Chapter Text
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“GUYS!?” Sonic was shouting while running around Eggman’s lair, all plans of stealth forgotten. Amy had said that they would meet him by the entrance. He hadn’t been that late. Right!?
“Sonic!! ACK-”
Tails! Sonic sprints around a corner, nearing the center of the lair. He was going to keep an eye out for that Egghead, but he hadn’t seen him anywhere, and Tails’ distress call had thrown him off.
Sonic skids to a stop in the Control Center of the base; where he had heard his buddy shout. He takes a step forward.
Click. What?
Four thick glass walls spring up around him, and even he had no time to react before a ceiling of the same material box him in.
A slow clap and chuckle echo from behind him. “Well well, Sonic. What a pleasant surprise seeing you here!”
Sonic sighs, ready for their usual dance. “Eggman. Let’s get this over with huh?” He folds his arms. “Why dontcha just let me out so my gang and I can kick your ass?”
“Aww, the blue rodent has a temper! Well not today you rat!” The doctor tosses Amy’s hammer before Sonic’s enclosure.
“Awww,” Sonic mimics, “come’on Eggy, she’s just giving you a ‘head start’. We all know how pathetic you are.”
A slow smile spreads across the man’s face. “Oh?” A cracked tablet joins the hammer.
Tails’ tablet. The fox usually never lets it out of his sight…
Sonic’s cocky grin begins to twitch and falter. “Hah, so!? You stole from them that’s all.” His hands curl into fists, claws pushing at his gloves. He can feel them starting to dig into his palms.
“Oooh Sonic! It truly is a delight to tell you this, but your fellow pests, are dead.”
The hedgehog stops breathing for a moment. “No they’re not! They wouldn’t be taken down so easily! Especially not by a rotten egg like you.”
Eggman just laughs. “Whatever keeps you going, rat.” The recording of Tails shouting plays again.
And again.
And again.
Sonic’s grin falls, but his teeth remain bared. “Shut that off.”
Eggman plays it again.
Thud.
Sonic slams himself into the glass and the doctor laughs. “Good luck getting out of this one. You’re alone.”
Alone… he couldn’t be- no. He needs them, he needs his family. What would he do with them gone?
Knuckles, while ornery, is was trustworthy and Sonic knew how much he cared about them. Amy was the glue that kept their esoteric little group together. They all would’ve shattered if not for her wit and attitude.
Tails. Tails. Sonic had taken him in, Tails was his brother and he was supposed to protect him. Sonic was supposed to die first! By then, Tails would’ve long since been able to care for himself. But not yet. This isn’t how it was supposed to go.
Sonic couldn’t breathe. They were supposed to get in and out, defeat Robotnik and celebrate just like normal.
Tails was eight.
The hedgehog’s eyes sharpen, confusion transforming into rage, focusing on every one of Robotnik’s movements. His mind doesn’t remain muddled and clouded, it clears. One thing circles around and around in his head: They’re gone.
Amy, Knuckles, his baby brother.
Robotnik took them from him.
Sonic drags his feet, taking two steps back. Then he throws himself at the glass once again; harder. Harder.
He pulls back and continues to launch himself, not even bothering to stop when a handful of blue quills fall to the ground.
Robotnik killed them. Robotnik took his family.
Sonic takes a few more steps back and spin-dashes into the enclosure wall. A small crack begins to spread across the glass.
While Robotnik’s smile may have faltered at that, he quickly plasters it back on. “You won’t be able to break it.” He tilts his head, “you shouldn’t want to either! That is your new permanent home after-.”
His last few words are cut off. Sonic flares his quills and spin-dashes again, a hoarse scream ripping itself from his throat.
The crack widens, resembling a spider’s web as it spreads.
“Ah!” Robotnik yelps and takes a fast few steps back. “Sonic! Buddy! You don’t want to get glass in you! And- and you don’t have anything left to sacrifice yourself for. Why don’t you just give up!-“
The hedgehog screeches again and uses the back wall to catapult himself into the cracked glass. He was starting to have trouble seeing through the damage, but sight and safety be damned when he can find Robotnik all the same.
As Sonic pulls back again, a low, long growl builds in the back of his throat.
Robotnik scrambles back, pushing Scratch Orbot and Grounder Cubot in front of him before running away.
Coward.
A guttural scream is punctuated by the shattering of the wall. Glass rains down around him, barely having time to hit to floor before Sonic takes off.
Orbot and Cubot couldn’t even be considered obstacles. The two of them were in more pieces than Sonic could count before they could think to begin to move.
The hedgehog strains his ears and hears Robotnik wheezing. He’s going to the roof. Sonic knew that was where he kept his weapons too large or dangerous to be kept inside. He was going to beat Robotnik to it.
Sonic knew the Robotnik had reinforced the floor levels after he’d crashed through them the first time, but they couldn’t be an issue. He wasn’t going to let them be.
He kicks off with a running start, eventually curling himself into a ball. He bounces from one wall to another, picking up speed with every hit until he rockets through the ceiling.
One floor, two floors, three floors, four, five, Sonic bursts through the final level.
His eyes sweep the landing, his glare showing just how animalistic he was feeling.
The floor opens, and Robotnik rushes out. He stops short seeing Sonic.
Sonic’s quills are somehow able to flare more, making him look (and feel) twice his size. His ears flatten against his skull.
“Sonic!! They’re alive! I wasn’t being serious earlier I promise! It was just a joke! A prank between pals! Remember the time we went on that show for Best Buddies?” The doctor wobbles at the edge of the roof. He puts his hands up, face frozen in rictus.
No. Robotnik had killed Sonic’s real friends. Now he was lying about it.
“NO NO!! I’ll- I’ll show you!!” The man hurriedly snarls into a device on his wrist, “you hunks of junk, get them up here NOW-“
Without a sound, Sonic charges at the teetering man. And he would’ve flung him off if Robotnik hadn’t squirmed out of the way! The doctor takes his chance with the hole Sonic had made in the roof, and jumps to the fifth floor.
No. He wasn’t going to run away this time. Defeat wouldn’t be enough this time.
Sonic sprints through the gap and slams into the doctor with all of his strength. Robotnik doesn’t have time to get away before he is sent hurtling towards the ground. When Sonic sees that the man is about halfway down, he jumps out after him, using his speed to zip through the air.
Sonic could swear that he heard someone shout his name. Probably Robotnik. Speaking of…
Sonic slams into the man, and when they hit the ground, Robotnik is left in a shallow egg-man-shaped hole.
The hedgehog lets the doctor stand up, but he wouldn’t be getting his footing. Sonic jumps at him relentlessly, only halting when Robotnik is able to grab him by the arms. He starts to say something, but Sonic doesn’t want to hear it. He twists, ignoring the way his shoulders groan, and bites the man’s arm. Robotnik drops him as blood begins to flow, and Sonic jumps back to hit him again, curling into a spin-dash to come around like a boomerang to hit him twice. He sends Robotnik soaring into the outer wall of his lair and the man finally slumps to the ground, unconscious on impact.
Sonic doesn’t bother to wipe the blood off of his face. That would take time, and frankly, he doesn’t care enough to waste it. He gets into position to give Robotnik one final hit. He takes off, but something around his waist yanks him back and lifts him into the air.
“NO!” Sonic’s ears pin back even farther. He flares his quills and feels them dig into someone behind him. His attacker yelps, and while their grip falters, it never fails.
Wait… if this person is attacking him, why aren’t they hurting him?
His vision blurs. “I need to- Robotnik!” Something else moved in front of him.
“SONIC!!”
Sonic blinks. Once, twice, Tails? “…what..? But-“
Blue eyes fill with tears. “Sonic he was lying! We’re okay!”
Tails. How was- Tails? Tails was safe.
A hand grabs his shoulder. He whirls around, mouth and teeth closing on nothing as the third person jerks away. “Sonic, it’s us…”
Amy.
So the one holding him must be…
Knuckles slowly sets him down, and the moment Sonic’s feet can feel the ground, he curls into a tight ball, quills still spiked for danger.
When two tails wrap around him, he breaks. His quills flatten and he starts shaking.
He realizes that someone is speaking, so he lifts his ears just enough to hear. “I’m sorry, Sonic.” A paw runs softly along his spines and he starts to uncurl. Tails takes this opportunity in stride, and pulls Sonic into a hug. The hedgehog practically curls around him.
When they pull away, Sonic can’t bring himself to speak. I’m sorry. He mouths.
“It’s not your fault! No one saw him coming…” Tails’ ears flatten to match his brother’s.
“Neither of you start trying to take blame. We’re all ok now.” Amy smiles softly, and Knuckles reaches down to pull the fox and the hedgehog to their feet.
Sonic lets himself have a final glance at the unconscious Eggman before Knuckles put a hand on his back, uncharacteristically gentle, urging him forward. “Come on. Let’s go home.”