Work Text:
MAP CHOSEN: HillGym
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It was the early of the earliest of the round, only around 6 minutes remained. Tails prepared his canon with no struggle or frustration, simply relaxing against the railings. He waited patiently for his target to arrived to the open area, vines tangled around the metal railings he’s leaning against. He hums a sweet tune his Sonic used to sing to him whenever he gets nightmares. Lightly caressing his canon with his thumb, he watches closely for anyone.
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!!!
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His ears perked up, sensing presence. He aimed his canon, waiting for the right moment to fire. Closing one eye, he shifted his head downwards slightly.
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There he sees a hammer being thrown mid air, designed fully red with green edges, a few white stripes and the handle being fully green. He watched as Amy threw her hammer at the exe, followed behind Knuckles, a red echidna who’s known for his strength. Amy’s hammer flew flawlessly to the direction she threw at, smashing itself right into the exe’s horrifying face. Knocking him to the ground.
2011x groaned furiously, clutching his eye. Blood squirms out of his socket, his eye twitching rapidly. He stiffens.
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A thin stream of blood trickled from the corner of the eye.
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It wasn’t normal... too dark, too thick, almost oily. It ran down his cheek like ink.
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Then the eye twitched. The pupil shrank. A second pulse.
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More blood spilled, dripping freely now, staining his jawline and neck.
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He grips his bloody eye
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He stared right into their souls.
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And smiled.
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2011x grins with his dirty yellow teeth and-.. He laughs uncontrollably as his grasp on his eyeball tightens. Almost like he’s gonna squeeze it off. His fur is heavily messy, quills not brushed and tangled, eyes pitch black with red pupils with blood dripping from it. He slightly tilted his head, focusing his gaze at the balcony before disappearing.
Amy and Knuckles glance around the area frantically, seemingly looking out for a sneak attack. Amy's hammer flies back to her grasp, she grips the handle with a level amount of strength. She shifted her grip on the hammer just long enough to sweep her bangs to the side, eyes scanning her surroundings. Amy and Knuckles were both dumbfounded, both eyes still observing."Where..- where did he go?" She asked hesitantly, twisting her neck to Knuckles. His fist clenched tight as he pulled it back, slow and deliberate. He swept his eyes around the empty space, getting ready to punch the hell out of 2011x any minute. As the silence continues, he finally answers.
"I..have no idea. But let's keep an eye out." Knuckles watches as Amy nods her head and snatches on a serious face.
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Cre—creak....
The silence in the gym felt heavy — the kind that pressed down on your chest until breathing didn’t come easy anymore. The air smelled faintly of dust and something metallic, the dim lights flickering against the worn floor. Sonic had been leading the way, arms crossed, talking about how weird the place was. Cream along with Cheese, followed close behind, their little footsteps echoing softly against the cracked tiles.
Cream, Cheese and Sonic walked around the area cautiously, statues of '2011x' were either seen around corners or were visibly right in the open. Cream hated statues, she always saw them as: disturbing..or–..menacing.
Her skin prickled whenever she caught sight of a statue, eyes darting nervously as if expecting it to move. Cream swallowed hard, fingers gripping the edge of her dress as she kept her eyes firmly fixed ahead. She wished her mother was here, to sing her sweet tunes whenever she got a nightmare about things like these. But now, SHE'S in the nightmare. Always so careful where to go, where to hide. Cream is always frightened alone, ever since she got here. Cheese, floating next to her switches into a concerned expression, floating more nearer to Cream. He snuggles up close, hoping to help with whatever Cream is thinking of.
As they walked around the corner, her stomach dropped.
Statues — lined up along the walls, their faces half-eroded, eyes blank and cold. Something about them made her stomach twist. She couldn’t move. Her breathing hitched, then stuttered, her ears flattening against her head as her hands started to shake.
She felt a lump in her throat. It was like everything stopped, and that exact statue was only there to creep her out. Her sweat trailing from her forehead to her jawline, she wipes it with ease but it doesn't help with the tension of being watched with those cold eyes. She felt herself drowning in her own imagination, suffocating in her own thoughts.
The statues loomed, frozen in poses too lifelike, as if waiting for her to blink. She didn’t dare. Marble eyes stared through her, each chipped iris a quiet accusation. The silence pressed down until her ribs ached with it.
Sonic only noticed them for a second before he turned back to make another joke. But Cream had stopped walking.
She wasn’t crying, not exactly. But something dark welled up, not from grief, but from the cluttered corners of her mind where thoughts looped without escape. It gathered at the corners of her eyes, slow and heavy, trailing down her cheeks in lines that smudged her vision like run ink across a page left out in the rain.
Sonic noticed her footsteps stopped walking. He turned, confusion giving way to concern as he saw the tears slipping down her cheeks.
She wiped at her face with the back of her hand. Her palm came away stained.
The statues didn’t move. Still, she felt watched , judged-.. as if they knew the ink came from her thoughts, that the mess of her mind was leaking out where nobody can see it other than her.
The tears became overwhelming, causing it to blur her vision. Black spots starting to form, everywhere. She couldn't see, couldn't think. Cream tried her best wiping the tears with her stained back palm, but it made it worse. Her face smudged in black ink, the liquid sorrow traced down her face constantly.
Her fingers tremble as she holds her ears in a tighter embrace, the other's palm stained with the same black ink from her eyes. Her eyes are mixed with the colour black, as her vision blurred even more. Cheese was next to her, close for reassurance. But his skin was like the statues, hard, cold. It was hard, trying to think like this. Cream's tears worsen, staining her beautifully worn orange dress. She lets it flow down her face, with an unknown expression.
“...Cream?”
Sonic's voice cut gently through her thoughts.
She blinked, startled-..the statues melted away into the background. She reached up instinctively and touched her face. Instead of the black ink she felt heavily on her face, her fingertips felt warm, salty tears.
"Cream?” His voice softened. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
He tilted his head slightly to get a better look of the rabbit who was trembling uncontrollably from her hands. His voice was soft, not startled but aware. It pulled her back like a tether.
She stood still as a stone, small hands trembling where they gripped the hem of her dress. Her eyes were wide, locked on the statues- but no, not on them. More like through them. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out. Her chest rose and fell fast, then slower, as if her lungs couldn’t decide what to do.
Sonic’s stomach sank
"Hey," he asked again, his voice gentler now, the playfulness gone. “Cream, what’s wrong?”
No answer. Her gaze dropped to the floor, and tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes. Her breathing hitched— ..shallow, uneven, almost quiet enough to miss.
Sonic hesitated for just a second, then moved closer, crouching down to her level. The statues loomed behind them like silent witnesses, but he didn’t care.
“Hey, look at me,” he said softly, tilting his head to try to catch her eyes. “You’re okay. You’re safe, Cream. I promise.”
She didn’t move.
...
..
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Sonic exhaled slowly, trying to think. He wasn’t the best at this kind of thing —..he was used to outrunning trouble, not calming it down. But this was Cream. He couldn’t just leave her to drown in that fear.
“Alright,” he said quietly. “Let’s do this together, okay? Just breathe with me.”
He placed a hand gently over his chest, exaggerating the motion so she could see it. “In… nice and slow.” He inhaled, filling his lungs, holding it for a few seconds. “And out.”
His voice was steady, calm. It filled the hollow space of the gym like a quiet anchor. Cream’s hands trembled harder, but she tried to copy him — a short, shaky breath in, a trembling exhale. Sonic nodded encouragingly.
“Good, that’s it,” he said. “You’re doing great. Keep going.”
He repeated it again—.. in, out, until the rhythm began to take. The tension in her shoulders eased a little, her breaths evening out bit by bit. After a long moment, Cream’s eyes lifted from the floor. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, but she was starting to come back — to see again. Sonic smiled, soft but certain. “There you go. That’s better.”
“I-I’m sorry…” Her voice came out barely a whisper. “I didn’t mean to… I just— the statues— they look like they’re watching…”
Sonic followed her gaze toward them. They stood still, lifeless and cracked, but something about the way the shadows hit their faces did make them look like they were staring. He shivered slightly, then shrugged it off with a faint grin.
“Can’t blame you,” he said, standing up and brushing dust from his gloves. “They are pretty creepy. If they start moving, though, I’ll smash ’em before they blink, deal?”
That earned a weak giggle from her. Just a small one, but it was enough.
He held out a hand. “Come on. Let’s stick together from now on. I’ll make sure nothing here lays a finger on you. Cream hesitated, then took his hand — her small fingers gripping tight. They started walking again, their footsteps echoing softly through the gym. Sonic kept a little closer than before, matching his pace to hers. Every so often, he glanced down to make sure she was still okay.
"Thank you.. Mister Sonic..
And even as the statues seemed to follow them with empty eyes, Sonic squeezed her hand gently and responded, almost like a promise:
“Don’t worry, Cream. I’ve got you. Always.”
Tails on the other hand was yet to realized anything while he was too focused to remove the rust on his cannon, scratching with his finger nails frustratingly. He sticks out his tongue as a habit, trying to figure out how this one singular rust is NOT coming off. He squints his eyes and tries to get a better look.
“Boo.”
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Tails let out a high pitched shriek as his fires his laser canon, shooting the exe’s chest with a burning sensation. His body shook from the vibration of the canon, eyes widen from fear. 2011x grips his long nails into his burnt chest, yelling out words the little fox couldn’t describe. He did heard one thing though.
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“YOU FOX.”
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Tails grew even more frighten. He struggled to move, taking only baby steps behind. But he knew better to stay in one place, so he jumped off the balcony. He twisted his two tails and flew off excellently. Sweat drips down his forehead and into his eye without him realising it. What he knows now is to just get OUT OF THERE.
He struggles to maintain his stamina, but his tiny body couldn’t corporate well. His tails slowed down the pace, and he felt like dropping.
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Ding
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He–he felt like collapsing! Okay.. Tails just calm down.. just land safely to the ground and find someone who can protect you! You cant be scared like this all—the time!!
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Ding
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This can’t be happening! Focus on landing Tails! Keep your head together! Eh–?? What are you doing!!
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Ding
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He needed to find Sonic– he needs to calm do-
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“AH!—“
”You’ll DIE in my hands.”
Tails suddenly found himself in a pickle. Of course, when he’s talking to himself the exe HAD to grab him. Its like this guy had some personal drama with him.
2011x’s grasp tighten, and Tails tried his hardest kicking 2011x’s chest. He felt like fainting, and it was not a good sign.
‘Where.. where is everyone..’
”Get your hands off of him!”