making your way into the city after Sonic was a tall order
when he went all out you wouldn't ever catch up
your group would just have to catch up
he got worried about Knuckles and just bolted off
maybe worried wasn't the right word for it
Tails brought up that whatever Knuckles was dealing with to have him moving might be a concern for everyone
at least by meeting the echidna off he could explain things
Tails was nice about it but you could tell he had a pessimistic view of Knuckles cooperating
apparently during Sonic’s first meeting the guy he'd punched him
you hadn't heard about that but it did make sense why the pair weren't exactly traveling with him
diplomatic solutions seemed like a desperate hope
so of course when you finally caught up to the blip they were arguing
Sonic was trying to point out your group had the most emeralds so Knuckles should had his over
Knuckles insisting Sonic would lose all his at once
the echidna didn't look much tougher than anyone else you'd met here
then again one couldn't expect Sonic to move at lightspeed either
the red guy definitely looked like he had a chip on his shoulder
some facsimile of tribal attire hung off a frame almost as lithe as Sonic's
he just didn't exude the raw power you expected
just a red twink in a knee length green loincloth
he had what appeared to be dreadlocks maybe
you still had no idea how hair worked on these guys
he was pouty
Sonic was pouty
arms crossed and everything
you did not know how to really approach this
not like you could just steal from the guy
he didn't seem that bad natured
so you cleared your throat and suggested the obvious comprise
why not travel with your group to get the last emerald in that case?
he can keep his and feel free to leave whenever
Sonic briefly scowled at you
you'd overstepped your bounds playing peacekeeper and it was obvious he wasn't happy at that idea
you got that they were exactly enemies but just really seemed to get on each other's nerves
not exactly something you hadn't seen before
Amy and Tails were fairly neutral in the affair
Knuckles evidently never punched either of them
it was up to the hedgehog and echidna that had resumed staring each other down that ultimately had to make a decision
Tails spoke up
”as long as we keep them safe isn't that good?”
Sonic softened a little
Knuckles still had a stern look directed to you all
it would be more intimidating if he wasn't also a manlet
his arms wrapped in bandages reminded you of some sort of martial artist
maybe he could throw a punch
you didn't want it to come to that
you pointed out that no one here was a fan of having the world threatened
that softened him a little
but he didn't exactly warm up to you all
speaking up did actually bring you back to his attention
”who's he?”
he nodded his head to you
at least that seemed to direct the tension elsewhere
”boyfriend”
Sonic was still a little terse towards the echidna in his remark but he was actually looking boastful
it was strange to think
he was proud of you
you'd never really had a partner like that
you bet the second he could he'd be back to mocking your sexual tastes and pretending he didn't want the rise out of you
but for now he had a smug smile on his face as Knuckles eyes grew wide and looked to you
the hedgehog even put his hands on his hips in a strange little triumphant display
you were almost amused at Knuckles being dumbfounded
he eventually came to his senses after being thrown off his game
”why would he do that?”
the comment was directed towards you but meant for the hedgehog
the accusatory tone was almost enough to actually make you laugh but you didn't need to be in the doghouse with Sonic later
so you kept your calm
Tails, Amy and you exchanged glances as it was Sonic's turn to be on the wrong foot
”I'll have you know,” he remarked, “he's even said the l word to me. So ha.”
if Sonic and Tails were almost like a cute brotherly thing these two came off as rivals
the hostility hear would probably evaporate after someone punched someone
but you didn't want it to come to that
you almost wanted to jokingly pry and say they were both pretty but didn't quite know how either would react
well ok, Sonic might find it funny
so you decided to use the vast experience at your disposal
diffusing the tension would require you to take charge a little
picking Sonic up earned you protests but they were going to stare each other down like cats all day if you didn't do something
you slung him over your shoulder and took charge a little
you told Knuckles he could do his own thing but one way or another you all would need to work together a little
you also pointed out how someone raced ahead of your group because he was worried
so you knew Knuckles wasn't a bad guy
Sonic's protests were hushed by a deliberate hand on his ass
the reaction you got from Knuckles wasn't exactly the one you'd expected
for a brief moment the warrior tried to look away from your extreme level of PDA
but the tenacious look in his eyes returned and he conceded to at least traveling with you
for now
you'd managed to somehow get him the red echidna to go along with it
even walked with you as you asked Tails about the last emerald
completely forgetting Sonic was draped over your shoulder
he was scrawny enough you'd forget if he didn't kick your abdomen
it was a weak kick but did grab your attention
you wondered why it took him that long
it felt pretty nice to be this open with people around
eventually Tails managed to point you in the direction of the next gem and low and behold it looked to be at a place familiar to you
it was that safe house you three had found what felt like ages ago
you set down Sonic and he made a show of dusting himself off
despite the huffiness he was much more relaxed
strange to seem him embarrassed
for a while, your group traveled in silence
you all were probably thinking the same thing
the energy from that safehouse probably meant that Robotnik had gone to ground and was licking his wounds
it probably meant he was backed into a corner because he was desperate enough to use that place despite the damage
you didn't know him like this group did but your best guess was he'd be dangerous
probably managed to get the defenses patched up
the guy seemed resourceful
how he grabbed an emerald you didn't know
but you'd just have to get that one too
you tempered your optimism with a healthy degree of caution
to alleviate the tension in the air you decided to ask Knuckles what his story was
surely it must be interesting
he wasn't initially forthcoming
made sense with you being a stranger
thankfully you had Sonic to surrender so information up in the form of a jab
”he spends all his time cooped up on a floating island.”
”protecting the master emerald,” snapped back
”that gets stolen like all the time”
you considered putting the hedgehog in timeout or something
he wouldn't expect you to grab him twice
maybe
you felt them stare daggers at each other with you in the middle
Tails busied himself with the radar and Amy was nonchalantly trying to distance herself from the tiff
you didn't know if intervening again would help or hinder the fragile alliance
you could pry about the master emerald but if he was its guardian its not like he'd trust a stranger with the information
so instead you ran with something Sonic had said
asking him what brought him down from the floating island
Knuckles muttered at his feet
you felt like pressing him on what he said out of curiosity but that probably wouldn't end well
you had a guess though
Knuckles was shocked when you asked about some sort of water monster
”you've fought it too?”
well not you per say, but your companions did
”boyfriends”
Sonic threw that last remark in as an assertive correction
Knuckles once more looked shocked as Tails fumbled with the radar
the fox played it off like he tripped but there was a single tree root in front of him to make that possible
the hedgehog could not be more smug
he looked practically devious
Knuckles looked to you bewildered
you nodded
not like you could lie when Sonic just politely let that cat out of the bag
plus, you didn't want either of them to think you were ashamed
the guardian regained his composure after a moment and kept walking
you wanted to bring the subject back to the monster
you sort of wished for the silence back around now
you struggled to think of a way out of this
but really couldn't think of anything other than that monster
whatever it was Robotnik had plans for it
and it was strong
thing was changing too
Robotnik was using it as some kind of pet
that thought troubled you
for all you knew he just had found the thing and started using it as a weapon
that kind of situation rarely went well
piecing things together, it seemed like Robotnik attacked Knuckles first
that might be significant
maybe tied to that master emerald
that thought distracted Knuckles a bit from Sonic’s earlier remarks
he didn't have an answer for that but he thought that was strange too
Robotnik knew something he hadn't said
the jungle opened to those ruins
your group stuck to the brush
there were robots everywhere
the guy was definitely here
you left the next decisions to the group
you had little experience with this guy and weren't about to step on toes
Knuckles advocated for a frontal assault
Sonic wanted the same, but wanted it known that it was his idea
they argued back and forth a bit, Amy and you watching as they harshly whispered at each other
you did not want to interrupt because this was different from before
despite usually bouncing on your dick, Sonic was in charge here
you respected his experience when it came to fighting
there was little you could do and the last thing you wanted to do was make him lose face here
so you let it work itself out this time
trying to play diplomacy might be a bad idea here
you looked for the fox and were surprised to see him sneaking over to the ruins, underneath a gun emplacement
you silently watched, nudging the pink hedgehog
the fox was army crawling over to the static defense
it made sense with it being an anti-air defense that it counted on an infantry element to cover the ground around it
a job that the robots were spread too thin for
Sonic and Knuckles quietly kept their argument going
Tails plugged a device from his pocket into a slot in the small tower
you busied yourself watch for any movement from the robots
a few minutes and the turret went limp
well that was one issue taken care of
upon closer inspection it looked like all the guns were neutralized
you decided now was the time to interrupt the quiet argument happening next to you
you pointed out how Tails disabled the defenses for them and they probably should make good use of the opportunity
both of them hushed and looked over to the fox
Tails slowly waved to you all when he realized all eyes were on him lying on the jungle floor
you tried not to chastise them but Tails looked like the adult out of this situation just now
you finally brought up Robotnik probably noticed all his guns going offline just now
that got those two to finally rush out there
Amy followed behind their little race
you didn't know how she just got her hammer when she wanted and you stopped pondering it a long time ago
Tails took to the air after getting to his feet
within seconds they were on the paltry robotic defenders
you cleared the gap to at least watch them work
despite being built almost as much as a twig as Sonic and Tails, the echidna really did have power
you were shocked by him grabbing two robots your height and chokeslamming them
his gloves were strange
like spiked gauntlets
he punched through their chests and moved onto another opponent
the others tore through the other defenders
Robotnik was left with nothing within a minute or two
you weren't shocked though
they were just effective at this
none of the robots had a chance to so much as look in your direction and you took the opportunity to head towards the bunker doors
Robotnik evidently repaired the damage Amy had done to them
the party regrouped around the door and you surveyed the damage from the top of the stairs
this felt like the last leg of your journey
the emerald was inside and so was Robotnik
Amy was joined by Knuckles in tearing open the door
they went through the steel like a can opener
Robotnik already would have known you were here
the need for further stealth was pointless
you readjusted your pack and got ready for whatever was behind the door
the rest of the party squeezed in before you found get in
Sonic looked over his shoulder and asked you to stay back
he was no doubt worried what a cornered Robotnik would do
you were disappointed but understood
somewhat
that however, was a mistake
the Robotnik at the computer was a decoy
the faker's head bobbed on a spring
you all had enough time to realize that before a thicker slab of steel shot up at the doorway, separating you from the group inside
your eyes were drawn to new movement on top of the bunker
that monster had reformed from the puddle
it had been hiding
Robotnik planned this ambush
the thing had one emerald in its body
that dick hid this thing in plain sight as bait
you had no time to react when it jumped you
you heard scrambling from the inside of the bunker
by the time the broke out they'd be too late
you tried wrestling with it but it was like grappling with oil
unfortunately you weren't the target and you had to admit Knuckles may have had a point
you regretted he entrusted you with the sixth emerald now
that small amount of trust he placed in you had backfired
because the beast grabbed your pack and tossed you against the door with enough force to knock the wind out of you
how the hell did Sonic fight this thing?
you regained your senses enough to see the thing escape
as into just poof and it was gone in a flash
this wasn't good

Knuckles had been reluctant to hand you the last emerald
you thought about how stupid you felt now
it took you a few seconds to shake off the hit and realize the others were still banging on the door
they must of heard you shout and the impact against the steel
you were lucky the thing didn't chuck you off the pyramid
the controls didn't seem connected to the new slab of steel
or else Tails would have had it down
you spared a glance at the steel and told them you'd be back
you couldn't let this failure undo all your work
you knew you were the weak link here but like hell could you let them down
you sprinted off in the direction the creature ran
what you would do, you didn't even consider
you just had to do something
your mind was a mess now
but you just couldn't let things get worse
who were you?
what can you do?
your chest burned as you lost track of time
you were running through the jungle for so long you didn't notice the rain at first
your ran was taking you back to the city
the storm grew in intensity until it could no longer be ignored
something bad was happening
very bad
you hoped you weren't too late
above the city, above the black layer on an angry sky, a new steel cloud hovered
Robotnik was involved in this and had another airship
you just couldn't let him do this
whatever it was
you had fucked up bad losing the emeralds
they'd free themselves from that trap or you'd get help
but whatever was happening it had to be stopped
you feared whatever doom you'd helped unleashed on this world
you started imagining the worst
then reprimanded yourself
you're not going to think this way
nor could you count on others
you had to stop this even if it was a one way track
your lungs burned, your legs were at their limits
you'd never be as fast as Sonic but he didn't need to be either to be heroic
right about when you felt like your stomach was going to push out all its contents did you relent for a moment
you caught your breath in ragged frantic gulps
lightning cut into the city skyline
that's when you noticed the tidal wave building out at sea
you were so dead set on stopping what was the happen
never realizing it already was in motion
you pushed your legs harder
in your mind you had to make up for that failure and more importantly you needed to save people
you were a nobody on Earth
you couldn't let that stop you here
no matter what happened, you couldn't hold yourself back
no more sidelines
fuck a mech suit or whatever
Robotnik and this monster couldn't destroy everything and hurt people you cared about
the city was close
the tsunami was closer
eventually, the door gave way to a group effort
Tails couldn't simply hack the trap
Knuckles, Amy and Sonic decided to brute force it
the last door eventually gave but this one was made of thicker material
destroying the slab was tough
punching, smashing and slamming into it finally wore it down
but it had done its job
the storm had hit and the wave with it
Station Square was submerged
Tails was keen enough to pull out the radar and saw the emeralds were all in the city somehow
Sonic put 2 and 2 together and he actually flew into a panic
his run to the city was far more graceful than yours
no less worried
he had run ahead without thinking, just like how you headed in a direction
he was afraid of a failure
just like you
a skyscraper crumbled as the full weight of Robotnik's plan hit
Chaos
it towered over buildings
the water and monster flowed together seamlessly
yellow, predatory eyes and a maw of teeth marked it as a whole different monster from before
it thrashed against the city, destroying anything in its wake
tentacles whipped into buildings
this thing was killing people
had to be
had it killed you?
that was a thought that crossed Sonic’s mind
he narrowed his eyes
his feet moved before he gave it any thought
this had to be stopped
the creature noticed the blue streak weaving over the water and shot its limbs out with unhinged violent speed
it was attacking everything within reach
Sonic hadn't seen Robotnik's failure to control this thing
might have found the idea of a second airship crashed funny if it wasn't this dangerous
every thunder crack of a watery whip threatened to kill Sonic
he couldn't seem to do any damage to the beast
Chaos and its pliable nature were always difficult to damage before
it was worse with it being dozens of meters tall
the rest of the party caught up and was awestruck by the destruction wrought in the moments they were absent
Tails consulted the radar and realized
the energy was coming from the creature itself
the emeralds were in it
he flew in low, avoiding strikes, just to tell his friend this information
Sonic got angrier
he realized what that implied and was dead set on correcting this
Tails had to break off but he came up with the idea that they needed to help who they could
Sonic was distracting the beast at best
so the party needed to put that time to good use
search and rescue was the best thing they could do right now if Sonic couldn't dent it
evacuation was all there was left
the situation had the party on the back foot and it was hard to think of a way out
Sonic was formulating something
what Tails had told him made him aware somewhere in Chaos was the emeralds
maybe if he cut off the power the thing would fall apart
that was all he could do
the task at hand was distracting him
he was worried when he didn't see you
feared the absolute worst with the news of the emeralds inside Chaos was brought to his attention
he tried to push the fears away and ran
ran and ran
he'd burn himself out but right now he couldn't afford to dwell on you possibly being dead somewhere
not right now
right now he was hating this creature
he didn't normally hate
not like this
he felt whips rush past him
I was getting tougher to keep up with the thing
it was learning and he'd tire eventually
Sonic made another pass at the thing
it was massive in scope, like an iceberg the visible portion had to be only a fraction of it
the maw opened to roar a challenge at him as he kept trying to outpace it
cerulean waves melded with beast and one couldn't place where either ceased to be now
if this went on much longer nowhere was safe
Sonic knew that
he was learning too
trying to glean information
Chaos wasn't the only thing that could use the emeralds
he just had to find them
hearing that news had given him the idea
the rest of the party was focused on saving anyone
Knuckles and Amy were battering open routes for people to escape to the roofs and Tails was plucking people out of the water
the sea had fully assaulted the city and it wouldn't be the same again
but the group was saving lives all the same
the blue hedgehog didn't have time to appreciate it much, scanning the length of the thing for a single sign and…
there
Sonic finally caught an unnatural shimmer inside the thing
Amy turned just in time to see Sonic run and leap into the monster
she started to cry out but the concern died when she saw a yellow glow
Sonic burst forth from the beast and even Chaos gave pause at the flying spectacle before it
Sonic had a lot of rage to work out and now he had the power to really do it
Chaos screamed against the power, knowing the scales had slightly tipped now
knowing, somewhere in its feral mind it had a threat standing before it
the looming creature was hate made manifest and this thing in front of it was a wall
one would have to give
Sonic wouldn't let it be him
the rescue efforts continued while Sonic dueled Chaos
humans and the party worked together to save everyone possible
Sonic was even faster now
striking Chaos like lightning
it was Tails that spotted you and Amy that pulled you off the Casinopolis sign
when the waves hit you'd been thrown about and knocked out
you'd been lucky the water threw you onto the casino display
you still hurt like a bitch when you came to, but the hug from Tails helped
the rooftops where stuffed with people that had been pulled out of danger
the next thing you'd noticed was the giant getting overwhelmed by a streak of gold
you tried to get up
then realized your right arm was broken
hurt like hell to try and push yourself up
you set your back against a portion of the roof and watched the fight
he wasn't kidding about the emeralds
Sonic was taking the creature apart, constantly buzzing it and punching through it
he was a ceaseless bullet
you sighed as the rain cascaded, leaving you a drenched mess
worry hit you and you were relieved to see the violence from the wave didn't take your phone
the case had held strong
you had to use your left arm for everything at the moment and it was annoying
but given the alternative, you would not complain
you were alive and you knew he'd win
it was strange to see someone in a swimsuit flying around like a Super Saiyan
especially since you knew that someone
intimately
he was tearing into that thing like a man possessed
you almost felt bad for the beast
you had decided to film some of the spectacle while you had the chance
even you couldn't believe this
you still felt responsible for this but wouldn't admit it openly
too many people had suffered and you weren't about to wallow in pity right now
there would be time for that later
the fight was looking like it was wrapping up
Sonic had control now and hadn't let up on the creature
the creature was burning out
Sonic shot up into the sky and came down through the thing like a meteor
it had tried to fire off some sort of beam out of its mouth and the hedgehog had used that at his opportunity to strike deep
that destroyed the monster's cohesion and it became one with the ocean water
you didn't expect Knuckles to react to that
he fell over with Sonic's impact on the creature
you tried getting up but Amy had to force you to sit down
the clouds parted and Sonic resurfaced from the receding waters
things were returning to normal
Tails was able to pluck the hedgehog out of the water and deposited him on the rooftop near you
the look in his eyes was new
he was about to cry
”you dumbass,” he muttered as he fell over you
you pointed over to the echidna that just recovered from whatever fit had him on the roof
your party flinched when Chaos reappeared
you grasped the tired hedgehog against you to shield him
however, it was smaller and man shaped again
some female echidna appeared next to him
started explaining how Chaos was a victim too
this all went a bit above your pay grade so when they vanished after stating their case, you didn't question it
Knuckles was a little unsettled and you felt like being a little nosey
he had seen the extinction of his own people
he really was the last one
that was heavy
you didn't know him well enough to give him any comfort
at least anything that sounded genuine
he needed a moment himself, resting against the wall near you
getting mentally showered with that much bloodshed all at once must have been hell
otherwise, everything else almost was wrapped up with a nice bow on top
the problems seemed to have been all worked out
Robotnik had his plan fouled up and the city was still intact
guilt hit you hard again though
you couldn't stop this
in fact, it nearly claimed you as a victim
you hoped the damage was fixed one way or another
maybe you'd stick around and help the relief efforts
not like you could do much with a broken arm but you wanted to try
Sonic had decided to pass out on you
that golden form must have burnt out a lot of his energy
you kept your good arm around him and took in the clearing skies
you could feel the sunshine
and that put your mind at ease again
you'd never completely recover about feeling useless but at least right now felt right
with the water gone, Amy and Tails took a rest against the wall too
you broke the silence and thanked the group
there was no doubt the city would have been worse off without their intervention
it looked like you all got lucky and everyone got to safety as much as they could before the worst of it
but the whole disaster would have a lasting effect
your group sat there for a while until Sonic woke back up
he shot up and looked at you
a finger gently poked your chest
”don't you dare do anything that reckless again.”
he looked angry and you decided not to test that
but you brought up how you felt guilt
”Robotnik did this. not a magical hand wave that makes everything go away, I know.”
he moved to sit in your lap for a moment
”but there's little any of us could do.”
you weren't convinced completely but then Sonic got up and interrupted your thoughts
”let's get you patched up and get some food. I'm starving.”
thankfully the breaks in your arm could heal eventually
the medic said it could have been worse and Sonic punched you in the good arm when he said that
he had apparently feared you for dead
that whole fight he thought he might be avenging you
thankfully the worst of it passed by both you and the city
rebuilding would be costly but there was still a city standing regardless
your party was there to help with what they could
weeks had become months
Knuckles stuck around long enough to help the city then went his own merry way
you personally thanked him
he looked flustered at your attempt at a handshake
but accepted it
Sonic decided to turn that into a jab and kissed your cheek
then remarked, “this guy bothering you babe?”
Knuckles lunged for him but you were quicker
you grabbed the echidna in a full nelson and held him in the air
your arm had healed in short order
Knuckles flailed at Sonic and the hedgehog taunted him further
you decided to take matters into your own hands
you set the echidna down and there was a glare from Sonic in your direction as he bolted from the tiny red disaster hurling curses at him
you'd let them work it out
Station Square honored you all like heroes now
after repairs the city practically celebrated your group
you'd taken Amy out on the town as you promised
it was a slightly awkward double date with both Sonic and Tails but the three of you played wing men for her
Casinopolis seemed like the liveliest place and therefore the easiest
after some help she'd gotten a human guy to notice her
it was good to see her off that night to the hotel as you all took your separate rooms
she apparently got lucky
you definitely did that night too
Sonic and Tails took turns getting mating pressed into the bed as the other one rode the lucky guy's face
the both of them were little monsters and good lord you collapsed by the end of it
the morning after you got cleaned up and that almost led to more sex but you needed breakfast
Amy was already downstairs
she wasn't one to kiss and tell too much but she'd gotten a phone number
now she just needed a phone
you tossed her yours as you grabbed an apple off the breakfast counter
Station Square really did remind you of Earth
you crunched into the apple and thought back
the guilt over time had faded
you weren't a combat guy
but you'd helped with repairs around the city
so you weren't a weak link
you just fit that role better for the moment
Robotnik did this and you'd done all you could to help
that's all you could do
Sonic came down in a speedo and a bathrobe with the hotel logo on it
promptly sat in your lap without bothering to ask
not like you fought him on it
Tails in his normal jumpsuit, typing away at his pocket computer
you'd swear once he hopped onto that thing right after you nutted in him
once the city was doing well again you'd retire to his workshop, the Tornado long since repaired
things had worked out
your group relaxed around whatever breakfast they could grab
everyone could breathe a sigh of relief and get back to their lives in time
Sonic asked Amy for details and your group settled into things for the morning