The story begins. Enjoy~(๑• .̫ •ू๑)
Chapter 1 — Awake
"SONIC!" A voice yelled, making Sonic snap his eyes open as if he had been under a spell.
He jolted awake, gasping for breath, his chest heaving with the remnants of a nightmare's suffocating grip. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead, and his eyes, wide with terror, searched the darkness for a reprieve from the haunting images that lingered in his subconscious.
"You're awake…" A familiar soft spoken voice uttered in disbelief.
"A…Amy?" Sonic said, his throat raw and voice sore as his eyes shifted around the room
He found himself in an unfamiliar room, the clinical white walls offering little solace from the residual fear that clung to his consciousness. The antiseptic scent hung in the air, grounding him in the reality of the hospital bed beneath him. The monotonous hum of medical equipment served as a stark contrast to the disorienting echoes of his nightmare.
"W-where…am… I?" He gasped through breaths.
"Sonic, I'm here." The same sweet voice assured him as he felt someone gently grab a hold of his face.
As his vision fixated on what was happening, his gaze met ethereal beauty. Her face, adorned with peachy skin, was framed by cascading waves of long pink quills. The vivid green eyes, wide with disbelief, expressed distress as they locked into his eyes, revealing a complex blend of emotions in that fleeting moment.
"Who are you…?" Sonic croaked, unable to distinguish why this beautiful girl seemed so familiar yet so distant.
She, with a mix of sadness and urgency, whispers, "Do you not recognize me? It's me… it's me Amy Rose!" She said "Do you remember me?"
Amy Rose in his memory was a fifteen year-old girl brimming with youthful exuberance. The echoes of laughter and shared adventures paint a vivid picture in his mind, creating a stark contrast to the mature woman now seeking recognition in his gaze.
"Ames…?" he questioned, trying to dig through his memories in an attempt to find answers. "Why do you look so…" A pang in his head rang as he tried to move. "Gah! My head! What's happening?" His eyes widened when he realized his legs felt numb. "Why the hell can't I walk?"
"Sonic… you need to take a deep breath…" This woman, no, Amy told him, trying to make him focus his attention onto her but it was futile.
Sonic was in a panic.
"What the hell is going on!?" Frantically, Sonic attempted to wield his legs into action, but they remained unresponsive, adding to the growing sense of panic. "What's happening to me? I need to walk. Please, I can't be stuck like this!"
"Whoa! Take it easy now. I understand waking up in a hospital can be disorienting. How do you feel? Try not to talk too much. Your voice must be strained from not speaking for such a long time." A male duck in a white coat asked, flashing a light in Sonic's eye.
"Who the hell are you?" Sonic asked in a panic, waving him away as he felt his anxiety heighten.
Just then, the room door swung open, and in rushed a desperate teenage fox and bunny, their faces etched with a mix of worry and relief.
"Sonic! " The tall fox gasped, out of breath, his blue eyes quivering as he held himself at the door frame for balance.
"Tails, be careful!" The bunny cried, holding onto him.
"Tails…?" Sonic croaked, his headache growing. "But you… why do you look so big?"
The bunny gasped at the sight of Sonic. "Oh, my! I… I'll go get Knuckles!" She said, rushing back out in a hurry.
"Thanks, Cream!" The woman, no, Amy called out as she attempted to grab Sonic by the hand again.
"Wha? Tails? Cream?" Sonic groaned, his headache growing more and more by the second.
No. No. No. NO!
None of this was making any sense.
That was not how Cream, Tails, nor Amy looked at all.
"What is going on? Who the hell are you people!?" Sonic snapped, his anxiety rising.
"Doctor Quack, why can't he remember us?" Amy asked desperately.
The doctor gave a sigh. "He's woken up from a coma. It's normal for him to not know what's going on. Mister Hedgehog, I'm sure you're feeling confused but rest assured you're in good hands."
"A c–c–coma?!" Sonic croaked, ignoring the pain in his throat as he tried to make sense of everything.
How could this be possible?
Sonic shook his head. "H-how many y-years have passed?"
"Ten years." Doctor Quack informed him.
"T-te-ten years…?" Sonic muttered in disbelief.
His reaction was a cascade of emotions that flickered across his face like a passing storm. As the words settled, his gaze, once fixed on the doctor, now wandered through the room as if seeking answers in the sterile environment that surrounded him.
From the environment to the people: Everything was unfamiliar.
"You're lying!" He grit out, shutting his eyes and holding his head like a child wanting to disappear.
"Sonic… Sonic… listen to me. Everything is going to be alright. Just relax." Tails' now deeper voice encouraged him, holding onto his shoulders with a look of fear and relief.
Unfortunately, his words had the opposite effect on Sonic.
The blue hedgehog's forest green eyes glared at this fake Tails, finding his touch foreign. A silent intensity that pierces through the air. The shock on Tails' face became palpable, realizing that the connection he anticipated was met with an unexpected gaze of scrutiny and disbelief.
"Sonic…?" Tails muttered, his voice breaking as he pulled away.
"You're all imposters!" Sonic snapped.
"Sonic… it's me… Tails." The fox muttered with a crumbling smile. "Don't you recognize me? I'm your brother…"
Sonic didn't dare look at him as he stared blankly at his boney hands in utter terror.
Tails' lips slowly began to quiver as he looked to Amy in desperation but Amy's own eyes were wide in disbelief at the interaction.
As if sensing the awkward atmosphere, the Doctor stepped in between. "How about we talk outside for a moment?" He said, putting a hand on Tails' shoulder and attempting to guide him and Amy out the room. "He may need a moment to take everything in."
As they made their way out, Amy stopped at the doorway and turned to Sonic. "We'll be right back, okay?" She murmured with a soft weary smile but, again, Sonic seemed to be in a daze.
Fingers clenched at her sides, she fought to maintain composure, unwilling to let her emotions unravel in the face of his vulnerability. Instead, she took in a heavy breath and forced a wide smile as she stepped outside the room.
Meanwhile, Sonic's own composure, or at least little he had left, was shattering right before him.
This had to be a nightmare.
He couldn't possibly have been gone for ten years.
Sonic's hands dragged down his own face and his horror only grew as he felt his fingers boney against a hollow face.
"I need a mirror…"With a quiet determination flickering in his eyes, Sonic summoned all the strength he could muster, his hands trembling as they clutched the edge of the bed and he tumbled onto the floor, dragging himself to the nearby bathroom.
Each movement was a testament to his resilience, as he painstakingly dragged himself across the room, the effort etched on his pale face. The weakness in his limbs was palpable, and the air seemed to carry the weight of his physical struggle.
"Sonic!" Amy's voice called out to him again as she and the medical staff ran inside but he ignored her cries as he braced himself against the sink, and gazed at himself in the mirror.
The reflection staring back was a stark contrast to the athletic and happy face etched in his memory. The once vibrant eyes seemed sunken, carrying the weight of years spent confined to a hospital bed.
His body, once a symbol of strength, now revealed the cruel effects of prolonged immobility. Atrophy had claimed its toll, rendering his muscles thin and weak. The mirror became a merciless storyteller, narrating the tale of resilience and decay etched onto his own reflection.
In a surge of frustration, Sonic's reflection shattered before him as he slammed his fist into the mirror. The broken shards, like fractured memories, scattered across the sink. His anguished shout echoed through the room, a raw expression of denial and anger at the unfamiliar figure staring back at him.
"That's not me!" Sonic roared, as if trying to reclaim the essence stolen by the years of illness and confinement. The shattered mirror reflected not only broken glass but also his fractured identity.
As the mirror shattered, fragments of glass bit into Sonic's skin, leaving unintended wounds that marred his frail arms. Amy rushed to his side, concern etched across her face.
"We need to restrain him now! Get the straps!" Doctor Quack yelled.
Commotion in the room intensified as medical staff began to restrain him.
"Let go of me! What's happening?" Sonic snapped, yanking away desperately.
"Sir, it's for your safety. We need you to stay calm." Said a nurse.
"Let go of me!" Sonic growled, pulling with all his strength as they dragged him back to the bed.
Sonic's pupils dilated, and a palpable tension gripped his body at how easily they were able to restrain him. Anxious breaths escape, betraying the rapid rhythm of his heart. He could barely even feel the pain from the shattered glass as blood smeared the white bedsheets.
"Get a sedative now!"
"Hey, it's okay! Let me help," Amy reassured him, her tone steady despite the evident panic in his eyes as she ran to his side. She gently tried to clean the cuts, but his frailty made the task challenging. His panic intensified as he felt a loss of control, overwhelmed by the reality of his weakened state.
"Relax, take deep breaths," she urged, her attempts at comfort intermingled with the realization that she was now the source of strength.
As the scene unfolded, Tails stood frozen, overwhelmed by a mixture of shock and helplessness, struggling to find words as his eyes widened with horror. Tears welled up as he witnessed the distressing spectacle of his sibling, frail and wounded, while Amy tried to provide comfort, and the medical staff restrained him.
"Amy…" Tails meekly uttered.
"Get out, Tails. Please." Amy urged, her voice softening with an undercurrent of protectiveness. Her gaze met his, conveying an unspoken plea to spare him from the unsettling scene unfolding in their midst.
Tails face streaked with tears, hesitated for a moment before nodding silently. Casting one last anguished look at his frail older brother and the shattered mirror, he left the room, the weight of the unspoken turmoil lingering in the air.
Sonic felt a pang on his shoulder as they injected something into his muscle and soon his resistance softened as the medication took effect, the tension in the room gradually giving way to a subdued calm.
Then the world turned black again.
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