(Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of the games/characters; all credit goes to the original creators at Sega, please support the official release).
(Note: This takes place between Light of Hope and Light of Hope 2, so you'd need only to have read the first story to understand this one).
~A Ray of Hope: A Light of Hope Sidestory~
It had been a few months after the war against Eggman had ended, and a few months since Infinite had made a change of heart, going from a villain to a hero. Since then, it had been difficult for him to be accepted by society since many Mobians were reasonably angry and fearful of him because of what he had done, but he didn't worry too much about that.
He wasn't alone: Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends were thers to guide him every step of the way and there was also Nyx Snowfall the Wolf, the girl who had once been his enemy but was now the love of his life, his girlfriend.
When the war ended, Nyx found Infinite alone and slowly dying, and despite her apprehension, she saved his life. After that, the two formed a friendship which evolved into a strong romance because of how much they understood one another's life struggles and emotional pain.
Infinite had been pardoned for his crimes, with him only having to serve five years of community service in order for him to pay his debt back to society for all the destruction he caused. Every day, he would get up early and meet up with Knuckles at the old Resistance base to recieve his assignments; by the end of the day, he'd be completely exhausted but that didn't matter to him.
As long as his friends and his dear girlfriend were there to support him, he could handle the almost endless workloads.
[Time Skip]
Speaking of Nyx, this story finds her sitting in a cafe one breezy Autumn morning; she sat at a booth near one of the cafe's large windows, enjoying a slice of pumpkin pie and a caramel latte. Nyx looked out the window at the beautiful sight outside: the trees' leaves were all a pretty shade of orange, red or yellow, some leaves were scattered along the ground, and many people were walking around wearing sweaters and scarves.
Just then, she heard the bell above the cafe door ring as someone stepped inside.
"Hey Nyx! Long time, no see!"
Nyx looked over and smiled as she saw it was her hero/best friend: Sonic the Hedgehog. He stood by the doorway of the cafe, wearing a bright green scarf around his neck. Some of the cafe patrons smiled and waved at him as he walked over and sat at booth she was sitting in.
"Hi Sonic, it's nice to see you too", said Nyx.
One of the waitresses walked over to the table, "Morning Sonic, can I get ya anything sweetheart?", she asked. "Just a decaf latte, that's all", Sonic replied. As the waitress wrote down what he wanted and walked away, Sonic turned towards Nyx.
"So, how have things been going with you and Infinite?", he asked.
"Pretty great. There are some days where he comes home tired from doing his community service, but he does get some free days. And we spend those days going on dates. Just recently, we went to see a play at the local theater", said Nyx.
Sonic chuckled just as the waitress brought him his coffee, "That's cool. Amy's been bugging me to take her to see a theater show for a while", he said as he took a sip of his coffee. That's when Nyx noticed the bruise on the left side of Sonic's ribs, her staring didn't go unnoticed as Sonic realized what she was looking at.
"Oh yeah, I've had that bruise since the war. It's taking a long time to heal but it doesn't hurt as much as it used to", said Sonic.
Nyx looked down forlornly before facing Sonic again, "Sonic...I have to ask...what was it like those six months on the Death Egg? Being tortured every day? I never understood how you could remain your happy and chipper self after going through all that?", she said.
Sonic sighed, "Well for one, I didn't immediately get over all that. I still have nightmares sometimes, and second, even through all that torment, I was able to keep my grasp on hope and my sanity. I had a friend there to help me", he said.
That piece of information sparked curiosity in Nyx's mind, "A friend? What friend? I thought before Rouge found out, all your friends had thought you were dead. I never wanted to believe it myself when I found that out because I didn't want to lose hope", she said.
Sonic let out a soft chuckle, "Well it was pretty confusing for me at first because initially, it seemed like she just...appeared out of nowhere, but this person was there to help me keep my spirit from breaking. It all started one day, two months after I was taken captive..."
~Flashback~
'Air. I need air. I can't breathe!'
Panicked thoughts crossed the hedgehog's mind. Somehow, someway, he had found himself submerged in his worse fear: water. Try as he might, he could not find the strength within him to breach the surface. Sinking, sinking…the light of the sun fading, fading…
He breathed, air rushed into his lungs as tears flowed down his cheeks. He was back in his cell, resting on all fours. The metallic floor was cold and unforgiving, but dear god he could breathe! He was shivering, wet, vulnerable… but he was alive. Despite having eaten nothing in who knows how long, Sonic found himself emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor in front of him. His arms felt weak and he forced himself to sit back before he fell face forward into his own vomit. He brought his knees up to his chin and cried into them.
How many times would he have to go through this? Why wouldn't Eggman just let him-
"No," he hiccupped, lifting his head, "I can't…I can't think like that. I have to survive this."
"Did you enjoy your swim, Sonic?" Eggman's voice echoed in his ear. The doctor's taunts came daily, maybe even hourly. Whenever… whatever just happened, happens.
"Torture," Sonic spat under his breath, "that's what it is."
"Hmm, did you say something you spikey, blue rodent?"
Although Sonic could not see Eggman's face, he could just imagine the grin. Oh that bloodthirsty, maniacal grin. "If you have any grievances I'm sure our HR department would be more than willing to help. Isn't that right, Chaos?"
"Chaos-?!", Sonic barely got the word out before the water monster had him against the wall, claws around his throat. Through his clouded vision, the creature's watery form rose up in front of him. Chaos slammed Sonic into the cell's ceiling, the impact into the wall was so intense that an indent was left in his wake; with a final throw, Sonic found himself on the floor, his forehead bleeding.
After that, Chaos have disappeared. As he laid on the floor, dazed and half conscious, Sonic could hear Eggman laughing at him from outside of his cell. "Did you enjoy that, rodent? No? Well, too bad! Be prepared to feel this pain every single day!", Eggman sneered as he walked away.
Sonic just laid there bleeding from his forehead as he tried to keep himself from passing out, he could feel tears of fear and anger welling up in his eyes.
"Don't cry, little one. You won't be here forever"
Sonic was in shock when he heard a enigmatic yet soothing female voice, he was even more shocked when he felt himself being lifted onto his cold metal slab of a bed by the scruff of his neck as if he were a hoglet.
Struggling to lift his head, Sonic saw who it was that spoke to him and lifted him off the floor: it was a female wolf but she looked less like a Mobian and more like an ordinary wolf, except her fur was mix between silvery white and light purple, and it sparkled as if made of stardust; her eyes were also a beautiful shade of blue that shined with love and compassion.
"Oh great! Chaos hit me in the head so hard that I'm hallucinating from the brain damage...either that or I'm dead and you're an angel here to take me to Heaven", Sonic groaned in despair as more blood from his head wound dripped down into his face.
The wolf smiled as she leaned down and licked his forehead, her touch felt warm and comforting. When she stopped, Sonic reached up and touched his forehead; he pulled his hand away and gasped in shock when he saw no blood on his glove. "My head injury! You...you healed it!", he said.
The wolf let out a soft laugh as she climbed onto the bed and wrapped her large and fluffy body around him, making him feel safe and warm. Sonic let out a soft purr as he nuzzled into her fur, "W-who are you, lady? And what do you want?", he asked.
"You can simply call me "Engel", young hedgehog. And what I want is to make sure you don't lose hope, I saw what that demon masquerading as a human man had done to you and it filled me with much anger. I can't do much to stop him from hurting you, but I can help you stay well and sane during this.
"And do not despair that you are all alone. Until your friends come to your aid, I will be here to comfort you and keep your spirit from breaking", she said.
Sonic sighed as he made himself comfortable in Engel's fur, feeling exhausted from all the pain he had gone through. Engel laid her tail across his body like a blanket, "Sleep now, Sonic. I promise your dreams will be pleasant ones", she whispered. Sonic closed his eyes as he slowly fell asleep.
[Time Skip]
The next morning, or it was assumed to be morning since it was difficult to tell from within the Death Egg, Sonic woke up to find himself still swaddled in Engel's furry body. He was surprised because he had initially thought she was just a dream or a delusion brought on by his head.
"Good morning, young one. How do you feel? How were your dreams?", asked Engel.
Sonic was once again surprised because not only was his sleep almost devoid of nightmares, but his body was no longer in pain. He still had bruises but his cuts were completely gone and he wasn't in pain at all.
"Wha...how...?"
"I healed your wounds while you slept. You must be hungry, little one. Wait here, I'll be right back", said Engel.
She slowly stood up and hopped off the bed, walking over to an open vent in the wall that wasn't big enough to fit any creature larger than a spider, but she was something able to fit perfectly. Within five minutes, Engel came back to Sonic's cell holding a banana in her teeth.
She dropped it into Sonic's lap, "I apologize for not getting something more substantial but it would be suspicious if Eggman noticed large quantities of his food disappearing", she said. Sonic smiled gratefully as he picked up the yellow fruit, peeled it and began eating it.
"Thanks anyway, Engel. But I have to ask...why are you helping me? Not that I'm complaining but you don't know me", Sonic said as he took a bite out of the banana.
"Its because I have much sympathy for you, Sonic. And I know you will survive to see the end of this horrible war, so I must make sure that your spirit stays alive so that can happen", said Engel.
Sonic sighed as he finished the banana, Engel grabbed the empty peel and swiftly devoured it; when he questioned why, she explained that it was to not arouse suspicion by eliminating any evidence of food scraps.
[Time Skip]
The beatings and the near drownings continued. Day after day, perhaps hour after hour, Sonic would be subjected to his near death. He no longer questioned how his cell would suddenly get rushed with water only for it to disappear moments later, leaving no puddles in its wake. He no longer cared how there could be multiple Chaos' attacking him at once, leaving him only within an inch of his life.
After each beating, Engel would cradle him with her body, using whatever strange power she had to heal his wounds. Outside of the torture, Sonic and Engel would have long conversations about any random subject; sometimes, she would tell jokes that would make Sonic laugh.
It was four months into his imprisonment that Sonic realized that his sanity was indeed still intact, not to mention that his initial hopelessness had slowly vanished. He couldn't explain it but being near Engel gave him enough hope to stay his old chipper self, even though he still questioned what she was or where she even came from.
His starvation was also slowly dissipating, he was still feeling the effects of hunger because Engel could only bring him small amounts of food but at least he was experiencing terrible hunger pains.
"Say Engel, I wanted to ask you a question", said Sonic.
"What is it, child?", asked Engel.
"Do you have any friends or family out there fighting with the Resistance? You told me that my friends have put together a Resistance to fight Eggman but I want to know if there's anyone out there you know fighting the good fight", said Sonic.
Engel looked off to the side as a somber expression appeared on her face, "I have a daughter out there. She's a gentle soul and dreams of helping others and saving lives, I don't know if that means she'll fight for the Resistance since she's not a fighter", she said.
Sonic looked at her curiously, "Well maybe she's brave enough to join. Everybody's gotta join in to fight the good fight, I know I will. I'm not gonna let ol' Egghead break me!", he said. Engel smiled at him as she leaned over to give him a few affectionate licks on his cheek, which made Sonic giggle.
"What are you laughing at, hedgehog?!"
Sonic looked up to see Eggman standing outside of his cell, glaring at him. "Oh nothing...except just your ugly face, Baldy McNosehair!", Sonic said. Eggman growled angrily as he snapped his fingers, the cell door was opened as Zavok stomped into the cell and grabbed Sonic by the back of his head, slamming him into the floor.
"Well let's see if you find this funny, rodent!", Eggman shouted.
Suddenly, Sonic's vision was bombarded by horrific images: Mushroom Hill on fire, Mystic Ruins deforested, Empire City on lockdown. Everywhere, every image was destruction. Seaside Hill, Mystic Cave, Westopolis… everywhere.
But Sonic then felt a warm and gentle presence in his mind, he looked up to see that through the destruction and devastation, he could see a pair of glowing blue eyes. When the images disappeared, Sonic looked up at Eggman and scoffed. "Oh please, Egghead, that's all fake! None of those images are real!", he said.
"55 percent of the planet is now under direct control of the Eggman Empire", Eggman jeered, "Soon, I will be in control of the whole world. And there's nothing you or your friends can do to stop me."
"You're wrong! My friends will never give up", Sonic at least knew that as a fact. His friends were tough, determined. They would never allow Eggman to win. They were his friends after all, and Sonic's friends were the best friends in the entire world. "Even without me, they're still fighting! I know they are."
Eggman turned his back as if to leave, but cast a quick glance over his shoulder. "Without you Sonic, people have lost hope. They have no hope of fighting back. Your friends, the resistance, are fighting a fruitless fight. Oh ho ho ho! Victory is so sweet!", he walked away, his lackeys following close behind. But before he could even get a few feet away, Engel stuck out her tail, causing Eggman to trip and fall flat on his face.
Sonic had to fight to keep himself from bursting out into laughter, but he did snicker a bit. "That's where you're wrong, Eggman", Sonic whispered as he watched the doctor get up and walk away humiliated, "My friends have more hope than you could ever believe. That hope will spread and more people will hope. More people will help".
He then climbed onto the metal slab of a bed as Engel wrapped herself around him, warming up while she healed his wounds. "Thanks for tripping Eggface back there! I needed a good laugh, and thanks for reminding me to stay strong", he whispered. Engel smiled as she nuzzled his head with her snout, "You're welcome, young one", she said.
[Time Skip]
Two months had passed and soon came the day when Sonic was finally able to escape, the same day when Nyx was sent on her mission to rescue him. Sonic sat in a cell, his hands and feet restrained by light cuffs, as Zavok opened the door to escort Sonic to his execution.
"This is the end, Sonic", said Zavok.
"Oh hey, sounds like the party's started. Want to let me go and join in? No? Of course not, you hate fun", Sonic said sarcastically.
The power went out shortly before recovering as the alarm rang, surprising Sonic, before his cuffs came off, freeing him. "This is your chance, Sonic. Defeat Zavok and escape, a friend is coming soon to help you get back home", Engel whispered into his ear.
"Oh, wow. The end, huh? Let's see you try something now that I'm free", Sonic said to Zavok.
"Foolish hedgehog. Getting out of your chains does not make you free. Now come and face the inevitable", Zavok threatened.
Sonic then ran out of his cell, zipping behind the zeti. "The only thing inevitable here is my foot kicking your butt", he said confidently. Zavok charged forward and Sonic dodged before chasing after him.
[Time Skip]
After successfully defeating Zavok, Sonic had zipped back to his cell just as the alarms went off.
"Engel, come on! You can escape with me-"
Sonic was cut off when he realized there was no one inside his cell, the wolf was nowhere to be seen, there wasn't a single trace of her at all. Sonic was confused for a moment, but shook it off as he ran off to escape from the Death Egg and meet up with the one who was sent to rescue him.
~End of Flashback~
"Wait, so she just disappeared?", asked Nyx as Sonic finished telling his story.
They had been sitting in the cafe for three hours, Nyx having ordered them both sandwiches when they both got hungry. Sonic took a sip from his third cup of decaf coffee, "Yeah. And after the war was over, I went around asking anyone if they've seen a large female wolf named Engel but I got no answers.
"That's when I was starting to believe that maybe she wasn't even real, that maybe I was so lonely I created an imaginary friend or something. But when I touched her, her fur felt really soft, and the food she brought me was real so I don't really know.
"I'm just glad she was there for me, though. If it wasn't for her, I probably would've either gone insane, lost all hope or maybe both. She took care of me and made sure I stayed the hedgehog I've always been, she kinda reminded me of my Mom. I wonder if she ever reunited with her daughter", he said.
Nyx paid for their food and drinks as she and Sonic stood up from the booth and left the cafe together, "Well I'm glad she helped you out too. If it wasn't for her, you would've been broken and I wouldn't be standing here either. Whoever she was, I hope Engel is happy and proud of her good deed. Well, I gotta get home, it's my turn to make dinner tonight", she said.
Sonic smiled as he patted her on the back, "I'll see you around, Nyx. Bye!", he said as he sped off. Nyx smiled as she walked home, she didn't notice, however, that someone was watching her from behind some trees.
It was a large female wolf with silvery white and light purple fur that shimmered like moonlight, her blue eyes gazing lovingly at Nyx. "I'm so proud of you, my sweet little pup. I hope you and Sonic have the brightest and happiest of lives, your father and I miss you dearly, and we can't to be reunited with you when the time comes", said the wolf as she disappeared.
[The End]
(By the way, "Engel" is German for Angel).
