Chapter Text
“Sure you do,” Sonic snapped. “Lemme guess, another trap?”
“Surprisingly, no,” Eggman responded wryly. “You can take my word for it. Either leave or follow me, your decision.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he headed off, tugging his sleeves back into place. Sonic stared after him, eyes narrowed, before following suit. Tails trailed behind, fiddling nervously with his hands.
The corridors seemed endless, and the sights they saw were downright haunting. Capsules containing various creatures, stilled in motion, lined rooms they passed. Grotesque in form, exotic in nature. Several blinked eerily, glowing sets of multiple eyes fixated upon them.
“W-what are those things?” Sonic whispered, seemingly transfixed upon the gruesome sights.
“That, I have no idea,” Eggman said simply. “They came from the Tear. They don’t match DNA with any animal on our planet.”
“The Tear-“
Something screeched, a howl of pure fury, and Tails clung tightly to Sonic’s arm, trembling. As they caught a glimpse of inside, something struggled against an operating table, eyes bulging from its skull like face. A thick, muscular set of wings pounded the cabinets beside the table, rattling the equipment and denting the doors. A horridly rushed job of stitches stretching across its torso were already beginning to feel the strain. Sonic blanched at the sight.
“I discovered that those ones are apparently extremely deadly,” Eggman commented calmly. “They have serrated teeth capable of tearing through solid metal, just like you, rodent, and I had to dissect it to discover they have not one, but two hearts! Vile little monstrosity.”
“While it was awake?” Tails choked.
“No. I may be a villain, but I have my limits,” Eggman said huffily, offended to be even asked such a question. “But that’s not what I planned on showing you. In fact, what I plan on showing you is where these pests came from.”
He stopped them by a heavy iron door, and gestured the nearest robot to advance. It passed him a oxygen mask, moving along to Sonic and to Tails to hand out the remainders.
“What are these for?” Tails asked curiously, sliding his on.
“I’m unsure whether the air around here is toxic, so masks are a mandatory,” Eggman said, almost like he’d been waiting for one of them to ask. “Unless you’d rather risk an unknown disease.”
“Hard pass,” Sonic frowned, struggling to fit his own mask on.
As Sonic stepped forward, mask finally snug, Eggman hefted the door open. Tendrils of vapour snaked out, hissing and writhing. They stepped forth into the dark, nothing more than flickering lights above their heads lighting the path.
“I’ve watched too many horror movies for this…” Sonic muttered uneasily, tightly holding Tails close to him. Tails silently appreciated the action.
The final light flickered off at the end of the hall, plunging them into darkness. Tails flinched violently, and Sonic pulled him in closer. Yet, a heartbeat began to pulse through the floor. Thrumming the earth beneath their feet. Rhythmic. A small dot of light appeared in the hollow dark, and split into two. Sonic blinked.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of blinding purple eyes lit the corridor, fixated upon the visitors.
“What the hell?…” Sonic trailed off, the burning glare of unblinking gazes sending shivers up his spine.
“As you can see, I’ve been investigating this… being,” Eggman said, and the gaping maw stretching across the wall rumbled. The ground quaked violently, sending Tails tumbling to the floor. Sonic grabbed hold of the wall, awkwardly inching away from a bulbous eye.
Tails gasped, still spread eagle across the tiles. “So this is what’s causing the earthquakes?”
“Well, you tell me, rodent,” Eggman snarled. “It’s like it’s alive. Every robot I throw in doesn’t return. I need someone to go in. Someone not made of rusty metal components,” his eyes flicked hungrily towards Sonic, who’s gaze only soured.
“I’m not going to be your little hamster, Egghead,” he bared his teeth. Tails nodded fiercely, frowning at the doctor.
“I wasn’t saying that. I’m not using you as an experiment. All I need is for you to do is go in, get a souvenir, and leave,” Eggman waltzed over towards the computers in the corner of the room, a thick glass door sliding down, a barrier between himself and the Tear. In an instant, Sonic was at the glass, eyes nothing more than flaming daggers aimed at the doctor.
“Are we clear?” Eggman raised his eyebrows, fingers hovering over the keyboard in anticipation. Sonic cursed under his breath, yet he sharply turned away, muttering something Tails shouldn’t have been in earshot to overhear.
With a click, the grated steel doors closed over glass, and Eggman peered in, keeping close eye of the hedgehog and his two tailed friend.
“Good luck,” he said quietly, barely above a whisper.
——————
“There’s no way you’re actually considering going in there,” Tails said in disbelief. Sonic bounced on the balls of his feet.
“Can’t hurt to take a peek,” he waved off. “‘Sides, if something was on the other side of that… portal, I doubt they’d be waiting for us.” Despite his confident stance, cocky smile plastered across his face, Tails knew better. He knew Sonic better than that. He could feel the waves of worry washing through through the room, drowning them in their own panic. Sonic clearly didn’t want to go in.
“Promise me you won’t die in there?” Tails mumbled.
Sonic’s face fell slightly, and the fox trembled, the panic beginning to settle back in. This was a new environment, a new dimension, even. They couldn’t afford to die here. The others would assume they had been buried amongst the recent earthquakes. And what if he survived, and Sonic was gone? He couldn’t live with that, he couldn’t-
“Tails?” Sonic startled the fox out of his train of thinking. When he looked up, he met those trusting eyes, that genuine smile, an outstretched hand. It was just another adventure. “I promise.”
They held the stray flaps of purple goo off the entrance way as Tails awkwardly clambered in, flinching at the cold touch. Flashes of violet eyes intensely gazed upon them. Warped colours crossed their field of vision, blinding them, popping and bursting above their heads.
Tails felt around on the other side, carefully sliding his foot around. It was a familiar sense, in his opinion. Carefully, he pushed a hand through, and his fingers met soft grass, warm and swaying blades in the sun.
“What is it, bud?” Sonic asked. Tails squirmed in excitement, face cracking into a wide grin.
“I’ll meet you on the other side,” he teased playfully, before jumping through. Not before he heard Sonic’s shout of horror
“Tails? Tails!” He cried out.
“Sonic! Can you hear me?” Tails yelled out. There was a beat of silence, and he was about to scurry back in, if a blue hedgehog didn’t topple into him. They barrelled down the hill, coming to a stop with Sonic pining Tails down to the ground, breathing harshly.
“Don’t you ever do that again, understand-“
There was no dark sky. No field of chittering beasts, their maws stained from blood. No land of withering ruins and decaying life. Instead, the sun beamed down brightly, glowing and golden through the canopy. Fall seemed nigh, leaves yellowing on the branches, brown and gold and orange. The crisp air brushed their fur.
“What?…” Sonic got up, adjusting his oxygen mask carefully.
“Alright rodent, what do you see in there?” Eggman’s crackling voice came from the side of the mask.
“It’s-“
“-it’s beautiful,” Tails smiled. “We’re in a forest. A forest, exactly like at home. There’s- Sonic look!” He beamed, pointing wildly between two thick oaks. A short glimpse of a butterfly was all they caught. “There’s life!”
“How so?” Eggman asked, sounding intrigued.
“There’s a butterfly, and if I’m correct about this-“ before Sonic registered it, Tails pulled off his mask, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Everyone fell silent.
“Did that fool take off his mask?” Eggman roared, abruptly stopping his high speed typing.
“It’s breathable!” Tails laughed, paying no heed to the panic evident in both Sonic and Eggman.
The hedgehog made a strangled noise from the back of his throat, as if wishing he could throw Tails back through the rift. Instead, he lifted his own mask off his face, and inhaled. The cool air hit his face, and he gasped out in relief.
“You idiots will all die someday…” Eggman muttered furiously, resuming his incessant typing. “Now bring back a subject.”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re getting what you want, then you better let us go,” Sonic said, reaching down and plucking a leaf from the ground. Tails picked up a smooth pebble, and they headed back through the rift.
As soon as they stepped out, the metal and glass protection Eggman sat behind lifted, and the doctor snatched what they held. Sonic frowned, clearly displeased with the lack of self restraint, but he held his tongue. Tails seemed to not notice.
“You’re free to go,” the doctor muttered, eyes flashing. “And do me a favour.”
Sonic groaned. “What now?”
“Don’t come back.”