Author's Notes: This is my first fan fiction story. It's my own retelling of the origins of Sonic the Hedgehog and is loosely inspired by the SegaSonic the Hedgehog arcade game. All events of this story are set throughout this game and before the original Sonic the Hedgehog game. Some original characters have been added, but these are for storytelling purposes only and I intend for the focus to be on the main canon characters. Many thanks for inspiration from JudasFm's excellent "Rising Star" story. Feedback is welcome.
Christmas Island wasn't the most exciting place in Mobius. It was a small, sleepy sort of place, characterised by sporadic settlements and dense woodlands. Life was usually uneventful. To many on the island this meant peace and quiet, while to others (Especially the young) it meant boredom. In the forest immediately outside of Christmas Island's largest settlement of Beachrock was an abandoned wooden shack. The rain outside was very heavy and it was in this shack that two young friends were whiling away their weekend; a blue hedgehog named Sonic and a golden flying squirrel named Ray. It was the early afternoon and Sonic was sitting in an old wooden chair, resting his feet on a table as he bounced a ball repeatedly against a wall. Ray was inspecting a broken piece of metal that he found earlier in the day.
"I've been thinking about this thing for a while now and I just dunno where it's come from. It's not like anything I've ever seen." said a puzzled Ray. The metal had a what look like a very small circuit board with wires protruding from it, indicating that it was part of some sort of electronic machine. Yet it didn't belong to any machine that Ray recognised, and he was quite proficient with technology, often tinkering with whatever electrical and mechanical contraptions he could lay his hands on.
"It's just something that someone dumped." replied Sonic. "I bet it's from a TV or a microwave or something like that."
"But it's nothing I've ever seen before. It's not from a TV or microwave, it looks a bit too high tech with such a little circuit board. Plus look at the logo." said Ray as he took the metal over to Sonic and pointed towards the unknown logo. It didn't have any words but instead consisted of what look like a perfectly round head with a toothy grin and a large, bushy moustache. "Never seen that logo before, I bet."
"Probably just something from a TV that was made in the Metropolis Zone, some new brand that we've never heard of. They're always making new stuff there." The Metropolis Zone was known across Mobius for its huge factories that produced many of the goods consumed across the planet and it certainly wouldn't be the first time that a new brand appeared as if from nowhere.
"Maybe you're right, but I still wanna check it out."
"Of course I'm right, I'm always right about everything!" said Sonic as he flashed his characteristic mischievous grin. Ray smiled and rolled his eyes, amused at his friend's cockiness, as Sonic continued "You know how much junk is dumped all over the place, you'll probably find something just like it in a shop somewhere and forget all about it."
"Yeah..." sighed Ray as he gazed out of the broken window of the shack hoping for the rain to stop. Given the lack of amusements for young people in Christmas Island, the rain was often something which spoiled their enjoyment. Sonic in particular had a great dislike for getting wet, and Ray was none too keen on the prospect either.
"So... when do you think Mighty will be coming over?" asked Ray, referring to their mutual friend Mighty the Armadillo. The three of them were long time friends who spent a great deal of time with each other. Mighty was perfectly happy getting wet, so Ray realised that the rain would be no deterrent for the armadillo.
"His mom took him into town to get some new shoes". Mighty's mother felt that the condition of her son's main pair of shoes was a disgrace and insisted that they go into town to get a new pair, much to his chagrin. "I know how easy Mighty's mom gets distracted when she goes into town, but with any luck he might get back sometime this year!" Sonic joked.
"Heh, yeah." said Mighty with a grin on his face, still distracted by the debris that he acquired earlier.
It was at that moment that the shack door suddenly swung open. Given how heavy the rain was, neither Sonic nor Ray heard any footsteps, so the sudden opening of the door came as a shock to them. Both of them presumed that it was Mighty, but that presumption quickly disappeared as three adults stepped through the door. Sonic immediately knew who they were. The leader of the group was a brown bear named Pete. Pete was the Sheriff of Beachrock and a person who Sonic knew only too well. Pete was flanked by two of his deputies, a dog named Spike and a fox named Jerry.
"Hey Sheriff, great to see you! I suppose you must be looking for something, or did you miss my company so much that you just can't stay away from me?" said Sonic in a sarcastic tone, still sitting in the chair with his legs resting on the table.
Sheriff Pete didn't see the funny side of Sonic's teasing. Before the hedgehog had the chance to reach, Pete kicked the chair over, causing Sonic to crash to the ground, flat on his face. Sonic immediately felt his arms being restrained behind his back and handcuffs applied.
"What do you think you're doing?" yelled a confused Sonic. With the handcuffs applied, Sonic was dragged very suddenly to his feet. He was met face to face by Pete, who used his intimidating statue to tower over the young Sonic.
"You're under arrest for arson, you little delinquent." said Pete, scowling at Sonic.
"What, arson? I haven't done anything!" pleaded Sonic, his normal cocky demeanour quickly disappearing as he grappled with the implications of being accused of such a serious crime.
"Wh-what's going on?" asked a nervous Ray. "I know Sonic wouldn't do that!"
"You mind your own business, kid!" barked Pete. "Or maybe your dad might like to know who you've been hanging out with?"
What little confidence Ray had quickly evaporated. Ray's father was the Mayor of Beachrock. Being a man of great social stature, he sought to avoid any negative associations that could taint his family's reputation. He shared the suspicion and disdain that many of the residents of Christmas Island held Sonic in, and consequently forbade his son from associating with his friend. Given how strict his father was, Ray was terrified at the prospect of his associations with Sonic coming to light. Yet at the same time, Ray wanted to fight his friend's corner. No matter what anybody said, Ray just knew that Sonic wouldn't do such a thing. Sure he can be a bit wild, but he just ain't the kind of guy who'd go around burning stuff!
Before Ray had the chance to react Sonic turned towards him and with a firm tone said "Ray, just go. Get out of here!". As much as Sonic valued Ray's friendship, he preferred to keep his own problems to himself. He didn't want to drag either Ray or Mighty into it. These guys have a problem with me, thought Sonic. They don't need to have a problem with my friends.
As Ray hesitated, nervous and indecisive as to his next move, Sonic decided he had to be more forceful and shouted "Ray, just go!".
On his friend's insistence, Ray ran out of the door with great speed. Sonic was now alone with the Sheriff and his two deputies. He was nervous. He realised that no matter how fast he was, a handcuffed twelve year old hedgehog wasn't in much position to defend himself against three large and powerful (In both physical and legal senses) adults who took great pleasure in making his life as miserable as possible. But Sonic was prideful and didn't want to show any sort of weakness to anybody, least of all to these three.
"I knew it Sheriff, you just can't be without me for more than five minutes! I guess we're gonna have to get to know each other better now!" said Sonic sarcastically as he made every effort to look as cocksure as possible.
However, he was quickly interrupted as the Sheriff dragged him towards to door by his handcuffs. Sonic winced in pain as the metal from the handcuffs cut into his wrists. Sonic was dragged out of the door and into the rain. He was frogmarched to the Sheriff's four-wheel drive patrol vehicle that was parked a short distance away. As the doors were opened, Sonic was unceremoniously thrown head first into the back of the vehicle. Sheriff Pete climbed into the back seat alongside Sonic. As Soon regained his footing and sat on the back seat, the Sheriff leaned over to him.
"We'll see just cocky you really are soon. Thought you could get away all the time? I knew you'd slip up eventually, and here we are. I've been waiting for this." said Pete, scowling and baring his teeth at Sonic.
Sonic immediately thought of a cutting comeback in which he would invoke the Sheriff's bad breath, but for once he decided to hold his tongue. Sonic remained silent for the rest of the two mile journey to the centre of Breachrock where the Sheriff's station was situated.
The patrol vehicle parked at the rear of the Sheriff's station. Sonic was dragged out of the vehicle by Pete' deputies and frogmarched towards the doors of the station. Spike unlocked the doors and as Sonic was shoved into the building, he took stock of his surroundings.
They all stood in what looked like a prisoner reception room. The inside of the building, much like the outside, looked dingy and in a state of disrepair. Paint was peeling off the walls and damp patches formed in the corners of the room. A row of dirty benches sat against the wall with handcuffs attaches to railings. Clearly these seats were for keeping any waiting prisoners, though nobody was sitting in them at the time. On one side of the room was a barred gate that led to what looked like a cell block. Next to the gate was a desk, behind which sat another of the Sheriff's deputies, a brown hedgehog named Harley. Sonic felt somewhat reassured at Harley's presence. Harley was always the most reasonable member of the Sheriff's department. He never shared the antipathy towards Sonic that many of the denizens of Christmas Island felt, instead seeing the young hedgehog as being misunderstood.
"OK, we might as well get this over with as quickly as possible" stated Harley.
"State your name" ordered Pete as he turned to Sonic.
"But you already know my name, Sheriff, we're such great pals after all!" said the hedgehog with a smirk on his face. Pete was not amused and bared his teeth in anger.
Before the Sheriff could reply, Harley interjected "Look kid, no need to make things any more difficult than they need to be". The deputy's demeanour was as conciliatory as possible while maintaining an air of authority.
Sonic sighed and replied "Sonic the Hedgehog". Harley started writing out the necessary information on a form.
"Address!" Pete barked towards Sonic, his temper becoming ever shorter.
"You know me, Sheriff, I get everywhere! Never one to stay in one place!" Sonic seemed to be deliberately goading the Sheriff, whose anger was boiling over with every passing second.
"I know you've been crashing with Mighty's family, so I'm just gonna put that down on the form, OK?" said Harley as he once again tried to defuse the situation. He had very little time for the methods of his superior, but he had no choice but to defer to the higher rank. Sonic just nodded quietly towards the deputy to confirm the address. Sonic was a drifter at heart, but he spent more time staying with Mighty's family than anywhere else. Mighty's parents sympathised with Sonic and hoped to offer him some semblance of normality from time to time, even in spite of his rebellious streak.
Teeth baring, Pete scowled once again towards Sonic and said "Age!"
"Twelve! I'm a big boy now!" replied Sonic with a cheerful yet sarcastic grin on his face. Every aspect of the young hedgehog's demeanour seemed tailored to infuriate the authority figures around him. It was a form on communication that he was very well versed with.
This was the final straw for the Sheriff. Immediately he took the wooden baton from his utility belt. He pinned Sonic against the desk, holding the baton against his throat and choking him with it. Pete leaned over Sonic and with his face no more than an inch from that of the hedgehog, he shouted "You're so damn cocky, ain't ya? Think you're able to get away with everything? Well think again! I'm gonna teach you a lesson in manners, you little degenerate!" Flecks of spittle were being ejected from the Sheriff's mouth.
"Boss, steady on!" said Harley as he stood from his seat. He was trying his best to keep his superior calm, a frequent challenge that he faced. "You'll kill him at this rate!" The words of the deputy had the desired effect and Pete lowered his baton, allowing Sonic to breathe. Sonic turned away from the Sheriff, leaning over the desk as he took a few seconds to catch his breath. Pete put the baton back in his utility belt.
Once Sonic caught his breath he crooked his head round to face Pete and with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye said "You know Sheriff, you should think about spending those wages on some mouthwash!"
Before Sonic could even detect a reaction, Pete grabbed Sonic by his quills and slammed him head first against the desk. A gash opened up on his temple, but he was far too dazed and confused to even acknowledge the bleeding. With his hands cuffed Sonic was hauled to his feet by the deputies Spike and Jerry. Pete unlocked the door to the cell block, followed by the cell door. Sonic's was frogmarched over to the cell and his handcuffs were removed. He was thrown face first into the cell as the cell door slammed shut loudly behind him. The rusty lock turned shut as Sonic rolled onto his back, clutching his head in pain as he struggled with the implications of his new predicament.
Author's Notes: Hope you liked it. I'm not getting into the action immediately, I like to have a bit of background to the story first to help get to know the characters a bit better. Feedback is welcome.