Author's notes: A one-Shot alternate ending. An ending where evil triumphs and doesn't play by the rules. Sonic and all related characters are Copyright and sole property of Sonic Team. Read and review.

Fall of a Hero

By: Pogiforce-14

Sonic hit the ground hard and was sent tumbling across the wooden deck of the Egg Fortress. When he finally came to a stop, he pulled himself painfully to his feet and wiped his mouth, causing a red smear to appear on the back of his white glove. He glared angrily at his attacker, not enraged by the hit, but by who did it.

Amy's pink furred face glared back at him, smiling triumphantly. But that was all that remained of her that was recognizable. Her body was sorely disconfigured. Metallic obtrusions stuck out of her skin, from her neck, from her head. The dark blue metal shone brightly against the lightning filled sky. But that wasn't what was so shocking. She was young. She was never exactly the most curvaceous hedgehog he had ever seen. What infuriated him so were her eyes. The eyes that were once full of admiration and support now reflected nothing but malice and hatred. He hadn't noticed till then how much the look in her eyes affected him. But it had changed. And it was all his fault. He should have seen it coming…

Sonic and friends had just beaten down the Metal Overlord transformation of Metal Sonic. Looking down at the battered robot on the deck of the Egg Fortress, Sonic had thought it was over. He gave his usual parting remark, then began running off towards the pods that would have allowed him safe descent back to the ground. Amy, being her typical loving self, gave chase. But as she ran by Metal Sonic, he had turned into his Mercury form and washed over her body. He connected himself to her, using her body as a mount for his weaponry and consciousness. Sonic had heard her scream, and had turned around just in time to get a large metal fist to the face. Now recovered from the attack, all he could think of was how to pry that metal jerk off of her.

"Let her go." Sonic growled menacingly. Amy's lips curled into a smirk.

"And what if I should say no? What are you going to do about it?" It was Amy's voice, but the contempt in it was unlike none Amy's sweet demeanor could produce. Sonic glared angrily. But he made no move. He was surprised by his own inaction. He knew he could take this metal bozo in his sleep. But if he hurt Amy in the process…

Looking around briefly, he saw the stunned faces of Tails and Knuckles, as well as Rouge and Shadow. Tails was the one to make the first move.

"Leave Sonic and Amy alone, you bully!" Tails cried out, running forward with his fists raised. In a flash of motion, The mecha-Amy had Tails by the tails, holding him up over the deck. Tails had barely a second to register the evil grin on his captor's face before he was slammed ferociously to the deck, only to be lifted up and slammed down again. Mecha-Amy then proceeded to continuously slam Tails into the deck, blood starting to ooze from his shattered bones.

"Leave him alone!" Sonic roared, clenching his fists, dashing forward. "Your fight is with me!"

"Fine." Mecha-Amy said. "I'll just put him down then." With a flick of her wrist, she sent Tails's unconscious body flying over her shoulder. Sonic stopped his assault to watch his best friend fly through the air. An arc of lightning lit up his graceful descent.

It also lit up the swirling fan blade that he was falling towards.

Sonic's eyes went wide and he began running as fast as he could. He had to get there first. There was no way he would let his best friend down. He reached the fan blade just before Tails did. Jumping outward, he reached to grab his friend by the arm before he was to be diced by the swirling blade.

He missed.

The sound. The sound would haunt him for the rest of his life. He lay there on his hands and knees, his eyes wide with horror as he saw Tails's body mulched in the fan. The sound of a meat grinder met his ears as Tails's organs and blood were splashed all over the deck, raining upon Sonic like a thunderstorm of death. The fan blades were coated red and Tails's right hand lay next to Sonic on the deck. Everyone saw what had happened. That was why Knuckles was the next to react.

"YOU MONSTER!" Knuckles roared, raising his spiked fists into the air as he leapt at the amalgam of Amy and Metal Sonic.

But Mecha-Amy merely grinned. With a sweeping backhand motion, she caught Knuckles square in the chest. A whooshing sound was heard as the wind was knocked right out of him, and the force of the blow sent him flying backwards.

Straight off the deck of the ship.

"Knuckles, no!" Sonic cried, throwing himself over to the side of the deck. He reached out a hand, but his red furred friend was already too far away to save. Knuckles disappeared beneath the clouds, never to be seen again.

Overcome with sorrow, Sonic felt his eyes burn with hatred and sadness as the thunderclouds above finally broke and spilled their rain upon him to hide his tears. He found himself unable to move, even as Mecha-Amy began approaching him to finish what she started. Suddenly Shadow and Rouge appeared between her and Sonic. Shadow cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Forgetting someone?" He asked her

"You guys want to die too, eh?" Mecha-Amy grinned. "Alright, lets play." Almost as if on cue, Shadow dashed forward as Rouge took to the air. Shadow leapt and launched a homing attack. Mecha-Amy raised an arm to defend herself from the black ball of destruction. Rouge threw some exploding rings, which caught Mecha-Amy by surprise and sent her tumbling back from the explosion. Seeing the opening, Rouge picked up Shadow and launched him at Mecha-Amy with a Thunderball maneuver.

But Mecha-Amy was much faster than they expected. Recovering quickly, she caught the Shadow projectile in her metallic hands. She began squeezing tightly, and both Rouge and Sonic could hear Shadow's cries of pain as every bone in his body was slowly compressed and broken. Rouge dove down to try to save him, but quickly found herself clasped in Mecha-Amy's hands as well. Turning around, she bodily slammed them up against the bunkhouse wall, and proceeded to crush the life out of them.

"Sonic, run!" Shadow gasped, even as his ribcage began to collapse.

Sonic's eyes went wide with the thought. Run…away? From a battle? The idea was so foreign to him he couldn't comprehend it. Run away? But what would that accomplish?

"I can't!" He shouted, rising to his feet. "I can't let all my friends sacrifice themselves just so I can run away!"

"You must!" Rouge gasped, her life fading away. "You can't take her! Metal Sonic was strong already. And when we're gone, Amy will be all you'll have left…" Sonic felt these words sink in. All he would have left. It was true. Tails was gone already. Knuckles was probably dead as well. And Rouge and Shadow were dying right before his eyes. If he were ever to free Amy from this mechanical madman, she would be all he had left. And as Mecha-Amy let the crumpled bodies of Rouge and Shadow fall to the deck, and she turned with a blood lust in her eyes, only one thought was in Sonic's mind.

Run away.

He turned his back, and began running full speed. Almost immediately he could hear the mechanical feet of his pursuer thudding on the deck behind him. Reaching the edge, he leapt out and landed on a railing, and began grinding his way down to the escape hangar. Mecha-Amy launched from the deck and engines unseen took action, sending her flying through the air after him. He took a brief look over his shoulder to see her quickly gaining on him. Jumping from the grind rail, he used a homing attack chain on the Egg Fortress's cannon turrets to reach a platform nearby, then continued running. Finding an alcove nearby, he ducked inside and crouched down, trying desperately not to be seen. He could hear the thudding of Mecha-Amy's footsteps as she thundered past, looking for her pray. The rain pattered on the metal of the platform and Sonic edged out hesitantly, looking off in the direction the footsteps had gone. Seeing no one, he began running the other direction.

"Miss me?" Sonic rain head first right into Mecha-Amy. Before he could react, Mecha-Amy slugged Sonic right in the face, sending him flying against the steel wall. Sonic's vision faded as his right eye became swollen shut, and a small puddle of blood alone with a couple teeth formed at Sonic's feet as he slid down the wall. "What's the matter?" Mecha-Amy jeered. "Can't take a punch?" Sonic glared at her, but knew he couldn't throw a punch. He just couldn't hurt Amy. If she died… He'd have nothing left. All his friends would be dead. He'd rather die first.

Sonic bolted to his right towards a grind rail and slid down it as fast as he could. He could hear Mecha-Amy giving chase right behind him, laughing, taunting him with Amy's soft tinkling laughter mixing in with the demonic metallic clang of Mecha-Sonic. Some of Eggman's drones popped from nearby shoots and Sonic destroyed them with a homing attack, landing on a nearby platform and continued to run without looking back. Lightning lit up the sky and too late Sonic realized he had run out of platform, falling through the sky. Reaching out with his hand, he managed to grab a red bar suspended from a nearby pylon and used it to swing himself up onto another grind rail, grinding down to another platform.

As soon as he landed he looked around himself, trying to get his bearings. Eggman more than likely kept the escape pods on the lower level. But the fortress was so huge Sonic had no idea where he was. If Tails was still here…

Sonic choked back tears as he took off. He'd have to do this alone. He rounded a corner and ran into a large steel door. Rearing back, he rolled up into a ball and struck it as hard as he could. It didn't even dent. He caught himself thinking about Knuckles' super strength and grimaced as he stood. He would still have to find another way.

"What's the matter?" A voice said behind him. " No good without you're little friends to help you?" Sonic didn't even have time to turn around this time as he took the blow to the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Sonic stumbled to his feet, his vision swimming, his feet stumbling as he tried to run. But he was picked up bodily by a large metal hand and thrown against the steel door. He fell to the ground, landing on his side. He looked up weakly at Mecha-Amy. She already looked more metal than hedgehog. Metal tubes stuck from beneath fur and muscle, steel spikes raising from her head. Her hands had been replaced with large steel versions, and her feet followed suit. In fact, all that seemed to remain of the old Amy was a patch of pink fur on the chest and her face. That cold, leering face. That face that once smiled whenever he was near.

"Amy…" he said weakly.

"She can't hear you." Mecha-Amy leered, walking towards Sonic until the blue hedgehog lay at her feet. "Now there is only Mecha-Amy. Amy as you knew her is gone. You failed her. She's dead." Mecha-Amy grinned.

Sonic found himself suspended above the ground with Mecha-Amy's metallic hand wrapped around his throat. Carrying him with her, Mecha-Amy walked to the edge of the platform, suspending Sonic over empty space.

"Why…Why are you doing this?" Sonic managed to choke.

"Because," Mecha-Amy grinned maliciously. "There can only be one true Sonic."

"But you're possessing Amy! How can you be Sonic if you're in her!" Sonic shot back. Mecha-Amy merely shrugged her shoulders.

"Who knows. This girl has indeed proven to be quite the efficient host for my machinery. With her I have disposed of all your little friends quite easily. Who knows, maybe I'll stay Mecha-Amy. Maybe the world no longer needs Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic struggled against the grasp, but it was unmoving. Mecha-Amy looked up at him one last time.

"Sayonara, Sonic the Hedgehog." She grinned.

Sonic looked one last time. Looked at Amy's face, the once soft, kind features contorted in hate and madness. And with one last thunderclap, the rain and wind singing a song of sorrow, Mecha-Amy let go.

The free fall quickly pulled Mecha-Amy out of view. The wind and rain were bitter against Sonic's soaked fur as he fell through the sky, clouds and mists passing him on both sides. As he fell, his mind was full of confused images, unrealized emotions. Amy had loved him, and he hadn't realized till now that that had meant something to him. Even as he fell, the last look on her face was poison to his heart. The wind tore at his fur and chilled to the bone as the Egg Fortress quickly faded out of sight.

He could see the ground now, drawing closer, faster. He could see people now, pointing up at the blue projectile falling from the heavens. A fall from dignity. A fall from grace. Sonic braced himself for the inevitable impact. And then…

Game Over