Sonic spotted Rouge first near the city balcony, wings folded as she stared out over the skyline. Relief sparked in his chest. Rouge always noticed him.

He sped to her side, skidding to a stop with his usual grin. “Hey Rouge, what’cha doin’?”

She stiffened. Her eyes flicked toward him for half a second—then away. “Not now.”

The words hit wrong. “Huh? Since when do you not say ‘hey, handsome’ or ‘hey gurl’?” he laughed weakly. “You’re actin’ kinda… different.”

Rouge clenched her jaw, fingers tightening on the railing. “I’m not,” she said flatly. Then, quieter, “I just… can’t. Okay?”

Before he could answer, she pushed off, wings snapping open as she flew away without looking back.

Sonic stood there, the breeze suddenly cold.

He shook it off and sped through the village, spotting Knuckles near the Master Emerald shrine. Familiar ground. Safe ground.

“Hey, Knu—”

“Please,” Knuckles interrupted without turning around. His voice was older now, rougher. Tired. “Just… leave me alone for now.”

Sonic stopped short. “Did I—”

“Not today, Sonic.”

No anger. No explanation. Just distance.

Sonic nodded slowly. “Okay… yeah. Sure.”

He left before Knuckles could see his face.

He searched anyway. Amy passed him in the market, eyes forward, hands clenched around her hammer strap. Tails sat at his workshop console, adjusting schematics without looking up—without even blinking when Sonic stood right beside him. Big gently scooped Froggy up and quietly turned the other way. Vector cut a call short the moment Sonic approached. Espio vanished into the shadows. Charmy zipped past like Sonic wasn’t there at all.

Cream froze when she saw him… then hid behind Vanilla’s legs. Vanilla placed a protective hand on her daughter’s shoulder and gave Sonic a sad, apologetic look before guiding Cream away in silence.

Omega’s optics dimmed. Blaze lowered her gaze. Shadow—Amaya’s older twin brother—stood at the edge of the plaza, arms crossed, eyes cold. He didn’t say a word. He simply turned his back.

By the time Sonic reached Silver’s place, his chest hurt.

He knocked once. “Silver… I know you’re probably gonna say ‘not now’ like everyone else.”

The door opened just enough for Silver’s tired eyes to meet his. “…Not right now, Sonic.”

The door shut.

Sonic didn’t move for a long moment.

Then he went home.

The house smelled warm—vanilla and sugar. Amaya stood in the kitchen, older now too, sleeves dusted with flour as she checked something in the oven.

“Sonic?” she asked softly. “You okay?”

He turned slowly, forcing a smile that didn’t hold. “Hey… love.”

She crossed the room in seconds, cupping his cheeks, thumbs brushing beneath his eyes. “What happened?”

His quills drooped as he leaned into her touch, the weight finally cracking him open. “Everyone’s avoiding me,” he whispered. “Knuckles, Rouge, Blaze… Shadow wouldn’t even look at me. It’s like I don’t exist.”

Amaya’s breath hitched. “Even… Tails?”

At the name, Sonic’s eyes filled. “Yeah,” he said, voice breaking. “He looked straight through me. Like I was a ghost.”

She pulled him into a tight hug, holding him as his arms wrapped around her, desperate. He buried his face into her shoulder, shaking.

“I feel so alone,” Sonic whispered. “Like I did something wrong… but no one will tell me what.”

“I don’t understand,” Sonic whispered into her shoulder. “I’ve fought beside them my whole life. I’ve bled for them. I’d die for them. And now it feels like I don’t exist.”

Amaya held him, rocking slightly. “You’re not alone,” she said firmly. “Not with me. Not with Nicholas.”

Sonic clutched her like he was afraid she’d disappear too. “I just want to know what I did wrong.”

And for the first time in years, the fastest hedgehog alive felt completely left behind.