Bruised

Say WHAT?! Bradhadair12 is doing something?! I got 'Sonic the Hedgehog; for christmas in '08, which I wanted ever since it came out in '06, but I didn't have an Xbox 360 at the time! I personally thought it was great, especially Silver's story. It's a pity the speed doesn't match up to that of 'Sonic Unleashed', which is also a marvel. Anywho, I got inspired when I saw the cutscene when Sonic died! I almost died myself! *ahem* R&R please!

Bradhadair12 doesn't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any other characters in this story, savvy? On with the story!

If anyone could have seen my thoughts when it happened they would probably have been surprised. Quite morbid, they were, but I suppose when you're dying you're allowed to be a bit out of character. I was just glad as few people saw it as possible. Oddly selfish thoughts for someone who was heralded for throwing their life away for strangers. I always promised myself I'd never have a moment of weakness in front of anyone; only when I was alone would everything catch up with my speed.

I never feared death after everything I'd done. Most of my time was usually taken up by smashing robots into pieces: heartless machines whose only drive was to destroy me. But fighting Iblis and his minions was different. They had souls – maybe not as bright or as intelligent as mine, but souls all the same. So what did that make me? A murderer? There wasn't any time to consider my actions in the heat of battle, with the breath of a thousand monsters tickling your neck, their claws inches away from your chest. I never had time to think.

When my time came, however, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Strolling around with Elise, running into a Chaos Emerald, searing pain, and then nothing. It wouldn't make a good story, trust me. It was like my head was disconnected from my body. I didn't feel myself fall, or my body hit the ground. It hurt a lot less than I'd expected it to do: the screams of pain from my fallen enemies still gave me shivers.

I gave a little wriggle and that was that. I literally stepped out of my body, like it was a husk I'd thrown away. I floated off, getting higher but yet going nowhere. It was like when I'd pulled off Chaos Control with myself as the centre, a feat I wouldn't suggest unless you were prepared for the worst to happen. People came out of Chaos Control with body parts missing. At least I hadn't taken that route. I could just imagine everyone's face if I appeared missing a leg, or even my head!

But I digress. Maybe if I'd looked down, I'd have seen Elise crying over my body, or Mephiles triumphing in my defeat, even though he'd attacked me from behind like a coward. I didn't feel the wind on my skin, or the sun on my back. And it was silent. Maybe that part was what made it really sink in. I'd always been able to hear the wind screeching in my ears as I whizzed past at incredible speeds. I'd never be able to do that again now. Shoot...

Actually, I take that back. There was noise, but it was so far away I almost couldn't hear it. It was like bells and voices, calling out things in a hundred languages, beckoning me closer to their secret haven. I could understand most of them, but some seemed to merge together, becoming a continuous drone beneath the higher pitches of the chimes. I tried to urge myself onwards, wanting to be as close to those voices as I could manage, but it was like I had fish hooks stuck in my skin, pulling me back to Earth. Something was keeping me there, but I didn't know what. My mind was all messed up; I'd already forgotten my friends and my world. I suppose dying does that to you.

All of a sudden it was like being caught in rapids, the air - or whatever I was floating in – churning and boiling like a pan of soup. Bright white light pierced through the darkness and almost scattered my essence. It was all I could do to try and hold on! Almost like being on the back of a plane... but who's? It was all so distant. Couldn't I just die peacefully?!

Eventually the world came to a standstill, though my metaphorical ears still rang with the force of the turmoil. That was the last time I'd eat seven chilli dogs before going on a life-threatening mission! The light slowly faded to a single point suspended above me, glowing ominously, or as ominously as a ball of light can glow. A swirling void of darkness extended beyond, swallowing everything. I realized I didn't have any legs and pulled my essence back into shape. It wouldn't do to look bad for the Apocalypse.

The voices were gone. The light must have blocked them, whatever everything was. I couldn't tell anymore, and I was pretty much past caring. If I still had a body I'd have smacked this light upside the head for being so intrusive! I had to make do with glowering at it and spinning a few angry cartwheels in midair. If I was going to be dead, then I'd be dead in style!

While I was floating upside down, kicking my arms and legs in a dignified windmill motion – or as dignified as one could kick one's arms and legs in a windmill motion – I saw a strange set of ruins floating in the darkness. Blurry shaped moved on its surface, a rainbow of colours dotted like freckles on the stone, though I couldn't make them out from this distance. I wondered how they could have survived. Maybe they could beat up the light for me! They seemed... familiar somehow, and so did the ruins they were standing on. I willed myself in a vaguely downwards motion, though in this place any way could have been down, and started to move.

The ruins were familiar, the blobs of colour becoming shapes and eventually figures as I drifted closer. I was moving far too slow for my liking, but it was better than nothing, I suppose. Two were humans and the others animals, the tallest only coming to the waist of the standing human. The other was kneeling on the ground, a fallen figure in its arms. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw it, though I couldn't say why. Maybe because it looked so... lifeless. I certainly couldn't feel any life moving in it like I could in the others. I wonder if it's normal for someone to be able to feel life when you're dead. I suppose no one's been able to come back to tell us about it before.

Wait a sec! I knew this lot! Umm... it was so hard to concentrate. It almost hurt to be this close to living creatures, like their life repelled my dead essence. I pushed against the force, refusing to be forced away when my curiosity burned away so strongly in my chest. More detail came into view: the standing human was male, with a big moustache. I bet he was teased something rotten for it! A little yellow fox with... two tails? Flashes of planes and machines scattered briefly. It was like I was watching two TV shows at once, one image superimposed onto the other. It made my head hurt even more, and I started when I realised how close I was to them all. Almost close enough to touch them, hovering unsteadily over their heads. Maybe if I kicked hard enough, I'd give one of them concussion!

Their mouths moved, but I heard no sound. I guess I was just in a completely differently world to them and it wasn't filtering through. They were confused and frightened: their faces betraying emotion so strong I could almost feel it. The man spoke with an air of dignity that must have been accumulated over years of practise. I don't think I could have paid attention for long enough to have the same attribute. Something stopped me from respecting him, though. Something I couldn't remember. Whatever. It probably wasn't important.

The man signalled off in the direction I saw the other human and the fallen figure when I was diving and the other followed his gaze. I'd drifted down low enough so that I could almost touch the floor. Someone's big, fat, red head got in the way, so I couldn't see, the douche bag! I'd have to clobber him later. Sudden waves of grief and shock rolled off the crowd, hitting me in the face and smacking me with recoil. Luckily, no one was behind me; at least, not within range, which is what mattered. Whatever it was, it had to be bad. Maybe the fallen figure was a friend of theirs. Maybe he or she was dead! Hmm... What a coincidence. I needed to get closer, so I tried to give the red idiot a shove, but went straight through him! He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself, but I couldn't tell if it was from me or the spectacle in front of him. Whatever; stuff him. I'd just go around.

I floated gracefully around the huddle of silently mourning creatures, hovering over an endless void of darkness to get past, trying not to get too battered by their waves of pain. At the centre of the mass was a young girl, about 17 or so, weeping over a body that was very familiar. There was no doubt about it. It was... mine? But how? It was definitely me: no one had quills as blue as mine, though my quills at the moment had paled so they were almost as white as that other hedgehog over there who looked like a cockatiel. I looked so serene, even in death, like I was sleeping. I wouldn't wake up though, no matter how hard anyone wished for it. My heart lurched again and I turned away. It felt wrong to cry now, even though no one could see me.

Ah... that's right. I remember now. All these people are my friends, except for the homicidal emo and the fat guy. It was a bit... weird seeing them fall apart like this. I knew they were my friends, but... I guess I never thought they liked me this much. I don't mean it in an insensitive manner; it was just a bit uncomfortable seeing them shed tears over me. Not everyone was crying, though: Shadow had his head lowered in respect, Rouge was turned away, holding everything back. Eggman looked a bit sorrowful, but didn't really seem to care that much, not that I'd expect any sympathy from him. Silver just looked as stunned as I felt at the display of emotions from the rest. Maybe he'd never had such love like that in the future. It wasn't exactly the most inviting place I'd visited, including the Death Egg. Amy and Tails looked like they were going to die. It almost broke my heart. And where was that cat with the coat and boots?!

They started talking again, though with a hint of defeat in their postures. Surely they hadn't given up already?! They were only one man down! They could still beat up whatever had caused all this trouble! Iblis... was it? It was hard to remember that far back. Whatever it was called, they couldn't just give up! Silver clearly felt the same, the fires of battle already burning in his eyes. Heh. My enemy is my friend after all.

Then Shadow just had to go and smash the fighting spirit that had been building. I don't know what he said, but the mood crashed to the way it was before. Amy started wailing silently again – to me at least, which is what was important - while the others seemed to concede to defeat. It made me so angry, to see them all stop fighting like this! Didn't they know they were better than this?! Elise stopped crying over my body and looked up straight at me. She didn't actually see me, but it was still unnerving. Her lips moved, forming my name, staring at the space where I was hovering.

"I feel... Sonic's presence in the wind... I don't think he's dead yet!"

At least, that's what I think she said. Lip reading was hard! I didn't feel any wind myself, and besides, how could there be wind in a place like this? But, sure enough, her hair was shimmering gently in the light from the thing above us, caught in a breeze. Everyone else's hair/fur/quills/dreadlocks were also swaying lightly, like someone had just opened a window, all expect for Omega, who didn't have any hair to be swaying. Maybe I was like a poltergeist and my anger at their sorry states had moved the air. Maybe I could contact them, somehow? It was worth a try. I had nothing better to do, being dead and all. She was wrong on that matter: I was definitely dead.

I stopped focussing on my surroundings and instead tried to gather my mind into something tangible. If I wished hard enough, I might even become visible! I knew that I had a form, and that it was hopefully the same as my body, if a little off color, but I didn't know if I was even present on this plane of existence. Something must have happened because Shadow's eyes flickered briefly in my direction. I probably appeared as a faint smudge in thin air. Well, a smudge is no way for Sonic the Hedgehog to make an appearance! I flew over to one of the walls and tried to make myself touch it. I remembered that the ruins were actually the Altar of Flame. How ironic that it should all end where it all began.

By then Silver had jumped back into action, bless his little cotton socks, and was crouched in front of Elise. Whatever he said, it made her stop crying. I continued pushing against a loose couple of bricks, the effort casting black spots over my vision, not that they made much difference against the suffocating darkness that already engulfed everything but the ruins, the light above us, and me. One thing was sure; I wasn't any stronger for being dead.

Eventually, which was probably ages considering the speed I was moving at, the bricks toppled and smashing on the ground with a satisfying CRUNCH! For a minute I thought I was going to be joined by a whole battalion of dead spirits! Tails practically fainted on the spot, and Amy fell over backwards! I rolled off laughing, my sides burning with the strain! If only I had a camera! Classic!

They picked themselves up, some of them literally, and split up. The ground had been shaking, and pieces of the walkway were breaking up. I just hoped none of them fell to their deaths! Well, at least I'd have company. Just as long as it wasn't Shadow. Imagine: spending an eternity with him! Elise and Eggman stayed with my body, standing in an awkward silence. His legs looked a bit quivery: maybe he was in shock. After all, he didn't have anyone to try and overcome when he launched another futile scheme to rule the world. Or maybe it was just because soon there wouldn't be a world for him to rule over.

The weight of being so low became too much and I started to float back upwards again. I didn't want to leave my friends behind in their time of need, but the threat of being drawn in by the mysterious voices had vanished, so it wasn't too much of a problem. I turned again to look at the light, more curious than angry. What could it be? Why did everyone seem to know more about what was going on than me?! This wasn't the first time I hadn't had a clue as to what was going on, but this had something to do with my death, so it was pretty important.

Well, why don't you come and ask me?

Umm... OK? I drifted closer to the light, surprised to feel soft heat landing on my skin. It was the first thing I'd felt since I'd died.

Ah, yes. You don't properly know what happened, do you?

Where is that voice coming from? It seems familiar. Maybe I was having a memory lapse again.

Not quite. You, see, I'm the one who killed you.

Say WHAT?! Stuff being dead, if it's your fault then you'll have to pay for it!

Hahahahaha! What are you going to do, push bricks at me?

...

Stupid hedgehog. I exist in all timelines, all at once. Yelling at me isn't going to change anything.

Instead of throwing insults at me, why don't you explain what's been happening. It's not like we're going anywhere any time soon.

True. I go by the name of Solaris. Maybe you have heard of me?

Yeah. Elise said something about your anger destroying the world. Not the nicest reputation to have.

Hahahaha. I suppose not, but what good is reputation to a God?

I hope you realise being a God isn't going to stop me from wiping the floor with you after-

After what? There isn't much left now. I'm finally whole, after 10 long years. What will you do with your time, Sonic?

Meh. Go for a run, I guess. Never actually had much time on my hands before, so I guess I'd never thought about it.

Now would be a good time. We have an eternity of darkness to look forward to.

If you say so.

I do. Even a God had to eat, and I feed off time itself.

I prefer chilli dogs, personally. More filling. And you can put toppings on them. What do you put on time? Mustard?! Seriously!

I do not feed because I wish to, or because I enjoy it, but because I must. Don't look at me like that: you know what I'm talking about.

Speaking of which, who are you, exactly?

I go by the name of Solaris, God of Flames, Destroyer of-

Yeah, yeah, whatever. What I mean is how did you come to be on Earth? Last time I checked you were nothing more than a myth.

A worshipped myth. Ten years ago the Duke of Soleanna partook in a risky energy project. He attempted to use the Chaos Emeralds to call upon my power and harness it. He failed.

Obviously.

He really believed that a higher being such as myself would listen to the pathetic pleas of a lowly, insignificant speck such as him! I manipulated him; led him along to believe that there was hope. Then I took my chance and wiped the scum off the face of the Earth.

And left a child an orphan and a kingdom without a ruler.

Such is the chain of events that make up this world. I do not care for mortals. There is only myself.

Everyone seems to say that these days! Only, I can't say you have a God Complex because you are a God.

Now I see you begin to understand. Unfortunately, I was... unprepared for existence on Earth. The forces tore me in two, dividing light and dark, scattering us both separately.

... Iblis and Mephiles?

Yes.

You're very talkative for a super-dimensional being. I thought you'd be all like 'Whatever, mortal.'

... An eternity of solitude is torture even for the greatest souls. Besides, you wouldn't stop talking to me even if I stopped talking to you.

Oh, hang on a sec. My quills look like mush.

You are dead, yet you still hang onto that flimsy incarnation. Why bother? It is not necessary any more. Why waste your energy? It's not even very attractive.

Because I don't want to look like a shiny ball of mess floating in the sky like you do. And I am quite attractive, thank you! You never really had a form, did you?

I had two, fool.

So how would you pick? I don't expect you to understand. This is who I am. Whoa... I just sounded like someone else there.

...

Well, whatever happens, at least make yourself presentable for when I kick your butt later. It wouldn't make me look very tough if I wipe the floor with a ball of light. Personally I would go for the tower of flames. A crystal hedgehog isn't very imposing.

What makes you think you, of all people, would be able to beat me?!

My friends have come back with the Chaos Emeralds. I can feel their energy from here.

Gah! I should have destroyed the retched stones! I tire of your presence! Leave me be!

Fine, Mr. Sulky. It's not my fault you practically presented a way to defeat you to us on a silver platter! I tore myself away from Solaris, struck by how our essences had begun to mingle. I wondered how much time had passed during our conversation, but didn't try to establish any more contact with him. He could brood all he wanted on his own. I flipped upside down, marvelling at how fluid the movement was now that I wasn't affected by gravity, and examined the scene taking place below me.

I wasn't as far off as I had thought I was, which must have meant that Solaris was expanding. My eerily still body was lying in the centre of the floating Altar, surrounded on all sides by the seven Chaos Emeralds. Their positive energies rung out sweetly through the void, backed by an ominous humming that must have been the negative energies. I was probably the only one who could hear them, or at least the only one that could hear them that mattered, thank you, Solaris.

My friends and enemies stood in a huddle nearby, looking more hopeful now that there might be a way to save me. Some of them sported wounds that made my skin crawl. They shouldn't be risking themselves like this for me. Elise stood at the front, quaking slightly, hands clasped firmly in prayer. I pushed at the air again, sending silent streams of wind in her direction. The feathers in her hair fluttered as they brushed past, and she smiled serenely. She knew I was there still.

Her lips began to move, reciting words that I couldn't hear or read. The air was pregnant with tension. She paused for breath, stunned as the Chaos Emeralds lifted my body into the air, their humming growing louder, almost like they were gasping with the strain. I could feel their energies beginning to pump through my veins, and a fluttering started in my chest where there had been none before. I suddenly felt heavy, surprised at how much I seemed to weigh. I guess I had become somewhat used to being weightless, so that even my tiny mass dragged me down.

Elise approached my body carefully and spoke directly to me, no longer beseeching the emeralds for their help. They pulsed with indignity, annoyed that their limitless power had been forgotten. If I strained my ears enough the peals of energy became voices, whispering to each other in a language that I didn't know. Was Chaos a living creature, split apart into eight pieces, counting the energies in the Master Emerald? I could suddenly understand what Solaris must have felt, being divided in two, both parts longing for each other but unable to close the gap. Elise bent over my body, obscuring my face from view. My lips felt warm, as if something had fluttered gently over them. I tried to lift my hand to them, but it didn't exist anymore. I was breaking apart quickly, the voices of the Chaos Emeralds rising until they filled my head with chants.

Sonikku...

Sonikku...

Errash tu miino...

Kinda protinerrtou du mi sakomm...

Sonic.

The fish hooks were back, pulling me down with such a force that my chest split open, pouring white light from the depths. I felt no pain, my body filled with the sensation of Chaos. I glimpsed the others shrouding their faces in terror, the light from my chest shining through to their dimension even as it began to fade away. A force began to push against me, repelling me with all its might. Infuriated at the challenge it was posing, I pushed back, joined by the power of the Chaos Emeralds. The shield resisted briefly before shattering like glass, granting me access. I willingly gave myself to the empty space the force had been protecting, filling it up with my essence until I lost track of where I was, gaining glimpses of visions from my scattered pieces.

And suddenly it was all over. I was still floating, but I felt so heavy it was a miracle I was still in the air! I buzzed with Chaos Energy, my senses heightened beyond belief. The sound of my heart pounding and the blood sloshing around in my veins was deafening. Who knew my body was so noisy?! My friends had done it; I was alive again.

They could see me now, or at least, I was in the body that they could see. I still felt somewhat detached, like my body was simply a shell that I could cast off when I wanted, and I doubted it would ever be any different now. People were cheering and clapping, the noise making my ears ring, though it wasn't wholly unwelcome. Elise smiled weakly at me before collapsing. I thought about moving to her and catching her, and my body responded jerkily. Yes, it would take a long time before I was used to being alive again. I thought about speaking to her; telling her everything that I could ever want to tell, but it wouldn't happen. Speaking wasn't a reflex anymore. I could only manage three words:

"Thank you, Elise."

It seemed to be all I needed. I felt her smile on my shoulder, the warmth radiating from her living flesh stronger than that of Solaris: fiercer and more alive. Now he'd see what I meant by 'sweeping the floor with him'! I let Elise go, sensing that she could support her own weight again. I surveyed the crowd behind her, trying to pick out two lone figures. They were standing at the front: Silver with a goofy grin plastered on his face, and Shadow merely crossing his arms at me; stubborn idiot!

I gently moved Elise out of the way and walked towards them, barely suppressing a stumble when both legs tried to move at once. Shadow raised a figurative eyebrow at me, but Silver didn't seem to notice, entranced by the waves of pure power rolling off me. They both came closer, probably knowing what was going to happen.

The Chaos Emeralds had been fully drained by the effort of resurrecting the dead, and had dissolved from existence. No doubt when I let go of the energies raging inside of me they would manifest again. For now, I was the Chaos Emeralds, and Shadow and Silver would have to rely on me alone. I held out both hands in their directions and they mirrored my actions, forming a triangle between us. Their hands wouldn't touch mine, being repelled by the uncontrollable forces that radiated out of every part of my body. I didn't know how I managed to stay on the ground without tearing it to pieces. I separated some of the energy, enough to force both hedgehogs into a transformation, and pushed it through my hands into their bodies.

I felt the effects immediately: my senses dimmed from being hyper-sensitive to only more sensitive than normal, my quills darkened from maize yellow to a duller gold, and lost some of their sheen. My skin stopped feeling like it was going to split with every move I made. In return both Shadow and Silver, which was a surprise because I didn't know if it was going to work with him, were illuminated with gold light, energy pulsing steadily inside them in time with their heartbeats.

But this was... different from every other super transformation I'd witnessed. It was true that they were now the vessels for the Chaos Energy, but it still felt like it was mine. I'd only loaned it to them, where before it had left my body and become the recipient's power. I could snap off the connection between us all, and the energy in them would fizzle away and they'd returned to normal in an instant. Only I was unending. I controlled their powers, and that was more frightening than anything else.

Now I knew what the Master Emerald must feel like.

Joined by my glowing companions, we rose up into the void, away from the ties that bound us to the ground. It was like this every time I used the Chaos Emeralds, like somehow I was above the normal rules of the world. No wonder Shadow never went anywhere without a Chaos Emerald in tow: it was a brilliant feeling! I cast my eyes to Solaris, his light almost black in the face of ours. I reached out my mind to him, feeling for the connection I already knew was there.

You don't have to do this, you know. Look at the power you have! These weaklings depend on you to simply exist! You're more powerful than any of them could ever dream of! Join me, and we can rule the world together...

That line again? Isn't that a bit clichéd? Do you honestly think I would throw down everything and become another shade of evil? Besides, you only seek destruction; you told me so yourself. I won't have any part in this.

Are you sure? Look how afraid they are of you!

... Afraid? No way! I glanced over at Silver, knowing that Shadow would just look as moody as ever. Solaris was right: he looked frightened of me, like I was a force to be reckoned with. Didn't he know that I called upon them to help me, because I couldn't do it alone?

Don't kid yourself. Your power now extends farther beyond the reaches of time and space. You are Chaos now, and I will refer to you as such.

Regardless of that, I stick by my decision. You're going down, Solaris, whether you like it or not!

Very well then. Prepare yourself, Chaos! You're existence ends here! All of you!

My name isn't Chaos! It's Sonic the Hedgehog!

In the end he chose a form that resembled a cross between a plane and a bird. Oh, Solaris; no finesse at all.