Archive of Our Own ^beta

The hedgehog was lightning quick, fire seeming to spread with every step he took.
It was not from the speedster’s feet that fire emerged but the pursuit of him that lit the flames.
“YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER, HEDGEHOG!” The older clad blue lady roared after the darker shade of blue hedgehog.
Sonic ignored Doctor ‘Seed’ Robotnik’s taunts. He had better things to do than listen to some mad woman’s ramblings. He had to stop her machines, free the plants and animals, smile and wave for the annoying crowd of adoring fans, and check on his friends. And that was only half of the to-do list!
Sonic leapt up, his speed allowing him to find temporary footing on the side of the glass building next to him and jump to the other and the other, five steps ahead the doctor who’s tunnel vision kept her from attacking anyone or anything else. She wanted to be sure she hit him, the perfectionist. Well, as long as no one else got hurt, Sonic was happy to be her target.
He grit his teeth against a yelp as a lazor grazed his arm, sending a sharp, shooting feeling up his arm and through his body. He leaned to the right, tumbling to the concreted earth and instantly running once more.
Doctor Maria ‘Seed’ Robotnik plowed through, cackling.
The madwoman saw this little chase as absolute victory, not even considering that Sonic was leading her somewhere he could actually fight back, or even worse, a trap.

A shadowed figure watched silently from above before vanishing.

“How’s the trap coming?” Sonic questioned his younger brother, Tails, on his Wrist Miles Electric. It staticed for a minute, before Tails’ voice was audible
“It’s almost done! How close are you?” Tails crackled over the static.
“About two minutes, that enough time? I can keep her attention for way longer if there are no distractions.”
“No, that’s enough. In fact, I’ll be done in… one…” Sonic heard the crackle of energy and triumphant laughter. “THERE! We’re ready, bring her over!”
“On my way!” Sonic said, turning his attention back to running. He picked up the pace.

The ground crackled with laser fire and blue sparks as Sonic ran with Doctor Robotnik in close pursuit. As he ran faster and faster, he left her behind with nothing but his footsteps to track him with.
She’d done so with less before.
Sonic skidded to a stop next to his kid brother, the two tailed fox not even looking up from his Miles Electric.
“She’ll be here soon and it shouldn’t get much to gode her into the electric field-” Tails said before getting rudely interrupted.
“Electric?!”
Sonic sighed at the familiar voice.
Shadow.
Shadow was not an unpleasant person, he was actually a good conversationalist, a fantastic person to race, and an all-around good person.
The problem? Shadow was a Robotnik Apologist.
They had some sort of…. shared history, some relation of long ago that had faded from the mad woman’s mind.
Shadow was convinced that, somewhere, deep down, Doctor Robotnik was good.
The monster who placed innocent creatures inside machines, who concocted horrible amalgamations of life and metal, who hurt innocent lives again and again until her insatiable lust for power was temporarily filled before she hungered and restarted aaaaallllll of the pain anew.
It was a perspective Sonic admittedly didn’t have much patience for.
“It’ll only affect her machine, Shades,” Sonic assured tiredly, Tails stepping behind the other. Tails didn’t really trust a lot of people, he was shy and preferred his machines. “Didn’t you have a mall trip with Rouge today? Did you seriously leave that for this?”
Shadow shifted, looking away.
“I just- I don’t want you to hurt her.” Shadow said quietly.
“Me? Hurt her?” Sonic snorted, shaking his head. “Yeah, and Tails is marrying tomorrow.”
“I’m serious!” Shadow shouted, Tails flinching. “Sorry. Just...Let me talk to her, please. I’m so close to getting through to her.”
Sonic closed his eyes, sighing. He opened them again to say no but the desperation in Shadow’s eyes, the love and concern for someone he deemed family….. Sonic couldn’t deny that. He couldn’t.
“Fine. Five minutes.” Sonic barked out, taking a confused Tails and leading him away by the shoulders. Shadow sighed and nodded, preparing to wait for her to arrive.
“As soon as they start talking, set a timer,” Sonic whispered. “And call GUN for pick up.”
Truth be told, Sonic was rather cynical.

Maria was not a bad person. Maria was someone Shadow would have fought for, died for, done horrible things for. Maria was a sickly girl he saved and a best friend he lost.
She wasn’t a tyrant, she wasn’t crazy, and she wasn’t a monster.
Shw couldn’t be. Shadow couldn’t have failed her, failed the professor.
He couldn’t fail. Shadow couldn’t fail Maria like this.
The gentle purr of engines and the power filled hum of lasers alerted the darker furred hedgehog of his former adopted sister’s arrival.
“PREPARE FOR YOUR DES-” she stopped mid-dramatics, recognizing Shadow. “Oh, it’s you. Where’s Sonic?”
“I don’t know,” Shadow said truthfully. He had no idea where the other had gone but he figured it didn’t matter. He could do this. He had to do this. He could protect her, even from herself. “Maria, I wanna talk.”
“We are talking.” Maria leaned forward on the console of her patented Seedsphere, raising an eyebrow. Shadow winced, noting that her army of machines was still attacking in her absence. He opened his mouth to ask her to at least pause her attack and listen but the (crazy, no, not crazy, Maria is not crazy, Maria is not bad,) look in her eyes told him it’d be pointless.
“.....Right.” Shadow said hesitantly. “Maria, what happened to you?”
“What do you mean?” she tilted her head before a cheshire grin grew on her face. “OOOH! You’re referring to the whole Empress of the world thing! Funny story, really.”
“I’m here to listen, Maria, I’m not going anywhere.” Shadow said as assuringly as possible.
“Aw, well, you remember how you escaped the ARK and GUN shot up everyone else we knew and loved?” she chuckled when Shadow winced and took a visible step back. “Of course you do. Well, you see, some time after that and after they executed my grandfather, I realized something; this world is unorderly. See, that’s why GUN attacked us, we were too disorganized, too many groups, too many secrets, so they tried to set us back in order.”
“Maria……” Shadow said softly, his ears pounding at the distant screams from the city, the thurm of her machinery, and the drumming of his own fearful and fragile heart.
“But now, I am the one in control! I make the rules, Shadow! And, really, who else could be better suited to do it? I’m the smartest person in the entire world!” She threw her arms up, as if motioning to the place she considered her playground. Shadow’s breath hitched in his lungs.
“Maria, you’re hurting innocent people! This will not make you happy, please, you have to stop!” he begged, holding his arms open in a plea. She stared down at him, expression undecipherable.
“Shadow, I-” Maria started before an electric sound rippled through the air, her floating Seedsphere shaking and wobbling before falling, Maria almost comically falling backwards into her seat.
Shadow turned around, confused red eyes landing on determined blue fur. Sonic strode towards them confidently, Tails a few steps behind. His gloved hand was pressed on the Miles Electric, watching cautiously as his older brother approached the unstable duo.
“You said you’d give me time! I was so close to getting through to her!” Shadow hissed, meeting him in the middle. Sonic walked past, scoffing.
“I said I’d give you five minutes, and I did. You should be grateful I even gave you that long,” Sonic retorted. “You better hope her unhalted attack on a bunch of innocent people didn’t get far, considering I sat on my butt and did nothing while you two had tea and biscuits.”
“Sonic.” Tails said in a sharp tone, like he was warning him, but Shadow had a feeling he was in hotter water than Sonic anyday. Sonic sighed, rubbing his face and nodding before approaching Mar- Doctor Robotnik.
“GUN is on their way, so don’t try anything funny.” Sonic warned, hands on his hips. GUN?! Sonic had to be kidding!
“Why you little pest-” the biology exploiting genius lunged at Sonic before hitting a thin yellow wall. It was a shield, effectively protecting Sonic from the tyrntess’ surprisingly great strength and trapping her in there.
“Sorry, Doc, but this little game of yours is over.” Sonic said. Doctor Robotnik bared her teeth, eyes glinting behind dark glasses threateningly.
“GUN? You called… GUN?” Shadow hissed at him, glaring. Sonic glanced at him, a flicker of something like guilt flashing across his face before he looked away once more.
“They’re the only people who can handle her.” Shadow opened his mouth to argue but Sonic spoke before he could. “Shadow, I have to go, I don’t have time or patience to argue with you today, alright? Go home, Shadow.”
Sonic turned away from them, his face out of the other’s sight. Shadow snarled at him behind his back, fists in tight balls.

Smile and wave, smile and wave. Laugh at unfunny jokes. Wink, fist bump, don’t let them see your weakness. Bare your teeth and pretend it’s because of joy. Tell them you gotta run, disappear into a blur of blue.
Take the train.
The train station is busy, busy and full. Tails messages you, asking when you’ll be home. Send him a message back reminding him to eat and tell him not to worry. He does anyway.
There are so many people here and you can’t breathe but no one cares who you are here so you go this way. You bleed into the jumble of fur and skin, the mixture of colors hide you better than anything else.
On the islands, you stand out. In the inner city, you stand out. Here, you do not. This is a small comfort.
No one cares who you are here. No one cares.
The hospital is no friendlier looking than ever, a place where you stand out among the sick and the dying, your vibrant hues reminding you of how it should be you.
It should be you. Why are you still here?

Sonic stopped in front of the hospital room, frowning at the spiraling thoughts, shaking his head. That kind of thinking wouldn’t help anyone, he was better than that.
He took a deep breath, preparing to step in before being called out.
“Sonic!” Dr. Quack, a yellow, old duck, greeted, stepping up from behind the 15 year old. “Just the hedgehog I wanted to see. Can we talk?”
Sonic glances at the door before facing the doctor, smiling as warmly as he could muster.
“How’s the old man, Quack?” Sonic asked, feeling a sense of dread.
“....That’s just it, Sonic,” the ducktor sighed before continuing. “Sonic, this disease, its vaccine is still in the works. The treatment has barely made any headway and the next best attempt we have for recovery…. I’ve haggled as best as I could but it’s price, Sonic, you’ve always found a way to pay for any treatment but….”
He handed a piece of paper to Sonic. Sonic frowned, the slice of parchment confirming his worst fears. His eyes widened at the price tag.
“It’d be less expensive and less fruitless to just…. try to make him as comfortable as possible. Unless we get a mericle, we’re not looking for much more time for him.”
No. Nonononono, Sonic, Sonic couldn’t let this happen. He wouldn’t let this happen. No.
If he sold some things… did a few more odd jobs, feed Tails only leftovers…. Skipped his own meals….
Yes. it would be hard but they could do this.
“Is there a chance this could save him?” Sonic asked. Quack blinked, surprised.
“I…. yes. A small, small chance but… yes.” Quack answered hesitantly but truthfully.
“I’ll pay it then.” Sonic said casually, offering the paper back. Quack balked.
“Sonic, this is-! There is no way you’ll get enough money for it and even if you do, there’s no guarantee it’ll work-”
“Quack.” Sonic’s voice is quiet but it has a warning edge to it. “I said I’d pay it.”
“........” Quack hesitates but nods, taking back the paper. “I’ll set up a payment plan. When you’re done visiting, we can finalize it in my office.”
Quack walks away, Sonic allowing himself to waver before pulling himself together and stepping into the room.

Ivo looks up from his magazine, having noted the quiet murmur of voices moments earlier.
“Hey, old man,” Sonic greets as usual, a teasing grin on his face as he pulls up a chair. “Kick the bucket yet?”
“Rat. Has my cousin killed you yet?” Ivo retorted, turning back to his magazine. “No Tails this time?”
“Doesn’t like hospitals or trains.” Sonic shrugged. He leaned further onto the bed, dodging the wires and machines surrounding the elder man to look at his readings.
“Did you know the study of fruit is called pomology?” Ivo asked, eyes roaming over a page of fruit facts, looking for inaccurateness. “Should have studied that instead of biology in high school.”
“Eh, doesn’t sound much better than biology.” Sonic hummed, ears flicking.
They sat like that for a few minutes, Ivo spouting a fruit fact or any tidbit of knowledge he knew and Sonic half asleep nodding in agreement.
“......How bad am I?” Ivo asked suddenly, looking out his window. Sonic sat up, frowning. “No one will answer me directly but… I can tell. I can feel it. I’m getting worse, aren’t I?”
Sonic’s breath hitched. They had had this conversation honestly before and once was enough. Sonic’s mouth opened and his lies flowed out.
“Nah, you’re getting way better, Ivo. You’ll be out of here in no time, no sweat,” Sonic fibbed. “Just one last push and you’ll be as good as new!”
“... I see.” Ivo said softly.
Both knew it wasn’t the truth but neither were strong enough to say so. The lies were better.

“I gotta go now, old man,” Sonic said after being there for an hour. “Make sure Tails ate and all of that.”
“Hm. Alright, rat,” Ivo said, nodding at the younger, watching him leave. “Take care now. I love you.”
“....” Sonic choked on the words, his heart aching at the words. “....Love you too, dad.”

Sonic made it two hallways before diverting into the bathroom, collapsing in a stall with pitiful sobs.
His dad was dying. His dad was dying. His dad was dying.
His dad was dying and he was the only one who cared!
No one cared about Ivo Robotnik.
His cries echoed in the bathroom, people coming and going as if it was nothing.
No one cared for Sonic’s tears.
No one cared.
No one cared.
No one cared.

So why should I?

There were many lows Sonic had seen Dr. Robotnik sink to.

Attacking her own sick family member to get to him, was not one he had expected however.

Sonic had been assuming, for some stupid reason, that the name Robotnik would protect his father figure.
Of course, he was wrong. Of course, nothing could go right in Sonic’s life.

“Tails, what’s her trajectory?” Sonic asked, pulling his communicator up to his mouth as he ran.
“She’s, she’s still inbound, she hasn’t reached the hospital yet,” Tails responded, his voice shaking, and Sonic hated himself for pulling Tails into this, genius or not. “Robotnik… Dad’s gonna be okay, right? You’re going to save him?”
“...Of course, Tails,” Sonic said, forcing conviction into his voice. “Afterwards, we’ll convince those stuffy doctors to let out for a fun celebration dinner, okay?”
A sniffle echoed out and Sonic’s ears went down.
“Okay,” Tails cried softly. “Be careful, please.”
“No problem, little bro.” Sonic reassured.


If Ivo had to best describe his beloved cousin’s creations in one word, amalgamation would be one.
What else could you call the unholy combination of plants, machines, and flesh?
Flowers wrapped around muscle and muscle wrapped around metal wrapped around-
-his arms, forcing Ivo out of his honestly uncomfortable hospital bed and down on his knees.

He heard the clip-clop of her cloven hooves before the devil walked in, clad in dark blue and a vicious grin.
“Cousin,” Ivo greeted, pushing up despite Robotnik’s chimeras’ best attempts to keep the sickly old man down. “If I’d known you were visiting, I would have dressed for the occasion.”
“Ivo!” the older woman responded, adjusting her dark glasses. “I wanted to surprise you, that's all! You and your lovely son.”
Ivo’s heart stopped.

No. How had she found out? How long had she known? Did Sonic know Robotnik was here? Oh, who was he kidding, his boy was probably on his way now.

“Sorry to say I have no children,” Ivo said, avoiding eye contact. “Never could get any cuties to settle down with someone so sketchy a medical history, you know?”
“Well, there’s always adoption, hm?” Robotnik’s grin only seemed capable of growing. “Come on, Ivo, we haven’t talked in so long! Open up, I promise not to spread any gossip.”
“My apologies, Maria dear, I have nothing going on here, only me and George across the hall. Man plays a mean yahtzee.” Ivo persisted, even as the chimeras’ grips on his arms tightened in an almost threatening manner.
“Cousin,” Robotnik said, voice deadly calm while her smile remained a jovial sharp shape. “Your son will be here soon. In the meantime….”
She snapped her fingers and a foot shoved his face against the cool hospital floor tile hard enough to crack his glasses.
Robotnik leaned down on one knee, her mouth right by Ivo’s ear.
“I hear you’ve been making blueprints?”


Shadow didn’t understand. Couldn’t understand. Ivo was Maria’s cousin, he was family !
Why was Maria trying so hard to villainize herself, why was she turning everyone against her?
How was Shadow supposed to fix things if she kept breaking them ?!
Did Shadow miss something, those fifty years in status before Maria saving him and dumping him in Station Square?
Then again, he still couldn’t look at the fifty something year old man without remembering the wailing two year old he spied one dull Christmas.

Shadow had to get down there, had to talk some sense into Maria, it was his purpose to protect her, to keep her safe and happy and healthy, and the Maria he had grown alongside would never have gotten pleasure from this. Never, in a million years.



Sonic had never run to the hospital before and he had hoped he would never have to.
He skidded to the stop, the doors broken down, the terrified cries of the other patients filling his ears.
“Robotnik!” he called into the medically sterile white building. “Come out!”
Sonic waited, bated breath before he heard the clack of her heels and the leafy slaps of flesh of her chimeras.
“Sonic!” Dr. Robotnik greeted, arms open wide. “You’re just in time! I was starting to worry you’d miss the event!”
“The event?” Sonic questioned before his eyes widened, taking a notable step back.
“Why your father’s rebirth, of course!” Robotnik cackled, her hidden eyes shining with malice. Ivo looked awful, being dragged around by two beefy chimeras, glasses shattered and clothes an utter mess.
“Ivo!” Tails’ voice called out, Sonic too struck by horror of what Robotnik could be planning to express it properly.
“It’s alright, rats!” Ivo’s crackling and coughing voice rang out. “This is nothing like my days in Fight Club! Real existential crisis, that one.”
“What do you mean, rebirth?” Sonic said, keeping one emerald eye on Ivo.
“You ever wonder where I get my chimeras, ‘hog?” Robotnik answered his question with one of her own, placing a gloved hand on the smooth, blank flesh near where a face should. She answered her own question, not even looking at Sonic or Ivo. “I take those who betrayed me. I take those who sought me only when they were desperate. I take those unfortunate enough to be left behind. And I make them oh so much more!”

Oh. Oh Chaos.
“Ivo is sick. He’s dying ,” And both man and hedgehog flinched at the reminder. “I should know. I had the same symptoms, of course. But I have the cure; a new lease on life! Ivo here won’t be my standard grunt either, no, no, no, he’s family and that means something! He’s going to be my second brain! For every clever little trap your little fox boy thinks of, Ivo, no, my Basilisk, will outthink his poor tiny plan he thinks up.”
“That’ll kill him! Being a chimera isn’t living, anyone blind can see that!” Sonic protested, pointlessly even in his own opinion.
“Better that than me just killing him though,” Robotnik shrugged before pretending to ponder. “Unless you’d prefer that? I could make that work too, makes him less likely to turn on me!”
“No!” Tails practically screamed as Sonic gritted his teeth in a mockery of a smile, quills rising as he prepared to fight.
“Maria?” A familiar and normally obnoxious voice called out in thinly veiled despair and horror.
Shadow, quill ponytail, painfully red sweater jacket, and all, stared at Robotnik with stupidly pretty red eyes, as if pleading with her.


That’s where her chimeras were from? Shadow’d figured something was up with them but to this scale?
And threatening to kill her own cousin in front of his two sons? Gloating at the fact she knew as well as anyone Ivo’s fragile morality?
Was this the Maria he’d admired so much? Had he been placing a monster on a golden pedestal without even meaning to?
“Maria, this, I, I don’t even know what to say!” Shadow said, trying to suppress the horror.
“Then stay quiet and stay out of this, Shadow,” Maria said, her sickening grin finally dropping. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“But, what, you’re fine attacking everyone else?!” Shadow replied, motioning to their audience. “Maria, we have to talk about this, it isn’t right!”
She was quiet but Shadow couldn’t pretend her silence meant contemplation.
“Chimeras,” she finally said. “Return Shadow to Base #124. Ensure he stays put.”
“Wha-” Shadow managed to get out before two large chimeras grabbed him by the arms, managing to meet Shadow’s strength. “Maria!”


Sonic made a move to help Shadow, annoying or not, the hedgehog was still undeserving of whatever fate Robotnik had in store for him.
This was, of course, immediately complicated by Ivo’s cry of pain, turning Sonic’s attention back to his father figure.
“Eyes on the prize, hedgehog!” Robotnik said, her ever eternal grin back in place. “Wouldn’t want to miss the main event.”
Sonic gripped his fists, desperately trying to figure out how she was even going to do this or how to stop her.

Chimeras were tough, Robotnik usually only sent out one or two, along with a bunch of grassniks, which were like chimeras but the creature used for it could be saved.

Guess Robotnik’s little lecture on chimeras answered that anxiety causing question on why he never found little animals in them.
Oh lord, he is going to need so much therapy.

“What do you want? If you just wanted to gloat, we all know your skill with a camera,” Sonic said. “What’s this all about, Robotnik.”
“I’m willing to make a trade,” the older woman snickered. “While sweet little Ivo would make a fantastic chimera, you could be something in a class all its own. An one hedgehog army.”

Sonic shuddered but considered it, hesitating with his answer. Ivo frantically shook his head, his struggling increased.
“Let Ivo go first.” Sonic finally said.
“Sonic!” Tails protested, his voice crackling over the communicator.
“Rat, you better not!” Ivo added on.


“Hm,” Robotnik’s voice crackled over Tails’ device and the fox’s heart pounded in his chest. “Sounds fair to me!”
Tails wished there was some way to see what was happening but he only had audio of his brother suppressing a cry as their father was audibly shoved around.
Tails had to do something, he had to.
“Sonic?! What’s happening?!” Tails called out, hoping Sonic would answer.
He got nothing, nothing besides Robotnik’s gloating.

“Now, step forward, Hedgehog!” she said, distance slightly muffling her voice. “I’d take you to my lab to Chimeraize you more effectively but I’d rather have everyone see the desperate look in your eyes when you lose your humanity.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your word?” Sonic’s slightly less muffled voice said.
“You don’t!” Robotnik said chipperly. “But the alternative is I shove your dear old man in right now.”
“Okay, okay!” Sonic said frantically and Tails panicked.
He had to do something, he had to do something.
But he was so far, there was only so much he could do!
Tails could- could- !

Tails slammed his hands back down on his keyboards, commands flashing like lightning before his eyes.
“Sonic!” he called out. “Toss it!”
“What?” Sonic’s voice crackled out, confused.
“Toss the communicator at the Chimeraizer, now!” Tails ordered.
“Actually, it’s called a-” Dr. Robotnik started before the words counted in her brain. “Wait, what?!”
Tails heard the whoosh of wind against a mic and smacking against metal before the mic disconnected.
Tails sucked a stressed breath through his fangs before turning away, hurrying towards the garage, towards his trusty Tornado.
Tails did his best to help, with his makeshift inventions and somehow still running plane, but this?
This, like most things, would be up to his big brother.

The explosion from the small communicator was surprisingly large but then Sonic was surprised the old thing hadn’t given out years ago.
It was the first thing Tails put together while living with him and Ivo so Sonic was sad to see it go.

He was significantly less sad to see the metal tube he assumed was the transportable Chimeraizer blow sky high though!
Robotnik cried out in a mixture of anger and surprise as metal shrapnel rained from above and the distraction was enough for Sonic to zip out of the Chimera’s reach and right over to the in a slightly safe distance side of Ivo.
“Dad? Are you okay?” Sonic whispered to the older man.
“A little worse for wear but nothing not to be expected, rat,” Ivo coughed up a response. “You?”
“Fine, fine,” Sonic said. “We gotta getcha out of here.”
“Yeah, as you kids would say, no shit.” Ivo said.
“Hey, language! Tails could be-” Sonic started before turning to his communicator, or lack of. “Well, nevermind then.”

“You blasted hedgehog!” Robotnik’s angry voice drew both of their attention back to her. She looked absolutely furious, poking her head out of cover, her long, greying blonde, hair looking like an absolute rat’s nest. “Do you know how much work went into that? Into making it transportable?!”
Sonic stood to his feet, making sure his back was to Ivo and his front towards Robotnik.
“You- You-!” Robotnik foamed at the mouth before taking a deep breath and calming herself. “Ugh, nevermind. I have some… unfinished business to attend to.”

Unfinished business? Oh no, did she mean Shadow? Sonic had almost forgotten he even showed up here.

...Sonic hoped he was okay. Sure, Shadow could be a bit of a numbskull but it was only because of his trusting heart. He didn’t deserve whatever awful fate Robotnik could cook up for him.

“You’re not going anywhere except back under GUN, Robotnik.” Sonic shot back, much to Robotnik’s dismissal.
“Oh, please, they don’t care as long as I keep all their little secrets hush-hush and we both know it,” the worst part was she was right. “Chimeras! Attack! Keep our spiky blue friend occupied .”

When the horrible amalgamations of flesh, flowers, and machinery moved, it wasn’t just towards Sonic, he could have handled that no problem; they dove for the cowering patients and doctors.

“Shit!” he hissed out before curling into a ball, the sickening feeling he usually got from fighting Chimeras heightened due to knowing their harrowing origins.

Chimeras were relatively easy to beat, they were basically slightly higher grunts than Grassniks, but their large numbers kept Sonic a tad bit too easy to chase after Robotnik herself.

Sonic had just watched the last Chimera explode in a mocking rain of confetti when he heard the telltale whirr of an engine as the Tornado landed not too far.
Tails practically leaped out of the cockpit and into Ivo’s arms, the older man wrapping the shaking eight year old in a comforting embrace.
Sonic smiled and turned away, towards the doctors.


“You’re okay! You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay!” Tails blubbered, gripping the older man as if he would disappear if he let go. “I-I couldn’t see what was happening and Sonic told me to stay at home and I was so worried and you’re okay! You’re both okay!”
“Of course we are, Miles!” Ivo said, awkward when it came to comfort. “It takes more than that to take down Ivo Robotnik and Sonic the Hedgehog!”
“It’s Tails, Ivo, remember?” Tails laughingly corrected through his tears.
“Ah, but of course, the ingenious Tails, where would we be without you?” Ivo replied, grinning.
“Probably dead in a ditch.” Tails giggled, wiping his face and pulling away, feeling a little bit better.

“Hey.” Sonic greeted as he walked over to the two, arms folded behind his head, his grimace hidden by his mossy green bandana.
“Hey!” Tails greeted back, pushing his goggles back up.
“So, the doc cleared you to come home with us, if you want, Ivo.” Sonic said casually.
“Wait, so you’re all better now?!” Tails asked excitedly, turning to Ivo.
Both of them winced.
“Well, no…” Sonic said slowly, avoiding eye contact. “It’s just… Ivo’s at a stage where he can comfortably stay with us instead of a hospital.”
“Oh…” Tails deflated slightly. “But that’s good, right? Ivo, you’re better now?”

Ivo and Sonic’s eyes met but neither could muster the strength to tell the kit the truth. Not yet. Not yet.

“...Sure, bud,” Sonic said, smiling weakly. “There’s room in the Tornado, right? Old Eggie here not too big?”
“Rat!” Ivo squawked in protest, Tails laughing before turning to figure out how to fly the three of them home.
“Maybe if Sonic rode on the wing-”


Sonic hoped Shadow was okay. He should look for the biohog as soon as he gets Tails and Ivo home safe.



There weren’t many advantages to being kidnapped by your seemingly nefarious sister figure and taken back to her lair.
Not many but there were a few.

Her database was large and unguarded, her confidence in her own secrecy so reminiscent of the little girl who wouldn’t bother hiding her diary that well, ‘I’m really stealthy, Shadow, why would anyone look here? It’s hidden in plain sight!’ it hurt, it hurt and Shadow tugged his quills out of his ponytail if only to give his free hand something to do while he typed in the ever predictable password.

R-O-B-O-T-N-I-K.

Her family name. She used to take such pride in it. Shadow used to take such pride in it.
With just an enter key, Shadow had unhaltered access to Maria’s every plan, every blueprint, every thought she ever typed up and saved.

And, oh, what a horrid tapestry they weaved.

Machinations of forced life, creatures forced together to create a malformed but destructive whole, horrid clone after horrid clone, the terrifying and disgusting plans didn’t seem to stop.
Shadow’s hand went to his mouth as he scrolled, going past Maria’s newer plans to her older plans.
Finally, his eyes landed on something interesting.

Cure Dispersal.

Shadow’s eyes widened and he clicked on it before he even fully recognized what it was.
Finally, finally, a trace of Maria’s humanity! Maybe Shadow could persuade her to assist her cousin!
Small steps to big changes, please, let this be something.

Note to self; insure none of the vaccine produced ends up in GUN hands. They’d only use it for themselves.

Destroy any and all traces of the vaccines. Ensure the bloodline ends with you, the sole, the superior Robotnik.
You survived. They didn’t.

This is the law of nature.

This is the law of nature. This is the law of nature. Shadow’s ruby red eyes stayed glued on that last line.

“That project took a particularly long time, you’ll note, but I got the job time,” Maria’s voice came behind him and the artificial hedgehog jumped, turning to his sister. “Rather rude of you to snoop through my personal memoirs however. And after I took such pains to conceal it too.” 
“...How could you do something like that? Do you know how many people you could help with that vaccine? You-you could have cured Ivo!” Shadow choked out.
“Did you not read the note, Shadow?” Maria questioned in a calm tone of voice, tilting her head. “I thought I made it rather clear I had no intentions to do such a thing nor would I want to.”

Shadow felt his eyes well up with tears despite his best efforts.

“Answer me this, Dr. Robotnik,” Shadow struggled to get out. “Is there anything left of Maria in you? Anything of the girl who saw the best in those around her and the world she lived in and had only hope for the planet below?”
Maria actually stopped and pondered, turning away slightly. Shadow felt something build up inside him at every second she stalled.

“No,” Dr. Robotnik said and a piece of Shadow cracked. “No, I don’t think there is. That foolish, naive child died long before I awakened you, Shadow the Hedgehog.”

Shadow tried not to cry. He really did. But his sister was dead. No, worse, his sister was a monster, a horrid, awful monster, who killed and didn’t even feel guilt.
He crumbled, and as he did, he felt something collect inside him, like a waded ball of tinfoil.

Shadow opened his mouth and a scream tore out of him, followed by a wave of energy cascade.
It destroyed everything, knocked Dr. Robotnik off her feet.
When the smoke cleared, Shadow was gone, as if he was never there.

But he had been. And where he was now was no less painful to the heartbroken teenager with only one friend to his name.
Shadow found himself curled up in a corner of Space Colony ARK, fighting off bittersweet and straight up bitter memories of his time up here.
All that pain he went through, for a vaccine, for Maria, had amounted to nothing and that was worse than the pain itself.

“Ah, there you are.” A voice came from the ARK’s darkness and the false hedgehog jolted up. 

“Huh, wha, who said that?” Shadow questioned, standing to his feet and straightening out his quills.
“So you don’t even recognize me… what a tragedy…” the voice said but Shadow was unable to tell if the voice was being sarcastic or not. “Shadow, I am your father.”
“My…” Shadow’s eyes widened. “My what?”


Home for Sonic and Tails was a small apartment not far from the middle of nowhere and the middle of everywhere. It had one bedroom, a kitchen fusion dining room, a cramped living room with black mold permanently stuck to the corners, and a bathroom that didn’t always have a leaky sink.

Tails usually slept in the only bed in the bedroom but both siblings insisted Ivo take it, who countered that he and Tails share it instead. Either way, the people Sonic cared about got the bed and Sonic stayed on the saggy couch two days past its expiration date, so he let the two geniuses hash it out.

Today had been close, Sonic reflected. Not just for himself but for Ivo. There was no way Sonic was letting his dad die at the hands of Maria ‘Seed’ Robotnik. He wasn’t even at peace with losing him to some stupid disease.
Sonic only agreed to Ivo stopping his treatment and stay at the hospital because Ivo hated the hospital and today’s attack proved that the sterile pre-tomb was not as safe as Sonic thought.

Sonic glanced over at the two, Ivo having sat down to finish arguing, weakening his argument against Tails’ assault.

...And maybe Sonic missed having someone older and wiser at home to make him feel safe himself. You know. One of those dumb childish feelings you get sometimes.

“Sonic?” Tails’ concerned voice broke the older out of his musings. “Are you okay?”
“Huh?” Sonic blinked before wiping his face and giving his best smile. “Of course! You guys finish talking, I’ll get dinner ready. Chili dogs and mac and cheese sound good?”
“Um, yeah.” Tails frowned, sharing a far too obvious glance with Ivo.

Cooking was a familiar and old practice, allowing Sonic to mentally collapse while his body slipped into more or less muscle memory.
It probably isn’t healthy, this habit of dazing purposely out of so much of his mundane life, but the alternative was being constantly aware and waiting for a flowered knife to slip between his ribs.

Sonic set up a small to-do list in his head as he worked.

1. Buy Tails materials to make a new communicator, cheaper than two phones and data.
2. Buy a second bed for Ivo and Tails.
3. Find a more permanent solution to Dr. Robotnik. One that didn’t involve murder because Sonic had considered it and it carried more risks than values.
4. Check on Shadow.

The last one was a bit more easy than the others, requiring only a quick dash to all the areas the other usually hung around, and if he wasn’t there, confront Robotnik.
That Sonic thought Robotnik would really do anything to Shadow. She seemed to care about him, in some twisted way. She wouldn’t stop for him but she seemed slightly unwilling to hurt him.

Sonic paused, the chili bubbling in his ears for a second.

He hoped he wasn’t wrong. He hoped Shadow was okay.