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"... CIAO!!"
The doctor's face was replaced by static on the screens lining the train - well, badnik's - ceiling. Barry's neck hurt from looking up for so long, and their legs shook in fear.
"He always knows how to get under my skin."
Sonic's voice sounded distant as if Barry's ears were filled with cotton. Their pupils dilated as they watched Sonic shift; they saw his mouth moving, saying something, but they couldn't hear the hedgehog through the rushing and ringing in their head.
"Not..... mention..... -perated." Sonic swiped his finger under his nose, a gesture he had come to do automatically.
'What am I supposed to think... what am I supposed to do?
The train purposely had Sonic knocked out so it could deliver us to Eggman. This whole time we were all in danger... and I went along with it. This whole time I know Sonic was hurt... and I did nothing.'
Barry couldn't pinpoint when exactly their breathing had sped up. Since when was their heart beating so fast? When did their hands start shaking?
The thoughts didn't stop.
'Sonic was really hurt... the conductor's been captured. I didn't try hard enough.'
Guilt rushed through Barry's body as they thought about the conductor. He had been nothing but kind to them since they had boarded the train. He was so excited to see his wife, to retire and travel... and now he might die and...
'Am I at fault here?'
'I couldn't keep anyone safe.'
'It's my fault.'
'We're all gonna die and it's my fault.'
Barry's breathing picked up, now coming in short and desperate gasps. Their hands reached up to grab their face, scratching and pulling at the skin that seemed to be crawling with bugs. Their brain was crowded... they couldn't see anything... where did Sonic go?
'He left you.
He left you and saved his friends.
Im going to die. Im going to die and I deserve it.'
'This is your fault, Barry.
Your fault.
Your fault.'
'My fault.'
Barry's body fell to the ground. They curled up in on themselves as their body shook, and their skin crawled, and they scratched and pulled and tore their skin. Over and over: 'it's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault.'
Their face is damp with tears.
'It's my fault, it's my fault, it’s my-'
"Hey."
Barry's breathing stopped as they felt a body press up against them. The touch was warm.
"Can... hear... Barry?"
Sonic? But Sonic left. Why could they hear him?
"Sonic?" Barry picked their head up.
Through the tears that blurred their eyes, they spotted the blue blob sitting next to them. The blob's head seemed to move, and Barry sniffed and went to wipe their eyes with shaking hands.
"Oh... yeah, sorry I..."
"I get it."
Sonic grabbed Barry's hands and steadied them, with a gentle but grounding touch.
"The roads getting tough. It's easy to question the decisions that got you here."
Sobic chuckled, squeezing Barry's hands affirmingly.
Barry laughed wetly and nodded. Their eyes were clearing up now. The shaking was stopping.
"But when negative thoughts hit you, let it pass, and keep living." Sonic let go of one of Barry's hands to flash them a smile and a thumbs up.
Barry wiped their eyes, and laughed wetly," Haha... okay. You're right."
'I have to keep moving forward, and make things right!'
Sonic jumped up with a quiet excited shout and offered his gloved hand to Barry.
'Breathe... okay!'
Barry grabbed Sonic's hand, his touch warm and strong, and pulled themselves up.
"We gotta get to the conductor's car before the train arrives at Eggman's base. The doors have been heavily fortified. How do we get through?" Sonic looked at Barry confidently, a smile still on his face.
"Well... the entire day, Tails and I have been asking ourselves 'What would Sonic do...?' So... what would you do?"
"What would I do..." Sonic repeated.
"Well, I'd speed through head-on, and rescue our friends! By any means necessary! Here stand back!"
Barry rushed back as Sonic rolled up and smashed the train door with a strong spindash.
"Wow!!!!" Barry exclaimed, awed by the hero in frount of them.
"Heh! Now that the roads clear, nothing can stop us!"
Sonic turned quickly to look at Barry.
"You ready?"
Barry smiled, body filling with confidence.
"Let's go!" they called out.