Reflections
By T. 'RockChick' Evans, with ideas by Latifah 27
Disclaimer & copyright stuff: see chapter 1 (Story summary: Sonic has been transported to a Mirror Zone where it was Sonic, and not Johnny Lightfoot, who was hit by the Chaos creature. The Mirror Sonic survived the blow, but lost the use of his legs. Now the 'real' Sonic and the Mirror Amy are on their way to the Emerald Hill Zone; while Mirror Sonic, Super Sonic and Johnny remain at Ebony's coffee shop.) * * * *
Chapter 2- The Flawed Mirror
Sonic pelted across the landscape at somewhere below the speed of sound, not going any faster so he wouldn't risk dislodging Amy's grip around his neck. The hedgehog's mind was working almost as quickly; he was confused, and he wanted answers. This was one crazy dimension he'd ended up in. Sonic guessed that some kind of zone portal had opened up around him, sucking him into this mirror world- but he would have to ask the Mirror version of Porker Lewis about it. Which was where he was headed now, with Amy in tow. Just the two of them; it would have taken much longer to mobilise everyone else. Hopefully, Porker - if it was the same Porker he knew- would be able to figure out a way to get him home. He had no intention of staying on this world any longer than he had to. Sure, Johnny Lightfoot was alive here, but being around him was only going to open old wounds. It was weird; Sonic assumed he would have been overjoyed to see his late friend again. but deep down, the hedgehog knew that the Mirror Johnny wasn't the rabbit he knew. That Johnny was gone, forever. Talking to the identical double would only remind Sonic of how he had failed, all those months ago- he hadn't even been able to look the mirror rabbit in the eye. The speeding hedgehog blinked as the rushing wind made his eyes water. Or seemed to. Sonic painfully guided his thoughts on to another track. Other things were different, too. there was Super Sonic for a start. The blue hedgehog didn't know what to make of him; his yellow copy had so far showed no desire to destroy anything whatsoever. Although it was hard to believe, Sonic had to assume that this Super Sonic was different to the one from his world. after all, everything else was. Sonic had already encountered a 'good' Super Sonic in a different Mirror Zone. And the others seemed to be on good terms with him- friends, even. Even the mirror Sonic. Almost as if-- "--as if he's taken my place." Sonic concluded silently. That wasn't surprising, considering. Sonic shuddered. He didn't know how his double could live like that. crippled. Sonic's speed was his life; without it he was. nothing. How could he stand it? Again, Sonic thought of the dead look in his counterpart's eyes, and the undisguised envy that had flashed in them when the two hedgehogs saw each other. .Green jealousy. And that wheelchair. a high speed model, the kind disabled athletes use in marathons. Sonic grimaced. Poor guy- what had happened to him? He'd reach Emerald Hill before long, but he couldn't wait until then for explanations. He needed to know, now. ~ Amy Rose held on for dear life as the blue hedgehog bombed through the countryside. It had been so long since he had carried her like this; she wasn't used to it anymore. The pink hedgehog had to remind herself that this wasn't the Sonic she knew. He was. different. Some of the differences were physical, of course. The biggest contrast was that he was able to carry her at all. There were more subtle changes though, things she hadn't noticed about her Sonic that were only evident when she compared him with this one. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, she could sense that the new Sonic was fitter, more powerful than the version she knew. Understandable. With a slight sigh, Amy recalled when her Sonic had been like that. he hadn't been so thin back then, either- but these days it was often a struggle getting him to eat in the first place. Amy herself seemed to be the only thing that kept him going. There was the greatest change. His personality. The crippled Sonic's character was somehow. darker, more thoughtful. A year of practical inactivity had given him a little patience; he tended to pay attention more, even if he was as short tempered as ever. And. he loved her. But the newcomer? He was everything that Sonic had been before.the incident. Cocky. Impatient. He seemed incredibly uncomfortable around her, suggesting that on his world they didn't have a. relationship. But he was even more uncomfortable around Johnny. Scared witless would be a better term, Amy thought. Which was weird. The only thing the two Sonics seemed to have in common was pride. her Sonic was still fiercely independent, refusing help from anyone except Amy herself. It must have really hurt him when this new version turned up. Suddenly Amy felt the blue hedgehog slow down, and he screeched to a halt. Yet they were no where near Emerald Hill, she realised, standing up and brushing her dishevelled hair back into place. Sonic took a step back, keeping his distance. "Amy?" he asked softly. The pink hedgehog looked up. "I have to know. How did. how did he end up like that?"
* * * *
Meanwhile, in the back room of the Groovy Train coffee shop. The mirror versions of Johnny and Ebony were in the process of connecting an orange- coloured Chaos Emerald to various wires and bits of machinery, which in turn were joined up to Super Sonic's energy storage module. The yellow hedgehog just sat there, looking thoroughly fed up. "Have I told you how much I hate doing this?" he muttered. The red swirls in his eyes began to rotate sluggishly, suggesting that he was beginning to get agitated. "Many times," Johnny grinned, adjusting something on the gunmetal- grey box attached to Super Sonic's chest. "It just makes me nervous," the hedgehog continued. "Me plus Chaos energy, that's just asking for trouble. I'm like a time bomb or something." Ebony the cat shook her head and attached another cable to the emerald. "Super, how many times have we recharged you?" she asked. Super Sonic thought about it for a moment. He frowned. The he frowned a bit more. "Uh, quite a few." he concluded eventually. "And how many times has it gone wrong?" "None?" "Exactly." the feline grinned. "That's what all this stuff is for," she waved a hand at the snaking wires. "- It regulates how much energy you get from the emerald, so we don't have any, uh, explosions on our hands." Johnny looked at her, impressed; Ebony was becoming quite the expert on this kind of thing. Super Sonic smiled, slightly reassured. "Hey," the mirror Sonic said, wheeling himself into the room. He glanced at the contraption that his yellow counterpart was wired up to. "How long is this gonna take? We need to get to Emerald Hill." Johnny connected the last wire and pushed a button or two, before standing back. "Well, we're almost finished setting up," the grey rabbit replied. "So. say about two hours?" "Oh, is that all." Sonic muttered sarcastically, scowling. Super Sonic sighed. "At least you don't have to sit still for two hours," he groaned, tapping his foot in a very Sonic- like way. Ebony laughed. "Well, you did insist on fighting that other Sonic. No wonder you got so drained." "It's not like I had a choice," the amber hedgehog muttered in reply. Sonic shook his head and scowled. "I still don't trust the guy," he told Super Sonic. "How can you be so sure he's really a mirror version of me?" "Trust me, I know." "Whatever," the blue hedgehog sighed, frowning. "I just don't like the thought of Amy being with him. Anything could happen between here and Emerald Hill." "You must be joking," Johnny said under his breath. Super Sonic nodded knowingly. "I don't think you need to worry about him. You saw the way he was acting around Amy, he just isn't." "It's not him that worries me." Sonic interrupted quietly, desperation in his eyes. "It's her." There was an awkward silence. It was obvious now what was on Sonic's mind. He had come to depend on Amy over the past year; she was his lifeline, the only thing that stopped him from sliding completely into depression. She had been there for him- even though, in his mind, he was useless. But in the past, she had been attracted to Sonic because of his speed, and because he was a 'hero'. And now an able-bodied version of himself had come out of nowhere, as headstrong and full of attitude as he had been in the old days. He was with Amy. Alone. And Sonic was scared. "Sonic, Amy isn't going to leave you just because that other guy can walk," Super Sonic said, gently. "She loves you. Not him." Sonic sighed again and did not look reassured. The yellow hedgehog knew he had to lighten the mood. "I remember when you thought I was after her," he grinned. Sonic looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Weren't you?" he smiled back, finally cheering up slightly. When Sonic had first realised how he was starting to feel about Amy, he had become deeply suspicious towards Super Sonic- for exactly the same reasons. The yellow hedgehog was another version of him; so why shouldn't he be attracted to her? It had been only a few months after the final defeat of Chaos; Sonic had not yet accepted Super's presence. Back then, he didn't trust him at all. Super Sonic shook his head. "I'm not that crazy!" he chuckled. " Besides," he added thoughtfully, "There isn't much chance of me going after Amy now." The hedgehog had a weird little smile on his face. "Huh?" Sonic frowned confusedly. Then a smirk began to rise to the surface. "No kidding ." Super Sonic nodded, blushing slightly. His eyes whirled a little faster as he aimed a sidelong glance at Ebony. "Well, er. you could say that me and Ebony are-- aggh!" He looked sharply to the right, where, by way of shutting him up, the black cat had initiated the recharge process. The initial jolt of energy had shocked him into silence. "Warn me next time, okay?!" the yellow hedgehog complained after a few moments, feeling his body relax as the emerald's energy flowed through him. Ebony just raised an eyebrow and grinned. Johnny looked at Sonic, shrugging. "They sure kept that quiet," he said.
* * * *
Meanwhile. "About a year ago," Amy explained, sitting down on the grass, "This monster called Chaos turned up in the Metropolis Zone. We don't know much about where he came from, but he had this weird power." "Yeah, I remember him," Sonic winced. "Chaos could generate fear somehow." When the interruption was over, the pink hedgehog nodded and continued speaking. "The creature was causing mayhem. Porker managed to rig up a machine to disable it, but one of the wires was disconnected. Johnny went to plug it in." She paused, looking over at the silent blue hedgehog. He was standing motionless, his eyes oddly unfocused; his expression almost. horrified. "Sonic, are you listening to me?" Amy said loudly, exasperated. Sonic seemed to snap back into the land of the living, blinking rapidly. "Uh. yeah, Amy. I was just. remembering." The girl shook her head. "As I was saying. Johnny connected the power cable. but at the same moment, Chaos lashed out." her voice faded to a whisper. "Sonic-- my Sonic-- couldn't get out of the way in time." Sonic nodded, understanding. He felt himself slowly sink to the ground; in this world, it was him who had been struck. Not Johnny. ".Johnny carried him to safety," Amy was saying. "If it wasn't for Sonic's quills, the blow would have killed him. But his back was broken; and now his legs are completely paralysed. He'll never walk again." Sonic looked down at the ground. "It must have been hard." Amy sighed, nodding slowly. "Yeah. It was. I was there when the doctors broke the news to him. he didn't take it very well." An understatement. "He was. suicidal. for a while." "I can imagine." Sonic paused; there was a moment of leaden silence. "What. what happened then?" "Chaos came back. He was after the Chaos Emeralds. and about the same time, Super Sonic turned up. He'd heard about what happened to Sonic. Super was dying, but offered to help anyway. We didn't trust him at first--" she smiled wryly, "--but we didn't really have much choice. After Chaos found all the emeralds, he was the only chance we had." "And Super Sonic drained Chaos' energy, right?" "Right," Amy affirmed. "Lucky for us Pyjamas was around, otherwise we'd have really been in for it. My Sonic never really got over his depression though. but at least we have each other. I guess it somehow brought us together." The pink hedgehog frowned. "You seem to know a lot about this," she added, curiously. "But something must have happened differently where you come from." Green eyes stared hard at the ground for an instant, then squeezed shut as Sonic turned his face away. "It was just. different, okay?" he choked. "I don't wanna talk about it." Wisely, Amy kept her mouth shut. There was another long silence. So now he knew. This world was as messed up as Sonic had first thought; a single decision by a monster had changed everything. The blue hedgehog's thoughts were a whirl of confusion. if the Mirror Sonic was involved with Amy, what did that mean for him? He didn't know what to think about the Amy from his zone. And the other question, hanging like a black cloud over his mind, was this: Which life would he rather lead? Would he have been content with life in a wheelchair, if it meant that Johnny Lightfoot lived? It was only a theoretical question, but the horrifying thing was that he didn't have an answer. He didn't know. He just didn't know. And Sonic hated himself for that. The answer didn't have a chance to arrive. For the two hedgehogs, absorbed in their own thoughts, hadn't seen the badniks coming.
To be continued.
Disclaimer & copyright stuff: see chapter 1 (Story summary: Sonic has been transported to a Mirror Zone where it was Sonic, and not Johnny Lightfoot, who was hit by the Chaos creature. The Mirror Sonic survived the blow, but lost the use of his legs. Now the 'real' Sonic and the Mirror Amy are on their way to the Emerald Hill Zone; while Mirror Sonic, Super Sonic and Johnny remain at Ebony's coffee shop.) * * * *
Chapter 2- The Flawed Mirror
Sonic pelted across the landscape at somewhere below the speed of sound, not going any faster so he wouldn't risk dislodging Amy's grip around his neck. The hedgehog's mind was working almost as quickly; he was confused, and he wanted answers. This was one crazy dimension he'd ended up in. Sonic guessed that some kind of zone portal had opened up around him, sucking him into this mirror world- but he would have to ask the Mirror version of Porker Lewis about it. Which was where he was headed now, with Amy in tow. Just the two of them; it would have taken much longer to mobilise everyone else. Hopefully, Porker - if it was the same Porker he knew- would be able to figure out a way to get him home. He had no intention of staying on this world any longer than he had to. Sure, Johnny Lightfoot was alive here, but being around him was only going to open old wounds. It was weird; Sonic assumed he would have been overjoyed to see his late friend again. but deep down, the hedgehog knew that the Mirror Johnny wasn't the rabbit he knew. That Johnny was gone, forever. Talking to the identical double would only remind Sonic of how he had failed, all those months ago- he hadn't even been able to look the mirror rabbit in the eye. The speeding hedgehog blinked as the rushing wind made his eyes water. Or seemed to. Sonic painfully guided his thoughts on to another track. Other things were different, too. there was Super Sonic for a start. The blue hedgehog didn't know what to make of him; his yellow copy had so far showed no desire to destroy anything whatsoever. Although it was hard to believe, Sonic had to assume that this Super Sonic was different to the one from his world. after all, everything else was. Sonic had already encountered a 'good' Super Sonic in a different Mirror Zone. And the others seemed to be on good terms with him- friends, even. Even the mirror Sonic. Almost as if-- "--as if he's taken my place." Sonic concluded silently. That wasn't surprising, considering. Sonic shuddered. He didn't know how his double could live like that. crippled. Sonic's speed was his life; without it he was. nothing. How could he stand it? Again, Sonic thought of the dead look in his counterpart's eyes, and the undisguised envy that had flashed in them when the two hedgehogs saw each other. .Green jealousy. And that wheelchair. a high speed model, the kind disabled athletes use in marathons. Sonic grimaced. Poor guy- what had happened to him? He'd reach Emerald Hill before long, but he couldn't wait until then for explanations. He needed to know, now. ~ Amy Rose held on for dear life as the blue hedgehog bombed through the countryside. It had been so long since he had carried her like this; she wasn't used to it anymore. The pink hedgehog had to remind herself that this wasn't the Sonic she knew. He was. different. Some of the differences were physical, of course. The biggest contrast was that he was able to carry her at all. There were more subtle changes though, things she hadn't noticed about her Sonic that were only evident when she compared him with this one. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, she could sense that the new Sonic was fitter, more powerful than the version she knew. Understandable. With a slight sigh, Amy recalled when her Sonic had been like that. he hadn't been so thin back then, either- but these days it was often a struggle getting him to eat in the first place. Amy herself seemed to be the only thing that kept him going. There was the greatest change. His personality. The crippled Sonic's character was somehow. darker, more thoughtful. A year of practical inactivity had given him a little patience; he tended to pay attention more, even if he was as short tempered as ever. And. he loved her. But the newcomer? He was everything that Sonic had been before.the incident. Cocky. Impatient. He seemed incredibly uncomfortable around her, suggesting that on his world they didn't have a. relationship. But he was even more uncomfortable around Johnny. Scared witless would be a better term, Amy thought. Which was weird. The only thing the two Sonics seemed to have in common was pride. her Sonic was still fiercely independent, refusing help from anyone except Amy herself. It must have really hurt him when this new version turned up. Suddenly Amy felt the blue hedgehog slow down, and he screeched to a halt. Yet they were no where near Emerald Hill, she realised, standing up and brushing her dishevelled hair back into place. Sonic took a step back, keeping his distance. "Amy?" he asked softly. The pink hedgehog looked up. "I have to know. How did. how did he end up like that?"
* * * *
Meanwhile, in the back room of the Groovy Train coffee shop. The mirror versions of Johnny and Ebony were in the process of connecting an orange- coloured Chaos Emerald to various wires and bits of machinery, which in turn were joined up to Super Sonic's energy storage module. The yellow hedgehog just sat there, looking thoroughly fed up. "Have I told you how much I hate doing this?" he muttered. The red swirls in his eyes began to rotate sluggishly, suggesting that he was beginning to get agitated. "Many times," Johnny grinned, adjusting something on the gunmetal- grey box attached to Super Sonic's chest. "It just makes me nervous," the hedgehog continued. "Me plus Chaos energy, that's just asking for trouble. I'm like a time bomb or something." Ebony the cat shook her head and attached another cable to the emerald. "Super, how many times have we recharged you?" she asked. Super Sonic thought about it for a moment. He frowned. The he frowned a bit more. "Uh, quite a few." he concluded eventually. "And how many times has it gone wrong?" "None?" "Exactly." the feline grinned. "That's what all this stuff is for," she waved a hand at the snaking wires. "- It regulates how much energy you get from the emerald, so we don't have any, uh, explosions on our hands." Johnny looked at her, impressed; Ebony was becoming quite the expert on this kind of thing. Super Sonic smiled, slightly reassured. "Hey," the mirror Sonic said, wheeling himself into the room. He glanced at the contraption that his yellow counterpart was wired up to. "How long is this gonna take? We need to get to Emerald Hill." Johnny connected the last wire and pushed a button or two, before standing back. "Well, we're almost finished setting up," the grey rabbit replied. "So. say about two hours?" "Oh, is that all." Sonic muttered sarcastically, scowling. Super Sonic sighed. "At least you don't have to sit still for two hours," he groaned, tapping his foot in a very Sonic- like way. Ebony laughed. "Well, you did insist on fighting that other Sonic. No wonder you got so drained." "It's not like I had a choice," the amber hedgehog muttered in reply. Sonic shook his head and scowled. "I still don't trust the guy," he told Super Sonic. "How can you be so sure he's really a mirror version of me?" "Trust me, I know." "Whatever," the blue hedgehog sighed, frowning. "I just don't like the thought of Amy being with him. Anything could happen between here and Emerald Hill." "You must be joking," Johnny said under his breath. Super Sonic nodded knowingly. "I don't think you need to worry about him. You saw the way he was acting around Amy, he just isn't." "It's not him that worries me." Sonic interrupted quietly, desperation in his eyes. "It's her." There was an awkward silence. It was obvious now what was on Sonic's mind. He had come to depend on Amy over the past year; she was his lifeline, the only thing that stopped him from sliding completely into depression. She had been there for him- even though, in his mind, he was useless. But in the past, she had been attracted to Sonic because of his speed, and because he was a 'hero'. And now an able-bodied version of himself had come out of nowhere, as headstrong and full of attitude as he had been in the old days. He was with Amy. Alone. And Sonic was scared. "Sonic, Amy isn't going to leave you just because that other guy can walk," Super Sonic said, gently. "She loves you. Not him." Sonic sighed again and did not look reassured. The yellow hedgehog knew he had to lighten the mood. "I remember when you thought I was after her," he grinned. Sonic looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Weren't you?" he smiled back, finally cheering up slightly. When Sonic had first realised how he was starting to feel about Amy, he had become deeply suspicious towards Super Sonic- for exactly the same reasons. The yellow hedgehog was another version of him; so why shouldn't he be attracted to her? It had been only a few months after the final defeat of Chaos; Sonic had not yet accepted Super's presence. Back then, he didn't trust him at all. Super Sonic shook his head. "I'm not that crazy!" he chuckled. " Besides," he added thoughtfully, "There isn't much chance of me going after Amy now." The hedgehog had a weird little smile on his face. "Huh?" Sonic frowned confusedly. Then a smirk began to rise to the surface. "No kidding ." Super Sonic nodded, blushing slightly. His eyes whirled a little faster as he aimed a sidelong glance at Ebony. "Well, er. you could say that me and Ebony are-- aggh!" He looked sharply to the right, where, by way of shutting him up, the black cat had initiated the recharge process. The initial jolt of energy had shocked him into silence. "Warn me next time, okay?!" the yellow hedgehog complained after a few moments, feeling his body relax as the emerald's energy flowed through him. Ebony just raised an eyebrow and grinned. Johnny looked at Sonic, shrugging. "They sure kept that quiet," he said.
* * * *
Meanwhile. "About a year ago," Amy explained, sitting down on the grass, "This monster called Chaos turned up in the Metropolis Zone. We don't know much about where he came from, but he had this weird power." "Yeah, I remember him," Sonic winced. "Chaos could generate fear somehow." When the interruption was over, the pink hedgehog nodded and continued speaking. "The creature was causing mayhem. Porker managed to rig up a machine to disable it, but one of the wires was disconnected. Johnny went to plug it in." She paused, looking over at the silent blue hedgehog. He was standing motionless, his eyes oddly unfocused; his expression almost. horrified. "Sonic, are you listening to me?" Amy said loudly, exasperated. Sonic seemed to snap back into the land of the living, blinking rapidly. "Uh. yeah, Amy. I was just. remembering." The girl shook her head. "As I was saying. Johnny connected the power cable. but at the same moment, Chaos lashed out." her voice faded to a whisper. "Sonic-- my Sonic-- couldn't get out of the way in time." Sonic nodded, understanding. He felt himself slowly sink to the ground; in this world, it was him who had been struck. Not Johnny. ".Johnny carried him to safety," Amy was saying. "If it wasn't for Sonic's quills, the blow would have killed him. But his back was broken; and now his legs are completely paralysed. He'll never walk again." Sonic looked down at the ground. "It must have been hard." Amy sighed, nodding slowly. "Yeah. It was. I was there when the doctors broke the news to him. he didn't take it very well." An understatement. "He was. suicidal. for a while." "I can imagine." Sonic paused; there was a moment of leaden silence. "What. what happened then?" "Chaos came back. He was after the Chaos Emeralds. and about the same time, Super Sonic turned up. He'd heard about what happened to Sonic. Super was dying, but offered to help anyway. We didn't trust him at first--" she smiled wryly, "--but we didn't really have much choice. After Chaos found all the emeralds, he was the only chance we had." "And Super Sonic drained Chaos' energy, right?" "Right," Amy affirmed. "Lucky for us Pyjamas was around, otherwise we'd have really been in for it. My Sonic never really got over his depression though. but at least we have each other. I guess it somehow brought us together." The pink hedgehog frowned. "You seem to know a lot about this," she added, curiously. "But something must have happened differently where you come from." Green eyes stared hard at the ground for an instant, then squeezed shut as Sonic turned his face away. "It was just. different, okay?" he choked. "I don't wanna talk about it." Wisely, Amy kept her mouth shut. There was another long silence. So now he knew. This world was as messed up as Sonic had first thought; a single decision by a monster had changed everything. The blue hedgehog's thoughts were a whirl of confusion. if the Mirror Sonic was involved with Amy, what did that mean for him? He didn't know what to think about the Amy from his zone. And the other question, hanging like a black cloud over his mind, was this: Which life would he rather lead? Would he have been content with life in a wheelchair, if it meant that Johnny Lightfoot lived? It was only a theoretical question, but the horrifying thing was that he didn't have an answer. He didn't know. He just didn't know. And Sonic hated himself for that. The answer didn't have a chance to arrive. For the two hedgehogs, absorbed in their own thoughts, hadn't seen the badniks coming.
To be continued.