sympathy for the speedy blue rival who had gone through so much as they all had.
Amy softly shushed them by placing a finger over her lips, silently asking the group to give Sonic some more time. Everyone could only stare in uncomfortable silence, none of them having seen Sonic the Hedgehog cry so much before, let alone cry in general. The usually passionate, optimistic, happy-go-lucky, cocky and brave hedgehog had been just as affected by the trauma and horrors of the Metal Virus as they had been and took the full blame for it's existence.
Once Knuckles nodded his head to gesture her to let the blue hero know that he need to see them now despite his condition, the pink hedgehog was hesitant before she nodded reluctantly and turned her attention back to her distraught boyfriend, shaking him a little.
"Sonic...everybody's here to see you." She whispered as soothingly as possible.
Hearing this made Sonic cringe, not having heard the door open in his crying, but he couldn't say no to company. As much as he wasn't ready to face them yet, he felt powerless and weak, mentally exhausted and knew that it was a bunch against one. Reluctant and trying to stop sobbing like a baby, the blue hedgehog slowly sat up and, not having the will or strength to wipe away his tears and bracing himself for the biggest yells of anger and accusing words of his entire life, he looked at the doorway to find almost everyone there. The only ones not around were Tangle and Whisper, or Big and Froggy or even Omega.
He could only stare in silence, and as much as he felt relieved to see him, the reminder of what happened was still there. Those who hasn't seen in two weeks were no longer Zombots. They were all cured just like he was.
"Hey, guys...Um...I...um..." Sonic stuttered, not sure how to make his severe apology or what to say without sounding so selfish. He knew that saying 'I'm sorry' wouldn't even cut it.
"We heard everything." Espio spoke up, causing the blue hedgehog to gaze at them in confusion and shock. "We heard what you said for the last ten minutes, even though we hadn't meant to."
"It was sorta my idea, 'cause we were pretty worried about ya', Sonic." Vector admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "We listened ever since Amy walked in."
"You don't have to apologize, Sonic. We forgive you." Charmy added, smiling warmly and tearfully, repeatedly rubbing his eyes to try and wipe away his tears that refused to stop.
"Please don't cry, Sonic. We don't hate you." Cream tearfully pleaded, with Cheese murmuring in agreement.
"We've been looking for you for the last two weeks, 'cause we were really worried, and looking for everybody else." Tails explained, sniffling as he was heart-broken to see his older brother like this.
"Y-yeah, Amy told me that you were worried 'bout me." Sonic tearfully responded, sniffling himself. "That still doesn't change how much I messed everything up. Or the fact that...that I've been so selfish."
"You weren't selfish. You were just a crazy over being free again and trying to help the world by yourself." Knuckles pointed out, his arms folded to his chest. "As Amy said, you were having the 'Freedom Syndrome'."
"And don't get me started about the title of the Fastest Thing Alive, because...as much as I hate to admit it, but I'm not fast without my board. You were born with your speed. I only just made up in being the fastest because I can fly. If anyone deserves that title, it's you." Jet grudgingly admitted and his two allies nodded.
"And well, we have had our own problems in trying to recover from the whole pandemic, but we tried to stay focused on finding you, big blue." Rouge shrugged a little uncomfortably.
"What you did after saving the world, I felt like doing the same by staying here for the rest of my life. But then I realized that guilt would only weigh people down, not moving on to learn from the mistakes and try and make sure it wouldn't happen again." Silver admitted, looking up at the blue hedgehog with a sad smile.
"It was a stupid mistake to leave Eggman unchecked even without his memories, but it was Dr. Starline who did to him what Black Doom tried to do with me. Plus you made up for it, Sonic. You used the Chaos Emeralds to cure the planet and restore us back to normal. You didn't create the virus, and Eggman was really the one who started the whole thing ever since finding that Phantom Ruby." Shadow stated.
He paused, continuing. "In a way, the war wasn't truly over. It was just the beginning, and now that war has finally ended."
"Sonic." Tails muttered, giving his best friend a tearful smile. "You always did care for us. Everybody makes mistakes. The Metal Virus is gone, and we should move on from it."
Sonic was stunned by how much support and forgiveness his friends were giving him despite what has happened. For one, absorbing all of the words they said made him realize that they were right. To see that they were okay physically, but like him were mentally wounded and traumatized but had done their best to ignore those horrors for the sake of finding others, to find him and there he was crying in guilt and self-exile for two whole weeks not doing a single thing. It wasn't like he'd been imprisoned in the Death Egg for six months.
Again he hadn't done a thing and felt terrible for it. But now...now he was home. Back with his friends where his heart longed for, and while he still wanted his freedom and fun and sense of adventures back, wanting to help others, everybody he'd come to know as his allies made him finally find the true home he had been unable to find since his adventures began.
"...I wanna hear everything you guys had been doing. I've been really worried about you too, but I was so afraid of facing you. I'm sorry. I'll never take any of you for granted again." Sonic finally replied tearfully. Almost everyone smiled in relief upon him saying this and meant it. He stood up and walked half-way to them before stopping in the middle. "Can I rejoin the Resistance...please?"
Tails responded by running up to him and threw himself into the blue hedgehog's chest for a tight hug. Sonic responded by hugging him back as tears flowed freely, and gestured whoever else wanted to do the same to join in. Cream and Cheese immediately did so, with Charmy following and Amy, tearfully happy that the blue hedgehog was here to stay, joined in as well. Tears of joy and happiness of the reunion fell as Sonic and his friends he was hugging longingly all laughed.
Even Silver, Knuckles, Vector, the reluctant Espio(at Charmy's urging) and Rouge joined in for the emotional reunion. The Rogue Babylons and Shadow stood by watching, with Storm looking ready to bawl his eyes out.
"Welcome back, Sonic!" Tails tearfully welcomed.
"We really missed you!" Cream added.
"Chao, Chao chao!" Cheese squealed.
"Aw, you guys...! I missed ya' too!" Sonic replied, fully embracing the warmth of almost everyone all around him. This was what he deeply missed, what he truly longed for. All of his fears and sorrow were being washed away by the love and support from his friends, the sheer relief that they were back to normal.
He turned his gaze to his best two-tailed friend and said, "Tails...I've always been so proud of you, and you've always been a hero as far as I'm concerned."
Tails blushed bashfully with tears still falling.
Sonic then looked at Cream and continued, "Cream...you're so brave and pure. You light up everybody with your very sweet nature, and I promise I'll do my best to keep harm away from you."
Cream beamed happily, and Cheese cooed with the same feeling.
"Amy..." Sonic glanced over to his self-proclaimed girlfriend as she gazed him curiously. "You've always been supportive. A little crazy over me, but very supportive, strong and brave."
"Oh, Sonic...!" Amy tearfully said, giving him a big kiss on the cheek and while cringed, he chuckled as he found that he even missed that.
"Hey, Charmy, Vector, Espio...I'm really sorry, you guys. I'm so glad that you're back together again." Sonic continued to the Chaotix who all smiled at him, Charmy laughing happily, Espio nodding and Vector patted the blue hedgehog on the back supportingly.
The teenage hero then turned to Knuckles and said, "Knuckles, you did a great job as a leader while I was gone, keeping everybody safe. You're one of the most loyal guys I've ever met."
"Thanks, Sonic." Knuckles replied with a smile, feeling a bit soothed at his friend's support despite that he felt otherwise.
"Silver..." Sonic continued, turning to the future hedgehog. "Thank you. If you hadn't been here, we would've lost the entire world. You're the new hero of the planet in the future, and I couldn't ask for anybody to take my place in 200 years time than you."
"Uh, um...Thanks, Sonic." Silver replied, feeling rather embarrassed by the compliment.
The blue hedgehog nodded, then turned to Rouge. "Rouge...You really don't hold back in fights and spy skills. You have great loyalty too, despite you being a thief but I'm more than willing to over look that."
"Always thought of you being a smart one at knowing who to trust." Rouge smiled, before adding teasingly. "Not like Knuckie who has trouble with it."
"HEY!" Knuckles snapped angrily at the bat over the teasing and insult.
'Some things never change.' Sonic thought to himself, and boy did he miss this. He then turned his attention the Rogue Babylons, and spoke up. "Hey, Jet."
"Yeah?" The green Hawk, Wave and Storm(who was blubbering like a baby), looked up at him.
"You, Wave and Storm were a huge help, and while we're a long way to go in being friends, you guys sure know how to handle things. Hope you and me can have a race again when everything's back to normal." The blue hedgehog told him, winking.
While the pink Swallow and white Albatross were too embarrassed to say anything over the compliment, Jet blinked in surprised before smirking and nodded. "You're on, Sonic the Hedgehog."
Sonic nodded, before turning to the apparent last member of the group who remained silent, and the younger hedgehog sighed, more hesitant with him than he had with the others. "Shadow...I..."
"Yes?" Shadow asked, impatiently.
Wincing at the harsh response, while the others looked at the black hedgehog disapprovingly, Sonic sighed with a look of guilt that formed once more. "I'm really sorry. I should've listened to you. And...I know it's a little over fifty years late, but...I'm really sorry about Maria, and what you had to go through. I'm sorry for not listening to you about Eggman's amnesia or that we shouldn't have let him go free. You were right. It's the worst mistake I've ever made."
He then forced himself to look back up at him after having lowered his gaze, adding tearfully. "If I hadn't let him out of my sight, the Metal Virus wouldn't have ever happened. I'm so glad that you're back to normal too."
"...I suppose we all have our faults and guilt. I was reckless too, and I should've listened to you when you told me to run. Instead I ran in and kept fighting until I became a Zombot. I can only say..." Shadow admitted, looking away uncomfortably, before closing his eyes and muttered. "Thank you. You saved us from the Metal Virus, Sonic."
Feeling the sense of relief that he was truly forgiven, and each and every one of them knew that they had a long road of recovery from their ordeal from the traumatic events, Sonic smiled emotionally. He was back where his heart belonged, and having learned a more valuable lesson, he knew that his place was with his friends.
Everyone remained silent over Sonic's confessions to all of them, and finally after two weeks of being separated, he was here with them to stay, until everything was back to normal. They were certain that he would go out again for more adventures once they all recovered, but for the time thing, he was more than willing to stay. After a little while, they all slowly and relucantly broke the hug and Sonic, Amy, Tails, Cream and Cheese, and Charmy all wiped away their tears.
"Well, now that we're all here, any idea where we can the others?" Sonic asked, referring to their missing friends, Big and Froggy, Tangle and Whisper, and Omega.
"So far, we do have clues where Big and Tangle are. But we haven't seen Omega in weeks either, and the survivors have all been all over the place." Tails explained.
"Guess I'd better go and make sure the survivors are all okay. I need to make it up to them as well. I hope nobody got killed." The blue hedgehog muttered, the lingering guilt for having left so many behind when they needed his help, now more than ever, still hanged in his heart. "I can't just leave them any longer. Not after I've spent too weeks on exile."
"You needed time to recover, as we all did." Jet pointed out.
"Yeah, but you guys were doing all the work in finding the survivors and still feeling hurt and traumatized during that time. I was wasting mine in a cave like a big baby because I was scared. I have to make it up for lost time." Sonic protested, clenching his fist as his determination formed with the thought of the one man he knew that had to be stopped. "And this time, I won't let Eggman get away with it!"
BOOM!
A huge tremor and loud boom shook the entire base that almost made everyone lose their balance as they all cried out in alarm.
"AAH! Earthquake!" Charmy screamed.
"That ain't no Earthquake, Charmy! It's something else!" Vector exclaimed.
"More like someone else!" Espio corrected.
"It's gotta be Eggman!" Tails exclaimed.
"Well, I guess it's time to get back into beating ol' Egghead." Sonic declared as he adjusted his gloves, and while he was still disappointed that the doctor wanted to remain evil and he had no idea where Metal Sonic was, the blue hedgehog did agree to be enemies with Eggman again, and he wasn't going to let the mad scientist get away with what he's done.
"Sonic, you're still recovering! You need to rest!" Cream protested, worriedly.
"Chao!" Cheese agreed.
"No, two weeks is more than enough. I've been doing nothing but crying and sleeping and not in any particular order. Now, I'm ready to take him down!" The blue hedgehog said firmly, cracking his knuckles and neck, doing a couple of stretches to get his muscles into as much shape as possible.
"Are you sure?" Tails asked, worriedly.
"Positive." Sonic nodded, stretching and twisting. "I haven't been in the best shape since the whole virus thing happened, and I wasn't there when you guys needed me after I used Chaos Control. I'd never forgive myself if Eggman did anything more horrible to the world, to everybody, and to all of you."
"Let us be there. He has a lot to answer for." Knuckles declared.
"No. I want you guys as back-up. If anything happens to me, you guys are my only hope in keeping the planet safe and stopping him. I'm not gonna put all of you on the line again. You did more than enough. Now it's my turn." Sonic ordered firmly, his tone leaving no room for an argument.
"You sure you wanna get back into the action after eight hours?" Vector asked with uncertainty.
"I've slept in a cave with occasional supply restock, and I've spent eight hours sleeping here. It's more to get me back after spending days of no sleep. I'm ready!" Sonic reassured. "That stupid Egg is going down!"
Everyone stared at him as the blue hedgehog was about to run out of the door, before Shadow stood in front of him firmly, saying. "We'll be right there in case anything goes wrong. Even if you can handle this alone, you're not going by yourself again, faker. That's final."
Sonic looked ready to argue when Cream gently grabbed his left hand, making him glance at the young rabbit girl who looked at him tearfully as she said pleading. "Please don't go away again, Sonic."
His heart broke at the sad and pleading look of his friend, and when Tails grabbed his other hand with the same expression, and Amy's beautiful jade green eyes full of tears, Knuckles' uncharacteristic concerned expression, and everyone else looking at him with mixed emotions, Sonic realized how much they wanted him to stay, and how much he needed them.
"You win." He sighed with his eyes closed, then looked up. "But this is gonna be dangerous. We need to come up with a plan quickly or else Eggman will cause more damage with whatever he's doing."
The Resistance, knowing how much Sonic had mutured a bit and his determination returning for the first time in weeks filled the air, they all smiled and nodded. He smiled in return, his trademark smirk.
"Now, let's go kick Eggman's butt!" The blue hedgehog declared, and most of his friends cheered in union.
Having used his latest giant robot to throw several Egg-Bombs around the area that was felt all the way to the Resistance's secret base, Eggman was now ready to take down his enemies once and for all.
"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! I just love being bad! Especially now that Sonic is out of the picture, and this time he won't be stopping me!" Eggman laughed manically. "Now, time to blow up those Resistance while my robotic army finds the rest and rebuild my Eggman Empire!"
But as he was about to control the robot to throw another bomb, all of the sudden a blue blur zoomed by and sliced the arm off as it crashed before exploding, quickly damaging and blowing off part of the robot and causing Eggman, along with Orbot and Cubot, who were holding back in the cockpit, to cry out in alarm while the giant machine stumbled a bit.
"What!? Who did that!?" The evil doctor demanded.
"I believe that answer is right there, boss." Orbot stated, pointing downward in front of them.
"Hey, he's back!" Cubot exclaimed in surprise.
Puzzled, and, feeling a sense of dread, Eggman looked down to see the blue blur stop and reformed into the familiar figure of the heroic hedgehog who had been missing for two weeks since the Metal Virus was eliminated.
"Oh no! Since when did that hedgehog get here!?" Eggman exclaimed in shock and disbelief, placing his hands on his head in panic.
True to what they saw, Sonic the Hedgehog was back, standing in determination, bravery and ready for action.
"Hiya, Eggman. Did you miss me?" Sonic greeted with a taunt and a smirk.
The evil scientist wasn't amused at all, as he punched the dashboard angrily. "You always show up at the most inconvenient time, you stubborn little hedgehog! I thought you disappeared for good and wouldn't get in my way again!"
"Yeah, well, to be honest, I needed time to cool off and get much needed sleep, no thanks to my stupidity, that stupid Platypus and you creating the Metal Virus. Not to mention Zavok using the Chaos Emerald to grow all giant and stuff." The blue hedgehog admitted, glaring hard at his all-time enemy. "You know, I really started to like when you were Mr. Tinker and I came so close in giving you another chance, but that was pretty much my fault that lead to the near-end of the world."
"So you admit your faults, Sonic." Eggman sneered with a twisted grin. "After all, you are the catalyst for the pandemic that I created, so I'm certain your 'friends' hate you for it."
Sonic knew that the evil madman was trying to make him drown into his grief once again, lowering his gaze. "I know. I mean, my friends didn't hate me, but I hated myself. I ran away because I couldn't handle it, because I thought they were better off without me. I was a coward, because of my mistake for letting you go. I should've been more careful. I've spend the last two weeks crying like a baby, not doing anything to fix up the biggest mistake I ever made in my whole life."
Eggman stared at him in shock over the teenager's confession.
"But now...I'm done with crying. I just needed to get my head around and my friends who found me and brought me back home." Sonic looked up again with determination. "Using Chaos Control isn't enough for me to atone for my actions, so I'm going to keep fighting you and help to rebuild the world! Our truce is over, Eggman! I'm gonna stop you!"
"Ha! We'll see how much you have recovered, Sonic! Take this!" Eggman declared evilly, pushing a button which had the other arm rise up before thrusting down to crush the blue hedgehog.
But the young hero jumped and sped out of the way so quickly that he was gone in a blink of an eye. Shocked, Eggman and his two minions looked around trying to find him, while Sonic sped around and around all over the place as he dodged the numerous bombs and missiles, feeling himself much faster than ever. Stronger than ever, curling into a series of Homing Attacks against all sides of the robot which was covered in dents and more holes despite not doing too much damage, but enough to cause the trio to cry out in alarm.
"I think it's safe to assume that Sonic has more than enough time to recover!" Orbot exclaimed.
"Yeah, he's faster than usual!" Cubot shouted in agreement.
"Where's my army!? They're supposed to be here!" Eggman shouted in frustration, before bellowing. "No matter! Sonic cannot beat my machine this time!"
The blue hedgehog kept on attacking, trying to find the weak spot before landing on the ground, gasping when the robot somehow recovered quickly and jumped back to avoid in getting vaporized by a laser, glaring hard. It wasn't until he heard the sound of the Tornado 1 in the air and quickly hiding around the building and behind the giant robot, Sonc looked up to see Tails before his communicator rang.
"Hello?" The blue hedgehog answered.
"Sonic! I've scanned the robot with the scanner. It's on the back of it's head! Knuckles and the others are almost done taking out the robot army which are only twenty and easy to defeat! I'll distract Eggman while you make the next move!" Tails explained quickly.
"Thanks, Tails! Be careful!" Sonic replied with a smirk, before the two hung up and glanced up at behind the robot and saw what his best friend was saying; a simple patched metal square-shape covering that could easily be smashed. "Heh. Guess the Eggster hasn't recovered as fast as I did."
It was a flimsy work, and apparently really rushed. Totally out of the evil man's league. Curling up into a tight ball, Sonic used his boost to get up high quickly without Eggman suspecting a thing and by the time the giant robot was starting to turn around under his control, the blue hedgehog already Spin Dashed into the metal, tearing through it with his sharped quills like paper, through the circuits and wires and straight into the cockpit where the trio were in, alarming them as they all spun around, not having expected to see him there as he now stood with a confident expression and stance.
"AHHH! How did you get in!?" Eggman screamed, now really nervous while the entire robot began to malfunction and blow up bit by bit.
"Looks like you've been slacking off your homework, Egghead." Sonic taunted with a smirk in place. "Maybe you should go back to school or something. Later, kids."
Without waiting for another response, the blue hedgehog spun and crashed through the cockpit's glass to make an escape, leaving the evil scientist and his two robotic minions into the explosion of the giant robot which then blew up and became engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. Sonic landed safely on the ground and turned around to watch the performance. Though the giant robot was destroyed, Eggman, Orbot and Cubot, as usual, somehow managed to survive and were blasted off into the sky screaming.
"SONNNNNNIIIIIIC!" Eggman screamed furiously before he and his two minions disappeared in a glint like a star.
"Bye-bye!" The blue hedgehog called out mockingly, then sighed, allowing himself to relax just a little bit, just as he heard Tails call out his name and turned to see his best friend swoop down with a happy wave, and he returned it with his own, calling out. "Hey!"
Sonic waited as the two-tailed fox landed, turning off the engine before hopping out of his plane and raced over to him. "Sonic, you did it!"
"Thanks to you, buddy. It would've taken me a lot longer to beat that thing." The cobalt hedgehog stated with a thumbs up. "Great job, bro!"
"All I did was help stop the army before coming back to help you find that robot's weak spot." Tails said bashfully, rubbing the back of his head.
"Still...I couldn't have done it without you or the others." Sonic replied, sincerely. He walked up to him and pulled his best friend into another hug, which surprised the young kit. "Thank you."
The young fox blinked, before returning the hug, whispering warmly. "It's great to have you back, big bro."
"It's great to be back. Thanks for finding me, buddy. If you and Knuckles hadn't, I'd still be in that cave and Eggman would've hurt you guys. I'm sorry it took me this long to realize how important all of you are to me, and how important friends and families really are." The blue hedgehog responded, content to keep this embrace going, tears leaking. "I love you."
"I love you too." Tails replied.
The two best friends and brothers stayed like this, before they slowly let go of each other, Sonic wiping away his tears and said. "We'd better check up on the others and then get started on rebuilding the world. This time for real!"
"Right behind ya, Sonic!" Tails replied.
"Great! Let's go!" Sonic cheered.
The two then hopped onto the plane, with the young fox starting up the engine before taking flight, with the blue heroic hedgehog perched onto the wing like he normally did as they made their way back to the rest of the Resistance. While they still had a long way to go in recovering from the near-apocalypse, and still had many more friends and survivors to find, and a long road ahead to restore the planet back to the way it was before Eggman's take-over, Sonic knew one thing. Yes the world had always been his home, but his heart, a heart full of passion, had finally found the piece that was missing and knew where it truly belonged.
Home is where the heart is, and Sonic's heart was with the Resistance who had always been there for him when he needed it, and he has always been there when they needed him.
This was the lesson he will always remember.
THE END.
A/N: While this is not how the actual arc of the comic will end, but I'm a fan for happy endings and while this story was an emotional roller coaster for Sonic(I even cried during the times writing his traumatic breakdowns), things have began to look up for him and his friends.
Be ready for tomorrow's issue 29 release, with issue 30 in the next couple of weeks or a bit less!
Remember to stay safe during our world's crisis. Eventually we will recover, no matter how long it takes as long as we're careful. Until then, see you in my other stories!