Hello! It's been a while. Like a whole year??? I hadn't realised just how much time had passed since I last posted here. Writing has been kinda on and off for me for a while as it feels like my ideas kinda peter out before I get a chance to write them down.
So this is something I've been poking at. When I did my original fanfics I didn't really give myself a chance to explore the effects of Sonic's mutation on Sonic himself, for some reason I just skipped right into my Doomsday rewrite. In my current timeline I'm giving myself more time to explore this, because I did the mutation because I like the ideas of Sonic going through them and learning to cope with them, and I'm still kicking younger-me for just skipping right over that???
This mentions a second mutation, which basically means that Sonic went through a "growth spurt" of sorts thanks to his mutation. I'm debating posting that actual scene here 'cause I made it a bit gruesome so I'll think about that more. In the meantime enjoy this.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sally pulled Tails behind the dumpster and guided him against the wall. Once she was sure he was in place Sally peered around the dumpster, doing her best to not expose herself too much in case Sonic caught sight of her. As she did this Sally kept one arm outstretched near Tails, both to shield him, and to keep some physical contact with the fox to keep him calm.
As she did this she could feel Tails trembling slightly, but when she glanced back at him his expression was calm and steeled, and his dark eyes just barely held any fear. He was tough, Sally had to admit, as she could feel her own heart hammering against her chest as she tried to get a grip of the situation, and was impressed that Tails was able to keep his head at the moment.
Sally took another look around the dumpster, wincing slightly at what she was seeing. Sonic was now half curled against the ground, shielding where he had been hit with both the ground and his arm. His eyes were still completely white, and each time Sonic moved his head what little light there was in the street seemed to reflect off his eyes, making them appear to be glowing. She remembered that from when Sonic had first been mutated, and was a little startled seeing it now. She thought that it had been a result of the mind control serum Robotnik had used on him at the time.
“Wha’ are we gonna do, Aunt Sally?” Tails whispered.
His voice had been so low that Sally just barely heard him, and yet even from the distance he was at now Sonic’s head snapped towards their direction so fast that Sally hardly had a chance to react. She still jumped back behind the dumpster, and hunched over Tails to keep him hidden under her. Tails clamped his lips together, fear flinting through his eyes at the thought of accidentally exposing the two of them; he knew Sonic’s hearing was good, but he didn’t realise just how good it was until now.
Thankfully no attack came, though Sally didn’t move from her position until a good few minutes had passed to make sure nothing was going to happen. As they waited Sonic made a low, grating yowl that echoed through the street and along Sally’s spine, and she had to force herself to suppress the shiver that threatened to rattle through her as a result. Under her Tails shrank back further against the wall, his ears flattening against his head.
After about ten minutes of Sonic yowling and growling at his surroundings, the sounds died down into a low growl that rolled at the back of the hedgehog’s throat. By then Sally’s back and legs were aching from keeping her position for so long without daring to move, and her breath shuddered through her chest at the strain.
Tails had lowered himself to the ground so that he could curl his twin tails around himself both for warmth and comfort, but every so often a shiver would run through him whenever he caught the sound of Sonic’s growls. Whenever Sally spotted this she felt her heart sink, still feeling powerless on what she could do now.
Eventually a plan came to her, and slowly she straightened her back so she could rock back onto the heels of her feet, making sure to do so as slow as she possibly could so that she wouldn’t make any sounds. She motioned for Tails to stay where he was, then indicated with her hands that she was going to check on Sonic.
At first alarm flashed through the fox’s eyes, until Sally gently cupped his cheeks and planted a soft kiss on his nose. He managed to stop the giggle before it surfaced, his usual reaction to the “funny kiss” Sally would give him, but it still had the same effect as it always did, and Tails had calmed instantly.
When she saw Tails was now at ease Sally looked around herself, and spotted a fire escape on the building opposite of where they currently were. She pointed it out to Tails, then motioned to him to fly for it if anything happened. Tails’ eyebrows furrowed at the thought of leaving Sally behind, but before he could protest Sally was already standing and heading towards Sonic. Tails peered around the dumpster to watch, his heart now in his throat.
Sonic was still half curled on the ground; by now he was slightly stunned by his injury as he barely moved in his place, though every so often he would twitch slightly as pain flashed through him. But as Sally approached him Sonic lifted his head, his eyes still white and glowing, and he gave her a warning hiss, baring all his sharp teeth at her.
Sally paused at the warning, her own hackles rising as the sound grated at her nerves, but when Sonic did nothing further she took it as a sign that maybe he was starting to calm now. Slowly Sally crouched to the ground to make herself look smaller, pausing in her motions whenever Sonic hissed at her again, then waited a few moments to give Sonic time to process what she had just done.
“Easy, Sonic. It’s okay,” Sally coaxed, her voice low. “It’s me, Sally. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Sonic watched her, his tail twitching as it began to lash against the ground. He gave her another growl, but this time the sound was half-hearted as a bit of confusion began to set in his expression.
Sally took in a soft breath to calm herself, then smiled at Sonic, still trying to make herself look as non-threatening as possible. She still wasn’t sure what Sonic was thinking right now, and she knew she had to get to the rational part of his mind quickly – even with the last patrol long taken care of, there was a good chance another had been sent their way, and if Sonic was still like this when the SWATbots came, it was only going to make the situation much worse for all of them.
“It’s not safe here. We need to go somewhere safe, okay? You can come with me, you just need to calm down first so we can go.”
The confused expression on Sonic’s face faltered a little as he took in Sally’s words, but the glow in his eyes didn’t fade. It still gave Sally a little hope that she was getting through to the hedgehog, so she carefully scooted a little closer to him, pausing once more as Sonic’s jaws flashed in a now silent hiss.
“You know I would never hurt you, Sonic. You’re safe with me,” Sally attempted once she settled on the ground, now about five feet away from Sonic. She stretched out her hand towards him. “We need to go, please.”
From his hiding place behind the dumpster Tails fidgeted, his tails sweeping along the ground before half curling around themselves, wanting to do nothing more than to twist completely and carry him away. At the same time he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Sally as she tried to reason with Sonic, not wanting to look away in case she needed help.
Tails has seen Sonic act wild before. But Tails thought he had hallucinated the whole thing, as Tails literally blinked and in the next instance Sonic was acting like his usual self, with absolutely no signs of his supposed wild side to be seen by Tails. Tails had always thought to ask Sonic about it, but could never bring up the nerve or the words to do so, not knowing just how to broach the subject as it was so bizarre.
But seeing the hedgehog now made Tails regret not bringing it up; he had often forgotten that Sonic had not been gene-spliced with a Mobian version of a mountain lion, but a wild, unevolved version. And while it wasn’t uncommon for some Mobians to take on attributes of their species, such as hissing or growling on some occasions, it was very rare for any Mobian to go completely wild under normal circumstances.
But it was clear now that for Sonic, even normal circumstances could end up setting off the wild animal he had been mixed with.
As Tails watched his ears twitched at a sound that broke through the eerie silence of the city. The sound was short, and oddly quiet, so he was unable to hone in onto it, but Tails was sure he had heard something. He tilted his head to try to hear it again, and after a moment he did, but once again it was too quick and almost too quiet for him to catch it.
When he looked back at Sonic and Sally Sonic had his head titled as well, his ears twitching and tilting, before he growled softly. Before either Tails or Sally could do anything Sonic rushed Sally, a clawed hand lashing out at her.
A strangled yelp escaped Tails, and on reflex he looked away and squeezed his eyes shut, powerless to do anything else. As he did Tails felt a massive gust of wind blast pass him, before he was pressed up against the wall and dumpster once again.
It took Tails a moment to realise that as he was pushed against the wall there was something being pressed against him, and when Tails opened his eyes he realised it was Sally crouched down low next to him. Above both of them was Sonic, breathing heavily, but similar to how Sally had before when they were first hiding, he was now shielding both of them with his body. The hedgehog was also watching the sky, and to Tails’ relief Sonic’s eyes had returned to normal, even though they still reflected oddly in the dim light of the city.
It was also then that Tails realised just why they were all hiding; as Sonic watched the skyline his ears were twisting sharply before they honed in on something, and he tightened himself over Sally and Tails to keep them hidden. A second later a stealthbot flashed across the sky, and after it had passed Tails heard the strange sound from before.
Tails’ hearing was good, but if he had relied on it then the stealthbot would have spotted them, and there was a good chance that when Tails had heard it the first time the stealthbot had already and was circling back to come get them. But Sonic, in his wild state, had heard it before it had gotten too close, and had snapped out of his trance to get them both to safety.
The stealthbot passed over the two more times before moving on, unable to spot the trio even from the sky. Sonic didn’t move from his place however, his ears still twitching to pick up any sounds that hinted at the stealthbot, or any other robot, coming for them, but after some time he realised they were in the clear. With a tense sigh Sonic pulled away from Sally and Tails and flopped to the ground next to them, using one hand to hold his head, a soft miff of pain escaping him.
“Are you all right?” Sally asked, as she scooted closer to Sonic and gently placed a hand on his head.
As she did this Sonic winced, and briefly his lips pulled back slightly, relieving his teeth, but to Sally and Tails’ relief there was no growl, the motion just being purely reflex on Sonic’s behalf.
“My head feels weird, wha’ the heck happened?” Sonic answered.
No answer came right away from either Sally or Tails, as they weren’t really sure what they could say. The recent second mutation Sonic had gone through days before was still fresh to Sonic, and Sally knew that he was experiencing a lot of mixed emotions over it, despite trying to hide them from everyone. Tails, even though he was unaware of Sonic’s feelings, just had no idea how to explain it to Sonic now as he was still trying to process it himself.
“You went wild,” Sally finally answered, trying not to flinch when Sonic gaped at her with obvious horror. “I think you getting hurt may have set it off.”
Sonic gaped at her for some time, his jaw flexing every so often as he tried to say something, only of the words forming in his mouth to drop into nothingness as anything he thought of seemed minuscule at that moment. Even when Sonic glanced at Tails he could see the muted panic in the fox’s eyes, causing horror and shame to flood through Sonic.
“I... I didn’t--" Sonic stuttered, his voice hitching slightly when he couldn’t make himself finish his sentence. But to his relief Sally shook her head.
“We’re fine. I think you were too stunned to really do anything to us,” Sally explained.
The thought of him coming so close to hurting his friends still made Sonic shudder, and he curled into himself slightly as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. Next to him Sally ran her hand along Sonic’s quills in an attempt to ease him, while Tails watched the two of them, feeling a little powerless to help his adoptive big brother.
“We should head home. Bookshire will need to look at your shoulder,” Sally coaxed, and Sonic snapped out of his stupor, only to have a different kind of anxiety flood through him at the thought of going home now.
“No! Not yet, no,” Sonic protested, his ears flattening against his head.
“We can’t stay here, Sonic,” Sally urged. “The SWATbots might be on their way now.”
Sonic squeezed his hand around his injured shoulder, wincing at the sharp sting that flashed across his collar bone. He could barely remember getting the injury in the first place, and he wondered just how hard he had been hit, and how much damage it had caused to send him into such a rage.
“Let’s go to unc’s then. Just to make sure I’m okay,” Sonic suggested, swallowing briefly as his fear squeezed at his throat.
He was partially referring to his injury, but Sally understood what Sonic really meant, and a part of her found herself agreeing with the suggestion. Sally looked at Tails, then nodded, before she helped Sonic to stand.
“Keep close, Tails. We’ll need to move quickly, now,” Sally stated, then led the way.
Some time later the three Mobians stood in front of massive junk pile that had been gathered in one of the secluded alleyways of Robotropolis. While this wasn’t an unusual sight for the city, as nearly every street and every corner was littered with junk thanks to Robotnik’s wasteful processes, this particular junk pile served as camouflage for Uncle Chuck’s hidden bunker.
Tails watched in awe as Sally picked up a random pipe and knocked on the junk pile three times, which signalled for the hidden door to crack open. Sally snapped him out of his trance long enough to usher him down along the stairwell, and not even a second after they all entered the hidden door slammed shut behind them, throwing them into temporary darkness before the sensor lights clicked on.
Once they were inside the bunker fully Sonic pulled up one of Uncle Chuck’s old desk chairs and flopped into it, taking a moment to nurse his shoulder. By now the pain was sharp and stinging not just through his shoulder, but also along his collar bone and arm, which forced him to keep his arm slack in an attempt to lessen the pain.
He was sure nothing was broken, but every so often Sonic caught himself unconsciously clicking his teeth together whenever the pain got a little too much, and he had to snap himself out of doing that in case it tempted him to go wild once more.
“Here, let me take a look,” Sally offered as she pulled up another chair next to Sonic’s.
Sonic at first hesitated, as he was unsure if he should let Sally touch his injury. The last thing he wanted to do was snap at her in the literal sense if she happened to touch an extra tender spot. But when the pain stung through him once more Sonic winced, then nodded.
“Okay, just be careful,” Sonic warned as he leaned back in his chair, giving Sally more room to look his shoulder over.
“I will, and I’m sure it’ll be fine now,” Sally assured.
As Sally examined Sonic Tails looked around the bunker, amazed at how much equipment Uncle Chuck was able to fit into it. When the earthquakes had hit Robotropolis a lot of Uncle Chuck’s equipment had unfortunately been damaged and destroyed, and ever since the roboticized hedgehog had been working to replace what he could using both turfed computers and any equipment he was able to liberate from Robotnik’s own computer centres while they were being refurbished. Most of the computers were switched off, but there were one or two still running as they recorded surveillance footage in and around the city and command centres in Uncle Chuck’s absence.
This marked the first time Tails has actually seen Uncle Chuck’s bunker, and despite the seriousness of their current situation, Tails couldn’t help but feel ecstatic at being allowed in here, making his place amongst the Freedom Fighters feel more official now that he had been made savvy of one of their greatest secrets.
“Is Uncle Chuck here?” Tails asked.
“Nah, he had a work shift tonight in one o’ the factories,” Sonic explained, gladly fielding the question so he could keep himself distracted as Sally looked over his shoulder. “He doesn’t get off for another few hours, so we’re probably gonna miss him tonight.”
“Aw,” Tails sighed. He didn’t get to see Uncle Chuck as often as the other Freedom Fighters did because of his work schedules, and unless he came into Knothole to discuss something that needed their urgent attention. And even then his in-person visits would usually be short, just in case Robotnik or Snively noticed his absence.
“I know, bro. Maybe next time we’ll get to see him,” Sonic assured, though at the corner of his eye he could see Sally wincing at the mention of Tails possibly joining them on another mission. “In the meantime he won’t mind ya lookin’ around, just be careful wit’ his stuff, okay?”
That seemed to perk Tails up a little, and the fox made his way to one of the many crowded workbenches to look over what Uncle Chuck was tinkering with, spotting some unfinished projects among the piles of scrap and tools covering the workbench.
“Maybe we should hold off on Tails coming again. Just for a little bit,” Sally suggested, keeping her eyes firmly on Sonic’s shoulder.
At first Sonic wanted to protest, but when Sally touched a tender spot near his collarbone a spark of pain flashed through him, and he had to bite down on his bottom lip as he sucked air through his teeth. Thankfully Sonic didn’t feel the urge to snap at Sally, but the reminder of the temptation made him second guess his protest.
“He’s doin’ so good though, Sal,” Sonic attempted instead. “I was the one that got distracted.”
“I know. And I agree, he is doing good,” Sally sighed, her eyes flinting away as she thought about her next words. “But maybe we should all hold off doing missions for a little bit.”
Sonic tilted his head at Sally, not quite understanding what she was implying. Then it sank in, and a mixture of emotions rushed through Sonic.
“That’s not gonna happen again, Sal. I told you I got distracted. ‘nd yeah it got messy, but I snapped outta it,” Sonic hissed.
Sally finally looked at Sonic, a mixture of desperation and concern clear on her face.
“I know, but what happened still happened,” Sally pointed out. “I think the second mutation might still be a little too fresh, and that might be why you’re getting distracted now. And why you had such a big reaction to getting hurt.”
Sonic felt his heart speed up a little as his emotions swirled through him, not quite knowing what to say or do. Though deep down he couldn’t deny that the last few days since the second mutation had been grating on him. And knowing what he had almost done to Sally and Tails still made his stomach drop.
“... but you know I would never hurt you guys, right?” Sonic asked, his voice small and low. “Even if I’m bein’ like that.”
“Of course I do, Sonic,” Sally assured, before she leaned closer to Sonic and nuzzled at his cheek, using her hand to pet along his jawline. “And even on the off-chance that something did happen, I know that’s not you wanting to do it. This is just something we need to figure out.”
The thought of yet another issue to deal with thanks to the mutation made Sonic want to scream, but instead he just leaned into Sally’s hand and sighed, trying not to focus on the heavy feeling that was now trying to settle in his chest.
“Yeah, let’s just add it to the list,” Sonic mumbled. He then perked a little when Sally planted a soft kiss on his cheek, and when he looked back up to her Sonic saw Sally giving him a reassuring smile.
“We’ll talk about it more when we get home,” Sally stated, then leaned back in her chair and spoke up a little more. “In the meantime, your shoulder is dislocated. So Bookshire will need to take a look at it.”
While the whiplash in the conversation took Sonic a moment to register, when it did Sonic snorted.
“Is that all? I don’t need to bother Booker for that, c’mon,” Sonic scoffed, shaking his head as Sally stared at him in disbelief.
“Wait, dislocated?” Tails asked, his ears folding back slightly. “Isn’t that bad?”
“It’s not bad, but it’s not something that can be ignored either,” Sally explained, making sure to glare at Sonic as she said this. “So let’s go home and have that looked at.”
“It can just be popped back in place, it’s no biggie!” Sonic said. “I’ve seen enough o’ Booker to last me a lifetime, I’ll deal wit’ this.”
“You are not dealing with this, Sonic!” Sally argued, not believing what she was hearing. “This is beyond first-aid, and I don’t even want to know how you think you can fix this on your own.”
“I don’t think I can fix it, I know how to fix it.”
As the two argued Tails watched, his head turning between the two as Sonic and Sally took turns to counter each other. He was used to them arguing, as most of the Freedom Fighters were, so even as their arguing started to get a little more intense Tails wasn’t too bothered by it.
What did bother him though was the idea of Sonic being hurt, and going by how he was arguing, the hedgehog seemed like he was going to do everything in his power to not go see Bookshire to help him.
Tails looked around the hideout, hoping that some kind of answer would jump out at him. What sprung out and got his attention instead was a toolbox that was sitting on Uncle Chuck’s workbench. It wasn’t very large, but when Tails picked it up it had a bit of heft to it, which allowed the gears in his head to start cranking.
“Hey, Sonic. Think fast,” Tails called, and tossed the toolbox at the hedgehog.
The warning was enough for Sonic to realise something was coming at him, as Sonic wasn’t just fast in terms of running, so he was ready to catch the toolbox. But the thought of why this was probably a bad idea didn’t occur to him until the last possible second, and even though he wasn’t able to move his arm thanks to his injured shoulder, Sonic still manage to get a grip on the toolbox with both hands. When the tools inside shifted the box fell down hard, bringing Sonic’s arm down with it which resulted in a sickening pop as his shoulder slipped back into place.
Sonic still cried out as a fresh slash of pain raced through his arm, and he dropped the box so that he could use his good hand to grip at his arm. As he rode out the pain Sally gaped at him, hand over her mouth, not knowing what to do as she still tried to process everything that happened since Tails threw the box in the first place.
After a few moments Sonic took in a sharp breath through his nose, and gave his injured arm a test flex. To everyone’s surprise he was able to move his fingers and hand on command, though his face distorted as he winced at the pain that tingled through his arm.
“Sonic? Are you okay?” Sally ventured.
Sonic didn’t say anything for a few beats. Instead he continued focusing on his breathing, which was a little irregular.
“Yeah... yeah, I’m fine,” Sonic said eventually, though his voice sounded odd. “I just... need to step outside for a sec, ‘kay?”
Before anyone could say anything Sonic began walking towards the hidden stairs, his movements somewhat stiff but hurried. Sally made to follow him, concerned now, but paused when Sonic raised his good arm.
“No one follow me I’m just gonna be a sec,” Sonic warned, his words almost blurring together now as he disappeared up the stairs.
Sally and Tails listened to the doorway open then shut, and waited quietly, not knowing what to do.
“Tails, how did you know to do that?” Sally asked.
“Sonic said he saw it in a comic book once,” Tails admitted. “‘nd Aunt Bunnie did say that dislocated joints can be yanked to pop ‘em back into place in an emergency.”
Sally winced at the confession, feeling her stomach sink at the thought.
“We’ll talk about better first-aid practises another time, okay sweetie?” Sally offered, hoping that her apprehension wasn’t showing too much that the fox would notice.
After about ten minutes or so they heard the door open and shut once more, and watched as Sonic climbed down the stairs, looking a little stunned. To Sally’s concern he also looked a little washed out, and couldn’t help but wince when she realised just what had happened to the hedgehog and why he had demanded privacy.
“Are you okay?” Sally repeated gently.
Sonic simply nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line as he did, before he pointed at Tails.
“See? He knows wha’ to do. He’s got himself covered,” Sonic pointed out. “In sayin’ that though, I think I’m all funned out for the day.”
“Are you going to see Bookshire?” Sally asked.
“I will go see Bookshire, yes. Let’s go home now.”