THE FIRST PART OF HOW BAD CAN I BE IS NOW LIVE!!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Written by: @nightfurylover31 and @multiisketch
3 weeks. That's how long Tails said it would take to return Sonic to normal. It's a long time to wait and even plenty more time for mischief and introspection! Join Sonic as he navigates his robotic form in this 3-part short story.
“So… Tails? Not to sound unappreciative, but.. when can you get me out of this hunk of junk and back to normal?” Sonic asked as he swept up the remaining robots around the village.
The last couple days had been crazy. He’d been turned into a robot, had a virus hijack his body, attacked his friends, and then tried to lead a Badnik army to destroy the village. This was way more high stakes than most weekly adventures. And more… horrifying. At least it was finally over. Well, most of it.
Tails was carrying scraps to be taken to the dump. “Well… you’ve still got your organic synapses and with the virus gone and all… if Eggman lets me repurpose the power source from his machine… three weeks. Give or take?”
Definitely not the answer Sonic was hoping for.
“Ugh! Weeks?! That’s so long!”
“At least you’ll have plenty of time to catch up on Ludicrous Speeds.”
With Eggman, hopefully, out of the picture after this whole fiasco, Sonic could finally watch his show. But he wasn’t really in the mood at the moment. He just wanted to go home. He could feel the villagers giving him cold looks.
“Oh, before I forget,” Amy’s voice cut through Sonic’s thoughts. She dug around in her pocket, pulling out a familiar item. “Here’s your scarf back. I picked it up before… you know.”
Sonic happily took his iconic accessory. “Thanks, Ames. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find it.”
Sonic looked over the scarf in his hands, carefully rubbing his fingers over the material. Even though he was still a robot, he had some minor sensory input in his hands. He couldn’t remember where he got his scarf exactly, but it was important to him.
That’s when Sonic noticed a tear in the fabric.
Amy looked rather apologetic. “I’m sorry. It fell in a bush, and caught a snag on one of the branches. I can fix it up–”
“Nononono, it’s okay,” he reassured her. “It actually looks cool. More rugged.” He tied it around his neck, the torn bit hanging over his chestplate. He gave a wink and finger guns to give more confidence. At least he got back something that made him feel more normal.
After the village was cleaned up as best as the team could, Sonic walked to his shack. He started running, or at least tried to run, but realized he was using that booster to move fast. It just started up on its own. It didn’t feel right—using something that replaced his key trait. Sonic shook off his thoughts and continued walking. He hated going slow, but it felt better to actually move his legs than use a jet. It felt like he was in control and not some robotic circuitry.
Sonic stopped as he walked on the beach. The calming sound of the waves didn’t have the same soothing effect it usually did. There was something about the sand that made him itch, but he couldn’t precisely remember why.
The robotic hedgehog walked inside his home. Somehow, even that felt different. Hopefully he could just sleep the stress off. He was tired, but not sleepy. He rolled into his hammock, and did the equivalent of closing his eyes that was possible with his visor screen.
Then, there was a tearing sound.
Sonic fell through his hammock, onto the wooden floor. Most likely breaking some wooden planks in the process.
“So… Tails? Not to sound unappreciative, but.. when can you get me out of this hunk of junk and back to normal?” Sonic asked as he swept up the remaining robots around the village.
The last couple days had been crazy. He’d been turned into a robot, had a virus hijack his body, attacked his friends, and then tried to lead a Badnik army to destroy the village. This was way more high stakes than most weekly adventures. And more… horrifying. At least it was finally over. Well, most of it.
Tails was carrying scraps to be taken to the dump. “Well… you’ve still got your organic synapses and with the virus gone and all… if Eggman lets me repurpose the power source from his machine… three weeks. Give or take?”
Definitely not the answer Sonic was hoping for.
“Ugh! Weeks?! That’s so long!”
“At least you’ll have plenty of time to catch up on Ludicrous Speeds.”
With Eggman, hopefully, out of the picture after this whole fiasco, Sonic could finally watch his show. But he wasn’t really in the mood at the moment. He just wanted to go home. He could feel the villagers giving him cold looks.
“Oh, before I forget,” Amy’s voice cut through Sonic’s thoughts. She dug around in her pocket, pulling out a familiar item. “Here’s your scarf back. I picked it up before… you know.”
Sonic happily took his iconic accessory. “Thanks, Ames. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find it.”
Sonic looked over the scarf in his hands, carefully rubbing his fingers over the material. Even though he was still a robot, he had some minor sensory input in his hands. He couldn’t remember where he got his scarf exactly, but it was important to him.
That’s when Sonic noticed a tear in the fabric.
Amy looked rather apologetic. “I’m sorry. It fell in a bush, and caught a snag on one of the branches. I can fix it up–”
“Nononono, it’s okay,” he reassured her. “It actually looks cool. More rugged.” He tied it around his neck, the torn bit hanging over his chestplate. He gave a wink and finger guns to give more confidence. At least he got back something that made him feel more normal.
After the village was cleaned up as best as the team could, Sonic walked to his shack. He started running, or at least tried to run, but realized he was using that booster to move fast. It just started up on its own. It didn’t feel right—using something that replaced his key trait. Sonic shook off his thoughts and continued walking. He hated going slow, but it felt better to actually move his legs than use a jet. It felt like he was in control and not some robotic circuitry.
Sonic stopped as he walked on the beach. The calming sound of the waves didn’t have the same soothing effect it usually did. There was something about the sand that made him itch, but he couldn’t precisely remember why.
The robotic hedgehog walked inside his home. Somehow, even that felt different. Hopefully he could just sleep the stress off. He was tired, but not sleepy. He rolled into his hammock, and did the equivalent of closing his eyes that was possible with his visor screen.
Then, there was a tearing sound.
Sonic fell through his hammock, onto the wooden floor. Most likely breaking some wooden planks in the process.
CONTINUE READING ON Ao3!!
