S: Another story from me. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic, or any of his friends, OK? I do own this little tale, though.

My head is far too full. If I sit and think, a practice I used to enjoy, all I find are conflicting emotions and thoughts, telling me to do this and do that.

The one voice I should listen to is drowned out by the horrible sounds of betrayal. I feel… betrayed by him, like I should have expected more from him. He was my friend, I think to myself, so why did he betray me?

Then I am disgusted at myself for showing such weakness, even if the only audience is the impassable cavern of my mind. I push the thought back with a sharp punch to the altar, and clench my teeth. It is then that I wake up.

No matter what the weather, no matter the cycle of night and day I find myself in, I am forced to ask the same question.

Why?

And how?

Why did he betray us? How dare he die! Why did he… deceive us like he did? We danced along on his merry ride like puppets.

I hate him. But I can't tell why.

The other question is how? How did he manage to deceive me? Me, of all people! Even when he was my enemy, I did not trust the one who told me he was my enemy. I couldn't afford to be trusting to strangers.

Yet how did he manage to make me his friend? He helped me in my duty, to my eternal dishonour, but that should have been the end of our meeting.

Yet it wasn't! How did he get me to join him on his 'adventures'? Merely thinking the word in association with him gives my mouth a horrible taste.

He played me for a fool. Only because he is dead do I know it. The girl, Amy. What a child, thinking she had one ounce of the ability he had! I would have left in the end anyway, but she forced it upon me. I could not bear to see her face, her eyes filled with false courage and blind trust and adoration, because I saw a reflection of myself in them.

I am convinced it happened slowly. Not even he could have convinced me just like that.

He made me weak when once I was strong, and I hate him for it with such force that it causes me actual pain. Every object I could find of him I destroyed upon my return. I moved my home away from sight of the surface. I saw his mocking face in the oceans below.

I punch the altar, realizing I had begun to think of him again. With limbs that feel heavy, I rise from my seated position and turn. At once my worries evaporate, like a cool breeze in a stifling room.

My charge, the Master Emerald, sits on its pedestal. I touch it with my gloved hand, soothing myself with its rhythms. My heart responds, relieving my stress.

Tails begged me not to go. I could see the madness in his eyes. He had been under the spell for longer than imaginable, following his blue hero.

Who became my blue hero as well.

I hiss and turn round. I do not want to dwell on this.

Right?

I don't want to remember his face, I don't want to remember his eyes, or his stance, or his voice, or his trust in me. I don't want to remember the feeling of acceptance I got when I was around him.

He was my only friend. I was so alone…

And all I want is to have him back. I don't remember falling to my knees, and I don't remember the rain starting. It's easier to pretend it's the rain making my cheeks wet than utter the words of weakness.

I am not crying. I am not.

Why should I cry over him? I didn't know what loneliness was until he came along. My first friend… I want you back.

And I hate you for it.

Can I ever go back? Do I want to change our encounter, so that he didn't walk away with another servant?

No. There is more at stake.

Chaos would not have returned without him. I would not know of my past from Tikal. I would not have gained more combat experience. I would not have met the others.

I could go back to them. I just wouldn't look at them, that's all.

The loneliness is crushing, each raindrop hammering on my back. The night closes in, denying me any chance of distracting myself with the familiar landmarks of my home.

Cutting me off.

I so desperately wish to go back. I want to see their faces again. I can do it, I can face them, I am a Guardian, and I never back down.

This time I can help them. This time I will use everything I have to wipe away the stain on my honour. Sonic the Hedgehog, your memory will fall.

But your puppets will live. I am going to free them from you, even if I have to cut the strings myself.

You are dead now, and I am glad. I want you back, but now I know that that is just another string, holding me up.

I will stand on my own two feet again.

I grin through the rain, well aware of how it looks. The Master Emerald will help me in this goal, even if it doesn't want to. It looks at me now, wondering about my behaviour.

My look frightens it. Good.

Look out, Dr Robotnik. Angel Island is coming home. I could never stay away for long.

S: Tell me what you thought of it. Personally I think the short prequel is better, but you are the judge of that.

The ending of this chapter is deliberate. There is more to this story, and it's sloshing around between my ears at this very moment. If you want this to continue, please tell me so in a review.

By the way, the prequel to this is a Oneshot I wrote called 'The Sidekick of Someone Else Now'. It has an important plot point in it, and if you don't take a few minutes to read it and catch up, you may be like "WTF!?" later on in this. I'm just saying.

I thank you for reading. Goodbye for now.