beLIEve Chapter 19

The People We Love

I'm back! :) I'm also back to having so much work to do this year I'm struggling to find time to write at all. But I've managed to squeeze this in in the bits of time I've had! I am forever touched by how many people have asked for an update and not forgotten about this even after like...a year? So hopefully I can crank this story out slowly but completely! You have all really been my motivators on this long-term project.

Also: the Sonic Movie was so cute and I'm so hyped for the sequel! I really liked how they appropriately addressed his loneliness and didn't treat it like a joke. And the IDW comics are really packing in the drama! It's so exciting to see these beloved characters tested in different circumstances—can't wait for more. IDW Sonic is suffering as much as mine is! XD If you haven't seen either of these stories, would really recommend you do, particularly to entertain yourselves in this strange time.

Hope everyone is doing ok – you've probably seen this everywhere, but I can't stress enough how important it is to reach out to your friends and family to have a laugh and check in on each other. As someone who often forgets, please remember to look after yourself, if that's exercising, getting proper sleep, writing/venting, escaping to other worlds through entertainment, or whatever works best for you, it's so worth it. Please take care everyone. Let's get through this together and keep each other company!

In terms of the fic at hand, I know some of you miss the present gang, so here they are back in action. Some hurt/comfort/fluff ahead, but also the usual angst and action to take your mind off the world outside. I hope you enjoy this one.

Rouge's heel ground against the bark soundlessly. She placed a hand as delicately as she could to balance the other side of her. Like her mission partner's namesake, she moved like a shadow in the tree line.

It was early morning, and when she had woken up in their huddled group's burnt out campfire, all had been silent except for the dawn chirping of the birds. The chaos emeralds lay within the backpack half open, still as grey and dull as they were before Christmas Island. Sonic's sleeping spot had been empty.

At first, she'd panicked, thinking Shadow had made his move without her knowledge, but seeing her mission partner sound asleep beside her, she changed conclusions. Whether her next assumption was more unsettling than the first, she was unsure.

He hadn't gone far.

Moving with smooth and deft movements, she half floated with her wings, half darted about the branches with delicate footholds on the bark. She followed Sonic's cobalt form walking through the undergrowth. His pace was unfamiliar, measured and wandering. Like he was taking in his surroundings for the first time. Rouge was confused at what he was doing away from camp, walking rather than running no less, silent and alone. She watched as he continued to pick his way through root and bramble, steps slow but confident.

His limp was starting to show from the energy it took for the hero to walk. The blue blur carried the master emerald shard at his side. Flowers met his feet, bright and colorful with long petals. From a better angle, Rouge could see Sonic's expression. His face was haggard with lack of sleep, his breathing labored. His eyes took in the bright greenery of his old home with a melancholy and desperate fragility about him that Rouge hesitated on spying on him in this private moment.

But the way his fur flitted back and forth, darkening then brightening, made the secret agent stay. She observed as he winced, fighting with himself as he slumped down against an old log, a dark spot amidst the river of color around him. He sat and shivered for a while, ears folded back and eyes screwed shut. His fur was raised, tremoring and flickering cobalt to midnight blue.

Rouge waited a long while with baited breath, listening to the sound of chirping—Flickies unaware of the danger sitting so close to them. She pressed her communicator to her lips, ready to wake Shadow if Sonic changed. But realistically, she didn't know if she would if it truly came down to it. Because what did she expect Shadow to do? Her gloved fingers gripped the trunk. She thought about how Shadow had put a gun to Sonic's head when GUN had reached out. She wasn't stupid – they had definitely threatened Omega, and possibly her as well. What little reason Shadow, someone who was intensely loyal to his team, needed to tell himself he had a reason to take down Sonic for the greater good? She thought about the vacant look in Shadow's eyes, the acceptance and resignation. She felt fear for him. She lowered her wrist communicator from her mouth.

Her attention returned to the blue blur. During her nightmarish reverie, Sonic had unwrapped his arms around himself, and put the master emerald shard down beside him. His fur had darkened again, but his quills still drooped in his usual swept back style, emerald green eyes dark. He stared down at a flower he cradled in one hand, sitting on one hip to favor his uninjured left side. The hero's mouth was moving, and Rouge angled her hypersensitive ears to hear him better.

"'What good is a world that goes on forever?' Hah," he said in a tone that sounded self-deprecating, as if quoting something from another time.

He stared across the clearing of flowers, looking a little lost. He leaned forward. His hand reached out, shakily picking at the flower stems, then lowering them onto his lap. He slowly started weaving the flower stalks together, one by one.

"But I can limit the damage," he said like he was coming to a decision, a streak of determination crossing his voice. "I have to."

A melancholic expression resumed on his countenance, so far away from the usual murderous expressions he wore in this dark form that Rouge had to blink twice. His expression was eerily calm, almost gentle. He was still in control.

"…Two…Th-three…four…"

He was counting the stems he wreathed together. Focusing his breath on every exhale.

Rouge moved to crouch over a branch not too far away, still bracketed by shadows. She was confused by what he was trying to accomplish, his sitting position angled a little away from her current hiding spot. She peered harder, eyes squinting to understand. He was clearly making something, lashes dropped low to frown focus at his work as his body tremored.

She leaned to the side, trying to see a little more… The branch cracked a little under her, and his gaze leapt up to stare into the line of trees that hid her.

Sonic sniffed, looking hastily back down at his craft. "How long have you been there?"

Rouge sighed.

She sprung out from the shadow of her tree, landing lightly on her feet and into his line of sight. He didn't move to look back up at her again, his hands still working on the stems, tying and twisting.

The pink dusting his cheeks was fairly telling. Rouge could imagine being caught having a quiet breakdown was never good form for a hero with an ego the size of the planet.

"My, I guess curiosity killed the bat," Rouge grinned, eyelids dropping halfway at him in jest.

Sonic looked up at her, gaze a little sheepish.

"But satisfaction brought her back," he replied eventually.

She raised her eye ridges as she paced closer to him.

"Oh, is that how the saying goes?" Rouge hummed. "Who'd have thought it actually encouraged being curious?"

Seemingly reassured Rouge wouldn't comment on his ramblings seconds ago, Sonic's shoulders visibly relaxed. A smile formed cheekily across his face.

"You'd be surprised how many old sayings get changed over time," he shrugged. "Or so Tails says. Kid reads too much, if you ask me."

She gave him a subtle sweep of her gaze, finding his cobalt blue fur had returned and remained somewhat stable since he started pacing his breaths to the flowers he wreathed together. She was surprised he had come up with this method to calm himself down, but decided not to mention that either.

"So you do listen to that poor fox," Rouge laughed as she sat down beside him.

"Hey, I care about what my lil' bro thinks," Sonic smirked. "Not my fault he doesn't say it fast enough."

She gestured to the completed flower crown in his hands. "And I suppose that's also drawn from your whip-quick knowledge?"

Sonic laughed. "Oh, this? No, this is Cream's idea. She taught me so I could make flower crowns with her when I come visit. It makes Vanilla happy when she's had a stressful day."

Rouge hummed, head tilting in thought. She pushed one knee up, arms wrapping around it.

Seeing Sonic's care for his friends made Rouge's heart warm and her teeth rot, it was so sickeningly sweet. She could understand why Shadow couldn't stand it. But she had also come to know the comfort of having friends that brought something new to her life — and that meant she could understand Sonic, too.

"You really miss them, don't you," Rouge smiled, inclining her head teasingly towards him.

Sonic grinned at the ground, his ears lowering slightly as he considered her words. He reached out to pick another flower from the soil.

"A lot," he said softly.

He grasped the stem and separated it gently from the earth. His arm lifted as he held the petals against the sun, staring through them like he would a magnifying glass.

"Isn't it so cool? The way people can show you so many different ways to appreciate the world?" Sonic beamed. "I'm so incredibly lucky!"

Rouge smiled back, "It's been a pleasure."

The hedgehog chuckled, but his grin slowly faded. His mood darkened visibly across his face. He slowly lowered the flower, his eyes following it.

"…I'm sorry."

Rouge frowned. "For what?"

He moved his gaze, locking eyes with her. Ears low, and fawn mouth set in a frown, the light in Sonic's eyes dimmed.

"For putting you in this position with GUN. For endangering all of you. Omega doesn't deserve this. You all don't."

"Sonic—"

"I know you said you can all make decisions for yourselves. But Shadow wouldn't even be considering killing me for GUN if you and Omega weren't in danger. I don't want him to feel like he has to kill anymore. And he's right—you all can't trust me when I'm like this."

Rouge considered the younger, his eyes drooping with fatigue, lids dark purple with circles. Scooting closer, she let out a breath and bumped shoulders with him.

"I think everyone here wants the same thing, except for you," Rouge said.

The hero shifted uneasily beside her.

"What do you want in all of this, deep down in that big heart of yours, Big Blue?" Rouge asked, the instinct coming naturally to her.

Sonic blinked slow surprise at her. "I…"

The sight he made reminded the bat of the times she had burst into Shadow's rooms in GUN HQ—woken up by his screaming and yelling in the middle of the night. It reminded her of her partner's look of confusion, the disorientation that preceded the torrent of self-blame falling from Shadow's lips.

"I… want you all to be safe," Sonic settled on at last.

She had forgotten that if an edgy spacehog had been a tough egg to crack in the feelings department, an emotionally stunted egohog would be even harder. Rouge plucked the flower crown from Sonic's hands. She placed it on his head.

"As usual, you're not thinking about yourself, honey," Rouge sighed.

Sonic's hand slowly raised to touch the petals on his head, blinking like he hadn't thought to put it there.

He broke out into a nervous chuckle. "That's easy for you to say—you always know exactly what you want."

"Well, they don't call me a jewel thief for nothin'," Rouge preened. "Couple that up with being a freelance secret agent, and I'm in a perfect position to be selfish."

He grinned back at her.

"I've seen you trying to swipe the Master Emerald from Knux. You'd have given my dad a run for his rings that's for sure," Sonic snorted, gesturing to the shard at his side. "Sorry there's not that much left of it now."

Rouge picked up the shard from Sonic's side, giving it an appraising look. She sighed. "It'll be easier now to carry at least. Will be a pain not to get it all in one go, though."

Sonic swiped a finger under his nose. "Eh, I could help."

"You would?"

"'Course. Playing pranks on ol' Knucklehead is so worth it. I guess you could say I'm more of a hedgehog of whim than of want. He will need it back though."

"Hm, will have to think about it then," she pondered playfully. "When can I expect this little escapade to play out?"

Sonic's eyes sparkled, sitting a little straighter.

"When this—! W-When… this…" he trailed off abruptly.

His smile faded, and his eyes glazed over again as it seemed to catch up to him what situation they were currently stuck in. When this is over. If this was over.

Rouge swallowed, trying to think of a way to save the few light-hearted moments they had. But there was no way to ignore it now without throwing responsibilities to the wind and not addressing what Sonic needed to face.

Rouge's hand slipped inside her glove, pulling out the chip she had been saving. She held it out to Sonic.

"Here."

Sonic's eyes stared down at it. "…What…?"

His hand hovered over it.

"Files I recovered from GUN's top-secret database a few days back."

Sonic slowly took the chip between two fingers, his eyes continuing to stare down at it.

"They're files about the CUA. And I guess about you, although GUN hasn't connected the dots yet. Thought you might want them before they realized."

Sonic looked up to stare at her with his mouth half open. "So that's where you were. You…You didn't go through chaos control with everyone else to see my past. That's why you were still here…"

Rouge nodded.

"When we went to Eggman's base to find out what was going on with you, I realized something. 'Containment Unit of Abnormals'. 'Guardian Unit of Nations'," Rouge's eyes narrowed. "The CUA was a faction of GUN, no matter how derived from GUN it became. It was another mistake they tried to cover up, but never really bothered to deal with properly. I've seen what GUN's carelessness did to Shadow. Once again, so many people like you paid the price."

Sonic avoided her glance. Rouge lightly bumped shoulders with him again, her eyes a little sad.

"I'm sorry, sugar."

Sonic stared down at the chip he held in his hands.

"I erased everything GUN have on you. It's all in there. You can do what you want. You'll never have to answer to a military organization again."

The hero's ears lowered, his hands gripping his knees hard. His mouth pursed, trying to control how his face twisted up into a myriad of sadness, pain, relief and gratitude. His face reddened as the overwhelming rush of emotions flushed to his cheeks. He turned his face away. He didn't dare look at her nor the chip as he tried to hide it. After a long moment of trying to collect himself, Sonic could bring himself to look at the file drive again.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Rouge smiled, waving him off easily. "No problem. If what Amy always says is anything to go by, I know how much you value your freedom."

His mouth trembled but this time, he met her squarely in the eyes.

"Thank you," he said again.

The bat was taken aback by the repetition. She suddenly found no words to give him in reply. She leaned away, trying to appraise the situation. But the jewel thief found that as a creature of want and self-serving most of the time, she so rarely received gratitude that she couldn't answer him. Her tongue was stuck in her throat at the earnest thankfulness that lit up Sonic's eyes.

"Maybe…if I have the chance… I can show them. When they come back. I can show them the truth. What I did. Who I was," Sonic stared down the chip, his fist closing tight over it, his eyes blinking away a suspicious wetness. "I can do right by them, next time."

Rouge could only nod, for once brought to speculative quiet, and wait for the wind to pass the time as it buffeted the field of flowers behind them. The pair sat back and enjoyed the moment of peace for a while, trying to ignore the darkness of the sky above.

"You're not selfish you know," Sonic broke the silence as he slipped the drive into his glove.

Rouge turned to glance at him in surprise. She had forgotten she had even said that. The hero was flashing her his trademark grin, but softer on the edges. She stared at him for a long moment, taking in the sincerity of his eyes, and the eager angle of his ears perched forward. The agent cracked a smile.

"Thanks, sugar."

He gave her a wobbly smile, "I see why Shads seems to be doing so much better with you around."

Rouge smirked, fanning herself with her hand. "Couldn't have done it without you, Big Blue. But yes, I am pretty amazing. One extra brooding hedgehog isn't going to phase this girl."

Sonic let out a wet laugh, the crown falling a little lopsided.

Rouge turned to him, her look serious. "I am sorry he attacked you though, honey. I'm not proud of him right now. He still needs to work on some things."

Sonic's hand ghosted over his bruised side, where Shadow had hit him before. A subconscious movement that Sonic was unaware he had started doing since the short fistfight last night. She reached out to readjust the flowers on his head.

"You can be a bit more selfish you know. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you don't always have to be patient with Shadow and wait for him to come around anymore."

Sonic stared at her for a beat, then turned away. "…Yeah."

Rouge hadn't realized she'd started weaving stems to make a crown of her own.

"I'm totally gonna kick his butt," Sonic said eventually, waving her off.

"So am I, for talking to me like that," Rouge's eyes glittered. "Don't have the time right now, but boy's going to get schooled when I do."

They laughed together in the clearing, the birds chirping along to the sound of their playful conniving.

"What's wrong, dearie?"

Amy did not make eye contact with Mrs. Owl as she helped her carry the groceries. She could barely see from atop the brown paper bag, her fingers crowding at the bottom to withstand the weight of the bread, milk and cheese. Mrs. Owl had insisted on doing the heavier lifting and was trailing her trolley behind her. They were walking down the street from the local grocer, owned by an old badger who knew Mrs. Owl on a first name basis. Amy had tried not to sound bored when they had talked for a little under an hour about the lives around the village. The sleepy town was small, its streets cobbled — its shops small huts made of stone and roofs of thatch.

"Cream and I really should be heading back to our friends soon."

Everything was slow on this island. Amy found it hard to adjust to it what with her bustling life in Station Square. Everything was so gentle—too gentle—she struggled to reconcile it with the hell her Sonic had been put through here—and that made Amy feel angry.

"Don't worry about me Mrs. Owl," Amy's eyes turned to an ad poster that looked like it hadn't been changed in years. "It's just that this place reminds me of my old home."

"Oh, and where are you from, dear?" Mrs. Owl asked, squinting yellow eyes peering over her spectacles. "We don't really get visitors much around here."

Amy hummed, thinking about Station Square. Thought better of it. She was tired of lies. Sonic did that enough for the both of them.

"Originally, from nowhere," the pink hedgehog sighed.

Mrs. Owl smiled. "A small town then? I see… For an energetic young girl like you… You must have been bored."

Amy halted in her steps. Mrs. Owl only made it a few paces in front of her before the older mobian stopped too.

"It may have been boring, but it was nothing like here," Amy said in a rush.

Mrs. Owl blinked at her, "Like what?"

"Your daughter. She's…" Amy found herself unable to find the words. She had never had to.

The hedgehog shot a glance at Mrs. Owl, hoping the mother owl would supply her with the words instead. Her host merely stared at her inquisitively.

"This island has a…reputation. But no one here has so much as looked at me funny. Are you all just pretending?" Amy blurted, "My friend used to live here and he's been marked for a lifetime, and it's like nothing's happened here at all!"

Her hands had pulled into fists under the paper bag, but it was only when said bag in her hold started tipping that she realized she was doing it. She grappled for it and caught it before it fell to the floor. Then realized Mrs. Owl had fallen silent.

Amy instantly felt regret, "I-I'm sorry, that was rude, I shouldn't be taking it out on—"

"There's no need to apologize, dearie," Mrs. Owl assured. "My husband was one of the missing when we first moved here. My daughter never met the mobian who gave her her green plumage."

"Oh… I'm so sorry—"

"Really, sweetie, there's no need. I'm just glad it's over."

"Over?"

A child squealing excitedly jolted Amy from the conversation. A gust of air made her quills fly. She turned just to see a child had zipped past her, running with three other kids hot on her heels.

"Can't catch me, nah-nah!"

They were all giggling, laughing so hard they were more out of breath than they should be. Two of the three chasing kids fell behind to put their hands on their knees and grab a breather. The runaway mongoose girl turned around and puffed out her chest, wagging her finger in a certain hero's signature pose.

"Pesky hedgehog!" her last remaining pursuer huffed, breathless as he jarred to a halt as well. "How dare you destroy my robots?"

"Because I'm the coolest, bravest, fastest thing alive! I'll never let you conquer the world!" the girl piped up.

The mongoose made a zooming noise as she jogged back towards him, "I'm curled up in a ball now, so I'm destroying your egg carrier!" she gave a pat on the boy's shoulder. "Boom! You're defeated!"

The lemur dropped the ground, sticking his tongue out as they continued their play-pretend. Amy put a hand to her lips to try and conceal a smile. One of the stragglers caught up to them, helping the fallen lemur back onto his feet.

"Please, please, can I be Sonic now?" the lemur begged.

The mongoose crossed her arms, looking at the lemur from head to toe. "Hmm, well, you're pretty slow to be Sonic."

The lemur drooped, but the mongoose elbowed him lightly. "But I suppose I could jog so you can get away fast enough when you destroy the Death Egg."

He brightened instantly, running on the spot with excitement like he was trying to warm up, "I need the practice!"

They went chasing after each other again. Amy smiled after them.

"Things have changed considerably in the last decade," Mrs. Owl's voice brought her out of her reverie, reminding her the owl was still there.

The pink hedgehog turned to her, following after Mrs. Owl as she realized the mother had resumed walking.

The host smiled at her warmly. "The abductions of chaos-gifted mobians stopped—nobody knows why. But families could finally rest easy. Neighborhood tensions and guilt fell away."

She then gestured a long, golden wing to a spray-painted mural on the side of a town hall. It was Sonic—a younger version of him, closer to what Amy remembered he looked like back when he had first rescued her from Metal Sonic.

"He came along, and it changed everything. His heroism and charm even reached all the way here. Every day our town was inspired by his battles with Dr. Eggman on TV. Certainly, his chaos-gifted abilities used so selflessly and with such pride were what changed islands like ours and their outlooks for the better—but I think his resilience in his defeats and his willingness to forgive his enemies were what convinced people that even they could change."

Amy stared at Mrs. Owl with an open mouth. Her host smiled at her gently. "I'm glad he was such a good role model for my daughter growing up. Sandy loves him."

Amy felt something grow in the depths of her chest. It spread to pull a smile to her lips, her shoulders untensed. The peaceful, sleepy town wasn't a lie. They weren't pretending like nothing horrible had happened. They were growing, learning, changing. The girl couldn't fathom the lives that Sonic had unintentionally touched when he had decided to stand up for what he believed in. She wondered if he even knew.

She wanted him to know. To tell him what he had changed in the place that had rejected him when he had finally been able to be himself. She wanted to see his face light up – finally free of the shadows that had taken a permanent seat as of late in his eyes. She wanted to see relief and pride brighten his smile, to bring him full circle on his successes after the guilt and failings he had shouldered alone too young all these years.

She had been so focused on chasing after him all this time, that she hadn't even thought to look back on what they had accomplished together with all their friends. She suddenly felt a little foolish.

"Miss Amy!" a bundle of fur threw her arms around Amy. "I'm so happy you're back!"

Amy was lucky she had good balance as Cream's excited hugging took her by surprise, nearly bundling them both over. She hadn't realized they had reached the front lawn of the house.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Cream! I have so much to tell you!" Amy grinned down at the rabbit.

Sandy, who had been watching over Cream while the pair had been shopping, stood on the porch still in a nightgown, yawning. The pink hero blinked, turning to Mrs. Owl, "Oh, I was just thinking we have to leave soon, our friends are probably worried about us… We'll be out of your feathers in no time!"

"Of course, the pleasure is all ours. Take your time," Mrs. Owl swatted her wing dismissively.

She was just about to turn into the house when Sandy let out a gasp, her eyes trailing upwards at something behind them. Her finger shook as she pointed, somewhat numbly, "Wh…What is that?"

Amy barely had the time to whirl around as a distant scream rattled her ear drums. A black shape plunged down from the sky, flames burning at its back. A crowd of Mrs Owl's neighbours ran past the houses as they ran to avoid the incoming object. Amy had no time to brace for its impact.

The ground shook beneath their feet. The lawn split in cracks. Plumes of dirt kicked up. A gust slammed into its runaway victims and swept them off their feet like a tornado. And then it hit them. Amy just managed to cover Cream's ears, her own done for. She felt the ringing white noise more than she heard the drone of it. Her eyes stung, her body hurt. They flew. Amy curled instinctively around Cream as their bodies rolled over and over. She ate gravel, felt dust dig into her eyelids, debris drying up her throat. They smacked hard against the pavement.

Amy was still spinning in her head, her throat holding back nausea as blackness blanketed her sight, her world turning and turning.

"…my!"

The world came to standstill when the spinning stopped. When she finally got her bearings, could finally tell up from down, she opened her eyes. Spotting the wrecked splintered thatch further away on her right, she grasped that she and Cream had flown ten feet from Mrs. Owl's ruined home. Peeling herself up from the cement on one elbow, Amy had enough of a sense to understand that it was Cream that had pulled free from her grasp and was shaking her shoulder.

"M…Amy!"

"M'yes," she blinked hard, trying to focus her hazy vision.

Her ears were still ringing.

"Something… something is coming!" Cream stuttered.

Amy staggered to her feet, eyes searching blindly in the smoke.

Metallic armor gleamed in the light of day. Long, pointy spines appeared as the smoke cleared.

"DESTINATION: REACHED," its voice said in warbled monotone. "ASSESSING LAST KNOWN LOCATION. ASSESSING."

"M…Metal…Sonic?" Amy muttered blearily, wondering if this was an old nightmare.

She sensed the wrongness of her statement as it fit between the back of her teeth. The thing—whatever it was – was not Metal Sonic. It looked… familiar and discordant. She struggled to understand what had just happened. They had only just been talking to Mrs. Owl and Sandy about leaving and then…

"M-Mrs. Owl, Sandy!" Amy gasped with a jolt, like she had just gone up for air. "W-Where are they?"

Cream let out a whimper, her finger pointing at two forms not too far away from them. Their clothing was torn and burnt. The hedgehog felt her heart leap into her throat. Amy ran towards them, stumbling, limping. She disregarded the incoming danger, dragging Cream by the hand.

"TARGET PRIORITY 1: MAURICE OGILVIE HEDGEHOG. SCANNING…"

Amy barely registered what the thing was saying, couldn't hear it anyway. They knelt down, Cream with Sandy, Amy shaking Mrs. Owl. Sandy opened her eyes, only to seemingly fall out of wakefulness again. Mrs. Owl jolted from her shock in Amy's arms. Her body began to shiver, spasms as the adrenaline took hold of her, "Sandy!"

"Shh, it's okay, Sandy she's… she's unconscious, but alive," Amy reassured the quaking woman.

"TARGET NOT FOUND. COMMENCING SEARCH BY PROCESS OF ELIMINATION," it turned towards them, green eye scanners assessing them not too far away.

The gun barrel in its hand clicked, locking into place to fire rounds.

Mrs. Owl stared in terror as the robot behind them took its first step, the ground tremoring under its pressure. "…Darkness…!"

Amy manifested her hammer, her eyes almost leaving the thing that had almost killed them with just a landing. "What?"

"Darkness…! I thought it had been dismantled… I never knew this day would come…" Mrs. Owl trembled.

"Darkness? You've seen that thing before?" Amy demanded with urgency.

The hedgehog stood slowly as the machine marched towards them, clutching at her hammer and trying not to shake.

"It's been 10 years or so… I… I don't understand why it's back!" Mrs. Owl whispered. "That thing is the reason why half the island's forest and villages burned to the ground!"

Amy tensed, thinking back to all the saplings they'd found when they'd first arrived on Christmas Island. And then she saw the CUA initials branded on the shoulder of its metallic plating.

"It came with the CUA one day and terrorized the island!" Mrs. Owl's voice fazed out.

Amy froze. 10 years ago. CUA. Sonic's haunted horror at the saplings. The machine's resemblance to… Her mouth became dry. It was no coincidence. Sonic had come somehow looking like this thing – under the CUA's control – and burned the forest, homes to the ground.

The moment her left foot touched the floor, jarring pain in her ankle glanced all the way up to her thigh. "Gnah!"

It must have been when she took the brunt of Cream's fall. She immediately took the weight off, panic swiftly setting in as the monster and her impending realization of what Sonic had done advanced rapidly towards her. She realized she wouldn't be able to move now that the earlier adrenaline had ended.

Clawed hands reached for her as it launched itself at them. She swung.

"W-What is that?!" Sonic stood up.

Shadow watched from the corner of his eye as Sonic's form teetered, feet trying to catch purchase on the undergrowth. Sonic and Rouge had returned not long ago from some mysterious chat, and the ultimate lifeform couldn't help but feel a little miffed.

Sonic's gloved hand grabbed at the bark of a tree to steady his swaying head. Shadow didn't move to help him, his ears angled towards the sound they'd heard in the distance. His muscles were coiled like springs as the ground still rumbled with the aftershocks of what was unmistakably an explosion.

Rouge flew down from overhead. "An explosion not far off from the center of a small village happened southwest of here. The residential area is on fire."

Sonic's eyes widened and his knees bent to spring.

"Stay here," Shadow snapped.

Sonic shook his head, shooting him a look. "No way! Amy and Cream ran off there, I—"

"You won't be of help to anyone in that state."

In a flash of blue, Sonic was gone. Shadow stared disbelievingly at the spot he once occupied for a half second, as if the blue hedgehog usually listened to what he said.

Shadow instantly fired up his skates and tore after him. He ignored Rouge's shouts to return to their campsite and come up with a plan. A plan would have been helpful if a responsible someone wasn't set on dying, dragging them all down with him in the process. Shadow's teeth gritted, snarling after his rival with fingers digging into his palms. Eyes pinned on the trail of light Sonic left behind him, Shadow chased him through the fir trees in a weaving path, leaping and skidding around sharp turns. Shadow rounded a large rock face and spindashed down the sudden drop. He stuck the landing, uncurling and bending his knees to absorb the impact of the ground.

"Sonic!" he shouted, red chaos energy beginning to vibrate around his hands. "You fool!"

His ears tuned to Sonic's footsteps. Hearing his pace falter, his breaths stutter, Shadow knew it would be easy to catch up to him. He fed chaos energy into his rocket skates and boosted after his rival.

It didn't take long at all. In a heartbeat, Shadow slammed into Sonic and drove his forearm into the hero's windpipe. Sonic gasped, choking on nothing. They flattened against the ground, Sonic swinging a fist out. Shadow barely dodged.

"What are you doing, you idiot! Stay back with Rouge. You'll only make it worse for everyone else if you go like this!"

"No, I need to see if they're okay! I thought it was safe!" the cobalt hero scrabbled at Shadow's arms.

Sonic's eyes flashed wildly. His legs kicked out, and in the struggle, he managed to connect his foot right into Shadow's barely healed leg. The dark rival bit back a cry and his grip loosened. With a rough jerk, blue fur tore under Shadow's fingers. Sonic tumbled away.

The fastest thing alive moved to dart off again. Shadow managed to bar his path just in time. Sonic's spindash collided against Shadow's, blue and yellow sparks flying. Despite Shadow's leg putting him off-balance, Sonic was much weaker this time. They exchanged a few blows, Sonic's getting nastier and more desperate in a way Shadow had never seen before.

"Outta my way!" Sonic hissed.

They sprang apart. Shadow hobbled and winced, while the speedster looked like he was about to be sick on the floor, pale as he was.

Sonic's teeth glinted as his lip curled over them. "Lemme go! We don't have time for this!"

Shadow growled. "Have you not seen yourself? You won't be fast enough."

"Fine. Not like I didn't want to get you back for yesterday anyway."

With an uncharacteristic snarl, Sonic lunged. Taking advantage of Shadow's leg, Sonic fainted a punch, the ultimate lifeform feeling the cotton of Sonic's glove just glance off his cheek. Pain lanced up the leg he put pressure on to lean out of the way. He stumbled. The speedster dropped on one hand. He twirled his feet in an arc, sweeping Shadow's legs out from under him. Sonic's knee mashed into the re-injured limb. Shadow couldn't hold back a cry. He had never anticipated Sonic could fight dirty like this. Or would, if left with no choice.

"You'll regret that," Shadow hissed.

A familiar cocky grin splayed out across Sonic's pallid face. He charged again, the desperate look in his eyes making his trademark expression all wrong, "What was that about being slow? I must be going deaf as well as crazy being babysat by an edgelord."

Shadow sneered. "Very well."

His hand shot out to grab Sonic's wrist in a bone-crushing grip—whilst the hero was still feeling cocky enough to be in close range. Using Sonic's momentum, Shadow threw him over his shoulder. Sonic flipped and crashed hard onto his back with a pained gasp. With his assailant winded, Shadow's elbow landed hard against Sonic's windpipe again, this time immobilizing his rival's legs with his knees. Sonic struggled, and as exhausted as he was, Shadow could give him credit for not going down without a fight.

"Why," Sonic hissed, green eyes flashing. "Why does it matter if I'm a little tired, as long as I can be there for them?"

"As usual, you're not thinking before running feet first into everything! What if you push yourself too hard? What if Dark Super Sonic comes out and you hurt them?" Shadow spits down at him, teeth barred. "Take some responsibility!"

And it was like Shadow had poured gasoline over a smoldering fire.

"Responsibility?!" Sonic bared his teeth at Shadow with a deep-throated snarl.

The sudden darkness in Sonic's pelt brought out the acid in the hero's eyes, dripping with unfiltered rage.

"Responsibility? I need to take some responsibility?!" Sonic shouted at him. "My whole life has been responsibility! Since the moment I was born I had to live my life inside because people couldn't deal with who I was!"

Dark aura threw Shadow off of his rival and onto the ground.

"I was forced from my home and brainwashed into thinking I was practically a robot!" Sonic snarled, pointing a finger at him as he rose from the ground. "And then told my only purpose was to destroy the world! Sound familiar yet?"

The ultimate lifeform stumbled upwards, staring wide-eyed at his rival. Sonic's form darkened as he stood, his quills raising.

"Not sure where believing seven creepy rocks and a robot dad fall along the scale compared to vengeful scientist and alien dad, but maybe along the same band of crazy!"

The midnight aura whipped about his form erratically, and the green in Sonic's eyes glowed. Shadow had never heard Sonic snap like this.

"I've spent the rest of my life trying to make up for all the hurt I caused, to live against the life the chaos emeralds had planned for me!"

He advanced towards Shadow, quills glittering like a starless night. Not wanting to worsen their conditions, Shadow backed up as Sonic approached. Had he gone Dark Super Sonic? His rival still seemed to recognize him. But then—this agonized tone was coming from Sonic's mouth.

"You almost shot a bullet through my head, Shadow. You've tried to kill me more times than I can count, let the moon get shattered, tried to destroy the planet and we all forgave you!"

Shadow flinched. His teeth reflexively barred at Sonic's words. Sonic's gaze seemed to catch Shadow's retreat, and his hands balled into fists.

"We…everybody accepted you, warts and all. They saw you for all that you were from the start… Rouge and Omega will forever be on your side! You get to know that, but I… I would give anything to know if my friends would do the same," Sonic's voice cracked. "My friends... If I'm not meant to be their happy hero, were we ever meant to be friends at all? What if I'm not who I say I am? How do I know they won't hate me when they realize I'm meant to destroy the world?!"

The anger on Sonic's face had morphed into an age-old sadness that took a seat in the dark circles under his eyes, and in the downward sag of his ears and shoulders.

"They've always kept up with me when no one could."

At last, Shadow finally found it within himself to speak. "Sonic—"

The hero warped at his side before Shadow could blink, his fist swinging. Shadow moved. The blow glanced off of Shadow's temple, but the dark hedgehog still reeled, head spinning as his form teetered from the reduced impact. The ex-GUN agent's world flipped as he was swung downwards. Unthinkingly, Shadow drew his gun as Sonic ground his body into the dirt, pressing the muzzle into Sonic's gut.

"Whatever they decide, even if they hate me… I'll never abandon them. Never," Sonic's voice came out low.

Shadow blinked the dirt away from his eyes, glaring up at his rival. The look Sonic met his with was unbridled fury. The hero's grip tightened to the point of almost crushing bone.

"So if you think that I'm the kind of guy who won't go protect his friends when they need my help—then you're going to have to kill me to prove it," Sonic's eyes glittered with a rage that had stared down gods of destruction. "Now let. Me. Go."

Shadow's eyes widened. "Sonic…"

"Shadow!" Rouge's voice rung out through the trees.

She landed close them, eyes huge with panic. Between Sonic's dark quills and Shadow's gun pointed at the other, Shadow realized how this must look to her. He slowly lowered his gun. Sonic's grip loosened, and the hardness in his eyes ebbed.

"You're right, Shadow."

Shadow pushed himself up on his elbows, staring at his rival. Sonic straightened, quills glinting like dark slashes raised for battle.

"I need to take responsibility," Sonic said. "I do have a plan, for once."

He turned to Shadow's mission partner, eyes kind and soft.

"Rouge, I finally know what I want."

He stepped away from both of them, then gave a two-fingered salute. "Let me handle this."

And with a flash of dark blue and a sonic boom, he was gone.

Maurice's chains rattled in his fight to get free, alerting Mecha Jules he was awake. Maurice spluttered, eyes and mouth wide and gaping in horror, trying to purge the memory of water that had sunk into his lungs. But he was on dry land, chained to a post somewhere outside. The earth was cracked in hexagonal shapes, and ashen trees slouched in the dirt. Not too far from them, the black sea gently lapped at the cracked shores.

"You're alive."

From a hovering craft, Mecha Jules turned his lone acid green optic to stare down at his prisoner.

"Unexpected, for a child. But I suppose you are her son."

Maurice stilled. He blinked hard, teeth grinding against the salt between his teeth. He was shivering and drenched, every cell in his body vibrating along with the chattering of his teeth. The chains rubbed against raw, bare skin, and Maurice blinked, realizing for the first time that his armor had been removed. And he was not lying at the bottom of the ocean being very, very dead.

"You're lucky I had a tracking device planted in your chip. It would have been impossible to have your body pulled out of the bay and resuscitated otherwise."

"W-Where am I?" Maurice stuttered.

"You're outside CUA HQ. You've never seen the outside of it, have you?" Mecha Jules questioned.

Maurice stared at the lifeless earth that surrounded him. So he hadn't managed to escape. They had dragged him back here after all.

"I've spoiled you," the CUA leader snarled. "I can't believe you passed up on the opportunity I gave you to seek justice on those that hurt you. You chose to run away instead."

"Parents are so lenient with their time to their children. They do not understand that their love for their offspring is merely instinctive, not fact. They forget that they are running out of time."

"…Parents?" Maurice's voice came out weak, small and confused.

"Instead, they delude themselves into thinking their lives will live on in the lives of their children. They believe in this fallacy so passionately, even self-preservation is thrown away when the lifetime of their children is threatened."

"To think," Mecha Jules snarled, staring down at him with the most emotion Maurice had ever seen in the machine's eyes, "I gave my time for a wretch like you."

The pup recoiled. His ears flattened, his chin lowered, his eyes watered. He had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't his father. It wasn't his father. But he couldn't help but wonder if this had truly been Jules' last thoughts as he died to save his family.

"People have a hard time grasping how finite their own time really is until it is gone. Time is currency," Mecha Jules slowly raised the emerald Kintobor had stolen. "If I control time, I control everything. Even my own mortality. The very emeralds that killed that pathetic mortal coil rejuvenate the new me every day."

"That scientist was a fool to give this to a misguided child," Mecha Jules said, tossing the emerald to Maurice's tied feet. "No matter. He's built something for me that is far more superior than a disobedient organic pawn."

Maurice jolted. Kintobor. The child's trembling increased tenfold. Kintobor. The doctor had broken into his room—he'd had that chaos emerald with him—and Maurice had been so angry he'd—he'd said those terrible things and he didn't know why—those guards…he kil—

Maurice swayed with a howl, his shaking body tipping over as the hedgehog wretched and wretched, sobs mingling with the sounds. Uncontrollable tears sprung from his burning eyes, unable to move from the puddle of sick he had fallen into with his body attached to the post.

"What's wrong, wretch?"

The pup said nothing, crying with no sign of abating despite the imminent danger his loudness may incur. Maurice continued to cry, but more softly as his teary eyes stared up at Mecha Jules. He did not dare get up.

"Stand," Mecha Jules rumbled, his optic never leaving the computer screen in his hovercraft. "I have something to show you."

Maurice did. Slowly, stumbling, his eyes never leaving his captor, he stood on sea-weakened legs. Mecha Jules beckoned, Maurice inching forward slowly, having never been invited to the machine's proximity. He neared the CUA leader, who had not turned to even look at him. With a whirr of mechanical engines, a large metal compartment detached itself from the hover craft and gradually lowered onto the ground. The metallic casing then slowly unfolded itself, revealing a familiar form standing inside.

"Since you've been so disobedient, I have decided to kindly reward you with the consequences of your actions."

Blue optics beheld the pup. The individual stepped out robotically from the box and forward from underneath the shadow of the hovercraft towards him. Maurice's eyes widened, and his stomach roiled with newfound dread. Her plating glinted with a brown sheen.

"…Mommy?"

So…yeah… Don't worry guys it gets worse… :")

Anyway, I realized somewhere along this fic that although this is about Sonic, it also really is about his friends and how their relationships are affected by Sonic's story. They've all got so much capability to grow in their own ways, but there's never enough time to explore them in the games, so here we are!

I really like how Sonic and Shadow come to respect each other in the games, which you can see in Shadow finally in Sonic 06. Their rivalry to ally/frienship dynamic has so much potential, but has been a bit confusing as of late in the way they're depicted in more recent games. I guess this is me trying to find that middle ground between Shadow trying to figure out where he is with Sonic, as his enemy, his rival, his ally or his friend. I think despite their development, they still really struggle to understand each other even though they have similar goals. But I think this is what makes their interactions so interesting!

And gah! Give Sonic emotions! It worked so well in the movie.

Had to re-write some scenes a few times because I realized I was developing some characters too early. Any constructive feedback is much appreciated though. I do realise there's probably some typos, but given my track record with putting out these chapters, I don't want to torture a poor beta reader into waiting that long, although the offers are much appreciated, thank you 3

This was a good 17 pages, which is totally because I wanted to make up for the year I've been gone and totally not because I was worried if I cut it into two chapters people would forget my set-ups here that are pivotal to the plot OK—

Hope everyone is well,

-M