Hey everyone! I hope this chapter is as invigorating as the rest of them! I admit I struggle a bit with keeping up the urgency here, but I hope it's still being conveyed either way. Enjoy the chapter! There's only one left after this ^u^
The ceiling was full of cracks and breaks, showing a view of the floor above them as it slowly started to come crashing down. Three out of the four walls were gone now, one of the gaping holes entrapping a large, headless mantis robot. (Y/N) searched the area for its head and noticed that it couldn't be found. Eggman surely must have made his escape by now.
Exactly as Sonic and (Y/N) were trying to do.
The (a/t) was worried now, having realised that she had no idea how the two were going to get out of this. While she trusted Sonic fully, usually she could see a chance of escape or survival. Right now, it felt impossible. There were countless floors above them, all about to come crashing down. How were they meant to get through all that?
Sonic eventually came to a stop, realising he couldn't strategize what he couldn't see. He set the (a/t) down and stared at the ceiling with a look of seriousness. (Y/N) watched him, not entirely sure what to do now. Sonic could sense her worry, and started tapping his foot as he tried to think of something.
"Yeah... I kinda forgot about the whole being many floors underground part." The blue hedgehog admitted, scratching his head, "But don't worry, we'll get out of this in one piece, I'll make sure of it."
He turned to her and gave her a thumbs up, making the (f/c) (a/t) smile. She couldn't help it, the blasted hedgehog made her feel so much safer so easily.
"Alright, I think I have a plan." Sonic said, nodding to himself now, "Wanna hear it?"
She gave a silent nod and the hedgehog pointed towards the crumbling ceiling,
"There's some gaps forming already, if we can time it right, we should be able to get through them with ease." Some rubble fell near the two, and Sonic ignored it, " This whole place is coming down, I wouldn't be surprised if the other floors are crumbling as we speak, so technically we should be able to squeeze our way through any small gaps we can find."
"Right."
The ground started to shake below them, and a loud boom sounded from above, closely followed by another.
"Aight, let's get out of here." Sonic smiled, reaching for the (a/t), "Before we become panca-"
As the two were reaching for each other, a piece of the ceiling came crashing down towards them. The (a/t)'s ears perked to the sound, and she glanced up, eyes wide,
"Sonic look out-!" She jumped forward, pushing him out of the way.
The blue hedgehog stumbled back, eyes widening as he watches the (a/t) trip in front of him. He tried to get his footing, but was already in motion as he fell back, and the ceiling hit the ground with a sickening thud, followed by a scream of pain. Smoke and dust rose around the two, and Sonic coughed it away, waving his hand,
"(Y/N)?!" He yelled, jumping to his feet and running over, "(Y/N)?! Answer me!"
Another, much smaller cry came from the dust, and Sonic used his speed to clear it away. (Y/N) was coughing, waving her hand in front of her face, but she looked dazed, and a little drip of blood was coming down her forehead. Sonic knelt next to her, checking to see if she was okay. That's when he noticed her legs weren't visible, instead they were trapped under the fallen debris.
"Sonic..." Her voice was weak, and she lifted her head as he moved next to her, "You're okay."
"Yeah, but you're not." Sonic said, his mind in a panic. It was running a mile a minute to try and figure out what to do. For the first time in a long time, he felt his body freezing up.
-She's gotten hurt, she's hurt again. All because of you-
-You knew this would happen; you knew she wasn't safe with you-
-You idiot-
"Sonic." The hedgehog startled when he felt the (a/t)'s hand on his, and his eyes snapped to her. She was clearly in pain, tears forming in her eyes as she looked up at him, "Don't worry about... My injures... Lets just get... Out of here..."
It was clear she was fighting consciousness, the pain was probably making her lightheaded. Sonic took a deep breath, knowing their time was up and he had to act now, or never. (Y/N) was right. He had to get them both out of here before he could worry about anything else, otherwise there would be nothing to worry about.
The (a/t) went limp then, her mind succumbing to the pain as she passed out. Her grip on his hand loosened, but Sonic caught it before it could drop to the floor. His heart was pounding in his ears, but he had to focus. Right now, she was alive, just unconscious, and she needed help. Be the hero you're meant to be.
The hedgehog got to his feet, lifting the piece of ceiling with a grunt. It was heavy, but nothing he couldn't handle. A moment later, it thumped to the floor, and Sonic took in the damage to the (a/t)'s legs. Nothing was bent out of shape, thank the Gods, but her legs were already bruising a lot, the swelling picking up now that the blood could flow again. Sonic gulped, hoping that in moving her, he wouldn't do more damage, but knowing it was something he had to do.
He scooped the unconscious (a/t) into his arms, holding her as gently as he could. Glancing around at what barely remained of the room, the hedgehog could hear more booming sounds coming from overhead. Pressing a finger to his ear, he tried to reach the outside world,
"Tails? Bud, can you hear me?" He asked.
Static filled the silence. Sonic's ears lowered,
"Listen, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but if you can, I need you to bring Haven to the base. It's urgent. (Y/N) is badly injured. I'll see you soon."
He let out a sigh, wishing he could hear a response, hoping Tails could somehow hear him on the other end.
More of the ceiling collapsed, coming down in what felt like slow motion as Sonic watched the mix of cement and metal crash into the floor. He took a deep breath, puffing his chest out, before a look of determination crossed his eyes.
Finally, it was actually time to leave.
Sonic's eyes scanned the falling debris around him, a path forming in his brain, a path that would only stay open for a few seconds. He leapt up into the air, landing on a large slab of concrete, before pushing off and landing on another. Once he passed through onto the next floor, he landed on what he hoped to be solid ground.
A groan came from the (a/t) in his arms, and the hedgehog startled, shifting her slightly in his hold. Her head rolled onto his shoulder, and the hedgehog couldn't help but give her a smile.
"Don't worry (Y/N), I'll get us out." He said, looking for his next path.
The ceiling above them was full of cracks, small gaps here and there as it felt apart. He spotted it, continuing on his way out of the building. This went on for a few more levels, when the (a/t) groaned in his arms again. She shifted slightly, which pulled Sonic's attention, and he landed right on the edge of some flooring. It crumbled beneath his feet, and the hedgehog gave a small shout as he fell back.
Thankfully, he was close to the wall. He managed to grab hold of a pipe that stuck out with one hand, landing against the wall, and catching his bearings. Dammit Sonic, stay focused, (Y/N) needs urgent help and you won't get either of you out of here if you let her distract you like that.
The hedgehog closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the building shake around him as he took a deep breath, focusing on the shallow breathing of the (a/t) in his arms. She's still alive. He reminded himself; technically, she's still okay. But if you slip up again, neither of you will be okay.
A loud boom shook the whole building around them, and Sonic lifted his gaze as it was quickly followed by another, and another. A large piece of slab was on it's way down, taking with it every part of flooring that may have been left from the levels below. Sonic watched as it fell, slowly becoming thicker and thicker, until it crashed into the lower level. The walls cracked in response, and the pipe Sonic was holding onto started to squeak as it gave way.
The hedgehog huffed to himself, allowing the pipe to bend a little more before he took off, jumping off the wall and landing on the other side of the room. From here he could see up through the next few floors with much more ease. That large slab had practically given them their way out. Sonic smiled to himself and jumped up through the floors, one after the other, simultaneously dodging any debris that attempted to thwart their plans of escape.
Soon enough, light broke through from far overhead, and Sonic could see the sky cracking into the collapsing building. They were getting close, and the hedgehog became even more determined. He held the (a/t) close, taking a deep breath as he lunged towards the gap, bouncing off any and every ledge he could land on, whether solid or falling. It was like he was in a pinball machine again, bouncing all over the place and trying to get through the small gap to victory.
The gap of light was in sight, slowly becoming bigger and bigger; whether it was from Sonic getting closer, or the roof of the building fully caving in, he wasn't sure. All that mattered was that he got out, and if they were still too far from the surface, hopefully Silver would catch them.
(Y/N) let out another groan, and Sonic gripped her tighter, a hand cupping her head in an attempt to shield her from the rubble.
Suddenly, the sound of crashing cement and metal, of falling debris booming through the floors, sounded far away, and Sonic was blinded by a bright light as he broke through the surface. Wind surrounded him as he flew through the air, before crashing into the ground. The two heroes tumbled for a moment, the blue hedgehog doing his best to be the (a/t)'s shield as they came to a stop.
Sonic was on his back, panting and staring up into the blue sky. Soft white clouds floated overhead, and the hedgehog had never felt such relief. The grass felt nice against his head, his body, as it swayed gently in the breeze, and for a split moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.
"Sonic!" The hedgehog startled, sitting upright with (Y/N) still in his arms, seeing Silver floating over.
He had (Y/N)'s family in his telekinesis, the three looking pretty terrified at what must have just occurred. The silvery hedgehog set the three down gently, before running over to his blue friend. The other three Mobians ran over as well, one of the fathers holding their youngest daughter in his arms as they all surrounded Sonic. A look of worry crossed over their faces, and the brown dog stepped forward with an air of importance,
"What happened?" He asked, clearly trying to sound intimidating, though Sonic could see the fear swimming in his eyes as he gazed at the unconscious (a/t), "Is (Y/N) alright?"
Sonic shook his head, getting to his feet, "Tails and Haven aren't here?"
Silver tilted his head, a look of confusion in his eyes before he shook his head.
"Dammit, they couldn't hear me." Sonic growled to himself, before looking Silver in the eyes, "I need to get (Y/N) back to the ruins. She got caught under some falling debris and is badly hurt. Can you make sure her family get back safely?"
Sonic ignored the three standing behind the futuristic hedgehog as they gasped, the white cat holding the small blue bird close. The brown dog took one of his hands in comfort, resting the other on his shoulder.
Silver nodded, "I can do that. Get her to Haven, and quick. She's not looking too good."
The blue hedgehog nodded, glancing down at the (a/t). The blood that had been dripping down her forehead had dried, and her legs now look swollen and extremely bruised. The hedgehog pressed his forehead to hers, before giving Silver a nod and dashing off into the forest.
Please be alright (Y/N), I need you to be alright.