Hey everybody! Normally, I don't write for Sonic that often because I'm already writing a series for him and I tend to write about more mature factors, which Sonic just isn't about. However, the idea of Dark Sonic really fascinates me (even though I hate Sonic X), and after cruising around deviantART for a while, I got the inspiration to write this.

Somehow I managed to write this story in about two hours at about 1,800 words. This story was really just an experiment if nothing more, so half of this will seem a little random. However, I do think it came out great! I hope you guys like it!

Based on: The Sonic the Hedgehog series (SEGA. This isn't really based on any particular game or show, but I had Sonic Adventure in mind, even though it doesn't really fit)
Rating: K+ for emotional conflicts and hints at violence/actual violence at the end
Author's Notes: I'll explain more about the story at the footnotes since it'll ruin everything if I just put it here, but I tried to experiment with the characterization of Sonic's "other side" in this story along with narration. I've never actually (seriously) wrote for Sonic before, so I hope I stuck to his characterization ok.
And I really have no idea why I chose that title. I guess for the irony sense.
---

"Sonic!"

The call of the yellow fox was surrounded by worry, fear and anxiety, and yet a hint of hope leaked through. The world was ending, that was pretty clear—there was destruction all around, the thought of there possibly being civilization that had previously existed here being swept away in mere seconds. Buildings had crumbled as their support systems gave way, people were running through the streets screaming, yelling, begging for help and a place to hide. But there was no place to run to, there was no hope for the ending of this chaos, there was no safe place to shield them from the dangers that flooded the streets.

Until the final emerald had came into his view.

The blue hedgehog's thoughts were clouded, his mind overwhelmed with the thoughts of how he could possibly finish this, how he could possibly be everyone's savoir. The obvious thought was to enhance the powers that the Chaos Emeralds provided, let this energy flow through his veins and take advantage of its prowess. But he only possessed six of the seven mystical jewels, and without the last one he would be unable to use their energy and end this threat.

But then, the hedgehog's green irises had taken notice of the fox as he came charging towards him, using his double tails to propel him to his companion at a fast pace. The fox slid to a stop on his rubber soles as he arrived to the hedgehog, the last, final chaos emerald in his grasp. Its beauty radiated from the green body in a hue that hummed with intense power.

"Sonic, use this!" the young fox shouted, tossing the mystical emerald towards the hedgehog. The blue hedgehog easily caught it using his fast reflexes, and immediately he felt the chaos energy leaking into his blood, begging to be used to end this terror and save everyone before any more lives were lost. He knew there was no time to waste.

The hedgehog had repeated this procedure enough times that it was easy to recreate the channeling of the chaos energy from the emeralds at this point. His green irises were covered by tan skin as the hedgehog closed his eyes, feeling his muscles become tense and concentrating on the power that he felt surging from the emeralds. His blood began to pulse with energy as the ancient and mystical power from the Chaos Emeralds leaked into his bloodstreams, surrounding his heart and mind with intense power.

But something caught his attention.

This power felt different, new, yet foreign and strange. He had allowed some of the power to seep into his bloodstreams, and immediately he felt the tingle of anxious muscles as it surged throughout his mind, making his quills rise in anticipation.

"It feels good, now, doesn't it?"

And odd voice had protruded into his thoughts. Immediately, the hedgehog counted it as a threat—such an invasion into his mind made him nervous. It was obvious that this mysterious being was of supernatural abilities or state, for there was no other explanation of how it could be within his mind.

"The energy that you have just absorbed…tell me it does not make you feel anxious, make you feel alive!"

The hedgehog could feel his muscles twitch as the voice continued to interrupt his thoughts. The energy that the Chaos Emeralds had lent him continued to flow throughout his body, however he had halted the process once he had sensed the mysterious energy. Partially fueled by chaotic powers and partially mortal, the hedgehog felt as though he were suspended within two different dimensions.

"Go ahead…take it all in," the voice commanded, its unknown source sounding inviting. "Let it run through your veins. Let it fill your mind with ultimate power."

The hedgehog kept the transfer of energy suspended. The mysterious energy that he had allowed to slip into his veins presented itself once again, tempting the hedgehog with its promise of intense power.

Who are you? The hedgehog had allowed his curiosity to slip before the tempting energy, his mind more concentrated on the presence of the intrusion to his thoughts than the destruction that surrounded him, the power in his blood. The voice hummed a laugh deep within its invisible throat, taking in a breath of air before giving the hedgehog an answer.

"Why does it matter?" it questioned him, leaving the hedgehog to search his thoughts for his own possible answers. "Why don't you take in more of that energy, hmm?"

The hedgehog felt apprehensive about the voice's offer. Temptation swirled around in his mind, his finger twitched with the overwhelming desire for more power, the strange power that the emeralds had never offered to him before.

He lowered his defense for a moment, allowing more of the strange energy to leak into his body. Air was forced into his lungs as power surged through him, tightening his muscles and making his mind feel ready to take on any challenge. It felt…amazing. The hedgehog had never felt this powerful before. He could feel the chaotic energy surrounding his body, seeping through his skin and onto his quills.

"Doesn't it feel amazing? The power, the capabilities you can have with it, the things you can create, the things you can destroy!" The hedgehog continued to allow this energy to flow into him like a river during a storm, mixing with the power he normally possessed when he used the emeralds. He had never felt more powerful, more capable of defeating any threat or challenge that had presented itself to him.

He felt ready to take on the dangers that threatened the end of everything, the doom of the world that he inhabited. With this strange, amazing power, the hedgehog was sure that he would be able to defeat this threat without any challenges, without any obstacles to slow him down.

"No no no, don't waste your power on that," the voice commented, making the hedgehog confused. His mind was filled with questioning and unsure thoughts as the voice had rejected his idea of freeing the world from this danger that had destroyed the city, that had taken the many lives of its citizens.

But…all the people here, he thought to himself, wondering if the voice could hear him. Another laugh rumbled from the invisible speaker.

"What about them?" it questioned. "Why would you waste your time with these humans? They are not of your kind. They don't understand you. They don't understand this power, this immortality you now possess." The hedgehog shook his head at the voice's comment, his conscience filled with questioning thoughts.

It's not right, he responded. I can't just let these people die. I don't care if they're human and I'm not. It's just not right.

"Oh, but aren't the lives of a few strangers a small price to pay for such an intense power? Why would you give this up for a few measly lives of people you don't even know?" The hedgehog's conscience was bombarded by questions, his thoughts frantically trying to determine the right course of action.

But…Tails, the hedgehog thought, recalling the presence of the yellow fox who had brought him the final emerald he had desperately desired.

"He doesn't understand either," the voice assured him. "Come now, what are they to you? Your friends?" The voice spat at the last two words, allowing a grunt of disagreement to slip from its invisible lips. "You are nothing to them, you know. In fact, they hate you. They would kill you if you were to turn your back on them." Thoughts of resentment immediately overflowed the hedgehog's mind, anger being swirled into the mix.

That's not true, he immediately countered, anger easily recognizable in his usually care-free voice. My friends have always been at my side. They have helped me defeat my toughest enemies. Without them, I couldn't do it. A displeased murmur slipped out from the unknown speaker.

"Oh, you and I both know that isn't true," it replied. "Come now, you could defeat all of your enemies on your own. Your friends are just there to steal your glory, to make you appear weak." The hedgehog remained silent at this remark, his thoughts now questioning his past adventures with those he held close to him.

No…

"That echidna? He is always giving you trouble, is he not? That gullible excuse for a guardian always falls for the simplest tricks. Do you not remember when he tried to kill you because your nemesis had told him that you possessed pieces of the Master Emerald?"

I…

"And what about that little fox boy? He is always slowing you down, and you know it. Without him, you could run freely—as fast as you wanted, as long as you wanted. You wouldn't have to worry about anyone tagging along, slowing you down."

But…

"You believe these pathetic creatures are your friends? You are only fooling yourself. Why don't you finish them off, hmm? Why don't you destroy these nuisances that limit your potential?"

I can't…

"You have all the power in the world. With this, you can be unstoppable. This can be the beginning of a new era, an era that you can control. All you have to do is rid yourself of those whom you call your 'friends', and your possibilities are endless..."

The hedgehog opened his eyes. This proposal made the energy in his veins surge, making his muscles twitch with anticipation. The chaotic energy surrounded his body and tingled his flesh.

The transfer of energy had ended. Its purpose being fulfilled, the Chaos Emeralds dropped from their rotations around the hedgehog, their colors now completely faded as nearly all the energy they contained was drained, filling the hedgehog's veins instead.

"Sonic?"

The call from the yellow fox was surrounded in the same tone of despair, doom, and fear; however, the hint of hope was no longer detectable. Instead, it seemed as though a tone of questioning had taken its place.

"Sonic? Are you ok? What happened to you?"

The hedgehog looked at the fox, his small figure seeming so powerless, so easily crushable. Destroying him was no challenge, the hedgehog thought. Destroying him would be easy. With this new power, he was unstoppable. Nothing could possibly defeat him, nothing could possibly prove to be a challenge to him. The hedgehog raised his hand, curling his fingers and facing his palm towards the young fox. He seemed so unaware of what was happening, so uncertain of what he should do. The hedgehog let a smirk slip up his lips at the pathetic creature's actions.

With a quick intake of air, the hedgehog allowed the words, "Chaos spear!" to slip from his lips, creating surging, intense black energy to shoot from the palm of his hand, striking the fox in an instant.

--
So, did Tails survive? That's up to you guys. I don't plan on continuing this since, like I said, it's just an experiment (not to mention I'm pretty much a one-shot writer for a reason) but I might toy some more with Dark Sonic in the future. I guess this is a so-accepted-theory-that-it's-pretty-much-canon-now, but I believe that Sonic can tune into his Dark form using the negative power from the emeralds. So basically, that was what the story was about--obviously, Sonic wouldn't go Dark on his own, so I used the negative power as a temptation that could help him defeat the unknown threat, which the voice instead convinces him that it should be used for evil. The voice wasn't really anything, honestly, just an idea that came to me.

Originally I planned on the threat being Perfect Chaos but he already used all the negative power from the emeralds, so that dind't work. Plus I imagined the world in lava for some reason. But the whole "end of the world" really wasn't the point of this story, so the details didn't really matter. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!