Chapter 1 - A New Dawn, A New Day

As the sun rose from beyond the hills, Sonic arose from his slumber; eyes heavy with sleep. His movements sluggish, compared to his normal self, his fatigue dominating his every waking moment.

As Sonic made his way to the freshwaters of the nearby lake, his companion Tails flew by and landed next to him – like a falcon perching itself on its master's hand.

"Hey Sonic" said Tails, "plan on doing anything today?" "Nope. Not today Tails" Sonic replied, "today is gonna be one of those rare days with no Eggman, no Metal Sonic… no nothin'. For once, I'm gonna be able to sit back, relax, and forget about everything." He let out a deep sigh and drank plentifully from the lake's crystal-clear water with his white, gloved hands. Tails joined him - copying his every move as he normally does so - idolising his hero.

Some time later, Sonic decided that he wanted some time alone with his thoughts. So he decided to take a quick dash around the island. By the time he was gone, Tails had no idea that Sonic wasn't even there anymore!

When Sonic arrived at a clearing, there was a strange humming sound. 'What could that be?' he thought to himself. Then there was a big grey dot covering the sun. 'Oh, great! Eggman! What does he want?!' Sonic thought sarcastically, with disappointment. When the Eggmobile descended to the ground, the door opened and Eggman stepped out and bobbed up and down, cackling his usual "HO HO HO!" They both stood there, assuming their usual positions when they're always head to head – facing each other with a solid stare.

Sonic sighed deeply, with a morose aura. "So Eggman, usual plans, eh?" "Why indeed my dear hedgehog," he said with a strong evilness, "how did you know?!"

"Oh, I don't know" Sonic said sarcastically, "you've only tried to rule the world, like, a million times (!) When do you ever change to something new?" "Why you little!" Eggman said quickly with annoyance and frustration. He pressed a button on his remote control, firing a laser at Sonic from the Eggmobile. But, as usual, Sonic, knowing Eggman, quickly side-stepped out of its path. "GRR!" Eggman retorted, throwing the remote control to the ground "I have no time for this! I must continue with my plan!" "What plan?" asked Sonic, knowing that Eggman would divulge his plan. "Well, I have built a laser cannon - capable of destroying the entire world. The debris from the explosion would be so powerful, that it would destroy the moon as well! HO HO HO HO!!" Eggman laughed and cackled, bobbing up and down in his usual fashion. Then, he took on a look of despair. "Although… there is one slight problem with this brilliant scheme." "What's that then?" enquired Sonic, intrigued to know what Eggman's downfall; although he could probably guess – 'Chaos Emeralds' he though, mimicking Eggman. "I require all the Chaos Emeralds to power the laser cannon and the satellite from which it's to be mounted on." "So, are you off to find them now?" "You learn fast hedgehog! Now, if you'll excuse me…" After finishing his speech, Eggman clambered into his Eggmobile and set off.

Sonic raced back to Tails with lightning speed. "Tails!" he called out, "Tails! Where are you?" "I'm in the plane shed." Sonic hurried as fast as he could. "Tails, Eggman is up to his old tricks again! He's built a laser cannon - capable of destroying the world. We need to get all the Chaos Emeralds to stop him!"

"What are we gonna do, Sonic?" asked Tails. "We're gonna go and collect those Emeralds, and I think I know someone who has some" Sonic replied. "So, are we gonna use the Tornado III to find them?" enquired a fascinated Tails. "Exactly! I'll go and get us some supplies. Be back in a minute!"

By the time that Sonic had returned, Tails was preparing the Tornado III for take off. Tails was putting on his helmet and goggles, while Sonic assumed his position at the centre of the roof above him.

"You ready, Sonic?" enquired Tails. "You bet!" replied Sonic, with an excited tone.

'Final Check Sequence'… 'Skies are clear for take off'…

'In 3… 2… 1…' And with that, they were off into the bright blue sky of midday.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching them from a nearby bush. "Hmm… I wonder where those two are going?" said the voice. The only clue to its identity was a slither of red visible through a small gap.

As they flew further into the mid-afternoon day, Tails asked Sonic a question - with an air of confusion. "Sonic?" "Yeh Tails." "Where are we going again?" "To see Shadow. I need to ask him something. He was last seen at the Green Hill Zone, so we're going there to check it out!"