"I'm alive! Well, as alive as a dead person can be!" Sonic said the next time she came into the cell. "I know. You were so worried about me. I'm just the light of your life."
"Glad to see you don't entirely hate me," she said as the door slid shut.
"Nah, I decided to let it go. And, you'll be so proud of me, I decided to meditate." (Y/n) blinked.
"Really? And what sparked this?" She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.
"Well, you do it so much that there's got to be something special about it, so I decided to try it. I thought I might try and get the ghosties to shut up." She almost laughed at his vocabulary had she not been so impressed.
"And?"
"Well, they kind of screamed louder." He sighed, resting his head on his hand. "I thought for real that this could help me. I thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a way out." He looked up at (Y/n) with a half smirk. "It's a wild, wild world we live in, isn't it?"
"You tried it once," (Y/n) said, getting into a meditating position on the floor. "Do you think you could try it again with me?"
"Next time, bring a card game. Good old Sonic the Hedgehog would like to play a card game."
"If I do, will you meditate seriously with me?"
"I don't know."
"Sonic."
"Okay, just for you, I'll try." He got up off the cot and thudded ungracefully into a meditating position. "But the quieter I get, the louder they are."
"That's what I'm counting on," she muttered to herself. If she could distinguish the ghost from Sonic, she could drag him out and trap the ghost in. Only one spirit could leave at a time as Tikal had told her.
It was a start towards how she would free Sonic. But at the moment, she only wanted to talk to him, and only the real him.
So they started meditating. There was a lot of shifting from Sonic, and sighing, but he wasn't making commentary and she considered it a win.
She slipped out of her body for a moment, turning to Tikal. "Can I just grab him?" she asked. "How do I get him out?"
"The second you start trying to draw him out, the ghost will attack again," the echidna warned. (Y/n) frowned in thought. If the ghost came out, Sonic would be stuck in his body until the ghost was back in.
"I think I have an idea," she said after a moment. "The ghost is going to come out, yes. But that means Sonic will momentarily be open and vulnerable. Tikal, I'm going to need you to hold the ghost back while I try and draw Sonic out of his body. When I say I'm ready, kick the ghost back in."
"Alright," Tikal said. Neither looked or felt entirely certain, but it was worth a shot.
So (Y/n) bent down in front of Sonic, the frozen hedgehog's eyes opening. The ghost could sense her spirit.
"That's right," she muttered. "Come and get me." She reached out, would have put her hand on his shoulder had the same gray-blue Mobian from before not sprang at her, knocking her backwards and pinning her to the floor. (Y/n) gasped at the cold that spread through her just before Tikal forced the haunted spirit off her, backing it into a corner and holding it there. It shrieked, trying to get past her, but the light that the echidna was giving off seemed to somewhat paralyze it after a moment.
(Y/n) jumped to her feet, running over to Sonic. The blue hedgehog was writhing on the floor and his screams seemed rather close. Things in the secondary realm from the primary one usually seemed muffled.
She had been right.
"Remember, (Y/n), you need to be connected," Tikal reminded her.
"Oh. How?"
"Return to your body. I will hold the ghost, but you don't have long." Helpful. However, the (a/t) followed her guardian's instructions, opening her eyes back in her body and moving over to Sonic.
"Sonic, listen to me," she said. "Sonic, can you hear me?" He turned his head towards her, eyes wide. Everything seemed off, all his limbs at twisted angles. And he seemed slightly less frosty, if only slightly. "Okay, good." She reached down, picking up his mangled hand in her own. "Connected. Okay, I think we're connected. I'll keep coming in here. I'm going to keep trying to help you. I'll keep you company, I'll entertain you. I promise." She did her best to wrap her hand around his. "Now, Tikal!"
She slipped out of the primary realm and into the secondary, the feeling of Sonic's hand on hers never leaving, only changing. Instead of freezing, mangled fingers, there was a warm, solid feeling. There was a horrifying and ear piercing shriek from both Sonic and the ghost as Tikal forced the ghost back into Sonic's body and (Y/n) pulled the former hero out. The ice around his body momentarily shattered and he collapsed in a grotesque position before the ice came rushing back, though his body remained immobile.
"Holy Chaos," (Y/n) whispered, staring at Sonic's body for a moment longer before looking over at the spirit beside her. He had his eyes squeezed shut, shivering and looking as if he'd just taken a dive in a lake.
But he wasn't frozen. His body was intact. And he was glowing unlike the ghost with it's dull gray and blue coloring.
She'd done it.
"I did it," she whispered. "I did it!" She pulled her hand away from Sonic's, stepping up to him and putting her hands on his face. "Sonic, it's you, right?"
"What on Mobius...is going on?" he mumbled, cracking his eyes open. They were normal this time, the scleras white as they should be and the irises a bright green. He put his hands over hers and his eyes shot open. He leaped backwards, looking at his hands. He patted himself, his hands coming to a stop on his cheeks. "I...I'm me! I'm not frozen! I can't hear them! They're gone!" Then he himself was gone, zipping around the cell. (Y/n) honestly had no idea that his speed would transfer to the secondary realm, but it was interesting nonetheless. "I can run! My bones are intact! How on Mobius did you do this, (Y/n)?"
"To be quite honest, I don't know," she said. She had started to notice something as she watched him jump around in joy. She felt exhausted, as if something was pressing down on her shoulders and she just wanted to lay down and sleep.
"Whoa! Is that Tikal?" Sonic was suddenly beside Tikal, looking her up and down and stroking his chin. Then he was by his body. He was everywhere at once as if he had so much pent up energy he couldn't contain himself. And it felt as if holding his energetic spirit away from his deformed body was dragging (Y/n) down.
"I can't hold it," she whispered, falling to one knee. "He's too fast." Tikal hurried over to her charge, putting her hand on her shoulder.
"Sonic, stop!" the echidna said. Sonic skidded to a halt in front of the pair, his eyes widening upon noticing (Y/n)'s exhausted state.
"What's going on?" he asked. "Literally. Everything. Where am I? Why am I not stuck in my body? Why can't I hear the ghost? Am I actually dead? Like, for real? Finally? Does that mean she's dead? I mean, Tikal, why are you here?"
"Sonic, stop," Tikal repeated. "(Y/n) is holding you away from the ghost, but this is the first time and she is not nearly strong enough to contain you. If you go too far outside her reach or are placed back in your body involuntarily, the consequences could be severe." This seemed to calm him down and Sonic thumped into a sitting position.
"Okay, okay, I'm calm," he said. "(Y/n), are you okay?"
"I can't hold it," she said again, panting slightly. Living spirits like her own were strange.
"(Y/n), before you return to your body, you need to send Sonic back to his. If he is returned by the ghost grasping him and returning him to his body, we may lose contact with him altogether."
No pressure. (Y/n) gave a tiny nod, reaching her hand out. Sonic hesitantly took it and she forced herself to her feet, limping over to his body. The hedgehog stiffened, then opened his mouth and let out a faint cry as two hands suddenly shot out, grabbed his free hand, and dragged him back inside.
"Was that right?" (Y/n) asked, turning to Tikal and dreading the response. She was already feeling lighter, and for some reason, she felt guilty for it.
"It's as gentle as we can make it. I could sense Sonic's hesitance and unwillingness, but I think he understood. That is the important part. We can't help the ghost dragging him down," Tikal said apologetically. "Though I wish it was different, such are the times we live in right now." She nodded to the (a/t)'s body. "Rest, (Y/n). Now you know what to expect and how to prepare for it. And I will always be there to help you if you need it." This warmed the immune as she slipped back into her body, trying to sit up and failing. Her spirit seemed entirely exhausted and the effects were wearing off on her body.
She yelped suddenly as Sonic grabbed her by the neck, his hand unbelievably cold. He made a hissing noise, lifting her up and driving her against the wall. She grasped at his arm, her ears flattening.
"Out." Sonic threw her to the ground, making gutteral noises and shaking his head. (Y/n) stood up slowly, cautiously. The frozen hedgehog backed himself into a corner, ducking into the shadows there so only his unnaturally glowing green eyes peered out at her.
Knowing she couldn't do much else, she turned and exited the cell, limping back to the bunker and stepping inside, closing the door and sliding down against it.
She couldn't hold Sonic in the secondary realm. She wasn't strong enough, and now she didn't know if she'd ever talk to even semi Sonic again. The ghost was threatened by her. It would defend itself against her and she didn't want to hurt Sonic while trying to pull him out.
"I did it," she murmured. "I pulled him out. So why is that making me feel more hopeless?" She rested her forehead on her knees, closing her eyes against the oncoming tears.
"(Y/n)?" She looked up as Tails scampered up the stairs, gripping the railing with his good hand. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied quickly. "I...it's complicated." The yellow fox sat down beside her, rubbing his stump.
"When is it not anymore?" he said with a small laugh that quickly faded. "How's your separation coming?" The (a/t) hesitated, then sighed.
"I tried pulling Sonic out today." Tails' ears perked. "I got him out, actually, but he was so hyper, bouncing off the walls, I couldn't hold him for more than two minutes. His spirit apparently has pent up energy and I can't handle it."
There was a moment of silence, then Tails leaned over into her side. "I believe you can," he said softly. "I think...I think all we need is a little bit of faith. Because ghosts are hopeless. We aren't like them, right? So let's have hope. I believe in you, (Y/n)." This warmed her and her tail shifted slightly. She wrapped her arm around him.
All we need is a little bit of faith....