That day stood in his mind, as vibrant as if it had happened just yesterday. The morning had begun so normal, it always does. It was supposed to be like any other day, another fight, another win. It was supposed to end with cheers and maybe even a party, chili-dogs at his disposal and all of his friends celebrating.

It wasn't supposed to end like this.

He runs that day through his mind, over and over. He doesn't know why, doesn't have a clue what he is looking for. But it's always playing, never letting him forget.

It starts the same as it always does, him waking up, eating breakfast with Tails, he had burned the biscuits, and Tails had undercooked the corn beef hash, but they ate it anyway. Like they do every morning. He went for a run, and Tails went to the workshop. He stopped by Mrs. Vanilla's and ran past Emerald Lake. He stopped for lunch and ran some more.

Then he got the call.

It's the same call that he always gets. One he could recite from memory alone. Robotnick is invading Station Square, and he is needed. It was so simple: destroy the robots, banter with the old man, see what new toy he had, and destroy that too. Then Eggman would fly off into the horizon, cursing him out and promising to be back. He would win, because he always did, and it had looked like he would this time too.

Until he didn't.

How was he supposed to expect all of his foes to suddenly appear? How was he supposed to expect that jackal to be as fast as him? How was he supposed to realize that Eggman actually had a plan that would be hard to beat? How was he supposed to predict Chaos somehow coming back, or Shadow betraying everyone?

He is the hero. He was supposed to win. He was supposed to always be ready. To take on anything and come out on top. To always have a cocky smile, and always beat the bad guy. But he wasn't ready. He didn't come out on top.

And now they're all paying for his mistakes.

☽✧ :-゜・. ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉ .・゜-: ✧☾

He never knew how long anything lasted, how long he was passed out for. How long Infinite tortured him for. How long the last time he ate was. Or how long it was until he was fed again. He didn't know how many days he had been in this hell hole, it could have been mer seconds for all he knew. He didn't have anything to go by, no sun, no moon. The only window he had was small, and faced the Earth below.

In the beginning he had tried to go by his internal clock, tried to catch glimpses of outside the bars and maybe find a clock. He would, in the back of his mind, count the seconds and hours. But after messing up too many times, he stopped. His internal clock eventually stopped tracking the time as well, unable to do much with no clue as to if it was right or wrong.

It felt like months had gone by, he was stuck inside that rank cell, bars on one side and steel on the others. When he first woke up, he instantly spindashed the wall, the bars, the floor and the ceiling. Looking for a weak spot. But not finding any. Then he started to lay around, resting for the inevitable escape, on the floor or the small metal bed attached to the wall. Getting up consistently to run in circles, to stretch and keep himself ready. Once he realized the food he was given was far and between, he would stretch it. Ignoring the burning in his stomach, and the protest of his metabolism, to make the food last as long as possible. To pass the time he would talk through the bars, to the robots that stood across the room. Making fun of them, tossing comments that never received a response.

Eventually he caught a break, Cubot was sent to give him food instead of the normal Eggforcers. And the robot left the door open. Sonic was out before the poor robot realized what he had done. The first cell he had, didn't have a window. He had no idea he was in space, far above his precious planet. He ran through the Death Egg, looking for a door that led outside. He did find a door, and it did lead to outside of the base. But it wasn't what he expected.

He was caught fairly quickly after that, and he went a long long time without food. He also was put into his second cell, shackled to the wall with heavy thick chains. He didn't know what happened to Cubot, but it was the Doctor himself that delivered his food when he was allowed to eat again.

Often the Doctor would somehow ignore him, or would be out before he had a chance to open his mouth. But there were a few times he managed to rouse the Doctor, get him irritated, and try to get any clue as to what was happening below. But more times than not, the information wasn't good.

☽✧ :-゜・. ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉ .・゜-: ✧☾

It was in his second cell, Infinite first paid him a visit. Sonic was chained, wrist and ankle to the wall. That cell didn't have a window either, nor did it have anything else. Only him and the chains and thick metal walls. From the inside you couldn't even find the door, it blended in with the rest of the wall.

"So this is the 'unstoppable' hero of Mobius. From how the doctor speaks of you, I expected more." He hadn't noticed the jackal enter until he spoke out loud. His tone full of smug victory.

"So Eggface has been speaking highly of me? I feel so honored, but you really shouldn't take his word for it. Just take these chains off, and you can see for yourself what I can do."

"No need, I have already seen enough."

That's when Metal entered, claws out, and red orbs gleaming with malice.

"You're gonna make me fight that tin can? Please, I could do that in my sleep."

"You seem to misunderstand, you're not fighting, Metal is here to teach you a thing or two."

"Really now? What is the first thing I'm going to learn? How to be a fake? Maybe how to be so defeatable? As fun as that sounds, I don't really think those are things I would like to learn."

"Actually, he is here to teach you your place here."

"Hmm, I don't really think-" A slice to the cheek, cutting through skin and drawing blood. But not enough to truly harm.

"You know, it's rude to interrupt." He frowned as he yanked on his chains, they weren't going to have Metal attack him while he was in chains, were they?

Neither bot nor Mobian acknowledged him, instead Metal charged forward once more.

☽✧ :-゜・. ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉ .・゜-: ✧☾

The visions, they burn, they tear him in two. They make him fight with what he believes, and what he feels. The visions didn't start until a while after Infinite started to have Metal come in, and when they did start, they started suddenly. He wasn't prepared for them to start and be as real as they were, it threw him off, and twisted his thoughts. Until he didn't know what was real and wasn't, until he was so accustomed to the red tinting his vision, he saw it even if Infinite wasn't putting him through a vision.

The first vision is one he will never forget, cause while it wasn't the most gruesome, nor the most tearing, it was the most painful and twisting. He had passed out after another "Lesson", as the jackal called them. But when he woke up, it was to an alarm blaring, and the door being thrown open. At first, the lights blinded him, he was too used to the darkness of his cell, the red flashing lights were a starch contrast. But once his eyes adjusted he saw a sight that he was all too happy to see.

"Sonic!" His little brother, safe and sound, stood at the door. He had the Miles Electric in his hand, and was smiling. (First clue, he should have seen it, the smile was off, too wide, too happy, not like his brother's soft, your-ok-and-I-was-worryed-but-not-by-much smile.)

"Tails! I knew you would come!" (He had been so sure, so trusting that they would come.) He gave a smile back, before looking down at his wrists. "I would get up, but I'm a bit tied down at the moment."

His brother, (Not his brother, a fake. Always fake.) chuckled and walked over, picking the lock with practiced ease. "Come on! Knuckles and Amy are distracting them until we get to the shuttle!"

"All right! Lets not keep them waiting!" He blasted off, finally able to move, to get out of that tight cell. And, man, did running feel amazing after being forced to stay still for so long. And speaking of which, how long has it been? "Hey, how long have I been here?"

"Hmm? Oh, uh..about that...we sorta couldn't find you for a while." Tails glanced away, sheepish. "A month."

"A month? Seriously? Only a month?" He looked up at the flying fox, raising his brow. No way it's only been a month. It felt so much longer than that, no way the days have been stretching that bad. But then again, he didn't really have the best grasp of time right now.

Tails looked down at him, slightly surprised. "You thought it was longer?" It wasn't really a question, more of a flabbergast statement.

"Yeah, I don't really have a clock here." He chuckled, not thinking much about it. If only because he was headed home, it was fine now. It didn't matter how long it felt like, or how long it actually was, cause he was going home. With his brother, and his friends, he was going to see green hills again. Going to feel the sun, and the wind, and breath in something other than oil stained air. It was fine. (Except it wasn't, cause it was all lies.)

At that moment they arrived at the shuttle, Amy and Knuckles at the entrance waving them in. Telling them to hurry on, because the robots won't be distracted much longer. And then Amy was hugging him, and man did he miss non-threatening physical touch. And Knuckles was telling him how much of a bonehead he was, complaining that he had to leave the Master Emerald behind just to get him.

It seemed so right. And he was so relieved, he didn't notice the signs. The way that Amy didn't hug him as tight as she usually does, the way that Knuckles seemed to act a little off. He did, however, notice the way Tails seemed to talk less, and tinker more. The way that the fox wasn't flying with his usual smile, or explaining every new detail that he noticed. The way that when they landed, he didn't ask to keep the shuttle for its parts. He noticed Tails, not the others. And he just chopped it up to Tails shaken up by seeing him as hurt as he was. (He should have seen it for what it was. Saved himself from the pain.)

He was happy to reach Earth, and was so relieved when he saw the rolling hills and the bright blue sky. He blasted off as soon as his feet touched the ground, he ran through Station Square passing the buildings and the people. He just ran, and ran, because he was free and he wanted to feel as much of that freedom as he could. He ran until his stomach eventually reminded him it was in fact still undernourished.

He had turned around, and headed off to home, smiling wide and heart soaring. He was home, he was safe. (He was far from home, and in pain. He was left raw and heart shattered too many times to count.)

By the time he realized something was off, the moon was high in the sky surrounded by bright burning stars. He was in the kitchen watching Tails make some soup, happy to be in his own home. "You know I don't mind cooking."

Tails turned and smiled at him, "I know you don't, but you should rest." Sonic couldn't argue with that, he was exhausted, he had run all day long and met with all of his friends.

"Fair enough, but I could at least help." He got up from his seat, and walked to where his little brother was cooking. (Not his brother, a fake. Because it was all fake.)

"I think you helped enough." He was taken back by the harsh tone. So different from the one just previously used. It was accusatory, hard, and barbed with hate.

"Tails? What do you mean?" He said softly, confused where this was coming from.

Still with his back to the hedgehog, Tails gave a clipped answer. "You left me."

"What?" He blinked owlishly, what was Tails talking about? Sonic never left him, not without Tails being 100% ok with it.

"You failed us. Eggmans taking over. You're the hero! You're supposed to save us, but you're too weak!" Suddenly, they weren't in their house anymore, they were back in his cell. Tails whirled around, hatred on his face.

Sonic couldn't talk, he wanted to say sorry, he wanted to ask what was happening. But nothing came out, his throat felt closed up, like someone was squeezing it closed.

And in a blink, he was back to sitting in his chains, Tails gone.

☽✧ :-゜・. ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉　 ҉ .・゜-: ✧☾

The next time someone enters, it's Robotnik. He entered as if he had the world in his palm, (He was terrified of the possibility he might.) a smug grin plastered onto his ugly mug. "Hello Rodent."

"Eggface." He said simply.

"What did you think of your...trip?" The doctor paused, chuckling.

"What about it?" Sonic responded, holding an air of boredom. (That was fake too. His smirk, his words. He kept them fake, to keep himself stronger.)

Eggman frowned softly, searching his face. After finding whatever he was looking for, he smirked. "Nothing...I just came in to tell you the good news."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

Eggman's face lit up in glee. "50% of the world belongs to the Eggman empire now!"

Sonic froze, no...what about his friends? They wouldn't have let this happen, it wasn't true. It wasn't. (Except, it was. Out of all the lies, this was the one truth.) "You expect me to believe that Eggy? Ain't no way." He gave a fake grin, one to hide his shock. To hide his fear.

It wasn't his best comeback, but it worked nonetheless. The doctor leaned forward threateningly, "Listen here, I am going to become your worst nightmare rodent. And I'll be taking over the world as you sit in here. Unable to do anything"

"You'll be broken soon enough Sonic!" He stood straight, cold dark eyes staring into fiery hot emerald ones. "Infinite will see to that!"

Sonic growled back, "You try to break me, but no matter how broken I am. I will always keep fighting."

Eggman whipped around. "We'll see about that hedgehog!" 

(Part 2 is one the way!!)