"Failure" by Chibi-chan

Failure

By Chibi-chan

So, this is how it all ends.

“He’s been moping since it happened, Knuckles,” Tails informed the newly-arrived echidna. “Even Amy gave up on trying to bring him out of it. She started running and didn’t look back.”

“I see,” Knuckles replied, looking at the blue hedgehog who was huddled against a tree. “What did happen? I get this urgent message saying you need me and the Master Emerald’s power, and everyone I saw in the town I passed through was acting strangely.”

Tails said nothing, opting instead to turn on the radio on the Cyclone. “—repeat, Dr. Eggman has taken the following territories: South Island, Westside Island, Christmas Island—“ Knuckles could have sworn he heard Sonic make a noise at that “—and has issued a deadline for the following countries—“

Tails shut the radio off. “He’s got the Chaos Emeralds. We need a power that can cancel them out. That’s why we need you,” the boy said. He glanced at his hero, and added, “That, and I was hoping you could…” He gestured towards Sonic.

The echidna fidgeted. “I don’t really… I couldn’t… Look, I don’t got the best social skills, OK? I really don’t think…” The boy looked up at him, hands clasped, wide, hopeful eyes, pleading for him to try. “… fine, I’ll see what I can do. Just stop making that face; it’s creepy.”

He strode over to Sonic. “Uh, hi. Um, Sonic…” the guardian started.

“Just go away…” the hedgehog said hollowly, not looking up at him.

Knuckles tilted his head to one side. He wasn’t used to this tone coming from a guy who would cheerfully call thwarting Eggman’s plans a “party”. “Are you all right?”

“I’m not all right, you’re not all right, no one’s all right now! Go away!” Sonic said with more force, starting to scoot away from his friend and rival.

“But—“

“GO!”

Knuckles could do little more than blink. He shook his head and walked back to the fox. “Wow. That is Shadow-class angst there. He’s not even trying to be—what’s the word?—civil.”

The fox nodded. He raised a hand, about to say something, but brought it back down. He sighed, and decided Knuckles was trustworthy enough for what he wanted to say. “I think… You heard the report; Christmas Island was taken over.”

“I heard, what about it?” the echidna asked.

“A while ago, Sonic gave me contact information for someone on Christmas Island and said if anything happened to him, to get in touch with them. He’s got family out there, Knuckles,” Tails explained.

As Knuckles was about to reply, a pair of hedgehogs—a black and red carrying a pink one—arrived. The black and red one set the pink one down gently. “Thank you, Shadow,” said the pink one, kissing the other on the cheek.

Shadow smiled slightly, then shot a glare at the gawkers. “You’re welcome, Miss Rose. Now, where is the faker?” Amy pointed to where Sonic was still angsting. “All right, I’ll see what I can do,” he said, starting in that direction.

“Amy…” Tails said.

“You’d be surprised what a little flattery and flirting can make him do,” the girl said with a wink. “‘Oh, Shadow, you’re the only one who can help; please do this. I’d be happy to return the favor…’” she said, mimicking herself. “Nice guy, really, but you have to get his ego out of the way to get him to do anything good when it comes to Sonic.” This did nothing to stop the gaping. “What?”

“She convinces Shadow to help Sonic, and she acts like it’s nothing...” Tails muttered.

“If she knew her power, she’d be dangerous,” Knuckles muttered to Tails.

Over by the tree, Sonic was still moping. Shadow lightly kicked him in the leg. “You, fake, get up,” he said.

Sonic didn’t bother to even look up. “You now? What, are you here to make fun of me?”

“It’s like shooting fish in a can of tuna; not worth the effort,” the black hedgehog said with a smirk. “I’m merely here because a sweet young lady—whom you stupidly ignore, I might add—asked me to make you get off your ass, stop whining, and do something.”

“You’re wasting your time. He has all the emeralds, and he’s got—well, he’s got all the emeralds; there’s nothing I can do. Now just go away…” Sonic said.

Shadow, undeterred, grabbed Sonic by the arm and started pulling him to his feet. “I said, I made a promise to her. I keep my word,” he growled, “So stop acting like a child and do something!”

The blue hedgehog jerked out of the other’s grasp as soon as he was standing. “Don’t you get it?! I am a kid! One that’s just been lucky a lot of times! Every time I win, I’ve only won with the Chaos Emeralds’ power! And it kept getting harder, and harder, and harder, even with that! I wasn’t even enough when it came to fighting that metal me, and now, and now… I got my ass handed to me and now I don’t even have the emeralds! What the hell do you propose I do?!” He suddenly got quieter. “I… I failed. I failed everyone. Just…”

“Go away?” Shadow finished. “I don’t think so. All I’ve heard is ‘whine, whine, whine, me, me, me’. It disgusts me.” He paused, and muttered, “Why do I find this deeply ironic?”

Sonic crossed his arms and gave him a look. “You’re… not serious about not knowing why, are you?”

“Yes, why?” Shadow replied. Sonic just rolled his eyes. “If you’re quite done, then I’ll tell you what you can do. You can try, you idiot!” Sonic said nothing. Shadow put on his most smug smirk and said sweetly, “But I suppose that’s the difference between you and I; I don’t consider things over until they’re truly over, like a cowardly fake would.” With that, he turned and strutted back to Amy. He quietly counted, “Three… two… one…”

“Wait just a minute, you!” Sonic shouted.

“Yes?” the black hedgehog asked, still with that smug look on his face.

“There’s still nothing I can do,” he said, “At least alone. And ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’, they say. Will you…?”

Shadow amazingly managed to get smugger. “Will I what?”

“Don’t make me finish that; you know damn well what,” Sonic groaned. Shadow flashed a full-fledged grin. “Hate you so much…” Sonic grumbled. “Will you…?”

“Will you help us?” Amy cheerily finished. Sonic sighed in relief as Shadow’s grin dimmed just a bit.

“Well, since you both want me to help so badly, I suppose I could do something,” Shadow answered.

“All right! Now let’s get started!” Sonic exclaimed, throwing a fist into the air. He didn’t know how they’d do it, or if they’d succeed, but he knew one thing: there was hope, and that’s all that mattered.

End

Chibi’s Notes:

Dunno why I wanted to write about angsting Sonic, but here it is. And did I ever mention I love using the line “Why do I find this deeply ironic?” I blame a Sonic/Knuckles short I did that centered around that very concept; Knuckles taking the upper hand a driving a love-struck (or at least lust-struck) Sonic and the poor blue guy getting all frustrated. No, can’t tell my first love is comedy, not at all… >.>

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