Sonic the Hedgehog: Blood Pact

Author's note: At long last, my Sonic fan-fiction begins. I've always wanted to write Sonic fan-fic, but for various reasons have never gotten around to it. Now, at long last, I have a story, and I hope you all enjoy it. However, let me make one thing clear right now: This takes place in the Archie Comics continuity. If that bothers you, leave now, because I refuse to tolerate any bullshit flames about which continuity is the best one. Otherwise, enter with an open mind and enjoy. Even if you're not Archie-Sonic's biggest fan, you might enjoy this one. J

Copyright info: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any other character used in this story. If I did, though, you can bet there'd be a super cool Sonic game with SatAM characters for the Gamecube (and since they already used "Sonic Heroes", I'd call it "Sonic Legendz".)

Continuity info: This takes place in the Archie comic's continuity immediately after the infamous #134("Say You Will", featuring what Dan Drazen aptly titled "the slap heard 'round the fandom" and Sonic and Sally splitting up…again…). Everything that happened after that issue is disregarded. The events depicted in this story act as a substitute for the events that take place at this point in the comics.

Where once was light
Now darkness falls
Where once was love
Love is no more
Don't say goodbye
Don't say I didn't try

-"Gollum's Song", Emiliana Torrini

Prologue: That Which Cannot Be Forgotten

By Blue Eyes Shining Dragon

Five hours, fifteen minutes, and five seconds. "That is how long it's been since it happened…" Princess Sally thought to herself. She stood at the railing of the balcony located outside her bedchamber. That bedchamber was located in the newly re-built Castle of Acorn, which towered high into the sky, giving Sally a beautiful view of what was once Knothole Village. However, it could hardly be described as a village any longer. Over the past year, it had been rebuilt, fortified, and turned into a full-fledged kingdom. At night, with all its lights down and only the pale shine of the moon to illuminate it, it looked so beautiful. Almost beautiful enough to distract Sally from her thoughts, but not quite. All she could think of was what had happened earlier that day. It played through her head over and over again, hard as she tried to stop it. She remembered learning of her parents' plans to explore the rest of Mobius, leaving her in charge of the Kingdom in their place.

"If I don't fight Eggman, who will?"

She remembered her heart skipping a beat as she proposed that Sonic rule by her side.

"It doesn't have to be YOU, Sonic!"

She remembered her surprise at his hesitance to accept her offer.

"Please…say you will…"

She remembered the sadness in her heart reflected in his eyes as he looked straight at her and told her no.

"Sorry, Sal…I can't."

From there, however, everything felt like a blur. Sadness, heartbreak, frustration, but most of all, anger, whirled into one, until she found her hand, almost against her will, moving across his face harder than a hammer. Looking back at it now, in the cool calm of the night, she could see she had over-reacted. Even if she was disappointed by Sonic's decision, she should not have been surprised by it. "It's who he is," she reminded herself. "He's always running, always fighting, and as long as that voice inside of him tells him to run and fight, he'll never stop. He can't."

She had known that for as long as she had known him, yet at that moment in time five hours, fifteen minutes, and 55 seconds ago, it had seemed…unfair to her, somehow. "Maybe it's that he's been gone for a year…maybe I'm just not used to having him back yet…" she pondered as she continued to look into the night sky. And yet, even in her own mind, the answer rang false. One year or a hundred, Sally knew Sonic too well for even the longest of times apart to change her perception of him. No, Sally knew the truth was something else that had changed between them. They had, after many years of secrecy, acknowledged their love for each other shortly before Sonic's year-long absence. Because of that, Sally could not help but view the blue hedgehog differently. He was no longer just an ally or a close friend, he was her lover, and that meant she wanted to keep him safe by her side. The thought of him rushing into battle, into what could easily be his death, frightened her now in a way it had not before. "It still doesn't change the facts: I shouldn't have acted like that, especially not in front of so many people…" she thought guiltily. She sighed heavily, turning to her large bed. It had now been five hours, sixteen minutes, and ten seconds since she had publicly humiliated one of the most important people in her life, and she was tired of agonizing over it. She would talk to Sonic in the morning, she promised herself. She knew, no matter what happened, that they had to work this out. They just…had to. Flopping down on her bed without any grace or pretense, she found herself quite comfortable on top of her silken sheets. Tired from the stress of the day, it did not take long for her mind to grow silent as her eyes shut and she fell asleep. Yet even as the world around her turned to darkness, something in the back of her mind could feel something was…wrong. As if something, or someone, was watching her…

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sonic did not like to thing long or hard about much of anything. He often found that, when he did, it always ended up making him look at things in a way he did not like. Unfortunately, every so often, his thoughts snuck up on him, and he could not help but focus his attention on them. Tonight was one of those times. He was not sure where he was running to as he passed tree after tree in the thick of the Great Forest, only that running was what he should be doing right now. Running was how he could clear his head. Only his head was very much not clear. Instead, it was full of thoughts of guilt and anger and uncertainty. "I wish my answer could've been different, Sal…" he thought to himself. "I wish I didn't have to see you cry like that…"

Sonic had to admit, Sally's offer had taken him more than a little bit by surprise, something that did not frequently happen to a hedgehog who had fought robots, aliens, and evil wizards more than once. In a way, it was tempting. He could be with Sally as much as he wanted without having to worry about the class gap that had previously separated them. He would have the powers of royalty, which were never something to laugh at. Yet he knew that the offer had a flipside, a drawback to it that he simply could not, would not, accept. He would have to stop fighting. He would have to give up running and helping people directly on the front lines of battle. That was a prospect Sonic did not view with any sort of pleasure. It had been hard enough when Robotnik was believed dead for him to accept that his days of fighting, of putting his speed and his gifts to their best use, were over; it would be impossible for him to willingly surrender it. He knew Sally understood that. She understood it, and she STILL acted as if HE had betrayed HER when he turned her down! "It's not FAIR!" Sonic mentally grumbled to himself. "After all we've been through together, one little "no" and she goes ballistic on me!"

And yet, Sonic could not shake the feeling that he, too, held some responsibility for how poorly things had gone. He should have seen sooner just how upset Sally was about his choice, before her explosion, and taken care of things then. He could've calmed her down, explained himself better. He KNEW he could have. "But I didn't. And now…the girl I love isn't even on speaking terms with me!"

What would happen between them now? Would they really drift apart, after everything they had done together, after all the time they had waited for the other to confess what they already knew? Sonic did not know, and he did not have any particular desire to find out. He was afraid the answer would not be to his liking. "Ugh. I thought I went running this late at night to get my mind OFF this, not make me think about it MORE!" Sonic realized irritably, putting an extra burst of speed into his step in the hopes that maybe it would help. It did not take long, however, for him to realize he was being watched. Years of evading Robotnik's spy drones had given him a keen sense for that kind of thing. Screeching to a halt, he examined the forest around him, finding only the trees rustling in the wind. However, he could hear something. It was faint, just barely audible over the blowing leaves, but he could hear it. Deciding the subtle route was too boring, he decided to go all out. "OK, BUD, I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE! WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHOW YOURSELF AND GET THIS OVER WITH, HUH?" he shouted into the forest depths.

For a minute, the only response he received was his own angry echo. Just as he prepared to give up on it and leave, however, a blur of movement caught his eye. It was near the tree tops, circling downwards towards him at incredible speed. "Good…a nice li'l scrap oughta clear my head right up…" Sonic whispered to himself, dashing to meet the blur at the base of the last tree it had leapt to. The two reached the base at almost the exact same time. However, they were still a second apart when the blur came to a stop. Sonic, however, was going too fast to stop, and crashed right into the no-longer blurred newcomer. For a moment, the two lay on the ground together. Sonic recovered first, shaking his head around and getting onto his feet. "OK, Mr. Whoever-you-are, time to…"

Sonic's sentence died in his throat as he finally received his first look at his opponent.

"Well, hello there…" the newcomer said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Darkness.

"I am coming."

A voice, deep and threatening.

"I am coming for what was promised to me."

A feeling of fear, sadness, and desperation.

"That which was written in blood."

A sense of foreboding.

"That which cannot be forgotten…"

Eyes. Dark, red, and terrible. Boring into her mind, into her soul, into her life.

"I am coming."

A hand. Bony, everywhere, closing in on her.

With a gasp, Sally jerked into an upright sit. Sweat trickled down her forehead and her heart felt like a jackhammer in her chest. It was only after a few moments of panic that she noticed there was light again. The light of the sun shining into her room. "A dream…" she whispered, as if to reassure herself. "It was…just a dream…"

But just like the previous night's rationalizations about Sonic, it was an assurance that felt like a lie. Sally had never in all her life had a dream so vivid, so…real. Even now, each and every word spoken to her in that terrible voice was crystal clear. The hand…the fear…it was all still with her, not at all like the fading emotions of a normal dream. For a moment, she wondered if, maybe, the dream had not been a dream at all, but a message. However, she decided to push such thoughts aside for the time being. Remembering her earlier resolution to talk with Sonic, she quickly changed her clothes and left her room. Shortly after, she found herself on the streets of Knothole Kingdom. Although she attempted to immerse herself in navigating the landscape in her search for Sonic, she could not help but notice all the stares she was receiving. Some were sympathetic, others angry or disappointed, even more others confused; she could see a range of emotions in the eyes of everyone she passed as they looked at her, but she could tell they all stemmed from the same source. They had all seen what had happened the night before, and if there was one thing Sally knew about any community, it was that opinions formed fast and hard in the minds of its people. Picking up the pace of her walk, she decided she was most likely going to find Sonic near the Great Forest, and began heading that way herself. However, even as she did, she heard a familiar booming sound. "A sonic boom…sounds like he just got back…" she said to herself.

Following the sound towards the Village Square, she soon began running. She knew Sonic never stayed in one place for long, and if she wanted to talk to him now, she'd have to be quick. Even as she ran towards the Square, another familiar sound filled her ears, this one far closer: a rapid whooshing sound, like a helicopter's propeller. "Tails…" she said to herself.

Sure enough, the young fox soon pulled up alongside Sally, his twin tails keeping him above the ground while simultaneously propelling him forward. "Hey, Sally!" he said, brightly and loud enough so that Sally could hear him over his tails.

For a brief moment, Sally felt a pang of regret in her heart; she missed the days when Tails was still young enough to call her "Aunt", and combined with the previous night's unpleasantness, that regret felt all the worse today. It passed quickly, however. Tails continued. "Um…look, I know this probably isn't my business or anything, but…are you doin' OK? I mean, ya know…after last night…" the young fox asked, obviously not comfortable with the topic but concerned for Sally nonetheless.

Sally smiled at him. At least he wasn't too old to stop caring about her. "I'm fine, Mi…Tails." She said, correcting herself from using Tails' real name, something she knew the teenager hated.

Tails did not look convinced by Sally's answer. Sally noticed that. "I mean it, Tails…in fact, I'm going to make things up with Sonic right now…" she said.

"I hope." She added to herself.

Soon enough, Tails and Sally arrived at the Square, where they found the familiar sight of Sonic, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently even as the dust cloud he created disappeared into the air. "Sonic!" Sally called out.

Sonic looked to her, face bright at first; at the sight of her, however, he soured slightly. "Oh…hey, Sal…Tails…" he said distractedly. He quickly turned away from them, his foot beginning to tap even faster than before.

It was not hard for Sally to realize the awkwardness of Sonic's position, and decided to make good on the promise she had made to herself last night: it was time to set things right. Taking a deep breath, she stepped toward Sonic. "Look, Sonic…about the other night…"

Before she could get any further than that, however, a tremendous burst of wind followed by a second sonic boom passed right in front of her, knocking her backwards. Normally, she would have been able to balance herself, but the force came too close too quickly for her to have time, and so she fell straight on her back. Even as Tails kneeled down to help her up, Sally raised her head to see who had knocked her down. To say the least, it did not look like what Sally had expected. The newcomer was a slender female bat, much like the treasure hunter Rouge, save that this new bat was taller and with silver fur instead of white. Her wings were also substantially larger than Rogue's, and her attire was radically different. She wore glittering gold jewelry on her neck, wrists, and hip, as well as a form-fitting green tunic and a pair of black leather boots, as well as a trio of earrings on her right ear. Back on her feet, Sally ignored the urge to dust herself off, instead looking this new bat over. "So this is your home…Me likey…" the bat said silkily to Sonic.

The hedgehog merely chuckled and scratched his nose in reply. Sally immediately began feeling oddly nervous over the interaction between Sonic and the bat. "It's nothing…he must've met her this morning and decided to show her around…even though she's a complete stranger…" she consoled herself, even as her face scrunched up unpleasantly as she realized the implications of such a situation. Seeing Sally's unease, Tails decided to step up. "Hi, Sonic!" he started.

"Hey, bro…" Sonic said, lighter than before, but Tails could still tell there was little joy in his voice.

"So…who's your new friend?" Tails asked.

"Me? I'm Lilith…" the bat purred, spreading her wings vainly as she announced her name.

Now that the stranger had a name, Sally's confidence returned to her. "I'll thank you for that later, Miles…" she mentally laughed.

"Well…Lilith…" Sally said, pausing around Lilith's name out of unease, "I really am quite pleased to meet you, but Sonic and I were just about to have a rather important talk…"

"Sounds boring, not at all fit for a 'hog of action like you, eh, Sonic?" Lilith interrupted.

"A-freakin'-greed…" Sonic laughed bitterly. "Sorry, Sal, but you 'n' me have nothin' to talk about…"

Sally sighed. She had been afraid he would react like this, though she suspected Lilith's presence was not helping. Still, she had to keep trying. "Sonic, please…" she started calmly.

"No," Sonic cut her off. "You ask me to give up my life to be your stinkin' lap-dog and then, when I turn it down, you freak out in front of everyone." He said angrily, practically growling. "There's no discussion about it, Sal. You screwed up big."

"That's tellin' her…" Lilith laughed agreeingly.

Sally shot a disapproving glare at the bat, but decided to focus on Sonic for now. "Look, I'm not going to pretend I didn't mess up, but don't you think you're overreacting?" she asked, her calm wavering slightly. Something felt…wrong…with Sonic's tone; Sally could not tell what it was, but she could distinctly feel it there. "I mean, it's not like you're blameless in this…" she said.

The moment she did, however, she realized her mistake. She had been distracted by Sonic's tone and had spoken without thinking, and now she had foolishly said something that was sure to instigate Sonic. From his previous outburst, she knew that could only lead to more trouble. Sonic's face contorting into a rather angry expression confirmed her fear. "Oh really? I guess it's my fault you spazzed last night?" he asked indignantly.

Sally reached out gently to him. "I…I didn't mean it like that, Sonic…I just…"

She hesitated. It would be hard to recover from her slip-up, but she knew she could do it if she thought it through. Unfortunately, she would not receive the chance, as Lilith decided to take advantage of her pause to step into the conversation, batting Sally's hand away from Sonic at the same time.

"'I just' nothin', honey, I'm pretty sure Blue here said you two had nothin' to talk about." She said, exposing her fangs with an amused grin.

Stepping away from Sally, Sonic turned his back to her with a snap of his fingers. "Oh yeah! I did say that, didn't I? Guess some people aren't good listeners!" he said sarcastically.

With a twitch of her right ear, Lilith laughed, "And others listen a bit too well for their own good!"

Sonic's only response was a dismissive wave of the hand. "I'm done here, Lil. What say you 'n' me get movin', huh? I've still got a lot to show ya…" he said, a strange mixture of excitement and…disappointment?

Listening to him speak, Sally was unsure if she wasn't simply hearing what she wanted to hear, but she was sure she sensed it in his voice. Regardless, however, Lilith nodded in response, then, sticking her tongue out at Sally, waved goodbye. With another burst of speed, the two were both gone, leaving a bewildered Sally and Tails to process the unusual scene they had just witnessed. For several minutes, neither said a word. There were no words to say. Neither had ever seen Sonic act so…distant…from them. Sally was particularly unnerved at his behavior towards Lilith; they could not have met more than several hours ago and yet they acted like best friends. The worst part for her, however, was that she had failed again. Her own carelessness had shattered any chance of reconciliation with Sonic at that moment, and she feared it might be beyond her grasp now. For his part, Tails was equally unsure of how to react to everything. He wanted to believe Sonic was merely venting, just getting some things off his chest, but he could tell the hedgehog had been very serious, and if there was one thing Tails liked less than an unhappy Sonic, it was an unhappy Sonic who made Sally unhappy too. The young fox wanted things to work out for the two most important people in his life, and he had hoped his being there would have helped; instead, he now wondered if he hadn't only made it worse. Deciding to do something to settle things down, he decided to speak. "Are…are you OK, Sally?" he asked gently, still ill at ease about prying to her about her feelings. At first, the princess did not answer.

Her eyes had become fixated on the spot where Sonic had stood only seconds before. Staring silently at that spot, she felt her hands tightening into fists. She did not know what she would do about Sonic from here, but she did know one thing: she could not allow this to dominate her life. She had duties and responsibilities to attend to; if Sonic did not want to give her a chance, that was his choice. "That's his choice, not mine," she reminded herself. "and we're both going to have to live with it."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I'm glad that's over with," Sonic shouted to Lilith as the two continued to run towards a destination neither knew at incredible speed.

"See? I told ya you'd feel better once you got rid of squirrel-girl!" Lilith answered with a laugh, her wings flapping fast and hard to assist her running.

The hedgehog nodded with a grin that hid the confusion he felt inside. It was true, he did feel better after what he had said, but there was something bothering him on the fringes of his thoughts. His mind felt…hazy…disoriented…he could tell he was not thinking straight. Of course, maybe that was just because he did not want to think straight. Maybe thinking in a haze was better right now than having to look the world in the face. Maybe, just this once, he could just run and keep running and not have to worry about anything else, like…like…blue eyes, red hair, brown fur…the image was there, but the name…it felt like it was slipping away from him. "Sally…" he heard a voice in his own mind say, like an echo far in the distance.

"You OK, hon?" Lilith asked, seeing Sonic's smile fade into a look of confusion.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…I…I'm fine, just, ya know…thinkin'…" Sonic answered half-heartedly.

"About?" Lilith prompted.

"About…Sally…" he said, wincing at the last word as if saying it required great physical effort.

Lilith grimaced. "Well, we can't have that bothering you, now can we? Let's stop for a sec…" Lilith said, her ominous tone passing right by the distracted hedgehog without his taking notice. Both ceased their running, standing still now amidst a storm of dust swirling around them. Even as the dust faded away, Lilith walked towards Sonic. "Come here…" she said soothingly.

Sonic stood still for a moment, then decided to oblige. He knew from their first meeting the night before that Lilith was…comforting. "Maybe she can clear my head for me…" he thought hopefully.

The two embraced tenderly, Lilith moving her hands relaxingly around Sonic's long quills. "Shh…now, who was it that was bothering you again?" she whispered to him, her hands beginning to emit an eerie red glow.

"Sa…S…someone…" Sonic muttered, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. "What was her name? What'd she even look like…?" he wondered exhaustedly, again becoming keenly aware that something was wrong with his thoughts. "She was…someone important…I think…" he tried saying aloud, though the words never made it past his mind.

"No one…" Lilith continued, her hands now moving around Sonic's body, the glow intensifying. "She's no one…"

Sonic found himself becoming more and more tired…somehow, Lilith's words sounded absolutely true. "No one…'s no one…" he muttered, his eyes slowly closing.

"That's right," Lilith cooed, "and there's no need to worry over no one, now is there?"

Sonic slowly slumped down onto Lilith's shoulder, almost entirely asleep. "No need...t'worry…" he slurred, his eyes fully closing at last.

For a moment, he merely leaned on Lilith, asleep. The bat smiled, stroking Sonic's head comfortingly, the glow around her hands slowly fading. "There, there…feeling better now?" she asked with a light chuckle.

Sonic blinked several times, then opened his eyes and stood up again. Stretching his arms, he yawned. "Yeah, actually, much better. Thanks, Lil, you're the best." He said.

"Not a problem, Sonic. Now…about Sally…" she said, cutting herself off at the end in anticipation.

"Who?" Sonic asked.

"Nevermind." Lilith laughed. "So where to now?"

"Hmm…" Sonic thought for only a moment. "I dunno, just keep goin' the direction we were goin' in before." He said with a shrug.

"Sounds good." The two sped off again.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Darkness.

"Your defenses are breaking…"

A voice, louder than before, closer to her.

"Soon your promise will be fulfilled…"

A feeling of fear, sadness, and desperation.

"A promise written in blood can not be forgotten."

A sense of claustrophobia, as if the whole world was closing in on her.

"You chose this…"

Eyes. Dark, red, and terrible, within the face of a misshapen horned skull. They were boring into her soul, into her life, into her world…

"Remember that when this is over…"

A hand. Bony, everywhere, crushing her in its grip…

"Sally-girl? Wake up, Sal!"

The voice had changed…it was not dark or threatening at all anymore…it was soft, a familiar southern accent gracing it.

"B…Bunnie…?" Sally muttered as she opened her eyes, again realizing she had been suffering through a horrid nightmare.

Raising her head, she looked into the familiar green eyes of her close friend, Bunnie Rabbot. The half-roboticized rabbit looked concerned. "Y'all feelin' alright there, Sally-girl?" she asked, placing her non-robotic hand on Sally's shoulder. Sally smiled at her friend's concern, even while piecing together how she had come to this moment. She had just finished a Royal meeting about increasing the city's boarder defenses and had left to share lunch with Bunnie. They had gone to a field near the edge of the city to eat and Bunnie had gotten up to stretch her legs. "I must've dozed off while she was gone…and had that terrible nightmare again…" she thought even as she said out loud, "I'm fine, Bunnie, I was just dreaming…"

"But it WASN'T the same dream…" she noted to herself. "It was different, just slightly…but different…like a progression…"

"Oh really? Well, fill me in, sugah, what was it about?" Bunnie giggled, sitting down next to her close friend.

"I, uh, can't really remember…" Sally lied. "No need to get Bunnie worried…"

"Iffen ya say so." Bunnie said happily, only slightly convinced. "Now what say we'all finish this here lunch 'fore it spoils?" she asked, placing a small basket of food down in front of them. Sally took her food from it and ate, but she did not focus much on it. Something was going on, and she intended to find out what.

To Be Continued…