Prologue:
In the Fleetway universe, our favourite blue hedgehog transforms into a very different beast to the Super Sonic we all know. A demonic, swirly eyed demon, with a lust to destroy; growing in power and becoming more terrifying the more chaos power he absorbed.
Eventually, his friends were able to separate the demonic Super form from Sonic and imprisoned the demon in something known as the Black Asteroid. Only he managed to super heat the rock, turning it into an EMP bomb. Just when Sonic and co thought their end had arrived, Super fled the scene, somehow rendered unable to store energy by the blast and with the loss of his powers, he also lost his memory.
He was later found by a witch cat named Ebony and her old friend, a seer sheepdog named Pyjamas and taken in. Finding out who he was and choosing not to tap into his power for risk of losing control again, he decided to work with his new friend at her cafe.
At a quiet cafe on Mobius known as the Groovy Train, a black furred, green eyed, sleek feline was busy serving the customers. Working in her cafe was her day to day job, what her customers didn't know however, was that she was a witch.
She was just clearing a table when a crash of plates sounded behind her.
Laying face down with bits of food strewn about himself and the floor was a yellow hedgehog with upturned spikes and a jagged, short tail.
"Is he okay Ebony, your hired hand there has been looking pretty wretched these past few weeks," an elderly fox said from the table.
Sighing, she went to help him up and called her friend Pyjamas to cover her, much to a lot of grumbling from the older sheepdog seer.
Helping her friend into the back room of the cafe, she made him sit down; only when he opened his eyes, they were not the typical eyes of a Mobian. In place of pupils, his eyes held a swirling, red spiral instead.
"Super, you should really take some time off. That is the third time this week you have tripped and fallen over," Ebony said, crouching beside her now close friend.
Super Sonic, once feared and regarded the world over as a demon and once alter ego of Sonic, was dying.
His spines looked weathered, his eyes bore age with wrinkles and even his voice was raspy, more like a hedgehog of 80 than one of 17.
"I'm okay Ebony, you're doing all you can to find a cure for me after all," Super rasped as he took in breaths, his chest heaving with the effort.
Ebony had watched for a month now as her friend had rapidly deteriorated, she had done as much research on chaos energy as possible, trying to find an alternative form of energy but chaos energy by existence was violent. There was no way she could find a way to replicate the volatile and powerful nature of the emeralds.
Somewhere from the front of the shop she could hear her friend Pyjamas shout at a kid, she wasn't the most patient person in the world.
A hand suddenly came up to grip Ebony's hand in a much too delicate way.
"Ebony, we have to face the facts. I exist only Because of chaos energy. When that explosion happened back in that comet, I was rendered unable to store energy somehow. Without, I will just cease to be. I…need to recharge via the emeralds."
"No Super, if you do that you might…you could…," Ebony trailed off as his grip tightened around her hand.
"If it comes to me turning evil again, do what you have to. Either way I will cease to exist if I don't at least try," he said, putting on a firm tone.
"Super, you're my friend!" Ebony cried and leant down to hug him, tears starting to run from her eyes, "how can you ask me to…erase you?!"
"I ask you because you are my friend Ebony. It isn't fair and is a lot to ask of you, I am sorry…but you are my only hope."
Straightening up, Ebony wiped her eyes and looked down at her friend, seeing the fierce determination in his swirling eyes. She knew he spoke the truth.
Nodding to him, she asked Pyjamas to mind the cafe, that they were just going out to deal with an issue.
As they donned cloaks to head out, using Super Sonic's connection to chaos energy to sense the emeralds location, the old sheepdog bowed her head as they left, wise to what they were going to attempt and having foreseen in one of her predictions the outcome.
"Goodbye my friend," she whispered softly to herself.
After a few days of walking, an increasingly weakening Super Sonic and Ebony were starting to grow desperate. That was until they sensed a large spike in chaos energy radiating from the ruins of Robotnik's Citadel.
"Ebony!" Super shouted from under his travel cloak, only for Ebony to give a gentle squeeze on his shoulder and a wry smile.
"I sense it too kid, lets go get you fixed up," she said before they made haste towards the blue glow in the distance.
After only a short time, they came across a scene that made them pause.
Sonic the Hedgehog was on the scene, along with Amy Rose, Tails and Knuckles the Echidna, fighting a losing battle with an octopus creature composed of Chaos Energy. And at its centre was the seven Chaos Emeralds.
Sonic had just exited the beast with two of the Emeralds, only for the beast to give a radial blast of energy, throwing them all back and reabsorbing the emeralds into itself, boasting about how nothing could stop him.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that squid face," Super piped up, throwing his cloak to one side and started making a dash towards the creature.
"Super, whatever you are plotting, it ends here!" Sonic shouted, getting to his feet, ready to head him off when Ebony stepped in between them.
"Ebony? Step out of the way, you don't understand what type of monster you are dealing with," Sonic started, only for Ebony to cut him off.
"No. YOU don't understand Sonic. Super is not the demon he once was, he is a good person who wouldn't harm a fly."
"So then why is he trying to take on face-ache over there? If he absorbs all that energy, you know what will happen to him right?" Sonic countered.
Ebony set her jaw and clenched her fists but remained stubbornly in his way.
"Super is dying Sonic, if he doesn't recharge, he will cease to be. He's changed enough that I believe he can control his evil impulses."
"And if you are wrong?" Sonic said as Super plunged into Chaos, the pair crying out as Super started absorbing his energy and Chaos's form slowly diminished.
"Then I will have to perform the forbidden union spell…and unite you both once again," Ebony said, her fists tightening to the point she made her palms bleed, shedding a tear which for once had Sonic speechless.
When the spikes of power and smoke had cleared there was only Super standing surrounded in crackling chaos energy, holding what looked like a very ugly fish as it floundered in his gloved hand.
"It worked Ebony, I exist only as chaos energy so it was easy for me to absorb all of Chaos' power," Super said, seeming like he was still his old self as Ebony and Sonic rushed up to him with the former bearing a large smile on her face.
"You see Sonic, I told you he wouldn't turn evil. Super has changed for good and will be a great ally and friend, I know it," she said, only her smile seemed to start fading as she could sense something was wrong. The old Super…the one that was her friend, was slipping away, consumed by the evil energy of chaos.
"Ah yes, I remember what Sonic said, he thought I would turn back into an evil demon as soon as I absorbed the power, only you had any faith in me Ebony but you know something?" He paused, his smile turning sinister.
"YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO SONIC!" He shouted, Ebony was about to tell them to watch out but too late.
He struck at them with a wide angled energy blast, knocking them flying and the wind out of them before turning his attention to the fish in his hand.
"So, you're one of the mighty Drakon Empire creeps huh? Face it buddy, without your fancy powers you're nothing more than some ugly talking pond life!" Super taunted the former Chaos with a nasty laugh.
"Y-you'll pay. You will all pay dearly!" the Drakon fish said, panic creeping into his voice.
"And what will you do? Beat me to death with your nasty flippers?" Super said, pressing his face up the fish who just trembled before winding his arm back and flung him into the nearest, crocodile infested lake. "Adios sucker!"
Dusting his hands off, he then rounded on the group, ""Okay, that's the fish out of the way. Now, how about we play a game of Hide and Shriek?" He said, a sadistic glee creeping into his voice.
"Sonic no…I can't." Ebony said to Sonic in a hushed tone, her voice trembling as she still tried to deny that Super was now beyond help.
"No way Ebony, I mean it. We have to put him away for good before it is too late!" Sonic said, covering his mouth to try and keep Super from catching on.
"Mind if I get in on the chat, after all we are good friends aren't we?" Super said, flying above them with his arms folded. He readied another eye blast when Tails unexpectedly came in from behind, hitting him with everything he could over the head, only getting a mild grunt from him.
"Hey, it's the little two tailed fox! Isn't he a cutie, everyone loves Tails…Except for me, I HATE CUTE!" He shouted, blasting Tails with a beam, knocking Tails out with a resounding cry.
"Tails, NO!" Sonic cried out as he rushed to his side. Picking him up, he was relieved to hear him groan, he always knew his friend was made from stronger stuff than most.
Depositing him to the side, Super Sonic cackled and tried to dive Sonic whilst he was distracted, only for Knuckles to glide punch him, interrupting him and getting his attention.
"Fine, I shall dispose of you first, "Guardian," he said mockingly.
"Bring it creep!" Knuckles grunted, noticing there was something different about Super this time. Like Chaos from before, he was excluding an aura of fear that was making it hard to put up much of a fight.
"Sonic there may still be a way, maybe if I can get my friend Pyjamas here she might be able to lock his evil form away and…"
Sonic just glared at Ebony with his hand on his hips. "You know he is too powerful to seal like that now, this is the only way…I'm sorry Ebony."
The cat witch just fell onto her hands and knees, bowing her head as a grief filled tear ran down her face before looking up at Sonic. Closing her eyes, she steadied her nerves before nodding at him.
"Ugh, gack!" Knuckles croaked out meanwhile, Super had one hand around his throat, with the other emitting a green mist at him, racking the echidna with terror and rendering him helpless.
"Hey Sparky, let's cut to the chase shall we?" Sonic said as he approached him, "It's me you're after. Leave my friends out of this, unless you are too scared to face me?" Sonic taunted.
Super laughed maniacally at Sonic's taunting, throwing Knuckles aside like some used doll before rounding on Sonic.
"The only thing I am afraid of is killing you too quickly, now where is the fun in that?" He sneered before locking hands with Sonic.
At first Sonic seemed to be matching him, until it turned out Super was just toying with him, sparks of energy started crackling around him as Super aimed to utterly destroy him.
"I just can't decide, there are so many ways I could destroy you! It's so hard to choose," he said in a mocking tone, his fanged teeth bared in a malicious grin.
"N-now Ebony, before it's too late!" Sonic cried out as the energy started to engulf his body.
"Okay, keep your fingers crossed!" Ebony said as she began to chant, seeming to draw the evil energy and then redirect it around the pair.
'Forgive me Super,' Ebony thought sadly.
At first nothing seemed to happen, and then it was Sonic who seemed to start ageing and decaying before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Ebony, what have you done?!" Amy cried out as Super Sonic stood triumphant, the rest of Sonic's friends looking in horror as Super's hands smoked.
"Looks like your spell backfired on you Ebony, you made the wrong hedgehog disappear!" Super cackled, not noticing there was something amiss. He was no longer crackling with chaos energy.
"W-wait, what's happening!" He cried out as his quills started to suddenly turn blue and he could feel his consciousness fading.
"I didn't make Sonic disappear, I just combined you both back into one being, the way it was in the beginning.
"N-no, Ebony please, don't do this!" Super cried out, thrashing about as he tried to retain his own form. "Reverse it, I-I'm your friend!" he said in an attempt to guilt her.
Turning away, Ebony couldn't watch as Super's form slowly gave way to Sonic's own form.
"You're going right back to where you belong pal, back into Non-Existence!" Sonic cried out as the last of the yellow faded from his face.
Sonic explained to Knuckles about how he used to turn into Super in times of stress, how he was an alter-evil form.
But Ebony wasn't interested, she had just lost her friend and wanted some time to herself, to be with her thoughts.
"Hey, are you going to be okay?" Amy Rose said as she put a hand on her shoulder.
"I will be, don't worry, your friends are waiting for you," Ebony said with a sad smile and gently lifted her hand from her shoulder.
With a last, concerned glance over her shoulder, Amy went back to the rest who seemed to be lost in their own discussion.
Back at the Groovy Train, Pyjamas was just seeing the last customer off and sweeping the floor before the door swung open.
"We're closed," she said curtly, turning her head to see Ebony waltz in with a grief stricken face.
"Oh…Ebony," Pyjamas started to say before the feline fell into her old friend's arms, closing her eyes as tears, kept in check until now, flowed freely.
"I knew…I didn't need to be a psychic to know it was a doomed attempt…I just lied to myself, told myself there was a chance, however slim," Ebony hiccupped into the sheepdog's shoulder.
"I know…I wanted to say something but there would have been nothing I could have done. Maybe someday we can find a way of separating them both again and make Super just like anyone else," Pyjamas said in an attempt to console her friend.
"Maybe…maybe one day," Ebony said with a final hiccup. "And I won't stop until we get our friend back.
The end…for now.
