A/N: This is just a short thing I wrote for Veteran's Day, because I greatly appreciate everyone who has fought for the freedom of my country. =) I'm sorry I couldn't really think of anything better.
This is a oneshot. It's not related to anything else I've written or plan to write. Hope you enjoy!
The battle roared. Debris and dust flew everywhere. The Chaos Emeralds were nowhere to be seen nowhere to be found and here was the most fearsome, violent robot that Sonic the Hedgehog had ever seen.
The fray quickened, worsened. Hit after hit, the blue hedgehog took it all. He gave it his all. This was not his job. He was not paid to fight. He had not been trained by armed forces or recruited…
But he was a soldier.
He was a soldier because he valued the lives of others over his own. He fought for their safety. He fought for their freedom against Robotnik. He fought for their comfort and happiness, and while doing so, risked his own life his own comfort. He would not back down. He would remain strong until the end, for liberty, and for justice. He took a stand for every working man, every housewife, every child. For every working woman or single parent. The elderly. The politicians. The rebels. The small farmers. The celebrities. The optimists and the pessimists from the poorest child to the richest man, he fought for them all.
Sonic loved adventure and fun, but that was not what life was all about. His heart of gold reached out to others, wanting the best for him. He didn't help only when it was fun. He didn't run only in search of adventures…
As the years passed, fun and adventure mattered less to him. The plots became more serious. The outcomes more grim. Robotnik's 'master plans' held more serious threats, taking danger to new levels. Sonic loved the challenge, but found there was increasingly less room for idle barter, smart remarks, and showing off. He hardly even had room to breathe at times because of the high speed fights and deadly mechanisms…
Life was no longer a game. It was a grueling struggle for survival.
He fought for liberty and justice, no matter what the cost. Even if the world's vision had twisted, and he looked like the enemy, he continued to fight. He did what he knew was right; what he knew was for the best, no matter what anyone else said.
So hit after hit, he took it all.
Flames scourged his surroundings. Explosions rocked the ground. He heard the last cries of friends whom he would never see again. He fought on persistently, never giving up. He would never give in. Tears blurred his vision, but he would not stop. He could not stop, though revenge was not his desire.
He wanted justice. He wanted freedom. He always fought for himself as much as anyone else, taking the situation into his own hands…
When the smoke cleared away, Sonic the hedgehog was beaten, bloody, and bruised…
But he was still standing. He was the last standing.
He looked around and saw people gathering. They cheered for him, and he felt their gratitude. They offered their help to him, and he took it in the same manner: gratefully. No matter who or what was lost in the battle, he felt proud of what he had fought for, and what he had won. He grieved those he had lost, but could never feel more proud of what they had died for.
After countless years in the fight against Robotnik, it was finally over. For good. Freedom rang through the corridors. Justice echoed through the halls.
The world was full of joy.