Reflection
I AM ON A GODDAMN ROLL TODAY HOLY SHIT OKAY UHMMM
This is a short little Drabble I just came up with in this moment, inspired by my latest character analysis reblog. You don’t have to read that honestly, because it is VERY VERY LONG, but if you want then you can! idk I mean I kinda like it so…
Anywhizzle, this drabble is basically just Sonic angst. Takes place in the IDW universe some time after the Metal Virus, maybe in my own au, it fits in both so it doesn’t matter. Sorry for stalling, and here it is:
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Sonic doesn’t look in mirrors very often. Usually when he wants to fix up his appearance or if he just wants to know what he looks like, he’ll just head on down to the nearest pond and watch as his face wobbles along with the waves. It’s not much, and he does have to admit that more stable surfaces are better than water, but it’s just how he does things. Like the saying suggests, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
This was the first time in a while he actually saw his reflection at all, actually. He was hanging out with Cream and Vanilla, helping the younger rabbit with her writing. Honestly, his writing looked way worse than hers, but nobody ever said anything so he never mentioned it. And when Vanilla came outside with a metal tray full of cookies, obviously the two of them cleaned off the whole dang thing! All that was left were a few measly crumbs and that was it!
Or… No, wait, there was something else, too. Something… Odd. Something blue in color and with splotches of peach as well, something spiky sticking out from the back of the head…
Oh. That was him. Sonic the Hedgehog.
… Right…?
The strange image confused the young hedgehog. The odd reflection in the tray didn’t look anything at all like him! It was more like a blue blob, or an imposter of some kind, taunting him. It grinned wide and maliciously, staring at Sonic with empty eyes. The sight almost made the hedgehog jump out of his seat in surprise! He kept himself from doing so, then politely excused himself from the table, in search of an actual mirror. Because, yeah, that totally wasn’t Sonic! That blue ball of nothing wasn’t him at all! It was just a trick of the light, a fantasy in his head, the texture of the tray! That was it, surely! No scary blobs in sight!
He entered the small bathroom down the hall and looked into the mirror.
Something else looked right back.
A dark blue hedgehog, probably about three feet tall, with pointed ears and scruffy quills that stuck out every which way. The eyes looked dull, nothing indicating any sense of life, with only a dark green iris and a pure black pupil in each one. The fur on the forehead was matted and ugly, stains of all kinds replacing the original blue coloring. The muzzle was far too long for it to be natural, the nose on its end practically touching the mirror! Speaking of which, the nose was completely black, no wet shimmering in sight, indicating a clear lack of proper health. Dark circles lay dormant underneath the eyes, showing how utterly exhausted and gone this strange creature truly was.
But that… That wasn’t Sonic, was it? He wasn’t halfway to death’s door, was he? Sonic the Hedgehog was a world-renowned hero! A figurehead in practically every community! Everyone on Mobius knows of him, everyone looks up to him, everyone loves him! He’s got everything he could’ve ever wanted and more! Friends, a mismatched family, a life, freedom, peace and quiet…
Did he? Yeah, of course he had all that! He’s literally Sonic the Hedgehog! No one has a better life than him! Who else has the ability to go out into the world and be as free as the wind? Who else gets the chance to kick some angry fatso in the head with his own machinery? Who else gets to keep running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running and running and ru
Sonic stands there, staring at his reflection. It IS his reflection, isn’t it? He is tired, still trying to properly recover from the Metal Virus. (Even the thought of that dreadful time made his stomach squirm) Sonic still hasn’t showered in a while, so of course he’d be a bit on the uglier side. He is a bit on edge, still learning to not trust as easily as he did before. He is slightly malnourished, not wanting to be greedy and waste more food than necessary.
But… But is that really him? Does Sonic really looks so… Unwell? So overhelmed? So unkempt? So scared, so sad, so dead inside?
He stares back at the image in the mirror, glaring daggers at the darker version of himself. No, this could not be the same hedgehog. The real Sonic is cheerful, happy to be alive, happy to have such great friends, happy that he has such great opportunities! He’s thankful, he’s kind, and he would never ask for anything more.
The hedgehog in the mirror begs to differ. Its head tilts to the side, mocking Sonic’s thoughts, grinning from ear to ear as it analyzes its counterpart. Not a word is spoken from either being, for there are none that need saying. They just continue staring into each other's eyes, trying to one-up the other without even lifting a finger.
Sonic gets tired of it after only a minute, a pathetic little yawn escaping his lips and his eyes drooping in exhaustion. He rubs his eyes angrily, knowing the version of himself in the mirror has already won. But when he looks back, the being is no longer grinning.
It still looks the same, but… But it’s also still Sonic.
…
He exits the bathroom, turning the light off behind him, not wanting to look in the mirror any longer.
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