It was the dark of night just outside Rotor's lab, as they could tell from the window, and it made sense, as they were in a slightly different time zone from where they were earlier. The two of them looked around the dark lab with Scourge having a flashlight for such an occasion, and eventually Fiona located the blowtorch and welding mask, and Scourge located the shelf where the Sceptre of Sealing was stored away. He pressed the button to create the portal with his zone-link generator giving Fiona an idea of where and where not to blowtorch, and she put the welding mask on over her face and got to work. She used it to create a blue little flame against the metal wall of the shelf moving it slightly up and down as she worked, supporting the blowtorch above the floor mostly with her knees and right arm trying to use her sensitive left arm as little as possible.
Scourge was sitting just to the left of her, a safe distance away, and after a couple seconds of waiting, he commented about her welding mask, " You look pretty cool with that on, y'know? Never really got to see this ' knows how to use gadgeteer stuff ' side of you before, " with a smile of genuine fondness for her and sad-looking eyes in a wistful expression. She replied, " I never needed to use it in front of ya, " with a shrug, and then upon realizing she might have looked like she was dismissing his sweet compliment, said, " Thanks! " in an appreciative tone. It meant a lot to her that he could be fond of her even when she had a welding mask covering up the face he found so physically attractive.
Unfortunately, she soon sighed in frustration and complained, " It's pointless. It's not doing anything to it! We'll never get the sceptre, he built the damn shelf too well. " Scourge said in stubborn desperation, " Well, there's gotta be some way. We NEED that thing! I mean, not that I'm weak enough to need it, but I saw what that wizard did to you! I want every edge I can get over him to make sure he won't get one over us again. " He then stood up from the metal gray floor, saying, " And that includes this, " and just before the lights in the lab turned on, he ran in a green and black blur over to the person who turned them on and grabbed him from behind, with one arm around his chest holding him still and using the other hand to clasp over his mouth. Fiona turned around in confusion, took off the welding mask and saw Tails.
Surprised, she immediately felt anxious and uncomfortable as the memory of when she broke his heart came back to haunt her, or " annoy me, " as her thoughts put it, and she felt conflicted, because she didn't want to do something Scourge would disapprove of, like apologize to him, which would also be more than a little awkward for her, discouraging her even further. So instead, her first response was a confused, " How'd you know he was there? " from Scourge's standing up and not being surprised by the lights. Scourge simply replied, " Hedgehogs have a better sense of smell, and how could I forget the scent of my own little brother? Even if it's just a twin of him, " and said to Tails in annoyance, " Now tell me the combination to this thing so I can leave. "
He took his hand away from his mouth so he could speak and quickly clasped it around the ends of his tails to keep him from using them against him, but Tails noticed that he was only holding them as tightly as he absolutely had to. His grip couldn't be escaped from with struggling, but it wasn't tight enough to cause any pain. He thought, " He's going easy on me, " noticing the newfound gentleness, and thought, " And not just in the ' not strangling me, ' sense like when he held me up by the neck. Man that was scary, but it could've been so much worse if he wanted. But this, this is new. "
" Well?! I don't have all day! None of it, in fact, since it's all dark out, " Scourge said impatiently at the six second awkward silence. Tails commented, " You really don't wanna hurt me. You're being so careful, and even more than before. " Scourge looked self-conscious about it, and tried to deflect it with a snark, " Anything else obvious you wanna point out, genius? The code, I need the code! You're clearly NOT using the sceptre for anything, so just give it to someone who'll use it so I can get on with my life. "
" No. I don't trust you with it, " Tails said in annoyance, losing his initial fear of him bit by bit. " No?! Do you realize who you're talkin' to? " Scourge responded in frustration, and felt increasingly more stressed out as it dawned on him that because he didn't want to risk the death of another Tails on his watch, he hated the idea of even raising his hand to him. What could he do to him if he couldn't even stand hurting him anymore? " You're refusing to hurt me. And so is she. I mean, what are you gonna do? If you wanted to rough me up, you would've done so by now, " Tails said carefully, trying to act brave and also avoid offending and provoking anyone with his tone. Deep down, of course, he was terrified, but he had a gut feeling and was sticking by it.
Fiona then whispered to Scourge, " We don't wanna make too much noise or someone will show up and get involved! " Scourge groaned at Tails' lack of helpfulness and complained, " What do we do? " Fiona whispered reluctantly, " Reason with him? Just tell him the truth. " Of course, Tails could hear everything since he was right next to them, but Fiona figured that it was worth a shot.
Scourge sighed, said, " Lemme explain, " let go of him and went up to face him before continuing reluctantly, " We ran into this Ixis guy in another zone, some wizard with ice powers, and you know what he did? You know what he did to make me mad? " There was a brief silence since he didn't like even talking about it, before revealing bitterly,
" He stabbed Fiona! " and pulling up the short sleeve on her shirt as Fiona closed her eyes uncomfortable. Tails gasped in horror as he saw that her left upper arm was wrapped in three white bandages, and even had a cotton white square below them held to the wound. Scourge continued passionately, " He sent an icicle at her from behind! And not only that, but he made some ninja goon of his whip her! " and then pulled up the back of her shirt a little bit, showing him the bandages on her, while clenching his other hand into a fist in sheer indignation at it.
Fiona was still avoiding looking at Tails' reaction, uncomfortable with the fact that even after everything that happened, he was still horrified, upset and full of sympathy for her when she received injuries like that. She couldn't help but have the passing thought that the very fact that he didn't think she deserved it and feel like it was the perfect karma was a testament to what a sweet naïve boy he was. Scourge knew he had Tails right where he wanted him, although it had still been very difficult for him to reveal what he had, since just talking about it forced him to remember it and angered him, taking all the emotions he felt from back then and bringing it all back.
Tails exclaimed at last, " That's terrible! Why'd he do that? " after three full seconds of a shocked silence. He was trying his best to avoid crying in front of him again. As Fiona was still silent not comfortable with talking to him, Scourge had to be the one to explain, " He mistook her for an alternate version of her that took his eye out. Anyways, I'm not gonna let him get away with hurtin' my girl! So just get the sceptre for me and I'll be on my way. "
Tails looked upset and said, " I don't wanna betray them again! " and then regretted the last word of his sentence. Both of them naturally were curious and stunned at this, and Scourge asked with his hand on his chin, " Again? You of all people? Nah, you gotta be kiddin'! What're ya blowin' outta proportion? " Tails said uncomfortably, " I don't wanna talk about it. " " Tails? " Just then, at the worst possible time for him, Scourge recognized a slightly younger-sounding Fiona's voice from outside the lab, and the two of them were completely shocked at what they saw.
Walking into the lab looking confused was a red two-tailed fox Mobian with slightly short reddish brown hair in a loose bun that was partly down like Fiona's old hairstyle, wearing a yellow bow, a short lab coat over a long purple dress with a flower design, some rose-tinted glasses with pink frames with hearts on them, and red boots, but most importantly of all was the look of her face. Aside from the glasses, and the surprising second tail, she looked just like a younger version of Fiona.
Both Fionas gasped at seeing each other for the first time in years, and after a brief silence where both Tails and the other Fiona looked awkward, the younger one said awkwardly, " Oh, um, hi! Fiona! S-Sorry about impersonating you earlier but I didn't exactly have free will at the time. If I did, I would've freed you from that cell. " She pushed her pink sunglasses closer to her face and continued with more of a smile,
" Call me Phoebe! Thanks to my two-tailed sweetheart, I'm free of Robotnik's control! My old rusted body got turned organic, so I have a whole new organic body and I'm free to make my own decisions and help out Tails in any way I can! Isn't that great? " She naively forgot that she was talking to an enemy at the end, and after an uncomfortable second, Fiona actually replied, " Good for you, " causing Scourge and Tails to both say, " Huh? "
Feeling pressured to explain herself while looking casual so she would make it clear it wasn't too big a deal, she continued nervously, " You're doing what you want, and I'm doing what I want. We're both following our hearts, and doing what we feel like. That's how it should be. " It felt very strange, talking to what used to be the robot duplicate of herself, getting clear flashbacks to when Robotnik first introduced her to her in that cell and then locked her away for two years. She wondered if she really did have free will, or if Tails included in his reprogramming of her a " date him " code in a sad attempt to get the closest he could get to having her as a girlfriend, and hoped that this wasn't true, and that what Tails did wouldn't horribly backfire on him, having a robot or former robot who believed her only purpose in life was to date him. As she could tell that Tails was feeling very embarrassed and worried at this turn of events, she was trying her best to handle the situation with tact, grace and subtlety, and silently pleaded with her loud-mouthed boyfriend to not do the exact opposite.
Phoebe's head tilted a little bit in a cute way to express intrigue and then she said, " You sound like how my memory banks record Miles said Scourge is. You both do what you want and what you feel like. Makes sense that you'd wanna hang out together, then. You have the same outlook on life. " Scourge added, " We have a LOT in common actually, " with a friendly casual smile, before remembering what he was there for and hiding his anxiety at the idea of Sonic showing up with a look of impatience, reminding Tails, " Including wanting the sceptre in your lab. "
Phoebe commented with her hand on her chin like a wannabe scientist, " Well, this is a conundrum. I mean, we obviously can't beat them in a fight, sweetie, not from what my databanks record about what I've heard of the green hedgehog. But you shouldn't do something your friends wouldn't want you to do either. " She then felt awkward upon looking at Fiona in the eyes and remembering from what she heard about her that she might not agree with that value of loyalty. Tails, really wishing she wouldn't have said anything from her lack of social skills, explained, " They're gonna use it on an alternate Ixis who injured Fiona. "
Phoebe commented, " Oh, that's good! What's the problem, then? " After a brief silence, Tails said reluctantly, " Stay here. I'll go ask Sally, " and ran away in a yellow blur before Scourge could try to stop him, leaving him standing in the lab with his arm outstretched looking panicked. " The last thing I want is for Sonic to go after me NOW, " he thought.
Phoebe recognized the look of fear and distraught in his expression, and the worried one in Fiona's, and asked, " Aren't you gonna go after him? I heard you break any rule you're given just because. " Scourge deadpanned, " Miles told you a LOT about me, didn't he? " wondering if any of it was about his soft side. If he wasn't so attached to him already, he would've been furious with him for the embarrassment. Phoebe nodded, and then said in confusion and disappointment, " Hey, you didn't answer my question! What's up? " Fiona found it unsettling how similarly she mimicked her speech patterns, without ever having a conversation with her until now. Was she always like that? Aside from saying databanks and memory banks, she spoke like a naive socially inept version of her.
Scourge crossed his arms and said, " Well, I'm gonna be rebellious some more and not tell ya. " He didn't want to admit that he was afraid of what would happen if he ran to the Castle Acorn all of a sudden, when his whole plan had been to lay low for a while until he'd have succeeded in eliminating every Robotnik, and make his big grand return to Sonic epic from the revelation. He especially didn't want to admit he was afraid in front of Fiona, and Phoebe didn't look like she would understand the concept of keeping something a secret.
" So I have to play the guessing game? You looked worried there, so, uh… " Phoebe replied, and then trailed off, wisely realizing from what she knew about him that accusing Scourge the Hedgehog of being afraid to his face would be a stupid idea. She didn't know that he wasn't going to try to hurt her in his fragile situation, especially not in front of his girlfriend who would find it uncomfortable, him attacking someone who looks so much like her.
Before anything else could happen, Tails was sighted running up to the lab in a yellow blur spinning his tails vertically to propel him ahead with the wind, and instantly after that, he showed up in front of the shelf and reluctantly opened it with the combination, saying reluctantly with bitterness in his tone, " She said yes. You're very lucky. " Scourge sighed in relief, and then stammered, " That saves me a lot of trouble, " and Fiona wondered if Sally had felt sorry for her, too. She wished that she could've seen her reaction. She asked, " W-Why, though? " and Tails replied, " She doesn't know if you'll survive fighting an Ixis Naugus without it, and she doesn't want a death on her conscience. " Fiona nodded, as it made sense to her, while Scourge looked stunned and skeptical.
As Tails was unlocking the shelf, he questioned, " What did you say to Phoebe while I was gone? " sounding distrustful. Scourge said putting his arms around Fiona, " She's your age, kiddo, what am I gonna do? Ruffle her hair? " Fiona winced at his hands on her back and reacted, " Ow, " causing Scourge to immediately stop while feeling bad for her and awkwardly say, " Oh right, sorry, " and put his hands on her shoulders instead. Fiona winced a little again saying, " That's okay, just be careful, " willing to put up with the minor pain of his hand being just above her arm injury if it meant affection from him.
She put her arms around him in return as Phoebe was watching the whole thing in curiosity, taking in every sight and sound of how they were just as affectionate with each other as her and Tails, and Scourge kissed her forehead and cheeks, which Fiona relished in, lovestruck, while Tails was simmering in the background. Still, he couldn't help but notice from what he was hearing, just how gentle and loving Scourge was being to her. Maybe Miles was right about him. Maybe he really did love her.
Scourge, as Fiona was still holding herself to him with her arms wrapped around him, said, " Don't worry, Fi, I won't let him get away with this. Attacking ME is one thing, that I'm used to. But hurtin' YOU? That's crossing the line! I mean, you had to get stitches and everything! He's gonna get special treatment, that's for sure! I hate him worse than any of the Robotniks! Maybe death is too good for him. Maybe I'll send him to a dimension of sharks! Like, the worst possible zone I can find. When he's helpless to do anythin' to hurt us! Nobody does that to you and gets away with it. " Then he whispered with his hands on her face, " You mean too much to me to let somethin' happen to you, " and Phoebe could tell from her eyes that her heart swelled at hearing that. Nothing could make her happier.
Tails opened the shelf at last, causing the two to let go of each other, and he handed them the Sceptre of Sealing explaining reluctantly, " Here, it'll take away his powers. J-Just be careful. If he sees you and reacts before you do, the same thing will happen again, or worse, " and looked at Fiona with concern. Fiona recognized that and said to Scourge, " He's right, Scourge, I've seen Ixis and he's very powerful. He's no Robotnik where he's just an old man with no special powers. Just be really quick about using this, hun. " Scourge understood why she was worried and kept that in mind, but tried to hide it acting like he underestimated his enemies as usual, feigning bravado with, " As I always am! " as he held the blue Sceptre in his hand.
Suddenly, there was a loud metal clanking sound like the sound of some loud footsteps, and Scourge asked, " What was that? " out of surprised curiosity. Everyone else in the lab exclaimed, " Giant robot! " as a giant red Egg Pawn landed from the sky with rocket feet right next to the lab, threatening to destroy it along with them. Tails and Phoebe screamed, and Scourge was irritated and reluctant when he immediately realized that if he didn't do something to help, there's a chance that another two-tailed fox could die because he failed to protect him. He was frustrated because he knew he wasn't Miles, his first ever friend, but seeing him still triggered the same emotional responses deep down.
As a result, he put down the sceptre, growled and spindashed-jumped at the chest of the robot, knocking it backwards making it back up a few steps. The fight wasn't over that easily, though, as it had good enough balance to avoid being knocked over on its back by the force and instead put its arms backwards to catch its fall. " Hey! " Sonic's voice shouted startling Scourge into jumping at hearing it, and a blue blur started to join in on the fight against the robot, attacking it in the same exact way.
Then when the robot fired a heat-seeking missile, Fiona decided that now was the best time to show off, and ran out of the lab in a red and black blur with her Speed Boots to serve as a distraction for the missile. If it weren't for her, the missile would've hit Tails, but instead, it ended up spinning around in circles as she ran around in a wide circle, just slow enough that it wouldn't come closer to someone else and hit them and just fast enough to always avoid it. Needless to say, Sonic was shocked at seeing the red and black blur, and questioned as he and Scourge worked together to fight the robot, " Who's that?! " Scourge told him after taking a few seconds to think up a witty way of telling him, " Let's just say I gave my girlfriend a new pair of boots! Took them from Robotnik! The same one that dared to lock me up and try to turn me into his mindless slave. You can guess what I did next! "
Sonic gasped and said, " You murdered him? " as the two spindashed away the left arm of the robot, Fiona continuing to keep the missile busy. There was a brief silence, or as much as there could be in the commotion of a giant robot trying to swipe at them and hit them with eye lasers, and Scourge then replied still smiling triumphantly, " In seconds, slowpoke! I took him down and better than you ever would. And have you seen the place now? They LOVE me for it! They practically worship me! I wish you could've seen the look on the other you's face. I'm finally getting the recognition I deserve! And I don't CARE what you think! I don't need your approval and you're not running my life! So I'm gonna keep doin' this, whether you, like it, or not! "
He went from telling him everything while looking overjoyed to suddenly snapping at him furiously by the end that he didn't care what Sonic thought of him, which surprised Sonic from the sudden outburst. During the final sentence clause, he was angrily attacking the robot with every two words until it finally collapsed backwards to the ground, and Fiona led the missile into it and pushed the both of them out of the way of the resulting explosion with her speed. None of them were harmed, landing on the grass about a mile away, and Scourge breathed a sigh of relief that the lab didn't get damaged, either.
Unfortunately, another giant robot, this time a blue Egg Pawn, burst out of the ground on cue before anyone could question why Fiona saved Sonic as well, but it was close enough to Fiona for her to attack it, using her ray gun and the Lightning Rod to electrocute it. Then Scourge proceeded to occupy himself with tearing it to shreds. Sonic said to her in confusion, " So you have super speed boots now? " Fiona replied with a great big smile the likes of which he could barely remember seeing,
" Yep! All thanks to him! And he said one day he's gonna get me to have that speed as a natural part of me, all so I can always keep up with him. You were right, Sonic! I love him! I'm loyal to him, and I feel silly that I didn't admit it before! He makes me happier than I have ever been! You know why? It's not just because he's brave and nice to me and reliable and all the other positive traits you have, it's because on top of all that, he likes me for who I am! He likes me for ALL of my past, not just awkwardly ignoring some of it. He doesn't want to change me, he thinks I'm perfect how I am. I'm glad I went with him, 'cause it gave us the happiest part of our lives! "
Then she promptly looked uncomfortable, and admitted in the face of Sonic's glaring at her judgmentally with his arms crossed, " A-Although I wish I could've been less harsh about it. " There was a brief silence, until Sonic asked, " You mean, with Tails? " stunned at what she was implying. Fiona avoided looking him in the eyes as she admitted awkwardly, " Obviously, " trying to speak flippantly to cover up the discomfort.
Sonic asked her, " How long have you had that regret, Fi? " starting to wonder if Tails wasn't just being naïve and there really was still good in her all that time. " Since the night after-I just said it offhandedly, I didn't WANT it to be dragged on like such a big deal, okay?! I don't wanna talk about it! " she replied masking her awkwardness and regret with frustration.
Sonic said, " I'd say this should be talked about a little! " frustrated that she had taken this long to express regret. Fiona snapped and explained looking stressed out, " I'm SORRY, okay?! I admit that I shouldn't have hurt Tails, it was totally unnecessary, but I was under a lot of pressure because of Scourge, and the life-changing decision I was taking. I just wanted him to stop convincing me. The point is, " sighed heavily in relief at getting that all out finally, and smiled nervously saying, " aside from THAT, I'm happy. I followed my heart and did what felt right in my life, and I'll continue to do so. I'm being true to myself. It's better than living a lie. " Sonic didn't admit it, but he could understand that way of thinking from her, and if she hadn't been talking about his evil twin, he would've found the whole thing a lot more heartwarming.
With the robot finally defeated, collapsing backwards onto the ground in front of them, Scourge landed on the ground, making as impressive-looking of a landing as he could, and shouted triumphantly being heard by Eggman's hidden flying camera drone, " Is that all?! You better step up your game, Robotnik, 'cause somewhere down the road, that'll be you by my hands! " He had no way of knowing Eggman was actually listening, and simply said that to gloat and look like a badass.
Sonic then got Scourge's attention again, still looking serious and alarmed at his earlier revelation, and questioned stammering in disapproval, " S-So, y-you're gonna keep this up? Like some sort of Robotnik serial killer? " Scourge rolled his eyes with his arms crossed and said, " Do ya need to look up the definition of serial killer in a dictionary? " " Do you?! " Sonic exclaimed. " They're hardly innocent, Sonic. I'm not just doing this out of an arbitrary ' racking up a body count, ' I could do that with anyone, " Scourge deadpanned, his patience being tested by Sonic acting totally irrational in his eyes.
As Fiona stayed silent and crossed her arms looking annoyed to hide how uncomfortable she felt from seeing Sonic again, Sonic asked him angrily, " Like with the other me's? I thought 'cha wanted to be the only one. That's what I'd expect you to do, anyways. " Scourge looked irritated with his fists clenched and one eye twitching at Sonic accusing him of being completely predictable just because he was his evil twin, and for real instead of while mocking him in his thoughts this time, and blurted out, " What, do ya think I don't have my own mind?! I'm not as predictable as you think I am! I do things for my OWN reasons! I'm my own person, evil twin or not! "
As he felt embarrassed with it dawning on him how revealing his words were, he thought, " You're slippin', Scourge. Play it cool! " When Tails ran up to the stunned-looking Sonic in a yellow blur, he hugged his big brother figure exclaiming, " You're alive! " Sonic smiled and joked, " What, you think that explosion would be enough to do me in? Please. "
This brief break gave Scourge some time to regain his composure, start smiling again at the sight of that, and smirk confidently again as if nothing was wrong. Tails asked Scourge after the hug ended, " Hey, how'd you escape from the No Zone anyways? " and Scourge said with a proud smile, " All thanks to my girl here, and Doctor Finitevus. Who I took down too! I already got my full power back thanks to him. I don't need him anymore, the nut! Sure, he said he'd make me have some new powers, but I'd have to be pretty weak to think I needed that! I'm already stronger than you. "
Not wanting to elaborate on the exact events involved in that incident, he changed the subject. " The point is, Sonic, I'm beatin' you at your own game! I'm doin' it better than you ever could! And from now on your Robotnik's on a time limit! " Scourge told him. He then said triumphantly as Sonic and Tails looked shocked at him, " I was just over at Detective Sonic's world, and Queen Sally's having a STATUE of me built! A statue! Right in front of City Hall! And I took down their Robotnik in seconds, Sonic! Seconds! Do ya RESPECT ME NOW?! "
There was an awkward silence that tugged at Fiona's heartstrings as it was clear to her how deep the issue went with him, and while Sonic and Tails still looked apprehensive, there was discomfort and pity in them that they couldn't ignore, especially for Sonic, who asked himself in his thoughts, " Did I cause this? " Scourge regained his composure after glaring at him trembling with his fists clenched, and said quickly with a confident smirk, " He's a weak and pathetic old man and you couldn't beat him in all these years! And my way wins in seconds! SECONDS! With those kinda results, I gotta be doin' somethin' right! So tell me, Blue, what did ya learn? " His arms were crossed at the end.
Sonic stammered, " What did I learn?! You mean besides the fact that you're goin' overboard?! " He would've said, " gone off the deep end, " or something along those lines, but he knew it would've been much too insulting and insensitive at the moment. He said sadly, " I mean, sure you beat 'em, but t- " Scourge interrupted snapping at him up in his face, overwhelmed with once pent-up frustration, " EXACTLY! I beat 'em! I'm getting results! I've already got 28 different planets free of Robotnik with my bare hands! I did that MY way, not yours! And since it's obvious you'll never understand me, why should I care what you think? I already proved I'm the best Sonic of all, it's pointless to get your confirmation, because you'll never admit the truth anyways. The point that you'll never understand is, I'm NOT YOU! I'm proud of what I'm doin' and I'm gonna keep at it 'till there's none of them left! " He then admitted quietly, " Well, except the ' good ones ', those don't count. " They noticed that he had sounded sad at the first few sentences, even desperate to get his point across. " Did I… break him? " Sonic worried in his thoughts, hoping he was just exaggerating.
Sonic was stunned and didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if anything he said could convince him otherwise, and what's worst is that he was actively holding back tears blinking irregularly from realizing how much his rivalry with Scourge had affected him emotionally. He never realized just how hard it could be on someone to realize they weren't the only one of them out there, that they weren't really special, and didn't really matter. Finally, he said quietly, " It's understandable, I know they're evil and should be stopped. It's just cruel, that's all. I'd feel terrible if I did that myself. It's just not, me… " feeling bad for him to the point of trying to be careful to not sound judgmental and set him off again.
Scourge was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth as his eyes were closed as hard as he could until he heard Sonic's awkward response. The last sentence he uttered sparked a little bit of hope in him that he finally understood, and accepted him, not only for him, but accepted him as a unique person from him. It was frustrating to him that he cared about getting that from him at all, just because he was the Prime Sonic and the first other Sonic he had met.
Tails asked timidly, " So where does Fiona come in in that plan? You're talking as if you do all the, uh, ' taking down. ' " Scourge then replied nonchalantly, " She just uses a long-distance taser on them so they can't try to hurt us. That's really all, " with a dismissive wand of his hand, reassuring Tails. That took most of the weight off for Fiona, who was feeling a little judgment coming her way for being involved in his plan.
There was a brief uncomfortable silence until Fiona said nervously with her hand on Scourge's shoulder, " Sweetie, we should get a move on. No point in standin' around. " " Let's, " Scourge replied, wishing he could put his arm around her as usual but couldn't because her back was still really sore. He put his finger up to say to her, " Hold on, " ran to the lab and back in a blur getting the Sceptre in a second, and pulled the zone-link portal generator out of a pocket in his leather jacket.
After he made the portal, Sonic awkwardly approached him saying gently, " Hey, uh, " and put his hand on his shoulder, which made him jump at it gasping startled and turn to face him looking apprehensive, shaking with shrunken pupils and his fur briefly standing on end. This caused Sonic, who had stepped backwards in response taking his hand away, to wonder if being in prison while depowered made him easily threatened. He thought, " What did they do to you, Scourge? " and found himself actually wishing he would be more like the way he used to be.
Wanting to get it out quick, Sonic admitted quickly and awkwardly with downcast eyes at the first sentence, " I'm sorry. It's not my fault there's so many of us. I only taunted you about who was better and stuff 'cause you're not a hero like me, and I think you can do better. I always wanted you to. I didn't mean to, uh, affect you by it. Like stress ya out. " As Scourge stared at him apprehensively with a suspicious expression but hope and sadness in his eyes, feeling like he was having a good dream that would end or turn sour any minute to his crushing disappointment and frustration, Sonic hoped he wouldn't get really offended at his last sentence and the implications of it all. It was obviously a touchy subject for him, the inferiority complex, and even Tails could tell.
Finally, Scourge replied nervously with a serious expression, " Th-Thanks, Sonic. It, uh, it means a lot… I-I hope ya mean it, or you'll pay! " and ran into the portal instantly; it was clear that it would take a while for the sincerity of Sonic's apology and explanation to sink in, and his issue with him wouldn't immediately go away. Fiona briefly looked at Tails awkwardly, mouthed a quick, " Sorry, " and jumped in after him, and the portal closed, leaving a depressing silence filling them with emptiness at them being gone.
Sonic asked Tails feeling sorry for him, " Were you hoping she'd stay? " and after a brief silence, Tails admitted, " A little. But I don't need her, I've gotten over her, " and when Phoebe ran up to him finally catching up with him from the lab, he held her hands staring into her eyes lovestruck, and said to Fiona's formerly robotic duplicate, " It was you I fell for in the first place. You're the one I always wanted. "
Sonic then said, " Yeah, she can ' follow her heart, ' if she wants to. We never needed her anyways. At least they're freeing worlds now and not taking them over. Still doin' cruel things, but good ol' Green is closer to being a hero than he's ever been, " talking with a chuckle joking around at the end. Tails replied, " Just a really unscrupulous anti-hero. I'm not even sure if he knows it, he probably still thinks he's just a villain… Wait, ' follow her heart? ' Did she talk to you when I wasn't there? "
Sonic then sighed heavily, and summarized to him what Fiona had said; that she and Scourge were in love, and yet in spite of that, she still admitted that she felt terrible about slapping Tails. Just hearing what Sonic had to say made tears well up in his eyes, and he gave Phoebe a hug as he started to cry, wishing that it was Fiona holding him in her arms and telling him she was sorry. If Scourge hadn't been there, if she had only been alone with him, she might have done exactly that.
Tails then sneezed turned away after the hug ended, and Phoebe looked panicked and asked, " What was that?! " He was confused for a moment before explaining with a nervous smile, " It's just a cold, don't worry. It's just for a few days. I'll try to be careful where I sneeze so I won't get you sick. " Looking worried, Phoebe said, " Sick? " Tails explained to her, " It's just a little virus going around in the air. " The word " virus " explained everything to her, and she said nervously, " I don't wanna get sick! Who knows what could happen?! "
Tails reassured her, " It's okay, Fi, most of the time when you get sick, it's just the cold, which is practically harmless. It's all a part of being organic. That's just the price you have to pay for being waterproof, and having such soft skin, " gently touching her face at the final sentence making her smile a little, and finished, " and being able to eat and drink. " Phoebe smiled some more, and admitted, " It's worth it. "
Meanwhile, Scourge remained serious and oddly quiet after he went into the portal to their hotel room with Fiona, and she asked nervously, " Could I get some early rest? I'll be waiting for you when you're done getting revenge, " pointing to the Sceptre of Sealing he was holding. He said distractedly, " Oh, right, of course, " and then said unhappily seeming melancholic, " I've got a lot on my mind right now, anyways. Rather be alone to clear my head. " He added nervously, " Just for a few hours, though, I'll be back, " reassuring her that he wasn't planning to leave her forever. She nodded in understanding and he took off running out of the room, out of the hotel, and all over the planet past streets and fields looking for Ixis, unable to stop thinking about his talk with Sonic as his mind was racing full of questions.
He had started his plan to get Sonic jealous of him, in the hopes that he would finally know how it feels to feel like the inferior Sonic, but Sonic felt sorry for him instead, and apologized for the impact he had on his life, after being horrified focusing only on the harsh methods he used to take down Robotniks. In Scourge's eyes, he had completely missed the point. He wondered if he might have gotten the results he wanted if he could've somehow sealed the Robotniks away instead, but immediately realized how unsatisfying that would feel to him. Keeping them alive would feel very inconclusive, as if they were getting away with it. He then promptly denied the idea that he really cared that much about making them pay for their evil deeds, since they didn't affect him at all, although he still found roboticization creepy enough to warrant a humiliating punishment for all of them.
As he thought over and over again about Sonic's lack of an insecure identity crisis, he eventually remembered how the detective Sonic had reacted earlier. While he didn't get the reaction he wanted from the Prime Sonic, he DID manage to make the other Sonics jealous and insecure, and although he found them all to be insignificant compared to the Prime Sonic, he still enjoyed the idea of getting all of the other Sonics out there to know how he felt after he one-upped them and beat them at their own game. If he couldn't prove himself to Sonic, he could at least prove himself better than all the other Sonics; that at least was something he had no doubt in his mind about being true. It still wasn't as satisfying as getting what he ultimately wanted, though; getting the Prime Sonic to genuinely respect him, instead of facing his constant disapproval. It was frustrating to him that he was bothered by it at all, he wanted to absolutely relish in it rebelling against him like the rebel he was, instead of finding the judgment and treatment as a monster annoying.
He asked himself what he even wanted. He still found it really exciting the idea of him being the one to get rid of all of the evil Robotniks, really making a place for himself in history that would make him historically the most important Sonic of all. That would be more than enough to make him number one. But he still felt a little empty. He didn't exactly want Sonic to be all buddy-buddy with him, he'd be uncomfortable with having a friend who didn't accept him for who he was and was constantly lecturing him like Sally, and just wanted to change him. But he couldn't help but remember when he offered to rule the universe with Sonic. If he really hated his guts that much, and wanted to be the only one left with all his heart, then he wouldn't have even considered making that offer.
He sighed, wondering if he would ever truly know what he was lacking and what he ultimately wanted as a goal, because ruling the world hadn't been entertaining. What he did know was that he had plenty of things to appreciate already; Fiona, his exciting mission, he had some groups of friends in two different dimensions who appreciated him for what he did to Robotnik, and most importantly, he wasn't in prison.