Eggman had finished tossing around junk through his fit. The two robots clenching their circuits not to blurt out a much unnecessary 'I told you so.' as their master's rage went on.
"What are you both standing around here for!?" He yelled, "After that Hedgehog!!"
"Yes Doctor! I mean, President!" They quickly corrected themselves and darted out the underground base. But the hedgehog had been long gone now, and ever so light on his swift feet not a blade of grass had broken in his shoe pattern, it was as if he'd never been there. But knowing how things would turn out for the two mechanical minions they chose a direction and began searching to avoid their upset maker for as long as they could.
———
Finding chaos emeralds without a tracker can take well over a few years, and even with one depending on how close the location is it's a matter of 'are you the only one that knows?' A race of claiming the power first, and if the emeralds managed to stay on the same planet together; which they rarely do, large and sometimes destructive wars break out among the residents. A week had passed and though Sonic realized his bright blue color was a beacon to everyone it seemed on the entire planet he managed to stay swift on his feet and avoid major attention. Living a life on the run and alone wasn't actually as bad as it sounded. It felt almost familiar, camping under a thicket of vegetation with the endless sea of stars above him in the night. The only trouble he got and couldn't shake was taunting dreams, rather the nightmares of this past that seemed so unfair. He avoided sleep as much as his body could possibly allow him to get away with however some nights the stars above him suddenly disappeared and he was captured in a dream. Were these memories really his? As the scene played out over and over again the running feet in the hall abruptly stopped and he found himself face to face with a shrouded jungle, a hot glow piercing through from behind the leaves and the heavy crackling of fire the smoke beginning to reach his nose and smother his throat. As he pulled back the green wall blocking his view coughing franticly he saw a small cottage built of wood and a roof of thick dried hay sparking up in flames. As much as he wanted to run towards the screams that came from within the fire his feet refused to move. Until he felt himself being dragged away into another blackout. He'd jolt awake with faint remnants of the smoke in his nose and found that within the dream only one minute had actually gone by. After the dream he dared not fall asleep again and would keep on the move as much as he could until yet again he had to rest or risk passing out mid run, and not well hidden.
After the next week of such a sleep schedule Sonic lost his quick step in his run, not really running at all. It was then that he started hearing a taunting voice almost like his own but rougher in tone.
"Hey Wimp! The wind whispers to me ya' forgotten everythin'."
"Who's there?" Sonic whirled around in the dark of night. The field went cold and still the stars his only light and a wind circled around him before knocking him off his feet.
"That ain't cool." The voice spat it's silhouette dashed with unimaginable speed right for him, he realized it hadn't been the wind to knock him over, but another hedgehog just as fast, if not faster than he was. "You think that those memories are your own!?" A sharp pain smacked him in the face, was he... just kicked?
"By the time I'm through with you big blue, yer gonna wish they were! Because forgetting yerself, means you've forgotten ME. And I'll be damned if I'M gonna be forgotten!" The dark figure grabbed a handful of fur yanking Sonic up to meet with dark shaded glasses and a sharp toothed grin. The other hedgehog brought the shades down revealing icy cold blue eyes.
"You..?!" Sonic gasped his mind suddenly triggered flashbacks as crystal clear as standing on the scene watching them unfold right before his eyes. The evil laughter burned through the visions, "Oh yeah! It's ME!"
"How do I still remember you!?"
"Because you WANT to! Because tragedy holds a heavier part in our minds, because I make ya feel really good! Don't I Blue blur?" He cooed sarcastically and gave a sharp upper cut into Sonic's stomach cutting his breath out making him cough, "And by good, I mean really, really bad. Because y'know 'Sunny boy' pain lingers in the past so well it can mess up yer whole future if ya don't let go of it. But to let go you have to remember! Now don't chya!? Now get your pathetic blue tail up, and let's 'jog your memory!" Another kick from behind this time pushing him onto his knees, but he was so tired at this point he wanted to collapse.
"Find that emerald! It's just up ahead, ya wanna know who ya are right? Get up! Let's get movin slow poke!" His voice taunted as he grabbed him up again and pushed him forward. One foot after the other Sonic stumbled into what seemed like a cave carved into a canyon.
"N-now where too?" He asked breathlessly looking around in the dark. But no one answered. "S-Scourge?" He called but was only answered by his echo. Now he questioned if his evil green counterpart had truly been there. But something at the back of his mind was telling him there was no way. But the complete and total beating he too earlier, had it just been random pain that came with lack of sleep?
"Stop askin so many question, sheesh you lose yer common sense with those memories of yours Blue?" Scourge's voice snickered in an echo off the walls.
"You aren't real." Sonic shook his head spotting his figure in the dark, meaning there had to be light coming from somewhere within the cave.
"Aw that ain't fair, you were letting me get away with a lotta real things out there. You should have heard yerself, calling my name like a kid who's lost his mommy." It indeed was Scourge and he erupted in laughter, "Ooh speakin' of which, don't ya feel that? It's energy is so warm right?" Scourge held his hands out as if putting them in front of a fire.
"Yeah." Sonic mumbled feeling the warmth too.
"Makes ya feel safe right?"
"Yeah.." A smile shyly inched across Sonic's muzzle.
"Like setting yer house on fire with the family trapped inside and watchin from a distance." Scourge purred as he said the words it painted a picture in Sonic's mind, and a feeling of familiarity.
"What!? NO!" He hissed back feeling his stomach churn remembering the house in flames and his frozen feet.
Scourge sounded more hyena than hedgehog, "It was worth a shot!" He heaved through laughter.
Sonic was disgusted and shook his head using the dim light as a guide to go further in the cave on his own. He expected Scourge to follow, but then again he still wasn't quite sure if it was just a hallucination. Which then would make sense if he did follow because it was his mind fabricating him there and gave him the expectation to follow him, not that he wanted it... or maybe he did. A twinge of awkward guilt tugged at his stomach feeling the need to cling to such filth like Scourge for comfort. How do those two words even fit in the same sentence?! Shaking his head once more the burning in his eyes from straining in the dim darkness and lack of sleep began to water, but at last he came to the glowing emerald hidden away from the world and rested in a pile of rocks. His shivering hands wrapped around the emerald feeling himself warm from the inside out, closing his tired eyes. The emerald's energy swirled his mixed emotions like a dainty glass of wine before letting him plunge into a deep sea of darkness.
"Who am I?" The question bounced off the walls in the dark, "Where did I come from?"
Out in the distance came a flickering light and fog. With his sight fixed on the light his body drifted forward, closer and closer until the violin became clear. A house set in flames just as before.
"Did... did I do that?" He asked to himself.
"Heavens no Sunny boy!" An elderly voice answered above him to his right, "Come with Uncle Chuck, I have something to show you."
"Uncle?" His eyes saw the fabrication of an old light blue hedgehog his fur going grey and quills coloring almost white. Through dark shades of green leafs, grass, and hanging vines he showed him to a small small community in the woods, everyone seeming to be expecting him.
"I gotta go now Sunny, but you'll get well taken care of here."
"Why Uncle Chuck? Why are you leaving?"
"You can out run a lot of things, but you can't outrun time. Don't forget me now, and I'll always be here with you." He faded away as the group of animals gathered around him.
"Sonic you're back! We were so worried about you, going off and facing Robotnik alone like that!" A chipmunk looking girl grabbed him in a hug, "What are you giving me that face for?"
Her face sent a wave of butterflies to his stomach, "Sally." Her name came without thinking.
She smiled and nodded, "You remembered! Where is Tails? He didn't come with you for a visit?"
"Tails?"
"Sonic, don't play. That isn't very funny." She scolded, "You'll be with him when I go off to get married you know."
"You're getting married?!" His heart sank. But of course she was, she was a princess and that is all in their job description.
"Sonic, we talked about this." She shook her head disappointed, "Something isn't right with you. Maybe you should get some rest." She leaned in giving him a soft kiss on his cheek. "Good night, Sonic the hedgehog."
His eyes closed, and opened again viewing the cave's ceiling. "Did I..."
"Pass out?" Scourge's voice met him again, "Like a wuss ya really are, heck yeah you did! You've got the weirdest agenda I'll tell ya what; ain't nobody I know gonna answer "the first thing I'm gonna do with a chaos emerald, is sleep with it, like it's a wuby." But I guess now I've seen everythin."
"Shut up.." Sonic sat up rubbing the sore spot where he'd fallen.
"You shaddap, check this out. Some high tech hieroglyphs if ya ask me, but still outdated technology. Are these Polaroid?!" The green hedgehog held up printed colored photos.
"Lemme see those." He held out his hand only to have them yanked away, "Hey!"
"Didya remember me yet?"
"No, and yes. I know your name and that you're being really ... not cool."
"Cool? Haha! I ain't cool cuz I'm way past it." He tossed the pictures at him.
The picture had him in it, and three birds of green, purple, and grey color. They seemed like they all knew each other judging by the closeness everyone was standing, accept for the green one. Maybe him and the color green just doesn't mix well, despite it being his eye color. No, it doesn't seem there should be anything negative to be held about these three, he himself looked bright and happy in the picture. He decided he'd keep it, along with the emerald he found, but with a picture like that being in a place like this he figured whoever dropped it could still be close by, and looking for him. He wasn't ready to engage in other people... it should just be him and his memories, and Scourge whom may or may not be real, a sour jerk to be around, yet being oddly helpful in the worst way possible.
"All juiced up are ya? We ready to hit the jam and get outta here!? Aye Sonny Boy?" Scourge taunted skipping next to him.
"Don't call me that, and belittle me with stupid old catch phrases." He growled weaving his way out through the cave.
"Fine, have it your way." He shrugged and darted off leaving only the wind, and Sonic by himself.
—
"Home Team, Team Babylon has visual on target. He's retrieved the Emerald-"
"It's gone.." Wave mumbled to herself, "The real emerald is gone.."
"Shut up Wave!" Jet hissed back at her.
"We could have switched it with a fake, and kept the real one for our self!"
"We don't have a 'fake' emerald tracker! Now we have Sonic's location too!"
"Roger that Team Babylon." Towers answered over the radio, "We're tracking a moving signal on our radar now, keep close eyes on the target, don't let our enemy gain any advances on his trail."
"Copy that Home Team." Jet leapt onto his hoverboard signaling for the rest of his team to follow.
"Hey boss," Storm glided next to him as they followed Jet, "Who you think he was talkin to?"
"Who knows Storm, maybe Eggman did something to him." He replied, "Now stop asking me stuff I don't know and let's get going!"