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A fantastic blue blur blitzed across the emerald and amber bespeckled landscape that was the Green Hill Zone. Great plumes of dust trailed comet like in its wake. Before the dirt particles could give in to gravity's call and retreat back to the earth, the blur would be long gone. Zipping around posts indicating directions toward various locales across the face of the planet Mobius with such precision it would seem as if the laws of physics themselves did not apply to the speeding object in question.
That object was one, Sonic the Hedgehog. Currently, he was performing a reconnaissance mission on one of the unspoiled stretches of land in a world dominated by the maniac dictator, Dr. Ivo Robotnik.
One of the madman's enormous transport haulers was making its way across the many hills of the Green Hill Zone. The treads of the behemoth were treacherously tearing tenacious tracks through the otherwise verdant paradise of the rolling landscape. Imprinted upon the soil from each section of both treads of the crude, boxy machine was the image of its inventor grinning callously up at the viewer. A stamp that clearly indicated that Dr. Robotnik believed he could control nature and everything therein.
Sonic's light steps left only footprints to be blown away with the wind, leaving little to no evidence of his presence. Coming up alongside the lumbering tank of a material hauler, Sonic vaulted himself upwards and landed with a surprising grace on the roof of the transport. Looking around to ensure that he had not been spotted, Sonic proceeded to make his way to the front of the vehicle. The azure Mobian reminisced about how his current sneaking closely resembled something he had done as a child.
It seemed a lifetime ago for Sonic, even if in reality it had been less than ten years since. Sonic had been visiting the royal palace with his beloved Uncle Chuck. He had a meeting with the King and had brought Sonic along for a "play date" with the king's daughter. Sonic had spent time with Princess Sally before on similar sojourns, and he got along well enough with her. That is, whenever they weren't squabbling over something silly.
This particular visit was a rather long and memorable one. When they had grown bored from participating in their standard antics, Sonic and Sally bemoaned their desire for a snack. Now, Sonic, being Sonic, proposed that they "liberate" some of the cookies from the jar in the kitchen. Sally protested against something she knew would go against her father's wishes, but was equally thrilled at the idea of a "dangerous assignment". In the years since, a dangerous assignment had come to truly live up to its namesake for them both.
Sonic edged his way to the gap in the machinery at the front of Robotnik's gigantic raw material hauler. Maintaining his balance, Sonic looked for the spot that his friend, fellow freedom fighter, and ace inventor, Rotor, had indicated that he should look for. It was only wide enough for Sonic to slip his arm and the thermite charge he had brought with him into the gap. The difficult part would be setting it in the correct location so that the charge would cause maximum damage and sabotage the megalomaniac's plans for sometime. One wrong move and it could all end very badly for Sonic, much like getting caught with one's hand in a certain cream colored cookie jar…
Sally and Sonic had managed to make their way out of their designated play area with Sally's nanny none-the-wiser. Sonic's original plan, if you could call it one, was for Sally to provide a distraction while he zipped in and out of the kitchen with the ill-gotten goods. He had posed heroically at the end of his explanation awaiting her adoration for his "brilliant" scheme.
Sally had burst his bubble when she asked him how they would explain his high-speed antics and the missing jar, not to mention how he was going to carry the heavy container all the way back. "Uhhhh…I'll figure it out?" Had been his response, just like it had been when Sally had asked him today what he would do if there was a problem with the thermite. Some things didn't change; she palmed her face in her hand both times and sighed with exasperation from his fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants logic.
Adjusting his weight so as to allow him to navigate his hands and his little care package through the wiring and mechanics of the weak point of the cargo hauler, Sonic could feel his arm getting pinched as the mobile transport shifted gears and angle while it traversed up over another hill's incline. His arm throbbed a little bit as it had done when he and Sally had slipped silently between guard patrols (per her well-thought out plan) and into the kitchen where he had boosted himself up with a stool and reached into a nook of the pantry where the cookies were held captive. Just as he was struggling to do now, he had caught his arm between the small spacing causing him to wince and bite down on his lip so as not to give away his pain. Sally stood lookout then as she did now.
"Sonic, are you okay? It's taking you a little longer than I'd thought." Shot through Sonic's ears. It was his radio connection. For a moment, he thought Sally had been relieving the adventure of their youth along with him.
"Yeah, just need to reach a little bit further…" He grunted into his microphone.
"Hurry Sonic! I've spotted another patrol coming our way!" Her voice was concerned, but battle-hardened with clear determination to see the mission through.
"Just a little bit more…got it!" Sonic exclaimed. Cookies in hand (the jar left behind due to weight and not taking any evidence) Sonic retracted his arm and shot off toward Sally, just as readily as he did now that the thermite was in place.
Streaking around obstacles and looping around a rather peculiar piece of landscape at high speed Sonic speed right over to Sally's location, scooped her up, and headed off toward whence they had came.
A small explosion along with a sudden crashing and grinding of gears echoed across the landscape as the hauler crashed to a halt. The main drive and engine components had been melted into slag, and with no more power lurching it forwards, the vehicle started to slide back down hill. Its top-heavy structure and poor design characteristics of balance caused the machine to slide sideways on its way back down, loose traction, and tilt over onto its side, smashing it further into parts and scrap metal. During the cookie escapade, Sonic had not left quite as much evidence of his presence on that particular raid at least.
He had taken Sally with him and they had arrived back at their assigned playroom without getting caught. There they had split the spoils of their daring escapade with much delight. All had been well until Sally's nanny came in a half-hour later and offered them some cookies for a snack. They remorsefully accepted.
Their stomachs had not agreed much with them after that much sweetness, but they had not wanted to give away any sign of what they had been up to. At least when Sonic got back from his raid with Sally in tow today, he wouldn't have to worry about an upset stomach this night.
After the princess had relayed his heroics to the rest of the freedom fighters that evening in Knothole Village, the pair met up at the Ring Pool between night watches. "You know Sonic, I wish we could have someone else keep up with you in case you get really hurt. I saw the bruise on your arm from today."
"It's no biggie Sal. Besides, how could anyone keep up with yours truly?"
"I just don't want to see you getting hurt. I want to make sure I can get you back in one piece."
"Sal, are you askin' me to slow down?"
"If it keeps you from getting hurt, yes."
"You know what? You're the only person I can think of I'd do that for Sal."
She just smiled back at him as they sat next to each other. Getting up, before he went off to take his turn at the watch he asked her, "Hey Sal, fancy a cookie?"
The End