Author's Note

This chapter was made by Rainbow sparkle1 so Big credits to them ^^

btw the last chapter has a conclusion now

Zone ll: Scrap and Run 1/2

Backstories

Twilight woke up to a black void after passing out from that red ring. She silently cursed Pinkie for tossing that ring to her without knowing it was dangerous. After she got up, she activated an illumination spell to help her see her surroundings, but the darkness stretched for miles. She walked forward, calling out to anyone who could be there.

“Hello?! Anypony here?!” she called.

Eventually, she began to hear crying from nearby. The soft sobs sounded male as she looked in the direction of the cries, and began to walk in that direction. As the cries got closer, she could see a figure in the darkness.

He was surrounded by floating screens of the distorted landscapes she had encountered during the journey, and she saw the figure’s forelimbs chained. As she got closer, she realized the figure looked just like Exe. She narrowed her eyes and spread her wings, preparing to shoot a magical beam at him.

“Exe, you better explain why I’m here in this void with you, or you’ll-” She shouted, cutting herself off after what happened next.

She didn’t expect the figure to turn around fearfully, revealing his face.

His eyes were normal, with green irises surrounding black pupils. Tear streaks stained his cheeks, and they weren’t bloody. The gloves were clean and neat, with not a single rip in the fabric. Looking closer, Twilight noticed his fur color was a brighter blue than Exe’s.

He tearfully responded, curling up in fear, “You’ve got it all wrong! I’m not him! Please don’t do it!”

Twilight’s face softened at his appearance and response. She disabled her magic and tucked her wings back to her side.

“I’m sorry, I thought you were him,” she said sheepishly.

“I’m not surprised, *sniff* I would’ve done the same,” he choked out.

Twilight began to feel bad for him. Seeing someone crying like this made her heart sink, like when she watched Rainbow Dash sob heavily over her pet, Tank, going into hibernation last winter. Her ears fell flat against her head as he turned back to the screens surrounding him.

“Hey, what’s your name, and can you tell me what’s going on?” she asked softly.

He looked up at her again to see her smile sadly at him, placing a hoof on his shoulder. He sniffled again, wiping the tears from his eyes as he slowly calmed down. She sat on her haunches next to him as he took deep breaths, rubbing his back as a means of comfort.

Once he calmed down, he began to explain…

I’m Sonic the Hedgehog, the hero of my world and the fastest thing alive. I could break the sound barrier just by running extremely fast, and I’ve had this power for as long as I can remember.

I’ve had lots of friends who helped me take down several villains, evil entities, etc. But nobody was as stubborn and frequent as Dr. Robotnik, heh, I like to call him Eggman because his body looked like an egg with limbs and a head. He was an evil genius who wanted to take over the entire world and roboticize everyone. Every plan he’s thrown at us, we’ve managed to defeat him.

My best friend was Miles Prower. I call him Tails because he was a two-tailed fox. He was a genius for his young age, able to create robots and several mechanical stuff that could rival Eggman’s.

Then there’s my echidna friend, Knuckles. He was the last of his kind and the guardian of the Master Emerald. He was very thickheaded, able to be tricked easily just so he could protect his home and the emerald. He had the strength to make up for it though, able to break down walls with just a single punch.

Then there’s Amy. She was a hedgehog like me, and boy did she have a huge crush on me. She would chase me down everywhere and demand me to marry her. Eventually, she stopped chasing me down as she got older, but I could still tell she had feelings for me. To make up for that, she had a huge hammer that could bash bad guys to the ground. With her hammer and Knuckles’ strength, nothing could get passed them without getting smashed or flattened.

I had a lot more friends, but I’m only going to name those three to keep this quick. Now to tell what I remember of when this whole mess started.

Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and I were exploring a cave Tails had spotted on his radar. Being the adventurer I was, I agreed to explore it. Knuckles decided a small adventure wouldn’t hurt if nobody stole the Master Emerald, and Amy agreed to come along.

As we walked, a strange red glow came from this one crystal in the middle of the cave. Tails examined the crystal with intense curiosity, while Amy, Knuckles, and I stood back.

“What do you think it is, Tails?” Amy asked.

“I might take it back to Angel Island if I find it extremely powerful. We don’t want it to end up in Eggman’s possession,” Knuckles added.

“Good point, Knux,” I responded.

“It is really powerful,” Tails answered, “But my readings are picking up more negative energy than positive energy.”

It was strange. Most of the artifacts or gems we’ve found contained positive energy. I raised an eyebrow at Tails, and I could tell Knuckles and Amy were doing the same.

“There seems to be a lot of dark magic in this crystal, and I don’t think you’d be safe by taking this to Angel Island, Knuckles.”

I saw Knuckles slump at that statement, which made me chuckle slightly. Knowing him, I’m not surprised he reacted that way.

Suddenly, I heard a voice call out to me.

“T͚͍̦͕̳͒̑̾ͨ̐̆͐̍͝͠_̧̰̪̳͓̳̠̣̱ͦ̋ͣ̉ͮͭͫ̿̎̑ͭ̑̚͞͝ͅÔ̶̷͓̭̰͎̪̼̝̗̹̘̪ͫ͑͂̎ͬ̇ͮͣ̅̉͋̚͡͞Ư̸̵̡̲͔̩̪̮̞̤̗ͬ̿̄͠C̴̶̡͔̘̯͍̬̻̳͚̣͉̗̬̦͈͉̆ͤ̂̆ͦͮͨͮͭ̏͊̾̑̾͟H̢̧̘̗̱̬̰͓͔ͤ̄̈́̈́͑͗̌͆ͫ̅̈͗͑͑͌̚͟͞ T̶̷̢̧͍̟̱͖̼̳̟ͬ͑ͧ̌̒͗̒͒͌͋ͤ̂̍ͨ̐̕͟͟͞͞H͈̯̦̿̉̏ͨ̅͐͐̉ͪ̑̀͡È̷̴̡̘̝͙͔͙͇͒͌̃̌ͧ͆̚͞_̨̗̜̟̞̭͗̇̚͞ Ĉ͑̐̀R̨̛̛̝̙̤̳̣͙͈̝͆ͬͫ̎ͤ́̑̌ͩ̐̋ͧͥͯ̎̆ͥ̄̉̚̚͟͠Y̞͋̊ͨ̑̔ͪͯ̕͝͝S̵̸̴̸̷̵̨͈̝̠͍͇̰̗͚̬̭̞͙̲̰̱̉̆̍̈͑͂̾͑͐ͪ̍̌̇̉̋ͥ̅͗̕̕̕͟͞T̳̀̄ͧ̑͟A̡̡̛̜̼̦͇̟̤͕͖̜͙͌ͬ̓̑̂͒͊ͥͪ̆̍ͧ̏͊̊̕͢͠͞Ḽ̢̡̗̤͖̤̤̗̰́̿̾͒͆͛̐͐̏̀̕̚͝.̠̗͑͒͗̍.̷̧̢̺͎͇͈̮͍̩̦͎̗̱̹̫̏͒̆̏ͥ͛ͪ̏͊̿͛̔ͮ̍͊ͦ̔̀̚͢͜ͅͅ.̢̭̩͇̱̯̖͕͖̖̲̱̌ͧͧ́͂̓̀͑̚͡”

I jumped, not expecting to hear it.

“Uh, guys, did you hear that voice?”

“What voice?” Amy answered.

“Sonic, are you alright?” Tails asked me, concerned.

“Uh, yeah. Maybe I’m just hearing things,” I answered nervously.

“We should probably get out of here, this place is giving me the creeps,” Amy said.

We all agreed, but I told myself to return here to investigate further. Knowing what it had in store now, I wish I hadn’t.

That night, I sped back to that cave to find the crystal still there. I narrowed my eyes as I prepared to face whatever was going on with that crystal.

“Hello? I anyone there?” I called out.

Not too long after, I heard the voice again.

W̴̰̊̈h̶̯͌͐ŷ̷̰̣ ̷̭̹̎͘ḣ̷͚̟̏e̴̠͋l̶̨͆l̸͔̆ọ̴̥̈́͛,̷̡͉̈̅ ̶̢͍̀̌S̴̥̠͝o̵̜̻̒ň̴̮̖ỉ̸͉c̷̙͇̓ ̶͉̻̐̌t̸̞̗̓h̶̟͌́e̴͍̒ ̶͖͌̋H̸̙͖̓e̵̻̝͛̕d̴͇̬̑̾g̸̣͐e̸̳̺͒h̸̡̛̺̃ỏ̵̼ͅǵ̷̩̆,̷͚̏̑ ̵̟͘̕Ȑ̴͓̿e̴͖̭͌t̶̪̞̏ǔ̶͊ͅr̷̫͗̾ņ̷̋̋e̸̢̹̔d̷̜̩͋ ̷͉͔͌f̴͎̉o̸͍̎ŗ̷̗͠ ̴̱̞́͝m̷͙̤̋ỹ̵͂͜ ̷͉͑k̶̥̑́n̶̮̭̎̾o̵̮͛ẁ̴̹̇l̶͇̼̎̅e̷̙̞̓d̸͕̤̒g̷̯̤͑̕e̶̯͚͋̚?̴̜̺̍

“No, I want to know what your goal is. I have a gut feeling that you don’t have good intentions.”

O̴̼͛h̷̫̜̅,̴̨̇̆ ̵͊̎͜y̴͈͗ö̸̜̜́ǘ̸̥̿'̷͔̙̏͑v̶̲͒͆e̶̥̿͊ ̵̭̪̅͝g̸̢͂̒õ̷̧̻t̶͔̎͠ ̴̘͎̄̆i̵͐ͅt̶̡̓ ̶̼̄̈́a̷̛̜ͅl̶͔̯̆̐l̸̯̋̀ ̴͕̼̌w̶̭̻̽ŗ̵͐o̸͊ͅn̴͖͕̉g̴͓̼͐.̵̠͕̂͘ ̴̱̻̌̊Ȳ̶͔͠ở̸̡̻u̸̲̭̍ ̶̯͋s̴̔͜e̷͓̺͌̓ë̴̮́̓,̷̧́ ̵͚̯͗͌I̴̡̦͛ ̵̦͝ụ̴͕̚s̸̡̫̋̚e̵̛̪d̶̝̮̊̊ ̵̦̦̒̐t̵̗̳̔o̶̼͠͝ ̶͓̥̕b̴̪̬͝ĕ̴̥͆ ̶̲͊̚å̵͜͝ṇ̷͈̾̌ ̶͓̊e̷̙͊v̶̙͖̿ĭ̴̦ĺ̶͔̹ ̶̙̍͊e̶̥͗̀ṇ̸̹̆t̷̨̍͜i̴̯̒t̷̜̃y̵̳͐ ̵̯̂w̷̢͗i̸͔͗t̸͍̔h̴͓̜͑ ̷̛͎̂b̷͎̂à̴̭̭͑d̵̯͝ ̴̻̽i̶͙̋n̸̤̅̄t̴̟́̔e̶̦̥̋̆n̵̩͙̋͌t̸̹̥̀̈́i̸͖̚o̴͈̓̅n̷͂͜s̴̮̊,̶̥̓ ̶̞̲̏͛b̵̯̈́ǔ̷̥̒t̸̬̽ ̸͈̃̔d̸̲̯̃̅ụ̶̺͒͝ŕ̵̮̫͂ḭ̷̙͝ṅ̶̗͜g̶̼͐̽ ̵͎͙͌ḿ̶̙̚y̸̬̓ ̷̼͙̊̉ī̶͇̽m̵̥̳̾̈́p̸̤͌r̶̘̋i̷̛̫̘s̷̫̥̑ò̶̗͖̓ń̸̮m̸̡̈ě̵̯̱n̶̻̪̎͑t̶͓̒͝ ̴̹̇́i̵͖͜͠n̸̖̄̆ ̷̺͛ẗ̶͈̚h̷͉̃̅ĭ̵͎s̷̫͐ ̸̠̿̄c̵͇͛̽r̴̹̓ý̸̯ṣ̷̹͐t̸͉̜̑a̸̺̮͌̽l̷̗͊͠,̸̢͚̍ ̴̖̌Í̴͎͊ ̵̺͂r̴̠͖͑e̷͙͑̈a̶͚̘̒l̷̦̚i̵̞̿z̴̈ͅě̵͍ḑ̵̕ͅ ̴̬̮̌m̶̫͉̍y̷͚̾̄ ̴̻̬̂͂ḿ̴͍͓ì̷̤s̶̫͎͂t̸͙͐ả̶̜̺k̴̲͙̓e̴̲̜̕ŝ̴̡̖.̷̗͒̂ ̵̢͑P̵͖̌͝ļ̷̻̏͝ȅ̷̲a̴̹̞̿s̶͕̙͂e̵͉̫̓͠ ̶͇̀r̷̜̅͝e̴̯̽l̴͇̆ĕ̷͇a̸̋͜s̵̗̚͝ͅe̷̩̺͋̈́ ̸̹̠͛̚m̴̟̪̔ȇ̶̫́ ̵̻̭̚f̴̤̺́̓r̵̹͆̃o̷̪̦͋͝m̸̒͑ͅ ̴̣̳̏̌t̴̘̚h̴̡̝͛͠î̶̢̮̇s̷͖̞̑̔ ̷̗̮̽e̴͈̪͑ť̷̨é̷̪r̶̩͊͋n̶̟̮̋a̴̭̍́l̸͚̣͌ ̵̱́͋ͅp̴̟͉̽̆r̴̢̛̦͂i̶͈̒͝s̸̰̕o̸̹͛n̴̲̠͛,̵̞͂ ̶̙̈́a̸̱̭̎n̸̜̼̄̂ď̵̮̆͜ ̴̗̓̆I̷̳̬͑̇ ̵̰̀̅͜s̷͔̓ẖ̸̅a̸̱̦̾l̶͔̠͑͊l̵̢͔̀ ̸̳̑g̷͉̊r̵̙̤̀͋ȃ̴͖̩̚n̸̹̜͆̿t̵̬̤̕ ̴̛̰̭ẏ̴̧o̸̰͗ǔ̶͎̿ ̴̢̘̐̽ÿ̴͎́͗o̴̞̚u̸̫̿̈́r̷͈̝̃ ̶̦̈̚g̸̛̯͚r̵̳̆e̴̱̜͠a̷̧̕ț̵̈é̷̩s̴͓̪͋t̶̺̬̾̕ ̴͙͛̽d̵͋͜e̵̥͛̓s̵̩̋i̷̙̱͗r̸̥͇͗ȩ̸̫̇̃.̸͉̟̌̉

I wasn’t sure if he was telling me the truth, so I initially hesitated and asked him again.

“So, if I ask you to give me infinite chili dogs, you’d grant me that wish just by setting you free?”

Y̴̥͎̓̔ë̶̖́̃ṡ̸̭͈,̵̖̐ ̸̧̧͌Í̴͍ ̷̮̩͊c̷͆̈́͜a̶̺͙̽̇ń̷́͜ͅ ̷͓́̈́͜g̴͚̉̋r̶̞̔́a̸̧͈͋̓n̷̺̦̈t̸̥̄̓ ̷͇̾̋͜y̴̰͝o̴̦͂u̵̜͇̾ ̶̰̮̉͘á̴̮ń̸̘́y̶̎͜t̶̪̖̓h̶͍̘͌i̶̖̐̍n̷̟͓͑͐g̷̪̙̀̄ ̴͇̌̆ͅy̵͎̔̆ö̸̲͘u̶͉͒'̴̺͎̌̒d̶̞̈̉ͅ ̷̲̫̈́͝l̵̞̀́i̸̱̝̾k̴͈̑ḛ̷͕́͂.̵̲͛ ̵̱͖̌J̸͕̾u̸͎͌s̶̓͜t̵̡̗̚ ̴̱̇̿s̷̼̼̓ē̶͎̔t̵̡̯̒́ ̷͓͂m̶͇̫̓ḙ̵̼͒͝ ̷͚͌̕f̵̥̠͆r̵̢̨̒e̷̟͐e̶̖̓̈́.̴͍͌͠

I should’ve known better that it was a trick. Infinite chili dogs was not an opportunity I was going to waste. Mind you, I love chili dogs. Tails would always make the best ones. But, my love for chili dogs was my downfall. I touched the crystal, and that was enough to set the spirit free. Little did I know of what came next.

T̸͈̗͐͑̀͑̈́̂͒͐h̴̛͉̳͓̹̣̰̗͊̒̉̈́̈́̆͝ͅa̷̖̲͖͍͊̌n̶͈͕̹̖̽̑͘k̶̢̡͙̲͉͉̯̪̅̓͛̅̎͆̅͗ ̶̛̻̣̰͂͛̈́͑ÿ̶̡̧͚̝̦̗̲̅̂̇͋͠o̶̬͕̘̤͖̾͑̓̀͗ͅu̶͍͌̑̀̔ͅ ̴̡͎͇̪͚̟̺̀͜v̴̰̹̦̇̃̒͂͛̑ê̷̝̺̯r̶̛̘̻̺͉̍̌y̴̞͈̣̼̾ ̵̛̪̓́m̷̤̆̎͘u̵̲̹̲̻̯̫̐̃̒͒͌͘ͅĉ̶̡̖̓̈̾̽͘͝ͅh̵̡̡̪̲̗̱̹̄ͅ.̶̼̯͙͉̬̥̬̌́̈̿̏̇ͅ ̷̡͈̙̺̼̌̐B̷̺̍̈́̂̆̋̌̑ù̵̡̱̗͚̖̠̖͑̂̅̐t̸̨̫̜̩̰̥̿͊͗̔̏͜,̷͖̞͉̩̖̟̠̉̿̂͆̈́̈́ ̶̡̢̘̺̖̈̏̾́̒̄İ̸̫̗̺̝̜͔̻͗̐̍͛̆̉͋ ̸̱̾̈́͋͑̿̓ͅh̶͚̐a̵͕̖̤̫̺̼̚̕͜v̵̨͂ę̷͉̬̪͓̱̪̈́͋͂̏ ̷̝͖̣̞̎͗̓̽s̵͔͙̠̻̯̬͎̬̈́̊̇̇̓o̶̤̳̓̅̾̔̋̉͝m̶̠͇̦̗̒e̷̛̦̖̳̝̋̈́̈t̸̰̞͔̆̾̏̇̕h̷̲͕͍̋ȋ̶̡̨̛̠̬͓̣̮̼̑͗̈́͋n̶̘̔̋͗̾͝g̷̮̰̒̿̿͌̆͛̕ ̶̲̑̄̌t̸͎̫̻͈̀̋ö̵̥͇̝́͐ ̶̡̛͔̘͎̫͓̰̮́̃̇̽͂̊͠t̷̳̳̯͈̬̐̉̊͒̅͗̃͝e̶͚̹̬̱̭̬͒̄̍̉̅͘l̷̨̨̫̹̘̟̰̿̈́l̶̨̠͕̝͉͚͚̗͗̋̃ ̶̗̀̅̍̾͒̈ͅȳ̸̗͉̠̣͈̋o̷̝̪͓̟̼̙̪͈͒̎̉̏̔ŭ̵̢̨̳͓͇̠̩̓.̴͕͓̗̙̝̪̀̄̄̄ͅ

I should’ve sprinted out of there then, but for some reason, I didn’t.

“What would that be?”

The spirit laughed, sending a shiver down my spine.

Y̶͙̤̺̙̋Ò̶̬͐̿̋͒͐̓̋̑͘Ư̶̩̤̱͖̺͂̑̀̃̔ ̶̛̤͚̄̽͝F̴̺̙͓̪̜̱͙̭̚O̴̘̭̤̐Ǒ̶̡̮̺̩̞͇̖͗͂̎͛̏͠ͅL̶̥̙͖̭͕̞̿̏̆̏̾̈́͘!̷̧̛͚̣̠͜!̷̟̘́͒̔̎͆̈́͜͝ͅ!̴̛̞̤̥̭̪̤̱̯͍͐̓͆̊͒͝͝ ̶̛̪̗̥͒Y̸͈̗̮̪̫̥̹̦̫͐̏̄̊̀̈͂̀̇͘Ỏ̸̢͕͓͓̩̔́̕U̵̝̟̅͌͝ ̶̖̖͚̦͍̔͋́͋̿͌̋̈̕͝T̴̛̳͇͕̣̼̔̋͌̋̅̄̂̋̿H̴̨͚̰̞̯͙͇̺͕͘͜I̵̢̬̼͂̒̒͌̆̌̽̓̚N̸͚̹̙͓͕͚͕͚͙̄̈́͊́͛́́̂͜K̸̝̤̠̭̰͊̿̃̀̒ ̸̝̹͔̲̗̰͕̳͚̪̽̑̍Ÿ̷̮̜͙̩̲́́̚̚͝Ȯ̸̖̱̈̌̋U̴̠̟̘̠̕ ̵̗͙̮̲͊̎̅C̷̲̱͍̟̟͒̐̉́̈́͂͠͝O̸͉̣̬̳̫̖̽U̵̳̬̤̟̪͙͘Ḷ̶̛̳̪̜̪̼̬͕̞͉͐͑͒̒̂Ḑ̴͙̗͖͙̮́̎͗ͅ ̵͚̺̬̞͚̜͕̳̀̈̍ͅẼ̵̝͔̀̒̋S̷͚̰̺̞̫̳̥͚̹̔͋̃C̵̨̞͈̯̗̙̮͈͚̣͆̈́̀͝͠A̷̢̡͔̜̯͓̠̳̦͗͐́̀P̸̡̻̙̦͇͉͇̐͜E̴̦̘̪̠̬̹͕̠̘̔͐̕̚̕͝ͅ?̶̢͔͕̤̲̬̌̃͛͑̊͑ ̵͔͔̟̣̙͔̇̓̈́̓͂̀̋̄͘͝Ì̵̫̜̘̻̣͔̮̞̋̓͜ ̸̫͔̖͇̮̩̏͋̉̾́ͅT̴̗̤͙͚̦̺̈́̋̈́R̸̨̡̼̲̪̲̲̜̥͊I̶͉͒̆̕͝C̷̥͔̼̈́̀Ķ̶̧̦͎̳͕͕̰̾̑͛̋͋Ȩ̴̧̛͇̗̪̞̻͍̱̏͘ͅD̸̡̨̡̠̲͎̖̳̳̗͝͝ ̴̜̺͎̱͍̃̃̽̂̅̃͝Y̷̢̛̱̺͕͖͉̏̿̂̄͆̔̕O̷̹̖̝̞̔̐͜͠Ų̴̞̊͌ ̸̛͔̻͂̈́́Î̵̧̘̘̖͓̪̜̦̗̦̓͠N̸̡͙̲̠̝̝̬̫͍̿͑̑̓̏͆̒̕͝T̸̢̛͕̙̗̥̜͙̫̲̈́̂̆͝͠Ó̶̩̘͈̺̒͂̌̈̍̂̎̚͝ ̵̻̜͙̩͎͊̅̂͝R̶̛̪̩̐̽͐̎̕̚ͅE̴̩̝̰̮͛̓̿̆͐L̵͕͓̝͍͋͐̀̓̒̔͗E̷̜͎̬̳̿̉͐͋̀̋Ä̵̢͉͈̣͚̻̬́̇̋̈̾́͂́͜͝͠S̴͉̰̃͌͝Ĭ̷̢̧̡̗͔̀̈̚͝͝N̵̩̲͉̘̞͕̼̹̩̐́̿̑͐͘G̴͉̩̿̀̎̍̔͛̈́͜ ̷̩̍͂͛M̸̢̨̨̛̜̜̩̦̆̓̀́̊͝͠͝E̷͉̟̪̦̞̲̘͍͍̮̿̒ ̷̛̺̩̗̥̬̤̀̋̈́͠F̸̡̢͚̱̯͎̦̏̚ͅO̴̖̐́̈̃͆͋̎͘͠R̶͇͔͂̇ ̷̥̼̬̜͈́͌͋́̔̄̿̓̇M̴̦̜̠͛͗̄̈͂͊̒̋Y̷̩̙̾͋͠ ̵̞̼̻̬̬̝͚́̄͋̉̓̄̚͜ͅÒ̵̤̯͚̯̭̹̺͕̀̍͒͆͐̽̉̎̚W̸̨̬̞̫̲͚̯̥͚̕N̶̩͚̪̪̞̠̑̉̉̕̕ ̸͚̔͑̎͋͑G̵̼̻̺̖̯͖̥̈́͒̂̾̋̌A̶̹̥̪͍̍I̶̢͖͉͎̬̤͓͕̹̫̕N̶͓̥̠̥̖͇͕̑̾ͅ!̵̱̹͗̈́̄͌̓̏͌͌͘ ̵͙͓͙͚͓̮̠͔̅Y̷̨̙̜̪̥̼̥̓O̶̲̖̦̭̻̿̏͗͜Ų̶̣̯͖̞̠͕̝͉͛́̇͛͑̚͝͝ͅ'̶̧̛͔͚̤̠̖̲̘̝̿̅Ȑ̴̜̥̹̊̆E̵̢͓̟̤̟͙̘̪̗͆ ̷̧͚͙͍̹̥͔̣̯̿̓̀͒̀̐̑̑̂̚T̴̡̨͙̐̈H̷̛̙͍͎͎́̇Ę̸͓͕̿͑̎ ̴̝͕̻̮͓͌́̌͆͑͆̈́́P̵̢̹̼̫̎͒̍̏͝ͅȨ̵̠̄̍́͗͋̃͆́͌͆Ȓ̸͉͕̟͙̱͉͇̩̻̓͗̓͑͋̑F̸̗̗̝͇̜̯͉̄Ę̴̬̺̦̰͐̇́͜͝Ĉ̴̰͖̆̇̄T̸͕̉͐́̋̅̈͆̚ ̵͉̮̞̽̀̑͛V̵͇̻̦̟̻͖͍̽̋E̶͔͋͛̒̎͂̚S̷̜͉͈̗̝̯͍̏͑̈͐͠S̴̞͚̽Ȩ̸̪͔̯̲̼͔́L̷͖̮͉͈̆̂͂̓͆͊͑̾̚͝ ̴̼̘̳̫̹̼̜͉̝͒F̶̨̡̧̮͉̫̪̍̃͆͌͂̀́͂̊Ó̴̥̓̏̄̂͋͑̂̕R̵̗̠̯̘̈ ̶͈̲̠̞̦̰͔͓̝̞͌͛̒M̶̢̫̳̭̲̝̼͍̖͍͂̿̀͠E̸̢̱͙̩͚̮͍͎̗̔̆̈̇͂̾̉̏̒͠ ̵̗̒́̾̌T̴̪̹̰̱͛̒̀̃̈Ơ̵̩̯̘̲̗̳̰͌͂̆͛̐̑̑̆͜ ̸̢̛͎̯͔̮̯͇̥͒͐̐̀̐̉̎Ȗ̸̢̡̖͔̤̝̜̺̲̹͂N̷̢̛̞̰̩̦͉̖̟̙͂͊͆̔͠Ĺ̷̛̲̰̲̜̫͒̽̎͂̿͊̉̚E̶͓̪̥̼̥͖̽̄͂͆͝͠A̶͖̱̩̟̥͙͍̝̪͒̈́̎͠S̷̨̼͎̪̔͑́͐̎͂̈͐̚͠Ḧ̷͖͍̳̳̱͎̱̳̖̄̃͌͘͜ ̶̛̠̤̪́́̿̇͌̏̏̕M̸̤͔͈̻̹̜̟͈͎̒̈́͑̑̓Ȳ̶̥̪ ̸̧̹͉̯̝̝̲̠̥͍͗̊̃Ẇ̷̘͉̭̩̭̔̈́̓̂̋̋Ŗ̸̥̤̰̳͍̱͐̎̓͌͛͜͝Ą̵̖̻͓̝̙̣̾͛̆́͂̔͋T̴̨̞̗̺̘̟͉̮̘̯͑͊̄̊̀̃̑̑̐͘H̴̢̤͚́̈̈͆̋̍͂͂̚ͅ!̵̭͐̆͛͗̿́́!̵̧̤̣͕̭̉́͐̈̀̋̈́̿͛͠!̵̢̯̲̯̞̯̳̻͕̀́́ͅ!̷̭̻̉

At that point, I knew I had made a mistake. I tried to run out of there, but some unseen force prevented me from escaping. I began to feel an emotion I had never felt in years.

Fear.

Sure I had felt the slightest bit of fear during that time, especially whenever I was underwater since I can’t swim; but it was the first time in years I had felt this scared.

I tried calling for help, but I knew it was useless. What was the point in trying when you’re several miles in a cave and everyone was at home asleep?

C̷̢̣̀ͅa̷̧̧̯̥͈͇̫͗̀l̶͚̐̋̓̂͘͝l̶̙̮̩̫̥̙̰͑͂̔͜i̸͓̙̥̎͂͂̓̔̑ņ̵͉̗̮̜͛̕͜g̴̢͔̘̬͇̲̜̿͌͑̀͊ ̵̨͔̫̟̟̠͙̞̃͊̽͝ḟ̸̼͗̈́͘͝͝ô̶̜̟̮̯͂r̵̠̯̆̊̀̀͘͝͝ ̶͎̹͓̆͑̀h̵͉͓̙̆̉̈́͛̂̉͝͝ȇ̷̥̫̤͎̣̰̳̏l̷̡͍̓͌̅̑̓̌̀ṕ̴͍͔̪̈́̑̕ ̴̨̻̾̀̌̆̒ȋ̷̢̛̤̻̼̯̘̒͜s̶̨̗̟̬̣̬̥̞̉̎̐̚ ̴̹̖̊͐̎̈́͝f̸̹̯̖͉̟̯͇͂̆̋̀u̵̢͔̭̞̪͠t̸̥̺̥̻̫͊̌̅̓̕i̸͔̞̫̍͑̽̓̈́̅l̸̨̬̱͕͋́̀ȅ̶͚͔̫̲.̶̦͓̪̎̋͝ ̷͓̜͓͓̻̊̊͜Y̸̲̐̑͛̆̏̕͝ó̷͉͋͑̕ų̵̣̮̰̱̗̩̋͗̋͛'̸̛̺̼͕͖͇̘̝͚̀̾̀͌̏̓͝v̴͙͗̃̃̑̎͝͝e̴̺͕̜̍͜͝ ̸̤̹̗͍̞̖̙̏̍̿͌̍͘ą̵͈̮̙̯̘̟̍̈́͜l̴̪͙̯̼̮̪̯̈́̅̑̿͜r̴̡̫̦̖̬̠̋̅e̵͚̻͍̥̚ͅa̴̖͔͖̜̟̖͝ḏ̴̀̽͝y̶̖͊ ̸̢̼̭͔̫̘̘̅͛ś̴̖͍̬̙̺ė̶̙̞͈̮͙͈͎̈́͒̍͐ä̴̛̪͒̑͐͛̚͘l̵̢͉̹͔̖͓̭̕e̵̛̛̱͚̎̀͗͂͝d̴̲̞̲̺̪̮̠̲̃̄̏͗͊̆́̌ ̷̧̱̖̘̭̫́̽̐͆̈́̓̀̽y̴̨̝̗̯̩͌̀̀̌̌̈́o̶̫͖̍u̷̯̾̉͆̾̔̑r̴̢͇̲̹͙͇͘ ̶̩̞͌f̵͖͎̝̲̺̼̟͑̋ạ̶̧̖̝̗̒̔̂̂̈́t̴͖̹̗̳̫̥̎͘͜e̷̳̜̙̘̬̺̳̭͒̃̉.̸̡̩̤̀͌̽̀͘͠

I then felt this strange sensation overcome me, and I realized the spirit was entering my body. A splitting headache washed over me, and I sprinted out of the cave. I ran to Tails’ workshop and found him working late on one of his inventions.

"̸T̷A̶I̶L̵S̵!̷!̴ ̴I̴ ̷N̶E̶E̵D̶ ̵Y̷O̴U̷R̶ ̴H̷E̸L̴P̴!̶"̶ I called to him, snapping him out of his concentration.

“Sonic?! What’s going on?”

He dropped his tools and ran to me.

“I̵ ̶h̶a̶t̴e̶ ̵t̴o̸ ̷a̶d̸m̶i̷t̶ ̸i̶t̷,̶ ̶b̷u̸d̴d̶y̵,̵ ̵b̶u̷t̶ ̵I̸ ̴w̷e̷n̷t̴ ̸b̵a̵c̷k̵ ̴t̵o̵ ̷t̸h̷a̷t̶ ̷c̵a̴v̷e̴ ̵t̶o̴ ̴i̵n̸v̷e̷s̴t̸i̵g̴a̵t̴e̴ ̶t̴h̷a̶t̵ ̶c̴r̵y̸s̵t̷a̷l̷ ̵f̷u̸r̷t̸h̵e̷r̴.̵ ̶T̴h̶e̵r̵e̷ ̵w̴a̸s̴ ̵a̷ ̵s̶p̴i̴r̸i̷t̷ ̶t̶h̷a̴t̵ ̶t̵r̶i̴c̷k̵e̸d̶ ̸m̴e̸ ̷i̷n̵t̸o̵ ̸r̷e̵l̷e̵a̷s̷i̴n̶g̷ ̵i̶t̷,̷ ̴a̸n̵d̸ ̵n̶o̶w̵ ̴i̸t̷'̷s̷ ̸t̴r̴y̵i̶n̴g̶ ̸t̵o̷ ̵p̵o̸s̴s̴e̴s̸s̴ ̸m̵e̴!̷”

I heard my voice becoming more distorted, and I could tell Tails heard it as well.

“Sonic, what did I say about not going back to suspicious artifacts?” Tails scolded.

“I̴ ̴k̵n̵o̵w̵,̴ ̸b̷u̸t̸ ̷s̷o̴m̷e̷t̴h̷i̵n̶g̸,̷ ̷m̵a̵y̴b̸e̸ ̷t̷h̵e̴ ̶s̷p̷i̷r̷i̴t̷,̷ ̴w̶a̶s̴ ̸d̵r̶a̵g̷g̵i̶n̸g̷ ̸m̴e̸ ̸b̶a̶c̸k̸ ̵t̷h̸e̵r̴e̶ ̶a̶n̴d̷ ̷I̵ ̶c̷o̷u̷l̶d̴n̴'̶t̶ ̸r̶e̴s̸i̵s̵t̸!̸”

“Okay, calm down, Sonic. I’ll find a way to get the spirit out of your head.”

At this point, I was in tears. I was beyond terrified about what was going on with me. Unfortunately, as you know, Tails was unable to save me as my vision suddenly turned a very bright white, and it felt like my head was splitting open between my eyes. I clutched my head and screamed in pain, assuming Tails was running up to me to see why I was screaming. Then, everything went black.

After I woke up, I found myself here in this void, chained to the invisible floor. I heard that same voice from the spirit, but I heard it was a mix of my voice and his voice.

Ẅ̵̯́̅e̴͕͋̃ĺ̶͎̱c̶͉͎̆̅o̶̳̜͑̋m̴̧̄e̶̤̒̏ͅ ̵̹͔̏͝t̸͌͜͝ö̷̹́̔ ̵͇̆̎m̷͇̍͠y̷͔̱͂ ̴̜̮̀͘m̴̼̮̄į̸̽ṋ̵̔̅d̷̞̮̉̀,̵̬̽ ̷̨̱̈́͛S̴̤̠̀̀o̵̹̝̕ṉ̷̞̕i̴̭͛c̵̭͐.̵̥̌ ̸̣̣̉́T̵̹̀̍h̴͙͙́i̸̪̠̇s̸̝̬͊̆ ̴͙̈́ī̴͎̗͝ś̶̘̏ ̷̟̞͐w̷̖̑̅h̸̯̾͘e̸̘͂ȓ̴̟̝e̷̟̼͒̿ ̴̡͙̉̆y̸̢̳̽ö̵̙̥́u̸̮̻͑'̷͓̕l̷̜͒̊l̶͍̘̍ ̶̈̚ͅḇ̷̖̈ë̷̟́ ̶̢͖͐̒ẘ̷̞̟̓h̴͔̔̐ĩ̶̳͍̀l̵͚͑e̴͕̓ ̵͖̤̽̀İ̵̗͠ ̶͓̾́c̸̱̮̈́̍o̴͕̯̚n̴͎̟͛t̷̘̍i̸̛̘͑ṋ̴͍͂u̵̥̮̍̈́ẽ̴̩̓ ̵̰̐́m̸̺̈́̌y̶̙̎ ̶̤̪͒͒w̷̛̜̾o̷̡̢͊r̷̰̻̆k̵̢̺͒̐ ̵͙̝̿̅f̸̧͈̿r̶͖̪̔o̶̡̎̌m̵̘̃̋ ̴̢́ą̸̘͗l̴̳͂́l̵͙̔ ̵͎̽̚t̴̩͍͗h̸̫̐̂ȯ̷̠s̶͖͘e̴͍̲͒ ̴̧͈͒c̷̢̊̌ȩ̶̾̌ṅ̴̨ṫ̴̘u̵͍͑̉r̴̪̔̎i̴̪̹̾̕e̸̥͝s̶͜͠ ̸̧͒a̶̛̬͝g̸̒͆͜ö̸̙͓̋.̷͎̕ ̷͍̝̄Ý̶̯͚̕o̸̢͓͗͐ȕ̴̙̠́'̶̖̩͊l̷̯͕̅́l̸͕͒ ̵̺͇̽̉b̵̦́̒e̴͍͖̽ ̶̙̽ȧ̶͕b̵̤̠̓͝l̵͔̽e̶̼̲̍ ̸̼͘t̸̛̮̀o̴͚͂́ ̶̣̩̃̾w̸̼̿͌a̵̜̩͘ţ̷̕c̴̻͊h̸̢̛̽ ̶͎̓a̶̮̾s̷̲͆ ̷̣͆̈́Į̶̌͘͜ ̴͛͜ͅt̵͙̑ẹ̵̳̅a̶̞̥͂͆ř̸̘̱ ̶̘̈ÿ̶͎͕́̍ợ̴̧u̷̘̒̄r̴̥̒ ̷͈̣̈w̵̻̠͆̏o̸̡̠͝r̸̺͉̽l̴͎̗͗̚d̸̬̑ ̵͖͐̅â̶̻̩̿p̴̢͇̈́ả̶̬͠ŗ̷̟̀t̴̮̩̋ ̸̳̠͝å̷̲̇n̸̥̄ď̸͔͒͜ ̸̜̠͋s̶̺͒͗l̸̖̀ã̵̩͈u̸̲̞͑͊g̸͔͚͑h̷̛̗͎͠t̸̰̮̒e̶̝̹͠r̸̥͐͊ͅ ̶̹̲͌̉ȳ̴̼o̷̹̅ȗ̶͉͌r̷̲̆͠ ̴̘̈f̶̮̂̎ŕ̵̘̳̒ḯ̶̙̙̿e̸̓͜ͅn̶̩̏͠d̶̹̄s̴͔̘̐.̴̱̳͂ ̴͇̂Ï̸͙̃ ̸̡̍̕ͅh̷̙̯͂̂o̴̧̅͛p̴̮̚ë̷͈́ ̴̹̉̿ỳ̴̹o̶̗̓͒ŭ̷̜͜ ̸̟̂̕ë̶͖͍́͘ǹ̸͚̦j̴̻͐o̴̺͌̾y̴͍̤̒ ̵̣̗̀t̴̞̬͌h̵̜͌ê̸͇̲ ̵̩͓̾ś̸ͅh̵̠̍͊o̷͓̺̾̓ŵ̶̫!̶̘̮͠

Then, screens appeared in front of me of my favorite places. Green Hill, Angel Island, Metropolis, etc.

I watched as he killed all my friends, even Eggman, and transformed them into horrific versions of themselves. He turned my favorite places into wastelands, taking millions of lives, animal or civilian.

You entered this world in Green Hill, or what was left of it, the burning place you played Hide and Seek was Angel Island, and where your friends are now is a very bloody former Eggman base I nicknamed Scrap Brain.

I broke down into tears. I was supposed to be the hero, not the villain. But now, I look like a monster, because that’s what I’ve become.

I’ve seen X take several beings from several worlds and toy with them for what felt like several years. Most of them failed to escape and died here, but there was one life he failed to kill.

He looked a lot like you, but grey and had a long, white beard. He wore what looked like a wizard’s outfit.

After he escaped, X took his anger out by tormenting me, physically and mentally. I was left sobbing on the invisible ground in unbearable pain.

I’m just a shell of the hedgehog I used to be. I’ve seen so much I wish I could unsee. I just wish I could go back and make things right, but X is so powerful that he makes it impossible to escape his mind.

X would’ve killed me long ago, but he needs my spirit alive so he can continue to use my body for his own gain, and I can’t regain control of it no matter what I’ve done. I’ve given up by now, knowing it was useless.

For the first time, I, Sonic the Hedgehog, the undefeated hero of Mobius, was broken and defeated by one evil entity, all because of one STUPID mistake!

After explaining everything, he broke down again. Twilight teared up slightly from everything she heard, feeling bad for the hedgehog.

“I never thought this world had such a dark downfall,” she thought, “and I can’t believe Starswirl was the only one of Exe’s victims that escaped. I can’t let this hero think it’s his fault for everything.”

She wiped her tears and wrapped her hooves around the hedgehog, catching him off guard.

“It’s not your fault, Sonic. Everypony has their flaws, including heroes like you. My friends and I are heroes in our world, and we’re not afraid to show our flaws to our fans, other friends, and family. Ever since I met my friends, my view on life had changed. Now, I’m the princess of friendship, helping other ponies rekindle their friendships and realize what friendship is about. I hope you realize that your friends would forgive you for your mistake, because we all mess up sometimes. Like I said before, everypony has their flaws.”

Sonic continued to sob into Twilight’s shoulder as he returned the hug, grateful for her presence after being alone for so long. A few minutes passed, and Twilight watched a screen that showed her friends’ progress on their current game. Applejack, Spike, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were already dead, and Rainbow Dash had narrowly escaped death with her left hoof hanging on by a thread.

Eventually, Sonic had calmed down enough to thank Twilight for her kindness. She nodded, and he continued to speak.

“One thing I remember hearing was, the only way to defeat X is to use the Chaos Emeralds. I remember seeing you around the Master Emerald shrine on Angel Island, so you’re the only one who knows about them.”

Twilight recalled seeing one engraved shape glowing at the shrine.

“So that’s what those ruins were talking about! What exactly are they?” she asked.

“The Chaos Emeralds are seven extremely powerful gems. Each of them harness different powers. These emeralds are green, yellow, purple, blue, cyan, red, and white in color. If you collect all seven, you can gain access to extreme amounts of power. I’ve used them countless times to defeat powerful enemies. The thing is, they are extremely hard to find if they’re spread around the world.”

Twilight listened closely to what Sonic told her.

“Although, I did see your friends, the white one and the dragon, find the green emerald in a cave on Angel Island and the pink one find the red one in Scrap Brain. If you had Tails’ tracker, you could very easily track them down…”

Sonic’s ears flattened, but Twilight looked determined.

“Don’t worry, Sonic, We’ll find those emeralds and save you and your world. I pinkie promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Sonic, for the first time in years, smiled gratefully.

“Thank you, Twilight. You and your friends might be the heroes I never was all those years ago.”

They hugged again, both having sad smiles on their faces. Then Twilight felt herself beginning to fade, and realized she was waking up.

“Once again, I promise we’ll set you and your world free from this torture,” she said before disappearing completely, leaving Sonic alone again in the void.

“I’m counting on it, Princess.”