#i already have plans for the rest of the cast too... just gotta properly design them

[timeyartsandstuff]

Did I need to make an Owl House AU of the Omori cast? No. Did I do it anyway? Of course I did. I’ve got a story I’ve been knocking around for it (which has a much more light-hearted tone than Omori does, better suited to Owl House basically) but we’ll see if I make anything proper for it.

In the meantime, I offer this; Mari as a member of the Emperor’s Coven, with a Mewo palisman and a magic piano that attaches into her staff. Specializing in Bardic and Illusionary magic with a dash of Abomination and Construction, Mari’s a master at keeping her opponents off-balance. In more recent times she’s been referred to as The Smiling Guard due to her eerily ‘cheerful’ mask, and has gained quite a reputation for her role in tracking down sources of wild magic... Only those closest to Mari understand her true motivations, though.

[xxemitsuxx]

Sonic Forces - Burning World 2

Chapter two! Thanks a lot for the feedback on the first chapter, I really appreciate it :)

Previous chapter

Restlessly, Sonic ran circles into the floor of the gray cell. He couldn’t tell how long it had been since his last encounter with Eggman; it felt like weeks, although he knew it couldn’t have been more than a few days, if at all. He had no way of knowing how much time had passed; the cell didn’t have any windows and there was no clock around.

After having listened some more to the doctor’s victory speech and future visions, he had been thrown back into the cell by his robots and hadn’t seen anyone since, except for Orbot and Cubot passing by his cell every now and then. In the beginning he had lurked near the bars on high alert, searching for any kind of way to break out and leave behind this dull grayness. However, after what he assumed to be hours of nothing happening, he had given up and had begun stalking around, boredom quickly overcoming him. He knew he should have tried to get at least some sleep, but his mind was being held wide awake by the knowledge of being this close to his arch enemy.

When the boredom had become too much, he had started what he was still doing now; running around in circles. And that’s how he ended up this way.

He was honestly thankful the cell was big enough to allow him to build up speed. He wasn’t sure if Eggman had built it intentionally like this or if he simply hadn’t thought about it, and he didn’t really care either. As long as he was able to run, everything already seemed a bit lighter, even in a situation like this.

Still. He couldn’t stay idle forever. There had to be a way out of here. He had to get back to his friends and save the day like he always did… because from what he had seen, the world really needed saving.

He still couldn’t quite believe it had gone this far; how could it be his friends hadn’t manage to stop Eggman? A picture of the masked jackal went through his mind, causing him to speed up even more, lost in thought. It definitely had to be because of him. A being fast enough to keep up with him and strong enough to beat him, strong enough to beat his friends…

Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, he couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit excited – in a dark, sinister way - at the thought of beating the masked guy. He immediately felt guilty for thinking this way. I should probably handle my own problems first and get out of this mess.

He was honestly a bit confused about Eggman’s behavior. He had expected the doctor to visit him more often and gloat about his victory in front of the hedgehog.

“Cubot, be careful! Don’t drop it!” Sonic’s ears perked up at the voice. The red and yellow forms of Eggman’s aide robots came into his field of view. He stopped his run and came to a hold right in front of the bars, observing the bickering robots. A smirk crept onto his face when the opportunity he had waited for finally presented itself. This’ll do I guess. Cubot was carrying a plate with… a chilidog on it. When his stomach growled loudly, Sonic remembered he hadn’t eaten anything ever since he had awoken.

“Hello Sonic. We’re here to bring you your lunch.” Sonic grinned at the red robot and crossed his arms confidently.

“Wow, thanks. I was already starting to think Eggface is gonna let me starve.” Not entirely true since he hadn’t really paid any mind to his physical needs due to his mind focusing entirely on the more dire problems; such as the world literally burning.

“Ah, I am sure if he wanted to kill you, he would do it in a more creative way.” Sonic raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer, waiting for the others to make the next move.

“Well, uh… here’s your food Sonic!” Cubot held out the plate until it touched the bars, the smell of his favorite food lingering in his sensitive nose. He gulped. Be strong, hedgehog. “Why, thank you,” he said in a mocking tone, reaching out as if trying to grab the food. His gloved hand didn’t fit through the bars though. Orbot let out a sound which would probably be a groan if he wasn’t a robot.

“He can’t reach the food, you idiot!” Sonic let his ears hang down, sighing in faked desperation.

“I guess I’ll have to starve after all… thanks for going through the effort of making a chilidog just for me, I appreciate it, but looks like I won’t be able to eat it.” His stomach let out another growl as if to underline his words. Cubot and Orbot exchanged a glance, turning away from him and to each other. He slightly lifted an ear to catch what they were saying.

“…it’ll… fine for just a moment…” - “No! He’ll…” - “But boss said…” He scowled when he couldn’t make out any more, but quickly replaced it with a pained expression when they turned back to him.

“Alright… just a second, Sonic. I’m going to fetch, uhm… someone really quickly.” Orbot cast another glance at Cubot, eyes narrowed. “Don’t do anything stupid”, was what he read from that look. Then he disappeared around a corner, leaving him with an apparently nervous Cubot.

His stomach growled again and he let out a groan, making the yellow robot jump and look at him in sympathy; as far as that was possible for a machine.

“Just a moment, Sonic,”, he said. Sonic rolled his eyes inwardly. Outwardly, however, he let out a muffled whine. “Come on Cubot, please. I don’t think I’m gonna last much longer… it’s been over two weeks, y'know?” Cubot looked at him, puzzled.

“You’ll last those few minutes! … or hours,” he added quietly, jumping when Sonic let out yet another groan.

“Hours?!”

“Well, uh, Orbot needs to fetch a certain type of robot with admin rights , but they are always pretty busy so it could take a while… in the worst case he’ll have to ask the boss himself…” Hah, lucky me.

“C'mon Cubot, just open the door and give the chilidog to me now. I’ll cover for you.” The robot stared at him.

“Haha, sorry Sonic, but wouldn’t you be outta here before you even get to take a bite of the chilidog?”

“Of course not! I’ll eat it properly. Besides, I don’t even know my way around here; I’d probably run right into Eggman’s arms.”

“Hm, true. I mean, the boss did design this base with the intention of making it impossible for you to escape…” Good to know.

The yellow robot hesitated, jumping yet again when Sonic’s stomach growled impatiently. He hadn’t really felt it until now, but damn he really was hungry. His vision blurred while he was staring at the robot and he did his best to resist rubbing his eyes, suppressing a yawn.

“Okay,” Cubot finally said. “But just for a moment.” His eyes began glowing and just like that the bars were gone.

And unlike last time, Sonic was prepared now.

Before the robot could even attempt to blink, he had spin-dashed him over, snatching the chilidog in the process and taking a quick bite. He stopped in front of the open hallway and turned around to cast a quick glance at the knocked out robot whose lights had shut off completely. “See? Told ya imma eat it properly,” he said with a full mouth, grinning, before turning and dashing off.

Okay. Now I just gotta find a way out of here. Preferably a fast one, he thought. Being able to run freely instead of in an ever repeating circle felt amazing, even if he was surrounded by gray metal walls. Sonic the Hedgehog just shouldn’t be confined, ever. He would make sure Eggman would remember that. But first, he had to actually escape; he had a world to save!

…

Had he actually taken the time Eggman had granted him to rest instead of staying awake for days straight, he may have actually reached his goal and put a quick end to everything. He may have avoided the following months and rescued the world with ease as he had done many times before, always the hero, his friends smiling at him and celebrating him and themselves for their accomplishments.

If he had just…

…

He had no idea what exactly happened. One moment he was running as fast as the wind, the next he was slammed into a wall head-first with a pained cry, sliding down on it and landing on his side. Groaning, he curled into a half ball, head ringing as his mind tried to process what had just happened. Okay, hedgehog, calm down, this isn’t so bad, you experienced worse before, take a deep breath… When the pain slowly ebbed away, he opened his eyes, staring dumbfounded at two black legs.

“Oh m… good job, Infi… yes, he…” Okay, maybe he had hit his head stronger than he had thought at first. The ringing in his ears kept increasing in volume; he couldn’t make out the actual sentence and didn’t recognize Eggman’s voice either until he stepped into his field of vision. The blue hedgehog took another deep breath and turned his head slightly upwards until he was able to see the other two. One was definitely Eggman looking down at him with a deep frown which granted him a feeling of satisfaction; at least he had managed to unsettle the doctor with his failed escape attempt. The other figure was undoubtedly the masked jackal, but he wasn’t looking at Sonic; he was already turning away and walking out of view. So he got me again, huh…

At this point the pain had all but vanished, replaced by a heavy feeling of numbness which was almost painful in its own unique way again. He noticed Eggman talking to him and did his best to focus on that.

“How did… out? Can you hear me, hedgehog?” His only acknowledgment was a blink. Crap. He could feel his consciousness fading away. It’s now or never.

He had no idea where he took the energy from, but somehow he managed to get up on his knees unnaturally quick, startling the doctor into taking a surprised step back. Exhaustion overwhelmed him and he threatened to fall forward, but he managed to remain on his knees.

“I’ll definitely get out of here,” he snarled, his voice way more powerful than he felt. At this point he was barely conscious of his own actions anymore; it was as if his body acted on its own. “Don’t think you can contain me here and have your way, Eggman. I’ll get out of here and destroy whatever dumb plan you came up with this time. That’s a promise. You’re going to regret ever facing off against me. You…” His sleepiness took him over and his body finally complied with his mind and let him fall to the side, more asleep than unconscious.

“You never cease to surprise me, Sonic,” Eggman muttered to himself. Okay, truth be told, he really hadn’t expected him to find a way out. Granted, it was mainly Cubot’s fault – damn that incompetent idiot! - but the hedgehog’s stubbornness and determination was truly nothing to underestimate.

“What are you going to do with him now, boss? I know this was Cubot’s fault, but it truly wouldn’t surprise me if he found another way out. He seemed really confident when we confronted him. I doubt any of your… security measures will be able to stop him. Especially since you constructed the cell so we can’t even give him his food without opening the bars.” He cast a glance at Orbot standing behind him, hands clasped together, looking at him in question. Deciding to ignore his underling’s insult, he thoughtfully looked down on the unconscious hedgehog. He had planned on ignoring Sonic for a while longer to focus on securing his power, but it looked like the rodent wouldn’t even allow him to do that. He would have to advance quicker with his plans for his captive.

“For now…”

Unlike the last time he had woken up, this time all the memories came flying back immediately. Without the sleepiness he had felt before, all he could think of was how stupid he had been! Not seeing that lame masked excuse of an experiment coming at him and letting himself get slammed into a wall without any resistance… with a growl he jumped up and planned on letting his frustration out the usual way; spin-dashing around as fast as he could. However, upon rising and dashing forward, he found he couldn’t get further than two steps away from his supposed bed before being yanked back forcefully. Startled, he stared at the ground. The sound of jangling chains caused him to take a better look at himself.

Wha… no way.

Ears drooping down, he felt his cheeks begin to burn in humiliation. Clenching his teeth, he raised his hands to his throat.

He was chained to the wall right next to the bed by his throat so he couldn’t reach the bars. A glowing blue chain was strapped around his neck; not tight enough to choke him, but also anything but comfortable.

Eggman had collared him.

Before he had the chance to yank on the collar and see if it would come off – unlikely but worth a shot – he heard footsteps approaching the cell. His head shot up, only to be greeted by the sight of Eggman, flanked by two robots yet again. He couldn’t make out the doctor’s expression due to being too far away and the bars blocking his view, but the smug tone in the doctor’s voice was already enough to rile him up.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty. You don’t look to happy about your new accessory. I even picked it in your color!”

“Shut it, Eggface,” Sonic snarled, not in the mood for any games.

“A bit touchy in the early morning, aren’t we?” Suddenly, the bars disappeared, allowing the doctor to approach the hedgehog whose ears folded back, spines bristling in warning. He felt humiliated; not only could he not escape despite the path being free of any obstacles, he couldn’t even spin-dash into Eggman’s face if he didn’t want to strangle himself. So he didn’t have a chance but to watch the doctor approach him, stopping just out of his range, probably wary of the kicks he could still execute.

“It wasn’t a good idea trying to escape, Sonic.” Sonic scoffed.

“Why? Am I supposed to be scared of pissing you off?” He didn’t show how much Eggman’s sinister expression unsettled him.

“You really don’t understand the situation you’re in hedgehog, do you? And here I planned to still give you some time to finish my preparations and let everything settle in. But it looks like you need to be taught the hard way, without any more delays.” He snapped his fingers, and suddenly Sonic’s body just… froze. He tried to move but found he couldn’t; the collar began burning uncomfortably and his body wouldn’t budge even as Eggman came closer and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. He let out a small yelp as the human applied pressure to a particularly sensitive spot, causing him to unwillingly curl in on himself, making him appear smaller than he actually was. “W-wha…” Move, dammit! He could hear the doctor huff somewhere above him, but he couldn’t raise his head to check.

“No matter how far you and your entire race evolve, in the end you are still an animal. And animals have instincts which don’t always work in their favor.” Sonic hissed through clenched teeth when he felt the chain being undone from the collar. Nothing was in his way, he could get away! So why wouldn’t his body move?!

“Let go, Eggman!”

“I don’t think so.” The human began moving away from the cell, followed by his robots, and all Sonic could do was dangle from his hand like a puppy being carried by its owner. He flinched when the grip grew stronger. Man, since when was Eggman this strong?!

After a while of walking, the doctor stopped abruptly and muttered something Sonic couldn’t make out. Suddenly, a cold metal hand grabbed his chin and forced his head up before his entire vision went black. Something was swiftly tied around his skull and knotted together with so much force it caused his head to ache. A blindfold? How had this happened so quickly?

“Can’t have you memorizing any paths around here. You are obviously not going to escape from the cell again and even if you would, I heavily doubt you’d be able to find your way around, but precaution never hurts anyone.”

Eggman paused and looked down at the hedgehog. He had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since they had left the cell, and after applying the blindfold he had gone even stiffer than before, ears raised and spines bristled. If he listened closely, he could hear his ragged breathing. It wasn’t like he could move much anyway, but he had expected him to put up more of a fight. Thinking about it, he couldn’t remember a time he had ever seen the hedgehog as cornered as he was now. Getting robbed of his eyesight might have had a bigger effect on him than he had first thought; making him uncertain and unsettling him. He would keep that in mind for their… future games together.

“What’s wrong, rodent? Scared?”, he taunted, trying to get a reaction out of him to confirm his suspicions. All he got was an annoyed huff.

“Get going already, Egghead.” Hm. His voice sounded the same way as it always did when he wasn’t in action; condescending and almost bored. Either he was pretty talented at masking his fear or he didn’t even notice how much his body had reacted to the limitation. Interesting.

“Fine. Look forward to it, hedgehog. I’m sure we are going to have a lot of fun together.”

Thanks for reading! You can also visit me on my ao3 (Emitsu) or FF.net (xXEmitsuXx) accounts if you’d like :)