.

Eye of the Needle

"Hey Sonic! Sonic!"

"Yes, I can travel faster than the speed of sound."

"I-…"

"Yes, I sent the Chaos Emeralds away so that Robotnik can't get his hands on them."

"But-…"

"No, I don't know when or if I'll be leaving."

"…is your surname Needlemouse?"

Sonic the Hedgehog, fastest thing alive and saviour of South Island (twice) glanced up at the white chicken approaching him, turning away from his bi-plane. A chicken that was named Chirps if he remembered correctly, though for all he knew, his name could have been Sharps-certainly he resembled his old band buddy. A buddy who, for all his physical similarities, didn't ask such strange questions.

"Um…what?" the hedgehog asked as the chicken arrived next to him. "My surname?"

"Yeah…you know, a surname."

"Sorry. Not into that kind of stuff."

Not that surnames were really something you got into. It was mostly a cultural thing, whether an individual would have a name with "the x" attached to it, or have the de facto name followed by some kind of secondary name. Sonic supposed he could see both sides of the argument, but he was perfectly happy being "the Hedgehog." Because while he wasn't the only hedgehog in the world, he was still the hedgehog as far as he was concerned. As in, the only hedgehog who'd defeated a mad scientist time after time.

An awkward silence passed between the two. It was clear that Chirps had travelled quite a way to find South Island's saviour, or at least quite a way by the standards of a bird that couldn't fly. Sonic almost pitied him-not only could he break the sound barrier, but he had his own bi-plane to take him wherever he wanted. Poor Chirps had to deal with being slow on the ground and useless in the air.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Hmm?"

"Your plane. You're leaving."

Indeed, the Tornado was parked on the stretch of beach that made up the south side of South Island. Sonic hadn't bothered hiding it from all the animals he'd saved, but hadn't made an announcement either. He hadn't even been sure whether it would be a good idea to make an announcement. Fame was good, but…well, there were a few female furries around that were looking at him funny and the last thing he wanted was a crazy obsessed fan girl chasing him everywhere.

"Yeah…heading off soon," the hedgehog answered. "Think I'll head to Never Lake. The Miracle Planet will be appearing there in a few weeks' time and…well, only get to see it once a year you know."

Chirps looked like someone had told him that his eggs had been served alongside bacon. Maybe it was a legitimate fear, assuming Robotnik was into that kind of thing. Still, the last Sonic had seen of him was him flying a barely functioning Egg Mobile out of Scrap Brain, and with him having sent the Chaos Emeralds off the island, there'd be no reason for the Eggman to return. He might not even be returning, period.

"Anyway…" the hedgehog continued, deciding to change the subject. "What's up with the Needlemouse thing? What gave you that idea?"

"Hmm…think it might have been Ricky…or Joe Sushi, or Johnny Lightfoot, or-…"

"You have no idea, do you?"

"…no."

Sonic sighed, and not just because the Tornado was playing up again (really need to get someone who's a natural with machines). As fast as he was, rumours could travel even faster.

"But hey, it's understandable," the chicken protested. "You know, with you doing those three-sixty degree loops all the time."

"Got a problem with that?"

"No, but…well, seems a bit strange…"

Sonic snorted. "Pal, strange is reserved for mad scientists who have egg fetishes. Three-sixty loops are fun."

"But still strange."

Sonic shrugged. He hadn't given the loops much thought. There was general sentiment that some kind of ancient civilization had existed on South Island much-the Marble Zone, the Labyrinth, the inscriptions on the ice caves beneath Scrap Brain…clearly it had been quite intelligent at that. So while the loops may have seemed strange to an outsider, Sonic supposed they had some kind of purpose.

Maybe they had prophets and wanted to give me fun or something…

"Anyway, it's kind of a threading the eye of the needle thing," Chirps said. "Maybe that's where Needlemouse came from."

"Yeah, well…" Sonic trailed off, checking the fuel gauge and deciding that it would be best to stock up on power rings before following. "If I see any mice running around, I'll let you know."

That seemed to end the conversation. Certainly it was at that point Chirps decided to head off. A trip that Sonic knew he'd be making in the near future as well.

Maybe the Miracle Planet would have loops as well.