SACRIFICE AND SELF-MARTYRDOM / @weroyals / ACCEPTING !
Take me instead! — Knuckles
THEY’D BEEN TAKEN OFF GUARD. their mission had been a simple one: investigate rumours of straggling SURVIVORS in the city and escort them to safety. they’d managed to do that — but only BARELY and with the help of a few resistance troops that knuckles insisted TAG ALONG. halfway in , the ground had SHAKEN beneath their feet , and before they knew it the resistance had been ambushed by one of the giant , mass produced DEATH EGG ROBOTS still hanging around the city ruins.
the rest of the forces had made their retreat , with sonic and knuckles holding the line just long enough for them to GET AWAY. they were too many people for sonic to shuttle to the city outskirts , and not all of them could keep up the pace.
and it didn’t help , that six months of being cooped up RAN ITS TOLL , no matter how sonic fought through it. minutes in , and his stamina was already giving way to labored breaths and slower speeds. knuckles as no better , having to PICK UP THE SLACK where sonic , for all of his feats , was suddenly failing.
the gargantuan bot was slow , but powerful. and with the wild heat of its optic laser , it could level entire buildings in a single blow. sonic had noticed , and in a maneuver based solely on INSTINCT , scaled the nearby buildings. if he could just crash into its head. get rid of the laser. maybe even —
a crashing of body into dirt and rubble. a PAINED CRY as the hedgehog curled into a defensive ball as tangle of twisted debris tore into the side of his leg. he shook his head of the DAZE that blackened the edges of his vision. GRIT HIS TEETH against the sudden shock of pain that made his whole body freeze.
“— SONIC!” he heard knuckles scream out from somewhere behind him. he blinked. his ears swiveled to the sound of mechanical WHIRRING as the robot turned. sonic struggled to his feet , IGNORING THE SHOCK OF PAIN that danced up his side with the effort. too slow. he berated himself , as a shadow overcast from high above , and —
THE BREATH WAS KNOCKED OUT OF HIM as one moment , sonic was bracing himself to ENDURE or RUN — and the next he had been HURLED THROUGH THE AIR. he crashed into a building side and slid into the concrete , hissing through his teeth as he opened his eyes and squinted. a blur of motion , a red silhouette. wait. WAIT–
❝ — KNUCKLES ! ❞ his name tore through sonic’s throat just as the robot’s fist came CRASHING DOWN , landing squarely on the echidna and causing a CRATER to split the earth. bits of rubble and displaced grass fell from the robot’s arm as it whirled and lifted itself. but more pressingly — knuckles did not rise with it.
sonic’s heart leapt into his throat. he grunted , pain shooting through his leg and chest as he struggled into a crouch. what’re you doing , man , GET UP. the death egg robot raised its fist again , crimson optic GLEAMING down into the divot it had made. still no knuckles.
as the bot’s hand came CRASHING DOWN , the battlefield fell into s l o w m o t i o n.
in a whirlwind sonic had scooped up his friend from the crater and skid to a stop on the other side , just under the robot’s BLIND SPOT. he shuddered as his legs wobbled and gave out from the strain and the WEIGHT of another body , and knelt in the small reprieve. ❝ knux? ❞ he called out , but his friend’s head simply lolled to one side , propped up only by the crook of sonic’s arm. ❝ this isn’t the time to be passing out , man. ❞
no response , save for the echidna’s WHEEZING as his friend’s chest rose and fell. his breaths came too shallow.
❝ … ❞ a deep growl reverberated through the hedgehog’s chest. the world went hazy. his ears RANG. every nerve in him jittered. sonic’s blood ran HOT , boiling beneath his skin. gloved fingers curled around the broad shoulders of his best friend , tucking him just a little closer to his chest as the robot stomped its massive feet and turned its head towards them. the light of its optic gleamed a BRIGHT and CRIMSON RED. and sonic was getting real damn tired of that colour.
❝ … looks like we’ll have t’settle the score a different time , scrappy. ❞
