The sun kissed the morning sky over San Santos. The dew kissed the morning grass, and Sonic the Hedgehog got up for another unoriginal-yet-federally-mandated high school fic. The man originally responsible for writing this story had shot himself, so the current author took up the task in his place.

Anyways, once he had downed his breakfast and freshened up, Sonic blasted out the door along with his best friend, Miles "Tails" Prower. The Blue Blur didn't enjoy school so much as he enjoyed running to school in a matter of seconds instead of taking the bus like the "normal" kids. Besides, he needed that rush.

The school in question was James F. Charleston High School, located in the southern part of the city. The main building was an old brick building with a few modern touches, plus some lush vegetation to even things out. The interior of the building was typical for a school: Vinyl tiles, cinder block walls of varying colors, plus fluorescent lighting.

After the Columbian national anthem and morning announcements, Sonic reported to his first class of the day: World History. Attending class with Sonic and Tails were Knuckles the Echidna, Shadow the Hedgehog, Silver the Hedgehog and a bunch of other people who shouldn't have been here due to age differences. Like that ever stopped any other authors.

Not long after the second bell rang, their teacher, Mr. Obotir, arrived. Obotir was a large man with a black mustache, a goatee and a receding hairline.

"Ah, good morning, class!" said Obotir. "Are we ready for the day's lessons?"

The class gave varying responses, none of which seemed particularly enthusiastic, except maybe Tails' and Silver's.

"Brilliant!" exclaimed Obotir. "Now then, let us call the roll…Blaze?"

"Present!" said Blaze the Cat.

"Butkus?"

"Here!" said Joseph Butkus.

"Caholleck?"

"Here!" said Al Caholleck.

The pattern continued on. Once Obotir had finished taking attendance, he took out his tablet computer. "Now then, today's lesson is about the Tedescan Civil War, one of the bloodiest conflicts the world has ever seen. Can anyone name the two sides in the conflict?"

Tails and Silver raised their hands, along with two other kids.

"Mr. Prower?" said Obotir.

"They were the Federal Republic of Tedesca, led by Franz Riedel, and the Nationalist State of Tedesca, led by Joseph Giftmann" replied Tails.

"Very good! Of course, it wasn't necessary to name the two leaders in this conflict, but the extra effort is appreciated! For the next part of this lesson, we're going to be watching a short documentary about the war. Therefore, I would like to ask everyone to sit up and pay attention."

Everyone did as they were told…well, almost everyone. After tapping the screen of his tablet a few times, Obotir began the film. The lights in the room dimmed automatically, and the film projected itself on the Cyboard – an ordinary-looking whiteboard that could also serve as a display screen.

Though the documentary was short, it captured the essentials: Giftmann's rise to power, the Nationalists' secession, the Battle of Salzdorf, the Siege of Reifsburg, the assault on Fort Todesherz, the Battle of Großadlerhorst and so on, all the way up to the atomic bombing of Albtraum and Giftmann's expulsion. Once the documentary concluded, the lights turned back on.

"Though this war lasted for three years, the background events leading up to it had been going on longer than that," said Obotir. "Several years ago, Tedesca entered the worst economic depression in its entire history. Inflation was rampant, food was scarce, and religious tensions were at some of the highest levels in the country's history. Everyone argued over the best solution to the problem. As you know, Giftmann claimed to have the solution and swayed several people to his cause. However, not everyone was swayed by Giftmann's ideas, thereby bringing about what you just saw. While I am on this subject, I should like to remind you that we are doomed to repeat history if we don't pay ATTENTION!"

"Huh!? Wha…!?" Knuckles – who had been dozing off – snapped to attention. Some of the other students laughed at him. "Oh, ya think that's funny!? Well just you wait, guys!"

Obotir waved gently. "All right, settle down! Settle down! Now then, are there any questions?"

Several people raised their hands.

"Ms. Naylor?" said Obotir.

"Was everyone in Nationalist Tedesca part of the Nationalist Party?" asked Ivanna Naylor.

"No. In fact, no more than 12% of the population in Nationalist Tedesca belonged to the Tedescan National Workers' Party at any given time."

Tails was called upon next. "So how could somebody like Giftmann have gained so many followers?"

"Yeah," said Sonic. "Why would people just fall for that jive?"

"Ah, very good questions!" said Obotir. "There really wasn't a single reason. Some people followed him because they believed that Tedesca had strayed too far from its roots. Some followed him because they were simply fed up with being hungry. Others felt that they had no choice. Now…Mr. Silver?"

"But why would they kill their fellow countrymen?" asked Silver. "I've read about this war a few times and I still can't understand how the past could be so savage!"

"Also a very good question!" replied Obotir. "However, we've no time to dwell upon that, because I have a special activity planned for today!"

Some of the students perked up when they heard this.

"First, I would like to talk about discipline." Obotir wrote the word "discipline" on the board. "Discipline is a necessary component of our society. However, for all the benefits that democracy has brought, today's society is sorely lacking in discipline. Fortunately, I'm here to change that!"

A number of students gave him confused looks.

"I know you're wondering how I can possibly hope to accomplish this. You may also be wondering how it could benefit you. Both are very good questions! For example…Mr. Sonic, is it not true that you are an accomplished athlete?"

Sonic gave a thumbs up. "Right on!"

"Well, I'm sure you needed a high degree of discipline to get where you are now, yes?"

"Actually…I never really kept track of that." Sonic scratched his head.

"Regardless," said Obotir, "athleticism is a skill that requires many hours to develop fully. Other skills such as flight…lifting heavy objects…automotive repair…these are all skills that require discipline…control…the strength of the will! Strength comes through discipline, and today, we will learn what it truly means to be strong! First, we shall begin with posture, for how can one hope to become disciplined if one does not have the correct posture? Mr. Caholleck, please come to the front of the class!"

Al – a stocky white guy with brown hair – did as he was told. A few students snickered and made snide comments behind his back. Up front, Obotir had an extra chair waiting for him.

"Sit down, please!" said Obotir.

Al did so.

"Now, sit up straight, place your feet on the floor and grasp the sides of the chair like so."

Once again, Al followed Obotir's instructions to the letter. When he was done, his arms were parallel with his body, grasping the sides of the chair.

"Very good! Mr. Caholleck, breathe in…now out! There, do you not feel better?"

Al nodded.

"As you can see, ladies and gentlemen," said Obotir, "good posture leads to improved concentration and a strong will! By now, the effect on discipline should be obvious, so if you will, please follow Mr. Caholleck's example!"

Naturally, everyone sat up straight like Al, or at least tried to do so. Some people – like Sonic – couldn't touch the floor with their feet, so they just dangled their legs at a 90-degree angle, perpendicular to the ground.

(Man, this is way past uncomfortable,) thought Sonic. (I'd rather be sittin' on a tack right now!)

"Excellent!" said Obotir. "You may relax for a moment…"

Everyone did so.

"…now resume the position! Now relax! And again!"

The class repeated this a few times. While they were still assuming the posture, Obotir walked over to Knuckles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, pay attention to Mr. Knuckles," said Obotir. "Note how his upper body is perpendicular to the floor! See how his arms are perfectly parallel to his body, his chin in perfect synchronization! However, this is only the beginning of Strength Through Discipline. Next, I will ask you all to get up and walk around for a few moments, and when I give the command, you are to return to your desks. Go ahead, then!"

It didn't take an expert to tell that this was Sonic's favorite part of the exercise. Not only was he running around the room as fast as he could go, but he was also jumping around every which way but loose, even using the desks as platforms. A couple of students weren't too happy when Sonic nearly ran into them, but they knew the Blue Blur well enough to let it slide.

(Wait…is this history or gym class?) thought Sonic. (Who cares!? This is disco!)

"Back to your seats!" ordered Obotir.

Ironically, although he hated that damned posture, Sonic was the first one to get back to his desk and sit down correctly. All the other students got back into position, albeit with varying degrees of success.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we can do far better than this!" said Obotir. "If you want to make a difference in this world, you must practice until you cannot get this wrong! We're going to try this again, but this time, I suggest that you be quieter and more in control. Understood?"

"Yes" said the students.

Ergo, the students went through a few more runs. The majority of them got the hang of it shortly enough, but there were still a few who couldn't quite hack it at first. Nevertheless, they all got it sooner or later in spite of their trouble.

"Most outstanding!" Obotir pressed the "stop" button on his tablet's stopwatch. "Your best time has gone down by half of your original margin! However, being on time is useless if you're not prepared, so don't forget to bring paper and writing utensils for every class, or even a tablet! Ah, but I'm sure that none of you have forgotten this, have you not? I also have two more rules: 1. When asking or answering a question, you are required to stand up, and 2. You must preface all questions and answers with my name – Mr. Obotir. Understood?"

"Yes" said the students.

"Good. Ms. Blaze, where was Joseph Giftmann born?"

"He was born in…"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong!" said Obotir. "You've forgotten the rules already! Mr. Knuckles, please demonstrate the correct procedure again so that Ms. Blaze doesn't forget!"

Knuckles stood up and said "Mr. Obotir" before returning to his seat.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Knuckles. Ms. Blaze, try it again."

Blaze got up from her seat.

"Mr. Obotir, Joseph Giftmann was born in the town of Flußheim," said Blaze.

"Better," said Obotir, "but still too slow. Ideally, your question or answer should be three words or less. Please try it again!"

Blaze got up again. "Mr. Obotir, Flußheim."

"Yes, that's it!" Mr. Obotir raised his index finger. "Prompt…precise…punctual! Let's do this again…Ms. Normal, who was the victor at the Battle of Salzdorf?"

"Mr. Obotir, the Nationalists," replied Abby Normal.

"Excellent! Mr. Sonic…what was the name of the treaty that ended the war?"

"Mr. Obotir, I dunno." Sonic sat down.

"That's perfectly all right! As long as you're following the rules, that answer will be accepted! Mr. Tails?"

"Mr. Obotir, the Brotherhood Treaty," replied Tails.

"Bravo!" Obotir clapped his hands. "Who was in charge of Fort Todesherz?"

Silver got up to answer the question. "Mr. Obotir, General Heinrich Müller."

"Correct! What year did the war end?"

Shadow got up from his seat. "Mr. Obotir…"

The bell rang before Shadow could answer the question.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're all out of time for today!" said Obotir. "Please exit the classroom in an orderly fashion, and don't forget about tonight's homework assignment!"


Sonic's next couple of classes were uneventful. At lunch, he sat down with Tails and Knuckles, as he always did. No matter how his day was going, the Blue Blur always looked forward to being with his friends. Since the cafeteria wasn't serving chili dogs today, Sonic opted for a regular ol' hot dog with relish, while Tails picked a cheeseburger and Knuckles went with a chicken sandwich.

"Guys, I gotta be honest," said Sonic. "That experiment smells rotten!"

"What!?" said Knuckles. "How can ya say that, Sonic!? That experiment is one of the best things I did all year! Really, I feel a whole lot better after sitting up like this!"

"Sure, it may be good for you, but I swear, that posture was gonna crack my spine if I had to do it any longer!" Sonic attempted to rub his own back. "Don't get me started on those other rules either, man!"

"Sonic, it's only an experiment!" Tails put his hand on Sonic's shoulder. "You can relax now. I don't think we have to do any of that stuff outside of class."

"Ya sure? I dunno about that. I mean, the teacher's gotta have some other reason for doin' what he did back there, ya know?"

Then, Rouge the Bat sat down at the empty seat to Knuckles' right and wrapped her arms around him. "Hello, Knuckie!"

Knuckles put down his food. Though he was starting to blush, he sat up as straight as possible. "Rouge…what do you want?"

"Oh…nothing!" replied Rouge. "I just wanted to pay a visit to my favorite Echidna!"

"Er…uh…OK!" (Please, just go!)

"Say, are you still going on with that silly experiment?"

"It's not just a 'silly experiment'! It's helping me breathe better, too!"

"Knuckie, you don't have to take it so seriously!" Rouge put one of her hands on Knuckles' chest. "You can relax now!"

"Uh…why would I want to?" Knuckles started to sweat a little.

"Come on, just relax, kiddo!" Rouge started rubbing Knuckles' chest.

"Hey…kn-knock it off!" Knuckles was sweating even more now. Nevertheless, he kept his posture.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid people will think you're not a tough guy?"

"No I'm not! I…uh…heh heh…"

Sonic whispered to Tails: "I don't think he's a wimp, but I know when he's losin' it."

Meanwhile, Silver and Blaze were sitting together at another table. Silver rested his head in his hands and sighed.

"Silver, are you okay?" asked Blaze.

"I'm fine," replied Silver.

"Are you sure? You've not touched any of your food."

Silver lifted his head up and turned to face Blaze. "Trust me, Blaze, I'm fine! It's just that…well…"

"Yes?"

"Well…I can't stop thinking about that experiment we did earlier today. It reminds me of what my master used to make me do."

Blaze raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yeah, but his tasks weren't…uh…"

"Weren't what?"

"Weren't as…difficult as what we had to do in that experiment."

Blaze put her hand on Silver's. "Silver, I may not know what your experience was like, but I know that this experiment has concluded."

"And what makes you so sure about that?" asked Silver.

"Because the teacher didn't say that we were required to continue."

Silver paused. "You're right. Maybe he only held it for that one class. But none of the other teachers did any experiments like that…" He finally took a bite from his pizza, contemplating the situation, remembering when he first discovered "The Gift".


After lunch, Sonic was heading to his next class when he noticed Shadow grabbing some things from his locker.

"Yo, Shadow!"

Shadow sighed in frustration. "What do you want, Sonic?"

"I gotta ask ya," said Sonic. "What did ya think about that experiment in History class?"

"It was logical," replied Shadow.

"Logical? Ya gotta be kiddin' me, man!"

Shadow turned to face Sonic. "You know perfectly damn well that I don't kid around."

"Right…" Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "Why's it logical, then?"

"The educational system in this state – if not this country – has been declining for a long time now. I think it's about time somebody did something about it."

"And how are those goofy exercises supposed to help the educational system?"

Shadow shook his head a bit. "You really didn't listen…did you?"

"I listened! So what?"

"So, I'm not going to answer your question because you already admitted that you listened."

"Oh-kay," said Sonic. "Check ya later, Shad!"

"Good riddance," muttered Shadow.


For Sonic and Tails, nothing notable happened the rest of that day. When the final bell rang, Ol' Blue wasted no time in running back home. After dropping his stuff off, he took some more time to run around the rest of San Santos. To him, there was nothing more cool than getting out of school for the day and using the city as his own personal racetrack. Naturally, a good portion of San Santos' population was familiar with Sonic. Even the local police and highway patrol didn't bother pursuing the Blue Blur – so long as he didn't cause too much trouble.

Since high speed wasn't going to get his homework completed, Sonic headed back home in an hour. Sonic and Tails lived in a modest two-bedroom house, which was quite nicely furnished inside. Here, they lived with Charles T. Hedgehog, better known as "Uncle Chuck" to them. At dinner, the three of them were having a nice little conversation over chili dogs.

"So how was your day, boys?" asked Uncle Chuck.

"Ah, History class stunk, but other than that, I can't complain," replied Sonic.

"I'm glad the rest of your day was all right, but what problem did you have with History class?"

"See, it was this lame experiment that the teacher made us do." Sonic rubbed his back again. "My back still kinda hurts. Maybe Tails can give ya the lowdown better than I could."

Chuck put down his chili dog. "Oh? What do you have to say, Tails?"

"It was awesome!" replied Tails. "I think it's one of the most interesting things we did in that class!"

"Really?" queried Chuck. "Tell me more; I'm all ears!"

"Our teacher wanted to teach us about strength through discipline. So, he taught us to always sit up straight and stand up before asking or answering a question. I felt smarter after doing it!" Tails took another bite of his chili dog.

"That sounds like an unusual experiment. Did he say why he was doing it?"

"He didn't say a lot, but according to him, today's society has no discipline, and he wanted to change that."

Chuck raised an eyebrow at the last few words. "Tails…do you even know what you're getting into?"

"Don't worry, Uncle Chuck!" Tails gave a thumbs up. "I'm not worried! Our teacher didn't say that we also had to do it tomorrow, and I know our teacher wouldn't want us to do anything bad!"

"Well…"

Sonic cut in: "Unc, I know how you're feelin'. Believe me, I told him that this whole thing stunk, too!"

"Now now, Sonic, you know it's not nice to interrupt," said Chuck.

"Sorry, Unc" said Sonic.

"Boys, learning is important, but remember that going to school is only one kind of learning. I want you two to be able to look for deeper meanings in life as well. It's helped me get very far, and I know it will get you far as well. You boys understand?"

"You got it!" said Sonic and Tails. In the Hedgehog household, the rest of the day proceeded without incident.


Meanwhile, a change was in the air at Knuckles' house. Although it only had one bedroom and wasn't furnished as much as Sonic's place, it was large enough for his needs. Currently, he was focusing all his energy on studying, having finished up all his assigned homework. Occasionally, he would turn a page, which was surprisingly easy for his gargantuan mitts. Then, the doorbell rang.

"Come in!" Knuckles didn't budge an inch; he was still sitting down in that same posture that he practiced earlier in the day. The doorbell rang again.

"The door's unlocked!" shouted Knuckles. The door didn't open. Even so, the Knuckster kept his eyes on the proverbial sparrow.

"Good afternoon, my sweet cabbage!" said a familiar voice.

"Not you again…" Knuckles rolled his eyes a little. Contrary to his hopes, Rouge was indeed standing behind him.

"Awww…aren't you curious about how I got in here?" asked Rouge.

"Can't talk; gotta study."

Rouge started giggling. "Wait…are you ACTUALLY still doing that funny seating posture!?"

"Just shut up already! I can't think with all that noise!"

"Oh Knuckie, you're such a riot!" Then, Rouge stopped giggling. "Say…mind if I take a look at what you're reading?"

"Yes."

"Thanks!" Rouge rested her head on Knuckles' shoulder as she peered at his book. "Ooh, what's this? It looks like math!"

Knuckles began to blush again. "All right, get outta here, Bat Girl!"

Instead of obeying Rad Red, Rouge wrapped her arms around him. "Hey…don't be a sour pickle! I want you to feel good!"

"Oh y-yeah!? W…well I was f-f-feeling f-fine until *gulp* you c-came here!"

"Is that so? Well, I'm here to make you feel even better, Knuckie! Now, let's take a look at this lesson."

Knuckles was trembling nervously, unable to form a comprehensible word.

"Hmmm…" Rouge gently stroked Knuckles again. "Oh, this is interesting! It says that A(x) equals x times (60 minus 2x)! But let's forget about all those silly letters and numbers! I think that you plus me equals a lot of fun! Don't you agree?"

"HRK!" Knuckles collapsed like a statue, still holding the position. Rouge just left him there.

(I really think that guy has a stick in his keister,) thought Rouge. (Oh, but I love his determination! So manly and strong, too!)


Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.