Thank you to FrozenFlames12 for helping me with this chapter. I've been wanting to show this chapter to you all. Finally, we get to see Sonic drop his cheerful façade and RAGE.

Enjoy!

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE SONIC CHARACTERS!


Chapter 10

"All right. This is my last one," Tails said, tying a spell tag around another house's doorknob. Thanking the owner, he jogged on back to Uncle Chuck and Sonic. He followed the two hedgehogs to the next house. As he looked around at all the houses surrounding the plaza, with their doorknobs all adorned with spell tags, Tails hoped that none of them would be visited by more ghosts tonight. While he didn't doubt Sonic's knowledge about the supernatural, he really didn't want to have to encounter a spirit tonight to see if the spell tags really worked.

After hitting a couple more houses, their group's supply of spell tags was almost depleted.

"Just a few more houses. I've got about eight left, Sonic. How many do you have?" Uncle Chuck asked.

"Two. Let's go around the plaza one more time to see if we missed any buildings," Sonic suggested just as a little girl's voice called out.

"Mom! Look, it's him! Hi, Mr. Sonic!"

Sophie Pandara bounded over to the Blue Blur, waving enthusiastically. "Whatcha doing out so late?" she asked, bouncing on her toes.

Sonic chuckled, giving Elsie a high five. "My friends and I are going on patrol to make sure those nasty Badniks don't come back," he explained.

Sophie's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean the ones with the scary ghosts?" she asked.

"Yup. And we're going around tying spell tags on everyone's doors so the angry ghosts can't come and hurt them." Sonic smiled and showed the panda cub one of the two remaining spell tags he had on hand. "But… you know. It's safer to wear one of these. You can have this one if you like," he offered.

"Spell tags and ghost protection… What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"

Tails noticed an older panda hurrying over to Sophie and Sonic. Glancing at Uncle Chuck, Tails saw the older hedgehog frowning.

Sonic, on the other hand, sighed as he faced Sophie's mother. "In case you hadn't noticed, Elsie, the island's been having a ghost problem since you people let Eggman come here," he said flatly.

For a minute, Elsie Pandara stared until recognition flashed through her eyes. "Mau—"

"It's Sonic now," Sonic cut her off before turning to Sophie, who smiled at him. "Here, kid. You can have this," he said, kneeling down to tie the spell tag around Sophie's wrist.

"Thank you, Mr. Sonic!" Sophie admired the symbols written on her tag before looking at her mother. "Mom, you should get a spell tag too so the angry ghosts won't hurt you," she said then noticed the other spell tag in Sonic's hand.

"Can my Mom have that one, Mr. Sonic?" she asked politely.

Sonic unconsciously tightened his grip on the spell tag as he looked up at Elsie. The mother panda bit her lip and looked away. Suddenly, it was as if she was an entirely different person from the bully she used to be in his eyes.

"Look, it's the blue freak and the witch!"

"You two can't sit with us, weirdos!"

The old taunts Elsie used to hurl at him and Fatima while at school echoed in Sonic's ears as he handed Elsie his last spell tag.

"Thank you…" Elsie mumbled while Sophie skipped on ahead of her.

"I'm only doing this so your daughter and all the other kids here don't get hurt," Sonic muttered as Uncle Chuck and Tails walked past him to find more houses. "Frankly, I could care less about you and all the other adults on this damn island. If you guys end up getting haunted, it's not my problem anymore."

Tails paused to look back at his brother, his eyes wide. How could Sonic say such a thing?!

Elsie gaped at Sonic, who merely glared at her. Her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. Without saying another word to her, Sonic walked past her without batting an eyelid to catch up with his group.

"Sonic, how could you say that? We're trying to help these people, not intimidate them," Tails scolded the blue hedgehog, who had the decency to look chastised.

"Sorry, buddy. But… you don't know these people like I do. They won't accept help from anyone they see as different," Sonic said quietly.

Tails looked up at him, his twin tails twirling behind him. "Still… that doesn't sound like a good reason to hold a grudge. What did they do to make you so… bitter?" he asked.

Looking back at Elsie, the mother panda still standing there in shock, Sonic clenched his fists. "They know what they did," he growled before running on ahead.

Tails could only watch his brother speed off into the night, his head filled with questions. He looked to Uncle Chuck, hoping that the older hedgehog could shed some light on the situation. But Uncle Chuck merely sighed, his shoulders slumping. His face was etched with a look of great sadness that Tails couldn't quite fathom.

'I'm worried about you, bro. What is it about Christmas Island that makes you hate it so much?' Tails thought as he and Uncle Chuck did a final round around the village plaza.


Sonic let out a soft sigh, stretching his arms up and crossing them behind his head. The wind blew gently through the Century Tree's boughs, making a soft whooshing sound. Beside him, he heard Fatima let out a soft sigh of her own and smiled.

Four years have passed since that fateful day when Fatima saved his life. And they've been best friends ever since. Fatima even gave him a nickname, "Blue Streak." She'd bestowed it upon him after she saw him really run for the first time, fast enough to almost break the sound barrier, not long after they met. And "Blue Streak" was a nickname Sonic was proud to be called by.

Sonic couldn't help but feel like he was the luckiest hedgehog in all of Mobius to have such a cool friend like Fatima. Her ability to see and talk to ghosts was just the tip of the iceberg. Fatima was kind and caring, always ready to help anyone in need. Whether it was an injured Flickie or a grumpy old man who needed help with carrying his groceries, Fatima helped them in any way she could. She had a great imagination and loved to read books that told of adventures set in faraway places, the latter being a hobby that he soon picked up from her.

They walked to school together, sat next to each other in class, exchanged notes written in a code only they could crack, and played together in the far corner of the playground so nobody would bother them. And if the bullies went after them as they walked home from school, they would run away to the safety of the forest where Fatima would spend hours talking to the ghosts who had made it their home. Other times, they would go to a flower field located just outside of the forest. There, they would play games of their own invention. Sometimes, Fatima would change the rules without Sonic's knowledge but that didn't stop him from enjoying the game.

But, today, they decided to take it easy under the Century Tree and just lie down under its fresh-smelling branches.

Looking up at the Century Tree's wide-spreading branches, Sonic couldn't help but be in awe of the pine tree's magnificence. He'd been living on Christmas Island for ten years now and the tree still looks like it's going to keep on growing.

How in Mobius did a pine tree manage to grow so big and so tall? Would it grow tall enough to reach space someday? And, every year, the villagers manage to put Christmas decorations all around the tree. Even a star at the very top! How could the Century Tree handle the weight of so many decorations all at once?

A pine cone dropping at his feet brought Sonic out of his musings. Sitting up, he noticed Fatima constantly looking from one spot to the next. He felt the familiar cold around him and smiled. Four years of being best friends with Fatima, who was only a year younger than him at nine-years-old, had meant he had grown accustomed to being around her ghost friends. While he couldn't see Lolo Enrique, Doña Celia, Sergeant Juni, and Emily, he could sense their presence. And having those four particular ghosts around made him feel safe.

Fatima giggled, making Sonic look at her curiously. "What are you laughing about, Fatima?" he asked her.

"Oh, Lolo Enrique was just telling me a story," Fatima replied, giggling again.

"What was it about?" Sonic leaned forward, eager to hear the tale.

Fatima smiled, twirling one of her quills. "It was about the one time he and the others took me up to the very top of the Century Tree when I was a baby," she said, making Sonic's jaw drop.

"No way! You made it to the very top of the Century Tree?!" Sonic gasped, craning his neck up to look at the barely-visible pinnacle of the massive pine tree.

"That's what Lolo Enrique told me. I don't remember much, though. I was two. Apparently, I wanted to see what the top of the Century Tree looked like. So, when Mama and Lola took me to the plaza on a day out, Lolo Enrique, Sergeant Juni, Doña Celia, and Emily lifted me out of my stroller when their backs were turned. And they carried me all the way to the top. The only thing I can remember was seeing a lot of branches before suddenly seeing the sky and a lot of clouds," Fatima told him, gazing up at the Century Tree's boughs with a smile.

"Wow…" Sonic breathed out, looking up as well. He can only imagine the view Fatima must have seen from up there, at the very top.

Then, he grinned. "Were Lola Elena and your Mom worried when they turned around and saw you missing from your stroller?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah. And, when they saw Lolo Enrique and the others carrying me back down the tree, they. Were. Furious. Mama wouldn't let them go near me for weeks. And I think Lola threatened to make Lolo Enrique cross over to the afterlife early if he did something like that ever again," Fatima said, making Sonic laugh.

"You think if I went really fast, I could run all the way up to the very top of this tree?" Sonic asked.

Fatima shrugged. "Maybe. But you gotta run real fast, Blue Streak," she told him.

"You bet I will!" Sonic puffed out his chest. "I'm Sonic "Blue Streak" the Hedgehog, and I'm the fastest thing alive!" he declared.

Fatima giggled, sitting up. For a while, they sat together under the Century Tree in comfortable silence. Then, they heard footsteps and looked in front to see Arthur, Ashley, Elsie, Hughie, Jayden, Karla, and Lloyd approaching.

"Hey, freaks. What are you two doing here?" Ashley narrowed her eyes at the two.

Sonic glared at her. "Nothing," he told her.

"You guys aren't allowed here." Karla put her hands on her hips, baring her teeth.

"It's a public space, Karla," Fatima pointed out.

"You freaks are tainting the Century Tree with your freakishness," Arthur said, his baseball bat resting across his shoulders.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "If you guys want us to leave, just say it," he retorted.

"Fine." Ashley stood over the two hedgehogs and bared her teeth. "Leave," she snarled.

"Okay, okay…" Sonic held up his hands, getting up.

Fatima got up as well, her coal-black eyes glancing at the group surrounding her and Sonic. She gulped, following Sonic away from the Century Tree. But she had barely taken two steps when Hughie suddenly grabbed her garland of jasmine flowers from behind.

"Look at this! The witch is wearing flowers to mask her witch stink!" Hughie shouted, roughly pulling at the garland and causing Fatima to yelp.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Sonic yelled just as Arthur and Jayden shoved him into the Century Tree's trunk.

"Awww, is Maurice the freak trying to protect the witch?" Elsie asked mockingly.

"Ha! These two freaks belong together!" Lloyd laughed.

"Leave us alone!" Fatima yelled. Hughie pinned Fatima's hands behind her back as Ashley walked over to her.

"Funny. Witches are supposed to have marks on them to show that they're aligned with the devil. You don't have one," the young lioness remarked, her claws coming out.

"No! Ashley, don't you dare!" Sonic yelled, fighting against Arthur and Jayden's grip.

Fatima whimpered as Ashley raised her hand, claws poised to strike.

"I'll give you one so everyone will know just what kind of witch you are!" Ashley snarled.

But before Ashley could strike, she was suddenly flung backward and landed in a heap several feet away from Fatima. Hughie screamed as he was suddenly pulled away from Fatima and given the same treatment. Arthur and Jayden were pulled off of Sonic and tossed out onto the street, landing on their backsides.

"The witch is using her powers!" Lloyd yelled then a pine cone suddenly hit him on the nose. Elsie and Karla shrieked as several pine cones lying scattered around the Century Tree suddenly started floating in the air.

Sonic rushed over to Fatima as pine cones started getting thrown at the bullies by invisible hands. "Fatima, are you okay?" he asked, frantically checking for injuries.

"I'm okay." Fatima cringed as she saw Ashley get pelted by pine cones. Quickly, she rolled her shoulders back and shouted, "STOP IT!" at the top of her lungs.

The pine cones dropped to the ground. Fatima breathed a sigh of relief then looked at Ashley and her crew with a guilty look.

"You witch!" Ashley bit her lip as tears rolled down her cheeks. "We're gonna tell on you!" she shouted as her group started shouting for help.

"Oh, boy…" Sonic groaned, seeing some adults running over to the Century Tree. Quickly, he scooped Fatima up, carrying her bridal style. "Hang on!" he warned her before running out of the village plaza, becoming a blue streak as he sped off with his best friend holding on to him for dear life.

He didn't stop until they reached the flower field. Putting down Fatima, Sonic stretched. "Man, we can't even sit under the Century Tree without getting mobbed!" he huffed.

"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Fatima rolled her eyes before glaring at a particular spot of empty air in front of her. "I know you guys want to protect me. But that doesn't mean you hurt people. It'll just make things worse," she said sternly.

"But you gotta admit that they sometimes deserve it," Sonic said as they sat amongst the flowers. "Ashley deserved it. I mean, she nearly clawed you, Fatima."

Fatima hugged herself, biting her lip. She shivered, remembering the gleam of Ashley's claws just inches from her face.

Seeing how distressed she was, Sonic frowned and gently placed his hands on Fatima's shoulders. "Hey, Fatima… I'm sorry," he apologized, making Fatima look at him in confusion.

"For what?" she asked.

"I wasn't able to protect you…" Sonic lowered his gaze, his ears drooping. Then a determined gleam filled his eyes. "But I won't let it happen again. I'll protect you, Fatima. I won't let them hurt you again," he promised.

Fatima looked into his eyes before smiling. "Thanks, Blue Streak…" she whispered.

Sonic grinned. "Let's just hang out here from now on," he suggested.

"Agreed."

The clouds drifted lazily across the sky as Sonic and Fatima played in the flower field for the rest of the afternoon. They played tag (a game where Sonic nearly always won), hide and seek, then they pretended to be Knights of the Round Table.

"Halt, beast! It is I, Sir Sonic! Knight of the Wind!" Sonic brandished a stick in the air, facing down an imaginary dragon.

"And I am Lady Fatima! Knight of Spirits!" Fatima held her own stick, holding it out in front of her. "We have come to end your reign of terror!" she declared before she and Sonic charged at their imaginary adversary with fierce battle cries.

They waved their "swords" in the air, yelling out battle maneuvers to each other while hacking away at their make-believe foe. They were soon overcome with giggles and their laughter echoed through the fields. Later, they laid down on the grass to catch their breath. The sweet smell of the flowers wafted through the air, calming them.

After a while, Sonic spoke up. "Is your family still looking to move out of here?" he asked.

"Mhm. We almost have enough money saved up for it. And Lola's been talking with an old friend from her home province. They've got a few houses there that might be okay for us," Fatima answered, looking up at the clouds.

"Oh… That's… that's good." Sonic felt his chest tighten a bit. He knew that Fatima and her family had been planning to move back to Lola Elena's home province for a long time. They just needed to save a little more money and then they could leave Christmas Island for good.

"What about you, Blue Streak?" Fatima looked at him. "You said that you and Uncle Chuck were gonna move to Mobotropolis soon. When's that gonna be?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, soon, soon…" Sonic said, his cheeks turning pink.

Truth be told, Uncle Chuck had wanted to leave Christmas Island after Sonic recovered from the injuries he sustained from being thrown into the ocean. The incident with Arthur, Hughie, Jayden, Lloyd, and the muzzle had been the final straw for Uncle Chuck. He would not let his nephew suffer any more mistreatment. Maintaining the secrecy of his projects for Mobotropolis, be damned. He never should have let Sonic stay with him in such a toxic environment and vowed to take his nephew away so he could raise him somewhere where he wouldn't be treated as an outcast.

But Sonic had pleaded with him to stay. He didn't want to leave. Not when he had just made his first real friend. Who would protect Fatima and her family? They were being treated horribly by the other villagers, too. They had to stick together.

Uncle Chuck had caved into Sonic's pleas, seeing how happy his nephew was around Fatima. Over the years, they had gotten really close to Fatima's family and vice versa.

But Sonic knew that, once Fatima and her family moved, he and Uncle Chuck would leave Christmas Island for good as well. Which was fine with him. If it hadn't been for Fatima, he would have left Christmas Island a long time ago.

"Mobotropolis is pretty far from the province. I might not be able to visit you that often," Fatima admitted, fiddling with her garland. Looking at Sonic, she smiled. "You better come and visit me instead, Blue Streak."

"I will." Sonic nodded. Suddenly, he got up. "Hey, Fatima, I have an idea," he said.

Sitting up, Fatima tilted her head to the side. When Sonic had an idea, it was usually a big one.

"When we grow up, let's travel the world together. You and me, we'll go places no one's ever been to before. And we'll live by our own rules, just keep on moving ahead and doing things our way," Sonic said, his emerald eyes sparkling, and held out his hand.

"What do you say?"

Fatima stared at Sonic, mouth slightly open, for a few seconds as she comprehended Sonic's idea. Then she gave him a wide smile. "That sounds awesome, Sonic! I'm in!" she cheered, shaking her best friend's hand. Then her expression became thoughtful. "But… we will need to ask permission from our families first," she added.

"I know. We'll ask them when we're older. But can you imagine it?" Sonic threw his arms out wide. "The two of us going on adventures every day? Running through all sorts of places? Ooh, if we go to a haunted house, I bet you'll make a ton of friends and even help some ghosts find peace so they can cross over. That'd be way past cool," he said.

Fatima nodded. "Yeah. I can finally fulfill my dream of becoming a paranormal investigator," she murmured, picking a few flowers.

Sonic chuckled, watching Fatima's fingers deftly twist the stems together to make a flower crown. Then Fatima looked up from her work and said, "Don't worry, Lolo. I'll be okay on my travels. Sonic will protect me." Then looked at Sonic with a soft smile.

Feeling his cheeks turn warm, Sonic looked away. But he smiled, feeling butterflies fill his stomach. He was glad he finally told Fatima his plan. Even if they were going to be moving to different parts of the world, at least they could visit each other. And, hopefully, in the future… they would get to travel together.

He felt Fatima's ghost friends' surround him, the air around him turning chilly. He felt lighter than air. He felt invisible fingers comb through his quills. It was probably Doña Celia. She was a fashionista and liked to make sure he and Fatima looked their best each and every day. He felt a cold spot on his lap. Emily must want him to give her a head ruffle.

'They've done so much for Fatima and I. They've protected us from the bullies. They try their best to make us laugh. I've even been able to get a chance to experience what weightlessness feels like when they pick me up and carry me off the ground. I wish I can see them… so I can thank them myself and get to know them more without having to bother Fatima to act as our go-between…' Sonic thought.

Suddenly, another idea popped into his head. "Hey Fatima…" He mulled over his words a bit before deciding to just go for it. "Is it possible for you and your family to open my third eye?" he asked.

Fatima's mother, Rosario, had told him about the third eye before. Back when he'd been curious to know how she, Fatima, and Lola Elena could see ghosts. A significant detail Rosario had mentioned was the need for a certain ritual to be performed if a person with a closed third eye wanted to open it. If he could have his third eye opened, he could finally see spirits like Fatima.

Fatima tied the last few stems together, finishing her flower crown. "I don't know, Blue Streak. It's one thing to grow up with your third eye open since birth. It's another to have it opened at a later point in your life. You have to learn how to get used to it, otherwise… you'll always end up feeling anxious about going out because you'll never know what you're gonna see among the living," she said quietly.

"I'm willing to take that risk." Sonic shifted so he was facing Fatima. "I want to see the world the way you see it," he told her earnestly.

Fatima put a hand to her chin. After a while, she asked, "Does Uncle Chuck know about this?"

"Yeah! I've been talking to him about it and he said that if I'm ready to take on that kind of responsibility, seeing spirits and all, he's okay with it," Sonic replied.

Fatima smiled and placed her finished flower crown on Sonic's head. "All right. I'll talk to Mama and Lola and see if they can perform the ritual on you," she said at last.

"Aw, yeah!" Sonic cheered, pumping his fist in the air. He adjusted the flower crown on his head and gave Fatima a big smile. "I'm so excited! Thank you, Fatima!"


Looking up at the Century Tree now, Sonic felt his heart sink. The longer he stayed on this island, the harder it was to keep himself from falling apart. So many memories kept rushing back, almost overwhelming him. And his friends were worried about him…

'Just keep it together… Once Eggman's beaten, we'll go home. Once we're out of this hellhole, I can finally relax and I'll tell them everything,' he thought to himself as he, Tails, and Uncle Chuck made it back to the hangar.

Once there, he was greeted by Amy, who reported that their assigned areas were now protected by spell tags. Then Silver and Knuckles came up to him. Turns out that the two of them had their own personal encounters with the supernatural.

"Blaze and I were at the school and we saw this swing on the playground just swinging all by itself." Silver's eyes were wide as he recounted his tale. "Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. And then we felt this blast of cold air and some of our spell tags floated out of our hands. Then they started tying themselves around the doorknobs and the school's gate," he said in amazement.

"I guess there are a couple of good spirits around Christmas Island, too." Knuckles folded his arms across his chest. "Y'know, I was feeling really tense while I was out with Amy. A couple of times, I felt like throwing in the towel. Then I'd get this sudden surge of confidence, like someone was beside me, pushing me to keep going. I heard this really faint voice calling me "Soldier" and it really helped," he remarked.

Sonic smiled. 'Looks like we have a couple of allies among the wandering souls,' he thought before hearing Omega's clunking footsteps.

Team Dark was the last to make it back to the hangar. To the rest of the group's worry, all three of them looked spooked. Heck, even Shadow looked a bit pale. And if Shadow was scared, it was a cause for alarm.

Shadow walked over to Sonic and handed him the blueprints. "There's something you all need to know," he said, his face grim.


Once Shadow and Rouge told them what transpired in Eggman's factory, the team, excluding Sonic and Uncle Chuck, were shocked.

"So Multo is the true mastermind behind all of this…" Blaze said quietly.

"And she's possessing Eggman?" Tails shuddered. "Y-yeesh… I don't even what to know what kind of mental torture she's putting him through…" he mumbled.

"Forget about Eggman for a second, guys. We need to know what her deal is," Knuckles said, looking at the blueprints. "Just giving us the key to shutting down Eggman's entire factory… It's gotta be a trap," the echidna muttered.

"I agree with Knuckles. Multo's motives are unclear at this point." Silver shook his head. "And…" he trailed off, looking at the box Omega had set down in the middle of the room. "I have a bad feeling about that box," he mumbled.

"Multo ordered you guys to bring it here for Sonic to open?" Amy asked Omega.

"AFFIRMATIVE. SHE REFUSED TO LET ME OPEN IT," Omega replied, sounding a bit miffed.

Sonic stood at the far end of the room, remaining quiet as the team discussed their options. His eyes were fixed solely on the box. It was baffling, really. He had to admit that Multo had a sense of theatricality, posing as an ally and using Eggman as her puppet. But why?

Why go through all of this trouble?

And the box… why did Multo want him to open it?

The box looked unassuming enough. Plain wood, probably an old crate that used to hold parts for Eggman's Badniks. But what was inside that box that Multo wanted him to see?

"I don't like this." Uncle Chuck eyed the box. "You don't have to do this, Sonic," he told his nephew.

"Multo could have sent a few spies out to follow Team Dark. They could be in here with us right now, just waiting for us to not follow her orders and report back to her," Sonic argued, approaching the box.

"Everyone, just stay back. Silver, I want you to put up a force field. If anything jumps out of this box, keep it contained."

The time-traveling psychic nodded, the cyan symbols on his gloves already glowing. Amy, Blaze, Knuckles, Omega, Rouge, Shadow, Tails, and Uncle Chuck stepped back until they were six feet away from Sonic and the box. They watched with bated breath as the hero took one step forward and placed his hands on the lid. After a minute, they saw the lid of the box being opened just a crack. Then Sonic leaned forward and peered inside…

A split second passed.

Suddenly, Sonic slammed the lid of the box shut, startling everyone. He backpedaled fast, his back slamming into a wall.

"Sonic!" Uncle Chuck rushed to his nephew's side. Upon reaching him, Uncle Chuck saw that Sonic was trembling. The younger hedgehog's breath came out in short, quick gasps. His eyes were wide and staring at the box in what Uncle Chuck could only describe as horror.

"Sonic, Sonic… Sonny boy, come on. Talk to me," Uncle Chuck said, gently cradling his nephew's face in his hands.

"Box… has… They… Unk, they put… They… They…" Sonic babbled, going into a full-blown panic attack as his body trembled. He choked on a sob as his legs buckled underneath him, sending him sliding down until he was on the floor.

While Uncle Chuck tried to get his currently hyperventilating nephew to calm down, the rest of the team was unsure of what to do. Seeing Sonic, their confident friend, suddenly a babbling mess worried them greatly.

Finally, after a minute of standing around, Knuckles, Silver, and Tails slowly approached the box. Silver and Tails looked to Knuckles and nodded. The echidna would be the one to open it. If anything jumped out, they would force it back inside then get rid of the box as quickly as possible.

Taking a deep breath, Knuckles flung the box open… then screamed.

"What the hell?! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Tails backed away, his eyes wide and twin tails standing straight up. Silver's breath caught in his throat, a choked mix of a scream and a sob tore out of his mouth, as he stumbled back in shock.

Amy, Blaze, and Rouge took a few steps closer to get a better look. One look inside the box had them screaming and holding each other's hands tightly. Omega let Amy cling to his arm, the pink hedgehog whimpering. Blaze tried to comfort her, but even she was shaking, her fur puffing out.

"What kind of sick… twisted…?" Rouge choked out before burying her face in her hands, shuddering.

Shadow slowly walked towards the box while Knuckles and Silver backed away. When he finally saw what was inside, he swore that his heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

One of the blackened skulls inside the box seemed to grin at the Ultimate Lifeform.

There were three skulls in total, plus a couple more bones – all charred black. Looking at them all, Shadow recognized the skeletal structure based on the Mobian Biology textbooks he had read on the ARK. All of the bones belonged to hedgehogs.

'What the hell is this? Why would Multo want Sonic to have these…?' Shadow thought, sick to his stomach, looking at the blue hedgehog huddled in the corner of the hangar. He didn't notice Uncle Chuck make his way over to the box. The sound of the lid slamming shut for a second time made Shadow jump.

Uncle Chuck's hands shook as he took them off the top of the box. Taking shaky breaths, the elder hedgehog went back to Sonic. "Sonic…" he murmured, kneeling in front of his nephew and wrapping his arms around him.

Sonic whimpered, burying his face in his uncle's neck. He couldn't get the image out of his head. Of all those bones just lying in that box from Eggman's factory... like they were nothing but trash Eggman had decided to throw away.

Then, in a single moment, Sonic figured it all out.

Uncle Chuck felt Sonic gently patting him on the arm. Releasing his nephew, he saw Sonic bow his head and furiously rub his eyes. When Sonic looked up, his entire face was twisted in rage.

"Tails…" Sonic spoke. He clenched his fists. "Bring up the location of Eggman's factory on the Miles Electric," he ordered, his tone surprisingly calm.

Tails did as he was told. The map of Christmas Island showed up on the screen, a red Eggman logo marking the factory's location. For a long minute, Sonic stared at the map. His eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth.

He recognized that spot.

"They let him build on that site…" Sonic growled, his entire body shaking.

"S-Sonic…?" Amy stuttered, not used to seeing the blue hedgehog in such an enraged state.

Beside Sonic, Uncle Chuck looked at the map and went rigid.

"They let Eggman build on that site… They let him dig up their remains…" Sonic said in a low voice.

To everyone's shock, Sonic's bright cobalt fur suddenly darkened for a few seconds before returning to its natural color.

"Big Blue, are you okay?" Rouge asked worriedly, taking a step towards Sonic.

Before anyone else could react, Sonic ran out of the air hangar.

"Sonic, wait!" Tails cried out, chasing after his brother.

"We better go, too. I think he's starting to lose it," Knuckles told the rest of the team, who followed him out of the air hangar.

Shadow ran alongside Uncle Chuck, the elderly hedgehog muttering under his breath.

"I can't believe it… The nerve of those bastards…"

Uncle Chuck's muttered swears only stoked Shadow's curiosity over the bones along with his growing worry for Sonic's mental instability. He and Rouge had kept a close eye on Sonic and his mood swings ever since arriving at Christmas Island. Now it looked like his rage was getting ready to erupt.

And, while he would never admit it to anyone, especially to a certain blue hedgehog, Shadow was afraid to know what happened when Sonic decided to unleash his wrath.


His hands felt like they were burning again. For a split second, he felt the intense pain, smelt the putrid stench of smoke and burning flesh.

He tried to dig her out of the burning rubble. The fur on his hands caught fire and sizzled. He screamed and screamed. Tears splashed onto his burning hands. He kept pawing through the wood and stone, screaming her name over and over again.

But he knew it was hopeless. She wouldn't answer his cries.

She was dead.

Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.

That one word kept repeating in his mind like a broken record. But he kept digging, despite the fact that his hands were slowly being torched.

He had to at least try and save her body. He wasn't going to leave her there to burn…


Sonic burst into the Village Hall, startling everyone. Looking around, he saw that most of Christmas Island's villagers were assembled in the lobby. It was probably a late-night meeting to discuss the current situation.

Good. He had some choice words he wanted to give them.

Starting with Ashley.

Ignoring everyone's protests and greetings, Sonic shoved his way to the very front where Ashley was standing. "Why there?! Why did you let him build it there?!" he snarled at the lioness. Before Ashley could respond, Sonic stomped over to her. "You know what's there! You know that's where she was buried! Why did you let him build his factory there?!"

"Sonic, please, stop yelling. There's a perfectly reasonable…" Karla managed to say but flinched when Sonic glared at her. The blue hedgehog looked like he was ready to punch someone and he didn't care who it would be.

Ashley let out a soft whimper as Sonic jabbed a finger at her. "Answer me, Ashley! Answer me!" he yelled.

Unable to bear the shame, Ashley turned away. And that was all it took for Sonic to finally understand. Looking at the villagers, he could see it. The guilt on the adults' faces was plain as day.

And, yet, they weren't brave enough to confess their sins.

"Cowards, you covered it up…" Shaking his head, Sonic faced the people who had made his childhood a living hell. "Your own children don't know what you did, pretending that you're all innocent little victims in all this," he muttered, making the children look at their parents with wide eyes.

What was Sonic talking about?

Looking down at the floor, Sonic stared at his hands then clenched them into tight fists as the itching sensation returned. "Why am I even here, helping you bastards out after what you did…?" he muttered to himself.

Tails and the rest of his friends suddenly rushed inside. "Sonic!" Tails gasped out just as Sonic raised his voice.

"You all stood by as he disturbed her grave! She was buried there and you let Eggman build his factory there anyway! I've always hated this place, hated you… not just for what you did to me, but for what you did to her. And the fact that, even now, you won't own up to your mistakes makes me sick! You're all spineless cowards, scum who aren't worth a fraction of what she was!" Sonic screamed at the villagers.

While the adults could only avoid the bewildered gazes of their children, Sonic's friends were stunned. They had never seen Sonic so angry before…

'Oh, Sonic…' A single tear slipped down Uncle Chuck's cheek. But before he could move to get to his nephew, Uncle Chuck was forced to step aside as Sonic took off.

As Sonic passed by his uncle and his friends, a single tear slid down his face. He ignored his friends' shouts for him to come back. His feet pounded against the earth as he ran. 'I hate them! I hate them and I'll never forgive them!' he thought as he ran towards Eggman's factory.

At the sight of the factory, Sonic felt his blood boil. Eggman… he'd hurt so many people, had tried to kill him and his friends hundreds of times.

But, this? This was the last straw.

'He disturbed their grave. Threw away their bones like they were trash. That fucking egg-shaped bastard…'

With a growl, Sonic sped up, his bright blue fur turning dark.

He would show no mercy this time.


"Um… Ms. Multo…" Cubot gulped as he and Orbot watched the security camera footage from the factory's front gate.

Multo, still possessing Dr. Eggman, paused from conversing with some of the dark spirits around her. Walking to the master control panel, she saw a dark blue streak bust through the iron gates.

"So he's finally here. Perfect," Multo purred. The dark spirits around her whined but she reassured them, "It's okay, everyone. But, now, time is of the essence. Evacuate now. I'll call you guys when the time is right."

Turning to Orbot and Cubot, Multo's gaze softened. "You two are free to go," she told them.

"But…" Orbot looked at his possessed creator. "What about Dr. Eggman?" he asked.

"Oh, don't worry about him. Besides, don't you and Cubot think that it might be time for you two to have a little freedom?" Multo cocked the Doctor's head at them.

The two robots looked at each other, unsure. Suddenly, some of Multo's ghost henchmen appeared and herded them out of the room.

"Good. Those two are nice robots. They don't deserve their master's fate," Multo murmured to herself before severing her link to the Doctor. She flew out of Eggman's chest, the villain collapsing to his knees, and waited, with a devious smile on her face, for him to get his bearings.

Dr. Eggman staggered to his feet. Upon seeing Multo, he let out a loud unmanly scream and backed away. "Get away from me, y-y-you twisted monster!" he stammered.

Multo smiled. "Don't worry, Doctor. I won't bother you anymore. It was nice knowing you. Bye~" she said, wiggling her fingers. Then, with a puff of smoke, she vanished.

For a minute, Eggman gaped at the spot where Multo was just seconds ago. Then the blaring of alarms brought him out of his stupor. Rushing to the master control, he saw a familiar hedgehog tearing through the factory.

"Oh no…" Dr. Eggman paled upon seeing how Sonic was utterly thrashing the East wing of his factory. Even worse, none of the Ghost Badniks seemed to be coming to intercept the infernal blue hedgehog.

Desperate, Eggman sent out the few non-Ghost-powered robots he had. "Okay, time to go…" he muttered, making for the door. To his horror, the door refused to open. He went back to his master control panel and tried to override the system only to have access denied.

"That rotten ghost!" Eggman cursed under his breath then gulped as he watched the live footage of his entire factory – and his plans – go up in smoke.


Sonic felt like he was burning. Every nerve in his body was on fire, tingling with Dark Chaos Energy.

And he loved it.

He tore through the factory's East wing as if the buildings were made of paper. He relished the feeling of his spines cutting through stone and steel as he did spin dash after spin dash. Once the East wing was demolished, he went for the generator chambers.

Buzz Bombers, Egg Pawns, and Moto Bugs were waiting for him. He let out a bitter laugh. 'So Egghead thinks these pathetic scrap heaps can stop me?' he thought before rushing towards the robots. He obliterated each one, leaving piles of shredded metal in his wake.

The generators were easy to take down. All he needed was to launch a Homing Attack on each one, and they burst into flames.

The smell of smoke triggered another memory – the memory of that night – and Sonic let it fill him with rage. He tore down the factory walls, smashed through the ceilings, and raced towards the other weak spots. Structures collapsed as flames from the burning generators spread. Every Badnik he encountered, he savagely destroyed. Rage fueled him as he kept going on his rampage until almost every part of Eggman's factory was in ruins.

He would avenge them.

Lola Elena, with her unique brand of wisdom and deep respect for the old ways combined with an openness towards the new.

Rosario, the closest thing he ever had to a mother figure, so gentle and loving.

Fatima, his angel… his one ray of sunshine on Christmas Island.

He would make Eggman pay.

With a roar, Sonic smashed his way through one more generator. He didn't look back as the entire thing burst into flames. All that's left now was the main control room.

The reinforced steel doors were no match for Sonic in his Dark Super Form. Gripping the edges, Sonic pried them open.

"EGGMAN!"

The Doctor tried to hide behind his desk. He whimpered as his desk was flung to the wall, where it smashed into pieces. Whimpering, Eggman looked up to see Sonic looming over him. The hero's blank white eyes seemed to drill into his. And his Chaos Energy was off the charts, a heavy feeling settling around the Doctor.

"S-Sonic, I-I-I swear… I-It w-wasn't me! It was…!" Dr. Eggman managed to say before Sonic roughly grabbed him by the throat.

"You dare desecrate this place and say such things?" Sonic growled, his teeth bared.

Eggman choked and spluttered, desperately trying to free himself from the hedgehog's iron grip. Then Sonic brought the Doctor's face closer to his and, in a venomous tone, whispered, "You've crossed the line, Eggman. Today… you die."


"Dear Lord Chaos…" Knuckles breathed out as he and the rest of the gang arrived at Eggman's factory.

Or… what was left of it.

Entire buildings had been reduced to piles of rubble. Broken glass and chunks of ripped-up steel littered the ground along with the shredded remains of Eggman's robots. The main building housing all of the factory's generators was in flames, sending columns of black smoke up into the sky.

"Oh my God…" Rouge whispered, her wings going limp.

Amy, Tails, Blaze, Silver, and Uncle Chuck could only stare at all of the destruction in silent horror.

Even Omega, who prided himself on being able to annihilate almost anything, was speechless.

Shadow could hardly believe his eyes.

All of this destruction… this violence…

Sonic had done this…?

Suddenly, a scream came from the factory's main entrance. The group rushed over only to back away as Sonic emerged, his fur black as night, dragging Dr. Eggman behind him by his mustache.

"S-Sonic, p-please! I-I'm begging you! Have mercy!" the Doctor begged as his nemesis flung him onto the ground.

"Mercy?" Sonic laughed, a chilling sound. "After everything you've done, you still expect me to give you mercy?" he asked, planting a foot on the Doctor's chest.

"Sonic, stop!" Uncle Chuck yelled as he saw his nephew charge up a Chaos Spear in his hands.

Sonic raised his arms, his Dark Chaos Spear crackling with power, his teeth bared at Dr. Eggman. "THIS IS MY MERCY!" he roared and started to throw the Chaos Spear down, aiming for the Doctor's head…

Suddenly, a cyan glow surrounded Sonic, stopping him in his tracks.

"Sonic, calm down!" Silver said frantically, floating over to the speedster and moving him away from Eggman. The evil scientist scrambled to hide behind Shadow, whimpering pathetically.

Sonic growled at Silver. "Let me at him! That fucking bastard dies today!" he yelled, struggling against the ivory-furred hedgehog's psychic grip.

"You're not a killer, Sonic! This isn't you!" Tails ran to his big brother, eyes filled with tears. "Please, big bro… Please, stop. You're scaring me… You're scaring all of us…" he pleaded.

Sonic stared at Tails for a long minute. The Chaos Spear in his hands dissipated into faint swirls of Dark Chaos Energy.

Shadow joined Silver as the latter slowly put Sonic down. He approached Sonic, who remained silent. "Okay, what is going on here, Sonic? You've been acting up since we got here. What is it about Christmas Island that's making you so angry?" the Ultimate Lifeform asked, his voice calm and steady despite the fear coursing through his veins.

Sonic looked over Shadow's shoulder. "Hmph… why don't you ask them?" he asked, pointing at something behind Shadow and the rest of his friends.

Turning around, Shadow saw that the villagers had arrived and they were all staring at Sonic and the destruction around him in terror.

"Go on. Tell them." Sonic's body burned with an intense navy blue aura. His once cobalt fur was now a dark shade of blue bordering on black. "Tell them what you all did!" he yelled at the villagers, his tone harsh and grating.

The children whimpered, startled to see such an enraged side of the hero, and took refuge behind Amy, Blaze, and Rouge.

Shadow felt a chill run up his spine. He reached out to Sonic, hoping to calm down the speedster but froze when Sonic looked at him. Sonic glared at him, his eyes devoid of their pupils and irises. He felt as if he were looking into Multo's eyes – eyes filled with so much anger and hatred.

Swallowing, Shadow asked, "Sonic… what did they do?"

In response, Sonic turned away from him and pointed to the smoking remains of Eggman's factory. "There used to be a house there. The family who lived in it were good people. They were the only ones who treated me and Uncle Chuck with kindness while we lived here. Lola Elena… Her daughter, Rosario… and… Fatima…" He clenched his fist. "She was the first and only friend I had on this island, the only one who never saw me as a freak…" Sonic whispered before turning on the villagers, his eyes narrowed in hate.

"And you monsters killed her."


This was, by far, the toughest chapter to write. Mostly because I had to really think about what Sonic would do if he really lost his temper and how he would act and speak.

But I'm glad I finally got this chapter written. Next chapter, we finally discover what happened on that night all those years ago on Christmas Island that ultimately drove Sonic and Uncle Chuck away.

Another thing to look forward to in the next chapter… is the reveal of Multo's true identity.

In the meantime, please don't hesitate to leave a review! It would mean a lot.

-GuardianDragon98