Chapter Text
Exhaustion has its ways of nesting in your body and bones, rooting itself before it grows like a parasite and takes hold. It wasn’t something Sonic was used to, he’s supposed to be an endless force of energy. There was never a limit he was afraid to break through, but now it felt like he was drowning within himself.
There wasn’t one fiber of Sonic’s being that did not burn or scream with every step he took, and yet, he had no choice in the matter.
After days of fighting off the Metal Virus, it was finally starting to burrow its way into his heart and spirit. He could feel it, ebbing away at himself. The worst was as the metal spread over his fur, his body became numb. It felt like a relief at first, not to feel the constant sting, but it was horrifying in reality, watching as his body became no longer his.
He hoped it wasn’t like this for everyone- that he was the only one to experience this feeling because of its delayed progression. He hoped that its quick spread was a form of mercy for the infected.
Even so, he still couldn’t shake the recent image of Tangle from his mind, going from herself to one of them in what seemed to be a matter of moments.
The routine runs around Angel Island were less cleansing with each sprint. He could sense his friends’ eyes boring into him, watching. Waiting, even. Eggman seems intrigued with how it's progressing, Amy and Tails can’t look at him without pity, and Espio and a few survivors try not to glance his way when it's possible. He couldn’t blame them, this entire apocalypse was indirectly his fault, in some way.
They had a plan to retrieve the seven Chaos Emeralds and use that to warp the disease away, and as much as it sounded like a stretch with the virus’ exponential increase in spread over the speedster, one chance is all that they need. He also had Silver as well, and as much as he worried for the kid, he knew that he could rely on him.
But it looked grim, as Zavok and countless Zombots terrorized the remaining survivors in the final act. Sonic could feel the last free parts of his fur starting to be encased by metal, the involuntary twitches and thoughts that started to flow did not help his optimism in the slightest, but he had to give everything he had left.
So, Sonic did what he knew how to do best, and he ran. Ran until his legs felt like they were burning off, until his vision started to dull around the edges and blur. But in that last second, he caught hold of the last Chaos Emerald as he fell from Zavok.
Holding any of the seven jewels always revitalized him, for some reason. As if the emeralds and his body lived on the same resonance. The feeling spread through every vein, and he could feel the metal peeling off of his body as if it hadn’t been suffocating him the moment prior.
Sonic looked to his side, seeing Silver and smiling. There was still work to do. With the power of all seven, subduing Zavok was a walk in the park compared to what they had to do next. Sonic knew that using Chaos Control had its risks, especially with this case and the fact that their local expert was currently one of the many infected. But there was no choice, was there? He sensed Silver’s energy beside him, much more abundant and present than his own, but no sleep and constant running will do that to a Hedgehog.
“It’s no use- We need more charge!” Silver called to Sonic, lightning crackling and spitting around his super form. A few rings might’ve been enough to pull through, but there was no way Sonic could attain any in the time window they needed.
He’d been in this situation before, except he was not the one flickering and burning out that time. The sky was red this time, not black filled with stars, and the ARK was a much more simple thing to contain in Chaos Control, as opposed to an entire infection.
Sonic poured out what power he had remaining, and for a moment it was euphoric, freeing. He had no reserves left, and unleashed whatever had been lying within him. The light between him and Silver grew, and the Chaos energy had been brought to a new height.
“Silver! Now!”
They both locked together in frequency, connecting wholly in energy and directing their force into one collective.
“Chaos Control!”
A weight that had been dragging him into the ground had been lifted away for a moment, but that joy left as quick as it arrived. The pull of the Chaos Control was too much for him to resist, and he was dragged from Silver in an instant.
There was a voice calling to him. Maybe Silver’s, maybe Tails’, or maybe even his own, though he could not will himself to decipher whatever words had been said.
-
She had lived through this before. This exact moment. Watching city ruins burn into ash and flame, silence hanging in the air like the smog that taints the sky. The height of the vantage point she stands on is uncomfortable, but there is not much choice when your surroundings are covered in hot flame and molten metal. Though this sight burns with a strange familiarity, Blaze could not settle the dread that sunk into her chest.
Where did her home go? Where was Marine, or anyone?
What happened?
“You failed, princess. ”
She spun around, seeing the hedgehog that she could not forget.
“Silver. What happened?” She asked, approaching him slowly, “Are you hurt? I thought Solaris was dead.”
“He was supposed to be. You set him free. You forgot about this world and set him free. This is all that has been left, because of you.”
Blaze shook her head, “No- no that can’t be it. Sonic went to its root- he blew out the flame!” She called on the Sol Emeralds but felt no response. No call, no connection. Nothing. She felt her own flame began to rise and get caught in her throat as she forced herself to be level, “This isn’t how- You’re not supposed to remember me! There’s supposed to be a future for you- I made sure of that!”
Silver pointed to the ruins of the city, “Does this look like a future? How come you get to have your world, and I don’t? Why do you get to fail , Blaze?”
Before she could respond, a wave of heat and fire spat from her like she had been possessed. Silver was sent back, crying out in both shock and pain as he was nearly sent over the edge. She drew back, retreating as it had been herself burned, “Silver!”
The white hedgehog responded with a grunt of anger and disbelief, forcing himself back up before raising Blaze with his telekinesis. The cat could feel herself begging for tears not to spill over, shutting her eyes and squirming in anguish.
“You have failed us all!”
Blaze woke with a start, jumping out of bed with a chill sent over her. Her breath was quick, and she could feel her hands shaking. It had been awhile since she had her last dream of Silver and their time together in Crisis City, but it always managed to unsettle her to the core. While it can be a blessing for the Sol Emeralds to preserve her memory, at times she wonders if it would be better for her to forget some details, especially surrounding the abundant time they spent fighting Solaris and their creatures, being trapped in that world of malicious fire.
She stood up from her bed and took a glance out one of her windows, seeing the cool night sky and her kingdom, illuminated by street lights as the city slept. Blaze drew up a flame from her hand and lit a small candle on her bedside, allowing herself a restful moment to recuperate. She watched as the candle flickered and crackled, breaking the tense silence that the room had been drowning in before.
Then there was this tug. She could feel the Sol Emeralds again, and this time, they called to her.
I suppose it is a full-time position . She mused, making herself somewhat presentable before walking out the door. The Emeralds were not kept far, and with every step, she felt the connection and pull grow stronger and stronger. She passed by guards, who immediately stood out of the way when she approached, leaving her to walk to the private encased room that was dedicated to hosting the jewels alone.
The enclosure is sealed with a mechanism that will only allow the user to enter if they possessed the same pyrokinetic abilities as she does, something put in place when she took the position of keeper. She raised her hands and shot flames to cover the sealed door in its entirety, watching as they were absorbed by stone.
The door slowly opened, revealing the chamber. The Sol Emeralds dimly illuminated the room, resting above respective pedestals circled in the center. Blaze approached them leisurely, “What did you call me for?” She asked softly.
As if the emeralds answered themselves, their light grew until she noticed the blue quilled form lying in the center of the ring of jewels. Sonic, her dear friend, was sprawled out on the floor, in her kingdom, in her dimension.
Blaze rushed to his side, noting his pulse, a bit slower than what would be expected given his normal state, but present. His breathing was shallow and labored, but other than the dull color of his quills and unconscious state, there was nothing immediately visual to worry about. The cat lifted Sonic in her arms, ignoring the uncomfortable way his quills stuck into her fur. She left the chamber and called for a guard to fetch help while the others assisted her in taking Sonic to a vacant room to lay in. Blaze remained by his side, picking apart his appearance while they waited.
As she noticed earlier, his quills lacked the vibrancy that they would normally shine with, and his eyes appeared sunken in. Closing her eyes, Blaze searched for his energy, and found a startling lack of it. Typically, she could sense the blue hedgehog from the next room with how much energy he radiated due to his unity with the Chaos Emeralds, much similar to her own physiology. That would explain why he looks similar to a wrung-out battery at the moment.
The palace medic fully examined Sonic and deemed him stable after giving him fluids but urged complete bed rest for at least a few days. Blaze remained at his bedside, ears perking every time he let out a heavy sigh or showed any vague sign of waking. After a day of waiting, she made a trip to the Sol Emeralds again, investigating the scene to see if there were any traces of what led Sonic to her dimension, or what led him to being as drained as he was. If even Sonic couldn’t last through whatever happened, then that meant a possibility of danger for her kingdom.
Around the circle, there were some marks around the area he was laid in, and lingering traces of Chaos energy humming in the air.
Chaos Control. She’s only felt this particular force less than a handful of times, but it was strangely distinct. She remembers how Silver’s presence felt different after the first time he used it, and she’s been able to pick it out since.
She didn’t know how she missed it before, but maybe her heightened emotions got in the way of detecting the slight shift in the air the night prior. The Sol Emeralds buzzed as well, possibly a reaction to the still semi-foreign power.
The more she investigated, the more questions bubbled in her mind, yet they had to wait. Sonic had to wake before she could get her answers, and there is no telling when that would be.
Good thing that Blaze can wait.