It All Comes Back To You

Anyone know the song "Falling to Pieces" by Firewind?

"Thank you for coming here on such short notice, Sonic." Princess Sally shuffled her papers in a business-like manner, pushing her crimson bangs out of her bright blue eyes.

"It's my pleasure, Princess," Sonic bowed slightly, and then straightened up again before he had a chance to fall. The muscles in his waist were incredibly weak. He was more clean-cut now; fur brushed, teeth brushed, gloves replaced, socks changed, shoes polished. But the bandages, and the overwhelming hurt in his eyes showed the small court there was still so much wrong.

Everyone but Sally looked distraught. And Sally was doing her best to hide it.

"No need to stand on formalities, Sonic. You know me better."

"Yes, Sally." Sonic nodded, stealing a glance at Tails. Cream was outside, picking flowers or chasing butterflies, or some other childish nonsense. At least, that's what Sonic would've liked to believe. He knew Cream was listening through the door, though she was forbidden from court on the grounds of her being far too young.

"Sonic? Sonic!"

Sonic snapped to attention. "What? I'm sorry." Did I really zone out for a minute there?

"It's quite all right. Now, would you care to relate to us what happened?"

Sonic felt dizzy at the mention of it. He hadn't eaten much, and his legs ached from standing. He longed to sit, to rest, because he hurt badly. He also hated to mention that he had lost—something Sonic the Hedgehog never did. But, alas, he was the center of attention. He sighed, trembling as he began. "Well, Eggman was attacking, as usual, so I went after him to stop him, like usual. The 'bot he had didn't look like anything special, a dragon-like thing with one long, snakelike head. Since the head seemed to be the command center—besides Eggman's cockpit—I went for the head, slicing it off at the neck with a Sonic Spin." He touched the base of his throat with two fingers, to illustrate the clean incision. "Instead of stopping short, though, the 'bot…" The hedgehog swallowed, closing his eyes. "The 'bot, it…it grew two heads. Thinking it a trick, I sliced them off again. But then four came back, and then six…until there were about fifty heads on the thing."

"And did you not theenk to attack anyplace else?" Antoine D'Coolette, a palace guard by birthright and strategist for the team, asked.

"After ten heads, I tried." Sonic responded. "I tried to attack at what would've been the shoulders—here--" he illustrated the 'bot with his hands in the air, "and here. But, I always wound up cutting into one of the heads that moved in my way. I got snapped out of the air and nearly pulled in two once. This is the strongest, strangest 'bot Eggman's ever made."

"Oh mah stars," Bunnie D'Coolette, half robot and newly married to Antoine, exclaimed. "Sugah hog, were you hurt?"

"Yes, that's a very good question, Bunnie. I'm curious myself as to how you were injured," Sally removed the eraser of her pencil from her mouth and jabbed it at the bandages around Sonic's waist.

"You've grown harsh, Sally-girl," Bunnie whispered.

"Yeah! Sonic doesn't have to show his injuries if he doesn't want to!" Amy protested.

"If he's had to wear bandages, we can deduce this is bad enough." Rotor pointed out.

"Please don't do this, Aunt Sally," Tails pleaded, reverting for a moment back to the name he'd given her when a small child.

Sonic smiled weakly at all of them, until Sally spoke. "Look, I don't want to do this…but this is as much for Doctor Quack's records as it is for mine. We must know what we're up against." Sally pushed her bangs out of her eyes again. "Sonic? If you please."

Sonic winced. "I—I'll need new ones after…"

"We have some gauze lying around." Sally responded. "Amy, go and fetch it."

Sonic shrugged. "All right…Anyone have scissors?"

Antoine produced a pair, and Sonic turned his back to the court. He could see light orange ears over the edge of the windowsill, and that gave him courage. Swallowing thickly, he felt for the loose end of the bandages, and snipped. The whole covering fell around his ankles. Sonic stepped out of the mess carelessly, and turned around with one last swallow to face the court, eyes closed for fear of what he might see.

His fear was well-founded. Amy, returning with the bandages, and Bunnie, in her seat next to Antoine, both had to drop what they were doing and run to the restroom to throw up in utter revulsion and horror with what they had seen. Tails had to pinch himself to keep from crying, and Rotor looked away shamefully. Antoine stared at his knuckles, and only Sally, not by courage but by birthright, kept her eyes on the injury.

Though it had healed somewhat, one could see the deep gashes and black and red and purple from the injuries inflicted there. Some strands of fur were still an ugly crimson color, and the common feeling was horror. One of the gashes ran so deep that the surface of Sonic's white rib could be seen under a thin layer of skin and fur.

"My gods," Sally's voice trembled, seeing one she cared for so in pain. Sonic opened his eyes, very weak all of a sudden. Was he bleeding?

There was a moment of silence. Sonic looked around to find Amy and Bunnie returning, their faces green. Bunnie hid in Antoine's shoulder, crying softly, and Amy went to work, measuring out gauze to bind his wound again. Sonic's temples pounded faintly, crying for retribution. He'd never wanted any of them to see this, but they were insistent. Maybe now, he would have more proof.

"All right," Sally spoke, her voice eerie in the silence. "That's that, then. Sonic, what was this beast called?"

"HYDRA." Sonic's stomach turned a somersault, and then later into a pretzel, at just the mention of that name.

"Hydra or HYDRA?" Sally wondered. "For record's sake."

"HYDRA. I believe it stands for something, but lords alone know it." Sonic responded softly, jumping as he felt soft gloved hands tracing gauze around his middle. "Thank you, Amy."

"It's not a problem, Sonic." The pink hedgehog's eyes were on the gauze, avoiding looking at the injury when she could. Her fingers worked almost without her doing to bandage him up.

"Mmm," Sonic responded, if only to keep a silence from forming. It worked. After a moment, Sally lifted her head off her hands.

"Well, we'll have to keep an eye out for it. Thank you for your services, Sonic, but we won't need you for this mission."

"What?!" Sonic shouted. Everyone was astonished at his reaction, in a royal court, where he could be held in contempt for such an action. Maybe even thrown in jail. "You're retiring me?! You can't be serious." His emerald beauties flared, his anger all for Sally.

"Try to simmer down, Sugah hog," Bunnie attempted to soothe Sonic, but it was no use.

What little rage played with Sonic's heart was fully unleashed now.

"It won't be forever, just until this monster is defeated. I'll remind you that you are in royal court, and can be held in contempt for--"

"FUCK the 'royal court'!" Sonic shouted, nearly reopening an injury. "Sal, you can't leave me out of this mission! If I couldn't defeat it--"

"—which is exactly why we have to leave you out of this mission." Sally reasonably pointed out.

Sonic's body heaved with anger. "Have you gone insane?! Sal, for who and all you are, you don't make a grain of sense!"

"She'll hold you in contempt for sure, sugah. Please calm down." Bunnie tried again, but failed again, to soothe Sonic. Antoine squeezed her hand, letting her know that there was nothing she could do to help Sonic now.

If he was going to be held for contempt, so be it. Sonic needed to speak his mind.

"Explain." Sally folded her hands, resting her weight on her elbows.

Sonic growled, crossing his arms moodily over his chest. "All right, fine." He snorted. "Listen to me, Sally. If I'm allowed to fight it, chances are I'm the only one that will die. If you all fight it, more than one will die. I'm tellin you—cut our loses. Lemme fight it alone."

Tails bit his lips. "No."

Amy was right behind him. "No!" She stood, shaking him. "Sonic, you can't, you--!"

Sonic swiveled his head back towards Princess Sally. "What say you, fair lady Sal?" He smirked.

"Sonic, do you have a heart?" Sally demanded, standing. "There are two people who have voiced to you that you shouldn't do this—and there are thousands more who will never say a word. Four of them are here. Sonic, you can't be selfish with a life no one wants you to loose!"

"Oh, so it's this again, is it?!1 About me being selfish?!" Sonic stomped his foot. "Well, cute. Real cute!"

"Dammit, Sonic! I have a better reason this time!" Sally snapped, shouting right back in his face. "You're in contempt of court, so I suggest you stand down before I throw you in jail!"

Sonic swallowed his anger, and did indeed stand down. He looked at his feet.

"I repeat, Sonic the Hedgehog--"

"Sally, you'll regret this," Sonic told her.

"—you are hereby banned from the Freedom Fighters--"

"You're the last heir.2 The people need you. What if you die?"

"—until further notice." Sally finished at last. "Now, sign." She handed him a piece of paper and a pen.

Sonic took a deep breath…and reluctantly sighed. His mind was heavy.

It wasn't that he didn't want to live.

He just didn't want anybody to die.

1 The breakup between Sonic and Sally was in Sonic the Hedgehog issue 134.

2 For the purpose of this story, only the breakup and Antoine and Bunnie's wedding is real by events. All families besides Cream's are nonexistent.