Summary: To get his final revenge, Infinite puts the Phantom Ruby inside Sonic. This warps the hedgehog's perception until he's fighting his friends without any hesitation— aiming to kill.
On the inside, Sonic fights against Infinite's manipulation and the Phantom Ruby's illusory influences.

During Sonic Forces / Rewrite of Sonic Forces
Trigger Warnings: Death, Blood, Gore, Violence/Fighting

Ships: None

Part 2 of 2

—

Sonic is surrounded by darkness. He is not scared of darkness. He is a little wary of what could be hiding in the shadows, but he's fine with it. He is at peace with it. The silence that usually accompanies darkness is what sets his nerves alight, so many misconstrue one of his fears with the other. Sonic does not argue either claim. His pride does not allow him to admit his fears, no matter how primal or common they might be. Sonic usually only talks about his fears when he's assuring Tails that his fear of lightning and thunder is nothing to be ashamed of, and even then, Sonic breezes through admitting he's scared of silence and water (two fears with surprising overlap) without truly showing the extent of his fears.

Sonic looks around the darkness. Eventually, he finds light. At least, he finds something that stands out against the darkness as if it were illuminated without a bright glow surrounding them. Sonic's body tenses immediately. He recognizes Infinite. The villain has been— and Sonic would never personally use this word because he doesn't like the gravity it invokes— torturing him with illusions for months now. Sonic escaped, and he swore to defeat Infinite for what he did to Sonic personally and what he did to Mobius at Eggman's side. Sonic's last memories are fulfilling this oath, so it surprises him to see Infinite standing.

Sonic pushes the surprise down immediately. It doesn't matter how many times Infinite comes back. It doesn't matter what methods the villain uses to do this. Sonic is going to take him down every single time without fail. Sonic is not going to let Infinite hurt anyone else. He's not going to let Mobius remain under this vengeful jackal's self-indulgent reign.

Azure lightning slides down Sonic's body. The intensity reflects back in his emerald irises, giving the impression that he's glowing from the inside. Sonic feels the rhythm of chaos energy circulating through his body. He does, unfortunately, notice that there's an odd blockage near his chest. Sonic ignores this. It hurts him a little to force the chaos energy to go the long way around (for chaos energy, like many other forces in the universe, prefers the path of least resistance), but it is better in the long run since it allows Sonic to maintain his hyper-speed state. Sonic only needs to choose a direction and move his legs. He does both in rapid succession, his thoughts ramming against the sides of his head like they are capable of spin-dashing as confidently as their host.

Sonic runs toward Infinite. He isn't surprised in the slightest that he runs through Infinite's body, dispelling the illusion for a fraction of a moment. Sonic twists his body, skidding on the ground. The marks made from his shoes appear as a gradient from light blue to a darker shade before completely fading back into the black the ground is made from. Sonic's hand follows this gradient as he halts his momentum. He does not remain stagnant for long, however, and he rushes toward the illusion a second time. This time, he does not stop moving once. He only switches his direction to bounce around the undefined barriers that exist deep in the shadows.

Sonic moves so quickly that the blur blur that trails after him— the reason behind one of his most common epithets— temporarily lights the entire space in a fair blue glow. It allows Sonic to see the borders of his new prison. While it is a fairly large area, it isn't nearly as big as Sonic would like it to be. He isn't claustrophobic by nature, but there is something eerie about this location that makes Sonic feel razzled by more than just the lightning adorning his fur and quills.

Sonic, eventually, stops moving. He breathes out heavily as he stares at Infinite. The jackal remains floating just above the ground near the center of this loosely defined room. Sonic has run through the illusion a few times. He's run through all the spaces around the illusion, too. The real Infinite must be floating higher. Sonic glances upward. If he has the dimensions of the room right, he should be able to spin-dash from one side to the other until he eventually meets flesh. Once he has a grip on Infinite, this fight should be easy. The limited space is as much a detriment to Infinite as it is to Sonic. They, frankly, have even ground at the moment in terms of circumstances, and Sonic is (perhaps over)confident in his abilities.

"You truly are an 'act before you think' individual, aren't you?" Infinite asks. His voice is scratchy underneath his mask. Although he isn't always casting phantasms, Infinite never allows anyone to hear his real voice. He layers it thickly with so many illusions that it almost sounds digital.

"It's worked out for me so far," Sonic shrugs. He squats with one leg stretching backward. He puts his hands on the ground to help him maintain balance. Sonic takes a deep breath as he prepares for another strike.

"I'm not Infinite," The figure that looks and sounds exactly like Infinite says. The admission is so honest that it gives Sonic pause. His brows furrow together as he watches the figure step back onto the ground. They figure puts their arms behind their back, suddenly solidifying into a physical body that Sonic could attack. 'Could' is the operative word because he doesn't. At least, he won't yet; he will once he starts getting answers. "I am a manifestation of your mind and an extension of his will. I am no more him than I am you, and perhaps I am the Phantom Ruby most of all."

"Wow, I didn't know I was talking to the mayor of Crazytown. I would have spruced the place up a bit if I knew I would be getting such esteemed company," Sonic huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. He deflects mainly because he doesn't understand what the figure— Infinite, Sonic decides to still call it for simplicity's sake— is talking about.

Infinite makes a roughly breathy noise from the back of his throat. "Allow me to explain clearly, then. The jackal known as Infinite housed the Phantom Ruby for an extended period of time. Parts of him including his personality and memories were embedded into the Phantom Ruby due to the convergence of his chaos energy and the artificial energy inside the ruby. He tore the ruby from his chest to place in your body. Your chaos energy is currently connecting with the Phantom Ruby's artificial energy. This process was smooth and near immediate for Infinite. This is not the case for you. Your chaos energy is fighting this connection. I am both a creation of your chaos energy and the Phantom Ruby's artificial energy meant to both give form to the enemy you are facing, complete the will of Infinite, and ensure that you allow this connection to be established."

"You didn't have to use so many words to say that I need to beat your butt," Sonic chuckles. He understands more than he did a moment before, but he's still pretty confused. Sonic doesn't mind, however. He doesn't need to understand to know that Infinite needs to be defeated once more. If Sonic doesn't, he gets the feeling that his will is going to be merged with the Phantom Ruby, particularly the parts that came from the real Infinite.

Sonic rushes toward Infinite. The jackal slams his palm against the space between Sonic's eyes to stop the hedgehog. Not appreciating this, Sonic grabs Infinite's wrists. He swings his body upward. His foot slams into the side of Infinite's head. Infinite stumbles to the side. Sonic continues his momentum. He pulls Infinite's arm upward with him. Sonic releases it, and Infinite's knees buckle together to keep him upright. Sonic curls into a ball as he starts dropping back onto the ground. Sonic uses gravity to fuel his spin-dash. Infinite ducks out of the way as Sonic lands on the ground. The hedgehog puts the tips of his fingertips on the ground. He twists, letting his legs flare out to smack Infinite twice in succession with kicks. Sonic pushes off the ground, landing on his heels. He ducks his head, bringing his fists from his chest to Infinite's stomach. After a few hints, Infinite leaps away from Sonic. The blue hedgehog moves to follow him. As Sonic steps toward Infinite, the jackal slides to the side with an arm extended to knock Sonic off his feet. Sonic slides forward, feeling the ground brush against his quills before he lands flat on his back. It doesn't take him long to leap back onto his feet.

"You are exactly the Mobian the Phantom Ruby would like to connect with. You are proving that you have a strong mind, but outside of your body..." Infinite says. His arms rise, stretching out. An illusory world forms around Infinite and Sonic. The hedgehog stalls, looking all around him. He recognizes the street he was on before he suddenly gained awareness in this dark bubble. He also recognizes his friends, Silver and Blaze. He, unfortunately, also recognizes the person they are fighting against. It is exactly like looking in a mirror as a figure emerges from the rubble. Sonic startles back a half-step as he sees himself covered in red lightning with a violent look in his green-and-red eyes. Blaze and Silver look serious as they prepare to fight against the Sonic with a rapidly darkening blur following his supernatural speed.

Sonic is taken out of the illusion by immense pain. Infinite has taken the opportunity to sneak behind Sonic, and he kicks the back of the hedgehog's head with enough force to send him across the darkened space. Sonic hits the ground a few times. Each slam shatters pieces of the illusion. When Sonic hits the far wall, the entire illusion shatters around him. The colors and shapes fade into the oblivion beneath Sonic and Infinite's feet. Sonic falls right on top of that oblivion with a pained grumble. He rubs the back of his head groggily as he pushes himself onto his knees and elbows.

"You are already capable of such power," Infinite remarks. With those words, new memories start infiltrating Sonic's mind. He isn't entirely aware of what his body is doing, but he gets the impression that he's fighting his friends. He sees the devastation. He feels the red lightning made from artificial energy. He senses the struggle on his friends' faces as they try to keep him down. He can even feel their blood dripping onto his paws, warm and wet, despite his gloves. Sonic firmly presses his eyes shut as if he could get rid of the images.

Sonic's body is flung to the side again. Instead of hitting the ground or the walls, he meets Infinite's punches and kicks with his face and vital organs. It sends him pinging around the enclosed space like a pinball in a machine. It hurts his body, but Sonic is stuck trying to repress the memories flooding him or find someone way to permanently end them. He commands his body to stop. Nothing happens. He wills one of his friends to stop him. They are failing. He wants the Phantom Ruby to leave his body. Infinite continues hurting him.

Finally, Sonic is allowed to roll across the floor. He comes to a stop. Infinite stands over him. Some dull red light crosses over his metallic mask. Sonic snarls unhappily. Although Sonic cannot see Infinite's expression, he gets the feeling that the jackal is either proud of himself or is feeling nothing at all. It depends on how much of the real Infinite is shining through this illusion. "Imagine what you could do with the Phantom Ruby."

"I don't want the ruby," Sonic grits. He pushes himself onto his elbows. He holds his body upright as much as he can with how much pain he's currently in. He is getting beat up in this space, and his real body is fighting against his friends.

"You do not need to use it to conjure illusions. I understand that you are an honest sort. An honorable quality, I suppose. It does not matter. The Phantom Ruby is capable of more than illusions," Infinite argues, dropping down onto a knee. He grabs Sonic's chin, assisting the hedgehog in lifting himself off the ground at the cost of forcing him to stare at Infinite's mask.

"I don't want increased strength and speed. I'm fast enough on my own," Sonic shakes his head. He doesn't want the Phantom Ruby because of everything it has put him, his friends, and all of Mobius through. It isn't a matter of what the Phantom Ruby can do for him; it is a matter of what it has done to him.

"You misunderstand," Infinite shakes his head. "The Phantom Ruby has not given you anything yet. Everything that is happening is what you are already capable of. This strength, this speed, this bloodlust. It is all inside of you already. The Phantom Ruby has only allowed you to unlock your true potential. If that is not honesty, what is?"

"This isn't me!" Sonic growls. He is hurting his friends. He can feel it in the space between his gloves and fur. His friends are desperately fighting him. They are not going to win. Sonic— somehow— knows this. He has to stop himself.

As if to give him some motivation, Sonic vaguely hears the echoes of a name. He doesn't recognize who is yelling the name, but he knows the name irregardless. Tails. His younger brother. Someone he is going to hurt if he doesn't stop Infinite and the Phantom Ruby.

Sonic jumps onto the balls of his feet. He swings his leg out to knock Infinite off his feet. As Infinite topples to the side, Sonic puts his hands on the ground. He kicks his leg once more. His shoes collide with Infinite's mask. The jackal is thrown to the opposite side of the enclosed space. He lands against the ground. Even before he can settle, Sonic is right beside him. He grabs Infinite's shoulder. Sonic throws him to the ground. Infinite turns this into a handstand. He falls backwards onto his feet. As he whirls around, Sonic is already there to punch Infinite's mask. There is enough force to knock Infinite back across the space. Lightning as blue as a clear sky and as pure as flowing water ripples across Sonic's body as he zooms over to Infinite. Sonic repays the favor to Infinite as he keeps the jackal trapped in midair. Infinite rises higher and higher as Sonic hits him with his spin-dash over and over again. Sonic is still the pinball, but he has more control now than he did earlier. Sonic uses this control to twist his body once he finds the roof of this place. Sonic's shoes push against the ceiling. Like a spring coming unsprung, Sonic travels back to the ground. Infinite is in Sonic's path, so the blue hedgehog rams his elbow into Infinite's chest. Infinite crashes into the ground with enough force to shatter it. Infinite is about to slip into oblivion when Sonic grabs his throat and drags him to the stable ground beside the walls. Sonic keeps his fingers around Infinite's throat. Sonic lifts Infinite high above him, slowly squeezing.

"You may have defeated me. You may remove the Phantom Ruby from your chest. But never forget that you were the one to do this. You can... And you will... do it again."

Sonic has no chance to retort as Infinite shatters in his hold like his entire body was made from porcelain. Sonic grits his teeth, letting his fingers close around nothingness. He sways on his feet for a beat. He moves a hand forward to touch the air in front of him. The real world starts to flicker in front of him. He recognizes his brother, and Sonic tries his best to speak to him. "Hey, buddy, I know I gotta apologize, but I'm gonna take a nap real quick."

Sonic's eyes slip shut. He loses all strength in his body. He falls backward, descending into the oblivion that has gathered beneath his mind.