"What is wrong with you?!"
Shouted the pink hedgehog.
"Why didn't you help us sooner, Sonica?!" She shook the blue hedgehog by her shoulders.
// "I am done being nice and friendly!" //
Everyone was silent.
Then she jabbed an accusing finger against Sonica's chest, "We were being nice and friendly to you 'cause you were new here, but it seems like you think we are 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 to be your friends! No! We are NOT! The five of us were enough for eachother and we will be! So stop acting like you're too good for us!"
Tails looked at the tree.
Knuckles stared at a rock.
Sticks nodded along.
Sonic crossed his arms over his chest.
Sonica's expression didn't falter, but her ears flattened against her skull.
// "Let them hate you." //
She then tsked, lightly shoving Amy away, "Who do you think you are to be saved right away? I wanted to see how capable you guys were. But you are clearly very disappointing."
"EXCUSE ME—?!" Amy snapped, fists clenched in a stance; she was about to throw hands.
"Whoa, whoa, Amy—calm down," Sonic said, quickly stepping between them and catching her by the arms before she could lunge at Sonica.
"Just— STOP LOOKING DOWN ON EVERYONE, SONICA!" Amy screamed until she was dragged away by Knuckles and Sonic to her tent.
Sonica looked away, taking a deep breath.
// "Everything's going well." //
Then Sonic returned, looking annoyed but tired.
// "Why are you doing this, Sonica??" //
"Hey, you have to apologise for that attitude. And Amy is right," He continued, hand on his hip, "Stop looking at everyone like they are inferior than you, I mean— confidence and smugness is one thing but what you are doing is— is completely different!"
"And not cool," added Knuckles from afar.
Sonic nodded, his eyes never leaving her stoic face, "You will need people in your life at some point. You can't do everything alone. I learnt that from the best," He said, looking over at his friends who gave him a smile and a nod.
"I leave the rest up to you," He muttered and turned towards his tent, walking away, "Just don't bother us if you can't help with your attitude problem."
// "Don't take advantage of our kindness for god's sake." //
Sticks narrowed her eyes at Sonica while sneaking into her own tent. Tails pretended not to notice anything.
Sonica tsked and lightly kicked a log before heading home. Walking.
// "It's for the best" //
She rubbed her arm subconsciously, staring at the distance ahead. Then her thoughts drifted back to Sonic and Amy.
// "Are they a couple? Probably good friends." //
// "Must be nice to care about eachother." //
// "Learnt from the best, huh? We both got different teachers to teach different chapters." //
And though she remained unaffected from the surface, a part of her still felt conflicted from the earlier dispute.
// "They don't know what happened nor do they know what's going on." //
// "I have made them angry, so perhaps they will leave me alone now." //
// "After all, it's for the best. I don't want them to be in danger." //
Her other hand slowly reached up to touch her quills out of habit, needing to feel something real and comforting to return back to reality. She took a deep breath.
Her thoughts— Professor. Veronica.
The image of her family, the happy moments and the silence that followed after they were gone.
// "I am doing the right thing, aren't I?" //
// "It's for the best." //
Sonic's words : "You will need people at some point." ran in her ears.
And she slowly nodded to herself, "I do... But..."
A shiver ran down her spine and tears started to sting the corner of her eyes. Dragging her feet again the grass, slow. She wanted to go home. But she also couldn't really call it a home. So what was the point? Just to hide again.
// "If I stay away, they won't have to be hurt, right?" //
// "No one will have to lose their lives." //
A soft chuckle escaped her lips, "Yeah."
She looked down at her open palms, wrapped in the small blue sparks. Behind her, the spikes emerged from the ground after each step.
She paused and looked at the ground behind her.
// "My powers are leaking again." //
// "Hey, don't think about it." //
// "Don't think about it." //
She dragged her hands down her face, exhaling a deep sigh.
// "God, I am tired." //
She stared at the horizon in silence, shoulders slowly slumping.
A tear rolled down her cheek. Then another.
Soon hot, salty tears streamed down her cheeks. She glanced to the side. One hand clenched into a fist and the other rubbed her arm a little faster, subconscious habit.
// "I want a hug." //
// "I want a hug so bad." //
Then, Veronica's laughter echoed in her ears and everything else faded into silence. She sniffled and looked at the sky.
"Damn it."
Instead of heading home, she disappeared further into the forest.
"I will make it better." She whispered, only to stumble a few steps later and fall onto the grass.
"Ugh," Sniffling, she rested her head on the grass, curling up to herself. "Pathetic."
Then... a gentle, green glow spread from her head and into the ground.
The soil moved.
She paused.
The soil shifted again beneath Sonica's cheek.
She froze and slowly lifted her head, wiping her damp cheek with the back of her hand.
// "A mole?" //
The little mound of soil trembled.
Then—
ᑭᑌᖴᖴ—!
A tiny green sprout poked through the earth.
Her ears perked up as she sat upright, staring at it with wide eyes.
// "Huh?" //
The tiny plant slowly unfolded its two little leaves, reaching toward the sky.
Sonica's expression softened.
A faint, almost forgotten sense of wonder replaced the sadness in her eyes.
"A baby plant," she whispered and cautiously crawled closer.
Her fingers hovered just above the little leaves.
"I did that?"
The seedling swayed gently in the breeze.
Her lips twitched and she chuckled, "I did that."
"I did that!" She repeated in a cheer, lying on the ground beside the plant, chuckling to herself. Then she looked at the sky, watching the clouds.
// "If I train harder, maybe I can change my fate. And protect them this time." //
'You will need people at some time in your life'
// "What did Sonic go through to have such a strong belief?" //
// "Did he use to be alone too?" //
// "Amy got angry. Was it because I didn't appreciate her efforts? I am horrible." //
Then the seedling twitched.
The ground beneath it began to tremble.
Ꮶᖇᖇᖇ...
"What the—"
The seedling suddenly shot upward.
"WHOA—!"
Sonica quickly scrambled backward as the tiny stem thickened before her eyes.
Branches burst outward.
Leaves unfurled in rapid succession.
Roots tore through the soil as the trunk expanded, growing taller and wider with every second.
Ꮶᖇᖇᖇᗩᗩᗩᑕᛕ—!
Sonica covered her head with her arms.
"Okay! Okay! I didn't mean to do THAT! I am sorry!"
The little seedling was gone.
In its place stood a massive tree, its branches spreading above her like an enormous canopy.
Sonica slowly lowered her arms. Her mouth fell open as she stared upward.
She took one cautious step backward.
Then another.
"I didn't mean to..."
A vine hanging from one of the branches slowly began to move.
Sonica's ears twitched.
The vine curled downward.
And another vine moved.
Then another.
Sonica's eyes widened, "What the—"
She backed away.
The vines slithered across the grass toward her.
"Stay there. No—"
They continued moving.
"Stop, please—! I am sorry!"
She took another step back.
The vines then stopped.
Sonica held her breath.
One of them suddenly darted toward her.
"NO!"
She jumped backward, bracing herself.
But instead of grabbing her, the vine gently curled around her wrist.
Sonica froze.
The vine loosened.
Then it slowly rose.
Her eyes followed it.
The vine gently brushed against the top of her head and gave...
Two gentle head pats.
"..."
Her ears slowly perked up.
The vine gave her head another gentle pat, almost like someone reassuring a frightened child.
Sonica's expression softened again.
The vine swayed.
She cautiously reached up and touched it.
It curled around her hand without squeezing. The leaves rustled softly above her.
Sonica looked up at the enormous tree and held a vine gently, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips, "I'm so 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 that I created you to comfort me."
She took a soft breath and smiled faintly, looking up at the tree. "Anyway, let's think of a name for you~"