Chapter Text
It’s been a few weeks since Sonic came back from saving the Shatterverse. It’s been pretty chill. Everything seemed normal after the fight with Eggman. Sure, Sonic was acting strange during it, but that’s only because no one besides him knows what happened. Well, him and presumably Shadow. Sonic hasn’t seen Shadow since the fight with Eggman.
After Dr. Eggman retreated, Sonic had a little celebratory moment with the rest of the team before running off to find Shadow.
Sonic found him in his home, a tree house on the other side of the mountain where they had their fight.
“Knock knock, can I come in?” Sonic asked, leaning on the entryway of Shadow’s tree shack. It wasn’t much and seemed minimalistic compared to what Sonic envisioned his home to be like. Sonic didn’t know where Shadow lived prior to this moment and just raced around Green Hill until he found a spot he thought Shadow was.
Shadow turned around, his usually blank expression unchanging with the sudden appearance of the blue hedgehog. “I should’ve expected you to try to find me. Wondering where I took the Paradox Prism?” Shadow inquired.
“Kind of. Would be nice to know in case Eggy tries to get his hands on it again. And if something happens with the Shatterverse.” The Shatterverse was almost an afterthought to Sonic. He didn’t know what would happen once they got back to Green Hill. He just wanted to get home and see his friends. Whatever access they had with the other Shatterspaces was unknown to him.
“It’s safe. That’s all you need to know. The less people that know where it is the better.” Sonic rolled his eyes, somewhat expecting that answer.
“So, you remember everything, right?” Sonic didn’t want to be the only one who remembered what happened, and Shadow was probably the only one who would know outside of anyone from the other Shattersapces.
“Yes.” Shadow said, his expression and voice remaining blank and monotone.
“Thank you.” Sonic said, giving a slight smile.
“What for?”
“You know what for. Saving my life, helping me fix my mistakes. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if it weren’t for you.” This was true, no matter how many times Sonic can deny it in his brain. Sonic wouldn’t have been able to save the Shatterverse if it weren’t for Shadow.
“You can say that again.” Shadow responded.
“Come on, admit it. It wasn’t so bad working together.”
“I will admit, I thought things would go a lot worse.” Sonic lit up after hearing that, taking anything he could get out of the unaffectionate and stoic hedgehog. “Calm down. As far as I’m concerned, you and I don’t need to keep teaming up anymore.”
“Oh, I’m so hurt.” Sonic says, his voice leaking with sarcasm. “Anyway, I should get back, see you around Shadow!” Sonic did a quick farewell salute before running off, leaving Shadow alone.
Shadow sighed. His tree house felt so lonely. Sonic was one of the only people besides Rouge who have visited him. Rouge is very in and out, with Shadow not seeing her for months prior to the battle with Eggman.
Shadow didn’t expect Sonic to come back, at least for a long while. Shadow never expected to show up the following night, especially not in the state in which he arrived.
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*
Water…there was water everywhere. And Sonic can’t swim. He has never been able to swim. The only way he was able to cope with it on No Place was because he has Nine’s tech which made it possible to glide over the water. Sonic didn’t have that now. He was stranded on a singular island surrounded by water.
He was trapped.
Sonic popped up and looked around, looking for anything that would allow him to get off the island, not even knowing how he got on there. Then he heard the voices.
“This is all your fault, Sonic”
The disembodied, but familiar voice of Shadow rang through his mind.
“Shadow?” Sonic questioned, looking around trying to find the other hedgehog.
“You killed us, Sonic.”
Amy’s voice rang through the empty space of water with the splotch of land, with mixes of the Roses from the other shatterspaces merging in with it.
“We never made it out of the Grim.”
Rouge and her counterparts said in an unusually spiteful tone.
“What do you mean? Of course you made it, you all made it.”
“Are you sure about that? You don’t know what happened after you left?”
A voice, specifically Nine’s, rang through the plain.
“What?” Sonic sat there, stunned. His breathing became more rapid as the thoughts rang through his head.
Did they not make it out? Were they all destroyed after he made it to Green Hill?
No, he thought, of course they made it back to their homes.
“We never made it back, and it’s all your fault!”
All the voices, all his friends and their counterparts all screamed at him.
“They never made it back.” Sonic said, his voice a whisper. He couldn’t catch his breath. He could feel his head spinning with all the thoughts in his head. The sounds, the voices, getting louder and louder.
His hands start to tingle, his legs wobble. Nowhere to run, nowhere to go. If he tried to leave he would drown.
“Shut up!” He screamed into the emptiness of No Place, and it started to shatter. The sky started to fall, revealing purple holes that lead to the void. He wouldn’t be able to reach it without getting up to speed. All he could do was sit there as the entire world caved in around him.
The voices continued to yell at him, reminding him of how he destroyed everything.
“I’m sorry!” He yelled, or maybe he didn’t. His throat burned as tears streamed down his face. He couldn’t breath, he couldn’t speak, he felt completely paralysed.
*
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*
“NO!” Sonic yelled, waking up from whatever hell he was just in. His breathing was still labored and his throat still burned like fire. All he was able to do was run, so he did before his legs gave out. There was only one person in mind he believed could help him.
*
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*
“Sh-shadow.” Shadow turned around and saw Sonic leaning up against the doorway of his tree shack.
“Sonic?” His voice was soft, filled with confusion, but he felt he had to be gentle. Sonic stumbled inside from out of the doorway and grabbed his head, falling and moving against a wall. One of his hands went to his heart, slowly moving up to grab his neck. “Sonic, don’t do-” Shadow dove down to take his hand away from his neck.
“Shad-” Sonic’s voice was very soft, barely a whisper. “I can’t- I can’t…”
“I know, I know Sonic. Can I touch you?” Kind of a dumb question since Shadow just grabbed his hand, but he wanted to make sure Sonic was comfortable with it. Shadow has experience with attacks like these, and it’s tough to handle sensory wise.
Sonic nodded as a way to give Shadow the consent to touch him. Shadow took Sonic’s hand and squeezed, trying to anchor him to something.
“Okay, now match my breathing. In,” Shadow took a deep breath in, “and out.” Shadow exhaled. Sonic didn’t follow this very well, his attempt of an inhale causing a wheezing sound. “Okay, good. Now try again.” Shadow did this for a few minutes, waiting for Sonic to catch up with him so his breathing would level out. “Are you able to talk now?”
Sonic tried to speak, but it was very raspy. Shadow continued with the breathing until Sonic seemed more likely to speak.
“Name 5 things you can see.” Shadow said, using the simple 54321 method to help Sonic.
“Um, you, I guess. The walls, your hammock, the floor and umm. I don’t know.” Sonic’s voice was still full of panic and was shaky as he was.
“It’s okay. That’s okay.” Shadow said, keeping a level head and his voice as soothing as he could manage. “4 things you can feel.”
“Ummm, the wall on my back, the floor on my body, my gloves on my hand, and-” Sonic suddenly stopped.
“And?” Shadow prompted, intrigued on what the fourth thing could be and why it made him stop so suddenly.
“Your hand. Your hand in my hand.” Sonic’s face flushed in response to the touch.
Shadow could feel the faint warmth in his cheeks, but thought nothing of it as he continued. “3 things you can hear.”
“Uhh, the wind outside, your voice, my head.” Shadow was caught off guard with the last one, but he knew how loud thoughts could be. Sonic curled back up, taking his hand out of Shadow’s and wrapped both arms around his head. “They’re so loud.” He cried.
“I know.” Shadow said, taking both on Sonic’s hands and holding them gently. “Now 2 things you can smell.”
“Oh, umm. I don’t, I guess you? Umm, lavender?” Sonic guessed, which was accurate. Shadow did smell like lavender.
“You don’t have to find another one.” Shadow said, not thinking there were any other scents near them. “One thing you can taste.”
“My saliva I guess.” Sonic replied. He was better. Still shaking a lot and his voice wasn’t any different. “I don’t think I can move.”
“I don’t expect you to. Paralysis is common in these types of attacks.” Shadow replied, speaking from experience.
“I’m sorry.” Sonic sobbed, his voice getting caught up in his throat.
“Don’t. Don’t apologize for what you can’t control. I know it’s hard, especially if it's the first one. Now, what caused this?”