Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sonic groaned, slightly opening his eyes, but the harsh sunlight forced him to close them again. His head was spinning, body aching, metal taste on his tongue. The strong smell of burnt wires choked him, it was hard to breath. Everything was swirling around him, colors merging together, shapes disappearing, getting blurry. He had to stay awake, to see what happened. Where was Tom? And Maddie? Why was it a daytime? Wasn't it night when he fought with the crazed man? Why couldn't he hear any people? Did he win?

With great effort and strain of his muscles, Sonic tried to sit up. Like a lightning, a sharp pain, so strong and nothing he's ever felt before, went through Sonic's body, making him scream. Blue hedgehog collapsed, his back pressing on the still warm metal, his heartbeat quickened, mind finally clear to assess the situation. Sonic tried again, fighting through unwanted tears and moans of pain, to sit and look at what happened.

Sonic searched with his eyes the surroundings, he was on top of the aircraft the crazy scientist fought him with. He could see the man still inside, unconscious, his body slumped on the control panel, smoke filling the insides, something red and sticky was dripping from his forehead. Sonic wasn't sure if the man was still alive. Even if the man was evil, Sonic still didn't want for him to die. But now, Sonic had to think about himself first. What was that pain, and where were everyone?

Sonic tried moving again, the pain made him almost throw up. His eyes finally caught the windshield, broken, as his blood immediately went cold. What once was his right leg was now a bloody mess. When he spindashed towards the aircraft, to send it into the portal, his leg went through the glass, trapping him in place.

Sonic's heartbeat quickened even more, echoing in his ears, taking quick shallow breaths, panic was growing it's roots within him. Like a wild animal, he trashed and trashed, trying to pull his leg away. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, numbing the pain. He pulled and pulled, ignoring the feeling of the glass nudging dipper and deeper into his flesh, slicing it more and more, tearing his muscles apart, scraping his bone, ripping the flesh into pieces.

He screamed and screamed until his leg was finally free. In a pain induced delirium Sonic run, at least, tried to run, to walk, to crawl, somewhere far away, to Tom, to Maddie, to anyone who could help him.

-TOM! MADDIE! WHERE ARE YOU?!

Sonic screamed at the top of his lungs. Ignoring the pain in his limb, he tried to get as far away as possible.

-TOM! MADDIE! Somebody! Please...

He couldn't control tears streaming down his face, burning his cheeks, the emotions were suffocating.

-Tom....Maddie....please, don't leave...me...

He couldn't fight it anymore, adrenaline disappearing, pain returning. His vision was blurring again, hard to breath, thoughts escaping his mind, unable to resist the darkness.

"...stuck in this forsaken place!"

The voice reached Sonic's ears as if from the underwater, barely registering. Sonic slowly opened his eyes, trying to gather his surroundings. Was this just a dream? Is he back at Tom's and Maddie's house? Is he safe?

It was dark, the sunwas already setting, coloring everything in putrid green, the air, heavy with dampness and smell of mold, filled Sonic's lungs making him cough. There was something bright in front of him, his eyes blinking, trying to adjust, the building headache nagging at his skull. A fire was gently swaying, cracking it's contents and filling the air with the rather potent smell of mushrooms. Where was he?

-Finally awake, alien?

The familiar voice shook the last remnants of sleep away. The man, the chase, the fight, the crush! No, this wasn't home, and it wasn't safe at all! He was in the one place he dreaded to end up the most! The lonesome mushroom planet that promised him protection and eternity of loneliness. But it failed in it's purpose, as he wasn't alone, and he wasn't there by his own choice.

-What's the matter? Nothing to say, rat?!

The man came closer, his face contorted with anger, dried blood still smeared on his pale skin, clumping in his hair and mustache.

Sonic's brain raced with thoughts, trying to take in the situation, his head aching, muddling his thoughts, he needs to get out of here! As he was about to stand up and flee, the world tilted, the ground rushed towards him, pain run through his body, like a lightning on the sky, making every nerve in his body scream, his leg felt as if it was engulfed in flames, like scolding torches were shoved down his wound, deeper and deeper, making every single cell in his body fill with pain.

His stomach churned and acid burned his throat, muscles shaking, it was too much, the world went out of focus as the hot tears filled his eyes.

"Tch, annoying" was the last thing Sonic heard before his mind submerged into the darkness once more, offering the relief.

He was running. Through the fields, through the loops, into his mother's embrace. She cood and kissed him gently, Sonic tried embracing her back to return the kindness, but her body sagged, only feathers staying in his fists. He ran again, through the darkness, through the forest, to the house he wished to call home. Two people greeted him, smiling gently. He tried to reach them, touch them, to believe this was reality, but upon contact, they fell apart into mushrooms. The wicked laughter filled the air, ringing in his ears, a myriad of red dots directed at him. He wanted to run, far away, back to safety, but he couldn't move, his leg was still stuck in the windshield, glass digging into his flesh, holding him firm in one place. 'You will never escape from me, little hedgehog'.

A low grunt escaped Sonic's mouth as his mind grasped reality, the remnants of the dream evaporating, only leaving a heavy feeling in his mind. He slowly cracked his eyelids open, noting that he was laying on the cold ground, the right side of his muzzle squished against the dusty surface.

He grunted again as he tried sitting up, only to realize his hands were tied. He tried moving his arms, yap, definitely tied. Did this psycho do this? His mind started to race, he needed to escape and find a way back home, he will not be staying on this planet!

After managing to sit up, Sonic looked around. He was still on the jet crash site. Seemed like the man made some sort of camp, with the fire pit in the middle. They were surrounded by big mushrooms, Sonic was laying under one of them. The Blue Blur could see something like a backpack under another mushroom, so the man was still there. Not good, what were his plans with the blue alien? Does he still plan on experimenting on him? For what? They were stuck there now, no fancy gadgets to aid the scientist. No matter, Sonic needed to escape while the man was not there.

Sonic tried to get up, but immedietly fell down, his body was feeling strange, heavier, like an invisible press was pushing him down. But this wasn't the worst, his right leg was aching so much, shoots of pain were periodically running through his leg and body. Sonic looked it over, it was wrapped in something black, the material looked smooth and shiny, hugging his leg firmly. Did...did the man bandage him? Why? Didn't he hate Sonic?

While being deep in the questions of why this psycho man would help him, Sonic failed to notice said man sneak behind him.

-Awake again? I'm surprised.

Sonic jolted in place, scooting away from the man, ignoring the intensified ache in his foot from dragging.

-Now, alien, - the man crouched in front of Sonic, his eyes laced with certain craze, - I already wasted a good cast, on you, so you wouldn't die prematurely before telling me how to get out of this wretched place!

Sonic looked the man over, his red suit was torn and dirty in several places, a reddish bump adorned the man's left cheek, his upper lip was split but already started to heal, his head was wrapped in the bandage made of the same material as sonics "cast".

Yeah, the landing certainly wasn't soft for him either.

-Well?! Answer me, alien!

The man screamed, invading Sonic's personal space even further.

-The rings, they are the only way out. - Sonic finally answered. There was no point in keeping this information hidden, if the man has at least one, Sonic could trick him and steal the ring for himself.

-There are no rings.

-What? Not even one? Big, golden ones?

-Alien, do you take me for an idiot? Do I look like one?! I saw you using them, so I figured they were the way out of this place. But I searched every nook and cranny in my ship and in the vicinity of it!

-Are you sure? There must be at least one! - Sonic could feel uneas setting within him. Without rings, there was no possible way out.

The man's face darkened, the leather of his gloves creaking as his fists got tighter and tighter. Sonic had half a mind that the man is going to punch him.

-There are none, cero, ноль, 零! - he screamed, each new word pronounced louder and louder.

The man finally leaned away, his expression morphing into something akin to desperation.

-Is there any other way out?!

-No, the rings are the only way of traveling between the worlds.

The man got up. He paced around the place, rageful spite, in a language that Sonic couldn't understand, was echoing through the campsite. He was kicking and smashing the ship parts, the mushrooms, anything his feet and hands could reach.

While the man was releasing his frustration, Sonic tried to get himself free. He used the tips of his quills to try and cut the rope on his wrists, but it didn't work for some reason. He tried again, trying to apply a lot more pressure, it should snap, his quills were as sharp as knives, no rope could withstand it, he was caught numerous times in the nets when accidentally triggering hunters' traps. It still did not budge. Why did he feel so tired, too?

-Don't bother, alien, you won't be able to snap the ropes. The only way to destroy them is to use nuclear explosion.

-Let me guess, you created them?

-Indeed, I am a genius after all.

-Well, should have tied my legs then too, genius.

Before the man could even fully open his mouth, Sonic bolted forward, he will think how to cut the ropes later, right now he needed to get as far away from the crazed man as possible.

Everything looked the same, mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms. Sonic felt disoriented, was he running further away or back to the site? Running with hands tied behind his back proved to be difficult, he kept bumping into the mushroom stems. His body was feeling even heavier, hotter, his mind unfocused, leading him to make a mistake: Sonic tripped over a fallen mushroom, the inertia from his speed forwarded him with immense speed. Unable to turn into a ball, Sonic's body collided with the rough ground beneath, punching all the air out from his lungs. Sonic whined in pain, his whole body hurt, the fur protected his skin to being ripped apart, but it couldn't protect from the bruising that will form.

Sonic tried to move, to get up, he needs to run, but he slipped, groaning in pain upon falling. He tried again, and again. He only now noticed that he was laying in some sort of mucous, it was clinging to his fur and quills, making them heavy. He could feel his body getting uncomfortably hot, heavy like he was drowned in lead. Did this man do something to him? Poison him? Drug him? Damn leg, why did it hurt so much.

'I applaud your determination, alien, but your stupidity is far greater.'

A drone came closer to Sonic, the man's voice was speaking from it.

-What...did you do...to me.

Sonic huffed tiredly, the slimy substance bitter on his tongue.

'Nothing, your own body is perfectly fine destroying itself from within, hahaha!'

A big net was thrown over Sonic from the drone. An electric shock run through it, electrocuting the blue hedgehog, earning a loud scream from him.

Sonic's limp body was unceremoniously dragged back to the camp, his fur getting even more dirty from the dust. His head felt heavy, the mucous suffocating him, his head was starting to ache, body on fire. The hope of escaping getting thinner and thinner.

Chapter Text

Sonic watched as the man paced in front of him, hands in his not so pristine hair, grumbling something to himself. The Blue Blur was back at the crash site, his hands still tied, his legs now too. He felt awful, tired, the fever only getting stronger, his whole body ached too, his fur and quills sticky from the slime.

-What... did you do... to me?

Sonic asked quietly, his fear was getting stronger and stronger, where was Tom? When will he save him already?! Please...

The man stopped abruptly, glaring in annoyance at his prisoner.

-I told you already, I did nothing. This is the reaction of your body to the wound. It tries to heal it, but the dump conditions and possible pollution in the air prevent it. - the man started, coming closer to the alien on the ground. -Without strong antibiotics your body will be stuck in this endless loop of trying to heal, but being unable to, until it wastes away, and you become another food for those fungi, hahaha!

Sonic exhaled shakily. So, this is why he feels so weird? He never experienced an illness in his life, Longclaw explained to him that his abilities granted him such strong immunity. But seemed even this power has limits.

-I have the antibiotics, - the man continued his speech, - but I'm not giving them to you, I already wasted enough of my precious supplies on you, rat.

-Why did you wrap my leg then?

Sonic hoped that this man had at least an ounce of goodness within him.

-Because otherwise you'd have bled to death. You were out for two days. I waited for you to naturally heal and wake up, but the conditions of this wretched place prevented this, so I had no other choice but to at least stop the bleeding.

-Thanks. - Sonic said quetly.

-Don't get too hopeful, I would have left you where you were if I didn't need to know how to get back to Earth.

The man scowled to hide the shock from Sonic's genuine 'thank you'.

-There are no rings, why do you need me now? Just let me go!

-Oooh, but there is one possible way. - The man came closer, prompting Sonic to move further awa. The man's lips spreading in a nasty smile, something sinister shining behind his eyes. Sonic was starting to get scared. - Those idiots from Montana, they seem to have become fond of you, if they possess the rings they might figure out how to rescue you, and when they will, I will seize this opportunity and escape!

Despite the clear threat in the human's voice, those words did bring new hope to Sonic. Yes, Tom and Maddie will save him, they know how to use the rings, they'll come for him!

Right?

-Though, it's been three days already and there is still no sight of them. I'm starting to doubt they cared about you at all to bother rescuing their pet alien.

-Shut up! They will come! I understand they don't know me for long, but they are good people, they won't leave m!

Why did Sonic doubt his own words?

-You are mistaken, hedgehog, there are no good people in this world.

For the rest of the day, the man haven't anknowledged him, Sonic was thankful for the silence, no crazy rumbling at least. Despite the man's pessimistic words, Sonic knew Tom and Maddie will come to rescue him. They must.

It was finally a nighttime. Sonic was tossing and turning on the ground, trying to find the most comfortable position for his bruised body. The coolness of the dump air offered a semblance of relief for his persistent fever. But he still couldn't find his sleep. Sonic was used to all the different kinds of sounds at night, from the leafs rustling to the animal howling, but there, it was silent, deadly silent. Longclaw never told him if anything else lived on this planet, but it seemed that only silent mushrooms did. And now them two.

Robotnik was sitting in front of the fire, finally calm from the daily rampage. He was poking the burning dried mushrooms with some stick (presumably also some kind of mushroom) and eating some packaged snack. Sonic's stomach grumbled, reminding him that he haven't had a proper meal in almost four days now. He was SO hungry, he would literally devour any food right now, even some bland porridge. At least water wasn't an issue, the air was so saturated with moisture that it simply collected in all the crevices and on the mushroom tops. The young smaller mushrooms serve as a good water collectors, allowing Sonic to drink fresh water (even if it tasted like mushrooms).

The man noticed Sonic's prolonged stare, swmiling at him. He slightly waved the snack, before finishing it full. Sonic frowned, what a prick.

Sonic turned on the other side, still trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. His head was full of thoughts of escape and hope for his new friends to rescue him quicker.

He needs to rest. The next day might bring some unexpected solutions for his predicament. At least, he hoped so.

The next day Sonic woke up early, the sun was only creeping up, coloring a thin veil of mist laying on the ground, making it hard to see further ahead. Sonic sat up, propping his back against the stem of a big mushroom. The fever was still there, not leaving, his leg was aching even stronger, bordering on being painful, his body hurt when he moved.

There was something Sonic haven't experienced in a long time: fear. True fear. This situation seemed hopeless, with his current state of body and the man's watchful drones, he had no chance of escape. No rings, no sign of Tom or Maddie helping him. What was he supposed to do? What was his next plan? Give up and accept his fate? No! He was Sonic the hedgehog! He promised his mother he will survive no matter what! He didn't want to die, he had so much to do, to see, he finally had a chance to have true friends. Doesn't matter how, but he will return home!

First on the agenda is to find food. He looked over his surroundings, there were some smaller mushrooms growing around, easy to bite in. Argh, he really has to do this? Sonic doubted the human would share his food with him, it wasn't in his interest to help Sonic, so mushrooms it is.

Sonic leaned over, trying to catch the mushroom with his teeth. He bit into the soft cap and chewed. He spit it out, as the bitter taste spread on his tongue. He heaved, immediately drinking from the collected water and washing his mouth from the bitter taste. How did Longclaw expected him to survive here? This planet was only good for torturing people!

Sonic looked around, listening carefully if he woke up the man. It was quite, the man's soft snoring still permeated the air. At least Sonic had some time to himself. He needs to think how to get food. Maybe he could steal it from the human? Somehow...
.
.
.
It was hot, unbearably hot. The sun, high above, was mercilessly sending it's rays down. The saturated air was heating up, making it feel like a greenhouse. Sonic's fever didn't aid to him either.

He looked at the human. The man was near his fallen jet, unwrapping his head, looking over his injury. Sonic turned to his own leg, the gauze looked to have reddish coloration in some spots, he had limited knowledge of human medicine, but he was sure he needed to change it.

-Did you try to eat the mushrooms? - the man came close without Sonic even noticing him.

Sonic looked at the unpleasant pile of his attempt at 'breakfast' earlier in the morning.

-Haha, idiot! Half of them are poisonous, one bite, and you will die the most horrible and painful death!

The man threw his hands in the air theatrically. Sonic rolled his eyes in annoyance. It's not like he had other choice but to risk his life to have some food, he isn't going to beg for the man's mercy. Though, he probably won't need to stoop so low, as the man looked him over, noting Sonic's dirty matted fur and quills, the bags under his eyes, and his annoyed look.

-Tch, your body is in this endless loop of trying to heal itself, and, considering your speed abilities, I would be right to assume you also have a fast metabolism. If it's not the infection in your wound, you will just waste away.

Sonic looked at the man carefully, searching for a hint of bluff, but, deep down, he knew he didn't have much time left.

-I would have given you the antibiotics, but I'm not wasting them on you. But, I also can't allow you to just die here, for the slim chance of using you as a bait.

The man pulled out his pocket something that looked like a chocolate bar, wrapped in a black package, no name or any other identifiable logos. The man then proceeded to rip the package off and crouched in front of the blue hedgehog.

-Eat. - he demanded.

Sonic scanned the man's face for any indication that it was a joke, but found none.

-You are kidding, right? I'm not your pet for you to feed me from the hand. - Sonic snarled, flaring his quills, but his ears lay flat against his head, betraying his uneasiness.

-Well, you cleanly need some taming. Eat or you will literally die!

-Buck off, I'm not-mhm!

The man unceremoniously shoved the chocolate bar into Sonic's mouth mid-sentence. On reflex, Sonic bite the unfamiliar object, teeth sinking into the hard substance.

-Swallow. -The man demanded

Sonic felt utterly humiliated. He had half a mind to spit the thing back in the man's face, but his hungry stomach seemed to have called in desperation, as the loudest grumble echoed through the space. The man smirked. Sonic, completely defeated, with the heat on his cheeks that had nothing to do with his fever, chewed the piece in his mouth before finally swallowing it.

-Bleurgh! What is that? Did you make it out of cardboard? - Sonic stuck his tongue in disdain.

-This is a highly nutrient food, designed to replenish all the necessary macro and micro elements in your body! The taste is a mere afterthought.

-Could have at least added some salt, or sugar, or anything to make it tastier than air.

-It is efficient and optimized to do its job, no filthy additive needed! Now shut up and eat!

Sonic wanted to banter back, but an idea came to his mind, he saw the irritation form on the man's face, ceasing the opportunity to have some fun and show that he is not some pet to give him "treats".

He firmly shut his mouth, ignoring the cardboard bar in front of him.

-What are you doing? I said eat!

The man shoved the food item to Sonic's lips, but the blue hedgehog turned his head away.

-What-oh, oooh, I see, playing coy, huh? Well, alright then, I see, I'll just let you be then, after all, your cop friend wouldn't even bother to come and rescue you, I doubt he has the needed intelligence capable to form any coherent thoughts, or, he simple dosen't care about you.

Sonic was ready to answer, no one dares to insult Donut Lord, but before even one word escaped his mouth, the rest of the tasteless bar was shoved into his mouth. Sonic made an indignant sound, protesting the intrusion and ashamed for being tricked so easily.

-Aha! - The man triumphed.

Sonic felt defeated, but for now, the only thing left for him to do is to chew this tasteless bar and gather as much strength as he could, to finally escape this maniac and find his way home.

Chapter Text

It has been five days as they ended up on the mushroom planet. The feeling of unease was now permanent in Sonic. His fever didn't stop, leg still aching, and the cast was now fully soaked in blood. He was constantly hungry. Worst of all, the man seemed to be going more and more insane by the minute, constantly rumbling, or going in fits of rage, or disappearing for hours, leaving Sonic alone (if you don't count badniks constantly watching him).

Where were Tom and Maddie? Why didn't they come to rescue him already?! He shouldn't even be here, he should be back at home, eating chilidogs and watching some dumb movies, enjoying his new family! Or, was it just a wishful thinking? Was the man right, did they truly abandon him?

-Is there any other way out of here?! - The man fell on his knees in front of Sonic, his voice desperate. The human looked insane, tired, older than he actually was, greasy hair sticking to his forehead, his previously neatly groomed mustache was now unkept, the dark circled under his eyes even more prominent, and the stubble on his jaw just getting darker.

-No, I told you numerous time already, the rings are the only way out.

The man cursed.

-Aren't you a genius? Can't you think of some way out with your toys?

-We are not in some sci-fi story for me to just magically create the teleport, because if I could, I would have done it already! Great, I am truly stuck here! - The man raged again, rapidly flailing his arms in the air.

-Why keeping me here then, let me go already!

-This is your punishment for trapping me in this wretched place.

-I am stuck here just like you! And by the way, you tried to kill me!

-Because you are an alien! I wouldn't miss an opportunity to study a creature like you.

-If you asked me nicely, I might have considered to volunteering.

-And where is fun in that? - The man's lips spread in an unpleasant smile.

Sonic watched as the human moved back to his jet, cursing a storm.

-Isn't there anyone coming for you? Your absence would be noticed, right?

The man halted, turning to face Sonic again, his eyes fixed on the hedgehog. He walked slowly, his lanky form was towering over the slumped alien, casting a shadow over him. Sonic's heart started to race, the look in the man's eyes, completely devoid of any emotion.

-There is no one in this world who would miss me.

Despite the venom lacing those words, Sonic couldn't help but feel a pang of...sadness? Why did he say it so nonchalantly? As a matter of fact? No one would miss him? How? What about his family? Friends? Didn't he work for like the army or something? They prone to notice one of their own missing! Especially after the destructive show the two of them conducted throughout the world.

-That's...really sad. - Was all Sonic could say, no sarcasm, no delight, just sadness for this man.

Robotnik wavered, his face turning into a scowl.

-Do not pity me! I don't need it! I'm fine on my own, always have been! Always, will be. - The last sentence was said in almost a whisper, not addressed at the blue alien, but at the void of space, as the man's gaze shifted somewhere else. - And no ones coming for you, either. It's been five days already. If they wanted to, those two would have come immediately. Welcome to the club, hedgehog.

The rest of the day they spent in silence. The true dread started to weight upon Sonic: no ones coming to rescue them, not him or the crazy man. They are stuck here. Alone. Forever.

Sonic shifted uncomfortably, the restraints digging into his limbs, leaving raw red marks in his skin, his back and sides were sore from sleeping on the harsh ground, his fever not subduing even for an ounce, the leg started to emmite unpleasant smell.

-Can *huff* you at least untie me? No ones *huff* coming to rescue us, so there is *huff* no point in keeping me hostage. - Sonic asked, breathly.

The man just glared at him. It's been few days since their last conversation, the man was silent all this time, not unacknowledging his existence, just tinkering something with his jet and robots.

Sonic sighed. This is not how his life was supposed to be. Just as the hope of finally finding new friends, a new home, it all got snatched away from him.

When he was little, he never cried, because he knew it made Longclaw worry. He didn't like to make her sad about him, so he promised himself he would never shed a single tear in his life. But now, for the first time in a long while, he truly felt defeated with no way out. The people he thought were his friends abandoned him. He was stuck on this damn planet with the man who was getting crazier by the minute, torturing him. His body hurt, the fever didn't leave, he felt hungry, his leg was throbbing uncomfortably. Sonic could feel the long forgotten feeling of a lump coming to his throat. 

He turned on his side, so the man couldn't see, as the familiar hotness grazed his cheeks, gliding down to the ground beneath. 

Sonic was woken up abruptly. In a fever induced delirium, he felt his body being lifted up, someone's hand squeezing his bicep painfully.

-Hey! Let me go! - he screamed in frustration trying to wiggle free.

The man stayed silent, walking towards the small camp he made. He threw Sonic on the ground, the collission puched all air out of the blue hedgehog's lungs. Before Sonic could even move a muscle he was pushed down, the man's weight on top of him, his knee pressing firmly into the blue back. Sonic trashed, trying to fight the man off, his weight pressing the smaller male to the ground firmly. 

Sonic caught a glimpse of something shiny, his blood went cold as he recognized the silhouette of a knife. Oh, God, the man is going to kill him!

-No! Stop! Stop it! - Sonic screamed in desperation, what was going on, why was this happening to him?! No, this is not how he wanted his life to be! 

-Go! - the man roared.

Sonic looked at him questioningly, his mind still laced with fear, heart thumping dangerously in his chest, until he realized his hands and feet were free.

-There is no point in staying here, no one's coming to rescue us. Go, away from my sight, alien!

Sonic looked at the man for one more second, before dashing away.

He ran and ran exhausting the last remnants of his energy, not wanting to see if this was this psychos some twisted game of "cat and mouse", until he finally collapsed, his damaged leg and sore muscles completely giving in.

.

.

.

Sonic woke up sometime in the evening, when the sun was already setting and the air was cooling down. What just happened? Was it a fever induced dream? No, he was free, finally free! Away from that maniac! But now what? What was his plan? 

The next day, Sonic was walking limping aimlessly through the myriad of mushrooms. The hopes for the fever to finally subdue were unrealistic, just like his leg finally healing. Sonic looked over his mangled limb, the blood and gunk were staining the ground beneath, he didn't dare to unwrap his leg, too afraid to see what has become of it. He needs to do something, and he needs to do it now. Sonic knew he wouldn't have much time left if he won't treat his wound and fever soon. The only logical solution is to find the maniac and steal the medicine. But it won't be easy, the man still had two working drones, and he was in better shape than Sonic. So, Sonic needs to devise a coherent plan to evade the drones, subdue the human and take the medicine. Argh! Making coherent plans wasn't Sonic's strongest suit, he much rather preferred to just bolt into action and think what to do next right at the moment. 

No matter, he needs to act now, he will succeed no matter what, even with his leg hurt, he still could use his speed and attacks, albeit very junky and for a limited time, before his energy runs out. A sneak attack then, get rid of the  robots, incapacitate the human, and take the medicine. The human won't expect Sonic's return, so blue blur will have an element of surprise to his advantage. So be it.

It took Sonic another day to return to the crash site. He looked it over, trying to see if maybe, just maybe, one ring got trapped somewhere and Sonic would finally get free! But, sadly, no such luck. Now, where did the man go? He wasn't on the site, his stuff was gone too. Where did he go? Sonic scouted the territory and found faint footprints leading south. 

Following the footprint on such uneven terrain proved to be difficult, Sonic had to practically guess half the time when the man left, but small clues like empty snack packs, fallen mushrooms with laser cuts clued Sonic in the right direction. 

Finally, after half a day and almost exhausting himself completely, Sonic seemed to have found the man. Sonic stood in front of a mushroom that was up to his knees the next one was taller and the next one was taller than Sonic himself, those mushrooms forming some sort of ladder, leading to the biggest and tallest mushroom. Sonic could hear faint screams of annoyance from the top mushroom, cursing someone called "Walters" and some random stone for some reason.

Carefully, trying not to apply too much pressure on his hurt foot, which started to painfully ache after a day of physical activity, Sonic started to climb the mushrooms, trying to be as silent as possible, while balancing on the ones that threaten to fold under his weight. It will start getting dark in an hour, so Sonic could wait and use darkness to his advantage, but he doubted he would have enough energy by that time.

As Sonic climbed the second-tallest mushroom, he stopped, listening to the man. He dared to peek over the edge: the man was sitting with his back turned to Sonic, his drones seemed to be inactive, some dark panels were protruding from their backs. Sonic scanned the surroundings and found the backpack that the human was keeping all of his supplies in. It was slightly left to the man. Now's his chance. The man was defenseless, tired, and unsuspecting, Sonic must act now.

Sonic jumped from his hiding spot and ran directly ahead to grab the backpack. The human shrieked, surprised by the sudden appearance of the alien, commanding his drones to attack. It took the robot's a couple of seconds to retrieve their solar panels and fully activate, but it was enough for Sonic to grab the backpack and start running away from them. But, just as he was at the edge of the mushroom, a sharp pain went through his foot, making him stumble. The next thing he knew he was tackled to the ground, the man is grabbing him, desperately trying to yank the backpack.

-Oh no, you don't, rat! - the man screamed, while tugging one backpack strap towards himself.

Sonic desperately tugged back, this was his only chance. A laser shoot near him, prompting Sonic to let go.

-Aha! My babies! Eliminate the hedgehog! - the man screamed, while typing something on his control glove.

The drones circled around Sonic, prompting him to run off the cap and onto the lower level. He was slow, and the drones caught up to him rather quickly, but, why weren't they shooting anymore? It's like they were just chasing him off. Wait, what were they doing before activating? Were they charging by solar power? So, they must not have a lot of energy stored within. If they were anything like regular gadgets, they needed to charge from time to time, but using lasers probably used a lot of this precious energy. Hah, okay then.

Sonic smirked, not everything is lost, if the drones prioritize preserving the energy, then Sonic might have a chance. The blue hedgehog jumped to the neighboring mushroom, ignoring the ache in his leg. He waited for the drones to catch up with him before doing spindash towards them. The force wasn't enough to fully destroy the drones, but he managed to disable the robots. Now to finally get the backpack.

Sonic found the man trying to climb the next mushroom, but the slimy surface of it's stem and sheer height of it didn't allow him to.

-You! Where are my babies?! - the man finally noticed Sonic, seizing his attempts to climb, clutching his backpack closer to himself.

-They are not coming to your rescue, now, give me the bag!

There was a long cold minute of silence, both males just staring at each other, none of them wanted to yield.

Sonic charged, getting an element of surprise, and yanked the bag. But the man didn't forfeit, firmly holding it. They tumbled on the ground, wrestling each other, rolling dangerously close to the edge, Sonic managed to come on top of the human, he could feel his energy dissipating, just a little more--

The man harshly yanked the bag, Sonic lost his balance, flying over the edge. His grip on the strap tightening, he couldn't even see the ground beneath, a veil of mist was covering it. If he fell, he definitely wouldn't survive.

-Dammit, hedgehog! I said let goo-aaaaaah!

The man tried to flip on his front to tag the bag back, but his foot caught on the slime and they both flew over the edge, into the void.