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Sonic’s side burns. Hot and sticky blood drying on his pelt as he pushes his face into the ground, muffling a quiet whine. He hears familiar laughter, cold and frightening, tainted with something more than just malice. Evil and some kind of wild hatred and ill intent mixed together. There is a need to ruin and break in that voice, and the azure hedgehog shudders against the dirt.
He pushes his head up, squinting as he tries to see through wet and blurry eyes. The images before him sway, blotches of red and yellow and brown dancing in front of him, and he finds himself blinking a few times before groaning as he pushes his forehead against the ground, closing his eyes to try and get the dazed feeling to ebb away.
With a hiss, he tries to move, but whimpers when his open wound screams and the blood drips and mixes with the sand. He wraps a gloved hand around the vulnerable injury, clenching his jaw when the sensitive skin protests painfully at the action, but keeps the pressure, drawing in a choked gasp.
Eggman laughs behind him, and he hears Tails shout at him, though his ears feel blocked, and they uselessly twitch before laying flat against his skull when his side pulls and bleeds again.
He looks up, eyelids heavy, and spots Tails desperately trying to reach for him even with his injured leg, and Knuckles is frozen where he stands.
The flying eggs surround him, red dots scattered all around his body and ready to fire at any given moment. Robotnik sneers behind him, but he only looks at Tails and Knuckles, two creatures who are so similar to him. Different, but oh-so similar. And he sees, not enemies, not rivals, but friends, family, and he winces when both his wound screams at him and the thought of losing it all strikes him.
“Sonic!” Tails is heard shouting. Voice so small and so broken, wet and filled with hurt and fear, and Sonic closes his eyes.
The eggs charge up, and he knows this is it.
It has to be it.
He didn’t have time to say goodbye to Tom or Maddie.
At least, he would’ve found himself to not be alone anymore.
So long—
He hears a loud noise near him, something crashing into the ground and completely breaking. He hears multiple of the same ruckus, and when he opens his eyes again, he sees Tails on the same spot, but with eyes wide and mouth agape, and alone.
A blue ear twitches gently, and he hears the doctor let out a frustrated scream, and when he turns, his mouth falls open as his ears perk up at the sight.
Knuckles pants, shaking the broken pieces of what’s left of Eggman’s machines off of his gloves, before turning to face the man with a dark glare.
Robotnik’s face is red, and more flying eggs gather around to trap the three creatures, while the guardian stands tall and strong, unmoving and showing no sign of fear. Sonic looks at him, eyes wide and almost sparkling with wonder and respect, before the eggs all click simultaneously when their weapons are out in the open.
“You’ve gone and done it, echidna.” The man hisses, pressing a few more buttons and watching as his machines aim and charge up.
Knuckles punches his fists together, red energy dancing around his gloves, and positions himself into a stand, teeth bared in a silent growl.
“Bring it, egghead.” Said echidna mocks, fists tight and ready to strike, while the doctor glares with disgust. “Let’s see just how easy to crack you really are.”