🎀 Love Is A Gift 🎀 [Sonic Various x Reader | Oneshots and Headcanons]

🎀 Mephiles | Humanity's Grave Sin 🎀

Oqtobur requested something with a Mephiles flavor, so I cooked this dish up for y'all. Enjoy your meal~!
Human reader + mild gore warning lmao
Word Count: 3748
_________________________________________________________________

"Mee-files," I whine, trying to get my companion's attention.

"Now you're doing it on purpose," the mouthless hedgehog says, an edge to his tone — it's a warning.

I'm walking on thin ice, and I know it.

His actual name is Mephiles the Dark, not that I'll say it right until he gives me the time of day. His warning should hold weight, considering his identity as a god. Or rather, half of one. It never made much sense to me, being so complex and all, but the one thing I can understand is this: he has little to no regard for mortal lives like my own, and if I anger him, my "is" will turn into a "was."

I.e, death.

I'm not all that scared, though. I've been keeping him under the radar for whatever the reason I decided the moment I chose to help him, so, at least for right now, he needs me. As long as I don't affront him too terribly, I'm in the clear. A little teasing won't hurt anything.

For now.

"Memphiiisss," I drawl, rolling over from my place laying on a grassy knoll, gaze to the clear blue skies of midmorning.

"You're not even trying to sound close anymore," he growls, reptilian eyes flashing as he crosses his arms. "You'd do well to watch your tongue."

"Don't be mean," I huff, sitting up.

"Mean? Mean?" Mephiles looks offended — he sounds offended, too. "I am not merely mean. I am conniving. I am cruel. I am darkness itself with the wisdom of Solaris! To call me 'mean' is an insult beyond reprehensible!"

"You're a hedgehog."

"I— How dare you!"

"You're literally a hedgehog," I repeat, gesturing to his form.

He falls silent, seemingly brooding.

Leaving him to it, I hop to my feet and stretch with a noise of effort as I feel my shoulders give a satisfying pop. With that, I trail off elsewhere, wandering toward a lone tree nearby to rest my hand against its rough, flaky bark. Small bits rub off at my touch, but I'm too busy watching the tiny black ants several inches away from my fingers as they scurry along to find food for their colony.

"They're not so different from the rest of you mortals," comes Mephiles's voice, spooking you as his form emerges from the tree's shadow. "Small. Insignificant. Weak."

"Thanks," I reply blandly.

"I wasn't finished."

"Okay," is my only response, just as snide as my previous comment.

"As I was saying," Mephiles continues, emphasizing his annoyance, "you band together under one banner, one colony, to serve an equally weak leader. Defectors...are purged. No matter what you believe, at the core, this is the common truth of social creatures." Mephiles turns his gaze to the flaking bark and snaps off a barely clinging piece to look over with faux interest. "With numbers comes confidence, and with confidence comes brazen action. These colonies will then attack foes much stronger than themselves. At times, they achieve victory. At others..." He crushes the bark into splinters.

"...Is there a point you're trying to make?" I ask quietly, watching the shards fall to the dirt.

"Sometimes, these colonies forget their place in the world. Sometimes, these colonies seek more" His eyes slide their focus to me, but his head doesn't move an inch. "They cling to any shred of hope, of lust, for more power. Then they try to take it." Mephiles starts walking away. "Some would even steal this power. Not even a god has the luxury of escaping their selfish machinations."