#currenttimeline

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The night air was chilling as Sonic wandered through the village, so much so that Sonic felt himself shiver slightly when he found himself focusing a little too much on the cold. He quickly forced his mind to wander elsewhere, but it instantly beelined to the reason why he was out there in the first place.

Over the last week almost, since Sonic had his growth spurt thanks to his mutation, Sally and Uncle Chuck, along with Rotor’s help, had been tinkering with the ring generator in hopes of getting it to produce Power Rings that Sonic could use again.

When Sonic was first mutated one of the biggest downfalls had been that he could no longer use the Power Rings. The original theory was because Sonic’s DNA had become unstable, and Uncle Chuck had hoped that with the recent growth it meant that it had now stabilised enough for him to get the Power Rings linked back to Sonic. But after many generated rings, and twice as many blood samples taken from Sonic by Bookshire – which thinking about made Sonic’s skin crawl under his fur – none of them had worked.

Sonic had played it off at each failed attempt, as he could see the muted disappointment in everyone’s expressions. But deep down every time Sonic felt cold metal instead of energised heat from the Power Ring given to him, Sonic could feel his confidence in the idea get chipped away more and more.

And it made him start to resent the mutation more than he already was.

Sonic shook his head before he went down that path, not wanting to dwell on those thoughts again. He had come out here to try to calm himself down, not wind himself up. Though when he looked up to see where his wandering had led him Sonic couldn’t help the wince that flexed through him when he realised he had ended up at the Power Ring Pool.

Which, he had to admit, he should have expected; there had been many nights Sonic had come out here to ease his mind on the rare occasions he needed it to settle down. The sound of running water from the nearby waterfall and the calm, almost glass-like surface of the lake was always soothing. The irony of ending up here still stung a little, though now that he was there Sonic didn’t want to leave quite yet.

Not far from the lake’s bank Sonic picked up the sound of snoring, and he instantly recognised who was making the noise. Rolling his eyes, Sonic turned towards one of the nearby trees and spotted Antoine asleep at its base, snoring up a storm.

A few feet away from him the ring generator stood, still out of the water from when Rotor and Uncle Chuck had tinkered with it that afternoon. Sally had obviously asked Antoine to keep up the ring watch routine, as the ring generated that night was going to be the next one for Sonic to try after their latest recalibrations.

Sonic wasn’t looking forward to it, not really sure if he could deal with another whack of disappointment. Or another blood drawing from Bookshire. Sonic rubbed at his arms to try to chase away the thought as he approached Antoine, feeling the faint stings of past drawings at his touch.

“Ant. Ant,” Sonic hissed.

Sonic doubted that he was going to go to sleep any time soon, so he figured that he might as well do ring watch. But he didn’t want to do it while Antoine was still around. Not just because Antoine’s company at any other given time was pure torture to Sonic, but because he genuinely didn’t feel like having any company at that moment. Even if they slept the night away when they were supposed to be on watch.

“Ant!” Sonic hissed again, and this time he gave Antoine’s foot a nudge, just enough to make it slip off his other foot as the coyote had his legs crossed to make himself more comfortable.

The slight nudge was enough to wake Antoine up this time, and he jolted awake with a soft yelp. In his half-awake state Antoine looked around to get his bearings, though as he looked passed Sonic he caught a glimpse of Sonic’s amber eyes reflecting oddly in the moonlight.

That, combined with Sonic’s taller figure, as the hedgehog stood close to five foot compared to other Mobians now, gave him a much more imposing silhouette in the dim light. The sight made Antoine cry out in fear, and the coyote jumped back, practically tripping over himself as he boxed himself up against the tree he had been sleeping under moments ago.

Usually such outbursts could be brought down to Antoine being his usual jumpy self, but Sonic had caught that glimpse of genuine fear in the coyote’s eyes, and all at once Sonic found himself in a much fouler mood. After the growth spurt Sonic had been wary of showing himself to the rest of the Freedom Fighters, and it had taken some coaxing from Sally and Uncle Chuck before he worked up the courage to reveal his new look.

As Sonic expected his friends had been shocked by the change, but had remained supportive. Which Sonic appreciated, until he started to experience the repeated process of each of them baulking at him whenever he spoke to them one on one just long enough for him to notice.

The villagers were also doing the same, though their brand of shock came as wary, almost startled glances in his direction whenever Sonic had to go through the village. Some would even physically jump back if he happened to move in their direction, as if expecting him to jump out at them unprovoked.

Those little pauses and wary glances were adding up just as much as the failed Power Ring attempts, and Sonic was doing his level best to keep his cool. But he also felt like he was one pearl-clutching reaction away from losing his shit entirely.

The incident in Robotropolis was also messing with his head, and Sonic sometimes caught himself wondering if his friends and the villagers actually did have a reason to be afraid of him.

“It’s just me, Ant,” Sonic exasperated, and began tapping his foot as he waited for Antoine to calm down.

Thankfully it didn’t take long, and when Antoine realised what was happening he gave Sonic a nervous laugh, then adjusted his uniform.

“Of course, I am knowing this,” Antoine stated as he dusted himself off.

Though when he glanced at Sonic he quickly looked away, his ears folding back in fear. Sonic once again caught that, and his foot stilled, his patience up.

“I’m takin’ over, go to bed,” Sonic stated shortly.

Antoine blinked in surprise, and he looked at Sonic, this time not pulling his gaze away.

“But this is my shift, zee princess asked me--” Antoine began.

“‘nd I’m tellin’ ya I’m takin’ over, go to bed,” Sonic interrupted.

Briefly Sonic’s lips pulled back just enough to reveal the oversized canines he now possessed as he tried to bite back his frustration. Sonic hadn’t realised what he had done just then, but Antoine yelped at the sight.

Quickly he nodded, and without another word Antoine left, half bolting and half tripping over himself as he practically bolted from the hedgehog.

Sonic watched him leave, then flopped onto his rump and sighed heavily, feeling his mood deflate completely as he hid his face in one hand.

“Not the most tactical retreat, but I’ve seen worse from him,” a voice piped up suddenly, and this time it was Sonic’s turn to jump in surprise, a short hiss escaping him before he could stop himself.

When he looked for the speaker Sonic found Sally standing close by, her arms crossed and a slight frown on her face as she continued looking in the direction Antoine had ran off towards.

“Geez, Sal! Y’tryin’ to give me a heart attack?” Sonic cried.

“Usually you can hear me well before I get close to you, Sonic,” Sally pointed out. She sat down next to him, crossing her legs at her ankles. “A little distracted tonight?”

“Wit’ the way Ant was snorin’ I couldn’t hear anthin’ else,” Sonic muttered as he leaned against the tree, rolling his eyes a little. “I thought you went to bed ages ago.”

“I could say the same about you,” Sally said, tilting her head a little at Sonic. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I just wasn’t tired so I figured a lap around the village would help,” Sonic explained, waving Sally off.

Sally watched him for a moment, trying to gauge how she could proceed here. She could tell that something was bothering Sonic, and after the last few days Sally was sure she knew what it was, but getting Sonic to admit things like this was always dicey.

“I would have figured after having three blood samples taken out of you today, that would have tired you out plenty,” Sally attempted, giving Sonic a half smile to ease in the light teasing.

Usually Sonic would use this sort of teasing as an opening to tease Sally back, or to fall back into his cool guy attitude and play it off. Which would eventually lead Sonic into realising that he could take that moment to be open with Sally.

However to Sally’s surprise Sonic pointedly tilted his head away from her without a word, though Sally heard a faint huff exhale from Sonic’s nose as he did.

This was pretty rare to see from Sonic. Sonic was loud, and very unafraid to clap back or drag someone if they hit one of his few soft spots. When he went quiet, Sally knew something was very wrong, and this, along with the interaction she witnessed between him and Antoine, confirmed it.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t tease about that,” Sally apologised.

Sonic sat in silence for a minute, before he sighed and shook his head.

“No, it’s fine,” Sonic said as he looked back at Sally, running a hand over his quills to slick them back a little. “I guess I’m just not in a jokin’ mood right now.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sally asked, deciding that their usual methods probably wasn’t going to be the best option tonight. The fact that Sonic didn’t wince or physically squirm at the suggestion surprised Sally, but it also made her a little hopeful.

“I don’t wanna sound like a brat or anythin’, ‘cause I know you guys are doin’ everythin’ you can to get this ring thin’ to work,” Sonic began after a long pause, each word coming out like he had picked them very carefully. “It’s just that... I don’t get it. I don’t get why it’s not workin’. It’s been a week, all o’ this--"

Here Sonic gestured at himself, though when he did his motions were frustrated, almost angry, and he barely looked at himself as he did it.

“--should be settled by now, right? Or am I so damn different that even the rings can’t recognise me?”

Sally bit at her bottom lip as she tried to think of an answer. The Power Rings were a creation of Sonic’s uncle that he had made years before the coup. The original plan for them was for them to be a portal power source for machines, something that would have been useful during the last few years of the Great War. But the plan had fallen through due to the rings’ energy becoming unstable in certain machines without the use of overly expensive and complicated conductors.

Just before the coup Uncle Chuck had discovered that Sonic was able to use the Power Rings himself for an extra boost of speed and energy, and somehow he was the only one that had this strange connection to the rings. He had begun researching this phenomenon on the cusp of the coup, meaning that what he had been able to discover was limited.

Which was proving to be a great downfall as Uncle Chuck was unable to restore Sonic’s connection to the rings because of his mutation without knowing why the connection was there in the first place.

“That we’re still working on,” Sally explained after a few moments. “We were hoping it would be an easier transition, but it’s been a little harder than we first thought it was going to be.”

“I figured,” Sonic sighed. “I guess I was just hopin’ that this mutation business was done ‘nd dusted finally.”

Sally watched Sonic as he said this, noticing the way that he seemed to almost curl into himself as if he wanted to hide himself even in plain sight. It was very rare to see Sonic so down on himself, considering how confident, almost egotistical, he was, and it almost scared Sally seeing him like this.

“Maybe we’re missing something. It has been a while since you’ve used the Power Rings, after all,” Sally offered, wanting to try to steer the conversation away from too many reminders of how much Sonic had changed. “How exactly did they work for you?”

Sonic shrugged, not quite looking at Sally now.

“I dunno really. I had to like, focus on it, but it wasn’t really that hard to do,” Sonic explained. “That’s why it used to only take a second for ‘em to activate. If anythin’ it was harder to make ‘em not power up as soon as I touched ‘em, that’s why I always got one o’ you guys to slap it in my backpack or hand it over to me if I had to time it differently. If I held onto ‘em too long wit’out activatin’ it it would end up just doin’ it on its own anyway.”

“Maybe that’s it? It might just need a different focus,” Sally suggested, but frowned when Sonic shook his head, dismissing her.

“When I’m holdin’ it I can tell it ain’t workin’,” Sonic said. “Usually as soon as I grab it it gets warm, then hot. But when I touch the ring now it’s ice cold, even when it comes straight from the generator. It’s like as if it’s just a piece o’ metal.”

“It’s warm?” Sally echoed, blinking with surprise. “Whenever I hold one it feels cold.”

“Oh yeah, it’s always been warm to me,” Sonic explained. “If you could feel it you’d know that it’s doin’ its thin’.”

Sally’s eyebrows furrowed a little with concern. She knew that the Power Rings held a lot of energy, and they could be dangerous if they were placed somewhere that could make them unstable. But it never occurred to her how it might have felt to Sonic when he used them as she had never seen any negative effects on the hedgehog. If anything Sonic always seemed more energised after he had used a ring, and he always used them without any hesitation.

“Does it hurt when you use them?” Sally asked.

“Nah,” Sonic answered instantly, but then paused, tilting his head a little as he thought a little more. “Well... not anymore. The first few times I used ‘em it kinda hurt, but I don’t feel it no more.”

Sonic has meant for that statement to be reassuring, but when he looked at Sally he was surprised to see the muted shock on Sally’s face. He blinked at her, not really getting why that would worry her – he had been using the rings for so long that he barely even remembered what it was like when he first used them.

“You never told me that,” Sally gaped, shock clear in her voice. “If they were hurting you we could have done something about it. Or made you stop using them.”

“Why? It’s no biggie. ‘nd once the power kicked in it was nothin’ anyway.”

Sally squinted at Sonic, really not sure how to take this revelation.

“But it still hurts you?” Sally asked.

“It’s not like it was choppin’ my hands off, Sal,” Sonic sighed, a soft laugh in his voice. “Here, look.”

Sally watched as Sonic tugged off his gloves, before he revealed his palms to her, his fingers squeezed together. The growth spurt had made Sonic’s hands larger, and heavier looking, but he still wore his old gloves as he never liked keeping his hands bare despite them not quite fitting right any more.

At first Sally couldn’t quite see what Sonic was showing her, as she noticed the size of his hands first, then the thick pads that lined his fingers and palms. But as she looked closer Sally spotted thick scars that crossed Sonic’s palms and fingers, like he had been struck across his hands with a burning rod.

A flush of shock washed through her when Sally realised that the burns were positioned exactly where Sonic would have held the Power Rings, the marks fitting the ring perfectly. When she compared his hands Sally also realised that the scar on Sonic’s right hand was much more pronounced, while the one on his left hand was a little fainter. Not by much, but comparing the two made it obvious that Sonic favoured his right hand much more than his left when it came to handling the Power Rings. 

 “See? No biggie,” Sonic remarked, oblivious to Sally’s reservations as he slipped his gloves back on, flexing his fingers to get them set right once more. “But that’s wha’ I mean when I say I can tell that they’re workin’.”

“Are you sure you want to use them again?” Sally asked, still unable to shake off her concern.

“Yes,” Sonic sighed. “Look, Sal. The mutation has made me faster ‘nd stronger, but the rings always gave me a way past huge boost when things got dicey. I want that advantage back, ‘specially wit’ Doomsday gettin’ closer.”

“‘nd also... maybe they could be used to snap me back to normal if I ever go feral again,” Sonic added, his voice lowering suddenly. “I mean, it worked on unc ‘nd Muttski to break ‘em outta ‘buttnik’s programmin’, so... I dunno...”

As he said this Sonic half curled into himself again, and tilted his head away so that he wasn’t quite looking at Sally, though there was clear shame on his face. Sally also noticed that Sonic ran his hand over the shoulder he had injured during their last mission, and felt her heart sink at the revelation.

Sally pulled herself closer to Sonic’s side and leaned against him, slipping her hand around his back to pull him into a hug.

“I’m sure that was just a once off, Sonic,” Sally coaxed as she nuzzled her cheek against his. “And even though it was an extreme reaction, it was also an extreme situation that caused it.”

“I guess, but still,” Sonic sighed. “I just don’t wanna hurt anyone. Everyone’s already freakin’ about me as it is.”

“They will get used to you,” Sally stated. “And even when you were feral you still were able to control yourself, and snapped out of it when the Stealthbots nearly found us.”

Gently Sally placed her hand under Sonic’s chin and made him turn to face her.

“Despite the mutation, you’re still you, Sonic. You still love your friends and you still protect us, even against yourself,” Sally added. “And we’ll still stay by your side, no matter how this mutation ends up.”

Sonic’s eyes widened a little at Sally’s words, picking up the sincerity in them and honestly feeling a little startled by it. But even as he tried to pick up any falsehoods in Sally’s expression - his mind still bruised by everyone else’s reactions to his latest look and wanting to prove to him that this was a fragile promise – all Sonic could see was the familiar steely determination he had seen many times before in Sally’s eyes, and his mind quietened down for the moment.

“... thanks, Sal,” Sonic murmured, before he nuzzled his cheek against hers, allowing a soft purr to rumble through his throat. When Sally ran her hand along his jawline Sonic purred louder, a smirk crossing his lips as she giggled at the sound.

A low whirl of a fan suddenly sounded, and as the two turned towards the source of it they spotted to Power Ring Generator beginning to power up, a familiar glow in its chamber.

They watched as the machine grinded, its sounds usually muffled by the water when it was submerged, until the glow in its chamber rose to the top of the machine. A Power Ring then formed, and floated above the generator, waiting to be collected.

Sally stood, ready to fetch it, but then paused and looked back at Sonic, noticing the conflicted look on his face as he stared up at the ring. She hesitated, her eyes flinting between the ring and Sonic, knowing that if she didn’t collect it now the ring will be reabsorbed into the Power Stone, and they would have to wait another twelve-hours before another was generated.

This ring would also be the one that they would be testing on Sonic in the morning, as Uncle Chuck and Rotor had made more adjustments to the generator that day. But after hearing Sonic’s frustrations at the failed experiments, Sally wondered if Sonic was feeling up to trying again.

“Grab it, Sal,” Sonic eventually said, surprising Sally. She still hesitated for a moment, watching Sonic to see if he wanted to change his mind.

But when he didn’t Sally moved for the generator, not wanting to miss her chance. Sonic didn’t move from his spot as he watched Sally climb up along the generator’s side and grab the ring just before it made its descent back to its source.

Ring in hand now, Sally jumped down from the generator and sat back next to Sonic, watching as the ring’s glow faded in her grip. Like she had said before, the ring felt cold to her, despite being fresh from the generator, and Sally found herself running her hand along its length, as if chasing for that warmth Sonic had described.

When she looked back at Sonic Sally could see the apprehension on his face as he eyed the Power Ring, and an idea came to her.

“How about we try it now instead of in the morning?” Sally suggested. “And if it doesn’t work you can take a break from trying them for a day or so. How does that sound?”

Sonic’s ears folded back, instantly wanting to rebel at the idea. He wasn’t sure if he could face another bout of disappointment at that moment, but the thought of delaying it for a few hours somehow seemed so much worse to the hedgehog.

But the promise of shelfing the experiments, even just for a few days, seemed like something he could actually use.

“Yeah, sounds cool to me,” Sonic confirmed, though he found himself still hesitating when Sally held the ring out to him.

After a few moments of debating his choice, Sonic reached for the ring, only to pause once more. Before Sally could question what he was doing Sonic pulled off his gloves, folding them over his leg for safe keeping, then reached for the ring once more. There was still a moment of hesitation from the hedgehog, until he seemed to steel himself and grabbed the ring with both hands, squeezing his eyes shut.

Sally watched the ring, the darkness surrounding them now becoming an advantage as she would be able to see any hints of a glow from the ring thanks to it. However after a few seconds, which turned into a few moments, Sally felt herself deflate a little when she couldn’t see any glow at all.

Sonic meanwhile kept his eyes shut, both so that he couldn’t watch the ring, and so that he could focus on tapping into its energy without any distractions. He didn’t know how long he had his eyes shut, as it honestly felt like only a few seconds. It was only when he heard Sally gently calling his name did Sonic realise that a significant amount of time had passed, and once again the ring had done nothing.

Shoulders slumping now, Sonic opened his eyes and pulled the ring into his lap, staring down at its shiny, yet somehow dull surface, and exhaled a sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul.

“I’m sorry, Sonic,” Sally sighed as she leaned into his side, nuzzling his cheek once more.

“It’s okay, Sal. It ain’t your fault,” Sonic said, leaning into her nuzzling. “But I think you’re right, I need a break from this.”

“I’ll send a message to Uncle Chuck and let him know. He might still come to Knothole anyway, but we won’t bring you into anything for a bit,” Sally confirmed. “Maybe for now try to get some sleep. You can sleep in if you want, too.”

“Wow, you’re really lettin’ me milk this, huh?” Sonic teased. “Do I get extra chilidog rations, too?”

“Getting extra rations means having to talk to Antoine, do you really want to push your luck there?” Sally pointed out, smirking as Sonic winced at the reminder. “I’ll take the ring, maybe Uncle Chuck can do something with it still.”

Sonic tapped the ring’s surface with a claw tip, his ears flickering at the metallic sound it produced.

“Actually, I might hold onto it,” Sonic said. “I dunno, maybe I’ll think o’ somethin’ that’ll get it sparkin’ again.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Who knows, maybe it’s somethin’ so simple we all ain’t seein’ it,” Sonic shrugged. “The rings can be weird like that.”

“Well, you were the only one that could use them at all in the first place, so you could be right,” Sally said.

When Sonic stood he offered his hand to Sally, helping her to her feet once she took a hold of it with and ease that almost caused Sally to stumble in her place, which made Sonic snicker at the display. Once she corrected herself Sally gave Sonic a playful slap on his shoulder, before pulling him into a hug that he returned with a good squeeze.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Goodnight,” Sally said.

“Night, Sal. Catch ya later,” Sonic returned, planting a soft kiss on her lips. “’nd thanks for hearin’ me out. It was probably a lot.”

“You know you can come to me if anything is ever bothering you, Sonic. No matter what,” Sally stated. “Just keep me posted if anything else is going on, don’t keep it to yourself.”

“Pfft, ‘nd lose a chance to get all broody? C’mon,” Sonic grinned as he pulled away from Sally and began to make his way towards his hut.

“Broody doesn’t suit you, you’re not that kind of hero,” Sally teased, rolling her eyes as Sonic poked his tongue out at her. “Go sleep.”

“Fine, fine.”

Upon entering his hut Sonic closed his door and flopped back against it, letting out a tense sigh he didn’t even realise he was holding. The talk had helped, but there was still an odd weight in his chest that he couldn’t quite shake off.

Sonic brought the Power Ring to his eye level, watching how the moonlight bounced off its polished surface. Other than that though he still couldn’t see glow to its surface, and just like before Sonic could feel nothing but coldness from it.

“C’mon, wha’ are we missin’ here?” Sonic urged. “You worked wit’ no problems before, what’s the hold up now?”

He stared at the ring, hoping for some kind of answer to jump out at him. But when nothing changed, Sonic sighed again, the odd feeling in his chest growing thicker.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sally pulled Tails behind the dumpster and guided him against the wall. Once she was sure he was in place Sally peered around the dumpster, doing her best to not expose herself too much in case Sonic caught sight of her. As she did this Sally kept one arm outstretched near Tails, both to shield him, and to keep some physical contact with the fox to keep him calm.

As she did this she could feel Tails trembling slightly, but when she glanced back at him his expression was calm and steeled, and his dark eyes just barely held any fear. He was tough, Sally had to admit, as she could feel her own heart hammering against her chest as she tried to get a grip of the situation, and was impressed that Tails was able to keep his head at the moment.

Sally took another look around the dumpster, wincing slightly at what she was seeing. Sonic was now half curled against the ground, shielding where he had been hit with both the ground and his arm. His eyes were still completely white, and each time Sonic moved his head what little light there was in the street seemed to reflect off his eyes, making them appear to be glowing. She remembered that from when Sonic had first been mutated, and was a little startled seeing it now. She thought that it had been a result of the mind control serum Robotnik had used on him at the time.

“Wha’ are we gonna do, Aunt Sally?” Tails whispered.

His voice had been so low that Sally just barely heard him, and yet even from the distance he was at now Sonic’s head snapped towards their direction so fast that Sally hardly had a chance to react. She still jumped back behind the dumpster, and hunched over Tails to keep him hidden under her. Tails clamped his lips together, fear flinting through his eyes at the thought of accidentally exposing the two of them; he knew Sonic’s hearing was good, but he didn’t realise just how good it was until now.

Thankfully no attack came, though Sally didn’t move from her position until a good few minutes had passed to make sure nothing was going to happen. As they waited Sonic made a low, grating yowl that echoed through the street and along Sally’s spine, and she had to force herself to suppress the shiver that threatened to rattle through her as a result. Under her Tails shrank back further against the wall, his ears flattening against his head.

After about ten minutes of Sonic yowling and growling at his surroundings, the sounds died down into a low growl that rolled at the back of the hedgehog’s throat. By then Sally’s back and legs were aching from keeping her position for so long without daring to move, and her breath shuddered through her chest at the strain.

Tails had lowered himself to the ground so that he could curl his twin tails around himself both for warmth and comfort, but every so often a shiver would run through him whenever he caught the sound of Sonic’s growls. Whenever Sally spotted this she felt her heart sink, still feeling powerless on what she could do now.

Eventually a plan came to her, and slowly she straightened her back so she could rock back onto the heels of her feet, making sure to do so as slow as she possibly could so that she wouldn’t make any sounds. She motioned for Tails to stay where he was, then indicated with her hands that she was going to check on Sonic.

At first alarm flashed through the fox’s eyes, until Sally gently cupped his cheeks and planted a soft kiss on his nose. He managed to stop the giggle before it surfaced, his usual reaction to the “funny kiss” Sally would give him, but it still had the same effect as it always did, and Tails had calmed instantly.

When she saw Tails was now at ease Sally looked around herself, and spotted a fire escape on the building opposite of where they currently were. She pointed it out to Tails, then motioned to him to fly for it if anything happened. Tails’ eyebrows furrowed at the thought of leaving Sally behind, but before he could protest Sally was already standing and heading towards Sonic. Tails peered around the dumpster to watch, his heart now in his throat.

Sonic was still half curled on the ground; by now he was slightly stunned by his injury as he barely moved in his place, though every so often he would twitch slightly as pain flashed through him. But as Sally approached him Sonic lifted his head, his eyes still white and glowing, and he gave her a warning hiss, baring all his sharp teeth at her.

Sally paused at the warning, her own hackles rising as the sound grated at her nerves, but when Sonic did nothing further she took it as a sign that maybe he was starting to calm now. Slowly Sally crouched to the ground to make herself look smaller, pausing in her motions whenever Sonic hissed at her again, then waited a few moments to give Sonic time to process what she had just done.

“Easy, Sonic. It’s okay,” Sally coaxed, her voice low. “It’s me, Sally. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Sonic watched her, his tail twitching as it began to lash against the ground. He gave her another growl, but this time the sound was half-hearted as a bit of confusion began to set in his expression.

Sally took in a soft breath to calm herself, then smiled at Sonic, still trying to make herself look as non-threatening as possible. She still wasn’t sure what Sonic was thinking right now, and she knew she had to get to the rational part of his mind quickly – even with the last patrol long taken care of, there was a good chance another had been sent their way, and if Sonic was still like this when the SWATbots came, it was only going to make the situation much worse for all of them.

“It’s not safe here. We need to go somewhere safe, okay? You can come with me, you just need to calm down first so we can go.”

The confused expression on Sonic’s face faltered a little as he took in Sally’s words, but the glow in his eyes didn’t fade. It still gave Sally a little hope that she was getting through to the hedgehog, so she carefully scooted a little closer to him, pausing once more as Sonic’s jaws flashed in a now silent hiss.

“You know I would never hurt you, Sonic. You’re safe with me,” Sally attempted once she settled on the ground, now about five feet away from Sonic. She stretched out her hand towards him. “We need to go, please.”

From his hiding place behind the dumpster Tails fidgeted, his tails sweeping along the ground before half curling around themselves, wanting to do nothing more than to twist completely and carry him away. At the same time he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Sally as she tried to reason with Sonic, not wanting to look away in case she needed help.

Tails has seen Sonic act wild before. But Tails thought he had hallucinated the whole thing, as Tails literally blinked and in the next instance Sonic was acting like his usual self, with absolutely no signs of his supposed wild side to be seen by Tails. Tails had always thought to ask Sonic about it, but could never bring up the nerve or the words to do so, not knowing just how to broach the subject as it was so bizarre.

But seeing the hedgehog now made Tails regret not bringing it up; he had often forgotten that Sonic had not been gene-spliced with a Mobian version of a mountain lion, but a wild, unevolved version. And while it wasn’t uncommon for some Mobians to take on attributes of their species, such as hissing or growling on some occasions, it was very rare for any Mobian to go completely wild under normal circumstances.

But it was clear now that for Sonic, even normal circumstances could end up setting off the wild animal he had been mixed with.

As Tails watched his ears twitched at a sound that broke through the eerie silence of the city. The sound was short, and oddly quiet, so he was unable to hone in onto it, but Tails was sure he had heard something. He tilted his head to try to hear it again, and after a moment he did, but once again it was too quick and almost too quiet for him to catch it.

When he looked back at Sonic and Sally Sonic had his head titled as well, his ears twitching and tilting, before he growled softly. Before either Tails or Sally could do anything Sonic rushed Sally, a clawed hand lashing out at her.

A strangled yelp escaped Tails, and on reflex he looked away and squeezed his eyes shut, powerless to do anything else. As he did Tails felt a massive gust of wind blast pass him, before he was pressed up against the wall and dumpster once again.

It took Tails a moment to realise that as he was pushed against the wall there was something being pressed against him, and when Tails opened his eyes he realised it was Sally crouched down low next to him. Above both of them was Sonic, breathing heavily, but similar to how Sally had before when they were first hiding, he was now shielding both of them with his body. The hedgehog was also watching the sky, and to Tails’ relief Sonic’s eyes had returned to normal, even though they still reflected oddly in the dim light of the city.

It was also then that Tails realised just why they were all hiding; as Sonic watched the skyline his ears were twisting sharply before they honed in on something, and he tightened himself over Sally and Tails to keep them hidden. A second later a stealthbot flashed across the sky, and after it had passed Tails heard the strange sound from before.

Tails’ hearing was good, but if he had relied on it then the stealthbot would have spotted them, and there was a good chance that when Tails had heard it the first time the stealthbot had already and was circling back to come get them. But Sonic, in his wild state, had heard it before it had gotten too close, and had snapped out of his trance to get them both to safety.

The stealthbot passed over the two more times before moving on, unable to spot the trio even from the sky. Sonic didn’t move from his place however, his ears still twitching to pick up any sounds that hinted at the stealthbot, or any other robot, coming for them, but after some time he realised they were in the clear. With a tense sigh Sonic pulled away from Sally and Tails and flopped to the ground next to them, using one hand to hold his head, a soft miff of pain escaping him.

“Are you all right?” Sally asked, as she scooted closer to Sonic and gently placed a hand on his head.

As she did this Sonic winced, and briefly his lips pulled back slightly, relieving his teeth, but to Sally and Tails’ relief there was no growl, the motion just being purely reflex on Sonic’s behalf.

“My head feels weird, wha’ the heck happened?” Sonic answered.

No answer came right away from either Sally or Tails, as they weren’t really sure what they could say. The recent second mutation Sonic had gone through days before was still fresh to Sonic, and Sally knew that he was experiencing a lot of mixed emotions over it, despite trying to hide them from everyone. Tails, even though he was unaware of Sonic’s feelings, just had no idea how to explain it to Sonic now as he was still trying to process it himself.

“You went wild,” Sally finally answered, trying not to flinch when Sonic gaped at her with obvious horror. “I think you getting hurt may have set it off.”

Sonic gaped at her for some time, his jaw flexing every so often as he tried to say something, only of the words forming in his mouth to drop into nothingness as anything he thought of seemed minuscule at that moment. Even when Sonic glanced at Tails he could see the muted panic in the fox’s eyes, causing horror and shame to flood through Sonic.

“I... I didn’t--" Sonic stuttered, his voice hitching slightly when he couldn’t make himself finish his sentence. But to his relief Sally shook her head.

“We’re fine. I think you were too stunned to really do anything to us,” Sally explained.

The thought of him coming so close to hurting his friends still made Sonic shudder, and he curled into himself slightly as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. Next to him Sally ran her hand along Sonic’s quills in an attempt to ease him, while Tails watched the two of them, feeling a little powerless to help his adoptive big brother.

“We should head home. Bookshire will need to look at your shoulder,” Sally coaxed, and Sonic snapped out of his stupor, only to have a different kind of anxiety flood through him at the thought of going home now.

“No! Not yet, no,” Sonic protested, his ears flattening against his head.

“We can’t stay here, Sonic,” Sally urged. “The SWATbots might be on their way now.”

Sonic squeezed his hand around his injured shoulder, wincing at the sharp sting that flashed across his collar bone. He could barely remember getting the injury in the first place, and he wondered just how hard he had been hit, and how much damage it had caused to send him into such a rage.

“Let’s go to unc’s then. Just to make sure I’m okay,” Sonic suggested, swallowing briefly as his fear squeezed at his throat.

He was partially referring to his injury, but Sally understood what Sonic really meant, and a part of her found herself agreeing with the suggestion. Sally looked at Tails, then nodded, before she helped Sonic to stand.

“Keep close, Tails. We’ll need to move quickly, now,” Sally stated, then led the way.

Some time later the three Mobians stood in front of massive junk pile that had been gathered in one of the secluded alleyways of Robotropolis. While this wasn’t an unusual sight for the city, as nearly every street and every corner was littered with junk thanks to Robotnik’s wasteful processes, this particular junk pile served as camouflage for Uncle Chuck’s hidden bunker.

Tails watched in awe as Sally picked up a random pipe and knocked on the junk pile three times, which signalled for the hidden door to crack open. Sally snapped him out of his trance long enough to usher him down along the stairwell, and not even a second after they all entered the hidden door slammed shut behind them, throwing them into temporary darkness before the sensor lights clicked on.

Once they were inside the bunker fully Sonic pulled up one of Uncle Chuck’s old desk chairs and flopped into it, taking a moment to nurse his shoulder. By now the pain was sharp and stinging not just through his shoulder, but also along his collar bone and arm, which forced him to keep his arm slack in an attempt to lessen the pain.

He was sure nothing was broken, but every so often Sonic caught himself unconsciously clicking his teeth together whenever the pain got a little too much, and he had to snap himself out of doing that in case it tempted him to go wild once more.

“Here, let me take a look,” Sally offered as she pulled up another chair next to Sonic’s.

Sonic at first hesitated, as he was unsure if he should let Sally touch his injury. The last thing he wanted to do was snap at her in the literal sense if she happened to touch an extra tender spot. But when the pain stung through him once more Sonic winced, then nodded.

“Okay, just be careful,” Sonic warned as he leaned back in his chair, giving Sally more room to look his shoulder over.

“I will, and I’m sure it’ll be fine now,” Sally assured.

As Sally examined Sonic Tails looked around the bunker, amazed at how much equipment Uncle Chuck was able to fit into it. When the earthquakes had hit Robotropolis a lot of Uncle Chuck’s equipment had unfortunately been damaged and destroyed, and ever since the roboticized hedgehog had been working to replace what he could using both turfed computers and any equipment he was able to liberate from Robotnik’s own computer centres while they were being refurbished. Most of the computers were switched off, but there were one or two still running as they recorded surveillance footage in and around the city and command centres in Uncle Chuck’s absence.

This marked the first time Tails has actually seen Uncle Chuck’s bunker, and despite the seriousness of their current situation, Tails couldn’t help but feel ecstatic at being allowed in here, making his place amongst the Freedom Fighters feel more official now that he had been made savvy of one of their greatest secrets.

“Is Uncle Chuck here?” Tails asked.

“Nah, he had a work shift tonight in one o’ the factories,” Sonic explained, gladly fielding the question so he could keep himself distracted as Sally looked over his shoulder. “He doesn’t get off for another few hours, so we’re probably gonna miss him tonight.”

“Aw,” Tails sighed. He didn’t get to see Uncle Chuck as often as the other Freedom Fighters did because of his work schedules, and unless he came into Knothole to discuss something that needed their urgent attention. And even then his in-person visits would usually be short, just in case Robotnik or Snively noticed his absence.

“I know, bro. Maybe next time we’ll get to see him,” Sonic assured, though at the corner of his eye he could see Sally wincing at the mention of Tails possibly joining them on another mission. “In the meantime he won’t mind ya lookin’ around, just be careful wit’ his stuff, okay?”

That seemed to perk Tails up a little, and the fox made his way to one of the many crowded workbenches to look over what Uncle Chuck was tinkering with, spotting some unfinished projects among the piles of scrap and tools covering the workbench.

“Maybe we should hold off on Tails coming again. Just for a little bit,” Sally suggested, keeping her eyes firmly on Sonic’s shoulder.

At first Sonic wanted to protest, but when Sally touched a tender spot near his collarbone a spark of pain flashed through him, and he had to bite down on his bottom lip as he sucked air through his teeth. Thankfully Sonic didn’t feel the urge to snap at Sally, but the reminder of the temptation made him second guess his protest.

“He’s doin’ so good though, Sal,” Sonic attempted instead. “I was the one that got distracted.”

“I know. And I agree, he is doing good,” Sally sighed, her eyes flinting away as she thought about her next words. “But maybe we should all hold off doing missions for a little bit.”

Sonic tilted his head at Sally, not quite understanding what she was implying. Then it sank in, and a mixture of emotions rushed through Sonic.

“That’s not gonna happen again, Sal. I told you I got distracted. ‘nd yeah it got messy, but I snapped outta it,” Sonic hissed.

Sally finally looked at Sonic, a mixture of desperation and concern clear on her face.

“I know, but what happened still happened,” Sally pointed out. “I think the second mutation might still be a little too fresh, and that might be why you’re getting distracted now. And why you had such a big reaction to getting hurt.”

Sonic felt his heart speed up a little as his emotions swirled through him, not quite knowing what to say or do. Though deep down he couldn’t deny that the last few days since the second mutation had been grating on him. And knowing what he had almost done to Sally and Tails still made his stomach drop.

“... but you know I would never hurt you guys, right?” Sonic asked, his voice small and low. “Even if I’m bein’ like that.”

“Of course I do, Sonic,” Sally assured, before she leaned closer to Sonic and nuzzled at his cheek, using her hand to pet along his jawline. “And even on the off-chance that something did happen, I know that’s not you wanting to do it. This is just something we need to figure out.”

The thought of yet another issue to deal with thanks to the mutation made Sonic want to scream, but instead he just leaned into Sally’s hand and sighed, trying not to focus on the heavy feeling that was now trying to settle in his chest.

“Yeah, let’s just add it to the list,” Sonic mumbled. He then perked a little when Sally planted a soft kiss on his cheek, and when he looked back up to her Sonic saw Sally giving him a reassuring smile.

“We’ll talk about it more when we get home,” Sally stated, then leaned back in her chair and spoke up a little more. “In the meantime, your shoulder is dislocated. So Bookshire will need to take a look at it.”

While the whiplash in the conversation took Sonic a moment to register, when it did Sonic snorted.

“Is that all? I don’t need to bother Booker for that, c’mon,” Sonic scoffed, shaking his head as Sally stared at him in disbelief.

“Wait, dislocated?” Tails asked, his ears folding back slightly. “Isn’t that bad?”

“It’s not bad, but it’s not something that can be ignored either,” Sally explained, making sure to glare at Sonic as she said this. “So let’s go home and have that looked at.”

“It can just be popped back in place, it’s no biggie!” Sonic said. “I’ve seen enough o’ Booker to last me a lifetime, I’ll deal wit’ this.”

“You are not dealing with this, Sonic!” Sally argued, not believing what she was hearing. “This is beyond first-aid, and I don’t even want to know how you think you can fix this on your own.”

“I don’t think I can fix it, I know how to fix it.”

As the two argued Tails watched, his head turning between the two as Sonic and Sally took turns to counter each other. He was used to them arguing, as most of the Freedom Fighters were, so even as their arguing started to get a little more intense Tails wasn’t too bothered by it.

What did bother him though was the idea of Sonic being hurt, and going by how he was arguing, the hedgehog seemed like he was going to do everything in his power to not go see Bookshire to help him.

Tails looked around the hideout, hoping that some kind of answer would jump out at him. What sprung out and got his attention instead was a toolbox that was sitting on Uncle Chuck’s workbench. It wasn’t very large, but when Tails picked it up it had a bit of heft to it, which allowed the gears in his head to start cranking.

“Hey, Sonic. Think fast,” Tails called, and tossed the toolbox at the hedgehog.

The warning was enough for Sonic to realise something was coming at him, as Sonic wasn’t just fast in terms of running, so he was ready to catch the toolbox. But the thought of why this was probably a bad idea didn’t occur to him until the last possible second, and even though he wasn’t able to move his arm thanks to his injured shoulder, Sonic still manage to get a grip on the toolbox with both hands. When the tools inside shifted the box fell down hard, bringing Sonic’s arm down with it which resulted in a sickening pop as his shoulder slipped back into place.

Sonic still cried out as a fresh slash of pain raced through his arm, and he dropped the box so that he could use his good hand to grip at his arm. As he rode out the pain Sally gaped at him, hand over her mouth, not knowing what to do as she still tried to process everything that happened since Tails threw the box in the first place.

After a few moments Sonic took in a sharp breath through his nose, and gave his injured arm a test flex. To everyone’s surprise he was able to move his fingers and hand on command, though his face distorted as he winced at the pain that tingled through his arm.

“Sonic? Are you okay?” Sally ventured.

Sonic didn’t say anything for a few beats. Instead he continued focusing on his breathing, which was a little irregular.

“Yeah... yeah, I’m fine,” Sonic said eventually, though his voice sounded odd. “I just... need to step outside for a sec, ‘kay?”

Before anyone could say anything Sonic began walking towards the hidden stairs, his movements somewhat stiff but hurried. Sally made to follow him, concerned now, but paused when Sonic raised his good arm.

“No one follow me I’m just gonna be a sec,” Sonic warned, his words almost blurring together now as he disappeared up the stairs.

Sally and Tails listened to the doorway open then shut, and waited quietly, not knowing what to do.

“Tails, how did you know to do that?” Sally asked.

“Sonic said he saw it in a comic book once,” Tails admitted. “‘nd Aunt Bunnie did say that dislocated joints can be yanked to pop ‘em back into place in an emergency.”

Sally winced at the confession, feeling her stomach sink at the thought.

“We’ll talk about better first-aid practises another time, okay sweetie?” Sally offered, hoping that her apprehension wasn’t showing too much that the fox would notice.

After about ten minutes or so they heard the door open and shut once more, and watched as Sonic climbed down the stairs, looking a little stunned. To Sally’s concern he also looked a little washed out, and couldn’t help but wince when she realised just what had happened to the hedgehog and why he had demanded privacy.

“Are you okay?” Sally repeated gently.

Sonic simply nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line as he did, before he pointed at Tails.

“See? He knows wha’ to do. He’s got himself covered,” Sonic pointed out. “In sayin’ that though, I think I’m all funned out for the day.”

“Are you going to see Bookshire?” Sally asked.

Sonic landed into the hay stack pile with a grunt, the speed that he was traveling through the Sliding Tree combined with him being curled into a ball practically shooting him into the hay like a bullet from a gun.

When he was sure that he hadn’t overshot himself Sonic uncurled himself and dug his way to the top of the pile, shaking himself off the moment he broke the surface, then flopped onto the pile with a soft sigh. He had just come back from doing night patrol in Robotropolis, and although Sonic much preferred patrol over doing guard duty, tonight’s session had left him feeling drained.

Not that anything bad had happened while he was in the city. If anything, absolutely nothing had happened, and that in itself was what made the night feel like a lifetime to the impatient hedgehog. The night had started off simple enough; Sonic clocked into Robotropolis around twenty-hundred hours, just when it was started to get dark – or darker, considering the ever present gloom that gripped the atmosphere of the city – and waited for his uncle to report in with some data that Sally had been waiting on.

Uncle Chuck had sent a messenger-bot earlier in the day to tell Sally he would have it, hence sending Sonic, but when he showed up at their secret meeting place not far from the junkyards, Uncle Chuck had explained that he ran into a snag getting all the information, and needed Sonic’s help to watch his back while he got it.

Sonic jumped at the chance for some action in an instant, only to find that tonight was an unusually quiet night both in terms of SWATbot patrols and other expected dangers, which made the improv retrieval mission smoother than silk. Even Uncle Chuck commented on the unusual lack of activity, but couldn’t investigate further as he needed to get back to his shift before anyone noticed he was missing. So Sonic had taken it upon himself to do some snooping around to see what might have been going down.

He had searched high, and low, and in every part of the city where any sort of trouble usually started, but no matter where Sonic looked it just seemed like Robotropolis was going through its usual motions without any sinister edges to its routine. It got to the point where Sonic dashed up one of the tallest buildings in the city so he could get a bird’s eye view, but even after an hour or so of watching from his perch, all he saw was how boring Robototrpolis was from a different angle.

By then dawn was starting to approach, and when he was sure that absolutely nothing was happening, and there wasn’t anything in the works plotting to blindside the Freedom Fighters in any way, Sonic had headed home, chasing the oncoming dawn.

At that moment Sonic was looking forward to bed, but he still had one more thing he needed to do before he could, which required a little more effort than he could muster at the moment. After picking up anything from Uncle Chuck, Sonic would take it to the War Alcove and drop it off there for Sally to look over later, as usually she would be asleep by the time Sonic came back from his patrols.

If he didn’t do this Sonic would find himself being woken up by Sally not even an hour after going to sleep, as she was an early riser. And she was not going to wait for Sonic to wake up to hand over the data, considering he had been out all night and wouldn’t be up again until well past the afternoon. Which she understood completely, but Sally would also be biting at the bit to get her hands on whatever Uncle Chuck had managed to find, as circumstances could change very quickly and every moment counted.

Sonic had learned this the hard way many times before, as a result of either his own forgetfulness brought on by exhaustion, or thinking that he could get away with skipping a step in the process. He probably should have known better after the first two times, but as they say, third time’s the charm. And the third charm was Sonic nearly having the blue scared right out of his fur when he woke up to Sally staring him down, her face mere inches away from his as she almost willed him awake.

Sonic had also learned that he needed to hang his hammock over his bed, as such occasions made Sonic realise that the fall the his floor was much bigger than it looked, and much more terrifying from said dead sleep.

As Sonic dragged himself out of the haystack and over to the War Alcove dawn was starting to settle in more, bringing with it a sharp, bright contrast to the darkness of Robotropolis that almost overwhelmed Sonic’s senses. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day, and Sonic couldn’t wait to spend it locked in his hut with the curtains drawn and dead to the world. When he approached the alcove Sonic barely stopped, just pausing for a brief moment to set the data disc onto the table before sharply turning on his heel to head back towards his hut.

However in his foggy brained state, Sonic hadn’t expected anyone to be at the alcove just yet. So when he spotted Sally sitting at the table from the corner of his eye, Sonic actually jumped with a sharp yelp that blurred into a hiss, which in turn startled Sally out of her own focus.

“Geez, Sal! Wha’ the hell?!” Sonic cried out, before reaching up to smooth his quills down with both hands, feeling them trying to fight their way back up as adrenaline still flashed through him.

“What do you mean? I’m working!” Sally answered, pressing a hand to her chest to try to still her heart.

She had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t even heard Sonic’s approach, and when Sonic got startled she had almost flung the papers that were in her hands right off the platform. Thankfully they had just landed at her feet, and once Sally’s heart had stopped attempting to escape she bent down to pick them up.

“I can see that, I mean why are you workin’ here?” Sonic clarified.

Then he paused, before he glanced at the sky once more, then glanced back at Sally, a suspicious look on his face now.

“’nd why are you up so damn early?”

Sally stilled as she collected her papers, her eyes darting away from Sonic before she quickly gathered what remained and stood once more.

“I’m always up at this time. If you got up early you’d know this,” Sally remarked as she shuffled the papers to get them tidied up, however she didn’t quite look at Sonic as she did this. “Did you get the data from Uncle Chuck?”

The suspicious look on Sonic’s face deepened as he squinted at Sally, his earlier exhaustion now nothing but a nagging memory.

“I did, yeah. But this is way too early, even for you,” Sonic pointed out. “Even the birds ain’t awake yet.”

“Sometimes I like to watch the sun rise,” Sally stated with a soft huff, the comment coming out more off-handed than she meant it to be. She sat back down and brought some other papers closer to her so she could look them over, before tilting her head at Sonic. “Can I have the data please?”

To her frustration, Sonic answered by crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot against the wooden platform, the sound mimicking a relentless woodpecker with a blunted beak.

“Y’weren’t even lookin’ at the sun, you were starin’ at your papers,” Sonic pointed out. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Of course I did,” Sally exasperated, rolling her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about this now, you need to sleep, and I need that data. Please let me have it.”

Sonic didn’t stop tapping his foot, his impatience clear through his body as his quills tensed slightly. He tilted his head to look Sally over, and had to bite back a sigh at what he saw. There were beginnings of dark circles under Sally’s eyes, which he had to be honest was a fairly regular thing to see on Sally, but he also knew how they looked when they were settling in. And even though she was fairly alert, Sally couldn’t quite focus on Sonic whenever she looked at him, which could be blamed on the brightness of the sun as well, but if she had gotten enough sleep then that wouldn’t have been bothering Sally in the first place.

“You’ve been up all night! I know it!” Sonic chided, barely flinching when Sally groaned in frustration.

“I couldn’t sleep, all right?” Sally confessed. “It happens, this shouldn’t surprise you. I’m not asking again, Sonic.”

The more Sally tried to deflect the more Sonic wanted to fight, even as his own tiredness started to creep back into his body. Since contracting his Sleeping Sickness, Sonic had started to become a little more aware of how tired he would get, on account of it being a symptom of the illness. He was still learning how much of it he could actually fight off before it became something to be concerned about, but he was sure at this stage that this was just regular old tiredness kicking in. Which he wanted to address now by going to bed.

“I’ll give it to ya, after you’ve gotten some sleep,” Sonic remarked, and turned to leave.

Behind him the sound of wood scraping over wood snapped through the air, and when Sonic looked over his shoulder he spotted Sally now standing, half hunched over the table as she glared daggers at his back.

“Sonic! I can sleep later, but I need that data now. It’s important,” Sally gritted.

“Sal, it’s literally the ass crack o’ dawn ‘nd I’m sure you saw the last dawn wit’out sleepin’ a wink in between,” Sonic sighed, shaking his head. “Go to bed, I’ll be up in like a couple o’ hours, you can have it then.”

“Now we both know that’s not true, it’ll be too late by the time you wake up to give it to me,” Sally sighed. “If you give it to me now I’ll go to bed right after looking it over.”

“Now who’s lyin’?” Sonic quipped, smirking. “Nope, I’m takin’ it wit’ me, ‘nd I’ll catch ya later. Goodnight.”

“The only way I’m going to bed is if you make me, Sonic Hedgehog!” Sally snapped, stamping her foot down in her frustration.

Sonic stopped dead in his tracks, the last of his patience now withering into nothing.

The few minutes after dawn was one of Bunnie’s favourite times of the day. It was the right moment, where everything was just starting to wake up, but was still in a state of calm where there was no rush to make any decisions. Outside of what to have for breakfast.

Right now she was in her hut, lazily watching over some boiling water that she was going to use for her tea, which sat ready in one of her favourite cups. Just as it really began to bubble Bunnie wondered if the weather would be good enough for her to do some gardening, as some of the tomatoes she had planted were looking like they needed some attention after a long bout of slightly too harsh sunlight.

As she reached to quell the fire a sudden scream snapped through the air, making the cyborg rabbit jump and almost knock over the pot in the progress.

In one swift movement Bunnie cut the flame and was out the door, bolting towards the scream. She was sure it had come from the War Alcove, though why she couldn’t begin to guess. So when she made it up the ramp and onto the platform the scene Bunnie found made her stop dead in her tracks.

The scream had come from Sally, which sounded again as she yelled a shade of murder that matched Sonic’s quills. She was also half tossed over Sonic’s shoulder, and was doing everything in her power to either kick or hit Sonic in between her yelling.

Sonic meanwhile was holding Sally in such a way that whenever she did try to kick him he was able to twist and lift her higher away from himself, his recent growth spurt thanks to his mutation coming in handy now as his arm length was just enough to keep him out of kicking range.

“Princesses don’t kick!” Sonic was shouting, which only resulted in Sally attempting to kick him again, and Sonic had to twist her slightly in the air to avoid copping a boot to his face.

“Wha’ in th’ hell are you two doin’?!” Bunnie demanded, and in an instant the pair stopped and stared at Bunnie. Or at least tried to, as the angle that Sonic was now holding Sally wasn’t quite giving her a clear view of her friend.

“He started it!” Sally cried out, making Sonic splutter in response.

“I did not! She started it!” Sonic protested.

Bunnie groaned and pinched at the bridge of her muzzle, muttering a small oath under her breath. It was too darn early for this.

“Then Ah’m finishin’ it. Sonic, put Sally-girl down. She ain’t a sack o’ flour,” Bunnie ordered, then blinked when Sonic shook his head.

“Sorry, ain’t doin’ it. Sal didn’t sleep at all last night,” Sonic explained, before he quickly lifted Sally up once more so she couldn’t attempt to whack him one for tattling on her.

Suddenly everything made sense to Bunnie, and Bunnie sighed again as she gave Sally a deadpan looked.

“Sally, is that true?”

Sally finally stilled in Sonic’s grip, and her eyes flinted away as a flush of red crossed her cheeks. Below her Sonic snickered, and Sally had to resist the urge to twist his ear while it was within reach.

“I’m not a child!” Sally protested, but that had given Bunnie her answer.

“C’mon, Ah’ll get her door fer ya, sugah-hog,” Bunnie offered, cocking her head over her shoulder so that Sonic would follow her, which he gladly did.

“Thanks, Bunnie.”

Bunnie waved him off, smirking a little as they made their way to Sally’s hut.

“Think nothin’ o’ it, hun. Just make sure you get some sleep, too. Ah can’t be goin’ ‘round escortin’ everyone, Ah have things t’do, too.”

“This is insubordination, you know,” Sally pointed out. By now she had given in on trying to escape Sonic’s grip, but the last thing she was going to do was allow this to continue without some kind of protest. Though a small yelp escaped her as Sonic twisted her so that he could hold her bridal style, and when Sonic grinned down at her Sally gave him an indignant frown.

Sonic pressed his hands against the glass dome of the roboticizer, the tips of his claws clicking into it as his eyes darted around trying to find a weak point inside. Instead he spotted the overhead lights flash to life, almost blinding him, and he had to raise a hand over his eyes to shield them off.

Outside the roboticizer Robotnik laughed, the sound starting deep in his throat before it surfaced into a half choked wheeze, his inner glee escalating. Seeing Sonic finally under glass sent chills through him, and even as Robotnik’s hands hovered over the activation button, he couldn’t stop staring at the hedgehog, wanting to saviour the sight. After so many years of being tormented by this rat of a mobian, and suffering through a multitude of failed plans because of him and his wretched friends, Robotnik finally had the upper hand.

“Any last words, rodent?” Robotnik mocked, a fingertip still circling the activation button.

Usually whenever a victim was placed in the roboticizer there was an array of reactions Robotnik would witness. Some would beg for their lives. Some would cry thinking about loved ones now left behind, as they were possibly the only ones that stood between a doomed fate and survival for them. Some vowed revenge like as if they could do a damn thing against Robotnik and his empire when they already had a lifetime to do something. All of them brought a bit of joy to the dictator before their fates were sealed under layers of mindless metal soon after.

Sonic however just stared Robotnik down, without a hint of fear, or even desperation in his amber eyes, the very eyes Robotnik had granted him in another failed experiment that continued to insult him to this very moment. After a moment or two Robotnik watched as relentless hate filled Sonic’s eyes, before the hedgehog simply raised both his hands and flipped him off, his gaze unwavering.

Robotnik laughed, amused at the display, but deep down he had wished Sonic had gone for the vowing revenge route. So many had tried it, though Robotnik barely remembered them as flesh and blood. There had been ants with more significance compared to the ones that tried to act brave and tough in their last moments, when up until that point they had been hiding from the human’s grasp, cowering in fear at even a whisper of the dictator’s feint presence.

At least Sonic had earned the right to curse Robotnik’s existence, as Robotnik had done the same for Sonic’s many times over. It was literally the only thing Robotnik was willing to give Sonic credit for. It was almost a shame that Sonic was choosing now to be silent, even with his spirit still burning.

“Defiant until the end, I see,” Robotnik sighed, sounding almost wistful. “You’re going to be my most valued possession in my new world.”

As his fingertip circled the activation button once more Robotnik saw Sonic reach into his backpack, and an amused smile slicked across his face once more. He had seen this many, many times; just as the situation looked like it was tipping in Robotnik’s favour Sonic would pull out his trump card, a power ring that granted Sonic a burst of power that would leave Robotnik cursing in its wake. This time though it wasn’t going to work. The hedgehog had nowhere to run to, and the roboticizer was reinforced especially against his abilities. Sonic could use one hundred power rings for all Robotnik cared, he had the hedgehog trapped.

So confident in having the upper hand here, Robotnik allowed his hand to pull away from the button slightly so he could watch Sonic’s feeble attempt at escape. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Sonic’s face when he finally realised that this was the end, and Robotnik was going to have a shiny new robot to lead his army in the final takeover.

Only, when Sonic’s hand withdrew from his backpack, there wasn’t a glowing object in his grasp. Instead there was a large device, and even though it wasn’t activated yet, Robotnik caught a glimpse of a digital timer attached to it.

Just as the realisation of what Sonic had in his hand struck him, Robotnik heard the sound of metal slamming onto metal loudly near him. Robotnik looked down, and to his horror he spotted Sally crouched down next to the roboticizer’s controls, giving him a defiant glare that matched Sonic’s perfectly. Her hands were just pulling away from the control panel’s side, and when Robotnik’s eyes trailed towards it he spotted a duplicate of the device Sonic was holding now attached to the control panel.

Only this one’s timer was activated.

Sally jumped away just as a roaring curse entered Robotnik’s mouth, and in desperation Robotnik balled up a fist to slam into the activation button. But before he could reach it the bomb’s timer counted down to zero with almost lightning speed, and an explosion ripped through the console, throwing Robotnik off his feet and into a nearby wall. The resulting slam almost caused him to blackout on the spot, but Robotnik managed to pull himself together, despite the fact that his robotic ears were now ringing so hard that almost every other sound was drowned out.

He watched in ringing silence as Sonic reached down and lifted the glass encasing of the roboticizer with one hand, as now that the controls were blown to bits the roboticizer lost its power source. Even with his feral strength it still took some effort, and in a moment Sally was at his side helping him to pull it up. When there was enough open space for Sonic to crawl out under the glass Sonic activated his own bomb and threw it up to the top of the roboticizer, and Robotnik watched in stunned rage as the bomb attached itself to the ceiling of the device.

It didn’t take long for Sonic to crawl out, and when he was free he scooped Sally up and bolted for the doorway, stopping short of it and turning on his heel, a massive grin across his lips.

Robotnik instinctively shielded his face as the bomb exploded, and the roboticizer was ripped apart from the inside out, the diamond glass containing the explosion to the point that it almost amplified it. When the smoke half cleared Robotnik saw the roboticizer was now in pieces, the diamond glass completely useless as it was now detached from the device and laid on the ground, scratched up but otherwise in one piece.

“You... You--!” Robotnik seethed, turning glowing red upon black eyes to Sonic and Sally, who both now grinned at him so smugly that it caused his rage to sky rocket.

“Yeah, us,” Sonic chided. “It was cuttin’ it a bit close, but didja really think you had me, ‘buttnik?”

“Because if you did, maybe take another look around,” Sally added.

A lump of dread slammed into Robotnik’s chest as his eyes scanned the room, trying to pick out what the rodents had done to his command centre. At first it all looked like it should have, save for the now destroyed roboticizer, until his eyes landed on yet another bomb attached to a nearby wall. Then another. Then another.

The more he looked the more Robotnik found, somehow scattered all around the room, with some concentrated in areas that would bring the walls down into dust. Even as he scanned the room, Robotnik found himself losing count as to exactly how many bombs were now attached to the walls as his mind screamed bloody murder.

Then what Sonic had said clicked amongst the rage, and all at once it quietened down into stunned horror.

This was a planned rescue. Sonic had purposely used himself as bait to get right into the roboticizier and the command centre so that Sally could set the bombs right under Robotnik’s nose.

Robotnik was more than familiar with this technique. The Freedom Fighters used it for almost every mission in the city, using the Priority One Hedgehog Alert to their advantage as they knew that Robotnik would never deprogram the alert. He had tried many times to find work arounds to make the SWATbots stop falling for it, but the alert was too important, all for the off chance that someday it would pay off.

And despite being savvy to the technique, Robotnik himself had just fallen for it, once again for the off chance of finally besting the hedgehog.

The scream of rage that bellowed out of Robotnik was nearly deafening as he pushed himself to his feet and made to charge at Sonic and Sally, wanting nothing more than to rip them apart with his bare hands. But then he witnessed Sally pull out her palmtop computer from her inner vest pocket, and his advancement faltered for a brief second.

“Nicole, activate,” Sally commanded.

“Activating,” Nicole confirmed.

Almost in a wave the timers sprung to life, red numbers flashing one after the other around the room. Robotnik gaped in horror as he spun around to see them all, the timers revealing how many more of the bombs he had missed in his first inspection. What made his already cold blood run colder however was that every timer displayed the same countdown, and the time was very, very short, and already cycling closer to their ends.

Robotnik barely paid Sonic any mind when he heard the familiar sound of the hedgehog’s legs revving up before he took off, Sally cradled to his chest. The dictator instead watched the numbers cycle down, his mind going blank until there was barely a second left, which was when his mind reminded him to try to run.