AN: Originally written back around September or October of 2015, this story was the first thing I'd completed in three years and I was so proud of myself when I'd finished it. After an awful struggle with writers block since 2011 and an awful 2015 dealing with health issues, the fact that I'd managed to rejuvenate the creative side of me again was something I considered a miracle, and from that moment on I kept writing in order to get back into my element again. In May of 2016 I began my first draft of From Rivalry to Romance, and on September 2nd of that year posted it for the world to see. To celebrate my second anniversary on this site I'm sharing with you the fanfiction that I consider started it all and laid out some of the groundwork for what would be seen in From Rivalry to Romance. I hope you all enjoy this peek into the past. :)
~Paths Cross Again~
"Has anyone managed to get in touch with Sonic?"
The small group of Smashers who had gathered in the living area glanced over at Mario, standing at the doorway frowning. "We haven't heard anything from him since he said he had something to take care of in his own world." Peach exclaimed. Noticing the worried look on Mario's face, she gave him a reassuring smile and continued, "I'm sure he's fine. He is Sonic after all."
"It's just that we're supposed to be at the Olympics next month." Mario fretted. "If he doesn't show up, we might have to delay or outright cancel."
"Mario," Link glanced up from polishing his sword. "Breathe. Sonic had a tendency to show up at the strangest time. Remember the fight against Tabuu? Or even last tourney's rice treats and pickle incident?"
Mario visibly shuddered at the mention of the food products as did anyone who had participated in the last tournament. "I thought we all agreed not to talk about that." Samus blankly stated, petting the sleeping Pikachu on her lap.
"I was making a point Samus," Link snapped, before turning back to Mario. "Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much. Knowing Sonic he'll turn up on Halloween looking like a werewolf or something."
"He doesn't do that anymore." Pit murmured. Link blinked multiple times before he muttered out that he wasn't being serious. Mario decided that now was a good time to leave, wandering to the picture frame window by the front door. Sighing, he gazed out with sad eyes, wondering where his friend could possibly be.
"I just hope you're safe." he whispered.
/~/
As it turned out Link had been incorrect about Sonic's arrival on Halloween, he instead showed up the day before with his bags, wearing a smile on his face.
"'Sup guys!" he called out to the Smashers who were tending to the gardens out front. Samus - who had come outside to look for Pikachu - did a double take at Sonic's words.
"I see your voice cracked." she remarked. Sonic nodded with a chuckle, while Peach replied that it had happened some time ago.
"I'll go tell Mario you've arrived!" Pit announced, springing up from the flowerbed he was working on. "He's been real worried about you."
He has? Sonic thought as he began to follow the young angel. I guess it has been nearly a month since I received by invitation, but I had... things to take care of. He shuddered as memories of the Lost Hex, the Zeti and his world being drained of life flashed through his mind. Important things...
"Look who's finally here!" Pit yelled as he and Sonic entered the main doors of the mansion. Almost immediately Mario came wandering in from the living area, only to freeze as he caught sight of Sonic.
"Hey Mario," Sonic began a bit nervously. "Miss me?"
What Sonic didn't anticipate was Mario pulling him into a hug. He stiffened, never being good with physical contact with anyone. But, he awkwardly hugged him back anyway, blushing lightly due to being incredibly embarrassed.
"Get a room." Pit mumbled under his breath, causing Sonic to whip his head towards the angel looking amused.
"Looks like someone got an attitude since last tourney." Sonic commented, folding his arms.
"And who's fault is that?" Pit countered, causing Sonic to raise an eyebrow.
"I have no idea," he responded snarkily before turning to face Mario again. "Am I still in the same room?"
"Actually no. Your room is still at the end of the hallway, but a bit farther down. Mega Man is in your old room." Mario explained.
"Mega Man? He's here too?"
"Yeah, and it's super awesome!" Pit excitedly chirped, raising a fist in the air. "I can't wait to fight him!"
"I'll show you to your new room." Mario stated, beginning to walk towards the stairs that led to the rooms the level below. Grabbing his bags, Sonic called out a goodbye to Pit before following Mario. Silence fell between the two of them as they walked down the long hall. Sonic's eyes drifted to the nameplates on the doors, trying to figure out who was returning and who wasn't there anymore. Noticing a large amount of bare nameplates he finally broke the silence.
"Any idea who else is coming?"
Mario paused before turning to Sonic, shaking his head. "It's not like the last tournament where Master Hand and myself discussed who should be added to the roster," Mario explained. "This time, Master Hand decided himself. We have no clue as to who's showing up until their invitation gets sent out."
Sonic nodded, having not known that piece of information. He felt his spine tingle, so that meant... "Were you the one who chose me last tourney?"
Mario chuckled before continuing to walk forward. "Actually, that was Peach's doing." he confessed, causing Sonic to give Mario a bewildered glance.
"Peach?"
"Yes, Peach." Mario repeated. "Though to be honest you had come up in several discussions between Master Hand and I. It was Peach who finally convinced us."
"What did she say?"
Hesitating, Mario cleared his throat and responded, "She thought you deserved a chance with us. That just because you were classified as an outsider, didn't mean you didn't belong here."
Outsider. Sonic frowned a bit at that word. "Am I... still classified as that?"
Mario stopped in front of a door, looking Sonic right in the eye. "No." he firmly stated. "You belong here just as much as I do. The same can be said for Mega Man and Snake - whenever he shows up." Mario finished, grumbling the last part under his breath. He glanced up at the door. "We're here." Rummaging in his overalls pocket, Mario pulled out a golden key embossed with the Smash Brothers symbol. Handing it off to Sonic he said, "We tried to replicate your original room while adding a few extra things."
Unlocking the door Sonic walked into his room and glanced around. Blue walls, red carpet, bed, dresser, shelves and a Genesis hooked up to a TV. Near the back wall was a door that led into the bathroom.
"So how do you like it?" Mario asked. Satisfied, Sonic nodded, turning to Mario.
"It's great." he replied, tossing his bags down on the floor. Mario smiled, turning to let Sonic unpack his bags.
"Dinner's at five." he reminded Sonic, beginning to exit the room. Halfway out the door however, he stopped and turned to glance at Sonic again.
"I nearly forgot to ask, did you take care of what you needed to in your world?"
Sonic looked up from one of his bags, avoiding eye contact with Mario and suddenly becoming very interested in the carpet. "Yeah, I did." came the quiet response. Mario frowned, expecting Sonic to boast about his latest victory, but he remained oddly silent.
"Well... that's good to hear." Mario awkwardly replied. "I'll leave you to unpack then." With that Mario exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
Sonic stared at the closed door for a few moments afterward before returning his focus to unpacking his bags. As he gently picked up a bracelet with a large green gem in the center he sadly muttered, "You have no idea what I've been through Mario. No idea."
/~/
Dinner came faster than Sonic would have liked. Even though many considered him the 'Fastest Thing Alive', he was incredibly and ironically slow at unpacking. So when he'd received the knock on his door reminding him dinner was in ten minutes and he only had half a bag unpacked he mentally cursed himself and told himself to unpack faster after dinner.
Stepping out into the hallway he smirked to himself and prepared to launch into a spindash to get down the hallway faster. It had been one of his favourite things to do in the last tournament, no matter how many times he got in trouble for it. However the sound of laughter caught his ears and he unfurled himself from charging. Toon Link was down the hall with eight unfamiliar children. Deciding to introduce himself Sonic made his way down to them, where one of the new children - a little girl with pink hair - noticed him and wandered over.
"Are you related to the Able Sisters?" she asked, catching Sonic off guard.
"Uh..."
"That's Sonic the Hedgehog, Rose!" Toon Link piped up, running over. The little girl - Rose apparently - gazed up at Sonic with adoration.
"Will you be my friend?"
Sonic smiled, nodding at the girl. "'Course I'll be your friend," he looked over at Toon Link. "'Sup Toon?"
"Not much." Toon Link responded. Unlike his older counterpart Toon Link was much friendlier, though Sonic had heard that he'd defeated Ganon in his world by stabbing his sword through his head...
"So where are you guys from?" Sonic asked the children. Another one - a young boy with brown hair and a red shirt - stepped forward.
"We come from the town of New Leaf," he announced. "I am the Mayor of New Leaf, Michael, and these are my friends Rose, Bee, Spring, Grape, Nori, Slumber and Snoozy."
"We're twins!" a sleepy eyed girl exclaimed, pointing to a sleepy eyed boy.
"Aren't you a little... young to be Mayor?" Sonic questioned. Michael giggled.
"According to Isabelle I'm not!" he proudly stated.
"She's his secretary!" Spring exclaimed.
"I see." Sonic looked down at Rose who was still watching him. "Why exactly do I remind you of people in your world?"
"Easy! The Able Sisters are hedgehogs, and Mable is blue so that's why I thought you looked like them!"
"Really?" Sonic pondered. "Are there any other animals living in your town?"
"We're the only humans," Nori explained. "Everyone else is some type of animal, even Isabelle."
"That's kinda awesome!" Sonic exclaimed. He was about to question the Villagers more but noticed Peach standing at the end of the hallway.
"I hate to interrupt you," she began. "But dinner is about to start and we need you upstairs."
"Alright." Toon Link called out to Peach. Peach nodded before heading back up the stairs. Toon Link looked towards his friends.
"Come on guys!" he called.
"Sit with us please Mr. Sonic?" Rose questioned. Sonic chuckled. Mr. Sonic? She reminded him of Cream...
"'Course I'll sit with you! It's okay to drop the formalities, Sonic is just fine." he explained. Rose beamed up at him.
"Okay!" she chirped before running to catch up with her group of friends. "No fair guys! Wait for me!"
Sonic chuckled at the sight before he headed up the stairs after them.
/~/
"Is everyone finally here?" Master Hand asked in his booming voice. After glancing around and confirming that yes, everyone was seated, he let out a sigh of relief and prepared his speech.
"I usually don't give speeches like this before dinner, but as I'm sure most of you know a veteran fighter returned today." he paused for dramatic effect before finishing. "I'd like you all to give Sonic the Hedgehog a warm welcome back."
The clapping from the Smashers was almost deafening. Sonic, while admitting that it did boost his ego more than it should have, was also slightly bewildered. He remembered last tournament; when Master Hand had presented him there had been clapping, yes, but more often than not he overheard several Smashers questioning why he was there in the first place. The fact that they were all happy to see him again said something for sure. Once the excitement had died down Master Hand spoke again.
"Tonight's dinner was prepared by Princess Peach Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom, please enjoy." and with that the large hand left the dining area for the privacy of his office.
It didn't take long for the Smashers to dig into the food, and within a matter of seconds the hall was filled with chatter and clanking on dishes. As for Sonic he stared down at his plate, feeling his stomach churn. Staring back at him was a piece of fish prepared in light dressing with a sprig of parsley on the side. For any other Smashers in the room his was perfectly acceptable, but Sonic had developed a strong dislike for seafood. However he knew he had to eat in anyway or risk going hungry for the night. Taking a deep breath Sonic speared a piece of fish and was about to take a bite when he noticed Kirby under the table, staring at Sonic with those wide eyes of his. Sonic stared back at the pink blob for several moments before realization dawned on him. He held his plate down to Kirby who inhaled the food and let out a happy, "Poyo!"
"You're welcome buddy." Sonic murmured as Kirby waddled away. Next to him he heard Rose giggle. Turning towards her hr asked in a playful tone, "And what are you laughing at?"
"You're acting just like Michael did when he ate a durian for the first time!"
"Shut up about that!" Michael whined from a few seats down. Rose giggled before reaching into her pocket and producing a shiny deep red apple, handing it over to Sonic.
"It's a perfect apple. Where we're from apples are our native fruit, so we have a lot of perfect apple trees growing."
Sonic stared at the fruit for a moment before smiling at the young girl. "Thank you so much Rose." he stated before lightly tossing the fruit in the air and catching it. Realizing there wasn't any need for him to still be in the dining area he stood and said his goodbyes to the Villagers. Walking back down to his dorm he took a bite out of the apple and was surprised by just how good it was. No doubt about it, it was the tastiest apple he'd ever had. He finished it rather quickly and tossed the core into a nearby trashcan. Reaching his room he unlocked the door and stepped inside, groaning out loud when he remembered he still needed to unpack. Glaring at the one and a half bags, he sighed and facepalmed.
"Well hedgehog, better get to work."
/~/
It was around ten at night when Sonic had finally finished unpacking. Tossing the empty bags into the bottom dresser drawer - he wouldn't need those for awhile - he collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was aware that several Smashers had already headed to bed at this point, and truth be told he was tired as well, but there was something bugging him. Something Mario had asked him earlier.
Did you take care of what you needed to in your world? Mario's voice echoed in his head. His answer had admittedly been vague at best but he really didn't want to talk about it with anyone quite yet, if ever.
Realizing he definitely needed sleep Sonic closed the blinds and crawled underneath the warm blankets, accidentally piercing the mattress with his quills. He winced, Master Hand probably wouldn't be too happy about that but he figured he could go a few days before telling him. After all, he didn't want to cause trouble when he'd just arrived, did he?
Sonic felt his eyelids getting heavy as sleep overtook and he drifted into a heavy slumber.
/~/
Silence.
That was the only thing surrounding Sonic. Silence, and darkness.
Sonic, while by no means afraid of the dark, was unusually unnerved by the scenery around him. Cautiously he took one step forward, followed by another step, continuing on until he spotted a pinprick of light ahead of him. Figuring that was the only way to go he kept moving towards it, the light getting bigger and bigger until he had to shield his eyes and look away.
When Sonic finally took in his surroundings he realized he was in Green Hill Zone, and immediately felt a little better. The last time he'd been here was on his seventeenth birthday when that stupid Time Eater decided to crash his party. Either way this place brought back memories and Sonic happily began to run through the zone, zooming through hoops and grinding on rails like he'd done a million times before.
Suddenly the scenery around him shifted and he was no longer in Green Hill Zone, rather, a place on the Last Hex known as Windy Hill Zone. Skidding to a stop he looked around, slightly bewildered but no less enthused. Even though he'd only been here recently he could remember this place off heart. Taking a deep breath he took off running again.
A little way into the zone he saw the perfect spindash opportunity. Smirking he curled up into a ball and steamed through a Badnik and several containers of rings.
A sickly thump later and Sonic was airborne, falling to a heap a few feet away.
"Huh?" he said aloud, slowly getting up. "What did I trip up on?"
He got his answer when he turned and his eyes widened as his stomach churned. "No..." he whispered to himself. "No, no, NO!"
Lying on the ground in a bloody mess was Tails who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Sonic felt his blood chill in his veins as he attempted to run over to his little brother. But the closer he moved towards Tails the further away he got. He couldn't reach him no matter how hard he tried.
Suddenly he was no longer in Windy Hill, but in Lava Mountain, facing off against three of the Deadly Six. The green one - Zeena - was talking, but Sonic couldn't make out the words. Then their leader, Zavok, moved aside... and a roboticized Tails flew towards him.
"Tails!?" Sonic cried out in alarm as the fox landed a few feet away from him. Suddenly the members of the Deadly Six began to melt away leaving behind two more familiar faces.
"Knuckles... Amy?"
Their appearances were quite frightening, empty eye sockets and slow, zombie like movements. All three began to close in on Sonic causing him to back up and look between them in fear. "Guys... it's me!"
"You did this..." Amy rasped out.
"Killed us..." Knuckles added.
It suddenly hit Sonic like a bus. His friends, their world... dead. All because he kicked that stupid conch shell out of Eggman's hand.
They had him cornered. He took shaky breathes as Tails stared him down, then raised the barrel of his new arm cannon.
"Tails buddy, please! Remember me! Knuckles, Amy..."
A single shot echoed in the cave.
/~/
Sonic's eyes flew open and he shot up in an instant, breathing heavily from the nightmare. Glancing at the digital clock he realized it was a little past midnight. He'd been asleep for around two hours. Shaking, Sonic realized he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep in this state, he needed to calm down first. Maybe a walk around the mansion would help.
Tossing the covers aside Sonic quietly walked across the carpet to the door, making sure it didn't squeak when he opened it. Stepping out into the dark hallway he shut the door behind him and headed for the staircase. Even though he knew the mansion well, the nightmare had rattled his nerves and he found himself jumping at the slightest sound. Acending the stairs he found himself in the main hall which had apparently been decked out in Halloween stuff at some point. Peach's doing, most likely. Ignoring the unnerving feeling in his gut he continued onwards towards the kitchen. As he passed by a voice called out to him. "What are you doing up?"
Sonic jumped slightly before looking into the kitchen. Samus was leaning against one of the counters, absentmindedly stirring a cup of coffee. After a moments hesitation Sonic stepped into the bright room. "I suppose I could ask you the same thing."
Samus shrugged. "Couldn't sleep." she eyes Sonic with curiosity. "I asked you first though."
Sonic considered his answer. If it had been a number of other Smashers who had asked he most likely would have given them a generic answer. But Samus...
"You need to promise not to tell anyone." Sonic stated. Samus raised an eyebrow but didn't question him further. He sighed. "I... had a nightmare." he mumbled in embarrassment, looking towards the floor. Instead of the degrading laughter he was expecting, Samus simply clicked her tongue.
"Figured." was her response before taking a sip of her coffee.
"Wait... how did you know?" Sonic asked. Samus shrugged.
"Why else would you be wandering the halls after midnight?"
"Good point," Sonic then tilted his head, curiosity now present in his eyes. "So does that mean you also had a nightmare?"
"Mhm," Samus confirmed, sitting down at the small table set up. She motioned for Sonic to join her and after a moment he did sitting across from her. "So are you going to tell me about it or are you just going to let me guess?"
"You wouldn't understand..." Sonic started but Samus interrupted him.
"My parents died when I was three, my adoptive family are all dead, the Metroid baby I adopted was blown up above me, my ex-commanding officer is dead. I have a never ending rivalry with a dragon that killed my parents and he keeps showing up even through I exploded the planet he was on and I'm currently on the run from the Galactic Federation for blowing up a station where they were breeding Metroids with the help of my computer A.I. who happens to be the subconscious of my ex-commanding officer. So when you say I wouldn't understand, I think I'd understand very well."
Sonic blinked multiple times taking in the new information. Even though he and Samus had talked a bit the previous tournament she'd never gone into detail about what happened to her.
"I..." he began, struggling for the correct words. "You win." he finally breathed out in exasperation. "But you need context behind what happened so I hope you're ready for a long story."
"I'm listening." was her only response.
With that Sonic went into detail about his adventure on the Lost Hex. By the time Sonic finished his story Samus noticed that Sonic was keeping his head down as if it pained him to talk about it.
"So my nightmare tonight was basically reliving all of it." Sonic muttered. Samus took a deep breath, thinking of what to say.
"Well, it seems you may be suffering from a bit of post-trauma." Samus stated carefully. As soon as she was sure she had Sonic's full attention she continued. "It sounds like you went through a lot in a short time and nobody comes away from that unscathed."
Sonic tilted his head, noticing how Samus' tone was no longer frosty, rather, she was speaking like a therapist would a patient, gentle and calming.
"Time will eventually heal those scars. But you cannot expect it to be instantaneous and they'll always be there in the back of your mind, muted perhaps, but still there." Her gaze focused on Sonic. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Sonic nodded and Samus faintly smiled. "If you ever need to talk to me I'm always listening. You're never alone in this mansion, remember that. Several of suffer from exactly the same thing you do, some more extreme then other like myself, but we all understand here." Hesitating, she added, "Even Mario goes through this."
"Really?" Sonic blurted out in disbelief. "Mario? As in my ex-rival Mario?"
Nodding her head in confirmation Samus looked towards the kitchen door and smirked faintly. "He's right here actually."
Turning, Sonic saw Mario standing a little ways away from the entrance, not quite fully in the room. Samus waved him in with a, "Let me guess, nightmare for you as well?"
Taking the seat next to Sonic Mario nodded before he turned to face Sonic, a bit of confusion present on his face, but mostly concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Sonic nodded. "Yeah, but..." he paused for a moment. "What you said earlier, about if I'd taken care of what I needed to in my world?"
Mario nodded. "Yes, what about that?"
"Well, since Samus knows, I think you should know as well."
"Alright." Mario agreed.
Samus stood and politely left the kitchen. "I'll leave you two be for now."
Once Samus was out of the room Sonic took a deep breath and stared at Mario, remembering Samus' words about how Mario went through this as well. With that in mind he smiled and began to speak.
"Well, it all started when me and Tails decided to take a flight in the Tornado 1..."
AN: As cute as it was, the scenes dealing with Sonic and Rose could have been cut completely as they added nothing to the overall plot of the story, which was Sonic dealing with the trauma he faced in Sonic Lost World, just one of the things I've learned since writing again. Yes, descriptions are bland at times and things seem a bit awkward... but to her credit, I think 2015 Steel did an alright job with this.
I want to thank everyone for sticking with me these past two years. It's been a crazy ride and I've enjoyed every second of it. I've met so many new people, made some great friends and all around have just had a great time. While I am busier now, I'll keep on doing my best to improve and provide stories that you guys hopefully like. Thank you again, and I'll see you around.
~Steel