A/n: This chapter's a freaking disaster and I didn't proof read it so I'm sorry in advance.
The first thing she noticed was the cold. It was like nothing she'd ever felt, so bitter it felt as though it was splitting her bones. (Y/n) gasped, doubling over and pressing her hands to her chest. She opened her eyes, lifting her head and flattening her ears as she saw where she was.
Sonic's cell. Except the edges weren't solid, but a dark, swirling blue as if they were floating at the center of a void.
"(Y/n)?" The voice was distant, but she would recognize it anywhere. She forced herself to turn around, her gaze instantly finding Sonic. He was on his knees in the center of what looked like a cage of ice, the spikes thick and unforgiving.
"Sonic?" she whispered. "Sonic, what's happening?"
But it seemed as though he couldn't hear her, his mouth moving but making no sound. The cold grew unbearable and the ice thickened. She reached for him, and he reached for her, but with a sudden earsplitting scream, the ice shattered and (Y/n) was plunged into darkness.
~
It felt as though she was falling, when suddenly a reverse force pulled her upwards and she emerged into a blazing hot world. She tried gasping for air, but she couldn't seem to draw breath, clawing at the gold collar around her throat.
She waited for her breath to run out, for her vision to black out, but it never did, though the pain persisted. Tears pricked at her eyes, but they dried in the heat before they could fall.
"Help," she rasped, pressing her back against the wall of the cell she was trapped in, both hands working at the collar. "Please, somebody..."
"You can breathe." She looked up as a silhouette stepped into the doorway. He dropped down to his knees before her, brushing his hands gently against her elbows. "Quiet your mind. Just breathe."
"But I can't," she gasped, tugging desperately at the collar. His hands stilled hers, squeezing gently.
"Just breathe, (Y/n)," he told her. "Just like you know how."
The gold collar squeezed. She screamed in panic and the ground opened up to swallow her whole.
~
She was floating, holding the Chaos Emerald between her hands. She looked around the cell, her ears flattening.
"Hello?" she called quietly. "Tikal?"
"Tikal can't protect you here." She spun around, hugging the Chaos Emerald to her chest. A dark figure stood in the doorway, outlined in red. "The power of the Chaos Emerald. It could have freed me." The figure lifted its hand, but as it did, its fingers turned to blood, dripping to its elbow then to the floor. "You think you can stop this? No power, no connection, no immunity, will help you now."
(Y/n) flinched away from the figure, looking down and sucking in a sharp breath as the Chaos Emerald in her hands melted into a red puddle between her fingers. Her head snapped up as the figure laughed, the walls around them beginning to bleed.
"Please," she gasped, dropping to the ground and falling to her knees. She pressed her bloodied hands over her ears, choking on the stench of blood. "Please, make it stop!"
"You hurt because of your connections," the figure murmured, settling in front of her. She looked up, cruel golden eyes taking shape before her. With its remaining hand, it extended its claws and before she could react, it dug them into her heart. She made a garbled sound and it withdrew its hand. Three red, blue, and faint golden threads were wrapped around its fingers, leading back into the holes in her chest. It curled its hand into a fist.
"Let me help you with that."
The threads snapped.
~
She awoke with a gasp, sitting up and looking around frantically. It was pitch black, almost murky, whispers sounding all around her. She lifted her hand to her chest, her ears flattening as she remembered her last conscious moments.
But there were no wounds, no blood, and other than the whispers, she felt utterly alone.
"I'm dead, aren't I?" she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I failed...I-"
"Not yet." She turned around, her eyes widening. Before her stood an array of figures, their dark figures nearly blending into the black background but for the faint white glow surrounding them. Their eyes glowed a brilliant white, their mouths pressed into thin lines. Her ears twitched nervously.
"You're Tikal's predecessors, aren't you?" she said quietly. The one in the front dipped its head.
"Indeed. We chose you a long time ago."
"But why me?" (Y/n) asked "Why not one of the heroes? Amy, Tails, Blaze? Even Knuckles, since he knew Tikal!" She snapped her mouth shut when the figure raised its hand.
"Only someone with a pure, strong spirit could defeat a world of hate. Someone who had not been tainted by such darkness."
"How did you know it would be me?" (Y/n) pressed, shifting onto her knees.
"Because we knew you, long ago." The figure settled on his knees before her and rested a shadowy hand gently on her shoulder. "We knew your heart. We knew you could endure."
"Well, I didn't," she said, looking away. "I'm dead, or at least dying."
"Not yet," he repeated. "Your connections will save you, but healing will not come without a cost. The secondary realm will no longer be as easy to access. You will need your connections to traverse the realms. You will need to rely more heavily on Tikal, and we have already informed her of this." He squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Your immunity is fading quickly, as I'm sure you already knew." She looked away.
"How long until it's...gone?" she asked quietly.
"When your work is finished," he replied.
"And what if this happens again? Will my connections save me then?" She pressed her hand to her chest, remembering her nightmare. "Are they even still intact?"
"They are," he assured her. "They still need you, however, just as you are going to need them." He pulled her to stand. "Everything is going to be alright, (Y/n)."
"Is it possible that I could...die...before my work is finished?" she asked again. He lowered his gaze briefly and she hugged herself. "What if I can't do it? Can't survive? Is that it for the world?"
"Have faith in yourself," another figure chimed in. "You have made it this far."
"But I cut it pretty close this time!" she exclaimed. "And I'm getting weaker! Will I be able to withstand the extreme temperatures in the other Zones? I just...I can't..." She grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. "Even if I go back, I don't think I can do it anymore." She lifted her hands, opening her eyes and calling on the connections that had become so easy to access. Shadow's red light came relatively easily, but Sonic's blue glow flickered and stuttered in the darkness.
The head figure placed his hands beneath hers and she looked up to meet his white gaze. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "That it had to be you." He closed both hands over the blue glow and she held the red close to her chest. "But this is your second chance, something so few get to have. Please, do not waste it."
(Y/n) blew out a breath, her hands trembling lightly. "Alright," she breathed. "Send me home." He nodded, releasing her hand and stepping back. The group lifted their hands as one, and the world went white.
~
(Y/n) opened her eyes, sucking in a sharp breath. Pain flooded her chest and head and she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut once again. There was a rustle and then someone grabbed her hand.
"(Y/n)?" Espio's voice greeted her. She cracked her eyes open, her lips lifting slightly.
"Hey," she croaked. He quickly reached over and grabbed a glass of water from the coffee table, pressing it gently to her lips. She sipped gingerly, pressing her fingers to the wounds in her chest as she did so. She then noticed the tube taped to her arm connecting her to the chameleon. She pointed weakly at it. He looked down at his own arm.
"You lost a lot of blood," he said, gesturing to her bandaged chest. "I...I'm surprised you're alive, let alone awake." He swiped at his eyes and she wondered how long it had been since he'd slept; he was usually so composed and she couldn't recall ever seeing him cry. She reached for him.
"Hey," she rasped. "I'm here. I'm alive. The...guys...basically told me to pull myself together, ya know?" Espio gave a hysterical laugh, pressing his hands to his face. "Have you slept recently?"
"Ha, no," he said, rubbing vigorously at his eyes. She gave his knee a weak pat.
"You should," she murmured. "How long have I been out?"
"A little over a week." She blinked. A week? All that time lost... She wondered if Silver was alright. Then she remembered Sonic's flickering light. Only Shadow seemed to be okay.
She tried to push herself up but Espio instantly pressed her back into the couch. "No," he said firmly. "You haven't moved in a week, your injuries are still healing, and you haven't had a proper meal since the incident. I'll alert the others and get you something to eat. Just stay put."
"Only if you sleep in the next half hour," she countered, though she didn't sound very stern. His gaze softened slightly.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but your health is much more important than mine," he murmured. She frowned rather childishly, though it turned into a grimace as she gripped her chest. Espio brushed some of her hair from her face. "I'll get you some pain meds."
~
"You're awake!" Charmy clambered onto the couch, delicately settling himself on her lap. (Y/n) smiled weakly, patting his helmet. The pain meds Espio had given her were making her sleepy, but after her nightmare, she was reluctant to fall back asleep, to face what had become of her connections in the wake of her injuries.
She could see Sonic's mouth moving, his lips forming desperate words. The ice forming a cage around him. She was still connected to him but it was weak and she didn't know how long it would last if she didn't see him again soon.
But she wasn't connected to Silver yet and she didn't want to leave without it, but she knew she couldn't rush it. Maybe because he was a telepath they could be connected in a different way while she traveled back to the Freezing Zone.
"I'm so glad you're awake," Vector said, snapping her out of her thoughts. He stopped beside the couch, though he stepped aside a moment later to let two others step up beside her.
"Blaze?" she breathed. "Knuckles? What are you doing here?"
"Checking up on you," Blaze replied, taking the (a/t)'s hand in her own. "Shadow informed us that you were incapacitated somehow, and I came to see if you were alright." She glanced at Knuckles.
"I came because of Tails," he admitted quietly. "Sonic's not doing too good and the monsters came back full force."
"Wait, so what happened to Tails?" (Y/n) asked, panic rising in her throat. If something had happened to Tails, it would destroy Sonic. She made a choked noise before Knuckles could respond and Vector was beside her in an instant.
"Are you okay?" he demanded. "What's going on?"
"I have to go back to the Freezing Zone," (Y/n) croaked, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hiccuped pathetically and turned her face into the couch. "I'm losing Sonic and if Tails is hurt-"
"He's stable," Knuckles assured her quickly. "The doctors are worried about infection, but-"
"Infection?!" (Y/n) wailed. Espio rushed back into the room as she burst into hysterical tears.
"She's heavily medicated and she's catching up on all she's missed," he said, nudging (Y/n)'s chin up so he could pour something into her mouth. She nearly choked on it but he coaxed her to swallow, Blaze squeezing her hand comfortingly.
Whatever Espio had given her kicked in rapidly and she calmed down, sinking into the couch and closing her eyes.
"Let's give her some space," Espio suggested quietly, and if anyone else said anything, the (a/t) didn't hear it before she was asleep.
~
She opened her eyes to darkness, pitch black so dark she couldn't see her hands extended in front of her.
Then a faint blue glow in front of her, flickering and weak. She reached for it, her ears perked. Talk to me, Sonic.
A figure took shape in the light, see through and ghost like. A sad smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
"Hello, (Y/n)."