Chapter Text
He'd been in the middle of challenging Shadow to a race when the world started ending.
Sonic wasn't surprised that the warning signs had gone unnoticed. Unbearably hot heatwaves that couldn't even be soothed by plunging into cold water? Probably just summer being summer. Heavy rainfalls that would start out of nowhere and flood places for hours? Maybe it was rainy season. Mobius' climate had been screwed many times over already, Sonic was used to the unpredictable weather from the abundance of Chaos Energy that had appeared ever since he first went Super and when the humans had started destroying the environment for their own benefit.
"What in the name of Gaia..?" Sonic's ears swiveled around, listening to the muttered prayers and curses of the civilians around him, all watching the pillar of lava spewing into the air in the distance. It didn't take long for panic to set in, especially with the ground splitting open beneath their feet. Sonic could barely process Shadow's hand grabbing his and pulling the azure hedgehog away from the gruesome scene. Children screamed and cried as they or their parents fell into the chasms. Panicked civilians pushed and pulled, willingly sacrificing others to save themselves.
It was everyone for themselves during the end of the world.
"Hedgehog! Sonic! Snap out of it!" The muffled sounds of his surroundings came back full force, overwhelming him. Shadow's voice, however, stood out. Sonic reluctantly tore his gaze away from the massacre, emerald green eyes meeting crimson red, one full of anguish and the other pure, unadulterated fear hidden beneath a faltering facade of indifference.
"Do you have a death wish?! Run!" Twin sonic booms split the air, echoing over the cacophony of the planet's attempt to rid itself of its parasites. Sonic couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe? The deaths of all those people he failed to save, couldn't save because he was terrified. They played over and over in his mind. He felt his chest constrict even more with each person he passed by. Shadow was practically leading him out and away from the city, Sonic's legs only able to rely on muscle memory to keep up with the other hedgehog.
An explosion rocked the city, smoke billowing into the air as skyscrapers and offices crashed to the ground. The shockwave knocked the two hedgehogs over, sending them flying across the field before skidding to a halt just on the outskirts of the city. Sonic groggily pushed himself off of the ground, a few loose quills falling out as he shook his head. He hated it when he had to fight another world-ending entity that Eggman had- Wait.
He strained his ears, trying to listen for Eggman's telltale laugh as he prepared yet another villainous monologue. Nothing. Just the screams of the damned. Desperately, he thought Eggman was just biding his time. After all, he always monologued whenever Sonic was in earshot. He'd come flying over, any second now.
Sonic felt his heart race quicker as seconds turned into minutes. Where was Eggman? Heck, where was Silver? Usually the young time traveller would warn Sonic and his friends about any dangers or changes in the future. Where was he? He hadn't appeared since he returned to the future a month ago. Another explosion went off. More buildings collapsed. Did something happen? Sonic didn't realise he was hyperventilating until he felt Shadow's hands on his shoulders, a lifeline pulling him out of the dark. He grabbed one of them, feeling the hybrid tense before relaxing.
His heart was still beating like it was probably trying to send him into cardiac arrest, but Sonic supposed it was slightly better than barely being able to breathe. He looked up at Shadow, feeling lost and disoriented. Everything just happened so quickly, and Sonic was ashamed to admit that he'd been unable to keep up, despite his namesake. This clearly wasn't Eggman's doing. The mad doctor wouldn't sit around and quietly watch the world burn without at least one insult towards Sonic.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Suddenly, Shadow started cursing under his breath, yanking Sonic to his feet.
"Shit, shit, Sonic, get up-!"
Liquid pain burned in his veins as Shadow pulled out the Chaos Emerald he always found and kept in his quills, its usually bright green glow dimming steadily.
Crack!
Sonic could barely react as a thin, hairline crack ran through the Chaos Emerald, emitting a flash of light, and then darkness.