Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters, trademarks, locations, etc. are the property of SEGA, Sonic Team, Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima. "Dare You To Move" is the property of Switchfoot. I claim no ownership to any element except original story content.

Welcome to the Planet

It was springtime. The sun's bright crimson rays were beginning to peek over the horizon, brilliantly reflected off of the deep blue ocean below. As the clear, cloudless sky began to fill with light, the wide variety of aquatic life below the sea became visibly active, leaping and flailing above the surface of the water. The light continued to spread across the endless ocean, illuminating the sparkling white beaches of South Island.

Morning had risen on planet Mobius.

The serene picture was soon broken by a loud crack that seemingly split the atmosphere in two. The culprit of the disturbance suddenly appeared at edge of the beach, traveling at a blinding velocity along the shoreline and leaving a brilliant blue streak of light in its wake. The force of the sudden torrent of wind carried along by the small figure caused nearby palm trees to sway violently with the gusts. Any ordinary passerby paying a first visit to the island would have guessed that any number of natural disasters would be the cause of such an unusual phenomenon. To the island's denizens, however, this phenomenon was anything but unusual.

The figure suddenly came to a screeching halt, kicking up a massive dust cloud as its feet skidded across the sand. The cloud rose in the air, and then finally settled, revealing the figure's many unusual features.

The speedster stood at around three-and-a-half feet tall, completely covered in light cobalt blue fur, save for the light shade of peach covering the skin on its chest, arms, and the inside of the short, pointy ears perched above its large, spherical head. Protruding from the back of its head were several short, razor-sharp spines pointing in various directions. But perhaps the strangest features of this odd figure were the large white gloves covering its hands and the bright red, white-striped shoes on its feet, complete with matching white socks rolled down to its ankles. As far as Mobians went, the critter was clearly a hedgehog-perhaps not the same four-legged mammal familiar to us on our world, but a hedgehog nonetheless.

His large emerald eyes peered over the surface of the water's edge, an arrogant smirk present on his face. All around him was the wide world of South Island. His home, playpen, vacation spot, and stomping ground, all rolled up into one perfect package. The hedgehog clasped his hands together and stretched his short arms as far above his head as he could, hearing the oh-so-satisfying snap of his joints popping slightly. He'd just finished his ritual morning run around the forest a few minutes earlier than usual, giving him the excuse to stretch and enjoy the picture-perfect weather.

Yep, it was gonna be a goooooood day…

"Sonic!"

The familiar sound of Max the Monkey's voice broke the speedster out of his brief reverie. Glancing down the beach towards the amber-colored furry ape running toward him, Sonic the Hedgehog raised a glove-covered hand in greeting. "Maxie!" he exclaimed. "What's happening, bro?"

'Maxie' wrinkled his nose slightly at the ever-unwelcome nickname, but accepted Sonic's high-five. "Where've you been? Did you forget already?"

"No. Forget what?"

"Dude, Sharps wanted to jam earlier this morning! You were gonna cut your run shorter for that? Remember?"

Sonic leaned his head back on his clasped hands and turned back to the ocean. "Yep," he replied.

"You- wait, what?" Max cocked his head to the side. "You knew?"

"O'course."

"Then what-"

"Dude," Sonic faced Max again, still grinning. "This is my 'ME' time." He waggled his pointer finger in the monkey's face, one of the hedgehog's favorite poses. "You don't mess with Sonic's 'me' time. Especially if you're a stuck-up chicken like Sharps."

Max visibly relaxed, Sonic's charm having obviously worked. "That's pretty much what I told him. But you know how Sharps is with jamming…"

"…He doesn't take no for an answer." Sonic rubbed his pointer finger under his nose, his usual bodily response whenever agitated. "Y'know what? It's a nice day out. I'm gonna take another lap."

"W-what?" Max sputtered, his eyes trailing after Sonic as the speedster began jogging down the beach. "But wait! What am I supposed to tell-?"

"I-I can't hear you, man!" Sonic called from over his shoulder, "the, uh… wind is too loud!"

His mouth agape, Max could only stare after the blue blur as his silhouette disappeared over the horizon. Frowning a bit, he turned and shuffled down the edge of the beach with his head hanging low in thought, wondering exactly how he would bail out the self-obsessed hedgehog this time.

Leave a review, if you please!