Tear Jerker / Sonic Prime

Moments pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned!

Season 1

Shattered

• The backstory of Resistance Tails, aka Nine. Just like Tails, he was bullied for his extra tail, but Sonic never showed up to stop the bullies for him, so he was left to deal with it for years. Even worse? He has to grow up in the dystopian New Yoke City.
  • Poor Sonic's not doing too well, either. While he still has his snarky, jokey, happy-go-lucky attitude about the situation, he clearly isn't taking the fact that his best friend doesn't recognize him well at all, and on top of that, he's horrified to realize that New Yoke City was built on top of Green Hill, realizing his old home where he and all his friends hung out is now completely ruled by Eggman.
    • It's worse when he sees Amy, aka Rusty Rose, Sonic can only say "Oh, Amy…" in response to her robotized form. It doesn't help that Rusty implies she willingly roboticized herself and joined the Eggman Empire to survive. And seeing the sad pink Flicky trapped inside her robotic form doesn't help matters.

Barking Up The Wrong Tree

• The episode begins with Sonic having a poignant flashback to Green Hill. Sonic's friends surprise him with the "gift" of a palm tree. Amy explains that the tree represents all the memories the crew made around it. Each of Sonic's friends recount one of their memories with Sonic and the tree (or in Big's case, a humorously random one). Sonic is unable to relate to their sentimentality, so he simply brushes off their gestures before digging into the food they brought for a picnic. What was a harmless moment in the past is now saddening, given that Sonic has no idea when he will ever see his friends again, and it all started precisely because he dismissed something important they were trying to tell him.
  Sonic: Come on, guys, don't you think you're all being a little too...I don't know...sentimental? Look. I get it. Tree, friendship, memories. [sees Big holding a stack of chili dogs] Chili dogs! [begins eating them]
  Amy: [momentarily shocked, then annoyed] I guess you don't get it, do ya Sonic?

• Thorn Rose's motives for wanting to protect the forest may sound noble at first, but the way Prim Rouge frames the Scavengers' falling-out with her, it looks as if (at least from their point of view) their close friend suddenly went insane and started attacking them for no reason. After living in fear of her for months, possibly years, the Scavengers don't even see Thorn as their friend anymore, referring to her only as "the monster".
  • Thorn's realization at the end that her efforts cost her her humanity, did more harm to the forest than good, and drove those who were once her best friends to starvation, desperation, and (in Gnarly's case) madness is pretty heartbreaking. Especially when she starts crying Tears of Remorse.

Situation: Grim

• Nine abandoning the rebels and fleeing with the shard. He doesn't even look all that conflicted as he does it; despite his having warmed up to Sonic earlier, he never bonded with any of the others, and is still acting on the same bitter loner mindset that prioritizes his own survival.
  • And then there's Nine trying to convince Sonic to join him on the Grim world. Nine looks so genuinely earnest and hopeful for once, certain that he can build a home with the one person he's ever bonded with, only for Sonic to have to reluctantly let him down because there's no way he could just leave his other friends behind. Sonic tries to appeal to Nine to come back with him to New Yolk, only for the fox to coldly rebuff him, his brief moment of openness thoroughly snuffed out.
    Nine: It's a clean slate. The perfect place to start over and get the world right! With the proper fortifications, and enough shard energy, it could be home. The one you lost. The one I never had. I can make that hope a reality. For both of us.
    Sonic: ...Look, Nine, it's incredible, but it's... it's not going anywhere. And those rebels really need our help. Come with me. Help me finish the fight.
    (Nine's earnest smile falls, and his expression hardens.)
    Nine: That city never brought me anything but misery. I owe it nothing. I'll help you get back. But I have work to do.

There's No Arrgh In Team

• At the end of the episode Shadow attacks Sonic in the void between worlds. He drops a MASSIVE bombshell to really sum up just how badly Sonic screwed things up. Because Sonic destroyed the Paradox Prism, their world doesn’t exist anymore. Given the Ambiguous Situation of what exactly that could possibly entail? Even if it wasn't intentional, the fact that Sonic possibly caused The End of the World as We Know It is an incredibly sobering and distressing realization.
  Sonic: Ugh. I don't have time to deal with whoever you are. I just wanna go home...
  Shadow: "Home"? (absolutely furious) "Home" doesn't exist anymore—BECAUSE OF YOU!! (attacks Sonic as the episode ends)
  • One also has to feel bad for Shadow, who has been trapped in an endless void by himself, knowing his world has been destroyed and only able to interact with Sonic, the one responsible. Furthermore, when he's finally able to speak to another person after who knows how long, Shadow is immediately dismissed as another fake by Sonic.
  • The frustration in Sonic's voice when he laments about wanting to go home is especially potent. He even sounds like he's on the verge of tears. It's fun to see new places and make new friends, but this is a different situation; Sonic is responsible for these worlds existing, and the inhabitants are his friends (or versions of them) who don't know him and treat him as if he were a stranger, or worse, an impostor. Heck, Sonic is suffering so much that he outright states that all he wants is to go back home with his friends... so just imagine his reaction when he finds out that the home he wants to return to no longer exists.

Season 2

Avoid the Void

• Sonic finds himself in Green Hill Zone, albeit a monochrome version. Upon hearing Tails, he rushes to the beach and is so happy to see his buddy again... except Tails can't see him, is transparent, and is perpetually repeating a certain phrase over and over again. Same with Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, and Big. Sonic is crushed to find that there is nothing left of his friends—and he's responsible for it. Just watch him recoil in horror as he continues to listen to their ghosts repeat themselves—his hands start shaking, and his face gives off the impression that he's about to cry. The guilt he feels over causing this whole mess is almost overwhelming him at this point.
• Shadow is repelled by the Boscage gate so hard he's knocked unconscious and sent hurtling through the Void. Sonic is horrified and frantically searches through the debris to find Shadow, eventually catching sight of him plummeting into the depths. Though Sonic ultimately rescues him, the scene is eerily reminiscent of Sonic Adventure 2, where Shadow fell from space and Sonic couldn't save him.

Second Wind

• Rusty Rose's reaction when the Chaos Council abandons her for her failures. The genuine despair in her voice prompts Black Rose to give her a worried glance.

Ghost of a Chance

• Nine's Face–Heel Turn at the end of the episode is easily the show's definitive Gut Punch. Until now, Sonic firmly believed they had the same goal despite Shadow and the Resistance's warnings, which in turn gave Nine false hope. They finally learn each other's true intentions after the Chaos Council's Prismatic Titan is vanquished, and after angrily berating Sonic, Nine renounces all faith in him and absconds with the Paradox Prism, leaving the Blue Blur and an also-livid Shadow back at square one. Sonic, visibly Trying Not to Cry, is so hurt by the betrayal that he seems to shut down where he stands.
  Sonic: Nine, please! We can make this work! Trust me...
  Nine: (scoffs) Trust you? The only person I can trust is myself.
  • What makes this worse is that Sonic made the whole thing worse by accidentally calling his Tails "the real Tails," implying that he doesn't think of Nine as a real person, which cements Nine's Broken Pedestal.
    Sonic: Come on, little buddy...
    Nine: Stop calling me that! You just assumed I'd go along with you no matter what! Did you even consider what I wanted?
    Sonic: I assumed that after everything we've been through, you'd see things the way I do... just like the real Tails would.
    Nine: I AM REAL! (Beat, Sonic looks ashamed) ...Just not your real friend.

Season 3

Grim Tidings

• Sonic remains devastated by Nine's betrayal. Everything gets worse as Ghost Hill is destroyed and Sonic sees that he can't do anything for the ghosts of his friends; he has no choice but to just watch them float away and is unable to hide his tears. Keep in mind, it takes a lot to make Sonic cry, and if he does, you know he's hurting inside, big time.
• While still resembling Tails, Nine shows several of Eggman's traits as he gets Drunk on the Dark Side. This doesn't go unnoticed by Sonic, given his despairing expression and tone as he asks Nine if this is truly what he wants (to which Nine's reply^note "At least I can trust them." equates to a Blunt "Yes").
  • It's even worse when you recall that Sonic broke the Paradox Prism not only to stop Eggman from claiming it, but also while standing up for Tails (whom Eggman had just belittled). Instead, he indirectly created a demented combo of the two with Tails' form and Eggman's personality, and said person has claimed the Prism anyhow.
• Nine's response when Shadow declares that Sonic isn't on his own fighting the Grim Sonic robot, pretty much summing up his mental state at this point:
  Nine: We're all on our own.

No Escape

• For all his dismissing of Sonic after their falling out, when the two meet face-to-face again when Sonic gives himself up it's clear that Nine deep down is still hurting from Sonic's perceived betrayal and that the Grim robots are just a poor replacement for the real friendship that he truly wants. During their reunion he keeps up a calm, disdainful tone at first, but cracks start showing when Sonic tries to reach out.
  Sonic: And for what it's worth... I would have done the same for you.
  Nine: (pointing his tails threateningly) Don't lie to me. (voice shakes on the last word)
  Sonic: I'm not—
  Nine: DON'T!
  Sonic: Think whatever you want. But it's true. (gets down on one knee) Even after everything you've done, everything we've been through - together, against each other - you're still my friend, Nine.
  Nine: (taken aback, tails relax as his expression softens from anger to sadness)
  • And just as it seemed like Sonic was making some progress, the Resistance/Chaos Council alliance breaks into the Grim after tracking Sonic's location. For a moment, Nine looks like he's almost hyperventilating in fear and hurt before his expression turns to fury.

Nine's Lives

• As the battle against the first wave of Nine's forces is at a stalemate, Nine decides to attempt to emotionally snap Sonic in half to lure him into a one-on-one battle and take his Prism energy. How does he do it? By calling all of the remaining Grim Troopers to converge on and wipe out Mangey and Sails. And in response, the two attempt to juryrig a broken Egg Drone's cannon... only to seemingly die when their efforts result in a kamikaze attack that takes out both the Tails variants and the Grimbots. Sonic is left in sorrow and horror after witnessing two of his friends' apparent deaths, especially those of variants of his best friend, shedding tears once again at this tragedy as he's left in a Heroic BSoD for a brief moment; he blames himself for both variants' demises and the existence of the Shatterverse in the first place... and he's only barely able to hold himself back from bull-rushing down Nine in utter fury upon noticing that he's looking down at this display with a cruel smile.

The Devil Is in the Tails

• Every so often throughout the battle as the tide turns more and more against him, Nine's back-and-forth between anger and Power High mania falters and for a moment he just looks exhausted, overwhelmed, and scared. When this happens while he's surrounded himself with a forcefield and Knucks is pounding on it trying to get at him, Sonic is visibly upset and yells at the echidna to stop.

From The Top

• When Sonic sees the palm tree hammock in Nine's lab (which was meant to be a surprise for him before they fell out), he finally understands where he went wrong with the fox, but Nine has now gone entirely bonkers and just wants the Blue Blur dead. If Shadow and the others hadn't stormed in when they did and spooked Nine out of his frenzy, it might've been impossible for Sonic to apologize.
• With Nine and the Alliance of Alternates still at each other's throats, Sonic frantically scrambles to pacify both sides in a last-ditch attempt to stop the war before the Shatterverse fully disintegrates. Note the visible and audible fatigue in his voice as he does so: he's not asking or demanding at this point, he's begging. And it works. Deven Mack deserves an award.
  Sonic: Is that what you want? More destruction? LOOK OUTSIDE! (...) I'm sorry for everything, Nine. I missed my home so much and was so focused on getting it back that I didn't listen to what you wanted or appreciate what you were trying to do. I never meant to hurt you.
  Nine: (Beat) But...you did.
  Sonic: (Sighs) I lost my home and all my friends. But friends talk it out. They don't turn their backs on each other and fight to the death.
  Mr. Dr. Eggman: Enough talk! Light this fox up, full volley! (Opens fire)
  Sonic: (Shields Nine) Stop! EVERYONE, STOP! THIS ISN'T THE SOLUTION! (...) Stop! ALL OF YOU! In a few minutes, there won't be ANYTHING left to fight over!
• Nine's Heroic BSoD upon his Heel–Face Turn. The kid goes through the Five Stages of Grief in the span of a minute and half as Sonic's words sink in, and when prompted to speak again, his voice is little more than a horrified, exhausted whimper.
  Nine: I...pushed it too far. This wasn't supposed to happen! I...! I'm sorry, Sonic. Without a great sacrifice, reality as we know it...will be over.
  • For a few moments after Nine says that line, everyone (except Dr. Babble) crosses the Despair Event Horizon. In particular, Mangey's scared cries and the Roses holding hands as they all await their doom are just heartbreaking.
• Sonic's gradual Cessation of Existence after his Heroic Sacrifice. The stunned look on Shadow's face as his rival/ally steps out of the extractor tells all.
• Sonic and Shadow's farewells to the Shatterverse heroes, with special note to Sonic and Nine's last, tearful hug and Thorn staying by the Blue Blur's side as she and her fellow Roses struggle to get him home in time. Shadow bellowing "HANG ON, SONIC!" as he leaps through the gate to Green Hill, while awesome/heartwarming, does little to stop the waterworks.
• The ultimate fate of the Shatterverse and its inhabitants after Sonic and Shadow pull a Cosmic Retcon is unknown, but even if all the worlds are still around (Sonic's preferred outcome), Nine and Thorn likely get a Bittersweet Ending at best; they were the closest of Sonic's Shatterverse allies, and now they can never see him again as he was an anomaly in their worlds to begin with. Sonic himself, while remembering the Shatterverse cast, never gets to tell his friends back home about the whole adventure before trouble strikes again and it's back to business as usual.

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