Disclaimer: Sonic & Co. (c) by SEGA and Sonic Team. Scourge (c) by Archie Comics. Story and OC's (c) by me.

Slave of Love – Chapter 17

Sonic's POV

Darkness was surrounding me. It was empty… cold… lonely.

Nobody was here beside me, wherever 'here' was. It was just me… and the darkness. Was I dead? No. Then I would be already at the golden gates. But if I wasn't dead then that meant-

My thoughts were interrupted by a distant sound. I strained my ears to hear what it was. I heard laughter. "Who's there?" I asked, annoyed. No answer. They just ignored me and continued laughing. I turned around, trying to find the source of the noise. But nobody was there. Just the cold, empty blackness. I was starting to get angry. "Show yourself, coward!" I shouted, and for a moment, the laughing faded away. Two figures started to form in front of me. Judging by the outline, they both seemed to be hedgehogs, a male and a female one. They seemed familiar, but… no…it couldn't be!

But it was.

I took a few steps back as they slowly walked towards me. "What did you call us? Cowards? Heh, did you even take a look at yourself?" Scourge snickered evilly. I growled. "What did you do to me?" I yelled, my fists clenching. "Oh, we did nothing. It was yourself who did this." Scourge replied, still smirking. "Wha-?" My voice got caught in my throat as I gaped at the third figure that was now forming. It was a hedgehog, too. His ebony fur was glowing with a menacing blue aura, which seemed to darken as he approached us, his soulless white eyes locked on me. His quills were shaped upwards and swayed from side to side, even if he wasn't moving.

I stumbled back as he came to a halt directly in front of me, so close to me that I could feel his hoarse, rattling breath washing over my neck, hovering several inches over the 'ground' we stood on. He lifted his hand and put it on my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. To be honest, I was already scared when he suddenly appeared, but now, that we had physical contact, it was unbearable. If it wasn't for the paralyzing effect the fear had on me, I would have already been over the hills and far away. But now, that he was directly in front of me and my body was glued to the spot, I couldn't escape him. He could do anything with me. And nothing would stop him.

Surprisingly, he withdrew his hand and floated backwards, till he was beside Scourge and… Amy. I looked up at him. "Who are you?" I asked. He let out a husky laugh and his eyes narrowed. "Who do you think I am?" he asked. His voice sounded like two people saying the same simultaneously. One of them had a deep, threatening voice while the other… no… that… that was impossible! He couldn't be-

"I am you."

I awoke with a start, breathing heavily. Was this all… just a dream?

As I pondered over that question, I took a look around. I was in a dimly lit, damp cell. The air smelled like moldy wood and rotten flesh. I grimaced as I started to imagine what could be laying around on the ground beneath me. It was then that I realized that I wasn't even touching the ground. Instead, I was hanging from the ceiling, my hands fettered above my head. I flinched as I tried to wiggle them out of the chain. My neck didn't hurt that much anymore, but it was still sore.

Suddenly, I could hear the jingling noise of a key ring and the clicking sound of a door opening. I squinted my eyes as light flooded the room. After they were adjusted to the sudden brightness, I opened them fully, coming face to face with none other than Scourge the Hedgehog. "Finally, you're awake." he said. I just rolled my eyes and scoffed. Scourge smirked and stepped back, wrapping his arm around the waist of a pink hedgehog… Amy. My stomach turned into knots as I watched them. I had to. I couldn't turn my head to look at them. My neck hurt every time I moved, even if it was only a little. "Could you cut it out?" I scoffed, glaring at him. He pulled away a bit and smirked at me. "Jealous?" he asked. I just growled as he pressed Amy against him, his hands roaming all over her body. She purred and stood on toes to deepen the kiss, her hands stroking his chest. A lump formed in my throat that I tried to force down, but it just kept coming up, again and again. My heart ached as it slowly cracked before it burst apart, the splinters piercing my insides. I yelped as the pain shot through my body. But it wasn't only the emotional pain. My neck started to throb as I threw my head back to scream, hoping to relieve some of the pain. But it only worsened. As I squirmed and writhed in agony, I could swear that I heard a familiar sound. The sound of hoarse, rattling breath.

"Let it out, Sonic."

A new wave of pain washed over me as I continued screaming. I just wanted it to stop. I couldn't bear it anymore. It was torture. Why couldn't it stop? Make it stop. Goddamnit, I can't bear it!

"Let it all out!"

Then, it happened. I didn't know how, it just happened.

The pain slowly but surely subsided and was replaced by something else. It was a weird feeling. At first, it was unfamiliar, new, almost… frightening, but then… it felt… good. It was a feeling of power. Much power. It was a great feeling. All the pain, the sadness, the anger, the rage… I could finally let it out. I could finally show them how it felt. How much it hurt. And they would regret the day they ever crossed paths with Sonic the Hedgehog!

I looked down at myself. I had changed. My fur was now of ebony color, surrounded by a blue mist. I felt cold… empty. I could finally think clearly and I just wanted one thing. And that was to kill the ones that hurt me. I would make them suffer for what they've done to me.

I looked up and growled lowly. The two were still engaged in a fierce tongue battle. The chains around my wrists snapped in half as I floated forwards, slowly. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Scourge and Amy breaking apart, staring at me, shocked. Well, at least Amy did. Though Scourge pretended to do so, I could still see the hint of satisfaction in his eyes. "Wha-What happened to him, Scourgey?" she asked. He didn't answer. "Scourgey?" she asked again. He finally turned to her and took her hand. "It's alright, my dear. Everything is going according to plan. You'll see." he answered, reassuring her. Amy looked at me bravely, but I could see in her eyes that inwardly, she was scared like hell. Heh, serves her right. No one messes with me. I repeat: NO ONE!

I charged at them at half of my full speed, but they dodged. However, they weren't prepared for my next attack. I made a U-turn and came right back at them, this time succeeding in hitting them. They were sent flying and crashed into a wall. As the smoke cleared, I got a good look at them. They were groaning, covered from head to toe in bruises and blood. Now they knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of pain. But I wasn't' finished yet. I continued beating them, to the point where they could barely walk, let alone run. I was about to finish them off when suddenly somebody shouted:

"STOP!" a male, elderly voice cried.

I turned around, glaring at them. How dare they-!

"Sonic, please, stop it. I know that you're angry at them. But if you kill them you're no better!" they shouted. Something stirred inside of me. Something in the back of my mind. As I glanced back at the two behind me, that something vanished and I charged again. "SONIC, NO!" a second voice sounded. I turned abruptly back to the two voices. "DON'T DISTRACT ME! THEY DESERVE IT!" I yelled at them and was about to launch at them again when suddenly two arms wrapped themselves around my back. "Sonic, stop this! This isn't you! This is only a demon that's taking advantage of your feelings. Please, don't do something you'll regret!" the second voice told me. Their grip on me tightened as they lay their head on my shoulder. I turned in their embrace to face them. It was too dark to see who they were, but as they buried their head in my chest, I got a whiff of cherry blossoms. But that's-!

"Sonikku…" the voice murmured. "A-my…" I stuttered. She lifted her head and looked at me before leaning in. I carefully wrapped my arms around her delicate figure, afraid that I would hurt her if I gripped her too tightly. Her hands slowly wandered from my waist to my neck before entangling themselves in my long quills. My eyes slowly closed as our heads inched closer to each other. By now, there was only a small gap left till our lips touched. "Amy…" I whispered again, enjoying how her name rolled so smoothly off my tongue. Then, my eyes snapped open.

NO!

I backed away from her as the pain in my chest intensified. She looked up at me, confused. Then, her look slowly changed to one of fright. "Sonic!" she cried as I fell to the ground, turning and wriggling in pain as the demon in me tried to take over.

She hurt you!

No, Amy wouldn't do this!

But she did! She just tricked you! She was together with Scourge all along!

I paused. Scourge…

Yes, Scourge… the one who tried to kill you. The one who stole your girl. Don't you want to get revenge? Don't you want to see him suffer? Don't you want to beat the living hell out of him?

I… want…

Yes, you do. Now, stand up and show him that no one messes with Sonic the Hedgehog.

I'll… show… him…

I slowly got up and faced Scourge. He was still lying on the ground, the pink hedgehog next to him. I stepped towards them, growling. The female hedgehog opened her eyes, gazing at me with a look full of fear. "Please… don't kill me…" she whimpered as I lifted her up by her neck. That's when I noticed something. Her fur was starting to change. Before, it had been smooth and soft to the touch, but now… it was rough. Her voice was now a little deeper and didn't sound like the beautiful one Amy had. "What the-?" I gaped as she changed. "Please, listen to me. I've got a family and Scourge threatened to kill them all if I didn't obey him. You see, I have the rare gift to change my appearance whenever I want to, and Scourge wanted to use me to get to you by changing to look like mistress Amelia and acting like we were together. Please, don't kill me!" she cried. I let go of her as she fell to the ground and glared at Scourge. That bastard!

"Scourge…." I growled. His eyes opened as he looked at me pleadingly. I scoffed at his whimpering. "You didn't hesitate when you hurt me! So why should I?" I snapped as I glared down at him. I lifted him up slowly, squeezing his neck. "Please… have… mercy…" he choked. "Why should I have mercy when you didn't? Why shouldn't I kill you when you would waste no time killing me if you were in my place now? Tell me one damn reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!" I demanded. "Because he's your brother!" the elderly male voice shouted. "And I won't let you kill him, even if what he did was wrong. He's still your brother." it added. I slowly turned around to face him and inwardly gasped as he stepped into the light. He was a hedgehog in his mid-forties with long dark blue quills. His eyes were light blue, like Scourges. He slowly approached me and laid a hand on my shoulder. "Don't do something you'll regret, son." he told me. I stared at him in disbelieve.

"F-father?" I stuttered as I let go of Scourge. The green hedgehog stumbled a few feet backwards before catching himself. The elderly hedgehog in front of me nodded slowly and smiled. My vision became blurred as tears filled my eyes. "Father!" I shouted and threw myself at him. He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me and soothingly stroked my back. "Shh, it's okay. Calm down, Sonic." But I wouldn't calm down. I finally got to see my father again after such a long time. I buried my face in his chest as he held me close. I started to remember my childhood. It was a peaceful time. We were a big happy family and everything was alright. Then, the war began and I had to join the army. And leave everything behind. It was a horrible time. I had to watch my comrades fall and I couldn't help them because I had to fight for survival. They all had families waiting for them back home, but they could never return to them. They didn't even had the chance to say goodbye! They just lay there, between dust and gunfire, waiting for somebody to take them away. Many men came back as cripples. I was lucky to be one of the few who were not hurt permanently, but I still didn't get to go home. I was captured and sold as slave to rich people, having to obey them and doing their work while they sat in their expensive mansions and drank tea. I was punished when I didn't do what they wanted or tried to escape.
And then, eventually, I was sold to the next moneybag. And the cycle repeated itself, again and again. Till, one day, I met Amy. And on that one day everything changed. I was happy again. Sure, I was punished and had to do their work, but at least I've got to be with Amy. She was the sun in the gloomy sky that was my life. She was the one who made the pain go away. She was the one… I loved. Then… Scourge entered my life… again. At first, I didn't recognize him. In the past, he was a cheerful little bundle of energy, but now he was a full-grown teenager with nothing else on his mind but alcohol, sex and drugs. I couldn't believe what had become of him.

And then we started fighting. Fighting over Amy. I got almost killed quite a few times, but that I didn't give up. If anything, it somehow made me stronger and I hit back with more force. To the point where I was going to kill him. But now, my father was here to settle our dispute. Our father.
I glanced back at Scourge. My brother. Hard to believe that a few minutes ago, we were beating the living hell out of each other and now, we just sat there, glancing at one another occasionally while father was helping me calm down. "Better?" said hedgehog asked as he glanced down at me. I nodded briefly as he stood up and made his way over to Scourge. While they were talking, I looked at Amy. She was treating the bruises of the mouse girl. As she was finished, I crawled over to her and wrapped my arms around her petite figure. She hugged me back and stroked my quills soothingly as I lay down in her lap, closing my eyes and purring at her actions. She leaned down and pressed her lips against mine as held her head in place, deepening the kiss. It wasn't hungry, just a sweet, gentle brushing of lips. As she pulled away, I opened my eyes to look at her smiling face. "I'm so glad you're okay." she whispered. "Me too." I replied before sitting up and pulling her into an embrace. I sighed contently as she snuggled up against my chest and closed her eyes, listening to my heart beat.

I leaned down and kissed her on her check, making her giggle, before-

CRACK!

My head shot up as I frantically searched for the source of the noise. "What the-?" I asked as I discovered cracks in the ceiling. "The place is gonna collapse!" father shouted as he picked Scourge and the mouse girl up. 'Crap!' I thought, biting my lip. I stood up and took Amy's hand in mine. "Ready?" I asked her. She nodded briefly and I lifted her up in my arms. I cringed as the pain shot in my neck, but decided to ignore it. We had to get out of here and I wouldn't let some little injury get in my way.

CRACK! CRACK!

I looked at my father who nodded and raced out of the door. Taking a deep breath, I followed him. Boulders were falling from the ceiling, destroying the ground underneath them. I ran at a quick pace to dodge them, but even I couldn't avoid what happened next. A brick hit me on the back of my head, sending me tumbling to the ground. Amy went flying out of my arms, ending up directly underneath a shaking boulder. I groaned in pain as I looked up, my eyes widening as I spotted the falling rock. Thinking fast, I dashed forward to shove her out of the way.

I breathed heavily as I held her in my arms. That was close. Too close.

"S-Sonic?" her tiny voice sounded. I looked down at her. Her eyes were full of fear as she looked at our surroundings. I pulled her closer to me and stroked her back. "Sshh, it's okay, Ames." I cooed as she shook in my arms. "No, it's not okay! That boulder almost-" I shushed her by pressing my lips on hers in a passionate kiss. Pulling away, I smiled at her. "Yeah, almost. But near enough is not good enough." I joked, trying to cheer her up. She just shook her head, smiling. "Oh, Sonic. You sure are something…" she trailed off as she giggled. "Yeah, guess I am…" I grinned bashfully as she laughed louder.

CRACK! CRACK!

The noise of the building falling apart snapped us back to reality. I adjusted her body in my arms and tried standing up, only to find my foot stuck underneath the boulder that almost crushed Amy. "Great…" I muttered under my breath and turned to Amy. She looked at me. "What?" she asked. I shook my head and sat her down. "Get outta here!" I told her. "But, what about-?" I silenced her by pecking her lips. "Just go!" I shouted. She nodded and carefully made her way outside. Making sure she was safe, I turned back to the matter at hand. Getting my foot unstuck. I tried pulling again, but winced as pain shot through my ankle. Great, it was crushed. The boulders continued falling around me, as I desperately tried to dodge them and roll the one trapping my foot off of it at the same time. But it didn't even budge!

I looked around for something small and flat. I discovered a pointy stone the size of my palm. Perfect! I picked it up and tucked it into the small gap between the boulder and the ground. The weigh on my foot lessened. I smiled. It was working! I pushed the stone further, slowly lifting the boulder. As the weigh on my foot completely vanished, I pulled it out. I sighed in relieve as I carefully got up, using the wall to support myself. Now, I only had to get out of here before the whole building crashed. I limped along the wall as quick as possible, but I didn't come very far. I looked ahead of me. The staircase was still about 90 feet away from me, but it felt like walking a mile to me. I sighed. I knew I had to get out of here, and fast. But, how was I gonna manage this with only one foot?

As I pondered over this question, I heard a faint noise. It sounded like… crying.

"Who's there?" I cried over the noise of the collapsing building. The crying died away for a moment. "S-Sonic?" a tiny voice squeaked. My eyes widened. "Amy! What are you still doing here? I thought I told you to get out of here!" I shouted. She hesitated before answering me. "I tried, but got trapped underneath these boulders." she answered, her voice shaking. "A-Are you h-hurt?" I asked, stuttering. "No." she replied. I sighed in relief and looked at the boulders. They were huge, and one false move would crush her. I slowly rolled them off of her, careful not to hurt her.

As she finally came free, I picked her up and was about to try and escape the collapsing building with her when-

CRASH!

"What the-?" I stared ahead of me, trying to find an escape route, but… there was none….

There was only a huge barricade made of stones. As my brain slowly processed this information, reality hit me like a punch in the face.

We were trapped.