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His eyes couldn't focus. Everything was a blur. His room wasn't his room anymore. He was back there, in that cell. He wasn't in control of his body, his thoughts. His heart was beating so rapidly that he couldn't even feel it. \nIn a fit of anxiety, he leapt up from the floor and dashed out of his bedroom, bolted down the stairs, and crashed through the front door of Tails's home instead of stopping to open it.\nThe time was now 3 a.m, only one hour had passed since his last nightmare before he was caught in another one. This endless cycle of reliving those days in hell each time he closed his eyes were getting to him and he was having a harder time recovering. In this moment, he had to run. He had to feel that freedom he was denied for so long or else risk going insane. \n\nThe threshold of the night's transformation into morning was bathed in black, and if it had not been for the sensation of the evening dew sprinkling against his fur while he sprinted through the grass, he would have been overwhelmed by the atmosphere's similarity to space, the limitless expanse that once housed his confinement. The chilled breeze seemed to blow in the same direction he was going regardless of how many turns he made. Running at high speeds, it was as if the wind wanted to run alongside him so he wouldn't be alone...or maybe it was guiding him to where he needed to be. \n\nHis vision gradually cleared with each breath of fresh air and every mile he traversed. The shackles of the nightmare loosened, letting him feel his own heartbeat again and regain control of his senses. Eventually, he came to a field of flowers and was calm enough to slow down. Passing by a toppled tree, he found an inviting spot to sit and collect himself under a clear sea of stars. It was quiet, peaceful. Surrounding himself with nature, taking in the scents and feeling the tranquility of his environment in massive doses helped to anchor him, but he still felt troubled and couldn't help but reflect on his defects. \n\n\"Robots, monsters, demons, gods, I never ran away from any of them. Now here I am running away from bad dreams....\" Sonic lamented to himself as he stared to the sky at the half moon that floated in the dark, diamond-crusted canvas, shuddering at the memories of his time up there. \"...and I thought I was only afraid of water.\"\n\nHe shook his head while trying to shake off the negative thoughts and attempted to convince himself that he just went through a run-of-the-mill ordeal, something that he'll eventually get over just like all his other past traumas.\n\n\"Come on, Sonic. You're better than this,\" he said while rubbing his eyes and relaxing his shoulders to let go of the tension his panic attack induced, \"just forget everything.\"\n\nThen, there was a rustling behind him--the sound of approaching footsteps. His fight or flight reflexes were still on high alert and prompted him to leap to his feet, only to find nothing. There was no one in sight save for the brightly colored flowers that danced in the gentle breeze and twinkled with bits of dew. With a heavy sigh, he dropped his fists and began staring at a single flower in front of him that looked different than all the others. Unlike the rest of the white blooms, this one appeared to be wilting for some reason. Its petals drooped as it lost most of its color, like it was infected by something draining it of its life. It was trying to live, but barely hanging on. As he kneeled down slightly to touch the poor, delicate thing, a deep voice resonated almost next to him, a voice that sent terror through every inch of his being.\n\n\"Heartbreaking, isn't it little one?\" \n\nSonic quickly rose only to be grappled from behind by those familiar claws around his throat while another powerful arm looped around him in an embrace he was unable to break free from. The hero was frozen. His limbs refused to move as the horrible warmth engulfed him. A million thoughts went racing through his mind that he couldn't process. \"....y-you....how....?\" he whispered, the fear choking his voice tighter than the hand around it.\n\nThe mercenary chuckled while he forced the hedgehog to look down at the dying flower, the two observing it as he made a taunting comparison. \"Such a fragile life foolishly clinging to an existence it's not meant to have...\" he resounded in his pet's ear as the grasp on his neck tightened further, \"....a life that's destined to wither and decay from the inside out...here, where no one can save it. Rather relatable, isn't it?\"\n\n\"N-no.....\" Sonic uttered as the fear of being subjugated again began to drive back all other fears. \"I...I won't let you do this to me....\"\n\n\"Hmm?\" Infinite grinned wickedly as he squeezed his pet's entire body and began to increase the intensity of his chokehold until Sonic could no longer draw breath, \"It appears you have forgotten your education. But don't worry, I'll always be here to remind you...\"\n\nSonic's eyes shrank as a jolt of adrenaline reignited his resilience. Just as he was going to elbow the jackal in the abdomen in order to break free, Infinite vanished, leaving the hero to stumble to the ground while the echoes of his tormentor laughing kept replaying in his mind at every turn.\n\n\"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!\" the blue blur screamed as he clenched his head and punched the ground with all his might, incidentally crushing the dying flower. He paused for a moment in shock as he peered over the remains of the little life, its light extinguished because of him. It was fighting to survive and he killed it like it was nothing. The burning inside of him began to take over, making his entire body tremble.\n\nHe then heard the grass rustle again, prompting him to take immediate action. In a blind rage, he swung his fists behind him at the visage of Infinite. \n\n\"What are you doing,\" the jackal questioned as he dodged and parried the punches easily, \"have you forgotten who I am?\" \n\nSonic screamed as he launched a barrage of attacks and spin dashes against his former warden, each being more fierce than the next. The flowers were being trampled and torn up from the roots in the high-speed battle, but despite the hedgehog's effort, his erratic assault was frustratingly countered move for move. However, he couldn't stop. He couldn't risk losing again! The intensity of the fight grew, along with his desperation, leaving him to make mistakes. He then became locked in the fight, with Infinite grabbing both his wrists before he could throw the next punch. This allowed a tiny window to open for reality to slip through.\n\n\"That's enough....\"\n\n\"SONIC!\"\n\nAmidst his ferocious struggle, the blue hero stopped at the transition of voices, at the sound of his name. His name, which Infinite never referred to him by. His labored breathing began to slow slightly, and just like earlier, his vision gradually cleared from fogged glass in an earthquake to seeing the haunting form of the jackal melt away into a cloud of dust that slowly took the form of Shadow. The red and black hedgehog stood before him with scuff marks on his body where Sonic had apparently landed some blows successfully, but despite the damage, he didn't appear injured. Instead, his expression was that of great concern as he stared into the hero with those fierce crimson eyes, the same eyes Sonic recalled vividly on the Death Egg when he was surrounded by nothing but darkness. \n\n\"Shadow?\" he said in a cracking voice that threatened to fall apart like the rest of him. \n\n\"It's me, Sonic,\" he replied calmly, \"you're all right. Everything will be all right.\"\n\nReality hit the hero hard as tears formed in his eyes while his knees gave way under him; however, Shadow still held firm to his wrists and wouldn't let him fall. Gently, he pulled him up and guided the peach-colored arms to rest on his own strong shoulders while he embraced his distressed friend. Sonic began to cling to Shadow while he buried his face into his white fur, crying in silence with the exception of some infinitesimal whimpers that were impossible to contain. The Ultimate Life Form didn't say a word, but rather stood there holding him, letting the pain filter out for as long as he needed. \n\n\"Infinite...he....\" Sonic choked as tried to explain. The realization of his actions trickled back to him with each tear he shed, making him fully aware that it was Shadow he was fighting this whole time. He couldn't rationalize why he attacked him anymore than he could understand what was happening to himself to begin with. The only thing he was certain of was the fear he was feeling a moment ago was as real as the fear he felt before, and the fact that his mind fabricated it all just made it even more terrifying. \n\n\"Infinite can't hurt you, Sonic.\" Shadow stated firmly, yet in a soft-spoken assuring manner that pulled the sobbing hero from his chaotic thoughts, \"We defeated him. He's gone.\"\n\nSonic peered up so that his bloodshot eyes met with Shadow's, the swollen discoloration of the bags beneath them were even more evident in the moonlight. He knew that was the truth. He remembered everything that happened in painful detail, and yet, the facts did nothing to assuage the storm inside. In a quivering voice that resonated with his terrified expression, the blue hedgehog bared his demons to his trusted friend.\n\n\"No....he's still here. I can't escape him, Shadow.. He's...he's still here.\"\n\nThe wind blew one last time before disappearing into the stillness of the night, carrying with it the crumbled petals of the dead flower that had met its untimely end, not by course of nature, but by the might of fear from a damaged heart.\n\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": ""GAAAHHHHH!!!!"
The scream of the shaken hero echoed in the vacant home, sweat dripping off his forehead as he struggled to breathe. His eyes couldn't focus. Everything was a blur. His room wasn't his room anymore. He was back there, in that cell. He wasn't in control of his body, his thoughts. His heart was beating so rapidly that he couldn't even feel it.
In a fit of anxiety, he leapt up from the floor and dashed out of his bedroom, bolted down the stairs, and crashed through the front door of Tails's home instead of stopping to open it.
The time was now 3 a.m, only one hour had passed since his last nightmare before he was caught in another one. This endless cycle of reliving those days in hell each time he closed his eyes were getting to him and he was having a harder time recovering. In this moment, he had to run. He had to feel that freedom he was denied for so long or else risk going insane.

The threshold of the night's transformation into morning was bathed in black, and if it had not been for the sensation of the evening dew sprinkling against his fur while he sprinted through the grass, he would have been overwhelmed by the atmosphere's similarity to space, the limitless expanse that once housed his confinement. The chilled breeze seemed to blow in the same direction he was going regardless of how many turns he made. Running at high speeds, it was as if the wind wanted to run alongside him so he wouldn't be alone...or maybe it was guiding him to where he needed to be.

His vision gradually cleared with each breath of fresh air and every mile he traversed. The shackles of the nightmare loosened, letting him feel his own heartbeat again and regain control of his senses. Eventually, he came to a field of flowers and was calm enough to slow down. Passing by a toppled tree, he found an inviting spot to sit and collect himself under a clear sea of stars. It was quiet, peaceful. Surrounding himself with nature, taking in the scents and feeling the tranquility of his environment in massive doses helped to anchor him, but he still felt troubled and couldn't help but reflect on his defects.

"Robots, monsters, demons, gods, I never ran away from any of them. Now here I am running away from bad dreams...." Sonic lamented to himself as he stared to the sky at the half moon that floated in the dark, diamond-crusted canvas, shuddering at the memories of his time up there. "...and I thought I was only afraid of water."

He shook his head while trying to shake off the negative thoughts and attempted to convince himself that he just went through a run-of-the-mill ordeal, something that he'll eventually get over just like all his other past traumas.

"Come on, Sonic. You're better than this," he said while rubbing his eyes and relaxing his shoulders to let go of the tension his panic attack induced, "just forget everything."

Then, there was a rustling behind him--the sound of approaching footsteps. His fight or flight reflexes were still on high alert and prompted him to leap to his feet, only to find nothing. There was no one in sight save for the brightly colored flowers that danced in the gentle breeze and twinkled with bits of dew. With a heavy sigh, he dropped his fists and began staring at a single flower in front of him that looked different than all the others. Unlike the rest of the white blooms, this one appeared to be wilting for some reason. Its petals drooped as it lost most of its color, like it was infected by something draining it of its life. It was trying to live, but barely hanging on. As he kneeled down slightly to touch the poor, delicate thing, a deep voice resonated almost next to him, a voice that sent terror through every inch of his being.

"Heartbreaking, isn't it little one?"

Sonic quickly rose only to be grappled from behind by those familiar claws around his throat while another powerful arm looped around him in an embrace he was unable to break free from. The hero was frozen. His limbs refused to move as the horrible warmth engulfed him. A million thoughts went racing through his mind that he couldn't process. "....y-you....how....?" he whispered, the fear choking his voice tighter than the hand around it.

The mercenary chuckled while he forced the hedgehog to look down at the dying flower, the two observing it as he made a taunting comparison. "Such a fragile life foolishly clinging to an existence it's not meant to have..." he resounded in his pet's ear as the grasp on his neck tightened further, "....a life that's destined to wither and decay from the inside out...here, where no one can save it. Rather relatable, isn't it?"

"N-no....." Sonic uttered as the fear of being subjugated again began to drive back all other fears. "I...I won't let you do this to me...."

"Hmm?" Infinite grinned wickedly as he squeezed his pet's entire body and began to increase the intensity of his chokehold until Sonic could no longer draw breath, "It appears you have forgotten your education. But don't worry, I'll always be here to remind you..."

Sonic's eyes shrank as a jolt of adrenaline reignited his resilience. Just as he was going to elbow the jackal in the abdomen in order to break free, Infinite vanished, leaving the hero to stumble to the ground while the echoes of his tormentor laughing kept replaying in his mind at every turn.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!" the blue blur screamed as he clenched his head and punched the ground with all his might, incidentally crushing the dying flower. He paused for a moment in shock as he peered over the remains of the little life, its light extinguished because of him. It was fighting to survive and he killed it like it was nothing. The burning inside of him began to take over, making his entire body tremble.

He then heard the grass rustle again, prompting him to take immediate action. In a blind rage, he swung his fists behind him at the visage of Infinite.

"What are you doing," the jackal questioned as he dodged and parried the punches easily, "have you forgotten who I am?"

Sonic screamed as he launched a barrage of attacks and spin dashes against his former warden, each being more fierce than the next. The flowers were being trampled and torn up from the roots in the high-speed battle, but despite the hedgehog's effort, his erratic assault was frustratingly countered move for move. However, he couldn't stop. He couldn't risk losing again! The intensity of the fight grew, along with his desperation, leaving him to make mistakes. He then became locked in the fight, with Infinite grabbing both his wrists before he could throw the next punch. This allowed a tiny window to open for reality to slip through.

"That's enough...."

"SONIC!"

Amidst his ferocious struggle, the blue hero stopped at the transition of voices, at the sound of his name. His name, which Infinite never referred to him by. His labored breathing began to slow slightly, and just like earlier, his vision gradually cleared from fogged glass in an earthquake to seeing the haunting form of the jackal melt away into a cloud of dust that slowly took the form of Shadow. The red and black hedgehog stood before him with scuff marks on his body where Sonic had apparently landed some blows successfully, but despite the damage, he didn't appear injured. Instead, his expression was that of great concern as he stared into the hero with those fierce crimson eyes, the same eyes Sonic recalled vividly on the Death Egg when he was surrounded by nothing but darkness.

"Shadow?" he said in a cracking voice that threatened to fall apart like the rest of him.

"It's me, Sonic," he replied calmly, "you're all right. Everything will be all right."

Reality hit the hero hard as tears formed in his eyes while his knees gave way under him; however, Shadow still held firm to his wrists and wouldn't let him fall. Gently, he pulled him up and guided the peach-colored arms to rest on his own strong shoulders while he embraced his distressed friend. Sonic began to cling to Shadow while he buried his face into his white fur, crying in silence with the exception of some infinitesimal whimpers that were impossible to contain. The Ultimate Life Form didn't say a word, but rather stood there holding him, letting the pain filter out for as long as he needed.

"Infinite...he...." Sonic choked as tried to explain. The realization of his actions trickled back to him with each tear he shed, making him fully aware that it was Shadow he was fighting this whole time. He couldn't rationalize why he attacked him anymore than he could understand what was happening to himself to begin with. The only thing he was certain of was the fear he was feeling a moment ago was as real as the fear he felt before, and the fact that his mind fabricated it all just made it even more terrifying.

"Infinite can't hurt you, Sonic." Shadow stated firmly, yet in a soft-spoken assuring manner that pulled the sobbing hero from his chaotic thoughts, "We defeated him. He's gone."

Sonic peered up so that his bloodshot eyes met with Shadow's, the swollen discoloration of the bags beneath them were even more evident in the moonlight. He knew that was the truth. He remembered everything that happened in painful detail, and yet, the facts did nothing to assuage the storm inside. In a quivering voice that resonated with his terrified expression, the blue hedgehog bared his demons to his trusted friend.

"No....he's still here. I can't escape him, Shadow.. He's...he's still here."

The wind blew one last time before disappearing into the stillness of the night, carrying with it the crumbled petals of the dead flower that had met its untimely end, not by course of nature, but by the might of fear from a damaged heart.


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