A/N: Sonic will finally get some answers to solve his dilemma... but is it just the truth or a mere fabrication?
Disclaimer: I still don't own any rights to Sonic. I'm only here for the emotional damage.
Chapter 3: What Don't I Know?
Things couldn't get any worse, you may think. I wanted to follow that notion, too, yet everything slowly fell apart.
The only positive was that my body felt much better than ever as if I was never injured in the first place. I could finally take long runs again without feeling pain. Guess that's what happens when speed is taken into account. It was a blessing to heal at such a fast rate.
Yet another two weeks had passed, marking about a month and a half since I was admitted to the hospital. Every day since I woke up, Tails essentially refused to do anything with me.
He wouldn't go out with our friends, he wouldn't want to go on plane rides together, and he still wouldn't want to bond with me at home. All Tails did was coop himself in his workshop or his bedroom, and honestly, I was getting tired of it. He needed to move on from this. It wasn't like I actually died or anything. On the other hand, whenever I got severely bruised or went missing, I knew how bad the poor guy felt.
Where have I heard this story before?
Granted, he continued to grow up and became more self-dependent, especially after the whole Cyberspace incident at the Starfall Islands. I couldn't help but be proud of him. I would never think he let me down in any circumstance no matter how many times he worried about me or blamed himself for everything that befell between us. He just wanted to be his own person, to be someone like me but also not me – if that makes any sense. Unfortunately, some of his previous traits, such as hiding his emotions from me, remained to be a lingering issue.
It got me thinking that whatever happened before my coma probably triggered a sense of insecurity for him. Part of me thought there were details he purposefully left out at the hospital when I first talked to him. Yet every time, he waved it off saying it was nothing but an explosion that knocked me out.
Was it really just an explosion though? Or was there more to be told?
I ended up going to desperate measures. To be more specific, I went out on a run to clear my head. However, I coincidentally ran into the one who started this chaos.
For the first time in several weeks, I saw the evil doctor as he was situated in his Egg Mobile, cackling to himself as his Badniks began to invade a district near Station Square. Although it was always a pain in the butt to speak with him, let alone be in the same space, it was about time to relive the good old days.
Like any other plain introduction, I stretched my arms and legs, got myself into a running position, flashed a smirk on my face, and zoomed off. Next thing I knew, metal scraps and fragments scattered all over the place as I effortlessly spin-dashed a chain of Moto Bugs and Crabmeats. From a distance, I perceived an annoyed growl from the doctor himself, only making my grin stretch wider as I continued my rampage against his pathetic army line.
"Man, has it really been so long since I got to destroy a Badnik of yours? I must say, Eggman, I appreciate the effort of allowing me to get more practice in!"
"Grrr! Out of all the times for you to show up, you just had to pick a day when I am busy with my plans! Get out of here, you pernicious dunderhead!" he slammed his control panel.
The fight party didn't end from there. I sped off getting rid of some more robots that were in my path, clearing out the streets. Every moment provoked Eggman to lose more of his cool, resorting him to fire lasers at me. To add more to the fun, I teased the evil human by spanking my behind, sticking my tongue out, and waving my index finger at him – making him even more irritated to my amusement.
Yawning with feigned boredom, I ran off with ease and destroyed more of his Badniks by swaying his trajectory at his own creations. One by one, each robotic creature was blasted to smithereens as a bunch of smoke trailed off from the remnants. Once I finished off the last wave, I stopped along the sidewalk and gazed at Eggman with a victorious pose.
"Heh heh, new battle, same results. I honestly expected more out of you, Egghead. It goes to show that I'm still undefeatable."
"Undefeatable, huh? I can only presume you don't recall anything about me defeating you in Red Gate City when I had you cornered and beaten up in the town square? Maybe you don't remember the part where I neutralized your Super form and sucked the Chaos energy out of you? Or what about the time you almost couldn't save your friends from my Metal Virus and the wave of Zombots? Heck, I bet you didn't feel 'undefeatable' when you decided to go ballistic in our last encounter!"
My smile instantly disappeared. So he knew about our previous fight? What did he have to say about it? Would he confirm everything Tails said was true?
"Go on."
Eggman raised an eyebrow. "Go on, what?"
"Tell me. What happened?"
"You... You're telling me you don't remember what you and that bothersome fox did?"
"In case the news didn't break to you, I was stuck in a coma for two weeks, no thanks to you," I scoffed. "Because of that, I couldn't recall anything that happened prior to waking up. All I know is that Tails has been avoiding me and our friends for the past month!"
That was when Eggman leaned forward in his flying vehicle. I could barely detect a sinister grin beneath his mustache. "So, you're saying you truly don't know what went down?"
"Um, hello? Did you not hear what I just explained? For all I know, you probably messed up Tails' well-being by making him think I was dead again! You probably influenced him that he was gonna be all alone without me! Or maybe you have him stuck under some kind of mind control, screwing with his brain and trying to make him stay away from me like I'm the bad guy!"
"Oh, Sonic, Sonic, Sonic..." Eggman tsked. "Don't you know?"
"What don't I know?" my teeth gritted.
"If only you remembered. You were the bad guy."
I didn't take half a second to believe him. "As if, Baldy! What could I have done to make myself the bad person here? I'm not the one causing chaos and destruction!"
"Oh, really? You actually stand by what your silly, little brain believes?"
This time, I didn't retort at him or question his claim. If Eggman was seriously telling the truth (highly doubtful), I needed more intel. If I wasn't going to get anything out of Tails, I had no other choice but to ask the other witness from the battle.
So, I reiterated but in a dangerously ominous tone, "What happened?"
Eggman lingered in his Egg Mobile for a bit before sneering with a wicked grin. "Well, I don't want to bore you with a long story that'll put you into a deep slumber, especially one that's as long as your stay at the hospital."
"Spill the beans already!" I angrily shouted.
"Okay, okay, fine! Sheesh, Mr. Tight Shoes. If you're that desperate, allow me to enlighten you..."
"Our typical fight was nothing short of what you expect – you and Tails versus the brilliant mind of yours truly! It was another roundabout where the stakes weren't as high compared to most major fights. Regardless, your oh-so-delusional brain was only focused on the main priority: defeating me. No matter what, your end goal was to stop my nefarious plans all because you two numbskulls had to intervene for the sake of 'getting ahead of the game'. And it's all thanks to your brat of a sidekick for infiltrating my base."
...
"Sonic! Just because you've beaten him many times before, you should never let your guard down!"
"Heh, don't worry, pal! Have I ever steered you wrong?"
"I really don't have to remind you for the millionth time, but..."
...
"As per usual, you kept your eyes on me at the forefront. The fox boy was in the background with his technological advances. Even with his puny, pathetic remote control, he was holding his own, making use of himself for a change. He had his opportunities to smash a good chunk of my Badniks while you did the heavy lifting. But I had you on the ropes, eager to make a move that would catch you by surprise."
...
"C'mon Egghead, is that the best you could do? I've faced fiercer competition than what you're throwing down!"
"Sonic, don't forget what I said!"
"The little twerp is right, rodent. You should know by now that I can pull a rabbit out of my hat and outsmart you at any given point!"
"Heh, is that so? Is your hat just as visible as the hair on your scalp?"
...
"Not wasting any more time with your vexing jests, I initiated my plan. As you kept rolling along against my Badnik army, I had another wave of my robots cooped up in a set of nearby rooms. Launching them into action, I made sure to put the pressure on both of your shoulders. They came charging at you from many directions. While you seemed to make things look easy, your partner in crime was a different story. To his credit, Tails did attack and defend well... for about a minute. My Badniks had him surrounded at all angles. While he was able to destroy several more, he couldn't manage to persevere against all of them. Whether they slammed into his body or restrained his tails, he was stuck at a crossroads. Of course, it was the perfect bait."
...
"Get off of me! Take this! I'm not gonna give- Ugh!"
"Tails!"
...
"A predictable outcome, you rushed over to your friend to ease the load and rescue him. But I had other baddies headed your way to knock you out senseless. And what else can I say? It worked!"
...
"Sonic, look out!"
...
"It was too late as they shot lasers at you and made you trip on your feet. Then, they began to brutalize you, one by one. It was a delightful sight to witness with a front-row seat, like I was rewatching Infinite and all those clones tear you up until you were unable to get back on your feet. I couldn't have pictured it any better! After the turmoil, I saw you on the floor, hopeless and bruised. Nothing was going to stop me... until the obnoxious fox stepped in."
...
"T-Tails, get out of here!"
"No way, Sonic! I'm getting YOU out of here!"
"Don't, Tails! Listen to me!"
...
"Alas, he didn't obey your pleas. Instead, the fox was brave enough to get out of his circle, push off the Badniks who held onto him, and rush over to your aid. Little did both of you know, I secretly rigged a couple of my Moto Bugs with mini bombs attached to their circuit boards. If they got damaged, the trigger would immobilize any nearby victims on the spot. Those robots of mine happened to be the same ones who were targeting you. It only took a simple spin-dash to precipitate the detonation. For me, I had the freak right where I wanted him."
...
"Urgh! Tails!"
"I'm coming, Sonic!"
...
"Tails rattled off a few of my Moto Bugs with physical combat as he got closer to you. One came rushing from his right, and he caught it within his peripheral vision. When he was about to get zapped, he had no choice but to leap up and take his momentum directly into the decoy."
"So that's what caused the explosion! You really hit a new low, Eggman! The Phantom Ruby War may have been the worst thing you enacted, but having my buddy force his way to unwarranted genocide could be up on that list, too! As if he wasn't manipulated enough by you, he had to find his way to nearly dying for the sake of getting me out of your clutches! You're darn lucky I only suffered a small coma, and he only dealt with a broken foot!" I seethed with pure vitriol in my voice.
I expected Eggman to tack on a condescending message after my rant, but what I got was uncomfortable silence. He instead leaned forward in his Egg Mobile, glaring through his puny glasses with a gruff tone.
"Hmph. I thought you might have remembered some of the key details, but I guess I stand corrected. Maybe you should let me finish the whole story before you throw out assumptions, hedgehog."
What good would that do? After what he already described, how much of this nonsense was real?! However, I decided to let him carry on.
"What else do I not know? If I didn't become unconscious from your trap, what caused me to land in the hospital?"
The expression on the doctor's face remained unchanged. It was as if he was teasing me, waiting for the right moment to make me lose my marbles. On the other hand, I couldn't help but think he's being careful with his choice of words. Ugh, what am I saying? He may boast of having an IQ of over 300, but even Tails was smarter than-
"Oh, it's more than just Tails trying to save your life. In fact, he tried to ruin it."
He tried to... Wait, what? What the heck does he mean by that?!
"I see the dubious look on your face right now. Safe to say you don't believe me?" he creepily smirked at me.
This guy was not making it simple nor tolerable for me. Tails wouldn't... He would never do such a thing, not after what we've been through. I needed more answers.
"What happened?"
"Hohohohoho..." Eggman finally let out the diabolic laughter. "Let me remind you of your tragic nightmare, Sonic..."
"Tails' force was adequate enough to smash the Moto Bug while simultaneously triggering the bomb I had planted. I tested the explosions myself, and the worst outcome was only a few test dummies being scorched within the tiny blast radius. Having a bunch of Moto Bugs nearby, however, would set off a chain reaction of those mini bombs, thus leading to more destruction if they were in close range. The end result was a blast that knocked the kit against the wall, banging his head as his entire body fell to the ground. To think, you were supposed to be the main victim, and you would've been had Tails not changed his course and detonated the bomb nearby you. But you know what? The end result was just as satisfying. And oh boy, it would kill me if you saw the devastated look on your face."
...
"TAILS!"
...
"Not even five seconds elapsed since his KO, and you fought every aching limb to hurry your way past the rest of my Badniks. You even destroyed most of them out of fury. Once you got to your pal, the scene before me was priceless."
"He, too, was also aching from my devious plan. Yet I could tell he was still breathing. I doubt you viewed it the same way, considering what followed suit."
...
"Tails! Tails, answer me! Buddy, please!"
"HOHOHOHOHO! Am I experiencing déjà vu or something? Because I'm reliving my greatest fantasy come to fruition once again! The only thing that's missing is the cherry on top: your eventual demise, Sonic!"
...
"I was setting up one last trap from my Egg Mobile before I failed to realize one single flaw: I was vulnerable. By that, I mean I did not account for the unadulterated rage you possessed. My transport was desecrated from a massive combo of spin-dashes, homing attacks, and charges. I went crashing down before I came face-to-face with a sight I hadn't seen in years...
"To put it briefly, you became Dark."
...
"S-Sonic! Take it easy!"
"Take it easy? Pretty foolish of you to think I would follow your advice. You probably 'took it easy' on my little bro by blowing him up!"
"W-Wait! Sonic! Let's think about this real quick! Just let me go and don't-"
"How about this, Eggface? Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't do! Maybe I should plant a bomb in your base and all your other strongholds, and we'll see if you'll be laughing at that point!"
"Th-That's highly unnecessary and absolutely preposterous!"
"Unnecessary? Preposterous?! You dare to describe my ways of getting revenge, yet you would pull a devious stunt like this?! All for what? To get rid of me? To conquer the world? To boost your reputation as a madman?! You're one to talk, Doctor."
...
"I was officially at a loss for words, and I couldn't spill any more out of my mouth when I saw a fist heading straight at me."
"That was the last thing I remembered from that ordeal. How you and the fox managed to leave this place was beyond me. I spent the last month and a half recovering from your attacks, thanks to Orbot and Cubot, and we kept quiet. Now, here we are, face-to-face once more, except the state of affairs is at an awkward standstill. But at the end of the day, your friend was at fault for making you lose your sanity," he finished with a wicked grin.
I lost track of time about halfway through his storytelling that I almost forgot we were in Station Square present-day. The sun was beginning to set, and most of the citizens had already gone back to their matters. Yet Eggman and I had remained here, surrounded by a pile of Badnik shrapnel. I took a few moments to soak it all in. Closing my eyes and tightening my fists again, I knew how I was gonna respond to him. All I needed was one word.
"Liar."
"What was that?" Eggman queried.
"You're lying. None of that happened," I growled.
"Are you implying that you don't trust me? After everything I've told you?"
I knew this guy was being half-sarcastic just from the delivery. The other half, it was hard to tell if he was genuine or shocked that I refused to believe him. Nevertheless, my point stood. I don't trust Eggman. Never. Not once. Even from all the times I was forced to collaborate with him, the only matter was to return things to normalcy while getting on his nerves. If I ever had the choice to depend on this psychopath or get wiped out by a tsunami, a hundred times out of a hundred I would pick the latter.
"How would any of that happen if I was the one who got stuck in a coma at the hospital? How did I threaten you when I was the one who was immobile for two weeks? Tails didn't suffer that. From what I know, he told me I got caught in an explosion that knocked me out. All he received was an injured foot. Maybe some head trauma and several bruises, too, but nothing more than that! In fact, I was told by the doctor that he brought me there! I received the worst of it, and Tails did everything he could to help me despite those difficulties! You're either covering something up or wasting my time because none of this makes any sense!" I screamed at the top of my lungs with my hands flung up in the air.
"If you don't believe me then, why don't you ask that mutant for yourself?"
"Don't call him that, Eggman. Besides, he's been hiding things from me, too."
The human made a dissatisfied grunt and folded his arms over his chest, tapping his fingers on his biceps. "Tell you what. I'll surrender from this current debacle. Nothing else I can say will persuade you given your standpoint. Heck, I'll even clean up the mess you made for ruining my invasion."
"Pfft, sure you will."
"I'm serious, Sonic. I may be irritated by your constant overachieving, yet I know better to handle an affair like this. Just trust me on this, and do me a favor."
Crossing my own arms, I raised a questionable, irate eyebrow at him. "What is it?"
"Ask him. Ask him about what exactly occurred. I'm sure he'll give you all the details, and I can guarantee you this: everything I said was the truth."
The truth... The only 'truth' I saw was how everything was in complete shambles. Whether Eggman was lying or being honest in this case, I wasn't ready to jump to conclusions.
Shaking my head, I gave him one last message. "You better be right, Eggman, or else."
And so, I ran away, leaving him alone and not looking back...
...Which brought me here, sitting on the same billboard this entire night. I remained oblivious as to what went down. Eggman's anecdote was too lengthy to digest, yet with all that information, he must have retained everything. You don't just disperse so many particulars all at once without several instances of hesitation or memory issues, especially when we're talking about an event from about six weeks ago.
But you wanna know the dumbest part about it? The more I repeat the story to myself, the more I'm slowly starting to believe him.
Did I really turn Dark? Did I lose control of myself? Had Tails experienced more, if not just as much torture as me?
Yet I'm scratching my head at the surface; Eggman's story was also illogical. How could I have been my Dark persona if Tails was the one who lost sentience from the blast? The prospect of me being erratic to see my little buddy hurt was practical. Still, it doesn't add up properly.
He wasn't the one lying in the hospital bed.
He wasn't the one in a state of unconsciousness for days.
That was all me.
Instead, he was the one who brought me there for medical support. On the other hand, he was also the guy who had been avoiding me throughout this time like I was his childhood bully, evading all kinds of conversations or encounters. Why though? I wasn't tormenting him aside from me being on my deathbed. All things considered, I was so lucky I survived and healed up. With how long I've been around Tails, I knew it would kill him if I lost my life and left him all alone.
But that's how much I care for the fox.
Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to care about me lately.
Honking cars and police sirens filled the lonely air as the sun was pretty much gone by now. My head had been spinning with no clear direction on what to do.
"Ask him. Ask him about what exactly occurred... Everything I said was the truth."
The last words Eggman lectured to me rang for a while. Maybe I gotta be upfront with Tails again. After all, this wasn't the first time I had to establish a conversation with him after he kept isolating himself from me and the outside world.
Taking a deep breath, I let it all out and stood up from my spot. Beginning my descent, I hopped off the edge and landed on one of the many lampposts off the side of the highway. Eventually, I made my way to the roads and dashed my way home. I could only hope Tails was there because if he wasn't, I was going to endure another gruesome game of hide-and-seek.
END OF CHAPTER
Next chapter will be the final part of this short story. If you have thoughts or predictions, leave a comment down below! I would appreciate any feedback. I'll see you all next time for the conclusion! This is TGN, signing off.