Author's Notes: This story is a sequel series to my long-running fanfic series Heroes of Mobius. So you can expect a LOT of references to that series. It is highly recommended you read Heroes of Mobius before this one.
Also there will be some slightly more mature themes in this story to fit in with the more adult approach of the characters and their statuses in life. But there will still be some lighter moments so it will still have some of that good old Sonic formula. ^^
As for the format, it'll be more like the Marvel Cinematic Universe in how it's a series of stories all leading up to a big event as opposed to the episodic format of the original. Reason being that it'll be easier to juggle the characters this time.
OK then, on with the series!
15 Years Later Chapter 1: Rising Evil
Prologue: Peace on Mobius
Everything seemed so calm. Calm and still. It was something that nobody really realized until they got a moment to just stand and stare, admiring the simple beauty and harmony of a world at peace.
This feeling was shared by the famed Hero of Mobius himself, Sonic the Hedgehog. Born with fantastic super speed thanks to a power ring used to save his mother from dying before she could give birth to him, the hedgehog had been used to being surrounded by wonder and amazement. His very existence was nothing short of miraculous given the powers he had and how effectively he had used them to become the biggest hero the world of Mobius had ever witnessed.
He had lived an extraordinary life filled with adventure and amazement since the day he had been able to run. His life of heroism had first begun when he had saved his parents from a group of thugs that had kidnapped them when he was just a boy. Then came the year of 2140, the year where his life had changed forever. Mobius was invaded by a maniacal genius named Dr. Eggman, a man who wanted to live in a robot utopia. He had mistakenly chosen Mobius to be his Eggman Empire and Sonic had shown him why choosing such a world was such a foolish idea. What had followed was a war between Mobius and the Eggman Empire that had lasted well into the year 2142, said war ending with Eggman being incinerated as his flying fortress, the Death Egg, had been destroyed by Knuckles the Echidna's wicked uncle, Dr. Finitevus.
Although the evil echidna had made things easier for Sonic and friends by doing so, he was quick to take over and initiate his own evil plans. In 2143, he had orchestrated a very complex scheme that saw him duplicating the Chaos Emeralds, increasing their numbers from nine (eight ordinary emeralds and one Master Emerald) to one-hundred and eight. This gave him the power to become the might demi-god, Enerjak with their incredulous power. His actions were supposed to have led to the end of the world but thanks to Silver the Hedgehog and Blaze the Cat warning the heroes about it by travelling back to the past on several occasions, Sonic and friends had become prepared for the eventuality and were eventually able to overcome Enerjak before the world could be destroyed by his raw power.
It was now July the 21st, 2144. It had been a whole year since the Day of Enerjak had been ceased by Sonic and the Royal Fighters Service. And as Sonic the Hedgehog himself stood by a grand looking window and gazed out into the horizon, he reflected back on what had happened back then. He still remembered it all from watching Finitevus transform into Enerjak to becoming Hyper Sonic and putting an end to the mad scientist's attempted razing of the world. It still mad him shudder to think that a year ago on this very day, Mobius should've been in ruins with little life left on it, a world that his future friends had come to know as their home. And yet here he was, alive and well and gazing out at a beautiful sight outside the windows of Castle Acorn. Stopping Enerjak had made Sonic all the more thankful that he was living the kind of life he was living now.
But as he admired the scenery outside, he had come to realize something he had never realized before. How suddenly very quiet and still the world truly was. He was so used to moving so fast that the world had always seemed a blur to him. Not so much now he was living a more easy-going existence with very little threats going on in the world. The demise of Eggman and the destruction of Enerjak truly had brought peace to Mobius. Maybe too much peace though. Was it too much? Sonic had often thought about that. He had always seen life as one big adventure. But with the world so at peace now, life suddenly seemed very uneventful. It almost felt as if it was missing something, a kind of spark that gave it the life he always thought it had. The Hero of Mobius sighed to himself, annoyed he was having such thoughts.
"Don't think like that." he muttered, "There's more to life than just adventure. You should know that by now."
He then reached up and took the golden crown he wore on his head off, and then lowered it down so he could gaze at it. He noticed his rather unflattering reflection vaguely visible in the shiny polished crown staring back at him. The eyes looked bored and lacking the sparkle that he often saw in them when he looked at himself. Sonic was now 18 years old and more than just the Hero of Mobius. He was the King of New Mobotropolis. He and Queen Sally Acorn had gotten married not long after Enerjak had been destroyed and although he was still learning, Sonic had slowly adapted to the royal life. Sometimes he had to be true to his wife and stick to his duties but other times, he had the freedom to be himself, times he enjoyed immensely. He stared at his crown as if wondering if it could tell him something.
"Ah who am I kidding?" he sighed, "Adventure WAS your life Sonic the Hedgehog. You were so fun when you were just free as the wind, running around and saving innocents from crazy mad scientists, evil ninja clans, invading aliens and more. And yet with the world in perfect harmony…it feels as if there's no adventure anymore."
He shook his head sadly as he put the crown back on his head.
"I guess the world is just too slow for me, or I'm too fast for the world." he mused, "I don't get to have as much fun and excitement as I did before with so little crime going on now. I'd give anything, anything if I could just have the kinda of excitement I once craved and loved."
His ears then suddenly twitched as he picked up the sound of heels rapping on the marble floor. He knew who's feet those heels belonged to without needing to turn around and see for himself. He smiled as he saw his beautiful wife enter the hallway. There was something about Queen Sally where she could somehow lighten the mood just by showing up. Sonic noticed that she was wearing an elegant mint-green dress with no shoulder traps that emphasized how graceful her figure was. Sally walked up to her king, smiling at him every step of the way. She then wrapped her arms around Sonic and embraced him tenderly. Sonic returned the gesture, rubbing noses with her before the two shared a loving kiss.
"Hello my handsome hedgehog." Sally purred softly.
"Ditto to you." Sonic replied, "How's it going?"
"It was quite pleasant really." the chipmunk replied cheerfully, "I spent the morning with Nicole and hearing the news she was picking up. Mobius is in for another peaceful day today."
"Oh great Sal, that's…just great." the hedgehog said, trying to sound enthusiastic, "Good to see our hard work in bringing peace to the world is still paying off."
"Sonic, you're such a bad actor." Sally teased, poking him in the chest, "It's obvious you're bummed out at the fact there's no doomsday robot for you to smash."
"You sure know me don't ya Queenie?" Sonic retorted, a playful smirk spreading across his lips.
"More than you think Sonic boy." the queen snickered.
Sonic tried to laugh but he couldn't quite bring himself to do so. He wasn't going to betray his feelings any longer and just be honest for once. He rubbed the back of his head uncertainly as he tried to pick the right words to say.
"Don't get me wrong Sal, I love my world as it is now." he said, "It's great that we're all happy and free like we wanted. But you can understand why I feel a little, you know…down right?"
"I do understand sweetie." Sally responded, gently stroking her husband's face, "You'd gotten so used to a life of adrenaline and action that suddenly living as you are now, it feels a little underwhelming in comparison doesn't it?"
"At times I wonder why I bother talking since you're so good at summing my thoughts up for me." Sonic chuckled.
Sally raised an eyebrow in mild annoyance but didn't attempt to keep a straight face. She'd gotten used to Sonic's quips over time and knew why he would often use them. It helped him to remain optimistic and happy when he felt down or bored.
"Tell me though Sonic, how much do you miss that kind of life?" she asked curiously, "If you could say, have one wish come true for you, would you wish things back to the way they were or something?"
The very question made Sonic stare at Sally incredulously.
"Sal? You're not serious are you?" he blurted.
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" the queen snapped, her face not showing any signs that suggested she was, "Just answer the question Sonic, and honestly if you please."
"If you say so." the hedgehog shrugged, "I'll admit…I wouldn't go THAT far. I certainly don't want Eggman back from the dead or Finitevus to rise from his grave and menace us. But I do wish I could have at least one day that feels like the adventures me and my friends once had. We're the guys who've journeyed the world over, fought in other dimensions and once saved the multi-verse from zero hour! I'm not asking for anything of THAT scale though, but at least one action-packed event that brings me back to the days of adventure and action I know and love."
He then looked down at the floor as if expecting Sally to be mad at him for the answer he'd given. But his wife didn't seem angry with him. She looked almost sad to hear that her husband was craving adventure that much. She nodded slowly.
"I understand your feelings Sonic." she said, "Though I'm a little hurt that you feel that way. I'd hoped you'd consider your life as my husband and King of New Mobotropolis to be an adventure. But I guess I was wrong. Maybe even I'm too slow for you…"
"Sal, don't say that!" Sonic protested, feeling guilty that he'd unintentionally hurt his wife's feelings, "Of course you're not too slow for me! If anything, I'm too fast for you! I've made promises to slow down for you Sal and I intend to keep those promises. And don't think for a minute that I'd ever give up my life with you for a day of adventure. It wouldn't be much of one without you queenie and that's the truth."
Sally's downcast eyes suddenly lit up with delight.
"You…you mean that?" she asked.
"Sally, I'm many things but you and I both know that I'm not the lying type." Sonic insisted.
Touched, Sally embraced her husband again and kissed him on the lips. Sonic returned the hug, enjoying the feeling of warmth between him and his beloved queen. He had been true to not just Sally, but himself too. He wouldn't give up her for anything, not even the most exciting adventure he could think of. She made his adventures feel more adventurous and Sonic couldn't be happier. As the two separated, Sally's face lit up again, but her smile seemed to be a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Sonic caught the signs immediately and his face fell.
"Sal? You OK?" he asked.
"Sonic, I had some great news for you but I thought I'd wait for the right moment to reveal it." the royal chipmunk replied, "Are you ready for this?"
"Sally, I'm the guy who took out Enerjak! Of course I'm ready for this!" Sonic sneered, "This hedgehog's ready for anything!"
"We'll see how accurate that statement is." Sally retorted, "I didn't just see Nicole just to hear the news this morning Sonic. I went to see her for something else too. You know how I've been a bit sick and suffering from a few pains lately?"
"Yeah, I know, I actually grew concerned for you." the king nodded, "So I guess you asked Nicole to give you a look over?"
"I did. She scanned me and everything." Sally replied, "And it turns out that the most wonderful thing has happened Sonic. According to Nicole's diagnosis…I…I'm pregnant."
The last word had totally struck Sonic by surprise. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. He felt as if he'd been slapped across the face. He was so stunned he even took a few steps backwards. Sally noticed immediately that her beloved wasn't taking this well, something she'd feared from the start, and she quickly put her arms around him to keep him steady.
"I knew you'd be shocked!" she cried, "I'm so sorry Sonic but I just had to break it to you! I couldn't have kept something as big as this from you so I had to tell you about it!"
Sonic shook his head to get out of his daze and he took a few breaths to ease his nerves. He then looked back at his wife, noticing the dismay in her eyes. Disappointed with himself for reacting so badly to the news, he straightened up and did his best to compose himself.
"Gosh, sorry Sal. I was just…surprised s'all." he said, "Anyway…you're pregnant? Guess I'm still too fast for you after all. But…but…that's pretty swell." he said, a genuine smile spreading across his face, "You're gonna be a mom! And I…I'm gonna be a…a dad! Man I never thought I'd ever say those words!" he gasped.
"So you're not mad or disappointed?"
"Why would I? That's the most amazing thing that's happened to us Sally! We're gonna have a prince or a princess roaming through these halls with us! I think this is the kind of adventure we've been asking for together!"
Sally beamed with delight at her husband's enthusiasm. Maybe she'd under-estimated his feelings and how he would go about the matter. Filled with glee, Sally threw her arms around her husband and pulled him in close, happy tears trickling down her cheeks.
"Oh Sonic…this is one of the happiest moments of my life…" she whispered, "I've always dreamed of being a mother."
"And now it seems your dreams are coming true." Sonic replied, "I bet it'll be great to be a dad."
As optimistic as he sounded, Sonic found himself secretly doubting if he really meant those words. He was going to have a son or daughter! He was now going to be Sonic the Hedgehog, King of New Mobotropolis and a father! But would he able to cope with such a life-changing event? Could he be a father? Sonic felt that he wouldn't be adequate for parenthood. This wasn't what he'd asked for and not something he'd been clamouring for. But he couldn't let Sally down. She was so happy at the fact she was going to be a mum! He had to be happy for her and do what he could to help raise the child he would soon be fathering. It was going to be a big thing to wrap his head around, but Sonic was not going to let anybody down. He would do what it took to be the father that his child would need…
What a way to kick off this sequel series! Sonic's going to be a father! Will he manage though? Is parenthood the kind of adventure he'll be happy with? Tune in next time as we delve into Sonic's feelings on the matter as he and Sally reveal the big news...